Post by mikeyhero on Mar 16, 2022 21:59:33 GMT -5
Flashback
“Psst! What’s the answer to number six?”
[We hear a young woman ask as the scene opens to a school classroom setting, we see the woman in question, a dark haired tan young woman sitting at her desk whispering to a young Mikey Hero across the aisle. The woman in question is no other than Destiny Gonzalez, the one person Mikey has considered his friend since the eighth grade, the one person who’s always been there for him, as well as he for her. But Mikey knew, always in the back of his mind that, that wouldn’t last forever. Mikey slid his free hand out from under his desk and held up a “C” motion in Destiny’s direction as she smiled and nodded at him, turning her attention back to the test on her desk as she continued to fill in the answers, Mikey watched her with a hint of sadness in his eyes until the bell rang startling the young Hero, who quickly turned his gaze back to the already finished paper on his desk. The other teenagers in the room began to make a ruckus as they quickly grabbed their things and rushed out of the room with glee, happy that the torture that is public education was done for yet another day. Destiny slowly stood up from her desk and picked her backpack up off the floor, throwing it over her shoulder in one quick motion as she turned her attention back to Hero once again, giving him a little smile, mouthing the word “Bye” before quickly following the others out of the room. Mikey watches her leave before thrusting his hand into his backpack, quickly pulling out a folded piece of paper before jumping to his feet, throwing his backpack on and walking with determination out of the classroom and through the hallway.]
Mikey: “Hey Destiny wait up!”
[Mikey shouts down the hall at the young woman, she doesn’t appear to hear him over the raucous noise of young people quickly shuffling their feet down the halls or talking about they’re spring break plans however, as she keeps her head down and keeps walking.]
Mikey: “Des, hold on!”
[He shouts as he widens his stride, quickly trying to shorten the distance between them.]
Mikey: “Destiny!”
[Mikey screams with a sense of urgency as the young woman reaches for the exit of the school, she stops to turn around having finally heard him, Mikey approaches with a smile, tightly clenching the white piece of folded paper in his left hand. Before he can reach his destination however he feels the ground seemingly shift out from under his feet as he flies into a nearby locker mere feet away from his friend, Mikey looks up to see who pushed him into the locker, no other than Highschool Football star and bane of Mikey’s existence, Tommy Robinson. Tommy stands over Mikey in his letterman jacket and blue jeans, flanked by two similar looking goons. The trio laugh at Mikey as he pulls himself back to his feet.]
Tommy: “Where do you think you're going, freak?”
[Tommy asks Mikey as his friends laugh behind him.]
Tommy: “You think you were going to get out of here today unscathed when I won’t be able to torture you for the rest of the week? Come on man, I thought you were smarter than that.”
[Tommy and his friends laugh and high-fives as Mikey balls up his fists with his back still against the lockers.]
Destiny: “Leave him alone Jerk!”
[Destiny shouts with indignation as the bully turns his head to face her.]
Tommy: “What are you going to do about it bitch? Are you his girlfriend or something?”
[Destiny falls silent, hanging her head as Mikey and the bully both wait for a response, Destiny doesn’t give one however as Tommy turns his attention back toward Mikey, snatching the piece of paper from his hand as soon as he notices it.]
Tommy: “Ooh what’s this?”
[Mikey lunges at Tommy but is quickly grabbed and thrown hard back into the lockers by the other two kids with Tommy who hold him there as Tommy unfolds the piece of paper.]
Tommy: “Will you go out with me, check Yes, or No? What the fuck is this?”
[Tommy laughs as he reads Mikey’s handwriting on the paper.]
Tommy: “What kind of elementary school shit is this huh freak?”
[Tommy shoves the paper in Mikey’s face as he asks the question, his two goons still holding a firm grip on Hero. Tommy then turns his attention to Destiny once again who looks more than a little embarrassed at this point.]
Tommy: “Is this supposed to be for you huh? So what do you say huh? Freak and freakette? I’m sure you two will have the ugliest kids.”
[Tommy laughs as Mikey struggles to break free, kicking his feet at Tommy, who seems to be just out of reach. Destiny shakes her head in anger at Tommy’s words before quickly turning toward the exit and making her departure. Through the school doors with tears in her eyes. Mikey desperately tries to break free of his captors to chase after her but can’t seem to do it as the three young men continue to laugh at Hero.]
Tommy: “Looks like that’s a no. Can’t say I blame her; I mean who would want to go out with a loser like you?”
Mikey: “Fuck You”
[Mikey spits out with venom in his voice, he is reciprocated with a swift punch to the abdomen, causing him to drop to his knees doubled over in pain as the three bullies laugh.]
Tommy: “Fucking pathetic.”
[The bullies walk away, leaving Mikey with only his own thoughts and misery keeping him company. That was the last time Mikey ever saw Destiny, she wouldn’t return to school after spring break, her family left town to start a new life somewhere else. Although Mikey never saw Destiny again after that fateful day, he did receive a letter in the mail months later, a letter that still haunts him to this day…]
Cancun Mexico.
