Eobard's teammates left the lockeroom without saying a word. They didn't HAVE to. Stone knew how the people in power handled these type of situations. They'd sweep it under the rug, claiming "boys will be boys," all for the sake of earning the school a measly trophy and preventing the offenders from missing out on their "bright futures." There was no point in threatening Eobard when them boys already knew the system was on their side. All Eobard could do was get dressed and try his best to forget. Easier said than done, though.

Eobard refused to ride the bus back, choosing instead to limp his way home. It was a struggle, but Stone's pride depended on the future Game Master picking himself up and coming out of this on top. Someway. Somehow. No matter how much pain he felt, or how hard every step forward was, Eobard knew he had to keep going. It was the only way he could ever get back at them for what they did.

Eventually, Eobard made it home. He entered the door quietly, hoping his parents were already asleep so he wouldn't have to talk to anyone. Unfortunately for him, his dad was still up.

"Son, that was the most pathetic thing I've ever seen!" the former football coach, who'd been fired a few years back for drinking on the job and socking a referee, bellowed.

Eobard sulked his way past his father, heading towards the stairs. "Tell me about it."

"Now don't give ME an attitude!"/blue] Mr. Stone shot back, unaware his son WASN'T talking about the fumble. [blue]"You're the one who put the ball on the ground. It wasn't me, or your mom, or any of your teammates..............it was YOU."

Eobard wanted to snap at his dad, but he didn't have the emotional strength. After everything that'd happened, he just wanted to be left alone. "I'm WELL aware of this," he responded, trudging up the stairs. "But all I can do is move on."

He headed for his room as his dad drunkenly called from behind him, but the younger Stone couldn't make out what he said. It didn't matter, by the time Eobard shut his door, he could already hear the drunken snores of his passed out father.

Things weren't always this bad, at one point his dad was actually cool. As a matter of fact, it was Mr. Stone who'd gotten his son into games in the FIRST place. He was the reason Eobard was named after a comic book character instead of Bruce Campbell (who his mom had the hots for). Mr. Stone used to be no different than his son, until coaching began to take a toll on him. That's when the drinking started. By the time he lost his job, Eobard's father was no less a broken man than his son had become.

Eobard pretended to be sick in order to avoid school and practice for most of the week. He didn't want to face his attackers in the hallways OR on the field. But he knew he'd have to, eventually. There was no way he could sit out the State Championship without drawing suspicion. With that in mind, Eobard mentally prepared himself all week to rejoin the team for the big game.

And what a game it would end up being.

Eobard went to school that Friday wearing his favorite shirt: a grey short-sleeve with a picture of the Reverse-Flash printed on the front. This went against Coach's protocol, which required athletes to wear a suit & tie the day of a game. Stone didn't care. What were they gonna do, kick him off the team?

It was a rough day for Eobard, probably the toughest of his life. From having Coach MacGyver give him hell for not dressing up, to sitting behind Josh Jensen in Chemistry; Stone's mental health was being stretched to the breaking point. But Eobard knew how important today was and he refused to let anyone get the best of him. Not again. NEVER again.

After school, Eobard rode with the rest of the team to the neutral site they were scheduled to play for the Championship at. Nobody sat with him, but that was pretty typical of ANY bus ride to a game. The way Stone saw it, he'd rather sit by himself than share a seat with Josh Jensen or James Huff.

Things looked good for the Jets, as they were playing a Bloomingdale Tigers team they handled pretty easily in the first game of the season. The defeat must've lit a fire under their ass, though, as it would go on to be their only loss of the regular season. And here they were, in the biggest game preparing to dish out the ultimate form of revenge: a Championship loss.

Despite missing practice all week(as well as the ill-timed fumble), Coach MacGyver trusted Eobard to play. But it wasn't pretty. For obvious reasons, Stone not only had trouble running full speed, he could barely run AT ALL. By the time he reached the line of scrimmage, there'd be four Defenders there to stuff him for a loss. It got so bad, that Coach MacGyver eventually pulled him.

"You're not being benched," he explained to his young athlete. "You're being rested."

He was being benched.

