Things begin with a horn blaring as Akashi's baseball game is over. The score has ended with 5-6 in Reiwa Gakuin University's favor. They are moving on to the next round while Hinowa Phys Ed College has lost against expectations, a 15-year winning streak broken. Akashi has crumbled on the pitcher's mound, and the announcer wonders if that last pitch was the shot heard around the world.
Akashi is panting hard while the coach tells him to stand up because the entire country is watching. The announcer reports that this national college tournament is being shown live on Channel 27 and the net, then continues on with commentating while Akashi has a panic attack. The next moment reveals that this was all just a dream, a bad dream as Akashi comments. He turns to look at his phone, and it turns out he work up an hour ahead of his alarm.
Akashi figures he may as well get ready if he's up, and he goes to check his face in the mirror when he goes to the bathroom. As can be expected, he looks awful. You wouldn't expect that he'd have a game with his future at stake later today. Fear covers his face, a pitiable expression indeed. Akashi attempts to give himself a pep talk, saying someone afraid of the camera could never be a pro athlete. He tries to remind himself that in his first hero battle, he was able to fight well and not worry about the camera. His entire baseball team has been trying for today, so he can't just let things go the same way his dream did. He quickly washes his face, then wipes it with a towel before clapping his hands against his cheeks, feeling ready for the day.
Narration starts to exposit about Orient City. It is a special autonomous city built in the Osaka capital region with 20 million residents living there, a mix of earthlings and aliens. It was original built as a interception fortress when a metropolis on the Kanto plain was destroyed by a giant Kaibutsu, and now it has grown into the world famous Capital of Heroes. Now that heroes are fully accepted in this time, heroes are the hope and the object of admiration for the people.
The camera then tunes in on your side in the train with Huckle explaining things and presumably the above, saying it's a really effective advertising board. Currently you guys are on the train heading to the park where the event you guys are helping in is taking place, with Huckle explaining things to you. He says that in Orient City alone there are 77 hero agencies, and Parallel Flight is just one of them. Since there's a lot of competition, in order to boost your reputation and name value, doing steady work like this is important too. You are a little surprised as you say you see, commenting on how being a hero is also a business and how harsh the world is.
Huckle explains that in your agency, you guys don't get much mass media exposure aside from livestreaming your hero battles. The rest of the time you guys have to do generalist work like doing events, publicity support, and finding pets. He says that Ryekie is pretty popular, but he also isn't suited for being a TV personality. Mokdai is also here and explains that you guys will be helping with a calligraphy class and putting on a hero show. And while he calls it a show, it's still going to be a practice battle with real heroes and real abilities used. Mokdai gets excited as he says even adults watching the show get into it as he turns to Ryekie.
Mokdai is surprised to see Ryekie attempting to practice speaking to a bunch of children like an entertainer. You comment on how hard Ryekie is practicing reading from a script, say he sucks at acting, or agree that Ryekie can't handle being a TV personality. Mokdai talks to Ryekie and says he doesn't need to try so hard to memorize lines even if they do have a script. Ryekie is shocked by this saying he was up all night doing so. Huckle sadly points out that for all the time Ryekie put into that, he isn't inspiring a vote of confidence. By this point, the PA announces the next stop is coming up, the main gate for Seaside Park. Huckle says you guys are here, so you should all get ready.
Scene shifts over to the park with some kids practicing kendo, and Toshu is instructing the kids, saying their form or whatever is good but they aren't stepping in far enough. He's also acting as their sparring partner as he tells them to come at him harder and yell from their stomachs. Kyoichi has divided his group of kids into teams and directs Teams A and C to put on their coats. They're gonna be playing dodgeball, and he reminds them not to hit anyone in the face. The game briefly mentions that each of the teachers from Heroic Educators are holding lessons in their specialties at the workshop, which the kids are enjoying.
Over in the calligraphy class, one child asks Shouen what to do when their writing brush gets bent. Shouen tells them to change how they're holding it, then quickly bring it down. The game goes on to describe how you can see him from the side while cleaning up some calligraphy done with a giant brush, and Shouen has a gentle smile as opposed to the stoic blankness he had the other day you met him. Mokdai says that Shouen likes children, pointing out that he's talking and smiling more compared to before. Shouen is also cleaning the big calligraphy stuff too, and Mokdai is a little surprised that Shouen can do that while focusing on the children. You either say it's nice for a hero to like kids, comment on how gentle the mood is, or say you wish he'd teach you too. C gets extra lines where Mokdai thinks you're interested in calligraphy, only to be confused when you say you aren't.