[The scene reopens to the lovely sight of Paradise Beach; the sands of the beach are covered with literally hundreds of people in town for Project Honor’s Spring Break event. Noticeably amongst the crowd our Project Honor’s own Mikey Hero, and his trainer Cedric Strong. The camera pans wider to see a rather large hotel at the front of the beach, standing under the hotel awning is Mikey’s Financer, Charles S. Watkins, wearing his usual three-piece suit, he holds his hand above his head to block the sun as he watches Mikey and Cedirc tossing a football back and forth on the shoreline.]
Cedric: “So two and oh in singles competition, pretty good start to your career huh kid?”
[Cedric says as he throws the ball to Mikey who catches it somewhat awkwardly as he smiles and nods at Cedric.]
Mikey: “I guess the bigwigs at Project Honor think so too, they’re giving me a chance to earn a match against the Grand Champion this week.”
[Mikey throws the ball back to his trainer as the two men continue their conversation.]
Cedric: “The Spring break Triathlon, right? What were the three competitions again?”
Mikey: “Well there’s the cannonball contest, which I know I can ace. Growing in the Watkins apartments and not having any friends to hang with meant most of my summers were spent at the community pool perfecting my technique. Then there’s the Beer Bong competition which I’m honestly a little nervous about considering I’ve never even had a beer before, heck I’m only eighteen I’m not even old enough…And then there’s the wet T-shirt contest.”
[Cedric laughs as he catches the ball and throws it back to Mikey.]
Cedric: “Wet T-shirt huh?”
[Mikey chuckles a little and shakes his head before throwing the ball back in Cedric’s direction.]
Mikey: “Yeah, it’s stupid.”
[Mikey turns his head up toward the hotel to see Ashley Rose walking out carrying a fold-up beach chair, clad in a bright red two-piece bathing suit, she saunters past her boss on her way down to the beach. Ashley stops about halfway down, finding a good spot to set up her chair and soak up some sun. Mikey watches her intently, totally ignoring the football as it comes careening against the side of his head and bounces down along the shoreline as Cedric bursts into roarious laughter.]
Cedric: “Sorry kid, had to.”
[Mikey gives Cedric a death glare before turning his attention to looking for their ball, he makes his way down the shoreline a couple feet before locating it. Mikey bends down to pick up the football, but when he stands up he is met by two young girls in bathing suits who appear to be around his same age.]
Girl #1: “Hey aren’t you that Hero guy?”
[The one directly in front of him, a tall blonde asks as Mikey simply nods his head slowly. She looks at her friend, a slightly shorter brunette woman standing slightly off to the side of her.]
Girl #2: “Yeah we saw your match against John Blade, you looked pretty badass.”
[The two girls look at each other and giggle as Mikey rubs the back of his head, his face red from embarrassment, not sure how to respond.]
Mikey: “Oh yeah, uh thanks.”
[Mikey fumbles through the words as he stares down at the sand, this causes the two girls to giggle again, the brunette steps up on her tippy toes to whisper in her friend's ear a little too loudly, “He’s so cute.” She proclaims as the girl's giggle once again.]
Girl #1: “Well hey, we were thinking about going to this club we heard about later tonight or whatever…So did you want to come with this? I bet it’d be so much cooler if you were there.”
Girl #2: Yeah, Totally.”
[The brunette says as she playfully twirls her hair with her finger. Mikey stands still for a moment of awkward silence as the two girls patiently await his answer, Mikey thinks about it for a moment before looking back up the beach at Ashley, then back to the two women.]
Mikey: “Uhh yeah thanks but…I really need to fix on my training for the big match this week, so sorry but I can’t.”
[The two women look disappointed, the brunette one more so, her friend taps her on the arm trying to get her to keep her cool.]
Girl #1: “Totally we get it. Well, we’ll be rooting for you this Friday.”
[Mikey nods in appreciation before turning away from the girls and heading back to Cedric, before he gets out of earshot however, he hears one of the girls shouting in his direction.]
Girl # 2: “Can’t wait to see you in the wet T-shirt contest.”
[The two girls laugh as Mikey’s face turns red, choosing not to turn back toward them so they can see he press forward toward Cedric who is now sitting in a beach chair with a cooler next to him. Cedric pulls a Corona out of his cooler as Mikey approaches him, Mikey glances up the beach at Ashley once again who is simply lounging in her chair.]
Cedric: “You really like her, don’t you?”
[Mikey’s attention snaps back to Cedric, afraid that he’s been caught.]
Mikey: “Who?”
Cedric: “You know who. That’s why you turned down those two PYT’s invitations to party huh?”
[Mikey hangs his head in embarrassment as Cedric pulls out another beer from his cooler and holds it out for Mikey. Mikey looks shocked as he waves it off.]
Mikey: “No thanks, like I said I don’t drink.”
[Cedric keeps his hand out as he persists.]
Cedric: “Come on kid we’re in Mexico, besides if you go into that beer bong contest not properly prepared, you're going to end up puking on live television in front of everyone. Is that what you want?”
[Mikey considers Cedrics words for a moment but remains steadfast.]
Mikey: “I think I'll be alright.”
