Nerd Paladin, Level Up! | File 003: WAR!

It’s clear this is previously recorded.

Save for two people, ringside of the Amalie Arena is empty. One person is seated in the front row to the right of the entrance stage and ramp. The camera identifies him as Victor Mason. He’s wearing a plain grey double-breasted suit with a pair of dress shoes  Standing in the middle of the ring is Jessica Nitoh. She’s wearing a black activewear top with a pair of hot pink yoga pants and a pair of pink and white Skechers shoes. Her hands are folded in front of her and her head is lowered.

“War…”

She speaks softly but clearly enough for the camera’s microphone to pick up.

“...What is it good for?”

It’s a serious question, a question that can also be connected to a familiar lyric.

“Absolutely nothing.”

Suddenly two spotlights shine on her and the quick playing of drums begins to resonate. The introduction of a famous song begins to play and Jessica straightens herself up.

(War!) H’uh!
Yeah!
(What is it good for?!)
Absolutely (nothin’!)
Uh-huh, uh-huh!

(War!) H’uh!
Yeah!
(What is it good for?!)
Absolutely (nothin’!)

Say it again, y’all!

Jessica is actually performing the song, lip syncing and dancing to the now-recognizable “WAR” by Edwin Starr. Her moves are powerful and stylish, represented by the lyrics, and she doesn’t let up. She lip syncs Edwin’s words with such valor and beauty, and for a Dance Dance Revolution master, she can transition into proper dance moves quite well. It’s mesmerizing.

(War!) H’uh!
(H’uh!) Look out!
(What is it good for?!)
Absolutely (nothin’!)

Listen to me!
Ooh WAR!

She finds herself following the rhythm of the song with her movements, keeping up very easily with the lip syncing. In this part of the song, it transitions into an endless loop of the instruments playing and the spotlights’ colors turn red. When Jessica parts her lips, she actually speaks up with her voice.

“No matter how they promote it, no matter the decorations and designs, there is no such thing as a good war. Everyone who’s ever been in a real war can tell you that. War leaves nothing but carnage, destruction, and fields of red. Even in a wrestling company, war remains the same. New Generation Wrestling’s Warfare brings sixteen individuals, four teams, into one ring surrounded by a cage and tall platforms three times my height for high-risk maneuvers.

Team AA.

The Midnight Horsemen.

The Destroyers.

The Guardians.”

There’s a slight pause before she flashes a grin.

“...of the Galaxy.”

Quickly, Jessica ascends the top corner that’s closest to the recording camera. She stares down into the lens, into the people watching, and she shakes her head.

“Unfortunately, war is a necessary evil. It’s written in our history that war is unavoidable. As much as I’d like to believe in world peace, I know the truth. Until we learn from our mistakes, forgive, and accept one another, war is eternal… isn’t it, Victor?”

She raises her head and looks towards her longtime friend and manager in the front row. The camera turns in his direction as well, awaiting his answer. Even with the camera on him, he continues to regard her as he speaks up.

“In an ideal world, yes, that’s true. Unfortunately, we’re not living in ideal times. We’ll continue to live out this duality of war and peace until one day, the people in the future ultimately learn from our mistakes. Living in these times doesn’t necessitate we should have a pessimistic outlook. War is a circumstance.  How we react to circumstance defines who we are, not the circumstance itself. Always keep that in mind. We have the power to choose how we react to the circumstance of war. What choice are you going to make, Jessica?”

The camera zooms out to capture both of them in the video. A contemplative look crosses Jessica’s face before she smiles and nods.

“I choose to fight for my family and friends. I choose to stand alongside my fellow Guardians. I choose to believe in a better, brighter future. Adrien, Joshua, and Jazmyn are relying on me to help them win this war and I will not let them down.”

She jumps down from the corner and back into the ring. Once she’s back in the center, she taps her foot to the beat of the music and fluidly begins to dance and lip sync.

