Author Notes: This is a story that takes place at a very odd point in terms of timelines. As at this point Persona 4 is getting close to it's ending it's early December while in the Smash Realm it's mid-July.
Also, assume this is a max Social Link type run as all of the team other than the Protagonist will have their Ultimate Persona. By the way, I will be calling the Protagonist "Yu Narukami" as per the fact I got used to that name first instead of "Souji Seta", sorry to all of you that prefer the other name D:
Also, Persona 4 spoiler warning for December 5th and beyond.
Magician's Misery
December 9th, 2011
"Izanagi!"
With a resounding crack of thunder the Shadows in the way of the Investigation Team were eliminated. Yu was congratulated by his teammates as he urged them forward. They had just entered Magatsu Mandala and it was imperative they climb as many floors as they could, as fast as they could. It was their highest priority as Adachi has to be stopped.
"Remember to try and keep your energy up guys!" Rise warns as she continues to give support from the entrance of the dungeon, away from the immediate danger.
"Thanks Rise-chan! We'll try our best. Right partner?" Yosuke comments with a cheeky smile as he looks at Yu.
His friend merely nodded as he switched his Persona once more in preparation. He motions the team forward. Yosuke and himself in the front, Chie, Teddie and Yukiko in the middle, and Naoto and Kanji providing support from the back.
It took a lot of time and convincing to reach this place to go after Adachi. Now there's no turning back. The group slowly ascends through the dungeon, having to take a detour through Magatsu Mandala just to continue through Magatsu Inaba. The floors were just filled to the brim with Shadows, so it was doubtful the group would reach the end of this place in only one day.
Soon Yu rounded a corner on the second floor of the dungeon and spotted a treasure box. He quietly told Yosuke and the others to keep an eye out for Shadows while he checked it out. Rise gave him fair warning something may be on the box itself other than treasure. Keeping the warning in mind Yu slowly lifted the latch of the box, gripping the handle of his katana even tighter than before.
Everyone turned around in shock when Yu suddenly screamed. Yosuke was the first to get there and nearly ended up fainting seeing what came out of the box. It was a large Shadow. In its hands, two long-barreled revolvers, and chains surrounding its body.
"W-w-what the hell is that thing!?" Kanji stuttered as he stood in front of Naoto protectively.
Rise interjected once she got a good look at the monster. "You guys shouldn't fight that one! It's too strong! Get back here!"
Everyone nodded their head in agreement. Being the coward that he is, Teddie is already leading the charge back down to the first floor. Kanji merely picked up Naoto in his arm and bolted, and Yukiko and Chie were right behind him. Yosuke was the last to go as he helped Yu get back on his feet before they started following the others.
The escape was almost impossible given the Reaper was able to keep up with everyone. As they were in the back Yu and Yosuke were trying to keep the monster back as best they could. It was difficult though as their attacks were near ineffective as they continued running. Yosuke would end up getting knocked down by a well timed Maziodyne with the Reaper hot on his heals. He started screaming in terror as he tried to back away before Yu grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him out of the way as the monster lowered one of its revolvers to take out the teen while he was down.
Not taking the time to rest anymore as they rounded corners, eventually the Investigation Team reached the first floor of Magatsu Inaba and out of the way of the Reaper. The group ended up nearly tumbling out of the dungeon's entrance right in front of Rise. She immediately showed concern seeing just how out of breath everyone was, save for Naoto as she didn't do any running at all.
Yukiko is the first to speak as everyone catches their breath. "Should we go ahead and go back to Junes? We all look pretty exhausted."
"I agree with Yukiko, we should head back, I'm beat." Chie agrees. "We made some decent progress and it's not like we'll have to start over when we get back."
Yu nods silently as he and Yosuke look at each other to check for serious injuries. The rest of the team also agrees that they should head back for the day. The walk back is very short thankfully as the Desolate Bedroom was very close to the entrance of the Midnight Channel.
The walk back was a fairly quiet one, the only noise being the sound of everyone's shoes on the ground. Soon enough the exit was in sight and the group picked up the pace. Rise was the first to notice something seemed off about the TVs. There was some distorted pictures showing up on the screens.
