{TAG MAIN EVENT}

Before - Camera Off

Aokigahara Zombie walks down a dock with his leather jacket half off on a misty night. He coughs and throws his cigarette in the water before falling into his rented houseboat. He lies down on a couch and takes a deep sigh. It is late enough where one could call the day over and the mind is left to wander. Tonight his mind decides to roam into the past. He gets up and retrieves a small case from the cupboard and finds a place to settle down.. The inside of the boat is grimy but cleaner than one would expect but he still has to knock a few empty beer cans from his table to lay the case down. He gets six cans of beer from his mini-fridge and sits in front of the case. He opens it up to reveal a time capsule.

Aokigahara looks at the things inside and places a hand on a few items. He pulls out something small and shiny out of the case. It is his old Prefectural Police badge that he didn’t hand in after being fired. He lays it down on the table in front of him then takes out a large envelope and dumps some newspaper clippings on the badge. He reads the Japanese headlines in English out loud.

“National Police Agency Sued for Use of Excessive Force."
“Renegade Cop Causes Collateral Damage.”
“Cops and Bosozoku Brawl in Broad Daylight.”
“Police vs. Yakuza: Bribery and Extortion Scandal .”

Aokigahara chuckles and sighs as he stuffs the clippings back into the envelope. Those were fun times but looking back like this always brings the pangs of regret. It’s nothing a bit of alcohol won’t fix so he cracks open a beer and chugs it down. He opens up another one and rummages through the metal box to take out a beat up photo album with the words “Lost” written on duct tape stuck to the cover. He flips through it quickly and looks at all the polaroids of people with nicknames written on them in Japanese characters.. Most of them are taken in his forest but there are some that seem to be taken on tops of buildings, or bridges, or alleyways. The people in the pictures are either crying, smiling, or both. Some of them hold up bits of rope, pills, blades, or guns. Quite a few of the men and even women have black eyes or other types of bruises on their faces but they still smile.

Now Aokigahara laughs with some more mirth as he looks through the names and faces of the people he interacted with and saved. As the beer can gets empty he lights a cigarette and inhales. As he exhales he leans back and looks up at the smoke like it paints a picture for him of these interactions with their desperate troubles and lonely cries for help. Aokigahara Forest is known to some as a place of grief but he was trying to change that and become its savior. Sometimes all it took was listening or talking. He could sympathize and relate to their path. Sometimes it would be a struggle. He would never lose anyone while the forest was under his watch… Even if he had to beat the sadness out of them.

Aokigahara took another long puff and turned his gaze sideways to the mini fridge up on the low cabinet. Right on the door the flyer for PAW’s Wicked #16 was stuck on and his face turned somber while looking at the names. He opened up another beer.




After - Camera Recording

We come into focus with a figure in the dark of night sitting on a lawn chair on the front deck and porch of his houseboat. The figure reaches down and turns on a few flashlights to reveal it is Aokigahara Zombie. He throws an empty beer can behind him and looks at the camera with a grin and a slight drunken swaying.

Zombie: “When I was called up by my comrade to finally come to America and join in a wrestling organization I set myself a few guidelines. The end result would ultimately be to continue the influence of Sugoku Zombie-gumi and spread the word of Light and Goodness around the world. I am their agent and I understood. The guidelines that I set for myself were that I would fight my hardest to stick to the mission, that I would take on any challenges as a way to continue the influence, and that I would not let anything interfere with this mission.

“You see, my friend is from Tokyo. Those people from the big city are so brash and to the point. He was very demanding on the phone during these calls and even a bit condescending. I wondered why he was like that when he talked to me. I know he is like a superior in the clan, but how does he get to talk to me like a man talking to his dog? I am loyal but no one can be as loyal as a dog. Those things are so clingy. This conversation made me add to my little rules that I would do things my way and be as creative as possible in order to influence the competitors themselves. Beautiful violence would be my lesson and it has been working out so far. People are starting to see that when they face me it will be an experience they will never forget. I aim to turn a lot of heads in my direction and my affect on them will be strong.”

