(TK is on the set, doing some stretches. Kari walks up to him.)

Kari: What are you doing?

TK: Getting ready.

Kari: For what? You know we don’t really have to save the world, right?

TK: I know. I’m getting ready for the crush.

Kari: What?

TK: I’m serious- finally I get a fan club. You’ve got guys falling for you left and right, but what do I get? Signing Jun’s shirt isn’t a tremendous honor.

Kari: I see… need any help?

TK: Yeah.

(TK hands her a sheet of paper.)

TK: Could you pretend to be Kaoru for awhile? I want to practice for a bit.

Kari: Okay… just call me Kaoru Kamiya!

(Kari opens and reads a few lines.)

Kari: TK, TK, TK- you’re such a hot manly man and someday I want to cover you in whipped cream and… hey- these aren’t Kaoru’s lines!

TK: I know… Tai hasn’t given us the scripts yet.

(Kari crumples up the sheet of paper and whips it into TK’s face and walks away.)

TK: Ow… I didn’t think she was going to take that Kaoru Kamiya bit so seriously!

(School. TK is talking with a few guys about typical guy stuff when a message is heard over the loudspeaker.)
Mimi: (VO) Attention everybody. Would all representatives of the special group please head to the special meeting place. I repeat- would all representatives of the special group please head to the special meeting place. Do not make me play the song.

(TK quietly and subtly excuses himself from the rest of the group. Then Davis runs into the room.)

Davis: TK! The secret signal! We have to go!

(TK covers Davis’s mouth.)

TK: Sorry about him guys, he’s still getting used to this school.

Guy: What’s the special group in his old school? I’ve heard that signal for awhile now, and I still don’t know what it means.

TK: Um… I don’t either! Come on Davis, let’s go… um… to the bathroom!

Davis: But what about the signal?

TK: It doesn’t mean anything! Come on. Let’s be like all guys and go to the bathroom together!

(TK and Davis hustle out. The other guys just shrug.)

(At the AEGIS base, TK and Davis arrive. Both have their own chairs. Joe, Mimi, Kari, and Sora are already waiting.)

Kari: What took you so long?

TK: We had to go to the bathroom.

Davis: Like all guys, we went together!

Sora: Ah… makes sense.

TK: Hey! How did Sora get back here? We lost her on the train.

Sora: Um… I forgot.

Joe: Plothole.

Mimi: It’s one of our most powerful weapons. Don’t forget that.

Davis: So what do we get to do today? Rescue somebody? Stop an attack?

Joe: We found another Gatekeeper.

Davis: Oh… how long is this recruitment kick going to last anyway?

Mimi: Only a couple more episodes, Davis.

Joe: It is still crucial that we find more. Especially since the last one didn’t have any powers.

Davis: Ooh… dis.

Kari: So where do we have to go this time?

TK: Please say Okinawa. I’ve always wanted to visit Okinawa!

Joe: Nowhere. We already found another one.

Mimi: Remember how Davis had a lot of strength, but it didn’t make him a Gatekeeper?

Kari: Yeah?

Joe: We were wrong.

Davis: You mean I am a Gateleaker? Sweet!!

Joe: Uh… no. What we meant was that strength is a Gate Power. And we found somebody whose incredible strength is derived from their Gate Power.

(Behind them, a figure is seen in the shadows. It doesn’t look like anything incredible.)

Davis: My rival! Whose incredible strength matches mine! Wow… I’m glad I joined on. Now rival- prepare to fall at the hands of Davis Motomiya!

(Davis charges after the figure. In a second, his attack is countered by the mysterious figure.)

Yolei: Ah! Get away from me!

(Davis is sent flying into the opposite wall. The group is in awe. Sora starts a light applause.)

Joe: This is Yolei Inoue. Her speed is unmatched. Her strength is unmatched. Care to give us a demonstration?

Yolei: I guess so.

(Yolei is hooked up to a treadmill. It starts out at a normal speed. Yolei keeps up with it.)

Mimi: Yolei was a track star at her school. After seeing all the records she set, we picked up on her mad skills.

(The treadmill picks up an incredible speed. Yolei not only keeps up with it, she forces it to blow up.)

TK/Davis: Cool…

(The smoke is cleared away.)

Joe: I think she’s going to be a great member of the team.

