Part 34: Update XXXII - Featuring: A cat-astrophe

Update XXXII - Featuring: A cat-astrophe

Music: The Daily Grind


~

Jealous Man: Grahhh! I'm so jealous.

There are a few new lines today, but the vast majority of them are the same as before.



Now that we've irrevocably altered the timeline and completely retconned the 2020 games, let's go hang out with our good friend Mio!





*giggle* You came...! Sorry for asking you out when you're so busy...



I'm glad you invited me.

Me too. I'm really happy you decided to come! Thank you... Thank you so much!



Um... *giggle* This is a little awkward... I'm kinda embarrassed.

~

What should we do for our date?

VFD making the party leader an actual character without caring about who the leader actually is strikes again.

Because, see, this isn't some friendly teasing, the game is 100% treating this as a romantic thing.

With a 14 year old.

Now, I mentioned that F-Samurai is basically the face of the series for all the 3D games, and F-Sam in VFD is canonically around 15-16 years old, and this would actually be fine there as a baby's first crush kind of deal.

The problem is that you could very easily be playing as, say, M-God Hand, and suddenly this all becomes incredibly sketchy incredibly quickly.

D-Date...? S-Sorry! I've never done anything like that before...! I um... didn't mean it like that when I invited you, but I guess you're right. This is a... date? I-I'm kinda embarrassed...

~~

A-Anyways, let's go! But I don't really know many fun places around here...



*gestures*

S-Sorry, I'm fine... Umm, Opal... Is there anywhere you recommend?



Anywhere with you is perfect, Mio.

*giggle* S-Stop that... You're making me all dizzy... ...

~

Somewhere with a view sounds nice.

Somewhere with a view...? We could've gone to see the cherry blossoms if it was a bit earlier in the season... Cherry blossoms... Just thinking about them makes me all dizzy...

~~

S-Sorry... I'm just feeling... a bit out of it...

Music: Stops


Thankfully, our date with Mio is cut short.



As she has a sudden bout of Dragon Sickness.





Hey there, Yoritomo, fancy meeting you here.



Unit 13, did you notice anything strange about this girl? Did she mention any symptoms to you?



She was energetic as always...

Then is this just anemia...? No, I don't think it'd be that simple...

~

She was coughing a lot today...

Coughing...!



The game also treats this as a dramatic reveal when... we sorta already knew she had it?

Like, you even get to do the whole 'my friend has this issue,' thing with Allie when we first got hired, it should not be a surprise by now.

I will carry her to the Medical Floor. You go ahead and tell them I'm coming!

*nods*

Music: Re:Vanishment (code：VFD Ver)


Doctor Hori: It would be best if I tell you as plainly as possible... It's just as Mr. Yoritomo says. This girl has Dragon Sickness.



She seemed alright to me...

Doctor Hori: In its early stages, Dragon Sickness doesn't differ much from a common cold. It is only after the dragon miasma spreads through the body that serious symptoms begin to appear.

~

I thought so.

You can even confirm that you know!

Doctor Hori: I see... And yet you still treated her as a normal girl. I'm sure that brought her great joy. It can be difficult to act as though nothing is wrong when a friend has Dragon Sickness...

~~

Doctor Hori: To tell you the truth, there has been an increase in Dragon Sickness patients recently. This girl was suppressing her symptoms with medicine, but she has taken a turn for the worse. She must be quite fatigued. She tried very hard to help out with her navigation skills.

Green hair? Incredible navigation ability? Slowly killing herself by using said abilities? She must be related to the NAVs from 2020.

Can there be no hope for a full recovery?

Doctor Hori: There is no cure for Dragon Sickness. I assumed the ISDF Admiral would have known that. Luckily, her symptoms are still minor. We will be able to suppress them, at least for now. However, if you wish for her to be truly cured, you must destroy the source of the disease.





Oh, I...



So you found out about my Dragon Sickness, too... I'm sorry... I wanted to make today fun, but... I messed up again.

Doctor Hori: How do you feel?



Doctor Hori: There is no need to lie. You surely must feel the miasma coursing through your veins.

