Wrestleverse V Animezing Dragons Vs JonesTown Tea

[The Great Eye]

EPW World Tag Team Title Match.

Rp here. Deadline April 19th at 11:59 EDT

 

[EpyonMarx]

Re: Wrestleverse V Dragpns Vs Flair/Jones

[FADE IN to an Empire Pro Wrestling backdrop. Animezing Dragon are standing with the tag team titles, Otaku dressed in cosplay as Might Guy from Naruto while “The Dragon” is wearing jeans and a T-shirt]

Karl: Did we underestimate Jones and Flair? Maybe. I know, getting straight to the point. No philosophy, no crazy camera angles. We lost, yes. I didn’t expect Jones to hit the tornado DDT. But before Jones and Flair get the champagne ready, they should remember something from Disney’s Frozen.

The past is in the past.

Otaku: [note perfect] LET IT GOOOO! Let it go… can’t hold it back any more…

Karl: Stop it.

Otaku: Okay.

Karl: Some congratulations are in order for Aaron.

Otaku: Why?

Karl: Hm?

Otaku: So, he beat you, I get that, Dragon-domo, but hasn’t he been, like, wrestling for a couple of years now? In fact almost two years ago in Chicago?

Karl: And your point is… no, wait, I’ve got it.

Otaku: Yeah. And he was running around with Copycat-sam for a couple of years before that. I mean, I know I’m not the smartest guy in the lockerroom but that makes Jones-san basically a 4 year veteran and he’s only just won. Plus his dad’s the senior referee, he’s been around wrestling probably longer than you have, Dragon-domo.

Karl: True.

Otaku: Plus he’s now teaming with Flair-san. He’s wrestling some of the best and brightest and that’s rubbed off on him, of course he was gonna get the win, eventually!

Karl: True. Although that might be a little bit of overconfidence on your part if this is going where I think it is.

Yes, Aaron beat me. I hoped that one day he would, from the first time I wrestled him, because it shows me how far he’s progressed. Slower than one would expect, but you tend to build strong castles on strong foundations. Still, Otaku does have a point. It took a lot longer than I’d normally expect.

Still, at Wrestleverse he has the chance to become not only the man to unify the two belts first held by Adam Benjamin, but also one half of the tag team champions.

Otaku: Of course, like Dragon-domo said earlier and has said time after time for years it doesn’t matter what happened Minneapolis because when we get to Madison Square Garden it’s another match, a different match. The people in it aren’t even the same!

I’ve learnt in the years I’ve been with Dragon-domo that with every match we grow and improve.

Karl: That means that Eli and Aaron are going to have improved and will be bringing more to this match than in Minneapolis. But then, so are we.

I’ll admit, I underestimated you both last time. I do that sometimes. This time… this time is going to be different, because that loss reminded me of something. Something I taught Otaku early on when we started teaming, and something that I might have put at the back of my mind.

The reason I’m in this business. For the past 10 and a half years since I made my debut, and in the 10 years since I wrestled in the first match in Empire Pro Aggression, I’ve strived to become better, and push beyond my own limits. I set myself the highest standards and aim to smash them. I know I won’t always do that. Even if I get a little better each time, I thought that was enough.

Now… now I have a target in my head. A target that doesn’t say I have to be a little better than Minneapolis.

It’s a goal, a target that says I have to get back to my best. To the Dragon that was squaring off against all comers and not caring who was put in my way. The man who didn’t notice whether I won or lost because I went beyond, each and every time.

Otaku: With the power of youth!!

Karl: Maybe. I was younger then. But I’m not exactly old now. 32 in a few months, so I have plenty of time. But… I’ve never been one to wait.

Jones and Flair, I want to make you two very clear on something. Minneapolis I underestimated you and overestimated myself. This time will be different. You might not think it, you might think that we’ll underestimate you again, think that Aaron will leave something in the tank.

We’re coming out full force, from the moment the bell rings. No plan. No strategy in mind. We will react, adapt to what you throw at us, and we’ll take action.

Yes, I just quoted Diamond Dallas Page.

It’s the same philosophy I had years ago. You’ve reminded me of it, Aaron, and for that I thank you. And to thank you in an even more appropriate manner, we’re going to give it everything we’ve got and give you the chance to push through your limits, give Eli the chance to reach heights people have never seen from him in the ring.

