Chapter 25 is here. But before we get to that, I'm going to address the recent reviews as well.
Thank you dario! It be interesting to see Junpei seeing the reaction about both Master & Crazy Hand. Yeah it definitely would have been fun to think about. I'm sure the SEES members will eventually see Master Hand & Crazy Hand.
Addressing That Guy, what are my most and least favorite pairings for Minato and Yu? Well I think it's safe to say what my favorite pairing with Minato is with, considering this story so far. But to be honest, I really don't want to divulge my rankings otherwise at the current moment. I made sure not to really show Yu paired with any of the Investigation Team girls, for a reason, in the previous two chapters. Sorry man. However I will say, the Investigation Team will definitely play a role in the future again. I definitely have ideas planned for them for future chapters (not this one though), and they will definitely show up again at some point. They'll both be playing comic relief roles (for the most part) and to a certain extent, serious roles as well. I hope you continue reading and enjoying the story.
cooking samurai brought up some very good points. Yes Elizabeth will definitely learn some awkward information eventually so that will be very interesting when we get to that point. Also the point you make about Rei and Zen is also a very good point. Minato will eventually address this as I do plan that to be done eventually (though right now I have other planned chapters in mind I need to get out of the way). Fighting fate and accepting fate. Rei and Zen would definitely join if they were offered such a choice, considering their circumstances.
From Cgstryker, yes. Minato will be facing off against both Master Hand and Crazy Hand (I'm pretty sure someone like Minato is intense enough to handle them both). The SEES members still don't technically know about Crazy Hand yet, to keep in mind. For resurrecting other deceased characters... I could. I'll consider it. Those secret characters are not Crazy Hand and Master Core. Though I will say that considering this is based of Smash 4... well I'll it leave at that. Those two characters I referred to were Persona related characters you did not mention (though more Smash Bros characters are definitely getting involved at some point as well). Minato has definitely been doing Master Orders. It's just that Master Hand is the one picking his orders for him.
Well like before as always, if you want to comment on anything, don't be afraid to do so. Otherwise I hope you're enjoying the story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
They all rode the elevator up to the chairmen's office, as they had something they wished to speak about with Minato. Silence filled the air as no one said anything. They soon arrived at the chairmen's office, as all eight of them took their seats. Minato stepped forward from the rest of SEES, as they all stood to face the eight chairmen. The glass windows in the room, only seemed to be pattered by rain, as thunder still growled and lightning still flashed. The eight chairmen all cleared their throats, as one of them began to speak.
"Mr. Arisato... as you are aware, The Master has given you an opportunity to win your choice to be in this competition or not," Crimson the red chairman stated. "If you choose to fight him at December 30th, later this year, here are the following things you will need to be aware of,"
"First off... the arena where you will be facing off against The Master, is a special location known as Final Destination. No items will appear at all, you only will be permitted one stock in this match, and you are alone as you will not be teamed up with anyone," Azure the blue chairman stated calmly.
"Also The Master has requested that Ms. Yamagishi not be present for this fight. No advice or support this time Mr. Arisato," Jade the green chairman, said with a smirk, as Minato and Fuuka both frowned by what they just heard. "This is going to be a purely solo fight for Mr. Arisato. He will have no teammates in any form for this fight,"
"Otherwise I believe that about covers it. Also like The Master said, you can still choose to voluntarily join our fighting competition anytime, prior to that fight with him, if you choose to do so," Fuschia the purple chairman, said with an arrogant smirk. "It be unwise to challenge such a powerful being, don't you think?"
"I'm not afraid to face off against The Master," Minato said simply, as his brazen confidence slightly surprised some of the chairmen. "I have done everything so far to not be forced into this fighting competition, and I'm not about to give up now,"
"Such confidence from someone who ended up kicking the bucket so early in his life, don't you think?" Ash the gray chairman taunted. Some of the other SEES members grimaced in anger or disgust with what they just heard. "I mean who's to say you can really handle fighting The Master?"
"If you chairmen really think you can deter me from fighting The Master, you have no idea who you're dealing with," Minato said calmly. "I'm going to fight him, simple as that,"
"Fine. I hope to see The Master beat you silly then!" Sunset taunted as the orange chairmen wore a big confident smirk. "You're really going to regret this Mr. Arisato. Oh well. It'll be fun for me and my brothers to watch. Maybe we should ask the The Master to broadcast the event everywhere?"
