SUPER ROBOT TAISEN GAIDEN: MASOU KISHIN LORD OF ELEMENTAL PART I PLOT SUMMARY by kern (chriskern99 at gmail) v1.0 (May 8, 2006) ======================= TABLE OF CONTENTS ======================= I. Introduction II. The Continuity of the SRW Games III. The Summary IV. Credits and Legalese ======================= I. Introduction ======================= This is a plot summary of the first part of SRW Gaiden, a prequel/sequel to the SRW series featuring the original characters from the Masou Kishin universe (Masaki, Shuu, etc.). This is not a translation of the dialogue, but a (relatively detailed) summary of what happens in each stage. I have tried to capture all the relevant plot and character development, but I have not represented every last line of dialogue, particularly the in-battle ones (which tend to be nothing more than "I'll show you my power!"). I also have not included anything about gameplay or menu/ability translation -- the other FAQ by pistol covers this area well. I HIGHLY recommend using pistol's FAQ to see JL Lee's diagram of the branching story paths. Please e-mail me if you find any mistakes in the FAQ. If the "mistake" is a name romanization issue, do not bother e-mailing me unless you can offer some proof for why your proposed romanization is more correct than mine (i.e. not just "I prefer Lujanor instead of Rujanor"). ======================= II. The Continuity of the SRW Games ======================= There is a lot of confusion over the ordering of the games due to the inconsistent naming and the numerous remakes. If you only consider games that existed at the time Masou Kishin came out, the chronological story order goes like this: 1. Masou Kishin part 1 2. SRW 2 (for NES) 3. SRW 3 4. SRW EX 5. SRW 4 6. Masou Kishin part 2 SRW 1 is generally not considered part of the canon timeline. SRW 2G is a remake of 2 that is apparently not considered canonical. The Playstation saw a number of remakes and replacements of the games. 2, 3, and EX were released as the "complete box set" (this is why 2G is claimed not to be canonical, since it was not included here). 4 was remade as 4S. Finally, 4 was replaced by F and its continuation F Final (F/FF is not a remake of 4, but a completely new game that replaces 4 in the timeline). This was the end of the original continuity. The Alpha series, while a different continuity, does rely on Masou Kishin part 1 for the background of the MK characters (although certain aspects seem to be slightly different). EX is not in the Alpha continuity, and probably MK part 2 is not either. =============== III. The Summary =============== There are many branching paths and choice of routes, so the numbering of the stages is somewhat arbitrary. I also cannot promise that I have recorded every instance where the dialogue changes depending on your previous choices of routes; but there should be no massive differences. If you wish to follow the "main" path I did to make sure the dialogue lines up exactly, go through these stages: ------------------ Opening ------------------ The story begins abruptly, with Masaki standing in some building, wondering where he is and what happened. A woman names Tytti welcomes him to La Gias, but Masaki is still confused. After they introduce each other, Tytti wonders if Masaki is Chinese because of his odd name; he says that he's Japanese. Tytti tells him that La Gias is a world on the reverse side of the Earth. Masaki doesn't believe her, so Tytti tells him to look outside, and he sees that it's true. He wonders if he's been summoned to a world of sword and sorcery to be a true hero -- Tytti says he's quite perceptive, but Masaki meant it as a joke. Tytti says she'll explain everything, starting with the prophecy, but then there's an alarm. She gets a call, and tells Masaki to wait where he is while the situation is dealt with. There are several earthquakes, and Masaki wonders if he should look outside. You have two choices: 1. See what's happening outside 2. Don't look 1. If you pick the first option, Masaki walks outside, but nobody's there. With his usual terrible sense of direction, he doesn't know how to get back, and stumbles into a warehouse where a soldier yells at him. He introduces himself as Masaki Ando from Earth, and the soldier apologizes and says that if he's a Masouki pilot, he should get out there quickly because there are a lot of enemies and it's a tough fight. ["Masouki" is written with characters that mean "magic attired machine"] Masaki doesn't know what he's talking about, but despite his protestations they shove him in a Jaom and send him out to battle -- he suddenly finds that he knows exactly how to pilot the Jaom even though he doesn't know why. 2. If you pick the second option, Masaki decides to stay put. After a few more earthquakes, a guard finds him there and tells him the Terrorists are attacking. Simone's Zain crashes through the wall (apparently), and Simone is hurt. Masaki is surprised to see a woman piloting the Masouki. She asks Masaki if he's from Earth, and when he replies that he is, she tells him to get in the Masouki and fight. He protests, but finds that when he gets in the robot he understands how to pilot it even though he doesn't know why. ------------------ Stage 1 - La Gias ------------------ The beginning dialogue is different depending on your choice above: 1. Out on the battlefield, someone named Yang Long wonders who's piloting the Jaom. Masaki says he shouldn't care since he's come to help. Tytti is also out on the battlefield and says it's too dangerous for Masaki, but Yang Long wants to let him fight. Simone agrees, and says that the Terrorists will attack if they talk for too long. They give Masaki a few battle tips and you start the fight. 2. Tytti is glad that Simone has come back to the battle, but then is surprised to see Masaki. Yang Long wonders who this is, and Tytti says it's a boy she just summoned from Earth. She says it's too dangerous for Masaki, but Yang Long wants to let him fight. They give Masaki a few battle tips and you start the fight. On the first enemy phase, Gaspar shows up and comments that there are 3 (or 4) B rank Masouki, and that it will be a difficult fight, but that he's confident in their victory. On the second player phase, Masaki asks them all to introduce themselves. Yang Long is from China, and Simone is from France. Masaki says that there are people in those robots so he doesn't want to kill them if possible; Tytti reassures him that if he doesn't hit the cockpit they can escape. On the third player phase, Masaki wonders what these Terrorists want, but doesn't really get a straight answer. When Gaspar attacks your people, he says that he'll get 30,000 credits just for gathering data. Once you beat him, he says that it's fine because he got the data he was looking for, and leaves. The ending dialogue (and the next mission) depends on whether Masaki is at level 1 or not. If Masaki is at level 1: Masaki wonders what these Masouki are, and Tytti says they are robots controlled by Plana, which is something like spirit or aura. He can understand since he was able to pilot the thing just by thinking. Feil congratulates everyone, and Masaki asks (rather rudely) who this person is. Tytti says he's the prince of the country, but Masaki says that doesn't matter since he's not a citizen. Tytti says that he's also the boss of the Masouki pilots, but Feil interrupts her and says that he doesn't like stiff formality. This impresses Masaki, but he says he wasn't much use in the battle. Tytti tells him that he's been summoned to fight, and Masaki guesses he can spend a few days doing that. Tytti is surprised he doesn't have to notify his family, but Masaki says his family is all dead. Tytti is apparently in the same situation. Masaki goes to stay in Zeoroot's house -- Zeoroot is in charge of weaponry at the palace, and he can give Masaki some training. Go to Stage 2. If Masaki has levelled up in the battle: Everyone is impressed by Masaki's fighting ability. Masaki wonders what these Masouki are, and Tytti says they are robots controlled by Plana, which is something like spirit or aura. He can understand since he was able to pilot the thing just by thinking. Feil congratulates everyone, and Masaki asks (rather rudely) who this person is. Tytti says he's the prince of the country, but Masaki says that doesn't matter since he's not a citizen. Tytti says that he's also the boss of the Masouki pilots, but Feil interrupts her and says that he doesn't like stiff formality. Feil is particularly impressed with Masaki's performance, and asks Masaki for his help. You now have two choices: 1. I don't like that idea 2. Hmm...I guess that's OK. 1. Feil is disappointed, but says he won't force Masaki. Masaki doesn't like the idea of agreeing to fight when he has no idea what he's fighting or why. Feil is surprised he hasn't received any explanation yet, so Tytti explains to him what's going on. Masaki is angry that he's been summoned to some world to fight for a country he has no responsibility for. Tytti says he's free to leave, but Masaki doesn't want to be seen as a coward so agrees to stay for 2- 3 days or so. Tytti is surprised he doesn't have to notify his family, but Masaki says his family is all dead. Tytti is apparently in the same situation. Masaki goes to stay in Zeoroot's house -- Zeoroot is in charge of weaponry at the palace, and he can give Masaki some training. Go to Stage 4. 2. Masaki says he might as well fight since he can't go back to Earth. Tytti says that actually he can go back whenever he wants -- Feil is surprised he hasn't received any explanation yet, so Tytti explains to him what's going on (basically he's been summoned to La Gias to fight). Masaki agrees to stay for 2-3 days or so. Tytti is surprised he doesn't have to notify his family, but Masaki says his family is all dead. Tytti is apparently in the same situation. Masaki goes to stay in Zeoroot's house -- Zeoroot is in charge of weaponry at the palace, and he can give Masaki some training. Go to Stage 3. ------------------ Stage 2 - Training ------------------ (This is the stage you play if Masaki was at level 1 after the first mission.) Tytti and Masaki meet Zeoroot. After some pleasantries, Tytti leaves and Presia (Zeoroot's daughter) introduces herself. Apparently she's making dinner and reminds her father to eat his peppers (he just gives them to Masaki). The next day, Tytti comes back. Masaki says that Zeoroot explained the situation to him (we still don't get to hear it) and that he doesn't fully understand; he's also disappointed in his performance in the previous battle. But he doesn't want to turn tail and run, especially because of what Yang Long said about his performance. Tytti recommends training with Zeoroot. Masaki is surprised that Zeoroot can pilot the Masouki -- Tytti says that La Gias people can pilot the Masouki too, but that their Prana energy is generally too low. They go to a mountain area, with Masaki piloting a Jaom and Zeoroot in a Giorast. Zeoroot sends out a Graf Dolon and tells Masaki to destroy it. After three waves of enemies, Zeoroot congratulates Masaki and tells him that he's ready for some real combat. He asks Masaki if he'll return to Earth; Masaki replies that he wants to try a real fight again before he decides. Zeoroot reminds him that you can die in real fighting. Go to Stage 3. ------------------ Stage 3 - The Fearful Enemy ------------------ The next day, Tytti comes back. Masaki says that Zeoroot explained the situation to him, and asks if it's really true that La Gias will be destroyed by Majin ["Majin" means "Magic God"]. Tytti replies that it is, and also that they don't even know who the true nature of the Majin. Masaki agrees to stay on and fight. An alert comes in -- terrorists have appeared again, in Parom, which is about 1000 kilometers away. Masaki comes along too, and wonders again about the terorrists. Tytti says that it's rare for them to do things this close, but wonders if the Masouki have something to do with it. Apparently the Masouki are widely feared and suspected. When you get to the battlefield, the soldiers are grateful for Tytti's help. They've succeeded in evacuating the civilians. Masaki is surprised at how much damage was caused, and Tytti says she can't forgive the terrorists who do this. One of the terrorists says that everything the dictator royalty supports will end up like that. Masaki wonders about this "dictatorship" but Tytti says that the Rangran kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. The terrorists are just using that as an excuse. On the second turn, Masaki wonders why the terrorists are going through all the trouble to use the Masouki when it would be easier and safer (for them) just to use bombs. Tytti thinks that Masaki could become a terrorist, but says that bombs and other destructive devices don't work because of barriers that have been constructed for the people's safety. But no known device can protect against Masouki attacks. Also, apparently the terrorists used to target Masouki pilots exclusively, but they've since widened their activities. Also, some of them have strong Prana. After you beat the initial enemies, another Masouki shows up, and appears to be stronger than the others. The pilot's name is Ruozor, and he wishes that the terrorists had done a little better than they did. Tytti recognizes him as a follower of the Majin (also known as the "Dark Nobleman"). Ruozor says that his robot is not a Masouki, it's a Jareiki (something like "cursed spirit machine"). He also says that he'll have to kill the heroes so they don't get in the way later, and summons some Demon Golems to do the job. After a few turns, Masaki says that there are too many and that more will probably appear if they defeat these. Then two allies appear -- Ricardo, who wonders why Nagzat is there, and Yang Long. Yang Long says the report just mentioned regular terrorists. Tytti is surprised to see Yang Long in the Gran Veil; apparently he liked it enough to make it his own unit. Ricardo (from Brazil) and Masaki introduce themselves. Ruozor retreats after seeing the newcomers (whom he calls "Masou Kishin" -- "Masouki Gods"). Ricardo gives Yang Long a new weapon, and the battle continues. After the battle, Masaki wonders about the term "Masou Kishin". Yang Long replise that they are Masouki that have conciousness of their own. Tytti says that Masouki all have contracted spirits in them, and some machines have very powerful spirits -- these are called the Masou Kishin, of which there are four units. They are the Zamjeed (Ricardo's unit), the Gran Veil (Yang Long's unit), the Gaddes, and the Psybuster. They can have theoretically unlimited power. Only humans with similar psychic wavelengths can ever hope to control them, however. Ricardo says that Tytti is about to undergo the test, and thinks she'll get Gaddes. Tytti wonders why Ruozor showed up there -- he said it was to kill them, but she wonders if that's actually true. Yang Long says they should notify Lord Feil of the matter, and they go back to the capital. Go to Stage 6. ------------------ Stage 4 - The Red Demon ------------------ Tytti and Masaki meet Zeoroot. After some pleasantries, Tytti leaves and Presia (Zeoroot's daughter) introduces herself. Apparently she's making dinner and reminds her father to eat his peppers (he just gives them to Masaki). The next day, Tytti comes back. Masaki says that Zeoroot explained the situation to him, and asks if it's really true that La Gias will be destroyed by Majin ["Majin" means "Magic God"]. Tytti replies that it is, and also that they don't even know who the true nature of the Majin. Masaki is pissed off that they summoned all these people from Earth for that purpose, and he wants to return. Tytti agrees, and prepares to take him to the teleport location. The Falc only seats three people, but Presia wants to go too, so Masaki pilots the Joam so that she can ride along. Tytti thinks it's a shame that Masaki is leaving when he has so much potential. Suddenly they get a distress signal. On the battlefield, Safine greets Masaki and Tytti and introduces herself as Safine the Scarlet Lotus. Tytti recognizes her as a member of the church (or cult?) of the evil god Vorcrus. Safine is annoyed that Tytti called Vorcrus an evil god, and says that she was going to let them go but now has to fight them. Masaki doesn't think this has anything to do with him, and Safine taunts him for wanting to run away. Of course, this angers Masaki and he agrees to fight. Once you force Safine to flee, Tytti apologizes for putting him in danger again. Presia wonders if he's really leaving, and Masaki tries to console her, but Tytti says he'll just end up hurting her instead. They arrive at Solatis Shrine, a pyramid-like structure. Tytti tells the high priest Ibun that Masaki wants to return, and Ibun replies that the recent ones lack courage. When she looks at Masaki she thinks it's a waste, and wants him to stay overnight because it's so late. Go to Stage 5. ------------------ Stage 5 - Jareiki Nagzat ------------------ The next day, Presia wakes Masaki up. Masaki praises her cooking, and she says she always does the cooking at home. Ibun says Zeoroot is a slob, but that it's understandable after Pia left. Presia says that her mom has her own stuff to deal with. After some more small talk, Ibun says that "they" have come close to the temple. He thinks it might be a problem with the radar but sends Masaki out to see -- Masaki protests, but gets dragged out. When they get out, there's nothing there, but Tytti feels an evil presence. Ruozor shows up in the Nagzat and praises her sense. Tytti recognizes him as a follower of the Majin (also known as the "Dark Nobleman"). Ruozor says that his robot is not a Masouki, it's a Jareiki (something like "cursed spirit machine"). He also says that he'll have to kill the heroes so they don't get in the way later. Tytti begs him to leave Masaki alone since he's leaving soon. But Masaki interrupts, saying he's going to stay -- he can't leave this world alone when it has so many problems. Ruozor summons some Demon Golems to do his dirty work. Ibun wants to send out some guardian Masouki, and you get to choose whether you want them or not -- the first choice will send them out, and the second one says that you don't need their help. After a few turns, Masaki says that there are too many and that more will probably appear if they defeat these. Then two allies appear -- Ricardo, who wonders why Nagzat is there, and Yang Long. Yang Long says the report just mentioned regular terrorists. Tytti is surprised to see Yang Long in the Gran Veil; apparently he liked it enough to make it his own unit. Yang Long wonders why Masaki didn't return to Earth, and Masaki replies angrily that he can do whatever he wants. Ruozor retreats after seeing the newcomers (whom he calls "Masou Kishin" -- "Masouki Gods"). Ricardo gives Yang Long a new weapon, and the battle continues. After the battle, Presia is happy that Masaki decided to stay. Masaki wonders about the term "Masou Kishin". Yang Long replise that they are Masouki that have conciousness of their own. Tytti says that Masouki all have contracted spirits in them, and some machines have very powerful spirits -- these are called the Masou Kishin, of which there are four units. They are the Zamjeed (Ricardo's unit), the Gran Veil (Yang Long's unit), the Gaddes, and the Psybuster. They can have theoretically unlimited power. Only humans with similar psychic wavelengths can ever hope to control them, however. Ricardo says that Tytti is about to undergo the test, and thinks she'll get Gaddes. Tytti wonders why Ruozor showed up there -- he said it was to kill them, but she wonders if that's actually true. Ibun thinks that Ruozor might be trying to revive Vorcrus, the mythical god of destruction. Tytti says they should notify Lord Feil of the matter, and they go back to the capital. Go to Stage 6. ------------------ Stage 6 - Masou Kishin ------------------ The dialogue for this mission is different depending on whether you came here from mission 3 or 5. --- (from mission 3) Back at the capital, Feil says that with Ruozor back in action, they will have to beef up security. Tytti wonders what his goal is, and Feil thinks that the simplest answer would be the revival of Vorcrus, the god of destruction. A girl named Senia (Feil's younger sister) says that he would have to destroy all the barriers in the kingdom for that to happen. Senia is an intelligence officer, though still in training. Senia doesn't think that even with Nagzat's power, the barriers of Rangran can be defeated -- that would require something with at the level of a Masou Kishin. There's a debate over whether or not Vorcrus really exists, but they decide the important thing is that Ruozor thinks he does, and that they have to stop his efforts anyway. The problem is, they're not quite sure what he's going to try to do to accomplish that goal. All that they can do for now is rely on increased watch and information gathering. After the meeting, Masaki tracks down Senia. He apologizes for not being politer to her, but she says that she can't become royalty (because she failed the magic test at age 15), so it's fine. Masaki wonders why that sort of test is necessary, and Senia replies that the king has to take care of the barriers. Senia then says (rather excitedly) that Tytti's ceremony (to see if Gaddes will accept her) is starting and that they should go watch. --- --- (from mission 5) Back at the capital, Feil says that with Ruozor back in action, they will have to beef up security. He tells Ricardo to go to Dorent, near the border with Stedonias. Demekusa is also there, and should help. Ricardo apologizes for not being able to see Tytti's test (he's sure his power of love will help her pass), but she doesn't care that much. Feil is surprised that Masaki has agreed to stay, and he says he just sort of got caught up in things. Later, a girl named Senia introduces herself to Masaki. He tells her that the area (presumably where the Masouki are) is off-limits to outsiders. She says that as an intelligence officer, she's not an outsider. Just then, Feil comes in and Senia calls him "big brother" -- Masaki realizes that she must be a princess. He apologizes for not being politer to her, but she says that she can't become royalty (because she failed the magic test at age 15), so it's fine. Masaki wonders why that sort of test is necessary, and Senia replies that the king has to take care of the barriers. Feil then says that Tytti's ceremony (to see if Gaddes will accept her) is starting and that they should go watch. --- At the ceremony they meet Simone, who apparently was not selected to be Gaddes' pilot. Tytti is questioned by Feil and Senia's father, King Alzar. She is asked if she really wants to pledge her services, and then is requested to pray to the water spirit Gadd, which resides in Gaddes. She does so, and at first everyone thinks nothing happened. But then Gaddes starts glowing, and it appears that Tytti has succeeded. Then, Ruozor appears. Feil is surprised that he could get past the strong barrires, but