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[Ogami]:
.... hm?
[Ogami]:
Sakura-kun....
---
[Ogami]:
Okay. What is it?
[Sakura]:
Before you came here, Manager Yoneda told us...
That the captain of the Flower Division couldn't just be some normal soldier. No- he said that he wouldn't LET that happen...
To battle in a way that would sacrifice peoples' lives for the sake of victory- that is something that shouldn't be repeated...
That's why.... the person serving as the captain of the Flower Division MUST be someone who, for the Flower Division.... for this theater...
... and, for the way of living here, has to be able to feel love. That's what he told us.....
That's why Manager Yoneda went to the trouble of making you do something like taking tickets.
... damn. Looks like Yoneda is much, much deeper than most people have been giving him credit for, the sly old fox.
[Ogami]:
.... so that's how it was.
[Sakura]:
Please come to love this theater... and us, the Flower Division!
And also.... please become our captain, and fight alongside us!
[Ogami]:
'Fight'... 'fight', you said... but who in the world AGAINST...?
And all of a sudden, invisible sirens sound off!
WE'VE GOT MOVIE SIGN
[Ogami]:
Wha, what's going on? What's this alarm for?
[Ogami]:
"Sortie"?! Wh-what the heck do you mean?!
---
CUTSCENE VIDEO - TO THE FLOWER ROOM!siren:
It's here. Also a temporary video link until Google Video stops hating all of mankind, so the quality's horrid.
Okay, so it's all somewhat physically impossible, but hey! Enjoy the ride! Sakura sure is.
---
Huh.
Well, I'm sure that a clothes-changing system that requires you to plummet headfirst down a couple hundred feet long maintenance shaft is equipped with some sort of failsafe that makes it all perfectly safe. Right, Ogami?
....
Ogami?
....
R... right, that was Ogami's first time down the shaft, wasn't it.
(One trip to the emergency room later.....)
[Yoneda]:
Mm, good work!
Yeah, getting Ogami's neck to stop bending like that was pretty damn hardcore of the medical team, wasn't it?
[Ogami]:
M, Manager Yoneda... and everyone else.... th, this is?!
AWESOME is the word you're looking for, I think.
[Yoneda]:
.... sorry for attempting to deceive you back there.
However, I wanted to test you to see if you were fit to be the captain of a secret brigade.
I'm pretty sure he failed it at least a couple of times.
[Ogami]:
W... where in the world IS this?
[Yoneda]:
This is the heart of the Imperial Assault Force. ... the command room.
[Ogami]
Manager Yoneda! The Assault Force.... so the Assault Force really DOES exist!?
...
No. No, this is just an elaborate April Fool's joke to shatter the fragile remnants of your dreams and your sanity. SMILE, YOU'RE ON CANDID CAMERA~!
Also, he STILL fails at knowing what a secret brigade is.
[Yoneda]:
Of course... the Operetta Troupe is nothing more than a front to hide our existence from the outside world.
Now then, let me re-introduce you. These ladies are to be your subordinates, and are the members of the Imperial Assault Force, Flower Division.
[Sakura]:
As fellow new members of the Imperial Assault Force, let's do our best!
Yes, yes, I'm familiar with Sakura's 
-ness.
And Iris's.
Okay, THIS is new, I've never gotten to this part of the game without Sumire regarding me like something she'd just scraped off of the bottom of her shoe.
Progress! 
[Maria]:
... is what I will be looking for as I evaluate your skills.
... and the usual.
[Ogami]:
Commander Yoneda. Who is our enemy?
IT LURKS INSIDE OF US ALL.
[Yoneda]:
That there is a mysterious organization that threatens the Imperial Capital with mechanical troops called "demon-driven soldiers"...
Its name... is the Hive of Darkness.
[Ogami]:
The Hive of Darkness...?
I swear that there's a different translation of their name every time I turn around. There was the 'Black Roots Council', the 'Shadow Council', the 'Kuronosu Council' (
)...
I'm going with the Wikipedia name, even if it DOES sound completely stupid.
---
[Ogami]:
What did you say? Then... that rumor about a young woman who defeated a monster was actually about Sakura?!
If there's one thing you can say about Sakura, it's that she's a total badass with the sword.
[Yoneda]:
That's where we come in. We, too, have powerful weapons. Let me show you to the underground hangars.
[Yoneda]:
These are the secret weapons that are the pride of the Imperial Assault Force... these are the spirit armor, "Koubu"!
FINALLY, robots for the main characters that AREN'T about 99% humanoid. Even if these things are sort of shaped like garbage cans at first glance, I personally think that they're pretty damn awesome for mecha in the 1920's era.
[Yoneda]:
Aah.... mechanical armor, so to speak, that can only be operated by those possessing strong spiritual energy.
Those who have that power are the Flower Division.... and you, as well.
The Hive of Darkness's site of appearance is the same as last time, Ueno Park. Meet them at that site using the "Rolling Thunder"!
Also known as the 'Gourai-gou.' For once, I defaulted to Tokyopop's translation because it sounds f'in awesome (also a first).
[Ogami]:
.... the Rolling Thunder?
[Yoneda]:
In the space of a second, it'll carry you guys to anywhere in Tokyo. It's an awesome train!
----
[Ogami]:
.... I thought you said that the Koubu were the pride of the Assault Force?
[Yoneda]:
M'boy.... everything we do is fucking awesome.
----
[Ogami]:
So that's what the Rolling Thunder is....
[Ogami]:
Ka-Kasumi-kun.....? Don't tell me that you're also....
----
[Ogami]:
Yuri-kun and Tsubaki-chan, too....
Yup. Remember them? The administrative duties girls?
----
[Yoneda]:
Ogami, these are the pride of the Imperial Assault Force: the Three Girls of the Theater!
[Ogami]:
Uh, General Yoneda....
[Yoneda]:
And here, we have the pride of the Imperial Assault Force: the Imperial Garbage Cans! Steam-powered, of course.
[Ogami]:
.... sir, I think it's time for your medication.
[Yoneda]:
By 'medication', you'd better mean 'enough sake to knock an elephant unconscious'.
[Ogami]:
I.... yes. Yes, that's exactly it, sir.
[Yoneda]:
----
... damn, out of time again.
Not that it's out of character for Ogami, natch.
----
----
[Ogami]:
Er, no.....
[Yoneda]:
If you understand that much, hurry up and get into your Koubu! The enemy ain't going to wait around!!
[Ogami]:
Understood!
Thank goodness for small mercies.
[Iris]:
Do your best, Oniichan! Because Iris'll be cheering for you!!
I DON'T CARE, LEAVE ME ALONE 
[Ogami]:
Right, leave it to me! We will defeat the enemies in Ueno!
[Ogami]:
Yessir!!
----
[Maria]:
.... Ensign. Are you serious?
YES, BECAUSE WE HAVE GIANT ROBOTS
THIS'LL BE THE MOST FUCKING KICKASS CHERRY BLOSSOM VIEWING EVER, GUYS
Stop trying to rationalize my actions, woman, it's a lost cause.
[Sakura]:
Iris~! We'll leave the cherry blossom viewing preparations up to you!
[Iris]:
Got it~!
---
CUTSCENE VIDEO - Size Doesn't Matter.
It's here.
Now THIS is how you start up your robot: with oodles of yelling.
---
---
CUTSCENE VIDEO - MOTHERFRAKKIN' ROLLING THUNDER.
It's here.
The government has way too much time on its hands.
---
And they're off to dispense justice the old-fashioned way:
Mecha beatdown.
NEXT (true) UPDATE: Good guys KNOW how to make a great entrance.
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