A Ladder Stipulation
Chapter 10: Match Time Part 5
Meta Knight stood up wearily, now almost covered in blood and looked around. Morrison had slid into the ring had gotten up, holding a ladder. Meta Knight ran at Morrison and started punching him, making him drop the ladder.
Meta Knight kicked Morrison in the head and threw him out of the ring. Morrison landed on a steel chair as he did, hurting his back quite badly outside the ring. Meta Knight turned around to see Hearst coming for him.
Meta Knight tried to do something, but Hearst kicked Meta Knight in the chest and rammed Meta Knight's head in between his legs. He started hooking his arms, but he looked in shock and let go.
It was Irvine, flaring in anger, who grabbed Hearst's head, jumped and put his knees up. Hearst couldn't reverse it in time and he fell, falling victim to Irvine's first successful Code-breaker.
Hearst fell to the floor and caressed his chest after being hit. Irvine turned to Montel, who was outside the ring's corner, setting up two tables wearily on top of each other. Meta Knight was climbing the turnbuckle, trying to aim a jump onto Montel.
But Irvine ran at Meta Knight and grabbed his legs. He flipped Meta Knight around and sat him on his shoulders.
Meta Knight couldn't believe it. He felt his heart sunk as he realized what was going to happen. Irvine gave a cocky smile before throwing Meta Knight downwards, going through the two tables outside, the flaring pain in his back as he crashed down to the floor. With it, he felt his dreams shatter. He tried to move, but the pain was unbearable. He prayed he could recover fast enough.
Montel started shouting at Irvine for breaking his tables. Montel slid into the ring and both Irvine and Montel started to argue. Irvine slapped Montel, to which the crowd reacted. Montel felt his face, and suddenly lashed out at Irvine, who fell to the floor in withdrawal.
Montel turned around and waved at the crowd. But Montel was about to meet his fate, and ultimately, see his dreams of becoming the champion fade.
He felt his head thrust into Morrison's side suddenly, so suddenly, that he couldn't react fast enough, and was drove into the floor by a successful Moonlight Drive. Morrison got up and did his pose, as if he were the winner of the match. He then grabbed the unconscious Montel and slumped him on the ropes. He then grabbed the belt he and Copeland had used and gave it a good use by tying Montel to the rope, using a complicated tie.
But as he turned around, he felt a hand slap against his neck. He yelled and turned to see Hearst, looking at him angrily. Hearst then gave Morrison a chokeslam to the ground.
Irvine suddenly ran into the ring and jumped over Morrison's body, running for the ropes. Hearst stood back, in favour of what Irvine had in mind. Irvine then jumped on the second rope and did a lionsault, hitting Morrison where it hurt. Hearst then rolled him out of the ring and faced Hearst.
The two didn't start fighting straight away. Instead, both ran out of the ring and grabbed a pair of ladders. Hearst slid his in and grabbed a table.
Both Irvine and Hearst set up the ladders so that if the belt was hanging much lower, it would be hanging in between the ladders. Hearst grabbed the table and slowly climbed his ladder before setting the table on top of the ladders (without the table legs out) like a bridge. Both Irvine and Hearst climbed so they stood on the ladder. As they stood, the belt was hanging half a metre above their heads. From where they were, they could easily reach the belt and undo it.
But they had better matters to sort. The two looked at the belt, then at each other. Irvine was shaking his head, looking annoyed and somewhat frightened at the much bigger Hearst, who was moving his hands across his waist before pulling his pose.
Irvine went for a punch, but Hearst blocked it, punched Irvine, kicked him and rammed Irvine's head in between his legs. Hearst pulled his muscled pose one more time before hooking Irvine's arms and taking a deep breath.
He jumped off of the ladders, Irvine tightly locked and the two went crashing down to the mat, which, upon impact, stunned Irvine, leaving him motionless on the floor. Hearst put his hands to his head after landing and fell on his back, his energy completely depleted.
He should have grabbed the belt while he had the chance. Morrison had gotten back into the ring and started climbing the ladder swiftly. He reached the top, and there was nobody to stop him.
