Post by Raion Kido on Dec 16, 2022 14:23:46 GMT -5
“Many times this year have I had something at the reach of my fingers, only to slip away. Not anymore. Not! Any! More!”
The thought startled the Lion more than the chirping of the birds and the filtering of the sun at daybreak. He was already home, back in his New York apartment, for the final Pay-Per-View of the World Series of Wrestling, and he almost jerked out of bed.
But very thankfully, Ryleigh Dixon was still fast asleep, so the Lion sat in the bed, and watched her rest. A small smile appeared on his troubled face.
“And yet… there is always something good through most of the bad.”
She had been her constant companion just as much as he had been hers - and they had both helped each other at critical times. She had her own crisis just as Raion was heading into a Pay-Per-View no one expected him to win. But today, the situation was different.
Today, he was a favorite. And he was going to take the place he deserved in the annals of wrestling history.
“...!”
At that point, the young Saint of Athena feels a pair of hands wrap themselves around his waist.
“... Mmm …”
“I’m sorry, love. Did I wake you up?”
“I was waking up by myself, but you rocked the bed. Is something troubling you, Raion?”
Raion turns to face her, and tries to put on his most winning smile.
“No, love. I promise, everything is fine.”
But Ryleigh knows better, and she presses her forehead against his.
“I know you’re not trying to concern me, but you are too transparent to hide even the whitest of lies. Please tell me what has you worried.”
The young Japanese wrestler draws a sigh.
“This has been my first year in wrestling and it’s been successful beyond measure, but there were several times when I just had some things, that maybe I should have deserved to win, and I did not at the very last second.
Now the World Series Of Wrestling’s final Pay-Per-View is coming… I don’t want this event to be one of those times.”
The Crown Jewel of the Dixon Family rests her head upon his shoulder and smiles, looking at him upside down.
“My Lion… haven’t you always got where you wanted to be? It didn’t have to be the first try, but the time eventually always came. That doesn’t happen just because. It happens because you’re the very definition of hope.
Is that not, after all, what your entire philosophy is?”
Before Raion can answer, she puts a finger to his lips.
“I don’t just say this because of your presence in the ring. The show you watched, the attire that you wear, everything about the power of the universe… I can see beyond that, and I am not the only one. You inspire hope in everything and everyone around you, and I know… because I’ve been there.
When you came to the hospital after my breakdown.”
It had indeed been a complicated situation - a love triangle that ended with the other suitor lashing out in anger, and having caused her to fall into an alcohol-induced coma. Raion had dropped everything to go to the other side of the United States, to visit her at the hospital.
“It was only the right thing to do, and I might have contributed to it happening. Besides… I went because I knew I loved you.”
Ryleigh now places a kiss on the lips of the Lion.
“You came for me. And that makes you my hero. I know that, those around you know that. The fans know it too, I see it in the shows. No matter what happens, no matter the outcome.
Because they know you want to be there for them as I know through my own experience you’ll be there for me.”
She reaches to him and clings to him in a front embrace, her voice almost dropping to a whisper.
“So don’t worry about the final step any longer, and do what you know how to do. Be the hero you want to be. Be the hero the world deserves you to be. And know that no matter what happens… you will always be my hero. Now and forever.”
The sun is now rising over the New York city skyline, but the stunning model slumps back into bed, a suggestive smile now across her face.
“I know you’ll smash this next event at the Rabbit, love.
But today, here and now…”
She bites her lower lip, giving Raion a playful pair of raised eyebrows.
“Today, you become a hero.”
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Throughout the entirety of the World Series of Wrestling, Raion Kido had held strong.
But now the grandest stage of them all was coming, the upcoming Pay-Per-View, and this was the event where the cream rose to the top.
“This is it. This is where I’ve wanted to be since the XWF first gave me the Golden Ticket, and I did not walk through all this road only to fail in the end!”
And yet, there was something nagging deep in the back of his mind. The year was ending, and soon enough it would be the time for recognition and awards all throughout the wrestling world - top wrestlers lists, year end award shows.
Raion had done the unthinkable six months prior, but soon the time came for him to lose the title, and since then, the world seemed to have moved on.
The Lion was meant to be a hero - but it seemed that there was no need for heroism anymore.
“But how can I get back to that level once more?...”
