*HUK HUK HUK!*

“There is no time left - it’s this or nothing!”

Raion Kido and Bobby Bourbon had met one-on-one again after a year, and this time, the score was settled.

“And I did not carry the briefcase all this time for nothing!”

*HUK HUK HUK!*

And since he had previously announced his challenge - after all this time - for the XWF Universal Title, it was only fitting that he’d come out of Warfare having beaten the former Universal Champion, if briefly.

“Because it’s finally time I got to the place I des-”

*WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!*

The sudden sound of the huge propellers of the C-47 Skytrain made it difficult for the Lion to process his thoughts, but nevertheless he forced his brain through the monstrous noise as the plane began to taxi down the runway.

“ARGH! I said it’s finally time I got to the place I DESERVE!”

“Seatbelt locked, private! We’re going AIRBORNE!”

Soon enough, the plane speeds down the runway, before it finally takes off, and turning his head back to see the viewhole of his window, the XWF Tag Team Champion looks at the tents of Camp Toccoa.

“Jumping out of an airplane is the safest thing a man can do, provided he follows proper procedure! When the red light goes green, you jump! Follow the man in front of you! Don’t stop, don’t think!”

The former U.S. Army training camp in Georgia, the home of the illustrious 101st Airborne Division, is currently revived as a non-profit organization, and making the famous paratrooper jump was the perfect situation for the Lion to come to terms with the prospect of the great heights that awaited him - in more ways than one.

“HEY! Do you read me!? Eyes front, soldier!”

Raion’s eyes go from the window to the drill sergeant sitting in front of him - the insignia of his rank the only difference between the iconic World War Two uniforms of the regiment both men wear, complete with the iconic Screaming Eagles patch.

“Yes, sir! Private Kido ready!”

“Well GOOD! Wouldn’t want the hero boy getting lost in the clouds and hurtling to his death, that would be a waste of a perfectly good uniform! Now - you think you can handle heights, kid?”

Raion’s eyes go from the window to the drill sergeant sitting in front of him - the insignia of his rank the only difference between the iconic replica uniform of the regiment both men wear - complete with the iconic Screaming Eagles patch.

“I’m used to heights, sir! I leapt from the Burj Khalifa last year! I do not fear jumping out of an airplane!”

But the drill sergeant’s violent shaking of the head - and the sharp yell that come after - are quick enough to tell the Lion that he had misunderstood the question.

“THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT, SCUMBAG! I asked if you thought you could handle heights!”

Only the sound of the airplane, now flying level 300 feet above ground, could be heard as a response, before the Lion, his hand upon his chin, ventures out an answer.

“Uh - I’m not sure how to answer that, sir!”

Shaking his head, the drill sergeant draws a heavy sigh.

“I’m talking about heights, Private! Being a leader - being the best out of an entire group of people. The one towards which they should turn for guidance and inspiration. Every pair of eyes in the world being on you, everywhere, at all times, and you giving them something out of their attention! I’ve seen you carry that big belt of yours before, how did that feel?”

Raion now thinks of the answer in detail. The rejoicing of everyone watching when he won the XWF Universal Title, the pressure that came after to keep his belt. His successful defense, and then the bad referee call that led to thinking he had surrendered at Relentless - when he in fact had not.

“It felt great, sir, and I was ready. Until I lost - and ever since then I’ve yearned to get that feeling back one more time. It feels, sir… as if the world had passed me by.”

The Japanese wrestler grinds his teeth as he says these last words.

“Good! We’re being honest with ourselves now. And what were you planning to do about it?”

A clenched fist is the first gesture the young Saint of Athena does before he lets out his answer.

“There was no other way, sir. It was climbing back whatever it took! Bit by bit, match by match, until they saw I was ready to challenge again - and yet, nothing ever came of that. Even if I lost last time through cheating-”

“QUIT YOUR GOD DAMNED WHINING, PRIVATE! You lost that match, big deal, you got another belt!”

“But not the one where I wanted to go, and not the match I wanted to have-”

“I SAID QUIT WHINING, GOD DAMN IT! Or do you think we can choose our fights!?”

“When you’re Universal Champion you can, sir.”

“Oh REALLY? Did that hideous old plastic bitch choose who to fight, then? Who did she want to fight?”

“Well, I wouldn’t call her that, but she said she wanted a rival at Anarchy.”

“Uh-huh. And instead, she got you. Because just like her when she ambushed the guy you beat last week, you forced the god damned issue, as a soldier is meant to do! And why do you think she did that?”

At this point, the proverbial lightbulb ignites in the Lion’s brain.

“Because she saw the heights that she could reach. She’d lost the Anarchy Title, but she won the King of the XWF, and she had the chance right where she wanted it.”

