Description: El Fuerte searches for Iron Chef Karate and his first step in the long and dangerous journey has him traveling to the Kyokugen dojo for answers. He just ends up with more questions and a very confused Rust is left wondering what the hell just happened.
Another day, another set of nails, another set of impromptu spars to various degrees of grievous injury, another bad hair day. The air is somewhat chilly, enough that maybe those out here should be putting on something other than martial arts uniforms... or maybe, say, socks. At least socks, at minimum.
There are to be absolutely zero socks here on a cold day, for it is KYOKUGEN MIGHT that is in theory supposed to keep you warm. Theoretically.
Less theoretically, the new toolshed is practically done after taking so many iterations at it due to Takuma's hardline stance against any sort of tool aside from one's own bare hands. Sure, hammering in nails with the palm of his injured hand is rough enough, but there's always these little slight miscalculated measurements he can't really confirm until well after it's too late, and a part of him is pretty sure he just went through enough lumber that ultimately would've cost more than to pay the full eight hundred US dollars a month tuition costs.
But he knew better than to ask for something like measuring tape.
Sanding off a bit of excess wood with vigorous application of his right hand, the Pacific shop teacher dusts off his hands at what he presumes to be a job well enough done. A toolshed built to his standards, sure to stand against bad weather and all sorts of other things one would want a building to stand up to.
Unless Takuma decides to turn around and have some students demolish it for fun, or something. He turns his back to his finished work, confident that absolutely nothing is about to just jump out and ruin the work of more than a few training sessions so he can head inside and get himself a very warm cup of tea.
It'd be nice to have the last day before classes at Pacific start up again just end without incident.
It is never a dull moment at the Kyokugen dojo, is it? Between Takuma causing trouble and some of the strange visitors some normal people would be driven crazy by it all. Yet somehow it all works in a twisted way. The dojo is always working and puttering along even though everyone once in awhile some resting students or the like might find Takuma swandiving into the lot of them and begins adminstering 'training' to all of them.
Speaking of Takuma there is someone that seems to be out there with a very similar style. A man that must have mastered the art of Kyokugen as well as as being a cook. Yes, El Fuerte is sure Takuma has trained Iron Chef Karate. To much of his disappointment the luchador has yet to actually meet the man himself. He only saw the video of what occurred at his restaurant. he has many things to ask and people to seek out. He wants answers from Hon-fu, Daniel and Raiden if he can help it. Perhaps a bit of revenge for the damages they caused at that.
But there are other routes to investigate. Why not go to the dojo itself!? It is a brilliant idea that Fuerte can't believe he didn't think of earlier. That is why Rust is soon hearing a noise in the distance "DYNAAAAAAAMIIIIIIC!" is what is being shouted from the sounds of it and it is only getting louder. "COOOOOOOOOKING!" comes a closer cry before suddenly the luchador lands on top of the new toolshed with enough force the damned thing almost shatters. "TIIIIIIME!"
The first shouted word is almost easily missed to the older man, rotating a shoulder to work out the stiffness as he exhales loudly to a joint pop. It's been a good, productive day. The sort of day he always looks forward to, where things get done without incident.
The second shouted word is loud enough that even his elbow can't drown it out, turning his head slowly at the faint memory of that voice. Where did he last hear it? There's a shrug, having decided it's probably noth--
The loud sound of a body hitting the toolshed almost pales in comparison to the last shouted word makes the man visually shudder as he turns around to survey what might be the inevitable damage, as though some part of him deep, deep, deep down long expected this to happen the moment he got it done.
"Hey," he's too stunned by this sudden entrance to really get off the angry shouting tone he really intends to put behind that word, "don't... don't break that."
He squints... huh, oh yeah, it's that guy from the cook out, what the hell does he have to do with his toolshed?
The luchador stands there for a moment with a finger pointed in the air and striking a pose with hand on his hip. Oddly this sort of thing just makes him seem normal when around anything dealing with the Kyokugen dojo. "AHAHAHA! The Hurricane of the Gulf has arrived for ans...." he actually finds himself going silent when he is told not to break something. He looks down then hmms a bit to himself. With a graceful leap he twists about in the air and lands in front of Rust. He then peers and slowly he seems to recognize the man mostly because of the combover.
"Ahh! You were the chef that needed to cook with spice!" he says and he slaps the older man on the shoulder. "It is good to see you. Have you made improvements?" For a few moments he at least seems to have forgotten why he was here. Thoughts change almost as fast as he moves most of the time and his focus shifts more to what is in front of him now than what he seeks.
