Part 15: Welcome to Thunderdome

I’m so tired. We had the festival today.

Video- “The Festival”

Watch the Festival

Hey Vayne, there’s still some time before the battle arena, right?
Yeah. It starts in the afternoon, so…
I mean, it’s a festival. Let’s go look around. With everyone else, of course.
With everyone… Okay. Let’s go.

We got everyone together, but lost Pamela pretty quickly.



What’s wrong?
It’s Pamela… Where did she go?
Oh, you’re right. Pamela! Where are you?
Scream: Aaahhhhhh!!
Waahhhhhh!!
Isn’t this… the haunted house?
Could it be…

Pamela just can’t miss an opportunity to scare people I guess.



Oh my, you all came here, too?
You can’t do this! It’s not funny when it’s you.
But, they’re so bad at scaring people.
Well, the fake ghosts all ran screaming…
Hmm… If we opened a haunted house, we’d make a ton of money…
Uh, now’s not the time for that. Let’s go before we get into trouble!
Oh, wait for me!

One of the other classes was running a café.



This one’s a mock café.
I wanted to do this.
Yeah, our class chose not to do anything.
This seems like fun…
Though, I wouldn’t expect much, knowing our tastes.
That’s true… Hm?
Ah…
Huh?
Nrr!
What’s wrong?
It’s delicious!
Yeah… I’m surprised.
Semi-sweet, yet rich in flavor. Not too heavy, and it’s perfect with the tea.
Must’ve used a special spice for the flavor…
I’m surprised that you’re such a picky food critic.
You’re so lucky. I wish I could try it.
Truly a masterpiece… Bring me the chef!

We were all a bit surprised where those cakes came from.



Wha…? The Principal!?
Don’t tell me you’re the one who made this!?
Hahaha. It’s one of my few hobbies. I have every confidence in my baking.
Hmm… They say that every man has at least one thing he’s good at…
But, is this right? I mean, for the Principal to be working at a booth?
Oh, well you see… This was an emergency.
Emergency?
Indeed. The Vice Principal was supposed to be baking here, but… You see.
Wow… Is that charcoal?
Looks more like industrial waste, actually. Haha…
It’s burned so horribly, it’s almost like an evil masterpiece.
Exactly. Naturally, the students came crying to me. I couldn’t refuse.
Sounds like having serious conversation, Mr. Principal.
V-vice Principal! How long have you been here?
Time for chit chat better spent baking more cakes.
It seems very popular for yours. Mine not so much.
Ah, ow ow ow! Don’t pull my ear… please.
People have so many surprising sides to themselves…
Indeed…

The Campus Grounds were full of people, it was amazing.



It’s so lively.
Ah, yes. The festival is a battle of sorts.
I wonder if we’ll find any useful alchemy items…
Oh come on! Forget about all that school stuff. Let’s have fun.
I guess… Huh? What’s that?
Ooh, cotton candy! I love it so much.
Cotton candy?
You’ve never eaten it?
You can eat it?
This is no good… You’ve been missing out on half your life!
H-half!? That’s a lot…
Indeed. So, to cheer you up after this bombshell, I’ll treat you to one!
Really?
Aww! Flaya, you’re so generous!
Thank you, Flay.
Freeloaders! And Pamela, you can’t even eat it.
Well, why should I be the only one left out?
Hrmmm… fine. Just wait here.
Hehehe. We win.
I feel a little bad, though…

While Flay was standing in line, we kept walking around the festival.



That’s the shooting range. You use a toy gun to try to win prizes.
Oh…
You really don’t know anything, huh?
Yeah… I lived up in the mountains with Sulpher for as long as I can remember.
Oh… sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.
Huh, why not?
Well, you know…
Oh, what’s that over there? I’m gonna go take a look.
He’s so giddy today.
I know. We’ve gotta teach him the right way to enjoy a festival!
Alright!
Huh? Where’d they go? Are they lost? Hello? Vayne!?

Eventually, though, it was time for the Battle Arena to start.

Video- “Dirty Tricks”

Watch the First Stage

Oh, okay.
Good luck. We’ll be cheering you on!

Tony and Roxis were there, of course.



MC: The main event for your School Festival! I present to you, the Battle Arena!
This tournament will be fought by two-man teams.
The winning team will be presented with a big reward from the school!
Hmph. Guess you didn’t chicken out after all.
I’m as surprised to see you here, too.
Looks like we’ll meet in the finals. I’ll laugh if you don’t make it.
Um… Let’s all do our best.
……
MC: Here are the contestants for round one!
First, the embodiment of scholastic chaos, Flay Gunnar!!
And his partner/sidekick, the Freshman Phenom, Vayne Aurelius!!
It’s time for us to take the stage. Come on!
…Sidekick?
…Have your fun while you still can.

