theft (Un)even rivals (1)

[Guest]

One

 

 

In a not so distant future, on a planet called ‘Earth’, the world of bodybuilding had undergone a revolution. By the end of the 20th century the sport’s popularity had started declining until reaching a critical, alarmingly low level in the mid 21st century. In 2050, the increasing number of leagues and associations, each with their own champs, resulted in 25 different reigning super-heavyweight-champs, all claiming to be the only true number one. It had gone so far that in the year 2049, 9 different ‘Mister Olympia’-champs had been crowned during 9 alternative ‘Olympia-events’ all held at the same time in different countries; in the US alone, two ‘Olympia’-champs had been crowned (one in new York, the other one in Miami) on the same day… Companies were no longer interested in investing and the number of sponsors began going down.

 

 

Another, more powerful blow to the image of the sport came in 2051 when the newly created ‘US Isolationist Party’ surprisingly won the elections and indicated the first ever US nationalist president. Unbelievably loyal to his promises, President Edgar Vile signed the US Health-bill. In a concern, or populist inspiration as his opponents called it, Vile had promised that every sport practiced on US territory would be submitted to tests by the USADA, to appeal to the new health-awareness awoken in the late 2030’s. Knowing full well he would need every support he could get to become president, Vile had made a deal with the most popular sports in the US: in return for their help, votes and money, these leagues had obtained a three year truce with the USADA. They were the first to congratulate him after his election and to remind him of their deal. President Vile proved to be a man of his word and ordered the USADA to randomly start testing three sports: soccer, wrestling and bodybuilding. The public cheered the president’s concern for the general health and reacted with disbelief as the first results were made public: none of the 245 tested pro-bodybuilders were natural as they claimed. Every single one of them tested positive for at least one illegal substance; 2 of them had more chemicals in their veins than blood… Even the most popular bodybuilder, the reigning super-heavyweight-champ in three different leagues was stripped from his titles as he tested positive on HGH, insulin, clenbuterol and trenbolone. During a press conference, the champ was apologizing to the public, saying that someone must have put the stuff in his drink to frame him when all hell broke loose: someone flung a shoe at his face, several disillusioned fans stormed the stage, dragged the 330 pound, contest ready man from his chair and lynched him in front of the cameras. The fallen champ barely got away, his faces a bloody, swollen mess and his body covered in bruises. The sport’s last credibility disappeared down the drain as the champ left the stage under a rain of insults and more shoes…

 

Activist groups jumped on the occasion. A new one, “mams against roids”, organized daily protests in front of gyms and health stores all across the US. Images of hysteric women busting into gyms and chasing gymgoers while hitting them with their purses or charging into health stores and trashing the aisles were on the news daily. It reached a climax as over 750,000 mothers demonstrated in the streets of Washington, burning a huge pile of supplements in front of the White House.  Bodybuilding contests were cancelled by lack of sponsors and constant ‘mams against roids’-attacks, gyms were closing as rapidly as they had opened in the late 1990’s, supplement stores and manufacturers were quickly going out of business in this atmosphere.

 

The bankruptcy of several large supplement companies and the ongoing riots began endangering the economy and President Vile decided to take action. He organized a large meeting to restore order. Together with the head of the USADA, the leader of “mams against roids”, representatives of the supplement industry and the leaders of the three remaining bodybuilding federations, he reached an agreement to alter the sport.

 

From 2052 on, there would be only two  clearly separated bodybuilding leagues : the League of True Bodybuilders (LTB) and the National Bodybuilding Committee (NBC). The LTB would have a zero tolerance for supplements; it would be natural bodybuilding in which the contestants would not be allowed to take any supplement at all and would be tested every week. The NBC on the other hand would regroup the existing leagues and its athletes would be allowed to use supplements and would only be tested once a month. All previously tested bodybuilders caught with illegal substances in their blood were banned for life from the sport and would face jail time (this was the only way to make “Mams against roids” sign the agreement). Upon agreement with all parties, President Vile quickly signed the “Body Bill” and peace returned gradually to the US.

 

 

A few years went by and things followed their natural course: the NBC simply took over the existing bodybuilding scene, with less heavy athletes (the reigning super-heavyweight-champ took his crown standing at 232 pounds; everyone knew the athletes still took banned substances but the abuse had been controlled by the monthly tests. The NBC never regained the big successes of the past, but was able to produce a series of uncontested champs.

 

The LTB on the other hand struggled to take its place in the world of sports: the physiques of the all-natural athletes were simply unimpressive compared to the images of roided-up bodybuilders and fitness models that had brainwashed to public since the early 21st century. Despite its simple structure, there were only two categories, based on height (one class for those up to 5’6 and another class for those taller than 5’6)the league lacked impact on the public and charismatic champs.

