The sand slowly consumes my feet, finding its way between my toes as the morning sun peaks over the horizon. As I wiggle them against the coarse specks a tide rolls its way in, cleansing both my feet and mind. I feel the mist stick to my face before trickling down my cheeks.
My son waddles his way towards me, stopping at my legs before leaning down and smacking the water, splashing it all over my pant leg. He looks up at me, a wide smile plastered from cheek to cheek. I can't help but think back over the year since he was left on my doorstep, my greatest successes have all followed him into my life.

“Dada”

I look at him as he grips tightly to my leg, his eyes focused on something behind us. A deep sigh leaves me, as I turn my attention to match his. A group of four men in swanky suits slowly march their way to me, but my eyes sit upon the older gentleman in the middle as he calls out.

“Mr. Rodriguez. We’ve been looking for you. You are not an easy man to track down.”
“You must be terrible at hide and seek.”

I push Bash further behind my leg, trying to hide him away.

“Ah, that must be your son. Hello, child. Are you enjoying the beach?”

Bash remains silent as I feel his hands squeeze into the back of my knee. As I take a step forward, I notice the biggest of the 4 men step in front of the geezer.

“There’s no need to be so on guard, Mr. Rodriguez. I’m simply here to offer a truce.”
“I'm in no war.”
“Oh, but you are, my boy. See we know you’ve been wandering about on our island for a while now.”
“I brought my son here for a peaceful vacation.”
“What you came here for and what you’ve done could not be further from each other, my friend. You see, your week here has left a trail of violence and brutality, leaving my men near-death or crippled.”
“They started this, and refused to stop. I only defended myself and my son.”

The man gently motions aside his oversized gorilla of a bodyguard, before making his way towards me. Slow, sauntering steps that don't even leave a print in the sand.

“Now at first I was very angry to hear somebody was dispatching my men. You made my organization, and thus myself, look weak. I wanted you dead.”

The man stands inches away from me, and despite having to look down to meet his eyes, the power dynamic is shifted in his favor. The moment fills the air with a palpable suspense, before he finally continues.

“Then I realized, ‘Why kill him, when he could join me?”
“I’m not doing that.”
“Oh but I think you will”

My attention turns to the big man as he steps forward and removes his jacket and shirt, his back fully inked with the image of a mauling tiger.

“Just because you brought some roided out fuckball, does not chang-“

I’m taken off guard as the man’s fist stabs into my stomach doubling me over.

“Mr. Rodriguez, you are one man. We are many.”

My back screams in agony as I get driven flat below with a heavy elbow. I scramble in the sand, when I notice the man trying for a running knee. As I dive out the way I manage to splash up some sand into my attacker’s eyes. We both find our way onto our feet, and a knife appears in his hand.

“Now we are offering you a chance to work with us. Make good money, many women, power even. The choice should be obvious. A man of your abilities is being wasted away without proper guidance.”

The leader’s words sit in my brain as I stand face to face with his brute. The tension lingers, bubbling with anticipation the man launches at me, slashing at me. I grab his arm and flip him over my shoulder before smashing my fist into his face over and over again. My knuckles make squishing noises that grow more wet with each impact, leaving the man an unidentifiable mess, void of life.

“This is what will happen if you keep coming after me. More men to bury.”
“You are right, but you’re not seeing the bigger picture, Mr. Rodriguez. My men will keep coming after you, and one by one you will defeat them… until you don’t. There comes a day when even a great stallion will longer run, just as there will eventually be a day you lose. One day you will die and your son will be all alone.”

I look behind me to see my son playing in the sand, the violence of my life having desensitized him. I look down at the man beneath my feet, his blood dripping from my hand and back to where his face once sat.

“Or I kill you now and there's nobody to call the shots.”
“If it is that easy, go ahead and do it, Mr. Rodriguez.”

I dart at the man, wildly swinging for his jaw, but he simply steps out of the way. I kick out towards him, but a quick backstep gives him the opportunity to deliver a chop to my throat. I fall to my knees, gasping for air, as he hovers over me. I reach out and grab his shirt collar bringing him close for a headbutt, only for him to outpace me and smash his forehead into my nose, dropping me back to the ground.

“I know that deep down you know everything I’ve said to be true. I am offering you a chance at life, a good life. Better than any life you’ve lived before.”

My gaze hangs on this mysterious man, as he squats down to meet me eye to eye.

“So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?”

I snort, pulling the mixture or mucus and fresh blood from my busted nose into my throat. A small cough escapes me, before I spit the glob into his face. I watch as he slowly wipes his face clean, and studies the mess in his hand.

“Eat shit motherfuc-“

BANG! CRACK! SMASH THUD! BOP! BANG! THWACK!

His fists bounce off of my face repeatedly, each strike rattles my teeth and blurs my vision more and more. A ringing in my ears is all the sound I can make out as I lay bleeding. His knees pop as he squats down, the only sign of pain I’ve seen on him.

“What you fail to realize is that having you killed was never an issue. Never a challenge. I JUST DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE TO GUT YOU IN FRONT OF YOUR OWN SON, BEFORE CHOPPING HIM INTO PIECES!”

My eyes meet his, and I watch his face turn from rage to calm in an uncannily quick.

“I highly advise you to reconsider everything I’ve told you. Nothing was a lie.”

A long line of blood falls from my mouth, as I nod my head slowly.

“Alright, what do you want from me?”

His face slowly contorts, his aged features twisting into a smile one could only describe as devilish. He stands up and starts to walk off, his other 2 goons grabbing the dead and dragging it behind them.

“You’ll soon find out. It was nice doing business with you.”

My son waddles his way over to me, laughing, thinking this was all just a game. I watch as he touches my face, getting blood on his tiny, innocent hands.
——

The Next Day


“Thanks for flying out”

My father’s arms reach around me for a hug, it all still feels awkward.

