Episode 22

**Over the Rainbow** (オーバー・ザ・レインボー *Ōbā za reinbō*) is the twenty second episode of the anime Birdie Wing.

## Plot

Eve is on her critical situation after using her "Rainbow Bullet - Burst" skill too many times. However, she refuses to give up as she competes on the last day of the Open Golf Tournament. But despite her final warning, Eve is planning to use her ultimate skill that even Leo could not master.

## Summary

In a flashback , 10 years prior, Leo and Kazuhiko are finishing up their latest round of golf at a course along the sea. Leo uses his Explosion Bullet Shot on his approach shot, which blast through the crashing waves surrounding the green and sinks the shot for the win, tying their matches at Two wins each.

Kazuhiko tells him, in conceding the match, that their matches are always entertaining, to which Leo responds that he always repays his debts. Kazuhiko tells him that he doesn't understand why, with his strength at playing, that he doesn't become a professional golfer. Leo tells him that there are strong golfers worldwide who aren't professionals, and as an example, mentions Alan Harvey as a "Monster" in the underworld. He says that he wants to perfect his game by battling those stronger golfers while he still can, saying that he won't be at his physical peak for much longer.

Kazuhiko asks him what he will do if he is unable to attain his ultimate level of skill in golf. As he looks away, Leo says that he will entrust the next generation to reach that goal, as we see Eve launching her newly developed Rainbow Bullet Burst Shot. Leo intends to entrust his style of play to someone worthy of inheriting it who will aim higher than he did.

Back at the Luminous Course, Eve is telling Ichina that she wants to incorporate the Burst into her retinue of shot selections, saying it will increase both the drive distance and accuracy of her other shots. Ichina is worried about taking that big of a gamble in changing her swing in the middle of the tournament. Eve says it's one they need to make if they want to beat Aisha and achieve their goal of becoming a pro golfer like Aoi. She says that if she can make the rainbow bullet her own, it will give her an incredible shot and she'll have a real chance at gaining a new ultimate weapon.

She puts her theory to the test the next day during the Third Round of the Tournament, deploying the Burst shot on the 450-yard, Par 4 2nd Hole. Ichina describes the entire course as being difficult for better golfers, citing the 2nd hole's layout as an example. Midway through the hole, a river bisects the fairway, with two sand traps guarding both sides of the river in the area between the 240 and 260-yard markers. She says that as long as a golfer can clear at least 260 yards, the approach to the green is a lot less difficult, and that Eve's Burst shot will get her past the danger zone. Eve's shot easily clears the traps and Ichina and her fist bump on a well-placed shot. Leo and Aisha are watching from the sides, as Leo wonders if it will be that easy for Eve to beat them.

Back in Nafrece, Eve's adopted family is watching the Third Round at the White Hart. The announcer is reading off the standings from the leader board, which is currently topped by one of Europe's top pros, Janet Hunt at Seven Under (-7), who is finishing her round on the 495-yard Par 4 18th Hole. Eve is right behind her in second place, who is also on the 18th, who's managed to hit Five Under(-5) and a total score of Six Under (-6). Aisha, however is two strokes back in third, holding onto a score of Four Under (-4). Alan welcomes the two back to the cabin after the round, but notices that Eve is in considerable pain. He takes her by the wrist and lifts her arm up, making Eve grimace in considerable pain, surprising Ichina. He says that her joints are in considerable pain from her using her new shot. At the bar on the course, Leo is aware of Eve's condition, knowing that like Eve's teenage body is not fully equipped to handle the power in those shots. He expects both Eve and Janet will see their scores drop in the Final Round, allowing Aisha, who is once again protein loading with another large rib eye steak, to win the tournament, as she is the only golfer who will have the same amount of stamina for the last round as she did for the first round.

Back at the cabin, Eve is lying on the bed in pain, with Ice packs on her elbows, while Ichina is asking why she didn't tell her she was in pain. Eve, still in the mindset of an underground golfer who's life is constantly on the line, tells her that she can't show any weakness or else her pressure on her opponents will be wasted. Ichina is almost livid, telling her she can't play in this condition. Eve tells her that she's going out there and not to tell her she can't. She then goes into the philosophy of her life growing up with Klein and Lily as she struggles to get herself up on the bed. She says words like "impossible" and "limits" are excuses of those who've given up on their potential. Alan knocks and enters the bedroom, and asks if she still intends to finish the tournament, despite her injuries. She confirms it, even if it kills her, in her own words. Alan puts down a small box he carried in and tells her that her will treat her as best he can, revealing that he has been certified as an acupuncturist, most likely as part of his duties as butler to the Burton family. He begins with Eve's back, slowly inserting the needles along her spine.

