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nexus_crossings2021-04-06 05:40 pm
itmeanscourage) wrote in nexus_crossings2021-04-06 05:40 pm
American Ninja Warrior Qualifiers
Despite having moved around to a couple of cities on the east coast while Isamu went to college, it only seemed right to take on the qualifying course back home in Seattle. He’d promised his friends in the Nexus could watch and cheer him on from the sidelines of the big run in Vegas if he made it that far, but the qualifiers were going to be a much smaller affair - just his brother and their parents.
Everyone else would just have to catch it at the little watching party Isamu had organized once they got back. There was a projector in the plaza, buckets of free hand fans on the tables, plenty of pizza and two twins trying very very hard not to give everything away despite the huge grins on their faces.
“All right, kid. You’re up.” One of the stagehands could be heard in the background as the arena lights turned to the starting platform. “Good luck out there.”
“Thanks.” Minoru forced himself to swallowed his nerves and ran out, waving, as the announcers went through their introduction.
“Next, we have a rookie who grew up right here in Seattle. Minoru Uchiwa, first time contestant on American Ninja Warrior, ready to show the course what he’s made of.”
“25 years old, hospital orderly, hoping to be a physical therapist assistant.”
“Well, a good run tonight and he might just be able to show all those future patients of his how the body can really move.”
The camera panned to his family, flashing them up on one of the big screens. While all three were generally very reserved people, they didn’t shy away from screaming his name and waving those fans high.
“Small but vocal group of supporters right there on the sidelines, Johnny. Are those fans they’re waving? Is that a thing?”
“Last name Uchiwa. Means fan in Japanese.”
“Guess we’d better start calling them a Fan Club.”
Isamu beamed when he heard that, unable to keep from screaming, “told you!” At the top of his lungs.
Minoru heard that, and just started laughing. He pointed back toward them, and waved. He was still nervous, but it was starting to quickly subside.
The countdown tones rang across the arena, and when the buzzer went off, he bolted forward.
He’d ran clear across the shrinking steps and latched onto the rope before the announcers had time to get any commentary in edgewise.
“Woah!! He just crossed that like it was nothing!”
Minoru swung off the rope, landing on the first platform with ease.
“Entry video said he was an avid freerunner, Nick. Been doing parkour since he was old enough to walk.”
“I believe it now! Let’s see if that helps him on the Lunatic Ledges. This obstacle is brand new tonight, and has taken out ten of tonight’s competitors already...”
With a short running start, Minoru launched himself onto the first platform, catching the lower ledge with both hands. He hung in the air as he kicked his legs forward to swing. He jumped, and caught the front handle of the second swing. Minoru barely bothered maneuvering his way around to the other side before jumping right off.
“Did you see that?”
“Did he just jump off that backwards?!”
Minoru tucked and back-rolled his landing.
“Sign me up for this Fan Club!”
Minoru laid on his back for just a moment, laughing to himself, before getting up off the second platform. Oh, the nerves were long gone now. Because this... was FUN.
Minoru grinned as he bounced off the trampoline, right onto the first cylinder of the Barrel Roll . It was just another big swing for Minoru, and he launched himself over the seven-foot gap and onto the second one without a hitch.
The second cylinder, though, didn’t swing. At least, not until you climbed on top to reach the second handle. Which Minrou did effortlessly as well.
“Look at that! Look at that swing!”
“He almost missed the whole landing platform!!”
Minoru didn’t stop. He made even quicker work of the Broken Bridge. It didn’t matter how unstable the steps were, he was onto the next one before it had a chance to wobble.
“Did you see that? This rookie’s on fire!”
“But can he survive the Lightning Bolt...”
The cameras caught the Uchiwa family cheering while Isamu looked on with trepidation. “Take it one at a time... Easy does it. Plan it out...”
Minoru struggled with this obstacle in the test run, but even from the sidelines, Isamu could see the look on his brother’s face. Minoru was having far too much fun now to remember to worry. And as illogical as that sounded, that was when he was at his absolute best.
