Different priorities. - vs T. Killebrew

15.04.20 Miami, Florida

*Only few days left before Arata stands face to face with Tristan Killebrew to emerge which one of them will be called the King of the World, but taking advantage of his stay in Florida, the young Japanese agreed to participate in the program run by one of his life partner's friends. He had already been a guest during 'Rope Break' before and usually it was related to some important events in the career of the current Shogun Champion. This time it was no different, as Felix Hadid invited him to discuss some matters related to what is to take place during King of the World PPV, as well as Arata's personal feelings about the tournament itself.*

*Arata arrived a few minutes before the start of the show, so without unnecessary formalities he and the host took their seats in anticipation of the official start of this meeting. The young Japanese man was dressed in a black polo shirt from Tommy Hilfiger brand, black jeans with a chain pinned to the belt loop and sports shoes, and on his wrist could be seen a silver watch, which in classic way completed his outfit. The woman, on the other hand, looked a little bit more elegant, as she was wearing a white long dress with long sleeves and a V-neck, and black high heels. Between them was a glass table on which lied pieces of paper prepared by Felix, as well as both championships that are currently held by Arata. As soon as the cameraman signaled that they could start, the woman turned to the viewers with a warm smile and spoke with a loveable voice.*

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are coming back with the next episode of 'Rope Break', my name is Felix Hadid, and today I have a very special guest. Please, welcome the current OWA Spartan Champion and Wrestleworld Shogun Champion, Arata Asakura!” The camera moved a bit to the side, showing already mentioned man, who smiled warmly in greeting gesture. After the official introduction, Felix turned her gaze back to her guest and, without wasting time, she went straight to interview “Thank you so much for your presence, Arata.”

“Thank you very much for the invitation. You know it's always nice to be your guest.”

*The woman smiled, thanking him for the kind words, then immediately moved on to the first question. In the meantime it could be noticed that the Japanese man was tapping nervously with his fingers on the glass surface of the table.*

“It can be said that recently your career looks very good. Not only you are still in possession of the Wrestleworld Shogun Champion, but you have also increased your list of achievements by another gold. However, as we all know, you are ahead of another huge opportunity and this is the main reason of our meeting. For weeks, we saw the best wrestlers in Wrestleworld compete with each other to have a chance to become the King of the World, until there were only two left who still have a chance for this title. You will probably agree that it was quite an interesting tournament, in which there were many surprises and probably one of them, at least for you, is your opponent from the finals, isn't it?”

*While focused Felix was awaiting her guest's answer, Arata bit his lip slightly, wondering what to say in order not to offend anyone. However he knew, that this moment of silence cannot last too long, so the man combed his hair with his fingers and finally gave the long-awaited response.*

“You see, as I said recently, I wouldn't call Tristan's presence in the finals a surprise. This guy seems to be really talented and full of perspectives, despite his dirty past, but as everyone knows if I had to choose, I'd rather face Jacob Senn here. There are still many unfinished matters between us and this could be a good opportunity to explain everything once and for all. However, it is not always as we want to and I do not intend to cry about it. It's not my fault that Jacob couldn't finish the job and prove that he deserves another chance at Shogun Title. Well, it's true that he is a big name...and I would even say a legend, but it is not something that should give you any privileges. At this point, at least in practice, he is the same competitor as many other here in Wrestleworld.” Arata took a break to take a deep breath “As for Tristan...even if he wasn't the person I imagined in the finals, I'm even glad that our paths finally crossed. Certainly it will be interesting to face someone fresh...someone who even has victory over the current European Champion, and as we know Havoc is real beast in the ring. Therefore, it can be said that despite the fact that I had other plans for this tournament, I am quite excited about this clash.”

*When the Japanese man spoke, the woman nodded, letting him know  that she understood his reasons. The moment after Arata finished, Felix brushed her straight hair back and spoke again.*

“I am glad that you feel some emotions due to this fight, because after your last statements it may seem that it is not very important for you. What I mean is that I get the impression that you are not interested in the crown itself. You have really no interest in being called 'King Arata'? How we should understand all of this?”

