Thrust into Power
Written by TwistedSnakes
Commissioned by Cinogard
"And we're back from the break ladies and gentlemen for the match you've all been waiting for," a deep and masculine voice called out through the dark stadium, illuminated by spotlights that waved their way through the cheering crowds below.
"Tonight, we will find out who the middleweight division's world champion for this year's PAW. The two participants are tied at two points each so this round will be the determining match on who gets to be the champion!" the announcer dragged the last word on in a cheer, sending the crowds wild.
Spotlights dimmed, leaving one shining on a corner of the boxing ring in the middle of the stadium illuminating a greyish-blue dragon. "On the red corner of the ring," the booming voice announced, "we have the long-time champion, Cinogard!" Half of the stadium burst into roars as they chanted "Cino! Cino! Cino!" Cinogard grunted as he ignored the crowds, looking intently at his opponent with his bright yellow eyes.
The sole spotlight moved to the opposite corner of the ring and the cheerings died down. "On the blue corner, we have Cinogard's challenger, Diegun!" the other half of the stadium cheered his name as a fervent response to Cinogard's fans' earlier chants. The black tiger with red stripes named Diegun raised his paws into the air as if absorbing the enthusiasm of the crowd.
"Will he be able to reclaim the championship title that Cinogard snatched from under his nose four years ago? Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, we shall find out!"
The lights came back on and the entire stadium came into view. The stadium was packed with screaming fans, filling the rows of seats that circled the boxing ring as it gave everyone a view of the centre. The floodlights from above blared their beams down below, focusing on the boxing ring as they evaporated the shadows within.
"Are you ready? Are you ready?" the referee asked each one in turn as he stood in the middle of the ring. "Fight!"
With that word, the world seemed to fade around Cinogard as he concentrated on nothing but the opponent in front of him. The stadium and the audience were nothing more than moving colours and figures around them, and the cheers and commentator were nothing more than the sound of static in the air.
He moved in on the tiger and the tiger did likewise, stepping towards each other in controlled movements, their boxing gloves in front of them.
Arms' reach. The tiger threw a punch at him. Cinogard raised his boxing glove and punched the approaching fist away. The tiger stepped back.
His chance. He advanced on the tiger. With a swift step, he swung his fist at the tiger, who ducked and countered it with a blow to his abs. Cinogard stumbled backwards as he tried to control the pain. Focus. Focus. The pain faded almost as quickly as it came and he sent a kick at the tiger's head.
The tiger stumbled, and Cinogard took the opportunity to charge at the tiger, pushing him to the edge of the boxing ring and pinning him against the ropes. Punch. Punch. Punch. He rained blow after blow on the feline.
The tiger suddenly ducked and charged at Cinogard, his head hitting square against the dragon's chest. Cinogard fell backwards onto the floor. There was a black flash as the tiger was in the air above him. The dragon tucked his legs in and kicked hard as the tiger landed on him and the feline was sent flying backwards.
Instinct kicked in and Cinogard found himself pouncing on the fallen feline, pinning down the tiger's arms with his knees as he attacked his opponent with punch after punch. Each punch blurred into the next as the world seemed to disappear around him. Muscle memory kicked in and he did what his fighting instincts told him to do: defeat his opponent.
Two gloved paws were tapping on his shoulders, snapping him out of it. He could hear the commentator's voice again. "And it looks like we have a winner!" The audience cheered as Cinogard stumbled to his feet, looking at the faces in the crowd around him in a dazed look.
"I'll get you," a voice seethed, and Cinogard turned around to see the tiger getting to his feet. Blood was seeping out from a cut on his forehead, staining his black fur red. "I'll make sure you never fight again," he threatened.
Cinogard snorted. Empty threats. The sour ramblings of a loser.
He turned around and raised his hands in the air as the crowd cheered for him. He had won. He was the champion.
The metal locker door swung with a loud clang as Cinogard slammed it shut.
"Good job on the fight today!" came the voice of a smiling otter, Kawa. Kawa had been his manager for the past six years, standing by him through thick and thin, wins and losses. He waddled on his short legs over to where Cinogard's clothes were thrown on the ground, tossing them into a laundry basket before picking up and folding a white towel on the floor.
"Thanks, Ka. And just leave the clothes there, I'll pick it up later," Cinogard nodded.
