Live A Hero Chapter 5 Episode 1: The City that Awaits the End (Abridged)

Mokdai (narrating): So it's almost a week after a kaiju stomped on our city and life has changed a LOT. Residential zones? It's like the big bad wolf came and blew them all down. A bunch of heroes and Observers pieced evidence together and told the normies about a giant monster being a thing. Literally everyone is worrying about whether they can keep living here.
Mokdai (narrating): Japan's government has sealed up at least half of Orient City's central ward. Anyone who happened to live there had to take temporary refuge in the few suburban wards that didn't look like Godzilla walked all over it. The National Defense Force is enforcing lockdown into here, and being a hero doesn't give you a free pass in. Apparently Japan and Future UN are having a conference to figure out what to do with the giant monster, but the news say they aren't getting anywhere because they have like nothing to go on.
Mokdai (narrating): Those of us in Parallel Flight is staying in a hot spring resort on the south side of town that Nessen runs. We're using a room there as a temp office. There's some other agencies over here too, and we're all doing our best to prepare for the upcoming big battle. I'll have to get back to you on how we're actually going to get over there.

Present
Parallel Flight and UEHA are sparring.
MC: Akashi, on your right! / Mokdai, behind! / Sui, your left!
(A) Akashi: Let's play tennis with a baseball bat!
Barrel: HAX
(B) Mokdai: Got it! Mokdai PUNCH!
Gammei: Oh god how strong are you!?
(C) Sui: Right! Here I go!
Victom: I'm impressed you kicked my rope back. You're getting better at this.

Furlong: Super Soaker! Max!
Ryekie: Ha! You gotta do better than that! Justice Punch!
Furlong: Agh! You really are strong...
Kyoichi: Damn, Parallel Flight is winning this match even with the team having three newbies. What the hell happened?
Shouen: ...who knows? But many outrageous things are happening. They may have been forced to grow to deal with it.
Toshu: Parallel Flight may have grown, but UEHA being wounded is having an effect as well. The gunner for example keeps rubbing his eyes. That must make aiming difficult, even if his weapon is supposed to have aimbot.
Barrel: (breathing hard)
Gammei: Y-you okay? Your eye still looks bad. You could have just sat out instead of forcing yourself to joining in the sparring match...
Barrel: NO! The Monster isn't going to be waiting for me to get better! My eye just sorta blurs from time to time, but my vision is mostly back to normal! I wanna keep going!!
MC: Barrel... / But this could be bad for you! / Well I do understand how you feel...

Ryekie: ...MC, he's not going to listen. Don't worry, we'll be careful when we attack. Let's keep going, since it's true we don't have much time left.
MC: Okay...
Barrel: ...alright, sorry to slow things down! Let's get back on track!
Gammei: You can be such a brat. Well, don't do anything too reckless.
Furlong: I can keep going too! If Barrel is going to keep trying, then I can't slow down either!
Victom: Ah, youth.
Akashi: Hey! WE'RE tired! Are we really doing this again!?
Mokdai: Well, we are leaving ourselves open a lot while we move. It might be good to keep going.
Sui: Yeah, I think I'm close to figuring out a better way to use my weapon too.
Akashi: Dammit, now it sounds like I'm the only whiner here! FINE! I'm in!
Ryekie: Haha! Follow me, everybody! MC, we're counting on you to keep operating!
MC: Okay!
BATTLE START (more happens afterwards) 

Crowne: (sadly watches the match from a guest room)
Nessen: Excuse me, I'm here to change the bedding.
Crowne: H-huh? Oh, sorry. Just put the sheets over there, thanks.
Nessen: ...they're working hard. Maybe I should have joined them...
Crowne: What? But you're busy with refugees and doing your day job. We all owe you for taking us in when we had nowhere else to go.
Nessen: Well, I'm glad to be of service. We all should help each other when times are hard. And Huckle is the way he is at the moment...
Crowne: ...yeah.

Nessen: ...is something wrong?
Crowne: Nah. Just that watching them train is...making me think of stuff.
Nessen: Such as?
Crowne: ...did I ever tell you about my doppelganger who showed up and turned Huckle into what he is now...?
Nessen: Oh, yes...
Crowne: ...yeah. I couldn't do anything to stop them. I didn't even figure out why they were doing what they did, even with all our similarities. So what do I do? If they show up again...could I face them? Could I pick something up to fight them?
Nessen: ...Crowne.

Outside
Shouen: ...! Incoming!
Kyoichi: Wha--(earthquake hits)--OH MY GOD
Akashi: EARTHQUAKE
Mokdai: FALLING
Ryekie: Everyone, get down! MC, can you hear it!?
Giant Monster: (screaming from far away)
MC: Yeah...it's the big one.
Victom: ...huh. The quakes have been increasing too, so it must be close to awakening.
Barrel: We can't just sit still then! Let's keep training!

