Welcome to a new chapter of Green Midnight. In this chapter, we once again enter the halls of Tartarus to find something lurking there, something no one expected. Now, I'm not entirely sure how this chapter will go over with you all, but I hope it goes well. If not, then, crap. And on that note, reviews!
NightmareSyndrom: Correct. Junpei is the Tower, and there will be no drunken priest. I'm streamlining the Social Links so that they don't seem like side-stories. Which means no Tanaka, no Maiko, no Akinari, no Gourmet King, and no Mamoru. All those links have been replaced with P3P Female Protagonist-specific links or original ones I've crafted for the story. If you wanna see Social Links with those five and the drunk priest, then go read Fairly English Story. All Social Links will be concentrated around S.E.E.S. and/or Gekkoukan, except for the old couple at Bookworks. I like them, so they got to stay. Personally, I liked how the resolution system worked in P4 versus P3; admittedly, it would've been better if it was more in the main plot, but I like how you have to actually work for it.
Grayjack72: Ah, nice to see you here. Thanks.
ravenwingcorps: As of right now, the twins are using the weapons. What power do they hold, if they hold power at all? I'm not sure yet. And you'll see that spy network in play sometime in the future.
DeadBrain: I agree. A shame how he could only link with the girls. Good think that was fixed in P3P, at least for Hamuko. She links with the entire team, even Koromaru and Shinji!
mangafreak7793: Actually, if you think about it, Junpei is perfectly suited for the Tower. The Tower represents Pride, Sudden Change, Blows to the Ego, Explosive Transformation, Uncomfortable Experience, Failure, Chaotic... Now can you apply all that to Junpei in some way or form? I can. Easily. And remember, Junpei is the Red Oni to Minato's Blue Oni. On a side note, in this story, if Minato didn't have the Wild Card, his original Arcana would've been Justice.
Oblivionkey99: That's Devil Summoner, not Devil Survivor. While it is true that there's a backup leader, the story will still follow Minato, except when the plot demands I show another character's PoV. Heh, you might even get character chapters in the future. And Minato's not necessarily a genius; its that he extended an offer of trust to Mitsuru. Touched by this generous offer, she accepted, starting the Social Link.
Brandon Skyblade: Nice to see you here as well! Thanks. Yeah, that's Minato in a nutshell. And I do enjoy filling in those plot holes. And because you asked, I'll remind you that this is a battle chapter, so you're going to need some of my extended battle music. Now, you're free to choose whatever you want, but I do have one suggestion: Burning Battlefield. (watch?v=kCOSHuBd0ag) I know it's not a MegaTen/Persona song, but it fits perfectly for this chapter. You'll know when to play it. If you don't want that, then go with either Master of Tartarus (watch?v=EWhkNwYv22k) or Danger Zone (watch?v=U-y43U2tbsI)
Hareru1995: Thanks. And, well, like I said earlier, no Club Escapade Monk. The fortune-telling woman? To be honest, I never used her in P3. I can try and figure out how to get her in, but I don't know how to go about that at the moment.
Echo the Ethereal Swordmaster: Everyone seems surprised that I made Junpei the Tower. I did warn, more than once, that Links would get changed. But thanks.
A fan: Thanks. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
Let the chapter begin!
In-Game Date: April 22, 2009 (Dark Hour)
Chapter 10: Jester
When the Dark Hour came, the members of S.E.E.S. found themselves back at Tartarus, ready to explore its halls once more.
"As we explore Tartarus, the first floor will be our temporary base of operations," Mitsuru explained. "Also, I found out something about Tartarus. A few floors up, there's a barricade preventing you from going any higher. The tower seems to have a number of these interspersed amongst its floors. I know I told you that the layout changes each day, but these barriers seem to be in fixed locations. Therefore, I'd like you to try and reach the first barricade. I'm counting on you."
"A barrier, eh?" Minato noted. "I think we can get to it. Maybe not today, but we will get to it."
"All right then. Make your preparations, and then we shall begin," Mitsuru ordered.
Minato decided now would be a good time to visit the Velvet Room and see what Igor was up to.
"Ah, there you are. Welcome to the Velvet Room," Igor greeted Minato as he entered. "Please have a seat."
Minato took his seat, ready to talk. "So, last time, you said you'd explain to me your true role. Well, I'm ready," said Minato.
"Ah, good. Well, my job here in the Velvet Room is to create new Personas," Igor informed him.
"Create new Personas?" Minato asked. "You can do that?"
