[Androzani84]

At a slightly later time than normal, let's begin week 5.

Timeranger Case File 05: The Third Combination, 12/03/2000

We open at Londarz Prison, in the dead of night.



While the others sleep, Gien awakens a prisoner of his own volition.



Blast assumes that Dolnero has had him thawed out to eliminate a witness to his dirty dealings (I guess he hadn't noticed they're a thousand years before most of those took place, despite somehow knowing that the guy unfreezing him was an associate of Dolnero), but Gien sets him straight. Dolnero has forgotten he even existed, which Blast is glad for, since he prefers to kill for the fun of it rather than for money. To which Gien makes him a proposition.



The next day, Sion is playing a flash game on the computer (if this is a real game, somebody tell me. Though it likely is, since I doubt the CGI budget amounted to creating a scene like this).



Tatsuya and Domon come in having just woken up. Tatsuya is amazed that Sion is already up, only for Domon to tell him that Sion never went to bed.



As Ayase gets up, Sion reveals that Yuri left early to take up a cleaning job, to Ayase's concern.



Domon blames Tatsuya saying they'd do anything on the job poster, which the latter justifies by pointing out that they can't make a living wage off only 5 jobs. Meanwhile, at the Downhills, Yuri has actually made strong progress with the mopping.



But then the men show up, offering to help her.



Soon enough, the men are doing all the work, and Domon has decided that Yuri's tomboy tendencies make her the one type of woman he wouldn't want to do (If you think that's an issue, it's still less of a grievous one than the fact someone coloured Sion?s hair blue in this scene).



Meanwhile, out in the town, Lila goes out to do some shopping with the money Londarz have acquired, wearing a disguise (which does nothing to cover up her cotton candy pink hair, but maybe they assume it's dyed).



Nearby, Blast begins his rampage, indiscriminately gunning people down with his gatling gun arm, and tearing a Rolex off one of his victims.



The Tomorrow Research gang realise there's a commotion when people come running into the building they're cleaning, and head out to investigate. Nearby, Lila's attendants - actually Zenits - are gunned down and her wares destroyed, making her made enough to drop her disguise and kill Blast on the spot.



But then Timeranger show up, and she decides to let them handle it, vanishing from the episode.



But during the fight, Yuri gets a very good look at a bangle hanging from Blast's body, a trophy from one of his previous kills. And the sound of his footsteps echoes in her mind.



Yuri proceeds to drop her emotionless demeanour and charge towards Blast, her thoughts filled with murderous rage.



After ruthlessly beating Blast to the floor, Yuri summons her VolSniper and sets it to full power, before preparing to fire.



But the others step in and stop her, allowing Blast the opportunity to get away.



As the others chide Yuri for losing her cool, the last thing she should be doing as a detective, she reveals why she's so seemingly willing to murder this particular scumbag over the arsonist, the bank robber or the child killer.



Later back at the loft, Yuri refuses to elaborate on her tragic backstory beyond the dead family consisting of her father, her mother and her younger sister Mei. So Tock explains.



He then notes that Yuri's life took a turn for the worse when she was 10 years old, in 2988 (so that makes her 21-22 during the events of the series. Not necessary to know, but still a fun fact).



Yuri was heading to meet up with her family (I assume she was heading home from school, since no other options make sense)?



But then a mysterious figure emerged from the shadows and gunned down the whole family. Yuri survived, because she was hidden beneath her father?s corpse after he?d run forward to shield her from being the first to die, realising what had happened when she climbed out from beneath him.



But Tock points out that despite Yuri's opinion on the matter, there's no proof as to who committed the crime. Least of all, if it was Blast.



(Judging by the date in his arrest record, he got busted shortly after the murder of Yuri's family. So he clearly wasn't competent at much other than killing).

But Yuri insists that it was him, because she recognised his voice and the sound of his boots from the killing.



She then notes that she didn't become a detective to avenge her family. Her father and her made a bet that if she became an Investigator for the Intercity Police and did better at it than her old man, then he'd let her inherit his bracelet... the same bracelet she saw hanging from Blast.



And since her father was also an Anti-Mafia Investigator, she's sure that Blast was the hitman, and he was hired by Dolnero. But Tock points out that jumping to conclusions and using them to justify murder is poor etiquette.



And Domon then suggests she sleep on the matter.



But Yuri is haunted by visions about her family vanishing from around her, while Dolnero laughs at her.





As the others try to think of how they can help Yuri shoulder her burdens, Yuri thinks back on the promise she made to her father shortly before she died to become a great investigator.



The next morning, Blast attacks a theme park, an act that Sion wakes everyone up to relay.



But this causes Yuri to charge on ahead, equipping her Chrono Suit and heading off alone in the Time Flier.



She arrives at the amusement park to stop Blast from killing the clientele, beating him down once more, and pointing her VolSniper at him, once more increasing its output.



The others arrive and beg Yuri not to kill Blast, since doing so will make her a criminal. Yuri seemingly doesn't listen, once more insisting that Blast murdered her family. And he actually confesses to the crime, but notes that he wasn't a lone agent. (The moral here? Probably that police brutality and vigilantism is a great way to extract a confession)



The ring turns out to contain a holographic message from Dolnero (who amazingly, hasn't changed much physically in 12 years).





Yuri then drops her apparent murderous attitude and returns to her normal demeanour.



It turns out the reason she was acting like a maniac was a gambit to force a confession out of Blast. The fact he had evidence was a major plus.



She thus gets back to business and faces Blast in a straight fight, using her Double Vector to hit him precisely enough that she can reclaim her family heirloom.



But as is the formula by now, Blast triggers a rebound, necessitating the Emergency System to call in Time Robo. But Blast's gunfire renders both Alpha and Beta formations worthless. Luckily, Tock has a workaround.



And thus, they change into the titular third combination, Time Jet Gamma.



And this is what gets them to debut our Robo insert for the year.

The future is coming, crossing over space-time

These five winds are faster than light

Now, calling out to the skies are...
Bravery, love and hope

That's our 3-D Formation
OK, let's go!

Alpha, Beta, Jet Gamma

Aim toward eternity...
...with the combined TimeRobo!

Demolish the barrier of infinity!

They are able to work around Blast's gunmanship using the Gamma Tornado, which... I think the name is self-explanatory.



They reform into TimeRobo Alpha, and Tatsuya allows Yuri to use the Control Stick so she can personally recapture Blast.



With Blast once more in cold storage, Yuri stares at the bracelet, vowing on the spirits of her parents and sister to take down Dolnero and avenge their deaths.



And we end with Domon admitting that even if Yuri is a tomboy, now he's more willing to tap that. Especially when Yuri tells everyone they're still contracted for another day of cleaning that building and thanks everyone for their help.



Next time: Tomorrow Research deals with a cat burglar criminal named Rouge and Tatsuya confronts his father in Case File 06: Imposter Invitee.

Final thoughts: A good look deeper into Yuri's psyche, that gives us a more concrete reason as to why she's so focused on Dolnero, and showing her moving beyond her stoic tendencies. We also get some good hints that Gien is up to something of his own, given he released Blast of his own will, and we didn't get the usual bad guy theme for that scene.