Part 7: 04/26/09 - 04/30/09

Fusion



Alright, so, during the solo half of the Tartarus excursion, not much of interest happens. Even Tired, we're in no real danger after all; that's what happens when you stick to the lower floors because they're convenient enough for our purposes.



Hit level 5 really quickly, which lets us make Nekomata so that Makoto can be still lagging behind where Kotone... was... before the Eagles. At least she has Rakunda inherited from the Pixie. That's useful.



Bonus EXP pushes her up to level 6 and almost, but not quite, level 7. As a general rule, you get enough EXP to give levels equal to half the Social Link rank.

End



During the real grind for getting from 5 to 6, we get a lot of money, trash weapons to sell later, regain Pixie and Apsaras from Shuffle Time and... get this gal. She'll be useful later on and let Makoto grind easier since he has Garu access now. Wind helps tear through Grave Beetles after all. Plus, they always come alone...



But, the real reason we care about Angel is that she lets us fuse an Ara Mitama without giving up Nekomata.



This is important because we're going to need both Nekomata AND Ara Mitama this week. Ara is really good for this stage in general because of his resistance to Strike, that he has Bash and good Strength, both Rakukaja AND Rakunda...



And then he gets Sukukaja at level 8 as well, just because he wasn't useful enough already. So long as we don't get (too) Tired on the way up, he can hopefully carry us through the rest of this part of Tartarus. Uh, next time we come here I mean.



Oh and this is what I was banking on happening. It seems like a terrible thing, and it usually is, but we want it. It'll help speed something up ever-so-slightly.

Iwatodai Dorm



So, Sunday is the only day of a normal week that is free. See, back until like 2003(ish) Japan had 6 day school weeks. Then it changed to the 5 day system that is somewhat more common. Persona 3, 4 and 5 all use the 6-day system because that's probably what the dev team is more accustomed to.



It's kind of annoying to have to deal with in gameplay terms, but we can still manage.



Yeah, I'm outta here.
Yeah, go out and have some fun.



You can study or go out. It's up to you.
Cool.
Just be careful not to get injured.

Not gonna lie, I would absolutely wear Mitsuru's winter-ish casual clothes. They're pretty cool.



...wait shit we spent too much time messing around and we ended up missing Phoenix Ranger Featherman R!



And now, the news. Our first story is about the many youngsters with only part-time employment...

Phoenix Ranger Featherman is one of the few consistent ties between the PS1 Persona games and now, since this was originally in Persona 2 Innocent Sin. Phoenix Ranger Featherman R is a pastiche of a real Sentai show, Chojin Sentai Jetman, which ran every week for a full year from 1991 to 1992. Someone at Atlus clearly really liked that show but I personally cannot speak for its actual quality or anything.



The reason I know it's that particular series and not anything else is... well, I don't know for sure but it's the closest by far. The whole bird theme and what the in-universe Phoenix Rangers are called makes it a reasonable presumption. Some of them are even lifted wholesale from Chojin Sentai Jetman, no less!

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



I'm just wandering around.
You don't know this place? You should explore the city some more.

Honestly, the city really isn't that big. There ARE a few places that we haven't seen yet, but we'll get there in time I'm sure.



Nothing. What's up?
I just ate, man. All that exercise in Tartarus makes me hungry.

We could absolutely head into Wild Duck Burger right now ourselves, but that uses up our day so that's not happening yet. Maybe later.



What's annoying is that our S.Links are really limited right now, so we're just meandering around without much to do on Sunday. This'll change later but this week we're just gonna head over to the movies again.



Really, this is all we CAN do today of substance so the stat gain is mostly irrelevant. Like, it's NOT but it wouldn't matter which stat it was.

Iwatodai Dorm



In a nice change, when we return home in the evening we don't get talked at immediately. It's not going to change anything from our perspective, mind.



All you need to do is perform a surprise attack on it.
However, if the enemy's ability level is equal to yours, there is a lesser chance it will become distressed.



but its special effect may be more important. Even if two pieces of equipment are the same, if their special effects are different, then their uses will be different as well.
So if the properties on a piece of equipment aren't very good, it might still be useful, depending on what its special effect is.



