(All characters created by and # 2002
David C. Matthews)
[A NOTE FROM THE CREATOR OF
"TETSUKO": Of all the characters I've created (Satin Steele, Muscle
Girl et al), Tetsuko has elicited probably the most response from enthusiastic
fans... among whom few are more so than Iczerman himself! Inspired by a panel
from my comic, Iczerman wrote the following "alternate" version of
Tetsuko's "origin" that casts Tetsuko as an aspiring bodybuilder.
While I have given permission for this story's posting at this site, please
note this is just one fan's fancy, and that the "official origin"
(still in progress) can be found at Tetsuko's official site.
-David C. Matthews, creator of Tetsuko]
1
Tetsuko Breckenridge forced herself to smile.
When her name was called as the winner of the Ms. Everest contest, the
highest pinnacle of achievement in women's bodybuilding, she tried the
"startled-newcomer-who came-out-from-nowhere-to-win" act. And she
succeeded in fooling all those around her.
The one part of the award ceremony that she did like was when she hit her
favorite double-biceps pose with the heavy winner's medal draped around her
neck. She felt she earned it.
It was a year ago that she started to train seriously for her first contest,
much to the chagrin of her boyfriend Derek. When she earned a respectable
third-place and was invited to the Ms. Everest contest as a wild-card
contestant, it was the happiest day of her life. When she shared the good news
with Derek, he broke up with her, saying that he would NEVER date a woman who
was bigger and stronger than he. She was severely depressed for a week, and
quit eating. Just looking at the gym when she drove by on the way to work made
her sick.
But one day she made herself walk in through the doors. Many of the people
who worked out there came to her, shook her hand and warmly hugged her,
congratulating her on her high placing. Her spirits lifted, she began her
workout. Half way through she felt that familiar rush of satisfaction when she
challenged her body to lift more. It was then she decided to fight her
energy-draining depressions with training.
The Ms. Everest contest was now six months away and Tetsuko decided to train
seriously for it. She knew that she didn't stand a chance of winning against
the world's best bodybuilders, but she wasn't about to show up out of shape.
She trained harder and watched her diet more closely than she ever had before.
Armed with remarkable genetics and fierce determination, she achieved much more
than she imagined.
She should have been happy.
2
Tetsuko almost didn't answer the knock on her door that would change her
life.
She had never met a scientist before, not one with a figure that would make
a Playboy playmate look withered. She wore a low cut sweater that showed a fair
amount of firm cleavage. She seemed very comfortable and at ease wearing
something that would make someone else with lesser endowments feel insecure.
"Dr. Sonya Gannon," she said as she reached out her hand. Tetsuko
could tell instantly that she could trust this stranger.
"I am a scientist in the field of sports nutrition. I am on the edge of
a breakthrough involving an anti-muscle-wasting formula. I'm looking for
someone who can keep to a strict regimen of diet and exercise. I would like
enlist your help as a test subject."
"I do not or will ever be involved with drugs." Tetsuko said
sternly.
"I said sports nutrition, not sports medicine. The formula
involves differing ratios of amino acids taken at specific times during the day
and night, plus before and after exercise. The aminos are derived from a
special process of extraction from soybeans... whey makes my stomach
sour." Tetsuko tried hard to suppress the urge to giggle at the wrinkly
face Sonya made..
"Why don't you ask the guys? Why me?" asked Tetsuko.
"I've worked with men and I've found that it is too hard for them to
focus on the study."
"Yeah#I can see why they may find that difficult." Tetsuko looked
up and down at Sonya's figure.
"We as women have imposed unrealistic expectations on men. We want them
to fight nature in the name of equality. While I find it flattering that men
find me... attractive... the situation proved to be counterproductive in the
long run. I have followed your bodybuilding career for the last year and you
have demonstrated the discipline necessary for an accurate outcome."
Tetsuko's face darkened. "I'm finished with bodybuilding."
"That attitude almost cost you the contest. You may have fooled the
audience but you didn't fool me. Something has been bothering you for the last
six months."
Tetsuko could tell that Sonya was sincere and for the next hour talked with
her about Derek.
