It’s an inevitable part of life. People change, their routines change, sometimes their perspectives on life change for either better or worse.

Take Daniel William Clark, a rising star in Mercury who has just completed the last of his new workout procedure for the day, sans his longtime mentor and friend, Dina Michaels. A woman who for so many years, was like a sister to him, guiding him along, giving him moral support during his matches, and always there to talk to when things got rough, felt that the time was right for Daniel to stride out on his own and realize his destiny. Needless to say, training alone has felt different for the youngster. Sure he gets to train with local trainers, and they provide him with good assistance, it’s just not the same as it used to be.

But the one thing that hasn’t changed about Daniel is his determination, especially considering his opponent for the next event, and in the first round of the LCW Mercury title contendership: Messiah. Yes, he remembers him well, kinda hard to forget since he was the one who scored the fall over Clark at the Fusion that just passed. And yes, who could forget Messiah as being the one who took the North American title away from Clark?

Let’s go see what he’s up to now…

D.W.C.: (completing dumbbell lifts, and nearly out of breath) “18...19...20”!

He takes a breather before putting the dumbbells down and sitting down in a nearby chair.

D.W.C.: Well, I guess I should have expected this to go a little slower than before, but hey I guess it comes as part of the procedure of doing it on your own. (he stretches his arms and legs out a bit) But enough about that right now. It’s time for me to set my sights toward the future, which features a very familiar face standing at the front gates: the man who calls himself Messiah.

D.W.C.: Messiah, you might not be aware of it, but in a way, you sort of did me a favor in pinning me at Fusion. Why? Because you reminded me of why it was that I would have my sights set on you. Oh sure, I never forgot the time you won my North American championship from me a while back, but after that happened, due to Mercury’s hiatus, the feeling gradually left me little by little and I almost got over it. So when I faced you for the second time since that night, I went from feeling like “who was this guy again?” to “oh yeah, now I remember, and now I know what I’m going to do to him”. Because you see Messiah, right now you’re thinking that this is just another encounter between you and I with the only thing different being not the result itself, but how it happens. Well you forget, don’t you? It’s also going to be our first one-on-one match: just me and you. No tag partners, no four other wrestlers who could get in our way, just you and I. Can you adapt to that, Messiah?

D.W.C.: Certainly, you must view me as some sort of fool to be across the ring from you yet again. Well just remember Messiah, as The Good Book would have it: it is the foolish things of the world that are used to confound the wise. Ponder that one for a while, hotshot. Just remember, I may be behind in the count with the matches we've been having, but things can change radically when you've got two strikes on you. See you soon...real soon!

Fade out.