[Mesnick]

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I thought Tycoon was kind of foolish to believe Ace again after being deceived twice before, especially in a situation where Desire Drivers are so coveted. But fortunately for him, Ace was telling the truth this time. The moral of this episode was the value of rivals helping each other out after all, so maybe Ace learned that while deception has short-term benefits, earning people's trust can have even better long-term benefits, as they're more likely to return the favor later, which he'll need now that he's in a position of imminent elimination.

May be. Or Ace has fallen into the trap of "cool" riders suffering from a lack of character, and does what the plot tells him to do. We'll find out towards the end of the show.

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I still think that the stakes are high for next episode, as the combination of "double elimination" and "protagonist plot armor" suggests that someone is going to take Ace's place alongside Win as the eliminated party. My guess is that either Keiwa or Michinaga will be going next week (or both if Win's lucky), for different reasons.

In that case, I bet on Michinaga. It seems to me that Keiwa will not be cleaned immediately after returning. Plus, Buffa in the last episode was that bastard (and, in fact, did what Win was supposed to do) and deserved to be punished. And, given his hatred of Geats, Michinaga's return is quite expected, while Tacoon needs a more or less convincing reason.