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Episode 9 -	The Guardians of Old
	ka no chikara / akumu hakobishi / chiga iseki
	[?]
First aired -	27th May 1997

The girls are squabbling over what television show to watch when Washu comes to the rescue with an invention of her own to put a stop to the fight for the remote; a self-replicating television set. However, as with so many of Washu's inventions, things are never that simple, and the TVs keep on replicating until the room is filled with screens! With no more room to expand, the multitude of televisions simply explode. When the smoke clears, the girls spot a TV news report on the (now slightly charred) family television about an archaeological dig site, with none other than Tenchi and his friends in the background. Ryoko decides to take this opportunity to visit Tenchi, but Ayeka beats her to the inter-dimensional portal and closes the exit on the other side!

In Tokyo, Tenchi and the rest of his classmates are on a field trip to the archaeological site. As ever, Tenchi is hanging out with Umanosuke Tsuchida and Kazuhiko Amagasaki. Their typical horseplay leads them into trouble as the three of them accidentally fall into a hole in the ground. They find themselves in a huge underground cavern filled with ancient ruins. The place is clearly very old, but not of Earth origin. Thinking they have stumbled across the remains of some undiscovered civilization, Amagasaki jokingly declares himself emperor. They set off to explore the ruins, and before long they come across a pedestal made of smooth black stone. When Tenchi lays his hand on it, he receives a vision of an ancient ceremony that took place there 3,500 years ago. A group of priests dressed in Jurai-style outfits are sealing "the evil one" in a tomb, and warn that anyone who opens the crypt will be doomed.

Further on through the ruins, Tenchi and his friends come across the tomb he saw in the vision. However, a rock fall, caused by an earthquake three months previously, has smashed the tomb, and it is empty. The tomb once contained the remains of Yugi (she refers to the ruins as her grave), who was released when the tomb was opened. Amagasaki takes a seat on a vine-covered rock and proclaims it as his throne. However, what he has sat on is no rock; as it rises into the air, the vines peel away to reveal a pair of Jurai guardians, similar in appearance to Azaka and Kamidake. The guardians spot Tenchi and his buddies and, jumping to the conclusion that they have escaped from the tomb they were guarding, they give chase.

Back on the surface, Tenchi's classmates are searching for him, Tsuchida and Amagasaki, when Ayeka arrives at the dig site. Much to her surprise, Mihoshi and Kiyone are working there too, and they agree to help Ayeka look for Tenchi. It isn't long before Mihoshi's innate clumsiness drags all three of them into the pit as well.

In the underground cavern, Tenchi and his friends have been cornered by the guardians and it looks like they're done for. Luckily, Ayeka, Mihoshi and Kiyone drop through the ceiling of the cavern just in time. Ayeka rushes to defend Tenchi with her Jurai shield. She commands the guardians to stop attacking Tenchi, and as she is the crown princess, the guardians are compelled to obey. However, Yugi isn't going to let Tenchi escape so easily, and she reactivates the guardians, who resume their attack. The girls' attempts to stop them are in vain, but back in Okayama, Azaka and Kamidake sense Ayeka is in trouble and rush to the scene. Propelled by their rocket boosters, they arrive in minutes and engage the berserk guardians in combat. Azaka and Kamidake engage their termination modes, exposing a whole clutch of extra laser cannons inside their wooden shells, and blast the rampaging guardians. The battle over, Ayeka inspects the tomb, and confirms that it was placed here by Juraians, but she is still puzzled over what was sealed inside.

<< Episode 8 - Tenchi Anniversary

Episode 10 - Ryoko's Big Date >>

Cheesy gag alert! After Ayeka finishes watching her TV programme (just after the episode title card), we see a short clip from a commercial before Sasami turns the TV off. The advert includes a Japanese caption that reads "Denchi Muyo!", which means "No need for batteries!" (also note the TV brand name — "Samy").

Tenchi's teacher, whom we see clearly for the first time in this episode, bears an uncanny resemblance to Mr. Fujisawa, a teacher in another AIC series, El Hazard. This link is further confirmed by his line "...maybe Tenchi's fallen into the magnificent world!" — a reference to the alternative dimension of El Hazard.

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