Part 3: Update III - He protects the secret weapon of the jungle.
Update III - He protects the secret weapon of the jungleVideo: Secret Resistance Base
Music: Mystery of the Force Metal
Well it looks like someone managed to find X after he jumped off the ruins.
Although he's still a bit banged up.
This place is known as, 'New Hope'.Ah hell we got picked up by Star Wars fans.
But, what about Zero? Take it slowly, X.
you‘ve taken some serious damage. This is the Resistance hideout. You can rest here.Music: Chapter Title
Music: Recapture Hope
The place is a bit run down. Some of the wall panels have fallen off! To the side, there's another fellow standing around.
But, you‘ve got to stay vigilant. Sometimes the Rebellion goons come to this town. If you‘re planning on going on a search, don‘t forget to stock up on items, okay?
And with her, our first shop!
Not a big selection, granted, but still better than nothing. The only new thing here are those Mega Fires. I buy a handful and move on.
I also remembered to equip those extra FMs I picked up after Hippopressor. You can also see that X's Immunity has gone up now that he's gained a few levels.
Zero was kind enough to leave his gear before he took those flying lessons. Not that an exclusive Sub Weapon helps, mind you, but it's the thought that counts.
People call it a city, but it‘s more like a group of interlinked buildings. We, the Resistance, are doing our best to chip away at the Rebellion. Back when we had our leader, Chief R, and his aide Aile, we were much more well organized. We fought the Rebellion well...
Finally heading out, I gotta say I like the color scheme of this area.
On the way, I run into Sinedroppers, which can shoot me for low damage or drop their Venom Bomb, dealing a fixed 200 damage and a chance to inflict Virus.
there‘s always repair and construction work going on in this town. It‘s impossible to get around!Looks like we aren't heading right.
Turning around, I meet the Wild Rescue Dog, which can use Gain Life 25 to heal any enemy on the field. On the offense side, it can use Sand Splash to inflict Blind.
Heading up, a crystal with a Clear Vision, which cures Blind.
Followed by a Vaccine Program and a Build Power. I feed it to X. Up ahead, three generic Reploids.
You were a real mess when they first dragged you in. I thought you were a goner for sure. There are no enemies here, because we, the Resistance, are on close watch. You can rest easy here. So, where are you heading?'No enemies here', as if I hadn't just fought a rabid robodog you god damn liar.
Well, actually, it‘s a Resistance secret, but I just can‘t bear to keep it to myself! There‘s this real bigwig named Chief R you see? But he got CAPTURED! By the REBELLION!! And so the Resistance is just, like, in tatters! TATTERS! Oh, my! Isn‘t that just awful?
Well, you‘re wrong! This is a true story! I heard it straight from one of my reliable sources! Ever wonder why the Rebellion doesn‘t launch a full-on attack on the town? Well. I know the answer! The Rebellion is trying to strike a deal with Chief R. if he cooperates with them, they won‘t attack town! At least, I think so...We're getting more info on how things are going. Looks like the Rebellion is getting the upper hand on all fronts.
Just past them, the road ahead is blocked.
...Oh? You came here on an investigation? Well, I don‘t envy you. I‘m sure you‘ve already heard this, but why don‘t you talk to those Resistance folks? I'm just a foreman, after all.
We'll just have to take this side road.
In the crystals, a Tank Energy 100 and a Gain Hyper. Gain Hypers completely refill a character's Hyper count, and are exactly as good as they sound. Off to the side, we find...
Something special.
Something very special. This right here unlocks the PS2 version bonus content, the Mega Man X8 Trial! On the Gamecube version, this small alcove is completely empty.
For the sake of completion, you can watch the Trial (and me being bad at platformers) in the link below:
Video: X8 Trial
Heading out the door, we find...
Music: Respond!
Video: X: Wanted Dead or Alive
Some form of plaza.
X is indulging in some Tactical Espionage Action. His
X, can you hear me?
It seems the sun in Giga City is so powerful the lens flare punches through solid objects.
What? The mission plans were leaked. They got... Zero... X... Are you ok-The connection cuts out.
As an aside, I just want to say that I love that little center thing in the plaza:
Seriously, it's like a screensaver.
Colonel Redips? Shoot! I can‘t get a clear signal in here.
Bit hard to see because of the sun, but the board is showing pictures of X.
Well X is now a wanted man.
The floating billboard flys away.
Music: Central Tower
What is X going to do now that everyone knows his face and is actively being hunted? Why, talk to everyone he meets, of course!
Not even five seconds in and this is already a bad idea.
That is exactly what a Mav would say, blue boy.
See what I mean? X is terrible on missions that don't involve jumping and shooting.
the “Rebellion“...(mumble mumble)... That sounds like something a Maverick would cook up...Heading south, we find a hallway and another person to turn into a potential witness.
But with the town on alert, they have it closed off. What a nuisance. I came all the way to Central Tower to check out the latest fashions.
So much for getting some more shopping done.
Heading north from the plaza, a save point and an unlocked door.
Music: Memories of Gigantis
It was at this point it finally dawned on me to save in multiple slots in case I missed something the first time around.
Music: Central Tower
This street has nothing of note except a few more people.
This may change down the line.
Well, you don‘t appear too suspicious. Don‘t you go stirring up any trouble, though.X was literally on a public broadcast like five minutes ago. Either he's against the Rebellion and pretending not to notice us, or he's blind.
Shoot, that was quite a scare, huh? I couldn‘t believe it when I saw your face on the public broadcast. I guess that‘s one thing that makes it difficult to be a Class S Hunter. It's safe around here, because my squad has got things under control... But you still never know what could happen. 
