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Raion Kido · (11-18-2022)

“This is more than vengeance, or justice, or any kind of retribution.”

*CLANG!*

“This is also for those that Chris Chaos chose to assault in order to get my attention!”

*CLANG!*

In Kansas City, Missouri, there is Swope Park, a beautiful park where a memorial to its founder, Thomas Swope, stands apart on a small hill - a group of doric columns in clear inspiration of a Classical Greek temple, and two lions on the sides.

“And besides, I’ve fought thus far to defend my place - now I move to where I am meant to be!”

A fire burns in this scenery - a rustic, makeshift forge, the coals in it as red-hot as the thoughts inside the Lion’s head as he takes the hammer to the metal, little more than a pointed head upon a shaft.

“A spear, is it? Have a thing for rustic brutality?”

In the late afternoon, the park is filled by craftsmen of all types, as the Kansas Maker Faire group is holding a display, and they all look at the young Saint of Athena, clad in his Gold Cloth, as he draws the spear from his workspace and places it in a cold water jug to cool off.

“It’s really not my thing, sir, but I’m going to illustrate a point, and a spear is exactly what I need.”

“I have to admit, it’s somewhat weird for someone like you to make something so… crude. Having seen that thing you wear up close, I’d thought you’d want to show off a bit.”

Raion gives a sly smile at this last blacksmith’s remark.

“It’s not so much the actual weapon here, sir, it’s rather its symbolism. My opponent for my next match has a thing for using a move named a spear. It’s his weapon, much like Odin had Gungnir, or King Arthur the Excalibur.

And I’m going to make this guy’s spear break.”

“Ohh, I see. What is a scorpion without his sting, right?”

“So I was right - you like showing off, and this is your way to do it.”

“This Golden Cloth isn’t just for show! There, the spear should have dried.”

The steaming jug of water has now gone still, the weapon still resting within.

“Now pick it up, sir, and try to hit me. I promise I won’t move.”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Listen Kido, I know the armor can be repaired, but what if he hits you?”

The Lion stands up in front of the two men, and draws his white cape back.

“I trust my craftsmanship enough for this armor to withstand the spear, just as much as I trust my own way to do things in the ring. Chris Chaos has been doing this because I think I should do things his way - and I’m going to prove me right - and him wrong, once and for all.”

Standing ramrod straight, and holding still, Raion folds his arms across his chest, leaving his mid-section open, as the second blacksmith grabs the spear with both hands.

“Okay! Ready or not, here I come!”

“He’s gonna get killed…”

The blacksmith takes a short sprint and drives the spear to the Lion’s stomach…

*CLANG!*

… only to be deflected against Raion’s golden armor, without having produced so much as a scratch.

“Oh, that armor is not just for show!”

“I told you, gentlemen. I made it myself, just as I made my own path, and I trust my own skill above anything else!”

“I know when I am beaten, sir. You are truly a master craftsman, and a wise man as well.”

Raion gives a genuine smile, although his eyes still retain some of that mischief that belongs to the Osaka boy he still was beneath it all.

“Although it might have been better if the spear had been sharp, eh?”

The Lion takes back the spear and takes it to a nearby grindstone - a wheel of stone at which he sits, and which he starts spinning.

*SCREEEEEECH!*

He takes the spearhead to the grindstone, letting the tool do its work. The two blacksmiths share a hearty chuckle with the young Saint of Athena.

“Probably, but it would have been saddening to ruin that fine piece.”

“Just the armor? Not killing the guy?”

“Eh, no need to worry, sir. It’s just been reforged. Like every tool, it wears out over time, and has to be repaired. So it is also with people. I’ve been having matches against new or returning people after I lost the title, just to get myself back into shape, and this match I am having is just the test to see whether I can go back to compete for the title I have lost.

Because we must never lose sight, sirs. A fine tool, or a fine weapon, or a craft of any kind isn’t great in and of itself. It requires a hand to craft it, and a hand to wield it.

And even the finest weapon is but that in the end - a tool that can very well be destroyed.”

The spearhead is now sharpened, so the Lion stands up once more, taking the spear with him.

“And at Bad Medicine, that is exactly what I am going to do.”

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Legends often feature mighty weapons to which are attributed supernatural qualities. King Arthur’s Excalibur could shine as bright as a star. Roland’s Durandal could cut through rock. Odin’s spear could strike at any target.”

These are the first words of Raion Kido’s speech, as he holds the spear he has just drawn from the forge - an iron shaft as tall as his own height, a keen-edged blade at its head, and yet a rough, crude weapon - fit to be wielded by a brute rather than a warrior.