"I can, but in order to do so, I must fuse your Persona cards together; in other words, I shall merge them into a single Persona. Furthermore, if you've established a Social Link, you may be able to create an even stronger Persona. So, as you accumulate cards, please bring them to me," Igor explained.
"So, let me get this straight. I beat up Shadows, and I seize Persona cards as spoils of victory. I then take these cards to you to have fused together to make stronger Personas. And the strength of those fused Personas will depend on my Social Links?" Minato wanted clarification.
"That is correct; however, under most circumstance, I am unable to use Orpheus in a fusion, as that is your true Persona," Igor added.
"I see…" Minato nodded. 'Damn, this sounds like stuff you'd hear in an RPG.'
"Minato-san, is it okay if I see the bracelet you were given?" Elizabeth suddenly asked.
"Um… Why?" Minato asked.
"I wish to make some upgrades to it, in order to make things a little easier for you," Elizabeth explained.
"Well… okay," Minato handed her the wristband Mitsuru had given him.
Elizabeth took the wristband and her hand started to glow, the wristband along with it. After a few seconds, the glow faded away, and she returned the item to Minato.
"What did you do?" Minato asked.
"I altered the wristband so that it would be better suited for a Wild Card such as yourself," Elizabeth explained. "Using my power, I've given it a touch screen, and you're now able to shuffle through them mentally; however, for this demonstration, please use the button."
Minato took a look at the wristband's screen. The screen, which listed the Persona Apsaras, his Level, HP, and SP remained the same. Pressing the button, he went to the second screen, which had changed. Instead of listing his Persona and stats, it showed the pictures of the two Personas in Minato's arsenal: Orpheus and Apsaras.
"Oh, so this screen will remind me which Personas I have?" Minato asked, to which Elizabeth nodded.
Minato went on to the next screen. This screen listed his stats. However, this time, it had two sets of numbers.
"The first set of numbers show your true stats without influence from your Personas. The second set are your stats influenced by which Persona is currently active; in this case, Asparas is currently active, so she is influencing your stats," said Elizabeth. On the next screen, it showed Apsaras and her set of skills, Bufu and Posumudi. It also showed that her next skill to be learned was a skill called Sukunda.
"This screen shows the skills that the currently active Persona knows, as well as the next skill it will learn. If there are any boxes with question marks below the next skill to be learned, that means it can learn even more skills. You can also scroll through your other Personas as well here."
'Well, there are no boxes, so Sukunda is the last skill, I guess,' Minato sighed.
Another press of the button led Minato to an interesting screen. This screen had pictures of the cards Minato had been seeing when he formed Social Links.
"This screen shows your Social Links, of which you have five so far. You can only see up to three at a time, but you can also scroll and see all the links," Elizabeth instructed him.
Minato took another look at the screen. On the left side of the screen, he saw the cards for Fool, Magician, and Empress. Next to the Fool card was the S.E.E.S. armband. Next to the Magician and Empress cards were caricatures of Kenji and Mitsuru, respectively.
'Heh, chibi-Kenji and Mitsuru-sempai. How cute,' Minato smirked.
Underneath each set of card and caricature was a black bar split into ten pieces. For all three links, each had one bar colored green, except for Fool, which had two.
"What's the bar for? A progress bar?" Minato asked.
"That is correct. The bar marks how far you've progressed in a particular Social Link. The color of the bar also indicates how strong the bond is: if it's green, then it's strong. However, if the color is yellow, then the Link has been reversed," Elizabeth explained.
"Reversed? What does that mean?" Minato asked.
"When a Social Link is reversed, that means that you have angered the person you are linking with. Why that person is angered could be almost any reason. However, should you talk it though with them, you can restore the link," said Igor. "And as long as a link is reversed, you cannot strengthen it. And if you are not careful, it is possible to even break a Link."
"I can break a Social Link?" Minato asked.
"That is correct," Igor nodded. "Should you significantly anger a person, causing them not to want to associate with you, the Social Link will break. While it can be repaired, it'll be quite difficult to do so. And while the link is broken, you won't be able to fuse any Personas of the associating Arcana."
"Should a Link be broken, the progress bar will turn red," Elizabeth added. "And when you've fully strengthened the Link, the bar will turn white, symbolizing the fact that the Link is everlasting."
"Gotcha," Minato nodded in acknowledgement.
He then ran a finger down the screen, causing the info to scroll down. The cards for Lovers and Tower appeared, along with caricatures of Yukari and Junpei. 'Heh. Junpei's is exactly what I expected and Yukari's is surprising cute,' Minato smiled.
