~With Kai~

A couple months later, I was booked to be in a match to determine who would be the number one contender for the NXT Championship against Adam Cole, but I even learned that NXT, Raw, and Smackdown were going to war, and I learned from Hunter that I was going to Smackdown to crash the set of MizTV and fight Miz in a one on one match.

I couldn't wait to invade on Smackdown alongside my NXT brethren, mostly because I get to see Kaori again. My sister's been on the road for so long, I only got to see her twice a week.

I'm serious, I missed Kaori and I really wanted to see her at least more than twice a week.

For now, I just have to put up with the October 30th edition of NXT and we're flying to Buffalo, in New York, this Friday.

Masami and I managed to get to Full Sail and get dressed in our gear, well, me in my wrestling gear and Masami in the tracksuit as I couldn't wait to go out to the ring and have a great match.

I learned it was a one on one match to see who would get the contendership towards Cole's Championship belt, so I couldn't wait for that, either.

When I heard the first entrant come out, I was excited.

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I was going to face him for the first time in my career and I'm looking forward to it!

Announcer: The following contest is scheduled for one fall, and the winner of this match will receive a shot down the line for the NXT Championship! Introducing first, from Moscow, Russia, weighing at 210lbs, ILJA DRAGUNOV!

I'm gonna be working with Ilja Dragunov? I'd like to see how it goes out there, maybe we'll become friends since Matt and I are in real life.

Also, I know that Russia and Japan were enemies in WWII, hopefully that doesn't play a part in this match because I don't really care about the history. I just want to have a great match with him and maybe we'll be friends, you know?

After he made his entrance and took his jacket off, my theme played.

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When the crowd popped and started to cheer, I was actually surprised. I didn't know they'd cheer for me, even though I'm an asshole heel at the moment.

If this is the point of me turning babyface after my backstage promo in Toronto, then I'm okay with that. I'm willing to play it up as an asshole while getting cheered in the process.

When Masami and I entered after the 31 second mark, the crowd popped again as I smiled at Dragunov, who was not intimidated by me at all.

Announcer: And his opponent, being accompanied by Io Shirai, from Yamaguchi, Japan, weighing at 104 kilos, "The Prodigy", REN HOSAKO!

Masami and I fist bumped as we walked down the ramp with smiles on our faces. And me? I was gesturing the fans to get with the beat of the song, but I hardly had to since they seem to know the lyrics to the song!

Crowd: Tearless!
Fearless!
You tell me what have I missed?
Still wandering in the deep mist!

When the chorus came up...

Crowd(singing): IF I LOSE IT ALL, SLIP AND FALL
I WILL NEVER LOOK AWAY!
IF I LOSE IT ALL, IF I LOSE IT ALL, IF I LOSE IT ALL!

I get up on the apron, gesturing the fans to yell out the line, smiling at what they were chanting.

Crowd(singing): IF I LOSE IT ALL, OUTSIDE THE WALL,
LIVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY!
I DON'T WANT ANYTHING
I'M JUST HERE TO!

As I stepped through the middle rope...

Crowd: BEWARE!!!

As I went on the middle rope, I looked at the fans, took the towel off my shoulders, and smiled as I looked to fight Dragunov and try to win the right to be the number one contender for the NXT Title.

I already have my goal to be the first autistic NXT Champion, so let's see how we're gonna do this.

Once I got off the middle turnbuckle and went into my corner, I gave the towel to Masami, a kiss on her cheek, and I turned my attention to Dragunov, who was looking to try and beat me in this match.

Ref: RING THE BELL!

The bell rang as Ilja and I walked around the ring, looking to see who will be the winner for this match.

Then, we were going to touch hands until I heard the chant...

Crowd(chanting): HOSAKO'S GONNA KILL YOU! HOSAKO'S GONNA KILL YOU! HOSAKO'S GONNA KILL YOU!

I smiled and nodded with approval as Dragunov and I touched hands to see who can come up with the first move, if not mistake.

Then, we moved away as I decided to play some mind games by having one hand behind my back and extending my other.

That really surprised everyone, but it seemed like Ilja didn't know what I had in mind because I looked to end it early with my Brainbuster but he fought out of it, flipped around, holding onto my arm, and then started doing joint manipulation with my fingers!

I was on my knees, just pleading with him to let go, but he smiled and was just being so brutal with me!

Then, he stretched out my fingers, trying to make me submit, but I'm not submitting, even if people paid me a million bucks or some shit.

After a while, I managed to get out of the hold, twist his arm, flip him on his back, and locked in a crossface kinda hold on him.