Ruozor says that passing them is a lot easier than destroying them. He summons a number of demon golems to attack Tytti. The civilians and the King flee, and the rest of the Masouki pilots prepare to sortie. On the second turn, Masaki appears and says he'll get Ruozor this time. When you cut Ruozor's HP down enough, he says that they're just as powerful as he expected and leaves. After the battle, the king congratulates Tytti on being selected by Gaddes. Feil says that since Ruozor was able to pierce their defenses so easily, they'll have to rethink the barriers. King Alzar tells him a story -- once, a master swordmaker and a master shieldmaker had a contest. The swordmaker would try to pierce the shieldmaker's shield, and the shieldmaker would try to protect against the swordmaker's sword. It started out as a friendly game among friends, but escalated to the point that they hated each other, and one day it came down to a fight between the sword and shield. The swordsman cut the shield in half and at the same time the sword broke, and both men were killed by the pieces. Feil says that he understands what his father is saying, but that in this special circumstance the barriers have to be strengthened. The King agrees and tells Feil to refer the matter to Parliament, but thinks this will anger the neighboring kingdoms. Feil says to leave that to Gram, the foreign minister. The King wonders if Feil has any intention of leaving the security force, and he says he does not. The King warns Feil about doing anything that will jepoardize his future standing as King, but Feil doesn't think it would show good character to quit his job in the middle. If you came here from Stage 3, go to Stage 7. If you came here from Stage 5, go to Stage 8. ------------------ Stage 7 - The Fear of Death ------------------ Presia says that Masaki will definitely get Psybuster because Zeoroot praised him. Tytti agrees that's rare. She wants to explain some more about the Masou Kishin ceremony since he might be doing it. The Masouki pilots are under the command of Lord Feil, but they are free to disagree with his orders if they want (as long as they don't do it too much). If he wants real freedom he should become a Masou Kishin pilot. Moving on to other business, Masaki is ordered to go to Emil, a town in Zabor, and provide security for an international conference. The conference lasts three days; he'll be on his own for the first two, but Tytti and Ricardo will show up on the third. When Masaki reaches his destination (via computer so he doesn't get lost...) he notices some sort of commotion -- there's a terrorist there. When Masaki attacks the terrorist, the terrorist tells him not to get in his way since he doesn't understand the reasons behind the terrorists' actions. Masaki replies that it was selfish idealism that got his parents killed. When you defeat the terrorist, he tries to eject, but his ejection system doesn't work. He screams that he doesn't want to die as his robot explodes. Masaki is shocked that he killed someone. Just then, Gaspar shows up with two Graf Dolons. Once you beat Gaspar, Safine appears (introducing herself if you didn't play Stage 4). She says that Masaki is too soft; he can't hope to go out on a battlefield and never kill anyone. She then says that Masaki will screw up himself and that he's no threat to them, and leaves. Tytti and Ricardo appear soon after. They wonder what's wrong, and Masaki tells them that he killed someone. Tytti understands his shock, but it is a battlefield, after all. Masaki thought he would be able to accept that. Masaki is somewhat depressed, and Ricardo tells him that he'll be of no use like that. He asks Masaki why he wanted to stay and fight -- Ricardo himself is not an altruist, so he has no pity on those who destroy what he is trying to protect. Masaki says he understands; he doesn't like to see people die, but if he runs away, more people will die [I wonder if the number of games and anime series this line appears in would reach three digits...] Tytti reminds him that he has the power to protect, but that he should never become obsessed with his own power. After the intermission screen, Zeoroot wonders if something is wrong with Masaki; he says that he's been too soft. Presia comes and tells Masaki that Tytti wants to talk with him. At this point which stage you go to is determined by what stages you played before. If you came here from Stage 4-5: --- It's time for Tytti to make a familiar -- an animal companion like middle-age witches used to have. All Masou Kishin pilots have them. Tytti wonders if Masaki wants to go with her to Solatis Temple. Masaki didn't like Ibun much last time they went, and Tytti decides to take Simone instead. Go to Stage 10. --- If you came here from Stage 3: --- It's time for Tytti to make a familiar -- an animal companion like middle-age witches used to have. All Masou Kishin pilots have them. Tytti wonders if Masaki wants to go with her to Solatis Temple. At this point you have a choice: 1. All right, let's go 2. Nah, that's OK If you choose #1, go to Stage 8. If you choose #2, go to Stage 10. --- ------------------ Stage 8 - Familiar ------------------ Presia, of course, wants to go along to see the familiar. Masaki takes her with him and they go to Solatis Temple. Masaki thinks it looks like a pyramid. The high priest Ibun congratulates Tytti on being chosen by Gaddes. Ibun knows that Tytti has come to get a familiar, and invites her (and the two "children" behind her) inside. Ibun praises Masaki's Prana capacity. They prepare to start the ceremony using the computer's REB. Masaki will provide defense if anything goes wrong. Ibun asks Tytti to concentrate on the image of her familiar, and some sort of psychic search takes place. During the process, Ibun detects something approaching the temple and asks Masaki to investigate what it is. Outside there's nothing, and Masaki wonders if the computer is malfunctioning. As he thinks that, Safine shows up. She calls herself Safine the Scarlet Lotus and says that it's time to play around a bit. She talks seductively to Masaki and asks him to play with her. Ibun cautions Masaki to be careful because she's a follower of the evil god Vorcrus. This pisses off Safine and she summons some Demon Golems to fight you. Ibun sends out a helper drone so you won't have to fight alone, and tells you to hold them off for 5 minutes until the familiar ceremony is done. After a few turns, Maddock shows up and berates you for making the sacred temple stink of blood. He notices Safine and wonders what she's planning -- he joins your side to fight her, noting that he usually likes younger women (Safine doesn't like that, of course). After a few more turns, Ibun announces that the ceremony is complete -- apparently Tytti has gained some wolves. She gives them the names Freki and Gary, and goes out to help Masaki fight. Masaki is surprised the wolves can talk. Safine summons a few more golems, and says that this close to the temple, that's the best she can do. When you reduce her HP enough, she says she's got Gaddes' data and leaves. After the battle, Maddock comes to the temple to talk. Presia wants to ride Diablos, and Maddock says in 10 years he'll teach Presia something good [uh...] Ibun notes that there's a lot of trouble brewing, and Tytti wonders if Nagzat is the "Magic God" (Majin) mentioned in the prophecy. Ibun doesn't think so -- Nagzat doesn't have the power to destroy La Gias. Masaki is contemptuous of the idea of a prophecy. Ibun and Tytti understand that it's hard for someone from Earth to believe in a prophecy, but that here in La Gias they have great power. Ibun suggests that Masaki look at Princess Monica's prophecy. Masaki agrees halfheartedly, so they return to the palace. Maddock stays back to have tea with Ibun. Go to Stage 9. ------------------ Stage 9 - The Kidnapping of Monica ------------------ Back at the capital, Masaki and Senia have gone to see the Masouki in the storage room. Feil is annoyed that Senia is there, but he thinks that as long as Wendy is there too, things will be OK. At the storage place, Senia says that out of the 16 official Masouki, 7 are here. Masaki asks what "official" means -- apparently it consists of the unique Masouki. Wendy comes up and wonders what they're doing, and warns Senia not to touch the Masouki like she did before. Wendy introduces herself to Masaki; she's in charge of planning and maintenance of the Masouki. Masaki blushes as he introduces himself. Senia asks if Masaki likes older women like her. Masaki gets the feeling like someone is calling him, but assumes it was just his imagination. Senia points out Galgard, which was the latest of the Masouki to be constructed and thus has power approaching a Masou Kishin. Senia also says that Psybuster is the strongest (and coolest) of the Masou Kishin, but it's not there right now because Wendy is putting the finishing touches on it. Just then, there's another enemy attack. Masaki goes out and notices that it's Ruozor again. Senia comes out after him, which angers Feil, but she's determined to help Masaki so he doesn't have to fight alone. When Ruozor attacks Senia, Senia tells him to stop involving innocent people. Ruozor replies that to the God of Destruction Vorcrus, all living things are enemies. Attack Ruozor with a range attack and Masaki will be surprised that his attacks aren't working at all. Ruozor laughs and says that he's not pulling any punches this time. If you can survive a turn or two after this, Tytti will appear in Gaddes. Masaki tells her that he can't damage Nagzat, and Tytti replies that if she attacks him with her familiars, it should do considerable damage -- this is because Nagzat exists half in the Astral world. Wendy put some ectoplasm on the familiars to allow them to break Nagzat's barrier. The next turn, Safine appears in the Wizoll. She tells Ruozor that she failed in her mission, and he gets angry since he's been providing a diversion for her. Safine tells him not to be so mad since she has a "present" -- it's Monica, who has a...ball gag (not surprising from Safine...) Ruozor wonders what the point was in tying her up like that, and Safine replies that it's her hobby. Masaki wants to keep fighting them, but Safine shows Monica to them (it's Senia's twin sister). Safine asks them to hand over Psybuster to her. If they don't, Safine will take Monica and keep her as a pet. Senia gets pissed off, and Safine tells her to stay where she is because Monica's gag has an explosion spell on it. Psybuster appears, and Feil wonders where it came from -- Wendy sent it out on her own. Feil reprimands her, but Wendy says they can recapture Psybuster any time they want. Safine comes up to take the Psybuster and leaves with Ruozor after returning Monica. Wendy blushes when she sees how Monica was tied up. The battle ends. Tytti wonders what Ruozor is going to do with Psybuster, since they surely know that only a specific chosen person can pilot it. Monica comes in and asks permission to talk with them; she doesn't want to rest since she was the cause of all this. Senia tells Monica her grammar is strange. Monica says that Safine said something strange before, that Psyfis of the Wind should be compatible. Psyfis is apparently the guardian spirit of Psybuster. Feil is worried that this means they have someone who can pilot Psybuster, although he doesn't think that Psyfis would choose any of them. In any case, they have to recover Psybuster as quickly as they can. Tytti wonders how to chase them since they're too fast, and they have no idea where they went. Wendy has an idea -- have Masaki search for it. Masaki is understandably confused. Wendy says that Psybuster and Masaki seem to have a strange connection, and she has a feeling that Masaki might be Psybuster's pilot. Masaki is still hesitant, but Senia says they should trust Wendy's intuition since she built Psybuster. Masaki agrees to try. Go to Stage 12. ------------------ Stage 10 - Pride and Hostility ------------------ Since Masaki isn't going with Tytti, Presia invites him (or maybe drags him) on a picnic with her and Zeoroot. She wants to do this because Zeoroot has a rare day off. Masaki is surprised that they're going in the Masouki, but Zeoroot says it's convenient and reminds him that Ruozor could attack again at any time. Presia also points out that Zeoroot is much more trustworthy than Masaki. They arrive at the picnic location, and start to eat lunches that Presia made. They exchange banter (Zeoroot doesn't seem to like any vegetables). Masaki asks Zeoroot what a familiar is. Zeoroot tells him that Ricardo had his familiar (a monkey) with him. They appear in the form of animals, but they are beings created out of the unconcious of their master (the "persona"). They protect the master and act as assistants, and if they pilot a Masou Kishin, they help attack as well. Zeoroot thinks that Masaki has the qualifications to become a Masou Kishin pilot. He then offers to do some training with Masaki. After they fight for a little bit, Zeoroot says they've done enough for today. Presia then says someone's coming, and Ruozor shows up, happy that Masaki is alone with Zeoroot. After a few turns, someone named Fang (a student of Zeoroot's) shows up to help Zeoroot. (If you find this battle hard, you can skip it by having Masaki's Jaom blow up during the training part -- you'll have to pay the repair cost, of course). After the battle, Zeoroot congratulates Fang on his skill. Apparently he's one of the rare people native to La Gias who has a high Prana ability -- Zeoroot even thinks he might surpass him, although neither of them will ever be as good as the Earthlings. Fang gets angry at this and says that La Gias people should deal with the problems themselves. He cites someone called Rubica as an example of an untrustworthy person from Earth. At this point Zeoroot basically tells him to shut up, and to apologize to Masaki for saying that. Fang leaves without doing so. Masaki says that he can understand Fang's feeling, and Zeoroot says that Fang isn't the only one who feels that way. It's getting dark, but Presia still wants to stay and play some more. You have two choices: 1. Sure...we still have time. 2. No, let's go back. There's something worrying me. If you pick 1, go to Stage 11. If you pick 2, go to Stage 9. ------------------ Stage 11 - The Stolen Masou Kishin ------------------ Back at the capital, Feil comments that Psybuster is the only remaining Masou Kishin lacking a pilot. Senia finds that worrisome since it's the most powerful of the Masou Kishin. Wendy comes and tells Feil that the tests on Psybuster are finished and that it's even more powerful than they thought. Senia wants to look at the results, but Feil won't let her because they're top secret. She storms off in a huff. Feil is annoyed, but Wendy says that Senia has enough ability to surpass her once she actually joins the intelligence division. Wendy wonders where Princess Monica is, and Feil is surprised she wasn't in the other room. At the picnic site, Presia and Masaki are looking at flowers. It's getting late, though, so they return to the capital. Princess Monica is hanging laundry outside because it's such a nice day. Safine appears, and Monica has a rather blase reaction. Safine has come for another purpose, but she thinks she's lucky to find Monica there alone. She comes up and tells Monica to come quietly. Monica gives a very polite introduction, which annoys Safine. Monica says unfortunately she can't come with Safine because she has washing to do. Safine starts to grab Monica, and Masaki and Zeoroot show up. Masaki is surprised to see Safine's Wizoll in the palace. Safine abandons Monica and goes to one of the other buildings. Zeoroot sees that Monica is in danger and goes to see if she's OK. Monica smiles and asks Zeoroot why he's come to visit (there's some sort of screw loose here, I think...) Meanwhile, Safine grabs Psybuster from the storage place. Psybuster temporarily glows, which gives Masaki a strange feeling, but Safine is then able to take it and run away. The scene switches, and Tytti is confronting Ruozor elsewhere near the palace. Safine appears and tells Ruozor she succeeded (more like yells at him...) Masaki and Zeoroot are in hot pursuit, so Ruozor tries to create a diversion for her to retreat. He summons a bunch of demon golems and then retreats himself. Once you kill them all, Monica thanks Masaki for helping her. Senia tells Masaki that Feil wants to talk to him about Psybuster, and also tells Monica that she wouldn't have been taken if she wasn't so spacey. Tytti wonders why they bothered stealing Psybuster since they can't control it without the specific chosen person. Senia wonders if they're going to dismantle it for parts, or to learn more about the Masou Kishin. Wendy mentions that Psybuster and Masaki seemed to have some sort of connection before (that flash of light was a Flare Apparition; a combination of spirit and ether). Wendy thinks that Masaki may be the chosen one for Psybuster, and tells Masaki he can search for the robot. Masaki has his doubts, but Senia reminds him that Wendy built the Psybuster so she knows what she's talking about. He agrees to give it a try. Go to Stage 12. ------------------ Stage 12 - Psybuster ------------------ Feil says that from their intelligence, it appears that Ruozor has moved north. Four units will go out with Masaki at the center, and all go slightly different directions. They have orders to call everyone else if they find Ruozor, and be careful about engaging him alone. Tytti, rather than leaving, talks to Feil. She doesn't think it's a good idea for Ricardo to be sent out alone. She has the feeling Ricardo is going to die on this mission, but Feil thinks she's overthinking things. Masaki isn't sure he can find the Psybuster, but hopes he's Psybuster's chosen so that he can show up Yang Long. He ends up going the wrong way and runs into Senia (Masaki has no sense of direction, as usual). Masaki starts to turn around but then gets a feeling, and Senia says there's a reaction on the radar. Masaki and Senia appear in a desert, and Safine and Psybuster are there. Safine can't believe they managed to find her. Masaki can hear Psybuster calling him, and it glows again. Masaki hears Psybuster telling him to get in. Safine also realizes what's going on, and tries to stop him from approaching. After the first turn, Safine summons demon golems. Senia tells Masaki to ignore them and go for Psybuster. Once you get Masaki next to Psybuster, he wonders what he's supposed to do. Senia isn't sure either -- she didn't think that far ahead :). Safine is elated that they don't know how to get in the Psybuster. The machine glows again, and Masaki gets teleported inside it. Safine decides that if they can't use Psybuster, she'll just have to destroy it. She summons a few more golems for good measure. The next turn, Yang Long shows up and wonders who is piloting the Psybuster. When he sees that it's Masaki, he's very impressed. Safine is a bit worried when she sees Yang Long. (If Masaki got defeated last turn the dialogue is a little different -- Yang Long says he heard the Psybuster is activated but wonders where it is. Masaki sheepishly apologizes for losing it so quickly.) Note that your choice of routes will depend on whether or not Yang Long and Safine fight. Also, when you reduce Safine below half her HP, she will recover it all. If Yang Long fought Safine: --- Once you beat Safine, she's upset that she'll be scolded by Ruozor again. Masaki is pleased with the Psybuster's power, but Yang Long can't believe that Masaki is really the chosen one for Psybuster. Masaki tells him not to be jealous; that his Grand Veil is fairly good too. Senia is pissed off at Masaki but Yang Long doesn't think it's worth it to scold him. In any case, Yang Long wants to chase after Safine. He tells Senia to take Masaki back to the capital. At this point you have two choices: 1. Return to the capital 2. Follow Yang Long If you choose 1: Masaki returns to the palace. Feil is surprised that Masaki really was the chosen one for Psybuster. Wendy thought that Masaki was the right one but didn't think it would happen so fast. Wendy and Feil both thank him, and Wendy says she's glad that things went well since she basically forced Masaki into following her hunch. Masaki tells her not to think that way, that he did it of his own choice. Wendy warns him that since he's now been chosen by Psybuster, he's going to get caught up in things whether he wants to or not. She thinks it might become a burden for him and tells him to come talk to her if he ever feels that way. Go to Stage 15. If you choose 2: Masaki wants to go with Yang Long because he thinks there's somebody acting behind the scenes that they might be able to ferret out if they follow her. Yang Long is surprised at Masaki's intuition and lets him come, although warns that he's not going to go out of his way to save Masaki if he gets into trouble. At this point Senia gets pissed off at him for going off on his own, and Masaki isn't sure why she's so upset. Senia admits that she can't order him around since he's in a Masou Kishin. In any case, she's coming with them. Of course Yang Long doesn't like this plan but Senia says she can handle the repairs. Masaki thinks that Senia just wants to tinker with the Masou Kishin (and judging from Senia's expression that's exactly what she wanted...) Go to Stage 13. --- If Yang Long and Safine did not fight, go to Stage 15 (I haven't checked how the dialogue works out yet.) ------------------ Stage 13 - Border Line ------------------ Note: Whether you go to battle 14 or 15 in this stage is determined by whether you move your characters across the bridge or not. Senia asks Yang Long if something happened with him and Monica. Yang Long doesn't want Senia to talk like that because it could make people misunderstand, but Senia says everyone already knows that Yang Long is smitten by Monica. Ricardo said it before. Yang Long tells Senia that there's absolutely nothing between them. Senia says it's OK for him to admit it; Monica likes attractive men as well, and Yang Long qualifies there. Yang Long really wants Senia to be quiet, but Senia keeps going on about how Monica liked some guy named Kristoff. Yang Long says women are impossible to deal with, which annoys Senia. Masaki interrupts them to focus them back on Safine. Yang Long says it's OK because he put Ranshio (his familiar, a large black panther) in Safine's Wizoll when they were fighting. Apparently she won't be able to see him but Yang Long knows exactly where the Wizoll is. They reach the place where Yang Long thinks the Wizoll is. Senia is worried because they're close to the border with Bagonia, and she doesn't want to cross into that land. Yang Long says they'll have to if that's what Safine did. Senia gets a reaction on her radar and says a lot of them are coming. Apparently it's the Bagonia border guard. The scene switches to the battlefield. Safine has been stopped by the Bagonia border guard and ordered to surrender. Safine laughs at them and says their robots are