"He's not going to lose," Fuuka said quietly, as the eight chairmen faced her. "Minato... he won't lose to him. If anyone can defeat The Master, it's Minato,"
"What positive confidence from the shy timid girlfriend of his?" Golden stated, as the attention turned to the yellow chairman. "Just because he beat something like Nyx, doesn't mean he can beat The Master with the same positive results,"
"Yeah. The Master makes everything and everyone else, pale in comparison. Nyx is mere child's play compared to The Master," Sky added, as the cyan chairman yawned. "The Master will swat down Mr. Arisato like a bothersome fly with no problem. Then again... considering how rebellious you are to The Master's demands... you might as well be a bothersome fly in his eyes,"
With that comment, all eight chairmen brothers laughed at that remark, while the members of SEES looked annoyed from hearing that. Minato rolled his eyes, as he could tell, that these eight chairmen still hated his guts at the moment.
"Is that all? If so, we'll be leaving," Minato asked. The eight chairmen all calmed down, as Crimson decided to answer the teenager.
"No. From this point as well... starting at this moment... The Master and all of us, are granting you full access to learn about all the fighters, items, and arenas in this competition. Learn and socialize to your heart's content," Crimson said. The members of SEES looked surprised from what they heard. "No point in limiting you at this point since you have nothing else really to do, till your showdown with The Master on December 30th, later this year,"
"Thanks. I'll appreciate that I suppose. Well I think it's time for me and my friends to excuse ourselves," Minato replied as he and the other members of SEES began to walk away, as they didn't want to stay in this office anymore. However before they could all leave, they heard one of the chairman say something that caught their attention.
"Of course. But we request an audience with Ms. Yamagishi alone," Azure stated calmly. They all turned around and looked confused. Fuuka in particular had a baffled expression on her face, while Minato immediately looked concerned.
"You want to talk to me... alone?" Fuuka said, in a quiet voice. The chairman all nodded, as she turned to face the other members of SEES. They all looked uneasy, as they weren't sure if this was the best course of action. Minato especially looked skeptical of the chairmen, as he sure as hell did not trust them with Fuuka alone, for a lot of reasons. "What do you want to discuss with me exactly?"
"We'll discuss it, when all your companions leave the room. Including Mr. Arisato," Jade said simply, which caused Minato to really wonder what they were all going to talk about "What we're about to discuss with you, we prefer to discuss privately and without any of your companions present at the moment,"
"I see," Fuuka replied, unsure of what to think of this new development. She looked towards her friends once more, as they were unsure of the situation. "I... I think I'll be alright. I'll be fine with whatever they have to discuss with me alone. It's fine everyone,"
"Normally I agree to let you do something alone but... not with these eight jerks. Sorry Fuuka, but I have to disagree this time," Minato said. Fuuka nodded back in response as she understood where Minato was coming from (and a part of her was happy that Minato cared that much for her). Some of the chairmen frowned, some looked angry, and some look amused from what they just heard.
"Want to play hardball eh? If you guys don't leave, then we'll force you all to leave!" Sunset taunted with a confident smirk. The SEES members all stood their ground, as they agreed with Minato on what he said, and they didn't seem intimidated at the moment. "Ha. Very well then. No more playing the nice guys for us eight! I guess it's time we bring out our personal enforcers!"
Sunset snapped his fingers, as he summoned his orange silhouette keyboard that appeared on his part of the table. He quickly typed a command, and soon near him, a spot on the table opened up, and revealed an intercom microphone. He then soon spoke into it, as he said the following words.
"Mii Fighters! Report to the chairmen's office immediately!" Sunset ordered. The SEES members looked confused, as they never heard of the Mii Fighters before and wondered what Mii even meant or stood for. Soon entered the three elite Mii Fighters, as they were wearing their usual attire, and were armed as well. Two of them were also very familiar depending on the SEES member.
"You were that women on the cruise ship!" Fuuka exclaimed, as Gunner flashed a smarmy smile towards her direction. Both Minato and Fuuka recognized her, as the one who pushed Fuuka to the ground, back on the Magnificent Melee cruise ship.
"Yep. Call me Gunner. As one of the three elites, you better not mess with us!" Gunner taunted, as they all noted the arm cannon she now wore, along with her ammunition backpack.
