The rise of Leon Caprice

His palms are sweaty. Knees weak, arms are heavy. He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready.

Leon:You look absolutely ravishing tonight Sarah

And she did. Her bright red hair curled down to caress her shoulders, framing a face that could cause even this oft stone faced warrior to melt his hardened features to a smile. This was hardly a formal dinner, but she carried a sense of elegance in but a pair of blue jeans and a nice blue sweater.

Sarah: Thank you Leon, you look good yourself. It's nice to see you wearing something aside from your fighting clothes, though I think you might have overdone it a bit for dinner.

She laughed, a melody that made him even more nervous. Everything she did made him more and more infatuated. Not wanting to make a fool of himself as he did at the bar that night, he had made sure to dress up in his finest wears, but she was right, a suit and tie was a bit on the side of excess.

He laughed a nervous laugh...

Leon:I suppose so. I know that you're not a big wrestling fan, so I wanted to show you that I am a multi-dimensional person, not just a fighter. I am glad you like the look though.

Sarah: You look very cute, and I appreciate the effort, but you can relax, let's just have fun!

She smiled at him, taking a bite from her pasta dish, a food with a high probability of mess, but she made it look like high cuisine as she gently carried the bite to her mouth.

Sarah: So, 'Mr. Caprice', tell me what you do when you're not destroying your body?

The question terrified him. If she knew that his life revolved around wrestling, if only for a lack of other endeavors, she may lose interest in him. He knew, though, that a lie was no way to start what he hoped was a budding relationship.

Leon:Well, I actually have started to run a school, training youth who are interested in becoming wrestlers themselves. Too many today try to just jump into the sport, with little knowledge of what to do. A few street fights, bar brawls, and they think they can compete professionally. I try to take these men and women, and mold them. Help them to learn the techniques necessary...

Sarah:Necessary for losing every match that means anything?

Leon:I wouldn't go quite that far. Sarah, may I introduce you to my top student, Daniel. May I ask what you're doing here son?

WHY?! Why would he have to show up now, and further accentuate the fact that his life WAS wrestling? He struggled to maintain his temper, noting mentally a fichus plant near the wall behind Sarah.

Daniel:Well, I was sent word that you were being given another chance to lose a title in CGS, so I wanted to let you know. You have a match with E-Man on Fusion, and if you win, you're the Challenge champion. I thought you would want to begin training right away, but I see instead you have taken to consorting with women of the street. Trying to relieve some stress sir?

Leon:DANIEL! How dare you speak to me in that tone?! I have trained you better than thought, taught you that in this business you are nothing without respect! Now I will not demand you apologize to me, but you will apologize to Ms. Watson for your crass statement! NOW!

He was physically shaking. It had been so long since he met a woman he felt was worth sharing his time with, and low and behold, she didn't like wrestling. Strike one. Two was his debacle at the bar, this would surely be strike three with the fetching young lady from his hometown of Perth.

Daniel:You are right sir. I spoke out of place, and made comments I had no business making to a beautiful woman I know nothing about. Ms. Watson, I do apologize for my ignorance, and do hope you can forgive me. Mr. Caprice, I will see you back at the Academy when you are done here.

Leon:Your services in sparring will not be necessary Daniel, I will choose another student. You may take your leave home for the evening. Goodbye.

DanielBut sir, none of the other students can provide...

Leon:GOODBYE!

Daniel turned and walked away without much of a fight. It would later be remarked but some that he even had a smile on his face...

Leon:Ms. Watson, I must apologize for the behavior of my student, he had no right to speak to you in such a way, and if you'd like me to take you home, I'll be more than happy to respect your decision.

Sarah: Are you offering to take me home because you think I'm mad at you? Or because you have a big match tomorrow...?

He was taken aback. She had called him out, but for once he wasn't making decisions based on wrestling. He knew that a match with E-Man would not be easy, but he also knew that the pull the Challenge title had on him would make up for missed training.

Leon:Sarah, I would love to stay here with you, and talk, and learn everything about you, and if you can dismiss what just happened, I can too. Tomorrow can wait, Ms Watson, tonight is all that is on my mind.

They smiled at one another, and it seemed though some tense moments, that he may have actually won over the object of his desire...


Leon:Don't worry Daniel, the ratings will be fine. People want to see a pure wrestling contest, and I’m going to give it to them! People will watch anything if it involves a scramble for a belt!

Daniel:Bullshit Leon, your match with Deathlocke was the lowest rated match in the history of the business! How are we going to make any money if you're curtain jerking against jobbers in a match no one cares about?!

Leon:I WILL MAKE THEM CARE! This contest means everything to me!

Daniel:That's what you said about the Pure title, I notice that your waist is conveniently EMPTY! You gotta give this shit up, Leon. Join a tag team, start a tag team, DO SOMETHING! Make an impact, get up the card, let's make some damn money before we start to get thrown empty title chances!

Leon:I can't control the quality of opponent they send me Daniel, you know that. CGS is in shambles these days, thanks to the actions of the Brotherhood. Ratings are down all over the place, and you know it. It's not my fault, nor the matches fault, that people weren't interested in seeing some soccer hooligan compete in a pure wrestling match.

Daniel:Well none of the pure wrestlers want to waste their time. These guys are all making good enough money, they don't care about your challenge title. They want the World Title. How do we make them give up the title, and go after you? Cause if you don't get some names in the future weeks, we're going to get canceled kid.

Leon:DANIEL! That's it! The challenge needs more pure wrestlers, but they all want the WHC title! Well, here I am, one match away from a WHC title shot! If I can win the Challenge belt, they will have no choice but to take my challenge! I'll call the shots, and you get a chunk of that champion pay day! It's perfect!

Daniel:Yeah, perfect. Just like when you lost to Deathlocke. Or Evers. What makes you think this time is going to be any different?

Leon:One match at a time Daniel, tonight, I must defeat the young lion... it is only then that we can look to the future.

Daniel: I'm looking ahead to happy hour, good luck out there tonight...

[i]As his student walked off in search of a drink, he smiled at his sudden good fortune. He had found someone to care about that wasn't at all related to the wrestling business, which made him finally content in his personal life. And a turn of chance had lead him to an opportunity to keep his challenge alive, which is all he wanted professionally... although, something's probably going to go wrong soon...

But, CGS must know, the lockerroom must know. That without the Brotherhood arrogantly walking the halls of CGS, someone needs to step up…someone like Leon Caprice.

So this match doesn’t just mean winning the Challenge title…this match also will finally show that CGS is now in the hands of Leon Caprice.