Meanwhile, in a luxury Hotel in Tokyo, Aoi is exhausted from the interviews and videos and commercials she's had to do since turning pro, literally throwing a tantrum that she can't play golf. She looks up at Amane, who's sitting by the window reading over their schedule, and says that she's been smiling so much her face is stuck. Amane apologizes as their entire week is filled with more interviews and commercial shoots, further frustrating the young golfer. However, Amane tells her that the following week, they will start preparing for the Namco Classic, and all of these interviews are getting done now so there won't be any need to do them between practice sessions. Amane then reminds her that her father said that Eve is going to be dominating the European tour and they need to be in top shape to fight her. The mention of Eve suddenly fills her with so much joy, she grabs a copy of the golf magazine she will be doing a commercial for and recites the pitch perfectly. Amane, unfazed and unbothered, tell her that performance was worth 30 points, crushing the girl's joy.

Back at the Cabin, Alan's acupuncture work is done, and Eve has a multitude of needles running from her calves up to her thighs, the lower half of her back and her arms from shoulder to forearm. Alan tells Ichina that Eve is young and will recover quickly and be able to play in the final round but warns that she must not use the Burst shot, because it will cause her more pain than she can endure. He tells Ichina that she is the only one who can keep her from hurting herself further out on the course. Ichina vows to do whatever it takes to keep Eve from hurting herself by using the Burst Shot, even going as far as punching her if it saves her life, as Eve continues to endure the treatments in the bedroom.

At the Yacht Harbor back in Nafrece, Vipère and her boyfriend are watching the start of the final round on their yacht when Eve is shown, heading to the tee box for the 1st Hole. She is worried seeing Eve walking with her arms and legs taped up. She wonders if Eve has used her new shot too much already and is now suffering from it. Eve and Ichina encounter Leo and Aisha at the tee box and he tells her that it hurts just to look at her all taped up, and that she should retire from the round and save herself from embarrassment. Eve responds by saying she likes candles that are short and fat, that burn fast. She then admonishes him for "Clinging to golf without even playing it." Her retort makes him smile and he says He's looking forward to seeing it.

Aisha tees off with her usual Cannon Shot, going 270 yards on the shot. Eve is impressed with the distance and Ichina surmises that Aisha's been trained to be in top condition for the last round of the tournament. Eve says she'll crush her with the Burst, but Ichina tells her no, as she hands her the 3 Wood. Eve looks upset and Ichina reminds her that this is so she can battle Aoi. But Eve then takes the club and walks to the tee, telling her that she hasn't abandoned her golf style, but she does trust in her caddy's words, smiling at her as she says that. Ichina promises to make sure she wins the tournament. Watching from the gallery, Alan is proud of Eve taking another step in her development, trusting in Ichina's advice, who plans on keeping them on the fairway as much as possible, as well as ignoring Aisha and focusing on Eve's golf alone. Using her normal Rainbow bullets, as well as her father's Rainbow Shot, she figures that they can overcome her loss of accuracy on her putting game, due to the tapings on her arms, and save her strength for the last nine holes.

After the first nine holes, Janet's game fell apart, going Five Over (+5) and falling to 5th Place at Two Under (-2) after the front nine. Aisha, however, manages to land a birdie and take over second place at Five under (-5), with Eve now atop the leaderboard at Six Under (-6) as they tee off at the 458-yard, Par 4 10th Hole. Ichina tells eve to endure the rest of the course, but Eve says she'll keep fighting, and even if she falls, she'll fall forward. Leo sees that the distance of her tee shots is falling off and that she must be at her limit. Aisha tells him that Eve is still fighting, just like her. She thanks him for pulling her out of poverty and teaching her golf as well, but she says that Eve is like a wounded animal and is not going to give up, which is why she won't lose for his sake, as she eventually ties Eve at Six Under(-6).

At the White Hart, Lily is devastated that Eve is now tied with the girl, while Vipère is optimistic that Eve can pull out the win, citing that Aisha is prone to mistakes, but that Eve also needs to not mess up as well. In the Gallery, Alan is worried that Aisha will take the lead and it will be difficult for Eve to catch up. At the Burton Family Mansion, Eve's grandfather, Michael Burton, watches on his laptop as his granddaughter prepares to tee off from the 440-yard, Par 4 17th Hole. He says to the screen to endure it, but Eve is saying that she needs to build up her strength. At another commercial shoot, Aoi asks Amane for an update on Eve. She tells her that she's tied for 1st as they head for the final hole. Aoi is shocked to see Eve taped up and asks why, to which Amane tells her that she changed up her swing during the previous round.

