Episode 5

**In the Embrace of the Beat** / **When Doves Cry** (ビートに抱かれて, *Bīto ni Idakarete*) is the fifth episode of LISTENERS. The ending theme is "Rainy lain" by Jin sung by µ (Rie Takahashi).

## Synopsis

The trail to solve the mystery of Jimi Stonefree leads Echo and Mu to a glittering purple city ruled by Denka.

## Summary

While taking a bath, Denka recalls how he met Jimi Stonefree while making the plan for Project Freedom. Arriving in Denka's Galaxy Palace, Mu and Echo Rec gets separated as Mu spends all of their money for something that she doesn't discuss with Echo. Needing money, they each decide to join Denka's new project which also gives them a place to live and but end up in the same room in their new dorm, reuniting them again. Rumors about them reach Denka, who then places Mu at Telephone Love Sexy, where she needs to answer calls in a sexy way and Echo at New Power Generation, a workshop for Equipment.

They spend a week working and on payday, the old man working with Echo, Mr. Marshall, takes Echo's pay and wants to take him to some play where he can get some love, but on their way there, Echo loses him. Echo then meets Denka, who introduces himself as Kid. They spend some time together and Echo tells him about Jimi and Denka comments that he also wants Jimi to guide him and that he wanted to save the world and not causing grief and suffering. Denka then states he feels love in Echo's radiance and its about Mu. Echo tries to deny it, but Denka takes him to Club Love Sexy, where Echo ends up talking with Mu on the phone. Mu is annoyed that the first thing he does after getting paid is getting to a love club. Wendy and Lisa then come and take Mu and Echo to First Avenue, where they explain normally Equipment fights are held. Wendy and Lisa know that Mu is a Player and Echo is amp builder, and reveal they are Players themselves and want to have a match with them and if they win, they will get them to meet Denka, but if they lose, they will have to leave the city and Mu accepts. Mu and Echo end up loosing easily, but Echo begs them for another chance and they agree to fight them again in a week.

The fight becomes official and people gather to see it. On a big screen Denka announce the start of the fight and Mu and Echo realized Mr. Kid is Denka. Wendy and Lisa realize Echo and Mu are fighting differently and this time Mu and Echo manage to beat them using Top Boost. As the fight end, Earless start attacking and Mu, Echo, Wendy and Lisa prepare to fight them. Denka then uses his Equipment which is the whole city and defeats the Earless.

Denka apologizes for testing Mu and Echo and decides to tell them all he knew. He reveals that for Project Freedom to work, they needed to guide the Core of the Earless and to do that they needed to people who wish to coexist with the Earless. They couldn't tell them the true plan, but as he spend time he realized he was wrong. Jimi had same pendant as Mu and also a little sister. They weren't able to stop the project in time and ended up betraying Jimi and failing the mission. The people of Gnome and Jimi had disappeared and Denka haven't seen any of them in the last 10 years. As people of Gnome won't meet Denka for his betrayal, he gives Mu and Echo an old map of Gnome and states that they may agree to meet them. Before leaving, Denka asks them if they meet Jimi to tell him that Denka still loves him.

## Characters

* Denka
* Kevin Valentine
* Bilin Valentine
* Echo Rec
* Mu
* Wendy
* Lisa
* Jimi Stonefree

## Trivia

* The entire episode contains multiple references to Prince/The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, including Denka being an obvious expy of Prince himself.