The 1st episode of Deep of Muscle.
The following is a fan-translation of the Japanese content.
Credit and thanks to Gunnar Iron
Summary[]
This explores the time from the first meeting of the Justice Idol Chojin, Skyman, and one of the world's three most Brutal Chojin, Curry Cook, to the formation of their tag-team.
Story[]
Chapter 1[]
Part 1[]
【Prologue】
Do you remember the Chojin "Skyman"?
The 20th Chojin Olympics, where Kinnikuman defeated Robin Mask and won his first victory. It is a chojin of the Mexico national team who participated in the tournament.
Known as a master of the rare aerial killing method, he was regarded as one of the winning candidates, but he was unfortunately defeated after a close battle in the first round of the tournament. His opponent was Terryman.
Since his defeat, his success has rarely been portrayed, but in reality, he has won a big title since then.
The 4D Killer Combo, the tag team of Black Hole and Pentagon, that participated in the dream Chojin tag tournament. Here is such a history in the profile column at the time of the first introduction.
"Title history in tag ★ Galactic chojin tag (taken from Skyman and Curry Cook group)"
That's right. After losing at the Chojin Olympics, Skyman formed a tag team with India's chojin Curry Cook, who also participated in the Chojin Olympics. And the had won the title of "Galaxy Superman Tag Championship".
But imagine. Skyman is an splendid orthodox idol chojin who is very popular with women, and Curry Cook is a strange man who is feared as one of the world's three most cruel chojin. The differences are like water and oil. From appearance to combat style, I can't find any overlapping elements.
How did these two people form a tag?
From now on, I will return to that time and talk about the episode of the fateful encounter between these two people.
Part 2[]
A stadium with a packed bill.
With a large crowd watching, when one big battle has just come to an end. A new winner is born, exploding feelings of joy on the ring. Behind the scenes, a man quietly returns to the waiting room.
While most of the people at the venue gazed at the winner on the dazzling ring, a crowd of several meters in the range noticed the loser pulling up quietly, throwing his thoughts at him.
"Cha! Please! Peel this!"
"Hey, you're kidding me?! You lose!?"
"But it can't be helped against Terryman!”
“It was a good match!"
The man's name is Skyman.
He is a chojin who has come all the way to Japan, the host country, to participate in the Chojin Olympics currently being held as a representative of Mexico. In the first round of the final tournament, Skyman collided with the powerful Terryman of the Southern United States. With a series of aerial killing methods that he’s good at, he cornered him to the point where Skyman was one step further, but at the last minute, he ate the intense Oklahoma Stampete of the one-shot reversal by his target Terryman and sank to the mat as it was It was.
"Retire!”
"You just jumped and jumped, it was like beans in a frying pan! Gahahahaha!"
"Collect your luggage and go back to Mexico!"
As a matter of course, a piercing and heartless swearing flies in the words of favorable encouragement.
"Kee! What did you say to Sky!"
Immediately, the young maidens of his private fan club "El Aho-Me Corps" were slamming around the slanderous men. What a terrifying sight...
However, if the person who is slandered in this way is also miserable, the defended self is also miserable.
"Don't worry, Skyman. Don't look at anything. Don't ask ..."
He shut out all the noise as he told himself, quickly slipped through the dimly lit aisle, and focused on just heading for the waiting room...
"Huh ..."
A waiting room was prepared near the back of the bench on the 3rd base side of Korakuen Stadium, which is the venue for the game. When he finally arrives, he closes the door behind him and sighs loudly.
"Did I finally lose?"
He muttered so small and sat down in a pipe chair in the corner of the room without the force of a snowfall.
Eventually, with his hands down, he put his hands behind his neck, untied the tightly tied straps, and took off his mask. Gaze at the "your face" in your hand for a few seconds and gently place it on the table beside you.
And this time, he stared at the real face reflected in the large mirror in front. Very unfortunately, the true self hidden in the glittering mask is truly reflected in it.
"That’s it, Skyman... this is it."
Objectively, it's a typical Latin second face with a deep carving. He isn't a maskman because he's not very good at it. Rather, he is a pretty beautiful boy.
However, the face was a kind of beauty with delicate and fragile glass-like danger and brittleness that made me feel somehow nervous. It's kind of like an elegant nobleman. That's it...
"It's already corrigori that your opponent can't help!"
