01x01 - Mission: Flower Garden I

[bunniefuu]

The world is awash in pain.

The Great w*r was the biggest w*r in human history,

and it left the world's nations with deep scars.

Its conclusion brought about

a radical change in world affairs.

I've got a special mission for you.

As of tomorrow, you're splitting off

from the team for a solo op.

It's what they call an Impossible Mission.

The success rate on 'em is under ten percent,

and failure means death.

You up for it?

If those are your orders, Master, then consider it done.

How about this, Idiot Pupil?

If you make it back alive, I've got a new title for you:

The Greatest Spy in the World.

I'd say you will have earned it.

It's got a nice ring to it, don't you think?

Magnificent.

The politicians all realized how poor the

cost-performance of w*r was.

Due to how advanced modern science was,

weapons were too effective at k*lling.

With that, the era of nations pointing their g*ns at

each other out in the open came to an end

Careful!

There's three guards.

They're at range fifteen

ten

Got it!

Leave it to me, yo!

Oh no, you don't.

Yeep!

Someone was able to escape

Mr. Bernard's surveillance?

That's gotta mean

we're dealing with a spy, and a good one.

Let's do this!

Now, battles are fought between spies

over information

in shadow wars.

SPY CLASSROOM

MISSION: Flower Garden I

It's been ten years since the Great w*r's end.

Here in the Din Republic,

we've used that time to build spy academies

and put students through harsh training.

But now, I finally get to graduate!

Yippee!

I'll remind you that it's only

a provisional graduation, Lily.

There's a newly-formed spy team

that says they just have to have you.

They did?

They did.

As of today, the Cabinet Office is going

to be borrowing you for a bit.

The notice says you'll learn the details on-site.

It also said to wear those.

Code name Flower Garden,

ready to put my life on the line, ma'am!

I gotta say, this outfit makes it feel more like

I'm transferring than graduating

Still, though, I'm moving up in the world!

Hey mister, wait up!

Eight years

It's a wonder they kept me around so long

after I came so close to failing out so many times.

Our next stop is Port City Arranq.

We'll be arriving in Arranq soon.

I want to change.

I have to.

All righty! Let's do this!

Excuse me! This is Garmouth Seminary, right?

I'm your awesome new transfer student!

Head on in.

Now, the chapel should be right

Here!

Here!

Here?!

Th-this is bad!

I'm running late!

What a gorgeous manor

I guess that's what the headquarters look like when the

Cabinet Office itself puts together a new spy team.

Ah, I get it!

This must be where all the talented

veteran spies are waiting for me!

Oh no! We're supposed to be gathered by now!

Don't worry!

Code name Flower Garden is in the house!

A bunch of girls?

You're late.

That isn't a good look for a spy.

Looks like she's the last one.

Yeah, and she's more of the same.

Hey, you, with the silver hair.

You got any field experience?

What were your academy grades like?

Wh-who, me?

I, uh, I'm here on a provisional graduation

and to be honest, I was kind of a washout

Figures.

Well, join the club.

Magnificent.

Who's she?

Er, he?

And what's that red stuff on his clothes?

Thank you all for coming.

This spy team is called Lamplight,

and I'm Klaus, the team's boss.

Lamplight was put together to specialize

in Impossible Missions.

Together, myself and the seven of you here

make up its full roster.

One month from now,

we'll be taking on an Impossible Mission.

Training starts tomorrow.

For today, your job is to get to know your teammates.

"Lamplight"?

What the hell's that guy thinkin'?

I mean, who goes and gathers up a bunch of

problem students to do an Impossible Mission with?

You heard me.

We're all washouts.

Our academies were all too happy to get rid of us.

What's this?

He left us something

"Communal Living Rules"?

Wait, does that mean that

Starting today!

We all!

Get!

To live here?!

Let's start by having dinner together, then!

So, all seven of us are from different academies?

Pandemonium

That's a weird coincidence.

Actually, I suspect that isn't a coincidence at all

Daughter Dearest

Yeah! I think so too, yo.

