The scene opens inside the National Museum of Modern Art, in Tokyo, on the afternoon of Tuesday 10th May. Stood in one of the rooms on the fourth floor of the museum, is Natalie McKinley; she is wearing wearing a pair of dark grey leggings and a black zip up hoodie.
Natalie is currently looking at "Autumn in Beijing," by the Japanese artist Umehara Ryuzaburo. While Natalie continues to admire the painting, she is soon joined in viewing it by a man with dark hair, who looks to be in his forties, and is wearing a suit that is comprised of navy blue trousers and a matching jacket, with a white shirt. The man peers at the name of the painting, and then - speaking with an English accent - he passes comment, for the benefit of no-one in particular.
Man: '"Autumn in Beijing," huh? Well, thanks to the air pollution in Beijing, autumn there will never look the way it used to.'
As she continues to gaze at the painting, Natalie responds with a remark of her own.
Natalie: 'Now will any of the other seasons, for that matter.'
Somewhat taken aback, the man looks at Natalie, although it is difficult to tell whether he is surprised by her statement, or at hearing another British accent; Natalie turns to look at him, and is immediately aware of his surprise.
Natalie: 'Sorry, should I not have said that?'
She then smiles politely; the man quickly gathers his composure.
Man: 'No, it's fine. I just hadn't expected to encounter someone else from the UK here, is all.'
He smiles back at Natalie, before asking her a question.
Man: 'Where are you from, may I ask - Wales?'
Natalie nods.
Natalie: 'Cardiff.'
Man: 'I thought you sounded Welsh, but I wasn't quite sure - you don't have a very strong accent.'
Natalie: 'People from South East Wales tend not to have strong accents - if you want to find someone with a strong Welsh accent, you either need to go further west, or north, up the valleys.'
The man nods his understanding.
Natalie: 'Whereabouts are you from? I'm trying to place your accent, and I want to say somewhere in the Midlands, but I'm not certain.'
Man: 'I am indeed from the Midlands - Leicester, to be precise. I do still live in England, but the company has an office in Tokyo, and I'm currently on a secondment there.'
The man casts an eye towards the painting, before looking back to Natalie.
Man: 'I've been in Tokyo for a couple of months now, and I've been meaning to visit this museum for a while, but only today have I gotten round to doing so.'
Natalie: 'And why was today the day for you to come here?'
Man: 'It was actually a spontaneous decision: I ended up - unexpectedly - with the afternoon off work, and so with me not having anything already planned, I decided to use the time off as a chance to finally come and visit the museum.'
The man quickly scans the room, before again returning his attention to Natalie.
Man: 'It's probably rude of me to not have properly introduced myself by now: my name is Ethan - Ethan Moore.'
The man - whose name we now know to be Ethan - holds out his hand, towards Natalie.
Natalie: 'Nice to meet you, Ethan. I'm Natalie...McKinley.'
Natalie shakes Ethan's hand.
Ethan: 'Nice to meet you too, Natalie. I don't come across many other Brits outside of the office - what brings you to Tokyo?'
Natalie: 'Well, if you haven't got anything else planned, how about I tell you over a cup of coffee? Or tea, if you prefer.'
Ethan gives a slight shrug.
Ethan: 'Sure, why not?'
The scene then switches from the fourth floor to the second floor, and the terrace outside the museum's restaurant, L’Art et Mikuni. Natalie and Ethan are sat opposite one another at a table, underneath a parasol, and they each have a cup of coffee in their hands.
After taking a sip of coffee, Ethan puts his cup down on the table, and makes an observation.
Ethan: 'You know, you look like you belong in a gym, rather than an art gallery.'
Natalie has a sip of her drink; she then places her cup on the table, and smiles wryly.
Natalie: 'I used to be a personal trainer, as it happens. And I'm still in the gym almost everyday - sometimes twice.'
Ethan: 'A qualified personal trainer? Perhaps you could give me some tips to improve my workouts.'
Natalie: 'If you really wanted me to do, I would be happy to do so - I'm always willing to help people to reach their fitness goals.'
Following the briefest of silences, Ethan asks Natalie a question.
Ethan: 'Okay, so, if you no longer work as a personal trainer, what do you do now instead?'
Natalie: 'I'm a wrestler; I work for a promotion called Sin City Wrestling, who - as you can probably guess - are based in Las Vegas. They're on a tour of Japan at the moment, though, and that is why I am here in Tokyo.'
Ethan: 'I can't say that I've ever met a professional wrestler before.'
Natalie grins.
Natalie: 'Well, you have now.'
