Live A Hero Holy Night's Hot Water Front Line Episode 5

Another flashback starts up again, this time back to the park incident at the point where Ryekie got stabbed by a Kaibutsu before it died for real. Huckle tells Ryekie to sit down and stop moving while he calls for a doctor, and Ryekie apologizes as he moans. Flashback flashes forward to the point after Ryekie gets hospitalized where some doctor tells Huckle that the injury isn't healing, so he shouldn't expect Ryekie to get back to hero work anytime soon. In fact they think he'll need rehabilitation just to walk and run again. Huckle apologizes to the doctor saying he put Ryekie through too much.

 

A little bit later, Ryekie apologizes to Huckle for causing him to apologize when Ryekie was just doing what he wanted to do. Huckle says it's fine and that he painfully understands how much Ryekie wants to go back to being a hero as soon as possible. For now though, things are probably going to be hard since Ryekie will have to put up with his current state, even if he starts moving without thinking about it. And while it might be hard on him, Huckle asks Ryekie to focus on getting medical treatment for now, so Ryekie agrees.

 

Ryekie then starts taking over narration and talks about his promise to his close friend to get his injury fixed. Because of that promise he held himself back, no matter how much he wanted to jump out there and fight. He did his best to bear it, leave things to his kouhai, and work the cameras. But there was never a day where the camera wouldn't shake. He is the man with the strongest sense of justice, which is why he is Zap The Justice, the Thundering Voice of Justice. And as such, having to stop himself from reaching out to the situations unfolding in front of him was harsh to deal with. No matter how hard his kouhai fought, it was even harder that he could not go and help. He knows he's being selfish if he were to say this, so he won't. But still...he wants to go back to being a hero even a second earlier so much that he can't stand it.

 

Title card pops up, and this episode is called the Holy Night's Hot Water Front Line.

 

We then pick back up from last time where Ryekie is roaring loudly. The entire party is stunned silent by this, and Nessen is the first to find his voice again as he asks Ryekie what's going on. Akashi says that was freaky as Ryekie was louder than normal, then asks what's happening with him. Ryekie starts laughing, still slurring a bit as he says his throat is feeling great and that for some reason he's feeling so good you guys. You try to talk to Ryekie as you take note of the slurring.

 

Ryekie takes note of your expression and asks why you're looking at him so funny. He then points out that juice is still dripping off from your or his head and licks some of it off, then says it has a shocking taste. Ryekie hiccups and moans a little, and you either comment on how red his face is, call him a clingy drunk, or decide to try rubbing at his jaw. In A, Ryekie asks if it's really that red and says it's always been like that as he laughs. In B, Ryekie attempts to deny that he's drunk, but then he takes it back since he says he can't tell if he is. In C, Ryekie is surprised and asks why you're doing that before he says it feels nice and starts purring.

 

Huckle notes that Ryekie is totally buzzed out of his skull now. Mokdai says he's getting the feeling that Ryekie seems powered up compared to standard drunkenness, then wonders if he's okay. Huckle says of course it isn't as he directs everyone's attention back to the mutant possessed tree monster as it roars, and Mokdai remembers with a start that you guys are in the middle of a battle. Akashi warns him that the thing is attacking again and tells him to be careful.

 

The Kaibutsu starts toying with the party as it attacks everyone from above with its branches and below with its roots, and Akashi and Mokdai have their hands full desperately dodging the attacks. Ryekie goes oh no at this and says he's coming to save them, and you ask in shock what he intends to do when he says save. Ryekie argues that he can do something about those branches even unarmed if this is how hard the monster is attacking, but Huckle tells him to stop since he's still not recovered enough to move well. He'd only be a burden on the party if he went out now, so Huckle orders him to stay put.

