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.

Live A Hero Space Taxi Chasers Episode 7

The sun is starting to set on Tenteres and the scenery turns breathtaking. The light dances off the reddening sands as the party's taxi zooms along. Shaft yells he's here to pick up the party and tells the trio who's been fighting on foot to get in. Mokdai thanks Shaft, and you either talk to Kalaski saying the cavalry is here or wave Alchiba over. In A, Kalaski says everything is going to plan, then thanks you and Shaft. In B, Alchiba breathes a sigh of relief saying you guys have great timing and jokes that you guys are on the same wavelength.

 

Behind you guys, one of the mercenary is shaking his fist and swears to not let you guys pass and ruin things for Vulpecula. Kalaski tells the guy to piss off, but since there's no time to say any more than that he tells Alchiba it's time to get going. Kalaski also waves to Mokdai to come along and get ready to jump into the car. Mokdai responds that he's coming and asks that you guys not ditch him. You and Shaft reach out to pull Kalaski and Alchiba in, and after you guys pull Mokdai in next, Shaft goes back to his seat.

 

Shaft yells that he's going to be driving full speed ahead to the monolith and asks everyone to hang on. He whispers next his hope that the car doesn't get a space flat tire. When the car starts revving, Mokdai starts yelling about the car shaking since planetary driving mode apparently turns off the gravity control. Kalaski is relatively unfazed as he comments on Shaft being more animated and wonders why. Shaft says he's finally opened up his eyes when you told him something. If what he can do can help you guys, then he'll put his all into it. And the thing he can do right now is take you guys where you guys want to go.

 

At that point your phone faintly glows, showing you the familiar path found window message, although the car hitting a bump or something causes you to drop the phone down. Shaft notices nothing as he asks you to come up to the passenger side seat and help him with his map display. You are taken by surprise by the request as you pop back up from picking up your phone, and when you look at it again the window from earlier has disappeared. And since you can't do anything about that you do as he asks and climb forward to fiddle with the map, commenting that you feel like there was a big waste just now.

 

Title card pops up, and this episode is called Space Taxi Chasers!

 

Back to the story, Mokdai is looking out the window and mutters to himself about you guys getting close to the monoliths and the showdown with Vulpecula. Kalaski can hear him and agrees, then notices something off in the distance. Way up ahead is a space truck, which looks to be more heavily armored than necessary if it's here to make a delivery. Kalaski thinks aloud that there aren't any towns on the planet to deliver too since most everyone evacuated to elsewhere, and the only thing up ahead is the monoliths. Alchiba adds that the warp gate is down for the day, so there shouldn't be a delivery truck to begin with. Based on how showy the truck is, he also observes that it's more likely to be from an organization's like an army instead of a private truck.

Kalaski says that the army stationed on the planet has been withdrawn due to a ceasefire, and he starts thinking about who's left on the planet that would still be that dangerous when the party comes to a realization together who it could be. Mokdai is the one to say the truck must belong to Vulpecula and says you guys can't leave it alone. Said truck starts behaving oddly, swerving around in a panic like it's noticed your approach and speeding up. The taxi's navi starts making an announcement too, and it tells you guys it senses a heat signature within the truck up ahead as it warns there may be something dangerous on board.

Kalaski is shocked that the car's nav system is giving a heat warning to you guys, so Shaft explains the warning tends to pop up a lot when he gets near military vehicles and fuel transports. The sensor goes off around rockets and stockpiles of firearms, and he remembers the manual saying it'd also react to bombs and missiles. Mokdai is alarmed at the mentions of the latter two things, and Kalaski is sure there must be something crazy on board that is meant to destroy the monoliths with. He asks Shaft to step on it, so Shaft says he will as he accelerates the taxi again. There are fewer and fewer ruined buildings as you all proceed, and eventually the one truck ahead of you guys is the only other thing out on the desert.

Kalaski figures if you guys can stop the truck then it'll stop Vulpecula's schemes. He asks Shaft to open a door so that he can go pin down its movements. He gets ready to go, but Alchiba stops him and brings up the possibility that Kalaski could end up setting off the bomb inside the truck. And with how big the truck is, a bomb inside it would be powerful enough that the blast would reach you guys too. Mokdai tries pointing out that it'll destroy the monoliths if it gets there before you guys do, and while Alchiba concedes the point, he feels it appeared way too conveniently.

Alchiba thinks to himself, and the rest of the party is tense while watching him. Alchiba says he must be overlooking something to be thinking something is wrong with the truck. He turns to you to ask for your opinion with the deductions like he has all event, and you either say it's moving too fast, say the truck is leading you guys on, or say it's baiting you guys into attacking it. Alchiba says you're right whichever option you choose, though the reason differs for each choice. In A, Alchiba reasons that if it does have a bomb on board, it couldn't be going that fast. In B, Alchiba agrees that it's trying to lure you guys away so it must be a trap. In C, Alchiba says it deliberately let you guys see it and is trying to get you to follow it when it zoomed off.

In any case, Alchiba deduces there isn't really a bomb on board the space truck. You however bring up you guys can't tell without opening it up and that you guys can't risk the possibility his reasoning is wrong. Alchiba decides to go along with your concerns and asks you guys to hang onto your seats. Kalaski attempts to get Alchiba to explain himself, but Alchiba ignores him as he opens a door and leans out. Alchiba comments on his disbelief that his old marksmanship practice would be helping him out here, but he asks everyone to believe in him and his deductions before firing.

The truck is somewhere between 10 to 20 meters away from the taxi at this point, and Alchiba fires twice. Kalaski freaks out at this and tells you to get down in case the truck is carrying a bomb, but Alchiba manages to burn off the two locks on the truck's doors. You are amazed at this, then note that the doors are opening. The truck turns out to be empty as Mokdai points out, and Kalaski says you guys would have had your names added to the memorials if Alchiba was wrong. Kalaski then has a thought and wonders why Shaft's car sensor went off then. Alchiba admits his hands were sweating a bit, but he declares that the truck has now been proven to be trying to lead you guys away, then tells Shaft to get away from the truck and push ahead for the monoliths.

Shaft responds affirmatively, though he's taken aback when mercenaries reveal themselves from the truck ahead and start aiming their guns at you guys. You yell out to Shaft to dodge them, so Shaft tells everyone to hold onto something. The mercenaries start firing at you guys in a shower of lasers, but Shaft manages to pull some evasive maneuvers and bank around them all without slowing down. Mokdai attempts to ask if the heat signature that set off the car sensor was the mercenaries' guns in between getting jostled around, and Kalaski is both amazed and baffled at how crazy Shaft is driving. Shaft says he can read the enemy's movements, meaning he can figure out how to misdirect their fire and find safe spots to drive through.

Shaft continues cutting his way through the laser beams, but eventually Alchiba is shocked to see at least 8 more space trucks flying around in the area both ahead and to the sides of you guys. The trucks are surrounding you and slowly approaching in. Kalaski curses that the villains have already set up their formation, and if you guys can't break out of it you won't be able to get to the monoliths. Mokdai points out the earlier ship is moving strangely again, which upon further observation is turning around to face you guys. You worry about them attempting to ram you and call to Shaft, and Shaft says an ex-pro rugby player has his tricks before calling himself a fighting taxi driver.

Shaft makes the smallest movement possible to counter the enemy truck's charge, then barely grazes his way past them all. He tells you it'll be okay as he compares their movements to tackles. Since he can read that he can avoid them, and he asks you to believe in him. Kalaski is impressed by how determined Shaft looks and comments he's found the thing he can do, then warns him enemies are coming from both sides. Shaft acknowledges the warning and quickly weaves the car past, barely slipping past the laser fire.

