Haru...
That was a great swim.
It wasn't anything special.
Isn't that guy...
Yes, it's Albert Wåhlander.
The Swedish swimmer who holds the
world record in the 100m and 200m freestyle.
Uh, you're...
You're Tachibana Makoto-san, right?
I'm the captain of the Hidaka University High School swim team, Mikoshiba Isuzu!
You know my older brother!
Your older...
Wait, you're Mikoshiba-senpai's sister?
Yeah!
I had no idea...
Did you see the race?
What'd you think of Haru?
He didn't seem to be in bad form.
Albert, though... He's been called the Odin of the swimming world.
That's the god of battle and death in Norse mythology, right?
Right.
The rumors say that anyone
who swims with him feels their mind being torn apart.
Would all those who are not participants or staff please clear the venue?
Closed practice is about to begin.
Haru...
Episode 10: The Grab Start of Hope!
Hey.
Good to see you, Rin.
Hey, Sousuke.
It's been a while, huh?
Yeah. When did you get in from Sydney?
Uh... A little while ago.
I'm here for the All-Japan Invitational.
The All-Japan, huh?
Oh, yeah. I got you a souvenir, too.
Uh...
You have a scary-looking face, so I thought it'd soften your image a little.
Very funny.
Shut up. I had the right idea, didn't I?
Oh, I stopped by Samezuka, too.
Seems like Ai and Momo made it into the regionals.
Oh, good. Those guys worked hard.
Oh, and apparently my coach, Mikhail, is a relative of Ai's.
For real?
Yeah. Small world, right?
Sure is.
So anyway, Sousuke...
I mean...
Um, so...
You want to ask how my surgery went, right?
Y-Yeah.
A success.
The surgery was a success.
Good.
That's what I wanted to hear.
You crying?
Like hell I am!
I feel like I'm finally standing at the starting line.
Keep taking on the world until I get moving.
Don't get smart with me.
I don't have time to wait around.
I've gotta keep moving ahead, even beyond the horizon.
Another poem?
It's fitting enough right now, isn't it?
Haru
How's the camp? Wasn't it hot today? You okay?
No reply...
What? Is he ignoring you?
He lost his race at the friendly match, so he might be depressed...
Oh, yeah...
He must be at the stage of trying to accept that he lost.
How's the camp? Wasn't it hot today? You okay?
Once you finish ten laps, take a break.
Misaki-kun, how are you feeling?
I'm fine now.
Thanks for your help last time.
No, I'm sorry I didn't notice it sooner.
But don't push yourself too hard again, okay?
Right!
Makoto.
Oh, Nao-senpai.
I heard something from a friend that bothered me a little.
It's about Haruka.
About the friendly match at his training camp?
Yeah.
I didn't get there in time to see all of his race.
I only saw Haru come in second to that Albert Wåhlander guy.
I see...
I haven't been able to get in touch with Haru since.
I heard the athletes at
the camp are on their way to a training facility on higher ground...
But I'm worried Haru might be dwelling on his loss.
I can't help wondering if there's anything I can do for him...
You might be cut out
for a job that puts you close to swimmers so you can help them out.
Huh?
Like a trainer, maybe.
You mean...
Yeah. Helping them with stretches and massage so they don't get hurt,
offering mental support, things like that.
I'm actually studying some of that stuff now,
thanks to that friend I mentioned before.
Really?
After what happened with my eye,
I decided to go into sports medicine.
There's more than one way to be involved in swimming.
I'm sure there's something that'll make use of your best talents, too.
Um—
Coach Tachibana?
Do you have a second?
Well, I'd better go.
Misaki-kun, your competition's coming up, right?
Good luck.
Thanks, Coach Serizawa!
What's up, Misaki-kun?
Well, I just can't get my turns right.
I think you're kicking a little too soon after pushing off the wall.
Want to give it a try now? I'll watch.
Okay.
Natsume's turns are really smooth...
Natsume-kun is the one who moved away, right? Your rival?
Yeah.
So I'm gonna work hard, too.
He's gonna be so surprised!
See ya, Coach Tachibana!
There's always going to be a winner and a loser, in any sport.
Someone has to win, and someone has to lose.
But until the moment when the winner and loser are determined,
all the athletes fight with everything they've got.
Nagisa
Talking
What's up, Nagisa?
Doing okay, Mako-chan?
Yep.
I have good news!
Rei-chan's going to the nationals!
In the 100m butterfly!
Wow, that's awesome! Congratulations!
Congrats on Making It to Nationals Rei-senpai and Nagisa-senpai!!
