Part 15: Chapter XIV: Mo' Momo Mo' Problems

Chapter XIV: Mo' Momo Mo' Problems

Welcome back! Today we'll encounter a blast from the past, and a startling revelation. Let's begin



Something I neglected to mention is in the Dauna Mines region is a familiar face.



It's our old pal Emitai! He doesn't seem to recognize the party, even though he talks about them. He says he threw the match against some kids, and ever since he's been down on his luck. But if we give him 10,000 Zenny, he'll offer his services as a Master. DOOOOOOOO IT. He has 3 great Skills.

Emitai
- AP+4
- Intelligence+4
- Power-2
- Defense-2

As you can see, he's tailor made for Nina and/or Momo. I don't put Nina under him quite yet though. She's being put under Fahl for a few levels first.



Also, Emitai has another one of these in his basement. We still can't do anything with them though.



Anyway, heading eastward, we come to Eygnock Road, where Nina decides to help.

: You need to use the eastern bridge, right? But this time... I don't think Daddy ...the King will let me go... He thinks it's your fault I ran away the first time, Ken... But I have an idea! Ken, you broke up the black market mafia, right? All you need is one more feather in your cap, and even he will have to admit you are a real hero! Remember the plant? Where they grow the vegetables using chrysm energy...? It looks like there's something funny going on there lately...I've been thinking we need to check it out so......Why don't you help me? I'm sure the king will forgive you... if you help me solve this problem... right?

Ken nods his head.

: Really!? Great! Let's go then! The plant's down the road to the east!



Fast forward to the Plant, back where we met Palet, we come across a familiar face.



: This reactor doesn't have enough pressure. If we don't get the valve tuned up soon... Right, Honey? What do you think?

Honey points out Ken and company.



: Huh? Oh, the parts I asked for...Just put them down over there... Whoops, not the parts. Sorry...



I love this. It's like Nina and Ken are just like "Yep, that's Momo"

Honey, irritated, points out the party again.



: What is it, Honey! I can't play with you right now... Who are those people? Friends of yours?



: Ken...Is it really Ken? It's been so long! Hold on just a minute... I've got to finish this first. You've sure gotten big, haven't you?



Momo.jpg

One of my favorite lines in the game right there. It sums up Momo's character perfectly. Caring, friendly, but scatterbrained as hell. Also it's how my friends measure time. "X happened about 4 months after Rabbi Raccoon died. The second time".

Nina and Ken regroup at the Inn with Momo to catch up.



: Hmmmm.... Garr tried to kill Ken because he thought he was an evil dragon... But actually, you don't know if the Brood are evil or not, so you're going to meet God to ask...?



: I don't really know anything about the Brood... All I really understand are machines... Sorry

Another reason Momo is awesome. She's so completely honest.

: Um, Momo...? What about the plant? What's wrong with it?

: Oh, yeah! Listen! The director, Palet, is missing... and the plant's falling apart... Bad crops are the least of our problems! If we don't do something soon... something awful could happen...

: Something awful...? Like the mutant?

: Mutants appearing... A chrysm reactor overload... Just about anything could happen... The only one who knows what's really going on is Palet.

: Well, then... We have to find him and ask him what to do!

: I guess... He sometimes disappears for a while... But I've heard he never goes too far...

: You mean... you might know where he is? Let's go look for him then, Momo.

: OK, Honey...



WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Our bazooka wielding badass is back!



On the way out, Nina asks Momo what she's been doing over the past X years (it's never specified)

: So what were you doing here, Momo?

: Well, after we all broke up at the tower, I thought I would study Peco some more, so I returned to Wyndia with him. But I wasn't able to handle it by myself, so I came here thinking I could ask Director Palet to help me...

: Peco!? Peco is here?

: Yeah... Over to the east there's a place where there's a tree called Yggdrasil. Lately, Peco has been spending all his time there... He's always over there playing by that tree. I mean, he can't talk or anything... But if you want to bring him along, the tree is east of the plant...