Eobard watched as his team went down 14-3 going into halftime, with no sign of them being able to overcome even the smallest of deficits. As Stone headed for the lockeroom, he overheard Coach MacGyver and his offensive coordinator speak their true feelings about his benching.

"Are we gonna put Stone back in?" the coordinator asked with concern. "Jarrius is good, but he's too raw for a big game like this. Jensen isn't getting ANY help out there!"

"Stone's done," Coach MacGyver informed him, shaking his head to convey his disappointment with his own decision. "He picked the wrong game to run like there's a stick up his ass! He can play for us, again, next year."

Eobard couldn't believe his ears. It wasn't HIS fault he could barely run, Coach could thank his star running back for that problem. All Stone wanted was to be the hero he knew he could be. Someone capable of putting the game on their back and carrying the team to a victory. He craved being carried off the field like more talented Rudy, finally having the acceptance of his teammates. The hate from all those days he cheered the rained out recesses, or made his peers feel inadequate by demolishing them at Tic-tac-toe, Scrabble, and whatever else he could get his hands on, gone.

But that was just a pipe dream now. All Eobard Stone could do was look on as his team struggled to stay in a game they already had put away by this point earlier in the season. And there was nothing he could do about it, ironically enough, thanks to the one person who needed him most.

But all was not lost for the Jets, just yet, as Dontavious White was able to return the second half kick-off all the way for a Touchdown, bringing them within four. It was enough to raise the team's spirits a bit, everyone except Eobard, that is. He didn't WANT to sit there, letting the team down, but considering it was the team who let HIM down first, he didn't feel bad for it. As far as he was concerned, they could lose for all he cared. All that hard work and sacrifice, both on AND off the field, only to watch the very people who hurt him celebrate as if everything was normal. Like Eobard was riding the bench because of his OWN doing.

Nevertheless, it looked like Stone might end up with a Championship ring, anyway. The Defense held the Bloomingdale Offense to a Field Goal, which their kicker doinked off the left upright, setting James Huff and company up with good field position. This made it easy for the Offense to drive down and eventually punch it in with Josh Jensen, putting Jefferson up 17-14. It wasn't the blowout they had at the start of the season, but it was enough to be leading the Championship game and, as long as they could hold onto it, that was all they needed.

And that's where things began to take a turn for the worse.

Much like the Jets had just done, Bloomingdale was able to march down the field and score a Touchdown to regain the lead. Jefferson took a knee in the end zone on the ensuing kickoff before handing the ball off to Josh Jensen on 1st Down. Upon gaining 5 yards, Josh stayed on the ground following the tackle, clutching his leg while crying out. It was the first thing to grab Eobard's attention since halftime, causing him to stand up and look on in shock.

The trainer trotted onto the field and checked on Jensen, before looking towards Coach MacGyver and shaking her head. "Dammit!" Coach screamed, tossing his clipboard aside. He stood there for a moment, deep in thought, before calling out for one of his players. "Stone! Eobard Stone!!!"

Eobard couldn't believe his ears. Was Coach MacGyver actually gonna put him back in the game? He knew he wasn't gonna find out hiding in the back, so he put his helmet back on and rushed towards his head coach. "Yes, coach?"

"Jensen's done," MacGyver explained, the shakiness in his voice telling Stone he wasn't quite sure of the decision he was about to make. "The team needs you. I need you. I don't know what was going on in the first half, but I'm gonna need you to power through it and carry us to victory. What do you say?"

Stone watched as they carted Jensen off the field, writhing in agony. He knew if there was ever going to be an opportunity to stick it to those who wrong him, this was it. With that in mind, there was only one answer Eobard could give.

"Yes, sir!"

Eobard Stone joined the huddle, where his Quarterback refused to acknowledge him as he called out the play.

"Flex Right 42 Bubble!" Huff whispered, looking at everyone except Eobard. "Flex Right 42 Bubble! Ready, BREAK!!!!"

Stone rolled his eyes as the Offense broke the huddle and lined up for their 2nd Down play. James snapped the ball and threw a quick screen to his slot receiver, but the Tigers were all over it, dragging him down for a loss. Eobard literally stood there doing nothing, as the ball had already left the QB's hand before he could even block anyone.

