LAP 20
The Disappearance of Mrs. Arrow

In the blizzard-strewn stretches of White Land, Super Arrow does battle with another competitor on the race track. The two machines strike their hulls together as they fight for the lead, a nasty corner looming on the horizon...

... and the King Meteor is knocked off the track, crashing into the snow below. Super Arrow can think of only one thing: his wife calling his name.

At the Galaxy Mobile Platoon base, Jody briefs her squad on the upcoming race at White Land - the track is at the foot of a mountain, and numerous accidents have occured in the past because of avalanches. The only safety measure are barricades in areas routinely struck by snowstorms... aside from that, the racers are on their own. Still, difficult races result in tremendous prize money, so the Platoon aim to give this race their all.

On White Land, Mrs. Arrow is trawling the course in her Queen Meteor, thinking back to a dinner with her husband: Super Arrow admitted he was not going to be participating in this race and refused to say why, walking out solemnly despite her pleas. In response to this, Mrs. Arrow is scouting out the track, getting a record of every threat and treacherous element it will have in store for them.

Elsewhere, Zoda is first inspecting the planet's weather control system before reporting in with his Dark Soldiers, who are searching for buried treasure: the snowstorm has made it difficult for them. Zoda suggests they'll need to alter the weather - they want to be doing this before the race draws attention to the area.

However, they observe an F-Zero machine nearby - the Queen Meteor! She's done all that she came for, so being chased by robots is no issue. Her machine is more than enough to outrace them. Zoda's Death Anchor leaps from overhead, roaring down in an attempt to crush her...

... and the shockwave sends Mrs. Arrow spiralling out of control, her machine plunging down a deep chasm. That's one troublemaker taken care of; Zoda orders his robots to prevent anyone else from approaching the weather control system.

At Falcon House, Ryu is chugging back a coffee when Burt comments on how dangerous the upcoming race is; Clank remarks the planet uses man-made winds and weather modification to increase the danger. Super Arrow makes a surprise appearance, coming in all celebrations and smiles... before slumping into an awful gloom, asking them if they've seen his wife.

This is the second time he's come asking for her; she left without a word and he's lost without her. He apologises to Clank for showing a superhero at his weakest - the unflattering side of the envoy of justice - when his owl suddenly receives a faint and weak SOS from Mrs. Arrow!

No matter how much he shakes his owl, Super Arrow can't get in touch with her. Given the signal, Clank presumes the call came from a distant planet, and it's just as the hero feared: she's gone to White Land. He confesses he hasn't the will to attend the race tomorrow, but when pressed for an answer he reveals why... it's just too darn chilly! However, his wife went there after his failed attempt to learn the track, so it's only right if he mans up and saves her. And Ryu can help him out, right? Ryu sighs.

The two arrive at White Land and begin exploring, scouting out the mountains and calling her name, but to no avail. Super Arrow writes her nickname on his windscreen, thinking of her fondly...

He receives a call from Ryu, who's had no further luck finding her. He asks why she would come to this place, and Super Arrow gives an answer to a different question: when he had his fateful crash his last time here, he would have died in the ice had Mrs. Arrow not come and rescued him. He suddenly receives another owl-transmission from his wife, weakly asking for help and mentioning Zoda's name... he must be the man responsible! The two resume their search.

Deep in the chasm, the Queen Meteor remains trapped in the snowfall. Mrs. Arrow is cooped inside, trying to keep warm off the last of her machine's energy, but even that is trickling down to nothing...

While Super Arrow fumbles in the snow, Ryu sees Zoda and his men passing by on a high mountain path. What could they be up to?
Returning to the weather control system, Zoda laments they'll never find the treasure in their current state, and they can't return to Zoda without a reward! Their only option is to disable the weather control, stopping the snowfall.

