Sparing only a short couple of moments to feel revulsion at that event, the group comes to a halt outside Dunban’s house. Shulk sends Fiora in to check on the older man, whose crippling injury several years ago by overuse of the Monad leaves him in a lot of danger should the Mechon find him.
Sadly, the two cannot wait in peace, and are instead attacked by a Mechon. It is only now that the game sees fit to explain something important. Characters who do not have access to the Monado can only damage Mechon when they are Toppled or Dazed. This rather clearly indicates what the group’s next goal should be- but for now Shulk and Reyn need to take care of a Mechon.
If you’ve been completing quests and such, you’ll find the battle almost laughably easy; Mechon are very tough, but their attacks aren’t all that strong when your level exceeds theirs as it should at this point. Just remember to inflict as much Break on them as possible (or, if you’re piloting Reyn, keep your eyes sharp for a Break you can turn into Topple.).
Be careful, though- you soon find out that you can’t afford to dally- Mechon disabled with weapons other than the Monado will get back up after a short time as they turn back on.
Fiora returns quickly and safely, but with worrying news: Dunban is gone.
Reyn is clearly shocked by this news, and points out that Dunban is in no condition to fight at all. The group pauses a moment to brainstorm, and then Reyn and Shulk come up with an idea- to go get the Monado from the lab. After all, it’ll be needed to protect Colony 9, and Dunban may well have gone after it. That decided, it’s time to rush to the lab.
If your level is low, this is going to be a staggeringly slow and hard process as you catch the attention of every Mechon that sees you and are forced to knock it down and stab it. If your level is high, this will mostly involve just running like mad. Either way, you’ve got to get to the Military District as quickly as you can manage. Since you cannot beat the Mechon permanently without the Monado, it’s generally a good idea to run past the nasty machines whenever possible instead of fighting. The balcony in the Commercial District may prove useful for this, or you may choose to simply make a mad dash for it and let the Mechon fail to catch up as they will.
