*CLANG!*

The sound of metal pounding metal is heard in a humid, muddy swamp, mired in darkness.

*CLANG!*

Little can be discerned from the heavy vegetation - huge-sized trees of thick, dense foliage, branches and vines drooping almost to the ground, and the dark atmosphere, but the outline of a tiny hut, the slightest glimmer of a candle light visible through a small opening, and it is from there that the pounding sound emerges.

*CLANG!*

“Disgraceful. Utterly disgraceful.”

Wednesday Night Warfare was fast approaching, and yet there was still no sign of Raion Kido’s two opponents.

Yes, this was an opening match. Yes, there were no titles involved, and the Ewok Lumberjacks stipulation was not exactly enticing. But that would not make the Lion shirk his duty - especially now that he had come this far, and there was still a good way to go.

*CLANG!*

“But there is no use worrying about it. It is all part of training anyway.”

So were his thoughts as, seated at a work table, he pounded with a small hammer at a metal plate. The humidity of the damp, hot air does no favors to hide the beads of sweat appearing on his furrowed brow, and already running down his black tank top and the orange pants of his pilot uniform. He wipes the sweat beads away, then hits the plate for the final time.

*CLANG!*

Raion contemplates his work, holding now a small, metallic cylinder in his hand. He places it on the table and looks at the schematic that appears at a blue holographic datapad beside him.

“Good work have you done, young Lion.”

Raion turns from the workshop, to see at the entrance of the hut a diminutive, hunched alien creature. From the myriad wrinkles on his skin, and his scraggly, white strands of hair, he appears to be a venerable master, clad in a roughspun brown robe, and leaning on a staff - little more than a twig of wood.

“Oh! Thank you, Master.”

“But the final part of the test now begins. To construct your own lightsaber, a special component you require. Tell me - what is the main component of a lightsaber?”

The Lion answers without blinking - nothing more than certainty on his voice.

“A crystal, Master. There were several crystals, grown naturally, that the Jedi used to gather, but then there came to be synthetic crystals as well, in time.”

“Good. Learned well, you have, but not all do you know. Sometimes, special elements were used as the core of a lightsaber - like krayt dragon pearls. One of these Revan’s lightsaber had, if the legends are true.”

The Lion’s eyes go wide, his mouth agape.

“Krayt… dragon pearls?”

“Hmm! An organ from krayt dragons, large beasts with huge fangs and sharp claws. In their mouths, these pearls form. Native to Tatooine, krayt dragons are, yet one in this planet there is - no doubt through the workings of the Force.”

Drawing a heavy sigh, the Lion nods knowingly.

“And there are no crystals here in Dagobah, plus lightsaber crystals are now under strict Imperial control.”

“Intelligent you are, young Padawan. But there is no other way. If a Jedi Knight you are to become, build your lightsaber you must.”

“But where shall I find it?”

The master smiles sagely, then points his twig towards the muddy waters of the swamp.

“Drawn to places strong in the Dark Side, these krayt dragons are. Search your feelings, young Padawan, and the Force shall guide you. Flow with it, you must - the essence of the test, that is.”

“I understand. I’m on my way, Master!”

“Good luck, young Lion, and may the Force be with you.”

Tentatively at first, the Lion enters the swamp, wading through the dark waters of the swamp, and clearing vines from the low-hanging branches of the overgrown trees around the swamp. As Raion Kido goes deeper into the nigh-impassable terrain, the waters become deeper, from his waist to his chest to his neck - and deeper still they go. The Lion has no choice but to take a deep breath, and start swimming through the filthy stream.

“Blast, I can’t see anything!”

+“Focus, Padawan. Let the Force be your guide.”+

The voice of the Master echoes within his mind, and the Lion closes his eyes and tries to empty his head, holding his breath in the dirty depths of the swamp.

“Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngh…!!!”

Slowly but steadily, Raion begins to swim - the dense waters of the swamp requiring a great deal of effort through which to make his way. But he can only hold his breath so long, and in the deepest of the swamp, he feels his throat start to close.

“GGGGGGGKKKKKKKT! I’m going to run out of air this way!”

+“Raion! Use the Force, Raion!”+

Drawing into the depths of his soul, the Lion manages to hold his breath, through what seems like an eternity of darkness and heavy laboring to swim through the filthy, strong current of the swamp, he finally spots the tiniest ray of light filtering - to which he swims, and emerges, drawing a heavy gasp for air.

*ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!*

The dreadful cry of a mighty beast reverberates through the air, and, as soon as the Lion sets foot in the nearest land, he finds himself staring at the mouth of a dark, endless cave - from where the terrifying roar has emerged.
Wiping his eyes, and clenching his teeth, the Lion crashes his fist against his palm, and charges into the cave.

