The Let's Play Archive

Super Robot Wars Z

by Brunom1, Dr. Pepper, Caphi

Part 81: Mission 24 - Prologue

Unified Route Chapter 24 Prologue


Last time on Super Robot Wars Z: Angels, demons, a lunatic in bandages ranting about THE TRUTH, Fudou still not making sense!

Current Top Aces

1. Kei - 58 Kills
2. Setsuko - 58 Kills
3. Quattro - 42 Kills
4. Talia - 40 Kills
5. Kappei - 39 Kills

Kei manages to snag the top spot, though he's tied with Setsuko.



Last stage I bought some new skills, Kei learned Cooperative Attack, Quattro learned Will+(Evade) and Will Limit Break,


I teach Toshiya and Kappei Guard


Katz gets four levels of SP Up, Kamille also gets Will+(Evade)


Marin learns E Save, Maria gets B Save


Will+(Evade) is pretty handy for Real Pilots, especially when they need to get their Will up fast, like Shinn.


Now that Aquarion is finally on the intermission screen, we can see what changing the mech's pilots looks like. You can pick between four sets of pilots for it, Apollo will always be one of the pilots, so the four choices are different combinations of the remaining Aquarion pilots.


Let's go with set D for now.


And ta-da, Aquarion is now being piloted by Apollo, Pierre, and Reika.


Roger gets some EN and Armor upgrades with the Aquarion getting HP and EN.


I bring the Lady Command up to speed too. It's a surprisingly handy Squadmate.


A Strategy Manual is for sale! Naturally I pick that up.


And here's the Squads for this stage!


Quattro and Loran have switched Mobile Suits for this stage. The Hyaku Shiki actually has a pretty good PLA attack. Now, onward to...


Chapter 24 - Operation: Reclaim the Photon Power Lab!


ZEUTH has started its attack on the Photon Power Lab and the Hundred Demon’s commander, Field Marshal Hidler (yes, really), has already been briefed on us, as well as Aquarion and Getter’s joining our corps; Dokuganki wants to intercept but Tekkouki tells him to settle down as the lab’s defenses are impenetrable.
Torres reports no movement around the lab and Bright wonders if they’re not going to attack; Kouji deploys right then and there, not waiting for permission or to see what the enemy’ll do.
He says there’s no time as they’ll use THAT if we dilly-dally – he charges at the lab and Talia has no choice but to order everyone full-speed ahead; Tekkouki sniffs at us being like a moth drawn to a flame and Hidler orders both the barrier and defense systems activated.



Kouji and everyone else are bombarded and we’ll be sitting ducks for the defense systems if we just sit in front of the lab – of course, Gengoroh knows we can’t do anything about it with that barrier there.
With no choice, Heizaemon orders Kouji to return and calls for a retreat; Hidler is very pleased with the sight of us running in fear and praises Tekkouki for his plan on using this place as their base.
Tekkouki plainly states that anyone could’ve come up with that and, if anything, figures his praise should go to Prof. Yumi as he’s the one who developed said barrier.


Yumi and his daughter, Sayaka, are watching it all unfold and Hidler confidently tells us to try as many times as we’d like – they’ll beat us in each and every one of those; inwardly, however, Tekkouki wants Getter to find a way to break his plan as that’s when the real fight will begin.


Back at the Saotome Lab, Maria notices that Kouji’s setting up the TFO (if you didn’t get it earlier, Kouji would make it now) as its smaller size will be better suited for dodging the defense system’s attacks and destroying the barrier generators.
Maria’s obviously worried but even Boss fought to his last, so Kouji’s willing to do the same; his only request is that she keep an eye on Boss’ recovery – she understands and decides to trust him to pull through.
Toshiya asks Julie if there isn’t another way to break the barrier and, yes, considering that it’s a physical “wall”, it can be broken via brute-force; Kiraken figures we can do that if all our troops blast it at the same time but Julie and Kazami ran the numbers and, to be able to break it, we’d all need to shoot at the same time while focusing our fire on a one meter-wide circle (And there’s no Gatling Driver to expand the target area this time! ).
That surprises Benkei, who's always heard that the Photon Power Lab's barrier couldn't stop a strong breeze but Hayato says the Photon Power research has advanced a lot since the battle with the Mycenae – by applying that research, they did major upgrades on the defense systems.
In the end, it looks like we’ve no choice but to place our bets on Kouji’s plan to disable the barrier; even so, it’ll only take care of that problem and we’ll still have the defense systems to deal with, so getting closer won’t be easy.