That was the first motivation for him to wear a mask in the first place.
He had a great sense of fighting since he was a child, but when he was a newcomer, he couldn't get the results he wanted and continued to stagnate. After it came to wear a mask, the winning streak road was straight!
Why was it possible to achieve a dramatic increase in results with just that? That's because his greatest weakness was in his spiritual side. In short, he was terribly naive... weak, despite his strength.
Tension, anxiety, impatience. He was the type of person whose weakness was immediately apparent, and he was often struck by his opponent even before the match. How many times have he lost a winning match?
However, anyone who wears a mask is forced to play poker face! I couldn't understand my psychological weakness at all.
"I was...strong?"
It is inevitable that the winning percentage will increase for him, who has a high sense in the first place, if he brings it to a pure ability game without psychological warfare. The results of the battle rose rapidly, the achievements became confident, and the innate weakness itself gradually improved.
In fact, I haven't lost since I became a mask man. The effect was so terrifying that it eventually became so important to him that the "Skyman Mask" even seemed to be a makeover mask to become the ideal hero.
"If I have this mask, I'm invincible!"
But at the same time, he began to think:
"With this, I'm invincible, but without this... I'm just a third class wrestler."
The masked "Skyman" was too perfect. This gradually put more pressure on him when he took off his mask.
Part 3[]
His dual personality tendency was getting stronger day by day.
While wearing the mask, he continues to play Skyman, an invincible genius wrestler who is not afraid of anyone and a master of aerial killing. But the moment he removes the mask in the waiting room, he immediately reverts to a weak young man. And the pressure attacks at once.
"That's not the real me. Then what is the third-class me who keeps fighting for the honor of "Skyman"?"
To be honest, he was starting to get a little tired of being the fictional hero "Skyman" he had created.
And finally now, he lost a match for the first time since he wore the mask. It was also the moment of the collapse of the "Skyman myth" that he continued to worship. The magnitude of the shock is immeasurable.
"Oh, this gives me freedom..."
But that was his pure impression after the match.
The invincible "Skyman" is finally gone today. And it was also the moment when he was finally released from the pressure of having to keep playing a hero who was too perfect. Feelings of relief spread. However, the feeling of relief was a mysterious feeling accompanied by sadness and loneliness.
"I'll seal this glorious mask, and I'll be back. From tomorrow I'll be back to my true self, a third-rate wrestler."
Lively cheers are still leaking from outside the door.
"This is the gorgeous world full of cheers, and it has nothing to do with me anymore."
He turned on the TV monitor in the waiting room, as if completely blocking the world outside the door. However, the television was not intended to broadcast terrestrial broadcasts, but to deliver live footage for tournament officials to inform the situation of each match venue in real time.
"What. Is it the same video as outside... Hmm? No, it's different."
Apparently, the live video is not from Korakuen Stadium, where the match has already ended, but instead it shows the inside of Korakuen Hall, where the match has not yet ended.
Today, two A-block games in which I am incorporated will be held at Korakuen Stadium. And another, two maches of B block were also held at the next Korakuen Hall as an event held on the same day.
Apparently, there were deaths in the first game at the next venue. It seems that Brockenman, who was feared as a German powerhouse and one of the three most dangerous chojin, was murdered by Ramenman, a man who is also feared as the world's strongest cruel chojin.
"Would it have been easier if it had been me instead of Brockenman..."
He was thinking about that while listening to the memorial ten count gong, and he may have been mentally approaching the limit.
And as it is, it seems that the second game will start in B block as well.
On the ring, a superman with a curry on his head, apparently strange, stood up and danced like crazy pre-match ritual dance, which was unpleasant as if he had adopted yoga.
For some reason, he was very interested in that unpleasant dance.
"What... what is that guy...?"
That was Curry Cook, the cruel chojin of the Indian national team, the man who would later greatly influence his destiny.
── To be Continue
Chapter 2[]
Part 1[]
Curry Cook, the Brutal chojin representing India.
Skyman certainly remembers having such a man in the final tournament combination draw. However, at that time, he dared not to look at him as much as possible.
"Wait, he put curry on his head? He's a strange person!"
That was Skyman's first impression of Curry Cook.
"What is he thinking?"
He didn't understand anything. He didn't want to be disturbed by someone who didn't understand this. That's why at that time before the game, when I was extremely nervous, I never seemed to be involved.
