HomeEpisode 4 - Fuzors Combine! Liger Zero Phoenix
Hop is crunching numbers on his ever-present calculator as Helmut and Sigma return from a mission. Sigma is "totally wiped" (and "we still can't figure out why", Helmut comments, proving he has a sense of humor), but Helmut's got the written report finished. We never find out what the mission they're reporting on was, as Hop then asks where RD and Sweet are. Helmut doesn't know, since he thought they were right behind him and Sigma.
RD is anything but-he's chasing birds in the desert. The Liger Zero roars up to the Fire Phoenix and runs after it, RD begging it to combine with the Liger. Burton watches from behind a rock, being ominous. "I can hardly wait to see you fuse," he says, as the Liger Zero leaps up, pausing in a dramatic still before we cut to the title screen.
We cut back to the not-action, as the Liger is on the ground and the Phoenix flying away. RD yells to it that this was supposed to be fun. Sweet then yells at him, sticking a band-aid to his chin (but thankfully not his head). He lost every supposed practice battle, she points out, and this after he claimed to not like the whole Fuzors deal ("maybe the bump on your head is starting to get to you"). RD is sold on it now, though, and continues to fanboy the Phoenix. It's the most powerful Zoid, he'll have the most powerful Zoid if they combine...it'll be so awesome! "Yeah, whatever," Sweet replies, not impressed. She sighs, hoping all this greatest fighter on planet Zi stuff won't go to RD's head.
RD wanders off, going to poke at the Liger in the hopes he'll find something else he can do. He finds it's acquired some damage, which he claims will take days to fix, as we find out when Sweet phones home saying they're stuck out in the desert. (One has to wonder what kinds of supplies they keep in that Gustav.) Hop tells them to stay out of trouble, and they all obviously see through RD's plan. Sigma says he's irresponsible, Helmut thinks he's stalling, and he and Hop wonder what this strange Fire Phoenix thing could be like. There's nothing on it in the database, after all, which adds to Sigma's "RD is being a twit" argument. The others don't agree, though. RD must wander off a lot for them to be so casual...
Blake, meanwhile, is yelling at a random Savage Hammer mechanic dude because it's taking too long to fix things. Luke (who doesn't look like he's wearing pants at all in this shot, I swear...) says it's his fault for not finding data on the bird Zoid and gets all squeaky and apologetic, which is lost on Blake, who just glares at him as he sulks. Sandra, knowing episodes are not complete without a SHEPG-style meeting, stalks up with her cat, asking Blake what the problem is-though she knows all too well. "I heard about the mystery Zoid," she says, and purrs. No, really purrs. Her cat even meows back, blinking big bluegreen eyes and looking rather scraggly for a fluffy evil cat (its head also changes sizes between shots). She believes it's the Liger Zero's partner, but she's got an evil plan for taking care of it, of course, and whispers it to Blake. It sounds a bit like "persimmon days per seventeen ninety tons". It can only be something deeply evil, as Blake jumps in surprise, eyes crossing before he laughs evilly. What was with the animators for this scene, anyway?
Bounce bounce bounce goes the Zero, and not in a nice way. RD is chasing persistently after the Phoenix and getting sent rolling across the desert for his troubles. RD urges the Liger to try again, bounding up a cliffside. The Liger jumps, and the Phoenix rolls out of the way, coming around to shockwaveslam the Zero. The Liger jumps again, trying its darndest to fly and failing, its SLC falling short. The Phoenix slams it hard this time, leaving it lying on its side and looking rather beat. Sweet is watching with binoculars, looking rather miffed.
Once RD's back, she starts scolding him again. He's more interested in going over computer readouts, for all the good it'll do him, as he puts another band-aid on the other side of his face. He tells Sweet to get off his case, but it becomes a moot point as the computer informs them they have an incoming call. It's Sandra, challenging Mach Storm to a suspiciously unofficial battle on Savage Hammer's behalf. She claims her warriors are bored, but only Burton looks bored. Blake's more smug and Luke more terrified deer in headlights. It's unlimited Zoids out on a generic plain, which screams ambush, but Sandra knows they'll take the bait, as it were. All young Zi Fighters like a good battle, she says, and Blake chuckles. He says Luke and he will handle the battle, and Burton says he'll...monitor the action, looking for something to make it look like he's being useful. Blake glares at something (the wall?), thinking to himself that tomorrow will be RD's day of reckoning.
Whatever that means.
RD is annoyed that a battle had to come in between him and his bird-chasing ("this totally bites!"), but Sweet tells him that it's okay, he can take care of the battle tomorrow and go back to the Fire Phoenix later. She seems to bring him back to his senses ("you really gotta stop being so hard on yourself!"), though he looks more than a little sulky.
The next day, they're heading back in the Gustav as RD stares out the window, Sweet reminding him to think about the battle, not just Fire Phoenix. This would be good advice if the camera didn't cut right to it, flying along a ways back in a curious manner. It seems to hear something, heading around to a cliff with a random cage with an equally random Nightwise in it. The Nightwise chirps in a distressed manner, bouncing against electrified bars.
Does this scream "trap" to you? Good, me too.
The Fire Phoenix doesn't get it, though, flying down and snapping off one of the bars. The Nightwise flies free, but the Fire Phoenix is promptly shot by four shiny guns hidden in the trees. Blasts tear into its left wing, and it screeches in pain-
-and the Liger Zero responds, roaring and slamming its head into the top of the Gustav's carrier. Sweet stops, wondering what's going on, and they walk out back to open the container. The Zero jumps out, roaring and staring at RD like a giant, feline Lassie. Sweet has a bad feeling about this, but RD believes his Zoid (whatever it's saying), telling Sweet to go on ahead and running forward to the cockpit, which the Zero's already helpfully opened. "I knew something like this would happen," she comments, as RD and the Liger take off. At least she has the Gustav this time.
