Requiem for the Wrestling Few
By Son Rhandi
Chapter 07: 'Gazelle Man Found!'
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Harabote was much too old for this. Having Terry hospitalized was stressful enough, but to have Gazelle Man just vanish... The old man popped two ibuprofen tablets and rubbed his temples. He was almost certain Animus' hand--or paw or claw or whatever-- was in this. It was just so... difficult... dealing with something of this magnitude. He never thought that something like this would occur, tangling with these kinds of people. He hadn't even been this stressed when Scar Face revealed himself as Mars of the dMp, knowing full well the consequences if he won their tournament.
His eyes so red and heavy, the director hadn't had what people call 'sleep' in days, not since the Tanzanian's disappearance. Meat came up on occasion to check up on him, usually bringing a bit of food since he rarely left his office anymore. Harabote rapped a pen on his desk, debating whether to bring in one of the reserves. Ten days had passed since Gazelle Man was last seen and it wasn't wise to leave the Earth's front line short one soldier. He shook his head. They were out two soldiers... It'd be several weeks before the Kid was to be up and about again... If things on Earth worsened, he'd send for Jade and Crione Man, the two seeming to work well together.
"There are lots of things going on, so stand strong..."
He heard that in a song somewhere. It was his little mantra for when things became serious. He wasn't sure how much more serious things could get, but if worse came to it, he had more than one saying for the occasion.
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"So, you sure you're not mad about me transforming and all..?"
"Mad? Of course not! Thanks to you, we've got Gazelle Man in our grasp! And did you see the wads of cash we raked in thanks to your match? Just think of how much we can pull in when we get back into space! .......That is, if we ever get back into space! The only thing holding us up is that damned Seiuchin!!" Tamerlion let out a fierce growl and took his frustration out on the mirror, shattering it into a thousand fragments. "These humans stink!" He continued, slamming his fists into the vanity table. "Their odor's in the air... You can't escape it!! That Seiuchin, he's nothing but a mouse..."
The lion walked over to Minotoro and plowed his fist into his gut, the bull sinking to his knees and doubling over in pain. "A mouse that you spooked away!" He sent his foot straight out, kicking the manbull square in the forehead. The impact sent Minotoro onto his back, moaning and groaning on the floor. "Didn't I tell you not to reveal yourself?!" Tamerlion lurked over him, bending to pick the bull up by his horns.
"Please... Not in the face..." Minotoro second-guessed him.
The lion-man sneered. "You sicken me. Number One super heavyweight, indeed..." Tamerlion threw him back to the floor and exited. The Gamera was a huge ship, and as such had many compartments and many holds. The one he found most useful in particular was the hold nearest the engine room, a quiet and dark little place suitable for the nocturnal animal, not so for anyone else. Its door didn't quite meet the floor, so there was a little space where a plate or saucer could be slid under. They gave Gazelle Man just enough to keep him alive.
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He wanted blood, plain and simple. It was true that animals could survive a lot longer than humans without adequate amounts of food. As long as water was present, he'd live, or stay alive, at least. The room--couldn't even call it a room, more like a craw space-- was filthy after his week's stay. No windows, no sort of drainage, always plenty of water at room temperature and grass. Dirty, dirty grass... On Day One of his stay in that dark confinery, Tamerlion had shoved him in there and locked the door behind him. Later, a tray sporting food and water sloughed under the door, and he had been happy, not having eaten in six hours. Only upon further inspection did he find the food to be the green plant so abundant in the soil.
"Ha ha ha! What's wrong? I thought you'd love to do some grazing!"
He left the 'food' untouched and drank of the water. On the morning of Day Two, a problem presented itself: Urination. No toilet and no drains, as far as he could feel about in the near blackness, his only light creeping through the space between the door and the floor. He'd hold it in, refusing to relieve himself in the corner like some animal. "Gazelle! How're you holding up? I'm sorry there isn't a lot of space for you to leap about in there, but we've still got plenty of grass if you're hungry..! Bwa ha ha ha ha!!"
