Shulato #18

"Find the Lost Time!"

synopsis by Arcadia

As Shulato as his family eat dinner, they watch the news broadcast about the match. The news camera was watching Shulato and Gai during the enter fight, but still couldn't catch the moment Gai disappeared. There's still no explanation about what happened, or any clue as to where Gai went.

Convinced that he knows what happened, Shulato runs through their match in his mind. He remembers everything clearly up until the pillar of light appeared, but after that is still a blank. Except for the vision of the beautiful woman, he can't remember anything. Frustrated, he leaves the dinner table without his usual second helping.

Shulato lies on his bed and stares out the window, thinking of Gai and remembering when they trained together. Gai was not only his best friend, but also his greatest rival. How could he just leave during the most important match of their lives?

Eventually, Shulato falls asleep, and dreams. Several scenes flash before him. In the dream, he sees himself wearing strange armor and fighting. A giant multi-armed statue that tries to crush him under its huge fists, an axe-wielding man who turns the ground he's standing on into quicksand...

Shulato wakes up with a start. What strange dreams. But is that all they were?

Back on Tenkuukai, Lakshu wanders through the fog, calling for Shulato. She sees someone walking toward her. Thinking it's Shulato, she runs and hugs the figure. To her disappointment, it's Reiga. He hasn't seen Shulato, either.

Trylo suddenly appears, laughing. She announces that Shulato is no longer here. She sent him back to the human world. Lakshu and Reiga don't believe her. Only Vishnu can send people between the worlds, and she's not her. Trylo laughs. Using her rose, Trylo proves her point by showing them how she sent Shulato away. Her power is not to be underestimated.

Shulato has fallen asleep again. In his dream, Gai is wearing strange armor and trying to kill him. As he tries to defend himself in the dream, he kicks himself off his bed and wakes up.

He hears Yutaro practicing in the back yard and climbs out the window to join him. Yutaro tries to surprise him, but Shulato manages to catch his sword in mid-swing and throw Yutaro against a tree. Afraid he overdid it, Shulato goes to check on his grandfather. Yutaro insists he's okay, but is still impressed with how much Shulato has improved.

As he gets up, Shulato notices what looks like a gold lion figurine lying by the tree. Yutaro thinks it's a toy that one of the neighborhood kids lost, but Shulato is sure he's seen it somewhere. As he holds it, a vision of the woman he saw inside the pillar of light flashes before his eyes.

In Tenkuukai, Reiga and Trylo prepare to fight. Lakshu prays (to who?) for Shulato to return.

Shulato lies on his bed, staring at the lion figurine. He still can't figure out where he's seen it. He touches it again, and it starts to glow. He is unable to look away. Memories start flooding into his head. A green-haired girl, a strange world called Tenkuukai... "Om Shura Sowaka"... As the flood continues, a name finally comes into focus. "ShuraOh Shulato". Shulato realizes that's him. He is ShuraOh Shulato!