Post by CJ Phoenix on Mar 25, 2016 5:26:59 GMT -5
March 21st
Denver, Colorado
CJ Phoenix is driving his Hellcat out of Detroit immediately after Slam. He does this in order to save time as the distance from Detroit to Vegas is 2,015 miles. He listens to music on his phone to pass the time. Because it's such a long journey, he decided to stop in Denver for the night. He pulls up to the Caesar's Palace and books a room for the night. Once he gets his room key, he heads to his room and calls his girlfriend.
Kaiyah: Hello?
Phoenix: Hey babe. How's it going?
Kaiyah: Pretty good. Just counting down the days until I'm out of here.
Phoenix: Haha. I feel you.
Kaiyah: How are you?
Phoenix: A little tired. I drove from Detroit to Denver today. Tomorrow, I'll be heading from here to Vegas.
Kaiyah: Damn baby. You doing a lot of driving in that Hellcat.
Phoenix: Sure am. Purrs like a kitten. Runs like a cheetah. I'll let you drive it one day.
Kaiyah: I'll hold you to that.
Phoenix: Ah sweet!
Kaiyah: What?
Phoenix: The match card for Explosion's up!
Kaiyah: Who are you facing?
Phoenix: Let's see.....Andrew Marx.
Kaiyah: Again?
Phoenix: Yeah, but this time it's a one on one match. Plus, it's a Pay-Per-View, so the pressure's even higher.
Kaiyah: You beat him on Slam Sunday. That gives you an advantage, right?
Phoenix: Yes, and no. I have bragging rights over him. However, if he's anything like me, having simple bragging rights from a tag match won't mean a damn thing. He's a smart guy. He'll learn from his loss on Slam. At least he better learn. If not, I'd have to kick his ass post match for letting me kick his ass so easily in the match.
Kaiyah: Sounds like you have high hopes for this guy.
Phoenix: He's a dirty fighting piece of shit, but at least he's honest about it. I respect him as a competitor. I know he has skill. He can develop into something serious. Unfortunately, he could also just turn out to be a draft bust. Plenty of those come through here. I haven't even been here that long, and I've already seen it. New guys come in with a cocky attitude. They think they can just walk onto a team and become a franchise player after one practice. Then, after a few practices in training camp, they disappear into irrelevance before the preseason even starts. The WCF is a place where you can't get comfortable being where you are for too long. If you do, you get rusty. You start slipping up. Next thing you know, you go from top notch to lower mid-tier. At Explosion, We're gonna find out just how much Andy boy wants to survive.
Kaiyah: Be careful babe.
Phoenix: That's the plan. I'm gonna get some sleep so I can finish this trip tomorrow. I'll see you then. Night Kaiyah. Love you.
Kaiyah: Night Chase. Love you too.
The phone call ends.
March 22nd
Between Denver, Colorado and Las Vegas, Nevada
After a full night's sleep, Phoenix wakes up and gets breakfast. Afterwards, he spends a quick hour in the casino because Caesar's Palace people. Let the Phoenix play. Anyways, after winning some cash at Caesar's, Phoenix sets sail for One Piece. Hahaha, just kidding. He sets off for Las Vegas. About a third of the way through the trip, he sets his phone to start recording him.
