Grunts and gasps of effort sounded from a mouth contorted in stress, the constant sound of shifting weights and metal lightly tapping metal sounding throughout a large room. Mirrors placed all about the room were almost bothersome to the eyes, constantly drawn to the movement at their sides as arms worked to keep up the heavy weights which pressed down so persistently against them.

The constant sound of padding footsteps, and a strange humming noise which seemed to radiate throughout the room, also accompanying the noises disrupting the silence of the room. A man many would picture as broken, as defeated, as seemingly left without hope... preparing for another day.

Preparing for redemption.

There were few who could bounce back from failures such as those he'd experienced throughout his life, but trial and error had hardened him over time to make these decisions and, more importantly, come to realizations. He didn't truly lose anything... he was given yet another chance, actually.

Another chance to prove himself worthy of being ranked among the best, another chance to make himself the legend he knew that he could truly be.

One failure always can lead to another success, just as one success can lead to yet another. Failures come when you need them to, or when you've lost all hope-- and since he forever held hope in his heart... the time for failure had came before.

His first failure brought the realization of a lack of effort being put forth, his second a lack of readiness... the third was brought on from the lack of knowledge of how serious his battles with a man had become, and his fourth? His fourth... was the breaking of the ties which bound him from being who he knew he could be.

To bounce back from a failure like the one he'd experienced... that would prove him better then any length of time as a champion would have-- to a certain extent, anyway.

Metal clattered against metal as the bar was dropped upon it's supports, the weights on either end working with gravity to make the harsh clang that sounded upon the impact of the two. The humming began to slow as eyes turned to meet eyes staring back, smiles spreading on both their faces.

"It's good to be free again." came the amused voice of a man known by so very many worldwide... Dominic Pericolo.

"Next time... you'll be ready for it all, honey." smiled his angel, Suki Minamoto, as the treadmill finally came to a stop and she stepped down off of it. Dominic chuckled at this, lifting his head to look at the flickering bulb above his head and nod reassuringly to himself, knowing her words were as true as the sun up in the sky; there was no denying them.

Dominic's eyes wandered over his love's body, as she rolled her eyes and giggled softly at this. Wearing only a pair of form-fitting sweat pants and a sports bra with, of course, her shoes... it was no wonder that Dominic would stare. Of course, given his own outfit, she couldn't help but stare either.

It was nice to have this kind of time together again.

"I can't wait for Avulsion..." Dominic smiled broadly to himself, lying back on the cushioned bench he was on, the metal bar supporting the weights hanging over his face, "Nothing to get in the way... this Tyler Scott kid is going to give me one hell of a fight."

For the longest time, Suki hadn't seen Dominic so excited for a match. Determined, of course... but it was almost as though Dominic had become the proverbial kid in a candy store, always talking about what he wanted to do now with that extra weight off his shoulders. He respected what it meant and he did all he could to represent it while he could... but when the night was over and A was crowned champion, he realized something.

He didn't need that title to become a legend... he would become it on his own accord, and he was well on his way there already.

"It was really nice of the hotel to give us the entire gym privately for these past couple of hours... I really didn't expect them to offer that." smiled Suki, making her way over to sit down beside the bench, taking Dominic's hand in hers. Dominic squeezed her hand softly and sighed, his gaze still focused upwards as he began to close his eyes.

"Yeah... and I really do appreciate it." he whispered, yawning now. The workout had made him tired for some reason-- perhaps it was just a drain from all the energy pumping through his veins. He was ready, he was prepared for Avulsion... and he was excited as hell.

Yet as with all types of highs, be them natural or otherwise, they eventually fade... and in Dominic's case, though he didn't really feel like the excitement had faded, his body was beginning to tire out after it all.

One thing was for certain... it sure did take it awhile before it did.

Dominic jumped when he felt a breath on his ear, Suki's face hovering beside his with her hand on his chest, a smile playing across her lips.

"We've got another hour before the gym re-opens honey, don't fall asleep yet... I'd kinda like to play a little." came her whispered voice, sending a shivver down Dominic's spine that woke him up pretty quickly for someone who'd been so tired before.

The excitement returned-- however it was a bit different this time, and as he turned his head to look at her with a smile, he knew it was going to be one heck of another hour. He looked past her for a moment at the opaque glass doors as shadows danced across it; people walking by and simply doing their jobs in the hotel. The door was locked-- it'd stay that way until the last hour had passed...

"Not exactly the most romantic places to do it in..." Dominic joked, as Suki laughed and pressed her lips to his own.