Yeah, we know Momo! Nina is studying under him as we speak!

: Peco was born here, so maybe he knows something!?

Because he's so chatty?





It has been a symbol of faith to all as the holy guardian of the forest for untold ages...



: This is the place. This is where Peco likes to hang out

: .........Peco? That's funny...I thought I heard someone talking...



: Did you just say something?

: pukyu?

: I can understand him about as much as I understand a tree or a flower... And they don't talk! Anyway... come on, Peco! We're going to go check out the plant where you were born!

Peco nods, somehow understanding.




And with that, we've got our full party! With few exceptions (1 boss where Momo sits out, 1 solo Ken boss, and one solo Ken dungeon), we'll have access to everyone for the rest of the game.



I'm bringing Peco here for three reasons:

1) This first part is the first of two times he's required to be in the party to advance the plot.
2) He's underleveled compared to the party.
3) It just kinda makes sense for him to be here.



This guy tells us that chrysm gas is leaking from underground. This is a Bad Thing. Magic fossil fuels and all that.



You can barely see it, but that greenhouse has chrysm gas in it. Our goal is to have Peco headbutt rocks into the glass and let the gas out.



Place the rock here, and run and headbutt it.



Like so.



This one is a little complicated, since you can't run up to it, but if you run and turn quickly, you should be fine.





Oh shit, now it's coming out of the furnace!



Momo can blast the door off, so we do because shooting a bazooka at a furnace is pretty awesome.





: Would you look at this place!! Hey, Ken. What do you think this place is for?

Why would he know? Ken don't know shit about no machines.

: Is it part of the plant...? Is it the secret research lab of the director...? But then this machine... Hmmm... Verrry impressive... I wonder if the director built it all himself.. Or if there was another engineer...



Momo realizes something shocking.

: Wait a minute! Mmmm......... Oh, never mind... Come on, let's look around a little...

Yeah, she's definitely not saying something.



Here's our first new enemy, the Fly Man. They use Firebreath, Flame Strike (learnable), and have a weakness to flame.



Just south of the entrance is another ladder leading here, where we can get a Skill Ink



Big Bulbs are special, they're another grinding source. Physical Attacks up their stats and also their experience distribution. They don't have much HP, but if you're willing to put the effort forward, you can grind to your hearts content on these guys. Be careful though, it's very possible to end up with one you need to transform to kill. They also regenerate 55 HP per round and cast Pollen, which blinds the party.



This is our "hub" area for the dungeon. These computers are used to open doors. There's also a bed in the next room to rest in.



: Ah! I know what this is! This is a relic from the Techno Age! And this number...



This is just north of the entrance.



: In other words, this is a key...A key from the Techno Age! If we input the password here... The doors with the same number will open! Does anyone want to try and guess the password? Without the password... We'll never be able to get those doors open But usually people use something like... a friend's name or whatever for their password... Like... P e l e t or something. Maybe that's a little too obvious...?

We're treated to a short scene of the door opening. Riveting.

: I don't believe it... It opened! Well, now we're getting somewhere! Come on, let's go!



See how Ken is darker than normal? That'd Douse, which makes the target weak to fire. They only use it when with fire using enemies (I killed the Fly Man before they used it). It has a low accuracy, but it WILL let the Fly Men wreck your shit. And yes, it overrides the Ring of Fire and the Magma Armor.



This is just past that front door. The doors are marked 1, 2, and 3. Right now, we can only go through 1.



Toxic Flies are new, but if you've played an RPG, you've seen their type. Quick enemies that poison a character and have almost no durability.



Down here is where we need to go.



Chrysm radiation is apparently dangerous, so you only have a limited amount of time here. There's something we need to find.



And there it is. Examining it yields this:



The party wonders if it's a password clue.

Repsol...where have we heard that before...?



On the way back, I pass the time limit and the party exits on their own. I WAS ON MY WAY THERE GEEZ GUYS



The door opens.



