Super Robot Wars Z Part #135 - Mission 33 (Setsuko - Border Patrol Route)

Part 135: Mission 33 (Setsuko - Border Patrol Route) - When the Stars Shine

Chapter 33: When the Stars Shine

Back outside, we’ve taken all of the town’s refugees into the King Beal, though we've had to put some in the holds of the Beal II and III.
Either way, the aliens quickly arrive and it's a bunch of Zeravire - more than we've seen, and with some new faces in their ranks. Looks like they mean business this time and, from what Löwen’s heard, this situation has been happening in many different regions of the world.
Kappei isn’t impressed and asks Hamamoto to watch as the amazing Kappei tears these creeps a new one!

Our rescuees are all cheering for Zambot 3, even the ones that blamed the Jins the hardest.
Setsuko takes it as a good sign since it means more and more people are starting to understand what our fight’s all about , and everyone flies out with a renewed sense of duty - especially Zambot 3!

We're ready to go! The objective is to beat every single enemy. The Battle Mastery is to win the stage without the King Beal getting attacked. It's rooted to the splot, and while it can snipe things if something attacks it we lose the mastery.

Boss is moved to the ground because he has a B Rank in Air and he casts Spirit.

Luckily most of the enemies are solo, to make up for our lessened unit count.

Not bad. Sticking a Barrier on the Venus A to share with Boss was a good idea.

The tricky part of this stage is spreading out enough so that I can stop the various enemies before they get close to the King Beal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzcjgJV5R3Q

Löwen begins fulfiling his destiny as Setsuko's personal Accel Bot.

You know, this wasn't super apparant at first but God Sigma's has a real lack of a good post move attack for early stage use. It takes a while for Toshiya's Will to get high enough to use his good attacks. I've used God Tomohawk more then any other of its moves.

Gravion has the same problem. Plus the ranges for his post move attacks are wonky.

Hooray, they all stay away from the King Beal, finding Setsuko and others more interesting to attack.

Boss in particular is a popular target.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJiM1aKt7hE

Another whack and Mazin Power starts up.

That one is going to be trouble. It ignored all my mechs and is dangerously close to the battleship.

So let's start taking it down.

Boss can probably finish this one off.

Annd it's dead!

Jun and Setsuko bring this one down to single digit HP.

Ordinarily I'd just go for the counter kill, but I don't want to risk losing the Battle Mastery.

Sayaka learns Invincible(15) from it.

As the battle rages on, Ichitaro tags new enemies incoming and, this time, it’s a combined Gaizock and Vega group!
Maria wonders if they've come to help out the Zeravire as fellow aliens but Jun remembers the Zeravire have never shown any interest in cooperating with others; Tetsuya figures they’re just taking advantage of the confusion to have a go at us and, either way, Kappei is eager to take them all on.

Reinforcements! Some dangerously close to the King Beal too.

At least that's one less current enemy to deal with.

Enemy phase comes with the Zeravire thinking Jun is a great target.

And great, the reinforcements are in squads.

Hah! They're doing literally no damage.

Player phase comes.

: Go ZEUTH! Kick some butt!

: Aww, music to my ears. We got our own cheer squad for this one!

: Then let's not keep them in suspense!

: Go, go! Beat up the ba—

*click*

: !

: What was that?!

: Status report, Ichitaro!

: Uh.... explosion in Beal III cargo bay 2, where the evacuees are!

: Did it get hit?!

: No! No external damage! And that bay was supposed to be empty!

: Then...

: Grandpa, the Gaizock fortress is here!

: OHOHOHO! Kaboom! I'm glad I made it down to the surface!

: Killer the Butcher!

: So the Gaizock boss makes a special visit!

: But aren't my human bombs a delight?

: Hail, Butcher. The first wave of timers in the humans dropped here have just collapsed.

: H-human bombs?

: So those amnesiacs had explosives implanted in them by the Gaizock!

: And that’s the reason for the mysterious explosions in this region?!

: Precisely. Did you enjoy your gift?

: Gift? Are you kidding me?!

: Does he see living people only as toys?

: B-bomb? Are we...

: What do we do, Grampa? Half of those people are in the Beal II!

: And we can't tell when they'll explode...