These were the Lion’s thoughts as he stared at his empty coffee mug in a New York City cafeteria, along with the rest of the Trilogy - Theo Pryce, Ned Kaye, and Jason Cashe. With the Lion victorious over Chris Chaos, and Ned Kaye now holding a title in the XWF, the group was making a comeback, and it was time for them to carry that momentum further. No doubt having Raion as the winner of the World Series of Wrestling served that purpose, so they were more than happy to assist.
“Okay Kido, hear me out. You’ve been doing great on your road here so far, but there’s always this hurdle you can’t seem to get over.
You’re this white meat good guy, and everyone loves you for that, but the thing is you’re too… Japanese here, and not everyone here in America is into Anime and the stuff you do. So you need to relate in some way to these people. Give them a hero they can understand.”
These were the words of Theo Pryce, part-owner of the XWF, and the man that had inducted him into the Trilogy as the final member.
“And what do you suggest I do, sir?”
“I don’t know, go eat some hot dogs and apple pie. Take in a baseball game. Typical white bread American crap.”
The rather comical grimace in Raion’s face makes it patently obvious he is not yet convinced, but it is the DioGEE Jason Cashe that takes the opportunity to speak next.
"Find someone about to be shot and take a bullet for them. Ultimate hero move! Or.. Ya know.. Find a villain and put them behind bars. Ruby! Don't let the cape and fan cheers fool you, she is an undercover Villain! I just know it!"
If Theo Pryce’s words were not entirely convincing, the resigned sigh and the facepalm that Raion now does after hearing the words of Jason Cashe are clear indicators that they were not any more helpful.
But at that point, it’s Ned Kaye’s turn to speak his mind.
"You could always try to find a local cause to support. People get cold this time of year. A few donated pairs of socks certainly would help people. A hero has to be willing to give, at the end of the day."
That does certainly sound more to the point, but there was something off about this type of donation. One more time the Lion has to sigh.
“Hmm. Gentlemen, before we proceed, let me ask you all this. What does being a hero mean to you?”
Theo looks around at Ned and Cashe to see if either of them want to speak first, sensing that neither do, or that both are likely deep in thought, Theo offers up a response.
“That’s a loaded question Kido. Being a hero is about perspective. Yours and mine. You know? Say you go out there and you beat a guy like Chris Chaos, to a fan of yours, you’re a hero. To the one fan out there of Chris Chaos, you are the worst person ever. I try not to put too much stock in hero or villain. Good or bad.
It’s all subjective and at times based on the situation at hand. I would suggest you not spend so much time focused on this either and instead put your focus on things that are less subjective, like winning and losing.”
Lost in thought after this discussion, the Lion notices a sight that has been there since they began - there is an elderly woman, white haired, wrinkle-faced, and holding barely onto a walker, that has been standing for a while at the intersection in front of which the cafeteria is located. The traffic lights have gone from red to green to red again, but the oncoming traffic always prevents the woman from crossing the street.
“Hang on one minute please, I’ll be right back.”
The young Japanese wrestler makes his way to the woman.
“Excuse me ma’am, do you need help?”
“Y-yes, please, sonny, thank you!”
Happy to help, the Lion offers her his arm, at which she clutches almost for dear life. And so they venture into the busy New York street at a very slow pace. When they are about half the distance on the zebra crossing, a moped makes a beeline into the pair.
*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!*
“WHOA-!”
The Lion grabs the woman in his arms and rushes off the street to prevent her from suffering any harm, carefully placing her back on the opposite sidewalk. Rather a flashy move, considering the ridiculously slow speed of the oncoming moped.
“Thank you very much, young man! I wish there were more of you these days.”
“No problem, ma’am, let me just get back on…”
*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!*
“WHA-!”
Yet again, the uncontrollable moped has parked right in front of the Lion - though this time, it was only him that was in danger of being run over instead of the old woman. The young wrestler, now visibly upset, stands as tall as his 6’00 frame allows, his hands to his hips, and leans over the moped driver, who looks diminutive in comparison to the Lion.
“Don’t you see that there is someone crossing the street!? Why I ought to…”
He lifts up his leg, almost ready to kick the laughable vehicle out of the street, but the moped rider is quick to back up, leaving the zebra crossing free for any other pedestrian to cross. From the other side of the street, in the café, the reaction of onlookers to the Lion are of laughter.
"As if a little bike of that size could run you over anyway! That metal thing you’re wearing, that moped would shatter the moment it hit you.”
