Part 14: Rose's Thorns

The culture level is different!

I'm beginning to think the translators were drinking during the game's second half. Or everyone involved was, for that matter.



No, French word for cake (wow I can't believe I thought it was cat at first)



This does explain why Napoleon suggested that he “knew us from before” back when we last saw him.

You're not Rask, but your personality is like his...

So he's bland, mute, and expressionless?



Gateau suggests that we prove the truth of our shared identity with Rask.



I know, short red-haired kids with goggles who command robots are pretty suspicious.



Napoleon from the past is an asshole, for your information. Napoleon will “hide his form” while we return to Rococo.



Count Prinky and Igor are stunned by us seemingly appearing and disappearing from nowhere, so they make the great decision to build the Old House/Clock Tower here, despite the fact that if you saw someone do this in reality you'd most likely stay the fuck away forever



Napoleon exclaims that yes, this is indeed Rask, but he's sick for whatever reason.



A-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-aaah!!



... A m-o-o-o-ns-ter!!



... But you weren't afraid of me at all, … why?



Yes, it's me Napoleon! What have you been doing? What's happened? Tell me.

Rask: The ship went out of control and fell into a cave... what about your ship? I left a blueprint of the engine in there, but then... a Woman came and took it. She stole the Tetron! We gotta go!

Napoleon: I see! But you have to take it easy now... I'll get the Tetron back for you. I'll go tell Gateau and Cookie right away. Be right back!

Rask: Wait, Napoleon! Don't tell Gateau...

but alas it was too late



Rask tells us Gateau is going to use the Tetron to his own ends; trouble seems to follow us into the past.



Returning to the ship, Cookie tells us that Napoleon and Gateau are in the cave mouth, so let's head there.



The cave mouth is a bit different from its future version, with some more Big Fans and twisty pathways.



The rose-wielding ones toss roses at you. How that damages a metallic robot, the world may never know. The ones that hold an even larger bouquet simply throw the entire thing at you, and do some respectable damage. All variations of the Big Fans can be taken out with a three-hit Sword 4 RUN.



The Cave Mouth is pretty linear, so you shouldn't have much trouble navigating it. I did get a Laser 3 drop here, which is awesome, because you can make a Blade 3 with it and a Sword 3. With the Blade 3, you can then make a Blade 4 provided you find a Seed first.



We do find a regular Hacker down here, for whatever reason. Let's change into mouse form, since he does nothing while we're human.



Because the door above can't be broken with the drill despite looking similar to breakable walls, we need the Hacker to reveal the switch.



You've come again? Even though I hurt you, you've recovered fast. You've forgotten me? Such a sad thing to say. I'm the Hacker leader, Rose. After the explosion, there was a 100 Year Time Slip... I suffered after that... I started a theft ring, and collected money for research on how to return to our home planet. All because of you... eeh, you wrecked my plan! Grrr!!! I was so happy to meet you in this world. And get Tetron back again. This Tetron is mine now, and I'll never bother you again...



A pit forms, sending us down into a very dark area. You thought we wouldn't have to use the Light again, eh?



Goodbye kid, I won't see you again! Ha ha, you deserve it!



Oh hell no.



Yeah, the flashlight's gone, as well as the drill. That's a way to get rid of a Key Item, I guess.



At the end of the right path, we get the Scrap 8. The Scrap 8 is amazing because combined with the escape-from-battle item Smoke(which you should have the ability to invent via the Rococo Item Shop a while back), you can craft a Blade 4, the strongest weapon in the game. This is the alternate method, aside from Blade 3 + Seed. It's also much quicker, as we haven't seen a Seed yet whatsoever.



The destroyer of worlds. The annoying thing about the Blade 4 is that you can't combine it with lesser Blades to boost its stats; you have to use equip-level-up capsules, and only with weapons that can actually hit these capsules, since Blade 4 destroys them; make sure to double-wield with the Axe 3 so you can get these capsules. This will be going on Megaman regardless so he can (eventually) destroy everyone. HK-47 will have to go without the Axe 3 for now.



Like the Sword 4, the Blade 4 is elemental, this time fire. As you level it up, the firebird grows progressively larger and can hit more targets, and it works long-range to boot.



