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Episode 20 -	The Ship That Brings Luck
	un o yobu fune
First aired -	14th August 2002

Spirits are high at the Da Ruma Pirates Guild after their recent victories against Seina and the Galaxy Police, and the pirates celebrate playing slot machines and launching fireworks. General Da Ruma and Seiryo, both proud of the advances they have made, head for the docks to inspect the Luckiest Ship. The dock master meets them there and suggests that the Good Luck Fleet's flagship needs a proper name. Seiryo's first choice, "Victory", is already taken, as are all of the impressive and lucky-sounding names. The dock master jokes that only one lucky name remains, a name no sane person would dare use for a ship. Much to his horror Seiryo decides to take it...

Meanwhile, Airi, Mikami and Lady Seto discuss the problems brought about by the Good Luck Fleet's reign of terror. The Galaxy Police delivery company is in financial strife as a result of the grounding of Seina's decoy vessel, with its share price plummeting and the businesses that rely on them going bankrupt. Seto points out that although Seina was their best hope, the Good Luck Fleet may be too much for him alone to handle. She decides that a more drastic solution may be required.

Later, Seto meets with Kiriko at the restaurant overlooking the crater Washu's Pore (last seen in episode 7). She offers Kiriko the chance to be bonded to a Juraian royal tree. Kiriko is stunned; she points out that although she seems to share the same surname as the Juraian Masaki family, hers is written differently. Seto tells her that although she is only distantly related to the Juraian royal family, she is the only one who can do it. Besides, she adds, wouldn't it be worth it to gain an advantage over Amane, Ryoko and Neiju? Reluctantly, Kiriko agrees.

Some time later, Kiriko explains to Seina about the selection ceremony for a royal tree. Because royal trees have a will of their own, the tree's owner must "meet" the tree first (rather like an omiai matchmaking meeting). Amane, Ryoko and Neiju spy on Kiriko and Seina's conversation, frustrated that they cannot hear what they are saying. Amane borrows NB's high-powered listening device to eavesdrop on them, but NB tricks her by replacing the actual dialogue with his own perverted interpretation. His comeuppance comes once again as he is forced to become a temporary figurehead for the Kamidake!

En route to Jurai aboard the Kamidake, Seto discusses with Kiriko how bonding her to a royal tree will affect their chances. Will Seina's bad luck or Seiryo's good luck win out? Suddenly, a warning siren sounds and a pirate fleet drops out of hyperspace ahead of them. The Good Luck Fleet have found them already!

Aboard the Fleet's flagship, Seiryo orders the unfurling of the banner bearing his ship's new name. Komachi, who has joined him for this sortie, tries to convince him otherwise, but Seiryo is too proud of the new name. He unveils the banner and declares the ship's new name; Unko! The crew of the Kamidake are shocked - as written on the banner, the name means "brings luck", but pronounced "unko" it means, to put it politely, "excrement"! As the crew regain their composure, Seto orders them to engage the Good Luck Fleet. Before they can react, the pirate fleet opens fire. However, Seto has come prepared; unbeknownst to the pirates, the Kamidake is nestled within the body of her own ship, the Mikagami, which de-cloaks and protects them with its shields. With the Mikagami providing a powerful defence, the Kamidake can concentrate on attacking. Using the power of the royal tree of the Mikagami, Fuku is able to summon three Light Hawk Wings (blades of Juraian energy). As the Wings unfurl, their energy tears through the Good Luck Fleet, destroying many of the ships and forcing the others to retreat.

As the last pirate ship disappears, Fuku lets out a pitiful yowl. She has still not fully recovered from the injuries sustained in the previous attack by the Good Luck Fleet, and summoning the Light Hawk Wings was almost too much for her. Seto is pleased with the results of linking Fuku and the Kamidake to the Mikagami, proving that the technology used to create them is compatible with Juraian royal trees.

Back at the pirate base, Seiryo and Da Ruma lament the defeat of the Good Luck Fleet. However, they have a new strategy; gathering all the good luck charms and the luckiest crew members from all the surviving ships to turn the Unko into the ultimate lucky vessel. They get every pirate from the fleet to run an obstacle course which only the most fortunate people can complete, and before long they have a crew composed of the luckiest pirates. Seiryo and Da Ruma drink a toast to the future of the Unko.

Seto and the crew of the Kamidake arrive safely at Jurai. While Seto leads Kiriko to the royal arboretum, the others make their way to Seto's palace to wait out the selection ceremony. Inside, they are met by four of Seto's attendants (last seen in episode 13), who quickly dispose of everyone but Seina by opening a convenient trapdoor in the floor! With Seina to themselves, the flirtatious four drag him off to give him a little personal attention. NB, meanwhile, clambers out of the trapdoor to find NaBiko, an overly-amorous female robot, waiting for him. NB, who prefers peeping over actual female attention, runs in terror when NaBiko gives chase!

While Kiriko's tree selection ceremony takes place, the rest of the crew face their own particular dramas. Amane, Ryoko, Neiju and Fuku, cast down to the foot of a mountain when they fell through the trapdoor, must climb all the way back up to Seto's palace at the top, enduring fierce winds and fiercer giant bugs along the way. Meanwhile, Seina finds himself on the receiving end of a series of "romantic" scenes contrived by Seto's servant girls, from bashfully handing him a note (which turns out to be a marriage certificate awaiting his signature!) to hiding in his bed. Meanwhile, NaBiko has finally caught NB, and as she enjoys the post-coital glow, NB tearfully laments the loss of his "purity"!

After an exhausting time at the hands of Seto's servants, Seina and crew go to meet Kiriko, who has completed her ceremony and is now bonded to the royal tree Mizuki. Kiriko, clad in elegant Juraian robes, steps forward and Seto reintroduces her under her new name: Kiriko Masaki Jurai. Just then, Minaho enters with an important message for Lady Seto. Seiryo is back on the pirating scene, the Unko remodelled into the ultimate lucky pirate ship (as the hundreds of looted cargo pods trailing behind his vessel are clear testament). But this time, Seina and crew have the power of Fuku and a Juraian royal tree to command...

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Episode 21 - Introduction, Development, Conclusion >>

The name Seiryo chooses for his lucky pirate ship is ridiculously inappropriate. The kanji "un" ( ) and "ko" ( ) used to write it mean, respectively, "fortune / destiny" and "call", but reading them together gives "unko", which means "sh*t / bullsh*t"!

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