Ah, I can hear your cries of despair... A joy beyond measure, reserved for those possessing power beyond measure!
---------------------------------------
Is this stealing from SKY
We can worry about that later.
I won't leave a single one of you alive!
That's the spirit!
These smaller dragons just don't stand a chance against Chisa. Pretty much anything that has an elemental weakness she can dismantle, since she hits Fire, Ice, and Aerial very effectively.
Looks like that was the only one in this area—we must've cleared this one out before.
How are we doing, team?
Just fine.
Peachy, Chisa.
Let's just go.
I'm going to reserve comment for the time being until I've actually been on the front lines
Neko, chill. We'll need their cooperation to take it down—
You rang?
You guys...
Hey. We're here to help.
Hey. You see Shibuya?
It's hard to miss. She's going to pay for this.
Yeah.
Yeah. Unit 13 got here, so we'll start now. Your Navigator's on the line, right? She got any wisdom? We've gotta hurry.
Jeanne?
Well, the way I see it, there are two issues. That dragon has the ability to incur hysteria in humans through its scales, which means that if you get near it, you're in danger of being attacked by civilians or comrades... and the other problem is that it's restless. The radar isn't helping—it just won't settle down. I don't know how we're going to find it when we're in chaos like this...
No need to worry there. We know this city like the back of our hands.
Then we'll whistle for you guys to come take it out—won't give it the time to get away. That sound good to you?
Well, I'm a bit worried about you kids, admittedly.
Worry about yourself, okay?
We're just boots on the ground to find it.
...Yeah, we probably can't win without you guys.
That's big of you to admit, Neko.
Alright, just take care of yourselves out there.
Okay, you stick here until you get your cue, got it? SKY, move out!
We waited about for a while, and I saw Satsuki's foot start to tap after a moment or two.
Youka had started punching about a trash can.
Geez, be patient. Nothing here yet.
This is Daigo. Nothing on the north end.
!!
It's to the south of the hideout! I'll send you some coordinates with my mind bullets!
Registered!
Let's roll!
While we're stuck in Shibuya, a SKY member named Yae is sitting in this room who'll recover our health.
Hey, idiot, don't try to take it on alone!
What she said!
The dragon had at least temporarily been pinned down by Neko, who stood, staggered, before it.
Owwwww... ugh, don't you dare... mess with my family! I'll take you down no matter what, you punk!
Mind if we lend a hand?
All due respect, Miss Neko, you're looking a little exhausted. We'll take it from here.
You guys...! Yeah, just help me beat this thing!
You won't take this city from us!
Enabling garbage collection! I imagine we'll need it.
Miss Fudoji!
The moment she realized what was about to happen, Youka...
Well, she punched herself in the face.
I'm fine, thanks, Richter!
Ice doesn't appear to work too effectively.
RICHTER WAKE UP
Quit dodging out of the way, you little shit!
I'm up! I'm up!
Fire is effective against it!
WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME
Worry about that later!
Will you idiots pay attention?! It's readying itself for a flyover!
Aaagh!
Aaa, aaaagh! Captain! Captain, watch out! I think it's going to attack you!
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, YOU LITTLE BRAT?! I—
Oh, shit! Wait, watch out—
DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T LOOK AT ME! GET AWAY FROM ME!
Hrgk
OH CRAP IT'S GETTING AWAY
Argh, damn it!
Koron ran up and slapped me awake, but by the time she'd done that the dragon was already on its way out.
What?! Oh, no!
It flew away at quite the pace, leaving glittering fragments of madness in its wake.
Dammit...!
Okay, we've got a bit of intel for next time, at least.
You good, Neko?
I'm fine, just go catch that thing!
I heard Neko faint behind us.
Neko...
She's tough, she'll manage. We need to book it!
I'm picking up another reading! Please follow this signal!
I'm really sorry about that, Richter!
Don't worry, it happens to the best of us.
...Does it?
In the apocalypse, perhaps? I'm not sure! I don't blame you, is the point!
Okay, back this way. Let's go!
Please, SKY, don't stop chasing the dragon! It's on the north end!
Damn, this thing just can't sit still, can it?!
I don't have a map for this area—it's likely we'll have to contend with a few smaller dragons.
Let them come! We'll take them down, right, Youka?
Attagirl! That's the spirit!
Ah, another one of these. Leave it to me, ladies!
And Richter.
Thank you, Miss Fudoji.
However, I believe I will give some assistance!
Quick Hack means that Richter gets to just take this Tyrannosaurus's first two turns. Lol
My blade drew blood from the creature's stomach, which began to drip out onto the pavement.
Youka prepared it for a followup strike with Richter's assistance...
...and then used her arms to snap its legs from under it, causing it to crash to the pavement and howl in pain as it perished from blood loss.
HEEF HEEF
Good, we can use these on anyone who's injured afterwards!
Nice find, Satsuki!
I LOVE PRAISE
I also like saving Shibuya, so let's do that!
I think I've got these guys's number.
Open wide, bucko! Time for a checkup!
Youka!
C'mon, buddy, open wide! Lemme see those pearly whites!
Split!
Wait, it's not—
Not to worry!
Here comes another! Can you still fight?
Absolutely!
OWWWW
Hey, dickhead, I'm over here!
That's better!
Sometimes, you just get a little unlucky with these things. Any non-100% chance can fail, after all, and a lot of the time it fails on Richter's face.
That's just how it is when enemies have a whopping three targets to choose from.
Trying to get out of a second dose?
Not that easy, buster!
Youka is maybe a little bit good at killing things.
I've got this!
Sei!
