Thus begins character introduction opening Mk. III. Kero bragging about his gaming skills, Sakura and Tori getting into a dispute and being told to play nice, the two travelling to school with Julian, the usual. Tori tells Sakura of a girl in the park her age who consistently beat up martial arts experts, and suggested she must be that girl. Hmm....
Madison tells Sakura that Mr. Punctual, Li, hasn't shown up yet. They wonder what could have been keeping him when he walks in, embarrassed. What could possibly have put the hard-as-nails Li in such a state? But of course:
Meilin Rae
- Japanese Name: Meilin Li
- Age: 10
- Role: The Big Guy
- Voice Actor: Nicole Oliver
- Char A + Char B: Chun-Li + Amy Rose
Finally here is the last member of the Cardcaptors crew. She's bratty, whiny, impulsive, full of herself, clingy, obsessive, and really cute. Her voice acting helps a lot for the last bit. And fortunately, her name is actually spelled out on the board so I don't have to resort to guessing how to spell it.
Sakura is surprised that Meilin comes from Li's hometown, but as she asks him if he knows her, Meilin rushes over to get her to back off, further putting Li in an awkward expression. I am thoroughly amused.
Sakura's girl troupe discusses Meilin's surprising display at lunch period. Unfortunately for Li, he has to eat lunch with her. She reminisces about old times pretending to be card captors, which eventually points in the direction of Sakura as Li tells Meilin he needs to help her. Uh-oh, that's her Berserk Button. She tells Li that she can do a better job than Sakura. Sigh. She just doesn't get it.
Gym class is up, and Meilin is determined to beat Sakura fair and square. She puts on an impressive display of two consecutive cartwheels, but gets done in by Sakura's three consecutive cartwheels! This does not make her happy. Noticing the fire of competition, the instructor decides to put the two on freestyle. Meilin does a sequence of cartwheels and flips, but of course, Sakura does the same routine with an added aerial spin. Meilin is now really pissed. You could have simply gone after her ya know.
Sakura tells Kero how competitive the new girl is, but she doesn't want to fight back. She only wants to capture cards. At dinner, the family discusses that girl fighting in the park. This girl doesn't fight for money, but simply challenges strong opponents for a test of strength. Tori, a karate practitioner himself, says that one is always looking for a worthy opponent. Julian adds that the girl is wearing a mysterious costume. Hmm....
Sakura is decidedly unpleased by her own mysterious costume
◊, and Kero isn't happy with his either. "I'm not lovin' it." (Not a McDonalds reference incidentally) The girls ponder what the card could be when Meilin shows up in her own battle costume and identifies it as The Fight
◊ card. She tells Sakura to take a hike, as she's going to catch the card for Li. Kero goes to remind her who Sakura is, and of course Meilin is unimpressed, swatting him away like a fly. The glowing blue Fight spirit emerges from the water, and Meilin accepts the challenge.
Reedington: Meilin vs Fight
Round 1. Fight! (cue epic music
)
It doesn't take long for Meilin to retaliate Fight's punches and kick her right into the bridge. You Win! Sakura and Madison are impressed, while Meilin rubs it in Sakura's face. But it's not over. Round 2. Fight! She puts up an impressive display of punches, but Fight counters her kick and pummels her into the ground. You Lose. Fight is about to deal a fatal blow when Li shows up suddenly and kicks her back into the water...for now. Meilin is prepared to congratulate him, but Li yells at her for going off on her own and stealing the Lasin Board. Sakura is confused, thinking they were partners, and Kero taunts her for having no magical powers, which ticks her off. Li continues to reprimand her, telling her capturing cards is Not a Game. Meilin, saddened, thinks Li just has to teach her, but Li tells her it's magic, so she doesn't belong here. You kind of have to feel sorry for the girl despite her attitude. Madison suggests this might be the end of Meilin, but Kero is unconvinced she's going to go home and be a family man. Fight isn't a quitter either, as it returns with the element of surprise. Meilin, realizing Li's injury is her fault, rushes to him in grave concern. She confronts the card again, this time for revenge. Round 3. Fight!
Her righteous indignation gets her pretty far, but Li is concerned for her safety. Of course, Fight once again gets the upper hand and pursues Meilin. The weakened Li is prepared to rush to her aid, but Sakura blocks him, as she'll handle this. Heh, talk about girl power in this ep. Speaking of which, Sakura gets The Power to her wand, the strength which lures The Fight to her instead. Despite the power-up, Fight still has speed on its side, and she is only beaten by being tapped on the neck as Sakura prepares to defend herself. Wow.
Meilin is physically okay, but her pride is not. She throws a temper tantrum about being beaten to the card. Sakura tries to comfort her by lying that she couldn't have sealed it if Meilin didn't wear out the card beforehand, but she stops her flattery mid-sentence and clings onto Li. Madison is overwhelmed and Li is sweatdropping, but Kero regards her as just a little glitch.
