Part 20: A Child's Life In Danger!! Can Tien And Krillin Retrieve The Medicine!?

Howdy, folks, and welcome back! Last time, on Attack of the Saiyans, Chi-Chi found out Goku is dead, Piccolo is currently Gohan's guardian, and Yajirobe informed Krillin that Kami wishes to train him, Tien and Yamcha to fight the Saiyan invaders in one year's time. Today, we're going to go get Tien, so let's head out.



Tien is in the frigid north. Chiaotzu is there, too, but nobody gives a shit about him.



Thankfully, there's no stupid shit to actually find Tien. He's just right there.



I mean, we still have something to do before we can continue on, but this is an RPG, so nobody is surprised. It's also Dragon Ball, so I think a bit of filler is understandable.





: What're you doing here?

: I've been looking for you!

: Me?

: Yeah! Yajirobe from Korin's place showed up at Master Roshi's place. He said you, me, Yamcha and Chiaotzu all need to come to Korin Tower.

: Korin Tower?

: What for?

: Kami is going to train us personally!

: Wh-what?! What's going on?

: Well...Goku's brother showed up and...Then Goku was killed and...Aliens are going to come to Earth in one year's time...So, yeah...



I'll say. Krillin threw out the Cliffnotes version for Tien, but that doesn't really work for a situation like this.



Especially since he left out the bits concerning Piccolo and Gohan, which could be important. Especially since, y'know, Piccolo won't be as concerned with murdering them all.



So we get a quick fadeout while Krillin gives the whole story to Tien.



: That's why we have to find Yamcha and get to Kami's place as quick as possible!

: I'd go with you, but I can't right away.

: Huh?! ...Why?!

: Well, Launch has been following me lately...

: L-Launch?! You don't mean...She's not still following you around, is she? Why don't you just leave her in the dust?

: No, it's not that...



Ah! Christ, I forgot you were there!



Still, this is what we'll be doing for a good chunk of this update. We're going to go find the necessary ingredient to make a sick child some medicine.



Oh, I guess we'll see Launch while we're out, too. Neat!



Or perhaps we'll rescue Launch.



: I was just going to go and look for her...

: OK! If that's how it is, I'll help you search for her!

: ...You sure?

: Of course! Now that it's settled, let's get going!

: All right. She should be somewhere in Holly Plain...We may be able to gather information if we ask around town.



And now we're back in control! Yay! So let's see how Tien's training has benefited him.





Yeah, this is one of those moments where what the game's story states and what has actually happened with our characters is completely different. Tien is still level 11, while Krillin is level 16; Krillin is basically better than Tien in every way, except for Skill, which Tien excels at to begin with.



Before we go off to the Holly Plains, let's head around town and see some chatter.







...Y'know, I'm not sure, either. I mean, my head is basically always above my heels...





Most of this is just incidental flavor dialog. It's like that in a lot of RPGs, really, but there's something more charming about it in this game.



I could see this in a Final Fantasy game and think nothing of it; I see it here and wonder what this old man is going to do with his granddaughter, since having a habit of not coming back when you live out in a freezing waste is probably a bad habit.



There's a chest hidden in here, but only hidden by perspective.



This is an attack item that deals a small amount of ice damage to all enemies, which could be useful in the future. If I don't sell it first, that is.



"I asked my oldest daughter to help me, but I have no idea where she is now!"



"Apparently there's a rare piece of capsule equipment that boosts your movement speed."

There is, but if this is the piece I'm thinking it is, we have to collect nearly every enemy with Tien's Evil Containment Wave to get it, which puts us so late in the game, it's not as useful as it could be otherwise.





Back here, we find an HP Fruit. This is the house of the child we're getting the medicine for, but that doesn't mean we're above taking their stuff.





This guy just talks about what we already know.



While this is the sick child we're going to save.



And this is a kitty!



The other bed has the same flavor text.



Out here, we find a pretty pimp looking Snowman, all piped up and shit.



This is an S-Combo between Krillin and Tien, using both of their Solar Flares; it'll deal some damage as well as possibly blinding the enemy. Krillin doesn't have Solar Flare yet, so we won't see this for a minute.



This is the guy we want to talk to if we want to find Holly Plains. Or maybe not; I've never tried looking for it before talking to this guy.



Even so, when we're done here, we just head south and hit the new point on our map.



Doggie!



Luck, as far as I know, does the same sorts of vague, uncertain things it does in most RPGs, affecting critical rates, chain attack rates, dodge rates, item drops--all that kind of stuff. It's important, sure, but not one of those stats important enough to dedicate a ton of points into. Unless you're going to get everything with Tien's Evil Containment Wave; it helps there, and I've seen a couple of different sources recommending you boost nothing but that for Tien if you want to complete that sidequest.



Oh, shit. That reminds me; we got the Scouter last time and I didn't equip it this time. I'll explain why in a little bit, but know that it's a fairly good reason.





Oddly enough, we won't be encountering that tomboy granddaughter or this kid's brother while we're out and about. At least, not that I remember, and I just played this section about an hour ago. It's very possible I just missed them and damned two kids to die in the freezing cold.



