Lap 09 - Jody's Secret

Jody's Secret is the 9th episode of the F-Zero Farukon Densetsu anime.

## Overview

The Elite Mobile Task Force's machines are seen coming up behind Zoda's Death Anchor, but Ryu attempts to pass him in the Dragon Bird. Jody urges Ryu to stay with the group, but to no avail, prompting her to press forward on her own. As Mr. Zero notes that a thin part of the track is coming up, Zoda takes the opportunity to ram the Death Anchor into the White Cat, sending Jody's machine flipping forward.

Lucy and Dr. Clash watch in horror and quickly rush to the scene. Ryu also rushes to the scene, seeing Jody being placed on a stretcher and into an ambulance. Jack then punches Ryu and blames him for what happened to her.

In the ambulance, Dr. Stewart assures Jody that while the rules of F-Zero state that anyone can join the race, the Galaxy Police are waiting at a warp gate to arrest Zoda. At the warp gate, John Tanaka is seen with a squad of Galaxy Police officers behind him. Zoda appears shortly after, holding an F-Zero trophy in his hand, followed by the Bloody Chain's machines. A Dark Million ship flies overhead and fires at the Galaxy Police, forcing the officers and Tanaka to retreat.

Back at the Galaxy Police headquarters, while Lucy and Dr. Clash are fixing the White Cat, Jack scolds Ryu about the race incident. However, Ryu doesn't respond. Tanaka then informs the Task Force that the F-Zero Committee has raised the prize money after the incident and also scolds Ryu for not following through with the plan to lure out their enemies. Ryu apologizes and asks about Jody, noting that he couldn't find her at the hospital, but Tanaka vaguely assures him that Dr. Stewart will handle the situation. Jack presses Tanaka for more answers, but Tanaka refuses to elaborate.

At the Falcon House, Ryu asks Bart for a coffee, to which Bart notices Ryu's concern and assures him that Jody will be alright. Ryu tries to have faith in Bart's words, but directs his anger towards Zoda, not wanting to lose someone else because of him. Ryu then has a brief flashback about his girlfriend Haruka, before Bart asks if Zoda was responsible for hitting Jody, to which Ryu confirms. He then receives a call from Dr. Stewart, who informs him that everything is fine, but that Jody has something to tell him.

Ryu then makes his way to the Cyborg Graduate School for Galaxy Police, and traverses its halls. He comes across Dr. Stewart, who reveals he used to work at the school, doing research in the robotics field. Ryu asks about Jody's whereabouts, and Dr. Stewart reveals that Jody is a cyborg, as an image of her with mechanical parts is seen on the screen. Jody then steps out of a room and thanks Dr. Stewart, who leaves her to explain herself to Ryu. Only Dr. Stewart and the Galaxy Police higher-ups knew of her cyborg state, but because of Ryu's connection to Zoda, she felt that he deserved to know.

She then informs Ryu that three years prior to the present day, Mute City was almost at peace, but Dark Million was still active. Jody was once a Galaxy Police officer alongside her older brother, who sacrificed himself to save her from a rocket fired by Zoda. At the verge of death, it was Dr. Stewart who revived Jody. Driven by vengeance, Jody became the leader of the Elite Mobile Task Force in order to stop Dark Million.

Another flashback shows Jody looking through the Mute City archives for information about Zoda and why Black Shadow revived him from cold sleep. From the data, Jody noted that Zoda was the one who sent New York into darkness, and Black Shadow had revived him in order to utilize him in Dark Million. Ryu in particular had fought Zoda and even arrested him, and so Jody asks Dr. Stewart if he could revive Ryu. Dr. Stewart hesitates, seeing as how Ryu was not scheduled to be awakened from coldsleep until 2251. Jody insists due to his skills and ends up going to persuade the Galaxy Police Chief. Dr. Stewart and Jody are then seen observing Ryu's coldsleep capsule, with Dr. Stewart stating that Ryu had a good driving technique in the past. He then wonders if Ryu would be able to fare well in the modern day. Jody notes that while technology has advanced in the past 150 years, it might not even be useful to Ryu as pilots rely too much on their machines in the present time, and she believes the human will is stronger.

In the present, Jody and Ryu exit the Cyborg Graduate School. Outside, Jody tells Ryu that in order to arrest Zoda, the Task Force needs Ryu's help. Ryu tries to process everything, questioning why they brought him back instead of just outright killing Zoda, especially with Jody's loss. Jody assures Ryu that while their hatred of Zoda is mutual, and despite both of their losses, they must not lose focus of their goal to stop Dark Million as a whole.

Elsewhere, Jody informs Dr. Stewart that she plans to investigate Alcatrand, a coldsleep prison for criminals, particularly where Zoda was revived. Dr. Stewart finds it odd, as the prison was destroyed by Black Shadow, but Jody insists that something isn't right. Meanwhile, Zoda celebrates his victory on board a Dark Million ship, but Black Shadow is less than impressed. Zoda swears to win the following race, and is then seen walking through the halls. Miss Killer overhears Zoda muttering about taking over, to which Zoda defends himself by saying it was a joke.

At the Galaxy Police headquarters, Lucy and Dr. Clash are testing Jody's machine. Jody appears to check on the machine's progress, informing her fellow Task Force members that she'll be able to make a full recovery the next day, but that she would like to take the machine out for a spin. Jody then takes the White Cat to Alcatrand through a warp gate. On the unknown but blizzard-heavy planet, Jody investigates Alcatrand, as footage of Dark Million breaking into the prison to revive Zoda is shown.

A Dark Million ship rises from the snow-covered ground in front of Jody. Zoda appears, with Bio Rex, Octoman, and several Dark Soldiers behind him, as he reveals that Jody had come across his secret hideout. Jody thanks Zoda for confirming her suspicions, right before Bio Rex attacks Jody and is swiftly intercepted by her. However, the Dark Soldiers manage to overwhelm her. Fortunately for her, Ryu shows up in the Dragon Bird and comes to her rescue. Dark Million retreats, but Jody is hit in the shoulder by a laser. Ryu then attempts to shield her from the rest of the blasts, which reminds Jody of her brother's sacrifice. After the Dark Million ship flees, Jody notes that it must have been difficult to let Zoda escape, but Ryu simply states he was following her advice, and notes that it's the first time he has seen her smile.

In the next episode preview, Ryu and Jack briefly talk about Roger Buster and Draq, two deliverymen. At some point, Ryu and Jack refer to them as "The A Team" in unison.

Bart's Classroom segment goes over the many alien species seen in the anime. Bart states that 100 years prior, first contact between humans and aliens occurred, with many planets following in suit. As a result, 30% of Earth's population comes from other planets. He also notes that Octoman is from Takora, and Baba is from Giant, but Bio Rex was part of a science experiment and takes after ancient dinosaurs, hence originating from Earth.