[Cedric stares at Mikey with a look of annoyance before shrugging it off and placing the extra corona back in the cooler. Cedric then takes a swig of his beer before leaning back in his chair in a more relaxed position.]
Cedric: “Suit yourself. You know you should at least go talk to her right? Tell her how you feel. You never know, you know?”
[Mikey quickly shakes his head in dismissal.]
Mikey: “She thinks I’m just a little kid.”
[Cedric scoffs at Mikey’s response.]
Cedric: “Little kid? You're only four years younger than her. Besides, you've come a long way from that “Little Kid” that broke into Charles’ office and fell into this situation. I mean just look at you, dripping confidence, oozing charisma. Hell, kid this version of you is damn near undeniable, besides, and trust me when I say this, I’ve been around a long time, and I know a lot about these things. It’s not just you that has the same feelings?”
[Mikey’s head perks up in surprise and disbelief as Cedric smiles and nods.]
Cedric: “I promise you son.”
[Mikey looks up at Ashley still laying in her chair before looking back at Cedric as the confidence rises in his face.]
Mikey: “You know what? Fuck it. Here goes nothing.”
Cedric: “That’s my boy, go get her tiger.”
[Mikey smiles and nods before making his trek up the beach, his steps getting smaller and smaller the further he walks from Big Ced, nervousness beginning to set in, this is the moment, this is Mikey’s one chance to shoot his shot with the girl of his dreams. As Mikey gets a little bit his steps become bolder, the fear starts to fade away as he realizes this is his moment, now or never. He knows he has to be ready, and he is finally ready to be a man and take his chance…That is until he sees a rather muscular tan figure approach the object of his desire. As he stands a mere ten feet away from his big moment, he begins to notice Ashley talking to someone who is a complete stranger to him, who is completely the opposite of him. He recognizes the same flirtatious hair twirling as the girls from down by the shoreline. Mikey’s heart sinks as he realizes he may have just missed his chance, once again too little too late. He bawls his fists up in anger as he turns back down the beach fighting tears from welling up in his eyes. Cedric quickly turns his attention back to the water, pretending he didn’t see anything as Mikey approaches him once again.]
Mikey: “Give me that beer.”
[Mikey demands as Cedric obliges, pulling it out of his cooler before handing it to Mikey and patting him on the back in an attempt to comfort him as the scene fades.]
Shooting My Side
[The scene reopens once more after nightfall; we hear the faint sound of rustling of some kind before the camera comes into focus. We see Mikey Hero sitting on the balcony of his hotel room overlooking the beach as he sets the camera up on the ledge. Mikey’s full body comes into frame, he is shirtless wearing only a pair of blue swim trunks. He puts a bottle of corona to his lips for a few seconds before setting it down and letting out a loud burp. He then waves to the camera as he begins to speak, his words slightly slurred.]
Mikey: “Hey Project Honor faithful. It’s uuh..me here..Your Hero. Mikey.”
[Mikey burps once again, covering his mouth this time and seemingly swallowing something.]
Mikey: “Here to talk to you guys about this week’s Spring Break Triathlon. So, let’s see here.”
[Mikey fumbles with his hand in his pocket reaching for something before pulling out a folded piece of paper. He opens it up before staring at it for a moment, sadness grows in his eyes before he quickly shakes it off.]
Mikey: “oops wrong paper.”
[He sets it down on a table in front of him, however as he does the top of his head bumps the camera knocking it down slightly until the letter is the center of the frame.]
You should’ve asked sooner
Love-Destiny
[The letter reads. Mikey finally realizes his mistake and quickly readjusts the camera back where it was before reaching into his other pocket and pulling out another piece of paper.]
Mikey: “Here we go, the list of competitors for the Spring Break Triathlon.”
[Mikey quickly peruses the list, still looking down at it as he begins to speak again.]
Mikey: “Let’s see here…Diana…Well I don’t know much about her, but she is hot though.”
[Mikey laughs before letting out another loud belch which seems to actually startle him a little.]
Mikey: “Sorry excuse me…Sorry, who else we got? Let’s see here, Douglas Crane. Glad this isn’t a one-on-one wrestling match, that guy is psycho. You never know who you're going to be in there with when you face this guy, could be The Grappler, could be Mr. Personality. Or it could be The Monstrosity."
[Mikey shutters at the mention of the last name.]
Mikey: “Don’t really know how having all those multiple personalities is going to help him in this competition though, hell he might even go psycho and get himself disqualified, or even worse he could go crazy and try to kill off his competition.”
[Mikey shutters with fear once again before shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind of such thoughts.]
Mikey: “You know what that’s just move on…So let’s see here, ah Stella Jade. Now some may dismiss Stella Jade as simply Brandon Hendrix's girlfriend, and while I have a bit of a bone to pick with Hendrix after the dirty tactics he employed at the crowning, I won’t hold that against Stella. No, in fact Stella is quite the decorated competitor herself, even picking up the win for her team last week against the debuting DAvengers. So, Stella I hope you're not banking on everyone else underestimating you in this competition, thus giving you the element of surprise.”
[Mikey shakes his head before continuing.]
