Pempti

Pempti (Japanese: ペンプティ, penputi) is the fifth strain of GUILT encountered in Trauma Center: Under the Knife and Trauma Center: Second Opinion, and the third and final mutated GUILT strain in Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2. Pempti consists of a single main core encased in gelatinous fluid capable of spawning smaller “mini-cores.” When first encountered, there is no available treatment, requiring research to be done on the first known infected patient, Richard Anderson. This research culminates in the development of the scalar laser, an infinite-use laser used only for Pempti.

Table of Contents

1. General
2. In Under the Knife
   1. Tips
   2. Operations in Under the Knife
3. In Second Opinion
   1. Tips
   2. Operations in Second Opinion
4. In Under the Knife 2
   1. Tips
   2. Operations in Under the Knife 2
5. Trivia
6. Gallery
7. References

General

The main core of Pempti is initially hidden underneath the gelatinous fluid, needing to be brought to the surface using the syringe to inject nanomachines into the highest concentration of Pempti cells. Once the main core has surfaced, it can be damaged with the scalar laser. Pempti will spawn waves of mini-cores which do different attacks depending on their type. Laceration cores create lacerations across the organ which require sutures. Tumor cores creature small tumors that have to be lasered and gelled. Rotation cores rotate around the main Pempti core, dealing passive vital damage as long as they’re on screen. All types of mini-cores are also able to be destroyed with the scalar laser.

Pempti is often found in the lungs, causing decreased lung function.^[1] It can also appear over the liver in Under the Knife. Pempti attacks the nervous system,^[2] causing severe pain. Prolonged infection can cause significant weight loss.^[3]

In Under the Knife

Pempti appears as a large, gelatinous mass inside the affected organ which gradually retracts as it’s attacked by nanomachine injections. Once the core is fully exposed, it can be damaged with the scalar laser. When Pempti is damaged enough, it will briefly become invulnerable before resurfacing. Any of the mini-cores spawned by the main core can also be defeated with the scalar laser. In Under the Knife, all mini-cores look identical. During the research phases, Pempti is in an inactive state, appearing as a hazy object moving under the gelatinous fluid. This “inactive” Pempti does not directly attack, instead only attacking when certain research phases are done.

The main core of Pempti does not attack directly, instead spawning three different types of cores in waves. Laceration cores spawn one at a time, up to either five or ten in a single wave. They will move to one of five set points and create a laceration, disappearing afterward. Tumor cores spawn in waves of five at once. They will move to set locations, wait, and then move up, creating small tumors on their way down. Leaving less than five alive for too long will make the defeated ones regenerate. Rotating cores spawn gradually, up a total of five per wave. They will circle around the main Pempti core, dealing damage passively while visible on screen. In Under the Knife, while the rotation cores are fading out after being defeated, they can still deal damage since they’re still technically visible on screen.

Each laceration created by a laceration core deals 5 damage. Lasering small tumors deals 1. When Pempti retracts from nanomachine injections, it deals 5 damage. These values are consistent across all operations.

Tips

• When injecting nanomachines into Pempti, try to aim ahead of where it’s moving.
• Holding the laser over the middle of the main core will damage every core as they come out, making them easier to deal with and defeating rotation cores with ease.
• Injecting stabilizer into the Pempti mass will cause a miss.
• Lasering tumor cores while they’re moving up or down during an attack, while not possible to defeat them in this state, will reduce their health to the minimum.

Operations in Under the Knife

Episode	Host	Organ	Total Hits Until Defeat
4-6: Taking a First Step	Richard Anderson	Right lung	N/A
4-8: The Next Step	Richard Anderson	Right lung	N/A
4-10: Doctor's Struggle	Richard Anderson	Right lung	7 total hits
6-6: Fifth Sin	5th Sinner	Liver	8 total hits
X5: Pempti	Unnamed	Liver	8 total hits

In Second Opinion

Similarly to Under the Knife, Pempti appears as a large, gelatinous mass inside the lungs which gradually retracts as it’s attacked by nanomachine injections. Once the core is fully exposed, it can be damaged with the scalar laser. When Pempti is damaged enough, it will briefly become invulnerable before resurfacing. Any of the mini-cores spawned by the main core can also be defeated with the scalar laser. Unlike in Under the Knife, each type of mini-core has a distinct shape and color. During the research phases, Pempti is in an inactive state, appearing as a hazy ring moving under the gelatinous fluid. This “inactive” Pempti does not directly attack, instead only attacking when certain research phases are done.

The main core of Pempti does not attack directly, instead spawning three different types of cores in waves. Laceration cores spawn one at a time, up to a total of five per wave. They will move to one of five set points and create a laceration, disappearing afterward. Tumor cores spawn in waves of five at once. They will move to set locations, wait, and then move up, creating small tumors on their way down. Leaving less than five alive for too long will make the defeated ones regenerate. Rotating cores spawn gradually, up a total of five per wave. They will circle around the main Pempti core, dealing damage passively while visible on screen. Unlike in Under the Knife, the rotation cores are defeated instantly, meaning they no longer deal damage while in their defeated fade out animation.