Morrison loved it. He could see the belt within reach, so close and so shiny. It's silver and golden inscription and plaque engraved into the belt, and its leather, although worn, still looked as wealthy as it did years in the past. And it was going to be his.
He stroked the metal, observing the crowd who weren't very happy with Morrison. He could make out some boos from the crowd, but he didn't give a care about the crowd. All he wanted was the gold. He reached for the part that kept the belt fastened when he saw something coming up the ladder.
It was a bloody, extremely hurt Meta Knight, driven purely by determination. He slumped onto the table and slowly stood up.
He was met by a punch from Morrison, which toppled him. But he stayed on the table. Morrison was being booed quite badly right now. To draw some more heel heat from the crowd, he picked up Meta Knight's face and spat on it.
"You'll never win Meta Knight!!!!!!!" he screamed. "I'll ground you into dist! THIS...TITLE...IS...MINE!!!!!!!!" he yelled into a weary Meta Knight's face. The crowd started to cheer madly. Morrison didn't understand, but he put Meta Knight into a headlock. He was going for one last Moonlight Drive.
"No...You won't win......"
Out of nowhere, Meta Knight struck Morrison's balls with his free hand. Morrison yelled in pain and fell to his knees, a tear or two coming from his eye, holding in between his legs in sheer pain. He got up and turned around to find out what the crowd was cheering about.
He was kicked in the stomach by Jet, the one man he forgot to sort out, the one man who hadn't been involved in any action since Sean took himself out. Jet had gained the energy to confront Morrison above the table. Jet put Morrison, too hurt by the pain in his balls, in a headlock and waved to the crowd, who were going ballistic. Jet looked at Meta Knight and Jet winked.
Meta Knight knew this was his final chance for glory. He realized Jet was going to execute the Twist of Fate and break the table. If he din't grab the belt now, he would fall and the pain would take over his body. He had to grab it now.
Jet did the best Twist of Fate of the match and sent Morrison right through the bale, toppling the whole contraption, sending the ladders down with him. Meta Knight jumped a split second before the move and grabbed the belt.
The crowd were going nuts as Meta Knight pitted himself against gravity in a test to take the title. He was hanging in mid air metres above the ring, below Jet and Morrison, who were out of it. Meta Knight felt his arms go numb. His grip was slipping.
It happened at that moment. A moment that stuck in his mind for as long as he lived. He remembered the sudden boost of energy he got and raised his arm, grabbing the top of the fastening piece and ripping it off. He felt himself fall, with the soft leather still in his hand. But as soon as he hit the floor, he felt the energy of the crowd as they went the loudest they had ever been. The sound was deafening.
He did it. Over thirty minutes of non-stop action. He finally did it. He stuck through the pain and took what was his. He heard his music playing and Hulk announcing the winner.
"And the winner of the match, and the new holder of the Legend Belt...META KNIGHT!!!" he roared. The crowd roared louder as Meta Knight got to his knees, hugging the title close to him. The feel of the smooth metal against his bloodied skin felt great. He was the new legend of Dreamland. He had proved himself worthy of the prestigious title.
Everyone around him were out cold. He was the only one actually in focus at what he had accomplished. He had accomplished the impossible. Thirty five minutes. Eight men. Tens of tables. Tens of chairs. Eight ladders. One title. One victor.
But Meta Knight felt his arm go numb. During his weary celebration, he suddenly dropped the title on the floor. The sounds around him became a blurry mess.
He felt his heart beating extremely fast. He swore it stopped at some point. His stomach twisted as if he had eaten dirt. He felt the muscles inside him press and he saw yellow gunk throw itself out of his mouth. He tasted a sour, horrible taste in his mouth. Instantly, he felt like he was hit by a bus. The feeling in his legs suddenly vanished and he fell to the floor, barely feeling the impact. It all fuzzed away into nothingness. The last thing he remembered was the strange roar from the crowd slowly dying. Before he passed into a state of no mind, he realized he had just suffered a heart attack.