Hi everyone, this here is my very first Idaten Jump fanfic. This story takes place after the episode where Yuki leaves Kakeru her MTB encyclopedia and before Makoto receives her bike. And Idaten Jump is the creation of Toshihiro Fujiwara.
MTB Physicals
By Cullen Pittman
In the strange bicycling world known as the X-Zone, we see a trailer traveling through a quiet countryside. In the front, we see MTB racer, Sho, pedaling the trailer. "I sure hope I can win some more emblems so we can finally go back home to our world", he sighed.
Inside the trailer, we see Sho's friends just relaxing. Their owl companion, Hosuke, was sitting on his perch sleeping and snoring in small hoots. Sho's friend, Makoto, was busy reading a cookbook, preparing for tonight's dinner and it looked like she was having a hard time reading for some reason. And kid mechanic, Kakeru, was reading an MTB encyclopedia he got from a great woman mechanic named Yuki. He was reading the book while sighing.
"What part are you reading in that book now?" asked Makoto.
"Oh, uh", said Kakeru who was suddenly snapped out of his trance. "It's nothing. I'm reading about a new kind of bicycle part that looks interesting."
"Is that right?" said Makoto as she looked over Kakeru's shoulder and found out he wasn't reading about bike parts at all. It was the autograph that Yuki singed for him.
"Okay, you got me", sighed Kakeru. "I was just thinking how great it was that Yuki gave me this MTB encyclopedia and how she autographed it for me." The truth was that Kakeru had a secret crush on Yuki with her pretty face, bright pink hair, and the way she repairs bikes. It was a shame she was an older woman and he was just a kid.
"I'd like to see that autograph up close", said Makoto. She looked at it while bulging out her eyes.
"Are you all right, Makoto?" asked Kakeru. "You've been doing funny things with your eyes lately."
"I'm not sure", said Makoto. "Lately, things seem kind of blurry to me. I've been having trouble reading my own cookbook. And the other day, I thought a sugar packet was a salt packet and vice versa."
"Is that why our French fries ended up tasting sweet the other day?" asked Kakeru. "And our lemonade tasted salty?"
"Yes, that was embarrassing", said Makoto, sadly.
"You don't think you'll need glasses, like me?" asked Kakeru.
"I hope not", said Makoto worried.
"Maybe an eye doctor can help you", said Kakeru.
"But how are we supposed to find an eye doctor or any kind of doctor out here in this vast X-Zone?" asked Makoto. Suddenly, the trailer came to a sudden stop causing everyone to fall down. And Hosuke got knocked off his perch.
"Whiplash!" cried Hosuke. "Let's sue someone!"
"Sho, what happened?" cried Kakeru as he and the others came out of the trailer to find out what happened to their driver.
"Sorry, guys", said Sho, blushing. "I was riding down the hill and this huge thing was blocking my way." They all looked at the huge and long white trailer that had a red cross on it.
"It looks like we might've found a doctor", said Makoto.
"A doctor?" said Kakeru, nervously, for he kind of had a fear of doctors, mainly because of their long stabbing needles with mystery injections.
Suddenly, the door opened on the side, small stairs ejected and out stepped a familiar figure. "Yuki!" said the gang surprised. But she didn't look like the mechanic they all knew. She was wearing a nurse's cap, a white smock with white pants, and a stethoscope around her neck. And she was holding a small chart.
"Yuki?" gasped Kakeru, seeing the mechanic he admired in these unfamiliar clothes.
"I'm not Yuki", said the woman. "I'm actually her cousin, Nurse Yaki."
"Nurse Yaki?" asked the kids and Hosuke.
"But you look and sound exactly like Yuki", said Sho.
"Yeah, everyone says we look and sound alike", said Yaki. "But Yuki's famous for being a mechanic while I'm famous for being a nurse." She took out a license showing them she was an official X-Zone nurse. "You're Sho and his racing crew, aren't you?" she asked.
"You know about us?" asked Sho.
