Part 137: Dispatch Mission: Snake On The Loose!/Trouble With Truffles

Nothing less than expected from Wolfah.



ONLY A GREAT CHANCE OH CRAP ABORT ABORT nah, I'm just joshing you, they get sent out too.



Sam then heads down to the basement to show off our new nature-themed paints. Just as advertised, we have a fairly nice river-rock pattern and some bamboo siding.



A brief pause upstairs to mock Vic...



... and our snake-catchers arrive!



Thus, it is time to play arcade games with Star.



Sam returns to the lobby just in time to receive this message. Not sure what kind of phone Ikara has, but it seems to format text messages oddly. Oh, well, no skin off Sam's nonexistant nose.



You know what we should do? We should go around and see how everyone is doing now that our own issues have been temporarily tabled. To Main Street with us!

: What should we do here, Buddy?

: I'm thinking... pizza?

Sounds good. Sam will just check in with a couple of people first.

: Hey, Luis. What's the news?



: Sam, you think there is any truth to that?

: You never can tell, Luis. News is a fickle friend.

Ain't it the truth. Hey, there's Rhonda!

: Hey, Rhonda! What's your motto for today?

: Never change your motto more than you need to, that's what I always say!

What about that pizza Buddy wanted? Let's go to Gino's.

: Hey, Gino! How's the pizza business?

: It's great! People seem to order more pizza without the insidious Morcucorp looking over their shoulders.



And now: pizza with friends.



After pizza, to the park! Thanks, Magellan!

: Hey, Dogwood! Eat anything good lately?



: Wow, really? Gino must really like you. Well, don't eat too much--it's not good for dogs!

Sam heads back into the forested area. And we all know who hangs out there.

: Hey, Derek. Staying out of trouble?





Let's go remind the mayor that we are always watching.

: Hey, Skip. What's new?

Turns out he's mad!

: I was just looking over the latest polling data! Poppy is rising in popularity!

: Your anti-Poppy campaign appears to be failing.

: Sam, people aren't fond of dirty politics?

: Surprising, isn't it?

Skip seems startled by this news. Let's scoot before he starts crying.



Thank you, Gordon. Let's go check up on Shirley.

: Hey, Shirley. What's new?

: I need your advice, Sam. Should I wear my hair up, or down?

Yikes. That thing can go down?

: Hmmm... well, what's the occasion?

: I've got a big date tonight!

: Oh yeah, who with?

: I'm not sure... but I'm pretty sure I'll find someone at Gino's!

Shirley is a lady who knows what she wants. Might as well check in at the construction site, too.

: What's up, Patrick?

: Hey, sport! Nothin' much! Just thinking about marinated bacon and mayonnaise sandwiches.

Got nothing to say to that. Let's... stop in at Evelyn's place for a moment.



I see she never got around to cleaning the place up before she... left us.



Sam heads out. Plenty more places to visit. Poppy's hanging around just outside the train station.

: Hey, Poppy! What's new?

: Not much, Sam! I've been talking to Violet about opening a flower shop. But she always says:



: She's so weird, huh?

Poppy heads off and someone else decides to bother Sam.



: ... on a leash, or let it freely lead us to the truffles?

I guess they assumed that Sam wouldn't send Renee on this mission? Anyway, Sam raises an eyebrow at his phone, then tells Ikara to let the pig roam freely. Do not leash Renee's pig. Renee will end you.

To the industrial district!

: So, Buddy. What should we do in this part of town?

: I know! Let's go see what's going on at Club Candy!

... why are the ex-Morcugirls here?

: Hey, Esma. What are you up to?



: ...riiiiiiight...

'Ruler of all' and she's back here watching Brandi plant trees. Okay!

: Hey, Brandi. What are you up to these days?



Ha ha!

Let's go to Club Candy like Buddy wanted to.

: So, Makoto, what will you do next?

Catch a snake, maybe?



: ...because, as I have previously instructed you, I am a real high school girl.

Estivation: among other things, it means 'the act of spending or passing the summer'. Can't say this game isn't educational, in its way.

: Hey, Sapphire! Got any plans?



: Hey, Zack! What's next for you guys?

: Oh, you know. Now that the music's back, I'm just trying to enjoy the moment. Wooo!

: So, how's the club scene these days?

: Couldn't be better! Just look at all my devoted fans!

All three of them, as usual.

Sam climbs up the ladder into the rafters--



Makoto you are literally twenty feet away from me I can see you from up here uuuugh up onto the roof with us.

: Hey, Grit! Here, boy!

: *woof*! *woof* *woof*!



Grit leaps up and tears Sam's throat out! Or jumps up on him to lick his face, that seems more likely.

: Awww, Grit! I guess you're starting to like me, huh, boy?

Face newly washed, Sam heads to the junkyard.

: Back in the water yet, Barney?

: Forget about sailing the seas, it's all about sailing the air! I'm putting together an airship and forming my own flying team. I'll call it... Barney's League Of Explorers!

A bit of foreshadowing for SkyHeroes, in which Barney does indeed head one of the flying squads.



Ugh. Stop texting me.

: So, Gabby. How's the junkyard?

: Oh, you know. Same as usual, full o' junk. But it's a good kind o' junk.

Nobody's home at the lab, so Dr. F is probably still at the beach. Let's go find out!

: Hey, Buddy. What should we do on the boardwalk?