Unfortunately for Eobard, the next play wasn't any better. Coach MacGyver called for a pass, leaving Stone in the backfield to protect the man who refused to protect HIM just a week prior. Despite this, Eobard did his best to block the onslaught of rushers charging towards his Quarterback, but the pressure ended up being too much and forced Huff to throw the ball away, leading to a Jefferson Jets punt.

The next drive was gonna determine the game. If the Tigers could move down the field, waste some time, and score another Touchdown, surely the deficit would be too much to overcome. BUT, if the Defense could hold them to 3 points or less, it'd give the Jets one final drive to stay in the game, if not win it.

Things started off well for Bloomingdale, as a pair of 5 yard runs chewed up the clock and gained them a fresh set of downs. A risky 1st Down pass fell incomplete, saving Jefferson some time and prompting the Tigers to go back to the ground the next play....................... only to get stuffed at the line! They let the play clock dwindle down to 1 second before snapping it on 3rd and running a Read Option. QB Steve Frondle messed up the read and wound up with two Defenders in his face, slamming him to the ground with the kind of intensity you'd expect from a team with so much on the line. The Defense hooted and hollered as they ran off the field, knowing they gave their Offense one last chance to win the game. Jets punt returner, DJ Elliott, called for the fair catch, setting his team up with the ball at their own 29 yard line.

Eobard ran onto the field with the rest if the Offense, prepared to do everything in his power to help guide his team to victory. Apparently that meant acting like a human shield. Every play was either a pass that required Stone to hang back as an extra blocker, or a handing the ball to the 3rd string Running Back while Eobard acted as a decoy on the other side. It wasn't pretty, but it worked. The Jets Offense was on the move, albeit a bit slow, but a couple James Huff passes set them up at the opponent's 40 with just under a minute left to play.

Eobard wasn't happy about the way he was being used. It was obvious Coach MacGyver had no intention of giving him the ball, choosing instead to trust a kid who didn't even belong on the Depth Chart while hoping Stone's past performance would leave the Defense on it's toes. Just in case. But Eobard knew he was no better off standing on the field than he was sitting on the bench, as the Bloomingdale Tigers could see right past the ruse. So could Stone.

Even though he was being used as nothing more than a body, Eobard did his job the best he could, but it wasn't easy having a 300+ pound lineman rushing at you full speed. It seemed like every play Stone was on the ground and, the worst part was, the Offense had finally started to stall. 1st Down was a short run to, you guessed it, Jarrius Black; and 2nd Down wound up being an incomplete pass. Coach called another pass for 3rd, which was complete for 9 yards setting up 4th and inches, the perfect situation to give Eobard the ball.

But they didn't.

Instead, a QB Sneak was called, which James Huff just barely converted before calling a timeout with 35 seconds left in the game. It was their final one. From here on, the Jets would have to get out of bounds or risk burning too much time off the clock.

After the short break, both teams marched back onto the field for what would wind up being the final showdown. Either Jefferson was gonna score the game winning Touchdown and walk away with the State Championship, or Bloomingdale was going to stop 'em and claim the Title for themselves. THIS was what it's all about.

Coach called a Slant trick play, with the idea being the receiver who catches the ball could pitch it to one of his teammates as they ran their route................. unfortunately, things didn't go that smoothly. Huff completed the pass to DJ Elliott, who in turn tossed it back to another receiver, only for them to lose control and put the football on the ground. The entire stadium went silent as both teams scrambled to recover the fumble, with Eobard rushing forward and diving on it to keep his team alive! This sent the Jefferson sideline into a frenzy, albeit a short one, as the Offense was forced to hurry to the line and spike the ball, only leaving them enough time for one final shot to the end zone.

Neither Coach MacGyver or James Huff had a specific call for this situation, instead telling their receivers to "get open in the end zone" and leaving it at that. They didn't even bother to tell Eobard to block, giving him one final opportunity to make the play of a lifetime. And you could just tell her was going to.

The Jefferson Offense broke the huddle with a 4 receiver set, as most of the Bloomingdale D headed for the endzone. With the entire season on the line, James Huff hiked the ball and dropped back for the final pass of his high school career. Stone stood beside him for a second, before running out in the open upon seeing only 2 rushers heading in his direction. Huff had all the time in the world, but not a single receiver open.

