While traveling through a forest, Hare finds an intellectual rival in a Color Pandora, who uses sophisticated traps to get the drop on baddies. Most Color Pandoras have been kidnapped by a Stone Dragon at birth, and only the elderly ones remain.
The Searchers vow to protect the forest, but Color Pandora is confident his traps will work. But when his traps and devices fail to halt the Stone Dragon, it's one of Hare's plans that may save them all.
This episode contains examples of:
- Adaptation Explanation Extrication: In the original Japanese, Naga rejects the cabalos who offer to join him due to reasoning that they would abandon him just as easily as they did their former master. The English Dub just has him declare he doesn't have any need for him and chuck him out a window.
- Appeal to Flattery: The calabos who visits Naga claims that he always wanted to serve him rather than working for Gray Wolf. Naga tells him that "Flattery will get you everywhere," only to ultimately reject his petition.
- The Bet: Color Pandora challenges Hare to one: if his swamp gambit works, Hare will have to work for him; if not, he'll work for Hare instead. Hare releases him from it before they leave.
- Butt-Monkey: Even after they learn that the Color Pandoras aren't evil, Suezo keeps falling into various traps. He also nearly gets crushed by Stone Dragon right after being dropped on his head.
- Childless Dystopia: Downplayed. Stone Dragon and the other baddies took away all the young and able-bodied color pandora, save for the episode's central character and his recently unlocked child. While the village has a secret sanctuary filled with mystery discs, they don't feel safe releasing any others until Stone Dragon is dealt with.
- Destination Defenestration: The fate of the cabalos who tried joining Naga.
- Diving Save: Hare tackles a young color pandora out from under Stone Dragon's foot, saving him from being stepped on.
- The Dreaded: All of the color pandoras naturally fear Stone Dragon, as he's the one responsible for stealing the younger monsters away.
- Enchanted Forest: Much to Suezo's frustration, the Magic Stone directs them into 'another creepy forest' where the color pandoras happens to live.
- "Everybody Laughs" Ending: Hare and Color Pandora start arguing again, only to dissolve into laughter that most of the others join in on (save for a confused Mocchi).
- Failed a Spot Check: When Mocchi triggers a crusher trap, most of the Searchers are distracted by Suezo and Hare arguing and only notice it at the last second, triggering a Mass "Oh, Crap!".
- Foreshadowing: The episode ends by checking in on Pixie and Big Blue as they split up for the time being to continue their own respective search for answers.
- Heroic BSoD: Color Pandora slips into one when Stone Dragon manages to free himself from the swamp, completely giving up hope... until he sees that the Searchers aren't giving up.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Color Pandora gets injured when Stone Dragon breaks out of one of his traps, sending one of the logs he'd buried the beast under crashing back into the branch he's standing on and knocking him down to the forest floor.
- Hope Bringer: Seeing Hare and the other Searchers keep fighting against Stone Dragon even after the swamp plan fails helps Color Pandora find his own fighting spirit, unleashing his Pinwheel Fireworks Attack.
- Mirror Character: Like Hare, Color Pandora prefers outwitting his opponents, overestimates the effectiveness of his plans, and pays for it when they backfire. Hare even tries to warn him that things don't always work out the way you expect, but Color Pandora brushes him off.
- No-Sell: The first thing Stone Dragon does upon landing is effortlessly block one of Tiger's lightning attacks with his hand. He does the same thing during their second encounter.
- Poor Communication Kills: Both Color Pandora and the Searchers initially assume that they're dealing with the baddies during their first encounter, only belatedly realizing that neither side are wearing Moo's crests right before Stone Dragon arrives.
- Quicksand Sucks: Color Pandora's plan to take down Stone Dragon once and for all entails luring him to a swamp that's functionally a Bottomless Pit and getting him sucked into the bog.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Stone Dragon's eyes glow right before he breaks out of Color Pandora's pit trap.
- The Rival: Color Pandora becomes one to Hare, with both emphasizing strategy over strength.
- Sticky Bomb: Mocchi falls for a Trick Bomb shaped like a fruit. Once it starts smoking, he's unable to get it off of his hand. Thankfully, it turns out to be a dud... though that doesn't help him remove it.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Stone Dragon's defeat doesn't magically bring back any of the color pandoras who were taken away to be forcibly enlisted into Moo's army. Instead, the elderly villagers take solace in being able to unlock new monsters safely, without fear of them being kidnapped as well.
- Trap Master: This is the color pandoras' preferred method of dealing with intruders.
- Treetop Town: The color pandoras live in one.
- Villain Opening Scene: Opens with Naga being visited by one of Gray Wolf's former minions, dealing with him before summoning Stone Dragon and sending him to oppose the Searchers.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Hare's furious when Color Pandora demonstrates the effectiveness of the swamp's quicksand-like effects by casually shoving him in.
- The Worf Effect: Both Tiger and Golem are hit by this during Stone Dragon's introduction, as he laughs off one of the wolf's attacks before sending Golem flying with a single punch.
- You're Just Jealous: Color Pandora brushes off Hare's critique of his swamp scheme by claiming he's just envious of his superior smarts.