Our first round was against some older students.



Vayne, we’re going full force from the start!
I-I’ll do my best.
MC: The body check is done. And now…
Battle Arena, Round 1. Ready! Fight!!

But they weren’t that tough.



Battle: Qualified Students
These two aren’t particularly tough. You probably won’t even need to heal, just smash them down quickly and brutally.

I had noticed during the fight that some people we were expecting seemed… missing.



MC: Is there anyone at this school who can beat these crazy outlaws!?
I didn’t even get a chance to warm-up.
……
You’re spacing out on me, chum. Surprised by your own strength?
Uh? Oh, no! That’s not it…
Don’t be so modest. There aren’t many Freshmen who are stronger than you.
Although, when I was a Freshman, I was still much stronger than you!
Hmm, where’s our cheering section? Those lazy girls…
They’re supposed to be around here somewhere.
Let me through! I’m in a hurry!!
Nikki, you’re late.
Now’s not the time for that! It’s an emergency!
What kind of emergency is it this time?
Look! I found this letter at the workshop, and…

Tony wasn’t willing to leave this to chance it seemed.



“But depending on the outcome, we may not guarantee her safety.”
Jess has been kidnapped!! Now what!?
Vile fiends!
But who would do such a thing?
I don’t know. Pamela’s already out looking for her…
What’s going on, guys? Say, where’s that girl who’s always with you?
That’s playing dirty, even for you.
I don’t know what you mean… Anyway, good luck to us both.
What is wrong with him!? Does he really have to go that far!?
What’s the plan, Flay?
We split up. You two go find Jess.
But the arena…
No worries, chum. I can do it alone, no problem.
But, you must get back in time for the finals. Hear me?
…Okay!
Good luck, Flaya.
Where should we start looking?
Let’s meet up with Pamela first. She might’ve found something by now.

I keep forgetting what sorts of friends Pamela has.



Pamela?
What the hell is that? Are you being attacked!?
Watch out!
Monster: Kyui! Kyuu—
Don’t hurt him! There, there. Don’t cry.
Isn’t that… an enemy?
Of course not. This is my friend.
You really do have some strange friends…
He says he saw Jess get taken away.
Really!?
So, where did she go?
Monster: Kyuu kyuuuu.
Into the Mana Ruins. I think she was with another girl.
…Another girl?
That Renee chick!
Monster: Kyuu! Kyuu!
You’re going home already? Okay, but you better come back to play.
Monster: Kyuu.
We should hurry.
Yeah!

We headed out to the Mana Ruins, hoping the tip was good.



Mmhm. That’s what he said.
Let’s hurry. We need to rescue her.

Meanwhile…



MC: …Huh? It appears that Flay has shown up to the match alone!
That’s right. I am mighty!
MC: That may be, but rules are rules! It’s gotta be teams of 2.
Bureaucracy… Fine, then. You there.
Referee: Huh?
You’re my substitute partner. Help me dole out righteous justice!
Referee: …Okay. I will fight beside you.
MC: Outrageous! Rule breaking referee recruitment! And he’s actually up for it!
That’s why you can never write off Flay!

It turned out it was, Renee was waiting with Jess at the Ruins.

Video- “Renee”

Watch the Brutal Showdown

Oops, you found me. I was hoping this would last a little while longer…
Give us back Jess!
Uhh, well… I mean, it’s not like I wanted to this, you know?
But if I don’t cooperate every once in a while, I’ll get in trouble…
Is that so? I feel so bad for you…
Riiight. It’s not as easy as it looks to be me.
Now’s not the time to feel pity for the enemy!
Please Renee, don’t make us do this.
Sorry, but I have to make it look like I tried.
Now then… I suppose I could use the exercise.
You asked for it!

For someone who doesn’t like fighting, Renee’s pretty good at it.



Boss Battle: Renee
If you’ve been breezing through the game up to now, it’s about to give you a real kick to the kneecap. Renee is pretty brutal. Her first action will be to summon her Mana, the Azureflame Mana. Once they’re both up, I’d suggest taking the Mana first. It can hit single targets quite hard, and hit the whole group with Hellwave. Renee mainly uses a mix of Girl Attack, a moderate sword attack on one character, Big Orange Bomb which damages and sleeps everyone, and Full Power Blade, which takes two turns but heavily damages and breaks one party member. Since you’ve only got Vayne, Nikki, and Pamela, you need to rely on a mix of common skills and items to stay alive. If you have a silence attack you can make this a lot easier on yourself by silencing Renee before she gets her first turn and keeping her silenced, which prevents the Azureflame Mana from coming out. But where’s the fun in that? Anyway, for winning this we get the recipe for the Misty Curtain, which protects people from magic attacks in battle.

