"The Sumo of all fears"

Banzuke, Sumo Toshiyori, part 14

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"Stay close together, not want lose anyone !" announced Mr Yamamoto, as the group of wrestlers dressed in Yukata’s embassioned with a repeat design of the Shohoku Beyas logos scrambled out of the East Japan line train onto the Harajuku station.

"This is just like little pup’s school, hold hands with your partner….." Ruffert whispered to Lyro, in the midst of the group.

"It not far to walk to Yoyogi park, only really across road and a bit further….." called out Kakera as he herded the party along with Hikari, as the Oyakata took the lead. They all filed across the zebra crossing, past a vast array of vending machines and a few small fronted shops.

"What you looking at, Bemani badger !?" snapped Hikari, as he noticed Dennis lagging behind as something had caught his eye.

"Oh nothing…..just an ol’ Dance Dance Revolution arcade game, ‘Second mix’……" mused the English badger, nonchalantly. As they passed a few video games outside an amusement arcade.

"I bet you wanting to hop on it and dance, well it NOT like playing it on home machine…. Everyone stop to be looking at you and laugh, I expect….." sneered the muscular akita.

"Save your anger and aggressiveness for Sumo ring, Hikari !" Mr Yamamoto called out to him as he stopped walking at the front of the group, and turned back around to see what his Gashira [high ranked wrestler/instructor] was doing.

"Why not show how it’s done, Hikari ??" Kakera encouraged him.

"Yeah, go up against Hikari-sensei, Dennis !" Jasper and Morgan encouraged the badger, each of him egging him on from his right and left sides.

"Both of you dance like you want to win !" added Renjiro. Daikonran, gave him a rye knowing smile, "EVA episode title quote ??" The black velvety furred mole just smiled broadly as a response.

Hikari looked to the Oyakata for approval, as he removed the coin purse attached to his cotton robes belt expectantly.

"Huh, you like pair of ‘cubs’…one game !" The wrinkly shar-pei relented, as he saw how eager everyone in the group was to view the spectacle. Bowing politely to his superior, the akita strolled boldly onto the dance platform.

"What you waiting for….." the akita jerked his head to beckon the apprehensive badger up onto the two individual platforms which had four large buttons you had to step upon as the corresponding arrow scrolled up on the screen in time to the music.

"I get choose first, then you….then I pick final tune….if YOU still in game !" hissed the sharp featured canine as he inserted enough Yen for a two-player game.

"Seems fair….." gulped Dennis, he knew Hikari was as keen on rhythm/action games as much as he was, perhaps even more !, but neither of them had actually ever SEEN the other one ‘play’. The akita had taken a seemingly instant dislike or contempt towards the English badger ever since he’d came across some music based games and related soundtracks amongst his luggage [See first episode of this series].

"I’m an E-rotic dancer !!" blustered the Japanese dog, causing some of the onlookers to snigger amongst themselves at what he’d just unknowingly said, as he jabbed the selection buttons and chose his first tune, [ ‘Do it all night’ by E-Rotic] and put it on a medium difficulty setting.

[SONG]

"Oh do it all night, do it with me, I'll take you to heaven if you make me feel free….." warbled the female vocalist, as the pair of them got into the rhythm. Warming up, hitting each corresponding footpad as the scrolling arrows on the screen indicated

"….Do it tonight, do it all right….Just take me and shake me till I burn up inside…Aaahhhh..." continued the song as the first verse was about to start.

"You may have good sex, with Sam and Fred and Fritz and Max….You may be the slave, of Tim and Tom and Ed and Dave….You may do it again, with Hans and Franz and Jack and Ken…But you're gonna feel so free, when you're doing it with me !!!". Both the dog and badger gashed their teeth together in concentration as it started to get harder and faster, each of them not wanting to falter and miss a step.

"Oh do it all night, do it with me, I'll take you to heaven if you make me feel free….do it tonight, do it all right, just take me and shake me till I burn up inside…." The fast paced stepping eased up as it reached the chorus again, but the two experienced players knew not to let it lull them into a false sense of security or over confidence. "Oh do it all night, do it with me, as hot as a fire and as strong as a tree…. Do it tonight, do it all right…You got it, I knew it, you can do it tonight {As hot as a fire, and as strong as a tree} C'mon do it with me !!!!". The tune finished and Dennis cheekily finished by breaking into a ‘Saturday night fever’ pose, with one finger pointing to the sky and the other hand resting on his Mawashi belt covered hip, beneath his Yukata, much to the chagrin of his opponent who was silently fuming in anger.

