Datura vs. Shilo Valiant

[Konrad Raab]

SCW Adrenaline Championship

2 RP Limit for singles

Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET Thursday, July 1, 2021

[The Man Who Laughs]

Send in the Clown


Chapter 9: Joyride 


To say that Taking Hold of the Flame had left a rather sour taste in my mouth would have been an understatement, as you can imagine. 

My promo material aside (and the goals that I had outlined in terms of the past year), there was a personal element that I did not go over with you, my audience, at the time. At the time, it didn’t make sense to. After all, the match was important and all the implications of it: World title shot, Rise to Greatness main event – THESE were what everyone else was talking about. These were the prizes for the match. And saying anything beyond that might have taken away from that and my entertaining work. 

I mean, I’m not Selena Frost or Bree Lancaster (apparently). I’m not going to stand in the ring and cry about my family and “how much they mean to me”. I’m not going to bitch that “titles are being disrespected” and whatever. I really don’t care about any of that. In the same vein, I’m not like Owen Cruze or Giovanni Aries, bitching about being ‘overlooked’ but some ‘invisible hand’ or ‘corrupting un masse’ that D. is apparently doing.

PLEASE! The old man can barely handle me, yet we’re supposed to think he can control dozen of hired roster members? Hell, the old man couldn’t handle Giovanni Aries during that royale, but somehow he’s got all of us controlled? Come on!

My grievances with him are real, true enough, but even I’m not stupid enough to think that D. would endanger all of SCW by screwing over his entire roster for the sake of a few. Screw over me? Sure. I’m one guy. 

Anyway, all of that aside, I had wanted the royale to be more than it was for me. Not just because of my desire to redeem my last Rise to Greatness time against Aaron Blackbourne, but also because of my private life. 

Marina had promised me that she would start watching me wrestle again.

Now, that might not sound very important to all of you and, as I said, I’m not going to stand in the ring and cry about “MY FAMILY ARE MY STRENGTH! BLAH BLAH BLAH!”. But, that being said, there was a certain excitement and joy that I did feel knowing that my soulmate was watching me again, even if it was thousands of miles away through a television screen.

So, on top of all that I wanted to do concerning the likes of Syren, Ace (I still owe THAT bastard), and D., I also had wanted to do something more – okay, I’ll be brutally honest – I wanted to show off in that match. I wanted to perform at a level that not only amazed the SCW Universe, but also show Marina what I was doing and what I was capable of. Maybe it was also to alleviate her worries, now that she knew the truth about my knee.

Did I regret revealing the truth to her about that? Not on your life. I was glad that I confided in her about my issue. I should have done that from the beginning, but my fear that she was going to rat me out to D. had really messed with my head. Can you blame me? After everything that thankless grinch had put me through? Even so, Marina had shown me that she was, and would always be, on my side, and by talking about it, she understood by position in the matter. Hell, you want to know who it was that told me to “cut the bullshit and just air your grievances” in that last promo? That was her. Yeah, I don’t care if it didn’t ‘click’ with the audience, I won’t lie. Airing the dirty laundry felt damn good! 

If Giovanni and Owen can do it on episodes of Breakdown…
If Bree Lancaster did it for months in the ring…
If Syren’s been doing it for years at every SCW event…

So, entering into the royale, I felt lighter…freer. Like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I was confident that I could show what I was capable of and the potential of where I was going beyond this match, even if, odds were, it wasn’t to the main-event at Rise to Greatness.

That did not happen.

Yeah, I feel like a pattern is starting to develop here. I set up a table, someone puts me through it. You know that was one of the reasons I missed Breakdown last week? Yeah, I was sore and banged up from the royale, but seeing as how I wasn’t booked? I figured it best if I just break the cycle. Hell, two shows, two tables? I wasn’t going to let there be a third in a row. 

Let me make this clear: The only “Three in a row” I want associated with my name are the three times I headlined Rise to Greatness, got it? 

So I kept quiet and I let Datura and Holly mouth off over “who gets Shilo next” blah blah blah. But I’ll get to that in my promo, I promise.

Truthfully, I was glad to have the additional time off. The PPV-break and the extra week or so from not being needed on Breakdown, I spent with Marina and Memphis. The kid had finished his school year and was now celebrating the summer vacation. I’d play “School’s out” by Alice Cooper but I think that’s a little too PG for the kid, so I just hummed it loudly as I sat in the car to pick him up from his last day of school.

Alright, let me talk to you about that. There I was, in my car, just humming that tune as I heard the bell ring and the sea of kids just came charging out of the building. Now, due to the events of the world, there was only a fraction of them at the school – special needs, special classes, etc., but still, that left a good two or three dozen public school kids rushing out and I swear, it was like watching that scene in The Lion King where Simba sees the herd of wildebeest charging towards him – camera zooms in and his face is ‘ohhh shit…’. 

I’m laughing at this, so I don’t mind sharing this with you, I automatically locked all my car doors with the lock button on my side as I sat in my car in the parking lot of the school. Yeah, if Simba had a blue Ford to hop into, he would have been just fine. Hell, he would have driven up to Mufasa, grabbed the big lion and pulled him into the car and then probably use the car to run over Scar! HAKUNA MATATA MOTHERFUCKER!

Now that would have been a Disney Classic.

But back to reality – SO MUCH better a preference, insert eye roll – it took me awhile to recognize Memphis. In a sea of children relatively the same size, age, etc, he didn’t exactly stand out, despite being the son of a celebrity of sorts. 