too old to stand a chance against her. As they sort of lurch forward, she laughs at them a lot. But one other robot comes up behind her and does something with a black fog, enveloping her Wizoll. She starts to lose power and can't move. Yang Long, Senia, and Masaki show up. Yang Long yells at the Bagonia troops for wanting to invade Rangran. Senia tells Masaki that this side of the bridge is Rangran and the other side is Bagonia. One of the Bagonia troops asks the captain what to do, since they entered Rangran (the one that got Safine). The captain says they don't have to worry since they just did it to stop an intruder. Then he orders the troops to attack, so that Masaki and the others won't take the Masouki they captured. Masaki is angry, and Senia warns him not to cross the bridge because it will become a matter of state. Remember that if you want to go to Stage 14, do not cross the bridges when you're fighting. If you did cross the bridge (s9): When you kill the final enemy, he can't believe how powerful the Masou Kishin are. Since they're obviously invading, they need to notify the government quickly. Safine wakes up, apparently having some sort of erotic dream. Ranshio is there, and Safine is surprised, but then realizes it's Yang Long's familiar. Safine is thankful that they rescued her, but Yang Long says they captured her, not rescued her. Safine thinks they're too soft, and Ranshio reminds her that he's right there. She says again that they're too soft, and starts doing something to Ranshio -- she's using some sort of spirit magic that familiars are weak against. She throws Ranshio out of her robot and then runs away. Senia is annoyed that Safine got away. Ranshio blames himself, but Yang Long says it's his own fault for underestimating Safine's magical ability. Masaki says there's nothing they can do, so it's time to go back to the capital. Back at the capital, Feil is surprised that Masaki really was the chosen one for Psybuster. Wendy thought that Masaki was the right one but didn't think it would happen so fast. Wendy and Feil both thank him, and Wendy says she's glad that things went well since she basically forced Masaki into following her hunch. Masaki tells her not to think that way, that he did it of his own choice. Wendy warns him that since he's now been chosen by Psybuster, he's going to get caught up in things whether he wants to or not. She thinks it might become a burden for him and tells him to come talk to her if he ever feels that way. Yang Long notifies Feil that they crossed the Bagonia border. Feil says they had no choice, and that he'll issue an official apology through diplomatic channels. Go to Stage 15. If you did not cross the bridge (s8): When you kill the last troop, he realizes how strong Masou Kishin are. Then the battle ends, and Yang Long begins to question Safine, but Senia wonders if she'll talk to them -- Yang Long says he'll make her talk. Senia tries to wake up Safine, who is apparently having some sort of erotic dream. Masaki yells at her to wake her up, and Safine wonders what they want with her. Masaki wonders why she attacked the capital, and Safine says that it was to revive Vorcrus -- isn't that obvious? Vorcrus needs chaos to come back. Yang Long doesn't buy this; he says that Safine could have attacked with much more strength than she did. Safine is pleased that Yang Long thinks so much of her, but says she gave it her best. Yang Long then asks who she takes orders from and whether there are any others working with her. Safine coyly says that he should take things slowly since they have a lot of time. Yang Long says that they have ways of making her talk, and Safine wonders if he's going to torture her. Unfortunately, that's not much of a threat for Safine who says that if they tortured her she would groan with pleasure. She likes being tortured, and torturing others. Yang Long says that's not what he had in mind; that she'll have to listen to his preaching. Masaki and Senia both protest -- that's too cruel a punishment. Safine starts to get scared, and Masaki tells her that his preaching involves 4000 years of Chinese history (just for starters). If he gets tired, he has his familiar take over. Senia says that it almost made Masaki go crazy -- Masaki says he was able to endure it, but that he's heard some were reduced to blubbering "nanmandabu" (a buddhist chant) over and over again. Yang Long thinks they've said too much. (This is quite a funny scene. :)) Go to Stage 14. ------------------ Stage 14 - United Front ------------------ Yang Long prepares to start his sermon. Safine isn't ready yet, and Yang Long says that she's not behaving very well for someone that's going to die soon, and then tells Safine again to admit all the wrong she has done. Safine laughs and says that women have a lot of secrets (there's something I'm missing here...) Yang Long says a proverb which Safine doesn't understand, and Yang Long explains it -- it means that if you don't want your evil deeds exposed, it means you still have some good left in you. Safine says that's not the reason she's not talking. Yang Long asks her why, then? Just then, there's a commotion. Ranshio says there's an attack; probably the Bagonia forces. Safine thinks this is her chance to escape. In the battle, a man named Jino asks one of the soldiers whether these are the people who crossed the border. He says that they are. Jino says that because they're currently in Rangran, they can't do anything. The soldier starts screaming that they can't ignore invaders, and Jino says that he's not doubting the soldier's account. He just doesn't want to risk appearing as if *he's* the one invading. They have to wait for their orders, and just watch for now. Senia notices that they're not moving, and Yang Long realizes they're just reconnaisance. The soldier who reported to Jino is afraid he'll be court- martialed (I guess because he falsely reported that Masaki and the others crossed the border), and wonders what to do. Just as he does this, a crazy old man named Zetsu appears in a Masouki, raving about how he smells the powerful scent of the Masou Kishin. This is his chance to test his Ageid's power. Jino notices the man and wonders what the prototype Ageid is doing there, since he didn't hear anything about a test. Yang Long wonders if it could be some new Masouki that Bagonia has developed. Zetsu yells that junkheaps build in an academy won't be able to beat his Ageid, and crosses the bridge to attack. Jino doesn't like the situation, especially since the Ageid is classified information that he doesn't want being leaked. He yells at the Ageid, asking who is in it and ordering him to stop his attack. Zetsu just tells Jino to shut up. Jino can't believe that Sir Zetsu (as he calls him) is in the Ageid. Masaki and Yang Long decide they have no choice but to attack, and Yang Long sends Ranshio to watch Safine. On the second turn, Safine offers to help. Yang Long refuses, but is worried that the Bagonia forces will start to attack her when she can't move, so he sets her free(!). Safine thanks him and says she'll return the favor someday. Masaki is surprised, but Yang Long thinks it would be worse if the Bagonia troops were able to capture her. Safine thanks Yang Long again and offers her help for the rest of the battle. If you attack the Ageid with Senia, she says that the design of the Ageid looks familiar. When you defeat Jino he says that indeed the Rangran Masou Kishin are dangerous foes. Safine then says she's leaving for now, and Yang Long reminds her not to forget to return the favor. Safine doesn't think she'll be able to do anything important, and then says "See you again" (in English, like Remy of Goshogun). After the battle, Senia is disappointed that they didn't get much useful information from Safine. Yang Long thinks that the knowledge about Bagonia's Masouki is enough. Senia comments that the Masouki looked a lot like Rangran's. Ranshio noticed it too. They go back to the capital. Back at the capital, Feil is surprised that Masaki really was the chosen one for Psybuster. Wendy thought that Masaki was the right one but didn't think it would happen so fast. Wendy and Feil both thank him, and Wendy says she's glad that things went well since she basically forced Masaki into following her hunch. Masaki tells her not to think that way, that he did it of his own choice. Wendy warns him that since he's now been chosen by Psybuster, he's going to get caught up in things whether he wants to or not. She thinks it might become a burden for him and tells him to come talk to her if he ever feels that way. Go to Stage 15. (BTW, when Safine gets hit she says "ann..motto.." ("oh...more...") and when she gets defeated she says "ah...s..sugoi wa yo...", both rather sexual quotes. The latter is her spoken quote in the character dictionary of SRW Alpha Gaiden.) ------------------ Stage 15 - The Name of Randol ------------------ s1 (from 12) s8 (from 14)* s9 (from 13) Presia is trying to wake Masaki up, because Feil is calling for him -- it's time for a "seigou". Masaki asks what that is, but Presia doesn't know either. Zeoroot tells Masaki it refers to the name of any deceased great person. In other words, the king is going to give Masaki an honorary name. Masaki says he doesn't really want a name beyond the one his parents gave him, but Zeoroot says it's a great honor. Masaki understands, but wonders why he deserves that. Zeoroot says it's because he recovered the Psybuster. Masaki refuses, and Zeoroot is upset. Apparently the name Masaki is going to receive is one of Zeoroot's ancestors. Zeoroot wanted to adopt Masaki (this makes Presia happy). Masaki says that whatever they want to do is OK, but his nonchalance upsets Presia (who thinks he hates her). Zeoroot says that if he adopted Masaki he wouldn't have to pay as much tax, and then it would be easier to take care of Presia. So it's too bad he's going to refuse...Masaki gets upset (of course) and says that he'll take the name. They go to the king's audience room. King Alzar gives Masaki the name of Randol Zan Zenosakis. Feil (from beside Masaki) tells Masaki to kneel and put his head down, and repeat after him. Feil gives him some super-formal phrases of thanks and acceptance, which Masaki tries to repeat, although he gets some of the words wrong. The King then says it's time for the prayer for the spirits' protection, and starts invoking the prayer. Feil tells Masaki this will go on for another 30 minutes, and as the king keeps doing the prayer, Masaki falls asleep. At that point there's a shake, and one of the soldiers says that enemies are attacking. Tytti wonders if it's Ruozor again. Feil gives the order for all the troops to attack. It is, indeed, Ruozor. Feil can't believe that he broke through such strong barriers (again), but Ruozor says they can't make a barrier that will keep him out. Masaki says it doesn't matter how many times he comes as long as he and the other Masouki are there. He says that they treated all the weapons with that ecto-stuff and that he'll show Ruozor the true power of the Masou Kishin. Someone named Rasetsu (on the enemy side) thinks to himself(?) that he wants to try out this new Baform unit against the Masou Kishin. On the second turn, Presia yells to Masaki that after receiving the name of Randoll he should fight hard. Ruozor hears this and tells Masaki that Randoll gave the evil god Vorcrus a lot of trouble in the past, and that it's an honor for him to fight someone with that name. When you defeat Rasetsu, he says that the Masou Kishin are even stronger than he thought, and that "the plan" should continue. When you reduce Ruozor's HP enough, he says that he should have known he would have a hard time against three Masou Kishin at once, but that he's collected sufficient data. He leaves. Senia comments that she had never seen that type of Masouki before, and wonders if Shutedonias or Bagonia actually are involved. Wendy thinks that's very possible, since the Masouki seemed to move like Shutedonias units. After the battle, the king says that they can continue the ceremony now. Poor Masaki. Feil tells the king that it's fine if they skip the ceremony because he's proven himself worthy of the Randoll name in battle. The king says that's good anyway, because he was worried that Masaki would start snoring at some point during the ceremony. (Yes, Masaki, he noticed...) Senia makes a comment, and the King doesn't like that she calls him "father" (otoosan) instead of "papa". Senia protests that she's not a little kid anymore, but the king says he might cry if Senia grows up too much, so Senia relents. Masaki thinks the king is rather odd. Ricardo comes to congratulate Masaki on taking the Randoll name, and he asks Masaki if he saw the morning's news. Apparently the Shutedonias people have staged some sort of demonstration. Masaki doesn't think the east kindgom has anything to do with him, but Ricardo says it could since they look at Rangran as being evil people -- the demonstration is an anti-Masou Kishin protest. Masaki wonders why people would be anti-Masou Kishin when they help save the world. Ricardo answers that the other kingdoms feel the Masou Kishin are just threats to their lands, especially lately since the terrorists have caused the Masou Kishin to be in constant operation -- maybe Rangran will even attack the other kingdoms. Masaki says that won't happen, so there's nothing to worry about. Ricardo still feels like something bad is going to happen. Masaki hadn't pegged Ricardo for such a worrywort. The next stage is different depending on which stages you played before (it's the same in substance but the game brings everything in line so that by Stage 18 the plot is the same no matter what routes you took before). If you played Stage 14, go to Stage 17. (s8) If you did not play Stage 14, go to Stage 16. (s9) ------------------ Stage 16 - Masaki and his Familiars ------------------ Masaki is going to the priest Ibun to get his familiars, and Presia wants to come too. Masaki wonders if it's OK to leave Zeoroot alone, but Presia says he's going to Bagonia on business. Presia and Masaki go to the temple to meet Ibun. Ibun sees that Masaki still hasn't learned any manners. Ibun tells Masaki to wait a moment while she prepares the rites for the familiar. A woman comes out and introduces herself as Rebecca Turner (Becky); she seems to already know who Masaki is. She pilots the Ra Venta. Becky has heard that Masaki recently received the name of Randoll, but he tells her just to call him Masaki. Ibun asks Masaki whether he thought of a familiar, but Masaki totally forgot about it. Ibun is annoyed but tells Masaki to think of two familiars. He thinks for a few seconds and tells Ibun to start the procedure. It doesn't take long, and Presia squeals -- apparently Masaki's new familiars are a black cat and a white cat (of course you already know that if you played Alpha or EX...). Ibun tells Masaki to give them names, and he picks Shiro (white) and Kuro (black); hardly the most creative person...Shiro and Kuro immediately start complaining that their names are too simple. Presia notes that it's a boy and a girl, and she gives a bell to Shiro and a ribbon to Kuro. They like their presents quite a bit (typical cats...) Just then there is another alarm; Masaki wonders what's going on with the country's security since these terrorists seem to be attacking so often. Becky and Masaki go out to see what's happening. Masaki notes that the attacking Masouki are ones he's never seen before. Ibun says that they're not terrorists; it's probably Bagonia (a neighboring empire) troops. Presia wonders why Bagonia is attacking them since they're not at war. Ibun says she can't be sure it's Bagonia; if they had Senia there she would be able to tell just from the sound and movement of the robots. Masaki wonders the same thing as Presia, and Becky thinks that they're trying to test new Masouki for a future attack on Rangran. Ibun agrees, and thinks they might also be collecting data on the Rangran Masouki. Jino (the Bagonia troop leader) sees the Psybuster and says his mission is to test its strength, but that they shouldn't go all out. The troops acknowledge his order, and the fight begins. After you beat a few of the enemies, Jino says that the Masou Kishin are indeed powerful, and tells everyone to retreat. Masaki is surprised they retreated so fast. Becky thinks it's because of her fearsome power! Masaki likes her style, but just then Ibun says that something else is going on. Safine appears with a few units, and says that Ibun has good sense. She was just coming to look but seeing them fight made her whole body throb. She wants Masaki to calm her hot body. Maddock appears the next turn, and Safine yells at him again (she really doesn't like Maddock...) Maddock also has with him a guy named Ahmed, the pilot of the Solgadi. When you beat Safine she's annoyed that she lost, but at least she'll be able to sleep well tonight. Becky wants to drink to the success of the battle. Ahmed says that he'll have to leave if they do that since as a Muslim, he cannot drink alcohol. Becky says that if you don't drink alcohol, half of life's pleasures are denied to you. Masaki wonders what the other half is, and Becky says that of course it's sleeping with a nice guy. Maddock definitely agrees with that sentiment (but with women, of course). Kuro comments that all the Masouki pilots are strange people, and Shiro says that includes Masaki. Masaki tells them not to lump him in with the others. Ibun notes that fighting with one's familiars is a rare thing. This is because familiars are created from the subconcious of the person, and so they should be faithful to their master. There are many cases of the familiar having a totally different personality, though; that's the nature of the Persona. Meanwhile Becky appears to have started getting drunk and calls Masaki over to join her. Presia is surprised at how much Becky already drank, but Becky says that just one or two bottles of Bourbon isn't going to affect her (yeah right...) Masaki says that he can't drink because he's underage, but Becky says he's already enough of an adult and presses him to drink, but Masaki thinks the alcohol stinks. Becky repeats that the room is hot, and begins to take off some article of clothing. Masaki protests (come on, Masaki...), and she is doing in front of Presia...Masaki tries to stop Becky but Maddock holds him back. Becky says that it's still hot and that she better take off her pants also. Presia notes that Masaki is no longer trying to stop Becky, and so Masaki tries again. Ibun then comes in and yells at them all for being idiots. Ibun reminds them that this is a holy temple..Becky offers a halfhearted apology. The next morning Becky apologizes (sort of), but Masaki says it's OK because Maddock seemed happy enough. ("You were too..." says Presia) Becky then has a favor for Masaki. Apparently Masaki's Psybuster can go freely between Earth and La Gias, so she wants to go back to Earth and buy some Bourbon (La Gias alcohol just doesn't cut it...) Masaki had no idea that Psybuster could go back to Earth. Becky says it doesn't matter and gives him some money and tells him the specific brand (apparently some rare brand). Back at the capital, Presia wonders if Masaki is really going to do Becky's request. Kuro and Shiro don't think it's a good idea to go up to Earth for no real purpose, but Masaki wants to do something himself also. Go to Stage 18. ------------------ Stage 17 - Masaki's Familiars ------------------ Masaki is going to the priest Ibun to get his familiars, and Presia wants to come too. Masaki wonders if it's OK to leave Zeoroot alone, but Presia says he's going to Bagonia on business. Presia and Masaki go to the temple to meet Ibun. Ibun sees that Masaki still hasn't learned any manners. Ibun tells Masaki to wait a moment while she prepares the rites for the familiar. A woman comes out and introduces herself as Rebecca Turner (Becky); she seems to already know who Masaki is. She pilots the Ra Venta. Becky has heard that Masaki recently received the name of Randoll, but he tells her just to call him Masaki. Ibun asks Masaki whether he thought of a familiar, and Masaki says he's definitely got it.. It doesn't take long, and Presia squeals -- apparently Masaki's new familiars are a black cat and a white cat (of course you already know that if you played Alpha or EX...). Ibun tells Masaki to give them names, and he picks Shiro (white) and Kuro (black); hardly the most creative person (as Becky points out). Shiro and Kuro immediately start complaining that their names are too simple. Presia notes that it's a boy and a girl, and she gives a bell to Shiro and a ribbon to Kuro. They like their presents quite a bit (typical cats...) Just then there is another alarm; Masaki wonders what's going on with the country's security since these terrorists seem to be attacking so often. Becky and Masaki go out to see what's happening. Safine appears with some troops and says she has business with Ibun, but that as long as Masaki's there that's fine too -- she has to give Masaki the repayment for what he did for her. Maddock appears in a few turns, and Safine yells at him again (she really doesn't like Maddock...) Maddock also has with him a guy named Ahmed, the pilot of the Solgadi. When you beat Safine she recognizes your skill and says she'll let you live for today (yeah right...) Becky wants to drink to the success of the battle. Ahmed says that he'll have to leave if they do that since as a Muslim, he cannot drink alcohol. Becky thinks that's silly but Maddock says it's OK, he'll drink Ahmed's portion. Maddock sees that Becky has Bourbon; he prefers Irish whiskey. They start drinking (but Masaki, being underage, doesn't want any.) Becky is already smashed and tries to urge Masaki to drink. Masaki is surprised that Becky drank a whole bottle of Bourbon straight, but Becky says that if he knows a better way to drink Bourbon he should teach her. Maddock says that it's just about time. For what? Becky mentions that it's hot, and Masaki (jokingly, I guess) tells her to take her clothes off. Becky says that as long as she has permission...Masaki protests that it was just a joke, but apparently she does it anyway (in front of Presia no less...) Maddock had been waiting for this moment, the old lech. Presia is trying to get her to stop, and Becky wonders if Presia wants to take her clothes off too, and offers to help (uh...) Presia yells for Masaki to help, but just then Ibun comes in and tells them all to shut up. Ibun reminds them that this is a holy temple..Becky offers a halfhearted apology. The next morning Becky apologizes (sort of), and Presia tells her she probably shouldn't drink alcohol. Becky says that once Presia gets older she'll understand, but maybe she won't drink alcohol because she's a strong person. Becky then has a favor for Masaki. Apparently Masaki's Psybuster can go freely between Earth and La Gias, so she wants to go back to Earth and buy some Bourbon (La Gias alcohol just doesn't cut it...) Masaki had no idea that Psybuster could go back to Earth. Presia