We did manage to defeat her, though.



Be glad we didn’t finish you off!
Geesh, talk about scary… Alright, fine. I was wrong. I’m sorry.
Don’t worry, she’s just a little tranq’d. She’ll wake up soon enough.
Geez…
She doesn’t seem like a bad person… Maybe we can all be friends.
What are you saying!? She’s a kidnapper! A Shanghai Willie!
Jess, are you okay?
Hrm… mrnn… huhh?
Oh…goo…morni…*yawn *
Good morning! Did you sleep well?
Snap out of it. Jess, did she do anything to you?
Any…thing? What?
Renee gave me some cake, so I was eating it and…
Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to take things from strangers!?
But she’s not a stranger. She’s Renee.
Anyway, Vayne, you should hurry back!
Oh, that’s right. I gotta go!
Have fun!
We’ll be right there!
Mnrrr… Then just… 5 more minutes…
No! Wake up now!!

I rushed back as fast as I could to the auditorium to make the finals.

Video- “The Showdown”

Watch the Finals

MC: From block A, of course, is this man!
With his faithful referee by his side, he is the Duke of Destruction, Flay!
And his opponents, the best “Cool & Dirty” pair, Tony and Roxis!!
Damn… where is Vayne?
Are you sure about this, Flay? Maybe you should forfeit right about now.
Hmph. You really need to work on your ‘follow through’.
What’s that supposed to mean!?
Look behind you.
…Sorry. They rescued her.
Wha!? What the hell are you doing, you wench!!?
Tony? …So there was a setup behind all this?
What’s wrong with that!? This was gonna work out perfectly.
I admire your effort, but the way you focus it is all wrong.
Why do you say these things to me when you know—
Flay!
Ah, there he is…
Sorry. I hope I’m not too late.
Hmph. You made it just in time for the finals. How hero-ish…

I guess Flay had somehow talked the referee into being his partner while I was away.



Referee: I am honored to have fought alongside you. I expect a good fight.
MC: The Duke of Destruction’s sidekick is back! We can start the final battle!
It seems my superior has caused you problems again.
Roxis…
But what’s passed is past. I will give it my all. …I won’t lose to you.
Same here!
MC: We can already see the sparks from the Freshmen! We can hardly wait!
And now for the final battle! Fiiiiiiight!!

The time for talking was over.



Boss Battle: Tony and Roxis
This is actually a lot easier than Renee was, which is only fair since you can’t save between the two. I’d suggest focusing on Roxis first, since he can heal. Roxis uses similar moves to what he used the first time, while Tony will mostly use a single target hit called Hyphen. He does sometimes hit both of you with a decently powerful attack, though, and you want to keep some healing items ready just in case. You get the physical version of the Misty Curtain, the Divine Shield, for finishing this.

And we defeated them!



MC: Can he stand!? Ah! The referee has stopped the fight!!
It’s over! The champions have been decided!! They are Flay & Vayne!
The Dukes of Destruction have conquered the school!
We won… we did it, Flay!
Indeed. Splended job. As the winners, we must please our crowd!
Yes sir!





It was actually mostly Flay… But it gave me confidence in myself.
But I still wonder… Why does Tony keep messing with us?
And Roxis… Oh that’s right, he’s always…

Which meant that Roxis had to join our workshop, as agreed.



*sigh * Okay. Unhand me already!
Oh, there you are.
I see you came. Welcome.
Nice to meet you. I’m sorry I scared you that one time.
I hope we all can get along.
I only came because I promised. I don’t plan to become your friend.
You’re so silly.
Are you sure this was a good idea?
I’m sure it’ll be interesting. The rest is up to you.
How irresponsible…
Gee…
System Message: Roxis has joined your party.

Professor Feinne’s Alchemy 101: Roxis
So, Roxis doesn’t currently work the same way everyone else does right now, for two reasons. The first is that he hates Vayne, so he won’t co-op synthesis with him. The second is that he doesn’t have a Mana, so he doesn’t have access to all of his skills. The skills he can’t use will be white out in the Grow Book. Both of these things will change when we do side quests later.

The term’s ending, which means there’ll be new freshmen soon. I wonder if Flay’s going to find any new recruits…