LC Dead Bodies RP: One Little Victory

[Mr. PerpetuaLynch Motion]

Part 11: One Little Victory

This is it. The biggest match of my short career so far. I talked with Justin last week about championship implications and this match live on my very first Pay Per View has the biggest championship implications so far. I’ve come to the WFWF on Justin Tyme’s dime with the sole purpose of bringing him championships. This match isn’t some tournament where I’m saddled with a useless Halliburton trying to drag him to glory. This is one match with the winner moving directly to a championship match. A future date with the WFWF National Champion in the middle of that ring that I have taken to quicker than anything else in my life hangs in the balance.

I have given Justin instructions that for preparation of a match of this magnitude that I would like some solitude. It gives me a chance to dive into my head and figure out a strategy for myself. After I have hammered out my game plan I will give JT a call and we’ll go over some of the logistics of the match. I’ve never competed in a battle royale or really any kind of fight with this many moving parts so while I can establish individual strategies for each person, I’ll need his assistance in combining it all into an overall master plan to deal with all of the pieces of this puzzle.

The only thing that is running through my head right now is a song whose title accurately sums up this particular situation. I’ve been listening to it over and over and over again since I found out about the Battle Royale that I will be competing in. One Little Victory by Rush. A man like me doesn’t typically listen to a band like Rush but there is just something about this particular song. The driving drums have kept my adrenaline pumping and the lyrics have kept my focus razor sharp. As I sit here at the desk alone in my hotel room I decide to listen to it once again and once more the driving rhythm of the drums seem to kick my adrenaline into some sort of overdrive. I unwrap the bundle of dossiers that Justin had given me for all five of my six opponents. He also left me with the file on Phoenix Nitro from last week as well as a tape of our match. I begin flipping through the files as the lyrics of One Little Victory kick in.

"A certain measure of innocence
Willing to appear naive"

The first folder I open bears the name of Joe Magnet, an entitled brat that stands at six foot two-ish and weighs in at one hundred and eighty seven pounds. Not exactly a threat stature wise to me but then again, I’ve only encountered one person here in the WFWF that has measured up to me stature wise. Mr. Magnet comes from a family of moderate wealth and has dealt with familial loss. He has an inborn sense of entitlement which could be his downfall. He has a considerable experience advantage inside the wrestling ring compared to me with his 7 years versus my approximately two months or so that I’ve been training. That’s probably going to be a reoccurring theme in this match. I outsize them but they out-experience me. I’m not going to take Joe Magnet lightly. I’ll need to keep an eye on him through the match.

"A certain degree of imagination
A measure of make-believe"

Folder number two contains information on a man by the name of Shaprio. Hailing from Odessa , Texas standing at six feet tall and weighing in at two hundred pounds, Sapiro is another man that doesn’t measure up stature wise. However like Joe Magnet, Shapiro has me beat on the experience edge of things. Shapiro sounds like a man who has had a similar upbringing as me as well. He grew up in a tough neighborhood and learning to fight out of some sort of sense of self-preservation. I learned to fight because Detroit is a craphole. From what I can gather, Shaprio went straight into wrestling training where I took a sort of meandering path through boxing and a bit of mixed martial arts. This could give me an edge over Shaprio. I may not have been around this ring as long but I’m better versed in a wider variety of disciplines. Still though, he’s another individual who I’m not going to be able to sell short in this match.

"A certain degree of surrender
To the forces of light and heat"

The third folder is one that I don’t necessarily need to study too hard as scribbled on the front of it is Phoenix Nitro, the man whom I choked out last week. Nitro though wasn’t a cake walk when I fought him. He was my first singles victory here in the WFWF but he brought a war to me and I’m never going to forget that. Considering he is a man that only stands at a little less than six feet and weighing in at only about a hundred and eighty pounds, the fact that he brought such an incredible fight to my front door is a testament to his discipline as well as his unparalleled experience, especially when compared to some of us other guys competing in this match. I decided to pop in the DVD of my match with Nitro into the DVD player of my hotel room just to have it playing in the background as I continue to do my homework. Nitro is the man I’m most familiar with in this match but potentially the biggest threat to me. I’ll have to be razor sharp around him.

