Fighter's Brew Transcript: Episode 6 (Patreon)

• Fighter's Brew

All-Rounder Meguru was created by Hiroki Endo. Fighter's Brew is written, produced, and narrated by Sam.

[Note: Manga is read right to left.]

The next day, Saturday.

Maria is leading the women's kickboxing class. They're practicing left middle kicks.

Meguru hides, but Yudai arrives and walks into class. "Good morning," he says.

"Meguru, come in," Maria shouts.

The class stops to look at him. Meguru's face turns red.

"Why did you want us to come in so early?" Yudai asks Maria. "MMA practice isn't until later."

"My lesson will take more than just an hour. Let's start with 1-2 shadowboxing. I want you to get into your fighting stance and stand with your right side really close to the wall. This will stop you from flaring your elbow when throwing the 2. Keep your right heel off the ground. Now give me the 1-2."

Meguru and Yudai throw the 1-2, but both of their right elbows scrape the wall.

[Refer to The Joe Louis Story study.]

"Slip to your left as you throw the 2. Imagine you're dodging your opponent's 2 as you land your own. Tilt your whole body, not just your head."

The two amateurs do as they're told and stop scraping the wall.

"Okay, keep that up." Maria turns to her class. "Now everyone, let's move to light sparring. Remember, this is meant to simulate an actual match in terms of speed, combinations, and defense while cutting back on power."

Women's kickboxing class ends, but Meguru and Yudai are still practicing the 1-2.

They're cleaning the mats. Meguru and Yudai are still practicing.

The next class walks in. Meguru and Yudai are still practicing.

It's already the middle of the next class. Meguru and Yudai are soaked in sweat.

Maria walks over.

"Finally!" Meguru and Yudai think.

"This time, I want you two to step in with the 1-2. Remember to slip on the 2. Then long guard as you step back."

"We're just adding to the 1-2?" Yudai thinks.

"More shadowboxing?" thinks Meguru. "This is so tedious."

But they do as they're told without complaint.

"I don't even know what I'm doing anymore," Meguru thinks. "My mind has gone blank."

"Even in judo, we never drilled this much!" thinks Yudai.

"Even though they're not happy about it, they trust their coaches," Maria thinks.

After three hours, they're done.

"Let's do some clinches," Maria yells. "Take-chan, where's Ken-chan?"

"He's not here today," Take says.

"Maki-chan?" Maria calls.

"Yes?" Maki answers.

"Practice clinches with the boys, will you?"

"Sure."

Maki walks over to Meguru. "Nice to meet you," she says.

"Likewise!" Meguru is in shock at her height. She's several centimeters taller than him. He stares at her.

"Meguru-kun, pair up with Maki-chan. Yudai-kun, pair up with Take-chan. Oh, and boys. The foundation of clinching is the snake pose."

Maria bends her wrists like snakes. "Keep your hands like this," she says.

The round begins. Meguru slaps hands with Maki, then immediately gets into the snake pose. Maki gets inside biceps control, then switches to collar-biceps tie. She pins Meguru's forehead to her shoulder, then throws him to the ground.

Maria laughs. "Excellent. Back on your feet, Meguru."

Maki grabs Meguru and keeps tripping and throwing him with different collar tie grips.

After a while, Maki gets bored and knees Meguru's stomach. Meguru drops to the mat.

"Hey! No kneeing, Maki-chan!" Maria yells.

Maki shrugs. "I barely tapped him."

"You okay?" Maria asks Meguru.

"Yeah." Meguru looks over at Yudai, who's also being tossed to the floor.

Meguru and Maki start again.

"I see," Meguru thinks. "Before you can grab their neck, you have to get inside their elbows. That's what the snake pose is for, to keep their hands outside of yours. And whoever has more reach has the advantage because they can grab your biceps from further away. But what good is understanding if I can't do anything?"

Maki tosses Meguru again.

They switch partners, and now Yudai is getting thrown around by Maki.

"Clinching isn't just about strength," Maria tells the class. "You also need balance and timing."