Except for Eobard.

Seeing his Running Back with no one on him, James Huff made the only play he could and chucked the pigskin to Stone. Eobard caught it and began heading for the endzone, seeing nothing but green grass in front of him. You would've thought the play was drawn up this way, as Stone was on the completely opposite side of anyone else with no one around to stop him.

Everything was in slow motion as Eobard looked to put the game away. As he literally ran his ass off, Stone looked over to his sidelines where the entire team cheered him on like the hero he always wanted to be. He saw Coach MacGyver motioning for him to keep going and the offensive coordinator jumping up and down as if he'd already crossed the goal line.

Then he noticed Josh Jensen sitting on the bench where Eobard had been for most of the game, praying that the man who took his place would earn him a ring. As Eobard continued forward, he looked over his shoulder at James Huff, who was bent over with his eyes fixed on the only man who could win them the game.

With every step he took, Eobard realized the weight of the situation and who he was ACTUALLY winning a Championship for. The pain he'd tried so hard to supress, both physically AND mentally, had returned. The more he thought about giving his attackers a moment to remember for the rest of their lives, the more he realized they didn't deserve it.................. even if HE did.

And that's when Eobard stepped out of bounds.

Coach MacGyer ran for a ref, insisting the ball had crossed the goal line before reaching the sidelines, but it was obvious Stone had been a few feet short. And it was ALSO obvious to everyone in attendance he did it on purpose.

The Bloomingdale sideline exploded into celebration, with a variety of players coming over and thanking Eobard. He didn't acknowledge them, choosing instead to head right over to Coach MacGyver and shove the game ball into his chest.

"I quit," Stone declared, taking off his helmet and abandoning it on the field.

He didn't give Coach time to respond, as he trotted towards the tunnel to make a quick exit; but not before blowing a tear filled Jensen a kiss. As he left, the Jefferson fans pelted him with garbage, but Eobard didn't care. They didn't know his reasons for doing what he did, and they never would. He didn't have to justify anything to them, if anything, that was Josh Jensen's job.

Stone knew the rest of high school would be rough, but luckily he only had a year and a half to go. And while it would go down as the toughest time period in his life, he knew it would get better eventually. Which it did. You see, guys like Huff & Jensen reach their peak in high school, whereas people like Eobard hit it once they've graduated. Going to school for business management, opening his own game shop, and eventually aligning with Avalanche; EVERYTHING Eobard Stone did later in his life was a million times better than his teammates' loss in the State Championship. It really never would get better for Jensen and the like, which meant alot more to Eobard than any trophy or Championship ring.

All he needed was his vengeance.


"You know what Mr. Cooper and I have that none of these other teams do? The element of surprise. Unless you were a tape trader in the early 90's, or happened to catch a glimpse of one of my training sessions with The Trooper, you would have NO idea what either of us are capable of! And apparently that doesn't apply to any of our opponents, as most of them can't seem to come up with anything better than 'we don't know anything about Stone & Cooper,' IF that! Well guess what? I don't know much about the Disintigrators, either, but I'm smart enough to do my research. They obviously didn't graduate high school, or else they'd know there's an E in the word disintegrate. Maybe it's an 80's thing, I don't know, but the fact they can't even enunciate E-o-bard tells me they're just not that good with grammar."

"See how easy that was? These guys haven't wrestled since Reagan was in office, yet I could still compile a competent, and relevant, string of words to sum up who the Disintigrators are and what they're all about."

"It's too bad the Television Champion couldn't do that. What do you expect, though? It's not like Charlie's holding that belt, anymore. Such a shame he had to stretch himself thin at March Madness, or else he'd still BE Champion. Can't say I blame him for wanting to be King, but did he REALLY have to leave Saturday nights in Marf's hands?!? I mean, just listen to that name. Marf. It just sounds like someone who won their belt because their opponent wasn't at 100%. A win's a win, I suppose. Guess it's no different than me winning a board game because my opponent forgot to take one of their actions before passing the turn. At least I can acknowledge it, though. Marf's out here acting like he won the Title in a 60 Minute Iron Man match when, in actuality, he had it handed to him by someone who had other priorities. Shouldn't be surprised, afterall, the Left Hand has been nothing more than an overhyped, flat, tasteless mess. Just like New Coke. I only curse Charlie for ever allowing one of those fuckwads to get their name in the history books........... Lord knows how hard everyone else worked to try and PREVENT that from happening."