While driving along the mountain, Ryu and Super Arrow find themselves in the path of an incoming avalanche! Ryu uses math to solve this dilemma - if an avalanche's average speed is 255 km/h, then pushing their machines to max speed should help them evade it! They get through safely while Zoda curses from the clifftop. He was sure that would've worked. His robots continue to detonate charges, causing even more avalanches to erupt along the path, but they're no match for the speed of the Dragon Bird and King Meteor.

The two encounter their next obstacle - the path ahead is like polished ice, not unlike a skiing lane. Super Arrow has his concerns, but there's no other option, they've gotta take it! The two manage to conquer the path, giving the superhero some confidence, before arriving safely at the bottom. Super Arrow sends his owl to go search for his wife, and to tell her his courageous husband is on the way!

Ryu warns him that his owl will probably attract the attention of Zoda - Super Arrow cares not. He would do anything if it helps his wife return to him. Poignancy aside, Zoda and his troops immediately zone in on them. Ryu is prepared to take them on alone, but the King Meteor charges at them headfirst. This is his battle!

It doesn't go well.

After watching Zoda knock Super Arrow down a hole, Ryu thumps the robots' machines aside with some slick spinning. The King Meteor falls only a short distance, and its pilot disembarks...

... only to find himself stepping out into a bloody gaping pit! He ends up falling into it, but lands harmlessly only to find exactly what he wanted: the Queen Meteor! He calls her name but gets no response, and cranks open the cockpit, holding her in his arms...

... and her eyes finally open. "Darling!" The two embrace, relieved the two are safe and happy to be in each others' company once more. His owl can't bear to watch. Mrs. Arrow is impressed he came this far for her sake, and on his own, no less! However, isn't he afraid of the cold?

"I'm not cold..."

"I'm back in business!"

Meanwhile, Zoda's Death Anchor is in the middle of pushing the Ryu off a ledge... not even his Dragon Bird has the power to fight back! Super Arrow arrives in the nick of time, pushing the Dragon Bird aside and leaving the Death Anchor to zoom right off the cliff. Ryu is happy to hear Mrs. Arrow over the transmitter, the two reunited.

Zoda, on the other hand, is pretty miffed, and he turns the weather control back on to bring snowfall, hoping they'll all just freeze to death. However, an engine noise is heard in the distance, and it's coming closer... it's the Blue Falcon!

Captain Falcon tosses him a package before getting the heck out of dodge - it's a stack of dynamite, and its detonation completely obliterates the weather control system in a spectacular explosion. Ryu and company watch the destruction, and see the Blue Falcon making its exit.

The official White Land race is about to start; the weather control system may be history, but Jody still warns the Platoon of potential avalanches. The race begins, and the Dragon Bird and King Arrow are fighting for first; they may be friends, but the gloves are off when it comes to racing!

As warned, an avalanche rains upon the track, but all the racers pass through without injury. The course leads to a twisting track high over the mountains, and Ryu and Super Arrow continue to battle for dominance...

... only for a new racer to toss their machines right off the track like ragdolls. It's the Queen Meteor! Marooned on the rocks, Ryu pins the blame on the superhero's poor racing etiquette - you don't overtake on a winding road, you dunce! - but at this point it doesn't matter.

The winner is announced from the loudspeakers, and it's Mrs. Arrow! To her husband, this is an incredible victory, and it wouldn't have been possible were it not for him! He poses atop his machine, laughing triumphantly as Ryu holds his head in his hands - what a jackass.

Burt's F-Zero Classroom: Burt finally introduces the announcer for every F-Zero grand prix, Mr. Zero. He's nuts about the sport, commentating on every race since the dawn of F-Zero, even going so far as to wear shoes shaped like F-Zero machines. Burt recalls the very first F-Zero race, showing a photo of Black Shadow, Captain Falcon, Silver Neelsen, Anthony Ropkin and Mr. Zero... just how old are those guys anyway?

The machine Super Arrow squares off with on White Land is the Space Angler, though its pilot won't be formally introduced until episode 27.