Chapter 7: Yosuke Hanamura

Through the portal was exactly what you'd expect a liquor store would look like. The selves were lined by bottles with different brands, and spooky voices.

No liquor store is complete without spooky voices.

Actually, it was one voice. And Yosuke quickly found out who it was. "I-Is this… Senpai's dad?"

"You know what the neighbors say about you, right!? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're the eldest daughter of a family who's owned this store for generations! Is it the money? Or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work THERE, of all places!"

"I… I can't believe this. She seemed like she had fun at work… She never said anything like this to me… You're telling me THIS was how Senpai saw things!?"

Just stay quiet. Nothing I say will make things easier.

Yosuke noticed something and ran forward to a counter. "These photos… Hey… Is this…? This is the photo we took the other day with the other part-timers at Junes. But why is it cut up like this?" I looked over Yosuke's shoulder, seeing the photo of him and Saki smiling.

Saki's eyes did not match her other expressions.

"I… never had the chance to say it…" Well, I wasn't expecting this.

"I-Is that… Senpai's voice!?" Yes it is. Now you can finally hear it.

"I always wanted to tell Hana-chan…"

"Huh? Me…?" This is gonna suck.

"… That he was a real pain in the ass."

Harsh.

"I was nice to him just because he was the store manager's son, that's all. But he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic… What a dip."

Harsher than I thought…

"P-Pain in the ass…?"

"Who cares about Junes, anyway? Because of that store, our business is ruined, my parents hate me, the neighbors talk behind my back… I wish everything would just disappear."

"I-It's a lie." Nope. "This can't be." It is.

I starter to shudder. Is it getting cold in here?

"Senpai's not like that!" Yosuke shouted at the ceiling.

Yosuke's yelling got interrupted by… Yosuke? "It's so sad… I feel so sorry for myself. Boo hoo!"

We both turned around to see another Yosuke leaning against the back wall, though this one had yellow eyes.

And a creepier voice. "Actually, I'm the one who thinks everything's a pain in the ass. Hahaha!"

"Huh? Two Yosukes?" Teddie shared my confusion.

Yosuke ran toward his shadow as I whispered to Teddie. "Teddie, what hell is going on?"

"This is beary bad! That's Yosuke's Shadow!"

"What?"

Yosuke's argument with his Shadow continue. "Who are you! I-I wouldn't think that…"

"Hahaha… Yeah, right. How long are you going to keep deluding yourself? Screw the shopping district, and Junes too! You're sick of everything, especially living out in the sticks!"

"What're you saying…? That's not true, I-."

"You put on a good show of being carefree and happy-go-lucky 'cause you're so terrified of being along. The more the merrier, right? You're gotta be surrounded by people to block out the pain of isolation… and than he showed up."

Why's it looking at me? "A new transfer student from the big city, America even. He was interesting, he took the spotlight, because why not? Hitting him felt good, right? He deserved it.

"S-Shut up!"

"And what's this about checking out this world for Saki-senpai's sake? Hah! I know the real reason you came snooping."

"Stop it!"

"Why so panicked? I thought I was spouting bullshit! Or maybe… I DO know everything you're thinking! Why's that…? Because I AM you!"

"We need to stop this before it goes bearserk!" Teddie warned me.

"I don't think he'll even listen to us at the moment."

"…"

"You just came because you thought it sounded like a good time! What else is there to do in this shithole? A world inside a TV… now that's exciting! You didn't have a single other reason for coming here, did you!?"

"That's not true.. Stop… Stop it…"

"You're just trying to act like a big shot… If all went well, hey, maybe you could become a hero! And that Senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was the perfect excuse!"

Yosuke completely lost it. "That's not true! What at you!? Who are you!?"

The Shadow laughed. "I already told ya. I'm you… Your Shadow… There's nothing I don't know about you!"

"Screw that! I don't know you!" Yosuke started to scream at the Shadow. "YOU CAN'T BE ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

All went silent for a second. Then the Shadow started to laugh again, a chuckle, then a mad cackle. "Hahaha! That's right! Say it again!"

"Y-You're not me… You're nothing like me!"

"Hmhmhm. Yeah, that's right. I am me now! I'm not you anymore, see?"

The shadow began to glow brightly as black miasma started to flow toward it. No one could see what was happening, except Yosuke, the real one, fall to the ground.

Eventually the lights faded and I could see now that Yosuke's Shadow definitely didn't look the same. It looked like a ten-foot tall man with rubber gloves on, riding a gigantic frog.

I wish I was making this stuff up.

"So… this thing is going to try to kill us?"

"Uh-huh."

"So I should fight it?"

"Uh-huh."

I let out a sigh and slung the golf club onto my shoulder. "Awesome."

"I am a shadow… The true self… I'll crush everything that bores me… Starting with you!"