: It opened! I knew it... Repsol was... That was my father's name... I guess that means he had something to do with this place. Maybe he was working on some kind of experiment...? When I saw the machines here, I knew my father must have been involved somehow... but I never heard anything about this place... Could my father have done things here he was ashamed to tell me about?

I like this because for the first time, Momo's upbeat, positive shell breaks a bit and she's starting to doubt things about her dad, who she always thought of as a great man. It's neat, and for a game with so little dialogue, it's done pretty well.



Here's Peco when he's idling. I swear, that guy can't be not cute.




Door two opens up more of the lab. That switch is through the open door, and make sure you flip it, unless you know the answer to a puzzle later. And if you're reading this, you will. So now that picture is art. Don't try and tell me it's pointless for LP purposes, it's art. Heathen.



The path takes us to the observation deck for the radiation room. You can barely see the tint of it.




Also, walking on the vents takes us here. Take note of this.



Up THESE vents (in the next room) is something VERY awesome you want.



The Force Gene, an incredibly useful, powerful Gene. It creates a Warrior, who is strong and fast, but doesn't offer much in terms of defense. It's used in some great combinations though.



If used with project AA...

AA is yet another password. And this place here is why during boarding school, all my passwords were normal words that had nothing to do with anything (IE fireplace).



In the enxt room is the REAL prize of the dungeon, the Sleep Shells. That conveyor belt drops us off in front of the computer room.



This is an amazingly useful weapon. It's stronger than anything she has available right now, and unless the enemy is immune to it, they WILL be put to sleep if it connects. It can create something called a Sleep Chain, which is exactly like it sounds. Never, ever get rid of these.



And the door opens. One left.



Seriously, there's nothing Momo does bad. Except accuracy.



Door 3 leads here. These things are used in a small puzzle in a bit.



...Uh oh. Let's just...ignore this one, shall we?



GOD! FINE!




And thus begins the fight against Huge Slug. CREATIVITY! And shit is this fight easy.



First of all, use some kind of fire elemental spell or item on him, or physical attacks won't hit him. He's obscenely weak to fire.



This is the Warrior form. The red color is because I combined it with the Flame Gene.





This is Aura, their signature move. It does holy elemental damage at double strength. Against holy weak enemies, it's exactly as obscene as it sounds. It's also the ability that will probably break 1000 damage first.

Gambit is Risky Blow renamed.

This fight is easy, especially if you give Peco his Flame Talons.




And Momo learns Rejuvenate, which will be handy until the end of the game.



Could it be this plant is being used to make mutants in some kind of experiment...? Could Momo's father be involved somehow?

If this were a TV show, the final act break would be here.



And our last password clue. Those small machines a few pics back? There's 5 of them. Make note of how their number when you examine them.



Even though you really shouldn't have to, since our ultimate destination is literally on the other side of the vent.



Look for more numbers



1-3-2-5-4. Our final password. Momo says we should hurry, otherwise the door will close. It won't, it'll only close if you leave the Plant and switch Momo out. She's got a big scene to do.







Palet: Hee hee hee... Soon, mother, soon... I'll be able to revive you soon... With this elixir I made using the mixture of chrysm ore and Yggdrasil sap...I'll be able to bring you back to life! I tried hundreds of experiments to perfect this process! After all, we can't have you come back as some nasty mutant, now can we? Hee hee hee Don't worry, mother... I'll make sure you don't look like some ugly onion or anything like that!

DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY UNSTOPPABLE LIL' GUY LIKE THAT!



Palet: ...Momo?!



: We finally found you, Mr. Director... So, you want to tell us what's going on here? What is this place? Why did you abandon the plant like that?

Palet: Wh, what do you mean, Momo? I... I've been working on a new strain of enhanced crops...



Momo is pissed. Don't fuck with someone who has a bazooka.

: Liar! We heard you...heard you talking about bringing your mother back from the dead!



: Your experiments... where you used the chrysm...they're responsible for the mutants, aren't they? Your experiments to bring your dead mother back to life!



