Description: NDP All-Stars are a direct-order DVD/Blu-Ray/VOD brought to you by Masters Corp that highlights some of the top-ranking in the Neo Development Project! The first interview of the DVD/Blu-Ray/VOD set, focusing on the spirited psychic Boxer, Zach Glen. With the gorgeous movie star Lightning Spangles conducting the interview, we have a few rounds at his boxing gym in Southtown! Order the set today for only $9.99!
Downtown Southtown. Boxing Gym. 11 AM.
The interior of the old boxing gym is whether from the toil and sweat of the men that trained before it. Wooden flooring creak with every step, polished to a sheen. A set of exercise equipment sits in the corner, while several types of punching bags are place beside it. The ring itself bears more modern fixings, where red ropes lash around the finished center. The walls hold old advertisements for matches, Japanese health foods, and even a few tasteful pinups (the tasteless ones having been taken down.)
And in the center of it all was Lightning Spangles.
The mousy-haired woman stands in her full cowgirl regilia, smiling something fierce. The camera crew finishes coming together. Camera set up. But the camera wasn't focused on the cowgirl for now. All cameras were rolling live now, providing the intro for the interview. Beyond her on the star of the interview, the focus.
Zach Glen.
Zach is working over a heavy bag trying his best to set aside the fact that someone is here to interview him. This goes on for a good ten minutes, with Zach putting a series of combination strikes into the canvas back. The series is practically a how-to for infighters. Lots of body shots, planted feet, and major joint rotations designed to deliver maximum damage at minimal distance. Strangely, he isn't using any of that almost signature Soul Power with any of the punches; the bag is rocking and jumping strictly from the strength and technique of Zach's strikes.
Zach gets to the end of the series, and decides that this simply isn't going to go away. He takes a deep breath, and snags a nearby towel to start cleaning off the sweet. He smiles politely to Jezebel, recalling some of the movies she's been in. "Hi," is all he says to her, uncertain whether the cameras are actually recording.
10 minutes of boxing footage?
Editing gold. They can splice that in and out of the interview. Lightning Spangles smiles briskly. She actually ignores the hello. Since the mic isn't there it wouldn't pick up! And it can be edited out. Walking towards Zach with the mic at hand, she finally turns to the cameras, which fix on her. This might be a smooth interview, in the end. It can be good that someone knows her through her movies!
Or possibly be very, very bad for her.
"Howdy Y'all! I'm Lightning Spangles, the All-American Heroine! We are in Downtown Southtown with Neo Development Project competitior Zach Glen! Woo-Wee, Zach! I gotta say, you've been having one heck of a run! Tied for 4th with Intan, you are clocked in with seven fights, and a record of 3 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws!" She finally takes that mic, and points it right at the psychic puglist. "Everyone wants to know, Zach;"
"Why did you join up with the Neo Development Project, Zach?"
Zach kind of enjoyed the movies, in that 'oh my god it /never/ goes like that' kind of way. He rubs the back of his head with that towel, blinking at the microphone. In all honesty, he doesn't have a lot of experience with the interviewing thing. He thinks for a moment.
"Honestly," Zach says after thinking about it, "I'd have to say it's for the experience. While knowing who is stronger than you is good for making and having goals, knowing who is up-and-coming is also important. You never know what you'll find."
Sadly, that could apply to ALL of Lightning Spangles movies.
Even the blue ones.
The actress continues to smile, that smile never ceasing. "Experience is always a great thing. And judging from your history, you aren't lacking in it! You are a real contender for the finals. Mr. Glen, money has been a big factor in many of the other competitors. You have earned quite a bit of money, and if you win the championship, another big chunk of change to boot!"
"What are you plans for all your winnings, Zach?"
Zach grins a bit at the question, hiding the flash of indecision the question causes. Nothing for it. Perhaps the time is good for it. He looks at Lightning Spangles with a soft smile. "I have... a project," he finally says. "More of a goal, really." He takes a deep breath. This is it, he thinks. Everything surrounding the idea of starting the school changes after this, in a very concrete way.
