“We were brothers once. At least, that’s what I thought.”
[We find Python sitting ringside, the whole arena empty. There’s a stillness in Olympus that almost feels off.]
“Look, I know we weren’t always on the best of terms. I was the spunky kid that rushed head first into things, and there was more than one time where we spat. But when I was captured by the ACA, do you know what I hoped? That you, of all of us, would be there. Because you would be the one to come, even if the Zookeeper said no.”
“And then you weren’t. We found you in an adjacent hallway, struck off on your own and shot. Stuck in a coma for weeks. Despite everything, I still made the time to come and visit you. I tried what I could to be someone you could be proud of.”
“Then like a panther, you lunge from the shadows. Smashing your way into it all, and then leaving without a word. Silence as you drag out one of the only people I’d even dare call my family and try to kill them for a match.”
“All that’s come from you since you woke up is betrayal. Again and again, you’ve broken the bonds we have, and for what? To prove you’re better?”
[Yellow Python pauses, looking back at the entrance ramp where he last saw his once friend.]
“If it’s even you beneath the mask. To be honest with you, the Keeper’s right. We don’t know who’s under the masks. For all I know, you’re just one of those Uprising punks, or some member from that Zion church.”
“But do you know what this place has taught me? Betrayal is inevitable. Time and time again I’ve been shown that even those that I get close to will stab you in the back to get what they want. From the ACA to you, everyone I’ve faced has come How can I really say I’m surprised?”
“How can I be surprised that a stranger in a mask hurt those I care about?”
“But there’s one thing that makes the difference between you and I. This isn’t new to me. I’ve been hunted by the best of the best, fought against the beasts that stalk this hall, and faced off with the biggest, nastiest fighters here. And you know what?”
“I’m still standing. Despite every setback, every threat, every foe, I’m still here. I’ve been kidnapped, tortured, beaten, and betrayed, but none of that broke me. Despite each setback, I’m still here.”
“You came for my family. You shattered everything we once had. There won’t be any mercy for a fool like you. And by the end of our match?”
“You’ll wish we left you for dead in that stairwell.”
[The Yellow Python marches from the ringside, headed up the entrance ramp. The further he goes, the lights begin to flick off behind him, until only he is illuminated. Then a final flick and darkness.]