I swung so quickly I was finished by the time the blood from my slices became visible. I half-expected the tyrannosaurus to start sliding apart cleanly.
WAIT
Hold up! I smell someone! A civilian!
Oh!
Back this way!
Hey, it's okay. I—
Yuri: Oh, no! Are they still fighting? Nooo, no, fighting's scary!
It's okay, it's okay. We're going to make sure the fighting stops, and we're here to get you to a safe place.
Yuri: ...Are—are you sure, Miss? Are you sure it's safe?
I promise.
Wait, what is this?
It's a muscle stimulator.
Oh, dear!
Hopefully it really is safe, without...
I promised her it would be safe. I don't want to break a promise.
and over here, there's...
LOO—
Chisa.
What?!
Chisa.
...so anyway, I don't think I actually wind up coming back for this chest.
Eh, at least they're not required for 100% completion, unlike certain other games.
Hopefully everyone's alright...
I'm sure they are. They're tough.
missish, adj. "affectedly demure, squeamish, or sentimental."
Missish Masseuse: Everything I've been dreaming about... I was supposed to be married by now! I was supposed to quit working by 25!
...
...
...
Wait, why do you look so sad?
Well, I am 26 by now. Is that the expectation?
It's Christmas cake.
Excuse me?
You know, that old saying where nobody wants Christmas cake after the 25th. It's a stereotype where—
Am I supposed to be married by now?
You two have been dating for like nine years now.
Missish Masseuse: What?! Your guy's been stringing you along for nine years?! And now you're a soldier?! I thought I had it bad!
Well, first of all—
Missish Masseuse: ...Wait?!
I'll clear up that misconception later.
I'm sorry, is the stereotype here that women over 25 are considered undesirable?
Yeah.
Well, that's idiotic.
You're telling me.
The 'Christmas cake' idea is dying out in our modern day, though, but I suppose you'll find those old-fashioned sorts anywhere.
...Should I have gotten married by now?
In your case, what would it change?
I mean, I know her ring size... I—
Pay attention!
Does the nine years include the time the two spent in Iorys?
...Man, how much time did EO5 take place over? I don't think I ever really came up with a concrete answer for that. My rule with EO2U was that time passing in the narrative roughly corresponded with time passing in real life—meaning the whole thing took place in just under a year—but that kind of seems ridiculous, looking back, especially with the protracted mind-destroying bullshit of the Forbidden Wood. EO5 has it even worse, Forbidden Wood has nothing on the extremely rude bullshit that Empyreal Bridge can pull, so how much time were they—
I'm sorry, I got distracted, let's move on.
Sou! You okay?
Sou: Just a headache, ma'am!
Darn, we've lost the trail!
This is Daigo! I've picked it up in Dogenzaka.
...
...what? What is a 'triangle bug'? It's a dragonfly.
Pay attention!
Turnabout is fair play, I concede.
"Triangle bug" sounds like some weird combination of loan words to describe polygon rendering issues.
Hey, Chisa! We've got a hatch there that you can use to book it to Dogenzaka—it's right in that area you're in right now.
Thanks!
With all due respect, sir, shut up and take this box.
Oga: I thought for certain I was gonna die without passing on my skills!
Feeling a bit fed up?
I don't want to get sassed right now by someone whose life I'm saving.
okay so that's three more aerosol sprays...
What are you doing?
Writing up an IOU list for SKY.
...That's awfully sweet of you.
It's not far from here!
No matter how many corpses we passed, I wasn't able to stop running. If I stopped going forward, I'd likely have collapsed.
Die!
Outta the damn way!
Daigo hadn't yet died in battle, so I was able to breathe a sigh of relief there.
Come on!
Why's this bug so stubborn?!
Hey! Back off!
You're here... all of you...
Just take a breather. We'll handle it from here, okay?
I'll keep trying to pin it down... as a member of SKY!
We'll need this, no matter what.
(If you're wondering what the hell "bad recovery" means, I'm pretty sure it comes from ailments being referred to as "bad status," written in katakana, in Japanese terminology. EO uses the term internally to refer to ailments and binds, so I don't think it's a stretch to say that 7th Dragon is similar in that regard.)
As if, shitstain!
Get bent!
WHY
It probably noticed your garbage collection.
WHY
A great question.
It's gotten more aggressive since last time!
Tch, wasn't ready to counter that one.
what can i even say at this point
Gear up! It's about ready for another flyover!
I'll try and catch it!
Youka tried her best to hold on, and the dragon did let out squeals of agony as she held tight to it, but...
What am I doing here?! I don't understand! I'm not supposed to be here! I'm not even supposed to exist! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!
... by the time I'd regained consciousness...
...it was already on its way again.
Damn it, not again!
Daigo! You okay?!
I'll... be fine. It went south.
Takehaya?
You must've scared it a bit, Fudoji, because it's coming this way now.
Takehaya, you can't do that!
Quit nannying me. I'm not staying in bed at a time like this.
Takehaya hung up, and Daigo grunted.
Sorry... hurry to where he's calling from. He's already a mess.
I know. Chisa, Youka—you two take a backseat.
I'm sorry! I didn't—
No, it's not because of that. It's an evasive foe, fond of flying away. It makes the most sense for Satsuki and I to handle the direct fighting—she'll shoot it, I'll burn it.
Right! We're an unbeatable duo when it's flying!
...Okay. I'll leave it to you guys, then.
Next time, we take down the Shibuya Imperial. ...Yeah, already. Chapter 5's not very long.
I suspect it was originally much longer, possibly with a unique area, but something happened and we ended up with an imperial dragon wrecking Shibuya.
