After the first couple of episodes of Dark, where some kind of anarchy ruled, Nick Jackson and Kenny Omega started working together as a producer team. They were selecting athletes and matches, trying in some way to keep a continuity of Dynamite's storylines, and booking all of them. It was some sort of a spin-off of the main show, so the expectations actually weren't so high. They'd have time to get better, and so would the entire company.

Most of the athletes that weren't supposed to be part of the tapings of Dark had already left the building. Only a few remained, to take a look at their colleagues.

One that remained, but for a different reason, was Riho. She was walking down the aisles, in the backstage, in the catering area. She looked thoughtful.

She finally reached Nick and Kenny in the gym, where they were discussing about the card.

- Hello guys. – she smiled.

Nick and Kenny turned their heads at the same time. – Hey Riho, you still here? – said the younger Buck. – I thought you left, haven't seen you in a while. –

- Is everything ok? – added Kenny, slightly frowning.

- Yes, yes, everything is ok. – she made a thumb up.

- You want to watch Dark with us? – asked Nick.

She bit her lip, kind of nervous. – Actually, guys, I want to fight. –

- Ok. You can grab a baseball bat and wait for Kenny in the parking lot. – everybody laughed at Nick's joke. – But other than that, I'm afraid we have no more slots for this week. We were just talking about this, right Kenny? –

- Yeah, I think three matches for today are enough, we wouldn't want to make them too short. –

Riho tried to lead them in by raising both eyebrows. – There is no women's match tonight? –

- Yes, one. – Nick mimed with the finger. – We were thinking of having Nyla vs Shanna, so to move forward with their story. People like when Dark follows what happened on Dynamite. –

She nodded. – I see. And you do not think that having the champion is a good thing for the show? –

- Of course! But I think we'll stick with this. But hey, that's cool, we'll keep an eye open for next week. –

- And besides, you already had a match on Dynamite, you must be tired. – Kenny backed him up. – Why don't you go home and get some rest? We need you 100% -

- I am 100% - Riho smirked. – Please, I never had a match on Dark, I want to help you. Please, let me fight. –

Kenny was now looking straight in her eyes. – Riho, does this have anything to do with the… that interview? –

- No. – the smile flew away.

- Are you sure? -

- I swear. –

Kenny took a deep breath and turned to Nick. – I guess… I guess there's something we can do. What about having Riho vs Shanna? –

Nick shrugged. He trusted Kenny, but he was still not totally convinced. – Could be cool, but so last minute… we gotta ask Nyla first, if she's ok to back off. We already told her. –

- Nyla will still be a part of the show. I have an idea. –

Nick winced. - Got it, I'm gonna to tell her. –

- No, wait. – Kenny stopped him, and exchanged a quick glance with Riho. – I have to do this. –

###

The tapings of Dark were about to start. Kenny and Nick were outside the locker rooms to share the last leads.

- Darby and Brandon, you're up first. Full speed, fast moves, ok? –

Darby blinked. – Got it. –

- Then let's bring the women's division on. So, Riho against Shanna in a non-title-match. Do what you do best, entertain those fans who have already bought a bucket of pop-corn. After the end, Nyla comes off the stage and attacks Shanna. A brutal assault, let's give Shanna not even a chance. Clear? –

- Clear as the sun. – Shanna and Nyla thumbed up.

- Main event, tag team contest. Billy, go get your son and see what you can do. Remember, nostalgic and kind of a family plan. Shawn, you and Peter… well, you know, you're not getting that along. -

Billy Gunn and Shawn Spears exchanged a laugh.

- Ok, so everything's set. Get your gears ready, we're starting in 20 minutes. –

While the athletes went back to prepare for their matches, Kenny and Nick left heading to the gorilla position. After a short while, someone ran after Omega.

It was Riho. – Kenny, first of all, thank you for the opportunity. However, another interference in my match? Will I not look… weak? –

- It's ok. At least this time it's not for you. You already got the win. Nyla would just attack Shanna, we need to carry on with their story. Don't worry, it's not about you. –

By the time he finished the sentence, Kenny had second thoughts. He turned to Nick. – Nick, could you give me a second? You should go check with Brandi that everything's fine. I'll meet you in a minute. –

- Sure, man. –

Kenny waited for Nick to be far enough, before talking again. And again, he was looking straight in Riho's eyes.

- Or is this about you? – he asked, lowering his voice.

- What? – she acted surprised.

- Come on, you can tell me. Are you sure this isn't about… -

– No, no, no. It is ok, Kenny, I am fine. I understand. I will go prepare for my match. –

She rushed back to her locker room, leaving Kenny almost in disbelief. He didn't know what to think about it. It looked like… he caught her red-handed. Of course it hadn't to be easy for her, but still…

Well, what he could sense for sure, it was that their women's champion wasn't fine.

###

She began wrestling so young to not be second to anyone.

For those who knew her story, so many sacrifices she had to make to chase her dream. Family, money, school, things she had to do and nowadays she still regrets.
But with love and passion, she didn't back off in front of hard times. She kept training, traveling and fighting. She was lucky to have brilliant trainers, allies and opponents, and eventually she proved to be good.
In the meantime, she managed to complete the studies and graduate. But at that point, everybody knew which was Riho's road. She had what it takes to become what she wanted.
At the end of the line, fighting a world so much bigger made her stronger.