He grins and he looks about and moves to twirl Rust to face the dojo while standing next to the older man with an arm still resting on Rust's shoulder. "Amigo, behold! Perhaps one of the greatest chefs trained in this place." It seems like his task has been remembered already before Rust could attempt to even give much of an answer. "And I intend to find if he is still here!"
At long last, someone has politely complied with a request not to break or do something! It will be a day worth marking on a calendar for posterity, once he overcomes being dumbstruck at this particular entrance he's left with an extremely energetic chef slapping him on the shoulder out of a friendly familiarity.
"Uhh... based on the soup I made yesterday, uh, n-not really," oh man did that day end miserably when he saw that wrinkled nose of disgust off of that Taiyo teacher he delivered it to. He scratches the side of his head with his right hand while El Fuerte continues looking about and remembering the reason they're actually here.
"Huh, really? I didn't know 'bout, uh, 'bout a great chef training here." There are all sorts of people who (attempt to) tough out the Kyokugen training regimen, hell, he found out one of the students was the nephew of a really famous local photographer, that was kind of neat.
"The master here, uh... Takuma Sakazaki, I know he likes to cook noodles, but," maybe it'd be for the best if Takuma wasn't here to hear him say what he's about to, "I don't... recall them being that famous?" He mumbles his thoughts, however unknowingly relevant they might be to El Fuerte's search.
No one like that around here? The luchador just stares for a few long moments. "Yes yes! I know who Takuma Sakazaki is!" Many people know of the eccentric martial artist and his exploits. His style is even known around the world to the point that even someone like El Fuerte grew familiar with it when he was a little lucha. "And that is why I am sure this man trained with him. It was a style mixing Kyokugen power with culinary destruction!"
Why isn't this making Rust excited!? The man is a chef too afterall and someone like that should give him a shiver. "Are you sure you do not know of who I speak about, amigo?" he asks while frowning some and looking over the dojo grounds. Nothing but kids and older instructors. No red mask in sight! "Are you sure he is not the chef of this dojo? Are you the chef of this dojo? Someone that is looking to learn his secrets like me!?" He grins widely and he is almost leaping from foot to foot from excitement as that hand grips the shoulder rather tightly so the luchador just doesn't go up and flying into the air.
"You must no amigo. A man perhaps as tall as I and just as muscular. He wears a chef's hat and a red mask with a nose that looks like a delicious chili pepper!" He should have brought a picture or something. he frowns and pats himself down despite being shirtless and wearing only his tights and boots along with mask of course. "I knew I should hve brought the pictures!"
He meant the noodles more so than the man, of course the world knows about the highly famous Takuma Sakazaki! This is, however, by far the first time he'S heard of a famous /chef/ in the Kyokugen ranks, and the older man continues to appear completely lost in comparison to the sure speed in which El Fuerte describes this man.
"I, uh, I really... do--" He speaks much too slow to complete his answer when El Fuerte fires off multiple questions. "Uh, pretty su-- not of, uh... hey, whoa, slow down. Slow down. Slow down," he tries to gesture with his free hand. He can now feel just how much strength the smaller man is putting on his shoulder just expressing himself so very happily and curiously! It actually manages to sting a bit.
He really doesn't know what he's talking about, shrugging once at 'a man perhaps as tall as I and just as muscular.' There's a bunch of dudes who are clearly buff as all get out, so that doesn't narrow it down. "I don't... uh, remember seeing a chef hat."
Red mask, though, did he see a red mask? He snaps the fingers on his right hand, which is rather quiet as he tries to jog his memory. "Red mask, uh... where'd I see a red mask, er... shit, thought I've, I've seen one before."
Was it here while he was grabbing something from the fridge, or somewhere else? "Uhh, okay, so, uh... red mask, long nose, you mean like, lemme get this straight, if, if I got my mythos right, uh, like a... tengu?" He lifts his head up.
It is hard for the luchador to contain himself it looks like. He at least releases the shoulder of Rust as he hops back and he folds his arms over his chest as he stands tall, or at least as tall as a man of his height can. He just nods his head several times as Rust tries to remember things and he begins to grin when it sounds like Rust at least has seen a man in the mask. Perhaps he doesn't wear his chef hat around the dojo!? "Tengu! That is it, amigo!"