: First, I wanna eat sushi, then turkey-on-a-fork. No wait! Turkey-on-a-fork, then sushi! Aaaargh! How do I decide?!

Well, here's the turkey-on-a-fork stand. There's not even a line. Go nuts.

: I take it business isn't so hot?

: Oh, it's plenty hot. That's the problem. Maybe I'll find some kind of ski resort where I can start a new turkey-on-a-fork franchise in the arctic air.

Can't help you there! What's up in the parking lot?

: Hey, Tim. Got any big stunts lined up?





Also, I see Yuki got out while the getting was good.



Monkey cheese. Er, I mean, the pet shop may or may not have a walrus in stock, but the candy store definitely has chocolate. Go to the candy store. Oh God, it's Chaz McFreely.

: Hey, Chaz. Done anything cool lately?

: Of course. How about you?

: Well, I piloted a robot through a sunken ship, discovered an ancient temple, dodged deathtraps, and stopped a megalomaniac from taking over the world.

: *yawn* 'Kay. Let me know when you do something interesting.

Jerk. Hey, Buddy's made it to the sushi stand!

: So, business is good, Chef?

: Business on the boardwalk is great, thanks to you! I'm thinking about creating a new roll in your honor: the Sam Roll!

Still chewing, Sam heads down to the beach.

: How's the water, Summer?

: It's great! It's soooo warm... and much less radioactive than before!

... good?

: Hey, Taylor. Still mooning after Chaz?



Awwww. (Suck it, Chaz.)

: How's business, Luke?

: Awww, it's been great, Sam! I got a new shipment of boards in, and folks have been flocking to the beach due to all the excitement.



Might as well pop into the tattoo shop.

: Justice! How's business?

: Can't lie, Sam. It's been great. Seems like everyone wants to get temporary tattoos these days. Strangely enough, the most popular tattoo is the name Sam inscribed in comic book-style lettering.

To the other beach!

: So Dr. F, you heard about how we stopped Morcubus?

: You did? That's fantastic! I'd love to get my hands on that crown! What kind of nightmares do you think robots have anyway, hmmm?

Oh dear. Pre-emptively sorry, TOBOR.

: TOBOR! How's my favorite robot?

: Don't try to cheer me up, Sam. You and I both know I'm the only robot you know.

Well, that's true. We don't know any other robots. Just some ordinary high school girls.

And what about up at the tidepools?

: Hey, Clara. How's Mr. Suckers?



That's... that's terrible. I guess. A giant squid who can juggle? Terrible.

: Ahoy, Mr. Suckers!

: Blurb... gurgle, glop.



... you know, I was assuming this snake was a couple of feet long. I guess I ought to know better than to assume these things.



borrrrring

Having checked in with everyone--literally everyone that we can reach has something new to say, including all our junior agents!--Sam heads back to HQ.





You know, both these missions feel kind of perfunctory.



: ... you need me for anything, just let me know!

And no one died! That we know of! Let's see how it all turned out.

: I need a mission debriefing. What was the result?

: Liberty is ecstatic that you found her snake. And now she wants to join our squad!

She sure does! She brought us a chair and a figurine of King Mike for our trophy case!

For the record: while the description on the figurine of Mike makes it sound like we should have found it in the temple, I've never once found it in there. The few mentions I can find of it online always have it showing up as a dispatch-mission reward, like this. Oh, well, as long as we get it.



... ohhhh dear. For so many reasons: oh dear.

: Welcome to the team!



Sam shuffles Liberty off to the gym, as he is wont to do with new recruits.





Hooray!

: I need a mission debriefing. What was the result?

: The team saved truffle season. Thank goodness. I'm so glad those chefs will be able to waste millions of dollars worth of gourmet ingredients on a TV show.

You'd think she was being sarcastic or something. We receive another dispatch mission from Ikara, as well as a water cooler and... a lemur costume!



The rest of our rewards will wait until next time, but we can't stop without looking at Sam's new lemur pajamas.

Whew! That's done. Sam's already in his pajamas and he needs a nap. While he rests, let's have another VOTING TIME

Something to note: we are rapidly running out of dispatch missions! There are fifty-one dispatch missions in the game and we've completed all but a handful of them. One of today's missions will get us our last junior agent--if there's anybody you want to see in action, now's the time to vote for them!

Sam would appreciate it if you'd form a team to help Chancellor Ikara, because he's tired of doing it:



: ... protect me during the event.

Ikara needs strong athletic Sports agents to act as his bodyguards, and Paranormal agents to... huh. Why does he need Paranormal agents? This is a question that we must resolve during the course of the mission!

Please put together a team of three (3) agents from the master list: Travis, Leaf, Roger, Rosalyn, Vic, Nova, Beebee, Preston, Wolfah, Renee, Elmira, Pinky, Annie, Petal, Hopper, Makoto, Zombie Carl, Gordon, Trevor, Violet, Ms. Nicole, Madame Zoe, Wendalyn, Gonk, Spencer, Marlon, Lyndsay, Mike, Sir Vincent Skullfinder, Magellan, Star, Liberty.
You can always check their stats in the second post in this thread, just underneath the OP.

Sam, meanwhile, will be helping Aran here:



: ... the penguin. Maybe you could spare a few students to help me develop this new style.

Suggestions for Aran's penguins are always welcome! You have about twenty-four hours to vote!