Excuse me.
I'd say it works out for both of us...
Hey there. Sorry for rushing in like that.
Well, look at that.
If it isn't Nanbu!
Oh, hello there. I see everyone's here.
I heard you were running quite the show in the underground.
Well, I came across a real live wire of a kid...
And I figured it was time he sees how things are on this side of the tracks.
Well, good luck with that.
I'm kinda in a hurry so... Let's catch up some other time, okay?
Fighter registration complete.
Welcome to the official Megalobox Association.
Your current ranking is: 257th place.
Starting at the very bottom...
Not like you had to remind me!
There's less than three months until the Megalonia tournament!
And we've got a new competitor who will be taking on the champion, Yuri.
The second entry is the second ranked fighter, Pepe Iglesias!
An unorthodox boxer with a wild variety of punches!
They call him the Spider!
Megalonia is going to be starting off with this clash between rivals,
but who will come out on top?!
Experts say that Yuri has the advantage,
but Pepe's recent string of wins have shown some remarkable growth.
Second Round, 2:10, K.O.
Hits: 72. Total: 81.
Your effectiveness is—
That's your real Megalo Boxing?
There are now only two slots still open for Megalonia!
Who will be making the cut?!
All eyes are going to be on the rankings for the foreseeable future!
I got you what you asked for.
Not bad, right?
The rest is up to that partner of yours.
Well, if he gets cold feet, this will all have been for nothing.
He's your dog. You need to make sure he's obedient.
Thanks for the drink.
There won't be any problems, sir.
We both understand the responsibility we're dealing with here.
If you make it to Megalonia, that'll be enough for me.
But the thing is, Mr. Nanbu...
He's not the only one on a leash.
Don't forget that.
Pops, quit screwing around, and let's clean up.
We're gonna be living on this tub for a while.
Yeah...
The opening match of the Megalonia tournament is set to be a clash between rivals,
The card for the first match is set already. We've got no time to waste.
but who will come out on top?!
Sounds good to me.
That means I've gotta make it to the finals to fight him, right?
I don't mind.
Since I have to win the whole thing, anyway.
You don't need to worry about Yuri.
Right now, focus on getting into Megalonia.
Listen up.
In three months, I'm only gonna be able to put together five matches, max.
I'm gonna have to line up the toughest fights I can manage for you.
Five matches, five wins. That's the stipulation.
It's not gonna be easy, Joe.
Where do we start?
You can't start until we do something about that pile of junk.
Gotta cover our bases, first.
You saw it, right?
That Gear Yuri uses, it's a custom Shirato model.
It's directly connected to the body, which kills the lag in response time,
on top of being in another league, in terms of weight and durability.
You could say the man's body is cutting-edge Shirato tech.
So why don't we just use that cutting-edge stuff, too?
You really think it's that simple?
The integrated Gear isn't just some machine.
Even testing it is risky as hell.
And where would we get that kind of cash from?
And to be honest, he's probably the only one who can handle that thing.
If your average boxer tried it on, their body wouldn't be able to keep up.
Come on, Pops...
Yuri's the only one!
Only someone with his body and skill can manage it!
You've got a pretty high opinion of the guy...
Damn right I do!
Especially considering we're gonna have to take down guys like him.
That's the kind of world we're stepping into, here.
You listening, Joe?
Damn it, what the hell was that?
Hey, Oicho!
Let's do it!
Wake up, Sachio.
Hey, what cool cameras! Can I see?
You're in the way, kid. Buzz off.
It's not gonna cost you anything to let me look!
And they're locked up, it's not like I can steal them!
I can't have filthy runts running underfoot when I'm trying to do my job!
Don't be a cheapskate! Just for a second, please?
Whoa, a mouse is chewing on your cameras!
I'm being honest, mister!
A mouse?!
Holy crap, you're right!
I can't believe this!
Mine!
Wait!
Hup!
Dumbass!
Thieves!
Run for it!
Somebody, grab them!
No time for snacks, Bonjiri!
We need to go!
'Kay.
Stop!
Nothing that's banged up too badly...
