Post by Storm on Jul 31, 2010 16:56:53 GMT -5
”Storm, calm yourself!”
Stanton’s voice rings out from down the hall, behind Storm and in the direction when Storm had just walked away from a recovering cameraman and “The Mouth of Pride,” Alex Avice. Storm continued walking with a determined look upon his face, not acknowledging his friend’s cry from behind him.
”God damn it, Storm… Stanton muttered to himself as he stripped out of his jacket and took off running to catch up to Storm. He came up beside the still striding wrestler, who continued to simply stare over. Taking shallow breaths, Stanton gritted his teeth and hissed at Storm. ”Listen ,man, I don’t know what’s wrong with you but you’ve really gotta get a hold of yourself.”
Storm continued to move forward unfalteringly, and showing no fear DBS reached his hand up and put it on Storm’s shoulder to stop him. Storm stopped and tensed up – as did Stanton, perhaps fearing the worst from his short-tempered friend – but no other physical response came from Storm. Instead, he responded in a cool and collected manner that was a sharp contrast to his display just a few moments ago during the interview with Alex Avice.
”I do have a hold of myself, Dan.”
The calmness with which Storm spoke seemed to take Stanton back, who despite having known the man for nearly 15 years seemed surprised by the sudden shift in attitude.
”That back there,” Storm continued with an icy calm as Stanton began to stutter with a slacked jaw, ”was me getting a hold of myself, as well as a handle on the situation before me, he said as he turned toward Stanton can calmly removed the man’s hand from his shoulder. Stanton’s let his arm drop limply to his side, flabbergasted as to what was going on.
”I know this may sound like bullshit, but when I lost it back there and I slapped that camera to the ground a sudden clarity came over me. I realized that every time I’ve ever…, Storm trailed off as he seemed to swallow down the hated word he was about to utter. ”Everytime I’ve ever “choked” in the past,” he allowed himself to continue, ”it was because I lost sight of what I was doing. Remember senior year, Dan?
It is now Storm who reaches toward Stanton’s shoulders, though he reached out both hands and clasped Stanton not with a sense of urgency but rather camaraderie. ”I cost us the championship game,” he said as Stanton looked at him with wide-eyed disbelief. ”All I had to do was take that receiver down and you and the offense could have come back on the field and easily made up the one point differential. Instead, rather than risking a repeat of years’ past I felt like taking the game into my own hands and stripped the ball, and while I was running downfield to score I fumbled and THEY ended up returning, sealing the game.”
Storm drew his arms back in, walking past Stanton and staring off at the wall. ”All I had to do was do my job and play like I had all season and we could have won. Instead, I got careless and tried to go all or nothing and it costs us.”
”Well, yeah, I’ve been tellin’ you that I could’ve won that game for years and I’m glad you finally acknowledge it but…” Stanton began to ramble as he shook off his confusion, but Storm ignored him, continuing on his monologue of self-reflection as if Stanton hadn’t even said anything.
”Then there was the other thing that Avice mentioned, my first championship defense of my career.” Storm said as he walked up and thumped his fist against the wall. Though still surprisingly calm and under control, there was a different quality to his voice, as if some sort of energy was rising. ”So called sneak attack or not, when myself and my partner debuted the month before we went in with a killer instinct and capitalized when the chance presented itself because we understood we had to. The next month we felt unstoppable and took our opponent’s lightly, and by the time we snapped out of that it was too late.”
”I still don’t see how…” Stanton began again, but whatever he was saying was lost to Storm as he rapped his hand against the wall a few times.
”It goes on. I walked into the gauntlet match I mentioned earlier and went through 12 other men because I was focused but conservative. I knew the challenge before me and I saved me strength and managed my rage to unleash it at just the right moment– twelve of them, to be exact – and I did what people thought would be impossible. But you know what happened then, Dan?” Storm asked as he spun around, locking his blazing eyes with Stanton’s. “I know you do…you were there watching,” he said as his voice cracked, the first sign that the uncharacteristic state of peacefulness maybe be wavering. ”I got thrown off when it was turned into a Triple Threat, and eager to prove I couldn’t be thrown off I went in and wrestled wrecklessly, and when I wasn’t ready one of my opponents capitalized and pinned the other one, leaving me helpless and frustrated – I would then carry my frustration into each and every title shot I got after that, and it would cost me.”
Storm was clenching his fists now, forced again to relive his failures. He approached Stanton and DBS tensed up, not sure what to expect from his friend and his unfamiliar behavior. As Storm approached potential striking distance from DBS, he stepped to the side and stood beside him instead, facing the opposite direction and facing past him.
”A similar thing happened in all my matches that I lost against The Bronx Bomber. The first time I was too focused on moving past him to win that tournament, and every time we faced off after that I was still reliving the first match to the point that I couldn’t change the outcome. It wasn’t until Pro Wrestling FIRE’s Battle in Seattle that I snapped out of it and beat him, putting him forever in mast past.”