Okay, then when you get hurt, I'll heal you with either an item or a skill.
But, there may be times when I won't be able to heal you. So don't get mad at me if that happens.

Y'know, we might actually be using Heal/Support on Junpei before Yukari.



I'm en fuego, baby!
But, it's weak against wind...
*sigh* I guess my flame gets blown out by the breeze, huh...

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



The TV hasn't updated with anything worthwhile since earlier in the day, so we'll just head on out. Despite being Sick, we can do things like normal which is semi-unexpected I guess. We absolutely should not go to Tartarus like this, though.



So, we won't. Instead, we'll just go croakily sing for a couple hours and grind out more Courage. I'm focussing on this one over the other two for a reason, yes.



This is a good thing. I was kind of worried that this might get cured overnight, but thankfully it didn't.

Want To Be Close / Time



Listening: Didn't you say the same thing last week? Is that special morning assembly today? How come we're having one? We just had one last week...
Gossiping: Remember how great Kirijo-senpai's speech was last week?
Listening: Oh yeah, that speech was awesome! Although, I didn't understand most of it...
Gossiping: What I heard was, the principal got jealous, so he scheduled his own speech to compete with her.
Listening: Seriously!? What's up with that? Why do we have to suffer because of his ego!?

> The first bell has rung.



First, our principal has some words he'd like to share with you. Please give him a warm welcome.
...Thank you.



...You think it's about the recent incidents?
Who cares? The Principal doesn't know anything about the Shadows, anyway.
I just hope this doesn't take too long...
I know. His speeches always drag.



As you are aware, strange incidents have been reported on the news lately. It is my firm belief that none of you are involved.
However, if we want to better our school, then we all need to accept responsibility for change.



As they say, "There's no use crying over spilt milk."
This is the key to reaping all the rewards that school has to offer...

> The Principal continues with his speech...



Yeah, you're right...
What's up with that!?

Man, it's one already bad thing to be jealous of your students. It's kind of another to just plagiarise them so blatantly, and so quickly no less!



I'm sorry, but I need to talk to you after school. I have a special request for you.
Why me?
I apologize for being in a rush, but I don't feel comfortable asking anyone else.
I'll tell you more about it after school, okay? Au revoir.



Hmm? It isn't? Oh, I see, this becomes 11, so... I'm sorry, you're right. X=2. Wait... is that right?
Okay, uh, your assignment is to figure this one out. Anyway... Wasn't that incredible?



What I'm getting at is, math is fun! Don't you think so? Civilization owes its very existence to math!
All right. Today is the 27th, so that works out to... your turn, Makoto. Do you know when numbers were invented?



Oh shit, uh, I... I'm mashing select but the Network is failing me. It won't tell me the answe--

Wait, hang on, no. I actually do genuinely know this one.

6000 years ago.



Later, Arabic numerals were invented in India, which brought us the number 0 and countless equations!
Ahh... the beauty and wonder of it all! Math is MAGNIFICENT!

> You gave the correct answer!



While I still don't believe the logic for this at all, it still makes more sense than what 4 and 5 do. Get the question wrong, nothing happens. Get the question right, you gain points towards Knowledge because you learned the right answer. It's so dumb and I don't get it at all.

Joy



To make a long story short, I want you to join Student Council.
Why all of a sudden...?
Well, it's not like you have to participate in every activity.



Why me?
...Because of your leadership ability. Being President is very time consuming. I'd like to have additional help available in the event of an emergency.
You understand my situation... I'm asking you since you know what it's like to be a leader.
Fine...
I knew I could count on you.



But, you'll have to go to the Faculty Office on your own.



We'll probably do this eventually, I guess.

I'm sorry I made the arrangements without your permission, but I hope you understand the position I'm in.
Please go to the Faculty Office, Yuki. I'll be waiting for you in the Student Council Room.

Want To Be Close / Time



We're not going to bother with that for a while. We'll do it sooner or later, though. Could duck in now since we're passing by the Faculty Office but eh, we've got enough going on as-is for the moment.



Just opposite the Library, we can find the Nurse's Office. We ARE Sick right now, so this seems like a good time to visit the nurse...

