I didn't want to grind at all... but man, I really want that Lifeup Omega. Okay there, after walking all the way back through Argilla Pass, and back through the Seafloor and Tanetane Island again, and then turning around and walking back to Ionia's house, my levels are now 51 / 50 / 49 / 50, and I now have Lifeup Omega. This made the commander fight WAY easier.
The commander starts short-circuiting... then he flies away with his mechanical bat wings. The Waters of Time made the vines in front of the temple instantly age and move out of the way.
Ionia:
It was our Magypsy ancestors who sealed away the Dark Dragon. Magypsies have guarded the seven Needles for many generations since. But the Needles will be pulled when "the time" comes. And that time is now... The heart of the person who pulls the Needles will be passed on to the Dark Dragon. And then something big will happen... Something big enough to recreate the entire world.Before Lucas pulls out the needle, Ionia says she wants to teach Princess Kumatora a very strong power... a lightning bolt strikes her, and she realized the power of PK Starstorm!
Her last words before the Needle is pulled out:
Thanks for the pickles earlier. The dog drool was a bit disconcerting, though. *giggle*The Earthquakes are getting way more intense now... Lucas learned PK weed Omega.
Oh yeah, of course Ionia has to have another big long speech as she's disappearing.
As I start to disappear, my heart senses an intense disturbance. Locria, the final, missing Magypsy, is rapidly nearing the seventh Needle! That's what I'm sensing. It's coming from... that direction. From a lively, filthy place... Oh! Just when I'm about to tell where it is...! Aaah!Got Ionia's razor and lipstick... I guess it would be useful to for the party to carry all 7 of these mementos with them going into the final chapter.
Oh wait, noooo! Lucas's inventory is full, so she doesn't give him it... oh well, I probably don't need it.
Suddenly a limousine shows up outside of the temple...
Our great leader and new king of the entire world, Master Porky, cordially invites you to the greatest city in the world: New Pork City.If you say no to the limousine ride offer, the chauffer says
Where Master Porky is concerned, there is no "no".
Oh, and the limo is actually a spaceship.
After inspecting all these things you can't interact with (the game is very self-aware of this fact), and then bathing in the hot spring, sitting on the sofa, and then sitting in the passenger seat, the limo arrives at New Pork City.
Wow, this city looks amazing... this is a crazy amount of detail for a GBA game. I'm actually glad I'm playing this on the Wii U with huge upscaled pixels.
Chapter 8 - All Things...
New Pork City
The Chauffeur gives us a map of the city. Then says
Well, Master Lucas. I'm sure I'll see you again. With a different look.
Most of these characters here recognize Lucas, but I don't recognize some of them, it's been so long...
Mike:
Oh, Lucas. Did you follow me here for some of my slightly unclean and not very tasty cookies? Because I don't make those anymore. Have you forgotten?Bateau:
Everyone else came to the city, so I couldn't just stay back there all aloNew Pork Cityne... I figured there'd be something here for me if I came, but now I dunno. I'm not really sure... Do you feel the same way, Lucas?
ew
Is that the guy who squatted at the Yado Inn and took it over just a little while ago?
Man, this area stinks. No, it's not me. It's this area.
Great new arrival! You've been waiting for it! "Attack of the Terrifying Raw Oysters"
One of the games here, you can actually play it for 10 DP... but it's not an actual "game" you can play. You just get an animation of Lucas playing it, and then when he gets game over, he turns around, and is all rosey-cheeked and feeling satisfied.
I recognize that kid with the pig-nose face... So strange how he looks just like Pokey/Porky... but why would Porky be randomly hanging on some balloons? Maybe it's just a decoration.
Biff:
I don't know if everyone is gathering here in the city, or if they're BEING gathered instead. But if you're here, Lucas, that means everyone really is here now.
Isaac:
If you do anything to defy Master Porky... then you and me'll be enemies!
ew...
Guy:
Walk, stop, sleep, shout... You're free to do it all!
Miniature models of the Lab from Mother 1, the palace from Dalaam, etc...
You can go anywhere you want, aside from the 100th floor of the Empire Porky Building. In fact, go have a look around at everything.
Apparently, this statue of Master Porky isn't just something to look at and marvel. More specifically, it's supposedly the divine protector of the city. I also hear some morons somewhere picked a fight with it and wound up in a world of hurt.
The smartest, bravest, and toughest chubster of all time. Here stands a statue of our great leader, Master Porky.