Mikey: “No Ma’am you won’t fool me with your innocent little fangirl schtick, I for one know exactly the fierce competitor you are, and how dangerous you can be. I’ve got my eye on you Stella.”
[Mikey attempts a wink at the camera, feigning an Aire of coolness, however in his inebriated state it comes out as more of a blink than anything else, he presses onward however not letting his awkwardness get the better of him.]
Mikey: “Next up we have Serrano Poblano. You know what? I actually like this guy, all the KAvengers really. They seem like my kind of people, people who love the business and just want to go out there and have fun with their friends, plus I heard he’s a great cook. However, it appears Serrano might be a little preoccupied heading into Proving Ground this Friday night. I mean, did you see what happened last week?”
[Mikey points his thumb toward his back, wobbling a little in his chair as he does.]
Mikey: “It appears the Kavengers have made some mysterious enemies, heck I wouldn't be surprised if Serrano didn’t even make it to Proving Ground this week, just like he didn’t make it to his match last week.”
[Mikey begins to wobble in his chair again, almost falling out before catching himself. Mikey takes a moment to catch his breath after the fright before continuing.]
Mikey: “Which brings us to Officer Greyfield, that big bully.”
[Mikey spits on the ground in disgust at the mention of Greyfield’s name.]
Mikey: “Listen up Greyfield, because I’ve got some words for you. You see I’ve dealt with people like you my whole life, people who think just because they’re bigger or stronger than most people, they can push their weight around and hold people down under their thumb.”
[Mikey scoffs at the very thought of the idea.]
Mikey: “Well I’m tired of bullies like you, I’m tired of being pushed around. Come this Friday Greyfield I’m going to dust your ass in every single one of these competitions. Cannonball? I’m going to dust your ass. Beer Bong?”
[Mikey leans down to grab his beer, bringing it to his lips and downing it before setting the bottle back down, once again nearly falling out of his chair before catching himself.]
Mikey: “I’m going to dust your ass. Hell, I’ll even dust your ass in the wet T-shirt contest. This Friday at the March Of Champions I’m going to bully you, Greyfield, maybe once you see what it feels like you won’t be so keen to do it to anyone else again.”
[Mikey burps once again, this time having to hold back vomit, he takes a moment to regain his composure then continues.]
Mikey: “Then we have John Blade.”
[Mikey lets out a long sigh.]
Mikey: “You know I used to look up to Big Match John, that is until I caught his promo where he spouted out a bunch of unintelligible nonsense about me that had nothing to do with anything about me or what I said. Unfortunately, it appears that John has become nothing more than an example of the risky nature of our business, an old man who has taken one too many shots to the head and lost his damn marbles. It sucks but unfortunately, it’s the truth, and well this might not be a standard one on one wrestling match like it was the last time we met on Proving Ground. Rest assured John, the outcome will be the same, with me victorious and everyone else left looking up at me as the winner. After all, we all know the reward for winning the Spring Break triathlon at March of Champions.”
[Mikey takes a long deep breath in and out, taking in the gravity of the moment, the opportunity currently set in front of him.]
Mikey: “A match that same night, against the Grand Champion Arata Asakura.”
[Mikey shakes his head in shock, in utter disbelief that such an opportunity has fallen in his lap this early in his career.]
Mikey: “You know Arata you said something a couple weeks ago that’s really stuck with me since. You said that the key to greatness is in continual self-improvement and increasing your level. That’s exactly what I’ve been doing since I got here, Arata, with every match I’ve gotten better, I’ve improved. No truer words have been spoken than when you said that Arata.”
[Mikey tries to continue but has trouble holding back the bile in his throat, he manages it after a moment and continues.]
Mikey: “My problem however has never been about becoming complacent, and not working to be better. My problem has been not taking my opportunity when it’s sitting in my lap. Not shooting my shot as they say, and you can call it cowardice if you want. Hell, maybe you’d be right if you did, but I’m here to tell you I’m done with that. No more sitting on the sideline, no more missing my opportunity when I have it right in my crosshairs, that version of myself is dead. Come this Friday night I will take my opportunity and grab it by the balls, and squeeze them for all there worth, Arata Asakura…”
[Mikey stands up out of his chair, chest out, confidence audible in his voice.]
Mikey: “you say you want to change the world, right? Well, my goals aren’t that grand, I simply want to change my world. And that's what I'm going to do this Friday at Proving Ground, I’m going to shock the world just like I did when I beat John Blade two weeks ago. I’m going to win the Spring Break Triath…”
[Mikey begins to burp again, stumbly a little before regaining his balance.]
Mikey: “I’m going to win the Spring Break Triathlon, then I’m going to shoot my shot by taking the fight directly toward the only two time, and perhaps greatest Grand Champion Project Honor…”
[Mikey’s burps once again cut him off as the bile begins to rise in his throat more, he strives to press on as the emotion continues to pour from his body.]
Mikey: “Greatest Grand Champion in Project Honor history…”
[Mikey’s burps finally get the better of him as he stumbles toward the edge of the balcony, doubling over on the rail as the vomit flies down to the sand of the beach below along with the camera which Mikey knocked off the railing in his drunken state. One last word is heard before the camera reaches the beach floor.]