But then again, was that not the exact definition of Chris Chaos?

“But even the mightiest weapon is powerless without a warrior to wield it, and ultimately, at its very core, a weapon is but a mere tool. A tool that may also be broken - as was Odin’s mighty spear.

Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, that shall be my mission for Bad Medicine. Chris Chaos has caused enough of his namesake with his spear.

And after him and I are done, that is exactly what Chris Chaos and his spear shall be - broken.”

*THUMP!*

The Lion plants the spear on the ground of Swope Park, the edge of the blade at the head glinting in the firelight against the encroaching darkness of the evening.

But there would not be darkness for long.

For it was the time to make the cosmos burn.

“And when I say this, friends, I am doing more than stating an appropriate metaphor, because as worthless as Chris Chaos has been since his return, there is a matter of importance that I shall settle by defeating him.

For this is more than a matter of retribution for the end of Relentless, or for all the damage this guy has caused to the XWF roster since he decided to reappear with his tail between his legs. This for me is something personal, because it will finally be the change that I have been seeking all this time.

Because I shall not deny that these past few weeks have been rough. Not because of the matches, but because of the fact that, even though I won all three of them, I still seem to be going nowhere, and that, ladies and gentlemen, irks me.

It irks me because I know I should be doing better than this, because I should be getting back into capturing the Universal Title, and here I am, mired in the middle of a nowhere fight with Jenny Myst and Chris Chaos.

But even under these circumstances, I can stand before you and say that, while I have not been anywhere close to a title match as of late, at least I’ve won every single match that I have had, while Chris Chaos has only dedicated to assault people backstage under some flimsy “I’m not a wrestler” excuse!”

The Lion lets those words out in a mighty roar that reverberates in the wilderness. This was a Raion Kido that remembered that he once held the XWF Universal Title, and that he beat the likes of ALIAS, Charlie Nickles, and Dolly Waters.

By what right should he be cowed by Chris Chaos’ former accolades?

And even if he should be, how did that justify targeting innocents?

“So tell me, Chaos, how does it feel to know that you are a wrestler now, facing the one man that could do everything better than you ever could? Yes, you may have been Television Champion, Tag Team Champion, Universal Champion for more than 100 days, but that was literally the last decade! I still haven’t made it to a year in the XWF and have already been Universal Champion, and I have four times the victories that I have defeats!

But as if that were not enough, it isn’t just the numbers alone. To this day, the XWF Universe will look at you and go “Oh, who is this guy again?” The moment Raion Kido came to the XWF, everyone made certain my name would be a part of them forever. Even you, Chaos - you and Jenny.

Is that not, after all, why she drafted me for her team at War Games? Is that not why she’s acting as your mouthpiece? That’s even another thing - at least she has what you lack to do the job on her own. Although the only thing she does is talk, when she’s not letting someone take from her the title she had just won from Atara, that’s infinitely more than anything you have done since reappearing.

Because let me tell you, Mr. Technicality, if you’re going to play the Joker, at least make sure the party you want to attack is actually hurt, and you failed to do that in every single match I’ve had. You weren’t there to prevent me from pinning John Madison Jr., nor could you prevent me from defeating Finn Kühn, nor were you anywhere to be found last Savage.

Instead, you talked from Warfare, Chaos - knowing full well that Savage is my home.”

The Lion peels back his lips and displays his canines, his snarl as ferocious as the fire that still burns in the forge. Most aggravating of this all was not just that Jenny Myst and Chris Chaos dared to target him, or even that Chaos wanted to stay true to his name backstage. The most egregious thing was that Chris Chaos did not even had the valor to address him face to face.

But Bad Medicine would bring an end to that - and with it, an end to Chris Chaos.

“And as if that was not idiotic enough already, your mental patient girlfriend may want to make fun of me for not having been in any title matches, but at least I wasn’t dumb enough to let myself lose the Xtreme Title to Marf Swaysons, nor have I needed Mark Flynn’s help to get it back! How does it feel also to know that I made it to the War Games Finals, while you lost before that last year and were not seen again until now?

See, it’s funny that Jenny would call Atara Raven a whore, at least Atara never had the need to cater to Theo Pryce, Mr. Corporate Chaos, nor did I! I am proudly a part of the Trilogy thanks to having won my place there on my own merit - which Included defeating her before she became Television Champion!

But as I’ve been saying, that’s usually a thing that happens when losing to Raion Kido - everyone else gets better enough to achieve something, and that also applies to you - the only reason you have now an XWF contract is so you can get the beatdown you deserve at the hands of the Lion.

