Go, Goshooter - Showdown in the Wasteland



Wilder continues to revisit his past when he kidnaps a former member of his gang who turned against him, and Shūta has to lead the Headmaster Juniors in rescuing him.


 * English/Malay dub name: "Battle in the Barren Lands"
 * Also known as: "Showdown in the Wilderness"

Detailed synopsis
In the Decepticon base at the bottom of the ocean, Blood lectures the Headmaster Juniors on the Chokon Power, the three primal energies of life - Chichokon, the power of Earth, Jinchokon, the power of Man and Tenchokon, the power of the Heavens. The Decepticons aspire to destabilize the balance of life on Earth by disrupting any one of the three Chokon Powers, taking that energy for their own evil ends. Wilder decides to make a very personal start to the theft of Jinchokon from human beings, selecting as his victim his former friend Chris, previously a member of his Jack Boys motorcycle gang who left the group after Wilder joined the Decepticons. Chris is snatched off the streets by the gang under Wilder's orders, but his sister, Mary spots the kidnap and follows on her scooter. She soon loses their trail, and, searching for help, spots a police car - only it's not an actual officer's vehicle, but the Transtector belonging to Shūta, who is out shopping with Minerva and Cab for a party for their last night in America. The Headmaster Juniors listen to Mary's story, and vow to help save her brother; she leads them to one of the gang's hangouts in the barren land outside the city.

At the gang's hideout, the kidnapped Chris is brought before Wilder; although Wilder proceeds to deliver a speech about how the power they now possess means they have nothing to fear, he also seems to display a genuine friendship for Chris when he asks him to stay with the gang - making him all the more furious when Chris refuses, telling Wilder that he is a change man, causing Wilder to hurl his former friend into a wall and punch and kick him until he bleeds. At that point, a gang member alerts Wilder to the approach of Mary and the Autobot Headmaster Juniors. A battle ensues, with Shūta drawing the attention of the three Decepticon Juniors while Cab attempts to sneak into the hideout and get Chris to safety. Bullhorn spots him, however, and Minerva them comes to his aid while Shūta continues to battle Wilder. Cancer tips the battle when he disconnects from his Transtector and captures Mary, putting a knife to her throat and preventing the Autobots from acting. Chris recovers from his beating in time to see his sister in danger and sneaks away from the gang, who are caught up watching the fight, stealing a motorcycle and driving it straight into Cancer's head. Chris leaps free as the bike explodes, and Cancer is toppled, allowing Mary to escape while Minerva paralyzes the other Decepticons with her Shock Gun. With Mary and Chris both safe, the Autobot Juniors transform to vehicle mode and make themselves scarce.

Back at the Ocean Research Institute, Diver joins the Juniors, Chris and Mary in a dinner party cooked by Cab. As Chris sees the friends laughing and joking together, he is reminded of his early days with Wilder, and how much his friend changed in the name of power. Diver tells Chris that all the Autobots are his friends, and Chris decides to make a new start with his life.

Meanwhile, back in the Decepticon base, Gilmer walks through the main hall alone, passing by the pillar atop which rests the glowing orb of light as he mutters to himself that Wilder is still a weakling. No sooner have the words passed his gills, however, than a bolt of crackling energy leaps from the orb and rips through Gilmer, who screams and begs forgiveness...

Stats
Original airdate: 17th April 1988

Featured Characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Transformers references

 * For the first time since it's debut in "Terror! The Decepticons' Manhunt," we once again see the pulsating globe of light in the Decepticon base. As discussed in that article, since we have to list it in the character table above there's no point in hiding the fact that it's the Decepticon emperor, Devil Z, but the significance of the orb is not yet known in the show itself. This episode really draws viewers' attentions to it, however, with a lingering shot early in the episode, and the final scene (described above) making it clear that this ain't just Dauros's nightlight.
 * The Autobot Headmaster Juniors have been visiting Diver in America since last episode.
 * Likewise, we also learned about Wilder's past with the Jack Boys in the previous episode. He appears to have rebuilt the gang in the interim.

Miscellaneous trivia

 * As noted in the article for "Birth! Headmaster Jrs," the "Goshooter" mentioned in the title is Shūta's "Transformer" name, derived from the traditional Japanese construction of one's full name. It's the name his toy was sold under, although it's never actually used in dialogue and doesn't appear in the show again in any capacity after this episode.
 * This episode introduces the mysteries of Chokon Power - although it bears very little relevance to the events of the episode itself, it will go on to be one of the most important concepts in Super-God Masterforce.