Kalaski says he's going to open the door and shoot back, then asks which way he should point at. Shaft thanks Kalaski and asks him to focus on the left side while the mercenaries are reloading. Kalaski does as asked, using his ultimate move to control the incoming laser fire. Mokdai starts cheering about there being less enemies now. Alchiba has been looking around thinking about something, and Mokdai's comment seems to trigger a realization in him. When he voices this, you ask him what he figured out, so Alchiba decides to set this up as another quiz style deduction for you. So, Alchiba noticed that there's been one truck in particular among the bunch that's always been slightly away in a safer spot and points it out to you off to the right. Now why would one of the trucks be off to the side like that when you guys have been pushing your way through?

You say that truck must have Vulpecula in it or the bomb in it, and either way Alchiba says you're right. Vulpecula's pulling the needle in a haystack trick, which Alchiba figures is because he didn't have the time for anything fancier. Case analyzed! Alchiba then yells to Shaft about Vulpecula being in that one truck over there and asks him to pull in closer to it, so Shaft says he'll do it and asks Kalaski to run interference. Kalaski says he can handle it, but since he's been spamming his ultimate so much he's running low on stamina, so he asks if five seconds is enough time.

Shaft says that's plenty of time and charges the taxi ahead. Kalaski whispers over to you to ask that you cancel out his hero form after he fires off his ultimate again so he can get some rest before facing Vulpecula. You agree to it and apologize for how much he's pushing himself. Kalaski waves it off, then fires his ultimate to delay the mercenaries' attacks on the taxi momentarily. Alchiba follows up using his ultimate to provide covering fire, and Shaft takes the opportunity to slip the taxi by.

Kalaski sighs after he reverts to civilian form, apologizing for taking a breather and saying he'll bounce back soon. Alchiba says he's done well and notes that that one truck is the only thing left. Mokdai asks Shaft if he can stop that truck without damaging it, so Shaft says he'll try. It's probably going to make people's heads spin, but he asks you guys try to keep steady. Shaft floors the pedal until the taxi is just under top speed, then cutting ahead of the truck and spinning the steering wheel hard.

Shaft's speed trick sends you screaming, and the truck swerves away to avoid ramming into the taxi while stomping on the brakes. Kalaski is surprised the truck actually stopped and compliments Shaft. Mokdai moans about his dizziness, but he compliments Shaft too. Shaft is glad everyone seems fine and admits he did overdo things a little. You either ask Mokdai if he's okay or tell everyone to stay on guard. A gets an extra line where Mokdai says he's hanging in there and can keep fighting.

Anyways, Alchiba says the truck doors are open and asks you to take command with the operation. Mokdai tells you to be careful and for you and Shaft to not leave the car. He'll be shielding you guys in the meantime. You nod and wish everyone good luck, and the party nods back before jumping out of the taxi. Kalaski asks you to transform him back again since he's okay to fight now, but a voice says he can't let you guys do that. Vulpecula warps in behind Kalaski and proceeds to knock him out with a karate chop to the neck.

You yell out to Kalaski in alarm, but Shaft stops you from leaving the taxi due to the danger. Vulpecula assures you he only knocked Kalaski out, then says he predicted Kalaski would have to push himself to stop the other trucks and cancel his transformation afterwards. Alchiba yells at him for attacking someone who isn't transformed, so Vulpecula responds that he'd be in his old cage if he could act in a mannerly way. He'd probably have chosen to disappear before that happens though. He'd have preferred incapacitating you as well, but fortunately for you you're in a tricky spot for him to try reaching.

Mokdai declares he won't let Vulpecula touch you and challenges him to a fight, moving to stand in front of both Kalaski and the car. He glares at him as he says he has something to say to him in Kalaski's place, which interests Vulpecula enough to lend an ear. Mokdai starts talking about how he doesn't know much about the planet, but he's learned from Alchiba how the people here live their days. He also learned how Alchiba felt in chasing after Vulpecula up to this point.

Mokdai takes a step forward, continuing his speech by talking about how he's only met him twice now but understands how much Vulpecula values living in the present. However, Mokdai feels that what Vulpecula is doing is harming others who are living in the present as well. He was surprised when he saw Kalaski's photos, and he concedes that there are a lot of people suffering in the moment. But there's also a lot of people trying their best to live their best lives right now, and the thing that supports these people is interpersonal connections. Even if those people die, that bond between them lives within others in the present. Vulpecula destroying cultural sites is harming those people living in the present, which makes them unable to live in said present. As such, Mokdai accuses Vulpecula of being contradictory.

Vulpecula stays silent at said accusation. Alchiba agrees with Mokdai, saying things filled with feelings and memories of the past bring support to people living in the present so they can walk towards the future. The past may being pain they might rather forget, he says as he looks over towards Shaft, but it is their right to choose whether the pain stops them or pushes them forward, not Vulpecula. Vulpecula is wrong to destroy things willy nilly, even if he's doing this to run from his own pain.

Vulpecula asks if that's all you guys have to say, calling your words ugly, empty platitudes. He calls Alchiba the one who's contradictory, protecting the past of others while hating his own, but Alchiba interrupts to say that's his past self now. That's why he's surpassed his past with this new form to stand against him, and he readies his gun against Vulpecula. Off to the side, Shaft is looking over at Alchiba and mumbles to himself what he said and asks if he's still lost himself.

Vulpecula dismisses Alchiba's argument as nonsense and challenges him to beat down his minions and capture him if he can. Vulpecula calls the mercenaries up, and the mobs all pour out of the trucks to stand in front of him ready to battle. Alchiba tells Mokdai that it doesn't look like they can talk Vulpecula to your guys' perspective. Mokdai concedes that's the case, so he asks you to handle the operating. You agree after a moment and tell them to be careful.

You do your best to command Alchiba and Mokdai and spot attacks for them, but Kalaski is still out cold. The mercenaries stay in formation and keep the pressure up on them, leaving no time to even catch a breath, and without a plan the two start wearing out. Vulpecula seems disappointed that the two of them can't fight back against superior numbers, leaving him no room to join in on it. As such, he flourishes his cape and tells the minions to handle it while he goes back to the truck to get the main show started.

Shaft asks you if there's really nothing he can be doing now, frustrated. You don't have an answer for him, and Shaft starts talking about understanding a little earlier that nothing he's done has been a waste up to this point. His time as a rugby player and time as a hero will help him as he is now, so he wants to help the party somehow. Your phone glows in response, brighter than it did before. Shaft doesn't seem to notice as he talks about suffering enough that he wanted to forget about it, but he says if he did forget it all his current self wouldn't be here. He's not cool enough to say he's broken free of his past, but he still wants to put everything he has into whatever he can do now.

Your phone lights up with the path found message window for Shaft, so you tell him this must be the future he's chosen. You see an unshakable determination in his eyes, and Shaft is surprised at the idea of becoming a hero again. He steels himself, looking like he's getting ready to play rugby again as a serious look fills his face, and he grabs your shoulders. He confirms he wants to be a hero again and asks you to change him, so you comply and hit the connect button on the command window.

A bright light covers Shaft, and Vulpecula is shocked by the sudden appearance of a new hero at this point. Mokdai is surprised as well and asks if Shaft is the one transforming. Alchiba notes that this is the light of a path connecting and says he was waiting for Shaft. The light flashes to reveal Shaft in his hero form, and he takes a moment to refamiliarize himself to the feeling of power welling inside of him. He recognizes that his power is to show the way for others, so he takes it upon himself to guide everyone. He tells you he can do this and says he still hasn't brought everyone to where you guys wanted to go, then jumps out of the taxi.