The Fire Phoenix is indeed in trouble, being pursued by a crapload 'o vulcans and other rapid-fire guns. Two belong to a double-Hiblit Dark Horn (whose pilot has purplish hair...), two to a Leena-style Gun Sniper (whose pilot is male), and two to a Storm Sworder with the standard clawguns (whose pilot also has purplish hair). It crashes to the ground, the Horn charging it with an angry bellow, and gets out of the way just in time, the Storm Sworder following. The two ground Zoids keep up the anti-air fire, and the Phoenix tries to shockwaveslam them to little avail as the Storm Sworder stays on its tail...
Burton watches from a convenient cliff, saying he loves birdwatching in that mutant accent of his. He orders the pilots to go after the damage on the Phoenix's wings, Horn guy telling him thanks for pointing out the obvious.
More vulcan fire heads the Phoenix's way, and it drops, missiles from the Gun Sniper narrowly missing. The Phoenix is flying crooked now, obviously hurting, and the Horn pilot has his lot pull in behind to finish it off. Missiles slam into its wings, and the Phoenix goes down again, slamming into the ground and screeching.
Burton gloats from his cliff. Pretty soon the Fire Phoenix will be exploded, and the Liger Zero won't get a chance to fuse with it. Sandra's plot to keep RD away by setting up a battle has worked perfectly, or so he thinks.
"Aw, the poor little birdy has a boo-boo," the Horn pilot comments, about to stomp the Phoenix. "So I think it's best I put it out of its misery!" Somewhere, Störmer rolls over in his grave.
"Think again!" RD interrupts, the Liger Zero ramming the Horn away just in time. The Phoenix's cat in shining white armor has arrived, RD charging into battle with claws blazing.
Burton, meanwhile, is telling Sandra how well things are going. He looks into his binoculars, unable to believe his eyes...the other Zoids are all down, the Fire Phoenix and RD gone. Don't ask me how he got the Storm Sworder, because we'll never know.
Mach Storm, currently consisting of a very doomed Sigma and Helmut, is facing off against Blake. "So that's what a Fuzor looks like!", Helmut says, ignoring he saw the Killer Spiner just two episodes previous. Sigma and Blake exchange cheesy insults, Sigma shoots, Blake raises his shield. Helmut says they should split up, the Command Wolf high-tailing it out of there while Sigma realizes Boldguards don't exactly split. Blake shoots, sending it flying, then rams the Command Wolf, the BuF jetting forward and showing that one does not need a shield to do such things when you're more than twice your enemy's weight. Blake urges them to surrender now, Hop worries. Sigma, still where he landed, takes a potshot at the BuF's rear...only to have Luke deflect it with the shield (how did the claws bend like that?) and remind him that a Fuzor means two people controlling things.
I'm trying not to make a joke here, honest.
RD, once again, charges in just in time, blaming traffic. Blake taunts him about Fire Phoenix being toast, and RD says he doesn't need it to beat Blake...but the Phoenix disagrees, swooping down and giving the BF a nice jolt of happy shockwave fun.
"No way? Fire Phoenix? But I thought..."
The Phoenix calls to the Zero, who answers with a roar, and we cue Enemy of Life and a shiny transformation sequence. I still maintain that the shot of the Liger jumping up to meet the wings looks as though it's on strings-
Jogress FUZORS COMBINE, LIGER ZERO PHOENIX!
The Zero roars again, all shiny-like, and returns to real-time since its shiny sequence is complete. Everybody stares in surprise, and RD thinks it's awesome-he can actually feel the power. Static cling, maybe? Blake looks displeased, hair-tufts bristling like flattened ears and supporting this theory. "So, he has a new toy...well let's just see how much it likes to play!"
"Sure thing, Blake. Let the games begin!" RD replies, the Zero roaring silently and charging forward. The BuF fires, the presumably faster LZP bounding around the shots. The cat takes to the air, wings flapping in one of the crowning achievements in Fuzors animation-not that there's much to live up to, but the Phoenix really is nice, fused or not. Climbing rapidly, the Liger whips back a paw, going all glowy-Laser Claw Strike ATTACK!
This time it doesn't just swipe, oh no-it flies out in a swirly energy wave of doom from the Liger, proving 15+ years after Gildy's Beam Smashers that yes, Virginia, you can sling laser attacks if the writers want. Blake fires in retaliation, the shots from the BuF's cannons easily overwhelmed by the laser claw of doom. It goes on to buffet the BuF about, tearing off the end to one of the cannon barrels. It's not chopping a Shield Liger in half lengthwise, but it's pretty impressive. Blake's console starts beeping, Luke warning him that the power window's closing and the writers still remember it exists.
"You were lucky this time, RD. But next time, you won't be so lucky!" Blake says, reminding us just how stunning he is at composing parting shots as the BuF flies off into the distance.
"Yeah, nice excuse, Blake," RD quips back. "I'm ready any time, pal. Hey, what do you say, Liger Zero Phoenix?" The Liger just roars triumphantly, leaving the talking to the squishy humans.
Mach Storm all stare at the separated Fire Phoenix, which is sitting happily and staring at them too. They all seem to share RD's love of the critter now, though Sigma points out it was more the Zoid that scared Blake off, not the pilot. RD doesn't think much of this...yet. Fire Phoenix screeches a goodbye, taking off and flying off into the sunset. Sweet points this out as if there were something they could do about it, and RD say it's okay-he'll be back.
The Liger Zero roars goodbye too, and RD gazes off into the sunset, knowing his new friend will return someday.
Previously: Enter the Fire Phoenix
Next up: The Kid Called Matt
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