Post by Der Metzger on Apr 8, 2021 14:31:49 GMT -5
Our adventure begins in the west wing of Devil's Gate in Castle Rock, Maine. After weeks of stability, Todd Metzger has been relocated to a studio apartment with minimal security. For the first time in over a year, he has his own refrigerator. That might not be a big deal to some, but it means the world to Todd. He can have his own stock of various flavors of pudding, that reminds him of home. Growing up, his mother was a brilliant cook who never applied her talents at a professional level. Todd's favorite treat was a semolina pudding. Now decades removed from her abandonment, Todd has yet to reach the same level of enjoyment. Todd sits at a table with his childhood journal, going over memories long forgotten. Among them is his mother's recipe for semolina pudding. In the old country, he had tried numerous times to replicate it but became stuck when it came to the final line: mother's secret ingredient. He had tried just about everything before giving up his dream as the hustle and bustle of professional wrestling consumed his existence. Now, he copies down the instructions word for word, in hopes that Devil's Gate's personal chef will be able to finish the masterpiece. The doorbell breaks his concentration and he looks up from the recipe, sighing before answering the door. Standing in the doorway is Dr. Reginald Royce and a young woman who he does not recognize. She is dressed in business casual, and holding a clipboard. Todd looks her up and down, which doesn't seem to bother her. She quickly takes a step forward, looking him up and down. Todd backs off and ushers them into his quarters. [ROYCE] “Todd, I would like you to meet my new assistant, Kotomi. [METZGER] “Wo ist Pete?” [ROYCE] “Mr. Harper is taking care of some… business… for me out west. Kotomi had been working as Mr. Harper’s assistant since business picked up with Action Wrestling in January.” [KOTOMI] “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Der Metzger.” [METZGER] “Nenn mich Todd.” [KOTOMI] “Ich werde das tun, Todd.” Todd smiles from behind the mask. [ROYCE] “Kotomi is fluent in your native tongue, Todd. As well as Japanese, Spanish, French--” [KOTOMI] “ngoQwIj vISov.” Todd walks over to his table and picks up the recipe, then hands it over to Dr. Royce. [ROYCE] “Ah, yes. Semolina pudding. That was a favorite of mine as a boy, too. I’ll get this to Wolfgang Puck right away. Kotomi has some matters to discuss with you regarding Action Wrestling.” Dr. Royce leaves the apartment. Kotomi looks around the room with a smile. [KOTOMI] “It’s wonderful that you’ve got your own space. The room you had for the last year was… not great. And look, you have your very own shelf on the wall. Do you know what that is for?” [METZGER] “Noch nichts.” [KOTOMI] “Well, I thought you’d like to know that Dr. Royce is having your United States Championship professionally cleaned… and if you’d like to display it on your shelf… that would really brighten the place up. While there isn’t anything on the books right now for a title defense, there is speculation that Sam Kidsgrove is next in line of contention.” Todd scoffs. [KOTOMI] “You are aware that he has been calling you out? Good. While it hasn’t been your choice to not defend the title, you seem to be taking the blame for it. Dr. Royce is negotiating for the best possible circumstances for your next defense. Now, that could also include involvement from Max Daemon and Kancer, as they are involved in a match with you this coming week on Clash.” Todd scoffs, harder. [KOTOMI] “It’s not the ideal situation for you to be in, Todd… but it is the best way for Action Wrestling to appease the bloodthirsty fans. They want action packed action… and as United States Champion, you have a responsibility to uphold the legacy of that championship.” [METZGER] “Ich bin die United States Championship.” [KOTOMI] “Yes, you are, Todd. I’ve watched your rise to the top from my office and it’s exciting to get the opportunity to work with such a prolific figure in this business.” [METZGER] “Was wissen sie über dieses geschäft?” [KOTOMI] “I’ve got family in the business. I won’t hide the fact that nepotism pushed my name up the list when I first applied to work for Devil’s Gate. My dad pressured me to try it out but it just wasn’t for me. Enough about me, for now. Let’s talk about you. More specifically, your next match. Teaming with Sam Kidsgrove against Max Daemon and Kancer is likely an attempt by the wizard behind the curtain to get you to turn on Kidsgrove, in order to set up for a match between you two. Everyone expects you to be a hot-head. They want you to be unhinged. They want to see you hurt your partner, which will get him sympathy from the crowd. What Dr. Royce has requested from you, Todd… is that you don’t fall into their trap. If you are the ideal teammate for Kidsgrove… if you do the opposite of what Action Wrestling expects of you… then you could completely derail their plot to make Sam Kidsgrove a four time United States Champion.” Todd shakes his head and sits down at the table, holding his head in his hands. [METZGER] “Was wollen sie von mir?”” [KOTOMI] “They want you to be a predictable piece in their puzzle. They want you to get Kidsgrove over, while disposing of Daemon and Kancer along the way. They are two who you have no qualms with, but will surely fight with all they’ve got, knowing that they could find their way into a title match, too. It’s possible that a fatal four way is on the horizon, so