Kouji’s just finished his adjustments and, with this, the TFO should be even faster than the Double Spazer for a short burst; Marin approaches right then and wonders if it’ll be good enough.
Kouji’s surprised to see Marin trying to start a conversation with someone else but he has something to ask: does Kouji REALLY think this plan’s going to work? Because, from where Marin’s standing, this whole operation seems too reckless.
Regardless, Kouji’s still gonna do it because his loved ones are inside that building; being from S-1, Marin doesn’t know the story, so Kouji tells him of how much the people in there helped him in the old days: his brother, Shirou, Sayaka, Prof. Yumi and everyone else.
So, yes, he’s going ahead with this crazy plan in order to rescue them but Kouji certainly doesn’t plan on dying here: he tells Marin that in the event he does get shot down, the defense system will focus on him and leave other areas temporarily under-protected, giving us time to take the barrier generators down.
Marin is silent and Kouji if wonders if he was thinking of using his Subspace Jump to get through the barrier (he was); Kouji appreciates the thought but says the dimensional walls around a Photon Power-based barrier are highly unstable, so if he tried to jump through it, it’s possible he might never come back.


: …
: So, leave this to me.
: This lab means the world to me. If the numbers don't look too good, then I wanna handle this myself…
: ...You huge fool. I guess all I've done here is get a demonstration of such a reckless man's brain.
: Drop the tough-guy act. You met Duke Fleed, didn’t you?
: …
: Your situation might be different from his but I’m sure his righteous heart left its mark on you…
: That's why you’re fighting with us now. So, no matter what anyone says, I trust you.
: …
: Whew! All this talking’s making me tired! I’m gonna check up on Boss and get some shut-eye until the operation starts.

*Kouji leaves.*

: Kouji Kabuto…and Duke Fleed…
: He seems to be prepared for the worst…
: Yeah...I don’t think anyone could stop him now.
: Oliver, Raita…
: I don’t expect an alien like you to understand his iron-clad resolve…
: …I do…
: Marin…
: (I understand…his will to risk his life in order to protect his loved ones.)
: (As Duke Fleed said, we’ve the same heart…)
: You’re real quiet today, eh, Marin? Thinking of pulling a fast one on us?
: ...Raita, you and Oliver can think whatever the hell you want of me.
: But I could feel his determination, so I…I’m also ready to stake my own life on this operation.
: Marin, you…
: That’s all I have to say.


Back at the Photon Power Lab, Hidler’s gloating to Yumi on his last bit of hope being nipped at the bud, so now he wants him to hurry up and tell them where he’s hidden Mazinger Z; Sewashi, one of Yumi’s assistants, expected them to be after it but, like Saotome, Yumi isn’t about to hand over the fruit of all their Photon Power research to the likes of them.
They don’t want the Mazinger per se, simply the Photon Power Energy that makes it run: controlling both it and the Getter Rays will easily allow them to subjugate the rest of the world; that only makes Yumi even less inclined to let them have it and Hidler’s rather impressed that Yumi’s got the guts to stand his ground in front of the commander of all of the Hundred Demon Empire’s army.
Hidler knows that Yumi was Juuzo Kabuto’s nº 1 student, who kept Dr. Hell from capturing this lab, but, maybe, he’ll be more inclined to answer his question to spare the lives of his daughter and coworkers? Sayaka, of course, tells Yumi not to worry about her as they have to keep the Mazinger safe for Kouji and Shirou agrees with her.