In the distance, we can see Rebellion transports flying around. A small little detail, but it helps show that the Rebellion owns this town right now.
Everyone looks scary these days. I‘ll just have to keep an eye out for any blue guys. Wait! You're blue, aren't you?! Aiieek! Don‘t come near me!This guy has better eyes than the security guard.
Through the door, we find a storage room.
I‘ve been hearing noises from outside, but I don‘t dare venture out there. Please keep this secret from from the rest of the Resistance.
Apparently the Rebellion vastly outnumbers the Resistance. I support the Resistance. but recent events have me... more than a little concerned.
But they‘re facing more obstacles than they expected. The Rebellion must be awfully tough. And what‘s more... The Rebellion is expanding its ranks even as we speak...Video: The Bounty Hunter + Spider 'fight'
Keep in mind that the room we started the chapter in was on 999F. This place is massive.
Just X and some big guy getting a bit of fresh air.
You're X, aren't you? I heard about you on the news. Sorry, but I had to report you.I'm honestly surprised it took this long.
I'm not a supporter of Epsilon, 
Last time I heard that line, it ended with a satellite cannon being pointed at the Earth.
Music: Jungle Treasure
A reploid in a nice suit. Can you call it a suit if it looks like a suit but is actually their body?
What is with this place and people jumping insane distances? My theory of Hippopressor jumping into the ruins is making more and more sense.
But if I brought your head to the Rebellion Army,
A bounty hunter!
Who says rumble these days?
I'm Spider, its a pleasure.
Ignore the warning sign, Spider isn't actually a boss.
This is just a tutorial fight in a shiny dress. If you shoot him with those cards up...
This is an extension of the lesson Hippopressor taught. Rather than just tanking the hit, some enemies will counter.
Unfortunately for him, X can swap attack types.
Much better. Note the star symbol; X Fire's normal attacks are, fittingly enough, Fire element. The star means that it hit a weakness.
X Collider, on the other hand, counts as non-elemental. While this means that X can't get extra damage off a weakness, it also means that X Fire doesn't turn into a complete liability against enemies that resist or absorb fire.
The fight ends with a sudden fade to black.
This is the first use of Command Mission's normal use of voice acted scenes: the speaker pops up front while everyone just stands around in the background.
An alarm starts up.
I was ready to finish you off. We‘ll pick this up later. The more you run, the higher the bounty! Wait! Music: Central Tower
He doesn't even have the courtesy to actually run, instead choosing to do a cutscene teleport. Apparently we've had a witness to this entire thing.
But don‘t worry about me. You‘re welcome to rest here for a bit. On the other hand...Shouldn't you be running away?
Up ahead we can see a spread of crystals, but more importantly is this machine over here.
It reads: 8 character password required to obtain figures.Hah, 'figure vending machine'. Guess the localization team figured no one would know what a gachapon was back in 2004.
This one here uses passwords that were probably bonuses in pre-release media back then and are GameFAQs bait today. Most of the figures from this kinda spoil characters we haven't met yet, so I'll hold off on showing this until we've met everyone.
Also because PS2 emulation hates figures. For those of you reading this in the archive, this will prompt a version move down the line.
Grabbing the loot, we find a copy of Power Charge. While this will be put to great use later on, I find it sorta counterproductive on X. The main thing to use Power Charge on is ATs, except burning 30% WE takes a big enough cut out of Charge Shot/X Collider to pretty much negate the bonus. You can use it and end your turn to preserve the charge, except the boost is lost on any form of attack so at best you can plink with a Sub Weapon (costing yet more WE), follow up with Power Charge, and pass on attacking until you get back to 100%.
Up ahead, another barricade. This is actually just ahead of the barricade from earlier, everything up till now has been a huge detour.
Heh, 'Rock'.
Come on over and do some rumble-tumble construction work with us! ...Huh?! You‘re a Maverick Hunter?! Whoa, that‘s incredible, dude!I love this incredibly upbeat construction worker.
On the way, I got this off a Sinedropper. This is the first FM we've seen that has an Erosion other than 3.
Up ahead is some broken fencing.
Past that, a hallway that has definitely seen better days.
Video: Enter Aile + Vow to Aile
Music: Resistance Line
X walks in and finds someone new.
Someone in a
hoverchair.Actually, looking closer, it looks like this guy's lower body is the hoverchair.
I am Aile. I am a member of the Resistance.Meet Aile. Not to be confused with Aile, a protagonist in ZX.
That the leader of our Resistance, Chief R, has been caught by the Rebellion Army. So, you‘ve come to rescue Chief R? Yes... That‘s why I came to the Governor‘s Precinct... But alone, I will not stand a chance...What was his plan then? Stand around until someone stronger shows up?
I mean, it worked, but still.
Rescuing Chief R might be the best way to get the information I'm after. Thank you, X! Well then, if you‘re going to help me,Aile interupts himself with a really unpleasant snapping sound.
That was built into his chest, he just tore the thing out!
you‘d better take this ID... With it, you will be able to enter and exit the Governor's Precinct. 
Surprise!
Music: The Rebellion's Mission
Aile what are you doing.
Aile, that's three Chasers.
X just has to stall for, like, 3 turns.
Leave them to me! Just go!They're Chasers, a 100% charge shot would wipe them all in one go.
Please... You have to help Chief R! Aile!
Like, they're non-threats. They can't even walk, they move by hopping everywhere.
But no, gotta sacrifice yourself.
Aile...
RIP Aile. He introduced himself, dropped some exposition, gave us a plot trinket, and died in the same scene.
Next time:
