Part 47: We will continue to fight, in Echy's name!

Holy shit, we broke the 50,000 character limit. Consider this a small preview of the next few updates. GIVER AND EPM WILL DESTROY SOMETHING AWFUL.





Can you even control the damn thing? It was said that Alpha operates under instinct, for those that don't remember.

Well, they HAVE the thing, so presumably they have the control of whether or not to fully release it. Still, yes, Alpha knows only hunger, not obedience.







This game is mocking me. Fucking incompetent police force, man.

Yeah like that's news.





Pictured: This is how Mr. Match talks in bed.

Well, think about how one goes about lighting a match...





...Wow. Wily straight-up murdered the guy. When you're caught, you're going down HARD for murder.

... Um. Shall I recount the deaths Wily's ordered, in this series? Oh let's see:

Attempted murder of everyone in the restaurant in the fucking Power Plant scenario.
Every crashed vehicle in DenTown.
Mass arson from the ovens.
Arashi's murder.
Attempted mass-murder at Okuden.
Cybergenocide via ShadowMan.
Attempted murder of everyone at the Official NetBattlers meeting in Netopia.
Attempted plane hijack, which at the very least would have killed everyone aboard.
Mass destruction and almost certainly unmentioned deaths from the Environmental Control System going apeshit.
Sterilizing the entire town of Kotobuki.
Attempted re-enactment of When Animals Attack episode.
(Note that BubbleMan was of his own admission acting on his own for the BubbleWash scenario.)
Manslaughter, in the case of endangering Mamoru and anyone else on life support in the hospital for the sake of the TetraCode.
And 3 counts of attempting to incite complete societal collapse.

It's a drop in the fucking bucket at this point!

Silly EPM, they don't count! Everything turned up fine!





Not pictured: Everyone in the room says "..." in response to this. They shit their pants and have to obey Wily.



This makes Inukai the second actual fatality in the series, right behind Arashi.





We shall use the Internet to bring down the Internet!

That doctor from BN2's plane scenario is PISSED.







Wily's Laugh: A Giga class BattleChip.

Have to wonder how that'd be voice-acted.



Wily faces the screen, which I guess is hooked up to satellites around the world, projecting his face?

Nah, he's just streaming.







This is what happens when you build your entire Net off a single monster.



Uhh, I think this cutscene is supposed to take place whilst Lan was dealing with the tank, because army systems were going haywire around the globe.

Nah, probably more a case of only the tanks going berserk at that point, whereas now everything will.







Anyone with Pandemic want to unleash Alpha?





Assuming a random ass toaster doesn't kill us.







Why was that response in two separate boxes? That's an extra screenshot! Then again, why the fuck did I bother screening it?

If you're like me, because it's less effort than shifting your hand positions to type it instead.





Shit, Lan is still feeling bad from his mistake two scenarios ago. Can't say I blame him.

Actual character development, damn, I forgot about this too.



After this cut-scene, we get an e-mail.





Actually, he's a scrub-tier final boss.

Way to build hype, yeah, I'm sure that really gets readers enthused. Sure, scrub-tier for you and I, but Alpha's actually pretty nasty for the less experienced. That said, every BN final boss has the exact same pattern: Basic attacks repeat for a little while, then it'll do one of its highly-telegraphed special attacks. Rinse and repeat, with a new attack or two getting added as HP drops.







I will explain how this works when we get to it.



Oh no, we're found out.







"Beat WWW or you're grounded".

Honestly, points to Haruka for not harping on Lan yet again like everyone else did. Someone with actual faith in Lan!



Fuck this kid.



Blink Animation is seriously trying to mess with me.

At this point we must go to the boat to advance the story. However, due to how the next update is structured, I need to show off going to Hades Isle to get a very powerful BattleChip first. Time powers activate!

A gigantic cutscene awaits at the boat, indeed. Going by the image names, this is 50 images ahead of the "present".



Once you trigger the cut-scene at the boat, just go to Hades Isle and this will be open to you. I'll be ending this update off on that cut-scene.



Jennifer never dies.

And from the castle in BN2! Actually, she was the end of the trading sidequest in that game too, awarding the 3rd folder.







YESSSSSSSSSSS. Remember that GrabBack K can be traded for DynaWave V at Seaside Hospital.



This chip was buffed by 50 extra damage since Battle Network 2. It got changed to a MegaChip, meaning we can only carry 1. But it's still a solid S-ranking tool.

Requires a small bit of retrying, however, as with a MB of 90 you'll never set it as a regular chip, and the odds of it being in your starting pull are low. LocEnemy makes that no issue, however!



Before we go to WWW Isle, it's time for another plot break. I want to clean up the Undernet areas before proceeding.



Welcome to Undernet 7, the last of the Undernet areas.





If you are playing on White Version, this would be the earliest you could access Bruce Lee. Either way, we NEED this reward for Library completion later.



Being that this is a post-game area, most of the pathways to goodies are blocked off.