"A shot of satisfaction
In a willingness to risk defeat"

When I heard the lyric “a shot of satisfaction” in this song, the first thing that came to my mind was WFWF’s newest resident drunk psychopath Dr. Manson. He definitely has a penchant for partaking in many shots of satisfaction. He’s a paunchy midget of a man really when you look at him standing in at five foot eleven but weighing three hundred and twenty one pounds. He’s a whole foot shorter than me but he’s carrying an extra ten pounds. It’s hard for me to imagine him being able to move that much mass around swiftly and effectively which is necessary in a battle royale. Failing that, the biography that Justin provided me says he was born in 1969 which would make him a perplexingly astonishing forty six years old. If there was ever going to be a weak link in this match it would have to be this guy. Part of me thinks that I should keep him around until the end just so I have an easy last person to get rid of at the end of the match. I’ll have to make a note of that and run the idea past Justin when I see him.

"A certain measure of righteousness
A certain amount of force"

Opponent number five presents his own unique set of challenges. While in a strange sense Phoenix Nitro claims Japan as his home away from home because of how much of his career he has spent competing here, this next individual is an actual hometown boy. Hailing from Kasugai, Japan, Masahiko Ishimura is one of the most decorated competitors competing in this match having held the JPF Junior Heavyweight Championship on multiple occasions as well as reigns with the Openweight Championship and a tenure as the Junior Tag Team Champions. As has been the case with many of the Japanese people I have come into contact with since I’ve arrived in Japan, Ishimura takes great pride in having earned the respect of many of the people he has competed with. Respect is not something I typically dole out to my opponent in advance but given his accomplishments, I wouldn’t be surprised if by the end of this whole thing he ends up earning my respect.

"A certain degree of determination
Daring on a different course"

And finally folder number six has the name Grayson Cain scribbled across the front of it. He is a man of entirely average build and, much like me, he doesn’t pay much mind to the bizarre over the top pitfalls that some wrestling characters tend to fall into. If I may use a cliché phrase to describe what I gather about Grayson Cain it would probably be the classic “No Gimmicks Necessary.” He stands at six feet, he weighs in a little over two hundred pounds and hails from Hatteras, North Carolina. His weakness appears to be if he’s placed in a ground and pound situation. If I can find an opening, it may be to my advantage if I can overpower this man and lay in a little bit of Detroit violence on him. No need to get cute with my mixed martial arts on this guy, he’ll probably end up twisting me into a pretzel if I try it. A straight ahead brawling approach with him might be my best bet.

I decide to stack the empty folders to the side of the desk and spread every man’s bio printout across the surface of the desk. I begin to run several scenarios in my head of a preferable order of elimination. Over and over again I run the scenarios. The entire time I do this, the chorus to One Little Victory continues to run through my head.

Celebrate the moment
As it turns into one more
Another chance at victory
Another chance to score

The measure of the moment
In a difference of degree
Just one little victory.

Finally after having gone over various scenarios in my head of how the battle royale could go down, I pick up the hotel phone and call Justin. It’s time for him to come by the room so we can hammer out a concrete strategy. Just one little victory and I’ll be on the front step ready to deliver championship number one to Justin Tyme.

Part 12: The Regulator

There’s a firm knock on my hotel room door so I beckon for them to come in. It’s Justin Tyme and he is dressed about as casual as a man like Justin can be dressed. He’s sporting a collared dress shirt and probably incredibly expensive dress pants. To go along with the whole thing he’s also got his possibly absurdly expensive dress shoes. I get up to shake his hand.

Awe you didn’t have to get all dressed up just for me boss.

Please, don’t flatter yourself my friend. I have to run to another business meeting after this.

Are you taking on new clients?

Not necessarily, this individual is a man I worked with briefly in the past. He had one match in the WFWF before. His band is playing in Tokyo so I told him I wanted to meet with him. If we ever get into a situation like the Tag Team tournament he could be of some assistance to you.

That’s why you’re the boss.