With Second Opinion introducing difficulty settings, each of Pempti’s mini-cores will deal different amount of damage depending on the difficulty. Each laceration created by a laceration core deals 5/6/6 damage. The small tumors made by tumor cores deal 1/1/1 damage when lasered and increase in amount as the difficulty gets higher. Rotation cores deal more passive damage the higher the difficulty. On “Extreme” difficulty, available only in the X operations, laceration cores deal 15 damage. Tumors made by tumor cores still deal 1 damage when lasered, but significantly more are created by tumor cores on this difficulty. Rotation cores do slightly more damage on this difficulty compared to hard.

Tips

• Holding the laser over the middle of the main core will damage every core as they come out, making them easier to deal with and defeating rotation cores before they can do any damage.
• Injecting stabilizer into the Pempti mass during the nanomachine injection phase will cause a miss.
• Lasering tumor cores while they’re moving up or down during an attack, while not possible to defeat them in this state, will reduce their health to the minimum.
• It’s possible to hit two tumor cores at once with precise positioning of the laser.
• It’s also possible to hit both the main core and a laceration core in three of the five positions laceration cores go to with similarly precise positioning.
• For laceration cores, the final mini-core will always go to the furthest right position.
• While Pempti’s attacks are technically random, there are recognizable patterns. For example, tumor core waves often follow laceration core waves.
• There is also usually a “break” after a wave of rotation cores, allowing for a brief safe period to boost vitals or treat wounds.

Operations in Second Opinion

Episode	Host	Organ	Total Hits Until Defeat
4-6: The First Step	Richard Anderson	Right lung	N/A
4-8: The Next Step	Richard Anderson	Right lung	N/A
4-10: Prolonged Struggle	Richard Anderson	Right lung	7 total hits
6-6: The Future of GUILT	P. Heigl	Right Lung	8 total hits
X5: Pempti	Unnamed	Right Lung	9 total hits

In Under the Knife 2

Pempti in Under the Knife 2 is more mechanically similar to its Under the Knife counterpart but resembles its Second Opinion version in appearance, being a large, gelatinous mass inside the lungs which gradually retracts as it’s attacked by nanomachine injections. However, instead of one main core, there are now two which split in half, moving to the top right and bottom left of the lung. Once the cores are fully exposed, they can be damaged with the scalar laser. When one of the main cores is damaged enough, they will both become briefly invulnerable before resurfacing. Any of the mini-cores spawned by the main cores can also be defeated with the scalar laser. As the scalar laser has already been developed at this point, there are no research phases.

The main cores of Pempti do not attack directly, instead spawning three different types of cores in waves. Laceration cores spawn one at a time, three on each side for a total of six per wave. They will move to one of three set points on their side and create a laceration, disappearing afterward. Tumor cores spawn all at once, three on each side for a total of six per wave. They will move to set locations, wait, and then move up, creating small tumors on their way down. Leaving less than five alive for too long will make the defeated ones regenerate. Rotating cores spawn gradually, three on each side for a total of six per wave. They will circle around the main Pempti core, dealing damage passively while visible on screen.

Each of Pempti’s mini-cores will deal different amount of damage depending on the difficulty. Each laceration created by a laceration core deals 5/6/6 damage. The small tumors made by tumor cores deal 4/4/4 damage when lasered. Rotation cores deal more passive damage the higher the difficulty. When Pempti retracts from nanomachine injections, it deals 4/5/5 damage each time. On “Extreme” difficulty, available only in the X operations, laceration cores deal 7 damage and tumors made by tumor cores still deal 4 damage when lasered. Rotation cores do slightly more damage on this difficulty compared to hard.

Tips

• Alternate damage between the main cores. This will make the beserk phase easier to get through.
• Injecting stabilizer into the Pempti mass will cause a miss.

Operations in Under the Knife 2

Episode	Host	Organ	Total Hits Until Defeat
5-6: The Carrier	Reina Mayazumi	Right lung	5 hits (upper), 5 hits (lower)
6-7: Tragedy	Christine	Right lung	6 hits (upper), 6 hits (lower)
X-3: Pempti	Unnamed	Right lung	4 hits (upper), 6 hits (lower)

Trivia

• Pempti means “Thursday” in Greek, a trait similar to all other GUILT strains.
• A fairly rare glitch exists in Second Opinion where Pempti’s death animation is skipped entirely.
• Another glitch exists in Second Opinion where defeating a laceration core on the same frame it would be defeated causes it to both create laceration and be defeated at the same time.
• In Second Opinion and Under the Knife 2, the mini-cores spawned by Pempti resemble Greek letters. Laceration cores resemble gamma (γ), tumor cores resemble beta (β), and rotating cores resemble alpha (α).
• In Under the Knife 2, the damage dealt by rotation cores on easy is low enough that leaving a single rotation core alive while damaging the main Pempti core is a viable strategy. Leaving a single rotation core alive makes Pempti incapable of spawning other cores.

Gallery

References

1. ↑ Chart: Lung functions have decreased due to GUILT invasion. Trauma Center: Second Opinion. Atlus. Episode: 4-8 - The Next Step (in English). 2006.
   
2. ↑ Robert Hoffman: Apparently, the Pempti strain focuses its attack on the nervous system first. Trauma Center: Second Opinion. Atlus. Episode: 4-10 - Prolonged Struggle (in English). 2006.
   
3. ↑ Chart: Weight: 213.3lbs […] Chart: Weight: 197.4lbs […] Chart: Weight: 189.1lbs Trauma Center: Second Opinion. Atlus. Episode: 4-6 - The First Step, Episode: 4-8: The Next Step, Episode: 4-10: Prolonged Struggle (in English). 2006.

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