Part 119: ...A New Future? (Part 1)

...A New Future?



[Music: Exploration]



I'm sleeping.
Dude... How dumb do you think I am?
Yo yo! Mornin', Hibiki!
Still asleep, Hibiki? Want some breakfast?
Thanks.
Oh... um, good morning...
Mornin'.



All right.
Okay, so... Actually, there's not much to go on.
All we know is that as of today, Yamato's set up shop in Osaka and Ronaldo in Nagoya.
We might not be prepared, but we can bet they're gearing up to completely crush us...
I don't have any beef with them, but I doubt they'd be satisfied with that... *sigh*
Nothing you can do.



Yeah... you're right. I think we'll just have to fight, and if we win, convince them then.
*sigh* I guess so...
Oh, that reminds me. We're not done with the Septentriones either.
Based on what that weird guy said, the Septentriones are a trial sent by Polaris, right?
Yes... once the Septentriones are beaten, the way to Polaris will open. Or so he said...
Yep. And since the path hasn't opened up yet...
There's another one today.
Bingo. Another Septentrione is gonna show up today...



Yeah, if Yamato or Ronaldo beats the Septentrione and meets with Polaris...
The world will be zapped to the way they want it and our game plan's out the window.
So either way... I guess we gotta be the ones to defeat the Septentrione.
We'll do our best.

[Music: Dark Clouds]

Mm, yeah. Also... I heard a rumor in town that Chiba was swallowed by the Void.
It's getting closer. We gotta hurry.



Seriously. On the other hand, if we don't have any choice, no need to wonder what to do.
It's simple: we beat the Osaka and Nagoya factions and then bring them over to our side.

[Music: Connected Hearts]

Huh... But that alone won't save the world. So we gotta search for another way too...
And if we see the Septentrione, we'll defeat it ourselves... Right?
Alright, then... Time to get started!

You say your farewells to everyone before leaving...



We'll deal with Fate stuff later. For now, might as well just blitz through all the plot beats as and when they come up.

[Music: Countdown]



Hibiki...! B-Bad news!
What is it?
Th-The guys from Osaka are here! They're wreaking havoc in the city!
Everyone's headed over there now. You need to come with us!

[Music: Silence]



This should be the place. ...Something's not right.

[Music: Crumbling Routine]



Everyone, look!



Gyah...! What's up with this? Are we... surrounded!?
...We are professional soldiers. We're strategically one step ahead of you.
Dammit... That's bull! You guys are just bad people!
That may be true, but, please... surrender. I don't want to fight you...



Are you always this stupid, Daichi? There are many people involved. We can't all agree.
It shouldn't have to be like that... There has to be some other way, without fighting.
There's no time. The Chief's meritocracy is the only way to save the world.
The world has been corrupted. Greedy politicians and corrupt fools control the nations.
Chief... isn't like them. He should be the one to rebuild the world to his vision!
That's not what I'm talking about! I don't think the world was that great before, either!



That's right...! We're friends. We should be able to come to an understanding...
Ahaha... Impossible. All this talk means nothing to those without brains.
Hmph... It's decided, then. If you won't listen, that leaves us one way out...
Haha, it's no good, after all. They're going to try to convince us no matter what.
Yeah, if we surrender, we'll have to follow the Osaka faction. What should we do?
Might as well surrender.



Oh, my... Well, that's all there is to it, then.
I know how strong you guys are, so we're not gonna hold back at all, either.

So, for the most part, all of these fights are identical to the ones we've done before. Most notable being that all but one are effectively identical to when we sided with Alcor. There is, however, one major change in comparison to them which Keita exemplifies perfectly:



Everyone we fight on this route, without exception, is significantly easier than on any other route. This goes for their skillsets as well as their demons; they're mostly all just one rank lower than they are on other paths, but some are replaced wholesale.

Needless to say, thanks to this added wrinkle things move a lot faster.



[Music: Elegy]

I hate that we really had to fight them... we used to all be on the same side...
Yeah... We knew we'd have to do this, but really going through with it... it's pretty tough.
Yeah... At least we won.
But I never knew how strong they really were. Good thing Yamato wasn't here...
It's odd, though... Why wasn't Yamato here...?
He's waiting somewhere.
Yeah, duh! He's totally the last boss!