 

Ryekie continues attempting to argue, saying he has a duty to protect and raise the others, so he can't stand by and let them die. Huckle says he isn't telling Ryekie to abandon the others, but he says it'd be better for him to not think he can intervene in this. He's just drunk with a mood boost, and Huckle argues that if Ryekie were thinking clearly he'd agree he wouldn't be able to help here.

 

With no outlet for his frustrations, Ryekie starts cursing as he bangs his fists against the ground. He asks desperately if there really is nothing he can do to help, at which point your phone gives off a small light. The command window says a new path has been found for R__, but the strength is at its weakest. You take note that this is happening again and wonder what's going on. Huckle tells Ryekie with sympathy that he unfortunately can't do anything now, so he should stop since he's injured. Huckle then turns to you and asks you to step back while he takes over, then he returns to operating the battle.

 

On the front line party's side of things, Subaru notes that having attacks come from below is getting to be problematic. He tries to write something to make them stop, but a root jumps from below and blows him back. Nessen calls after him in concern before he starts concentrating the views into the water around his oarsword thing to heat it up. When he finishes charging, he attacks the monster. This has little effect, and Nessen asks why it didn't and why his water sword didn't heat up much. The monster slaps him back for his troubles.

 

Akashi notes that his fireballs are getting smaller while Mokdai notes that their damaged suits aren’t repairing themselves. Sui goes to check the control panel on the camera to check the view stats, and she reports that the view count has gone down a lot. Comments are saying the live is boring them too. You ask if people aren't watching any more and say that's bad. Akashi is outraged at the bored comments giving how hard you guys are fighting. Mokdai tells him that the camera only conveys a little bit about what's going on in the battle, so they can't blame the audience for that.

 

Akashi tries to voice his thoughts on the asshattery of it, but the monster's attacks keep him from getting that far before knocking him back. Mokdai attempts to retaliate, but when he punches the tree his fist armaments start turning brittle and crack. The tree attacks Mokdai back, and the force of this sends him flying into a nearby pond. Ryekie gets pissed at this, but you try to talk Ryekie out of charging in since he can't fight.

 

Ryekie grinds his teeth in frustration and his true feelings slip through, possibly due to how drunk he is. He shouts to the sky, as if asking for anyone out there for help. He curses and yells asking if he really can't fight even this one time. Your phone shines in response, which surprises you. The window is a lot brighter this time as the window now informs you about finding a new path for Ryekie with the strength being very high. You voice your surprise at the strength reading, which catches Ryekie's attention as he asks you what's going on.

 

You tell Ryekie about the new path, so Ryekie presses for details about the 'new' part and asks if that means it'll be different from his usual hero form. Huckle is also surprised by the mention of a new path as he asks if that means Ryekie has a new wish or if a new possibility has been found for him. He then wonders what the new wish could be and why it started at this particular time. Akashi yells out to Huckle that the monster is going for him now, which takes him by surprise since he was distracted.

 

The tree monster's branch starts pulling Huckle up as it makes splintering noises, then starts trying to strangle him. The pain is visible on his face, and he chokes out a little bit about being unable to breathe as he attempts to pull the branch off his airway. Unfortunately he is unable to pull them back in time as he passes out, and his arms flops to his sides. You call out to Huckle, as does Ryekie. Mokdai attempts to attack and free Huckle in a rage, but the lowered view count also lowers his strength, meaning his attack had no effect. Nessen tries next, but the tree quickly regenerates from any damage he inflicts

 

Ryekie watches Huckle and the party trying desperately to save him with regrets on his face. At the rate things are going, Huckle really will die of suffocation. He yells that he can't possibly hang back any more, and his eyes light up with a new determination. He turns to you, then begs you to use the new path to transform him. You have reservations despite the situation between Huckle getting mad at him for going and your concern over Ryekie's own health. Ryekie says both concerns can be left for later since right now since both his kouhais and his sworn friend who always saved his life are all in danger. He can't sit back anymore and chew on his nails, and he'd be this way even if he weren't drunk. He begs you one more time to send him out there to battle.

