Episode 18 Synopsis
Loss
(Original Airdate: May 21, 2000)
Out behind the Porepore restaurant Yuusuke is making quite a bit of noise. Using various empty containers of different materials, he has set up a makeshift percussion set, and is busy practicing one of his more recently acquired skills. Nana, on her way out back to do some sweeping, sees Yuusuke and is very curious. Yuusuke wraps up his session with a final furious flourish, eliciting applause and praise from Nana. "Skill number 1880: Stomp-ing," he informs her, and adds that he needs to brush up his chops for his demonstration for sister Minori’s class later. Oya-san, irritated at the absence of his employees, calls the two inside to begin the workday.
Opening Credits
Sakurako is working on the writings when her phone rings. Seeing Ichijou’s name on the display, she greets him with a "Good morning," but adds that Yuusuke isn’t with her. Ichijou replies that that’s not why he called: he wants to know if she’s been able to translate any more of the writings, particularly anything regarding the ‘flying object,’ as he calls it. Sakurako apologizes that she’s made little progress, able only to discover the name associated with it. "The writings break out as the word ‘Gouram’," she informs him. (The actual pronunciation reads phonetically as ‘go u ra mu.’)
At the police lab in Chiba Dr. Enokida and her associates are examining the now-fragmented pieces of the armor. She is puzzled why it broke off of the bike. Her assistant posits that Mr. Godai is likely relevant to the matter. She agrees, relating it to Godai’s physical condition.
At the head of a Shinjuku alley we see what is ostensibly the shape of a young woman: white sunhat, long silky blonde hair, black blouse, light-colored skirt, and black pumps. The figure heads into the alley, which is lined with exhaust fans from the air-conditioners of the buildings which face the alley. Another young woman heads towards the figure from down the alley. Closer inspection, however, reveals that the first figure is most certainly a man in woman’s clothing. He approaches the young woman, and as she stops, he grasps her gently with hands to her shoulders, revealing a mushroom-shaped tattoo on the back of his hand, and some familiar-looking bracelets. He moves in for what appears to be a kiss. However, after a moment the young woman drops her hand-purse, and then collapses to the ground. Triumphant, this latest Gurongi, Me Ginoga De, raises his arms, notches a ring, and says (roughly), "Another bites the dust."
Inside the Porepore Yuusuke is giving a demonstration of his skill. Nana is hoping Oya-san will be as impressed as her with Yuusuke’s prowess. "Pretty amazing, huh," she says. "This ‘Stomp’…," begins Oya-san, and suddenly begins mimicking Yuusuke’s drumming in a rather jerky vocal approximation, which mildly distresses Nana. The phone rings, and Nana answers. "Just a moment," she says, then tells Yuusuke it’s for him. Ichijou, on the other end, tells Yuusuke that Number 26 has appeared in Shinjuku. "I’m on my way," responds Yuusuke, who excuses himself hastily to the others and dashes out the door, helmet in hand. Oya-san calls after him, but is more distracted with trying to imitate his charges demonstration, and ends up stinging his leg with a pair of errant chopsticks.
Yuusuke hops on the Trychaser and heads toward Shinjuku.
Minori is escorting the kids back to the Wakaba School (which is in neighboring Toshima Ward), and they are excited about the upcoming event. "Is Mr. Yuusuke really coming?" queries one of the boys. "He sure is," Minori replies. "He’s going to show us skill number 1880." The kids give a cheer.
Yuusuke speeds ever closer to the scene.
Outside Shinjuku station a lone salaryman is on the phone concluding a business conversation (the station must have been closed for this scene…Shinjuku is always swarming with commuters). "It’s a pleasure," he says, and hangs up. As he is signing off MeGinogaDe, wig, heels, and all, approaches. "The pleasure is mine," says MeGinogaDe, closing on the man. "Who are you?" he says suspiciously, and tries to back away. MeGinogaDe grabs him, and as the man resists he gets a glimpse of the true form of the villain. He screams, but his scream is cut short by the lethal kiss. His glasses fly off and land near a railing. Just then Yuusuke arrives on the scene, but all he sees in the prone man near a support column. He hops off the bike and checks on the man. "Are you alright?" Yuusuke looks around, but doesn’t see the figure behind him. He turns as MeGinogaDe approaches. The villain grabs Yuusuke and attempts to make him another victim, but Yuusuke pushes him away, sending MeGinogaDe into a fence. The impact causes MeGinogaDe to revert to his Gurongi form. He snarls something at Yuusuke, who then calls for the belt and henshins into Mighty Form. MeGinogaDe is startled. "Kuuga," he says surprised. MeGinogaDe tries to run, but Kuuga stops him, throwing him around and delivering several powerful punches to his midsection and chest. Kuuga then spin-kicks MeGinogaDe into a pillar. He throws a punch at MeGinogaDe’s head, but the villain ducks and Kuuga smashes a hole in the concrete. This distraction enables MeGinogaDe to grab Kuuga and plant one of his lethal ‘kisses’ on Kuuga’s throat. Kuuga is thrown into a choking fit. He staggers back, and then collapses on the ground, convulsing violently. Me Ginoga De, who has been injured by the force of Kuuga’s assault, staggers through some construction barriers and disappears. Kuuga gets up to try and stop him, but only crashes back to the ground, reverting to Growing Form in the process. Ichijou then arrives on the scene to see Yuusuke falling into a catatonic state. "Godai Yuusuke! Hang on!" he yells, but Yuusuke is fading fast, and his lips are turning blue. (The phrase Ichijou is using, translated here as ‘Hang on,’ in romaji is written ‘shikkari shiro,’ which translates literally as ‘be strong,’ but is used in situations where we would say things like ‘Hang on,’ ‘Keep it together,’ ‘Hang in there,’ where corporeal integrity is at stake. The phrase varies according to relationship of participants and urgency to ‘shikkari shite,’ ‘shikkari shiyoo,’ or even just ‘shikkari.’)
