In the Hands of Young Chôjin
By Son Rhandi
Chapter 13: "A Good and Righteous Chôjin"
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Everyone you know will die.
Everyone you love will die.
There are no exceptions.
This is fate.
"Your victory or your defeat will determine how this new era comes about. Will you have a happy time of peace and goodwill as the Chôjin of the Muscle League, or will we of Bloody Arms find our own happiness in the slaying of the Legend above all Legends, the old Kinnikuman?"
"Can you say all that without any teeth?"
"Well, I see someone's ready to fight…"
"Shut up and let's get started."
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He had taken them all, those wrestlers of the New Generation, to the generator room--a hot, noisy space full of metal and wires and gears--and displayed to them proudly his 'Steps to Happiness': three rings overlapping to resemble steps. The top most ring had a plain, white canvas mat: Heaven. The one below it was of concrete: Earth; and the one below that, a heated, steel ring that could burn the skin of whatever poor fool let himself be pinned to it: Hell. El Matador proclaimed when they'd first arrived that he'd be taking on Mantaro and only Mantaro, the son of the legendary Kinnikuman. They had placed all their hope and trust in the muscle prince, the only one left to save the day. Somehow or another, in every match, he always came through in the end…
"Weren't you going to knock my teeth out?" Matador inquired, clutching the young Kinniku in a sleeper hold. "Where's all your talk now, prince?"
The prince growled in response and continued struggling to break free of his enemy's hold.
This was the same guy, right..? That same young man who pulled those miraculous wins against the dMp and Generation-EX? Against Fork and Hanzou and Bone Cold? If Mantaro was that same young man, then why was he losing..? El Matador was the top dog of Bloody Arms, so to speak, and as they could painfully see, it was a well-deserved position. Every submission he escaped, every grapple he broke out of, every punch and kick he evaded, it demonstrated to them the amount of skill he had… and every successful one of those he threw at Mantaro showed to them his awesome Chôjin power…
He finally managed to break out, that Mantaro, by jerking his head back to hit the opponent's mouth. Matador instinctively retracted, brining his hands there to sooth the pain. The villain recovered quickly and continued with a clothesline, to which Mantaro ducked artfully, then countered with a back flip atop his opponent's shoulders, locking his legs around his neck. The imbalance in weight caused Matador to topple over and fall face-flat to the mat. The young Kinniku stomped on his back and wrenched the red rogue's arms behind him. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't prevent the bull slayer from using his legs. Even with the prince's additional weight, he managed to curve his back enough to lock his legs around the wrestling royalty's waist from behind. Mantaro dropped his grip on Matador's arms, which, in turn, gave Matador the opportunity to perform his desired move. He swung his legs over his head, performing a handstand, then let his legs fall forward and smashed his opponent's head into the mat, a sort of reverse suplex of the legs. Despite his pain, the prince was thankful that they were on traditional canvas, or else that could have been a nasty drop for him.
They began again, charging each other and locking arms like in the wrestling of yesterday. Mantaro hopped and swung his knee upward, clocking Matador in the jaw. The fiend released his grips and once again brought his hand to the point of injury. It was in the bag now. The opportunity having arisen, the muscle prince rushed the villain, tackling him over the ropes and sending them both to the concrete ring below, El Matador taking the full force of the fall on his back. The young Kinniku hurriedly ran to the ropes before his foe could get to his feet. He hopped on the top cordage and leapt to execute a body press. Unfortunately for his, the villain recovered in record time.
"Try this!" The bull slayer threw his cape at Mantaro, wrapping itself around his face.
"Hey!" The wrestling royalty ripped the article from his mug. "What the..?"
Mantaro looked around in utter confusion. When he removed the cloak, his eyes saw not the three-step rings, but a dusty arena, filled to capacity with cheering spectators. "Matador!" He yelled. "Show yourself! Where are you!?"
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"Mantaro!! Mantaro!!
"Young Muscle! Why dost thou wander?"
"Bro, what's wrong? He's right behind you!"
They watched as the muscle prince roamed around the ring, looking for everything where there was nothing. "Sorry, boys, but he can't hear you. He's not with us at the moment. Time to begin the assault!"
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He heard a creaking behind him. The prince turned to find two large, wooden double doors opening, and out clambered a huge, red bull, stamping and snorting, the hoop ring in its nose glinting in the light. "Oh, wow… Just think of all the beef bowls I could make with that guy..!"
