Video of this chapter.
Archived version of this chapter.
Last time, we finally met an alien who's not trying to kill us.

…And that's why I asked them to come with us.

Sounds good to me. To be honest, we were having difficulty finding any intel on the aliens.

You all seem exhausted. Shall I prepare rooms for you?

Please do. Everyone, please get some rest.

Yay! I can finally sleep in a proper bed! Simone, would you like a massage?

Not from you. Now if Eiji offered…

Tch. You didn't have to shoot me down so hard.

Let's just go, Arthur.

Any luck finding the enemy base?

Not yet. We're still looking.

My gut says it's near this island.

Something stinks.

It's not me!

You dolt. He's not being literal.

We'll just have to split up and search on land.

I agree. The enemy can appear from anywhere, so never let your guard down.

I've got this!

You don't exactly have the best track record.

Hey!
[Ryusei bonks Watta]

Ow!

How dare you hit him! Are you okay, President?

I'm fine. Anyway, I'll be back.

Sir Jeangall, they're getting closer. What's the plan? At this rate, they'll find the base.

Not to worry, Catherine. I, Jeangall, will stop them no matter what.

Well said! However, the enemy cannot be underestimated. Make sure you go in prepared!

Of course, sire!

Where are Dankel and Killer?

We've been looking for them for a while now, but they're missing.

What do you mean they're missing?

I think they left the base.

Lord Heinel, considering what happened with Suhl earlier, I'm concerned about their actions. We must tread carefully…

I agree. Catherine, find Dankel and Killer immediately!

Of course, Lord Heinel!

My lord, I'll be deploying.

Godspeed. Show them the power of a Boazan!

Sir!

Hey Dankel. Are you sure we should leave without permission?

Getting cold feet, Killer? I thought you hated being bossed around by Heinel.

That's true, but…

Besides, if we go back now, do you really think we'll get away unscathed? Even if it was Suhl's idea, you still deployed on your own.

Mmm… I hate that you're right. I didn't think I'd fail. Okay, I'll follow your lead.

It's time we gave up on Heinel. The Earthlings will find the base soon enough, and when they do, he won't live for much longer.

Especially if we don't help him.

The Boazans are new to the Balmar Empire. I'm not really loyal to them anyway. It'd be better if we followed Lord Le Cain, one of the Empire's big shots.

I see. Lord Le Cain, huh… What an excellent idea. I bet Emperor Darius would agree to this plan.

I'll tell the Emperor after we get on Lord Le Cain's good side. We should also get Asimov and Desmont in on this.

Another good idea. Those two seem to hate following Sharkin's orders, so I'm sure they'll happily rejoin us.

It would be great if Heinel and Sharkin were to bite it.

That'll make us look even better. Hahaha. Things are finally getting interesting!

Let's get started.

Yes, let's.
Earth Route Chapter 19: Boazan Pride

Hey, where do you think you're going?

I'm just looking over here.

Don't act on your own.

Hmph. Like I need you to tell me what to do.

What was that!?

I apologize for him, Sanshiro. Domon, why are you so…

In that case, I'll look over here.

You know what, do whatever you want!

C'mon guys. We can't afford to scatter like this… Oh, the enemy's here!



Hehe. Now that's more like it.

He's happy the enemy showed up? What a weirdo.

The guy just loves violence.

Listen up, everyone! For our Boazan pride, we must crush them here!

He seems fired up.

Ryusei, be careful! The enemy is prepared to die. This won't be as easy as last time.

All right, let's do this!
First up, our new units. On this route, they stay with us for the rest of the game.

[SPT-LZ-00X Layzner]
The main Real Robot of this route, along with the R-1. The Layzner is extremely agile, making it very difficult to hit. It also has some decently powerful attacks and a bunshin. However, its famous V-MAX upgrade is technically optional, but we'll get into that in a few stages. Give it some love and it'll make things a lot easier later. Just watch out for its limited ammo, making it a decent recipient for Cartridges.

[SPT-BB-02U Baybull]
A slightly bulkier Layzer, bunshin and all. It can only use its rifle and punch, but it'll get outclassed later in the game. If you want to use it, it can be a decent second-string fighter.

[SPT-BD-03U Buldy]
The Buldy has a long-ranged cannon, which is about all it has going for it. The Buldy will take a lot more investment than the Layzner, but it can be a decent sniper and support unit.

