Sound Stage 01 (a.k.a. Episode 2.5): «Thump»* — A Major Swimsuit Problem At the Pool
(Like other Nanoha Sound Stages, this 'episode' is made up of short audio-only vignettes interspersed with the occasional Image Song.)
In the early morning, Nanoha is practicing magic with Yuuno, who is teaching her how to cast binding spells. He tells her she has a lot of natural power and talent, but needs to improve her fine control. When they return home for breakfast, Nanoha's sister Miyuki reminds her that they'll going to the pool with her friends after school.
Nanoha, Suzuka and Alisa are picked up that afternoon by Suzuka's maids, Noel and Farin. Back at home, Yuuno is watching the news on TV for possible leads when Miyuki gets back from school. She tells Yuuno she'll be taking him to the pool with her.
Soon, everyone is having fun at the pool. Yuuno senses a weak magical aura nearby and wonders if a Jewel Seed is nearby. Meanwhile, the girls notice there's a karaoke stage by the pool, and persuade Alisa to sing a song.
Nanoha's older brother Kyouya, who is working at the pool as a lifeguard, takes Miyuki and Noel aside to talk. Apparently, swimsuits and underwear have been going missing in recent days; a man was also caught in the girls' dressing room. He advises the two girls to be on their guard.
In the pool, Miyuki beats Suzuka in a swimming race — barely — and makes her sing a song as penalty. Kyouya, patrolling around the facilities, spots a mysterious movement in the boiler room. At the same moment, Yuuno senses a Jewel Seed activating; a monster made of water appears and attacks Kyouya, knocking him out. Yuuno contacts Nanoha, then hastily creates a barrier to contain the monster. Unfortunately, some of the people at the pool get caught inside the barrier as well.
The water monster appears by the pool and attacks Arisa and Suzuka. It doesn't seem that interested in them, however, but steals their swimsuits and spits them out. Yuuno speculates that the Jewel Seed must have been activated by someone's secret desires — in this case, the desire to steal girls' clothing. Nanoha puts up a shield to protect her two friends, and Yuuno hastily puts them to sleep with a spell.
Nanoha transforms and banishes the monster, but there's no sign of the Jewel Seed. Sensing its aura nearby, she and Yuuno go to track it down. When they find it, more water monsters start multiplying. Yuuno offers to try and corral them, but he's already exhausted from using too much power, and Nanoha decides to use the new binding spell she's been practicing. Yuuno suggests using flight to evade them, but she points out that he hasn't taught her flying magic yet. However, she manages to paralyze all the monsters with her binding spell, and then successfully seals the Jewel Seed. Watching her, Yuuno is once again amazed at her power level, but worries that she might get herself hurt.
By the time Alisa and Suzuka wake up, their swimsuits have been returned to them. Thinking they just fell asleep after playing in the pool, they each wonder about the strange dream they had. Meanwhile, Kyouya shows up, soaking wet, and says the water boiler seems to have ruptured.
That night, Nanoha tells Yuuno that magic seems to come to her naturally. She asks him about learning to fly, and he says it should be easy to teach her. They go to sleep, and Nanoha dreams about flying in the sky...
Tropes
- All Just a Dream: Inverted. Arisa and Suzuka seem to retain some memory of what really happened, but they both go away thinking it was just an embarrassing dream.
- Call-Back: The news report Yuuno is watching mentions a mysterious blast at Makihara Vetinary Clinic, which was caused by the monster in episode 1.
- Chekhov's Skill: Nanoha is learning how to use binding magic in the first scene. She eventually ends up using it to save the day.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Noel and Farin make their first chronological appearance here, although they won't be introduced in the anime proper for a couple more episodes.
- Forced Sleep: Yuuno casts sleep magic on Alisa and Suzuka so they won't see Nanoha transform.
- Foreshadowing: This won't be the first time Alisa and Suzuka end up caught inside a barrier.
- The Nudifier: The Monster of the Week has this effect on girls. Since this is an audio drama, it's mostly played for comedy rather than Fanservice.
- Panty Thief: The water monster. There's apparently been a real (i.e. human) one operating at the pool over the past few days; it's implied that the perpetrator's obsession got imprinted onto the Jewel Seed, hence its unusual manifestation.
