Hell Teacher Nube 12

In order to perfect his Human-Transformation Jutsu, the powerful youko Tamamo has descended into society targeting...Hiroshi!? Can Nube save him and overcome the wily trickery of his most powerful youkai opponent yet?

#12: Youko: Rampant Domination (end)

110.
Nube: Release Hiroshi, Tamamo!
SFX: GOGOGOGOGO
Tamamo: Fufufu, I can’t do that: I need this boy’s skull by all means
Hiroshi: Let go—
Tamamo: So I can perfect the “Human-Transformation Jutsu”.
Tamamo: Quiet down, Hiroshi-kun.
Hiroshi: Gu
Tamamo: You can cry and shout to your heart’s content later.
Nube: You…

111.
Nube: Hiroshi is my student! How can someone like you do what you please! By all means, if you take Hiroshi with you, then I will take you down!!
Tamamo: Fine: in that case, I will show you my favorite ability.
Tamamo: Hallucination Jutsu!
Nube: What!?

112.
Nube: He transformed iron balls into youkai!? This is…
SFX: GUO GUO
Tamamo: It’s best to play with these illusions as much as possible. I do hate conflict.
SFX: GAN! | FU | GAN! | FU
Nube: The illusion disappears when the movement stops; that’s the Hallucination Jutsu that’s used by youko…long ago, foxes fluttered the leaves of trees, displaying illusions but...if it’s a thing that moves, then it completely changes to an illusion?
(TN: Considering a lot of legends we’re going to be getting in this series involve either kitsune or youko, I will differentiate them as such: “kitsune” will be translated as “fox” (since foxes are still considered foxes even with many legends tied to them in Japan) while “youko” will remain the Japanese term of “youko” (which best translates as “bewitching fox”) There are a few weird exceptions where “kitsune” is part of another term, but for the most part “kitsune” on its own will just be “fox”)
Nube: This is bad; if they head into town…there are many moving things in town!
Nube: Uh!

113.
Nube: What is this!!
SFX: ZORO ZORO ZORO
Nube: He’s using the passers-by and created illusions? S**t. With this, I won’t know which is real.
Nube: Don’t move, stop—
SFX: PA!
SFX: PITA
Tamamo: Ahahahaha!
Nube: Youko!
Nube: You—

114.
Nube: Uwa! A car on the sidewalk.
Delivery: Wh…what, an exaggerated man…
SFX: FU
Nube: I saw a bicycle as a car…
Nube: S**t…this surely is the feeling of being made stupid by a fox. N?
Nube: He…hey, granny, where are you walking, it’s danger…
SFX: FU | PAPAPAPA~~~

115.
SFX: GUWASHA--|BAKIBAKI|DOKA
Nube: GYAAA
Person 1: That dummy—there was a guy who flew out there suddenly---!
Person 2: Ah~~it’s no good for him!
Person 3: He’s absolutely dead!
Nube: YOUKO~~~
People: Uwa—he’s alive! A monster!
Tamamo: Chi…is that man immortal?
Nube: Hold on.
SFX: WREE—E
Sign: GAME CENTER MARIO

116.
SFX: (right to left): DODODODO | GYA—N | PIKO PIKO | HADOUKEN! | REACH! | CHUDO—N
(TN: It’s sort of obvious what the 4th is tied to…though the 5th is probably a mahjong game due to the “reach” comment)
Nube: Damn, he’s getting to me.
Nube: He’s created illusions using the movements on the game screens. Do I know which is real?
Nube: It has to come out! It can immediately peer through this level of illusion. Possesing the spiritual power to cut up everything, the certain-kill…
Nube: ONI NO TE!
SFX: GIN!

117.
SFX: KIRA!
Nube: Is he there!?
SFX: FU
Tamamo: Sorry! I was behind!
SFX: ZAKU
Nube: Guwa!
Tamamo: Al—right, here’s where I shuffle!
SFX: SHA SHA SHA
Nube: No…I can’t concentrate my mind with the pain of my wounds…
Tamamo: Kukuku…I don’t know what the Oni no Te is, but you are human after all, Nueno-sensei.
Tamamo: You’re no match for this youko that has lived 400 years. I’m different from the 3rd-rate youkai of this area.

