Post by Teo Blaze on Aug 7, 2015 14:01:53 GMT -5
July 26, 2015
Tokyo, Japan
Shortly before the Conclusion Ultimate Showdown
The locker room behind the arena, cheers and roars can be heard through the thick walls, the fans are in awe of the Ultimate Showdown match, each champion staking his claim in the pecking order, the very fabric of WCF shifting wildly over the course of the match. The drama unfolds on a small CRT television, being watched feverishly by Pete Peterson, whose uncharacteristic presence undercuts the tenseness of the situation. A few moments pass before the door to the locker room creaks open, and a heavily bandaged man staggers into the room.Tokyo, Japan
Shortly before the Conclusion Ultimate Showdown
“Well Teo, I hope you’re happy. Got a face full of powder, probably gonna have to get a steel plate put in after that kick, assuming they can pry the mask off… Geez man, why didn’t you listen?”
Teo wordlessly staggers to a sink by the wall, bracing himself against it and looking into the mirror. The damage is evident, bright red welts and cuts line his torso, the work of the evil strap, while red stains can be seen on his mask, the result of the Yakuza kick on the trash can lid. In hindsight, white may not have been the best color to choose. He checks on all of his teeth, noting a chip on one of the incisors. That’ll be a fun one to explain to the dentist.
“Look, it’s alright, we’ll get you to the doctor and fix you up, then maybe this time we’ll actually start a physical therapy regimen… get you back in the ring in a month or so.”
Teo turns and smiles at his agent, a look of pure glee over his face.
“A month? Are you kidding me? I’ve never wanted to get back in that ring more than I do right now! Did you see the excitement, the looks in the eyes of the fans? They were hanging on every move! Oh, to be able to replicate that, to do it again!”
“….Uh, Teo, you sure you got your head checked out?”
“But wait! There’s hardly any time! We have to go see Seth Lerch and ask for another match! I’m sure he’s around here somewhere…”
“Teo, you look like you’ve been hit by a street sweeper…driven by a steam roller.”
“Off to the races! Look out Slam, here comes Teo del Sol!”
“Teo, you’re scaring me.”
Teo rushes excitedly towards the exit of the locker room, the pulse of adrenaline dulling the pain of the hell he has been through. The cheers, the feeling of walking into the arena through the crowd, the sounds of support, of applause! It carries with it a certain intoxicating quality, one can become addicted if he is not careful…and now that same intoxication carries Teo through out into the lobby…into a congregation of fans! The conclusion of the Ultimate Showdown has thoroughly filled the entryway, and loyal fans offer a standing ovation to the Luchador for his performance. Teo stops momentarily, caught off-guard, but after a few moments regains his senses and with a grin, bends into a deep bow.
“Thank you! I knew that you would not abandon me in my time of need! I have stood at the very gates of oblivion and stared down death itself, have even fallen before my adversary, and yet you greet me not with disappointment, but with congratulations! I love this job!”
Teo quickly resumes his usual habits, greeting the smiling fans, the squealing girls and the wide-eyed children. He quickly begins signing autographs and taking pictures, and before long much of the crowd has been satisfied. However, mixed in with the satisfied murmurs and happy sounds are disgruntled voices and complaints. Teo cocks an eyebrow and begins moving in the direction of the sound. The origin is made clear, as the capacity crowd has all but clogged up the lines at the concessions stand to the point of lunacy. Twenty or thirty people queue behind the counter as the exasperated workers struggle to keep up. Teo places his hand on his chin and begins thinking to himself as his agent finally pushes his way through the crowd.
“Oof, pardon me, oh, sorry ma’am! Teo, what are you starin’ at? I thought you were gonna talk to Lerch”
“Hmmm…Pete, I’m a man of the people, right?”
Pete looks back at the large group of satisfied fans, clutching autographs and souvenirs.
“Like a fish is a meal, why?”
“Well, a man of the people should serve the people, right?”
“…Riiiight?”
