Takuma Sato sits on a bench inside the Luxor Hotel arena's male locker room. He has a white towel over his head as he stares at the ground. Sweat drips down from his forehead to the floor as his new manager Ivan Stricker walks up to him with a pleased look. It's only been 10 minutes since his first U.O.W victory, but already Ivan was talking championship aspirations for his young client.
Ivan Stricker: You did a fucking hell of a job out of their kid! I never thought you'd be able to pull it off, lacking a real wrestling background, but that karate shit works! You laid into that Kickstand goon good!
Sato lifts his head and stares at his manager, puzzled by the ignorance of his fighting style.
Takuma Sato: Tae Kwon Do….
Ivan Stricker: Whatever… As I said, you proved yourself and your fighting style tonight. You're a force to be reckoned with now. There isn't a man or woman on this roster that won't take a fight with you seriously from here on out! I mean, kid, you are two matches away from winning the Franchise championship! You're the Cinderella story of this tournament, and I plan to use that to our advantage! I've already called for a press conference tomorrow night here at the stadium. I want the whole world to know about Takuma Sato and his honorable quest to save his mother's home. The media will go crazy over a story like that!
Takuma Sato shakes his head, frustrated with the thought of sharing his personal life with the rest of the world. He pulls the towel off of his head and then looks straight at Ivan while squinting his eyes.
Takuma Sato: Where is the money, Ivan? I need to wire it to my mother tomorrow morning if she has time to make the payment we owe to Lightning Loans.
Ivan Stricker hands Sato an envelope before patting him on the back. He was very proud of what Sato accomplished, considering all the hardships he was going through outside the wrestling ring.
Ivan Stricker: That's the whole $ 5'000 right there, my friend. I didn't take my cut this week for a management fee. I know your family needs the money, and you need a little bit of cash for yourself so you can find a place to rent around here. I hope you take it as a sign of good faith and keep me around as your manager. You're the next big thing to hit this sport, kid.
Takuma stands up and gives Ivan a hug before shaking his hand. A significant weight has been lifted from his shoulders. That stress of what had transpired before he left Detroit regularly was at the forefront of his mind.
Takuma Sato: Thank you, Mr. Stricker. You've already helped me more than you can ever know. I'm lucky my father had such a great connection with such a caring person.
Ivan Stricker: Just hang in there, Sato… the next to matches pay out $ 30'000 each if you win and $ 10'000 just for showing up. Your father told me that that should cover his loan against your family's house in Detroit.
Takuma Sato: Well, I just have to win then…
Scene fades to black.
The scene opens early the following morning on a bright sunny August day, where we see Takuma Sato at a Western Union. Sato has just finished wiring $ 4'000 U.S. dollars to his mother in Detroit, and he is currently on the phone with his furiously angry mother.
Meiko Sato: How dare you leave home without telling me! I was worried sick about you!
Takuma Sato: I apologize, Mother, but it was the only way I could save us from ending up on the street. I just sent you 4'000 dollars, which should cover our next loan payment and allow you to pay the rest of the bills.
Meiko Sato: Takuma, I don't want you fighting and risking your health for our home. Please come home, and we will find another way to repay the money we owe to Lightning Loans.
Takuma Sato: I'm sorry, mother. I can't do that; I'm staying in Las Vegas for the foreseeable future. This first match has rekindled my desire for the sport of combat, and I intend to use my "talents" to ensure we never have financial problems again. It's time we cashed in on Father's grueling training.
Meiko Sato: …. Just please promise you'll visit me soon.
Takuma Sato: I will, Mother, don't worry. You will see that this is not only for the best but also our only option in time. I'm 19 years old; it's time I became a man and entered this world.
Takuma ends the call on his old flip phone before walking outside the Western Union. Ivan Stricker is waiting for him in front of the building, leaning against a white 1987 Chrysler Lebaron convertible. The vehicle looks near mint, well taken care of, and stands out amongst the other cars parked around it. It's evident that Ivan takes great pride in his automobile.
Ivan Stricker: Everything okay?
Sato nods assertively and hops into the vehicle's front passenger side seat without opening the door. Ivan opens his door and enters the car before firing the old 2.5-liter Turbo Charged Engine. As Ivan pulls out into traffic, the two begin to spark a conversation.
Takuma Sato: What kind of a place do you think I can rent for a thousand dollars?
Ivan Stricker: Vegas isn't the cheapest city in America to live in, kid. I'm sure rent prices will seem slightly higher than you're used to in Detroit. I'm not going to lie to you. It will be a rough community outside the strip, but remember, it's only temporary. I'm setting you up over in old north Vegas, and I got a few places lined up for us to see at around 850 dollars a month. It should leave you with enough money to buy some groceries so you can keep your strength up for your next match against Jerimiah Vastrix.
Takuma Sato: Alright… sounds like a plan. I'm not really worried about how crap of an area it is. Keep in mind I'm from the most dangerous city in America, so I'm used to this type of environment.
