Just another day shopping downtown wearing floppy ears for Sakura. She's ready to go skating, but alas, she still has to finish cleaning the house. Meanwhile, Meilin wants to try on a wedding dress, but of course, Li doesn't share her enthusiasm. She catches him staring at Sakura, disappointed he's more interested in her, but then, a miracle! She knocks down the stack of plush penguins smiling all the way. "So, Li, can't you see that I'm the one that understands you? Been here all along, so why can't you see, you belong with me?" Seriously girl, how petty. Li is still not giving a hoot, sensing something suspicious about the whole thing.
The Sakura Doppelgänger is still up to no good, vandalizing an entire store next while the real Sakura is vacuuming. Julian suggests there should be two of her, but she realizes she'll have to do twice as many chores. Speaking of which, the other Sakura passes by the house. Sensing someone coming, she flees just as Tori opens the window, remarking his sister would probably clone herself just to spite him.
Sakura's friends are rather unenthusiastic about her arrival at school the next day, but are pretty nervous about telling her. Fortunately, in comes Meilin's loud mouth to relay the account of her vandalism. Sakura of course tells everyone she wouldn't do such a thing, which merely leaves everyone confused as the culprit looked just like her. Well, everyone but Meilin, still determined to take Li's attention away from her. All he has to say to Sakura is, "Be careful."
Distracted, she drops her baton during practice. Nikki reassures her that at least she's more worried about that than her evil twin damaging her reputation. Very reassuring. The clone continues her trail of trouble, vandalizing flowers and destroying children's sandcastles, which gets Nikki's and Chelsea's attention. The real Sakura broods over this issue when suddenly, she sees her image passing by smiling all the way.
Kero tells her first, "Don't Panic". This time, Kero instructs her to use the Clow Cards in a different way. A children's card game? Eh, tarot reading. Close enough. "Ancient cards of Clow, give me vision now. Show me if you may, who is standing in my way." The first card reveal Windy, which creates channels of connection and means that the rogue cards know who she is. Shadow, Water(y), and Illusion are the next clues, which the card can use for guidance. The Flower represents what the card is after. Whatever does that mean? Um...Tori was standing amongst flowers, so it must be him! Yeah, Dub-Induced Plot Hole.
Doppelganger Sakura leads Tori deep into the woods to find something she's missing, which is never a good sign. She instructs him to go further, just a little bit more, right off the cliff! Sakura chases after him, but her Clow senses suddenly go muddy at the forest. Li shows up, prepared to activate the Lasin Board as Tori hangs on for dear life. Long live the king.
The malicious twin is prepared to stand triumphant over her real counterpart's brother, but is shocked to hear that he knows she isn't really her sister. He inquires the spirit as to her true nature, coming to the realization that she's lost. "Everybody gets lost sometimes, and we have to help each other find the pathway back home again." These words seemed to penetrate within her soul. A wayward spirit who could find no place in the world outside the Clow Book? A lonely incarnation jealous of her double having a loving family? It's left ambiguous. Yet, it's amazing how even when this show pulls out one of the usual stock plots, it still manages to surprise you. Expect the unexpected, after all.
The true Sakura, concerned over her brother's severe injury, confronts the now guilt-ridden soul. Wind and water fail to perturb the body. Kero refers to it as a "helix", symbolizing a hidden, hard to find form. Sakura now has to identify this form with her three clues and the doppelganger imitating her moves to the point of even holding an invisible staff. "Shadow moves like a body's twin. Water reflects, and Illusions aren't the real thing!" The Clow Card is Mirror
◊! The spirit's true form rises over to gently kiss Tori's wounded body, sorry for the harm she has inflicted, and willingly prepares to return to her power confined. Its sadness nonetheless caused Sakura to pause for a bit.
Back at home, Kero congratulates her on her latest capture, yet Sakura recognized that it wanted to be captured. Tori acts ungrateful for his sister bringing food, claiming he could have walked downstairs himself, but the doctor said to keep off it for a week. As Sakura walks out of the room to get the door, she tells him she's "just sorry", leading him to suspect something rotten about the pancakes. Friends have come over to wish him well, but Tori seems to not remember a thing. Sakura is nonetheless upset about the ordeal, as she feels she's putting the ones close to her in danger by taking up the position of Cardcaptor, but she reaffirms her commitment to finish the job, an encouraging sentiment. Yet Kero claims behind her back that she's going to need powers she dreamed she never had. Ominous foreshadowing!
...everything's going to be perfectly fine with Sakura's relations next episode, isn't it?
