“Memento Mori…”

Night has fallen over Osaka, and just like any other day, the Kido family is gathered over for dinner. But there would not be family entertainment this time, nor laughter or smiles. Instead, there is only shock, and dread, as the family watch the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, and the destruction brought forth by not one, but two natural disasters in quick succession - first an earthquake, then a tsunami, that laid waste over the Fukushima prefecture - and, as if that hadn’t already been enough, the meltdown of the power plant located there.

“This is already said to be the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in our country, and the nuclear meltdown is the worst since Chernobyl…”

The quake had been felt even in distant Osaka, but even though there were only a few tremors and shaking objects in the Kido household, the devastation broadcast all over national T.V. had made the family distraught - deeply sunk in the realization that, had the disaster struck the city itself, perhaps they would have lost their home, or even their very lives.

“Those poor souls…”

“It’s terrible! The mere thought that it could have been here!”

Saionji Kido, now a boy of 12, right before he began the road that would make him a man, could do nothing but look at the T.V. aghast. His mother Ayaka, shaking like a leaf, moves over him and clutches him, partly for his sake, partly for her own. Saionji returns her hug, trying to give what comfort he can.

“Mama, don’t worry. It was not here! We felt the shock, but we’re okay, and we’re together. In the end, that’s what matters.”

“I know, dear, I know. I just…!”

Ayaka sighs, as Saionji places a kiss on her cheek. The plates of tamagoyaki on the table remain full - none of the family could bring themselves to eat with the terrible feeling of doom that remains in them while watching the images from the T.V.

“What I would really like to know is if there was not something, anything, there could have been done to, I don’t know…”

“What do you think could have been done, Saionji? It came literally out of nowhere! Even if they could have evacuated on time, there was nothing to stop that wave, and the power plant… it was just one thing after another, it was literally impossible.”

“Even if we can warn people of natural disasters?”

Mitsumasa decides to turn off the T.V., before turning to his son.

“Son, we live in a country that has dealt with these events since time immemorial. Today we have technology and knowledge, and can warn people of some things, but can we actually stop them? Can we stop an earthquake from ever occurring, can we stop a tsunami from even forming? Especially when they are of this magnitude?”

His eye remains fixed on Saionji, who slowly shakes his head no.

“We can try and hope for the best, but in the end, this is just nature. Nature is older than us humans, and whatever we build, it will eventually bring down, with no regard for anything that we’ve done. We can try to build again and we will, but in the end… we’re just mere men. As fallible and as mortal as any other. And all we have built, it takes but a moment for nature to take away.”

He sighs, not without a certain note of sadness, as Saionji looks down at his plate without uttering a word.

“But you were right. We’re here, we’re whole, and we’re together. That’s a comfort, and in the end, we still have our lives, so we can count ourselves fortunate. Never lose that outlook in life, Saionji. Sometimes it’s the only thing we have to keep us from despair.”

“I won’t, Papa.”

After a short silence, the family finally begins to eat…


The years have passed since that night, and now it is a regular day in the city, and the morning light shines through the window in a classroom within Kitano High School. Very little sound is heard but for a teacher’s voice giving her lecture, interrupted once in a while by the sound of the chalk upon the blackboard in which she makes an occasional note, and the scribbling of the students in their respective notebooks.

“... and once a Roman general had won a great battle, achieved a great victory and conquered some new land for Rome, he entered back to the city in a massive ceremony which we know as the Triumph. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of people lined the streets cheering as they saw his horse-drawn chariot pass, along with the captives he’d enslaved, and the riches he’d plundered.”

Some of the students are definitely in wonder at the teacher’s lesson, staring at her in complete enrapturement, with the occasional “ohhhs” and “wooows” that can be heard if one sets their ear to it. One of them, however, has remained silent, a knowing smile upon his face.

“But! Here is an interesting detail. Among the adulation that this hero received from all around, he always had to have a slave behind to chastise him. Any of you would want to guess why that was?”

The murmur of the students dies down to complete silence, as they try to figure out the answer. But right then, a hand raises, belonging to a young man whose unkempt hair makes a hard contrast with his perfectly neat blue uniform - and whose smile hinted that he already knew the answer.

“I can try, Matsuda-sensei.”

“Kido! Go ahead.”

Kido stands up straight and stiff, and once he begins to talk, the words that come out of his lips stream in a torrent that cannot be easily stopped.