Sakurako’s phone rings again. She listens, disbelieving. "Huh? Godai-kun?’ Ichijou tells her that the ambulance is taking him to Dr. Tsubaki, and asks Sakurako to contact Yuusuke’s sister since he must remain on the scene. She agrees to his request.
The phone rings at the Wakaba School. Keiko, one of Minori’s co-workers (and yes, cute), answers. "Minori? Sorry, she’s out for a walk with the kids." Sakurako asks Keiko to contact her when she arrives. Sakurako dashes out the door.
Dr. Tsubaki is having lunch with his girlfriend Reiko in a quiet restaurant in Meguro Ward. "How is it?" he asks as she samples some pasta. He compliments her, perhaps a little too much, on her legs (among other things), but his wooing is cut short by his cell phone ringing. He answers reluctantly. "You again," he says angrily. Ichijou, on the other end, apologizes for the inconvenience and asks Tsubaki if he can rush back to the hospital. "Why?" queries the irritated doctor. "Godai is down," replies Ichijou. "What?" replies Tsubaki, whose irritation quickly turns to disbelief.
The ambulance rushes Yuusuke to the hospital.
At the scene of the incident Ichijou has discovered the glasses worn by the salaryman, noticing a bit of fine powder on the lenses. Sugita and Sakurai arrive on the scene. "Anything?" asks Sugita. "Not yet," replies Ichijou. One of the forensics team notices the glasses in Ichijou’s hands. Ichijou tells him to take them back to the lab for examination. "What up with those?" asks Sugita. "This powder on the lens," replies Ichijou, who then puts the glasses in a bag. Sugita takes the evidence and heads off.
In Taito ward Dr. Tsubaki arrives at the hospital as Yuusuke is being wheeled in on a stretcher. "What are his vitals?" Tsubaki asks one of the EMT’s, who fills him in. Yuusuke is rigid, and his pupils are severely dilated. His pulse is a critical 200.
Break
Minori and the kids arrive back at the Wakaba school. "Be careful now," she cautions as they rush inside. From a second story window Minori’s co-worker Keiko calls down, "Phone call for you." Minori heads inside. It’s Sakurako on the other end. "I’m headed for the Kanto Medical center now. The truth is…," she begins. Minori is alarmed. "What? Brother?" she responds in disbelief. "Right. I understand." She hangs up. "What’s wrong?" asks Keiko. "My brother is in some trouble." "Yuusuke?" asks Keiko. "Yes," replies Minori, "I think he’ll be okay, but can I go check on him anyway?" "Sure. I can handle it from here," says Keiko reassuringly. "Thank you," says Minori, and dashes off.
In Chiba Dr. Enokida is checking some equipment when Sugita drops in. "What are you all dressed up for?" she asks light-heartedly. Sugita, however, is very serious. "I’ve just been to Kaburagi’s grave," he says. "I see. If he were alive, today would have been…," and she trails off, but Sugita finishes the thought for her. "His wedding day." She remarks that he’s been very busy since No. 5 (Xu Mebio Da) appeared, and replies that he, too, would be dead if not for No. 4. "This is the item I told you about on the phone earlier," he says, handing her the bag containing the glasses. "I look into it," she says, eyeing the bits of dust on the lens.
In the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital Sakurako looks through the plastic shielding at Yuusuke, who is strapped to a hospital bed, his nose and mouth covered by an oxygen mask. He is twitching erratically. Just then Minori arrives, panicky. She and Sakurako exchange concerned looks. Dr. Tsubaki comes out of the room to talk to them. He and Sakurako exchange greetings and bows, and he turns to Minori. "I’m Minori Godai, Yuusuke’s sister," she says. "His sister? I see," he responds.
