Alpha;Thump;Trash (Gold Rush Rumble)
Apr 12, 2016 5:57:43 GMT -5
Post by Stephen on Apr 12, 2016 5:57:43 GMT -5
There can only be one alpha in a pack. Everyone knows this. Stone liked to pretend that he was the alpha, but now he, and everyone in FGA, knows that I am top fox. I am the greatest fighter that South America has ever produced and the greatest fighter that Frontier Grappling Arts will ever see. Stone thought he could hold me back, but nothing or no one can stop me from progressing. Even with his dead weight, I have managed to stay undefeated since coming to FGA. That is right. ¡Invicto! I am the only member of Team Nox that can claim that. I am the only one that has won a match. Having beaten two men in that match, I have won two matches and lost none. It is the greatest start that this company has and will ever see.
Now, Dawes begs me to be the posterchild for his company. Begs me to lead his team of inexperienced and naïve group of clients. Finally he realizes what a true alpha looks like, but it is too late. You can leech off of my success, you can ask me to train your clients, but I will not lead. That is not what I signed up to do. You can find someone else, but the result will be the same. They will try to prove that they are the alpha of Team Nox, but the trials of combat will show them that there can only be one. Stone learned that lesson the hard way, and it is one he will not be forgetting anytime soon.
Thump!
Thump!!
Thump!!!
With every blow he landed on the heavy bag, Zorro’s breathing intensified slightly. It was the first time he’d been back in New York since Team Nox had done the first live feed to introduce themselves to the world. A month ago New York felt like a foreign land, and it still was to him, but it was beginning to feel a little like a second home. Nox Sports HQ had become much more tolerable now that Stone wasn’t around trying to tame him. Even Troy Dawes’ cocky grin didn’t fill him with as much contempt as it originally had.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
He and Troy still were not friends. They never would be. But Zorro couldn’t deny that Troy had been in his corner throughout the whole Stoney ordeal. He couldn’t deny it, but it definitely made him suspicious. Stoney was handpicked by Troy to be the face of Nox Sports, so why was it that, when Stoney went down, Troy seemed to be over the moon about his golden boy being put on the injured list? Why did Zorro get the feeling that everything was going according to some plan of Troy’s?
Thump!!
Thump!!
Thump!!
Thump!!
“It would have been nice to have two bodies representing Nox Sports in the Gold Rush Rumble, but considering you’re the best of the best I think our odds are still great. Stoney would have distracted you with his attempts to have you work together. Now you can just focus on yourself.”
This was what Dawes had said to Zorro when they’d gotten notice of Zorro’s participation in the rumble. And he wasn’t wrong. Zorro was not a team player. Even in their match against The Blood Brothers, Zorro only tagged Stone in because he saw an opportunity to regroup. Even if Stone weren’t there, Zorro would have defeated Aries Reed and GRENDEL in time. Former champions or not, two was not better than one when it came to facing Zorro. He’d already proved it once, and he should have done it again. Stone was only supposed to buy Zorro some time; act as a placeholder until Zorro decided it was time for him to finish what he’d started. Instead, he lost the match. Emphasis on he. Zorro was definitely better off without Stone dragging him down.
This was exactly the kind of match that Zorro lived for. A free for all, last man standing type of match that only the most well trained and well-conditioned fighters could hope to win. A match that involved strategy just as much as it involved technique. A match were only the most disciplined and level headed fighters would emerge victorious. No one in all of FGA fit these requisites more than Zorro. Who was better than him? Everyone was either inexperienced, past their prime, mediocre, or unstable. It didn’t matter if they were current champions or former champions. They’d never beaten him. No one in FGA had yet. No one in FGA ever would.
Thump!!!
Thump!!!
THUMP!!!