“To remind the conquering hero that he was still a mortal. It was a cautionary tale not to let this great triumph go to his head, and to put things in perspective, so he knew that this victory, while a moment to be enjoyed, wasn’t something that would always happen, and that this general could very well be defeated - and even killed - the next battle. If what I remember is right, what the slave said was “memento mori” - “remember you’re mortal”.

Saionji Kido draws a deep breath, his face now somewhat pensive.

“It applies to civilization as a whole as well - sometimes, at our height, catastrophes happen, despite all of our achievements, and we’re again reminded by nature that we are only mortal. My old man told me that at the time of Fukushima.”

Professor Matsuda gives the bold student a big smile, and a short clap.

“Outstanding, Kido! The best possible answer, I am impressed! Can I ask from where you learned this?”

Kido is somewhat flustered at the compliment, but blurts out the answer without delay.

“When I was in kindergarten, my mom would tell me tales from the Classical Age before bedtime. And I learned a lot from Saint Seiya as well - it’s why I decided to take this course!”

“The Gold Saint of Leo strikes again! Nice going, Kido-kun!”

Some of the other students in the class make this jest, eliciting a short round of laughter. Fortunately, Kido knows this is without malice, so he allows himself a big toothy grin.

“Well, I guess you always find knowledge from any source. It’s great that you manage to pick up things from something you’re passionate about, Kido. Now let’s get back to the lesson… and try to do something about that hair!”


The midday sun shines in a clear blue sky over the island of Hawaii, which gives the U.S. State its name. A number of volcanoes make up this island, and among them is the Mauna Loa - rather than a mountain, a rather flat, rounded elevation - almost akin to a warrior’s shield. Little more than a breeze flows over the rocky landscape of the Mauna Loa - solid, barren, volcanic rock as far as the eye can see, with nothing of interest in the emptiness around the trail…

“In this paradise island in which the XWF will hold Wednesday Night Warfare, there is a dormant, yet devastating danger, in the form of a force of nature that, should it awaken once more, cannot be stopped.”

… were it not for the fact that the Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano in the world. Fortunately for the inhabitants of Hawaii, its last eruption was recorded more than thirty years ago, and the shield volcano is now part of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, a scenic and hiking spot over which is built a trail with access to the Mauna Loa’s very summit.

“It’s always been there, always will be, and after its last strike, it may very well sleep forever. Or maybe some time, when we least expect it, it will strike again, and ruin all human creation that finds itself in its path.”

And standing on the summit is Raion Kido, clad in his usual black tank top and jeans, as he gazes at the Mauna Loa’s caldera - a crater where the eruptions would have occurred. A grave silence fills the air before the Lion turns towards the camera.

“There is a lesson to be learned therein - this is the danger hidden in paradise, in our triumph of civilization. No matter how long, or how little it lasts, there will always be something there to bring it down, and remind us of our own mortality.

But oftentimes, this lesson goes unnoticed. Maybe because we don’t think there will be something that can topple us from the glory we’ve achieved, maybe because we, deep down, don’t want to believe the paradise we live in may ever be in danger. That the triumph we have achieved is so great that nothing will ever threaten us again.

Or maybe because we’re too busy creating our own paradise to pay heed to the dangers that may threaten it. And here, ladies and gentlemen, is where we come to the match between Thaddeus Duke and I.”

Raion gives the camera a stern look, before a wry smile appears on his lips. It was no secret that Thaddeus Duke was looking forward to this contest, and the Lion had to do his best to meet expectations. But at the same time, it did not look from Thaddeus’s perspective that the young Osaka athlete would be much of a threat.

It was Raion’s charge, therefore, to disabuse him, every other wrestler in the company, and the XWF Universe, of this notion.

“It appears that Thaddeus Duke is a very busy man that has many important matters to which he must turn. Whether he’s ruling his kingdom, flirting around on social media, or making speeches from the bottom of the heart about the XWF Universe and his past, there’s always something else he must attend; so the fact that he’s taken the time of day to spare a look my way is something I should be grateful for, and of course, I am.

Of course, I’m not any of all that Thaddeus is, nor do I have anything that he has, and that brings a certain amount of freedom, like I have right now to focus solely on him.

And before we get started - I have the utmost respect for Thaddeus and his achievements, I think I have already said that. And I have no doubt that he means every word he’s said about me, for which I am thankful as well, and no matter the outcome of this match, that’s not going to change.

But there’s something here that I can’t overlook, Thaddeus. Despite the compliments, despite the good name you want to bring to the XWF and your coming clean on your feelings towards Corey, you’re talking about this match as if you’d already won.

