01x04 - Movement Towards the World

[bunniefuu]

I've been fighting to get it all for awhile

Running towards my dream at mach 50

Whirling winds tear through the sky

and I promise to become better than I was yesterday

The blue sky got twisted up with dark clouds

The wind that I waited for pressed onto my shoulder

and in my hand I grasped onto

The flash from a thunderbolt out of the blue

When I stopped running after so long

and opened these fists that have been thrown so often

Inside of them were traces

of the first step I'd taken to make it here

Tomorrow will take care of itself

Tears will come as the winds continue until morning

And to us as we grew it was like

A thunderbolt out of the blue

It's over!

This is it!

This is the last bit of strength I have saved...

with everything I have behind it!

Go!

It was stopped!

Here comes the Bloody Cross!

No! He can't dodge it!

Is it all over!?

He's pushing it back!?

It's not just his arm strength.

His entire body... is behind it!

He's...

He's down!

Round 4: Towards the World

He's down!

A devastating attack!

The prince's blade has been revived and
skewers the champion into the mat!

Get to a neutral corner!

Well done!

Now steady your breathing!

Wait in the corner and try to relax!

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FOUR
Forget about breathing.

Forget about breathing.

I can't even raise my arms anymore.

My legs won't move either.

I can't keep fighting like this,

so please don't get up!

The champion doesn't move!

FIVE
The champion doesn't move!

The champion doesn't move!

Is he down for the count?

SIX
Is he down for the count?

SIX
Don't get up, just stay down!

Don't get up, just stay down!

Please, stay down!

I can't stop shaking.

That was an amazing attack.

A cross counter with his entire body weight behind it,

If he had made even the slightest mistake,
he would have been seriously hurt.

And he threw it without any hesitation.

You couldn't do that with ordinary
determination and decisiveness.

It's a punch you risk your soul on!

Good work.

You really did good throwing a Jolt Counter!

The Jolt, thrown with your entire body,

is the only punch that could overcome the Bloody Cross!

That was a punch with Ichiro's
entire body and soul behind it!

He won't be able to get up!

SEVEN

Whoa, the champion sits up!

EIGHT
Whoa, the champion sits up!

EIGHT
Will he be able to stand!?

Will he be able to stand!?

-Impossible!

Not after taking a Jolt Counter!

That was all I had!

My strongest attack!

He can't get up!

There's noway he can get up!

H-He's up!

The challenger's jaw drops in shock!

Now, will the champion be
able to take his fighting pose!?

Whoa!

The champion...

falls to the canvas like a puppet with its strings cut!

The match is over!

The championship changes hands!

Round 4, 1 minute and 34 seconds!

The embers of a comeback ignite with a cross counter!

The embers of a comeback ignite with a cross counter!
All right!

Geez...

talk about a close call

A new OPBF champion is crowned!

His name is Miyata Ichiro!

What an embarrassment!

After all that talk, this is what happens!?

All that work for nothing!

You can watch your own back from now on.

Ichiro!

Ichiro-kun!

Ichiro!

How was it?

Were you watching, Dad?

I saw it, all right.

You were splendid.

Ichiro-kun!

Your belt!

Come on!

Okay, let me off your shoulder.

The champion has to look the part.

Now the new champion is having his belt put on!

He may be called a genius, but his
champion road was still a harsh one!

He took the long road, but he's finally gained the title!

After being hit so much and beaten up so badly...

it's nothing to be proud of, but...

there's areal meaning to this belt.

A meaning to this victory.

I can...

hold my head up now!

He ends it with a guts pose.

It's really like he stepped out of a painting.

He usually doesn't show his emotions, but...

that just means it was that much of a hard-won victory.

Stop being mesmerized!

B-But he's so cool!

How about it, Japanese Champ?

How does it feel to have your rival pass you?

He's not my rival or anything.

I'll be back... when that gap is filled.

More than closing the gap,

he's suddenly gone way past me.

That's right.

I've always thought of Miyata-kun
as being in the distance, as my goal.

That's taken a clear shape today.

The OPBF title!

Looks like he's finally getting motivated.

Now I can face you with pride.

Bring it on whenever you're ready,

Makunouchi Ippo!

That was a brilliant counter at the end!

Any impressions from having won the title match?

What's your next goal?

Stop crowding him!

The match just ended, so he's tired.

You can schedule interviews later through the gym!

No further comment!

Can I mention one thing?

Fujii-san?

Arnie's manager, Mr. Sakaguchi,

left alone.

All by himself?

He spat something about Arnie's
commercial value having dried up.

So he's abandoning him.

Still, that's a hell of a way to show your true colors.

Well, he was a shady customer to begin with.

How...

How were you able to withstand all that?

I know for a fact that my punches aren't light.

What was holding you up, after
you took that much of a beating?

I'm on the verge of losing my confidence.

I can't go home like this.



I'm not sure if it'll satisfy you, but...

I was just being stubborn.

Stubborn?

You were able to withstand all
that just by being stubborn?

Then you've got to be the most stubborn man alive!

Maybe so.

That answer is so simple and
obvious that it makes sense.

When I get back home, I'll be sure to tell
them how stubborn the Japanese can be.

And be careful, Ichiro Miyata.

Mr. Sakaguchi will probably keep
sending fighters after you for payback.

They'll all be tough.

I won't lose.

I'm not giving up the belt I got from you.

No matter who comes after it!

Goodbye, Champ.

Goodbye.

It took a long time to get here.

But now I'm in a position comparable to him.

I'll prepare myself to fight,

and until the day we face each other again,

I won't hand over the title to anyone.

I'm going to face the best in Japan

as the Oriental Pacific Region champion!

Miyata was damn impressive!

Being able to make a huge comeback after all that!

That counter really gave me chills!

Seeing it in person was really moving!

