Summer Eclipse
Aug 23, 2024 22:59:37 GMT -5
"Cholo" Giovanni Santana, Spencer Adams, and 2 more like this
Post by cjphoenix on Aug 23, 2024 22:59:37 GMT -5
“How deep into the darkness are you willing to go to reach the light?”
Date: August 17th, 2024
Time: 9:26AM
Las Vegas, Nevada
CJ Phoenix had left his house a few minutes ago in order to catch a flight to meet up with Spencer Adams, FPV, Claire Hawkins, and Serenity Holmes, but we'll catch up to him in a minute. Right now, our focus is on the lady of the house, Kaiyah, who is a few minutes removed from waking up. She had briefly talked to CJ during the sunrise before returning to bed. Now that she's up again and he's gone, she goes into the closet and takes out her laptop case. Then, she places the case next to her already open laptop and opens it. Inside is a Monokuma mask. It's thinner than the one that CJ wore during his rampage two years ago, making this the one she never told him about. As she lays her hand on the mask, she remembers something that Stella told her the previous day.
“I’ve figured you out! You know what I've noticed about you since we've been working together? You're not the moral compass that I thought you were.”
“What are you going on about?”
“I always wondered why you were so good at covering up CJ’s messes. Then it dawned on me. It's because you've gotten experience from covering YOUR OWN. I bet it's not even his reputation that you're trying to protect by letting me blackmail you. It's something you did, or even still doing, that you don't want him finding out. So now I'm curious. What. Did. You. Do?”
Kaiyah grabs the mask and gently lifts it up to where it's lined up with her face. A lone sigh breaks the silence. “I did a lot of things, Stella....” She says to herself in a tone barely above a whisper. “Things I can't tell you. Things I can't tell my husband. I can't say I'm proud of what I've done, but I damn sure don't regret it.” After shaking her head in a bit of disbelief, she stares at the mask as if it were a mirror. “I thought I could leave this part of me behind forever, but here I am, reaching into the darkest parts of myself. Am I really okay with this?”
There's a zoom in to see the look in Kaiyah's eyes for a second. Then, while the expression stays the same, we transition into a different person. The POV zooms out to reveal CJ Phoenix holding his Monokuma mask over the same briefcase that was shown during the first Smash after WarGames.
Every day for the last few weeks, I've taken a few minutes to try to wrap my brain around how Jenny Myst managed to be selected for this match. It should be easy, right? She was television champion for half a damn year, but it feels like she's been poisoning our televisions for half a damn millennia. Objectively, she did everything right though. As TV champ, it makes sense to be a prominent feature on TV. So she more than fulfilled that role. The thing is that she did something that even I could never do with any title. She managed to devalue the title, the company, AND every show she's been on....all at once! That's the most self-destructive hat trick I've ever seen!
And now, to the dismay of everyone, she's been given a chance to deal the killing blow to the fans’ interest by being a part of this match. I can't allow that to happen, so it won't. We may not have faced each other before, but I haven't forgotten the first time our paths crossed on Brawl. February 5th, back when I was still building my way up and proving that I'm worth the main event, you stole a moment from me. You came out and took our match and made it about you. I won the match, but you won a share of MY spotlight. Because of you, I went from a winner through effort to someone who benefitted by circumstance, which is why I was shaking my head after the match ended.
That's what you always do, Jenny. It's what you've always done. When I was preparing to face you, I wonder how you were all over the TV and still being a poor representation of the TV Title. It's because that reign wasn't about the title. It was a veil covering the fact that you're so afraid to NOT be the center of attention that you tried to take every moment of shine from everyone else. When you realized that fans were no longer fooled and they saw that you're NOT the brightest star in this galaxy, you couldn't handle it. So you corrupted the shows until you were the most common face on the screen and it STILL wasn't enough! You don't fool me, Jenny, and now that you don't have a have a belt to hide behind, the people see what I see when I see you. You're nothing more than a heartbroken child crying for attention. You get your power and motivation from a doll and wherever it goes, you follow like a sheep to the slaughter. You're a MINDLESS creature idolizing a SOULLESS puppet! Do you know what that makes you!?
It makes you Devlin Knight, and the soulless puppet that he idolizes goes by the name Cholo!
You could bring a thousand dolls and they wouldn't help you. I'm gonna leave you just as lifeless as they are. You took a moment from me, Jenny. I'm gonna take more than that from you. I'm snatching the belief that you can somehow steal the biggest prize in the company and I'm gonna incinerate it right in front of you. At Summer Madness, I'm taking your HOPE!
