By Students watch as Elan’s Zowort engages in a three-on-one duel against Clibarri suits from Daigo House. Shaddiq comments that it’s unusual for Elan to accept a duel request, and Secelia wonders if Guel’s bad habits are rubbing off on him. Watching from the Earth House, Chuchu dismisses Elan as being conceited. Ojelo bet big on Elan losing, but Elan uses the Zowort’s high speed to quickly take down all three opponents. Elsewhere, technical researcher Belmeria Winston informs the four co-CEOs of Peil Technologies that Enhanced Person Number 4, Elan, is ready for the next phase. The co-CEOs ask Belmeria about Suletta, and she explains that they couldn’t detect a GUND Format data storm during Suletta’s duels with Guel. She theorizes that the Aerial might’ve cleared the biggest issue with Gundams – the bioethical concerns about pilots. The co-CEOs decide to have Elan investigate whether the Aerial is a Gundam or not. Later, Nika, Nuno and Ojelo work on the Aerial’s maintenance and are amazed by its engineering. Suletta has her fortune read by Aliya, who notes that one stone represents her mother, but she can’t see anything about her father. Suletta nervously answers that she was told her father died when she was very young. Suletta asks if Aliya can read other people’s fortunes, and Aliya says she just needs their birthday. Suletta panics when Elan calls and asks her to go out with him. At the dorm, Nika asks Suletta if it’s a date, and she explains that he just asked if she wanted to go somewhere on their next day off. Chuchu says that’s a date, and Lilique wonders if Suletta turned down Guel’s proposal because she was after Elan. Aliya is surprised that the Ice Prince made a move and explains to Suletta that no one has ever seen him express any emotion. Suletta makes a late night phone call to Prospera and tells her that she’s going out with someone she hardly knows. Prospera comments that Suletta is making progress on her list and reminds her that if she moves forward, she gains two. After hanging up, Prospera is informed that Peil is making their move. Belmeria and Elan watch the video of the Aerial and Darilbalde battle, and she thinks its reactivity is too organic for its drive system. Elan asks if it’s body augmentation control, and she comments that this task level would normally kill the pilot with Permet influx. Elan thinks that Suletta must be an enhanced person like him who was created to pilot a Gundam. Belmeria notices a slight smile on Elan’s face and asks if he’s happy about this. He notes that they asked him to look into Suletta, and Belmeria comments that they need to set up another duel to test the Pharact. Later, as the Aerial is loaded into the container, Suletta thanks everyone from the Earth House for helping with maintenance. Miorine pulls up in a scooter and yells at Suletta that everyone from the three main branches are enemies. Felsi and Petra run into the gym to tell Guel that Suletta and Elan are on a date. Guel is angered and demands to know where they went. Elan thanks Suletta for helping him examine the testing sector since his Zowort is under maintenance. Elan is impressed by her piloting skills and asks how long she’s used the Aerial. Suletta answers that they’ve been together forever, and Elan asks if she ever experienced any suffering while piloting. Suletta answers that she didn’t suffer, and that the Aerial is like a good friend or family. Elan asks if he can pilot the Aerial by himself, and Suletta agrees. Elan sets the Permet score at two and recognizes the GUND Format, but the Permet in his body isn’t responding. Elan realizes that Suletta is nothing like him. He returns the Aerial, and when she asks about his birthday, he answers that he’s never had one. Elan says she’s annoying and that mobile suits are a curse to him. He thought they were alike, but they’re not. Guel shows up and sees the look on Suletta’s face, so he asks Elan what he did. Elan asks Guel if he wants a duel and agrees to one.
At the Dueling Committee lounge, Guel and Elan stand before Shaddiq to set their conditions for the duel. Guel’s stake is that he wants Elan to stay away from Suletta, and she interjects that that’s none of his business. Guel responds that as a member of the three main branches, Elan is her enemy, and Suletta counters that the same goes for Guel. Shaddiq tells Suletta that the duel is between Guel and Elan, but if she’s unhappy about the result, she can fight another duel. Elan declares that if he wins, he wants to duel Suletta. Although he’s been forbidden from dueling, Guel launches in Lauda’s Dilanza and heads for the testing sector. Lauda asks Shaddiq to abort the duel, but Secelia notes that the Dueling Committee already granted permission. Elan enters the testing sector with the Pharact, and the two recite the duel oath before Shaddiq declares the start of the duel. The simulation is set to a lunar battle, and Guel immediately goes on the offensive. Martin watches the fight and comments that Guel is fighting too violently and kicking up lots of sand particles charged with static electricity. Elan dodges Guel’s attacks and decides that the sand will assist him. Elan deploys multiple bits and sets the Permet score at three. Guel dodges fire from some of the bits and is hit by others, but instead of causing damage, they stun the affected part. Prospera watches the fight and knows that the Pharact isn’t using mere drones, and Belmeria greets her and says she’s glad to see her old mentor. Guel continues attacking Elan to no effect, and he drops his beam rifle when his arm is stunned. He then uses his large heat axe to kick up a sand cloud as cover, and he rushes toward Elan while using the axe as a shield. Elan dodges and hits Guel with enough stun blasts to disable him. Rouji comments to Shaddiq that Guel played right into Elan’s hands because Elan used the electromagnetic stun charges to charge the sand and make it stick to the Dilanza’s joint drive parts, causing an overload. Elan fires his long beam rifle multiple times to blast pieces off the Dilanza. He then moves in close and grabs the Dilanza by the head, declaring that the only way to beat a Gundam is with a Gundam. He then smashes the blade antenna to win the duel and immediately calls Suletta to remind her of their duel. He declares that his stake for the duel is that he gets the Aerial if he wins.
Suletta takes backseat this episode as we learn the answers to the mystery of why Elan is so cold and why he’s interested in her. The four weird co-CEOs of Peil have been creating enhanced people to pilot Gundams, which obviously is forbidden based on the events of the Prologue. Elan is referred to as Enhanced Person Number Four, and I wonder if that’s just coincidental or a deliberate reference to Zeta Gundam’s Four Murasame. Elan clearly leads an unhappy and painful life, and his brief moment of happiness at the thought that Suletta was like him is crushed when he learns that she doesn’t have any of his struggles. He clearly wants the Aerial to have a different experience from what he normally does when piloting. Meanwhile, although well-intentioned, Guel makes a fool of himself yet again and loses for the third time in the span of five episodes. At the rate he’s going, he’ll soon be in the company of other repeat losers like Jerid Messa and Patrick Colasour. I’m surprised that Suletta would let anyone pilot the Aerial alone, and you’d think it’s something Prospera would’ve told her not to do. Suletta reveals during the fortune telling that she was told her father died when she was very young. This again raises the question of whether she blocked out the memories of the Prologue, or if they were blocked technologically somehow. The episode ends on the note of Elan challenging Suletta to a duel, so it’ll be interesting to see how she fights someone on more equal footing to her.
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