You're right... I've felt it for almost five years... but my grandpa has always treated me.

Doctor Hori: Your grandfather? Is he involved in medical practice?

Yes, he's a doctor... His name is Mikio Nagumo.

Doctor Hori: Mikio Nagumo? Is that the same Professor Nagumo, from the ISDF Life Science Lab on Mt. Fuji!?

I'm pretty sure he quit a while ago, but yeah.

Doctor Hori: So you're Professor Nagumo's... The thought did cross my mind. Nagumo is a rare name, after all.



Is he really that famous?

Nah, he's just a normal old grandpa. He's working as a local doctor at a small clinic now.

Dramatic irony!

Doctor Hori: No, no! Professor Nagumo is an amazing scientist!

~

Please just check on Mio.

Doctor Hori: Oops, my apologies. I let myself become too excited. However, Professor Nagumo is an amazing scientist!

~~

Doctor Hori: He sparked a revolution in life science! Anyone who has had even a minor amount of experience in the field reveres him as a god! I did hear he quit ISDF, but to think he's retreated to a small clinic... My apologies. I let myself become too excited. It's important we focus on the girl right now. For now, we need someone to come get her. If it's Professor Nagumo, we have no need to worry.

Um... To be honest... I'm living by myself right now... I usually live with my grandpa, but... He's out of town on a business trip right now... It's OK. I can do it myse—



They really aren't bothering to hide that Yoritomo is Mio's dad.

Ah...! I-I'm sorry!

Doctor Hori: Hmmm. I don't mean to pry, but... what about your parents?

My mother and father are... gone. I don't have anyone but my grandpa...

Doctor Hori: I see... You should remain hospitalized here until Professor Nagumo returns from his trip.

No... I'm really OK now. My grandpa told me not to cause people too much trouble...



You're not causing trouble.

Doctor Hori: That's right. If something were to happen to you, I'd never be able to look the professor in the eyes.

~

You're important to us.

Doctor Hori: That's right. So, how about it? Opal insists.

~~

But...

I believe the professor is at ISDF HQ. I will contact him. That should solve our problems.

OK... In that case, um... thank you...



Why are you being so nice to someone like me...?

The sole purpose of my existence is to ensure the safety of our citizens. Furthermore... you mustn't be so self-deprecating. Try to be more confident.



Doctor Hori: Well then, let me begin preparing for your hospitalization.

I'm sorry, um... This might sound a bit strange, but... I have a pet cat at home... If I'm not home to take care of him, he might...

Doctor Hori: Ah, I see... That is a problem. However, it would be irresponsible of me to let you leave. Opal... Could you go inform Ms. Allie of the situation?

I'm sorry, Opal... I'm really sorry things turned out like this...



We'll beat this sickness together.

...! Mhm... You're right. I... won't lose to this sickness!

~

We can have another date later.

H-Hey... Don't talk about that in front of the doctor...!

Doctor Hori: Ah, how good it must feel to be young and in love...

~~

Doctor Hori: Well, leave the rest to us. Please report to Ms. Allie about the situation as soon as possible.

Music: The Daily Grind




Music: A Place to Come Home


Your liver, hm...? I suppose it can't be helped. I'll have to massage it for you★

No, stop! It'll explode if you try and massage it with that brutish strength of yours!

*chuckle* Don't be so shy★

I'm not!





Good timing, Unit 13!

Oh my. Why do you all look so serious? What's wrong?



We get a fade to black as Opal explains.



OK OK★ Mio is an important teammate. She can stay here as long as she needs to while she recovers★

Wh-What about the cat?

Ah, right. I'll get someone to bring it here later.

W-Wait... You're going to keep it here?

*chuckle* It's time for a special Allie suggestion!

I'm afraid to know... What's this suggestion of yours?



And just like that, we've gone from acknowledging Mio's impending death to cuddly cat cafes.

A—A cat cafe... Surely you can't be thinking of putting such a ridiculous facility in here...!?

I most definitely am★ I'm sure many people like cats other than our little Miss Mio.



If there's one of those places in this building...