Mokdai notices that Shaft's hero form is different from his old Iron Man form, though his though is interrupted by gunfire. Vulpecula takes a moment to remember Shaft's name. Now that he's discovered his present self, Vulpecula says all he needs to do is cut away his past now. Shaft returns Vulpecula's interested gaze back, declaring he won't treat things like other people's problems anymore and saying Vulpecula is wrong. Everyone in the party had worried about him, so he as a hero will show them the path he believes is right.

Vulpecula sighs in disappointment, saying he'd have left him alone if he chose to discard his past. But since Shaft is standing against him now too, Vulpecula decides he'll beat his philosophy into you all even if it goes against his aesthetics. You tell the party to be careful and to stay focused, and Mokdai nods as he asks Shaft to work together with everyone. Alchiba says that this time you guys will make Vulpecula understand by force. Shaft says he won't lose his way anymore since he can't be that way as your driver. He swears to take you guys to where you want to go and to the future, and so the episode battle begins.

Live A Hero Space Taxi Chasers Episode 6

Shaft starts narrating and talks about being lost at what to do with himself when rugby and heroing were closed off to him. Fortunately he had some savings from his last job at least, so he decided he should use them as funding to finding himself some work he could do alone and not bother anyone with. Shaft then talks to himself saying there's no way there'd be anything that would conveniently fit those parameters. And of course not, as work is a team thing that requires your participation in. Shaft talks about how he forgot that even one job is founded on the work of many others. With that in mind, Shaft decided he should at least look for a job where he'd be able to take sole responsibility for what he did. And so he made use of the one skill he had left which was driving a space car, then began working as a taxi driver.

 

In a flashback to the past, Shaft talks about paying the fees to join a taxi organization, dispatch registration, comm installation and the space taxi itself blew out almost all of his savings. Whether or not things would go well, Shaft had no other choice but to go all in, so he psyches himself up to do his best. He liked driving, but he didn't really have the know-how to make a living off of it. He had no idea how to actually find customers, and he had to struggle through with things. Everything came back to him, so he did his best to learn so he could do things well this time.

 

Life was unkind to Shaft. In one job, Shaft goes to greet a customer and somehow bumps into them, leaving him to frantically ask if they're okay. In another job, Shaft brings his customer to what he believes is their destination, only to find out they were heading for somewhere else. He had tried his best, but his work life was just a string of disasters piling on up. He chose a job hoping to not be a bother to those around him, yet that was what he did. Was he this much of a screwup when he was a rugby player? ...well no, he's not even a rugby player anymore. He's just Shaft now. He doesn't want to remember his past and cling to old glories anymore.

 

After a sigh, Shaft looks at his dusty old hero licence. On paper Shaft has transferred to a different hero agency, Global Drivers Union, but his licence remains suspended. He talks to himself about how that's understandable. If a hero can't become a hero, he might as well not be there. There's nothing else he can really do anymore, aside from beg for forgiveness for all his blunders. If he can just stick to his job, things will be okay. He'll have money and be able to eat, and then he can try to improve in his work. Maybe then his life wouldn't be so hollow... Today he hopes he won't make a mistake. Today he hopes he won't cause anyone problems. Today he hopes he won't disappoint anyone. It's tiring waking up with that depression hanging over him. God, some other hero, anyone really...can someone out there tell him how to get out of this funk?

 

Back to the present, Kalaski asks Mokdai if anyone is still following the party. Mokdai looks out the window looking nervous to check, but he sees that you guys seem to have made it out and thanks Kalaski for his plan. The party sighs and lets the tension melt out, and you compliment everyone for doing well and/or be relieved that everyone is okay for now.

 

Kalaski says it might be too early to be letting your guard, but that said everyone did great in cutting through so many enemies stacked against you to get out of there. Shaft says he was worried about everyone and is glad you're all okay, then says he'll set the car to autopilot so he sit in closer for the strategy meeting. Alchiba starts talking about how he hasn't seen through Vulpecula's teleportation trick yet, but finding out Kalaski's ability could work on him is a good find. Mokdai looks a bit sad as he turns to Alchiba and asks why Vulpecula would be so set on destroying the past that he'd lead a bunch of others for it. From what he can tell, Vulpecula isn't doing this for the evulz, and he says he'd be a great hero if he turned his power and efforts towards defending people.

 

Alchiba thinks on the question and says that only Vulpecula himself is privy to his motive, but from his own experience it doesn't seem like destruction is his actual desire. He keeps talking about stealing away the past, which Alchiba reframes as erasing. His friends seem to sympathize with him, and Alchiba believes they probably have dark pasts they want to get rid of as well. You consider the idea of not wanting to think about unpleasant things, but you say you feel that's nothing unusual. Mokdai says he wants Vulpecula to atone for his crimes and work as a hero. There's a lot of crimes to make up for, and he realizes he sounds naive, but he still wants him to consider it.

Kalaski says that if that's the ideal Mokdai is holding, he'll have to put in the effort to make it come true. People can have whatever ideals they want, and it's the job of heroes like them to realize them. Mokdai agrees after thinking for a second, and he says he needs to make Vulpecula accept the idea too as he nods to himself and balls up his fists. Shaft comments on how amazing Mokdai is for trying to understand Vulpecula and wanting to show him the right path to take. Mokdai is embarrassed as he says he's not that amazing. He just likes sentai and anime, and he finds it really cool when the heroes and villains have their own unyielding beliefs in justice and clash them together. Now that he's a hero too, he's thought about how he'll be doing that too, though the thought does embarrass him.

Shaft feels a bit ashamed of himself seeing how into this Mokdai is, saying Mokdai does his best for the things he likes while all he can do is hide while everyone fights. He apologizes for not being any help despite there being a villain right in front of him, and he looks away and deflates. Alchiba shakes his head at this, saying Shaft is being too self-deprecating and he should be affirming himself the most. Shaft apologizes again, and Alchiba admits that everyone has times where they loathe themselves. Shaft himself noticeably has some serious mental baggage.

Alchiba cups his chin as he thinks for a moment before continuing. Since the party is up against armed villains in this case, Shaft doesn't have any reason to mentally beat himself up for not being able to help fight. Even if they weren't trying to hurt anyone there's always the chance that a stray bullet could hit him. No matter what he did in his past, Shaft is now a noncombatant driver taking the group over to the memorial monoliths. He's doing his best to complete his job, and that's good enough. That's already helping everyone.

Shaft concedes the point and apologizes for saying too much. Kalaski decides to clarify for Alchiba and says he's worried for him. Nobody here thinks of Shaft as a useless waste of space; they want him to do what he can do. No one is planning to grill Shaft over what happened in his past, but since he can't act as a hero right now, he's a civilian everyone should protect. Wouldn't he say the same thing if he were a hero? Shaft pats down his chest as he looks more cheerful than before, agreeing with the point and saying he was overthinking things. You either tease Alchiba for not being more forthcoming or Kalaski for being nice. In A, Alchiba says he's always honest and straightforward. He might not have said enough though, so he'll have to be careful of that. In B, Kalaski sighs and says he wasn't trying to comfort Shaft. He was just speaking the truth.

