Part 25: 5/7-5/8: All Aboard The Cat Bus

Part 24: 5/7-5/8: All Aboard The Cat Bus



Music: Mementos

Loop that track about 40 times. Congratulations, you now have the Mementos Experience. Isn’t it great?



Yeah, I guess it’d be strange driving on the tracks like this in the real world… Anyway, Nakanohara’s somewhere in here, right?
Most likely in a segment of his own creation. Don’t worry, it won’t be the size of a Palace. Our next step is to find an entrance to that segment.
And what’s this entrance gonna look like?
I have no idea, but strong distortions should be a pretty obvious visual clue.
So we just gotta go wanderin’ around for it then? What a goddamn pain in the ass...



So, our objective now is to ride around the subway tracks looking for a distortion to find Nakanohara.



Over here, we see a roaming Shadow.



Our strategy: ram the fuck into it.



These Slimes make up most of the encounters on this floor, and have a nasty tendency to blow themselves up. Thankfully, they’re weak to Wind and Fire.



We also get a chance to see Ryuji’s follow-up attack down here.






It’s kind of a lot.



Eventually, we find the distortion.

Dude, the hell is this…? It’s all wavy and shit.
This is the place… I sense the target up ahead. Now, are you ready, Joker?





That seems to be Nakanohara’s Shadow.
Lemme see. Some front desk guy at City Hall became a stalker, right?
I don’t know how much evil he’s done, but we have to do something if he’s bothering other people.
All right, we’ll go talk to him.

Music: Desire



Are you that stalker!? Haven’t you ever stopped to consider how your ex feels?
She’s my property! I can do whatever I want with her! It’s not like she didn’t treat me like a plaything! What’s wrong with me doing the same!?
You can’t treat someone like shit just ‘cause they did it to you! What a load of crap...



There are millions of people far worse than me! What about Madarame…? He stole everything from me, but you’re letting him off the hook!?
...Madarame? The hell’s this guy goin’ on about?




Music: Keeper of Lust




Look… This is a winner-takes-all world. Come fight me and I’ll show you what I mean!



Shadow Nakanohara starts by increasing his Attack. This could be a problem, but...





Skull Cracker immediately inflicts Confusion, forcing it to spend its turns doing nothing, throwing items away, or throwing money away. Those last two are great for us because we get the spoils, but it also means this thing doesn’t get a single turn to attack before we kill it, which is why I didn’t even bother posting a video of the fight like I usually do. A lot of Mementos minibosses are susceptible to ailments, which can trivialize them.

Music: Victory



Everyone leveled up and gained new skills from this fight, too.



Ryuji learns Headbutt, which is Medium Physical with a medium chance of Forget.



Morgana learns Media, which is a light heal to the entire party.



Finally, Ann learns Tarunda, which is single-target Attack down. It’s pretty handy.

Music: Suspicion



That evil teacher used me, then threw me out on the street. That’s what caused my fixation on her...



Huh? Could it be that Madarame guy he was talkin’ about earlier?
Yeah… I just didn’t want anyone to throw me out again…
So some selfish bastard was making you suffer too… Still, you shouldn’t have dragged an unrelated woman into your mess.
Yes, I know that now. I’ll put an end to my love for her… ...Hey you can change people’s hearts, right? In that case… Won’t you change Madarame’s heart!? Before more people fall victim to him...




Change… Madarame’s heart?
Hm? What’s that shinin’ thing?
It’s the bud of a Treasure. Had we left it be, it very well may have blossomed into a Palace. Joker, this will make a perfect reward!






Most likely.
But how are we supposed to know if we succeeded?
The lady posted the dude’s name online. If he really does change, she’ll prolly comment again.
Hm, you do have a point.
Either way, trainin’ against Shadows down here’s the best! It’s great prep for our next target!
It’s also nice to be able to give courage to the people who post their problems online.
On top of that, we can sell whatever treasure we get for some cold, hard cash!



…All right, we did it!
Hold on. There’s somewhere I want to show you guys before we leave.
What, there’s more?
Don’t worry, it won’t take long.

Music: Mementos




There’s something I’d like to check in an area further down. That platform we saw earlier should be the way down. Let’s head there first.
Wait, you’ve been here before, right? Don’t you got like a map or something?
That would hold no meaning in this place. The layout changes every time you enter.
Wait, so our path changes too!?
This place is the fused cognition of a countless number of people. It’s constantly shifting. Even so, our destination should be pretty close. I’m counting on you, Joker.

Yep, Mementos is randomly generated, just like P3's Tartarus and all of P4's dungeons.



Before we head down, though, let’s check the item we got. This Attachment Pearl nulls Forget.






