Splitting The Stone
Mia and Sage are driving through the mountains as they seek to find Kento. According to the poem, Kento is resting at Mount Dojo (clever name, huh?). A pack of wolves watches them nearby, howling loudly. Cale stands watching them on a nearby cliff. "They're welcoming you to your doom," he mutters.
Mia's car becomes stuck in some rocks, forcing them to travel on foot. Sage insists that Mia stay with the car where it's safe and goes off on his own to find Kento. Mia (of course) doesn't listen to him and runs off after him. After wandering around aimlessly, Mia finds Sage fighting off a pack of wolves. He comes to her aid as some of the wolves come after her. An avalanche starts suddenly, and Sage manages to save himself and Mia...the wolves are swept away.
Mia and Sage eventually find themselves standing in front of a huge rock formation known as the "throne of the gods". Mia is certain that Kento is trapped within the rock. As Sage is debating how to free his friend, Cale arrives to complicate things. Sage suits up and attempts to break through the rock to free Kento, but fails. Cale laughs at how pathetic Sage is as he draws his own sword. Knocking Sage aside, he drives his sword into the rock. The sword slowly begins to dig deeper and deeper into the rock...searching for Kento's heart to kill him. Cale resumes his attack on Sage as the Ronin attempts to protect Mia. During the fight, Sage and Mia fall off a large cliff and end up inside a cave behind a waterfall.
As the two of them lie unconscious, the Ancient One's image appears in the waterfall. He tells Sage that Kento desperately needs his help, but that force alone will not save him. Sage must awaken the full power of his armor by focusing both his mind and body. The Ancient One disappears and Sage wakes up--thinking the voice to be a dream. Mia heard the voice too, however. Sage knows that he is the only one who can save Kento. Mia decides to buy him some time by luring Cale away. Sage tries to stop her, but Mia insists that it's the only way. He finally agrees, and Mia walks off.
Mia stands on a cliff above the waterfall, taunting Cale that he will never win, for the Ronin Warriors will never give up. Just then, she sees the Ancient One standing some distance away. She recognizes his staff and tries to call out to him. The monk walks away though, and Mia follows. Unfortunately, Cale appears (having heard her speech) and captures her. He ties her up and throws her over the cliff into the cold waterfall to force Sage to reveal himself.
Sage, meanwhile, is meditating in the cave. He senses Mia's peril as he strives to achieve the power he needs to save Kento. Cale, certain that Kento is surely dead, calls out that only Mia can still be rescued. Mia yells for Sage to forget about her. He must save Kento. Cale finally grows tired of waiting and uses his powers to freeze the waterfall solid...trapping Mia inside.
Sage's kanji glows and he rises to his feet. "I won't let Mia die because of me!" he screams as his sword begins to glow. Sage slices through the waterfall, saving Mia. As he leaps through the air, he notices that the power of his armor is restoring the life of the valley. Cale attacks him, but this time Sage fends him off. Calling upon his ultimate attack, "the Thunderbolt Cut," Sage slices into the rock in a desperate attempt to revive Kento. It wakes Kento just in time, and the Ronin of Stone breaks free, blasting Cale back to the Nether Realm.
Here's a chuckle for from this episode;
Kento: Why'd you wake me up? I was having this great dream.
Sage: Yeah, and you need your beauty sleep.
Kento: Hey! Thanks a lot.
Friend or Foe
Talpa is growing angry that four of the five Ronin Warriors have somehow revived. Dais declares it to be the fault of his fellow Dark Warlords for being weak. Anubis snaps at him, "Easy for you to say since you've stayed here in the castle! You haven't even gone to battle!" Dais is unfazed and announces his own plans to stop the Ronins. "Of the five, the one they call Rowen is the most clever and dangerous." He plans to destroy the other four before they can find their last friend. Talpa grants him the chance to stop the Ronins.
Ryo, Cye, Yulie, and White Blaze travel to a temple by a lake to meet up with Mia, Sage, and Kento. While they wait, they talk about where they can find Rowen of the Strata; the only warrior still missing. This time the poem offers little clues: "Floating among the eyes of the ages, unmoored in the stream of the sky." There are no locations that fit the description, but the others are not willing to give up. Cye remarks to Ryo, "Can't we go on without him?" (real nice of him) "We can't," Ryo insists. "He's the only one left now, Cye."
Dais silently slips in and grabs Yulie. Ryo hears the boys screams just before Dais breaks through the roof. Ryo and Cye quickly free the boy (White Blaze catches Yulie as he falls) and prepare to fight Dais. Dais quickly subdues them and traps them in a large web. He then informs them that Rowen is his prisoner, and if they want to save him, they must come to Sindai. Dais dismisses the webbing and disappears.
Leaving Yulie and White Blaze to wait for the others, Ryo and Cye head for Sindai. They soon come across a large battlefield strewn with arrows. There in the middle of a group of Dynasty Soldiers, Rowen stands bound by chains. Ryo and Cye suit up and begin taking down the soldiers. Cye remarks at how easily they are going down. After they're all destroyed, Ryo agrees. "I don't get it," Cye mutters. "How did Rowen get caught by these wimps? He's a whole lot better than that." It's not Rowen...it's Dais in disguise.
Having learned of the dilemma, Mia and the others drive quickly to meet up with Ryo and Cye. Sage says that they are probably walking into a trap, but Kento is only concerned about fighting. "You're way too hyper, Kento," Sage tells him. "Your enthusiasm could backfire in battle." "I doubt it," Kento returns.
Back at the battle, Dais appears to split in two. Ryo and Cye begin to fight; not realizing that Dais has made each of them look like himself. They unleash their ultimate attacks, knocking each other out. Before Dais can finish them off, the others arrive. Dais disappears to plan another ambush. The others are horrified at their friends' condition. Sage and Kento run off to find Dais.
Dais uses the same trick on Sage and Kento. They armor up and unknowingly attack each other. As the fight goes on, Sage starts thinking about Ryo and Cye. He suddenly realizes that they must have fought each other. Having figured out the illusion, Sage throws his sword aside and allows Kento to attack him. Kento unleashes a mighty blow...and the illusion disappears. Kento watches in horror as Sage collapses, badly injured.
Dais appears laughing at how they fell for his trick. He weaves a web around Kento, intending to finish him off. Kento's armor pulses with power as his anger grows. Pretty low blow tricking us into hurting each other, he thinks. You've run out of illusions now, Mister Hocus Pocus! Kento turns and unleashes his ultimate attack: Iron Rock Crusher. Dais is defeated and sent packing. Kento then carries Sage back to the group.
Mia is taking care of the wounded as the others continue to debate about finding Rowen. As Ryo looks out over the water, he suddenly figures out the poem. Rowen must be floating in outer space. The only problem now: how do they save him?
