Gold Rush 2016: Garth Black vs Kagura Joheki - Semi Final Match

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Late evening. 160 years ago, this city hadn't been here. The western half of the country hadn't been here. But then people moved west looking for gold, breaking the silence which had reigned here for thousands of years. Most of them never found it.

Its funny how little changes.

The Space Needle cast its lengthening shadow across the traffic far below, slowly ebbing its way through the streets far below. At the top of the tower on the observation deck stood Garth Black, looking over the city. Although he was the only person at the top, the relative tranquillity was spoiled by the sounds of a city making its way home. Engines revved. Horns tooted. A distant siren increased in volume.

Black: I always try and get a higher vantage point wherever we travel. Try and rise above it all. Get a look at the bigger picture. Well, here I stand on the eve of one of the biggest nights of my career, and the chaos surrounding the company has, like the city beneath me started to become very noisy indeed.

Once again a champion has left this company, and once again, anarchy reigns. But I'm above it all. Every single obstacle that could be thrown before me has been, and I am still two matches away from getting a shot that serial losers seem to walk into. And as per usual, the company is doing absolutely everything in its power to ensure that I don't get a fair crack at it.


He looks over the edge of the observation deck, and sees the roads below. There are four roads all heading the same direction, three have smooth flowing traffic, one has a series of parked cars, pot holes and other obstacles making the flow of cars considerably less rapid.

Black: You see, this tournament has been set up to hinder my progress since day 1. I had a former world champion to prepare for in round one. But then this was replaced by another former world champion at the 11th hour. Then I had to fight a former tag team champion, and now I must fight yet another former champion. Kagura has had to face former champions too, but the difference is that she faced them when they were clearly off the boil. She didn't have to raise a fist against S.H.I.T. and Flex just as well may not have been there.

But at least she had the opportunity for competition, look at the other two left in the tournament. Veejay had to fight two rookies in Logan and Mancini, while Tastic had to face another two in Vee A.D.Z. and Abel Hunnicutt, in the main event. Remember, Hunnicutt is a guy I beat. Twice. And yet he has fought more main events than I have. By now, you should already know why.

So yeah, the fix is in, I've had by far the most difficult path, but every curve ball they throw at me, I knock right out of the park. Every roadblock, I plough through it. The WZCW top dogs have clearly not realised that throwing snowballs at an avalanche will only make it worse. The Black Revolution is rolling through this company and every chump they put before me is a sacrificial lamb. Of course, this time I'm going to have to face a few sacred cows which means that they will do everything, or anything in order to stop my momentum. But it won't work. I will break through it.


As he says this he looks back to the traffic below, a car comes from the road containing pot holes and parked cars and, having passed these obstacles, is now able to accelerate to a speed far greater than the cars in the clearer roads. Black pulls out an ornate book from his satchel, he looks at it for a second, and then begins to talk, quietly at first.

Black: But I mustn't get ahead of myself. I can't be planning for the final when Kagura remains in my path. Kagura is obviously riding a wave of momentum herself, having finally found her voice. Well someone's voice anyway. It's clear that the powers that be have decided that the mere mortals of this company cannot stop me, so they've sent in the cavalry. Albeit a slightly creepy, mystical cavalry.

Kagura Joheki, at least I think it's Joheki - she changes her name more often than most of the bottom feeders in this company change their underwear - is a formidable opponent, and one that I'm not taking lightly. But at the same time she seems to take all of her power from a book. A book not unlike this one.


With that, Black holds the book up for a short second before tossing it off the observation deck. As it falls, a series of pages detach and break free, slowly floating their way down to the ground behind the main body of the book.

Black: No book phases me, Kagura. You see, ever since I came to this place, ever since I came back to myself I've fought the fighters and the flighters. I've fought the winners and the whingers. I've fought the pious and the pie eaters. I've fought 'em all, and beat them all too and so I'm not afraid of you. You see, the oldest and strongest form of magic, is Black magic. And I know a thing or two about that.

Black looks up at the Needle atop the tower.

Black: You see, I've fought demons in my head so daunting that there is nothing you can do to me I haven't already done to myself. And I conquered them. When I write my book, my story, my memoirs, you're going to be a footnote.

So you can take that tome back to the library and pay the fine, because the beating I'm going to give you is long overdue. What you seem to think is some sort of mythical dynasty, is just a little spell. You're going to need that voice you've stolen, you're going to need it to scream 'I quit'. And listen, the only book you're going to need is the yellow pages so you can call a doctor.


