This was its core?
Great work, everyone!
Cleaning complete!
Wanna eat something sweet.
Sweets...
I wish we'd gotten here a little earlier.
I can't believe the Raiders were trying to build a giant trash beast
and ride it up to the Sphere.
Those filthy Raiders!
I heard they were up to no good,
but now they're creating trash beasts?!
That's a declaration of war against the Cleaners!
The question is, how could one be artificially created?
And how many do they have?
I heard it all.
He was trying to make an entry in the... Watchman Series?
And he failed.
Then the failure became the imitation trash beast.
Guita... you're showing skin.
I don't get it, though.
Does getting the whole Watchman Series together grant you a wish or something?
I'd wish to turn back time so I could really fight that imitation trash beast!
Make an entry... in the Watchman Series?
Well, there's a lot we don't know.
We'll just have to keep an eye on Raider activities.
I have a feeling we'll be helping out with more of their "failures" in the future.
Can we save the deep thinking stuff until I've got some sugar in me?
For now... I just...
want to take in...
the safety I've found.
Episode 23
"The Man Who Will Become Stronger"
That hurts! My arm! My arm!
You totally broke it, man!
Hey, you! Watch your driving!
You better pay up right now!
Yeah, I know a good doctor— one that can fix your messed-up brain!
Try the Alice Clinic in the next town over, dude!
I won't even charge for the referral!
Be grateful!
Why the sunglasses?
Enjin! You need to learn from how Gris drives!
Don't give scum like that an excuse!
You know why I don't.
That guy's driving puts everyone to sleep!
Yeah, after the Raider incident two days ago,
it put everyone to sleep except Rudo.
Rudo. It's impressive that you can stay awake with driving like that!
Seriously, what's with the sunglasses?
You're also always blaring that music! It's way too loud!
Yeah, it's loud! Just like someone else I know!
Seriously, keep it down already!
Yeah, yeah.
I guess we just don't answer that question.
Those clothes look great on you, Rudo!
You really love your silhouettes, huh?
The brand name's Colosso, right? Yeah!
To know what it means, you'll have to ask the person who made it!
Of course, that'd be me!
But you guys've got some pretty heavy fabric up in the Sphere, huh?
Is it that cold in the Sphere?
Or maybe the Ground's just really hot?!
Hey, hey! Are you ignoring me 'cause you're a real Cleaner now, is that it?!
Are you sad?
So happy!
Sorry.
He's just too nervous to make small talk right now.
He says he's not used to visiting people who are recuperating.
Flowers?
Aren't you supposed to bring flowers for a get-well-soon visit?
I was curious, since we didn't do it for Gris.
So you bring flowers to hurt people in the Sphere?
Pretty awesome.
On the Ground, flowers are a precious resource.
They're difficult to grow and difficult to buy.
I see.
Delmon worked really hard for the flowers he has.
For his wife who's gone now...
Sorry.
I can't give you my flowers.
Oh, I mean...
Sorry. Forget it.
But bringing flowers for the wounded is an excellent custom!
It's something we should do!
If they don't need to be real, I know a shop that sells excellent artificial flowers!
Let's go buy some, Rudo!
We'll tag along.
We were about to hit up Alice for medicine
and buy some other things we need for the visit.
Crap.
It kinda feels like...
I'm pushing Sphere culture on them.
Zanka... Is he really that bad off?
You said he was out with Jabber's poison all this time?
Yeah, kinda.
It looks like not even Eishia's power could completely excise the poison.
We don't know what kind of poison Jabber used,
if it was some kind of personal recipe,
or if he even knew what kind of poison he was using, for that matter.
At any rate, she had a hard time pinpointing exactly what it was.
I'm just glad it seems like it wasn't fatal.
Though someone who intentionally uses non-fatal poisons is kind of freakier in its own way.
Still, he was the only one that got beat up that badly.
It's probably a blow to his self-esteem.
Maybe I should plan this out better.
What are you talking about?
Hey, wait—
Zanka didn't grow up in the slums, and he wasn't subject to oppression.
But he has experienced lows in the environment he grew up in.
Rock bottom.
But...
He fought against his weakness and crawled his way up.
The kind of person who's always fighting with himself
won't be broken by something like this.
I think he'll be something even better than a genius some day.
He'll become strong.
Enjin?
What's up, Semiu?
Where are you right now?
Infirmary. Zanka's room.
Oh, perfect timing.
We've got someone here who wants to apologize to him about Canvas Town.
Apparently, it's about his spell.
Well... y'see...
The thing is...
The wrong spell got drawn on Zanka!
We're sorry!
Why just Zanka?
Remlin! Explain now!
R-Remember how, just before you went to Penta,
I drew the "reduce major damage just one time" spell on you all?
I drew it to have the same effect on all of you, right?
For those of us who took damage, it seemed to work. Right?
Yeah, I bet! Thank goodness!
Well... so, the point is... see...
