Episode 24 - Lightning*
Years ago, Zest Grangaitz and Regius Gaiz were working to make the TSAB Ground Forces more effective at upholding justice and protecting the innocent. Gradually, Regius rose through the ranks and began achieving impressive results through his leadership. He came to the attention of the High Council, which asked him to take on some 'special' work. When Regius abruptly told Zest to stop his investigation of illegal combat cyborgs, the latter grew suspicious. He and his unit carried out a raid on one of Jail Scaglietti's research facilities, which ended in disaster. His team, which included Quint Nakajima, was ambushed and slaughtered by Type 4 Gadgets; Zest himself was killed fighting a combat cyborg, Cinque. Another team member, Megane Alpino, was captured by Scaglietti. With the High Council's cooperation, he secretly arranged to have Megane's young daughter placed in his care; he also kept Zest's body for use in his Artificial Mage research...
Back in the present, Zest confronts Regius, asking how their dream of protecting the world could have gone so wrong. Regius starts to answer, but is suddenly impaled through the chest from behind by a set of familiar-looking metal claws. The junior staff member standing behind Regius reveals herself as Number II, Due. She immediately knocks Auris out and puts magical bindings on Zest, saying that his usefulness to Scaglietti is at an end. Before she can attack him, Zest effortlessly breaks free, much to her horror.
Rushing toward Regius's office, Signum and Agito hear an almighty crash. They enter to find both Regius and Due dead, and Zest standing over them looking disconsolate. Signum asks if Zest did this; he says that he is responsible because he was too weak and too late.
Out in the abandoned city, Lutecia is still under under Quattro's mind control. She summons her ultimate creature, the dragon-sized Hakutenou, forcing Caro to summon Voltaire. Caro, Erio, Friedrich and Voltaire face off against an increasingly-unhinged Lutecia and all of her creatures. Ultimately, the stress proves too much for Lutecia and she collapses, but her creatures start rampaging out of control.
Meanwhile, Fate has been trapped by Scaglietti deep inside his base. He mockingly tells her that he is like a father to her, because it was he who designed the cloning technology Precia used to create her: Project Fate. He goes on to say that he has used the same technology to ensure his victory: a clone of himself has been implanted inside each of the twelve Numbers. If he dies or is captured, as long as even one of the combat cyborgs escapes, he will be revived with all of his memories. Fate is disgusted, but Scaglietti tells her that they are not that different— like him, Fate has raised her children as weapons to obey her. He opens a communications link to Caro and Erio and mocks them, saying that Fate is doomed to drive her children away just like Precia did. However, the two children immediately tell him he's wrong, and proceed to give Fate a Rousing Speech saying they'll always be there for her. Encouraged, Fate activates her New Sonic Form and Bardiche's Riot Zanber mode, breaking free of Scaglietti's binds and attacking Tre and Sette.
At that moment, Uno is monitoring Scaglietti's systems elsewhere in the base when she is surprised by Verossa. He has hunted her down with his magical tracking ability, and quickly captures her.
In another location, Schach is battling Sein, who senses Uno's capture. The Number tries to flee using her phasing ability, but Schach uses her own teleportation magic to pursue and trap her.
Meanwhile, Fate quickly dispatches Sette and then Tre. She captures Scaglietti, but he taunts her, saying that she won't be able to stop the Saint's Cradle, or his plans.
Back in the city, Teana is still trying to arrest Nove. Receiving a report on the capture of Scaglietti and the other Numbers, she tells Nove that most of her sisters have been defeated, and tells her again to surrender. Nove says that a combat cyborg can only exist to fight and win, but Tea replies that she knows a combat cyborg who's more human than anyone. As they talk, Deed suddenly springs up from the floor, weapon in hand. She is about to strike Teana down when a blaster bolt streaks by and knocks her out again — fired from a helicopter by Vice. Teana pins the stunned Nove to the wall and arrests her. Shario subsequently broadcasts a report that all but one of the Numbers has now been captured.
Watching from on board the Saint's Cradle, Quattro reflects that one is all that's needed... especially when it's her. After all, Doctor Scaglietti is still with her... and Vivio will soon finish Nanoha off.
And the Cradle will reach orbit in 1 hour and 35 minutes...
Tropes
- Berserker Tears: Lutecia has these in addition to Mind-Control Eyes.
- Comic-Book Time: According to the end-of-episode captions, episodes 23 and 24 together take place over a period of 9 minutes. Justified to at least some extent, as the action in both episodes is happening in various different places at the same time.
- Dragon Ascendant: The episode ends with Quattro as the Final Boss after both Jail and Uno are captured. Although this promotion isn't her doing, she clearly revels in it.
- Dual Wielding: Bardiche's Riot Zanber form is a pair of linked twin swords.
- Family-Unfriendly Death: Regius is quite graphically impaled through the chest by Due.
- Four Lines, All Waiting: Continuing the trend from the past few episodes; this one follows the Lightning team members (Fate, Erio, Caro and Signum). Tea and Subaru are briefly seen at the end, but we only get one quick glimpse of Nanoha; Vita only appears for a moment on Quattro's monitor.
- "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Caro tries this on Lutecia. It doesn't really work, although it's implied that Lutecia's final breakdown is triggered by internal conflict when Caro points out that she is hurting her own creatures.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Regius, quite abruptly, on the business end of Due's Wolverine Claws.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Vice manages to take out Deed in mid-charge by shooting past Teana, from an airborne helicopter at least a block away, knocking her out cold and leaving Tea without a scratch. Nove's stunned expression says it all.
- Killed Off for Real: Regius and Due. The former is significant as the first major recurring character to die this season. The latter is significant because she's the only one of the Numbers to die — the others are all captured.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: We never actually see how Lutecia is knocked out. In one scene she's facing off against Caro in a Beam-O-War (which, granted, she does appear to be losing); the next time we see them, Lutecia is unconscious and Caro is saying that she won somehow.
- The Glasses Come Off: The episode's final scene sees Quattro take off her glasses (and ditch her ponytails, for good measure) once she realizes she's the last of the Numbers still standing. As well, she abandons her cutesy affectations from this point on.
- Theme Music Power-Up: This episode contains the obligatory example, with Fate transforming into her New Sonic Form, breaking out of her bonds, and taking down Sette, Tre and Scaglietti, all to Nana Mizuki's "Pray". Schach and Verossa get in on it too, taking out Sein and Uno at the same time.
