Ace King vs Lester Only

[Alex Smiley]

Reminder:

- Word limit for Group Stage matches is 1500.
- 1 RP per wrestler per match.
- Deadline: December 16, 2018, at 11:59PM Pacific.

[Geordie]

December 11, 2018
King's Court Wrestling School
Las Vegas, Nevada
6:14 a.m.

With the holidays approaching, many King's Court trainees have lightened their workloads; the spaces are scarcely populated, and the energy is lacking.

However, Ace King's work never stops. Though he'd acquitted himself well in his Experts debut by forcing the reigning True Expert into a time-limit draw, it wasn't the result the EWC United States Champion wanted... Hell, not the result he'd expected.

Therefore, as he's done for the better part of 10 days, he's first in the door to have his pick of workout. Today, the rowing machine, every pull intended to build strength... The missing strength he needed to stun the world and finish Jack Benevolence.

He finds a good pace and stays with it, finding the right intervals to push. However, as he hits his final peak...

"Ace?"

He barely picks up on the voice, but it's enough to make him let go. He gets up from the machine, only to find himself staring at Jana Gomez, a King's Court trainer and longtime friend of 'The Gambler.'

"Hey, sorry," he answers, running his forearm across his sweat-beaded forehead. "How long have you been here?"

"A few minutes," she counters with a shrug, though there's concern in her expression. "Anyway, I thought I'd find you here... Can we talk?"

"Sure?" he offers, puzzled by the request. Jana's usually a go-with-the-flow type, so the apprehension concerns Ace as he opens up his office.

"What's on your mind?" he asks, grabbing water bottles for both of them before sitting at his desk. "Seems like your classes have been going well lately?"

"They have," she admits, running a hand through her hair. "But they'd be better with perfect attendance."

Ace slightly raises an eyebrow, trying to figure out what she's getting at.

"If people aren't attending, it's their lo-"

"Ace, I'm worried," Jana interjects, urgency in her tone. "She was doing so well, and now? Radio silence for almost two months."

Ace drums his fingers against his desk, slowly connecting the dots.

"I see," he acknowledges, his own concern growing. "Should we call?"

"I tried a few times, but nothing," Jana confesses, pain evident on her face. "Maybe you can?"

A silent nod from Ace puts Jana at ease; he grabs his phone and dials the number, putting it on speaker as he sets it on the desk. After two rings, the call is acknowledged, albeit silently. With the line still open, he takes a deep breath before asking...

"Vannah?"



"You shouldn't be here, Lester."

There's an uncharacteristic chill to Ace's voice as he sits alone in his office, watching old EWCTV and Experts Network footage as sunlight creeps through the windows.

"Truthfully, neither of us should be here for a myriad of reasons," he continues, pausing for a drink of water. "However, the context couldn't be any more different. I'm the guy who, until a couple weeks ago, had never set foot in an Experts ring, which theoretically should have put me out of my league. Throw in the threats to my United States Championship, and it would be easy to say I'm taking my eye off the ball. You, though? You're a different story."

'The Gambler' briefly goes through TEN's interface before settling on a playlist featuring Level-One's greatest matches.

"Ignoring for the moment that you robbed my student, Vannah White, of her rightful place here, what's your motive?" he inquires with a raised eyebrow. "Everybody knows about the murderer's row of people you put down back in the day... and that you should be there yourself for what you did to another's man wife..."

The disgust pours out as Ace keeps his focus on the screen, his eyes narrowing as he studies footage of Level-One and Crazyman's legendary I Quit Match.

"But what good is any of that going to do now, Lester?" he asks, his upper lip curling into a snarl. "So you were a worldbeater? Congratulations, you're in a tournament full of them. You should have left well enough alone, Lester, because what do you really have to prove? You had an era where you ran roughshod over everybody, but now? The rest of the industry has caught up, and it's threatening to leave you behind, tarnishing the legacy you fought so hard to build."

Ace's eyes never leave the screen as a montage of Level-One's APW World Heavyweight Championship triumphs play before him.

"This basically boils down to showing the world Level-One's still got it, and he had to call out the biggest dogs to do it," he asks sarcastically. "Your dick-swinging Tweet for this group says as much. You need to do this for your own sanity."

A defiant grunt escapes Ace's lips as he keeps himself focused.

"In a world of grey areas, that's the clearest truth of the entire Extreme Tournament," he affirms with a nod and a smirk. "I never thought I'd see Lester Only lacking in confidence, but here we are."

Level-One is now shown defeating Black Death to win the 2008 Extreme Tournament, claiming his place in wrestling immortality as Ace pauses the stream.

"Now, I'm sure you'll try getting all hard and suggesting I'm only following the trail you blazed a decade ago," he acknowledges, his face contorted into a frown as he watches Level-One's EWC Hall of Fame induction from 2009. "While it's true you had your heyday back then with APW and EWC, our paths aren't remotely similar. I've already established that I'm nothing like you, because I actually care about the others around me... However, there's a key distinction to be made: I'm not a follower."

