No Other Choice: Redemption and Evolution
Jun 30, 2024 12:45:05 GMT -5
“The Saint” Johnny Eden and Gerard Angelo like this
Post by Teo Blaze on Jun 30, 2024 12:45:05 GMT -5
The scene opens with a sweeping aerial shot of a sprawling cityscape, bathed in the golden hues of a setting summer sun. The skyscrapers stand tall, casting long shadows across the streets below, while the heat of the day lingers in the air, oppressive to the senses, the scorching Summer air sucks the life out of anyone unlucky enough to get caught in it for too long.
Yet as the heat radiates off of the rooftops, practically shimmering, the camera slowly descends, revealing Teo Blaze standing on the edge of a rooftop, the vast expanse of the city stretching out behind him. The long stretch of skyline reflecting in his red lenses, a look of deep contemplation etched across a stern face.
“Evolution. The word itself speaks to growth, to change, to becoming something greater than you ever thought possible. It is a term that does not just mean growth, but survival. Evolution cannot come by choice, or by desire alone. To truly grow, to Evolve, you must face the threat of extinction. To know that to fail is to become resigned to the history books.
And on this night? This isn’t just a match; it’s a culmination of every battle, every sacrifice, every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears I’ve shed. This... this is my moment.”
He steps closer to the edge, the wind whipping around him, symbolizing the turbulent journey he's been on. He looks out over the city, his eyes reflecting the glow of the setting sun.
“You know, standing up here, looking down at the world below? It kind of changes your perspective. You see the distance you’ve traveled, the obstacles you’ve overcome, and the heights you’ve yet to reach. So many see the top of the mountain only by looking up- but the view from this height? It’s one of a kind.
His voice rises, each word carrying the weight of his resolve. He looks out over the long stretch of skyline, a reminder of both his journey and the challenges ahead, and the look softens, a slight grin etching itself across the otherwise deadly serious expression.
“You know, I’ve been called a lot of things in my career. A cruiserweight. An underdog. A perpetual choker. People that I liked, that I respected have looked me in the eyes and told me that I was not enough. That Teo Blaze would never grab that ring, would never be here. That people like me don’t get to be World Champions.
I have heard the cruelest, most vindictive barbs thrown my way time and again, and every failure on that road only strengthened the resolve of the detractors. There was no victory that couldn’t be spun, no failure that didn’t spell the end of Teo Blaze, and every step along the way the only promise, the only guarantee was that there would be someone new, someone ready to twist whatever knife was plunged into my back.
Rest assured, they’d say, one day Teo will break.”
He clenches his fists, his knuckles white with intensity, his expression burning like the heat of that same summer day, beads of sweat trickling as he composes himself.
“And no man has had a sharper knife to plunge than Gerard Angelo- that damned briefcase, his guarantee, the chance to undo his own biggest failure. Gerard has never been the biggest in the fight, never the strongest, but that cunning, that merciless manipulative opportunism has made him dangerous.
Gerard Angelo is not Walter, he’s not Odin Balfore- he’s not an Apex Predator who can tear you limb from limb with his incredible strength. He’s a snake. A creature of deception, meant to appear weak just long enough to sink its fangs into you-
But it is weak.
Trap a snake’s head? Cut off a scorpion’s tail? Take the venom away, and what are they left with?”
Teo lets the question hang in the air, letting the thought turn over in his own mind before he continues to speak.
“You see, that’s the problem with relying too much on your venom. On your cunning. It’s an effective weapon, you’d be a fool to try and claim otherwise…but it doesn’t work forever. And after all, why would a creature of habit change? Give the appearance of weakness, make yourself seem vulnerable, and everything is taken care of, right?
Heh.
And then that little word comes back around again. Evolution.
In the animal kingdom, creatures evolve to defeat those venomous snakes. After being bitten enough times, they develop immunity, find ways to counteract the venom, and eventually, that snake's greatest weapon becomes its greatest weakness.
