Part 60: Post-Mission 16 Intermission and Mission 17 - Farewell to the Heroes! The Last Great Battle for Tokyo - Part 1 (Includes Boss Analysis #5 - "Giant Bubblegum Monster" Edition)

Quick Intermission before we jump straight into the next mission. As always, the Top Aces:



Yup, just as expected. Kazuma’s stand against the better part of the Zondar's troops propelled him way ahead of Blade and Bless.


BP Upgrades:


Kazuma has 5 points after all his work: 3 points go into Shooting and 2 into Melee.



Kouji gets 2 into Melee and 2 into Defense.



Gai doesn’t need that much more defense so he only gets 1 point there and his remaining 3 go straight into Melee.



Sousuke gets his skill bumped up by 1 and Shooting by 2.



Kurz won’t be in the frontlines enough to risk his ICS activating. 2 points in Shooting and 1 in Evasion just in case.







All three Getter Team members get 2 points in Melee and 1 in Skill (more Open Gets, please!)


Skill Parts:




We have a ton of Skill Parts to use so let’s get two out of the way: Ryouma gets Infight+1 and Prevail+1.



Gai has a naturally high Skill stat so he’ll make good use of Counter.



Kouji gets Support Defend+1. He’ll always be in the frontlines and he’s bulky enough that there’s no issue in him helping out a nearby ally.



Finally, Sousuke gets Support Request+1 (I’ll try to show this during the next mission as Sayaka was the only other pilot with this).


Unit Upgrades:






I sell a Cartridge that was sitting there before coming over for an extra 5k.
The Three Angels girls all get upgraded enough to have 2 bars in EN and Mobility (I’ll probably increase their Weapons next chance I have but they still hit rather hard with their combined attacks).



I’ve realized that I haven’t upgraded the Nadesico one bit. As such, it gets bumped 2 levels in HP, EN and Armor (along with 1 level of Substitute).



Mazinkaiser gets 1 bar in EN and Armor.



Shin Getter increases it’s HP and Armor by 1.



Gaogaigar gets extra EN and Armor.



Finally, seeing how I don’t have enough cash to upgrade Kazuma, Blade or Gaogaigar,Shin Getter takes the last bit for some more firepower (Kaiser also has 2 in Weapons but he gets a damage buff from Mazin Power).



The teeny tiny amount left is enough to bump Golion’s EN and...



...­Akito’s HP by 1.


Unit Parts:


Sousuke takes the Booster for a +1 to Movement range.



Akito takes the Servo Motor for +5 Mobility.



Shin Getter is the only Super without some sort of Armor Part, so he gets the Cobham armor for +500 HP, +100 Armor.



Finally, Heero, being our best ranged attacker, gets the High Performance Radar. This increases the range of all his non-MAP, non-point blank attacks by 1.


Alright, we’re done so let’s get this show on the road. We jump straight into the next mission, no prologue!

The "King of Braves - Gaogaigar" Season 1 finale awaits:




Mission 17 - Farewell to the Heroes! The Last Great Battle for Tokyo





Things get rolling when Tokyo Tower rather abruptly vanishes, apparently swallowed up by that earthquake.
Suzuishi worries about Mamoru and the others but Seidou warns that something is rising out of the crater!







It’s a massive monster - too big for words to describe and Aki’s scans say that it's over 300 meters tall.
Volfogg's visual records quickly identify the monster as the object which crash-landed on Earth two years ago: EI-01!!
He is the leader of the Zondar and Akito slowly realizes that we have to fight it – Yurika agrees, saying that, if we lose, it’ll mean the end of both Earth and humanity.
Uribatake confirms the return of the people that went into the Tokyo Tower and Bless gives the order to deploy.



All of GGG launch as event units.
As such, we can deploy our complete A-team (minus Duo...).



Pasdar informs the weak-hearted ones that the time has come, gloating that we shall now feel the terror that we've invited.







EI-01 emits a burst of light which Ruri tags as Zondar Energy, and Ines figures he’s trying to overwhelm anti-Zondar devices that are keeping all our units from being taken over.
Prospector remembers how our defenses work by channeling G-Energy against Zondar Energy; as the particles are directly opposed each other, during normal operation, both are annihilated.
Jun doesn’t understand why EI-01’s energy burst did damage to us, then, but Horis says that the aggregated amount of energy is much larger than before and is simply destroying our barriers' particles – it as if we’re small fish swimming against a raging river.
Kazuma quickly notices the effects as Valhawk’s controls aren’t responding to him and Gai gets pissed that, right when the final enemy has shown himself, his body won’t move.
Even D-Boy’s Teksystem has been compromised as it’s unable to resist this much mechanizing power in one go.