Mikey: “Fuck.”
“Psst! What’s the answer to number six?”
[We hear a young woman ask as the scene opens to a school classroom setting, we see the woman in question, a dark haired tan young woman sitting at her desk whispering to a young Mikey Hero across the aisle. The woman in question is no other than Destiny Gonzalez, the one person Mikey has considered his friend since the eighth grade, the one person who’s always been there for him, as well as he for her. But Mikey knew, always in the back of his mind that, that wouldn’t last forever. Mikey slid his free hand out from under his desk and held up a “C” motion in Destiny’s direction as she smiled and nodded at him, turning her attention back to the test on her desk as she continued to fill in the answers, Mikey watched her with a hint of sadness in his eyes until the bell rang startling the young Hero, who quickly turned his gaze back to the already finished paper on his desk. The other teenagers in the room began to make a ruckus as they quickly grabbed their things and rushed out of the room with glee, happy that the torture that is public education was done for yet another day. Destiny slowly stood up from her desk and picked her backpack up off the floor, throwing it over her shoulder in one quick motion as she turned her attention back to Hero once again, giving him a little smile, mouthing the word “Bye” before quickly following the others out of the room. Mikey watches her leave before thrusting his hand into his backpack, quickly pulling out a folded piece of paper before jumping to his feet, throwing his backpack on and walking with determination out of the classroom and through the hallway.]
Mikey: “Hey Destiny wait up!”
[Mikey shouts down the hall at the young woman, she doesn’t appear to hear him over the raucous noise of young people quickly shuffling their feet down the halls or talking about they’re spring break plans however, as she keeps her head down and keeps walking.]
Mikey: “Des, hold on!”
[He shouts as he widens his stride, quickly trying to shorten the distance between them.]
Mikey: “Destiny!”
[Mikey screams with a sense of urgency as the young woman reaches for the exit of the school, she stops to turn around having finally heard him, Mikey approaches with a smile, tightly clenching the white piece of folded paper in his left hand. Before he can reach his destination however he feels the ground seemingly shift out from under his feet as he flies into a nearby locker mere feet away from his friend, Mikey looks up to see who pushed him into the locker, no other than Highschool Football star and bane of Mikey’s existence, Tommy Robinson. Tommy stands over Mikey in his letterman jacket and blue jeans, flanked by two similar looking goons. The trio laugh at Mikey as he pulls himself back to his feet.]
Tommy: “Where do you think you're going, freak?”
[Tommy asks Mikey as his friends laugh behind him.]
Tommy: “You think you were going to get out of here today unscathed when I won’t be able to torture you for the rest of the week? Come on man, I thought you were smarter than that.”
[Tommy and his friends laugh and high-fives as Mikey balls up his fists with his back still against the lockers.]
Destiny: “Leave him alone Jerk!”
[Destiny shouts with indignation as the bully turns his head to face her.]
Tommy: “What are you going to do about it bitch? Are you his girlfriend or something?”
[Destiny falls silent, hanging her head as Mikey and the bully both wait for a response, Destiny doesn’t give one however as Tommy turns his attention back toward Mikey, snatching the piece of paper from his hand as soon as he notices it.]
Tommy: “Ooh what’s this?”
[Mikey lunges at Tommy but is quickly grabbed and thrown hard back into the lockers by the other two kids with Tommy who hold him there as Tommy unfolds the piece of paper.]
Tommy: “Will you go out with me, check Yes, or No? What the fuck is this?”
[Tommy laughs as he reads Mikey’s handwriting on the paper.]
Tommy: “What kind of elementary school shit is this huh freak?”
[Tommy shoves the paper in Mikey’s face as he asks the question, his two goons still holding a firm grip on Hero. Tommy then turns his attention to Destiny once again who looks more than a little embarrassed at this point.]
Tommy: “Is this supposed to be for you huh? So what do you say huh? Freak and freakette? I’m sure you two will have the ugliest kids.”
[Tommy laughs as Mikey struggles to break free, kicking his feet at Tommy, who seems to be just out of reach. Destiny shakes her head in anger at Tommy’s words before quickly turning toward the exit and making her departure. Through the school doors with tears in her eyes. Mikey desperately tries to break free of his captors to chase after her but can’t seem to do it as the three young men continue to laugh at Hero.]
Tommy: “Looks like that’s a no. Can’t say I blame her; I mean who would want to go out with a loser like you?”
Mikey: “Fuck You”
[Mikey spits out with venom in his voice, he is reciprocated with a swift punch to the abdomen, causing him to drop to his knees doubled over in pain as the three bullies laugh.]
Tommy: “Fucking pathetic.”
[The bullies walk away, leaving Mikey with only his own thoughts and misery keeping him company. That was the last time Mikey ever saw Destiny, she wouldn’t return to school after spring break, her family left town to start a new life somewhere else. Although Mikey never saw Destiny again after that fateful day, he did receive a letter in the mail months later, a letter that still haunts him to this day…]
Cancun Mexico.