Our street cred isn't that high yet, unfortunately. We're still only Rank 2.



The BattleChip...?



No, this is something completely different. "Smashing of seals," huh?

Ooh, ooh, I know this one!



Just need to find one! Try the zoo computers!





But I AM truly strong!

This is considered a step above even Serenade, so operating by the ranking logic...hmm.



If instead of going to the left from where you start you elect to go right, we meet a weird virus.







Paying the toll just has him warp away, letting us go to the second level where the hammer awaits. This is simply here so we aren't forced to kill DrillMan Beta for the oh-so-important hammer. After all, killing FlamMan Beta is a forced objective.

Bit strange really. The two objectives really aren't comparable.





I'm going to be ignoring the green mystery data prizes in this area for now. The datas tend to spawn behind the requirement doors, meaning I can't get them. So I'll have to jack out, come all the way back here and pray they spawn outside the gates. And even then, I could get the same reward over and over. I have to cover these a lot later.

The way those two images go one after the other leads to the amusing misread of "A solemn voice" talking about Snake E.



Behold the almighty power of Zeushammer!



BAM!

250 damage is dealt to all enemies, allies and obstacles on the field. If any one of these happens to be over a hole, then Zeushammer will not strike them.

Therefore, you should consider bringing AirShoes, or some kind of defensive chip to protect from your own chip. Now, I'm running SuperArmor, so even if I get hit, I won't lose any points on my busting level. I do need to keep in mind that I am dropping 250 hit points of damage. Its worth noting that Zeushammer goes through shields, so that's why the Gloomer still died.



An alternative place to get PoisFace and Totem2 chips. Jealousy is a fantastic pick here, given that each virus has 3 chips, making Jealousy hit for 600 points of damage.





This one in particular is nasty-looking sand panels delay your movements, but only if you have insufficient chip power. Given this is literally the deepest UnderNet area, and you need to beat FlameMan V3 for it, though, you almost certainly will have that, so...not actually a big deal.







So far, it's basically an alternative place to grind for most of the viruses you've seen.



Looky, looky! If you didn't buy RedWave from Higsby's, this is the only place in the game to get this chip.





Watch closely, here's a good way to control annoying viruses like Ratty.



Logically, the Ratty will always move away from our RockCube in this position because we're summoning it after he moves. And since he spawns on the square we are putting this obstacle on, he will have no chance to stop our cube placement. It also doesn't matter if the Ratty moves up or down, because when the cube is placed, the Ratty will HAVE to move backwards as that is the only move it can make.

Which is much more effort in a setup than most would bother with, but yes. Tailoring a folder to a specific enemy works as well as it darn well should, but constant folder-editing is a pain in the ass frankly.



And since it can only move backwards, we can think 2 steps ahead and fire our StepCross, nabbing us the S-rank.



Don't worry about the program to the very left of the Navi Customizer. What's important is that I'm equipping Fish.

That program is accessible immediately upon arriving at the WWW Base, so you'll see it soon.



Rare virus alert!

This is the only place in the game where we can find these guys. It's worth fighting these things as many times as necessary until you get their chips.



WinGel3!



The codes for this chip are G,H,S,T,U. Unfortunately, G and H codes are Chip Trader only, so I have to settle for S and T code. The only way to get U code
is to get a Custom Style S-rank. Metagel3 S,T,U will form a PA, however, this same PA can be formed by fusing 3 consecutive pieces of any of the other WinGels.

You can also see that grinding and Zeushammer spam is taking its toll on me.



The grinding is real.



Don't we have one of these already?



Yes, this game hands out two BrakChrg programs. One from maxing GutsStyle and the other is from that NPC inside the DNN. The only difference is the color, really. Kinda silly.

That's what you think. The normal BreakCharge is orange, and thus requires an error code when used. This one does not when used with compatible styles!



To get my next style, I need to have a bug in my Navi Customizer. By bugging SneakRun (placing it outside the Command Line), it has the effect of making viruses appear more often. Obviously, this will speed up the process of obtaining a new style considerably.



MegaMan is clearly tired of fighting so many battles.



AW YEAH SON







EPM gave a good description of this style, so I'll just quote him.


While BugStyle is pretty strong, I may as well try my best to show off everything in this game for the sake of documentation.

Yes, I was incorrect about BugStyle at the time of that writing, as I mis-remembered its dimensions.



Okay, so let's put one WeapLv+1 on the command line. This will cause a bug, obviously, but what kind?



Fucking yes. When you bug one WeapLv+1 your charge becomes REALLY slow, we're talking Charge Level .5 speed here. But instead, your charged buster summons RockCubes! Free RockCubes! That means you can score an easy 200 damage with AirShot or GutsPunch, or just use it defensively. Very useful.



Bugging TWO WeapLv+1 will yield something different...



Your buster will turn into a water gun! This water gun only hits one square ahead.



And also only deals 100 damage. Eh.