And we’re going to show the world that Otaku and I have even greater heights still to reach.

[FADE…]

Voice: Next time on Animezing Dragon…

Otaku: Hey Otakuites! Otaku here! Next time on Animezing Dragon, Dragon-domo and I are reeling a little bit and the evil Twin Dudes are ready for their next attack! But just as they launch it we hit back with the power of YOUTH! Who will survive?

Next time, episode 23, No Rest, Only the Best!

See you then!

[END]

 

[User Poets]

Early Morning Wisdom

(FADEIN: The chilled streets of The Bronx, in the early morning hours. There's a noticeable breeze, but (at least this part of) the city was spared a dusting of snow. Aside from the occasional lone body, all bundled up and walking somewhere, the streets are deserted.

Almost deserted.

The camera spins around to show the three members of Jonestown Tea standing in the middle of the road. Eli Flair is back and to the left, his hair in his face, his arms folded, his massive frame covered by the ever - present black leather trench coat. Aaron Jones is back and to the right, a black knit hat on his head, his hands in the pockets of a heavy jacket, and the EPW Intercontinental Championship belt visible around his waist.

Front and center is the Manager of Champions, Poison Ivy. Even in the dawn's early light she wore dark glasses that hid her emerald eyes. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was hidden underneath an intentionally large and loud red fake fur coat.)

IVY: The past is immaterial to the future, Animezing Dragons. They teach that in business and finance on day one, they pound it into you over and over again: past performance is no indication of future success.

At least you're both consistent. Dragon, you told Eli you didn't want to hear about his history in the sport, and all of the wars he's waged. And you're right. Those wars were epic, those wars were bloody and brutal, and they had nothing to do with the match at hand.

Now you're letting us know that the past is in the past and Otaku wants us to let it go.

(She smiles.)

Good.

World Championships have changed hands, egos have been destroyed, and entire companies have crumbled based on the presupposition that one victory will automatically beget another.

We beat you in Minneapolis. We can do it again. We may do it again.

We may not.

But I dare say, through all your victories, Dragons... through all the battles that you've waged... for perhaps the first time ever, you're up against a team you don't fully understand.

(The wind blew harder against the trio, but nobody flinched.)

We went into Aggression 76 as the salty veteran, the ambitious rookie, and the loudmouth manager against the established Well Oiled Machine of the EPW World Tag Team Champions.

Wrestleverse will see the same match against the same two teams... but with a completely different slant.

Eli Flair is still the salty veteran with the legendary track record and Aaron Jones is still the ambitious rookie.

Except Aaron Jones is the EPW Intercontinental Champion.

Aaron Jones was the name that everyone snickered at. Aaron Jones was the untrained, untalented son of a referee that everyone grabbed when they needed a win.

(She lowered her head, either legitimately or sarcastically exasperated, and kept it down for five long seconds for dramatic purposes.)

Aaron Jones has one title around his waist and will be leaving Wrestleverse with three. There's nobody laughing now.

Not even you, Dragons, as you try to grab the bandwagon.

(She cocked her head to the side.)

You referred to Aaron's potential before our first meeting, Karl. You implied that sometimes, talent just needs the right kick in the ass to realize itself. Then you referred to how it's about time, since he's been part of the EPW for four years now.

With copycat. As his mouthpiece.

Or as a kid with more guts than brains, stepping into the ring without training to take his lumps and learn what he can.

You talk about how you hoped Aaron would beat you someday since the first time you wrestled, how you wanted to see him progress?

(She spat on the ground.)

If that was true, you'd've taken a month, a week, five minutes to talk to him and see where he's at. You would've shown an interest outside of "I hope you succeed, but I don't have enough interest to help you get there."

You're not alone, though. Nobody gave him the time of day except for Eli Flair.

(In the background, Eli held up his fist toward Aaron Jones. After a moment's hesitation, he returned the fist bump.)

You want to know why Eli Flair came back? To wrestle.

Whatever else he was planning on, whatever other reason he chose the EPW to join, all that got shoved aside immediately after Unleashed to give Aaron Jones the breathing room that he needed to locate his strengths.