[The scene reopens to the lovely sight of Paradise Beach; the sands of the beach are covered with literally hundreds of people in town for Project Honor’s Spring Break event. Noticeably amongst the crowd our Project Honor’s own Mikey Hero, and his trainer Cedric Strong. The camera pans wider to see a rather large hotel at the front of the beach, standing under the hotel awning is Mikey’s Financer, Charles S. Watkins, wearing his usual three-piece suit, he holds his hand above his head to block the sun as he watches Mikey and Cedirc tossing a football back and forth on the shoreline.]
Cedric: “So two and oh in singles competition, pretty good start to your career huh kid?”
[Cedric says as he throws the ball to Mikey who catches it somewhat awkwardly as he smiles and nods at Cedric.]
Mikey: “I guess the bigwigs at Project Honor think so too, they’re giving me a chance to earn a match against the Grand Champion this week.”
[Mikey throws the ball back to his trainer as the two men continue their conversation.]
Cedric: “The Spring break Triathlon, right? What were the three competitions again?”
Mikey: “Well there’s the cannonball contest, which I know I can ace. Growing in the Watkins apartments and not having any friends to hang with meant most of my summers were spent at the community pool perfecting my technique. Then there’s the Beer Bong competition which I’m honestly a little nervous about considering I’ve never even had a beer before, heck I’m only eighteen I’m not even old enough…And then there’s the wet T-shirt contest.”
[Cedric laughs as he catches the ball and throws it back to Mikey.]
Cedric: “Wet T-shirt huh?”
[Mikey chuckles a little and shakes his head before throwing the ball back in Cedric’s direction.]
Mikey: “Yeah, it’s stupid.”
[Mikey turns his head up toward the hotel to see Ashley Rose walking out carrying a fold-up beach chair, clad in a bright red two-piece bathing suit, she saunters past her boss on her way down to the beach. Ashley stops about halfway down, finding a good spot to set up her chair and soak up some sun. Mikey watches her intently, totally ignoring the football as it comes careening against the side of his head and bounces down along the shoreline as Cedric bursts into roarious laughter.]
Cedric: “Sorry kid, had to.”
[Mikey gives Cedric a death glare before turning his attention to looking for their ball, he makes his way down the shoreline a couple feet before locating it. Mikey bends down to pick up the football, but when he stands up he is met by two young girls in bathing suits who appear to be around his same age.]
Girl #1: “Hey aren’t you that Hero guy?”
[The one directly in front of him, a tall blonde asks as Mikey simply nods his head slowly. She looks at her friend, a slightly shorter brunette woman standing slightly off to the side of her.]
Girl #2: “Yeah we saw your match against John Blade, you looked pretty badass.”
[The two girls look at each other and giggle as Mikey rubs the back of his head, his face red from embarrassment, not sure how to respond.]
Mikey: “Oh yeah, uh thanks.”
[Mikey fumbles through the words as he stares down at the sand, this causes the two girls to giggle again, the brunette steps up on her tippy toes to whisper in her friend's ear a little too loudly, “He’s so cute.” She proclaims as the girl's giggle once again.]
Girl #1: “Well hey, we were thinking about going to this club we heard about later tonight or whatever…So did you want to come with this? I bet it’d be so much cooler if you were there.”
Girl #2: Yeah, Totally.”
[The brunette says as she playfully twirls her hair with her finger. Mikey stands still for a moment of awkward silence as the two girls patiently await his answer, Mikey thinks about it for a moment before looking back up the beach at Ashley, then back to the two women.]
Mikey: “Uhh yeah thanks but…I really need to fix on my training for the big match this week, so sorry but I can’t.”
[The two women look disappointed, the brunette one more so, her friend taps her on the arm trying to get her to keep her cool.]
Girl #1: “Totally we get it. Well, we’ll be rooting for you this Friday.”
[Mikey nods in appreciation before turning away from the girls and heading back to Cedric, before he gets out of earshot however, he hears one of the girls shouting in his direction.]
Girl # 2: “Can’t wait to see you in the wet T-shirt contest.”
[The two girls laugh as Mikey’s face turns red, choosing not to turn back toward them so they can see he press forward toward Cedric who is now sitting in a beach chair with a cooler next to him. Cedric pulls a Corona out of his cooler as Mikey approaches him, Mikey glances up the beach at Ashley once again who is simply lounging in her chair.]
Cedric: “You really like her, don’t you?”
[Mikey’s attention snaps back to Cedric, afraid that he’s been caught.]
Mikey: “Who?”
Cedric: “You know who. That’s why you turned down those two PYT’s invitations to party huh?”
[Mikey hangs his head in embarrassment as Cedric pulls out another beer from his cooler and holds it out for Mikey. Mikey looks shocked as he waves it off.]
Mikey: “No thanks, like I said I don’t drink.”
[Cedric keeps his hand out as he persists.]
Cedric: “Come on kid we’re in Mexico, besides if you go into that beer bong contest not properly prepared, you're going to end up puking on live television in front of everyone. Is that what you want?”
[Mikey considers Cedrics words for a moment but remains steadfast.]
Mikey: “I think I'll be alright.”
[Cedric stares at Mikey with a look of annoyance before shrugging it off and placing the extra corona back in the cooler. Cedric then takes a swig of his beer before leaning back in his chair in a more relaxed position.]