Anyways, Alchiba thinks for a moment as he looks over at Shaft. It might not be of any help at the moment, but he offers to talk about his past while you guys take a break. So, he used to be what the Earth would call a police force, but stuff happened and he ended up quitting. He temporarily lost the ability to become a hero after that no matter how much he tried, which he notes is the same with Shaft. He feels that he was more self-indulgent than he'd like to admit or think about back then, and when he lost the power to be a hero he lost the motivation to find another job. Supporting himself took all his effort then, but he slowly figured out what he could do between his last job and the way he is now. When he decided to be a detective rather than a hero or policeman, he changed a bit. That's why he decided to live embodying his new wish and belief in making things clearly black and white. It was then that he regained his ability to be a hero, and he feels his new wish led him back to that point.

Shaft looks surprised at this story, and Alchiba says while he's proud of his current work, it's the same thing Shaft is doing when you get down to it. It's helping people who are in trouble. Shaft just does it by driving them where they want to go while Alchiba solves mysteries and investigates. Alchiba suggests Shaft could stand to be prouder of his work, so Shaft thanks him and wonders if that's how it should be.

Alchiba smiles and jokingly continues by saying Shaft's a disaster of a driver, but he asks him to stick with you guys until you get to your destination. Mokdai agrees, saying it was Shaft who had the idea to check for Vulpecula's video updates. Kalaski adds that Shaft was the one who told the party about the dream burial bird to figure out the video riddle. He may not have confidence in himself, but there's still meaning in him doing what needs to be done and him knowing what he knows. Shaft still looks at a loss at how to process what everyone's saying to him, but his eyes look brighter than they have before. He admits he still thinks of himself as a drag on you guys, but he thanks everyone again saying all the comments are making him feel more upbeat.

Shaft gives an embarrassed laugh, at which point you notice something up front and ask if it's the monoliths. Shaft says you guys are almost there now, but he notices something in front of them the next moment. He shuffles back over to the driver's seat and hits the zoom button on the dashboard, and the screen shows that there are mercenaries waiting up ahead. Kalaski notes that they're Vulpecula's minions and says there's clearly more of them than you guys saw earlier. He asks you to get everyone transformed so the party can go greet them.

You comply with the request and ask everyone to be careful. Once the party is suited up, Alchiba sighs at how there hasn't been time to really have a break from the fighting. For now though, he asks you to stay in the car with Shaft and operate from here. Mokdai also asks you to run the camera and says it's been prepped for streaming, then remembers to ask you to mute the microphone this time to make it video only. He can run the sound with a mic on his end, and he says doing it that way should bring in even more views. Mokdai then says he'll do his best out there, so you say you understand and will take care of things.

Kalaski hands Shaft a radio transceiver and asks him to keep in touch while avoiding the enemies. Shaft agrees to the request, so Kalaski asks if Mokdai and Alchiba are ready to jump out when they get closer to the enemies. Alchiba says he is and says there being this many mobs around means Vulpecula should be nearby too. He also decides to treat this as a warm up for his new form, and Mokdai says he's ready to fight and try to make Vulpecula see things his way. Kalaski counts down then, and once he hits zero the party jumps out. Shaft wishes everyone good luck, then talks to himself about doing the things he can do himself. The episode battle begins as he says you guys are heading in too and warns you the ride will get bumpy. The story continues after that.

After the battle, the story tunes in midway as Alchiba uses his ultimate to laser blast his way through the mercenaries. The finisher damages them, but the mobs still try to rally themselves to block the way. Kalaski runs in to use his burst shot to disrupt their formation, setting them up for Mokdai to swing in with his own finishing move. Mokdai's attack kicks up a shockwave, and you continue filming all this through the window as Shaft keeps driving.

Shaft is surprised at how the party is pushing through despite the huge numbers disadvantage against you guys. He then remembers to radio Kalaski and informs him you guys will be able to break through the enemy lines in a moment. He says that positioning the monoliths at 12 oclock and banking to 3 oclock, he'll be able to come pick up the party so you guys can all zoom off to the destination. Kalaski gives a quick affirmative response, then relays the message to Alchiba and Mokdai.

Shaft gets himself mentally ready, then asks you to handle the camera from the passenger side seat. You agree to this and say his directing is perfect, which causes Shaft to laugh as he thanks you. Now that he's found something he can do, it seems he's giving it his all. You note that he's avoiding all the stray bullets flying out there and has great driving skills, though Shaft says it's not that amazing. He says he actually hasn't been in the driving business that long, and he starts to talk about a previous job before trailing off. His brows knit as he takes a deep breath, then keeps his eyes straight ahead as he asks if you'll listen to him.

Shaft admits he knows this isn't the best time to be having this conversation, but he wanted you to hear him out a bit. He has a certain worry on his mind, and while you guys have found out about it already, he talks about how he's always made a lot of mistakes even back then. He slightly hangs his head in shame, but he pushes through with his confessional to say he hated how clumsy he was. He always told himself he had to keep it together, but he kept bothering people and became anxious about whether he was souring them on him. Eventually he tried to distance himself to keep from being a bother, but he still hurt someone in doing so. Even now he's a civilian who can't fight as a hero, and at this point Shaft stops himself and apologizes for suddenly talking about all this.

You point out to Shaft that you're just an Operator and not a hero either. You've also thought about how you couldn't do anything besides have the others fight for you, so Shaft apologizes for coming off as terrible when he was speaking to you. He tells you he thinks you're amazing, and he feels like everyone has the things he's lost and doesn't have. You pause for a moment before telling him you understand how he feels since the same goes for you, and this surprises Shaft enough to briefly look to you as he asks what you mean.

You tell Shaft that you were fired from your previous workplace upon becoming an Observer, and that you've only just recently transferred jobs. Shaft quickly apologizes as he figures this is an awkward subject for you, and he panics quietly about being insensitive. You however shake your head, and you tell Shaft that while what you can do is severely limited, it's not a bad thing to be helped by everyone.

Shaft sucks in his breath before reiterating that he really does think of you as someone amazing. You're doing the things he didn't have the courage to do. Around this point Shaft veers over to some ruined buildings for cover as you two approach the rendezvous point with the party, and you refute Shaft's statement by saying it's thanks to him you guys got here and are about to pick up the party. You give him a quick look as you keep the camera running, and you smile when you meet Shaft's eyes. You ask him if he considers any of this as assistance for the heroes fighting out there.

You turn back to focus on watching the party, and Shaft mulls over what you said to himself for a moment. If what he's doing is helping out the heroes, then that means he's still on a team like when he was in rugby. You can't win a game all on your own, and while he was called Iron Man, he was able to do what he could because everyone was supporting him. He starts having a realization that he can still do things in his current state, and upon reaching your destination he quickly changes the car to go to the pickup point for the party. Shaft thanks you for listening to him, and he says he'll try a little more and see if he can find what it is he can do. He gives an embarrassed laugh, then focuses on where the party is. He asks you to hold on tight as he'll be flooring the pedal to pick them up, and the episode ends with the title card popping up. This episode is titled What I Can Do Now.

Live A Hero Space Taxi Chasers Episode 5

We pick up from last time with Shaft driving the party towards the memorial monoliths and everyone else trying to discuss and decode Vulpecula's riddle video. Kalaski starts talking about the parting bird comment Vulpecula made, and Alchiba says that seems to be related to the time limit you guys have. There probably isn't a need to haul ass just yet, but figuring it out should shed some light on things. Alchiba then asks if anyone has ideas on what that hint means as he replays Vulpecula's videos parts mentioning it.