“There he goes!”
Minoru bounced off the trampoline and snatched the bar in his hands. He hung there for a moment, planning his jump. Kicking himself up, he generated enough momentum to land the bar in the next cradle.
“2 down, and four more to go. Can he do it?”
“Nick, they don’t call this the Rookie Killer for nothing. Last week in Atlanta, not a single first time runner made it through. And in Baltimore before that, only one.”
“It’s taken out five newcomers so far tonight.”
But despite those odds, Minoru’s jumps were solid. That was, until the last cradle. His arms came up unevenly, and one half of the bar hooked itself in the next cradle, while the other was still stuck in the first.
“Oh no! He’s sideways!”
“A dangerous situation for the Fan Man, Johnny.”
“Can he recover?!”
He swung his legs, thrusting the left side of the bar up and over. The moment he heard it hit metal, he jumped. It was a shallow jump, not at all his best, and he hit the landing platform so close to the edge one of his feet was dangling off.
“Did you see that?!”
“He made it! He actually made it! The second rookie to clear the Lightning Bolts!!”
Minoru did make it. But it was an extremely close call.
He sprinted down the runway towards the next obstacle, shaking out his arms as he went. Unfortunately, the Lightning Bolts were only the beginning. The Salmon Ladder was a Ninja Warrior staple, but that didn’t make it easy.
“Stay relaxed...” Isamu whispered in the crowd as Minoru stepped up onto the edge of the trampoline. “You can do this.”
He rolled his shoulders a couple of times, and then made his leap, gripping the pole with both hands. The time he’d made up on the Broken Bridge was definitely used here as he slowly and methodically made each jump, thrusting the pole just one notch higher each time.
“Fan Man’s taking his time.”
“After what just happened on the Lightning Bolts, I don’t blame him. If he ends up sideways here, his run tonight is as good as over.”
“Slow and steady wins this race, Johnny. He is up the Salmon Ladder and on his way to the Floating Monkey Bars!”
Minoru grasped onto the first bar, and swung easily to the second. His arms were getting tired, though, and it showed when he swung forward to place the bar in its cradle and missed!
On the ground, Isamu and both of their parents gasped consecutively.
“He missed!” The announcers exclaimed in unison as well.
He might have missed, but he didn’t fall. Pumping his body back and forth, he made an even bigger swing, and this time, locked the bar in place. The expression on his face said it all as he hung there for a moment between the two bars.
“Oh that was a close one, Johnny.”
“You can see the course is really starting to wear on the rookie... oh my god, he missed again!!”
The crowd gasped audibly as Minoru reached for the fourth cradle and fell short once again.
“He recovered once already.”
“But does he have the energy to keep that momentum going...”
A swing and a miss. A swing and another miss... The announcers had their doubts. For a moment, hanging there on one arm, Minoru started to have the same doubts too. But he’d come this far. He wasn’t going to let go. And he wasn’t going to give up.
He grit his teeth, started pumping his legs, swung out again, and locked the bar in place again. When he managed to hit the fifth cradle and even the sixth, the crowd started to go wild. Minoru grabbed the bar for the last swing and a very, very well-deserved dismount that dropped him flat on his back.
It took him a moment to sit up, rolling his shoulders and shaking his burning arms.
“I’ll say one thing about this rookie, Nick. He is not giving up or giving in.”
“But he’s exhausted. He looks completely spent, Johnny. I don’t know if he has anything left.”
“All that’s standing between Minoru Uchiwa and that button, and a spot in Las Vegas, is the warped wall... can he do it?”
Minoru sat up, looking up at the wall. He shot a glance toward his family on the sidelines. His mother and father were waiting with baited breath. His mother especially so, after watching her son almost plunge into the water four times in the last obstacle. Isamu just nodded encouragingly. The crowd started to chant, “Beat that wall. Beat that wall.”
Minoru sprung up, and took a spot on the runway that made the crowd start screaming.
