Part 6: Shu Amiguchi 1

Chapter 6: Shu Amiguchi 1

Music: Good Times (Azusa Chiba)



Looks like Yuki and Wajima are at odds…



Amiguchi passes the hubbub while riding his motorcycle. Guess Juro was right, he really is rich.



Amiguchi comes to a stop.



What’s going on there?



I’m done talkin’.





Got nothin’ to do with you. Get outta here.
Threatening a girl? Not a good look, man.



Really? Just another pack of posers. What, gotta call in your punk friends to take me on?
He ain’t with us.

Consider Takemi Wajima

(Otherwise known as Tak of Kuri High. One of the top dogs in the gang at Nigakuri Industrial School.)

You know Wajima’s bad news because he goes to something called “Nigakuri Industrial School.”




Sorry, but you know I’m always on the ladies’ side.
You think she’s gonna fall for that shit?

I’m with Wajima here, that was a really lame line.

That’s Takamiya from Suzu High.



No way!
I only trashed three of these clowns.
Now it’s payback time. Can’t let some chick get away with disrespectin’ us. We got a reputation.




Back off, loverboy.




Bad move.



Last time I’m gonna say it, Amiguchi. Walk away.





News flash, buddy. I can’t walk away from a cutie in trouble.






Music: Now Or Never (Kazuki Higashihara)



You gonna be okay after that?
What do you mean?
Wajima, man. You know that guy’s an amateur boxer, right?
My days are numbered, huh? Well, do I get a last wish, Takamiya-san? ‘Cause I gotta say, I’d love to know your first name.

Ahahahaha, holy shit, what a fuckin’ sleazeball this dude is



What? Sorry, you’re gonna have to speak up!
It’s Yuki! Yuki Takamiya!



Huh…
What’s up?
That’s where I’m transferring to.
You’re kidding! Well, hey, that means it’s gotta be destiny! You wanna go get a drink somewhere?
I’m good. You can just let me off. I got places to be.

Yeah, understandable, this guy is a lot.

Well, I’ll drive you!
I’ll take the train.
Really, it’s fine! Where am I headed?



The crosswalk in front of the Shikishima Building in Aoi.
I know it. Gogyo Street, right? Big commercial district? What, you got a part-time job?
Look, you wanna make this an interrogation, I’m gettin’ off.
Aww… Okay, you win. I’ll save the questions for later. Just hang on tight. We’re going full throttle.



Time for another scene with objects passing through the foreground obstructing my screenshots, but this time they’re cars!



But your driving sucks, man.





Oh. Cool. When do you start school?



(to self) Can’t wait.

Consider Yuki Takamiya



(A bombshell like that, sending those Kuri guys to the hospital?)



(I just might have fallen for her.)



We get back on the motorcycle…




But Amiguchi barely manages to cross the street before he notices something and stops.





Music: Sneaking Suspicions (Kikuchi Yukinori)



And this is the Shikishima Building. Shikishima Industries…



What’s our school nurse doing in there…?



Music: IMMINENT (Yoshimi Kudo)




Turned out to be pretty useless in close combat. Wish I’d had some arms. Maybe then we’d stand a chance. Yeah… A big, metal… weaponized… punching arm. Would’ve been great.



As long as they got to the shifter gate, they should be okay.
You realize how far we are from that gate. Too far for us to make it.
Don’t give up yet. Can you check that 98 over there? Pop the maintenance hatch. We’re not out of options yet.



Not fighting. Escaping.
…… Right! It was through shifting that we got the 98s into this era. So it could be linked to a shifter! It might just get us out of here.
I’ve already input the shift coordinates. You disengage the auto control and switch to manual.




Man, they are really relishing this opportunity to show Morimura’s ass.

I’ll see if we can get it out of the downed 98.







Basically everything’s operational aside from the legs…



Music: Self Sacrifice (Yoshimi Kudo)



Things are getting bad out here!
They’ve taken the last mainframe. We’ve lost… but it’s not over yet. Listen. I’ve got just enough power to send you.

I guess there’s enough power to “shift,” but not enough to enact the protocol that strips you naked. Makes sense. (Before you yell at me, I think these just aren’t Sentinels and therefore don’t actually do that, I guess? Explains why he has to climb in instead of teleporting, anyway)

As soon as the system’s ready, you need to shift.
What are you saying!?
No time left. Can’t make it back.



Find me, and tell me everything.



I know you’ll find a way—





After a moment of hesitation, and as the shaking continues to intensify, “Ida” ducks into the mech.







