“In order to climb to the very top, you have to start at the bottom. One month ago today, a man named Maxwell threw himself into the deepest depths of the Odyssey Pool.”
“He had nothing left to lose, but everything to gain.”
“His home and wife had burned to ashes. His son saw him as nothing more than a loser that needed to grow some balls. Worst of all, his self worth had all but vanished after hearing what the people of Arcadia now thought of a once legendary hero.”
“He was a walking punchline. In his mind, he had hit rock bottom, and there was nowhere to go but up.”
“In order to ascend to the peak, however, he had to get stronger. To do that, he had to sink to the base of the Pool and allow me to swim through his failures and weaknesses.”
“Once the transformation was complete, I began to swim to the surface. But as I ascended, climbing the ladder towards my success, I encountered obstacles in my path.”
“At the beginning, I felt my legs starting to get constricted by a snake like creature. Every time I tried to kick, I could feel it trying to tighten its grip around me. Like the Yellow Python and his Zoo, it wanted to trap me in the past, confine me to what I once was, not what I could become.”
“As I rose further, I heard a passionate voice begging me to stay in the water. It tried to tell me that I was unworthy, that only she could rise up where others fell. The voice sounded like Narcissa, vainly trying to play up Maxwell’s failures, not realizing that I wasn’t the same joke of a man he was.”
“Midway, I felt a ghost sending a chill down my spine. Perhaps it was Sarah trying to plead with Maxwell to retake control. However, it was more than likely a Nobody like Harold Attano simply trying to stop my ascent.”
“Nearing the top, I felt the hand like waves trying to push me back into the depths. Like a puppet master trying to shove a marionette into the box, Felix wanted me as a friend, but not as a competitor. He might not want me to steal his spotlight, but I didn’t swim from the bottom of the Pool to be friendly.”
“I reached the surface not long after. I grabbed onto a ledge of the Pool entrance and pulled myself out, freeing myself from its hold over me. While I was submerged, Doom had full control, using all his inventions and mind games on me to keep me under.”
“Once I lifted myself out, however, I was free from his tyrannical grasp. Now that I’m on dry land, nothing will stop me from bringing balance and justice to Arcadia.”
“When that briefcase enters my hands, the fate of the world title at my whim, balance shall return to Arcadia.”
“The scales of justice await.”