Cedric: “Suit yourself. You know you should at least go talk to her right? Tell her how you feel. You never know, you know?”
[Mikey quickly shakes his head in dismissal.]
Mikey: “She thinks I’m just a little kid.”
[Cedric scoffs at Mikey’s response.]
Cedric: “Little kid? You're only four years younger than her. Besides, you've come a long way from that “Little Kid” that broke into Charles’ office and fell into this situation. I mean just look at you, dripping confidence, oozing charisma. Hell, kid this version of you is damn near undeniable, besides, and trust me when I say this, I’ve been around a long time, and I know a lot about these things. It’s not just you that has the same feelings?”
[Mikey’s head perks up in surprise and disbelief as Cedric smiles and nods.]
Cedric: “I promise you son.”
[Mikey looks up at Ashley still laying in her chair before looking back at Cedric as the confidence rises in his face.]
Mikey: “You know what? Fuck it. Here goes nothing.”
Cedric: “That’s my boy, go get her tiger.”
[Mikey smiles and nods before making his trek up the beach, his steps getting smaller and smaller the further he walks from Big Ced, nervousness beginning to set in, this is the moment, this is Mikey’s one chance to shoot his shot with the girl of his dreams. As Mikey gets a little bit his steps become bolder, the fear starts to fade away as he realizes this is his moment, now or never. He knows he has to be ready, and he is finally ready to be a man and take his chance…That is until he sees a rather muscular tan figure approach the object of his desire. As he stands a mere ten feet away from his big moment, he begins to notice Ashley talking to someone who is a complete stranger to him, who is completely the opposite of him. He recognizes the same flirtatious hair twirling as the girls from down by the shoreline. Mikey’s heart sinks as he realizes he may have just missed his chance, once again too little too late. He bawls his fists up in anger as he turns back down the beach fighting tears from welling up in his eyes. Cedric quickly turns his attention back to the water, pretending he didn’t see anything as Mikey approaches him once again.]
Mikey: “Give me that beer.”
[Mikey demands as Cedric obliges, pulling it out of his cooler before handing it to Mikey and patting him on the back in an attempt to comfort him as the scene fades.]
Shooting My Side
[The scene reopens once more after nightfall; we hear the faint sound of rustling of some kind before the camera comes into focus. We see Mikey Hero sitting on the balcony of his hotel room overlooking the beach as he sets the camera up on the ledge. Mikey’s full body comes into frame, he is shirtless wearing only a pair of blue swim trunks. He puts a bottle of corona to his lips for a few seconds before setting it down and letting out a loud burp. He then waves to the camera as he begins to speak, his words slightly slurred.]
Mikey: “Hey Project Honor faithful. It’s uuh..me here..Your Hero. Mikey.”
[Mikey burps once again, covering his mouth this time and seemingly swallowing something.]
Mikey: “Here to talk to you guys about this week’s Spring Break Triathlon. So, let’s see here.”
[Mikey fumbles with his hand in his pocket reaching for something before pulling out a folded piece of paper. He opens it up before staring at it for a moment, sadness grows in his eyes before he quickly shakes it off.]
Mikey: “oops wrong paper.”
[He sets it down on a table in front of him, however as he does the top of his head bumps the camera knocking it down slightly until the letter is the center of the frame.]
You should’ve asked sooner
Love-Destiny
[The letter reads. Mikey finally realizes his mistake and quickly readjusts the camera back where it was before reaching into his other pocket and pulling out another piece of paper.]
Mikey: “Here we go, the list of competitors for the Spring Break Triathlon.”
[Mikey quickly peruses the list, still looking down at it as he begins to speak again.]
Mikey: “Let’s see here…Diana…Well I don’t know much about her, but she is hot though.”
[Mikey laughs before letting out another loud belch which seems to actually startle him a little.]
Mikey: “Sorry excuse me…Sorry, who else we got? Let’s see here, Douglas Crane. Glad this isn’t a one-on-one wrestling match, that guy is psycho. You never know who you're going to be in there with when you face this guy, could be The Grappler, could be Mr. Personality. Or it could be The Monstrosity."
[Mikey shutters at the mention of the last name.]
Mikey: “Don’t really know how having all those multiple personalities is going to help him in this competition though, hell he might even go psycho and get himself disqualified, or even worse he could go crazy and try to kill off his competition.”
[Mikey shutters with fear once again before shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind of such thoughts.]
Mikey: “You know what that’s just move on…So let’s see here, ah Stella Jade. Now some may dismiss Stella Jade as simply Brandon Hendrix's girlfriend, and while I have a bit of a bone to pick with Hendrix after the dirty tactics he employed at the crowning, I won’t hold that against Stella. No, in fact Stella is quite the decorated competitor herself, even picking up the win for her team last week against the debuting DAvengers. So, Stella I hope you're not banking on everyone else underestimating you in this competition, thus giving you the element of surprise.”
[Mikey shakes his head before continuing.]
Mikey: “No Ma’am you won’t fool me with your innocent little fangirl schtick, I for one know exactly the fierce competitor you are, and how dangerous you can be. I’ve got my eye on you Stella.”
