Episode 2: Western Style Ouendan

With the arrival of the Noble Squad, things haven't always been the same for Ouen. Settling in Asahi Town, the new Ouendan took rein of the citizen's cry for help even before the veterans were aware of their problems, leaving them dumbfounded, clueless, and agitated.

Rumors began to spread among the familiar group concerning Noble's reasons for pushing them around. Most thought they were being zealous; wanting to force Ouen into retirement before they have a say in anything. Others felt Noble, having just moved into Tokyo, were nervous about the whole change in atmosphere; preferring to assert themselves in a way they think is best suited for them.

Though uptight about their own rumors, they do little to strengthen the trust of their hometown of Yuhi and make the citizens rely on them to at least give them a reason to keep up this cheerleading business. Noble had sensed this lack of commitment and were befuddled as to why Ouen wasn't at all worried that they could be going out of business at any given moment.

They soon heard rumors spread by the citizens of Japan that their rival isn't the only squadron responding to the cries of Tokyo. An overseas organization had somehow managed to achieve half of the work behind Ouen's back, and the familiar squad is doing little to stop them. Noble feared this foreign Ouendan, believing they would eventually muscle their way into Asahi Town and send them packing before they could even stop them. They had little clue just how big these aptly named "Western Ouendan" have become next to the squad that had been spending years giving Japan a reason to fight their problems.

"WAH! I'M BORED!!" Spin, fifth member of Elite Beat Agents' first unit, complains as he skulks down the hallways of his temporary, high-tech home, "Why do I have to be stuck here all month long while they go down to Japan and loosen their strings! I swear we need more security around here so I don't have to be stuck in this place all bleedin' long and miss out on all the fun!"

He sighs as he reaches the Command Room and presses his badge against the panel below the keypad, hearing the doors shoot open. He walks into the room, deciding to watch some random videos of past events to kill time, when he saw that the large computer at the far end of the room was already active, playing several different kinds of anime.

Upon hearing the doors open, the large chair below the monitor turns slightly, revealing Ryuta as he turns his head to glance at Spin's arrival.

"I didn't think anyone was still here," Ryuta muttered, "I almost thought, with the rest of you wandering around Japan, that last spirit were the dogs Jonouchi left behind."

"Har, funny," Spin grumbles, "And what reason would you be doing waitin' 'til everyone left? I'm sure ain't just to abuse the Em-O-Meter's advanced wifi-capabilities."

"Have a lot on my mind. Need a place to think."

"Oh, like what?"

"Not your concern." Spin cocks his lips to one side in annoyance as Ryuta turns to face him, "So, why did you stay behind? I figured you'd be down East with the rest of EBA."

Spin scoffs and leans against the wall, "You think I stayed here by choice!? They needed one of us to stay behind and keep an eye on Central. No one was willin' to do so, so we wound up drawing straws to see who had to stay." He reached into his pocket and pulls out a three inch straw, "Guess who drew short?"

"Uso! Why didn't they just come to us for help? I'm sure one of us wouldn't mind staying here while you spend your vacation in Japan."

"Not to sound critical..." Spin mutters, pointing to the monitor, "But I think that answered your question right there."

Ryuta eyes the anime still playing on the monitor before looking back to Spin, "So Chieftain still doesn't trust us. That doesn't mean you have to think the same way. Since I'm staying here a while, why not go down to Japan yourself? I'm sure they won't mind someone else looking over this place while you're gone."

"You sure?"

"Don't worry. If I see anything unusual, I'll be sure to let you know so you can check it out."

Spin stands up, jittering with anticipation, "Cool! Thanks, man! You're a lifesaver!" without wasting a moment, he runs out of the room.

"Dosukoi!" shouts a voice from the banks of Yuhi River. This is a traditional chant of Ebi-yama, a young sumo wrestler with a red topknot that almost resembles a lobster.

"Go for it, Ebi-yama!" his younger siblings shout from the sidelines.

