Part 75: 10/20/09 - 10/23/09

We're more than halfway to the Full Moon now, but it still feels so far away...

Fuuka Yamagishi
this scene's a lot longer than i remembered it being wow

Troubled



I know you've been busy lately, but you all remembered to do your homework, right?
Just because you're not taking a literature class next year doesn't mean you can blow off Classic Lit.
Hey, are you listening to me?



Hey, do you remember Natsuki? That one girl from the leadup to the second full moon who Fuuka awakened Lucia to save? She hasn't been seen since, huh.

Huh...?
Talk to me. Tell me what's bothering you.



Oh... Pretty shocking, huh...?
I've never seen him at school, but I've seen him around town...
I wonder if he really did get caught up in some kind of crime...

S...Sorta.

Some things you can never get back...
I know that, from all the things that have happened with my parents.



Parents, huh...? I can relate to that.
But, you'll be okay, right?
Natsuki, what are you waiting for? Come on up.
Yeah, yeah.



Huh? What's going on?



I'll remember each and every one of you, even after I transfer. Thank you. ...How's that?
Transfer...?



Tranqulity
boy this hasnt played in forever!



The biggest bitch in the school is leaving, and you feel sorry for her.
You're transferring... and you didn't say anything...?
It's not like telling you would've changed anything. Why make us both depressed?



And they say it'll take some time for him to recover...
We don't really have that much money, so we can't afford to stsy here.
Y'know, I still think you're crazy for being friends with someone like me...
But, like I said before... we're both in the same boat.



That's why I was so jealous when you moved into the dorm.
Natsuki-chan...
But, Fuuka... Your house is nearby and your parents are pretty normal. So, why'd you move?
Huh...? Well... um...

Well, Natsuki, you definitely don't remember those creepy giant things that tried to attack you on the first floor of the tower that grew out of our school...

If you don't want to tell me, that's okay.
...But if it's something that you and your folks can work out, then do it while you have a chance.



......
Haha, what am I doing? This isn't what I wanted to talk about.
Y'know, Fuuka... I used to think that every day was just the same.
And I'm only saying this because it's you...



If you accept the way things are, then they'll never change...
This is the last time I'll see this view, huh...



No!!
Haha. It's okay. Everything will be alright.
C'mon, don't gimme that look.
But...



I'm gonna try and figure out what I really want now.
...So, I hope you do the same.
What I really want...?
I used to try and please everyone...
I was afraid of not being liked, so I did my best to fit in.
But, I never really thought about what I wanted.



...But I like you... even if you don't like yourself.
Natsuki-chan...
Well... I better get going.

At this point, Natsuki walks away. Fuuka starts to chase after her, but stops because...





> "We can always talk, right? Thanks for everything."

Natsuki-chan...



......
It all makes sense now...
I've always been so worried about how others are feeling...
That's why my power allows me to stay connected with them...
I guess there is something I want after all...

Silence

It makes me happy to see everyone else happy too.



The power to connect people, even when they're apart...
My Persona has given me this amazing gift.

The Path is Open







This seems a bit sudden, honestly. I feel like if we saw Natsuki more than like one scene immediately after the full moon way back in May, this could've been more meaningful.

Also then Natsuki could have real development rather than just basically being a different character.





Pretty sure they're just aware that Natsuki's gone forever now, so you've lost your one real friend.

It is surprising to find you on the rooftop.
Nah, we were just wondering what you were up to...
Everything's okay now.
...I've made up my mind. I'll do as much as I can with my power.
...For my sake, as well as the sake of others.
Okaaayyy...



Uh, are you sure you're alright?

End

Changing Seasons / Sun



So, now that we've finally got control back, we'll head over to the Faculty area first. Mitsuru's hanging out here today, at least.

Here, this is from the Chairman...
It's a reward for effectively balancing school and battle.



Just a buncha Queen tier cards for pretty minimal effort. Since they're +3 in their primary stat, that's not too bad. Still not a great reward compared to later games though...



