01x05 - Lightning Ore and Bolt

[bunniefuu]

[wind whooshing]

[birds chirping]

[sighs]

-Hmm.

-[chuckles]

[SHION]

Ever since we made up

and promised to be more open

about our feelings

going forward,

my sister has been

a little bit

♪

-[chuckles]

-Uh.

Could I ask you a small favor?

Mm-hm!

What is it?

Sorry, but would it be

possible for you

to back up a bit?

But why?

I'm in the middle

of my research.

This experiment is serious.

Keep a safe distance, okay?

Mm, so, you're saying

I'm in your way?

-[whimpering]

-No, nothing of the sort!

Trouble is, the smaller

my range of motion gets,

the harder it is to do magic.

Fine.

You win.

[clears throat]

And now!

Let today's magical

research begin!

♪

[SHION]

I've learned a lot lately.

The training experiments

I've been running

have really paid off.

Now, gather!

[SHION] My primary exercise

has been changing

the shape of my magical energy.

[gasps]

After playing with it

for a while,

I figured out

I can stretch the energy

I emit to be very thin.

Though it certainly takes up

more space,

the actual amount

of magical energy

doesn't increase.

Basically, the more that

I spread out the volume

of the magical energy,

the thinner and flatter

the physical

manifestation appears.

However, it quickly

became clear

the energy can't sublimate

in this state.

This made me wonder

what would happen

if I pushed the shape

to be smaller instead.

Whoa!

[grunts]

[both gasp]

[SHION] The results

exceeded expectations.

Condensing the magical energy

visibly increased the power

of my first spell, Flare.

[giggles] By the way,

I've provisionally named

its latest iteration

"Gas Flare."

♪

[crackling]

[sighs]

Electricity was less exciting,

it sparked a little

and that was it.

The volume of magical energy

must have been too small.

As a result of my dedication

and research.

I've gained the ability

to control

the shape of the energy

I emit,

opening up a new realm

of possibilities.

[laughs]

Gather!

♪

Hm.

[gasps]

[grunts]

Uh-oh, are you okay, Shion?

These experiments

are quite hazardous.

[exhales]

Wasn't too bad.

Just a little fall.

Well, that's good news.

You really scared us.

-Huh?

-Huh?

Do you have any idea

what went wrong?

It was as if the lighting

shot right at you.

If you had asked me

beforehand,

I would've guessed

it would fire the other way.

I learned something

when using Flare.

All magic is created through

the consumption

of magical energy.

♪

With that in mind,

it actually makes sense

it's moving toward

where the energy

is flowing from.

My magical energy

took a straight path

to the lightning ore.

Logically, it follows

that the magic formed

in the space in between.

[both groan]

[SHION] I'm on the verge

of a breakthrough,

but I can't quite grasp it.

I feel like magical energy

has infinite potential.

But I don't know

the best way to use it

and I'm not all that creative.

I'm stuck, and just

when everything

has been going smoothly.

I've made too much

progress too easily.

It's almost like

this world is begging me

to invent magic,

but that's delusional.

-[ROSE] Hm.

-[GRAST] Hey, little man!

[SHION]

Ah, Mister Grast!

[sighs]

[groans]

Son, you remember

when we collected

that lightning ore, don't you?

Yes, sir.

Of course, I do.

You see, after that.

The dolt that's sitting

next to me

used your strategy

and knowledge

to retrieve a nice haul

of lightning ore for himself.

Up until now,

transporting the stuff

has been nearly impossible.

Grast was eager

to take some back to town

-and turn a profit.

-[chuckles]

Yeah.

To be completely honest.

I was going to steal your idea

and make a fortune selling

lighting ore without you!

I'm sorry.

Oh?

Ah

[SHION] I personally don't have

any problem with that.

Huh?

Are you sure?

I was trying to make money

off a scheme you came up with

and keep it all for myself!

Yes, I understand

the situation.

That said,

I don't see the big deal.

I guess I'll take it.

[clears throat]

He stole, but that

isn't his only problem.

Yeah.

-Huh?

-Uh?

[crackling]

Ah!

They're bright,

but kinda scary.

[GRAST]

Turns out lightning ore

isn't convenient

as a light source.

Too dangerous.

I had a few folks

buy some just

because it's so unusual.

But no one else seems

interested in the novelty.

So, I'm stuck

with what you see.

[laughs]

[groans]

-[gasps]

-That's where your tiny,

genius thinker comes in!

Can you come up

with a way to convince people

this ore is something useful

they should wanna buy?

What?

[GRAST] I'm getting complaints

about the crackling noise.

Turns out the neighbors

find it annoying.

I've got three days

to figure this mess out.

If I don't, they won't

let me keep

renting the storeroom.

You had the smarts

and ingenuity to figure out

how to transport the ore!

I'm kinda banking on you

having another

brilliant idea for me.

♪

I'm on my knees here, kid.

C'mon.

-[SHION] All right.

-Huh?

I'm happy to start

brainstorming.

-No sweat.

-You'll really help me?

I know

it's a pretty selfish ask.