We can win this match. We may win this match.

We will win this match.

Because your opponents are no longer the salty veteran and the ambitions rookie. Your opponents are a man who will be holding every championship except the World Title simultaneously at the end of Wrestleverse... and a man who has literally seen everything that can be thrown at him.

Anything you do? Variations on a theme.

Eli Flair has, quite literally, nothing to prove, other than the fact that he can steal the show as easily in two thousand fourteen as he did in two thousand nine, two thousand five, two thousand two, and all the way back twenty years.

And this match is taking place in our backyard.

Literally.

You can win this match, Dragons. You may win this match.

If I were a betting woman? If I was inclined to quote contemporary movies?

The odds are never in your favor.

(FADE)

 

[GARTHIsTheLaw]

Re: Early Morning Wisdom

<i>(We fade in on -- surprisingly enough -- </i>not<i> the inside of the gym that's been a familiar fixture in Aaron Jones' promos. Rather, he stands next to the front window of some sort of restaurant or bar; whatever the name, it's not visible in the shot. What is visible is a big poster for Wrestleverse V in the window)</i>

<b>Aaron Jones:</b> I know everybody's used to me filming these things at the gym where I train, but I figured it would be appropriate for me to defy those expectations.

After all, I did finally defy a bunch of expectations at Aggression 76. And now, it seems everyone who ever had an expectation of me immediately formed a new one.

I can't say I blame anyone for doing it. Expectations were pretty static for a long time.

When one goes away, I suppose it's a natural reaction to try to instantly replace it.

But it's been interesting, because so much thought has gone into analyzing my strategies.

"Find a way to win first match," that's an easy strategy to analyze. People didn't think too much about what kind of work would go into that.

These are people who'd already won their first match years, even decades ago. They just casually assumed I'd do whatever it was they did. Fair enough.

But now I have a more elusive set of goals.

Win my first pay-per-view match.

Win the EPW Tag Team Titles.

Retain the EPW Intercontinental Title, and unify it with the EPW Television Title.

All of a sudden, everyone's starting to wonder how I plan to accomplish that -- and in a few cases, figure out how they can ensure I fall short.

Rezin's already stated outright that he thinks my strategy is to induce others to underestimate me. So, naturally, he claims he won't.

I'll address that one in due time.

Animezing Dragons, you understand my goals a little better. But you've also made some statements that I haven't improved as quickly as I should have. That you'll give 100 percent at Wrestleverse V and will be sure not to overlook me.

I can't deny I'd have liked my ring skills to improve more quickly than they did. I think anyone can say that. I could make excuses, but they'd just be a waste of all our time.

So in that spirit of saving time, let me save some more of yours.

My strategy, to the extent that I have one, didn't change between "get first win" and "get second win." It won't change between two and three, and if three goes well, it won't change between three and four.

I'm not a complicated opponent. I have no interest in manipulating, playing mind games, convincing others to think one thing so I can do another.

My interest is proving myself. No more, no less.

That's been my goal from Day One. And even though I've evolved as a person since then -- as memories of his effect on me and on EPW have faded, you'll notice, I've come to focus more on overcoming the obstacles I face than redeeming myself for the role I played in Copycat's twisted charade -- it's still my goal now.

Otaku, Dragon -- if your plan for Wrestleverse V is to come in and hit me and Eli Flair with everything you've got, I'll raise no objection.

I'd expect no less from the dominant tag team in EPW, and as much as I want to continue my modest winning streak, I'd not fully appreciate any victory over an opponent who didn't give 100 percent.

But don't spend your time trying to pick apart my plans -- or Eli Flair's, or Poison Ivy's -- going into the pay-per-view event. They're not complicated.

We want what you want: to walk out the EPW Tag Team Champions, and to make a big impact at the big show.

<i>(Jones motions to the Wrestleverse poster behind him)</i>

<b>Jones:</b> If we all go full-speed toward that finish line, it'll be tough for anyone to be disappointed when the race is over.

