We pick up from before, and Gammei decides to introduce himself since there are people here who haven't seen him before. For the record, he's Gammei Tsukinowa, police department chief of Orient City's hero-related criminal matters office. He's also a part of the United Earth Hero Dispatch as a hero with the code name Justi Arrester. Barrel follows suit with introducing himself as Barrel Crancrack, police officer in the same department and stationed in the police box on Orient City's main street 8th district. He is also part of the UE Hero Dispatch as well as a hero under the name Symphonic Trigger. Anyways, Ryekie asks what job request it is they're bringing, and you can either ask if it's an investigation like before or question the idea of police asking hero agencies for help, which splits most of the episode depending on which way you go.
In Side A, Gammei says he wants you guys to look at something first, which he prompts Barrel to hand over. It takes Barrel a minute to pull them out of his bag or whatever, and eventually he finds the copied documents to hand over. Huckle is surprised to be given a printed copy of something given that this is supposed to be a paperless age, then comments on how old school the police are. Gammei is annoyed by it since he sees it as a waste of money, but he was told it had to be done this way. But anyways, Huckle starts looking at the thing, and his expression grows more stern as he goes on.
Huckle asks about the paper being an advance notice for a crime. Gammei confirms that it is and explains that it sent to Raidark Holdings' Earth HQ at 7am that morning. The sender is unknown, and since it was sent through the military surveillance satellites around Mars, analysis has proven impossible. The deliberate usage of military satellites leads Gammei to believe this isn't some weird prank. Huckle reads out the message printed: "On the night of the full moon you shall all be put to death with the power of another world." You either comment on how antiquated the writing sounds, wonder what kind of cringe person wrote it, or ask what they mean 'power of another world.' A and B gets an extra line where Gammei calls the thing pretentious.
Mokdai figures the another world bit refers to a parallel world, which would mean that this is a villain's announcement of their intended crime. Gammei nods and says the police believe that to be the case too. Raidark's HQ on Earth happens to be here in town, and the full moon will be four days from now. He then says that means it's highly likely some sort of terrorist action will be taken by villains there at that time. That's why the police department have punted the case to them.
Akashi is surprised by this and asks what the other police departments are doing. Gammei tells him that they can't intervene even if they wanted to since this case may involve villains, Kaibutsu, and Observers. In cases where someone is eaten by a monster, fed to a monster, attacked and killed by a Parallel Weapon or something is destroyed by such, generally little evidence remains. There won't be a murder weapon left behind either if it gets shunted to a parallel world.
Gammei adds that if someone gets eaten by a Kaibutsu, heroes and Observers will be the only ones to remember that the victim ever existed. The nature of that problem being what it is, all traces of them existing seem to disappear too, which makes any attempt at an investigation into them pointless. The only thing that's really left would be the heroes and Observers making a fuss that someone is Gone. It's why the police department as a whole shoves those cases to Gammei's department since they specialize in that. Searching and arresting criminals gets left to them, and all they do is the processing afterwards. In blunter terms, the police treat them as the people who handle dirty work that they try not to get a whiff of.
You connect the dots and say that's why Gammei is asking you guys for help, which he confirms. They're generally shorthanded and don't have enough people to assign to this case, and since it's just him it'll just be them two on it like usual. Barrel is normally part of the community police department, so if Gammei tried to put in the paperwork to have Barrel help the upper management would throw a fit about it, so he usually doesn't. Sacrifices have to be made, so while he tries to persuade them to agree to it, he's asked his hero agency to have Barrel come with him in the meantime.
Barrel says he's so ready to get on this case since normally his post isn't involved with big things like this. He excitedly says he'll haul the evildoers in and bring peace back to the city. Gammei tells him to stop wagging his tail because it's hitting him. He also tells him to curb his enthusiasm since that's only going to add to his paperwork. Barrel whines and pleads saying it isn't that much, but Gammei says they're facing cost cuts and salary cuts, so he can't go around causing collateral damage. Barrel hangs his head a little as he says he'll try his best to do so.
You either comment that they're having their own problems or call them the odd couple like they always are. In A, Gammei says Barrel is still all he has to rely on, so he's desperate enough to take help from a cat, though he notes Barrel is more of a dog. Barrel then insists on being called a wolf. In B, Gammei tells you to stop calling them a couple since he just happens to be stuck with him. Barrel is shocked by this since he thought they were a great pair. Gammei doesn't want to argue about it so he tells him he can keep thinking that.
Anyways, Ryekie comments his surprise on how outrageous it is for a villain group to try this since Raidark is the biggest corporation in the galaxy. You ask what sort of business Raidark even is, so Mokdai answers that it's a huge business complex with headquarters on Earth and on Titan. They handle light industries like food/commodities and textiles to heavier industries like robot manufacturing, to financing to planetary development. They manage a lot of different things is what he's saying.