Aokigahara leans back and scratches his head with his eyes shut tight then he opens them and shrugs.

“Now as I progress in this newfound road the tone of that voice is becoming like the tone of my very conscience. It is filled with warnings and threats. I look into my past and I’m sad to say that these are very warranted. My careers in life have made me become a dangerous and erratic tool. They still sent me to PAW with you guys. I do have the means to control this but I feel the boundaries fading and fading as the days go by. It is too soon to let it happen. I have something to do and it is too soon for me to lose my focus. I am meant to be the clay for the PAW competitors to mold with their fists. I spin in the ring and soak up all their anger as they make something beautiful. I will get their hands dirty and their body sore but I help people. I am meant to be the martyr.”

He reaches into the pocket of his jacket and pulls out the flyer and waves it towards the camera.

“Take this match for instance. One of the opponents my partner and I are facing is Nova Wonder. She is amazing! The things I have seen her do in PAW get me very excited to be in the ring with her. There is no doubt that she is one of the top fighters in this organization and she is so tough and creative. Oh what a fun time we might have when she faces me. Nova makes my body just tingle. There is a lot of anger in her. She has so much pressure to prove that she is worth all the hype. It is true more so now that she is on the cusp of greatness. All she has to do is not trip over her own feet, like with Strick, and the momentum can keep flying. Nova Wonder should unleash all her anger on me and Amanda Reynolds and impress me. If she does I might let her get through the match without incident. If not she has the risk of falling victim to Amanda Reynolds and her own path of redemption.

“Yes, I know it is not my fight, Amanda. With the way this little tag match is constructed you are set up to face Nova. I will probably not get in your way and you can show the world why you deserve to be in PAW and why you deserve that redemption. Just please let me get a little taste of Wonder. I am so curious.”

He laughs raucously and then shakes his head as he settles.

“I know I’m not supposed to be that way. I look forward to my matches so much so that I can help people. I shouldn’t be excited to hurt them. I shouldn’t revert to how I was in the past. Before I was reborn as a Zombie I confess that I was a butcher. I reveled in tearing people apart and watching them fall and crumple under my boots. There were a lot of bodies that were sacrificed to sate my hunger for blood. I was a hunter. The other player in this match is bringing that side of me back to the surface. CJ O’Donnell is getting very good at bringing out my worst. At Wicked #15 we were meant to settle things. I was finally going to cook his supposedly random beef with me and call it well and done. Whatever problems we had were going to be left in the ring. It was a grudge match to end the grudge.”

He points at the camera.

“We never did stay in that ring, did we? You let things get out of hand O’Donnell. We couldn’t start because you revved me up and got me forgetting the mission. When I think about doing my job and when I face you I feel all the conflict inside me. It is making me go insane! I really want to help you. I want to do for you what I did for countless others. Why won’t you just accept it? We didn’t even start the damn match! You made me forget about my goals and I was acting like an animal. They said this would happen. The irritating big city voice threatens me in my head and I want it to stop. Don’t make me force you to settle down. I don’t know if I can control myself anymore. I don’t want to be like the hunter I was before. I don’t give my lessons by crushing people. What kind of lessons are those?

“You and Nova Wonder hold yourselves in high esteem. You probably don’t even know why you are paired up to face me and the rising Amanda Reynolds. Do you see me as just a nuisance in the way that I keep on creeping on after you? If you do just know that, while I am here to have some fun, I am also here on a mission. I aim to put everyone through the paces of this job until we are all changed. I will make PAW a better place and now it is your turn to see why. I will take your punishment and return it threefold until you can acknowledge me. It will be a pleasure to meet Nova Wonder. O’Donnell please don’t mess this one up for us and let me get through with my goals. Please don’t make me accept the demon inside me and have to take you out to keep the path clear. I will decimate that judging tone in my ear and break you down into submission if I have to. Just behave, ok?”

Zombie leans back in his chair and the recording cuts out.