Gundam Build Divers Ep. 8: Festival!

At The Gundam Base, Riku and Yukki entertain themselves by watching the video of their debut Force Battle. In GBN, the Build Divers receive an endless stream of challenges from other forces. Ayame tells Koichi that their next opponent will be analyzing them, so the battle won’t be easy. Magee tells them they should try the time-limited Force Festivals, which come in multiple varieties like sports and karaoke. Yukki remembers hearing about getting special items or costumes. Magee pulls up info on the current Beargguy Festival, which excites Sarah and Momo. Ayame declines because she isn’t into cute stuff, but Sarah and Momo insist that she come along. The team launches in their Gunpla and travels through a gate to an area with floating islands where the festival is being held. Momo comments that the place looks like an amusement park, and Ayame secretly thinks that the Beargguys are cute. Riku and the others get into special Beargguy costumes and force Ayame to do the same. The group takes pictures and goes on multiple Gundam-inspired rides. Ayame is overcome with affection for a Petit’gguy and hugs it, which the others get a picture of. Two female players ask Koichi to take a picture of them, but Ayame steps forward when he proves too nervous to do it. The female players, Stea and Kanari, recognize the rest of the team from their battle and join them for snacks. The two are members of an all-girl force called Archangels. They’ve also come to participate in the Beargguy Quest to find hidden treasure and win a special Mushagguy. Riku and the rest of the team decide that they want to participate as well.

Multiple forces assemble at the island where the quest takes place and are informed that treasure chests scattered throughout the island contain clues to finding the treasure. Stea and Kanari tell Riku that they’ve done this before and know the clues, but he vows not to lose. The Build Divers take off and begin searching the island. An EWAC Zack finds a treasure chest in a cave but can’t reach it, so an Agg snags the chest. Stea and Kanari find a chest, as do Sarah and Momo. Yukki finds an empty chest, and Momo panics because their clue is based on Gundam trivia. Riku follows Ayame, who explains that she knows about an extra clue from having done this with another force. Riku starts to ask about that, but she changes the subject. The clue asks about Cucuruz Doan from the original Gundam series, and Ayame correctly guesses that Amuro Ray tossed a Zaku, which is where the clue leads them to. Ayame scans and finds a landform shaped like a Zaku head, which she and Riku rush to. Ayame thinks about her old force and wonders what she’s doing. Stea opens fire from her Gaia Gundam, and Kanari’s Murasame tries to stop her. Stea insists on getting the treasure and activates a Break Decal. Kanari asks Stea how she could do this, and Stea says she doesn’t want to be a burden and blames herself for their Force Ranking dropping. The Break Decal causes the sky to turn black and creates glitches throughout the area. Kanari pleads with Stea to stop, and Stea says she knows everyone will give up on her because she’s a bad player. Riku’s 00 Diver Ace attacks, and he asks Stea why she can’t trust her friends. He tells her that she’s betraying her teammates, but she thinks someone talented like him wouldn’t understand. He counters that the power of the Break Decal is a deception, and she won’t be able to stay in GBN with her friends. Riku cuts into the Gaia Gundam, which then falls and is caught by Kanari. She calls Stea a fool and reminds her that they’ve been teammates for so long and always will be. Stea starts crying and apologizes. She then deactivates the Break Decal, which stops the bugs affecting the area. Riku tells Stea that the festival isn’t over yet. Later, everyone watches a nighttime Beargguy parade. Yukki asks Koichi what the objective is of the Break Decal makers, but he doesn’t know. Riku tells Ayame that like Kyoya, he wants to protect GBN from Mass-Divers and the threat of Break Decals. The festival ends with a fireworks display. Elsewhere, Do-Ji meets Tsukasa in a dark alley to obtain a Break Decal.