Stronger than Shanna, who had to beat that day on Dark. The match began as a show off by the champion. Great agility by Riho, a couple of well done headscissors and a double foot stomp from the top rope were driving the match to the right path. And yet, she wanted to do more.

Impossible not to think about that interview. She wasn't good enough? Well, she was going to show him!

Riho lifted Shanna on top of the corner, and hit her with a forearm. Raised her hand for the fans, and started climbing. A super hurricanrana would have been amazing and devastating!

But at the last second, her right foot slipped on the top rope. She completely lost her balance. It was a devastating impact, but on her. Riho bounced with her leg on the rope, and suddenly fell down on the mat on her back and neck, with no possibility to protect herself with the arms.

It was a moment where everything was upside down, and a shocking pain shot through her mind covering all kind of fears. She closed her eyes, barely moving.

A worried chant rose from the crowd, while a women's voice comes up near the ring. Brandi. – Oh my God! Ref, stop it. Riho, can you hear me? Are you ok? – She was really concerned about the Japanese girl. She took a horrible bump.

Riho heard it, and ploddingly got up hanging on the bottom rope. Brandi immediately approached her from the apron. – Are you hurt? Do you want me to stop this? –

In the meantime, Shanna went behind Riho and reached the center of the ring, to talk with the referee and gain some time in front of the crowd.

Riho shook her head, quite angrily. – I am fine. I want to continue to fight. –

Brandi nodded. – Ok. And don't worry, we'll adjust this in post editing. -

Riho got back on her feet and attacked Shanna from behind. A backstabber, then an armbar. While she was tightening the submission, she could felt her back a little heavier. She tried to get a mouthful of air and bathe in the fans yells.

Leaving Japan and her family was the hardest thing. And now that's how the USA was seeing her? A few close friends of hers called that "the promised land". Oh, yeah.

She received her fair share of critics even back in Japan, of course. But now, she thought the time where she still had to justify herself in front of people was over. That was nothing like Japan.

In ring, she just wanted to show who she really was, and what she was capable of.

Shanna counters and caught her in an inside cradle. 1…2… Riho escaped and quickly got back in a standing position. So, Shanna launches herself against the ropes, with the intention of hitting her opponent with a running clothesline. Riho was supposed to avoid it, but for some infamous reason, she forgot to dive. Shanna's arm abruptly hit her right between her throat and chest. Her heart skipped a beat. And again a rough landing on her back and neck.

This time, the pain was more intense and shivering. She rolled over toward the side of the ring, near the apron, until she meets again the eyes of Brandi.

- Riho, what's going on? Is everything ok? – she asked in a whisper.

- I am fine. – her voice sounded tired.

- You sure? We can take a break, stop the action and resume it in a minute. –

- No, I want to fight. – her warrior spirit was taking over everything.

And then, Kenny… Kenny was one of the first - and who knows, maybe the most important – to tell her to always believe in herself and her dreams.

Riho got on her knees and then straight up to face Shanna. But sadly for her, it was just a matter of a minute. She totally missed a dropkick, hitting nothing but the air. Like she had seen her opponent somewhere else. And immediately after, she went short on a dive from the top rope. A chant of surprise and moderate disappointment could be heard from the bleachers.

A perturbed and upset Brandi, for the last time, went near the apron. – Ok, that's enough. It's time to end this. – she praised her.

Brandi returned to the time-keeper area, without even listening to Riho's reply. She didn't sit down. She passed behind the barricades, getting through the crowd, and walked straight to the gorilla position. There, the first person she met was Nick Jackson.

- Nick, I think I need your help. –

- What's up? –

- Come with me. –

Still walking between the fans seats, out-of-cameras, she guide him where he could see the ring.

- This match is a disaster. Here the fans are almost lost, but even if we wanted to air this online, we'd have to cut so many mistakes and leave just a couple of minutes. -

Nick frowned and looked at the square. – Do you think it's better to start again or reshoot? –

Brandi bit her lip and shook her head. – I don't think it's a good idea. I've never seen Riho like this. – she admitted.

Nick looked alarmed. – Why? What happened? –

- She's not in condition to carry on, Nick. She took a terrible bump and hit her head, at the beginning. I think we should just stop this. What do you think? –

- Better to avoid bigger troubles, I agree. It's only for her safety. – he snorted. – We have also Nyla ready, maybe we could replace Riho and shoot a new match. –

- Would be taking too much time. – she observed.

Nick walked by the ring. The fans chanted for him, as they saw him in jeans and t-shirt and thought of a surprise run-in. In the meantime, in the ring, action was like frozen. Referee and Shanna didn't know exactly what to do, while Riho was down on her knees looking at Nick and Brandi, confused. Her eyes were begging him not to do it.

- Ok, let's stop this one. – the young Jackson announced. He had to come up with something. – I apologize to everyone on behalf of me and my crew. We had a problem in the backstage, with the cameras. We don't have time to reshoot this from the beginning, so I'm sorry but we have to skip the end. – he turned towards Brandi. – Go call Nyla, we're only shooting her assault to Shanna. –

Riho had no strength to protest. She knew. The only thing she could do, was slamming an aching punch to the mat.