You aren't the only one...
Scorpions who wanna close their eyes to their true nature,
poisoned by the venom of dreams.
Sorry, Mr. Nanbu, but the ride stops here.
At least for today—
You're gonna tell him everything.
Talk about impatient. Already here for the prize money?
J-Joe...
Damn it, there's blood in my piss again.
Joe... the truth is...
Just tell him, Pops.
It's too early to celebrate, isn't it?
The real fight starts—
The real fight isn't happening!
I've been risking my life on bluffs for a long damn time now!
I'll show you exactly what we frauds can do!
Not gonna cut it.
I don't want to hear this desperate talk of dreams.
I want a real answer, from the real you.
The two of you are going to Megalonia.
But not for the championship.
What can you and the kid do? What would be the best thing to do?
Tell me what comes to mind, Mr. Nanbu.
"But you'll sting me, won't you?"
"I would never do that."
"Because if you die halfway across, I'll drown."
So I told him...
We could throw a fight at Megalonia. The biggest fixed match ever.
And our only chance is your opener—the one against Burroughs.
Fujimaki is gonna be running the bets for Megalonia. That's tons of cash.
There's no other way for us to be free from—
You never believed in me, did you?
That's not it!
The more you won, the more I started to think you had a shot!
But... it's too late now.
Team Nowhere
I didn't have any other way of getting that fake ID!
Joe, I guarantee that you've got real skill.
And this isn't the end!
Just think of it like a detour. All right?
So in the next match, you can put this on...
You asshole!
Ow...
Look, you gotta face facts, Joe.
Fujimaki's not the kind of guy we can reason with!
I did all this because I didn't want you to end up—
You were only worried about yourself.
You little prick!
Where do you get off?!
Who do you think made it possible for a stray dog like you to get this far?!
Frauds like you and me...
We can't become the real deal, even if we die trying!
That's just like you.
You don't have a real bone in your body.
Everything about you is hot air.
No!
I was stupid for ever thinking otherwise.
Wait, Joe! We're not done talking!
We're done. Period.
Tell me it's a lie, Pops!
I thought we were a team!
We made it so far...
We were gonna go all the way in Megalonia.
Say something, damn it!
Shut up!
There's a time for dreaming, and this isn't it, you stupid brat!
That's the thing about sweet dreams... It always hurts when you wake up.
This is what it all comes down to.
If you don't deliver on our deal, Mr. Nanbu,
you won't be the only one dying.
They both will, too.
Yuri is truly a grand champion.
The thought of seeing him laid out in the ring makes me sad,
but some things can't be avoided.
The stronger fighter wins. That's Megalo Box.
And now a word from Mr. Burroughs.
Somebody put a collar and drag him
to the stadium on the day of the match.
Now, the second match of Megalonia
is going to be Burroughs versus "Gearless" Joe,
and as you can see, they haven't attended today's press conference,
There's been no word from Team Nowhere.
and haven't offered a reason why.
We just hope there's no trouble.
And now, a question for the champion...
You've been the favorite to win the tournament since its announcement...
It's like something out of a dream, huh?
Can you believe I was working on that piece of crap Gear
you were using only three months ago?
And now, look at you...
I didn't think I'd ever see you here again, to be honest.
Did you get lost or something?
Yeah.
I was worried, damn it.
Come on, get up. We're going for a ride.
Don't be a stubborn little ass.
You want Fujimaki to make you into soup?
Joe said it was all over!
So much for going all the way.
You used him.
And so did you.
Give that back!
You thought Joe entering Megalonia and winning it
would be revenge for your old man, didn't you?
H-How do you...
You remember Mizuhara, right?
Something about the way he looked at you caught my attention.
Do you know the boy?
Well, a guy I worked with at Shirato used to show me pictures of his kid.
Bragging about his son.
What was this guy like?
A freelance engineer, like me.
I guess he was too talented. Poor guy...
Shirato stole the research data he had spent years working on.
What happened to him?
He's dead now.
Leaving his wife and kid behind...
Yeah. It's true.
My Dad... was killed by Shirato.
What about your mother?
Got sick. Died a year later.
I can't do anything, but I bet Joe could...
He could beat those jerks at Shirato!
But now... because of you...
Where are you going?!
Don't run from me!
Is this...
Go get your revenge.
See, you and me...
we just happened to get on the same boat, chasing our own goals.
That's why neither Joe nor I ever asked you about why you joined up with us.
But that's not how it is anymore.
You wanna take Shirato down, right?
This is all I can do for you.
The rest is up to you.
My revenge... is going to the top with Joe.
We both bet on Joe.
But the thing is...
Team Nowhere
He's the one who decides how this will play out.
And there's no telling what the kid will do until it happens.
"Gearless" Joe would never throw a match.
Then you need to hide.
I doubt even Fujimaki has enough muscle to mess with Shirato.
This is for Joe's sake, too.
