Part 22: Episode XXII: A Rainy Day Fifteen Years Ago

Episode XXII: A Rainy Day Fifteen Years Ago


Music: Blow Up



Welp, it only took an exorcism and one fatality, but we've made it safely to Shanghai.



We've made it up to Sweeper in our useless Score screen. Maybe it'll calculate our Rooder Points at the end of the adventure, too.



Some major regions in Shadow Hearts have their own sub-maps. Shanghai is the first of 'em. Even back in the 1910s, it was one of the biggest cities in China and by the 1920s it was in the top five biggest cities in the world. I suppose it deserves its own map even if we'll be confined to like three blocks and maybe an evil sorcerer tower for the duration of our stay.

Before we venture into Shanghai properly, we're going to do so first in another flashback...


New Music: God Knows Bad News (For when things aren't going well.)



Err... Present day is 1913... Fifteen years ago would be 1898. Pretty sure they just fucked up and got the last two digits reversed here. Whoops!



Zhuzhen collapses in the street.



Whichever year it is, it's not been a good one for Zhuzhen...

Wugui of Kowloon and what definitely aren't two palette-swapped duplicates of him sans the ponytail surrounds the fallen Zhuzhen.



An Adept of the highest rank… fallen.
Kee-hee-hee!! Y’didn’t really think we’d letcha get away, did ya!! A little fly like you, always flitting about, causing trouble for Master Dehuai?! No, sir!
That wassa cheap trick throwin' a rake in his path like that! You gonna pay!!
Y’know what happens to flies, old man? They get SQUASHED!



Zhuzhen climbs back to his feet. All three men jump back and assume a fighting stance. Fortunately for them, he immediately crumbles back to his knee.



Hee hee hee… You’re a fine bunch. Attaching yourselves to the infamous Dehuai and calling him “Master”.
You should have seen him back when we were training. The only thing he was a master of was debating. Repeatedly. Three times a day. I'm surprised he hasn't lost an arm going at it that much. Hee hee...
Shuddup! The master doesn't debate! He orders and we obey!
That's not what I was insinu—you know what? Forget it. This is lost on you fools.
If you wanted a master, you’d have been better off declaring loyalty to one of those mangy street dogs!
<steps forward> Hmph, scum! After that torture session, it’s amazing you have any energy left to oppose the Master’s teachings. Of course, a maggot like you can’t really be expected to comprehend the greatness of Master Dehuai…
…Greatness?! Greatness, you say?! That’s a good one!! Wah ha ha ha ha! That’s a real side-splitter!! I think I’m going to die laughing!!
Owww! Crud... that's a cracked rib... Oh ho ho...
<yells angrily> Enough!! Shut up, you maggot!! Lord Wugui, let’s kill him and be done with it!
<turns away> Still, there’s one thing I do not understand. Why do you oppose the Demon’s Gate Invocation?



The Demon’s Gate Invocation! If we can destroy Japan, we shall send a clear and firm message to the West!
<turns back to Zhuzhen> Do you know any other way to maintain peace on this continent?!
Hmph! I’ve no use for such drivel! Destroy Japan?! A warning shot to the West?! You’re a fool! That’s not what a Demon’s Gate Invocation is about…
Are you EVEN LISTENING to the name of the thing you're trying to bring about!? Does that REMOTELY sound like it's a good, easily contained idea!?
Sure, like he says, it might be easy to blast Japan out of the water! But… just one misstep… and you could wind up blowing the entire world into oblivion!!
<yells angrily> Shaddup! As if you know!!
Oh, I forgot. Who was the Adept of the highest rank here? Was it you Generic Goon #2? Oh right, now I recall. It was me! So YES, I would very much know, kid!
<approaches Zhuzhen> Bah! I could stand here all day explaining it to you… you’ll never understand.
Plus, I'm getting uncomfortably soggy hanging out in the rain like this.
Same!
Yeah, boss! This sucks...
Alas, it seems our discussion has now come to an end. Allow us to aid you on your trip to hell.



<Quiet Male Voice> …Hold it right there.

Colonel Ben Hyuga strolls onto the scene with... some guy...



This ain’t no show, man. Get outta here before you get hurt!
<shakes head> It seems the streets of Shanghai have become considerably more dangerous than I remember them…
Another thing I'll need to fix while I'm here.
Y-you’re Japanese, aren’t you?! Butt out, buddy, or I can’t guarantee you’ll get outta this alive!
W-wait! These people have nothing to do with this! S-sir. Gentleman from Japan. Please be on your way. There’s no sense in you getting hurt, too.
He’s right. It would be wise not to meddle in things that don’t concern you. No good will come out of opposing us.
I’m sorry, but I heard you were in league with Dehuai. I simply cannot ignore you.


Music: ENDS



<shakes head and dismisses him> That is of little importance… to those who are about to die.
I'll make it quick. From the looks of you, I doubt it could go anyway but quickly.
Heh heh… what an amusing joke!! All right, fool! We’ll see who’s about to die!!
You. We've discussed this.
No, I meant that we were gonna—FORGET IT! Get his guy!




Music: Brain Hopper





This game really doesn't care to animate human enemies if it can help it, so the two generic mooks have transmogrified into a couple of Kappa. They're monsters in disguise. They can do that, apparently. This is not the last time they'll handwave this kind of thing.



So, we're playing as Colonel Hyuga for this flashback. He is essentially just a Level 40 Yuri. He's strong enough on his own to send either of these Kappa or Wugui to the Fiddy Zone. But hey, that'd be boring. Especially, since Ben Hyuga comes packing a Fusion we've yet see in the game.