[Music: Exploration]

Oh, um... Sorry. Is that a game thing?
Am I total loser!? You get what I mean, right, Hibiki!?
What're you talking about?
Wh-What about you, Jungo!? C'mon, you're a guy... Back me up here!
Mm, games? Like four-square?
...He's even more hopeless...
But hey... If you think about it, this is a good opportunity.
To persuade them?
Got it in one!
We decided yesterday that the losers had to step down, right? So those guys are neutral now!



Heheh, I know. But that's where Hibiki comes in!
Me?
Huh... you really don't know, do you?

[Music: Heroes Have No Fear]

You've been the leader tons of times. Don't you know how much they respect you?
That's why I think you have the best shot at persuading them.
I'll give it a try.
She's probably right... If anyone can convince them, it's you, Hibiki.
Mmm-hmm. I agree... I think they would be willing to listen to you, at least.
Please, Hibiki. Try.
A-Alright, Hibiki... If you come across them, try getting through to them!

You leave the area, still chatting with everyone...

Since everyone's at Fate 4 or higher, it just requires not messing up the dialogue options when talking to them. Which is nice and easy. Sadly, there is no route specific dialogue on this path (the whole "this is why I sided with Alcor/Meritocracy is amazing" stuff) so it's just the same generic dialogue that applies to all routes.



But, hey, that adds Makoto, Fumi and Keita all to the bench. Let's see what's up at Nagoya.

[Music: Countdown]



Oh, Hibiki! Thank goodness... You're just in time!
Did something happen?
I don't know the details, but we got an SOS from Ai!
We thought a Septentrione had shown up, so we hurried here, but we can't find her!
We have to find her.
Um, obviously! Okay, let's split up and...

[Music: Dark Clouds]



You spot someone who looks like Airi running away...

You're right...! That was definitely her!
Let's go after her!
Roger that!
Mm. Our friend's in trouble. We gotta go!



Over here...!



[Music: Crumbling Routine]

Um, it's part of our plan. We lure you out here and beat you.
What...!? You tricked us...?
I really didn't want to do this... but you guys are too strong. What else could I do?
In any case... Let's have a fair fight so none of us have any regrets, okay?
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hang on! I thought you guys had a problem with Yamato!
Why're you going after us!?



We're going to fight the Tokyo faction first. We're hoping you'll join us after we win.
Seriously!? You're going to fight us!?
I'm sorry... but if it's possible to change the world, we have our own dreams.
N-No... This dream of yours...
They believe in equality.

[Music: Elegy]

That's right!
I mean, you must understand already! We joined Ronaldo in order to create equality!



We're complete different! Yamato's system preys on the weak so the strong prosper!
If everything becomes equal, everyone will be working for the benefit of everybody...
There will be no more selfishness!
If everyone is working to help everyone else, it can only lead to happiness!
That's not what we're talking about! I mean, sure, peace and equality have their merits...
But is that dream worth having if it means having to fight your friends to see it?



W-We didn't say anything about not cooperating!
It's more like... We should think of a way so we don't have to fight each other!
H-He's right... We'll do our best, too... so you need to keep thinking about this...!

[Music: Countdown]

I keep saying that I don't want to do that! I want the world to be equal!
Why can't you get that through your heads!?
It's no use, Hibiki. This is nothing more than childish stubbornness!
They're not going to listen... This may sound harsh, but it's time for some punishment...!

Since they have a lack of demons that aren't Sleipnir, Arioch, Parvati, Remiel etc. this fight is a lot easier. No issues here. Moving on!

[Music: Elegy]



That was easy.
Airi and the rest were really serious... I know we couldn't avoid a fight, but still...
Yeah, this is a problem... Not only are we up against Osaka, but Nagoya too...



Hmm... but we still don't have a specific plan in mind yet.
Well, maybe... I'm just saying, though, we're in trouble if we don't find an answer soon.
Right... Oh, and did you notice?
Just like with Osaka, this time we say Airi and the others, but Ronaldo was missing...