"Well, it your turn make selection now…choose WISELY !" hissed the hot-blooded akita as he scrubbed his hand over his forehead wiping the sweat from his brow. As both of them on the raised illuminated platform panted for breath.

"I vunder VHAT kind of audience zhey ist aiming for vith all the Eurobeat songs in zhis game……" Knall whispered to Shlank, as they caught snippets of the tunes as it the badger was making his selection. "Zhey all seeming a bit…y’know….GAY !" he whispered into the lithe, muscular dobermans pointed ear, behind his cupped hand, as he didn’t want the others to over hear.

" ‘They got ‘Australia’ by the ‘Manic street preachers’ on that thing ??" called out Colin.

"Or anything by Scooter ??" added Ruffert.

"YAH, SCOOTER !!….’Our happy hardcore’ unt …." called out Knall eagerly upon hearing that, but Shlank elbowed him to be quiet.

"Well, I usually warm up with ‘Captain Jack’……" suggested Dennis, ignoring the heckling and suggestions "But……" he stalled, as the Japanese canine glowered at him as the games timer rapidly counted down the seconds he had left to decide, "I’ll pick….. Dam Daidaram by Joga…." he then tapped the button to increase the difficulty level to difficult.

"Huh…..Good choice" snorted Hikari, nodding a quick bow of approval to him, as he paced impatiently on the directional arrow squares marked out beneath his feet.

"He’s ‘playin’ him…." Morgan hissed to Daikonran, both of them had seen the badger in action before and could see he relished his moment of power over his opponent, tantalisingly taking his time to select what was one of his best dances in the game to unnerve him. "I hope he’s not pulling the ‘Ace from his sleeve’ just yet….." whispered back the slightly worried panda, neither of them knew if Hikari was ‘holding back’ and planning to totally humiliate Dennis any second. It was almost as tense as a Sumo bout !.

[Song] "Fall in love….Fall in love….." the tune started slowly, and the Yukata clad pair, swaggered confidently around in their individual playing areas, not missing a beat. "I need your love in every way and I feel this everyday, ‘cause I have too many tears, to fall in love again…" Each of them tensed in readiness, knowing from experience what the tune was building up to. "Now, I am walking around, In this side of the town I just can't hideaway…. How can I look in your eyes, when I feel like I could die, I have to runaway…..". The chorus was about to start….. "Dariri Ram dariram dariram, Darirari rariram, Daririram dam. Dariri Ram dariram dariram, Darirari rariram, Daririram dam" furiously the pair of them hit the corresponding foot pad in time to the moving arrows on screen, as it went though another verse and chorus.

Hikari’s eyes widened as the badger was matching him step for step, not faltering. "And fall in love again…And fall in love again…Fall in love…." the tune drew to a close

Dennis couldn’t resist breaking into yet another ‘Saturday night fever’ pose as he often did as he’d made his last step. Everyone cheered and clapped politely as the dance finished, including a few members of the public who’d stopped to watch.

"RIGHT !! this be the decider" gasped the akita as he tugged at the belt of his Yukata, and peeled the cotton robe of his shoulders and draped it over the guard-rail behind him, so he was just wearing his wrestlers Mawashi.

"You look like you never see me wearing just Mawashi, before !" he spat, giving the badger a smouldering abbortant look.

"Well, for Sumo, yes….but…..".

" ‘Not want flapping Yukata distract me from final dance….." scoffed the proud akita, as the music selection screen appeared.

"Do the same, Dennis !" called out several of his friends who were watching. With slight hesitancy, the badger followed their suggestion and removing his own cotton robe and hanging it over the safety bar behind his part of the arcade machine. He felt a little self-conscious in his new silk Mawashi, as he was used to wearing just a plain white cotton one.

"Now….what to choose……" Hikari copied the English badgers trick of deliberately taking his time to select the third and final tune as the seconds ticked away. "Drill instructor by Captain jack…..??" the dog gave Dennis a sideways glance as he lingered on that tune, "I think perhaps TOO easy, you said yourself tune you picking for ‘warm up’ !!".

"He ist…’ow you say ?….. ‘hustling’ you… !!" called out the burly rottwiller Knall, in his broad German accent.