Abruptly, Storm pivoted toward Stanton and reached to his friend’s shoulders again, this time using them to turn him to face him. Then, shaking him to drive the point home, he said ”Don’t you see, Dan? Every time I’ve ever fallen short of my goal it’s been because I’ve let my anger control me and let it trap me in the past. But now I realize…
Storm’s lips suddenly curl back in a near satanic grin as he steps back from Stanton, his eyes wide.
”The past is the past. It’s done and over with, and there’s nothing to see there. I can acknowledge it’s happened, I can let it strengthen me, but I can’t dwell on it.”
”Well, hell yeah, hoss! That’s the spirit!” Stanton exclaimed, still a bit perplexed by his friends’ sudden change in attitude but still thrilled that the man finally seemed to have his head on straight.”So then let’s forget the past and focus on the here and now! What we should do is…” Stanton trailed off as he caught his friend shaking his head at him.
” No, Dan, we shouldn’t do anything. Now is not the time to let me be distracted by you.”
”Distracted?” Stanton asked incredulously, legitimately hurt. ”Woah there big fella, I’m glad you’re finally focused on your matches but I really don’t think that pushin’ me to the side is...”
”Yes, it is.” Storm said with a sudden fierceness that Stanton stopped mid-sentence without even realizing it. ”I don’t have time to worry about what the Kingdom of Pride fans think, or to watch you nervously touch your phone as you wait to hear back from Rebecca about whether we’re on good terms again,” Storm said with a predatory smile as he looked knowingly and callously at Stanton. ”Yes, I know.”
Stanton opened his mouth to protest, perhaps about how that’s totally separate from their business relationship or that he’s just looking out for his little sister that Storm had already hurt once. Still, he fails to say anything, both amazed by Storm’s sudden clarity of purpose and not wanting to risk disturbing it.
”I don’t need any distractions right now, Dan, and I definitely don’t need you in my hair.”
Stanton pauses, considering Storm’s words, before replying ”So what in the name of the Star-Spangled Banner do you want me to do?
Narrowing his eyes and smirking, Storm responds confidently.
”Take my measurements to the front office so that they have a belt ready for me, and tell them to have a nameplate ready as well.
Storm steps past Stanton and continues in the direction he had been walking just a few moments ago, off to prepare for the match. Turning toward the now retreating figure of Storm, Stanton pulls back his cowboy hat and calls back to him rather meekly.
”That’s all well and good, Storm, but uh…I don’t think they’re just gonna take my word for it...
”Tell them it’s not your word!” Storm yells without turning back.
”Tell them it’s an order from Kingdom of Pride’s Crown Prince.
Stanton’s voice rings out from down the hall, behind Storm and in the direction when Storm had just walked away from a recovering cameraman and “The Mouth of Pride,” Alex Avice. Storm continued walking with a determined look upon his face, not acknowledging his friend’s cry from behind him.
”God damn it, Storm… Stanton muttered to himself as he stripped out of his jacket and took off running to catch up to Storm. He came up beside the still striding wrestler, who continued to simply stare over. Taking shallow breaths, Stanton gritted his teeth and hissed at Storm. ”Listen ,man, I don’t know what’s wrong with you but you’ve really gotta get a hold of yourself.”
Storm continued to move forward unfalteringly, and showing no fear DBS reached his hand up and put it on Storm’s shoulder to stop him. Storm stopped and tensed up – as did Stanton, perhaps fearing the worst from his short-tempered friend – but no other physical response came from Storm. Instead, he responded in a cool and collected manner that was a sharp contrast to his display just a few moments ago during the interview with Alex Avice.
”I do have a hold of myself, Dan.”
The calmness with which Storm spoke seemed to take Stanton back, who despite having known the man for nearly 15 years seemed surprised by the sudden shift in attitude.
”That back there,” Storm continued with an icy calm as Stanton began to stutter with a slacked jaw, ”was me getting a hold of myself, as well as a handle on the situation before me, he said as he turned toward Stanton can calmly removed the man’s hand from his shoulder. Stanton’s let his arm drop limply to his side, flabbergasted as to what was going on.
”I know this may sound like bullshit, but when I lost it back there and I slapped that camera to the ground a sudden clarity came over me. I realized that every time I’ve ever…, Storm trailed off as he seemed to swallow down the hated word he was about to utter. ”Everytime I’ve ever “choked” in the past,” he allowed himself to continue, ”it was because I lost sight of what I was doing. Remember senior year, Dan?
It is now Storm who reaches toward Stanton’s shoulders, though he reached out both hands and clasped Stanton not with a sense of urgency but rather camaraderie. ”I cost us the championship game,” he said as Stanton looked at him with wide-eyed disbelief. ”All I had to do was take that receiver down and you and the offense could have come back on the field and easily made up the one point differential. Instead, rather than risking a repeat of years’ past I felt like taking the game into my own hands and stripped the ball, and while I was running downfield to score I fumbled and THEY ended up returning, sealing the game.”
