Nerd Paladin, Level Up! | File 006: Premonition

The recording light of the camera turns on and the scenario begins with a beautiful daytime view of Madrid, Spain from the rooftop terrace of Hotel Silken. Facing away from the camera, Jessica Sears looks out towards the city, her arms raised out to the sides to “embrace” the rays of the sun. Compared to New York City, the weather is a little nicer and warmer here.

“It’s too bad I have to fly back home right after Dissension tonight…”

Slowly, she lowers her arms to her sides and takes a deep breath.

“Spirit and Pride Wrestling’s “Don’t Drink From the Hudson” two-night supershow begins tomorrow night and I’m performing on Tuesday night. If I can make it to both nights? Awesome. If not, that’s okay. The focus will be on my SAP X Championship match against Andre Holmes.”

She turns around to face the camera with a weak smile on her face.

“But that’s not where my focus is right now. It’s clear that my wrestling performance hasn’t been the best. Of the four matches I’ve had in 2018 so far, I’m one-and-three, and two of those losses are in New Generation Wrestling. Losing the tag-team match to Matthew Shields and Kayla Richards on Dissension was awful. Losing the triple threat match to Alex Jones on Homecoming was disappointing. I’ll be honest, my confidence is a little shot. It’s bad enough that January is the most emotionally trying month of the year for me. Losing two professional wrestling matches back-to-back, the fourth anniversary of my father’s death, and the shocking family revelation, all in the same week…”

Reflecting on that week, the slight distress arises on her youthful facial features. She takes a moment to simply think, turning slightly to look out towards the city, and she shakes her head.

“...but this month hasn’t been entirely bad. In the aftermath of the shocking family revelation, I found out that I have an older half-sister on our father’s side. Her name is Everalda Sears-Theron. She’s half-German, half-South African. She’s the proud mother of her one-year-old son, Klaus. Yes, I’m an aunt. Crazy, huh? Everalda’s a professional model, just like our brother, Zachary. Heh, I guess I’m the odd one out in that scenario. I’m not entirely model material like they are.”

Her modesty is clearly radiating.

“One of my good friends, Adam Sanders, just recently became the new West Coast Genesis Long Beach Champion. He finally leveled up into a champion! Score another point for the Nerd Nation. Didn’t we say that nerds would rule the world?”

With a light-hearted chuckle, she turns towards the camera and flips one of her long twin braids over her shoulder.

“And then… Victor and I finally decided to make our relationship public. That’s right, he’s my boyfriend and my manager. We’ve been dating since mid-December. We were trying to keep it low-key for personal reasons, but I rolled a natural one on my life’s D20 die on the NGW Christmas Eve show. Oh well. Fuck subtlety, right Johnny?”

It was Santa Johnny’s powerful influence that made Jessica and Victor’s traditional kiss under the mistletoe on-camera. There was no editing it out, either. She sticks her tongue out before she smiles.

“You know, I think Devlin Scott has a little bit of humor. After the triple threat match on Homecoming, he books me in a triple threat tag-team match on tonight’s Dissension. Three teams, one winner. Once again, Adrien and I represent the Guardians-- of the Galaxy-- as we face off against the new and improved Radicalliance 2.0 in Ronnie North and Kaylee Kassie, as well as the newly born Rebel Society in Damon Graves and Avery Miles the Third. The winning team will face off against the Destroyers, Matthew Shields and Jack Tillman, for the NGW Tag-Team Championships.

This is going to sound bizarre, but I like everyone in this match. However, I’m not entirely on the same page as “Double K” Kaylee Kassie. Considering our history back in IPW, that’s understandable. Let’s be honest, Kaylee, we were enemies. Depending on your words and actions, we may still be enemies.”

The moment she says...

“Untouchable.”

...a frown crosses her face and her eyes narrow just a little.

“Does that word ring a bell to you? It should because that’s the name of the faction you, Xavier, Kiana, and Jacob were all apart of back in IPW. I still remember your insults, your personal attacks, and your vile actions against me. Am I holding a grudge? No, not really. I’m just a little guarded and I have every reason to be. Of everyone in this match, you’re the one I like the least. I don’t know how Josh and Ronnie trust you, but it’s their judgment to make. I’m happy for you and Josh. I hope your wedding is a wonderful one. If Josh invites me, as a friend and fellow Guardian, I’ll be there. If you don’t like it, well… that’s not my problem, is it?”

A smirk crosses Jessica’s face before she casually shrugs her shoulders.

“But I digress. You decided to leave your position as the WCG General Manager and return to wrestling action on NGW’s Homecoming. Honestly, good for you. It was a nice victory for you and Ronnie. Now if you expect to have the same luck in this match, you’re clearly underestimating the precarious situation you’re in. Everyone knows how triple threats work. I’m not going to review it. The fact of the matter is this. I owe you a little bit of payback and I will have my vengeance, even if you are Josh’s fiancée.”