There's only one person who can move right now: Mamoru, who’s face to face with the Zondar Boss, or as EI-01 likes to call him, "The destruction machine of Cain's making".





Pasdar has better things to do than to waste energy dispatching Mamoru, and has Polonaise and Primada, still alive, deal with him.
They’re both thankful to Pasdar for reviving them and are eager to get revenge after the Zondar Metal Plant got destroyed – they charge after Mamoru and no one can move to interfere.

: Stop! Polonaise, Primada!



: That Zondarian…!
: What are you thinking, Pizza?!
: Step aside, Pizza! Or is it your wish to get in our way?!
: Polonaise! Primada! Remember your original memories!
: Original memories...?!
: I see, Pizza...You are recovering your true form...
: What do you mean, dear?!
: The fact that you call Polonaise that is proof that you are also recovering your memories, Primada!
: You dare defy me…you would choose to follow the destiny of a weak-hearted person, after all!
: As a warrior, I’ve only been searching for a place to die...!
: Tekkaman…and Gai. Because of you two, I was able to remember something important…I thank you.
: Pasdar…no, Zondar… I will now redeem myself of my sins.
: Dear…I’ll go with you!
: What are you doing?!
: Stop, Pizza!
: I am not called Pizza! Yes…I am…I AM…!





: UUAAAAAAAARGH!
: Those Zondarians…they charged at EI-01…
: The output of Zondar Energy is weakening.
: Power has been restored to the Nadesico!
: Now, guys! Attack all at once!
: Mamoru! Move behind us and lay low!!
: Gai! And everyone! You must win!!
: Yeah, I promise we’ll do it!
: We’re the invincible Wärter! We’re not gonna lose to evil bastards like him!
: What he said! So, grab some popcorn, relax and watch the climax!
: Ok!
: That said, that previous attack did some damage to us.
: Still, we’ve no choice but to do it!
: I don’t think so…this soil will serve as a Zondar Metal Plant!



: Tch…! Seems the boss still has an excuse to bring out his underlings!
: All units, your primary target is EI-01! Don’t bother with the small fry!
: Understood! Time for the most extreme Rock n’ Roll!
: Let’s go, Pasdar! The Zondarian’s thoughts and each human’s wish for peace…
: My courage will change those into power with which to strike you down!!



Before we start, let’s take a look at Pasdar (a.k.a. EI-01):



Pasdar is, by a mile, the bulkiest enemy you’ve seen so far and he’s also quite powerful (not as powerful as Gauron but he does have him bested in resilience). He’s got around twice as much HP as the Zondar kings, a truckload of armor and huge stats: his Shooting is on par with Bless, his defense is 15 points over Kouji, his skill beats Gai’s by 6 points and his aim is on par with Sousuke.
As a Zondar, he comes with the usual pair of HP Regen (S) and EN Regen (L). He’ll get back 7600 HP and 120 EN per enemy turn.



His attacks are powerful and have VERY long range though they, thankfully, tend to be rather inaccurate: his MAP has no +Accuracy modifier, his 2nd attack has +20% and his 3rd has +10%.

His MAP is a targetable, 8 square-wide reticule, so you WILL be pelted by it on every enemy turn once you start swarming him, so keep defensive measures up; his 2nd attack will probably only be used during counter-attacks (as the AI prioritizes MAP attacks whenever possible) but it reduces Armor by 30%, so be careful with your Supers.
Finally, his strongest attack has the highest range of all, at 6-12 squares, and he will be constantly sniping at you and will never move from that spot so it’s best to either be sure you can dodge/resist the attack or move in close to avoid being targeted.



Pasdar only has 2 skills but they’re all he needs to be even more of a pain.
We haven’t seen Break Morale Limit since Gauron but you’ll remember how annoying it can be once you’re attacking an enemy that has 20 Morale over your guys (thank god that Size Modifiers aren’t working or his 2L size would apply a huge penalty to any Real Robot that cannot bypass that check).
Prevail L5 will shoot his already impressive status list into the stratosphere when his HP gets low so it’s best to make sure you can deal the last 30% HP in one turn or else you’ll be facing a MAP against a fully Prevail’d EI-01 and it’s very likely that a real will be killed.


