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Imperial · (05-05-2017)

“Yaaaggghhhhhh!”

Danny heaved his torso forward, touching the tips of his knees with his elbows. His hair is tied back into a tight ponytail, his forehead bandaged down. A red splotch of blood stains the spot right above his right brow, droplets of sweat staining his off-white t-shirt. Jackson is kneeling in front of him, holding down his ankles tightly with one huge hand and securing a fifty-kilo weight resting on Danny’s abs. Jackson’s eyes seem to flicker from Danny’s head to his chest to his eyes, repeatedly, looking for the tiniest sign of pain.

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Danny grimaces just slightly with ever exhale, groaning as Jackson shouts out his count, signifying the end of his current set. He lowers back, spreading his knees a little more and resting on his back. His taped-up fist rises into the air before coming down hard on the wooden flooring, the thud echoing through the gym.

“Fuck!”

“Time’s up.”

Jackson says monotonously after the thirty-second mark. Danny shifts to some Russian twists, holding the heavy weight with both hands and twisting his torso. The XWF drone beeps as it circles him, getting a full 360 degree shot of the superstar. Strain and effort are both evident on our young Polynesian friend.

“How. Long. More.”

“Just a couple more sets, we’re almost done Danny.”

“I need to pop two more.”

“You just had two!”

“I need them.”

Jackson moves from his spot by Danny’s knees. He flashes a glare at the young superstar, taking the bottle of pills that had been by Danny’s feet. He goes to put them somewhere further away from Danny, but is interrupted by a pleading voice.

“Jackson, please. I have one more day, I just need to get through this.”

“You should still be in that god awful hospital, not here wrecking yourself!”

“I don’t pay you to tell me what to do, I pay you to help me do what I want to do.”

“You can pay someone else to help turn you into a fucking junkie, Daniel.”

Danny leans back for a split moment, before leaning forward and using the momentum to prop himself onto his feet. He stands toe-to-toe with Jackson, panting from the exertion of his body thus far.

“I appreciate the concern, but I need to do this. Hand them over, friend.”

Jackson looks Danny in the eye, cursing under his breath before handing the pills to the younger man. Danny unscrews the cap off the orange-tinted bottle, pouring out two pills into his palm. He gives Jackson a curt nod before popping the pills into his mouth and swallowing them mostly dry. The drone picks up a crunch as he bites down into them and begins to chew.

“It’s difficult. I won’t lie. It’s been awhile since I’ve been in this much pain. From the match with Mystica to the beat down by that filth, my body was broken… Well, it’s still broken. But not quite as much.

You see Bobby, I’m young. Little whipper-snapper, that I am. You can haunt me and attack me, but I will always bounce back up. You can try to turn me away from my destiny, but I will always rise to claim what’s mine. You can try to scare me shitless, but I’ll crawl right back into your head and help you understand true fear. You see Bobby, you probably never paid much interest to me, you probably disregarded my steady climb the ranks until I earned my status as Number One Contender for your championship.

You had to notice me then, and you were afraid. The first real threat to your gold, you needed a way to deter any attempt at taking it away from you. Then you thought it clever to make one Grave error. You were the first member of AX3 to stick his unsightly, piss-sniffling honor-less face in my way. You had to make it clear how you wanted to go about this the second you felt threatened… Good… Very good. I enjoy your distress, I crave your fear and I relish your attempts at false bravado. Baby, I’m going to haunt you, I’m going to humiliate you and I’m going to crush each one of those chummy chum chums you call your friends. When you’re hopeless, broken and destitute… Then I’ll finally take your title and spill some of your blood all over it.”

Danny licks his lips, snarling at the drone as it beeps. He grabs it momentarily, planting a kiss onto it’s lens before letting it go. The drone beeps loudly as it tries to stabilize itself.

“Don’t worry boys and girls, I haven’t forgotten about Saturday. How could I, my precious little TeeVee is on the line. I wouldn’t dare forget that I had the chance to claim two more poor souls on my path to total and utter domination of the XWF.

You’ve all been following me the last few weeks, from my debut at Lethal Lottery to my awe-inspiring defeat of Tidbits to claim what is now my pride and joy. You’ve seen the sweat I’ve poured, the words I’ve spoken and the valor with which I’ve clung to my fated path of victory. I have let the cosmic powers control me, I’ve let destiny be my guide, and oh have I not entertained you?