Destroy the enemies around the starting islands and the southeast island before turning your attention to Jeangall. You don't really need to split up your troops, but I did for expediency's sake. Domon dealt with the UFOs on the northern island, Ryusei and Rai tackled the Beast Knights on the west island, and Voltes, Reideen, Gaiking, and the SPTs dealt with the enemies to the southeast.
Additional mooks spawn on the sixth enemy phase as well, but they only have beam attacks, so the R-2 or anyone with an anti-beam coat can easily solo them.

Here's our main boss for the stage, Jeangall's Skullrook. We have to fight it seriously this time, so get ready for a slobberknocker. Watch out for its extremely powerful 1-range drill attack.
However, an event happens when Jeangall hits 45% HP.

Catherine! Have you found Dankel and Killer yet!?

My apologies. I've searched everywhere I can think of, but I don't know where they're hiding…

Whatever! Prepare my Skullrook! I'm going out there!

You mustn't! Lord Heinel, you cannot enter the battle!

Silence! Just get it ready!

Y-yes, my lord.

Jeangall, fall back! I'll handle the rest.

Lord Heinel! What are you saying? I, Jeangall, will not leave this place even if it costs me my life!

Heh. If you want to die so badly, I'd be happy to oblige!

You insolent brat! I'll show you my power!
[Jeangall restores full HP]

Despite being Heinel's Skullrook, a mook is piloting it. Oh well.
It's recommended now to ignore Jeangall and destroy the new Skullrook, as it'll retreat at the next plot event, and it would be a shame to lose out on all that money.
Speaking of plot events, the important one happens when Jeangall hits 20% HP.

Jeangall will immediately attack the Daiku-Maryu. What you do here will determine what stage you get next, and if you're able to get one of the game's few secrets.
SECRET ALERT
Kill Jeangall
Counterattack the Skullrook. You don't need to be able to shoot it down or even hit it.
Save Jeangall and recruit Heinel
Defend or evade the Skullrook's attack.
Of course, if Jeangall's attack destroys the Daiku-Maryu, it's Game Over, so make sure it's well healed before this event.
For the purposes of this LP, I'm saving Jeangall, since there's no reason to kill him.
If you decide to kill Jeangall by counterattacking, the battle continues as normal and you destroy his Skullrook, killing him.
If you're saving him, the following plays out:

Stop!! This battle is over! Fighting any further is pointless! Just retreat!

Utter nonsense! Rather than living with the shame of being defeated by an Earthling, I, Jeangall, choose death! Here I come!!

Wait! Jeangall, you mustn't die!

Don't stop me, Lord Heinel!

You fool! Have you forgotten the feelings of your fellow Boazans!? You can die another time. I order you to retreat!

Grrr… As you command…

Earthlings, while I appreciate the mercy you have shown today, the next time we meet, I will not hold back. Farewell!
[All remaining enemies retreat]

Ugh. He's so pretentious.

I think he's kinda cool.

Say what!? I'm disappointed in you. How can you call the enemy cool? Seriously…

It's not like that. You're so mean, Yamagatake!

Oh dear. You messed up. Midori just stormed off.

M-Midori…

Good grief.
Before I forget, here are the items on the map:




Regardless of what you do, the map ends when all enemies are gone.

Dang, another one?

I'll destroy it in one hit.

Hold it. Something's wrong.

Greetings, members of the Daiku-Maryu Squad. It's been a while.

M-Master!

Undefeated of the East, what brings you here?

Let's talk over there.

Ryusei, Rai, come with me.

What is it? I haven't done anything wrong.

It says something that you think you only get called out when you do something wrong.

Hmph. Like you're one to talk.

You wanna--

C'mon guys, save the fighting for later. We're gonna work on the R-1 and R-2.

But there's nothing wrong with my R-2.

Oh, we're not repairing it. The Voltes Team brought back a little gift for you two.

A gift? You mean the R-1 is getting an upgrade?

Exactly.

Hell yeah! Let's get this show started already!

And there he goes…

This is bad! The prisoner has escaped.

What? The Earthling escaped? How?

It seems someone infiltrated the ship.

Where's the Death Demon Squad!?

They're too busy searching the ruins.

Lord Le Cain, if you need help, we're here to assist you.

Mmm… Dankel and Killer, right? Are you here on Heinel's orders?

Oh, no. We're here on our own initiative.

What? You shouldn't have done that. Abandoning your post requires a court-martial.

We're aware of that.

But we can't fight at our best under Heinel's incompetent leadership.

Oh? You're calling Heinel incompetent?

He's all pride and no brains. I'd bet the Earthlings have already discovered the base by now.

Very well. I could use some extra hands.

We'll do as you command…