Everyone’s back at the Garage as Chucky tends to the injured Peco. Kota gets up, deciding he’ll get Ryoma to show him the secret tunnels so he can save Mai. Oren and Jonouchi still think it’s a bad idea to trust the Professor. But Kota says time is running out before Mitchi does something even crazier.
Kaito speaks up. Kota still can’t stop Mitsuzane anyway, just like Takatora failed to. But Kota says he’s still gotta try. Fine, Kaito says. Taking his lead, the others decide to go as well.
At Yggdrasill Tower, Mitchi smiles. Mai has been all prettied up. “What are you going to do with me?” she asks. Mitchi says nothing, all he needs is for her to be by his side.
Mai again repeats that Mitchi needs to stop this madness and go back to being nice. But Mitsuzane says you can’t do anything by just being nice. Does Mai want him to go back to being useless again?
It’s okay, Mitchi says. “I know you’re just being your usual spirited-self. That’s what I love about you, Mai-san.”
There’s something off about your thinking right now, Mai says. But Mitchi says in time she will understand and will be able to forgive him.
“No she won’t,” headTakatora says. “She will never forgive you. No one will ever understand you!”
“SHUT UP!” Mitchi yells, much to Mai’s surprise… and horror. She watches her friend fighting against an invisible adversary.
Meanwhile, the others have taken an Yggdrasill van. Oren and Jonouchi are driving and navigating while everyone else, including Ryoma are in the back. They reach the Zawame border, but find the blockade has been abandoned.
Ryoma says the Japan Self-Defense Forces retreated and instead of isolating dangerous territory, have moved on to protecting the few safe areas left. He tells them about Cracks having opened all over the world.
“And whose fault is that?!”
Ryoma gleefully takes credit.
Hopping back into the van, Ryoma hints at a more powerful Overlord than Redyue is calling the shots.
Back at the Tower, Mitchi surveys the energy-mining room and sees Rica and Rat. “Ah, this is because you didn’t listen to me.” Redyue apologizes for doing this to two of the people Mitchi wanted to save, but he says it’s okay since they brought this on themselves.
That’s good, Redyue says. Being cold-blooded like that helps make him stronger, but still not strong enough. For example, Mitsuzane was one shot away from killing Kota, but he didn’t.
Mitchi says it’s fine, he can do that anytime. But Redyue says not to underestimate him, especially with the power of the Fruit of Knowledge.
Redyue suggests devising a plan to better prepare Kota’s defeat. Maybe using Mai as bait? Redyue thinks that he can play his cards right, especially having Mai.
But Mitchi will not have any of that. If Redyue is suggesting that Mai get caught up in the fighting, then their alliance “is over.” Just joking, Redyue says.
Kota & Co.’s truck gets stopped by an army of Inves. Kota, Kaito, Oren and Jonouchi hop out and henshin.
Ryoma excitedly videotapes the whole thing. This rare battle royale will provide excellent data, he says.
Oren tells Kota he and Jonouchi will take care of things here and for Kota and the others to keep going. Kota and Kaito think that’s a reckless thing to suggest, but Oren and Jonouchi insist.
Kaito takes Kota and they jump back in the truck with Minato taking over the wheel.
“I know what we said, but we’re in real trouble, aren’t we?”
“This is where we show what we’re made of, boy!”
Oren and Jonouchi do their best to try and fight off the Inves bombardment.
Over in Helheim, Roshuo watches over the energy transfer. He’s had the ultimate power in his possession twice, yet he still can’t bring his love back to life. “Golden fruit, were you not God’s almighty power after all?”
Mitchi brings Mai to Roshuo. He says Redyue had offered him rule over all humans, but the only human worth anything is Mai. Redyue cannot be trusted, so he is leaving Mai to Roshuo.
“But do you think she is of any value for me to want to protect her?”
“You are a proud king,” Mitchi replies, “You won’t wrong the innocent.”
“You act as if you know me.”
“If you judge her to be worthless, then I will just give up. I won’t care what happens to humanity.”
Mitchi asks Mai to please stay here until he can improve the situation in their world.