I despise…
‘Cause it means destruction of innocent lives.
War means tears to thousands of mothers’ eyes
When their sons go to fight and lose their lives!

I said WAR! {H’uh!)
Good God, y’all!
(What is it good for?!)
Absolutely (nothin’!) ‘gin
Say it again!

As the music picks up the tempo, she matches the powerful words and tones, her dancing so fluid and remarkable. The music switches back to the instrumental endless loop. If the performance distracts him, he doesn’t show it at all. He’s focused on the matter at hand.

“You won’t let them down. It won’t be easy, but I have faith everything will work out for the greater good.”

Jessica stops dancing, but her body continues to sway to the rhythm. She oversees Victor from the ring and shakes her head.

“The greater good… It’s a blessing and a curse, but I’m going to think positively. I’d like to believe that we stand a chance. You know who doesn’t stand a chance of winning?

The Destroyers.

Let me be honest here. Matthew Shields, our esteemed “Redemption” obsessive disorder expert, doesn’t believe in our abilities and skills. Hell, he doesn’t acknowledge us! He’s not only obsessed with redemption, but he’s obsessed with Adrien. He thinks he can defeat Jazmyn with the simplest of ease, even though he couldn’t end their match with a victory. He thinks Josh is nothing but a joke and he’s CLEARLY making the same mistake of underestimating me. Idiot. I expected better from a former World Champion. Oh well, my mistake.

I almost feel bad for the current NGW Champion Kayla Richards. Her own boyfriend is attempting to disregard her championship reign for his selfish reasons. “What Kayla wants, Kayla gets”? He doesn’t care about her wants or needs. If it didn’t sabotage their relationship, he would rip the title away from her and abandon it like he did the NGW Tag-Team belt. In all honesty, I’d have more respect for her if she didn’t follow his every whim and CHEAT to win. Dishonor! Dishonor on your whole family! Victor, make a note of this for Kayla. Dishonor on you, dishonor on your cow, dishonor on your chicken-- you get the point, right?

Let’s not forget about the other half of the Tag Champions, the one who actually gives a damn about the titles, Jack Tillman. Quite frankly, he’s a man with no honor in his entire body. Not to disrespect his credibility, he’s actually a good, talented wrestler. But the man doesn’t understand when he’s outnumbered and outmatched… I’d like to face him in the war, but if Jazmyn and Josh face off against him first, he’s screwed. Game over! No continues!

And of course, there’s the mystery card… Coda. The Young Lions Champion… and after I defeated Honey and Ruby at Resurgence, I’m next in line to challenge for her belt. Perfect. Out of everyone on the Destroyers, she’s the one I look forward to facing the most. Why? Because she’s a walking enigma. She’s mysterious, unpredictable, and dangerous. Everyone saw the way she snapped and unleashed fury on Josh Kennedy. She’s the biggest threat to the team and she’s the one I need to take down. The Paladin versus the Enigma. It’s destiny.”

Victor looks on, a hint of concern in his eyes. He’s aware of how dangerous Coda is. He understands Jessica is bound to face her one way or another.

“I advise caution when engaging in close-quarter combat against Coda. Of all the Destroyers, she is the most lethal. I’m certain she knows you’re her next challenger and she will target you the moment she gets the chance.”

Jessica knows he’s right and yet she accepts the challenge. With a firm nod, the song returns and she’s already lip-syncing and dancing along in perfect harmony. She doesn’t miss a beat for a second.

(War!) Whoa (H’uh!) whoa-whoa, Lord
(What is it good for?!)
Absolutely (nothin’!)

Listen to me!
(War)
It ain’t nothin’ but a heartbreaker!
(War)
Friend only to the undertaker!

The music transitions back into the endless instrumentals loop and she takes a moment to catch her breath while swaying to the beat.

“The Midnight Horsemen.

