Fighter's Brew – S3: E5 (Audio + Transcript) (Patreon)

• Fighter's Brew

[Note: Read the manga images from right to left.]

Meguru and the other Fighter's Brew members are off to Kamaishi to aid in the repair effort following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Katsuma organized the visit.

Inside the bus:

"Before we arrive," Katsuma tells the volunteers, "I'd like to remind everyone to please consider the needs of the relief effort before your own."

At Kamaishi, Katsuma gives everyone different tasks. Meguru and Kaoru are in charge of signs.

Maki's frustration boils over as she grabs Maria by the collar. "Why the hell are those two in charge of painting the signs?!" she exclaims.

"Because they're both artists?" Maria shrugs.

During a break, Meguru notices Takashi playing with the local children. He approaches him, but his attempt at reconnecting with Takashi is met with his abrupt departure.

The next day, they have the grappling scrimmage. Takashi is up against a local standout wrestler.

Takashi matches him strength for strength and even takes him down. Takashi wins with a rear strangle.

Meguru is matched with Genta Umezawa, another Shooto National qualifier.

Once in the clinch, Genta sweeps Meguru to the mat. Genta is momentarily on top but Meguru kicks him off. Meguru shoots for a tackle, but Genta traps his arm and flattens him out to take top position.

Meguru transitions to guard and sits up, and takes the back. Genta tries to pull Meguru over his shoulder, but Meguru transitions to the armbar. Genta escapes and is back on top.

[It's called a crucifix because it starts with extending both arms away from the body.]

Meguru works to get back to his feet, but Genta gets a crucifix. Meguru somersaults backward and gets back onto a single-leg tackle.

[In this position, your arms are isolated, but your legs are mobile. Meguru unravels the strangle by flipping backward, landing in a single-leg attack.]

Genta escapes, and they're both back standing.

Genta shoots. Meguru escapes and takes Genta's back again. Genta tries to pull him off, but Meguru transitions to a reverse triangle this time.

[Reverse triangle. You can isolate the head and arm with your legs from multiple positions.]

"Did he practice that?" Maki asks.

"No," says Yudai. "He just did it on instinct. But that's why the hold is sloppy. He's not going to be able to choke from that position."

"Lock out his arm!" Tamiya yells.

But time runs out. The match is a draw.

Unlike Takashi's deliberate control, Meguru seizes opportunities. For Takashi, martial arts is a practice of control. For Meguru, it's a practice of freedom.

Maki has a match, too, and submits her opponent with a triangle. She's a natural at grappling.

After training, the fighters deliver food to residents living in temporary housing. One of those units belongs to Genta. He lost his family to the tsunami.

Later, everyone leaves on the bus except Meguru. He's going to the train station to stop in Akita to visit his mother and grandfather's graves.

When Meguru gets off the train and arrives in Akita, a man in a suit is waiting for him. He has hair and features similar to Meguru's.

"Dad!" Meguru shouts.

"You've grown, son," the man answers.

The man is Toshinobu Takayanagi, Meguru's father. He owns an import-export business and specializes in food and furniture. He's fluent in French, Italian, and English and is out of the country most of the year. Meguru doesn't like him—most people don't like him except Europeans.

They reach the cemetery. Tamaki and Grandmother are already there. Their silence towards Toshinobu speaks volumes. Even his own mother refuses to acknowledge him. When Meguru's mother was ill, Toshinobu was off globetrotting with another woman. When Tamaki faced her own struggles, he also left her to deal with them alone.

As soon as the visit ends, Toshinobu leaves to go back to Europe.

Meguru has another reason for visiting Akita: to attend the memorial for Taizo Segawa, his old karate sensei and Takashi's grandfather.

While walking to the dojo, a woman in an expensive car pulls up. It's Miyuki. She's going to the same dojo.

Meguru arrives in her car, but he still doesn't know who she is. Koichi Mobara owns the dojo. He was Sensei Segawa's assistant.

All the alums gather there for intense training before visiting their sensei's grave. This is the first year Meguru has been invited. Only after arriving at the dojo does Meguru realize Takashi had invited him.

Takashi tosses Meguru a gi. "Wear that," he says. "That's my old gi."

The alums go through traditional kata practice.

When it's time for sparring, Takashi grabs Meguru.

The sparring is supposed to be no-contact, but Takashi quickly escalates.