"Senpai?" Rise starts, looking at Yu. "Do you think we shouldn't go through those TVs?"
The leader takes a good look at the exit. "They do look a little off, but it should be ok. They are our only exit regardless."
Teddie seemed just as concerned as Rise. Even if they had tried to convince everyone to stay, even for a little while, there would have been protesting. Starting with Yu, everyone started crawling into the exit one by one. Yosuke and Teddie were the last ones to go through after making sure everyone else managed to squeeze in.
July 16th, 2015The transfer back through the TV seemed like it was taking longer than usual. In addition, the portal looked like it was twisting and turning as the group passed through. Maybe the TV in Junes got moved and the exit was trying to accommodate. That was the excuse Teddie tried to use when Yosuke asked while they were still going through the exit. It wouldn't matter though as the end of the tunnel was coming up fast. With the end of the tunnel, the other side. Yosuke braced himself for the impact as the exit was never smooth. It ended up helping to as when he and Teddie reached the exit window…
Crash.
The teen and bear ended up tumbling out of a TV on the other side of the Midnight Channel and into a nearby couch. Teddie nearly ended up having his human form pop out of the costume upon impact and Yosuke was just lucky he didn't break anything.
"I think I landed on my wallet again…" Yosuke mumbled as he realized he was upside down seeing his feet above him. "You ok Ted?"
Teddie whined as he flailed on the floor on his back. "I think I'm ok. My beary behind doesn't have anything to hurt! Except maybe my pride."
"You'll live."
With the initial shock of being ejected like that gone Yosuke turned over so he could stand up. He asked Yu if he was ok but stopped when he realized he didn't get an answer. The teen started looking around, calling out for Yu, Chie, anyone that had been with him before. Panic quickly set in when he realized his friends were nowhere to be found and he drug out his phone. He typed in Yu's number as fast as he could and only worried more when the call wouldn't go through. Trying Chie's next, he got the same result, and the same for Kanji.
Teddie stood up finally to try and calm down Yosuke when he saw him panicking over not being able to reach his friends. When that failed he looked over at the TV they just came out of and yelped. The screen was almost completely shattered. The only part still intact was the upper right corner. He ended up screaming in surprise, the outburst also getting Yosuke's attention.
"Shit!" Yosuke cursed seeing the state of the TV. "If that TV is the only one here that connects to that specific area of the Midnight Channel we're so screwed!"
"Speaking of 'here'." Teddie adds looking around the area and smelling the surroundings. "Where is 'here'?"
The brunette joined his friend in looking around. Wherever they ended up landing, it certainly wasn't Junes. It looked like they were in some sort of building. A house? Perhaps a hotel considering they landed in what looks to be a lounge or game room. Based on the decor, the duo weren't in Inaba at all, much less Japan. Yosuke surveyed the immediate surrounds before spotting both the door out and a nearby closet door.
"Teddie take off the suit." He commanded as he walked to the closet and opened the door. It looked like there would be enough space for it in there. "Wherever we are, having a talking bear would not be a good idea."
Teddie nodded as he popped the head off the costume. Inside was a stunningly handsome, blond haired, blue eyed boy that was just barely over five feet tall. He shook his head to get his bangs to fall back into place before jumping out of the main body of his suit. The boy hugged his head before assisting Yosuke in putting the suit away in the closet. It's better to have people questioning a white kid hanging out with a Japanese teenager compared to a talking bear.
Stepping out of the room into the hallway Yosuke made sure the coast was clear. The last thing they needed was for someone to see them stepping out of the room with the broken TV. Motioning for Teddie to follow him he started down the hall with his phone out, hoping to grab a signal. Wifi would be good too, then he could send an email, but he wasn't getting a prompt for a network.
"What kind of hotel, or whatever this place is, does not have a wifi signal?" The teen asked himself as he fiddled with the settings.