She straightens out her Dragon Ball Z Super Saiyan Vegeta tee and looks contemplative. A knowing-little smile crosses her face before she speaks up.

“Ronnie North, it’s nice to have you back…”

She turns away from the camera, only for the camera to begin slowly zooming in on her pink yoga pants-covered bubbly ass.

“...in NGW. I’m a little more fond of you than Kaylee. In fact, I do respect you… even if you twisted my Terry Bogard gif around to proclaim “how hard you’d hit it”. "It" being my ass.”

“It is a lovely asset of yours.”

Victor’s voice is heard from behind the camera and Jessica looks over her shoulder at him, letting out a cute pout.

“Don’t you side with him.”

She blinks and looks intently at the camera.

“...are you zooming in on my ass?”

“That was a part of the plan to distract Mr. North, was it not?”

Jessica parts her lips to say something, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she looks forward and places her hands on her naturally curvy hips.

“Touché.”

She chuckles and shakes her head.

“Usually, I don’t resort to using my assets to gain the advantage, but I decided to be nice… just for you, Ronnie. I like you. You’re extremely eccentric and you’re not afraid to speak your mind, but you’re also friendly and loyal to those you care about. I’m flattered that you practically made most of your promo about my butt. The entirety of your video made me laugh. In a good way, of course. I’m still not sure what to make of the existence of a porn star parodying me, but… that’s another matter for another time.

I know you just were just medically cleared to compete after a long hiatus. I know you and Kaylee are focused on winning this match. As much as I want to support you, we’re on different corners of the ring. I’m one of your opponents, and as your opponent, I can’t let you win. Can’t let you do that, Star Fox! Am I right? In all honesty, I want you to give it your best. Don’t be too distracted by the bubbly that I’m sure my boyfriend’s capturing on camera perfectly.”

She’s not wrong. It’s a wonderful sight to behold. Victor chuckles behind the camera before he begins to zoom out. Jessica turns around and casually waves her right hand.

“Let’s not forget about Rebel Ink. I want to start with Avery. Like Kaylee, I’ve known him for quite a while now. For the most part, he’s a nice guy. Congratulations to you and Serenity on your future parenthood.”

Saying that feels a little strange to her. She shakes it off and continues.

“But we’ve had our issues in the past. I can’t exactly remember what the original catalyst was… However, I do clearly remember you being at ringside for an IPW supershow, enjoying the wrath Jacob Daniels inflicted on me until he busted me open with my own Captain America Shield and hospitalized me. That was a little uncalled for… but like I said, I don’t hold a grudge. I was a wrestler at the charity event you organized in Las Vegas. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed myself. But tonight, the time for fun is over. Avery, I don’t know what you hope to accomplish with Rebel Society, but it would be wise not to cross the Guardians…”

Pause. Smile.

“...of the Galaxy. And yes, I will refer to my family as such.”

She takes a few steps towards the camera and sighs.

“Damon, I like you. I also like your wife, Aurora. We have a profound love for Sailor Moon and video games. She said it herself, I’m one of the only women she respects in this business. One day, I’d like to face her in a one-on-one match. I respect her decision to stay out of Rebel Society and I respect her enough not to throw her into this loop. To me, this match is just business.

However…”

She raises her right hand, lifts her index finger, and wags it back and forth for a brief moment. She lowers her hand to her side and smirks.

“You kinda sorta made things personal. At least with your words. I didn’t think you’d side with Matthew on the idea that the Guardians of the Galaxy is merely “The Adrien Cochrane Show”. You try to make my tag-team partner, whom I’ve been friends with for four years, out to be some egotistical knight in shining armor. I’m sorry, let’s rewind a little. Like so many, you claim to believe that Adrien’s the leader, even though he’s proven to be otherwise. He’s even called himself the least important member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Allow me to provide my own case. Damon, you, Avery, Alex, and Daisy have come together as a team. Personally, I have no problem with that. So you want to include yourselves in the war? Cool. Awesome. Radical. But myself, Adrien, Jazmyn, and Joshua? We are more than a team. We’re more than a wrestling group for righteousness. We are family and we are equally important. We fight for the same cause and carry the same morals on our shoulders evenly. We were the first to rise when the Destroyers were overwhelming this company. Sure, our members have changed, but the heart of our family is still beating strong. If you have any doubts, allow me and Adrien to demonstrate the strength of our heart.”

Feeling a gentle breeze pick up on the rooftop terrace of the hotel, she reaches up and undoes her long twin braids. Once they’re undone, her hair flows freely in the wind and she smiles.

“If I want to be taken seriously as a force in NGW, I have to recover with a victory tonight. Losing three matches in a row is NOT an option for me. Adrien and I refuse to let each other down for the second time. This time, we’re going to walk away with the tandem victory.

It’s almost time to roll initiative. Radicalliance 2.0, Rebel Society, level up or shut up. Game on!”