Part 36: 07/14/09 - 07/19/09: Yabbashah The Dry Land (Part One)

Alright, it's time for our most difficult challenge to date... Finals.



And, like the mid-terms, it's gonna steal effectively a full week of our time. Great.

During the Test...



Dowsing

I know it's been a while a this point, but I'm sure you still remember the answers to all of these. They were all mentioned in class at some point or another.



Octopus

Also, each day is taken up by one question like before. This is going to be a recurring trend everytime we get to exams.



Minamoto No Yoritomo

Needless to say, I will be getting all of these questions right because they're not really difficult but feel free to give it a try yourself if you want. It's a bit meaner in that I'm not including the answer options but, uh...



I went, I learned.

They're not really required for three of them so whatever.



I hope you got them all right, because I sure did!



oh and yes i skipped the day transitions between the questions because they don't mean anything there

Want To Be Close (Reincarnation) / Time



Well, last day and Junpei's being... friendly, huh?

......
Thank god today's the last day of exams...
How've you been doing?
Don't ask.
I can't wait to let off some steam...
Dude, don't you just love summer?

During the Test...



This might very well be a good sign. It sure feels more optimistic than what we got at midterms at least! I think there's a better possible result, though... but I might be thinking of vanilla again.

Summer Begins Here

Joy



The dark days of testing are finally over! The sun is shinin' bright!
So, how'd you do?



Well, that pretty much answers the question.
Psh, a real man doesn't dwell on the past...
I'm thinking ahead to Yakushima!
Oh yeah, that's coming up soon, isn't it...?
Are ya ready?
How 'bout you?
Me? Um, not really...
I guess I should be more enthusiastic, huh?



Sounds good! Where we goin'?
If you need to buy a swimsuit, I'd be happy to help!
As if.
Alright, gimme a sec. I'm gonna go grab my stuff from the locker room.
...Oh, I'll invite Fuuka too.



I know I've been kind of a dick lately...
but we're still cool, right?
Don't worry about it.
Thanks, dude.



Alright, let's get going.



Freedom at last! What should I do now!?
Don't worry, I'm sure you'll think of something.
Hell yeah, I will!



Really, Mitsuru is more conspicuous here by her absence...

Ikutsuki-san called me.
I think he wants to talk about a new candidate.
Does that mean another person is going to join?
Maybe...





Do you think you can stay after school with me for a mandatory study session? There's, like, no one--
Oh, you're going back to your "home" home today, huh?
Okay, then never mind.



It's alright. Let's go.
Sorry, I'll see you all later back at the dorm.



I'm really surprised at how much she's changed.



Silence

Adolescence is such a wonderful thing! So full of vibrancy!



Oh, hello. I just stopped by to pick someone up.
I might as well introduce you to him now.

Troubled



Hey, it's that kid from the shrine!

Anyway, Ken is voiced by Brianne Sidall who I know pretty much entirely for being Tsukasa in .hack// and Gimmy in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

Oh, hi, Ken-kun. What's up?
You know him...?
He doesn't leave during the break because of his... circumstances.
Oh, I heard about that...
Something about his parents...



It happened two years ago.
...Right now, one of his distant relatives is paying for his school expenses.
But, staying at the elementary school dorm all by himself isn't proper for a child his age.



To OUR dorm!? Do you really think that's a good idea!?



Then, he's the new candidate...?
Yes...
But, as you can see, he's still just an elementary school student. So, it is merely a possibility for now.
......



Um... yeah.
I've heard a lot about you... You haven't lost a boxing match yet.
Yeah, well... It's nice to meet you.
......

End

Iwatodai Dorm



And we'll be spending most of it on a real vacation!

Yakushima, here we come! I can't wait for Monday!
And then, one week of school 'til summer break!
Frickin' awesome, dude!
Aren't you getting a little carried away?
I mean, the trip is only for a few days, and we'll still have to fight Shadows over summer break.
In other words, we can't afford to stop training in Tartarus...
I know, I know!
But, my energy level is so high during summer, no one can stop me!
Anyway, tomorrow I'm gonna start packing, so if we're going to Tartarus, then let's do it today.

This is genuinely a good idea, because July has a dark secret with Tartarus that will fuck you over if you don't know about it in advance...