 

 

This changed in the early 2060’s: in 2062 the OIC announced that bodybuilding would be part of the upcoming 2065 Olympics in Los Angeles. Only LTB-athletes would be allowed to participate if they met the criteria. The LTB-president used the news to drastically alter the calendar of his sport. He had been inspired by the world of tennis and introduced an entirely new system: the competition would be divided in three categories of events (4 master-events, 10 level-1-events, 30 level-2-events and a tour championship-event at the end of the season with only the top eight competitors) where the contestants would receive points according to their placing, based on these points a global ranking would be made. This ranking would serve as a base to divide the athletes during the events: the top 4 heads-of-series would be placed in different quarters and could only meet in the semi-finals; the numbers 1 and 2 could only meet in the finals. Instead of the traditional prejudging and judging of the NBC, the LTB would allow the public to see their favorite in action on several days during an event, each with its own poses and routines.

At first, the public responded very little to these technical proposals but once they got the system the LTB flourished like never before, sending its revenues through the roof by the new amount of tickets that were sold for the different stages and because even the level-2-events always managed to get a top competitor on stage among the local heroes. This, and the uprising of two charismatic young champions.

 

 

 

It was in this context that the rivalry of Jeremy “Jerry” Bain and Chris Madison unfolded in 2063. At the age of 23, Jeremy combined his career with a job as personal trainer in the gym owned by his uncle. For the past two years, he had been competing mostly in level-2-events, trying to get his ranking up and get access to the level-1- and master-events. At the end of the 2062-season, he had finally managed to get through the qualifiers for the San Francisco-masters. His 5’8, 191 pounds physique had taken him through the quarters, where he had surprisingly won his lineup by beating the world number 3 who was coming back after injury, into the semis; there his body had been no match for the world number 1 and reigning SF-master-champion, the 10 pound difference had been too obvious. His performance had pushed his ranking up from 23 to 8, giving him direct access to the lineup of the upcoming top events. This made him train even harder during the off-season, gaining 5 more pounds to tackle the 2063-season.

 

 

Chris Madison was a year younger than Jeremy and had first gotten his degree in nutrition and sports. He had heard the news about the Olympics and had registered for an LTB-license. His body was naturally muscular thanks to his excellent genetics (his grandfather on his mother’s side had been a four times “Mister Olympia” heavyweight-champ back in his days) and he had built a fine physique by lifting weights through high school and college. At 5’7 and brushing 200 pounds, he decided to have a go at natural bodybuilding and enlisted for a local level-2-event.

 

A smile formed on Chris’ face as he entered on stage for the quarterfinals (first round) on Friday night and heard his friends in the public cheer his name. He stood next to his three competitors in his blue boxers (posers were not allowed by LTB rules). Despite being the shortest guy on stage, he clearly out sized his rivals. They went through the mandatory poses and turns and Chris was declared winner and proceeded to the semis.

 

The semis were held on Saturday night and this time there were even more locals to cheer for Chris. He winked at his girlfriend on the first row as he strutted out on stage. He looked at the other side of the podium to see his opponent walking up to him in the center to face the public and judges. Chris was up against head-of-series number 2, the number 15 of the world ranking. The athletes respectfully nodded at each other and went through the first part of the semis: four quarter turns that allowed the judges to inspect their physiques from different angles. Chris out sized his opponent by a good 15 pounds and was way more shredded: his six-pack rippled under his thin, untanned, pale skin, highlighting the grooves between the rows of cobbles. By the time they began the three mandatory poses, both athletes knew the contest was already over. His friends and the rest of the crowd cheered as Chris bested the guy in each pose: his ab vacuum accentuated his impressive v-taper; his most muscular drew cuts and lines all over his body; and his signature pose (the back double bicep) simply squashed the other guy: the mounds of muscle on his back flowed like cut waves of mass into each other leading up to his broad, rounded shoulders; his strong triceps filled out his arms and the nice peaks of his biceps, pushing up a thick vein completed the picture. The judges unanimously let him through to the finals. Chris shook hands with his opponent, greeted the audience and left the stage with a large smile.

 

The final was held on Sunday afternoon and the room was completely full, people even sat in the aisles to see their local hero. Chris felt the stress throughout his muscular, 199 pound body as he put on his blue, elastic boxers. He took in a deep breath before strutting out on stage. The crowd exploded in cheers but he focused on his waiting opponent. He would have to beat the head-of-series number 1, the world number 5. As they nodded at each other, Chris took in his opponent: the guy was taller (around 6’, he guessed) and looked about the same weight as him. They went through the traditional quarter turns and the judges were clearly doubting, discussing as they pointed at parts of the athletes’ physiques. The mandatory poses were replaced by an actual pose down for the final: the athletes got 10 minutes to out-pose each other. His rival instantly went for his own ‘money shot’ and threw an impressive most muscular.