Phoenix: Annnnnnndyyyyy. I know you can hear me. This Sunday at Explosion, you have the opportunity of a lifetime! You have a chance to make up for the L you took on Slam. I'm sure you'd like that, wouldn't you? You're spending countless seconds, minutes, and even hours replaying that match over and over and over again. You're especially reliving that three count. One...two..three. One...two...three. One...two...three. Those numbers will echo in your head repeatedly, and once that bell rings for the final time at Explosion, those numbers will haunt you. One...two...three. Here is your winner: CJ Phoenix. You're terrified of hearing those words being spoken at the end of the match. There's no need to lecture you about mind games because they've already begun. Whether you want to admit it or not, I have made you desperate for a win at Explosion. You are backed into a corner like a snake. Of course, they say that the most dangerous kind of snake is a cornered one. Too bad for you, I drink snake venom like it's water, and you know what I taste, Andrew? I taste anger. I taste doubt. I taste nervousness. I taste fear. Most of all, I taste realization. Yes, I taste the realization that in the darkest corners of your mind, you're nervous. You're anxious. You're doubting yourself, and it pisses you off that you're so scared. However, it's not CJ Phoenix himself that scares you. No. It's what CJ Phoenix is capable of that keeps you up at night. You don't understand, Andy. I am fear's worst nightmare, and in your nightmares, you're afraid that everything that I'm saying is true. You're afraid that your biggest claim to fame in the WCF is being the silver medal version of CJ Phoenix. Defeating you is the equivalent of beating a watered down version of me. This is not David vs Goliath. Nor is it Packers vs Bears. This isn't even a battle of light and darkness. You are the Philip Rivers to my Tom Brady. You're good. There's no doubt about it. Just not good enough to beat me.
He takes a moment to crack his knuckles before continuing to speak.
Phoenix: You see Andrew, I drove two thousand miles to get from Vegas to Detroit, and I'm driving two thousand more to return. Why is this important? It's important because these trips are a lot like the journeys of most legends and current top competitors here. It's a long trip. Sometimes, the sun is shining in your favor. Sometimes, you have to fight your way through the darkness at night. Sometimes, you have to endure the storms that may try to impede your progress. This is where you see why I will win at Explosion and you will fall. You arrived and made your presence known quickly. You're trying to get your name as well-known as possible as fast as possible. The problem is, you're running the wrong race, kid. You're practicing for a 100 yard dash. Meanwhile, I'm built for a marathon. I thrive off of surviving the challenges thrown at me. I could. Go. All. The. Way. And I will. You can swing at me with everything you have. You can make the pace of this match lightning-fast and take over early. I'm fine with that, because it's only a matter of time before you burn out like an overheated car. Once you do, I'm gonna take over the match and bring Spearfest to Chi-town! Who knows? I might even snag that People's title from Teo Del Sol, and yes Teo, that's me challenging you to a match for your title. That is, if you can hold on to it long enough for me to take it. I respect you Teo, and I truly believe that a title match between you and I would cause us to push each other to our limits. What's funny is that the same can be said about the Marxman. When you step into the ring against me Andrew, I will take you to your limits. I will force you to use up every ounce of your energy. You told me on Twitter that you hoped that I have enough left in the tank for our match at Explosion. The truth is, YOU'RE the one who's running on fumes. The needle has dropped to "E" for you, while I have a full tank. I also have a reserve tank, just in case I do run low on the regular tank. Before I go for now, I have to ask you a question, Andrew. Have you ever watched Survivor? If not, you should, because that is what our match will be like. I will outwit, outplay, and most importantly, outlast you. I want this win more than you do. I need this win more than you do. You may be hungry for a win my friend, but I'm hungrier, and while I feast on the spoils of victory, you can nibble on the scraps of defeat.
Phoenix ended the recording and finished his drive to Vegas.
March 24th
Las Vegas, Nevada
After finally reaching Vegas and catching up on some R&R and taking a quick trip to the hospital yesterday, Phoenix heads to the hospital once more to speak to Kaiyah.
Kaiyah: You look much more refreshed.
Phoenix: Yeah, I feel greater than a dog that can catch its tail.
Kaiyah: Nice. I can't wait until tomorrow to get out of here!
Phoenix: Neither can I. You've come a long way since you showed up in this hospital.
Kaiyah: True. Kinda like how you've come a long way since you joined the WCF.
Phoenix ponders this for a moment.
Phoenix: You know. You're right, but I still have a long way to go.
Kaiyah: You'll get there. Just like you told me when you first came in here to see me. So are you ready for your match Sunday?
Phoenix: Absolutely. I know what Marx is capable of. I just have to be better. Even if it somehow comes down to a photo finish, I'm going to be the one crossing that finish line first. Of course, I still have one more message for him, but I'll get to that when I start heading to Chicago.
(End of part 1)
