By Belmeria comments on Prospera being alive, and Prospera responds that she has the devil’s luck. She then asks why Belmeria is working for Peil, and Belmeria answers that she had no other choice. Prospera says that Belmeria is carrying on the legacy of Vanadis, and Belmeria notes that there’s no way she could’ve built the Aerial on her own. Belmeria asks Prospera what she’s doing and why she’d have her own daughter pilot the Aerial. She says there’s no point taking revenge for a 21-year-old incident, but Prospera cuts her off and asks how many there have been of that Gundam pilot. Prospera leaves and tells someone on the phone that they’ve smoked out the witch inside Peil. She then says she isn’t worried about the upcoming duel because she’s sure the Aerial will win. Aliya performs another fortune reading for Suletta about Elan’s cruel remark, and Lilique comments that he’s a creep. Chuchu notes that Elan invited Suletta out and now he’s making even her angry. Suletta wonders if it’s because she asked about his birthday, and while Nika says she did nothing wrong, Miorine interjects that Suletta falls for people’s sweet words too easily. Miorine is also upset that Suletta agreed to duel Elan without consulting her, and she says won’t forgive Suletta if she loses. Elsewhere, Guel is evicted from Jeturk House and given a bag with his belongings. Felsi and Petra watch and gossip about how the order came down from Vim. Guel asks where he’s supposed to live, and an employee delivers a message from Vim stating that paying for Guel’s tuition is an act of mercy. Guel picks up the bag and tells Lauda to take care of the House. At the Dueling Committee chamber, Shaddiq announces that the duel will take place in space. Elan sets the possession of the Aerial as his stake, and when Suletta hesitates about hers, Shaddiq tells her that she has until the duel to decide. He wonders if she did something to Elan and notes that he and Guel haven’t been themselves since her arrival. Because of that, he says he wants to know more about her now. Back at the Earth House, Suletta tells Nika and the others that she doesn’t have a thruster unit, and Martin worriedly notes that Peil suits are renowned for their mobility. They toss around ideas like borrowing a unit from another House, but Chuchu says there’s no way Spacians would help Earthians. Nika decides they should just make their own thruster unit, so the House buys several used engines. Elan dreams of a birthday candle and wakes up in Belmeria’s examination chair. He asks about the results, and she tells him he’ll be fine for his next battle, which he takes to mean he won’t survive. The real Elan Ceres walks in and tells his double to be more cheerful. The real Elan tells the double that if he wins he can have his original face back and a new citizen ID. The double isn’t excited, and the real Elan asks why he accepted this role. The real Elan says he knew this mobile suit was a curse, and the double counters that he was already cursed long before this.
In space, Suletta conducts tests on the Mirasoul flight unit with Nika and Miorine following in a small shuttle. Nika asks Suletta if she’s ready to face Elan, and Suletta responds that she feels dumb because he was only nice to her as part of his plan. Miorine comments that he was right about her being annoying, but she notes that this is how Suletta is. She mentions moving forward to gain two and asks how Suletta could run away from this fight by feeling sorry for herself. Nika laughs and says that Miorine must’ve already forgiven Suletta, and Miorine explains that she’ll be in trouble if Suletta loses. Suletta lands the Aerial inside the Peil House’s hangar and asks to speak to Elan. A student angrily notes that Elan doesn’t talk to any of his housemates and that none of them know anything about the Pharact. Elan wakes up when he hears Suletta asking over the loudspeaker why he said what he did and why he wants the Aerial. Suletta starts singing happy birthday to Elan, which stirs a memory in him. He then calls her and reiterates that he doesn’t have a birthday, so she asks what if they just made today his birthday. Elan comments again that she’s annoying and hangs up. The next day, the Aerial is loaded onto the catapult for launch. Suletta tells Nika that she wasn’t able to speak to Elan, but she’s decided what her stake will be. Suletta launches into space and is soon joined by Elan in the Pharact. At the Dueling Committee lounge, Shaddiq greets Lauda as the new leader of Jeturk House. He calls Suletta to ask if she’s decided her stake, and Suletta states she wants to know more about Elan if she wins. Suletta and Elan then recite the duel oath, and Shaddiq declares the start of the fight. Suletta opens fire on Elan, but he dodges and returns fire with his long beam rifle. Elan comments that if she wants to know more about him, he’s a disposable pawn created to pilot the Gundam. He then attacks with a beam saber and tells Suletta that she has everything by having friends, family and hope, so why can’t she let him have this victory? Suletta’s bit staves deploy to protect the Aerial from his shots. Elan is able to keep his distance, and Nika comments that he’ll use that to keep attacking Suletta from outside her range. Elan sets the Permet score to three and deploys his stun bits against Suletta. One of her bits is stunned, but the others create a shield to protect it when Elan tries to destroy it with his rifle. Elan sees that Suletta is better at controlling bits than he is, and Guel watches the battle on his tablet sitting outside his tent. Suletta realizes that she can’t catch Elan at this rate and increases her speed. Elan raises the Permet score to four to get extra performance and maintain distance from Suletta. Belmeria watches the battle and sees that the data storm has exceeded the acceptable limits. Suletta uses her bits to destroy Elan’s beam rifle, but he fires beams out of his feet and destroys the Mirasoul flight unit. Elan deploys his bits again and hits the Aerial’s leg, but it then emanates a field that powers down all his bits. The Pharact is hit by the field, and Elan sees ghostly images of children as Suletta’s bits encircle him and open fire. One of the bits hits the Pharact’s blade antenna, ending the duel. Suletta thanks the Aerial and says she could hear its voice more than ever today. Elan has a memory of his mother with a birthday cake, and Suletta pulls him out of his cockpit. Elan tells Suletta that he did have someone once who would celebrate his birthday. He thought all this time he had nothing, but he was wrong. Suletta tells Elan there are people who would celebrate his birthday, and she’s one of them. Nika asks Miorine if she’s okay with what’s happening, and Miorine answers she can tolerate some minor two-timing. Later, Miorine and Suletta sit on a bench while waiting for Elan. As Miorine leaves, Suletta thanks her. Belmeria pleads with the co-CEOs to let Elan’s double live, but they declare that they have no need for an enhanced person who can’t fulfill orders; plus they have spares. Elan’s double, strapped into a machine that will kill him, starts singing happy birthday. Suletta continues to wait and wonders when Elan will show up.
Much is revealed in this episode, but much is also still a mystery. The opening conversation between Belmeria and Prospera leaves no doubt that Prospera is Elnora, but something doesn’t add up. Belmeria mentions that there’s no point trying to avenge something from 21 years ago, but if she’s referring to the events of the Prologue, something doesn’t fit – during that time, Ericht was 4, but right now Suletta is 17. I don’t want to presume too much what this could mean, but it’s clearly something that will be revisited. We also learn that the Elan we’ve seen up to now is just the latest in a series of expendable doubles created to pilot Gundams, while the real Elan goes about his business living a normal existence. The end of the episode is a cruel fate for the body double, as no one will even know what he really was or what his existence meant. Clearly Peil is using some old school methods in their Gundam designs, and Prospera has somehow surpassed their skills with the Aerial. During the battle, it emanated a bit-canceling field that’s very reminiscent of what Kenanji did to the Gundam Lfrith units he engaged. On another note, Guel faces another embarrassing episode after being evicted from his own House by his father. He’s reduced to camping in a tent on school grounds, and hopefully this will make him realize that Vim is not someone worth caring about or impressing. Whether that pushes him more to Suletta’s side remains to be seen.
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