"Yuki told me all about you", said Yaki, looking at her chart. "And I'm glad I found you. I'm supposed to give you your physicals."
"Physicals?" asked Makoto.
"Yes", smiled Yaki. "All MTB competitors must have medical examinations before competing in Idaten Battles. So far, Sho, you got away with competing in a few races before your physical. But now you need one pronto."
"Okay, whatever you say", said Sho. "I'm feeling fit."
"These physicals are for MTB riders only, right?" asked Kakeru. "Not mechanics like me?"
"Actually, they're mandatory for all three of you kids", said Yaki. "This X-Zone can be filled with dangerous diseases and I want to make sure you haven't caught any of them or won't ever catch them with the help of some special vaccines."
"Vaccines?" gasped Kakeru, "As in shots?"
"But of course", said Yaki. "Don't tell me a brave boy like you is scared of a tiny shot?"
"No, not really", lied Kakeru.
"I hate shots myself", said Hosuke, "Especially when it's owl hunting season."
"Miss. Yuki", said Makoto.
"That's Nurse Yaki, if you please", said Yaki.
"Oh, sorry", said Makoto, blushing. "Nurse Yaki, lately I've been having trouble seeing clearly. Do you think you can check and see if I need glasses or something else?"
"Sure I can", said Yaki. "I'm a professional." She looked at her chart and said, "We'll start with you, Kakeru."
"ME?!" gasped Kakeru.
"Yes", smiled Yaki, winking. "Come into my office with me while the rest of you wait outside. Kakeru slowly and nervously followed Yaki through the door of the trailer while it closed.
"Makoto", said Sho. "I didn't know you were having trouble seeing."
"I'm just hoping I won't need glasses", said Makoto.
"So you won't end up looking like Kakeru?" asked Hosuke.
Makoto had a vision of herself with Kakeru's face while fixing bikes.
As Kakeru stood on a scale while Yaki weighed and measured him, Kakeru looked around the inside of Yaki's trailer. It looked like a cross between a bike repair garage and a nurse's office. There was an examination table, a sink, some strange kind of exercise bike, some repair and medical tools, two strange looking bicycle helmets on a shelf, and what made Kakeru nervous, a rack filled with needles.
"Okay, Kakeru", said Yaki handing him a small plastic cup. "I need you to go over there and fill this up."
"Fill this up?" asked Kakeru.
"Yep", said Yaki as she went over to write some stuff on her chart.
"Here you go, Nurse Yaki", said Kakeru as he handed the full cup to Yaki.
"That's weird", said Yaki examining what was inside the cup. "It's brown and feels warm and it smells like sugar and cream."
"I didn't know what you wanted in your coffee, so I guessed at it", said Kakeru. Yaki looked puzzled and turned over to the bathroom. She also saw the coffee pot on the table next to the bathroom door.
"That's really not what I meant when I said to fill this up", said Yaki tasting the coffee. "But you make a good cup of Joe, kid."
"Thank you", said Kakeru, blushing.
"We'll try the cup thing again later", said Yaki. "Right now, take off your shirt."
"Is that really necessary?" asked Kakeru while covering his body with his arms.
"It's so I can examine you", said Yaki. "You've had medical checkups before, haven't you?"
"Not by someone who resembles a hot mechanic I know", Kakeru thought to himself nervously.
"Shall I do it for you?" smiled Yaki, extending her fingers.
"No, I'll do it", gasped Kakeru as he pulled off his T-shirt, exposing his bare torso. Yaki took the shirt and hung it on a hook on the wall.
"See, you have nothing to hide", smiled Yaki, "I bet girls will find you cute if you're ever walking around the beach or the pool like that." Kakeru blushed even redder at her comment.
Then Yaki got behind Kakeru and started combing his hair with some kind of strange comb while placing her fingers on his scalp. "Wha-what are you doing?" gasped Kakeru.
"I'm just checking your head for lice", said Yaki, "Or any other X-Zone parasites that might be living there."
"Parasites?" asked Kakeru worried, also relaxed as Yaki was stroking his hair.