Justin took a seat at the desk where I had the biography printouts of my six battle royale opponents arranged in what I had been referring to in my mind as “the path of least resistance” that is to say in my estimation, this order of elimination could potentially give me the least hassle. The way I had it saw me eliminating Grayson Cain first, followed by Shaprio. Next was Joe Magnet after which would be Phoenix Nitro. The last real threat would be Masahiko Ishimura and finally Dr. Manson would be the least physically taxing for me to get rid of despite his girth.

Justin sat at the desk, scanning at the work I had done with the work that he had paid someone else to compile. For a moment he didn’t say a word. Finally he pointed to Dr. Manson’s bio.

He’s the weakest link.

By my estimation anyways.

He’s got like twenty pounds on you.

True but I’ve got an inch in height on him. Plus he’s like almost twice my age.

Justin ponders that for a few moments before nodding in agreement.

Alright then. If at all possible leave him until the very end. A lot of these other guys are going to be more adept at draining your stamina the longer this match goes. You’ll need someone like this guy so if you make it to the end he’ll be easy to slap on the Blackout and walk out of there with your hand raised.

I just nod in approval, happy that I’ve finally started to catch onto this game to the point where my strategies are sound enough for a veteran like Justin. I let that sink into my psyche for a moment as Justin continued looking over my work. I’m snapped out of my almost daydreaming state when Justin slapped his hand down on the table. He glared up at me as if I made some sort of obvious omission.

Ishimura can’t last this far into the match Lucas.

Why do you say that?

Because of all of the intangibles.

I’m sorry… Intangibles? What would Ishimura’s intangibles be exactly?

Well for starters he already is a well decorated champion so he knows what it’s like to win matches with championship implications. Besides that, he’s got home field advantage. The crowd is going to be going crazy for this guy. What you need to do is suck them out of it early.

I had to think about Justin’s suggestion for quite some time. The reason I wanted to keep Ishimura in the match until near the end of the battle royale is to build the crowd into a frenzy thinking their home country hero might win only to kick that chair right out from under them.

You don’t trust my ability to block out a little bit of crowd noise?

Lucas, you haven’t competed against an individual that is a true born and bred hometown hero before. It’s not just a little bit of crowd noise out there. Everything you do to Ishimura is going to be met with a borderline crippling level of hatred spewed your way. You need to get rid of Ishimura early. Trust me on this one. Phoenix Nitro needs to go second for basically the same reason.

Justin begins shifting the papers on the desk around. He takes Shapiro, Joe Magnet and Grayson Cain off the table for the time being leaving Masahiko Ishimura as the number one, Phoenix Nitro as the number two and Dr. Manson as the number six. Justin stares at the three biography sheets still in his hand looking to be in deep thought.

Why did you have Grayson Cain as your number one?

Because the style that he wrestles could be potentially exhausting. I figured if I brawled with him off the bat, knock him out and get rid of him first then it would save me a whole bunch of potentially stamina draining situations.

Justin continues to stare at the three pictures in front of him. He then looks up to me and gives me an approving nod and puts Cain after Phoenix Nitro as the number three. He places Joe Magnet and Shapiro as the four and five respectively.

That’s going to be your order. Magnet and Shapiro could be interchangeable but if everything is up to you then this is the order you need to try and direct this match in.

I just give Justin an approving nod as a commit that order to memory. Justin stands up and makes a move towards the door. He stops just before opening it and turns to me.

Oh I almost forgot. I’ve paid to have that little girlfriend of yours fly over here. She’ll probably be arriving at the airport any moment now so… expect a visitor. I’ve already arranged for a limo to bring her here. Consider it a token of appreciation in advance for your victory.

Justin turned and walked out the door as I stood there gobsmacked. Justin is so god damned bipolar I swear. One minute he’s saying that all of my friends from Detroit are unnecessary distractions and that they’re all just dregs of society and then the next minute he’s flying this girl that tears my brain apart all the way across the world. I can’t ing wait. I drop myself onto the bed and stare at the ceiling in anticipation of her arrival.

