*There was a lot of regret left after what happened at Standing Room Only. The Salvation suffered a lot that night, but they had to get over this shameful memory. They had to focus on what was about to come, especially since new opportunities could have been seen on the horizon.*
*The shot begins in the arena in Chicago, a few minutes before the first shows of the new season. Arata Asakura is sitting on the stairs, on the backstage, dressed in his casual ring gear and black hoodie. One look at his face is enough to see that he is not in the best mood, but the Japanese man is trying hard not to show this. After a few seconds, the first words leave from the mouth of Arata and his voice seems to be calm.*
I was thinking a lot about what to say, but there is really no excuse for what happened at Standing Room Only. I LOST. But does that mean I am happy with this? Does that mean that I don’t care? No, you can’t be more wrong to think this way about me. I realize that I am usually not that open. I am not that keen on showing emotions, but this is more of my personal issue than the fact that I don’t give a damn. So let’s be honest, so many days have passed, but I AM STILL UPSET. I am fucking pissed off that I am not the Valor Champion right now. I feel absolutely embarrassed that I had to tap out…and since I am an overthinker, it is going to stay in my head for a while. It will be harassing my brain, because I feel I could have done more. I am sure a lot of you did not expect that I could even do a thing like this. I am not the kind of guy to tap out. A lot of you portray me as a man, who is going to sacrifice everything for a win…and you are not wrong. However, I also learnt that everything has limitations and it is not always worth crossing the line. Even if I feel like shit after this match, I know I made the correct judgment that night. I used to be reckless and I paid a price for that. I ruined my knees…I fucked up my back. I burnt my skin and broke my bones. There were days when I was barely walking, yet my schedule was full and I had to show up for work. So back in the day I decided to study myself more and now that I have a medical degree…I understand what a fragile construction a human body is. So why did I tap out? Not because I wanted to give up..I just knew that the pressure she was putting on me could end my career and one title is not worth it. It is not ride or die. I have to look at my career from a wide range. I have to think about my future and the legacy that I can build. I might not be happy that I lost, but not being able to be in this industry would be way worse. Especially since it is just one opportunity, and as long as I am healthy, there will be a lot more to come. And I didn’t have to wait for a long time for that to come.
Blind Faith Tag Team Tournament might sound like a nightmare to some. It is never comfortable to cooperate with someone you don’t know well…or don’t like at all. Yet, I was always supporting the idea of coming out of your comfort zone, so I am actually interested to see what will be the result of that. Is Alex Carter a perfect partner material? I don’t know about that. Having a little information about him, I don’t think we could be friends, but this is not the whole point of this. So as long as he is will to do his job, then I am more that happy to win this fucking tournament. It would definitely help my mental health after my recent failure, so I am trying to be positive. There is no particular reward for this, but what happened last year gives me a lot of faith that it is worth it to try.
As expected, random partnership is not the only difficulty, other teams are also going to be an issue. And, of course, me and Matt Miles are destined to stand face to face every single time. The last time we saw each other you and Steele were smiling, but I will have the last laugh now. Maybe I focused too much on you, so I ignored possible danger coming from the outside, but I am not going to make this mistake again. You are not going to stand in my way, Miles. You are not going to ruin the beginning of a new season for me. The same goes for your new anime protagonist friend.
I realize I joined PCW at the end of the season, but I am not someone who enjoys losing. I am always reaching high, so this year will be all about redemption for me. I will prove to the world that Arata Asakura is meant to be champion here. And if this tournament is my way to achieve it, I will do what it takes. Me and Carter are going to be the last team standing on the field to earn our opportunity. I feel this way it will be even more satisfying. At least, next time I am going to get a shot, I don’t have to hear bitching, about what I deserve, or not.
The best things in life are usually unexpected, so let’s see if this team is going to be a nightmare…OR A BLESSING.
Today at 10:00 am by 
Subject: Difficult Choices. - Blind Faith Tournament #1 
