Post by XYZ on Sept 16, 2021 21:14:13 GMT -5
Cast
Xander Young Zaber (The Talent)
Amaya Torres (Girlfriend, sort of...)
Izabelle Lawrence (Executive Producer)
Xander Young Zaber took in the sights of Madison Square Garden, the arena mostly empty, save for a few workers that were doing some due-diligence work in preparation of the next event. Amaya Torres kept her arm interlocked with his as the two took in the sights.
“How many times do you think we’ve been to a place like this?”
“Too many times to recollect.”
“And how many of those times have you been front-and-center?”
“This would be a first…”
Amaya could sense his tenseness as she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, returning some color to his face. XYZ smiled sheepishly as the pair continued their walkthrough.
“Still not entirely sure how this all happened, but I’m not complaining either.”
“Maybe Izabella had something to do with it?”
Speaking of the devil, Xander’s phone began to blow up as he looked down to see the familiar face of his manager over his screen. He answered, placing the phone on speaker so Amaya could hear as well.
“How’s my favorite client doing today?”
“Izzie, I’m your ONLY client.”
“And that’s why I love you.”
Amaya glowered at the response but, deep-down, knew that Xander’s manager was no real threat to their relationship. The two were completely capable of fucking things up on their own. It was typically just a matter of “when” and “how” with these star-crossed lovers.
“Just pulling into the arena now, are you already here?”
“Of course; Amaya and I wanted to scout out the place a bit beforehand.”
“Oh… Amaya’s there?”
“And on speaker!”
“Hi Amaya, sorry, I didn’t realize that Xander was bringing a ‘plus one’. I would’ve gotten you an extra pass.”
“It’s cool Izzie; turns out the security guard was a big fan of ‘Dream to be Xtreme’.”
“Well that’s good; I should be up in your reserved skybox in a few, are we able to talk then?”
“That sounds ominous, but yeah – sure – we can meet you up there in a bit.”
“Okay, see you soon!”
Izabella didn’t wait for them to give her any farewell as she hung up, leaving the two alone once more. They walked for a bit longer before finally setting on a nice overlooking view of where the ring would be set up for Remembrance.
“Are you nervous at all?”
“Honestly, not really. I feel like – all of a sudden – the glass ceiling that hung over my head has completely disappeared and, from here-on-out, the sky is the limit.”
“Just don’t go flying too close to the sun there, sweetie.”
Xander forced a laugh as Amaya gave him another quick peck on the cheek, before holding her hand within her own.
“I feel like the stars are finally aligning for us this time.”
“It’s true, I feel that too. Ever since you came back into my life again, everything has just sort of been falling into place. I’m glad that you’re here with me, by my side. It means a lot.”
“No matter what seems to happen in our lives, we always find our way back to each other. This time though, it feels different – like something has changed.”
“Because something has changed ‘M’; we’ve changed. We’re not those same young, stupid kids anymore. We’re more mature now. We know what we want out of life. And who we want to be by our side.”
Amaya was beaming at his words of affirmation as Xander simply smiled back, wrapped his arm around and her, and continued upward to their designated VIP suite. Upon arrival, Izabella Lawrence was already waiting for them, going over some specific instructions for the staff that would be catering to Xander’s entourage on September 21st. Once she dismissed them, she approached the couple as Amaya excused herself from the conversation, stating that she needed to get some air.
“I don’t think she likes me very much.”
“Who? Amaya!? She doesn’t like very many people, I wouldn’t be offended.”
“Sorry about the mix-up with the ID badges…”
“Stop apologizing Izzie, it was fine. In case you haven’t noticed, I know how to talk my way into places like this. So what’s up? Why the sudden urgency to meet?”
Izabella motioned for Xander to accompany her over closer to the window of the skybox as she wanted to keep the conversation as private as possible.
“First off, Xander; this opportunity that you have coming up at Remembrance is big. I mean, like – really big. Bigger than we could’ve possibly dreamed of! For a chance like this to just fall into your lap like that, this almost always never happens. I mean, the World Title…”
“I sort of figured my hard work would pay off, just didn’t think it would happen like this; especially after I had just gotten my 45-day notice. Assumed the writing was on the wall and that this was all just going to end up as another one of my crazy schemes that never, really, quite got off the ground.”
“I know you’ve been going the extra mile lately, doing all the things that have been asked of you. Despite having the odds stacked against you, you still found a way to take control of your own destiny. You did this Xander; you made this happen, I just want you to remember that.”
Xander took pride in her words, realized that maybe he had finally figured out the secret ingredient to wrestling after all. He had done all that had been asked of him and it hadn’t really gotten him anywhere. He was not a patient person and when he began to go “off script”, do things the way that he knew how to do them, that’s when people began to suddenly take notice.
