Part 19: Father, Son

Last time on Disgaea 3 we maybe opened Mao's heart and were joined by a new friend. Today, we encounter a slight problem.

Drama- Murderous Intent


Oh, Princess! Don't go running ahead!
Huh? What's that over there?
Princess! Over there is dangerous!
…You don't plan to hide your real identity at all, do you?
Huh? That's not tru- Ahh!? Don't go touching random things, Princess!
Hmm… Ooh… Ahh… A demon's heart is so interesting. Are there hints to beating the Overlord?
Grr, I don't like the princess walking around my heart. Is it because my heart is open? Is this love? It's terrifying.
…Whatever you think, it's not love.
…Huh? What's this drill thing?
Oh, that's…
Don't touch it! Don't you dare flip that switch!
Switch? This clicky thing?
Why would you do that!?



…Another rejection. It's too early, it seems…
Mrrhh… Dad, Dadddd…! Where's your super move, Century Killer!
…Not good. Still captured there. It can't be helped then. I'll just have to work it steadily through games.
Hm. But before that, I should test out this new drug and…
…… …Wahaha! Wrahahahahaha!
Ehh. Still no good… A little more newt hiccups might make it closer to a haughty laugh.
Muh hahahaha…! Muuhahaha…!
…Please endure this a bit longer. This is all preparation for the day you become a great Overlord, Young Master.
Hmhmhmhmhm…



And I thought Mr. Geoffrey was the only trustworthy one. I'm shocked.
Hmph, trustworthy? I never trusted anyone from the start. Geoffrey has always been rather suspicious.
He hides from me and does some sneaky stuff… There was one time he disappeared for a whole year…
Sir Mao? Are you crying? I've never seen a demon cry before.
Fool! Why would I cry!? I've known of his secret maneuvers for a long time! I don't feel anything!
Huh? Usually, I'd expect him to appear and give excuses, but… He's not around.
Of course not. Betrayal of this sort happens every day in the Netherworld. And no, I am not crying!
Alright. I won't bring it up again.
I am the heir to this Netherworld. I will never cry.
…Heir to the Netherworld? Does that mean your father is…?
That's right. The strongest, most evil ruler, the Overlord.



…Indeed. No doubt, I will become the next Overlord.
(Hmm. Should I kill him before he assumes the position of the Overlord? * sigh*)
(No, wait, it may be more effective to strike after he's winded from the battle against the current Overlord.)
(Either way, "First to strike, first to win." I must beat them before they beat me. Winning is everything.)
Hm! I sense murderous intent! Who's doing it!?
Oh, that's me!

A swarm of Maos appears!



This again…
Dad…
Dad?
Do you think they're talking about Sir Mao's father?
Dad… No Daddy, no!
Daaaaaaaddd!
Be quiet! Shut up!!
How annoying with your "Dad-Dad" rant! I'll beat you all for this!

Map- Murderous Intent


This map has some nasty potential. You are up against an array of Maos who Say Dad with a variety of weapons. The whole map is covered with Silence blocks, though you can easily clear them. What's worse, there's no way to directly access the main area of the map. You need to throw people over to it. Toss your most powerful people over and go at it. There's no real elegant solution.

Drama- Murderous Intent Outro


(Seeing Mao's reaction, maybe they're related to the injury in his heart…)
(…Not that I would know. I know nothing about Mao.)
(He tries to be serious about opening his heart in silly ways, but he has it tightly shut inside…)
(I wonder what he really wants.)
(No! Who cares about his heart!? The Princess is here and I don't have time! I'll pry open his heart if I have to!)
(Yeah! We turned his avid love for hot sauce into hate! If we can change his heart, opening it should be easy!)
(…Which reminds me, those Daddy Sayers were pretty similar to those Hot Sauce Lovers…)
(Maybe the scar in his heart does have to do with the Overlord. Which means, if we rid the probable causes…)
(Yeah, that's it! When we run into anything that looks like a cause, we'll beat it and change his heart!)



(…Oh yeah, I promised him. It was supposed to be a lie, but I made a promise…)
(No. It was a promise to a demon. Mao doesn't keep promises, and he said he didn't believe me anyway.)
(Even the Super Hero says, "A hero must abide by the rules of his location." Which means there are exceptions.)
(That's right. If he can have a change of heart with something I did, then it can't be that important anyway.)
(And more importantly, this is for the Princess! If I can die for her, I can do anything else for her!)