From the bridge several feet above the sumo stable, Hajime Tanaka, rookie Ouen Squad member with glasses and an officer's hat covering most of his shaved head, sat on the rails, with his crossed arms resting on his knees, as he watches the chubby wrestler get shoved out of the sumo ring by a skinny, elderly wrestler with a black topknot and glasses. Morris and Derek, EBA's third and fourth Agents, stood beside Hajime, their elbows resting against the rail of the bridge.

"There you are!" shouts a voice. The three look to the other side of the pillar to see Chieftain, highest ranking member of EBA with black hair and a cowboy hat, barge towards Morris and Derek in a huff, "The innkeepers have just finished preparing our baths and I turn around to find you two, the most eager participants of this vacation, turn around and wander off while leaving me to explain your actions!?"

"We can't help it if we're bored," Morris said with a shrug, "We heard some sumo trainin' was goin' on and thought we'd check it out."

"If you ask me, just watchin' this guy get plowed to the ground is boring enough as it is." Derek mutters. Chieftain's frown increases as he looks down towards the Yuhi River bank.

"Hey you! Get up!" the coach shouts as he slaps his baton on the ground in front of Ebi-yama, "Unless you win in the next tournament, you, a sumo of the fourth highest rank, will continue to lose to Garigari-yama in the premier!" he roars.

Ebi-yama shudders as his younger siblings crowd around him, shaking in fright.

"That guy's scary, Nii-chan," one of them mutters.

The coach barges into Ebi-yama's face, "You're the only highest-ranking sumo in this stable with more losses than wins! Koke! Koke!!" he then crows like a rooster, frightening Ebi-yama even more.

"Allow me to explain," Garigari-yama said, readjusting his glasses, "For starters, the reward from the sumo association will cease continuation! This stable is in dissolution!" he points to Ebi-Yama, spilling tears of agony, "Onii-san here who doesn't have any relatives and very young siblings will be forced out into the roadside if he continues this losing streak!"

"Koke!" the coach clucks.

Ebi-yama shudders in fright as he looks down at his siblings, almost imagining the pain they would be in if they were force out onto the streets, begging for food and shelter.

"O..." he stutters, looking left and right of his siblings, "O..."

Finally, he pulls his arms up as his siblings cling onto them like human armbands as Ebi-yama cries at the top of his lungs.

OUENDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!

"Well, whad'ya know," Morris chuckles, "We get to see two shows in one."

Chieftain snorts as he crosses his arms, waiting a few minutes before frowning, "So where are they? I thought you said they show up at a moments notice."

"Big guy's gotta eat, right?" Hajime said, not looking over to Chieftain, "I wouldn't blame Kai for not wanting to come out their stable on an empty stomach."

Chieftain just about exploded with anger, "He's what!?"

Without a moments notice, the tall Agent leaps off the bridge and lands on the bank, startling everyone below it as he storms towards a small shack near the river. He throws the door open to find Atsushi, Ittetsu and Kai Doumeki, the Ouen Squad chief with a tattered outfit and an officer's hat, that would've matched Hajime's had it not been torn up from years of intense training, crowding around a bowl of Japanese vegetables steaming on an electric stove.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Chieftain exclaims, grabbing the three Ouen's attention as they look up from their bowls.

"What does it look like we are doing?" Kai snorts, picking up a crab leg between his chopsticks, "We have not had breakfast yet, so we are eating here."

"There is a sumo in need of help and you're sittin' here, stuffing your face!? If you were anymore prepared, you wouldn't be in this situation, you lazy pig!" a vein pops out of Kai's forehead upon hearing that remark.

"Oh, boy..." Morris mutters.

"Here we go..." Derek mutters as well.

Kai barges out of the shack, getting into Chieftain's face with a look more enraged than what was expressed from the top Agent. Ebi-yama and his siblings shudder as they back away.

"How dare you talk to me like as if I was a novice! Do you think you can do so much better than me just because you jump out of vehicles and flash your license in front of those who call for you!?" he growled. Chieftain wasn't the least bit shaken by Kai's vulgarity.