[SHION] No worries,

but I don't have a plan

or anything at the moment.

So, don't get your

hopes too high, okay?

Hmm, is there a reason

why you spaced

the lightning ore out

like this?

Just let me show you.

[BOTH]

Ah?

-[all gasp]

-My goodness!

[electricity crackling]

I get it.

[crow cawing]

[GRAST]

Here, this is the metal I got

by smelting down

a chunk of that lightning ore.

Does it have

the same properties?

If two pieces touch,

is there an electrical

response like

there is with the ore?

[GRAST]

See for yourself.

[both gasp]

-Careful.

-Mm-hmm.

Uh.

[sighs]

[metal clanking]

[SHION]

When processed into metal,

-it lost its power.

-[sighs]

[metal clanking]

[SHION] At what point

in the refinement process

did the lightning effect stop?

I remember

it was still sparking a bit

when I broke it down

into more manageable pieces.

I believe the flashing

stopped around the time

I started heating up

the fragments to melt them.

After that point,

the work is one

continuous flow.

[SHION]

So, when he fired it.

Firing.

Huh.

Father, may I please?

[GAWAIN]

Sure, should be fine.

-May you please what?

-[giggles]

I have a thought,

but it's sort of out there.

Now Gather!

And Flare!

[gasps]

I get you're a genius,

but I wasn't expecting this!

Please,

carry on with your smelting.

You're kidding me, right?

Not a chance!

I'm not moving until

I know what happened!

What was that?

Fire came out of your hand!

It's magic.

Um. Uh, ma

What now?

Mm.

Magic.

I'll explain.

[fire crackling]

[GRAST]

This is madness.

You all already knew about it?

Indeed, we did.

What a day.

I mean, it'd be easy

to say you were crazy

if I hadn't just

witnessed it myself.

So, tell me,

if I work with your "magic,"

will I get a different result

than I would smelting

with a regular fire?

It's possible,

but I don't know.

Well, that's awful reassuring.

-[chuckles]

-To be perfectly honest,

my research is still

in its infancy.

Right, I gotcha.

Well, here goes.

I guess we'll just have

to watch and see what happens.

This'll take me

at least an hour,

why don't you go

have some fun in town?

Thanks, but I'm interested

to see how this turns out.

I'll stay and observe.

If Shion's gonna

hang out here then I am, too!

[chuckles]

[chuckles]

[laughs]

[GRAST]

It's done!

Phew.

[BOTH]

Uh!

Mm.

[gasps]

Ah!

Wow! It has the same

effect as the ore!

How amazing!

That was a great idea, Shion!

She's right!

Good job!

Thanks.

You're too kind.

As for the metal.

Let's see.

I think the name

"iron lighting"

would suit it rather nicely.

♪

Now, that's a product!

I can come up

with a million uses!

♪

After our big discovery,

we started crafting iron

lightning nonstop.

It was intense.

♪

Mister Grast worked

for three days and nights.

He didn't rest his eyes

even for a moment.

[metal clanking]

♪

[groans]

[chuckles]

Well, that's all of it.

[yawns]

I'm not just a researcher

and genius,

but also a salesman!

Now allow me to introduce you

to our latest product!

I give you, the lightning lamp!

[SHION]

When you remove the insulator

using the handy dandy loop.

Boom!

There's instantly light!

With this, you'll never

need a regular lamp again!

[SHION] And another

exciting development.

Ta-da!

Meet the lightning striker!

It's so speedy!

This shiny new gadget

puts all the traditional

methods

of starting a fire to shame!

If you're interested

in purchasing either product,

you better hurry!

Get down to Mister Grast's

while supplies last!

Our darling Shion must be

the cleverest little boy alive!

It's hard for me not to brag

the other mothers' ears off.

He's a truly impressive boy,

and the best son that

we could possibly ask for.

Thanks,

that means a lot, Father.

[chuckles]

I've always known he's great!

I must have good intuition!

[chuckles]

[SHION] I was afraid she would

get jealous of me again.

I don't understand girls.

-Oh, oh!

-Your mind

is a valuable

resource, little man!

I feel lucky to have

borrowed it!

You're a really

special kid, huh?

-Of course, you are, you're--

-[GAWAIN] Quiet, Grast!

[both gasp]

♪

Oops!

Sorry about that!

Yeah, just ignore me,

I babble sometimes.

Well, then

now that we've finished up

all our hard work,

let's reward ourselves

with lunch!

Today, we'll be

having seafood stew!

[sighs]

[SHION]

Too bad Father cut him off,

I wonder

what he was going to say.

I'm

I'm, I'm what, exactly?

Thanks for the help, Shion!

If anything ever comes up,

let me know!

I owe you a big one, buddy!

And I'll do a bang-up job.

Just holler, okay?

Shion, what does he mean?

While we were piecing together

the lightning lamps

and strikers.

I got some new ideas.

[SHION] If he can craft

what I'm envisioning.

I'll be on a whole new level!

With a tool like that,

my magic will be

unrecognizable!

For the curious,

customers loved

the lightning lamps

and strikers.