"You’re twice the size of that thing, Kido, smash it to pieces!"
“Just kick it over.”
But seeing the rider visibly cowed, the Lion decided against it, instead turning his attention again to the aged lady.
“My apologies, ma’am, I did not mean to outburst like that.”
“Oh, not at all, son! I was just going to thank you again for helping me get over the street. Not many people will pay attention to an old woman these days, but people like you make our lives easier. Now lean down a bit, will you? I can’t reach up there!”
The Saint of Athena complies, and the woman places a kiss on his cheek, almost like a grandmother would her grandchild.
“There, for a retribution. Today you’ve become a hero, son.”
A certain deep red coloration flushes into the young boy’s cheeks as a funny, awkward expression appears on his face.
“... Just trying to help, ma’am.”
And as the young wrestler went back to the café, the rest of the Trilogy start commenting on his actions.
"See, Raion? Little things like that. You’ve risked… so to speak… life and limb to help the elderly. It’s not for the cameras, it’s not for any accomplishment or glory. It’s because you thought it’s the right thing to do. It’s for the people.”
The DioGEE grumbles for a bit before following on the words of Ned Kaye.
"I still say you should have snapped that moped in half.. Make it a RRRRRAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWR sound too! But Ned’s right, though.. just focus on doing you. The minute you start thinking about what could happen is the minute things go to hell, and you gonna stumble now, so fuuuuuuuuuuuck them doubts."
Theo Pryce, for his part, gives a shrug.
“You’re on the verge of making history, Kido. First winner of the World Series of Wrestling. You’ve already been XWF Universal Champion and you may very well be it again, and this was only in your rookie year. One day you’re going to go into the history books of the entire sport, because you are just that good. Think about what you want the records to say - and once you’re in that Pay-Per-View, make that a reality.”
The history books. That was, perhaps, the Lion’s ultimate goal. It was something like that - that show on the T.V., the manga he later read, the stories his mother would always tell him, that drove him into the path that he now trod, and this upcoming Pay-Per-View was the chance to etch his name into the history of the sport as a whole.
Not only was he not going to fail - he would ensure that his name was engraved into the history books as a chisel cut his name into Roman letters in one of the temples of yore.
And the Lion already knew, if ever he should get there, what the plinth on which his statue stood would say. That was the mindset with which he would approach the Pay-Per-View, and how he would ultimately emerge from it.
“Today, you become a hero!”
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It is a brightly lit evening over the Wrestling Hall of Fame - a small arena-like building, with memorabilia of all the legends that have graced the sport through the ages. There are several statues of the most prominent figures in wrestling, and among them is one covered - over which a huge crowd is gathered.
And next to the statue, above a stage, stands a man entering his advanced years.
“For someone like myself, the only thing that’s left after we’re gone is our memory.”
Thus the Lion begins, among the crowd gathered for his induction. But time has passed, so has age, and the wild-maned, muscular young man has become a veteran - streaks of gray now more common than the light brown in his hair, and though still an imposing figure, now he has traded his resplendent Golden Cloth for a smart blue suit - the times of his battles in the ring now past.
But like with the strongest and tallest of mountains, age has done nothing to diminish the majesty of the Lion - in fact, it has only served to cement it further. And as he speaks next, the murmur of the crowd comes to a well-earned respectful silence.
“There has come a time for me where I am no longer able to wear the Gold Cloth of Leo, where someone else is named among the elite of the elite of wrestlers, where others, younger, stronger, more skilled, and even wiser than I could have ever been, make their way in the ring to more glory and accomplishments that I could have ever hoped to have.
Some of them may even earn the top title in their promotion within their first year, like I have, and perhaps even more than one title. And someone else will be the winner of the World Series of Wrestling that takes place in that year, Athena willing.
Yet no one, save the gods themselves, lives forever. That is our inescapable fate as the humans we are. Flowers bloom, then scatter; stars twinkle, yet someday will fade. The earth, the sun, the galaxy… even the universe itself shall some day end. In comparison to all of this, a human life is but a fleeting glimmer, and a wrestling career even less than that.
But it is during that miniscule instant that we have the chance to become more than we are, to etch our names into history as proof that we once lived. And maybe, if what we have done has reached into the hearts of those watching us, there may be someone that decides to follow in our footsteps and keep our memory alive, for as long as they may live. Maybe even what we do, more than our name, our image, or our history, will endure the test of time, because it will be repeated throughout time as the example of the right thing to do. The example of a hero.