Was I a celebrity? I mean, I wasn’t a Wayne Gretzky or Robert Downey Jr., but my return to SCW had somehow made me something of a known figure to a newer generation of sorts. Old fans of SCW almost ten years ago recognized me, and now some of their kids knew me…

Sorry, that’s something I’ve been wondering. I wasn’t a constant like I had been in the ‘glory days’ of sorts. I wasn’t constantly waring for the world title. In fact, I was quite content being the Adrenaline champion. 

I know that sounds crazy, but come on. Everyone was fighting over the world title. How it was represented, how it was being defended. Who got the next shot. Hell, if the world champion so much has sneezed wrong, there were a dozen people that ended up in an uproar. Did I want to be World Champion again? Sure! If only to rub it a few people’s face – and trust me, there were a few that deserved that good of a face-rubbing – but right now? The division was SO damn uptight! Tainted matches, gimmicks, controversy- I just couldn’t handle something like that at the time unless it was at Rise to Greatness, and that was more for the show and the main-event implications than anything else.

Don’t get me wrong: becoming World Champion again was on my list, but there wasn’t a deadline to achieve it by. Now? As I said, I was content in being ‘left to my own devices’, for the most part, in SCW. Playing my games and having people seek me out for the fame of ‘dethroning Shilo Valiant’. I mean, I highly doubt SCW management would have allowed me to defend the world title on Breakdown in an Under the Big Top match, am I right?

My musings ended when I finally spotted my son darting out of the building. He wore a red Spider-Man t-shirt, his black knapsack slung over his shoulder as he ran. I was almost concerned he was going to get hit by some of the moving cars, but he ran long way around them to avoid getting in their way at all. He was soon at the passenger side, which reminded me to unlock the doors quickly before he pulled on the handle to open said door, plopping into the shotgun seat of the air-conditioned interior of the car.

“Hey, kiddo!” I smiled, ruffling his dark hair with my hand. For a moment, I spied the tail of my scorpion tattoo peeking out from the sleeve of my green long-sleeve shirt, the dragon tattoo on my left arm. “Ready for summer vacay?”

“YES!” exclaimed the child in excitement. 

It was relatively interesting to see. To explain, I wasn’t expecting him to be so excitement. Due to the state of the world, Marina and I hadn’t made any big plans. We had in the previous years around this time, or at least between the months of July and August, but last year, that hadn’t been possible and, even with the world starting to recover, she and I had made little plans simply because we didn’t wish to risk it. With me travelling constantly – more so than last year – for SCW and it being Rise to Greatness seasons, we hadn’t promised Memphis anything big like two years ago when we went to Disney World. So, to see him so excited, I wasn’t exactly sure why, but it intrigued me.

“You seem excited.” I opted to mention as I pulled the car out of the parking lot and began the short drive home through the streets of Guelph. Now, the boy could easily walk from home to school, but I had gone to pick up some groceries for Marina and had opted to pick up the kid as well en route. 

My son nodded his head at me in response to my observation.

“Um… Memphis…” I started. “You know how the world is right now, right? With people afraid to get sick?”
“Yeah.” He answered.
“So, you know we don’t have any big trip plan, right?” 

I hated to be the downer, especially to him, but wasn’t it better to be upfront and honest with him now rather than get his hopes up? We had already talked about this earlier in the season, but kids forget.

“Yep.” Or maybe they don’t.
“So…” I must have had quite the puzzled look on my face as I kept my eyes on the road, passing by houses and people walking on the sidewalks. “What has you so excited that school’s done?”

“No school.” The boy grinned. “No homework. I can play video games and play with you and mom.”

…

Sometimes I forget how much children can savour the simple things over adults in most cases. Seriously, the boy was just happy that, for the next few weeks, all he had to worry about was what button to push to make Mario jump or whatever it was he played. I… I envied that.

See, for me, all I could think about was what buttons I had to push to get what I wanted now: something worthwhile for RTG. 

Breakdown had already gotten the ball rolling! People were jockeying for a position – a spot on the card – and who could blame them? We already had the world title match: Selena Frost vs Ace Marshall #23: The Wreckoning! – again, insert eyeroll – we had the Golden Boys talking about a rematch for the tag titles, which I couldn’t imagine happening when Ace already had the world title to worry about. Jake Starr had come back out of nowhere and was already setting up a ‘retirement match’ with James Exeter… I did smile at that, because, little secret kids, I STILL possess the Extraordinary title! LONGEST REIGNING CHAMPION IN HISTORY!... Hell, Kennedy damn Street had showed up – now THERE was a celebrity – begging for a match at Rise to Greatness, which had been met with silence… it was both hilarious and downright sad at the same time.

My point was that, while my son was looking to relax after months of hard work, I was about to work harder than ever before, starting with my match with Datura next week. See, I knew D. was many things: old, crotchety, bitter, petulant, nursing a tweaked ankle because of Giovanni, but, the reality was, the bastard cared about SCW more than anyone IN SCW.

I hated to admit it, but to not do so would have been a flaw on my part, and while I refuse to believe myself as “flawless” like the aforementioned celebrity Kennedy, I did not want my ego to be a flaw in that regard. D. cared about the business he had created and would never do anything that would jeopardize it, baring VERY special circumstances. 

What did this mean to me? I meant that, as long as I held the Adrenaline title, I had an in at Rise to Greatness. While other people were screaming and crying for a match at RTG, as long as I had the championship – a title that people were begging to see defended – odds were I would have a match at Rise to Greatness.

Why did I believe that I had work then if that was the case? Because, first of all, it meant that I needed to get past Datura in order to secure my spot on said card and, secondly, it meant that, if I hoped to undo the BS I had to endure last year at Rise… if I hoped to avoid a repeat of history of just being ‘forgotten’ and dismissed by management like last year, while everyone else clamoured for a match, I needed to spend my time making sure my guaranteed match was as high up on the card as possible. More marquee-hogging than Jake Starr’s last match. More show-stopping than any other gimmick match, and YES! More entertaining than the main-event!

