It was over before either of them could realize it. One second they were in the Junes Electronics department, and the next they were back in that strange place that tormented them the day before. That same, toxic fog surrounded them, obscuring their vision. Yosuke's head spun as he tried to get to his and locate his friends.
He couldn't believe what happened. That weird thing that looked like JoJo shoved him inside the TV! What the Hell was all that about!? What did he ever do to her!?
"Mmm..." he heard Chie groan. He waved a hand, trying to waft the fog enough to let him see. It was largely unsuccessful; the fog he pushed away was quickly overtaken by even more of the sickening yellow cloud. Eventually, following the sounds of Chie moaning on the ground, he located her amidst the mist. She had a small gash on her forehead, with blood trickling from it.
"Chie!" Yosuke said, crouching down to check on his friend. No matter how many times he shook her, she refused to move. He placed a hand to her chest (all the while trying to keep the red from his face) and felt her heartbeat. Yosuke sighed in relief at feeling the rhythmic pulse, gently placing her back down to the ground.
"Great," Yosuke thought as he looked deep into the fog, "now I'm lost and alone..."
"I apologize for your young friend," he heard an all too familiar voice say. Yosuke snapped his vision around in all directions, trying to spot where his attacker was. "It appears that it is still too early for her."
"Too early for what!?" Yosuke shouted, his fists clenched. His bowels twisted into knots as fear overrode blind courage.
"I am afraid that I cannot tell you," it said, still hidden within the fog. "Just know that I will cause no harm to you or your companions."
"Well throwing us into a TV definitely isn't the best way to show that!" Yosuke said, tapping his foot against Chie's side. He sighed at the feeling of his shoe coming into contact with her.
"I know," the voice said, "but it was for the greater good. We must activate the girl's power before the fog consumes her."
"Wh-Who?" Yosuke asked, his eyes wide. That sick feeling that he felt yesterday was back in full force. Every breath was hard and heavy, more of a desperate pant. His skull felt several sizes too small. "Ch-Chie?"
"No," the voice said simply. "Her time is later."
"Her t-time!?" Yosuke shouted. His brain was on fire as the fog drifted through his nostrils. "What the Hell are you talking about, dude!?"
The voice gave a long sigh. One that was as heavy as lead. Yosuke could feel the weight press on his shoulders as he stood in the blinding fog.
"It appears that I must show you, then," the voice said before it stepped into Yosuke's vision.
Before him was JoJo, still wearing that ridiculous outfit from earlier. The only difference, however, were the striking eyes she had. They were bright yellow, cutting through the fog like a knife. Her face was a hardened frown, like a trained warrior awaiting orders. The silence between them was more suffocating than the fog.
"Jo-JoJo!?" Yosuke stammered out, seeing his 'friend' in the fog. He tripped over himself, and falling hard to the ground, as JoJo approached him. Her eyes tore into his soul, seeing through any mental guise he thought he could erect.
"No," 'JoJo' said, her voice intoxicating and powerful. "She is merely vessel through which I serve."
"Will you stop with the magic-mumbo-jumbo and tell me what the fuck is happening!?" Yosuke screamed out, still holding himself up with his hands. He slowly got to his feet as the figure before him looked confused.
"I..." 'JoJo' said, trying to find the words. "I cannot explain at the moment. However, I know that the bear will arrive at any moment."
"Hey, wait a seco-!"
"What are you guys doing baaack~!?" the familiar red and blue bear whined as he came from the fog, sending Yosuke back to the floor. The cuddly mascot put his paws to his eyes as tears threatened to flow out. Small sniffles echoed in the emptiness around them.
"I apologize," JoJo said, turning to the creature. "But I must ask of you two favors."
The bear stopped its crying...
And then started screaming...
"AH! IT'S YOU AGAIN! WHY DO YOU KEEP TORMENTING ME, YOU SCARY WITCH, GIANT, LADY-THING!?" the bear cried as it huddled behind Yosuke for shelter.