And that is the reason, ladies and gentlemen, for which I stand before you now.”
A smile starts to appear on Raion Kido’s weathered face. The lines that form around his mouth resemble the cracks in the stone of a mighty mountain - and yet, the venerable wrestler’s eyes still hold the fire that he had in youth, that same shining spark that might, at any moment, ignite with the strength of the Big Bang.
But as the crowd begins to applaud, Raion Kido raises a hand, almost as if asking for an apology.
“Please believe me, I’m not saying this just because I have made it to wrestling’s Hall of Fame. And don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to be arrogant or ungrateful. This is for me the ultimate honor - because it proves the truth of all I have said, and that is why, at this very moment, I am the happiest man alive.
But as I have just said - I stand before you now because the wrestling world in its entirety, and every single one of you sharing this moment with me accepts this same truth - that all I have been, and all I have done inside the squared circle, served to inspire others to follow my example, and that you see that I have always strived to do the right thing - to be an inspiration to others, and a beacon of hope.
Just like the Saints of Athena in Saint Seiya - the show from which this entire story of mine started one day in Osaka, a long time ago.”
Raion’s eyes look up to the ceiling, almost as if it were transparent, and he could gaze at the stars above - at the constellation that watched over him since the day he was born, and after which his entire wrestling career was made.
The constellation of Leo - the mighty Lion.
Mist is visibly forming on his eyes, but Raion Kido wills himself back to his stern, serious expression.
“Because on that fateful day I knew, ladies and gentlemen, that I wanted to be a hero, even if I did not quite know what that meant beyond what I had seen on an Anime show from the ‘80s. But something there made me realize that maybe one day I could be as great as the people I had seen on T.V., and maybe one day, children just like I was, would want to be like me. And since, well, even today we still can’t quite do the outworldly stuff that the Saints of Athena do, the path for me to do this was the ring.
There are as many reasons to be a wrestler as there are wrestlers in the world, and no single one of them is equal to others. But that one was mine, and I was very blessed to be able to pursue my dream, and to have been successful beyond measure to boot.
I will not say, however, that the road up to here has been easy, for I have had several hurdles in my first time in the ring. I spent an entire year reaching just that final stage only for it to be out of reach, until I finally got the XWF Universal Title.
And in the World Series of Wrestling, throughout it all, I had been in the first place, but more than once there was a time where I thought I would fall off, but that is when I gritted my teeth and did the only thing I know how to do:
To make my very own life, and my very soul burn!”
The aged wrestler clenches a fist, and for a brief fraction of a second, he looks as though the passage of time has not affected him at all. In him is reflected the vigor of his youth, and the same dignity he has carried throughout his career.
Because after all - even if the universe itself shall some day end, it shall not quietly fade.
And neither shall the memory of the Saint of Athena.
“It is at times like these, ladies and gentlemen, that that inner strength that each of us has must come to shine. That is why, when the final Pay-Per-View of the 2022 World Series of Wrestling was approaching, I dug the deepest inside myself, and that’s when I said ‘I haven’t come this far only to fall flat now! This is the time for me to prove I am the best wrestler ever to surface in the year 2022!’
Out of sixty-four Golden Tickets, I was chosen by the XWF, and I had the honor to be among the best of the best among my fellow XWF wrestlers, but this was my time, and I would not be denied! Not after having endured all which I had endured prior to winning the XWF Universal Title, not after being the XWF’s Newcomer of the Year, and certainly not after having outperformed everyone else in this World Series of Wrestling up to that final Pay-Per-View!
I had shared in this event with current and former Champions, many of them multiple, and some Hall of Famers in their respective promotions - and I was the rookie among them determined to prove that I belonged. This was the event to do so, and this is where I would finally come out victorious!”
Raion lets out a mighty roar, just as powerful and as commanding as he had in his youth. Years may pass and bodies might age, but the Lion’s spirit did remain - as brave and as incandescent as he had in the ring.
For that was the power of the universe that lived within him.
And all it ever took was that Raion made his soul burst.
“And so did I come to this Pay-Per-View in the Velvet Rabbit - that same exact stage where I had achieved the biggest victory of my life back then - where I won the Universal Title. That was the first time my name was inscribed into the annals of history - the match that shook the XWF and the wrestling world to its core.