"SHUT UP, idiotisch" snarled his doberman team mate, Shlank, the current international lightweight sumo champion. As he elbowed him in the ribs once again.

"I thinking I take picture of this…." Kakera announced as he produced a tiny digital camera on a key chain that had been clipped to the belt on his Yukata.

"That’s a CAMERA !" gasped Colin, as he saw the massive heavyweight rat getting ready to use it, "It ain’t much bigger than a matchbox !"

"Yes, is Japanese technology….good things come in small packages !" beamed the rat, playfully patting his rotund belly as he got ready to take a picture. Lining up the tiny viewfinder with his right eye, and sticking a bit of his tongue out of the left side of his muzzle in concentration as he did so.

"Hello, Ralph" came a feminine voice. The kangaroo who was stood on the edge of the group, crowded around the arcade game turned his head to be confronted by the pretty Siamese cat receptionist from the Hotel Metropolitan.

"Oh, Hi… Natsuko …umm..where's your friend….?"

" Haruko? Oh, she has decided that Para Para is only for 'Gangoros' now, she has taken to dressing like a 'Elegant Gothic Lolita' now instead… I think perhaps she reads that 'Fruits' Fashion magazine a bit too much….".

"I meant the guy I saw you with the other night at the convenience store…" hissed Ralph, coolly, before she could finish her explanation.

"Huh…." Natsuko giggled girlishly, "Oh, you must mean my BROTHER !"

"Yeah,..your brother, 'Anaki" right…?" the robed kangaroo breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, Anaki is Japanese for brother… I wish he was here now, he's never seen…" gushed the feminine feline, but suddenly put her hand over the end of her delicate short muzzle as though she’d said something she shouldn’t.

"A kangaroo ?, that’s what you where going to say right ?" gasped Ralph in exasperation guessing from her expression that what she was about to say before stopping herself.

"Yes…that’s what I was going to say, sort of…." Natsuko looked at her feet, clearly upset "A foreign wrestler…an Australian wrestler…..".

Ralph just looked at her dumb founded while he composed his thoughts, the others were all to involved in watching the dancing badger and akita to notice. "Tell me one thing, honestly…..Natsuko" he whispered, softened by her endearing shyness. "Are myself and the other foreign wrestlers just thought of as a weird freaky side-show here or something ?".

"No, …n…not at all" she gushed nervously. Ralph self consciously scratched behind one of his large ears with his left hand and glanced down at his own big kangaroo feet. "Yeah…..well, we're taking on the Browrock Beya shortly….maybe I'll see you around…." he snorted with slight indifference.

"Umm, yes…perhaps…maybe…." gasped the Japanese feline, as she backed away slowly in readiness to go, a little unnerved by his sudden coldness. Ralph turned his back on her and pretended to renew his interest on the frantic fast paced dancing going on, on the D.D.R arcade game

[Fast song - Brilliant 2U by Naoki]

Come on! Let’s go, here we go.

Jump, jump, jump, everybody, jump up, let’s get down!.

DDR, come on, come on.

Jump, jump, jump, everybody, jump up, let’s get down!.

Jump, jump, jump DDR.

Jump, jump, jump DDR.

Jump, jump, jump DDR.

Everybody, let’s get down!.

Come on! Let’s go, here we go.

Jump, jump, jump, everybody, jump up, let’s get down!.

DDR, come on, come on.

Jump, jump, jump, everybody, jump up, let’s get down!.

Jump, jump, jump DDR.

Jump, jump, jump DDR, come on.

Jump, jump, jump, everybody, DDR, come on, come on.

DDR yeah, everyone!.

Panting and gasping for breath, both the badger and the akita watched intently as the results screen came up.

Player 1 - AAA

Player 2 - AAA

"WHHHHATTT !!" shrieked the Mawashi clad Hikari, in disbelief.

"It’s a draw !!" gasped their ‘audience’ of student wrestlers, and several passers by who’d stopped to watch.

"Grraahh, we playing AGAIN !!" fumed Hikari, making a grab for and rummaging around in the coin purse tied to his Yukata’s belt for some more Yen.

"No, you NOT !!!" roared Mr Yamamoto, fiercely "I said ONE game !!".

"But Oyakata, results not show which of us better dancer….." pleaded Hikari. "And there other tunes we not danced to, ‘Boom boom dollar’, ‘Hero’, ‘So many males’, ‘Butterfly’……"

"We came here for SUMO, not ‘Doki doki dance contest’….." snarled the shar-pei angrily at the crest fallen akita, "Maybe I letting you play again later, on the way home……".

