Vivid Street

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

Sound Effect: Play

1

Kotaro

Listen

Akito...!
2

Young Local Musicians

Hey, isn't that Shinonome from Vivid BAD SQUAD...? I didn't know he was still around.
3

Young Local Musicians

But why's he all by himself?
4

Young Local Musicians

Then, the rumors about them breaking up after losing to Taiga were true?
5

Akito

Listen

(They're reacting like I expected...)
6

Akito

Listen

(Since that day, everyone around here's lost all confidence in us.)
7

Akito

Listen

(But.)
8

Akito

Listen

(This just means it'll feel that much better when we get them going.)
9

Akito

Listen

Alright, here we go.
A few months earlier
Weekend Garage

Sound Effect: Play

10

Ken

Listen

Now, let's start discussing your plans moving forward.

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

11

Ken

Listen

In other words, how you're actually going to surpass RAD WEEKEND.
12

Kohane, An, Akito & Toya

Listen

Yeah!
Yes!
13

Ken

Listen

So, to get right to it...
14

Ken

Listen

What do you all think you need to achieve in order to be able to say, “We surpassed RAD WEEKEND”?
15

Kohane

Listen

What do we need to achieve...?
16

Ken

Listen

Yes.
17
I...
18
I think we can say that if we figure out a way to achieve a more electric atmosphere.
19
But I still have no idea how we're actually going to pull that off.
20

Toya

Listen

Right...
I was under the impression that we'd be able to once we became good enough... But now that we know why RAD WEEKEND happened...
21

Ken

Listen

Exactly.
22

Ken

Listen

However, I know of just one way for you to all surpass that event and achieve a more electric atmosphere.
23

Akito

Listen

You do...?!
24
Dad, what do you mean...?
25

Ken

Listen

Nagi's wishes, the path that we took as RADder, the feelings we created in all the locals...
26

Ken

Listen

You need to overwrite those feelings with something completely new.
27

Kohane

Listen

Overwrite...?
28

Toya

Listen

What do you mean when you say that...?
29

Ken

Listen

Remember what you said that day when you found out the truth?

Sound Effect: Play

30

Ken

Listen

You said you were going to surpass RAD WEEKEND and show us—RADder—what things look like from on top of the world.
31

Ken

Listen

You have to take those feelings and turn them into music—into an event—for everyone to see.
32

Ken

Listen

Everyone carries different dreams, different feelings...
33

Ken

Listen

Nagi wanted you, the next generation, to go beyond our dream, and I want to be there to see what that looks like.
34

Ken

Listen

All our old friends around town wanted to see her wish fulfilled.
35

Ken

Listen

Your audience and the young blood around town have gone cold on you, but I'm certain that on some level, they still want to see someone like you guys surpass that legendary night.
36

Ken

Listen

It may just be their subjective ideas...
37

Ken

Listen

But when that comes true...
When everyone sees that you're going to go further than we could...
38

Ken

Listen

That's when you'll have created the kind of energy that surpasses RAD WEEKEND.
39

Ken

Listen

What do you think...?
40
I mean... I believe that, and I really want it to happen.
41

Kohane

Listen

Yeah, me too...
42

Akito

Listen

(But the problem is, we don't have what it takes to make that happen right now...)
43

Akito

Listen

(It's not just skill. We lost our friends, and everyone around here has lost interest in us. And we couldn't have beaten him even if there were a hundred of us.)
44

Ken

Listen

I understand that the road up ahead is going to be rough...
45

Ken

Listen

But I believe in all of you.
46

Akito

Listen

...!
47

Ken

Listen

I'll be the first one to tell you all that I want you to go beyond our dream.
48

Ken

Listen

No, the second...
She was the first.
49
Dad...
50

Ken

Listen

Everyone around here wants that to happen. If you can remind them of that hope and give them something to place it in again, then you'll start making inroads.
51
Yeah, okay...
Let's do it.
52
If we don't do something, nothing's going to change!
53

Akito

Listen

Yeah...
54

Akito

Listen

Otherwise, we'll never be able to surpass RAD WEEKEND. It's our turn to act.
55

Kohane

Listen

Right...! I promise to do my best!
56

Toya

Listen

Thank you very much, Ken.
57

Ken

Listen

Now then...
Let's start getting into some of the details.

