- Rick is ordered to go on patrol, but can't resist watching Minmei in a beauty contest only to find a Zentraedi scout crew who are completely flummoxed by the spectacle themselves.
- At a cafe, Rick tells Minmei he's thinking of asking her out tonight, but she says that's her busiest time at the restaurant. Rick says he's been having trouble keeping track of anything lately. Looking outside, he is surprised to see a sky outside. Minmei says Robotech Research made it. Rick is impressed by the sky, wondering what they'll think of next. Minmei says that maybe if people see sunsets, it'll help them keep better track of time.
Interspersed with commercials for the Miss Macross beauty pageant, in which 28 beautiful young ladies compete for the title of Miss Macross, are a conversation between Ben and Max, where Ben says Rick gave the entire squadron the night of the pageant off so they could cheer for Minmei, as well as a conversation between Rick and Minmei in which she tells him the Mayor entered her without even asking. Rick also admits to Roy that he's envious of Minmei being in the contest.
Aboard Breetai's flagship, Exedore picks up a signal which turns out to be the commercial for the pageant. Breetai asks if they can decode it. Exedore says the signal is too weak. Breetai decides to send a reconnaissance patrol to check it out. The patrol, consisting of three Zentraedi soldiers named Bron, Rico, and Konda, execute their mission to intercept the signals.
The pageant begins, with Captain Gloval being among the judges for the contest. As Claudia and Lisa watch the contest from the bridge, they detect the Zentraedi recon vessel. Claudia asks who's on duty that night. Lisa says it's Rick Hunter's group. She tries to radio him, but is told he hasn't arrived. Meanwhile, Rick bicycles over to the pageant, reaching the theater as the fourth contestant is called up.
Backstage, Minmei realizes that Jan Morris, a famous movie star, is among the contestants. She asks her for an autograph, but Jan refuses. Minmei is called onstage, and as she enters, Rick says that the Chinese dress she's wearing looks beautiful on her. The first judge asks Minmei if she has a steady boyfriend, but she says she doesn't believe she's ready for one yet, and thinks it's best to have a lot of different friends. The second judge asks Minmei if she has trouble making friends with the opposite sex, and she replies that she has a friend who's just like a brother to her. Rick is somewhat put off by both of Minmei's answers, but before he can watch any more, he is paged.
When Rick calls the bridge of the Prometheus, Lisa tells him he's supposed to be flying recon. He says he was just eating dinner. Lisa tells him to hurry. He says he gets the message, and calls a taxi over. As he is about to get in, Roy calls him, saying he'll miss the finale. Annoyed, Rick climbs in and tells the driver to head to the Prometheus.
Rick gets to the loading bay and climbs aboard a new armored battloid. When he heads out and reports his position, Lisa lectures him on not using the armored mecha unless he's on special assignment. Too late to go back and switch mecha, Rick asks Lisa for the enemy's coordinates, but static on the channel prevents him from hearing them clearly. He tunes in his radio to catch the pageant, but a transmission from Lisa interrupts the broadcast.
Meanwhile, the Zentraedi recon vessel intercepts the broadcast. Konda starts to record. Rico monitors the broadcast and is shocked to see a man talking to a woman. On Rick's battloid, Lisa says he appears to be nervous. Rick says there seems to be some interference and cuts off the transmission. Lisa tries to contact Rick but fails.
Rick tunes in the broadcast again, but as Minmei appears in a swimsuit, Rick's sensors go off and he narrowly avoids hitting the recon vessel. As he rockets away, the recon vessel fires at him. With the broadcast playing in the background, Rick dodges the missiles and fires at them, destroying them.
On the recon vessel, Bron, Rico, and Konda wonder about the swimsuit Minmei is wearing, thinking it's either a new kind of armor or a formal uniform. Bron says it must be a secret weapon disguised as a woman. Their conversation is interrupted when their sensors go off. Rico asks how many there are. Bron says it's the same one they fired on before. Rico is surprised he's still alive.
At the pageant, Jan Morris makes her swimsuit appearance. Meanwhile, Rick exchanges gunfire with the Zentraedi recon vessel. Ditching the extra armor, Rick fires on the recon vessel, forcing Bron, Rico, and Konda to leave in an escape vessel. Rick forces his way in, but finds the ship abandoned. He sees the escape pod leave, and moments later the recon vessel self-destructs. On the escape pod, the computer reports that the enemy recon vessel has been destroyed, but the intercepted communications were lost.
On the bridge of the battle fortress, Vanessa confirms that the enemy ship was destroyed. Claudia says to sound the all-clear, and the bridge tunes back into the beauty contest, which is now down to the finalists.
With both Jan and Minmei in the finals, Max and Ben think Minmei might win. Roy says the whole event is designed to promote Jan Morris, adding that a professional actress like her shouldn't even be competing in a contest like this. He says that she should be an honorary guest judge. Max asks if Roy thinks they fixed it so that Jan Morris will win. Ben doubts it, saying the people decide who wins.
The audience votes, and expecting to win, Jan Morris is shocked when Minmei is announced as the winner. In space, Rick, having been knocked out by the Zentraedi vessel self-destructing, comes to and tunes in the broadcast just in time to see Minmei being crowned Miss Macross. Unable to share in Minmei's dream, Rick watches the screen, thinking Minmei will be soon entering a world he may not be able to enter.
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