Live A Hero Space Taxi Chasers Episode 8

Vulpecula starts narrating about how he still dreams about what happened that one day. The scene of that monster attack keeps replaying itself in his mind, until eventually the voice starts saying "you didn't save me. Why are you still alive? ...it was you. You erased !@#$. Help. Help. Helphelphelphelphelphelphelphel--" Vulpecula then wakes up from his nightmare screaming and crying, and he sobs about being unable to deal with being the only one to remember that man anymore before apologizing profusely.

 

On that day, Vulpecula threw away all his memories of ___ away, shedding tears he stopped remembering why he was shedding. All of !@#$'s friends and family must have forgotten all about him, and they probably never felt this pain. But Vulpecula is sure it's for the better. If everyone forgets about the past and becomes equals with one another, wouldn't that be great? If no one remembers a thing, then no one would feel the pain of loss or have their present experience marred by suffering. Vulpecula declares that he wants to make a world where everyone can forget about the past and live in the present to the utmost. He wants to be a magnificent phantom thief who steals away pain, and for that purpose he wants to change his entire life...

 

Back to the present, Vulpecula is scoffing at the party's attacks and calling them nuisances that could never hit him. He continues his teleport spamming to dodge everything thrown at him, and his armed mercenaries support him with assists. You figure now is a good time as any and yell to the party to go all out as you send all the views you have to them. Mokdai goes first to throw out his finisher, but rather than attacking Vulpecula he slams the ground with it to create a smokescreen. Vulpecula is surprised by the tactic, but he insists it still won't do you guys any good as he teleports away.

 

Alchiba pays close attention, then praises Mokdai for his idea since the dust cloud he kicked up let him figure out how Vulpecula's teleportation works. He then calls to you and Shaft and asks if you guys were watching the dust cloud, pointing out that it swerved in the direction Vulpecula teleported to. That means that the clockpunk themed villain indeed has a Parallel Weapon with time powers like Kalaski's, not teleportation.

 

Shaft nods in response to Alchiba before turning back to the battlefield with a determined look on his face. He says that if Vulpecula isn't warping around, then he figures there's only one spot he could be moving to. He then tells Alchiba he'll make an opening for him and asks he fire in that same direction. Shaft hunches down as he gets ready to tackle, then charges straight through the enemy group. The mercenaries try to stand their ground in a panic and shoot at Shaft, but Shaft says he can see where they're pointing at and challenges them to try stopping him if they can. Shaft then pulls out his ultimate move Certain Fulfillment "Road to Tryline" and signals to Alchiba. Alchiba follows up saying he trusts Shaft, then blasts off his ultimate move.

 

The red laser Alchiba fires off is pointed at what is currently empty space, but before long Vulpecula shows up as predicted and is shocked his movements were read. Vulpecula attempts to warp away again and is about to activate his pocket watch Parallel Weapon, but Kalaski reveals he's back in action and casts his time stop ultimate on him. A metallic crash sound blares out as Vulpecula gets knocked down to his knees.

Mokdai makes a vocal observation of Kalaski being okay, so Kalaski says he pulled through somehow. He's mad about Vulpecula ganking him like he did, but he says you did great to transform him on the sly once he woke back up. You say his eye contact signaling was excellent or comment that you guys are on the same wavelength. In A, Kalaski laughs and says you're not half bad. You can probably survive a long time on a battlefield. In B, Kalaski is embarrassed by the comment and tells you to keep your guard up until you guys get off the field.

Alchiba yells to Vulpecula that his attacks won't work anymore, so he better surrender. Mokdai says that Vulpecula has to pay for his crimes and make sure he won't repeat them again. Vulpecula gets irritated as he calls the party fools for throwing away that one simple trick you can do that is discarding your past. He holds down his wounds as he stands back up and glares at the party, at which point you decide to take a step forward and meet his eyes and talk.

You tell Vulpecula that you have no memories of your past, but that's why you want to treasure your present. Vulpecula finds that interesting and tries to remember you name, commenting that it's a fascinating and beautiful thing you're saying despite being aligned with Alchiba. He talks about how your lack of past memories means you're someone who lives in the moment, and he asks if you'll live in the present together with him.

You shake your head, and you say that what you treasure in the present will one day be part of the past. Since your memories are empty, you want to remember everything that happens now. Vulpecula is disappointed by your answer and calls it a waste. He figures your decision will one day come back to haunt you. Perhaps one day a Monster will eat someone who means something to you, and you'll be the only one to remember they ever existed. The pain and sadness of this loss will erode any joy you find in living now and burn into your body. But he says you have the 'qualities,' and he looks forward to the day you realize your foolishness.

Vulpecula smiles before turning towards Alchiba and giving him a respectful bow. He decides to leave the monoliths alone this time if he cares that much about them. Vulpecula's own time is limited, and he says it's more beautiful than gently falling petals. Rather than continuing his dance with you guys, he'll use it to help his friends. He snaps his fingers, and a small spaceship drives out from inside the space truck.

