Part 67: September 16 - September 17 Part 1: XI. Strength

> You overhear students talking.


Lazy student: Really? Then I don't have to cancel my plans. You know that there's a holiday next week, right? I promised my girlfriend we'd go to Okina together. I was worried that it might rain that day...Phew!
Guy with a backpack: What? If that's the case, then I hope it never stops raining! Rain like a waterfall so his date gets canceled!
Joke's on him. It never rains in Okina City.

-Deduction-


What's the verdict, Teddie? Is he really in there?
I do smell someone.
It's just like before...Nothing's changed.
Like...before...
Of course! That's why Naoto-kun appeared on the news so suddenly!
He said something didn't seem right, and that he wasn't convinced. He also believed that the people who are kidnapped appear on TV first, remember?
Wait, you're saying...he's using himself as bait!?
We came to the same conclusion he did, about how people who become famous through TV would disappear. Could he be trying to prove the theory by using himself...?
You mean he got kidnapped on purpose!? That's crazy...He could be killed!
He said, "This is not a game for me either"...It's all my fault...I'm the one who said that to him...
That idiot! Why the hell didn't he just tell us!?
He knew we'd stop him if he did...Instead, he left us clues so we could figure it out and--
I know! That son of a...
B-But...What about the killer the police are holding now? Mitsuo did kill King Moron, right?
Yeah, but that's all he did.
I get it now...! I remember Naoto-kun mentioning this!
He said it was strange that the police were able to identify the cause of Mr. Morooka's death!
Then is King Moron the only one Mitsuo killed...!?
That'd explain why there were no signs of King Moron being thrown into the TV...
The killer didn't change his methods for King Moron...It just seemed that way 'cause it was done by someone else!
Then whoever kidnapped Naoto-kun...That's the real killer!?
Remember how Mitsuo had no idea what was going on when the team tracked him down? You might have also noticed some discrepancies between Void Quest's descriptions of Mayumi, Saki, and Mr. Morooka.
B-But wait a sec...
Didn't Mitsuo say he was the one behind it all? Why would he take the blame for someone else's crime? Isn't that weird? And they said on the news that the culprit confessed to the other murders, too...There's also something else that's been bothering me, but...Um...
To hell with someone who's behind bars! If we don't get off our asses, that stupid Naoto's gonna die in there! We gotta go find him!


That's amazing, Rise-chan! There's no way my nose can pick up that much. Shall I give you a massage?
Don't bother her!
It's the same as last time. I know he's here, but I can't tell where...I need something that'll help me understand him...I need some clues. Without that, I have no idea which way we should look...
Dammit...There's too much we don't know about that kid...But if we don't do something, he's gonna...
Hey, snap out of it! This is just like all the other times. Let's not panic, keep an eye on the weather, and do this like always. We'll save him, no problem!
First, we need to look for something that'll help us locate him.
I-I know...I-I wasn't panicking. We know he's over here...So all we gotta do is get him out.
I'm sorry I couldn't find him...All I need is some kind of hint to help me understand him better. Then I could find him for sure!

> It seems you need more information about Naoto to make any progress. You should ask around about him...


Female student: Well, I heard a rumor that there's this girl who saw something that belonged to him...Musta been near the laboratories. Why don't you try looking there?


Female student(no relation): Oh, this is interesting! I saw him get really angry. I'm not sure what it was about, but he was with a policeman. I wonder what happened to make him shout like that. This was in the shopping district a little while ago.

> Naoto was with a policeman earlier? In any case, you should try to find this policeman...


Police officer: I'm in the middle of something here, so don't bother me. If school's out, go home already. I swear, kids these days...

> He doesn't seem to be in the mood to talk...It may be best to make a change of plans.


If it's come to this, we're gonna have to rough 'em up--Um, I guess that's not an option, huh...What should we do, then?




We could steal some uniforms and...Never mind. No way that's gonna work.


I guess it's no good unless we act like we're Naoto-kun's friends and we're worried about him...Like, "Naoto hasn't been to school recently and we're getting worried. Is he busy with police work?"
Why not ask them something like that?

> Chie's suggestion does seem to make sense. Next time you speak to the police, you should try that...



> You told him that Naoto hasn't been coming to school lately and that you've been worried...

Police officer: Shirogane...? Do you know him? I haven't seen him at the station lately, either. Funny, it wasn't that long ago that he'd be around well into the night, looking through the files. Even if he wasn't satisfied with the case's outcome, he seemed to be so focused that I thought he was obsessed with it.

