Part 26: Day 6: Beast on the Prowl (Part 1)

Day 6: Beast on the Prowl (Part 1)


Holy shit, I am certain mingling adds to time.








: On the phone... Mr. H again? Why would he help this kid? Does he know Joshua killed me?
: All right. I’ll call you.
: Morning, sunshine.



: Again, say it was me. What are you going to do?
: That’s easy! I’ll--
: Erase me?
: Don’t tempt me.
: Oh, please.



: Rrgh! You smug little piece of snot! You knew that going into all this! You knew you’d be safe if you made a pact with me! But why kill me in the first place? You could have picked anybody! Why me!? You don’t care about the Game or the missions... Just pushing along your little agenda.


Wait what? There hasn't been one since Day 2...



: Nngh! There’s the timer...
: The bosses of 0+5... Meaning two fights?
: Is 2.23 whatever code for something?
: Let’s leave that for now. First let’s see where we have access to.
: You’re sure into this today. What do you care about missions?
: I care plenty, Neku. I am a Player.
: You’re alive.
: Maybe so, but I’m still a Player. If I’m erased here in the UG, the RG me dies. My stakes are just as high as yours.
: Then why put yourself in danger?
: Beats staying in the RG. Now let’s go.
: Wait. Don’t think for a minute I’ve forgiven you. I’ll put up with you to clear the mission. That’s all.
: Hee hee. Yes, sir.


Black symbols are out and about, taboo noise are thirsty for blood.


Also we get the best sticker, Joshua's long-belated "jump" is actually floating in the air and using his cellphone to drop lasers from the heavens rather than SUVs. Also he's now the best partner.


Whenever you scan with taboo noise about, they instantly home in on Neku's position and can automatically engage battles. Hell, they have a tendency to chain themselves if you trangulate yourself between them.

Battle Video: 3 Reduction Chain feat. Taboo Noise and Levitation

Way back when I first played, Taboo noise, due to their defenses, gave me all sorts of hell. Now, with my magnificent puck-passing techniques and fetish for Joshua's levitate I am unstoppable.



: Wha--

It's an unremarkable fight against Eurobeat Boomers IIRC. Or some other kind of Taboo noise. A bunch are about.


PIN GET



: They attack without any provocation. Some new kind of Noise?



But then a blinding flast of light!



: Wh-what just happened?
: ...... It seems we owe someone for saving us.
: Who? ...Beat?
: Either way, we were lucky. I shouldn’t have been so careless. Stay sharp today, Neku. The Noise are on the march. Now--let’s see what roads are open.


The only route open is to Center Street.



: There are generally two types of Noise. Strays that emerge from negative emotions in RG people, and the ones Reapers make to erase Players. Strays won’t attack Players, so...
: The Grim Heaper’s out for blood?
: Most likely.
: Ugh. Well, he can bring it on. Let’s go!


No taboo noise. At all. Instead here is a piggy. The high defense is meaningless before the might of Blue Blood Burns Blue.


I get this... thing... that I'll never use.

Anyway, on to AMX...



: Look!



: A Reaper. He’s being attacked by Noise!
: Well, Neku?


If you refuse you fight anyway so don't be a jerk. Jerk.

: We’ve gotta help him!
: If you say so.
: More!?




Taboo carcins. Pretty boring except they can actually hit Joshua in the air by turning into crabby buzzsaws.



: ......
: ......
: Gone, I’m afraid.
: We left him to die...
: We did what we had to, Neku.
: ......
: Still... Why was that Noise attacking a Reaper?
: Do Noise made by Reapers not attack them?
: That’s what I’d heard, anyway... ......
: What the hell are these, then?


A microphone pin, the Street Jam psych. Hits the whole battlefield. Pretty nice.


Hey a Blue Noise!


First, fighting some new frogs to get Dragon Couture up the brand ranks. These frogs absorb positive psychs, so shockwave will recover their HP.

Anyway:



Boss Video: Grindcore Minks

Since it's a chain Junk Garage doesn't play. The Grindcore Minks have a special attack wherein they can do some crazy screen-covering cyclone that's hard to dodge but they don't get to do it since Joshua and Neku wail on them.





: Sota, sorry... I can’t...
: Nao! Stay with me! We’re finishing this thing together!
: I’d...love to...




With a flash of light, Nao dissipates into nothingness...



: he won’t be far behind. Well, Neku? Do we help him anyway?



: ...... You have to ask!? Let’s go!
: Nngh! Nao... Looks like I won’t be far behind ya. Huh? Aren’t you--


Crabs get blasted to bits. A bunch of them.



: You OK?
: Yeah... You saved my ass. Heh, for now, anyway. I lost Nao... I don’t have much longer. Nngh...
: If...if we’d gotten here sooner--
: Ain’t your fault, dawg. I wasn’t strong enough. End of story. Neku and Joshua, right?
: Yeah.
: You two survive. Get your old partner back. I hope all three of ya get back safe.


And Sota joins his lover in oblivion...



: Augh!!! We were too late! They were right there, but...I couldn’t do a thing.
: We may be the last pair. Let’s stay sharp.
: Friggin’ Reapers!
: Angry?
: Hell yes, I’m angry!
: At least you’re still in the Game.
: Yeah? What about the people who aren’t? Screw the Game! These are people, not toys!
: Why the sudden interest? I didn’t think you cared about other Players.
: No...
: No what?



: Everyone. I don’t know who they are, where they’re from, what they care about. But...since I came to the UG, I...I’ve talked with them a little. Got to know them a little. Felt them a little... Felt my world grow. Just a tiny, tiny bit. It’s different now.



: My, my. This isn’t like you at all. Well, just don’t get your hopes up. You’ll never really understand the people around you.
: Enjoy the moment.
: Hmm?
: Enjoying your world means making it bigger. I finally get that. The world as one person sees it is tiny. You’ve gotta...gotta reach out to other people.
: ...... Hee hee.



: It’s possible. Now, are you ready? It looks like this mission’s up to us.


Oh hey. It's Velocity Attack. Of the psych Velocity Crash. The game neglects to tell you how great Velocity Crash is.

So anyway lets end this with another evolution montage!


This is slightly weaker than its base, Go 2 Hell, but the charge is faster and I think it boots faster.


It wasn't until I saw the higher-res images that I noticed this series is numbered 1, 2 and 3. This is 3.


Evolved Velocity Attack, this pin is quite the helper since it turns the dash into a damaging maneuver that even knocks enemies into the air. And I think the invincibility is longer than the normal dash, even.


Fiery Spirit, Spirited Fire evolves into this via MPP. Though a bit weaker than Flames Afar, Foes Aflame, it lasts longer.


...And here I said at the start of the LP that no one would be mad if I missed Wassup Voltage!


Final Pyre, once leveled up, lasts a damn long time. I use it for a bit to keep enemies in hitstun while BBBB reboots. Or something like that.



: From the crossing out to Udagawa.
: So that 2.2 number...



: Ugh, Pi-Face and his lame jokes. So what’s the 0 + 5?
: Route 5 spans a total of six areas. The scramble, Center Street, AMX, Tipsy Tose Hall, Shibu-Q Heads and Udagawa. Assuming the scramble is 0...
: Udagawa would be 5.
: Precisely. Problem solved. Our targets are the bosses of the scramble and Udagawa.
: All right. Let’s get this mission done. Next stop, Udagawa!