 

Ryekie looks at you with such seriousness in his eyes you wouldn't tell at first glance he was drunk. Your phone glows even brighter, and when you look at how Huckle and the party is holding up, it's clear you can't delay any longer here. You agree to let Ryekie fight since there's no stopping him, though you do warn him to not push himself. Ryekie thanks you, then apologizes for burdening you before asking for the transformation to go through. You tap the confirm button as your phone glows with a different light than usual, and this difference surprises you.

 

A different light wraps around Ryekie than the one that activated his transformations up until now, red as opposed to whatever it is normally. Akashi notices in surprise that Ryekie is transforming, and Mokdai can tell something is different. When the light disperses, Justice starts yelling about an end of the year revival and says his wish is a toast to the monster's downfall. Then he declares himself as Zap The Justice. Narration describes him as wearing red instead of his usual skintight suit and carrying a sensu fan.

 

Mokdai is both surprised by the new form and its timing, and Akashi asks if Justice is really going out like that since the sash on him looks to be the only thing supporting his injury. Mokdai can tell the sash seems to be a Parallel Weapon and suggests it might be protecting that injury. Akashi is baffled at how random that is and comments that Parallel Weapons really can come in all shapes and sizes.

 

Ryekie declares that's enough greetings and tells the monster to let go of his friend Huckle already. He opens up his fan and holds it above himself, and lightning starts crackling towards it. Ryekie then calls out his attack Electro Slash and swings down with his fan, shooting a lightning blade wrapped around a gust of wind at the monster's branches. The branches are cut through and lose their power, which drops Huckle with a thud as wakes up surprisingly fast from that.

 

You call out to Huckle and ask if he's okay since it sounded like he had a painful landing. Huckle seems only mostly jostled from the impact, but he tells you he's okay and the brief lack of oxygen is making him dizzy. He can stand though. Huckle then notes with confusion that Ryekie saved him and that he looks different than normal, so he asks you what's going on. You shrug and say you don't know.

 

Ryekie apologizes to Huckle for breaking his promise, saying he couldn't stop himself when he saw that Huckle was in danger. Huckle is surprised, and Ryekie promises to go back to upholding what he had originally promised him once the battle is over. He then asks Huckle to watch over him for this battle. Narration notes that Ryekie's eyes are focused on the monster as he says all this while Huckle is flabbergasted. You talk to Huckle and ask what he thinks.

 

Huckle sighs and calls Ryekie incorrigible, even if he did it to save his neck. He scratches at the back of his head before he shouts over to Ryekie, warning him to be careful of any attacks going for his stomach. It's still his weak point, even if he has a Parallel Weapon guarding it. Ryekie is moved by this, and Huckle adds that he has a lot of things he wants to say to him, but he'll save it for later. He also tells Ryekie to be ready for him to hit him two or three times then, then ends it by thanking him for saving him and to not get hurt any more than he is. Ryekie thanks him back as the two smile and nod at each other before Ryekie focuses back on the tree monster.

 

Sui reports that Ryekie's transformation brought back the audience and the view count is climbing. This is accompanied by everyone's suits and weapons fixing themselves back up. Ryekie loudly challenges the monster to bring it, but he starts swaying in place for a bit before he tries to stand straight again. Nessen notes that he hasn't sobered up, then asks Justice if he can actually fight yet. Ryekie insists that he can and that he just felt tired for a second. He totally can help fight the thing he says, before hiccuping and groaning a little. You note that he's still buzzed and are concerned about whether this is okay.

 

The monster roars as it regens the damage done to it before glaring at the party and resuming its attack. Subaru stares pointedly at Huckle and Ryekie's conversation while he fends off the attacks. Akashi is defending himself nearby and eventually asks why Subaru is glaring at them. Subaru denies glaring at them and says he just has resting bitch face, but there was something else on his mind. Akashi prompts him to go on, so Subaru says he was just thinking that it's really nice how there's such a deep bond of trust built between the two of them.