Heck yeah!
Impressive. You seem to have a lot of free time to spare, even though you had finals.
I hope you did well on them.

Really, the key word is "had."



Although, I was a little disappointed about the price...
It turns out the fare for the ferry wasn't very fair.
But, when I told the lady selling the tickets that, she just ignored me.
*sigh* I was a little hurt after that.

goddammit, ikutsuki



You said it, brother.
Yeah! We're gonna have an awesome time!



I'm getting so excited now!



I wish "someone" would learn from his example.
I wonder why he's like that...

It would be nice if Ikutsuki stopped making incredibly shitty puns, yeah. But at the same time, that's what makes Ikutsuki, well, Ikutsuki.



...with us.

And Akihiko is sat all on his own, and is oddly saddened that Ken is gonna be living here for like 2 months.



It's dealing with the many cases of Apathy Syndrome over the last few months. Cultural anthropologists are investigating the causes, and...



Alright, so we'll be going to Tartarus naturally. Nice to stretch our legs after 5 days of exams.

The Voice Someone Calls



Alright, so before we do our proper ascension, I'm just gonna climb up from the 2nd floor to the barrier as just Minato. This is so I can grind yen (and I guess maybe also things to sell as a bonus) without fighting anything.

The Poem for Everyone's Souls



We get to just under 100k from that one trip, which is good enough for now. This lets us take Hua Po and... something else I had (Take-Minakata most likely) already to flip into Vetala for that request.



Well done. You have fulfilled my request.
I have a different reward for you this time.



If you're strong enough to control this Persona, then give it a try.
Please accept your reward.



The Sugar Key is a clever reference to Digital Devil Saga (1 specifically), where you needed to get this from Titania at the white castle at Co-Ordinate 136. That let a Pyro Jack open a giant treasure chest which enabled you to go and fight King Frosty at the top floor.

Anyway, here it just lets us fuse King Frost when we reach level 30. Ideally by then we'll have a higher Emperor social link rank but who knows.



Next in our chain of fusion requests is an Orthrus but that requires us to be level 28. Notable that this gives us equipment and not access to a new Persona...



Anyway, that done we need to ascend higher in Tartarus before we can do anything else for Liz so we'll be taking this party tonight.



Gonna take down that barrier and head on up...



We did it. We finally made it to the third block!

tartarus_0d03



So, the third block of Tartarus has this kinda cool appearance. I dig it, personally.



Plus the stairs look like they're from a ghost ship or something. It's kinda rad.

Anyway, Yabbashah - like the previous blocks - is a Hebrew word. In this instance it means "dry land," and it's also the name of the 5th world in the Kabbalah.



Oh sweet, we found the golden Shadow here really quickly. I just put that down as "if this happens, it's a bonus."

Mass Destruction / Wiping All Out



So, we'll just cave its skull in with a bus-stop sign.



There's the one Bronze Medal we need for Elizabeth's request. I guess Mitsuru'll be getting a Steel Pipe sometime soon after all.

Anyway, we're done a fight here so we'll deal with them now I guess.



Creation Relics are a bit weird, in that they're very Wind heavy but can heal, cast Light instant death... or self-destruct. Sure, okay.

Also, they're weak to Dark and generally come in groups of 3. Pale Rider just so happens to start with Mamudo...

Oh and they drop the Relic Fragments we want 5 of for Elizabeth too.



Killer Twins are, uh, Twins I guess. They have one clear gimmick but we have easy Maragi access and also Junpei, even though he doesn't ever get Maragi himself.



Indolent Mayas are, uh, Mayas I guess. They might very well be the most relatively weak one of the lot so far. I'unno.



Silent Books are maybe a little bit more dangerous since they can just (try to) kill everyone, or inflict Poison. That's... something, I guess.



Dogmatic Towers are similar, but lack the instant death, ailment proc rate increase and also weaknesses. That they're immune to 3 things, one of which is an instant kill even, is a bit annoying but managable.



Remember Lustful Snakes from before? Yeah, they turn up here. The're the same as they were in the second half of Arqa.



Mach Wheels aren't all that difficult, even though they could be on paper. Tarukaja + Power Charge means Double Fangs could tear through anyone effortlessly, but that takes forever and being weak to both Yukari AND Akihiko means they're gonna die in 1 round.



