Part 154: 11/14: Goro Akechi’s Gambling Addiction
Part 145: 11/14: Goro Akechi’s Gambling AddictionOr alternatively: Goro Akechi’s Gonzo Arithmetic
Due to our forced egress from the Palace, we sadly no longer have Money Reading. What a shame. Oh well, let’s continue!
Music: The Whims of Fate
The area shimmers, revealing the courtroom, then shimmers back.
Dude… If this stuff’s still surprisin’ you, you’re gonna be in for a world of hurt from here on. 
Hahaha… It still is a little hard to believe, I must admit. 
Look, there is a counter up ahead. Shall we head there first? I suppose there would be no issue in stopping by. Let us go. Yep, let’s head to the counter.
First off, we would like to extend a welcome gift to you. 
Another 1000 coins. Not much to brag about, but oh well.
Just 1,000 though. At least give each person that much, cheapskate. I’m sorry, but the welcome gift can only be applied once per card. Furthermore… this is the map for the high limit floor. 
OK, show us your prizes now. We want to exchange our coins for a member’s card. *chuckle* We do have prizes, but that is unfortunately not one of them. 
What? Then how are we supposed to get to the manager’s floor…? I assure you, there is no need for a card. Please head over there… 
Well, we cannot proceed unless we check it out. Why don’t we head over there for the time being? 
Well, what do we have here?
There’s an area over on the other side too. That could lead to the manager’s floor! There can be no doubt… We’ll need to lower the bridge to cross. 
But how do we do that? Hm, how indeed. Let us try investigating around here.
First things first, there’s a locked chest over here.
God, we have so many Lockpicks.
Another Bead Chain, nifty.
I wonder if the thing we need to examine is the device right next to where the last cutscene ended? Hmm…
The required number of coins to activate the Bridge of Judgment is 100,000 coins. 
What…? We need 100,000 coins just to cross over there!? 
It’s getting clearer that she has no intention of letting us proceed onward. I don’t believe there is any need for pessimism though. 
But think about how much that is! We were desperate just to get our hands on 50,000… But we still obtained them in the end. We can succeed if we do that again, then double our total. I suppose this is the high limit floor… Indeed, there must be a high risk, high return game somewhere here. Though we’ll need to win too… Our first order of business should be to see what kind of games exist on this floor. First, though, let’s head back to the counter.
There are three items available for purchase here, none of which are terribly necessary. The “best” one is the one that doesn’t require us to swap out an SP Adhesive 3, so not one of the accessories. That would be the Golden Beam, a weapon for Akechi that fires bullets that inflict Despair. The other items are a Tyche Charm, which increases the user’s luck by 10 (!). If I had any faith that Futaba’s Luck stat did anything, I would buy this immediately. And the Despair Charm just nulls Despair. Not useless, but not worth much either. I don’t buy anything here just yet, but if you do decide to make a purchase, keep in mind that even with all the coins we have up to now available on the previous floor or this current one, there aren’t enough to buy all three. I might have missed a package on the previous floor, or needed to do some bonus gambling there, but if you buy all three items right now, you won’t have enough coins for the buy-in for the games ahead.
Now, let’s start by heading over to the House of Darkness.
You better not be lookn’ for a fight. We ain’t interested! 
*chuckle* That won’t be necessary. You are valuable participants, after all. 
Most certainly. The original intent behind the high limit floor is different from that of others. On this floor, VIPs are encouraged the send substitutes to compete in the games in their place. Consider it to be like the horses in horse racing. However… it seems you have no substitutes. Of course we don’t. That should be obvious. Indeed it is! Hence, you will be the vital participants in these games. 
...So we basically need to be our own substitutes. Eh, sounds perfect to me! That’s way better than spectating!Speak for yourself, Morgana. You’re on the bench anyway.
Splendid! Now, allow me to explain the rules. A straightforward maze lies directly ahead of you. I suggest you exercise utmost caution within, as the lighting is dimmed quite heavily. Your entry fee into this maze will be 1,000 coins… But if you can manage to reach the goal, well… you will obtain ten times that amount. 
