Part 10: Mind Collection

Alright, now that that whole "curse" business is taken care of, we'll...um...Well, we didn't get any leads, exactly.

But that's what our good friend Redman is for!



: Magnum. Has the Hirasaki City museum opened yet? It seems that it has been closed a lot recently. I'm upset that they closed it without any warning!
: The museum has a duty to keep its collection open to the public, and we are the ones paying the taxes to keep it open in the first place. I won't forgive them for closing it for no reason!!
: ...However, I did hear a rumor that demons appeared in the museum, and that is why they've kept it closed. Someone should verify whether or not it's true. How about you, Magnum? Why not go see for yourself?
: Well, I'll message you again later. That's all for today.



: There's something suspicious about that museum, don't you think? I want to go check it out. Alright, let's head on over.



Whoo, museum time! The museum is the triangular building nestled in one of Seaside Park's corners. Very fancy. Let's just head on in and check it out.



>Closed
The entrance to the Hirasaki City museum is blocked by high-level security. It seems you won't be able to get in.

...Yeah no, that's okay, we can just forget about all that museum business anyway.



We unlocked a new sewer entrance in Mt. Kasagi, so let's just head on down there instead.

BGM: Sewer



All the sewers use the same tileset, so they all look exactly alike. Would a rich neighborhood's sewer system look different than one next to a mountain? The questions continue to pile up.

Down on B5, we run into a pair of familiar faces.



: You've shown yourself again, evil human! We, the Devil Buster Busters, shall challenge you!
: Challenge you!
: If you value your life, you must swear to never bully demons again!
: Swear!


>Do you swear to them?
>YES
NO

This is the second and last time we'll see the Devil Buster Busters (saying "NO" will just net you what they said last time). If I'm going to say goodbye, I might as well grant them their wish.

: Hee-ho! Got you, got you! Woohoo, we've punished the evil Devil Buster!
: Punished!
: Hee-ho! He-ho! We're the invincible Devil Buster Busters! Hee-ho! Hee-ho!
: Hee-ho!

Ah, what pure-hearted and hot-blooded boys...Almost brings a tear to my eye.

There's another old friend of ours down here, but I'm willing to bet he won't be as happy to see us.



BGM: Doctor Thrill



: My Proto Gargantua may've been smashed to nothin' but rubble, but my new Gargantua is gonna be invincible! So strong, kekekeke.

'Scuse me, over here?



: Hm? Who's there? Aaah, it's you! The one who destroyed my darling Proto Gargantua!
: But this is good. You can have a taste of my completed Gargantua!!
: Get going, Gargantua!! Avenge Proto!!



GARGANTUA: Yes, Dr. Thrill. I will defeat him.

BOSS #10 - GARGANTUA

VS Zoma Gargantua
Dr. Thrill may have raved about his newly completed Gargantua, but it's basically Proto with higher stats. He even has the same moveset! Nothing special.

: H-He lost! Ya beat my invincible Gargantua!! How could this happen!
: I'll get my revenge, don't think I'll forget this!!

Bye bye, see you again! I'm looking forward to our rematch!

I guess it's time to get on this whole "advancing the plot" thing. Redman's helped us before, so maybe we can count on him again.



: The museum was closed, but I know that something suspicious is going on.



: Magnum. Did you go to the museum? I actually found a way to bypass the museum's security system. I can operate it remotely via the net. The full details are a secret, though...
: Anyway, I'll set it up so that it will unlock when you get there.

You know, Rei, I think there's something a bit more suspicious than the museum going on right now. Just a feeling. I guess I can't complain about the method, though. Onward, back to the museum!

DUNGEON 10 - HIRASAKI MUSEUM
New demons:
Principality Vouivre Caladrius Ocelot
Myrmecolion Lorelei Nue Hsing-Hsing
Yomotsu-Ikusa Stymphalides Uwabami Incubus
Pachacamac

BGM: Otherworld Dungeon 3



And we're in. Thank you Redman, though your methods may be a little unethical.



Who designed this place and why does each picture only take up a third of the wall? Anyway, there's an actual exhibit room that we can enter.



: ...Why is this happening in a place like this...
: Hey, look at that. There's something written on the display.





>The writing says
"It is unknown for what purpose this shrine was built. From the style, it is believed to date back to the Nara period."

: This shrine was built to seal something. The location is probably essential to its feng shui. Moving it from its original location weakened the seal, and placing it somewhere that so many people pass through didn't help either. There's no way it was an accident.

Now, as this is a museum, it has several fine pieces of art. That the game totally allows you to steal without any repercussions.