I guess we're lucky enough to not have to deal with Edogawa in this quest after all. Unless, uh, there's more to this.

I looked and looked, but there's nothing at my house that's not related to Masamune.
This didn't belong to Masamune personally, but it still has ties to him, so...
......
Do you really need this? Maybe you've... reconsidered?
Not that I'm reluctant at all to give it to you, you understand?
So I'll give it to you, but...
But...
You'll take good care of it, right!? It'll become a family heirloom, right!?



You must be proud, Makoto. You've got a family heirloom now.
Yeah, I guess this is how it should be...
......
Well, I've still got a few of those left at home.
This is the second time I've given my helm to a student, after all.



Back in the spring, when he first came here, he admired it so much that I let him have it.

Oh yeah, we DID see that. It was in like the second in-game day.

It does my heart good to see men with the samurai spirit, even those from a foreign country.
It must be because the lives of the Sengoku generals still shine brightly across history...!
Masamune Date, for example. The amazing thing about him is that he...

> You enjoyed the stories about Masamune again.

> You feel that your knowledge of history has deepened...

> You obtained a helm from Mr. Ono.

Whew, so that's done. Finally. We'll just take this over to Elizabeth right away.



...Almost right away. First, though, we'll be taking Surt and putting him in a sword. Naturally this makes the sword he was given by Loki. An attack of 340 puts it amongst the strongest non-endgame weapons already, so it just blows out the Gae Bolg wholesale. Plus it also boosts itself for good measure, since it does Fire damage. Giving this to Junpei for sure.

The Poem For Everyone's Soul



Its heft, its feel... and the character "love" on the brow...
Does that mean... to protect the head? Or was it "love" for the helm...?
Mysteries upon mysteries... Still, it is a wonderful helm. This satisfies my request.
Why don't you take the helm with you? I think it suits you better than it does me...
Please accept your reward.



On paper, 5 Bead Chains is very nice for sure. I sure can't complain, even though I'm probably only seldom going to use 'em.



Anyway, let's hang out with Keisuke a bit more. He's been pretty neglected in general, so why not.

Joy



Club Advisor: They said you'll definitely be receiving a prize, Keisuke.

Huh...? I don't understand... What does that mean...?

Club Advisor: It means you placed in the top four: At best you'll receive 1st place...



Club Advisor: The judges were very impressed with your awareness and control over depth of field. Congratulations, Keisuke!

Hey, good job, Keisuke-senpai.

> Everyone is admiring Keisuke.

Th-Then, that means...
You should tell your dad.
Th-That's right! My dad promised me!
He said if I won, I could do whatever I want...
So this means I don't have to listen to him anymore, right?



Hey, we should celebrate!
Yeah, that would be fun!
Thanks, everybody...
And sorry for causing you so much trouble, Makoto-kun...
...Well, we should probably get going. You're coming to the party, right?

> Keisuke has expressed his gratitude to you.

> Your relationship is stronger now!





Club Advisor: But, don't worry everyone. It won't take long. Please wait outside the Faculty Office.

> You decided to go to the Faculty Office.



I really don't know why the nameplate switches to "Teacher" for this part of the scene. She's the same woman from before. Weird.

Club Advisor: The judges think you have a lot of potential.



Me...? Study abroad?



Come quick! Mikarin just fainted!
Huh? ...Oh, okay! I'll be right there!
Sorry, Sensei. This is all so sudden. I'll need some time to think about it.



Club Advisor: But he's always trying to help people in need... A doctor's son with such talent... I have to say, I'm a bit jealous.

It doesn't seem like anyone's in the mood to celebrate now...
Well, I guess I'll let everyone know what happened. You can get going if you want.

> After saying goodbye to everyone, you decided to go back to the dorm.

It's pretty weird how Keisuke sometimes gets a longer scene after the rank up. I'unno, it's happened twice now though.

Iwatodai Dorm



But, no matter how far apart we are, we'll always be friends.
So, I'll be fine.



