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"Pop, we've got no money."
"I'm well aware of that."
"And we're all out of rice."
"I know! So just eat your food!"
The family sits around the low dining table in the center of
the living room...
Atop the table is a single bowl with a heaping helping of buckwheat
noodles.
It will serve as a meal for the three. The drafts blowing through
the dojo are chilly.
"Aw, just once in a while I'd like a little egg in our noodles..."
"Don't demand so much, Yuri. Eggs are only for the Festival
of the Dead and New Year's!"
"Boo hoo, whimper, whimper..."
"Well, when we finish let's canvass for disciples. Yuri, you'll
be passing out these promotional tissues in front of the train
station."
"Boo hoo, whimper, whimper..."
"That reminds me, the gas has been cut too. Ryo, go to the mountains
and cut us some firewood."
"Boo hoo, whimper, whimper..."
"Pop, the water's been shut off, as well."
"Yuri, when you finish passing out these tissues, head to the
river and do the wash."
"Boo hoo, whimper, whimper..."
"Y-Yuri?!"
Yuri awakens. She was just about to pick up a large peach that
had come flowing down the river.
She finds herself in the dojo of Kyokugen Karate. A handsome
Italian gentleman is now peering into her eyes.
"Boo hoo, whimper, whimper...Ah, Robert...was I sleeping?"
"Like a baby. You must have become quite the fighter to be doing
head dives while the Master and Ryo are going through the moves.
This dojo does have a rep in this neighborhood for putting its
disciples through rigorous training."
"I guess I got a little sleepy because things are so dead around
here."
"Dead? Why? ...Hmm, on second thought you do seem to have fewer
disciples."
You could hear a pin drop in the dojo.
As far as anyone could remember, the dojo was always a little
quiet, but now it seemed more so than ever.
"My father and Ryo's training is way too hard."
"I know, but they take part in KOF every year and get a lot
of TV coverage; so they always get a huge influx of students
at those times."
"And then by the time the next month rolls around ninety percent
of them drop out. The other day we dragged in our first new
disciple in ages, literally, right off the street...."
"Dragged right off the street?"
"And he just disappeared. He never came back. Having steel clogs
slapped on you and being made to run 10 miles, even a horse
would run away treated like that."
"Hey, Robert. When did you get in?"
The two greatest authorities of Kyokugen Karate, the invincible
dragon and the mighty tiger - namely, Ryo Sakazaki and Robert
Garcia - come face to face again. Along with the napping Yuri
Sakazaki, it's quite a sight to behold when you consider these
are the renowned experts of Kyokugen now.
"I've heard all about it, Ryo. Driven out all your disciples,
have you?"
"It's not like I drove them out."
"Haven't you considered letting up a little? For the general
public, you Sakazakis have physical capabilities like super-humans
from another universe, you know?"
Treating this family as aliens from another planet, Robert takes
on the mantle of the singular man of common sense.
"Don't talk about us as if we were a family of Martians. Pop's
the only one with freakish ability. We children are just normal
citizens of considerable looks and purity."
"I second that opinion."
"...Well, I'll leave it at that. Now, the reason I'm here is that
I've got some suggestions that will be useful to this dojo's
management. Try this on for size, OK?"
Robert takes out an invitation from his inner vest pocket.
Ryo and Yuri are unfazed. Naturally, this item has already been
delivered to them.
"Got it? This time you should contemplate using a little more
PR, eh?"
"PR?"
Robert loses no time beginning his spiel.
Don't forget the pleasant smile in the interview. Praise your
defeated opponents with pithy lines. Repeat the words "Kyokugen
Karate" and "Sakazaki's Dojo" at every opportunity. "Your town's
Kyokugen Karate." "A big 'Haoh Shokou Ken' for every household."
"A 'Kyokugen Reverse Fluttering Fang' for your family's security."
"And, yeah...Ryo, we'll sew advertisements on the back of your
karate gear."
"The name of our dojo?"
"That's good, but we'll need to find sponsors - like a chain
of convenience stores or a sports drink company."
Yuri stays silent, sighing on the inside. Robert seems to think
himself a man of the world, but he is a scion of the Garcia
Foundation. Since he was born he has been in possession of wealth
one could not hope to squander in the period of a lifetime.
How could his thinking address the scale of the matter at hand?
"Hmm. A sponsor. That might be good."
(Like a hole in the head!)
Yuri's big brother, a stranger to the ways of the world, easily
falls in line with Robert. And because of this, the dojo will
always be in dire straits.
"Oh, hoh...sewing advertisements on sacred karate gear..."
"That's right. In today's world, everything's got to sell something...uh,
M-Master...."
"It seems like you've been doing well, Robert. Just when I thought
it's been a long time since one of my favorite disciples has
shown his face around here, here you are with talk about using
Kyokugen as a means to make money? Wah, ha, ha!"
Suddenly appearing behind Robert, puffing himself up to full
height, is Takuma Sakazaki, who was also in Yuri's dream. The
master soba maker - and fighter -- known to all in Southtown.
"N-No, that's not why I'm here. As a matter of fact...."
"Papa, Robert is just worried about the management of our dojo."
To counter her father's wrath, Yuri peeks out from behind Robert,
who is averting his gaze from his master to hide his panic.
"Hmph. One who devotes himself to the ways of the martial arts
should not mewl and puke over trifles like making money!"
"But Papa. You're always bellyaching about the finances. And
the management funds for our satellite dojo in Mexico...?"
"Hush, young lady! If that's what you have to say, then I'll
speak my mind, too! This year's KOF is said to have an especially
impressive line-up of contestants, but you can count me out!"
"Huh?! A KOF without you, Pop...?"
"You mean...?"
(Heh, heh, heh. Sure they're skilled, but they're still immature
tyros. One word of me not joining them against such formidable
rivals, and they'll crumble like cookies."
"Yes!! This time I'm totally free!"
"Yeeeah-hooo!"
"...What the...?"
"That's just like you, Master. You really know how to inspire
your disciples!"
"No, that's.... Is it really OK? Me not joining you? Just you
three against such fearsome foes?"
"Leave it all up to us, Papa. We'll show them all what Kyokugen
is capable of!"
"R-Really? Well...Ah, there it is. Knock 'em dead!"
It was one week later that the KOF Management Organization received
word from Takuma Sakazaki that he would not be participating
in this year's tournament.
And Takuma kneads some celebratory buckwheat noodles for the
departure of his disciples. |
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