Thank whomever you want for that, Chaos - but whatever comes for you after this, don’t forget to thank me.”

*CLANG!*

The Gold Saint of Leo bangs his right fist against his left palm, the sharp metallic impact producing a sound loud enough to be heard from a distance.

This was, after all, exactly as Chaos had wanted, and the Lion would be happy to oblige.

And more than anything else, it would finally be his opening to title contention once more.

“Oh, but I’m not done here, Mr. Former Corporate Chaos. You might want to reminisce about the days of your Universal Title reign, your Triple Crown that nobody cares to remember, or the fact that you’re in the top 50 of the XWF, but so are Atara Themis, Mark Flynn and Bobby Bourbon, and I’ve beaten them.

But since you claim you know all I have done already, I will instead talk about your situation. Because for all of your past history, the only thing that lies beneath are random acts of cruelty that do not in any way translate to actual results.

I mean, what have you actually done, Chaos, since this decade has begun? You have yet to do anything of import since 2018. You have yet to do something, anything, that is more than a mere call for attention under the guise of insanity. Because I’m quite certain, Mr. Joker fanboy, that this isn’t the first time you’re attempting to make someone’s life a living nightmare. As a matter of fact, you’ve tried to do the very same thing to Robert Main in 2020. This very same thing about the XWF hero doing things your way. This same exact thing about you…

Keeping. Coming. Back.”

The sardonic grin that forms upon the Lion’s lips betrays the fury that has appeared in his eyes. What use was there in perpetually disappearing and reappearing only to do nothing of consequence?

Perhaps Jenny Myst and Chris Chaos had that much in common.

But Raion Kido was here to stay - and to be one of the best in the entirety of the XWF.

“And the reason you keep coming back is because you have nothing else for which to hope, Chaos. No credit to your name, no interest from the XWF Universe or anyone in that locker room, no interest at all from Theo Pryce or anyone in the front office.

So little do people remember your accomplishments, it was the first thing you had to bring up after Relentless. At least Bobby Bourbon, Mark Flynn and Atara Themis continue to stay relevant despite being in the top 50 list, and by the way - those are also names of people that I have beaten. You? You just do the same thing, time after time, it almost never works, and it isn’t long before you’re gone again. And come Bad Medicine, that’s exactly what’s going to happen, and Jenny Myst will have another reason to hate me, at least before her rage turns to whoever snatched the Xtreme Title from her next time she decides to take a nap.

And as for myself, I may have my few failures, but I will be damned if I let you count yourself among them, Chaos. That is why, at Bad Medicine, this ends once and for all. Try to hit me with your spear and I shall break your back like Bane did Batman. It’s not going to be pretty. It’s not going to be pleasant. It will not even give me the satisfaction of having done justice, but it has become necessary. And being the one man that ruined the return of Chris Chaos will at least serve for me to get back into title contention, where I am meant to be.”

Raion Kido now reaches for the spear at his side, and points it towards the camera. It was time to end this - and to make for Chris Chaos a demonstration of his fate.

“So get ready, Chaos. T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri, November 27th. At Bad Medicine, the Saint of Athena shall do the job for which he’s meant, to restore order in the world. Bring your spear and try to hit me to your heart’s content, and you’ll only find that the Lion can withstand any of its blows, and more.

As many as it takes, for the sake of justice, and for the sake of the place that I have earned.

And when you finally realize that nothing you can do will even remotely harm me, your eyes will shine with fear - the fear that everyone that has faced the Lion has experienced before the Lightning Bolt laid them down, or before the Lightning Plasma rendered them incapable of doing anything else but writhe and quiver on the mat. And at that moment, that spear on which you pride yourself will be exactly like this...”

The Lion heaves the mighty spear above his head, and with a sudden, almost explosive motion, brings it hard over his knee…

*SNAP!*

“Utterly broken.”

*CLANG! CLANG!*

The two pieces of what once was the spear fall to the ground, briefly clattering for a moment before silence takes over the scene once more.

“And then, Mr. Chaos, I shall break you, and you shall end just as you did after the 2021 War Games, and as you have ended every time for years after one trying to rekindle whatever glory you might have had in the past.

Walking out once more into oblivion, until the next time you resurface to start the same cycle all over again.”

The camera zooms in on the face of the Lion, whose eyes are now shining as brightly as the Gold Cloth of Leo and as the embers in the forge behind - filled with the righteous fury of the Saints of Athena.

“Ashamed. Weeping. Soulless.

Broken."

Fade to black.

3000 words (wordcounter.net)

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