This Mysterious Feeling



Well now, what do we have here? You seem unwell. Is it a wound? A virus? A curse? Or is it love?
This is the perfect opportunity to try my new concoction... Ehehehehehehe.

> Mr. Edogawa has a huge grin on his face.

Here, try this...



I'm really not sure about this any more...

Even Hakusan's finest alchemist would be astonished by the ingredients.
I shall treat your illness right here and now. Now, drink this... Come on... Drink up!



Well, bottoms up I guess...



> After drinking the concoction, your condition doesn't seem to be any better...

...Phew, well done.



The FUCK, Edogawa?!

Cheers to your bravery. ...Sorry to have deceived you.



...But, well, at least it's a free Courage boost. It takes up no actual time, so definitely gonna be taking advantage of this whenever realistically possible, though this might be the only time until near the end of May. Might.

Want To Be Close / Time



Huh. Didn't expect these to be here yet. Thought they were added later on. They're pretty cool looking, for their simplicity and have a nice little reminder that whatever you can do alone can be done easier and better with even one person helping.



Anyway, Kaz is not the most studious of guys so he just slept through class. Figures, really.



But we have Ara Mitama, so we can gain 1.5x the normal amount of points in any given S.Link scene for Kaz so long as he's in our stock.



We have no reason not to go to Kendo practice, really, so let's do just that.

Joy



> The Kendo Team is giving it everything they've got.

> The workout is tough, but fun.



Toughen up.
Toughen up, eh? Hmph,... Alright!



...How 'bout you? *pant* You okay? You've been workin' pretty hard...
You don't even look tired... *pant* Wh-What kind of training have you been doing?
The usual.
Tch... *pant* You act lie... it's no big deal... *pant* Well, I'm beat... Makoto... *pant* You're crazy.



I knew the Bay Area competition would be tough, but I never expected to be going up against someone like you...
...I've made up my mind!





Sure, whatever you say Kaz.

> Your relationship is stronger now!





Let's get go--ugh!?
...What's wrong?



...Oh, sorry. Let's go.

> You decided to go back to the dorm.

What, just like that? I guess we did just establish that Edogawa is terrible at his job but maaaaaybe getting that looked at by someone would be a good idea?



Or, I guess not. Whatever.



Now, see, this part is stupid and requires making Makoto act super out-of-character. It's obvious what you're expected to do but it's still dumb.



Now, we don't know Yuko. We have no reason to suspect she likes us at all in any way.

So, of course, you have to ask her to walk home together. That just makes perfect sense.

Nah, I'm in a hurry today. Bye-bye.



> You decided to go back to the dorm by yourself.

Iwatodai Dorm



Senpai, are you sure you wanna let this slacker in?
I simply asked for his assistance. I don't intend to burden him with too many responsibilities.
Why, are you interested in helping too, Iori?
Oh, uhhh... I'll pass. But, thanks for the offer.



In fact, I don't even have time to rest.
I would be grateful if you could help out sometime.
Just stop by the Student Council Room when you have the chance.



Well, as exciting as THAT sounds... I think I'll pass.



Sorry if it felt like you were forced to join. But any help you could give her would be appreciated...



Every minute is either spent studying, attending club, or fighting Shadows.
Speaking of which, you know about Mitsuru-senpai's--
Oh, never mind. Forget I said anything.



The shifting economy has strengthened the dollar against the yen. The current exchange rate is 1 USD to 115 yen. The change marks the yen's 1.4 percent weakening from yesterday.

Gotta admit, of all the things I expected to get out of this, economic analysis was not one of them. I'unno, it just doesn't seem to fit really.



But constantly visiting the same Empty Orchestra bar to... presumably sing the same song offscreen to get braver? Nah, that's legit.



Shame that this happens, though. Can't get more easy points off Edogawa, but it's fair enough I guess.

Want To Be Close / Time



Sure have.
I see. Your ability to adapt to new situations and environments is very impressive. By the way, there's something I forgot to tell you...
Most times you can find me in the lounge. However, I won't be there if there is something I must attend to.



Uh, okay? I legitimately don't remember this coming up at all, ever, but I could be wrong and forgetting something.