Yolei: Actually, I’m not joining.

(Yolei is seated on what remains of the treadmill.)

Yolei: I just was here to see what I was capable of doing. I don’t really want to do any of this Gatekeeper stuff. This seems too weird for me.

Kari: But Yolei, the team needs you.

Sora: The Invaders are only getting stronger. We need your help.

Yolei: That’s just it. I don’t buy into this whole Invader thing. Doesn’t sound that real.

TK: Trust me- it’s real. You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen Yamaki turn into one of them.

Yolei: Who’s Yamaki?

TK: Never mind.

Yolei: Look, I don’t think that any of this is real. I just want to relax and live my life. Far too many dreams have been ruined because of my stupid powers, and I don’t want to get them even more involved.

TK: Whose dreams have been ruined?

Yolei: Heh… everybody’s.

(The roof at school. Davis, Sora, and Kari are waiting. TK rushes up to greet them.)

TK: Hey. What’s this about?

Kari: Well, as Gatekeepers, I think it’s important to meet once in awhile just to discuss certain events and issues raised by our experiences together. So I thought I’d call you all up here so we can… uh… discuss certain events and issues raised by our experiences together.

TK: Sounds good. Like what?

Kari: Like Yolei.

Sora: What about Yolei? She said she didn’t want to join the team. I think that’s her decision.

Kari: Well I think we have to convince her that it’s a bad one. Didn’t you see what she’s capable of? She can really help us out.

Davis: Nah… she wasn’t that tough. She only beat me because I wasn’t ready for her. Besides, she didn’t hurt me that much.

Kari: Davis, she broke your arm.

(Indeed, Davis’s arm is in a sling. Davis is downplaying it.)

Davis: Oh, well- it still didn’t hurt. This isn’t anything. I’m tough, remember?

(Nami Asaji, the teacher from the third season, walks up with a stack of papers.)

Miss Asaji: Davis, there you are! Look, I’ve been reading that report you just handed in. And I know you’re a new student here, but there’s really no excuse for this sloppy…

(Davis starts to fake extreme pain.)

Davis: Ow! My arm! The agony!!

Miss Asaji: It’s okay! Never mind! I’ll just give you a C and let you rest…

Davis: Sounds good teach…

TK: Wait a second…

(TK stares at Miss Asaji.)

TK: Who are you?

(Asaji is caught off guard.)

Miss Asaji: Why… I’m… your teacher. Don’t you recognize me?

TK: You aren’t my teacher! Who the hell are you?

(TK and Nami stare at each other. Both begin to look at Tai.)

Tai: (OS) Cut!

(Tai walks on, obviously not happy with the situation.)

Tai: What’s going on now?

TK: Who is this woman and why does she sound exactly like Kari?

Tai: She is your teacher. At least for this thing. This is Nami Asaji, the teacher from the third season.

TK: Oh… what’s she doing here?

Tai: I needed a teacher!

Kari: Why can’t you use yours?

Tai: I… well… I don’t know who mine is.

(Tai turns to Sora.)

Tai: Sora, what’s the name of our teacher?

Sora: What? You’re asking me? You honestly don’t know?

Tai: I really have to go to class more often. So, what is it?

Sora: Um… uh… well…

(Sora looks angry.)

Sora: How should I know?! I’m just an airhead!

Miss Asaji: Oh boy… if children are our future, bring on the nuclear warfare.

Tai: You’ll just have to get used to her. We need a teacher with some name recognition… which for this series means somebody whose name I can remember.

Kari: I’m just wondering why we have another person from the third season. Don’t the first two seasons have enough characters?

Tai: No. They don’t.

Davis: My question is how we can keep referring to the first two seasons or the third season. Should we really be fiddling around with the fourth wall like this?

Tai: Um… Izzy!?

(Izzy walks onto the set.)

Izzy: What is it Tai? I was waiting for my opportunity to rush in and save the day again. I’m growing rather fond of that. And can I change my character’s name to Tuxedo Izzy from now on?

Tai: You can if you can answer this really interesting question Davis posed about how we’re referring to the third season and such.

Izzy: Well, it’s something known as the Gekigan Principle, which states that with any fictional TV show is real somewhere else, and what we call real life is a fictional TV show to them.

Tai: And that means what?

