All that's left is for Yuri to christen this deal with a win.
Yes.
I promise you an overwhelming victory.
Congratulations, Owner.
We've finally come this far.
It's all thanks to you, Yuri.
But the real fight is only beginning.
Once people sincerely believe in the infinite potential of Gear,
Shirato's technology will become a beacon of hope for the future.
And you'll be the one who proves that to them, Yuri.
Come, let's have a toast.
To the start of our new dream.
I'm going to have the Gear removed so I can fight without it in the finals.
I want to fight him,
fight Joe, on even footing.
Remove... your Gear?
Do you realize how incredibly dangerous that is?
Yes.
It's what I want personally, not as Shirato's representative boxer.
I can't keep lying to myself.
I absolutely will not allow this.
If you won't listen to reason,
then I can have the finals canceled!
No!
Joe... he risked his life to fight his way to me.
It has to be in the ring at Megalonia.
I won't be coming back to this office.
I just wanted to let you know.
What about our dream?
From now on, it's your dream.
Ease off a little, Joe.
You've been going non-stop since the morning.
Not yet.
I still need to do more.
Is what happened to Pops bothering you?
It's not that.
I finally get to fight Yuri.
You seriously expect me not to get pumped up?
Good to see you haven't changed, Joe.
You two... Why...?
I called them over.
Joe, knowing you, if someone doesn't stop you,
you're gonna punch the bag until you wear a hole in it.
So I asked Mr. Miyagi here if we could borrow Aragaki.
He's gonna be your sparring partner.
Or do you think I'm not up to it?
Well, you're bound to put up more of a fight than a punching bag.
Let's get started!
Go, Joe!
Are your legs gonna be okay?
Yeah. Don't worry about it.
Good to hear.
I've always regretted not knocking you out, y'know.
I feel the same way.
Hey, stay cool in there!
Don't forget, this is just sparring!
That Joe...
He's so happy to throw down with someone, he gets beside himself.
Aragaki's the same way.
He doesn't regret retiring,
but when you rang us up, he couldn't hide how happy he was.
I appreciate this, Mr. Miyagi.
I should be thanking you.
We get to help you fight the champion.
Can you believe it?
Team Nowhere
Only three months ago,
the kid and I were throwing matches in an underground ring.
And now... he's gonna be fighting the damn champion in the Megalonia finals.
Just goes to show, there's no telling how tomorrow might turn out.
You all paid plenty to get to where you are.
Joe, Aragaki...
and you, from the look of things.
Losing an eye was a steal, considering.
I got to meet the real deal.
We can't let it end until we take this as far as we can.
It's that simple.
That was fast.
When I found this place, it was in ruins.
But now it's finally looking habitable.
Not much to it, but that's probably what I need right now.
You've changed, Mikio.
I'm just getting back to my roots.
About what I asked for...
It's down here.
This is the bare minimum of what we'd need.
Let's get started right away.
Are you really sure about this?
The integrated Gear is a part of your body now.
There's no guarantee that it can be removed safely.
Worried that you might fail?
Not at all. I lost to Joe.
I fought with Gear, and still lost.
But you haven't.
Do you really need to go through with this?
You bet everything on developing Ace so that you could fight me.
I'm going to take this off so I can fight Joe.
It's the same thing.
How about you teach me, then?
Not just two guys beating on each other.
Show me what real Megalo Boxing is like.
As if a stray dog would ever understand.
Yuri!
Yuri—
The surgery went well.
His life isn't in any danger.
I know I'd ended my relationship with Shirato...
but I still figured you should know.
You look like you want to ask me why I didn't stop him.
You wanted Megalonia to demonstrate the performance of the integrated Gear,
and get the contract you wanted, under the terms you wanted.
Isn't that right?
Yuri did his job.
Why not let him do what he wants, now?
He's denying me.
He's turned his back on Gear... on the future.
All because of some ridiculous envy.
I'm going to cancel the finals.
The battle to determine the greatest Megalo Boxer...
between two boxers with no Gear? It's utter nonsense.
Once the anesthesia wears off, he's going to go through hell.
It's your call to make, Yukiko.
But wasn't there more to it?
Didn't you see any more value in Megalo Box?
His ring name at the time was "Junk Dog."
Prior to the last three months, he fought in an illegal fighting arena
located in the unauthorized zones, for the sake of gambling.
It seems he was throwing matches while partnered with Nanbu Gansaku.