Much more important is that we're going to hang out with Kaz again today. We need Ara Mitama for this one; we need 15 points from this scene. Problem is, without him we get 10 at most. With him, we get can 14. Still not enough, but it'll be fixed in time...

Joy



> The Kendo Team is giving it everything they've got.

> The workout is tough, but fun.



I'll show you what I'm made of!
...Hm?
...!?
Dammit, y-you serious...!?







JV: C'mon... We're counting on you to be captain next year...
Varsity: The big meet is next year, but don't push yourself too hard. Makoto, can you take him home?
...Sorry, Senpai.

Exeunt nameless dudes.



Um... My astma's just acting up...
Are you sure you're OK?
Of-Of course. It's just my astma...



...Argh! I can't do it! I can't lie to you!
Makoto... I...



Even if I put medicine on it, or massage it, the pain won't go away.
Will it heal?
Of course. But I can't afford to stop training, so I'll work through the pain!



...Next year, there's a national competition.
There will be participants from all over Japan. The regional meet pales in comparison.
I have to win that meet! I can't afford to put my training on hold!

I've watched a lot of sports anime. It's cool. I know all about the importance of Going To Nationals.

There are a lot of nosy guys on the team. If they find out, they'll keep bugging me about it...
Makoto, please keep it a secret, alright!?



> Your relationship is stronger now!





Don't worry about me. Go back to training.



Well, I guess that's that then. At least Kaz finally got to the nurse's office, even if it was too late.



Anyway, since we asked at the last scene and failed...

Wanna walk home together?
...Okay, sure. Why don't we stop somewhere along the way?
Sure.
Okay, then let's go.



> The rich arome of coffee fills the air.

Huh, we haven't been here yet. Guess we should do that sometime.



The guys on the team all act like little kids.
"Where's my towel?" "Can you wash this for me?" ...I'm not their mother.



...How about you, Makoto-kun? Are you enjoying the kendo team?
Yeah, it's a lot of fun.

Clowning on the best guy in the team without breaking a sweat and then watching him sit around injured is a hoot!

That's good.



I thought it might be boring for you, since you're so much better than everyone else...
You've got your own style... You don't waste much energy.



You guys are in the same class, so I'm sure he'd be willing to help you.
You can ask me, too, if you want, since I'm the team manager.

> Yuko seems to be concerned about you.

> Your relationship is stronger now!

The Power of The Heart



> A mysterious voice rings in your head...





So, there are a couple ways that S.Links can be locked off. Stat locks are semi-frequent, since there are 3 for each stat (one at 2, one at 4 and one at max). Others, like Bunkichi and Mitsuko, are gated off solely by time. The last ones are blocked off by other S.Links. They usually don't quite work out like this one did, but this is nice streamlining that I appreciate.

Joy



> However, you're still just casual acquaintances.

Oh god and we're already hinting at the worst mechanic. Fortunately it won't rear it's messy, ugly head for real for a while...



See you at school.

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

Iwatodai Dorm



The internet line which was ripped apart by the Shadow will be fixed tomorrow. If you have a computer in your room, you should be able to connect.
...Well, that takes care of everything that was damaged...
...except, of course, Akihiko's rib cage.



You play any online games, dude?
Online games?
You know, those games you play with a buncha people ya never met before. I was totally addicted to this one game, but then I got burned out...
Here, you can have it...



Only in English. It's actual original name is "Devil Busters Online" in order to reference real old-school MegaTen stuff.



And by real old, I mean Megami Tensei 2. For the Famicom. Which you haven't played. (You should, it's really cool and good.)



Really good.
Excellent. Then, continue the good work.



You should probably use it when you're waiting for an analysis or when you want to defeat an enemy.
It's a pretty boring tactic, though, if you ask me...



Since tomorrow is a holiday... You should play it, dude.



First, if all your enemies have been knocked down, you can perform an All-Out Attack on them.
Second, an enemy that has been knocked down will be unable to dodge an attack.
Third, you can alter the attack order of an enemy that is down.

Fourth, you make it waste its turn getting up.
Fifth, downed enemies take extra damage.
Sixth, knocking down an enemy is what gives you a One More letting you chain attacks.

Mitsuru is really bad at tutorials.