"Nonsense! You're the champion tonight, all the result of your hard training over the past few months. I've booked two seats at your favourite Chick-n-Dine place so I hope you're feeling in the mood for fried chicken," the brown-furred otter grinned as he shuffled over to the dragon. He stood at half the height of Cinogard, looking up proudly at the dragon that he had helped booked fighting gigs, hire trainers, and settle all the paperwork for. With a hop, he jumped onto the bench in the middle of the locker room and sat down.
"Thanks," Cinogard tried to suppress a grin. Even if he lost his matches, Kawa would still be saying the same things: "You're the champion", "Let's eat somewhere to celebrate". The otter wasn't very unpredictable, even to someone as nonchalant as him.
"You're the best, Ka."
"Huh?" the otter looked up at the dragon in surprise. "Eh, haha," he grinned sheepishly as he scratched his head. "I don't do much around here."
"You're my manager, you do everything," Cinogard emphasized the last word as he sprayed some deodorant on himself. "I just go into the ring and fight."
"Oh please, you've worked your butt off in your fighting sessions to get to your current skill level. Just yesterday I was telling Simeen that you're sure to win the champion's title. There's just no way-"
There was a beep from Cinogard's pocket. "-and she was saying 'You're overworking him,' but I told her that you were the one who asked for extra training in the first place. Always the hard worker, that's what I like about you. Anyway-" Kawa didn't seem to notice the sound of the dragon's phone as he carried on with his recounting. Cinogard stole a look at his phone where a text message was waiting for him.
"Meet me at the abandoned power plant at eight. We'll settle this once and for all, 'champion'," read the message. Cinogard grunted. He knew exactly who it was from but that didn't mean he liked where it was going. The time on his phone showed that it was seven thirty. Just enough time for him to rush to the power plant.
Kawa was still talking, "-so I was thinking if this is what we're going to be doing for-"
"Hey, Ka," Cinogard interrupted.
"Huh? Yeah?"
"I gotta rush somewhere tonight. I'll join you for dinner another day, alright?" Cinogard grabbed his duffle bag and shoved his boxing gloves into it.
"Oh? Yeah, okay, sure," Kawa looked slightly hurt, but he smiled anyway. "So when do you-" The door swung shut behind Cinogard as he dashed out into the corridor.
The years of neglect showed on the power plant's metal door as its rusty metal hinges screeched while Cinogard pushed it open. The plant was dark and dusty, long abandoned when the city decided it would no longer need its archaic fossil-powered electricity when they could fully rely on solar, hydro, and nuclear sources. All that's left of those times were now these generators gathering dust, waiting to be torn down by a new construction project.
His phone beeped again, the high-pitched tone piercing the echoey chambers of the plant. Another text message from the same sender as before, this time reading only the words "Control room". A short exploration around the building led him up a flight of stairs, down a corridor, and to a room that was labelled "Control Room" with a faded sign.
Cinogard cautiously pushed the door open, revealing a room dimly lit by industrial wire cage lights on metal stands powered by noisy fuel-powered generators. Metal machines filled with dials and indicator lights lined the walls and levers and buttons stuck out of counters around the room. This was the place. The dragon stepped into the empty space in the middle of the room.
"Hey! Cinogard," Diegun stepped out of the shadows from the opposite end of the room, chuckling to himself. "Was beginning to think you weren't gonna show up."
Cinogard snorted in response. "What did you call me here for?"
"Straight to the point, eh?" the tiger smirked. "That's so like you."
"I'm not here to play your stupid games," the dragon glared.
"Let me finish," Diegun snapped. "So, I invited you here today because I want to settle this once and for all. We'll brawl it out here to decide on the true champion of PAW."
"I've already defeated you once today, and I can do it again. Don't waste my time, Diegun," Cinogard growled.
"Ah, but here's the kicker: the loser has to disappear. Never to be seen again at PAW. No, any wrestling championship in Horatia. Giving the winner an clear path all the way to being the true champion."
Cinogard furrowed his brows. For Diegun to be this confident in winning, he had to have something up his sleeve. What exactly, he didn't know, but he needed to be careful. Perhaps he should just back out. After all, he could win the championships without-
"Aww, is the champion really a pussy at heart? In the cage you're the ferocious Cinogard but out of it you're really just a timid little lizard, aren't you? Come forward and fight," Diegun taunted.
Cinogard grunted. He wasn't the kind to rise to such petty tactics but just this once he could make an exception. He stepped forward and focused his mind. Suddenly, it was as if he was back in the PAW championships with Diegun standing in front of him.