Black is quite agitated, so he begins to walk around the observation deck purposefully. As he walks, a pigeon land next to him. He moves towards it to shoo it away, but no quicker than he does so, another two land beside him.

Black: Of course, Kagura is only the first hurdle, then come one of two. Veejay and Tastic. Between them they have had a total of zero formidable opponents in the Gold Rush tournament, they're going to be coming in to their match fresher, and are likely to leave it that way too. I don't need to tell you how convenient that is. Which will I face?

Well, on the one hand is the guy whose greatest career achievement is not winning this tournament in the past. In a semi-final containing previous winners of everything this company has to offer, one guy really doesn't fit. Veejay, the Bollywood star is fading away, soon to be eclipsed by the cold reality. I don't belong at this stage in the tournament because they don't want me to be here. You don't belong at this stage because you haven't done anything to deserve it. I beat a former world champion, you beat a guy who's had two matches. And I'm sorry, but I just don't want to face you in the final. Beating you would be an anti-climax for the Black revolution.

But it doesn't matter, because your opponent in the Gold Rush is the Golden Boy of this company. Tastic has had literally everything set up for him to win this tournament. Literally everything laid out so that he can be crowned king, and go on to face his buddy. Again. Or Constantine. Again.


By now, Black has reached the other side of the Space Needle observation deck, and rather than looking out over a congested city, he looks at the Puget Sound. It is much more serene on this side of the building, and sail boats gently cruise across the waves, making their way towards the shoreline.

Black: But the winds of change are blowing through this company, and I can feel the breeze against my face. Like me, Tastic took his time to reach the top. I mean, I've been here longer, but when he struck out against the machine and made it to the top, I was almost proud of his achievements. Almost. He showed us under-appreciated talents could smash through the glass ceiling. The blast proof doors that stopped us explosive guys from reaching the upper echelons of this company were finally opened.

Except he locked it behind him. Tighter than it ever had been before. Tastic is a man that has influence with the top brass and now he wants to flaunt that, so he finds himself with the easiest path to a tournament final in the history of professional wrestling.

I don't blame him, I mean, what has he got to lose exactly? If he wins, he gets a title shot at the next major show. If he loses, he'll get one at the next one. The Tastic wheel keeps turning, all that changes is the hamster bearing the effort. Well I'm done being a rodent, it's time to break out of the cage and there's nothing I want to do more than beat this guy in the main event of this show.

We all know that won't happen, can't happen, they'll throw a spanner in the works somehow. But it should happen. These winds will only keep blowing for so long before we miss our opportunity to raise the sails and set a course for history. Before even more people keep walking out of our company. I tell you, the next time we have a Hall of Fame ceremony, Vacant better be put in, because he has won more championships here than anyone else.

It's time for us to seize this opportunity for unity. I said in September that I'd quit after I win the title, but I was angry. I don’t want to embarrass professional wrestling any more than the powers that be seem to do on a regular basis. I don't care for the people running this company, but this company has provided for me when I needed it, and now it needs me to give it some credibility. The small band of revolutionaries, need to get ready to shout the house down over the top of the brainwashed.

You see, as long as the top echelons fawn over the likes of Matt Tastic, highly questionable characters like Kagura get to run around causing anarchy beneath them. Meanwhile people like Veejay get lost in the mix and often disappear as quickly as they appear. I don't want that to happen anymore. I want to work for a company I can be proud of, not one that's going to pick favourites. Stormrage, Constantine, it doesn't matter, it's the same old thing, but if I can overcome all they inevitably throw in front of me, then I will finally be able to open that blast door forever. I'm going to be restless until I do that.


Black moves towards the edge of the observation deck, he kicks a lose stone over the edge and it falls to the ground far below.

Black: The alternative doesn't really bear thinking about.

By now, the sun was starting to lower in the sky and the shadows were even longer than before. The bustle from below had dwindled to a quiet buzz. Black looked at all the life around him. The juxtaposition of the water, the hills in the distance and the city. A symbiotic triad, slowly bedding down for the evening. The calm atmosphere had conquered the chaos. Seattle wouldn't be sleepless tonight.
 