But now Skyman is fixated to this man's mysterious dance on the monitor!
The curry on his head never spilled, no matter how intense the dance was. It's wonderful. Skyman, who was impressed unknowingly, may have been exhausted...
"I'm sure it's living as it is, isn't it?"
Skyman then even thought of his daily outlook. Curry Cook runs his daily life in fantasy. Its overhead curry is always solid and stable.
When he thinks about it, how stable is that curry compared to himself, who feels ups and downs every time he took off his mask. He wasn’t afraid of anything. Whether it's something wrong on his head or with everyone, the curry is just a curry. It's nothing but curry.
It seems that the curry that doesn't spill is strongly insisting on the fact that it is natural and strict.
"That's... India. A country of philosophy."
Skyman is getting a little excited.
He found himself crazy and rushing out. He jumped out of the waiting room without wearing his mask, and of course, he went to the next Korakuen Hall. B block match venue!
"If I watch this match, something might change in me!"
One might say that it's nothing more than a hesitation, but there's only one thing he can say.
Skyman was obviously tired...
5th floor of the blue building in front of Suidobashi station. The match venue, which is directly connected to the elevator hall, is quieter than the neighboring Korakuen Stadium. The audience seats are rattle. The staff at the entrance was also alert, and it was so miserable that he fell asleep.
"Chi! It's a blind mass to miss the fight of such a good fighters!"
Skyman slipped through the unmanned entrance and rushed into the venue with excitement. The calculated lighting unique to Korakuen Hall beautifully illuminates the wire mesh deathmatch ring!
And when he saw the shining central stage, he was astonished!
For some reason, Curry Cook, now with a Japanese-style bowl over his head, was rampaging...
Skyman doubted his eyes and broke down.
"Hey! What about your curry? What about the immovable curry above your head!?"
No matter how many times he see it, that wasn’t curry. That guy's overhead is a bowl of gyudon!
"Why gyudon!?"
Moreover, Curry Cook himself seems to be in the opposite direction, and is scattered against the few stubborn fathers of the audience. What is this venue? This is bad in many ways.
If you look closely on the ring, the curry rice is scattered in a miserable manner, along with the dish that has become konagona. Skyman has become crying.
"Hehehe… Gyudon…"
Moreover, when he saw the beef bowl above Curry Cook, the eyes of his opponent, Kinnikuman, who should have been inferior, changed suddenly!
"Gyudon ~! Gyudon ~!"
Curry Cook was literally grabbed by Kinnikuman who attacked with a strange bamboo shoot!
"Gyudon ~! Gyudon ~!"
After that, Kinnikuman transforms into a figure that looks just like Giant Baba and drives chops like crazy. He bites and hits him, and keeps throwing a tremendous rush on Curry Cook.
"Ahhhh! ~~~ I Will be killed by the Kinniku-Devil!~~~"
Leaving such words, Curry Cook finally abandoned the match, escaping from the ring with a fierce dash.
Skyman was stunned and broken again.
The gong at the end of the match sounds immediately. It seems that Kinnikuman's victory has been confirmed by abandoning the game of Curry Cook.
"It was a waste of time!"
What a fucking match he came to see. Skyman was indignant and at the same time felt pitiful. After all the public was right. Isn't it the one who doesn't see?
There is one black shadow that rushes straight while raising a sword.
That is... Curry Cook!?
"Hie ~~~!"
Dokan! At the entrance to Korakuen Hall, the two destined clashed.
"Hey! Yeah, I'm still crazy!"
Skyman immediately stopped Curry Cook, who was about to stand up and run away.
"Hey, wait, you!"
Skyman, who was so muffled that he wanted to cry, was full of feelings that he could not help saying something to this man who was the cause.
"I have something to say to you!"
"Hmm…?"
"Don't drop the curry on your head, idiot!"
"Huh? So noisy, who are you?"
"Ahhhhh, you're the one!
"!?"
Curry Cook suddenly faltered at the man's power.
"Who is this guy?"
Part 2[]
Skyman didn't wear a mask, so Curry Cook didn't know who he was, but a large Mexican-style adult, probably in his late twenties, crying and complaining to himself with a pair of wrestler pants maybe was a little unusual.
"What's this guy, really? Ah, today is a tough day. I have came across with strange guys one after another. I've lost the match before I knew it, and this is where I want to cry!"
