"Be thankful for everything that happens in your life; it's all an experience."
- Roy T. Bennett
August 2010.
The long and arduous journey was finally over. Emi Yamamoto did the seemingly impossible and vanquished her childhood curse. Standing on the weighing scales, she was pleased to see the reward for her efforts. By her eighteenth birthday, the pudgy teenager reached exactly 100 pounds. Her hard work certainly didn't go unnoticed, and before she knew it, she found herself posing in front of cameras in swimsuits and underwear, showing off her well-earned physique and relishing her sudden popularity. Her new glamorous lifestyle granted her the opportunity to settle down in Las Vegas while her family moved back to Osaka; in their absence, she promised to be grateful for everything in her life and always maintain a positive attitude. With her new look and newly acquired confidence, she was eager to embark on a brand new journey.
October 2012.
At the peak of her modelling career, she embarked on a brand new journey. Catching the attention of a local promotion, she took it upon herself to train and become a professional wrestler. Her background in gymnastics and kickboxing during the final years of her weight loss would certainly not go to waste.
January 2013.
After a successful try-out, Emi was ready to make her in-ring debut. Considering her lack of in-ring knowledge and experience, she left a positive impression. One such individual impressed by her potential was Kahlan Fischer, better known by her ring name Bliss. Taking her under her wing, Bliss taught Emi the very basics of how to survive in the world of professional wrestling. Through her guidance, Emi harnessed her craft and became one of the brightest and most promising upstarts in the sport. Wrestling became Emi's greatest passion, she was forever thankful for the chance to compete and she could not see herself stopping anytime soon.
April 2014.
Held back by a lack of aggression, frustration started to sink as she was denied opportunity after opportunity. After taking some advice, she took a break from wrestling, but after several months, she found it difficult to regain her fitness in time for her debut in another promotion, and as a result, she took even more time off to work on her fitness. This was the first chink in her suit of armor. At this point in her career, there's no way she's about to let old habits catch up to her.
December 2015.
After a long absence, Emi Yamamoto was back in top shape and ready to return to the ring. Looking stronger and more determined than ever, Little Miss Butterfly came back with one goal in mind: to finally win one of those "shiny belts". It didn't take long until she finally accomplished that goal, solidifying her incredible comeback.
February 2017.
At the peak of her career, she began donning a mask and calling herself "Super Shiny Tiger". This heroic persona did wonders for her confidence in the ring, but outside, it was wreaking havoc on her. After building a few extra pounds, Emi was distraught. She spent her whole teenagehood trying to slim down. She took nearly two years off to maintain her figure. And her old eating habits had once again returned. Of course Super Shiny Tiger had no concern over something like this, but for Emi, this was the worst. If it wasn't for her older sister Makoto Yamamoto's comfort and concern, who knows where Emi would have ended up. Certainly not hosting FFW Unstoppable 8 later that year.
March 28, 2017.
Emi shared her first kiss with another woman. That woman was Kimmi Keister. Little did either of them realize it, but this would go on to become the start of a new relationship. Kimmi was the confidence boost that Emi needed, and before long, Emi's growing figure was the least of her worries.
April 6, 2017.
Emi moved to Manchester. This was her first time in England, but under the care of Laurel Hardy and Evangelista, she couldn't feel more at home. It was hard for her to leave Makoto, but after all the emotional distress she caused her, it was a good idea to keep her distance from her for a while.
December 13, 2017.
The date when her journey officially ended. After taking a serious bump on the night prior, the doctors forced her into early retirement due to recurring neck trauma. Perhaps her unhealthy eating habits was affecting her landings in the ring, or maybe it was her body getting weaker as she grew older. Regardless, this would go on to mark the day when her downfall officially began, as well as the last day she would ever see herself under the 116 pound mark again.
April 2018.
The childhood curse was back. Emi had once again succumbed to her old eating habits. As the months went by, so did her figure, her motivation and her dignity. She started eating more and more and doing less and less. She was terminated from all of her modelling contracts, abruptly ending her modelling career, but she didn't care. Eventually she stopped going to the gym completely and started turning away friends offering to help her. Even Kimmi, who's busy schedule made the time spent together less frequent, started to look away in shame. The childhood curse had caught up to her once again, and now she was surpassing the same weight she had in her freshman year. Things couldn't possibly get any worse...
May 2018.
Kimmi's "little piggy" finally moved in with Kimmi back in the United States, but nothing was the same. The sweltering heat made her constantly sweat, she kept eating more and more, and more and more people started to poke fun at her. To make matters worse, she checked the weighing scales for the first time since her retirement. Pushing way past the 150 pound mark, how could someone so small put on so much weight in so little time? It didn't help that Kimmi was becoming more and more distant from her as she grew bigger and bigger...
June 16, 2018.