Ilja didn't feel intimidated since I had it locked in on him, but he tried to roll me up for a pinfall, but I powered out at 2 and kept the lock on him.

I made sure that he was down as I decided to transition that into a guard, and then transition that into a kimura grip, trapping him for sure.

Dragunov managed to get out of that by rolling me up for a two count as I had to get out of that before I was defeated.

As the two of us stared at each other across the ring, the fans cheered and applauded as we looked to try again, see if one of us will beat the other.

I grabbed his arm, twisted it and pulled on his arm until Ilja countered it by performing an arm twist of his own on me until I flipped on the mat, got behind him and performed an armlock before he was able to do the same to me, get me down on one knee, and perform a headlock on me.

Instead of being trapped, I decided to push him towards the rope and look to whip him towards the other side, but he stopped me and made the headlock even tighter than before, making us positioned in the center of the ring.

Then, I decided to get Ilja down on one knee but pushing my foot on his calf, get out of the headlock, lay him down and looked for the Fujiwara Armbar to finish it early, but Ilja was so smart. He was able to flip onto his back and use his legs to get onto the bottom rope.

McGuiness: Very good bloody ring position by Ilja Dragunov. My apologies for the enthusiastic cursing, but I cannot help it.

Renallo: Digging deep into your vocabulary, aren't you, Nigel?

McGuiness: I'm just chuffed by what we're seeing right now. It's just a dream match come to life!

Phoenix: Hey, we understand! Passion is the money that makes the world go round, and this dream match is happening right in front of us, if not everyone here at Full Sail and around the world!

I don't know how Beth is on point every single time, but she's got to be one of the best commentators I've ever heard.

Anyway, as I went to the other side of the ring to recuperate and think of a game plan to try and put Dragunov away, I heard boos coming from behind me.

When I looked back, it was Adam Cole, sitting down, and smiling with the Championship, watching on. I didn't feel intimidated at all because this was giving me a chance to see what I can do against Dragunov.

As Ilja and I got close, we held on one of our hands as I twisted it, flipped him onto the mat, pushed my knee into his abdomen, and started working on his arm.

Just as that was happening, Dragnunov was able to get back up, push me into the corner, put his hand in my face, and he walked away after patting my chest.

~5 Minutes Later~

Ilja had a crossface on me as I was trying to find a way to get out of it while Masami was slapping the mat with such force that she was trying to motivate me to get back up.

The fans were clapping along with the slaps as I was able to get back up on my feet and start giving Dragunov some elbows to his ribs and when he barely had the hold on me, I gave him a very stiff headbutt, which dazed him a little bit.

I then started punching him into the corner, I Irish Whipped him to the ropes and performed a dropkick as he went down.

I covered Ilja but he kicked out at 2.

As he kicked out, Dragunov stuck his arm out as I grabbed it with such joy that I couldn't stop smiling at what I was going to do to him.

I have Ilja's head between my legs, twisted him up a bit before I bent his wrist...

Crowd: Ooooh.

...bent his arm...

Crowd: Ooooh!

...and started pulling his arm back towards me...

Crowd: OOOOH!

...and Ilja screamed in pain, trying to get out of it as I extended his arm again and then transitioned that into an armbreaker, making Dragunov stomp his feet on the mat, trying to get out of it, but he managed to put one of his legs on the bottom rope.

I immediately released before the ref begun to count as I went under the rope, waiting for him to get back up.

He eventually did as Ilja tried to strike me, but I managed to trap his arm and do the rope assisted armbreaker!

As I locked it in deep, I yelled into the camera...

Me: 来週はこれが君を待っているんだ、アダム、このバカ野郎！ (This is what awaits you next week, Adam, you stupid bastard!)

Once the ref counted to 4, I let go, landed on my feet, pulled Ilja out of the ring and threw him into the ring post, onto the bad shoulder.

I then decided to take his arm, slamming it onto the steel steps repeatedly until I threw Ilja back into the ring, where he was trying to get up, but he looked pissed!

I grabbed his hair and looked to chop him again, but he gave me an enziguiri to my head and I stumbled for a bit before he chopped my chest!

Instead of my chops being that heavy, Ilja's chops actually hurt, probably more than mine!

I started to feel it in my hand as I bunched it up a bit as I nodded with a smile on my face.

Renallo: Wow, Hosako actually approving that chop!

Phoenix: Yeah, he liked that one!

Then, Ilja stood still and told me to bring it, but seriously, once I bring it he's gonna be begging me to take it back.