Izzy: I have no idea. I’m just BS’ing right now. I’d say that there’s some things that are best left unexplained, like this third season stuff… or how Davis posed a really interesting question that I don’t have the answer to.

Tai: Well, as the director, I think that there’s really only one thing we can do at this point.

Kari: And what’s that?

Tai: Go to a different scene and see how Joe and Mimi are doing.

(Joe is watching something on his giant monitor- a massive traffic tie-up on a highway.)

Joe: Hmm… I still can’t find it.

Mimi: What are you looking for?

Joe: There’s been a wave of traffic accidents lately. I think the Invaders are involved.

Mimi: Joe, you think the Invaders are behind everything. Last week you thought it was the Invaders’ fault that your coffee tasted weird.

Joe: Well somebody secretly replaced my usual brand with Folgers!

Mimi: I told you I did! Your usual brand is expensive and tastes like dirt.

Joe: Of course it does… it’s coffee.

Mimi: Still, the Invaders can’t be behind everything, right?

Joe: Well, the radar has been picking up small signals. They’re out there somewhere, and I think that causing a bunch of traffic accidents is a likely move.

Mimi: Why do you think that?

Joe: You know how they say you’re more likely to die in a car accident than in a plane crash?

Mimi: Yes, I say that to you every time you board a plane.

Joe: Well after all those planes blowing up I figure the Invaders would want to make sure that statistic holds. The airline industry is in enough trouble as it is.

Mimi: Makes sense.

Joe: Problem is… we just can’t find them.

(A bunch of high school girls are practicing track. Yolei is watching them through a fence. TK and Kari walk up to her.)

TK: Hey there.

Kari: We wanted to talk to you about being a Gatekeeper.

Yolei: Look at them…

(TK and Kari look at the track team. They are running normally as part of practice.)

Yolei: I really feel sorry for them.

Kari: Why? I know those shorts are pretty bad, but why do you feel sorry for them?

Yolei: Because they’re going to lose anyway. They’re getting ready for a meet this weekend. But they won’t win.

TK: Why do you say that?

Yolei: The other team’s better. It doesn’t matter what this team does to prepare, they’re not going to win. That’s just how it works…

Kari: You don’t know that for sure. If you try hard enough, you can do anything…

Yolei: Yeah… right. They say that to everybody, but in reality, it just doesn’t work that way. Some people are just better than you. That’s just how things work. And no matter how hard you try, you just can’t beat them. No matter how hard these girls try, they’ll still lose to people who are better than them. People like…

(Yolei pauses.)

TK: Like you?

(Yolei nods silently.)

Kari: How can you say that their efforts aren’t good enough? You obviously worked hard to accomplish what you did.

Yolei: That’s just it- I didn’t work. I guess it was all that Gate Power Joe was talking about. I put in a fourth of the effort and ran four times as fast. Hardly fair is it?

TK: Is that why you quit?

Yolei: Yep. It was boring. I got tired of crushing the dreams of all the people that I beat. That, and I guess people get a bit suspicious when you break Olympic records in Junior High meets.

TK: Well that settles it! I’m challenging you Yolei! I want to prove once and for all that if somebody tries hard enough, they can beat you!

Yolei: You? Challenging me?

TK: Yep.

Kari: You did see what she did to Davis, right?

TK: Yeah. But I’m ready for you! I’m not going to take you lightly!

Yolei: What’s in it for you?

TK: Well… if I win- you have to join the Gatekeepers.

Yolei: Eh… this should be worth a laugh.

(Yolei and TK head to a nearby gym. Kari follows.)

Kari: I’ll call the school nurse…

(A gymnasium at school. TK fires up his kendo stick and charges at his opponent. Shot of Yolei, watching patiently as he arrives. She yawns. TK screams while charging after her. But Yolei calmly steps to the side, tripping TK. He stumbles around, before ending up flat on his back. Yolei places a foot on his back.)

Yolei: Have I proven my point yet?

TK: (in pain) Not quite… I don’t think my left tibula is broken yet.

Yolei: Kari, how many matches have I won?

(Kari and Sora are standing in front of a large sheet of paper. On it are a number of circles on the top half and X’s on the bottom half. Sora makes another circle at the top.)

Kari: That’s twenty-four.

