Glass Jaw

Chapter 1

Joe slammed his hands on the table, glaring down at Nanbu who had yet to meet his eyes, only continuing to rub the sole of his sore foot. The coach had just revealed that he intended to pull Joe from the next match against Aragaki if he could manage to find another fight in time.

He believed the outcome was obvious and the match was too risky. Especially after having met up with Aragaki personally and having his old student vowing to destroy his new one.

Joe, on the other hand, was having none of it. "You saying I'm gonna lose?" His eyes narrowed at the older man.

Sachio shifted his eyes uncomfortably between the two, not liking the direction of this conversation. The small boy started typing rapidly on his yellow tablet, hoping to find whatever information he could on Aragaki. His brows furrowed, head tilting in confusion as he came across a few links and articles.

Nanbu paused in massaging his foot, a solemn look coming to his face. "I'm saying it's not gonna be easy. Not the way you are now." Joe grit his teeth at the comment. Nanbu continued, "A fighter who knows everything I have to teach has shown up again."

"Then why don't we find another coach?" Sachio innocently suggested, looking up from his tablet with wide eyes.

Joe and Nanbu paused, turning to look at the younger boy in surprise. "What, are you trying to replace me?" Nanbu accused, frowning.

The small boy waved his hand in dismissal at the idea. "No, I didn't mean that! You're worried Joe might be at a disadvantage because Aragaki was also your student, right? Then, why don't we find another coach to help train Joe!" The boy tapped on his tablet again, the small television on the table flickering on and displaying the same screen as the tablet.

"Raika Boxing Gym?" Joe read aloud as he and Nanbu skimmed the website. The article detailed a boxing gym on the outskirts of the city that had lived throughout generations, raising several famous boxers from older times.

"They say this gym focuses only on traditional, old-school boxing. As someone who fights without gear, don't you think it'd be perfect for Joe?" Sachio asked with excitement.

Nanbu sat back, a hand rubbing his chin in thought. "Traditional boxing, huh? It's true that there aren't many of those types of gyms anymore." He looked up when Joe got out of his seat.

"It's worth a shot then. Nice find, Sachio." Joe smiled down at the boy, receiving a bright one in return. "So, who's the owner?" The boy looked back down at his tablet, scrolling through the information.

"Raika Naoko."

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"The Megalonia tournament is getting closer, and we've got a new competitor who will be taking on the champion, Yu—" The reporter from the television was cut short as Naoko used the remote to turn it off.

Her hand was shaking, the vice-like grip on the remote turning her knuckles white. Her jaw tightened as she clenched her teeth. There was an intense scowl on her face, her eyes glaring at the now dark screen.

"The future of boxing..." She quoted Shirato Yukiko, a deep sense of loathing lacing the words. "What a load of bull. That's not even real boxing." Naoko clicked her tongue in displeasure, throwing the remote to the couch and leaving the break room to return to work.

Even though she could silence the TV, she could never silence her clients. Working in a physical therapy clinic, Megalo Boxing was just about all she ever heard about. Many of her clients often came in to treat injuries that they had received from participating in the sport. Especially now that this big Megalonia tournament was coming up.