Episode 03 - My Heart Beats for the Dress♡

My Heart Beats for the Dress♡ (ドレスに胸キュン♡) is the third episode of the Aikatsu Planet! TV series. It aired on January 24th, 2021.

Summary
Mao struggles with having to create a design for a new dress. While shopping with Ruli and the others and trying on various clothes in search of ideas, she comes to realize something...? With a completed Swing in her hand, Mao heads into the Dressia forest and meets the slightly dishonest Smart Kyūbi.

Plot
Continuing from the previous episode, Mao professes to Ruli how much fun it was for her to perform, which is why she'll continue to work hard as Hana. Ruli thanks Mao for coming clean and decides to fully support her. Izumi then says she has a favor to ask of Ruli - Mao still only has one dress and needs a new one. Ruli, being the fashion expert, is to help her.

After school, Mao and Shiori meet up with Ruli. They ask her where they're going to buy Mao's new dress, but Ruli instead takes them back to the agency, where they can create dresses. Ruli shows them the room belonging to the agency's designer, and warns them to be careful before entering, claiming creative people can be "difficult". The door to the room is suddenly opened by an affronted Sala Itoi, having overheard Ruli.

Ruli introduces her to Mao and Shiori, and Sala welcomes the group into the room. Sala says that if Mao only has one Dressia, then that means she can't undergo a Dress Change yet. Using their previous battle stage as an example, Ruli explains that idols can borrow the power of more than one Dressia before a performance, and can change their coord if they win during the Dressia Appeal.

Shiori then wonders why during the battle stage with Q-pit, neither of the dresses changed, to which Ruli says that it was a restricted stage with no Dress Changes allowed. Sala then asks what kind of dress Mao wants to make. Mao says that she wants something cute that will fit Hana, and Sala shows off her skill by quickly sketching out a potential design.

Sala then suggests it would be a good idea to include things Mao likes as opposed to just Hana, as in the end, it's really her who is wearing the dress. Sala cites that it's important to boost one's self-image through the dress, and Ruli agrees, adding that the feeling of enjoyment must be conveyed to the audience as well.

To help Mao figure out what she wants, Ruli brings her and Shiori to a MELTYHOUSE pop-up store. The girls begin trying out the different clothes, and soon they come to realize that all of the ones Mao picked for herself have something in common - ribbons. With this in mind, Sala finalizes the design for Mao's new dress. Sala then uses a special folding camera to transfer the design into a Swing, giving it to Mao.

Now in search of a Dressia to complete the Swing, Mao and Ruli enter Aikatsu Planet, changing into Hana and Ruli. Along with Shiori, they stop to go eat parfaits, where Hana and Shiori ask Ruli to explain exactly what Dressias are. Ruli admits she doesn't know much about them, just that they've lived in the forest for as long as she's been there and that Dressias are needed to complete coords.

She goes on to list the various types of Dressia, and as they begin searching, explains that Dressias appear in different places depending on their type. At the Fairy type forest, Hana expresses her gratitude to Aurora Pegasus. The pegasus says they should be the one thanking her, as they were able to demonstrate their power through their Appeal - an idol's performance, a Dressia's appeal, and the audience's voltage are all interconnected.

Ruli then tells Hana that when considering her next Dressia, she should consider exactly who she wants to show the dress to. Hana decides that she wants for the dress to entertain her fans. Suddenly, her attention is stolen by a nine-tailed fox howling nearby. Noticing Hana's interest in it, Aurora Pegasus calls out to Smart Kyūbi. Hana asks to borrow the fox's power, to which it starts playing hard to get. Smart Kyūbi agrees to lend Hana their power, under the condition that Hana performs to the best of her ability.

The girls express excitement over seeing Hana wear her new dress. To that end, Ruli suggests that she and Hana have another battle stage. Backstage, Ruli summons Glossy Ruby and Bright Sapphire, with Hana using Aurora Pegasus and Smart Kyūbi. The pair perform a duet of "Bloomy＊Smile", with Hana as the victor.

At the agency, Sala, Izumi, and Ruli are rewatching the performance. Sala marvels over the completed design before deciding to start on her next one. Ruli says that Sala's happiness comes from seeing her designs shine on stage, to which Sala agrees there's nothing greater thing for a designer like her. Izumi thanks Ruli for helping Mao with her dress, but Ruli knows there's more that Mao needs to learn. Izumi says that she already has something planned out, and asks Kyōko Umekōji for a favor.

Characters

 * Mao Otoha/Hana
 * Ruli Tamaki/Ruli
 * Kyōko Umekōji
 * Shiori Motoya
 * Sala Itoi
 * Izumi Watanuki
 * Itsuki Segawa
 * Aurora Pegasus
 * Smart Kyūbi
 * Bright Sapphire
 * Glossy Ruby

Trivia

 * Episode Title Reference: "My Heart Beats, for You." (君に、胸キュン.) by Yellow Magic Orchestra
 * This episode marks the debut of main characters Kyōko Umekōji and Sala Itoi.
 * Smart Kyūbi makes its debut in this episode.
 * Pink Charm Unicorn, Soda Jack Frost, Love Sagittarius, Dazzle Aquarius, Metal Scorpion, Bloody Rock and Silky Lily make cameo appearances in this episode.
 * "Bloomy＊Smile" makes its debut as an insert song in this episode.
 * The ending sequence mistakenly credits Shiori despite not appearing.
 * This episode premiered on the birthday of Yū Wakui.