It is no wonder they call this the high limit floor. I doubt the maze will be as simple as it sounds… 
One more thing: You are free to head backward in the maze or even leave the room if you so choose. ...Well then, please enjoy. 
Aww, you’re just paranoid! Sounds like fun!
Music: Disquiet
Aww, beans.
God damn! It’s so freakin’ dark! This is definitely not “a little.” We’ve been tricked.He didn’t say “a little,” though. He said “quite heavily.”
I’m sensing Shadows too. “Very simple,” my ass. If we do not ascertain the layout and placement of the enemies, we will surely find ourselves in danger. I just hope there is an adequate way of doing so… Wink wink.
In case you don’t immediately realize what you need to do, just tape down your L1 button for the rest of this segment, because it’s Third Eye time, baby! Using it will actually make it brighter for once. From there, it’s rather simple to detect the Shadows and find a way forward.
This is Norn. It can heal itself to full and use Wind and Electricity.
And these are Rangda, a staple of the SMT series. They reflect Physical and Gun, but are weak to Electric and Bless damage. They use Curse and Physical.
Eventually we follow the straight path until we come to a room with a bunch of NPCs huddled together. That’s odd.
And we see the reason why. The only door forward won’t open.
No way… It’s not opening!? Impossible. We took the only path available straight to this point. So, the participants are trapped in here to fall victim to the Shadows? ...It seems they have no intention of letting us proceed further. Dammit, this is cheatin’… Actually, it’s even worse than cheatin’! Regardless, let’s search for a way past here. We can’t get the coins if we don’t reach the goal. 
Thankfully, there’s an open vent conveniently placed right next to it.
Hm, how convenient. If they’re not going to let us move forward, we can force our way through here. Haha, an unsurprising idea for Sae-san’s sister. I will go along with whatever plan we choose. The decision is yours, Joker. 
We find ourselves high up in a new area upon exiting the vent.
This is Skadi. She uses Ice attacks, and can use the combo of Evil Smile and Ghastly Wail to inflict Fear, then kill anyone with the status. No weaknesses, but reflects Ice.
Now, the rest of this area is a long, tedious trek through identical dark corridors, with maybe a treasure chest if you go the wrong way. I’m not going to bother showing them all off, so let’s just skip to the end.
Music: The Whims of Fate
Is that it though? It feels like there’s more up ahead. 
And another treasure chest.
The Morose Collar is a decent piece of armor for Morgana with Resist Brainwash.
Next, we enter this outrageously long hall.
What? You’re gonna have to speak up! You’re really far away!
Huh? That’s the guy who was at the reception desk… 
Really, man? Why’s everything gotta be a goddamn trial around here? ...Shut up, I know this is a courthouse, that pun was not intentional.
That bastard! What’s he tryin’ to do here!? Leave your complaining for later. Our path’s been blocked, so we need to find a way around. 
We could just grab the edge and hop over this, you guys. It’s not that tall. *sigh* Welp, time to wander through more backrooms.
Morgana learns Garudyne to replace Garula.
Haru also learns Psiodyne to replace Psio.
They’re really backloading these treasure chests, damn.
Oh sweet, another Soma! That makes three in our inventory, two of which we got from this dungeon.
Man, that long way ‘round shit is bull! Where’s that bastard from earlier, huh!? 
We might as well reset the cards, even if we won’t actually be coming back this way.
Hey, isn’t this the thing that Shadow was messing with? 
Oh, we have an escape route now! We can proceed onward without having to worry about it anymore.
Now that we’re past that, we’ve trapped the Shadow in a dead end. Let’s finally finish this.
You truly are pests… Every time you think you’ve crushed them, they just come crawling back in. What was that, you bastard!? I hope you’re ready. We didn’t appreciate that trap of yours. He’s right! You didn’t have any intention of letting us get past that maze in the first place! Ah, you are indeed correct! That is how things are supposed to be. You’re not worthy of victory. Now, won’t you just lie down and die for me? This isn’t an easy job, you know. 