The heavy bag folded into itself with every hit. Zorro finally stopped and checked his timer. It read that he’d been at it for an hour and a half. Sweat poured down his body, but his chest rose and fell slowly. His abdomen expanded and contracted at a reasonable pace. He could go for another hour or two, but it was almost time for him and Troy to do a live feed to discuss the Gold Rush Rumble with the public. Instead of collecting his things and going to freshen up, he decided that he would make the live feed a quick chore before resuming his training. He punched the bag one more time, a warning shot that he would be back, before walking to the elevator.
(Live Feed)
Troy Dawes is sitting behind his desk in Nox Sports HQ. His elbows are firmly planted on the desk and his hands are folded in front of his mouth. Zorro is leaning on the right adjacent wall with his arms crossed and a leg against the wall. He’s shirtless and in his training shorts, sweat still emanating from his pores from an earlier workout. His head is down and his eyes are closed.
“What a difference a month makes, huh? The last time we were here, there were five of us. Now, two of our ranks are in North Carolina, and we’ve lost the man that was once our core, our anchor. What do you do when the key piece of the puzzle is lost? Me personally? I purchase a second copy of the puzzle from the go. A good businessman is always prepared for the worse. Always.”
Troy motions towards Zorro.
“Allow me to introduce you to the new key piece. You know him as the man who single handedly defeated the team of Chris Vector and Arik Blayde. The man who took it to The Blood Brothers, and still has not been pinned or submitted to this day. He is ‘Nox’s Fox’. ‘The Hubristic Hitman’. He, is Zorro del Castillo.”
Zorro remains motionless with his eyes closed. The cheeks of Troy Dawes rise up, indicating a grin hiding behind his hands.
“Unlike Stoney, to whom we wish a speedy recovery, Zorro takes command with his actions rather than his words. The mark of a true leader, even if he won’t admit to being one. Zorro is the pinnacle of what a fighter can become with years of training. He is the best fighter in FGA, and the sole representative of Nox Sports in the Gold Rush Rumble. The only representative we need.”
Zorro opens his eyes slowly, his gaze fixated on Troy. Troy doesn’t budge, almost as if he’s reading Zorro in. Zorro grunts before shifting his gaze to the camera.
“Before me, FGA was nothing but children pretending to be fighters. I have seen the tapes. People crying for opportunities to prove themselves instead of taking the opportunity. People like The Blood Brothers who don’t know what they fight for. People like Jimmy Page who have to resort to assaulting a defenseless neophyte to get a match with an injured fighter. People like Tony Carmine who claim that a title is theirs as if it is owed to them, even after they’ve been pinned twice in one match. Children. Ignorant, fussy, and ill-tempered niños. They have no hope in lasting longer than me in the Rumble.”
Troy lowers his hands so that they are folded on top of the desk.
“No hope indeed. But, they are not the only children in the match. Are they? No. No, we also have children like Annie Zellor, Izzy Andors, and Savannah Taylor. Three women that are also competing for the Mid-Atlantic Legacy Championship in the same match. Zorro, doesn’t that actually seems like a very mature thing to do, doesn’t it? Competing in two matches in one night in an effort to maximize their chances at potential glory."
Zorro scoffs.
“A foolish effort. Estúpidos hijos. Stretch themselves thin in because they know that their glory is fleeting. They are exactly what is wrong with the youth of today. Thinking that they can be great at everything before they master one thing. It is exactly why many of them are here today and gone tomorrow. Vive rápido, muere joven. Burning themselves out before they even know what their true purposes are. They think this is given to them. All of it.”
Zorro spits on the ground causing Troy to scowl at him. Zorro ignores it.
“I went through years of physical and spiritual torment before I became the man that stands here today. What did you children go through? A few bumps a bruises? People calling you names and hurting your fragile prides? Claiming to draw inspiration from your doubters so that you can prove them wrong. Such is the mindset of a child. What is it your American children say? You are, as I am?”
“I think what you’re looking for is: ‘I know you are, but what am I?’.”
Zorro nods.
