Rush Zone S2 E3 "Kick It Up a Notch"

## Plot

The episode starts at Massachusetts, where a reporter is reporting on the New England Patriots. The cameraman turns his back for a second, and then suddenly the reporter is behind him. Her eyes glow green. It's really a BlitzBot. The Bulldogs are down by two with five seconds left. Their only option is to kick it. Ash kicks the ball… and it goes just left of the goalpost. Ash is upset. She thinks she choked. Troy's attitude isn't helping matters. He says that she did choke. He also says that they have the biggest game of the season next week, and that they might need to look for another kicker. Ish says that they win and lose as a team. Troy says that at least he didn't miss the kick. Tua calls him out on this, saying that Troy dropped two passes in the third quarter, Ish fumbled once, Marty fell out of bounds, and he missed a few blocks. They all made mistakes. You tell him Tua! At his base, Wildcard is informed by Drop Kick that the plan is on schedule, and that they will get the Patriots' Megacore. A Patriots player thinks he notices a BlitzBot and tries to tackle it, but he passes right through it. At the field, Ash is practicing her kicking. She makes it every time. Ish shows up and tells her how well she's doing. Ash says she hasn't missed once… in practice. Ish tells her that she can't keep blaming herself. Ash's sour and bitter response? "Sure I can. Watch me." Man, that poor girl really needs a hug after all she's been through in just the past three episodes. At the HoK, Ash says that the Patriots are her favorite team. RZ says that they're after a Mimic BlitzBot. It has reflective abilities, allowing it to take the shape of anything it encounters. RZ reminds them to be cautious. Wildcard is getting bolder, and they don't know what he'll try next. They go to Foxborough, where they see Stephen Gostkowski kicking. Ish points out that the reason they're really here is to talk to Rob Gronkowski. Ash knows all sorts of statistics about Rob as well as Stephen. She's able to memorize all sorts of statistics. Cue Ish calling her a stats geek. Aw! So cute! The teasing and banter feel so natural. They talk to Rob, who hasn't seen the BlitzBot. The reporter comes up and says she's ready to see the rest of the stadium. Ish, Ash, and the Rusher come along too. RZ contacts Ash and says that there's a bot nearby. Ash wanders from the group to follow the signal. She runs into the Mimic BlitzBot. She transforms and kicks it. "Enter the Rush Zone!" She just passes through the bot, who taunts her and kicks her into a wall. Ish and the others hear her and rush off to help. All they see is what looks like Ash fighting her own shadow. RZ tells her to report to the HoK for debriefing. He tells them that they have to maintain a lower profile for their identities to stay a secret. Matt introduces them to Mr. Cervantes and his son Ricky. Ash is still feeling bad about that missed kick. What's worse, the bot posing as the reporter recorded the fight and made her look like a fool. She talks to her dad and tells him that life just stinks sometimes. Her dad says that he takes one look at her and he's happy. Aw! He's glad they moved here. A whole new slate, new memories, etc. Ash says that she misses her mom. Her dad says that he misses her too, but they have each other, and Ash has some new friends. She thanks him for the pep talk. At the game in Massachusetts, Ish, Ash, and the Rusher split up to cover more ground. Ash gets some advice from Stephen Gostkowski. Right afterwards, Stephen is frozen by the BlitzBot. Ish transforms and fights the bot. The bot freezes Ish too. RZ tells Ash that Ish is off the grid. Ash fights the bot again. "This is for Ish!" Aw! Ash uses a trophy to deflect the bot's ray back at it, destroying it into a million pieces. Everyone is unfrozen. Ish tells Ash that he knew she could do it and they fist bump. Wildcard is furious that the Guardians destroyed his best bot. Drop Kick says that he was the one who built the bot, and that it was his plan. Wildcard suddenly agrees, saying that it was his incompetence that ruined it, and how incompetence will not be tolerated. At the Hall of Fame game later, Ish tries to run it but keeps getting tackled. Then he hands it to Marty. And Marty gets tackled. Then he throws it to Troy, who misses the catch. Talk about a vicious cycle. There are now only eight seconds left on the clock. Troy apologizes for being a jerk. No, seriously, he said those exact words, I'm not making that up. Ash forgives him and she kicks the ball. This time it goes in. The Bulldogs win 15-14.

## Review

This was a great episode. We got some character development for Ash. Troy was a total jerk, and if you ask me, a bit of a sexist. At least he apologizes. It's great that Ash forgives him, but I don't. That's why I think what happens to him in the next episode is at least somewhat justified. I know I've said it before, but I just *love* Ash's relationship with her dad. It's just so sweet! I never thought one scene could make me cry tears of sadness and joy, but the scene with Ash's dad did. Ish and Ash clearly have a very "special" relationship. *It's so adorable!*