Part 26: Update Twenty Five: Let's Wash The Puke Off, Ding!

_{Thanks to Keeshhound for helping with that title.}

Last time, on Earthbound, we started exploring the factory of Belch. We found some defenseless creatures that gave us exponential exp. for their challenge and I nearly broke the promise I gave that I wouldn't grind. Today, we're going to finish off this factory, so let's get started.



We're starting off in the room we paused in last update.



Outside of this room and to the right, there's another ladder. Y'know, all the "staff" I've seen around here have been puddles of puke or enslaved Mr. Saturn; how do they get up these ladders?



Up top, there's a new enemy and two more Slimy Little Piles. I'm starting to get tired of those assholes.



Mostly Bad Flies are...Eh, they're enemies. They have 141 HP, and either of Kim's PSI powers will wreck their days.



Seriously, those two sentences above are about the best I can say for them. I mean, I guess they can lower your guts, but as for being dangerous, they're just kind of.... Nice exp., though, I'll give them that.



Now, you might think that this Slimy Pile is something special.



It's not, but it is an asshole, just like all the others.



And this is all the evidence I require for that accusation.



Thankfully, he only called in an extra Slimy Little Pile. They're not difficult enemies, really, but I just hate them.



Anywho, we've got a door to enter here. There are some interesting things back here, so it is well worth your time to go through here.



Sure, right now, it just looks like a few trash cans and some shitty enemies, but there is a bounty in here.



Which includes Nass gaining a level!

For this level, he gained +3 HP and +1 PP. You'd think something fun would happen at a milestone level like this, but it's not a multiple of four, so fuck it!







The Vital Capsule will raise someone's vitality by one, which will give them more HP. The calorie stick restores a nice bit of HP and the HP-Sucker is for Susan.



The more HP an enemy has, the more you get.

I immediately hand it over to Susan. Since he doesn't get PSI, he gets plenty of other fun toys to play with.



Nass's vitality went up by 1!

Now, you might be wondering why I didn't give this to Kim or Susan, since both their HP pools are pretty much crap. Well, that's pretty much why they didn't get it; a polished turd is still a turd at the end of the day.



More flies. They're just as boring as they were fifteen screenshots ago.



But I never get tired of seeing Foppies.



Aww, only two of them? I saw four down there, dammit!



Hey, whatever, Susan still gained a level!

For this level, he gained +1 defense, +1 IQ, and +2 HP.



And I ambushed these two and insta-won the fight.



While this may appear I'm just wandering back to where we first met the Foppies, I'm doing a bit more than that. There's actually some items back there I skipped last time.



And a bunch of Foppies!



Enough to get Kim another level, even!

For this level, she gained +1 guts and +2 HP.



She also learned Shield Sigma, which is the same shield that Buzz Buzz used back at the beginning of the game.



I miss that guy.





Oh, no. Three zombies. Whatever will I do.



With that minor distraction laid back to rest, let's check out our bounty for this room.



Much like the Vital Capsule, but it increases IQ by a point instead.



And a laser that Susan can fix.



Now, I had a serious debate with myself about who to give this to; more IQ for Kim means more PP for her PSI murder abilities. But, if Susan takes it, he can repair more items, since that is based on his IQ. In the end, I decided I would just divvy them up between the two.



Heading back up here, I find I cannot resist the siren call of the Foppy.



I mean, c'mon, they're right there. I may never have a chance like this again!



Anywho, we're back at the door we were in at the beginning of this update. I stopped in there real quick-like to grab another Magic Butterfly.



...Is there a puddle of puke up there?



Yep, we're standing in a puddle of puke. I hate this place.



Nass, freeze!



He's standing still, dammit!



...You wanna start taking bets on which of those categories we fall into?



Though, can't we be both?



That's quite a few piles of puke around here. This place disgusts me.



But level ups don't!

For this level, oh, baby! Offense +3, guts +1, HP +10, and PP +1.



Susan follows in Nass' footsteps, gaining himself another level.

For this level, he gained +1 speed, +1 guts, and +3 HP.



We're almost finished with this foul place. All we've gotta do is head through this door.



Why is there suddenly so much more puke on the floor!?



Sweet Jesus, what the hell is that!?



That doesn't help!