“Can he do it? Can he do it?! He says, Forget the Warped Wall! Johnny, the rookie’s going for the Mega Wall and a shot at $10,000!!”
The warped wall was a solid fourteen and a half feet high. The Mega Wall stretched all the way up to eighteen feet. Contestants had three tries to scale the warped wall, but only one shot at the Mega Wall.
Minoru pointed at his brother and grinned as he took off running. Like that statue in the forest, one shot was all he needed. As soon as his hands gripped the top of the wall, the crowd (and the announcers) started screaming.
“He did it!”
“This is incredible! He did it!!”
Minoru found the strength somewhere to pull himself up and slammed down on that finishing buzzer. He couldn’t even hear it over his own heart pounding. That was, without a doubt, the most incredible thing he’d ever experienced.
“Minoru Uchiwa, ladies and gentlemen, has made it through this brutal city finals course! He’s conquered the Mega Wall! He’s just won $10,000. He’s ensured himself a spot in the finals, and if you ask me, this is a rookie to bet on in Vegas, Nick.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Johnny.”
“They better start making more fans, because Fan Man over there is gonna have one hell of a Fan Club after tonight!”
Except for the one focused on a frantically nodding Isamu as he promised fans in record numbers, every camera in the arena was on Minoru. The cheering and clapping started to subside, and the announcers asked the simple question, “that was an impressive first run, Minoru. How do you feel?”
“How’s THAT for putting a dent in your student loans, bro?!” He shouted, pointing down at Isamu and laughing happily. Never mind if it even answered the question.
The camera followed Minoru as he slid down that ladder and sprinted into the waiting arms of his family. It was an excited cacophony of English and Japanese all mixed together with big hugs and ruffled hair.
And just like that, the cameras were onto the next contestant.
To anyone who was still left guessing after that, or had just joined in the celebration, Minoru exclaimed, “it’s real! I did it! I’m in the Finals!! I’m going to Vegas!!”
“I believe I speak for my brother quite well when I suggest that congratulatory remarks, while welcome and well deserved, are not nearly as important as constructive criticism. Suggestions on how to improve may make the difference between success and failure in the National American Ninja Warrior Finals.”
“Yeah, if you have any advice, I’m all ears! Please!”
Everyone else would just have to catch it at the little watching party Isamu had organized once they got back. There was a projector in the plaza, buckets of free hand fans on the tables, plenty of pizza and two twins trying very very hard not to give everything away despite the huge grins on their faces.
“All right, kid. You’re up.” One of the stagehands could be heard in the background as the arena lights turned to the starting platform. “Good luck out there.”
“Thanks.” Minoru forced himself to swallowed his nerves and ran out, waving, as the announcers went through their introduction.
“Next, we have a rookie who grew up right here in Seattle. Minoru Uchiwa, first time contestant on American Ninja Warrior, ready to show the course what he’s made of.”
“25 years old, hospital orderly, hoping to be a physical therapist assistant.”
“Well, a good run tonight and he might just be able to show all those future patients of his how the body can really move.”
The camera panned to his family, flashing them up on one of the big screens. While all three were generally very reserved people, they didn’t shy away from screaming his name and waving those fans high.
“Small but vocal group of supporters right there on the sidelines, Johnny. Are those fans they’re waving? Is that a thing?”
“Last name Uchiwa. Means fan in Japanese.”
“Guess we’d better start calling them a Fan Club.”
Isamu beamed when he heard that, unable to keep from screaming, “told you!” At the top of his lungs.
Minoru heard that, and just started laughing. He pointed back toward them, and waved. He was still nervous, but it was starting to quickly subside.
The countdown tones rang across the arena, and when the buzzer went off, he bolted forward.
He’d ran clear across the shrinking steps and latched onto the rope before the announcers had time to get any commentary in edgewise.
“Woah!! He just crossed that like it was nothing!”
Minoru swung off the rope, landing on the first platform with ease.
