“A virus? From Chris Chaos, of all people!?”

Chris Chaos’ unseemly gloating made the Lion indignant. His temporary barring from the arena at Savage, and Jenny Myst having towed his car was an inconvenience for sure, but one easily solved with the right call.

It would be up to him, however, to avenge the insult.

“And if Chris Chaos thinks what he has done might be a virus taking over, then it’s time to administer some Bad Medicine!”

“Darling, this isn’t bad medicine. It’s for Sunny!”

The words of Ryleigh Dixon draw Raion Kido back to Earth once more.

“Eh?... Oh! Sorry - caught me thinking out loud!”

The Crown Jewel giggles softly. Now red flushes to the Lion’s cheeks, similar to the red sun that begins to go down in the Kansas City skyline, as he makes a silly smile. This was not the ring yet, but rather the streets of the Rockhill neighborhood, and Raion and Ryleigh are having a leisurely walk with their furbaby Sunny in tow. The toy poodle walks in front of them happily, unaware of the fate that awaits him. Ryleigh smiles at him.

“Oh, Sunny, you sweet summer child… You have no idea where we’re going, do you?”

“The poor baby’s going to be sad, but it’s for his own good. Here we are!”

They’ve arrived at the vet’s office. At this point, Sunny begins to get an inkling of where he may be and starts to resist entering, but Ryleigh picks him up ever-so-gently.

“Good afternoon, Dr. Garcia!”

“Oh, hello guys! Sunny’s appointment, isn’t it?”

“Just right, Doctor!”

“You come right on time. Is Sunny feeling okay? How are you, buddy?”

Ryleigh hands Sunny to Dr. Garcia, and after a little whining of betrayal, the toy poodle is receptive to the vet’s petting. His Mama smiles.

“He’s been a part of our family for two months now. We figured it was time for Sunny’s check-up.”

“Ahh, I see. Well, he looks clean and healthy enough, but it can’t hurt to do some standard care, a deworming will suit him just fine.”

“Deworming?”

“Don’t panic, sir. It’s just a regular procedure. Sometimes parasites and eggs may form inside his stomach from something he may have eaten, or from playing with other animals. It can’t be helped because it’s what they do, but it’s easily solvable with deworming. It’s a good idea to do a deworming check-up once a year!”

“That certainly doesn’t sound too bad, compared to the alternative. After all, we don’t want any kind of parasites!”

“They’re not the worst thing a pet can have, but if left unchecked, they can cause serious diseases. They’re sort of like unwanted guests - they live inside the intestines and feed off your puppy’s body, but they do nothing in return.”

At that point, the proverbial lightbulb lights up inside Raion’s head, and he breaks into a laugh. After all, was there not one such case in the XWF right now? Who had begun living off its body and causing damage without having done anything in return?

Who, exactly, was the XWF’s resident parasite?

“Ahh, I see! I have a parasite problem at work, sir, but I’ll be sure to handle it next Sunday!”

“My darling’s a professional wrestler.”

“Best of luck with that, sir, but I’m sure Sunny will be fine. Do you have a stool sample?”

Raion reaches into a sealed plastic bag, which he hands Dr. Garcia, and the vet immediately takes it under the microscope.

“Hmmm… I see some eggs in there, but nothing to worry about. It could have been much worse. Has Sunny been vomiting or has he had diarrhea as of late?”

“No, but he may have had a cough or two.”

“That might be it, you’ve done well to bring him early. Let’s give him these…”

Dr. Garcia gives Raion and Ryleigh a box of dog dewormer granules. Sunny doesn’t seem to like the granules when Raion shows him, but Ryleigh again holds him in place.

“It’s alright, Sunny. This will help you feel better!”

Raion gives Sunny a granule and the toy poodle begins chewing, either trusting his parents or resigning to his fate. But once he swallows, nothing bad happens, and he returns to his cheerful mood, even giving the doctor a lick.

“There’s a good boy! Great job, guys. Just make sure he takes one a day until the box runs out, and he’s going to be just fine.”

“Perfect!”

Ryleigh smiles and kisses the top of their furbaby’s head.

“Thank you very much, Doctor! I’d tell Sunny to say thanks but it seems he already has!”

“My pleasure, and good luck with your parasite problem!”

“No worries, sir. I’m going to make certain it comes to an end.”

The Lion gives the vet a smile, although there is now a resolute look in his eyes. This was, after all, his charge, and Chris Chaos might have spoken about nightmares…

“In fact, I’m going to make certain it ends for good.”

But Raion Kido held within the power to drive nightmares, and parasites, away.


“Let me ask you, ladies and gentlemen. You were meant to be a big thing a long time ago, and that time has long passed. You were meant to be the name that made people fear for their lives, the embodiment of chaos, but somewhere along the way, that name and reputation, went up in smoke.