Of course they are. We’re in the subway, you know.
Yeah, but I thought this was a Palace!
Then maybe this is how the public views this place? I don’t know.
People go through this darkness… every day…?
Forget that! You sure we’re cool runnin’ around on these tracks!?
It should be fine as long as we’re not on the same ones… I think. I’m no train expert.
You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me...
Anyway, let’s head to the lower area. It should be right after we go down to that escalator.




Music: Suspicion



And a dead end at that. Why’s it even exist?
Now hold on… Just watch. This is most likely not an ordinary wall. If my hunch is correct...






A new area has been confirmed in the depths. Updating guidance information.
See!? It’s just as I thought!
What do you mean?
That wall wouldn’t budge when I came here by myself before. But it’d be weird for the deepest part of Mementos to be some normal place like this, wouldn’t it?
So you were thinkin’ there’s gotta be more?
Yeah! Now that Kamoshida’s Palace is gone and people are actually starting to talk about us… I knew something had to have changed down here!
How deep is it? Should we try going further down?
Let’s not. That’s not why we’re here today, remember? We’ve already accomplished our goal. We should head back and I’ll explain more once we’re home.



Music: Break it Down (Elp Version)



Oh, and what was that wall thing we saw at the end?
I’m not entirely sure, but it blocked us from going in past a certain depth. If Mementos is the public’s Palace though… it might be affected by the general public’s belief in us.
Why do you know so much about it, Morgana?
My memories are a little foggy in that regard… However, I need to know what lies in the depths of Mementos, no matter what.
No matter what…?
Mementos is not just everyone’s Palace, it’s the source of all Palaces. It used to be that Palaces like Kamoshida’s with one ruler simply didn’t exist. So if we can do something about the greatest cause of distortions, I’m certain my appearance will…!
You wanted someone to save you too...
I-I just needed pawns.
I see… So that’s why you came pokin’ your nose around with us.
...I’ll help you. I hope you can regain what you’ve lost.
I’ll… be relying on you guys.
By the way Morgana… are you a boy? Or might you be a girl?



There’s only one choice here.

That is a possibility!
I wish I could deny it, but… I just can’t be sure.



...In any case, of course I’m male! I mean, I…
...What is it?
No… it’s nothing. We’re done talking about that! Anyway, we now know that we can perform minor changes of heart in Mementos. If we come across any eye-catching leads, it may be worth dealing with them for a bit of combat practice.
There weren’t any other outstanding ones though...
I bet we’ll get tons of ‘em if we can change someone famous and make the Phantom Thieves well-known. The big fish are our main targets after all.
First you need to find a way to get through your exams.






The game’s all, “you should really just fucking chill. Study for those exams or whatever, you’re still at Rank 1 Knowledge, dumbass.”



A mysterious stranger stares at us...

Music: Beneath the Mask



If we can take down some kinda big target next, we’re totally gonna get famous.



See?
I don’t think that you’re necessarily wrong… But should we really be doing this at all if we don’t have a reason like with Kamoshida?
You mean we shouldn’t be sticking our noses into other people’s business? I dunno, man. If someone’s in trouble, it’s only natural to wanna help ‘em out!
I mean, I agree with that. And I guess I was glad we were able to solve the stalker case.



The same goes for me.
We don’t got much time to be arguing over this either. That Madarame(?) guy bothers me.
Yeah. But no getting carried away, you understand? And don’t do anything to stand out like fail your exams.
Oh crap! Speaking of that, I haven’t studied at all…
Is it Ryuji? Did he mention anything about Mementos? If there’s anything you want to know, I can tell you.

Let’s take Morgana up on that.




Well, it’s the collective Palace of the general public. Deep inside each and every human’s mind is an obscured thought process known as the unconscious. These thought processes then meld together and form what I like to call the collective unconscious.

Yeah, sure, you totally didn’t just steal that from a psychology textbook.

In other words, Mementos is a shared cognitive world created by the joint distortions of society as a whole. You can just think of it as the big Palace made from everyone’s hearts though.



I would bet it was because of the shift in public opinion caused by Kamoshida’s change of heart. Those kinds of big changes in the tide will surely have an impact on what goes on in Mementos. In other words, we might be able to get even further if we can rouse up more public acknowledgement. We’ll need to take down another target in order for that to happen though!

In other words: It’s gated by the story, idiot.



I have a feeling that something deep within that place has caused me to take my current form. That’s why I’m so invested in reaching the depths of Mementos. If we can figure out the cause of my distorted form, I should go back to normal… I think. Either way, I’ll be counting on you guys to help me out.



Oh, and it’s important to note that both Mementos and the Palaces are affected by real world happenings. Weather’s a great example of that. I mean, weather affects your mood, doesn’t it? Same goes for Mementos. You should try heading in on a day with bad weather. I’ll explain in more detail then.



Tomorrow on Good Morning Japan, our guest is Japanese artist Ichiryusai Madarame. A master who brings fantastical scenes to life, how does he feel about his latest exhibition?

Duhhhhhhhh, I wonder if that could be the person we’re looking for.



