01x15 - A Storm Descends on Makunouchi Fishing Boat!

[bunniefuu]

Now that Ippo-kun has finally healed up,

we're all going to get together and celebrate his victory over Sawamura.

Yeah!

I've never fished off a boat before!

Me neither. Maybe I'll catch some tuna.

I'll help if you manage to hook a whale!

A whale? Damn!

I'd say they're setting the bar high.

Let's stop here. This is a good place to fish.

What the hell? We aren't that far out to sea!

You think we can catch any whales here?

They'd just sink our boat.

You kidding me? That sucks.

You're able to catch goby, sillago, flounder, flathead, and rockfish around here.

Am I right?

You really know your fishing, Yagi-san!

Now, I didn't come here just to sit around with a pole in hand.

Why don't we spice things up with a contest?

We'll pair up and see who catches the most fish.

The pair that finishes last goes to bed hungry.

Sounds great!

I like what I'm hearing.

Count me in!

Me too!

Now then, time to draw straws.

Count me out, I have stuff to do around here.

And I'm on the clock.

So that means...

these three teams will battle it out.

First, you'll need to lower the
lines all the way to the bottom.

If you're not getting anything, jerk the pole two or three times, then lower the line again.

Oh, look who's the fisherman.

I've gotten really used to this job.

Are we really gonna catch anything?

They'll start biting soon.

Oh yeah!

I guess there are fish out here.

Only a matter of time before we catch something.

Got one!

Ooh! Now that's a big one!

Why won't they come to us?

That's a great catch! I'm impressed!

If you wait, they will come.

Fishing requires patience!

Yeah!

Hmph!

They're on a roll!

Concentrate, Takamura!

Got one!

I got two!

Kid?

Yes, sir?

Can we move to a different spot? We're not having any luck here.

O-Okay, we're moving out.

This is also a good spot.

And what a spot it is!

I can see why!

What is this?

Quit reeling in the strange ones!

A double hit!

Looking at Yagi-chan and Shinoda-kun gives me the crazy feeling...

They look nice and big! We rock!

...that they're super-experienced fishermen!

They didn't rent those rods either! They're completely customized!

They're competing knowing that they'll win?!

Aw! Another double hit!

I thought something was up when he brought out those sticks.

You gotta catch some, old man, or else we're not eating!

You need to do something, too!

Wow, nicely caught, Master Shinoda.

Heaven forefend! This humble soul will never be a Yagi-dono.

You hear what they're saying?

I don't recognize this Yagi-chan!

Still, we can't be on the same boat and not catch anything.

They must have longer poles.

"Longer poles"?

How positively quaint.

Let it go. They are rank amateurs.

This is pretty easy!

We're catching a lot.

Those assholes.

How could those two have any talent besides boxing?

I finally got one!

Yes! You did it, Takamura!

Look at this, you clowns!

It got away!

That's a shame, Takamura-dono!

What did you do, you numbskull!

You catch any fish, dumbass?

Jump in and snag the damn fish!

Y-You just call me a dumbass?

They're now out for blood.

You don't like it, then knock me out, why dontcha?

I knew this would happen.

I'm gonna catch something so big, you'll be sh1tting your pants!

Whales! Come to Daddy!

Watch it!

Don't rock the boat, stupid!

Takamura-san, you need to calm down!

Shut up! Shut up!

This is dangerous!

Guys, grab hold of something!

Please stop, Takamura-san!

C'mere! C'mere!

What the...

I really got one!

I'm a damn natural!

It's big! Be careful!

It ain't getting away!

It's coming up!

Look at those stripes!

I'm gonna land you now!

Wh-What the hell was that?

It looked like Aoki.

You boob! You sent him overboard!

Aoki-san!

And that's how it happened.

I guess we can't laugh it off.

I almost died out there, for crying out loud!

It happened under my watch. I'm ashamed.

And this jackass!

Pretending to be asleep, are you?!

Didn't get much sleep.

I had mosquitoes in my room.

Then smack them out of the air!

You saying your jab got rusty?!

