01x07 - Level One Badge Test

[bunniefuu]

Now you Who are you?

If you think this girl

can win against Hikaru,

you're saying you could win against me.

Not so fast!

I don't care who I'm up against!

You hear me?

I will be the greatest coach in the world!

Good morning.

KAGO

S-Sorry. Did I wake you?

Yeah.

LEVEL ONE BADGE TES

Our next meet

will be the West Japan Championship

for elementary schoolers.

Unlike the Meikoh Cup,

you'll be up against athletes

from all over Western Japan.

Kyoto, where this event is held,

is turning out some of the best athletes

in the game right now.

Who knows what we'll see there.

INORI YUITSUKA PRELIM

MEIKOH CUP 12.64

To win, you'll need to score about eight

points higher than you did at Meikoh.

That'll put you squarely in the 20s.

Twenty points.

Yep. We'll need to update your program

with two different types of double jumps.

And she's got

the Badge Test to practice for too.

I know she's been struggling with doubles.

She must be worried.

The heck is that face about?

I thought about keeping this a secret

for a little bit, but I can't!

You wanna know what I did on Sunday?

A double jump.

Wait, for real? Is that true?

I sure did!

She learned a broken leg sit spin

on her own and now a double jump too?

Incredible. She's barreling on ahead

- before I even get a chance to coach her.

- Ha! Got it!

- Go, go, go, go

- So?

- Huh?

- You wanna see me do one right now?

You know I do!

Whoa, are you okay?

I-I'm okay, but

That was great!

Your form's improved immensely

since the competition!

If you've already come this far

on your own,

you're gonna master it by the next one.

I promise I wasn't lying to you!

I really did it last time.

I know. It's okay! I believe you!

And check it out.

I borrowed a tablet today.

Now we can double-check

your form and stuff

while you're still feeling it

all in your muscles.

You wanna go again?

But I did it. I had it

It's okay, don't beat yourself up.

- Okay, I got it!

- Huh.

We're gonna be looking at your head,

torso and legs.

We wanna get everything spinning

at the same time.

So let's check to see

where you're not in sync,

and we can adjust accordingly from there.

- Sound good?

- Yeah.

Ah, your head and shoulders

are rotating at the same time,

but your legs are lagging behind. See?

Can I try again right now?

Wait, hang on.

Oof.

She's falling apart out there.

I'll tell you what,

let's switch gears and practice

for the Badge Test for a while.

No, I want to keep trying.

I don't want to stop till I can land it.

It's no problem for everyone else my age.

She's in a hurry.

Her desire to improve

gives her a lot of strength,

but it also means

she's extra hard on herself.

- Inori.

- What?

Don't worry that you're not

on the same level as the other girls yet.

That's not gonna change overnight,

but don't panic.

You're building yourself up

little by little.

It's okay if you can't do everything.

You don't need to rush.

Plus, the time you spend

working through challenges now

is gonna make you that much better

at facing them in the future.

It'll help in the future.

Yep.

Wow, you always know exactly what to say

to make me feel better, Coach Tsukasa!

Oh, so it's working? Good.

But I gotta stay ahead

of the 8 ball.

Inori moves fast

and I need to start anticipating that,

or I might miss teaching

something crucial for her at this level.

So, how

- That goes for me too!

- What does?

Nothing! Don't worry about it.

I talked a big game about

"No need to rush,"

but I'm freaking out too.

Everything I just said to her,

I need to be telling myself double.

How lucky am I that talking with her

helps me recognize my own blind spots.

We're raising each other up.

And to keep it that way,

I need to focus on the now.

- Hey, Inori.

- Yeah?

Mark my words! I'm not gonna lose to you!

Huh?

DAY OF THE BADGE TES

ICE SKATING RINK

EXAMINEE

REGISTRATION

Just wear another layer.

You'll catch a cold.

Hey, level one

starts at eight o'clock, right?

Yeah, they put level seven

in the early slot.

Where are you, Ema?

Oh, my gosh! I am so sorry!