Oh, and our requisite Big Boy With Lots of Health is the Avenger Knight. He's, uh, annoying but weak to Expel so we can just Hama him. Gigantic Fist is very terrifying though...



And, of course, this is a new section of Tartarus so our Shuffle Time cards can go up to rank 4 now. EXP gives 1.8x bonus, equipment is ~70-80 attack (so, equal to what we had before) and coins gives around 4000 yen.

It's amazing how quickly it scales towards making Wands the only real choice.

tartarus_0d03



Anyway, let's get our real climb on. On floor 67, Fuuka tells us that there IS a boss somewhere but she doesn't know where. Thanks, Fuuka.



Floor 68 lets us get the Pleiades bow sometimes. This is... honestly a really good bow.



We've had the Toy Bow for a while, and this is both stronger AND gives +4 Magic for good measure. It's less accurate but still higher than the norm. We're definitely gonna give this to Yukari right away.



On Floor 70, Fuuka finally figures out where the boss fight is. The 72nd floor seems a bit closer than I'd have expected since we started Yabbashah on the 65th but I'm okay with that.



Ah, there we go. I was beginning to worry that the Red Shadow for this area wouldn't show...

Mass Destruction / Wiping All Out



Wild Drives are... honestly kinda bastards right now. They have 35 Strength and 33 Endurance...



So this means we can't really do that much damage to them with anything.



This unfortunately includes All-Out Attacks!



And this is what they can do with a basic attack. Just by default. Yikes.



But, hey, level 34 so that means they're worth A Lot of EXP especially when you add Wand cards (this was just from rank 3, even).

Plus we need 3 Greasy Gears for Elizabeth anyway, so we'd have to deal with them sooner or later. Just glad to get it done now.



And, of course, the 72nd floor is 3 enemy Shadows. Sure, okay. I sorta expected that, though.

Just gonna take the Terminal Point back down the 1st floor for that free full heal and also...

The Poem for Everyone's Souls



The Supreme Hand is a rare foe, indeed. Congratulations on tracking one down and defeating it.
Well, this proves you are getting stronger. I'm glad to see that.
Please accept your reward.



Oddly, the Steel Pipe is a one-handed sword. Sure, okay.



You know, it's a shame, really, that humans only believe in what they can see.
The statues those fragments are from were made from people's feelings...
Have you ever thought about why your Persona looks as it does?
Please accept your reward.



Medical Powder is just improved Medicine. It's, uh, fine I guess? Might just end up being sold for scratch down the line but who knows.



You obtained these from a particularly strong monster...
In fact, you are much more formidable now than when you first stepped into this room.
I will have to think of harder requests for you to fulfill.
Please accept your reward.



At least the 70k is enough to push us over 300,000 which sounds like a lot... but it won't last very long at all.



And from getting the Bronze Medal, our next Rare Shadow hunt is... in the 4th block. For a weapon that is also a new weapon type. Welp, can't even PRETEND to do this one for at least another month so.



So, our trio this time are... 3 wrestlemens. Pretty sure we've had that before...

Strength Furious Gigas x3 (Portable)

Master of Tartarus / Danger Zone



Okay, so let's get this out of the way right now...



The Furious Gigases are like the beetles from before. Yes, they are mechanically weak to Wind however they also resist it. A lot. They might have 30 Endurance, but...



Yukari - Yukari - can do quadruple the damage Garula can with a basic attack.



They're also immune to Fire (and Resist Elec), and if you ever scan them... Junpei will stand around and Wait if he's set to do anything BUT Heal/Support. They are neutral to all 3 Phys elements, but they have a nasty secret.



They have High Counter which means there is a 50% chance of them effectively reflecting any given Slash/Strike/Pierce attack. Yikes.



Anyway, skillset wise... their basic attack can do almost 500 damage. If it crits, but still. That's horrifying (and only in Hard mode).



...They can use... Life Drain...? I, uh, I genuinely did not know that until now. Wow.



Power Charge is a given, though. And also insanely scary.



Sukukaja is the closest thing there is to a real breather move from these guys. I will gladly accept!