Forcing a stop to the ceremony, being absent at the press conference...
And now you want me to take care of a child?
You certainly do as you please, don't you?
I just explained the boy's deal.
You'll be able to learn the facts if you look into it.
I figure you at least owe him a helping hand.
Even if it's only until Joe's match is over.
I am not happy that the two of you are in Megalonia.
I'm not sure what exactly you're planning here,
but did it never occur to you that I would demand Joe's withdrawal from the tournament
in exchange for taking the child into my custody?
You wouldn't do that.
Although...
That doesn't sound half bad either.
This is the last you'll hear from me.
You take this.
Look after Joe, Sachio!
What about you?
Bye, kid.
Team Nowhere
The day has finally come!
A battle to determine who stands at the peak of Megalo Boxing!
We're nearing the opening salvo of Megalonia!
Take a good look at this capacity crowd!
On the verge of this historic event,
the anticipation and excitement are hotter than ever!
I look forward to seeing what you've put together.
Certainly.
Ms. President.
Pardon me.
Sure.
After an internal audit, it seems that the design data
for the integrated Gear's immunosuppressant mechanism
was procured irregularly.
It seems certain that the original developer was the boy's father.
Fighting out of the east corner...
the second-ranked IMA boxer... with the Tres Familias...
Pepe "The Spider"...
Iglesias!
Pepe Iglesias!
Can the vicious Mexican spider lay the champ out here
in the ring of Megalonia, like he claimed?
And now, fighting out of the west corner...
The number-one ranked IMA boxer!
With Team Shirato, the King of Kings:
Yuri!
The implacable champion, Yuri!
Sporting the integrated Gear that has become Shirato's calling card,
it's become as integrated with this brilliant boxer's body as the name suggests,
allowing him to fend off every claim on his title so far!
The integrated Gear was developed thanks to the sacrifices of all involved.
We consider victory to be an obligation.
Director Asamoto.
Ma'am?
Please put together a list of everyone involved in the irregularity you mentioned.
We'll make sure that they're dealt with, in full.
Understood.
Go, Yuri!
Pepe! Mátalo!
The match begins, and Pepe presses aggressively forward!
He's got that long reach, and a posture that makes it hard to get inside...
Combine that with the variety of attacks that he can pull off,
and over time, his opponents find they're unable to fight back effectively,
like they're caught in a spider's web.
That's how he got the nickname, Spider.
Neither fighter is giving an inch so far.
Just how will the orthodox Yuri deal with Pepe's unique style?
And that's the end of the first round!
Things are already incredibly tense!
Most likely, one of these men will be going on the offensive in the next round.
Pepe seems to have finally caught Yuri!
The first hit of the match to land!
I'm gonna kill you.
He's down!
One...
Two...
Wha... What just happened?!
Three...
Pepe dropped as though he had just been shot!
Four...
Five...
Six...
It was a left hook.
Seven...
And I don't think Pepe ever saw it coming.
Eight...
Nine...
Ten.
With a K.O. 2:10 into the 2nd round,
the winner is Yuri with Team Shirato!
Hey there, boy.
Where'd you come from?
So he's yours?
Yeah.
It's odd, though. He usually doesn't like strangers.
That was a hell of a hook, man.
I actually felt bad for Pepe when it landed full on.
When you get in the ring, you either win or lose. There's nothing else to it.
Everyone's equal.
Why don't you use Gear?
Why insist on fighting without it?
At first, it was just a bluff to get my name out there...
But now, it's something else.
Every time I get in the ring, I'm betting my life on my fists.
It's scary as hell, but it's so much fun I can barely stand it.
I wanna have a real match against you, pure and simple.
I get the feeling that, against you, I can go further than I've ever gone before.
What about you? What're you fighting for?
A dream.
Someone believed in me when I was nothing, and brought me this far...
I want to make her dream come true.
That's why I do it.
Team Nowhere
Sweet dreams, huh?
Did you discuss things with your partner?
You bet.
The thought of finally being out from underneath this debt...
Just had to have a celebratory drink, y'know?
You really are a scorpion.
Have you ever heard that story?
The one about a scorpion who wants to cross a river.
But scorpions can't swim.
So the scorpion asks a frog that happens to be by the river
if he'd give him a ride on his back, so he can get across.
The frog asks him: "But you'll sting me, won't you?"
The scorpion responds: "I would never do that."
"Because if you die halfway across, I'll drown."
The frog is convinced, and kindly lets the scorpion onto his back,
and starts to cross the river.
But on the way, the scorpion stings the frog.
As he's losing consciousness, the frog says:
"You told me you wouldn't sting me."
And the scorpion tells him...
"I couldn't help it."
"It's in a scorpion's nature."
Your partner came by last night.
He said to give this to you if you show up.
So, tell me... Who should I be betting on tonight?
Round 10 "The Die Is Cast" The dice have been thrown. You can double your bet if you want.