"You're the fighter I dueled against in the swordplay competition at Wuhu Island, aren't you?" Minato questioned as it was Sword-Fighter's turn to smirk. He took out his sword, and quickly showed off some fancy fencing, that would put most blade wielders to shame.
"Yes. Call me Sword-Fighter. Each of us elites train our own class of fighters as well that's named after us, as they serve as the main security force for Smash Tower," Sword-Fighter answered. Junpei and Mitsuru also recognized him, as they fought and lost against him in the swordplay duels at Wuhu Island.
"I suppose I should introduce myself as well. Call me Brawler. We are the Mii Fighters. Mii standing for Martial Impact Industries, which is a security company, and we are the best of the best. Don't mess with our superiors or us, unless you're ready to be smashed!" Brawler said, as he pounded his fists, to emphasize his words. "As you can see, we are loyal to our superiors and at their beck and call, whenever they need us,"
"Responsive and dutiful as always," Golden said with a smile. "Now please escort everyone but Ms. Yamagishi out of this room please."
"Yes sir!" All three Mii Fighters said in unison. However the other SEES members glared at the three Mii Fighters, who only smirked back at them. They all held their Evokers and were ready to use it on themselves. The Mii Fighters just laughed, causing the SEES members to just look concerned.
"Oh please. We're not afraid of you punks. We've all fought against way worse, besides you teenagers who summon stuff by pretending to be suicidal," Gunner said with a laugh. "Just leave this room quietly. If any of you try to play with your toy guns... we're not afraid to respond back with actual lethal force,"
Before anything could happen, Sky decided to interject as he said something that caught all their attention.
"Wait a minute everyone! While I do want Ms. Yamagishi's pals out of this room, I don't want this room necessarily getting messy as well, due to you all fighting possibly! Why don't we just discuss the matter with them listening then?" Sky said. The rest of his brothers looked at him, puzzled. "What's the big deal? As long as they all shut their traps, and let us and her talk, it's not really a big deal."
"Very well then. I suppose I rather we get this out of the way with no issues whatsoever," Azure stated. "Mii Fighters... if anyone talks, unless they are called on, then show them the exit please,"
The three Mii Fighters nodded. Minato looked mad by what he heard and was about to rush over to the chairmen, but before he could do so, both Gunner and Sword-Fighter ran to his sides and pointed their respective weapons towards him, effectively stopping him in place. Brawler walked in front of him and simply held his fists, out as a warning. Fuuka looked extremely concerned, as she didn't want the other to be hurt.
"Ms. Yamagishi... you are aware of the Assist Trophy item correct? The item that will summon someone or something to the arena, if used, and have that someone or something assist or affect the fight occurring at the moment." Jade said.
"Yes. Yes I'm aware of the Assist Trophy item," Fuuka replied as she recalled the match, that involved Minato and Mitsuru facing off against Marth and Lucina. She also recalled the times she socialized with Isabelle, Starfy, and sometimes Dillon in her free time with and without Minato and the others. "But why are you bringing that up?"
"You see Ms. Yamagishi... besides new fighters, The Master always brings in other new additions to every tournament we have. New items for the fighters to interact with, new arenas for our fighters to brawl in, and so on and so forth. This also includes new Assist Trophy assistants," Golden said with a smile. "To put it simply... what The Master wants... is for you to become one of the new Assist Trophy assistants for our current fighting tournament,"
The members of SEES all stared in shock from what they just heard at the chairmen. Fuuka in particular had a surprised expression on her face. They certainly did not expect to hear this at all.
"What? You want me to... become an Assist Trophy?" Fuuka said in confusion as she was not sure how to feel about such a thing.
"Yes. The Master wants you as a Assist Trophy in his competition. Simple as that," Ash stated, as he snapped his fingers, as a contract appeared in his hands. "You sign this contract and you become an Assist Trophy."
"But... what about my own life back home?" Fuuka said, as she wondered how exactly that would work. "I still have college and a career and... my friends to help out,"
"Yes well whenever the tournament is done or inactive, those who are here can choose to go back to resuming their lives from the world they're from," Fuchsia stated. "Of course for some people like Mr. Arisato... they don't have much of a life to go back too, so hey... whatever you choose to do,"
"Consider this an opportunity not to be passed up. After all if you choose to become an Assist Trophy... you can remain here with all the new friends you've made. You can be the helpful kind girl you want to be, to others. Finally... the biggest incentive for you to also become an Assist Trophy... is the opportunity to be with Mr. Arisato, if he were to join," Azure stated calmly. Fuuka's face was now really contemplative. Fuuka however shook her head for a no, as a fast response, confusing the eight chairmen. "How odd. Explain yourself Ms. Yamagishi,"
"While all of that sounds nice... I will always follow the path that Minato walks. The path he walks, is one where he refuses to be a part of this competition," Fuuka replied.