Part 13: She’s Just A Woman

About an hour went by and I’m pretty sure I didn’t move at all. How could I? Here I am in a completely foreign country trying to mentally prepare for a match that could potentially define my infant career and my mentor and boss, the guy who’s sole purpose for hiring me on was to deliver him championships, has now brought a woman that has been the source of literally all of my mental turmoil the last few weeks. There are moments of the day where my mind is wishing that I never ran into her again outside of Big Kev’s bar that day where my life changed drastically and yet there she was still somehow connected to it. Then just as quickly as those thoughts enter my mind, thoughts of just how happy I was to have her back into my life also flood my mind. I remind myself that she’s just a woman and that probably for centuries women have had this kind of effect on the male thought process, that is to say the constantly are twisting it into some sort of steel abstract art project.

Before too long I hear a rap on my door and I find myself springing up to my feet quicker than a man my size had any business doing. Practically tearing the door off the hinges I open it expecting to see a stunning beauty standing before me. A woman with long hazel hair cascading down her back, ruby read lips and piercing blue eyes. A woman that wouldn’t be much taller than five foot five and ever so slender. A woman that I would have to bend down to kiss on the cheek. A woman that I felt like I could break in half with a simple hug.

None of that is what actually stood before. Instead I was face to face with a bell hop that looked like he could potentially be about seventy five years old. An elderly man with short grey hair and muted brown eyes. A senior citizen who couldn’t be much taller than five foot five and ever so slender. A geezer who I would have to bend down to punch in the stomach in retaliation for disturbing me when I was clearly waiting for a visitor. An old man who I could break in half with a simple bear hug.

The bell hop held in his hand a silver tray, his hands shaking while he held it out for me. On it was a handwritten note as well as a sealed envelope. I could tell the elderly man didn’t much care to be in my presence and I didn’t much care for his either. So with a wave of dismissal I turned and shut the door. Sitting on my bed I decided to read the note first.

Just kidding future champ. You don’t need that kind of distraction while prepping for this match. However I did ask her to write you a letter. Cheers.

JT

I could feel my face getting hot with rage. Justin Tyme still playing the puppet master. I could hear him laughing in my head. He’s going to drive me crazy. He threw his note into the waste bin by my bed and tore into the envelope. The letter was indeed from Amy which admittedly brought my temper down a touch.

Dear Lucas;

I hope this letter finds you before your big match. I just wanted to let you know that Kevin and I have taken to watching you the last couple weeks in your wrestling thing. Both of us couldn’t be more proud of you and what you represent to the city of Detroit. And now with you competing all the way in Japan, you have a chance to even change international opinions on what this city is all about. You can display the heart and determination of a city that has been kicked while its down but still survives.

I spoke with your sleezy car salesman manager, agent, whatever the hell that guy that’s been hanging around you is just the other day. He’s not good for you Lucas, he has no vested interest in your wellbeing. I hope that this is a temporary arrangement because you should be doing this or you. You don’t need to prove anything to me or Kev and you certainly don’t need to prove anything to that guy.

That being said I have made arrangements with him and he’s agreed that when you guys come back stateside, instead of going back to Florida you will be coming home to Detroit for a little bit. I’ve taken it upon myself to book you some time at your old Boxing gym and the local jiu-jitsu school has also agreed to give you some mat time. I’m excited at the prospect of having you back home.

Until then though, best of luck in your match. Big Kev and I will be watching and cheering our hearts out.

-Amy

I pinched myself after I finished reading it to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating like I was last time I thought I had interacted with Amy from Japan. Turns out this whole thing was really happening and I felt a warm glow in my heart. I was happy that they decided to reach out to me. I was happy that they recognized what I was trying to accomplish for the city of Detroit and I hoped they would be watching and supporting me. I also decided when I got back to Detroit that I would have to discuss my dealings with Justin to Amy because if she thinks he’s no good I need to know why she thinks that. He’s been nothing but a great assistance since I came to the WFWF, a valuable asset that I would be a fool to lose. If anything I might need to add to this and form an entire training group for me. But that’s a thought for future Lucas to worry about. For now though I decided I was going to lay back in my bed and read the letter from Amy over and over again until I drifted to sleep with her words still entering my head.

[Mr. PerpetuaLynch Motion]

OOC: I liked this. It's the most I've ever actually kinda delved into my opponents for a match. I didn't really have the mental strength right now to do a whole lot of like character backstory building for this RP but the match is the most important thing so I figured it would be more important to not glaze over the match and go lighter on the character development.