Part 21: Update XIX

♪ BGM: Wonderful Dead 002 ♫

Alright, so now we're carting around a white Monokuma that claims to be totally on the level and totally wanting to help us. I'm with Toko, this is suspicious as fuck. But still, our next destination is this secret base, and that lies this way.



♪ BGM: We Can't Change The World ♫

No problem! Leave it to me!
Leave it to you...? What are you gonna do?



♪ BGM: Absolute Delusional Girl ♫

Wha--? It went inside!



Tadaaa! It's unlocked now!
Amazing! That's a pretty convenient body!
A "convenient body"? That's...a pretty strange way to put it.



♪ BGM: Wonderful Dead 002 ♫

And now that we've learned that Shirokuma can shimmy through these pipes to unlock doors, it's time for us to backtrack and unlock the other locked doors and grab some shiny collectibles.



The first room hides a whole bunch of dead bodies...



...and a thing!



Hrm. Guess this one is out of date now.



The other room has more dead bodies and nothing much else...



...but leads us to the collectible that was hidden behind that pit!



♪ Jingle: Skill GET! ♫



More dosh! I like it. So, let's head ba-



...oh my.



Be very, very quie-



-OH SHIT SIREN



OH GOD SHOOT EVERYTHING



Well, everything has been dealt with, but now I'm basically out of Break again. Darn it.



Our next stop will be the area we're actually supposed to go to to progress the plot.



And on that path lies a door we all know well.



♪ BGM: It's a Monokuma World ♫

Let's do this shit.



♪ Jingle: Monoku-Man Activate ♫





This is exactly the same as the last one, with the exception that the Guard Monokumas turn around in intervals, meaning we have to time it in such a way that we blast the Bomber over there with Knockback at the right time.



So we do that.



♪ Jingle: Monoku-Man Success ♫



♪ BGM: Wonderful Dead 002 ♫

Moving on, we get a guiding UFO in an area we haven't been in before...



...which means the path it's telling us not to go to has collectibles!







♪ BGM: We Can't Change The World ♫

H-How horrible...
Hm? Did you know this guy or something?
No... I have no idea who he is... But an adult killed by children... He didn't do anything wrong... I never get used to seeing it. It's the worst tragedy our society has ever seen...
...You're a sentimental one.
Ugh, if only... If only I had more power... If I was stronger I... I could have prevented this.
It's not your fault, Shirokuma. C'mon, cheer up.
Th-Thank you...
Strange that this guy is already so close with her...



♪ BGM: Wonderful Dead 002 ♫

Along the path we're supposed to go along, we find another pipe and locked door.



Shirokuma goes in...



OH GOD



...Shirokuma comes out...



...and now we get to deal with this shit.



Junk Monokumas can be juggled a fair bit with high power Break shots. If you get a Nice Shot with them, they get blasted back and you can just hit them in the eye again as they jump up again, meaning you can combo them to death. Now, let's enter the room.



♪ BGM: DSO_Beautiful Dead ♫

Of course, *I* don't have to take any breaks, but I was being considerate of you ladies!
Well, thanks for the thought...
You two really are strong. Ahaha, I'm glad you aren't my enemies!
That has yet to be seen. It's not like I trust you.
But I'm really not your enemy. What do I need to do to have you guys trust me...?
You were suspicious from the start. Awfully convenient to just run into us down here...
Were you perhaps...waiting for us?
... It's true that I diiid coincidentally see you guys go down here, so I came down to wait...
Y-You see! I knew it! You were waiting for us from the start!
But it was just so I could save you! I swear! I was watching you fora bit and you seemed like you were in trouble, so I wanted to save you.
What? "Save"? We're the ones who saved *you*, remember?
...Oooh, I'm so ashamed.
But why did you want to save us?



♪ BGM: DSO_Welcome Despair Academy ♫

...Huh?
There's no way I should be the only one keeping his fur white during hard times like this.
...Toko, this one is definitely...
E-Even if it is telling the truth, it's still really weird. I mean, just because it has an AI, why does that make it act different than the other Monokumas?
You can ask, but...even I'm not sure myself. The only thing I can say is that I have an AI with a personality. A special thought process. I don't know who put this AI in me, or for what purpose...
You don't even know that?
But it's the same with humans, right? They don't know where they came from and why, right?
Knowing that made me feel like... I never want to be lost! I have a heart, and I'll follow it!