Junpei's had one section of the black bar colored green, while Yukari's had two sections green.
"Is there anything else?" Minato asked.
"Actually, there is," said Elizabeth. "There's one more screen. If you would."
Minato pressed the button again, showing a brand new screen. This screen had headshots of Minato, Hamuko, Yukari, Junpei, Mitsuru, and Akihiko. Next to each person's head were his or her current HP and SP.
"Oh, this'll show me everyone's stats?" Minato asked.
"That is correct," Elizabeth confirmed. "This way, you will know how all your allies are faring, regardless of where they are or what they're doing. One last thing: to mentally shift through the screen, just think of the content of the screen. For example, if you want your Social Links, just think Social Links."
"Thank you, Elizabeth-san," Minato smiled. "This will be very helpful." "Anytime. I am here to serve," Elizabeth bowed.
"Right now, you only possess two Persona," said Igor. "Gather more Persona and I shall be able to assist you. However, remember you can only hold six Personas at the moment. Should you try to seize a seventh, you will have to banish one of the other six. It cannot be the one currently equipped, nor can it be Orpheus."
"That's quite interesting…" Minato nodded. "I'll remember that."
"Well then, I think that is everything. When you gather more Personas, please come back and I shall fuse them for you. Also, when the other entrance is ready, Elizabeth will inform you of it," said Igor.
"Thank you, Igor," Minato nodded. "If you will excuse me, S.E.E.S. is waiting for me."
"Of course," Igor understood. "Until next time…"
As Minato returned to Tartarus, he found Mitsuru waiting for him.
"You know, if you're going to just keep staring off into deep space, I may have to reevaluate the decision to make you field leader," Mitsuru warned him.
"I apologize, Mitsuru-sempai," Minato sheepishly smiled. "I'll try to keep myself in check."
"I suggest you do, or else," Mitsuru glared at him.
'SO SCARY!' Minato's thoughts rang out.
"Now then, I suggest we get the exploration started. Like I told you earlier, try to get to the barrier," said Mitsuru.
"Understood, sempai," Minato nodded. "Is everyone ready to go?"
"Yes!" Hamuko, Yukari, and Junpei replied.
"Then let's get this party started," said Minato as they walked up the stairs.
For the next little while, S.E.E.S. explored Tartarus and fought Shadows, growing stronger as they climbed up the tower. Eventually, they managed to make it to the fifth floor of Tartarus.
"We've made it to the fifth floor!" Junpei cheered.
"Congratulations, everyone," Minato smiled. "Do you want to keep going or do you want to stop here for the night?"
"I have enough in me still to explore the floor," Hamuko looked at her wristband. "However, I think this should be as high as we go for today."
"I agree. I'm beginning to feel a little winded. I can still keep going, but I shouldn't push myself too hard," Yukari added.
"All right then; we'll keep going a little longer," Minato ordered.
"Everyone! Be on your guard! I detect a powerful presence in the center of the floor!" Mitsuru warned them. "Proceed with caution!"
"Can you detect the Shadow's weaknesses?" Minato asked.
"I cannot. You will have to directly engage it in order to for me to analyze it," Mitsuru informed him. "If you feel you're not ready to engage, then please return to the entrance and reorganize."
"Aniki, what should we do?" Hamuko asked.
'We can still fight, but we're not at our full potential. Should we just charge in and fight? Or should we try to avoid fighting and find the transporter?' Minato internally debated.
"I think… we should try and get to the transporter. If we have to, we'll fight, but the transporter is our priority," Minato ordered.
"We don't get to fight?" Junpei asked.
"Maybe. But that depends mostly on what we run into first: the threat or the transporter," Minato replied.
"Aw…" Junpei sighed.
"Well, let's get out of here," said Minato as he stepped forward.
"Wait!" Mitsuru shouted. "The presence is moving! It's coming right for you!"
"Everyone, on your guard!" Minato ordered as he held his sword defensively.
Everyone quickly assumed defensive positions, ready for anything.
"Ku, ku, ku. I'm impressed. Not only did you have the gall to return to the Tower of Demise, you've actually climbed a couple of floors. I'm impressed," a feminine voice echoed through the halls.
'Where's that voice coming from!?' Minato was worried.
"Eee!" Yukari screeched. "Who's there!?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" the voice replied. "Anyways, I think it would be proper for me to introduce myself."