Abbot:
If I were to, say, compare my life to a story, I'd say we're at the start of the 15th chapter, out of 16 total.Tessie:
This is the big city life! Or is it? It somehow doesn't feel like it.Betsy:
Apparently, all of the waitresses in the restaurant over there are robots made to look like the mother of some really important person.Dona:
The lion-ness gushing forth from it! The mask-ness dripping from it! And the nose hair-ness! And the archaicness...? It's so magnificent it's positively frightening!Bob:
Dona's a sucker for art. She's been stuck to this spot for what seems like forever now.The mole cricket wants Lucas to ask Jackie if he'll partner with the mole crickets...
Jackie... Now that I think of it, he kinda looks like a Magypsy. Could he actually be Locria?
Went into the "Beauty and Tasty" shop.
Bronson:
The town's filling up with more and more people, but this shop's still as empty as ever.
Wow, so much expensive, tasty looking food here.
Fill yourself up with your favorite food, and nothing else! That's this restaurant's... rule.
Today's MenuPorky Amusument Park, at the top left (the cutscened showed this place earlier), has those 3 slot machine slave laborers from EarthBound.
noodles Bowl
noodles Curry
noodles Egg Soup
Meh Salad with noodles Topping
noodles Lunch
noodles Combo
noodles Set
Jumbo noodles
noodles Juice
noodles Special
I'm a broken slot machine. But, the Sanchez Brothers and their friend are a very cheerful trio... They will make you happy.
Lisa:
Everyone convinced me to come to the city, but I feel more dizzy than anything, really.
Upgraded all my equipment from the pig vending machine... this and the pigmask at the southeast selling dangerous items are the only shops here that matter.
I still have tons of DP (over 20k) after buying all the best equipment for everyone (except with Lucas I kept the Awesome Crown, since 30 extra PP is better than 6 extra defense)
So... I may as well use up the rest of my DP to stock up on Super Bombs, the strongest consistently working dangerous item (that New Year's Bomb doesn't sound worth it at all)
You buy good things. You have good eye.Now I'll head into the big building.
This is Empire Pork Building, headquarters of the Porky Corporation. Don't you dare touch it with your filthy, sticky fingers! If you'd be so kind. *smile* *smile*
So you're the ones who... Heh heh heh. No, no, no! It's nothing at all! Never mind me! *Smile *smile*Empire Pork Building
The first floor of this building looks similar to Monotoli building... lmao I love this relaxed, melodic version of the Porky theme...
Jonel:
So you finally came too, Lucas? Is Flint still out looking for his missing son? If only he'd come to me for serious help, we might've been able to find him... He's an awkward fellow, that father of yours.Another mole cricket is inside here, selling some useful healing items.
The room to the right has an indoor hot spring, and some grass and flowers growing out of the floor somehow.
Hot Spring Powder Hot SpringThe Left room has the friendly item deposit guy, without the buggy he always has with him... I realized I still haven't used my 3 Trivia Card items on any human enemies yet... I wanna see what those do, and I also wanna carry around all the mementos now that I know what they do... My inventory is now completely filled with amazing healing items, super bombs, pencil rockets, mementos, equipment, and Trivia Cards... I'll get deposit a couple of the healing items for now just in case I need item slots.
"For our customers' greater satisfaction, we mix in about 20 bags of Hot Spring Powder each and every day."
The elevator is under repair... since I've been everywhere and didn't see anywhere else to go, I'm expecting a cutscene/event to happen...
Now I'm wandering New Pork City again, looking for this cutscene trigger...
oh wait, lul I never actually entered the theater in the southwest side of town...
New Pork Theatre
Researcher:
According to my research, stinkbugs appear to possess a terrific capacity for memorization. I'd love to study them to find out even more, but... they're just so stinky!Caroline:
Oh, Lucas. Are you looking for something? Whenever you're not really sure what to do, the theater's the best place to go! Yep!A stinkbug is in the theater, delaying the movie. Also there's a shop here selling some insanely overpriced fake versions of Ness's and Paula's weapons, the Bat and Frying Pan.
As well as a not-so-overpriced Ness-style hat for Lucas and Boney, and an Angel Ribbon for Kumatora...
The movie projector (which some woman is standing right in front of but doesn't cast a shadow for some reason), is showing a slideshow of EarthBound screenshots. Nobody's sitting on the seats because they smell nasty.
Rumor has it whenever you guys do somethin' earthquakes and tremors and stuff happen. What in the world do you guys do?!
Your guys' leader is locked up in an apartment building underground. Huh? You don't know nothin' about no leader? But your leader wants to see you. Here I am, puttin' myself at risk to tell you this, and you honestly don't know the guy?um... is he talking about Mayor Pusher, the leader of Tazmily, or what idk...
"Yes"'.