August 9, 2015
Arena
Before the beginning of Slam
Arena
Before the beginning of Slam
“Ice Cream! Getcha Ice cream here!”
The arena before slam bustles with anticipation, the fans all gossip amongst themselves over who is going to make the best use of their new belts, in addition to the tag team title match. Far away from all of it though is Teo Del Sol, whose brand new shining white mask now sits beneath a paper hat and above a pink apron. A large tray containing all manner of confectionary treats strapped to his shoulders. In the distance, Teo’s agent sits on a bench, head buried in his hands. He heaves a deep sigh.
“I get it, serve the people. You’re a riot, Teo”
Teo continues his work, smiling at the passerby, until he is approached by a young mother and her son.
“Hello Ma’am, what can I get for you today?”
“Oh, Just an ice cream sandwich for my son”
“Sure thing, here you go, son!”
The child slowly snatches the treat from Teo’s outstretched hand, looking between the treat and the luchador in disbelief, barely able to process that someone he watches on TV is handing him ice cream.
“How much is it?”
“Well, how much would you like it to be?”
“Excuse me?”
“How much would you like it to be?”
The woman blinks in confusion, then looks down at her son, still transfixed on the Luchador in the paper hat. Teo smiled, wondering if the child knew it was the genuine article or thought he was a crazy vendor, either way, the wide-eyed stare was adorable.
“Uh, I don’t know, five dollars?”
“Okay then, two-fifty it is!”
Teo gives a hearty laugh as the woman pays for the ice cream, she gives Teo a friendly smile as the two go off to their seats to watch the show.
“You know as your financial advisor I have to recommend against this practice.”
“And as the guy who signs your paychecks, I’m going to ignore that recommendation.”
Teo chuckles heartily to himself, in the back of his mind reflecting on how his opponents would be preparing for the fatal-4 way tonight. Truthfully, he couldn’t help but feel like the odd man out, the other three men all had a shady past, whether it be Vengeance’s death obsession, Vic Venable’s criminal background or Henson’s mysterious shady doings, honestly if not for the referee he’d feel unsafe stepping into the ring with these lunatics.
The WCF locker room was full of guys like his Vengeance or Venable, shady backgrounded thugs who see nothing wrong with stealing wins through alliances and dirty deals, on some level it disgusted Teo to see that kind of behavior from his fellow wrestlers, but he shook it off, reminding himself not to judge them by their pasts. After all, if they knew about what had gone on in Mexico, people might not see him the same way. But that was behind him at this point, now he was able to serve the people, just like he had always wanted to do. Good things happen to good people, that’s what his coach had told him; Karma happens whether you believe in it or not. Teo glances over at Pete, who was absentmindedly tweeting on his phone. So what if it cost them a little bit of ice cream? It’s not like his paycheck can’t cover it.
“Ugh….fine. Are there any star pops left?”
“Uh, no, but you can have a crunch cone…”
“I hate Crunch Cones! What about-“
“There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
Teo’s focus now shifts to a very tired looking Hank Brown, whose flushed face betrays the effort he took to find Teo.
“You never gave us a post-Showdown interview! We have had people calling us left and right wanting to know if you’re okay!”
Teo puts his hands on his head, smiling sheepishly.
“Whoops, I guess I got distracted. Well there’s no time like the present, right Hank? If you want an interview, then an interview is what you will get. Let’s turn on that camera!”
Hank looks down at the apron, then at the tiny paper hat, a cock-eyed expression on his face; Teo doesn’t seem to notice, smiling broadly at the camera. After a few moments, Hank shrugs towards the cameraman and assumes his interview pose.
“WCF Fans, I am here now with Teo del Sol, now last time we saw you Mr. Sol you came up short against David Sanchez in a brutal hardcore match”
“Came up short, Hank? I guess that depends on your definition, I can tell you from experience that one lick from that strap is like being scratched by the devil himself, and me and David must have racked up 30 or 40 on each other! What is a pinfall compared to that kind of punishment?”