Palet snaps.



Palet: Shut up! What do you know! Why is it all right to use chrysm to create new life with the enhanced crops... but not to give new life to my mother!? Besides... It was your father, Repsol, who put this machinery together in the first place!



Momo is completely taken aback by this.



Palet: Your father... He was the one who went to Yggdrasil and got the sap... and put it in the machine... hoping to bring his dead wife back to life!




Palet: It was a great discovery! We were able to use the essence of that good-for-nothing tree Yggdrasil with the chrysm to give life! And yet...and yet that fool Repsol... He said it was against the laws of nature... that it was wrong... and stopped the experiments! Why? What's wrong with it?



THIS. Palet is an absolute tool, but this is something everyone can agree on.



Palet: I won't quit now! I can't! Who cares what the tree says! Unnatural!? What's unnatural about using the resources we've been given! Hee hee hee... You see this? This is what we extracted from Yggdrasil... The essence of consciousness itself!

Another great line, and a source of debate in the real world too. How far is too far?



Palet: I'll now transform... I'll be able to protect my mother from anyone who'd harm us...like you! bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!




Shroom. A perfect name to describe what they artists were probably on when coming up with the design. This guy has the highest HP so far with 3,000. Be prepared for a long fight no matter what.




Here's Focus.




Shroom has access to Lavaburst and Ragnarok, both of which hurt if you're not ready. As it is, Ken and Peco absorb Lavaburst, but we can't really defend against Ragnarok unless we went to Wyndia and got an Earth inoculation.



Her'es the beginning of Super Combo. It'll show a series of buttons (X, triangle, square, or circle) one at a time. The more you hit, the more powerful the strike. Incredibly awesome if you've got fast fingers. Deadly when combined with a double Focus.



This is Head Cracker, Shroom's signature ability. It drops 3 brains on a party member, each doing good physical damage. Be careful of this one.



The damage of a 6 hit Super Combo after casting Focus twice. Peco is a machine.



Compared to Aura.

When weakened, Shroom will also use Blitz and Restore to heal himself. BE. PREPARED.




Peco learns how to poison enemies, and Momo learns her final assist spell which ups attack power.



: So many times, I've asked myself... What would it have been like if my father had lived...? That's why...



: But... I don't know... Somehow I feel relieved just hearing that he wasn't able to continue the experiments... You know... I bet Palet's mother can't be happy, being hooked up to machines like this... Right...? Let's go...



Rest in peace Mama Palet.



On the way out, Peco levels up again. Seriously, if you haven't used him before, do it.

The party camps outside the Plant.






: ...Momo?

: Huh? What?

: Thank you for your help, Momo... Thanks to you, we were able to take care of the problem at the plant.

: Oh, that? Well, it looks like my father was involved with the plant, so I would have had to do something about it sooner or later...



: My father... He repaired that machine...and was going to use it to try and bring back my dead mother, but he quit and started working on developing the enhanced crops.

: I wonder... Why did your father quit his experiments?



: I think it's because he realized... there's nothing more unnatural, more wrong than trying to bring the dead back to life. He loved machines... And he may not have known a lot about anything else... But he wasn't stupid!

That's the Momo we all know and love! Seeing the positive!



: Well...anyway, thank you. Now Ken can receive the king's forgiveness and travel to the eastern lands...



: I've been thinking... I'll probably go east with Ken and the others... There's no point in staying at the plant and I'd still like to see what kind of ship they have in Rhapala.

This right here is why I love Momo so much. At no point does she claim to know anything about the Brood or want to know anything about them. She wants to see machines, and traveling with her friends is just a bonus to her. And the best part? The party doesn't care. They're just glad to have her along.

Poll Time!

Who will be traveling with Ken during the next segment?

I want someone apprenticed under Meryleep. Take your pick out of Ken, Momo, Garr, and Rei. And any other switches you'd like to see for these guys.

What's my gameplay condition?