Chapter Four – Wednesday Live
"Every thorn finds the light."
The red glow of the titantron washed over me as I stood just behind the curtain, mask cool in my hands.
This wasn't a pay-per-view. It wasn't even a card I had days to prepare for. This was the new normal: a weekly show, every Wednesday, broadcast to the System's unseen audience. No mercy. No excuses.
The System whispered:
[Wednesday Live: Inaugural Broadcast]
Fan Expectation: Moderate (Target Rating: B)]
Main Event Booking Required]
"Showtime," Lilith purred beside me, her arm brushing mine like a dare. "Let's see if you're more than a one-night bloom."
I slipped the mask over my face. My voice came out steady: "Watch me."
The Opening Promo
The curtain split, and I stepped into the spotlight. The arena wasn't packed like the PPV, but the energy was raw—fans stomping, chanting, booing, cheering.
"ROSE! ROSE! ROSE!"
"TRAITOR! FRAUD!"
Both sides mattered. Both meant they cared.
I raised the mic. "You saw me stand with Titan. You saw me bleed against the Envoys. You saw us win. And yet—" my voice sharpened "—Eternal Wrestling still thinks they can bury us. They think we're weeds. But weeds survive anything."
The crowd roared.
I lowered the mic, letting the chant grow:
"WE ARE THE GARDEN! WE ARE THE GARDEN!"
Backstage Chaos
Back in the locker room, the roster was restless. Pixie Riot was already painting graffiti on the wall with neon spray paint. Rockabilly Rex tuned his guitar and strummed until half the roster begged him to stop.
Valora Prime stood apart, arms crossed, voice cold. "Promos mean nothing. Victories shape empires."
"Then earn one," Titan shot back, eyes burning.
The tension was fire, and I was the match keeping it from blowing the whole place apart.
Match One – Comedy Chaos
"Ladies and gentlemen, your opening contest!"
Blob oozed his way down the ramp, wobbling like gelatin to chants of "BLOB! BLOB!" Jingles cartwheeled behind him, juggling neon balls.
Their opponents? Disco Inferna and Mimeo the Silent. A mirrorball dropped from the rafters, light scattering as Disco shimmied down the ramp. Mimeo followed, moving in eerie silence, face painted in an eternal grin.
The match was chaos. Blob splashed and jiggled his way through offense. Jingles cracked pratfalls that somehow landed into pin attempts. Disco tried to dance his way out of holds, and Mimeo mimed "being trapped in a box" until Blob actually squashed him against the ropes.
The crowd ate it up.
Winner: Blob & Jingles (Fan Rating: A for Entertainment)
Match Two – Rising Heat
Lilith vs. Lollipop Girl.
The arena lights turned blood-red for Lilith's entrance, her voice cutting sharp through the crowd: "Kneel, or bleed."
Lollipop Girl twirled her candy cane staff, bouncing in pink and sugar-sweet colors.
The contrast was perfect.
The bell rang—Lilith dominated. Every whip into the corner, every taunt, every near fall was venom wrapped in elegance. Lollipop tried, but sweetness doesn't stop thorns.
"Tap," Lilith hissed, wrenching her into a choke.
The referee called it.
Winner: Lilith (Fan Rating: B+ for Heat)
Backstage, Lilith smirked, eyes cutting toward me. "See? I can play nice. For now."
Main Event – Titan's Trial
The crowd erupted as Titan stormed to the ring, knee still taped. His opponent: the neon-lit Cyber Samurai, blade humming with holographic energy.
The match was a war. Samurai struck fast, each blow echoing like static. Titan countered with raw power, slamming him down again and again, but every time Titan's knee buckled, the crowd gasped.
"Stay down!" Samurai roared.
"Never!" Titan answered.
In the end, Titan powered through, delivering his crushing finisher—a powerbomb that rattled the entire arena.
One. Two. Three.
Winner: Titan (Fan Rating: A- for Drama)
Closing Angle
I slid into the ring, raising Titan's arm. The fans roared, the Garden alive.
Then the lights cut. Static hissed.
The titantron flickered—Shadow Envoys, their masks filling the screen.
"You think weekly shows protect you? We will choke every rose until nothing remains. Eternal Wrestling is coming."
The screen went black.
The crowd booed, restless. My mask hid my smirk.
I raised the mic. "Then let them come. The thorns don't break."
The fans erupted:
"WE ARE THE GARDEN! WE ARE THE GARDEN!"
The System chimed in my ear as the camera faded:
[Show Complete – Rating: B+]
[Fan Count: +900]
[Rival Invasion Event Approaching]
I pulled the mask free backstage, sweat dripping, my heart still hammering.
One night down. A lifetime to go.