It like, really gets the blood rushing to your muscles!

Seeing something like that gets you pumped all right!

It's hard to sit still!

Guys without matches need to settle the hell down.

Takamura-san?

Because I'm up next!

The boxing world is at its boiling point.

Makunouchi Ippo defends his title for
the first time in an incredible match.

Miyata Ichiro takes the Oriental Pacific Region Title.

And...

Still undefeated on the world stage,

after a 10 round Jr. Middleweight Match...

resulting in a third round victory against
the #2 ranked fighter in the world...

Takamura Mamoru becomes a
serious contender for the world title.

The Japanese boxing world is
getting more exciting all the time.

And there's even more heat in the forecast for the future.

Chief among them...

The WBA World Featherweight Title Match.

The champion, Ricardo Martinez vs. Date Eiji.

The leader of the modern Japanese boxing
scene is finally fighting for the world title.

Wow!

Date-san's match was finalized!

How about it, Ippo-kun?

Any comment on the only man to beat
you going into a world title match?

I'm sure Date-san will win no matter who he fights!

I mean, he's so strong!

Your fists are light.

My fists are... light?

I don't want to sound conceited, but...

In these ten matches...

my opponents weren't so weak that I
could beat them with light punches.

The meaning of "light"” and "heavy" is different.

The meaning?

There's a lot of baggage that
comes with the title of champion.

The guys counting on you... the ones
who've entrusted you with their dreams...

The guys who are coming after you...

All their wishes

get burnt into your fists.

Their wishes?

The champion's fists,

without exception, have that kind of weight to them.

And out of all of 'em, the old man's fists are heavy as hell,

And now, as part of the Champion Carnival,

we will begin the 10 round Japanese
Featherweight Title Match!

In the red corner, from Nakadai Gym,

weighing 125 and 1/4 pounds.

The Japanese Featherweight Champion,

Date Eiji!

In the blue corner, from Kamogawa Gym,

weighing 124 and 1/2 pounds.

The #1 ranked Japanese Featherweight,

Makunouchi Ippo!

And now, one of the most anticipated
cards of the Champion Carnival begins,

the Japanese Featherweight Title Match!

Who is the strongest among Japan's Featherweights,

Date or Makunouchif?

Aright!

Date's head is blasted backwards!

I didn't feel...

any feedback.

H-He's twisting his neck...

to k*ll the impact of the punch!

A left from the champion!

The champion's Heartbreak Shot!

The challenger is wide open!

It's over!

Stop!

T-The match has ended!

The Japanese Featherweight Title Match
has ended in the champion, Date Eiji's favor!

He took the throne and still defends it at the age of 30!

There's no competition for him nationally!

Is the world title now in his sight!?

It'll be fine!

He'll win!

Date-san will definitely win!

Can you say that knowing who his opponent is?

WBA World Featherweight Champion,

Ricardo Martinez.



Undefeated!?

What's with his record?

It's perfect!

He's a big Mexican hero.

Even the guys who don't know the president's
name over there know who Ricardo is.

And Date-san happens to
be among those 62 casualties.

That's right.

Date-san lost to this champion once.

Even though it's Date-san, I'm still pretty worried.

I mean, he's a super champion who's
defended the world title 17 times.

"He'll win!"

"Date-san will definitely win!"

Not gonna say that again?

W-Well, I want to.

Date-san is really strong,

so I can't imagine him losing, but...

But you can't imagine the
champion losing either, right?

Yes.

The world titles that Japan
acknowledges are the WBC and WBA.

If he avoided Ricardo and went after
the WBC, his chances might be better,

but old man Date purposely went after the WBA
champion that he'd already lost to once before.

No,

it might be more accurate to say
he's been chasing after Ricardo

ever since he lost to him seven years ago.

Chasing after him?

After all, Date-san is already 30.

Given his age, this is probably his last chance.

That's pretty damn cool.

Going after the only guy to give you a black mark.

That's true,

and it's just like Date-san to do that.

He might seem to be at a disadvantage
when you think about it.

But this is how I see it.

The old man thinks he can win.

He does?

Since his match with you, he's gotten even stronger.

He's been building his skills and
strengthening his confidence.

That's why he was willing to slam
down a challenge against Ricardo.

Y-You're right!

He wouldn't have challenged him
if he didn't think he could win!

If Date-san wins, he'll be...

the world champion!

T-This is incredible!

It's amazing, right!?

The person who beat me will be the world champion!

The person who beat me!

That's a weird thing to be proud of.

Well, being world champion is considered
the strongest man in the world, right?

The strongest man in the world...



I can't even imagine it!

How about finding out firsthand?

Coach...

What do you mean by that?

The strongest man in the world, Ricardo
Martinez, will be arriving in Japan soon.

And...

he's requested a sparring partner.



He's requested the Japanese Featherweight Champion.

Oh,

the Japanese Champion.

W-Wait, me?

I'm going to fight the World Champion!?

I know you don't stand a chance.

I don't even expect you to
put on a good showing, but...

it'd be good for you to see what the
world class fighters are like firsthand.

How about it?

Are you up for it?

Me...

against the World Champion.

Me...

I'll do it!

I want to do it!

I'll tell them you agreed then.

Please do!

I might be able to...

find out a habit the champion has,

or something else that might help Date-san.

But more than that, I want to see...

how I would do against him with my current strength...

if I fight him seriously!

Some night

I can't remember why

We stayed up 'til 4 AM ['til 4 AM]

We talked about nothing
important and then made love

The person can't be close her eyes

The person can't be close your eyes

And now while she calls my name inside her dream

Kisses me so I'll fall asleep

Don't I wish that we could stay right there?

Yeah, yeah, yeah...

You shut the alarm to work to sleep that day

I'd do anything if I could make
this time rewind forever

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