Say that again?

Easy, guys. At least we're here in one piece.

Coach,

can we change the subject to something serious?

Yes.

All right, men,

listen carefully.

I got a bit of news for you.

The WBC middleweight title match!

Takamura will officially be making a run at his second world title.

Oh?

They took their sweet time!

You call that a bit of news? That's incredible, Coach!

That's a big deal!

We're counting on you, Takamura-san!

Sure!

Winning that title will be easier than fishing you out of the water.

I take it back! I hope you get your a*s beat!

Wanna do another catch and release?

Guys, easy!

Aoki! Kimura!

You two need to get down to business!

You mean us?

You two got semi-semifinals on the same day.

Hell, yeah!

Let's kick off his title match with a bang!

Yeah!

Semi-semi?

Then what's the semifinal?

The OPBF title match.

Miyata Ichirou will be fighting that night.

Miyata-kun?

Since we'll be in a large arena, we wanted some big-name matchups.

Listen!

Itagaki, you concentrate on the next round of the rookie tournament!

Kid, you keep focusing on getting back to full strength!

That's all!

Will he ever stop conditioning?!

He's got Ichirou by the ba*ls.

I made the right choice in having him train with Takamura.

He hasn't trained with a better boxer in a long time.

This will light a fire under his a*s.

Do you Kamogawa Gym people... always practice like this?

If I don't hold back on those guys, I'll end up k*lling them.

We're going full throttle in this training camp!

Let's go!

Slow down, you b*stard!

Well, the only one who can keep up with this is that smart aleck Ippo!

You little cheat!

This is good practicing.

Damn. My entire body is aching.

Normally, it'd take a day or three for my body to get used to these things.

So you took up fishing?

Leave me alone!

There's a guy I really need to show up after camp.

Something's biting.

Too bad.

This is harder than I thought.

Who said you can only eat the damn bait!

Maybe fishing isn't for you.

Fine! Then you try!

It's easy.

I just need to do my counter when I see the bobber move.

It looks like you suck at everything except boxing!

It won't get away again!

Something's biting!

All right!

How's that?

Sucks to be you!

I'm not taking that from you!

You want me to k*ll you?!

I thought you were going to dodge that!

People would usually warn a guy first!

Isn't it too early in the day for this crap?

A rod? Never took you for a fisherman.

I need to get back at a guy who made a fool out of me.

Are you talking about Yagi?

Yes, him!

Take it from me, do not challenge Yagi to this.

What?

He and I joined Kamogawa Gym around the same time.

He loves boxing, but unfortunately, he didn't have the talent.

After losing several fights in a row,
he came to me thinking I could help.

Wanna blow off some steam someplace?

Sounds good!

But I live a simple life.

We'll go anywhere, just name it.

Yeah!

I swear his face was a demon mask.

Oh, I know what you're talking about!

Later, Shinoda-kun told me that there's a fishing pond with a "No fishing hooks or Yagis" sign.

"N-No Yagis"?

If he had taken up professional fishing,
he'd be a legendary world champ, no doubt.

That as*h*le!

I'll put an end to that legend!

I tried taking him on a number of times in my younger days. But I always came back defeated.

Shut up!

He took a full blow.

He never used to let his guard down.

We sure ran a lot!

This is normal for me!

This is why your counters are always weak!

"Weak"?

We're sparring when we get back!

Wait! Who's sparring against who?

Ain't it obvious? You versus me!

This is a good opportunity to learn from him.

Any headgear?

No need.

I'm not denying his talents.

But can a heavier boxer keep up with the maximum speed of a lighter boxer?

He's a former world champion, so I don't need to hold back!

Ichirou certainly has the speed.

So what are you going to do, Takamura?

He's that fast? Impossible!

No. He's...

I'm not getting into a slugfest in this corner!

I'm throwing a punch and getting away!

A counter!

No way! He cleared it with one hand!

Weak.

Weak... Weak... Weak!

So what do you think?

I feel bad. And he pulled his punches to avoid k*lling me.