A portal of darkness opened in front of the group, catching everyone off guard as a figure stepped out of the portal. The figure was that of a woman. She had silver hair tied off in two long pigtails. She was clad in a black skintight jumpsuit that left little to the imagination. On the jumpsuits were pictures of the Tarot cards Minato had been seeing when making Social Links, plus ones he's yet to see. She wore elbow-length white gloves and knee-high white-heeled boots. Her face was completely covered by a white mask of a smiling face. On her head sat a white and black jester's cap with bells on it.
"Something's not quite right! I sense that she's a Shadow, yet I sense human life and the power of a Persona within her!" Mitsuru warned them.
'Human life? She's a person!?' Minato gasped.
"Greetings!" the woman waved to them. "It's so nice to meet you; Tartarus rarely gets guests these days."
"Who are you?" Minato asked.
"Who am I?" the woman scoffed. "Well, you can call me 'Jester'."
" 'Jester', eh?" Hamuko quirked an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?" "What am I doing here?" Jester mockingly repeated the question. "Well… I suppose you can say that my master and I act as caretakers for this tower; after all, every lighthouse needs its keeper."
'Master? Lighthouse?' Minato pondered. 'What is she babbling about? And is she our enemy?'
"What exactly are you?" Junpei asked.
"Me? Well… Like your friend downstairs said, I'm a Shadow, yet I possess human life and the power of a Persona, so I guess you can say I'm a hybrid," Jester chuckled.
"She can hear me!?" Mitsuru gasped.
"Of course I can hear you," Jester nonchalantly replied, surprising everyone. "My master and I know EVERYTHING that happens in this tower, including the fact that you believe that the answers to the Dark Hour lie within these walls. You honestly think you can overcome the obstacles here?"
"Yeah! And we'll stop anyone who gets in our way!" Yukari shouted.
"My, my, big words from such a small dog," Jester lurched forward. "You sound confident, yet I can smell the fear dripping off you like sweat. Is your bark bigger than your bite, girl?"
Yukari involuntarily took a step back, unnerved by this woman.
"You said you had a master. Who is it?" Minato asked.
"Oh, if you do well enough in the tower, you'll see him soon enough," Jester wagged a finger at him. "But for now, you're my toys. How about we play a game? Win, and you get a prize. Lose, and it's your lives I claim."
"We don't have a choice, do we?" Minato asked.
"No. No you don't," Jester cackled, making everyone nervous.
"Get ready, everyone!" Minato ordered.
"Bring it on!" Hamuko shouted.
"Oh, you're gonna get it!" Yukari growled.
"Heh, I'm not gonna let some girl beat me," Junpei smirked.
"Yes, get pumped up; this will make it more exciting," Jester raised a hand into the air, dark energy surrounding it. "I hope you're ready…" The dark energy formed into a sphere in Jester's hand. "…for a good ol' fashioned showdown." The energy in her hand dissipated, revealing a red and white ball with a silver stripe going down the middle.
'Wait…' Minato noticed the ball. 'Is that…'
"Pidgey, I choose you!" Jester shouted as she threw the ball at the group.
The ball fell short of the group, but it exploded, revealing a bird with various shades of brown and black feathers around its eyes.
"What the heck!?" Hamuko gasped.
"Are you kidding me!?" Junpei was shocked.
"Is that…" Yukari's eyes widened.
"A Pokémon!?" Minato fought back a laugh. "You serious? How is that even possible? It doesn't even have masks like Shadows, so what are they?"
"Whenever I want something, I just think of it and it pops up. It's as simple as that. If I want freaking little green men from Mars, I get them," Jester explained as Pidgey flapped over to her.
"Be careful, everyone! If she's got the power of a Shadow and a Persona-user, then that is her power: the power to manifest her thoughts into a physical form," Mitsuru warned them.
"Crap! That could be bad!" Hamuko gasped.
"Your friend downstairs is very observant. Too bad she can't play... Yes, it seems we need more players," Jester snapped her fingers and three more Poké Balls appeared, floating in front of her. "I choose you! Hoothoot! Taillow! Starly!"
The Poke Balls flew forward and exploded, revealing three more birds.
"Think of this as a battle between Pokémon trainers. Four on four battle. Win, and I'll let you know a secret or two about Tartarus. Lose, and well, I get your lives," Jester chuckled as the bird Pokémon circled her.
"Bring in on!" Junpei shouted. "I ain't losing to no birds!"
