Act 2 – The Tournament Begins
'Till It's Gone

So here we are. The characters are here. The scene's set. Everything's signed in. It's been leading to this moment. This act will be where the Tournament of Fate starts, and will go about the first two rounds of the tournament! That way, Act 3 will carry the rest of the tournament, with the semi-finals, and the epilogue following the finals. So yeah, that's the thick of it.

I hope you'll enjoy what I've put together, especially after over 1,500 views by the time I'm typing this out.

The rating will stay at M, just to be safe, due to the fact that some of the battles you'll see in the Tournament will be pretty graphic here and there.


February 21, 2016
Location: Los Angeles, California – Staples Center
Time: 6:50 PM

It's been almost 24 hours since Daniel Bryan got the call. We've seen what he's been offered.

Almost 24 hours since Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns went off on a mission to help him out. We've seen the effort they've gone through to get to him.

Almost 24 hours since Kevin Owens enlisted himself to get Dean and Roman back. We've seen the true colors behind him, almost immediately after he convinced the Authority to trust him.

Almost 24 hours, since Paul Heyman made arrangements with the mysterious, shrouded backer, Dario Cueto. We've seen who was brought into this situation, with the promise of 'redemption'.

Almost 24 hours, since the night that set it all in motion. We'll see what comes next...


"Hey, Dean..."

Dean Ambrose looks up from the wrist tape, sitting on a bench, towards the punching bag just a couple feet away from him.

Then he turns his head and meets eye-to-eye with Roman Reigns.

"...It's almost showtime. You ready?"

Ambrose smiles as he adjusts the laces of his shoes. "As always."

The vest-clad warrior nods as the Lunatic Fringe stands up. As the two close companions stand side-by-side, walking out of the room, Ambrose withdraws a pair of earbuds from his jeans. Music helps the journey, after all.

Wearing the ear, it's almost as if the light strumming of a guitar, and the light drumming backing it, can be heard by all.

Brock Lesnar strikes against a punching bag, attacking with nothing but aggression. The innovator of Suplex City nearly takes the bag off its hinges with how powerful his blows are, how hard they feel to pretty much anything.

Daniel Bryan opens a locker, examining the contents inside; his wrestling attire laced in red, white and black, and a fairly new shirt to go along with it.

I'm not the table you can come and lay your cup down on now

Sherry Birkin adjusts her boots, preparing for her eventual bout... black shoes, tight dark green pants, blue scarf, beige shirt... don't think there's much of a dress code, so whatever suits her best.

I'm not the shoulder for a bag
The one that carried a heavy load

Scorpion – formerly Hanzo Hasashi – stares deeply into the shine of metal on his spear. He winds it back up to his side and puts his mask on, ready to battle with the burning flame within him.

I'm not the road that you take when you lookin' for a shortcut
I ain't the steppin' stone to be steppin' on
I ain't nobody's crutch

I ain't the money, man
With your money, man
You ain't lookin' at me

Wearing his iconic skull-stamped vest, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin takes a quick swig of beer, before smiling ahead, sensing the squared-circle that awaits him.

I'm not the cheap one
Lookin' at me son
You ain't lookin' at free

I ain't the dish rag to come clean up all the shit that you dish out

Shinsuke Nakamura stands before a mirror, taking a good look at the eccentric electricity lining his incredibly optimistic soul.

Ain't got no check for 'em, if you checkin' in
Motherfucka, check this out

After a quick smile of self-satisfaction, and an even quicker wink, Nakamura kicks the mirror into a thousand little shards, just for the hell of it.

For the first time of the day, the three Dazzlings stand together again, with Adagio Dazzle standing first, as well as Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk standing by her sides, as they make their way through a hallway of the building.

Ain't much I can do but I do what I can
But I'm not a fool, there's no need to pretend

However, despite still being together as a trio of darkness, there is still some tension from the day before, with Aria's lashing out at the other two. Between the three, Sonata is the only one of them to not be in the tournament.

And just because you got yourself in some shit
Doesn't mean I have to come deal with it

Clad in her leather jacket and black jeans still, Sunset Shimmer strolls through casually, with a shopping cart in tow – no idea where exactly it came from, she only found it sitting around. Probably left over by a fan from a previous endeavor in the Staples Center.

She's collecting whatever she can find to use as a weapon; a camera tripod, leftover chairs, wooden planks (some having a nail sticking out), whatever can make people bleed, for the sake of trying to get an edge in the competition. Even though she hasn't stepped into a ring, she's seen a few shows herself, so she has some experience, albeit only from memory.