: Keep fighting! Focus on the Gaizock carrier!

: But...

: Don't hesitate!

: We can't drop them off now! They'll be sitting ducks! Use the King Beal to shield them!

: Okay, Gramps! We'll take out the Gaizock's boss right here!

: Turning people... into weaponry...

: That's... gh...

: All units, the King Beal could explode at any time!

: Sink that ship ASAP!

: Rie, we're going to try to extract those bombs! Make the preparations!

: But Professor...

: Stay focused! Those people are far more terrified than we are!

: Right!

: How rotten can you get, Gaizock!

: You are below the lowest of the low!

: Here we come, Butcher! Brace yourself!

: Oh, goodness, the howls of monkeys are so vexing.

: I'm bored with you people. May as well crush you all with the Bandock now!

That's.... that's something. All right. OK. Good. Now then, there's now a time limit on the stage. For uncomfortable reasons. However, the game doesn't tell you it. So for now we need to rush and beat the Bandock and punch Butcher's face in.

These things are close enough for the Ion Cannon to hit.

The UFOs survived, sadly.

Jun having 10 SP Vigor is handy.

She then sucessfully takes out another enemy.

This gives her another level of Prevail!

The Chaos Leo has a post move ALL attack, and these Zeravire are in squads, so it takes the lead for a turn.

Around a 4th of its HP isn't bad.

It's a bit tricky. Advancing while still being killing the ones behind me.

And it's gone.

Time to take out those UFOs

Not quite as impressive as Shin Mazinger's version no.

And Toga nearly oneshots it!

The Zeravire move up, lining up to hit Löwen.

They get smacked resonably hard for their troubles.

The Gaizock stay still for this turn.

And, then, um... a problem comes up. Namely that I either lost it or forgot to record the next turn. Ooops. Fortnuately the last turn wasn't super eventful! I don't think anybody even moved. Everybody stayed in place, shooting their ALLs when possible. Got some counterkills, and the Gaizock moved up.

Anyways this turn things happen. First, Setsuko casts Zeal. It's time to show what it can do.

Look at this mini-boss. Say bye to it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiUtNf4wPZ4

I move Boss out of the way...

Then blast a High Straight Turret down at a line up of Gaizock.

That clears out a nice chunk of the remaining.

More sniping from the old people.

Time to actually move some people!

That's another new enemy squad leader down.

And Toshiya wipes out its squad mates.

Enemy phase comes and most of the remaining mooks beat themselves against a brick wall.

Tetsuya manages to hit Prevail Level 7 from it!

Player phase comes and this is what's left. The hard part is going to be boxing in Butcher and beating him.

First I have Toshiya, who has not moved for several turns, clear out the last Zeravire.

Time to start sealing him off.

Not any energy to use any bigger attacks

Now it's Toga's turn.

: Sandman gave us Gravion so we could be the fangs of the fangless...

: And you're turning completely innocent people into weapons!

: And? You've got billions of humans. Surely there's enough to spare for me.

: You think that's the problem?

: Gaizock... that's what sets you apart from us.

: We can't let him go...!

: Get him, Touga! Don't let him beat up Gravion!

: Gaizock! The Gran Knights are a sword that stands in defense of the people, and you must face its judgment!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpY35nP9s_8
"Gaizock...I cannot allow your existence!"

"Lord Butcher! The Gravion's incoming!"
"This day will be your last!"

With Accel Setsuko catches up quickly enough. Boss gets closer too.

Your turn Kappei!

Surpringly enough Kappei doesn't have any dialogue against Butcher this stage.

The sum total of the actions taken the enemy phase is Butcher moves 3 squares.

Toshiya spent like, the entire stage tossing God Strings everywhere. So I refill his energy.

Doesn't get to attack this turn though.

Boss gets in some chip damage. Can't afford to do much else with it EN wise this turn.

Go for it Kouji! Show him the power of Boss Borot!

: So you're responsible for the mysterious explosions all over!

: OHOHOHO! A gift from me to you. I do hope you like it.

: Can it! I've got no patience for monsters like you who treat lives like toys!

: Get ready for a good long think about what you've done in Hell!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ois6bvEGjTg

Meanwhile Setsuko ties up a loose end. She oneshots both squaddies.