> You listened to him talk about Naoto...Maybe you should try talking to another police officer...




Man: ...Oh, d-did you hear that? Ahahaha, well...I-It's okay, right!? People have the right to think of their beloved! *sigh* I'm getting married...

> The man seems melancholic about his wedding for some reason.

Man: Dammit...Everything would be great if it wasn't for him...Who am I talking about? That horrendous furball...The c...Argh! I'm scared! I can't even say it! Those fanged demons are terrifying!
Is it a cat?
Man: Arrrgh! D-Don't say the "c-word!"

> The man is actually physically trembling at the thought of cats...Perhaps he's the one who wrote the ema request the fox showed you. He wants to overcome his fear of cats...

Ailurophobe: The meowing, and the whiskers, and the evil little claws! It's all just so scary...Of all the pets, Miyoko-san wants to have a c-c-cat...She said we can't get married if I won't let her have one. Arrrgh! Why must you put me through this horrible test, Miyoko-san!?

> You try and figure out a way to force him to overcome his fear.
Much more feasible than just coming clean about his phobia, or dumping Miyoko if she already knows and is callous enough to still insist on a pet cat.

(Talk to him about cats)
Ailurophobe: S-Stop it! Stop that right now! What do you want? Money!? I'll give you money, just get away from meeeeee!!



This little guy first appears in late May or June. He makes adorable noises, and you can spend time playing with him to randomly boost Expression and/or Understanding. More and more cats will show up on Dojima's carport roof as you spend time with him. You also need to enlist his help for this ema quest.

> Come to think of it, there is that man who was afraid of cats. He was so desperate, he made a wish to be cured of his fears...Should you bring him here? You decided to bring the man who is terrified of cats here.
That's how you cure a phobia, right? Just shove it in the patient's face until they get over it?


_CATTE
Ailurophobe: It's watching me! It's waiting for me to turn around! It's coming for me! It's gonna jump on me! I'm gonna DIEEEEEE! B-But, I'm a man...I-I-I'm prepared for death...A-Alright...Alllriiight...Let me t-t-t-touch you...Aaaaaaaahh! It's eating meeeeeee!

> The man was licked by the cat and ran away screaming...

-Like A Dream Come True-


Yuuta: Here I gooo! Feather Eternal Drill!
Boy: Argh...Y-You can't be that legendary...
Yuuta: Hahaha! There's nothing my drill can't destroy!

> No one came for Yuuta, so you decided to walk him partway home.


Yuuta: You told her I liked Phoenix Ranger Featherman R, huh?
I might have.
Yuuta: I knew it! You've got a big mouth for a guy! She bought me a robot and a DVD! So, uhhh...Wh-What do you think...would make her happy? I-In return for her gift!?
Anything would.
Yuuta: You grown-ups always dodge my questions like that! Is Mother's Day...already over? Oh! A four-leaf clover! She said she likes them. She said they bring happiness. Alright! I'm going to find a bunch of 'em by next Mother's Day! Then she'll have a bunch of happiness!


...Yuu-kun, what were you talking with Mister Sanzo about?
Yuuta: N-Nothing! You don't have to come pick me up! I can go home by myself!

-I'll Face Myself-


I wonder if he's afraid of me...
You're both afraid.
Both of us...So you're saying I'm scared as well, huh...?

> Eri is smiling wryly...

Whenever I speak to him, he hides or leaves...He's always running away from me. He must hate the fact that I'm here.
That's not true.
D-Do you think so? Then maybe I'll hang in there a little longer...

> Eri displays a relieved smile.

Thanks...I feel a little better. I really can't talk about this to anyone else...Thank you for always listening to my problems.

> Eri seems to trust you...


I'm going home now. Can I catch up to him from here...? Haha...I'll think of it as a workout.

-Sky Full of Stars-


Drunk subordinate: But my boss isn't here...Where is he when you need him? I wanted him to buy me all my beer...Stupid boss...*hic*

-Who's There?-


I'm fine.
Doctor: B-But your face is very pale...You are aware that you've gained something of a reputation recently, right? I'm not the only one who would rather see you return to the easy-to-work-with Sayo-chan from not too long ago...
She'd still get a reputation that way too, though.
...I have work to do. If you'll excuse me.


*sigh* I know I'm getting nowhere...But I have to do it...

> Sayoko seems genuinely tormented...You're so worried about Sayoko, you hesitate to even say something to her...


Goodbye now.