This is at least seeming to be a good omen. While he perhaps did not have a chef hat on it does seem like this man has been around. Or does he have a mask wearing brother as well? Oh if only Takuma himself were here to answer these questions. Rust just doesn't seem to know too much about the goings on here like the luchador had hoped. "So he is a great cook, but does cook here perhaps." he thinks some as he reaches up to rub at his chin as he gets a thoughtful look.
He then seems to get an idea and he shifts to pose again with finger in the air. "I have it! He must be a chef with that old man that the strange amigo tried to get me to assault! He talked about having many cooking secrets. Maybe he is related to the Iron Chef Karate!" Yes, that makes so much sense now. Why didn't he make the connection before?!
For a guy with four decades of age under his belt, the guy is pretty oblivious to most of the subtle dojo politics running around here and there. He just wants to come here, train, get that shed done, train some more, get in shape for King of Fighters... and while we're at it, get inside for a bit and drink some tea, his feet are almost freezing against the cold concrete.
"Yeah, that's what... that's what they're called, I think, uh, tengu mask." The man thinks to himself, but he's not really sure how to narrow it down. He's seen a fair number of those out and about town, the more he thinks about it. There might've been one here, but, he doesn't recall a chef hat in the least - or any talk about famous chefs among the ranks.
He goes back to being completely lost when the guy talks about 'that old man' and 'strange amigo' and, uh, where does he figure into this?
"What're you even... talkin' 'bout, now?" The older, clearly far mentally slower man grumbles as he shakes out one of his legs to get some blood flowing through it. At least, to get the bottom of it off that chilly cement.
%It is almost kinda scary. El Fuerte is just standing there gazing off at the dojo looking deep in thought again and it is almost like he has forgotten that Rust was still standing next to him. There seem to be so many new thoughts running through his head now. Was Iron Chef Karate working with Gen? Could Todoh be right about the old man having many secret recipes and the like? Or even more so could Gen somehow be Iron Chef Karate!? Augh, this is just too mind boggling for the luchador. He is getting more questions than he has gotten answers at this point.
He then slowly turns to look towards Rust and he reaches out to slap his hands down onto the older man's shoulders. "Amigo, thank you for so much valuable information. It seems I am a long way from finding Iron Chef Karate." It is kinda weird to see him so serious and his tone sounding less exciteable than normal. This man is determined and often only gets this way in the heat of battle or in the heat of the kitchen. "If you see the tengu chef you must get him for me, amigo."
It seems like he has found out he has more stops to make now and more people to harass. Not to mention he smiles bright and he leaps up onto Rust's shoulders to balance. "After all we are cooking brothers! I must go now! I need to get more answers!" he declares and he leaps upwards to jump onto the shed again and then leaps away off into the distance, becoming a blur as his voice fades out. "Dynaaaaaaamiiii-" He is gone almost as fast as he arrived. He has a mission and he must continue to push forward!
"Hey?" The Pacific teacher and Kyokugen student tries to get El Fuerte's attention with the wave of his hand in front of his face - something deftly interrupted when both hands are slapped down on his shoulders as if El Fuerte were trying to get /him/ to notice what's going on, as though absolutely anything and everything about this picture is so incredibly self-evident that he should be able to follow along.
He doesn't.
"Uh... you're... welcome?" The man offers with completely honest, pure confusion as he finds himself crouched down a little to account for their difference in height by a good five inches, one of his knees popping under another flexing it really doesn't want to do after a good day's worth of work. "I mean, if I see him," whoever the hell it is because he doesn't know of any famous chefs in the Kyokugen school, "sure--"
The voice trails off to something of surprise when the guy just leaps atop his shoulders like he's an unoccupied piece of gynmastics equipment with the solemn declaration that they are cooking brothers.
His eyes widen at the sudden dismount atop the shed and then offward, sudden panic empowering his tired legs to make another dash (or rather, a sluggish jog) back over to the shed to make sure that, somehow, El Fuerte's hopping about didn't just crack the roof or something.
Now that he thinks about it, if it shuddered that much over someone of that guy's size and weight when he hit it... a defeated grunt escapes his lips as he sighs, rubs his hands together again, and decides it's not time for a tea break yet.
Takuma is not going to want a shed that breaks so easily if he has to slam a big guy atop it for whatever reason.
His feet continue to hate him for being left out in the cold.
Log created on 20:25:08 01/02/2011 by ElFuerte, and last modified on 22:08:42 01/02/2011.