“That being said, I have something I need to tell you and I have a feeling you’re not going to like it.”
“What? Did Sierra Silver change her mind? Is she back in the Main Event!?”
“No, Sierra’s a ghost in the wind. No one has seen or heard from her in quite some time. We tried reaching out for a statement, even hoped we could get her on ‘X-Factor’ so she could tell her side of the story.”
“Okay… I mean, I hope she’s okay and all. But if it’s not that, then what could possibly be so bad…”
“He wants you to take a dive, Xander.”
Xander let the words hit him in the gut as he practically keeled over from the blow.
“No…”
“Apparently this is a big money match…”
“No…!”
“He doesn’t like that you’ve deviated from the plan…”
“NO!!!”
The outburst drew the attention of the crew working the skybox as they quickly dispersed from sight, like mice fleeing from a hungry cat. Izabella bit her lip as the rage consumed Xander.
“He can’t ask this of me; not THIS.”
“He needs assurances, Xander. He worries that you’ve getting sucked into this world, that you’re prioritizing titles over your true purpose.”
“Winning this match would be the ultimate win, for both of us! For me to come into Revo1, having very little-to-no actual experience inside a wrestling ring, and become the Sin World Champion in under half-a-year, how does he not see that as a good thing? It proves what I’ve been saying all along. That wrestling is just an entertainment construct for the fans to buy into. In any other type of competitive sport, you’d never see a sudden rise to the top like mine. You’d never see me go from the bottom of the card, to barely getting any matches, to now suddenly getting a shot at the World Championship. And for what? Because Jin and I have a bit of unfinished business? They have a roster full of Superstars on Sin, any one of them could’ve been chosen to represent that brand and to face off against him. So why me? Because I’m the hottest ticket in town right now! While everyone else was out there, paying their dues, waiting for their chance to come, I took that fucking brass ring and ran with it. And now with me right here, on the edge of the finish line, I’m supposed to just pull-up and LET Jin beat me!?”
“I know this is a tough pill to swallow, Xander. But you need to look at this with clarity. We wouldn’t even be in this position if it wasn’t for our benefactor in the first place. He paid all your dues, connected you to the best trainers and facilities that money could buy – money that we didn’t have after ‘X Marks the Spot’ blew up in our faces.”
“I’m not lying down, we are this close…”
“He’s going to be here, you know. He’s going to be watching. If you don’t do what he asks; you don’t know what he’s capable of…”
Xander turned and looked out the window once more, envisioning the arena to full capacity, the fans actually cheering as he beat Jin in the middle of the ring to become the new Sin World Champion.
“I know this is a lot to process, just promise me you’ll think about it, okay?”
Xander begrudgingly nodded his head as his manager left him to his thoughts. Out of impulse, he pulled out his phone and went to the “Xclusive” app he was looking for. Hitting the button, Xander stared into the screen as he began live streaming to his thousands of his followers and to the millions that subscribed to the Revo1 Network.
“What up world, it’s your boy ‘XYZ’ here with another ‘Xclusive’. As you can see, I’m already on location in Madison Square Garden where, in just a few days, I’ll be facing Jin Min-Jun for the Sin World Championship!”
Xander turned the phone to show everyone his view of the arena before turning it back onto himself.
“I’ve been to this venue many times in my youth, but never as the main attraction. I’d like to say that I’m honored and humbled by this, but ya’ll know me… this was only a matter of time until those suits at Revo1 realized what they had and put me right where I should’ve been all along; the main event!”
Xander smiled and winked at the camera as he continued.
“Now I don’t know why Sierra Silver did what she did. She was someone with whom I had a few run-ins over the course of my young career here, but I’d like to think that she and I were ‘friends’. Still, in an industry full of backstabbers and two-timers, they always warn you about getting too close with your fellow competitors. Her departure isn’t so much a betrayal as it is a shock, as I’m sure the rest of the Revo1 community can attest to. When that match between her and Jin Min-Jun was made for Remembrance, I – like all of you – couldn’t wait to see what would happen. For the first time in my life, I’d like to think that I was actually a ‘fan’. Of course I’d be rooting for my girl, but it already felt like – regardless of the outcome – this was going to be one of those historical matches that would live on for years to come. To lose Sierra this way – a key component in this equation, I don’t think anyone can replace that…”
Xander lowered his head, but his eyes remained focused on the camera.