Mokdai continues explaining that supposedly at least half of Orient City
was developed by Raidark. The CEO regularly sits in first on the Top
Whatever Richest People in the Solar System lists, though that also
means he's more prone to be targeted by criminals. That said they do
have a powerful defense network that repels all the threats, including
regular thieves to villains.
Mokdai then notes that anyone willing to provoke them must be a really confident villain. Gammei explains that the job that's been handed down isn't a protection detail for the company, but an investigation into the criminal and arresting them before it happens. There's a possibility that will involve storming the villain's lair, so Gammei came here to ask for help. He heard Zap the Justice, the S Rank Hero with the best achievements listed in the country has come back after all. Barrel also asks Justice for help, saying he'd be worth 100 people in manpower.
Huckle goes apologetic at the subject, and Ryekie has to explain that he can't do it yet since he's still recovering, so hero work is off the table for now. Barrel is shocked to hear that, and Gammei is disappointed to hear that but accepts it since he has heard it was serious. He wonders what he'll do now and considers checking some other agencies when you offer to help out like before.
Gammei is surprised by the offer, and while he acknowledges that you and Akashi did help last time, the scale of the case and the level of danger are on different levels, which is why he came to ask for Justice specifically. It's kind of hard to go ask a newbie hero and Operator to help fight against a terrorist attack. Barrel however supports having you guys on board and vouches that you guys can handle it. He even cites your battle together at Southern Kanto to back up his claim. Gammei is surprised at this but says his recommendation wouldn't be enough, which leads Barrel to plead with him.
Huckle says he'll recommend you guys too then since Gammei should have a grasp on your ability levels from the Procy case. He concedes that you two have areas that you guys are still inexperienced in, but you two are used to fighting. At the very least, Huckle says he doesn't have any objections to you guys helping out with the investigation part of the job, but he does have reservations against it if he bases his decision on sending you guys to fight terrorists.
Gammei says that parts of your battle from that time were clumsily handled, but he acknowledges that your help got the case to wrap up. Akashi says he can go help on this case, but he'd rather not have to fight against anyone that dangerous. If any battles break out in the course of the investigation itself though, he feels he can handle those okay. Ryekie turns to Gammei to ask what he thinks. Gammei nods that he does have the courage to stand up to the mafia, so he agrees to having you guys help. He does make a point of saying that if things get out of your league he'll go ask another agency for help. Barrel then cheers about working together with you two again.
To go back a bit, in Side B, Huckle explains to you that Gammei's position is a bit special and able to contract private hero agencies to help with investigations. Gammei says his superiors justify it as getting the experts to do it, but he sighs that it's really about them distancing themselves from things involving crazy weird superpowers. Things follow much the same as Side A's sequence of things until the point that Gammei and Barrel are informed that Ryekie can't be dispatched yet. There, Huckle is the one to suggest having you and Akashi join as the new faces of the company.
You guys being there is news to Gammei, so Huckle says Akashi only just became a hero the other day. Akashi introduces himself and mentions being a college student, which causes Gammei to doubt his abilities. Huckle vouches for Akashi, saying he'd never have suggested him otherwise and brings up his work at handling the coast district Kaibutsu invasion. Huckle also says Ryekie can vouch for Akashi as he turns to him, and Ryekie enthusiastically does so to the point Akashi is embarrassed by it. Huckle says if just Akashi isn't enough to reassure him, he can also send you to go with him as Operator under the office's recommendation. Then he asks if you can go. You either react with shock at this idea, agree to go, or be embarrassed at all the faith he's putting on you.
Barrel yells in surprise as he recognizes you, which surprises Gammei in turn as he asks about that. Barrel tells him he saw you guys on a battle live and went all OMG when he saw how you operated and Akashi's finishing move. He also talks about how your cooperation with Heroic Educators was great. Gammei says that at the time that incident was happening, Barrel was supposed to be on standby at his police box waiting evacuation assistance. Barrel gulps and admits to it since he realizes he outed himself, but Gammei lets it go and says that if Barrel is vouching for you guys too it's not a bad plan to have you help.
Both sides converge back at this point as Gammei tells Huckle that he will borrow the two of you. While he's at if there's any camera staff he can lend that'd help too. Budget cuts have reduced the amount of camera drones they have, so they might not have any to use for work. Huckle agrees to send Mokdai over too, who says he'll do it and hopes to work well together with them. Huckle declares the contract is formed now and asks Gammei to send the paperwork to his desk as usual. Sui wishes you guys luck and says she'll bring the suit over when it's done, and the episode ends with Gammei saying it's time to start right away and tells you guys to come with him.
No comments:
Post a Comment