Chapter 1: The Sequel that Surpasses the Original! Wataru Encounters a Dragon!

Without any further ado, welcome back to the story, Dear Readers!

A few hours had passed since Wataru had been called upon by the king himself and tasked with hunting down a dragon!!!!! After packing up for their journey, Wataru and Aria swiftly made their way out of the Sky Kingdom’s capital! The first destination on their roadtrip was the village where the dragon had last been spotted just a few days ago!!

“Wataru... Are you sure about this? You agreed to slay a dragon like it was nothing.” There was a great deal of exasperation in Aria’s voice while they walked along the road leading to the aforementioned village!

“You bet I did! I get to fight a dragon!?!? My hot blood’s pumping faster than ever before!!”

Aria countered with a frown and a pout! “Listen here, Wataru. Just like the King said, the dragon is incredibly more powerful than any Joe Shmoe monster around. It apparently defeated even the Demon Lord Deus once!”

Correct-o-mundo! Rumor had it that the Demon Lord Deus had once challenged the dragon in an attempt to make it join his ranks! The most-assuredly-fearsome battle only ended when the Demon Lord gave up on defeating the dragon and retreated! This anecdote alone was a powerful testament to the might of the dragon’s powers!

“Hmph... Bring it on! The stronger the enemy, the more it fires me up!” Wataru declared with a dauntless grin! Not a shade of fear was on his face!

Aria finally relented! “Well, I don’t think you’ll ever change, Wataru...”

Another hour had passed before the pair arrived at a small village located a few miles east of the Sky Kingdom capital! This was the very place where the dragon had been spotted, just the other day! But... as Wataru gazed over the village before him, he was lost for words!

“Wh-What’s going on!?!?!?!?!?” he shouted!

The village, horrifically, had burned to the ground!! Every single house in the village had been charred extra-well-done! Great gouges had been torn in the ground! A pall of smoke hung over the village, and the occasional wisp of flame licked up out of the rubble!!! Despite the sky being otherwise cloudless, the ash and smoke blocked out the sun, leaving the village darkened as if it was trapped under a gloomy storm cloud! It was more than a full day since the dragon had attacked the village, but the ferocious scars it had left behind were much too fresh and vivid!

“Wh-What, are we on Fury Road...!?!?” Wataru muttered! O, the terror of the dragon! They had never expected it to burn down an entire village!

“According to the king, the villagers have been evacuated to another city...”

“So there were no casualties, then! Lucky us!!”

“Yes, but this is horrible... We can hardly breathe in this thick smoke,” Aria said with a groan, covering her mouth and nose with her hand!

Wataru tightly clenched his fists and turned his eyes to the ground!

“What’s wrong, Wataru?

“Rr-Rragh...!”

Plop...! Plop, plop...!

Before he knew it, Wataru was crying super-manly tears! His lips quivered as waterfalls of macho tears rolled down his cheeks!!

“That dragon... That monster’s evil incarnate...! Burning down an entire village...!? What did the poor villagers ever do to it...!?!?” At this very moment, Wataru made an oath to the manly tears rolling down his face! No matter what, at any cost, he would defeat the dragon!! With that conquest, he will restore peace to the lives of these poor people!!! “The dragon couldn’t have gotten far!! We’re going to hunt it down, Aria!!”

“Okay!” Aria energetically agreed!

Wataru looked up and spotted a familiar figure at the edge of the blinding cloud of ash and smoke! He pointed at the figure, unable to hold back a roar of joy! “Oh!!!!!!!!!! It’s you!!!!!!!!!!”

The figure had an attractive face, and silky, long, blue hair! It was wearing an unmistakable suit of spiky, black, full armor! That’s right, Dear Readers, it was Résistance!

“Hm? Is that... Wataru and Aria!?” It was indeed Résistance, who widened her eyes in astonishment as she recognized the pair!

“Long time no see!!” Wataru cried!! “How many years has it been!?!?”

“Just about a day,” she answered! After Wataru defeated the Demon Lord, Résistance had departed from them on a journey of self-improvement and rigorous training... And now, after a mere 24 hours, they were reunited! I, for one, want my tears back!!

“It’s been so long, Résistance!” Aria said with a brimming smile!

“It’s been. One. Day.” Résistance insisted in confusion!

“So glad to see you again, Résistance! Have you gotten taller since we last saw you!?”

