The ToQgers enter the main car to start their day, but Wagon hurries and says they’ve got a problem. Right looks intensely angry. And not only that, but he doesn’t want any breakfast!
The shocked ToQgers look over to a stoic Right sitting in the booth. But before they can find out what’s wrong, Akira calls to tell them he’s found another junction into a Shadow Town.
Before they go, Conductor would like to give them something. Ticket says it is a new item that might help them fight in a Shadow Town: Hyper Ressha.
It amplifies a ToQger’s power, but Conductor doesn’t know how. Ticket says it requires great power, so their usual Imagination won’t work.
Conductor leaves Hyper Ressha to Right since he has the greatest Imagination. Right takes it and they go meet Akira.
Still in a seemingly pissy mood, Right drive Drill Ressha and the ToQgers head into the Shadow Town.
Just as the ToQgers’ arrival on the Shadow Line is announced at Castle Terminal, Baron Nero and Madame Noir are shocked to also see the arrival of Marchioness Mork who walks into the room.
Nero and Noir explain that Mork is the eldest member of the Shadow Line and that they had left her in charge of the Shadow Towns.
Mork approaches the throne and calls out Zett. The curtain pulls back, they stare at each other for a little bit before Mork suddenly takes a swing at Zett.
Zett avoids all of Mork’s attacks before he grabs her sceptre and asks if she is satisfied with the results of her sudden test of his strength.
Marchioness Mork says it makes her very proud, as the one who raised him, to see his darkness is still as deep and exquisite as always. She hugs him so hard they fall to the floor. But Mork adds that she still disappointed by his weakness.
Over in the Shadow Town, the ToQgers find that the townspeople are again frozen. They walk through until they are spotted by the Overseer of the town, Keeper Bishop.
Bishop sends a spinning blade the ToQgers’ way before Right decides to henshin and fight back. The others remind Right that he can’t stay henshined too long without transferring. But Right remembers; he pulls out Hyper Ressha and inserts it into his ToQger changer, but nothing happens.
Instead, Right de-henshins and Bishop knocks Right back towards the others.
Hikari decides to henshin and fight off Bishop as the others tend to Right who Mio finds has a fever. Hikari’s ToQ Changer announces the impending de-henshin, but Tokacchi tosses his Ressha over so Hikari can transfer.
Back at the Junction, Akira has a bad feeling and decides to go after the ToQgers in the Shadow Town. Hikari has already transferred to Yellow and now Pink.
Bishop sends Hikari flying towards the others and he de-henshins. But before Bishop can deliver a final blow, Akira arrives and whisks them away.
Akira takes Right onto his back and they run.
Kagura trips and Tokacchi helps her up, but they look up to find the others are gone. Mio stops to look back and finds Kagura and Tokacchi are no longer there.
She tells Hikari who turns to Akira to wait up a moment, only to find Akira and Right are also gone. He turns back to see Mio is nowhere to be found.
Akira takes Right to a park and realizes what’s happening. This town plays with your sense of direction. Just now, he had been running in a straight line, but they’ve ended up here. That the townspeople were unable to reach their destinations or reunite with their loved ones may have been what generated the darkness.
The ToQgers are unable to call each other. And Right blames himself for not being able to use Hyper Ressha properly. Akira tells Right he will gather the others while he stays here to figure out how to use Hyper Ressha.
Akira starts to play his harmonica.
The others hear the familiar tune and realize they must use their ears to find each other again.
Bishop sees Akira and attacks. Bishop sends his blade spinning toward Akira who reverts to his Shadow form to stop it with his arm.
“You leave me no choice,” Akira says. He continues playing the harmonica as he and Bishop continue to fight.
Right is still trying to find the right image to help him use Hyper Ressha as the others have finally reunited.
Tokacchi goes to henshin and transfer this time, but suddenly, a Shadow Line train is announced as arriving. Akira gets Tokacchi away from the bath of the dropping black line as they see Zett and are introduced to Marchioness Mork for the first time.
Even Akira is shocked to see her appear in person. Mork tells Bishop to continue what he was doing. He charges and Tokacchi quickly henshins.
What did you want to show me? Akira asks.
“You weakness, your Majesty.”
Right walks the abandoned streets and stumbles upon a little girl and her younger brother who are also frozen. He sees them holding pieces of chalk and drawing on the wall of the building. The pictures are of the kids in a train going to see their Papa and Mama. Right realizes they were trying to reunite with their parents as well and sees the big sister have her little brother’s hand in hers as they draw.