Tall order, I know, but I really didn’t have an option. I wasn’t going to be forgotten or ignored again like last year. Fuck that noise.

“ARE WE HAVING ICE CREAM!”

The cry of delight almost made me jump out of my seat – I hadn’t expected that level of excitement all of a sudden – it was like seeing a raccoon run out onto the road. “Jesus!” I heard myself cry, keeping my hands on the wheel and as steady as possible as I gripped the leather that wrapped around it. “Calm down, Memphis.” I warned. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry.” He seemed stunned at my reaction and even worried that he was in trouble.
“It’s fine.” I sighed, exhaling a long breath to calm myself down. “You just startled me – not a good idea when I’m driving a car, you know?”

The idea came to me quickly and my eyes quickly scanned the road I was on. To give you an idea, I was driving along a rather quiet neighbourhood, one that housed both the school and my and my family’s house. The school was at the top of the large, long hill while all the other pockets, crescents, and drives of the neighbourhood trickled down it like a massive set of rivers, leaking in all different directions to make pools of houses and parks. Now, I had sort of taken a bit of a detour getting to the house – I’ll explain why later in this story, trust me – and was now finding us in the road way off the beaten bath, sort of driving around the park area. The point is that there were no cars and no kids or animals or anything near me when my idea came about – birthed from the act of my son inadvertently startling me… 

Without any warning, I pulled the wheel to the left and to the right, causing the car to veer in those directions! “See what I mean!” I laughed. “I’m outta control!!” I added with a fun voice, not wanting to sound serious in the slightest. The goal wasn’t to scare my kid, why the hell would I do that? I wanted to have a laugh with him, which was evident when he grabbed the dashboard in front of my and starting laughing in-between the “wooohs” and “aaahs”, clearly having a good time. 

“James Bond, eat your heart out!” I called out, veering a little more along the empty street before steadying the car’s direction and straightening back onto the path. “So, yeah… you don’t want to spook me when I’m driving.”

“Wooo!” Memphis stated. “Do it again, dad!” 

To be honest? I was ready to acquiesce his request but the sight of a couple coming around the corner, walking their dog, caused my jaw to tighten into a tight smile before shaking my head. “Sorry, kid. No can do.” I shrugged. “We don’t want to be silly when people could get hurt.” I gestured to the couple, now crossing the street, as I stopped the car to let them do so, waving to them as they passed in front of me.

“Awww…” Memphis whined a little, but he seemed to understand. The kid was a smart cookie. Still a kid, and all the stuff that came with it, but at least he understood logic and common sense when I explained it to him, or when Marina explained it to him. “So…” he turned his head to gaze at the grocery bags in the trunk, what had caught his attention earlier and lead to his little ‘scaring me’ moment. “Can I have some ice-cream when we get home.”

I had to laugh at that. I don’t know why I did. He wasn’t trying to be funny, but I just found it humorous. I don’t know why I did, but hey! I never said I wasn’t weird, you know? 

“Sorry, kid.” I shook my head. “That’s not for tonight. That’s for the neighbourhood party.”
“Oh yeah!” 

He had forgotten. Not surprising given that today was the last day of school for him. But what I was referring to was the Canada Day party happening next week. With Canada Day falling on a week day (including an SCW Breakdown night for me, thank you very much Drachy!), the small section of the neighbourhood that my family was part of had opted for a weekend celebration, celebrating with a block party of sorts. Essentially, the neighbourhood had been broken up into packs of no more than 25 people, in adherence with the bylaws of Guelph, and would celebrate in their neighbourhood. 

I had forgotten if we were party number 31 or 13, but that didn’t matter to me. From the cal-de-sac we lived, our neighbours house, with the larger backyard and link the park was our ‘party ground’. We had all agreed to a sort of potluck idea, with the hosts, the Bradleys, handling barbeque stuff like hot dogs and burgers. So, Marina and I had settled on desserts and drinks: pop and water and ice-cream bars, which was what Memphis was eye-balling. All and all, with a firework show promised later in the night of the party, it meant one thing:

Either I was going to be celebrating retaining my Adrenaline title in style… or my loss was going to be ‘oh so festive’… 

Still, I tried to put on a smile, not wanting to show my worry of that to Memphis. The kid didn’t watch me wrestle – he was too young… You think I’d let him watch ANY of the wrestlers on SCW? Come on! Even the ‘goodie two shows’ would curse and swear! Fat chance I’d let him hear that!

I was careful pulling into the driveway of our house, and even more careful in getting the grocery bags out of the trunk. I was careful not for the groceries, I was pretty sure the cans of pop and the cardboard boxed of ice-cream sandwiches could take the moment. I had to be careful because my back was still a bit stiff from my second going through a table at Taking Hold of the Flame. It had recovered alright – staying off Breakdown had helped with that – but I still was looking forward to the days left before my match on the next episode of Breakdown, focusing entirely on getting my back “back” to proper order.

Memphis followed me as I made my way into our house, seeing the brown hair that belonged to Marina as she stood in the kitchen, her eyes moving quick to gave up at me.