you’ve got to keep your guard up against all of them. Kaner and Daemon are both reeling from losses against Kidsgrove, so they will be out to prove something. Kancer now has the added benefit of having a team behind him. His sister and two… others. I’m sure there’s more to it. If they become a problem, Devil’s Gate will take care of them. Kancer only recently came out of remission, and he seems to be overzealous. He thought that a match with Kidsgrove was a step down, and that was a grave mistake. Kancer got in over his head… and he drowned. Rather than having attainable goals, he set out to be World Champion from day one.” [METZGER] “Dann scheiterte er gegen Kidsgrove.” [KOTOMI] “With this tag team match, he will claim again that he’s a workhorse… nobody matters but him… he’s going to… haha… eviscerate everybody. It’s impossible to take him seriously. He lives in a fantasy world… and you are the wake-up call, Todd. He claims to never give up… but then he vanished from Action Wrestling for almost a year. Hopefully after being embarrassed by you at Clash, he will take another extended hiatus to work out the real problems in his life. [METZGER] “Ich werde sein letztes problem sein.” [KOTOMI] “The other problem with this match is the involvement of Max Daemon. Once thought of as the future of Action Wrestling because of his nearly unstoppable reign as Pure Champion, he has struggled since Revolution to get anywhere near his former glory. He failed to make it past the first round of Battlebowl. He lost a decisive cage match against Graham Baker. He lost to Matthias Mintzel. Then failed to defeat Sam Kidsgrove at Timebomb. Now he has been served up on a silver platter for your to devour, Todd… but again… Dr. Royce wants you to do what they won’t expect. He wants you to go out there, be a team player, and win respectably. Flip the script on them, as they say. Go be the best you can be… but also keep in mind they all want you to slip up. Kancer and Daemon, of course… but also Kidsgrove. He wants what you have, and he cannot be trusted.” [METZGER] “Es gibt nur wenige menschen, denen ich vertraue.” [KOTOMI] “Well, Todd… I sincerely hope to be one of them. I have been granted access to… some… of your files… and I’ve got to be honest with you. I don’t see the monster that’s depicted on this pages. I see someone who has a lifetime of neglect and mistreatment holding him down. You have been battling the entire world all of your life… and that has got to be exhausting. Now that your treatment here has been working… and you’ve got your own place… returning to normalcy is a possibility. The next step would be to… ease into… removing the mask.” [METZGER] “Die maske ist ein teil von mir. Ich bin ein teil der maske.” He clenches his mask tightly on his head. [KOTOMI] “That’s okay. All in due time. Just keep in mind, Todd… that I am here to help you with whatever you need.” She hands him a business card. [KOTOMI] “This has the direct line to my office, as well as my cell phone. I’m salary, so I’m always on the clock.” Verblassen sie zu einem übersetzten shooting von Der Metzger. Treyvon Bouchet has been defeated and disposed of. Der Metzger reigns supreme, and on to the next adventure. There is so much clamoring for a showdown between Samuel Kidsgrove and myself… but I don’t see what the hype is about. Samuel is a former three time champion… which means he has lost the title three times. How many shots has been given that he has failed to capitalize on? Too many to count, I’m sure. If he is fated to stand before me, I will defeat and dispose of him as I did with Treyvon. The interesting wrinkle in our potential showdown in the inclusion of two men who Samuel has bested in recent week: Kancor and Max Deamon. Neither was able to win at whatever the Golden Globe Challenge was… so that automatically makes them a team against Samuel and yours truly. Sure. Let’s go with that. Maybe one of them can bring up that technically my first loss in Action Wrestling was a tag team match where Twiztid Insane was pinned. Don’t let that that fact distract you from how far I made it in the Elimination Chamber at Timebomb. I put away Treyvon Bouchet and Spencey Adams in record time… and then made it all the way to the very end where Ashketchup Blakelively had to execute her finishing maneuver twice just to keep me down long enough for the almighty three-count. There is no shame in my loss. Only reflection. The next time I face off against Ashketchum… it will be at Evolution… and yours truly will be inaugurated as United States Champion of the World. That is months away… and a lot could change my journey along the way. I certainly didn’t see myself with this title so soon in my run here. Dr. Royce had all the confidence in the world in my abilities… and I did my best to live up to the potential. Now the ball is in my court. I have to uphold the legacy of this championship... or whatever. To do that... I have been asked to play nice with Samuel on Monday as we take on Kancor and Deamon. All I am interested in doing... is breaking those two before they have even a glimpse of hope of coming after my championship. While I break them... I will be starting Samuel in the eyes. I want him to see what he has in store for him... whenever we do lock horns in battle. Kancor... Deamon... even Samuel need to know... there won't be pleasantries when we step onto the battlefield. Don't get it twisted. This wrestling shit is mine, motherfuckers. It's not a fuckin' game. Fuck what you heard. It's what you hearin'. |