“And now she faces the god damned consequences - just as you did when you held that belt! Did it not occur to you that, when she screeched about that ladder stipulation, she may have feared something other than heights?”

Now finally understanding, the Lion nods.

“She might have realized how bad her fall will be after she’s just achieved all she’s done. Just like Bobby Bourbon, the King that failed. No Anarchy Title, no Universal Title, not a shred of whatever meager value Sidney Grey might have had any longer.

Just an empty crown right after she’s achieved it all.”

A savage grin crosses the face of the drill sergeant, and he finally unbuckles his seat and rises.

“Very good, soldier! We might make an Airborne trooper out of you yet! We’re about to reach the deployment zone, so keep eyes and ears peeled!

That’s why you’re here, ain’t you? You’ve already forced the issue, you might as well take the god damned jump! But there’s more in that for you, right?”

Raion nods.

“I too can see the heights from which I can drop when I lose, sir. Not only do I not want to lose the shot for which I cashed in the briefcase. I don’t want to feel like that Relentless night ever again.

I’ve had enough of attempting a climb only to be dashed at the very last second, and I refuse to let the world ever forget that Raion Kido is here to do the impossible - and that’s why he’s one of the best wrestlers in the god damned world.

That’s why I’m going to make the god damned jump, even if it means breaking whatever’s left of Sidney Grey’s body that hasn’t been covered with layer upon layer of plastic and silicone.

I refuse for all this to end right here.

I refuse for all this to have been for nothing.”

“Very good, soldier! We might make an Airborne trooper out of you yet! That’s why you’re here, ain’t you? You’ve already forced the issue, you might as well take the god damned jump! But there’s more in that for you, right?”

This time, the Raion cannot hide his own grin creeping upon his lips - the face of a warrior as the gates are opened.

“Not only Tag Team Champion, but twice Universal Champion, and both of them at once. Bobby Bourbon just touched the latter before Sidney Grey stole the belt. Sidney tried to be a double Champion and could not get it done. Now imagine what happens when Raion Kido does both.

Heights neither one of them could achieve!

And that’s exactly what I’m going to achieve - I’m going to get the Universal Title back in the hands of someone who has earned it, and to finally get the place where I have always deserved to be!”

“That’s exactly what I’m getting at here, private! Now you know what you gotta do - go and kick her ugly butt! You have a rendezvous with destiny!”

Almost as the drill sergeant finished uttering those last words - the famous motto of the 101st - the red light on the plane turns on.

“STAND UP!”

The Lion does as ordered and stands up ramrod straight - showing the hook that will connect his parachute to the static line for deployment.

“HOOK UP!”

Raion hooks up his parachute to the static line, but at that point the plane is rattled, and everything starts to shake.

*RATATATATATATAT!*

“ENEMY FIRE!”

The drill sergeant raises a hand.

“Sticks in the wind, sticks in the wind!”

And at that point, the red light on the plane turns green.

“GO GO GO GO GO!”

Looking over the plane’s now open hatch, the young Saint of Athena sees the sky, and the distant land below, move rapidly in front of him. It takes but a moment for him to break out of his hesitation.

“NOW! If you don’t jump, I’m pushing you out!”

The Lion shuts his eyes, and draws a short sigh.

“Sometimes, the greatest moments in history come from one single jump.”

And so it is said and done. After saying these last words, the Lion jumps.

And the heavens scream.

*WHIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!*

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

“Sometimes, the greatest moments in history come from one single jump.”


*SNAP!*

In the early dawn of the Georgia sky, the sun itself is witness to a single figure leaping from a moving airplane - the rumble of the engines and spinning of its propellers slowly fading away suddenly drowned by the explosive snap of a parachute deploying.

“So it was in the time of the greatest conflict ever known to mankind, when the men of the 101st Airborne Division jumped over Normandy in D-Day. Men that trained right here, in this very state of Georgia, and took their first leap over these very same skies, and from their jump was born one of the greatest moments in the history of mankind - one from which was born this free world that, with all its faults, we still get to enjoy.”

And of course, holding on to the parachute is none other than Raion Kido - the wild mane on his head fluttering in the wind, his helmet now uselessly hanging from his chest as he begins his descent.

“I bring this up, ladies and gentlemen, because there’s a jump of a similar nature that awaits me at next Weekend Warfare - and just like the outcome of that jump led to a brighter future, so too shall be my endeavor next show. Because one month before the time to do it expired, I have cashed in my Leap of Faith briefcase shot.

I know some of you have been asking all this time, why? Why now, of all times, and not before?

Maybe some of you think I dared not do so from Mark Flynn, and instead I’d go to an easier target, as I know some of you may think that’s how I see Sidney Grey.

But let’s put those thoughts to rest, for that’s not what I think of her at all.