"At least I make sure I have everything I need to perform my duties without fail!" Chieftain growls back, "I don't just take advantage of my 'great ninja' skills to sneak into someone's house and mess around with their belongings up 'til they scream for my help!"

"Is that so!?" Kai throws his finger towards Ebi-yama, who continues to shudder in fright, "Fine then, let us see how well you do when you use your Ouendan performance to cheer that sumo into winning this year's tournament!"

"You got it, grizzly bear!" Chieftain snarls.

"What are those two talking about, Nii-chan?" one of the siblings mutter. Ebi-yama continues to look at the two squabbling cheerleaders, blue in the forehead and covered in sweat.

"Kids..." he groans, "I'm beginning to think I just got dragged into a debate between rivals..."

"Wow," Hajime chuckles, eyeing Morris and Derek, "If it wasn't for the fact that Ittetsu and Atsushi had to put up with this everyday, I'd be feeling sorry for your lack of opinion."

"Feel sorry for us?" Morris mutters.

"I think the person you should be sorry for is that sumo," Derek chuckles.

"Hey you! The guys wearing the same suit as me!" Chieftain shouts, pointing to Morris and Derek, "Quit your jabbering and get down here right now!" the two back-ups sigh and shrug before heading down to the bank. The moment they left the bridge, Hajime catches sight of an adolescent leaning his hands on the rails near the center of the bridge. He had the same outfit as the rest of the Noble Squad; his neck-long, straight hair a hazel brown; wearing the same, white bandana as Hayato.

Hajime frowns in suspicion. He had been told about a new squad that had taken refuge of the sister town of Yuhi, but he's only met them through their enormous rival spirit. This member had the same low rhythmic spirit as him, but his lack of awareness only suggests that he's been with Noble for roughly a few months. How this will effect his future was uncertain at the moment.

Sari yuku anata e okuru kotoba

"I still think this is a bad idea..." Ebi-yama mutters after the coach tied him to a small bandwagon.

"Koke!" the coach shouts, "We are going to whip you into shape one way or another! Now quit your whining and start running!" with that, he hits the gas peddle, causing the wagon to speed off down the bank. Ebi-yama yelps in shock as he gets dragged along with it, struggling to stay on his feet while trying to keep up with the vehicle.

Morris, Chieftain and Derek, meanwhile, stay near the bottom of the bridge. They began using an aggressive form of cheerleading that completely rivaled that of Kai's.

Kure nazumu machi no hikari to kage no naka
Sari yuku anata e okuru kotoba

Ebi-yama pants as he tries to stay on his feet while keeping after the vehicle. Garigari-yama shouts at him from his megaphone, trying to get him to move faster. Finally, the lobster-headed sumo gathered enough energy and stamina to charge ahead of the wagon, almost keeping him near the front as the entire cast cheered him on with joy.

Kanashimi koraete hohoemu yori mo
Namida kareru made naku hou ga ii

On the first day of the tournament, Ebi-yama is pit against Wakaouji, the first of many opposing sumo wrestlers to come. Fueled by ambition, he eagerly waits for the ref to signal the start of the match.

"Miatte," the ref began, "Hakkeyoi. Nokotta!"

Hito wa kanashimi ga ooi hodo
Hito ni wa yasashiku dekiru no dakara

Right on cue, Ebi-yama charges towards Wakaouji, his motions a blur and his movements, hard to predict. The codenamed "Lady Killer" could only watch in stunned shock as the young sumo slams him out of the ring with little effort.

"A slapping attack can't even stop the eyes!" the announcer roots as the crowd cheers for Ebi-yama's first victory.

That night at the stable everyone sat down to have dinner. To beef up Ebi-yama's weight for the next tournament, he was forced to eat more than he should. Starving from his earlier competition, he wasted no time in gobbling down almost half the contents that the stable had bought earlier with what little they had left.