<i>(Jones turns and looks up at the poster as the shot fades to black)</i>

 

[EpyonMarx]

Cold shoulder and traffic

[FADE IN to a lockerroom. “The Dragon” is sat shirtless with an ice pack on the back of his left shoulder, his gym bag open under the bench he’s sat on. He’s slightly cradling his left arm with his right and the shoulder is definitely giving him some discomfort]

Karl: You know those moments when you try to push that little bit further? They don’t always turn out the way you want. This? I don’t know what it was on Monday’s session that did it but hey, it happens. Probably something on the free weights.

No, I’m not trying to outwit Eli, or Ivy, or Aaron. I’ll either be healed up by bell time or I won’t be. But there’s no point trying to hide being hurt, anyone with some defect experience would be able to see my shoulder’s hurting. Pretty difficult to hide short of standing totally motionless. I may have been called cold and heartless a few times, but I do at least move.

Plus, I’ve never been one to hide shortcomings. Hey, go ahead and target it if you want. If there’s something I can do to improve, I go ahead and improve. If there’s something holding me back, I can try to ignore it or flaunt it.

Yes, I did kind of paraphrase Tyrion Lannister. From the books. They’re much more fun.

What if any relevance does this have to do with the upcoming title defence?

Well, beside the fact I might be going in injured and showing that fact, pretty little. Which is about the same as the level of attention I hear Aaron paid. You try and teach, but… some people hear what they want to hear. It’s why I gave up hearing retorts some years ago. Otaku hears them.

Oops… I just did something rather silly, didn’t I? Sorry, let me explain. There’s a difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is passive. It’s something you do when you’re in a restaurant or a barber’s and the TV or radio’s playing in the background, or when someone’s waffling on and on and on in a meeting or during a lecture. You hear what they’re saying, but you might not really be listening.

Listening is active. It’s the act of not only hearing what’s being said but processing and understanding it, either by converting it into terms that you understand, or asking follow up questions. Listening aids greater understanding of the world and the people you meet, of concepts and symbols, of semantics and existence.

Having bored you to tears with that, let me make a point that’s a lot simpler and uses less words.

JonesTown Tea are far from the team that’s been the most difficult to understand that we’ve faced.

I mean, how can you understand a team that wins the titles, refuses to do much more than show up, then refuses to turn up for their rematch?

Or have can you understand a team of pirates who willingly throw themselves down to the ring on ropes?

Or how can you understand that you have about a minute to totally change game plans, calm your partner down, and face a team which is the complete opposite of what you were expecting?

That’s three teams right there, Ivy.

Next point. Aaron Jones, and how I didn’t take much time out to speak with him to see what he was like.

I’m not really a people person. Which you’d know had you asked me. I don’t remember us ever exchanging pleasantries, Ivy. I’ve offered them once to you when we passed each other but you were otherwise engaged in… I think you were walking down the corridor in the opposite direction. You’ve not exactly sought me out.

So, what do you really know about me? There’s thing that got mentioned about me a few years ago that’s also on my medical file that will tell you why I didn’t go and sit down with Aaron, and also why I tend to keep myself to myself so much backstage. I don’t bring it up much as it tends to make people define me as being just that one aspect of who I am, but it is fundamental to understanding me.

I’ll leave you to guess a little longer.

As for another reason I didn’t go and talk to Aaron more than necessary? Why I didn’t go out of my way to “help” him?

Check with Otaku, who I was helping out. Or the fact that unlike a lot of Brits in the American wrestling scene, I actually do live in the UK. So, Ivy, while you’re trying to track down what aspect people really should keep in the back of their minds about me, ask Aaron why he didn’t come over to the UK to train. That invitation is out there for everyone who bothers asking. I could’ve even put him in touch with a friend of mine, Stixx at the House of Pain in Nottingham.

Ah, but travelling, that’s expensive, isn’t it? It’s not like I could expect Aaron to fly across the Atlantic on no money.

Why? Why did Otaku and I bring up how long he’d been working before he got his win?

[He poses a little, pointing at himself with his right hand, before slipping the ice pack across to the middle of his back]

Karl: I’ll leave you to work that one out as well, but to give you a hint… students over here don’t get a lot of money.

But then you go on to describe Eli, the man who has “literally seen everything that can be thrown at him”.

Now… heck, I’ll give you the answer to an earlier question, because I really hate people using the word “literally”. I’m on the autistic spectrum, with the social shortcomings and literal interpretations that brings.