 

Chris copied the pose, looking slightly less intimidating, and let it flow into an ab vacuum. Here, his shorter build gave him a slight advantage: his strong shoulder line appeared broader than that of his taller opponent. Chris took charge, upping his pace and also flexed his quads: grooves appeared between the hard muscles that beefened on his legs. Once more, his opponent’s longer limbs seemed a tad smaller. Chris relaxed and turned around. He flared his lats, accentuating his broad back and extended his arms next to him. He raised them teasingly slowly until they were parallel to the floor. He then brought them in for his own ‘money shot’: his back double bicep-pose put the icing on the cake. The public yelled his name as the judges ended the 10 minute pose down. Both athletes turned around, anxious for the result. The room exploded with joy as Chris was announced as the winner. His opponent shook his hand and added “You’ll go far in our sport, kid” before leaving the stage. Chris beamed with pride as he lifted his trophy in the air. His first prize also included a wildcard for the upcoming Detroit-masters the next month and made him climb to number 53 on the new ranking.

 

Jeremy continued his slow process to the top. He had worked hard during the off season and felt that his moment was near. He entered a level-1-event, but lost the final to the reigning world number 1. The next level-2-events he competed in, he was the first head-of-series and he twice claimed the victory, propelling his ranking up to number two of the world. He couldn’t wait for the Detroit-masters to begin; he would claim his first ever master-event title and dominate his sport.

 

The Detroit-masters began and with the larger list of competitors in those events, an additional round was added, during which the first four heads-of-series didn’t have to compete.

 

Chris convincingly won his group and came up against the number three in the world in his quarter final. He bested the guy, his back double bicep-pose doing the trick once more (he had worked hard on his arms and back, making his bicep reach 18 inches when flexed). In the semis he was up against the number one and reigning Detroit-masters-champ. His showdown never took place though: the world number one had to forfeit because of sudden illness  (a few days later the news of his positive drug test came out, explaining this case of sudden flu). Chris couldn’t care less: he was through to the finals of his first major event.

 

On the other side of the draw, Jeremy rolled up the competition to advance to the final. He knew the title was his to take with the only guy to beat him recently out of the competition.

 

750 fans filled the room for the big final on a sunny Sunday afternoon. They cheered as the speaker called the finalists on stage.
Jeremy couldn’t suppress a grin as he entered and greeted the audience: he knew his moment to shine had come. He turned aside as his opponent stepped on stage and came up to him. At 5’8 Jeremy looked slightly down into Chris’ eyes. Instead of nodding, he bounced his strong pecs, making striations and veins cross the hard surface, and turned his back to his rival.

 

Chris was thrown slightly off balance by his opponent’s display and noticed the personalized black boxers (marked ‘Jerry’) as Jeremy turned his well muscled back to him. He quickly discarded the thoughts as the judges urged both of them to take their position.

 

The final began with the mandatory quarter turns. Jeremy was 3 pounds lighter than his rival, but his greater experience and more shredded body stood out from the start. He didn’t even wait for the head judge to announce the second round to start the pose down. He began with a side tricep, showcasing the thick horseshoe-shaped muscle at the back of his arm while also accentuating the striations of his thick chest.

 

Chris followed the lead, copying the pose.

 

Jeremy already continued into a front bicep leading up to a most muscular. His 17.5 inch arms balled up into nice round orbs with veins before he lowered his arms to showcase his magnificent torso: his pecs hardened between the masses of his biceps atop his cut six-pack.

 

Chris hurried into his own most muscular, finally adjusting to his rival’s pace. The difference was clear to the judges: Chris had clearly neglected his front side to build his back poses.

 

A larger grin formed on Jeremy’s face as he noticed the judges’ behavior. He turned around for his final pose and threw a back double bicep.
Chris copied the pose and here he was the best: the mounds of muscle on his back aesthetically flowed into each other and his broad shoulder highlighted his thin waist, crowned by the shaped peaks of his 18 inch biceps.

 

The head judge ended the pose down and Jeremy was crowned as the new Detroit-masters-champion.

 

Jeremy thanked the audience and stressed how easy this victory had been for him and that he would now dominate his sport as the new number one of the world.

 

Part of the audience booed after his speech and cheered as Chris humbly greeted them as the new number 12 of the world.

 

The season continued, but not as Jeremy had expected it. He won 3 of the 10 level-1-events and 5 more level-2-events and reached the final of the other three master-events.

 

Chris’ winning streak began at a minor level-2-event in Las Vegas, a month after his loss to Jeremy in Detroit. He had worked to bring up his front side muscle groups and ever since he’d won 7 level-2-events and 5 level-1-events. But he had also claimed the title in the three master-events, besting Jeremy in each final. At the end of the season he also claimed the tour finals, the official world championship of the LTB and overtook Jeremy’s number 1 spot in the rankings…

[tommah]

YESSS! I haven't even read this yet, but I'm sure it will be another amazing series by one of the best authors on here. Soooo excited for this!

[NoneA1]

YESSS! I haven't even read this yet, but I'm sure it will be another amazing series by one of the best authors on here. Soooo excited for this!

Agreed!