Sakigake!! Otoko Juku 186

Just when Otokojuku knew who they had on their side, along comes a mysterious "second helper" assigned by Edajima to assist in the Finals Tournament! But why is he so familiar...and is he capable of stopping Houketsu?

Chp. 186: The Helper’s True Identity!!

167.
Houketsu: Strange behavior……………It seems I have a hunch I will have an interesting match with you.
Toramaru: A…amazing:: He added a character on top of “Metsu” with a flash of a razor-blade like thing, making into “Jimetsu”………………!! He…he had a tight joke th…that he’s done, that masked man……!!
Momotarou: Otokojuku’s 2nd Helper…………!! Who exactly is that person’s true identity……………!!

168.
(Title page…there definitely is…something about him)

169.
Caption: OTOKOJUKU
Onihige: PR…PRINCIPAL~~~!!
Edajima: I AM THE PRINCIPAL OF OTOKOJUKU, EDAJIMA HEIHACHI!!
Onihige: Ri…right now, we’ve received an urgent inquiry communications from Tenchou Gorin Daibukai headquarters!! By…by all means, a man of unknown identity has suddenly appeared as a member of our Team Otokojuku in the semi-final match and is fighting in it, but they want a response on whether or not this many really is one of our students!!

170.
Onihige: What…what exactly is going on!? We…we don’t understand the frank circumstances for why we’ve done this!! D…do we have what sort of person he is----!!
Edajima: You should give this answer.
Edajima: That person is, for certain, a student of our Otokojuku…one among the 16 soldiers for the Tenchou Gorin Daibukai………………!!
Onihige: R…right………!!
Edajima: I leave it to you.

171.
Edajima: YOU WILL GRAB THE KEY TO OTOKOJUKU’S OVERALL VICTORY IN THE TENCHOU GORIN DAIBUKAI!!
“Masked Man”: Now, you should come at me from anywhere.
Houketsu: You’re fighting me unarmed without even some weapon or skill? It seems you still don’t understand the true terror of this Kyoujouken.

172.
Houketsu: WATCH!!
Hawk: !!

173.
Hawk: Gupi!!
“Masked Man”: …………!!
Toramaru: Wh…what is that: that Houketsu’s sw…sword~~~~!! It…suddenly stretched longer like Son Goku’s Nyoi-bou----!!
(TN: The “nyoi-bou”, also known as “Ruyi Jingu Bang”, is a magical weapon held by the Monkey King in Journey to the West, with the ability to change it’s size “as one wishes” (thus “nyoi”, which literally translates into “as one wishes”). As for the “Son Goku” part, it could either be a reference to the original Monkey King of Saiyuki/Journey to the West, who could be read as “Son Goku” or “Son Wukong”…or to the “Son Goku” from Akira Toriyama’s “Dragon Ball”, a loose adaptation of the “Journey to the West” story which was running in Jump the exact same time as Otokojuku and where the nyoi-bou (known in the dub as the “power pole”) was one of his most prominent weapons during the early part of the series)
Togashi: Heh, b…but, it isn’t how it appears!! He stylishly skewered the bird in the sky by aiming for it, but the bird got away with just bearing just a little scratch!
Date: You’re wrong: look there……!!
Togashi: Hu~~h!!

174.
Hawk: GYAPI---!!
Togashi & Toramaru: Wh…what---!! Th…that bird who just bared that scratch spouted blood from it’s entire body and fell down---!

175.
Houketsu: Do you see: the power of this elastic-at-will Kyoujouken!!
Houketsu: If it comes to it, its length can be adjusted, always be placed within the rifle range of the enemy and can be able to fight within the interval you are. With skills of your extent, you should understand what advantages this has in a battle.
“Masked Man”: Understood……!! And there is a device where poison comes out from the tip……!
Houketsu: Correct: this is venom that is said to rupture all the blood vessels in the entire body and send even an elephant to that world after three seconds from merely a scratch.

176.
Houketsu: LET’S GO---!!

177.
Houketsu: HA!!

178.
Houketsu: Nu!?
Houketsu: Ku!!
“Masked Man”: Even with that, you can’t cross the interval!!
Houketsu: Gaha!!

179.
Houketsu: Y…you………!!
“Masked Man”: Is this the level of a man said to be the trump card of Ryouzanpaku? If you are, then this shouldn’t be my turn.
Toramaru: A…amazing: wh…what agile movements of that masked man---!! He’s…jumping into Houketsu’s breast faster than even the return of that elastic-at-will sword and has already taken the round-----!!
Momotarou: ………………………!!
Date: What’s wrong, Momo………!?
Momotarou: That body handling…………!! I…I’ve truly seen somewhere those movements………………!!
Date: Wh…what………!!

180.-181.
Houketsu: You seem to be very confident in your taijutsu due to just striking with your big mouth. But for me, that now doesn’t surpass merely warming up.
Houketsu: The stinging thrusts that I’ve mastered in my training will count a hundred within a wink!! Can these be taken by you!!
(TN: “Stinging thrusts” in Japanese is “shitotsu” with “shi” for “sting” and “totsu” for “thrust”; I really wanted to use “shitotsu” but since there hasn’t been an attack defined yet by Houketsu using the term, I can’t use it in it’s Japanese name at this time)
Houketsu: Ha----!!
Toramaru: Uoo!! Wh…what a tremendous storm of stabs---!
Togashi: Wi…with that, he won’t be able to avoid them even if he could avoid them---!!

182.
Houketsu: DIE----!!

183.
Togashi: Wh…what---!! Th…that masked man to…took the sword on his arm without moving a step----!
Toramaru: Th…that’s stupid!! Di…did he forget that th…the tip of the sword is set up with a deadly poison----!
Houketsu: Fufu: you covered just the vital point of your heart at wits end. That truly was a response to the flesh…you don’t have hidden any weapons beneath those bandages wrapped around your arms.
Houketsu: Your life certainly has three seconds left…………!! It’s best to start the countdown to your death.
Houketsu: Well………!!
“Masked Man”: Fu
Houketsu: !?

184.
“Masked Man”: I don’t need these.
Houketsu: Nu!!
“Masked Man”: HA----!!

185.
Houketsu: Y…you, th…this is………!!
“Masked Man”: That’s a foolish thing for the poison of Poison-Fist…………!! The countdown to death is for you, Houketsu………!!
Toramaru: Wh…what---!! Po…Poison fist---!
Togashi: It…can’t be, th…that masked man is---!!
(End of Vol. 20)

TN: Hmm...poison fist...could it be!? Yeah, there is a certain fighter that uses poison fist who used to fight for Otokojuku...he seemed to die but...well, whether it's him or not, he did show that his poison is capable of holding off Houketsu. There is something that further complicates it next time, but I do like that Miyashita does at least try to keep some mystery about the new fighter, giving off hints (like Edajima mentioning he is "one of the 16 Soldiers of Otokojuku"...which will have more meaning as we get closer to the final revelation) but not outright revealing who he is. Meanwhile, there just seems to be something weird about Houketsu's foil: it seems like it has a poison tip but he also seems to be able to shoot out poison from it like it's a gun with poisoned liquid in it. Well it really makes less sense considering our mystery man is protected with his poison fist...but it is rather strange that "it's poisoned but it's because it shoots out, not because it just has poison on the tip". And the "nyoi-bou" line...I just wish I could ask Miyashita which "Son Goku" he meant...yeah it probably could stand for either the original Saiyuki one...or the Toriyama one...but the line is just so out there that I just can't figure out which from first reading it. Heck, do Otokojuku students even read other current Jump series!? (well there was that "Fist of the North Star-type" line when Akashi was introduced but that was so long ago...)