"So are you saying the only way you ever join, is if Mr. Arisato were to be apart of this competition?" Jade said annoyed, from what he just heard. "Truly a sheep to the end huh?"
"A sheep?" Fuuka replied confused. "What do you mean by that?"
"A follower. Can't do anything but follow the orders given to you by others or must be led throughout your existence. No wonder you were bullied and mocked in your time in high school," Fuschia stated. Fuuka cringed, while Minato and the other members of SEES looked angry upon hearing that.
"That's not true. I've done a lot of things on my own time," Fuuka replied, trying to defend herself. However they all heard Sunset laugh, at what she just said, as the orange wearing chairman began to bang on the table.
"Oh man! What a good one! Like cooking right? Didn't you subject Mr. Arisato to your lousy cooking, all because you wanted to become a better lady, as cooking is considered a feminine hobby? You're just a follower of society. A lousy cook to boot as well," Sunset taunted. Fuuka however shook her head, as Sunset smirked towards her. "Looks like the little priestess has some courage today. What is it?"
"I... I learned from that experience that I don't have to do things like cooking, and can be more comfortable with who I am and my own personal interests," Fuuka said as Minato nodded. "I'm not the same person as I was years ago."
"That's funny. You look the same to me," Sky said with a yawn, as the SEES members were technically still in their physical bodies from 2009. "Since you look the same, I bet you're still a weak wimp like before still,"
Minato's face began to contort into anger, as he glared at the chairmen, while the other SEES members had frustrated expressions on their faces. Fuuka tried to keep up being brave, but she had to admit, it hurt being called such a thing.
"Basically to put it bluntly... passing up this chance to become an Assist Trophy for the current Smash Bros fighting tournament, would effectively render you... useless," Ash stated. Fuuka now flinched as that word was said. That one word that really stung her, as everyone saw her flinch from hearing that. Minato's eyes were now even more frustrated, as he began to grit his teeth in anger.
"I'm... not," Fuuka replied quietly, as her voice shook a bit. The chairmen all shook their heads as they disagreed.
"You are. Ms. Kirijo filled the role you had before you came along. They technically didn't even need you. Before you say anything about that night they rescued you... regarding those two powerful Shadows that you assisted them to defeat, I'm confident that they could have taken out those Shadows or handled the situation without you," Crimson stated while Minato really wanted to comment. "Say Mr. Arisato... you look like you want to say something. What do you have on your mind?"
"You eight have no idea what you're talking about. Fuuka was the one who helped find the remaining Arcana Shadows that appeared on every full moon. She helped us defeat the guardians inside Tartarus and the Shadows in general," Minato yelled angrily.
"Feeling feisty huh? Then again I suppose I react similarly if someone told me the harsh truth about someone I cared about," Fuchsia taunted. Minato looked ready to fight as he now gripped his Evoker even tighter, but this caused both Gunner and Sword-Fighter to draw their weapons closer to the blue haired teenager.
"Tsk tsk. Ms. Kirijo could have performed such tasks, even if her scanning abilities aren't on the same level as Ms. Yamagishi and her abilities would have been sufficient enough. Also keep in mind she's part of the Kirijo Group. A company that had made technology that could function within the Dark Hour. The previous Arcana Shadows that appeared on the Full Moons in the months of April and May in 2009, were found without Ms. Yamagishi's assistance. Isn't that right Ms. Kirijo?" Azure stated. Mitsuru looked angry as she refused to answer. "They say silence is compliance and consent,"
"Also... we are all aware that Ms. Yamagishi can't fight at all. A non combative role. Truly a waste of space as a member of SEES," Jade said with an annoyed smirk. Fuuka tried to keep her confidence up, but it was getting harder and harder to do so, as she was hearing all of this. "In life, might makes right. The winners in life are the ones who have the power to do so. You... you aren't even regarded by your own parents. I guess they must have wished you were never born,"
Fuuka really flinched, as her facial expression showed hesitation as she was silenced. Minato was so close to taking out his Evoker, as the words he heard, only continued to upset him and the others, more and more. Yukari and Junpei looked ready to fight, while Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Shinjiro looked extremely displeased, and Ken along with Aigis looked saddened. Koromaru began to growl quietly, as he bared his fangs at the chairmen.