118.
Tamamo: IT’S BEST TO REALIZE YOUR HELPLESSNESS!!
Nube: UAAAA
Tamamo: Understood: this is a thing called “the difference in true power”. Adios, Nueno-sensei.
(TN: Just a slight note: yes Tamamo does use the Spanish term “adios”, which means “farewell” here)
Tamamo: HAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHA

119.
Tamamo: It’s a beautiful night. Appropriate for my Human-Transformation Jutsu Perfection Ceremony to occur.
Hiroshi: U…uh…
Tamamo: Have you awoken, Hiroshi-kun?
Hiroshi: !?
Hiroshi: You…haven’t you been defeated by Nube yet!? Hey, what’s with the behavior; unfasten this chain!
SFX: JARA
Tamamo: Fu
Tamamo: Even if you weren’t confused, I’ll release you soon. When I’ve obtained your skull.
Tamamo: I need it at any cost so I can perfect my Human-Transformation Jutsu.
SFX: JAKIN
Tamamo: So then…shall I steadily detach my old skull?
Hiroshi: What…?

120.
Tamamo: GOD OF URSA MAJOR, UNDO MY HUMAN-TRANSFORMATION JUTSU.
SFX: GOGOGOGOGO
Tamamo: HAA!
SFX: DOSU!
Hiroshi: Huh!?
Tamamo: GU! FUN!
SFX: GUCHA GUCHA GUCHA
Tamamo: OAAAO
Hiroshi: Hii
SFX: ZURU…
SFX: ZURU
Hiroshi: Ah…ah…it’s…it’s a…
SFX: ZURU ZURU ZURU

121.
Hiroshi: YOUKO!!
SFX: KARAN!
Hiroshi: That’s…Tamamo-sensei’s true form…
Tamamo: WELL, HIROSHI-KUN, NOW IT’S TIME TO TAKE OUT YOUR SKULL…AND THEN I WILL POSSESS YOUR SKULL AND PERFECT MY HUMAN-TRANSFORMATION JUTSU.
SFX: FUSHUUUU

122.
Nube: Hold on, you haven’t settled things with me yet.
Hiroshi: Teacher!
Tamamo: THAT’S, THAT’S NUENO-SENSEI. YOU’RE STILL ALIVE!
Nube: Heh, the bad of insistence and resignation is an average Jibakurei. Now come: Hiroshi won’t be yours as long as I’m not defeated. (Haa haa haa)
Hiroshi: Teacher.
Tamamo: FINE! IN THAT CASE, I WILL FACE YOU WITH ALL MY POWER!

123.
Tamamo: HALLUCINATION JUTSU!! CAN YOU DISCOVER THE REAL ME WITH THE FOUR ILLUSIONS CREATED BY THE MOVEMENT OF THESE IRON BALLS!?
Hiroshi: Teacher—
Tamamo: FUFUFU, IT’S USELESS, USELESS: YOU’RE JUST SLASHING AT RANDOM! JUST CUTTING THE ILLUSIONS!! RIGHTLY GIVE UP AND BEG FOR YOUR LIFE!
Nube: Cut that out! Four bodies are illusions! Even with the attacks they give, it’s a 1-in-5 probability that I’ll be hit by the real body!
Nube: I have bad luck, I can’t even win a New Year’s postcard stamp sheet in the lottery, but just for this…I’ll do this thousands of time until I hit!
(TN: Nube is referring here to a special lottery that is held every year tied to New Years postcards sent out, where one can win prizes based on the serial number on them. The lowest prize in these contests is usually a stamp based on the “New Year” that it is, thus why he complains he can’t even win those!)

124.
Tamamo: FUFUFU…BEFORE THEN, YOU WON’T HAVE YOUR LIFE!
SFX: FU
Nube: I won’t die! I absolutely won’t until I save Hiroshi!
Hiroshi: A…a…ah, at this rate, teacher will be killed!
Hiroshi: If he can’t stop the movement of the iron balls…n!
Nube: Gua
SFX: BASHI
Nube: KUU!
SFX: DOKA

125.
Tamamo: IT’S OVER, NUENO-SENSEI!
SFX: FU
Tamamo: !?
SFX: KAN KAN KAN
Tamamo: WHAT! THE IRON BALLS!?
Nube: Hiroshi…
SFX: GOOOOO
Tamamo: DAMN, EVEN THE SASUMATA…
SFX: GASHA—!
Tamamo: GUFU!