“Of course not. It’s only been a day. How much taller do you get in a day?”

“Oh, right! I should give this back!” Completely ignoring her response, Wataru took off the necklace he had been wearing and handed it to Résistance! This necklace depicted a snake wrapped around a cross. Résistance had given it to Wataru when she left, telling him to “hold onto it until we meet again!”

“R-Right...” Résistance awkwardly accepted the necklace! “H-How should I put this...? Isn’t this sort of transaction supposed to take place in a more... dramatic situation?”

“There’s nothing we can do about it! It’s not our fault we met again in a day!”

“You’re right, but... It just feels strange. We parted ways like ‘See you again someday,’ and here we are the very next day.”

“Setting that aside, Résistance, what are you doing here?” Aria curiously asked.

Résistance was glad to have a chance to change the subject! “Well, I heard a dragon has appeared around here... I thought I’d take on a dragon as part of my self-improvement regiment.”

“I see!”

“I see, too!”

Wataru and Aria answered, turning to each other!!

“We came here to find the dragon, too!” Wataru said!

“Oh, really?”

“After the king learned of Wataru defeating Deus the Demon Lord, He requested that we hunt down the dragon!” Aria proudly boasted! Of course, it was a great honor to have the king of a nation make a request himself!

Résistance crossed her arms, impressed! “That’s quite impressive! A direct request from the king!”

“Yeah!” Wataru said! “But... It looks like we were a little late!”

“Looks like it,” Résistance concurred, gazing out at the burnt-down village before adding: “but I actually came across a traveling merchant nearby. According to him, the dragon flew towards a mountain north of here.”

“Woah, for real!? Then let’s go! You’re coming, right!?!?” Wataru demanded!

Résistance’s mouth formed a gleaming smirk! “Of course!”

And so, Résistance, who had departed the protagonist’s party in the tear-jerker finale of Volume One, had miraculously and conveniently rejoined the party a few pages into Chapter One of Volume Two! We don’t waste time with subtlety around here! The familiar trio of Wataru, Aria, and Résistance headed full-speed to the north, towards the mountain where the dragon had apparently flown off to...!!

◆ ◆ ◆

The party kept powering through a mountainous area when Wataru, who had been leading the marching order, suddenly stopped and shouted! “Hey! Isn’t that a dragon!?”

“What!?” Aria responded in disbelief! “You found the dragon already!? We’re barely a few pages into the story!!”

“Yeah! Look, there!!” Wataru pointed to the sky above!

Résistance wore a grave expression as she followed his pointing finger and analyzed the creature in the sky! “Enormous frame, covered in red scales, and those eerily pointed wings... No doubt about it, that’s a dragon.”

The dragon was flying elegantly through the cloudless blue sky! Even though there was a great distance between it and the humans on the ground, Wataru couldn’t help but feel the powerful aura the creature exuded with every bone in his body! He was sure of one thing: the dragon was strong!! Even more, there was one enigma about the creature that pressed down on Wataru’s brain!

“Why’s the dragon wearing a T-shirt!?!?!?” Wataru shouted! Indeed, the dragon was wearing a casual-and-clean, white and blue striped T-shirt!

“Why...? Why shouldn’t a dragon wear clothes?” Résistance responded, puzzled.

“I’m sure the dragon would be embarrassed if it was naked,” agreed Aria.

“Right, that’s how it is! Of course, it was biased of me to think that dragons don’t wear clothes!” Wataru admitted! He set his countenance into the expression of a Nio and continued, “All right!!!!! I’m going!!!!!”

“G-Going where!? How!? The dragon’s so high up...” Aria was bewildered!

Wataru took a wide stance and squatted low! “Aaaaahhhhhh...!!” He tensed his legs, preparing to unleash every last bit of his strength, before—!! “Jmp!!!!!”

Llllllleeeeeeeeaaaaaapppppp!!! Wataru rocketed into the sky, powered by his own two legs!

“Ahh!” Aria cried as an incredible shockwave erupted, leaving a small crater in the ground where Wataru had been standing.