And Butcher is now completely boxed in.

Since he can't move, on the enemy phase he targets Setsuko.

: ...

: Well, what is it? Are you paralyzed in fear of the might of the Bandock?

: ...my sorrow is turning my heart to ice. But if that will give me power...

: Then I won't hesitate! I'll destroy you with the Virgola!

It's time to take this guy down, so Analyze!

The King Beal uses the last of its energy. It's safely out of the Bandock's range.

Thanks to SP Regen, Setsuko has just enough SP to cast Zeal again!

This lets me move her closer to better take advantage of Support Attack.

Not a ton of damage, but it helps

Snipe is actually pretty handy on Toshiya! Bringing his finisher up 2 range is pretty useful.

: So, the Gaizock were kidnapping people to turn them into bombs all along?
: Exactamundo! Way more bang for your buck than throwing all those Mechaboosts!
: Bang for your buck?! You can't put a price tag on human lives!
: You won't get away with that! This is our anger and the regret of all the dead!
: I thought there'd be more like Teral among you aliens...
: But you're just the lowest of the low, and I'll put a stop to you!

And he's almost down, hooray.

I decide to give Toga the kill.

Though the game doesn't show subpilot level ups, this is the level in which Eiji learns Valor(35). Meanwhile Brunom is on the Super Robot Route and has yet to get one character with it.

Oh and Kouji gets another level of Prevail.

: Take that, Butcher! We win!!

: OHOHOHO! Bravo! Bravo! Buuuuut…we weren’t playing for keeps just yet!

: What?!

: They can still fight?!

: So, how about we cut that ship of theirs down to size. Give me ramming speeeeeeeeeed!

: By your will, Butcher!

: There’s no way in hell you’re getting the Beal!!

: AAAARGH!!

: Kappei! Uchuuta, Keiko!

: That’s insane! Pull back, Zambot!

: Never!!

: Kappei…you’re—

: I promised Hamamoto that I’d protect them! So I’m not running!

: Kappei…

: Uchuuta, Keiko! We’re gonna bust that fatass wide open with a Moon Attack!

: I-it’s too big! Even the Moon Attack won’t—

: We’re still going! I…WE can’t lose this one!

: Kappei! Grab the King Beal’s Ion Cannon!

: Huh?!

: Hook the Ion Cannon to the Zambot and pour energy into it!

: Right on!

: What’re they up to?!

: Gaizock! Get a load of all of our anger!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP_OnVxQ52M
The Ion Cannon is a Combination Attack between the King Beal and Zambot 3. It can only be initiated by Zambot, it's a fairly powerful long range ALL attack, but it's not post movement so it's a bit impraticial for anything but Boss smashing.

Butcher’s Bandock can’t keep going after that and, in anger, he tells his cronies to blow all the remaining human bombs; they can’t do that, though, as the things only work via timers (Butcher thought that’d be more fun).
Without a choice, they’re forced to cut their losses and retreat – “There are still plenty of human bombs around, though. This lil’ game of mine will continue.” Butcher says.

Victory may be ours but it tastes quite bitter; Löwen and Setsuko are appalled that such a crime was commited, war or not and, to make things worse, Kazami tells Kappei that the bombs can't be safely removed.
The Zambot kids are not taking this well…

Back in town, Hamamoto is going with the rest of the doomed to somewhere remote where they won't hurt anyone else. Kappei apologizes, but Hamamoto apologizes right back - he, and Kozuki, knew somewhere inside that the Jins weren't to blame, even as they said and did all those cruel things. And he apologizes to Toshiya, too.

Toshiya Dan - a relative of Taiichiro Dan, right? Hamamoto reveals that Toshiya's dad is a captive of the Gaizock through the Eldar, and so is a lady named Jane.
Julie doesn't reveal to the others that Jane is his sister, but he is disturbed - Jane should be on Earth, with their mother. Can it just be someone with the same name?
Hamamoto adds that Aki, Michi Kouzuki and many others are still captive and begs Kappei and Toshiya to save them all, at least – before they end up like him.
They both promise to do everything they can and Hamamoto moves to leave before the bomb goes; Kappei’s about to stop him and Hamamoto, laughing bitterly, asks to at least let him act all cool in his last moments.