So of course, you have to come back. You have to rekindle what you once were, hoping the people will somehow remember.

Who do you go against? Obviously, you go against the biggest name available next to the Universal Champion - the one man that had held that title until that very moment.

Does that sound familiar?

If your answer is yes, you might just be Chris Chaos.”

Thus the Lion begins, from the outside of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art - the reflecting pool on the outside showing the stars in the Kansas City sky, which also reflect on the burnished plate of the Cloth of Leo.

But the Lion wasn’t just there for the stars - it was time for him to reflect the truth into the XWF Universe.

And that, of course, meant that his cosmos now had to burn.


“So tell me something, Chaos - did you really target me because I would be the easiest mind, or did you actually do it because it was your only way to somewhat close to actual relevance? You know, that relevance you lacked for years after you lost the Universal Title to Gabe Reno, and that you failed to obtain as Theo Pryce’s Corporate Chaos.

Then again, under that rant of accomplishments of which you’ve had to remind us, the only thing that lies beneath is failure. You’ve failed to amount to anything on your own merit, and that’s why you went Corporate Chaos. Alas, unlike myself, you failed Theo Pryce. At least one member of the Trilogy got to actual gold during this year, and to top it all off, he still holds the Leap of Faith briefcase - which, may I remind you, I did not need to win the Universal Title.

But I understand your resentment against it; after all, you got cashed in to lose your half of the Tag Team Titles! And as far as I can see, Jim Caedus and the Engineer held them long and well enough with you out of the way, so this raises the question, Chaos -  was that reign your own work, or did Caedus carry you along, as Peter Gilmour did later?

And isn’t that what’s occurring now? The only reason Chris Chaos is of any relevance is because he’s been brought along by Jenny Myst - and even that is a dodgy title. So much has Chris Chaos failed, that he has to be carried with other people. Your past tag team partners, Theo Pryce later, and Jenny now. So much have you failed, in fact, that you did not even make it to 2021’s War Games finals, and you faded away into the oblivion you’ve always belonged, only to resurface now.

What was that about disappointment, again!?”

The mighty roar that exits the Lion’s mouth rumbles across the Kansas City night, as if rebounding against the square walls of the Museum.

After all, this was the biggest rookie sensation of the XWF, bar none, and had achieved in one year the success that Chris Chaos did not have in four.

By what right did Chris Chaos dare judge him?

“Oh, but wait, Chaos! Laugh at the Trilogy for being currently empty-handed, but at least Theo Pryce was never let down by Raion Kido, nor were the XWF fans. I may not have won the Television Title, or the King of the XWF Finals, but I did win the Leap of Faith. I may not have won War Games, but I did win the Universal Title, and those two wins eclipse every other defeat I have had - for they’re the biggest prize the wrestling business has to offer - and something of which you’ve let yourself fall out of reach.

And I’m aware that you know this, Chaos - for I shall now proceed to prove it.

Even now, and taking Jenny Myst out of the way, the most recent example of you needing someone to carry you is that you came back just to attack Raion Kido. You didn’t go against Mark Flynn. You didn’t go against Micheal Graves, or Isaiah King, or even Charlie Nickles. You picked me, because I’m the best thing to come to the XWF in the year of 2022. You picked me because I’m the one with the biggest value among all the people that have appeared this year. You picked me, Chaos, because you need me. More than you need Jenny herself.

But the worst thing about it all, Chaos, is not that you’re needy, or that you don’t have enough weight of your own. The most pathetic thing about you is that you do nothing for them in return. You take and you take, and once you inevitably fail - a constant that repeats throughout history - those to which you’ve attached seem to do better, as was Caedus’ reign with the Engineer, or Gilmour’s two next reigns, or Theo Pryce with the Trilogy. At least I held the Universal Title - Corporate Chaos was as empty as your career has been since your Television Title reign. And there’s a definition in nature for this type of behavior, Chaos.

What you are, underneath it all, is a parasite.”

A clenched fist and a ferocious snarl, as the Lion peels his lips back and shows his canines - the glint in his eyes as bright as the shine in the burnished golden armor.

If Chris Chaos sought to cow him, he would be more than disappointed. Raion Kido did not forget why he was called the Lion.

“That, more than anything else, may be my biggest motivation to send you back to the oblivion from whence you came, and of where you should never have come out. Because no one uses Raion Kido as a trampoline, and that’s what I have proven in these matches that I have had.

All this time I have fought to keep the place I’ve earned and come to deserve, to prove that even without the Universal Title, the Gold Saint of Leo is deserving of his reputation - something that Chris Chaos has, once more, failed to prove since he decided to spear me at Relentless.