Vulpecula jumps on top of this spaceship, and Mokdai is surprised when he notices that all of Vulpecula's mercenary friends are gone. Alchiba demands that Vulpecula stay, but Vulpecula calls him an annoyance and says he won't let him get in the way next time. He bids you guys farewell, and Kalaski calls to you to activate his ultimate so he can stop Vulpecula from leaving. You however shake your head sadly and say all the views have been used up, so he won't be able to pull it off. Vulpecula's spaceship turns on its stealth mode as it flies away, and Alchiba attempts to shoot at where he last saw it. He fails to hit it, and silence falls as the sun sets on the battlefield.

Alchiba voices his frustrations at Vulpecula managing to get away, so Shaft apologizes for not getting back to the taxi earlier and losing the chance to chase after him. You however say it's not his fault and claim some responsibility yourself for not doing a better job operating. Mokdai is sympathetic and points out you did your best. He knew perfectly well how things were, but he says he was too naive. He needs to get stronger if he wants to make Vulpecula turn over a new leaf.

While everyone is venting their regrets, Kalaski walks up and gently pats you on the back. It's true that Vulpecula got away, but Kalaski prompts you to look behind you. The monoliths are still standing, and you guys managed to defend them. Isn't it a victory as a detective to foil Vulpecula's intended plot? Alchiba laughs after a moment and thanks him, saying he never expected Kalaski to try to cheer him up. Kalaski is embarrassed as he claims that he wasn't doing so, and he says Alchiba just needs to catch his fated nemesis next time. He also tells Shaft he should be proud of himself since he was so full of surprises. He turned into a hero when he wasn't looking to help everyone, so now he'll take back what he said about him before. He was a civilian to be defended before, but now he's a hero they can work together with to protect someone else in the future.

Shaft is touched by Kalaski's speech and thanks him, saying he's found a new ideal. Kalaski is taken aback at his sudden outpouring of emotions, then tells him to take a look again. You guys came together and managed to protect some proof that someone actually lived here once. You agree with the point, and the party quietly looks over at the site with differing thoughts in their heads. The records of life stands here, never to disappear.

Title card pops up, and this episode is called Beyond the Turning Point.

Time passes to sunrise as Kalaski points both that bit and the monoliths' continued existence out. With Vulpecula driven off, things should be okay for now. You guys had been spending the night in the taxi while Kalaski had been keeping watch, and Alchiba comments on the situation turning out to be a bit of a draw. Kalaski says keeping the monoliths safe should be just as important a result as catching Vulpecula. Alchiba mentions that Vulpecula hasn't uploaded anything so far, so he figures that means it was a serious setback for him. On another note the sunlight is really damn bright, but it's been a while since he's seen such a nice morning.

Mokdai yawns as he gets up, greeting you good morning and thanking Kalaski for keeping watch during the night. It's been forever since he slept inside a spaceship, but the taxi was so comfy he went out like a light right away. Shaft laughs and says he sometimes has to take customers far out there, so he wanted them to be comfortable. Plus things were hectic yesterday, so it's nice that you guys managed to get some rest. Shaft then remembers to politely greet everyone good morning, and he says he's glad everything afterwards went by smoothly. And now that the warp gate is back up and running, he asks if you guys want to return to Earth yet.

Kalaski says he's going to stick around a while longer, just in case Vulpecula's minions come back. Plus, he wants to take some more pictures of the area and hopefully convince more people about the tragedies of war. Shaft accepts the decision but says it feels sad to part ways with him. Kalaski looks at him for a bit as he goes through his stuff, then pulls his camera out. He offers to take a group photo of everyone and show a bit of his skills as a pro photographer. You guys are already here, so you may as well line up in front of the monoliths and make it a victory commemoration too.

Shaft is embarrassed at the sudden suggestion, and Mokdai is happy with the idea as he waves you and Alchiba to come closer. Alchiba waves you over to stand closer to him and smile, and you either choose to stand next to Shaft or Alchiba. In A, Shaft is happy to have you by him and says he'll squat down a little. In B, Mokdai wonders whether he needs to tell Akashi that you were happy about standing next to Alchiba. He decides he may as well lump it all together and tell him later, prompting you to go wat.

Kalaski gets ready to snap the picture and tells everyone to smile. The tiny shuttering of the camera clicks over the sands of Tenteres, and Kalaski smiles as he looks back up. He says everyone looked great in the shot, especially Shaft. It's like night and day comparing to how he looked when he first met him. Shaft is embarrassed and says he wouldn't really know himself. But in the short time he was with him, Kalaski helped him out and taught him a lot, and he starts tearing up as he thanks him for helping him grow so much.