After the class is over.

"Damn!" Yudai exclaims. "I can't believe I keep losing to girls."

"Hey, that's sexist, Yudai-kun," Meguru says.

Meguru and Yudai are now on a first-name basis.

Maki steps out of the locker room in her school uniform. Both Meguru and Yudai are stunned. "You're in high school?" they ask in unison.

"You two really are rude. Do you want to die?" Maki threatens.

"When did you start kickboxing?" Meguru asks.

"When I was 13. So three years now."

"So you're 16?" asks Yudai.

"Yes."

Yudai is in disbelief, "She's younger than us?"

"Why don't you show us any respect then?" Meguru inquires.

"Because I've been coming to this gym longer than you. Anyhow, Maria-san, any idea when my next match is?"

"I couldn't find amateurs in your weight class," Maria says. "So I was thinking, why not give MMA a try?"

"No way."

"Why not?" Maria asks. "You'd be able to fight more often if you did both MMA and kickboxing."

"I'm only interested in kickboxing."

Maki puts her shoes on and leaves.

"Do you want her in MMA, Maria-san?" Meguru asks.

"With her height, it's unhealthy to ask her to drop down to a lower weight division. She's undefeated in both amateur karate and kickboxing. There's no one left to face. She could go pro, but Coach says not until she's 18. She's stuck."

The next day, Sunday.

Maria calls out, "Step in on 1. Backstep on 2. Backstep with long guard. Then follow up with a left hook."

The boys are back at the wall again but more determined.

"That's it!" Maria says. "You've hit them with the jab. Now they're coming after you. You hit them with the right straight. They throw a hook, but it's blocked against your long guard. As they step in again, counter with the left hook. But remember to keep your right hand up as you throw the hook."

Furuya steps into the gym.

"Oh hi, Kenichiro-kun." Maria says.

"Hey, Maria. Still making them shadowbox?"

"They have to learn how to get in and out, along with blocking. But even more than blocking, the key to good defense is footwork, timing, and anticipating your opponent's pattern."

Meguru and Yudai stay for the advanced kickboxing class.

"Okay!" Maria shouts to the class. "Next is four rounds of light sparring using only kicks!"

"Maki-chan!" Meguru yells. "Can we pair up?"

"Quit using my first name like we're buddies. Call me Kamiya."

Meguru gets scared off. "Maria-san! Isn't that a little too harsh?"

"Yeah..." Maria says. "Maki-chan is like sweet and sour."

"Where's the sweet part?" asks Yudai.

"You'll have to find out for yourselves."

Maki stares them down.

Meguru and Yudai say in fear, "Find out how?"

Later.

As Maki prepares to leave, she sees Meguru and Yudai practicing roundhouse kicks.

"That's a pretty lame kick form," Maki tells Maria. "He's kicking with the lead leg. No pivot, and all his weight is on his back leg."

"MMA allows tackling, which changes everything," Maria says.

"Is that why his stance is so wide? He can't snap his kick unless he can pivot his leg."

"What's this? Are you interested in MMA, Maki-chan? I'm sure you'd be good at it."

"Save it. I'm gonna shower and go home."

"Maria," Furuya says. "What do you think of those two?" Pointing at Yudai and Meguru.

"Hmm. They're good kids. Yudai has a sense for the sport."

"What about Meguru," Furuya asks.

"I can't tell if he's a quick learner or slow. He might be the type who has to get better systematically."

"I know what you mean. At first, I didn't think there was anything special about him. But he did catch you with that overhand."

"That did surprise me. I guess it's not that uncommon in MMA. But he threw that punch with perfect timing. It rocked me."

An exhausted Meguru walks to the locker room. He's out of sorts and has his head down, not watching where he's going. He walks face-first into Maki's chest as she steps out of the women's locker room.

"Pervert!" she yells.

"Wait!" Meguru says. "It was an accident—"

Maki knocks Meguru onto his ass with a punch.

Maria claps and smiles. "Don't you just love that they're getting along?"