*The man made a sound similar to snort, then ran his hand over his beard.*

“I'm a bit surprised that people have interpreted my approach to the tournament so strangely, but let me explain. Contrary to what may seem, KOTW is very important to me, because it could be another big step in my career, but it does not change the fact that I am doing it to strengthen my position in Wrestleworld as one of the best, not to be the owner of some stupid nickname. I know that people think that the word itself is special, but we've probably seen how many people like to use royalty-related terms. What is important here is the symbolism of the tournament, not prize itself. Perhaps Tristan wants to wear a crown and piss off everyone around, just to play with their feelings, but as I said recently, this is not how the king behaves. If I gain this title then you can be more than sure that I will wear it with pride, which it deserves, but I will not let myself be blinded by the so-called five minutes of fame.”

“So by this I can understand that some little voice in your head makes you want to be king, and not just win the tournament?”

*The blond man laughed slightly after these words, shaking his head in the meantime. A moment later, he answered with a calm but firm tone of voice.*

“Listen, Felix, being a king are not shiny objects, but the right mentality. The mentality, which already makes that there is no better candidate for a king than Arata Asakura...and actually I can say that I am already a king, only the crown has not found its way to my head yet. However, in a few days my words will be confirmed and I will officially take over the burden I have been carrying for months as the face of this company.”

“I don't know if I was expected that I would hear such a choice of words, but that's why I like talking to you, Arata. Either way, definitely winning this tournament will be the perfect addition to your achievements in Wrestleworld and I wish you good luck. Thank you for this short interview and I hope you will visit me next time with a crown on your head.”

*Did he need an interview with Felix? Certainly he needed in terms of explaining a few things to fans, who began to create different theories about his approach to the upcoming PPV's main event, but also most importantly it helped him made his final decision about this great opportunity, namely alongside with Sunday, he is going to be King of the World.*

17.04.20 Osaka, Japan

*Arata decided to spend the last days of preparations, for King of the World PPV, alone in Osaka, entrusting the care of Hana to her tag team partner, April Song. He believed that this solution is the best for all of them, as the young girl will not be without help, and he will be able to focus on the very important task that awaits him on Sunday. At the very beginning he had really calm feelings about this match, however, since he realized what he really wanted in connection with the tournament, he began to get a bit nervous, as in some way Arata felt that it is huge pressure on him. In fact, not only his own, but also the thought that everyone would watch, didn't help at all. In general, he didn't care so much about people's opinions, but there were a few of them in whose eyes he had to present himself in the best possible way. One of them was, of course, the Shogun Architect, Jaydayne Pendragon, who, as you can guess, certainly would like his champion to be the one who would wear the crown.*

*The video shot opens in Arata's dojo, showing a blond man, who is sitting on the edge of the ring. The Japanese competitor is wearing only black sports shorts and black-white sports shoes, while drops of sweat flowing over his body, what is a result of the training, which he has just finished. Next to the man lies something that he usually does not bring to such an unaesthetic place, but this time its presence here is quite important. This item is nothing but his pride, the Shogun Championship itself. At the very beginning of the recording, Arata puts the aforementioned belt on his left shoulder and clenches his hands on its leather part. He devotes a moment to comb the sweat-wet strands of hair that fall on his forehead and finally begins to speak. His voice is quite calm as usual, but in the same time it can be heard a bit of harshness.*

The only thing I've heard over these days is speculation about how the King of the World tournament will end and to be honest I don't blame anyone, because it's one of the most exciting things that took place in Wrestleworld, but on the other hand I have the impression that one important thing is omitted. All the time there is the topic of who will wear the crown, as if it was just something about putting one person in the spotlight for a few minutes, but in reality this is not only about me and Tristan. This is about whole divisions, because it was known that when the tournament started, the war between different parts of this place also found its beginning. However, as you know, there will be only one king, and thus a specific division will be pushed ahead of all others, as the best one, as there is a crown there. Isn't that how it works in the social ladder? Exactly, and to be honest, I have never agreed with such a system, but currently I am somehow part of it and I have to deal with the responsibility that I carry on my shoulders. What I mean by this is that I am not taking part in this tournament only for myself, but for the whole Shogun division, which I represent as their champion and I am not going to disgrace it in any way. I'm not sure if my opponent thought of it this in such a way for a while, but I see much more than the tip of my own nose.

