act two: midnight evolution
It was the same old story, as it always was for him and I. One of us was the one to take initiative and give the other a verbal kick in the balls, and on this particular occasion, it was Chris doing the kicking. The night air was a bit chilly, enough to make me wish I'd been wearing my jacket. Funnily, Champion was in a short-sleeve at this point, he'd been complaining about how warm the building was and he didn't appear to feel much better on the outside either. Chances were the alcohol likely wasn't helping him much too, diminished in his system though it may have been.
"What are you doing in there?"
He didn't waste any time, Champion wasn't the type to do that when he was completely serious. In the ring, Champ would get in your head and work you around his finger, taking all the time he wanted just to enjoy himself in there. Outside of it, though? Sure, he operated the same, but if shit got too serious for him, something in that head of his clicked and he began working like a machine to correct the situation, even at the expense of his own enjoyment for awhile.
"What, being mopey and depressed about leaving the business? I guess that's what I'm doing." I'd shrugged, dismissing the situation entirely. Champion frowned, letting me straighten myself up after being drug out of the building, before punching me hard in the arm.
"Fuck! Jesus, what the hell Chris?!"
"Next one's your jaw. What's going on, Dominic? Do we need to go back into that university again? You really want your ass kicked that badly tonight?"
"What the fuck are you going on about?"
"This is our retirement, Dominic. You and I? We're legends in this business, the fans don't want us to leave. This party? Par for the course for me, isn't it? Go figure Champ would throw a party to honor himself, but you? You're sitting in there like a wrist-cutting emo kid on some faulty anti-depression pills, writing shitty poetry about how miserable you are about packing your shit and heading home. Stop me if I'm wrong here, Percolator!"
I crossed my arms, a pissed off look was quickly forming on my face as I turned to face him completely, my voice raising in response to Champion's own.
"Well just how the fuck do you expect me to feel, Chris?! You just decide to leave the business on us like this? What, Champion, did you not think that something like that would have just a slight influence on me?! I had a game plan this whole fucking time, I was going to go through the higher-ups of the NLCW regardless of what happened between you and I, I was going to secure my family's future with Suki and I was going to turn a profit off my plans so I could be comfortable getting back in the ring and getting back to what I love! I didn't... fuck, Chris, I didn't want that to be our last match! I'm not fucking ready to quit, what was I thinking?!"
It felt good letting all of that out, and for a short moment I'd honestly felt like I'd had a momentary triumph in our little confrontation. I didn't mean to spill my guts out in one long-winded rant, but it just came out and it felt fucking great. I mean, honestly, I was readying myself for another volley of words when Champion decided to cut my plans short by re-introducing his fist to my face, knocking me back and sending me falling on my ass in shock.
The guy had one hell of a punch.
Grabbing at my jaw in stunned pain, I forced myself back up and immediately cocked my fist back, ready to reciprocate Champion for his actions. He stood completely still, just staring at me with a glare, his eyes never leaving mine as I held my fist back, adrenaline surging through my veins. In those few seconds that we both stood there, it took everything in my body to not just give into my urges and swing my fist forward. I was breathing heavily, trying to steady out my heartbeat as Champion just fearlessly stood in front of me.
I glanced away from him, my arm lowering. I couldn't do it, something in me told me that Champion was justified in what he'd just done, something was telling me to just man up and listen, to stop being this self-pitying jackass and actually seek out advice rather than resist it.
Looking back at Chris, it dawned on me. Behind him, maybe twenty feet away, there was a tall lamppost casting light out in a circle around it. The light was hitting Champion and I, casting our shadows out away from the lamppost... and there I stood, facing Champion.
Standing in his shadow.
He stayed quiet as I just stared at the ground, where his shadow trailed across and flooded over me, my fists clenching at my sides and my arms shaking in frustration. I let out a frustrated groan and lifted my hands up to entangle my fingers in my hair, pulling at the roots.
"I... fuck!" I screamed, turning around towards the building and swinging my fist at it, cracking my fist against the wall and miraculously not breaking my hand in the process of my stupidity. Champion crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me quietly, frowning.
"Why?! Why does it always come back to this for me?! Why do I have to feel like I'm following in your shadow, like I.. I..."
"You told me you weren't retiring because I was, Dominic. You told me you were being honest."
"I WAS! I.. I was... I did want to stop things for awhile, I have everything planned out, and... fuck, Chris! It's a perfect opportunity for me to put things together for Suki and I, but what happens if I get comfortable away? What happens if all that I'm doing is just one huge mistake, and I shouldn't be leaving at all?"
"Stop your bitching, Dominic... it's too late now. You made your decisions, and to be honest, these plans of yours look bulletproof. You're a planner, Percolator, you don't just leap into these things without planning, if you were that kind-of person you'd never make it as my rival."