“Yes. You think this makes you look like the bigger person, but you letting your insecurity show. It is the same with these people who are entering themselves in the Rumble from thin air. Evangilista, TGH, and Pat Gordon Jr. They want to come in being hailed as returning and triumphant heroes. It is pathetic. Thinking that their names are enough to be the best. Where is the work? Where is the current effort? Look at Kevin Hardaway. His body was broken, but he came back to compete for more than one match. More than one match that would hide the fact that he and the rest of you are out of shape, undisciplined, misguided failures. A match where you can let someone else do your dirty work for you and you can just rest your tired, brittle bones in a corner somewhere.”
“Now, now Zorro. No need to add insult to injury is there?”
Zorro grunts again. He takes his foot off of the wall and crosses it over the other foot.
“Besides, there are plenty of fresh bodies in this match. The Mid-Atlantci Tag Team Champions, Luke Jackson and Ricky Velero.”
“Trash.”
“Salem Cartier, Fujiko Mine, and Yun Goeun.”
Zorro spits on the floor again causing Troy to shake his head and roll his eyes.
“Johnny Cannon, Noelle Smith, Camellia D. Magna, Ruby Ty—“
“Names. That is all they are. Names. At the Rumble, they will be reduced to but two numbers. The number they enter, and the number they are eliminated. They were, and always will be, insignificante e insuficiente.”
Troy grins.
“The key piece to the puzzle, folks. The anchor. The core. The Face… Of Nox Sports. He has sounded the bell for a challenge, and try as they might, no one in FGA can hope to defeat him. We are Nox Sports, The Premier Agency and Brand. I suggest you order your Nox Sports apparel now, because once Zorro wins the Rumble, the prices are going up. Now’s the time to hop on the bandwagon before it leaves you stranded with the old guard. Tickets on sale now.”
Zorro peels himself off of the wall, glaring at Troy. Troy ignores him and smirks at the camera. Zorro looks to the ground, flashes a smirk at Troy, and walks out of the office to resume his workout. Troy scowls as soon as Zorro leaves the room. He glances at the spit on the floor of his office. He mutters something under his breath, but the mics still pick it up..
“Fucking animal.”
He picks up the receiver of his phone and hits three buttons on the dial pad.
“Hi. Can I get a cleaning crew in here, please? My walls have sweat on them and the floors… Thank you.”
He slams the receiver down, shaking his head. He stares into the camera for a few seconds before hitting a button his keyboard.
(Live feed has ended. Please check back again later.)
Now, Dawes begs me to be the posterchild for his company. Begs me to lead his team of inexperienced and naïve group of clients. Finally he realizes what a true alpha looks like, but it is too late. You can leech off of my success, you can ask me to train your clients, but I will not lead. That is not what I signed up to do. You can find someone else, but the result will be the same. They will try to prove that they are the alpha of Team Nox, but the trials of combat will show them that there can only be one. Stone learned that lesson the hard way, and it is one he will not be forgetting anytime soon.
Thump!
Thump!!
Thump!!!
With every blow he landed on the heavy bag, Zorro’s breathing intensified slightly. It was the first time he’d been back in New York since Team Nox had done the first live feed to introduce themselves to the world. A month ago New York felt like a foreign land, and it still was to him, but it was beginning to feel a little like a second home. Nox Sports HQ had become much more tolerable now that Stone wasn’t around trying to tame him. Even Troy Dawes’ cocky grin didn’t fill him with as much contempt as it originally had.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
He and Troy still were not friends. They never would be. But Zorro couldn’t deny that Troy had been in his corner throughout the whole Stoney ordeal. He couldn’t deny it, but it definitely made him suspicious. Stoney was handpicked by Troy to be the face of Nox Sports, so why was it that, when Stoney went down, Troy seemed to be over the moon about his golden boy being put on the injured list? Why did Zorro get the feeling that everything was going according to some plan of Troy’s?
Thump!!
Thump!!
Thump!!
Thump!!