So! Eli, he’s seen… probably quite a bit in a career that long. Feuds, battles, cage matches, fireballs, falling buildings, wrecking balls being driven into the arena to destroy a wrestling ring before the police go in to arrest one of the men who were scheduled for the main event. He’s no doubt seen monkey men, psychics, Vikings, pirates, ninjas, Otaku dressed in cosplay, and fans leave for a beer while he’s wrestling.

That’s a lot. But by no means is it everything. If I want to get pedantic, rather than accepting you probably meant literally in a nonliteral sense, there’s always air, dust, confetti thrown from behind that never quite reaches him and gets swept up as he walks past.

Then there’s Dragons. Not the mythical kind. Not the kind that appear in books or fantasy TV shows, or some creative writer decides to work into a narrative for no other reason than they think dragons are cool. Dragons who understand what the title of Dragon means.

It’s not about what I’ve seen, or what I’ve done. It’s not about the gold around my waist. It’s not about targets to win this match, or that match, or another match. It’s not about suplexing people more than twice my body weight or changing mindsets to suit matches or opponents I didn’t even know I was facing.

It’s about the same thing, the only thing, that Aaron Jones, Eli Flair, The First, Impulse, Castor, or anyone else on the Empire Pro Wrestling roster should worry about.

The opponent in the ring isn’t your opponent. You are. The gold, the money, the fans, they’re nice to have. The real prize is going beyond what you knew you could. Shattering those delusions that your limits are here… and pushing them back, time, after time, after time. Leaving everything you have in that ring, in that building, in this life, so you can look back in your last moments and say, yes, I did everything to be the best me I could be.

I have simple goals, really.

[He chuckles to himself, moving the ice pack back to his left shoulder]

Karl: In reality, Ivy, I only have to prove things to myself. That I’m improving and growing as a person. It’s why I came back to Empire Pro after a two year absence, it’s why I keep turning up and leaving it all in the ring. It’s ego. Quite literally.

The same reason as Eli stepping back in the ring, or Aaron wanting to win another match, and another, and another. Aaron wants to stroke his ego, Eli wants to stroke his, you want to stroke yours, Mike Neely is probably stroking something better left unsaid as he’s a strange man.

Boil it down, and Aaron and Eli, you two want to win these titles to stroke your egos. To say “I did it, I won the titles.”

I want to leave everything I have in that ring so even if we lose, I still win that competition. Leaving it all in the ring, with nothing left to give, being so exhausted but still having found extra energy, extra space, extra stamina, speed, skills… even when you get pinned, that leaves you a winner. It leaves you whole.

The rest? They complement the feeling.

But they never replace it.

[FADE. The scene shifts to Otaku standing overlooking the traffic on a busy interstate. He’s dressed as Lavi from D.Gray-Man, complete with the patch over his right eye and the standard anime hair crazy]

Otaku: It’s peaceful, you know? Just standing here, watching the world go by. Puts things into perspective. I mean when Dragon-domo and me lost, I was disappointed. But then I realised, hey, it’s one match, we’ve won lots, we’ve lost the belts twice, we came back and won them again, so… yeah.

So. Wrestleverse V! Big title defence!

Should be good. Jones-san, yeah, you took a while to win a match. But like Dragon-domo told me once, winning the first one, the second one, the third one, they don’t mean much. And something I learned when we won the titles the first time, winning them’s kinda easy compared with keeping them.

I mean, look at it openly. You too, Ivy-kun. Eli-domo, you know this already. To win a title you need to keep someone’s shoulder’s down for an uninterrupted 3 count. To retain the title, you have to do it again. And again. And again. I mean, law of averages means you aren’t going to do it all the time, and it doesn’t matter what you did the last time out because you have to go and do it all over again, and again, and again. You’ll win some, you’ll lose some. And then you have to do it twice in one night, which I mean I know Dragon-domo and me did and I’d be up for it again sometime but it’s still difficult and far from certain that you’ll even get the W once, let alone twice. It takes a little energon and a lot of luck.