I see, so you still don't know about 'im. I dunno, maybe you're supposed to meet him without knowin' who he is or somethin'. He definitely wants to meet you guys, though.
Your leader's bein held in the MT Apartments, but you gotta go through the sewers to get there. As the name suggests, the place is empty. No one lives there at all. It's now a breeding ground for violent attack roaches, stinkbugs, rats, and stuff. So you could probably find your way there by following a stinkbug or something. Only problem is, they smell REALLY, really nasty! I'm talkin' major stinkage here!
Wow. That hole in the speaker leads directly into the sewer system. Absolutely unbelievable. So THAT's why this theatre stinks to high heaven.Also I get yelled at when I run inside the theater.
The hole in this speaker seems to lead into the sewers. Go through it?"Yes"
It would be a bit difficult for people to fit through this.lol, okay then.
That leads to behind the front counter.
And now I see a few more NPCs out in the lobby than were there when I first came in, including the old woman and her granddaughter who used to be in the Tazmily retirement home. The granddaughter says her grandma didn't really want to leave Tazmily.
*rabble* *zabble*
I'm trying to express in words this strange and creepy feeling in the air.
Hmm... now I'm back to not knowing where to go again... nothing to do but revisit every part of New Pork City, looking for any changes or a cutscene trigger.
Found a couple new NPCs in the west part of the city.. or maybe I just didn't notice them before... oh! It's that guy and girl who were always standing far apart, facing each other, at Cerulean Beach and Club Titiboo... now they're much closer together.
Paul:
Oh, you're always such a kid at heart.Linda:
Hey, Paul. It says there's an amusement park this way! Let's go have a look!And there's a couple people in the elevator room that weren't there before, speculating about what kind of person Master Porky is, and wondering why the statue of him looks like a kid...
Has anyone ever seen Master Porky before? How old do you think he is? He must be amazing to build a city like this.
That statue of Master Porky looks a lot like a kid, don't you think? What do you think's up with that?btw I wonder what's up with this purple stuff coming out of the mechanical tree in the east end of the city?
Found a couple more new NPCs who I don't recognize, in the middle junction.
Boy, New Pork City doesn't make any sense. I can't tell if it's kiddie-like, creepy, disgusting, flashy, or what...
They say the DCMC are gonna have a concert in this city. I guess in that way, this city might not be half bad at all.oookay... I've been everywhere again, and now I have NO idea what to do to make progress... For the first time ever in this game, I'm actually legit stuck. Had to look up a guide to learn that you're supposed to check all the seats in the theatre to find the stinkbug that's stinking up the place... oh, of course. I was so focused on that tunnel leading to the sewers, I didn't think of that.
Boney chases the stinkbug in through the speaker/sewer hole.
Some of the NPCs here now have different dialog.
A stinkbug? Yeah, I saw one earlier. Where could it have gone? Some people say that if you take a big whiff of a stinkbug's smell, your memory will improve. If that's true, I'd sniff one without a second thought.Some woman says she recalls another entrance into the sewers, she doesn't remember where exactly, but it's "someplace stupid", and that she used to work part-time there a long time ago...
Tried the game arcade, with all those dumb-sounding games... The guy there says
I've been hearing a dog whimpering for a while. I think it's somewhere right below us. I can't go check it out, though. The reason being that I'm afraid of dogs. Seriously, their noses are wet, they wag their tails, they lick people's faces... Gwah, I TOTALLY can't handle that.He opens the sewer entrance so that we can go check it out.
New Pork Sewer System
Just a very linear area... the metal roach enemies and putrid mold monsters are nothing more than fodder, especially with the hot spring right nearby...
I think this is the MT Apartments...
Leder's House
oh cool, I finally get to meet/talk to that tall guy that used to stand near the crossroad area of Tazmily.
It wasn't that I couldn't talk all this time. I simply chose not to. As I rang that Cross Road bell, deep inside my heart I had decided I would speak to no one."Yes"
*sad music starts playing*
But the secrets I've been guarding are now starting to leak out.
Lucas. The time has come to tell you everything. What I'm about to tell you, you might not want to know. Even so, you absolutely must hear it.
It will be a long story, but please listen to it all.
Given who you are and how you've lived, what I have to say will tear at your hearts, and there is just so much to tell. So I've decided to have the stinkbug trembling behind me memorize everything I say....
Long ago, there existed a "world". A world different from what the people on these islands think of. This "world" was incredibly big. More people lived on this world than there are grains of sand on these Nowhere Islands. I know it may be hard to imagine, but such a world once existed.
At some point, the world wound up destroyed. Naturally, it was humans who destroyed it. In the back of their minds, everyone had an inkling that it would happen at some point. And then it really did happen. And so, the world is no more.
