Part 102: The Final ErraSCREEEEEECH!

My apologies for the slackened update schedule lately. After a year or so of doing this LP, I'm flat-out tired. Anyway!



Prof. 9 actually contacted me on YouTube to alert me to something not in the readme that comes with the game. LinkNavis now have "levels" that can be viewed in their status screen when you use them. The way to raise the level is by defeating the PunkNavis that have been released into the game in both the real world and the Cyberworld.

Beating BassSP (not a spoiler because it's obvious) with all of the LinkNavis at maximum level nets you a title screen icon needed to fight the true final boss.



So for example's sake, here's GroundMan's stats after beating up only a few of them. Time to scour the whole game for PunkNavis and beat the stuffing out of them!



While on the hunt, I find this hidden program NPC, who forks over the Poem NaviCust program. This makes MegaMan speak like he's in a Shakespeare play, and is the counterpart to the Humor program.



I also find Chaud, who's ready with vanilla ProtoMan. Sadly, the video I recorded was corrupted, but that's alright because there's a much tougher version of ProtoMan we'll be fighting later.



FighterSword: That same 3-panel long slash attack he's had in every single game of the series.



StepSword: That same 'warp in front of MegaMan and slash' attack he's had in every single game.



Cross Slash: There we go, something new. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to screenshot, multiple attempts to snag it failed. ProtoMan combines a FighterSword slash with a WideSword slash, creating a +-shaped attack in the center of your field. As is tradition with ProtoMan, the difficulty comes in that his attacks have little to no warning.



Blade Dance: ProtoMan's temporary replacement for his old DeltaRay attack. He'll emit a glow for a split second, which is your only warning. Following that, he'll rush at you from the panel to your...okay, diagram time.

1:

[ ] [ ] [X]
[ ] [X] [ ]
[X] [ ] [ ]

2:

[X] [ ] [ ]
[X] [ ] [ ]
[X] [ ] [ ]

3:

[X] [ ] [ ]
[ ] [X] [ ]
[ ] [ ] [X]

Later versions of ProtoMan will add more steps to the attack, making this an attack that moves so fast and hits so much that you should treat it like you would Bass' Shooting Buster. i.e., use an Invis chip or knock him out of the attack, you are NOT going to be able to dodge it very easily!



I've actually had a motivation in encouraging MegaMan's caffeine addiction.



After you buy enough coffee from each shop, you get a unique reward. CentralArea's shop nets you the BugStop program. As a reminder, you can stuff a row or column of any NaviCust part outside the border of the NaviCust, the only penalty is a bug. So BugStop removes this penalty, letting you screw around with the NaviCust willy-nilly.



Say hello to my new AntiProtoMan chip!



Oh, yeah, when you buy coffee, you usually hear rumors as well. I know I've mentioned that you can get NumberTrader codes from rumors, but you can also get compression codes and things like this.



My only HP+ program on the NaviCust is an HP+50 I've been too lazy to upgrade. So I'm starting to get close to having all the HPMemory items in the game.



One genocidal rampage later, the LinkNavis are at V9. I later discovered a PunkNavi I'd missed in SkyArea, so I assume that the maximum level is 10.



Back to the JobBBS! Self-explanatory, really. Chip hunt requests are usually a pain in the ass, but this one is very easy if you know where to go.



Tab's normal stock of chips has GunDelSol1 C as the very first option. Our reward is an HPMemory.



You might think that this job will involve beating up a BullyNavi or something, but you'd be wrong.



Our client actually works with the Juvenile Crime Division of the NetPolice. Hey, bullying is serious business when it comes to little kids. He's tried talking to the kid being bullied before, but hasn't gotten any progress. So he hopes someone only a little older than the kid in question will have a better shot.



The kid gets bullied because he doesn't like NetBattling and isn't any good at Virus Busting. Go figure. His only friend is the robotic dog from the beginning of the game.



It promptly gets a virus.



The PunkNavi inside is actually working with the NetPolice, however. This is a set-up to show the kid how important virus busting can actually be for him to learn, which will ideally lead to less bullying in the future for him.

One round of viruses later, we return to the client for a FolderPack1 NaviCust program, which combines several folder-boosting NaviCust programs into one. I don't use it because I have bigger plans.



This is a rather neat little challenge for us. The next client is a sushi chef who wants us to buy ingredients for him. We're given 10000z to work with.



In SeasideArea1, there are multiple salesmen who will sell fish at various prices. You don't have to buy the specified 8 ingredients at the cheapest prices available, but you get to keep any of the 10000z you don't spend. Only, I'm pretty sure that not going over the 10000z is impossible, so what you're actually minimizing your own losses here.



Our reward is a NumberTrader code. These are better than compression codes, but really, couldn't the game have just been programmed to award the chips and stuff directly rather than making you punch in a tedious 8 number sequence?



Oh lord, it's one of those "pick the dialogue option" jobs. For the sake of expediency, I'm just going to cooperate with this one.



In a bit of in-game continuity, this is the same series the guy asking for a reservation ticket for an action figure wanted.



Just pick the most cliche, melodramatic lines every prompt and you'll be fine. Really, this scene is actually kind of hilarious because it's like a parody of every bad RPG or anime ever.



