Part 60: Part Sixty: Take Me to the Captain

Part Sixty: Take Me to the Captain


So, in case you'd forgotten, this is our current goal. We have to find the captain so we can kick his ass and get the Galbadians out of Balamb. Let's get on that, then.


First, we have to gather some intel. You know, find out where the dude would even be.

Lady: If you're going to raid the place, do it while you're still young.
Camo Jacket Guy: Mom, if they do that, the Galbadians will burn this town to the ground!


This guy's got an idea for us.


Good a place as any to start.


I'm kind of disappointed that you can't see Galbadia Garden in the harbour when you're in town.


Let's find out what the locals think about things.

Ellone Skeptic: It's just an excuse for the sorceress to attack other countries. It's a lie.

Some people in town are kind of skeptical about the whole Ellone situation, since nobody has ever seen her nor do they know anything about her.

Ellone Skeptic: But she is THE sorceress... Why would she need to tell lies?

There's a bit of good old-fashioned sorceress hate in there, too.


Really, this woman doesn't know anything about Ellone or Edea.



And she doesn't know about the captain, either! Dammit!


This guy wants to know about Ellone. Let's see what he knows before we let on.


Wow, damn, cracked the whole case wide open!

Savvy Guy: You should remember that.

Yeah, thanks hoss.


The truth is, yes, we're aware of Ellone.


This, apparently, has gotten out.

Savvy Guy: There's a good chance she may have disembarked here. Well, this is a small harbor, so a small ship could have slipped in unnoticed.

Do you think the guys who picked up Ellone knew the Galbadians would be threatening to burn towns over her? Who the hell even is this girl?


Over here by the cars is a familiar face, the mechanic's assistant.

New Assistant: You have to go avenge my boss! Those Galbadians broke the boss' arm! All he did was ask a question! He wanted to know what was to become of Balamb!

Things do not seem to be going well for him.

New Assistant: Oh man... If only I were as strong as you, Zell.

I wonder what Garden being mobile is going to do for Balamb's defence situation. It clearly hasn't worked out well for them so far.



Well, I'll leave you to figure it out.



Galbadian Soldier: Sorceress Edea has the power to wipe this town out, you know?

The guys sent to FH were talking about burning it down, too. Sounds like Edea just hates towns.


Maybe these guys know where the captain is.


Well, that's a start.

Galbadian Soldier: He caught a few and got really excited. Said he was gonna eat'em right away.

This is a hint for where we need to go next, but it's kind of oblique.


Over here, we have a guy with an amazing job description.

Galbadian Croucher: Ellone's possessions... Some scent for the dog to go by...


To get this one, we have to actually talk to the dog.


Honestly, I don't think they're gonna find Ellone with this dog.

While we're here, you know, I wonder if it's the same dog we saw the last time we were here:




Dogchat aside, the people over here have new lines now that we've talked to the harbour soldiers. This lady is mad about the captain.

Ellone Skeptic: If you can't find him in a small town like this, someone must be hiding him. What could he be doing by himself for such a long time?


Not in this game.


So, what we know now is that the captain is hiding to take a nap.



Savvy Guy: If she landed in this here town, would she be careless enough to actually stay here?


The guy is getting a little worried that the Ellone search is going to cause bigger problems.


He doesn't go too nuts, though.



New Assistant: Are you going to kick the captain's butt!? I'll help, too!

Over here, we can hear some lies from the mechanic's assistant.


Or, while we're here, we can sneak around these cars (you have to go the long way) and talk to someone who's actually somewhat useful.

: Who...or rather, what are you?

The game is having some fun here with the fact that you can't see whoever's behind the car.

???: Shhhh! ......Keep your voice down, man... There's only 1 story here. Y'know, Ellone. You'll get nothin' by givin' info to those Galbadian soldiers. If ya find out anythin', come to me. Those Galbadians have no intention of payin'. I'll give ya money for it. You have my word.

This is the tabloid reporter the guy outside the hotel mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, we cannot trade our hot Ellone secrets for cold, hard Gil. You'll have to get rich elsewhere.

: Pshhh! Hey, you know where the captain is? We need to find him to see the commander.


This is what the guy is good for.


See, he's got three types of clues we can buy.


(Or he'll call us cheap for free.)


So, yes, clues. These clues vary in utility, but they can be pretty useful if you don't know what to do.



Tabloid Guy: The reason why he no longer sleeps here, is because the commander nearly ran him over when she went out lookin' in a car. So, I don't think you'll find him here. It'd suck to be run over while you're asleep.

The 5,000 Gil clue isn't a real winner. The captain's not here, basically, but we kind of already knew that.


The 15,000 Gil clue is a little better.

Tabloid Guy: And you still can't find the captain...? Maybe you can use the dog to find the captain? Nothin' beats a dog when it comes to scent. If you see the dog run, chase it. I think it's used to sniffin' out the captain.