"Seriously," Yosuke started, groaning at the pitiful sight before him, "what did you do to this guy?"
"I threatened to slay him were he to not release my vessel from this strange landscape," JoJo cryptically explained; face cold and stoic.
"She threatened to kick my butt if I didn't let her out!" the bear translated into more common speech, resuming his crying session.
"Dude," Yosuke said, feeling the creature's tears stain his uniform. "Can you guys please just tell me what the Hell is happening? By this point, I really don't care about the little family feud you've got going on here."
"We are not 'family'!" JoJo barked, her voice shaking the world around them. "But if you must know, we need to release Chie from this world before we venture further."
"'Venture furth-'" Yosuke began, cutting the quote short. "You want to go deeper through here!?"
"Yes," JoJo said, nodding sharply, "that is correct."
"Why would you do that!?" Yosuke demanded, trying to push the bear off of him after one too many attempts at a hug. "What possible reason do you have to risk our lives in this place!?"
"You desire the truth about your lover's death, do you not?" JoJo asked, tilting her head to the side. She crossed her arms over her chest, awaiting a response.
"'Lo-Lover'!?" Yosuke screamed once again, feeling his voice begin to give out. "That's a bit much, isn't it?"
"Guys..."
"That is not accurate to how you and Konishi were close?"
"Guys."
"Of course it wasn't! She barely even knew I existed!"
"Guys!"
All three looked down to see a very dazed, and frustrated, Chie. Her eyes were glossed over as she tried to stand up. She wobbled so bad that she fell back to the floor more than once. Only with the help of the bear and Yosuke did she stay upright. Her head twisted slowly as she tried to get a hold of her surroundings.
"Where are we...?" she asked tiredly. The wound on her head trickled out more blood as her hand clutched it. Her jacket was stained a dark red as she pressed on the wound.
"This is a dream," JoJo said, her voice returning to its usual soft self. She spoke with a smile as she stared directly at the weakened girl. "You fell unconscious inside of Junes, after Yosuke entered the television."
"Wait-Why are you telling her that!?" Yosuke screamed, causing Chie to lose her grip on his shoulder and crumpling to the ground.
"Yeah," the bear said with worry, "that's not what happened..."
"Silence, you ingrates before you-!"
"Hey..." Chie groaned out, shaking her head as her movements became steadier. "That's not what happened!" Chie pushed herself off of the bear and Yosuke, marching her way up to JoJo and grabbing her collar. The girl raised a fist in the air, aiming it like a cannon at the taller one's face. "You're the one who pushed us in here!"
The bear gasped as Chie's accusation sank in.
"So you're the one throwing people in here!" the bear said, pointing a finger at JoJo. "I should have known it was you! Now stop messing up my home, missy!"
JoJo sighed as her eyes dimmed, the yellow not as bright, but still just as haunting.
"It is true that I am the one that forced you into this place," JoJo said, the voice still not as powerful as before. "But I am not the one responsible for the other incidents."
"Other incidents...?" Yosuke and Chie asked in unison, looking to the bear as it still had a scowl painted on its face.
"And you expect me to believe that, don't you Miss Big Butt!?" the bear said confidently. Unaware of what it had just done.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?" JoJo shrieked.
Chie wasn't sure when she got loose, but she did know that she had to pry her off of the bear before more fur and stuffing flew into the air.
"I am sorry, children!" the other voice relented as JoJo's hands ripped and pulled at anything that looked vital for the bear. "I have lost complete control over my vessel! She is on a rampage!"
After several minutes of shouting, screaming, cursing, and a fair amount of scratching, they finally dragged JoJo off of the bear. Said creature was busy pulling itself back together (quite literally as it dragged itself across the ground, trying to find its legs) as the others continued their conversation.
"I am truly sorry," the other voice said, her face pointed to the ground and as red as a beet. "I assumed she remained dormant, but it appears I was wrong..."
