Episode 4 - Rival!? Another Magical Girl!
A blonde-haired girl in a black cape is standing on a rooftop, looking out over the city. She says that the "Lost Logia" known as Jewel Seeds will soon be in her hands. Near her, a large wolf-like creature watches her and howls.
Nanoha (accompanied by Yuuno) has been invited to tea at her friend Suzuka's house. Her brother Kyouya escorts her, which gives him a chance to visit with his girlfriend, Suzuka's older sister Shinobu. Upon arriving, he and Shinobu go off on their own while Nanoha joins Suzuka and Alisa for tea. The three girls relax and start talking, while Yuuno discovers to his dismay that the house is full of cats. One of them starts chasing him around the room, tripping up Farin, Suzuka's maid, and nearly causing a disaster with the tea tray.
They move outside, where more cats are playing around in the large wooded grounds. Some distance away, a small kitten discovers something shiny: a Jewel Seed, which activates as soon as the cat touches it. Nanoha and Yuuno instantly sense it, the latter immediately dashing off into the trees. Nanoha hastily excuses herself, saying she's going to look for Yuuno, and hurries off after him.
Yuuno puts up a magical barrier around the area to make sure they aren't observed. Moments later, they see the cat suddenly grow to enormous size. However, after a moment's hesitation they realize it isn't aggressive, and prepare to seal the Jewel Seed...
...and then magical bolts appear from behind them and hit the cat. They turn around to see the blonde-haired girl in black aiming a staff-like magical device. She fires again, causing the cat to cry out in pain. Quickly transforming, Nanoha uses her magic to fly up onto the cat's back and block the barrage with a shield. In response, the other girl fires at the cat's feet, causing it to fall over.
Alighting on a nearby tree branch, the newcomer sizes up Nanoha and her device. In an emotionless tone, she says she will be the one to claim the Lost Logia. At this, Yuuno realizes she comes from his world and evidently knows about the true nature of the Jewel Seeds. The girl attacks, moving with lightning speed and forcing Nanoha back on her heels. Nanoha asks her why she's doing this, but she declines to answer. Then, as Nanoha is briefly distracted by the cat, the other girl whispers "I'm sorry", and blasts Nanoha unconscious. While Yuuno rushes to protect Nanoha, the other girl seals and captures the Jewel Seed. Then she walks over and regards Nanoha enigmatically for a moment before turning to leave.
Yuuno gets Kyouya and the others, who carry Nanoha back into the house. When she wakes up, she makes up an excuse about having tripped and fainted while chasing Yuuno. At home that night, Nanoha and Yuuno wonder if they'll run into the other girl again as they hunt the Jewel Seeds.
In a dimly-lit apartment, the girl in black tells her wolf-like companion about the encounter, and wonders how many Jewel Seeds Nanoha has. Glancing towards a framed photo standing nearby, she whispers "Wait for me, Mother... I'll come home soon."
Tropes
- Big Fancy House: Suzuka lives in one. It also seems to boast private grounds the size of a good-sized park.
- Blank White Eyes: Yuuno gets these when he climbs out of Nanoha's bag and finds himself face to face with one of Suzuka's cats. Nanoha gets them a few minutes later when the cat starts chasing Yuuno all over the room.
- Character Narrator: As with the previous episode, Nanoha provides exposition via narrative voiceover at various points.
- Cute Clumsy Girl: Suzuka's personal maid, Farin, is implied to be this, although her one on-screen instance of clumsiness really isn't her fault.
- Dramatic High Perching: Fate is very fond of this trope. In her first scene, she's standing on a rooftop. When she first meets Nanoha, she appears on top of a telephone pole. Then she moves to a tree branch in order to confront Nanoha directly.
- Flight: Nanoha has now acquired the ability to fly, through her Flier Fin spell. When originally aired, this skill seemingly came out of nowhere. Presumably Yuuno got around to teaching her as he promised in Sound Stage 01. Fate also demonstrates the ability.
- Mega Neko: The Jewel-Seed-powered kitten currently provides the trope image.
- Meido: Noel and Farin, the Tsukimura family's maids.
- Signature Move: Divine Buster is used by name for the first time here, although something very much like it made an unnamed appearance last episode.
- Surpassed the Teacher: When Nanoha starts flying, Yuuno wonders if there's anything left he can teach her.
- Wide Eyes and Shrunken Irises: Nanoha's expression when the giant cat appears.