"It's just like when they were kids," Mobara tells Miyuki. "Takashi-kun would lead with kicks, and Meguru-kun would counter. That's when they were beginners. Now Meguru-kun is countering Takashi-kun's kicks with sweeps, followed by a lunging middle punch to push him back. Meanwhile, Takashi-kun waits for the punch to come and counters with a kick. They've both grown so much."

"It's a treat to watch," says Miyuki, "but if you ask me, you might want to stop them soon."

Meguru pushes Takashi back with a left body jab and follows up with a right overhand punch. Takashi clinches and sweeps him.

[Meguru's center mass is ahead of his base of support, making him easy to sweep.]

Meguru grabs Takashi's gi, and they both tumble to the ground.

Mobara stops the match. The two fighters bow.

"Good for you, Takashi-kun," Miyuki says.

Meguru doesn't notice, but Takashi is smiling.

After training, all the fighters set out to visit Sensei Segawa's grave.

After everyone's paid their respects, Miyuki pulls Meguru aside.

"Takashi-kun really wanted to spar with you before the Nationals," she tells him.

"You know, he talks about you sometimes," she continues. "He said you have so much potential but never give it your all."

"But why'd he wanna spar with me?" asks Meguru. "Why now?"

"My guess would be because when you're fighting, he thinks of you as his closest friend."

"Then why is he so mean to me?"

"I'm sure he has his reasons. Why don't you ask him?"

Miyuki glances over at Takashi, who's standing by himself.

"Now's your chance."

Meguru and Takashi walk to an isolated part of the cemetery.

"You're not cut out for the pros," Takashi says as he looks elsewhere.

"Starting off on the right foot, I see," Meguru replies.

"Don't you have something more important to you than fighting?" Takashi asks. "Protect it."

"There's plenty of pros who have families and fight on top of making a living," Meguru answers.

"I feel sorry for the guys who fight for fun, but they're just fodder for my record. The real market is in the US. Until I make the jump over, everyone in Japan is just practice to me."

Miyuki pulls up with her car.

"If you're okay with that, then sure, go pro," says Takashi. "But as you are now, I'll beat you every single time."

Takashi gets in the car and leaves.

"We'll see about that," Meguru thinks.

As soon as Meguru arrives back in Tokyo, he finds Watanabe.

"There's only 18 days until the Nationals," Meguru tells him. "Please help me."

Watanabe nods.

Watanabe's custom conditioning regimen begins immediately, but this time around, Yudai, Maki, and Momoko join in. Maria and Take volunteer to help with the training. Mornings are conditioning, and evenings are team practice.

Tamiya spends extra time with Meguru to shore up his grappling weaknesses. Urasawa coaches Meguru on his striking. Maria works with Maki. Furuya game plans with everyone. After team training, Watanabe runs Meguru through wrestling drills.

Meguru pushes himself because he knows Takashi is doing just as much, if not more.

And just like that, Meguru's last summer break ends. He missed out on partying with friends, but he didn't lose out on any meaning.

Senior year begins, and on the first day of gym class, Meguru finds he's still growing. It's hard for other students to not notice how muscular he's become.

Meguru is reclusive and guarded at school. He's not the same person he is at the gym. The teachers have a hard time getting Meguru to open up, especially about the future.

At Maki's school, Maki unwittingly lets slip to her friends that she has a crush.

That night at training...

"Meguru, sit the next round out," Furuya says. "Rest up."

Meguru is showing signs of overtraining. Maki, on the other hand, is catching everyone in her triangle, which is becoming her signature.

Meguru persists and struggles through training. Furuya and Maki keep a watch on him.

After practice, Meguru wobbles down the stairs.

"You need help?" Maki asks.

"I'm fine," he says, "really."

Maki and Meguru walk home together.

"Hey, Meguru. Why are you training so hard?" she asks.

"I mean, it's a little rough, I guess. But I want to push myself. Plus, I've got a score to settle."

Back at Meguru's house, he's doing the dishes.

"Did Toshinobu say anything?" Grandmother asks.

"No. He mostly bragged like always."

"I see," she says as she shakes her head.

Toshinobu never came to his own father's funeral.

Tamaki is studying in her room. Meguru brings her some tea. She gets home from school at seven at night and studies. She has no social life.

Meguru wishes he could tell her to live her life—that she's still young, a kid even. She should enjoy her youth. But Meguru can't find the courage.

Tamaki and Meguru's grandmother raised him since he was four—after his mother passed. Meguru wishes he could give Tamaki her childhood back.

Meguru's home has been especially hushed since their trip to Akita.