That stupid Tamerlion again..! Gazelle Man slammed his fist into that metal door, the one thing standing between him and the outside world. The grass was still there and waiting from the day before, and he was ravenous. The stag took a handful of the plant and nibbled at it a bit. Deciding that not so bad, he pushed the rest in and sat to eat. The logical thing from there was to push the tray outside the door. How else would they know to give him a refill? In the middle of the night, when Day Two grew to meet Day Three, he expelled, to his extreme distress. At that moment, he felt overwhelming shame. For he, who had always been so neatly kept and clean was now forced to use a corner as his waste area. He moved to the opposite end of the room and tried to drift back into sleep, the stench of urine filling his nostrils.
Come Four through Eight, he had learned to drink small amounts throughout the day. That way, he wouldn't have as much urine to expel at one time, and therefore, would dry quicker. There wasn't much that could be done about the feces, though... Nine brought no food, no water, only insults and slurs from that garish cat, Tamerlion. "You know, our ancestors were sort of enemies. The lions hunted the gazelles, and the gazelles ran with great speed leaving the lions to go hungry. But don't worry, I'm not going to hunt you. I don't like the taste of gazelles..! Mwa ha ha ha!! But seriously, what's with the hopping? Practicing for the high hurdles or something?"
Gazelle Man just sat there, seething. He'd have to be let out sometime. He would wait until then to pay him back. And on Day Ten's night...
"Gazelle Man, you awake?" Tamerlion unlocked the door and let the fluorescent lighting in. "Hey, buddy! How're you doin'?"
He didn't even wait until his eyes adjusted to attack, leaping to Tamerlion and neither of them noting the twist. He drew his fist back and sent it to the lion's face, a powerful punch blocked in the adversary's paw. "Gazelle, Gazelle, Gazelle... I give you room and board and this is how you say 'thank you'?"
"I'll thank you to shut up!!" He sent another fist flying his way, this one the lion held on to.
"How do you feel right now, at this very moment? Do you hate me?"
"Don't ask stupid questions!!" Gazelle Man swung with his free fist, Tamerlion allowed this one to hit him, earning him a square crack in the jaw.
"Hmm. I didn't know gazelles could hit so hard."
"I'll kill you!!"
Rage burning in his heart, the crimson stag readied his left fist to slam itself into Tamerlion's face. He was ready to strike, but something was... odd... It felt as if the arm and hand were stretching on their own. He brought his limb down, and was taken aback to find that it had shifted to form a dainty hoof. Then, as quickly as it went from hand to hoof did it revert to hand again. Tamerlion shot up suddenly, knocking Gazelle Man from his body and Gazelle Man to the floor. The lion stood and extended his hand to help him up. The stag look at it for a moment, as if he was having trouble processing the information, then raised his hand to meet the other and was brought to his feet.
"Welcome to Transformation 101, Gazelle Man," the lion smiled.
"How...?"
"It's very basic, but with the right emotion and a little help from the subconscious, you can change your shape. Nearly all transformations work on the principle that all living beings retain the memories of their ancestors. Minotoro becoming a giant bull, for example... The one you just performed is called 'heart reflection' and is one of the more ineffective ways to transform. In heart reflection, the primitive feeling of anger is needed. You have to get angry. Really, really angry. You then revert to your ancestral form in order to deal with the situation needed. With practice, you can trigger it on your own, but you still have to be pretty well pissed in order to use it."
"I... I... Thank you......"
"Hey, don't worry about it." Tamerlion patted him on the back. "I'd bet you'd like to shower up, huh? There's one down the hall a ways. Go get yourself cleaned up. Your jacket and all that are by the entrance. Feel free to go out and get some fresh air after you're done."
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Aaahhh.... To finally be clean, free from the stench of urine, of feces... It was like back home when it didn't rain for months on end, everything so dry and dusty even the hippos had to take notice. It just felt so good to be rained on... Ready to go, he navigated his was back to the ship's entrance, Tamerlion waiting there with his coat and hat. "Here. We've kept them safe for you."
"Thank you." He slid the hat carefully past his horns and slipped into his jacket. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to come back tomorrow and learn more. That is, as long as you don't keep me in the same room..."