Napoleon: … Of course. I was made by Rask and Gateau, Robot... I'm hard to destroy.

Soldier: This Gateau asked me to kill you, but I'll help you.

Napoleon: Gateau?! … First...

Soldier: I have to finish you off before I go, or Rose will be hysterical.



I will win this time. Prepare yourself!



It's okay, you can always pay a hooker.





We could, but we can't without Spare Parts. He means equip a Repair.



Napoleon starts to move again, and agrees to help light the way since we don't have our tools at the moment.



He also serves as a way to drill through walls, too. This leads to a Scrap 5, which is... not that great.



Back towards the entrance, we recover our flashlight again.



It's broken up... looks like the parts are missing. But who, and what for? I've got a bad feeling... sorry, I'll go first. If we had lights... sorry, take care!



As you might have guessed, we recover our Drill here as Napoleon leaves.



Out of randomness, we do find an R&D in the cave here. Here, we make a Punch 3 from Punch 1 + Scrap 9. Then we take the Punch 3 and combine it with our Laser 3 to make the Blow 3, which will go on Gato forever. Alternately, we could just combine Scrap 4 with Scrap 10 for similar results, but one gets rid of more items in my inventory. You could also make Bomb 3 with Scrap 10 + Weather, if you're using them; I want to save my Scrap 10 to make Boots 6 later.



The place loops back to where we first fell down, and we have the Drill, we can get through here.



Gateau: You don't know anything. The Tetron is like a prism that shows time. As an experiment I'll show you your past through this prism.



Mayor: Yes, what is it?? Money?? Anything you ask!

Rose: Really? Dexter has 3 stones. I want them.

Mayor: They belong to someone? Nothing else? I'll buy new ones.

Rose: No! Only those will do! Right. I need them badly.



Take anything valuable from these people! Then we can find out how to return!



Gateau: People who don't know its power can't do it. Well, what are you going to do?

Rose: Well, you finished that machine, so I think I can trust you.



Gateau: This guy Tetron is collecting from the future... if I eliminate you, you can't bother me in the future.

Napoleon: Ga... Gateau! Please wait!!



Napoleon: Rask deeply regrets having made this. You shouldn't know about the passage of time. So he left Choco, looking for a place where he could bury it.

Gateau: Hmm... after all, you're only a Robot, Napoleon. You will never be able to understand people's minds. Rose? After I finish this guy off you can continue testing the machine. I will take the Tetron.



Napoleon runs off after Gateau, leaving us with Rose.

You know what happens when she gets mad!



De Rose is a toughie. She has a strong up-close attack, a devastating blast beam, and a decent long-range bomb attack. Sometimes she can even go twice in a row, guaranteed to destroy your Robot.



The bombs hit all rows, so it's hard to dodge. Her up-close attack can also cross rows as well, even if you're not next to her she'll be able to hit you adjacently as well.



It's really a matter of being able to keep your Robots alive as long as possible, as she'll frequently be nuking the fuck out of them.



I won this fight by the skin of my fucking teeth – used up something like 15 Repairs.



Rose: I can't forgive that! Give me back my Tetron!

Hey Rose



Chill out

She flees the room, we hear a scream. She had fallen into her own pit, without the tools we had. Presumably, she'd be stuck there forever had we not drilled out a path for her on our way out.



At level 7, Blade 4 hits everyone. Fuck the game a new one. After a few more battles, he gets Blade 4 Level 9, becoming Megaman, the Death God.



Rask: I'm not going back. I have something to do on this planet.

Cookie: You're a Choco scientist. The Tetron has shown you, right? Choco will be invaded in the future... how can you tell the King to prepare for it now?!



Cookie: That was Napoleon. I must return to the ship. I'm going, you must change your mind by then!



I have a favor to ask. Follow Cookie, and stop Gateau. If you don't, something awful will happen.





We have 10 minutes! That's enough time to start the engine to return to the ground.



This Tetron's defective? That old trick won't fool me! You were always like that, Rask... always ahead of me with that smiling face. This Tetron was your invention, too. But you refuse to use it this way. So I'll use it. With this Tetron I'll see the past, future, and control the flow of time!







Every update requires a good cliffhanger.