For the air pressure valve and cylinder 64,
I want something as new as we can get.
Beyond that, the full set, please.
You got it.
Let me just check my stock. Be right back.
Look at that...
That thing right there...
It's the composite titanium prototype Shirato cooked up
before their current integrated model.
It's top shelf stuff. Speed's comparable to the latest model.
If we had this bad boy...
But mine's got more power!
Your gear looks pretty badass,
but you're not gonna be fighting in the ring with gloves like those.
He's Potemkin Higashi, a former Megalo Boxer.
And if you don't want him to rough you up, take your hands off the merchandise.
Oh, sorry! Couldn't help myself!
You guys can't afford it, anyway.
Slow down, Santa!
I said not to shout my name out like that! Damn...
Sorry...
I get the middle!
I'm beat...
Do you have the stuff?
Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah!
Potemkin, keep an eye on them.
Bunch of greedy-ass kids...
You're not gonna buy that one, Pops?
But it'd give us an edge in Megalonia, right?
Don't make me laugh, kid!
You're talking about getting into Megalonia in front of me, who use to be ranked 96th?
You ever heard of this guy?
Nope.
Hey!
I told you to watch those kids!
I know, I know.
Here. That's for the cameras.
Red Candy!
That stuff's gonna rot your brain, kid.
They're a bunch of street kids,
living hand-to-mouth by stealing whatever they can.
But when they get some Red Candy,
it lets them escape the harsh, harsh reality of life for just a moment.
Yeah, right. You're the one who put them up to it, didn't you?
Joe!
Hey, man! There was supposed to be four!
I'm being generous by giving you three for that junk!
Get out of my face with your rancid breath, boy!
Don't... touch me!
Y-You little shit!
Wh-Whoa there!
You want some of this, too?!
Give it a rest, man.
Potemkin!
R-Right.
Look, calm down, man. My bad. I give up.
Damn it...
Don't just stand there!
B-But...
That's what happens when you butt into other people's business, fool.
What was I supposed to do?
How about ignore it? It had nothing to do with you.
But he was just a kid.
Not a cute one, but still...
What's with the run-down gym...?
This is the 185th ranked Megalo Boxer,
Shark Samejima. Known as "Maneater."
He's got his share of losses,
but about 70% of those are disqualifications for fighting dirty.
Word is he's had trouble lining up opponents.
A hungry, man-eating shark, huh?
For the guy at the bottom of the ranking to make his way up, fast,
you first need to draw attention to yourself.
And this guy is perfect for that.
So I'm fish bait now, huh?
The match is in five days.
Let's get started.
I don't need any gear?
I got something to teach you first.
Teach me?
What haven't you taught me alrea—
Ow!
Remember that little scrap yesterday?
I'm hungry.
You get so focused on trying to intercept that you let your guard down.
Shut up.
That's a bad habit of yours.
You piece of—
C'mon.
You did it again.
You need to stop trying to parry when you don't need to.
Focus on keeping that guard up.
Your Gear's being upgraded.
But no matter how good the Gear is,
it's not what makes or breaks a fight.
It always comes down to the guy wearing it. Remember that.
Let's keep at it.
Megalonia my ass...
So hungry...
Let's go, Sachio.
He's at the bottom of the ranks!
See, you dropped your guard again.
We're gonna have to really work on your defense.
You gonna sway out of the way? Or weave around the punches?
You'd better think hard and fast out there,
or you could end up dead.
Ha! Got you!
Now you're gonna get it!
Take that!
That's cold!
They're here again? Damn...
Bam!
Hey, kids! You're distracting us! Go play somewhere else!
It's not like this is your property, pal!
The riverbank is freedom!
Viva freedom!
I've had just about enough of you runts...
You got some kinda problem?
Not me.
Let's keep at it, Pops.
All right.
How's the Gear doing?
Let me get ready, and you can try taking a shot at me.
It had to be a body blow...?
Feels pretty good. I'm impressed, Pops.
What else do you expect?
A first-rate trainer's gotta have a knack for tinkering, too.
It oughta be twice as powerful as before. Hell, three times, maybe.
This bad boy should be enough to...