In an empty subway corridor Me Ginoga De staggers against a wall, then slumps down holding his side. He is groaning in pain. Suddenly footsteps approach: it’s Rose, accompanied by Me Galme Le, Xu Gouma Gu, and Me Garima Ba. "If you stay here resting, you’ll run out of time," warns Rose. Me Galme Le leans over, and sneers at Me Ginoga De sarcastically: "Losing the game, as usual." (Half of this phrase is in Grongi tongue, so it’s partially a guess; I think I got the jist, though." "You pitiful bastard," snarls Me Garima Ba. Xu Gouma Gu gets right in Me Ginoga De’s face, and spews some derisive Grongese at him, grabbing his wrist to check the bracelet. Unimpressed, and to make a point, Me Ginoga De changes to Grongi form, grabs Xu Gouma Gu suddenly and bites him on the neck, injecting his poison. This sends the bat guy reeling backwards, and he has a violent choking fit. Rose cringes slightly. "My plan will soon mean the death of Kuuga," Me Ginoga De says confidently. "And in the process I will enjoy disposing of many more Lynts." Me Galme Le backs off, covering his face against the poison smoke, while Rose suppresses a satisfied grin. "I’m sure it will be a great deal of fun," continues Me Ginoga De. He gets up slowly, and stands over the still-gasping Xu Gouma Gu. "Soon 15 more people will experience a beautiful end," Me Ginoga De says confidently, and walks away from the rest of the Grongis.
Back at the hospital Yuusuke is still on life support. The birthday bracelet that Minori had given to Yuusuke earlier (episode 10) lays on the bed next to Yuusuke.
"All we can do for now is monitor his condition," Dr. Tsubaki tells Minori and Sakurako. They nod in acknowledgement. "Excuse me for a second," he says, and heads into the other room to make a phone call to Ichijou. "Ichijou? It’s me," he says. "Is it over?" asks Ichijou. "Yes," he responds. "Have you heard the news about the victims of No. 26 yet?" He tells Ichijou that an unidentified poison has been found spread throughout the victims’ bodies, apparently of plant origin. The poison tears up the cells pretty thoroughly, which is what kills them. "What about Godai?" asks Ichijou. Tsubaki tells him the belt inside his body is helping keep him alive, allowing him to survive the poison, at least for the time being. But looking at the X-rays, Tsubaki can see in the image of the belt in Yuusuke’s body has also been affected. "Can you help him?" asks Ichijou. "For the time being all we can do is keep an eye on him," replies Tsubaki. "Please do so," requests Ichijou. He pauses, looking at his hand, with which he has made Yuusuke’s famous thumb’s-up sign. "I’ll be waiting," he says.
Shortly after Sakurako approaches Tsubaki. "I’m going back to the research office. I’m going to see if there is any clue about how to help Yuusuke. I’ll let you know if I find anything out." She heads off.
Ichijou’s phone rings. It’s Sugita. He tells Ichijou that the dust they found on the glasses is some kind of poison. "This U/I lifeform apparently has the power of poisonous mushrooms," he tells Ichijou. "Dr. Enokida says it raises the victim’s body temperature from 35 degrees to 40 degrees (Celsius). He says that the creature requires this high temperature to stay functional. As Ichijou listens to Sugita, he spots a wall of ventilation fans across the way. "Now I get it," he says. Sakurai arrives, and Ichijou tells him they should find the creature hiding near air conditioner ventilators as the temperature would be high enough to keep it alive. Sakurai agrees, and says they’ll get a team out in Shinjuku to look for it. Ichijou feels they would be in less danger among the ventilators, as the air would disperse the poison from the creature.
Tsubaki is talking to Minori now. "Your brother was carrying these omamori (protective amulets or cards [these can be homemade, or purchased at shrines or temples, depending on your needs]) in his pocket." "Omamori?" asks Minori. "He’ll be alright," reassures Tsubaki, "he won’t let the kids down." As they walk towards the waiting room a news bulletin comes on the TV, saying that unidentified creature number 26 is operating in Shinjuku and Nishi-Shinjuku, and the police are now tracking it down. The public is warned to stay away from the area.
Yuusuke continues to fight the poison in his critical state.
Minori, heartened by her faith in her brother’s abilities, tells Tsubaki she’s going to return to work. She bows, then heads off.
The police, in full gas-protective gear, move into a sub-street level network of air conditioning vents near the government buildings in Shinjuku (these buildings are featured in the battle between Godzilla and Mecha-King Ghidora), led by Ichijou. They spread out through the complex, ready for battle.
Sakurako continues her work on the ancient characters, while Minori rushes back to the children.
Yuusuke suddenly begins convulsing and gasping for air. His blood pressure and temperature are going through the roof. The nurse looks wide-eyed in panic.
The cops don’t have to search long before one of them encounters the target. The blond-wigged villain grabs one of the officers, who is caught by surprise, and strips his mask off in a quick motion. Me Ginoga De changes into his Grongi form. The officer is frozen with fear, and Me Ginoga De moves in for the final kiss. But just as he is about to claim another victim, a rifle blast hits him in the side and he is knocked away. Ichijou loads and fires another shot, and the police officer is saved. Ichijou pursues the Grongi and fires another shot. Me Ginoga De spews a thick cloud of poison, but Ichijou is saved by his gas mask.
Yuusuke’s condition continues to worsen. His vitals are fading fast. The alarm begins ringing on the equipment. The attending nurse is unable to do anything, so she calls Tsubaki, who rushes in. He checks Yuusuke pupils for dilation, but as he is doing so, Yuusuke flatlines. The only sound is the EKG’s high-pitched drone. Yuusuke is gone…
End of Episode
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