Chapter One
Durham opened his eyes. He was still in his boxers but was no longer in his bed. Looking around, he found himself standing in an empty space, with no walls or doors visible in any direction. "There you are," a familiar voice stated from behind him. Durham whirled around and came face to face with a smiling Miguno, who was dressed in an apron and chef's hat. Durham blinked in surprise, but before he could speak Miguno placed his index finger on the coyote's mouth. "No excuses, Mister," Miguno said candidly, "if you want to compete, then you need to eat."
The hyena gestured to his right and a table and chair materialized. On top of the table was a bowl of chanko-nabe stew. Durham sniffed the air, discerning that the stew was his favorite kind: with tofu, udon noodle, garlic, mushrooms, spicy kimchi, and a mix of vegetables. The smell was enough to get his mouth watering and stomach growling. Miguno chuckled, "I knew that would get you going, and you look great in the outfit by the way." Confused, Durham looked down and saw that his blue boxers were gone, replaced with a black mawashi that left little to the imagination. The coyote's eyes widened, and he tried to cover himself, but Miguno grabbed his arm and dragged him to the table's edge.
Durham found himself looking at the stew. The tantalizing aroma saturated his nostrils and he started licking his lips. Unable to resist, Durham grabbed the bowl with both hands, placed it to his mouth and began downing the stew with gusto. Durham finished the stew in short order. He gently placed the bowl back on the table, then tried in vain to stifle a loud belch. Miguno nodded approvingly and patted Durham on the back, "You've got the look, you've got the spirit, and now you'll have the girth."
Durham raised his eyebrow at that comment, but his attempt at a response was interrupted by a funny feeling inside of him. The fullness in his stomach felt like it was spreading, first through his abdomen and then out to his extremities. Durham looked down at his belly to investigate, only to be stunned by what he saw. His gut was quickly expanding, with layers of fat building up before his eyes. Simultaneously, he was growing massive love handles, flabby arms, meaty legs, a blubbery bottom, and, most embarrassingly, an ample bosom. When it was all over, he had also grown at least 5 inches taller, as if his body needed to accommodate his new ample proportions. His mawashi had grown as well, snugly wrapped around his now-gargantuan waistline.
Durham stared down at his new form in utter disbelief. He frantically felt all over his rotund self, from his gut to his butt. Even with tangible evidence at his fingertips, Durham simply could not process what had happened to him. "What the…how did…huh?!" Durham sputtered as he turned his head trying to get a proper look at his bulbous backside. No answer came. Durham straightened himself up, only to feel something being placed around his neck from behind. He looked down to his chest and saw a gold medal attached to a blue sash.
Suddenly, bright lights and thunderous applause overwhelmed Durham's eyes and ears. When his senses recovered from the shock, Durham saw that the void had transformed into an arena overflowing with spectators. A groan came from below. Durham looked down and saw a mawashi-clad hippo lying flat on his back. The coyote clutched the medal around his neck, his look of confusion turning to joy as he deduced what must have just happened. Turning his gaze back to the audience, Durham triumphantly pumped his fists in the air. The crowd grew even more ecstatic, shouting their praises at the victorious canine.
Durham smiled from ear to ear as he scanned the arena, the excitement of the audience supercharging his own. However, as he surveyed the stadium, it slowly began to dawn on him. For all the enraptured faces surrounding him, the face of a certain hyena was nowhere to be seen…