“Time to end this already!”

At first, nothing but darkness is in front of the Lion, but the fast, thunderous sound of stomping feet is a sure sign of danger.

*THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP!*

“WHOA!”

Leaping out of the way, the Lion finally spots his quarry - a massive, overgrown lizard, with a horned head and spikes along its spine - his open, drooling jaws as fearsome as the Master has described. The beast lets out another vicious roar that echoes throughout the cave, and charges again towards Raion. He dodges one more time, but the beast hits a rock column, shattering it to pieces, and some of the falling stones impact on the Lion, knocking him down. The krayt dragon’s huge tail impacts against another rock formation, and before the Lion can get up - he finds himself trapped under the rubble!

“Argh!”

Roaring once more in victory, the mighty beast approaches slowly, come to finish his prey. The Lion struggles to break free, but there is little he can do to free his legs from the rubble. However, looking up - he notices a formation of stalactites in the ceiling of the cave!

+“Do not give up! While there is life, there is yet hope”!+

Closing his eyes once again, Raion taps into the depths of his soul again - the power to make things possible from the direst of circumstances.

The power of the cosmos - or in this case, the power of the Force.

“RRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!”

The Lion lets out a deep, guttural cry, and the cave begins to shake in its entirety. Even the krayt dragon must recoil from the vibrations to find its footing, and it is at that point that the stalactites come crashing down onto it - its pointed ends lodging themselves on its flesh - from its spine to its head. The largest of the stalactites comes crashing down - lodging itself on its skull.

*ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!*

The wounded krayt dragon roars its impotence, but the Lion’s might has finally freed him. Standing on his two feet, he approaches the fearsome beast.

“Time to put you out of your misery.”

Reaching into the dragon’s mouth, Raion feels something round. He clenches his fist, and jerks his arms back, ripping out whatever the object is, and finally ending the wounded creature’s pain. Opening his now blood-covered fist, he sees a golden, pearl-like sphere among the green of the dragon’s blood.

+“Very good, young Padawan. And now one more step remains…+

A bluish glow shines throughout the cave, and Raion Kido looks for its source. Turning around, he spots, at the deepest end of the cave, a stone structure shaped like a flower, from which the blue light emerges. Raion approaches, and holds the krayt dragon pearl in his hand, and the structure unfolds into three petals. And once it has fully unfurled, in its center appears a holographic image - a schematic of a metal cylinder, and the place into which the pearl dragon krayt must be inserted.

Taking out his lightsaber hilt, Raion places the pearl as shown in the holograph, and presses the ignition button. With a snapping, crackling sound, the golden lightsaber now comes to life…


“One day away from Star Warfare, just mere hours away from Star Warfare, and only now has Nickles taken the time to give this a sliver of thought between visiting the Star Wars park with his daughter - but tell me. Did he say anything new? It’s almost like I’ve addressed that same damned point about not calling him out - since, you know, I said that I believe in earning my chances.

But here we are, mere hours away, and Charlie Nickles has failed, twice, to address me properly.

And all the while, I have yet to hear from Michael McBride.”

Gone is the filthy tank top and pilot uniform, and gone is the filth from Raion’s body. In the mouth of the cave, the ancient holographic artifact at its back, the Lion now stands, his Golden Cloth of Leo now equipped, and the lightsaber in his hand now glowing as golden as the armor.

But the Lion now cuts to the chase - an angry glow in his eyes, and a stern tone in his voice.

While his two opponents might have wasted their time, he would not stand his own to be wasted.

“Ladies and gentlemen, let’s put this in perspective. This is a special edition, commemorating a special date, and we have a show filled with specialty matches, and the biggest names the XWF has to offer. We first have one of the top names ever to grace this company, at number 39. Of course, it might sound unimpressive from a list of 50, but given how many people have come and gone through this company in its long and storied history, that is at least no small feat.

And yet, Michael McBride is no legend. He’s not a name that gets brought up as one of the best that ever graced this squared circle, and given what can only be described as a lack of minimal effort the last time he was seen in this company, you shall forgive me for doubting this time is going to be any different.

There has to be some reason, some special significance to why this Michael McBride decides to resurface on May 4th, on this special edition of the XWF’s flagship show. At least I, the ink still fresh on my contract, appeared as a replacement in my first show in this company. But this man chooses this very moment, this very stage, and no other, to reappear in the XWF after two years in which he’s barely showed up on camera, and he cannot even do the slightest address to the XWF Universe watching? To the company to which he owes whatever meager semblance of relevance he once may have had?