Drama- Psycho Room Intro


(They were all saying Dad... I think they were calling for the Overlord...)
(Maybe it's hidden deep inside. Then it might be an important part of his heart, so I shouldn't change that…)
(No, no, no, no! I just told myself that I'm doing this for the Princess. What's with my lack of courage!?)
Hm!? That's…! Dad!
Whoa, this looks super important. Perfect timing…
For what?
Oh, nothing. It's still so huge…



…our faul…!
It spoke!? What did it say…?
It's your… fault…! Your… fault… I… I…
Hmm…
(He's blaming Mao? But why? I'd get it if Mao was blaming him for the games, but this is the other way around.)
(But this presence… This must be Mao's heart's scar.)
(If we beat this Overlord like the Hot Sauce Lovers, his trauma should disappear, too.)
(Erasing a mental scar should be a good thing for Mao, too! And that's good enough for me…)
Lord Mao! Let's defeat this Overlord!
Hm? You're aggressive all of a sudden.
Well, he seems a little easier than the real one, so I thought it might be good practice.
…You're right. Hearing his voice makes me sick to my stomach. Let's make sure he can't speak a word after this.



Map- Psycho Room


This map puts us up against the Overlord's fingers again. They're higher level, but the layout and basic skills are identical. The strategy is the same too, the biggest difference is that you're way more powerful. You should have no problem with this map.

Drama- Psycho Room Outro


No no. The real Overlord is nothing like this. He's much more-
Shh…! Wait.
Your… fault…!
Hmmm… It revived. Why won't you die!?
(But we just beat him, why…? Is it that strongly attached to Mao's heart?)
(This is getting us nowhere… Is there anything else we can-)



Huh? Where are you going, Almaz?
Just over there…
(The power plug is connected to the socket. Hmm, could this be…)
(Yup, it's connected to the Overlord. This is his power source.)
(Could this be a trap, maybe? It won't just stop by unplugging this, will it?)
(…There's no use thinking it over! I'm gonna unplug it with the courage I get from the Princess!)
…Hungh.
Your fau-
Ohh!? The Overlord stopped moving!
We won…! Human intellect and courage saves the day! Now Mao's trauma will disappear!
……
What's wrong, Sir Mao? You don't look happy.



Oh, sure.
……



…I saw that heart was forced open. So, it was your doing.
Oh, another Sir Mao? Should we defeat him also?
No, this one's okay… I think. Can I look around inside the vault?
…Now that it's open, I have no power to stop you. Do as you wish.
Then I think I will.
Huh? Where's the title? Mao, where did you pus it?
……
…Mao. Maybe this was a good thing for us after all. It's not a true solution, but…
Huh, what? …Oh, there it is!
Hero Almaz… That was sort of a gamble, you see. Please, understand what this means…
Ahh… my good old handmade title! Right! I'm gonna hurry out and go back to normal! Goodbye Netherworld!
…Looks like he is beyond communicating with me.
……

Mao sure is behaving oddly since we unplugged that Overlord. I wonder what bzzt…













…bzzt Okay come on this is getting ridiculous. Anyway Mao is acting strangely, and we're about to find out what's up.



(Now I can go back to being human… I can finally introduce myself proudly before the princess!)
……
…Sir Mao?
Alright. And now, my homemade title of hero will become-
Wait a minute, Almaz. Sir Mao seems to be acting strange.
…Huh?
Bloo…
Bloo??
Babloo.
Babloo?? What's wrong with you, Lord Mao!?



Babloo.
Th, this is…! How dare you do such a terrible thing in here!
What do you mean?
The Young Master has regressed back to being an infant! What in the world did you do inside his heart!?
We just… healed his trauma.
It must have been more than trauma, and an important part of the Young Master that he relied on to be a demon!
And because he's lost that, the demon that his mind supported, nay, everything has been lost!
You mean, his dad had that big of a presence inside Mao?
Tell me, what have you done!? Not only are you useless, Fake Hero, you are causing extra trouble!
I'm sorry… But there was no other way…
…Unless we heal the heart back to normal, the Young Master will never recover.
Never?
Babuu.
Though self-proclaimed, how could a hero think only of his own interests?



