Halloween Police Episode 5 Part 2

Did you know that the word "sea" doesn't necessarily refer to a stupidly large body of water? True story. You can also use it to refer to something big and unknown that stretches far as the eye can see, something that hasn't been given some sort of meaning yet. The big stretch of water that covers our world filled with mysteries still comes to mind of course, but then there's the sea of stars far above the sky above us. There's also the artificially created world of cyberspace that's new and unknown to us, the cyber sea. Then there's the vast expanse of minds and dreams we still don't fully know. All of these reach out far away with no borders visible to us, and everyone who approaches them gets lost. That's what a sea is.

Back to the present, Dagon picks up and says back in Old Ones, dreams and space are also seas, though this may be a hard to grasp concept for people of other worlds. But App Users here in Tokyo would have heard of surfing on the internet, and that's sort of the same thing here. Dagon pulls out some goggles of some kind and hands them over, and Ebisu asks what they are as he notes it's dark when he puts them on. Alp figures out it's some cyber stuff and cheers about how cool that is. It's so shiny that he's excited about getting in the spotlight with them. Touji says he's not good with this kind of thing, saying he can't get used to this cold, inorganic feeling.

Arc notes that Azathoth has something similar to the goggles and starts to ask Dagon and Aegir about them. Dagon preempts her by explaining they're special VR goggles that can visualize the imaginary sea, something developed by Toyosu's marine architectural research department. Development was recently finished thanks in part to the tech given by the Kamata and Tougou schools, though the thing was originally made for deep sea investigation simulations. Hotei is impressed and asks how it's supposed to be used underwater, prompting Ebisu to comment that regular goggles would be enough then. Aegir says that with Tokyo Bay mixed with several worlds, any pro is liable to get lost there. Because of that, the plan is to use the VR goggles to navigate through the dream-mixed sea. Dagon says Aegir's done tons of deep sea investigations, so he made the goggles hoping it'd help students. You either sympathize with Dagon and say Aegir never considers the dangers, or you say that's what's so great about him. In A and B, Aegir says jumping into danger is the best part of being a treasure hunter, as being in life-threatening situations is an experience he treasures. In C, Aegir is glad you like that and asks if you'll join his next trip out.

Anyways, Dagon explains that the goggles will automatically visually replace things you can't make sense of with things that you can. Azathoth takes an interest in this, then lines up the goggles and makes a tapping motion at them with his pointer finger. Surtr asks what he just did, so Azathoth says he did something like move the data he had on bad endings into the goggles. No dying the same way twice, ya hear!? Dagon says he won't think too hard about that, then suggests getting started. It's fine if you guys stay seated in your chairs, you just need to get the goggles on. Hotei excitedly complies as he says comedians got guts. The party follows suit, and once everyone is equipped, Aegir and Dagon hook up the cable to turn the goggles on and auto-link the observation monitor.

Time passes a bit and all you see is black, so you call out and ask for someone to turn on the light because it's so dark. Static starts buzzing as the system calibrates or whatever, and soon the party is dumped at what looks like Toyosu Academy. You initially wonder if the dive was a failure, but Dagon opens up a window to tell you guys things are fine. You guys are in a recreation of the school, and Dagon figured it'd be easier to grasp if you guys took off from there. You are all already inside Hotei's dream, and Dagon reads off that the cyber substitution system is working normally. After a moment's thought though, he comments that 'normal' may be the wrong word to use as a bunch of data is influencing things. He's not sure why something as meaningless as a dream is showing up so clearly like this. It's because of Azathoth's data actually.

Dagon sighs about how the moniker Almighty Idiot seems to be a misnomer, though he then muses that nobody knows what the difference is between All Knowing and Know Nothing. Touji meanwhile is surprised at how close to reality cyberspace looks like, and Alp in turn is impressed by it all. Azathoth brags that he can make stuff like this if he bothered to do something. He can create stages (re: worlds) all before breakfast! You compliment Azathoth's gamer skills and/or offer to pat him on the head. Azathoth responds by saying being complimented by a game junkie isn't half bad.

Anyways Dagon asks if you guys are ready, then prompts Ebisu to summon the Treasure Ship. Ebisu seems preoccupied, necessitating Dagon to talk to him again. Ebisu tunes back in this time and faces the ship in front of you guys, chanting the activation command to use Sublimation Sail. A shining sail appears and attaches itself to the ship, which then causes golden light to bathe everything and cover the ship. The ship then becomes the Treasure Ship, the ship that carried the Seven Lucky Gods and carries away painful emotions.