“Th-That’s an incredible jump...” After giving a surprised glance to the hole in the ground, Résistance quickly turned her gaze upwards! Wataru had already landed with ease on the dragon’s back, nine hundred feet in the air! Modern science would tell you that no human could jump nine hundred feet without any mechanical assistance; however, Wataru and his special training regimen easily destroyed such “normal” preconceptions!! Of course, I’m sure that none of our Dear Readers who have read the masterpiece that is WATARU!!! The Hot-Blooded Fighting Teen & His Epic Adventures After Stopping a Truck with His Bare Hands!! Volume One would be surprised in any way just because Wataru jumped nine hundred feet into the air!!!

“Woah...! Dragons are pretty big...!” Wataru said excitedly from his new position on the dragon’s back!! This majestic flying creature was about sixty feet in length from its head to the end of its tail! The scales that covered its entire body were as red as molten lava and probably as hard as diamonds!! The striped shirt that covered its torso was obviously far larger than anything found in any human apparel store! Wataru couldn’t help but wonder if there was such a thing as a fantasy Big & Tall shop that catered to dragons!

“Hey, Dragon!! I’m Wataru Ito!! Fight me right now!!” he shouted as an introduction, even though he wasn’t sure if the dragon would speak his language!

Who are you...?

(Whaaaaaaaaaat!?!? It talked straight into my mind!!) Wataru was inwardly awestruck! Incredibly, the dragon had spoken to him on a telepathic hotline!

Hmhmhm... You’re surprised...

(What!? You... can read my mind, too!?)

Of course I can, boy. The dragon’s telepathic voice felt scratchy in Wataru’s mind! That feeling, along with his general tone, gave Wataru the impression of talking with an elderly man! Suddenly, the dragon turned his head around to stare directly at Wataru! Another detail that had escaped Wataru’s notice until now was that the dragon was... wearing glasses! His yellow, reptilian eyes peeked through the lenses of a pair of dragon-sized spectacles!

(G-Glasses...!? Where did you get those!? And the shirt!?)

Details, boy... More importantly, you said you wanted to fight me.

(That’s right!!) Wataru thought, nodding firmly for emphasis!

Hm, interesting. You’ve trained your body well, seeing as you leapt all the way from down there to up here... But you lack something that you’ll need in order to fight me.

(What!?!?!?!?!? For real!?!?!?!?!?)

How is the voice in your head so loud?

(Details, old man!! What’s it to you!?!?)

(So, what do I need!?) Wataru grumbled, crossing his log-thick arms!

Orbs...

(Orbs...!?)

Orbs! Some sort of magical spheres!

My body is protected by a magical barrier that deflects all physical attacks. If you want to break through the barrier, collect six orbs from all over the Wind Continent. The orbs possess a mystical power to negate magic. When you have six of them, their combined power will be able to disable even the barrier that protects me.

What a time-wasting gimmick! You see this kind of thing all the time in fantasy novels!

(So that’s how it is! Well, first things first... I’ll put that to the test!!) Just as the thought left his mind, Wataru fired a four-hundred-kilometers-per-hour punch into the back of the dragon’s shirt! But...!!

No use...

Wataru’s fist crashed into an invisible wall a hair’s breadth above the dragon’s shirt! Wataru threw another punch, and another, but all of them were blocked by the invisible force! That being said, Wataru felt no pain in his fists! It felt like he was striking a steel surface covered with a thick layer of cotton! “I see... My punches aren’t doing anything! They’re useless!!” It seemed like the dragon really was protected by a magic barrier! (But why!? Why tell me how I can defeat you!?)

It’s simple. I want a fair fight against a worthy opponent.

(Hm... Got it!!) That answer spoke loudly and clearly to Wataru! Anyone who practiced martial arts would have felt the same!

This barrier has been in place around my body since the moment of my birth. It is not a power I wanted, nor is it something I can turn off by my own accord. And because of this little barrier, I am bored out of my mind. It keeps me from fighting powerful foes.

(So, you want to fight me without your barrier!)

Correct. And collecting the six orbs will not be an easy task. My dearest wish is to fight those who have what it takes to overcome that challenge. I wish for a real life-or-death battle.

Human or dragon, all true MEN long for heart-pounding battles against powerful adversaries! Just like Wataru, this dragon had quite the fighting spirit!!

(I get it now! But I have to ask you a favor, dragon! Don’t attack any villages until I get back!!)

The dragon, in a rather anthropomorphic gesture, frowned! Oh? You tell me not to ‘devastate’? That takes the fun away.

