Task. 17: The Ashu Mirror

The Ashu Mirror is the seventeenth episode of GoGo Sentai Boukenger.

Plot
The Boukenger are fight Shizuka in the forest. Black is knocked down. She says the Mirror of Ashu is theres. Pink says the mirror can release the Ashu. Yellow wonders if they are real. Blue is sure it is just a myth. Yaiba jumps in and kicks their butts. He says the mirror has the power to causes fear. They fight and Yaiba teases Black about not awakening his power of darkness. Yaiba slices Black down. The Boukenger on the ropes. Suddenly lighting strikes and a creature emerges. The Boukenger and the two ninjas are blasted at by his master Gai and his cannon. They want the Mirror. Yaiba confronts Gai and Hyouga and he is no match for them. Gai says it is first time he sees a ninja. Hyouga knocks him down. Shizuka jumps to help Yaiba up. Gai tells them goodbye and blasts them away. The mirror is knocked down and Shouta grabs it. Akashi asks them who they are. They say the mirror belongs to them, that they will return the Ashu. A man is alerted and runs toward them. Gai senses the man and calls for a retreat. Gai tells them he will let them hold onto the mirror for now and disappear in a blast. Sakura puts down the box card to collect the mirror. The man tells them not to mess with it. He crunches on celery. He tells them they will die if they mess with the demons. He rebuffs their questions about who he is, even when Masumi gets in his face. He just tells them to better not know anything. He is about to go down for the Mirror, but Sakura seals it in the box. She picks up the box and tells him to not worry about it, that it is their mission. He smirks, pounds down his staff and disappears. Natsuki pinches Masumi's cheek to check if it is a dream. By the lake, Shizuka is bummed and throws a tantrum. Yaiba talks to Gekkou through his communicaiton device. Gekkou tells them not to mess with the Ashu. He can't believe they still exist. At SGS, Mr. Voice explains that there is said to be another highly evolved life form other than humans. A big question mark is shown. Shouta finds it strange that there is no mention of the Ashu in history. Mr. Voice says many non-humans appear in legends. Akashi wonders if Ashu are the origin of those creatures. Voice says it is the first time that the Ashu have been confirmed in SGS' records. Natsuki wonders who the guy was that warned them. Shouta suggests analyzing the mirror, when he opens the box and find a celery stalk, similar to the one the man had. Sakura wonders if he is with the Ashu. The man in the black robe eats a vegetable and comments on Tokyo looking dirty. Elsewhere, the two Ashu bounce around from building to building tracking down the man. They find the Mirror on a rooftop and wonder if it is a trap set by the Boukenger. Gai says no trap set by a human worries him, because no matter the number, there is no enemy for them. Ropes surround them. Set up by the man, who they refer to as Takaoka. Gai asks when he will stop following them. He says until they are destroyed. He drops down and approaches them until a shot is fired. The Boukenger have arrived. The man puts his arms up. They ask for the mirror. He politely asks them to go away. Red tells Yellow to get the mirror. The man tries to go but Black stops him. She backs up, touching the rope and it glows red. The rope desolves, letting the Ashu go. Hyouga then blasts at them. Gai then attacks Yellow and she falls off the roof. Gai leaps down and starts fighting with her. He bashes her down. He then blasts her with his cannon. Hyouga keeps attacking the Boukenger and the man. They go down and the Boukenger un-transform. Natuski as well and her Accellular rolls away. Hyouga arrives. When Gai reaches down for the mirror, he stops and recognizes Natsuki's bracelet. "Proof of the chosen one." The Ashu have found their sacrafice and pick up Natsuki. The man runs towards them but they leap away. The others arrive and Masumi blames the man. The man tells them to go way. Sakura picks up Natsuki's acellular and says she is their comrade. The man is intrigued. Masumi rushes toward the fellow calling him a 'damn Ashu,' the man gets him the throat, angerily shouting he isn't Ashu. He shoves Masumi aside and clarifies he is Eiji Takaoka, watcher of the