I know, mixing anime with Hasbro. It’s my speech time, so [pokes tongue at the camera]

Otaku: Dragon-domo has it right. I guess it comes down to what you want and what you expect. I know Jones-san, you want to win and prove yourself. No harm in that. I know Dragon-domo wants to prove himself to himself. I want to keep hold of the titles and Flair-domo wants… who knows.

I wanna ask, Jones-san, who are you trying to prove yourself to? I don’t expect you to answer because I know, I’m just some guy you’re facing in a bit for the tag team titles, but you really need to know in your own head who it is you wanna prove yourself to. Me, I wanna prove to myself and to my fans and to Dragon-domo that me and him still deserve to be the tag team champions for a while longer. If we win great! If we lose… I dunno, it’ll make me feel bad but at the end of that, once it stops stinging, I guess… I’m kinda like Dragon-domo. If I’ve done everything I can to win and still lose I can be proud. I’ll’ve done everything I can to win fairly, no matter how tough my opponent is, like Guy Sensei and Bushy Brows, and that’ll be what I look back on when I’m old and retired from doing this. That I went to Wrestleverse and win or lose gave it all I had and made sure I had nothing left in defeat if it comes and that in victory I was magna… manga… magnanimous? Is that the word? Yeah, sounds right.

So, Flair-domo, Jones-san, I want everything you have. It’d be kinda disappointing if I gave everything I had and it wasn’t enough to make you guys give us everything you have, you know?

But, hey, maybe afterwards we can go for some drinks? Except Dragon-domo, he doesn’t drink any more. But we can!

Oh, almost forgot.

[He puts on an OTT serious face]

Otaku: We’re going to win!

That’ll do.

[FADE…]

Voice: Next time on Animezing Dragon…

Otaku: Hey Dragonites! Otaku here! Next time on Animezing Dragon, Dragon-domo and me are in trouble! It’s been a long hard road up the mountain and our path is blocked by plants! Can we cut our way through and make it to the summit where the old sage lives?

Tune in, next time!

[END]

 

[EpyonMarx]

Re: Cold shoulder and traffic

[FADE IN to “The Dragon” and Otaku standing in front of a blue screen, dressed ready to go to the ring for a Pay Per View match as they get some promotional shots taken. Both are wearing their World Tag Team Title belt around their waist, with Brown having his left shoulder taped under his green leather coat. Otaku, meanwhile, is dressed in his Pay Per View homage to Jushin “Thunder” Liger]

Photographer: OK, guys, just a couple more.

[The champions change poses a couple of times, flashbulbs going off as they stand one moment back to back, one moment facing each other. Brown keeps his gaze just past the camera off lens, while because of the mesh in the mask we can’t actually see where Otaku is looking]

Photographer: Great! Thanks, guys, they’ll be good for the programme.

Karl: Cool. Hey [to the camera crew], do you mind keeping that running for a while? Thanks.

Otaku: Dragon-domo?

Karl: Well, I’m going to the airport after this so this is likely the last time we’ll be stood together before we’re figuratively in Ivy and Eli’s back garden.

Otaku: Figuratively?

Karl: I read on the Grauniad website the other day about a good plug in that changes the word literally to the word figuratively. It does it all the time so it’s not perfect, but then nothing is.

Otaku: Grauniad?

Karl: Sorry, English cultural joke. There’s a newspaper that’s been known to misspell its own name. The Guardian.

Otaku: Ooooh.

Karl: Anyways, since we are literally going to be on different continents for a few days before Wrestleverse, and I literally fly back to the UK in a few hours, I literally think it’s a good idea for us to literally say a few things about the team we are literally facing for the tag team titles.

Otaku: Unless they do a DDP on us!

Karl: Well, I guess they could refuse to show up or be told not to bother, but somehow I doubt that’ll happen. They both want this match, I could tell from watching Aaron and Eli after they beat us. They want to take the titles from us, so they’ll be there.

But that’s the only certainty they have at this moment in time.

As much as Ivy may want to say otherwise, nobody can say one way or the other how this match is going to play out. The thing I’ve noticed in this industry is no matter how long you’ve been in it, no matter how experience you are, something will come along and surprise you.

Otaku: You mean like Blitz coming out?

Karl: Oh, that’s the easy one. There’s always the chance for new moves, new ways of wrestling. You’re always learning, always pushing the boundaries… or you stagnate and end up weaker than you’ve ever been before. I’ve seen moves that when I started training I wouldn’t have believed possible. I’ve created some and received others.