As if the bull had heard him and understood, it charged to Mantaro, head kept low, dual horns sharp and ready to stick it to him, literally. The wrestling royalty jumped out of the way, but the bull merely circled and came at him again, catching the Chôjin in the back and tossing him face first into the dirt. Mantaro coughed a bit, ignoring the painful gash in his back and rolled onto it, but where was the bull? A riley snort brought his attention skyward. The thing was high above him and closing in fast, intending to smash the poor prince into the ground. Mantaro tried to scramble away, but it wouldn't be of any use. The creature caught him at the shoulder and flattened his body in the dirt. Suddenly, the young Kinniku felt a hot sensation where the bull was standing on him. It soon grew to an unbearable burning. He felt like he was on fire…
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Terry, Seiuchin, and Checkmate could only look on as their teammate cried out in excruciating pain. El Matador, that fiend, had taken their Mantaro and tossed him into the Hell ring, pinning the whole front of his body to it. They could smell his mask beginning to burn, the stink of smoldering leather unmistakable in their nostrils. "That's it, prince! Burn! Burn alive!!" Matador laughed with an insane glee.
"Mantaro! Mantaro! Snap out of it!" Seiuchin called to him.
"Weren't you listening the first time?" The villain addressed him. "No matter how loudly you shout, you won't shake him from my cape's illusion!"
"Stupid…"
"Huh..?"
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"Stupid bull…" His hair began to flow.
The bovine slammed a hoof, but the flames inside him grew even stronger. "Everyone's… counting on me…" What was that on his forehead? "I don't have time for you…"
Mantaro planted his hands on the ground and pushed his body up. The bull seemed almost surprised as it felt itself moving upward. The prince managed to free his legs and quickly pulled himself from under the giant steer. Then, in a lightning fast motion, he turned and grabbed the thing by the horns.
"I don't have time!!"
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The blue aura, the legendary mark… Mantaro had achieved the power of Ultimate Muscle, and not a moment too soon. He had El Matador by the shoulders, his veins pulsing, his muscles bulging. Then in a mighty feat of strength, chucked the Bloody Arms boss upward and forward.
"Invert Kinniku Buster!"
His can hit the concrete, and his target took all its force.. With Matador's outcry disappeared the hallucination. The muscle prince blinked. "Hey… I'm back in the ring…" He looked over his shoulder to find his bull hand become his foe once again, laying beside him on the hard surface.
"You never left, 'Taro!" Terry cried. "Watch out fer that cape o' his! If you let it get around yer face, you'll end up hallucinatin' again!"
So that's what it was… Mantaro stood and raised his hand to his Texan friend. "Don't worry, Terry! I won't be fooled by the same move twice!"
"Ugh…" Matador slowly sat up from the last assault, rubbing the back of his neck. "Fool… I won't be beaten by you..!"
He took off like the devil himself, coming at the prince with arms outstretched. Without warning, Mantaro spun around and caught Matador with a clothesline, sending him right back to the concrete. The villain coughed and sputtered a bit under the muscle prince, the legendary mark still present on his brow. Growling, he quickly got back to his feet to try again, rushing to the other side of the ring for his cloak.
Then, in a strange move, he kept his back to Mantaro instead of following up.
"You'd turn your back to me now..!?" The wrestling royalty became a bit irate at that and this time came to his opponent.
"Payback!!" In an echo of Mantaro's last move, El Matador whipped his body around, too, but this surprise would be more unpleasant that a clothesline…
He stopped short of getting his throat slit, that young Kinniku. The arm he concealed with his brilliant red cloak had become a fencer's sword..! Matador continued his assault, bringing all the parries and thrusts he could muster as his target clumsily evaded them as best he could. Of course, the point came when there was no more space to run. He had chased him up to the edge of the Heaven ring, that villain, Matador, and the only way out was a straight drop down. "Ha ha ha! Kinniku Mantaro," the red-clad rogue began. "How does it feel? You're about to be skewered by the greatest Devil Chôjin alive!"
Mantaro smirked. "That's saying a lot for someone who's about to lose..."
"Is that so? Well then, take this!" El Matador thrust out his sword arm, confident that his next attack would be the one to signal the beginning of the prince's end. Imaging his surprise when Mantaro caught his arm and pulled it forward, tangling it within the ring ropes..!
"This is it, Matador!" Mantaro gathered all his strength for what would be the attack to end this match.
