[Foreword] Three tokens make me what I am... Three pieces of the human mind puzzle... They are Dignity, Pride, and Ambition...
While dignity and pride are essential, today, you will dwell into the depths of the most beneficial, and that’s...Ambition.
Every living creature in existence has a desire to achieve something great.
Take a common animal for instance, such as a bear. A bear's ultimate goal in life is to out-do his brethren and catch the biggest fish, or stockpile the largest storage of hibernation food.
Or perhaps it could even be a tree, which works on the whim and desire of being the biggest in the land.
Are we as mankind really that different? Do we not also have the same goals etched into our thought processes? Don't we too hold high value to being the biggest... the best... the most important and influential?
I know that all of the above cry out and I fully intend to accept them with open arms.
[Prologue] Tonight… Tonight just wasn’t my night. It was a tragedy really. A full-fledged, heart tearing tragedy. Ritchie Danko, a Chaos Heat Zone alumni, sacked my reign as the United States champion. And then… In the thick of it all, I suffered a crank in my neck due to the involvement of a meddlesome bastard by the name of Jaxon Green.
You see, Jaxon hasn’t learned the simplistic rules of thumb. When you aim to hit your target, make sure he’s safely secured. In a moronic move that I can promise won’t go unpunished, Jaxon forcefully drove that giant boot of his into my face, then somehow managed to lose focus and get knocked out of the ring by the new United States champion.
Can’t blame Danko… He’s a real opportunist and I would have done the same thing. Hats off in congratulations to him.
But, the way I see it, this event has opened up a very small window of opportunity. Very small, but still yet it’s there. You see, somehow, I think these events somehow intertwine together. It’s as if it all comes full circle in the end.
Jaxon Green interferes, knocks my damn near off my shoulders… Ritchie Danko takes advantage and captures my United States title. The impact of the battle and kick from Jaxon puts me out of action for a week.
You’re probably wondering… ‘What’s he getting at?’ Look into the great scheme of things. On the twenty-first of this month, I walk into battle with Derceto… With a week off, that gives me the time I need to rest… Think up a solid game plan, and think of ways to celebrate once I’ve brought the title home.
He’s confident… I’m confident… But it’s apparent that only one of us can leave on the 21st with the that belt… Destiny has already been chiseled into the stone works… The RWN title is coming back to the Chaos Heat Zone… but in the hands of the man that stands before you today… Josh Sutton.
[Scene] Green curtains can be seen wavering... They add vanity to the balcony doors which are drawn in to let the cool night air into the musty hotel room that you currently occupy. Traffic and various other forms of noise pollution can be heard. You venture out onto the balcony. You soon realize that the breeze was only a decoy to lure you out into the humid night. You feel a great sense of serenity being out here, even through the heat. You look over to your left, noticing Josh Sutton. He too seems to be enjoying this feeling. You notice the dragon headed cane once again present with him. All the more curious… He hangs against the side of the building loosely, wearing a very modest expression. An ice pack is skillfully patched to the back of his neck, consequences of the previous night. After what seems like minutes, he speaks, overlapping even the loudest of noise pollution. An amazing feat…
Sutton: Dark and mysterious… Just like I predicted. Derceto, you can sit there, stroking your goatee and prophesizing about things to come all damn day if you’d like. It makes no difference to me. But I really have to tell you, something you said got to me. You went out on a whim to tell me that it was impossible to match your intellectual capacity. That it would be foolish for me to even attempt to try. I disagree wholeheartedly with this, my dark-weathered friend. You see, even if it hasn’t quite yet dawned on you, I’m underneath your skin. I’m in the thick of it all. I’ve got you thinking, and that’s what I want.
[Scene] Sutton pushes off the wall with his cane, pacing. The thud of the stick’s bottom hitting the concrete is almost rhythmic to that of a heart.
Sutton: I told you in my previous rambling that I know your type, and I further clarify that for you here and now… You’re a compulsive thinker. You get on a subject and methodically think out all of the possible solutions. A lot of people would consider that a blessing, and in most cases even I applaud it. But rest assured, Derceto, I’ve been around a long time. I’ve learned a lot of tricks in this trade, and one of them just happens to be turning blessings into handicaps. You want to build a strong mental battle plan? I’ll allow it… for a while. Then, my sweet little Derceto, I’ll add some variety and switch it up. I’m going to have your mind traveling at ungodly velocities.
[Scene] Sutton clears his throat and steps in through the curtains. You follow and soon he presses the doors to their hilt, locking them. He searches atop the dresser for something and eventually brings a cigarette to his lips, lighting it quick as if it were the last fix or perhaps the world would stop turning. He looks a lot more at ease as the fresh nicotine poisons his blood stream.