*Arata takes a break to catch his breath, which has not yet stabilized completely after a intensive effort. A moment later, however, the man returns to the topic that he started.*

It was this selfish attitude that pushed you to the very edge of the abyss, Tristan, not other people. I have already spoken about this, but if you still do not understand, let me say it again. I may not know Jake, but it doesn't matter, because it's not even about what kind of man he is, but who you are. Life is not a fairy tale, that's why there are not only positive or negative characters here, and you should know it well, that's why I'm still wondering why you hide behind the belief that your 'buddy' was the person who dragged you down to the very bottom. I'm not saying that people don't have a bad influence on others, but you forget that you always had a choice. It wasn't like, that you were a stupid and blinded by fear, little boy, who needed someone to hold his hand, you were fully aware of what you were doing. You knew who he was, but you still decided to be on his side, no matter how problematic he was. What's more, you were no better than him. You just keep saying how he wants favors and money from you, but look a little behind you and remind yourself, who he was to you. He wasn't even someone who you just used for your own purposes, he was your shield. Not a fucking human, but an object. You gave him the image of some kind of friendship, while you didn't even care about this guy and you know what? I have seen many such situations whether in this industry or in normal life, because people do different things to survive and I do not blame you for that. I blame you for being a fucking hypocrite, because when you acted the same or even worse, you try to make your old friend looks like a villain and that's the most pathetic in all of this, Tristan. As I said a few days ago, maybe it is admirable that after all that shit you could get up off your knees, but you still can't get rid of this one bad habit that limits you. You can't take responsibility for yourself and your actions. Before you start arguing with me about whether I know you or not...whether I'm right or maybe I'm another fool, who is trying to determine who you are, listen to me carefully. You don't need to have more than 2 IQ to see that despite claiming that you understood your mistakes, you are still looking for excuses by blaming others. Perhaps some of the fault is on their side, it is never so simple, but when you look only at others and not at yourself, you will never understand what the problem was. Do you think who I would be now if I still looked at all those morons who ruined my life? All the time I would be in some hunt for something that is not worth my attention. So instead of trying to do my own justice, I focused on myself and see where I am. In a year and a half I've done what you haven't been able to do in the last few years, and I haven't started from a better place than you, Tristan. I started from the depths of hell...from a place where there are no perspectives. I guess you're smart enough to know that people with my old position are never taken seriously...they are just working class..some rats to do dirty job, but who cares? Well, no one has ever cared and despite the fact that, unlike you, I had no influence on the place where my path started, I could find my way to the better life without line of excuses (The man runs his hand over his beard) I have never been someone who fools himself and even if I happen to fail, I am not going to blame the whole world, but myself. It won't be Hana's fault at any time, just because I was also preparing her...it won't be other companies fault just because I have a lot of responsibilities in different places. It is true that my career has always been busy, so since these things were never a problem before, why should it be now? But you see, Tristan, despite the fact that I have other matters in my mind, my eyes are still directed at you. Don't forget that I am professional. However, you are right about one thing. Perhaps I still have a lot of bad blood with Jacob Senn, but at the moment it is not important, because he is not the on who will stand in the ring with me on Sunday. Maybe I have a bigger target on my back when a briefcase with a contract will be in the game, because in the end, nothing seems to hurt more than to lose the title in such a way. Don't get me wrong, because it's legal, I just don't need to attack anyone from behind to add another piece to my legacy. But I moved a little away from the subject, so let me come back to that. I agree, I have a lot of different things to do, Tristan, but the very fact that I am in control of them should be enough proof that I'm not just another golden kid with an unknown destiny, I am someone who is not only the future of this industry, but I am step by step becoming its present.