She then takes a sip of coffee, as Ethan nods his head.
Natalie: 'I've chosen to base myself in Tokyo for the duration of the tour; the tour concludes with a show here at the start of next month, but before that there are shows in other cities around the country, with the next show being in Kobe, next Sunday.'
Ethan: 'And will you be wrestling on that show?'
Natalie nods.
Natalie: 'Yes - I will be competing in a triple threat match.'
Ethan frowns.
Ethan: 'Please excuse my ignorance, but what is a triple threat match?'
Natalie chuckles at Ethan's question.
Natalie: 'Unlike a regular one-on-one match, in a triple threat match there are three participants - I suppose you could say that it is a one-on-one-on-one match.'
Ethan picks up his cup of coffee and takes a sip, while Natalie continues.
Natalie: 'The match that I'll be in was actually originally scheduled to be a one-on-one match, but someone else was added to it yesterday, so now I will have two opponents, rather than one.'
Ethan: 'I see.'
Ethan has another sip of his drink, before placing his cup on the table again.
Ethan: 'So you've got a few more weeks left in Japan, then?'
Natalie nods her head.
Ethan: 'As I said earlier, I've been in Tokyo for a couple of months, and I've still got a few months here ahead of me.'
Natalie: 'Do you miss being at home?'
Ethan: 'The thing I miss the most is spending time with my wife and children - it's difficult being away from them for so long, but I couldn't afford to turn down the extra money that my employer offered me to take this secondment.'
Natalie raises her eyebrows.
Natalie: 'You're married?'
Ethan: 'Yes; why?'
Natalie answers with tongue in cheek.
Natalie: 'You need to be careful around me, then.'
Ethan frowns again.
Ethan: 'Why's that?'
Natalie: 'Because according to one of the other women on the SCW roster, I'm the type of person who tries to break up marriages.'
Ethan laughs.
Ethan: 'Does she genuinely believe that?'
Natalie: 'I don't think so - I think she's just having some fun at my expense. And besides, I'm sort of seeing someone at present, anyway.'
Ethan: 'Only "sort of"?'
Natalie: 'We're taking things slowly - especially as right now, we're over five and a half thousand miles apart.'
Ethan: 'The person you're seeing isn't another wrestler who works for the same company as you, then?'
Natalie shakes her head.
Natalie: 'They are a wrestler, but their career in the sport is on hold. And we have worked for the same promotion in the past, but not SCW.'
As Natalie then takes a sip of her coffee, Ethan asks her another question.
Ethan: 'So, this match that you've got coming up next Sunday - are you going to win it?'
Natalie: 'That's my aim. I've got two very good opponents though, so it will be far from easy.'
Ethan: 'What are their names, out of interest?'
Natalie: 'Roxi Johnson and Alexis Edwards: Roxi has held multiple titles in SCW, and is currently one half of the tag team champions, while Alexis was also a champion until recently.'
Natalie lets out a small sigh, before continuing.
Natalie: 'As for me, it's been a while since I accomplished anything noteworthy - I think I'm definitely the outsider in this one. I've upset the odds before though, and I think I'm capable of doing so again on Sunday.'
Ethan: 'Whatever the odds of you winning are, they can't possibly be as long as five thousand-to-one.'
Natalie: 'Like Leicester, you mean?'
Ethan nods his head.
Natalie: 'I've just realised something - in fact, I can't believe I didn't think to ask you this earlier, when you said that you're from Leicester: are you a Leicester fan?'
Smiling, Ethan nods again.
Natalie: 'Did you stay up late last Monday night, when they clinched the title?'
Ethan: 'I didn't, as I had to be in work on the Tuesday, but I got woken up by one of my friends at about six o'clock, so then I watched some of the videos online of the fans and the players celebrating, while I got ready for work.'
Ethan smiles proudly, at the achievement of his hometown club.
Ethan: 'Of course, I stayed up late on Saturday, to watch them be presented with the trophy.'
Natalie smiles in kind.
Natalie: 'I'm a Cardiff fan, and I think like all neutrals, I was glad that Leicester won the Premier League. I must admit, I was a bit envious though; how did it feel to see your team win the Premier League?'
Ethan: 'I'm not sure I can find the right words to describe it - simply put, it's unbelievable. I've seen them win the League Cup twice, and I had hoped that one day I would see them win the FA Cup, but until this season, I never would have believed that they might win the Premier League. The only thing that could have made it better is if I had been one of the people that put a bet on them to win it.'
Natalie: 'Yeah, I guess that would have been the cherry on top of the icing on the cake.'
