You can not reach your destiny, standing
still. You must be ever moving, ever
going forward, and not stuck in one spot, turning in circles like a dog chasing
it’s tail. Chamelion’s path took him
along the beach, the streets of New York, and it has brought him here, to
“I’ve
been here before, ya know. Even won a few of matches here. I love this place,
for it has within it’s walls a real, honest to God history, that can not be
disputed.”
Squeezing his hand into a fist, Chamelion
turns his dark eyes towards us.
“Is this
how you want to play, Andy? You want to
question Chamelion’s devious ways? Fine
by me!”
There is no smile, no hint of humor, as
Chamelion turns his back to the door and crosses his arms.
“What
you’ve failed to grasp, to understand with that thick head of yours, is that my
plan was to win the match and #1 contendership in clean, concise fashion so
that you would have nothing to bitch about.
I would have taken away any chance for you to whine, complain that I
beat you by any other means then my skill.
That WAS my intention, but you had to call into question, the very
fabric of who I am!? Part of me is very
pleased you did that.”
Pulling his coat up around his neck, to keep
out the blistery cold, Chamelion continues.
“If
deviousness if what you want to see, if deception is your course, then I will
put aside my ‘honorable’ intentions this Sunday and do whatever it takes, to
secure my victory over you. I won’t care
if afterwards you cry foul, because kiddo; you just assured me that you will do
exactly the same thing to win.”
“This
just proves, sadly, how much you really do not know me, that you truly can not
prepare for what is to come. Why do I
call myself the most Devious SOB in the business today, and why, in the end,
does it fit me more then anyone? It’s
because, in the past, I did some very dark, evil things to get what I
wanted. I ended my own brother’s career
at one point, I stole the PWA and made it my own, I manipulated forces to
assure that I would get everything I wanted… to them, it felt like it was their
ideas, but it never was… it never could be.
They were never smart enough to catch on. Andy, I hold in my heart a place of blackness
you could never understand, and what makes me the most dangerous, is that I
know how to control it.”
“Beating
you at Broken Resolutions cleanly would be just as devious as if I snuck in a
chair shot and busted your forehead wide open.
Either way, it would solidify everything I’ve been saying since the
beginning.”
“Frustration
seems to be setting into your soul there, kiddo, because again, all I’m hearing
from you is the exact same shit, represented in a different surrounding. Worse yet, you’re like a younger brother…and
we’re going back and forth with the “Are Too! Are Not!” fight. I present facts about your career, hard
evidence to dispute your claim as a Legend, and all you can do is turn it
around in my face; without said evidence.”
A soft look of sadness, pity even, crosses his
features.
“You’re
getting tired, Andy, because you’re grasping with that last finger on the ledge
of stardom, and gravity is pulling you down.
Saying that my concerns are of other things around me? What does that mean, exactly? Your history, small as it is, is what
concerns me. It’s the raw material
necessary to build a good argument against you.
I’ve been nothing but focused towards you, since the beginning, not
wandering off to compete in some multi-fed tournament!”
He shrugs, as if to suggest what else he was
going to do but the obvious.
“Now, of
course I am going to use every bit I can against you, every piece of fact. You’re presence in the Roughkut Tourney was
open season and you go and make a rookie mistake. You divide your attention during a most
crucial time of your career, and look what it cost you? Round one, and you’re eliminated. Anthony Johns, so high on himself, couldn’t
cut it in the larger world, which kind of wipes out your exclamation of being
the best wrestler in history, doesn’t it?
As for myself? I chose not to participate because there is no other goal
I want right now, save the BWF World title.
I’ve chosen one path to follow, and I wasn’t going to deviate from
that.”
He pauses, sighs deeply, and his expression
softens.
“Andy,
for a moment, let’s put aside the anger, the finger pointing and the hateful
words, and let me offer you some advice.
No man can fully appreciate success, unless he has faced hardships along
the way. Adversity makes us stronger,
more attuned with who we are. In a way,
I do respect you, because this business sees a hundred men come and go every
day, but only a hand full have the quality to stick it out… and of that
handful, perhaps one or two will go far.
I honestly believe that you are one of those with a bright future, a
real place in the history books along side some of the greats I have had the
honor of working with. But you can not
reach it if you continue to fall back on the same petty arguments, making up
lies to hide the truth that you’re still the rookie here, still lost in your
own self-asphyxiating ego. I can say
what I will do because I have proven it, time and time again, over the course
of years.”
“Your
participation in that tourney should be proof enough of what I’ve been saying,
a slap in the face from the larger world that you’re not as ready as you think
you are. If you’re smart, you’ll open
your mind up to the truth, realize your drowning and swim hard for the surface
before you truly drown. We both want
what Sunday has to offer our futures, kiddo, it’s just that I honestly know how
to reach for it better then you.
Someday, you will wear gold again, I know this.. I’ve seen what you are
capable of, I know you’re no fraud in the ring.
A fraud to call yourself God, a Legend, yes… but never a fraud in the
ring… there is much more out there for you to explore, to achieve, and I fully
believe that you will climb very high.”
He turns now, staring into the arena through
the glass doors, and licks his lips.
“Now, if
you can pull yourself away from parroting everything I’ve been saying, and find
your own shtick, then you may finally have something going for yourself. I am no fraud, Andy, and you know this. I am the Most Devious SOB in the business
today, and since you questioned it so, this Sunday you will bare witness to
just what I can do, when I want something bad enough. I’d like to believe I am a true ICON in this
community, but I’m not going to hold my breath over that one. Broken Resolutions is my starting point, but
it doesn’t have to be the end of you. You can learn a lot, take it with you and
start fresh. Return to step one and
build a new history, one that truly is worthy.
I do believe you got what it takes, that someday you will be champion
again, Andy.”
For the first time, Chamelion smiles widely.
“Just
not on my watch! GOT IT?”
Playfully, he sticks out his tongue and walks
away from
Fade.