“It would have been nice to have two bodies representing Nox Sports in the Gold Rush Rumble, but considering you’re the best of the best I think our odds are still great. Stoney would have distracted you with his attempts to have you work together. Now you can just focus on yourself.”
This was what Dawes had said to Zorro when they’d gotten notice of Zorro’s participation in the rumble. And he wasn’t wrong. Zorro was not a team player. Even in their match against The Blood Brothers, Zorro only tagged Stone in because he saw an opportunity to regroup. Even if Stone weren’t there, Zorro would have defeated Aries Reed and GRENDEL in time. Former champions or not, two was not better than one when it came to facing Zorro. He’d already proved it once, and he should have done it again. Stone was only supposed to buy Zorro some time; act as a placeholder until Zorro decided it was time for him to finish what he’d started. Instead, he lost the match. Emphasis on he. Zorro was definitely better off without Stone dragging him down.
This was exactly the kind of match that Zorro lived for. A free for all, last man standing type of match that only the most well trained and well-conditioned fighters could hope to win. A match that involved strategy just as much as it involved technique. A match were only the most disciplined and level headed fighters would emerge victorious. No one in all of FGA fit these requisites more than Zorro. Who was better than him? Everyone was either inexperienced, past their prime, mediocre, or unstable. It didn’t matter if they were current champions or former champions. They’d never beaten him. No one in FGA had yet. No one in FGA ever would.
Thump!!!
Thump!!!
THUMP!!!
The heavy bag folded into itself with every hit. Zorro finally stopped and checked his timer. It read that he’d been at it for an hour and a half. Sweat poured down his body, but his chest rose and fell slowly. His abdomen expanded and contracted at a reasonable pace. He could go for another hour or two, but it was almost time for him and Troy to do a live feed to discuss the Gold Rush Rumble with the public. Instead of collecting his things and going to freshen up, he decided that he would make the live feed a quick chore before resuming his training. He punched the bag one more time, a warning shot that he would be back, before walking to the elevator.
(Live Feed)
Troy Dawes is sitting behind his desk in Nox Sports HQ. His elbows are firmly planted on the desk and his hands are folded in front of his mouth. Zorro is leaning on the right adjacent wall with his arms crossed and a leg against the wall. He’s shirtless and in his training shorts, sweat still emanating from his pores from an earlier workout. His head is down and his eyes are closed.
“What a difference a month makes, huh? The last time we were here, there were five of us. Now, two of our ranks are in North Carolina, and we’ve lost the man that was once our core, our anchor. What do you do when the key piece of the puzzle is lost? Me personally? I purchase a second copy of the puzzle from the go. A good businessman is always prepared for the worse. Always.”
Troy motions towards Zorro.
“Allow me to introduce you to the new key piece. You know him as the man who single handedly defeated the team of Chris Vector and Arik Blayde. The man who took it to The Blood Brothers, and still has not been pinned or submitted to this day. He is ‘Nox’s Fox’. ‘The Hubristic Hitman’. He, is Zorro del Castillo.”
Zorro remains motionless with his eyes closed. The cheeks of Troy Dawes rise up, indicating a grin hiding behind his hands.
“Unlike Stoney, to whom we wish a speedy recovery, Zorro takes command with his actions rather than his words. The mark of a true leader, even if he won’t admit to being one. Zorro is the pinnacle of what a fighter can become with years of training. He is the best fighter in FGA, and the sole representative of Nox Sports in the Gold Rush Rumble. The only representative we need.”
Zorro opens his eyes slowly, his gaze fixated on Troy. Troy doesn’t budge, almost as if he’s reading Zorro in. Zorro grunts before shifting his gaze to the camera.
“Before me, FGA was nothing but children pretending to be fighters. I have seen the tapes. People crying for opportunities to prove themselves instead of taking the opportunity. People like The Blood Brothers who don’t know what they fight for. People like Jimmy Page who have to resort to assaulting a defenseless neophyte to get a match with an injured fighter. People like Tony Carmine who claim that a title is theirs as if it is owed to them, even after they’ve been pinned twice in one match. Children. Ignorant, fussy, and ill-tempered niños. They have no hope in lasting longer than me in the Rumble.”