You don't have to do a lot of research to see that my career goes forward quite quickly and I am not gonna hide that it is something that makes me happy and l hope it will last as long as possible, but sometimes success is too much for some people. It happens that young stars with a lot of perspectives are blinded by the prism of power, which they somehow gain with the title win, but as you see, Tristan, I am not someone who succumbs to such temptation so easily. I know my place, but would you be able to do the same? Well, I don't really know, but I'm not the only one who has a doubts in this case. It seems that even the man, who you have known for years, your own coach, is not sure if a hypothetical victory will not bring that old Tristan Killebrew back. And you know what? I will say even more, because to be honest it seems to me that you don't even know yourself and that is what makes me think that you are not ready to be king. I have told you so many times that it is not only wearing a crown, but also being a kind of representative of the place you are from, and probably nobody entrusts the kingdom to someone who is mentally unstable and bases his decisions on whims. Because the truth is, your reasons are just stupid whims, Tristan. You keep saying that you want to win this tournament to show people, who have rejected you what they lost, but you know what? Although I partly understand it, on the other hand, this is just another attempt to erase your past sins and this is pointless. Winning will only heal your ego, but the people who broke your heart would not even shrug. The tournament will not change the fact that they were right then...it won’t change the fact that you weren’t good person and above all that you deserved such a treatment, but maybe it's better for you, because who knows what would happen if they agreed? Perhaps you would become even bigger wreck of a man, so instead of constantly grudges, start looking for some morals in what happens to you in your life. However, I understand that you were angry then, maybe you are still, because everyone deserves a second chance, huh? Of course,  many worse people get such a chance, but you also have to earn it. Sometimes it's not enough to apologize and flutter your eyelashes. You see how easy it is to lose trust and respect of people, in the blink of an eye, but it takes time to fix it, and you are lucky enough that you got another chance faster than you probably expected. However, you know what bothers me? That by agreeing with Claudia Michaels's point, you started to doubt if your behavior is good...but believe me, you can have a killer instinct and not necessarily be a jerk at the same time, so you better not stray from the right way, because maybe this is the last chance that you get. And I see that you care about it a lot, I see that you want to regain your good name, but I also see something strange in your eyes that says you would be able to kill to get what you want. That is why I will say it only once and you better choose wisely. No dirty games, Tristan, if you are going to act like rubbish just to win, you better get back from the mess you came from.

*Arata jumps from the edge of the ring and stands near it, leaning his back against it. However, before the man continues, he rubs his neck with his hand, while the other hand is still placed on the championship, which he looks at for a moment.*

You said something interesting about my approach to the crown and I have to agree with you. For me it's second fiddle to the Shogun Championship, but at the same time it doesn't mean it's not important to me. As you have already noticed, winning the tournament would be a perfect addition to my shelf with trophies, but there is nothing more important to me in this company than the Shogun division, because I put the most energy into the creation of this place, since I came here. What I mean by this is that winning tournament will be not only beneficial to me, but the whole division. At the moment when the crown is on my head, I will also become a leader in some way, someone who is actually interested in what is happening around him, at least in my 'area', and not just thinking about whether my view will make others jealous. And you surely realize that people always need good leadership, because otherwise anarchy would happen, not that The Underworld didn't strive for it, but it's a bit different thing. What I'm aiming for is that there is no better leader than Shogun himself, and if you like comparisons to chess so much, let me explain my point of view based on that. Perhaps the king himself is one of the most important pieces, but he is not the one who has power on the chessboard, he is still only one of many pawns and waits hidden behind the other pieces to see what happen next. The one who has a power in the game is the player himself, and what do we call someone who is responsible for war tactics? Well, Shogun. I think you can see where I am leading to, even if the king is a valuable figure, he is just representative element. However, if there is someone who can both command and be a representative then it is the perfect combination. And you, Tristan? You are about to face someone who has these two features. Features of a perfect leader and maybe when we finally stand face to face, you'll understand what I'm talking about all the time. Maybe you will finally understand that this game is not only about victory, but also about something more. And I'm going to teach you it whether our priorities in this match are the same or not. What's most important is that at the end of this evening you will understand, even if it only happens when you hear words that will hurt you a lot. What words?

*Arata just smirked before he said his last words with  a firm tone of voice.*

Long live King Arata!

*A moment after these words, the screen fades black, but before the recording ends,  appears an inscription in Japanese language, which means the same as words just spoken few seconds ago. The message was sent and, now, he had nothing left to do, but to wait until Sunday and see if the crown was really destined to him.*