Now let's bug all 3 WeapLv+1 that you can get legitimately.



Maybe MissEchelon will come back if I bring flowers.

Yes, flower buster is a thing. Your bouquet of flowers does absolutely nothing and it is a complete joke weapon. But, consider what you are seeing for a moment: When you equip 2 WeapLv+1, your Style's buster power is maxed, thus there is no reason to equip a 3rd. You can only get all 3 WeapLv+1 with the use of a lotto code, which requires grinding for chocolates in Yoka Station, or looking up a guide. You then have to have the presence of mind to try bugging all 3 just to see what happens.

...Pffft. What'd I say earlier? How timely. I add my commentary image-by-image, so I have no idea what comes ahead here.

Capcom put in an effect for something the player has absolutely zero reason to do. Again, equipping a 3rd WeapLv+1 does nothing for you! This..is...cool. I mean, really. A random, hidden effect for something like that? Capcom, what happened to you, man? You used to make such good games!

They're basically not Capcom anymore, quite frankly. The upper management succeeded in driving away literally every single producer they previously had.



Moving onto the last bug I want to show -- if you bug a Charge/Speed/Attack+1 piece, your normal buster turns into Guard *. Yes. For 15 presses of the B button, you get a free shield. This basically means you have 45 chips at your disposal, even if they are Guard's. With some creative placement, you can bug both a Speed/Charge/Attack+1 piece and a WeapLv+1 piece to have RockCube Charge and Guard buster.

You need to bug at least 3 of them for that, I thought? I actually had intended to use this previously in the thread, for the Time Trials

The future games in the series don't have the same kind of cool effects with their bugs. Enjoy it while it lasts.





With my new fire style comes a new blackbomb chip. But now, I'm prepared for WWW Isle.





Yeah, let's finish this update!

About damned time! I forgot how LONG these things could get.



PLS! GO AWAY!







Well, I can't say that Yai being a tattletale doesn't make sense or that she was being selfish, at the very least.



Fucking Blink Animation. I think I need to hang it up and just let it finish this LP. It gets heaping paragraphs of commentary across with ONE PICTURE.

See what I mean? I've said it before, but when this LP gets finished and sent to baldurk for archival, "Blink Animation" will be credited along with you, Echy, and I. Really, I don't think readers of these LPs appreciate Blinky as much as we do. The reason we're always so amused is that it's NEVER on purpose, happens VERY often, and somehow at the very best of times consistently. Plus, as Giver said, a sight gag conveys a lot of humor at once, as well as changes a scene considerably in tone. Most of all, of course, it makes our writeups for the picture in question very easy!





Well, we can trust Chaud's and more recently, Dex's. Yai and Mayl haven't done anything too notable in this game.





But I don't want to share my chips.

















FUCKING REKT



Okay, fair counterpoint, Yai.





You girls just defeated yourselves, honestly.

Actually, Yai's by FAR the least physically capable of them. Mayl is the worst NetBattler of the bunch at present, and Yai is, as I mentioned earlier, eight freaking years old tops. That is prime taken-as-hostage material, and YOU YOURSELF BROUGHT UP WHAT HAPPENED LAST GAME!

Yai...improved since then?







Oh, no. Not him!

CINNABON CHIN!





Yai! Did you just tell fucking EVERYONE!?

Giver hates it when another egomaniac is present, obviously.





Confirmed: Blink Animation is a real lifeform and is trying to communicate with us. It's a spawn of Alpha! We're all doomed!

Nah, Blinky's pretty benevolent, and consistently so. The Anti-Alpha. Omega? Well, that's taken. Sigma? Ah crap that one is too...





If this was the actual final game in the series, this line would be cool.





Leaving the girls behind...boy, even in this fucking game I am reminded of this shit.




FUCK! FUCK THIS!

And this is why I'm here now. I have returned, and not just for this update. It's you and I now, Giver.

If I think hard enough, I can summon MissEchelon back! Come on, Epee Em! THINK HARDER!

No, you don't just THINK about these kinds of things, you dolt! READERS! CLAP YOUR HANDS! YOU'LL BRING ECHY-SKETCH BACK TO LIFE!

...

...

...



Making some progress.But it wasn't enough. We're trying again.



Hmm, we made it able to talk, but it still isn't enough!

You- They've started! They're actually clapping, Giver! CLAP MORE! We summoned a Prog to help Lan, we can do this if we work together!



Look at all these Progs. And not one of them is MissEchelon.



Oh look, the first Prog I ever showed MissEchelon.

I- I remember the SciLab hidden jack-in door... With a circle of Progs.



I showed it just for her!



Why did this happen!?

I remember...when we started this LP. We said we'd collaborate, right at the end of the first update. It was April 15th...2013. Such an extreme delay is entirely my fault. It will be 2 years, soon. There can be no forgiveness for my neglect...



COME BACCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKK!!!

BUT THERE CAN BE REDEMPTION!