“The first flagship show of 2023, three Television Title contenders, and no one seems to care.”

And what was more, Snow Job was coming right after. But Raion Kido had already faced enough newcomers and returning wrestlers.

It was time for him to move on.

“But if they will not care, then I shall!”

“Oi, kid. Are you going to guess the code already?”

The old man at the other end of the table looked at the Lion’s absent-minded expression, which returns the Saint of Athena to the Mastermind board. It was a sunny morning in Newark’s Independence Park, so Raion thought it nice to have a stroll around the park. His curiosity was drawn at the sight of people playing board games in the park’s tables, and that led to his current predicament at the game of Mastermind.

Pegs of many colors are scattered around the table, the board empty but for the hidden pegs behind the board’s hinged shield - to which only the old man has access.

“Oh, sorry. First time I play Mastermind, sir.”

“First time, eh? Well, Mastermind is easy enough to play, son, though not so much to win. Just guess my code, put the pegs in the big holes, and I’ll tell you how right you guessed with the white and black pegs in the little holes. You have 10 guesses, and if you don’t get it, I win. Now go!”

“Let’s see…”

It was the logical thing to do to rule out one color, at least.

BLUE BLUE BLUE BLUE

The old man makes no movement.

“Sorry, kid. All wrong.”

“So we know there’s no blue. Okay, let’s try again…”

GREEN GREEN GREEN GREEN

The old man puts one black peg in one of the smaller holes.

“One right color in its right place. Go ahead!”

“Now we know there’s one green. Let’s see what else...”

ORANGE ORANGE GREEN GREEN

One more time, one black peg, but nothing else.

“So no orange, either. Hmm...”

PURPLE PURPLE GREEN GREEN

This time, the old man puts three black pegs in the smaller holes, leaving one empty.

“There’s purple, and there’s green, but there’s just one green, eh?”

RED PURPLE GREEN GREEN

Two black pegs this time.

“Getting cold again, son.”

“No red, got it. Let’s rule out the last remaining color.”

YELLOW PURPLE GREEN GREEN

No change - still two black pegs.

“So it comes down to purple and green. Just a matter of guessing where they go…”

PURPLE GREEN GREEN GREEN

Two black pegs once more.

“Three more guesses, kid. You’re on the right path, you just have to try harder.”

But at this point, a wide grin breaks out in Raion’s face. He points out at the board - where a green peg on the right side has been in most of his guesses.

“I think I got it, sir. There’s only one green and it’s always been right, and that’s the last green.”

He then points out at its best guess so far, the one with two purple pegs and two green ones.

“Here we have two purple pegs on the left side, which seems to be the correct guess. So we know the first two pegs will be purple, and the last peg will be green. That leaves only the third peg remaining, and we know it can’t be a green. All other colors have been ruled out, which leaves us with only one choice. Therefore…”

Finally, the Lion enters the final combination on the board.

PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE GREEN

And with another smile, the old man places four black pegs.

“There you go! You really do have a nice head between those shoulders, young man.”

The Lion answers with a small shrug of his shoulders.

“I’m wrestling someone that goes by the Mastermind next weekend, sir. I figured I might try to work on my brain a bit!”

“You’ve certainly come to the right place!”

Raion now makes a respectful bow.

“And it seems to have paid off, sir, for what I have to do next Saturday. I’m going to prove to these people that the Lion’s code cannot be easily broken.”

Rising from his chair, he reaches into the box of his Golden Cloth…


“It is the first Weekend Warfare, the merger of Warfare and Savage, to take place in 2023. It is supposed, therefore, to be a special occasion.

You are coming from losing a match for the Television Title, thrust into a three way match with the former XWF Universal Champion and one of the top wrestlers in the world - this is no mere boast, you can go and search it on social media.

If I were in this situation, I’d think I would at least attempt to make the most of it. Wouldn’t you, ladies and gentlemen? Would not anyone?”

Thus does Raion begin, amidst the wilderness of Independence Park. A penetrant, inquiring stare is on his eyes as he fixes them at the camera.

“And yet, faced with this possibility, Marf Swaysons and Geri Vayden are nowhere to be found. What exactly am I supposed to say?

Well, I don’t know, friends. Maybe Marf is still pining over Lycana, as if that meant he’d find her, and she’d even want his attention, but hope springs eternal in the human breast. Maybe they’ll come away together, to live happily ever after, and let themselves be rightly forgotten.

Maybe Geri Vayden is still hoping Vinnie Lane will take pity on her yet again after she once again neglected to take the XWF seriously. Maybe she’ll become a full-time mother, nothing wrong with that.

