By Geraba is told that Kashim King has escaped from Point V, where Timp was stationed. Horla is still daydreaming of Elchi. Rag continues her attack in her stolen Doran. Horla tells Geraba to head where Kashim King is as he doesn’t want to interfere with Timp. Blume picks up Rag and Birin from the Doran which ran out of ammunition. Both the Gallier and the Xabungle return to the Iron Gear. Jiron asks Maria to take care of Arthur, who falls off the Gallier into her arms. Blume lets Rag and Birin off on the Iron Gear. The Iron Gear starts turning around. Meanwhile, Elchi knocks out someone on the deck and flees in a small Walker Machine. Timp’s forces continue in the battle; with Horla departing he knows they’ll need to rack up some accomplishments themselves. Elchi heads towards the Gallier, seeking to take out Jiron. She reaches the Gallier and climbs up into the cockpit, trying to stab him. Jiron tries to hold her back from doing it. They come face to face and Elchi pauses as if she remembers something, but her head starts hurting her. Kashim watches the battle from afar and is told Horla is coming on the Emperor landship. Kashim asks him why he came here as he ordered him to launch a united front with Timp’s forces, not defend him. He tells him to head back to Timp, angering Horla. Horla returns to his landship and asks Geraba how much ammunition they have left. Horla expresses more disgust at Kashim. Several Walker Machines attack Blume’s Xabungle but he fights them off. Jiron has brought Elchi back into the Iron Gear and tied her to a chair, which she struggles to get out of. Medick had hoped bringing Elchi to her room would help bring her back to normal but it hasn’t worked. Maria wonders if Arthur knows anything, but Medick doesn’t want to bother him when he’s in bad condition. Maria proposes they try to capture a medic from the Innocent to see if they may know anything. As they head down the hall they see Arthur leaving his room and bring him back. He claims even brainwashing can’t change someone’s personality. Instead they layer another person’s personality on top of them. Eventually however, people would change to the way they were. He says they can return someone to how they are with kindness. Maria suddenly gets an idea. The battle continues outside. Maria releases Elchi from her chair and Medick brings Arthur in, whom Elchi mistakes for Biel. Elchi suddenly becomes much calmer and is happy to converse with Arthur. He asks her about if she remembers how she used to fight against the Innocent. He calls Kashim the true enemy and that he’d like to defeat him, which makes her angry, claiming he is trying to defeat her. Displaying Kashim’s personality, Elchi says the Innocent are being led to ruin because he’s a pampered child. Maria and Medick have to come between them. Outside, Jiron defeats several more enemies in his Gallier. Chill leads some other Walker Machines throwing rocks from the Iron Gear. Jiron chases and pulls down a flying Doran that attacks him. Elchi goes on a rampage, throwing around the furniture. Fatman watches from outside the room and starts crying. Elchi claims her head hurts and gets worn out. Maria tells her she’s a kind person interested in culture and tries to snap her back to normal through hypnotism, which she learned from Medick’s books.
Horla returns to the battlefield and orders each Walker Machine to head out. He wonders if he can take Elchi back in the confusion, then decides to have everyone stay on standby. Geraba quickly figures out his plans. Timp’s subordinate Giro sends out more Walker Machines but Timp worries about friendly fire. Kotsett calls out to Jiron about their tactics and Kaldas also throws out orders. Horla makes his way to the Iron Gear. Giro tells Timp that Horla’s landship is on standby and not moving, angering Timp, as he feels they could trap the Iron Gear in a pincer attack. Timp tries to call out to Horla on their communication system without success. At that moment, Horla is running through the halls of the Iron Gear. He hides as Lovely Rose and her dancers run by, but falls and is noticed by her. He slaps Rose and demands to know where Elchi is. She is able to set off an alarm. This distraction enables Elchi to grab a hold of Maria, threatening to strangle her if Medick doesn’t let her outside. Horla gets into a fire fight in the hallway and notices Elchi. Elchi is happy at seeing Horla and Horla grabs Maria as a hostage too. Maria and Medick tell Elchi she’ll never be healed if she doesn’t remain, but she desires to be back to leading some Innocent forces. Fatman swings by as they try to escape, but Horla still holds Maria at gunpoint, stopping him. Timp gets angry at hearing that Horla went to the Iron Gear alone. Geraba tells him he won’t move until he gets an order by Horla, declining Timp’s requests. Timp orders Giro to have them to attack the Iron Gear; he wants Elchi for himself as his wife. Horla shoots at Fatman as he tries to make his escape. Jiron arrives in the Gallier. Horla is revealed to be out of bullets so Fatman attacks him head on. Elchi holds Maria back, brandishing a knife. Jiron notices Timp’s Giblos landship approaching, with it about to ram into them. Jiron calls out Chill to have them move the Iron Gear, but it’s too late and the Giblos smashes into it. Timp swings down towards the Iron Gear and avoids some shots from the Iron Gear‘s crew. Timp nearly falls off the rope while trying to grab a hold of his hat. Elchi grabs a hold of him and Timp brings her away. Timp and Horla argue; Biram’s orders were to recapture Elchi and Timp is the one succeeding in that. Horla starts climbing up the rope to pursue them. Fatman throws knives at them and this severs the rope, causing all of them to fall. Timp smashes into his ship and Horla hits the ground while Fatman is able to catch Elchi. When Elchi wakes she slashes at Fatman with her knife, but he just grabs a hold of her tighter. Kotsett orders the Iron Gear to back off, away from the Giblos. Dyke and Blume realize that the Xabungle has run out of ammo. Timp orders a retreat. Jiron tells Rag to order a retreat of their and Salt’s forces too. On the Iron Gear deck, Elchi holds her head in pain while Fatman tries hypnosis on her.
In a rarity this episode continues right where the last one left off, in the midst of battle. This episode really was an opportunity for the Innocent to crush the Iron Gear, but largely through Horla, they are unable to. Horla initially flees, selfishly trying to protect Kashim King, only to get called out by him. He then returns to the battle and rather than assist Timp, goes to rescue Elchi on his own. Had they worked together, Timp and Horla really could have won this time, but instead they fight with each other. Quite oddly, Timp out of nowhere seems in love with Elchi as well this episode and suddenly her as his wife just like Horla does. I hope this is just a brief gag as it makes no sense whatsoever with the way Timp has been to this point. Meanwhile Medick and Maria continue to try and bring Elchi back to normal. We find out that rather than simply being brainwashed, Elchi has had the personality of Kashim King laid over hers. No wonder she has become so evil and crazed. While I doubt it was intentional, seeing Elchi and Arthur together in a scene made me notice just how similar the two look, as if they could be siblings. Fatman plays a big role in saving Elchi and thankfully preventing us from a storyline where Elchi has to be rescued from the Innocent yet again. He talks here probably more so than he has in any episode to this point, even if it’s mostly just saying Elchi’s name and counting some numbers.
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