But let's hope not! Frozen children are not a good thing!





Nothing back there, as far as I know, and no way to even get back there.





Whatever, game, we've already done that S-Combo!



Looking at all of this dialog now, it almost feels like I spent more time getting this than I did in the dungeon itself...



We've already seen one of Suno's masterpieces.



The pimptastic pipeman out at the front. If I were the mayor of a little village in the middle of nowhere, I'd definitely make sure to showcase our awesome looking snowman first and foremost.





However, these two are going to try and outdo Suno. I wish them the best of luck with that, and I'm going to hit the shop.



The shop has no equipment or capsules for sale, but they do sell Large Beans and HP Capsules. Other than that, the rest of the stuff here is what we've seen in the other shops.





Alright, let's get this show on the road.



And the first thing we see here is a treasure chest. Nice.



Now, I took a quick break here to bring Tien up to speed. I originally tried this through some cheat codes on my emulator, but I quickly discovered even after disabling cheats, deleting the codes and even restarting the emulator, the codes stuck around. Now, I'd like to play the game gaining 16x EXP and AP, but then it'd be SMRPG all over again, and people weren't too thrilled with that then, so let's not repeat it here.



Anywho, I went and did the grinding the ol' fashioned way, and when I was done (after fucking with my emulator for about an hour), I just wanted this to be done and forgot to equip the Scouter. I'll catch it next update.





And here's our first enemy of the day. Refugees can kind of be assholes.



Krillin's Destructo Disk is up to Level 2 and dealing lots of damage; it also costs more Ki and has a higher chance of Instant Death.



This guy has a variety of attacks, including one where he can steal an item and his own instant-kill. He didn't use the latter two any time I fought him, though. He can also try and stab you, which can inflict Poison.



I usually killed him before he could do anything besides this.





Though, I gotta admit, launching a mortar at a dude who's eight feet away is pretty fucking metal.



So Tien takes his revenge.



At one point last night, I tried the x32 EXP code and Tien and Krillin were both launched into the 20s for their levels. No reason to mention that, though. Just making conversation.



This is kind of an Elixir; it fully refills someone's HP and Ki, but at the cost of reducing their Rage Gauge to zero. Well, not exactly a cost, but there is a tradeoff.





Now let's get to the enemy everyone actually gives a shit about.



We'll see a few different varieties of panda through the game.



I inherently dislike the Tri-Beam for taking HP to use, but it doesn't really take all that much. It's currently less than 10%, and dealing nearly six times damage as its taking from Tien.



For those of you who didn't see it in the thread, here's this panda shooting Tien in the face.



But don't think nothing bad happened to Krillin! He got a fucking rock in the face!









At that point, I get tired of not Destructo Disk'ing rocks out of the way and switch to Krillin.



Heading north, we come to a spot where we can see the flower we need.



Never goddamned mind we can fly and could just go over this obstruction, but apparently Krillin and Tien can't blast this thing hard enough from this side to get it out of the way.







Did we encounter these guys before? Lemme go check.



Oh, hey, we have, but we didn't see this attack last time. It's a shockwave that hits all party members.



I would recommend keeping the Silver Fur as one of your Capsules here, if not your Active one; ice resistance doesn't hurt around this place.



Also, it is really friggin' weird to me that these two need the exact same amount of EXP to level up.







Personally, my favorite for blowing up those objects is the Kamehameha. I'm also a fan of the Spirit Ball.



There's a fair amount of treasure scattered about here.





And goddamned dragons!





These guys have a few different attacks, including two all-party attacks.



I'd be more concerned about this full-party attack, since it can inflict Stun, in addition to a nice chunk of damage. The other full-party attack, which this asshole didn't use, is a straight shot across the screen.



He can also drink your goddamned blood to regain some of his health.



As well as up his Defense if he feels the need to.



They've a fair bit of health at 960, but nothing too overwhelming. Their most annoying attack is probably the health drain, since it does enough damage to pretty much smooth over someone's physical combo or regular attack.



I'll probably give these Fruits to Goku.



Don't look at me like that; if Vegeta was playable in this game, he would be getting every advantage possible.



These guys are nothing new, but I thought someone would enjoy a shot of Krillin kicking a wolf.







The Fugitive is kind of a fun foe to fight.



He's got a variety of capsules he can throw out.



A lot of the time, it'll be this Helper Robot; the 'bot is resistant to physicals, so blast 'em with a Ki attack. Destructo Disk is incredible effective here, since it can hit them both.



Kind of like that, actually.





Also, sometimes he accidentally tosses out his porn.

He didn't use the attack during my fights with him, but he also has one where he pulls out a bottle of water, drinks it to recover some HP, and then throws the can at a character for light damage.



Ah, what the hell, I went back and got some footage for it. I really love this animation.



His Helper Bot can jam his arms into someone's crotch twice for a good amount of damage.



I like the Kamehameha. I think it looks cool, no matter who uses it.





We do need to take that righthand path eventually, but it'll lead to a dead end if we try now.



I sold the last one of these I got; it's the accessory that increases how much your Rage Gauge fills.