Troy lowers his hands so that they are folded on top of the desk.
“No hope indeed. But, they are not the only children in the match. Are they? No. No, we also have children like Annie Zellor, Izzy Andors, and Savannah Taylor. Three women that are also competing for the Mid-Atlantic Legacy Championship in the same match. Zorro, doesn’t that actually seems like a very mature thing to do, doesn’t it? Competing in two matches in one night in an effort to maximize their chances at potential glory."
Zorro scoffs.
“A foolish effort. Estúpidos hijos. Stretch themselves thin in because they know that their glory is fleeting. They are exactly what is wrong with the youth of today. Thinking that they can be great at everything before they master one thing. It is exactly why many of them are here today and gone tomorrow. Vive rápido, muere joven. Burning themselves out before they even know what their true purposes are. They think this is given to them. All of it.”
Zorro spits on the ground causing Troy to scowl at him. Zorro ignores it.
“I went through years of physical and spiritual torment before I became the man that stands here today. What did you children go through? A few bumps a bruises? People calling you names and hurting your fragile prides? Claiming to draw inspiration from your doubters so that you can prove them wrong. Such is the mindset of a child. What is it your American children say? You are, as I am?”
“I think what you’re looking for is: ‘I know you are, but what am I?’.”
Zorro nods.
“Yes. You think this makes you look like the bigger person, but you letting your insecurity show. It is the same with these people who are entering themselves in the Rumble from thin air. Evangilista, TGH, and Pat Gordon Jr. They want to come in being hailed as returning and triumphant heroes. It is pathetic. Thinking that their names are enough to be the best. Where is the work? Where is the current effort? Look at Kevin Hardaway. His body was broken, but he came back to compete for more than one match. More than one match that would hide the fact that he and the rest of you are out of shape, undisciplined, misguided failures. A match where you can let someone else do your dirty work for you and you can just rest your tired, brittle bones in a corner somewhere.”
“Now, now Zorro. No need to add insult to injury is there?”
Zorro grunts again. He takes his foot off of the wall and crosses it over the other foot.
“Besides, there are plenty of fresh bodies in this match. The Mid-Atlantci Tag Team Champions, Luke Jackson and Ricky Velero.”
“Trash.”
“Salem Cartier, Fujiko Mine, and Yun Goeun.”
Zorro spits on the floor again causing Troy to shake his head and roll his eyes.
“Johnny Cannon, Noelle Smith, Camellia D. Magna, Ruby Ty—“
“Names. That is all they are. Names. At the Rumble, they will be reduced to but two numbers. The number they enter, and the number they are eliminated. They were, and always will be, insignificante e insuficiente.”
Troy grins.
“The key piece to the puzzle, folks. The anchor. The core. The Face… Of Nox Sports. He has sounded the bell for a challenge, and try as they might, no one in FGA can hope to defeat him. We are Nox Sports, The Premier Agency and Brand. I suggest you order your Nox Sports apparel now, because once Zorro wins the Rumble, the prices are going up. Now’s the time to hop on the bandwagon before it leaves you stranded with the old guard. Tickets on sale now.”
Zorro peels himself off of the wall, glaring at Troy. Troy ignores him and smirks at the camera. Zorro looks to the ground, flashes a smirk at Troy, and walks out of the office to resume his workout. Troy scowls as soon as Zorro leaves the room. He glances at the spit on the floor of his office. He mutters something under his breath, but the mics still pick it up..
“Fucking animal.”
He picks up the receiver of his phone and hits three buttons on the dial pad.
“Hi. Can I get a cleaning crew in here, please? My walls have sweat on them and the floors… Thank you.”
He slams the receiver down, shaking his head. He stares into the camera for a few seconds before hitting a button his keyboard.
(Live feed has ended. Please check back again later.)