The reason for me having done this, is because I was really left with no other choice.”

The Lion grimaces as he speaks these words. He had tried to avoid getting to this instance, but since time was about to run out, it was at least the decent thing to do to announce his challenge up-front than to take advantage of a downed Champion.

Sidney Grey may sink low enough - but the Saint of Athena would not.

“You see, my friends, let us not forget that I got into the Universal Title picture without the need to cash in the briefcase, and when I pinned ALIAS to become Champion, I did it on my own power. And I figured, if I could do this once, I could do it again. Ever since Relentless, I worked tirelessly, for that very single purpose. From November to March, I was undefeated in every single XWF show in which I appeared - both regular weekly shows and Pay-Per-Views - and it took Peter Vaughn cheating to end that, else I’d have been, at the very least, in the March Madness finals. Other people went to compete for the Universal Title even after having lost to me, same with other titles.

And all the while, I kept waiting for the chance that - I wanted to believe - would come.

But alas, despite my every effort, that chance never came. That would not have been much of a problem since I still had the briefcase, but it was more than an actual title match that I actually sought.

What I wanted, more than the actual chance, was the recognition, the feeling that I had earned the chance to go to it again - just as it was when I was brought to the Cannabis Cup - and take the Universal Title back from Mark Flynn. But then Bobby Bourbon beat Flynn, and as if that were not enough - Sidney Grey, of all people, just had to bring her vapid, shallow act to the Universal Title picture.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, here we are at last. If that feeling I wanted, that recognition that I worked so hard to obtain still isn’t there, then there is no choice for me but to force the issue, just like Sidney Grey did - and that is to prove it, one more time, by sending this woman back to the oblivion from whence she never should have come - and by becoming not only a twice Universal Champion - but also a double champion!”

Raion bellows out these words - audible even in the roaring of the air around the falling parachute. He had already, in more ways than one, made the jump.

Now it was the time to make it all count.

“Here we go, then, with Sidney Grey. She is aware of her vapidity, and takes a distinct measure of pride in her behavior, despite her obvious misfortunes, her love of drink, and the general hatred of the people around which she hovers, so there is no point in dwelling on that.  Not to mention, unlike her, that would be the easy way to go, and I’ve proven in the past I don’t need to sink that low.

Likewise, I shall not deny her talent - after all she won the King of the XWF tournament, if only because I wasn’t there, and the Anarchy Title before that. However - it’s one thing to take out Dolly Waters and Jay Omega, and a very different thing to take on one of the XWF’s best - and I say this without boasting, for that is exactly what the name of Raion Kido has come to be.

That, Ms. Grey, is why I must do this as well. Because having held that same title before, and having beaten three of the greatest people ever to have graced this company, I shall not stand for you having defaced this title as you have - a defacing worse than the state of every implant in your body.

And while Bobby Bourbon might be content in biding his time until he can recover the belt that you took advantage of him to obtain, I am going to earn it the right way - and send you back to Anarchy where you belong. And don’t even pretend to say otherwise - I know you haven’t forgotten about Harmon Grayson Hayes taking the Anarchy Title from you, and you’ve been quite vocal about going back there and getting that title back. You claim I ruined your plans, but now you shall find out just how deep that really goes. You wanted to be double champion and you failed - and now you’re going to face someone that shall succeed - and worst of all, he shall do so in a way that shall sting at you forever - because it shall be over you.

For you now face someone that has had enough - and someone who too has a claim to do what you did. Only instead of you, I’m not cowardly enough to take the title from someone who cannot defend himself - I have the valor required to issue a challenge upfront! And let’s not forget, Ms. Grey, that I too beat that very man you took the title from - and unlike you, I did it from the actual time the match began!”

The landing zone is finally in sight, and so the Lion begins his flare - shifting his angle so the parachute slows its descent. Bit by bit the Saint of Athena approaches an empty patch of land where a signal flare lets out a stream of billowing green smoke.

And as he performs these motions, his lips peel back to display his teeth, ground together in a feral snarl.

After all, his Lion moniker isn’t just owed to the constellation of his birth.

“So tell me, Ms. Grey, what is it going to be? Shall you tell me about how I am supposed to underestimate you because you’re on Anarchy? I just happened to beat one of the best in the company that made it her brand, both individually and for the title I now hold, so you should know better than to preach to me with that. I’m not like those people that make light of Anarchy only to go there to look for easy wins, as you do - because, unlike you, I like my battles harder - the greater the challenge, the greater the glory.

And, as a matter of fact, the biggest names that you’ve faced in your road so far, they also happened to lose to Raion Kido before they lost to Sidney Grey. From Dolly Waters to Bobby Bourbon just last show, they have come face to face with the maws of the Lion and paid their price. Now the power of the cosmos comes for you, and I promise you, Ms. Lady King - when the Lightning Bolt finally throws you off that ladder you hate and fear so much, it’s not going to be just your implants that deflate this time.