"The truth hurts huh?" Sunset said. "I mean it's pretty damn evident within the context of this competition even. Ms. Takeba, Ms. Kirijo, Aigis, and even a child like Mr. Amada has proven to able to fight alongside Mr. Arisato. What can you do besides give advice and vocal support? Which by the way is anything that anyone else can easily also do?"
Fuuka was now staring at the floor as her head hung low. She didn't want to hear what they were saying at all. She closed her eyes, and she tried to imagine herself with Minato in a peaceful flower field. Just resting beside each other, smiling and being in peace. The silence was broken as all eight chairmen slammed their fists onto the wooden table, to get her attention.
"Trying to ignore what we're saying, won't make it any less true you useless little girl," Ash stated bluntly. Yukari angrily raised her hands as the gray chairman, allowed her to speak. "Yes Ms. Takeba?"
"If Fuuka was really useless, why would The Master even bother having her as an Assist Trophy? Why don't you actually be polite, you eight jerks!" Yukari yelled out angrily, as she wasn't going to let them get away with saying such terrible things to her. The chairmen all laughed in response, as they didn't take what Yukari said seriously.
"Please. The Master doesn't always put in something or someone in this tournament for being useful. It's always a case by case basis. For example... Starfy is a very paltry assistant, as all he does is spin weakly, and that's not even counting the fact, he can be knocked out very easily of any arena yet he is an Assist Trophy despite of that. He probably felt pity for Ms. Yamagishi and wanted to give her some worth in her life," Sunset taunted. Fuuka closed her eyes once more as she didn't want to hear this anymore.
"Denying The Master's offer is a very negative move Ms. Yamagishi. We seriously ask you to reconsider," Golden said darkly. "After all... you proved to be more of a detriment to your own team if anything,"
"What!? You better explain that bullshit you just said!" Junpei said furiously. Brawler glared at Junpei, as his fists were both balled up, but the chairmen signaled to the Mii Fighters, not to do anything.
"I'm sure you're all aware of an individual known as Takaya Sakaki," Crimson said with a smirk. All the SEES members were surprised that the deceased leader of Strega was being brought up. "During his personal plight during that year of 2009, he at some point planned to dispose of your navigator. Mr. Amada and Mr. Aragaki should recall him saying such things as he fired upon those two,"
Both Ken and Shinjiro looked angry from what they just heard. They weren't sure why they were bringing that moment up, but they sure as hell were not happy. Everyone looked very displeased. Fuuka looked like she was on the verge of tears, as she didn't want such a unhappy memory brought up.
"If Ms. Yamagishi... were to have been present among them when... Mr. Amada and Mr. Aragaki had their little... moment with Takaya, then things would have turned out very differently. After all... her life would have definitely been worth sacrificing for Mr. Aragaki's, considering her worth," Azure stated.
"Shut the hell up!" Shinjiro yelled loudly, as he and Ken looked so ready to use their Evokers. The Mii Fighters were once again signaled not to do anything, as the chairmen were curious to hear what Shinjiro had to say. "I don't think you suits remember that I was going to be kicking the bucket anyway, due to all those drugs I was taking, to suppress my Persona at the time. Fuuka's sure as hell a lot more useful, then a dumbass like myself, who should have handled things better at the time,"
"We are fully aware of that. We're just saying you still have more worth regardless. I bet you would have survived till Mr. Arisato's demise during your school's graduation in 2010," Fuchsia stated. "Before any of you say, you don't know that for sure, I have the perfect evidence to showcase otherwise,"
Fuchsia had a purple keyboard silhouette appear in front of his table. He quickly typed some commands. The lights in the room went off, which only seemed to showcase the lightning that flashed outside, and the gray skies outside. Soon a projector screen came down and a video started. It showed what appeared to be Gekkoukan High's rooftop, as a girl with reddish brown hair in a high ponytail, wearing a Gekkoukan High uniform and red eyes was seen. She was seen being held by Shinjiro as he talked to her. This scene seemed very familiar yet different as both Fuuka and Minato looked extremely surprised by what they saw. It reminded them of that painful day where they would both depart from each other.