Ivan Stricker: I never really thought about it, but probably nothing I'll show you today will shock you in the slightest. Sorry, no offense Takuma…
Takuma Sato: No offense taken, Ivan, times are tough, and Detroit is an example of what this country has to look forward to if our leaders continue to take us down the path that we're on. Maybe one day I'll take you there when we've cleared this family debt of mine.
Ivan Stricker: I'd like that; I've always genuinely understood this world and growing. You need to travel and see how other people live their lives.
Sato smiles and nods his head.
Takuma Sato: Wise words indeed.
A few hours later, we see the Labaron pull up to a rundown-looking house in an extremely rough-looking neighborhood. Many homes have graffiti on them or have been burned slightly from fires set by an arsonist and seem deserted. Sato and Ivan exit his vehicle and go to a small house where an old Hispanic woman stands waiting to show them the house. After exchanging pleasantries, she brings them into the rundown old house. The tiny house is in poor shape and has been neglected for many years. Ivan assures Sato that he won't be able to find anything better for the price. After signing a month-to-month lease and parting ways with the landlord, Ivan Stricker opens the trunk of his car and hands Sato a sleeping bag. The scene ends with the two partners saying goodbye and Sato entering his new home away from home.
The scene flashes forward to the next day at the Luxor hotel lobby. A cluster of sports reporters from MOX Sports and the Vegas Times are huddled together to get adequate seating to get answers to their questions. Eventually, after a few minutes, Ivan Stricker walks up to a wooden podium and speaks to the assembled crowd.
Ivan Stricker: I've arranged this press conference tonight because I believe I have come across a talent that is very unique and has a story worth telling the American people. So without further delay, I'd like to welcome Takuma Sato to the stage.)
Sato's entrance music begins to play, and he goes to the podium. The young 19-year is old seems hesitant to speak into the large microphone initially but eventually starts to address the media after pulling out a notecard and overcoming his wariness.
Takuma Sato: I joined the Ultimate Wrestling Federation for one reason and one reason only: to pay a debt my family owes. My reasons were strictly financial, and I had never fought in a wrestling ring before last week. However, fighting competitively for the first time in over two years has sparked my desire to pursue a professional-fighting livelihood. So, I'd like to open the forum for any questions you may have.
The reporters begin firing questions rapid-fire, and Sato tries to keep up with them.
Reporter # 1: Takuma, did your father take his life before you came to Las Vegas to compete in the Tournament of Fortune?
Takuma Sato: My father was an honorable man! He attempted to open a school for martial arts training in Detroit to help underprivileged children, and we went bankrupt due to the city's economic collapse. He was a good man who loved Detroit and this country, and sadly they let him down. So to answer your personal question… yes, my father committed Seppuku.
Reporter # 1: Seppuku?
Takuma Sato: Hai, It was an honor suicide. It's not something I would expect someone without a Japanese background to understand. My father wished to escape the shame of his financial shortcomings and disgracing his family. It was a tragedy, and I will miss my father much…I dedicated my performance last week to him.
Reporter # 2: Sato, what about your heart punch makes it so unique and powerful?
Takuma Sato: I have learned to harness my body's chakra energies over many years of dedicated meditation training. This ability has allowed me to focus that Chakra into one part of my body, which I can unleash with deadly force. Only the most skilled fighters can achieve this through immense concentration.
Reporter # 3: You want us to believe that hippie yoga bullshit? Come on, man, tell us the truth!
The reporters start to laugh, and Sato becomes more uncomfortable and agitated at the podium. The reporters seem to have no respect or care for his well-being and are only there for an excellent story to help boost ratings and sales.
Reporter # 1: Sato, are you truly broke and homeless?
Takuma Sato: Yes, I was up until yesterday. I've just moved into a rental house and will be working to pay off my father's debt and simultaneously put food on my plate. We live in these challenging times, and I, like many Americans, have been struggling to get by and make ends meet.
Reporter # 2: Do you feel cheated by your financial woes?
Takuma Sato: We can't help the financial class we are born in or the debts we inherit from our parents. All we can do is continue to fight and do the right thing. We, as American citizens, have been put in a difficult place by our government. Corrupt forces continue to allow Congress and government officials to work in Corporations' best interest and not the people. So we, the people, must work to change government and to help each other in our times of need. I want to be a positive example to this state and the rest of the country.
Reporter # 3: How do you think you will fair against Vastrix this week in the tournament?
Takuma Sato: I plan to bring Everything I have to beat Jerimiah because I desperately need the prize money. Winning this match will allow me to fully pay off my father's debt to that corrupt garbage mortgage lender, Lightning Loans! Right now, I am in a win-at-all-cost situation and can't make a mistake. Mark my words, I will be firing on all cylinders when I enter that ring this Wednesday. Vastrix better be ready because I plan to give him the heart-stopping fight if you catch my drift…
Ivan walks over and cuts Takuma off, and brings the press conference to a close.
Ivan Stricker: I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but my fighter needs time to rest and train for his match.
Takuma's music begins to play as Ivan and Takuma walk off the stage. The scene fades to black, with the reporters leaving as they talk. In the background, you can see Stricker apologizing to Sato for the reporter's offensive tone.