♪ BGM: DSO_Beautiful Dead ♫

...That's amazing...
Ehehe, you think so?
Don't be so impressed by some talking bear... Get a hold of yourself.
I can't help it. It's not like I'm special or anything... I'm just a normal girl.
I'm getting really tired of hearing that.

I'm glad Toko at least pointed that out once. Komaru really does like to call herself just a normal girl.

Now then! Now that that's cleared up, it's about time we move along!
It's not cleared up at all...



Huh!? We're going into the sewer!?
Yeah, the secret base is hidden there. Oh, but the other Monokumas don't know about it, so shhh!
...I've got my eye on you, bear.



♪ BGM: Wonderful Dead 002 ♫

Alright, time to head down into the sewers.



♪ BGM: Alice in the Children's Land ♫

Oh hey, a shop!



♪ BGM: It's a Kids' World ♫

There's some new stuff to buy, and I have more than enough cash to buy it, so everything gets bought.



♪ BGM: Alice in the Children's Land ♫

Knockback gets boosted with the new stuff, but I can't be arsed to re-jigger the other two.



Yay, Break ammo! I can't believe getting ammo for the basic shot type is considered cause for celebration right now.



Oh my god, the Monokumas down here have little construction helmets, that's adorable.



The basic gist for the sewers is that you're going a really long way, going up ladders, down ladders, and across bridges.



And speaking of bridges...



Y-You better not say "swim"! Polluted water like this is full of...bacteria!
It'll be okay! Just leave it to me!



And thus Shirokuma pops into one pipe...



...and comes out on the other side!



But when he starts turning it...





...Monokumas pop out!

...Kyaaa!



♪ BGM: Absolute Terrified Girl ♫

So this is something new. Shirokuma is standing over there, frozen, and we need to defend him.



This is achieved by shooting Monokumas a lot. They keep popping up from the left and right and we just gotta keep shooting them. Thankfully, they don't instantly break for Shirokuma and instead occasionally stop in place, which makes setting up Nice Shots easier.



♪ BGM: Alice in the Children's Land ♫

Eventually, they stop coming, and Shirokuma can extend the bridge so we can progress.



Next up, there's a veritable cornucopia of Monomono machines, and they all have ammo! Quite a lot, in fact - 10 Dance and Knockback shots, and 26 Break shots!



Also, there's some paint cans. And what did the game tell us is also there when there's paint cans?



Hidden grafitti! It's a present, so I guess we should maybe send Shirokuma into that pipe? Let's try it.



And indeed, when he comes back out, he has a present!



It's a collectible!



Looks like the Warriors have written a blurb for the back of the box of their imaginary video game.





♪ Jingle: Skill GET! ♫

We find another present in a pipe off the beaten path.



Useful, but not necessarily to me.



There's also some set pieces teaching you to use Knockback to hit enemies into the sewer water. Almost like we're going to need that in a bit.



Next up, we have a pipe with a Monokuma on it. What does that mean?



It means that when we send Shirokuma in it, a plain Monokuma comes out. Not exactly a harsh punishment.



Another collectible!





♪ BGM: DSO_Beautiful Dead ♫

Why did it have to be the one *nice* file that gets messed up? It's always been like that for me. The one day I go outside, it rains... Whenever I drop money, it's always the highest bill...
It's like Murphy's Law. The more expensive the item, the more likely it is to break. When you wash your car, it rains. It's not a scientific theory or anything. It's just a theory popularized by pessimists.
A-Are you saying that I must believe in that law because I'm so negative and gloomy!? You're saying I can't be a little self-conscious, even though I'm ugly!?
I-I didn't say that at all! I just wanted to give you a bit of trivia about an interesting idea, that's all...
None of your business! And if you're going to teach me something, make it more useful next time!
Hm? Information more useful to you?
For example, just what the hell *are* you!? Let's assume it's true that you really have no idea why you have an AI loaded inside you... Because you have consciousness, you should be able to explain what happened up till now, in detail.
...Well, I don't mind explaining, but... Promise me one thing, first?
...Promise?
What I'm going to tell you will sound...fishy. But if you promise you'll believe me, I'll talk.
So you're not going to talk unless we promise? Sounds like a threat.
I just don't want to be doubted...
Fine. We "promise." Even if you tell us something crazy, we'll believe you.
Thank you!
Then I'll give you the truth. The day I awoke was the first day of the violence, when the Monokumas began their attack. It was right here, just above us... I saw Monokumas attacking adults, and I thought...
...I have to do something! I painted my body white, and covered my red eye, and found a spot the children don't know about. I made the secret base there. Every time I found an adult, I brought them back there to hide.
So you just happened to wake up on the very day the riots start. It's fishy alright. Even a kid would assume you and the Monokumas have the same origin.
But I'm pure white inside, just like this body...
You just painted yourself.
You feel like confessing? That you're a spy?
Y-You promised that you wouldn't doubt me!
Hmph, there's no way I'd keep a verbal promise to a mechanical bear.
Ugh, this is why I didn't want to tell you...
Even I think it sounds a bit strange, but... Right now, the only thing we can do is believe him.
Believe in a Monokuma? I'd put more faith in a sham marriage.