Curry Cook thought so inwardly, but today he decided to give up and be quiet. When he looked closely, this Mexican-style man was muscular. Who the hell was this guy?
"If they take the curry from your head, you can’t do anything!"
"Yes, that's right."
"So why did you put a beef bowl instead? Are you proud?"
"Yes, I'm sorry."
Skyman's sermon was surprisingly persistent.
"What are you thinking about selling fights to the audience? Normally, it's a forfeit match."
"No, I'm sorry..."
It was at that time when Curry Cook was frustrated asking if he could release it. He was surprised when the man in front of him said something was wrong.
"I really wanted to get away from the ring like you do today!"
"What?"
"Even today, Terryman, who is often called the strongest in North America. To be honest, I was full of desire to escape from the beginning. But I can't escape. I can't escape. Everyone's hero, Sky Man always has to fight! Because he's an idol to everyone. As long as he has hope, there are things he has to do against his will! Do you guys, the brutal chojin, who want to do whatever they want, understand that feeling?! "
"You... you’re Skyman?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"No, you said that yourself..."
As soon as he realized that he was Skyman, Calekkuk's expression became steep.
"Hmm. If you think you have a fluffy face, you're Skyman, the idol superman of the Mexican representative! You come to such a gloomy B block without wearing a mask, and what do you do?"
Skyman flirted with that question. Because I really didn't know what I was here for. Calekkuk continues to cross-examine the stale Skyman.
"Didn’t you lose to Terryman a while ago? Ha ha ha, that's a good thing!"
"What... what are you !?"
"Don’t get me wrong. I can't say anything about others. I'm a loser, let's get along with each other."
Skyman's face was dyed bright red.
"Oh, I'm not like you guys! You’re a brutal chojin! We can not be together!"
Curry Cook grinned and replied to Skyman, who refused at once.
"Hey, that's how you guys idol chjin are always looking from above. They think they're a natural elite, but to those expensive guys like you. Only, I don't want to admit my miserable blunder. I don't want to admit that I've fallen to the ground.
Skyman had no words to return. That's right.
Skyman shuts up and Curry Cook looks at it expressionlessly.
Awkward silence continues for a while. Suddenly, however, Curry Cook smiled unexpectedly and laughed loudly.
"Fuhahahaha. You're a surprisingly straightforward guy to just shut up without denying. I like it."
And immediately, he brought a strange proposal to Skyman.
"Okay, then why don't you play a match with me here? Then maybe your worries will be resolved in that fight..."
Skyman was a little disappointed with the unexpected development, but it is also true that he was very interested. This man, Curry Cook, has curry on his head, but he doesn't seem to be just a fool. He wasn’t sure, but I felt that there was something that made me feel the depth of personality. And that intuition made Skyman decide to accept this proposal.
"Okay, I'll take that suggestion, but no matter what dirty tactics you come in, I'll take it back with legitimate techniques. Don't regret it, brutal chojin!"
"Oh, that's fine."
Curry Cook replied happily.
── To Be Continue
Chapter 3[]
Part 1[]
Skyman had accepted Curry Cook's challenge on the spur of the moment, but strangely enough, he didn't regret it.
The man's eyes and tone of voice were certainly filled with hatred towards the idol chojin and the world. But in the middle of the conversation, he could feel that it was gradually becoming less and less about him, at least.
He wasn’t sure what he meant by this, but he didn’t think badly of him. In fact, he seemed to have an aura of compassion towards him.
The fight was ten days later. The match took place ten days later, at the same Korakuen Hall.
***
Time passed quickly and the day of the fight arrived.
The seats in Korakuen Hall were completely different to the ones that had been there ten days before, and the place was packed to the rafters. And judging by the banners and streamers, most of the crowd seemed to have come to support Skyman.
"I can't believe so many fans are still cheering me on after I've become such a loser..."
Skyman looked around the venue and was so moved by the sight that he almost burst into tears.
On the other side of the hall, Curry Cook was watching the show with a satisfied look on his face...
Skyman went back to the waiting room and picked up his mask again, just as he had done the day he lost to Terryman. He gazes at his face, unchanged from the day he lost to Terryman, and murmurs.
"I never thought I'd wear this mask again so soon..."