Sorry for being so adorable, that is.

Wha

Wait. You're Suzu Kamoto, aren't you?

Second place in Novice B last year?

Yep, that's me. Nice to meet ya.

Second place?

- You're a Kyoto girl, right?

- The best athlete after Hikaru Kamisaki.

My coach did.

- Hey! Pardon me.

- Huh?

Sorry, but I lost track

of one of my elementary school-age kiddos.

You ain't seen her, have you?

Uh

Yeah. There's my buddies.

Nothing like a squirmy little wormy

to help calm me down.

I wish I could get Coach

to appreciate you like I do, though.

Huh?

Pigeons.

Is she some

kind of pigeon goddess?

She's so cool.

I kinda can't believe she's not scared

with all those birds on top of her.

Help is on the way!

- There she is.

- Inori?

DEFEATED

Thanks for helping me track her down.

I appreciate it.

Nah, it's all good. Seriously.

Happy to lend a hand.

Well, thanks anyway.

I'm Yudai Jakuzure, by the way.

Rengecha FSC.

This is Ema Yamato.

She's here for her level one test.

Level one? So am I!

Thank you kindly for your help, Inori.

You were so valiant out there.

V-Valiant?

Not like you to go runnin' off.

I'd expect that from Suzu.

That's not very nice to say!

Now let me go already!

Coach, you're so rude!

I know I'm a cutie patootie and all,

but really!

If you don't stop carrying me around

like some kinda rag doll

- Coach Jakki.

- Hmm?

You're supposed to say "Then what?"

Oh, all right. Then what?

You wanna know?

I'll get all cute-mad

and you won't hear the end of it!

Ooh, boy. [chuckles] We can't have that!

Now, let's get you girls registered.

Hey! You didn't listen

to a word I said, did ya?

He seems so used to

wrangling grade-schoolers.

Respect.

All right,

let's get your level one test started.

First up, we'll be looking

for a single Salchow.

Go ahead and line up for me.

Ema! You got this!

Inori is so calm.

Talk about growth!

Okay. Next.

She did that so easily

it looked like she was in slow motion.

It was just a single, but,

it reminds me of watching Hikaru.

Wow, she looks like

she eats singles for breakfast.

LEVEL ONE

PASS

I passed level one!

I can't believe I get to start

competing in meets at this level.

Well, I can't wait to compete

in the level seven free skatin'.

But did you see the way everyone was

watching me during the exam, like, gosh!

They were all like,

"Wow, what a cutie-pie.

I hope she doesn't have

to go back to Kyoto so soon!"

I don't think that's true.

Well, pretty successful day.

Heya. Are you gonna

head straight back to Kyoto?

Nah. I figured we may as well

skate here this afternoon

and at the Minato rink tomorrow.

As long as we're not gettin' in

anybody's way.

In that case, if it's all right with you,

I'd like to pick your brain

a little bit tomorrow.

Oh?

I really want you to show me

your technique for teaching jumps.

No, no, no, no, no, no!

Whoa.

What are you doing?

Don't bother other coaches!

Rengecha is the strongest FSC

in Japan right now!

You can't just go asking them for help!

What? That's why I'm asking.

Lower your voice!

Those stronger clubs put in

the work and time and research

to refine their training methods.

They take it so seriously!

They're not just gonna share that stuff

with any bozo who asks!

I'll try anything to improve myself,

but it's not just for me.

Because when you're an athlete,

you only get one shot.

Uh

Sure thing, bud!

Sure thing?

Good Morning.

Morning.

Inori!

Aren't you lucky you get to

see me again so soon.

Uh, yes?

Yeah, I know.

Thanks again for your time, man.

Sure thing.

I genuinely think this is a great idea.

If you ask me,

we ought to be sharing info more often.

Cheese.

On top of which,

I know exactly how you feel, Coach.

The West Japan Championship next month?

I was getting Ema prepped

and ready to sign up at level one,

but she came down with a fever

and couldn't take

the earlier Badge Test in Kyoto.

That's why you came to Nagoya.

