spoiler
Toudou is in first place on his way up the mountain and his school is there to cheer him on, but some of his clubmates note that he looks a bit overworked. Much more than he should be. What happened to him? His clubmates think he’s sick and perhaps he is. But he’ll need to do something because Tatebayashi from Nagano is gaining on him! For a second there, Toudou thought it might be Makishima. Disappointed, he speeds up.
But there is someone behind Tatebayashi and from the onlooker’s descriptions, Toudou just has to look back. Yes! It’s Makishima! But it can’t be him. He left Makishima far behind with his team and he wouldn’t abandon them. But Toudou just has to look back again and Tatebayashi passes him, with a shout of triumph. Toudou sees that it is indeed Makishima as the “Spider” catches up to him.
Tatebayashi thinks he’s won the mountain, but the peak is still two kilometers away. Anything can happen within that distance and I’m sure it will. Of course, now that Toudou can compete against Makishima, he perks right up and the race is on! Tatebayashi is a bit surprised to find two competitors immediately behind him when he was so sure he left everyone far behind.
Within seconds, the happy duo of Toudou and Makishima pass Tatebayashi, and he can’t catch up to them again. I think his dream of “Mountain King” just bit the dust! Toudou now knows that Sakamichi caught up to his team and made it possible for Makishima to face Toudou. Toudou had no idea Sakamichi was a climber and intends to thank him after the race, and the duo continues their race to the summit checkpoint.
One kilometer goes by very quickly and one is left to go. Both boys are happy that they get to race one another as they’ve always wanted to do. For the final kilometer, the friendly rivalry gets more intense, since this will be their last climb together. This is not a race between schools, but a race between friends and neither boy intends to lose, as they both speed up. 800 meters are left and the boys continue to fight it out, occasionally bumping into one another.
First one, then the other takes the lead, and this is still going on at the 400 meter mark. Makishima has reached his limit, but still has the resolve to continue on, since it’s Toudou he’s up against. Toudou is feeling the same way. At 100 meters, the boys are still neck and neck. Will the race end in a draw? Do either of them have the strength left to pull slightly ahead to win the checkpoint?
Both boys are numb at this point but are willing to give “every last drop” in order to win. And they are still even with one another. Yelling out one another’s names, they cross the mountain checkpoint. And the results are in! Hakone has won! But it wasn’t by much. Toudou thanks Makishima for the past three years. The Hakone and Sohoku teams are told the results and Sakamichi is a bit disappointed until the time is pointed out to him.
Sohoku has nothing to be ashamed of and Kinjou orders Sakamichi to take Imaizumi and Naruko and get to Makishima. The Hakone and Sohoku teams still have their own race to finish! Can Sakamichi lead his team to victory? He must be exhausted as well, since he spent a lot of energy catching up to his team. However, I’m sure Sakamichi can do it. It was even nice to see Manami tell Sakamichi that they might have their own epic race one day as Toudou and Makishima just did. Makishima not taking Toudou’s call at the end of the episode was hysterical. Toudou looked like a stalker. LOL