S1E08 Revenge in the Medley!/Plot

The next race starts following Haruka Nanase's loss to Rin Matsuoka. Goro Sasabe finds the Iwatobi group watching the races and apologizes for being late. Nagisa Hazuki gets angry with him for showing up late, but Miho Amakata thanks Goro for helping them the other day. Goro once again insists that he knows her from somewhere, but Miho denies this and turns away. After Nagisa scolds Goro for trying to hit on Miho (which Goro immediately denies), Rei Ryugazaki tells him that Haruka has already swam him freestyle heat. Goro feels disappointed that he didn't see the prelims, but being certain that Haruka passed them, he says that he can at least watch the final. Makoto Tachibana then tells him that Haruka didn't pass to the final.

The scene switches to Haruka taking a shower and questioning himself about his desire to win. He asks himself if he was or was not supposed become free after racing Rin. The scene then switches to Rin sitting in the hallway. Aiichiro Nitori runs towards him and congratulates him for beating Haruka. Rin smiles and wishes that Aiichiro 'go kick some butt, too.'

Back at the competition, Seijuro Mikoshiba sets a new tournament record. Goro says that's impressive and Nagisa realizes that 'Mikoshiba' is actually Samezuka Academy's captain, commenting that he used to think Seijuro was just an enthusiastic person, but not actually a good swimmer. Rei points out that Haruka still has has not returned so he'll go check on him. Makoto decides to go with Rei and Nagisa follows.

Miho notices that Gou is unhappy and tells her not to dwell on it, but Gou replies that she wanted to see her brother and Haruka swim together, not against each other. Makoto, Nagisa and Rei seem to run into Rin in the hallway. Nagisa asks if he saw Haruka anywhere, but Rin just smiles and asks them if losing to him was that big of a shock to Haruka, since he always said he didn't care about winning or his timing. Rei says that it must be something else that is upsetting Haruka. Rin snaps at him asking him what else matters in swimming other than winning, but Makoto interferes and says that there actually is something more, that at least Haruka thought so and that that was probably the reason why he wanted to race with Rin. Rin tells him that nothing else other than beating Haruka matters to him and leaves.

Back at competition, Makoto prepares for his race. Goro asks Nagisa and Rei where Haruka is, but Rei tells him that they couldn't find him. Nagisa runs away telling them that he is going to find Haruka because he wants him to watch them swim. He finds Haruka sitting in the hallway wondering if things would be different if Rin won the race they had before he went abroad. He tells Haruka that Makoto's race is about to start and that he should go and watch him swim. Haruka then tells him that he'll pass, but Nagisa grabs his hand and runs with him to the pool. When they stop, Haruka sees Goro, Miho, Gou and Rei cheering for Makoto and Makoto swimming his last spurt. He stands there speechless as Makoto finishes the race being second. As he gets out of the water, he sees that Haruka was watching him swim and smiles.

When Nagisa's race begins, Goro, Miho, Gou, Rei and Makoto cheer for him, just as they did for Makoto, and Haruka still stands separate and speechless as he watches. Back at the Samezuka Academy bus, Rin thinks about what Makoto told him about Haruka's reasons to race him.

Nagisa rejoins the others with a defeated look on his face. He apologizes for not making it and Goro and Gou comfort him. Rei says that it's finally his turn and leaves to prepare himself. The race starts and as soon as Rei jumps from the platform, Goro points out that his form is perfect. Gou notices that Rei's goggles have slipped off and the group immediately worries for their friend. Goro realizes that there's nothing they can do except cheer hum on, so they do so. Rei is the last one to reach the goal.

At the conclusion of the tournament's first day, Miho and Goro leave. Gou then tells the swim team that she had signed them up for the medley relay to take place the following day. The group protests over Gou not telling them about it sooner, but Rei immediately agrees, so Makoto and Nagisa agree, as well.

They go to Haruka's house with the goal of making him agree to swim in the relay. They search the unlocked house, but nobody's home. They call him, but he doesn't answer. After Rei, Nagisa and Gou leave him a desperate voice message, they spot his phone inside of the house. Makoto informs them that Haruka often doesn't carry his phone with him. All but Makoto leave for home.

Finally, Haruka returns to find Makoto sleeping on the doorstep of his house, holding his phone. He takes it and listens to the voice messages Nagisa, Rei and Gou left him awhile ago. He looks at Makoto sleeping and remembers the words he said to him when he rescued him from the ocean and decides to wake Makoto up. Makoto wakes up finding Haruka in front of him asking him about the relay they must swim. Makoto is overjoyed.

Next morning, the phone's ringing wakes Nagisa up. He answers the call and finds out that Haruka will swim in the relay with them. Rei and Gou are also shown receiving the news and shouting for joy. When the group reunites without Nagisa and Rei, Miho asks if they're sure about the competition, because they didn't practice for the relay at all. Makoto tells her that he doesn't know how they'll do, but that he's sure that they'll give it their best shot. Nagisa and Rei then appear running towards them, apologizing for being late. Nagisa reveals that they were at Iwatobi High School's outdoor pool practising for the relay, and that there's no possibility of Rei completely failing. The group goes to the tournment venue.

Aiichiro finds Rin sitting in one of the hallways and urge him to come quickly. Rin, looking a bit down, tells him to go away, claiming that it's not time for the Samezuka Swimming Club's relay yet. Aiichiro responds that Haruka's team is about to start their own relay race so Rin runs towards the pool in time to see the Iwatobi High School Swim Club preparing for the relay.

As he watches the team swim, he remembers Makoto's and Nagisa's strokes as they raced, stirring something inside of him. He calls Rei's butterfly stroke pathetic, hinting at his jealousy that Rei took his place on the team. As Haruka steps on the starting block, he notices Rin staring at him, shocking him. He closes his eyes and puts his goggles on, saying to himself that he doesn't need an answer right now. Miho, Gou, Makoto, Nagisa and Rin look at him speechless as he flies off of the platform.