Chapter 31

Tempest returned home, the moment he crossed the threshold, he turned back into his serpent form and took a deep sigh of relief. "Much better!" he announced.

"It's the closest thing you will ever feel to taking off a bra at the end of the day." Said Melee.

Tempest blushed as he slinked in. "I didn't see you there mom…"

She smiled. "How was the class?"

"Interesting. The teacher is hard on the students, but for good reason. He kicked three people out before the class even started! But it appears he likes Misty and I. We paid attention and did what was asked of us."

"Good job!"

"Oh, and some people tried to beat me up."

Melee froze. "Excuse me?" she asked sternly. "Who!"

"It's resolved mom, they couldn't do anything to me… which is surprising, I didn't use Amai's strength."

"Tempest, that doesn't matter. People like that shouldn't be picking on you!" she protested. "Did you rough them up?"

"Embarrassed them. They tried to knock me down but couldn't. They backed off when a big man named Onimaru yelled at them, they were more scared of him than me,"

She paused, it's not every day that someone randomly comes and helps her kids. "Are you going to go back tomorrow?" she asked.

He nodded and paused. "I may even look at another class to take… I don't know yet."

She was surprised by his words. "Another class?" she asked, but then smiled "This is wonderful! Tempest, you may finally be breaking out of your shell!" He wasn't so sure himself, after all. He was so relieved to turn back the moment he came home. "I'm going to my room for a while." He announced and slinked off.

#

Tempest made certain no one else was there. He was alone and that's what matter. He found his tablet and opened a new window, he typed in Sumo Wrestler to learn about the sport. The information was rather fascinating. One can work their way up in ranks due to victories, one is demoted if they lose. However, when they reaches the panicle of the sport and be named Yokozuna, they cannot be demoted, however are expected to retire if their performance slips or they are unable to fight. "The bigger you are, the better chances you have of lasting in the ring… I'm not that big…" Tempest thought. But if he were to get stronger, he could perhaps see it through. It fascinated him, after all a Sumo wrestler is actually a class of samurai warrior! "Do I dare?" he thought. The mawashi belt and loincloth combo didn't leave much to the imagination to say the least. He wasn't THAT confident in his human form as of yet either.

But, was it possible?

The more he read about the tradition, respect and rules of Sumo, the more he became interested. It was just like his favourite manga Hinomaru Sumo, the main character values tradition and respect of the sport he grew up to love and be in. Perhaps this will help him grow stronger too?

He wasn't going to depend on Amai Mask's strength to get him by in life, he wants his own! Tempest decided that tomorrow he would sit in on a practice and see for himself what this is all about.

#

The next day

He went to the rec center early. Dressed once more in his baggy clothing he looked about until something caught his eye. He found the sumo class was already out practicing for the morning. He was amazed that despite the size of these men, they were capable of great feats of strength. There were three of them outside using a massive industrial tire. They took turns flipping the wheel up and down the side of the school. It had to be at least 150kgs. Yet as he watched, he noticed one stop and stare at him oddly.

"Sorry…" he muttered.

"You want to watch, come watch!" he called. "In fact, you looked like you want a turn with the wheel. Care to give it a shot?"

Tempest gulped his pride but nodded. He approached the three with caution, he stood rather tall among them, then again according to his mother he has yet to finish his growth spurt. He approached the wheel and was about to bend down to lift. "Whoa! Hold it!" one of the sumo wrestlers called. "Lift with your legs, not your back. Build up that power!"

Tempest then bent down as he lifted the tire up and pushed it over! One try and it even impressed the wrestlers. However, his legs burned after that lone action. "That's some strength kid!"

"I'm not use to using my legs…" Tempest confessed, but suddenly silenced himself. Did he say too much?

But a firm pat on his back came from the sumo wrestlers. "It takes time to build strength! It doesn't happen over night to say the least."

He smiled awkwardly, but that moment he felt a thrill in a sense. "Say, are you the kid Onimaru spoke of?"

"He spoke of me?"

"He said something about a kid with braided hair with three colors in it. You are the only guy I have seen around with that kind of a look. You know, a little piece of advice. If Onimaru shows interest in you, TAKE IT," said the biggest of the sumo wrestlers.

"Is he that influential?"

The three burst out laughing. But when they saw he was serious, their laughter stopped instantly. "He doesn't know…" said the smallest. "Hey, come by later, if you are here for a class take your class. But come to the gym after, okay?"

