A/N: This is the end of the "Chapter a day" updates. I'll be posting the as-of-yet unwritten chapter thirty tomorrow night, and then start updating it once a week from here on out. I want to thank everyone who's read, reviewed and put the story on alerts up to this point.
Another Royal Rumble has come and gone. John Morrison remembers when younger, watching the annual pay per view with awe, as thirty competitors struggled to be number one. Wanting, someday, to be that person who works his way to the top, and maybe, just maybe, succeeds at a victory on the main stage.
But so far, his success in the Rumble has been variable- sometimes he's lasted a long time, and sometimes, like this year, he's eliminated early on, too early. He shakes his head, picking at the rubber soles of his boots, disappointed in himself and annoyed at New Nexus for simply being. He may have received a lot of compliments and notice for saving himself from being eliminated by scaling the barricade wall, but even so, the memory leaves a bad taste in his mouth.
Rumors spreading around the locker room claims there will be another Rumble with big implications for the Elimination Chamber but the details are scattered and vary. Some include him, some don't and, as much as the egotistical side of him thinks the Email GM would be foolish to not include him, he almost wouldn't be surprised if he does ultimately get kept from the match, just because he was taken out so early in the previous rumble not even twenty four hours. It's not like the last month's gone that well anyway, he thinks, scowling a bit as he retracks over his more recent matches.
He can't see the monitor screen from the doorway of the locker room, where he's staring out at the busy hallways, but he hears the opening announcements of a rematch between Edge and Miz, with the Email GM demanding the match will continue until there's a winner. Interesting, the Email GM hates Edge too but his orders for that match are seemingly in his favor. His thoughts are derailed when the Raw Rumble match is mentioned, his breath held until he hears his name as one of the competitors.
He catches glimpses of the show on various monitors while running through the hallways, around and over various obstacles that go by in a blur, doing his Parkour training to pass the time and prepare for the match all at once. He happens to be by a monitor in time to catch Orton punt Harris in the skull and flinches, knowing that he's more than likely going to be in the ring with the Viper in a little over an hour. He only eases up when he catches glimpses of Miz's match against Edge, slowing to a complete stop as another of his competitors in the Raw Rumble match interrupts, Cena yelling down to the ring and distracting Miz enough that Edge gets the advantage, a spear and ultimately the pin.
Raw Rumble starts off ok, he even gets out of the Attitude Adjustment and gets some offense in on Cena early on. When Truth eliminates Orton, he breathes a sigh of relief at not having to worry about the unbalanced Viper losing it again and going for a punt on one or all of them, but not long after R Truth is taken out, he too is thrown out, by Sheamus, despite his best at remaining in the match, using everything at his disposal- at some points, only staying in the ring by the tips of his very toes.
He has a place in the Elimination Chamber, along with the other five men eliminated from the match, but it's very little consolation after two chances at the WWE title lost in a twenty four hour period.
A little afterwards, he's sitting by catering, staring thoughtfully at the wall while drinking from a bottle of water when he hears Alex Riley in the distance talking loudly about how Miz deserves a better opponent than Jerry Lawler, Mike obviously only half listening as he looks over the catering table. "Dodged another bullet, eh, Miz?" he can't help but ask, cutting into Alex's chatter. "Maybe you'll get to defend the belt against Josh Mathews next." He has no problem with Jerry, even respects him for what he's accomplished, between his long career and as a hall of famer but even so, the tension still remains from before the Royal, the competitiveness of Wrestlemania being so close making everyone snappy and overly defensive.
Leftover aggravation from the Royal Rumble mixes in with the disappointment of being third eliminated in the Raw Rumble so he doesn't feel all that bad about his comments or attitude as he and Miz stare at each other, Mike's hand tightening around the gold strap against his shoulder.
Before they can say or do anything else, Zack Ryder and Primo brush past Alex to get something from the catering table. Turning, Zack catches sight of Miz and smirks, throwing an arm around Primo's shoulder. "Hey. Jealous of the hottest new tag team, bro? Bet you wish I became your tag partner last summer, huh? You would've been world champion like that," he says, snapping his fingers, blinding them all with his usual confident grin before dragging Primo off without receiving an answer, going on about some club they'd have to hit up later.
The resulting look of horrified shock on Miz's face shatters Morrison's tension like a hammer to ice and he laughs lowly, shaking his head in amusement at Zack's brazenness. "What the hell was that?" Alex asks, eyebrows raised nearly to his hairline as he gapes after Ryder in disbelief.