Wrong!
You can't win with that Gear.
Yeah, it's got more power, but the added weight is gonna put strain on his arms.
He won't last a single round if he can't keep up with the other guy's speed.
Plus, you'll burn out the battery if you try and push it any harder.
You might know your stuff, for a kid,
but if he fights like I tell him to, one round will be plenty.
He'll end up dead if he—
What else can we do?!
It's the only option we've got!
Mind your own business, boy!
What did you say?!
Shit! Let go of me!
Damn it.
Joe, time for a break.
What a pain in the ass...
Stupid kids.
Acting like you know what you're talking about...
Why do you come here every day, anyway?
Don't touch that!
Whoa...
I wasn't gonna take it.
Look... you wanna get into Megalonia, right?
Could you... Could you take me with you?!
If you wanna go, make your own way there.
We don't have enough time on our hands
to babysit some kid who can't pull his weight.
I'm not just some kid! My name is Sachio!
And there's no way you'll make it to Megalonia with that Gear!
You bottom-ranked bastard!
Stupid brat acts like he knows everything!
I get it, all right? I know I'm asking for the impossible...
Mr. Nanbu, you have three months.
I'm looking forward to seeing this plan of yours in action.
What plan?! Damn it all!
Damn it...
There it is!
Who's there?
Days Left
The Fight
Guess I've gotta try...
Oh, that's just perfect!
What the hell?
The smoke's coming from the boat!
Pops?!
I've really screwed up now...
I thought you were upgrading it?! Now you've wrecked the whole thing!
Shut up!
And quit bitching about what's already done!
I've gotta figure something out...
It's not just your neck on the line with this!
Even so, the match is tomorrow!
What're we gonna do without any Gear?
This is bad!
It's Sachio! Sachio's in trouble!
You gotta help him, bottom-ranker!
Bottom-ranker!
He got caught stealing this!
He did?
Whoa! It's a blessing from the heavens!
No! Sachio asked us to get this Gear to you!
Who'd you give it to?
You could've just been quiet and taken the Red Candy...
And instead you went and tried to take the prototype.
Screw you!
We're the ones who found that Gear!
And you bought it off us for chump change!
All I did was take back what's rightfully ours!
Kid always has something to say...
It's not like you had anywhere else to fence it.
If you're gonna spill, do it while you have the chance.
Don't touch my hat...
with your filthy... hands!
Don't make such a mess in the store— Huh?
Potemkin!
That was a stupid-as-hell thing to do.
I'm not some kid who can't pull his weight...
If you're going to Megalonia, you'll need that Gear...
Why do you care?
Now you've done it!
Joe!
Whoa, you've got a match tomorrow, kid!
Don't interrupt, Pops.
I'm in the middle of a spar, here.
Your friends all showed up, huh?
Don't worry.
You're only gonna be fighting me.
Joe!
In that case...
Let's pick up where we left off!
With this thing... I can take him.
Got him!
How many punches did you block just now?
What the—?!
I don't use my Gear with boxing gloves, pal!
Joe!
Sachio! Y-You're bleeding!
I-It's gonna fry him!
Move!
Aw, man... the Gear...
This is over. We need to get the hell out of here while we can.
Joe!
It's not the Gear that decides who wins...
You're a first-rate trainer, right?
How do I take him down in the final round?
Damn it all...
A counter.
Your punches are getting to him.
Get him frustrated, and then press your way inside...
It'll come down to whether his last punch is a right or a left—
Let me make the call!
That's cool with you, right, Joe?
I can feel something inside me...
Something tingly.
Time for the final round!
The motors for the left and right side of his Gear sound different.
His last shot is gonna be a heavy-duty left!
You won the bet.
Not bad.
C-Can I...
Sachio!
What're you doing, man?
You're coming with us to Megalonia, aren't you?
First, we're gonna need to find me a new Gear.
That's it! That's it!
Ow!
You two might've just seized victory from the jaws of defeat!
I know what we can do!
It's the only way we can make it into Megalonia!
Round 3 "Gear Is Dead" You're just crying sour grapes. Machines don't breathe to begin with.