Everything so far has been about "The End of the World". Did you understand all of it?
Just before the end of the world, a "White Ship" came to these islands. On it were all the people of Tazmily Village. Yes. Aboard the White Ship were those few who had managed to escape the "world". The people on the ship still went by their names from the previous world. This "White Ship" plan had been set in place before the world was destroyed.And, although they're part of the world, these Nowhere Islands are a special place. They were the one place that would remain, even if the world was lost. The one and only place where people could survive. And so the White Ship arrived at these islands.
Everything so far has been about "The White Ship". Did you understand all of it?
The reason these islands are special is because they harbor a giant dragon nearly as large as the islands themselves. Long, long ago, people lived together with the Dragon. However, at some point in time, the people and the Dragon could no longer coexist. So, using the seven Needles, the Dragon was placed into a long, long sleep by the ancestors of the Magypsy people, who have lived here since ancient times. Ever since, the Magypsies have guarded the Needles, in an effort to prevent the Dragon from being woken until its power is truly needed. Thus, until the time of its awakening, the Dragon continued to sleep, as the power of the earth itself. And so, because of the tremendous energy of the Dragon hidden deep below, these islands were protected from the end of the world.
Everything so far has been about "The Dragon and the Magypsies". Did you understand all of it?
Those who came here aboard the White Ship feared another "End of the World" more than anything else. They felt that the world's destruction was a direct result of the way they had lived. The people of the White Ship discussed things at great length. They shared their wisdom and spoke with grave seriousness. And then they arrived at their conclusion. They decided to completely erase everyone's memories of the previous "world" and start their lives over with new rules and new roles.
Yes. In short, everyone would play out the ideal "story" that they had come up with. That is what happened. The people would restart their lives in a simple, peaceful village, in the kind of place they wished they had grown up in. They would erase their memory of everything: the world, their beginnings, their rules... and then they would begin their new lives. Everyone's old memories would be reset and replaced with their newly-created "story". And thus the village of Tazmily came to be.
However, it was necessary to record the fact that the memory replacement had taken place. The Hummingbird Egg was the device used to store the memories of the White Ship people. Wess and his son Duster, both playing the roles of thieves, were set to take action should a dangerous situation occur. Remember when they went to Osohe Castle? They went there to retrieve the secret of the "People of the White Ship".
And there's one other thing. Me. It was essential that one person retain memory of the previous world to sort of "keep watch" over things. I was the only one in the village of Tazmily who wasn't given a role in the new "story". The sound of my bell served as a "suggestion", to keep everyone's fabricated memories from reverting. My name "Leder" comes from the word "Leader". No, no, that doesn't mean I was anyone special. It was just that I was particularily taller than all the others. So, upon discussion, I was selected because it would be easier for me to stand out. Being so tall, people would want to come see me, you know? And so I was given the role of revealing these secrets when the time truly called for it.
Everything so far has been about "Those Who Lost Everything". Although Tazmily Village exists in reality, it was originally created as part of a story. I know this may be difficult to believe, but do you understand so far?
jeez, I wasn't expecting a huge lorebomb that dwarfs the talking rock part of EarthBound... this is insane... lmao the plot pacing of this whole series is like, the work of a mad scientist or something.
Something about this story makes me think it's all somehow connected to the Magicant world of M1... Like first of all there's those 7 Magypsy houses that look like the Mother 1 Magicant portals (how many of those were there again?)... and the Dark Dragon might just be the same dragon that teaches you one of the melodies in Mother 1, or related to that in some way... I dunno, maybe I'm thinking too deep into it.
And I'm not sure if Pokey/Porky was one of the white ship people that lost their memories, or if he was primarily the cause of the End of the World and is intentionally looking to end this world as well (probably the latter I'm guessing, after all he still had his time travel powers at the end of EarthBound)
LMAO, Leder's lorebomb is STILL going... Not that I mind, I'm like, really into this story right now, I don't even care about getting back to the gameplay because this story is so damn good.
Let me also talk about Osohe Castle. Apparently, long ago, a kingdom existed on this island, centered around the king of Osohe. However, when we arrived on the White Ship, the people of this kingdom were gone. It seems they had left the islands, fearing the Dragon's eventual awakening someday. Before boarding the White Ship, Princess Kumatora was an infant who had lost her mother and father. Upon coming to these islands, she was given to the Magypsies to raise, and given the role of princess of Osohe Castle. Wess and Duster being her retainers was another part of the fabricated "story".Wow... I guess all those familiar NPCs that got brought into the game later on after Porky infiltrated, they literally ARE the same characters as from EarthBound.