What should I do…? Mao…
Baabu.
Ohh, there, there. …Huh? What's wrong, Sir Mao? You want to go for a walk?

Drama- Back to the Heart


(Now it's like, who's the real demon here…?)
Babloo.
(Yeah, I have to turn Mao back to normal.)
(If things stay like this, I won't feel human in my heart, even with the title! I can't be proud to be a hero!)
Babuu.
(I have to go into his heart… immediately!)
Babloo.
Ohh, there, there. What now, Sir Mao? Are you hungry? As a matter of fact, I smell something toasty and savory…
(Ahh! But I need to free the Princess from this dangerous Netherworld as soon as I can!)
(Someone, tell me… What am I supposed to do?)



That voice!? Could it be… Mr. Champloo!?
Hwahhchaahh!!
I can see the doubt in your heart! Being unable to decide on a single dish will make all the dishes cold!
Chasing after too hares will get you none! Will you neglect the dish you should be eating, and ruin everything!?
Teacher…
What is this weirdo talking about?
I agree that it must sound strange! But to that man, my words should be piercing through like a peeled onion!
Doubt in the heart is doubt in taste! To abandon a friend and call yourself a hero hurts my side like food poisoning!
Friend? But I must protect the Princess!
Graahh!?



(But, Princess… Huh, my voice won't come out…)
"A hero must answer the call of the voiceless voices!"
(Huh? Why does the Princess know the Oaths of a Hero?)
Will you abandon Sir Mao, who can't even speak!? Shouldn't a true hero save every suffering soul without hesitation!?
To see what is right and not do it is cowardice! I will save Sir Mao alone! I can't abandon a classmate in danger!
(What!? Princess, alone!?)
Babuu.
Oh, no need to thank me. I am guilty of wanting to see more of the inside of a demon's heart. But that is a secret.
Sir Mao, you wait here! I will leave this pitiful, unreliable man behind and go on alone!
(Ahh! She called me pitiful! I'm done for! Please let me die!)



* cough* * cough* It's over. I can't go on anymore.
Hyahyahya! A pitiful and unreliable man! There's nothing wrong with that! Boy, now is your chance!
For what!?
An empty stomach is the best spice! That girl's heart is hungry right now! You must observe what she desires!
When you see what she wants, even if it's a crumb of a cracker, it will be the best feast to cure her hunger!
Wait, I don't get it.
What's not to get? That girl hopes for you to stand with courage like the high heat on the stove!
What!? That's impossible! A pitiful, unreliable guy like me is, at best, the low heat for simmering…
Fool! Stir-frying on low heat for fear of burning will only yield you watery slop!
Do not fear the flames! The pan over high heat is what makes a delicious and crisp vegetable stir-fry! Boom!
What the lady hopes for is not a man who will take her away from the flame, or in other words, danger!
She awaits a true man who will jump into the fire and save her from those dangers!
So that's what it was!? The Princess sensed my hesitation and purposely said those harsh words…



I'm truly a lucky man to have the Princess hoping for my help!
Thank you very much, teacher! …No, let me call you master!
Alright! Now listen, boy! As long as you live, you will run into doubts! You need not stress over them!
Do not let your opportunity slip away! Time will change the taste! Hesitating may burn the dish and ruin everything!
Follow the path of taste! Young one, go forth on high heat! Hyahyahyahaya! Ahyahyahyahyahya!
Okay, alright! I'm going after her! Princess! Please wait for me!
Baboo.
Huh? Don't tug at my clothes, Mao. Huh, what? You need to go pee?
Mao… I can't bear seeing you like this. What in the world happened here? You're supposed to be my rival.
Miss Beryl…



…Yes. I'll do everything I can to turn him back.
Are you going to come with us?
…Nah, I'll pass on this. I've got another class soon.
Babloo.
Heh… And to think that this is my rival… I can't watch this anymore.
Hmph, she's gone…
Alright! I need to chase after the Princess…
Babuu.
Huh, what? You want to come too?

Inside Mao's heart…



Princess!
Ah, there you are. I knew you would come.
Princess…
I'm sure that hell-strike must've hurt pretty bad. Sorry about that.
Princess, I…
You don't need to say anything. Let's go, together.

Next Time on Disgaea 3: A Nether Institute First!