“Three strikes, and the enemy is gone!”

The sound of a ball slipping through the net and a whistle being blown are the background to a practice session in a large basketball court in the sports hall of Osaka University. After the session is over, Saionji Kido goes back to his locker, picking up a towel and a bottle of water, and minding his own business until he is approached by the coach.

“Kido, you got a minute?”

“Yes, coach - oh!”

But the coach isn’t alone - with him is also a man clad in a gray suit and slick graying hair.

“This is Mr. Takenori Mishima, trainer of the wrestling club. We’ve been friends since our days in this university.”

“Good to meet you, young man.”

“And you, Mishima-sensei.”

Saionji makes the customary bow in deference to his coach and the wrestling trainer.

“I admit I am somewhat reluctant to bring this up to you, but Mr. Mishima has been looking for new talent for the club, and I told him I had a guy in my team that acted like a wild animal. You’re good at basketball, but I think you could be an even better wrestler.”

“Coach Endô was kind enough to allow me to watch you during practice, and you seem to be exactly what I’m looking for. Fair build, fairly strong - and the intensity! That was what struck at me the most. I’m sure they must give you funny looks with all that screaming you do, right?”

The young man appears to be somewhat flustered, but the basketball coach gives a slight chuckle.

“At first, but we’re used to it now. We’ve taken to calling him the Lion, between all that roaring and that hair of his. We like that image for the opposition, too!”

“Old habits die hard, coach. When you spend your youth watching Saint Seiya, you tend to pick up some things.”

“Saint Seiya? That’s old, it’s what my kids used to watch in childhood too! But imagine that. Maybe you can bring that to the wrestling ring in time, what do you know?”

“I’ve seen wrestling on T.V., and the stuff those guys do is literally amazing. Must be very hard training too!”

“I won’t lie to you, it is. Not everyone makes it. Sometimes they give up, sometimes they have the drive but the talent just isn’t there, sometimes injuries cut that path short. But you, I know the raw talent is there - you just need to hone it, if you want to dedicate to that. Now… The Lion. I like that. And here…”

Trainer Mishima reaches into his breast pocket and takes out a card, that he proceeds to hand to Saionji. The young man receives it with both hands and takes another bow.

“You can come to the dojo one day and see what it’s like, maybe have a tryout session. No strings attached. I hope I’ll see you there sometime. And Endô, thank you for the chance. You definitely have a talented athlete here.”

Bowing for the final time, Mishima finally leaves. Saionji looks at the card, blinking and gazing at it absent-mindedly.

“Now Kido, I gotta tell you the truth. I’ll miss you if you go, but I won’t hold a grudge. You’ll always have a spot here, but I think this is really your calling. It’s infused into your blood, and I would be lying to you if I said you shouldn’t at least give it a shot. So think about it, okay? See you next practice.”

It’s coach Endô’s turn to leave, and the young athlete is still sitting on the bench, looking at the card he holds between both hands…

“The Lion… a wrestler!”


It’s an early morning in the Mishima Dojo, and Saionji Kido, clad in a simple blue tank top and matching blue training pants, looks from the outside at the building - a square, solid concrete block with a traditional tile wall. He takes a deep breath and steps inside… and what he sees makes his eyes go the size of plates.

Pictures of wrestlers and some belts and trophies line the walls, aspiring athletes drill wrestling techniques, some are practicing their striking on heavy bags, but the very ring - immaculately clean - is at this moment empty. But Saionji doesn’t have too much time to admire the sights as he’s immediately approached by trainer Mishima - not in a suit this time, but in a wrestling singlet.

“Ohh, you’re the young man from the basketball team! Kido, was it? Great that you decided to come by!”

This time, Mishima doesn’t bow - instead, he extends his hand, which Saionji is quick to shake.

“I couldn’t pass the chance, Mishima-sensei! I want to see how far I can go.”

“Good, good, very good. We’ll do a quick tryout right now, see what you can do. Take some time to get ready, then climb into the ring.”

It isn’t long before Saionji is inside the ring, and training partner in front of him, and Trainer Mishima between them both.

“Alright, Sanada. We want to see what this guy can do, so show him something basic. And you, Kido, no matter what Sanada here does, try to put him on the ground. Keep his shoulders down for a count of three, you win. If he keeps you down for three, you lose. Ready? Go!”

*SLAM!*

Before Saionji can even react, he finds himself at the receiving end of a tackle by Sanada, his back on the mat, and Sanada covering him.

“One! Two! Th-!”