"Then let the battle begin!" Jester shouted as the bird Pokémon flew right at S.E.E.S.
'Flying-type Pokémon are weak to electricity, but I don't have any Zio skills. Crap!' Minato thought as he swiped at the Hoothoot that flew right at him.
"Sempai, analysis!" he shouted as he ran towards the Hoothoot.
"Roger. I'll attempt to analyze the enemy. Hold them off for now," Mitsuru replied.
"Gotcha," Minato replied as he put the Evoker to his head. "Go! Orpheus!"
Orpheus flew out and bashed Hoothoot with its lyre, knocking it to the ground. With his opponent stunned for the moment, Minato turned to see how the rest of his team was faring.
"Garu!" Yukari shouted as Io fired blasts of wind in an attempt to strike down their opponent Taillow, but the spell didn't seem to have any effect.
Hamuko was forced on the defensive as Pidgey fired a blast of wind at her. Using her naginata as a shield, she withstood the attack, only to be slammed head on by Pidgey's beak.
Junpei was blindly chasing after Starly, randomly swiping at it with his katana, but it was also too fast to be hit. Starly flew up high, did a loop in the air, and slammed Junpei in the back.
'Crap! They're too slow to do any damage!' Minato realized.
Just then, a powerful blow got him in the back, knocking him into the ground.
"Always keep you eye on the ball!" Jester shouted from the background.
"Ow… That hurt," Minato groaned as he got back up.
"Everyone! All four enemies can cancel out all Garu skills and are resistant to Strike attacks. However, they're weak to Zio, Bufu, and Pierce skills! Takeba, use you bow to strike them down!" Mitsuru shouted.
'Of course! I forgot that Flying-types are weak to Ice!'
"I'd love to, but they're too damn fast!" Yukari shouted as she fired a couple of arrows at Taillow, who casually dodged them.
"Then time for a speed boost. Cadenza!" Minato pulled the trigger to his Evoker, causing everyone to be coated in a green light. "Take 'em down!"
"Eat this!" Junpei shouted as he summoned Hermes; Hermes launched a barrage of flames at Starly, forcing it on the defensive.
"Go, Eurydice!" Hamuko summoned her Persona; Eurydice fired a blast of ice at Pidgey, who barely dodged it.
Yukari quickly fired more arrows at Taillow. Thanks to the speed boost from Cadenza, Yukari's aim was a lot more accurate, forcing Taillow to constantly dodge.
"Time for me to get in there," said Minato as he noticed Hoothoot charging right at him.
"Sukunda!" Minato summoned Apsaras, who blasted Hoothoot with a green light. Hoothoot immediately slowed down, making him an easy target.
"Let's dance!" he shouted as he ran at Hoothoot. He stabbed the bird Pokémon, causing black Shadow goo to shoot out. The sword came ripping out with a barrage of feathers and Minato turned around, using the momentum to increase his slash at Hoothoot.
"Say goodnight!" Minato taunted at he jumped up, sword poised; he then brought his sword down on Hoothoot's head with all his strength, knocking it into the ground, stunning it.
"Gotcha!" he heard Yukari shout. Minato turned to see that Taillow had been pierced by Yukari's arrow and it was slumped over on the ground.
"Better finish this," Minato turned back to his opponent, who was struggling to get back up.
"Bufu!" Minato pulled the trigger to his Evoker, causing Apsaras to appear. Apsaras pointed her palm at the bird Pokémon, firing a shard of ice from it. The ice consumed the Pokémon, turning it into a frigid block.
"Orpheus!" Minato called out his loyal Persona. Orpheus strummed its lyre, firing a sphere of fire at the frozen Pokémon, causing it to shatter into pieces.
Minato turned around to see that Yukari that manage to strike down the Pidgey that was troubling Hamuko and now they, along with Junpei, were tackling the Starly. The effects of Cadenza had worn off, giving Starly the advantage again.
"Sukunda!" Minato caused Starly's speed to drop drastically.
Taking advantage of the slowed down Starly, Junpei took the opportunity to strike.
"Go, Hermes!" Junpei invoked his Persona.
Hermes flew right at Starly, slashing it with its wings. The attack struck hard, knocking Starly down to the ground. With all three remaining Pokémon on the ground, Junpei saw an opening.
"Here's out chance! Let's get 'em!" he called out.
"Everyone, charge!" Minato shouted, initiating an All-Out Attack. The force of the attacks kicked up a cloud of dust making it hard to see.
"Yay! A big ball of violence!" Jester clapped jovially.
