Part 14: An Educational Trip

Update 13 - An Educational Trip





I don't know about this, Hinako. You saw what happened last time Leroy got on a plane.




Leroy goes through several short bursts of emotion...



...before promptly falling back asleep.





Don't pull, you're gonna stretch my shirt!











Control: This is Air Traffic Control. Utsuho flight number 17, you are cleared for take-off.
Pilot: Roger that. Initiating take-off. (I love you.)






Now that's a foreboding title.

BGM: Airplane



: Wow! Utsuho looks so tiny from up here!

We're given control and are free to roam around the plane, starting with the cockpit.



: It sounded like fun, so I just had to come along!





Daichi what are you talking about (I actually have no idea what this line is supposed to mean).



Man whatEVER Ms. Adachi, you don't know me. I've got people to talk to.



: Let's take a trip to Madagascar during our free time!
: Who decided that we could only bring along 300G for snacks?!
: Ah, field trips. That can only mean one thing: pillow fights at the hostel.
: Last year's field trip was the South Pole, now this year is an African safari. These aren't field trips, these are continent trips!
: I've never been on a plane before. It's kind of scary.
: Hourai field trips mean one massive group of Hourai students wandering around. That means trouble. I don't even want to know what might happen this year.
: It's dangerous to walk around while the plane's in the air.

C'mon, lay off me already!



Welp, I've exhausted all the fun things to do on this plane.





An undetermined amount of time later...



: Thank you for flying Mamejima Airways today. We're about to head to the island of Madagascar to begin our trip across--



A great boom shakes the plane.

BGM: Tension



: I-it's just some turbulence, right?!
: It's a storm! We're caught in a storm!



: Somebody do something!
: It's hopeless! There's nothing we can do!
: Aaaargh!
: Eeeeek!





Like I said: Leroy and planes don't mix.





I wake up to the gentle waves of the ocean, the bright rays of light from the sun, and Daichi ramming into me.



: Daichi, you don't have to shake Leroy so hard...









: Yeah, Daichi was about to try mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.



No need to be so shy, Daichi. I'd have kissed you if you just asked.



: I can't even guess. We can't see anything but sea and jungle from here. I don't think we're far from Utsuho, though...



We all rush over.





: The plane got caught up in a storm and crashed into the sea.
: That's right! I remember desperately swimming to shore, and...



: Augh! There's a half-eaten fish in her hand!
: M-Ms A-Adachi... D-did you...?



: What? What's everyone looking at me like that for?







: It... It looks like several people were washed ashore on this island. As for the rest...
: I see... But we can't lose hope now. There might be some other survivors nearby, so we'd best search for them.
: After that, we should go into the jungle and search for food and water.





There's a few lucky(?) students on the same shore.



: Heh. It's not like this place could be any more dangerous than Utsuho is.



Which I steal all of.





With that out of the way, it's time to explore the jungle.

BGM: Jungle



And what a jungle it is. I sometimes still get lost in it despite having played this game multiple times. It's full of hidden paths, lava, caves, and trees, trees, trees over nine often gigantic screens. All this plus some new enemies.



We now have full-sized Hellephants instead of Hellephant Kids, as well as Beefy Bees.



Since she's here, let's check out Ms Adachi's Friend Skill. Her skill, "Gamble," has the chance to cause enemies to leave, but if it backfires then you lose money. You gamble 1000G on whether or not the number you land on will be odd or even.

Other than animals, there's another crazy creature in the jungle.







: What? Hey, hold on!



Yeah, why not. One beaten-up elephant later...



: You save Mitsurin. Mitsurin never forget. Now Mitsurin turn to help you.
: Mitsurin village, northeast here. Go through east cave. Not far.



Alright, more free labor!



Mitsurin's Friend Skill is ten times more useful than Ms. Adachi's. "Threaten" causes the enemies to leave, no questions asked and no gambling required.



I run into some more whimsical enemies with Mitsurin: the Strollin' Pineapple and the Dancin' Sunflower, the latter of which can steal GP.



Other than the benefit of another party member, there's another reason that you'll want to get Mitsurin: he grants you access to three clubs. If you have Mitsurin with you, you can go to the Jungle School; if you don't have Mitsurin then all you'll find is an empty lot. These three clubs are the "Jungle" type clubs I mentioned way back in chapter 1.



The next skill destroys a random enemy while the last skill has a random effect.



The next skill grants a 20% STR boost while the last skill grants a 20% VIT/HP boost.



The next skill steals an enemy's GP while the last skill steals both HP and GP.

Aside from the Jungle School, there's one more mystery to be found within the jungle.



: ...It's growing BANK NOTES...
: ...YES! THIS IS IT! We're gonna be rich!



...



: It looks like it takes a while for it to grow notes, too.
: Bah! I finally find a money tree, and it's only got a few withered fivers on it...





There's also a cool ancient ruin, but like all great things it's impossible to get into.



Not-great things we can get into: caves.



Ye gods, have the Pengoons already assimilated? They've evolved into a higher lifeform... the METAL PENGUIN!



We've made it to Mitsurin's village, which we'll explore next update.