He brought up things in our past that we can't let see the light of day.
The ID is counterfeit.
The name "Joe" is an alias.
We know nothing about his actual identity.
The only thing clear about him is that he has no legitimate ID,
making him an illegal citizen.
He's a sham boxer, with no right to partake in sanctioned matches.
Still...
He defeated my brother.
And Burroughs...
Along with Aragaki.
"Gearless" Joe... he's the real deal.
These findings are enough justification to cancel the finals.
There'd be no adverse effect on the contract.
I don't know what to do.
Why would they go to such lengths...
simply to beat on each other?
President?
I need time to consider this.
Keep all of this confidential in the meantime.
But...
That was a hell of a fight!
A little rough around the edges, but you've got a knack for it.
H-Hey!
Come on, hold up...
Hey, bro! C'mon, bro.
Shut up, man. Pretty sure I don't have any brothers like you.
What's your name, pal?
Don't got one.
Now buzz off, pops.
Now, hang on a sec!
I know a way to make better cash!
Why don't you let me take care of you?
Joe!
That's not good enough. You're not stepping in right.
How can you tell?
You can't see...
The sound.
If his punches were sharp,
they wouldn't sound like a cow cutting the cheese.
I keep telling you, you gotta distribute your weight evenly!
If you think you can slack off just because I can't see you, I'm gonna beat your ass!
How was that, Pops?
Not bad at all.
See here?
This is quite a team you have.
Yeah, it really is.
And he's amazing.
He might actually be able to beat Yuri.
Maybe he's been taking care of me all along.
Who?
He's been like this for five days.
Isn't there anything we can do for him?
But... if we don't do something...
This will make the pain go away.
But...
He told me, "If I let the pain get to me, then I don't deserve to fight him."
He turned me down when I brought it up.
But maybe you can convince him otherwise, Yukiko.
Let's go home, Yuri.
You can't fight in this condition.
We'll re-attach your Gear, and you can stand proud again.
You're Shirato's...
You're my future.
I dreamed of the old days...
Long before I met you.
The man who taught me Megalo Boxing told me something...
"If you're lucky enough to run into a fighter in your generation
who you want to win against, from the bottom of your heart,
consider yourself blessed."
"If you ever find someone like that,
never let him out of your sight."
I've finally met the opponent he was talking about.
Yukiko...
you gave me a reason to live.
Please... don't take it away now.
He's in great shape.
I doubt there's a fighter who can take his right and continue standing.
Yuri!
Sorry to interrupt your training.
It's all right, Mr. President.
I wanted to introduce you to my granddaughter, Yukiko.
It's nice to meet you.
My hands are a bit sweaty, so...
The two of you are the future of Shirato.
I guess we both underestimated him.
Yukiko?
I have no business with a gearless boxer.
Just like you...
He's no longer a member of Shirato.
Goodbye, Brother.
Yahoo!
You sure you don't need to train?
I'm gonna be fighting Yuri.
A bunch of last-minute squirming isn't gonna get me anywhere.
You should hop in here, Sachio.
Nah, I'm fine...
You can't swim, huh?
Yeah, I can!
Damn it, just you watch.
I heard you looked after my pal here.
I never got the chance to thank you.
He dropped this.
Huh?!
It's gone! I don't have it!
Knowing you, you looked into it, didn't you?
Yes.
I know exactly who you are now.
And?
And nothing.
This belongs to you, Joe.
You sure?
I'm gonna beat your champion, y'know.
Yuri has had his Gear removed.
Yuri did what?!
It was to fight you... to fight against "Gearless" Joe.
One's a beast, an animal, living day-to-day
They cast him out, but he's still hunting down his prey
An underdog who never really had a name
Naked and scarred, but still a player in the game
He's coming up against the mighty king of beasts
A chosen one, turning all comers into feasts
Got silver hair, flashing under moonlight
Retire undefeated? They say he just might
A pair of souls caught up in the same undertow
Now they're chained together, howling in the shadow
A type of envy, not something they'd wanna admit
Only way to deal with it is for both dogs to jump in the pit
Ah, he who has and he who has not
A man rising up to try and take another's spot
Ah, the pretender and the crown
Fake or real? Which one is going down?
Ah, two animals going wild out there
Freedom and soul, the only things they share
Ah, this is where they wanna be
A pair of predators, about to be set free
Round 12 "Leap Over the Edge of Death" If you're going to leave your album behind at the water's edge, then you don't want to cross this particular river