Teddie merely shrugged as he started sniffing the air out of habit. He could pick up the scent of something coming their way, but it wasn't at all familiar. It also wasn't human in the slightest. The blond closed his eyes as he kept walking and only opened them when he heard Yosuke grunt next to him and the sound of a phone hitting the floor resounded next to him.
Sprawled out on the floor before both members of the Investigation Team was another blond. His hair was slightly wavy but disheveled, he was wearing a short sleeved, grey turtleneck, and a pair of shorts with intricate designs, and on his back was an impressive looking red sword. He looked up to see who he ran into and it revealed he had sky blue eyes with a pair of black-framed glasses resting on his nose. There looked to be minor scars around his eyes as well. He stood up quickly to apologize for running into Yosuke as he offered his hand.
"I'm terribly sorry." He says with a thick accent, English if Yosuke knew what it was. "I should learn not to read while walking."
Yosuke tried to laugh it off. "It's okay, I was more concerned with my phone. Are you ok? "
"Me? Oh, yes I am. I don't believe we've met before. My name is Shulk, may I ask yours?"
"Hanamura Yosuke." The brunette replied as he shook Shulk's hand. "And this is Teddie, he's a friend of mine."
Teddie lifted one of his hands in the air. "It's so beary nice to meet you!"
Shulk smiled gently and adjusted his glasses. He asked the two what they were doing at 'Smash Mansion' out of curiosity. Yosuke stutters a bit as he tries to come up with an answer. He half-asses one saying he and Teddie were on business, just to avoid talking about the Midnight Channel. Not just because he didn't think Shulk would believe him about him and Teddie literally flying out of a TV, but also so he didn't have to explain that by flying out of said TV it broke.
Tilting his head and placing a hand to his chin Shulk mulls over what he has been told. He figures that if Yosuke and Teddie are here on 'business', perhaps they want to have a talk with Master Hand about becoming fighters or new Assists. The blond suddenly grips the handle of his sword and soon he is engulfed in a blue light, especially prominent at his ankles. Grabbing the duo by their wrists he starts running down the hallway in the opposite direction Teddie and Yosuke were originally going.
Seeing as how the path from the Midnight Channel back to the real world was twisting and turning like mad Yu's first instinct was to protectively grab the closest person he could reach. That person for him was Yukiko and he pulled her close to his chest as the exit was approaching fast. He braced for impact and swore under his breath when he heard glass shatter and some of it dug into his skin.
Yu and Yukiko tumbled out of the TV as the broken glass of the screen rained upon them. Most of it bounced harmlessly away, but only what didn't only make contact with Yu. He slowly released his friend and stood up to see what happened. Carefully sitting up Yukiko asked what happened but was met with silence. She turned her head to see the TV that just ejected the two of them was broken, the screen beyond repair and sparking.
"We… should probably leave it be." Yu said quietly as he offered his hand to Yukiko.
She nodded as she looked around. "It looks like we're in Junes, but I can see that it's not at the same time. Where are we?"
"Probably a mall if I had to guess. We should get going before someone walks by."
Looking around quickly the taller of the two managed to spot an exit not too far away from where they were. He urged Yukiko to act calmly as so they don't arouse too much suspicion. She nodded in acknowledgement and they headed for the exit. Seeing what was just beyond there only confirmed Yu's thoughts about them landing in a mall.
"I just realized I didn't see Chie or anyone else when we landed." Yukiko mentioned as she looked around the immediate area. "Do you think they landed somewhere else?"
"Possibly. Can't rule it out."
Yu figured he should try and text Yosuke first. Digging into his back pocket he fished his phone out and flipped it open. A light curse was uttered seeing the upper left corner got cracked from landing on it. Ignoring it otherwise he opened up his texts and started writing one to his partner. Yukiko was doing the same for Chie in the meanwhile to make sure she was ok.
"No signal?" Yu mumbled when his phone gave him an error when he hit 'send'.
Yukiko looked at her friend after getting the same message. "That's odd, do you think we're in just a different part of the Midnight Channel? I know our phones don't work there."