Anyways Mokdai comments that there are a lot of different reasons people become heroes, but he believes that all of them share strong feelings about protecting someone. There are also cases in a bigger category if you include family, lovers, or special someones like friends. Like for example, someone protects children because they like them or they protect a city because they love it. Mokdai wonders if what Shouen wants to protect is like these kids, saying that's the feeling he's getting. Even if it isn't, it'd be nice if it were. That's his opinion as someone who likes heroes and all, and you think on the idea of someone you want to protect.
Mokdai talks some more about how he thinks people who can put themselves into dangerous battles because there's someone they want to protect are amazing. That's what he likes about them. He used to think it'd be great if he could be like that too, though he still admires them now. You suggest that maybe he could be a hero now if he admires them, but Mokdai protests against the idea. It's not that he's not interested, but he doesn't think he can be a hero. He's not brave or cool like other heroes, so he feels it'd be presumptuous to stand with them. He thought it'd be nice to support them by being a cameraman, so that's why he does that. Mokdai says helping from the sides like that is enough for him, but you get the feeling he's saying so more to himself than to you, and you question his answer.
Shouen walks up to you guys and asks if you can bring some more calligraphy paper to some kids further in. With the weather being so nice, the ink is drying fast and things are proceeding smoothly. Mokdai agrees to do so and says you he will get some more from storage, then prompts you to come along too. You nod along, either slightly caught flatfooted or more on the ball. You two head for the tent that's being used for storage, and Mokdai quietly talks to himself so you can't hear, wondering if he could be a hero.
Time skips to the early afternoon with the calligraphy class done, with the camera focusing on an outdoor stage in a plaza. This is where the hero exhibition match will be taking place while lunch is on. Mokdai announces that the hero show will be starting and prompts the children to gather together. The children proceed to shuffle in to the audience area, and Kyoichi lines the kids up in a seating arrangement. You are off to the side of the stage getting things ready. Huckle says that while this is a show, this is a battle between heroes using real powers. The battle is pretty much a PR move, so he tells you to make it look good. You are shocked at being told you'll be the Operator here and not him.
Huckle says he thought it'd be good practice for you as he wishes you good luck. If it really does look bad then he'll step in and help. Mokdai acts as the announcer as he starts to introduce the heroes participating. In the blue corner is the S Class Hero of Thunder of Parallel Flight, Zap the Justice! Justice walks out yelling and thanking the kids for waiting. He goes on about how his roars is a vow to justice, swearing on his name to smite evil. Then he gets the kids to shout his hero name. Once they do, he thanks them and says he'll go all out and fight, which causes the children to cheer. You are either surprised at how popular he is or comment that he's getting into this. A has Huckle laugh and say he is the highest ranked hero on Earth despite how he is, and his popularity extends to the agency's. In B, Huckle laughs that Ryekie takes to things like this like fish do to water. That's how he became the S Rank Hero who gives people courage.
Mokdai then announces the hero of the red corner, the lone lion warrior of Heroic Educators. He is the A Rank Hero of Cutting, the kendoka Toshuu. Toshuu walks up silently still in his regular outfit, which causes the children to murmur among themselves when they see him. Justice is surprised by this and asks if he's not transforming. Toshuu smirks and says he was planning on motivating himself for this with something special. He draws out his sword and yells out his transformation, and when it looks like the winds around him are about to block him from view, he transforms into hero mode. He challenges anyone unafraid to come at him as the winds stop. All the kids find this to be super cool, and Justice sees what Toshuu was going for. Justice then says he'll answer his determination with his fists, and both announce the start of the battle as the episode battle begins. The story continues after that.
After the battle, Mokdai announces that the gong has run and the winner is the blue corner, Zap the Justice. Cheers fill the area, and Justice walks towards Toshuu. He offers his hand and says it was a good fight. Toshuu smirks in response and says he did great, taking his hand to even greater applause. And back at the stage, Huckle notes it was a big success as he tells you good job. You either thank him or call him a slave driver. B gets an extra line of Huckle laughing and telling you to be ready for the worst since there's probably going to be lots of jobs like this. Huckle says that now that the main work has been done, it ought to be time to take a break. He also asks if Akashi's game is about done by this point. You wonder how well he's doing. Over where Akashi is, his dream turns out to be line for line prophetic, and the episode ends with him swearing about how it all went down.
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