He puts it on again, and then puts on his cloak and the flamboyant overmask he had promised. He was all set. It's time for the invincible hero Skyman!
"Skyman, let's go!"
He shouted in his mind and stood up briskly.
As he opens the door to the waiting room, a buzz of excitement filled the room.
"From the red corner, Skyman makes his entrance!”
At the same time as the ring announcement, the intro to his entrance theme song "Sky High" begins to play. The crowd cheered even louder than before.
"I've come back. Here I am!”
As Skyman made his way down the aisle, confetti flew and the crowd cheered loudly. He reaches the ring just as the chorus of "Sky High" comes to an end, nimbly leaps over the ring ropes, removes his cape and throws off his overmask.
"And now, from the blue corner, Curry Cook!”
With a weird and heavy sitar melody, Curry Cook appeared on the opposite side of the aisle. The crowd erupts in a storm of boos.
"You've got curry on your head, you idiot!”
"Go run a curry shop in India, you loser!”
"Get out of Japan, you brutal chojin!”
You haven't done anything wrong yet, but you're getting a lot of flack. Skyman was a little bemused by the crowd's reaction, but Kalechek looked satisfied with himself as he strode towards the ring with a clear face, taking in the abuse. Skyman felt a little jealous of his strength.
"Red Corner, 180cm, 89kg, 450,000 pounds. From Mexico, Skyman!"
The ring announcer called, and the crowd erupted in applause.
"Go for it!”
"Good luck today!”
Skyman raises one hand to the crowd's cheers.
"Blue Corner, 200cm, 105kg, 600,000pow, from India, Curry Cook!
"Die!”
"Get the fuck out of here!”
"Let Skyman beat you!”
The ring announcer's call was met with a chorus of boos from the entire crowd. Curry Cook, like Skyman, responded by raising one hand in the air.
And then the bell rang.
"Let's begin, idol chojin. In this battle, I will teach you what it means to be a brutal chojin.”
Curry Cook, with a fearless smile on his face, came up to him. They clasped their hands together in the centre of the ring, and they were in a power struggle. Skyman was overwhelmed by his opponent's composure, but he couldn't help but ask: "What do you think of this?”
"Do you always fight like this?”
"Yes, I do, because that's my job!”
With great dexterity, Curry Cook leapt up and over Skyman's head and behind him. It's a great way to make sure you don't get caught in the middle of the action. It was a beautiful bridge!
"He can do it!”
As Skyman rolls over to escape, he uses his uncomfortably soft body to re-catch him from behind as if he were grabbing an eel. This time, he took Skyman's head and legs from the side and put him in a bow and arrow hold.
"What a soft body! He's been called a ground technician!”
Skyman was astonished by his basic skills.
Skyman's respectful surprise was not met by the crowd.
"Don't you dare do anything stupid!”
"Your moves are disgusting!”
Curry Cook did not care, he put all his strength into his hands and tried to break his spine.
"It's working...badly!”
Skyman grabbed a nearby rope and tried to break free. But Curry Cook knew the move was about to be undone and immediately threw away the bow and arrow hold, forcing Skyman towards the ropes and into the gap! Skyman is stuck in the ropes. Skyman is stuck in the ropes, and is hit with a barrage of middle kicks from Curry Cook! Skyman was forced to evacuate the ring, but he was secretly impressed.
"What a brilliant assessment of the situation!”
But even as he attacks, the chants from the crowd only grow louder and louder.
"You're killing him!”
“You're dead, you're dead, you're dead!”
As Skyman regained his bearings on the outside, he looked up at Curry Cook in the ring.
"His submissions are too dangerous...you can't fight him! Strike, strike!"
Skyman decided, and as soon as he entered the ring, he immediately flew to the ropes behind him. He then uses the power of the rebound to leap from his feet and pounce on Karekuk like an arrow!
"There it is! Skyman's signature dropkick! Right into Curry Cook's chest!"
Curry Cook cowers violently. But that's just a greeting. Skymann runs up to the top rope and launches himself into the air, landing a full body dive on the downed Karekuk!
"He followed this up with a flying body attack! And then the flying body attack!”
The crowd cheered wildly as Skyman did his usual nimble moves! The crowd cheered and cheered! Curry Cook immediately gets up and jumps behind him, and just like Skyman did earlier, he aims and delivers a sharp dropkick! It hits Skyman right in the face!