It teaches you something, something that Eli and Aaron should learn if they haven’t already.

Otaku: I see where you’re going with this, Dragon-domo. You mean they have to have open minds.

Karl: All the time we’ve spent together over the years, I’d be surprised if you hadn’t learned that by now.

Otaku: Like you say, open minds are harder to fool. I guess they’re also harder to impress.

Karl: How so?

Otaku: Well if you impress someone you do something they didn’t think you could do, or at least didn’t think you could do that well. If you get impressed by someone doing something then it means they get a couple of seconds when they can hit something bigger and maybe win the match. After all it only takes what, 3, 5 seconds to roll someone up and pin them.

Karl: True. I hadn’t thought of it that way. You’re starting to make more sense, you should wear that outfit more often.

Otaku: I’d love to but this one, I always said, special occasions only. It was soooo cool though when I got to meet Liger-domo and we were both dressed in these outfits, well, he was in his red one but still, it was cool!

Karl: And there’s the silly side of you again. Guess I can’t complain, you’ve more than held your end of the bargain in this team.

Otaku: Aw, thanks, Dragon-domo.

Karl: Going into this match, there are no certainties. Will Otaku and I stay champions afterwards? Who knows. Will Aaron Jones become one of the few men to have held the Intercontinental and Tag Team championships? Will he go on to become the second grand slam champion? Who knows.

Will Ivy fall down an open manhole cover while walking down the street? Probably not, but it is more likely than winning the lottery.

What I do know about this match is that neither Otaku nor I will be leaving anything behind. We won’t be leaving anything in the back. We won’t be thinking about the next match, getting the next win, putting on a show. We won’t be worrying about whether the fans want to cheer us or jeer us, whether we steal the show or not.

We will be in the moment, giving it everything we have.

Eli, you have that luxury, too. Aaron? With a title unification match afterwards, you’re going to need to have more than you ever thought possible, because you won’t be able to think about Rezin, or you will lose.

Otaku: I guess Jones-san will be the one to keep an eye on?

Karl: I’d say both. Aaron’s story is more interesting than Flair’s, if I’m honest, but whatever the story is, if he’s not 100% per cent focused on this match… he’ll be walking into his unification match with a loss. Maybe that would play in his favour then, because if he leaves everything in the ring, he’ll be too tired against a dangerous competitor.

Otaku: He has said he’s not thinking that far ahead, more than just the next match.

Karl: That’s his right, and one way to go about this match. Our game plan is well established, so JonesTown Tea can have whatever game plan they want.

In the end, we walk in as tag team champions, and one team walks out… as champions.

Otaku: Are you sure that’s all you want to say since we’re not going to be in the same room until we’re at the Garden?

Karl: It’s tough to think of something different to say without having a massive personality change, I’m a man of simple views, really.

Otaku: I guess I was just thinking… I’m feeling really confident. I’m ready. I know you wanna keep your mind open, but you know what, despite what Ivy-kun said, despite what Jones-san or Flair-domo think, I know we’re gonna win!

Karl: Please don’t say because of the power of youth.

Otaku: No! Of course not!

Well… maybe… but also because we have something the other two don’t. Sure, Flair-domo is experienced, and Jones-san is hungry for another win, but neither of them are us. And that’s what it comes down to. Us and them. And if I was a betting kind of guy I’d rather go with us. It makes more sense.

Because of the POWER OF YOUTH!!

[Otaku poses as “The Dragon” shakes his head]

Karl: Knew it.

[FADE…]

Voice: Next time on Animezing Dragon…

Otaku: Hey Otakuites, Otaku here! Next time, it’s been a long time coming, the road was long and we got separated on the path by the rapids as we crossed the river but we finally make it to the mystic Garden! All that stands in our way now is… a pair of giant trolls? With breasts?!?

Will we be able to survive the horrors of trolls with breasts?!?!

Tune in next time, Animezing Dragon. Episode… erm… something! Trolls are no match for Dragons!

Karl: You really need to learn to keep notes.

Otaku: THE POWER OF YOUTH!!

Karl: Literally.

[END]