Lethal Lottery: James Howard (c) vs. Eve Taylor [Elite X Title]

[Richard Blonoff]

Two competitors obsessed with their personal image and reputation will go toe-to-toe in the squared circle for the Elite X championship. James Howard recently came back to WZCW to prove he is not the outcast from the once famous group known as Strikeforce and looked to achieve glory on his own. After a gruelling battle against rival Chris K.O., James eventually captured the Elite X championship on the same night Eve Taylor defeated fellow female competitor Kagura Ohzora for a chance at the Elite X title. Eve has said she will do anything to reclaim championship gold, including challenging her own stablemates for their titles. Howard won't be looking to let go of his strangehold on the Elite X title neither so one should assume this fight between these competitors will be nothing short of hard-hitting and exploiting the rules as best as they can.

Deadline is Tuesday, August 25th at 11:59PM CST. Extensions available upon request.​

 

[Dave]

Deadline has been extended for 24 hours.

 

[Shotaro]

James Howard sits alone, a buckled and bent steel chair strains to stay upright as he makes it into his own personal punching bag. As we pan out we see the room in which he stands, cream leather sofas line the magnolia walls; the whole room looks like a show home, full of artificial warmth and plastic fruit. As Howard looks to turn his attention towards the modern fireplace, flames licking the dark painted wood when the shrill tones of a doorbell grant it a stay of execution.

Leon Kensworth stands at the door of the suburban monstrosity waiting patiently for the door to open. When it does, the clanging of a door chain leaves only a slip open as he catches a glimpse of Howard’s jet black eyes.

“Come in” Howard says as he pulls the door fully open and walks away, sending plasterboard dust flying through the air. The door smashes against the wall, punching a hole in the wall before slamming closed after Leon has walked inside. Leon makes his way into the lounge. “Take a seat” James said as he pointed towards an impressive wing-backed chair. “Would you like a drink?”

Leon pauses for a moment, a bemused look covers his face. “Uh… No, thank you.” He says as he adjusts himself uncomfortably in his chair. “I’m going to guess this is your mother’s house?”

“It would be Leon. She hasn’t moved in. She refuses to. Just another example of my generosity and good will being thrown back in my face.” Howard says, leaning forward his elbows resting on his knees. “You see Leon, people seem to have misunderstood me. They think I’m selfish. They think I don’t care about anybody but myself but that isn’t true. Do you know why I am the Elite X Champion Leon? Do you know why I battled and fought my way to a title match?”

Howard pauses briefly as Leon’s lips begin to open he continues.

“Not because I wanted it, because other people did. To show them, to show the world that the futility of effort and work to earn a title shot is meaningless when a man like me who openly doesn’t care about this championship can just walk in and take it from them. This title is a check box in a legacy, my legacy, and when a man who doesn’t care can walk in and defeat some of this company’s best just to deny them the pride and honour that comes with being the Elite X Champion.”

Howard stops and smiles leaning back in his chair.

“Don’t misunderstand me Leon, I know this title is prestigious. I know that some of the best competitors in this history of this company have sweat and blead and toiled for this title. The apathy is my flaw, I own it. I had a strange moment of clarity recently and I realised my anger wasn’t anger at my friends or my family. It was anger at existence.”

Leon adjusts his posture slightly. “So you’re saying you’re a nihilist?”

Howard smirks “something like that, yes.” He leans back in his chair. “I came to realise Leon that playing their game, proving my worth and jumping through their hoops was futile and pointless. As sure as the Earth orbits the Sun we will all die and what then Leon? Anything? Nothing? Heaven or Hell or whatever the hell you want to call it? I know my place in the world now more than ever Leon and my place in the world is to ruin it for everyone else. Whether that person is Eve Taylor, Michael Stormrage or Ty Burna.”

Howard reaches down to the side of his seat and pulls up an hourglass. “Let me show you Leon, the hourglass is the most complicated time piece that ever has, or ever will, exist. Five million moving pieces, five million tiny grains of sand are needed to mark an hour of our lives. Insignificant grains of sand who are just going through the motions, just like those of us in WZCW, mindless drones. Pointless little grains of sand to the likes of Mister Banks and Vance Bateman. And the lethal lottery is the hourglass Leon. It’s the big bottleneck they force us all through but this time Leon, everything is going to change because I am going to walk into that match with the Elite X Championship around my waist and then”

Howard quickly jumps to his feet and throws the hourglass across the room, shattering it on the wall as glass and sand rain down around Leon Kensworth.

“Then, I’m going to shatter that bottleneck. I’m going to be the man who took Vance Bateman’s archaic rules about double champions and I’m going to write them down, roll them up and watch as he chokes on them. I’m going to take out my frustration and anger at my wife on Eve Taylor and then I’m going to take out my anger at existence on any fool willing to climb into that ring with me during the Lethal Lottery.”

Howard motions for Leon to leave which he does quickly when he sees Howard being ripping the carpets from the floor and moving them closer and closer to the fire.

“Some people want to watch the world burn Leon, but me? I want to see how much is flammable.”

Leon runs out of the house and onto the street as the house is now obviously on fire. Howard casually walks out behind him, cigarette in hand as he turns and stops to witness the destruction with glee. Leon hurries to his car when James turns and shouts towards him.

“Hey Leon, I’m going to turn this company into glass and shatter it. There’s your headline.”