As the dust cleared, Jester could see that all of her Pokémon were clearly gone, signaling that Minato and company had won.
"Well, I'll be, you actually did it," Jester rubbed her chin.
"Enough games," Minato spat. "Surrender now or prepare to fight."
"Oh, please. Between getting up here and that battle just now, I'd say you lot are on your last legs," Jester scoffed. "I could just summon something else that can easily beat you or I could kick ass myself."
Minato looked to see that Yukari was breathing heavily, Hamuko was leaning on her weapon, and Junpei was having a hard time holding his katana up. He then quickly looked at his writsband and saw that all three were low on health and magic. In fact, he was the only one capable of fighting at the moment.
"Grr…" Minato growled. 'We're in a tight spot, and bluffing is not going to work.'
"However, a deal's a deal, so I'll cough up some info," Jester raised her hands in defeat. "I'll tell you two things that'll help you out in your exploration of the Tower of Demise."
"And they are?" Yukari asked.
"First off, I'm sure you've noticed that golden clock down on the first floor, right?" Jester asked.
"Yeah. What of it?" Junpei glared at her.
"For a price, it'll restore stamina and magical power. The price: yen," Jester informed them.
"What? It can do that?" Hamuko asked.
"It can," Jester chuckled.
"Why on earth would something like that be here? And of all the things, why yen? I'm sure you could think of something more sinister as payment," Minato inquired.
"Why? Well, I didn't put it here, so I don't know why. As for why yen, easy. I'm a girl; I have needs, just like the rest of you, ku ku ku," Jester raised a hand to where her mouth probably was, scoffing at them.
'Oh, you've got to be kidding me,' Minato rolled his eyes.
"And the other thing?" Hamuko asked.
"A little down the hall is a special transporter. Once activated, it will take you back to the first floor. However, unlike the transporters you've seen so far, its not one-way only, so you can use the transporter on the first floor to get back to the one on this floor," Jester explained.
"Wait, so we won't have to climb up all these floors again?" Junpei asked, an eyebrow quirked.
"That is correct. Every few floors, you'll find one of these special transporters. However, there's going to be an obstacle on those floors that you have to clear first, whether it be the Shadows, my master, myself, or something else entirely. The good news is that, once that obstacle is clear, no Shadows will inhabit those floor from that point forward, so you can consider them safety zones," said Jester.
"Oh, that just sounds wonderful," Yukari sighed.
"And now that I've spilled my guts, it's time for me to take my leave. I must say that you guys now have me interested. Let's see if you guys can make it to the barrier at the end of this block; if you can do so, I'll have something special for you, ku ku ku," Jester laughed as a portal of darkness opened up behind her. "Good luck; you're going to need it."
"Wait!" Minato shouted as he tried to catch her.
"See ya!" Jester waved as she stepped into the portal.
Minato lunged forward in an attempt to grab her, but his fingers were only able to grab air.
"Dammit!" Minato stomped the ground. "She got away!"
"Is that really so bad, aniki?" Hamuko approached her brother. "We were in bad shape. If she hadn't of left, we would've been beaten for sure."
"I… I know," Minato growled. "I… I just hate being toyed with like that."
"It's okay," Hamuko patted his shoulder. "Let's just go ahead and get out of here."
"I agree. Let's just find the transporter and get out of here before we're ambushed again," Yukari added.
"Very well then," Minato nodded. "Everyone, stay close."
After searching for a minute or two, the group managed to find the transporter. However, it was different from the ones they had found so far. This particular one looked exactly like the one found on the ground floor.
"Well, this looks different. Perhaps Jester wasn't lying," Yukari noted.
"Maybe…" Minato whispered.
"Hey! What's that?" Junpei pointed at the wall nearby, which had two metal briefcases leaning on them, one of them having a note attached to them.
Minato walked over to the briefcases and read the note.
"A sign of appreciation for playing with me tonight. Hope we can play again soon! XOXO Jester," Minato read the note aloud.
Junpei and Hamuko popped open the briefcases and gasped. Inside one briefcase was a lot of money; the other held a couple of bottles of white liquid and another note.
"The bottles are full of a drink known as 'Soma'. One gulp will fully restore your strength and energy. However, these things are not easy to come by, so use sparingly. XOXO Jester," Hamuko read the note aloud.
"Soma!? The drink of the gods!?" Mitsuru gasped from over the radio. "But how? No one knows how its made or what's it made of. If that is really Soma, how did she get it?"