By Athena, I still remember that day as if it had only been yesterday. Everything hurt after having taken the punishment of not one but three other people, including a bottle to the head, and having been speared through one of the Velvet Rabbit’s windows into the streets of New York City. But after that, the cheering of the crowd, the salutations of my fellow wrestlers… that was the best feeling in the world.
And by Athena, the face of Ryleigh Dixon, those eyes of hers, those freckles in her face... I knew what love was right that very night.”
Not without a certain coloration in his face, the Lion gazes at Ryleigh Dixon, sitting right there in front of him. Age had not diminished her beauty either - great as it had been, it only accentuated it further.
But rather than get into too personal details, the Japanese wrestler dedicates her a wink which she shares, before he once more directs his gaze towards the audience.
For there still was a point to make - a legacy to leave to whomever cared to hear.
“But that aside, heh - there was something else for me, friends. There, at the Velvet Rabbit, I knew what greatness really was - and six months later, in that very same place, I would experience it once more.
There, at the Velvet Rabbit, I stood once more among the 16 survivors that had gone through every test that this competition had to offer, and I came and looked in their faces and told them that, even with their skills and accomplishments behind them, I held first throughout the competition because I would not be denied, because the times that I got knocked down I got the hell back up, and that in the end, I would obtain the ultimate victory - for that was my calling, and the charge of a Saint of Athena.
For in the end, my friends, I came to that event, just as I came to this wrestling world of ours, to become a hero, just as those guys in the show. That is something not only true to the show, but also to life itself: Whenever a Saint of Athena is knocked down, they get back up, let out a roar into the sky, and get back at it harder every single time. That is the one thing that never fails, no matter how long it takes or how hard it gets.
At the end of the day, inside those four sets of ropes, like in any sport or any life situation in which adversity is great, the essence of heroes comes into play.
After all, it has been said through time, a hero is not just whoever is brave, but whoever endures just that moment longer.”
At this point, the Lion pauses to let the words sink, and the room is enveloped by a dead, respectful silence.
After all, was not endurance what had prompted him to undergo the training so he could become a wrestler? Was it not endurance, even after the first hurdles - his first failed title match, the lost finals of the March Madness Tournament, even his loss of the Universal Title, that gave him more fuel to achieve something greater every time?
That was how it had been throughout the World Series of Wrestling - the times there came someone to threaten him, he would always make it back to the top.
There he had learned the greatest lesson he would have throughout his life, the one that he was sharing now.
Heroism, in the end, was about enduring just a minute longer.
“But as simple as that phrase sounds, it was something that I debated very much in the coming weeks towards this Pay-Per-View. I had lost the Universal Title back then and was mired in match after match that seemed to lead nowhere.
I had beaten Chris Chaos at Mad Medicine after he had targeted me at the previous Pay-Per-View and harassed me for weeks, and the question wracked my mind. Who am I? What am I? What am I doing here? Do my actions serve any purpose?
How can I be a hero if nothing I do seems to matter anymore?
But right then, it dawned on me that everything I had endured until then - those final matches where I had fallen short, they only served as preparation. They only served as fuel, to achieve a greater and a sweeter victory.
That is why all through which I’d been, and all I had endured, was only fuel to achieve the greatest victory of all - the first place in the 2022 World Series of Wrestling!”
One more time does that emotional smile creep upon Raion Kido’s face. Every time throughout that fateful year of 2022, there had been a constant.
Just before he won the Leap of Faith briefcase, he was wandering through the desert, both literally and metaphorically, clinging to the chance of finally achieving something great. Just before the victory at the Cannabis Cup, he had faced the darkness that was being the newcomer against the best of the best in the XWF, among these an undefeated champion and the man to give him his first defeat in the ring. And just before the final event of the World Series of Wrestling, he found himself eaten through his own uncertainty, thinking that perhaps he was fading away.
But every single time, it was his inner cosmos that gave him the strength to continue further. And this was something that he would never, ever forget.
“And from then, that was the central belief throughout my career in the ring and my life outside the ring. That’s how everything I failed to achieve in my first year came later down the line - the Television Title, the King of the XWF tournament, the sole survivorship of War Games, and many more things that served as further stepping stones in the path to this very moment - the match against Chris Page in his own show, the Denzel Porter Invitational match against Corey Black… everything I won came out of that single thought.