She used to be so reserved, but now... she's so outgoing.

You'd probably expect there to be a few more folks talking about this, considering Fuuka's persona just evolved...



Newscaster: For the real casino experience, you have to go to Las Vegas in the USA! We'll now hear from our foreign correspondent on the Strip. Hello there!
Foreign Correspondent: Hi, and welcome to Las Vegas, gambling capital of the world!

...which is, of course, completely wrong. There's just Fuuka herself and Yukari. No one else cares, apparently.



So, next day!

Changing Seasons / Sun



...Well, we're almost done. It feels like it went so fast.
...So many things happened, but...
I'm glad that I was able to become friends with everyone. ...What about you?
Same here.
...I'm glad to hear that. I will do my best until the very end.



Now that we've finally got the chance to hang out with Yuko again, we're going to do so immediately. That she wants us to go to her room before rank 10 is some weird sorcery.

Joy



How about you, Makoto-kun...?
......



...! Oh, I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stare...
I just noticed that you have such long eyelashes. I've never seen you this close before... *blush*
H-How 'bout we change topics... I have a question for you!
Do you like kids, Makoto-kun?
Not really.
Well, those kids said they like YOU.
I think people are drawn to you, Makoto-kun.
Can I ask you one more question? Before we call it a night...?
Let's say you get married and have a kid.
Would you want it to be a boy or a girl?
A girl.
Me too! We must be on the same wavelength!



I could dress her up in different outfits, and she could be my little helper.
...Anyway, I wouldn't want the baby to take after me, since I'm a little rough around the edges.



...Getting more than a little ahead of yourself here. Even Chihiro wasn't quite THAT forward!

...Uh, I... I didn't mean to imply... Oh, what am I saying!?



> Your relationship is stronger now!





There was this show about predicting what a baby will look like by combining two people's pictures!
That's the only reason I brought it up!
I don't want you to misunderstand!
Um... H-Hey! It's getting late! Let's call it a night, okay?

> You left abruptly as if you had been kicked out.

As dumb as it is, this scene still makes marginally more sense for the bad timelimit mechanic. It even fits the blatant one-sided creepiness that was established with Chihiro.

Iwatodai Dorm



But, there's only one Shadow left.
Once we destroy 'im, it'll be all over.
We need to save this town, man.
Leave it up to me.
...Gotcha.
Let's put a smile on everyone's face!

We'll be worrying about that in the near-ish future, yeah. Just under 2 weeks to go and all...



I want to be able to make a successful report to Shinjiro.



She was always so down...
Girl's friendships are so weird.

With this, you'd think others would now also be talking about Natsuki at last, but...



Newscaster: It was off by a few days, but the cultural anthroplogist's predictions came true again. He announced his intentions to continue his research on...

There is, at least, a bit more tonight. Just gonna head on upstairs.



I guess I'll try to sleep more. I don't get much sleep on the night we go to Tartarus.
Arf!
You either, Koro-chan?
But, you sleep all day, Koromaru.



I'll be sure to tell my mother and Shinjiro-san about it, though.
Hmm... If it does really happen...
I want to see what it's like to be an ordinary elementary school student.

Unfortunately, THAT'S all we have today. So...



Let's see what another day brings us.

Changing Seasons / Sun



Everyone know what tofu is, right? (sic)
It's a high-protein health food made of soybeans.
Soy sauce is another food that's obvnously made from soybeans.
Now... Makoto.
Natto comes from soybeans, too, but how is it made?
By fermenting them.
Right.
Natto is fermented, which is why it's sticky.
It's a Japanese food, but even here, a handful of people can't stand the taste of it...

That's because natto is really fucking gross.



But, you know what's a good kinda gross? How much stronger Junpei just got, and he didn't even have to do anything. Gonna be sticking an Agni Bracer on that boy too.



That comes later though. For now, more Keisuke. It's not particularly important, but he was neglected for so long.

