Chapter 12: Heart And Soul

Now I see what one embrace can do
Look at me, it's got me loving you madly
That little kiss you stole
Held all my heart and soul

In the Metaverse the crowd was no less angry, but they were more organized. Some of the soldiers were climbing over others, trying to get up to the park employee, whose own Shadow cringed back as far as it could.

"This seems straightforward enough," said Goro. "If we destroy these things, the crowd will disperse. Correct, Jose?"

Jose shook his head like a sheepdog shaking off water. "No, no, no. You can't attack them directly. Use this."

He shoved an object into Goro's hands.

Goro turned the object over bemusedly. "This is a View-Master."

Jose nodded earnestly. "Look through it."

Goro raised the toy to his eyes, not sure what to expect. He'd had a secondhand View-Master as a child, complete with some old sets of 3-D reels to look at: landscapes from around the world, ocean life, dinosaurs. It was one of his favorite toys; it made the dirty, crappy apartment he lived in disappear for a short time, replaced with exotic locales and fascinating creatures. He hadn't thought about that in years.

When he looked through Jose's View-Master, instead of seeing still 3-D scenes, he saw the mob scene before him. But something was different. Most of the mob looked insubstantial, like ghosts or afterimages. But one person was solid and clear as day. It was a man wearing a hoodie, sunglasses and a ball cap. Whereas everyone else in the crowd was shouting, jostling, milling around, hoodie guy seemed perfectly calm. He was even texting.

Texting, thought Goro. The pieces snapped into place. This had to be the person inciting the crowd. Who the hell wears a sweatshirt on a hot summer day, anyway?

Lowering the View-Master, Goro found it much harder to pick out the man. Without it, he looked just like all the other Shadows.

"There," said Goro, pointing. "There's the guy we're after."

"After?" said Ann and Ryuji, lost.

"The one who's causing all this. If we can take that one down, all this will end."

"Wait," said Shiho. "What about that poor park employee? We have to help him if we can!"

There was no time to argue. Goro said, "Alright. Takamaki, take Suzui and go help him. Sakamoto and I will deal with the leader."

"Are you out of your mind?" Ann shouted. "Shiho doesn't have a Persona! She can't be involved in this!"

"She's here, so she must have potential. We have to move fast or none of this will matter, Takamaki," Goro argued.

"I want to help," Shiho insisted.

"No," said Ann firmly. "It's way too dangerous. Shiho, this is serious. You could die."

Goro said, "Suzui, she's right. This isn't going to get any safer. But it's not her choice, it's yours. What's it going to be?"

Shiho looked pale, and frightened, and confused. She looked again at the crowd howling for the park employee's blood. More were climbing slowly up the platform towards him, while he tried ineffectually to knock them back down.

"I'll go," said Ann quickly. "Shiho, stay here." She pushed her way through the crowd, lashing people out of her way left and right.

"Please, I'll do anything!" Shiho cried, turning back to Goro. "What should I do?"

He took her hand, hoping he knew what he was doing. Just touching her was like an electric spark. As he focused, stimulating her will like he had done to so many unsuspecting people before, he found he could feel when it was enough. A little more and she'd be out of her mind like the Shadows he'd made psychotic before.

He let go of her hand. A mask had appeared over her eyes.

"You've finally accepted yourself the way you are," boomed a female voice, seeming to come from everywhere. "The power has always been yours. Now, what will you do with it?"

"I'll...I'll make sure nobody goes through what I did," said Shiho, straining to get the words out. Then she reached up and ripped the mask off her face. "Help me, Vishpala!"

Instantly, a woman on horseback appeared and held out her hand. Shiho took it and the woman hoisted her up onto the horse. Goro barely had time to register Shiho's new outfit and Vishpala's metal leg before the horse took off, plowing through the crowd of Shadows and dissipating them like wisps of smoke.

Next to him, Ryuji was staring open-mouthed. "Damn. Welp, let's get the bastard who's running this shitshow. Uh, where'd you say he was?"

Normally, when Ann made bad choices, it took her a while to realize it. This time, when she'd chosen to plunge alone into an angry mob of Shadows, she already knew it was a bad idea. She'd just been hoping that her original estimate was pessimistic and she could skate through regardless. After all, she was plenty powerful all by herself - she didn't need a whole team to deal with what Futaba called "trash mobs."

The problem was that these trash mobs were unlike the ones they'd faced before. Somehow, the more Shadows she beat down, the more appeared. It was like The Sorcerer's Apprentice, with Mickey and the endless broomsticks. It was dawning on her that if she couldn't whittle down the number somehow, she'd be trapped, unable to escape. If that happened, then the Shadows could do whatever they wanted with her.

