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Episode 18 -	Those Who Bear Good Fortune
	koūn o tsukamu ninnin
Dub title -	The Price of Fortune
First aired -	31st July 2002

Lady Seto, aboard her ship the Mikagami, is attending the scene of a pirate assault on a Galaxy Police cargo vessel. These pirate ships are strangely decorated, adorned with various Japanese good luck charms. Seto commands her escort fleet to open fire on the pirate vessels. Suddenly the GP vessel explodes, spilling its cargo of precious metal ingots into space. The metal ingots reflect the laser blasts of Seto's fleet right back at them, damaging several ships. Seto realises that the rumours of this so-called "Good Luck Fleet" are no exaggeration, and there is only one man in the universe who can counteract their uncanny abilities...

Seina Yamada and his crew receive orders from Seto's intelligence officer, Minaho, to engage the Good Luck Fleet. Amane seems annoyed that all their skill and training is essentially superfluous when all they appear to need is Seina's talent for trouble. Neiju tries to get the serious-looking Seina to lighten up, but suddenly, right on cue, the Good Luck Fleet turn up. Seina orders the activation of the Kamidake's cloaking device, and they head into battle.

Meanwhile, at the Pirates Guild headquarters, General Da Ruma is in a jubilant mood. His early tests of equipping vessels with good luck charms has worked, and he now plans to do the same to every vessel in the Guild. However, his good humour is short-lived; one of his subordinates calls him with news that the Good Luck Fleet has encountered Seina Yamada, and all their lucky charms were no help at all.

Elsewhere in the base, Komachi, one of the pirate captains, brings a message for Seiryo, who is still their prisoner. The message, delivered via a portable video screen, is from his father. Seiryo asks his father when he is going to pay the ransom and set him free, but Mr Tennan has other plans. During Seiryo's incarceration, the family corporation has struck a highly profitable deal with the Da Ruma Pirates Guild to mass-produce their good luck charms. Mr Tennan asks his son to co-operate with the pirates for a little while longer. Seiryo initially protests, affirming his loyalty to the Galaxy Police, but he soon changes his tune when his father reminds him of the cast-iron law of the family business; the customer should be considered a god!

After successfully fending off the Good Luck Fleet, Lady Seto congratulates Seina and his crew. As a reward, and in compensation for interrupting their vacation, Seto has reserved a luxury holiday home on Jurai for them.

General Da Ruma, furious at the defeat of the Good Luck Fleet, orders the next stage of his plan be put into action. The Guild are constructing a ship whose good luck power can counteract even Seina's anti-pirate abilities. However, as a subordinate points out, there is nobody in the Guild who has sufficient good luck to command the new ship, but General Da Ruma plans instead to recruit someone who is not a pirate...

Komachi leads Seiryo from his cell to meet General Da Ruma. On the way there, they encounter Tarant Shunk. He was badly injured in the explosion of the Daidalos (see episode 16), and now has several cybernetic body parts. Addressing Seiryo, Tarant says that nobody like him should be allowed into the Pirates Guild. Seiryo retorts by insulting Tarant, but Komachi steps in to try and keep the situation from escalating. Da Ruma, however, is keen to see who is most worthy of commanding the new good luck ship, and releases Seiryo from his handcuffs. Tarant draws a laser sword, and Komachi hands Seiryo hers to fight back. The two men rush at each other, but Tarant, ever the dirty fighter, reveals a laser cannon hidden in his mechanical left arm. However, he has no time to fire it as Seiryo rushes past and strikes him with the sword. Tarant collapses and Seiryo strides away victorious (and bragging to himself). Komachi wonders if Tarant is dead, but Seiryo assures her that he only struck him with the flat of the blade (as if that were possible with a laser sword!).

Seiryo's next test of worthiness takes place in a huge gladiatorial arena. With General Da Ruma watching over the proceedings, Seiryo is to face three new opponents. He is surprised to see that his challengers are Alan, Barry and Cohen, former crew members of the Galaxy Police transporter. The trio are terrified at the prospect of fighting Seiryo, and suggest that the winner be decided by a game of janken (rock, scissors, paper) instead! Seiryo agrees, and the challengers charge at each other. Seiryo picks rock, and the trio all pick paper; Alan, Barry and Cohen have won, and are to captain the lucky ship! They are given a suitcase full of money to spend on preparing the ship, and the trio throw a massive party to celebrate. Seiryo, bitter to the end, sulks in the corner throughout the festivities until Alan tosses him a coin and orders him to go any buy him some cigarettes. Seiryo grudgingly complies, but after buying the cigarettes he spots a lottery vending machine and decides to spend the change on a ticket. When he returns to the party, he discovers that Alan, Barry and Cohen have blown all the money on the party. The trio beg Seiryo to become the captain and fund the construction of the ship, but Seiryo insists that despite his family being rich, all he has right now is his lottery ticket. Luckily, as the ticket's hologram proclaims, Seiryo is the winner.

As captain of the new good luck ship, Seiryo's next task is to find as many lucky objects as he can to counteract even Seina's ability. Seiryo embarks on a series of dangerous and often ludicrous quests to locate legendary good luck charms. He crosses mountains, traverses arid deserts and braves ancient trap-laden temples in search of the most powerful of lucky items. However, each quest ends in failure (and the handy good luck meter in the corner of the screen fails to budge off zero).

Meanwhile, Seina and the girls enjoy their vacation sunbathing, swimming and playing beach volley, oblivious to the Pirates Guild plot against them. Amane teases Seina by asking him to rub sun tan oil on her (first her back, then her topless front!). Ryoko finds a way to enjoy the sea by using her transformation ability (last used to create her Elma disguise in episodes 4-11) to change herself into a mermaid.

After narrowly escaping drowning during his latest disastrous quest, Seiryo wakes up to find himself in Komachi's quarters. He notices a huge golden urn in the centre of the room and the on-screen luck meter rockets to 100%; Komachi had the most powerful lucky charm all along!

Soon enough, the Luckiest Ship is completed. A ridiculous-looking vessel it may be, covered in every kind of good luck charm available, but General Da Ruma hopes it will be the ultimate weapon for defeating Seina. Seiryo prepares to launch his new command, but suddenly it seems that all the good luck charms are worthless; the ship's engines fail, and a Galaxy Police fleet is approaching! However, the Galaxy Police fleet think that the ship, adorned with so many lucky charms, must be a sign of good luck, and instead of attacking they toss ¥500 coins into it! This unexpected test of the ship's capability for good luck serves only to convince Seiryo that with the aid of his new ship he is certain to beat Seina Yamada!

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