You think on the bird line and say it's so puzzling. Shaft speaks up from the front to suggest the possibility it's referring to a dream burial bird, and Mokdai comments on how ominous that name is. Shaft quickly explains that it's a bird that sings only at dawn and got its name from a story that says it sings to mourn the dead. It has a beautiful voice that it's well known for, and Shaft says a previous customer told him about it. Alchiba thinks it over and says it's also known as a dreamingale, a rare bird seen only in certain areas. He then asks aloud what the bird's song represents if Vulpecula's hint is referring to it. You either say it means rarity, bad omens, or dawn.

The correct answer is C. A and B has Alchiba doubt the presented answers as he says he feels it should be time related based on the riddle. But once you get it right he praises you for figuring it out, then says the next bit to puzzle out is *which* dawn Vulpecula is talking about. Alchiba then has a brainwave and notices there's a Japanese pun built into the riddle where part of things can be reinterpreted as "4" and "from today." If the terrorism is the main part of the show and the second video he put up the next day is the second act, then he asks how many more days until Vulpecula acts. You can say either two, three, or four days.

The correct answer here is B. If you pick A or C, Alchiba tells you to slow down and count the first day too before figuring when "four days' time" would land. But anyways yes the original message meant that Vulpecula was going to act in four days after his upload. Mokdai asks what the finale actually means, so Alchiba explains that normally means the last act of a show, but in this case it should refer to the beginning of Vulpecula's terrorism. When you combine it with the second video saying the date's been changed, when will it happen then? You can either say tonight, tomorrow morning, or tomorrow night.

B is the right answer. A and C has Alchiba assuming you already know and are rushing yourself into saying the wrong answer and thinks it's cute. But yes he's sure Vulpecula is gonna bomb the monoliths tomorrow morning. The crime will probably be happening tonight he says, so he suggests hurrying on over to stop him. On another note, Alchiba compliments Shaft for knowing about the dream burial bird. Shaft is thrown off by this but thanks him, glad that the tidbit helped and saying bird names are worth remembering.

Kalaski sighs in amazement and says Alchiba really IS smart. He thought of him as a jokey playboy at first. Alchiba chooses to laugh this off, but he still points out that Kalaski hated being judged at first glance too. Kalaski gets the point and apologizes, saying he'll make up for this later. Alchiba says he's not that put off by the comment, and he says that since they're all working together to stop Vulpecula it's better not to make each other feel bad.

Mokdai seems confused as something occurs to him, which Alchiba asks about when he notices. Alchiba figured it has something to do with his reasoning, but Mokdai quickly denies having any doubts about it. What Mokdai is actually thinking about is how it feels like Alchiba is personally obsessed with Vulpecula to him. Alchiba finds it interesting that it looks that way to him, and Mokdai says stopping a villain is the right thing to do, but he feels that Alchiba cares more about catching Vulpecula in particular than preventing his crime.

Alchiba sighs, prompting Mokdai to apologize in embarrassment. Alchiba waves it off and says he was actually surprised at how observant Mokdai is when it comes to other people's words and actions. If he trains that ability up, Alchiba says he's sure Mokdai could be a great detective himself. Mokdai is flattered by the compliment, and after a bit of thoughtful chin holding, Alchiba decides it's about time to talk about his first meeting with Vulpecula not long after he started being a detective.

Flashback kicks in to Alchiba being on some ship and making a summation about how Vulpecula alone was never actually invited to whatever party is going on. Vulpecula is silent at first before laughing, and he compliments Alchiba for figuring it out. He then says Alchiba still underestimated the situation and asks him to guess why Vulpecula is apparently alone. Alchiba needs a second to process this before concluding that Vulpecula is acting as a decoy. Vulpecula says he said as much in his calling card poem, but since Alchiba couldn't figure it out beforehand that's just a shame. But anyways it's almost time for his little fireworks show to start!

Alchiba desperately attempts to talk Vulpecula out of his sabotage, saying the server he's after only stores data of unidentified people that shouldn't have any value to him. Vulpecula regards him for a moment before revealing this server is named the Extinction Server and agrees he has no need of it. But that's exactly why he's going to get rid of it. Discarding fragments of the past is a necessary process for living in the present. Alchiba still attempts to appeal to Vulpecula, saying a villain like him should know that these fragments are all that's left of people eaten by Monsters to prove they existed.

Vulpecula pauses before asking if the past is that valuable. These were people who weren't saved, and Vulpecula asks if Alchiba has anything in his past he'd rather get rid of too. Alchiba doesn't answer, so Vulpecula asks if he made him remember something unpleasant. If he did, he suggests Alchiba just get rid of it. There's no need to be bound by the past, and he says Alchiba may have certain qualities as he invites him to live in the present with him.

Alchiba shoots the offer down, saying his own past is unimportant but he won't stand letting other peoples' pasts be tossed away. He admits to trying to put everything into black and white, but he also says that it's too early to write the server off yet. Vulpecula is displeased by this as he says Alchiba could never understand his aesthetics, calling him a foolish hypocrite for trying to protect other peoples' pasts despite hating his own past self.

Vulpecula returns his focus back to his crime in progress and orders his underlings to take the server, and Alchiba shouts out his protests in vain as a light flashes in the distance, leaving him to watch the undersea server get its power cut off. Alchiba grieves over this saying there was still a chance to get those people connected, and he decries Vulpecula's actions as trampling over someone's memories instead of stealing the past. Vulpecula calls the notion a ridiculous dress up of memories. He sighs and says he's done, then taunts Alchiba to come after him like some crazy jilted lover. That ought to be a good job for a detective that can't catch him like this, he says before flourishing his cape and jumping off the deck.

Alchiba is shocked by Vulpecula's action since the party they were at was on an ocean cruiser, so jumping overboard is generally not helpful. But it turns out that Vulpecula has jumped over to a spaceship he had arranged prior, and he spares Alchiba a look of disdain as he calls him a stupid clown who should just get drunk on his own miseries. The next time he shows up in front of him he should at least define himself as black or white, and Vulpecula bids him goodbye as his ship zooms away. Alchiba angrily cusses him out as he watches him go, swearing not to let Vulpecula destroy anything else and wishing he had more power and the ability to be a hero.

Title card pops up, and this episode is called Give Me the Strength to Fight.

Back to the present you express some sympathy for Alchiba, who says that was the most frustrating thing in his life. He wasn't able to come up with an argument against Vulpecula's philosophy, and all he could do was watch Vulpecula get away with his crime. It was embarrassing, and Alchiba is sure he was feeling lost then like he is now, which is why he couldn't win.

You ask Alchiba about this sense of being lost, so Alchiba says it's about how he feels the future should be. Vulpecula believes that there is a future in discarding the past, and while Alchiba disagrees with that viewpoint he can't really explain himself his actual position. Alchiba shows you guys his hands, and there are old rugged traces on his palms. Mokdai expresses his surprise at them, and Kalaski observes that those are traces of Alchiba having held a gun in his past. Alchiba confirms as much, calling his callouses mementos of a past he'd like to get rid of but can't. Even if he thinks of it as terrible, he can't throw away the skills he's picked up from that time, and he still uses them in the present. If he has to, he'll take his gun up even now.

Alchiba balls up his fist as he says he hates his past, but he can't approve of abandoning all of it like Vulpecula is arguing for. He feels that as long as he keeps his conflicting viewpoints in mind, he'll probably always be charging recklessly at Vulpecula. But Alchiba says he's fine with this since he can't come up with anything better. You express concern for Alchiba or stay silent, and Shaft starts thinking about his own circumstances as he's been following along the conversation while driving. Shaft soon catches sight of something up ahead, so he tells you guys about it and says he'll be stopping the car for now before taking the taxi to cover.