"Truth is, the only good to come out of the Left Hand is Lycana, and THAT'S only because of the eye candy. Who doesn't like watching that blue hair flow with every move she makes, or punch she takes? And while she's usually TAKING more punches than she's throwing, it doesn't make her any less attractive. Unfortunately for her, good looks only get you so far. This isn't Wheel of Fortune, or a Miss America pageant, this is WAR; and the only thing being pretty's gonna get you in a war is fucked! Believe me, you don't wanna be on the receiving end of THAT...........................then again, maybe Lycana does. I'm sure Marf doesn't give her enough, if any AT ALL. Maybe when she howls, it's NOT her werewolf instincts, but rather her crying out for dick! I know what a bitch in heat looks like, I used to have a dog!"

"While I'm on the subject of dogs, how 'bout all that barkin' Terry Borden did? I've never heard someone talk so much and say so little. And where's his partner? Did I hurt his feelings with all the dick jokes? God, and I thought MY generation was oversensitive; maybe Fatwood should remove the giant tampon from his Fatpussy and nut the fuck up. If he can't even show up for a promo, there's no WAY he can be trusted to show up for a match. But I don't think Terry Borden would mind that, based on the size of his ego, I can only assume he thinks he can do the job HIMSELF. People like that get put in their place, eventually, and Terry's is comin' Wednesday night................... whether Mickey's with him or not!"

"'That's not me! That's not me!'"

"It feels like only yesterday we were fooling the masses. 'There is no Nefarious One.' 'I am NOT associated with Steven Cooper.' I bet Edgar remembers it well. Thinking Ned was on his side, ignorant to the fact we were just hiding in the shows waiting to strike! And boy did we strike! We have the Hart Champion, the Internet Champion, and the soon-to-be TAG TEAM Champions!"

"But it all started with RL."

"He was the ultimate pawn in the Nefarious One's scheme, easily expendable once the time called for it. Edgar stole Ned's belt, it was only fair Ned stole his pride. Talk about being at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Had Edgar not gotten in the Nefarious One's way, there may have been a spot in Avalanche for him. But thank God he did, otherwise we may have let a fucking idiot in the group. And that's the last thing we need."

"Which is the exact reason we haven't extended an offer to Charlie Nickles; that guy's a few lost brain cells away from being legally dead! Explains why he'd team with Edgar, I guess. To Charlie's credit, at least HE was suspicious of Ned the entire time. I suppose it doesn't take a genius to figure out that was actually Ned on the X-Tron. Not like he didn't pull that trick on Chris Chaos or anything. If Edgar is smart, he'll let Demos do all the thinking for the team. And maybe all the speaking and fighting, too. As a matter of fact, he's probably better off going into hiding like Mick Tinydick and letting his partner do ALL the work for him. I don't know who's the worst Champion in XWF history: RL Edgar or Marf. We know it isn't Charlie, he reminds us of it everytime he's on-screen!"

"It's like how the T.H.U.G.S. are always reminding us how much they suck. I always assumed their lack of talent was limited to the English language and in-ring ability, but apparently they can't rap, either! For real, did anybody catch a WORD they were saying?! I heard mine and Mr. Cooper's names, but that was about it!!! That music video, if you can call it that, was SO bad I don't even think Carson Daly would play it, and he'd do just about ANYTHING to get back on TV! Apparently John Black and Tommy Wish would, too, or else they would've kept that one locked away deep in a vault."

"Honestly, this entire match feels like a horribly designed game. We've got a random mess of characters, from thugs & werewolves to 80's hair metal & crazies. The concept itself is flawed, as there isn't an equal balance for all teams; with whoever enters last having a WAY bigger advantage than those who enter before them. That being said, I've got no excuses. I've won games with the deck stacked against me, and lost ones that seemed well within my reach. Whatever the case may be Wednesday night, whether we enter the match first, second, third, and so on.................... Mr. Cooper and I WILL be the last ones walking away. And, at the end of the day, that's really all that matters."