After three years of toil,
I have at last begun to walk the path toward becoming a butterfly champion!
Isn't three years actually not that long?
Getting to the nationals in just that much time is amazing.
Maybe Rei-senpai is possessed by something...
That's right. The butterfly ghost has possessed me...
Seriously though, just commend me on my efforts, you guys!
I'll be there, too. For the 100m breaststroke!
That's great! Congratulations! I'll come cheer you on!
And Samezuka's having Ai-chan and Momo-chan there for the medley.
Ai-chan will be in the 100m breaststroke, too.
Oh, so you'll be up against Nitori-kun, huh?
Hey, Makoto-senpai! Onii-chan's in Tokyo right now!
Rin's here?
Yeah! You should meet up with him if you have time!
I will. Thanks.
See you soon.
Rin-chan's in Tokyo now?
He said he wanted to see Sousuke-kun.
I see.
We'll get to see them all too, right?
Haru-chan, Mako-chan, Rin-chan, Sou-chan, and Iku-chan.
I wonder if we'll see Asa-chan, too.
It's hard to tell who you're talking about when you call them all "chan" like that...
Huh? What should I use, then?
Like, "sama" or "dono"?
Haruka-sama...
Like he's a prince?
Makoto-dono...
Sounds like someone in a period drama.
We could just name them for their muscles!
Like "Beautiful Killer Muscle Cool," BKC Nanase...
And "Nice Killer Muscle Lovely," NKL Tachibana!
Those are really hard to say.
Really? But "Perfect Killer Muscle Handsome" was a big hit.
With who?
My grandpa.
The way they swim is said to resemble a dog sniffing the ground as it walks.
That's why it's known in Japan as a "dog shark," this says.
Aw. It's actually kinda cute.
I've been dying to show it to you!
You're just as weird as ever, I see.
You and Haru both.
You haven't changed, either.
You seem a little stronger now, though.
Yeah. Studying abroad made a difference.
I heard you saw Sousuke?
Yeah.
He said his surgery was a success.
Really? That's great news.
Oh, by the way, I met a guy named Kirishima Natsuya in Sydney.
He's been roaming all over the world entering races.
Nao-senpai told me a little about that.
Natsuya-senpai's amazing, isn't he?
He was worried that his little brother wasn't doing so well.
Oh, Ikuya bounced back after swimming in an IM with Haru.
Haru swam an IM?!
Yeah. He's not sure if he'll ever do it again, though.
I guess free is still the only way to go for him, huh?
So what's going on with Haru now?
I haven't been able to get in touch since I got to Japan.
Well...
Did something happen?
He was in a friendly race at his training camp,
and a Swedish swimmer named Albert Wåhlander beat him.
You should be careful of him.
His swimming is...
not of this world.
Haru swam with him?
Let's go, Makoto.
Where?
To see Haru!
What? Right now?
Sheesh.
You're only focusing on swimming long distances.
You need to balance it with sprint practice, too.
All right. Let's practice sprints next, Coach.
You're the one who got yourself into that race and lost!
Don't get all pissy with me!
You lost because you took on a
world record swimmer before your body reached peak form.
I won't lose next time.
Were you always this competitive?
I'll swim more after a quick break.
If there's anything you want to teach me, do it now.
Are you familiar with the term "shuhari"?
Shuhari?
It's used in Japanese disciplines such as martial arts and tea ceremonies.
First is "shu," upholding the fundamentals.
Next is "ha," breaking tradition.
Finally, there's "ri," transcending.
Your freestyle is going in reverse order.
You broke tradition first.
You need to start over from the basics.
Enough.
The hell is with that attitude?!
Haru...
Hey, looks like he's still working his butt off.
Hey.
Hello.
You're a long way from school.
Who's this?
I'm Matsuoka Rin.
Oh...
Freestyle swimmer, right? What brings you here?
I came back here from Sydney,
where I'm studying abroad, for the All-Japan Invitational.
Sydney?
There should be a swimmer named Mikhail there. You know him?
He's my coach.
Is that right?
So the kid I'm coaching
and the kid he's coaching will be facing off, huh?
Seems like fate.
Azuma-san, you're officially coaching Haru now?
Yeah, but he doesn't listen to a thing I say.
Yo, Nanase! Come on out for today!
This was Mikhail's rival when he was still competing,
the guy Gou called "Perfect Killer Muscle Handsome" Azuma...
Listen to me. You need to start over from the basics.
What good would going backwards do now?
I've told you over and over again to go back to fundamental training!
Haru.
Makoto? What are you doing here?
I couldn't get in touch with you, so I thought something happened.