Kota and Co. arrive at the location of the tunnel entrance. But Kota thinks maybe they should go back to help Oren and Jonouchi. Kaito says they can’t waste anymore time, but Ryoma adds they’re as good as dead.
Kota is incensed. Grabbing Ryoma by the collar, “They stayed behind to save us!”
Kaito takes Kota off of Ryoma, “He is not wrong.”
Kaito punches Ryoma in the face, sending him to the ground.
“But if you want to speak out of turn again,” Kaito says to Ryoma, “prepare to be beaten down.”
Ryoma smiles.
“You are afraid, yet you appear calm,” Roshuo says. Mai says she’s not afraid for herself, she’s more afraid of her friends who are probably risking their lives to save her.
“How can you be so sure your friends will risk their lives to save you?” Roshuo asks. That’s the kind of people they are, Mai replies.
“But your friend that’s allied with Redyue,” Roshuo adds, “he has betrayed not only you, but all of humanity. Are you saying your other friends are different?”
“We are the all the same,” Mai answers. We all laugh, dance, worry together. As a team.
“Being betrayed is not a good enough reason to lose trust. Even now, I believe in Mitchi. That’s why I want to know why he’s doing all these terrible things. Maybe if we both know the reason, I can help him see the error of his ways.”
Roshuo scoffs at Mai’s foolishness. But Mai asks, “Do you stop believing after just one betrayal?”
“Of course.”
“I see, that’s why this castle is so lonely now.”
Kota, Kaito, Minato, Zack and Ryoma continue through the underground when alarms suddenly start to wail.
Ah! The unmanned security system, Ryoma says. Watermelons and Lock Seed robos pop out from the ceiling. Ryoma says he can only deactivate the system from inside the Tower.
Fine. Kaito, Minato and Zack henshin and take on the security forces. Kaito tells Kota to hurry on ahead.
Kaito tosses Zack the Watermelon Lock Seed.
Continuing down the tunnels, Kota warns Ryoma no funny business or he’ll beat his ass down.
Anyway, for Ryoma to have kept these tunnels a secret from everyone at Yggdrasill, he must not trust anyone. Ryoma says he doesn’t see the need for human relationships. “I’m not like that,” Kota says.
Royuma says that’s why Kota’s likely suffered a great deal from those connections with other people. If Kota were to forget his sister, get rid of his traitorous friend and not feel guilty about killing his other one, he would be free of all his current problems.
They turn the corner and arrive at the door to the Tower. But a Lock Seed alerts Redyue of the intruders. She sends an Inves to meet them.
Kota henshins. You just gonna stand there? Kota asks Ryoma.
Well, I can’t afford to lose any more pawns, Ryoma says as he henshins.
He plays around with the Inves and knocks him down a little to allow Kota to go Kachidoki and then Kiwami Arms to finish it off. Ryoma again takes great pleasure is watching all this data.
Episode Thoughts
Wow. Very nice. Lots of great stuff in this episode even if the last act kinda sputtered, especially as a cliffhanger before the two week break.
SmileyMitchi is back, which has always been maybe the scariest part of the show. His ability to just pop a smile at the most random times, especially being upset or pissed a second earlier has always been so unsettling. And of course, even more now with everything that’s happening and he’s doing.
That scene of Mai being absolutely horrified at Mitchi fighting with the air was amazing. I loved it. You could see the confusion and hurt in Mai’s eyes. Bravo to Shida Yumi.
Mai and Roshuo’s conversation was very interesting. I’m glad we’re getting to see more from Roshuo and it was great to hear more from Mai other than “Mitchi…!”
Kota and Co.’s traveling was so-so. And them finally arriving at the tunnels was actually pretty lackluster. Jonouchi and Oren’s staying behind and fighting to the death was probably the most interesting about that whole thread of the episode. Though it was great to see how isolated Zawame City has become. It also made me randomly realize Yggdrasill Tower looks like a mushroom cloud. Creepy. Or symbolism?
Ryoma being a shady bastard is nothing new either. It should be expected that his own ulterior motives are still his priority. I just hope Kota isn’t so gullible as to fully trust him 100%. But it seems whenever Kota is at his lowest is when he always gets the strongest power. So we’ll see.