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Episode #17

QUESTION! He's Proposing to THAT Girl?!

Synopsis written by Tim Miller

A sea dragon has appeared in the waters near Sandoria, and is destroying every ship that tries to sail from that port ... so every bounty hunter, soldier of fortune, and would-be hero is coming to Sandoria to go out and try to slay the dragon. Unfortunately, Lina, Gourry, and Amelia are trying to get to Sandoria as well - not to fight the sea dragon (if they can help it), but to get to Sanboa, the next stop en route to Sairaag. But it's not easy going; two days ago they got seven groups of do-gooders, yesterday ten, and now they're setting yet another record as they draw closer to the city. Gourry points out that they could go through the Mountains of Tears and avoid Sandoria completely ... but Lina shoots that idea right down, noting that they have Vrumugun, Zangulus, and who-knows-who-else chasing them and going into the "ultra-steep" Mountains of Tears would be suicidal.

But Lina has a plan: it's the sorceress Lina Inverse and the swordsman Gourry Gabriev who are presently being looked for by self-styled "allies of justice." Nobody's going to pay any attention to three beautiful sisters ... right? (Gourry's hair is just right for an Usagi-style hairdo, too ;)

But, as the tallest and (thanks to a brafull of fruit) most buxom of the three, "Lala" (Gourry) catches the eye of another self-proclaimed hero. This one's an over-testosteroned specimen with the traditional big sword, who goes by the name of Volun; while he's trying to impress Lala into letting him sail with the three of them so that he can fight the dragon, he casually mentions how the Dark Lord Shabranigdo was recently reborn ... which Lina knows is true ... and how he was the one who slew Shabranigdo ... which Lina knows for a fact is FALSE, and Amelia has to hold Lina back from tearing this so-called hero to shreds with her bare hands in a fit of rage.

After they've set sail, Volun makes a big show of taking charge of what's going on. Lina and Amelia are relaxing on deck, working on their tans, when Gourry comes running up from "her" room, freaking out.

It's "a bit girly," as one of the real girls describes it upon seeing it - and more than a bit on the cutesy side. Volun actually picks up on this and offers to make the room more boyish, but that doesn't stop "Lily" or "Lulu" from trying to get "Lala" to try on one of the cutest dresses in the batch.

Shortly afterwards, Volun is sharing an ice cream soda with "Lala" on deck; Lina and Amelia are concealed nearby, ready to zap Gourry if he blows their cover. Volun is an over-considerate boyfriend ... or perhaps "suitor" would be a better term, since he proposes to Lala right there! Lina and Amelia, getting thoroughly into the act, are ready to consent to their "sister's" marriage when the sea dragon finally makes its appearance.

Predictably, Volun gets flattened within seconds of making his challenge to the dragon (and inviting Lala to watch him defeat it).

It's a very feminine-looking dragon, but after Gourry gets plunged into the water, he notices that the dragon is actually male, and comments on this to Lina after she hauls him out of the water; Amelia casts Dark Mist to cover their re-entry into Sandoria, and they break out of their costumes and start fighting. Volun tries again, but gets buried under something much like a bag of flower. Seeing the dragon putting powder on its face gives Gourry an idea, and he asks Lina to give him a boost up to its face; after planting his sword squarely in the dragon's nose, he tells Lina to zap the sword with a spell - "anything that involves zapping." Digger Volt seems to fit that description, so she casts ... and the concentrated shock leaves the dragon's face scarred, just like Gourry planned; the big beast promptly flees.

On the next ship to Sanboa, Gourry (back in male clothes, and his armor) explains what happened to Lina: it was a gay dragon, and ruining its looks sapped its will to fight. Volun seems to be nowhere to be found, for which Gourry is thankful - but the bag he was trapped in was loaded onto the ship at the dock, and in fact he is there. And poor Gourry looks so much like Lala that Volun doesn't care whether Gourry happens to be a man or not ...

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