Fly! Gundam

'''Fly! Gundam''' (翔べ!ガンダム Tobe! Gandamu) is the 9th episode of Mobile Suit Gundam. It first aired on June 2nd, 1979 in Japan and on August 2nd, 2001 in North America. This episode was written by Hiroyuki Hoshiyama.

Summary
Fraw is walking around White Base, informing everyone that it's time to eat. When she comes to Amuro, she finds him lying in bed, looking up at the ceiling. He tells her how he's barely slept since they left Side 7, and when he has the time, he can't. Every time he closes his eyes, he sees the battles he's fought in playing in his mind.

On the bridge, White Base receives a transmission from the Federation. It states that white Base is to break through enemy lines as quickly as possible and make it to the open sea. Reed suggests they abandon White Base, but Bright doesn't consider that an option, believing that would take away any value in what they've done up to now.

Bright contacts Amuro, telling him to go on patrol, but Amuro refuses, saying he is sick of the battles. Ryu thinks they're relying on him too much, and decides to go off on patrol with Hayato. They fly out in two Core Fighters, and begin patroling the area.

Nearby, Garma and Char are flying in the Gaw, and Garma prepares to fly out himself. Char thinks it's stupid, but Garma says he has to prove himself to his sister, and that Char doesn't understand because he doesn't have any siblings. They receive warning that two fighters are nearby, which makes Garma even more determined to go out, declaring that he'll take them both down.

Hayato and Ryu find the Gaw, but don't have enough firepower to fight it. Char manages to convince Garma to come back inside, and instead follow the Core Fighters to White Base and attack. He sees the patrol as a sign that White Base is somehow at a disadvantage. The Guntank and Guncannon are readied, and Bright tells Amuro to prepare for battle, but he refuses. Bright is about to snap, but Sayla holds him back. Amuro refuses to go unless Bright promises he can get some sleep afterwards, but this only angers Bright more.

As the Guntank and Guncannon are released, Bright finally burst into Amuro's room, demanding to know what he thinks he's doing. Bright grabs him, pulling him off the bed, and eventually punching him in the face. Amuro asks how he could hit him, and Bright calls him a spoiled brat, proclaiming that they've been catering to his every need up to now.

Ryu, Hayato, and Kai try to hold back the Dopps, but are running low on ammo. Garma tells Char that he thinks the reason White Base is being so cautious is because Gundam, which he doesn't see out, is somehow unable to be launched. He flies in, preparing to finally take down White Base once and for all.

Bright slaps Amuro, who then angrily declares he's never going to pilot Gundam again. Bright leaves to the bridge, saying he is too disgusted to even look at him, and that he'd expected him to surpass Char's abilities up to now. Fraw asks Amuro for the manual to Gundam, and deicides to operate Gundam herself. Amuro finally gets ready and runs off to the hangar.

Char is impressed by Garma's abilities as he watches the battle. The two pilots of the Gaw wonder if it's a good idea, but Char says Garma said he'd call for help if it was necessary. As he says this, he unplugs a key cable for the Gaw's communications so any cries from Garma cannot be heard.

Gundam is launched, and Amuro uses its rocket nozzles to make a large jump up to the Dopps, firing on them. He continues this strategy, an awesome sight to members of both sides. Amuro finally takes them all out except Garma, who loses his right wing. He tries to tell Gaw his plan to finally destroy Gundam, but nothing happens. He goes down, and Amuro follows, but is stopped when a Medea Supply Plane suddenly appears before him. The captain tells him about the Gaw behind the clouds, and warns him to stay away.

Back at the Gaw, Garma finds the plug, which Char has now fixed, thinking the dirt on it was the reason for it not working. Garma accuses Char of leaving him to die, but Char says he didn't want to damage Garma's pride and knew his piloting skills would serve him well. Garma eats it all up.

The Medea's captain, Lieutenant Matilda Ajan, supplies White Base with what it needs, and also take the injured evacuees and the Salamis crew. She tells them that, due to the Federation's rough times, White Base will not be supplied with a new crew, and will function as a fully recognized battleship. She leaves, and seems to have taken Amuro's heart with her.

Important Events:
 * Characters Introduced: Matilda Ajan &lt;/br&gt;
 * First signs of Amuro's feelings for Matilda.