No Home Games.

[Masao Akiyama]

Invictus.

Man this was an old home, a familiar home and well, One Elijah both loved and hated because success was an enemy as much as friend, success whispered into your ego and told you it’s ok to take your eye off the ball. It told you that you’re doing great just one more once more you can move forwards and then you can ease off the gas.

You never take you foot off the gas here in wrestling, not once.

But here he was on one of the biggest opportunities he’s had since day 1 and he’s right back where he left off with nothing but the question of if it’s possible.

He takes a long, deep breath rubbing his eyes as a hand comes to bring up his phone, even as the gym loomed closer and closer.

All it was right now was work out, de stress and work on drills right now, Things had changed for Eli, Since dad had passed and Kyle was off, somewhere and he’d been forced to face the cold, dark world with a little more edge, realize that maybe playing nice all the time wasn’t all it was played out to be but one thing remained consistent and that was the ball game.

Thud, thud, swish.

Thinking, he’d had a lot of time to think.

Thud, thud, swish.

The IWF had welcomed him back with open arms, nearly a question raised and so much had changed even people he could see himself being very much like him.

Thud, thud, swish.

Then came a new visualization, the words of the IWF academy, the rope drills, the dull thud and swishes working into his mind as he stayed focused and he backed up a little further.

Thud, thud, swish.

“You realize you could go to the league with shots like that?”

Eli chuckled at the voice.

“Tried that, got bounced in the draft and the leagues didn’t want to pick up, never even saw a major bench my friend.”

The voice gained a small chuckle.

“So you turned your hand to that wrestling, how is that working out?”

Thud, thud, swish

“Could be better I had to take time off for family stuff, took some time to get my head straight and...”

The hand that came through to try and slap the ball away was caught up as Eli’s defensive instincts kicked in and he head cocked at the stranger who was now moving to guard him and Eli Sighed.

“C’mon man...I ain’t playin’”

The stranger made another play at Eli who backed up and was about to say something.

“Listen , you ain...”

Swish.

The stranger was about cuss Eli out before Eli was once again dribbling and he said again.

“I tol’ you I ain’t playin’ you get serious or I’ll drop baskets on you, it’s that simple.”

Eli’s smile had gone as he dribbled left right left and a shoulder dip as he breezed past his opponent and dropped into a dunk and left the ball behind as he looked at his guard and spoke.

“You get what you wanted?”

The younger man blinked quietly muttering.

“I just wanted...”

Eli shook his head and pointed just to his right.

“To serve me a slice of humble pie so your friends could drop something on tiktok ‘arrite? I’m wise to the hustle bro! You don’t play if you ain’t gonna step up and you don’t ‘spect it easy.”

He turns towards the onlookers who had been gathering and probably in this case put their friend up to getting in his face, another dribble picked up to make sure his opponent wasn’t going to run off and score as he spoke evenly.

“Ya’ll thought I was goin’ to play nice? This is my patch My world, next to wrestling’ and I do not –play- with this or that, so if you wanna block me? Stop playin’ and try and block me!”

He turns from his spot after the rant taking a half aimed shot from this yard he’d spent a few days playing at and walked away to start picking his stuff up.

Swish.

Shit that couldn’t have gone better if he planned it given the reaction.
He doubled back, picking the ball up producing the marker and signing it with the moniker he’d started using.
Elite.

It was maybe 5 minutes before his face lit up social media his own words replayed at him, the offhand basket dropping even as he walked off.

Of course they skipped out the ball signing, that wasn’t good content either way it was going to start a buzz.
Buzz wasn’t always good but hey it was a new day.

Time to ride a new wave.

---

“So, I’m gonna get this out the way, right now, leave Portia in the back and show you can work without her, I watched the show and so despite the prospect laid out in front of me I know I gotta keep my head in a swivel, I don’ ‘spect you to do it, But hey I asked, anything that comes outta that is on you.”

We fade in to Eli leant against the steel fencing of some travel area, does it matter where? No the road is the road, whoever and wherever you air, the sounds of airport traffic and announcements gives hints this is a long lay over , there’s no expert camera work, the camera being using isn’t as slick or well positioned as some but it’s doing its job.

“North Carolina, Charlotte! Hornets home! Odyssey!”

He nods a bit and takes a slow, steadying breath looking past the camera, gazing around the surroundings before he nods.

“Invictus, I didn’t ask for this shot, somebody out there picked me for it, picked me to face off the current champ to see what? If I get to face... The current Invictus champ?”

Eli makes a face at that.

“There’s a game here Terella, and I dunno what it is but there’s the word catch written all over this. ‘Specially after what you pulled with the Wraith? You’ll forgive me if I don’t figure your motives as suspect outta the gate here, so what the plan? I the example? New boy come in? Somebody you’ll throw around? Deliver a warning to Knox and the other crows that are gathering around your carcass? Was I not loud enough?”

