Part 45: Brave New Pork (2)

This is a sewer. Thankfully, it's pretty short and there's a hot spring mid-way through so you can blast through the enemies with ease.



Between the sewer noise you'll hear Boney barking his head off.







There are only two enemies here, the Putrid Moldyman and the Metal Attack Roach. The latter's pretty unimportant, just attacking a person twice for underwhelming damage and occasionally stunning a character. I didn't run into it on the way to our destination, and showing it off on the return trip would break the flow a bit, so here's its music:







The Putrid Moldymen have alright offense but wreck you with status effects like nausea and poison.







Also, the mementos revive the holder should they fall, though the memento goes away. It's automatic, too, so it's used even if you wouldn't bother on a trash enemy.



It has no name.



There's two pieces of alright treasure and then this jerk move.



It made the mistake of popping up next to a hot spring in the first area we get to use our new PSI on.



So yeah, PK Starstorm is pretty amazing.





So yeah, PK Love Omega is pretty amazing.





Before we reach our destination, we can buy wares from this mole cricket who just happens to be doing business in a sewer.









The MT Apartments are a filthy dump devoid of people. It's two floors of abandonment. Considering this is Mother 3, the people who lived here were probably too lazy to clean up after themselves and just left to be lazy elsewhere. It's not surprising it's right in the middle of the entertainment sector of New Pork City, because that seems just how Porky would plan a city from what we've heard of him.



Anyway, Boney is waiting for us at least.



(I chased after a strange-smelling bug and somehow wound up here.)





And with that, Boney rejoins the team. At least he got some exercise.

I think this is also the first time he "talked" since Chapter 5.



(But never mind that! L-l-look what's in this next room...!)

It's time we come face-to-face with this mysterious leader. Who is it, you wonder?



Yep, it's Leder. Leder is our leader.

It must be a real shock to hear me speaking for once.
It wasn't that I couldn't talk all this time. I simply chose
not to. As I rang that Cross Road bell, deep inside my heart
I had decided I would speak to no one. But the secrets I've
been guarding are now starting to leak out.

Lucas.
The time has come to tell you everything. What I'm about
to tell you, you might not want to know. Even so,
you absolutely must hear it.

He's not kidding. We're about to get a massive plot dump that goes into the very backstory of Mother 3.

Let's begin.

Given who you are and how you've lived, what I have to say
will tear at your hearts, and there is just so much
to tell. So I've decided to have the stinkbug trembling
behind me memorize everything I say.

Ready, Mr. Stinkbug?

Long ago, there existed a "world". A world different from what
the people on these islands think of. This "world" was
incredibly big. More people lived on this world than there are
grains of sand on these Nowhere Islands. I know it may be hard
to imagine, but such a world once existed.

At some point, the world wound up destroyed. Naturally, it was
humans who destroyed it. In the back of their minds, everyone
had an inkling that it would happen at some point. And then it
really did happen.

...And so, the world is no more.

Summary: Mother 3 is a post-apocalyptic world.

Also, Leder will ask if you understood each section. Just say yes and he'll go on.

Just before the end of the world, a "White Ship" came to these
islands. On it were all the people of Tazmily Village. Yes.
Aboard the White Ship were those few who had managed to escape
the "world".

The people on the ship still went by their names from the
previous world. This "White Ship" plan had been set in place
before the world was destroyed. And, although they're part of
the world, these Nowhere Islands are a special place. They were
the one place that would remain, even if the world was lost.
The one and only place where people could survive.

And so the White Ship arrived at these islands.

So, all the Tazmily villagers? Survivors of the apocalypse who just happened to find the one place in the world that would protect them.






We already knew about the Dragon, Magypsies, and the Needles. The only new info is that this dragon is apparently so powerful that even while sleeping his aura protects the islands.

Those who came here aboard the White Ship feared another "End
of the World" more than anything else. They felt that the
world's destruction was a direct result of the way they had
lived. The people of the White Ship discussed things at great
length. They shared their wisdom and spoke with grave
seriousness. And then they arrived at their conclusion.

They decided to completely erase everyone's memories of the
previous "world" and start their lives over with new rules and
new roles. Yes.

In short, everyone would play out the ideal "story" that they
had come up with. That is what happened. The people would
restart their lives in a simple, peaceful village, in the kind
of place they wished they had grown up in. They would erase
their memory of everything: the world, their belongings, their
rules...and then they would begin their new lives. Everyone's
old memories would be reset and replaced with their newly-
created "story". And thus the village of Tazmily came to be.

However, it was necessary to record the fact that the memory
replacement had taken place. The Hummingbird Egg was the device
used to store the memories of the White Ship people. Wess and
his son Duster, both playing the roles of thieves, were set to
take action should a dangerous situation occur. Remember when
they went to Osohe Castle? They went there to retrieve the
secret of the "People of the White Ship".

And there's one other thing. Me. It was essential that one
person retain memory of the previous world to sort of "keep
watch" over things. I was the only one in the village of Tazmily
who wasn't given a role in the new "story." The sound of my bell
served as a "suggestion", to keep everyone's fabricated
memories from reverting. My name "Leder" comes from the word
"Leader." No, no, that doesn't mean I was anyone special. It
was just that I was particularly taller than all the others.