"I want to start a school," he says. "A place where people with abilities like mine can learn about them in a more forgiving place than I had to." He raises a hand to forestall questions for a moment.
"And yes, that kind of thing is rare, even among the already rare people who can fight at this level. The school, however, will not be restricted to people like me, or even people who have the talent needed to be fighters, but anyone willing to learn anything. The Quon Chen Institute will provide an education from junior high school to Associates degrees."
A school? How noble. Compared to Brett, Zach seemed much more lofty in his goals. More idealistic. More visionary. A New Development Project from Zach? That sounds right in line with the entire agenda. Everything was growing more concrete, but really, for Lightning Spangles. This was just another show of how diverse the entire scene was, and every unique fighter just made the entire tournament special.
And then he mentions about abilities like his.
"I will get to your abilities in a moment, because there a thousand and one questions on that. But sugar, the real question is the obvious one. The Quon Chen Institute. If I got that right, that sounds like my fellow, and former, Hong Kong star Quon Chen. Now, when I got news of his tragic suicide, it just went and broke my heart."
"What was your relationship with Quon, and how did his suicide personally affect you?"
Zach frowns a bit, thinking back. "We were teammates during the King of Fighters tournament. We didn't get very far, but that didn't stop us from forming bonds. We got each other through a couple of messes." He takes a deep breath.
"I'm still dealing with it," Zach says after composing himself. "But I do have one thing to say about the manner of his death: To everyone who decries his suicide as an act of cowardice," Zach says with a touch of steel in his voice, "I would say that they have /no/ idea of just how deep that hole goes. What it's like to be down there in the dark, unable to see a way out." He takes another breath, shoving those memories back with an effort of will.
A touchy subject, for sure.
Lightning Spangle's smile fades, as she looks personally affected by the subject. "A hard subject, to be certain. The depths of depression certainly can be dark. When you are in that hole, ending it all is almost effortless. You are so numbed, whether you live? Whether you die? It's all meaningless." Lightning Spangles pauses, and quickly adds.
"Or so I have heard."
Changing the subject, Lightning Spangles moves quickly. "Now, to revisit brighter subjects, you mentioned about your powers! As I understand, you are a 'psychic.' What that means is that you differ from those martial artists that use chi, drawing your energy from your mental powers. What I mean to ask..."
"What is it like being a psychic? Could you describe how your powers differ from, say, Ken Master's own chi techniques?"
A touch too quickly, Zach thinks. But other questions are in front of him, and inquiring further right now would be... impolite to say the least.
"Functionally," Zach says, "We can use our energies in the same way people can using chi. We can use it to jump higher, run faster, hit harder. We can send our energy out into the world for that 'fireball' effect."
Zach grins, "There are differences though. While we can make something that looks like fire," Zach brings up a hand, coating it with a faint yellow glow that looks a great deal like flame, "It won't /act/ like flame." Zach demostrates by dangling the towel over it. The towel dips into the 'flame' but does not ignite. He dismisses the energy and hands the towel over to Lightning Spangles, still room temperature. "There are a lot of theories about the how and why of it," Zach says.
Lightning Spangles is at the edge of her stance, following every word of Zach like a crazed stalker girlfriend. She was just so darn interested. As the fire is shown, it even gets a gasp from the woman. Waiting to see how it does not act as a flame with the towel, she nods, as if she reached an understanding. Taking the towel, she very visibly tests it with her hand.
Of course, she got the writeup well before the interview.
Lightning Spangles continues with the questions, the demonstration over. "What I find curious is that psychic power seems to be like some kind of magical, mystical 'superpower,' that is somehow harder hitting than normal chi energy AND purely mental. But here we are in a boxing gym, and very clearly, you don't rely solely on your mental. I mean, give us a flex sugar. Don't be shy about those guns!"
Was she flirting with him?
"Why did you find yourself going with boxing as your primary technique? Do you believe all martial arts styles can be meshed with psychic energy?"