"Oh no, Curry Cook! A brilliant counterattack dropkick that takes Skyman's stock in the ring!"
But the crowd boos again:
"Don't do that, you idiot!”
"You're a hundred years too young, you bastard!”
“Please die!”
Part 2[]
Skyman was puzzled. It was not because he had fallen backwards after being hit by a powerful blow. It was because Curry Cook's strike was a beautiful dropkick, as sharp as an arrow and as lean as an arrow, even for a man who is known as a master of aerial combat. It was perfect.
But even though he had the same level of craftsmanship as me, the audience was not surprised, they were still shouting. And so it goes, and so it has been ever since.
"What's going on?"
Skyman suddenly felt the urge to try an experiment. He’s going to try a dropkick with the same timing, speed, and angle of entry as Curry Cook, but with the exact same accuracy. He is the greatest aerialist of all time...He can do it!
Skyman flew backwards again and did the exact same thing to Curry Cook.
"That was amazing!”
“You're a genius!”
As expected, the crowd erupted in applause. The cheers were appreciated. He can't help but feel a bit uncomfortable about this difference in reaction, and that's something he couldn't hide.
"I'm not sure what to make of it.”
"I'm sure you'll understand.”
”I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do it," he said.
"Well, how about this?
Suddenly, something glittered! A few moments later, a painful blow to the head sends Skyman staggering to the ground.
"Aaaaah!"
A few female fans at ringside scream and faint in fear at the sight of the red. The announcer at the other end of the ring, his voice echoing through the hall, reported the scene with excitement.
"'Oh, no, no, no! Curry Cook has just struck Skyman in the forehead with a hidden fork!”
Curry Cook then grabbed the fallen Skyman up and began to do what he does best, rubbing curry roux over his head into his split forehead!
"He's done it!”
"Oh, no!”
"You coward!”
At the same moment, the crowd erupted in a torrent of anger, pouring into Curry Cook's body! But he was in a state of ecstasy, letting go of Skyman and letting the muddy water wash over him.
Skyman, on the other hand, was writhing in agony at the unexpected spiciness and stimulation, and was again greatly surprised by the reaction of the audience. Clearly, this was the biggest crowd of the day!
He suddenly wanted to try one more experiment.
The fork with which he had split his forehead was lying in front of him, just in time. Normally he wouldn’t have even thought of such an action. But now he was beginning to see things.
Skyman broke his policy and picked up the fork. He plunged it into Curry Cook's forehead with all his might!
"Gaaaaaaaah!"
Curry Cook falls back in a heap, just like he did before! Fresh blood spurts out, turning the ring even redder. The ring turns even redder as fresh blood spurts out of him, and the reactionary comedian can't believe how badly he's been hit!
But despite the excitement in the ring, the crowd has gone pale and quiet. This is definitely the worst moment of the day... In the silence, the only sound was the screams of Karekuk, who was writhing in agony, echoing through every corner of Korakuen Hall.
"Buckaroo! What the hell are you doing? I've missed this!”
One spectator shouted a rebuke, but not even a follow-up abuse. After that, the whole place was just buzzing. It was a strange atmosphere.
As expected. The brutal chojin Curry Cook had been defeated, but no one was happy. Skyman could do nothing but stand there with his bloodied fork clenched tightly in his hand, filled with intense regret...
"I did the same thing and this is what I get."
──To Be Continue
Chapter 4[]
Part 1[]
The crowd, which had been so excited when Karekuk launched his furious attack with the weapon, was now completely subdued. The ebb and flow, the tide was out.
Skyman dropped his fork at his feet. The crowd is confused. They don't know what to make of it.
It was at this point that Skyman finally understood what Curry Cook had been trying to tell him.
"So that's it.... Thank you, Curry Cook. Now I can see it too.
He was a genius in a mask. He can do anything. Up until now, Skyman has always believed this about himself. But after his recent loss to Terryman, his confidence has begun to waver.
"He wondered if there was anything in the world that he couldn't do. Is it possible that he was just being overconfident?
That's exactly what he has been feeling lately.
And now I'm sure of it.
"There are things I can't do!”
He can't get the crowd going the way Curry Cook did. Yes, he had finally realised. He realised that everyone has a role to play.