says that if she's out of alcohol this might be a good time to stop drinking, and Becky says that she's tried that a million times (alcoholism???) Becky says it doesn't matter and gives him some money and tells him the specific brand (apparently some rare brand). Back at the capital, Presia wonders if Masaki is really going to do Becky's request. Kuro and Shiro don't think it's a good idea to go up to Earth for no real purpose, but Masaki wants to do something himself also. ------------------ Stage 18 - Above Ground ------------------ (All story paths so far converge here, and no choice you made before has any effect on the future branches or choices -- it is possible that there are some minor dialogue differences, but I'm not going to try to find out.) Tytti welcomes Masaki back and wonders what sort of familiars he got. Kuro and Shiro introduce themselves. Tytti thinks they're cute, but Freki isn't sure they can protect Masaki with such forms. Gary agrees. Tytti starts wishing she had chosen cats instead, which flusters Gary and Freki. Freki says that splendid and beautiful wolves like them are better than a couple of lowlife cats. Kuro and Shiro think them's fightin' words, and Freki is ready to take the challenge, but Tytti holds them back. Then she tells Masaki that Feil wants to speak to him. Feil wants to tell Masaki about the duties and rights of a Masou Kishin pilot. The main right they have is that they do not have to follow any sort of authority figure. Masaki understands, but then wonders if that really means he can ignore Feil's (or the King's) orders? Feil says yes, and that the only thing that can stop a Masou Kishin is another Masou Kishin. Masaki seems to think Feil is telling him he can do whatever he wants, even commit crimes. Feil says that's correct, but that it won't happen because Masou Kishin only choose those with just and good spirits. Masaki doesn't really think that applies to him, but Feil says that the spirits that bind people to Masou Kishin are close to ultimate purity. They would reject any sort of evil. Masaki wonders if this means that Psybuster could reject him at some point. Feil continues by saying that the single duty of a Masou Kishin pilot is to stand up and fight whenever the world is in danger. That's it? Masaki would have done that anyway. But Feil says that duty will be crueler than he can imagine. Later, Tytti is looking for Masaki and meets Wendy. Wendy says that Masaki took Psybuster out to get more used to it. Now we switch to Japan, where Kuro is asking Masaki if coming here without asking anyone is OK. Shiro agrees, but Masaki says no one will see them. Masaki came back here out of some sort of lingering affection he didn't think he would have for Japan. Shiro says that something's coming, and a pilot of some sort of plane tells Masaki that he's violating Japanese airspace and that he'll have to stand down. Masaki responds confidently that because he's Japanese, it's OK for him to be in Japanese airspace. The pilot is surprised to hear Masaki speaking Japanese, and asks for the registration number of his unit. Masaki of course has no idea what it is, and the pilot says he'll shoot Masaki down if he doesn't answer. Masaki laughs at him and flies away, apparently too fast for the pilot to see. He even disappeared from the radar. Shiro says that he made a shield so that they wouldn't show up on a radar. Kuro thinks that's well and good, but why did they have to land right in the middle of a town? Masaki says that's the funniest way to do it -- look, everyone's running around! Kuro warns him not to step on anyone, and then notices that something is coming at a fast speed. Who should appear but Shuu Shirakawa, who recognizes Psybuster and is surprised to meet it above ground. He also knows Masaki, and knows that he's received the name of Randoll as well. Masaki asks (or yells) how Shuu knows about the Psybuster. Shuu says he's also from Rangran, and introduces himself. Masaki is surprised and wonders if Shuu's robot is a Masouki. Shuu answers that it's not; it's a robot he designed himself called the Granzon. Shuu doesn't see any of the other Masou Kishin pilots and asks what's going on. Masaki tells him to shut up; he acts alone. Shuu tells him that UN forces (or is it Earth Federation? I don't remember how they write that in Japanese) will be there soon so he shouldn't cause a disturbance. Or is that Masaki's goal, to fight with the Earth forces? Kuro says that they should go back, and Masaki agrees (reluctantly). Masaki leaves, and Shuu says that he wasn't cut out ot pilot Psybuster after all. But, things will soon get quite fun in La Gias... Masaki can't shake the feeling that he's met Shuu somewhere before, but he can't remember exactly where. Kuro is exasperated with Masaki, but Masaki says that this is one of the jobs of a Masou Kishin pilot. Shiro doesn't understand, and Masaki says that it's necessary for him to find out everything that his Masou Kishin is capable of doing. Shiro thinks that's a pretty stupid reason. Kuro wishes that Masaki would apply himself more to learning how to maintain the thing. Masaki returns to La Gias but in a totally different place than he expected, and Kuro wonders if there is some sort of interference causing problems. Masaki says it's fine; if they just fly around randomly they'll come to a place he knows eventually. You now have the choice between East and West. Unless you just want to see all the stages, you should pick East here because it opens the possibility for some secret characters and moves in Part 2. From stage 21 on, I will assume in this summary that you picked East here -- the dialogue shouldn't be considerably different. If you pick West (the first choice), go to Stage 19. (s0) If you pick East (the second choice), go to Stage 20. (s1) (The following dialogues take place regardless of your choice) Meanwhile back at the palace, Feil is wondering where Masaki is. Feil says that Masou Kishin pilots have their freedom, but that Masaki might get in some accident due to his unfamiliarity with the robot, but he'll remind Masaki of that when he gets back. A man named Terius, who is apparently Feil's younger brother, asks if he's seen Monica anywhere. Feil thought she was in the back garden, but Terius didn't see her there. Senia then scolds Terius for skipping his philosophy class, but he doesn't want to go. Terius finds Monica, who is still speaking with incorrect grammar (as Terius points out). Terius has something good to tell Monica, about Kristoff (the guy she liked). Terius asks her where Kristoff went, and Monica says that he's been missing for about 2 years. Terius tells her that he's on the surface. He heard it by chance from Gram, the foreign minister, and Captain Rafitt. Monica yells out that he's OK, and Terius quiets her down. Doesn't she think it's strange that those two would be talking about Kristoff? Terius is just guessing, but he thinks Kristoff must have gone to the surface on some sort of order. Monica doesn't think that can be, since La Gias has decided not to have any sort of dealings with the land above. Terius thinks there might be something going on in the background -- but anyway, it's good that Kristoff is well. ------------------ Stage 19 - Airspace Violation ------------------ Kuro is trying to fix the guidance system but it's taking some time; he does eventually finish it, though. Masaki is surprised that the cat can fix the Masou Kishin just by talking, and Kuro says that's one of the functions of familiars. Now they can check their position -- they're right in the middle of Shutedonias! They've invaded the airspace (albeit inadvertently...) Masaki wants to escape quickly but they're already surrounded. The captain of the troops recognizes the Psybuster and wonders what it's doing invading their land. Masaki tries explaining that his guidance system was broken and that he accidentally came here. The captain says he can't trust Masaki; maybe he actually came here to invade or get information. He orders Masaki to come back to base with him. Shiro realizes this is bad -- they can't let Shutedonias learn the inner workings of the Psybuster. But Kuro points out that if they fight the troops, it could become a big problem. Kuro tells Masaki to go north. More troops are brought in to capture Masaki. Just then, Shuu appears in his Granzon. Masaki wonders what he's doing there, but Shuu says this is just a coincidence (yeah right). He offers to help Masaki. Masaki wonders how he's going to help, and Shuu responds by blasting all the Shutedonias troops with the Graviton Cannon. Masaki can't believe Shuu did that, but Shuu says he should be thankful for the help. He says that it would have been troublesome if Masaki had sat there without doing anything, so Shuu has done him a favor. Masaki says that's not the point; he just killed all those people! Shuu responds that fighting is about killing others before you get killed yourself. There's no time to worry about your enemies. In this case they had to kill everyone quickly in order to leave no proof that Masaki had been there. If Masaki had done it, it could have become a political issue. But since Shuu's robot is unknown to them, it's not a problem. Masaki says he understands what Shuu is saying and thanks him for the help. But, he doesn't think Shuu just did that out of the goodness of his heart. What's his real motive? Shuu says it really was just to save Masaki -- if he gets into trouble that's a big problem. He adds that Masaki should escape quickly before more troops show up. Masaki leaves. Chika (Shuu's familiar) wonders if it's OK to speak, and asks Shuu about Masaki. Why did Shuu help him out? He's just some strutting kid who was chosen by Psybuster. Chika adds that it would be better for Shuu's purposes if the Masou Kishin didn't exist. Shuu did avoid detection of his own unit by taking them out so fast, but Chika just doesn't understand what Shuu is thinking. Shuu tells him to stop talking, and that they need to finish up business here quickly. If they don't, Granzon's absence will be discovered. Masaki is thinking, and Shiro thinks he knows what it's about. Kuro knows he's thinking about Shuu. Shiro says he was very suspicious, but Kuro doesn't think he was an enemy. Masaki says at least not an enemy to him, but adds that he can never trust someone who can kill people so easily without even changing his expression. Masaki makes it back to the capital. Feil is happy that he's back, but Tytti starts yelling at him for going off on his own -- even though Masou Kishin pilots have freedom, they're still supposed to recognize when something is a bad idea. What if something happened to Masaki while he was above ground? Or to La Gias? Has Masaki forgotten the duty of the Masou Kishin pilot? Masaki sheepishly apologizes. Tytti can tell that he's not completely sorry, though. Feil tells Tytti to leave off for today, and Tytti starts to tell Feil he's being too lenient. Masaki seizes this opportunity to run away, and Tytti chases him. After they've gone, Monica asks Feil if it's really fine to let Masaki off that easily. Feil says that Masaki has an unusually strong sense of responsibility, and that's why they have to be careful. Monica says all she can see is a spoiled kid who isn't even fit to eat the crud from Kristoff's nails. Feil says it's not fair to compare Masaki to Kristoff, since Kristoff was special. Monica says that it's time for the medicine, and Feil agrees. Monica seems worried, but Feil says that the doctors say he'll be fine. Feil's been feeling better lately anyway. There's a choice of routes now but it doesn't happen until after the intermission screen, so go to Stage 21 and see the choice there. ------------------ Stage 20 - Rival ------------------ Kuro is trying to fix the guidance system but it's taking some time; he does eventually finish it, though. Masaki is surprised that the cat can fix the Masou Kishin just by talking, and Kuro says that's one of the functions of familiars. Now they can check their position -- they're right in the middle of Ruzack, close to the Bagonia border! Kuro says they must have passed right over Bagonia -- good thing they weren't detected. Shiro says there's a communication from someone. Masaki is surprised, but connects it. It's Zeoroot, who wonders what Masaki's doing there. Masaki asks the same thing to Zeoroot, who says he had business in Bagonia but that he's returning now. Masaki remembers Presia saying something about that. He doesn't really want to tell Zeoroot the details of what he's doing, though. Zeoroot warns Masaki about wandering around too much; he might accidentally cross the border -- Masaki doesn't have an entry permit for Bagonia. Zeoroot tells Masaki to wait where he is. Zeoroot meets up with Masaki, and he asks Masaki to carry some of the presents he brought back. Masaki asks Zeoroot what he was doing in Bagonia. Zeoroot says that he was sharing strategy and tactics with Bagonia, and also that his old rival and friend is there (his name is Shumel Hyuuru). Shumel managed to win three world competitions. Anyway, it's time to go back, but Masaki tells Zeoroot to wait a minute. Zeoroot thinks he has a guilty tone to his voice, and says that Tytti will end up scolding Masaki again. Just then, they get a signal on the radars. There's nobody around, but Zeoroot is sure that something was detected. A terrorist unit appears. Masaki wonders why a terrorist is here, and Zeoroot agrees that there's nothing around here worth aiming for. The terrorist says he can go ahead and test the things he just received, and some robots appear. Masaki realizes that they're the same kind of robots that attacked when the Psybuster was stolen, and Zeoroot guesses they must be exchanging them here. Masaki and Zeoroot decide to deal with them, and then Fang appears. He had been going back to the capital but got a bad feeling and came back to see what was going on. He tells Masaki and Zeoroot to let him deal with the situation. Masaki asks who that is (this probably only occurs if you haven't played stage 10), and Zeoroot introduces him as his student and a member of the Imperial Guard Knights. His Prana is very strong so he's a test pilot for the Masouki as well. Fang tells Masaki just to sit back and watch for now, and Masaki gets pissed off at him. Zeoroot suggests that they compete to see who can defeat the most terrorists. Whoever loses has to serve dinner to the winner. Fang thinks that sounds kind of improper, and Zeoroot agrees but still thinks it's a good idea. They agree to it and the fight begins. (It shouldn't be that hard for you to win if you've upgraded Psybuster a bit and use Accelerate to get ahead of Fang. The dialogue here assumes you did win; whether you win or lose does not affect any story path.) Once the battle ends, Zeoroot congratulates both people. He tells Fang that as the loser, he has to serve Masaki dinner, but that he shouldn't be bitter about the loss. Masaki says he thinks better of Fang now, who has to act humbly because of Zeoroot. Masaki makes it back to the capital. Feil is happy that he's back, but Tytti starts yelling at him for going off on his own -- even though Masou Kishin pilots have freedom, they're still supposed to recognize when something is a bad idea. What if something happened to Masaki while he was above ground? Or to La Gias? Has Masaki forgotten the duty of the Masou Kishin pilot? Masaki sheepishly apologizes. Tytti can tell that he's not completely sorry, though. Zeoroot tries to intercede for him, and Tytti tells Zeoroot he's too soft. Masaki seizes this opportunity to run away, and Tytti chases him. After they've gone, Monica asks Feil if it's really fine to let Masaki off that easily. Feil says that Masaki has an unusually strong sense of responsibility, and that's why they have to be careful. Monica says all she can see is a spoiled kid who isn't even fit to eat the crud from Kristoff's nails. Feil says it's not fair to compare Masaki to Kristoff, since Kristoff was special. Monica says that it's time for the medicine, and Feil agrees. Monica seems worried, but Feil says that the doctors say he'll be fine. Feil's been feeling better lately anyway. There's a choice of routes now but it doesn't happen until after the intermission screen, so go to Stage 21 and see the choice there. ------------------ Stage 21 - Masaki and Ricardo ------------------ Masaki is running away from Tytti and thinks he's come far enough. Kuro says that if he runs away with Psybuster, the same thing is going to happen again. Shiro tells him that Tytti isn't really that mad, so he should just go back. The cats talk about how he can't really deal with women (Presia and Wendy as well), especially Wendy's elegance. Masaki yells at them to keep quiet. Shiro wonders where they're going to go now. You have three choices: 1. Keep going this way (if you pick this, stay on stage 21) 2. East (go to stage 22) 3. West (go to stage 23) Masaki comments on how convenient familiars are -- you can talk to them when you have free time. Kuro wonders how far they're going to go, and Masaki says they'll just wait here for a while and just watch the scenery. Masaki thinks there's a lot of greenery on La Gias, and wonders if that's because of scientific developments. Kuro says that it's actually alchemy. It's basically science under a different name, but this was done to stop an explosion of technological development. Masaki wonders why Shiro knows things that he doesn't know (since the familiars are supposed to be just extensions of Masaki). Shiro and Kuro give the (somewhat odd) answer that since Masaki doesn't like studying, they've studied about things in his place. Kuro says that something's coming, and Ricardo appears. Ricardo is curious about why Masaki decided to go above ground -- Ricardo thought that Masaki (like himself) had nothing there to go back to. Masaki agrees, and says that he just felt like he had to go back for some reason. Ricardo says that's natural. He, Tytti, and Yang Long are different. Ricardo has nothing but bad memories about the above world, and he thinks Tytti is probably the same. He's not sure about Yang Long, though. It might be because of the rumor that he's in love with Princess Monica. Masaki presses for details (about Ricardo) but he says it's not something he really talks about. Ruozor appears; apparently this is just a chance meeting. Masaki challenges him but Ruozor says there's no point wasting his time fighting here, and offers to withdraw without any combat. Masaki doesn't want to let him do that, and so Ruozor summons some demon golems. He says they're a bit stronger than before so Masaki won't be able to beat them easily, and then leaves. Masaki asks Ricardo if Psybuster has a MAP attack like the Gaddes. Ricardo says that it does; it's called Psyflash. But Masaki can't use it yet because he's not skilled enough. After a few rounds Masaki says that these enemies really are tougher, and wonders if they can win. This reminds Ricardo of when he was a pilot above ground, and it was him and one friend vs. 10 enemies. Masaki asks what he did, and Ricardo says he just took them one by one. After a few more turns, Ricardo notices that something's wrong with his Zamjeed but doesn't say anything to Masaki. He tells Masaki to retreat and that he'll hold off the enemies, which Masaki doesn't like. Masaki can tell something's wrong with the Zamjeed, but Ricardo just keeps yelling at Masaki to run and call for reinforcements. Masaki realizes that Ricardo is just trying to make sure that at least Masaki survives, and Ricardo says that as long as he understands that, he should get away. Masaki (of course) isn't going to follow that order. Ricardo says that his Zamjeed can't move, and that he'll just be a target for the enemies. Masaki says that as long as he can fight, he doesn't need to move, so it's too early to give up. Ricardo says that this same situation happened a while back except that he was the one in Masaki's position. Ricardo believed his partner's lie and went to call reinforcements...actually, it may have just been that he realized the wisdom of having one person survive. But now he's tired of living with the borrowed life of his friend. This is his chance to return the favor! Masaki asks if Ricardo really expects him to help Ricardo pay a debt, and then himself get put in the same position as Ricardo. Masaki isn't about to do that; Ricardo's past has nothing to do with him. Masaki refuses to follow any orders from Ricardo. (Don't forget about the endless Gold Demon Golems that give you 10,000 credits per kill. You can spend as long as you want here farming money.) After you beat the enemies, Ricardo apologizes. Masaki tells him not to worry, that he does what he wants to. Ricardo tells Masaki to go back to the capital, but he's still hesitant. Ricardo tells him not to worry about Tytti; Tytti listens to whatever Ricardo says. Masaki doesn't believe that at all. Back at the capital, Tytti is crying because she was worried about Masaki. Masaki says he didn't think this would happen, and Tytti says that she doesn't know what she would do if anything happened to him. Masaki tells Ricardo to do something, and Ricardo tells her that it's a waste for a beautiful girl to cry. This cheers Tytti up, but she seems to thing that this whole incident is Ricardo's fault (and she apparently says it in a scary voice...) Ricardo stammers a bit, and Tytti (still smiling sweetly) says that Ricardo is the real villian here. She then proceeds to start choking Ricardo. Feil tries to stop her, and she comes to her senses. Senia notes that Tytti is scary when she's really mad. Ricardo tries to protest that he just went to bring Masaki back, and Masaki says that Ricardo betrayed him. Tytti just tells Masaki not to do stupid things anymore. Now you have another route choice, but it happens after the intermission screen (again), so go to Stage 24. ------------------ Stage 22 - Sinful Priest Tian ------------------ Masaki heads east. Shiro wonders how far Masaki is going to go -- they'll cross into Troia pretty soon. Masaki says he doesn't have any real goal so he'll just stop here for now. Masaki says that there are no people around, so it's all right. He gets out of the Psybuster, and Kuro wonders what he's doing -- Masaki responds that he's going to take a nap. Both cats, being cats, like that idea, and everyone quickly falls asleep. After a few minutes, some bald-headed man comes out yelling that Masaki is in his favorite place. Masaki wakes up in surprise. The man thinks he's seen Masaki somewhere and then recognizes him as Psybuster's pilot (except that he calls him Randoll). He introduces himself as Sanan Tianprasaat. Masaki responds that he has no business with him and that he wants to go back to sleep. But Masaki is still in Tian's special place. Masaki says that he got there first. This gets Tian very angry, and Tian threatens to bring down divine punishment on Masaki if he treats a priest this way. Masaki doesn't think Tian is acting very priest-like, but Tian says that he'll treat Masaki how Masaki treats him, and that Masaki has a chance to go