Post by Coda on Oct 28, 2017 21:55:42 GMT -5
Can you even see what you're fighting for?
Bloodlust in a holy war
Listen up, hear the patriot shout:
Times are changing!
In the end, the choice was clear
Take a shot in the face of fear
Fist up in the firing line
Times are changing!
Do you believe that you can walk on water?
Do you believe that you can win this fight tonight?
Do you believe?
Bloodlust in a holy war
Listen up, hear the patriot shout:
Times are changing!
In the end, the choice was clear
Take a shot in the face of fear
Fist up in the firing line
Times are changing!
Do you believe that you can walk on water?
Do you believe that you can win this fight tonight?
Do you believe?
DATE: 10.27.17
CAMERA STATUS: ON
The blank wall demanded your attention with an unheard whisper just beyond what your ears could process. It was all too familiar in the way it stood there, watching you silently in the room where you spent most of your time on the world wide web. Whether it was completely blank or accessorized with the occasional picture frames holding plastic memories, adorned with posters or other nicknacks, it might as well have been blank. You have looked at the items so many times that those pictures, those posters and especially those nicknacks seemed to fade into space and time, lost in the pocket of the universe where things taken for granted went when you were done with them. You searched for your motivation, eyes darting back and forth across the smooth surface. You forcefully combatted boredom, fighting with your mind to do something productive with your precious time in the late hours of the night but it felt like a lost cause. Your eyelids were heavy, your heartbeat was slowed, and the blank wall continued to demand your attention with the utmost authority.
Once you found enough determination within yourself to refuse its seductive advances, you could almost feel the dopamine flooding your brain in the subtlest way. Your eyes flicked to the nearest screen. Whether it be the monitor of a desktop computer or the nearest tablet; whether it be your smartphone or some other device that doesn't neatly fit into the other categories, it felt like your fingers had a mind of their own. Wih the click of the keys, digital or analog, you soon found yourself arriving at the universal hub for videos on the internet!
Its iconic red rounded square logo shaped like a television screen stood as a beacon in the top right-hand corner. It contained a white triangle that resembled the play symbol. Beside the logo stood the name of the website — YouTube. Every video in sight was shiny and new, eye-catching and ready for you to click. As you carefully scanned the colorful thumbnails and read the titles of the videos underneath, it didn't take long at all for one thumbnail in particular to captivate your interests.
With a click, you were teleported to a whole new screen as the video began to play. You told yourself that this would be so much better than mindlessly staring at the wall but it was soon that you noticed a similar blank wall show up in the video itself. It was light blue in color with several shelves near the top. Not a word was spoken for quite some time until—
"It is a shame the situation we have found ourselves in, yes?"
Her words are methodical and slow, yet somehow sweet in their delivery. Slowly walking into frame, you watched as Coda stood in front of the barren wall with her dark eyes locked forward in your direction.
"Indeed, Adrien Cochrane. You are a worthy challenger. You have accomplished so much in your career thus far and I believe it will continue for years to come. I believe you will continue to rise far above the heights of the legacy you believed you would have acquired when you were standing in my shoes — back when you were a hopeful rookie ready and willing to break the glass ceiling with all your might. I believe the name Adrien Cochrane will leave the mouths of many in discussions of the greatest wrestlers to ever compete in the ring once you have reached your prime and I believe you will progress closer to this achievement here in NGW."
With these kind words, Coda eyes the floor gently and then glances back in your direction once again.
"And yet... We found ourselves on the opposite ends of the spectrum."
Suddenly, a flicker of light transitioned to a different scene for a split second! It was a still image. You couldn't pause it in time but in the brief shot you saw, you thought you noticed someone sitting on a throne but their face was distorted as quickly as the original video came back.
"You and the rest of The Guardians feel the need to see our success as something of a blight on the history books of NGW. You believe Kayla Richards undeserving of the top spot in the place where you call home simply because she did not win in the manner you would have done in the same position. You see things in black and white, so offended by our actions that you found it within yourself to create your own sekigun — your own army of guardians with the goal to stop us at all cost."
The mention of the word sekigun caught you for a loop. Haven't you heard that word before? Especially when it's involving Adrien Cochrane. You couldn't put your finger on it.
"What you do not understand is... We are not gods nor monsters. We are not a legion. We are a family, much like the family you have accumulated in your career thus far."