(Save that devastation energy for when you face me! That should make for an even better battle!!)

After a few moments of silence, the dragon answered! Hm. Interesting! I’ve lived quite a long life, but have never met anyone as intriguing as you! Very well. I will keep a low profile for a while.

(Thanks! And don’t go eating any humans, either!)

The dragon smirked, bearing a fang! Worry not, Wataru. I’m a vegetarian. I’ve never tasted flesh, even that of a human.

Wataru returned a smirk of his own! (Heh! Now, we’re talking! I’ll get those orbs, then! See ya!) Wataru immediately jumped right off the dragon’s back for a nine hundred-foot descent!!

◆ ◆ ◆

“Oh, here he comes...” Aria pointed up at the sky!

“Is he just going to hit the ground?” Résistance asked nervously, brushing her blue hair back from her face!

“It’s Wataru. He’ll be fine,” Aria reassured her, without a shred of concern in her tone!

Ttttthhhhhhuuuddddddd!!!!!

Wataru landed in front of Aria and Résistance with a thunderous crash! His perfectly-built body was unharmed, naturally, but the impact of his landing caused rocks in the vicinity to shatter! One of the shards struck Aria smack in the middle of her forehead!

“Graghghaghalghhrrraarghaaagghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!” Aria screamed, blood spewing out of the wound!

“Are you okay, Aria!?!?!?!?!?” Wataru shouted, his face once again as stony and furious as a Nio!!

“I-I’m fine, Wataru...! W-Welcome back...!” she answered, even as blood gushed down her face! Her hands lit up with a green glow as she reached up to touch where the rock had struck her! Once she touched the wound with her hands, it rapidly began to heal! That’s right! She was capable of powerful healing magic! So, don’t you worry about her safety! Not for something minor like a shard of rock striking her face!!

“How’d it go?” Résistance asked!

“Long story short, yadda yadda yadda...!!” He began relaying his conversation with the dragon!!

A few minutes later, once Wataru had finished retelling what you and I already know happened, Aria tilted her head in confusion! “Orbs...? What are those? I’ve spent my entire life on this continent and I’ve never heard of them before.”

Résistance smugly crossed her arms! “I’ve heard of orbs.”

“Y-You have, Résistance!?!?”

Résistance nodded, her mouth contorted in a you-know-what-eating grin! “Of course. Who do you think I am? I am the most powerful knight on the continent, who first challenged the Demon Lord to a one-on-one battle before being easily defeated, but then got recruited by the Demon Lord after I swore my loyalty to him, then lost to you after all that.”

“That’s not a résumé to be proud of.” Aria was 1000% correct!

“So!?” Wataru jumped in! “Where are all six of the orbs!?”

“I hate to tell you this, but I only know where one of the orbs is.”

“Oh...!” Wataru scratched his cheek in disappointment! “So, where’s that orb!?”

“I remember that... It was in a village not far from here. I heard that the village elder there has it.”

“All right, let’s go there right now!!”

“Yes!” Aria and Résistance both agreed, wearing smiles suggesting that they had the same idea!

And so, Wataru and his party embarked on the incredibly challenging journey of collecting all six orbs! Will this ordeal be concluded by the end of Volume Two!? There’s only one way to find out, Dear Readers!

◆ ◆ ◆

The Wind Continent is a unique landmass comprising a variety of landscapes: anything from arid wastelands devoid of vegetation to muggy swamplands where it rained all year. While Japan, Wataru’s homeland, varied in climate and landscape depending on the region, the differences in Japan weren’t as dramatic as they were here. Even though Wataru had already spent several days in this fantasy world, there was still much for him to learn in the Wind Continent alone. (Come to think of it, all I know about is the Wind Continent... It would be great to see the other continents, someday!!) With those thoughts in mind, Wataru and the party were quietly trudging through a forest full of conifers. The warm afternoon sunlight poured through the trees above them. “Ugh... I’m getting a little hungry!” Wataru said, and rubbed his ultimate six-pack of steel.

Aria nodded in agreement. “Me, too. And my feet are starting to ache. How much longer until we get to that village, Résistance?”

“We should arrive soon...” Résistance answered.

After a few minutes, the party finally emerged from the forest and were walking into a field. They spotted a small village before them. “Hey, isn’t that it!?” Wataru asked.