"I'm an idol chojin. Just as it was my role to play the one of the idol chojin, it was your role to play the role of the cowardly, cruel villain, wasn't it? In your own way, you were trying to please the audience, weren't you? And yet, here I am, looking down on you!"
And he was ashamed of his weakness in lamenting the fact that he wanted to quit Idol Choujin, because even if he did, there would only be another position and another problem ahead.
He could only feel ashamed of himself for trying to escape from his current situation without thinking about it or being prepared to accept it.
Skyman reached out to Curry Cook, who was unconcious, and helped him to his feet.
"'I'm sorry, Curry Cook! I'm afraid I'm going to have to call this fight a foul."
There was a sparse applause from the quiet crowd. But then the crowd broke into a sparse applause.
"Pasine!”
There was a resounding sound in the crowd, which was in an emotional mood. He wasn’t sure what to make of that.
"It's a good idea to know what's going on in your life.”
It's a great way to get the most out of your day, but it's also a great way to get the most out of your day.
"Ohhhh! Don't underestimate the cruelty of the chojins, young man!
The competition committee members rush to stop him, but he doesn't stop running wild.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The bell rang again and again to end the fight. In the end, the match was declared a forfeit and no record was kept of it.
"I don't like brutal chojin. I don't know what I was thinking!"
After the match, Skyman lies in the waiting room, covered in blood, regretting his actions in apologising to Curry Cook. “I thought we were going to understand each other," he said.
Kongkong! Konkon!
A knock came on his anteroom.
"Come in, it's open.”
Skyman glances towards the door, and immediately strikes a fighting pose. It was the same bloody man who had come in: Curry Cook!
"What are you doing here? After all you've been through, you still want to fight?”
But Curry Cook was surprisingly calm.
“No, I'm sorry," he said. “Calm down.”
"I thought I'd give you this.”
Curry Cook held out a rakkyo.
"I'm sorry you got bloodied up earlier.”
Apparently, at least he didn't come here with the intention of fighting. It's a shame.
"You know, what kind of folk medicine is this? It's not going to heal your wounds.”
"Oh, I see. You should eat curry with me. Come on, don't be shy. It's a medicinal curry made with garam masala from the real India. It's also very good for healing wounds quickly.”
He then removed the curry from his head and presented it to Skyman, along with a spoon.
“I'm sure you'll be able to understand why. I'm sure you'll agree with me," he said, "but for now, I'm just going to eat the curry. Oh, it's definitely good!
"It's a little spicy, but it'll do the trick.”
"Yeah, it's great for rubbing into wounds."
Skyman's eyes widened. Strangely enough, the pain had already subsided in the area of his forehead where the curry roux had been rubbed in.
"It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.”
"Oops. I'm not sure what to do. If I say anything else, I'll cease to be a brutal chojin.”
"What the hell are you...”
"Fefe. And sometimes I put poison in my roux. Just consider yourself lucky today.”
Skyman didn't know where to start, but he decided to start with the most interesting question.
"Why are you a brutal chojin?
"Maybe the answer to that question is the one you seen during the fight today.”
Yes, that's right. He had set up this fight to give us a hint, to give us a hint of what life was like for this tired, troubled Skyman.
"Yes, that's true. But I want to hear it from you. Why are you doing it, you brutal chojin?
Seeing the seriousness in Skyman's eyes, Curry Cook seemed to have given up. He opened his heavy mouth and began to speak slowly, one word at a time.
"I'm sure you'll agree that we brutal chojin, unlike you popular idols, are allowed to do whatever we want every match. But instead, we're always crawling around on the ground. They don't respect me. They abuse us when we win, and they abuse us when we lose. That's the world of us brutal chojin.
Skyman nodded.
"But we all want to fly sometimes. Sometimes I want to crawl out of the ground and fly. I want to be cheered. But the public can be cruel. When we fly with our ideals, they laugh at us. “What's a guy with a curry on his head like you doing in a serious way?” I've done the same thing to you in this fight. But how did the crowd react? What you saw today, what you felt, what you understood, that's the reality of the world!”
The look in his eyes was one of sorrow.
"So we're going to open up! We'll do whatever we want, we'll fight brutally! We'll be rude! We'll do whatever we want, even fight brutally! They'll pay attention. And most of all, it makes them happy! Do you know what that feels like? If you don't know, you'll never know. Just like you did yesterday!"
There were tears in Curry Cook's eyes.