“Anytime, mijo. After all, how could I pass up time with my grandson?”

My dad goes to lift up Bash, but the kid seems defensive at first.

“Oye, come to grandpa, bubba.”

He lifts him up onto his shoulders, I've never seen the man smile before, and honestly it seems unnatural.

“What’s going on, Charlito?”
“Just some things came up, and I need somebody to take Bash home while I deal with it.”

My dad nods a bit.

“Yakuza.”
His face is stern, while I try to hide the shock in my voice.
“How did yo-“
“Same thing happened when I first wrestled in Japan.”
“I’ve been here before though. I’m sure they’ve seen our matches.”
“Oh, they didn't want me for my matches. I tried that sucky st-“
“I don’t need to hear about your massage parlor escapades.”
“No that rice tequila they got.”
“I think you mean sake”
“Sure, who cares. All that matters is it got me real fucked up”

He lets out a hearty laugh as he reminisces fondly.

“One minute I got this little thing on my lap and the glass to my lips, and the next, I’m smashing some yakuzas into a phone booth. Tried to walk it off, but the next day they kept coming.”
“How’d you get them to stop coming after you?”
“They wanted my employment.”
“So you worked for the Yakuza?”
“Hell no, I fucked the boss’ wife in his bed and caught the first plane back to Mexico.”

He doubles over in laughter, his hearty chortles sends Bash into his own wave of shrieking laughter.

“Great story, dad.”
“Wait til you get back, I've got plenty more. Which reminds me, my son, when will you be back?”
“After Wargames.”
“Nervous?”
“I’ve done this kinda shit before, but never in XWF. In fact, I haven’t stepped foot in an XWF ring in my entire life. There’s a different breed here than anywhere I’ve been before.”
“Oye, not to mention your hermanos.”
“Trust me, that’s also been playing in my head. Got BoB on different teams, all against another. These guys have been doing this to the point I dont think there’s a team out there that knows each other better than them.”
“Aye, but you’re a new addition. You don’t know them.”
“Yeah and they don’t fucking know me. Goes both ways. These days, they’re all out being ‘bros’, but at wargames, I’m reminding them of what it means to be a bastard.”

My dad gives me a grin, before patting my shoulder.

“Spoken like a true Rodriguez. I love you, mijo. Go handle your business, now.”
“Thanks, I’ll see you two soon.”

I make my way through the white corridor and into the sea of people entering and exiting the airport. As the crowd swallows me, I hear my son's laughter ringing out before fading out and turning into footsteps. It’s been awhile since I’ve been on my own like this, yet my nerves keep me from truly enjoying it.

“Excuse me.”

I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn towards them and notice it's a father and his small child, maybe a year or two Bash’s senior. The boy smiles wide, while the dad seems almost embarrassed.

“You are Crash, yes? I’m sorry to bother you, but my son is a big fan.”

I notice the starry-eyed child grinning at me, I feel a small smile form on my face but inside there’s this bittersweetness to it all. Not even 5 minutes has passed and my thoughts already roam their way to my son. I miss him already.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you guys. Excited for War Games?”
“Oh very, we are excited to see such competition between such highly skilled athletes.”

I’m starting to think his son being a fan was a cover.

“Yeah, our team is definitely something to behold.”
“With all due respect, so are the other teams. Can’t wait to see how you fare.”

I feel my brow furrow as my jaw clinches.

“Yeah sure, like I wanna hear your two cents anymore than I wanna share a ring with that geriatric fuck. How does somebody stick around for 20 years and never get the big one? It’s about time the man looks himself in the mirror and realizes it’s time to hang up the boots.”
“Mr. Rodriguez, I did not mean to offe-“
“Nah, you wanted to talk about my opponents, so let's talk about them. Where do we start? Grey? Can't stop a second to think of anybody other than themselves, you really expect that to play out well in a team setting? Or maybe Omega. I’ve never met somebody so disliked they had to team with themselves. I’ve met truly horrid people too. Murderers, kidnappers, thieves, the list goes on, so that begs the question, is Jay simply disliked, because from where I’m standing, it looks like everybody else was wise enough to see him for what he is. Dead weight.”
“Please, Mr Rodri-“
“Oh, eat shit. You’re trying to compare me, King, Kaye, and Flynn to fucking Vagabond. A man deemed too unfit to lead a team of fucking losers, so you expect anybody to take him serious at this point? The only person I’ve met more pitiful than my opponents is you and that stupid ass kid.”

I watch as the kid’s heart breaks and begins crying. Shock has overwhelmed any feeling of rage from the father, as he tries to comfort the boy as they rush off. They deserve what they got, fuck that kid and his shit-take father. I step towards the exit, squeezing my way through the ocean of fliers, when I feel my phone ring.

“Hello?”
“Hey, Crash?”
“Yeah, Who’s this?”
“It’s Ned. I was calling to see if you were on the way?”

Fuck, I forgot about the sushi bar.

“Fuck, I almost forgot about the sushi bar, yeah I’m on my way right now.”
“See ya soon, Buddy!”

With a click the call is over and i slide my phone back into my pocket. I step onto a crosswalk when a black car pulls up next to me and slamming on their brakes. The window rolls down and the driver holds out a small flip phone.

“What’s this?”

As soon as the phone leaves his possession, he takes off at high speed down the road and out of view. I stare at the phone when it begins to ring. I stare at the phone, perhaps it would be best to just toss the damn thing, but instead I flip it open.

“Hello?”
“Mr. Rodriguez, I’ll need your assistance first thing in the morning. Meet me where we met.”

And with that he hangs up, leaving me no chance to argue. I shake my head as I head towards my wargames compatriots.