Hey, we found Launch! She's not totally screwed, but I am curious how she got trapped behind that rock.



Aww, Tien, you really do care.



: Launch, we were worried about you...

: Yo, Tien! You're a sight for sore eyes! You wouldn't believe the trouble I've had! I got lost while looking for that Hyacinth Flower! Not to mention how cold it's been! I can't stop sneezin'!! But I was able to find the key to the gate beyond here!

: Good! But it looks dangerous from here on out...You should head back to Jingle Village.

: Whoa, hold it there!! I haven't come this far for nothin', you know? Don't treat me like I'd be in the way or you'll have another thing comin'!!

: N-no one's saying you'd be in the way! ...We just are worried for you, that's all...

: Worried for me? Then quit fussing and just take me with...





And so, blue-haired Launch is back!



I'm guessing she finds herself in enough odd situations, coming to in places she doesn't recognize that it doesn't really freak her out anymore.



: Oh, I did?! It's cold here...I'm going to go back to the village!

: Y-yes...I think that would be best.

: Everyone be careful not to catch a cold... Aa...Aa...



For some reason, I imagine Chiaotzu here saying that and sounding exactly like Princess Peach. Which is weird, because I think Peach is cool.





Flipping between those two shots, I just realized how they look very similar, yet their designs are actually different, especially in the eyes and the hair. Hell, maybe it's just me, but Blonde Launch looks a little more muscular.







And with that, we can continue through the dungeon.







This dead end has a Large Bean, which is pretty nice right now. Those are basically full-heals for Tien and Krillin right now.



Beyond this rock is just a plain-jane dead end, with no treasure or anything cool.



If we hadn't found Launch first, we would have had to backtrack to find her and get the key needed.



We've seen pretty much every enemy around here, so there's not a lot to say now.



Except for about this thing. This is an accessory that adds the Ice element to all of a character's physical strikes. A bit gimmicky, but it could potentially be useful. Plus, each hit then gains the chance to Freeze an enemy, which is like Stun, but also deals damage over time.





I hope you guys don't mind the condensed version here.



There's only so much you can say about a snowfield.



This thing is neat and I immediately slap it on Tien.





Every attack he lands will now drain a little bit of health; I give it to him so that I feel a little better about using Tri-Beam, recouping a little bit of the lost HP. It's not a ton of HP restored, but sometimes a little can be enough.





Alright, let's grab that flower and scoot on outta here.





: ...So, why did you try coming to a place like this all on your own?

: Huh? No special reason! It's just that kid was a wreck!! There was no choice! Someone had to do it, right?

: I understand how you feel, but you could have left it to me...

: Hah...Hah hah...



Eh? What is it, little fella?





I should have known there would have been a boss.





Alright, shithead, let's dance.



Hang on a second, let me finish laughing at his name before I say any more.



Okay, 3600 HP on this guy, so not a ton.



As per usual, I build up the Rage Gauges to blast this son of a bitch with a big ol' blast.





Him trying to beat my guys to death helps in the process.







Krillin kicks it off with the Rengeki and blasts this guy back against the wall.





And Tien rolls up and blasts the piss out of this guy.



Dongiras also has an attack which, if you block it, is essentially a wasted turn for him.



He snarls at you so hard that it can Stun you. He spammed the shit out of this in the fight, so...Yeah, not that exciting.



Here's the end, with Tien cornholing Dongiras for the finish.





No items, but an extra 1,200z is nice.



Shut the hell up, Krillin. Just because you're used to getting your ass whipped doesn't mean it's happening around here.



You shut up, too, Chiaotzu. Mostly because I don't like you.



Shut the fu--Oh, wait, Tien didn't say something dumb. I'm sorry.



Well, Launch might have thought it was dumb, but Tien is probably right.



Then again, Launch probably carries enough firepower that she could have won that fight on her own...









And so, we get the flower, blow up the rock blocking the way, and head back to Jingle Village.



Where Tien is all antsy about getting the medicine ready.



Which reminds me, Crowetron's Parasite Eve LP was really good and you should all read it. I've been re-reading it on my breaks at work.



: How's that? Feeling better...?



Huh, that's one hell of a medicine.





Hey, we didn't do that much. We just killed a dragon to get a flower.







Eh? What's this? A modest blonde Launch?





Eh? What's that?



What do you mean, I was tired of transcription? Perish the thought!



I am most certainly not just posting the screenshots with throwaway commentary so I don't have to transcribe this dialog!



Alright, fine, I'll do some more. Jeesh.



: Oh...OK...

: What? You think I'm just gonna end up in the way again? I gotta get outta this freezing place...Aa...Aa...Aachoo!!



Well, at least you won't freeze to die trapped behind a rock here.



: ...Yeah, I think you're right. Krillin, do you know where Yamcha is?

: Yeah. Bulma says he's back at his hideout!

: All right! Let's get going then!







This is just too not to include.



Eh, you'll figure it out sooner or later, Launch. Smell ya later!



Speaking of smelling later, I've gotta go get ready for work, so I'ma hit the shower.

Next time, though, we're going to go find Yamcha's bandit ass! Stay tuned!