But Saionji manages to put his shoulder up! Sanada doesn’t give up and forces him to his feet, but Kido begins to fight back! He targets Sanada’s ribs with some shots, and eventually Sanada reels. Kido charges forward and throws a punch, but he’s met with a block and a clinch, before his opponent drives him to the ground with a belly to belly suplex!

*SLAM!*

Kido is once again left looking at the ceiling lights, and on another pin attempt…

“One! Two! Th-!”

But Kido kicks out once more! Sanada looks at trainer Mishima and nods.

“Looking good, Mishima-sensei. He’s got some fight in him!”

Sanada goes again to bring Kido to his feet and puts him in a bear hug, but at this point, the young tryout is already feeling his blood boil…

“BURN, COSMOS! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH…!!!”

Bellowing a mighty battlecry, and with his body locked in the bearhug, Kido decides to use the only body part he can still move - his head. A stiff headbutt onto Sanada manages to stun him enough for him to break free, and Kido decides to make the best he can out of the opportunity. He lands a few shots on the stunned Sanada’s stomach, and then pulls his arm back, concentrating all his strength, to land a punch square on the chest! Sanada looks like he’s been struck by lightning and slumps down on the mat, and Kido goes to cover!

“One! Two! Three!”

Sanada manages to kick out, but just right after Mishima’s hand has slapped the mat for the third time! He gets up, shaking his head in disbelief, and approaches Kido. Rather than furious, he seems amused - as if he’d just been the target of a joke.

“Hahaha! How unexpected! I seem to have taken a bit later to catch my breath.”

But while he appears in good condition, Kido seems utterly exhausted.

“Easy now, Sanada, you’ll end up killing him, and that won’t do.”

Kido can barely understand what’s going on, but Sanada extends his hand. Kido shakes it, with no small amount of doubt.

“I know you’re confused right now, Kido, but had Sanada been serious, you wouldn’t have ever got up the first time. This wasn’t for you to win - it was to test how long you could go. And you’ve passed that test with flying colors!”

“But I’ll tell you this. That last hit, I’ll watch out next time. I wouldn’t want to be caught by that once you’ve got some training going on!”

“Well lad, it was exactly as your coach said. You are very much the Lion he said, and from now on… I dub you Raion Kido!”

And in between the short breaths he takes, and as he struggles to stand himself upright, young Saionji Kido knows that he has indeed become the Lion from the dreams of his childhood…

“Always remember: Three strikes, and the enemy is gone!”



Slowly but surely, the sun is disappearing down the Pacific Ocean, painting a breathtaking landscape of red and golden hues. In this majestic setting, there is nothing down but water, and nothing above but sky. Among the whisper of the water, and the whistle of the air, the sound of a propeller rumbles, belonging to a small airplane that crosses the sky of the Hamakua coast, in whose tail are painted three strikes resembling a claw.

“We stand one day away from the showcase match in Warfare that Thaddeus Duke desired, and for which he sought me.

Allow me to state that again: We stand just one day away from what could very well be a Main Event, in the XWF’s flagship show where Thaddeus Duke has made his home. I was invited to come here, to Thaddeus Duke’s home, to do a showcase match.”

Inside the plane is Raion Kido, leaning out of the aircraft’s window, his lion’s mane being swept back in the breeze.

“Lots of things have happened since that initial time at Fire and Ice, and now, the situation has once again made a drastic change from what it was back then. Before that show took place, Raion Kido was just a Japanese import that had managed to get a buzz going on, and garnered just a bit of attention, before the opener of that card had even taken place. After the match was over, he was the newest member of the XWF roster, a guy that came out of nowhere, and made an impression with a win against one of the XWF’s hottest new prospects after coming in as nothing more than a replacement.

Thaddeus Duke, conversely, just made it to 50 wins. He wiped Sebastian Duke out of XWF history for good. He had regained the love of the XWF Universe and of Corey Smith, and inherited the kingdom that belongs to the Duke name. He finally became the Lionheart, and he was looking forward to testing his mettle against another Lion.

And just one day away from the match Thaddeus Duke wanted to have, that guy that came out of nowhere defeated a member of the Hall of Legends and number one contender for the Television Title… and now has been propelled to the Main Event, to face nothing less than the Television Champion. Just in the span of two matches. Not too bad for someone who wasn’t even a blip on the radar a month ago, right?”

Raion gives his sly grin, chest puffed up, irradiating confidence. After all, it wasn’t every day that a wrestler found himself in a title match, and even less so within the first five matches in his entire career. His path up to this point had been nothing short of extraordinary.

The Lion, therefore, had to show that he was an extraordinary wrestler.