“Yes. The first orb should be in that village,” Résistance confidently declared.

The trio walked right into the village in search of the orb. It was a quaint village, a stereotypical farming settlement in the countryside. There was little traffic, and there was nothing but wooden huts and farmland around them. The streets were not paved with stone like those in the Sky Kingdom, but were bare dirt roads.

“Hmm...” Aria muttered loudly. “Are you sure there’s an orb in this backwater podunk?”

“Keep your voice down Aria,” Résistance calmly reprimanded her.

“But look, all the houses are falling apart. Those won’t even keep the rain out.”

“Lower your voice, Aria. The villagers can hear you.”

“You won’t catch me dead living in a jerkwater village like this. I don’t think they even sell Payblades here.” Payblades, by the way, were a line of toys that had swept the Sky Kingdom by storm, and were very similar to a certain series of toys in Wataru’s original world. Aria was a particularly hard-core Payblader. “You must be mistaken, Résistance. No way an orb would be in this middle-of-nowhere, backcountry boondock in the sticks.”

“What did the countryside ever do to you?” Résistance asked. As she did, an elderly man stormed out into the road in front of them. “Shut up, already!!! What in the world is your problem, young lady!?!?!?!?!?” shouted the old man. He was clad in a dirt-stained button-down shirt and brown pants, and was obviously a farmer!

“Um... Excuse me, but you are!?!?” Wataru asked!

“I’m the village elder! What do you want with us, outsider!?!?” the elder answered!

“You’re the village elder! We’re actually on a journey to collect orbs in order to hunt a dragon!!”

Wataru’s answer only enraged the old man further! “What!? Orbs!? No! No!! No!!! The village’s orb is an ancient treasure! And you expect me to hand it over to some disrespectful outsiders!?”

Impossible! Thanks to Aria’s loud insults, they had made the worst impression imaginable on the village elder!!

“Please, Mister Village Elder, sir! We really need the orbs to defeat the dragon!”

“What dragon? Oh, the monster that appeared in the next village over? Let the soldiers handle it! At any rate, I’m not giving the orb to anyone, least of all you! Now scram!”

“We can’t do that!! Please, sir!!” Wataru begged, bending himself in a clean, ninety-degree bow!

“Please, sir!” Aria joined in the begging, generating the exact opposite effect than the one she had hoped for!!

“You were just talking all kinds of crap about our village before I came out here!”

“No, I wasn’t! I love places like this! It’s surrounded by nature!”

“Liar!!”

“I’m not lying! I can totally eat bugs and stuff!”

“We don’t eat bugs! What do you think life in the countryside is like!?”

Wataru saw that this was going nowhere! He did a backflip on the spot, and landed beautifully on all fours in the form of a dogeza, the ancient Japanese art of groveling on one’s hands and knees! Wataru’s dogeza was immaculate, a 10-out-of-10! If showing submission ever became an official Olympic sport, Wataru’s dogeza would undoubtedly snag the gold medal!!

“Please, Mister Village Elder, sir! Please!!”

Faced with the all-too-spectacular dogeza, the village elder finally relented! “F-Fine...” He muttered. “I know! If it means that much to you, we shall do battle with our village’s traditional contest! If you beat me, the orb is yours!”

“Contest...!?” Wataru looked up from his groveling with a curious expression!

“Indeed! And that contest is... A hot dog-eating contest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

◆ ◆ ◆

The trio were shown to the elder’s manor, the biggest house in the entire village! The party waited for a few minutes in a spacious, wooden area before the village elder reappeared! “Thanks for waiting! Everything’s ready!” He clapped his hands, summoning a few household servants! They set up a rectangular table before the party, and placed two gigantic platters on it!

“Wh-What is this...!” Résistance was shaken! And who could have blamed her!? Each platter was stacked high with a mountain of piping-hot hot dogs!!

“I see...” Aria remarked! “Whoever eats the most hot dogs, wins? Is that it?”

“That’s right!” the village elder confirmed! “The time limit is five minutes! That’s all you get!”

“I got it! I’ll be the one eating for our party... But who will be your hot dog eating champion!?” Wataru asked!

“Me, of course! Who else!?”

Much to everyone else’s surprise, the village elder himself would face off against Wataru in the hot dog-eating contest! The man was easily over the age of seventy-five! Could he really participate in the rigorous sport of competitive eating!?