Awww, is that so? Well then it seems I have no other choice…!
This guy uses Electric attacks, and will eventually use Concentrate to boost them. It’s got more health than most of the other minibosses in this Palace, but this guy’s still kinda pathetic.
Ryuji learns Megaton Raid, a Severe Physical strike that finally puts him on par with Yusuke and Akechi in terms of Physical damage strength. It replaces Assault Dive.
Yusuke also learns Bufudyne to replace Bufula.
Considering how things were on the members floor, it’s no surprise this isn’t a fair game either. And yet we still reached our goal. Come now, let us go. We have no more business here. Hm, we will have to go to another game if we want to win more coins… We’re then given the option to warp directly back to reception, which we take. But before we explore the other wing of the high limit floor, let’s take a little diversion...
Music: Aria of the Soul
The names of the Personas you have registered now fill more than half of the Inmate Registry. Our master is pleased with your rehabilitation and has yet again bestowed a special privilege. 
We’re giving you a bigger discount on summoning from the registry! What do you think? Are you happy? If you fill the Inmate Registry with even more names, our master may grant further privileges. Work hard toward your rehabilitation. The summoning discount has now increased from 10% to 15%.
Today, we’re fusing Horus from Norn and Girimehkala.
I’ll be your mask from now on! Let’s fly together into the light! 
Horus is an Egyptian god associated with the sun, and is the son of the god Osiris. The pharaoh of Egypt was thought to be the personification of Horus, and was responsible for keeping balance. In his battle with his brother Seth, the gods chose him as the victor.
Next, Seth as an Advanced Fusion from Thoth, Isis, Anubis, and Horus.
So you wish for the power to kill, even if others abhor you? In that case, I shall become your mask.Kill? What? No.
Seth is the Egyptian god associated with deserts, storms, and chaos. He was married to his sister, which I guess ran in the family because Osiris, Horus’ father (and Seth’s brother) who he ended up murdering, did the same thing. He and his nephew Horus have a never-ending battle, with the upper hand shifting as it turns from day to night and vice versa.
Now, we’ve fused the Seth we need for the last Strength request. However, it doesn’t have the skill we need, High Counter. Oops. We could go through all the trouble of re-fusing it by leveling Dakini to 52, then fusing it with Pazuzu to make a new Horus with High Counter...
Or we could just do this.
We got this skill card from a request, upon which I mentioned we should save it for later. Well, now's later.
Ah… Is that… a Seth with the skill High Counter? Caroline and Justine Rank 10
You really made it…!? Err, yes. I totally fused it and didn’t cheat at all, yep.
The inmate with all those pitiful Personas actually managed this…? H-Hmph. I guess I can compliment you this time. Well done. You have far exceeded our original expectations. This may not be a proper thing to say to an inmate, but you have done extraordinary work. You’re a real handful, but I gotta give you some credit. As for the next task we will assign to you… There is nothing. You have fulfilled every duty available to you. As the ones who rule over power, our role is… ……
Rule over… power…? Why did I say that…? 
Justine…? 
I-It is nothing. Just… my head… Urgh! These memories… The one who first wrote this list. It was me… Or was it us…? Just… what are we…? 
*pant* *pant* My apologies… Don’t worry. This has happened to me too. 
Caroline, do not shift the blame onto him… Ugh… I hope you know you’re a real handful, Inmate! Caroline and Justine turn to each other and nod.
But… fine. I’ll grant you that privilege. Heg, we’ve really gone soft, huh?You still kick me into the Velvet Room. How soft can you possibly have gone?
Perhaps… Perhaps you are too embarrassed to admit how much his concern pleased you? 
Anyway, we’re gonna give you a great ability this time! You’re gonna cry tears of joy when you get it! And, um, Inmate… There’s no doubt you’re a problem child. But honestly… we’re real impressed that you conquered all the trials we put forth.Aww, shucks.
You hold a surprisingly great potential. So… fight. I’m sure you’ll be able to accomplish anything you put your mind to. 
Caroline and Justine nod.