Tempest nodded as he went into the school. Misty was already there in the front row as to the teacher's request. Tempest was quick to take his seat next to her when the other students arrived. Only half showed up compared to yesterday, virtually, all the girls appeared though. Their eyes stared right at him, some blew him kisses as other batted their eyes.

"Am I missing something here? Why are they doing this?" he whispered to Misty.

She peered over her shoulder and yet rolled her eyes. "They are flirting with you." She explained. "They think that you want to see them look cute to gain your attention. Quite frankly, it works on boys often. A bat of the eye here, a slip of the shirt there, accidently pressing their breasts against you…"

He sighed to it all. "They do realize I am barely a year and a half old, right?" he whispered.

"No, not in the least bit."

He sighed aloud as the chef entered the room. He was carrying something rather large in a box before he dropped it firmly on his desk. "Today, will be a true test of skill! Today, we are preparing FISH!" he announced and opened the box. It was a whole fish, caught fresh this morning.

"Uh… what do you mean by preparing it?" one girl asked.

He smiled wickedly as he took the fish to his workstation. The first thing he did was clean the scales off with the knife. Then he began to gut it! Much to the cringe of the girls, Misty however was excited!

He split it down the middle, cleaned out the guts and lopped off it's head and then deboned the fillets. It was all done so effortlessly! "We are doing this today!" he said.

"Ew, no!" the girls protested.

"Then get out!"

Misty was stunned as the whole class was evicted. This was truly a high ended classroom to say the least! Tempest couldn't believe it was just she and he now.

The teacher however smiled. "It happens to every class, I am lucky to have two people willing to learn the true art of cooking!" he confessed to them. "Today, we shall prepare fish, tomorrow, we will prepare meats, then… we will cook!" he promised.

For the rest of the class, Misty and Tempest got their own table, they were given a box of various fish and were told to prepare them. There were struggles to say the least, but the teacher was very calm and explained where they were going wrong, and how to correct their actions. Soon, the two of them were breaking down fish like it was second nature to them. They tore through three boxes each, including the chef. When done, he smiled and nodded to their work. "Excellent, excellent! You two are worth the effort!"

"Is this fish being donated too?" asked Misty.

"In a sense yes, this is going to the sumo club downstairs. They eat quite a lot and the cafeteria was having trouble keeping up with the demand."

"So that's an actual dojo?" asked Tempest.

"Oh no, of course not! That is merely a site to see if there are those in common areas that are interested in sumo wrestling to try it. Rumor is, if one show potential they are asked to train at the stables with other sumo wrestlers!"

Misty was smiling oddly at him, that was it wasn't it? That's what Onimaru wanted with him. But, could he become one?

Class was dismissed as Tempest began to plot his next move, part of him wanted to go and see the sumos, the other wanted to go home and turn back into his true form and forget about it. Misty however insisted he go. "You can't just stay in your room and not live a little!" she protested. "Go and see what they have to offer!"

He sighed and gave in to her idea. With that Misty went home, Tempest went downstairs to the gym.

#

He paused at the sight of them.

There were quite a few people here, many of them are professional, and then there were those who merely came off the street to try it out. Tempest stood in the doorway until he made his way over to the benches were other people merely watched on out of curiosity. There were many exercises and training regiments being done, yet it was the main attraction that got people's interest. He watched as two of the professionals stood in a small ring, there was another acting as a referee and called for the battle to begin.

"SPIRIT" he shouted.

The two then clashed into each other! One tried to push the other out of the ring, the other attempted to reach for the mawashi belt of the other. Back and forth they went until the one who was pushing got the upper hand. His opponent tripped on the small outline of the ring and fell back.

The match was over in mere seconds.

'If they don't last too long, I could do this!' Tempest thought. Yet as he looked about, he wasn't quite sure once more. A lot of these men were bigger than him. He was thin by comparison. Still as he looked about, there were others like him in similar size, curiosity perhaps got the better of them. Or there was something truly to learn.

"Hello everyone! Thank you for joining us today!" one of the sumos announced. "We hope you enjoy what we have to offer, if you wish to participate in our drills you are more than welcome to."

Tempest knew he would merely observe for the day. He kept his face hidden, his hair tucked away as he only watched on. Even kids were getting involved in this! Yet he was smiling when three tough looking guys insisting they are more fit than a mere sumo wrestler. "Your training is nothing compared to ours!" one insisted.