“If I were Thaddeus Duke, and I’d won what could have possibly been the biggest match of my career and my very life so far, I would be delighted at the next challenge. Wasn’t that what he said? Didn’t he want to teach me a thing or two? Didn’t he want to beat me, but make me better for having done it?

I mean, I would feel the same exact way. And it would be my honor to be the one to hand one of the most promising prospects in the XWF his first loss. Right before having been thrust into a title match, too. A taste of the challenges to come, a taste of the hardships that await me in what could possibly be the toughest wrestling promotion in the world!

Alas, here’s where we encounter a problem, ladies and gentlemen. Less than 24 hours away from Warfare, to the showcase he desired. The present vs. the future. The Lionheart vs. the Lion. The match that was going to set the bar as Thaddeus has so many times!

And to this moment, again, less than 24 hours away from Wednesday Night Warfare… Thaddeus Duke is more concerned about his wife, than he is about his opponent.”

The Lion comes into a pause, letting the sound of the airplane fill the air in the open vastness of the Hawaiian sky. Thaddeus was intent on teaching him a lesson, but Raion had some knowledge of his own to share.

Perhaps both men would be better for it, at the end of the day, but Raion was dedicated to giving the Lionheart the very reality check that the latter had promised him.

And here was strike one.

“If I were Thaddeus Duke - and I’m not, but if I were - I’d be dedicating my every waking hour to see just how in the world I would approach Raion Kido. I would be completely dedicated to bringing him down and to prove that my words about teaching him something are true. Because, and I don’t pretend to know James Raven other than by name, I’m certain that’s exactly what happened when these two met. Otherwise, Thaddeus would have walked out the winner, and he wouldn’t have anything to teach me.

Because, see, when you’re so high up that the people below start to become ants or mere numbers, you start losing track of how exactly you got to where you are. You think you’ve seen it all, done it all, but you tend to overlook the most important fact: the people down there haven’t. And they’re looking exactly to do the same exact thing you did before.

He doesn’t think promotion is everything, but tell me - just what exactly will get the XWF Universe involved in the match if you don’t make them care? Do you want them to cheer for you? Do you want them to hate you, or even fear you? What was that talk about the XWF Universe accepting you back? What was that talk about promotion not being everything now? Will you turn your back on them right after declaring your love for them? Will you elevate me and the XWF through sheer indifference?

Raion draws a heavy sigh. Thaddeus, he was sure, meant well. He could very well believe his sincerity. But he wasn’t going to let that get in the way of what he had to do. He had been expected to deliver a challenge, and that is exactly his intent.

“Listen, Thaddeus, I get it, I really do. Love is a rollercoaster, it’s unpredictable, it sweeps your feet off the floor and you’ve come to love your wife with a passion. Long live the King and Queen, I hope you have a blessed marriage, and I wish all prosperity to your kingdom. I’m sure those private matters you’re running now can’t be easy either; all of that is hitting you simultaneously, and your head is a whirlwind right now. Believe me, I know I couldn’t ever find myself in that situation and I still make the effort to sympathize with you.

But hear me out, nonetheless. We’re approaching a time where all of that has to be put aside. When you’re about to take off, and when you’re up in the air, you have no time to worry about anything down below. You only have to make sure you stay alive. Because from the time you called for me, and even with another match on the way and now a title match coming, I’ve been still solely focused on what I have in front of me - and that’s you, Thaddeus Duke. To return the honor you’ve done to me. To give you exactly what you wanted, and exactly what you deserve.

That is why I said what I said last time, Thaddeus. You want to talk about that roadblock, that first loss that comes when you face an opponent of a different quality than what you have so far faced, as James Raven was for you. But that’s exactly what I was trying to tell you when I did my second message. The cautionary tale to put things in perspective. The reality check that reminds you of your own mortality.

There’s always that moment that strikes us all, and it pushes us to be better than we had up until then been. But here’s the thing, Thaddeus - I just come to the XWF. I can lose any time and it would mean nothing, because after all, I’m just new, as Xavier Lux is. Everyone loses in their careers and I’m no stranger to the fact that some time, someone will manage to beat me. But even if you claim you’re head and shoulders above Centurion, he too has a slew of titles, and was a Champion until not too long ago. He too has a record, and a greater one than yours. He too has it all and is still here coming back for more. The reckoning came for him last Saturday.

Tomorrow, it’s coming for you.”

Raion stands still as he raises an eyebrow, and the shadow of a smile reappears on his face. Thaddeus Duke might have seen all that’s transpired, but it didn’t look like he fully understood the road the Lion had taken up to this point. It was time for the Lion to make him understand.

And this was strike two.