And it’s my duty to advise you not to underestimate me.”

Raion’s smile vanishes, and in his face there’s only determination. This is, after all, a man who was involved in a brutal fight. He was on top of the world, and now, after soul-searching and coming clean, had everything he could possibly want.

But, as appropriate for the triumphant hero, the Lion was there to remind him of his own mortality. To be the force of nature that would put the Lionheart to the test.

“Because see, Thaddeus, this is what happens when you get carried away. It’s understandable, though, you’re a young man that has gone a long way and can get anything - or anyone - he wants, but in the end, you lack the awareness that wanting for nothing takes away from you. This is what happens when your brain tells you you’re invincible, that nothing can harm you. It’s lying to you. It’s making you become complacent.

And your complacency is starting to show in that emotional speech you had last time. Don’t get me wrong, it really was a beautiful speech you made about awakening as the Lionheart, about Corey Smith and how you felt, but tell me something. Was this in any way about our match? The very match you sought against me? The match that you want it to be a Main Event even if it doesn’t hold that spot in the card, that you want the XWF Universe to see and later try to top?

Or has your own conscience betrayed you, and one more time, Thaddeus Duke is again making this solely about himself?”

This time Raion cocks his head to the side. His mouth is smiling, but his eyes are not. Thaddeus might want to make it his moment one more time, but the chance was given to him. And he would make that moment his own.

It was time for Thaddeus Duke, and the XWF as a whole, to taste the fangs of the Lion.

“In case the point has missed you, Thaddeus, it’s that same complacency that proved to be Xavier Lux’s downfall. That same arrogance that leads you to say I’m going to learn some things about myself. And maybe I will, both in this match and down the line, but not because you teach them to me. Let me, rather, teach something to you now, Thaddeus.

For myself, this isn’t meant to be just another match. The mere mention of your name next to mine makes this a golden opportunity, and I’m preparing for it as it deserves - as the greatest match of my entire career, because so far, it is. And therefore, I made sure when I started to give it the respect it deserves, as it should. Because you’re the incomparable Thaddeus Duke, the Lionheart. 50 wins in the XWF, former holder of multiple titles…”

Pausing to take a deep breath, the young wrestler from Osaka exhales. This was the most important point to make. Thaddeus might have even been sincere and meant well in his words. But the burden to prove himself was on him, and himself alone - and he would take it to the limit. It was now time for his cosmos to burn.

When Raion Kido next speaks, his voice is the mighty Lion’s roar, resonating across the barren rock of the Mauna Loa Summit trail.


“...and in return, I get nothing but a few condescending mentions! I get nothing but a passing mention of a match that I was asked by my own opponent to do! Seriously, I spoke about the most basic form of promotion at Fire and Ice, and what I’m seeing right now it’s the exact same thing! Is this the example you want to give to the XWF Universe, Thaddeus? Is this what you want the whole roster to set their eyes on? Is this what the Lionheart wants to bring to the table?

For the sake of everyone watching, I hope it's not the case. For your sake as well, and for the sake of everyone in the XWF roster, I hope you turn your eyes outward for just one minute to look at what is in front of you, because you’re coming dangerously close to learning this fundamental truth: Complacency is the mother of all disasters.

The wind is gentle, the water is clear, the beach’s sand is golden, and you’re living in literal paradise. And in one single moment, a catastrophe happens, something that wasn’t expected in years, maybe even decades, and takes it all away. The paradise we’ve built for ourselves is entirely lost.”

One more silence, as the Lion slashes both his arms, the very motion cutting the air around him, in the otherwise silent mountain, the very silence that precedes the strike of nature.

The Lion might be young, fresh, and may have a lot of things to learn, that much was true. But he didn’t get to the XWF because of nothing. And here was a perfect opportunity for the XWF Universe to learn that, wild and ferocious as Raion Kido is, he also knows a thing or two outside the ring.

“And a point that further drives this idea that you’re stuck up your own backside in complacency is the fact that you think that I’m going to lose this match for some mistake you assume I will make. Better yet, let’s be honest, and call that for what it truly is - some mistake that you want me to make.

Tell me now Thaddeus, are you serious? What am I to understand by that statement of yours? Is that how you approach every single match you have? Was your entire 50-win record built entirely on opponents making mistakes? Did you beat your own father, in a brutal, grueling match in which you got your back crushed against a ringpost, by simply waiting for him to make a mistake?