“All right, Wataru! We got this match in the bag!” Aria declared, already assured of their victory!

The village elder, however, wore a dauntless grin! “Hmph! You don’t want to underestimate me! I’ve devoted my entire life to competitive eating! How could I lose to a boy like you!?”

Wataru stared back at him! “Devoted your whole life to competitive eating...!? That can’t be good for you!”

Indeed! Not only can timed competitive eating damage the stomach and intestines, but it also raises one’s blood sugar! While those among our Dear Readers who live more hectic lives may be tempted to scarf their meals as fast as possible... It is absolutely imperative that you should chew your food well and take the time to properly eat your meals!!

Anyway, the time for the contest had arrived! Wataru and the village elder stood before their respective mountains of steaming hot dogs!

“Woah, that’s a lot of steam...!” Wataru couldn’t help but mutter in amazement at the awesome sight!

“Feeling a little weak in the knees, Wataru!?” The village elder taunted!

“Never! In fact, I’m pumped!! Competitive eating isn’t good for your health... but I won’t hold back once the competition starts!” This was all going towards his goal of collecting the orbs so he could ultimately vanquish the dragon! Wataru’s fists tightened in determination!

Suddenly, Résistance stepped up from the corner of the room and approached the village elder!

“Hm? What is it?” he asked! “The contest is about to begin. I wish you’d keep your distance.”

Résistance handed the village elder a pair of cork earplugs! “Put these in. Trust me.”

“Wh-Why should I!? Is this some sort of diabolical trap!?”

“Why would it be a trap? Just put them in.”

“A-All right...” he relented! Résistance had practically forced the earplugs into the elder’s ears through her persuasive tone! She returned, satisfied, to where she had been standing! “Whatever was that about...” the elder grumbled. “Now, Wataru, are you ready!?”

“Yeah!!” Wataru answered with an energetic nod!

Seeing the nod, the village elder took a long inhale before shouting, “Now, then... Let us begin!!!!!” At the same moment, the elder began to expertly dismantle the mountain of hot dogs before him, rapidly shoving them into his mouth one after another! (Check that out! My eating speed has only increased with age! That Wataru kid must be in complete shock and awe...!) He glanced to his side, a hot dog in his mouth, to find that Wataru had not even begun eating!!

“Thank you for this meal...!” Wataru said, and slapped his hands together in one powerful motion!

Clalalalalalapppppppp!!!

The slamming together of Wataru’s hands created a sonic boom that thundered through the room! The cork earplugs in the elder’s ears disintegrated in an instant!! (What!?!?!? How could this be!?!?!?) The village elder was completely dumbfounded!! Dust that had once been the cork earplugs poured out of his ears! (Th-That was a close one...! If that girl hadn’t given me those plugs, my eardrums would be busted for sure! And all that was just from one clap off his hands!? Ridiculous!) As his estimation of Wataru’s strength rose, the elder couldn’t help but smirk at his decision to challenge the boy to an eating contest instead of a physical challenge! (But... What a moron! Who gives a pre-meal prayer during an eating contest!? Victory is mine!) He continued inhaling the hot dogs at breakneck speed! His stomach was practically a black hole! The elder’s powerful gobbling technique was unbecoming of a man of his venerable age!

“That old man’s amazing...!”

“Yes, he’s much more than I expected!”

Both Aria and Résistance were totally engrossed with the village elder’s incredible hot dog-eating speed!

But then, tragedy struck!! (No! H-How could I have been so foolish!?) The elder had been so focused on shoving hot dogs into his mouth as quickly as possible, he had burned his tongue on the steaming wieners! His hot dog-consumption speed had been drastically decreased! (Damn...! It’s never easy to eat freshly cooked hot dogs this fast... But if they’re this hot, he has to be struggling, too...!)

The village elder gave Wataru another glance... to find Wataru, his face as impassive as a fearsome statue’s, chomping down hot dog after hot dog, completely unbothered by the heat of the meat!!

(Wh-What the—!?!?) The elder was speechless! (H-How!? How can he keep chowing down so fast!? These sausages are still painfully hot! N-No... Is it possible that he...?) The elder suddenly realized the true intention behind Wataru’s pre-meal prayer!! (I-I get it! When he clapped his hands, he made a gust of wind that cooled off his hot dogs!)

