The next day has the group deciding that now's the time to go and visit the castle so that Strong can show them around the environmental system. As they head out Omega thinks the ground just shook but Geo shrugs off his concern, saying that an earthquake would be impossible. A lot of theNPCs around the marketplace seem to be talking about the environmental system...that ain't foreboding at all, nosiree.
Inside the castle the group is perplexed to see that Strong is nowhere to be seen despite promising to meet with them, but a genuine earthquake quickly gives them more immediate things to worry about. A voice commands the people of Alohaha to worship him as their king and Club Strong appears in front of the environmental system, again demands fealty or he'll ruin the island, and then goes back into the computer. The crew's quicker on the uptake by now in figuring out what happened, and Pedia reports that the earthquakes currently hitting the island are at level 6 and 7, causing Zack to quail that the whole island will sink. Actually, I think being washed away by tsunamis is more likely, but then again we've seen plenty examples of what these fruitcake environment systems can do. So back outside (the ground will continue to quake intermittently) pulse in, get on the wave road, head inside the castle, access one of the image displays for a Search Eye and Fast Barrier ability, get the Aqua Fang WE (Charge Shot may trap enemies in bubbles) from a PMW, and finally access the environmental system.
The main paths of the Environmental System Cyber Core are pretty wide but the gimmick lies in the thin brown sections you occasionally come across. Once Geo passes over them they will start to collapse, so you have to keep moving to stay one step ahead, jumping over cracks that'll trip you up and slow you down. Like a platformer, really. It's very simple, but occasionally the path tries to trip you up with dead ends. If the path does fall out from under you Geo ends up in a small “abyss” area that has a teleporter that'll take him back to the proper stage.
Club Strong's at the end of this, and Geo tries to get him to see sense. Only interested in being praised, Club Strong bats his pleas aside leaving Geo no choice but to fight.
Club Strong
HP: 1000
Element: Wood
Attacks:
- Club Smash – Club Strong tries to smash Geo with his club for 50 Wood damage.
- Wood Tower – Club Strong sends a series of sharpened wood spears down one column for 30 Wood damage.
- Swing Storm – Club Strong generates several whirlwinds and sends them down the field for 40 damage. If a whirlwind is generated on a grass panel it will deal 70 Wood element.
- Strong Seeds – Several seeds roll down random columns. If they hit Geo they will drain 40 HP and heal Club Strong by the same amount.
- Strong Swing – Club Strong repeatedly smashes each panel of Geo's row for 50 Wood damage per hit.
He's big and (moderately) strong. He's got a fairly high amount of HP for this part of the game (remember when bosses with 1000 HP weren't encountered until near the endgame?) and doesn't recoil from attacks. Most of the difficulty I had with him comes from that the fact right now my folder kinda sucks. However, he has the special ability to generate grass panels whenever he moves, which is just begging for a Mad Fire 1 or Taurus Fire to the face. You want to take him out before he starts using Strong Swing since it's very fast and can't be blocked. Despite dealing Wood damage his club attacks do trigger Mercy Invincibility.
Winning gives us 2000z (missed the card again!).
Strong returns to normal and he and Geo end up back in the castle amongst a cloud of Crimson. After coming to himself Strong manages to explain what happened to Geo, namely that Jack and Tia were the ones responsible for corrupting him. Before Geo can fully process that the conversation's interrupted by a new arrival: Joker dropping down from the ceiling. Through him Geo learns of Dealer and predictably gets really angry at him. Strong attempts to attack the enormous man but Joker simply charges up his fists with some sort of energy and destroys Strong. As in not simply deleting him, but literally shattering him to pieces. Joker explains himself to the incensed Geo that this is how the world is: survival of the fittest and whose who are weak deserve to be killed. Geo shouts for him to fight him, and Joker notes that his “battle status” has risen, concluding that the anger he feels when a bond of his is severed increases Megaman's power. However, he says that King did not give him orders to fight and vanishes. The Crimson gets drawn away towards the beach, and Omega says to follow.
On the beach we see Jack and Tia again absorbing the released Crimson, noting that Strong gave off quite a bit. Geo confronts them and demands an explanation so Tia lays it all out for him, that they're part of Dealer and have been working to gather data on Megaman and harvest Crimson from berserk Wizards. Since they have enough data now they're not going to let him just walk away, and here Virgo and Corvus materialize to say hi to Omega. He gasps that they're two of the most notorious and powerful criminals in Planet FM's history and Corvus mocks him for the all the times they apparently fought in the past. Each time they crushed him, and now they have hosts to Wave Change with. Tia and Jack fuse with their FM-ians to form Queen Virgo
◊ and Jack Corvus
◊. Geo and Omega Wave Change too, and Jack Corvus exults at finally getting his fight with Megaman.
Jack Corvus
HP: 1400
Element: Fire
Attacks:
- Grave Claw – Flaming claws fly down each column for 50 Fire damage.
- Corvus Wing – Jack Corvus appears in front of Geo and repeatedly slashes him with his wings, dealing 60 Fire damage per hit and inflicting an HP drain bug.
- Crow's Flight – Jack Corvus swoops down a diagonal section of field for 90 Fire damage.
- Wicked Flame – Jack Corvus throws a barrage of purple fireballs at Geo for 60 Fire damage per hit.
This isn't a real boss battle, it'll automatically end a little bit.
The fight gets broken up by Joker's return. He explains that King has ordered him to keep an eye on the two siblings, just in case they tried to pull something like this. He gets them to stand down, and that's when Luna enters the scene asking Geo what's going on since she heard the islanders claim that Strong was deleted. Dammit, not this again, I thought we learned our lesson from the Rogue incident in the last game! Recognizing Jack and Tia through their wave forms doesn't help her confused state of mind either.
Joker chuckles and repeats his line about severed bonds bringing out Megaman's true power. Geo says don't you dare, but the man attacks anyway with his energy fist ability. Geo manages to block the blow...so Joker simply warps behind them and blows Luna apart anyway. Yep, that just happened...
As Geo falls to his knees in the classic Heroic BSoD pose Queen Virgo asks Joker to explain himself and he says that he simply removed the person who went against his philosophy the most. The script had no problems saying that he killed Strong, but now that a human's bit it they have to dance around the issue with “eliminated” and the like. Anyway, the three withdraw, leaving Geo on the beach. Alone.
Well that, that certainly was a trip to remember alright...
Virus Listing
- Grass Pollen
- These viruses are immobile flower bulbs that randomly shoot pollen onto the field which turn the panels they land on into grass panels.
Soundtrack
- Environmental System Cyber Core
- This one's okay, not outstanding just okay. It has the unfortunate luck of being in a game with a bunch more memorable stage themes.
Comments