Sutton: I heard you speak such high praise for Sven. The most violent match of your career… Possibly the toughest… I couldn’t help but let out a laugh of mockery when I heard that. You see, Sven took the fight to you… You took the fight to Sven… You two fought like valiant warriors, that cannot be denied. It was to tooth and nail, and you came out victorious.
[Scene] Sutton’s pupils become large as the camera zooms in on him. He looks slightly angered as his tone changes to enforce it.
Sutton: I’ll let you in on a little secret, Derceto. There was a distinct reason why you defeated Sven for that title. Sure, it had a little to do with skill… A little to do with fortitude. But in the end, the majority of the victory came from Sven’s lack of ambition. What more did he have to compete for? He’d already captured the richest prize in Chaos Heat Zone. That was his ultimate goal, and as you’ve said many of times, yours as well.
Sutton: There you have it… The truth of all truths. But why stop there? After all, we’ve barely scratched the surface on the topic at hand. You see, Derceto, at a lower level when you’re clawing your way up the mountain as I have, it seems easy to defend your title. It seems profitable to defend your title. Hell, sometimes you might even take pride in defending it after a tough match. But in the long run, once you’ve busted the richest-hierarchy of cherries, the feeling dwindles. Soon it becomes tiring and tedious. You’ve had that taste and you run on it for a while as if it were nitroglycerine. It happened to Lucifer… It happened to Drayton MacPhereson…. It happened to Sven… And eventually, possibly very soon, it too will happen to you. There’s something for you to think about, pal.
[Scene] Sutton drops onto the end of his bed, burying his head into his hands. He stretches his arms out and falls back onto the fluffy mattress, arms extended to the sides. He speaks from this awkward position.
Sutton: I find it humoring that it’s hard to stay focused on me Derceto? You speak of my denial? You speak of my doubt? Perhaps you try to use these as masks to hide your own imperfections. You refuse to believe me a formidable opponent. You refuse to believe that I do indeed have a shot at dethroning your kingly reign as champion, as you put it. These are YOUR denials. And deep inside that thick, twisted fucking skull of yours lies a whole river of doubt.
Sutton: You find loophole after loophole to avoid my questions… To avoid my advances toward you. You speak of Drayton MacPhereson and how he despises you. You speak of Sven and his clouding of the world’s eyes. What irony… It’s you that’s doing the clouding, Derceto. You’re running away from your problems, creating scapegoats and putting up fields of smoke to hide your weaknesses.
Sutton: Yes, Derceto, you’ve finely caught on. ReVolt is a grand scheme plotted against you. Its sole purpose is to snatch away that RWN title that by my watch is hanging loosely from your waist as is. You egomaniacal, self-centered bastard. Your nerve is stronger than your cause. The truth is Derceto, you’ve been sitting on that title for three months now. It’s been a paperweight that you’ve showcased time and time again… So, if you refuse to open the door to welcome reality, then I’ll simply have to do it for you… I’m afraid you won’t like the results, however. Because once it hits you and you’ve fallen to your knees lifeless to the world and those around you, I’ll slam it back into your face and watch through the keyhole of time as you wither away into the nothingness that you once were.
[Scene] Sutton gets back to his feet, resuming in his pacing. He suddenly lets out a flow of laughter.
Sutton: I find it staggering that YOU of all people speak of struggle and strife. By the tone in your voice, one could be led to believe that you’ve had it rough. Would you like some pity? The truth of the matter is Derceto, you no nothing of earning your keep. You spent months at the top of CHZ, repeatedly getting your ass handed to you by Drayton MacPhereson… Struggle? The only struggles were that of the locker room bearing down and dealing with the fact you were occupying a spot that you couldn’t conquer. It took you THREE months to accomplish what a normal man could in one. Vic Slater? T-Four? Where are they now, Derceto? They’re at the bottom of the barrel. I left Vic Slater crying in the gutter. But don’t worry, you’ll join him soon enough. I’ve chosen a plot especially for you.
Sutton: Over the course of my twelve years in this sport, I’ve developed an amazing sense of smell… It helps me decipher just how hard I’m going to have to work to achieve victory. And still yet, even on you, his Kingliness, it works. I can see now that the path I have taken won’t wind without consequence. I have taken heed to your advice. I have thought about defeat, and turned it away. I simply will not stand for defeat, nor for it will I fall. For I sense a great deal of confidence in you Derceto, but it’s that small crack in the dam that possesses your fear that I’m counting on… My, my, my… What a tangled web we’ve weaved. Enjoy the furious night sky, Derceto...
[Scene] The scene fades into the twisted smile of Sutton… Black.