Hard Reset

Hard Reset is the first episode of Meta Runner Season 2 and takes place 6 Months after Tari and Theo are captured at the end of Shutdown.

Synopsis
After the events of the last Season 1 Episode, Shutdown, Tari is working in the of Lucks and the TasCorp Company.

Plot
In a barren city, two soldiers infiltrate a storage area when Tari makes her escape, but get around out, she runs until she is exhausted. She finds a crowbar and hits one of them. Belle then saves her by shooting the other soldier. It is then revealed to be a game match. The girls come out of their pods and wave to the audience.

Lucks then drives Tari and Belle back to TASCorp while overhearing Lucks discussing about Taro's debut showmatch and Lucks talking about the "retirement" of their previous Meta Runners and claims he "nurtures the gifted". Tari begs to differ as she remember what Lucks did to her and Masa. Lucks then tells Tari to work better on her showmatch. At TASCorp, Tari notices someone getting expelled by a scientist. Tari then gets escorted to her room. She then gets to see Theo on a virtual containment chamber, promising she'll bring Theo to MD-5 again. Lucks stops her and tells her to go to sleep. She does so.

Sofia and Lamar then find Masa playing a match with another Meta Runner. When they find him, he runs away. Masa contemplates about how Lucks beat MD-5 but Sofia tells him she got backup data on her phone, which she could have told Masa earlier but Lamar told him he left them too early. But she left it at TASCorp and Belle found it.

Belle attempts to hack it but fails. Evelyn busts in and tells her if Lucks hates her. Belle reassures that she being out on the main line-up. But Evelyn gets mad and complains about how Tari gets to be in a showmatch but not her. Evelyn tells Belle if she would play with her or Tari. She says Lucinia "abandoned" TASCorp. Belle begs to differ and simply says she just "left". Evelyn then leaves knowing how Belle is upset about Lucinia's absense. Belle goes to her bed and on the other side is Tari, saying "I'll figure something out", as the credits roll.

Trivia

 * This episode marks the debut of Evelyn
 * This episode has some flashbacks of Season 1.
 * The game Masa is playing is a reference to the Gundam series.