Remember: in addition to attacking an enemy's weakness, you should also know your next course of action.



For example, Dia is only half as effective on you. So try not to get sick, 'kay?



Due to the Golden Week holiday, the highways are expected to be jammed bumper-to-bumper. Traffic conditions are expected to worsen from tomorrow until May 3. Officials expect the roads to be cleared by May 4th. From all of us at Action News, have a happy Golden Week!

Golden Week is a week of four national holidays that starts on April 29th. April 29th is called Showa Day in celebration of the birthday of the previous Emperor of Japan, Emperor Hirohito who was Emperor from 1926 until 1989.



Courage is already rank 3, which is good but still not good enough. It doesn't even give us anything new later on down the line at this rank!



Academics is, at least, fairly close to a rank up now. Probably not going to happen soon enough to matter but we'll see...





There's also nothing worthwhile on the TV in our room either. Boring.



Whether you want to attack an enemy or dodge an enemy's attack, you'll need to be quick.



Are you well equipped?
I'm good to go.
That's good to hear. Just don't get careless.



Coming up next, more traffic reports. There seems to be no problem at this section, but the highway in the other direction seems to be packed. Officials are hoping the congestion will be relieved by May 4th.

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



Make sure you don't catch a cold. If you feel sick, or if you're tired, take a break.



They've got that new weapon smell.

So, uh, normally you can't leave the dorm and head back in afterwards without losing game time. I already planned around that, though.



Which is why we can still do this. We could go to the bookstore but...



Let's be honest, who doesn't wanna play an SMT MMO? RIP Imagine

Joy



You have 1 message.



Phil, of course, is short for "Philemon" a major NPC from Persona 1 and both halves of 2. He's technically around in every game - even 3 onwards - just... less explicitly than in those three.

Reality is just a series of events and players acting out what they believe is real. When we accept that fact, our world becomes "reality."
Reality is but a reflection of our thoughts and expectations. But, what if we were merely reflections in another's mirror? Are you prepared to look through that mirror to discover the truth?



> There are 1 player(s) in the area.







Man, that was FAST.

oh wow, u haven't even finished generating your char yet... o_O
welcome to teh game! good thing i'm usng my low level alt
i think its jus u an me, this is kind of a dead MMO these days xD
It's not popular anymore?



we r supposed to be our "alternate selves" right? uhhhh.... yeah =/
sooo... what r u gonna call ur char? we can meet up later
hm... hey, i got a good name for u =3





Of course, this only applies to the English releases of the game. In the Japanese releases, the given character names are "N-jima" and "Y-ko".

"N-jima" is short for Nakajima, referring to Akemi Nakajima, the main protagonist of... the entire series, really. He was the lead role for the novels that proceeeded the games, the male player character for Megami Tensei 1 on the Famicom and kind of the entire reason the series happened and turns up here and there in later games in weird ways that don't really make sense if you think about it. He was made the original main character so that they could be a boring everyman... but whoops, that's super wrong! He's actually the reincarnation of Izanagi, for one thing.

"Y-ko," likewise, is short for Yumiko Shirasagi. She's where the series name comes from. Yes. Megami Tensei, as you may or may not know, means "Reincarnation of the Goddess." Yumiko is the reincarcation of Izanami, so she's the titular Megami. She's also the main heroine for the original (terrible) novels and Megami Tensei 1. She doesn't turn up anywhere near as often as Nakajima in later games, because of course she doesn't.

...Wow, that's a lot of words to explain a localisation change. It was a sensible one, though, because Digital Devil Monogatari 1/2/3 and Megami Tensei 1 and 2 weren't released in English (and officially never have been). As a result, the references would go over everyone's head. So they changed it from things that weren't released in English to Innocent Sin which... also wasn't released in English. At least the charatcer names are fine because Eternal Punishment was.

Oh, uh, and because she was described as wearing grey before deciding to go with Maya, she was probably meant to make you think of Yukino first. (I'm sure you remember her from the first episode of Who's Who.)

have a little deja vu? ;P
I don't get it...



oops. hope u can't figure out how old i am--rofl!!
ne way, i'm usually idling here on my days off... >_>
so if ur bored, maybe we can level together. it sux to be lonely =P

> You met a person online who uses a character named Maya.

