[DreadBringer]

Kamen Rider Gaim watch

The Beat Riders Saga

Episode 8: Baron's New Power, Mango!

Written by: Gen Urobuchi/Toriko Nanajo Directed by: Shojiro Nakazawa

As the only one that defeats Bravo is Team Gaim, DJ Sagara informs that they're finally pushed into 1st place for the standings, while Team Baron drops to 4th place. As it's aired on Drupers where Kaito is watching, Bando talks about how Yggdrasill was able to renovate the city from an old dump and making him able to set up his shop, and being grateful to them. However this only enrages Kaito, who leaves the place, forgetting his change, who Bando decides to use as his tip... likely showing his a bit of money-oriented aspect.

Micchy wonders why Watermelon Lockseed is unusable now while Takatora and Sid discuss about missing Lockseed, Sid makes a claim that Micchy stole the lockseed, but Takatora seems to be angered by this, giving Sid a fierce glare and considers Sid as a fool for his assumption, who then leaves and apparently smirks, probably his claim to Takatora there is him not seeing the full picture. This also shows another of his redeeming qualities that while Micchy seems to feel overshadowed by his brother, Takatora genuinely cares about him to have a faith regarding him.

Kouta is approaching a shop that hires part-timers, while Mai discovers a portal to the Helheim Forest, and decides to continue searching for Yuuya, and tries calling Kouta, who again, failed to apply for the job as all the positions have been filled, while he's desperate as in trying to give a smile trick, neglecting her call. Mai decides to just, enter the forest to look for Yuuya, heading to danger. Kouta likely checks for his missing calls after to get to know that Mai needs him (as I don't know if there are phone signals on Helheim Forest, or that the portal can act as that too if she calls again) for him to running looking for her, who coincidentally meets Micchy to ask about her whereabouts. Apparently a jingle informs that Mai is in Helheim Forest, and Kouta henshins into Gaim to race for her there. Mai is being chased by an Inves, and tries fending one of them off with a tree stump after tripping, but she eventually got cornered (I feel like there's still a room for her to escape despite the surrounding 3 Inves...) and a Rider saves her... but it's Baron instead of Gaim, defeating the 3 Inves with am enhanced (banana shaped energy of course) spin AoE attack.

Mai questions Kaito's motive of also, putting himself in danger in Helheim Forest, which is to search on Lockseeds to get more power, and it's shown he'll discard the ones he deemed weak. As he's also wandering on Helheim Forest, Mai asks him if he sees Yuuya. Though Kaito's still acting aloof, including telling Mai to not follow him around, he softens up around her, likely not even realizing it, like him just telling Mai he didn't see Yuuya in a straightforward way, without like, for instance, unnecessary insults for Team Gaim as the leader's missing. And despite Kaito's insistence to rely on his own strength, it's shown that other people are needed around you, even those who are "beneath", as Mai offers likely new knowledge to Kaito for Helheim Forest spawning portals somewhere in real world (as Mai following him is meant to find her way back to the real world).

Sid has visited Team Gaim's hanging place to meet Micchy, who asks for other members to leave in their private conversation. Micchy straight up admits that he stole the Watermelon Lockseed, and knows that Takatora won't believe it. Instead, Micchy shows his manipulative nature further, that he can lie and frame Sid (despite that Micchy claims he and Sid are friends) that he conned Micchy into stealing it where Takatora would believe that more, earning him a praise from Sid as little demon. Micchy asks Sid to do more favors for him.

After a while, Kaito and Mai reaches the spot that, according to Mai, was her entrance before, but discovers that the portal has been shut. Mai notices Kaito's wound and attempts to treat it, who Kaito brushes it off as it'll heal soon, but Mai didn't budge, and not long after noticed bigger part of his wounds which are already bandaged. While Mai is covering his wounds with Kaito is really desperate about getting stronger, following his social darwinism philosophy, but to Mai here he opened himself up about his past, that Zawame City used to be a common suburb, until Yggdrasill took control of it, taking anything away from Kaito in the process, and apparently he gained his philosophy from this moment as Yggdrasill was powerful, while Kaito was weak and thus cannot stop them, and thus prioritizes power above anything else so that he survive unlike the weak who will naturally go extinct like him in the past. It turns out that there are similarities betweei Kaito and Mai, as she also was born and raised in Zawame City until Yggdrasill takes it away, so both of them had mutual hatred to Yggdrasill and a drive to become stronger. But their view of strength is a different one as Mai explains to Kaito that strength can come in different forms, like emotional strength; those who smiles and keep going in sad or tough situations, where Mai's motivation of dancing is an altruistic one; to make people who are sad or in tough situation smile, which means giving them strength according to her view, also showing similar aspect to Kouta's view that strength should be shared to others. Kaito still objects, but softens up further, and allows Mai to follow him.

Gaim arrives at Helheim Forest, in an absolutely bonkers (and bad luck) way, that he ends up in a dead end of a cliff, with cartoon gravity logic as his bike falls first, but Gaim only falls after he looks down and realizes he should fall. Apparently even as a Rider, it seems that falling from that height still puts him in unconscious state, explaining him being late to reach Mai. Gaim got stuck by an Inves swarm, but Ryugen also arrives while late, using another Rose Attacker (which Gaim questioned), apparently the result of his another deal with Sid. After destroying all the Inves, Ryugen remarks that the Inves are stronger.

Kaito and Mai finally found a portal, in which Mai tries to celebrate by high-fiving, and gets ignored by Kaito (although cold, it's a right move, never celebrate too early). But they came across a Seiryu Inves, who is already an Advanced Inves, and as Kaito henshins into Baron, Seiryu Inves is completely immune to his BanaSpear attacks.... albeit his kick can push him down before Seiryu Inves blasts him with a blue energy ball. Gaim and Ryugen arrived at the nick of time, checking both Mai and Baron's condition, and thanking Baron for him saving Mai, but Baron pushes him away. Gaim and Ryugen's attacks aren't working on him either. Moreover, the portal's closing, but Ryugen and Mai managed to get out in the nick of time (I wonder what will happen if the portal closes through someone...). Seiryu Inves' attack also pushes Gaim and Baron, along with the Inves out of Helheim. After a while, Gaim tries his Pine Arms form, and his attacks actually work on Seiryu Inves, damaging him bit by bit. Again, showing Baron that, other people are needed, as this is the move that inspires him to use his Mango Arms, with Mango Punisher, another heavy weapon that is able to push Seiryu Inves quite a distance. Both Riders combine their finisher into Seiryu Inves, with Baron's Punish Mash Au Lait being an attack that creates a giant mango projection by swinging the weapon multiple times. Mai thanks Kaito, who left without a response, but from the portal, Micchy realizes the new horror that, in reverse to what happened to Mai, Inves can also go through the portal and got stuck in the real world, attacking humans as shown in someone falling in an alleyway from Komori Inves' attack...