We're at the target point.
Intel says that the enemy force has pulled out, but stay on your toes.
The priority is evacuating any civilians still in the area.
Commence search operations now.
No way...
I still can't believe it.
I never thought I'd see you again, Aragaki.
Right. Likewise.
I still can't believe I made it back from that hell of a war...
This might sound insincere coming from a hustler like me,
but it's an actual miracle.
You being here, with me again.
Just like back in the good old days.
Don't look down like that.
I want you to know that it saved me, the Megalo Boxing you taught me.
You must've had it rough...
Would it be all right if I showed you my gratitude, Coach Nanbu?
Hell no, I don't deserve that.
Just being able to see you alive again is plenty.
Not to mention, you're ranked 17th,
and willing to fight Joe, who's just starting out...
I don't know where to begin to thank you.
I've decided I wanted to destroy him.
This new fighter that you've put your time into bringing up.
What are you saying?!
It's time for you to pay your portion of the debt...
for the things I've lost.
What did you just say, Pops?
Hey, Pops!
He must just be tired...
He was on his feet all day in his good shoes, which he barely even wears.
Can't blame him for getting a little anxious...
What the hell do you mean, we're not doing the fight?!
I'm not saying it won't happen. But it's a possibility.
In case something else turns up, where we can make it through without this match.
Don't give me that bullshit!
This is our chance to get into the top of the ranking!
Isn't this what we've been betting on?!
And it's not a good bet if the outcome is obvious!
You saying I'm gonna lose?
I'm saying it's not gonna be easy.
Not the way you are now.
A fighter who knows everything I have to teach...
has shown up again.
And he hasn't changed a bit.
I dunno about that, actually.
Aragaki was a soldier, right?
He lost both his legs in an explosion
while he was stationed at the front, it says.
He was missing in action for a while,
but was eventually found, and returned home a year later.
He... fights in this condition?
It's time for you to pay your portion of the debt...
for all the things I've lost.
Joe.
This fight is too risky.
I'm not trying to chicken out, but—
I'm fighting him.
We're going to Megalonia.
Isn't that right?
Pops...
Your punches are first rate.
But if you're not in the right range, they lose a lot of their impact.
We've gotta drill the correct distance into you.
There you go!
Team Nowhere
No special plan is gonna help this time.
We've just gotta polish everything you've built so far.
Yo!
Welcome back.
Where's Pops?
He said he was going out.
The old guy was mumbling the whole time he was making the miso soup.
So salty!
Works for me.
You oughta exercise once in a while instead of messing with machines all day.
I don't really do the whole exercise thing.
I've been looking into Aragaki's background from his records at the Veteran's Association.
His first Megalo Box match was ten years ago.
Ten matches, all ending with one-round KOs.
Looked like he had a clear path to the top,
but because he was in the reserves, he got called up and sent overseas for duty.
Look at this, Joe.
It's only been three years since he started fighting again,
but he's made it so far in the rankings...
If he hadn't stopped fighting for so long, he might've just...
Wait, are these his opponents from after he came back?
Why would he be so brutal?
This stuff Pops said about him wanting to destroy you...
He might've really meant it.
So, is he conscious?
Yeah. They found him pretty fast.
His life isn't in any danger.
Let's get to the hospital before his family shows up.
Most of these graves are filled with young men who've taken their own lives.
They return home, hoping to return to their lives...
But the things they've seen just won't leave their memories.
Aragaki lost everything to the war.
His mind and his body.
But even then, he thought he had a place he could return to.
He thought that you would be the one person waiting for him.
But that small hope amounted to nothing, in the end.
It's not like that. I thought he was dead...
I know that he was reported killed in action.
But you never tried to confirm what happened to him.
That was all it took for you to give up, wasn't it?
He's told me he doesn't want to see you.
Wait a minute.
Can you tell him something for me?
It's fine if he hates my guts...
but don't bring those feelings into this match.
You don't intend to ask for forgiveness?
We just ended up going in different directions.
What exactly do you want?
I thought you wanted to enter Megalonia with the legs that gave you your life back.
If that's what you want,
you should cancel this match and fight someone from the upper ranks.
There's still time.
We've been through this.
If I fight the famous "Gearless" Joe, that'll bring in more sponsors.
In other words, more money.