Date: August 20th
Time: 12:15PM
New York, New York
“I thought I could leave this part of me behind forever, but here I am, reaching into the darkest parts of myself. Am I really okay with this?” Phoenix thought to himself, staring at the mask as if it could answer him. Flashes of memories race through his mind. From the first time he put it on to him fighting at a bar to him staring at a pool of someone else's blood. The flashbacks continued until they came to a screeching halt thanks to an outside voice.
“You gonna make out with that thing or something?” The legendary Frank Patrick Venable sits across from him at the airport. Of all the people CJ Phoenix has met in his career, FPV was one of the few that was there from the start….alllllll the way back in the WCF days. His joke breaks CJ’s trance-like state. “Not even in your dreams.” “Not yet.” “.......I won't ask because I don't wanna know.”
FPV chuckles. “Good, but why you so glum, chum? The squad swept the board on DPW Apex last night AND you got a World Title match Sunday night! Sad cause you're gonna miss us?”
Phoenix smiles as he shakes his head. Then, he spins the mask around with his fingers. “It's this. This mask represents a part of me sealed in the darkest parts of my mind. I thought about burning it, but I kept it as a reminder of who I once was. I was a vicious monster that did a lot of bad things behind this mask…..and now it feels like I may need to break that seal Sunday.”
“Unleashing something unholy on the LORD’s day is nasty work.” FPV jokes as he listens. “I get it though. You're worried that if you open that door, you may not be able to close it?”
“Yeah…..something like that…” “Then why open it?” “Because it's a part of me, and if I'm to win at Summer Madness, I need to fight WITH every part of me and not against any of them.”
A smirk finds its way onto Frank's face. “So that's what this is about.” “Yep. Well, not just that, actually.” “Oh? But wait, there's more?” “There's more. It's a morality thing.” CJ puts down the mask and looks at FPV. “This whole year so far has been about what I can achieve on my own in the WGWF. I've been fortunate enough to be a part of a lot of iconic factions like the Brotherhood, the Following, King Shit, and the OGs, and I'm grateful for that. I really am. However, I also have to prove that I don't need to be a part of a pack to succeed. Then comes the wall. The fact that I still haven't won a World Title yet and now it feels like a do or die situation. I know I'm gonna have to venture into the depths of despair to succeed, but I don't know if I'll be able to make it out.”
“You will. If anyone can find the light, it's you because you ARE the light.” Frank points at CJ to emphasize his statement. “I know it's tough being so close and knowing that you can get there. It's not as nerve-wracking when you're far away, and it's not an issue once you've already been there, but you'll make it. You've come a long way since you first got in a ring, and you're just getting started.” He gets a notification on his phone. After glancing, he stands up. “Looks like it's time for the OGs to GO. Good luck out there, Phoenix. Remember, you may be doing this on your own, but you're not alone, brother.”
The bros dap each other up before a quick fade out.
Devlin Knight... I haven't forgotten about you. The first time I lost a match here. It was a fatal four way match for a title, much like this upcoming one, and you were the one that walked out with the Intercontinental belt. I didn't take the fall, but that doesn't matter because I didn't get the win. I'm not mad at you for that. I'm mad at what happened afterwards. I hyped you up. I supported you. I TRUSTED YOU! I went out there and told the people that the IC gold was in good hands. In YOUR hands! And you proved me WRONG! Of all the things you could've chosen to prove me wrong about, you picked that one. You didn't even wait 50 days to do it either. A month and a half goes by and J Mont has the damn strap. And when you had a chance to get it back, you declined. You let Maxwell Mason Stone walk out with the gold. All that talk about following in Cholo’s footsteps and being a great IC champ proved to all be BULLSHIT the moment you let that happen. The fans trusted you, and you spat in their faces!
But it was for a good cause, right!? You went back on your word so that you could round up a squad to take out the Fortunate Ones. Such a noble quest. How'd that go? Oh yeah. You got cuffed to a cage and outplayed by TFO AGAIN! All you've done since our first encounter is make a fool out yourself, and now you wanna bring down the World Title!? Hell no! THAT'S where I draw the line!
I'm not letting this happen again. Not another run of you RUINING another belt because you want Senpai Cholo to notice you. And now you get to face him and I know your eyes are lit up. ‘OMG! I wanna be like Cholo so badly! And now I get to face him! I get to meet my idol! I wanna be like him when I grow up!’ this is a dream match for you, isn't it? You were chosen for this because of how valiantly you've been combating TFO, but much like your battles with them, you're gonna fall short here too. It won't be your idle that you're gonna lose to this time. It'll be ME!