"Don't worry, your hair is clean and safe", said Yaki, "Even though I found some bird footprints on your scalp."
"That was probably from Hosuke", said Kakeru. "He likes to perch on our heads."
"Hmm, maybe he eats those parasites while he does that", giggled Yaki.
"She has the same sense of humor Yuki does", thought Kakeru, smiling a little. Then Yaki picked up some kind of huge ray gun with a light at the end.
"What are you gonna do with that?" asked Kakeru nervously for it looked like an alien weapon of destruction.
"I need to give you a chest x-ray", said Yaki. "Follow me, please." She led Kakeru to a small black screen on the wall and faced his chest in front of it. "Stand perfectly still and take a deep breath", said Yaki. Kakeru complied as Yaki took her x-ray gun and aimed a harmless beam at his back. "Okay, step back please", said Yaki. Kakeru became amazed as he saw a ribcage with lungs and a heart appear on the black screen.
"Is all that stuff inside me?" asked Kakeru.
"It's kind of like those plastic organs you see in school science labs, huh?" smiled Yaki as she went over and studied the x-ray. "No diseases here." She said proudly. "Wait a minute. I see something on your right ribcage." Kakeru saw it too and it looked like some kind of long black centipede.
"There's a parasite inside my body?" gasped Kakeru in fear.
Yaki studied it closer and just laughed as Kakeru looked puzzled. Yaki then pulled the centipede off the x-ray with her fingers. "Nyaah", laughed Yaki. "This little guy was just hanging around the screen. You're perfectly parasite free."
"Whew!" said Kakeru relived. "For a minute, I thought you were going to send Hosuke in me to catch it."
Yaki then made Kakeru sit on the table and examined him. She started by taking his temperature, checking his ears, eyes, and nostrils, looking down his throat, and then checking to see if he wasn't color blind by making him look at pictures of different colored numbers. "The 1 is green", replied Kakeru, "the 2 is blue, the 3 is red, the 4 is orange, the 5 is yellow, and the 6 is purple."
"Very good", smiled Yaki as she marked her chart. "Mechanics should know the different colors of certain bikes. Now it's time to take your blood pressure."
As Yaki started pumping on the cloth that was wrapped around Kakeru's right arm, she asked. "Yuki told me that she left you her MTB encyclopedia. Have you found it very useful?"
"Yes I have", said Kakeru. "And she even autographed it. I really treasure it a lot."
"Did you learn about how to fix or assemble any new types of bikes?" asked Yaki as she removed the cloth from Kakeru's arm.
"Yesterday, I've read how to assemble a Thunder Emperor", said Kakeru, rubbing his arm. "I'd like to try and work on that one day."
"And I'm sure you will", smiled Yaki as she took out her stethoscope. "I'll need you to breathe in and out for me", said Yaki as she pressed her hand against Kakeru's chest and placed the stethoscope on his back. Kakeru made nervous breaths for he never ever thought someone who resembled his secret crush would be touching his bare skin. Then Yaki placed her hand on Kakeru's back and placed the stethoscope on his chest.
"Are you okay, Kakeru?" asked Yaki. "Your heart seems to be beating rapidly."
"I'm fine", lied Kakeru, "Your stethoscope's just a little cold. That's all."
"Oh, sorry", said Yaki as she breathed her hot breath on the metal piece and tried again. Kakeru tried to calm himself down so that Yaki could hear normal heartbeats.
Yaki started feeling Kakeru's back to see if his spine was straight and then started feeling the sides of his neck and under his arms to see if he was ticklish. Kakeru only made pretend laughs for he was too nervous to feel tickled. Then Yaki made Kakeru lie down on his back and started tapping different parts of his chest with her fingers and then feeling his stomach which seemed to make him even more nervous. "I have to remember that this is not Yuki", Kakeru thought to himself, "Just someone who looks like her."