Sora: All by major decision. Except of course for one minor decision, but I think TK paid off the judges.

TK: (in pain, to Sora and Kari) Yeah, and you didn’t help much either.

(Yolei puts additional pressure on TK.)

Yolei: Are you done yet, or do you wanna go again?

TK: I’m spent.

Yolei: Good. As you can see, nothing can beat me. And that’s a bummer. Toodles!

(Yolei walks out of the room, while Kari and Sora get to work on bandaging TK up.)

Sora: She’s mean.

TK: It’s not her fault. She should be one of us. It’s only a matter of time before she sees it our way.

Kari: Well, this episode’s nearing the home stretch, and the Invaders haven’t even attacked, so she’d better do it fast.

Sora: Where do you think the Invaders are, anyway?

(Helicopters are flying through the air, searching for the Invaders. They shine a lamp on the highway, but nothing turns up. They fly off. In the darkness, the red Invader pops out from within the highway. He looks menacingly at the helicopters before immersing himself into the road once more.)

(Yolei is riding with her Mom down said highway. Traffic is at a standstill, but Yolei is immersed in thought.)
Sora: (VO, annoyed) Oh look- Yolei won again…

Tai: (VO, equally annoyed) Of course she did. Yolei always wins.

Sora: (VO) She doesn’t have to go to practice but she still wins anyway… that’s not very fair.

Mimi: (VO, defensive) It’s not my fault, I’m just good.

Tai: (VO) Yeah, good at not making friends. Good bye!

Miss Asaji: (VO) Yolei, you’re upsetting too many children. I’m afraid we’ll have to…

(Yolei looks at the camera.)

Yolei: (angry) Would you stop that??!!

(Pan around. Tai, Sora, Mimi, and Nami are huddled around a music stand with microphones.)

Tai: Uh… sorry… I, uh… haven’t figured out how to do flashbacks yet. We’re doing voiceovers from your memory.

Mimi: I make a pretty good you, don’t I?

Yolei: Not really.

Mimi: Huh. Everyone’s a critic.

Tai: Okay, okay, enough of this. Let’s get this Invader attack over with… action!

(Yolei shakes her head and looks towards the front of the car.)

Yolei: (to her mother) Why aren’t we moving?

Mrs. Inoue: I think it’s another accident. They’ve had a lot of them lately on this road. Non-union labor… I tell ya.

Yolei: I’m going to go see what’s up.

(Yolei gets out and starts running ahead.)

(Ahead of them, on the highway, the Invaders begin to attack. They are disguised as… the highway itself. A slab that was disguised as the left lane rises off the ground, and bounces backward, onto some cars. Another slab that used to be the right lane rises and crushes some more cars. Mimi is watching on the monitor at HQ.)

Mimi: Um, Joe? Joe? We found the Invaders. Joe?

(A flushing sound is heard, and Joe exits the bathroom.)

Joe: What was that?

Mimi: The Invaders are attacking.

Joe: Okay… hold on…

(Joe calmly walks up next to Mimi. He coughs, then stands boldly.)

Joe: (bold) There they are! Finally, they’ve revealed themselves. Send out the Gatekeepers!

Mimi: Oh, I already sent them out. I’m not helpless you know.

Joe: Way to ruin my moment, Mimi…

(The Invaders are calmly marching down the highway, crushing cars at their whim. Ahead of them is a busload of helpless children. An advertisement on the side of the bus reads "Need Helpless Extras to be Put in Danger? Dial 1-800-OSAVEUS!" Yolei approaches the bus. She looks over at the kids in the bus. Most of them are cute five-year-olds; about half are handicapped. One of the slabs is about to fall on the bus.)

Kids: Oh save us!!

(Yolei looks at the slabs, unsure of what’s going on.)

Yolei: Here goes nothing…

(Yolei jumps on top of the bus as the slab falls on Yolei. Using her strength, she holds it.)

Driver: Wow. You saved us!

Yolei: Yeah! Get those kids off the bus!

Driver: Sorry- they’re helpless children! It’s all you!

Yolei: (sarcastic) Great…

(The second slab is about to fall on the first one, adding to the weight…)

Yolei: (sarcastic) Even better…

TK: (OS) VACUUM MISSILE!!

(A shot from TK’s kendo stick hits the second slab, sending it backwards.)