-Specialist-


Ms. Sofue: Hoho...The people were very kind to me. They were probably able to sense my deep appreciation and love for their history. I even found some things with my dowsing rod. The citizens were very glad indeed. Time sure flies when you're having fun. I'm sure your summer break was short for all of you as well. However, don't you think that there are some things in life that are best ended quickly? War is one of them. So here is a question. Miss Chie...No, Sanzo.


40 minutes.
Ms. Sofue: Good job, Sanzo. I'm impressed you knew. Yes, the shortest war in history lasted only 40 minutes. It was the Anglo-Zanzibar War, which began with an already staggering difference in military resources. Mind you, this lecture will be longer than the actual war we're going to talk about. There's so much to learn!

> The fog will come after several days of rain...You must prepare to take action. But first, you need to gather information for Rise...


Ailurophobe: Oh, er, sorry...I just can't stay calm when it comes to those damn cats...I-I have an idea...Do you know what cats like to eat? If I can sneak up and slowly touch them while they're chowing down on food, I'd be in control, right? B-But...To tell you the truth...I'm also...scared of fish! Y'know, those creepy eyes! All muddied! Looking this way! And those scales! U-Uhh...Is there some kind of cute fish?

> The man wants a cute fish. Maybe he'll think a Red Goldfish is cute...Show him a Red Goldfish?
I can only guess how cute a fish would be after four straight months in Sanzo's pocket, but let's give it a shot.

Ailurophobe: Wh-What is that!? I-It's so cute! Give that to me! I'll use it to ambush that cat!

> The man stole your Red Goldfish. The man ran off...



> You told him that Naoto hasn't been coming to school lately and that you're worried...

Policeman: That kid is skipping school to do his investigation...? What's his problem, really? The department has all but closed the case. Just because he's not satisfied...Sheesh. All we wanna do is shut the book on this thing so we don't have to deal with it anymore...
Man it's like people expect the police to solve crimes or something.
Policeman: I wish he'd let it go already. No wonder the whole department treats him like a kid. He's getting all worked up over nothing. That's why everyone gives him the cold shoulder, ya know.

> You learned something about Naoto. You should put together the information you've gathered...With regard to this investigation, you've discovered that Naoto...

(Has an obsession with the case)

> What do the police think of Naoto...?

(They consider him a child)

> It seems that Naoto had a fervid obsession with the investigation. But it seems that his obsession was not well received, and the police treated him like a child. You think you understand Naoto a bit more...You should report to Rise.

-Junes Theme-


Dammit...Stupid Naoto being so frickin' stubborn...
It seems like he can't rely on anyone, so this is the only way he can truly make himself heard...I feel for him.
If he went in by his own will for the reasons we came up with...Maybe he'll learn something that will finally help us identify the killer.
Let's hurry and rescue him. He trusted us to do that. We gotta live up to his expectations!
We have to rescue him before the fog sets in...right?
Why freak out over when the damn fog's gonna come? Today oughtta be all we need to go in and get him, dammit!
Let's go, Sensei!

-Studio Backlot-



> You told Rise about Naoto being treated "like a child"...And you explained Naoto's abnormal obsession to solve the case.

I see...So he's being stubborn about the case...But it seems like it's rare for Naoto-kun to get so worked up over something. Okay...I've got a good feel for him. I think I can do this. It won't take long for me to find him with my Persona, so be ready to follow me once I do!

-Who's There?-




It's all sci-fi...Heyyy, doesn't it remind you of those secret hideouts in live action shows?
Oh yeah...Hehe, I used to watch Featherman all the time when I was a kid.
I hear that those are really tough shoots. A lot of the actors do their own stunts, like jumping through fire themselves.
Well, it's every man's dream to do that stuff.
Yeah, I can understand that. They're action-based, like kung fu movies. And just the phrase "secret hideout" has this exciting ring to it!
I do not comprehend.
Really? The idea of secluded training, deep inside a mountain...Doesn't it get your blood pumping?
Actually, when I was a kid, I had my own secret place near the mountain by Yukiko's house. I'd pretend that a legendary kung fu master was teaching me special techniques. Hwataaaa!
You got it all wrong...
But hey, so this secret hideout thingy came from Naoto's mind?
I guess our proper boy detective isn't as grown-up as he looks. Alright, let's get going.

> You have pinpointed Naoto's location. All that's left is to save him. You should prepare yourself for the upcoming rescue mission...
Just as soon as the rest of these mooks can shut up about Voltron and focus.