to heaven. He repeats his "request" for Masaki to move. Just then, terrorists appear, saying that they can sell the Psybuster for big money. Tian tells Masaki to leave it to him, but Masaki tells him not to be stupid -- the enemies are Masouki. Tian apparently has a Masouki of his own, though (the Dienforce). This surprises Masaki. Tian says that he is controlling the Dienforce in Yang Long's place. Tian then tells Masaki to keep sleeping while he takes care of the enemy, but of course Masaki is going to fight too. After the enemies are defeated, Tian wonders why Masaki isn't using Psyflash. Masaki has no idea what that is, and Tian tells him it's Psybuster's MAP attack. Masaki didn't realize that Psybuster had one of those. Tian tells him to talk to Wendy about the MAP attack. Masaki says he'll do that, but wants Tian to stop calling him Randoll. Tian agrees but says that if Masaki is concerned about his name, that means he's still burdened with worldly concerns. Tian asks Masaki what he's doing out here, but Masaki doesn't really tell him. Tian tells him to air his concerns and that he'll listen...but not for free. He thinks it has to do with a woman. Masaki says it doesn't, but Tian doesn't believe him. Masaki really doesn't want to talk about it, but Tian keeps pushing. Masaki decides to just return to the capital, and Tian says he has business there and will accompany him. Back at the capital, Tytti is crying because she was worried about Masaki. Masaki says he didn't think this would happen, and Tytti says that she doesn't know what she would do if anything happened to him. Masaki tells Tian to do something, and Tian says he has no experience dealing with Christians. Ricardo then appears and tells Tytti that it's a waste for a pretty girl to cry. This cheers Tytti up, but she seems to thing that this whole incident is Ricardo's fault (and she apparently says it in a scary voice...) Ricardo stammers a bit, and Tytti (still smiling sweetly) says that Ricardo is the real villian here. She then proceeds to start choking Ricardo. Feil tries to stop her, and she comes to her senses. Senia notes that Tytti is scary when she's really mad. Now you have another route choice, but it happens after the intermission screen (again), so go to Stage 24. ------------------ Stage 23 - Quiet Demekusa ------------------ As Masaki heads west, he says that there are 16 Masouki in all, including the Masou Kishin. Masaki starts to count the pilots -- Himself, Tytti, Ricardo, Yang Long, Simone, Becky, Maddock...that's not enough pilots. Shiro says that it's common knowledge that not all the pilots have been decided yet (and then tells Masaki to spend more time studying). They stop where they are. Masaki says that there's a lot of natural beauty on La Gias. Kuro says one theory is that the La Gias people care more about nature because their world is closed. Shiro sees some fish jumping around, and Kuro and Shiro both get very interested. They tell Masaki to grab the fish for them. Masaki notices a man fishing over on the bank. He goes over to ask him for some fish, but the man doesn't respond. Masaki tries again. The man snaps out of whatever daze he was in, but says he hasn't caught any fish. The man notices Psybuster and recognizes that Masaki is Randoll. He introduces himself as Shie Demekusa, but just then, terrorists show up. The terrorists notice Masaki and the Psybuster, and say it's a good chance to avenge Rekka. Demekusa says that there are a lot of them, but that he won't let them have their way. Masaki wonders how he's going to help, and Demekusa says that he's actually a Masouki pilot as well. His robot is Falc; he got it from Tytti when Tytti was chosen by Gaddes. When you fight the last guy, he says "we meet again" -- but Masaki doesn't remember who it is. It turns out to be Gaspar (from Stage 1), the head of the Rangran Liberation Front. He's going to pay Masaki back for killing Rekka. After you win the fight, Demekusa asks why you didn't use Psyflash; it would have made things a lot easier. Masaki has no idea what that is, and Demekusa tells him it's the Psybuster's MAP attack. Masaki says he'll ask Wendy about it later. Demekusa then says he'll get back to fishing, and wonders why Masaki came out here. Masaki says it was just for a change of mood. Demekusa tells Masaki to give his regards to Tytti. Masaki starts returns to the capital, and gets a communication from Ricardo who says that Tytti is really upset. Ricardo says to leave it to him, since Tytti obviously has a crush on him. Tytti listens to whatever Ricardo says. Masaki doesn't believe that at all. Back at the capital, Tytti is crying because she was worried about Masaki. Masaki says he didn't think this would happen, and Tytti says that she doesn't know what she would do if anything happened to him. Masaki tells Ricardo to do something, and Ricardo tells her that it's a waste for a beautiful girl to cry. This cheers Tytti up, but she seems to thing that this whole incident is Ricardo's fault (and she apparently says it in a scary voice...) Ricardo stammers a bit, and Tytti (still smiling sweetly) says that Ricardo is the real villian here. She then proceeds to start choking Ricardo. Feil tries to stop her, and she comes to her senses. Senia notes that Tytti is scary when she's really mad. Ricardo tries to protest that he just went to bring Masaki back, and Masaki says that Ricardo betrayed him. Tytti just tells Masaki not to do stupid things anymore. Now you have another route choice, but it happens after the intermission screen (again), so go to Stage 24. ------------------ Stage 24 - Yang Long's Pledge ------------------ Masaki comes to see Wendy in the research room. He wants to know if there's any way he can use Psyflash. Wendy says that she needs to do a little more research and asks him to wait a bit. Up to now, all of the Masou Kishin's MAP weapons haven't discriminated at all between enemy and ally. She's trying to research a way to overcome this difficulty, and asks Masaki to wait until she's done. Wendy apologizes, but Masaki gets flustered and says that it's his fault for asking. Wendy laughs and says that even though Masaki is blunt and rude, he has a soft side. Masaki blushes and quickly leaves. Feil finds Masaki and tells him that a report has come in -- apparently a Masouki that looks like Nagzat was spotted on Regg island. It's a bit to the north, and Feil wonders if Masaki will go check. You have two choices: 1. OK, that's fine 2. Sorry, have someone else do it NOTE -- THIS CHOICE IS VERY IMPORTANT. If you choose the second option and refuse Feil's offer, you WILL NOT be able to get the best ending in part 2. You must go through Stage 31 (Wendy's Choice) for this to happen. In any case, if you pick choice 1, go to Stage 26. If you pick choice 2, just keep reading this section. If you're still reading, that means you cannot get the best ending to the game. Anyway, Feil tells you that he'll send someone else in your place. Masaki is a little taken aback that his refusal was OK, but Feil says that as a Masou Kishin pilot, Feil can't force him to do anything. Yang Long comes to Masaki and wants to talk to him, but Masaki says he's busy. Yang Long says that's a lie; he knows that Masaki just refused a request from Feil. He's been asked to protect Monica during her training, but he thinks it's dangerous if he's alone with her...if "something" should happen. He wants Masaki to help him. They begin to travel, but they don't go far from the capital. Monica is there too, and Yang Long tells her to prepare herself. Monica is in a Masouki as well, and Yang Long says he's going to start by teaching her the basics of piloting. Monica says she's already done this, but Yang Long says the fundamentals are the most important and tells her to fly over to the tall part of the cliff over there. She does so, but Yang Long tells her that she made too many unecessary movements and that she needs to do it more gracefully. Masouki are piloted with the heart, not the hands. Yang Long tells her that as a member of the royal family, she may have to go out to the front lines from time to time. At that point, Ruozor appears and wonders what Monica's doing there. Monica reacts sweetly (and calls him "Ruozor-san" again). Ruozor even responds politely to her...but who knows if that's sincere. He asks Monica if she will accept "their" invitation. Yang Long yells at Ruozor for trying to kidnap Monica. Ruozor says he'll have to defeat them first, then take Monica. Monica tells them not to fight. Masaki yells at her to quit spacing out -- this is a real fight so she has to defend herself! Ruozor calls for some undead spirit warriors, which he says are much different from demon golems. Yang Long tells Monica to wait there while they defeat the enemies, and the battle starts. After the first turn, Monica decides that if she just sits and watches, she'll sully the pride of the royal family. She starts to move, and Yang Long yells at her that it's too dangerous. She responds that Feil has always said, the royalty should set an example for the citizens. If they just sit around in times of danger, they are not fit to be royalty. Masaki starts to yell at her, and Monica wonders if Masaki is saying he has no confidence in his ability to protect her. Yang Long relents, on the condition that Monica will follow their orders. Monica agrees. Once you beat Ruozor (he doesn't flee until 0 HP this time), Monica says that after seeing Yang Long's strength she has a request for him. He says that whatever the request is, he'll do it even at the cost of his life. Monica says that she wants to be able to help Feil, who is dealing with a lot right now. She wants him to promise to protect Feil if something happens. Masaki wonders if this has something to do with the prophecy -- is Feil going to be in trouble? Monica has no idea since she can't see the future. Yang Long promises to uphold that request. She then hastily adds that Masaki can do it too if he wants. On the way back to the capital, Masaki confirms with Yang Long that Masou Kishin pilots don't have to follow orders. In other words, you have to use your own judgment and then deal with the consequences yourself. Yang Long wonders if Masaki is already feeling the weight of responsibility, but Masaki says that's not it. Yang Long says it's good that Masaki realized how things work. Back at the capital, Monica calls Masaki and gives him 10,000 credits for his assistance back at the battle (this only happens if Monica was not defeated during the battle). Go to Stage 25. ------------------ Stage 25 - Psyflash ------------------ Masaki asks Wendy if the Psyflash is finished yet. Wendy says she just finished it, and Masaki gets ready to try it out. Wendy says to wait -- it might use too much Prana or something like that, so don't use it more than once in the battle. Masaki says that's disappointing from someone who's supposed to be so skilled at alchemy. She makes him promise that he won't use it more than once, by hooking little fingers. Masaki is surprised that they have that custom in La Gias -- but Wendy says it's not a La Gias custom, it's Japanese. Someone from Japan taught her that a while ago. Masaki wonders where this person is, and Wendy says that he died 3 years ago. Maddock has hunted Masaki down and wants to show him something good (he says, laughing lecherously...) He shows him a picture of Becky (which makes Masaki blush) taken by a hidden camera, although he says it's not necessary to hide the camera if she's been drinking. He offers to give it to Masaki if Masaki will help him with something. Masaki says that's a pretty indecent proposal, but Maddock says it's not hard work -- it's just hard for him to do it alone with his rheumatism. He threatens to tell Tytti that Masaki was looking at the picture if he doesn't help. Masaki reluctantly agrees, and they set out. Masaki wonders exactly what this work is. Maddock says that they need to clear out some Demon Golems that have been hidden around lately. He wants Masaki to help out because he has Psyflash. They come to a cave. Inside the cave, they see the demon golems. Maddock tells him to just use Psyflash and clean them all up. Kuro reminds Masaki of what Wendy said, and the battle starts. The first time you use Psyflash, Kuro warns you again of what Wendy said, but Masaki tells him that one time is OK. If you use it a second time, Masaki gets a sick look on his face and falls prone -- Kuro says he'll have to rest a while to recover his Prana. You can still attack if this happens, though. The dialogue now is different depending on whether you used Psyflash twice or not. If you used it twice: Masaki is still weakened from his overuse of Prana. Maddock says they'll have to quickly get back to the capital. Shiro tells Wendy what happened, and she gets worried. Masaki says he just needs to rest for a while, but then he falls over into Wendy's arms, unconcious. Wendy says that if they don't get him some Prana soon...Kuro says to take him to the medical center, but Wendy says she can do "first aid" here. Masaki wakes up as she does mouth-to-mouth (I guess) and is shocked, but she (blushing) says that's the fastest way to give someone Prana. She tells him to go to the medical center anyway, and that she found a good way to fix Psyflash. Next time he can use it as many times as he wants. If you only used it once: Maddock thanks Masaki and gives him the picture of Becky, which he accepts(!). They go back to the capital, and Wendy thanks Masaki for keeping his promise. Masaki blushes, and Kuro wonders if it's because Masaki is imagining Wendy like that picture of Becky. Masaki changes the subject quickly, asking Wendy if she's found a way to let him use Psyflash as many times as he wants. She says she has, and that she'll implement it quickly. Go all the way to Stage 30. ------------------ Stage 26 - Encounter in the Depths ------------------ NOTE: If you want the best ending, it doesn't matter which of the three story paths you take from this stage -- you can get to Stage 31 from any of them. Two of the paths go there automatically, but if you use Psyflash twice in this stage, read the Stage 28 section carefully to make sure you don't veer off into Stage 30. You have accepted Feil's offer. But Masaki wonders why Feil made such a polite request rather than just giving an order. Feil wonders if he's already forgotten that as a Masou Kishin pilot, Masaki doesn't have to take any orders. As Masaki is leaving, Wendy finds him, but since he's leaving, they'll have to do the test of Psyflash later. Masaki is surprised to learn that Psyflash has already been put on there. Wendy says that it's still in the production stages so he should only use it once. If he uses it two or more times it will use up too much Prana and may even kill him. She makes him promise that he won't use it more than once, by hooking little fingers. Masaki is surprised that they have that custom in La Gias -- but Wendy says it's not a La Gias custom, it's Japanese. Someone from Japan taught her that a while ago. Masaki wonders where this person is, and Wendy says that he died 3 years ago. As they travel, Shiro wonders what Masaki is being so contemplative about. He is thinking about how Masou Kishin pilots, since they don't take any orders, have to make all decisions by their own judgment, and take full responsibility for the results of those decisions. Shiro wonders if that scares Masaki, but he laughs it off. Simone contacts Masaki, and says that she's come to support him. Masaki says that he doesn't need backup for a simple reconnaisance mission, but Simone says it's better if she's along. What if Ruozor actually is there? He says she can do whatever she wants, and he prepares to leave. But Simone stops him...Masaki's going the wrong way. She thinks that she had better come along after all, and Kuro and Shiro agree. Masaki reluctantly accepts. They reach the island. Kuro gets a reaction from the sensors -- there's a large cave in the area. They decide to investigate. In the cave, Simone remarks that it's huge, and neither of them are sure whether it's man-made or not. Masaki doesn't see anything odd, but Simone yells at someone to come out of hiding. It turns out to be Shuu. Masaki wonders what he's doing there, and Shuu says that he wonders the same thing. Shuu is just there investigating the cave, where there are ruins of an old temple. It may be as old as 50,000 years old, from a time before written history. Simone thinks she's met Shuu somewhere before, but can't remember. Masaki wonders if Shuu is an archaeologist. Shuu says it's just a hobby, and asks again what Masaki and Simone are doing there. Simone tells him that they're investigating Nagzat. Shuu knows what the Nagzat is and understands why they're searching here. Just then a number of demon golems come out. Their entrance is blocked, and Simone is worried about Shuu, but he says there's no need for that -- he can take them out easily. She should be more worried about herself. Masaki yells at him that he can take them out by himself, but Simone calms him down. Shuu asks again if he wants help, and you have a choice: 1. Yeah right! 2. Damn...I guess there's no choice, please help us. If you pick #1, Shuu leaves and you're left to fight the Demon Golems by yourself. If you pick #2, Shuu introduces himself to Simone (and Simone has never heard the name before, so she thinks she didn't actually know him). If you use Psyflash twice in the battle: ------ The second time you use Psyflash, Masaki seems to get weak. Shuu says that he used too much Prana -- apparently Masaki can't control that weapon well enough yet. Simone tells him to rest for a while. After you beat the enemies, Shuu says he'll continue his investigation of the temple now. After he leaves, Simone wonders why Masaki seems to dislike Shuu. He says it's nothing specific, just that he doesn't think he can trust Shuu. Masaki is still feeling weak, and Simone says they'll have to go back to the capital now so that Masaki can get treatment. At the capital, Shiro tells Wendy what happened, and she gets worried. Masaki says he just needs to rest for a while, but then he falls over into Wendy's arms, unconcious. Wendy says that if they don't get him some Prana soon...Kuro says to take him to the medical center, but Wendy says she can do "first aid" here. Masaki wakes up as she does mouth-to-mouth (I guess) and is shocked, but she (blushing) says that's the fastest way to give someone Prana. Simone is relieved; she was wondering if Wendy was taking advantage of Masaki's inability to move to rape him. She says that the usual first aid technique is to give the person heat (wink wink). Wendy blushes, and Simone says that a grown beautiful lady like Wendy would be interested in a kid like Masaki. Wendy says that's not true at all!....er, she means the part about Masaki being a kid. Wendy excuses herself, saying she has to fix Psybuster. Go to Stage 28. ------ If you do not use Psyflash twice in the battle: ------ After you beat the enemies, Shuu says he'll continue his investigation of the temple now. After he leaves, Simone wonders why Masaki seems to dislike Shuu. He says it's nothing specific, just that he doesn't think he can trust Shuu. Simone asks if Masaki wants to investigate the temple, and you have a choice: 1. OK, let's search 2. Nah, leave it alone If you pick choice 1: Shiro wonders if it's OK to search the temple given that Shuu's there. Masaki thinks he's a suspicious person, and Simone asks if Masaki thinks he's in league with Ruozor. She says that the possibility isn't zero, but Masaki shouldn't get carried away with his personal feelings. Go to Stage 27. If you pick choice 2: Kuro wonders if it's OK to leave despite the information about Nagzat. Masaki just says he doesn't like temples, but Simone thinks he just wants to get away from Shuu. Masaki gets pissed off and says that's not it. Simone thinks Masaki is a kid, and says that they should search around the outside of the cave first. Go to Stage 29. ------ ------------------ Stage 27 - The Meaning of Combat ------------------ s5 Simone and Masaki decide to search around outside. They split up to search more quickly. Masaki wonders what he's supposed to be doing, and Kuro suggests asking people from the surrounding area for information. He stops some random girl and asks her; the girl is scared for a moment but then recognizes Psybuster. Masaki asks her if she has seen Nagzat, but she has no idea what he's talking about (and she isn't from around here anyway). She runs after her teacher. Kuro says he's got to choose who he asks more carefully, and that they'll probably have to get out and go on foot. Masaki says that's too much trouble; he'll just leave that to Simone. Kuro starts to scold Masaki but then there's a reaction on the spirit radar for a split second. It was west about 20 kilometers. They arrive at the place; Masaki and the two cats can feel the evil aura around. Ruozor appears, and wonders why Masaki is always around. What is he fighting for? Masaki answers that it's obvious -- to beat the terrorists like Ruozor. Ruozor says that Masaki is from above ground; this doesn't concern him. He says that Masaki doesn't understand the difference between good and evil. Masaki says that he knows at least that the terrorists aren't the good guys. Just then, terorrists come in with some robots that they say they exchanged for. Ruozor tells them to stop talking like Yakuza underlings (or at least that's what he means). The head terrorist is Gaspar (from mission 1), who says he'll take out his revenge on Masaki. Masaki doesn't remember him, though. Ruozor says he'll just watch, and leaves. Masaki yells that he can take them all out with Psyflash! But...Kuro tells him that if he tries to use Psyflash he'll break the weapon, because it's grown unstable. Masaki says he'll have Wendy look at it later, and the battle starts. When you attack Gaspar he says that Rekka was just about to be married to his girlfriend of 5 years when Masaki killed him. Masaki tells him that terrorists have no right to talk about that. Gaspar tells him that he's too inexperienced to claim he's on the side of justice -- he's nothing but a common murderer. When you defeat Gaspar, he apologizes to Rekka for not being able to avenge his death. When you beat the other terrorists, they each say something to the effect that Masaki and the others are destroying La Gias' peace and that they should return to the surface world. When you destroy all the enemies, an anguished Masaki says that those guys can talk about whatever they want...and Ruozor comes back, laughing. He says that the difference between comedy and tragedy is very small, and that with poor actors, a tragedy can easily become a comedy. Of course it's just the way of the world that fighting results in death. But Masaki doesn't understand the meaning or value of death. In death, every living thing is equal, and it is something to be respected. Masaki just deals death out based on nothing but his personal feelings. For followers of Vorcrus like Ruozor, death is he ultimate goal, and Masaki's actions