“Entry video said he was an avid freerunner, Nick. Been doing parkour since he was old enough to walk.”
“I believe it now! Let’s see if that helps him on the Lunatic Ledges. This obstacle is brand new tonight, and has taken out ten of tonight’s competitors already...”
With a short running start, Minoru launched himself onto the first platform, catching the lower ledge with both hands. He hung in the air as he kicked his legs forward to swing. He jumped, and caught the front handle of the second swing. Minoru barely bothered maneuvering his way around to the other side before jumping right off.
“Did you see that?”
“Did he just jump off that backwards?!”
Minoru tucked and back-rolled his landing.
“Sign me up for this Fan Club!”
Minoru laid on his back for just a moment, laughing to himself, before getting up off the second platform. Oh, the nerves were long gone now. Because this... was FUN.
Minoru grinned as he bounced off the trampoline, right onto the first cylinder of the Barrel Roll . It was just another big swing for Minoru, and he launched himself over the seven-foot gap and onto the second one without a hitch.
The second cylinder, though, didn’t swing. At least, not until you climbed on top to reach the second handle. Which Minrou did effortlessly as well.
“Look at that! Look at that swing!”
“He almost missed the whole landing platform!!”
Minoru didn’t stop. He made even quicker work of the Broken Bridge. It didn’t matter how unstable the steps were, he was onto the next one before it had a chance to wobble.
“Did you see that? This rookie’s on fire!”
“But can he survive the Lightning Bolt...”
The cameras caught the Uchiwa family cheering while Isamu looked on with trepidation. “Take it one at a time... Easy does it. Plan it out...”
Minoru struggled with this obstacle in the test run, but even from the sidelines, Isamu could see the look on his brother’s face. Minoru was having far too much fun now to remember to worry. And as illogical as that sounded, that was when he was at his absolute best.
“There he goes!”
Minoru bounced off the trampoline and snatched the bar in his hands. He hung there for a moment, planning his jump. Kicking himself up, he generated enough momentum to land the bar in the next cradle.
“2 down, and four more to go. Can he do it?”
“Nick, they don’t call this the Rookie Killer for nothing. Last week in Atlanta, not a single first time runner made it through. And in Baltimore before that, only one.”
“It’s taken out five newcomers so far tonight.”
But despite those odds, Minoru’s jumps were solid. That was, until the last cradle. His arms came up unevenly, and one half of the bar hooked itself in the next cradle, while the other was still stuck in the first.
“Oh no! He’s sideways!”
“A dangerous situation for the Fan Man, Johnny.”
“Can he recover?!”
He swung his legs, thrusting the left side of the bar up and over. The moment he heard it hit metal, he jumped. It was a shallow jump, not at all his best, and he hit the landing platform so close to the edge one of his feet was dangling off.
“Did you see that?!”
“He made it! He actually made it! The second rookie to clear the Lightning Bolts!!”
Minoru did make it. But it was an extremely close call.
He sprinted down the runway towards the next obstacle, shaking out his arms as he went. Unfortunately, the Lightning Bolts were only the beginning. The Salmon Ladder was a Ninja Warrior staple, but that didn’t make it easy.
“Stay relaxed...” Isamu whispered in the crowd as Minoru stepped up onto the edge of the trampoline. “You can do this.”
He rolled his shoulders a couple of times, and then made his leap, gripping the pole with both hands. The time he’d made up on the Broken Bridge was definitely used here as he slowly and methodically made each jump, thrusting the pole just one notch higher each time.
“Fan Man’s taking his time.”
“After what just happened on the Lightning Bolts, I don’t blame him. If he ends up sideways here, his run tonight is as good as over.”
“Slow and steady wins this race, Johnny. He is up the Salmon Ladder and on his way to the Floating Monkey Bars!”
Minoru grasped onto the first bar, and swung easily to the second. His arms were getting tired, though, and it showed when he swung forward to place the bar in its cradle and missed!
On the ground, Isamu and both of their parents gasped consecutively.
