Part 28: Final Exam

Update 27 - Final Exam



It's time to give chase to Jom-Ra, leader of the Subterra Society. After being defeated, he ran off into his base underground.

BGM: Subterra Society



Despite being the final dungeon, Subterra's base isn't much to sneeze at. I guess Jom-Ra didn't feel like setting aside any funds to hire an interior decorator.



What is fitting for a final dungeon is the amount of new enemies crawling around. Gold Shrooms can cause Pheromone while Black Dinomite can cause some nasty damage with his fire breath.



Stepping into the water bombards us with King Turtles, Crab Kings, and Uber Eels. Crab Kings are the only ones to really look out for, since they can hit 4 times per turn.



Naught Armadillos and Cock of the Walk are what I can only assume are Subterra's pets. I guess that means that the Subterra Matriarchs are responsible pet owners, coming into battle with them.



Last up are the Subterra Zealots, clothed in a fetching red.

Not all Subterra members are chomping at the bit to fight, though; some will even take a moment to chat with us.









Are you guys a crazy society or just mole people? Perhaps both?









Maybe you guys should get a nice vacation house in Newtown.



: It is said something very special is hidden there...

It's not just Subterra members under here, either.



: I'll help you, Hospo! I can sell you some special items on the cheap. Like anything you see?

Sorry, but no thanks. I've got a crazy villain to defeat, so there's no time to shop.



All that's left is to walk through these doors.









: Hey, Jom-Ra! Just what are you planning to do with this base of yours?!
: Ha! If you must ask, I'll tell! Listen well! There exist special stones on Utsuho Island that contain a strange power.
: We, the Subterra Society, are descended of a group that once came to seek them!



: They destroyed the mountain, taking what was ours with it, and built the school campus! We were trapped beneath the earth, left to wonder if we'd ever have a chance for revenge.
: Yes, we almost had the chance nearly 40 years ago, but it ended in dismal failure, and we don't talk about it in polite company. Rebuffed, we had been forced to perservere for more long months and years yet.



: Behold!





: Oh, you know about resonator stones, do you? Yes! I have finally obtained the power of the resonator stone! This legendary stone is said to be a relic of an ancient civilisation found only on Utsuho Island.
: A resonator stone has the power to amplify any wish or desire of the beholder...and turn it into a source of incredible energy!
: Are you going to use that to take revenge on Hourai?!



: Kaname was no more than a puppet! The Evil God Nubbins, no more than papier-mache! I created Subterra to control the school, excavate the resonator stones, and then use their power to conquer all of Japan -- no, the world!
: I will become unto a god! Uuuuaaaaaaahahahaha!
: He's totally self-obsessed.
: We've got to do something! If it's as Professor Daiouji said... We've got to keep Jom-Ra from getting his mitts on the resonator stones' power!



: We heard a loud noise... Are you harmed?!
: Lady Kaname is above ground...



: ...using the power I granted to me by the Evil God, Nubbins! Behold! Be grateful that you are one of the few to witness his divine form...
: ...for it will be the last thing you shall ever see! He has finally descended... Oh, Nubbins! Grant me the power to banish this evil!







: Ha ha ha! What a joke. Did you seriously get fooled by this thing?
: This stupid thing is such an obvious fake.



: Perhaps you'd like a taste of the resonator stones' power instead! I'll wipe all of you out in one fell blow! GWAAAAAARGH!



Was Jom-Ra's wish to be a buff Smurf? If so, then good job, dude.



: This is getting serious! Get ready, everyone! This is the last hurdle!



A pretty basic battle after last time's three-man boss. Jom-Ra's lost most of his moves, though he can still hit the entire party with fire. He can cause some nice damage with a special Resonator Stone-boosted attack, and can raise his evasion for several turns as well. He still goes down pretty easily, though.





Sorry Jom-Ra, magic steroids will only get your muscles so far.





A great rumbling starts to shake the room.





As the quake subsides, Jom-Ra begins teleporting around.



: Wait, Daichi! Look... Something really strange is happening to Jom-Ra!







I HAVE BEEN SUMMONED... BEHOLD MY POWER.









SURFACE-DWELLING HUMANS... DOOM AWAITS YOU.





Request: denied.



As any sane person would do, the group runs back to the room's entrance as fast as their feet can.



: Come ON, Haru! This is no time for pulling and weeping!
: I...I know, but...!



: Hey...!
: The Three Items are shining...!
: ...Eureka! I see now! The Three Items must have activated to seal away evil!



> The Hundred-Year Pencil activated! All members' HP was fully restored!
> The Student ID of the Ancients activated! All members' GP was fully restored!



: Here he comes!



And here he is! Nubbins is a three-part battle with no stops in between, starting with the bottom-most Mr. Elephant. He's not a heavy-hitter, but he can still ruin your day and your battle. You need to watch out when he winks at you, because he has the ability to inflict any ailment on your entire party. It's a good idea to have at least two people in your party with either the Nursing or Eastern Medicine club so that one can heal if the other gets hit with an especially bad ailment.





Next in line is Mr. Turtle. He's the more physical of the two Misters, with body slams as well as fire breath. He's not as devious as Mr. Elephant, but his special move is a physical attack that ignores any defensive buffs you might've applied and doubles his strength.





And now for the big man himself, Nubbins. Well, Nubbins and his four weapons - spear, axe, skull, and scroll. Each of the weapons has their own HP pool, their own turn during battle, and their own moves. It's a pretty good idea to take them all out, since some of them can be a pain. Luckily they all have 1/4 the HP of Nubbins, so they go down pretty fast. The skull, spear, and axe all have physical moves with varying levels of damage, while the scroll can recover HP.



Nubbins himself can hit hard, but his main danger is a move that can instantly knock out anybody in your party. He's more likely to use it than Jom-Ra was back in his battle with Ayame and Kaname, but it isn't likely to completely ruin the battle.



With this, Subterra's reign of terror is finally over.





: We're getting out of here!





HOURAI UNITED TO SAVE THE SCHOOL! SUBTERRA SOCIETY DESTROYED!

The Subterra Society has finally been thwarted hard...for good. It emerged that they had brainwashed Principal Ayame's long-lost twin sister, Kaname, and used her to assemble the Evil Regulations in order to conquer Hourai High. The real culprit working behind the scenes was Jom-Ra, who took advantage of of an ancient feud against Hourai in order to collect the mysterious resonator stones.

However, thanks to the help of all students, teachers, the Patrol Squad, the Musketeers and the Public Safety Committee, Hospo writer Leroy's efforts successfully put a stop to Subterra and crushed the evil organisation for good! (We couldn't have done it without you.)

And thus, Hourai High was saved, peace returned to Utsuho...and a new Hospo legend was born!



That's the end of Leroy's battle, but not the end of the game! Look forward to one last update!