Part 26: Entry Twenty-One: August 5, 2009

Entry Twenty-One: August 5, 2009

Mood: Beaten
Music: Eye of the Tiger. Ironically. Because I lost.

Well, shit. I lost the regional competition, let down the school, and proved that my life is a goddamn mess for one reason and one reason only: me.

...Well, maybe I need to cheer up or something. I guess blogging might take my mind off it.



I've been working on my karaoke in the evenings lately, trying to grow some balls...ugh, maybe that's not the right way of putting it, seeing as it reminds me of that tranny. I've been manning up a little bit in any case, which Junpei says I'm gonna need if I wanna try and get with Fuuka.



During the day, I was working like a dog at track practice. Coach was determined that we beat that other school, so he pushed us as hard as he could.




Even Yuko was getting into it - that Mamoru guy must've humiliated Gekkoukan pretty badly in previous meets.



On the night of the 29th, at the Dark Hour...



...Fuuka woke us up with a broadcast.

Fuuka: I detect a Shadow! Please hurry to the 4th floor!



We did just that.

Mitsuru: There's a Shadow in the city. Yamagishi found it by chance.
Yukari: But...the moon isn't full yet...
Fuuka: Actually, it seems to be just a normal Shadow. However, it IS outside of Tartarus...
Mitsuru: It's near Naganaki Shrine. Akihiko went ahead since he was in the vicinity. I'm sure he can handle it alone, but let's get ready just in case.
Junpei: Gotcha!

Suddenly, Akihiko called in.




Mitsuru: What's wrong? Is it a powerful one?!
Akihiko: No, the Shadow's been defeated.



Mitsuru: What happened?



"The little fella"...?



Junpei: Beats me.
Mitsuru: At any rate, let's go.



When we got there, we were shocked to find Koromaru collapsed in a pool of his own blood.



Mitsuru: You know this dog?
Yukari: Yeah, everyone around here does...we have to help him!
Mitsuru: First we must stop the bleeding...



Akihiko: He defeated that Shadow all by himself.



First a robot, now a dog?!



Fuuka: These flowers...they must be for the priest who died in the accident.
Yukari: So he really was guarding this place...
Junpei: Uh, Aigis? Don't tell me you can translate dog language too...
Aigis: Canines do not have their own language. However, speech is not the only means of communication.



Aigis: Confirmed.
Junpei: He's not the only one...
Mitsuru: Alright, let's report to the Chairman, so we can conclude this mission.



Fortunately, Mitsuru used her connections with pretty much everyone to get Koromaru a vet.



I had trouble getting back to sleep, so I was beat the next day before training.




Still, I seemed to be improving.



I thought a little special training of my own would be a good idea, so that night, we were off to Tartarus.




Yukari had apparently gotten tired of the Toy Bow I had given her, and replaced it with a shitty Short Bow. Sometimes I just can't understand people.



Anyway, we got back to work climbing up the tower, dealing with Shadows along the way. One of them, a variation of the Relic, was fond of the Last Resort attack, which did a ton of damage but also killed the Shadow.



We met more new Shadows, of course. This Dogmatic Tower was a pain in the ass with its tendency to use Mazio, which would kick the crap out of Yukari and Aigis.



This Wild Drive didn't bother with elegant concepts like "Durr, hit their weaknesses!" and opted to just smash us to bits instead. Since both Akihiko and I could deal Lightning damage, it wasn't too hard to get rid of it.



Finally, we ran into a new variation of the Dancer, which did the same garbage with Charm attacks that all the previous versions did.



Before long, we made it to the next Guardian, but we took some time to prepare first.




For instance, I figured having DEATH ITSELF on my side would help out a little.



Likewise with Vetala, which isn't Death or anything but I guess elephants are okay.



Also, this Vetala had Maragi, which was one of Elizabeth's requests.



The Sugar Key she gave me would eventually allow me to create King Frost, which I wasn't powerful enough to control yet.



Finally, I made Lamia, yet another half-naked woman.

With death, elephant, and nude woman at the ready, we were ready to take on the Guardian:

Tartarus Boss 9 - Fanatic Tower (This is one of the easier Tartarus bosses. It does a ton of damage with Mind Charged Mazionga, but sadly that's pretty much all it can do. By this point, it's easy to get Personas that are immune to lightning attacks, and if an enemy can't kill Minato you'll eventually win through attrition, so this guy isn't a big deal.)




We got cool stuff for killing the Guardian, as always, and proceeded up...



...with Pale Rider clearing a swath along the way...



...until we reached a dead end.



As always, there was an Old Document waiting for us there.

The team leader asked me himself...I was so surprised! It's the same man who once saved my life.



We headed home after that, and I went to bed, but I wasn't asleep for more than a few minutes when Pharos showed up again.



Pharos: So how are you getting along with the others? ...It is one week until the next full moon. Are you prepared...? To be hoenst, I'm not too worried about you. However, you should still remain cautious.



And with that, he vanished again.



It was business as usual the next day with the Track Team...



...though I did seem to be improving.



I was also relieved to hear that Koromaru was stable - he'd taken some severe damage, but there wasn't anything wrong with his internal organs, so he was going to pull through.





Junpei also voiced a concern that had been on my mind.