After weeks of persuasion, Kimmi finally managed to convince Emi to be her guest at The Crimson Baroness's wedding. What a mistake this was. Oversleeping and missing her flight, moaning about the small seats at the reception, stuffing herself to the point of passing out. Needless to say, Kimmi was completely embarrassed. This was the last straw. Kimmi didn't want to see Emi again until she got back in shape and learned to control herself again. It wasn't going to be easy, especially after reaching the 172 pound mark, but after some solid advice from her friends, Emi decided to try her best to lose the weight and redeem herself. Unfortunately this was easier said than done.
July 30, 2018.
What a miserable Summer. Emi's life had become a living hell. Desperate to get herself back in shape for the approval of her girlfriend, she went on a rigorous training regime. Everything that was once natural to her however had now become impossible. Small jogs felt more like marathons. Gyms seemed more like scientific laboratories. An hour without a snack felt more like a week. She was nowhere near her old self, and the results were proof of that. Despite all that however, by the end of the month, she had only lost four pounds. It wasn't much, considering how much effort she put in, but it was still progress, something she could be proud of, something to be thankful for.
September 2018.
Despite her larger size, Emi was offered an opportunity to star in a film. The child star was apparently a fan of her work as a wrestler and handpicked her to be a part of the production. Reluctant at first, Emi changed her mind when Kimmi sent her a controversial photo that almost jeopardized their entire relationship. Feeling as though there was nothing left to lose, she took the opportunity and immediately began filming. The time she spent on set, as well as interacting with her co-stars, helped her reach a stunning revelation. Learning to embrace her fuller size, she finally decided to adapt to her new dress size, admit to her faults and create a balance that could make her happy again. No more desperate workouts, no more starving herself, this was the new Emi Yamamoto, and whether anyone liked it or not, this new Emi Yamamoto was about to be a silver screen star. Or at least she would have, if production didn't stop shortly after the first trailer release...
October 2018.
Finally finding the confidence in her new fuller self, her quest for redemption led her back into the world of wrestling, not as a wrestler, but in a new role; one that would satisfy her need to give something back to the industry that made her a star...
November 8, 2018.
Emi began a new journey in her life as a referee. The training wasn't easy, considering her larger physique, and she was prone to various mistakes, missed calls and match pace struggles, but making her debut on an episode of FFW Velocity, Emi almost felt like her old self again. With regained confidence, she mustered the courage to finally meet and patch things up with Kimmi. Although Kimmi was still a little hesitant at first, she realized that beauty was only skin deep, and despite her appearance, her confidence shined forth, making Kimmi fall in love with her all over again. This was truly a new journey in her life, and although she may be a few extra pounds heavier, she was still the same old Emi Yamamoto, she still had the same friends and she wouldn't change anything for the world. She couldn't be more grateful for this new life.
January 2019.
Emi's new career was well underway. Making her debut for various promotions including Millennium, Omega and Renegade, she was building a reputation as a lovable figure of authority rather than the bumbling fool she had become. Moving back to Las Vegas with Marissa and Kendra Kanensson, mistakes became less frequent, her calls became less controversial, and she was slowly but surely rebuilding the respect she had lost over the past few months. Still, did she yearn for the days of posing in skimpy swimsuits and lingerie? Of course she did. Did she miss the days of throwing kicks and powerbombs? Of course she did, but that didn't matter so much anymore, as long as she was content. Little did she realize however was that becoming content was about to be her downfall again. The exact same thing happened in 2014, the same thing happened when she retired, and the same thing was happening now. Oblivious to it at first, she found herself living vicariously through the competitors she shared the ring with, as well as the models she interacted with. She put everyone in her life above her, disregarding her own health and figure in the process. Old habits were starting to creep back in, and this time, Emi was far too distracted to stop it.
March 2, 2019.
FFW Fury, one of the biggest events in FFW history, and one of the biggest shows Emi had to work since her retirement. She was at the peak of her career as an official, and it would have taken something big to knock her down. Unfortunately however, that's exactly what happened. Sophia Pike had just lost her Evolution title to Kelly Kincaid, but the former champion was not happy with the decision. To vent her frustration, she attacked the referee, kicking her between the legs and shoving her into the steel steps. Emi hit her shoulder hard. Something immediately broke. During the commercial break, paramedics had to help her out of the arena. It was confirmed there and then. She needed rotator cuff surgery. With that, Emi's heart sank, as did her new-found confidence. Nothing could symbolize how far gone she truly was to her old self than by being taken to the emergency room over a small bump into the steel steps. The old Emi would have undoubtebly shrugged off such a bump, as would most other wrestlers, but this was her first bump as a referee, her first bump since retirement. How could she continue being a referee if she couldn't even take a bump anymore? She had to wait several days before her surgery, but after all the training, and after everything she went through to regain her confidence, it might as well have been a reset button.
March 11, 2019.