Mokdai starts worrying that Shaft saw Vulpecula's minions coming after you guys. Kalaski notes that you guys don't have that much time to stretch out, so he'd rather just force his way past them if possible. He asks Shaft if he saw an estimate to how many people were up ahead, so Shaft says he picked up at least ten cars even if they were far away. If they're all enemies, that's quite a bit of them over there.

Kalaski says it sounds like there's too many to just engage them, but there's not much time to come up with a plan either. Alchiba says Vulpecula as a person isn't the aggressive belligerent sort, and he points out the mercenaries were able to make their escape easily earlier. Vulpecula's more the tactical type to bring in armed friends to help him destroy things of the past while he leads from the back. There's no telling how many people he's brought, but he's thought things out pretty well.

A voice suddenly speaks out thanking Alchiba for the compliment, and Vulpecula reveals himself smiling as though he was there from the beginning. Alchiba is taken by surprise by this, and Mokdai is mildly freaked out at him showing up all of a sudden. You are surprised as well, though you quickly tell everyone to transform and get ready to fight. Vulpecula makes no effort to move as the party suits up, then starts introducing himself to everyone, confident that you guys can't lay a finger on him.

Alchiba calls Vulpecula's words a cheap taunt and says he won't fall for it, but Vulpecula bows unconcerned. Vulpecula says he isn't here to make a taunt since he doesn't want to hurt you guys. Since you guys are contradicting his aesthetics, he came hoping to make a deal. Alchiba says he isn't letting go of how Vulpecula destroyed the Extinction Server, but Vulpecula just sighs and looks at him, saying he doesn't remember anything he's stolen. He argues that losing the past and forgetting its sadness is how you fill the present with joy, and he says Alchiba should know since he has the qualifications for whatever. Alchiba says Vulpecula can talk all he likes after he's arrested as he charges him, but Vulpecula makes no effort to move away.

Just as Alchiba is about to grab him, Vulpecula disappears from the spot he was standing in. Vulpecula casually taunts you guys from his new position as he reiterates that you guys can't catch him. Mokdai is amazed at Vulpecula's disappearing trick and compares it to magic, so you either tell him this isn't the time to be impressed or tell everyone to be careful. A gets an extra line where Mokdai goes 'oh, right' and has to refocus on the situation at hand.

Kalaski is annoyed as he wonders what trick Vulpecula is pulling. Vulpecula comments on how unaesthetic you guys are and says he just needs you guys to not get in his way before indirectly threatening you all. Alchiba declares he's here as a detective hero and not just a detective today, so he'll figure out what he's doing as he casts his ultimate move Demonstration "Mávro Áspro." A scanning laser beam is shot out from Alchiba's Parallel Weapon, but Vulpecula disappears just as it's about to hit him causing the weapon to spit out a No Data error message.

Alchiba is dismayed and angry his weapon wasn't able to scan Vulpecula, and Vulpecula in turn calls him a dull boy for doing so terribly. This provokes Alchiba into casting his ultimate again, but you try to tell Alchiba to stop spamming it since it isn't working and he's just draining your ~~MP~~ Views for nothing. Vulpecula flexes on Alchiba again by teleporting away, and Alchiba says he realizes he's wasting Views and curses being unable to do anything again with Vulpecula in front of him. Another failed scan message pops up for him, but your phone starts glowing red again, causing you to suspect another variant path is opening up.

Alchiba grits his teeth at this, and Vulpecula laughs as he calls him a fool again. His weapon does suit him though, what with him tied up with his past. But he doesn't have the ability to catch him, so he should just sit back and watch his show. Pained frustration shows on Alchiba's face, asking if he's really going to keep being the stupid puppet in Vulpecula's plays. He admits to having a past he'd rather let go of, but that's not something he can just do. He knows this, but this isn't enough to be a point to use as an argument against Vulpecula. He then tries pushing himself to come up with a way to nab him.

You speak up to say you feel the past has things that are important, and Alchiba reacts like this is a big revelation. Vulpecula looks unimpressed as he comments that sounds like the sort of thing you'd say as someone on Alchiba's side. You meet his eyes when he turns to look at you, and meanwhile Alchiba looks down on his hands and the callouses he got from holding a gun in the past. Alchiba admits to being shaped by his past, and while he'd rather not accept it the future exists because the present and past do. That's why he's unable to let the past go, and agonizing over this is how he walks towards the future.

Alchiba balls up his fist(s?) and glares at Vulpecula, and he starts talking about how he'll be able to properly attack him once he affirms the past even a little bit and has a legitimate argument against Vulpecula's view of the future. He swears that he'll use even his horrible past to fight against Vulpecula, and your phone responds by giving you the window prompt for a new path for Alchiba. Alchiba doesn't seem to notice when you remark on the new window out loud as he asks you to operate and help him catch Vulpecula. But when you say you're opening the new path, he consents and says he'll be counting on you.

When you hit the confirm button on your phone screen, Alchiba is covered in a red light, shifting to his variant form when the transformation is finalized. Alchiba is surprised at his new form, though he quickly figures out it comes from a personal wish to have the power to arrest Vulpecula instead of a desire to climb up or for organizational recognition. He considers calling it an armed detective form, and he notes his wings are black, but a different shade from his police days. He accepts it all and says he'll fight for himself now.

You get excited as you say Alchiba looks cool and/or say he has a different vibe now. Shaft is shocked to see Alchiba in a different hero form, and Kalaski is slightly less so but still surprised to see the rumored Parallel Weapon changing in accordance to its wielder's mind state. He figures you must be that mysterious Observer that Narihito told him about. He's never seen it himself before, but he didn't expect it to change completely like that. He figures it must be because of how thoughts can influence a person's vision of a hero. Shaft is taken aback at this idea, then mutters to himself that maybe you could do something for him as he goes to hide by the car again.

Back to Alchiba, Alchiba looks at his new variant form weapon and comments on it being a laser gun similar to the gun he used to have. He finds it ironic that this is his weapon now, but he's glad it feels so familiar and declares Vulpecula won't be getting away. Vulpecula finds this development interesting and says this is a lot of progress coming from Alchiba, only to shrug and add that it's still not enough to pin him down. He asks Alchiba why he tries so hard to protect the memorial monoliths, and he argues that the people who go visit them are trapped by their grief.

Kalaski flips the argument around to say the monoliths give support for untold numbers of people that Vulpecula could never hope to see himself. Vulpecula however argues that memories of the dead are only a burden for the living, something that only prolongs suffering and makes the bright parts of life fade away. He calls it nonsensical to waste time spending your life thinking about the deceased. Mokdai rebuts the point and says everyone has people they don't want to forget about. People may feel lonely in those times, but protecting and remembering them is important.

Vulpecula's brows knit in irritation at Mokdai's argument, then asks what should be done for people eaten by Monsters and those who knew them. Nothing is left behind in that case, and if the people who knew them forgot about them they wouldn't be suffering their loss. To remember is to suffer. If you die in a war, a memorial will be made to mourn you. If you're a monster victim, no one need bother with being sad. But that's way too unequal, and the world is too harsh on those who have memories that won't go away. That's nothing different from the sophistry heroes support, the justice they claim to uphold by cutting down one and supporting the other.

Vulpecula continues monologuing his utter distaste for the layerings of dressing up the past, and he says that his thefts are making things equal. Kalaski finally finds a moment where Vulpecula is distracted enough to pull his ultimate on him, surprising Vulpecula when the stop effect sticks to him. Kalaski tells you guys to hurry and follow up since the effect only works for a few seconds as he holds his camera up, and you nod as you urge the others to attack. Alchiba thanks Kalaski, then fires his laser. Vulpecula still manages to shake the stun off to warp away, but he calls out to you all to compliment you guys for nearly managing to put a hole in his suit.