Osohe Castle is one of the few and precious relics of this island's "past". We crafted our story in haste, so the people inside it have very little "past" or "history". Have you noticed no one in Tazmily can talk about things from 100 or 1000 years ago? In truth, we HAD wanted to create an entire plethora of myths and legends... but our story was made in such a hurry that we weren't able to. It's a real shame.
I'm sure that much of what I'm saying, you'd rather not hear, but it's the truth. Have you listened to everything so far?
Truthfully, we had no idea how Tazmily Village would turn out. But things actually went rather well. The people who had arrived on the White Ship had fully taken to their new identies. They believed they had always lived together peacefully. It was when a person by the name of Porky stumbled upon these islands that everything started to go amok. It seems he used a "Time Distorter" machine to travel through time and space at will. However, he was apparently shut out from all other times and spaces and tumbled into this era and these islands. Even worse, he used his Time Distorter to bring many people from other eras here. The Pigmasks, as well as everyone in New Pork City, were all brought here and brainwashed by Porky.
This Porky fellow seems to view these islands as his own personal "toy box", with which he can do anything he wants. He would take animals apart and recombine them to make creepy, new "Chimeras". As a child-like dictator, he began doing whatever he pleased, including building Thunder Tower and forming his own army. Porky eventually learned the White Ship secret because of a traitor among the Magypsies.
Do you understand about the intruder known as Porky?
Also, this Magypsy traitor plot point is really good... I wasn't expecting it at all... Is my theory about the innkeeper being the traitorous Magypsy, Locria correct...? If so, no wonder he looks so ashamed all the time.
This traitor was known as Locria, the seventh Magypsy, and the only one you haven't met yet.Damn, I was wrong?
...Actually, now that I think of it... couldn't Fassad be Locria? That might be it...
After Locria joined forces with Porky, Porky learned about the White Ship people and the secret of the sleeping Dragon. Porky decided to pull the Needles to wake the Dragon, so he could use the power for himself. The Dragon is the power of the very earth itself, you see. It's said that whoever pulls the sealing Needles will become the Dragon's master. However, only a very select few are capable of pulling the Dragon's Needles. Apparently, neither the Magypsies nor Porky have that capability. Yet, the Needles are being pulled now. That means Porky is somehow controlling someone who can control the Dragon's power!Hmm... At first I was thinking the 7th Needle might actually be in that sanctuary temple where you registered your player name... but no it's actually on New Pork City. It seems like Porky already knows where it is, too, and is just saving it to put on a big show? Damn... this is some dire stuff.
...We have to put a stop to Porky's antics. If we don't, the world will be completely destroyed again, and it will spell the true end for everything. For Porky, that might be the ultimate pleasure, but we can't allow it to happen. We, the last handful of people there are, absolutely can't allow it to happen. Lucas. It seems you're a chosen one, with the ability to pull the Needles sealing the Dragon away. You MUST pull hte Dark Dragon's Needle with your own hands, and pass your heart to on to the Dragon. Let this be my one and only order to you as your "leader".
Do you understand everything about "The Dragon's Awakening"?
I hear that six of the Dragon's Needles have already been pulled. Deep in the earth, the Dragon is likely beginning to stir from its sleep now. Supposedly, the last Needle is somewhere here in New Pork City. Porky has been gathering everything that lives on these islands into New Pork City to prepare for the final Needle's pulling. It's possible that he's planning to hold one final, twisted party. But now is our chance to change this looming crisis into a golden opportunity. All things may come to an end... or new and bountiful things may begin. Wouldn't you like to help that happen?
Lucas. You were once a weak, fragile boy, but now you've been given a tremendous role to fulfill. Now that you know everything, including everything I'm sure you'd rather not know, the time has come for you to save the future of all life as we know it.
...
"God won't make you bear more than you can carry."
I'm sure you've heard that phrase before. Know that you aren't fighting alone. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, will lend you their support.
That was a long story, but that is the end of everything I have to tell you. Did you understand it all?
Only the Magypsies really know the Needles' locations, so I don't know where to find them. But, from the way Porky and the others have been acting, I would say they're now very close to reaching the seventh Needle. Please, Lucas. Be the one who pulls the final Needle. Porky issues his orders from the 100th floor of the Empire Pork Building. Start by jumping into the fray and storming into the building. After that, you can start looking for clues.phew...
It's been such a long time since I've spoken to anyone. And now I'm exhausted. This stinkbug should remember everything I've just said. Take him with you. That way, if you happen to forget anything I've said here, you can ask him to repeat it. Will you go with them, Mr. Stinkbug?
Next high session is the finale... I need some time to digest all that...
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