I hung out with Mutatsu that night, though it didn't really go anywhere...



...and the next day at practice I found out that I had finally become the fastest kid on the team. It was really up to me to win the regional meet.



Everyone was abuzz about the regional meet back at the dorm.

Akihiko: Well, you better win. Watch out for Mamoru, though. He's a tough competitor.
Junpei: Hey, I've heard that name before...he's pretty famous, bro. I saw him in a sports magazine. Dude, guys like him are insane...you're gonna get your ass handed to you on a platter, so what's the point? Well, I guess the full moon is coming up soon, so you can call it training.



Junpei was depressing me and I felt like a change of venue, so I went to go have Mutatsu depress me instead.



Mutatsu: Hey, are you alright, kid? Y'know, money-wise? High school kids don't have much money, do they? At least, I never gave much to my son.



Mutatsu: Is there anything you want right now? Materialistic desire can lead to aspiration, but still...when you get to be my age...hmph, nevermind.



Mutatsu: So you never get to enjoy that better life you're working so hard to have. Quite a paradox, isn't it? Do you know what the average lifetime income of a white-collar worker is, including a retirement fund and an annual pension?



Mutatsu: Thanks to me you learned somethin' new today, eh kid? Now don't waste your life workin' all the time tryin' to get rich; just take life as it comes.




Actually, I get all my money by selling treasure from the monster-infested tower of doom that my high school turns into for an hour every night.





I didn't think it was a good idea to tell Mutatsu this, though.




I was getting tired, so I headed home after that.




The next day was the regional meet.



Athletes: We pledge to compete fairly and uphold the ideals of good sportsmanship!



And with that, the races began.



Kazushi: Hey, you're almost up, Minato! You ready to do this?!

I told Yuko to root for me.



Yuko: Oh yeah...here, take this, Minato-kun. It's my special drink. If you use it, you won't be tired anymore.



I'm not even going to ask what's in this.



Kazushi: Just give it everything you've got! It takes guts to win! Don't give in to fear! Alright, dude! Go for it!



I pushed it to the limit on the track, believe me.



Even Yuko was impressed.

Kazushi: Whoa, dude! How many laps left?!



Yuko had me thinking I had won the meet when I got back...



...but nope.

Kazushi: You did great, dude! Looks like all your hard work paid off.
Yuko: But...



Ugh. I tried so hard, you have no idea.

Kazushi: They say Hayase just blows everyone else away. I thought people were just exaggerating, but man, he's insane! We could sure use someone like him on our team...agh! Next time, we won't lose!




He suddenly came up and started talking to me.



Mamoru: I can tell you've been training. Hey, I was thinking...maybe we could hang out sometime.

I said I was cool with that. No hard feelings, though I'm still pissed about losing. Blogging's helping out, though, I gotta admit.



Mamoru: You still need to work on your technique, but if you keep at it, you could be really great. I think you might help push me to test my limits.



Mamoru: Stop by sometime if you feel like it. My name's Mamoru...nice to meet you.



Hm, I've gotta keep that in mind.



Looking back, I did the best I could, so I don't really have much reason to feel bad. I'll beat him next time, though.

I headed back to the dorm with my team after that.



I guess Akihiko must've been at the tournament, because Mitsuru brought it up when I got back.

Mitsuru: It's quite impressive, considering you've also had the Shadows to contend with.
Yukari: That's great, Minato-kun! Not like SOMEONE I know, who doesn't participate in any activities...
Junpei: Blah blah blah, here we go again...anyway, we have more important things to worry about. It'll be a full moon soon, right?
Akihiko: Yeah, next Thursday, the 6th. Make sure you're ready.

I got ready by hanging out with Mutatsu that night...



...and playing online with Maya over the next couple days.




Maya: but when i was little, ppl said i was a real cutie -_-;; quess i missed my chance rite? nobody thinks i'm hawt ne more T_T do men only want younger women? be honest w/me =3

I was kinda confused, and said so.



Maya: when i get all worked up, i dun realize what comes outta my mouth =x



Maya: mkay, i'll be calm. i'll compose my bitching carefully for you. ;p one of my coworkers is really pissing me off. i'm trying to avoid her @_@ we use to teach teh same grade and we were together ALL THE TIME, its been a while but that kinda thing sticks w/u, u know?



Maya: some student asked her out, and a guy she doesn't liek proposed to her...ugh! and she acts like its nuthing! omg, rite?




She...what?



Maya: but thats rite, she's got fake tits



(Are you all thoroughly convinced this is the greatest game ever made yet? Seriously, I'm doing the best I can here. You just can't top this.)



Maya: her pads fell down an it looked liek she had 4!!! O_O XDDDD theyre fake for sure >=) ...an my school is FULL of teachers like taht! -_-;




Yeah, I guess I'm helping people out where I can, so losing one track meet isn't that big a deal.




I guess I just needed to put it into perspective.





It's not really that bad.



Maya: but after what i said, i might go to hell ne way o_O;; well...i rented sum DVDs, sooo...later, tatsuya! thx for chattin

We both logged off.



I don't know what I'm gonna do today, but what I do know is that I'm feeling better for one, and for two the full moon is tomorrow. We'll deal with the Shadows and then my summer vacation will finally be able to get started.

Coming up in the next entry: The third Ordeal!