Shodai Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun/Nanba

At last you are back outside. Urabe and some cronies are discussing your demise. Urabe tells you you'll never find Miho now. When you defeat them you earn 1164 EXP. After this a Union leader called Wada comes up and asks if you'll help him. This is a major plot decision: if you agree, he'll give you a Master Key and a Zone 2 Computer Pass; these allow you to access more of the city. Agreeing to help him does not force you into working for the Union, but it does open up that plot arc&mdash;if you want to be evil, this is your only opportunity. If you choose not to help him he'll give you one more chance, then he'll attack along with four cronies. It's very difficult, but he is able to be beaten. When you defeat him you still get the Master Key and Zone 2 Computer Pass, but you also get 1799 EXP. Regardless, you now need to get back to Ebisubashi.

The enemies in this town are a lot tougher than any you have faced before. Along the way you'll come across an arcade. Here you can play the slots for EXP, or use the crane game to gain items. Each time you use a machine you use up a Prepaid Cash Card. At the very end of the street you'll come to the Nanba Nan-Nan Town. If you want to save your game there are phones over to the right, but otherwise head to the left. Take the left-hand stairwell. Take the train all the way back to Umeda and heal up, because you'll need all your Ki and HP for what's coming. When you're ready, take the train to Ebisubashi.

From the Ebisubashi platform head to the right and cross the tracks, and go through the first door you see. Ignore the first door on your right and go through the one after it. You'll meet Mamoru. If you beat Wada he'll tell you what's what; if you agreed to help Wada he'll attack you (he yields 170 EXP). Head back out and to the right and through the next door you see. Head to the left. If you fought Wada you'll have to fight yet another group of gang members intent on stopping you. These have a lot of health, but you get 1235 EXP for defeating them. If you agreed to help Wada they won't be there. Head into the far left door to find the captured Alliance members.

Now comes the crunch: if you agreed to help Wada, Saori will ask if you came to save them and you'll be given a yes/no prompt. If you fought him instead you'll automatically give the "yes" response. They are immensely strong, but they don't have much health. If you wish to try the "evil" story arc it's totally possible to beat them. The story plays out much the same regardless of which path you choose, but you get slightly better equipment from the "good" path.

If you choose "yes" your friends leave and tell you to meet them on the bridge. If you choose "no", your ex-friends will attack you. Any one of them can probably remove all your health with a single blow, but they don't have much health. If you use lots of Strike powers you will eventually succeed. Once you've iced your pals, head back to the corridor. You'll be attacked by the same group of thugs that you would have been attacked by earlier if you had beaten Wada. While their attack strength is fairly average, they have a lot of health. You get the same 1235 EXP when they're all defeated.

Either way, head back outside when it's all over. Regardless of which exit you chose you'll now be attacked by Shirai and two buddies. Compared to what you've just been through, this is a very easy battle. When they go down you get 338 EXP.

If you chose to fight your friends, head all the way to Nanba Ebisubashi Street. Head to the far right. Wada will come out of the building. He says he's impressed that you've pulled it off, and implies that it proves you are serious about working for them. He gives you a letter to take to Masaki in Ebisuchou, and his friend Yasuyuki gives you the Zone 3 Computer Pass. Despite what your new-found Union affiliation might indicate you'll still have to fight random groups of strangers everywhere you go. After this you'll see Yoshihiro who asks you what you think you are doing. He says he's worried about the others and will return to the hotel.

If you chose to rescue them, head to the Shinsaibashi bridge (unlike other bridge meetings, this one doesn't have to happen in the afternoon). They'll thank you. When you tell them that Miho has been captured they say her brother might know where she is. They give you a letter to tak to him. Izawa gives you the Zone 3 Computer Pass, which is needed to reach Ebisuchou. Saori gives you her Byakko Ring, which will greatly increase your attack strength. Oumi gives you Karajishi's Lining, which will protect you better. After this you'll see Yoshihiro who says he was captured by the Union. He says he's worried about the others and will return to the hotel.

Regardless of which moral path you chose, you now need to get to the Nanba Outskirts Station in order to get to Ebisuchou. Go to the Central Namba Station, then go up the stairs to Namba Nan-Nan Town. Head to the far right to enter the Namba Outskirts Station. Head to the far right to exit the station and you'll be at Ebischou Tsuutenkatu Ave. Head to the right until you see a "game" building. Go in there and the Union members will tell you Masaki isn't here after all, he's in Koushien. This has been a wasted trip, but it is a necessary step to be able to access Koushien.

Now head back to the hotel (use a Taxi Card if you have one, as it saves a lot of time riding trains and bashing enemies). Go into your room to heal up, then go into Kouji's room. Masa tells you that Yokoyama is going to cheer for the Hansin Tigers at Koushien. Since you need to get there too you'd better find Yokoyama. Save if you want to, then head outside and go up the passage just beside the vending machine to reach Umeda Umechika East. Head to the left and a woman will come up to tell you about the game and that you can get official merchandise from the Tigers Shop. If you thoroughly explored Umeda before you will have seen this shop already; it's to the far left of this area. When you get there Yokoyama will loan you his Train Pass. Once you leave the shop will once more be deserted. Return to where the woman told you about the shop and you can now head up through the barriers into the Osaka Rail station. Head down the right-hand stairwell and get on the train (unlike other rail routes you can't walk). Go down the stairs to the station, then exit to the right to enter Koushien.