I’ve been present on your screens and in your hearts every week since my arrival and tell me, tell me you don’t love it. You’ve seen the beauty I’ve crafted in that squared circle and cheered for every stroke of the brush I commit to. You’ve watched as I meticulously and methodically dismantled the tools handed to me weekly and screamed as used them to create a thing of beauty for all of you to enjoy.

Is there any doubt in your minds that this week will be any different? Have I done anything since arriving here that might cause you to risk even blinking when I’m in the ring? Oh… I did lose that one time… Shit. This would be a lot easier if I’d come here with a shining unbeaten record wouldn’t it… Hm. I mean poetically of course, my conquest over my victor last week should be proof enough that the slight… Hiccup, was just that… A hiccup.

Oh, this injury? Yeah, I guess there’s that to isn’t there. Shit. This isn’t turning out quite as smooth as I was hoping it to. I am in an awful lot of pain, these pills help, but I’m not in perfect health. This would be an ideal time for someone to come up and beat me whilst I’m done…

HAH! “

Danny double’s over, giggling uncontrollably and grabbing at his abs.

“Yes, I’m in pain. Yes, I’m not a 100%. But is that really all that pertinent when like I said, I’m dancing with specks of dirt this week? I thought I was done with lower card when I claimed the title. I thought facing and beating one of the all-time greatest XWF superstars, Mystica, would put me amongst men a little more relevant in the industry.

I guess not.

I guess Washington wants to keep things nice and fresh, gimmick up my match by having me face the face of the past and the torch of the future. I thought I was the torch of the future… I’m not necessarily very old… Yeah, I am the burning torch of the future. I proved that much when I won the title. I don’t see why I’m being made to fight another rookie like I was still making a name for myself.

Sure, I understand trying to elevate Cain’s position in the company by pitting him up against a champion but… What’s that doing for my career again? Absolutely nothing. Always a pleasure to know how the management thinks of you, after all I’ve done to prove myself too… Hmph.

You see Cain. You might be big, you might have a plan, you might have nothing to lose and you might have the skills to make allll the kills but at the end of the day, you’re just another muscle-headed rookie. You think you’re the first veteran to step in the ring because he couldn’t find purpose off the battle field, please, your kind are a dime a dozen. You think you’re going to come in and wow me, hmph, I’m bored just talking about you.

I didn’t sign up for the military because my face is too damn pretty and my body is too damn talented in the ring to waste on fighting some imaginary war in a foreign land. I fight my battles for me, I fight my battles to create art. There’s absolutely nothing pretty about that icky thing you call a fight.

Nixon, I’m still confused as to what you’re even doing here. What’s your purpose even, what are you trying to accomplish? So, I get that you’re some weird lizard creep, but what else do you want? So, you lost your title to Caedus, ran off to discover yourself and then came back to reclaim your title? I don’t know if you understand how this business works, but that’s not how it works. When you leave, you’re back down to the bottom of the barrel. What Washington should’ve done was put you and Cain in a fight, and have whoever was still standing at the end of that to face me. Neither of you deserve to share my spotlight, let alone both of you at the same time.

But it’s okay. Like I said previously, I’ve got little time for the both of you. I have a fifteen-minute match but I think I’ll finish it in five. I really need to come back home, get a good massage and let my body rest up you know? I can’t be wasting time tangoing with incompetence for too long, I’m a little afraid it’ll rub off.

I’d hoped for better protection, for my burning trail of progress to be appropriately complimented with opponents and challengers that will do just that… Challenge me. Rather I get a pair of oafs, like the irrelevant joker cards people remove from the deck before playing a game or the little tiny bags of silica people chuck out when they get a new pair of sneakers. Ooh, I like that one. I’m a new pair of sneakers, you’re just the irrelevant silica. Yes, I like that image. You’re good for nothing but keeping the moisture and mould off my pristine coat. I guess I do need to defend my title every Saturday, you two are just a way for me to stay fresh and warmed up for the next real challenger.

So, Jacky, Tommy, please. Look at me. Don’t I look like I need a good nap and a snicker bar. Please don’t waste too much of my time tomorrow. Come at me, together, give me all you got and let me show you why I’m the champion and you’re just placeholders. Remember, five minutes, I’ll make sure Jackson even calls the car over by four and half. Toodles.”

Danny exhales as he finishes his promotional video, giving the drone a wink and returning to his workout routine.

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