"It feels like there are butterflies in his stomach", said Yaki as she made Kakeru sit back up. Then Yaki made Kakeru cross his legs, rolled up his pants leg, and was about to tap his knee with a reflex hammer. Kakeru's leg made a sudden nervous jump, even before she had a chance to tap it. "Is he worried about the shot?" wondered Yaki as she rolled the pants leg back down covering up Kakeru's leg. Then she had a thought.
"Take off your glasses", said Yaki as she went to bring something over. As Kakeru removed his glasses, he saw a slightly blurred vision of Yaki pushing a taller table to him with things on them. "Are those mini-bicycle parts?" he asked.
"Yes", smiled Yaki. "These are parts to make a model of a Thunder Emperor. I need to test your mechanic skills."
Kakeru was a little excited that he'd be building a Thunder Emperor, or at least a model of one. "Wait a minute", he said. "I left my tool pack back in my trailer."
"Don't worry", said Yaki as she handed Kakeru a smaller version of his tool pack. "To assemble a small bike like this, you'll need mini-tools." Kakeru opened the tool pack and studied the mini-versions of his favorite tools.
"But how am I supposed to put it together without my glasses?" he asked.
"You'll be doing it blindfolded", smiled Yaki as she covered Kakeru's eyes with a black mask.
"But why?" gasped Kakeru, who was in total darkness.
"All MTB mechanics must be able to build and repair bikes in any situation", said Yaki, "Including dark ones. But I'm sure you can do it. If you studied Yuki's MTB encyclopedia, that is."
"Okay, I'll give it a try", said Kakeru as he felt the small parts and tools with his fingers and figured out which was which. And in a few minutes he was done.
"Nice job, tiger", said Yaki as she removed the mask from Kakeru's eyes. Kakeru put his glasses back on and saw he put the model of the Thunder Emperor together perfectly.
"I did it!" said Kakeru, happily. "This was probably the best part of my physical."
"I figured it would be", smiled Yaki.
"But, then there's that vaccine shot", frowned Kakeru.
"Relax, I already gave it to you", said Yaki as she pointed to Kakeru's left shoulder that had a blue band-aid on it.
"But when?" gasped Kakeru.
"While you were blindfolded", smiled Yaki, winking. Kakeru remembered as he was busy working, he thought he felt some cotton touching his bare shoulder and something pinched it in just a second. Kakeru smiled at the bike model and Yaki as well as she handed him back his shirt.
Sho, Makoto, and Hosuke were outside waiting to be called in next. Sho was busy stretching and doing jumping jacks. "Sho, what are you doing?" asked Makoto.
"I want to show Nurse Yaki that I'm physically fit", said Sho. "I'm ready for whatever she has planned for me." And he started doing some kickboxing moves.
"I sure hope Nurse Yaki is a professional black belt", said Hosuke, puzzled.
Then the door opened and Kakeru came out smiling while slurping a blue lollipop. "How did it go, Kakeru?" asked Makoto.
"It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be", said Kakeru with a blue smile.
"And you got a lollipop too?" asked Sho while salivating at the sight of it.
"That's Kakeru's reward for being a good and brave patient", smiled Yaki, who was standing in front of the doorway.
"But I didn't really feel brave at all", said Kakeru, blushing.
"Don't say that", smiled Yaki. "You performed a successful bike assembly in total darkness. That makes you brave in my book. And plus, you make great coffee."
The kids and Hosuke became puzzled about the stuff Yaki had said.
"Is this a nurse's office, or a garage, or a coffee hut?" wondered Hosuke. "If it's the third thing, does she have any donuts in there?"
"Makoto, you're next", said Yaki while checking her chart. "Let's see what we can do about your vision."
Hosuke removed himself from Makoto's head and watched her step into the trailer. Then he perched himself on Kakeru's head. "Are you going to have an afternoon parasite snack on my head?" asked Kakeru.
"That's disgusting!" groaned Hosuke, "Me eating parasites off your head? Who knows where your head has been?"
As Makoto sat on the table, Yaki took out some kind of strange device. It looked like a red bicycle helmet, but with computerized gadgets all over it. "What is that?" Makoto asked.
