…From Inspiration to Building the Foundation…
UNKNOWN LOCATION-UNKNOWN TIME
Two fighters stand across from each other.
One is bleeding.
The other is breathing hard.
Neither has quit.
‘This is it. The last exchange.’
They know it. One can see it in how neither of them intends to hold anything back.
The crowd is on its feet, but the sound has become nothing but indistinct noise to the two.
None of that matters. Because the only thing that matters is what happens in the next three seconds.
Three seconds that felt like a lifetime to them.
…
SIX MONTHS EARLIER
08:47HRS – ROOK INDUSTRIES LTD HQ, LOS ANGELES
The waves from The Pacific were doing their own thing while a black-haired, blue eyed man in a tailored suit stood staring through the glass window without pay attention to any of it.
Lionel Rook had his hands in his suit’s pockets because of the one issue he always had no matter what he did:
Boredom.
The business mogul has always been able to conquer whatever industry he’d dabbled into, turned investments into empires and made the corporate world feel like a game of chess.
Yet he could never be satisfied.
Mariam Alexandra, his ever efficient and adaptable assistant stood in front of his desk and said nothing. She recognized the look on his face.
“Another one of those days Mr. Lionel?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
Her boss looked over his shoulder and nodded before turning back to the ocean view.
“I closed the Singapore deal three days ahead of schedule, finished my Zoom call with the CEO of Senkaku Pharmaceuticals and provided funding to the F-11 football team.” He sighed, “And yet, it doesn’t satisfy me. The appeal vanishes and it’s back to square one.”
Used to this bout of ennui, Mariam tapped a finger under her chin thoughtfully. “Well then sir, what industry have you not ventured into?”
Lionel paused, intrigued by the question. “That’s an interesting question, Mariam.”
Mariam pressed on, “Since you’re at your best when challenged, how about you invest in something completely different – something unpredictable.”
Lionel’s eyes gleamed with sudden interest, “Unpredictable…” He turned around and sat in his chair. After a long moment, something shifted in his expression. Not a smile per se, but close to it.
He then leaned forward, “Mariam, what’s the most unpredictable thing in the world?”
She thought about it. “Human nature?”
“Close.” Lionel answered with a smirk curling on his lips. “Combat.”
He got on his feet. “Every market or deal I’ve entered, I understood the mechanics, feel or rules of it within 6 months. Tech. Energy. Media. Once you figure it out, it’s checkmate.”
He walked to the side of the table. “Combat sports however has no exact rules I can fully model. A fight between two people has so many variables that make it not so easy to predict as anything can happen. You can’t optimize for that.”
“So you want to build around that chaos?” Mariam asked.
“Yes, a tournament the best from every martial art known to man from Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Judo and even the more obscure ones, all clash to determine who reigns supreme.” Lionel answered, “No corporate gatekeeping. No promotional politics. Just the fighters in a proving ground where the only thing that matters is their skill, strength and will to win.”
Mariam crossed her arms. “Sounds ambitious.”
“Of course it is.” Lionel deadpanned, “It’ll be disappointing otherwise.”
Mariam looked at him. Then she sighed, already sensing the tidal wave of chaos it’ll generate.
“Alright then, what’s the name of this ambitious project?”
Lionel’s grin grew wider.
“S-1. Supremacy One. One throne, and only one can seize it.”
…
Within three months, the combat sports world had a new player and as Mariam predicted, the chaotic tidal wave came rushing in.
S-1 or Supremacy One was meant to be a revolution.
32 Fighters from around the world, with various disciplines got their invites for its inaugural grand prix.
Traditional organizations scoffed at first, dismissing the new player as a reckless gamble by a man with no clue of what he was getting into. The problem is that Lionel Rook is no mere businessman. He’s a disruptor and visionary where others hesitated.
The S-1 Inaugural Grand Prix loomed, and the world waited with interest to see if this ambitious project will crash and burn or redefine combat sports forever.
…
THREE MONTHS EARLIER
21:00HRS – Tokyo Super Dome
The night before opening day, Lionel and Mariam stood at the edge of the arena, looking down at the empty floor.
“You’re not nervous are you?” Mariam asked.
“No.” Lionel watched the stage crew finish the final lighting rig. “Are you?”
She considered it. “A little.”
He nodded. “Good. That means that it’s real.”