“Got everything, sweetie.” I told her. “Heads up. Memphis saw the ice-cream bars.” I added as I moved past her to pack everything in either the fridge or freezer that stood against the wall at the back of the kitchen area. I could hear Memphis asking his mother for an ice-cream bar (clever little boy. Try your luck with mommy…). Of course, he didn’t get anywhere – Marina was far more stricter than I was, and if I said ‘no’, oh it was rare that she would say ‘yes’. Yes, laugh it up, guys. Shilo Valiant is the ‘softer’ parent. I’m not apologizing. I learned my lesson from Gwynplaine and all that-

Oh, right… we’re not there yet… 

Anyway, remember when I told you that I was delaying getting home today? Taking the detours and such and that I would explain later? Well, here it is, because while I finished putting everything in its place, a knock on the door caught my attention, though Marina was the one to answer it, moving to the other side of the house to where the front door was, opening it to reveal the girl with spiky, blonde hair.

“Hello, Becky.” Marina smiled, allowing the young girl to enter our house.
“Hey, Mrs. Valiant.” The cheerful young girl answered back as I closed the freezer door, allowing me to see her and the “Pink Flyod” shirt she wore. 
“Hey, Becky.” I called out with a wave of my hand.
“Hey, Mr. Valiant.” She smiled. “How’s your back?”

Okay, so Becky was a fan of mine. Not a fan of ‘the old days’ because she was like seven or eight when that was going on. But as a teenager, she had developed a fondness for wrestling – so imagine her surprise when I popped onto the scene last year. She loved hearing stories of the old days and when she learned Marina was part of that, well…

“A little stiff but I’ll be okay.” I answered simply, choosing to lean against the fridge, my arms crossed across my chest.
“Do you think you’ll be able to beat Datura next week?”
“No idea.” I laughed. “Depends on if Holly decides to show up, who she decides to screw over and if I actually can get a damn table to do what I want.”

“Maybe you don’t use the table this time?” Marina suggested, throwing a glance back at me.
“Hunny, I’ve tried twice now to use a table for an intended purpose.” I shrugged. “At this point, it’s kind of make or break.”
“It’s the ‘break’ part I’m worried about.” I heard my wife mutter.

“Won’t you get disqualified if you use a table?” offered the babysitter, moving to sit on the couch and throwing a wave of her hand to Memphis when the boy saw her.

“Good point.” I sighed. 

Truth be told, I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to disqualify myself just to keep the adrenaline title. Hell, I think, at this point, I was the only champion (except the new ones from the PPV) who hadn’t relied on gimmicks or interferences or distractions to win the match. And, despite not being as ‘high-profile’ as other champions had been this year, I was actually quite proud of that. That I didn’t need such tricks to be a champion in SCW. Did I want to use a damn table and actually succeed in using it? Oh my god, yes! But Becky had a good point. 

“Well…there’s always after the match.” I felt a fun smile gracing my lips. Far as I was concerned, both Holly Adams and Datura had put me through a table, so both were fair game in my book – not to mention I still owed Ace Marshall a ride through one for mucking up what I paid him for…

“Memphis?” Marina called out, breaking my thoughts, and gaining the boy’s attention. “What’s the definition of insanity?”

Almost automatically, as if the answer was programmed into his brain, Memphis monotoned a reply. “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.”

Satisfied, Marina turned her attention back to me, a smile on her face and her arms crossed as mine were. “Funny, Shilo. Your eight-year old son knows what insanity is.”
“Oh yeah?” I raised an eyebrow at my wife. “Hey, Memphis. If at first you don’t succeed?”
“Try try again!” Memphis stated out loudly, seemingly proud of himself. 

Turning my head back to Marina, I simply grinned widely at her, smug and proud of it.

“Wait…” Memphis’ spoke, surprising both his parents. “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again… but insanity IS trying again and expecting a different outcome, such as succeeding…”

For a moment, both Marina and I looked at one another, both afraid of the same thing: that we were going to mentally break out kid!

“But… if you don’t try again… how can you succeed? But then you’re insane…” he kept going, even starting to spin in a little circle as he tried to figure out a way out of the logic loop we had inadvertently set up. “Try again…insane…”

“Uh…” Becky, the babysitter, tried. “Should we help-“
“Just a second…” I held up a hand, speaking quietly, my eyes still on my boy. “I wanna see if smoke comes out of his ears.”

Sadly, I was the only one that wanted to test the mental ‘steaminess’ of my son, as Becky, of all people, made her way over to the boy, stopping his spinning around by gently placing her hands on his shoulders.

“Hey, Memphis.” She spoke calmly. “You know what my mom says?”
“What?” he asked, clearly still trying to work the logistics of the previous problem in his mind.
“When you have a problem, try looking at it another way.”
“So?” the boy asked, clearly not seeing the relation in what Becky was saying. Patiently, the blonde continued.
“Well, maybe insanity is doing the EXACT same thing over and over again and maybe, if at first you don’t succeed, try again but try again by looking at the issue another way, find another solution.”
“Yes! Exactly!” Marina declared, contentment in her voice. “Thank you, Becky.” She stated proudly, her eyes back on me.

“Fine.” I replied with a huff, heading for the front door. “I’ll try a DIFFERENT way to put Holly and/or Datura through a table.” I threw back with a laugh before grabbing my leather jacket off the hook before leaving the house and heading to my car. A few seconds later, as I threw the jacket around and on my frame, I heard the door open and Marina followed me, leaving Memphis with Becky for the next few hours.

“Do I really have to do this?” I asked, my eyes on Marina. 
“Shilo, please.” Sighed Marina as she raised a hand to place it gently against my arm. “We need to get a professional opinion.”

I couldn’t argue with her beyond that. She was compromising by being on my side and not telling the old man that ran the land… of SCW (nice rhyme, right?)…. about the condition of my knee. At the very least, I knew I had to entertain whatever notions she had regarding it. If that meant going to a doctor, I couldn’t say no, despite my desire to.

