It was Plutarch who first asked the question to the world 'If a ship were to have all of it's parts replaced, would it remain the same ship?' Whether or not you remember this question as a broom, or grandfather's axe, the basic question remains the same. It's a thought experiment that could apply to any individual. How much could you change about yourself until you were no longer the person you once were?
In the case of one Xander LeBelle, the answer was still not enough for his liking. The floorboards he could stand on had been replaced, as did the sail that lead him to his destination. However, the pieces that was keeping him afloat was still rotting and destined to sink him once again. No position at all for a diplomat such as himself. If he was to continue down this path, his reliable foresight saw a shipwreck that would sink him down to the depths with the forgotten. An underwater hell where ships like the S.S. Kravinoffs, and S.S. Smiths were broken in half and finished. But his determination would never let that happen. When WZCW dies and gets buried into the ground, his memory alone will sail for eternity. If anything, all this proved is something he knew all along, obviously. He just needed a little more adjustments. No more flawed parts would be accepted, only the sturdiest to match. If he was to be remembered for all of eternity, every single part of that side of him was to go.
Especially now that he was entered into The Gold Rush, a single elimination tournament for a shot at reaching even higher than he did before. It was time to take his new ship for a test run and see if the parts could carry a new treasure that sparkled even brighter, heaven's treasure, and was of much more worth without it needing to fall overboard.
But what to do if someone else of Batti's worth ever tried taking his treasure yet again? Could he handle another moment such as that loss? He had no use for a belt with its history blackened like Batti had accomplished. Going back to Thereus' Paradox, there are some times in this world if you were to glue up a vase which had shattered into a billion pieces, it could be made with the same pieces, but be a completely different vase altogether. What had happened to the vase would change it far more than a replacement piece ever could. LeBelle knew he would need much better plans than that.
History itself would need to be rewritten Batti's win to be void. But when you're Xander LeBelle, that could be arranged.
"It's perfect..." Xander whispered to himself, as he refrained from touching the glass case holding his recently commissioned, newly acquired 'True Elite Championship'. An original design he would substitute any and all future titles that would ensure tainted hands would never be able to hold it. "Purity. Some live their lives searching to see its beauty, and I can experience it firsthand for a few measely dollars."
He had just a few more trips left that he had to make on this Odyssey to claim it, but when he looked into glass at his future, it was all the motivation that Xander needed to get going. If he wasn't The World's Greatest Mind, he almost wouldn't have noticed his manager who had snuck up to him from behind.
"It's always a pleasure seein' what money can be. And she's all yours. And I can promise you Adonis Studios is happy to flash this masterpiece to the world until you can claim it. You just gotta move up from sixteen to eight, then eight to four, then four to two, then two to one. But you, you got a hundred to one chance of whippin' every last one of em, kid. First, you gotta deal with Logan McAllister."
Xander LeBelle laughed.
"My, my, how fitting. Logan McAllister really is the human embodiment a roadblock. His purpose is to stand in others' way like the giant nuisance that he is, but that is all he can do. No personal aspirations, no strong motivation, not even anyone who would ever be inspired and wish to follow in his footsteps. He and his children, may not like it, but the world simply would not change if he fell off the face of this earth. Even Constantine, who insulted me for not retaining the championship, then went out and made an absolute fool of himself, still would make headlines. But a Logan McAllister's place in this world isn't worth a footnote, let alone a sentence in history. As is, as shall be." As per the word of the World's Greatest Mind.
Xander placed a sheet over the display case for his 'True Elite' Championship. No use even bringing up that man's name in front of a prize far above him.
"Why, he wishes for that, in fact. He enjoys the life of a common man. Although, history and humanity needs a common man as much as they need a common tick. No one shall ever look upon this time and wonder what it would have been like to have met one of the world's greats from 2017, because they don't exist, not to the same degree they did. There's people, but we have sacrificed wits and revolutionary actions for simpleness, charisma, and reliability. It's a shame that those two are mutually exclusive. I am a dying breed, while the ignorant continue to grow. It is unfortunate, certainly."
With a wave of his glove to Adonis, it was time to conduct the world once again.
"Get my podium, have the press outside in an hour, and make sure Logan is watching. I don't care if he wishes to have his loved ones see it or not, but perhaps it is for the best. I have a message for him."