The creature that once relied on its venom finds itself outmatched, outwitted, and ultimately, obsolete. Because it never had to evolve, it never had to grow. It became complacent, reliant on the same trick over and over, until a creature, one who understands the true meaning of evolution, realized what it takes to overcome them.
Gerard Angelo, you are that snake. You've relied on your cunning, your opportunism, your venom for far too long. And it has taken you all the way to the World Championship.
But you made one crucial mistake when you tried to sink your fangs into my heart, Gerard.
You didn’t finish the job.
You hurt me Gerard Angelo, when you took away that championship, when you took the world from me in the only way that you ever could have- it hurt. That sting was unlike any pain I could have even imagined possible.
The World Championship that I had chased for my entire career, that I had put myself through more pain and misery than could have been imagined to hold, and it was gone.
When that bell rang, and when that realization set in? It hurt, Gerard. In that moment I wanted nothing more than to blame you. To hold you accountable, and above all, to hurt you. To inflict the pain on you that you had inflicted on me. To make you feel just an ounce of the heartache that you inflicted on me!
And there you stood, the snake. Content in his victory. Convinced that his venom had silenced another foolish enough to get in range of the bite.
Unaware of what you had truly done.
You had bitten Teo Blaze, but you had not finished him. Had not killed him. And deep within that heart, your toxic bite forced me to choose. Do I roll over and die, Gerard? Do I let the pain overcome me as it has so many before?
Do I give up on the mountaintop, and say that I have done enough?
Or do I evolve?
Do I take this pain, this anger, this rage, and do I use it, let it fuel me, drive me, push me in ways that I could never push myself?!”
As Teo lets the question echo through the air, the intensity in his voice clear through every syllable, the ever-persistent grin grows that much wider.
“That’s the secret, Gerard. Evolution is not something that you can choose to do. It is not enough to want to grow, to change.
There has to be a spark. Someone, somewhere has to ignite something inside of you, to be the catalyst which forces evolution to step in. No matter how hard I worked in that gym, no matter how many times I pushed myself to get better, to get stronger, to get angrier, it would never be enough on its own.
True Growth, true evolution can only be spurred by another, Gerard. When someone does something to you so deeply painful, so personally damaging, when your very continued existence is threatened, it sets off something deep and primal, something that man doesn’t even fully comprehend, something he barely wants to acknowledge that he has the potential for!
And you, Gerard. You set off that spark in Teo Blaze. You created your own monster.
When I walked into the Havoc Rumble, knowing that every name in that ring wanted nothing more than to make a name on Teo Blaze, all I could hear in the back of my head as I sent every challenger careening over the rope was your name. To see that cocky, smug grin on your face.
Knowing that on the other end of the Havoc Rumble, you were waiting, that the only way to the top of the mountain, to stand across the ring from you once again, was to win a match that I had lost over and over again?
We both know what happened.”
Teo’s eyes close now, and a very peculiar thing happens, the camera slowly zooms in on his face, and the sound of a roaring crowd chanting his name begins to fill the audio, Chris Avery’s voice screaming with excitement, declaring Teo the havoc winner for 2024, the victory playing itself out in the challenger’s mind like a highlight reel as his eyes suddenly snap open.
“You are not dealing with the same man who already beat you once, Gerard. The principles which guided me, honor, strength, integrity- they are all still flames burning in my heart, but they are mere sparks in the inferno that you have ignited!
When you wrenched that Championship away from my hands, when you sold your soul for one more run at the top, I failed to stop you.
On that night, Teo Blaze failed.
Just like you had always said he would.”
Teo’s hands reach out, gripping the edge of the building, as if reliving the memory has dredged up a forgotten but painful emotion, his muscles tighten and his grip on the rail visibly intensifies, but the moment passes quickly, and he collects himself, his words cold now, steeled by whatever feelings have just passed.