♪ BGM: Alice in the Children's Land ♫



Moving on, we get to another bridge that we can't get across.

It's alright! Once again, just leave it to me!
Y-Yeah, I thought you'd say that... I have a bad feeling about this...



Shirokuma heads over again...



...and just like last time, Monokumas show up.



Why do you look so happy about that!?



♪ BGM: Absolute Terrified Girl ♫

So this one is a bit more complicated than the other one. Now we have Bombers standing on these islands and other Monokumas moving in to attack Shirokuma on the sides. The play is of course to use Knockback, hit the Bombers into the other Monokumas, and kill two with one shot.



At times you also need just need to shoot the Monokumas on the side yourself.



And in the end, the game even drops a Junk Monokuma on you. Can't imagine what you'd have to do if you botched the Knockback shot, it must be hell to kill a tough enemy like that from that long a distance. Thankfully, I don't fuck up, for once. With all the enemies dealt with, Shirokuma extends the bridge again.



♪ BGM: Alice in the Children's Land ♫

This brings us to another ladder, and that...



♪ BGM: It's a Monokuma World ♫

...leads into a Monoku-Man room!



♪ Jingle: Monoku-Man Activate ♫





This one is pretty simple. We have a Siren walking left and right, and we have a Junk just sitting there. The solution is easy - wait for the Siren to move in front of the pit, hit it with Dance, which attracts the Junk, blast both with Knockback into the pit.







♪ Jingle: Monoku-Man Success ♫

Easy-peasy!



♪ BGM: Alice in the Children's Land ♫

The room here also holds another collectible.











It's the thoughts of a man whose wife was killed by his own daughter, and they're really depressing again! Yay!



Moving on, we get a guiding UFO and promptly ignore it again, because ignoring it means we get to enjoy one of our favorite pasttimes again!



♪ BGM: Riddle Land ♫

I don't really get it, but... Why not try going inside them, one after the other?
W-Wouldn't that be dangerous? What if those kids booby-trapped them or something?
0h, then I guess ignoring it for now is best.



Looking around, we find a kid. And what does it have for us?



A challenge!



Komaru already has her fucking gameface on. She's ready to own the shit out of some random kid.

Looks like we have to solve the riddle this kid is going to give us. To what I can discern, you get an item if you're right, and Monokumas attack you if you're wrong...
Sounds like a pretty shitty game to me. Let's just ignore the brat and turn around.
Wouldn't that just be running away from this kid's challenge?
It would be shameful!
...Why do you care so much about this!?



♪ Jingle: Challenge from a Child ♫



The question and answers are also written on the wall using the Detect paint. Anyway, this is a really simple puzzle, and the answer is C. We send Shirokuma into that pipe, and...



...present! So, now what does Komaru do?



♪ BGM: We Can't Change The World ♫

She immediately starts running...



...and rubs it in.

Boo hoo...





And with that, the kid bails.



Heck yeah! I'll never lose against kids!
...Yeah I sure hope not.

So, what is our reward?



A Socki The Sock page. OK.



♪ BGM: Alice in the Children's Land ♫

Backtracking, we make it to this more open rounded area with a ladder. And when we approach it...



♪ BGM: DSO_Beautiful Dead ♫

Th-There's supposed to be a secret base *here*? I knew it, you tricked us!
Omaru, don't hold back! Shoot this traitor!
N-No! You're wrong! The secret base is up here when you climb the ladder! C'mon, follow me.

And Shirokuma climbs up the ladder.

...
Wh-What do you think you're doing!? You have to climb the ladder first!
...Huh? Why's that?
We might both be girls, but I'd die if you saw my underwear!
Well then, even if I see them on accident, I'll be sure not to tell you!

Alas, Toko, Genocide Jack already took care of that problem, given that one of her special attacks is basically a Spinning Bird Kick, a move that goes remarkably badly with skirts. Good thing they don't share memories I suppose.

Anyway, since this update has been going on for a bit, we'll be checking out the secret base next time.