It reared up on it's hind legs and slammed down unto the ground, creating a shockwave. I lost my balance and fell backwards. The thing didn't waste anything trying to stomp on me. I rolled to the left, possible dodging a fatal injury.

That was a bad idea. I rolled straight under the huge thing. It roared and kicked me out from under him, trying to defend it's weak underbelly. "How long can you survive this!?" It asked.

I sat up with a groan. Damn, that hurt. "So… You're Yosuke's Shadow? So does that mean you're the one who punched me. Twice?"

"Haha. Yeah, good times."

"That's good." I pointed the club at him. "I never got to pay him back for that. Well, guess you're good as any, aren't you're lucky?"

My side really aches right now. Maybe a skill will work on it? I looked up at the Shadow and smirked. "You know I let Yosuke punch me, right? Let me show you what I can really do!" Zio better work on him, or that whole speech was for nothing.

…Apparently it did. The bolt of lightning struck it head on, making it's legs flop downward. It made them stop moving. Let's try… Cleave? That sounds pretty awesome.

I summoned Izanagi's card and crushed it. He came out from me, and swung his naginata, slicing the Shadow's stomach. Black ichor came spraying from the cut.

That works… how about… Rakukaja?

It did absolutely nothing. Awesome.

"Sensei! That made you tougher! Allowing you to take hits better!"

"Really? That's usef-"

My words got cut off as the shadow recovered and slammed it's fist into me, knocking me into the air.

Eh? Teddie was right. I barely felt that hit. Alright! "Izanagi, Zio!" I summoned as I fell to the ground and slid on the tiled floor. Zio blasted it back unto the floor. Well if that works… I unleased zios in quick succession.

"Sensei watch out! Your spiritual power is almost depleted!"

Huh? I tried casting zio again.

Uh-oh.

"Heh, that's it? Boring!" The Shadow taunted. It was a bluff. I saw what those electric attacks did to it. Still, now I can't do them anymore. This is gonna get complicated.

"Shit!" The Shadow was rearing his body as it did a ninjutsu symbol with it's hands. I dove behind a counter where Teddie's been hiding.

"This is beary bad!"

"I've noticed." I need a plan. This golf club is near useless on him. My Persona attacks will work, but I can't cast zio… and there's a bunch of bottles…

…Liquor bottles.

"Teddie, I have a plan."

"I knew you would think of something Sensei!"

"Yeah! Start gathering some of the bottles up for me."

"Huh? Why me?" Teddie gave me a puzzled look.

"Because I'll be distracting this thing. When I do, I want you to toss as many bottle as you can at him."

"O-Okay…"Teddie started to pull some of the bottles from the casings.

I looked over my shoulder to see the Shadow slowly walking toward us, in a taunting manner. Okay, show time. I leapt over from behind the counter, holding the club out and rushed it.

Concentrate! Summoning Izanagi, I ordered a cleave attack on it's backside as it sliced through it, I jumped up and grabbed unto it's body.

"Now Teddie!"

"Alright Sensei!" Teddie yelled, flinging as many bottles as he could, letting them smash all over the ground and his body.

The shadow roared in pain as the glass cut into it's body. It's thrashing launched me into the air, just like I wanted it to do.

"You're finished." With a devilish grin, I pulled a lighter from my pocket, lit it, and dropped it right onto the liquor soaked Shadow and ground. It instantly ignited into flames, burning everything the liquid touched.

The Shadow screamed in intense pain.

Ha, well that was easy. I'm glad that uncle had a few lighters in the… eh?

The Shadow summoned a huge gale of wind, blowing all the flames out. But it just stood their sizzling, and twitching uncontrollably. "D-Damn you to hell…"

This thing is still standing? "IZANAGI!" I ordered another flurry of cleave attacks.

Finally, it succumbed to the cuts and burns on it's body. With a scream, the frog and it's rider dissipated into the same ichor the other Shadow had before.

I felt a surge as I tried to catch my breath. It didn't help. However, I could sense that Izanagi got a new skill, Rakunda. Don't know what it does, but I'll find out eventually.

I sat down on the floor, careful not to sit on any of the broken glass. That fight took a lot out of me. All of my spiritual power as Teddie called it, but those cleave attacks still worked so I guess they run on something different. The way I feel right now, it probably ran on my physical power.

Teddie ran over to Yosuke- the real Yosuke- as he was still lying on the ground.

I looked down at my hand and noticed I had burn marks down my arm …If I hadn't used that plan, Yosuke would have been killed. It was necessary, but I should be more careful in the future.

I won't let anyone die here anymore.

He started to groggily stand back up. "Yosuke, are you okay?" Teddie asked, concerned.

"Y-Yeah. What happened?"