“Well, you have to imagine the fans were hoping you would win the match, not just deal damage…”
Teo nods solemnly, reflecting on the disappointed looks of the fans after Lady Knives cost Teo the match, and turns to the camera with a serious look on his face.
“Hank, you are right. I promised that I would win on behalf of each and every one of you at home. I promised that David Sanchez would not overcome us, that we could do anything, and I failed. It turns out that even with the entire WCF crowd behind me, I am still human, I have faults. So I would like to say to every single person, anyone who wishes to stop supporting me after that loss at Ultimate Showdown…I understand, and I am sorry…
But…
But if you can find it in your heart to stick with this loser, to help me back on my feet and to still be with me when that bell rings…well let me make you one more promise. I promise you that I will keep fighting. I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to make sure that justice is served, that I will train harder, work harder, fight harder, and do whatever it takes to be worthy of your support! This is the greatest company in the world and I am speaking right now to the greatest fans in the world, as long as there is blood in my veins and fire in my heart, I will give you my everything! I will never give up as long as you never give up on me! And there is nothing that David Sanchez, Lady Knives, or anyone else in the world can do to take that away from us! So Hank, if you think a stolen victory is worth more than knowing that I gave the fans exactly what they wanted to see, then yes, I am disappointed, but I hope that you know better!”
Hank stares momentarily, shaken by the emotional speech, before regaining his composure and resuming the interview.
“Why don’t we talk about your match tonight then?”
“Oh absolutely Hank, oh, and here, have a Rocket Pop. Ice cream Here!!”
Teo hands Hank a treat, and Hank, his rhythm thrown off once again by the friendly luchador, glances at the cameraman with a disbelieving look on his face. The awkward silence is broken, however, by a sudden shriek. A feeble, white-haired woman quickly runs into the interview.
“My purse! My purse was stolen!”
“Oh that’s alright ma’am, here, have one on me!”
Teo hands the woman an ice cream sandwich, not quite grasping the meaning behind her words.
“No, that brute of a man ran off with it!”
The woman gestures towards a redheaded man with a leather jacket and a scruffy goatee. As Teo comprehends the situation, he acts quickly.
“Here Hank, hold this, I’ll be right back.”
Teo rushes off towards the petty thief in a full sprint, as Hank glances back towards the camera with another shrug. Before the camera cuts though, Hank is immediately approached by a small crowd of hungry patrons, all of whom begin shouting orders at the exasperated interviewer.
---
Teo runs down the man, who shoves past various attendees and zigs and zags his way through the labyrinthine corridors. The mugger, at first anticipating an easy escape, begins to grow more and more desperate as he sees the determined luchador hot on his tail. He zigs, he zags, he even knocks over chairs and merchandise displays behind him. But despite his best efforts, Teo del Sol stays hot on his heels, dodging carefully around the confused onlookers and cluttered debris.
Really, the whole development disappointed Teo, wrestling events should be something that anyone should feel safe taking their kids to. Some of the most authentic cheers he has heard come from young voices, but between the criminals on the roster like Venable or Henson and the criminals in the lobby, the number of young fans was beginning to dwindle. Redoubling his efforts, Teo pushes harder to catch the thief. Just because his opponents don’t want to play fair, that doesn’t mean he has to stand by and let it happen.
“Really man? Snatching a purse? What is this, a comic book? My opponents tonight would have something nasty to say about petty criminals like you, but fortunately I’m not that kind of guy.”
The chase continues unabated, as the thief’s head start grows ever more meaningless. Finally, realizing he is about to get caught, the thief turns and throws the purse in furious desperation at the Luchador. Teo stops mid-stride, snatching the projectile from the air.
“And from an old lady? What do you expect to sell, coupons and medication?”
Teo chuckles triumphantly to himself, turns and begins to return to said old lady, when the mugger, only half-processing his error, clutches angrily at his head in embarrassment. Then, with an indignant fury, he charges towards the luchador with a roar, fist raised…
Only for Teo to expertly duck beneath the punch and drive his heel into the attacker’s kneecap, causing him to roll to the floor in a heap as security arrives.