"Rival?! Christ, Champion... look at me! Ever since you started pulling past me in the HWF, I've always lived in your shadow! I could never beat you, Chris, I mean for fuck's sake the only time back then I could get anything up on you, it took me changing everything about who I was! I betrayed you, and even after that, I still couldn't get past you! You've always been a step ahead of the game of me, and I--"
"Are you fucking kidding me, Dominic?!" Champion suddenly roared, stepping forward as if to hit me yet again, his eyes burning in anger, "Do you have any idea just who the hell you are?! You're the only guy I've gone into the ring with when the fans are behind me, that actually splits the crowd right down the middle! You and I are equals out there, Dominic, it takes more luck than skill for either of us to overcome the other. What's more..."
Champion lifted his fist towards me, index finger extended as he pushed it against my forehead roughly, frowning; "The only way I could ever be the best in the business is if I knew I could beat you one on one."
I'd raised my eyebrow at him as he took a step back, shaking my head; "Do what now?" I'd lamely asked him, causing him to roll his eyes.
"This isn't like you, Percolator, you're more confident than this. You know that the two of us are the best in the business, you know you and I are the top dogs of the NLCW, and if either of us wanted to we could stick around and dominate the scene for years to come. You and I aren't the kind-of guys who just fall back and fade away, we always stay an ever-constant presence in the program even when we aren't a part of it. My name, your name... you can't think NLCW without thinking about either. So don't you come at me with this "I'm not worthy" shit, you've been there since nearly the beginning and we've always given each other hell, every step of the goddamn way."
I sighed, "I'm just... fuck's sake, I don't know. I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing, I really am. I have my plans, everything's going according to them, but when it's all said and done... I'm going to have to leave for awhile. If I expect to have all this shit put together properly when it's all said and done I can't concern myself with what's going on in the NLCW, but I don't feel like I'm ready yet to leave! I'm--"
"-- the biggest woman I've ever seen? Well, you got that right." Champion interrupted, that smirk now right back on his face, "Look, Dominic. You and I both know it's about time for me to hang up my boots. I've started my family with Georgina, I fought the one guy in the one match I wanted to fight him in to cap off my career, and it's as simple as that. You know this doesn't mean I'll stay gone forever, but I don't plan on jump-starting my career again. Some matches here and there are fine, but as far as I'm concerned, you were the one to end my career, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way."
I smirked myself now. The tense feeling in the air had long ago passed, as we began to relax around each other a little more, safe in the knowledge that we wouldn't need to hit anyone, or anything, for the rest of the conversation.
"As gay as that sounds, Champ," I began, if only to give the guy a little hell, "I think I can understand your way of thinking."
"Good, then you'll understand me when I tell you to get back in that ring when these "plans" of yours are good and over. Trust me, good ideas all around on your part, but you're not ready to retire."
I raised my eyebrow. It didn't make sense to me at the time... why wouldn't Champ want me to retire with him? It was the storybook ending, two old friends and, well, rivals, bringing that same rivalry to an end and hanging things up right after. It seemed only appropriate that Champion would be the one to bring my career to an end... so why wasn't I satisfied, and why did he disagree with my retirement?
"But, why, exactly?" I asked him, airing my thoughts out for him to answer to.
"Because as similar as we are, Percolator, you and I are completely different. You love that ring too much right now to leave, and as much as I've done in my career, you never got to do nearly as much as you wanted and you know it. This is something you've had in you since you were young, Dominic, you've been shooting for the moon the whole time and if you ask me, you're not quite there yet. Not personally, anyway."
He laughed, shaking his head and looking up to the stars above, "Funny thing, that... you get as popular as you are and it still doesn't satisfy you in the end. You really are something, Percolator. Like I said... you and I are similar, but we're different in too many ways. Me, I can look back right now and know I did what I set out to do, but you? You... you've done more than most people could dream to do in your career and it still isn't enough, you're still not satisfied. I mean, thankfully, you don't carry that shit into your personal life, or poor Suki'd never stand a chance... you take what looks to be perfect for you in this game of ours and drive to make it better. Wrestling is my life, but for you... wrestling is practically the air you breathe."
He turned back and made his way over to me, slapping my back and leading me towards the door to the building we'd left through; "And, personally, I think we'd all prefer it if you'd not stop breathing. Not unless you put me in your will, anyway."
"Oh yeah, you're in there. I've got you inheriting a post-mortem ass kicking from Suki. She's inheriting some spiked boots just for the occasion."
"Kinky. Pity I'm already in a committed relationship, I am quite the masochist."
"I never thought Georgina to be the dominatrix type..."
"You'll be thinking about how uncomfortable the pavement is if you start thinking about the mother of my child in a dominatrix outfit, Percolator. Just giving you a warning here."
"Noted."
The rest of the night went incredibly well, much better than it had been for me leading up to our little confrontation. There was something to that moment of ours that made me feel revitalized, made me start to rethink things in my plan. Champion was right, and honestly the only thing that kept me from seeing the message he'd given me earlier was my own stubbornness. I had spent a lot of time preparing myself for the plan I'd made... so when Champion decided to call it quits after our match, it threw my plan in a disarray. I wasn't expecting nor did I want to adapt, but in life all you ever can do is adapt.
So if I wanted things to go well for Suki and I, I would have to adapt and make some changes to my plans.
And that, ladies and gentlemen... was the night that Remnant was born.