"It's a special X-Zone helmet that checks your vision", smiled Yaki as she placed the helmet on Makoto's head and pulled down a visor over her eyes. Suddenly, Makoto saw what looked like a film of someone pedaling down an interstate.
"Okay, I need you to tell me what letters you'll be seeing passing you by", said Yaki's voice.
"What letters?" asked Makoto. But then she saw some billboards coming up on both sides of the road. And each board had a huge letter on it. "I see them now", said Makoto. "There's a G, J, V, C, X, K, U,", But then she noticed the next billboards had much smaller letters. "Uh, R, D, S, blob, uh, N, uh, another blob, uh, Q, a third blob, a squashed possum on the road."
"Okay, that's enough", said Yaki's voice as the film was turned off and the helmet got removed from Makoto's head by Yaki. Suddenly, a long slip of paper started to eject from the helmet and Yaki read it. "I see your problem", said Yaki.
"Am I going to need glasses?" asked Makoto nervously.
"Oh, it's nothing serious", smiled Yaki. "You just have a lazy eye."
"A lazy eye?" asked Makoto.
"Yes", said Yaki. "It turns out your left eye is the lazy eye while your right one is strong and fine. You need both eyes in tip top condition to see very well. And I'm glad to say you won't need glasses at all."
"Whew, that's a relief", said Makoto. "But what will I do about my vision?"
"Just keep this patch over your good eye", said Yaki as she placed a brown eye patch over Makoto's good right eye.
"Now I can't even see a thing!" cried Makoto as everything became even more blurry than before.
"It'll be just for a few days", said the unclear image that was Yaki. "By keeping your good eye covered, it'll make your lazy eye do all the work and force itself to get stronger and better. And you'll be able to start seeing clearly once again."
"Thank you, Nurse Yaki", said Makoto. "I'm glad Sho ran into you today. But now I'll probably be running into things."
"Only for a few days", said Yaki as she took some cotton and a needle and vaccinated Makoto's shoulder.
Outside the trailer, Sho was watching Kakeru slurp what was left of his lollipop. "If only I had a taste of your lollipop", said Sho.
"That's kind of gross", said Kakeru. "I'm sure Nurse Yaki will give you a lollipop after she examines you. She had plenty of different colors to choose from."
"That is if you be a good and brave boy for her", said Hosuke.
Then the door opened again. Yaki was holding onto Makoto's shoulders, trying to guide her down the steps. They saw Makoto with a patch over her right eye while holding a purple lollipop.
"Nice to see you", said Sho who was actually talking to the lollipop and not Makoto.
"I wish I could say the same for you guys", sighed Makoto as she saw some blurred blobs that were her friends.
"Sho, it's your turn now", said Yaki.
"All right!" smiled Sho as he jumped onto the stairs and into the trailer. "I hope I get a bright red sucker!"
"Is your vision that serious?" Kakeru asked Makoto.
"Not really", said Makoto while sucking her lollipop. "Nurse Yaki said I had a lazy eye and I needed to wear this patch until it gets better. At least I won't have to wear glasses and end up looking like you."
"What's wrong with looking like me?" asked Kakeru, stunned.
"Oops, I didn't mean to say that", said Makoto, blushing.
"You look like some kind of pirate to me", said Hosuke perching himself on Makoto's right shoulder. "I hope you don't plan on pillaging a bunch of emblems", laughed Hosuke. Kakeru looked at the girl and the owl and imagined Makoto dressed in a vicious pirate captain's outfit, licking a hook shaped lollipop, with Hosuke in a ridiculous green parrot suit.
In the office, we see a shirtless Sho with wires taped all over his torso and some kind of black mechanical device strapped to his stomach. "I feel like I'm tangled in a spider's web." said Sho.
"I just want to check your heart rate and endurance while you'll be riding this beauty", smiled Yaki as she stepped out of the way revealing a cool exercise bike.
"Whoa!" said Sho with stars in his eyes as he eagerly jumped onto the bike. "Ready, set, and go! How far will this thing take me?"