“But you know what, Gerard? That’s the biggest difference between you and me. You fear failure. For Gerard Angelo, the story ends with a single defeat. A man who has mortgaged his soul to reach the top of the mountain, who has forsaken his fans, his honor, his integrity, who has given up everything about himself in the name of pursuing just one more ill-gotten chance to hold onto that gold!
Without that championship, you become nothing. A regretful mistake of a human being that people speak of in hushed whispers, and who is hurried into the wastebasket of history. Not the Hollywood star going out in a blaze of glory, remembered as a hero even in his defeat, but a sad, pathetic coward who finally got what was coming to him.
I have failed, Gerard. I know it. Time and time again I have tasted defeat at the hands of wrestlers who were either willing to compromise where I would not, or who on that night were stronger, faster…
I didn’t come from Hollywood, from Money. I was just another face in the crowd. But I found friends. Allies. On Cruiserclash, I found a partner, and I found a home. It was…comforting. I was an island, a big fish in a small pond. And in that moment, perhaps part of me was even willing to let that be it. I was happy.
But between you and me, Gerard, I’m going to tell you something that I’ve never told anyone else. Something that you, Gerard, made me realize.
It wasn’t enough.
To be happy, to be comfortable, to mentor and nurture the next generation of Action Wrestling talent, to be that big fish in that small pond?
Something was stirring inside me. It came out in glimpses, in flashes.
Something was yearning to break free. A hunger. A desire to truly break free.
A wild animal just below the surface, something that I had thought better caged. A part of myself that I had not had to draw on Cruiserclash, as part of the Gents. A part of myself that I had tried to leave behind. A part of myself that honestly, Gerard? Frightened me.
That anger, that fear, that indignation, and yes…that Hunger.
I pushed that part of myself down. Every time I hit that punching bag, every time I lifted an impossible weight, every time I heard that bell ring, I was holding back that part of myself, denying that it even existed!
Because I didn’t want to be like you, Gerard.
I didn’t want to let that part of me take over, to compromise.”
Teo loosens his grip on the railing, practically shaking with emotion as he slowly collects himself.
“But then I had the World Championship in my hands. That beautiful, elusive golden muse and everything that it represents was mine to hold. And that part of me, that desire to evolve, to grow, it went wild. Banging at the bars of its cage to be let out, to let me grow into what I was always destined to be, to embrace my rage, my desire, and my pride. To finally break free!
Just like you did. Long before me. Unchecked ego given human form, desires made manifest.
But I refused. I saw no purpose in it. I felt every one of those emotions deep inside myself, and I knew that once I flipped that switch, there would be no going back.”
As Teo says the words, his voice gives way now to a new emotion, soft at first, but then echoing into a mighty crescendo, a wicked laugh that crashes over the skyline, Teo’s genuine happiness tinged with something new, something only seen in glimpses.
“And do you know the funniest part Gerard? If it wasn’t for you, I probably never would have listened to those emotions. They would be bottled deep inside, a part of me that I could deny forever.
But you just couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you?
Your insecurities, your weakness, your constant fear of fading into irrelevance like you have always deserved jumped out. You saw opportunity and you took it, consequences be damned!
After all, it’s just Teo, right?
What’s the worst thing that could happen?”
Teo’s laughter dies down, replaced by a steely, almost predatory gaze. He steps even closer to the edge of the rooftop, the city below now a distant memory as his focus narrows on one singular target: Gerard Angelo.
“The worst thing that could happen, Gerard, is exactly what you’ve made reality. You’ve given me a reason worth embracing those parts of my personality. You’ve given me a reason to finally listen to that little voice. You've unleashed a version of Teo Blaze that no longer uses honor and determination as ways to hold back the fire within, you’ve given me a reason to finally, truly hold nothing back!”
Teo's voice lowers, becoming almost a growl, every word dripping with venom and intent.
“I’ve become something more than you ever anticipated. You wanted to salvage the name you made for yourself by destroying me, by taking away my championship. Instead, you've created your own nightmare. You've brought forth a Teo Blaze who is more ruthless, more relentless, and more dangerous than ever before! Determination steeled by hunger, and a ruthless desire to see you suffer!