Ema's my first student who's this green.

I've been working with her

since way before Prelims.

But she's got talent.

I want folks to see that.

Yeah! Heck, yeah, Coach!

I so get it! I know exactly how you feel!

Let's both put in that there elbow grease!

All right, cool it with the accent

or I'm gonna think your makin' fun of me!

Wow.

What do you think?

Mmm, let's see.

It's hard to find areas of improvement

for kiddos I'm not coachin'.

Frankly, I'm really impressed with her.

How long has she been skatin'?

It's been about four months now.

Four months?

Dang. And she's this stable.

Y'all been workin' hard.

Great job.

That really was

some beautiful skatin' there, girlie.

Your landings are real strong,

and when you nail a move just right,

you got the cutest lil smile.

Wow, thank you very much.

It's a great smile

that proves you're having fun.

Ain't it? Back me up, Coach!

Yes, he's exactly right, but

I still think that compliment

is inadequate.

- Perhaps he just doesn't understand yet

- What's with the face?

Say something, man.

You're freaking me out.

Oh.

Nothing. Sorry.

Well, you wanted to talk jumps, right?

Are there any problem areas

in particular, or

Oh, yeah. It's her doubles.

Her legs are lagging behind

the rest of her pretty bad.

Oh, I gotcha.

She's got more than enough speed,

but she's getting destabilized

by her own centrifugal force.

So I think her spin is off

'cause she's subconsciously

slowing down right before she jumps.

I think if she digs in with her edge

a little more on her very last step,

she'll be in a better position

to use that momentum for her rotations.

Oh What?

- 'Kay, so, why not go with that?

- Huh?

You just said pretty much everything

I had to say on the matter,

so you should run with it.

Anything else?

Or are we just gonna call it there?

Well, can you stay a little longer?

If you already knew all that, I don't know

what you need my input for, but, sure.

Huh? Is there is there not like

a special pedagogy for singles skating?

Hell, if there is, I'd like to know!

I just worry.

I don't have competitive singles training.

I was only really taught ice dancing.

And even then, I only started at 20.

At 20?

So, you know

I get so anxious about coaching correctly!

Seriously, I have no idea what I'm doing!

Gettin' all fired up

about your lack of confidence

ought to prove to you

that you know what you're talkin' about!

So chill out!

B-But

You got nothing

to be anxious about whatsoever.

Really?

Maybe it's because

you were an ice dancer,

but you got a real good eye

on ya there, Coach.

Oh

Ema, give me a double Salchow real quick!

Mmm.

Her double is as pretty

as her single

Now why don't ya tell me

what you saw with my kiddo, huh?

Might help a rookie coach

get a little more self-confidence,

you know what I'm sayin'?

Oh. You think?

Yeah, go ahead! What'd ya see? Hmm?

Hmm.

Well, uh, she flies and lands beautifully.

But on her approach, she's not really

tapping into the full momentum

I think she should have.

If she can keep her head steady

through the cross,

that might give her a little more oomph.

The full momentum

she should have? Meaning?

Huh? Oh, let me think.

I try to consider what a trajectory

should look like from point A to point B,

and I think there's a discrepancy

in her posture.

In the cross before her windup,

she tilts her head down

to look where she's going.

If she can keep her head up,

she can push off the ice more firmly.

- Wow.

- Wow?

That's the kinda thing I do too:

Fix the stuff that seems wrong to me,

but I can't diagnose anything

to that extent with just one look.

I'm willing to bet

your ice dance background

is what makes you so good at that.

Gotta know where your partner is

at all times.

But still, ain't everyone

got those chops, Coach.

You think so?

Not that you asked me,

but you wanna know what I think?

I think your biggest issue

is believing in yourself.

You know what I mean?

Tsukasa.

The only thing

you don't have enough of is time.

And your biggest problem

is believing in yourself.

Yeah, you're probably right.

But hey,

- we all got our own stuff to worry about.

- Huh?

We just gotta keep calm and skate on,

and it'll all work out.

Yeah! Skate on!