"Are we in a teen manga?" Furuya asks.

Another day, back at Fighter's Brew.

Maki is in the Coach's office with Maria and the Head Coach.

"The only fight we could find for you is an amateur shooto bout," Maria says. "It's with a judoka who's switching to MMA. You don't need to drop weight, so I thought this would be perfect."

"I won't do it!" Maki says.

"Kamiya," the Head Coach says. "Why do you do kickboxing?"

"Because I want to prove I'm a strong fighter."

"Then KO this judo girl with a kick. Show everyone how strong kickboxing is."

Maki slams the door and walks out of the Coach's office.

"What's wrong, Maki-chan?" Meguru asks.

Maki glares. "I have my first shooto match in a month."

"The Coach got you," Yudai says.

"She'll be joining the MMA practice," Maria says.

"But will she make it with only a month?" asks Meguru.

"There's no way she'll learn all the strikes, throws, and submissions in a month," Maria says. "So—"

"—I'm gonna break her tackles and throws and kick the crap out of her," Maki announces. "I refuse to do any grappling."

"You sure?" Yudai says nervously.

"You're so macho," Meguru says, somewhat impressed.

"Watanabe-san, can you run us through some basic wrestling drills?" Maria asks.

"Sure," says Watanabe. To the class, "Let's do fast feet, then sprawls."

Maki to Meguru, "Sprawls?"

"It's the basic movement for blocking a tackle. You're kicking your legs behind you so they can't reach them, then dropping all your weight on top of your opponent to pancake them. Fast feet is basically running in place as fast as you can so you can develop leg stamina for sprawls and also sprawl while in motion. It's really tiring."

Maki is confused. Meguru continues.

"From the sprawl, you can grab a front headlock, then swing around to their back. Or you can push their head down and stand back up. If you end up standing together, you'll both be fighting for the inside arm position, kind of like how you do in muay Thai. You'll probably end up in a 50/50 position, where you both have one arm over and under. It's like both of us having collar-biceps control."

"Hugging each other instead of hitting each other?" Maki questions. "This is how little girls fight."

"Maki-chan," Meguru interrupts. "That kind of judgment is toxic."

Maki walks away.

"Maki-chan, you should learn wrestling if you want to win with strikes," Maria says.

"I'll end it before they touch me," says Maki.

"In that case, I'll have to show you firsthand, just like I did with the boys."

"Huh?" says Maki.

"I'll be your opponent, so get geared up and meet me in the ring."

It's Maki vs. Maria under amateur shooto rules.

"You sure about this?" Meguru asks Maria.

"She's so full of herself because she's undefeated. I need to take her down a peg."

They both get into their stances. Maki is a southpaw.

The match begins.

Maki opens with a long jab and left middle kick, using the full extent of her reach. Maria can't back away in time to avoid getting hit. Meguru and Yudai are impressed.

"From a southpaw stance," Furuya says, "she uses a right jab, left middle, and a front kick. It's a simple style that makes use of her height."

"But her offense is too predictable," Maria thinks. "When she throws the front kick, I'll close the distance."

Maki throws the front kick, but Maria parries it and closes the distance. They end up in clinch. Maki uses her height to land a knee.

"Kamiya usually wins in clinch," Furuya says, "but this is shooto rules."

When Maki throws another knee, Maria catches it and takes her down. Maki has no idea what she's doing and flails and panics. She's exhausting herself. Maria gets to mount. Maki instinctively rolls to her stomach to get up. Maria catches Maki in a sleeper hold. Maki taps. The fight is over.

Maki punches the mat. As Maria tries to step out of the ring, Maki grabs her.

"One more round!" Maki demands.

They go again. Maria triangle chokes her.

They go again. Maria armbars her.

It's tap, after tap, after tap.

Maki is hugging Maria's leg, crying, asking for another match, but 30 minutes have already passed.

"This is beyond a sore loser," Meguru says. "Is she a masochist?"

"She doesn't know when to give up, to the point of bothering others," says Yudai.