Joy



So are you.
Is that what it seems like to you, Makoto-kun?

> Keisuke seems a little sad.

Well, I told my dad about my opportunity to study abroad, and get this...



All he ever wanted was for me to become a doctor, and now he's saying I should follow my dreams...
I don't know what I should do. *sigh* I'm so confused...
Do whatever you want.
Th-That's true, but...
If I study abroad, it'll seem like I'm only doing it because my dad told me to...

Honestly, do it. It'll be more interesting than hanging around here. Lotsa folks here are kinda dull, really. Probably no Apathy Syndrome in nonspecific "abroad" either.



...Thanks. I've been having a really hard time with this, but I feel a lot better now.
You're the only person I can talk to, Makoto-kun.

> Keisuke has expressed his gratitude to you.

> Your relationship is stronger now!





...Oh, sorry. Let's get going.
I'm having my driver pick me up, so if you want, I can have him drop you off near your dorm.

> You decided to get a ride back to the dorm with Keisuke.

Iwatodai Dorm



Well, your exams are over now, so we should focus on the task at hand.
Only one Shadow remains. This will be the final battle.
The fate of this town rests in your hands.
I believe in you. Good luck.



That's true. It is absolutely the most basic of basics that a cornered animal is very dangerous.

Only one Shadow remains...
I am sure that this will be the toughest battle of all.
Please make sure you are prepared for it.



When I train, I pretend someone's watching me.
That seems to get me motivated.

That's honestly kinda weird and doing that would make me feel more anxious and worried that I'm messing something up.



He told me I was doing well for an elementary school student.
That made me really happy.

That's an amazing backhanded compliment, right there.



Male Reporter: Now, back to the studio for more news.

The days right now sorta do that thing between major events where they blur together a bit, so we'll just end this one too without much fanfare.



...Although we do make a Sunday date with Yuko.



Aw hell, we got time for one more. Let's see what we can get upto today.

Changing Seasons / Sun



We've covered the times of magical growth, and now we've just about reached the modern age.
Every art or science branches off into sub-studies as it progresses...
Magic, too, was subdivided around the 18th century.
Some people preached about morals, some focused on communicating with spirits, and so on.



This, too, is magic: the ability to see into the human mind.
As a result of the flourishing magical research, witch hunts became more common...
To avoid this, magic began to progress in "secret societies."
I'm sure many of you have heard the names of these organizations...



Many of these societies are still with us today.
The forefathers of modern magic are too numerous to count.



His literature, which took a scientific approach, is still published today.



Many magical societies have stemmed from the Theosophical Society that she founded.
Mesmer opened the path to psychology in his studies on life energy.
Rudolf Steiner helped spread the knowledge of anthroposophy.



And Gurdjieff, a mystic who taught his many students the Fourth Way.
All of them had incredible stores of knowledge.
...Are you all listening? You're not frozen with fear, I trust? Eeeheehee.
I'll test you, to see how well you've been paying attention.
Get it wrong, and your zodiac sign will change. Ahah Adonai Tetragrammaton...
Who to choose...? Ah, Makoto, I ask thee...
Who was the founder of Theosophy, which gave rise to many magical societies?
Madam Blavatsky.
Very good. Remember to be purified on your unlucky years...
Now then, the magical arts progressed even further with practial use.
With the knowledge spread by the people we've discussed today...

Honestly, I'm sorta glad to get Edogawa for once. I dunno, it's weird stuff, but it's interesting weird stuff.



...So, uh, let's follow that up with Hidetoshi. We're nearly finished with his link, and we want that done very soon now. Very, very soon.

Joy



The cigarette butt incident will be dropped... They say it's my fault, for asking so many questions.
I wanted to be Student Council President next year, and the P.E. teacher agreed to endorse me.
But, I lost any chance of achieving that goal when I disagreed with him.
The student body is also annoyed with me.



Don't blame yourself.
...Now I know why the President asked you to join Student Council.
Those aren't just empty words... or sympathy. You genuinely mean what you say.