The lion chuckled. "No, of course not. You're welcome back here anytime. And one more thing......"
Something changed in the lion's eyes. Suddenly, he lashed out at Gazelle Man, jutting his sharp claws into his chest. The young man gave a choked little cry and fell to one knee, clutching his chest, now sticky with blood. "Attack me again..." Tamerlion glared at him. "Attack me one more time... I'll hunt you down and stomach your taste. Now, get out..."
Gazelle Man just looked up at him in fear, then backed out of the spaceship, its auto port hissing shut. He kneeled there for a minute, wondering what it was about him, why he felt... scared... It was like that, too, whenever a lion or lioness came skulking nearby. He felt the need to take flight and go as far away as possible, like the real gazelles did. Maybe there was some truth to that principle, after all...
It wasn't a particularly large or deep wound, but it hurt, all the same. The crimson stag kept his head low and his hand to the wound and trekked through the city in search for a cheap meal. With whatever luck, he caught the last shuttle going from Fuji to the downtown Tokyo area and made good of his time at a ramen house whose title he paid no attention to, downing bowl after bowl of the noodle soup, meatless, of course. Bill paid and belly full, the gazelle set off again, looking about for another destination. He sighed, his feet choosing to make a right from the house. The IWF center was farther down the street. He stopped to ponder whether to go back . He was sure everyone was thoroughly pissed at him for leaving. That is, they would be once they saw he was alive and well, for the most part. His thoughts were interrupted, a pain in his gut making itself present. He knew that feeling, he was going to throw up. Gazelle Man rushed down the street and ducked into a suitable alleyway, lined with litter and garbage cans. He lifted the lid and promptly spewed into the metal tin, the smells of partially digested ramen and all its seasonings rising up from the vomit. The red buck took a few deep breaths, bearing his weight on the re-lidded can and wiping stray dribble from his mouth.
"Gah... I should have known better than to eat so much at once," he berated himself. "Surviving on grass for ten days, I have to let my body get used to rich food again..."
"Gazelle..."
He jumped up. There was someone else in the alley with him? The figure came closer--his footsteps becoming louder and louder was his indication--and Gazelle Man dropped into a defensive stance. Only when the streetlamps on the sidewalk cast their light on him did the stag breathe a sigh of relief. "Seiuchin..." He smiled.
"Mantaro and I have been on watch for a long time. I'm really glad to see you... alive... You were at their ship, weren't you?"
"Yeah. Why didn't you come?"
"We wanted to, Mantaro and I, but Meat said it was a bad idea. If I had gone while you were there, they could have just as easily abducted us and we'd be out in space. Mantaro's presence would have caused too much of a ruckus. So, we decided we'd wait until you came to us. I've been here every night since you left. IWF is right down the street, so you had to come by this way eventually. Mantaro took the day shift. ...Why did you leave, Gazelle..?"
"I had questions, they had answers."
"Even after seeing that horrible monster smash Kid into the canvas?"
"Horrible monster..?" Gazelle laughed in disbelief. "Do you know how amazing it feels to be a 'horrible monster'? They taught me, Seiuchin. I transformed... My arm, it turned into the foreleg of a gazelle... It was amazing..."
The pinniped didn't seem swayed by his words in the least. "Even so, to just get up and leave without even a note..?" Seiuchin shook his head. "That's irresponsible and not like the Gazelle Man I've come to know as my teammate and friend. You should be ashamed..."
"Ashamed for wanting to better myself..?!" The stag retorted angrily. "You should be ashamed for not wanting to do the same! Gah..."
Gazelle Man fell back, propping his back against the alley wall and brought a hand to his chest. Seiuchin looked upon him and moved closer, pushing aside the open flap of his jacket to find his white hand stained red. His wound had reopened...
"You're bleeding...... Come on, let's go home," said the pinniped, putting his arm around Gazelle's shoulder and leading him out of the alleyway. "I'll take care of that for you. We'll visit Terry tomorrow, okay?"
Not in any position to argue, Gazelle Man let his friend lead the way, keeping it to himself that come tomorrow, he'd be gone again.