All thanks to endurance in furtherance of a bigger victory that lied ahead, to perseverance, and to that grim determination that a hero faces when he thinks doom is nigh. The fundamental lesson to be learned from this is that gritting one’s teeth pays, if one never lets go of the one thing that always dwells in the heart - hope.
In that old Anime after I fashioned my presence in the ring, hope was the most important thing of all, and these holy warriors, the Saints of Athena, were the ones in charge of keeping the flame of hope alive for all of mankind. I am still a mortal man in this real world, but that’s what I wanted to represent, both in the ring and out.
There is always hope. And there is always a way. If you care to hear and put the slightest belief in the words of an old man, no matter the time, no matter the place in the world - this is a truth written into the world itself, and it shall never, ever change.
Just like justice itself.”
Now the venerable Lion raises a hand, his face now serious, as a quiet murmur falls silent before it really begins.
Never let that for which Raion Kido stood all of his life be forgotten - not at this celebration of his career, not at possibly the final time the wrestling world might see him before his memory begins to fade.
Now, more than ever, is the time for the Lion to remind the world of whom and what he has been.
“I want to make something clear here, ladies and gentlemen. This is a truth that is often forgotten - but the definition of justice remains constant through time and space: Justice is a virtue that makes a person self-consistent and good. Justice is the art of giving everyone what they deserve. It is not mere strength, but the strength for the effective good of all.
Because yes, wrestling is an individual sport, and glory and accomplishments are for one person - but that does not mean they cannot be selfless. That, more than anything else, is what the greatest heroes of the sport are meant to be. They are above everything else the mirror upon which others look at themselves.
They are that man or woman backstage at whom everyone looks when they enter the room, to whom all ears turn when they speak. And through that attention they earn through their victories and their skill, they can share their insight with the rest of the world - and the people in the back know that they have the right of it.
That’s what I have tried to do, through the good and the bad, in my own limited way. I have dedicated myself to justice above everything else - for the good of all in wrestling inside the ring, and for the good of all in life, and I have been very blessed to have made my mark in the world a positive one. For whatever fleeting time that my memory endures, I can rest easy knowing that there will not be one single person that will have anything bad to say about anything I have been and done.
Therefore, the fact that you are here with me today, and that I am in this hallowed stage among the greatest figures in the sport, well… this is more than I could have ever imagined, and it fills my heart with joy. But not just for me.”
One more smile from the Lion as he opens his arms wide. A round of applause erupts from the gathered people in attendance, but he raises his hand once more to ask them for silence.
“One more moment, please, I promise you won’t have to put up with this much longer! I said I’m filled with joy, but not just for me. There’s of course the people I want to thank on the long road that I have walked.
First I want to thank my family - my mom and dad, passed away some time ago, but their memory still remains through me, my brother Daichi and my sister Seika, who still remain. My wife Ryleigh Dixon, whom I met in that fateful year, and without whose support I would not be here today either.
I also want to thank Theo Pryce, Jason Cashe and Ned Kaye, my first partners in the business, without whom I would never have made it in the XWF. But there’s not just them. There’s also the dozens of wrestlers with whom I have crossed paths, whether in or out of the ring, throughout my entire career.
The wrestling world can be competitive, sometimes cut-throat, but other times, it can be a true community. A community of wrestlers interacting on social media, watching each other’s matches, even rooting for one another.
I hope that is one of the things we have learned from the World Series of Wrestling. More than the drive to succeed, the hunger of competition, and the satisfaction of knowing you’ve endured until the end, the important thing it’s that it’s a place for the game. Never forget, friends, that it’s also that spirit of community, of giving to one another, that drives people to be heroes.”
Now the Lion shuts his eyes for a brief moment, before opening them up again, his eyes clear despite the mist forming around them.
“Because today, ladies and gentlemen… today my time is done. Today it’s time for the new generation to rise, and to carry the torch of this sport further into history. Today times might be different, names and faces may be new, but the spirit remains - and so do the examples of those that came before. Today the Gold Cloth of Leo might go to someone else, as it has gone from Saint to Saint since the age of mythical heroes.
Today I enter the annals of history, and that means my story is at an end. But today, people of the present and the future, today is your time. Today the opportunity is yours to carve a path similar, or even better, than the one I have trodden. Today may very well be the beginning of your legend - and may it ever last in the memories, and the hearts, of the people you reach.
