|
Episode
002 |
|
|
“It is no accident that a
photographer becomes a photographer anymore than a lion tamer becomes a lion
tamer.” Dorothea Lange The poster read: Try-Outs This
Wednesday, after school in the gymnasium Prior
experience in martial arts preferred but not required Prior
athletic experience preferred but not required Signed
Insurance Waiver required before being admitted to Try-Outs Hiromi stared at the poster in
front of the girl’s locker room, her eyes wide. “Wow,” she said to herself as
the other girls filed into the double doors to the first day of gym class.
“Mixed Martial Arts,” she said. “I wonder what that is.” “Hiromi!” The high school sophomore barely
looked up from the poster as another girl came up next to her. “Hey, Nazaka,”
she said dismissively. “What’s you looking at?” the girl
asked, adjusting her wide glasses to consider the poster. But her eyes nearly
jumped out of her head. “Mixed Martial Arts?” A worried look suddenly came
over her. Her eyes fearfully trailed to her friend next to her. “Hiromi,
you’re, you’re not, not actually thinking about…” “I’m going to try out!” Hiromi
suddenly announced with a determined look on her face. Standing up tall, she
held up her fist. “I, Hiromi Kiryu, will make the Hakkyoku-District High
School Mixed Martial Arts Team!” Nazaka’s head fell and her
shoulders slumped. “Oh boy,” she mumbled. “Here we go again.” Still with her fist held up
defiantly, Hiromi suddenly looked sullen. “What do you mean ‘here we go
again’?” she asked, glancing back at Nazaka. Nazaka looked up, an exhausted
expression on her face. “It’s just, you didn’t make the karate team last
year, or the judo team. Heck, the judo teacher even said he didn’t want you
trying out this year. He said the guy you hurt wouldn’t be able to compete
because of you.” “That was just an accident,”
Hiromi tried to defend with embarrassment. “The whole point is to get on
these teams so you can learn judo.” “No, you’re already supposed to
know judo,” Nazaka explained. “The point is that you’re so good that the
school wants you to compete for them.” Hiromi looked back at the poster
glumly. “So you think I shouldn’t try out?” Nazaka just looked away. Suddenly, Hiromi’s eyes went wide.
“I know!” she said, whirling back around at Nazaka. “Oh no,” Nazaka said, already
worried. “Why don’t you try-out with me?!” “Oh no,” Nazaka said. “No no no.” “But you love boxing,” Hiromi
pleaded. “Please?” “That’s boxing, not martial arts,”
she explained frantically. “Besides, I just, just like to watch it. I don’t
like to actually fight or anything.” “Then why do you have a punching
bag in your room?” Hiromi demanded. “Uh…” Nazaka thought quickly. “For
stress,” she finally announced with a grin. “Because when some people study
at finals, which you’re supposed to do, I might add,” she tossed in, making
Hiromi growl, “it helps take the stress off.” “Come on, Nazaka!” Hiromi suddenly
resumed, grabbing her arm. She pulled her close, both of them standing before
the poster. “Just think about it. You and me, Hiromi and Nazaka, on the
Hakkyu-District High School Mixed Martial Arts Teams. We’d be their star
martial artists. We’d do all the forms and all the stuff perfectly. And then,
then, we’d move on to be big movie stars and we’d go to Hong Kong and be in
kung fu movies and stuff!” Nazaka sighed. Her head sank down.
“Alright,” she mumbled defeatedly. “Yeah!” Hiromi screamed, again
throwing her hand up in the air. The late bell began to ring. “AH!” the two girls screamed,
dashing frantically into the locker room. |
|