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It’s a chilly Sunday night in Seattle, Washington. Clouds paint the sky as the temperature continues to drop. The moon cast a shadow across the sky, the wind blew and shook the trees. Nature was alive here. Leaves sprung, flowers bloomed; everything seemed so peaceful. It was truly a tranquil landscape. And then suddenly everything stopped. The flow of time curved and began to flow in reverse. Plants which had sprung began to wither and die within seconds, people walked backwards, clouds whizzed by at an astonishing rate. The season changed. Heavy rains fell and turned to ice and soon there was snow on the ground again. There was only a little at first, but soon it began to accumulate until it covered everything in a blanket that seemed like fluffy white ash. A heavy silence filled the air. Nothing could be heard except the sound of distant footsteps. The footsteps grew louder, as the sound of crunching snow echoed off the cold, dead air. A figure appeared, illuminated in the moonlight.

“Lately I’ve been labeled as a thief everywhere I go. I’ve been accused of stealing a voice that wasn’t mine; intellect that isn’t mine. And I’ve been snubbed for it. And they’re right. I did take something that wasn’t mine. But I did it out of self preservation.”

The woman stopped by a conifer tree. Its pine needles laden with snow still a shimmering green.

“But honestly, this power of mine that I possess is intoxicating. I can’t wait to steal something precious from someone else.”

She smiled.

“I hope by now that I have gotten everyone’s attention. I feel that months ago I had faded so far into the background of WZCW that so many people forgot that I existed. Well what about now? Those that didn’t take notice of what I did to Ramparte at Meltdown 127 must surely have noticed me after I defeated Flex Mussel in the first round of the Gold Rush tournament. Nobody expected me to win. It was considered the greatest of upsets. But by now, everyone knows what this Kagura can do. However, it is only a small taste of what I am capable off. You see, I have been waiting for this moment for a very long time. Bidding my time on the bottom as the landscape within WZCW changed. Champions fell. Factions dropped off. Old rivals lost power. Others turned a blind eye. And one by one the heroes fell. Scaled Humanoid Industry Technology felt a taste of this destruction last week. He didn’t even know what hit him, and I reveled in every second as I took his psyche and body apart.”

The wind blew frigid air across the park, as trees dumped snow off their branches. Kagura didn’t seem to be bothered one bit by the cold.

“Cerberus was crushed by the most unlikely of persons. Or perhaps I was the most likely to most people. Pity though that Eve Taylor was no longer associated with the group. But no matter, I have no reason to open old war wounds. I have the chance to move onto greater heights. But I suppose if there’s anyone that I should feel sorry for, it’s Ramparte…”

The dark miko paused.

“…But I don’t. What ever happened, Rammi-kun?...”

She asked in mocking fashion, mimicking Ramparte’s overenthusiastic manager/probable girlfriend Batti Otaku as to further twist the dagger she had plunged into the heart of her victim. Her deranged look mirroring the madness behind her onyx eyes.

“…To our poetic finish? I was sure you were going to be the man I was going to face this round in the semi-finals, but alas you were not able to keep up. Was the pressure just too much for you to take? I never expected a man like you to just roll over a die. I suppose I’ll hold onto your voice for now, since I obviously have nothing to fear from you. I"ll turn my attention to Garth Black instead. And wow, talk about similarities. Garth Black might be the only person in the company to go even more unnoticed than me; in his own mind of course. From my perspective the fans didn’t forget about Garth Black, they just didn’t care about him. Until he found a way to get them to care, that is. I’m sure Black is looking past me in the same similar fashion that I am looking past him. We are both nothing but roadblocks to each other. And hey, Ramparte might actually interfere to cost me my match. I certainly wouldn’t put it past him. If I had just lost an opportunity to confront the person that took something very precious from me I probably would jump at an opportunity to do the same. But I’ve foreseen this. If Ramparte tries to interfere, then I’ll be waiting for him. And I’m sure that Garth Black is counting on this too; as it would be an easy victory for him.”

Kagura smirked.

“Be fooled if you wish but Kagura Joheki will not be taken down so easily. My body is a fortress housing the power of many.”

From the forest come several voices as they echo on the wind. They convey messages to her. Warn her. Encourage her. They see everything. Hear everything.

“This is my own sixth sense…”

She reached into her robes and held up the cursed Shinto ritual book.

“…from commanding an army of demonic spirits. There exists a balance within Shintoism. For every benevolent kami that exists there exists a malevolent one too; and whatever force at work that claimed the lost souls to the ritual of this book has opened the door to communication and control of these oni. In other words, Garth Black, Ramparte, my other two opponents at Gold Rush who seek the same prize that I do, you all aren’t fighting one woman, you are fighting a woman who is the combination of many!”

Kagura laughed. It was as chilling as the ice and snow around her.

