Part 24

Chapter 22



So right outside that save point, we find some palm trees. The oil obtained from these palm trees will provide adequate fuel for our sails.

who the fuck writes this shit



Of course, this wouldn't be a proper dungeon without yet another arbitrary boss battle. Animals in this game are apparently huge antagonistic dicks.



Oh boy, Ursula has the generics to protect her! I'm sure the three idiots she's constantly outdamaging will do a wonderful job protecting her!





Meet Adamantoise. Like every other boss so far, he just randomly shows up for no reason and decides to fight us just because.



Our poor forces can't do anything against his defenses.



Then he attacks all three generics for a massive (currentHP - 1) damage each. What a devastating move that he certainly won't utilize again!



So Ursula's pretty much going solo against a monster who can resist her attacks. What's the best possible thing to do in this situation?

That's right, have a flashback!






What? Is that all?
This is impossible, Master Yang! It's just too hard...
Trying to crush it through sheer force will only serve to bruise your knuckles.









At least someone had the foresight to change rows while Ursula was reminiscing about Yang kicking a rock in half.




In this case, the flashback was actually useful. Ursula learns that pure strength is not always the answer, and because of it we now have an actual chance to defeat this monster.






Of course, rather than simply let Ursula prove herself on her own, Yang decides to jump in just because.

That's four times now that someone randomly jumped in to save the day. Half of those are Yang.



That fancy trick of Ursula's wasn't just for show! Ursula now has a new skill, Tenketsu. It's a bit of a weird one, as it'll usually do a normal attack. However, sometimes it'll automatically hit an enemy's elemental weakness, so if you're fighting something weak to Ice and Ursula uses this move, she may attack with ice damage even if she doesn't have an ice weapon equipped. It may do other stuff as well.

And hey, it's a move that lets her attack at full power no matter what lunar phase it is. That's always a plus!




This is easily the toughest battle in the main part of Yang's Tale. It's still ridiculously easy, but it's the only one where you may actually need to use the Cover Counter/Chakra combo. Adamantoise hits hard, and he's pretty fast. I made a stupid risk or two in using Chakra instead of Hi-Potions a couple of times, but I didn't lose Yang.




All said, he's still an enemy in Yang's Tale. This means he goes down to a punch in the face just as hard as anything else.



That was certainly worth all that retrospection.



This is nice, though.

*huff huff*
Well done.
Father!

She really loves saying "Father!" over and over. If "Huh?" is Ceodore's catchphrase, then "Father!" is Ursula's.

Still, at least it's kind of cute in the way a daughter saying it to her father is, even if she does it all the time.



To be fair, they could've developed this a bit better. Mainly, give Ursula, and to a greater extent the player, a reason to care for these three nameless monks. I like the idea for this story, but they could've handled the execution a bit better.

Why do I get the feeling this gets said a lot about Square-Enix games?

I only carried out what you taught me to do, Father.



You mean...!?
Don't expect special treatment, though. Not even my own daughter is allowed that luxury.
Father!



Yes, Master!

A nice touch here is that now instead of saying "Father!" all the time, now Ursula says "Master!" all the time. Still kinda cute, kinda annoying. Still much better than Ceodore's constant ignorance about everything everywhere.

Off to Baron, then.
Yes, Master!



Hey, we learned a Band!

You may have wondered why I hadn't showed off any bands this chapter. That's because you can't get any until this point, the very end of the tale. I'll show it off in a minute.





Check that out. Ursula also got a class change, as now she's a full-fledged monk.

You know, because she saved those three dead monks we're dragging around.



Har.

Anyway, let's try out our new bands.



Yes, Bands, because there's actually a second band available to Yang and Ursula you can't get until now, as it requires Ursula's Tenketsu to execute, with Yang Attacking.






Not bad.






I like Twin Wing Frenzy better, though. Just having Yang and Ursula pummel an enemy upwards before executing an X-Strike with their legs of steel is just plain badass.





Tenketsu in action. Struck that Lilith's weakness to Fire, despite having Ice/Lightning Claws on Ursula.

Also didn't know Liliths were weak to fire. Apparently, the beastiary says they're undead. Neat. Learn something new everyday.



Enough dicking around. Let's go to Baron and conduct peaceful talks with Cecil!



Will this work for you?
Amazing work, my liege!
I need no thanks. My pupil did all the work.
Pupil?



Princess...
Please call me Ursula. Is there anything I can do to help?
Well, if you're offering... I'll need help refining this palm oil into usable fuel. Could you lend a hand?
Sure!
Aye-aye, sir!

To the game's credit, it reinforces Ursula's transformation into a true monk, as now she's volunteering to help the captain out with the fuel refinement.

I like to think the refinement process involves punching the oil until it turns into usable fuel.



Now we've got the wind in our sails! Metaphorically, I guess.



...
Master...
What is it?



Heh heh heh.

So you've noticed it, too...
Yes.

You didn't actually think we'd make it through the entire Tale without this happening, did you?



Even Yang and Ursula know what's going to happen. Ursula wasn't even born yet last time, and she saw this coming a mile away.

Wha?
Now! Do it!
Y-yes, Your Highness!










And thus concludes Yang's Tale. Despite taking up more updates than the rest so far, this is a pretty short tale. I beat the thing in under two hours. It's also ridiculously easy. There was only one foe who put up a remote challenge, and even then some basic strategy and a few Hi-Potions would be more than enough to take him down.

The story, though retread-heavy, was still surprisingly strong. Ursula's leagues above Ceodore as a character, possessing a hot head and a thirst for strength before learning the true power of wisdom in a tough situation. The relationship between Ursula and Yang in particular was well-done, as the two have a believable and strong bond, first as father/daughter, and by the end as master/pupil.

Overall, a nice little Tale that had some good to offer even among the nostalgia overload. Thankfully, other tales won't have nearly as many recycled moments, nor will the ones used be scene-by-scene remakes of old ones.

So next I'll tackle Yang's Challenge Dungeon. After that is my favorite character chapter, Palom's Tale, so that's something to look forward to.