Conclusion: Pasdar won’t beat Gauron in difficulty but he can catch you off guard if you get distracted; Volfogg is an absolute necessity as his Zondar Barrier will likely block out Support attacks once his Prevail kicks in so make use of his own support to pop that shield with his Siren.
Always be mindful of his MAP and do your best to avoid triggering the bulk of his Prevail if you’re unsure that you’ll be able to kill him then; If you do find yourself in the uncomfortable position of leaving him with low HP, have Volfogg cast Confusion and hope for the best.



As Akatsuki said, Pasdar’s Zondar Energy shenanigans did a number on our units and, as such, everyone starts at 70% HP and EN.
Let’s have Mike begin by boosting Kouji’s morale some.










Every bit counts.



Heero weakens the nearby EI-02 a bit.



Kazuma already manages to annoy me, leaving it alive with 70 HP...­



Might as well have Getter overkill it.










Thank you.


Akito then starts working on EI-11...­did we even fight this one before now?








It’s not very strong, anyway.



Ryouko takes him down some more...hopefully enough for someone to kill.



Right, Sousuke?








Nope...­



Fine, Golion needs the morale anyway.


There’s another EI-02 up there so take care of him next. Mao starts the attack.



Followed by Volfogg.








Daaaamn iiiiiiit!



Gai, get in there!










Thank you.




One more EI-11 to go. Chouryuujin weakens it and pulls a surprising dodge.



Blade...does not kill it.



Which leaves it on Kouji’s hands.










Literally.



Enemy Phase!



EI-27 tries to snipe at Golion but he had Alert cast.



EI-26 also tries it on Kazuma but the Valhawk is much too dodgy.



Unable to snipe, EI-13 steps forward and goes after Getter of all things.



There are also two EI-21s. The first one goes after Kazuma.








You can’t beat the Valhawk in an aerial battle!




Finally, there’re two more EI-15s and this one goes after Chouryuujin who instantly bitch-slaps him away with his tonfas.



This other EI-15, however, goes after Gai to prove that he’s the real Gaogaigar.












He’s not because the real one would have PUROTECTO SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADO!



Ever the tempting target, Chouryuujin gets the attention of the other EI-21.















He takes this chance to keep showing me that I needn’t have cast Invincible on him.



EI-13 is the first lucky costumer of Gai’s Counter. It was no kill but at least Gai dodged.



Here we go: EI-01 has spotted Gaogaigar and tries to snipe at him.
Thankfully, Gai is inside a positive terrain, Mao’s Command Aura and adjacent to Chouryuujin and Volfogg; add all those +evasion effects and Pasdar’s rather poor accuracy turns to complete shit.












Ha ha!



Player Phase!



Kurz wants to give these Zondar a taste of what it feels to be sniped.








Sadly, he also finds himself cockblocked by them red numbers...




That EI-13 took quite a beating. Mao and Ryouko take him down easily.



Bless then takes this chance to finish off Chouryuujin’s EI-21.








Very nice.



Bless is the only one that levels up but he gets an increase in both his Prevail and his Support Attack.



Someone needs to weaken that EI-15 a bit more. Might as well be Izumi.








Hmm, not bad.



I’d like to think that Golion could kill it on its own but I don’t seem to be getting good hunches today.














And I was right.



I do not need to worry about Kouji, though.



How long has it been since the Nadesico had some screen time? Let’s remedy that.








Thank you, Ruri.



Yow, their levels were way lower than I thought.
Nevertheless, they grab one and Yurika’s Command Aura grows to level 2!



That weakened EI-15 is just sitting there so Hikaru takes the kill.



Only the stronger Zondar are left so let’s start with EI-27.










Sousuke, would you learn how to use the damn Lambda Driver already?!



At least Heero makes better use of his attack.



I had Kazuma use the Ray Blade just to conserve energy. Still, the damage it did is enough.



Ryouma will take care of the rest.










Good. Next in line will be EI-26.



Before that, though, Mike boosts Heero’s morale a bit.



Ryouko gets started by doing some small damage on EI-26.



However, we all know that Volfogg is where it’s at!