…Okay, I’m officially lost on what any the fuck of that meant. How about you guys?




Amiguchi wakes up in his room, the TV blaring J-pop.



...That’s definitely not how she usually looks… But I know that was Ms. Morimura.



A giant mecha, a ruined city, and a gorgeous teacher in a catsuit… Geez. Like a kid who’s been watching too much anime. ……



I still remember how the ground felt under my feet. That felt way too real.



Kinda late for a music show. Feel like I recognize those lyrics, too… Oh, she’s that new idol. Been getting big lately.




All right, TV’s off.








I finally found you…
Now it’s a drama?



I’ve been looking for you for so long. Please help me…



You’re the only one I can turn to, Shu-kun…




No. This is no TV show. Shu-kun…






Uhhhhhhhh…



Music: (THREONINE) (Rikako Watanabe)




I don’t take orders from you! I gotta find Nat-chan!
Wait, something’s coming up… It’s a Sentinel! No. 22?



No. 22, advancing.



Oh, it’s just Gouto.
We’re going to have the terminal defend itself. I’ll need your help.
Screw you, buddy. Do it yourself. If I don’t find Nat-chan, fast…




Wait, you got in? I thought I told you that thing was dangerous…
Just hold on. I’m on my way.
What? No! No, you stay back where it’s safe—We got buttloads of kaiju over here! Dammit… Gouto, we gotta do something. Now.



I see things in the air… Are those enemies too?




Great, we got flyers now?

They fly now? They fly now. …Ouch, ow, please stop pelting me with garbage from the stands, everyone!

They specialize in aerial mobility, much like our 4th-generation Sentinels. Melee attacks won’t reach them. We can’t rely on ground-based missiles either.
Kinda short on anti-air options here…



They can expand our mech’s functions and unlock new weapons.
How about you guys handle this tech stuff, and I just kick the shit out of ‘em.
Hoo boy, we all better watch out for her…




This fight’s kind of annoying because we only get three 4th-generation Sentinels, which definitely aren’t at peak utility this early in the game. They’re not terrible, it’s just gonna take a bit to down anything with a decent amount of health.





All three Sentinels are equipped with Multi-Lock Missiles, thankfully, which can do a lot to sweep up the small fries. I believe it works by firing 35 low-power missiles randomly targeted at enemies in the vicinity. Also worth noting: this is the rare non-melee attack that lets you move before you use it.



Enemies approaching from the south…



…And more from the north.



Some of those guys look pretty tough… Okay, there’s a lot of them, but as long as we stay cool and stick to the plan…
These clowns are gonna need more than numbers to take me down!



Well, okay then.



We’re going to send four-eyes here down south alone to deal with the group of flyers and Twintails. He’ll take a good bit of damage and won’t be able to cover everything coming, unfortunately, but that’s the price we pay with only three Sentinels here to cover this entire map.



Up north, we’ll send Yuki and Shu. Yuki has Leg Spike, the strongest attack anyone here has, dealing two 900 power hits and inflicting the overheat status like Flare Torpedo. The damage over time from overheat is still piddly, we want those hits. Unlike ground-based Sentinels, 4th-generation models can fly right through enemies. We use that here to hit this Hi-Quad with Leg Spike right in its squishy back. We have it down in two uses or so (though it doesn’t start with full health).

Meanwhile, Shu takes down the flyers and Gouto slooooooowly whittles down the Twintails while they fire missiles unabated at the terminal. It’s fine, it doesn’t go below 70%.





Aegis activation confirmed. This area’s terminal has been shut down.
Wow… Did you see that, Yuki-chan? That UFO must have some unbelievable power…

I’m sorry, what?

Calm down, Amiguchi. We still gotta meet up with Nat-chan.
Calm down, she says. Like she wasn’t the one raging out a second ago…





So one thing I didn’t cover in the battle section here is that whenever you select a character, they play one of a few canned voice lines. Some of them are fun, some are odd (Hijiyama in particular is really hard on himself for some reason), but there’s nothing else quite like one of Shu’s, which is: “Better put on a show for Yuki-chan.” He says it with a really weird emphasis on “Yuki-chan” too and it’s… ugh. What I’m trying to say here is that Shu skeeves me out. He’s played by Mick Wingert, who you probably haven’t heard before because his biggest roles are being Fake Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in a few cartoons and anime and being Fake Jack Black in Kung Fu Panda cartoons/games and the Jumanji game I just found out exists.