Ace skips ahead to the 2009 Extreme Tournament, where Level-One was pushed by a game AC Thunder in a Street Fight during the tournament finale.

"Oh, but who am I to be saying all these horrible things about an Experts icon? SURELY a guy with no Experts cache has no right to come at a former True Expert like this, right?" he muses, sarcasm dripping from every word. "It raises an interesting point, though: Why drag me into this? If you really wanted to make a point, why not include another former True Expert? Georgie Nickles, for instance... Or Smitty? Perhaps Sewaside? You could have made it a True Expert group nobody else could match."

Ace gets fidgety as he shifts over to EWCTV, reflecting on some of his own high-calibre performances.

"Instead? You lumped me in, and it's going to kill your shot at getting back on top," he declares boldly, his eyes narrowing into a squint. "You said you wanted to ensure you weren't fighting has-beens, but I can see through the smokescreen: To you, I'm a never-was, a warm-up for the 'real' competition."

Ace can't hide the disgust as he watches his Undisputed Championship match from last year's Wrestlefest, where he took a future EWC Hall of Famer, Drake, beyond an hour in an Iron Man Match before finally succumbing to 'The Vengeful One.'

"Let's be real: You've never respected anyone," he continues, his intensity escalating. "So, for you to suggest you respect me for being the guiding figure you could never be for Vannah, only to disrespect her by stealing her invitation to compete... It smacks of a man desperate for the spotlight, knowing his legacy hangs by a thread. It smacks of a man who doesn't know when to stop, and the double knockout with Doug is testament."

Ace's eyes lock into the Barbed Wire Rope, Exploding Ring Deathmatch from EWC's Uncensored, where he won his United States Championship over a year ago.

"I might be a late bloomer, but I'm really just getting started," he says while shifting to his Ladder Match from EWC's Hardcore Revolution against another former True Expert, Georgie Nickles. "Though I didn't beat Jack a couple weeks ago, I served notice that I'm not a walkover. I might not be a True Expert, past or present, nor do I have Experts pedigree... However, I'm still here with a fighting chance. Do I feel any added pressure? Hell no, because I'm right where I belong: Competing with the best in the world on the biggest stage, with no disqualifications, and nothing to hold me back."

There's a devilish glint in Ace's eye, though it doesn't last as his expression goes stone-cold before shutting off the projector.

"Meanwhile, you shouldn't be here," he repeats, finality in his words as he rises from his chair. "By the end of the night? I'll make sure your Elimination Chamber aspirations disappear. Remember, Lester: You asked for this, so I'll justify your demand... And it's going to come at your expense. Bet On It."

With that, he throws his headphones on and queues up 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' by the Rolling Stones on his phone before disappearing into his workout; he knows he has to pull out all the stops, because if he doesn't?

Game Over.

[Level-One]

The Best Man and The Brides Maid

''Do you even know what a tie is?''

Lester Only stares at himself in the the mirror as his friend and groom soon to be married fiddles with the bow tie around his collar.

''Yeah, I know what a tie is.'' Lester grumbled. ''In fact, I just had one last week when my big return was ruined by some minimum wage prick with a penchant on counting to ten really fast.''

''You know, I don't think you'll ever get over your long lost love.'' The groom says as he adjusts the bow tie ever so slightly. 'Super six, really man? I thought we both agreed you were moving on.''

''Our relationship is complicated.'' Lester declares before checking out his bow tie the moment the groom steps aside. ''I will be moving on, it'll just be to the next round in the tournament.''

''Yeah, who's it going to be this week?'' The groom asks.

''Ace King.'' Lester answers.

''I must say Lester your looking damn good in that suit!'' The groom yells as he wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

''Hearts, diamonds, clovers and spades...'' He rattles off. ''I fucking hate suits.''

''Funny, I was thinking we should actually hit the Casino after all this.''

''I'll pass, you know I'm not much of a gambler.''

The groom laughs and steps away from Lester, leaving him to the company of his own reflection. It was hard to believe that today was the first day he was wearing a suit and he had never attended a wedding before despite the persistence of his own girlfriend to get married themselves one day.

As if on queue, his friend asks. ''Do you think one day you'll ever say, I do?''

''I don't.''

A poetic moment if it wasn't so depressing. His friend didn't say much in the way of a retort, he merely just gave him a empathetic nod of the head to show him that he understood. The two didn't say much as they exited the hotel room with several other groomsman giving each other fist bumps and telling childish jokes.

Less than an hour later, the group of men had arrived at the reception. The groom had been pulled aside separately and Lester Only had quickly found himself gravitating away  from the rest of the group.

''Ay, Level-One! I fucking love your work dude...''

''Thanks.'' Lester said keeping things short. ''I think I am going to head over there and grab some punch, I'll catch up with you guys later.''

Several of the men wave and nod their heads respectfully, as Lester Only quickly hustled over to a punch bowl set out in the reception hall. He didn't know if it was normal but then again, he had no previous experiences to draw from.