Time for a rough night on Bald Mountain, fuckers. Boy that sure looks a lot like the Gargoyle from Koudelka.



The Czernobog Fusion can delete a large amount of MP from an enemy using Spirit Pollution. Enemies do have limited MP stocks but running out rarely ever comes up in any battle. Not too useful here. Release Magic buffs the entire party's Special Attack Power for 5 turns. Don't think that one is necessary either. But Revelation... I think we've seen that one before somewhere...







Ah, right. It's the attack Roger Bacon used to wreck Yuri's day on top of the train during the prologue of the game. Let's give that a whirl.



Well, the Kappa duo is sent to the Fiddy Zone, never to return. Disappointingly, it seems Wugui of Kowloon has some manner of special ability that absorbs magical attacks. Good to know for future reference... Folk from Kowloon shouldn't be attacked with magic.



With that in mind, turns out getting your shit kicked in by a devilman going hog is not something Wugui can just brush off.



Wugui falls to his knees and punches the ground on his defeat. Hey, now. Nobody likes to see a sore loser.





That concludes our time playing as Ben Hyuga. No experience is granted to the Colonel for taking out jobbers like 35 levels under him.

Music: ENDS



<shakes head> I’ve changed my mind. I will not kill you. Run back to your master and tell him this: “A man has appeared, who is coming for you. Until he arrives, live out your remaining days in fear.”
Grrr… You… you will regret those words!!
It's not even a well-worded threat!
True, it needs some workshopping. But I'm VERY wet and don't have the mood to recompose it. Go before I change my mind.



Seems Dehuai taught Wugui the arts of Coward Teleportation when he gets his ass kicked. It's probably one of the first things he was taught, given Dehuai's success record portrayed.

Colonel Hyuga and... friend... turn their attention to Zhuzhen.



Ugh… I’ll be all right… Heh heh heh. Not to sound ungrateful for your help, but… I don’t… exactly… Consider myself so old yet. Urgh…
I'm somewhat aged, at best.

Zhuzhen gets back on his feet.



I thank you for coming to my rescue. My name is Zhuzhen. I’m an Adept.
It would appear so.
E-exactly what… sort of person are you?
I'm from Japan.
Yeah, I can see that... I meant more the turning into a devil thing...
<nods> The Fusion technique… I heard about it a long time ago, but I never expected to see it myself… Heh heh… how amusing to hear that fiend call YOU a demon… Talk about… the pot and the kettle…

Zhuzhen loses his balance and falls back to his knee.



Damn! If I weren’t in such a state, I’d have made short work of those bastards. Urgh… Owww…
<shakes head> Heh heh. It’s clear that your injuries haven’t affected that mouth of yours.
The shop I run is just down the way. Come with us, and I’ll treat your wounds.
And by "shop," I mean "bar" and by "treat wounds," I mean "get you liquored up while I find a doctor."
Th-there’s no need for that. I’m feeling much better already… Much bet… O-ouch…!
It's only a cracked rib. Or eight... Y-youch... Just give me a minute...
Hah! Come, Master Zhuzhen. I will carry you there. <walks up to Zhuzhen and bends over>
Wait, wha...!?
Hop on, friend.


Fade to black. End flashback.


New Music: Swindler - Shanghai Mood (Yep. That sure is a Chinese city theme.)



The next thing I knew he was carrying me piggy-back, and I could feel my face burning red!
<turns to Alice> He was an incredible man, and handsome to boot… so much so that he almost had ME swooning! Hah!
Took all my will not to pop a bon—blood vessel blushing... Cough...
Goodness! Was he really that strong? He must have been amazing. And he had Fusion powers, just like…
…You… you don’t think he could be Yuri’s…?!
Finally, one of you got it. I'd been dropping context clues like nobody's business... Sheesh!
<points to Alice> You guessed it. You’re not going to find too many people in this world who can wield Fusion. But I just can’t make up my mind to tell the kid, you know… I guess I’m too much of a coward…
And then? What happened to Colonel Hyuga after that?

Zhuzhen turns back to the window and sighs.



The city’s completely changed, too. I feel like… I’ve been left behind to grow old and decrepit…
I'm not the spry young man in my early 50s like I was back then...
Zhuzhen…! What are you saying? You’re still plenty young!!
You don't look a day over 49.
Heh heh heh. It’s nice of you to say that. You’re a sweet girl.
<laughs>

Alice walks over to a bed to find Yuri dead asleep.



And here we are in Shanghai and everything!
Ha ha ha… He’s probably sleeping off the effect of his seasickness. Everybody’s got their weaknesses.
You don't think he... heard any of what we were talking about, did you?
Hey, kid. It's incredible how much more of a chiseled god of a man your father was compared to your sad, lanky butt.
...
...
<snore>
...Yeah, he didn't hear any of it.



After all these years, I feel like wandering around a bit, maybe stopping by an old friend’s place.
Tee-hee. All right.
He's got a bar down the street if you need me.
Don't stay out drinking all night with your old friend.
I don’t expect to be out all that late.
Just gonna get a healthy morning buzz going. It's how I keep fit.



And with that, Zhuzhen takes off. Tune next time as we hit the streets of Shanghai with the old Adept, reminisce about old times and maybe see a weird live action FMV show while we're there, as Shadow Hearts continues!






Video: Colonel Hyuga Stomp Match (You should probably watch this.)





Colonel Ben Hyuga Portrait – Zhuzhen forgot to mention the part where falcons would just land on his shoulder when his steely gaze locked on to him.