"Dude! There's at least eighty thousand yen in here!" Junpei gasped as he held the money.
"Wow, that's a lot of money," Hamuko whistled.
"What should we do, Minato-kun? Do we take this stuff with us?" Yukari asked. "It could be a trap."
'Do we just take this with us? It could be a trap. Then again, not taking it with us may anger Jester, which could lead to a whole bigger mess,' Minato mused.
"What do you think, Mitsuru-sempai?" Minato asked.
"I would advise you to take them with you. If that really is the legendary Soma, then not only would we benefit from it, the Kirijo group may be able to duplicate it," Mitsuru gave her opinion. "Besides, I sense nothing off about it. No Shadows or anything of the like, so in theory, its safe."
"Then I guess we'll take them with us. Imoto, Junpei, you two carry the cases," Minato ordered.
"Sweet! I call the cash!" Junpei held the briefcase close to his chest, fatigue overwritten by glee.
"Come on, let's go," Minato shook his head, forcing back a laugh.
After meeting up with Mitsuru downstairs, Minato decided to do a quick experiment. He went over to that golden clock near the stairs and took a closer look at it. In front of the clock, he noticed that a pad was there to step on and that there was a slot to put yen in. Not only that, there was a card swipe for credit cards as well.
"Well, I'll be. Apparently, there's a slot for cash and a thing to use credit cards with," Minato smirked.
"Really?" Hamuko asked as she approached. "Why on earth would that be?"
"Well, Jester said she didn't know why the clock was here, but I'm going to assume that she added the payment system," Minato mused.
"Wanna see if it works?" Hamuko suggested.
"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt. But I think I should try it first, just to be safe," Minato offered.
"Okay, aniki," Hamuko nodded as she stepped back.
Minato stepped on the pad, wondering what would happen next. The clock face suddenly switched from classic to digital and was randomly flying through numbers. After a few moments, a message appeared on the clock face.
"Fifteen hundred yen for full recovery," Minato read the message. "Heh. Cheaper than I thought it would be."
"So, how ya gonna pay, aniki? Cash or credit?" Hamuko asked.
"I say let's go with credit," Minato suggested. "That way, we can track the charges and maybe learn a thing or two."
"Sure thing," Hamuko agreed.
Minato whipped out his wallet and pulled a card from it. He then swiped the card in the slot, waiting for the clock to do its thing. After a moment, a bell rang inside the clock and a new message appeared.
"Payment accepted. Please wait one moment," Minato read the message aloud.
As he stood there, a green light shot up from the pad he was standing on, engulfing him.
"Aniki!" Hamuko shouted as the others ran over there, worried about him.
"I'm okay," Minato assured her as the light faded away.
"Minato, you okay?" Junpei asked.
"I feel great, actually," Minato smiled as he looked at the clock face once more.
"Healing complete. Have a nice day," the message read.
"Wait, so you're fully healed now?" Yukari asked.
Minato took a look at the screen on his wristband and saw that his HP and SP were back to maximum.
"Yup. Apparently, Jester wasn't lying about that," Minato answered.
"Are you feeling any negative effects? A burning sensation, a headache, or anything of the sort?" Mitsuru asked.
"Nope," Minato shook his head. "None whatsoever. Hey, sempai. Why haven't you used this thing before?"
"To be honest, Arisato, I wasn't sure what the clock would do, so Akihiko and I stayed away from it, just to be safe," Mitsuru replied.
"Makes sense, but now that we know it can heal, we should use this whenever we can," said Minato.
"Agreed," Mitsuru nodded.
"Oh, and sempai, apparently this thing takes credit cards," Minato informed her.
"This thing takes credit?" Yukari raised an eyebrow.
"Apparently," Minato replied. "So I used a credit card to pay."
"Smart thinking, Arisato. We can track the charges and maybe learn something about this Jester character," Mitsuru complimented him. "Still, that power of hers…"
"Yeah. If she can summon Pokémon, who knows what else she can summon?" Minato asked.
"There's that, and also… her power raises a couple of question. If her thoughts can be physically manifested, why didn't she summon something that could kill us in a single strike, such as a bomb or a plague?" Mitsuru wondered.
"That's a good question," Hamuko acknowledged.
"Don't you recall what she said?" Minato interjected. "She said 'Let's play a game'. She was toying with us. She probably could've killed us if she really wanted to, but I don't think that's her goal."