Zach grins gamely, as he pulls up a shirt sleeve and gives a flex. It's not the massively ripped biceps that have biceps that Zangief, or even Dudley might have, but toned and muscled look of someone who puts some work into it. Then he lowers his arm and looks a bit serious.
"I've got plenty of energy," he says. "I know how to use that. I went with boxing because I like the style. While it is heavily restricted in the kinds of strikes it allows, it makes up for it by putting every bit of body mechanic it can into those strikes. There are several fighters who have shown that even in the face of fighters who use their whole body as a weapon, they can still be effective with just fists." Zach pauses. "As for your second question," Zach stops and thinks. "There are links between the mind and the body. People get sick /because/ they think they are getting sick. Some people, when faced with illness or injury, have recovered almost solely because they believe that they should despite what medical science would say."
He shrugs again, "If nothing else, I think if you find a style that fits you, then whether you use chi or psychic energy doesn't really matter."
Lightning Spangles wolf-whistles as she sees Zach show off those arms. "Woo-wee! You are back a regular pair of six-shooters there! Boy howdy!" She drawls, hand on her hip. Zach WAS ripped. And mulling over, she really seemed to like the boy. Nodding along, she listens carefully. "
"Well, sure shooting Zach, you really seem to know all about martial arts!"
"From the sounds of it, you've answered my next question, on what your plans on for after the tournament. It looks like your school will be your big focus. So I will focus more on the semi-finals coming around the corner, which you are a shoo-in. A lot of competitors are in the league, ranging from the handsome Johnny Jones, to the dynamic Ayame."
"Who are some of the people you consider rivals in the Neo Development Project, especially for the incoming semi-finals?"
Zach considers for a moment. "There's a few," he answers. "Daniel Little's been tearing it, and we always have good fights. I wouldn't mind another shot against Shun or Intan, and Johnny Jones packs one hell of a punch." Zach looks especially thoughtful.
"But if I had to pick out just one," he says after a moment, "It would have to be Ayame. She's an incredibly skilled fighter; I'm surprised to see her in the tournament at all." He smiles, thinking that it's good to see her in something approaching honest work. Maybe she'll set aside the path she was walking before this.
Lightning Spangles had her eyes on Johnny Jones, herself.
"You and Ayame have a history, don't you?" She asks causally, off the script a bit. "Oh, no, don't worry, that's not an official question. Now, we are reaching the end of the interview. You have been great, Zach, you interview so naturally! Now, I have two sweet things before we let you back in your training, sugar."
"First, do you have any closing comments?"
"And Second, could you show us some of that signature Zach Glen that your fans know you for?"
Zach quirks an eyebrow at the "unofficial" question. The expression on his face is good-natured but seems to say "Unofficial my ass." Zach's no fool; he sees the camera's still on. He smiles, and answers the first question.
"I think we've covered everything worth covering," he says as he turns to face the heavy bag. He reaches out with his left hand, as if gaging the distance before throwing a punch known as the "Smash," or "three-quarters punch." As the punch is being thrown, amber energy licks along the limb forming into a distinct gauntlet before the punch connects with the back. At impact, there is a detonation. Contained in consideration for the surroundings, it still blows a hole out of the back side of the bag before literally blowing the punching target in half. The bottom half slams against the nearby wall while sand from the top half crashes to the floor.
The cameras keep trained on Zach as he demonstrates what HE wants. Of course, he doesn't take on that dangling question on Ayame. She might be a fun interview, if Lightning Spangles can catch her! Focusing on Zach, the punch is thrown. The impact isn't that hard... except for the visible detonation. The explosion shakes the camera a bit, as the bag finally 'bleeds out' on the wooden floor.
With applause from Lightning Spangles herself.
"Woooooo-weeee Zach! You got a kick stronger than a roided-up mule!" She gives a thumbs up to the camera. "There you have it folks. Zach Glen! Boxer, Psychic Warrior, and a darn nice guy! Just one of the many fighting superstars, right here in the Neo Development Project!"
"Good Night! And Good Fight!"
Log created on 17:15:08 05/26/2012 by Jezebel, and last modified on 09:44:49 05/28/2012.