At the 495-yard, Par 4 18th Hole, Aisha's tee shot land in the middle of the fairway. Ichina says that if she gets a birdie, she'll win. Eve tells her that she'll win anyway, but she needs a chance. Ichina pulls out the driver, to Alan's shock. Ichina hesitates handing it to her. She clutches the driver and tearfully tells her she doesn't want to give it to her, because if she damages her arms, they won't be able to be a team anymore. Leo looks on and agrees with Ichina, saying in his head that she doesn't have to destroy her chance at a career here. However, Ichina also tells her that she didn't want to be shut down by words like Impossible, and words like 'Limits" only deny someone's potential. She presses the driver to Eve's breast, telling her to prove that she can go beyond her own limits. Eve puts her hand on her Caddy's hand, telling her that she made it this far by believing in her, but now it was time for her to believe in Eve. Wiping the tears from her eye, Ichina tells her to aim for the right side of the fairway and try to get at least 270 yards on the shot.

As she pulls back on the driver, Leo tells her to stop, asking if her father would want a single temporary victory. She tells him she doesn't care what he thinks, that she'll paly her own style of golf, and not to apply his impossible or limits on her. She says she has someone waiting for her, someone she wants to fight, and that her Shots will get her there. With that she fires a Rainbow Bullet Burst, which flies 290 yards, but when she made contact with the ball, she grimaces as a strange pinging is heard. Her Arios Driver shattered from the force of the swing, saving her arms from further damage. Watching from Tokyo, Aoi is amazed at Eve's shot, never dreaming her Doubles partner was capable of such a shot.

Aisha's second shot lands on the green, all but assuring her of a birdie. Ichina doesn't want to head into a playoff, not with Eve in her condition. Eve smiles and tells her she has one more shot up her sleeve, the Rainbow Shot Kazuhiko taught her as a child, but her own interpretation of it. As she draws back, Aisha says to Leo that Eve is going to beat them. Eve's shot arcs like a rainbow, literally trailing one behind it, as she says the shot is a rainbow that brings victory, that makes the impossible possible. She named the shot "Over the Rainbow," aweing the crowd and finally achieving what Leo couldn't, a shot that exceeded even His Explosion shot. She surpassed his and her father's expectations. The ball lands directly in the hole, giving Eve and Eagle and the one-stroke victory over Aisha. She screams out as the shot lands, nearly losing her balance, but Ichina catches her. Eve says her arms are a mess but she refuses to head to the medical tent, not until after the awards ceremony. She tells her she has to look okay for the cameras because she has to let Aoi see her. She holds her iron up in triumph as Aoi watches on Amane's tablet. Eve is sending her a message, "Get ready, our battle has begun."

Eve stands at the Trophy Ceremony, clad in a green jacket, holding a silver Claret jug, She's talking to herself about everything that's happened, she's turned pro and thinks of her adopted family, Klein, Lily, Emily, Charlotte, Jessica. She thanks Vipère for her help, calling her by her name for the first time. She says that she will sign whatever contract her grandfather wants her to sign. Alan and Ichina and helping her get back to cabin, holding onto her on both sides, but she collapses and crumples to the ground before the three can reach the cabin.

## Matches

### Arios Europe Women's Open, GGC Scotland Luminous Club

* **Eve** (w/ Ichina Saotome) (-8) vs. Aisha Khambatta (w/ Leo Millafoden) (-7)

## Characters

* Eve
* Aoi Amawashi
* Amane Shinjo
* Ichina Saotome
* Aisha Khambatta
* Leo Millafoden
* Alan Harvey
* Michael Burton
* Vipère
* Lily Lipman
* Klein Clara
* Emily
* Jessica
* Charlotte
* Kazuhiko Hodaka (flashback)

## Trivia

* The Golf Ball Logo featured is Eve's Red Wing ball. Also, Last episode's logo was confirmed in this episode as belonging to Leo.
* The Green Jacket Eve wears after winning the Open is similar to the same jacket awarded to the winner of the Master's Golf Tournament on the Men's PGA Tour in Augusta, Georgia every April.
* The Trophy eve is holding resembles the Claret Jug trophy that is given to the Winner of the Men's British Open, however the handle that the trophy is known to have is not present on this one.