Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Live A Hero Chapter 4 Episode 6: The Bar Intruder

Things start off with a flashback to Crowne's past during her school days as one of her friends asks how things are with Crowne and her boyfriend. Crowne has to take a moment to process that question before she says she broke up with him because their viewpoints just didn't click. Crowne's friend thinks this is a total waste since the now ex-boyfriend was the star football player who is totally hot and manly and has a line of potential dates up to his door. Crowne has to tell her friend that there was a fundamental incompatibility between the two of them in terms of hobbies. She's never been interested in sports, but she likes fiddling with machinery a lot more. Crowne's friend concedes the point and notes that she hasn't shown up for cheerleading practice lately and seemed to have more fun talking to geeks. Crowne just isn't girly at all she says, and Crowne can only laugh and say she's been told that a lot.

Crowne takes over narration to say she's always been bad at doing the girly thing. She's tried her hand at learning to bake, joined a cheerleading squad, and getting herself a jock boyfriend, but she's never been able to stick with any of it for long. She preferred taking phones apart, helping with fixing cars, making her own computers, and spending all her time playing around with machines. She wanted to deal with machines even more, and that was her dream. But everyone she told her dream to told her 'that's not very girly of you.' But really, what's girliness and manliness supposed to mean? Why does everyone always look at her funny for doing what she likes? And why does everyone keep denying her dream? In the end, it didn't take long for Crowne to end up an 'adult' who never talked to people about dreams or even have them anymore...

Back to the present, a few days after Parallel Flight has rejected Exio's offer we tune in at Orient City where a news report is reporting on yet another big earthquake of unknown epicenter and epicenter depth. There's no risk of a tsunami coming, but the earthquake still hit for a lower 5 shindo rating in the center of the city while Shizuoka and Shimizu Prefectures were hit for a 4 shindo rating.

Once the earthquake subsides, a bunch of monsters start popping up all around the city, and Team Parallel Flight fires off their ultimate moves to deal with the things. This has become a normal routine by this point, and you declare the live to be over and thank everyone for their work. The party quits out of their suits, and Akashi is panting hard saying having to deal with that many monsters twice in a day is getting rough. Sui agrees, saying other jobs aren't this frequent with sudden problems making life difficult.

Mokdai points out in concern to Ryekie that his glove has fallen apart again, and Ryekie says he hasn't had the time to fix them lately. Crowne asks him to hand it over so she can fix it, and it'll be quick since she has the spare parts on hand. She gets to work on them right away, and Huckle apologizes for having her follow you guys around to fix your gadgetry. Crowne waves it off saying she knew what she was getting herself into when she took the job. You either admire how competent Crowne is, call her cool, or suggest she's a workaholic. A and B has Crowne laugh and thank you, though she admits she could be considered a workaholic too. C has Crowne laugh and say her workplace colleagues have said the same thing to her a lot too.

Anyways, Crowne finishes up with the parts replacement and hands it back. If it cracks again, she tells Ryekie to tell her so she can try to reinforce it next time. Ryekie loudly thanks her and notes that she's gotten used to this, but Huckle says that getting used to this state of being is kind of worrying. Huckle then lowers his head and asks if you can see That Thing right now. You turn towards Mt. Fuji as prompted, and the giant monster is visible as it has been every time a quake has happened. Every day that passes has made it more and more distinctly visible.

You inform Huckle that you can see it and that it's getting clearer again, and he goes 'oh' at that as he thinks about it. Sui asks if the monster becoming clearer by the day means its awakening is getting closer like Exio and the others have said. Akashi figures that's probably the case, though he wonders what you guys can do about it. Mokdai hopes that something is possible, but right now all you guys can do is clear out the monsters that pop up in front of you.

Crowne talks about how the situation is hairy and how running isn't really an option. Huckle says it's just how it is for a hero agency. No matter what happens, everyone works to mitigate damages against civilians as much as possible. Even if you guys are up against a monster you can't fight against, the work stays the same. Ryekie agrees, saying you guys have to be ready on a moment's notice, though he admits to not knowing how to get ready for this case. A heavy mood sets in, at which point your phone starts ringing.

You notice the call is coming from Gomeisa and pick it up out of curiosity. Gomeisa's projection immediately comes up yelling and crying as loudly as Ryekie does begging for help. Mokdai is thrown off balance by the sudden shouting and recognizes the voice as Gomeisa's, and Gomeisa briefly picks up that Mokdai is with you before asking you guys to come right away.