You thrive on deception and opportunism, Gerard, but those tactics won’t save you this time. I have survived your venomous bite once before, and you will not get another opportunity.”
Teo takes a deep breath, the cityscape behind him seeming to pulse with the same energy he exudes. His eyes burn with a newfound intensity, a reflection of the internal inferno.
“You took my world from me, Gerard. You made me question everything I stood for, everything I believed in. But in doing so, you’ve given me the greatest gift of all. You’ve freed me from my own limitations. Evolution cannot be started without others, and you have given me exactly what I needed to realize that potential. Now, I’m ready to do whatever it takes to reclaim what’s mine and to ensure that you feel every ounce of the pain you inflicted on me!”
His fists unclench, his body relaxing slightly as he steps back from the edge, but the fire in his eyes remains undiminished.
“Make no mistake, Gerard. This isn’t just about a championship anymore. This is about vengeance, about making you pay for every smug smile, every underhanded tactic, every time you thought you had outsmarted me. You’ve awakened a beast that won’t stop until it has torn you apart, piece by piece.
You wanted to see if Teo Blaze could be broken? You’re about to find out just how unbreakable I truly am. Because when that bell rings, it’s not just about winning or losing. It’s about survival. It’s about evolution. And I’ve evolved into something you can’t possibly survive!”
The camera pulls back, capturing Teo Blaze standing tall, the city stretching out endlessly behind him, a symbol of his journey and the battles yet to come. His voice, filled with unwavering conviction, echoes through the air.
“And when you’re standing in that ring, when you’re eyes go wide as you realize that you’re not facing the man you thought you were, you realize just what you have created? The part that I want you to remember, Gerard, is that it never had to be that way. When you’re trying to count your teeth afterward, and looking for someone to blame, someone to be accountable for why it all went wrong, you need only take a look in the mirror.
Because you made me realize that I had no other choice.
And that I didn’t need to hold back any more.
Let that be your Legacy, Gerard.”
With those words, Teo turns away as the camera slowly pans to the setting sun along the city skyline, the intense heat persisting even as the darkness sets in, the scene fading to black, Teo Blaze’s final words hanging in the air like a promise, a declaration of war.
Yet as the heat radiates off of the rooftops, practically shimmering, the camera slowly descends, revealing Teo Blaze standing on the edge of a rooftop, the vast expanse of the city stretching out behind him. The long stretch of skyline reflecting in his red lenses, a look of deep contemplation etched across a stern face.
“Evolution. The word itself speaks to growth, to change, to becoming something greater than you ever thought possible. It is a term that does not just mean growth, but survival. Evolution cannot come by choice, or by desire alone. To truly grow, to Evolve, you must face the threat of extinction. To know that to fail is to become resigned to the history books.
And on this night? This isn’t just a match; it’s a culmination of every battle, every sacrifice, every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears I’ve shed. This... this is my moment.”
He steps closer to the edge, the wind whipping around him, symbolizing the turbulent journey he's been on. He looks out over the city, his eyes reflecting the glow of the setting sun.
“You know, standing up here, looking down at the world below? It kind of changes your perspective. You see the distance you’ve traveled, the obstacles you’ve overcome, and the heights you’ve yet to reach. So many see the top of the mountain only by looking up- but the view from this height? It’s one of a kind.
His voice rises, each word carrying the weight of his resolve. He looks out over the long stretch of skyline, a reminder of both his journey and the challenges ahead, and the look softens, a slight grin etching itself across the otherwise deadly serious expression.
“You know, I’ve been called a lot of things in my career. A cruiserweight. An underdog. A perpetual choker. People that I liked, that I respected have looked me in the eyes and told me that I was not enough. That Teo Blaze would never grab that ring, would never be here. That people like me don’t get to be World Champions.