Everyone wished Emi a speedy recovery. There's nothing about her that is "speedy" anymore, but this was not always the case. Before becoming a wrestler, she was a model, and before becoming a model, she battled with weight issues. When she finally managed to shed her weight and transform herself, the world took notice. She became a bikini and lingerie model, and she eventually turned her attention to wrestling, all before even turning twenty one. But with so many ups and downs in her life, it became harder and harder to maintain her well-earned figure, and when she was told not to wrestle again, just as quickly as she lost all the weight, she put it all back on, and as proven in the past two years, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself back down again. The glory days were long gone, and all Emi could do at this point was reminisce. She deeply missed how fun it was to strut around in a bikini in front of a camera, she wished she could have connected with one more powerbomb in the ring, and she missed all the attention she had from both careers. Throughout her referee career, she lived vicariously through all the other models and wrestlers she interacted with, but this only led to yet another downfall in her life. She didn't take enough care in herself, and unfortunately, this only continued after her surgery.
March 12, 2019.
She may have survived her surgery but it was about to take its toll. Forced to wear a sling for the first time in her life, she had to live the next four weeks with one arm. Needless to say, this had a negative impact on her life. Even her housemates had given up on her training. Instead, they nurtured the wounded soldier, as did most others in her life. They were only looking after her of course, but Emi was oblivious to the signs that reflected when she first retired. The feeling of helplessness, the self-deprecation, the old eating habits, they were all starting to build back up, and because of her injury, she couldn't motivate herself to do anything about it. No one would notice her on the sidelines anyway. Even Kimmi was too busy with her own careers to make more time to visit her.
April 2, 2019.
It seemed as though this new journey as a referee was over, or at least in Emi's eyes. Every time she stepped into a ring, she got hurt, and this injury was proof that she needed to stop before things could get worse. But with little other options to choose from, it seemed that Emi's hopes of regaining her former glory were long gone. That was however until she heard a suggestion. A wrestling trainer. She may not have the physique to compete anymore, but her legacy could live on through wrestling's hopefuls. Emi knew many trainers who would be willing to help her start up, and the best thing of all, she wouldn't need to step into a ring again. This was the perfect way for her to not only give something back to the industry that made her a star, but also to re-live the glory days as a star vicariously through her own students. This was exactly the career path she needed to take to make her happy again. All she needed to do was to recover from her injury...
April 8, 2019.
Her sling was finally removed. This would have been the highest point in her life since her injury. It would have been however, had she not checked the weighing scales again. There and then, Emi realized the consequences of her "recovery". With the lack of activety and the return of old habits, a few extra pounds were to be expected, and she probably should have noticed when she blindly went from large to extra large clothes, but the result of those extra pounds were enough to make Emi reach her largest size to date. For the first time in her life, she had passed the 200 pound mark. She couldn't remember the last time she checked the scales so she had no idea when it happened, but to put this into perspective, when she began her wrestling career, she was exactly 100 pounds. As of this morning, she was now 206 pounds. Twice her old size, it was now twice as impossible to return to her original size. This couldn't be happening. What would the media say? What would Kimmi think now? How much harder could she possibly work? The balance seemed to be broken. Everything seemed hopeless, and it seemed that the door of her new journey had already closed before she could even begin.
April 9, 2019.
Her first day as a 200 pounder, or at least the first day she was aware of being a 200 pounder. She never felt so big in her entire life, even compared to her school days. There seemed to be no point in anything. No training, no diet, what's the point? There's no going back for her, not as a model, not as a wrestler, not as a referee, and there's no way she could possibly let any cameras see her now. She might as well accept that she will never re-live those glory years again. How could she even pursue her new dream of becoming a trainer like this? She couldn't even control herself, let alone anyone with ambitions of becoming a wrestler. There's no way she could manage such an important role, especially after undergoing such a drastic transformation. Not too long ago she learned to embrace her larger size, but she never expected to grow to this size. Memories were all that was left of this once petite little bundle of energy. Even her housemates were helpless in this new state of depression. There's nothing to be thankful for anymore. Every time there seemed to be a glimmer of hope, it always disappeared before she could catch it, so what's the point of even trying? This was the culmination of Emi's adventure. All the journeys she had, all the memories she shared, and everything she was grateful for had all led up to this moment. From 100 to 200, it's almost as if this was Emi's fate all along, and unfortunately, there seemed to be no escape for her...
April 10, 2019.
The adventure was far from over. Another glimmer of hope appeared in the form of two familiar faces. She received a call from her older sister, Makoto Yamamoto. The two kept separate after Emi first moved to Manchester, but after learning of Emi's injury, she presented her with an offer, not from her, but from her old mentor. Kahlan Fischer, who had recently returned to competition, had just hired Makoto as the manager of her training facility. Banding together, the two offered her the opportunity of becoming a trainer. Emi couldn't answer at first; all she could do was tear up. Just when she thought her entire life was over, she had one more opportunity to truly give back to the industry that gave her the best years of her life. She may now be twice her original size, but realizing this could be her final journey, her final opportunity to re-live the glory days, and her final chance to regain her confidence, she accepted the offer. She know it would take some effort, especially in her current state, but she wanted to make sure she did the best job she possibly could. It's the least she could do. It was in this moment when Emi realized that no matter what, even now, even after everything she's been through, there will always be something to be thankful for.
This is the beginning of a new journey. What happens next? No one knows, but one thing is certain: Emi Yamamoto will make sure that this journey will be her best one yet.