He chuckles a little at that and smirks.

“Man I played chess with Dean Harper in the midst of his Worst periods, ya’ll think mind games are gonna make you out the victor here? ’Cause I’m tellin’ you... If you’re looking to block me, step up and block me fool. Get in my lane and stop the transition, hell you might have nothing to do with this, you might have just gotten unlucky! Either way the next stop on the Elite road tour is Stephen Terella.”

He makes a clapper board motion with his hands and it’s like time has passed and the surroundings have changed as he sits in that same travel outfit looking out the window of a hotel on a balcony, that basketball never far from him.

“So you a big man, You fight hard, grind out standing a lil’ shorter than me but waaaaaaaaay heavier build like a damn door, add into that the Willingness to take the rule book and find all the damn loop holes you can and we have on our hands somebody I gotta throw everything and the kitchen sink at, maybe a howitzer shell, You think I won’t? Bet?”

Eli chuckles a bit and rubs his chin.

“Course like anyone you got your downfalls, That knee? Mighty tempting but My offense isn’t known for it’s leg targeting is it? My ankle breaking days lay into the basketball and you seem like a street ball kinda hustler, yeah I know your type, impose your size and your physicality on people. So I gotta make like other and work smart as well as quick, the obvious David and Goliath comparison are there but I’m not gonna insult you with the idea a stone will put you down.”

Eli laughs a little to himself and shakes his head.

“Ain’t gonna be easy but dropping fools never is. But it’s always worthwhile to see that facade o' calculation fade away for anger when they realize you can out work ‘m and you can out last them. I just gotta find myself the question of how far can I let you push me...How far am I gonna go? I got a go past my limits to find yours? Done. Step up and we’ll see Broseph.”

He rubs the base of his chin even as he turns to face the city he’s in, you’d assume Charlotte but the view is indistinct enough you’d only know if you were local, eyes watching the view below even as he considers his next words.

“This is all about opportunity, for me and you. It’s an opportunity to deny fresh blood for you, make and state that claim that that belt is your belt, that this is your patch and nothin’ anyone does is gonna get in the way. Hell you might even ask what I did to deserve being stood opposite you given the list of contenders is long and getting longer now.”

He shakes his head.

“Hell man I don’t know why I’m stood opposite you either I have a solid roulette performance and match against a banana to my name so figuring I either impressed somebody, Somebody in the back remembers my name, maybe somebody wants to troll one of his students. Either way I do intend to make the most of the chance ya’ll given me. So I very much thank you for givn’ me the opportunity.”

He chuckles.

“For wanting to put my pretty ass in front of a camera to see if I can still go, Terella is jus’ gon’ have to deal with me, and part of me was wondering if you were gonna dig into my noodle and see what makes me tick, honest? It’s simple for this time, we’re athletes and competitors, the best of our breed no matter how old or how young we don’t get an off season here, we don’t get the luxury of playing at home. Every stop is home, every stop is on the road every crowd is new and familiar at the same time and very stadium you gotta walk like it’s YOUR patch.”

He shakes his head.

“That’s where our similarities begin, that and the desire to capture belt capture glory and capture hearts, or not You couldn’t care less if people like you.”

He shook his head.

“People like you, What I mean by that is the guys and driven to do whatever they have to, They’d say they have killer instinct they have what it takes that people That decide to play clean as it were are deluded, that we just aren’t doing it ‘right’ Whatever man I’m sure you have plenty of other things to say and do.”

He nods slowly to himself even as he walks towards the camera a hand slipping forward to help turn it as he moves to sit on his hotel bed and pick up a water bottle flipping it in both his hands before opening it to take a long drink and nods as he looks into the camera.

“Come Odyssey it’s about who wants it more, it’s about who wants to stop through it’s about proving to you and them and those who have some faith in me that I’m worthy of that and sure as hell as you’d like to play spoiler Terella, I ain’t gonna let that happen, by the grace of all that is holy I am gonna get to steppin’.”

A wry chuckle.

“But you’ve heard this talk before, hell the IWF all have, all we can do is see how the chips fall when I hit your ass at 300 miles an hour from all sides, I’m not just some up and comer, some would be or never was I choose the Nick name Elite for reason, I’m gonna show you what that’s all about One way or another if I lose? The cycle continues You win ..or you learn that’s the play, you feel me?”

He nods solemnly, breathing as he rubs at his nose.

“I guess that’s the core of this, learning, you learn me I earn you but I’mma try my best to put your down for the three Terella, doesn’t matter what you or yours do with or to me... I’m comin’ for Invictus...Hell I’m comin’ for the world...I’ll see you there and we’ll see who takes the L, EL out.”

Eli gives a nod to the camera as we fade to black.