Yolei: (sarcastic) Nice…

Kari: (OS) ARROW OF LIGHT!!

(A couple arrows hit the first one. It falls backwards as well, taking the pressure off Yolei.)

Yolei: (sarcastic) Thank you…

Tai: (OS) Yolei, you can stop being sarcastic now.

Yolei: Oh… good.

(TK and Kari run up to the bus as Yolei hops down.)

TK: Oh- hey Yolei.

Kari: What are you doing here?

Yolei: Driving home with my Mom.

TK: Wow. You’re here by some coincidence and you helped us repel an Invader attack without even thinking. What are the odds?

Kari: Knowing this series, pretty good.

TK: Help the helpless extras off the bus while we distract the slabs.

Yolei: Right!

TK: Oh and by the way, I hope this makes you realize that this isn't a joke and that the threat is real.

Yolei: Duh…

(The slabs rise again and prepare to fall on the bus. TK distracts them.)

TK: Hey! You’re mother’s so old that horses used to ride on her!

(The slabs change their target and pursue TK and Kari. TK and Kari run away frantically while the slabs chase after them. Yolei gets the helpless children off the bus.)

TK: (while running) Let’s just hope Sora’s ready.

Kari: And if that doesn’t work, let’s hope Izzy’s ready to make it a three-peat.

(TK and Kari continue running towards Sora, who has set her grand piano in the middle of the road.)

TK/Kari: Now Sora!!

Sora: Okay! One enchanting melody coming right up…

(Sora begins to play… but something’s wrong.)

Sora: Where’s my sheet music?

(Sora looks off to the side, and calmly walks over. She stops as Kari frantically runs by. She continues. In the shoulder of the road is a folder. She picks it up, opens it.)

Sora: Okay… here it is!

(Sora turns towards Kari, waving her music.)

Sora: I found it!

(One of the slabs crushes the piano.)

(Meanwhile, Kari and TK are still running. Kari looks back.)

Kari: Oh great… there goes Plan A.

TK: What’s Plan B?

(Kari looks at her watch, hits a few buttons, then speaks to it.)

Kari: Izzy! Izzy! We need your help! Where are you!

TK: Uh Kari… we don’t have wrist communicators.

Kari: We don’t? Oh. Well maybe Izzy will show up anyway.

(Back at HQ, Davis is pushing the Gate Engine into the helicopter. Izzy supervises.)

Izzy: C’mon, c’mon, I’m late.

Davis: I’m going… as fast as I can. I’ve got to… save… Princess Kari.

Izzy: Oh no! Only I can save Kari! You’re the bumbling blockhead. I’m the heroic smart guy that rushes in to save the day.

Davis: Oh come on! You already saved the day twice. Why can’t I do it?

Izzy: Look, Davis, I don’t get to save the day that often. I’m on a roll right now.

Davis: I think you’re letting this all go to your head.

Izzy: Well if you want to argue, we won’t get anything done.

Davis: Fine then. If you don’t want to share the credit, then maybe neither of us should save the day this episode.

Izzy: Fine then.

(Izzy and Davis turn their backs to each other, stubborn.)

(TK decides to stop running.)

TK: I don’t want to wait- we’re going to have to do this ourselves.

Kari: Um… you sure?

TK: Yeah… if you’re scared, back off. GATE OPEN!!

(TK pulls out his kendo stick again. A slab is about to land on TK. TK uses his stick to try to repel the attack. It works to an extent, but TK is growing very weak, very fast. Behind him, Sora and Yolei are rushing to the scene.)

Yolei: Why is he doing this? If I can’t beat that thing nobody can.

(Kari throws in a few arrows, but it does little. TK is starting to lose energy, and the slab draws closer and closer. TK makes a run for it, and gets out in the nick of time. He looks back, and sees the face of the red Invader for a second on the tip of the slab.)

TK: There it is… now… Vacuum…

(TK looks at his stick, the pressure has broken it.)

TK: Never mind…

(The slab rises again. It and the second slab morph into one giant slab. It prepares to fall on TK. Yolei and Sora observe.)

Yolei: This’ll do it. It’s over.

Sora: You don’t know that for sure. He’s full of surprises.

Yolei: Not for long. If he’s smart he would just… just…

(Sora looks at Yolei and smiles.)