The Power of The Heart



> A mysterious voice rings in your head...





Joy



remember, let's positive thinking! traesto! xD

> Maya's player signed off.

> You decided to log out as well.



...Yeah, that used up our entire day. No evening excursions allowed, for whatever reason.

Want To Be Close / Time



I dunno, do you think any of this is relevant? I mean, I can make better tomb decorations than the ancients.
I can't wait until we get to the Sengoku era... It's so exciting!
Speaking of the Sengoku era, there was a general who was called "the war hawk of the battlefield."

> The teacher keeps talking about the Sengoku era...



Huh? You want to hear more about the ancient tombs...?
Well, if you insist... Study the Kitora Tomb in Nara, because it'll go on the exam.

> You stayed up and listened to the lecture...



So, what to do today...



Kaz won't rank up yet, and even though lacking a Strength or Hierophant Persona right now doesn't matter it will quickly enough...



But we have Nekomata, and she's necessary for Kenji from this point onwards so...

Joy



What, life?
Life? Dude, you watch too much reality TV.
...But, yeah, I guess you could say I'm sick of life.



I mean, I wake up, go to scool, listen to lame-ass lectures, come home, eat, watch TV, go to sleep...

> Kenji is deep in thought.



Hey, so, Kenji there are these things called "laws"...

You can't do it.
What're you saying, dude? I'm a smooth operator; I got skills!



Well, I guess I'm gonna go ahead with my secret plan, dude.
I told you, right? I'm going after a teacher. I'm gonna ask her out and make her fall in love with me.



She's not the most beautiful woman, but she's really cute. She has pretty eyes, a nice little body, and...

> Kenji is going on and on about Ms. Kanou's finer points.

kenji. kenji please. shut up.

Hey, man, don't tell anyone about this, okay? You're the only one who knows.



> Your relationship is stronger now!





> You walked home with Kenji and talked about his plan.

The Poem For Everyone's Soul





Please come to the Velvet Room. There is a matter we need to discuss.
You may use the alternate entrance located in Paulownia Mall. All you must do is find the door. I'll see you soon.

We'll see what she has to say soon enough, so that's fine.

Iwatodai Dorm



But, you can only do that when you're able to move. If you've been knocked down, or have an ailment, you won't be able to do an All-Out Attack.
And remember, we can't do anything if our leader isn't around.



When you use it, you will need to assign a team member to attack a particular enemy.
By efficiently allocating the strength of each member, you can fully utilize the collective power of the team.
If a targeted enemy has been defeated, the team member will revert to his or her normal fighting style.



And remember, if an enemy's been analyzed before, then we already have its information.
So, make sure you analyze our enemies so we can kick their asses!



But, her skills seem to get more powerful... So just keep that in mind.



We here at Action News recommend getting some fresh air and exercise during Golden Week.

So, before we do anything else tonight we'll go see what Elizabeth wants.

The Poem For Everyone's Soul



I have a big favor to ask. I have been looking for someone with exceptional strength. If you don't mind, will you accept my requests?



Of course, once each request is completed, I will have a reward for you. I anxiously await your cooperation.

> You are now able to accept Elizabeth's requests!



Oh god, there are so many of these things. That number is the numerical ID of the quest, yes, so that top one being 92 is a worrying sign. Most of them are easy, at least, so we'll clear out as many of them as I can be bothered to do.



I can't guarantee it'll be all of them, because there's too many of the things, but I'll do the ones that at least seem worthwhile.



Like this one. One Muscle Drink for 3 Revival Beads? Don't mind if I do! We even have a Muscle Drink already.



Oh, my... I've never tried a Muscle Drink before... Is it safe? Well, you have my thanks. I look forward to tasting it.
Please accept your reward.





This one's important for many reasons, and so we'll be doing it at the earliest opportunity. It explicitly has to be during the day, though, so either After School or on a free day.



That's about it for today though. We can't clear out any more requests without going back to Tartarus (or waiting until a specific date) so we have a reason to do that again soon.



That and it's a good idea to get to the barrier Mitsuru mentioned before the plot decides to happen again. If we can't do that, we might have trouble down the line...