Ashu. Akashi acknowldeges that the Ashu shouldn't exist in this era. Eiji explains the Ashu were banished into the World of Demons, in between dimensions long ago. Some Ashu did remain, so it is his duty to watch over them. He explains he used the mirror as bait. That the Ashu are trying to release the other demons from the World of Demons. The Ashu arrive at the beach and place the mirror on a rock. Gai delivers the exposition to Natsuki and strangles her, telling her that her blood is the key. Eiji has explained this to the others and then adds that it will be their fault when the demons are released. Akashi asks if he is going to banish the Ashu. Eiji scoffs and says he is going to destroy them. He tells them to leave it to him, especially Gai because it his destiny. He turns around and palces his staff on the ground. He concerntrates, the wind blows and his veins move. His eyes glow green, he senses Ashu. They ask if he knows where Natsuki is. Eiji tells them that they can come if they want but not to get in his way. They follow him. At the beach, Gai cuts Natsuki's hand with his nail and the blood drips on the mirror. Natsuki is surprised that was it, just her blood. Hyouga drags her off. The blood spreads and surrounds the mirror. It becomes a rainbow spectrum. Natsuki is tied to a post. Eiji arrives and jumps down and fights Gai. The others arrive. Sakura calls out to Natsuki and she tells her to call her Yellow since their on a mission. Sakura notes that she seems cheerful. The four transform and fight Hyouga. Gai grabs Eiji's staff. Eiji comments they have come a long way but this is the end. Gai nears Eiji violently and tells him he messed up and that he is as clumsy as his father was. Hyouga continues beating up the others. Natsuki tries to free herself, wish she could do something. A hand claws out of the mirror. She shouts to her teammates. Rei jumps out of the mirror. He throws fire at Eiji and the Boukenger. It of course does not hit the Ashu. Eiji says Rei is the evilest of the Ashu. Rei attacks the Boukenger and knocks them down. Gai continues fighting with Eiji. More hands pull out of the Mirror. Rei rolls Pink down. She tosses Natsuki's Accellular to her and it knocks her on the head. Natsuki knocks it with her knee and it flips into her hand and she transforms. Yellow goes tot he mirror and tries to push the hands in. Gai rushes towards Natsuki, telling her not to touch the mirror. Eiji jumps up. Eiji jumps unto Gai's shoulder an dleaps in front of him and smashes the mirror with his staff, closing the portal. Everyone is shocked. Hyouga and Rei let go of the Boukenger. Akashi takes the opportunity of the three Ashu together and calls the Acelltector and Dual Crasher. Hyouga blocks the attack of Rei and Gai. Hyouga tells them he is willing to give up his body. Gai tells him to stop. Gai tells him he will never return to his former form but Hyouga is determined and grows giant. Eiji then fights them. The Boukenger form Super DaiBouke and Hyouga holds on to them. Hyouga blasts them. Gai and Rei pull away from their fight with Eiji and retreat. Eiji won't have that. Gai tells him they will meet again and they teleport away. The Boukenger call for GoGo Jet. They form Ultimate DaiBouken and destroy Hyouga but a purple smoke arises. Eiji puts his staff down on the ground and commences the Ashu Soul Transfer. The smoke reaches for the Boukenger but it disappears in gold glitter. Later, Sakura picks up the broken mirror and Eiji tells them to take it. Natsuki acknowledges that Eiji doesn't consider the Mirror a Precious. He calls it a piece of junk. Akashi asks Eiji what his treasure is.He shakes his head and says it doesn't exist for him. Nothing else matters other than who he is. Shouta wonders if he will go after Rei and Gai. Masumi dislikes him. Akashi just says his name.

Trivia

 * Gai knows who Natsuki really is but it doesn't come up until Episode 33.
 * It seems destroying the Ashu is not enough, Eiji has to conduct a spell to fully get rid of them. This becomes an issue in Episode 40.
 * Masumi's dislike for Eiji is the focus of Episode 21.
 * Gai's design is based on Ryuuseioh, Hyouga on Daimugen, Rei on WonTiger of Dairanger.
 * Eiji became really angry when Masumi mistaken him for an Ashu. Why is explained in Episode 19.