You handle your own when you become a man

Walking by her side, Star Butterfly helps out in finding more and more props to fit into the car, even throwing her wand in, and then eventually hopping in with enough elbow room left, just for fun.

And become a man when you handle your own

The agent known only by the name Black Orchid grips her electric stun batons in both hands for a moment, taking in the deep and intimidating atmosphere that will set in during this tournament, in an attempt to boost her confidence and fearlessness in the competition.

She sheaths the batons back into their proper place, in the back of her boots, and heads for the exit of her room.

Ain't much I can do, but I do what I can
But what can I do if I do 'till it's gone?

Still having kept the garbage can that he was tossing around the night before, New Jack lugs the tin prop over his shoulder in one hand, while wearing the claw-gauntlet in his other. The Original Gangsta, still standing and still crazy since his days of ECW.

(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh) 'Till it's gone...
(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh) 'Till it's gone...

Donning his open jacket, and leaving the warpaint behind for tonight, NXT World Champion Finn Balor heads into the ring, a different from that of NXT or of New Japan, with fellow NXT champion – NXT Women's Champion to be specific – Bayley by his side, having chosen to be with him at ringside tonight (mainly due to there being no remaining spots out of the 16 that were available for those willing to be in the tournament).

(Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh) 'Till it's gone...
(Oh-oh-oh) What can I do if I do 'till it's gone?

Giving absolutely no shits about any of the other competitors in the tournament, Kevin Owens stands confident, before rushing through the door.

(Bang-bang-bang!) What a mess now

Back to Reigns and Ambrose, who are beginning to approach the gorilla position of the arena, the corridor that leads right into the arena.

I jump to the sky for my people
I walk through the fire, I give love when it's equal

Slowly, the cast of colorful characters of near and far begin to group into one pack; the first are Sunset and Star, lugging the shopping cart around with them, to the right of and behind Ambrose, followed shortly after by Sherry, to the left of Reigns.

Don't tell me not to complain about my money and fame
When you come around me telling me I've changed
Damn right, I've fuckin' changed!

New Jack, garbage bin in tow, and Stone Cold, with a beer still in hand, catch up to the group next, walking to the left of Reigns and Ambrose.

When there's fuckin' change in my pocket, hit the bucket
It was a rockin' all a sudden

Balor and Bayley find their way into the pack, just a couple seconds before the King of Strong Style in Shinsuke Nakamura, as the three stand right behind Reigns and Ambrose.

I went from shoppin' without nothin'
To going shoppin' with my cousins

The next to be seen, the Dazzlings walk with purpose as a union, regardless of frustrations within the group. They don't stand very close to the rest, naturally as they're only relying on themselves to get through the game.

Now that the cops know that I'm buzzin'
They wanna drop me in the oven

prepared for war. The last of the crowd of competitors (excluding the three performers who have some kind of alignment with Paul Heyman), , budges through to the front to stand right in between Roman and Ambrose

Pull me over just to say "I'm a fan"
Hip hop, you gotta love it (Fuck it...)

Mr. Paul Heyman stands right behind the curtains of the entry-way, awaiting the fighters.

Ain't much I can do but I do what I can
But I'm not a fool, there's no need to pretend

Coming through a door to the left of Heyman, from another corridor leading into the arena's entry, Owens, Bryan and Lesnar arrive, standing alongside Heyman.

And just because you got yourself in some shit
Doesn't mean I have to come deal with it

"Packed house tonight, everyone." Paul mentions.

Dean looks a little baffled. That's about 21 thousand out there, right? "...Uhh, sold out in one night?" Even while asking, the Lunatic Fringe can hear the cheering of thousands, almost muffled through the curtains.

"Surprised me, too, yes... but when it's a Paul Heyman production, it's kinda expected for the most part."

But what can I do if I do 'till it's gone?

Heyman turns towards the curtains, as he prepares to walk through.

"Welcome to the new era, combatants; enjoy your stay!"

And then he walks through, and bright lights envelop the scene.

'Till it's gone...


Holy christ, I actually wrote this so quickly (took about only a couple hours combined time spent on it). Guess it's because I had this intro scene thought out so clearly, especially with probably my favorite Yelawolf song (probably my only favorite song from him thus far). Just made it easier to type through, I guess.

Also, uh, Strawpoll!
(strawpoll-dot-me) /10788564
I've made a poll so the viewers (both guests and established users) can pick their favorite heading into the tournament. It won't affect the story, since I know who I'm planning to have win, but it'll be interesting to see who has the most fans behind them in the Tournament of Fate.

Until next time... uhhh... 'Chocolate Drop'?