Ethan laughs.
Ethan: 'Yeah, something like that. I'm not much of a betting man though - very rarely do I bet on sports.'
Natalie: 'Well, I'm a recovered gambling addict, so I don't bet at all on anything, any more.'
Ethan looks at Natalie, surprised.
Ethan: 'You, a gambling addict? You look too young to have had a gambling addiction.'
Natalie: 'I may only be twenty-three, but yes, I used to be addicted to gambling. But like I said, I've recovered from my addiction, thankfully, and so now, instead of spending my down time losing money, I do things like visit museums and art galleries.'
Ethan rubs his chin, and smiles, as a thought crosses his mind.
Natalie: 'What are you smiling about?'
Ethan: 'I was just thinking again about Leicester winning the Premier League - and in particular, about one of the players that has been an important part of the team this season: Shinji Okazaki.'
Ethan leans forward.
Ethan: 'Okazaki is - I think - second or third on the list of Japan's all-time leading goalscorers; if you were to wear a Leicester shirt with his name on it, at one of the shows while you're here in Japan, I'm sure that would go over well with the crowd - perhaps I could arrange one for you.'
Natalie scoffs at the suggestion.
Natalie: 'I would never wear another club's shirt - I would only ever wear a Cardiff shirt. I might, however, consider wearing a Japan shirt with his name on it.'
Ethan: 'I might hold you to that.'
Ethan goes to pick up his cup of coffee, but he then stops, and reaches inside his suit jacket instead; he pulls out a mobile phone, which he looks at, and sighs.
Ethan: 'I've just had a text from someone at work - apparently I'm needed back in the office.'
Natalie: 'I thought you had the afternoon off.'
Ethan: 'So did I.'
Ethan puts his phone away. He then gulps down much of what remains of his coffee, before getting up from his chair.
Ethan: 'Sorry, Natalie, but I guess I'm going to have to cut this short.'
Natalie: 'That's okay - I probably ought to get back to preparing for my match anyway, if I want to beat Roxi and Alexis on Sunday.'
Natalie gets up from her chair.
Natalie: 'Before you go, Ethan, have you got a pen?'
Ethan: 'Errr...yeah, I think so.'
Ethan hurriedly checks his jacket's pockets, and once he finds a pen, he hands it to Natalie, who then scribbles something on a napkin; she proffers the napkin to Ethan, together with his pen.
Natalie: 'That's my number - just in case you actually do get a Japan shirt with Okazaki on it, for me to wear. Or even in case you just want to contact me to get those workout tips you mentioned.'
Ethan: 'Okay; thanks.'
Ethan takes the napkin and the pen from Natalie, and puts them both in one of his pockets.
Natalie: 'I'll be in Tokyo for another four weeks - although I'll be elsewhere each of the next two weekends, for SCW shows.'
Ethan nods.
Ethan: 'Alright. I guess I'll see you around then, Natalie.'
Natalie smiles.
Natalie: 'Goodbye, Ethan.'
Ethan then makes his exit. Natalie picks up her cup of coffee, taking a final drink from it before she too leaves the museum, to continue her preparations for Climax Control, and as she departs, the scene fades to black.
The scene opens on the morning of Saturday 14th May to show Natalie McKinley - who is wearing a pair of white shorts and a replica Cardiff City F.C. jersey - sat on a chair, on the balcony of her apartment in Tokyo; Natalie has her head turned away from the camera, looking out at the city.
Natalie turns to face the camera, and when she speaks, she does so with a deeper voice than normal.
Natalie: 'Good morning to all of you - or to those you watching this in a location where it is still Friday, good evening! While some of you might be watching this just before you're about to go to bed, I got out of bed several hours ago, have already completed one workout, and will probably try to fit in another, before I make the journey to Kobe later today, for Climax Control; Mikah likes to go for multiple runs each days, whereas I like to make multiples visits to the gym.'
Natalie continues with her musings, still speaking with a deep voice.
Natalie: 'Having said that though, only one of us has held the World Bombshell Championship, so perhaps there is some sound reasoning to her methods.'
Natalie shrugs slightly, before continuing.
Natalie: 'Anyway, as I was saying...'
Natalie's voice wavers, and then she has to stop, as she begins to cough; when she speaks again, this time it is in her normal voice.
Natalie: 'I wondered how long I would be able to keep that up for.'
Natalie covers her mouth, as she coughs again.