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

58

Ken

Listen

From what I understand, your next move involves two things.
59

Ken

Listen

One is simple. Get better.
You'll have no hope of succeeding if you don't.
60

Ken

Listen

The other is to do what I said a second ago. Show everyone around here some new feelings to overwrite the past.
61

Ken

Listen

First, you all need to get better.
And competing against real opponents will force you to do that.
62

Ken

Listen

So, I'll start taking you to some high-level venues where only the best of the best gather. Your job is to battle against them in events.
63

Toya

Listen

Where the best of the best gather...?
Places like Crawl Green?
64

Ken

Listen

Exactly.
They won't even let you in the door if you're just “good”.
65

Kohane

Listen

They even won't let us in...?
66

Ken

Listen

I'll be asking you to do this basically every day while practicing like normal. After school during the week, I'll come pick you up in the car and drive you straight to these live houses.
67

Akito

Listen

Drive us...?
Are these places far?
68

Ken

Listen

Yes, they are.
You'll find all sorts of unbelievable performers outside of Vivid Street.
69

Ken

Listen

Just like RADder, each city has its own homegrown talent that's fought its way to the top.
70

Ken

Listen

You'll be going up against them.
Fortunately, I know someone.
71

Akito

Listen

(I see...
We're gonna battle against the best that these places have to offer, teams just like RADder...)
72

Ken

Listen

As for the second thing...
A few weeks later
Kamiyama High School - School Gate
73

Akito

Listen

(It's been a while since then...)
74

Akito

Listen

(We've each been doing what we need to while Ken's been driving us to live houses...every single day.)
75

Akito

Listen

(And we've definitely improved after battling against so many tough opponents. Still...)

Sound Effect: Play

76

Ken

Listen

Even if you do get better, just putting on events like you've been doing until now probably won't get you far.

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

77

Ken

Listen

It's hard to make a flame burn bright when it's close to going out. You won't get many chances.
78

Akito

Listen

...
79

Ken

Listen

Which is why... You're going to split up the work.
80

Akito

Listen

Huh?
81

Ken

Listen

These will be crucial steps towards putting on an event that surpasses RAD WEEKEND.
82

Ken

Listen

First, Akito, you go reignite your audience.
83

Akito

Listen

Our audience...?
84

Ken

Listen

Yes.
85

Ken

Listen

I'm sure you already know...
But after your battle against Taiga, people have mostly lost the hope they held for you.
86

Ken

Listen

Getting them to feel it again is going to be the furthest thing from easy.
87

Ken

Listen

Which is why this is going to be your job.
88

Ken

Listen

Even in the most dire of situations, you don't bend or break. You're here right now because you kept fighting and never gave up.
89

Ken

Listen

They were witnesses to that...
They watched you like they were watching RADder.
90

Ken

Listen

If you manage to get back on your feet despite all that's happened... No, not just that, but become unbelievably skilled, then you'll reignite your audience.
91
Hold on. Why just Akito?
Shouldn't we do that together? I mean...
92

Akito

Listen

No.
93

Akito

Listen

Let me do this alone.
94
Wait... Why?!
95

Akito

Listen

It's like Ken said.
We aren't gonna get many chances to reestablish ourselves in this town.
96

Akito

Listen

So, we need to hold off on performing together until we're fully ready. We have to wait for the opportune moment...
97

Akito

Listen

Right now, everyone probably thinks that we've all turned tail and ran.
98

Akito

Listen

Just becoming a little better isn't going to convince them that we're still serious.
99

Akito

Listen

But if I manage to put on an event on my own that's as good as the ones we did together, then they'll consider giving us another chance.
100

Akito

Listen

Does that sound about right, Ken...?
101

Ken

Listen

Yeah, you got it.
102

Toya

Listen

I see...
103

Toya

Listen

In other words, they'll start thinking, “If Akito alone can do this, what will happen when all four of them get back together?”
104

Akito

Listen

Exactly.
105
Now I get it...
106
Okay! Akito, go knock their socks off!
107

Akito

Listen

I will.
108

Ken

Listen

Akito.
In order to accomplish this, you'll need to become unbelievably good.
109

Akito

Listen

Yes, I know.
110

Ken

Listen

Okay.
Then, I hope you're ready...
111

Akito

Listen

I am...!!
112

Ken

Listen

As for you three, I'd like to talk to each of you individually. Starting with...
113

Akito

Listen

(Right now, I don't have what it takes to reignite their excitement...)
114

Akito

Listen

(That means I have to get better. A lot better.)

Sound Effect: Play

115
Hey, you two, the car's here!
This way!
116

Ken

Listen

Sorry I'm late.
We got stuck in traffic after I went to pick Kohane up.

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

117

Akito

Listen

No, that's not a problem.
We actually just got here.
118

Toya

Listen

So, Ken, where are we going today?
119

Ken

Listen

A place called “Rodin”.
It's somewhere that gave even my team a lot of trouble.
120
Wait, even you guys?!
121

Ken

Listen

Yeah, it's a pretty high-level venue.
Only a few places in Japan can really match it.
122

Ken

Listen

You'll find top-level performers who want to put their skills to the test and even pros signed to major labels there.
123

Toya

Listen

In other words, the audience will have high expectations...
124

Ken

Listen

They will.
You don't stand a chance there yet.
125

Ken

Listen

But what you all need right now are opponents who are ridiculously better than you.
126

Akito

Listen

(Some of the places we've been performing at have been pretty tough. But I guess we're in for something else today.)
127

Akito

Listen

(But that's what we want...
The bigger the wall, the better we have to get to overcome it.)
128

Akito

Listen

(We're gonna figure out a way no matter what...!)
Next Chapter: One-On-One