You took something away from me, Dev. I don't mean my perfect record in the WGWF. That was bound to go at some point. No, you took something even more valuable. You took my trust...and you DESTROYED it! So I'm gonna take your DREAM at Summer Madness!
What dream? The one where you're fantasizing about having the torch passed to you from Cholo. The bell rings and you two shake hands and make out or whatever it is people do with their idols. He holds your arm in the air to the delight of the crowd. It sounds all heartwarming, but really I'm doing us all a favor by preventing it.
Let's say that hypothetically you do manage to pull off the upset. That dream would become a nightmare in the blink of an eye. TFO would show up, clown you for the upteenth time, and then take the World Title from you the first chance they get. You know it, I know it, and even Cholo knows it. So I'm gonna stop it before it can happen. I not making the mistake of trusting you this time. Not with MY title on the line! You can lay next to your idol and hug each other for comfort after our match. As for me, the only thing I'll be holding when the final bell rings will be the World Heavyweight Championship!
Date: August 21st
Time: 3:05AM
Location: Miami, Florida
Deep in the mind of CJ Phoenix, we find ourselves inside of one of his dreams. He's standing in front of a black and white door with a red door handle. There's a dark aura emanating from the other side. He grabs the handle and takes a deep breath. “Here we go.” The handle turns and the door opens. Inside is a figure in a black and white cloak with a Monokuma mask on. “It’s been a while, hasn't it?” The figure’s voice made it clear that it was CJ under the mask with a sinister tone. “It has. I'm surprised you've been so calm in here.” “Well, why wouldn't I be? After all, you're the Luminary of Despair by name, but I'M the Luminary of Despair by nature. It was only a matter of time before my presence was needed.” “How do I know you won't go berserk or something?”
The Luminary laughs. “THAT'S what you're worried about? Come on. You wouldn't be here if you wanted me to hold hands with everyone. You're worried about me because of what happened in Vegas when we both know that you'd watch me fill a graveyard with the corpses of everyone we come across if it meant that you got to call yourself a World Champion. You're a monster....just like me.”
“No I'm not.” “Yes you are.” “No! I'm not a monster! Not anymore!” Both men step towards each other aggressively. CJ points at the Luminary. “YOU'RE the monster!” “Of course I am, and we're the SAME PERSON, so that makes YOU a monster too!”
Silence falls between the two as despair fills the air. “We’re the same person. I'm calm because you've been at peace. Yes, I'm a monster, but that doesn't mean I'm always monstrous. The same works for you too. We won't be able to grow and work together if you're afraid of me...of yourself.”
It takes a while, but Phoenix finally speaks again. “I'm gonna have to become a monster....but not forever.”
“Just in case of emergencies, right?”
CJ nods.
“Good. Now we're finally on the same page.” The Luminary disappears and the dream ends abruptly. CJ Phoenix stares into the darkness. The only semblance of light comes from thin lines of moonlight slipping through the veiled windows. He thinks about the dream he just had as he prepared to go back to sleep.
“.......I guess this is an emergency.”
Can't get rid of me that easily, Cholo. You thought you could though. You say a few nice things about me that you truly don't believe to keep the audience on your side, and then you move on. Not yet. You're not moving on until I'M World Champion! Like you said, we're 1-1 against each other now. The score is tied and we're going into overtime. There was one other thing that you were right about. WarGames wasn't my time. As unfortunate as it is to say, it wasn't. It couldn't have been. It wasn't my time then because THIS is my time now! One year after my debut here at the very same event! It's fitting that Summer Madness is where I'm crowned champion.
I can beat you, Cholo. I have before, and I will again. You may think that I only won our first encounter because you were distracted, but it goes much deeper than that. I looked back at both of our matches and I discovered something that you clearly haven't put together. You won't like hearing this, Cholo, but both of our previous matches came down to ME making a choice. I won the first one because I chose opportunity while you choose to underestimate me. The second one I lost not because you were the better man, but because I made the wrong choice. I chose honor over opportunity, and it cost me everything. I could've ended you, but I wanted to be noble. I felt sorry for you for what you went through, and my reward was a loss and a fake smile afterwards. I did things your way back then. I took your emotions and battles into consideration and adjusted accordingly. I did that for YOU! This time, I do things MY WAY!
At Summer Madness, you won't see the nice guy that wanted you to be happy. You're gonna see the monster that's gonna piss you off. I'm gonna give you nightmares because there will be no moral conflicts to save you this time. This match has no count outs, and more importantly, no disqualifications. I can be as vicious as I please and even with two NPC trying to interfere, they won't stop me from picking you apart and picking up the win. You're gonna realize a terrifying truth at Summer Madness. You'll see that it was always ME who controlled the outcome of our battles. We are an even match as wrestlers. That I can admit. However, as opportunists, I'm just a step above you. This match is a gold mine for opportunities. Chances to steal a win out of nowhere. Chances to capitalize on unique situations. Opportunity and violence thrive here....and so will I!