Poor Ruby Rose… she’s kinda sorta been forced to tag along with this rag-tag team. She said it herself. She’s not a Horsewoman. She doesn’t believe in their ideals. I know this because she wrestled with honor and respect at Resurgence two weeks ago. I like her. She’s a former champion and she has a bright future in NGW. I almost don’t want to face her in Warfare because the circumstances are out of our control. This isn’t going to be a fair fight, but I want to keep the peace between us. She deserves that and so much more.

Now, this is going to sound weird, but I like her boyfriend Scotty Latimer. He’s a cool guy and he’s nice. He’s a champion in his own right and he has a future in NGW. Do I believe he and his team have a chance of winning? Sure. Are they going to win? Not if I have anything to say about it. At the very least we share the common ground of eliminating the Destroyers. Nobody on our teams likes them. Team AA doesn’t like them either. This is like Dante Must Die Mode except it’s Destroyers Must Die! Just turn off the gaming console and walk away.

Billy Danielson? Hoo boy, he’s got a lot on his hands. It’s a little confusing to tell what’s going on between him and Coda. The only Destroyer he doesn’t hate, hmm? He DID try to ask her out on a date. Kayla even encouraged it. Of course Matthew said “no” and that’s the end of the discussion. Whatever Shields says, goes. I don’t think Coda has any interest in Billy-Goat anyway. The guy’s eccentric… Not saying that’s a bad thing. Believe me, I recognize my geeky weirdness and super nerdy mannerisms. But Daniel is… well… huh. I’m a little lost for words.

Guess that leaves Mason Moore, the current reigning and defending Spotlight Champion. The guy’s tough, I’ll give him that, but he’s far from the most honorable guy. Sorry kids, no steroid jokes here. I’m a little more mature than that. Besides, what I’m going to focus on is far more crucial. He has a way of twisting and bending things to his will. I’m pretty sure he’s the reason why my longtime friend in Blair Kivisto departed from then-Redemption Wrestling. ...Wait, she’s Mrs. Jordan now. Sorry, belated congrats! But my point still stands. Mason’s not going to shake me. I’ve got the moves and the technique to surpass him. Let’s rock!”

The song should return, but the instrumental loop remains. Her eyebrows furrow as she taps her foot to the beat and she runs her hands through her hair.

“And that leaves Team AA… What is there to say that hasn’t been said already? Alex Jones, Avery Miles, and Daisy Rose are holding the wild card in their hands. Literally. They have a fourth member to even the numbers game and no one has any idea who he or she is. Having the element of surprise gives them an advantage that the rest of us don’t have. That makes them almost as dangerous as Coda is on an emotional rampage. How do you counter something you have no knowledge of? Well the answer’s simple. Expect the unexpected.

I’ve known Avery for a while. We haven’t always cooperated with each other. To be honest, sometimes I get this awful feeling in my gut… But hey, he seems to be a decent guy. How he works together with Alex Jones, I don’t know. AJ gives me double agent vibes. On one hand, he’s nice and genuine. On the other hand, he’s vile and cruel. Can he really be trusted? I guess that’s where Daisy comes in to balance the team. Whoever the fourth player is, it has to be someone who co-exists with her. She’s a mother, she knows to be cautious and she’s great with teamwork. Can she keep her team together? By herself? I don’t know. I guess we’ll just have to see how everything plays out tonight.

The game’s about to begin. I hope everyone’s leveled up because the Paladin of the Guardians is swinging! Game on!”

With a grin, Jessica waves her hand and gestures Victor to join her in the ring. He seems reluctant at first, especially with the camera still recording, but he rises from his seat. He climbs over the barricade and ascends the steel steps into the ring. Jessica smiles brightly and steps aside to share the “center stage” with him. The moment he does, the song picks up and she simply dances with him, encouraging him to match her movements. It takes him a moment but he actually manages to keep up with her.

Ooh, war!
Is an enemy to all mankind
The thought of war blows my mind!
War has caused unrest
Within the younger generation
Induction!
Then destruction!
Who wants to die?!

Ooh WAR!