Post by Icon Kellar on Aug 5, 2016 14:35:28 GMT -6
The sun rose, glinting off the beautiful stone roof of Fuchu Prison. By this time, Kellar and Sean had swapped their taxi for a hire car, after the driver had inexplicably shown reluctance to wait outside a prison for several hours.
Sean: How long have you known?
Kellar: What?
Sean: How long have you known that Nakashima Masaki was a... "Guest of the State"?
Kellar: Since I spoke to the lawyer who represented him. None of my contacts in the wrestling industry knew where he was, but I still have friends from university practicing law. When all else fails, ask a lawyer. One of my friends works at the same firm as the guy who represented Nakashima at his trial.
Sean: I guess that's why he dropped off the wrestling radar... bit difficult to get dates if you're inside.
Kellar: What makes you think it was that way round?
Sean: Huh?
Kellar: You're assuming that he dropped off the radar because he went to prison. What if he went to prison because he dropped off the radar?
Sean: You're confusing me.
Kellar: Did you ever meet Masaki senior?
Sean: No... but I always admired him.
Kellar: That's because you never met him.
Sean: He was one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.
Kellar: He was. He was also arrogant, power-hungry, egotistical, violent and held a grudge like nobody I've ever met, and I've been wrestling most of my life.
Sean sighed
Sean: I take it you did meet him.
Kellar: When the unpleasantness happened I went to bat for Nakashima. I begged his "father" to reconsider black balling him. I even said I'd take him out of the country and find him work in America. He wouldn't budge. When I pressed it, he threatened to black ball me as well.
Sean: Eeesh... hard to imagine you without your career here in Japan.
Kellar: That was exactly my thought, so I backed down.
Sean shook his head.
Sean: Bitter guy.
Kellar nodded his head
Kellar: You have no idea...
Sean: Why did you go to bat for Nakashima? I didn't know you two had ever met.
Kellar: Because Nakashima Masaki is the greatest natural talent I have ever come across.
Sean: Really?
Kellar: To say I was shocked to hear he wasn't genetically related to Masaki senior would be an understatement. Everything about him, the way he moved, the way he hit, the way he read the ring... it all came entirely naturally to him. The thought of a wrestling industry deprived of that talent was not something I could stand.
Sean: That good?
Kellar: Good? Sean he is, for all intents and purposes, the perfect wrestler. As far as natural talent goes at least.
Sean: What about his brother?
Kellar: Fujiwara's a magnificent talent but he's got there by hard work, determination, blood sweat and tears. But everything Fuji got through hard work came to Nakashima as naturally as breathing does to you and me. The fact that he's locked up in there instead of touring the world wearing gold around his waist makes me sick.
Sean chuckled
Kellar: What?
Sean: You really care about him, don't you?
Kellar: I should have stood up for him, a lot of people should have stood up for him. No one did. I've prided myself on a career of giving real talents the chance to shine rather than entertainers and clowns. Not getting Nakashima back in the ring is a huge black dot in my ledger...
Sean: From what you've told me about him I don't think you were ever likely to change Masaki's mind... and anyone would have chosen to have a career rather than go down with Nakashima.
Kellar: I guess.
There was the sound of a klaxon, and then the big iron gate rolled to one side. From inside stepped a small Japanese man with messy hair and an untidy beard. Kellar and Sean stepped forward.
Kellar: <Nakashima>
Nakashima: <Jon Kellar. I had a feeling you'd be here when they let me out. I got your message.>
Kellar: <And? Are you ready to get back in that ring again?>
Nakashima reached into his pocket and grabbed Kellar's letter, thrusting it into the chest of the GPC World Heavyweight Champion.
Nakashima: <I'd rather drink my own piss than wrestle alongside my brother again, and courtesy of 5 long years in that hellhole, I can actually make a real comparison.>
Nakashima pushed past both men, and the car, and started his walk down the road.
Sean: My Japanese is rusty... but at least one of those words was "piss". I'm guessing it wasn't "I'd pissing love to."