This is actually a useful clue. You do need to use the dog if you want to get the best reward from this quest (a SeeD rank).


Or you can just pay the guy 30,000 Gil.

Tabloid Guy: Then you must have just missed him. Think about where he'd go next. C'mon, think about it. You catch a fish, you wanna eat it, right? You need a kitchen to cook the fish. And of course, he wouldn't go to the hotel...

If you pay the guy 30 grand, he tells you where the captain is. This is, of course, the most useful of the hints.


Heading to the only kitchen we have access to in Balamb, it becomes immediately apparent that Ma Dincht has been smokin' up.



Ma Dincht: I think he cooked some fish. The whole room is filled with this strange odor.

Some fish, eh? Sounds like our man.



Well, I guess that's a lead, then. We'll just have to find the men.


PS, the fish smells bad.

Now, weren't there some soldiers at the train station complaining about being hungry? Maybe the captain was feeling magnanimous.


When we get to the station, it is not a good scene.



Galbadian Soldier: C...Captain... How could you...? How could you do this to us...?

Well, at least we know he was here.



The question, I suppose, is where is he now?


Maybe the last man standing knows.


Wow, great. Thanks.



Station Staff: That's about the only place you can go from here.

Back on the runaround.



...Right.


I hate Galbadia.


Jeez, dude, you don't have to be a dick about it.


...Who sleeps on a roof?



Galbadian Soldier: You know... I've been wondering that myself. Before you know it, he's nowhere in sight. ...Wonder if he has a secret hideout?

This whole army is fuckin' stupid.


I honestly do not know. I'm running around looking for the captain.

Galbadian Soldier: So now it's a captain search, instead of an Ellone search? ...Ohhh, could it be that the commander is looking for him...? That's too bad. If only we had somebody who has a good nose for those kinda things.


This guy's just bein' a dick.


This might be a hint about the Tabloid Guy at the harbour?


Anyway, fuck it, let's just lie and tell the guy we found the captain.


He's very impressed with us.

Galbadian Soldier #2: I thought we'd have to send out the search dog again! You get pretty tired chasin' after the dog!


Unfortunately, he wants to actually see the captain.


Like many other conversations in town, this is really just a hint about how to find the captain.


And a little hint about the commander herself.

Galbadian Soldier #1: I wonder where the captain sleeps?
Galbadian Soldier #2: There's no way he'd sleep behind the car again.

Another possible hint about Tabloid Guy.


Or, we can just ask these guys where the captain is straight out.


This one is less helpful. Anyway, let's do what they're telling us and head back to the harbour and see the dog.


This is maybe a hint about checking out the station? Which just sends you here anyway?



I mean, either that or it's just prelude to a lecture. Either way.


At the harbour, the scene has changed a little.


This guy has a pretty shitty job.

Galbadian Croucher: All I see is my reflection on the water... ...Ahhh!!! ...Ooops... I dropped a Gil...


The G-Army sounds like it fuckin' sucks. SeeD pays you just to do shit like play cards.



Anyway, this is why we're here.


If you've gone to Zell's place after the fish fry, the dog goes nuts when you show up.


Then he takes off.


Now you just have to chase the dog.




And there he is!


When we get to the station, the dog runs into the train and starts makin' a ruckus.


Huh. He looks familiar.


...And there he goes.

: It's Raijin! ...Come on!

Ohh, that's who it was.

Anyway, now we have to chase Raijin back to the hotel.

Also, if you didn't figure out some part of the process with the dog (or don't want to do it), there's another way to do the quest:


See, every time this soldier says this line, he crawls forward a bit.


So, you can talk to him a few times and then just stroll on into the train.


Inside the train, it is dark.

: Yo, Squall. Turn on the li...


...I don't think we're alone.



This revelation causes everyone to freak out a bit.


And out pops Raijin.



: ...Are you the ones occupying Balamb? Are Seifer and the sorceress with you?
: Whatever... So who's this captain guy!? Where is he!? HUH!?

Fuckin'...really, Zell?


No shit.



Oh, yeah, for sure, see ya later.


So, either way, we end up having to chase him. The difference is, following the dog gives you 100 SeeD EXP (a full level) but just walking in on Raijin only gives you 65. I think you can also wait for a while and Raijin just finishes napping, but I didn't do that here.


Now, as soon as we finish chatting, we're gonna chase Raijin back to the hotel.

Station Staff: It was terrible! The soldiers fell flat on the floor after eating the fish that man brought.


By talking to people, we can get important fish lore.


And possibly important Raijin lore...?



These dudes are not well. Does Balamb have a hospital? Anyway, see ya!


Yes?



Galbadian Soldier: So, basically...we're nothing compared to him!

All the Galbadians are afraid of Seifer and Raijin, because they work directly with the sorceress. This is probably why they wouldn't just let us in to see Fujin, too.



Galbadian Soldier: Maybe they finally found Ellone?

Yeah, that's it. He found Ellone. Everyone's getting promotions.