Forgetter

The one thing we have in common is, we're all washouts.

Meadow

For the record, I was half-assing it on purpose.

Glint

There's something strange about the manor, too.

Dreamspeaker

There are traces of people having lived here.

Isn't it swanky, though?

Flower Garden

We each get a room all to ourselves!

No, no, there's something fishy about all this!

I mean, Impossible Missions

are difficult tasks with mortality rates of

over ninety percent, even for first-rate spies.

Why do one with an entire group of

underperforming washouts?

C'mon, it'll be fine!

That Klaus guy was practically radiating competence.

I'm sure he's going to do a great job training us all up.

I don't know about that

Just think about it.

We all tried hard back at our academies, didn't we?

I suppose?

Aight!

Starting tomorrow, let's k*ll it out there!

Yeah!

I can see that you've all gotten to know each other.

Today, we start our training.

Before we get into all that,

I've got some questions.

What is this mission we're going on?

And why exactly did you pick us?

It's as you can see.

I can't give you any specifics right now.

One month from now, we'll be infiltrating

the hostile Galgad Empire

and completing an Impossible Mission.

At the moment, that's all I can tell you.

That's not much of an explanation.

There's no need to be so worried.

Here, let me show you why.

Can any of you open these?

Wait, this mechanism is way too tricky.

It'd take me at least fifteen minutes to-

Once you've taken my lessons,

you'll be able to do the same in no time.

Wow

So, that's what a first-rate spy looks like in action!

Over the next month,

I'll be training you here in Heat Haze Palace

until you're strong enough to

complete Impossible Missions.

Does anyone still have reservations?

No, sir!

Oh, I'm so glad I came here!

Good.

Now, as far as the lockpicking lesson goes

just use your picking tool correctly.

That concludes the lesson.

Uh, run that by me again?

And a little more clearly, perhaps?

That concludes the lesson.

As you can see, the locks will open

if you use your picking tool correctly.

I trust you see that now.

You should make like a honeybee tickling a stamen,

to be more specific.

Don't tell me

Um, Teach, we were hoping for

more of an explanation.

But I just gave you one.

Were you really unable to follow it?

I see.

Well, I was thinking about having the next set of lectures

be the "talk beautifully" lesson on negotiation,

the "just take them down" lesson on combat,

and the "it'll all work out" lesson on disguises.

Do you think you'll be able to follow any of them?

Nope.

And the rest of you?

I see.

Magnificent.

I'm only just learning this, but apparently,

I'm quite bad at teaching.

The rest of the day will be self-study.

Hold on one dang second!

Is that guy off his rocker?

How the hell are we supposed to complete

this Impossible Mission?!

This is bad

Pretty sure we're gonna get slaughtered, yo!

I agree.

I don't like it, but that's where we stand.

Settle down, everyone.

I'm sure Teach has some sort of plan.

I-I think I figured it out.

We have a group of washouts and

a teacher who can't teach.

I think

I think he's using us as sacrificial pawns!

That teacher of ours has no intention of

getting the seven of us out alive!

How did it come to this?

I mean, I became a spy because

I wanted to change the world.

And plus

If we're just going to die,

then what did we even bother getting driven out

of our academies and coming here for?

I refuse to die here.

We might be washouts, but we still have dreams,

and we still have our pride.

I'm code name Flower Garden

and it's time to bloom out of control.

MISSION: Flower Garden I

Hello?

What do you want?

Uh

As for me, it's as you can see.

What is?

I'm trying to come up with new teaching methods.

It definitely just looks like you're painting.

He titled it "Family"?

Oh hey, books about education?

I guess you're actually taking this pretty seriously.

Got any ideas yet?

Not a one.

It's quite the quandary.

In that case, Teach, how about we go sightseeing?

I don't follow.

You know, as a breather.

A nice change of pace can help the creative juices flow.

I can't say the idea speaks to me, but

Did you have anywhere in mind?

Yeah! I made a list of all the local attractions!

You know what?

You have a point.

Let's take a little break tomorrow.

Great!

Whoa, so this is the famous Maple Lane!