Problem was, I was nevous. I mean, yes, the knee brace wasn’t ideal, and part of me was terrified that the woman I was facing had, about a year ago, promised to ‘bury me in the ground’ via Twitter – I mean, if Glory Braddock had gone after my knee just to get ahead and get the title she lost to me back, or tried to, then the idea of someone who had broken Regan Street’s damn hand, or at least tried to, I wasn’t sure how well she had succeeded…

Still, even with that hanging over my head, I could still wrestle with a knee brace. What if this ‘new doctor’ made an even worse discovery? What if he changed Marina’s mind and she went to Drach-

I stopped myself as I pulled myself into the car, occupying the seat Memphis had when I had picked him up from school. Marina was in the driver’s seat. She knew the way. I didn’t even know how far away it was from home. Not that I had anything pressing going on tonight, except maybe watching what few SCW matches existed that involved Datura, to refamiliarize myself with her style of fighting.

I didn’t want to lose to her. That wasn’t an ego thing. Datura was a decent wrestler, even if her attendance was splotchy at best. But losing to her meant jeopardizing my chance at any control at Rise to Greatness – hell, without the title, and after the promo I had basically burying the old man, D. could just as easily not book me to ‘teach me a lesson’…

That also worried me. It was a button that, if he pressed it… I didn’t know what I would do. And as much as I hated to admit it, there was a chance, small as it was, that it could be the push that sent me over into the realm of Giovanni Aries and Xander. Those that settled their issues with the boss through more violent means. 

I hated the idea. I mean, come on, the guy was in his sixties! And while he seemed to be like a fucking cockroach, surviving every attack that was laid on him, I didn’t want to be the guy that disproved that theory! I wanted to be… well, like Syren – sick as that made me feel. I wanted him to acknowledge his mistakes and how he wronged me, acknowledge me for what I had done for him and SCW by coming back – or at the very least recognize it and atone for those mistakes. 

Being the Adrenaline champion was my way of forcing his hand. To give him no choice but to keep me around and involved in the big picture of things, unless he wanted one of his championships dismissed. 

I released a slow breath as we continued to drive, not a huff but a long exhale like blowing out a candle.

“You’re scared.” I heard Marina say as she drove.
“Yeah.” I openly admitted. “About a lot of things.”

I didn’t say a word for a bit, watching the streets turn and change, the cars go by and the houses change to building and businesses. But the further away from home we drove, the more panicked I felt. The more trapped I felt. The more I felt something dreadful – a doom of sorts – was descending upon me.

“Marina…” I tried to breath, but it was a bit harder. “Please pull over.”
“Wha- why?” she went to ask until she turned her head and saw me leaning forward a little. “Oh geez…” she breathed in alarm before careful making her way to the side of the road we were on, putting the car in park in order to turn her attention over to me. “Shilo, you’re having a panic attack.” She tried to speak calmly.

“Yep.” I nodded my head, knowingly. I didn’t have these often, but I knew when when it was coming. When I had found that damn ‘divorce’ contract in Marina’s work pile of papers, the first hour had been nothing but a damn panic attack. 

What was more alarming to me now, looking back on that moment in the car with Marina, was that I was more scared of the reason behind the attack than I was about even facing Datura! 

“Don’t speak.” Marina ordered, as if predicting that I was trying to talk. “Just breathe. You can explain after, okay?”

So I sat there, and I’m embarrassed to admit this but I will – I sat there for half an hour. In that time, Marina had called and cancelled the appointment, which seemed to help me a little, but only a little – after all, I was simply delaying the inevitable, though I was grateful that she had left the conversation with “we’ll call to reschedule” rather than force another one immediately.

As I felt myself calm back down from that little episode, I allowed myself to look up and around at my surroundings. We were still in Guelph, but it was nearing the outskirts. I think we were headed to Brampton or Toronto, I couldn’t remember what Marina had said when she had initially suggested this trip. Still, I recognized the Ramada Inn on Stone Road and the University of Guelph just behind us and to the left. 

“You okay?” I heard her voice and felt her hand rubbing small circles on my back.
“Yeah.” I breathed. “I’m sorry.”

That seemed to be my go-to line. I’m sorry for lying. I’m sorry for hiding. I’m sorry for worrying you. I’m sorry for risking so much. I’m sorry for being stupid. I’m sorry for everything…

And I’m sorry for the pause in the story. But the stupid thing is, as I’m telling you all of this, and reliving this story… I realize that, after all these years of being “The Necro-Merchant”, the guy that dealt Necro to residents in Toronto, turns out I was the addict, myself. Because I truly was sick of apologizing. Not the fact that I had to apologize but the fact that THAT was all I could do every time I hurt my Marina. That’s all I seemed to be able to do. Fuck up and say ‘I’m sorry’ as if that could absolve me. 

The problem was, the solution was an obvious one. I had tried to end the lying and the hiding, true enough, but the worry and stupidity? There was only one way to do that… and I couldn’t do it.

I couldn’t quit SCW. I couldn’t just walk away. I needed it. I needed SCW. I needed to be there, even if I was constantly just fighting a losing battle. Even if it killed me, I had to be there. And I was too addicted to it, every element of it:

The highs of the crowd.
The lows of defeat.
The frustrations of being overlooked.
The anger at being disrespected or cheated.
The elation of beating the odds and shoving my success in the face of the jackasses that held me back.

Every aspect… I repeat, nobody loved SCW more than O. D., but dammit if I didn’t come close!

And I couldn’t let it go. And that was the reason I was panicking in the blue Ford.

“The devil you know…” I whispered, feeling the strength in my voice, feeling calm enough to give it some life. Marina didn’t reply with words, she simply kept her eyes on me, waiting for me to continue.

“I…” I spoke slowly. “I didn’t get the knee brace on a whim.” I explained. “I did see a doctor.”

