Sakigake!! Otoko Juku 25

It's the ultimate showdown of rugby greatness as the tough first-years of Otokojuku take on the invading forces of Morita and the Kantou Gougakuren...wait a minute, since when did this manga turn into a sports series!?

Chp. 25: Countdown to Death!

151.
Onihige: This is the special event of the Otokojuku School Festival: our famous prison of agony known as “Rugby”!! Now the whistle has blown for the start of the match and the fifteen for both teams are flying forth, aiming for the ball on the center-line----!!
Onihige: It’s a clash of the Otokojuku First-Year Team vs. the Gougakuren team, both of whom have taken a poison strong enough to inevitably die in one gulp!! The way to be saved is to get the ball into the goal immediately, take the key inside the ball to open a safe and drink the antidote---!!
Onihige: Here commenting live is the most masculine man of Otokojuku, everyone’s idol: that’s me, Onihige!!
Hikouboshi: What are you saying?

152.-153.
(Title Page…strange there isn’t Morita on here)

154.
Onihige: This is truly the match of the century where you bet on life-and-death!! And the worst part is no one has the ball yet!! A furious fray has erupted in the center of the grounds!!
Man 1: A…mazing…………However did they really drink poison for this match………………!?
Man 2: I don’t really believe it.
Man: Hey, look there. A cat is licking that poison they left behind.
Man 1: ………………
Man 2: E…even so, it’s unusual that a cat likes sake.

155.
Onihige: Emerging from a gap in the fray, the first to seize the ball is Otokojuku first-year Matsuo---!!
Onihige: With him holding the ball, he’s running it to the goal!!
Matsuo: Uooo---!!
Gougakuren Student: Can we let an idiot get away with that---!!
Matsuo: Gee!!

156.
Togashi: Matsuo, pass it---!!
Matsuo: Oh…right!!
Togashi: Hehhehe, nice catch!!
Togashi: Out of my way—I’ll kill anyone in my way---!!

157.
Onihige: However, the Gougakuren quickly smash him---!!
Togashi: J!!
Onihige: A nice combination by Otokojuku: a good pass to J the European barbarian!!
Gougakuren Students: This guy---!!

158.
Onihige: There it is—an explosion of J’s Mach Punch--!!
Onihige: How skilled!! He’s broken through the free-for-all in the center and is set-up for a solo-run---!!
Togashi: Alright, go J!!
Matsuo: At this rate, we’ll try to get a goal immediately---!!
J: !!

159.
Morita: Fufufu, come then if you don’t regret your life.
Onihige: However, right in front of the goal safe alone awaits the boss of Gougakuren’s team----!!
J: Nuu!!

160.
J: GU!!
Morita: Fufufu, how do you like the taste of my Tetsufu Souben………!!
(TN: “Tetsufu Souben”: “Iron Axe/Whip Pair”)
J: Huh!?

161.
Togashi: Je…J--!!
Morita: Fuffufu, now it’s my turn!! Which of you will be prey to the Tetsufu Souben---!!?

162.
Morita: Soryaa--!!
Otokojuku Student: Ge!!
Onihige: A…mazing! This power of the Tetsufu Souben of the captain of the Gougakuren team!! No one can get near him with that. He’s already passed the halfway line and is charging to the Otokojuku goal---!!

163.
Togashi: That callous guy is mocking us---!!
Onihige: Ooh, Togashi of Otokojuku is frantically protecting himself by taking out a log---!!
Morita: Fuffufu, do you think that thing will protect you from the Tetsufu Souben?
Togashi: Shut up and come at me---!!

164.
Togashi: !?
Matsuo: To…Togashi---!!

165.
Onihige: This Tetsufu Souben is dreadful!! It’s no good! Otokojuku’s defensive ranks has been broken through--!! This already seems like match—the goal was before his eyes----!!
Togashi: D…damn, I was clumsy. Momo’s going to take the good role again.

166.
Onihige: It’s Momo. The head of the Otokojuku first-years, Tsurugi Momotarou, was protecting the front of the goal by himself as well---!!
Momotarou: Fufufu, you’re really tired from running. How about relaxing a bit?

167.
Morita: Fuffufu, fine then. How about you take this…
Morita: As I hit your big mouth---!!
Morita: Next I’ll slice off your neck with my axe.
Morita: There isn’t anyone who’s able to match the secret-of-secrets of Chinese martial arts: Tetsufu Souben.
Momotarou: Fufufu, is that so?

168.
Morita: !!
Momotarou: Fufufu, it really would have been better to have taken that break. You can’t use that toy on me.

169.
Matsuo: Wahhahaha, what is that bald callous thinking!!
Togashi: I’ll be weeping when he hands over the ball—
Togashi: Wh…what’s wrong Matsuo?
Togashi: Ugege……!!
Togashi: Uoo—th…this is---!!
Onihige: The Otokojuku first-years are suddenly writhing in pain---!!
Onihige: No, the Gougakuren team is in similar pain too.
Onihige: It seems the poison they drank is slowly starting to go through their bodies---!! I’m sure that this pandemonium is a hell of this world!! The countdown to death has begun---!!

170.
Onihige: But what’s going on? Only the captain of the Gougakuren team is acting lively---!!
Morita: Fufufu, your face color looks really bad. Did you drink that poison?
Momotarou: It seems you’re the only one who didn’t drink it.
Morita: Fufufu, correct dummy. I didn’t know what this Rugby or anything is, but do you really think that I would do that ridiculous action? The order I was given by my president was only to strike all of you down.
Momotarou: Your president…!?
Momotarou: Well he’s like you too: a dirty cheat……!!

171.
Morita: Oh~~what’s wrong---!! If you don’t hurry, you’re all going to die---!!
Momotarou: A battle of men done critically…
Matsuo: Mo…Momo--!!
Momotarou: COME AT ME, HERETIC!!

TN: Let me start with this: this was probably one of the most fun chapters I've read in a manga in a long while. In fact, I probably say that about a lot of manga I read, but considering a lot of what's out there, it's really hard to find "fun" in regards to a manga reading experience when many of which try to determine the meaning of life, existence and all that jazz. But the whole "rugby match" segment of this battle against Kantou Gougakuren just demonstrates another facet that many manga tend to forget in the midst of their ultraviolence or philosophical pondering: sometimes you just want to see people beat each other up and weird battle styles emerge leading to confrontational battles if only for school honor. (and probably to save your own life due to the bizarre manipulation of your teachers) It's really hard to explain it through just a script but reading the manga and seeing stuff such as the "random brawl" at the start of the game, J turning rugby into football, the revelation of Morita's Tetsufu Souben, Togashi's log maneuver and the climactic ending where Momo literally has minutes to fight lest he and his classmate die...sometimes that's all you need with manga, pure and simple. It does make one wonder why rugby never caught on in a sports manga like other sports...but then again, "Eyeshield 21" is almost rugby...though with longer fields, pads and a team leader just as demonic as Onihige.