I have heard the cruelest, most vindictive barbs thrown my way time and again, and every failure on that road only strengthened the resolve of the detractors. There was no victory that couldn’t be spun, no failure that didn’t spell the end of Teo Blaze, and every step along the way the only promise, the only guarantee was that there would be someone new, someone ready to twist whatever knife was plunged into my back.
Rest assured, they’d say, one day Teo will break.”
He clenches his fists, his knuckles white with intensity, his expression burning like the heat of that same summer day, beads of sweat trickling as he composes himself.
“And no man has had a sharper knife to plunge than Gerard Angelo- that damned briefcase, his guarantee, the chance to undo his own biggest failure. Gerard has never been the biggest in the fight, never the strongest, but that cunning, that merciless manipulative opportunism has made him dangerous.
Gerard Angelo is not Walter, he’s not Odin Balfore- he’s not an Apex Predator who can tear you limb from limb with his incredible strength. He’s a snake. A creature of deception, meant to appear weak just long enough to sink its fangs into you-
But it is weak.
Trap a snake’s head? Cut off a scorpion’s tail? Take the venom away, and what are they left with?”
Teo lets the question hang in the air, letting the thought turn over in his own mind before he continues to speak.
“You see, that’s the problem with relying too much on your venom. On your cunning. It’s an effective weapon, you’d be a fool to try and claim otherwise…but it doesn’t work forever. And after all, why would a creature of habit change? Give the appearance of weakness, make yourself seem vulnerable, and everything is taken care of, right?
Heh.
And then that little word comes back around again. Evolution.
In the animal kingdom, creatures evolve to defeat those venomous snakes. After being bitten enough times, they develop immunity, find ways to counteract the venom, and eventually, that snake's greatest weapon becomes its greatest weakness.
The creature that once relied on its venom finds itself outmatched, outwitted, and ultimately, obsolete. Because it never had to evolve, it never had to grow. It became complacent, reliant on the same trick over and over, until a creature, one who understands the true meaning of evolution, realized what it takes to overcome them.
Gerard Angelo, you are that snake. You've relied on your cunning, your opportunism, your venom for far too long. And it has taken you all the way to the World Championship.
But you made one crucial mistake when you tried to sink your fangs into my heart, Gerard.
You didn’t finish the job.
You hurt me Gerard Angelo, when you took away that championship, when you took the world from me in the only way that you ever could have- it hurt. That sting was unlike any pain I could have even imagined possible.
The World Championship that I had chased for my entire career, that I had put myself through more pain and misery than could have been imagined to hold, and it was gone.
When that bell rang, and when that realization set in? It hurt, Gerard. In that moment I wanted nothing more than to blame you. To hold you accountable, and above all, to hurt you. To inflict the pain on you that you had inflicted on me. To make you feel just an ounce of the heartache that you inflicted on me!
And there you stood, the snake. Content in his victory. Convinced that his venom had silenced another foolish enough to get in range of the bite.
Unaware of what you had truly done.
You had bitten Teo Blaze, but you had not finished him. Had not killed him. And deep within that heart, your toxic bite forced me to choose. Do I roll over and die, Gerard? Do I let the pain overcome me as it has so many before?
Do I give up on the mountaintop, and say that I have done enough?
Or do I evolve?
Do I take this pain, this anger, this rage, and do I use it, let it fuel me, drive me, push me in ways that I could never push myself?!”
As Teo lets the question echo through the air, the intensity in his voice clear through every syllable, the ever-persistent grin grows that much wider.
“That’s the secret, Gerard. Evolution is not something that you can choose to do. It is not enough to want to grow, to change.
There has to be a spark. Someone, somewhere has to ignite something inside of you, to be the catalyst which forces evolution to step in. No matter how hard I worked in that gym, no matter how many times I pushed myself to get better, to get stronger, to get angrier, it would never be enough on its own.
True Growth, true evolution can only be spurred by another, Gerard. When someone does something to you so deeply painful, so personally damaging, when your very continued existence is threatened, it sets off something deep and primal, something that man doesn’t even fully comprehend, something he barely wants to acknowledge that he has the potential for!