No, I have to go work at the beef bowl shop so the speech man will love me! Damn you, cat!



Anon: gtfo with that shit LOL
Anon: ugh another online rumor?
Anon: ya rite lol
Anon: “of hearts”? what tryhards

I mean, I want to argue, but that last one is probably the exact reaction I would have.

Music: Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)




It’s OK, you don’t have to say it. I know deep down in my heart that it was useful.

Okay, I kinda wanna pants this twerp.

Anyway, I’m in Shibuya right now. I’d love it if you could come hear me out about your future actions! I’ll be waiting at the diner in Shibuya. You gotta swing by!



Either way, it sounds like he has something important to say. Why not go see what it is? I won’t be joining you though. There’s something in Mementos I need to go look into. Well, hopefully Mishima has something useful for you…

Music: My Homie



Oops, sorry about that. I haven’t been getting a lot of sleep lately. I’ve been staying up managing the Phan-Site all night, every night. I think it’s called… PR?



The Phantom Thieves Aficionado Website! Phan-Site for short. You need a catchy name if you want people to notice you. This is all a bit of P-Thieves propaganda! Basically, there’s no point to taking down bad guys if nobody’s gonna know about it. That’s why I’ve started a blog for posts from people you guys saved, while filtering out the haters. We need the Phantom Thieves to be seen in the proper light if we want to make the name popular, right?



Eh. let’s throw him a bone.



Though actually, I really wanna know how you punish people… Don’t worry, I’m not gonna ask. It wouldn’t be any fun if you just up and told me. After all, the Phantom Thieves have a reputation for being secretive!




But I’ll still be here to draw attention to the stuff you do! You can leave that part to me! I’m gonna use my Phan-Site to promote the Phantom Thieves, and weed out any negative comments. Your popularity is gonna be at my mercy… or uh, my fingertips. It’s like I’ll be your strategic image management representative, so to speak.




I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure that title’s more than just for show. *yaaawn* I’ve gotta say though, managing the Phantom Thieves’ reputation is tiring work… The forum gets all sorts of weird posts, including tons of things unrelated to reforming society… It’d defeat the purpose of the site if the truth of the Phantom Thieves was buried among all that garbage. Oh, but you don’t need to worry. I’ll sort through all the trash. Speaking of which, I’ve actually already found some worthwhile info about our very own school. Our quest to boost your popularity can start close to home!




Mishima seems motivated...





Mishima’s Confidant is somewhat irregular in that in order to advance it you need to complete certain Mementos requests he’ll send you.

I might be overworking myself though… *yaaawn* Man, I’m exhausted… I think I’d fall asleep on the spot if I weren’t talking to you. I should head home… See you later.

Music: Beneath the Mask



Whatever, I’ll study when I feel like it.

That reminds me, the home shopping program is airing today… You wanna check out the TV?



Here’s what we’ve got for you today! Two Calming Masks! Cover your face… and attain tranquility!
It’s a fashion statement!
This is a limited item! Today’s the one and only day it’ll be available! And it can be yours… For the incredibly low price of 1980 yen! We’re offering it for 1980 yen because it’s on sale for today only!
Oh, the phones are already ringing off the hook!
Once we’re sold out, that’s it! Don’t miss out on this deal!
Two Calming Masks, huh? They’re just 1980 yen. Thinking of buying them?



I have no idea what these things do, but sure.

Oh, another buyer’s just called in! Thank you so much!
We’ll try to get your order to you as quickly as possible! Goodbye for now! We’ll see you again next time with another fabulous product!
Goodbye for now!
Now all we have to do is just wait for it to arrive.



The other Sunday pastime that we can’t forget about is the aojiru, ugh.

Maaku gets Guts +1.



Time for work.

Music: Everyday Days



Oh shit, that’s a lot of people.

Yikes… A lot of customers just came in. You’re going to be bombarded with orders at this rate. Make sure you memorize them all!







What did the first person order?



Yes, that’s right! What did the second person order?



Yeah, they did say that! What about the third customer?



Yep. That’s what I heard, too! What did the fourth customer order?



Yeah, you’re right! That was the order! All right, now you just have to make everything and serve them!

Music: Break it Down (Elp Version)




Employees being overworked is becoming a real problem in the workplace. That’s concerning. Hm, I should remember this. I’ll leave my payment here. Thank you for the food.



He was worried about employees in the workplace, huh? Well, I think he knows who you are now. We should go to the station square again sometime soon.

Music: Alright (Elp Version)



It seems there were a lot of customers today, but you handled it well on your own! I paid you a little extra today. Good work, keep it up!



Sweet, we got more money for having a notepad handy memorizing those orders!



I’m sure it was rough, but I think you handled it all quite proficiently…!

Maaku gets Proficiency +3




And we finally make it to Rank 2.

Phew… Well, I guess we should go home soon.