[Mikey attempts a wink at the camera, feigning an Aire of coolness, however in his inebriated state it comes out as more of a blink than anything else, he presses onward however not letting his awkwardness get the better of him.]
Mikey: “Next up we have Serrano Poblano. You know what? I actually like this guy, all the KAvengers really. They seem like my kind of people, people who love the business and just want to go out there and have fun with their friends, plus I heard he’s a great cook. However, it appears Serrano might be a little preoccupied heading into Proving Ground this Friday night. I mean, did you see what happened last week?”
[Mikey points his thumb toward his back, wobbling a little in his chair as he does.]
Mikey: “It appears the Kavengers have made some mysterious enemies, heck I wouldn't be surprised if Serrano didn’t even make it to Proving Ground this week, just like he didn’t make it to his match last week.”
[Mikey begins to wobble in his chair again, almost falling out before catching himself. Mikey takes a moment to catch his breath after the fright before continuing.]
Mikey: “Which brings us to Officer Greyfield, that big bully.”
[Mikey spits on the ground in disgust at the mention of Greyfield’s name.]
Mikey: “Listen up Greyfield, because I’ve got some words for you. You see I’ve dealt with people like you my whole life, people who think just because they’re bigger or stronger than most people, they can push their weight around and hold people down under their thumb.”
[Mikey scoffs at the very thought of the idea.]
Mikey: “Well I’m tired of bullies like you, I’m tired of being pushed around. Come this Friday Greyfield I’m going to dust your ass in every single one of these competitions. Cannonball? I’m going to dust your ass. Beer Bong?”
[Mikey leans down to grab his beer, bringing it to his lips and downing it before setting the bottle back down, once again nearly falling out of his chair before catching himself.]
Mikey: “I’m going to dust your ass. Hell, I’ll even dust your ass in the wet T-shirt contest. This Friday at the March Of Champions I’m going to bully you, Greyfield, maybe once you see what it feels like you won’t be so keen to do it to anyone else again.”
[Mikey burps once again, this time having to hold back vomit, he takes a moment to regain his composure then continues.]
Mikey: “Then we have John Blade.”
[Mikey lets out a long sigh.]
Mikey: “You know I used to look up to Big Match John, that is until I caught his promo where he spouted out a bunch of unintelligible nonsense about me that had nothing to do with anything about me or what I said. Unfortunately, it appears that John has become nothing more than an example of the risky nature of our business, an old man who has taken one too many shots to the head and lost his damn marbles. It sucks but unfortunately, it’s the truth, and well this might not be a standard one on one wrestling match like it was the last time we met on Proving Ground. Rest assured John, the outcome will be the same, with me victorious and everyone else left looking up at me as the winner. After all, we all know the reward for winning the Spring Break triathlon at March of Champions.”
[Mikey takes a long deep breath in and out, taking in the gravity of the moment, the opportunity currently set in front of him.]
Mikey: “A match that same night, against the Grand Champion Arata Asakura.”
[Mikey shakes his head in shock, in utter disbelief that such an opportunity has fallen in his lap this early in his career.]
Mikey: “You know Arata you said something a couple weeks ago that’s really stuck with me since. You said that the key to greatness is in continual self-improvement and increasing your level. That’s exactly what I’ve been doing since I got here, Arata, with every match I’ve gotten better, I’ve improved. No truer words have been spoken than when you said that Arata.”
[Mikey tries to continue but has trouble holding back the bile in his throat, he manages it after a moment and continues.]
Mikey: “My problem however has never been about becoming complacent, and not working to be better. My problem has been not taking my opportunity when it’s sitting in my lap. Not shooting my shot as they say, and you can call it cowardice if you want. Hell, maybe you’d be right if you did, but I’m here to tell you I’m done with that. No more sitting on the sideline, no more missing my opportunity when I have it right in my crosshairs, that version of myself is dead. Come this Friday night I will take my opportunity and grab it by the balls, and squeeze them for all there worth, Arata Asakura…”
[Mikey stands up out of his chair, chest out, confidence audible in his voice.]
Mikey: “you say you want to change the world, right? Well, my goals aren’t that grand, I simply want to change my world. And that's what I'm going to do this Friday at Proving Ground, I’m going to shock the world just like I did when I beat John Blade two weeks ago. I’m going to win the Spring Break Triath…”
[Mikey begins to burp again, stumbly a little before regaining his balance.]
Mikey: “I’m going to win the Spring Break Triathlon, then I’m going to shoot my shot by taking the fight directly toward the only two time, and perhaps greatest Grand Champion Project Honor…”
[Mikey’s burps once again cut him off as the bile begins to rise in his throat more, he strives to press on as the emotion continues to pour from his body.]
Mikey: “Greatest Grand Champion in Project Honor history…”
[Mikey’s burps finally get the better of him as he stumbles toward the edge of the balcony, doubling over on the rail as the vomit flies down to the sand of the beach below along with the camera which Mikey knocked off the railing in his drunken state. One last word is heard before the camera reaches the beach floor.]
Mikey: “Fuck.”