I then cocked my hands back, moved a bit, and then...

CRACK!

The crowd cringed as Dragunov took it like a champ and kneeled down with a painful look on his face!

McGuiness: Like the crack of a rifle!

I then pulled him up and gave him another one, then another one, then another one, then another one, then another one, and then another one as the crowd was still cringing at the chops I just gave him and Ilja was just taking it!

I went for one more, but he blocked me and gave me his own chop!

It really hurt like hell, but I was still standing!

I then screamed into his face...

Me: もうあなたは死んでいます！ (NOW YOU'RE DEAD!)

I started to chop him again and then it turned into an all out chop fest as the crowd was super into what was going until Ilja headbutted me, looked for another running attack, but I gave him a dropkick to the head as he went under the bottom rope.

Once I saw that he was vulnerable, I stepped through the ropes and pulled him up by his hair again.

I smiled and gave him a forearm, which he countered with a forearm and this kept going on until I kicked him in the gut, put his head between my legs, lifted his legs up, turned around, and performed a Gotch Style Piledriver from the apron, onto the floor!

Everyone thought it was over right there and then because I sat back up with a rye evil look on my face.

I managed to stand back up, pick Ilja up and throw him back into the ring.

Once I entered the ring myself, I covered Dragunov...

Crowd: ONE! TWO! THR—!

Dragunov kicked out.

I don't know how he managed to kick out of the Piledriver onto the solid floor, but I flipped him onto his side and gave him a very stiff kick to his back, causing him to scream out in pain.

I then flipped him on his chest and locked in the sleeper while picking him up at the same time, but Dragunov was just extending my hands and trying to keep me from locking it in all the way until he hit my arms on his shoulders and I had no choice but to release the hold as I was on my knees.

Then, Ilja gave me another forearm but this time to the back of my neck!

He covered me but I managed to kick out at 2.5!

It was so close for me as I wanted to be the one to challenge Adam for the title.

Nonetheless, I was able to get back on my feet and we chopped each other's chests as hard as we could go!

I mean, I was starting to have blood blisters and Dragunov barely had some! It was just an all out fight as we were determined to win this match!

Then, I kicked his gut, looked to throw him out of the ring through the middle rope, but he swung back in and looked to give me ANOTHER forearm, but I countered that into an Arm Drag, sitting him up, run to the ropes, and kick his chest!

I covered him, but Dragunov kicked out at 2 and a half AGAIN!

Instead of letting him have time to breathe, I flipped Ilja over onto his chest and locked in the Fujiwara!

I was pulling his arm back as far as possible, trying to make him tap out to me!

Dragunov was screaming, trying to ignore the pain and try to get out of the hold. I mean, I was really determined to win this match by any means necessary, but Ilja held onto the bottom rope as I released the hold!

I dragged him into the middle of the ring again and looked for the Fujiwara a second time, but this time, Dragunov powered out of it.

He ran to the ropes and I gave him a boot to his chin, looked for the Sleeper, but Dragunov countered by flipping me on my back as I got back up and I was met with a very stiff forearm to my face!

After that, Ilja ran to the ropes, I ran to the same side, went behind him and locked in the Sleeper as the fans knew it was over!

Ilja was doing whatever he could to get out of it but after 5 minutes of fighting, I felt him go limp.

I released, put his head under my arm, gestured the fans to cheer, I lifted him up for the Brainbuster, and then...

Renallo: Mercy!

I covered Dragunov...

Crowd: ONE! TWO! THREE!

As the bell rang, I got off of Ilja and kneeled down in exhaustion as I smiled at him with sportsmanship.

Announcer: Here is your winner, and the number one contender for the NXT Championship, "The Prodigy", REN HOSAKO!

I had my arm raised as I kept looking down at Ilja and Masami was wanting me to beat him down, but I thought differently.

Instead of beating him down, I pulled him up, looked at him, who was holding onto his neck, and raised my fist at him.

The fans cheered as they were wanting him to connect with me. It seemed like he didn't want to do it, but I gestured him to do it, and he did connect his own fist with mine, getting a cheer out of the fans here as Masami was in shock.

I pointed at Ilja who was still standing, taking in all the cheers and applause from the fans as I made my way out of the ring and looked to go into the back, but I couldn't go unnoticed by staring down Adam, who was smirking with his title above his head.

I smiled and spoke in the best English I can muster...

Me: Next week, Hosako era begins!

He nodded and kept smirking until I walked past him and patted his shoulder, letting him know that I'm ready for battle next week, but little did I know, I was gonna be in a very bad situation.