Part 9

Even though we've got a temporary reprieve from death with some powerful spirits on our side, we're still no match for the demons. We need some back up.
Tammy decides to wander the safe area of the school looking for clues, when suddenly...


Voice:
...S-save me!!


Goon:
Save me! A-a monster just appeared! I-it's gonna kill me!!


Yuki Gaki x1 appeared!
_{satsunote: If you know what race Gaki is in SMT3, let me know.}

Tammy and Reiko lunge at the demon with their weapons and successfully get the first few hits in, weakening it critically. Gaki claws back at Tammy, but only manages a 1 HP scratch. After swiftly applying a battle bandaid to Tammy's face, Ryo Hazuki style, the two finish him off.

Wikipedia posted:

In Japanese Buddhism, Gaki (��S, "hungry ghosts") are the spirits of jealous or greedy people who, as punishment for their mortal vices, have been cursed with an insatiable hunger for a particular substance or object. Traditionally, this is something repugnant or humiliating, such as human corpses or feces, though in more recent legends, it may be virtually anything, no matter how bizarre.

Gaki are often depicted in Japanese art (particularly that from the Heian period) as emaciated human beings with bulging stomachs and inhumanly small mouths and throats. They are frequently shown licking up spilled water in temples or accompanied by demons representing their personal agony. Alternately, they may be shown as balls of smoke or fire.

Gaki are generally little more than nuisances to mortals unless their longing is directed toward something vital, such as blood. However, in some traditions, gaki try to prevent others from satisfying their own desires by means of magic, illusions, or disguises. They can also turn invisible or change their faces to frighten mortals.

Through their efforts, Tammy and Reiko come to learn about about fighting demons, how to handle ice picks and baseball bats, and also a bit about friendship.

For now, we'll focus Tammy's growth on her strengths, and we'll focus Reiko's growth on increasing her magic skills. Once we've gotten ourselves established, though, I'll leave it up to you.


Goon:
Thanks, you really saved me!
You're... Tammy from 2-D, right?
I'm Katsuhiko Sato, president of the computer club.
...I've been trying to gather information through the computers since we can't get out of the school, but...
I connected to some suspicious network and got this weird program. When I tried running it to see what would happen, that monster... that demon came out. The guy who uploaded it was called "STEVEN"... That's his handle, anyway, so I don't think it's his real name.
Here's a disk with the program on it. I'm scared of it, so you can have it. Since you could beat up that demon, I'm sure you'll be fine with it. But, you can't use it without a computer, and there's nothing here that you can carry around with you...

Hm... So, we need a portable computer to run this devil summoning program. Fancy that, Yawata was just talking about how he bought a laptop! Let's see if he's out and abscond with it.


Yawata:
Oh, Tamaki!
Sorry about losing it a bit earlier. Do you want something?
...What? You want to borrow my laptop? ...Oh man... Come on, give me a break.

Reiko:
Please lend it to us, Mr Yawata!

Yawata:
Alright, alright. I can't lend you my laptop, but I can lend you something even better.
It's a special Arm Terminal computer I made myself. You see, the other day I saw a boy walking around with a husky dog who had the same thing, and I though it was pretty neat. But even though I made it, I can't use it myself... It'd be embarassing at my age, after all.
But you should be fine! It's fully functional, too. Here, I'll lend it to you. I've added a few functions to it, so it should come in handy.

> Tammy received the Arm Terminal.
> Automapping, Autorecover and Analyse functions are now available.


Reiko:
Now, if you run that program, you should be able to recruit demons and summon them.

> Tammy installed the Summoning Program on the Arm Terminal.
You can now talk to demons and summon them.

Okay, this should give us a huge advantage. It'll be a while before we can start summoning all-powerful gods and stuff, but at this stage we need all the help we can get. Let's see if we can find anything else useful!
We walk away from Yawata's classroom, when suddenly...


> An astral body appeared.

Astral body:
I once was Ideo Hazama, but now I am no longer a mere high school student like you. Now, I am the mighty ruler of the Demon World - the Demon Emperor! The weak high school student Ideo Hazama is no more! The omnipotent Demon Emperor has appeared in his place!
The reason the school was dragged into the Demon World was because I only used a tiny bit of my great power. It's impossible for you to fight me.
You seem to be trying to escape from the school... How ridiculous. Well, since you're making the effort, I'll give you a little hint.
Go to the gym. If you pick up a certain something there, you'll be able to go out to the Demon World.
I don't think you'll survive once you're there, though. Well, do your best anyway. Good luck...


> Hazama's astral body disappeared...


Reiko:
See, it's just like I said!
But still, Hazama...
I can't believe you're the Demon Emperor...

Tammy explores around a bit more, and feels a strange chill coming from a room at the end of the corridor...


Ho Ho-kun:
School's so fun!
I love school, ho ho!
...Huh?
I know... A proper high schooler isn't supposed to say "ho ho"!
School's so fun!
Ho ho! ...Huh?! That's weird...
Ho ho! Ho ho! Ho ho?
Hey, where are you going? Take me with you too!

> Will you take Ho Ho-kun with you?

No reason not to.

Ho Ho-kun:
Yay! Yay!
I'm so happy! Ho ho!


Yousei Jack Frost
-Bufu
-Bufula
-Maha Bufu
-Raku Kaja
-Dia

Now, this should be a huge help. Not only is Jack Frost way more powerful than our party at the moment, but he comes preloaded with some great offensive magic, a stat buff spell, and Dia for healing. Unfortunately, we only have 48 makka (money) at the moment, and he costs over 300 makka to summon, so we're still going to have to beat some demons on our own first to raise the cash.