The system only works if you have people's trust, and trust is not something you force them to feel.
When the P.E. teacher suggested that you should be a suspect,
I felt as if I was being bullied by an ignoramus who just had more power than me.



If it wasn't for you, Makoto-kun, I would've gotten carried away. Thank you.

> Hidetoshi seems genuinely appreciative.

> Your relationship is stronger now!





I realize it's out of character for me... I'm sure everyone would just make fun of me.
Remember, I expect you to keep this a secret. See ya later.

> You decided to go back to the dorm.

Well, I guess whatever's left for the final scene for Hidetoshi will have something to do with his dad or whatever. The only real plotline sorta just... stopped offscreen between ranks.

Iwatodai Dorm



That makes me think that a Shadow is coming... But this
will be the last one, right?
...So let's do our best!

11 days to go, yeah. 11 days til what we expect is the final battle...



Every day, all around the world, people are making new friends...
and keeping in touch with old ones.
Please remember that next time you go online.

And that was in 2006 2009. Almost a decade later, and that's just a normal everyday thing now.



...or is Akihiko-san different now?
I agree.
...Instead of getting all depressed after Shinjiro-san died, Akihiko-san got stronger.
Shinjiro-san was amazing... but so is Akihiko-san now!
Too bad they couldn't still fight together!



Newscaster: In light of the high number of viewer complaints, the reporter responsible has been suspended.

Yeah, uh, so there's nothing else of note to do tonight. Sadly.









So, hey, we just went to Tartarus a few days ago but the month's nearly over so let's get right on back in there.



Yukari is still hella disgustingly good, even if her capstone spell is a Magarula of all things. It's only one level away so she'll definitely get it. Not like it's really needed, considering that absurd 47 Magic and all.



Junpei is unchanged from before, since he didn't need to even get any off-screen grinding done. He's... pretty middling, honestly. That his best stat is sub-40 now stands out as being bad, considering he is our only real Strength character. He does at least have decent Phys elemental coverage if we need that again.



Akihiko's not even good at Strength any more, and hasn't really been since he became playable, but he's still not too far behind Junpei. He just has nothing he can use with it. Sure, he has Sonic Punch but the AI just doesn't even bother with that any more.



Mitsuru's slightly weaker than Yukari in terms of raw numbers, but after Mabufula she learned Ice Boost at level 45. She now has boost and amp, courtesy of those Varna Bracers. And she's en route to learning Mind Charge. Mitsuru is a few levels away from being the best character we have other than Makoto. Yeesh.



After being along for the ride before, Aigis learned Dekunda and nothing else in the interim. But she's now a level away from her first multi-target buff, so she's almost useful as a support character. Hurray! Her endurance is pretty damn good too, all things considered.



Koromaru is Koromaru and he's our first non-Makoto character to have a dyne! He's even close to getting his own Boost, for good measure. The problem is that Koromaru's magic sucks balls and he has the worst SP in the game so he can't cast it too often.



Ken's finally able to see Kala-Nemi's first skill since he learned Recarm at level 42,while you weren't looking. Mediarama is nice, but it's not worth witholding until level 51. Which is probably why Portable changed that and gave him it forever ago in Nemesis' skillset. At least Hamaon is useful for trash mobs.


You know the drill by now:

3 slots to fill. Who's getting 'em?








Oh, right, let's talk about Juno real quick. Since Fuuka's our Navigator, she doesn't change too much. Oracle is a new skill that she'd learn at level 50, but keeping everyone at roughly equal levels made Makoto (and thus Fuuka) slightly overlevelled some. Oracle is a thing that is nice on paper but pretty shoddy and worthless in practice:

It can fully heal the party, or give them back all their SP, or it can do both. It could even be a dud roll and remove any status ailments. Or, uh, it can reduce the entire party's HP and SP to 1. Fuck that.

Escape Route just gives us a permanently free Traesto when we reach level 62. Nice, but not really a big deal.