Sayonara dake de wa sabishisugiru kara
Ai suru anata e okuru kotoba

On the fourth day of the tournament, Ebi-yama is pitted against the macho sumo wrestler, Mukimuki-nishki, a somewhat scrawny looking sumo wrestler. The size of the wrestler didn't faze Ebi-yama one bit as he gets into position and waits for the start of the match.

"Miatte," the ref said, "Hakkeyoi. Nokotta!"

Ebi-yama rushes towards Mukimuki-nishiki, slower than usual, but with a fierce look on his face. He grabs his opponent before he could react, crushing him like the jaws of an alligator before body slamming him to the mat.

"Ebi-yama! What great perseverance at the edge of the ring!" his siblings shout with joy.

"I need more power!" Ebi-yama shouts after returning to the stable. The coach smacks his flimsy baton on his back.

"Koke!" he shouts, "This isn't the time to whine, Ebi-yama! The next step of your training is going to make you so strong, you can wrestle an elephant to the ground!"

"E...Elephant...?" Ebi-yama mutters nervously. The coach walks over to a large crate riddled with air holes and kicks one side of it down. There was nothing but darkness inside, but the sound of an elephants roar could be heard echoing throughout most of Yuhi River.

Suddenly, a large elephant charges out of the crate, heading straight for Ebi-yama. The young sumo screams in fright as he scrambles away from the rampaging mammal.

Yuugure no kaze ni togireta keredo
Owari made kiite okuru kotoba

Ebi-yama eventually reaches the wall of the bridge, panicking as he turns to see the elephant still rampaging towards him. Gritting his teeth in desperation, he threw his hands in front of him, causing the elephant to slam its head into them.

Surprisingly, Ebi-yama's strength manages to keep it from crushing him against the wall as he yells a battle cry and starts shoving the oversize mammal down the bank of the river. His siblings and coaches watch from the sidelines, cheering as he continues to push the elephant back towards the crate while it struggled to knock him down.

Shinjirarenu to nageku yori mo
Hito wo shinjite kizu tsuku hou ga ii

On the ninth day of the tournament, Ebi-yama gets pitted against the powerful Deka-no-sugi, a sumo who appears larger then his young opponent. Ebi-yama gets into position as he waits for the ref to signal the start of the match.

Motomenaide yasashisa nanka
Okubyoumono no iiwake dakara

"Miatte," the ref began, "Hakkeyoi. Nokotta!"

Immediately, Ebi-yama charges towards his large opponent, his hands by his ears as though he were an elephant. Caught off guard, Deka-no-sugi tries to move out of the way only to be slammed out of the ring by a massive head butt.

"Ebi-yama delivers a powerful blow!" the announcer shouts with joy.

Back at the stable, the coach fastens the rope attached to the wagon around Ebi-yama's waist.

"What!? This again!?" he yelps.

"You have gotten slow, Ebi-yama!" the coach shouts, "You must rework your speed for the next competition, or your winning streak will be broken!" with that, he hits the gas peddle, causing the wagon to speed down the riverbank while jerking Ebi-yama with it.

Hajimete ai shita anata no tame ni
Kazari mo tsukezu ni okuru kotoba

At first, Ebi-yama seemed reluctant to try and keep up, but after realizing how fast he was last time, he immediately began picking up pace, once again managing to pull himself neck and neck with the front of the wagon.

On the fourteenth day of the tournament, Ebi-yama finds himself in déjà vu, facing the twin brother of the Lady killer, Wakaouji; Takaouji. Remembering how he dealt with Wakaouji, Ebi-yama isn't fazed by his new opponent and eagerly waits for the match to start.

"Miatte," the ref began, "Hakkeyoi. Nokotta!"

Implementing the same technique that took out his twin brother, Ebi-yama charges towards Takaouji at breakneck speed. The opposing sumo was caught off guard as he was effortlessly slammed out of the ring by the young wrestler.

"A slap attack that doesn't even stop the eye!" the announcer shouts with glee.