Right knows they were trying to cheer themselves up by imagining that they would see their parents again. That’s it. Right remembers Ticket’s words and realizes maybe it’s not about imagining himself being stronger or winning. Maybe it’s more about a bigger, greater and wider imagination, one that is more free and more fun.
“You guys are going to make it home,” Right tells the kids. He takes Hyper Ressha and it glows.
Bishop has just forced Tokacchi to de-henshin, but Right has finally arrived. He apologizes to the others and says he’s fine now.
He takes Hyper Ressha and inserts it into his ToQ Changer. First henshining into ToQ-1, a gold Ressha appears and attaches to Right as he becomes:
Hyper ToQ-1.
An intense light shines from Right and his new power completely overwhelms Bishop. Zett approaches and asks how Right was able to acquire a new sparkle so easily.
Right says it’s thanks to the hard work of his friends and the people of this town. Zett says that is too easy and he wants that sparkle right now.
Zett tranforms to his Shadow body and emits a huge cloud of darkness. Right’s Hyper power, on the other hand, releases an intensely bright light. The light and the darkness push back against each other before Right and Zett go hand-to-hand combat, neither more powerful than the other.
Right vows not to be defeated by Zett and suddenly, the Daikaiten (railway turntable) Cannon appears. Right sets Hyper Ressha on the tracks and fires “the last train for the day.”
Seeing Zett’s impending demise, Marchioness Mork orders Bishop to step in front of the Emperor and absorb the finishing attack.
Zett reverts to his human form, giving Right an indignant stare. This is what I wanted you to see, Mork tells him. She and Zett hop on their train to leave.
Bishop embiggens as the town has emerged from the Shadow Line.
The ToQgers hop into ToQ-Oh and Build Dai-Oh. But Bishop is much too powerful. Right decides they should go Cho-Cho ToQ-Dai-Oh.
They are able to deliver an Imagination Express to finish Bishop off for good.
The townspeople are unfrozen and the two siblings who inspired Right have reunited with their parents.
Back on the Resshas, Tokacchi, Mio, Hikari and Kagura are now sick. Wagon tends to them and Right apologizes to them for having caught his cold.
Tokacchi asks Right for juice, Mio asks for a cushion, Hikari wants fresh porridge and Kagura wants candy. So many requests, Wagon says. But an also sick Conductor says the others worked hard today helping give Right time to master the Hyper Ressha.
A sick Ticket says it’s time for Right to take care of the others for a change.
Episode Thoughts
It was another great episode and a nice introduction to Hyper Ressha and Right’s power-up.
It was great to see them heading back into another Shadow Town. It was interesting to see the townspeople here were frozen as well. That adds to the possibility that the ToQgers’ own town is frozen in time too. Them running through the pretty much abandoned ghost town was very creepy and a nice emotion to have whenever they are in a Shadow Town.
Nothing like kids getting separated from their parents to get the tearducts to start leaking. But not only that, the kids were still positive and hopeful before they ended up frozen! MaGMCM right there, no question. It was great that it was the little kids too that helped Right realize what he was doing wrong with Hyper Ressha.
Speaking of Right, it was actually nice and refreshing to see seriousRight for a change instead of the perpetually hungry and know-it-all Right we’re used to seeing. Even if it was only fever-induced.
Right and Zett’s fight was amazing. It was our first look at them facing off too. Can’t wait to see the eventual big battle between Zett and the ToQgers. And knowing what they’ve established, that they will always have each other’s backs and everything, I fully expect it will not end up being a Right vs Zett only match and that the others will be full involved in any possible final battle. (I hope!)
Marchioness Mork is an interesting new character. It is not clear if she is of higher rank than Nero or Noir. At the same time, Nero and Noir were more surprised than intimidated by Mork. So it should be interesting to see their relationship and dynamics explored more in the next episodes.
I liked the black line hitting Akira when Mork and Zett’s train arrived. It reminded us that the black line works just like the white line in that you better not get in its way or you’re going to get a very painful zap from a falling line.
I definitely hope the others can use Hyper Ressha as well and that it isn’t only a Red power-up. I’d assume that Hyper Ressha will follow the transfer rules and that if a ToQger has mustered up the right amount of Imagination, they’d be able to use Hyper Ressha as well. Kind of like Shinkenger.
Overall, another great episode. I definitely enjoyed it.