A Dinner with DEATH! (Okay, lunch but work with me here...)
Gail Martin: "Spooky Doom! Spooky Doom!"
[Following the events of Chain Reaction 10 where Leyenda De Ocho refused to face Jake Evans, IWF staff members have been scrambling for explanations; with Gail Martin in particular looking for further statements. You'll recall she's the young professional reporter who interviewed Spooky Doom throughout the telecast last show. With de Ocho having spoken his piece during the broadcast, the only one worth listening to anymore is an infamous lil' Grim Reaper thingy with a hankering for the souls of professional wrestlers!]
Gail Martin: You're in your old outfit again!
Spooky Doom: Cuz I'm back in action, rising from the grave to face the new challenges ahead: lucha en parejas with a side of French toast crunch and funky bananas! Anyone else feels hungry right now?
[The Deadkid flashes a rocking and triumphant pair of devil horns as he mugs for the camera. Back in his trademark sleeveless bodysuit, white pleather pants with green flame designs, the black Pacman ghost across his chest, the trademark hoodie/mask combination... It's the return of a familiar Spooky Doom, as he first appeared in the IWF.]
Spooky Doom: The leg's better too, BTW. Don't know what I did skipping the show in Seattle, fighting hurt never stopped me before.
Gail Martin: Spooky, hyper-extension injuries are a serious matter!
Spooky Doom: So's wrestling, baby. So's wrestling.
[Gail Martin sticks her new iPhone with recorder app in front of the Deadkid as they walk and talk. A walk with purpose, Spooky Doom making his way... towards lunch.]
Spooky Doom: Can't kick ass and take souls on an empty stomach, now can I?
Gail Martin: So you really do dress that way everywhere that you go.
Spooky Doom: I'm Spooky Doom. An otherworldly reaper trained in lucha libre that enters the ring and fights those who've got nothing left so as to capture their souls for final judgement in the deepest recesses of Hell. In my spare time, I rock out. These are my business clothes, the only workplace attire one get's funky in.
Gail Martin: Alright, never mind the clothing. Though I'm sure the IWFanatics are glad to know you're back in action, they'd be EVEN MORE glad to know just how you'll be treating your tag partner for the night. Leyenda de Ocho has said that he couldn't move on until he gets a satisfying conclusion to his current rivalry; effectively forfeiting his match against Jake Evans at Chain Reaction 10...
[Spooky Doom listens but has nothing to offer. Nor is he currently stuffing his face with choice food, if that's what you thought was happening. Gail presses on, hungry for statements.]
Gail Martin: He's quoted as treating his opponents much like a child treats video games; not moving on until he finishes the current cartridge. In this case, you. Spooky Doom, you need to change Leyenda's ways if you want a tag partner and even a hope of winning this tag tournament!
Spooky Doom: I know, Gail; I'm disappointed too. Who ever imagined that a man who spends all his days playing video games and basing his life on his various video games could be so... immature! Comes to me as a complete surprise.
[Snark thrown out as if it were second nature, a professional deformation stemming from countless ringside interviews intended for grandiose self-deluded villains. Spooky regrets the outburst immediately, choosing his following words with a great deal more care. The problem however is dead simple: Spooky Doom simply cannot accept his tag partner as he is.]
Spooky Doom: Needless to say, Leyenda de Ocho has it all wrong. Wrestling isn't this stage-by-stage video game one must defeat, and I certainly ain't level 1 in his quest to superstardom. You know it's funny: I was all for wishing the best to de Ocho before his match. I really wanted him to win against Jake Evans. I looked at de Ocho and saw someone who just might be the next great luchador...
[There's a pause.]
Spooky Doom: But if he's gonna cherry-pick his fights, then screw that guy. Real wrestlers never stop fighting.
[And then there's real silence, both Gail Martin and the Spooky Doom at a loss for words. Gail is shocked to hear Spooky speak so harshly about a fellow luchador, not to mention his upcoming tag partner. Spooky Doom merely broods. Which is an altogether rare position for the usually dynamic and effervescent lil' Grim Reaper thingy.]
Gail Martin: What about-
Spooky Doom: No. I was forced out of fighting and never liked sitting out in the first place. The difference is that for me, the decision whether to fight or not was taken out of my hands. You know, because of injury. I'm a guy who's always looking for the next battle, trying to be the best damned wrestler there is by taking on all comers... Leyenda de Ocho s'just pouting cuz he couldn't get his way.