The final day of the tournament fast approaches. With everything on the line, Ebi-yama is prepped to train for the biggest battle of his career. Now he faced his old mentor, Garigari-yama, in an exposition match that will forever seal the fate of the young sumo's future.

Kore kara hajimaru kurashi no naka de
Dareka ga anata wo ai suru deshou
Dakedo watashi hodo anata no koto wo
Fukaku ai shita yatsu wa inai

Garigari-yama, being a veteran of sumo wrestling, still became a match for Ebi-yama, blocking every move he could make towards the old man. Not one to give up after getting this far into the tournament, Ebi-yama resorts to old-fashion pummeling, knocking Garigari-yama's hands off him and laying slap after slap upon his old mentor.

Toozakaru kage ga hitogomi ni kieta
Mou todokanai okuru kotoba

The final day of the sumo tournament arrives as Ebi-yama faces his final opponent; sumo grand champion Retsugo-riki, a proud looking wrestler it has won many battles. The moment the match begins, Ebi-yama shouts a sumo battle cry combining everything he had been trained to use in previous tournaments into one powerful shove that he used to slam the grand champion straight out of the ring.

"He did it!" the announcer shouts as all of Ebi-yama's supporters and siblings cheer for joy, "Ebi-yama, a rank-and-file sumo wrestler as beaten the grand champion and won the title!"

"An overall sumo victory with no losses!" Garigari-yama and their coach shout as they embrace themselves in an excitable hug.

Oh

Mou todokanai okuru kotoba

"Admit it, Kai," Chieftain egged on, elbowing the annoyed squad chief on the shoulder, "I did a much better job than you did."

Kai snorts and looks away from him, "You are too stiff. That cheer was out of pure luck, not good performance."

"Are you looking for excuses to avoid admitting my superiority over you?" Chieftain chuckles tauntingly, "Shows how little you know about true sportsmanship."

Hajime watches from the bridge. This time, instead of sitting on the rails, he simply leaned his elbows onto it, watching as the two continued to bicker among themselves. Spin appears behind him, about to walk by when he overheard the squabble and looks down at the riverbank below them.

"Those two haven't changed at all, have they?" Spin mutters.

"At least Kai was being critical about Chieftain's performance," Hajime said, "Last time he dared him to do a cheer, he didn't say anything and just walked off."

Spin cocks his lips to one side as he turns to continue down the bridge. By the time he faced the other side, he noticed the same adolescent from 14 days ago leaning his hands against the rails and staring down at the bickering higher-ups. His expression hasn't changed since the first day he saw Chieftain perform to Ebi-yama; always frowning, and almost seeming as if he wasn't enjoying the sight before him.

The BA-5 Agent raises an eyebrow as he looks back to his Japanese counterpart, pointing towards the blue Ouendan, "Yo, what's with the kid in blue?" Hajime eyes Spin before turning his head to look at the adolescent.

"They showed up several weeks ago," Hajime said, rather sternly, "Took refuge in Asahi Town, and banned us from responding to the citizens living there."

"Seriously!? What for?"

"Who knows? Everyone has their own opinions; Ittetsu and Atsushi think they're trying to chase us into another part of Japan, while Kai thinks they're being overzealous, dominating one side of the city just so they can prove their better than us, and the girls think they're slow settlers, not trusting anyone unless they see for themselves just how dependable we could be. Ryuta hasn't said much since they showed up. But the way he looks seems to suggest he's teetering towards agreeing with half of everyone's opinions."

"So...what's your opinion then?"

Hajime remained still for a minute before standing up and placing his fists behind his back, "I'm just as uncertain as Ryuta. Half of me thinks they showed up just so they can make people depend on them more than us. The other half thinks they aren't as prepared as they were hoping. They may've known there was another Ouendan making a name for themselves, but their confidence began to waver once they showed up and met us face-to-face. They most likely acted aggressive against us out of fear that we would make Tokyo look down on them as jokers trying to size up the competition."