 

Akashi is surprised by this, so Subaru says it's nothing and asks him to forget about it. Anyways, now that another hero has joined the battle they should get back to focusing on the fight. Akashi agrees and calls to Mokdai, who nods and comments to himself he'd like to take a good look at Ryekie's new form later on. Sui tells him she has a good idea what he's thinking about, but she tells him to concentrate or else he'll be in danger. Mokdai says he is, then asks Sui to put in the video time shift substitute in. You tell everyone it's time to resume the battle and to fight hard. Everyone acknowledges it as the episode battle launches. More story happens afterwards.

 

After the battle, the Heroic Educators show up. Kyoichi apologizes for keeping you guys waiting and says they're here to help. Akashi notes their presence, and Kyoichi compliments Akashi for doing so well. When Kyoichi turns to Subaru, Subaru gets a bit huffy about how late he is. Kyoichi is taken aback by this reaction and calls him a grump with no appreciation for friendship.

 

Toshu asks how the battle is going, so Huckle tells him there was a rough spot earlier, but you guys made a comeback. The monster tree thrashes around, and Toshu comments that it's shrunken quite a bit, so there's only a little bit left to go. Flamier laughs and says there's a lot of sulfur here, meaning she can grow a lot of flowers here, which prompts Toshu to ask her to be gentle.

 

Shouen asks Huckle in surprise about Ryekie as he points to him standing in front of the monster. Kyoichi is shocked by this and asks about how he's supposed to be resting at the moment for his injury, so you either say it's a long story or wonder where to begin explaining. Huckle suggests leaving the explanation for later and asks for the teachers to help them out for now. Kyoichi agrees, still surprised, and he notes that Justice looks different and wonders how that happened.

 

Ryekie yells that there's no time to be talking now, then calls for an all out attack. Toshu agrees, though he is taken aback at how spirited Ryekie is being. Subaru observes that the teachers all looked confused, but that's only natural when they had the same reaction at first too. The monster's attack forces him to set his thoughts aside, so Kyoichi tells him to duck as he swings in from behind him to cut down the tree branches with his protractor ax.

 

Kyoichi laughs and tells Subaru that it's dangerous to be thinking of other things during a fight. Subaru gets irritated as he says that's how his weapon works and that Kyoichi knows full well about that. Kyoichi says he knows and just wanted to make a joke. Subaru says it fell flat and that he ought to study up on those. Kyoichi clicks his tongue in response about how harsh Subaru is all the time, then warns him to watch his back. Before he jumps further in, Subaru calls to him and stops him. He takes a moment to process through his embarrassment before he thanks him for saving him. Kyoichi nods, saying it's natural to help your friends.

 

Meanwhile, Flamier is bombing the hell out of the tree and is by all appearances getting off on the explosions as she says how beautiful they are and asks for more of them to bloom. Akashi is off to the side trying to dodge the blasts since they're wide enough to reach his position. Toshu says no one can stop Flamier once she gets like that, so he tells Akashi to do his best not to get burned down since it'll be a problem if he dies before he turns in a new report. Akashi is shocked at both the suggestion of being burned to ashes and how Toshu's focus on the report is making him sound like an ass.

 

Mokdai talks about how dangerous Flamier's attacks are, but they are quickly wearing down the monster. Shouen writes the kanji for Brittle to cast a defense debuff on the tree trunk, which he notes will be temporary. He then tells Mokdai to aim for the center, which should expose the core. Mokdai nods as he goes for it, throwing his finisher at it. Subaru follows up when the attack lands as he writes out "the hole will stay open as it hardens." A giant core is exposed due to the attack as it shines in a pale light, and Subaru's casting forces it to stay exposed.