I’m sorry, but I refuse to believe it was Thaddeus Duke that said these words. This can’t be the Thaddeus Duke that asked for me by name. This can’t be the Lionheart that I saw win at Fire and Ice. And this simply cannot be the Thaddeus Duke I want to beat. Because winning against a man this self-absorbed, this distracted, this utterly oblivious to the quality of competition that the XWF deserves will be nothing short of disappointing - both for me, and for himself.

And as I said at the very beginning, I came to the XWF to make the souls of the XWF Universe burn as does mine. I came to be a warrior of hope, for the XWF Universe to rally behind, and for the rest of the roster to watch and learn what a warrior must be. That’s the goal I dedicate myself to, and that’s exactly what you shall get come Wednesday Night Warfare.

So when you finally fall, when the Lionheart falls to the actual Lion, know that it was because you failed to understand the meaning of this match. You wanted a showcase and that’s exactly what you got - you just didn’t know how deeply the word actually went.”

But as he’s finished these words, the wry, knowing smile again creeps up to the Lion’s lips as he gives a mischievous wink. Thaddeus said he had things to learn, but the Lion would show him that he already knew a thing or two - and better yet, he could put what he knew to good use.

“But you know what? Perhaps you’re right after all, Thaddeus. Perhaps I’ll be better for having been in this match. Perhaps I’ll learn a thing or two as well - perhaps I won’t be lured into being another sacrificial lion for our newly-anointed Lionheart, and will instead be a credible threat that makes the proverbial alarm bell ring inside his head once he’s rolled out of the ring. The sobering wake-up call that comes after a night of revelling. The force of nature that threatens all of your creation. The very reminder that you are still but a mortal.

Perhaps I won’t be maneuvering my way to the spotlight, and I’ll earn my place in this show just like I did at Fire and Ice - not only because of my words, but also because of my deeds. Because I did not ask for this match, at this show, and I find myself here because of your challenge. I did not come here to be handed anything. I did not come here merely to trade nice words, and given the opportunities that I’ve received, I’m not going to waste them away in a contest of pleasantry.

For above everything else, we are meant to be warriors, you and I, and if you will not give this the utmost of your body and soul as I vowed I would in every match, you’ll find yourself on the receiving end of a much needed reminder of your own mortality, as a reward for your own complacence. I’m warning you of that now, Thaddeus, for that’s what awaits you at Warfare.

And perhaps - and here’s the most important thing-, I won’t put the cart before the horse and assume this is already a done deal, unlike you, dear Thaddeus, who seem to insinuate that. The great Thaddeus Duke, the Lionheart, the one that gave a shining example of what a wrestler should be at Fire and Ice, is now falling victim to his fatal flaw once more. Only this time, there will be no redemption. There will be no heroic fight that ends with the crowd forgiving you for past sins. There will only be the realization that you let your worst enemy defeat you once more, just milliseconds before the Lightning Bolt strikes your heart and puts you away.

The realization that your worst enemy is none other than yourself.”

Raion throws a punch forward. In just a few phrases, Thaddeus Duke had given him the exact motivation he needed. The cosmos was burning, and so were his words.

From one Lion to another, this was his way to prove it. Were their positions reversed, he would expect nothing less.

“And perhaps, I’ll even be strong enough to pull off the win that you so desperately want to deny me. Perhaps I won’t come to this match expecting for Thaddeus Duke to make mistakes, even though that’s exactly what he seems to be doing right now, but I still hold out hope.

Whether you make my hope worthwhile or waste it as you seem to do this match, however - that falls entirely on you.

But don’t worry - once this is over, you’ll get back up again. You’ll have a new head on your shoulders, now awakened by the thought of the impending doom that always awaits us, and you’ll go back to the straight path. And for that, you’ll have me to thank. Because, while most people aren’t Thaddeus Duke, that goes without saying, here’s the thing - no one is Raion Kido.

And at Wednesday Night Warfare, I’m going to demonstrate to you all exactly who and what Raion Kido is: The one that brought the Lionheart down, in front of the entire XWF Universe, in his own flagship show.

Because, my fellow Lion, that is what happens when you underestimate a force of nature. Everything that you’ve built, every triumph, every achievement you pride yourself in, the paradise you live in…”

The Lion looks at the mouth of the Mauna Loa - the mighty crater from which the fury of the earth once erupted, and from which it could erupt once again, at any given time, at the least expected moment.

A fury that he would make his own.

“… it only takes but one moment, for a force of nature to destroy it all.”

Raion points at the camera for one final time, as the camera zooms in on his face.

“Memento Mori.”

Fade to black.