SCENE 7 - CRACKING THE CULT

Location: Happy Happy Village

Maps: Map 1, Map 2

The citizens here are all acting very strange and the whole town is painted blue. What's going on with all this? To find answers, you should seek out Paula and the cult's leader.
You can pay (or, if you wish, not pay) whatever you want for Fresh Eggs at the self-service stand. There is an Unassuming Local Guy monitoring the stand, but that's the only security. This is the perfect chance to use the Fresh Egg trick to rake in some dough.
A quick way to level up at this point in the game is to fight an Insane Cultist, wait until he calls for friends in battle, and then defeat him. Then wait for the others to call friends, then defeat them. Repeat until you're bored. This will net you tons of experience in a short amount of time! Be sure to try this on other enemies that call for help, too!
If you go into the small cave in the north of the village, you will come upon the cabin that you passed on your way here. This cabin is where Paula, who has been sending you psychic messages, is being held prisoner. When you talk to her, she will explain that she knew you would come and save her, and more importantly, she will give you the Franklin Badge, which you will need to fight Carpainter.
If you go into the cave in the east of the village, near the drugstore, you will find a much larger cave. This leads to the second "Your Sanctuary" location. It is recommended that you wait until you rescue Paula to plunge deeper into this cave, but if you want, you can go in with only Ness. If you intend to do so, skip ahead a little in this walkthrough.
Step inside Happy-Happyism Headquarters and you'll be greeted by a massive number of Insane Cultists. Don't panic! They won't come after you. They're entranced, swaying slowly back and forth. You'll soon notice that they're blocking your path. Talk to the ones moving slightly faster and they'll move (sometimes after a fight) for you. Consult this map for details.
Once you get past all the cultists, you'll find their leader, Mr. Carpainter, upstairs with a strange statue that you might recognize. Carpainter is actually a weak boss. Just bash him and keep your HP over 40, or for a quick fight use PSI Rockin' a few times. The Franklin Badge will reflect his lightning attacks back at him and damage him instead! You can also use Paralysis on him for an easy battle.
The Franklin Badge is an extremely useful item -- make sure you hold onto it throughout the game. It will reflect any electrical attacks aimed at the person who's carrying it, protecting them and damaging the attacker.
After you defeat Carpainter, he'll explain that he's been acting strangely ever since he got the golden statue, which he calls the Mani-Mani statue. He'll apologize and give you the Key to the Cabin. Now high-tail it back to Paula and set her free! She'll join your party and bring her Teddy Bear with her. Paula is at Level 1 and extremely weak. Go straight to the drugstore and get her a Fry Pan, Copper Bracelet, and Ribbon.

Coil Snake	A very weak enemy, found mostly in Onett, but can be seen in other places around the world.
	HP: PP: Offense: Defense: Speed: Guts: 18 0 3 4 2 0	Exp.: Money: Item: 1 $4 Cookie (4/128 chance) More Detailed Info Here
Insane Cultist	Simple-minded enough to fall under Mr. Carpainter's influence, yet strong enough to cause some damage with their paint attacks.
	HP: PP: Offense: Defense: Speed: Guts: 94 0 19 25 8 20	Exp.: Money: Item: 353 $33 PSI Caramel (1/128 chance) More Detailed Info Here
Spiteful Crow	Seal your pack and pockets, as this foe will steal items quite often.
	HP: PP: Offense: Defense: Speed: Guts: 24 0 5 3 77 0	Exp.: Money: Item: 3 $5 Cookie (128/128 chance) More Detailed Info Here
Unassuming Local Guy	Assuming my info's correct, he's just a regular joe. Or John. I never bothered to ask his name.
	HP: PP: Offense: Defense: Speed: Guts: 73 0 18 13 5 1	Exp.: Money: Item: 146 $19 Toothbrush (16/128 chance) More Detailed Info Here

Mr. Carpainter	Insane Cult Leader. Has a slight obsession with the color blue.
	HP: PP: Offense: Defense: Speed: Guts: 262 70 33 45 8 13	Exp.: Money: Item: 1412 $195 Nothing More Detailed Info Here