Let’s Blog: Ar Tonelico III – #16: Wedding Crashers

This entry covers the final cutscene in Cielo Valley, as well as its immediate consequences.

Spoilers, as usual.

Aoto and Salapator arrive in the town center to cheers and congratulations from all the villagers. Salapator thanks them, saying “Let’s become happy together, Aoto~” while Aoto can barely force himself to keep up the act. The village chief tells them to continue onto the altar, where the priest gets straight to the point: “Now, if you would kiss the bride…”

At the other end of the square, Finnel and Tatsumi arrive to witness Aoto and Salapator about to do the deed. Finnel gasps in shock, while the unfazed Tatsumi comments, “So that’s why the boss’s house was empty. They’re all celebrating.” With a shout of “NOOOOO!”, Finnel takes a running jump and…

The shock causes Salapator to turn back into Saki, while Aoto lands on top of her in a rather compromising position. He says, “Finnel?! What the heck was that all of a… huh, my hand’s on something really soft…” Saki stammers, “A, Aoto-san… u, um, so you enjoy being forceful…” (This is likely a pun: a homonym of ‘forceful’ means ‘sexual assault.’) Aoto pulls his hand away and replies “Saki, sorr… no, you’ve got it all wrong!” while Finnel, fuming, shouts “Aoto, you idiot!” The villagers, meanwhile, are more shocked by Salapator’s transformation than Aoto’s unintentional impropriety.

Incidentally, around now you’ll have automatically unlocked the trophy “Married to Salapator.”

Aoto attempts to explain, but is interrupted as a familiar voice says, “Looks like a happy occasion for you, Aoto!” Mute has arrived with her entourage of Reyvateils to wish him well. Aoto greets her with “You’re… that shemale…! ” to which she replies, “Who the hell’s a shemale?! Your farce is over, Aoto!” Aoto’s boss suddenly interrupts, saying, “Hold on! This ain’t right! The ceremony isn’t over… you said you’d wait until they exchanged vows!”

Mute laughs, replying “They were slow, so I changed my mind!” Aoto wonders what’s going on, and his boss only replies “…Sorry, Aoto… ” The village chief says, “Don’t blame us, Aoto. We did it for the sake of the Great Fang.” Aoto realizes he’s been sold out. Mute thanks the village leader for his cooperation and says “Due to you letting us know the whereabouts of this human Aoto, we’ve conveniently found Saki as well. As we promised, Cielo Valley will not be cleansed.”

Aoto shouts, “You’re scum, Clusternia! Threatening the village like that… I won’t forgive you!” A villager tells him to quiet down. “That’s enough already… don’t involve us and our village in this any further…” he says. Tatsumi speaks up, saying “Aoto, it’s no use. They’ve already sold us out,” Aoto fumes powerlessly, and declares, “Come on! I’ll take you all on by myself! I’m at least gonna cause you a little trouble!”

Mute laughs, and replies “No need for that.” Saki says, “Huh? I’m sleepy… all of a sudden…” She collapses. Aoto demands to know what Mute’s done to her, and Mute explains the wedding sake they had a taste of earlier was drugged. “Isn’t about time you hit the sack, too?” Aoto struggles, but slips towards unconsciousness, as Mute says “Looks like you’re the loser this time, pipsqueak!” and laughs wildly.

In his last moments awake, Aoto says through gritted teeth, “I can’t fall asleep… I can’t let Saki… be taken from me again… I promised… I’d protect her…”

In the cutscene that follows, an unfamiliar woman stands over the unconscious Aoto. “Well, that’s a relief. Soma hasn’t shown up…” she says. “I can’t hide within Finnel forever, though. I’d better prepare our escape…” She walks over to the bars of the prison cell the two are in, after which Aoto begins to recover consciousness.

He awakens, wondering where he is. The woman curtly responds, “Prison.” Aoto says, “Prison…! That’s right, we were captured… Shit! I couldn’t protect Saki…!” The woman replies, “It’s no use regretting what’s already done and over. Think of what you can do now instead.” Aoto finally thinks to wonder who the woman is, and she introduces herself as Yurishica, a ‘friend’ of Finnel’s.

Aoto asks where Finnel and the others are, and Yurishica replies it’s only her and Aoto inside this cell. She says, “Before we worry about them, shouldn’t we get out of here first?” Aoto asks her how she plans to do that, and Yurishica says that’s a silly question. “That’s the reason I was called here, after all.”

From those words, Aoto realizes she is one of Finnel’s personalities. Yurishica remarks, “You’re pretty smart, when you bother to think.” She explains that she is the personality that emerges when Finnel is in an especially sticky situation. Aoto comments, “So that isn’t Soma, huh…” and Yurishica assures him she is a more amiable sort. “Anyway, that just about does it,” she says, getting up from near the bars and walking to stand beside him.

“Does what?” asks Aoto. Yurishica explains she’s arranged their means of escape. “Honestly, I’m surprised I had enough materials on hand,” she says. “There’s petrified gas in that pipe. Somehow, I was able to do it with that.” Aoto is still confused; “Do what,” he asks. Yurishica giggles, and tells him to watch, as she triggers the detonation.

They walk over to the blasted-open cell bars, where Aoto admires Yurishica’s handiwork. “In dangerous places, you’ve got to know how to do that to stay alive,” she replies. “I’ll teach you the recipe.” Aoto steps outside the cell and wonders which way the exit is, but then hears Tatsumi’s voice. He is in the neighboring cell, and Yurishica prepares a bomb to free him as well.

Tatsumi says, “It was a bit flashy, but thanks for your help. …Who is this, anyway?” Aoto hurriedly makes the excuse that she’s a construction worker who saved him as well, while Yurishica gives her name. Tatsumi asks where the others are, and Aoto says they still need to search for them.

PV ends here, so will I… Made decent time considering how much I procrastinated, though that dream of covering an entire PV is still a dream. It is a school day, though. Let’s see if I can do better on the weekend.

Tags: ar tonelico, ar tonelico 3, gust, jrpg