"That girl you see... she is Mr. Arisato's counterpart in an alternate universe that parallel yours. We mentioned her a long time ago. As you can see... Mr. Aragaki is still live and well. Though that's not due to Ms. Yamagishi being sacrificed for him admittedly. But the main point is, that it shows he could have survived till that moment. It probably would have been better if Takaya managed to kill her, so Mr. Aragaki wouldn't even be needed to be revived," Crimson said. The video ended but the lights stayed off. Everyone turned to Fuuka as her eyes was closed now. She was trying really hard to not cry, as her confidence by this point was practically gone.
"Let's make this clear to you Ms. Yamagishi. You would be a useless fool if you didn't choose to become an Assist Trophy. Do you accept?" Ash stated. Fuuka turned to stare at them, and surprisingly to their surprise, she shook her head for a no, though she did so in a very sad and tired manner. "I see. Alright then. You're clearly distraught about what we said. Let's test to see if you're actually useful. Brawler... show Ms. Yamagishi one of your powerful punches!"
Everyone was extremely surprised by what they just heard. Brawler nodded, and walked up to Fuuka and grabbed her, by her teal blue turtleneck with his left gloved yellow hand, as her eyes widened. He then faced the SEES members who looked to be in shock, while Minato was now at his boiling point. Brawler then slowly raised his right arm, as he slowly readied to punch her. Minato having enough of this, ran as both Gunner and Sword-Fighter attacked the spot he was just at, barely hitting him, as his speed was enough to avoid them. He then pushed Fuuka out of the way, right before Brawler could punch. However... what Fuuka saw, just shattered her. Minato had a hard punch slam into his face, knocking him to the ground, and was now bruised heavily. Minato's lips also had some blood drip out, as he laid on the ground, grimacing in pain as he tried to smile for Fuuka.
"I... let that happen," Fuuka said with a whisper, everyone heard as she suddenly dropped down to the floor, as her eyes went blank, as her mind was starting to go a bit unstable. "That should have been me. I got you hurt like that... Minato-kun... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I am useless,"
"No you're not!" Minato yelled, as he disagreed with that entirely. Sword-Fighter ran to where he was and pointed his blade at him, while Gunner kept her gun arm raised at the remaining SEES members.
"Brawler... you still need to rough her up," Crimson said angrily as Brawler nodded. The red wearing chairman quickly looked around the room and noticed their bookshelf they had in the corner of that room. "Why don't you toss her into that bookshelf?"
Brawler immediately ran towards Fuuka and grabbed her by her turtleneck once more. Without any hesitation, he threw her hard towards a bookshelf, in a corner of the room, as she slammed into it. Books fell on top of her, as her eyes now laid close as she was knocked out, as tears streamed out. It wasn't the physical pain... it was seeing Minato hurt like that, when she could have been his shield for once, that caused her to be very distressed and her mind to begin to be in severe disorder. Everyone soon heard her body begin to breathe raggedly as SEES were extremely distraught right now, by what just happened.
"Sounds like her anemia is kicking in. You better take her to the floors that house our hospital in Smash Tower, Mr. Arisato. Wouldn't want The Master's new potential Assist Trophy going to waste," Crimson said darkly with a smirk. Minato quickly got up from the floor as he rushed over to Fuuka, as Sword-Fighter stopped wielding his sword at Minato's direction. Minato began to dig her out of the numerous books on top of her. He soon gently picked her up and saw some blood, begin to leak out of her head, as her mouth began to breathe erratically, as her body seemed to be in pain. He quickly turned to face the chairmen and screamed with all his fury, a threat no one in the room, would be forgetting anytime soon.
"I swear on my life... if Fuuka is... if Fuuka's gone because of what just happened... I'LL BRING DOWN THIS WHOLE GODDAMN TOWER ON YOU EIGHT CHAIRMEN AND YOU THREE BODYGUARDS!" Minato roared out in pure fury, as he ran out of the office with the rest of SEES following him in pursuit. The chairmen all smirked while the Mii Fighters asked if they should pursue them.