Sui wonders why Gomeisa is so agitated and notes that he looks beat up. Akashi tries getting Gomeisa to calm down and explain what's going on, though he also asks why Gomeisa has transformed into hero mode. Gomeisa slows down long enough to explain some strange man suddenly burst into the shop, pulled Procy up, then started a fight. Procy has been badly bruised by this point and the bar is a mess. Gomeisa tried to stop him, but he wasn't able to do anything, which is why he called.

You react in alarm at this, and Huckle says that fights aren't actually uncommon at the bar but Procy being involved is, never mind someone strong enough to beat Procy's face in. He starts to think on it, but Ryekie tells him to stop that and asks Gomeisa if he's still at the bar, telling him to wait since they'll be there soon. Gomeisa thanks you guys and hangs up. A car pulls up soon after, and Crowne is driving as she tells you all to get in. Huckle thanks her as he prompts everyone to get in.

Time passes to the point where the party reaches Procy's bar, where you find Procy bleeding from the mouth and held up by his collar and still the energy to cuss out his attacker. That would be Yoshiori, panting hard as he's taking a quick breather in the middle of his rampage. You react in concern for Procy and shock at Yoshiori's presence, and Yoshiori is surprised to see you all. He demands that you guys stay away since he has to ask Procy something, and he pulls a gun out of himself and holds it up to Procy's head.

Yoshiori demands to know where Procy took Exio, but Procy answers that he doesn't know and that he's already told him he didn't do it. Yoshiori refuses to believe this under the belief that if he saw Procy do it, he must know. There is blood coming off of Yoshiori himself, which drips onto the floor. Gomeisa is was cowering in the back waiting for a moment when Yoshiori lets his guard down, and Huckle taps at a broken bottle at his feet with his shoe as he comments on how unquiet things have gotten. Ryekie demands Yoshiori explain himself, but Yoshiori refuses to do so and threatens to attack if you guys try to stop him. He tosses Procy aside, only to pull out a machine gun and point it at you guys. Mokdai calls out to Procy, and Ryekie says you guys will have to fight to stop him as he asks you and Huckle to get ready.

You quickly move to do so, and Akashi says Yoshiori needs to get some calm smacked into him so he'll stop seeing red. Sui notes that Yoshiori was asking where Exio is and reasons he must be gone. Mokdai says you guys need to stop his guns first before asking any further. Yoshiori isn't surprised that you guys have stepped up to fight him and coughs up a little blood, then calls to Anonymous to watch the fight for him. Huckle recognizes the name as the Observer network that villains use. They don't have formal contracts with the villains, but the trade off is the instability of their villain modes, so he wonders if Yoshiori is stuck having to use it for lack of alternatives. Ryekie notes how exhausted Yoshiori already is, so he cautions everyone not to hurt him too much while fighting. Yoshiori rejects the consideration as he starts up the episode battle, and more happens after that.

The story picks up at the end of the battle where Ryekie delivers the finishing gut punch, knocking Yoshiori over and making him clutch his stomach. Ryekie reverts to his normal self after the attack, then asks Yoshiori to tell you guys why he attacked Procy. Yoshiori still refuses since it doesn't involve you guys, and he stands up unsteadily and throws Procy a glare.

By this time, Gomeisa has run over to hug Procy, and when he notices Yoshiori's glare he hugs Procy even harder and glares back. Yoshiori grumbles to himself, and Crowne runs in to ask about all the noise she could hear from outside, stuffing her car keys into her pocket. Yoshiori's eyes widen as he sees her and thinks to Crowne Alter, grinding his teeth and saying something about understanding something when he thought he recognized her. Crowne is taken aback at Yoshiori glaring at her, and Yoshiori pulls something out of his own pocket. Huckle sees what it is and yells for Crowne to get to him, but Crowne is having trouble keeping up when Yoshiori pulls out a knife on her.

You yell for Crowne to get away, but someone comes in to intervene and prevent the attack. Yoshiori is kicked back into a wall with a loud crash, and the wall falls down in a heap of smoke as the entire bar shakes. Sui is shocked by this and immediately thinks Ryekie did it, so he has to deny it before asking who did it instead. The kicker briskly lands in front of Crowne, revealing himself to be Monomasa as the episode ends.

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