“Word to the wise, don’t announce your attacks, it makes them way easier to dodge.”
Security finally arrives, pushing away passerby and approaching the fallen mugger. He is dragged roughly to his feet and surrounded as Teo slips away unnoticed, purse tucked under his arm. Part of him hoped the assailant would get away, he was clearly new at this and would probably be punished for his would-be robbery, but some people won’t learn until they’re punished. Better he be taught a lesson now than rob the wrong person later. With a wistful sigh, he makes his way through the crowd, most of whom is baffled at the sight of an ice cream vendor in a Teo del Sol mask carrying a lady’s purse.
Teo glances down at the purse, stopping momentarily to think; on the one hand, he could hand it to the old lady and tell everyone what a wonderful person he is… but that kind of selfishness is exactly the kind of things that his opponents would do, wanting credit or payment for a good deed. No, that isn’t what Teo is about; but what to do..?
Teo ponders for a moment before a lightbulb goes off inside his head. With a confident grin, he strides back to his starting point.
Within minutes, Teo returns once more to Hank Brown, who now holds a serving tray surprisingly devoid of ice cream. Teo gives hank an appreciative slap on the back as soon as he notices Hank’s burden.
“Hank, you sold out! You could make a career out of this, maybe help us next week? Ha ha…anyway, hold this.”
Teo tosses the purse into Hank’s arms and grabs the microphone from where Hank has placed it on the tray. Moments later, the elderly woman appears, having given a statement to security.
“My purse! You recovered it!”
“That’s right Ma’am, why Hank here jumped right on the robber and wrestled it from his hands, it was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever seen, right Hank?”
“What, I…”
“You’re too modest Hank, come on, you’re a hero! Hey everyone, let’s have a round of applause for Hank Brown, he just foiled a robbery!!”
Teo begins clapping his hands together and waving over onlookers, Hank looks around in confusion before turning to Teo, who offers a sly wink. Hank shrugs once more as he is greeted with hearty handshakes and requests for pictures. Teo meanwhile gestures the cameraman away from the commotion to a more secluded location.
“Well, Hank is a bit distracted right now, so I would like to speak now to my opponents tonight. You see, Hank just allowed me to demonstrate a very important idea; I do not seek individual glory. I know that each and every one of my opponents tonight is worried about their spot, this kind of match is a fatal 4-way. High risk, high reward. You’re either the winner, or you’re left out in the rain. But you know what? In the end it doesn’t matter. We are entertainers, gentlemen, performers; wins, losses…You will have lots of both over the course of your career. Lord knows I do.
So to tell you the truth, normally when I go out to a match I do my best to be the good guy, the sportsman, and so far it has served me well. But to tell you the truth, being good only really works if you can trust the other guy to play by the rules. Tonight, Seth Lerch has seen fit to put me in the ring with some of the least trustworthy, most unstable wrestlers in the entire locker room, and frankly I’m not certain that I can rely on them to keep things honest.
Vengeance, I know you like to think that you’re intimidating, that you’re frightening, that you can get into your opponents heads by sneaking into graveyards with fog machines. Carving out your opponents names into tombstones and reminding them of their own mortality. Every man is scared of what might happen one day, and you will do everything you can to remind him. Mind games, right Vengeance? Well I have some bad news for you; Death and darkness do not frighten me, You! Do not frighten me! Do you know why? Because Death and Darkness can do nothing in the face of light. Darkness tries to pretend it’s scary, that it’s all enveloping, that it will swallow you up, destroy you, but it is a façade!
You take all of the darkness in the entire world, all of the shadow, all of the night, all of the pitch black in the entire universe, and you throw it in with one ray of light, do you know what happens? Darkness runs! The ray of light destroys the darkness, and there is not anything darkness can do to snuff it out! You think you draw power from the darkness? Well guess what? I am that ray of light! You may be bigger than me, you may bring every bit of intimidation you want, but that little bit of light is all that it takes to frighten off the dark. You think that you can scare me with tombstones or graveyards, with veiled threats of death? Death comes for us all one day, why be afraid of it? When my time comes, I’ll be ready for it because I’ll know that I have nothing to regret, nothing to look back on with sadness… So you want to try to play mind games with me? Go ahead! But you remember…You remember that I can see in the dark, Vengeance.