"I could see that he really hurt you. But you are still young and you
may not yet know what you really want in a man. Why don't you come to my lab in
the country? Even though it's far from the city it is quite well equipped with
everything we'll need for the test. This will give you time to think and have
something to take your mind off your troubles... at least for a little
while?"
Tetsuko couldn't say no to Sonya's smile.
3
"You realize, of course, that you're going to lose," declared
Sonya proudly.
"It doesn't matter. Just appearing for the pre-judging will be
enough," replied Tetsuko as she rehearsed her posing routine.
To Tetsuko's surprise Sonya proved to be quite adept at helping her refine
her posing. A slight tilt of the head here, a swing to the hip there helped
Tetsuko display her physique with a much more feminine presentation, but yet
showing her massive development to full effect.
The only word that could accurately describe Tetsuko's gains in muscular
size and strength from the past two years of dieting and training would be
...monstrous. Her lat-spread went almost halfway to her elbows. The neck
component of her traps reached almost to her ears while the spinal component
bulged two inches above the other back muscles. Her shoulders swelled thick and
bulbous. Her pelvis grew wider to accommodate the tremendous mass of her
cross-striated quadriceps while her muscular waist seemed to shrink, giving her
a more pronounced hourglass figure. Her calves kept pace with her quads, both
muscle groups tapering gracefully to her knee joints.
She particularly loved to flex her biceps repeatedly. The first flex would
send her bicep peaks almost higher than her wrist. The second would cause the
veins feeding her muscles to stand out prominently, while the third flex would
cause the entire mass of her biceps to swell another 10 percent. Her muscle
expansion was so great that she couldn't bring her forearms past 90 degrees,
but she didn't have any trouble eating when her biceps were relaxed.
An interesting side effect that Sonya logged in her notes for future
reference was the growth of Tetsuko's breasts. Despite the near absence of body
fat from Tetsuko's physique, her breasts became much bigger and apparently
firmer. Sonya had to beg, bribe and grovel to get her to consent to a breast
biopsy and when Tetsuko saw the biopsy needle, she promptly fainted. The
results showed an increase in the density of the fat cells, almost to the same
density as muscle tissue. Sonya wondered about the sensitivity of Tetsuko's
breasts but observed her flushed face when she would wear a tight fitting
tee-shirt with no bra.
Tetsuko and Sonya arrived early at the Ms. Everest contest. Tetsuko had
practically disappeared from society for the last two years and when the
promoters got her letter saying she was sorry about not showing up last year
but could she please compete this year, they saw the commercial potential and
jumped at the chance. But they couldn't cover their amazement when Tetsuko
arrived for the weigh-in. She weighed more than twice that of her winning
contest condition two years ago! Tetsuko submitted to a drug test on the spot
and the results were closely supervised by Sonya plus two other doctors. The
test was negative.
Tetsuko remembered all the pre-contest psych games that all the competitors
played backstage and smiled to herself. She knew that she was the biggest and
most ripped bodybuilder there. When she removed her sweats and adjusted her
posing outfit, all banter in the room ceased. Whispers of drugs and looking
like a man wafted throughout the room.
Tetsuko had a feeling about how she would place after the pre-judging, and
when she was called out only twice for comparisons during the main event and
subsequently ignored, she knew her future in women's bodybuilding was doomed.
When the names of the six finalists were called and hers was not among them, a
small handful of people in the audience booed loud and long, disrupting the
competition briefly. Tetsuko felt better being appreciated by these few people
than the thousands that cheered her victory two years ago.
When the contest was over, Tetsuko warmly shook the hand of the winner and
wished her good luck. When she and Sonya were leaving a few people ran up to
her and asked for her autograph and if she could please have some pictures
taken with them, to which she agreed.
When asked if she would ever compete again, Tetsuko said the judges have
already decided that and she had no intention of "toning down" to
become more "acceptable".
Tetsuko wasn't this happy in over two years.
As she and Sonya drove away Tetsuko gazed out the window. Two years ago she
had won, but really lost. Now she had lost, but only the contest.
The end?