"Actually, you'll be here the whole time", laughed Yaki. "But this helmet you'll be wearing will project different simulations into your eyes." And she placed another type of helmet on Sho's head while pulling down a visor.
Sho suddenly found himself pedaling down a pathway in a park. Birds and squirrels were running and flying around the place and people were on bikes waving to each other. Sho decided to wave back. "This is really cool", said Sho. "Though I wish I could be riding somewhere more extreme."
"You wish is my command", said Yaki's voice. Sho suddenly found himself in what looked like an African jungle. Sho heard some roaring and saw some lions chasing after him. "YIKE!" shouted Sho as he started pedaling for his life while trying to avoid the passing giraffes, elephants, aardvarks, and zebras.
Sho then found himself pedaling through a snowy tundra. "I feel goosebumps on my skin!" he grumbled as he tried to pedal faster, but found out it became much harder to pedal in the snow. "I didn't know a simulation could make me slow down", he called out.
"That's just the bike making you work harder", called out Yaki's voice. "But don't worry, you'll be pedaling for your very life in this last simulation." Suddenly, Sho found himself pedaling around a fiery volcano. "Not another volcano bike ride!" He cried and then turned his head around and found a tidal wave of lava chasing after him. "NOOOOO!" cried Sho as he started pedaling even faster when he was in the jungle.
"AAAAAAAH!" cried Sho as the lava wave was about to douse him. He quickly closed his eyes, but then opened them and found himself in darkness again. Then light came back as Yaki removed the helmet from Sho's head. "What was that all about?" demanded Sho as he clutched his wired chest while breathing really hard.
"That shows that you've passed your physical", smiled Yaki as she marked something off her chart. "You're ready for anything the X-Zone throws at you."
"You mean I'll be facing all that stuff?" cried Sho as he slowly got off the bike.
"Probably", smiled Yaki as she started removing the devices from Sho's body. "But if you end up seeing people on bikes waving at you, just wave back, okay?"
"I'm glad that's over", sighed Sho as he put his shirt back on. "So, do I get my lollipop now?"
"It's not over yet", said Yaki, taking out a long needle. "You need your vaccine shot."
"Sure, go right ahead", said Sho proudly as he rolled up his sleeve and extended his shoulder out to her.
"Drop your shorts and bend over", said Yaki.
"Bend over?" cried Sho as he covered his bottom with his hands. "But Kakeru told me you only shot him in the shoulder!"
"It was easy for Kakeru since he's only a mechanic", explained Yaki. "But you're constantly on bicycle seats, pedaling that huge trailer of yours, and racing through many dangerous disease filled racetracks. You'll need a stronger type of vaccine. One that can only work in the you-know-where!"
"But I like my you-know-where!" wailed Sho.
"There'll be a nice red lollipop for you if you cooperate", smiled Yaki, taking out a red sucker.
"Oh, I can't resist those hypnotic red things", cried Sho. "Okay, you win!"
Makoto, Kakeru, and Hosuke were waiting outside for Sho. Just then, they suddenly heard a loud, "YEOW!" coming from Yaki's trailer.
"Was that Sho?" asked Makoto, concerned.
"Why did he make that sound?" wondered Kakeru.
"Maybe Nurse Yaki showed Sho how much medical insurance costs these days", said Hosuke.
Soon, Sho walked out of the door with a zombie-like expression on his face. He was holding his red lollipop, but he was actually licking the air.
"Sho, what happened?" asked Kakeru concerned. "What went on in there?"
"Let's just say I got it in the end", said Sho in a humble voice.
"Would you like to sit down and talk about it?" asked Makoto.
"NO SITTING!" shouted Sho.
Then Yaki stepped out of the door and announced, "I'm proud to say that you three have completed your physicals and were immunized successfully. You're ready to continue your journey and compete in more Idaten Battles for more emblems so you can one day return home."
Everyone cheered, except Sho who was still in his zombie-like state.
"Is Sho going to be okay?" asked Kakeru.
