Chapter 50
June 25, 2011
Disclaimer: The Persona series is owned by Atlus and its parent company which is currently Sega. JustCharles owns Reiko Setsuka, but I do own any OCs that I will be using including Dylan, Stephen and Roz. Anything else that I reference is the property of their respective authors.
Marukyu Striptease, Mayonaka
The group stared down at Shadow Teddie with trepidation.
"So, what do we do now? Wait for the sweet embrace of death?" Dylan asked.
Yukiko tried to steady herself. "Probably. I'd really rather survive this ordeal if it's all the same to you."
There was a loud noise as some steel supports got dislodged and fell to the ground because of the vacuum exerted by Shadow Teddie
"That's way too close!" Kanji winced.
Stephen held Rise so she wouldn't get hurt. "We need to find a way to get out of this."
"Scanning that thing would help." Yu suggested.
Rise nodded. "Sure thing. I just want to be sure that Himiko doesn't get dragged in."
"Gotcha! PERSONA, Ho-Musubi!" Stephen summoned Ho-Musubi whilst Rise summoned Himiko.
Himiko turned to face Rise. "What is it that you request of me?"
"I need you to scan Teddie's Shadow!" Rise requested.
Stephen nodded. "Hey, Ho-Musubi, make sure that Himiko doesn't get dragged into that vacuum thing!"
"Yes." Ho-Musubi wrapped an arm around Himiko and acted as a support.
Rise scanned the Shadow and shook her head. "Damn! I can't see anything with this fog!"
"Yosuke, Roz use Jiraiya and Reiko to blow away some of the fog!" Yu exclaimed.
Yosuke and Roz understood. "Yeah! MAGARULA!"
"Don't think that's worked. Yukiko, Stephen, see if fire will help." Yu suggested.
"AGILAO!" Konohana-Sakuya and Ho-Musubi each launched fire attacks that cleared away some of the fog.
Yosuke leaned in. "Hey! I see something!"
"What is it?" Yu asked.
Rise tried to see it. "I don't know! There's still too much fog!"
"I'll just have to send Gouto-Douji in there." Dylan sighed.
Yu's eyes widened. "Are you sure? What's stopping Personas from being pulled in?"
"Yeah, yeah. Hey, Gouto-Douji, or Raidou as I should say, want to show that thing what for?" Dylan wondered.
Gouto-Douji observed the Shadow. "It would be my pleasure."
"Wait, there might not be anything there." Rise cautioned.
Dylan shrugged. "Yeah, well it's better than sitting around."
"Are you sure? It seems like an awful risk to take." Yu disapproved of the plan.
Dylan shook his head. "So what? I do the impossible and that makes me mighty!"
"I don't like the sound of that." Roz sounded nervous.
Gouto-Douji made his way towards the Shadow, but Shadow Teddie anticipated this. "You seem to have fallen into my trap! Well, I shall make your master's death quick and painless!"
"Thank you for your concern, but there is no need. I doubt that you can keep this fog up and fight me while keeping Kuma-san prisoner. Multitasking must not be your strong suit." Gouto-Douji quickened his steps and unsheathed his nodachi.
Shadow Teddie laughed. "Then death shall come for you AND for Blake!"
"Not if I can help it! I made an oath on my honour to protect him." Gouto-Douji readied himself for Shadow Teddie's next move.
Shadow Teddie continued laughing. "You cannot protect him from death! You cannot protect him and all those who are precious to him forever!"
"I am a warrior, foul recreant and it is my duty to protect those who need it. Dylan is no different." Gouto-Douji stepped into Shadow Teddie's eye.
There was nothing but fog as far as the eye could see. The cat-masked warrior fired off a Zio attack before slashing at the Shadow.
Shadow Teddie growled. "You cannot prevent the truth!"
"I do not deal in absolutes." Gouto-Douji's voice was colder than ice.
Shadow Teddie began to laugh again, the sound resembling the demolition of a condemned building. "Death awaits all life, even one such as yourself, Raidou Kuzunoha the 1st. You have evaded your death for too long!"
"A cat has nine lives, as they say." Gouto-Douji remained calm.
Shadow Teddie was amused by this display of defiance. "I hope you don't mind me ending them if that's the case."
"As if you could. I will protect my master until my final breath, and I will protect the woman he loves. You really don't know what you're dealing with do you?" Gouto-Douji retorted.
Shadow Teddie was incredulous. "The founding member of the Kuzunoha family? A seeker of truth? HAH! You are nothing!"
"The pot is calling the kettle black." Gouto-Douji sneered behind his mask.
Deeper Inside Shadow Teddie
Teddie was trying to figure out what the hell was going on seeing as he was surrounded by a dense fog.
"Where am I?" He wondered.
Teddie could see his Shadow, and he could also see a man wearing a suit complete with a pair of spectacles perched on his nose. The man wearing the spectacles seemed familiar, but Teddie didn't know why.
