Episode 26 - To the Promised Sky
The Dimensional Navy fleet arrives in orbit over Mid-Childa. As they prepare to intercept the Saint's Cradle, Chrono waits anxiously for Nanoha and the others to escape.
Nanoha and Vivio, both exhausted, are still in the Throne Room with Rein and Hayate (who has retrieved the unconscious Quattro). They confirm that with the AMF at full power, they can't use any magic at all. Before they can try to make their way out, the Cradle's emergency systems seal off all the exits, trapping them in the room.
Outside Scaglietti's base, Schach and Verossa have managed to escape, but Fate is still inside. After delivering Uno and Sein to the authorities, they are about to go back in for her, but she stops them. Rather than escape, she wants to try and cancel the self-destruct in order to save everyone inside Scaglietti's People Jars. She contacts Shario to help her hack the base's control systems.
As she leaves Regius's office, Signum offers to let Agito come with her. Agito says she will join Signum and make sure she is true to her word. They enter Unison mode and head into the sky, where a large number of flying Gadgets are starting to head towards the ground. With Agito's fire magic boosting her, Signum is able to destroy them with ease. She tells Agito that their Unison makes her heart feel warm.
Meanwhile, Vice's helicopter reaches the Cradle. Vice clears a path through the defending Gadgets and moves in close enough for Subaru's Wing Road to reach the ship. The two Forwards head inside on Teana's motorcycle.
On the ground, Caro and Erio, along with Caro's dragons, arrive outside Scaglietti's base. More Gadgets are there, so Caro and Voltaire stay to help the Ground Forces while Erio and Friedrich head inside. With Shario's help, Fate manages to shut down the base's self-destruct system. Even so, part of the damaged ceiling collapses directly above her. Fortunately, Erio arrives just in time to save her using his speed ability.
Inside the Cradle, Vita is with a TSAB assault squad trying to clear out the defense systems. Teana and Subaru speed past them on their way toward the Throne Room. Tea confirms that she can't use magic at all, but Subaru goes into combat cyborg mode and is able to blast her way through the Cradle's internal defenses. Reaching the Throne Room, she uses Blitz Caliber to activate Ginga's Revolver Knuckle alongside her own, allowing her to use both of their mother's weapons together. She breaks into the Throne Room with Teana to find Nanoha, Hayate, and the others waiting.
Lucino, on the Arthra, confirms that all members have escaped from Scaglietti's base along with their prisoners. As she speaks, Nanoha and the others emerge from the Cradle on Subaru's Wing Road. Chrono, relieved, intercepts the ancient battleship as it exits the atmosphere. With everyone watching from below, the Dimensional Navy opens fire on the Saint's Cradle, destroying it.
In the months after the "Jail Scaglietti Incident", Scaglietti is in jail along with Uno, Tre, Quattro and Sette. The other Numbers have opted to cooperate with investigators, and are in a rehabilitation facility — as, for the time being, are Lutecia and Agito. Lutecia's mother is undergoing treatment in hospital, and is expected to wake up eventually. The Riot Force Six base has been repaired, and Vivio is back to living with Nanoha and Fate.
Genya and Signum pay a visit to Quint's grave. Genya says that thanks to the data she brought back, the remaining questions around the Combat Cyborg Incident have been cleared up. He says that Quint and the other members of Zest's team should be able to rest peacefully now. As they arrive at the grave, they see Auris, who is also paying her respects while escorted by a sober-faced guard.
Spring arrives; having completed its mission, Riot Force Six will be disbanded. The captains gather all the combat members for one last ceremony under the cherry blossoms. Nanoha tells the Forwards that they've become great strikers. Then she announces one final mock battle: Forwards versus captains, with Hayate and Ginga as referees.
And, afterwards, the members of Riot Force Six, as well as Vivio, Lutecia, Agito, and the reformed Numbers move on to their new lives, their futures bright.
Tropes
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: In the epilogue, Nanoha is seen sneaking into Vivio's school to take some pictures of her daughter in class. It doesn't appear to end well.
- Being Good Sucks: If Hayate hadn't taken the time to retrieve Quattro, she and the others would've been able to escape the throne room before it was sealed off.
- Book Ends: The first episode began with Nanoha rescuing Subaru from the place where she's trapped. In this episode, Subaru (with Teana) rescues Nanoha — along with Hayate, Rein and Vivio.
- Call-Back:
- When Vice is clearing a path through the Gadgets onto the Cradle, he uses the same bullet-shielding magic that Teana produced in episode 3 — and does so quite effortlessly. Tea is visibly startled.
- Subaru rescues two children from a disaster in the epilogue. Her words and actions echo Nanoha's from the start of the first episode.
- Funny Background Event:
- After her curb stomping by Nanoha last episode, Quattro's humiliation is capped off by spending the first half of this one having her unconscious body hauled around like a sack of potatoes by the diminutive Hayate.
- When the Numbers are shown in the rehabilitation center during the aftermath, Cinque can be seen reading a book to her younger sister Nove. What makes it funny (and adorable) is that Cinque, being much smaller, is sitting in Nove's lap as she reads to her, instead of the other way around.
- Meaningful Echo:
- Subaru's words to the two children that she rescues are near identical to what Nanoha said to her back in the first episode.
- Signum comments how her heart feels warm when she and Agito are Unisoned. Agito had said the same thing when trying to remember what her original master was like in the third Sound Stage.
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: Subaru's eyes briefly turn gold again when she goes into combat cyborg mode on the Cradle. This time it's a positive sign, because she's able to use her cyborg abilities to save the others.
- Tears of Joy: Agito, when she realizes that she's perfectly compatible with Signum.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The last several minutes summarize where everyone's lives and careers are heading in the months that follow. Everyone we see gets to realize their dreams in one way or another.
- Hayate continues to advance her career with the Ground Forces, leading special investigations.
- Fate returns to the Dimensional Navy as an Enforcer; Shario and Teana become her assistants, with Teana preparing to qualify as an Enforcer herself.
- Griffith and Lucino also transfer to the Navy; Griffith as an adminstrator and Lucino as a helmsman/navigator.
- Vice recovers his sniper's license but continues to fly helicopters as well. Alto also officially becomes a military helicopter pilot.
- Caro and Erio both transfer (back, in Caro's case) to the Environmental Protection Squad.
- Lutecia goes to live with her mother on a quiet planet while they both recuperate (and she serves out her probation).
- Vivio enrolls in a magic school run by the Saint Church.
- Ginga helps run a rehabilitation program for the reformed Numbers (Cinque, Sein, Otto, Nove, Dieci, Wendi and Deed).
- Subaru transfers to the rescue corps and works to save people in disasters.
- Nanoha returns to the Air Force and continues training the next generation of TSAB mages.