Now THAT elicited a reaction from Marina. “You did?”

I nodded. “Dr. Brickman… I’ve been seeing him every so often – couple of times the last year.” With a huff, I shook my head before running my hands through my medium-length hair. “And he advised me not to wrestle anymore.”

“Shilo…” Marina’s voice trailed off.
“But he was…” I tried to find the word, casting my gaze out the window. “He was malleable. His kids go to school with Memphis… hell, he’s a fan! I managed to convince him to let me just wear that brace and promised to do all the shit he told me to like train it and be safe with it and don’t take risks with it-“
“Which we both know is bullshit.” Marina sighed.
“I know.” I nodded – I mean, I had gone through a fucking table twice! Dove out of the ring more times than I could remember and, least we forget, wrestled in an Under The Big Top Match twice this SCW season alone! 

“But at least…” I tried to explain. “But at least he would still let me wrestle… if we go to this guy, and he sees the same thing as Brickman did… he won’t give me any slack. He won’t understand… he’ll pick up the phone and-“

“Shilo!” I felt small hands grab mine as I felt my breath quicken again. “Calm down, you’re going to have another attack if you don’t.”
“I can’t…I’m sorry I can’t help it.” I tried.

She seemed to dwell on my words – essentially that I had hidden more shit from her – though she didn’t show any signs of frustration towards me. “You understand…” she spoke slowly. “That, even in the best case scenario, you are on borrowed time.”

I felt myself bite my lower lip hard as I exhaled through my nose – all before giving a slow nod of my head.
“That all of this – all you want…” Marina pressed. “SCW? Wrestling? It’s going to be over whether you want it to or not.”

Again, though it killed me to do so, I nodded my head. “I just… I need more time.” I whispered. “I need more time to get to a place where I can walk away and not look back… I don’t have that now… I’m still too addicted to it.”
“Addicted?” the word caught Marina by surprise, I could tell by the shift in her voice and her brown eyes widening as she repeated the word. Still, I could only nod my head.

“I still love every element of it. Even being put through the tables. Are you kidding? I wish they had made my match with Datura a damn table match – maybe I can prop that idea for whoever I face at RTG, now that we have a theme going-“ I caught myself, only to laugh at myself. “You see? I can’t help it. All I think about is SCW, how I can work things I see, things that have happened… if I didn’t feel that way, I could just walk away.”

“But you can’t.” Marina repeated.
“No…I can’t.” I confirmed.

With a deep breath, I turned my head to Marina. “Marina, can we…”
“Shilo…” she pressed her fingers to my lips, silencing me. “I’ll… I’ll make a deal with you.”

It was my turn for my eyes to go wide, but I clenched my jaw shut to keep myself from talking. I needed to hear what she had to say.

“I will…” she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if this was a decision that was beyond difficult for her. “I will hold off on having you see another doctor, okay?” 

Not ashamed to say that a very loud sigh of relief came from me when I heard that, one that even Marina heard.

“No.” she warned. “Don’t get too excited. I’m backing off you getting help…for now. However, once Rise to Greatness is finished…”

Understanding flashed in my mind, though my soulmate continued to spell it out for me.

“I remember, very clearly, the month-long rest post RTG that SCW takes every year. When that happens, win or lose, you WILL see this doctor. And then we will have a serious talk based on what he says.”

My teeth re-found my lower lip, working it with their chewing. What Marina had done was delay the inevitable, true enough, but also given me more time that I desperately needed. And, given that option, or facing the doctor in a panic-stricken game of chance… I didn’t like my odds. If Brickman had advised me not to wrestle again, then I knew that a total stranger was going to forbid me to. And from there, it was a slippery slope.

My career could very well end at that doctor’s word…

Which meant… which meant that it all could end… at Rise to Greatness…

“Deal…” I whispered. “I’m sorry.” I added.

“It’s okay.” Marina sighed, leaning over to kiss my cheek, her way of calming me down I suppose. “We’re just going to have to talk about getting you to the end of July.” She added. 

“Yeah…” I nodded my head as she pulled into a nearby parking lot to do a bit of a turnaround to begin the ride back home. “How bout we start getting me to the end of next week?”
 

************************************************

The camera opens up to reveal a single spotlight shining over a man sitting in a chair. Unlike previous times in the Carnival of Rust, the expected mask and flashy clothes are absent. Instead, the individual wears a simple leather jacket and black shirt underneath. He sits saddle-style on the chair, leaning over the back of it to face the camera. Without his mask, his every expression is visible, including the scars that run along the left side of his forehead and down his temple, ‘mementos’ of a sacrifice for the company he fights within.


I suppose this is the part where I have to eat crow. he grins bitterly, his tone practically sarcastic. I suppose those that have hated me or those that have delighted in my misfortune are finally giving me the attention I deserve, but only to see me talk about ‘coming up short’ or ‘failing’ to achieve what I was destined to do. To acquire what was rightfully mine…

Exhaling a breath and rapping his fingers against his right temple, Shilo Valiant seems to contemplate the night in question.

Maybe that’s what I should do. Maybe, because everyone else is doing it, I should just do the same, right? Be grateful that I’m still the Adrenaline Champion or something like that? Move forward? Or, if I really have to, maybe pull an Owen Cruze, throw a fucking tantrum in the ring and then quit because “it’s hard and nobody likes me”. the former world champion scoffs.

Truth is, I don’t hate SCW enough to do the latter, and as for the former, well… maybe if I didn’t have a fucking smoking gun with me, I’d be able to do that. I’d be able to simply say “hey! I got beat! I did my best and I got beat!”. And for many other people, that’s the road taken, I imagine. But, as is the usual here in SCW, Shilo Valiant is always different. Shilo Valiant is always the exception.

