The Chase Is On (Part 2) (Starring Mr. X)

5am

Early dawn

Dark colorful sky

Silence

A midnight blue sports car blended in with the dark surroundings as it sped down a lonely, eerie road. Tall, bushy trees hunched over to protect the road from the early morning multi colored sky above in case of a rainbow tinted rain attack. Either side of the road was trees and darkness. Above was more darkness with the sign of the sun due shortly over the horizon causing that blast of colour scattered across the atmosphere. The car headlights beamed ahead of the never ending road and it was lucky that the driver had company in the car with him.

“It feels strange not being in total control of my own body.”

“How do you think I feel being stuck in the background all these years?”

“Yeah I know. It must have been hard.”

“Indeed it has.”

“Why haven’t I felt so distant like this before when you have taken over?”

“It was a gradual process when I have taken control in the past. Or you were sleeping or daydreaming. This time it’s different.”

“How come?”

“You have given me permission to enter the real world.”

“Oh I see.”

Ziu’s dark side, Mr. X, was in the driver’s seat and Ziu himself was riding shotgun in the dashboard mirror. For years X has been lying in wait and Ziu has finally ‘Let Him In’, or should we say ‘Let Him Out’. Ziu has given X permission to deliver the promo this week for his match against Chase “The Wolf” Michaels and Michael Adrian. It will be Ziu Zhong’s third Zero Gravity title defence and the pressure was on Mr. X to deliver a decent promo.

“Don’t worry about the promo. I have everything under control. You’ll be impressed, trust me.”

“It’s the PPV so it’s got to be special. It’s probably the wrong time to give you a trial but we all have to take risks in life.”

“I can handle it. You kick back and relax and watch me at work. Cera was shook the last time I delivered a promo.”

“True.”

The car swerved round the corner and continued to its destination.

“Not far now.”

“Why couldn’t you just do this in the gym or at home like I do?”

“It’s the PPV. We need to make a big impression. It’s the perfect scene for it.”

“Ok. I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”

The sports car sped up as the road went uphill and continued when it returned to a flat surface again. An opening was up ahead and Mr. X gradually decreased the speed and turned the car through a gate and into a small desolate and muddy car park. The car came to a halt and the headlight shone on the nearest tree trunks ahead. Mr. X decided to show that he has a sense of humour and pretended to take over the role of a Sat Nav voice.

“You have arrived at your destination.”

Mr. Selfie laughed.

“Great.”

“Before we go out there I just want to tell you something Ziu.”

“Yes X?”

“Don’t get mad...but VOW management stitched you up last week.”

“They what?!”

“It’s true. They haven’t liked the way you have gone about things lately. The way you keep bringing up Casanova English’s name when you have a Zero Gravity title to defend.”

“They just don’t get it do they? How did you find out?”

“I can see things that you may sometimes miss. It was hard to work it out but it’s the truth. They were the ones that arranged for Cera to ruin your 4 month undefeated streak.”

“How dare they! They can’t do that!”

“Well it seems that they can. And no one batters and eyelid because VOW management are very conniving. That’s the only reason you had that match last week. You and everyone else see it as another match for Ziu to compete with another champion and potential champion, but it wasn’t like that at all. The motivation behind it was to teach you a lesson. Teach you to stay in your place and concentrate on the challengers for your belt. The Zero Gravity division.”

“What challengers?”

“Exactly. You rightfully called English out on his bullshit fake cheating wins and bullying to get himself into a position to compete for the World Visionary Championship. Sky Sangue and the other corporate crowd backstage wanted to teach you a lesson. They decided to throw you in against English to make it look like you got what you wanted but behind the scenes they had Cera in on the games. They made it look like she was out there to distract Stacy Jones and to help a fellow Orphanage member. It was all fixed. VOW management are desperate to hold you back. They got you good and proper.”

“I’m in shock. This is not on. They ruined my 4 month undefeated streak. Over 4 months. All for what...to teach me to stay out of English’s way. They can go fuck themselves. Losing to him only makes me want to come back for more. I didn’t lose fair and square, something that most opponents of English’s argue about it seems.”

“If they want the big ratings they will take their heads out the asses and give you what you deserve. You know, I know, English knows it but for some reason VOW management don’t want to know. Don’t be fooled by them Ziu.”

Ziu Zhong did not look happy.

“I might need your expertise in the ring soon if you can see things from afar like this. I wonder if you could have seen Cera before she grabbed my leg causing my defeat last week on Breakthrough.”

“I may well have.”

“If it weren’t for you X I wouldn’t have seen this bullshit move by the VOW staff. But why would they do this to one of their more loyal, talented, faces of the company. Do they really want to give in to this Orphanage nonsense and let them dictate play here? They should be backing me not going against me! Apart from Stacy Jones I’m about the only one willing to face up to these idiots.”