Allow me to elaborate for those among our Dear Readers who are unable to decipher the old man’s internal rambling! What Wataru had done before he started eating was no ordinary handclap, but the Shaolin Tornado Clasp*, a move from ancient Chinese martial arts!!

(*Shaolin Tornado Clasp — An incredible move devised through four thousand years of Chinese history, where the user claps their hands together with more force than any ordinary human can in order to generate a powerful shockwave. It just so happens that the move’s form is nearly identical to the movement Japanese people make before beginning a meal. A martial arts master can generate powerful winds and create tornados before them with nothing but a casual clap of the hands. [1])

Of course, no ordinary clap of the hands could generate enough wind to instantly chill an entire platter of food! But it was possible for Wataru, the most powerful, hot-blooded fighting teen who has mastered all martial arts from around the globe!!

(O-Outrageous... That seemingly innocuous gesture was a strategic move to cool down the freshly prepared food!! The idea is preposterous... But it’s the only way to explain his superhuman hot dog-eating speed!!) The elder’s lead rapidly diminished until, before he knew it, Wataru had easily overtaken the old man!! (Wataru... Perhaps... Maybe to you... I can trust you with... my dream... to become... the strongest food fighter on the Wind Continent...)

The five-minute countdown allotted to the competition had passed! The servant who had been acting as the judge called an end to the contest! “I will now proceed to the scoring phase!” he declared!

The judge carefully counted how many hot dogs remained on each plate! Wataru, the elder, and even Aria and Résistance in the audience waited for the results with bated breath!! “The results are in! I will announce the winner of this hot dog-eating competition momentarily!” This was it! The result of this hot dog-eating competition would decide our heroes’ fate: would they acquire the orb, or not!? It could go either way!!

“Final results!” The judge declared! “The village elder has eaten... 47 hot dogs! And the challenger has eaten... 1097!!”

Wataru absolutely wrecked that competition!!

“You did it, Wataru!” Aria cheered, beaming at our hero!

“...You had to count when it was such a blowout?” Résistance acutely pointed out! In truth, the elder’s platter still held most of the hot dogs it had started with, while Wataru’s hot dogs were nearly finished!! Even as the judge was taking his tally of the remaining hot dogs, everyone in the audience was secretly wondering why he was bothering to count!! Even the village elder could see how obviously Wataru had beaten him!!!

At the end of the day, Wataru won the hot dog-eating competition!

“You bested me, Wataru...” The village elder said. He showed true grace and sportsmanship, despite losing by a margin of 1050 hot dogs!

“It was an honor to do battle with you, Mister Elder!!”

“Y-You think so...?” Résistance couldn’t help but mutter out loud. Truth be told, she was more than sure that Wataru would have won even without using his Shaolin Tornado Clasp to cool down his hot dogs!! He had won by 1050!!!! That’s one thousand and fifty!!!!!

“I’m a man of my word.” The village elder produced a red gem the size of his palm! “Here, Wataru. Take this orb.”

Wataru took a close look at the orb! It shimmered in the light, its refraction vibrant and alluring! It was beautiful enough to make anyone want to stare at it forever!!

“Woah! Thank you!!” Wataru didn’t forget to thank the elder as he took the orb!

“Hey, Wataru!” the elder added! “How would you like to be one of the Wind Continent’s elite food fighters?”

“Never!!!!!” Wataru immediately rejected the potential sidequest!

“I-I see...” the elder said, smiling gently. “Well, if you change your mind, you can come see me anytime!”!

“All right, I’ll keep that in mind!”

It’s my personal guess that Wataru and his friends would never return to this village! Why, you ask!? Because I have no plans to start writing WATARU!!! The Hot-Blooded Fighting Teen & His Epic Adventures After Stopping a Truck with His Bare Hands!! ~From Dry Toast to Thanksgiving Dinner: the Delicious Climb of a Hot-Blooded Fighting Food Fighter~!!! Trust me, I’m the author!!!!

That being said, Wataru’s party had succeeded in obtaining the first orb! Their quest to collect all six orbs had still only just begun!

To be continued in the next chapter: “Chaos! A Novel Challenge for the Orb!”

*Sources:

[1] Everything You Didn’t Know About the Shaolin Tornado Clasp: The Man Who Clapped Up a Storm — Isekai Tensei Publishing