[Music: Connected Hearts]

Huh... Come to think of it, Joe wasn't there either. Something seems fishy...
Well, it's Ronaldo, after all. You know he's up to something.
Is he planning an ambush?



Hey... That's odd. This is their base of operations, isn't it?
If he's not in Nagoya... where would he be?
Tokyo?
Tokyo... Yeah, it's possible.
He might be trying to clear the decks before dealing with Yamato.



He's going after Tokyo.
Ronaldo's in Tokyo? I don't like the sound of that.
They haven't sounded the alarm yet, so I think we're still okay...
But we'd better be careful. For all we know, they've snuck into Tokyo already.

You leave the area, talking with everyone...

We'll deal with Joe, Ronaldo and Yamato when they turn up. For now, we go and grab Otome and Airi from their persuasion scenes...



And then go and deal with Benetnasch 1.



[Music: Countdown]

Oh, Hibiki! Thank goodness you're here...
Man, Hibiki, you gotta hear this! We're in deep shit!
I was just passing by.



What should we do...? We knew this might happen, but why now...?
Well, Yamato and Ronaldo both said they plan to open the path to Polaris...
So we can't just ignore it. Guess we'll have to fight it out...
Let's get this done.
Right! We absolutely can't let Yamato or Ronaldo defeat it and meet with Polaris!
Yeah, okay. Alright, let's do this! Let me just take a few deep breaths...



Are you a man or a mouse!? You gotta say, like, "At last, the time has come!" C'mon!
Ack... W-Wait a sec!

Hinako grabs Daichi's arm and runs off with him...

Oh...! Wait...! We need to go after them, Hibiki!





There it is...! That's the Septentrione this time!
Hrgh... "Benetnasch"...? Why'd it have to come at a time like this...!?



Well... I wouldn't say that. It is a Septentrione, you know. What if it's insanely strong?
A-Anyway, let's get this thing over quick! If Yamato got in our way, it'd be bad!
Let's go, everyone... I won't let it destroy the world any further...!
Mhm... I'll hurry and defeat it...!
All right...! Everyone, prepare for battle! We'll exterminate it at once!
I'll do this! It's the only way to save the world...!

We fight it, it removes All The Demons and then we run away. Very ho hum, nothing new here.

[Music: In the Devastated Town]



Did everyone get away? We're safe for now, but...
...That was close. What was that? It had some kind of strange move...
Yeah... Not only did it send away our demons, it stopped our summons, too.
Oh, and that other thing!
You saw how the summoning app showed a skill called "Pacify Human"?
Mm-hm. That bothered me too... It can pacify humans?
Does it null our attacks?
Oh... yeah, that's probably it exactly!



That's Benetnasch's secret. It's a hell of a trick...!
Wh-What should we do!? That's really, seriously bad! We have to find a way to counter it...
Yeah... but I don't have any ideas right now. I need some time to think this over.
Let's Thinking!
Wh-Where did that come from? Uhhhh... okay, let's just brainstorm ideas individually.
Ugh... fine. You can do it, Hibiki. I'm no ideas man.
Our attacks won't work, our demons can't stay out, and we can't summon new demons, eh?



You all leave the area, thinking about the problem...

[Music: Exploration]



Oh... you guys! You're from that JP's thing...!
Wh-What? Calm down, man. What's going on?
Calm? Calm!? Don't tell me to be calm! You better hurry and do something about those guys!
Those jerks from Nagoya are making a speech over there!



[Music: Dark Clouds]

Wha...!?
But I know you guys. You were defeating demons and stuff, yeah? You saved my parents.
So I don't believe their crap. But the others... they're not so cure about you.
If you don't watch out, they'll paint you as the bad guys here! Well, good luck...
...That's a pretty low blow for Ronaldo. It's like he'll do anything to win!
We have to do this.
W-We still don't know Ronaldo and his guys are gonna fight us... So I guess we'll go see?
Urrrgh, I don't like this... Fingers crossed they haven't convinced the crowd yet...!



We can go and confront Ronaldo over this immediately, at least. Since we have no other distractions to deal with, that sounds like a good idea to me.