"It is not a nuclear family. It is something different. It is an unspoken bond between us which holds us together. It is the mutual understanding that we believe in each other — much like your fans and the rest of The Guardians believe in you. It is satisfying to know people care such as this, yes? It is relaxing to know people will praise you or wish you luck before a match. It makes me happy to hear them cheer me up when I have failed. It is everything anyone in this sport could hope to want. It is everything anyone outside our sport would hope to have as well, for that matter. It is a support system. It is being surrounded by the people who understand you most. Can you understand this?"
While you might have doubted the words she spoke, you noticed a brief smile come across her face as she talked about the rest of The Destroyers. Whether it was true or not, you could see that she believed it to be fact and it made her evidently happy.
"I must inform you I have spoken to them, however. I have told them that I would like no involvement in our one on one contest. You have asked for this and despite our differences, I know this interest aligns with us both."
For a split second, the image flickered onto the screen again with a loud noise attached to it. As you watched as carefully as you could, you noticed two feminine fingers pointed upwards and two fingers pointed to the floor as the mysterious figure sat on a large throne adorned with silver metal and blue lions akin to the logo on the NGW Young Lions Championship. The scene flickered away as soon as you tried to look at the rest of the image but this time, it stayed on the screen twice as long as the time before.
"I would like to fight you in a fair contest. I would like to show the rest of the roster and everyone watching that we are two of the best competitors within NGW today — two of the best competitors who ever stepped foot into a wrestling ring. We might have opposing viewpoints but that does not hinder my respect for you in its entirety. I meant everything I have said. I will not attack you post-match and rest assured, should The Destroyers attempt to interfere in any form whatsoever, I will stop them. I will talk them down and I will say no."
"I have no reason to lie. Doing so would be pointless and it would waste our time. I am sure you can agree."
"Needless to say... I will not hold back. I do not need assistance. I will brutalize every person who opposes me as soon as the bell rings and I will do the best I can to assure I come out victorious. Should this mean leave a man I respect bloodied and unconscious, so be it. Should this leave you gasping for air and begging for mercy before the final bell has rung, you will find none. Should you find yourself losing consciousness, falling into void of emptiness until you inevitably wake up in a pristine white hospital room, laying in a bed and wearing a gown as Mr. Walker leans in and informs you of the one thing you hadn't expected — 'You have failed to defeat Coda' — do not be surprised."
As the flicker came once again, you noticed the figure on the throne was herself — wearing a long stylized royal trenchcoat you've never seen before with her arms carefully bent in the same pose. Each index finger touched her middle finger, her right hand pointed upwards and her left hand pointed down. What did it mean? What did it symbolize? You could tell it was important, a silent message Coda was trying to illustrate between the words she spoke aloud.
Just as the image disappeared, Coda continued to speak in front of the blue wall. It was the same wall behind the throne in the image that flashed in front of the screen three times now, too.
"Belief can only do so much, Mr. Cochrane."
"I am willing to go farther than mere belief can take you."
"I am not speaking solely about what I am willing to do is our upcoming match, however."
With a subtle devious smile, Coda continues.
"I am the best champion NGW has ever seen and I intend to prove it. Will Adrien Cochrane defeat me in a magnificent test of strength or will I lay waste to every ounce of belief those who follow him have become synonymous with? Will Adrien Cochrane finally show his face as the former multi-time world champion we all know he can be or will he succumb to the pressure as demonstrated in NGW so many times in recent weeks?"
"The Destroyer versus The Guardian."
"Who will win?"
"I do not know. I cannot predict the future as many others claim to do on a weekly basis. It is stupid for me to speculate now."
"Let us instead get into the ring and find out together, yes?"
"I wish you luck. That is... If you believe in that sort of thing."
With that, the image of Coda gracefully walking out of frame was the last thing you saw until the whole video embedded into the browser faded to white.
Look at the sky, see a dying star
White lies, it's a man on fire
Making love with the devil hurts
Times are changing!
A thin line, the whole truth
The far right, the left view
Breaking all those promises made
Times are changing!
Do you believe that you can walk on water?
Do you believe that you can win this fight tonight?
White lies, it's a man on fire
Making love with the devil hurts
Times are changing!
A thin line, the whole truth
The far right, the left view
Breaking all those promises made
Times are changing!
Do you believe that you can walk on water?
Do you believe that you can win this fight tonight?