“We can’t let VOW become owned by The Orphanage. They need to be stopped and if VOW doesn’t want our help then we will do it by ourselves.”

“We don’t need them to tell us what to focus on. There is nothing to focus on anyway. No one wants to challenge me because they know what the outcome will be. Chase has lost two matches to get a second title shot, which gives you a perfect picture of what I’m dealing with here in VOW right now. Chase will get dealt with and so will Michael Adrian. Then I’m coming back for English one on one with no interruptions.”

The chemistry and bond between Ziu Zhong and Mr. X had suddenly boomed. Mr. X has a way with words and after scaring him in the hospital on his return to the scene when Baby Zhong was born, he was now becoming his best friend. What happened to Patrick Jones? Ziu had a new friend now.

“You shouldn’t be languishing at the bottom just to make the fed look like it’s so packed with talent that they have a main eventer in their first division. You’re no light weight Ziu, you’re a main eventer. You sell tickets. You attract crowds. If VOW doesn’t see that then maybe you should find another company.”

“Oh no, I don’t want to do that. I’m loyal. I’m only just getting started here in VOW.”

“Fair enough but you might not have a choice if they want to screw with your matches. They ruined your streak. You know what that meant to you.”

“I won’t let them win. I’m just going to go out there on Monday night and put on a show. You can come along a ‘back me up’ should I need you. I need you to watch my back from now on.”

Mr. X produced a successfully smile.

“You’re on. I got your back.”

Trial? What trial? Mr. X had been given a trial to deliver a promo but just a simple conversation had won Ziu round already it seemed. Mr. X was on his way to Nothing Else Matters and the thought of it only made Mr. X want to get out the car and deliver a hard hitting promo even more.

“Ruby Parvati the dirty slut...telling you to focus on your title belt. I’ll give her a backhander.”

Ziu Zhong laughed. Mr. X laughed. The bond was growing by the second.

“It’s time.”

“Good luck.”

“Luck? I’m Mr. X. I get the job done. Chase Michael and Michael Adrian will get a piece of my mind. Then on Monday they will get a piece of my fist.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Persuasion. Mr. X had said all the right things. He had Ziu’s backing and had even taken control of his body. He departed the sports car with swagger and walked off through the trees into the darkness as the auto lock on the car clicked in the background. VOW’s Zero Gravity Champion was dressed in black Air Max trainers, dark blue jeans and a plain black hoody.

A gentle sway of the leaves above caused a calm rustling sound. An inundated amount of narrow trees stood tall with a handful of the trunks covered in moss. A number of tree stubs hid beneath the fallen leaves and Ziu “Mr. X” Zhong had to be smart not to trip over them. The crunching sound of trigs was the main source of noise as Ziu trudged through the wooded area. The funky smell of damp earth rose from below and hit the already moist, foggy air that you get in the woods in the early morning. When Ziu managed to put his foot on the ground beneath the leaves he found the floor wasn't covered with grass but instead moisture had made the dirt swampy. The place was teeming with birds above, in their nests or casually resting on branches.

Mr. X removed the iPhone form his pocket and had decided to produce a promo via his phone. It’s up close and personal due to the smaller screen and he held it out in front of him in the refreshing atmosphere. It gradually got lighter but the darkness still prevailed. Mr. X took a good long breath of fresh air in the wilderness whilst Casanova English sat in his chair in the Orphanage headquarters breathing in countless amounts of scummy air into his already black lungs with a tramp by his side. Mr. X knew where he would rather be, standing in the middle of the woods at dawn where there was just enough light to reveal the surroundings behind him.

“Last week we all witnessed another fake victory for Casanova English and another fake victory for The Orphanage. English can’t defeat me on his own and couldn’t handle Stacy Jones either, and needed Cera to stick her big nose in to get the job done. It ended my undefeated streak but make no mistake about it another streak is beginning this Monday night. Everybody watching last week could see that I had the match won. I just feel for the fans who were very vocal on the night but I got screwed and there was nothing that I could do about it. But I promise to put things right this week at Nothing Else Matters.”

X descended to a nearby log and the iPhone looked back at him and the branches above his head.

“Are you close Wolf? I’m in your backyard, its early hours and I wondered if you were close by. I wondered into your home and I was thinking that we could have an early meet before the real deal on Monday night. But it looks like you’re not around but I knew you wouldn’t have showed as you prefer to jump people from behind, don’t you Chase. Just like you did on Monday night. That black metal baseball bat certainly helped you, didn’t it Chase. Why don’t you bring it along at the PPV?”

A bird fluttered above and landed on one of the branches. Just a little birdie, no Wolf to be seen.

“It was a cheap attack by you and your boyfriend Harvey Connors, but I should have expected something like that from you. We’re getting to know each other rather well but I guarantee that by the end of Nothing Else Matters you will not want to know me anymore. You will want to stay well clear, and I will kindly grant your wish. Once that belt comes home with me I will release you back into the woods with your tail between your legs.”

