Part 20: 5/20/11

5/20/11

We returned to the TV today. Oh, and we had a bit more help than before, too.

VIDEO- "The Sauna"

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Whoa, something's here!
A-A fox!? When did it...?
> The mysterious fox you encountered at the shrine is sitting next to you.
> Could it have followed you without you noticing...?
Whoa, where did this guy come from!?
Dude, it looks scary too!
Oh... this apron... I think I've seen it at the shrine before...
> You told everyone about your encounter with the mysterious fox.
Huh...? Cure us with leaves...?
Huh...? Cooperate with us...?
Are you serious...? So it wants money in exchange for fixing us up...?
*yip*
> The fox gave out a cry, as if in affirmation.
What's with this guy...?
It acts like it understands what we're talking about...

I'm pretty sure it does, though I've not decided how to feel about that.



It yipped again... Maybe it really does understand what we're saying!
B-But when you think about it, that means the police on duty and whatnot didn't find this fox, right?
If it followed after us, then it really is something...
*yip*
> The fox gave a confident cry.
Huh...? Y'think it really understands us...? What should we do...?
Well... I'd feel bad if we trapped it. It doesn't look like it'll do us any harm.
...What do you think, Souji-kun?

Those leaves were pretty damn effective, so as far as I'm concerned the fox is on the team.



...Yeah. And about what Souji-kun said happened at the shrine...
Don't you think this "curing" would be a big help for us?
Huh!? Are you suggesting we take it into that other world...?
......
Mmm... I guess that might work. It doesn't seem like it's going to leave that easily, either...
And I definitely don't want it being all sulky and getting up to mischief in the store...
> The fox looks satisfied.
> You decided to let the fox do whatever it wants...
> You should try taking it to the other world...

Gameplay notes:
So from now on the fox will join us in the lobby of the TV world. If we pay him, he'll restore our lost SP. Our Hermit rank
determines the base cost per SP restored. On any given day, though, the fox will either be happy, normal, or angry. This will
also impact the price of restoring SP. Once we get Hermit up a bit, we can easily do dungeons in a single day.

I told Teddie what Kanji's friend or whatever had told me.



Hmmhmm, a complex...
......
Th-That's it!? That's all I have to go on? You're working me to the stuffing...
Oh well... Then I'll open my nose up real wide and sniff real hard!
Hrmmmm...
Oh, I think I found something! It feels like our target! Is this it!?
Follow me!

We followed Teddie to my new least favorite place in the whole wide world.



Is it just me... or does the fog here seem kinda different?
My glasses are fogging up.
Man, it's hot in here. This place is like a--
C'mere, pussycat...
Oh... Such well-defined pecs...
There's no need to be scared...
Uhhhh...
Now, just relax...
W-Wait a sec! I-I don't wanna go!
Is Kanji-kun really here, Teddie?
The nose knows!
We're... really going in here...? Urgh, I can already feel the sweat rolling down my back...
That's becasue it's so hot...

Just as with Yukiko's castle, we heard unsettling things as we pushed forward. And just as before, Shadows swarmed everywhere.



So why do I feel a chill down my fuzzy spine?
I think I caught a cold... My nose is totally useless too.
Kanji-kun, where are you!? Answer us!

Also, Teddie mercifully didn't get what was going on with this place.



......
Oh yeah, Sensei! Can I ask you something?
Why is it so steamy here? Does it have something to do with Kanji-kun?
I don't really get it... Do you know what it is, Sensei?
I think I get the hints...
Ah, that's my Sensei! Is there anything you don't know!?

I don't know how my life got to the point where I'm fighing crazy monsters in a sauna.



I just got goosebumps!
Something is on this floor! Be careful...!

As always Teddie was right.

VIDEO- "Encounter"

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Kanji!
Oooooh, my my! Thank you for your undivided attention!
At last, I've penetrated the facility!
These images are coming to you live from inside this steamy paradise!
But I've yet to have any charming encounters. Could this hot fog be the cause?
It's like steam rising from sweat! Mmmm, my body's tingling with excitement!

Oh I don't know if I've said this yet but WHAT THE FUCK.



Crap... This is wrong in so many ways...
Yeah... I remember it being kinda like this on Yukiko's show, too...
N-No... It wasn't like this...
Those voices again...
Wait, are they louder this time?
These voices...
I was wondering whose they could be, since it's only the victim in here... Is it the people watching outside?
You mean everybody who's watching the Midnight Channel? They're reacting to the "show"?
Yikes... If people are watching Kanji-kun now, he's gonna be a legend in a way he never intended...
Well, it's really his Shadow, not him. But normal people won't know that...
The Shadows are getting really restless!
That elusive thing I truly yearn for... Will I finally find it here? Teehee!
Well then, onward and deeper to reach further realms of romance!
Let's get going, dammit!
Kanji-kun!
That was his other self... It's trying to reveal his hidden feelings.

I need to have words with Teddie on this pun thing. It's getting out of hand.



"Bear"...naked...?
Oh man... here it comes...
Uh... Was I supposed to laugh?

We pushed a bit farther after that.



A man can't back down at a time like this!
Just watch, and I'll show you how manly Kanji Tatsumi can be!

We were getting a bit tired, though, so we headed back to the lobby. Before we left, though, I remembered something...

VIDEO- "Contrarian King"

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Boss Battle: Contrarian King
Okay so this guy is much harder than you'd expect him to be. He's only got two real moves, Hysterical Slap and Rampage.
Hysterical Slap does a decent amount of damage to one target, and Rampage does massive damage to everyone. You are very likely to be
killed by Rampage if you're not around level 20 or so. He pulls a damn dirty trick at the start by casting Red Wall, which makes you
think he'll be weak to Fire. He actually Drains Fire, though. Having resistance to Physical helps, as does having a decent amount of
group healing and just in general being high enough level not to get gibbed by Rampage. The reward is a Courage boost and an awesome
weapon for Yukiko that gives her +50 SP so it's very worth doing this fight once you're high enough.

That thing would have been a real bastard if we'd not just come from some serious training, I'm glad we didn't tackle it earlier. Still, we were exhausted and had to head back.
The fog won't come for a while yet, so we still have plenty of time...