Nossori, another of Yumi’s assistants asks what to do and Yumi’s torn.
Sayaka yells at him to refuse and Hidler’s starting to get annoyed, so he decides to make an example of this noisy girl; inwardly, Sayaka bids farewell to Kouji and says she wanted to see him again but Hidler’s stopped by Tekkouki.
Hidler tells him to move, annoyed by this insubordination, but Tekkouki argues that hostages aren’t of any use if they’re dead – furthermore, he tells him not to worry as it’ll only be a few days before he’s figured out everything about this lab and finds the Mazinger.
Hidler concedes, designating him to handle the matter of discovering where the mech’s stashed, and Sayaka hesitantly thanks Tekkouki for saving her; Tekkouki tells her not to misunderstand, though, as they’re only alive because it’s convenient for their plan.
Shirou angrily yells that they’re all heartless and Tekkouki’s impressed by his courage – as expected from the little brother of the famous Kouji Kabuto.
However, he agrees that, as a demon, he’s got no such thing as a “heart” and there’s only one thing that matters to him: using the mech he developed to destroy Getter, the hated enemy who’s killed so many heroes of the Hundred Demon Empire.




: Back again, ZEUTH?! Stubborn cretins!
: Activate the barrier generators and defense systems!
: Here I gooooooo!!




: WHAT?! A suicide attack?!
: Take a look, Hundred Demon Empire! This is what true determination is like!
: Go, Kouji! We’ll draw the fire of the defense systems!
: Your spirit touched everyone! We’re all with you!
: Ryou…Marin…!
: If ya got time to get all teary-eyed then go already!
: He’s right! Rescue Sayaka and the others quickly!
: Right!!



: Kouji!!
: HANG IN THERE, BRO!!
: Fool! That speedy toy will not avail you!
: Concentrate fire on him – he’s their attack lead!



: KOUJIIIII!!
: I’m not done yet! No way!
: He… he does not care if he dies?!
: Grrrr! I’ll put an end to this impudence!
: I don’t think so!!


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





: Tetsuya!!
: He charged at them with the Great Booster?!
: Whoa! The guy wrecked the barrier by himself!
: He unleashed all his firepower at a single spot, overwhelming it…!
: But that was suicide! There’s no way the pilot’s in one piece!
: Hurry, Kouji! Don’t waste Tetsuya’s resolve!
: Yeah!!



: Urgh! He made it inside the Institute?!
: Field Marshal Hidler! We can’t activate the defense systems after that impact at the barrier!
: Dokuganki, deploy your troops! We’ve no choice but to deal with ZEUTH directly now!



: Here they come! A whole bunch of them!
: With the barrier and defense systems down, all that’s left is kicking their asses!
: What’s up, Shinn? You’re more fired up than normal.
: I guess Kouji’s courage has inspired him.
: Hell, yeah, Shinn! I’m hyped and raring to go!
: M-me too! I might be the navigator but I’m still pumped up!
: These demon-freaks have been having their way with Japan for too long and now I’m gonna send them packing!
: …
: What’s wrong, man? Don’t care for the ambiance?
: Eeeh, it ain’t bad. I reckon I can go a bit crazy every now and then…!
: Well, I wouldn’t be THE HEAT if I didn’t get fired up right now! Time to go all the way!
: Kouji’s fighting spirit has ignited everyone…
: I’ll… I’ll answer in kind!
: …
: Marin…are you actually bringing you’re a-game for this?
: I meant what I said before launch. I was touched by his spirit.
: You, an alien?!
: It doesn’t matter whether we’re from Earth or S-1! We all have the same resolve to risk our lives to protect those we hold dear!
: All units, forward! We’ll deal with these ones while Kouji frees the lab!
: Come on, Hundred Demon Empire! You’re about to get an eyeful of ZEUTH’s power!!