I never thought someone heavier than me would be faster than me.

That guy is a freak.

Nope, he's not faster than you.

In fact, you're several times faster than him.

But he really knows how to use all 36 square meters of a ring.

His moves cover the shortest amount of distance possible, making him appear faster than he really is.

It's a high-level technique. Hope you learned a lesson.

A lesson, huh?

What's up?

Are my counters really weak?

They are.

Don't think I swatted you off because I'm out of your weight class.

All world-class boxers are capable of doing that.

But I put my full weight into it.

Whenever you throw those counters, you leave your body wide open.

Then you become off balance, which diffuses your strength.

But I'll give you credit for giving it all you got.

Off balance?

My punches pack power.

Fine.

Punch me.

I'm retempering your rusty blade!

Come on! Hit me already!

Rusty blade?

I'm pushing, but he's still not moving!

Right there!

Tuck in your elbow!

Now push.

There you go! See the difference?

If you raise your left elbow, it pulls your chest muscles.

It makes it easier to punch, but your right hand also goes out to the side, which dissipates your strength.

But if you tuck in your left arm, it stretches your back muscles.

Which leads to...

I see.

It's a straight-line punch that will leave a dent.

It's a compact form, but it'll increase your power and control twofold.

So I was just wasting strength with my obsession with counters.

One more thing.

You need a stable lower body to maintain that form.

You were wobbly from your hips all the way down.

You left Kamogawa Gym so you could find your own way to the top.

You were always practicing alone, too.

You may have seen a lot of things,
but it also blinds you to a lot more.

Don't take pride in the fact that you
train more than lower-ranked boxers.

Where do you want to go?

What are you aiming for?

You won't survive long on the global stage just by giving it all you got.

But you still need to run!

Run, even if you're all by yourself!

He knew my weakness? So that's why he made me run that much?

Did you set up this camp for my sake?

Don't get the wrong idea.

You're such a shitty boxer, I couldn't bear to watch anymore.

Even if you did turn your back on us,
you'll always be one of my dear underlings.

I joined Kamogawa Gym before he did, so this domineering attitude is hard to swallow.

Still...

Anyway, you have my thanks.

I need to thank you.

I'm guessing you know what I know, Pops.

He's going to have some tough fights ahead of him,

and his counters have gotten rusty.

Yes, I was fully aware of that.

But your helpful advice has changed Ichirou for the better.

For now, he's gotten rid of the rust,

and now his counters are as honed as a Japanese blade.

Allow me to ask: Why did you school him?

Counters are the Dempsey Roll's archenemy.

Why would you divulge something that will undercut Makunouchi?

Because it'll be a hoot!

A hoot?

If they're gonna fight, I might as well up the entertainment value.

They're both my underlings, you know.

There will be no favorites in that fight. I don't care who wins.

But I'm not gonna watch two chumps duke it out.

Those two better improve as boxers.

The fight better be as epic as possible!

That's the only reason you did that?

Yeah!

The biggest fight on the biggest stage between the best fighters.

Don't you wanna see that, Pops?

Guess I do.

Oh, got one.

You lucky sonuvabitch!

Takamura-san, welcome back!

How was camp?

It ain't nothing special. I was just there for basic conditioning.

Right.

Yeah, I guess this isn't the right time for any dramatic changes.

What is it?

Something did change!

It had to change!

I'll show you the fruits of my training!

Training?

You're challenging me? To what?

I heard there's a fishing pond with a "No Yagis" sign.

I'm going to bury you on your home turf!

Well, I'm sure they removed the ban a long time ago.

But we have matches coming up...

Go ahead.

However, that will be your last bit of fun.

Once you're done, you're focusing on that second world title.

Glad to see you're on board.

I know how you feel.

Get ‘im.

Yeah.

Yagi-san, n-now look...

Don't worry. I know he has an important match coming up.

I'll throw him a bone...

Mm-hmm, so he can fight in high spirits.

Let's go, Yagi-chan!

We shall battle, Takamura-dono!

"D-Dono"?