 

Akashi is surprised at how big the core is, and Toshu says that if he were to break it with his swords the force required might break his bones. Flamier notes that she doesn't have enough materials to make a bomb big enough to destroy the thing. Shouen suggests that trying to use lesser attacks to damage the core won't be enough since the monster can heal it off before you guys can smash it first. Mokdai says that would mean you guys need to split the core in two with one single attack, which gets Nessen thinking as he grabs his Parallel Weapon harder.

 

Nessen says he'll take care of it and swears to bring peace back to the hot springs. He's not confident in his power actually, but with the size of the audience you have, he could try to heat his water to the highest temperature. Justice laughs as he offers to help him with that and work with him. Nessen thanks him, reassured by the help. Subaru tells the party his power will lose its effect soon, so they'll need to hurry up. Justice nods at this and asks you to activate his finishing move, so you agree and tell them to go all out.

 

You tap through the command window to send the views into Nessen and Justice, and the water covering Nessen's paddle sword starts steaming up and glowing. Nessen eventually says he can do it now that the water has been heated to 3000 degrees C, and Justice follows up saying he's done charging and will discharge it all in one shot. Lightning energy charges through his body, which he then channels into his fan to transfer to Nessen's weapon. Both powers manifest into a giant blade, and they both attack with their combined finishers Thunderous Lightning "Gigabolt Breaker" and Boiler "Paradise Hot Springs Dragon Slash."

 

The attack burns and cuts the monster core in half, and the monster seems to burn up from the sheer heat. Soon the entire thing disappears into the sky, and Sui is surprised at first before she smiles as she switches the camera off. She nods to you, and the heroes start transforming out of their hero forms. You declare that the battle is over and thank them all for their work, and everyone starts cheering.

 

Nessen starts thanking everyone for saving the town, but Akashi waves it off as he says Nessen was the one to really bring it all to an end. Mokdai agrees with the point, saying Nessen got the coolest part. Toshu compliments him for his sword strike and how it took down such a big target. Nessen says he just got caught up in things and thanks everyone again. Kyoichi sighs about it being over and says they can go back to their relaxing trip, but Flamier say it isn't over yet.

 

Kyoichi asks Flamier what she means, so she answers that she wasn't able to use her full strength. She moans about wanting to make nobler and prettier flowers bloom and asks if there are any Kaibutsus left. Kyoichi freaks out and says there aren't, and if there were that'd actually be a problem. Shouen talks to Ryekie and asks if he's okay since he probably used all his energy.

 

Ryekie laughs and says he wouldn't be that exhausted from something like this. Shouen is glad and asks if he can go back to recuperating without issues, so Ryekie nods and says for now. Huckle runs over to ask if Ryekie is okay, to which he answers by asking what he thinks. Even if he is hurt, Ryeie says he wouldn't be taken down that easily. You point out that Ryekie is totally swaying on his feet because he pushed himself.

 

Ryekie says he's always been rash and is going to be even more reckless after this. Huckle calls Ryekie a huge idiot and says there's no way his injury isn't bothering him. Ryekie says the drunkenness made the pain go away, which came back once it was over. Also all that activity while drunk is making his head spin, and he moans a little before falling over. Shouen freaks out at this, and Huckle grumbles that he did push himself too hard as he tries telling Ryekie to get a grip and wake up. Ryekie just mumbles about not drinking anymore. You comment that he fell asleep, wonder if he's tired, or say he passed out from the buzz.

 

Huckle sighs about having to leave the lecturing for tomorrow, then asks Shouen to help him carry Ryekie back to his room since it's going to be heavy with just him. Shouen agrees to help. While everyone else is together and talking among themselves, Subaru walks over to where the tree was originally planted, where a hole has now been left in its place. Subaru reacts in surprise when he finds Something there and picks it up, which turns out to be a tiny fragment of a rainbow colored stone. Subaru says it's a ether crystal and wonders how many got absorbed into the tree, which is what drew the Kaibutsu to it. He also reasons that someone must have put it there to trigger this incident, and the episode ends with Exio watching from somewhere.