---
Forty-five minutes later, the press had started piling in for a statement from the former Elite Openweight Champion. By the time it reached an hour, the whole place swarmed like a moth to the flame. Whether they were there for wrestling, or there because of his social status, he was not an easy name to ignore. The cane-swinging gentlemanly monster stepped out of Adonis Studios' doors not a few moments later, with his gold suited manager not far behind.
"What has been done, has been done, and we can only look towards our future. The new and improved Vis Imperium, my full intentions of making Batti Otaku pay for what she has done, but most importantly, the Gold Rush. Sixteen of WZCW's greatest wrestlers, and two of the world's greatest, have the chance to seize an opportunity. Should ever our leader be unfortunately put in an unfair predicament such as I was, and shamefully forced to relinquish that title, Mark Keaton and I shall most certainly try our best to stop mediocre mongoloids like Logan McAllister, or women like Batti and Kagura who would only tarnish its reputation anywhere near hi--"
A fat man in a suit jumped up from above the crowd to get attention as he shouted something to Xander.
"And what if one of your allies winds up facing one another? If not you and Keaton, then maybe one of you two and Justin in the finish?
Xander angrily glared at the man who interrupted him, however he brought up a good question. That saying about a broken clock being right two times a day never ceased to prove itself.
"We are all our own persons. It's not about personal gain, it's about taking it from the unworthy. The three of us shall be prepared no matter what the outcome. Prometheus' problem was sharing his fire with humans, when it belonged to the Gods. Cooper and Keaton are prepared to face whatever will happen. Should it come out one of us is superior to the other, it's a reality much more acceptable than one of us being lesser to other members of Vis Imperium."
"What about Batti?"
With that, Xander had more than enough of this obnoxious focus-grabber. He never said he was taking questions.
"Yes, what about Batti? Perhaps there was a lucky break on her behalf, but if you ask me, I should never have been forced to tangle with someone such as her in the first place. She can revel in her victory all that she wants. I stand by that she has a very unfortunate future ahead of her. A moment living like a queen, is not the life of a queen. Those who find her attractive will watch her body fall apart on her, those who find her amusing will watch her grow dull, and those looking for an interesting conversation with her will not find it now, and certainly will not find it forty years later. She has a time limit, I don't. Watch, and when you're ready to accept the truth.." His words seemed full of bitterness, but he remained as cool and complacent with how he said it as ever.
'That shut that overgrown child up quite nicely', Xander said with his smug expression alone.
"Still, she had her moment to live as a queen. That is better than no fame whatsoever. And that is why I hope Logan McAllister appreciates what I'm doing for him. I know you're listening, so I wish to speak to you directly. You wish for a reward for your efforts for sticking through with this place, but you want to be among men, rather than above man. If that's the case, I shall let live that life. Falling in Round One should be a best case scenerio for you. Unless your ambitions are strong, you have no place here. If I was to let you past me, it would only get your hopes up."
The handsome scoundrel could just imagine how Logan was taking this right now. Most likely, he was looking for the closest thing to him that he could chuck it at the TV.
"I'll play a hypothetical. Suppose you do manage to capture a win. You forget that there is two more of us you have to worry about in this scenario. And while beating one of us would be a farce, beating the three of is simply without of your grasp. We are the farthest thing from commonplace. I did not agree to be a part of this so I could be among the common man. So Logan, whether or not you appreciate it, I will do you the honors of at least letting you fall in dignity in round one, then let you reach for the stars, and fall down back to earth even more disappointed than you would be if you never gotten close to that day as a king in the first place. You are welcome."
Adonis patted his client on the back. The boldest of his clients were always his favorites.
"Now that I've finished, I shall now take one and only one question."
A few hands in the crowd shot up. But most importantly, the man who interrupted him raised his hand. While he didn't want to encourage that behavior for his press conferences, he couldn't wait to stick whatever that man had back at him. He pointed towards the man once more.
"Any thoughts on your former Tag Team partner, The Beard's return?"
Xander stood silent.
If he hadn't blinked, one would assume he was frozen in time for how long he simply said nothing. Without even opening his mouth, LeBelle walked away, unceremoniously. Walking up to the mic, Adonis tapped it twice to tell if it was still on, before making an announcement to the crowd.
"This conference is over. Mr. LeBelle doesn't want to take any more questions."
To the disappointment of the crowd gathered around for his answer, Adonis followed quickly behind Xander, leaving the podium outside Adonis Studios empty. And just like that, the whole thing ended quite abruptly.