I mean - the only damage you’ve done is to people not involved with me in any way, but please, do talk to me about Adam’s apples, Mr. Not Contracted Wrestler. Talk about getting inside my head when you actually have something to show for it. Since getting a target for you on my back, I have done nothing but win.

You? You’ve only talked, pulled some prank, and burned a plush lion on Warfare. You have failed to do anything that might derail me from my path, anything that might even make me engage you before Bad Medicine.

You have literally done nothing.”

The Saint of Athena throws his white cape back and points his finger to the camera, just short of making contact with the lens. Leave it to Chris Chaos and Jenny Myst to cry for attention backstage. Raion Kido did his work, and earned his due, in the ring.

And Bad Medicine would be no different.

“So tell me, Chaos, what exactly do I have to fear? If it’s you spearing me again, I have already felt it, and now your spear shall break against the strength of the Lion. If it’s you and Jenny trying to pull another prank on me? I shall make certain both of you come to regret it - as she already knows from the time we have faced. If the sharks had really wanted to feed, there was no better chance to do it than after Relentless, and they have all been vanquished. The newcomers, the returning names, all came to face Raion Kido and lost. The floodgates were opened and the torrent was but a splash against a golden wall.

And curiously - the only one that hasn’t come to feed was you, but as I’ve already explained, you have a history of running, and of failing, so maybe I can believe that’s the best you do.

But for the sake of this return that you so desperately crave, let’s give you some indulgence and assume that you can still hold your own, as you did against… Elijah Martin backstage? Finn Kühn in the middle of a match against me? And for what? To play mind games? So much did you get inside my mind that you’ve failed to prevent me from winning any match I’ve had since Relentless. So much have you directed my actions that all for which the people are waiting at Bad Medicine is for Raion Kido to finally put Chris Chaos out of the XWF’s misery, and get back to title contention, where he should be.

And that, precisely, is what shall happen once you and I meet in the T-Mobile Center, Chaos. All these juvenile antics, all this time spent thinking about me, all this time hoping that Raion Kido would be your ticket back to relevance? Wasted. That shining chance? Dulled flat.

As for me, ladies and gentlemen, this is vindication. This is my way to prove that all I have endured hasn’t been in vain, for that is what a man is supposed to do. I might agree with him on that one thing - Raion Kido is, in the end, just a man - and he behaves as a man is meant to behave. Chaos might talk about fearing responsibility, but every time of those few that I’ve failed, not only have I come back stronger, I have also obtained a bigger prize!”

Chris Chaos might have said the Lion was not used to failure, but Raion Kido had not forgotten his path. From March Madness to Relentless, he recalled where he had failed, and he also recalled he fought back.

But there had been enough fighting back. This time, he was the one attacking - and Chris Chaos would be the one to be reintroduced to failure.

“For you see, Chaos, in the end, I’m not a parasite like you. I don’t fade away when things don't go my way. I don’t go after innocent people when attention isn’t on me, nor do I need to do anything outside the ring to attract it. Everyone that places their hopes on the Lion, always finds themselves satisfied - because hope is what I am about, and at Bad Medicine, that shall be proven once more.

For the only way this ends is the way it is supposed to end: With Raion Kido’s hand raised, and moving onto greater things - just as it has always been.

As for you? I don’t know. Maybe you’ll slink back into nothingness like your story always seems to end. Or perhaps you’ll stick around and do things the right way once more, and maybe, should we face again, I shall have something about which to worry before I put you down once more. Perhaps you’ll even be good enough to stop your squeaking when you’re not in the ring.

For the fundamental thing that all this has shown us, ladies and gentlemen, is that Raion Kido may be just a man, but Chris Chaos is but a rodent. And killing rodents is not a task for proper men.”

Stone-faced, the Lion stares a hole through the camera, and bangs his right fist against his left palm with a sharp sound of metal.

“But let’s be about it.“

The young Osaka wrestler clenches a fist. He has had enough, and it was long past the time to put words into deeds.

“So get ready, Chaos, for in the starlight of Kansas City, Bad Medicine becomes your extinction. The parasite of Chris Chaos is finally purged, and Raion Kido makes yet another successful comeback.

And in the end, Chris Chaos the little mouse, gets beaten by just a man.

So when you wake up after the Lightning Plasma reduces you into a twitching mass of muscle and bones, or when the Lightning Bolt comes this close to making your heart stop once and for all, I want you to remember that fact, that you were beaten by just a man.

And I want you, Mr. Parasite, if your brain is still able to function, to answer this very simple question…”

Raion Kido leans towards the camera, his voice dropping almost to a whisper - an eerie worm that might plant itself inside Chris Chaos’ brain.

“Where does that leave you?”

Fade to black.