Kellar turned and walked back to the car.
Kellar: Come on... he's not going anywhere fast...
Sean: How long have you known?
Kellar: What?
Sean: How long have you known that Nakashima Masaki was a... "Guest of the State"?
Kellar: Since I spoke to the lawyer who represented him. None of my contacts in the wrestling industry knew where he was, but I still have friends from university practicing law. When all else fails, ask a lawyer. One of my friends works at the same firm as the guy who represented Nakashima at his trial.
Sean: I guess that's why he dropped off the wrestling radar... bit difficult to get dates if you're inside.
Kellar: What makes you think it was that way round?
Sean: Huh?
Kellar: You're assuming that he dropped off the radar because he went to prison. What if he went to prison because he dropped off the radar?
Sean: You're confusing me.
Kellar: Did you ever meet Masaki senior?
Sean: No... but I always admired him.
Kellar: That's because you never met him.
Sean: He was one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.
Kellar: He was. He was also arrogant, power-hungry, egotistical, violent and held a grudge like nobody I've ever met, and I've been wrestling most of my life.
Sean sighed
Sean: I take it you did meet him.
Kellar: When the unpleasantness happened I went to bat for Nakashima. I begged his "father" to reconsider black balling him. I even said I'd take him out of the country and find him work in America. He wouldn't budge. When I pressed it, he threatened to black ball me as well.
Sean: Eeesh... hard to imagine you without your career here in Japan.
Kellar: That was exactly my thought, so I backed down.
Sean shook his head.
Sean: Bitter guy.
Kellar nodded his head
Kellar: You have no idea...
Sean: Why did you go to bat for Nakashima? I didn't know you two had ever met.
Kellar: Because Nakashima Masaki is the greatest natural talent I have ever come across.
Sean: Really?
Kellar: To say I was shocked to hear he wasn't genetically related to Masaki senior would be an understatement. Everything about him, the way he moved, the way he hit, the way he read the ring... it all came entirely naturally to him. The thought of a wrestling industry deprived of that talent was not something I could stand.
Sean: That good?
Kellar: Good? Sean he is, for all intents and purposes, the perfect wrestler. As far as natural talent goes at least.
Sean: What about his brother?
Kellar: Fujiwara's a magnificent talent but he's got there by hard work, determination, blood sweat and tears. But everything Fuji got through hard work came to Nakashima as naturally as breathing does to you and me. The fact that he's locked up in there instead of touring the world wearing gold around his waist makes me sick.
Sean chuckled
Kellar: What?
Sean: You really care about him, don't you?
Kellar: I should have stood up for him, a lot of people should have stood up for him. No one did. I've prided myself on a career of giving real talents the chance to shine rather than entertainers and clowns. Not getting Nakashima back in the ring is a huge black dot in my ledger...
Sean: From what you've told me about him I don't think you were ever likely to change Masaki's mind... and anyone would have chosen to have a career rather than go down with Nakashima.
Kellar: I guess.
There was the sound of a klaxon, and then the big iron gate rolled to one side. From inside stepped a small Japanese man with messy hair and an untidy beard. Kellar and Sean stepped forward.
Kellar: <Nakashima>
Nakashima: <Jon Kellar. I had a feeling you'd be here when they let me out. I got your message.>
Kellar: <And? Are you ready to get back in that ring again?>
Nakashima reached into his pocket and grabbed Kellar's letter, thrusting it into the chest of the GPC World Heavyweight Champion.
Nakashima: <I'd rather drink my own piss than wrestle alongside my brother again, and courtesy of 5 long years in that hellhole, I can actually make a real comparison.>
Nakashima pushed past both men, and the car, and started his walk down the road.
Sean: My Japanese is rusty... but at least one of those words was "piss". I'm guessing it wasn't "I'd pissing love to."
Kellar turned and walked back to the car.
Kellar: Come on... he's not going anywhere fast...