"Oh, sure he will", smiled Yaki. "He's an MTB racer. He can endure anything."
"Thanks again for this patch", said Makoto as she was looking around trying to find Yaki. "But I guess I won't be doing any cooking for the next few days though."
"Don't worry about that detail", smiled Yaki as she pushed something out of the trailer. It was a supply of small box lunches. "These nutritious ready made meals should keep all of you fed until Makoto's eyesight is 100 percent better", said Yaki. "Think of this as your break from cooking for a while, Makoto."
"You think of everything, Nurse Yaki", smiled Makoto.
"That reminds me", said Yaki as she went back into the trailer and came back out holding another item.
"Here you go, apprentice mechanic", smiled Yaki as she handed Kakeru the model of the Thunder Emperor to him. "You put this together so it's yours."
"Cool! Thank you, Nurse Yaki", smiled Kakeru, gazing at the present Yaki gave to him. "Can I ask you something, please?"
"Sure, what?" asked Yaki.
"Was performing a blindfolded model bike assembly really part of the physical?" asked Kakeru.
"Now, what do you think?" laughed Yaki as she pointed to Kakeru's shoulder.
"Well, I gotta get going", said Yaki as she climbed into the front seat of her trailer, "More physicals to give to new MTB racers. When you see my cousin Yuki, tell her I said hi!" And she pedaled off while the others waved goodbye to her. Sho was just making slow zombie-like waves.
"So, shall you get back on that trailer seat so we can continue our journey?" Makoto asked Sho.
"I'd rather not sit down right now", said Sho, calmly. "How about we camp here for the night instead? I think I'll be sleeping on my belly tonight."
"I wonder what Nurse Yaki did to him?" wondered Makoto as she was trying to find out what types of food were in the box lunches but couldn't see a thing. "This one smells like roast beef", she said.
"What's wrong, Hosuke?" asked Kakeru as he saw the owl perched on a stump with a sad face.
"I should've told Nurse Yaki that I might've gotten whiplash", wailed Hosuke. "Then she would have to examine me and I'd get a yummy lollipop too."
"Here you go", laughed Kakeru as he reached into his pocket and stuck an orange lollipop in a small hole of the stump next to a surprised and delighted Hosuke. "Nurse Yaki asked me to give you a lollipop for being a kind and caring guide throughout our adventures", smiled Kakeru.
"YAHOOOOT!" smiled Hosuke as he approached the sucker. "We'll see how many licks does it take for this owl to get to the center of a lollipop!" And he started licking while pecking at it as well.
Kakeru laughed as he went back inside their trailer and admired his two gifts, an MTB encyclopedia autographed by the famous and lovely mechanic, Yuki, and a model of a Thunder Emperor bike given to him by the also lovely Nurse Yaki. "Hey, nice model", said a familiar voice.
"Nurse Yaki?" asked Kakeru as he turned around and instead found Yuki who had entered the trailer.
"Nope, just Mechanic Yuki", smiled Yuki. "Let me guess, you all just had your physicals from my cousin, right?"
"Yes, we have", said Kakeru blushing as he was looking at the face of his real crush.
"Tell me", smiled Yuki, looking at the bike model. "Did Yaki use the old blindfolded model bike assembly test on you while she gave you your shot?" She lifted up Kakeru's sleeve and saw the band-aid on his shoulder. "Yep, she did", smiled Yuki, "And she gave you a nice blue band-aid too."
"How did you know?" gasped Kakeru.
"Yaki did the same exact thing to me when I needed a physical", smiled Yuki. "I hate shots!"
"You too?" asked Kakeru.
"It's a natural thing with most people like us", smiled Yuki. Then she looked out the trailer and saw poor Sho rubbing his bottom in pain with one hand while happily slurping his lollipop with his other hand. "You should be thankful your shot didn't end up in a much worse place", said Yuki while winking at Kakeru.
Kakeru then realized why Sho was acting so weird when he stepped out of Yaki's trailer. And became thankful he didn't have to go through the same thing with the clever and hot Nurse Yaki.
THE END