So, upon discussion, I was selected because it would be easier
for me to stand out. Being so tall, people would want to come
see me, you know? And so I was given the role of revealing these
secrets when the time truly called for it.

So the White Ship people are all, "Man, it'd be really cool if we lived without the horrors of modern life and just lived simple lives like our ancestors", just like everyone else thinks at one time or another before they realize, man, life would be so boring without the internet. But since the apocalypse took down the internet, they went with the idea and collectively shoved all their old memories in an egg because this is a video game. So the Hummingbird Egg that was such a big deal for most of the game is actually everyone's memories. Also, Leder's the one person who gets to keep his memory because, like, he's really tall and stuff, and he rings a bell constantly so people will be too distracted to remember they're pretending to live an idyllic town life instead of being apocalypse survivors role playing an idyllic town life.

Let me also talk about Osohe Castle. Apparently, long ago, a
kingdom existed on this island, centered around the king of
Osohe. However, when we arrived on the White Ship, the people
of this kingdom were gone. It seems they had left the islands,
fearing the Dragon's eventual awakening someday.

Before boarding the White Ship, Princess Kumatora was an infant
who had lost her mother and father. Upon coming to these
islands, she was given to the Magypsies to raise, and given the
role of princess of Osohe Castle. Wess and Duster being her
retainers was another part of the fabricated "story".

Osohe Castle is one of the few and precious relics of this
island's "past". We crafted our story in haste, so the people
inside it have very little "past" or "history". Have you noticed
no one in Tazmily can talk about things from 100 or 1000 years
ago? In truth, we HAD wanted to create an entire plethora of
myths and legends...but our story was made in such a hurry that
we weren't able to. It's a real shame.

I'm sure that much of what I'm saying, you'd rather not hear,
but it's the truth.

So Kumatora was an orphan that the townspeople decided to give to the resident Magypsies because, hey, someone needs to be royalty for this random castle here. Also, everyone was too rushed to come up with a proper backstory and history for their town but it's not like anyone's going to notice so no biggie.

Truthfully, we had no idea how Tazmily Village would turn out.
But things actually went rather well. The people who had arrived
on the White Ship had fully taken to their new identities.
They believed they had always lived together peacefully.

It was when a person by the name of Porky stumbled upon these
islands that everything started to go amok. It seems he used a
"Time Distorter" machine to travel through time and space at
will. However, he was apparently shut out from all other times
and spaces and tumbled into this era and these islands. Even
worse, he used his Time Distorter to bring many people from
other eras here. The Pigmasks, as well as everyone in New
Pork City, were all brought here and brainwashed by Porky.

This Porky fellow seems to view these islands as his own
personal "toy box", with which he can do anything he wants. He
would take animals apart and recombine them to make creepy, new
"Chimeras". As a child-like dictator, he began doing whatever
he pleased, including building Thunder Tower and forming his
own army.

Porky eventually learned the White Ship secret because of a
traitor among the Magypsies.

In Earthbound, there is a device called the Phase Distorter created by Dr. Andonuts that Ness's annoying neighbor Pokey steals to travel back in time and be pals with big bad Giygas. It's quite possible this is the same or a similar device.

I'll go ahead and confirm what you all probably already know by now: Pokey from Earthbound is indeed Porky, the big bad of Mother 3. In fact, Pokey itself is a bit of a mistranslation that Tomato decided to fix for this game due to the big pork theme of Porky's army.

Anyway, Porky hasn't changed a bit and is still an immature twat who takes glee over the destruction he creates with his own maliciousness, including the Chimeras and Thunder Tower. Also, all the random NPCs we see popping up around Chapter 4 or so are unfortunate victims from other dimensions funneled here by Porky because hell, why not. In fact, the game starts proper in Chapter 1 when Porky's army of Pigmasks first interacts with the Tazmily Village area.

But Porky is not alone in his mischief.

This traitor was Locria, the seventh Magypsy, and the only one
you haven't met yet. After Locria joined forces with Porky,
Porky learned about the White Ship people and the secret of
the sleeping Dragon.

Porky decided to pull the Needles to wake the Dragon, so he
could use the power for himself. The Dragon is the power of the
very earth itself, you see. It's said that whoever pulls the
sealing Needles will become the Dragon's master. However, only
a very select few are capable of pulling the Dragon's Needles.
Apparently, neither the Magypsies nor Porky have that capability.
Yet, the Needles are being pulled now. That means Porky is
somehow controlling someone who can control the Dragon's power!

...We have to put a stop to Porky's antics. If we don't, the
world will be completely destroyed again, and it will spell
the true end for everything. For Porky, that might be the
ultimate pleasure, but we can't allow it to happen. We, the
last handful of people there are, absolutely can't allow it to
happen.

Lucas.
It seems you're a chosen one, with the ability to pull the
Needles sealing the Dragon away. You MUST pull the Dark Dragon's
Needle with your own hands, and pass your heart on to the
Dragon. Let this be my one and only order to you as your
"leader".