 

[Viola Moonlight]

The stars in the clear night sky twinkled above with the moonlight shining down, down its best to penetrate the fluorescence of the city lights at the Earth's surface. It was a battle of luminescence between London & Mother Nature; a gorgeous array of colours mashing together to create a desired picture for any tourist. Those taking a twilight ride on the London's Eye were amazed at the scenery, making sure to get every and any type of picture they can squeeze in. Every pod on the eye was filled to the brim and loving what their eyes were seeing... except for the pod at the very top of the Eye. Only one woman - Eve Taylor - was inside this pod, all alone. She sat by herself looking at her feet, ignoring everything taking place on the outside. For how much man-made and natural light was being produced, Eve's pod was bleak and dim. She could make our her surroundings and watch everyone else but nobody could see inside her pod.

"It is beautiful outside." Eve said, breaking the silence. "Outside this little pod, I see the wonders of the world; the constructions of man and the growth of nature. It is the very essence of beauty and it can turn the most stubborn frown upside down, even mine. It's the moment in time when time stops and you achieve a happiness high you'll be chasing for many years later. A happiness high..."

Eve trails off as she looks out to the city below. A small smile cracks her saddened face for but only a brief second before turning back to stone. Her gaze drifts away from the windows and looks down to the flooring, the only spot where a view of the outside doesn't exist.

"It's a high I've been chasing my whole life, much like anyone else. The difference however, between any other being on this planet and myself is that they're running after the happiness that has graced their presence once before... I'm still running to find mine. I've been searching harder than anyone else to find happiness but every time I believe I get a step closer to finally reaching it... it turns out to merely be a mirage; an illusion that slipped through my fingers once more. Even when I'm surrounded by happiness and the light shines from all directions, I'm still left in the dark."

Eve looks around, noticing the smiling faces of the others in their pods watching at the lights in awe. Hurt by the sight, she turns her head with her eyes beginning to water. She wipes away at her eyes, shaking her head as she keeps it bowed, not wanting anyone to see her in this state.

"No matter how many times I've tried, happiness evades me." Eve paused for a second. "It's proven I'm not suited for happiness yet I'm a fool to continue searching. I know I will never find happiness and yet, why do I keep looking? Is it because for the very first time in my life I just want to feel something? To achieve something truly spectacular that cannot be measured by a trophy? These are the questions I do not know the answer and I doubt I ever will find them. The answers to why I look for happiness are harder to find than looking for happiness itself... but this isn't what makes me angry inside. What makes me angry is how other people can push away happiness when they know its exact location... James..."

Eve's fingers begin fidgeting, rubbing each of her fingertips together in her palm as she anger starts consuming her thoughts.

"Yes you, James..." Eve sniffs heavily through her nose. "... it boggles my mind that someone with happiness staring them in the face can easily and willingly cast it aside. How can you deny yourself happiness when happiness wants to be with you? You have people who love and care for you, James, no matter how much pain you cause them. People like Mikey Stormrage & Chris K.O. who would open their arms to you and a loving family who wants nothing more than to see their husband or father in their lives... and you throw it all away? For what purpose? I've been searching all my life for someone who would genuinely call me their friend outside of business relations, let alone someone who'd wed me and become my other half for the rest of our lives. Even if I just had one friend, my life would be complete yet you have many and someone to love... and you don't want them?"

Eve starts clenching her fists and gritting her teeth. Her eyes flutter as she seethes on the inside just trying to understand it.

"At first glance James, you were just another competitor who ended up in my way. You won the Elite X championship on the same night that I become the number one contender to the very same title. Our paths were forced the cross for only this very reason and I'm sure you cared about me being your next challenger just as I cared about it... but being distanced from the only two people in this world who are the closest I've ever been to happiness fight against the people who want to provide you with that happiness makes me look at this title bout completely differently. I now do not view this match as a competition to determine who is the better fighter, it is a chance for me to beat the ever-living daylights out of the piece of shit human being you are, James."

She takes a deep breath and exhales in an orgasmic ecstasy. The smile creeps back on her face, thinking about what she is going to do to James Howard.

"I'm going to punch you in the face. I'm going to knee you in the stomach. I'm going to remove your knee from your leg with a simple kick. I'm going to do it over and over and over again until you realise that life without happiness is not a life worth living and you'll be begging for those who you've cast aside to return back to you... and then I'm going to beat you up some more for taking it for granted. I might not be able to achieve happiness James but I'm sure as hell not going to sit here and watch someone throw it away like its garbage."

"And what's worse is that you hold a material possession which temporarily masks the sadness and anger from my inability to achieve happiness... and yet, you don't seem to care about it as much as you should." Eve chuckles to herself. "As if I needed another reason to use your body as my own personal fashion runway..."

Eve stands up and goes over to the window, caressing the glass with her fingertips. She looks outside once more yet no smile appears on her face. Eve feels almost nothing as she continues to stare at the beautiful sight.

"Will beating you up give me some form of relief, James? Probably not. Will capturing the Elite X title grant me the fake temporary distraction just like my modelling career give me? Perhaps. Will doing my hardest to win the Lethal Lottery and propel myself to the World title match at Kingdom Come do me any favours? Only time will tell... but I do know one thing, James."

Eve looks out as her view of the city goes lower and lower ever so slowly as the London Eye begins to turn.

"After knowing I cannot achieve happiness, it is only downhill for me... and for those like yourself who disregard happiness like you do, I'm here to drag you down to the very bottom with me."

For the first time in what feels like forever, a genuine smile forms on the face of Eve as she ignores everything that happens outside, letting time pass her by.