are an insult. Ruozor says that in the place of his master Vorcrus he will teach Masaki the Gospel of death. When Ruozor attacks Masaki, he asks why Masaki is fighting when he has no vision or reason. Is he *that* sure that he's working for justice? On the next turn, Simone arrives and asks what's wrong with Masaki. Masaki shrugs her off, and Ruozor says that he should call for backup too since otherwise it's not fair. A few demon golems appear. When you reduce Ruozor below a certain amount he says he doesn't have time to play games, and leaves. After the battle, Simone says that they've confirmed the information about Ruozor, so there's no reason to stick around. She then wonders again what's wrong with Masaki -- he seems depressed. He yells at her that nothing's wrong, and they go back to the capital. Feil hears the report, and Senia wonders if things will get more peaceful now that Masaki killed the terrorist leader. She says that at this rate, the logic computer she's building (Dukakis) won't even be necessary. Simone says she doesn't understand computers, and Senia tries to tell Masaki instead...but he's still got the gloomy look on his face. Feil tells them to return to their rooms and rest. In his room, the cats ask Masaki if he's still thinking about what was said before. Masaki wonders what he's fighting for. Kuro says that of course it's to protect the world, right? Shiro says that a headstrong person like Masaki shouldn't be bothered in this way. Wendy comes into the room and says she heard Masaki wasn't doing well, and asks what's the matter. Shiro tells her that he's just lost confidence in his own reason for fighting. Masaki yells at Shiro for telling her that. Wendy reminds Masaki of what she told him before -- that if the burden of being a Masou Kishin pilot became too great, he should talk to her. Masaki asks if he's really doing the right thing. Wendy says that's difficult to determine, and asks Masaki if he knows why such powerful spirits reside in the Masou Kishin. It's not just to power the robots as people commonly say, although that is one reason. The spirits have wills of their own and choose their pilots. She asks if Masaki understands what that means -- it means that the spirits have judged Masaki to be pure-hearted, so there is no mistaking it. Masaki asks her if she's saying that he should believe in the spirits rather than himself. Wendy asks if he believes in the spirits, and Masaki says he only half-believes. Wendy says that people native to La Gias believe it because they can see the spirits from the time they are children. She says that if people in the surface world believe, the spirits will be there. In other words, the spirits are a reflection of each person's heart -- a collective subconcious, if Masaki wants to think of it that way. So the judgment of the spirits is the same thing as the judgment of all who are native to La Gias. She says that Masaki probably doesn't realize that yet but he's on the road to belief. And she adds that no matter what other people say, she believes in him. Masaki thanks her, and Wendy tells him to cheer up because he doesn't seem like himself. (Also, she fixed Psyflash so that he can use it as many times as he wants now.) Go to Stage 31. ------------------ Stage 28 - Mopping up the Demon Golems ------------------ IMPORTANT NOTE: To get to Stage 31 (and the best ending in part 2), you must clear this map without Becky being defeated, and in *more* than 8 turns. Becky comes to see Masaki, wondering if he's better. He says he's fine, and then Becky (blushing) asks what happened "afterwards". Masaki plays dumb, but of course Becky is asking what Masaki did with Wendy afterwards now that things have developed. Masaki still tries to play dumb, but Becky says she knows what happened. She asks if he got to first base, or maybe farther than that? Masaki yells at her, and she's disappointed that nothing happened. She then asks if that was Masaki's first kiss. Becky says she'll have to teach Masaki herself how to handle a woman. Masaki says she's way too old. Becky yells at him, and then points out that Wendy is a year older than she is (Becky is 26, Wendy 27). Masaki seems a little sad that Wendy is ten years older than he is. Just then, Simone tells him that Wendy is finished with the repairs to Psyflash. Becky says that's just in time for Masaki to help her clear out some wild golems. Masaki agrees, saying it will be good practice for Psyflash. Simone tags along too. They reach the area where the golems are supposed to be. Masaki asks if Demon Golems come out of nowhere. Simone says that someone must have summoned them to carry firewood or something like that, and then just abandoned them. Becky says that if they have no orders, they just run around destroying things and people get hurt. The golems appear, but there aren't many of them. Becky says there are probably some still hiding, so they should be careful. When you beat the initial enemies, six more appear. If you beat those six in less than 8 turns, the map ends. Otherwise, a golden golem will appear when the others are defeated. Simone and Becky notice that it's shining, and Becky says that it's made of gold! She goes after the treasure. If you beat the map in less than 7 turns: ------ Becky is tired, and Simone says that wasn't very interesting. Since they finished so early, Becky says they should go back and have a drink. Masaki says she can drink whatever she wants, but to lay off the stripping this time. Simone scolds Becky for doing that in front of Masaki, but she laughs it off. They go back to the capital. Go to Stage 30. ------ If you beat the map in more than 7 turns with Becky alive: ------ Becky wants some of the gold; Simone tells her not to take it but she says it's OK if she just gets a little (I think it's supposed to be used for "war efforts"...i.e. your upgrades). Masaki wonders why women are so weak when it comes to shiny things. Becky is happy that she can buy alcohol with the gold. She tells Masaki that there was a bit of Orichalconium in the middle of the gold golem. Masaki doesn't know what that is, and Shiro says it's a material used to make the armor for Masouki, and it can also be used for jewelry. Becky suggests that Masaki make a pendant out of it and give it to Wendy. Masaki tries to evade, but Becky says that women like presents. Go to Stage 31. ------ ------------------ Stage 29 - Temple of the Evil God ------------------ s4 Masaki and Simone decide to follow Shuu into the temple. Shiro wonders why they would make a temple underground. Simone wonders if this is a temple to Vorcrus, and Kuro says that would make sense if Ruozor is here. Masaki and Simone meet Shuu in the temple. Shuu says that it's nice they decided to follow him, but that there's nothing they would be interested in. Masaki asks if this is a temple to Vorcrus. Shuu is surprised that Masaki figured that out, and Simone says that they were right. Shuu tells her they didn't have to trick him, he would have told them it was a temple to Vorcrus if they had asked. Masaki asks Shuu why he's interested in the temple, and Shuu replies that he thought it would have great value for a researcher but that there seems to be nothing left. Masaki doesn't believe Shuu, and rushes towards him. After he gets about halfway, Shuu warns him not to come any closer. Masaki doesn't believe anything that Shuu says. Masaki continues towards Shuu, saying that nothing happened...and just then, mechs appear. Shuu says that Masaki should have listened to him; this is a trap to deter intruders. Shuu tells Masaki to deal with them since he's the one that sprung the trap, and leaves. Masaki says he can clear them all out with Psyflash, but Kuro says that the system has become unstable and that Masaki can't use Psyflash for now. Masaki decides to ask Wendy about that when he gets back, and the battle starts. After you beat the enemies, Shuu reappears and congratulates Masaki. He also says that he searched the inner part and that he didn't find anything. Once again Masaki yells that he doesn't believe Shuu, and Simone reminds him that last time he said that he regretted it. Shuu admits that there was something, but it didn't really interest him because its scientific value is small. Simone says that the gemstone has could be sold for 5000 credits. Shuu says that treasure doesn't interest him, and gives it to them. Simone thanks him and says he is a nice person after all, but Masaki isn't so sure. Shuu leaves. Outside the temple, Masaki is still pissed off at Shuu, blaming him for the fight in the temple. Simone says that it was Masaki's fault, and Masaki yells at her for being seduced by Shuu's gift. Simone says she's not going to steal it, she's going to sell it and use the money for intermission screen upgrades (well, that's what she means). But, there really wasn't anything important in the temple. Time to go back to Feil and report what happened. Back at the capital, Feil is disappointed that the information was false. Senia says that just proving the information wrong is important too. Feil tells them to rest up. Masaki goes and asks Wendy if Psyflash is fixed yet. She says that she did fix it and now he can use it as many times as he wants. Go to Stage 30. ------------------ Stage 30 - Wavering Heart ------------------ Tytti visits Monica and asks if she has a minute. She wants a small prediction from Monica. Monica says that her ability to see the future isn't very good, but she'll try. Tytti says that's fine, she just wants to show Masaki a real example of what a prophecy is, since he said before that he didn't believe in them. Masaki says that he said that before, but since coming to La Gias he's seen all kinds of magic and other strange things, so prophecies wouldn't be all that strange either. But Tytti says that he still hasn't seen a prophecy come true. Monica says she'll be glad to help out. Masaki tells her that he has a hard time understanding what she's saying (Tytti says that she's used to it by now). They go to some other place so Monica can prepare. Masaki wonders what kind of vision they'll see, and Tytti says you can't tell in advance. Masaki doesn't think that's very useful, but Tytti says it's rare to get a totally useless vision (though it's possible). You might get a weather prediction for 500 years in the future or a prediction about the side dish for tomorrow's meal, but that's not common. Tytti says that if enough people do predictions, you'll come up with something useful. Monica says she saw something. First, concerning Masaki, he'll get a request to go on a mission sometime that day. And on that mission, he'll receive a big shock, although she doesn't know what kind. She saw another vision concerning Tytti. Tytti will very soon meet up with the person that she absolutely does not want to meet, and the result will be some sort of misfortune for her. Tytti isn't sure who that could be. Tytti thanks Monica for the visions. Monica says that there is a lot of uncertainty and that you can change the future. Afterwards, Tytti says that wasn't a very good prediction. Masaki says that he'll help her change the bad result. Senia rushes in and tells Masaki that they just received information that a robot looking like Nagzat is in Barantain (a state). Masaki wonders what Ruozor is up to. Senia asks him to go investigate, and Masaki says he'll gladly do it. Tytti doesn't want to go, so Senia goes to ask Ricardo (so that Masaki doesn't get lost along the way). On the way, Ricardo tells Masaki that he doesn't have to worry about his bad sense of direction. Everyone has their weak point....except himself, of course. Masaki grins and wonders if that's true, and sends Kuro and Shiro over to the Zamjeed's cockpit. Ricardo reacts with fear, and Shiro asks if he's scared of cats. Ricardo tries to deny it, while stammering, but Masaki says he heard it from Becky. When Ricardo was little, a cat scratched him in a certain "important place", and he's been scared of cats ever since. Ricardo curses Becky, but Masaki says that Tytti likes cats, so he should get used to them. Ricardo is still yelling about the cats, so Masaki calls them back. Ricardo goes away in a huff, and Kuro gets something on the radar. Of course, the reaction is Ruozor. Ruozor says that he came at the right time; they were just talking about him -- trying to decide who would kill him. Masaki yells at him to shut up. Gaspar tells Masaki that he will avenge the death of his companion. Ruozor says he'll just watch, and leaves. When you attack Gaspar he says that Rekka was just about to be married to his girlfriend of 5 years when Masaki killed him. Masaki tells him that terrorists have no right to talk about that. Gaspar tells him that he's too inexperienced to claim he's on the side of justice -- he's nothing but a common murderer. When you defeat Gaspar, he apologizes to Rekka for not being able to avenge his death. When you beat the other terrorists, they each say something to the effect that Masaki and the others are destroying La Gias' peace and that they should return to the surface world. When you destroy all the enemies, an anguished Masaki says that those guys can talk about whatever they want...and Ruozor comes back, laughing. He says that the difference between comedy and tragedy is very small, and that with poor actors, a tragedy can easily become a comedy. Of course it's just the way of the world that fighting results in death. But Masaki doesn't understand the meaning or value of death. In death, every living thing is equal, and it is something to be respected. Masaki just deals death out based on nothing but his personal feelings. For followers of Vorcrus like Ruozor, death is he ultimate goal, and Masaki's actions are an insult. Ruozor says that in the place of his master Vorcrus he will teach Masaki the Gospel of death. When Ruozor attacks Masaki, he asks why Masaki is fighting when he has no vision or reason. Is he *that* sure that he's working for justice? When you reduce Ruozor below a certain amount he says he doesn't have time to play games, and leaves. After the battle, Ricardo reappears and is glad that Masaki is all right, but then asks what is wrong. Masaki tells him that it's nothing. Ricardo then says that because Ruozor is gone, there's no point in hanging around any more. He asks Masaki again what's wrong, and Masaki again tells him to shut up. Feil hears the report, and Senia wonders if things will get more peaceful now that Masaki killed the terrorist leader. She says that at this rate, the logic computer she's building (Dukakis) won't even be necessary. Ricardo says he doesn't understand computers, and Senia tries to tell Masaki instead...but he's still got the gloomy look on his face. Feil tells them to return to their rooms and rest. In his room, the cats ask Masaki if he's still thinking about what was said before. Masaki wonders what he's fighting for. Kuro says that of course it's to protect the world, right? Shiro says that a headstrong person like Masaki shouldn't be bothered in this way. Wendy comes into the room and says she heard Masaki wasn't doing well, and asks what's the matter. Shiro tells her that he's just lost confidence in his own reason for fighting. Masaki yells at Shiro for telling her that. Wendy reminds Masaki of what she told him before -- that if the burden of being a Masou Kishin pilot became too great, he should talk to her. Masaki asks if he's really doing the right thing. Wendy says that's difficult to determine, and asks Masaki if he knows why such powerful spirits reside in the Masou Kishin. It's not just to power the robots as people commonly say, although that is one reason. The spirits have wills of their own and choose their pilots. She asks if Masaki understands what that means -- it means that the spirits have judged Masaki to be pure-hearted, so there is no mistaking it. Masaki asks her if she's saying that he should believe in the spirits rather than himself. Wendy asks if he believes in the spirits, and Masaki says he only half-believes. Wendy says that people native to La Gias believe it because they can see the spirits from the time they are children. She says that if people in the surface world believe, the spirits will be there. In other words, the spirits are a reflection of each person's heart -- a collective subconcious, if Masaki wants to think of it that way. So the judgment of the spirits is the same thing as the judgment of all who are native to La Gias. She says that Masaki probably doesn't realize that yet but he's on the road to belief. And she adds that no matter what other people say, she believes in him. Masaki thanks her, and Wendy tells him to cheer up because he doesn't seem like himself. Go to Stage 31. ------------------ Stage 31 - Wendy's Secret ------------------ IMPORTANT: To get the best ending, you must give the pendant to Wendy by choosing the first option. Becky comes to Masaki and gives him an orichalconium pendant to give as a present to Wendy (this does not happen if you went through Stage 29, where you already got it). Becky got it when she was on a demon golem-clearing mission, and that there was a bit of Orichalconium in the middle of a golem. Masaki doesn't know what that is, and Shiro says it's a material used to make the armor for Masouki, and it can also be used for jewelry. Masaki goes to Wendy, and Wendy wonders if there's a problem with Psyflash again. Masaki says that's not the reason, and now you have a choice. 1. Give the pendant 2. Make small-talk If you pick choice 1: ------- Masaki gives her the pendant, telling her that it's in thanks for her hard work. Wendy asks Masaki if he's really giving her an Orichalconium pendant. Masaki says that he is, but Becky is the one who made it. Wendy thanks him and says that she's happy. Wendy tells him that Orichalconium is used on Masouki armor because it resonates with people's hearts. Even if two people are separated, their spirits can resonate through the Orichalconium, so it's become popular for lovers to exchange them. Wendy wonders if it's OK for her to accept this as Masaki's confession of love. Masaki starts to stammer and say that's not why he gave it, but she cuts him off and says she was just joking, and thanks him again for the present. Later, Becky asks Masaki how things went. Masaki yells at her that she didn't tell him it was a mark of proposing! Becky says she must have forgotten, and Masaki says that it's good Wendy understood. Becky says it's good that things went well, and that this must be Masaki's first love. Masaki yells at Becky again, and Becky says that if she toys with Masaki, it won't be boring. ------- If you pick choice 2: ------- Masaki says that the weather's been nice lately, and Wendy agrees. Masaki then asks Wendy if she knows what Orichalconium is. Wendy says that she definitely does since it's used to make Masouki armor, and that's part of her specialty. They use it for Masouki armor because of its capacity for spiritual resonance. It's also popular among couples because if they are separated, their hearts can be joined. Recently it's become popular to give an Orichalcum pendant as a way of proposing. Masaki thinks to himself that Becky was trying to get him in trouble. Wendy says that lately she's wanted one herself since at her age, she's starting to fade. Masaki leaves. Becky asks him how things went. Masaki yells at her that she didn't tell him it was a mark of proposing! Becky is just disappointed that Masaki didn't give Wendy the present, and says he's a dull person. (There may be additional changed dialogue after the battle but I don't expect many people to choose this option so I'm just going to stop this section here. ------- Feil asks Masaki to go with Ahmed to clear demon golems. Masaki says that they're annoying to deal with, and Feil says that he can find someone else to do it. Masaki says he didn't mean it like that, and that he'll go. Ahmed asks Masaki if he's gotten used to his Masou Kishin. Masaki says he's gained confidence, and Ahmed tells him not to get too cocksure. The time will come when his inexperience is proven. He tells Masaki that the Psybuster has chosen him and that he should strive to become a pilot that will not dishonor that position. Ahmed then says that someone is following them. It turns out to be Senia. Masaki wonders what she's doing there, and Senia says she wants to help them clear the Demon Golems. Masaki tells her this isn't a game, and Senia says that it's just Demon Golems so it should be fine. Senia also says that Masaki can protect her. Ahmed says that no, on a battlefield everyone has to rely on themselves and that she'll have to protect herself. Senia says that Ahmed is too strict. Masaki tells her to go back, and Senia says that she can handle it. But, while they've been talking, they've arrived at the location so there's no choice. On the battlefield, Ahmed says that they look like new demon golems, and that the summoner may still be around somewhere. Masaki says that it doesn't matter if it's Safine or Ruozor, and Ahmed agrees that they can take either of them down. Then he shouts "Allahu Akbar!" (God is great). Once you beat the golems, Safine appears. She's surprised that they beat all the golems, but she says that today she'll let Masaki go because she's feeling nice. Ahmed wonders what she's up to, but Masaki says they have no way of knowing. Senia is relieved that she got through the battle without the Norse Rey being defeated (I guess she won't say that if you lost her in the battle). Masaki says it's time to go back since they've finished their work, and Ahmed says that he feels like they didn't get enough fighting. Wendy meets them back at the capital and says they were quick, Masaki responds that it was just demon golems. Wendy says that she knows Senia's there and to come out of hiding. Wendy wonders what she was thinking going out there on her own. Senia says she was bored, and Wendy says that her boredom might have caused problems for Ahmed and Masaki. Senia tells Wendy to at least not tell Feil, and Wendy says she'll do that if she promises not to go out on her own again. Wendy says that Senia should also see Monica since Monica is the one who told her about it. She was worried about Senia, so Senia should cheer her up. Masaki is surprised, and Wendy says that twins understand each other's feelings. Wendy makes it sound like she's talking from experience, and Masaki wonders if she has a twin. Wendy says that she had a sister but she died soon after she was born. Masaki apologizes for asking, but Wendy says it's OK because her sister lives inside her. Go to Stage 32. ------------------ Stage 32 - In the Name of the Masou Kishin ------------------ From here on there are no route splits; the remaining eight stages all occur in order no matter what choices you made before. Feil gathers the Masouki pilots together and gives them a speech. Their duties have been formally defined by the constitution. Ricardo wonders how much has changed, and Feil responds that on the surface, everything is the same. But actually they have a greater degree of freedom than they did before. He says that Masouki