"No. Mr. Arisato needs to be taught a lesson, for denying The Master's wishes so far," Jade said darkly. "Let him reflect on this moment. Maybe this will motivate him to join sooner then when The Master inevitably thrashes him,"
Minato ran down the stairs. He couldn't wait for the elevator. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him as the rest of SEES tried their best to run after him, as he headed for the floor that held the hospital. He continued to run faster as he heard her body begin to breathe more erratically. He began to recall the past. The past when he first held Fuuka like this after the fight with the Emperor and Empress Arcana Shadows. He recalled how her body seemed so exhausted, and her face contorted in pain, as her eyes were closed. He recalled how he promised himself, he would never let this ever happen again to her. Yet here he was now, as he held Fuuka, who was in an even worse pain then before. Minato began to have tears come out of his own eyes. He wouldn't let the person most precious to him, suffer this fate. He absolutely refused.
We go back to the past briefly as we see Minato running down the streets of Tatsumi Port Island with Fuuka in his arms. He ran and ran, and didn't let his tiredness interfere. This girl he met... the one he met during his school year so far and had shared some moments with before... the one he felt at peace with, unlike anyone else he ever met. He felt so compelled to make sure everything would be fine with her. Junpei and Akihiko were right behind carrying Natsuki, while Yukari and Mitsuru ran after them all. Soon they arrived at a medical clinic he was familiar with, as it was where Akihiko was staying at prior to his recent recovery. He arrived and soon the employees inside, found a separate room for each one, as Mitsuru had some connections and influence due to the Kirijo Group's influence. Soon the five were waiting in the lobby, as they decided to wait and see if both of them would really be alright. Doctors soon entered the lobby and said the two would be free to visit. Minato said he would like to visit Fuuka alone, which the others allowed him to do, as they decided to visit Natsuki and see how she was holding up, and to discuss the current incident.
Minato entered the room that Fuuka was in. She was now wearing a teal blue hospital gown, that was over her petite body, as white blankets and sheets covered her to keep her warm, as she laid still. Minato took a seat nearby her and just found himself staring at her. He once again felt so at peace, as Fuuka's presence just seemed to exude gentleness and harmony. From outside the room, the others were now watching him as they wanted to check up on him, and were careful not to make a sound.
"Should we really be watching them like this?" Mitsuru whispered curiously, though she admired how Minato actually seemed to be caring about someone, as opposed to being apathetic.
"Come on Mitsuru. It's good to see our leader actually care about someone else for once," Akihiko whispered back, as they continued to watch. Minato then placed his right hand, very slowly and carefully on her soft teal blue hair, and began to gently caress it. He was careful not to harm her, as he went about this action, very delicately. Yukari and Junpei couldn't help but smile massively.
"Aww. The way he cares for Fuuka," Yukari whispered very quietly, impressed by Minato at the moment. "Minato and Fuuka-chan... I wonder if..."
"Yeah. I know what you mean Yuka-tan. Minato and Fuuka... I wonder if they'll become...something more," Junpei whispered, back as they continued to watch Minato gently caress Fuuka's hair. They soon decided to go back to Natsuki's room, to check up on her. Minato continued to caress Fuuka's teal blue hair. Eventually a doctor came in and informed him that he had to go as they had to check up on her. He nodded as the doctor left. He looked at Fuuka sleeping and for some reason, felt very tempted to go leave a kiss on her forehead. He shook his head as he realized that probably wouldn't be too appropriate. As he left the room, he heard Fuuka whisper very something quietly, that caught his attention.
"Minato-kun..." Fuuka whispered very quietly. Minato turned around to see Fuuka. Her eyes were still closed, but her mouth formed a very small and gentle smile. Minato felt his heart being touched very seriously. He smiled as he quietly left the room, as he eagerly awaited for her to recover, ready to see her more in the future hopefully.
We go back to the present. We see a middle aged man wearing a white lab coat, black pants, a red tie, a head mirror with a black band, a black stethoscope around his neck and brown shoes pacing about. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and a big black mustache. He was seen pacing around a hospital lobby room. He was a really famous individual known as Mario. Right now he was dressed up as a doctor, as he volunteered at Smash Tower's hospital in certain days. He sighed as nobody came in. Not that he necessarily want someone to be sick or injured but his brother Luigi wanted to play some sports with him at the sports courts today, but he had volunteered to help out in Smash Tower's hospital today. He and Luigi were suppose to be playing doubles tennis against two other fighters known as Fox and Falco, but today was one of those days, he would volunteer on. Mario was more known for wearing red and blue attire, that he would have normally worn had he hadn't volunteered today. He was considering punching out, and letting the doctors, nurses and other employees who already worked here, take over for him, till two people he had never seen before, surprised him as they entered.