Trickster… I believe in you. Prove to us that you can reach the truth. We will be waiting for you, Maaku… Holy shit, they know my name!
I feel a strong bond with Caroline and Justine...Music: The Spirit
Now we can finally fuse above our level. Be warned, though: the fees are exorbitant.
Music: Aria of the Soul
You’re still in rehabilitation till you can get out from behind the bars. Got that, Inmate!? Music: The Whims of Fate
Now, we can head to the Battle Arena.
Oh, it’s you guys… Our manager told us about you. 
My, you’re so quick to anger. Wonderful. This would be quite boring if that wasn’t the case. Oh! Yes, we do!We do what, Haru? Did anyone read over this script before it went out?
(What I think happened here is that he’s supposed to ask if we have 10,000 coins to participate in the Battle Arena, but because we came here second that line isn’t playing correctly and got skipped over. I dunno, weird)
Oh, you have surely been busy. Very well then, allow me to explain this game to you. Here, you will prove your supremacy in a trio of fierce one-on-one battles. Then again… this is the pinnacle of our casino, the high limit floor. Normallu, our VIPs would prepare substitutes who would fight to the death for their sake… The attending guests then bet coins on who they think will win. 
The entirety of this floor must be like that. Taking little risk for a high return is truly the optimal business strategy. But can we even participate if we don’t have a substitute? 
Hey, we didn’t need one for the other game! The same probably applies in here too. As irritating as it may be, that is correct. Please participate. Registration will take place at the counter over there. 
Of course! Our teamwork’s gonna take down this arena of yours! Ah, now that won’t do. This is a series of honest one-on-one battles. 
Correct, only one can participate. You’ll need to choose someone to act as your representative. The entry fee for this event is 10,000 coins. However, if you manage to succeed the trials, you will be granted ten times that: 100,000 coins. 
Hm… This feels like a trap to me. An amount that high would certainly ensure great danger. But failure to infiltrate this Palace will be the end of us. So we don’t got a choice… Very well. In that case, Joker should be the one to participate. We don’t know what kind of enemies may appear, so his high level of adaptability will be vital here. 
I’m glad you understand. I think I can at least provide backup from the sidelines. You won’t be alone, Joker! Has your mind been made up? The battles will begin once you enter. Now then, shall you challenge the imposing Battle Arena? 
Oh…? In that case, please head onward into the ring. The entry fee and appropriate prize total shall be calculated at the end of the game. Now then… prepare to know the true meaning of agony. *chuckle*
Music: Keeper of Lust
Odds are 1.1 to the house, 23.0 to the Phantom Thieves! Remember this number kids, it’s going to be on the exam.
Wow, the Phantom Thieves are surprisingly popular! It’s rare to see odds in the double digits! Now, let us begin our serious one-on-one battle! Bring out the first contestant! 
This isn’t one-on-one at all! They’re just ignoring the rules right from the beginning! Now then, it’s time for this hellish trio of battles to begin! Ready, set… go! 
This first group won’t do much besides Cleave and occasionally just not act. They can Charge up, increase their Attack and decrease your Defense, but it’s rare and I only saw it when I was down to one. It’s still annoying having to deal with two of them, though. If only we had a Persona with both multitarget damage, Resist Physical, and a full heal spell...
Oh, wait. They go down real simple after we switch to good ol’ Hungry Monk.
You know, that’s a little hard to say… I’m just going to call him the Phantom Dweeb from now on! All of you betting on the house, do not fret. The second round of contestants is arriving now!
How cowardly! There’s nothing fair or honest about this! Quiet down in the peanut gallery. Now, it’s time to die in this bloodcurdling battle!
Oops, I killed them all in one hit. You know, I was kind of dreading the Arena, but a good Persona can carry you through it no problem as long as you’ve got Diarahan at least once somewhere in your arsenal. The multi-target and Resist Physical’s just cake.
Grr, there’s no way in hell you’re getting away with this! Time for our final contestant! 
Yowza… That’s a big one. Go, grind his bones to dust! Let the extreme third battle begin! 