Spin huffs a bit in interest, placing his fists on his side as he looks back to the blue Ouendan, then moves towards him. The unfamiliar Ouendan immediately turns his head towards the Agent, frowning in caution. Spin comes to a stop, surprised at first, but then sports a cocky grin as he slips his hands into his pocket.

"Hey there, new kid," he said, "How're things in the..." he didn't get a chance to finish as the Ouendan's frown increased in anger, then turns and storms down the bridge towards Asahi. Spin cringes from the sudden shut out and takes one step back.

"I don't think he's gonna take too kindly to you after what he saw two weeks ago," Hajime said as he had watched the whole scenario unfold, "After the way Chieftain ratted Kai out, he's likely to think the rest of you disrespect Ouendan tradition, preferring to make everyone believe jumping out cars and planes is more humane than just showing up out of nowhere and messing with their belongings 'til we see the opportunity to spring into action."

Spin sighs a moan as he slumps his shoulders, lost in thought before a familiar voice booms behind him.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" the two rookies stumble away from the voice, turning to see Chieftain towering over them with an aggravated look on his face.

Chieftain bends down to Spin and jabs his finger onto the top of his nose, "You obviously didn't measure the height of your straw. We specifically told you to stay in Central and keep an eye on it 'til we return!"

"Aw, geez, Chief!" Spin whines, "What'm I supposed to do for a whole month! You can't expect me to just fire up the holodeck and think I'm in Japan!" he turns away from Chieftain and crosses his arms, "Besides. Ryu said he'd take over while I'm gone! I'm sure he'll take good care of the place!"

"I couldn't trust his word if they came up positive on the Em-O-Meter!" Chieftain grabs the headband of Spin's headphones, using them as a handle to haul the rookie Agent back into Yuhi Town, "C'mon you! We're gonna have a little chat with your red-headed friend!"

"Hey! Cut it out, Chieftain! I ain't luggage, you know!" Spin complains.

Hajime places his hands on the rail of the bridge, leaning on them as he gets a look of the two disappearing into the city, "You think you can get Ryuta to bring back some of those peach-shaped, lotus bean buns!?"

"You're not helping, Haji!" Spin complains as Chieftain hauls him around the corner.

A tall man wearing the same outfit as the new Ouendan stood at the docks of Asahi Town, staring out at the sun slowly sinking into the ocean. He had a somewhat neutral look on his face, almost seeming impossible to know how well he's enjoying the view. His eyes shifted towards the brown-haired adolescent, who skulks up to him, the frown still plastered on his child-like face.

"It's not like you to be this troubled, Kikuchi Shinta," the man said, "Are those Western Ouendan giving you that much grief?"

"This tradition has been going on for centuries," Shinta grumbles before glaring at the tall man, "And that bastard had the nerves to show up and claim we aren't prepared to cheer people on! How can they just take all that criticism and go about their duties like it was nothing to them!?"

"They have their own reasons for keeping the anger bottled up inside," the man said, "I, on the other hand, am appalled that such ruffians would go around, acting like they can do better than us." He turns around, "I want to meet these Western Ouendan; see for myself if they truly are what those rumors claims them to be." He heads off into town, leaving Shinta to look between him and the sunset before running off after him.

End Notes:

1. If your confused by what went on during the sumo storyline, you're not alone. Even with the cultrual referance included in the translation guide on GameFAQs, I still couldn't make heads or tails of the whole thing other than the fighting segments. You may have to refer to the guide in order to figure out what's going on in this episode.
2. "Koke" is one of the many Japanese words for "idiot" or "fool". It also sounds like a chicken clucking, hence why the coach crowed when he shouts "koke" twice.
3. I felt there was no reason to include the Ouendan popping in and shouting "osu" before the next part of the performance. After all, the Agents pretty much grab people's attentions with just their appearance alone.
4. A lotus seed bun is one of the many Chinese dim sums made from lotus seeds, even though they look like sticky glops of brown suger, and wrapped in a hot, white pastery. The peach shaped lotus seed buns are just a design that I saw at a Chinese buffet my family and I would go to on rare occassions.