Ebisu gets a little nostalgic at seeing the ship again and asks for its help again. After smiling at it for a moment, he turns back to the party and says it's time to get on. Alp's mind is blown as he says the aura of a star is visibly glowing from it. Touji gets excited about seeing the Treasure Ship himself and mentions how it reminds him of how he used to sleep with a picture book of the thing underneath his pillow when he was younger. Azathoth is impressed too as he says it feels like the last vehicle a game gives you to tool around in and explore the world map. Ebisu says once the party is on, you'll need to assign jobs since everyone is needed to move it. Almost everyone responds affirmatively, except for Hotei who is talking to himself about remembering how he used to ride that ship with everyone. Said memories are hazy though, which he compares to having them somehow taken out of him from the way it feels. He decides to dismiss it as something that happened while become a spirit, then psyches up for setting sail.

Some time later, Touji asks how you guys are supposed to actually get into Hotei's dream. Ebisu says that's normally the navigator's job to deal with, but unfortunately you guys don't have that slot filled out. Hotei freaks out a little about you guys not having a plan, then asks whether the Treasure Ship has some super special power it can use. Ebisu protests that he can't do much about that. Moving from dream to dream is one thing, but he's clueless on how to move from the imaginary sea to the dream instead.

You comment on how things are looking grim, say it'd be great if someone could act as a navigator, then comment you guys are so shorthanded you'd take a cat on to help. Ebisu comments that Benten actually is rather whimsical like a cat, but his attention is caught by Azathoth's laughing. Azathoth says that if you want something like a cat then you guys have a hyena around already, and he points at Ebisu's necklace. Ebisu is confused until the necklace starts going off, extending an infinite number of hands to help run the ship.

You react in shock at the hands as you ask what's happening or say you've seen those hands somewhere before, like from someone's tail. While that's going on, either Ebisu or Nyarlathotep call out that the path and route has been mapped out, but then Azathoth laughs and tells everyone to man their battle stations because enemies have been sighted. The party is taken aback at this, and in the next moment a blue trickster pops up to declare it's time for the Bad Brats Brigade's counterattack. He was gonna get started on the pranks, but since there's a glowing ship sitting there he's gonna go after that beforehand. The vending machines he's riding on cheer.

Hotei is shocked that the tricksters are here along with some vending machines. Azathoth sort of explains that the data of whatever they rode on got replaced by some other past data and ended up like that. Bugs like these happen when you cheat in a retro game, just go with it. Out in the real world, Aegir is surprised to see the tricksters in cyberspace too since he kicked them out of Toyosu earlier, though he's impressed that they're surfing on vending machines. Surtr asks in surprise about how they're there, so Dagon says it's not that easy to get into a dream. Them being there however proves to him that there is someone behind all this who can go into dreams since it'd be impossible otherwise.

Back in cyberspace, the vending machines beep about thanking you for your business and ask you to receive your selected item. Blue excitedly eggs them on to keep firing out cans, several of which hit the Treasure Ship. They hit has hard as they would in reality while Blue laughs and has a good time. Alp however is freaking out at juice cans being fired like missiles, and Azathoth calls it a buggy ocean and a battle where anything really can happen. Touji asks if there's anything on board to shoot them down, but Ebisu sadly tells him the Treasure Ship was originally a transport ship and doesn't have anything like that.

Hotei attempts to talk the trickster out of what he's doing by saying he'll destroy the world if he keeps up with the pranks. Blue however disbelieves him thinking it's some bizarre lie, and Hotei admits he can't really do much else besides insist he's telling the truth. Ebisu can't believe he got shut down so fast, and you say you guys have to fight back and ask if anyone can fight in the air or water. Azathoth laughs in response at you and asks if you forgot that the sea is basically his territory, then pulls a keyboard out of nowhere to hit a button on it.

Some time later, Blue notices that the party has gone quiet and asks if things are over already. Hotei, Azathoth, Alp, and Touji all jump up in response keeping up with the sentai aesthetic for the team as they call out their transformations. Li Chou declares things will be different this time since he missed out on joining in with the group transformation, then follows suit. Arc pointedly says they won't join in on the shenanigans, but they do say they'll handle the ship.

Blue is shocked at seeing the away party is flying in the sky, and the party says they won't let him go overboard with the tricks even in the cyber sea. Alp then starts cheering in excitement at how he's flying while Touji grumbles at how off the wall everything is. Halloween can only excuse so much, dammit. You point out that you guys can now pull something off though.