“But you better believe I’m going to be doing my damndest. See, if there’s anything I know how to do, it’s entertain. To be put on a card where the main attraction is the Remembrance Battle Royal, as well as two World Title defenses, it doesn’t get much bigger than that. The stakes have never been any higher for yours truly, but if there’s anything that I’ve proven as of late, it’s that I always rise to the occasion.”
Xander lifted his head and cracked it slightly, mentally preparing himself for the fight of his life.
“Jin, you and I have some unfinished business. I made you tap, regardless if the referee saw it or not. In my mind, that means I beat you. But in yours, and on the official record books, you came away with the victory after you tried to kick my head off. I know that when people look at me, they don’t see much. They don’t see me as a death-defying high flyer like Sara Cross; or a dangerous brawler such as Jessie Lee; a masterful technician as the Legacy Heavyweight Champion, Khaos; or even a brutal striker such as yourself. No, people – like you – look at me and immediately dismiss me. Just another ‘entitled rich kid, living out some sort of adrenaline-junkie fantasy’. Now, you’d not be completely wrong in that assumption. My family does have quite the wealth, but I don’t leech off of them as if I’m some sort of parasite. I’ve used their money – their influence – to pave my own way in this world. And as the old adage goes, when one door opens, another closes. See, I’ve never been afraid to fail, Jin; because to fail means that I, at least, actually tried. That’s the difference between Sierra and I. For her to not simply meet you face-to-face means that, somewhere in her mental thought process, she believed that she might lose. And rather than risk failure, she opted out; she didn’t even try. I’ve stood toe-to-toe with you Jin, you don’t scare me, not even a little bit. You may beat me, you may kick my head clean off my shoulders, but it won’t be for a lack of effort on my part. I’ll give you the fight of your life; I’ll make you EARN that World Championship.”
Xander scratched at his chin as he began envisioning the match in his head.
“Or maybe… I do the impossible. Maybe, I beat you… and I become the new Sin World Champion. What then, Jin? Where do you go from there? Do you run back into the arms of your ‘sheila’? Do you cry on her shoulder as she coddles you like an infant, patting your head and telling you that it’ll all be ‘okay’?”
A strange chill runs down Xander’s spine as the visual of that thought enters his brain.
“I must say though, this world of wrestling never ceases to amaze me – especially the part about how quickly things can change at the drop of a hat. You really, truly, must be ready for anything in this business. I’m sure from a mental standpoint, you were busy readying yourself for Sierra and now – all of a sudden – here I come, taking her place. So how do you adapt, Jin? Do you wipe the slate clean and start again? Do you simply look at me, realize that you’ve ‘beaten’ me once before, and phone it in? You once accused me of not taking you seriously, but I feel as if the reverse can be said about our situation. I’ve never once looked down on you or ‘taken you lightly’. I promised you a clean bout in our first match out of respect for all that you’ve accomplished in your short time here, and we all saw how that ended. This time will NOT be like the last. My man CJ will be there to ensure that none of your friends intervene. This time, you will need to beat me on your own. You’re not the underdog anymore Jin, I am. This story has shifted on its axis and now, all of a sudden, I’m the hero and you are the villain. Because you resort to doing whatever it takes to win. Now I can respect that, I’m very similar in that way, but at least I don’t pretend to be something that I’m not. I show the fans exactly who I am, day-in and day-out. They can love me or they can hate me for it, but I never pull the wool over their eyes and instruct them to see what I want them to see, like some sort of Jin-infused filter. You so desperately want people to look at you and ‘feel’ for you, ‘sympathize’ with you. Like some poor little slum kid, fighting for his next meal. I’ve seen Aladdin, Jin… and you are no ‘street rat’. Then again, Jessie being the ‘genie’ in this equation would make a lot of sense, though I shudder to think where – exactly - it is that you keep that lamp of hers.”
Xander laughed at his own joke before continuing.
“This has been the opportunity I’ve been waiting for Jin. You earned yours by winning the Glory tournament; no one can take that away from you. And though I’m sure there are plenty out there that disagree with management’s decision to use me as a placeholder for Sierra, I got to this point by being patient, precise, and practical. I picked my shots carefully, maneuvered myself to be in the ‘right place at the right time’. You want to know just what I am, Jin? I am exactly as I claim to be, I am the ‘Savant of Submission’. At Remembrance, I’m going to do to you exactly what I did a few weeks ago. I’m going to bend you in ways you didn’t know were humanly possible. I’m going to rip at each and every one of your limbs, listening for that satisfying crunch of your cartilage tearing or that delightful crack of your bones breaking. Remembrance seems to be a fitting name, don’t you think? Because you will always ‘remember’ the day that XYZ strolled into Madison Square Garden, seemingly without a wing and a prayer, and defeated you for the Sin World Championship!”