"Let's remember to never bring up weight around JoJo again..." Yosuke said, clutching his now broken arm. The black eye he had on his left eye was just one of many other injuries he sustained. He was convinced his ribs were powder by that point...
"Agreed..." Chie moaned out, back to the floor.
"But what's the whole deal here?" Yosuke asked, ignoring the burning pain that encompassed his entire body. He never thought she'd hit harder than a truck... "Like, why are you possessing JoJo?"
"I am afraid that I cannot explain," it said, looking off into the fog. "I have already made multiple mistakes in trying to adhere to Causality."
"'Causality'?" Chie asked, picking herself up off the ground. She was going to miss those teeth...
"Yes," the voice said, making JoJo's head nod. "It is vital that certain events play out the way that they must. Even telling you this may have harmed the time line."
"T-Time line!?" Yosuke asked, eyes white and wide.
"I have said too much," the voice said. "The girl has the strength to reach your goal by herself. I am relinquishing control for now. Do not mention any of this to her!"
Chie and Yosuke stood perplexed as JoJo's eyes dimmed from the yellow back to her usual gray ones. She stumbled as control was given back to her, causing her to fall to her knees. She clenched her skulls as her friends ran to her.
"Are you okay!?" Chie demanded, grabbing hold of her friend to keep her from falling to the ground.
"Wh-Where are we...?" JoJo asked weakly. Her skin was pale, and just touching her burned Chie's hand. Whatever was wrong with JoJo was bad, really bad. A sharp, agonizing cough sent shudders down their spines. JoJo shivered as her condition was all too willing to show how sick she was.
"JoJo!" Yosuke shouted, looking her in the eyes. "Are you... you again?"
"What...?" she asked in confusion. JoJo retched as her throat tightened. Her friends could only watch as she vomited the soup Nanako made for her onto the ground. Chie pat her back when the torrent of half-digested food turned into dry gags.
"Guys!" they heard the bear call to them. They all turned to see the creature standing next to the group, his wounds healed good as new. So well healed that they appeared to have never existed whatsoever. "I'm all better now!"
"Mister Bear..." JoJo hissed out, stretching a hand out to touch his fur. It jumped back the second it saw the limb come for him, another boyish scream puncturing the air around them.
"Wh-What~!?" the bear asked fearfully, shaking like a leaf on the wind.
"Let me pet you..."
"Come on," Chie said, wrapping one of JoJo's arms around her shoulders and lifting her to her feet. The height difference made it awkward as JoJo was still slumped down when Chie raised to her full height, but it would have to do. "Let's get out of here."
"Right!" the bear said adamantly, summoning the televisions from the sky once again. They all showed footage from the Electronics Department at Junes, all of the customers looking at the display television they entered. They could not help but be shocked at the sight. That home was just a few inches away. "Now get out and don't come back!"
JoJo raised a shaking hand, desperate to feel the bear's fur on her skin. Alas, Chie pulled her closer to the television, and out of reach.
"Wait," Yosuke said, stopping the girls' advance. "We can't go just yet."
"No," Chie said directly, staring Yosuke in the face. "We're going and that's that."
"Fine," Yosuke said, shrugging his shoulders. "You guys go ahead. Bear-thing-"
"I'm Teddie."
"-lame-but can you help me find something about Saki Konishi?" Yosuke asked, perplexing the rest of them.
"I don't know who that is..." the bear named Teddie admitted, his ears twitching every few seconds.
"Alright..." Yosuke said. He was silent after that. He placed a finger to his chin as he thought.
"Dude," Chie said, snapping him from his concentration. "Do you mind getting out of here with us before JoJo dies of the plague!?"
"If you guys want to leave," Yosuke snapped, "go right ahead! I'm not stopping you."
"But why are you staying!?" Chie asked, readjusting her grip on JoJo after almost falling to the ground.
"It was something that thing said," Yosuke explained, turning to Chie and JoJo. "It said that we have to explore this place to find out why Saki died."
"Konishi-senpai's dead...?" JoJo asked in wonderment, reminding the two of JoJo's state.