Kalaski cusses at the near miss, and Alchiba demands Vulpecula reveal himself again instead of run. Vulpecula answers he's not running, but going on with his regularly scheduled heist like he said he would in his video. It seems like you guys won't turn back, and it's a shame you haven't come to an understanding, so it's time for his family/friends/minions to keep you busy. The mercenary mobs burst out of the shadows on cue, and Alchiba asks what the big shame is before telling you to stay in formation. Shaft calls out that there's a lot of enemies here, and Mokdai says you guys will have to fight your way out since you're all surrounded.

You either worry about this situation, tell everyone to get ready, or say to keep frosty and break through. Kalaski whispers to you and Shaft the plan is to escape after taking some of the mobs out. The party will make an opening in the enemy line while Shaft is to sneak over to the taxi when he sees a chance to do so. Shaft says he'll do it, so Kalaski tells him to drive over to the party once he's in to pick everyone up and speed on out of there. He'll need to direct the party for that part, so Shaft says he'll do his best. Kalaski then lightly raps your head and tells everyone to get ready and to not die as the episode battle starts.

Live A Hero Space Taxi Chasers Episode 4

A flashback kicks in to Shaft's past, tuning in to the end of a rugby match where Shaft celebrates his team winning by making a comeback. His team mates compliment Shaft for kicking ass and taking names out there crediting his physical abilities for the win. Shaft narrates that rugby had been his whole life until recently, so his memories from that time have been seared the the underside of his eyelids. He had plenty of friends, and his life was fun. He wholeheartedly believed that he'd be turning into a pro rugby player and that all he had to do was go on and achieve it.

 

A teammate notices a talent scout coming by, so he prompts Shaft to look good when they come over. The scout thanks everyone for coming to the space league tryouts, and they specifically single out Shaft as doing well out there and asks to talk to him some more. Shaft is surprised by this but quickly agrees. Shaft's teammates are excited for him, calling him the Iron Man and joking about getting his autograph now before he goes to be the best player in Japan Earth. Shaft is a bit awkward as he frets about the situation, but he happily laughs. His teammates tease, but ultimately cheer for him. It was a happy time for Shaft, what with having the support of his team and being able to make a living out of the thing he loves in life. Practice and sponsored matches would be coming forward and make rugby his whole life, and some time after that, his manager gives Shaft a suggestion.

 

Shaft's manager mentions there being a hero agency called Galaxy Athletes that supports the hero lives for pro athletes. Since Shaft has the ability to become a hero, the manager asks him what he thinks about becoming a pro hero along with his rugby stuff. Shaft is surprised at the proposal, but he quickly agrees and asks for more details. In narration Shaft says that he might have gotten carried. Everything in his life went well up to that point, so deep down he may have assumed it'd just keep going that way. But even so, he intended to his best in both jobs.

 

Flashback jumps forward in time to Shaft finishing up a battle with some monsters. He cheers getting through it successfully, then asks if that's all the enemies accounted for. An Operator tells him that it seems to be so, then says they should leave soon since the nearby buildings are falling apart. Shaft agrees with the point, though he asks the Operator to cancel his hero transformation for him due to fatigue of fighting for so long in it. But at that moment, a building crumbles and rubble falls. The Operator attempts to warn Shaft of this, but Shaft unfortunately isn't able to get out of the way in time. The Operator is horrified at this and tries to ask if Shaft is okay. Shaft is still conscious and tries to play tough, but he's seriously wounded as the Operator attempts to call for help.

 

Shaft narrates that injuries are a fact of life when it comes to sports and heroics. He's been hurt countless times up to that point in his life, so he figured he'd be fine if he recovers well enough. But getting crushed by falling debris took longer than usual for him to heal from. Some time later, Shaft's manager congratulates him for getting out of the hospital. His injury was serious, so even the medical staff were surprised that Shaft turned out as well as he did. But even so, it was bad enough that the manager needs to discuss Shaft's work situation with him now.

In the time Shaft was hospitalized, it turns out that upper management have talked about terminating his contract. Shaft is distraught at this and asks if he's being forced to quit the rugby league and why. His manager tries to keep polite and say Shaft still gets to choose to stay if he wants, but they are strongly encouraging him to stop. They just don't believe he can keep it up like he used to now post-injury. Shaft narrates that he knows it's a logical decision to quit the sports world and go into the business world, and he understands that the management is concerned for him. The manager adds that Shaft is in his thirties now, and that's the age range at which you hit the limits at which you can keep going in a demanding sport like rugby anyway. It would take even more time to make up for his medical leave, and that's time he just couldn't fit into his schedule.

Flashback jumps forward again where Shaft is at some office job and timidly asks what to do with some data he has for his data entry. A kind coworker goes to answer him and says Shaft doesn't need to be that deferential since it's fine. Shaft (whose last name is revealed to be Todoroki) has never done this before, so it's not like he can do anything about that. Shaft awkwardly nods and apologizes. Shaft narrates that when he got into data entry, he never got the hang of spreadsheets and had to bother people around him for help. They were kind to him, but that only made him feel worse. And with no rugby in his life now, everything felt dull and colorless. Why was he even alive? And how long was it going to continue?

When work is over Shaft watches a rugby match on TV or something, despite the bitterness and jealousy he feels in doing so. Part of him wants to know why he isn't down there with them, but another part of him knows he doesn't have a place there anymore. When he lost the ability to play rugby, his ability to become a hero went with it. He let other people define his limits and decide how he lived. He gave up really. It's his fault he gave up on rugby and heroics, so he decided that if nothing else he'd live his life so as to not bother other people. He didn't want to feel even worse than he did.

Some time later, Shaft is talking to his group manager and apologizes for meeting with him when things are so busy. He thanks him for all the help he was given, and as ashamed as he is to say it he admits he's thinking of retiring. Shaft then narrates that his life ended there. Everyone's lives come to an end at some point. His just happened to be then.

Title card pops up, and this episode is called I Can't Go Back to Those Days

We tune in back to the present as Kalaski thanks you all for helping him get rid of the looters. He feels he should pay back any debt he incurs, so he suggests heading over to the monolith right away to stop the phantom thief and junk. You speak up to ask for a moment to contact the police over on the moon, but Alchiba knits his eyebrows and makes a disapproving noise. Alchiba starts talking about not knowing the Earth and moon's police forces that well, but the public security force he was on before was very inflexible. If they're any similar, they'll need concrete proof before doing anything. He suggests that there's not enough now to contact them for any help and that it may be better to solve things on your own for now.

You are a little put out by Alchiba's argument but let it be and note how informed he is of things. Alchiba sadly says he was part of something similar in the past, but then changes the subject back to heading to the monoliths and asks Shaft to drive you guys over. Shaft agrees, then asks you guys to wait a moment for him to switch his taxi from space mode to planet mode.

Kalaski is quiet for a moment, and Mokdai asks why he's staring at Shaft when he notices. Kalaski says he was curious about something and asks Shaft if he used to be a hero. Shaft is shocked at the question and stammers something of an indirect no. You are shocked yourself to hear that Shaft is a hero, and Kalaski says that one hero maniac in Broadcasters is that much of a nerd. He believes he went to Galaxy Athletes to get some coverage of stuff, and Kalaski remembers being shown a picture of a pro rugby hero that looked a lot like Shaft. He has work-related photographic memory, and he comments on vaguely remembering seeing Shaft before.