Storm drew his arms back in, walking past Stanton and staring off at the wall. ”All I had to do was do my job and play like I had all season and we could have won. Instead, I got careless and tried to go all or nothing and it costs us.”
”Well, yeah, I’ve been tellin’ you that I could’ve won that game for years and I’m glad you finally acknowledge it but…” Stanton began to ramble as he shook off his confusion, but Storm ignored him, continuing on his monologue of self-reflection as if Stanton hadn’t even said anything.
”Then there was the other thing that Avice mentioned, my first championship defense of my career.” Storm said as he walked up and thumped his fist against the wall. Though still surprisingly calm and under control, there was a different quality to his voice, as if some sort of energy was rising. ”So called sneak attack or not, when myself and my partner debuted the month before we went in with a killer instinct and capitalized when the chance presented itself because we understood we had to. The next month we felt unstoppable and took our opponent’s lightly, and by the time we snapped out of that it was too late.”
”I still don’t see how…” Stanton began again, but whatever he was saying was lost to Storm as he rapped his hand against the wall a few times.
”It goes on. I walked into the gauntlet match I mentioned earlier and went through 12 other men because I was focused but conservative. I knew the challenge before me and I saved me strength and managed my rage to unleash it at just the right moment– twelve of them, to be exact – and I did what people thought would be impossible. But you know what happened then, Dan?” Storm asked as he spun around, locking his blazing eyes with Stanton’s. “I know you do…you were there watching,” he said as his voice cracked, the first sign that the uncharacteristic state of peacefulness maybe be wavering. ”I got thrown off when it was turned into a Triple Threat, and eager to prove I couldn’t be thrown off I went in and wrestled wrecklessly, and when I wasn’t ready one of my opponents capitalized and pinned the other one, leaving me helpless and frustrated – I would then carry my frustration into each and every title shot I got after that, and it would cost me.”
Storm was clenching his fists now, forced again to relive his failures. He approached Stanton and DBS tensed up, not sure what to expect from his friend and his unfamiliar behavior. As Storm approached potential striking distance from DBS, he stepped to the side and stood beside him instead, facing the opposite direction and facing past him.
”A similar thing happened in all my matches that I lost against The Bronx Bomber. The first time I was too focused on moving past him to win that tournament, and every time we faced off after that I was still reliving the first match to the point that I couldn’t change the outcome. It wasn’t until Pro Wrestling FIRE’s Battle in Seattle that I snapped out of it and beat him, putting him forever in mast past.”
Abruptly, Storm pivoted toward Stanton and reached to his friend’s shoulders again, this time using them to turn him to face him. Then, shaking him to drive the point home, he said ”Don’t you see, Dan? Every time I’ve ever fallen short of my goal it’s been because I’ve let my anger control me and let it trap me in the past. But now I realize…
Storm’s lips suddenly curl back in a near satanic grin as he steps back from Stanton, his eyes wide.
”The past is the past. It’s done and over with, and there’s nothing to see there. I can acknowledge it’s happened, I can let it strengthen me, but I can’t dwell on it.”
”Well, hell yeah, hoss! That’s the spirit!” Stanton exclaimed, still a bit perplexed by his friends’ sudden change in attitude but still thrilled that the man finally seemed to have his head on straight.”So then let’s forget the past and focus on the here and now! What we should do is…” Stanton trailed off as he caught his friend shaking his head at him.
” No, Dan, we shouldn’t do anything. Now is not the time to let me be distracted by you.”
”Distracted?” Stanton asked incredulously, legitimately hurt. ”Woah there big fella, I’m glad you’re finally focused on your matches but I really don’t think that pushin’ me to the side is...”
”Yes, it is.” Storm said with a sudden fierceness that Stanton stopped mid-sentence without even realizing it. ”I don’t have time to worry about what the Kingdom of Pride fans think, or to watch you nervously touch your phone as you wait to hear back from Rebecca about whether we’re on good terms again,” Storm said with a predatory smile as he looked knowingly and callously at Stanton. ”Yes, I know.”
Stanton opened his mouth to protest, perhaps about how that’s totally separate from their business relationship or that he’s just looking out for his little sister that Storm had already hurt once. Still, he fails to say anything, both amazed by Storm’s sudden clarity of purpose and not wanting to risk disturbing it.
”I don’t need any distractions right now, Dan, and I definitely don’t need you in my hair.”
Stanton pauses, considering Storm’s words, before replying ”So what in the name of the Star-Spangled Banner do you want me to do?
Narrowing his eyes and smirking, Storm responds confidently.
”Take my measurements to the front office so that they have a belt ready for me, and tell them to have a nameplate ready as well.
Storm steps past Stanton and continues in the direction he had been walking just a few moments ago, off to prepare for the match. Turning toward the now retreating figure of Storm, Stanton pulls back his cowboy hat and calls back to him rather meekly.
”That’s all well and good, Storm, but uh…I don’t think they’re just gonna take my word for it...
”Tell them it’s not your word!” Storm yells without turning back.
”Tell them it’s an order from Kingdom of Pride’s Crown Prince.