Charge, wait, Megaton Raid, Concentrate, wait, Ziodyne, repeat. That’s his entire pattern. As long as we guard the Ziodyne because we don’t resist it, we’re fine.
Music: The Whims of Fate
Once again, justice prevails. Th-the payout will be handed over after this… Please wait… 
You were incredible! They never even planned on giving you a fair fight in there. Yes, I expected that would be the case. Our other trials have been rigged as well, after all. So you sent Joker in knowing full well the possible dangers!? I simply had faith in his skill. And to be honest… there was no other course of action available. Come now, we should head to the bridge. This shall be our moment to shine. 
Lookit all them coins, hot damn. Let’s head back to the authentication device, then.
(I bought some of the accessories before heading over, if you’re wondering why the coin count is different)
The required number of coins to activate the Bridge of Judgment is 100,000 coins. We got that! Now let us through! Music: Desire
I never expected you would make it this far. I commend you on your vigorous efforts. However, you will never proceed to the manager’s floor ahead. From this moment forward, the number of coins for the bridge will increase to 1,000,000 coins! 
That’s not fair! You can’t give us an impossible task like that! Ah, you finally understand? That is the point. Your task will forever be impossible! Hence, I will emerge victorious! We had only just barely gotten 100,000 coins as well… She said she would let us through if we had 1,000,000 coins, yes? In that case, there won’t be a problem. 
Y-You know how to win that many!? 
Music: Disquiet
What…? How could that be!? Stole the words right outta my mouth.
Do you remember what we were told at the very beginning? Essentially, we could borrow as many coins from the casino as we already held on our card. Well yes, but… For example, had we borrowed the max when we had 10,000 coins, we would have ended up with 20,000. 
It took me fucking forever to figure out where on earth he got the number 460,000 from. As it turns out, if you remember the odds from the Battle Arena, they were 23.0 for the Phantom Thieves. This was in a single throwaway line of dialogue from a disembodied voice who didn’t get a portrait or voice acting, and you almost certainly forgot about it thus.
Yes, but you’re speaking purely in hypotheticals. That’s not what actually happened. Correct, on Joker’s card. However, that is not the only card in our possession. You have… another card!? 
Exactly. Instead of disposing of it, I secretly used it to gather coins and outsmart this system.He did it in the magical kingdom of Offscreen Land, where nothing takes any time whatsoever.
H-Hmph… So what? That’s still clearly not close to the required total.
What the fuck is going on
Um, what? This isn’t order of operations, subtraction doesn’t come after multiplication. You would have needed to pay the first sum back first before you doubled it. That’s only 900,000. It doesn’t actually change anything, but still.
Adding Joker’s total to that brings us to 1,010,000 coins. We can surely cross the bridge now. 
Is there a problem? The manager’s room lies ahead. We won’t need to worry about coins after this. Or did you honestly intend on paying back such a large sum? I owe like a million coins to a casino in this lady’s heart. Afraid somebody’s gonna come bust my kneecaps.
Impossible… This can’t be…! 
Crow… It’s a actualy a little frightening how sharp you are… I’ll take that as a compliment. I’m glad I was able to contribute to our Phantom Thieves efforts. Now, we should hurry and let the bridge down before she decides to change the rules once again.Why doesn’t she?
Also, I feel like I should explain just what the hell Akechi’s plan actually was because literally all of it takes place offscreen.
- Register the Taro Tanaka card on the high limit floor for a free 1,000 coins.
- Register for the maze, taking him from 1,000 coins to 0.
- Complete the maze, giving him 10,000 coins.
- Borrow 10,000 coins, giving him 20,000 coins.
- Bet on Maaku in the Battle Arena with 23-to-1 odds, giving him 460,000 coins.
- Return 10,000 coins and borrow another 460,000. I guess these actions take place simultaneously because he should have 900,000 by any stretch of the imagination, not 910,000.
- Somehow pool the points on both cards to reach a number he didn’t know he needed.
- Seriously, it relies on him just assuming we’ll need not just more coins, but exactly one million. It makes no sense anyway.