126.
Nube: You’ve done it, Hiroshi! This chance is due to you! You’ve done more than enough!
Nube: SMASH!!
(TN: Nube yells out “SAI”, which is the kanji that is used for “smash”, somehow it didn’t seem as cool to use the kanji)

127.
Tamamo: I’VE LOST…
Tamamo: YOUR…TEACHER-STUDENT LOVE…WON!!
SFX: OSHUU
Hiroshi: Teacher, are you alright---!?
Nube: Youko Tamamo, you’re a dreadful opponent…
Hiroshi: Nube-sensei is the best after all! I’ll be with you together for my entire life!
Nube: Hahaha…he’s in a good mood! (to himself) Because of this, I won’t stop being a teacher…

128.
NUBE-SENSEI’S GREAT YOUKAI ENCYCLOPEDIA

11. Youko

Stories about foxes possessing supernatural powers have been believed since extremely olden times. Even among them, the most famous is the tale of “Tamamo no Mae”. In the Heian era, it got close to former Emperor Toba by transforming into a beautiful woman, planning to capture the royal family. A major youko of it’s scale , it was made certain it was just it both after and since. (Eventually it lost to an onmyouji who served the former emperor).

This Tamamo no Mae was indeed a gorgeous fox said to have a gold-color body and nine radiant tails, but its ancestors seem to be in China and India. It had come to Japan, worrying of Dakini Tenshinkou of the Shingon sect, combined with an Inari Shrine and strengthened it’s spiritual power, seeming to be the youko of present. Going from his name, Tamamo-sensei is a direct descendant of this Tamamo no Mae.

By the way, I want to warn of this, but even if you call a fox “kitsune”, it can’t be deduced that the animal fox will become a youkai. They had originally been mountain gods, but they don’t go past fusing with all sorts of animal spirits and changing into a beastly form. Thus, to the eyes of the Japanese, they just look in the appearance of a fox. This same youkai was seen as a dog in ancient Egypt (They’re called “God Anubis”; this is well revealed on the murals of Egypt). To Europeans, they’ll be seen as goats and be dreaded by the name of “Satan”. If you look elsewhere, there may be a youko family throughout the world. In any case, that’s the reason there is a youkai flooding with treachery that would cross the sea from far-away India and have come to invade Japan. And thus they may be plotting to cause mayhem to human society in secret.

That reminds me: there was a case that has become unsolved. The criminal of the Morinaga Incident was said to resemble a fox. Perhaps…?

(TN: A few things:
1. Tamamo no Mae was originally mentioned in the Otogizoushi as originally a courtesan of Emperor Konoe (who ruled from 1142 to 1155) and that it was ultimately discovered by Abe no Yasuchika (the onmyouji mentioned in the legend) and ultimately was defeated on the Plain of Nasu by Miura-no-suke, where it’s body would eventually become the Sessho-seki (Killing Stone).
2. Toba is actually Konoe’s father, who ruled between 1107 to 1123. Konoe did not directly succeed him, only doing so after his brother Sutoku (ruled 1123 to 1142) was exiled.
3. The “Morinaga Incident” AKA “The Glico/Morinaga Case” was an infamous incident that occurred in 1984 involving a mysterious assailant known as "The Monster with 21 Faces" who kidnapped the president of Glico in exchange for gold bullion and who was pursued for 17 months before vanishing without a trace. Some people involved in the case suspect that the man behind it was a mysterious assailant who spoke in an Osakan dialect and had a face with fox-like eyes...)

TN: Why am I thinking of Naruto and Bleach after all that I've written about this chapter? This probably is one of the most epic fights Nube has had...and all I can think about is "foxes dancing leaves" leading to the whole existence of Konoha village in the former...and the Morinaga case connected to Gin Ichimaru from the latter!

With that said, for the most part this was just an incredible chapter showing off not only Nube's tenacity to do his job...but both the bizarre skills of Tamamo (using video game screens to cast illusions was bizarre genius) and the pure heroic nature of Hiroshi (that ending with the magnet allowing for Nube to finally take Tamamo down was epic) leading to an all-around satisfying conclusion to the two parter. Well...not quite: my head does feel weird that somehow Tamamo would go to a car junking lot to take Hiroshi's skull out...but the way it lead to his downfall (Oni no Te to the gut after Tamamo's weapon gets him stuck on) was awesome with the teacher-student connection so I can let bygones be bygones. And remember: just because you're a loser with love and in life...doesn't mean you are a loser at kicking butt! (or...getting run over by a truck)