Ann's eyes widened and her pulse quickened to dangerous levels. She couldn't do this, not alone. She'd protected the park employee for the moment, but how many more moments did she have before the Shadows overran her and killed them both? If the boys couldn't beat the leader like now, she and the employee and Shiho would all be dead. Now she was fighting two battles: the Shadows and her own panic.

Just as she was about to tip over into full hysteria, a giant glowing horse ripped through the crowd of Shadows and they started vanishing by the dozen.

"Shiho," said Ann softly, looking up at her friend sitting regally atop the horse. She couldn't help but be awed by the sight. She'd gotten so used to seeing Shiho damaged, Shiho exhausted, Shiho barely hanging on. She looked like a new person now.

Ann smiled. This was what was in Shiho's soul. It was beautiful.

Shiho looked down at her and smiled back.

Ann had a sudden inspiration. Grinning, she dove into the fray again.

"Knock it off, you moron!" Goro yelled.

"You got a better idea?" Ryuji yelled back.

"Stop attacking the little ones. Can't you tell you're just making more of them? Follow my lead and focus!"

Goro summoned Hereward and attacked with Laevateinn. It took a lot out of him, but it was usually worth it to end the battle sooner (not to mention it was just plain fun to unleash his full power). Unfortunately, the boss had a lot more stamina than the minions. And without a dedicated navigator, they'd have trouble figuring out what types of attacks to use on it.

Beside him, Ryuji summoned William and used God's Hand. Still the Shadow hadn't even broken a sweat. It cast Maragidyne, sapping a huge amount of Ryuji and Goro's remaining strength.

"Forget physical attacks - without a healer, we're just running down our batteries," said Goro. "Use spiritual attacks for now."

"And then what?" Ryuji demanded, dodging an attack. He had a point. He was a physical fighter and didn't have a big pool of SP to begin with.

Goro didn't have an answer. He was swamped with the lesser Shadows he'd just said to ignore. He thought fast, slashing through the Shadows with his sword. They couldn't eliminate the smaller Shadows entirely, and attacking them only made them more numerous. Yet they also couldn't focus entirely on the big one with the smaller ones swarming them.

"Hey boys, need a hand?"

Ann and Shiho joined them, Shiho's horse-Persona carrying the park employee on its back. The cavalry had literally arrived.

"How did you get rid of the Shadows?" Goro demanded.

"I dunno," said Ann. "I just threw all the items I had in my pockets at them."

Goro swiveled his head and saw a huge number of Shadows running around confused, or moaning in despair, or asleep. Whatever she'd been saving up, it must have been potent. And she didn't kill them, just disabled them. Clever.

"That outfit has pockets?" said Ryuji, wrinkling his brow. "Where?"

"Shut up, Sakamoto," Goro snapped. "Suzui, Takamaki, help us with this thing."

Goro demonstrated which one of the identical soldiers to focus on, then took a moment to observe and collect his thoughts. His concentration was broken when the boss Shadow cast Brain Jack and he was temporarily brainwashed, but it didn't last long; he surmised that Suzui had countered with Energy Shower. He wasn't sure if she knew innately to use that ability, or if Ann or Ryuji had told her, but it worked.

Ideas streaked through Goro's mind like lightning. He lifted a hand to his chin. Beside him, Ryuji took a Miracle Punch to the face.

"You gonna do something or what?" said Ryuji, annoyed. "We're getting killed out here!"

Eyes still a little glazed from being pulled out of his thoughts, Goro called out, "Energy Shower the Shadows, Suzui."

"What?" said Ann and Ryuji.

"Do it!"

Vishpala's power flooded through Suzui. She did her best to direct it out towards the Shadows.

All around them, the soldier Shadows slowly stopped moving, took off their masks, and dissipated into smoke. More crowded in from the fringes, but at least there weren't any new ones. For the first time, it felt like the battle was winnable.

Goro directed Suzui to keep up the Energy Shower and Takamaki to heal, while he and Sakamoto pounded the boss with everything they had.

As his minions vanished before him, the leader seemed to grasp how the battle was going. He turned his attention on Shiho, hitting her with a desperate attack that nearly knocked them both out.

Ann ran to her friend's side, eyes blazing.

"Panther," said Goro. "Allow me."

She nodded fiercely. "Get 'em, Crow."

Goro took out the leader with a coup de grâce that scattered pieces of Shadow all over a five-foot radius. As soon as the leader was gone, all the remaining minions melted back into the scenery, as if they'd never been there.