Teo turns briefly from the camera, collecting himself, the cheap intimidation tactics angered him more than he thought they would, but after a few moments he turns and continues in a calmer voice.
“But if intimidation wasn’t enough, I also have to worry about Vic Venable… Now I’m not the type to judge a man by his past, I believe that we are judged by our mistakes but defined by our actions. So Vic, what kind of a man are you? Are you the kind of guy who would stab his best friend in the back to steal a title? The kind of guy who would have no problem putting a man in the hospital for a dirty look? Vic, I believe in second chances, I believe that no matter what anyone has done that they can always find redemption, can always make a change for the better…. But frankly I don’t know yet whether that’s what you want. I see you try and puff out your chest, stick out your jaw, and think that your criminal record makes you frightening…Well… A certain purse snatcher can tell you exactly how much respect I have for criminals.
Tonight we are going to step into that ring, and I don’t know whether I’m going to be standing across from a reformed man trying to find redemption, or a coward who knows nothing beyond violence…Either way, I will be ready, Vic. You can bring all of the rage, the anger that you’ve built up during your time into that ring and you can throw it against me all you want, you can use all of those dirty tricks that you’ve picked up over the years and you can try to steal this win the only way you’ve known…. Or you can make this the first step, the first night when for once you can go to sleep at night knowing that you can be proud of what you did in that ring, win lose or draw, that you put your heart and soul and you either won by the grit of your character or that you died on your sword like a true warrior! But whatever you decide Vick, I will be ready for it. I’m not going to hold your past against you, but I am not going to hold anything back, either.”
Teo takes a deep breath, the last opponent for the night the one he is dreading talking about the most; while he normally tries to keep his emotions in check, his last opponent for the night makes his blood boil. Vic is interested primarily in serving his own desires, but Henson…Henson is just shy of being a monster. Teo doesn’t even want to acknowledge that he exists, but with the camera rolling, he doesn’t have a choice.
“K.L. Henson, I will keep this brief, and I want you to know that this is just between you and me. I don’t like you, I don’t like the way you act, I don’t like the way you talk, and I don’t like the way you treat your opponents. You have no respect, no mercy, no humanity, and frankly I don’t even think you should be anywhere except behind iron bars… I’ve seen the news reports, heard the rumors, seen the destruction wrought by your hands, the opponents you’ve brutalized!... But it doesn’t matter what I think, it doesn’t matter that you have more blood on your hands than I can even stand to think about, you listen to me right now! When we step into that ring, the rest of the world does not matter, what you have done, what kind of person you are, that’s all left behind, all that matters is what you do. You can leave behind everything, recreate yourself, remold yourself in the cleansing fire of combat… So as long as we are in that ring, you are just another warrior. When we step back out, that’s when real life has to take back over; you keep them separate Henson, you don’t remind me of the atrocities you have wrought, and I won’t be forced to make you pay for them myself!”
Teo, overcome by emotion turns and repeatedly punches the wall behind him, jarring the cameraman. Momentarily breathing heavily… He couldn’t believe that he was being forced to treat such an inhuman person with anything other than contempt, but above all he had to maintain his honor. Just because he was in the ring with the worst of humanity, doesn’t mean that it has to dictate how he react.
”Gentlemen, tonight we have a match, and I want you to consider this a warning. Play fair. Do not try to cheat, do not try to steal, do not try to fight dirty, or I will make you regret it. All three of you can prove to me tonight that you are worthy of being in that ring, that you have honor! I really hope you don’t disappoint me…”
Teo drops the microphone on the ground with an audible thud, and walks off, meanwhile, Hank is telling a story to a gathered crowd about his brave exploit. Despite the anger his promo has brought out in him, Teo gets an honest chuckle out of that.