I would call this a waste of time and money if it were anyone else, but from someone of Michael McBride’s purported caliber, someone who is part of the history of this company, the only way that this can be considered is as an insult. So I’m not going to waste any more of my breath on a man that clearly doesn’t deserve it. Michael McBride has decided to become a spectator from a luxury position, and I guarantee you viewers of the XWF Universe - I’m going to make sure that you get the spectacle that he is unfortunately going to miss.

And maybe then, like Darth Revan, once the Lightning Plasma has reduced him to a twitching, quivering mess, he’ll thrash about in his dreams, and he’ll wake up wondering why he dreamt of the Lion’s fangs closing on his head.”

The Lion pauses, but stares unflinchingly at the camera. He already had said enough about an opponent that did not even take himself seriously.

It was time to move on to what actually mattered.

And it was time for the cosmos to burn.

“And then, of course, we have our XWF Television Champion, the man with a reign that has broken records, a man who wants to take on the XWF Universal Champion himself! Not that he’d win, necessarily, since he lost to Alias right after defending against me, but that has been his stated intent.

And while we might appreciate his ambition, it gets somewhat harder to believe that once we notice that he’s failed at anything else he’s tried to do other than keeping his title - which, by the way, since defending against me, the only worthy contender was Centurion. And now that he knows I’m coming for him… he could only be bothered to repeat how he already beat me, how he might as well have ruined my entire XWF career in one night, and how I haven’t been the same since.

Alas, he thought I’d come at this the same way I did before. But remember, this is a special show, there’s someone else in this match - even though right about now, it doesn’t look like it - and his precious little Goldi is safe for the time being.

And yet, I’m coming at this as if this were a rematch, because I promise you, ladies and gentlemen - after this, there’s going to be. And when he and I meet one on one after this special edition of Warfare is over, he’s going to know that, even if he chooses another match stipulation in his favor… he already knows that the Lion will have beaten him once.

I don’t know if he’s been too busy trying to pry his daughter away from his ex-wife like the disgraceful, manipulative piece of human refuse he is, or if all this time he’s been creeping women out near the ladies’ restroom where he was last seen, but there can be no doubt that he has seen my message. And since then? Up until now, there’s been no sign of Charlie Nickles, the XWF Television Champion, the man they love to hate. He’s been quiet. He’s been silent.”

Raion points his lightsaber towards the camera, the classic sound making the air vibrate as he smiles a mischievous smile, whose seriousness is betrayed by the steely look in his eyes.

“It’s almost, Charlie Nickles, like you have been avoiding me.”

The Lion slashes through the air with his lightsaber, letting these last words echo throughout the cave. It was one thing to attempt to disrespect him - it was another to avoid him.

And for someone that had accused him of doing so, Charlie Nickles had actually taken pains not to appear until now.

“I’m sure that you’ll come in hot, right in the nick of time, to attempt to put on a show, as you always do. Alas, though, you already know that I’m coming for you, and maybe, the words I said to you in my first address have come to pass. You used to be so confident, so magnificent, when you talked about your barbed-wire deathmatch versus Raion Kido, and now, you can’t even be bothered to tell the world how you’re going to prove it once again.

But tell me, Mr. Chucky Murder, what was that talk about me avoiding you again? True enough, I haven’t tweeted about you, and even though I haven’t forgotten about early March… I’ve been tending to my own issues, and it’s done me well enough. After all, you might want to call yourself the face of Savage, but you know the Lion is on your trail.

And the closer the Lion comes, the more need you have to reassert the fact that you beat me once, and that was now two months ago. To hold on to your narrative. To cling to your own delusion of godhood, just as much as you cling to the Television Title. But it’s not just the times that have changed since then, is it, Mr. Nickelman?”

No smile from the Lion this time - only his clenched teeth, his shining canines, and the look in his eyes of an executioner about to carry out his sentence.

A sentence that Charlie Nickles had earned thoroughly.

“Maybe the man you have in front of you now has changed too. Maybe he has decided to make his own truth in this world - maybe he’s coming to make his own story. Maybe he has even looked beyond Savage, since you’ve chosen to make it your own little world, and has come to a very stunning conclusion: Outside of Savage, Charlie, and outside of your T.V. God status, you are completely irrelevant.

You want to know why I say this? Here, let me help you recall. Let’s go back to Fire and Ice. There was one face there that no one expected to see, no one knew it even existed, but that ended up being the talk of the town. Tell me, Charlie, was it the face of the man they love to hate? No, it wasn’t. It wasn’t Charlie Nickles’ defense, it wasn’t the North Korean War Criminal and Mark Flynn’s defense, it wasn’t even Peter Vaughn’s title match that was talked about the most. The one match that made that event, Charlie, was the one that opened the show - the match that had the face of Raion Kido.