Gail Martin: Is that honestly so bad?
Spooky Doom: YES! You don't refuse to fight just cuz you're not happy with how a previous match turned out! Wrestling is supposed to be an adventure! You get to meet new people and punch 'em in the face! You take on the world in all of its absurdity and come back home with a shiny gold belt! But you can't force whatever happens inside the ring... As a genuine authorized Grim Reaper thingy, I can vouch that obsession is the beginning to the death of the soul.
[So distraught is Doom that he hasn't touched his food yet.]
Spooky Doom: Also he's full of shit. I mean, really? "My one shot to truly know if I had what it takes"- AWWWWW COME OFF IT! Who talks like that, anyways? Never mind who talks like that; who actually believes there aren't any rematches in pro-wrestling?
Gail Martin: I know, there's a three way for the Emerald City Title announced for Chain Reaction 12!
Spooky Doom: EXACTLY! But imagine what happens if we don't win and he keeps ducking fights until he get's the one he wants? Is that man seriously gonna hold the IWF hostage until he's happy?
Gail Martin: Well-
Spooky Doom: I need to teach de Ocho a lesson about human respect. As in respecting your opponents as people rather than as games you play through. We don't give out points or achievements or anything... No, we hit back and force you to acknowledge us and the hardships we went through. Even guys like Pain GRILLE and Rendre Singe. They're not costumes, they don't exist merely as challenges... They're people. They have lives. I know, I gotta reap their souls.
Gail Martin: Retour des Centres qualifies as "those who've nothing left"? They're part of the soulless who's souls you must collect or however that works out?
Spooky Doom: Some guys never had much to begin with so it's almost the same thing. I dunno, maybe I should give the French kids a chance. I might look young but I've been soul reaping for a long time now; and it's always the souls of the soulless. And like I said, Leyenda De Ocho is heading down that path, obsession leading towards destruction and all that. But maybe instead of putting someone through the Doom Reaper and the Wheel of Doom, maybe there's another way... a way to- and this might sound crazy but hear me out, a way to save their souls!
[Gail Martin turns her head towards the camera and rolls her eyes. Meanwhile, Spooky carries on.]
Spooky Doom: Whatever happens happens at the Moss Bay Event Center. And no matter what happens, I'll be there fighting. Undead and unstoppable, Spooky Doom is the shining star of the IWF. Think of it as a challenge: anyone can defeat a couple of French misfits, this is my opportunity to inspire my fellow luchador and prevent another tragedy from happening. I'm not gonna just beat Retour des Centres and anyone else at Chain Reaction 11, I'm gonna make it a show they'll never forget. Whether it's Leyenda de Ocho or anyone else; Spooky Doom ain't no one's stepping stone. I'm the greatest wrestler there ever was.
Gail Martin: You do realize that you haven't defeated Leyenda de Ocho anymore than he defeated you? I mean, you two had ONE MATCH; granted it was a good one, now Leyenda acts as if his whole life depends on getting a rematch while you're acting as if you've already beaten the guy!
[Spooky Doom smiles, the horseshoe-shaped design of his mask revealing all the swagger beneath said smile. You see, Spooky Doom is a luchador, a Grim Reaper thingy and all sorts of other incredible things. He's a character and when you live a larger-than-life existence such as Spooky Doom does, you tend to forget that the rest of the people you meet are just regular ordinary human beings. They don't understand what it means to be great. And since Spooky Doom finally notices the protruding microphone attached to the Apple device, the Deadkid takes the opportunity to give a lesson to both interviewer and upcoming opponent.]
Spooky Doom: I'm looking to be the greatest that there ever was. Every match I'm in is a chance to show the world that I'm the greatest that there ever was. Every match I miss is an opportunity that I miss to do this thing I do better than anyone else. I'm not who I am until I'm in the ring, doing the moves that make me famous. Because I'm defined by what I do, not who I beat.
[There's nodding, tacit approval from Gail Martin. "What you do, not who you beat", she softly repeats to herself. Meanwhile, Spooky Doom finally digs in on his tepid plate. Between two bites, a thought occurs to him.]
Spooky Doom: Well I say that, but...
Gail Martin: Yes?
Spooky Doom: Between the two of us, I'm the only one still undefeated here, aren't I?
[Imagine the biggest, most shit-eating grin you ever saw. Now magnify that one thousand folds and put it on Spooky Doom's face. This is what we leave you with as we FADE TO BLACK.]