In the process of drawing... I started thinking it'd be funny to draw one weird spell
on just Zanka, the most serious guy there...
so I might've ended up doing that on accident.
So Zanka's spell didn't have the damage reduction effect?
What "weird spell" did you draw on him, then?
Zanka...
do this.
I'm sorry.
Well, that's pretty bad.
Zanka. Listen—
I'm sorry.
No one's ever done that kinda thing to me before...
What are you laughing about?
It's my fault you got hurt so bad...
Nah, stop that. This ain't your fault.
Spells are just s'posed to be insurance.
I don't count on it when I'm fighting, so don't worry.
I should've done better. That's all.
I was still too weak.
It ain't anyone's fault.
So you can apologize all you want, but I won't hold it against ya.
But at least let us pay for your hospital—
Nah, don't bother.
I don't need all that to get stronger.
Don't take me lightly.
He's evolving.
You got somethin' you need, Rudo?
Or is this a pity thing?
If that's it, I'll toss you on your ass, even if it tears my wounds back open to do it.
Looks like you got the wrong idea, so I'll say this again.
I ain't so far gone that I'll blame my own weakness on Remlin.
Even if I went all-out back there and still ended up the most beat-up...
Even if I'm the only one who got knocked outta the fight...
Even if I wasn't any help to anyone...
So long as I get stronger, it ain't no problem!
So watch me do it, okay?!
Strangely, I found that all the pity I'd felt for him had vanished.
Even though I, as a Sphereite, was the main reason it had all happened,
he's not blaming anyone for it.
I think I can learn more from this guy.
What...
What's with the face?!
You're lookin' down on me, you scuzzball!
Why did you assume that?!
I was just seeing you in a new light!
A new light, huh?! You think you can judge me, is that it?!
Looks like your head's still up in the Sphere!
You freaky-eyebrowed bastard!
Give back those flowers I bought for you!
Flowers?! You brought me flowers while I was convalescin'?!
Good buddies.
Here. To speed up your recovery.
Follo and Delmon picked out some of them.
Everything else was contributed by the others as a whole.
'Preciate it. Thanks.
Enjin gave it to me personally! What a great day!
Hey, trainer man.
"I wanna have fun with them and happily get my revenge!"
Apparently, that's Rudo's new goal.
Yeah, he's lookin' down on us.
I've told him how we're fightin' for our lives,
and here he's puttin' fun and revenge on the same pedestal.
The kid's become insatiable.
So we didn't make it across the border. Who knows if that was good or bad for Rudo?
We're here right now.
There was a lot of screaming on the way,
but the Raiders didn't succeed in getting us out of the picture.
Though I don't think taking us out was their main goal either.
Even if their real goal is to take down the Sphere rather than antagonize us,
if they're going to be making trash beasts, that's something we need to deal with.
We'd have to face the Raiders again, whether Rudo was with us or not.
Either way, I'm gonna focus on the same thing.
I gotta get stronger.
And if Rudo wants to try a buncha stuff out before he gets his revenge,
he should be allowed.
It don't matter to me how many new friends he makes here on the Ground.
But Rudo's gotta realize what it is he's forgettin'.
As his trainer, do I gotta teach him that crap too?
Now he's sleepin'?
What are you saying?
The experiment was a success.
Really?
Though we lost the imitation trash beast, some newbies, and the Watchman Series entries?
The main thrust of the experiment was to see if it was possible to cross the border alive.
They made it back alive.
There was no problem at all.
That's a surprise.
I thought you were the kind of man
who wanted things to go more according to plan,
and to destroy all potential obstacles.
There are things you can learn from impurities in the experiment as well.
In other words, he only sees them as parts of the experiment.
The Cleaners got their work cut out for them.
A proper trash beast for crossing the border has already been prepared.
We just need to work on enhancing it now.
Fu wasn't much, but Noerde was a strong-willed person.
Yes.
A seed I planted in the past blossomed beautifully.
She was a good warrior.
Bundus.
Congratulations.
The reward you requested for your promotion.
Undertaker Canis Surebrec
I've been looking for this forever!
Some kind of curio?
I look forward to you continuing to be an asset to the Raiders.
I'm truly honored.
I feel so unworthy
to join the stars of the Raiders on the front lines.
So... What's my first order as a first-stringer?
Choker
The chokers.
This incident has confirmed that the chokers are made by a Giver—
one with enough power to relay messages through most of the Ground.
There's a good chance they have a piece of the Watchman Series in their possession.
I see, I see...
Find the maker of the chokers...
A truly engaging order.
But if you're going to collect the Watchman Series,
should you have let those boots get away?
Feels like a waste.
If the Cleaners have them, that's all that matters.
As long as we know where they are, we can always go and get them.
We are Raiders.
We'll search the far corners of the Ground,
gather up the Watchman Series with the incredible energy it provides...
And then,
we'll head for the Sphere.