[Music: Countdown]

Hibiki! Good, you're here! We gotta hurry, Ronaldo and his gang are up ahead!
What's the rush?
What's the... Um, those guys are in Tokyo and spreading lies about us!



Where's that Ronaldo...? Um...
There he is...! Hey! What do you think you're doing?



[Music: Crumbling Routine]

You've come, Hibiki. And... so has everyone else. I knew you'd come here.
This was on purpose, right?
Ha... Did you see through me? That's right.



You have to win... Does this mean you're going to fight us after all? Why?
...I don't want to fight you.
If you'd just agree with me and cooperate with my dream for equality, I'd be fine.
That's the problem.
Mm. That's right, Ronaldo! All this fighting among friends... among comrades...
The fact you'd even talk about doing this is wrong!
I understand your motives, but I can't approve of using force to convince people!



Ha... It's as I expected. I already knew you'd say so.
But, I've already made my decision. I cannot concede... The only way left is combat!
Dammit, Ronaldo... He's not willing to listen at all...!
H-Hey, Joe! Do you agree with this, too!?

[Music: In the Devastated Town]

Mm... Well, yeah. Daichi, have you ever considered the viewpoint of the weak?
Huh...? W-Well, yeah... I mean, I'm kinda dumb, and I'm not good-looking, either.



If all those miserable people could gain happiness, it could only help society.
That's why I don't think an equality-based society is bad at all... Can you understand?
Th-That's true, but... Things were getting better in the old society! Maybe not as fast...



Mmm... You're right... I hear what you're saying, and I agree.
Unfortunately, there are people in this world who can't wait another ten years.
No... Joe...

[Music: Crumbling Routine]

...Looks like they're gonna do this, no matter what. What should we do, Hibiki?
There's nothing to be done.
So it all comes down to this, after all. What's the matter with this...!?
...Yeah, we can't concede our point, either. Well then, no hard feelings, Ronaldo...!

We beat Ronaldo and Joe, and it is very quick and easy. It's mostly their setups from when we sided with Yamato (with some differences in their demons though) but in the other location instead.

[Music: Over the Brink of Death]



*sigh* It's over, Hibiki. Great job!
You were a big help.
Haha, thanks. We barely pulled through... But now the Nagoya faction's no more.
I get the feeling it won't be easy to convince Ronaldo to join our side, though...
Well, I doubt he has it in him to build his forces back up and beat the Septentriones now.



I feel sorry for him.
Mm... Well, if you see him, try and talk to him. You and he got along, right?
I bet he'd listen to what a friend had to say.
I'll give it a try.
I'm sure Ronaldo will be happy. I know I would.



Okay, so, our only opponents left are... Benetnasch and Yamato, right?
We gotta do this.
I hear you... Even if we don't want to, there' no other way. Alright, let's keep at it!

You say your farewells to everyone before leaving...

Recruiting Joe is the same as its ever been.



But, this is different. Let's see if we can pull it off.



[Music: In the Devastated Town]

Hibiki...!
I came to see you.
To see... me?
Why are you really here? What am I to you?
A friend.



The world is veiled in lies... This is the only chance... to make it all equal.
You may be right.
Then... Then why do you stand in my way!?
I thought that with you on my side... I could forge a new future! If only you had...!
By fighting your friends?



Why won't you understand!? This world of peace and equality is absolutely necessary!
I feel strongly enough about it that I'd do anything at all to make it happen...!
This is how it starts.
Wh-What...!? It's my fault that the fighting is...

Ronaldo falls into thought...



I'm sorry, Hibiki. I had you figured wrong.
You're right that fighting against friends for the sake of the society I want...
That's a long way from peace.
Now do you understand?



...Thank you, Hibiki. It took a while, but you finally got through to me.
If it was really peace I was after, I would've chosen a non-violent path like yours...

[Music: Over the Brink of Death]

Tell me, Hibiki.... Would you still accept me into your group as an ally?
You've always been one.



Well, I should go get myself ready. And apologize to the others while I'm at it.
I'll see you later. I can't wait for you to show me the future you desire...

You say your farewells to Ronaldo before leaving.