"MAMA MIA!" Mario yelled out in panic and surprise, as he saw a very emotionally distressed Minato, holding Fuuka as her head still leaked blood.
"Doctor! I need her to be treated immediately!" Minato yelled out. Mario nodded as he immediately called for nurses and said for them to have a stretcher. Two nurses appeared as they held out a stretcher and rushed over to Minato. Minato carefully placed Fuuka on the stretcher, and the nurses carefully secured her on. They then rushed away with her, as Mario followed them. Minato was about to follow, till he heard the others call for him.
"Wait up Minato!" Yukari shouted, as the other SEES members finally caught up, all out of breath. Junpei looked ready to faint himself, as he began to breathe heavily. They were all out of breath and tired, except Aigis considering she didn't have organic lungs. Koromaru began to pant, as the Shiba Inu was very tired as well. "Where's Fuuka?"
Minato pointed down towards the hallway, as they saw Fuuka in the stretcher, being wheeled away to a room, with the two nurses and the mustached doctor that Minato encountered. Yukari sighed as they all remained silent. She then had an angry expression on her face.
"What those bullies did to Fuuka today... I'll never forgive them. Those chairmen and those three Mii Fighter bodyguard jerks," Yukari said angrily.
"Yeah! Just because those guys along with their boss, are in charge, doesn't mean they can act out of line like that," Junpei added.
"Today... could have went a lot better," Akihiko said with a sigh. He didn't like what just happened in that conference room at all, with the chairmen.
"As much as I would like to discuss all the new developments we have learned today... our top priority is to hope for Yamagishi's recovery," Mitsuru said in a depressed tone. "I feel extremely troubled by what those chairmen were saying about her.
"Fuuka... useless. What a bunch of crap those chairmen were saying," Shinjiro said angrily. "Those chairmen can shove those ass kissing Mii Fighter bodyguards into their-"
"I have faith Fuuka will recover. I hope she does," Aigis stated sadly, as she said her thoughts. She just realized she interrupted Shinjiro, as she signaled him to keep talking, but he just sighed, as everyone had a good idea of how he was going to end that sentence.
"Hey Minato buddy... you didn't actually mean that whole bring down the whole tower thing right?" Junpei asked. Minato however didn't respond as his eyes still looked very frustrated. "I see... umm well if you ever do such a thing, make sure you let us and everyone besides those eight chairmen and three bodyguards know way in advance,"
"Junpei..." Minato said with a sigh. "I was just... angry. I just need some silence right now," Minato replied, as he still looked extremely distraught. Junpei nodded in response, while Ken said something next.
"Fuuka-san... please get better," Ken said, as Koromaru whimpered from what he heard, as the Shiba Inu was saddened by what happened. Minato's expression dropped to one of extreme sadness and frustration. They all just sighed. They can only hope for the best at the moment. They all decided to sit in the lobby as they waited for a chance to be able to see her. They were her friends, and they certainly didn't consider her useless. Not now, not ever.
To Be Continued...
Thus Chapter 25 has come to a close. Notes as always.
1. Mario and Dr. Mario are the same person. I'm not counting them as separate entities. Same for other characters like Samus and Zero Suit Samus, and Zelda and Sheik.
2. That was my way of referencing the Female Protagonist of Persona 3 Portable (also known as Minako). In Persona 3 Portable, if you play as the Female Protagonist, you can romance certain characters, and among them is Shinjiro. If you fulfill the right conditions, Shinjiro survives his encounter against Takaya, and will come see the Female Protagonist on the rooftop of Gekkoukan as she's passing away. Like how you can do the same with Minato but with the female SEES members besides Aigis.
3. Fuuka's parents really don't care for her. Both the games and the 2nd movie kind of highlight this point.
4. Takaya wanted to take down SEES's navigator in Persona 3. It didn't end up working out due to circumstances involving Ken and Shinjiro but Shinjiro unfortunately passed away.
That's the end of this chapter. Like always, if you have anything you want to comment on, go for it. Otherwise I hope you're all enjoying the story so far. Till next chapter.