are supposed to be not for the peace of Rangran alone, but for the whole of La Gias. Therefore, the government of Rangran will only request, not order. Especially the Masou Kishin pilots -- their wishes will take precedence over the decisions of the state. Yang Long says that's a heavy burden, and Tytti says that they have to make all the decisions on their own. Feil says that they still have the full backing of the state. The Rangran government will take responsibility for the care, maintenance, and reinforcement. Masaki says it will be nice to be able to act on his own, but Simone says that's exactly what he's been doing up to now. Maddock agrees, and Demekusa says that Maddock used to the same thing. Maddock says he's forgetful these days. Feil continues, saying that it's proper to say that the pilots have been chosen to be the saviors of La Gias. Masaki thinks it's funny that his joke (back in stage 1) became true. Feil says that there only inescapable duty is to protect La Gias from any danger, even ones that would destroy them. The day of the prophecy is only a year away, so he's hoping for their help. After the speech, Becky says that it's rare to have twelve Masouki members all in the same place. Masaki realizes that he doesn't know everyone's names. Becky says there's one person she doesn't know; the big Russian-looking guy standing over there. Masaki says that he took over the Jaom after Masaki moved to the Psybuster, but he can't remember the guy's name. Yang Long says it's Gennaji [I'm pretty sure this is not the proper way to spell the Russian name, but I have no idea what it is]. Masaki is then introduced to Tian, Demekusa, or anyone else you didn't meet on your route splits. You can look at the other walkthrough if you want information on them. After that, Senia comes in and says that the remnants of the terrorists have announced they will detonate a Goumadan in Banan city. Masaki doesn't know what she's talking about, and she says that they are magic bombs, very old weapons that have the power to destroy a wide area, and were sealed away. None should be left. Masaki says it sounds like a nuclear bomb, and Senia replies that it's even worse than that. These bombs destroy not only life, but also spirit. Feil wonders when the denotation will take place, and Senia says in three hours. Feil asks everyone to go try to stop it. They head out to the place, which is near the capital. One of the terrorists is happy that the Masou Kishin have accepted their "invitation". Tytti asks what they mean, and the guy says that they just activated the switch for the bombs and that the Masou Kishin will all be destroyed in 10 minutes. Masaki wonders if there's any way to prevent it, and Kuro says that Senia is sending some data. The bombs are fueled by a large amount of magic power, so Tytti says if they can cut off the source, they can stop the explosion. Masaki reasons that the enemy units are the source, and Kuro says that if the magical balance is thrown off, the bombs will explode. Tytti says they'll have to use map weapons. Tytti thinks the middle three Rujanor Kais are suspicious, and that all three will have to be destroyed at once. Masaki thinks they'll need some help, and calls a few people -- you get to choose who to dispatch for the first time in the game. The people you dispatch will say some meaningless lines and the battle starts. [Note: As the dialogue says, you have to beat the three units within the town at the same time (with a map weapon), within 10 turns, to win the stage. This is a very annoying stage if Attack Again keeps activating when you don't want it to.] Ricardo says that their victory was assured given their collected strength. Maddock thinks it's time for tea, but Becky says they have to drink celebration alcohol. Masaki says it's too early to think about that; just go back to the capital first and report. Tytti is surprised that Masaki said such a sensible thing, and they go back to the capital. Presia welcomes them, and says she cooked the meal that Masaki taught her (sukiyaki). Becky claims to like "Japanese Sukiyaki" as well, and a bunch of other people join as well. Masaki yells at Tytti for putting in too much sugar, yells at Ricardo for taking the unfinished meal, Ahmed asks if there is pork in it, and Tian is only taking the meat (Tian says this is so other people can't defile themselves by eating it). Masaki has to eat quickly because it's disappearing. Maddock says there isn't enough alcohol. Becky begins to take off her clothes again (to Presia's disappointment). Tytti says it's OK that things are this chaotic because they don't get to spend time all together very often. Wendy shows up, drunk (but it's OK because she's an adult!); she tells Masaki he doesn't understand women's feelings. She tells him to not be so brash all the time, then her words become incoherent and she falls asleep. ------------------ Stage 33 - Match Before the King ------------------ [For the match here, upgrade your close-range weapon (not Akashic Buster) as much as you can. If you did the Gold Golem trick earlier and got enough money to upgrade it a lot, you can win most of the matches here on your first turn.] Ricardo wants to borrow money from Tytti, but Tytti says that he still hasn't paid back the previous 20,000 credits he borrowed from her. He says he'll give it back tomorrow. Tytti hopes that Ricardo isn't betting on the match today [the match is called "onmae shiai" which implies that it's being performed in front of royalty or something like that]. Ricardo apparently was going to do that, and Tytti yells at him for disrespecting the sacred match. Ricardo runs away saying he has business (and that he loves Tytti). Ricardo runs to hide in Masaki's room and puts himself in a closet (or something). Tytti shows up and asks if Ricardo is there. You now have two choices: 1. I don't know...did something happen? 2. Ricardo's right over there The choice you make has no long-term effect so I'm going to go with choice 2. Ricardo yells at you for betraying him. He tells Tytti it's all right if he bets because he's betting on Tytti to win. Tytti says that's not the issue, and Masaki tells them to take their marital disputes elsewhere. Tytti yells at Masaki for using that term, and then gets mad and leaves. Masaki asks Ricardo about the betting he was talking about. Ricardo says it's about the match today, and that Masaki is a favorite. Masaki hasn't heard anything about a match, especially not one he's supposed to be fighting in. Ricardo says they told him a week ago. Masaki wonders if he can get out of it, and Ricardo says it's too late -- in any case, the winner gets 1,000,000 credits. Masaki says that at 10 yen per credit, that's not bad money (it's roughly $100,000 give or take). Ricardo tells Masaki he's been a Masou Kishin pilot for a year (I didn't realize that much time had passed), and that these chances are rare. Masaki says he's show them his true power. In the area, a soldier says that the elimination tournament will begin, and introduces all the competitors in regular Masouki: -Maddock, who says that he'll show them his skill gained from age (and that he'll get a bunch of girls with his winnings) -Becky, who says that with the pride of (sexual) love, she can't lose. -Ahmed, who says that all is according to the will of Allah. -Simone, who says that this is all just time and luck. -Tian, who says that he'll win, and that evertying is the will of the Buddha (and that he'll show them his power). He wants to do a prayer, but the soldier motions him on. -Demekusa, who tells everyone not to get mad if they lose. -Gennaji, who doesn't say anything. Now he introduces the Masou Kishin pilots: -Fang, in the Rastoll, who says that he'll show everyone that La Gias people can pilot Masouki as well. -Masaki (he introduces him as Randoll) in the Psybuster, who says he'll show them all the power of Psybuster. -Tytti in Goddess, who tells everyone to cheer her on (apparently she's the soldier's favorite) -Yang Long in Grand Veil, who gives some Chinese proverb -Ricardo in Zamjeed, who says he's already certain to win. The soldier now says the rules -- no time limit, single-elimination, and you win by defeating the other person. Familiars and map attacks are not allowed. The first match is Masaki vs. Becky. When you beat her she says she's hoping Masaki win now. Now Masaki fights Ahmed (Ricardo thinks Masaki will win). When Masaki wins, Yang Long is surprised -- he didn't realize that Masaki had improved that much (I think it's more the 250,000 credits I spent on Psybuster...). Yang Long says that Ricardo might even lose to him. The next match is Masaki vs. Fang. Fang says that you beat him last time, but this time it will be different. When Masaki beats him, Fang wonders if he really is worse than Masaki. Ricardo says this is interesting, but not good for him -- Tytti comes up from behind and scolds him for betting. Next is Masaki vs. Ricardo. Ricardo says he's sure to beat Masaki, but Masaki doesn't think so. When Masaki beats him, he curses that he lost his prize money...and says that Masaki has gotten a lot stronger. The soldier says that Masaki is the winner. The King congratulates everyone on their participation and says that all of them are superb pilots. He asks them to use that strength to protect La Gias, and that Masaki has shown that strength in abundance. He tells Masaki to work for the good of La Gias and the world above. Presia congratulates Masaki on his win. Ricardo says Masaki did well, but if Ricardo had tried his hardest, he would have won. Becky offers him a congratulatory drink. Masaki tells her to stop giving him alcohol, and wonders where his prize money is. Tytti gives him a card, and tells him that half of it is deposited in a bank and the other half was given to charity. Of course that's what Masaki wanted, right? Yang Long says that Masaki did a good thing. Becky says she would have just spent it all on alcohol. Masaki says that he'll give the rest to Presia. Masaki says he has no real way of spending it (ARRGH) and that Presia needs it for living expenses. She says she'll put it away for Masaki's retirement. (You still get 20,000 credits of it) ------------------ Stage 34 - The Apostate ------------------ Feil asks General Karkus if the report for the latest plan of the defense of the capital is ready yet. Feil says he hasn't received it, and Karkus says that it must not be ready yet. Feil says he wants it as soon as possible, but Karkus says it's lunchtime so he has to go eat (not the brightest crayon in the box...) Feil lets everyone go for lunch, and Senia says that Karkus is always like that. Feil responds that there are times when Karkus is very sharp; that's just his personality. Masaki (later) comments that there haven't been any terrorist incidents or attacks on the capital in a while. Yang Long says that's because of the strengthening of the barriers, and Karkus' work. Masaki says he's nervous anyway. Someone named Zash asks them if they've seen Karkus around anywhere. Yang Long wonders who he is, and he says he is Karkus' son (his full name is Zashford). Karkus forgot his lunch. Masaki tells him that Karkus was outside eating. Masaki says the guy spaces out so much that he's as useless as a lantern in daytime. How did that guy become general? But then he apologizes, saying he should have kept quiet in front of the guy's son. Zash says that's OK, and suddenly realizes that he's talking to Masaki and Yang Long. He says that the Masou Kishin pilots are his heroes and wants to shake their hands. They do, but Masaki tells him they're not really stars. Zash looks up to them because he wants to be a Masou Kishin pilot some day too, or just a Masouki pilot if that's impossible. Masaki tells him to work hard. After lunch, Feil continues the meeting, but there's a shock; apparently enemies are attacking the capital again. The invader turns out to be Shuu in Granzon, who says it's been a while. Feil recognizes him as Kristoff, and asks where he's been all this time. Shuu says that he was once called Kristoff Gran McSord, but that's not who he is anymore -- perhaps he can be called Kristoff Zeo Vorcrus, though. Feil asks if Kristoff is really following Vorcrus, but Shuu won't confirm that. Shuu says that he likes the name Shuu Shirakawa at present. Feil asks what Shuu is planning to do. He says he came to bid them farewell, and to give them a declaration of war. Today he renounces his claim to the royal lineage and declares his opposition to Rangran. He wonders if he should say that is the will of Vorcrus. He also says those toy barriers are worthless. Today he just came to say goodbye, but next time he hopes for a more flashy meeting. Masaki gets mad and prepares to take out Psybuster, but Wendy tells him that Psybuster is being repaired and that he shouldn't move it right now. You have two choices: 1. Who cares! 2. Damn...I guess there's nothing I can do. I'll pick 1 (both end up at the same place). Wendy tries to stop Masaki but she pushes him aside and takes Psybuster out. Masaki says he doesn't know what Shuu is trying to do, but he's going to stop him anyway. Shuu says he'll show him how much greater he is than Masaki. Yang Long asks about Gran Veil, but Wendy says that's not fully operational either, and Yang Long says they have to do something. When Masaki and Shuu fight, Masaki says he never trusted Shuu from the beginning. The attack does 0 damage, and Masaki can't believe he didn't hurt Shuu at all. Shuu says that no attack can hurt him. The completed Granzon can't even be hurt by the Masou Kishin. Suddenly the Psybuster starts glowing; Wendy says that the Prana unit is overloading. Masaki has lost control. Zeoroot comes out and tells Masaki to get back or Psybuster will be destroyed. Masaki leaves, and Zeoroot faces Kristoff. Shuu is surprised that even a discriminating adult like Zeoroot would be taken in by Masaki's charms. Zeoroot says that Kristoff has become evil, and even though he doesn't know why, he's not going to let Kristoff go. Presia yells at Zeoroot not to fight Shuu, but Zeoroot tells her to believe in him. Shuu tells Zeoroot to back off, and Zeoroot says he can at least buy some time. When Zeoroot and Shuu fight, Shuu tells Zeoroot that he should be able to tell the extreme difference in their strengths. Zeoroot says he can, but that he's not going to run away. Zeoroot's attack does 0 damage, and Shuu repeats what he said before. (This fight is impossible to win, you just have to keep taking turns until Zeoroot is defeated) When Shuu defeats Zeoroot, he apologizes to Masaki and Presia as his unit explodes. Presia screams, and Masaki says that Zeoroot must have escaped, and yells at him to answer. Wendy says that the ejection unit didn't activate. Presia cries, and says she can't believe that her father died. Masaki can't beleive that he died so quickly. Shuu says that all humans die quickly, and that death is equal for all living things. Masaki yells "I won't forgive you, Shuu!" Wendy tries to stop him, saying that she's just done some minor first aid, but Masaki leaves in Psybuster again. Masaki asks why Shuu killed Zeoroot, and Shuu says that by going into battle he proved that he desired death. Shuu says that Masaki just fought with Granzon and saw what happened. Shuu says that he really just wanted to deliver his declaration of war. Just then Shuu gets a surprised look on his face. Chika asks what's wrong, but then sees that the distortion field is having problems. Shuu realizes that Zeoroot did something to it. Masaki prepares to charge, and Shuu says he's going to back off for now so that things don't turn bad. Granzon was just completed so there's no reason to take risks. He leaves, and Masaki starts to chase after him. Wendy tells him to stop, saying that if he does any more, he may destroy Psybuster. Masaki relents, and the battle ends. Presia is crying over her father. Masaki tries to apologize to Presia, but Presia says that she doesn't even want to see Masaki's face. Presia says she hates Masaki, and that she's not going to call him onii-chan anymore (that's a term of endearment that she's been calling him by since early on in the game). Later on, Kuro tells Masaki that he has to eat at least a little bit or he'll die. Shiro wants food too, but Kuro tells him that familiars can live a month without food so he should quit complaining. Masaki tells them to shut up, and Kuro says it's unlike Masaki to sit around grousing for so long. Masaki yells at them to shut up or he'll turn them into shamisen strings. Shiro says he doesn't know what a shamisen is, but it sounds scary. Tytti (who was apparently away with some of the other pilots) can't believe what happened while they were gone. Feil tells them that Masaki has just been shut up in his room since then. Tytti says that while she understands his feelings, now is not the time to sit around doing nothing. She starts to go tell him that, but Ricardo stops him. Ricardo tells her that if she goes now, it will have the opposite effect. Feil thinks that Masaki will recover suddenly on his own (given his personality). Tytti says that Feil has great faith in Masaki, and Feil says he has the same faith in all of them. ------------------ Stage 35 - The Depths of Despair ------------------ Someone knocks at Masaki's door, and he tries to get them to go away. Wendy comes in anyway, and says that Masaki is in the classic "depression" pose; sitting on his bed on his side. Masaki asks what she came there for, and Wendy wonders what he would say if she came to laugh at him. Now you have two choices: 1. You bitch!! 2. Do whatever you want... #1 sounds more like Masaki, so that's what I picked. Wendy smiles and says that's more like Masaki's normal demeanor, and wonders if he feels a little better now. Masaki tells her to leave him alone. She says that Masaki's not the only one who's having a hard time. Masaki asks if she's calling him spoiled, and Wendy says as long as he realizes that himself that's good. It would be easy for her to console him, but that wouldn't solve the root of the problem. She tells him that if he acts like this, nobody is going to depend on him for anything. They're not forcing Masaki to do anything, but Wendy tells him that Psybuster is ready and that he can take it out any time he wants. Shiro says it wasn't like Wendy to talk that coldly. But Masaki says it wasn't cold, and that it made him feel better. He has to do things his own way, and heads out to face Shuu. Simone asks Wendy how it went. Wendy pretends not to know what she's talking about, but Simone knows she went to see Masaki. Wendy still tries to prevaricate, and Simone says it's good for him to feel a little better. Wendy starts to leave, saying she has to work on Psybuster. Masaki is flying, and Kuro asks where they're going. Masaki says he has no idea, that he's just flying around randomly. Shiro doesn't think they're going to find Shuu this way. Masaki agrees, but says it's better than nothing. His stomach grumbles, and he realizes he hasn't eaten in a while. Wendy gives him a lunch she made, which Masaki accepts.....wait, what is Wendy doing here!? Wendy says that she really wanted to come along, so she hid herself. Masaki tells her to act her age, and Wendy says not to mention age -- anyway, she's only 27. Masaki asks her why she wanted to come along. Wendy said that after she talked like that to him, she wanted to see what he did. Masaki thanks her for opening his eyes. Kuro then says something is coming...it's Granzon! Shuu is indeed there, and he says he could recognize Masaki's strong hatred Prana from far away. Masaki says that Shuu is brave, and wonders if he's prepared. Chika tells Shuu that the distortion field still isn't repaired yet, and Shuu says that the way things are now, Psybuster is nothing to be afraid of. Wendy asks Kristoff why he is following Vorcrus. Shuu says that to return this world to its true form, everything must be destroyed and remade -- only then can the world be saved. Wendy asks if Kristoff really believes that. Shuu says that further debate is useless; the only way to deal with this is by fighting, and the battle starts. When Shuu and Masaki fight, Shuu says that Masaki has no chance to win, and he asks why Masaki came to fight him even knowing that. Masaki says that may be true, but he won't just sit down and accept it! Shuu says that Masaki is foolish to lay down his life for pride. (You can actually hurt Shuu this time, but don't waste seishin because he can't be defeated before the next event takes place. He will recover his HP no matter what.) When Psybuster is reduced below 50% HP, Masaki curses and says that apparently it is useless. Shuu says that it's good he realized that, and that Masaki can't defeat him the way he is now. Masaki says that no matter what, he'll defeat Shuu in revenge for killing Zeoroot. Shuu says that revenge is stupid, and wonders when Masaki is going to grow up. Masaki starts to laugh, and says that the revenge is beside the point -- Shuu is right. Kuro wonders what he's talking about, and Masaki says that he really dislikes Shuu. At first it wasn't so bad, but after his appearance at the capital, he hates him. Something inside Masaki is telling him to defeat Shuu. So he's not doing this for revenge, he's doing it for the pride of the Masou Kishin. This is the will of both himself and Psybuster -- it doesn't matter what Shuu is planning. Just the very fact of Shuu's evil is what Masaki will fight. Psybuster glows, and Shuu wonders what is happening. Masaki says that Psybuster is at full power, and hears Psybuster telling him that as well. Kuro is surprised that Masaki can tell Psybuster's will. Wendy is surprised, saying that Possession is theoretically possible but that she didn't think Masaki would be that far along. Shuu can't believe that Masaki was able to combine with the spirit. Chika says this is bad, but Shuu says that he wants to try fighting the full powered Psybuster at least once. Masaki should beat Shuu in the next hit (considering your weapons have tripled in power), and Shuu realizes that Psybuster in that state is invincible. He congratulates Masaki and says that he'll leave quietly. Masaki collapses, and says he's lost his strength. Wendy says that Possession is way too much for Masaki at this point because of his power. She tells him to stop talking and that she'll give him some Prana. She blushes and tells him to close his eyes, and gives him mouth-to-mouth. Masaki is surprised (this scene must work differently if you went on one of the paths where Masaki uses Psyflash twice and collapses). Wendy tells him that's the fastest way to transfer Prana. But they need to get back to the capital because it's only temporary. Wendy is also looking sick Back at the capital, Senia asks if Wendy is OK. Masaki says she's just tired. Senia says that's good, and is happy that Masaki is back to normal. Presia comes up and apologizes for what she said to Masaki before. Masaki tells her not to worry, and Presia asks if she can call him onii-san again. Masaki tells her no, and Presia says she understands...he said horrible things