"But arcade be busy then, big queue to play on it….." whined Hikari. Instantly the fearsome retired wrestler grabbed hold of the akita’s right arm and yanked him off the machines platform like an insolent cub, seized hold of one of his pointy ears and pinching it hard, he drew the startled dog down to half his height.

"How DARE you answer me back, in public !!, whining like little puppy told he can’t have sweets !!, you one of my Gashira and you ACT like that….?!. Your Playstation first thing get thrown out as soon as we get back to the Beya….It bad influence on you !!" he snarled into the ear he was pinching, with his hot breath.

"Please Oyakata, he just got a bit carried away in his excitement….." Dennis defended the akita who was wincing in pain, "It’s probably just the adrenaline talking….".

"What you say ??" the angry shar-pei jerked his head around and turned his attention to the badger, quizzically as he wasn’t familiar with the word. Daikonran stepped in and quickly translated what the English badger had just said, as the shar-pei still held his lightweight instructor down level with his waist.

"Huh, you be thankful they took your side….Maybe I let you keep Playstation, but NO game on way home…you just have to be living with fact you as good as each other !!".

"Y…yes, Oyakata….." winced Hikari, against the painful tight pinching on his ear. "Forgive me, please…."

"Cause me to be doing this again, and you find yourself with pierced ear by my finger, understood !!" hissed Mr Yamamoto.

"Hai, HAI…Y…yes, Oyakata….." repeated Hikari, pitifully.

"Right, we all going to take on Browrock beya NOW !!. I am in NO mood for schoolcub chattering and giggling !" snarled the normally quiet shar-pei as he released his grip on his lightweight instructor who grudging got back to his feet and put his Yukata back on, once someone had passed it to him.

The Shohoku beya group headed the rest of the short distance to the Meiji-jingu shrine near Yoyogi koen park in an apprehensive, hushed silence. Dennis did his best to distance himself from Hikari who was still visibly seething with rage. The Browrock beya wrestlers had clearly got there before them and were warming up in and around the old outdoor sumo ring, while a few spectators and curious passers by looked on with polite interest.

[In Japanese] "Here come the foreign misfits now !" scoffed the Browrocks beya's Oyakata, a stocky brown bear about the same age as Mr Yamamoto, who was dressed in a flashy Yukata.

"Not good enough to attract Japanese students !" scoffed another in his native language in a stage whisper aimed to be loud enough for them to all hear.

"BAKAMONO !" [idiot] snarled Renjiro, upon hearing that and tried to barge his way to the front of the group. But Kakera held out his large right arm barring him from doing so. "That just what they wanting you to do….." hissed the massive robed grey rat coolly.

"But Kakera-sensei, they insulting our beya….." pouted the young Japanese mole.

"It is admirable you so hot blooded about defending beya’s honor, but keep it for inside the sumo ring !" added Mr Yamamoto, who had overheard. His beady eyes had narrowed as his attention was focused on the rival teacher and his students a short distance away as they all walked slowly closer to confront them.

"Y..yes, Oyakata !" Renjiro nodded a quick bow acknowledging what the shar-pei had just said.

"You better not DARE lose shamefully, or else…" Hikari snarled as he deliberately brushed past Dennis.

"Don't be make trouble, please….." Kakera whispered to his fellow Gashira, "You just worry about your own weight class students….".

"I got my eye on you, Bemani badger….." harumphed the akita, as he swaggered proudly away with a self important air.

"I think he LIKES you really, he is pushing you as he knows you can become better….." the grey rat muttered to Dennis once the Japanese canine was far enough away that he'd not over hear.

"He likes me ?, 'sure has a funny way of showing it, Kakera Sensei….." replied the badger with a bemused expression. Just then Mr Yamamoto clapped his hands together making a thunderous crack which caught everyone’s attention. His students all knew that they were to line up upon hearing that. The lightweight students lined up shoulder to shoulder in front and the heavyweights in a row behind them.

"Hey, someone want take school photo…." heckled one of the rival beyas students sarcastically, in English. Mr Yamamoto ignored the outburst and wandered over to the head of the Browrock beya. The brown bear, stood defiantly next to his own group of students, his arms folded across his broad chest and a defiant sneer plastered across his face.