>A beautiful picture from the museum's collection is on display. Take it?
>YES
NO

And that's that. Each item sells for ￥10000, so why not just take a few? They have plenty of other stuff.

So, even on the first floor we have a nice collection of new demons to see.



First is Vouivre, who went from an unhealthy-looking green in SMTDS to an eye-catching red in Soul Hackers.



Myrmecolion, Caladrius, and Hsing-Hsing (also known as Shoujou) all appeared in a few later games with their deigns intact.



Ocelot and Stymphalides both appeared in early Persona titles and the Devil Children series, so their time in the spotlight was rather short.



Whoa there. I'm glad they changed Nue to a cuter and cuddlier design for later releases.



Onto Floor 2! This dungeon is going by fast.



: Watch out! Something's...



: Aah!!





>Rei turned into a bronze statue.



DEMON: She fell right into my trap. What a beautiful statue she makes. I, Dantalion, am assembling quite a fine collection. I must put this gorgeous statue on display.



Oh good, Rei is gone. Just what I was struggling with a dungeon ago.



I have all these demons, I may as well fuse something useful.



The demon I'll be using for this dungeon is the SMTDS-exclusive Maui. He doesn't have any healing magic, but he helps get battles over quick enough so that we don't need any healing. Now that I'm armed, it's off to Floor 2 and above!

First things first is to pick up the other two kinds of art this museum has. There are fourteen pieces in total, but they're all the same three kinds of art.



>An expensive statue from the museum's collection is on display.



>A rare vase from the museum's collection is on display.



And while on the way to stealing another museum piece...



Another dungeon with pits. It's actually good to fall down some of the pits, if you want to get every piece of art.



There's non-collectible pieces of art along the way as well. Wonder how much they're worth.



I ran into some more demons without Rei by my side, such as the Uwabami who almost always decided to chill with Nue when I encountered him.



I also ran into the lovely songstress Lorelei as well as the nearly-nude Yomotsu-Ikusa. Yomotsu-Ikusa got a color change for Soul Hackers, sporting a cool blue and red combo.



Another demon who gets a recolor is Incubus. While he has a nice royal blue here, he gets a pink makeover for SH.



Okay, I don't want to gain too much EXP without Rei, so let's go save her.

BGM: Conversation



: I'm sure you saw some of my exhibits on the way up here.

And stole some.

: Everything in this museum is part of my magnificent collection. But I am not satisfied with material possessions; I am now obsessed with human souls. The objects in this museum have captivated the souls of so many people, and the more attachment a soul has to the world, the more energy I receive.
: That woman with you has made such a wonderful addition to my collection. Now, I think I shall defeat you and take your energy for myself.

BOSS #11 - DANTALION

VS Fallen Dantalion



Dantalion is a pretty basic battle except for one small thing: the museum pieces you get can also be used to seal Dantalion's moves for three turns. In short, he flips out at you so much that he doesn't have time to attack. He's easy enough that you don't have to, but it is fun to see him blow a gasket (I didn't show it in the video, so enjoy him losing it below).



: Aah, don't drop it! You'll break it!!

: Don't damage such a beautiful piece!!

: I'll show no mercy to scum like you who don't appreciate the value of art!!

Other than that, he can use a multi-target ice attack, an Expel move, and can remove your buffs.

I decided to go with the ol' gun-and-buff tactic. Maui can use a move called Active Song to boost attack and magic power, and I also used Leanan Sidhe's Provocation again. Dantalion only has 650 HP, so I made short work of him.

BGM: After the Battle



: S-So close...My collection...was almost complete...



>Received Petranon.

What was I forgetting? Oh right, Rei (it's completely possible to leave the museum without her).



>Return Rei to normal?
>YES
NO

>Used the Petranon



: ...You really saved me there. Thank you...I mean it...If it was the old Kyouji, he probably would've just left me here.

Kyouji: still an asshole, still my favorite character.

: ...I didn't trust you at first, but it doesn't matter if you're the real Kyouji or not at this point. You saved me, so now I'm in your debt...
: And truthfully, you're more trustworthy than the old Kyouji. I look forward to working together as partners again. Thank you, Kyouji.

Rei, that really warms my heart...Though I'm guessing most people would be more trustworthy than Kyouji, but details. Now, about that whole museum robbery thing...



MAN: The museum looks like some kind of disaster site.
WOMAN: I heard that a lot of valuable items were stolen. They're lucky there was still some left.
MAN: Jeez, there's some terrible people out there. I bet he'll sell it all in the black market then get outta there.

Nah, I just I sold all the art to the convenience store. They really do take everything, don't they?

______________

Next update: Lights, camera, demons!