“Indeed. I have embraced the evil spirits of this world and by doing so I have become unstoppable. Finally my goal of following in my mentors footsteps and becoming a world champion will be realized. I will become as close to perfect as I desire. But it won’t stop there. I must conquer this world of WZCW. I feel I will not stop until I have run through everyone that steps up to challenge me. And perhaps then I will have reached perfection. But I won’t stop there either. I will break every record. I will set the bar so high that no one else could ever reach me. My name will thunder down the halls of time so that even a century of passage none will forget the name of Kagura. My name will be on the lips of every man, woman, and child that thinks about this industry. Maybe that is perfection. But perhaps that is the sound of my own avarice. Indeed, even now I hear conflicts within my mind over which path to follow to reach “perfection.” Instead of the conqueror, perhaps I am fated to be the final obstacle. A force that only appears when someone who achieves everything in the world has nothing left to work for. Yes, perhaps that would suit me better. Garth Black is more of a conqueror than I am. I can see it in his eyes. I can read his heart. But unfortunately he is ill fated to lose at Gold Rush. Such a brash and cocky demeanor that will breed arrogance will be his downfall.”

She carefully opened the book to a blank page.

“Tell me, Garth Black. If I had to steal a part of you to improve myself what aspect would it be? Should I steal your iron will, maybe your confidence, or perhaps it was your voice that I should have stolen instead of Ramparte’s? I mean you are the “voice of the voiceless” are you not? Or maybe… just maybe… I should go head and steal your heart. Yes; your heart. Everything that makes you want to get back up and continue every time you are beaten down. Everything that makes you want to steel your resolve and look past a being like me. And everything that makes you want to speak out in defiance originates from that heart of yours. But I am far beyond anything you can comprehend. I am well beyond anything that you have ever fought before. Harden that resolve as much as you'd like. Resolve doesn’t save warriors who charge head on into battle. All it does is save them from losing their dignity and dying in vain. Look past me all you want. Those that underestimate their enemies are the first to fall. I have scouted you well Garth Black, correctly guessing that you would be my last obstacle before the finals of the Gold Rush tournament. Just don’t use that voice of yours to cry out in humiliation once I win. If you do then you’ll lose that dignity you are fighting so hard to preserve.”

Kagura closed the book and smiled.

“Once I defeat Garth Black I still have one more obstacle waiting for me between the winner of the contest between Veejay and Matt Tastic. Veejay is looking towards similar goals as myself, but I doubt he has the resolve to go all the way like the others. Tell me young one, do you have the heart to face a destructive force that would like nothing more than to tear you limb from limb? How about the patience to deal with a trickster that will outsmart and outmaneuver you at every turn and eat away at your skin? How about the skill to turn back a competitor as driven as I am? Make no mistake, Veejay. I have no intention of showing mercy to you if you are my opponent in the finals. The amount of training that I have done to have made it this far is inhuman. Can your stamina keep up if I set a rapid pace and constantly bombard you with my offense? Can your wits withstand the iron force of my defense if I purposely draw the match out? I’ll make you play my game when you believe that I am playing yours and that’s when I will strike. You will never see me coming. And Matt Tastic, a former world champion in his own right, tell me; do you still have the will to be here? You’ve climbed this mountain once before, having spent as much time flailing about in obscurity as the rest of us, but only this time it is much higher, much more treacherous, and your chances of survival are slim. We are all gunning for you Matt. And have been from the beginning. If there’s anyone I’d be most worried about it’s you; but only on paper, because really you should be most worried about facing me. I will have the kami bring disaster down upon you and you will fall, just like every hero in this made up fairy tale. Gold Rush marks the beginning of a brand new era. And that’s the beginning on MY era!"

The snow began to melt as the ice fell from the trees. Time began to move forward at a rapid pace. People began to walk past the park as clouds darted across the sky. The sun and moon rose and set over and over again. The seasons changed. It’s spring again. Kagura found herself in the park staring at the same conifer. Its green needles are still as green as ever, but it’s surrounded by a sea of blooming vegetation.

“Spring is the time of year when everything is reborn from the decay of winter. Witness now my enemies the blossoming of a new flower marked by chaos. Kagura is its name. Fertilized by your blood that flower will eat away at your dreams with its beauty and drain away all your hopes with every prick of its thorns. Lull yourselves into a false sense of hope while you can. Train all you want. Make all the deals with whatever gods and devils you want. All your souls belong to me now. ”
 
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