*chuckle* If you don't like it, you don't have to go.

B-But... But, but...!



But cats are so cute.

I know, that's why...

~

Do you hate cats?

N-No, it's exactly the opposite!

~~



Hellooo~! Earth to Julietta!

Agh, see! I'm only thinking about it and that's enough to distract me! I can't handle it!

*chuckle* You just don't get it, do you, Julietta? Seeing that reaction out of you makes me want to build this cat cafe even more★

Y-You demon...!

*chuckle* What's wrong? It's important to have a place to relax from work.

A place to relax that is also in the building, giving more incentive to employees to just stay at work and never go home.

Anyways, now that that's all settled... Unit 13! It's up to you to gather the necessary Dz for our cat cafe!



I'm sorry, what?

Music: The Daily Grind


That's it. That's the entire scene. Allie just dumped cat catcher duty on us with no leads on where to find any cats.



Maybe Yoritomo will know where to find some cats.

Professor Nagumo is participating in an important ISDF project. He won't be home for quite some time. How is Mio doing...?

*gestures*

I see. So she is going to be hospitalized here...



Is something bothering you?

No... It's nothing.

~

You're very kind, Yoritomo.

That's quite bold of you...

~~

By the way... I heard you were searching for lost cats.

...That was seconds ago. Do you have the War Room bugged or something?

*nods*

I believe I saw four of them on my most recent mission to the Tokyo Underground. They were most likely left there by owners who could no longer take care of them. How horrible... Hm... I suppose I am not one to talk... Goodbye for now, Unit 13.

Holy shit he actually does.



And with zero fanfare...

Music: UE77 Tokyo




The Tokyo Underground opens!



It doesn't even have any dragons or anything, this is 100% a filler dungeon.

Music: Tokyo - Cascading Ordeals


While every area in Atlantis got their own music, the Underground has to share with 7th Encount.



And a cat cafe? Really? This is pointless... Why not shove some Lucier in there too? Then we can make it a cat ear cafe.

*nods twice*

Don't look so excited about that! Quit it with the daydreams! Just hurry up and finish this crap! I'm sleepy! Take a look at your map. The SOS signal's been strengthened so you can see cats on there, too. It's just like Yoritomo said. There are four cats in total, so hurry up and grab 'em!



As for the dungeon itself...



They literally pulled it from 2020.

I guess the people of Tokyo just haven't bothered with trains for the past 80 years?

Music: Battlefield - UE77


We get some new enemies, but we're also stuck with the old battle music.

Music: Tokyo - Cascading Ordeals


There's cat number 1.



You get a stock meow soundclip whenever you rescue a cat.







Oh wait, they made a few changes to the underground.

By which I mean they removed all side paths. Which made up the majority of the dungeon in 2020.

In VFD, the Underground is a literal straight line.



Not all the rescue markers are cats, some of them are civilians like normal.

Vacant Student: Is this... a rescue...? How great... I'm... going to... be OK... Oh boy...





A better look at the blocked off paths.





Here's cat number 2.



And that's the first area done.



Nakano Station is much shorter.





There's cat number 3.





Hey, Unit 13! Go save that cat before it gets turned into that thing's dinner!

Music: Battlefield - UE77


For a bunch of lazy bears, they're very proactive in trying to kill us.



Aiden's still stupidly good at crowd clearing, however.



Music: Tokyo - Cascading Ordeals






Done.





There are also Blinding Mists and Ropers to go with the Stun Dekus.



Rude Scientist: These dragons are like, ridic. They want me to research that shit? No way, Jose!













And there's the last cat.



Look, don't do it, OK? No means no! But knowing you guys, you might still make it happen...

Nagamimi harping on about a Lucier cafe is foreshadowing the VFD Drama CD, which has exactly that happen.

The CD itself came out in...

...2019?

November 2019?

You're telling me that the Drama CD for a 2016 JRPG almost got caught up in COVID???





There's one last area to clear out.







And that's it.

Music: UE77 Tokyo


That was the entire dungeon.

Next time: Cat cafes. Also 7th Encount.