Natalie: 'You may have heard a certain bombshell on the SCW roster accuse me recently - on more than one occasion - of abusing steroids, and so that was my attempt at making light of the allegation. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: my body is not chemically enhanced - it has been forged through countless hours of hard work in the gym; if I really was juicing, a deeper voice would be just one of many possible side effects.'
There is a brief pause, and then Natalie begins to change the subject.
Natalie: 'That's enough about that nonsense, though - time to focus on what's important, and what's real. Because what's real is that tomorrow evening, at Climax Control, I'm going to be competing in a triple threat match, against Roxi Johnson and Alexis Edwards - and this will certainly be an important match for me.'
Natalie leans forward, towards the camera.
Natalie: 'Anyone who has listened to the latest episode of The Hotwire will have heard Tommy Knocks predict that I'm going to win this match - in fact, not only did Tommy predict that I'm going to win, he predicted that I'll win the match by pinning Alexis Edwards. Now, Tommy, if you're watching, I want to say thanks for the vote of confidence - it is appreciated. But even though I've got the backing of at least one pundit, as I head into the match tomorrow night, I believe I'm actually the underdog in this contest.'
Natalie looks down at the floor for a moment; she then looks back up at the camera, and continues.
Natalie: 'Ahead of her match last week, my lovely tag team partner, Melody, talked about facts, and so, at the risk of sounding like Rafael Benitez, I'm going to talk about some facts of my own: one.'
Natalie holds up a finger.
Natalie: 'Roxi Johnson is a two-time World Bombshell Champion - fact; two:'
She holds up a second finger.
Natalie: 'Roxi and Alexis Edwards are both former Bombshell Internet Champions - fact; three.'
She then holds up a third finger.
Natalie: 'While I have also held a title in SCW, it's over a year since my time as the Bombshell Roulette Champion came to an end - Roxi and Alexis have both held titles more recently than me, and have both had longer reigns as champions than I was able to manage.'
Natalie lowers her hand.
Natalie: 'I could continue listing facts, but I think I've made my point: both Roxi and Alexis have more impressive track records in SCW than me - especially Roxi. I mean, until thirteen days ago, more than twelve months had passed since I last won a match in the six-sided ring - and that was in a tag team match, with Roxi Johnson as my partner!'
Natalie sits up straight again.
Natalie: 'It might sound as if I'm getting my excuses in early - as if I expect to lose. That's not the case, though - I'm simply being realistic about my chances: I know that tomorrow evening, I'm going to be in the ring with two talented opponents, and that I'm going to have my work cut out for me if I want to win. But that's the thing: I do want to win. I'm not going to show up at Climax Control just to make up the numbers in this match; while I do believe that I'm the underdog in this match, that doesn't mean that I don't have intentions of winning it - I can assure you that I'm determined to be the one that gets their hand raised in victory tomorrow night.'
Natalie taps her chin.
Natalie: 'Benjamin Franklin once said that, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." Well, it should be obvious just from looking at me, that I never put anything other than maximum effort into my preparations: I never prepare to fail - I always prepare for a match with the aim of winning. No-one can win all the time, though, and if I don't win tomorrow evening, it definitely won't be for the want of trying.'
Natalie shakes her head.
Natalie: 'I started talking about tomorrow's match by saying that it is an important match for me. And it is - it's an important match for me to try to win. My match against Amy Marshall was my first match in an SCW ring for forty-eight weeks, and after having waited so long to get to compete inside the six-sided ring again, it's important that I don't follow up my victory two weeks ago with a loss tomorrow evening - a loss tomorrow would quickly put a damper on my return to being an active member of the SCW roster, but my target is to avoid that happening, and like I said just a minute or so ago, I'm determined to get a second consecutive win tomorrow, at Climax Control.'
Natalie tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
Natalie: 'This match isn't just important for me in the short-term, though. Last month, when I finally decided to relent and agree to become Melody's tag team partner, I assumed, even though one half of the current Bombshell Tag Team Champions is one of Melody's best friends, that she and I would work towards a shot at those titles. But that was before the whole situation with Melody and Jessie Salco flared up, and now, by all rights, Melody should be the Bombshell Internet Champion.'
Natalie lets out a sigh.
Natalie: 'It will surely only be a matter of time before Melody is the Bombshell Internet Champion - but once that title is hers, where will that then leave me? Any thoughts of winning the tag team titles would have to be put on the back burner, but that doesn't mean that I would want to have to completely abandon my aspirations of winning a title. Now, once Melody is the Bombshell Internet Champion, I will have no interest whatsoever in challenging for that particular title; as for the Bombshell Roulette Championship, I'm not so sure that I would want to attempt to regain that title, either. And so that would just leave one championship.'