But as far as I am concerned, I have nothing else to tell them. They’ve chosen to waste my time and yours, and you deserve better.

Come Weekend Warfare, I shall be certain to make it quick and return them to oblivion, from where they never should have left.”

Neither Geri Vayden nor Marf Swaysons seemed to be interested in his match, but that was their loss. There was an example to set, and that only meant that the cosmos had to burn.


“Which leaves us with the one competitor that has all the heart the others lack, but unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case with his brain, which, considering he’s the Mastermind, is nothing short of embarrassing.

So let me ask you something, Mr. Genius. You have not really thought any of this through, have you? You really have to wonder why they put me in a match with the three of you? Has it not occurred to you that it’s not me that’s being put to the test here, but all of you? Here you face someone that, even without a title, is almost certain to give you a challenge - a harder one that you have encountered in the entirety of 2022.

This is supposed to be your big break, Mastermind! Imagine what happens when the Mastermind beats Raion Kido, it would be bigger than Raion Kido beating ALIAS! The very unthinkable unfolding right in front of the people’s eyes - right at the beginning of 2023!

That’s what you had going for you. You had the chance of a lifetime to bring light to this fact, and instead, you’ve chosen to let it slip away in favor of the same, generic “I’m in your mind” drivel that not one person has ever heard before.

And since it looks like I’m going to have to explain this, even though I should not, that last sentence was ironic.”

A silence and a smirk from the Saint of Athena.

“But obviously, our friend Mastermind isn’t a complete fool. At least he notices that I was on the top of the XWF less than six months ago, and that I did indeed lose to Mark Flynn. Something to be rectified, which I shall do eventually, but in the meantime, I’ve been proving why I am one of the best here and in the business in its entirety, to which undoubtedly shall serve the fact that, unlike you, I have been undefeated since October.

Granted, I have not been involved in title matches, but I have been rebuilding, and I have beaten every other new talent that crossed paths against me - including one of the current tag team champions.

And what would be the point anyway? I have my briefcase that I could use at any time, except I’ve been saving it for the right moment and for the one title that I have held, and one you shall never reach.

Which brings me, friends, to my next point. The so-called Mastermind is flat-out admitting that he shall never be able to hold the Universal Title! Not only is he showing his lack of ambition and dedication to being the best he could possibly be, he also seems confident in saying he can take every other one... like the Television Title he just failed to obtain. Or the Anarchy Title he failed to win back from Edward.

And he thinks he can beat me this way. Brilliant plan of attack, Mastermind. I am truly in awe.”

A deadpan expression crosses the Lion’s face, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"But I’m not even done here, ladies and gentlemen! Not content with boasting of something that was clearly proven wrong in his very last match, our genius friend here has the gall to claim I have not been at my best.

Really, Mastermind? That’s your new plan of attack? Suddenly that narrative falls flat on its face when I point out that no one else has been able to beat me in the XWF since Relentless, which raises the question: If I’m able to do that without being at my best, what will people think when I dispatch the three of you?

How much more stupid would that make you look?”

The Osaka wrestler raises his eyebrows, and the predator’s grin creeps up to his face.

“You see, I can only say I am impressed here, friends. Truly masterful words from the one whose greatest mistake was losing the Anarchy title to a caveman and failing to recapture it, and the one who then lost the battle royale for the number one contendership. At least I have been making some preparations, building some momentum, before I finally challenge for the Universal Title once more.

But you? You’ve been involved in two title matches since you lost the Anarchy belt and you’ve failed at both, and now you want to teach me about making mistakes. Save that speech for the other two, maybe then someone will believe you’re even remotely as smart as your name portrays you to be.

I do appreciate your enthusiasm, however, so I’m going to give you some friendly advice: In every loss there is a gain. Losing to Flynn made me reignite, maybe when you lose to me you shall get another chance at a title, as it did everyone else that has faced me.

Maybe you’ll even catch a break and win it too, and if you do, remember that it was thanks to losing to Raion Kido - who supposedly wasn’t at his best.

That’s how great the Lion truly is."

One fist thrust forward now. It was time to end this already.

“So there you have it, friends. Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, January 14th. First edition of XWF Weekend Warfare, and the last stop before Snow Job.

There the Lion takes down all Television Title contenders in one fell swoop, and maybe then we’ll see Marf Swaysons and Geri Vayden get serious, or disappear entirely.

As for Mastermind? Don’t worry, I’m eager to help, and I’m going to teach you, among the many things that you did wrong here, what the greatest of them was.”

Raion leans towards the camera, his voice almost a complicit whisper.

“Your biggest mistake, Mastermind, was thinking you actually had a chance at all.”

Fade to black.