"No, you don't! You should have restrained both my hands!"
In a move that none of them could have ever expected, El Matador took out his gun with his free hand and fired on Mantaro, his bullets piercing whatever parts of his body they could. That poor prince, he took one in the arm, one in the shoulder, another below the rib cage, and one in the knee cap. Mantaro toppled over, crashing to the canvas, his already heat-damaged clothing now soiled with blood.
His friends' blood ran could, their hearts skipped a beat. Was he alive? Was he dead? They began to scramble to the Heaven ring, dreading the sight of their powerful ally. "Stay back!" El Matador shouted just as they entered the concrete ring. "Come any closer and I'll put a bullet through his brain!" The three stayed completely still. "There was no way I'd be humiliated in my own place!!" The villain screamed, finally wrenching his arm free from the cordage. "This match is over and I am the victor!"
"You call this a match!?" Terry berated him. "You… Your worse than any member of the dMp..! At least they don't rely on guns to win!"
"Thou hast sullied the entire concept of Chôjin wrestling..!" Checkmate joined in.
"Checkmate, shut the hell up." Matador walked closer to the ring's edge, closer to Mantaro. "This piece of trash at my feet is still alive, but not for much longer. Before I off him, I'll answer your question from before, Checkmate." His expression turned to an ugly sneer. "Look at yourself, hanging around the Muscle League, the Justice Chôjin… You used to be ruthless, a pillar of strength in the dMp, unmatched in the hatred of your foes. But you were beaten down by that pig-faced Mantaro, and now look. Instead of getting revenge like a Devil Chôjin should, you play around all day with these Muscle League morons..! You brought Sunshine's death upon him! He suffered because of your stupidity!"
Everything stopped for Checkmate at that point. It was as though he was having trouble processing the statement. The chess set wrestler clenched his fist and bowed his head, his rage steadily growing. "……Because of my stupidity..? That isn't good enough…" It came out barely above a whisper.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a new era to start." Matador brought his gun to Mantaro's temple, finger on the trigger. The prince looked to him with half-lidded eyes, not seeming to realize the situation. His friends, however, could only watch the scene unfold, horrified. After all this, all their struggle, Mantaro was going to die like a damned dog…
"Goodbye, prince!!"
Click.
Click, click.
A look of total dread washed over the villain's face. "…I'm out of bullets… I… I'm out of bullets…"
"Master Sunshine had to die for that…? You animal…" His entire body quivered with anger as he abandoned his usual speech a second time. "It's a stupid reason… How dare you do that to him… HOW DARE YOU!!"
In a blind rage, Checkmate leapt to the canvas ring where El Matador was stationed and gave him a swift kick to the jaw, sending the rogue onto his back and the gun flying from his hand. That being not nearly enough, the chessmaster hoisted the murderous scum over his head and threw him at one of the generators across the room, charging to hold him against the metal cylinder as the electricity from it zapped them both
"Checkmate!!" Both the Kid and Seiuchin cried, but their cries were muffled by the small explosions that had begun from the other generators. The machines were beginning to short, and with their megalithic size, could easily take out the entire ship, and with the way things were going now, that was closer and closer to becoming a reality.
"..What… What are you doing..!?" Matador managed to growl in spite of his electrocution. "With the power flow disrupted like this, you'll make the entire ship blow..!"
"Then so be it." Quickly, Checkmate raised a hand towards the topmost ring and opened a portal. "Take young Muscle and go! Go now!" He shouted to his allies as loud as he could.
"But, Check," Seiuchin called. "What about you?!"
"I'll be along! Make haste now and escape!"
Reluctantly, Terry and Seiuchin scooped up their wounded and slipped through the black space. There. Everyone was safe now. He had nothing left to worry about. "Checkmate!!" El Matador growled once more. "You'll kill us both if you keep me pinned here!! Let go!"
The chess set wrestler simply ignored him. The generator to the left of him finally blew, flames and smoke and metal shrapnel went every which way, some hitting his body, but he kept at it, still holding tight to Matador. There went the second…
I'm going to die here, but somehow, I'm happy. Gazelle, is this what you meant when you talked with me that night..? Me, a good and righteous Chôjin… He allowed himself a dubious little smile. Master Sunshine would roll in his grave…
No one would hear the explosion of the Bloody Arms space base. No one would hear the crackle of electricity, the ripping of the hull, the roar of the flames, the anguished cries of its men, and perhaps, it was better that way.