A Dreamlike Journey Begins
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| "A Dreamlike Journey Begins" (Mènghuàn Qǐchéng) | ||||||
| Airdate | December 6, 2025 | |||||
| Writer | Yu Hongyang | |||||
| Director | Cai Zhijun | |||||
| Animation studio | CCTV Animation | |||||
Hoping to one day become a brave hero, Xiaozha's dreams are about to come true...
Synopsis
[edit]Bumblebee speeds through a desert wasteland, following Decepticon tracks near the Autobot base. Suddenly, Starscream appears and opens fire, but Bumblebee swiftly dodges his null-rays, countering with a stinger jolt that electrifies the ground and sends Starscream hurtling into the distance. Bee's troubles aren't over though, as he senses an attack from behind, narrowly avoiding being struck by Megatron. The Decepticon leader prepares to fire his fusion cannon, only for the arriving Nezha to wrap it in his Heavenly Ribbon before swinging Megatron through the air and into a cliffside. Megatron tries to retaliate with his energon mace, but it's knocked away by...Xiaozha, whose mighty kick once again embeds Megatron into the rock! And so once again, the day is saved thanks to the combined strength of Bumblebee, Nezha, and Xiaozha!
This story is met with laughter by Xiaozha's classmates, who are currently working on painting still life in art class, as they point out the ridiculousness of the idea that Nezha and the Transformers would ever work together, or that he'd ever be brought with them to fight against evil, not to mention the ridiculous roller skate drawings he's fastened to his feet. Xiaozha counters that the others simply lack imagination, but the others continue to recall memories of Xiaozha's cowardice, such as hiding from the pick when goaltending during a hockey game. The memory still bothers Xiaozha, who declares he will no longer have anything to fear once his invincible Xiaozha Armor is complete, pulling back his still life painting to reveal the schematics he has been drawing. Though he claims the armor will make him as strong as Nezha, his classmates continue to laugh at the ridiculousness and his continued spinning of tall tales. The sound of their teacher returning sends everyone back to their seats, though his one female classmate does compliment him on the imaginativeness of his armor design.
At his home near the local research station, Xiaozha continues to work on a miniature model of his armor, surrounded by his Transformers toys and posters of Nezha. As he puts on the finishing touches, his father enters to ask what he's up to, but he hides the model, claiming it's a secret. His father accidentally bumps Xiaozha's easel, complimenting Xiaozha on his drawing of the Autobot GroundBridge, but Xiaozha corrects him: it's his special Xiaozha GroundBridge, capable of sending him anywhere. His father reminds him that he shouldn't be traveling anywhere on an empty stomach, leading him downstairs for dinner. As Xiaozha eats, his mother requests he help them during the summer instead of spending every day playing, before asking about the secret he was hiding. Xiaozha declares he plans to use his Xiaozha GroundBridge to visit Nezha and the Autobots, and that putting on his Xiaozha Armor will make him powerful and fearless, letting him become as great a hero as Nezha. But his father points out that Nezha is a great hero without needing any armor, stumping Xiaozha, and he resumes eating quietly.
Later that night, Xiaozha once again promises his toys that he will one day don his armor and become a great hero, before falling asleep clutching his model. As he lays in bed, the GroundBridge drawing begins to glow, as his roller skates materialize off the page and his armor sketches are lifted into the air. The sleeping Xiaozha soon follows, being carried by small motes of light above the ground. Xiaozha comes to just as his skates fasten themselves to the sides of his shoes, discovering to his excitement that he can summon and dispel them at will. His mirth is interrupted as the GroundBridge drawing glows even briughter before suddenly yanking Xiaozha through, sending him screaming through a portal to parts unknown. He eventually lands in a strange cavern, grabbing his loose drawings as the portal closes behind him. Before he can figure out where he's wound up, he hears the sound of a large beast approaching, its terrifying shadow projected against the wall. Panicking, Xiaozha runs deeper into the cavern before finding a small yellow car and hiding behind it to catch his breath. But he's caught off guard as the car activates and asks if he's lost...before transforming into the real Bumblebee!
Featured characters
[edit]Characters in italic text appear only in flashbacks or fantasy sequences.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
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Quotes
[edit]Notes
[edit]Continuity notes
[edit]- While the show does reuse the Cyberverse character models, the story has nothing to do with the events of that show, instead all taking place within Xiaozha's imagination. And he's probably not nearly as concerned about whether his elaborate power fantasies maintain story continuity with a show that seemingly never aired all its episodes in China. (Good on you, kid. Don't be like us!)
Transformers references
[edit]Real world references
[edit]Trivia
[edit]- While they don't appear in this episode, Prowl and Ratchet can be seen among Xiaozha's toys, who will go on to appear in the show beginning in the next episode.