Galbadian Soldier: The commander can be pretty scary when she's mad...

They're all idiots...


Now, time to handle the formalities.


I highly doubt it.



Squall, don't stand there.


I think Fujin's mad.



Raijin: I was patrollin', just like ya told me. I even woke up that search dog, sleepin' on the job, ya know?





I don't think the soldiers are keen on this.


Zell's a killjoy.


What a surprise!


I mean, you might be. Squall's here to kill Edea.


Raijin just woke up, so he does a little stretch here.



Raijin: You soldiers help me out, too!

Man, too bad for those guys.

Also! If you catch Raijin on the train, the dialogue is different here:


First of all, he doesn't get thrown out on his ass.


Zell's more aggressive, plus the joke about him mimicking Raijin's verbal tic isn't there.

Raijin: Nah, naaah! You tell me what you know about Ellone, ya know!? Then, and only then, will we withdraw from Balamb, ya know!?

Brunette, about 5'4". Don't let the door hit ya.


Always have to do things the hard way, eh?

: Let me shake you awake with this fist o'mine!


Ahh, not as much as that gunblade does.


I admire your dedication to a plan, at least.


This is where our timelines meet up.


Raijin is nothing special. He doesn't do anything but attack physically.


He doesn't even have anything interesting to draw!



This wasn't a long fight.


One of the G-Soldiers dropped this.


And Raijin dropped this. If you have Mug, you can use it to get more Str Ups from him than you get from the drop. It doesn't really matter.


10 from Raijin, 1 each from the G-Soldiers.


Zell is pretty exuberant from our recent victory.


...Ehh, he can handle himself.


Oh, who am I kidding?



Fujin is, I think, legitimately concerned for Raijin's condition here.

: That's right, BABY! Now, where's Seifer and the sorceress!?



There's a big difference between Zell and Squall here. Zell's bouncing and yelling, rarin' for a fight.


Squall is much more reticent to fight. He doesn't really want to fight Fujin here (nor did he want to fight Raijin outside) because, not only are they not his enemies, but they were his allies a couple weeks ago (or maybe only a few days ago). And, since he doesn't have a horse in the Balamb occupation race, that's not going to lead him to arms.


Of course, Fujin isn't about to back down. We attacked her friend, and Seifer told her to fight us anyway.



: W-Who's there!?

I fuckin' wonder.



Raijin: I feel invincible, ya know!


The two of them give each other a little nod here.

: How the...!? I thought we defeated you!


Of course these guys were going to be paired.


Like Raijin says, this battle is more serious than the one before.


For example, Squall is knocked out immediately.



Fujin also has access to some pretty hefty Wind magic.


It's not too much of a threat if your junctions are good, but if they're not, it can get ugly.


The first order of business here is to draw Pandemona, a new GF.


Second is getting Squall back on his feet.


Drawing Pandemona shuts down Fujin's magic abilities, leaving her with Zan and Sai.


Zan is a pissy little attack, nothing to worry about. Sai, which she didn't use on me in this fight, drops a character's HP to 1. It can be a problem.


Raijin, for his part, has gotten serious.


Raijin Special is a pretty heavy physical attack. For the record, Raijin is vulnerable to Blind, so he can be shut down pretty much completely if you care to cast it.


After a bit of fighting, Fujin asks this. She doesn't do anything special afterwards, though.



Ultimately, this isn't a very hard fight as long as your junctions are solid. Most bosses just don't have the HP or stats to keep up in this game.



Hey, I could teach Zell a new Duel move.


Megalixir might be handy.


And, if you were worried.


We even got a new GF out of the deal!


Now that the fighting's done, it's time to get down to brass tacks.




: Own plan...?
Raijin: We're on Seifer's side, ya know!
: ...That's up to you, but...


Like I said, Squall's not really out to fight these guys, they're not enemies.


But, they're not about to just back down.


Seifer is very important to them.


They can't just leave their friend out on his own, even if it does mean fighting people that they have no real beef with.


You just gotta stick with your people.

: If you guys stand behind him that much... Tell frickin' Seifer to stop this nonsense!


This is kind of a weird line.



Mainly because of how it goes with these. Fujin's line on its own sounds like "oh, yeah, we'll tell Seifer to knock it off" but Raijin's doesn't, I don't think. Ultimately, I take it as something like "we want Seifer to stop this, but we're not going to turn our backs on him."


I think Squall looks kind of defeated here.

: So you want nothing to do with Garden now?


There's an awkward kind of beat, not a real answer.



And we're done here.


Whoever else is in the party wants a little more resolution.






Just let 'em go.

: ...It's too bad.


It's just business.


Of course, he's lying to himself again. Squall doesn't want to fight these guys any more than he did Seifer, but that's not how the world works. There's also something to be said for how Fujin and Raijin's loyalty to Seifer goes against Squall's thinking that people will always just abandon you for whatever reason. A lot of things are falling apart for Mr. Leonhart right now.