At WarGames, you took my happiness. My moment of triumph. And you tried to toss it away like it hasn't been ME keeping the concept of chasing the World Title relevant. It's okay though. You can have that moment at WarGames because at Summer Madness... I'm taking your TITLE!
Date: August 23rd
Time: 1:57PM
Locations:
Phoenix ==> Miami, Florida
Kaiyah ==> Daytona Beach, Florida
The final scene takes place simultaneously as CJ and Kaiyah, both holding their respective masks, facing separate forks in their moral roads.
“I was hoping that it wouldn't come to this.”
“I thought I could escape all of this, but it seems I can't run away.”
“And if I can't run, then my only other option is to FIGHT!”
“Every time I put this mask on, I end up hurting someone.”
“I didn't want to hurt anyone anymore...”
“....I was afraid to be that monster...”
“That fear has been holding me back,”
“And now I find myself facing it.”
“Kaiyah, my wife, I'm sorry. You're gonna see that dark side of me. The one I told you about in Vegas. The psycho that enjoys the thrill of the kill. I know you're gonna be concerned about me getting lost in the darkness. I know you'll be worried about me because you love me....and I love you too. But this is something that I have to do.”
“CJ, my husband, I'm sorry. You will not see that dark side of me. The one I've hidden from you. If you knew what a manipulator, deceiver, and criminal that I was....that I have been.... you'd be concerned about what I'm getting ready to do. You wouldn't want me to go for my own safety. You'd be worried about me because you love me....and I love you too. But this is something that I have to do.”
“I'm tired of not being World Champion.”
“I'm tired of following in my father's footsteps.”
“I tried being civil.”
“I tried being nice.”
“It got me NOTHING!”
“It got me NOWHERE!”
“The time has come for me to change...”
“...and unleash what I've been doing.”
“To create my future...”
“To move on from my past...”
Both CJ and Kaiyah put their masks on.
“I'll do WHATEVER it takes!”
I know you three asked yourselves, “Why CJ Phoenix? He had his chance already.” Many reasons. Jonathan Barrows explained it well. I'm the one wrestler that stands out amongst the crowd. The one that ACTUALLY makes this a match worth watching. The one that the world ACTUALLY wants as its champion! I'm well aware that I NEED this match, but you should know by now that this contest NEEDS me more! This EVENT needs me more! Let me tell you what this battle would be without CJ Phoenix.
Boring! Pointless! One-sided!
It would be Cholo, blissfully resting his head up his ass because there would be no one bold enough to call him out on his bullshit, defending the World Title against a fan boy that's spent the last four months getting gutted out by TFO and Angelica from the Rugrats if she were older, but still had the brain of a child. A real barn burner, right? Yeah, I didn't think so either.
This match is about MY redemption. MY REVENGE! How wild is it that the only person who hasn't held a belt here yet is the ONLY one that's worthy of having one? The reason this match isn't main eventing the hottest event of the summer is because Cholo, despite TWO runs with the belt, has DEVALUED the World Title enough for it to be a solidified silver medal behind ENIGMA’s Smash belt! So who's gonna be the one to bring it back to the front of the class?
Is it Jenny Myst? Hell no! The longest reigning TV ‘champion’ needs an even longer reign of not being on our screens! One day with her as champ and the WGWF would devolve into the World's Gloomiest Wrestling Freakshow. No thanks.
Is it Devlin Knight? Hell no! He'd hold up big goldie for the length of a commercial break and then next thing you know, it'll be the TFO show featuring the public execution of Devlin Knight’s career! Again, no thanks.
Which leaves me. The man who's gonna become the NEW WGWF World Heavyweight Champion. I know EXACTLY how destructive these matches can be, but none of you know how destructive I CAN BE! You're gonna find out though. Ever since I stepped into the ring for a match last year, I've been CJ Phoenix. The Luminary of Despair was a part of me that only showed up psychology when I would dissect my opponents’ minds. Now that all bets are off, the Luminary of Despair will dissect you all emotionally and physically as well. It's gonna get ugly out there. It'll be real brutal and at many times uncomfortable to watch, but it'll all be worth it in the end.
At Summer Madness, I venture into the darkness, and when I return....I’ll be the Dawnbringer that lights the future as your NEW WGWF World Heavyweight Champion!