There are so many people here!

What a pain in the butt!

Sorry, I didn't mean to say that last bit out loud

I expected the others to be here, too.

Is it just you?

Yeah, they all turned me down.

In that case, let's get them

some souvenirs before we go.

Good idea! What should we get?

That's an excellent question

What about some canned goods?

Thanks to recent advances in

vacuum-sealing technology,

we've been getting some excellent imports

these past few years.

Sardines canned in oil pair fantastically with pasta.

Oh?

After you boil your pasta,

you can take a frying pan and fry up some

chopped vegetables with your sardines.

Once you've boiled off most of the juices,

all you have to do is pour it over your pasta

and add spices to taste.

Ooh, that sounds tasty.

Hey, wait! You explained that recipe just fine!

Thief!

Someone, stop him!

Huh?!

Damn it!

Here.

He dropped this.

Oh, you're too kind!

Tell me, how'd you do that just now?

I just did.

How did you put on your shirt this morning?

I mean, I put my arm in the sleeve-

Which arm did you start with?

Did you rotate your waist?

Did you bend your back?

I, uh

How did you do up your buttons?

What about your collar?

H-how am I supposed to answer that?

I just did.

And that's precisely how I feel.

Wait, you're saying that you did that thing just now

and the lockpicking yesterday

without having to consciously think about it?

Exactly, I can say that I used the picking tool correctly,

but there's no way for me to come up with specific,

systemic explanations that would make sense to others,

because I performed the actions on instinct.

So in other words,

the problem is that your intuition is just too darn good?

But that means there really is

no way you'll be able to teach us

Remember, Teach, we're here to take a load off!

To forget all about our pesky problems!

You seem quite adept at that.

Ooh, look at that!

The sunset is so pretty.

Let's go there next!

Looks like it's super crowded here, too!

This is Emai Lake, the most popular

tourist attraction in the region.

If you take a boat to the middle of the lake,

you can enjoy Mother Nature in all her splendor.

How sophisticated.

With how crowded it is, though,

I suspect all the rental boats will be taken.

No, look!

Today's our lucky day!

There's one boat left!

Hold on, Lily.

It's the man's job to get in first,

make sure it's safe

and offer the lady his hand.

Wow, it's so pretty.

Never forget this sight, Lily.

Never forget the natural views so picturesque

that you want to embrace them.

Never forget the smiles you saw at the market.

Never forget the people cherishing their loved ones

under the setting sun's light.

Teach?

Someone once planted a b*mb in

that very same Maple Lane.

They were an Imperial agent trying to

assassinate one of our politicians.

And the people who promptly got ahold of

that intel and put a stop to the plot

were our fellow spies from the Republic?

This world of ours is awash in pain.

The w*r's scars still linger,

but our people are slowly starting

to find their smiles again.

The only people who can protect them are spies like us.

Never forget that.

So, what, I should just become a sacrificial pawn?

That's why you gathered up a

bunch of washouts, right?

But if I die now,

then my whole life will have been for nothing.

The only thing that got me through those

harsh years at the academy

was the idea that someday, I'd be able to bloom.

Lily?

I get how important this mission must be,

but I'm sorry.

I can't accompany you, Teach.

I really, truly mean it.

I'm code name Flower Garden,

and it's time to bloom out of control.

Poison gas?

Don't you worry.

It's just a paralytic.

It won't k*ll you.

I don't get it

You got hit too!

This poison doesn't work on me.

I've got an abnormal physiology.

That was how I became my village's

sole survivor during the Great w*r.

This is inhuman.

Those Imperial b*stards used this place as

a testing ground for their new weapon!

Hey, there's someone still alive!

Back then, a spy saved my life.

The only reason the army sent a team there was

because spies told them what had happened.

That's why I've been trying so hard.

I want to become a spy and save my country.

I want to change the world, even just a little.

But when we spent the day together,

I became sure of something.

You can't teach.

If we stay on Lamplight, we're just going to die.

I'm a poison specialist.

Your defeat was sealed

the moment you got on this boat.