Not that I was interested in that milk offer of yours anyway.”

A visible expression of disgust flashes on Raion’s face for a brief fraction of a second, before he wears a stoic face once more.

“So what then, Ms. Sid? Shall you tell me about your family-in-law and how Sarah Lacklan does things to the weak-minded and the gullible? She attacked my entire way of life and the only thing she got for her efforts was an early exit of the March Madness tournament. Then she found herself without a title at the hands of the Lion, and that same story shall happen to you - because at the end of it all, you and her are not so different, no matter how aggravating you find that. Just like the fear that lies behind the distinguished image of the Blood Princess, what lies behind the riveting television of Sidney Grey’s show, is a black hole of emptiness, and no, as disgusting as the thought may be, I’m not talking about your nether regions. Ew, that’s disgusting!

But I digress. What I’m actually referring to is the fact that Sidney Grey has this overwhelming need to be the damnable center of attention - or was that not why you had your daughter summoned to the hospital under the pretense of your impending death? Everything about Sidney Grey, from her reality T.V. show, to her stint in the LFL, to her very presence in the XWF ring, is nothing but a desperate plea for the world to acknowledge her pitiful existence.

And that also reveals the fear of heights inside you that lies beyond this match - not just the very concrete, physical height, but also the one that we cannot see, yet is impossible to miss. The fact that the Lady King of the XWF is falling down the sky like a shooting star - to crash and burn into the irrelevance of mundane life.”

This time, the Japanese wrestler nods as a devilish grin appears on his lips - betrayed only by the hard glint in his eyes. Was that not, in the end, what Sidney Grey feared the most?

The aged wrestler might rail at the stipulation for the match - something that was in her power to change - but the heights that she truly dreaded might not be simply physical.

Perhaps in that much, the two of them shared common ground - but the Lion would confront his dread directly. After all, that’s what a Saint of Athena must do.

“You hate the thought of that, Ms. Grey, the thought of looking back, of looking within, even worse than you do looking down - just like I hate the fact that the name of the Lion faces the very same alternative. After all, that is why I am here - because my time, just like yours, is running out. That’s why I have done this, in the end - not just to save the XWF Universal Title from Sidney Grey’s clutches, not just to prove to the world that Raion Kido can get to the top of the ladder one more time, but because this is my own way to face my personal challenge - because I know that it’s the only way to keep my own world from ending!

That’s why I refuse to yield - just like I refused to yield at Relentless before the referee then made the call for which I was no longer Champion. Just like I refuse to have carried the Leap of Faith briefcase only for the only chance granted me to get back at the top of the ladder to have ended in nothing!

And that, ultimately, is why, unlike you, I choose to take this challenge head-on! That is why I shall climb upon that ladder, grab hold of the XWF Universal Title belt, and cling to it with my own two hands even if I should fall from the greatest possible heights! I have taken that chance at the tallest building in the world at Leap of Faith 2022 to earn the briefcase for which I stand before you now, and now is the time where I do it once more. Because I am a Saint of Athena, and mine is the power of the cosmos - the very ability to produce miracles.

Come next Weekend Warfare, that shall be the time for it to burn once more - to make you face your own fear, and to bring you to it in the only possible way - crashing on it head first. But don’t worry, Ms. Grey - not all shall be lost. Just like your hated daughter-in-law, you’ll have the Anarchy Title for which to go back, and a playground of your own in which you claim to be to the ladder. Maybe the plastic and silicone that layers your body will even cushion the impact of the fall, but in the grand scheme of things, it shall make no difference - the ultimate conclusion of this match can be said in your very own words:

In the end, your loss is the XWF’s gain.”

*THUMP!*

The parachute has finally landed, throwing the Lion to the ground. Once he rolls over and breaks free of the parachute, he rises and stands up, clenching now a fist in front of the camera.

It was time to end this - and to make Sidney Grey experience a fear not even the greatest heights could match.

“So get ready, Ms. Grey, for the state of Georgia shall one more time be the place where history is made, just as it was eighty-one years ago. I’m going to guess that’s too far even for someone of your advanced age, but just like the brave men of Camp Toccoa, on next Weekend Warfare, I have a rendezvous with destiny. And there shall be no other way it ends other than how it should - with the Universal Title back in the hands of the Lion, and with Sidney Grey’s ultimate plummet… onto her doom.

The air shall ripple, the ground shall quake, and as you begin your descent into oblivion, the heavens themselves shall scream.”

And as the Lion utters these final words, he makes a final point towards the camera - the plane from where he dropped now landing in the distance behind him.

“And so shall you.”

Fade to black.