Case in point. Our reward is another HPMemory.



The next client is a bungling animal trainer at the aquarium. 5 penguins have escaped and are wandering the real world.



The funniest one by far is the one who snuck into Lan's house to use the toilet or something, because it's the only bathroom in the game.



Lan says "Penguin Capture!" after every penguin. I would not be surprised if the original Japanese version of the game had him saying this in Engrish.



These are some penguins with very odd tastes.



I more or less did these in reverse order by accident. They're in such easy-to-find places, I assumed they'd be more hidden.



I assumed they'd be in places like the JudgeTree's root chamber or other obscure locations, but nope.



Guh, another NumberTrader code. No, I'm not looking these up on GameFAQs to tell you what they are! If I had to guess though, they probably correspond to the SpinColor items that let you rotate NaviCust programs of a certain color.



The next client is a lumberjack who cuts down trees for a living. His ax has gotten worn-out, so what we need to do is find the "Spirit of the Spring" in Seaside Area.



Yes, this whole segment is one big parody of the Honest Ax fairy tale.



A bunch of silliness courtesy of a very lazy program later, we get 10 bugfrags as our reward. Oh boy! I'm so close to getting the BugDeathThunder GigaChip from the BugFrag trader!



The next client wants us to pick stocks out for her. This is an opportunity to make a lot of money, so pay attention!



You get three choices. The second is notable for being an obvious Toyota knockoff.



The last choice is specified to be a small company that makes spacecraft parts. It's hinted to be a complete waste of money.



The first choice is Not-Apple. But either way, PICK BLACKHOLE! You get 10% of the profits from your choice.



And the client buys a metric ton of shares. See where this is going?



On my way back, I get our first GigaChip at last. Costs 100 BugFrags, but it's worth it! It even comes in V code for my folder! BugDeathThunder changes your charge shot to DarkThunder from MMBN5. It also costs you a BugFrag for each use. In Gregar version, you get BugDeathSword, which replaces the charge shot with DarkSword. There's no penalty for using either, except the BugFrag cost and slow charge up.

How could this possibly go wrong? [spoilers]I have completely fucked myself.[/spoilers]



So as it turns out, it was just announced that Blackhole makes a part that is being used on the new NAXA 'Space Plane'.



Free astronomical amounts of money, yay!



The next job is far more annoying. We have to deliver update data to 3 Program NPCs in the AquariumComp. They're all in practically a straight line, and very easy to find.



You should be suspicious, rightly, of how easy that is. It turns out that the scientist gave us the wrong UpdateData by mistake, and it's going to cause the programs to overheat due to being incompatible.



Cue an annoying search through each area of the AquariumComp. At least we get to see the FlamingPrograms again, which are great slapstick. Seriously though, screenshots won't even help due to the lack of landmarks in the AquariumComp. Have fun with this one! The reward sucks, it's just a MegaFolder2 NaviCust program, letting us have 2 additional MegaChips in our folder.



The next job is basically the same as HeatMan's scenario in Gregar. Special Kettle viruses that can only be damaged by fire attacks have infested the fishstick seller's fryer, so go torch things. Due to HeatCross, Gregar has an easy time with this. Falzar version has a slightly more annoying time due to being forced to do some folder changeups. Oh well, we get an HPMemory out of it.



The next job is much more serious. A Navi hasn't seen his daughter (yes, Navis can reproduce in a convoluted way) in many years and wants to meet up with her again.



He begs us not to judge him based on his appearance.



He isn't sure where to find her, and wants us to locate her so he can tell her congratulations. Our only clue is that she was studying environmental science, so is somewhere in GreenArea.



She is, naturally, at the very back of GreenArea2. Oh Battle Network, so predictable.



The Navi needs some convincing, but is touched that her father remembered her birthday. So she agrees to just meet with him.



A happy, tearful reunion...



However, the gang is coming after them because he deserted it. The man thanks us for letting him see his daughter one last time.



Your clue that this isn't over yet is the fact that you don't get job points. If it weren't already obvious that MegaMan needs to do some dirty business.



EXTERMINATE! Old Gospel punks, of all people! I do not leave a job unfinished!



That's more like it!



Our next job is much less serious.



This guy is the 'President' of the Jazz Club. By that, he means he's the only member. Apparently, Jazz isn't very popular at Cyber Academy.



Considering that the chips he wants will make him temporarily invincible, deafen the audience, and screw up their movements, something tells me Jazz will be banned entirely in the near future.



Fanfare Z is the only chip that the viruses themselves don't drop, so you'll have to use the Order System for it.



Our reward is a measly RegUp2. Well, what's the next job?



Okay, he wants us to assemble a specific P.A. for him. How hard could that be?



FUUUUUUUUCK! Welcome to the biggest dick move in the game! Seriously, this job comes out of nowhere, and makes no indication of what you're in for. You need 48 BugFrags to get the PoisonSeed P chip, go scroll back up to the BugDeathThunder screenshot. I don't even remember where to get the Anubis P chip also needed for that P.A., but at least you can order a second PoisonSeed P from Tab.

Either way, that brings the JobBBS to a screeching, idiotic halt. I'll start on the postgame area proper next update, that way I can at least start grinding for BugFrags while doing fun things as well.