Mister Grast sold out

in no time.

[MARIE] What kind of research

are you doing today?

As you know, a fire

can't burn without air.

If you put fire

in a tightly sealed space

with limited oxygen,

it goes out quick.

-[BOTH] Oh!

-Simple. Kid stuff.

Uh.

Yeah!

Duh!

I so knew that!

That must be the principle

shuttered lanterns

rely on to function.

I'm wondering,

would a magic fire

go out the same?

Gather!

Flare!

[BOTH]

Ah.

♪

Well, girls?

What do you think?

I bet that it stays lit!

I'm feeling less optimistic.

Hm.

♪

Sorry, Rose, but we can't

all be as genius as me.

Great Marie the Wise

has triumphed over me again.

[SHION]

Huh.

It didn't go out.

It didn't have

sufficient oxygen,

but it didn't go out.

Does this mean that flame magic

doesn't require oxygen to burn?

How does that affect

your research?

It's still too early to say,

but it might indicate

that magical energy

can augment natural phenomena

regardless

of external conditions,

which would be crazy.

[MARIE] If you're right,

would that change anything

about what

you've learned so far?

[SHION]

Nothing specific yet,

but we can say with confidence

that Flare is different

than your average fire.

Flare uses magical energy

as its fuel.

And that would mean

Of course!

Now I get it!

-Huh?

-Huh?

This calls for a quick

experiment.

♪

Go, Flare!

Hey, Marie, can you send a ball

of magical energy

at that flame?

Mm-hm.

Magic, gather!

♪

[grunts]

[blasts]

-[all gasps]

-Ah.

I would appreciate

a warning next time.

Ah. Are you okay?

I'm fine.

Just a little startled is all.

Was that not the result

you expected, Shion?

Not quite.

I thought the intensity

of the flame

would increase,

but by a small amount.

That expl*si*n was a huge

surprise to me, too.

Wait, really?

So, you don't have

any clue why it got so scary?

Sounds like you were

expecting the fire

to react like

you threw in a few twigs.

[SHION]

She's right.

That magical energy

barely touched it,

but instead of adding

twigs to the flame,

I added blasting powder.

Fire.

Burning.

Oxygen.

Combustible matter.

Electricity.

Circulation.

Electrical discharge.

Electric current.

A current!

-Huh?

-What now?

♪

I get it.

So, that's how it works!

I had it all wrong before!

It's not magical energy!

[gasps]

But, minutes ago,

it seemed to me

you were willing to stake

a lot on the fact that it was.

Sure!

Still I am!

The energy's there.

But it's not what you see!

This is just the result

of the air reacting

to the magical energy.

When I tried to activate

lightning magic,

there were clear signs

of wind resistance.

And Flare doesn't need oxygen.

It burns

with magical energy as fuel.

All that to say.

The magical energy

we shape and control

serves the same

function as air!

And when it comes into contact

with a physical substance,

it amplifies

and disseminates its effects!

[giggles]

Yup, it's here,

the breakthrough

I've been dreaming of!

I've got this!

Nothing can stop me now!

Yeah, figured

we'd see that face soon.

[laughs] It makes me

happy to see him so proud.

Same, but it's good thing

he's usually only

this proud in private.

When two types

of magical energy combine,

the result shall be

called compound magic!

[SHION] In no time at all,

Mister Grast whipped up

the items I requested.

Everything fit perfectly!

As per your detailed

instructions,

I lined all the leather

with paper crystal.

Not only is it more

durable now,

but flame-resistant, too.

Go, Flare!

[finger snaps]

[grunts]

♪

-[all gasps]

-[GRAST] Whoa!

Yeesh, little man!

♪

[exhales]

[explosions]

-[both gasps]

-[wind gusting]

[SHION] Now,

it's time for the real test.

[wind gusting]

[electricity crackling]

[hollering]

I, I did it.

I did it!

I knew that I had it in me!

Lightning magic acquired.

No, wait.

Let's make it official

and call it Bolt!

My, that was incredible, son.

That was the most

impressive magic

you've done yet, Shion!

How'd it feel?

[sobbing]

What's the matter?

Um, your brother is broken.

All my hard work has paid off!

It looked cool!

Unbelievably cool!

-[Shion sobbing]

-[BOTH] Uh?

[both chuckle]

[MARIE] I can appreciate

some happy tears,

but you're just being

a crybaby.

[sobbing]

[all chuckling]

[crickets chirping]

[groans]

Gotta go.

[GRAST] Shion's magic

is ridiculously valuable.

As his father,

it's up to you to decide

where that value goes.

He's a wise boy.

He isn't the type

to grow arrogant

and show it off to just anyone.

You mustn't put

too much on him, Gawain.

Our son is obviously

an intelligent person,

but he's still just a child.

You're right,

but I can't help it.

It seems to me our Shion

was destined to be special.

Consider

who entrusted him to us.

There's no question about it.

[gasps]

[SHION]

Huh?

Did he just say

what I think he did?

Does that mean I have

no blood relation to Father

-or the rest of my family?

-[snoring softly]