to Masaki, and she can understand why he's mad. Masaki continues, saying that she should call him onii-chan instead of onii-san (that's a more familiar/close way of saying it). He apologizes for not being able to save Zeoroot. Presia says it's OK, and shows him something that Zeoroot left behind. It's a holographic recording, which they play back. On the rather rambling recording, Zeoroot says that he doesn't have much time, and if Presia is seeing this, he is dead. He is going into battle with Kristoff, where he'll probably not survive. Well, he shouldn't say "probably" since he's definitely dead if she's seeing this...actually, just ignore that part entirely. Anyway, he wants to tell her his desire. It is not only to save Masaki and her, although that's part of it. But if Kristoff is left to his own devices, the world will soon be in trouble. Zeoroot says that this is his chance to defeat the evil god of the prophecy, and that he has to take it. Although, since she's seeing this, he must have failed...but anyway, he tells Presia not to hate Masaki, he's probably as sad as she is. Zeoroot is feeling sad too, actually. He tells Masaki not to seek revenge for his sake, that's not good for a Masou Kishin pilot. They have to follow their own feelings. He tells Masaki and Presia to take care of each other, and then ends the message. Senia says that a good man died. ------------------ Stage 36 - Memory of a Tragedy ------------------ Feil apologizes to Karkus, saying that even in his position he can't cover for Karkus anymore. Karkus says that's fine; he can rest up in Karatamify, which is known for its good scenery. Feil is silent, and Karkus wonders if he wants to say that he never does anything but rest. Karkus says that the position of general is a bit too high for him. He says the only thing he has lingering regrets about is the new Masouki plan -- if they can put that into effect, they'll have something to fight the evil god even greater than the Masou Kishin. Karkus then says goodbye to Feil and leaves. Senia says that even when he was demoted he didn't react very much -- he really is as useless as a lantern in midday. Somewhere else, Wendy says that it's strange. Ruozor and Kristoff both invaded the capital several times, but they retreated without doing much damage to the capital itself. Feil agrees, saying that it's almost as if they just came to laugh at the weakness of the barriers. What could they be planning? Or perhaps they are trying to destroy the barriers themselves. He says that they will have to be sure to watch the barrier stations. Tytti and Masaki are out on patrol. Tytti says it's been a while since they did this. Masaki says it's rare for two Masou Kishin to patrol together. Tytti says that actually she has the day off, but watchfulness is too important. Masaki asks if Tytti had a date with Ricardo. She says that's not it; it's been two years since her parents and brother died. Masaki is quiet, and Tytti tells him not to make such a serious face; it's something that happened in the past. Freki tells Tytti that there's a reaction on the radar; probably a Masouki. Kuro and Geri both get the reaction too, and Geri says it's not an ally. Masaki wonders if it's Ruozor, or Safine, or... It's Rasetsu, who is instructing someone named Rubicca to show his power. Rubicca says that he'll work as hard as he was paid money -- this is just business. He asks if Rasetsu is OK -- they're fighting Masou Kishin, after all. Rasetsu says that there's no need to worry. He didn't just pointlessly grab the special battalion. Rubicca says he's glad to hear that; there's no enemy as frightening as an unreliable ally. Masaki says that he's never seen the type of mobile suit. Tytti says she's seen them before at the palace; they're either Shutedonias or Bagonia units. Freki asks Tytti what's wrong, and she says she just has a bad feeling. Rubicca recognizes Goddess and that Tytti is the pilot. Tytti recognizes Rubicca's voice, and says that it can't be...Rubicca says it's been a while, and that he's glad to meet her. Tytti can't believe that Rubicca is still alive. Rubicca says that thanks to them, he had no job for a while, but then he was hired by Shutedonias. Rasetsu yells at Rubicca not to say the name of the army. Rubicca says it doesn't matter, because they already realized it -- in any case, they wouldn't necessarily believe an exile from Rangran without proof. Masaki realizes that Tytti is mad, and Shiro says she's giving off Prana of strong hatred. When you defeat Rasetsu, he says that he was too cocky, but that he gathered the necessary data so he can leave. If you attack Rubicca with Tytti, she yells that she won't forgive him. After the attack, Rubicca says that Tytti can't defeat him, and that she'll share the same fate as her brother and parents, just like that time. Tytti then becomes sorrowful. You can now use the "settoku" (convince) command on Tytti, and Masaki will tell her to snap out of it. Tytti does. When you beat Rubicca, he says you'll meet again, and leaves. After the battle, Masaki asks Tytti if she knows Rubicca. Tytti says he's a murdering bastard, and he was also a candidate for being a Masou Kishin pilot when Tytti first came to Rangran. She recognized his face, and when she told Feil about him, he was deported back to the upper world, but in the process he killed two soldiers and fled to Shutedonias. There he became a mercenary. Masaki asks what she meant by "recognized his face." Tytti says that he killed her parents and brother two years ago right in front of her. That's why she acted like she did in the battle; when she saw his face, she relived that memory. She apologizes for bothering Masaki in the battle. Masaki says not to worry about that, but that she shouldn't be trapped by that same memory over and over again. They'll probably fight again, and if the same thing happens next time... Back at the capital, Feil is surprised to learn that Rubicca is still alive. He wonders if the Senate is going to use this as an excuse to attack the Masouki plan again. Wendy says that Tytti and Masaki might have problems from this as well. Masaki doesn't know what she's talking about, and Feil says that many of the Senate members disagree with the Masouki plan. They want to divert money from the Masouki project to the general defense fund, especially since the capital has been invaded so many times. Senia notes that Karkus was demoted. Feil says they may use the excuse of Rubicca attacking to do this. Wendy also says that a number of the knights are opposed to the reliance on people from above ground. Feil says that this is no time for internal conflicts. ------------------ Stage 37 - The Harmony Barrier ------------------ Safine goes to talk to Shuu (I'm not sure where this takes place); she calls him Lord Shuu. She goes in and sees that he doesn't have a shirt on. She finds that attractive, and notices a scar on the right side of his chest. Shuu says that a long time ago, someone wounded him there. But that person is now trapped as repayment. Safine wonders what's wrong since Shuu seems kind of feverish. Shuu asks if Safine feels like her body and mind are not really hers. Safine says of course she does -- both of them belong to Shuu. Shuu then asks if the plan is ready. She says it is, and Shuu replies that tomorrow things will all be finished. He tells her to notify Ruozor. She says it will all happen as quickly as she can manage. Shuu says they have to hurry, although he doesn't know why -- he has an unexplainable feeling of impatience. Feil is asking Senia about some data from Dukakis (the computer she built). She says that it has a high chance of being correct but it's still not completely finished. Feil says that for now, all the Masou Kishin are there -- should they notify them? Masaki shows up and asks what they're talking about. Feil responds that using Dukakis, they were able to pinpoint where Ruozor will attack next. It seems that in the next few days, there is a 78% (plus or minus 6%) chance that Ruozor will attack the barrier station near Ira bay. Ricardo says that it's sort of a blind spot, and that's the biggest barrier, so it makes sense. Tytti says they must have been attacking the capital to divert attention while they aimed somewhere else. Masaki says he'll go because he's tired of Ruozor running away on him. Ricardo and Tytti both say they'll go so that Masaki won't be alone. Ricardo has to go with Tytti because he says they're united. Tytti wonders when that happened, and Ricardo says yesterday -- this causes Tytti to get embarassed and try to change the subject. Masaki says he's fine on his own, but Ricardo says he'll never even find the place alone. Yang Long will stay back at the capital to protect it. Tytti says that the barrier station is in the middle of the ocean for safety. Ricardo notices the color of the water is strange; they're too late. Ruozor is there, and he says that he's been waiting for them, but he's disappointed that Yang Long isn't there. They exchange fighting words, and the battle begins. After the first turn, Tytti wonders why Ruozor isn't attacking the barrier station -- if he just wanted to destroy it it wouldn't be that hard. If you kill Ruozor before turn 7, he just pops back at full strength (like Shuu in the other battle). On or after turn 7, he recovers below 50% and if you kill him he leaves. After the battle, Ricardo says that they must have just been buying time here while they attacked somewhere else. But what is their real destination? Tytti thinks they really are trying to destroy the barriers, but if they're not going for here...Masaki asks where the other barrier stations are. Tytti says that the other barrier stations are much smaller and wouldn't be as useful to destroy. But then she realizes that they may be aiming for the palace itself! Ricardo says that the attacks on the capital were just a feint. But Tytti says they just made it look that way, and they're going to attack the capital now, while the emergency meeting of parliament is happening. They can take out much of the government with one attack, and cause a great deal of chaos. Masaki doesn't like being tricked, and he and Ricardo say they have to get back to the capital fast. Meanwhile, back at the capital, Feil has come out of the congress meeting. Senia asks if he made any progress, and Feil says they're only going to have enough money for one more month. They used the Rubicca incident to criticize the idea of summoning people from above ground. Senia says that the King has been talking to the head of congress for a while, and that the House of Commons has started a council. They're talking about drafting an official protest against Shutedonias and Bagonia for their military activities. Feil realizes that almost all the government of Rangran is here. Senia says that it's almost time for the spirit ceremony, and wonders where her father (the king) is. Feil suddenly remembers something. There's no need for the barriers to be destroyed -- if the magical power to supplement the barriers is gone, they'll fall on their own. Senia asks if that means they're aiming for the king. Feil says they've been concentrating on protecting the barriers too much. He says to call all the Masou Kishin pilots there quickly and put everyone on high alert. Senia will contact Masaki, Tytti, and Ricardo. ------------------ Stage 38 - Prelude to Destruction ------------------ Tytti and the others are still out in the ocean. Tytti says that with Yang Long there the capital won't fall easily, but they should go back anyway. They start back. On the way, Freki tells Tytti that there's a reaction on the spirit radar, and Geri thinks that from the data it's probably Safine's Wizoll. Ricardo says that their true aim must be the capital since Safine is here to stop them. Tytti says they don't have time to waste here, but Freki says that it's too dangerous to turn their back on Safine. Tytti screams at Freki, who quickly apologizes. Tytti apologizes for yelling and says she just has a bad feeling. Safine is indeed there, and she says she's been waiting. Masaki tells her to move aside, and she asks him to fight just a little. Ricardo tells Masaki to let them handle this and get back to the capital, because Psybuster is the fastest of their units. Masaki is hesitant, but Ricardo says that two Masou Kishins together can't be beaten. Masaki finally agrees to go, and Ricardo says they'll follow him soon. Masaki leaves, and Ricardo tells Safine that she'll never beat the ultimate combo of himself and Tytti. Safine summons a few units, and then says she has one more person to bring out. It turns out to be Rubicca again. Tytti thought he was working for Shutedonias, but Rubicca says he does any mercenary work. This time he was promised a bonus prize so he'll work extra hard. Tytti says she'll never forgive Rubicca, who responds that she can't beat him if she just trembles in fear, just like she did back then. Tytti becomes stupified and can't move or talk. Ricardo wonders what's going on, and the wolves tell him that Tytti has lost conciousness. With a glassy look in her eyes, she says she has to kill Ricardo. Rubicca is surprised that the hypnosis worked so easily, but it's because of the shock of the memories. Rubicca asks Ricardo if he can kill Tytti himself. After the first turn, Ricardo wonders what he can do about Tytti, and Rubicca tells him that only a skilled hypnotist can undo it. Ricardo says he'll have to just defeat Rubicca, but Rubicca says there's a 0% chance of that happening. When Ricardo defeats Rubicca, Rubicca curses at him for getting in the way of his work, and then leaves. Ricardo says that now he can return Tytti to normal. Now convince Tytti, and Ricardo will yell at her to snap out of it. Tytti wakes up and doesn't know what's going on. Ricardo says she was controlled by Rubicca but she's back to normal so it's fine. Ricardo beat him. Tytti apologizes, and Ricardo says he'll take her thanks after the battle (wink wink). Safine says that's about what she thought would happen. When you reduce Safine below 50%, she retreats, saying that it's too late for them to save the capital. After the battle, Ricardo says to hurry back to the capital. But Tytti starts feeling bad. Ricardo says it must be the aftereffects of Rubicca's hypnotism, and that he'll give her some painkillers. [Honestly, I have to say here that I'm not entirely sure what's happening because there's just static text boxes and faces that don't really convey what's happening, so I don't quite know what the scene is -- what I think happens is that Ricardo gets out of Zamjeed to go over and give Tytti the medicine, and then Rubicca shoots him, intending to aim at Tytti.] Rubicca curses at Ricardo for interfering, and that his only goal is Tytti. Ricardo lies on the ground wounded, and Rubicca tells Tytti that if she wants to save his life, she has to come over to him. Tytti says she will, but that the wound has to be dealt with soon. Rubicca says he can do that himself, with about 2 or 3 more bullets. Ricardo yells at Tytti not to come, and then Rubicca shoots Ricardo again. Tytti has Freki and Geri attack Rubicca, and Rubicca runs away, saying he'll deal with Tytti some other time. Ricardo asks if Tytti is fine. Tytti tells him not to talk until he's gotten medical care. Ricardo says that it seems to late -- the last bullet went through his heart. Tytti says she'll go get the medical kit, and Ricardo tells her to stay with him, because the end is coming soon. Tytti says she's not going anywhere. Ricardo apologizes and wonders if everyone in the capital is fine. Tytti says that with Yang Long and Masaki there it should be fine. Ricardo agrees, but says that Tytti has to get there to back them up. Tytti says that Ricardo has to come to. Ricardo asks if Tytti is still there, and when she says she is, Ricardo says that he's happy to die being tended to by an angel. He starts to say something else, but dies. Tytti is heartbroken. Just then, Masaki has some feeling, but he says that there's no way the two of them would have been defeated so easily. Shiro tells him that the propulsion system is starting to overheat, and Masaki says they have to hold it until they reach the capital. Meanwhile back at the capital, the King is saying something about the senate when a soldier comes up. He wonders if Kristoff is attacking again. The soldier tells the king to escape as quickly as he can. A large force of unknown Masouki has suddenly attacked. Alzar wonders if they used some sort of teleportation device. He tells the soldiers to evacuate the citizens, and that the enemies must be aiming for him. Just then there is an explosion and a flash, and Alzar recognizes it as one of the magic bombs. Feil sees the explosion over at the government building and knows that his father was there. Senia gets Feil and Monica to escape. ------------------ Stage 39 - Catastrophe ------------------ Masaki is heading back to the capital, hoping he makes it in time. But he spots smoke and knows he is too late. Shuu is there, and he tells Masaki that he is too late. Everything is over. Masaki curses at Shuu. Shuu says that Masaki wouldn't believe him if he said that he wasn't responsible; for Masaki, the situation is more important than the truth. Shuu says that he doesn't really have time to fight with Masaki now because he has business above ground. Shuu disappears, and Masaki yells at him to wait. Wendy yells at Masaki to stop, and Masaki finds Wendy in the rubble of the palace. She is wounded though, and Masaki tries to give her first aid, but she says she already dealt with the wounds herself. She's fine. Masaki asks what happened, and Wendy says that a large force of unidentified Masouki suddenly appeared. Masaki is surprised that Shuu actually didn't do it, and Wendy says that the Granzon showed up after everything was destroyed, as if Shuu just wanted to see for himself what had happened. Wendy doesn't know what happened to anyone else, except that the congress building where the King was was at the center of the blast. She doesn't know if Senia, Feil, or Monica escaped. Masaki asks where Yang Long is. She says that Yang Long, Becky, and Simone all fought bravely. But there were too many troops for them to deal with. Just then, Yang Long appears. He apologizes for what happened. Masaki starts to get angry, but then says he's just as guilty himself. He doesn't think he's worthy of the Randoll name. Some troops appear and want to finish off the survivors. One of them is scared of the Masou Kishin, but another says that they didn't do much in the last battle. Masaki says they picked the wrong time to come here -- he's really upset, and if they want to live, they should run away. Yang Long and Masaki both prepare to take their anger out on the soldiers, and get +50 kiryoku. When you beat all of the soldiers, the captain appears and marvels at the power of the Masou Kishin. He prepares to attack, but Rasetsu appears and tells him that their mission is done, and that they should leave. He also says the captain has a remaining duty, and if he's defeated by Masaki that will screw things up. The captain doesn't know what he's talking about, and Rasetsu says he has to be executed as the leader of a resistance movement that stirred up the followers of Vorcrus. The captain yells at Rasetsu for manipulating him, and Rasetsu says it's a fitting end for someone who lacked the ability to figure the plan out. Rasetsu activates some sort of self-destruction mechanism in the captain's unit. Masaki asks Rasetsu what's going on, and Rasetsu says that he'll only say one thing -- that Shutedonias will soon declare war on Rangran, if there's anything left of it. Yang Long yells that Shutedonias was behind this, and Rasetsu says it was just one rebel group. He finished off the leader himself; Shutedonias had nothing to do with it. Masaki asks if he really thinks anyone will believe that. Rasetsu says that if you choose the right words, you can explain your way out of anything, and then he leaves. Masaki prepares to chase him, but Yang Long says they have to deal with things here first. Tytti appears, and Masaki tells her that they were all taken in. He laughs and says that the Masou Kishin and the name of Randoll are nothing -- at the most important time they couldn't do anything. Yang Long asks what happened to Ricardo, and Tytti says that he died trying to protect her. Masaki can't believe that Ricardo would die. Tytti says she doesn't want to believe it either, but she saw him die in her arms. She called to him many times, but he would not open his eyes. Masaki apologizes, saying he shouldn't have left. Tytti yells at him, saying he wouldn't have been able to save Ricardo either. Yang Long yells at her, and she apologizes. Wendy says that the capital is destroyed, and Feil and Monica are gone -- what should they do? Yang Long says that if Shutedonias is going to declare war on Rangran, they have to protect it. Their duty is to protect the peace of La Gias. Tytti agrees, and Masaki says he's going to chase after Shuu. Yang Long agrees with that course of action, saying this is just the beginning. It's too dangerous to leave Shuu alone. Masaki leaves for above ground, and Yang Long wishes him success. Wendy tells him not to die... THE END OF PART ONE The story now continues with SRW 2, 3, EX, and 4 (or F/FF) before coming back to Part Two! ------------------ Appendix - Monica's grammar ------------------ Characters remark frequently on Monica's strange and hard to understand grammar; if you can't read Japanese it's hard to see what that means but here are some examples of what she does. Most of it has to do with improper and ungrammatical usages of polite language. - Improper use of honorific language. Japanese has both honorific-polite language (used with verbs referring to others that you want to show respect to) and humble-polite language (used for verbs referring to yourself when you want to show humility and respect to the person you are talking to). For instance, she says "nasatte oraremasen" in reference to herself, which is a combination of two honorific-polite features (which you would not normally use with yourself) and a humble-polite feature (combining honorific and humble language is very rare in modern Japanese and basically incorrect). - Putting "desu" after verbs that end in -masu; this is an ungrammatical doubling of polite features (you can say "arimasen" or "nai desu", but not "arimasen desu"). - Using polite language with people that you normally would not use it with (for instance, even after Safine kidnaps her she still calls her "Safine-san" which is a bit abnormal, although this is not impossible with upper-class girls, who tend to speak really politely even when they don't have to). ======================= IV. Credits and Legalese ======================= Thanks to: pistol for his helpful walkthrough JL Lee for the branching diagram included in pistol's FAQ This FAQ Copyright 2006 to Chris Kern. Redistribution in any form, including reprinting in electronic or print media, without express permission of the author is strictly forbidden.