With brisk clap of his hands, Shilo rubs them together as he continues to speak. So, instead of talking about ‘humility’ or ‘quitting’, I am going to actually talk about something that supposedly was ‘important’ by decree of our boss.

Yeah, we’re back to you, Captain O. What was it you said when you came back here? What was it you said that was “so important” that you decided to crawl out of your hole and run SCW once more? It was one word. Starts with an “A”…

Putting his fingers to the back of his ear, Shilo leans forward, as if to hear an answer. Come on, boss. You’ve been bedridden because “you fell wrong” and didn’t have your ‘life-alert’ with you. “HE’S FALLEN AND HE CAN’T GET UP!” so I’m sure you’ve had time to think with that sharp, lawyer brain of yours. So… what was the word?

…

That’s right! The word was accountability.

Leaning back in his seat, Shilo hangs his arms in front of him. Accountability. Fun little idea, O-town. People facing consequences for their actions. You made me pay for the security and van for the little joke I played months ago on you and Holly Adams. You fined Giovanni for putting his hands on you, and Owen Cruze for putting his foot on you…

And yet…

He laughs a little.

What about the BS that happened to me, boss? I’m not sure if you were paying attention or anyone showed you the ‘results’ of that royale. But you can check, the statistics are fresh all over SCW and the forums. And you’ll notice, right in the middle – Shilo Valiant eliminated by Datura-

WAIT A MINUTE! Shilo’s expression is one of shock. That can’t be right! Datura wasn’t even IN the damn royale! Wasn’t even a participant! How the hell was that allowed?! No way in all of SCW would our boss, Mister D. – champion of accountability – allow such a thing! The royale is meant to be the trial of trials, the contest for a spot in the biggest match on the biggest night of the entire SCW season! No way would the boss simply allow someone to be so unjustly cheated! There must be some accountability! Some form of comeuppance for this!

So… Shilo tilts his head. Tell me, Mr. Accountability. After fining me for a simple prank. After fining Owen for merely putting his foot on you… what is the punishment for Datura invading SCW’s sacred royale that she was too cowardly to enter and putting me through a damn table?!

The look on Shilo’s face becomes colder as a graphic appears in the corner, the showman’s eyes drawn to it. The graphic is that of tonight’s episode of Breakdown, showing that Datura is set to face Shilo Valiant in a match for Shilo’s Adrenaline Championship! The animated graphic continues to play, showing air time, channel, etc before fading away, leaving Shilo to stare a hole ahead into the audience before him. 

No words are spoken right away, the silence deafening, until, unexpectedly, Shilo’s head jerks back, the man laughing his head off, his laugh echoing throughout the dark room.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Oh O.! Is that how it works?! Was that your ‘accountability’? Does it only apply when you want it to? Or when someone hurts you? Because touch Shilo and you’ve won the fucking lottery?! Is that how it goes? Datura screws me over, taints the royale, and you reward her with a fucking championship opportunity?! Oh that is rich! RICH! he continues to laugh for a bit longer before settling down.

Wow… if ever I needed more proof of all that I have said, eh, Ole?

But color me intrigued. he suddenly remarks, tilting his head the other way. Consider me invested and interested in this. Oh yes! Because out of the blue, Datura comes and gets involved, costs me my rightful place at Rise to Greatness and now, just like that- he snaps his fingers. She is the number one contender for my title. Just like that. No contender match. No big win. Nope. She ran in, put me through a table while I was distracted and now she’s next in line…

Color…me…intrigued… his words are slow.

I’m intrigued because of you, Datura. See, at first, I couldn’t understand why you had inserted yourself into my business. Why you were coming after me. It made no sense. That is until I thought about it, while I was lying there amidst the wood and mats on the floor. 

Because it was a year ago, wasn’t it? A year ago that same pay-per-view, where you and I fought one on one. Now, you had some pretty words about that day, didn’t you? Last week on Breakdown? On Twitter as well? You said you were immature, weak, bullheaded? 

Funny how you missed two words in that little diatribe: Shilo holds up two fingers. Ungrateful and arrogant. He shakes his head.

Did you forget, Datura? Did you forget how you were struggling to even exist in SCW - your only claim to fame was that you had ‘broken Regan Street’s hand’ or some shit like that. But I decided to help you out. Remember? I decided that my war with Aaron Blackbourne – my pet project to make him into a world title contender, the next creative genius after me – could not be contained between he and I. It had to involve more! And in the process, I could help build others like him. Or help those that needed it.

So, I brought you and Jay Gold into the mix, didn’t I? I turned a simple feud into a four-person dance that no one could predict! Suddenly, you were all over twitter! Promising to make me tap, bury me, make me suffer – oh yes! It was quite the sight. You had some MOJO! And the world loved it! You were the talk of SCW! The witch of sorts that was haunting SCW…

Shilo sighed.

I wanted to help you, Datura. I wanted to elevate you to a better level. So… I gave you what you wanted. I gave you a victory over me. I lied down in the ring and let you pin me for the three – and you, desperate for anything to brag about, jumped at the chance…

Now… this should have been the part of the story where you thanked me. Where you thanked an icon and legend and a damn Hall of Famer for giving you a push – a nod. But, like I said, you were ungrateful. You were arrogant. 

And like your one win with Regan, you took that one win against me and lauded it, proclaimed yourself something amazing, worthwhile… his eyes narrow. Greater and better than Shilo Valiant…

He lets his words settle for a moment before continuing. It’s not surprising, really. You were just one of many to do that – to be ungrateful for what I give to people like you. You, Aaron, Holly, hell, the boss? You’ve got no problem taking advantage of my generosity, but when it comes time to applaud the showman for an entertaining gesture, you refuse.