Shaft goes quiet, and Mokdai turns out to have heard enough about Shaft's previous stint to ask if he's that illusory Iron Man hero who was only around for a short time. He only knows what they looked like in their hero form so he never noticed before, but he asks Shaft if he was that hero. Shaft asks if they can move on from the conversation as if shying away from his reflection in Mokdai's bright eyes. He only indirectly admits to it as he says he can't become a hero anymore and apologizes for not being able to do anything, and he grasps his cap tighter as he looks away.

You get concerned as you ask Shaft if he's okay, and Mokdai apologizes for getting so excited about a sensitive subject. Shaft however says he's happy they remember him and apologizes for being forceful earlier. Alchiba clears his throat to help clear the mood, saying that whatever happened in Shaft's past hasn't changed what you guys need to do now. He suggests that Shaft just do what he can right now, so Shaft thanks him and asks you guys to wait for him to get things ready. He walks over to the driver's seat, and the rest of you follow.

After the party gets into the car, Mokdai sighs as he feels guilty over what he said to Shaft. You point out that he didn't do so on purpose, so it should be fine if he apologizes. Kalaski asks why Shaft got the Iron Man nickname, so Mokdai explains it came from how implacable Shaft was during his heroing stint. No matter what attacks were thrown at him he just tanked through it without stopping, and people said it resembled how he played rugby. Kalaski says Shaft doesn't really look the part anymore since it looks like he's always blaming himself for something. The pessimism is a bit much. Alchiba says things would be easier if Shaft could fight as a hero with you guys, but if Shaft doesn't want to do so it's better for everyone involved that he not.

While everyone is having their whispered conversation about Shaft, Shaft suddenly yells for everyone to hold on as he suddenly floors the pedal. You and Alchiba are thrown by surprise and ask Shaft what's going on. Shaft answers that there are people shooting at the car now, though he can't tell who. He has managed to get the car to cover, and once he's there he turns to you guys in a panic and asks what to do next. Kalaski is calm as he points out that whoever was shooting should be pursuing you guys soon.

Mokdai asks why people are firing at you guys and wonders if the attacks are soldiers. For that matter he asks how Kalaski can be so calm about this. Kalaski explains that ambushes happen regularly in battle, and you have to be calm to deal with them. But in this case it seems like a deliberate attack against you guys as opposed to looters trying to sneak around. You either say it would be dangerous to be attacked while traveling, suggest attacking them first, or suggest running away. C gets an extra line where Kalaski says it'd be a problem if any refuge the taxi takes gets attacked too, so it'd be better to fight back.

Alchiba suggests stepping away from the taxi and ambushing whoever is after you guys when they get closer. He also asks Shaft to stick with you, figuring he should know how to act if he's an ex-hero. Shaft agrees to the suggestion and says he'll be counting on you. Kalaski says you guys will need to know who exactly is attacking you guys, so Alchiba hopes that it's just another big misunderstanding like Kalaski had when he attacked you guys. Kalaski gets snippy about it and says he needs to focus on what's going on now, so Alchiba sighs about his Parallel Weapon not really being suited for fighting and admits part of him wishes he had the gun he threw away in times like this. Your phone glows red which you notice, but when you go check it looks the same as ever.

Alchiba asks you if something is wrong, and Kalaski prompts you to transform the party quick before the unknown assailants come closer. You comply with his request, and Kalaski psyches himself up saying he's counting on you to operate after he's suited up. Alchiba suggests getting this over with quick so you guys can get to the monolith after this.

Mercenary mobs turn up soon after, and Mokdai is intimidated by their weaponry. Kalaski reminds him that you guys are ambushing them to keep yourselves safer, then tells him to stay focused. Eventually you signal the team to attack, and Mokdai charges the mercenary mob team first. The mercenaries are surprised by you guys using the taxi as a decoy, and Alchiba demands the mobs reveal who they are to you guys. Kalaski says he doesn't particularly care who they are, but if they're attacking then they're enemies as the episode battle starts. More happens afterwards.

After the battle, the story picks up midway with Kalaski casting his ultimate move Instant Capture "On Frame Resident" which is in effect a Stop spell to halt the mobs' movements when their photo is taken. Mokdai follows up to use his own finishing move to punch out the mobs as hard as he can. One of them shakes their hand angrily at getting their ass kicked so hard, and another mob orders a retreat and says to contact the others to get ready, especially the guys by the monoliths. The mobs all run off in a cloud of dust they kick up, and once it's confirmed they're gone the party cancels out of their suits and Shaft pops his head out.

Shaft asks if it's all over, then says he was on edge and comments on the mobs being dangerous. Alchiba talks about how you guys can't afford to lose your only mode of transport here since it would prevent you guys from reaching the monoliths. Shaft says the taxi actually belongs to him, so if it gets destroyed that's going to be a huge dent in his business and savings. You point out that the taxi is fine, so all's well that ends well. Shaft is dubious about this, but he doesn't argue the point with you.

Time passes a bit to Kalaski commenting on how fast the mobs ran away and how you guys lost the chance to question them. Alchiba however points out that the mobs mentioned monoliths before they left, and given the circumstances he's sure they serve Vulpecula. Mokdai is amazed by that deduction and reasons himself that this would mean you guys are on the right track going to the monoliths. At that point, you decide to suggest to Alchiba contacting the police on the moon or calling Huckle. He shows reluctance to the idea either way, though in the latter he adds a quick bit about how calling Huckle would also tip off the police.

Alchiba says after a moment that you guys should put off the phone call and hurry on ahead to catch Vulpecula yourselves. The warp gate is down, so it'll take time for them to get over here anyways. If Vulpecula leaves or comes up with a counter plan against you guys then this entire thing will have been a waste. And if Vulpecula's minions are attacking you guys at this point then you guys should already be posing a threat to him, so you ought to press on.

Shaft tries joining in the conversation and asks about Vulpecula streaming a video if he's going to move again. He's going all in on the phantom thief schtick with sending advance notice of his crimes before acting, so he figures he should do so. Alchiba admits it's possible and notes that Shaft has learned how to read Vulpecula's patterns as well. He decides to ask for some time to research something, then pulls out his phone to fiddle with it.

After some searching, Alchiba happily says that Shaft is right as there are signs that Vulpecula made a video a few hours ago. He'll be able to download it in a little bit. Mokdai is excited to see another of Vulpecula's videos, then catches himself and says it might have an important riddle to solve. You either sigh at Mokdai's geekiness or strongly remind him that Vulpecula is a villain. Either way Mokdai winces as he asks you not to get fed up with him and promises he's doing his best to catch him.

Vulpecula's video starts playing as he addresses his viewers, saying that while they may be looking forward to the second act of the show, the footsteps on the white silky skin have been discovered. Some uninvited foolish guests have arrived, and they are close to awakening the bird of parting. So there's been a change of plans and he's moving right into the finale. Vulpecula orders his family/minions to show the interlopers the joy of living in the present and the foolishing of standing still in the past. Once it's time to reveal the answer of his poem, he'll offer up a parting bouquet as a present.

When the video ends, you start to comment on what the video is and Alchiba says it's a war declaration with fools referring to you guys. The mention of the finale means there must not be much time left as well. Alchiba scoffs to himself about Vulpecula sending a taunt like this and says he'll be able to pay Vulpecula back for the humiliation he felt that one day. The episode then ends as Alchiba decides to stake his professional reputation on finishing this job.