You might call that beginner’s luck, but let’s go even further than that. There came the Lion’s debut in the following Savage Saturday Night, while the great Nickleman, the man they love to hate, was nowhere to be found. Tell me, Charlie, was the news that Alias beat the Unknown Soldier? No, of course not. The news, dear Nickleman, was that Raion Kido had beat Centurion - the man that had just become your Number One Contender.

It must have been hard on you, right Charlie? You rarely ever left Savage, and were content in your tight little spot. But then came the worst part! Just that very same week, Raion Kido made his Warfare debut, and beat 50-wins Thaddeus Duke. Not at Savage, not at a Pay-Per-View, but at this very stage of Wednesday Night Warfare.

Here came a man, Charlie, who was successful not just in a Pay-Per-View, not just in your own home, but in the very flagship show of the XWF. And then, inside that empty head of yours, the truth set in - Charlie Nickles is not the man they love to hate, but the man to which they are indifferent. And that’s when it dawned on you - you had to pick up the pace. That’s when you decided you had to come at me, because there finally came the man that would knock you off your so-called throne. And there is when you had the Bastards to back you up.”

And after all, that was the reason for this entire story. Had there not been a Raion Kido, no one would have cared about Charlie Nickles any longer - nor would there have been someone to challenge him.

There had been then - and now there was again.

And this time, he would be victorious, and the Nickleman would know the end was coming for him.

“I’m sure this is refreshing your memory, Mr. Nickelman, but it should also help to open your eyes.

It should help you realize that there’s at least someone out there that will not let you tell the tale that you so cherish.

And maybe - just maybe, the almighty Charlie Nickles now knows the meaning of fear.”

The Lion now makes another slash with the golden lightsaber - the glow casting light over his defiant face.

Perhaps now the Nickleman had finally realized the danger in which he was.

“Isn’t that what’s going on right now, Mr. Chucky Murder? Where’s your barbed-wire baseball bat now? Where’s your stalking and harassing? Even in the last episode of Savage I’ve seen you get dropped by Cage Coleman - another name, by the way, that I have beaten before.

And while I’m sure that you still feel like the big, powerful man you told the Ring Master how to be, but let’s be honest here, Nickles - try your best to hide from me for now, but you can’t hide from the truth. Charlie Nickles, the man they love to hate, knows, he’s always known, exactly what will happen once the Lion comes to collect. He shall lose his precious Goldi, he shall lose his Main Event spot, he shall lose his chance at dethroning Alias - and he shall become destitute.

And that, my dear Nickleman, is eating you alive - piercing, and burning through you, like a lightsaber through a blast door. Just like the name of Raion Kido has since he came to the XWF - just like it still does after you barely got away!

But you see, Charlie - the Force works in mysterious ways. Every Sith Lord that has ever existed was unable to escape the Rule of Two, and eventually met their end. And the same goes for the Light Side - even when the Republic fell, the Jedi ember remained, to eventually reignite once more. And the same thing is going to happen here. This match is your wake-up call, just like my appearance was in January - and this time, you shall not escape. There is no use running, there is no use hiding, there is no use in raging against your fate. And since you decided to insult my honor last time, I’m going to make sure that you face it head-on, and save whatever dignity there is left for you.

But make no mistake, Charlie, and Michael, if you can be bothered to say anything at all. This may only be the opening match, but the Ewoks around the ring, and the XWF Universe, shall get their money’s worth that you refuse to give them. For this is as much entertainment for them as it is vindication for me. I finally got the chance to avenge my first defeat, and I will not let it go again. There is only one way that this battle is going to end - and the Phantom Menace that you both have been shall fade back to the darkness where you have always belonged!”

The Lion roars these words, making another slash of the lightsaber, and pointing it at the camera once more. It was time to do what he came into this world, and to the wrestling ring, to do - the charge of the Jedi in the galaxy, and the charge of a Saint of Athena.

Justice.

“And at this special edition of Wednesday Night Warfare, no matter how much you parry, how desperately you deflect - the Lion’s blade shall come down on you both, the blade of justice that shall not be denied. The sound of the lightsaber is near, the light of the blade is before your eyes, and there is no other fate for the two of you to fall. This is the blade that comes to fell you…”

Crossing the blade horizontally over his chest, the Lion’s hands join at the wrist as he draws the blade back behind…

“... and this is the final thrust.”

… and letting out one final mighty roar, the Lion jams the lightsaber into the camera.

*CRASH!*

Cut to static, and fade to black.