Shadow Teddie noticed them. "This is where you meet your end!"
"I don't think your foul tricks would stop me." The spectacled man exuded an air of calm defiance.
Teddie was starting to get pulled into the darkness. "HEY! Get me out of here!"
"You're nothing! You're both all that's left of a man of greatness. Tragic…" Shadow Teddie laughed in a hollow, mirthless fashion.
The spectacled man took offense to that. "I am Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States of America, at least I was in a former life! You are little more than a foul shade."
"Speak for yourself." Shadow Teddie sneered.
Teddie struggled against the darkness. "You can't tell me what I am! And I'll find out the answers myself!"
"You won't be able to find anything then." Shadow Teddie's sneer was replaced with a mirthless smile.
Teddie and the spectacled man shook their heads. "Well, we'll keep looking!"
Shadow Teddie stared at them in consternation.
"You know what, I might only be a useless bear and part of someone's memories or something but I'd rather be that than leave my friends behind!" Teddie exclaimed.
The spectacled man smiled. "I couldn't have put it better myself. Well, you'll just have to find your own truth now. Farwell."
"THIS IS MADNESS! You won't find anything! All that you'll be left with is SUFFERING! It's incomprehensible!" Shadow Teddie was incandescent with rage.
Gouto-Douji had managed to find Teddie. "Let's get you out of here! We don't have long before the vacuum takes the rest. Can you make it out by yourself?"
"You might have to carry me." Teddie looked down.
Gouto-Douji hoisted Teddie up with his left arm. "No problem."
Outside Shadow Teddie
Gouto-Douji and Teddie had emerged just as the vacuum was getting worse. The team was on the verge of being pulled into the vacuum before they'd showed up.
"Hey, I see them!" Dylan looked out over where he was standing.
Rise nodded. "I found something! The weak point of that thing is right below his chest!"
"Fantastic. IZANAGI!" Yu called forth Izanagi.
Izanagi drove his spear into the spot that Himiko had indicated, and the vacuum effect had soon ceased.
Kanji blinked. "So, that's it?"
"I hope so." Yukiko was relieved.
The large Shadow Teddie disappeared and was replaced by a spectral figure wearing spectacles. Plus, his Shadow had reverted back to its original form.
Teddie looked at the figure and smiled. "I finally found who I am!"
"I knew you could do it buddy!" Stephen hugged Teddie tightly.
Yosuke chuckled. "Yeah, you're part of the team. And, wait, you're Theodore Roosevelt?"
"I am. I didn't like being called "Teddy" because my first wife called me that before she died. That's then and this is now, I suppose. Speaking of which, what year is this?" Teddie asked, his memory coming back to him.
Dylan laughed. "It's 2011."
Teddie noticed his Shadow turning blue and the spectacled man, his other self or his former self disappearing into blue light.
The strength of heart to face oneself has been made manifest… Teddie has faced his other self… He has obtained the façade to overcome life's hardships….
Shadow Teddie and the spectacled man had somehow fused into a different shape. The new being was spherical in shape with a valve wheel as a naval and was coloured red with golden circles, calling to mind a more rotund version of the Iron Man suit. He had retractable arms and legs as well, and was holding a US Tomahawk missile. And, he had a blue cape.
"So that's my Persona." Teddie remarked with a newfound wisdom.
Kintoki-Douji disappeared into Teddie.
Teddie unzipped the upper half of his costume and took it off, revealing a blonde haired teenager in a suit.
Dylan tilted his head in order to inspect Teddie. "Wait, so you were in that suit the entire time? Or, did that just happen now?"
"I couldn't have appeared inside the suit before." Teddie deadpanned.
The team dismissed their Personas and moved to leave the room, only to see the SEES team standing in front of them.
Minato folded his arms and surveyed the Investigation Team. "You've got some explaining to do."
"Rise had disappeared and we were rescuing her." Yu said.
Mina spoke up. "Explain how you know exactly when the next victim disappears."
"The guy's a psychic." Dylan interjected.
Aigis focused her gaze on the blonde. "He's probably telling the truth, Minato."
"We can't be too careful though. Especially after everything that happened the last time." Mitsuru sighed.
Aki agreed. "Well, yeah. The team split up last time, and we only JUST reunited."
"They're good guys." Shinji remarked.
Ken voiced his agreement. "They wouldn't be here if they weren't trying to help."
"Exactly. It's not as if they're doing anything wrong either." Junpei mused.
Yukari nodded. "Yeah! We were doing the same thing."
"So, it'd be hypocritical to condemn them without proof." Fuuka responded.
Mina nodded. "Uh, sorry about that. Just keep investigating stuff."
"We'll have to tell Calloway about this." Chase groaned.
Minato was slightly confused. "Because?"
"He'll want to know why we trust them." Chase replied.
With this point made clear, the SEES team left, leaving the Investigation Team to make their own way out. Stephen had agreed to escort Rise home, as a gentleman would.