Once at the table, he pours himself a glass and a familiar voice crept up on him.

''You like it?''

PFFTTTT!

He spit out the punch and hit another female guest, who cries out in horror. He doesn't pay her much attention, as he spins around. ''What the hell are you doing here!?''

''Aww, poor girl!'' She cries but before she pursue the women, Lester reached out and grabbed her by the arm.

''Vannah!?''

Lester asks wild eyed and confused before he lets her go.

''I'm surprised you could make it, Lester.''

''We do still have mutual friends, Vannah.''

''Oh, friends?'' Vannah asks as she grabs her own cup. ''It's nice to hear your still calling us that, Lester.''

He didn't say anything as she poured herself some punch. ''You've been rather quiet on twitter, don't tell me Doug has humbled you yet?''

''Fuck twitter, it's exactly what's got me in this mess.'' He complains.

Vannah let's out an exaggerated sigh. ''A shame about you and Doug, you really needed those three points.''

''Yeah and now I'll have to take them from Ace.'' He grins while he pours himself a second glass of punch. ''Glad your still keeping count.''

''Look, I'm not one to throw jabs around a punchbowl...'' Vannah starts before Lester holds his cup up in the air.

''Good, then let's shut the fuck up and drink.''

The two quickly down their glass of punch and then head into the reception together.

''So, Lester... tell me.'' Vannah starts and stops. ''Why Ace?''

''What, are you going to start Vlogging here too?'' Lester mocks.

''No, I'd leave it up to you to shoot a promo at a wedding''

''Shit, why not? I've already done one at a funeral.'' Lester snarls and Vannah responds by rolling her eyes.

The two part ways ever so slightly as she takes the first seat at the pew with several other bridesmaids while he is horizontally across from her and is joined by the other groomsmen.

''Ace, I chose you for a reason.'' Lester says to himself. ''See, that EWC United States championship belt you hold so dearly to you was once mine over a decade ago. And although you are too blind to see it right now, it is nothing more than a crutch to you. It's merely a cheap substitute for the EWC Undisputed Championship that you have failed to win on more than one occasion....

I also won that championship over a decade ago, too.''

''Hey Vannah...'' Lester calls out as the ceremony begin. ''At what point in our timeline did we stop being friends?''

''Probably around the same time you put your enemies before me, before all of us.''

Lester nods his head in acknowledgement. ''Ace, I think we both are wise as to the theme being built here. You're in the EWC trying to chase my ghosts meanwhile I am here to prove to the world once again that greatness is a constant, not a fleeting entity. By defeating you, I'll prove that I have done so against talent that is also relevant to this era. In turn, I'm granting you an opportunity to bypass all the dirty work and prove yourself once and for all.''

He points at himself. ''No more Rumble's in the Bronx, no kings, no cages... no slimy bald headed President named Big Mac preventing you from being the absolute best. You beat me, Ace? Fuck the EWC undisputed championship. You would have done what their current champion could NEVER do on this stage and that is, defeat Level-One.'' He snaps his fingers. ''If you can do that, your big time Ace.''

''Hey Vannah.'' Lester calls out again as the wedding music begins to play. ''Ace, has he been treating you right?''

Vannah in a hushed whisper responds, ''Les, don't pretend to care.''

''Alright.''

He shrugs. ''Problem is, although I gave you this chance because I felt you deserved it. After all, you took her under your wing and to this day you are helping cultivate her career. And yet, I still feel there's this part of me, a part of me that truly makes me the man you've known me to be. Thus even when I giveth, I have even a stronger desire to taketh away, a man of god I am not for I am motivated purely out of spite and torment.''

He laughs at those who tried to hush his tone. ''I don't know why I am this way, is it a lack of love perhaps? I had it all, Ace. What is it I am missing? Can you help me find it? I've helped you. Unfortunately Ace, I fear that by the time you or even I figure it out it's going to be a little too late...

He watches as the groom and bride make their walk down the aisle. ''See there's this thing, I can't quite put my finger on. You know, where you always come so close but then never quite get there? Yeah, that.... let's take this time to soak it all in together.''

The happy couple meets on the alter and they begin reading their vows or as he would put it, some shit.

''I mean, you did manage to push Jack into a draw last week and that's more than me or Vannah has ever done...'' He says while giving it much thought. ''I mean you are obviously talented, focused and your determined, hell... you've made it all the way down the aisle multiple times and you've proven to be a man of commitment and yet still when the moment is at it's climax and everyone is watching and it's time to finally make that vow, Ace...

You can never just say, I do.''

He looks up at the alter and smiles for the first time all day, he reveals true emotion.

''Always the bridesmaid yet never the bride...'' He whispers softly. ''I'm afraid this is how your fairy tale ends, Ace.''

''I do'', says the groom.
''I do'', says the bride.
''I did.'' said Level-One.

The bride and groom shared a passionate kiss and everyone cheered.