Realizing he never took off his glasses, the taller teen decided to do so to test if there was fog. Not only was there no fog anywhere, but the world seemed much livelier than Inaba. Clearly the two of them landed in a bustling city. No one seemed to pay the two any mind and merely continued on with their day like most people in the city. Carefully Yu closed his phone and placed it back in his pocket.
"I think we need to find someplace with a phone, or internet." Yu says calmly as he starts walking towards the center court of the mall, Yukiko following behind in agreement.
A loud crash could be heard from the inside of an electronics store. The alarm started sounding as two teenagers were found just outside the front window. Broken glass was scattered around them and the TV that was once behind a window was broken beyond repair. People were gathered around looking at the teens sprawled out on the ground.
Kanji was the first to start getting up and look at the crowd. "Why the hell are these people staring at us?"
"Oh… ergh…" Chie muttered as she stood up and looked around as well. She turned around and looked at the TV she and Kanji flew out of. "Uh… Kanji-kun… I think we should run away."
A few of the people around them were on their phone. No doubt the police were being called. Quickly Chie and Kanji started running off. The older of the two was able to figure out quickly that the area they're in is definitely not Inaba, or even Okina City. Although, they couldn't really stop to admire the cityscape as the sound of sirens started blaring behind them.
"Shit! We're going to have to hide somewhere!" Chie shouts as she rounds a street corner.
Kanji growled as he attempts to keep up. "We're in broad daylight! Where the hell are we supposed to go!?"
"I don't know! Just keep running!"
It seemed like an eternity before the police stopped chasing after Chie and Kanji. Based on all the commotion it was a surprise the military wasn't called for the suspected 'attempted robbery'. The police sent out patrol cars, motorcycles, dogs, and at there was one point an officer was calling for a helicopter. It was pure insanity in this city.
Thankfully the cops ceased their chase after they lost the duo in a huge crowd. Chie and Kanji eventually walked towards a nearby gas station to get something to drink and rest for a bit. No one in the store seemed to have recognized them, or if they did they weren't bothered to call the police. They each grab a bottle to drink, only by recognizing brands, and Kanji grabs himself a box of animal crackers for the road. Quickly they check out and head to one of the benches right outside to take a rest.
Chie takes a swig of her soda before realizing she hadn't seen anyone while they were running. "I should probably call Yukiko and see if she's ok." She drug out her phone and frowned. "Darn, it died. Kanji-kun, may I borrow yours?"
"Eh?" Kanji asked as he bit the head off a penguin cracker. "Oh, yeah. Go ahead."
"Thank you." The girl thanked as she flipped the device open and typed a message to her best friend, but received an error when she attempted to send it. "Huh? There's no signal out here. Maybe they don't have your provider in this city."
"Figures." The boy replied with a mouth full of crackers as he took a swing of his juice to wash it down. "We don't even know where the hell we are."
"Regardless, it looks like it's getting late. We should probably find a hotel or something. We can share a room."
Rise had fallen into a panic when she realized the path through the TV was leading her and Naoto away from their original destination. They didn't have time to make sure everyone else was ok though as the exit was coming up quick. Both girl braced for impact and were met with a resounding crash as they went flying out of the TV. Thankfully their fall was cushioned by a bed right in front of the now broken television.
Naoto sat up and adjusted her hat before looking at the damage. "Well. I doubt we'll be able to get back through there."
"What about senpai and the others!?" Rise shouted as she hopped off the bed to look at the broken piece of electronic. "Where are we anyway!?"
The detective looked around a bit before walking to a close by window. "Judging by the view, and layout of the room. I deduce that we landed in some beachside hotel. Wherever we are, it's not Inaba or the surrounding area."
Rise sighed as she pulled out her phone to try and text Yu and the others. She pouted though when her phone only gave her an error saying there was no signal. Naoto's phone had been on the verge of dying earlier so her's was off to save the battery, making it useless. Figuring it would be best to get out of the room before housekeeping found them, Naoto started leading Rise out into the main hallway of the hotel.
"We'll have to take a back entrance as to keep the lobby staff from questioning our presence." Naoto whispered as she grabbed the brim of her hat.