Laughter. Silence. Tweet, tweet. The bird above flu off into the murky atmosphere above.

“Is that why you’re so boring Chase? Is that why you’re so repetitive? You come out to these woods and talk to yourself (the irony) as you like to be known as ‘the lone wolf’. You spend too much time out here alone by yourself that you don’t understand what’s right or wrong in the world. Do you even have a personal life? I bet you sleep rough in arenas and travel in the VOW truck to the next event. You see...fans just can’t relate to you. You will never be their hero and you will never succeed in this company. This belt is staying put because I put everything into my matches. I go all out. You just turn up and copy the same routine as the previous week. I bet you do about 30 minutes of training before you walk out to the ring. Me? I spend all week planning and training for my opponent and match. I’m smart and get the job done in the correct way. I just don’t fear you one bit, and in fact, I fear for your health on Monday night. I go all out at Pay Per Views, and this will be no different.”

The darker side of the Zero Gravity Champion took a breather to annoy Chase. The last time these guys met Ziu taught Chase how to pause when he talked. It was nice to see that Chase had learned his lesson and was improving, gradually.

Mr. X looked up at the rustling leaves and took a deep breath of clean air. Elsewhere, VOW’s potentially first ever World Visionary Champion, Casanova English was inhaling another dirty cigarette.

“Chase, I don’t understand how you can say that I own a terrible belt yet you keep coming back for more? I see what you had to say about it and I can’t get my head around it. If it’s so bad then why are you challenging me for it? It just doesn’t make any sense.”

Ziu Zhong smiled in the basement of the Asian body, enjoying watching himself perform a promo LIVE and not just watching himself on camera through his phone later that night. Mr. X was killing Chase Michaels and bringing him up on his gibberish promos.

“You call me your prey but that’s pure comedy. You must be crazy if you think I will ever be your ‘prey’. This week will be a copy of our previous match, but the difference is that this time the win won’t be controversial. The Chase Is On for a second time but this time there’s no excuses for you and people like Sky Sangue and the commentators. If I win, it’s legit. I’m worthy of my wins. This week I delivery The Chase Is On with perfection. This week you tap again.”

Mr. X pulled a funny face to copy Chase Michael’s expression when he is locked in The Chase Is On.

“This is the face you pull Chase.”

It’s like a bulldog chewing a wasp.

“This week when I have you locked in and you pull this face...I’m actually going to be elsewhere, in the ‘Woods Restaurant’. There’s only going to be one choice for my dinner that night and we both know what it is. Just four lousy letters, W O L F, and I’m eating it all up. Monday night I’m starving for success and starving to correct the dodgy outcome from our first match when the referee ruined the match. Oh one last thing Chase...tell Harvey to come along too. I can’t wait to give him a slap.”

He brought his right hand up to his left shoulder and pretended to produce a back handed slap – one of Ziu’s favorites.

“I’m sorry if I’m forgetting anyone but I’m sure there’s someone else included in my match this week......oh yes, Michael Adrian. The guy that turns up for his debut, wins a title shot and then vanishes for over a month. Is it just me or does Adrian show a lack of respect for both VOW and my Zero Gravity title? This guy wins his debut match impressively and then comes back a week later being a bit over confident and gets embarrassed by Chase Michaels. It was as if he didn’t even turn up. And then he goes missing and still gets his title shot. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t turn up this week. I won’t hold my breath, and quite frankly...I don’t even know why I bother wasting my breath talking about him.”

Deep breath. Clean, fresh air.

“My opponents this week make me laugh actually. To me, they got very lucky at the last PPV; Double Jeopardy. Bronx Valescence totally dominated that match and handed them both an ass whooping and a half. Somehow they both managed to pull off the victory by not being eliminated, but if they took part in an actual singles match against Bronx I’m sure it would be a different outcome. But they both got through and we have to accept reality, and that’s that they both scraped past Bronxy. It’s a shame that only one of them is taking this match seriously, so I appreciate Chase doing so, even if he has run his mouth about not caring for my ZG title belt. But Adrian...this guy hasn’t given me any sort of recognition or respect. There’s been no attention to this situation whatsoever and I’m not having it. The ZG belt is remaining in Mr. Selfies possession and I can picture all the Selfies at the end of the night as I successfully defend my title once again.”

The Zero Gravity belt was safe and warm back at home. The woods was no place for it.

“Another person showing me a lack of respect is Ruby Parvati. Who employs these people? You think you can sit there and tell me to concentrate on my Zero Gravity title challengers Ruby? Please tell me where these challengers are. The ZG division is non-existent right now. Nobody wants a piece of this.”

X looked himself up and down. Ziu is confident. Mr. X is arrogant. Who’s to say which one is on show?