This guy is Master Belch. He's kind of disgusting. Just uh, click that link periodically throughout his speech, and you'll get the full effect of what it's like to talk to this guy.



: Heeg! Heeg! Heeg! You make me laugh so hard... If Master Giygas is scared of someone... he would have to be worse than the greatest evil... Garg! Ga! Garg! Ga! Ga! I'll take you down big time, so get ready for the worst fight of your life!

He's kind of a wordy asshole for a giant pile of barf.



: Ghe Ghe! Come on, let's go!



And so, our boss fight begins.





For whatever reason, his fang/tusk things give me the willies.



Any time you fight this guy, this should be your first action. Always use the Fly Honey first.



I wanted to give Thunder Beta a test run, since Thunder Alpha did so wonderful against the Mondo Mole.



Susan is going to be launching a Bottle Rocket at Belch here, for some nice damage.



As much as I like PSI Thunder and its variants, they all suffer from horrendous accuracy.



Y'know, I'm just trying to imagine the splatter here. And now I've grossed myself out.



This is the only attack Belch gets off.



Nausea is yet another form of poison, dealing similar damage to actual poison. Healing Beta is sufficient to clear it up.



This is the only use for the Fly Honey, as far as I know.



Master Belch loves Fly Honey. And I mean he loves Fly Honey.



Nass heals up Kim, since nausea is just no fun.



Even though Belch resists Freeze, this will still deal a respectable amount of damage to him. He's only got 650 HP, after all, so he's barely tougher than the Mini Barf we fought.



20 HP a damage is just too much for Kim to be taking per round. I mean, I think that's 1/6th of her health.





Remember, Belch resists Freeze. Kim is a friggin' beast.



Bwahaha. I didn't even need this to happen, so it is just icing on the cake.



Kim gets healed up, while Susan gets to test out his new toy.



It's got an interesting looking animation, if nothing else.



Yeah, fuck this thing. If I hadn't shown it off to you guys, I would have junked this thing as soon as possible.







Now, he's nearly dead. And he's taken what...Two whole actions in battle, with one of those being un-solidifying himself?



After being given the Fly Honey, this is Master Belch's sole action for the rest of the fight. All he does is wolf down Fly Honey while you beat his ass into oblivion.



Belch has good defense, and alright offense. But those don't matter when he's wasting every single turn of his.



Susan, presumably, blows his barfy brains all over the floor and we gain a shitload of exp. for that easy-ass fight.



Enough exp. to gain Kim a level!

For this level, oh, baby, offense +3! +1 defense, oh baby, speed +3, +1 guts, +2 vitality; oh baby, +3 IQ, +2 luck, and +18 HP. That rocks! +14 PP!

A pretty bitchin' level for a pretty bitchin' girl.



Even fight, my ass, you fat sack of crap barf. You spent nearly the entire fight stuffing your face!



The thing that was controlling Carpainter? If it did that to an entire village, what could it do to an entire city like Fourside?



I'm so ready to leave this place. I am not a fan of vomit.



Why am I being called spanky!?



Belch fades away, opening up the path that he was blocking.





Belch was guarding a cave? I figured it led to one of those Roman orgies, where everyone just screwed, ate, barfed, then screwed and ate some more.



There's also a few Mr. Saturn back here, too.



And they've become disgusting, probably thanks to Belch's influence.



I still love the little guys, though.



The cave is fairly long, and only contains these two Mr. Saturn.



A little bit, yeah. I guess we're probably also covered in barf.



...I sincerely hope that Mr. Saturn didn't just throw up on us.



You think he'd be more grateful, considering we just destroyed Belch. Or maybe he is grateful and Mr. Saturn are just weird.



Heading out of that exit, we're...Back in Saturn Valley? No wonder they could get snatched so easily.



We don't have to be royalty to do so? Or at least be friends with royalty?



Oh...Yeah, we probably should...



But first, we're going down this long ladder!





God, I love these guys. How can somebody not like these little dudes?



His first line was about the ladder being longer, but my screenshot of it seems to have disappeared.



I bet that just has to feel heavenly.

This next part, I can't do it in words, either. It just has to be seen to be understood and appreciated.



Ain't that just a hell of a thing?

Next time, on Earthbound, let's see if we can figure out where that Third Sanctuary is, shall we?

Status Shots