The pop idol agreed with her friend and they both turned to go down the stairwell near the end of the hall. That should lead to a rear entrance. Once they get outside the building, Naoto mentioned that it would be best if they just checked in for the evening as it was getting late. Rise nodded in agreement and openly hoped that the hotel would accept yen. Thankfully, no one saw the two leave the building just to walk around to the front to the lobby.
Yosuke gulped as he and Teddie were led to a pair of elegantly designed doors by Shulk. He didn't even have a chance to register the surroundings around him as the teen had been moving so fast. Then again, he nearly fell flat on his face when they finally came to a stop due to the sudden loss of momentum.
"Here we are." Shulk mentioned with a cheerful smile. "Master Hand is just on the other side of these doors. I'll be out here for when you finish talking with him."
"Master… Hand? Like the Smash Bros. boss?" Yosuke thought to himself briefly.
Pushing the thought from his head, the teen pushed open the door tentatively. Cautiously he and Teddie peeked their heads inside and were met with what looked like an office. The desk had two chairs set in front of it and behind it was a chairman's seat turned away from them. Yosuke was the first to enter the room followed by Teddie.
A voice spoke up, coming from the chair behind the desk. "Welcome to my Domain. Please, have a seat."
The duo followed the instruction without a word. Once they were situated the person in the chairman's seat turned around. He looked to be some sort of a butler-type of person. He was dressed the part at least. His hair a fiery red color and his eyes gold, not at all unlike a Shadow. Curiously, he was wearing only one glove on his right hand.
"I hope this guy's name isn't Sebastian, or else I might scream." Yosuke continued to think as he got a good look at this guy.
"I am Master Desmond Hand." The man states simply, introducing himself. "And you are…" He seemed to have hesitated slightly as he looked the two in front of him. His eyes scanned over both before speaking once more. "Yosuke and Teddie Hanamura. Quite an unexpected surprise for you two to be in my realm."
The brunette froze, not so much the fact this man knew his name as much as how he addressed Teddie as if they were related. "Now hold on! The bear isn't related to me!"
Teddie could be seen pouting off to the side. "B-but… I live in your closet… and your parents like me… aren't I like family to you?"
"Can it Ted."
Desmond chuckled at the minor bickering. "My apologies. The Smashers do know that I tend to make crude jokes of that nature. Regardless, may I ask how you even got here Master Hanamura? Don't you dare lie either."
A slight gulp. "This… may sound totally insane but… Teddie and I came flying out of your TV. We were trying to go back to our world but something went crazy."
"We were attacked by some grizzly in my world and Sensei and the others were forced to retreat." Teddie added as he looked at the floor. "The exit from my world to the human world must have gotten damaged for this to have happened."
"Now, we're stuck here as the TV we came flying out of broke when we went through it." Yosuke added as he scratched his neck. "That, and we've been separated from Yu, Chie, Yukiko-san, and the rest of our friends. Look Hand-sama, we just want to get back to Inaba."
Master Hand leaned back in his chair once the boys finished their story. "I would enjoy helping you return to your world, and reunite with your friends. However, there is a problem. Your exit from my realm has been destroyed, and I can tell you right now your world has no other direct connection here."
"Are you saying we're trapped!?" The teen snapped as he slammed his hands on the desk in front of him.
"Refrain from shouting Master Hanamura. I never said that. It will take time, but setting up a link between the Smash Realm and this 'Inaba' would not be too difficult. In the meanwhile, you will have to remain as guests here in my Mansion."
The two boys looked at each other with worry. They didn't know how long they were going to be stuck here. Could be a couple days. Could be a month. Either way they weren't exactly looking forward to the idea. Desmond assured them the process would not take any longer than a week at most.
Nodding hesitantly Yosuke agreed to the idea of him and Teddie staying at the manor until everything was setup to return home. Though, there was a few stipulations with their stay. They were basically to remain under house arrest, they were not allowed to leave the grounds of Smash Mansion for any reason, they were barred from entering any Smash fights, and Yosuke is expected to pay for a replacement TV to make up for the one that was broken. That would have been well and good if it was a cheap one, but that was far from being the case. The replacement was going to cost about six hundred dollars. Or the approximate of seventy thousand yen.