Sorry. I haven't looked at my phone in two weeks.
I see.
You had me worried.
Oh, as for what Azuma-san said...
When you fillet a mackerel, you always sharpen the knife first, right?
What the heck are you—
Yeah. You can't cut a mackerel cleanly otherwise.
Which means if you want to eat good mackerel,
it's important to sharpen yourself first, too.
I think that's what Coach Azuma means.
Start from the beginning.
Okay, listen. As I've said over and over,
competitive swimming is all about technique.
That's the idea. You get it?
Yeah. I'll keep it in mind.
All that time wasted...
Done talking, Haru?
Rin!
Been a while, huh?
Since that surprise party?
Yeah.
You got pretty heated up in there.
I guess.
What's so funny?
I mean, it's been so long since I saw you get like that.
It was a feeling I'd never felt before.
The water was being taken from me, stirred up...
I was swimming, but it didn't feel like I was swimming.
He must've been pretty incredible, to make you talk like that.
I'm getting excited now.
You haven't changed, Rin.
I change every day.
Even my time is different every time I swim.
If there's anything that hasn't changed,
Haru...
It's that I still want to swim with you.
I'm looking forward to facing you in the freestyle.
Yeah.
Haru and Rin are aiming for the global level.
And, what can I do?
Hey.
You're pretty good, you know that?
Huh?
I mean you're good at getting into an athlete's head.
I've known Haru for a long time, that's all.
Even then, it's harder to do than you'd think.
The better the athlete, the more stubborn and egotistical they are.
Um, can I ask you something?
Why are you coaching Haru?
I thought a guy who's as comfortable in the water as he is seemed interesting.
When I was still competing, I won all the races that I was mentally into,
but when I wasn't into it, I failed every time.
I realized I'd hit my limit and retired as an athlete.
But I couldn't stop thinking about swimming.
I kept looking for something I could do other than competing.
Then I decided that I wanted to help train up swimmers who had the potential
to reach a level that I never could.
I traveled overseas and observed a lot of swimmers,
but none stood out to me.
And then, I found him.
He's obsessed with freestyle and says it's all he'll do.
He's like a joke, honestly.
But that kind of obsession is what a top-rate athlete needs.
That's what I was lacking. My focus was all over the place.
I felt like I'd found a real treasure in him.
I believe
he can reach a level that I never could, one day.
Don't tell him that.
Makoto?
Oh... Haru, Rin.
Haru, you really found yourself a great coach.
Something you can do other than competing, huh?
Sports Center
Tokyo East Junior Elementary School Grade-by-Grade Short-Course Swim Meet
Boys' Locker Room
Misaki-kun, are you ready?
Y-Yes!
Misaki-kun,
got a minute?
Relax a little more.
Okay...
Thinking about swimming with him again just made me tense up.
It's nice to have someone who makes you feel that way.
Huh?
I've seen lots of relationships like that.
One side takes the rivalry seriously and becomes obsessed with taking on the other.
Or they get separated from someone they thought they'd swim with forever,
and when they reunite, their intense feelings end up clashing.
But every time, they were set free when they finally swam together.
I'm sure swimming with Natsume-kun again
will open your eyes, too.
Treasure your bond with him, okay?
You have this chance to see him again because you stuck with swimming.
Enjoy swimming with that kind of rival to the fullest.
So that's Natsume-kun?
Take your marks.
Go!
Misaki-kun!
This feeling...
It's just like back then.
Go!
Misaki-kun!
Last stretch!
Natsume Kaoru Kuramoto Misaki
Natsume.
Congratulations.
Thanks! You swam really well, too!
I'm glad we got to swim together again!
Me, too!
Coach!
Good job, Misaki-kun.
Too bad you lost, but your time was a new personal best!
Yeah!
I think I was able to try my hardest because I was swimming with Natsume again.
And also...
thanks to you, Coach Tachibana!
Thanks, Coach Tachibana and Coach Serizawa!
Nao-senpai...
Could you tell me more about what you mentioned before, about being a trainer?
Makoto...
I want to be someone who supports swimmers that take on the world.
Not just Haru.
I want to help swimmers who compete at the global level!
Shinkansen Platform (Central Gate)
Well, let's get on board.
It's finally time!
Tokyo
Guys, our train departs in one minute! We have to hurry!
What?! I wanted to buy a station bento...
There's no time!
Hurry up, everyone!
Tokyo
We're heading for Tokyo, too!
And this is our last summer as high school students!
Next time: "Streamline of Unity!"
Episode 11: "Streamline of Unity!"
All we can do is our very best!