Now that's a man

who's ready to go in g*ns a-blazin'

Forgive me, Inori.

I must go.

I wish I could stay,

but the poor citizens of Kyoto

are weeping in my absence!

All right. See y'all around!

Hey, don't leave without me!

I'm gonna catch up to you

in level seven one day, Suzu!

I'm gonna work hard to be your rival too,

not just Hikaru's!

Bring it! We'll have a skating battle

of the belles!

'Kay

Don't you just be focusin' on

lil ol' Suzu, now.

'Cause by the time

you make it up to level seven,

Ema's gonna be there too.

West Japan's around the bend,

but that's only the first time y'all

are gonna be pitted against each other.

And we're going for the gold, honey.

Better bring your A-game, then!

Nah.

We don't need our A-game to win.

Winning in high-stakes situations

is easier if you don't psych yourself out.

But I think we're a pretty tough

opponent regardless,

and I'm lookin' forward to fightin' y'all

for a spot on that podium.

That sound good to you, Coach?

Yeah! Bring it on, dude!

I can't believe

I didn't realize it until he said it.

No one else can give me confidence.

LUCKY DAY

I have to trust myself,

over and over again.

I need to believe that anything

and everything can be a strength,

a weapon,

and use that as fuel for victory.

Trust your abilities,

use them to their fullest,

and never stop looking

for what you can improve.

I hate admitting

when I can't do something.

I just want to erase

those parts of myself.

But that can be an asset.

I just need to take that feeling

Keep my head up

and look!

She landed a double loop!

UJI, KYOTO ICE ARENA

- Well, we're here

- Yep.

Let's go in, I guess

Hey, Coach Tsukasa! Inori!

Huh?

It's a pleasure

to see you folks again so soon!

Nice suit.

Man! Should I be wearing one too?

You're fine. This is just my style.

I don't want you to go feeling

like you're underdressed or something.

Let's go inside.

Come on!

Hey! Stop pulling!

There's so many people here.

That's amazing!

They've got two whole rinks in this place.

You could practice as much as you want

in here and it would never get crowded.

Boo!

Hey. What level are you?

Oh, me?

Um, level one.

Really? Yay! I found another level one!

This is my first time

ever competing at this level.

But that doesn't matter

'cause I'm gonna win!

Seira Shishido.

O-Oh, that's your name.

Mmm. Well, I'm aiming to win today too!

So let's both do our best out there!

Oh, you won't win. Sorry!

There's always next year, though! See ya!

Watch where you're going.

It's too crowded in here

to be running around.

You're right. My bad.

You're not hurt, are you?

- I'm fine.

- Oh.

But who would have guessed

that someone so horrid and ill-mannered

would even be allowed to

figure skate here in the first place.

How times have changed.

She's mad.

Whatever, I bet you suck anyway.

I skate better than you!

You think? Well, we're just gonna

have to see about th--

Stop it, idiot!

Quit making our club look bad,

it's embarrassing me.

I can't take it!

- Oh.

- Oh.

It's Rengecha FSC.

The Nedefuji triplets

and Suzu Kamoto in the back.

If I wanna compete

at the All-Japans at the senior level,

I'm gonna have to beat

all of these athletes, huh?

- I really wanna win today.

- Oh.

Except for Ema,

all of their level one skaters

are kindergarteners.

That club must be really strong.

I wonder if I can beat 'em.

Don't worry about them. Relax.

Hi, Coach.

We got a while before we start.

Let's go stretch and warm up.

We even have time to go through

your program a couple of times too.

Go put your skates on

and grab your yoga mat, 'kay?

Yes!

Okay, uh, got my yoga mat and my skates

Oh, that's right, they're in my suitcase.

Uh

Huh.

Where'd I put it? Oh, man.

What if someone thought it was theirs

and took it by accident?

Um, I got to the arena,

and they said this is where

I was supposed to leave my stuff.

So I came and put my yoga mat

and my backpack down by the wall

Oh, no, I didn't have it then either.

My skates. I don't have my skates!