"Your Shadow went berserk. It tried to kill us. I barely took care of it." I answered, still sitting on the floor. I looked up and noticed that Yosuke's Shadow was standing there, back to looking normal.

…I think I need a drink… Now I'm sounding like uncle.

"You… You're… not me…" Yosuke told it.

"That thing came from you, Yosuke… You have to admit it… or it'll go bearserk again…" Next person who says that is going to be punted to the moon with my golf club.

"That thing is you." I interjected. "You wanted to play hero and you hated me at least when I got here." Yosuke looked like he was gonna protest. "But a hero is someone who steps forward and does something, regardless the motivation. I know that you hated me somewhat… but you never acted on it… What I'm trying to say that you're more than what your Shadow said."

"Dammit… It hurts to face yourself. I knew it wasn't lying… But I was so ashamed that I didn't want to admit it." Yosuke turned to his Shadow. "You're me… and I'm you. When you get down to it, all of this is me."

The Shadow nodded and fades away. The instant it did, another figure took it's place, floating above where the Shadow once stood. It looked like the rider but without it's frog. But it was dressed in what looked like a white disco outfit with a red scarf tied around it's neck. Somehow I knew it's name.

Jiraiya, his Persona.

"…This is my Persona." Yosuke sat down next to me. He looked about tired as I was. "When we heard Senpai's voice, I wonder if that was something Senpai had been keeping down deep inside. Heh. 'He was a real pain in the ass,' huh? What a way to find out… Geez this is so embarrassing."

I nodded to him. Didn't know what else to say.

He turned to me. "If you weren't here, I don't know what woulda happened. Thanks, Yu."

"No problem." I chuckled. "Though it wasn't all me. Did you see Teddie lobbing those bottles like hand grenades?"

"Teddie is always here for help." Teddie replied in third-person.

"Yeah." I continued. "We're all in this together. All of us will fight our personal demons. Just promise me next time, you're help."

"…Heh. You got it partner!"

…

Teddie led the way back to the entrance, as me and Yosuke followed. Out of no where, Yosuke decided to ask something.

"Hey, Ted. Could Senpai have been attacked by her other self here?"

"The Shadow here were originally born from humans. Sometimes the fog clears. Then they all go bear-"

"DO NOT SAY IT!" yelled.

"…They all go crazy. And you know what happens next. A strong-willed Shadow draws others to it. And the big mass of Shadows kills the host."

"So that's why people die when it gets foggy in our world…" Yosuke said.

I decided to ask my own question. "Teddie. How do you know that when the fog lifts here, it gets foggy in my world?"

"Huh?" Both Yosuke and Teddie asked.

"Well, how would you know that? You've never been to my world, right?"

"… I don't know…" Teddie looked confused, as if he never thought of that before.

"Interesting… so you only remember being here, but you have knowledge from places you never been to?"

"I guess so?"

"Whatever. Problem for another time. When it comes to it, we're help you figure it out, right Yosuke?"

"Uh… sure, why not."

…

"So, did these places form because of Saki-senpai and Yamano-san being here?"

Yosuke and I were still asking Teddie about the rules of this place.

"It seems that way. I never sensed those places in till they showed up here."

"So Yamano-san and Saki-senpai was thrown in here, wandered around, and was attacked by the Shadows?" Yosuke asked.

"No. They weren't attacked by regular Shadows. They were attacked when the fog lifted. I guess that it was their own Shadows when they went b-" I glared at him. "Crazy."

"Wait." I finally decided to say something. "Are you saying that if someone is thrown in here, we can save them before they disappear?"

"Maybe. The Shadows attacked us probably because they don't like people investigating in here. They should be safe here, as long as the fog is up."

"Awesome." I turned to Yosuke. "While we're trying to figure who's been doing all this, we can stop them from killing anyone else."

"Dammit. That means that if I went here along, I would've been in much deeper trouble. Senpai and Yamano-san were all along stuck in here. We need to make sure this never happens again!" Yosuke said, with determination in his eyes. Guess being a hero was an actually thing.

We finally made it back to the entrance. Man, even walking is exhausting. I need to stop by the Junes foot court and get me something to eat.

"Okay, I'll let you out now. I'll be waiting for you guys here. But remember, you need to come in from the same place every time. So we can meet up. You could come in from somewhere else. But then you won't end up here. You might show up somewhere I couldn't get to you. Then you'd be dooooomed…" Teddie warned. "Got it!?"

"Got it. We're be back when something comes up."

"Alright, can you show us the way out?" Yosuke asked, clearly wanting to leave.

"Roger that! One exit comin' right up!" He stomped his foot and the piles of TV appeared, just like last time.

"Cool. First we need to make sure there aren't any employees milling around out there…"

"Okay! Go go go! Squiiiish!" Teddie shoved up through the TV, again, just like last time.

I'm gonna beat him over the head the next time I see him.

…