(Magic box, back room. Buffy is blindfolded.)

TRAVERS: Agility, clarity, stamina and strength -- these are the qualities that the Slayer must possess to do her job.

BUFFY: What came after agility?

GILES: If you want her to attack the dummy-

TRAVERS: No, no. Philip will attack the dummy. The Slayer's job is to protect it. Do you understand?

BUFFY: Protect the dummy.

TRAVERS: As if it were precious. Now, getting the best of Philip will require agility. Listening to my instructions at the same time, that will demonstrate clarity. And stamina and strength will win the long fight. Good luck.

BUFFY: Instructions?

TRAVERS: Yeah, I'll be telling you what to do, how to counter Philip's attack. We assume you're familiar with the Japanese names for aikido and jiu-jitsu moves.

BUFFY: Japanese?

WATCHER2: (clicking a stopwatch) And, go!

BUFFY: Whoa, hold on a second. We uh, you know in America, we usually just work our way up to go.

TRAVERS: (speaks Japanese)

BUFFY: Huh?

GILES: He wants you to bow. Take a bow.

BUFFY: Oh. (bows)

(Philip circles around her. Buffy follows his movements. He thrusts at the dummy and Buffy blocks. Then she kicks at him and misses. She spins around and blocks his overhead punch.)

TRAVERS: (Japanese)

(Philip punches Buffy in the face.)

GILES: (translating) Punch him.

BUFFY: Thanks, Giles.

GILES: Sorry.

TRAVERS: (Japanese)

GILES: Uh...back kick, elbow-

(Buffy back-kicks and Philip moves out of the way. She thrusts with her elbow and he avoids it.)

GILES: ...elbow...strike.

TRAVERS: How have you been training her?

GILES: I've trained her to win.

BUFFY: You know what? I'm gonna have to do it my way, guys.

(Philip swings the weapon and she ducks. He lifts it for an overhead blow and Buffy grabs the handle, kicks him in the stomach, forces him back against the training horse and elbows him in the face. He tumbles backward over the horse, losing his grip on the weapon. The momentum pulls it out of Buffy's hands and it flies backward to land in the dummy's chest, knocking the dummy backward into Nigel. He falls to the floor with the dummy on top of him. )

BUFFY: Uh-oh.

PHILIP: I think she just broke my rib.

TRAVERS: Yes, well.

BUFFY: I didn't mean to. Um, you know, I, I can do better. I think I might be getting this, like, inner ear thing, and so maybe, maybe if I got a note, I, I could try again.

TRAVERS: No, that's all right, I don't think we need to see any more physical tests for a while. We can move on to the real review. Look into your strategies, plans ... figure out what's going on in that head.

BUFFY: (unhappily) Good. Head stuff.

TRAVERS: We start at seven tonight. Give you time to, uh ... well, however you prepare.

• Watcher's Council

written by: Douglas Petrie and Jane Espenson; Transcribed by Joan the English Chick (pisces@englishchick.com).. Full transcript at:
http://www.studiesinwords.de/90checkpoint.html