Xabungle Ep. 20: Akon the Stud?

A lone hovergy piloted by Rag flies through a desolate wilderness. A landship, Buffalo, pursues her, boarded by a man named Akon Akag, hoping to catch her before she reaches the forest. Rag soon reaches the jungle and falls off her hovergy, then runs further into the forest. A bunch of leeches fall on Rag, freaking her out and she runs into some watery mud. Rag loses her strength and passes out. She flashes back to Elchi crying in Jiron’s arms over El Condor’s death. She thinks of how she wanted to go someplace where she didn’t have to see them together. Meanwhile on the Iron Gear, Jiron is told by Chill that Rag has left. Jiron tells Elchi, suggesting they stop and search for her. Elchi tells Jiron not to head out on a Xabungle and Chill angrily leaves, chased by Jiron. Chill says she is going to leave the ship and jumps off, being grabbed by Jiron is his Xabungle. Chill says she owes Rag for taking her in. The Iron Gear comes to a stop. Dyke and Blume head out on hovergys, being told by Kotsett that they have one hour. Jiron also heads out on the Xabungle. Meanwhile, Rag wakes up in a barrel of warm water being heated over a fire by Akon, who says it is a remedy for the leeches. Akon tells Rag his name and the barrel topples over. Rag grows embarrassed, realizing that she is naked and everyone on the Buffalo is nearby. Akon tells them to be quiet and shoots at them. Akon gives Rag something to cover herself up and carries her towards the Buffalo, saying the leech poison is not all worn off yet. Meanwhile, Dyke and Chill park their hovergys and sneak nearby, seeing the Buffalo. They think these men were hired by Horla. Akon’s men comment on how happy he seems with Rag there. Akon grows angry at a man questioning what he is doing with her. Meanwhile back on the Iron Gear, Blume tells the others about where he saw the Buffalo and Jiron suggests they split up, angering Elchi. Elchi questions whether Rag really cares about them after running off. Jiron says they should meet up by the jungle the next morning and goes. Jiron departs on the Xabungle and the Iron Gear continues on. On the Buffalo, Akon looks through boxes for some clothes that would be for a girl. He comes into the room where Rag pretends to sleep and leaves some clothes there. Rag thinks to herself that he’s a fool and reveals she has a gun. On the bridge, Akon plays a harmonica and Rag comes up there, wearing the shirt he left for her. Rag asks him about his harmonica and he says it’s a memento of his father’s. Akon asks her about her family and she says she’s all alone. He asks if she’d like to stay her with him. Suddenly, Kid Horla contacts Akon via the radio, and Rag realizes he works for him.

Men work on the Buffalo, getting it ready for battle. Horla is worried that they may miss the Iron Gear and tells Akon to head south then west to ambush them. Akon says they are going to head out and that he won’t be under Horla’s thumb forever. Rag thinks the Iron Gear has abandoned her. The Buffalo heads off. Akon comments on Horla and gets nervous after touching Rag. He says he’ll go get her some food and Rag thinks of how he isn’t anything like Jiron. Jiron continues on in the Xabungle and arrives where the Buffalo had been earlier. The next morning the Buffalo heads into the forest and stops. Rag heads to the bridge to greet Akon and he spots the Iron Gear nearby. She says she wants to watch and he tells her to stay inside. Akon heads off in his Walker Machine along with a colleague. Elchi calls out to Jiron and says they will soon head to a bazaar run by Karas Karas. She tells Kotsett to prepare a list of what they need. Rag takes a call on the Buffalo from Horla who questions who she is. One of Akon’s underlings grabs the microphone and updates Horla. Akon starts his attack on the Iron Gear. Horla sends out additional Walker Machines to join in on the attack. Jiron heads there from far away in his Xabungle. Rag worries about them and hears Jiron and Elchi talking over the radio. The Iron Gear continues to get struck and Elchi departs the bridge, getting into the second Xabungle. She kicks over one of the Walker Machines and is tossed a rifle. Akon hopes to take Elchi’s Xabungle as a souvenir for Rag. He knocks away its rifle and knocks the Xabungle over. Rag watches from afar and doesn’t have any sympathy for Elchi. Jiron arrives in his Xabungle. Blasts continue to hit the Iron Gear. Akon is about to kill Elchi when Jiron fires upon him. Akon rushes towards Jiron’s Xabungle, and other Walker Machines join in the attack. Jiron destroys one of the enemy Walker Machines and calls for help from his allies. Jiron topples over two more Walker Machines, and then kicks Akon’s. Dyke says they should transform the Iron Gear and Kotsett calls out to Jiron and Elchi to return. The two of them return and it transforms. Horla looks from afar, wondering where Akon’s Buffalo is. The Iron Gear blasts through a mountain, destroying a Walker Machine and approaches Horla’s landship so he orders a retreat. Later, Elchi questions Jiron what took him so long and he says they couldn’t find Rag, wondering if she went ahead of them to the next town. Elchi says meeting Karas Karas is the priority. Jiron wonders if it was Rag he saw on the bridge and then dismisses it. On the Buffalo, Rag tends to Akon’s cuts and bruises. He asks her to look outside and see what’s going on with the Iron Gear. She sees it heading off. Akon thinks they still have a chance to defeat them as they approach Karas Karas’ bazaar. Akon asks Rag her name and she tells him. Rag wonders what will happen next.