Yosuke sputtered seeing the total after doing some conversions on his phone. "What the fuck!? That's more than what I make in three weeks!"
"You'll just have to work it off here in the Mansion then Master Hanamura." Desmond chuckled seeing the distress on the teen's face. "I assure you my Smashers would love to ask you to do favors for them. They're always so busy training and fighting that other things get swept under the rug unless they can pay someone else to do it."
The teen sighed in defeat. There apparently was no way for him to talk his way out of this one. Master Hand did take some pity on him though and said that everything else would be free during their stay. Yosuke and Teddie accepted the offer but the former brought up another concern he had aside from paying for the TV. He mentioned that his cell had no reception and he couldn't get a hold of Yu or the others. Sadly though there was nothing Desmond could do until the connection to Inaba itself was set up properly. The reason for that is because the duo, as well as their friends, are considered anomalies in the realm. This status prevents their technology to function normally, though there are certain loopholes with phones.
Deciding there was nothing more to discuss, Desmond opened a drawer in his desk and handed the boys two keys. "Those are the keys to your room while you stay here. It's on the fifth floor. Master Shulk can direct you there."
Yosuke took the keys in his hand and gave one to Teddie. Standing up to leave, the brunette made sure to bow in thanks before exiting the room with his friend. Shulk was still outside the room, his nose buried in his book once more. The teen didn't question him as it made sense for him to pass the time like that. It reminded him of Yu in a way.
"Are you all finished?" Shulk asked when he heard the door close.
Yosuke nodded. "Yeah. He gave Teddie and I some keys, saying our room is on the fifth floor or something."
"Oh, that would be the guest room. Er… one of them." The blond gestured to the key and asked to see it. He inspected the number on it for a second before nodded. "Ok, I know where that one it. That's next to Chrom's room."
It didn't take very long for Shulk to lead the guests to their room. On the way they passed by many of the other Smashers. Some, like Mario, Pit, and Toon Link were very friendly and greeted the boys, while others, like Samus, Zelda, and Ganondorf, merely gave them odd looks. Yosuke didn't really pay much mind to everyone's reactions towards him and Teddie as much as it finally dawning on him where he was. Quite literally he was walking around in the world of Super Smash Brothers. He didn't put it together at first because he barely recognized Shulk from one of the games he started a while ago, and just thought Master Hand's name was a coincidence.
Upon reaching the door that would house their room for the next week both Teddie and Yosuke clutched their heads as they were stuck by a sudden headache. Shulk showed immediate concern.
"Hanamura, Teddie are you two ok?" He asked as he watched the taller of the two stand back up as he recovered.
"Y-yeah… I think so." Yosuke muttered as he pressed the key into its lock and pushed the door open. "Hey… Shulk-san?"
"Yes?"
"I hate to seem like a bother with this, but Ted and I don't have any spare clothes with us. Do you mind going to find something for us to wear for the night? I'll wash them later."
The blond smiled as he accepted the idea. He said the two should try and get comfortable for their headaches to go away while he goes rummaging for spare pajamas. Promptly he left the two alone and briefly mentioning someone named 'Robin' possibly having something that would fit Teddie.
Yosuke sighed as he closed the door and flopped onto the bed closer to the door. The headache was absolutely killing him but he couldn't figure out its cause at the moment. He asked if Teddie was feeling the same thing and his only response was the sound of the boy rolling on the floor mumbling to himself. That was a very good sign that both were stuck with this headache.
"Man… I hope Yu and the others are fairing better than this… nothing good ever happens to me…" Yosuke muttered to himself as he buried his head in the pillow. This is going to be a long week.
1. In case it didn't seem really clear at first, this is a Yosuke centric story as to introduce the Persona cast into my Smash Universe. Much of the story will focus on what's going on with him. There will be brief moments where I go back to the other members of the IT though
2. Shulk has the glasses and scars because this takes place less than a week after the incident of "Turning an Eye Blind", so he still can't really see without glasses