Short Break

Short Break is episode nine of the Appare-Ranman! anime series.

Plot
A meeting is held involving the racers and is headed by Seth. He announces to the racers that after a talk with the other major sponsors that the race will continue. To help avoid another confrontation with Gil, the supply route has been changed from Mississippi to Nebraska. Fearing for his life, Richard retires for the remainder of the race.

Afterward, Appare is advised by Al to get mechanical advice from Seth one of the sponsors of the race. Elsewhere, Hototo briefly talks with Dylan about his beloved Claudia. Meanwhile, Appare visits Seth's tent seeking advice on a way to improve his hybrid engine's parallel heat exchange cooling system. Seth though refuses to help, so Appare goes on his merry way, but before leaving notes that there's a gap between the engine of his car. A flashback plays where a young mechanic Seth is disciplined by his boss for squandering funds on a hopeless project of his.

Wearing a mask, Tristan goes to a store to buy a bunch of apple pies for his brother Chase and himself. The mask along with his towering height helps him cut in line. They soon approach Hototo and talk with him about protecting someone and if they won the race what they'd do with the prize money. In another part of town, TJ goes on a tirade about how his bounty is so low and he gets approached by Al which leads to a brief drinking contest between them. TJ instantly wins after Al can't handle a single shot of tequila. Although Al lost, he gets his revenge when Sophia takes his place and beats TJ.

Meanwhile, Dylan and Appare get their hair cut, and Kosame along with Jing have a sparring match with each other. After Jing talks about her past before entering the racing scene, Hototo approaches the two to inform them about a hot spring area and they decide to visit it. Deep in thought, while riding on a runaway donkey, Appare crashes into a man's house who just so happens to be Thomas Edison.

As Dusk starts to settle, all of the racers enjoy themselves at the hot spring area and Appare gets an epiphany that'll help his hybrid engine. Soon, Appare makes the necessary improvements to the car to enter its final stage.

On a fine morning, the race continues in North Platte, Nebraska where all of the racers take their positions. At the train station, Sophia is joined by Richard to the train heading toward New York.

Characters by Appearances

 * Seth Rich Cutter
 * Jing Xialian
 * Dylan G. Ordene
 * Kosame Isshiki
 * Richard Riesman
 * Al Leon
 * Chase the Bad
 * TJ
 * Hototo
 * Tristan the Bad
 * Appare Sorano
 * Claudia (Picture)
 * Sophia Taylor
 * Thomas Edison