“He missed!” The announcers exclaimed in unison as well.
He might have missed, but he didn’t fall. Pumping his body back and forth, he made an even bigger swing, and this time, locked the bar in place. The expression on his face said it all as he hung there for a moment between the two bars.
“Oh that was a close one, Johnny.”
“You can see the course is really starting to wear on the rookie... oh my god, he missed again!!”
The crowd gasped audibly as Minoru reached for the fourth cradle and fell short once again.
“He recovered once already.”
“But does he have the energy to keep that momentum going...”
A swing and a miss. A swing and another miss... The announcers had their doubts. For a moment, hanging there on one arm, Minoru started to have the same doubts too. But he’d come this far. He wasn’t going to let go. And he wasn’t going to give up.
He grit his teeth, started pumping his legs, swung out again, and locked the bar in place again. When he managed to hit the fifth cradle and even the sixth, the crowd started to go wild. Minoru grabbed the bar for the last swing and a very, very well-deserved dismount that dropped him flat on his back.
It took him a moment to sit up, rolling his shoulders and shaking his burning arms.
“I’ll say one thing about this rookie, Nick. He is not giving up or giving in.”
“But he’s exhausted. He looks completely spent, Johnny. I don’t know if he has anything left.”
“All that’s standing between Minoru Uchiwa and that button, and a spot in Las Vegas, is the warped wall... can he do it?”
Minoru sat up, looking up at the wall. He shot a glance toward his family on the sidelines. His mother and father were waiting with baited breath. His mother especially so, after watching her son almost plunge into the water four times in the last obstacle. Isamu just nodded encouragingly. The crowd started to chant, “Beat that wall. Beat that wall.”
Minoru sprung up, and took a spot on the runway that made the crowd start screaming.
“Can he do it? Can he do it?! He says, Forget the Warped Wall! Johnny, the rookie’s going for the Mega Wall and a shot at $10,000!!”
The warped wall was a solid fourteen and a half feet high. The Mega Wall stretched all the way up to eighteen feet. Contestants had three tries to scale the warped wall, but only one shot at the Mega Wall.
Minoru pointed at his brother and grinned as he took off running. Like that statue in the forest, one shot was all he needed. As soon as his hands gripped the top of the wall, the crowd (and the announcers) started screaming.
“He did it!”
“This is incredible! He did it!!”
Minoru found the strength somewhere to pull himself up and slammed down on that finishing buzzer. He couldn’t even hear it over his own heart pounding. That was, without a doubt, the most incredible thing he’d ever experienced.
“Minoru Uchiwa, ladies and gentlemen, has made it through this brutal city finals course! He’s conquered the Mega Wall! He’s just won $10,000. He’s ensured himself a spot in the finals, and if you ask me, this is a rookie to bet on in Vegas, Nick.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Johnny.”
“They better start making more fans, because Fan Man over there is gonna have one hell of a Fan Club after tonight!”
Except for the one focused on a frantically nodding Isamu as he promised fans in record numbers, every camera in the arena was on Minoru. The cheering and clapping started to subside, and the announcers asked the simple question, “that was an impressive first run, Minoru. How do you feel?”
“How’s THAT for putting a dent in your student loans, bro?!” He shouted, pointing down at Isamu and laughing happily. Never mind if it even answered the question.
The camera followed Minoru as he slid down that ladder and sprinted into the waiting arms of his family. It was an excited cacophony of English and Japanese all mixed together with big hugs and ruffled hair.
And just like that, the cameras were onto the next contestant.
To anyone who was still left guessing after that, or had just joined in the celebration, Minoru exclaimed, “it’s real! I did it! I’m in the Finals!! I’m going to Vegas!!”
“I believe I speak for my brother quite well when I suggest that congratulatory remarks, while welcome and well deserved, are not nearly as important as constructive criticism. Suggestions on how to improve may make the difference between success and failure in the National American Ninja Warrior Finals.”
“Yeah, if you have any advice, I’m all ears! Please!”
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