Rebellion is a bit of a double-edged sword. It mainly benefits them, though, because of High Counter which is why they have no qualms using it.



Oh and they also have Gigantic Fist. Remember this, from the Avenger Knight random?



Over 500 damage. Over 500 damage. Gigantic Fist is heavy Strike damage, which means it has a baseline power of 315 and it also has a base 15% chance to Crit. Tartarus bosses kinda don't fuck around if you give them a chance.



Oh and they're not really susceptible to ailments, much. Boring.



End

But, well, they only have 500HP. Set Yukari to Full Assault and she will cast Magaru and hey if Minato also has Wind magic then you win in 1 round courtesy of 2 All-Out Attacks. Or maybe the 2nd if turn order isn't friendly to Yukari.

Furius Gigases are really giant Hulk Hogan shaped paper tigers, and I for one am glad. Later Tartarus bosses get genuinely terrifying and I'm really looking forward to it!



Our floor treasure is a single Precious Egg. This gives one person back all their SP. I can think of one major use for this , but it's not for a long, long time (and it's arguably better done with a Soma anyway) so...



That's all we'll do in Tartarus for now. We'll go back to finish off Yabbashah in a bit. First, we have the time to be lazing on a Sunday afternoon...

Current Net Price Tanaka



...Y'know, I was looking forward to not buying from Tanaka today. This pushes us back below the 300,000 Yen mark but the Mage's Mark should be worth it. I hope.



Since we had exams before, we didn't get the new shoes until now. And they're a very good evasion boost over what we had in the past. Simple, but effective.

Iwatodai Dorm



Viewers will only be able to see 25% of the sun from Tokyo, and 18% from Osaka. As a result of the eclipse, the temperature will drop slightly.

No one's in the dorm so we'll run to the TV and... get here either too early or way too late. We even missed the next episode preview!

When The Moon's Reaching Out Stars / Way of Life



Yukari and Fuuka are over at the Port Island Station hanging out by the cinema, I see.

Although, I don't think it's this shop's selection...

Yukari, that's... that's a fountain and a cinema. They, uh, they don't...

It could just be that I'm not up for a new swimsuit at all.



I've never bought a bathing suit besides the school one.
But I don't think Yukari-chan is really up for this...

And Fuuka pretty much just echoes Yukari's sentiments, huh. Sure, okay.



Fortunately, Junpei's also easy to find.

I asked Akihiko-san, but he doesn't give a rip about fashion.
So it's up to you, dude! Tell me what I should bring!
A one-piece bathing suit.
I thought of that once. It'll get a laugh, at least!

That's the plan!



But, sadly, we can't find Akihiko or Mitsuru anywhere, so we'll go and spend the day with Maya as per usual.

Joy



> Maya is walking nearby.

i'm not even complaining today or ne thing... so rare =P
but i have to tell tatsu cuz he's my MMO partner! i'll be brave -_-;;
*^_^*
...i'm so lame! i'm blushing for reals!!
oh noes... now i'm starting to get sweaty =/
Hurry up and tell me.
oh, hey tatsuya hehehehehehe xD

> Maya seems to be enjoying herself.



> Maya seems to be embarrassed.

i'm kinda..."interested" in sumone from school >_>



Well, you did sorta admit to being okay with this particular crime before...

OMG i said it!!!1 O_O;; ;P
none of the male teachers r even in my league, so i gave up looking for b/fs @ work



goin for younger guys is kinda new for me >_>
What is he like?



i luuuuuuv watchin his expressions in class xD is that bad?

"Bad" is an understatement...

> Maya seems to be having fun.

he's one of my students! =x



...Hang on a minute...

maybe i can abuse my power and convince him i'm a guidance counselor >_>
oh btw, u don't need to be jealous he's jus sumone i like, rite?
tatsuya is the only game partner for maya ^^; no worries

> Maya cares about you.

> Your relationship is stronger now!







...It's a coincidence. Like the Pascal thing in SMT1. Yup. That's it. It's an SMT1 reference buried in the Persona 2 stuff.

> You failed to convince anyone.

alrighty tatsuya, i gtg let's positive thinking!

> Maya's player signed off.

> You decide to log off as well.



Fortunately we're going to leave on vacation today. I could certainly do with being anywhere but here right now...