I'll be able to repay you and everyone else who's had my back.
We haven't been doing this because we expected compensation.
Nanbu came by, but I turned him away.
You're just jealous of his new student.
You're upset that he's in the place that belongs to you.
You need to leave the past in the past.
Doesn't it strike you as sad?
You're acting like a dog who was abandoned by its owner.
I appreciate what you've done for me,
but everyone has their circumstances.
It boils down to how you and I are different people.
You sound just like him.
Area 13 Dog Racing Association Race 7 #5 Carpediem
This is your home. Remember that.
I'll be waiting for you.
Hey.
Where have you been, Pops?!
Look here!
Aragaki's Gear is designed to be lightweight.
I don't think he has that big of a power advantage over Joe.
Even if it isn't a big difference, since Joe isn't wearing any Gear,
he's gonna have less power than Aragaki.
But if they're so set on making sure his Gear is light,
maybe it means he's worried about his stamina?
I mean, he's over thirty.
He wants lighter Gear so it won't slow him down.
The speed he moves in and out with, his step work...
He's done all the training he can...
to compensate for any handicap those legs would give him otherwise.
More so than he ever did when I was with him.
It's just one disadvantage after another...
Whose side are you even on, Pops?
I mean, one of your students is near the top of the ranking!
How didn't you notice him sooner?
Shut up.
What do you want from me?
I thought he was dead until the other day.
I'd forgotten all about him...
Like he never even existed.
It's no wonder he hates me.
I buried his life, just because it was convenient for me.
I'm a damned traitor.
The Nanbu I know would've never tried something as gimmicky as fighting without Gear.
I'm honestly disappointed.
Though that might sound rude, considering you're his fighter.
I agree with you.
But I don't exactly hate the old man's bluffs.
You must trust him a lot.
He believed in me. So I'll believe in him.
Simple enough, right?
It's his nature to betray that kind of trust without hesitation.
I just hope that doesn't happen to you.
You saying it's Pops' fault your legs ended up like that?
He's got his life, and I've got mine.
You can blame whoever you want, but in the end, it's your call to make.
I don't think the two of us will see eye-to-eye.
Well, you wanna destroy me, don't you?
Go on ahead.
Just don't expect it to be easy.
You're putting too much weight on your front foot again!
You've gotta split it evenly!
Always keep that balance in mind!
See, if he dodges one of those, you'll be too slow to follow up!
Aragaki's fast when it comes to switching between attack and defense!
If you can't keep up, he'll be all over you!
What's wrong? You're not done yet!
Pops...
You still don't think I can win?
The Pops I know, even if he was lying, would at least tell me I could pull it off.
You've changed a lot.
You never gave a damn about me when we were in the underground.
I still don't, kid.
Oh, yeah?
Then I'll just win my own way.
Man, what a crowd!
There are people who wanted in so bad that they don't mind standing!
Pops's plan has really paid off.
Wait... where is he?
I dunno.
He didn't seriously give up, did he?
You...
I'm begging you, Aragaki. Listen to me!
Enough!
Come on...
The fight's about to start! What's wrong with you?!
It's just like you thought!
I ran away.
I ran away from what we had back then.
So you can hate me, but not Joe!
Please, Aragaki!
Aragaki!
In the west corner, with Team Nowhere,
who fought from the bottom of the ranks to his current position of 102nd...
Will tonight be another one of his miraculous upsets?
It's "Gearless" Joe!
Joe! Don't let this one slip by!
You beat this guy, and you might get into Megalonia!
And out of the east corner,
the indomitable warrior who returned to Megalo Boxing!
Currently ranked 17th...
with the Veteran's Association Megalo Boxing Gym,
Aragaki!
Aragaki! Don't let this flash-in-the-pan beat you!
He's just a pretender with a gimmick!
No... No, it can't be...
Screw you... He can't...
He can't be dead, damn it!
This match is so you can move on.
Isn't that right?
Yeah.
Get him, Joe!
Look at that, Pops! Joe's standing his ground!
That idiot...
Come on, Joe!
Slip!
Down!
One...
Two...
I've decided I wanted to destroy him.
Three...
Four...
This new fighter that you've put your time into bringing up.
Five...
Six...
Seven...
Eight...
Nine...
Round 5 "The Man From Death" So, where are you from? From the other side. From hell.