Akashi: What!? We can't keep this up anymore!
Gammei: Stop you idiot! How long do you think we've been at this already!? We can all see you aren't all okay! And if we force the training on it'll just waste time!
Barrel: B-but what do I do!? We have to win next time for the city and for ourselves! The city won't last if we lose! We don't even have anything to throw at the giant Monster! Aren't you bothered!?
Akashi: Barrel...
Gammei: OF COURSE I AM! But...there's just too little we can do. We have no cards to put on the table and no plans we can make.
Victom: The Defense Department, huh? We'll never get close to the monster while they're holding the blockade up.
Furlong: They're shutting out even high ranking heroes. If we force our way in they're arresting us at the very least.
Shouen: With no idea of what to even do, we're just quarantining things to keep casualties down, huh?
Toshu: If we don't fight, we can't win either...talk about being between a rock and a hard place.
MC: Hmm...
Mokdai: ...MC. We all feel the same, but...
Barrel: (crying) how did the city get into this position...!?

Ryekie: HAHAHA! Come on everybody! Don't look so down! Think, you can't have had easy battles your entire career so far, right!?
Kyoichi: Umm, the situation's kinda escalating the scale here...
Ryekie: Our battles are always filled with obstacles and hardship! But we've always overcome them and saved our world! We've beaten the odds against horrible odds and survived, haven't we!?
Sui: ...Ryekie!
Ryekie: This battle is just another big bump on the road! We can think of things like that, can't we!? We have a hope of winning somehow. We just gotta find it! I made it to S Class that way at least! There will always be a light to guide the way to the future!!!
Barrel: Justice...!
Kyoichi: Okay I feel stupid for feeling down earlier. Yeah, you're right! We gotta face forward! If I falter, then I won't be able to guide the children cheering on for me!
Ryekie: (smiles)
MC: (noticed over days that Ryekie is forcing his smile) ...

Later
Barrel: I'm feeling inspired by Justice, wow!
Akashi: Wow that was fast. But, yeah. I'm surprised Ryekie said all that.
Sui: Doesn't he say things like that like all the time?
Akashi: I dunno, something seems different...
Mokdai: I kinda get that, now that you've said so. Like it feels weird that Ryekie is being so focused on being optimistic.
Kyoichi: Maybe you're overthinking it? Ryekie doesn't lie.
Toshu: Yeah he's terrible at lying. I think he wasn't lying back there.
Akashi: Hmm...
Barrel: Oh! I wanna thank Ryekie somehow! I'll get him something for helping out with the training for so long!
Kyoichi: Sounds good! There's gotta be something here that'd be great for that.
Barrel: Like...what?
Kyoichi: Justice likes one of the local specialties here. Look, in that store over there!

Elsewhere
Ryekie: MC, why'd you stop me to talk in private? Is something up? We gotta hurry before the lunch buffet is gone! Like that favorite dish you and Akashi both like and--
MC: Ryekie...are you forcing yourself to smile?
Ryekie: ...w-what!? You know I'm bad at lying! I was speaking from the heart before and--
MC: It's not the words themselves. But you really are forcing a smile, aren't you?
Ryekie: W-well...!

Huckle: Mr. Ryekie, do you have a moment?
Ryekie: ! ...w-what's wrong? Is there something you don't understand again?
Huckle: Yes, who is the person whose name is written on this document? I don't remember them at all... If I'm the company director, shouldn't I be giving this paper to them myself? If I am, I want to avoid being rude as much as possible...
Ryekie: ...oh! Don't worry about it! That's the commander of UEHA Japan! We've told him what's up, and he knows me. If we need to talk to him, I can do it!
Huckle: O-oh. I feel bad though...is it okay to rely on you so much?
Ryekie: ...! D-don't worry about it. You can count on me.
Huckle: ...alright. I'll take you up on your offer. I'll see you again when I'm done with the paperwork.
Ryekie: C-cool...later Huckle...

Ryekie: (sigh)
MC: Oh, so it is about Huckle...
Ryekie: ...I really can't bluff past you like I just did everyone else. (scratches head and sighs before speaking quieter than ever)
Ryekie: ...Huckle is both a partner I've fought alongside for years and a friend I've always seen on and off the battlefield. We've argued sometimes, but we could always be honest with each other and count on one another.
Ryekie: (droops shoulders) But now, our bond and history of trust is mostly gone. It's not his fault. I can mourn it, but it won't bring his memories back. Still...it feels like there's a hole in my heart. Like Huckle was taken away...
MC: Ryekie... / I understand how you feel / I see...

Ryekie: I'm the S Class Hero who's done tons and gotten the respect and trust of a lot of people, so I can't let everyone see me be weak. I have to be a model. I just...don't know how long I can keep it up mentally myself.
Huckle (just around the corner): ... (quietly leaves)
Nessen: Oh, Ryekie, MC. Here you two are.
MC: Oh, Nessen. Were you looking for us?
Nessen: Yes, you all have a visitor. They went to your room, so please hurry on back.
Ryekie: A...visitor...?
End of Episode