And you, Gerard. You set off that spark in Teo Blaze. You created your own monster.
When I walked into the Havoc Rumble, knowing that every name in that ring wanted nothing more than to make a name on Teo Blaze, all I could hear in the back of my head as I sent every challenger careening over the rope was your name. To see that cocky, smug grin on your face.
Knowing that on the other end of the Havoc Rumble, you were waiting, that the only way to the top of the mountain, to stand across the ring from you once again, was to win a match that I had lost over and over again?
We both know what happened.”
Teo’s eyes close now, and a very peculiar thing happens, the camera slowly zooms in on his face, and the sound of a roaring crowd chanting his name begins to fill the audio, Chris Avery’s voice screaming with excitement, declaring Teo the havoc winner for 2024, the victory playing itself out in the challenger’s mind like a highlight reel as his eyes suddenly snap open.
“You are not dealing with the same man who already beat you once, Gerard. The principles which guided me, honor, strength, integrity- they are all still flames burning in my heart, but they are mere sparks in the inferno that you have ignited!
When you wrenched that Championship away from my hands, when you sold your soul for one more run at the top, I failed to stop you.
On that night, Teo Blaze failed.
Just like you had always said he would.”
Teo’s hands reach out, gripping the edge of the building, as if reliving the memory has dredged up a forgotten but painful emotion, his muscles tighten and his grip on the rail visibly intensifies, but the moment passes quickly, and he collects himself, his words cold now, steeled by whatever feelings have just passed.
“But you know what, Gerard? That’s the biggest difference between you and me. You fear failure. For Gerard Angelo, the story ends with a single defeat. A man who has mortgaged his soul to reach the top of the mountain, who has forsaken his fans, his honor, his integrity, who has given up everything about himself in the name of pursuing just one more ill-gotten chance to hold onto that gold!
Without that championship, you become nothing. A regretful mistake of a human being that people speak of in hushed whispers, and who is hurried into the wastebasket of history. Not the Hollywood star going out in a blaze of glory, remembered as a hero even in his defeat, but a sad, pathetic coward who finally got what was coming to him.
I have failed, Gerard. I know it. Time and time again I have tasted defeat at the hands of wrestlers who were either willing to compromise where I would not, or who on that night were stronger, faster…
I didn’t come from Hollywood, from Money. I was just another face in the crowd. But I found friends. Allies. On Cruiserclash, I found a partner, and I found a home. It was…comforting. I was an island, a big fish in a small pond. And in that moment, perhaps part of me was even willing to let that be it. I was happy.
But between you and me, Gerard, I’m going to tell you something that I’ve never told anyone else. Something that you, Gerard, made me realize.
It wasn’t enough.
To be happy, to be comfortable, to mentor and nurture the next generation of Action Wrestling talent, to be that big fish in that small pond?
Something was stirring inside me. It came out in glimpses, in flashes.
Something was yearning to break free. A hunger. A desire to truly break free.
A wild animal just below the surface, something that I had thought better caged. A part of myself that I had not had to draw on Cruiserclash, as part of the Gents. A part of myself that I had tried to leave behind. A part of myself that honestly, Gerard? Frightened me.
That anger, that fear, that indignation, and yes…that Hunger.
I pushed that part of myself down. Every time I hit that punching bag, every time I lifted an impossible weight, every time I heard that bell ring, I was holding back that part of myself, denying that it even existed!
Because I didn’t want to be like you, Gerard.
I didn’t want to let that part of me take over, to compromise.”
Teo loosens his grip on the railing, practically shaking with emotion as he slowly collects himself.
“But then I had the World Championship in my hands. That beautiful, elusive golden muse and everything that it represents was mine to hold. And that part of me, that desire to evolve, to grow, it went wild. Banging at the bars of its cage to be let out, to let me grow into what I was always destined to be, to embrace my rage, my desire, and my pride. To finally break free!