“These young cats can’t keep up with me. I’m in the fast lane and these other roster members are moving out the way for me. I’m flying on the outside lane and no one can catch me. Not Casanova English, not Stacy Jones, and certainly not Chase Michaels. Those three aren’t even challengers to my title and they can’t catch me. Last week Cera through the spikes across the road and it caused me to grind to a halt and English passed me, but that won’t stop me catching back up with him and passing him with ease. I want you to remember this because I will laugh in your face when it happens. No one seems to want to be in my lane. Four months undefeated...they all run scared.”

Mr. X unzipped his hooded top and revealed a red T-Shirt that read:

Zero Gravity
Zero Defeats

It defined Ziu Zhong’s run in the ZG division. He won the Quest for the Case match back in August 2014 which was a briefcase suspended above the ring that consistied of a ZG title match. He then beat the champ for the belt in December 2014 and has defended it twice since. That’s four Zero Gravity related matches and four wins. Zero Gravity. Zero Defeats. It was a T-Shirt created for his loyal fans.

“Behind the scenes there’s a lot going on and all will be revealed eventually. I still see myself as being undefeated regardless of the poor decision last week. The ref called my match too early the week before so you could say ‘what goes around’. But Cera cost me dearly and if she ends up near me again I’ll do some damage to those overrated legs.”

Mr. X was more to the point than Ziu but they both got a similar message across. No one would expect anything other than Ziu being unhappy at the cheating going on backstage. They wouldn’t see that behind those eyes was a dark character that had been given approval by Ziu to experience the real world. The Orphanage was certainly pulling the strings inside VOW and there had to be a way to stop them. Having Mr. X take over some sort of control was a slight spark and confidence boost.

“Last but not least, I have written a poem. I would like to dedicate this to my opponents this week and I want you to both listen to every single word so that you can get a picture of how my VOW career has gone so far and what I’m all about. To the rest of the VOW roster, this is for you too.”

Mr. X removed a piece of paper from within his inside hooded pocket and before he even looked at it he had already ripped it up into little pieces. This is one poem that he doesn’t need to read from a piece of paper. He had spent all night preparing this, trying to impress Ziu Zhong who was watching intently.

“It’s called ‘Zero to Hero, Hero to Zero’ and I know that my fans out there back me on every word.

I arrived on the scene, there was talent everywhere
They called me another Chinese lightweight, but I didn’t care
Chinky and slit eyes, they named me from the beginning
Whilst being in VOW, I have not been the one they have been pinning

Defeating people from Judas Dathan to Brett Carson, Cera to Seth Iser
I’m just getting started, this is just the appetizer
Brett Carson again, Casanova English even entered the fray
When Ziu Fly hits, there’s no getting away

Win after win, my hand is raised more often than not
Now they all realise, that I’m that damn hot
You want some, you don’t want some, it doesn’t matter how you feel
Your turn will come, and it will all become real

With gold around my waist, people are no longer sceptic
When I deliver ‘The Selfie Slammer’, fans scream “That’s epic!”
I’m young and inexperienced, I have a lot to learn
But I’m here for the long haul, I will watch many careers burn

Ziu Zhong is the name, don’t wear it out
You’ve seen how I perform now, you know what I’m about
A Breakthrough here, a Breakthrough there
Who is next, for me to scare?

Our eyes meet in the ring, you go through a change
Knees wobble and hands shake, it will certainly feel strange
When that happens, there’s no way back
I knock you out, everything goes black”

Mr. X began to laugh whilst gradually titling his head backwards. The laughter causing both Chase and Adrian sleepless nights leading up to Nothing Else Matters.

“See you on Monday night Chase.”

Confident smirk.

“See you on Monday Adrian...if you can be bothered to show up that is.”

He had risen to his feet and held the iphone down by his waist so the tall trees and the light filtering in through the leaves above was on show above his head to the viewers.

“I’m out.”

Mr. X produced an arrogant grin once again. Or was it Ziu smirking with swagger? They were a team now, surely. Mr. X had impressed with the promo and he had stuck by his word to not mess it up. Their thoughts, conversation and planning would lead up to Monday night. Would it be Ziu Zhong in the ring? Would it be Mr. X in the ring? Would they both compete and take turns? Only Ziu would know on Monday night at Nothing Else Matters who would be in control. One thing’s for sure, it certainly wouldn’t be Chase Michaels or Michael Adrian.

If VOW Management doesn’t intervene behind the scenes once again then it will be the same outcome as the last time Chase Michaels stepped in the ring with Mr. Selfie – a Ziu Zhong victory. We’re all used to that familiar outcome by now.

There’s a Wolf on its way to Winnipeg, Manitoba, but there was a much superior animal on its way there too.

Mr. X and Ziu Zhong were a team now.

Take some advice...

RUN!

The Chase Is On...again.