Sora: Quit? Like you did? And if he does quit, is anything made better? No- more damage is done. You keep fighting until you can’t anymore… because you never know what can happen.

Yolei: Yeah…

(Yolei suddenly looks confused.)

Yolei: Hey- aren’t you supposed to be the airhead?

Sora: Yeah, but I’m friends with Tai- the nicer you are to the director, the better the lines he gives you.

(Sora gives a thumbs up to the camera. Tai returns that thumbs up.)

Yolei: Either way you’re right… we’ve got to give this one more effort.

(Yolei charges towards TK.)

Sora: I’ll just uh… wait here.

(The slab is about to fall on TK. Fortunately, Yolei rushes up next to him.)

Yolei: GATE OPEN!!

(Yolei supports the slab, but its extra weight soon prove to be too much for her.)

Yolei: I… can’t hold on…

TK: Hang in there Yolei. I don’t have my bokken, but if you can do this without any accessories, so can I!

(TK concentrates heavily and holds out his arms.)

Yolei: TK… hurry…

TK: GATE OPEN!!!

(TK thrusts his arms forward, sending the slab flying up in the air. It heads back down. TK sends another burst up into the air, which effectively destroys it.)

TK: There… we did it.

(Yolei falls to the ground, exhausted.)

Yolei: I can’t believe it. They were stronger, but… you beat them.

(TK puts a hand on her shoulder.)

TK: We beat them. Together. You never know who is really stronger until everything’s done. They may have looked powerful, but we were stronger. Good work.

(Yolei looks up at TK.)

Yolei: Good work… that’s the first time anybody’s said that to me.

(Yolei continues to stare TK in the eyes.)

Tai: (OS) Cut!

Yolei: Ow! My arms hurt like hell! If you aren’t going to get stunt people, you could have made the giant slabs a little lighter!

Tai: (OS) Sorry Yolei, they’ve been spending too much time at the catering table downing donuts. They had awhile to wait before being introduced to the episode.

TK: What was the cut for?

Tai: (OS) It looked like you two were about ready to start making out. That- and the scene’s over. Set up for the next one! Let’s wrap this up people!

(TK and Kari are heading to school. Yolei runs up from behind them, then turns around and faces them. She too is wearing the school uniform.)

Yolei: Well, how do I look?

Kari: About as dignified as you can in one of these uniforms. That doesn’t say much.

TK: You look fine. I’m glad you decided to join us.

Yolei: Hey, I may not be in sports, but this Gatekeepers stint should give me plenty of exercise anyway. This looks like it could be fun. And besides- I’m already in another competition.

TK: Really? What is it?

(Yolei looks at TK and smiles.)

Yolei: Let’s just say that it’s one that doesn’t involve strength or speed. It’s a pretty tough one too. But Kari- I’m not going to lose to you.

(Yolei winks at TK, then runs off. Kari is confused.)

Kari: What did she mean by that?

(TK is trying to hold back excited giggles. He lets a few go, then tries to compose himself.)

TK: (unsuccessfully holding back a smile) I don’t know!

Author’s Notes
A couple more subtle anime references here. First off, Kaoru is the name of Yolei’s character. Second off, Kamiya is Kari’s last name (at least in the dub). Third off, Kaoru Kamiya is a character from the anime Rurouni Kenshin, and one of the more violent female leads in anime. And no- her last name is not Yagami in the Japanese version. Also, "Gekigan Principle" is a reference to Nadesico, where Gekigangar III is a show that everybody on Nadesico watches… while Nadesico is a show everybody in Gekigangar watches. Cool, huh?

One more episode, one more character-
Kaoru Konoe- Yolei Inoue

There is a reason I’m using Miss Asaji from the third season as the teacher here. She is featured in episode six, and in order to capture certain emotions properly, I want a character that you’re more familiar with. It doesn’t quite work with Mr. Fujiyama or whatever his name was.

Next Episode- Storm the Girl’s Dorm!
With the recruitment at a temporary standstill, the team has to choose a captain to lead. Unfortunately, a potential Invader is discovered… in the girl’s dorm at school. This gives Kari the opportunity to handle the threat herself. Fearing the potential for her to clinch the captain position through this, TK and Izzy plot a way to sneak in themselves.