HS2C12: Accelerate

Synopsis: Race day arrives with its excitement, nerves and challenge.

Makoto Tachibana and Haruka Nanase are greeted by Nagisa Hazuki at the Hiyori Swimming Stadium before the competition begins. Nagisa says he will cheer for them if they cheer for him. After he leaves, Makoto asks Haruka how he feels about fending off Nagisa's attempts to join their local club's swim team. Haruka is non-committal, having forgotten about Nagisa upon joining his current swim team. At the door to the locker room, they meet Sosuke Yamazaki. He tells Haruka about his letter to Rin Matsuoka saying Haruka's not a big deal. Haruka fails to take the bait for an argument and the boys proceed inside, where they meet Asahi Shiina who is stirred up, having been confronted earlier by Sakuyuki Narukawa about his swimming. The swimmers and managers gather poolside and the rules of the competition are explained. Makoto and Haruka are surprised to hear Shouta Yazaki cheering for Iwatobi from the stands. Nao Serizawa explains that Shouta volunteered to lead the cheering as atonement for his bad behavior at the swim club. Makoto is worried that Haruka will take this setback for the swimmer personally. Nao reminds Haruka that each person is only responsible for their own choices. Haruka faces his feelings and overcomes his anxiety. The races begin. As Haruka swims, he feels the water; the water feels him. He uses everything he's learned to propel himself and when, at last, he touches the goal and lifts his head, he is surprised to learn that not only has he won the race, but he has broken the first years' tournament record. In the following heat, Haruka faces Sosuke. In the water, they feel one another's energy. Haruka grows heated as he swims, proving that he swims out of hard work, not just talent. After he wins the race, Sosuke extends a hand of congratulations. Asahi's race is next and the swimmer is more nervous than he's ever been at a competition. He wonders if he'll be able to swim at all, unconcerned about winning. He remembers Nao's training and leaps into the water. But as he swims, he loses focus and begins to flail until he hears Haruka's voice urging him onward, giving Asahi a boost. He finishes the race and is helped out of the pool by Haruka.

Ikuya Kirishima is rapidly overtaken at the start of his race, but that doesn't ruin his focus. He is swimming to support his team. The early front-runners burn off and Ikuya wants to speed up, but can not. He then hears Haruka shouting encouragement and his body fills with energy as he reaches the goal. Ikuya takes third place and as his teammates wait for him to climb out of the pool, he notices Natsuya Kirishima in the stands, his shoulders trembling with emotion. Ikuya is content. Makoto is uneasy before his race, but Haruka calls to him: "I'll swim with you." His doubts disappear. He enters the water and focuses on the race and nothing else. The repetitive movement and location create within him a feeling of loneliness. His concentration slips for only a moment, but in that moment, he begins to flounder. He's about to go under when he hears Haruka's voice calling his name and saying, "I'm swimming with you." He is renewed and finishes the race, grasping Haruka's outstretched hand at the end. The freestyle relay is next and each boy is ready. Asahi dives first and though he swims well, he is last. Nonetheless, he connects with Ikuya who makes a false start, thus disqualifying the team. Asahi teases Ikuya as he exits the pool. Makoto quietly wonders aloud if it was on purpose to give his teammates time to recover. Haruka looks at his foot, then dismisses the idea as ridiculous – companions don't make you swim faster or better, or do they? Ikuya apologizes and Asahi is confident they will win the medley. Before going back on deck, Nao approaches and encourages them to swim with their hearts. He reminds them that swimming with a team is a unique experience. Haruka finally understands those words as he raises his voice in agreement alongside his teammates, his companions. Sano and Iwatobi are both scheduled for the first medley heat. Sosuke calls out to Haruka that he now comprehends Rin's praise of Haruka's great energy because he's felt it and is now determined to beat him. Their eyes meet as Haruka calls back that Sosuke will have to swim ahead of him to do so. They both smile at the challenge. During warm-up, Makoto asks Haruka if he thinks he joined swimming because Haruka joined. Haruka agrees while thinking it doesn't matter because he can't recall and it's fine if that's what Makoto wants to think. The medley races get underway. Makoto's backstroke is powerful. He feels as if he's swimming in the ocean with the blue sky wrapping around him and an unwavering bond with his teammates and the sea enveloping him. He is a sea creature swimming towards his companions and he is fast. Ikuya is poised to dive in for the breaststroke, timing his breathing with Makoto's and aligning his timing to avoid another false start. He dives in and as he swims, thoughts of everyday occurrences fill his mind – banal thoughts, but precious all the same. They aren't like the photographs that he could throw away, but a part of him. He realizes that the future rests on top of the entire past and his teammates, his companions, are now a part of him, too. Asahi's exchange with Ikuya is perfect; he feels like a flying fish as he enters the water. Sensing Sakuyuki nearby, he finally understands that his competitor became faster at butterfly by swimming with companions. His pokes at Asahi now inspire and he silently thanks Sakuyuki. He even recalls sobbing at the end of his very first competition as a child, but liking swimming. Ass he recalls that fact, a newfound power fills him and he accelerates. As Haruka waits on the starting block, he glances at Sosuke who is equally determined. While synchronizing his breath with Asahi's, his body fills with energy and he soars, channeling the voices of his companions into energy. He feels and acknowledges the water as it does the same to him. He realizes that the emotion he is feeling comes from sharing experiences with others. He blazes through the water like a deep-sea fish in a state of flow.