"You... did you go on a rampage at the end of the day just to make it happen again?”
What a man. He knows where he stands and is always doing the best he can with what he has been given. Skyman began to look at Curry Cook with a half-hearted respect, ashamed of his own shallowness. But there was one thing that bothered him.
"Why does this man's eyes look so sad when he knows his role so perfectly and does his job so well?”
And then he remembered that he had some amazing techniques up his sleeve....
That's right. Curry Cook must have never really wanted to be a heel. The crowd didn't pay any attention to him, but every martial artist wants to be recognised for what he does. But he didn't care about that, he wanted the audience to be excited by his fight.
It's not always the same thing to play the role you've been given and to pursue your dreams. It may not always be the same thing.
Skyman's eyes began to well up with tears. The man in front of him, with his mixture of cunning and melancholy, seemed to have taught him the emptiness of this world's reality.
Part 2[]
The next thing he knew, Curry Cook was crying too. He was surprised to find that the tears had already dried up and were now pouring out one after another.
"It's been a long time since I've felt this way. I'm glad I met you.”
But Skyman didn't let these casual words go unheard.
"Have you given up your dream?”
And immediately he had an idea!
"So, why don't we go and pick up that dream again? Why don't you and I form a tag-team?”
Curry Cook's eyes widened in surprise, but he immediately gave Skyman a stern look.
"What? You're an idiot! You can't do that! I'm not sure if you've heard of it or not.”
"That's why we have to work together! What the public wants will change! Your role will change too! And together we'll open up new horizons!”
"Shut up! What's that? Sympathy? If so, don't underestimate the world-famous cruelty of this chojin! I'm not so broken up as to accept charity from you idol chojin!”
But Skyman was serious.
"It's not like that. I'm not saying this out of pity, I'm saying it for my own good!”
Curry Cook shook his head, but Skyman did not care.
"Today I've learned how important it is to understand other people's incompatibilities, and how much fun it is to understand them. And above all, it is a shortcut to understanding one's true role!”
"Well, that's true, but...”
"So I want you to teach me more about the life of a brutal chojin! In return, I'll show you how to live the life of a idol chojin that I've cultivated over the years!”
"We'll take the abuse and we'll take the cheers?"
"Yes! If we can become the Jekyll and Hyde, the joint number one team, the one that can do it all, clean and dirty, then we'll be the best tag team in the world! You and me, we can do it! What do you say to that? Will you agree to it?”
Skyman's tone was heated.
“I've always been feared, abused and despised by others my whole life. I had become accustomed to being alone for so long that I had begun to take it for granted. With you... would I have the courage to follow my dream again?”
"I see. This is the power of friendship…"
With his eyes closed, Curry Cook began to meditate, lying quietly on his stomach and grasping his legs with both hands in what is known as the "bow pose" in yoga.
His meditation lasted for about three days, and he never left that position.
Skyman, covered in blood and eating the rest of his curry, waited forever for the meditation to end.
***
Years later, one afternoon on the banks of the Ganges in India...
"Hey, mate. The next title defence has just been confirmed!"
Skyman calls out loudly to Curry Cook, who is meditating in the 'pigeon pose'.
"Well...the Intergalactic Tag Team Championship seems like an awful name for a tournament, don't you think?”
"Hahahaha, don't say that. You and I, the idol chojin and the brutal chojin, are Joint Number One! We've never changed our philosophy. We're the best tag-team in the galaxy, just like the title says!
Curry Cook, still in his 'pigeon pose', asked Skyman with a clear look on his face.
"And who are these guys you'll be facing next?”
"They are a tag team formed by the justice chojin Pentagon and the devil chojin Black Hole, and their are called the 4D Killer Combo. That's a hell of a name too!"
"I'm not sure what to make of that. Isn't that a similar concept to ours?”
"Yeah, you can never be too careful with these guys. But if we can defend our titles here, we'll be allowed to participate in the rumoured upcoming 'Dream Chojin Tag Team Tournament' without conditions!”
"That's great.”
"Then the legend of our strength will be known throughout the universe! And on that dream stage, when all the martial arts fans in the world cheer as loud as they can, there will be the two of us! So let's keep our heads up, buddy!"
At Skyman's exhortation, Curry Cook replied with a smile.
"Yeah, let's go, to the legendary stage!”
──The End