Murasame Blade didn’t crit...



Well, this guy is no Pizza so even Akito can contribute something.












Still, there’s a long way to go before he surpasses Volfogg...



Blade also joins in with some cheap damage from Tek-Lancer.



Finally, Chouryuujin moves in for the kill.



Gaining a level in the process (which raises his Prevail to L3).


Not much we can do to the other two as they’ll regen most of the damage so let’s save them for next turn.



Enemy Phase!





As battle proceeds, Pasdar proclaims that his power has returned and orders our troops to bow down, before paralyzing them with another wave of Zondar Energy.
However, right then, someone else enters the battlefield...



: Evil!
: How unsightly, Blade. Still, it’s thanks to the lot of you that this place is ready to be the land of the beginning!
: A Tekkaman of the Radam…! What do you think you’re doing?!
: Now, Radam trees! Bloom upon this earth!



: What?! What’s happening?!
: Look, everyone! The Radam trees in Tokyo…!
: They have flowers…! The Radam trees have fully bloomed!!
: KYAAAAAAAAAAAH!
: Th-the hell are these flowers?!
: Let me go! Let me go!!
: The flowers of the Radam trees are grabbing the people of Tokyo…!
: No way…is that it?!
: The Tek-System!!



Evil is feeling very nostalgic at the sight, reminding Blade of how the tree’s flowers capture life-forms to be converted into the body of a Tekkaman – this is the true Tek-System.
It’s especially offensive to Pasdar the fact that such early blooming is only possible by using Zondar Energy to power the trees.
This is an emergency response that the Radam recently engineered to force the tree’s growth in special conditions and Fahra notices that, with both Radam Trees and Zondar Metal Plant, this place has become a living hell.
However, Evil also informs that the powered Radam Trees include another functionality: a field that neutralizes all Zondar Energy that isn’t being absorbed!
As the field activates, our people can move again but it isn’t something to celebrate as that only means that the Tek-System is growing even more.



D-Boy is especially pissed at Evil, having realized that the cease-fire in the previous battle was just to bring about the whole scenario that the Radam needed.
Indeed but Evil says Blade shouldn’t waste time talking as he, his allies and the Zondar can’t escape and will all bow down to the Radam.





As a bunch of Radam troops appear, Hayato is daunted at the task of fighting both Zondar and Radam at once.
Noal adds that, not only that, we also need to find a way to rescue the Tokyo people that were taken by the Radam trees – it’s all impossible, though!

: It’s not impossible!





: The cry of your soul…I have certainly heard it now.
: Orgun!
: Tekkaman…no, Tekkaman Blade. I will fight the Radam.
: …Can I trust you?
: Trust…what a wonderful word.



: Detonator Orgun! It seems that you intend on getting in the way of the Radam today!
: All who are born of the Eviluders mustn’t tolerate the Radam…
: Ha…even after you abandoned the Eviluders, that desire remains!
: What do we do, D-Boy?
: I don’t really understand what’s happening! Still, we should allow Orgun to handle the Radam!
: In that case, our target remains EI-01…
: Crap! I can’t even say out situation has improved a bit since before!!
: Weak-hearted ones…! Once you and the Radam are destroyed, I shall rebuild the Zondar Metal Plant again.
: And all of you will replace Pizza and the others as Zondarians.
: I refuse. I can’t respect you as a superior officer.
: I’d try to show off right now but, really, this guy’s a pretty tough customer…
…Chief Taiga! Send the Bullet-X!
: Bullet-X?!
: Gai, what in the world is that…?!
: Everyone…! Just a bit longer…hold on for just a bit longer! A way for us to turn this around is coming!
: You don’t have to say it again! I’ll do my part!!
: Me too! Since we’ve come this far, I might as well believe in any small chance to get through this!
: Message from Bay Tower base! Use of Bullet-X has been approved! It’ll take several minutes for it to arrive at our location!
: All units, concentrate your attack on EI-01! Believe in this Bullet-X!
: Let’s go, EI-01! The flames of our hope haven’t been extinguished yet!


Ho-hum...­I had completely forgotten that Evil showed up waaaaay over there. He’s carrying a couple of useful-ish goodies (Small Barrier and SP+5) that I’ll try to get - I may not be able to, though.

Either way, this’ll be something for another time.

Come next update, things get even crazier...but with a twist.

See you all then!