When the soldier costume was gone, all that was left standing was a regular guy in a hoodie. It was much like the Mementos missions the Phantom Thieves went on.

"Who sent you?" said Goro calmly.

The man shuffled uncomfortably. "No one sent me, dude. I figured it all out myself."

"Figured what out?"

"The clues. I broke their code." The man smirked.

"You stirred up an angry mob and nearly killed someone!" said Ann, outraged.

For just a moment, the man looked abashed. "I wasn't trying to do that. Things got out of hand…" Then he shook his head. "Look, you don't get what we're up against. A crime ring made up of elites. They use symbols for everything they do so they can communicate in plain sight. The real meaning is kept sub rosa. That means under the rose -"

"I know what it means. And I know what a symbol is," Goro snapped. He took a calming breath. "If I wanted to know more, where would I go?"

"Myo-dot-jo," said the man. "Seek the light of truth."

Then he vanished.

Goro nodded. "As I suspected. That's why Energy Shower worked so well on them."

"What? Why?" said Shiho.

"Simple. They're brainwashed. You deprogrammed them."

"Whoa," said Ann, awed.

Shiho's eyes were huge as she looked Ann up and down. Then she turned and did the same to Goro, then Ryuji.

"The outfit. I know, I know," said Ann with a sigh. "Yours looks great, by the way."

Shiho's subconscious had chosen a white suit for her rebellious spirit. At first glance, it looked similar to Feather Crane's white outfit on Phoenix Featherman R. On closer examination, it was a two-piece track suit with racing stripes. It was fitted, but not revealing like Ann's. The stripes were accompanied by a row of short but sharp-looking spikes on the arms and legs. The back of the jacket was also covered in the same pointy studs.

Ann and Ryuji started arguing about what her code name should be.

"She doesn't need a code name. I don't need a team," said Goro. "You all just go back to your regular lives. You don't have to worry about this."

"Psh, stop pretending you're some kinda cool lone-wolf type," Ryuji scoffed. "You woulda got stomped if it wasn't for us."

"After everything we've been through together, do you really think we'd leave you to fight all these things alone?" said Ann.

Flustered, Goro mumbled something unintelligible. He really had thought that. But once again these insufferable do-gooders were insisting on butting in; he supposed he should stop being surprised.

"I need a code name?" said Shiho.

Goro sighed in resignation. "If you wish to continue here. With...us. I guess."

"The code name is for safety," said Ann. "Mine's Panther."

"I'm Skull," said Ryuji, adding a little air guitar flourish.

"And I'm Crow," said Goro.

"Your outfit is white and sparkly. How about...Swan? Or Diamond?" said Ann. "Ooh, or Crème?"

"Stop thinking with your stomach," Ryuji said. "It's gotta be something cool but feminine, like...Chardonnay or Angel."

Goro and Ann immediately started making fun of him, but a slow smile spread across Shiho's face.

"Everyone, I've got it," said Shiho, raising her voice to be heard about their bickering. They all quieted and looked at her expectantly.

"Spike," she said firmly.

It turned out that they all had the familiar Metaverse Navigator apps on their phones once more. Goro exited, bringing them all back to the real world. There was still a crowd milling around in confusion, but at least the violence was over. Goro's eyes flicked around the scene, looking for the man in the hoodie, but he had already slipped away.

Police had arrived and were beginning to take charge of the situation. It looked like they were asking questions rather than using force, which was a good sign. Things could have been much, much worse.

The park employee was being taken away by paramedics.

"Did we do it? Is he safe?" asked Shiho, voice hoarse with fatigue.

"It looks like it," said Ann encouragingly.

Goro had the opposite thought, but he didn't say anything. The employee wasn't dead, but he still might have had a mental shutdown. He made a mental note to check the news later.

Meanwhile, Shiho desperately needed rest. Ann made arrangements to take her home and Ryuji took off on his own, leaving Goro alone.

He took a moment to think, trying to organize his experiences into something useful. The first thing he needed to decide was whether he really wanted anyone besides Ren on his team. Everything else would flow from that choice, but he found it hard to pin down his own thoughts. Instead of going home, Goro decided to hang out at Jazz Jin for a while. Maybe the music would clear his mind. It had worked before.

Heading down the stairs into Jazz Jin was like dipping into a refreshing pool on a hot day. He found his usual seat, ordered a drink, and felt instantly at home.

There were times when he was so focused on something that he had to force himself to stop thinking about it, to get some necessary distance. So he pushed away all thoughts of Ren, Sae, Suzui, Myojo, soldiers and conspiracies, closed his eyes, and listened to the music.