Music: The Whims of Fate
Do you wish to activate the Bridge of Judgment?
We had better be ready for whatever lies ahead! 
And the Treasure’s in sight.
Music: Suspicion
A lot has happened, but we managed to get up here! Miss Manager’s days are numbered! 
I entertained you with all of my “games,” but it appears you are still far from satisfied. Very well. I’ve made preparations especially for that possibility. This will be a game of life and death from now on. No matter who I face, I shall not lose! Sis… …… Our infiltration route is secure. We need to head back out and send the calling card. And once the calling card is sent, Sae-san’s Treasure will appear, correct? Yeah. Once the target is cognizant of the danger, that cloudy thing will take shape. I wonder… What will the Treasure look like? That depends on the person… For Kamoshida, it was a medal. Madarame’s was a painting, and Kaneshiro’s was fake money… Father’s was a plastic model… In other words… the Treasure is what marked the beginning of the Palace ruler’s aspirations. It could also be what caused their desires to swell. Thinking about it won’t get us anywhere though. Let’s head back and prepare the calling card. Music: The Whims of Fate
Hm? What’s up? You curious about the Treasure? Speaking of that, it actually looks like there’s a shape formed in the haziness… If I had to guess… I’d say Sis’ Treasure is a police notebook. Right… Your father was… She…. Probably thinks Dad died because the police were using him. That’s why she believes justice is meaningless, and that there’s no point living a subservient life… Dad’s death is even the reason she aspired to become a prosecutor and grew so obsessed with winning… She really loved him… Sae-san’s heart must be exhausted from living in such a fiercely competitive world… Honest beliefs alone are not enough to get you through. Even I understand that pain… But that is exactly why we need to change her heart. ...Yes, you’re right. And now we’ve ascertained the location of the Treasure for that goal. 
Now returning to the real world from Niijima’s Palace. Thank you for your hard work. 
We finally secured our route to the Treasure! All we need to do now is send the calling card. Mkay, I’ve been waitin’ for this! Anyways, when’re we gonna send it? I guess that part’s up to you, dude. Let us know when you need us! Welp, finally out of there. That was the best Palace and it still was… a lot. But enough of that, time for the final edition of the Phashion Phrenzy!
More weird maid uniforms, yep. Exactly what I wanted out of this, game. At least Maaku has a cool monocle.
I like most of these, honestly. Yusuke’s and Ann’s are kinda lame, but Ryuji’s is dope, Haru’s got a cute hat, and Makoto’s outfit here rules hard enough that I felt compelled to show off the cape. Also, Morgana, you need arms, you silly!
Music: Reach Out To The Truth (Dancing On Persona Stage)
This is the “final boss” music of Persona 4: Dancing All Night.
I’m glad they didn’t go with any of these outfits in the real Persona 5 dancing game, because most of them are traaaaaaaash! Akechi’s is the only one I actually really like.
Music: Normal Battle – Tokyo
This is the Tokyo battle music in Shin Megami Tensei IV.
These outfits are all near-identical, but I like Morgana’s Burroughs outfit. Also the look really works for Haru for some reason.
Music: Arena (Stage ver.)
I’m actually not sure where this plays in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. I think it’s the title screen music.
Oh shit! We look like the slickest nazis! I like the custom glasses/masks for everyone but this is just a comically bad look all around, hah. The Shadow Operatives are about this lame though, so I get it.
Music: Battle ~ Raidou
This is the battle music, surprisingly hard to find, for Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army.
We’re not exactly fashion-forward here, but the Yumizuki High School uniforms have a certain charm. Also Akechi is dressed as an imperialist dog, and Morgana is Gouto! How adorable! We don’t need him getting any more sarcastic, though.
Now, it’s time to decide a winner… and compiling the data here, my objective choice is… Akechi? Goddammit, what? This machine is broken! Ugh. Whatever. You idiots can just decide amongst yourselves. No, there isn’t a reward. Life is pointless, get used to it.
I can’t believe I spent 60 dollars on this horseshit.