He took steady strides over to the tiger and threw a punch at him. The tiger dodged it and kicked the dragon in the ribs. Cinogard grunted as he grabbed the extended leg, yanking it towards him and sending the tiger falling to the floor with a grunt. He pounced on Diegun and punched the tiger in the face. The battle would be over as soon as it started. Diegun must've still been hurt from the earlier match.
"Wait! Stop!" the tiger cried in fear. "You win!" Cinogard grunted and got to his feet. That was easy, and now he'd never have to see Diegun again.
Without warning, Diegun suddenly shouted out loud, "Boys! Now!"
People emerged from behind their hiding spots among the machines and stepped towards him menacingly. Cinogard looked around at the approaching gang before glaring at Diegun. "You dirty little-"
"Yes? When I said I wanted to settle this once and for all, I meant with me as the winner," Diegun wiped a stream of blood that had started flowing out from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. "Since things obviously didn't go as intended, I have a backup plan. Boy," he called again.
A maroon-scaled shark grabbed him from the back in a full nelson hold, restraining his head and arms, rendering him defenceless. A navy-blue-furred panther and grey Doberman stepped in front of him threateningly. The Doberman turned to Diegun, who nodded. He turned back and smirked evilly, sending a punch straight at Cinogard's abs. The dragon grunted as he bent over in pain, but the shark pulled him back upright.
The panther threw the next punch and the dragon spluttered, sending spit at the Doberman. The dog gave him a dirty look before returning the favour with another punch.
He needed to defend himself. Gathering his strength, he opened his jaws and sent fire spewing out of his mouth but his attackers were ready for it. A blow to the side of his face sent his head towards the wall on his left and the streak of fire ignited harmlessly, dissipating in a puff of smoke.
Another punch to his guts made him double over. One hit was all he needed. He opened his mouth again but the shark pulled his horns down, turning his head towards the ceiling and the column of fire burst harmlessly over them.
The both of them rained punches on him until he spat blood on the floor. The dragon's torso was throbbing in pain and his head was clouded with agony.
After what felt like forever, Diegun raised his hand. "Wait," he instructed and Cinogard's two attackers stepped away and the shark kicked the dragon to the ground. "We don't want to kill him. Death is too easy a way out for this lizard. Levance, you can do the honours." A white oryx that was lurking behind the tiger stepped forward and grabbed Cinogard by the horns. With a rough tug, he yanked the dragon forward. Too weak to resist, Cinogard crawled behind the oryx. In a last-ditch effort, he groaned and tried to shoot fire at the oryx but only a puff of smoke escaped his mouth. His efforts only earned him a kick to his ribs from the panther.
He was led over to a panel that was bolted against the wall. Buttons and lights sat lifelessly on the control panel, dusty from years of disuse. The dragon was harshly dragged over to the machine and pushed against the metal. The oryx grabbed a heavy chain that the Doberman offered and looped it around the dragon. The chain went around his arms, across his chest and back up to his arms. Each end of the chain was secured to a metal ring that was bolted to the wall on each side, locked in place with a heavy-duty padlock.
Cinogard's five attackers laughed at his plight, proud of their handiwork. "Good job guys. We'll leave him here to die a slow, slow, death. Adiós," he smirked, kicking the dragon before he turned around and left. The others turned to leave with the tiger, some of them spitting on him before following. The oryx went to turn the light generators off before exiting the room and shutting the door behind him. There was a sound of screeching metal as the tiger grabbed a thin metal pole, twisting it around the door handle to secure it in place.
With a smug laugh, he turned and left the power plant, bringing his gang with him.
In the darkness of the power plant, Cinogard grunted as he struggled feebly against the chains. He had no idea how long he had been there. Three days now, or was it four? His mouth was dry from thirst and his mind was in a daze. Yet one thing still plagued his fuzzy thoughts: that Diegun had left him here. He growled and the machine behind him threw sparks in his direction.
Diegun. The pathetic loser that had to resort to underhand methods to get rid of him.
A machine off to the side exploded in a shower of sparks.
And if he was going to go down like that.
Cables overhead snapped as they sent arcs of electricity flying to the nearest metal surfaces.
Then he was bringing Diegun down with him.
The control panel behind him broke off the wall, crumpling around his back as if it were paper instead of solid metal. Sparks flew from the various control panels and machines in flashes of light.
But these disturbances weren't important to Cinogard, who looked unphased at it all. All that mattered was that he had his revenge. He strained against the metal chains, tearing out the metal panel he was bound to. The energy in the room seemed to pulse with his heaves and tugs, dancing around him in a joint effort to tear the place apart.
Arcs of electricity jumped from all corners of the room onto the dragon's scales, but instead of hurting him, Cinogard could feel their energy surging his body, giving him strength. He used his newfound strength and tugged harder against his chains. There was a creaking sound as the metal ring bent under the tension of his power.
Power.
He was powerful.
"Gahh!" With a jerk, he sent the chains flying across the room and he stumbled forward to the centre of the room. His body was weak from the entire ordeal.
But this was no time to be weak.
He needed his revenge.
He needed more strength.
More power.
The electricity in the plant was giving him power as arcs of electricity scuttled across the cold ground. His thoughts were swimming. None of what was happening made sense. Was he hallucinating? But no matter, he needed power.
He closed his eyes. He could feel the sensation of jumping sparks in the room. The arcs of electricity across the decrepit machines. The power. As if taking a deep breath, he drew the energy towards him like a lightning rod. The entire room surged to life as the electricity reached out their spindly arms towards him. Lights flashed and dials spun around in their glass displays.
With a bright flash, the bulbs on the ceiling blew up, showering him in shards of glass and sparks. The room plunged back into darkness as the last of the electricity faded away.
But it had worked. Cinogard opened his eyes, now red with the colour of blood as it glowed in the pitch black of the room. The power was surging through his body and his face was twisted in an expression of complete rage.
Anger.
Revenge.
Diegun.
He stretched out his claw and the room was illuminated by a blinding flash that came from the arc of electricity that shot out from his hand, disintegrating the door to the room.
There was another burst of light and sparks and the room was empty.
"To the champion!" a black tiger raised a half-finished can of beer in the air and the rest of his gang followed suit as they toasted. The tiger lowered his can and smirked. "Me," he added before guffawing at his joke.
The maroon-coloured shark forced a grin as he slouched on the sofa in the apartment room. The others were lounging around the dingy room, sitting on discoloured couches and tattered beanbags. A few packs of beer sat on the glass-topped coffee table in the middle of the room and empty and crushed cans littered the floor around them. The Doberman seemed the drunkest of all, surrounded by ten empty cans, twice more than anyone else in the room. He took a chug out of his eleventh as he grinned stupidly at the ceiling.
There was a loud slam as the room door was blasted off its hinges and flung to the opposite wall. "What the-" Diegun grunted in surprise. Standing in the doorway was a dragon, familiar for all but the expression of fury in his soulless, red eyes. "You!"
The panther and oryx got off their couches and charged at him. There was a deafening crack and a flash of light and the static in the air made their fur stand. Then it all disappeared and the two attackers crumpled to the floor, their mouth half-open mid-gasp and their lifeless eyes open in a look of surprise.
The shark scrambled off his beanbag towards the wall. "Y-yo man, we don't want any troub-argh!" his words were cut short as the dragon stretched out his claw towards the shark and sent an arc of electricity towards him. The shark convulsed in pain as the power electrocuted every inch of his body. Immense pain was the last thing he felt before his body collapsed, burnt to a crisp.
The Doberman seemed to sober up a little as he was forced to watch the carnage around him. But before he could react, a huge ball of energy flew at him and seared through his body. The power in that single blast was great and the victim's body exploded, sending bits of flesh and innards splattering the room's walls.
Diegun was on his feet, now more scared and vulnerable with his gang members dead. "Hey! Wait! What do you want?" he cried. The dragon ignored his shouts and continued advancing on him. The tiger jumped behind his couch and pressed himself against the wall. "I'll give you anything! Anything you want! Money? Women? I'll get it for you!"
The dragon didn't flinch as he strode over to the tiger, towering over the shivering feline. "I'll run away! You'll never see hide or tail of me again! You can be the champion! Just don't kill me!" he pleaded upon deaf ears. With a guttural roar of anger, the dragon picked him up like a doll and flung him at the wall. Diegun's head collided hard with the unforgiving concrete and a gash appeared on the back of his head. Blood flowed out, painting the wall with smears of crimson to match the blood splatters of what used to be the Doberman.
Diegun grunted as his vision blurred. Before he could recover, he was lifted by his neck and thrown into the middle of the room. He crashed through the coffee table and it smashed into shards of glass, some of them piercing through his skin and into his flesh. He groaned as his body tried to withstand the pain. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Don't kill me. Please!"
The dragon picked up a standing lamp from the corner of the room and snapped its metal stand in half, creating a long, sharp tip. He marched over to Diegun, growling as he raised the stake above his head with the pointed end aimed at the fallen feline. "Wait! No no no no!" he screamed. The metal rod pierced through him and into his abdomen. He yelled in pain as he grabbed it with his bloody paws, trying to pull it out but the dragon held it in place.
"Please. Don't do this," he begged as he looked into the dragon's eyes. Two red orbs looked back at him, lost in the depths of fervent anger that only seemed to be appeased by the pain the dragon was inflicting. There was a scream of pain and terror as the dragon sent electricity surging down the metal pole and through Diegun's body. His eyes and mouth were wide open in a look of pure agony as his body convulsed on the floor.
The sound of crackling static filled the room, dying down only after long, long minutes. The corpse of the tiger laid in the middle of the room, its fur burnt away, leaving a charred body impaled on the metal stand.
A look of recognition flashed across the dragon's face and his expression softened as he looked down at the body in front of him, the metal pole sticking out of its torso and into his blood-stained hands. He let go of the pole in shock and surveyed the room around him. Blood. Bodies. Death. His eyes widened in shock. Did he cause this? Surely not. He was not capable of such chaos.
But his memories told him otherwise. A faint recollection of the slaughter that happened only minutes before. All him.
But he wasn't that kind of person. He wasn't a murderer.
The dead panther and oryx were turned towards him, their blank eyes staring at him.
But he couldn't kill anyone. Not him.
The dead shark's hand was directed at him, pointing an accusing finger at the dragon.
But he didn't mean to. That wasn't him, right?
The blood splatters of the Doberman on the wall were in the shape of a face contorted in an expression of terror in its purest form.
But.
The tiger's burnt face was staring up at him, its empty eye sockets facing him with a look of despair and disappointment and a mouth open as if to ask him "Why?"
Cinogard stumbled back away from the accusing corpse.
Him.
All him.
He couldn't fix this. But maybe he could make atonement and never let this happen again. He needed to run. To disappear from society.
A week?
A month?
A year?
How long did he need? He didn't know. He scrambled for the open doorway, disappearing through it as the dark corridor swallowed him up in its shadows.
Apart from the soft and gentle hum of the air conditioning unit that shielded the room from the sweltering heat of the outside, the office was relatively quiet. The office wasn't very posh but it was comfortable. A leather chair sat behind a large wooden desk where wrestling memorabilia like figurines and miniature trophies were carefully arranged and kept free of dust.
On the leather chair sat an otter, jotting down notes in his leather-bound planner. His feet dangled above the floor, too short to reach the ground and he wore round glasses on his short snout.
The phone on his desk rung with a soft melodious chime and he picked it up. "Hello, Kawa, Andre's manager speaking, what can I do for you today?" he chirped brightly.
"Hey hey, when is Cinogard coming back to the ring, man?" came a lightly accented voice.
A dark look flashed across Kawa's face and he sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm no longer his manager," he explained in a gentle and patient voice. "And I have not been in contact with him since."
"Aww man, you sure?" the voice probed. Kawa nodded, his gesture unseen by the person on the other end of the line. "You'll tell me if he comes back, alright?"
Kawa nodded again. "Yeah," his voice cracked. "Yeah," he repeated again, louder this time. There was a click as the phone on the other end of the line was put down. The otter put his phone back on the table, sighing as he leaned back in his chair.
He turned to the bottom drawer below his desk, staring at it for a few seconds as the humming air conditioner droned on. He kicked his legs and jumped off the chair, waddling over to the drawer and pulling it open.
In it sat a number of medals and trophies, awarded to the past victors of the Punch and Wrestle championships. On one golden trophy, the words "Best Manager Ever" was engraved. A gift for him. Below them was an expired voucher Chick-n-Dine as well as a few photographs of a blue-grey dragon, some of them of him alone in a boxing ring, throwing punches in the air, some of them of him celebrating a victory with a champion's belt around his waist. Kawa picked up a yellowing photograph, on it pictured the dragon wearing a medal on his neck, carrying the otter on his shoulders as the both of them grinned from ear to ear.
Kawa sighed and let the photograph float back into the drawer. His champion had been missing for the past three years. Disappeared. Missing. Gone without a trace. He pushed the drawer closed and jumped back onto the leather chair, pulling himself back towards the desk. He picked up his pen and carried on writing in his cursive font.
He had been planning to throw out the drawer's contents for years but each time he could never bring himself to do it. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he'll get rid of everything. If only he could gather the courage to do so.
~ End ~