The next thing he knew, he was pitching headfirst into something unidentifiable. He couldn't see anything, but something rustled around him as he flailed his limbs: hollow plastic balls.

"What the hell?" he sputtered, batting the little balls away and hoisting himself out of the pit.

"Good job," said Jose, watching.

"Let me stop you right there," said Goro. "'Good job' is not a greeting. Say 'hello'."

"Oh. Hello. What should I say when I want to convey that your performance was satisfactory?"

Goro narrowed his eyes. "Um. Good job will do for that. What do you mean by 'my performance'?"

"You did well with the Shadows. I'm glad you were able to use the tool I gave you," said Jose. "It was lucky your friends were there to help!"

Instead of answering, Goro sighed heavily and looked around the room. Everything was blue. Aside from the ball pit, there was a Ski-Ball table, a set of laser tag armor complete with laser guns, one of those inflatable clowns that bobbed back up when you punched it, and a number of other toys and games. It was like a monochromatic Chuck E Cheese.

"Is this...my Velvet Room?" asked Goro. "Why is it full of toys?"

"Only you can explain that," said Jose. "The decor springs from your heart, after all."

"Why would I want all this childish crap?" Goro said, kicking at it irritably. "Same reason my attendant is a little kid?"

Jose shook his head earnestly. "No. I'm just a substitute. Normally Lavenza would be taking care of you, but she's needed elsewhere. Our Master, Igor, is away too." The worried look crossed his face again.

"That's fine. I'll figure things out on my own."

Jose nodded, but didn't look any happier.

Goro wandered around the room, taking a look at all the items. "Jose, about those friends you mentioned…."

Jose perked up and nodded brightly.

"I'm not really a 'friends' person. Not a team player. Do you understand? I prefer to work alone."

"Oh no," said Jose. "That's not how it works. You're supposed to create bonds."

Goro crossed his arms. "What if I don't want to?"

Jose abruptly turned and dove head-first into his little toy car, digging around and tossing out cards, drinks, and other random items. He came up with a book almost as big as he was, which he opened and showed to Goro. Many of the pages were black, but several sections were readable.

"Your predecessors had the power to absorb and fuse together any number of Personas. Yaldabaoth gave you a somewhat different gift. The ability to open others' hearts. Or destroy them."

"I already know that," said Goro, wondering if Ren's attendant had been this useless.

Jose frowned. "Maybe it will help to look at the Compendium. Let's start with Justice."

He flipped to one of the readable sections and Goro looked through the entries. Each had an illustration and description of some creature. The Justice section was filled with angels, but he also found Robin Hood and Loki there.

"These are...mine?" he asked.

"That's right! Your arcana is Justice. Most people can only use one Persona, but you're a wild card. You can use any Justice Persona you want."

"The Phantom Thieves said something similar to me once. They thought I should be able to use more than two Personas," said Goro, thinking back on his fight with them in Shido's palace. "What about Ren, what's his arcana? I thought he used any and all."

"That's right. Most wild cards aren't limited to a single arcana. It took my master for-ee-eee-e-ver to figure out how you're different." Jose flipped to another section of the book. "Now look at this. The Empress."

Goro looked through the pages. Astarte, Yaksini, Hariti, Titania, Kali. Queens and mothers. Very different from the male angels of the Justice arcana. "This chapter is also visible," he observed. "Does that mean I can use these, too?"

"Maybe!" said Jose, waving his arms in excitement. "That's what we think! You wanna try?"

"How many Personas can I summon at one time?"

"Five to start."

Goro reflected, but it didn't take him long to grasp what an incredible power this would be, if it worked as Jose suspected. Ren's ability to swap Personas on the fly made him nearly unstoppable. Even without his friends. A smug grin spread across Goro's face. If I can do what he does, there's no need for anybody else. Perfect!

"Let's try it," he said to Jose. He was tempted to start with Kali, the goddess of destruction, but settled on Hariti, a Persona with healing and refreshing abilities. Healing was missing from his current repertoire.

Jose nodded happily and recited an incantation. Hariti appeared, a woman with horns swathed in silk and carrying an infant.

"I am Hariti. I shall become a mask of affection to guard you, like a mother watching over her weak child…"

Goro started to tell her he could do without the condescension, but before he could complete the thought, Hariti's essence filled him with a pleasant, protective feeling. He patted Jose on the head absently.

"See?" said Jose, smiling. "Look, you can summon not only Empress and Justice, but also Lovers, Strength, and Star!"

"Just those? What about the other arcana? Do I need to do some kind of feat of strength or test of intelligence?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you. These represent your bonds. Empress - