"Hiro, Hiro -- can we get a moment? How are you feeling? What did the doctors say?"
Hiro was stopped in his tracks by the words, dipping his head down for a moment as he rubbed his neck, trying to work out some of the pain in his head before we tried giving a solid answer to the interviewer. His eyes quickly met with a poster on the wall next to him, reading: COME TO THE CLUB MCRAUDER, MEET GRIMACE, PLAY GAMES, ENJOY FIVE WORLDS UNIGHTED AT FREDDY'S, AND MORE! Hiro looks puzzled, thinking there's simply no way that's a real thing -- but, there's no time to think too hard about it as he turns to the interviewer.
"Yes, well...I think I'm going to be okay. I'm hurting a lot, obviously covered in too much blood. I'm going to head to the hospital tomorrow, get some blood pumped into me much needed rest. That's what they suggested I do, and in this case, it's what I'm going to do. See, what Jamie Bader did out there to me was try his best to kill me...and maybe that's what I've needed. He defeated me, but I feel more alive than ever, so he definitely failed on that front. There's a thousand thoughts running through my mind at any given moment, but when I was in that ring tonight my only thought was beating the hell out of that Snake, and even though it didn't end up going my way in the end...it doesn't really matter. He's gonna slither back to his den with Dallas and I'm going to be here at Vengeance."
The interviewer nods as Hiro gives his response, agreeing that he did indeed look good out there even if he lost. They put their finger to their ear to fake the idea that they were being given word about something, and quickly ask a follow up of the Ethnic Enigma.
"Hiro I'm sorry to cut you off, but...I'm just being told that Nuke Fusion is in stable condition at the hospital right now following his match earlier with Salem Croft. I bring this up to you because you've had recent history with Nuke Fusion, trying to get an audience with him but at best only speaking with his son Avari, who...had some less than thankful words for you tonight following your loss to Drako Damone at Judgement Day. Do you have a response for him?"
Hiro was caught off guard completely, he hadn't been watching the show at all tonight -- didn't know Nuke wrestled or how Salem could have possibly hurt him that badly. He also was EXTREMELY unaware of Avari's comments, only knowing that he wasn't the King of the Canvas. He needed a moment to process this as he continued to trek down the hallway to his locker room with the interviewer following after.
"Look, I...First and foremost, what's important -- I hope Nuke is alright. Look, I still feel the need to clear the air with him. Those of you haven't forgotten your WWF:G history, you'll know the last time Nuke and I shared the ring he was standing there with Freakshow, Cartwright, and Bad Boy celebrating with a glass of the bubbly after cracking me over the head with a lead pipe and costing me my world championship. I've since forgiven Nuke ten fold for it, but never got to ask him a simple question: Why did he do that? Was the money really so great? Fiscal Responsibility corrupted a god, but I know when I vanquished them that Nuke was already long gone. I don't want an apology or anything like that from him, but what I did want is to make sure he and I are cool again. I can't have that conversation if people keep going out of their way to hurt the man, so maybe I won't be making any bold promises like before, but I'll tell you this: the next time someone puts Nuke Fusion in the hospital, they might just be laying in the bed next to him. As for Avari...look, I'm going to be at Vengeance, as I said. I don't think I'm going to be wrestling at all, but if the Fusion boy has a problem with me doing my best to defend his family and getting screwed over while trying to do so...he can say it right to my face. Let him know that, let everyone know that -- now I appreciate you checking up on me, but I'm heading into my locker room now, thanks and have a good night.
Hiro would wave away the employees and enter his locker room, his eyes immediately darting to the BBW TV Title, covered in his blood, sitting on a table. He sighs and walks over to it, grabbing hold and clutching it towards his chest as he drops down into the same chair he paranoidly sat in earlier in the evening. There had been way too many things on the mind of the Ethnic Enigma, more than he'd thought about in years. He knew Blackjack was back, which still caused a nauseous feeling in his chest -- there was the fact that he lost to Jamie Bader, and he could in theory return at any point to finish what he started and kneecap the former World Champ permanently. It was scary times for Hiro, but it was about to get worse.
He looked over at the cubby that contained his gear, and what he saw...was a blade. It was rather inconspicuous, easy to miss if you didn't catch it while looking around. Hiro's body went cold, and it wasn't from the missing blood. He recognized the kind of blade it was...a switchblade. It was the calling card of the demon on his mind. Hiro carefully stood on his feet, looking around the room to make sure nobody could be hiding within. When he was satisfied, he walked to the blade and pulled it from the wall, looking over it...until he noticed on the handle, carved in with a separate blade...the word "Bader". Hiro rubbed the back of his neck, looking up to the sky. He had no idea if this was a threat from Blackjack...or a last bit of mind games from Jamie. Regardless, Hiro would toss the sharp object to the ground and away from him, dropping back down into the chair next to him. It wasn't going to be getting any easier from here on out: people were out to get the Ethnic Enigma, rivals from the past, the children of said rivals, and the devil himself. We're a long way from Freakshow, now.