So… as I eventually did with Aaron… I had to humble you. I had to hold you accountable… And a year ago… I destroyed you.

Shilo shrugs. And I must have done a hell of a job for you to hold a grudge a year later and seek out vengeance this way. A full year… any other time you could have come out, challenged me… oh… maybe not… Shilo’s grin widens knowingly. But I’ll get to that…

But here we are, a year later, and you’re proclaiming that things are different. That YOU are different, right, Datura? You’re wiser. Humbler? More dangerous…

Funny how you missed two words: Shilo grins. Ungrateful and arrogant.

Because, let’s face it, Datura, talented as you are? Mysterious as you are? Unpredictable as you are? You have been handed this chance. You didn’t win a big match. You didn’t win a contender spot. You are here because you put me through a damn table…

So… where is your big thanks to the boss? Better yet, where is your thanks to me for even entertaining this match?! You’re on twitter all the time, you’d think you’d throw up a little gratitude that I’m agreeing to this championship, main-event match!

And I am entertaining this match, because I am a showman and, as I said, I am intrigued. Because someone needs to step up on this special Canada Day edition of Breakdown and it sure as hell isn’t going to be James Evans, is it? Yeah… so much for a “United States Title defence” right? Guess the pressure falls on Shilo to make up for it, just like when Holly bailed in her first chance against me and I had to go big on Breakdown to make up for it. Shilo saves the day and the show - big surprise! he scoffs.

But I am intrigued, Datura. I am intrigued by you because you seem to want to sell how you are different. How things have changed. How you’re done chasing non-legal titles and are ready to win your first official title in SCW… oh! And of course, how could I forget- you’re all in, right! You’re ready to undo the loss you suffered to me last year, right, and… how did you put it on Twitter? The showman seems to think for a minute. That’s right! You were going to win my adrenaline title and make it the most important title in SCW…

I guess you were right, Datura. You ARE different. Because you’re a far bigger LIAR than you were a year ago. Last year, you were just an arrogant little puppet who thought she could move on her own and didn’t need the strings, which blew up in your face when I cut those strings. But now? Wow… he laughs a little.

I mean, are we supposed to forget about how arrogant you were a few months ago? What was it you were doing? Oh yeah! You were fighting for the goddamn WORLD title! Ring a bell, Datura? You? Cid Turner? Be Careful What You Wish For? Where were your ‘issues’ with me then? Where was your desire to ‘make the Adrenaline title the most important title in SCW’ then? Did they even exist?

Or were they directed at Cid Turner – the man you saw as, what was it you called him before he beat your ass? A ‘puppy’? How…arrogant. The Man Who Laughs shakes his head.

You’re a liar, Datura. More so than ever, and even more than that, you HAVEN’T changed a bit. As with Regan and with me, you won one match and then believed Cid Turner to be nothing more than a puppy compared to you – at least enough for you to think that you, with your lacklustre attendance in SCW could tell him, the WORLD champion, how to be. How to act… and how you would start your first title reign by beating him…

And just like with Regan and with me, you failed. You lost… 

And now? The next pay-per-view, suddenly you were gunning for me.

Yet, I am supposed to believe the entertaining notion that you will put the Adrenaline title first? I’m supposed to believe you will make my title the most important in all of SCW? again, a laugh escapes Shilo Valiant as he sits in the chair.

Datura… what this is to you is pathetic jealousy based on your arrogance and you ‘settling’. You couldn’t get the job done to become World Champion, so you’re going for me, the next title in line, and it burns you up that I cut your strings a year ago. That I was the one that left you burned and broken, not the other way around like you promised the world. That I rose from my defeating you and went on to silence more ingrates and imposters like you – that I became a singles champion before you could. That I only needed ONE shot to become a champion again…

So, ungrateful, arrogant, liar, let’s dispense with your little fascade and get to the entertaining aspect. You are after MY title because you are desperate. You are after me because you are jealous. 

But you fail to see that this match isn’t about your wants. This isn’t a ‘reward’ for putting me through a table like you think it is. This isn’t a ‘second’ or ‘third chance’ to your career like you think it is. This isn’t ‘your chance to undo a loss’ like you think it is…

No, Datura. This is you getting what you should have gotten the second you cost me. What O. D. seems to have forgotten about when it doesn’t concern him…

Accountability…

Valiant’s jaw clenches as his hands interlock in front of him. See, Datura. At the Flame, you took something from me. Something you had no right in taking. Did I interfere in your world title contender match? Did I interfere with your World title match against Cid? No… but you? You cost me – you cost me dearly… and there is a price to pay for that. You need to be held accountable.

So, I am going to do what I did last year, little puppet. I am going to pull your strings. I am going to make you dance. I am going to make you entertain me any way I desire… and when I am done with you, little Datura, I am going to cut your strings once more – my little plaything – and I am going to leave you back in that damn hole you THINK you’re ready to crawl out of. The showman dusts his hands off in front of him.

Because if you think you are going to take something else from me… oh, my dear, you are sadly mistaken. I am going to keep my adrenaline title – the  title that I HAVE made the most important title in all of SCW! I am going to keep my championship status that I have earned through wars and matches like Under the Big Top. I am going to keep my guaranteed spot at Rise to Greatness…

You, little puppet? You will just have to go back to your hole once more – alone with your arrogance, your ungratefulness, and your lies…

And don’t worry, I won’t need your thanks this time around, Datura… 
After all… you making me laugh will suit me just fine…

Shilo’s laugh echoes a little in the room as the camera fades and all goes to black.

[Datura]

Weeeeee

Escaping the Valley Part Two