Natalie smiles wryly.
Natalie: 'During the latest episode of The Hotwire, Tommy Knocks said that he feels like no-one is interested in facing Sam Marlowe. Well, Tommy, I would love to face Sam - I would love to challenge for the World Bombshell Championship. However, I'm not at that level yet - but I do plan on getting there, one day. And that's another reason why the match tomorrow evening is important for me: if I am to progress, it's important for me to show that I'm capable of winning matches like this one, against two opponents of this calibre - that's why I need to beat Roxi Johnson and Alexis Edwards.'
Natalie grins.
Natalie: 'If Mark Ward really wanted to make Melody miserable, he could have worse ideas than to put her in a match against Roxi Johnson - although on second thoughts, I probably shouldn't be giving Hot Stuff suggestions on how to torment my tag team partner; whoops.'
Natalie bites her bottom lip.
Natalie: 'I haven't asked Melody how she feels about me being in a match against one of her best friends - perhaps it's a good thing that she won't be at Climax Control tomorrow, to witness it. I have though spoken to someone else in the past week, who also thinks very highly of Roxi: Simon Jones.'
Natalie smiles again.
Natalie: 'Roxi, I'm aware of how much you value your friendship with Simon, and I know that he feels similarly - one of his biggest regrets about his sudden retirement was that he didn't get the chance to team with you one more time. When I spoke to Simon earlier in the week, I think he was both excited and apprehensive about our match - he's looking forward to seeing the two of us in the ring again, even if this time we're opponents rather than partners, but I think he's also uneasy about the thought of watching us inflict pain upon one another; Simon knew that eventually the day would come where you and I would be opponents, Roxi, and now it's time for me to test myself against one another - this match against you and Alexis is arguably the toughest test that I have had to date in my time in SCW, and it is a test that I intend to pass.'
Natalie stands up.
Natalie: 'I respect what you have accomplished in SCW, Roxi - you have scaled heights that I one day hope to reach. I don't view either you, or Alexis, as a stepping stone, but a victory over the two of you tomorrow would be a big step in the right direction for me, and it's a step that I believe I have it in me to take. But, whatever does happen tomorrow, at least you and Keira will still be the Tag Team Champions - at least you'll have that thought to console yourself with, should I win.'
Natalie takes a quick glance over her shoulder, before looking back at the camera.
Natalie: 'And so from Roxi, who is perpetually happy, to Alexis, who appears to be constantly moody. I've seen it said that moaning is the defining British characteristic, but Alexis seems to moan more than most Brits - if it wasn't for Alexis having a moan on Twitter, I would just be in a one-on-one match tomorrow, against Roxi, instead of in a triple threat match. Six or seven months ago, I remember seeing Alexis complain on Twitter about the number of triple threat matches that she was being forced to compete in, so I'm a bit surprised not to have seen a tweet from her on that subject this week. I'm glad though, Alexis, that you were added to this match - now I have the opportunity to prove myself against you, as well as Roxi. And to really prove myself, I need to beat you.'
Natalie half-turns away from the camera, to again look out at the city.
Natalie: 'Alexis, all of your whining doesn't take away from your ability in the ring. Tommy Knocks may think that I'm going to pin you tomorrow, but if I am to get the better of you - and Roxi - I know that it's not going to be easy. It was no fluke that you held the internet title as long as you did - I know that you'll be a difficult opponent - but I'm ready for the fight that you're going to bring, and I'm ready to give my all to defeat you.'
Natalie smirks, as she recalls a run-in that she had with Alexis a few months ago.
Natalie: 'If I do win the match tomorrow - and that's my plan - then given the choice, Alexis, I would prefer to win by pinning you, rather than Roxi. And not because I want to make Tommy Knocks' prediction come true, but because I haven't forgotten how earlier in the year, you described me as being "built like a man with tits;" I still owe you something for that comment, and so I want to repay you in full tomorrow, either by driving your head into the mat, or your stomach into my knees - you know, whatever seems most suitable at the time. Plus, when I pin you, then I'll prove that Melody was right about you not being able to beat me.'
Natalie again turns back to face the camera, smiling.
Natalie: 'Melody thinks I've got this match in the bag, and who am I to argue? I may not be a superhero, but I do have super strength, and in less than forty-eight hours' time, the winds of change will blow through Kobe.'
Natalie's confident smile broadens slightly.
Natalie: 'See you all at Climax Control.'
Natalie continues to smile, and as she looks towards the camera, the scene then fades to black.