What are you hoping to achieve?

I want Lamplight disbanded.

And I want you to get us all jobs on other spy teams.

I'm sure that's within your power.

Someone's certainly feeling greedy.

If you won't cooperate,

I'll stab you with this poison needle.

It'll put you out like a light.

So, your goal is to survive?

That's right, I'm sorry about this,

but it was the only way.

Come on, Teach!

Recognize that you've lost and agree to do what I-

I recognize your efforts, certainly.

But I have to ask

how much longer should I keep

playing along with this game?

Shackles?

When did you set those up?

We're sinking?!

Last night.

In spite of its incredible popularity,

Emai Lake was conspicuously absent from

that sightseeing list you gave me.

It stank to high heaven.

And if you were going to pull something

in a place as busy as this lake,

the logical place to do it would be on a boat

where you could make sure nobody else was around.

It was an obvious enough conclusion.

I played things too safe.

I left the lake off my list so you couldn't

predict where I would attack you,

but it looks like that backfired.

But still!

How could you have known we would take this boat?!

"Out Of Order"?!

It's hard to see from your seat,

but it's plain as day to the rower.

This boat was always going to be the last one left.

You set all this up last night?

Wait, you did that to divert my attention?!

Don't bother.

You already showed me your limits.

You aren't qualified to be my enemy, Lily.

On top of all that,

I realized you were plotting to attack me

the moment you came to my room last night.

But how?

I just did.

I'm such an idiot for expecting anything out of you!

Hurry up and give me the antidote.

The boat's going to sink soon.

Fine.

You win.

What is it?

It, uh

It looks like I might have accidently left it in my room.

You got a key for these shackles, Teach?

Not on me.

If you found it while I was immobilized,

I would lose my leverage.

I figured I could unlock you myself

once I got the antidote.

Uh, that's

N-nothing to worry about!

In ten minutes, the poison will have worked

its way out of your system all on its-

Incidentally, we have five minutes until the boat sinks.

Row like your life depends on it.

After all, it does.

I lost completely

I guess it's once a washout, always a washout.

Don't be so hard on yourself.

That was some excellent poison.

Yeah, but you probably let yourself

get hit on purpose, didn't you?

I did. I wanted to test your skills.

This situation couldn't get worse.

We're terrible students, you suck at teaching,

and Impossible Missions are as deadly as they come.

I guess I just have to give up.

And all I wanted was to bloom into

a spy I could be proud of.

Not at all.

You have what it takes.

Our battle may have been little more than a game,

but the fact you saw the impending crisis

and took steps to prevent it faster than anyone else

was unreservedly

magnificent.

Fl-flattery will get you nowhere, you know!

Lily, I want you to become Lamplight's leader.

I'll still be the team's boss,

but we need someone for

the rest of you to rally around.

Let's work together to make this mission a success.

Ooh, leader

That sounds so cool

But what's this about completing the mission?

You still can't teach you way out of a-

Actually, I solved that problem.

I just came up with a new teaching method,

and it's all thanks to you, Flower Garden Lily.

Now, I've gathered you all here again,

and it's as you can see.

What is?

I'm apologizing.

Not sure how we're supposed to see that

My poor explanations caused a misunderstanding,

and I'd like to start by clearing it up.

None of you are sacrificial pawns.

Everyone's going to live, and we're going to

complete that Impossible Mission.

That's what I hand-selected this group

of magnificent members for.

I'm not going to let a single one of you die.

B-but I heard that Impossible Missions

have a ninety percent mortality rate,

even for first-rate spies.

There's no way we survive-

That's what you have me for.

I'm no paltry first-rate spy.

I'm the Greatest Spy in the World.

If we work together,

this Impossible Mission is going to be child's play.

"The Greatest Spy in the World"?

What does that even mean?

It sounds so childish.

Don't worry.

Teach is going to lead Lamplight to greatness.

As your team leader, I guarantee it.

I've already figured out a curriculum

that will improve your skills.

Defeat me.

And that marked our first step as spies

into a classroom of deception.