"We've also got to take in the possibility that maybe she couldn't. I can't imagine someone having that kind of power without some form of drawback to it," said Mitsuru.
"Who knows? All I know is that she's an enemy," Yukari gave her opinion.
"I'm just completely lost," Junpei added his two cents.
"Let's get out of here. Today's been quite a day," Minato suggested.
"I agree. All right, everyone. Pack it up and move out," Mitsuru ordered.
The next day, during school, Minato was asleep hard, exhausted from last night's events. He was having an interesting dream. Minato found himself visiting a circus. He sat there in the stand, a bag of popcorn in hand. He saw that Jester was the ringleader and the Shadows were the animals used in her acts. Junpei, Kenji, and Ikutsuki were clowns, while Mitsuru was a lion tamer. Igor was a magician, while Elizabeth was his assistant. Akihiko was riding a motorcycle inside a metal ball cage. And Yukari and Hamuko were trapeze artists, somersaulting through the air with ease.
"You know, this is one dream I can enjoy," Minato smiled as he ate some popcorn from his bag.
"WAKE UP!" he heard someone shout, followed by a loud BANG!
Minato immediately shot up, finding himself awake. Standing in front of him was Toriumi, holding a ruler menacingly. The students were filing out, which meant class had ended for the day.
"Honestly, Minato-kun, why must you constantly sleep during class? You're way too much like your father in that regard. Thank goodness that you get good grades, unlike him," Toriumi shook her head in mock disgust.
"Heh. Sorry, sensei," Minato smiled.
"I suggest you get your energy levels up so you can stay awake. How about you and Hamuko-chan join one of the sports teams here? I just heard that five of the teams have open slots for both guys and girls," Toriumi informed him.
"Really now?" Minato was interested. 'A sports team would help me keep in shape for Tartarus.' "Which teams are open?"
"The Track, Kendo, Swim, Tennis, and Volleyball teams are all open right now," said Toriumi. "Any of those catch your interest?"
"Well, yeah. I think one might. How do I go about getting Hamuko and I signed up?" Minato asked.
"They're signing people up at the gym. You know where that is, right?" Toriumi asked.
"Of course I do," Minato nodded.
"That's good. Now I expect you to follow through, or else. Got it?" Toriumi glared at her student.
"Got it, daibo!" Minato quickly replied and ran out to find Hamuko.
And our chapter comes to a close. Next chapter, we join a sports team!
Anyways, I hope you guys like Jester and that you don't mind the Pokémon cameos. She'll be around for some time to come and you'll NEVER know when she'll show up.
Green Midnight Dictionary:
Jester: An OC I specifically made for this story. Her past is mysterious and clouded. The best way to describe her is if you were to take Deadpool, Harley Quinn, and Dimentio, and combine them into one person. You'll be seeing her periodically.
Soma: In Eastern Mythology, Soma was a drink derived from a mysterious plant. The drink itself was said to be a god. The recipe for Soma has been lost to time, but people still search for it. In Persona 3, Soma is a rare item that fully restores the party's HP and SP.
Minato's Persona Leveling System: In Green Midnight, when Minato gains experience, ALL his Personas gain the experience, not just the one currently equipped. The Growth 1, 2, and 3 skill would add additional experience to that specific Persona that has said skill(s).
And because I'm sure people are wondering where the team stands, well, here you go:
Minato:
Arcana: Fool
Lv: 7
HP: 120
SP: 84
Personas: Orpheus (Lv. 7), Apsaras (Lv. 7), Pixie (Lv. 6), Angel (Lv. 5)
Skills: Orpheus- Bash, Agi, Tarunda
Apsaras- Bufu, Posumudi, Sukunda
Pixie- Dia, Rakunda, Pulinpa
Angel- Garu, Patra, Sukukaja
Hamuko:
Arcana: Hermit
Lv: 7
HP: 118
SP: 87
Persona: Eurydice
Skills: Bash, Bufu, Rakunda
Yukari:
Arcana: Lovers
Lv: 7
HP: 104
SP: 92
Persona: Io
Skills: Dia, Chardi, Garu
Junpei:
Arcana: Magician
Lv: 7
HP: 135
SP: 68
Persona: Hermes
Skills: Cleave, Agi, Re Patra
And, I'm sure you're wondering about where Minato stands with Social Links. Here you go:
Fool- SEES/Rank: 2
Magician- Kenji/Rank: 1
Empress- Mitsuru/Rank: 1
Lovers- Yukari/Rank: 2
Tower- Junpei/Rank: 1