"Very well, join us for our drill. We will even go easy on you, 100 shiko stomps!"

The jocks snickered as the sumos prepared. The stomp appears simple enough, they elevate one leg at a time, and they had to balance themselves perfectly. The foot then comes back down and firmly hits the ground and then a squat is done before the method repeats on the other leg.

The jocks managed to survive up to 30, before tapping out. They couldn't keep up!

Tempest suddenly gathered his courage as he walked in our their workout. He tried their stomp as well, but merely made it to 10 before his legs began to burn. 'Something's wrong… my do my legs ache like this?!' he thought.

The sumos laughed at him, but one patted his shoulder. "Curiosity got the better of you! Try again! They get easier the more you do them, build your legs up, give them power!" he said in an encouraging tone.

"Perhaps… another time… thank you." He took his leave shortly after.

#

Garou found it strange, the house was oddly silent.

"Melee?" he called out. But even she was out of the house. With a shrug of his shoulders, Garou was about to turn on the TV until he heard it. Outside there was a grunting sound of pain and agony. "Someone training without me?" he said aloud.

He ventured to the backyard, there he found Tempest doing a strange stomp, yet there was a look of anguish on his face before he fell back. "Why does this hurt so much!" he demanded. His hands trembled as he reached to turn himself back into his serpent form, yet before he could, Garou called out.

"It's because you haven't used your legs in such a manner."

Tempest froze as he slowly turned to face him. Garou approached rather cautiously, since Tempest appeared embarrassed and turned away shamefully. "I know that technique. Shiko stomps, preformed mainly by sumo wrestlers for leg strength, among many other methods of course…"

Tempest pulled his hands away as he tried to make sense of it. "Dad… I want to try new things… but I'm scared." He said. "I'm scared of failing, I'm scared I am wasting time, my life, my purpose…"

"Kids, you're almost two, what the hell are you so worried about? You have barely begun to live and you are already fearing life as if you wasted it."

Tempest sighed. "I want to be stronger… but I don't want to be human either… it's too much like HIM" he said in a sharp tone. "It's all HIM, how he looks, I am being looked upon as if I am HIM, I mean… dad…"

"I get it," he said. Garou took a seat next to Tempest. "The more you are like this, the more you see your similarities and you don't want to recognize them. Yet, no matter what happens, you share his blood. That won't change. Tell you the truth, Pac feels the same way!"

"Big brother Pac feels the same as I do?" Tempest asked. "But dad… I want to be more like you than HIM" he stated. Yet sighed to the notion.

"Easier said than done huh?"

He nodded reluctantly. "I think I want to try being a sumo wrestler."

This… was interesting. "A sumo wrestler huh? Well, then, up you get." Garou announced as he stood up off the ground.

"But my legs…"

"You think your legs hurt now, wait until I am through with you!" he warned but smiled. "Tempest, you and your siblings got power, strength that is all your own. However you have to achieve it and gain it yourselves. Trust me?" he asked as his hand reached down. Tempest took it and was brought up to his feet. "Good. Now, let's do another drill."

There was a moment of pause that came over Tempest. "Dad… do you know the sumo wrestler drills?" he asked curiously.

Garou smirked. "Damn right I do, now, this one you are going to have your feet pointing outward…"

"How?" he asked. "How do you know the sumo wrestler's drills?"

A pause came over Garou, he never told Tempest or the other kids yet about his dark past, perhaps now wasn't the time. "I observe a lot of people… their form and technique as to how they get stronger. Now are we going to chit chat or are we going to train?"

Tempest smiled as he took his position. Garou taught him a move that would work his inner thighs but also to help his balance. With his feet pointed out, he had Tempest shuffle himself across the ground in small strides, at the same time, he would thrust his arms out forcefully. This went on for only ten minutes before Tempest felt his legs burning. "Shit!" he protested. "It burns!"

"Yeah it does, it means your muscles are being used in your legs. After they burn for a while, they start to grow stronger. If you thought the stair training was bad, this is worst!" Garou explained. "How about we call it a night, you are in pain and it's better not to push you on this now. Let's get your strength up and then I will push you to your brink!"

His tone startled him, Garou could tell Tempest was fearful of training, but, until he sees the result of it, he will always fear it.