"Yeah," Chie said simply, staring at Yosuke.
"That's sad..." said JoJo, who quickly fell asleep, still on her feet in Chie's arms.
"A-Anyway!" Yosuke shouted. He waved a hand in the air as the fog threatened to block out his friends. "It said that Chie can't be with us when we find out something."
"Who do you mean by 'us', then?" Chie asked, an eyebrow raised.
"I think it meant me and JoJo," Yosuke said, losing his voice the minute he saw how weak his friend was.
"Right, because she's totes the best for exploring dangerous places right now!" Chie shouted, stamping her foot at the argument.
"Come on, Eileen~..." JoJo sang to herself, her head swinging from side to side as she threatened to fall back asleep.
"Huh," Yosuke said, "did not know she could speak English."
"Not the point right now!" Chie said, her face red with anger. She thought she felt a blood vessel burst within her, but she tried not to think about that. "How do you expect to walk around in this fog anyway!? Got magic glasses, genius!?"
"Yeah," Teddie said simply, pulling out a pair of simple, gray glasses. The lenses were round and clear, and small. The frame was thin as well, the dark color compensating for the actual size of the glasses. They were no wider than a finger. In fact, they seemed more like a cosmetic item than one to be used for actual vision correction. "Why didn't you guys just ask before?"
Chie and Yosuke only stared as Teddie pulled out another pair, this one with orange siding. He placed the latter pair in Yosuke's hand, who stood as still as a statue. The other pair he placed on JoJo's head, who instantly perked up.
"Hey," Chie snipped at the bear, "where's my pair!?" JoJo removed herself from her friend's shoulder, looking down to scuff her skirt before seeing the outfit she was wearing and collapsing to the ground and wrapping her arms around herself in embarrassment.
"G-G-G-Gu-Guys!?" JoJo stammered out, desperate to pull her skirt down further, but to no avail. "W-W-W-Wh-Why a-am I-I wearing this!?"
"Long story," Yosuke and Chie said in unison.
"But wait," Chie continued, feeling JoJo's head and noticing how cool it was now. "Why aren't you sick anymore?"
"I don't care!" JoJo cried out, her whole body turning red. "I'm so embarrassed!"
"So where does that thing want us to go anyway?" Chie asked, ignoring JoJo's horrified face. The gray-haired girl rocked back and forth, muttering prayers about not letting anyone see her like that.
"I'm not too sure," Yosuke admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe... Hey, wait." He turned to Teddie, who stared at JoJo in fear. "How do you keep finding us?"
Teddie turned to Yosuke.
"Oh!" it said as he tapped his small, black nose. "I smell you guys!"
"Sm-Smell!?" JoJo whined out, furthering her psychological torment. She was sure that she showered that morning... but what if she didn't!
"Yeah," Teddie said as he looked to Yosuke. "I can tell when someone's here by their smell. It's beary strange..."
"Di-Did," Yosuke stumbled over his words. "Did you just make a pun?"
"Guys!" Chie shouted, forcing them back on track once more.
"Right," Yosuke clenched the glasses in his hands as a migraine tore through his skull. He had no idea if they actually worked, mainly because the only one actually wearing them was sulking somewhere in the fog. "Can you still remember where you found them?"
"Of course!" Teddie claimed, hitting its chest with a fist. "I can find anything this old sniffer can pick up!"
"So do you know where the last person in here was!?" Yosuke asked, his tone sounding desperate and impatient. He grabbed Teddie's shoulders as he waited for the bear to answer.
"Well, sure," Teddie said, shaking off Yosuke's hands. "Do you want me to take you guys?"
"Obviously!" Yosuke ordered. "You've gotta take me to where you found them!"
"I can't just yet," Teddie said, turning away from Yosuke and shaking.
"Why not!?" Yosuke demanded. "What's keeping you from helping us find her!?"
He prayed that the bear would accept the pronoun and confirm his suspicions.