So seize it, my friends. Be the hero you want to be. Be the hero the world deserves you to be. Let the universe inside you burst into the very limit, and let your cosmos burn.
Because today, whoever you are, wherever you are…”
At this point, the Lion yanks down the cloth that hides the statue, and it is finally shown to the world: A magnificent figure sculpted in bronze, capturing him in all his glory - the cape at his back, the ornate details in his armor, his hair fluttering behind him - an arm thrust forward as if he were landing his renowned Lightning Bolt on the heart of a soon to be beaten foe.
And as the people in attendance erupt in applause and cheering once more, Raion Kido lets out his final sentence - a finger pointed forward, and a radiant smile on his face - the burning vigor of youth, the earnestness of adulthood, and the wisdom of old age all condensed in a single look in his eyes.
The same sentence that is now forever inscribed into the plinth of the statue at his back.
“Today, you become a hero.”
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The sun shines brightly over the Wrestling Hall of Fame, and as usual, fans are going about their business, admiring the heroes of the sport, their accomplishments and memorabilia. In the garden that precedes the massive building, there is a statue of a hero, crafted in the same fashion as those in Ancient Greece, depicting a muscular young man with a mane of wild hair thrown back, clad in a resplendent armor and a cape fluttering through his back.
Among the people in the crowd, there is a family, a father, a mother and a child, stopped right before the statue.
“Wow Dad, this guy looks great! Who is he?”
“Oh, that? That’s Raion Kido, sweetie. They called him “the Lion”. He was among the greatest. Instant classic as soon as he debuted, and he became top champion in only six months, and also won the World Series of Wrestling that same year.”
“Really? How was he like?”
“He was Japanese, and he liked cartoons from when he was a kid. He dressed and acted like a cartoon character, a sort of superhero from his time - that armor you see him wearing.
When we get home I’ll try to find it to watch! But the most important thing about this guy is that he was known to be a good person. He didn’t act almighty for the cameras - he was just like that outside the ring.”
“He also talked about the signs of the Zodiac. He was a Leo, just like you, and that was also why he adopted the Lion moniker. He did good credit to it too. He was wild and brave and very strong.
Your dad and I saw him live, too! Even got a pic with him before you were born. He used to do that move you see in there, a mighty punch. The moment it hit someone, they went to sleep almost immediately!”
“A punch? Like this? HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH… HYAH!”
The child springs into action, and launches a punch with a mighty roar…
*THUMP!*
“Whoa!”
… but unfortunately, the punch hit the belly of elderly man in a suit, features partially concealed by a wide-brimmed hat. However, the man remained standing - as strong as the girl might have thrown her punch, it seemed to have little effect on him beyond a curious stare.
“Oh! I’m sorry, sir!”
“Oh no! Look what you’ve done, sweetie! I’m sorry, sir, she really can be energetic.”
Rather than being upset, the old man looks rather amused - a mischievous smile plastered on his face.
“That is quite alright, sir. It’s great to see children so enthusiastic! It makes an old man quite happy for the future.”
The child’s mother approaches her and gently places a hand on her shoulder - partly to prevent her from another outburst, partly to calm her down.
“Now dear, what do we say to this nice elderly gentleman?”
Somewhat embarrassed, the girl looks up at the old man and murmurs contritely.
“I’m sorry, sir. Please forgive me!”
The old man responds with a heartfelt laugh and a gentle ruffle of the girl’s hair, to her parents’ contentment. When he next speaks, he does so as he is addressing not a child, but a full-grown adult - a peer.
“No need to worry, Miss, that will be okay. I saw you liked that statue over there. It really is a great sight, is it not?”
The little girl is enthusiastic at the mention, and at being addressed like a big girl.
“It is! Mama and Papa were telling me about the man in the statue, and I think he looks fantastic!”
“Heh - he most certainly did. Now let me ask you something…”
He takes a knee down to make eye contact level with the girl, and points at the hero’s statue with his thumb.
“Have you ever felt the universe within you?”
To many people, these words might mean nothing. But for this child, eyes wide open, and mouth agape, these words render her unable but stare in dumb silence for a moment, before she finally flashes a big, toothy smile, and gives an excited nod, at which her parents share a tender look. The old man replies with a smile of his own, and a knowing wink.
“Yes sir! Maybe one day, I will be a legend too!”
And today, this girl becomes a hero.
Fade to black.
7000 words (wordcounter.net)