Just like you did. Long before me. Unchecked ego given human form, desires made manifest.
But I refused. I saw no purpose in it. I felt every one of those emotions deep inside myself, and I knew that once I flipped that switch, there would be no going back.”
As Teo says the words, his voice gives way now to a new emotion, soft at first, but then echoing into a mighty crescendo, a wicked laugh that crashes over the skyline, Teo’s genuine happiness tinged with something new, something only seen in glimpses.
“And do you know the funniest part Gerard? If it wasn’t for you, I probably never would have listened to those emotions. They would be bottled deep inside, a part of me that I could deny forever.
But you just couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you?
Your insecurities, your weakness, your constant fear of fading into irrelevance like you have always deserved jumped out. You saw opportunity and you took it, consequences be damned!
After all, it’s just Teo, right?
What’s the worst thing that could happen?”
Teo’s laughter dies down, replaced by a steely, almost predatory gaze. He steps even closer to the edge of the rooftop, the city below now a distant memory as his focus narrows on one singular target: Gerard Angelo.
“The worst thing that could happen, Gerard, is exactly what you’ve made reality. You’ve given me a reason worth embracing those parts of my personality. You’ve given me a reason to finally listen to that little voice. You've unleashed a version of Teo Blaze that no longer uses honor and determination as ways to hold back the fire within, you’ve given me a reason to finally, truly hold nothing back!”
Teo's voice lowers, becoming almost a growl, every word dripping with venom and intent.
“I’ve become something more than you ever anticipated. You wanted to salvage the name you made for yourself by destroying me, by taking away my championship. Instead, you've created your own nightmare. You've brought forth a Teo Blaze who is more ruthless, more relentless, and more dangerous than ever before! Determination steeled by hunger, and a ruthless desire to see you suffer!
You thrive on deception and opportunism, Gerard, but those tactics won’t save you this time. I have survived your venomous bite once before, and you will not get another opportunity.”
Teo takes a deep breath, the cityscape behind him seeming to pulse with the same energy he exudes. His eyes burn with a newfound intensity, a reflection of the internal inferno.
“You took my world from me, Gerard. You made me question everything I stood for, everything I believed in. But in doing so, you’ve given me the greatest gift of all. You’ve freed me from my own limitations. Evolution cannot be started without others, and you have given me exactly what I needed to realize that potential. Now, I’m ready to do whatever it takes to reclaim what’s mine and to ensure that you feel every ounce of the pain you inflicted on me!”
His fists unclench, his body relaxing slightly as he steps back from the edge, but the fire in his eyes remains undiminished.
“Make no mistake, Gerard. This isn’t just about a championship anymore. This is about vengeance, about making you pay for every smug smile, every underhanded tactic, every time you thought you had outsmarted me. You’ve awakened a beast that won’t stop until it has torn you apart, piece by piece.
You wanted to see if Teo Blaze could be broken? You’re about to find out just how unbreakable I truly am. Because when that bell rings, it’s not just about winning or losing. It’s about survival. It’s about evolution. And I’ve evolved into something you can’t possibly survive!”
The camera pulls back, capturing Teo Blaze standing tall, the city stretching out endlessly behind him, a symbol of his journey and the battles yet to come. His voice, filled with unwavering conviction, echoes through the air.
“And when you’re standing in that ring, when you’re eyes go wide as you realize that you’re not facing the man you thought you were, you realize just what you have created? The part that I want you to remember, Gerard, is that it never had to be that way. When you’re trying to count your teeth afterward, and looking for someone to blame, someone to be accountable for why it all went wrong, you need only take a look in the mirror.
Because you made me realize that I had no other choice.
And that I didn’t need to hold back any more.
Let that be your Legacy, Gerard.”
With those words, Teo turns away as the camera slowly pans to the setting sun along the city skyline, the intense heat persisting even as the darkness sets in, the scene fading to black, Teo Blaze’s final words hanging in the air like a promise, a declaration of war.