"I would like to introduce my students, if I may….." announced the shar-pei calmly in his native language, unmoved by the bears sour expression.

"Humph, if you must….." snorted the elegantly robed ursine in Japanese.

Dramatically coughing to clear his throat, Mr Yamamoto wandered to the beginning of the lightweight row. "You know my Gashira, Hikari, next to him is current international lightweight champion, Shlank from Germany, then we have Colin from Australia…."

"Wotcha' 'Mate'…." chirped the Koala with a mock salute, getting horrified looks from the other Shohoku students as he was really supposed to stand like a proud, silent soldier on parade.

"Well disciplined, by looks…." sneered the rival bear, haughtily. Mr Yamamoto glowered at Colin with his beady eyes, letting him know non-verbally that he had done wrong and could well expect some sort of punishment or retribution for it later. "Ruffert from America, he's been on both 'Kuma Motors' and 'Canadian Rockies' teams….., Lyro also from America, and our newest recruit to Shohoku beya, Renjiro….".

"The son of the selling vegetables truck driver….." sneered an unseen member of the other beya, and Renjiro winced with slight embarrassment.

"Heavyweight members….." continued Mr Yamamoto, oblivious to the comments as the lightweight members collectively bowed and filed away to the side of the Sumo ring.

"Daikonran Kuma, current International heavyweight champion, who has held the title twice before, and next to him is Rasputin who has held the title the previous year, but Daikonran win it back. Valdis is Rasputin's team mate…Morgan next to him is Daikonran's team mate… Knall here is also from Germany, Shlank's team mate, Ralph from Australia is Colin's of course, Jasper is from the Canadian rockies team, and Dennis is all the way from London, England…and runs the British Knights team.

The rival Beya owner just looked them all up and down, visually scrutinising them with his eyes. He'd not had his school go up against so many foreign wrestlers before, but it was a challenge he couldn't resist. "Humph, let's start this then…" nodded the brown bear, as he folded his arms behind his back, "I will let my students actions speaking for themselves…I see no point in formally introduce them" and with than he turned his attention back to his own wrestlers.

"How rude !" whispered Renjiro, thinking out loud as they all filled back out onto their own respective side of the hard clay dohyo.

"I agree…." added Daikonran, who overheard him, as he valued politeness as much as most Japanese did.

"Oyakata and Browrock Beya Oyakata both have rivalry going back years….He just eager to prove his school, maybe scouts from more illustrious Beyas watching today or new potential students wishing to join " The burly grey rat, Kakera stroked his muzzle thoughtfully as he joined in the discussion, "Maybe even reporters from media, like television or newspapers…."

"Oh, great…like we're not nervous enough…." sighed Ruffert.

"You not DARE take that attitude !!" snarled Hikari, angrily as they all began removing their Yukatas and limbering up in readiness. "We, as I believe you Americans put it 'Go in there, and kicking there asses !"…"

"We ist not be letting you down, Sensei !" blustered Shlank confidently, as he warmed up.

"YAH !!" bellowed his team mate Knall from nearby, rallying cries and shouts of agreement from all the others. Kakera smiled broadly and his already vast chest swelled a little more with pride.

"I'm proud you all have such strong feelings for my humble Beya…." announced Mr Yamamoto, as he wandered into the centre of the group, "I have never been that good at speech making…so I just want you all to go in there and do your best, remembering what my Gashira and myself taught you !" Everyone nodded their solemn agreement upon hearing that, and continued getting ready to compete. "HEY !!" bellowed Rasputin, the fearsome Russian grizzly. Once he was satisfied he had everyone's attention the rugged muscular Mawashi clad bear slapped his chest resolutely and spoke, "The Oyakata has been generous enough to feed us, teach us and PUT up with us all this time, not to mention letting us stay at his Beya for FREE. Even though he didn't initially invite all of us and could easily have turned us away…."

"Well said…" cut in Daikonran, getting a scowl from the grizzly who had nothing but contempt for him, especially seeing as he had won his title back from him in the last international Basho. "Bah, I'm just sayin' what I expect you would have said in that creepy way of yours…besides, it's TRUE !, an' we should all go into that clay ring and do BETTER than our best and bring honour to Shohoku Beya !" and as he said that he punched a defiant fist into the air.

TO BE CONTINUED….

www.furnation.com/kuma-chan [email protected]