Porky's not alone, as the Magypsy Locria turned traitor and decided to help Porky for some reason. Also, Porky managed to find someone who can pull the Needles, the Masked Man, who is also helping Porky for some reason. How they both can tolerate Porky, I have no idea.

Anyway, our goal still hasn't changed. We have to pull that last needle.



GOOD. I'm tired of typing all this out.

Only the Magypsies really know the Needles' locations, so I don't
know where to find them. But, from the way Porky and the others
have been acting, I would say they're now very close to reaching
the seventh Needle. Please, Lucas. Be the one who pulls the
final Needle.

Porky issues his orders from the 100th floor of the Empire Porky
Building. Start by jumping into the fray and storming the
building. After that, you can start looking for clues.

It's been such a long time since I've spoken to anyone. And now
I'm exhausted. This stinkbug should remember everything I've
just said. Take him with you. That way, if you happen to forget
anything I've said here, you can ask him to repeat it. Will you
go with them, Mr. Stinkbug?

If you talk to Leder again, he'll repeat his advice to go to the Empire Porky Building, as well as this:

Don't worry about me. If your battle goes well, I'm sure I'll
regain my freedom, just as everyone else will. Be confident
in yourself, and go forth.

Oh yeah, I save every new piece of dialogue as a screenshot to transcribe later. That whole thing took nearly 200 screenshots by itself.

Also, this music is a slightly different version of the music that played at the end of Chapter 3, after Lucas saves the day and the heroes first get the upper hand (before they kinda do nothing for the next three years).





We can also reread all of that if we really want to. Of course, I just typed everything out here anyway, so you can just reread it here instead. It's more convenient and I'd really appreciate it.



Also, no saving Leder for some reason.



We still have to walk back to the sewers. There's still that hot spring to make life easy.



Alright, time to take on Porky!





Oh, wait, there's Fassad yet again.







"Oh, what a pleasure it is to see you again." No, wait. "Long time, no see," Fassad says. "I say nwehehehehe to you, for I will now give you thoroughly destructive damage," he goes on to say.



"Therefore, I will absolutely, unquestionably be victorious over you." is what Fassad says. "What's more, I will put an end to your tale. I will give you damage, and then provide you with even more damage, until you are soundly defeated."













Fassad's back, and this time he's...even angrier, I guess, maybe?

You know the drill. Buffs, debuffs, it's at the point where you should be using Shield Snatcher first round.





Miracle Fassad, like before, can attack twice a turn. His music attack is the most painful of his regular attacks, and even then it's not that bad for 50 damage to three people before shields, especially if you have Lifeup Omega at this point.









In fact, I'd consider Miracle Fassad more annoying than threatening, due to his status effects. He can use flashes of light to inflict crying on the party, and he can throw a flea bomb at a person.



Fleas are a pain since they can stop PSI attacks a good chunk of the time (though not 100%). This slows down my buffing by several rounds, especially as a couple times Fassad inflicts crying on Lucas too right when I have Healing Alpha queued up, causing Kumatora to cure his tears instead of his fleas. And she doesn't learn Healing Beta, either.

Being L56 might not be bad for Lucas, since he learns Healing Omega, which heals all party members. Handy for multi-target crying.



Miracle Fassad also has a puny charge attack, no biggie.



And he can apply a shield, which is kinda dumb.







Later on, he'll spend two turns to throw bombs for major damage to the entire party. Most parties should have Lucas at 50 for Lifeup Omega to make this irrelevant, but I just spend a round healing instead. Gotta give some attention to those poor heaing items, after all.

In case you're wondering, I do finally hit L50 after this battle.



At this stage, I cast PSI Shield on everyone. This is very important to do. Hell, if you have the time and PP, PSI Counter is a good option too.





When you do enough damage to Miracle Fassad, he loses a lot of his more-annoying attacks.



This is because he replaces them with his frightening scary-powerful attacks.







You see, Fassad actually knows PSI. It just takes an intense hatred built upon layers and layers of humiliation and defeat for him to actually show it.

But these are nothing.







That's right, Fassad just happens to somehow know PK Starstorm. Without PSI Shields, this would do around 300 damage to the entire party.





Of course, this is still Fassad, so he can still restore himself with Luxury Bananas. Everyone's doing enough damage where this is no biggie, though.





Again, this is halved damage. Without a shield, this would flat-out OHKO any character, including Duster with the group's highest HP. Of course, it's not really a OHKO if his HP is high already and you're fast enough to heal him back up.







Overall, a brutal fight, but one that never really threatened me because I'm just that damn good.





"Gah! Oww ow owww"... Hmm, I will not translate this part. The reason being that these are not words, but simple sounds. "You have bested me, kind sirs. Actually, no, you did not best me. You are merely detestable. I am sick of all this fighting. Very, extremely sick of it. This is all just a game. You could call it Master Porky's game."



"But, I am still not sure. The flames of my life are in danger now."







And thus ends our last encounter with Fassad. Farewell, weird dude who was still a mean enough jerk to constantly electrocute a monkey. You're still an asshole.



but now that Fassad is gone, I am no longer needed.





Alright, then.



Next time, fried pork.