Post by Ace King on Jul 16, 2019 19:47:29 GMT -6
(Writer's Note: Thank you to everyone [EPFTW! , Faith Rivers , Georgie Nickles , Ruthless Aggression and Shelley Silver ] who offered their opinions on portrayals, and in some cases, even wrote their part!)
July 16, 2019
Michigan Stadium
Ann Arbor, Mich.
1:36 a.m.
‘Ace of Spades’ continues playing for all to hear, and hardly anyone has left The Big House as the fans marvel after witnessing yet another classic.
At the centre of it all? None other than Ace King, who’s sitting on the ring apron and surveying the crowd with his United States Championship on one shoulder and, after overcoming a tough-as-nails Dominic Sanders, his Undisputed Championship on the other… His, nobody’s elses. The one thing he’d wanted for so long, and it was finally his.
The double champion’s body language suggests he doesn’t believe what’s happening, though he’s sure he could cook s’mores on his back after going through the burning table. He takes a towel from the referee and wipes the sweat from his face, though blood and tears are guaranteed to be in the mix, too.
He takes a deep breath with his head bowed, then smiles brightly as he hops onto the floor and raises both championships high into the air, accompanied by the kind of primal scream one would expect after being liberated from a major burden. In the midst of the raucous ovation, he greets fans at ringside, taking his time to savour this moment, one he never thought he would experience again.
After about five minutes, ‘The Gambler’ completes his circuit and gingerly makes his way up the long entrance ramp, pausing at the top to look out at the crowd once more. Then, he sets his championships down on the stage and applauds the crowd, who respond in kind with one last ‘ACE! ACE! ACE!’ chant; he nods in appreciation, then picks his championships up and turns to head backstage.
As he steps through the curtain, a few production crew members come forward and pat him on the back; the double champion winces with each pat, but he forces out a weak smile as he thanks them all the same.
Ace looks to his left, and he smiles as he sees the beaming face of PRIME Superstar and occasional King’s Court Wrestling School student Faith Rivers.
“Congratulations!” she exclaims. “I know how hard you’ve worked to get here, so you deserve this. Well done.”
“I appreciate that,” he responds with a nod as his eyes scan the area before returning his attention to her and asking “Thunder’s not giving you too much grief, I hope?”
“Nah, he’s fine,” she says with a laugh as a hint of pink appears in her cheeks. Ace takes a breath to try and keep his emotions in check as Faith lets go of him; he clears his throat and slowly continues on, straightening up when he locks eyes with Georgie Nickles, who has her EWC Tag Team Championship adorning her shoulder. Ace offers a wry smile to his rival turned friend, who simply nods before stepping forward.
“You take direction well,” she says, her signature impish grin present as she tries to mask the pain she’s in from her earlier match, pausing to look at the championships on both of Ace’s shoulders.
“You might say that,” he answers with a grunting laugh, doing everything he can to conceal the extent of his pain, as well. The REAL Rebel Child tucks a few strands of hair behind her ear before addressing Ace once more.
“I’m proud of you, and you should be, too,” she says, giving the double championship a good-natured nudge. “For everything you’ve gone through, you’ve earned it.”
Those words give Ace pause as he collects himself enough to blurt out “thank you, for everything. Keep doing the Tag Team division proud, too.”
The two fierce competitors exchange a respectful nod as Ace deliberately pushes forward, but another voice stops him dead in his tracks.
“Boy, if my dad could see us now, huh?”
Ace turns around slowly, only to find himself staring at PRIME Superstar El Pablo, one of his best friends through all the ups and downs throughout his career, and the man he’d broken into the business with so long ago. ‘The Gambler’ can feel the emotions flooding through his body, though there’s also a puzzled look to the double champion as he cocks an eyebrow at his longtime friend.
“We’ve come a long way from doing those Night of Comedy specials,” he acknowledges with a laugh, though something finally clicks in his brain. “But why your dad?”
His question taking a decidedly amused tone, and the man he knows as The Five-Star Superstar is undeterred.
“I don’t know,” the Technicolour Tecnico says with a shrug. “It’s a metaphor.”
“You sure?”
“Sure, I’m sure!” El Pablo answers cheerily. “Y'know, like how people who live in glass houses shouldn't… do that.”
Ace can’t help but laugh at his dear friend; he’s one of the few people on the planet whose brain has been through more than Ace’s, so comprehension isn’t in the cards right now. The friends share a genuine smile, both men taking stock of what’s happening as El Pablo’s eyes turn to the Undisputed Championship.
“Proud of you,” he says, gently jabbing a palm into his friend’s chest.
“Thanks, buddy,” Ace answers, choking on his words a bit.
“For real, though, we’ve been at this for the longest time,” El Pablo answers with a nod. “We've seen and done so much. You've seen me at my worst, just as I've seen you at yours...so, I dunno...it's pretty cool I was able to be here to see you become the best.”
Ace’s smile is bright, though he’s unable to hold back some minor waterworks, pulling his friend in for a bearhug, his chin resting on El Pablo’s head. The hug lasts about 10 seconds, at which point Ace feels something strange; as they pull apart, Ace looks down at his chest and sees an array of colours.
“Were…” he begins, looking quizzically at El Pablo before asking “...Were you crying rainbow tears?”
Through rainbow-stained cheeks, the Technicolour Tecnico deadpans “What? It’s a completely normal reaction.”
Ace shakes his head and laughs, though out of the corner of his eye, he sees future EWC Hall of Famer Ruthann Hunter off in the distance. He waves her over, and EWC’s first female
“I knew you could do it,” she says as she jabs Ace’s chest in the same spot El Pablo had earlier. “You just had to believe it, too.”
“A reminder never hurts,” Ace quips, jokingly rubbing his jaw from where she’d slapped him; he looks to his right, where El Pablo is watching the moment from afar. He gestures for his friend to come back over, and they share a group hug; previously the founding members of Team XTC in their younger days, the trio hasn’t shared this kind of moment in a decade. Ace’s breaths become shallow as he tries to manage his emotions, savouring every second of this interaction years in the making.
Ace looks up, and he breaks once he sees his fiancee, Shelley Silver, standing there with her eyes watering. El Pablo taps his friend on the back and nods; Ace makes his way to Shelley and hugs her tightly, unable to control his emotions. He rests his head on her shoulder as tears roll down his cheeks; she’d been his rock through all the failures, so if there was anyone he wanted to be with now, it was her.
“None of this happens without you,” he whispers in Shelley’s ear as he pulls his head up so he can kiss her on the lips. He rests his forehead on hers, the waterworks still flowing. Shelley holds him close as she kisses him back, a joyful tear coming out of the corner of her eye.
“You’re amazing,” she says sweetly, holding a hand to his cheek and looking at him lovingly. “I knew you were special from the first time I saw you, so I never doubted you could this.”
Ace leans in to kiss her tenderly again; as he does, chief physician Dr. Hiro Lee pokes his head out from the temporary medical room. Ace nods and, following one more kiss, takes Shelley’s hand as they make their way inside. As he’s about to step in the room, however, Ace is drawn to an EWC decal on an adjacent wall.
‘The Gambler’ walks over to it and bows his head, for the mural features Ashton Drake, who defeated him for his third Undisputed Championship at Wrestlefest XV in Melbourne. Ace remains in silent contemplation for about a minute, then sighs and taps the Undisputed Championship on the Drake mural’s shoulder before finally going into the medical room, the heavy door slowly shutting behind him.