When everything seemed to be crumbling down around him... it all built itself back up again.

The soldiers withdrew from combat, all eyes staring in wonder at the fallen figure of their former general, Dominic Pericolo. Some gasped, others shook their heads in sorrow, and still others remained without emotion, seemingly uncaring.

Standing before them all, and over the fallen Pericolo, there stood the face-painted warrior they'd came to know as Alex, their new leader. Though some refused to accept it and others were unsure of this new commanders intentions, many threw in their towels and simply submitted under the might of the new ruler.

Standing over Pericolo, holding his sword high.

"Look at this man! He who thought he could take the world with bravery, but without skill! He was not strong enough to defeat me, and so he fell at my very feet. I have slain your former leader and in doing so have brought myself at your heads, the one you now shall follow. Stay with me, and I promise to lead us all to a new prosperity... but cross me, and you will fall with the past, just as Pericolo has."

None dared speak up against the new captain, whose face was painted white as a ghostly demon glaring them in the eye. With sword raised high he lowered it enough to point at each and every one of those he saw before him, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

"Now is the time, men! The time to rebuild, to grow stronger... and to overcome the errors of our ways! The past is behind us, let us make way for the FUTURE!"

A battlecry sounded from the back of the troops, spreading its way forward as more men got into the cries, their voices heard all throughout the land. They would follow this powerful new leader, he who had the power to take down the undefeatable general they once saw stationed on high.

He called the soldiers in formation, all moving and working together in unison and perfect poise: ready to follow the commands of the man. His inspirational speech had done enough to move many of them, and though there may still be some stragglers, within his palm he now held the once great general's former army.

Lifting his sword high once more, the warrior let out his own battlecry, plunging the end of the sword toward the earth, towards the back of Dominic Pericolo. Yet something unexpected to all would occur at this, as the fallen general suddenly rolled to the side, the sword instead stabbing into the earth and sinking into the sand. The warrior staggered yet did not fall, as he turned his head in shock to stare at the now rerisen Dominic Pericolo, who slowly made his way back to his feet and stood-- legs shaking and body swaying under the strain-- before all of them with a look of determination in his eye.

And yet through that pain, through that exhaustion and that determination... a smile. A true, genuine, happy smile.

"You may have the strength to defeat me, warrior from the faraway lands..." Dominic coughed through the pain in his chest, looking at Alex as he stared at him, dumbstuck, "But you will never have the strength to end my existence."

Turning his gaze to the soldiers who only moments before had called out with their new leader in triumph over the fallen body of their former general, his smile spread.

"He will lead you to a new age, and will hold his rank proudly and take you all to such a great new day... and then I will return, and make it even better. I will return to retake what is mine... not yet, not even soon... but on the day that I see it is destined to be."

The soldiers then stared in shock, yet in pure respect, as Dominic then slowly made his way through the vast wasteland they called their battlefield. The face-painted warrior, Alex, smiled softly to himself and nodded-- a complete turn of character about him before those he'd taken command over.

"I will see you again then, general... for your will is much mightier then I ever imagined."

When all crumbled around the general, he would build it back up once again.

Even though I lost at Sultan... I feel revived. Violent A took away my title, but he gave me in return an even greater resolve to become something I've been striving to be for the longest time now.

Eventually, I'll win that title back... but to do that, I'd rather take babysteps first. Get some things out of the way that have been bothering me for a long, long time now... matches lost that never should have been lost to begin with. Challenges fulfilled that before were left unanswered.

I'm cleaning my career up a little bit, removing all the black marks and tarnishes on what will have to be a spotless chunk of gold to get me into the plae I want to be: The NLCW Hall of Fame.

Cement my status as a legend, and continue to do everything I can for the company that's brought me closer to my dreams then anything before it... I love this place, and I respect the hell out of everyone in it: friend and foe.

Respect, however... doesn't stop me from whipping their ass-- Violent A and I were a testament to that train of thought.

So it comes down to you and I, Tyler, and while I do realize just how determined you are to beat me once again, and this time without the held of Violent A... I'm really going to have to apologize. Things may have been seemingly declining for me ever since Final Solution, but in the end? It helped me realize exactly what I've needed to do all along. I'm ready now, Tyler... and like it or not, you'll be my next stepping stone on my way to touch the sky.

With all bad things come the good... and despite losing the title? I think the good for me far outweighs that, in the end.

Good luck, man... you'll definitely need it.