"Because you don't have your glasses on yet," Teddie answered, pointing to the pair in Yosuke's hand. "It's dangerous to wander around here blind. Especially with the Shadows..."
"Shadows?" Chie asked, her head feeling like a balloon that's about to pop. She rubbed her temple as best she could, but it did nothing to stop the pain. She felt like dying right there.
"Y-Yeah..." Teddie confirmed, chattering where he stood. "Those things are beary scary..."
"At the very least, use different puns..." Yosuke begged, putting on the glasses as instructed.
The difference was night and day. The fog that was there vanished the minute Yosuke put on the glasses. Not only that, but he felt better all around. The migraine that once felt like an icepick to the skull was gone. His stomach no longer turned and twisted, and the chill was gone. His body felt less stiff, more loose, and all around healthier than before.
"Whoa!" Yosuke said in excitement. "These things are great!"
"Which, again, makes me ask," Chie began clutching her skull, "why don't I get a pair!?"
"I only made the two!" Teddie said defensively, stamping his foot on the ground. "I didn't have enough time to make any more before you guys threw yourselves back in here again!"
"Uh... guys..." JoJo said, over her embarrassment enough to be back on her feet and staring off in another direction. "Was that always there?"
The group looked to see a sign standing at the end of the platform they stood on. Now that they had a good visual on their surroundings, they saw that everywhere they looked was like a cheap studio set. Metal girders stretched for miles, and spotlights littered them. But what caught their attention was the simple, wooden sign standing on the platform.
" 'Twenty-five-percent off deal, only at Konishi Liquors' ?" Yosuke read off, his head clear enough to give him the luxury he never truly appreciated before then.
"Why is that there?" JoJo asked in confusion, still covering up her chest and thighs as best she could.
"That's in the shopping district, right?" Chie asked, her ears ringing with a high-pitched whine that made her suffer.
"That's where I found that girl you're looking for," Teddie said, waddling up to and tapping the sign, "but I've never seen this thing before..."
It wasn't long before the sign turned an ink-black, melting down into a puddle, and scurrying off deeper into the world, leaving the group stunned and terrified.
"S-So th-that happened!" Yosuke said, turning to the girls. "JoJo?"
"S-See you guys! I-I'm gonna need to catch up on all that ho-homework I missed today!" JoJo said, trying to shove herself through one of the escape televisions Teddie summoned, but was foiled by Chie tugging on to her lower half and pulling her back in.
"Th-That was a Shadow!" Teddie said, his voice full of fright.
"That was it?" Yosuke asked, trying to sound brave. "Screw that then, let's get going and try to find some answers!"
"Guys..." Chie said, dazed and completely out of it. "I might actually need to get out of here..."
It was only a few seconds after wards that she accidentally fell into one of the escape screens, passing completely through. They all saw her eyes roll backwards in her head. She was gonna be out like a light on the store floor when they got back. Only Teddie, Yosuke, and JoJo were left. And the latter-most one debated on jumping through a screen herself and going home.
Yosuke's thoughts drifted to what that strange being that possessed JoJo said, that Chie wouldn't be involved from then on. Was that what it meant? She was in no condition to do much of anything, and their glasses were helping them tremendously in that gross fog. Maybe they could actually find something useful to give to the cops when they got out of there!
"Fuck it," Yosuke said, throwing his hands in the air, "let's go to the liquor store!"
A/N
So I finally got past that plot device...
I typed so much for this chapter that I'm worried that I may have stretched it a bit too far. Hopefully not, but the fear still applies.
Anyway, so we learned that JoJo/Misako (her friends still don't know her 'name') gets possessed by a being that knows how the events of the story are supposed to play out.
Now, will that include super embarrassing things? Of course it will, this is me we're talking about here.
So, I hope this chapter doesn't seem too scatterbrained for you guys. I literally just went with the flow for a bit until I reached a good point to stop. And I know the Chie thing seemed sudden. That's coming up later.
Until Next Time!