“Oh, and by the way - before we faced, Centurion himself tried to tell me he was a step above the other wrestlers too. Haven’t I shown that I learned that lesson already? Furthermore, you want to talk to me about complacency after I’ve warned you against it?

I’m sorry, Thaddeus, but doesn’t the irony of that strike you? While I have been dedicated to nothing else than giving the best of myself I can give against any opponent that has come that way, you’re openly telling me that you have no plans or any further goals to accomplish! What could have possessed you to tell me that? What am I, what is every other member of the XWF roster supposed to say to something like that? At least Centurion is motivated enough to say he’s still in this because he wants to adapt to the times and test himself against the wrestlers of today. What does it say of Thaddeus Duke that he says outright, to an opponent of a match he himself wanted, that he just wants to dedicate to his wife and kids?

Seriously, Thaddeus, you’re a former Champion of multiple titles! You have a record many would dream of ever attaining! Are you literally saying here that you have no drive? It’s that same exact thing I told you in my last message, Thaddeus. It’s your own brain playing tricks on you. It’s your false sense of security that will get ultimately wiped out in a few hours.

Take a stop to think on your own words, for one fraction of a second, and put things in perspective. If all you want to do is be a husband and a father, it’s much easier than it seems. Get off the ring, hang up the boots, and go live out the rest of your days in bliss with your family. You have it all already, so you might as well do that, and leave your place for people that want to fight for it.

Meanwhile, I don’t have a wife or children, nor do I have my life already provided for. I’m just making my way here, and I’m not letting the place that I’ve earned for myself here be taken just yet. I’ll be here in a month, a year, ten years, whatever it takes. I’ve just come to the wrestling world on a global scale, and the only way for me to go is to the grave. But until the day I no longer wrestle, I’ll be giving it my entire all, night in, night out. Whether it’s making an impression out of nowhere against someone on a winning streak as was Fire and Ice; or beating a legend like Centurion; or taking the Television Title away from Charlie Nickles. Every match has its reason to be, and therein do I draw my motivation. There’s always something to hunt. There’s always something for a Lion to stay hungry.”

Raion peels back his teeth as the plane approaches over the Kīlauea volcano, the flowing lava visible above the rock in the Hawaiian dusk. Thaddeus Duke wanted to be his very first loss, the motivation for him to soar more than he had already. Deep down, he could respect that. But his soul burned by the desire to prevent that.

And like the lava below, his cosmos was ignited. It was time for strike three.

“And tomorrow, that hunger is for me to show Thaddeus Duke that, noble as his motivations may be, he has stepped into a different game. Your desire to emulate James Raven in this is commendable, since you claim that as your inspiration, but I stated the first time that I was going to attempt a miracle.

But as we come to the final hours of this to happen, and in the face of all that’s transpired until now… suddenly the miracle doesn’t seem that impossible now, Thaddeus.

We came to this, you and I, as the established superstar whose name is already set in stone, and the rookie wrestler that had just pulled off just one win in his debut. But in the time between now and Fire and Ice, Thaddeus Duke is still the established superstar that has done it all… and Raion Kido is now a title contender in the fourth match of his career. For that same title that you have held twice.

And while I’m sure that I’m not the only one to have made it that far in that short a time, that says something about Raion Kido that even you can’t miss. From zero matches whatsoever to having a Legend give me his own opportunity out of sheer respect. It teaches us something about Raion Kido that you’re going to learn first hand tomorrow.

It teaches us that while Thaddeus Duke wants to be the reason Raion Kido is better, Raion Kido’s only reason to be better is himself.

It teaches us that when Raion Kido promises, he always delivers.

And more importantly, it shows that Raion Kido doesn’t just talk about miracles - he makes them into reality.”

The plane begins to turn back to the coast of Hawaii, as the Lion points towards the screen. One day before the match, Thaddeus Duke still seemed like other more important affairs were on his mind. But whether or not he would come through, Raion held up to his end.

It was time to end this, and to give Thaddeus Duke the showcase he wanted - even if the ending would be somewhat… unexpected.

“I’ve said my peace already, Thaddeus, and said enough words. Now I come to show you deeds, and the XWF Universe will once more be witnesses, as they have already been. I’ve already shown them twice, and at Wednesday Night Warfare, they, and you, will see it for a third time. But you’ll do more than see, Thaddeus. You will feel the shockwave of the referee’s hand as he sets into stone the premise of this entire message...”

Raion sticks his fist towards the camera, and counts with his fingers.

One, two, three.

“Three strikes in the sky, and Thaddeus Duke is gone.”

Fade to black.