The Will to Win

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“The Will to Win”
Ōban Star-Racers episode

Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 12
Guest stars	None
Written by	Savin Yeatman-Eiffel
Directed by	Thomas Romain Savin Yeatman-Eiffel
Production no.	112
Original airdate	August 21, 2006
Episode chronology
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"Silent Like Spirit"	"Make Way!"
Episode chronology

"The Will to Win" is an episode of the series Ōban Star-Racers.

Stan and Koji desperately search for spare parts to rebuild the Arrow II before the next race. Molly contemplates her future should she win the Ultimate Prize. Elsewhere, Rick finally comes face-to-face with the sinister "Timeless One"...

[edit] Plot

Rick sits inside the hangar thinking about Don Wei's words, but expresses doubts that the Avatar has the power Don described, deciding that he "doesn't buy it". He's more concerned that others do believe and it could make them dangerous. Molly sits on the roof and stares at her mother's goggles and wonders if she really might be able to bring her mother back to life. Meanwhile, Jordan looks at the wreckage of the Arrow II inside the hangar and has a conversation with Don Wei. Don asks if Stan or Koji have returned with spare parts, and Jordan replies that they haven't. Jordan is confident that the racer will fly again but Don is not as optimistic.

Stan and Koji continue to search the marketplaces for spare parts but are coming up empty. They run across the Skrub pilot Flint and his gunner Marcel by a fountain. The situation starts to get out of control as the Skrubs accuse the Earth Team of robbing them of their honor and pride and Stan and Koji suddenly find themselves surrounded. They attempt to run and are chased by Marcel's large worms into a dead-end alley. Stan attempts to apologize and says all they want is parts for their wrecked racer. Flint suddenly decides to help the humans, much to Marcel's surprise. Flint whispers to Marcel that if they help the Earth team get to Oban, that they could say that even though they lost, they lost to the best team in the competition and regain their honor and the love of their fans.

Rick pays a visit to Molly's room as he's preparing to leave the hangar. He tells Molly that he knows she's really Don Wei's daughter and Molly (Eva) confirms this. She asks if her father knows but Rick says that he didn't say and that Molly should be the one to tell her father. However, "Molly" isn't sure she can even face him. Rick says he's not going to question her reasons for hiding her identity but if she doesn't face her 'demons' she will never grow as a pilot...or a person. She thanks Rick and says she'll try harder, but that she "can't promise anything".

The skrubs lead Stan and Koji through a dark cave to a cliff. Stan and Koji think that it is a trap but before they try to escape they discover that at the bottom of the cliff is a "star-racer graveyard". Flint and Marcel comment that their Elders forbid the use of technology 'but' will allow them to use it as long as the Elders don't see them using it. Back at the hangar, Molly confronts Don Wei prepared to tell him who she really is. Before she can, Don tells Molly about his daughter on Earth and that he feels that he's pushed some of his 'issues' with his daughter (whom he still doesn't know is right in front of him) onto her; which he feels is the reason for their rocky relationship. Molly (Eva) gets angry and says he's making excuses for his behavior and storms out of the office, saying that if 'she' was his daughter she would never want to see him again. Molly leaves the hangar with Jordan on her heels and goes to watch the race between Rush and Toros. Molly thinks in her mind that if she can't change her father, then the Ultimate Prize will when she wishes her mother back to life, and reunites her family.

Rick decends a dark staircase into a large chamber where a skrub 'shaman' sits. Rick shows the shaman the talisman with the spider crest. The shaman says great evil surrounds the stone and asks Rick if he's prepared to "pay the price for knowledge". Rick comments that he fears for Molly's life and needs to know. He grabs the shaman's hand and is struck by light and electricity. Back at the race, Rush is managing to hold Toros' ship back with his large racer. Rush says that Toros can't beat him, to which Toros replies that the Crogs brought technology to Rush's people. Rush retorts that the Crogs destroyed his world and that he'll win the race and restore his planet. Toros then shocks Rush by admitting that he led the invasion of Rush's homeworld, Byrus, and taunts him further by saying his peace-loving people couldn't stop him then, so how will Rush stop him now. Rush becomes so enraged that he leaps from his racer onto Toros' 'trident' and challenges Toros to come out and fight. Toros instead rams his racer into the side of a tunnel knocking Rush off.

Rick regains consciousness and is confronted face-to-face with a sinister being. The being is covered from head to toe in red robes and has spider-like arms coming out of his back. Rick's demands to know who he is. The being says he has gone by many names, that he is 'the lord of purity, who tolerates no deviation', he is 'Kanaleto, the Timeless One', and that he was wrongfully removed from his ightful throne. He says that he will destroy the 'old ways' and Rick comments that he's crazy. Kanaleto (the "Timeless One" mentioned in a previous episode) disappears and a giant red eye appears in the sky. He berates Rick for questioning his motives, and that Rick is nothing more than a pawn in an elaborate game that he created. He then sends Rick away saying he has no further need of him.

Toros wins the race and pulls into the starting area with Rush's Pick still logged in his hull. Toros removes the weapon and throws it away logging it into stone nearby. Molly and Jordan have gotten to the sight where Rush disappeared and call his name. Rush's arm sticks out of the rubble and Molly is releaved that he's still alive. Rush comments about how he failed his people and how he wanted to restore his planet. However, he says that secretly he wanted revenge agains the Crogs. Molly promises to restore Rush's world when she wins but he declines. He says that the only way that she can win the Ultimate Prize is to have a 'noble' purpose and believe in her strength. He tells her not to try to win for a cause like 'revenge' like he did or she'll lose. Rick awakens again inside the chamber and the skrub shaman asks him if he found his answers. Rick holds his head and looks down at the stone talisman, but says that he can't remember anything.

Stan and Koji stand on a water barge loaded down with spare parts and materials and they thank Flint, Marcel and the others before departing for their team hangar. Flint and the others wave goodbye and wish them luck.