Kalaski tells Shaft he shouldn't be crying as he hands him a handkerchief to blow his nose on. While Shaft does so, Alchiba rubs his chin as he starts thinking aloud, saying on the off chance Vulpecula's minions do come back Kalaski might not be able to hold them off alone. He offers to stick around too if need be for another few days, so you speak up and say you have that covered as you tap on your phone to make a call. Gammei gets projected as he picks up, then realizes it's you and says he was talking to you just yesterday. You introduce Gammei as either a hero from UEHA Japan, a detective from the Orient City Police Department, or your lover. C gets an extra bit where Gammei freaks out and tells you to stop, saying it's not a good joke. He then coughs as he introduces himself as part of UEHA Japan and a detective for Orient City's Police Department.

Anyways Alchiba is shocked to see Gammei on the line and turns to ask you what's going on. You apologize for having kept it quiet, but you went ahead and called Gammei yesterday. You lower your head and say you knew Alchiba didn't like the police, but you still thought it was best to contact them. Alchiba is quiet for a moment, then eventually says he understands and tells you you weren't wrong to do so. He admits he may have an unconscious antagonism towards the police, and he still isn't letting go of what happened to him in the past, but he thinks Gammei will be okay.

Alchiba turns towards Gammei and says he belongs to a different police department than the one he used to belong to, which is something he needs to believe in. If he doesn't, he feels he'd lose the point of the form he gained yesterday. Alchiba then thanks you for your consideration as he calls you honey, and Gammei finally notices Alchiba at this point since Alchiba had been whispering this entire time. He's happy to see him, noting that he didn't answer the call for the conference meeting and asking if he's snapping upwards like usual. That said Alchiba's reading of the situation was right this time, and Gammei says he heard that from the director. He also watched the battle record and says Alchiba kicked ass out there.

Alchiba is surprised and says he was just pursuing Vulpecula as a detective. Gammei laughs it off as Alchiba playing humble, and he says anyone would appreciate how he kept the Tenteres memorial safe. Gammei thanks Alchiba himself, then asks him to come by the Earth department on the way back since the Galactic Police League would like to give him a thank you letter as well. Alchiba is still taken aback as he says he will, commenting that he never expected them to give him any sort of recognition. It's nice to get some acknowledgement of what he's done though, so he'll take it.

Gammei laughs and says you should accept what people give you, then turns to you. He informs you that UEHA is dispatching riot policemen over to your location as Huckle requested. They should be there soon, and once they get there he wants you guys to inform them of what's been happening. You pass the message over to Kalaski and say you'll be counting on him, so Kalaski says things should be fine and he'll take care of it.

With the call over, Shaft says things should be fine and asks if you guys would like to leave soon. He still needs to get the car ready, but he'll let you guys know when he's done with that. Shaft walks over to the driver's seat, and everyone else gets their things ready in the meantime. Mokdai starts talking to you, saying he's glad things went well with Alchiba. He's happy that Alchiba is being formally thanked and notes Alchiba is happy about it too.

You ask Mokdai about him talking about it with Huckle, and he's surprised at the question but laughs at being figured out so soon. You say things went too smoothly when you were talking with Gammei and/or brag that the mystery was too easy to figure out. You two then start smiling at Alchiba, prompting him to ask what's going on when he notices and gets weirded out by that. You claim it's nothing, so he sighs and says you have some charming plot written all over your face as he steps closer.

Alchiba says that you guys should get to know each other better in order to catch Vulpecula next time so you guys shouldn't keep secrets, and he invites you to a tea date. He's about to touch you to Mokdai's consternation when Shaft calls out he's ready to go and asks everyone to get into the car. Alchiba relents and says you guys will have to continue this next time. A detective needs a cute assistant, so he'll save the spot for you and hopes you'll think about it, sweetheart. Kalaski comments in bemusement that Alchiba's great in a fight but hasn't changed at all outside of it.

At this point the party starts getting into the car while Kalaski watches with a wry smile. Shaft then remembers that there's something he wants to say to everyone while Kalaski is still around and turns to face you all. He talks about how his hero license is still suspended, but he plans on returning to hero duty as a member of Global Drivers Union. Kalaski is happy to hear he's already decided on that and says they might meet again on a battlefield next time. Alchiba says it's hard to take a look at your past and try to move past it, but he'll be rooting for him.

Shaft says he won't forget what everyone taught him, and the memories of everyone helping him stand back up as a hero will be dear to him. If you guys ever need a ride again, he asks that you guys call him, and he'll take you to wherever you want to go. He fixes his hat again, then says it's time to go and says he'll see Kalaski again another time. Mokdai asks Kalaski to call you guys the next time he swings by Earth, and Kalaski says he normally doesn't do things like that for people he met in battle but agrees.

The party waves goodbye to Kalaski as you all depart, and the space taxi's engine revs up as it starts flying off planet. Some time later on the way back, your phone lights up with a new message alert, which you notice is from Kalaski. You open it up to find the group photo he took of the rest of you, and with it a message from him saying you guys had great expressions and that your lives aren't empty anymore. The End.