Blue complains about wanting to fly too. Azathoth cackles about how this ocean is easy to glitch out and argues if cans can fly, so can he. Ebisu informs you guys over the VR goggles that he, Li Chou, and Arc will be standing back to keep the Treasure Ship on track. Touji nods, then urges the away party to take the kid down quick and give him candy so he'll go away. Hotei responds affirmatively as he refers to himself as Halloween 1 and calls Touji Halloween 6, then cheers everyone forward. You roll with it as you call yourself Halloween 2 and also urge the party on. Touji gets confused by the call signs, but he sets that aside as everyone else calls back in affirmation. Blue starts rallying his side up for battle, and the episode battle begins as Touji tells everyone to be careful of the cans being shot out. More happens afterwards.

After the battle, the ghosts possessing the vending machines get knocked loose from them as they start begging for mercy and promising to stop. You tell them to ease up on the pranks since it's Trick OR Treat. Blue gets frustrated at how their gang has never managed to beat you at all. The others lost all motivation to continue and looked like they were having fun after getting some candy, and it's totally not like he wants candy either or anything! Hotei however stops him from rambling any further by pointing out that Blue himself is already just pouting about having lost sight of the chance to quit while it'd be easy to do so. But he can still do so now, and Hotei says he can enjoy Halloween more than he currently is, handing over digitalized candy to the kid.

Blue doesn't react much at first, so Hotei tries to tease him into taking it by saying how good the candy made by his friend is. Blue protests that he didn't actually refuse the treat, then demands Hotei give it to him already. Hotei however holds out and says he has something he'll have to say loudly for the class before he will. Blue pouts some more, then gives in as he yells out an apology for going overboard on the tricks and politely requests he be given the candy. Hotei obliges as he tells Blue he's a good kid and wishes him a Happy Halloween. Blue is disgruntled, but he sighs and talks to himself about going back and enjoying sweets with everyone else, and he disconnects with the ghosts who cheerfully thank you guys for the candy and wish you a Happy Halloween.

A moment after they go, Azathoth announces that he's confirmed Blue and the mobs have logged out, so now it's time for you guys to head to the ends of the sea. You thank Hotei, note the trickster left without issue, and wonder if he'll stop with the tricks. Hotei suggests it'll be alright as he calls himself a total optimist. He's got no anxieties whatsoever, and he starts to talk about how the people he met on his journey would be so gracious and charitable to him no matter how hard things are on them when a flash of his other self flits into his head and derails his train of thought.

Hotei is confused enough to ask what he was talking about, so you either ask if he's okay or say he was talking about charity or kindness before he stopped. Hotei thinks on it for a moment longer before he decides to give up and figures he'll know later. He prompts you to get ready to keep going towards his dream. You are less than assured by his lack of concern about this, though you note that it is like him to be that way.

Time passes, and Alp is acting as a guide for the party by literally sniffing the way towards Hotei's dream. Dagon phones in to warn you guys to be careful. Once you get in you will actually be within someone's dream, which will mean you'll be cut off from the Toyosu side in terms of communication. He apologizes for not being able to follow along any further and says he'll pray for Cthulhu's profane protection for you all. Aegir is less worried as he tells you guys to look out as you go in, sure that you'll be fine since you beat him before. Surtr also asks the party to be careful, saying that while there isn't that much time, you shouldn't rush things.

Dagon says they'll continue electronically verifying your existences back at the classroom, which should help in keeping your identities defined and distinct from one another. But to do that he'll need two more helpers with a deep bond with you guys to decipher the data, so Dagon asks for two people besides Hotei to come back. It's just a matter of willing yourselves back, and they're still standing next to your bodies.

Arc volunteers to go back and ties their chain to the Treasure Ship, saying that might help guide you guys back home. Dagon decides to ask Li Chou to come back too since he figures he looks smart, and Li is flattered as hell as he says he'll do it. Arc asks you to watch over Azathoth before they go since he's their adorable little brother. Azathoth is pleased by this but comments that there's no room for family at an esports tournament. You wave bye to the two and say you'll be back soon. Ebisu says he'll turn the Treasure Ship towards Hotei's dream, then cautions everyone to be careful since there's no telling what's in there, and Dagon watches the rest of you sail on ahead.

Time passes as you reach Hotei's dream, which puts you in the dream lands area. You express confusion upon seeing it, noting you feel like you've seen it before. Nyarlathotep pops in cackling and welcoming you guys to the place. Nyarl Clone 2 asks if you're looking for a real body or a bad end memory of the world. Clone 3 says a lonely king twisted in love indulges in clownery, so how far will you go to entertain him? Taking the same route is boring, so how about a new one? Interested in getting buried by the sea of imaginary numbers Azathoth? And so the episode ends, with Hotei's dream covered in Lost Data, a large amount of chaos.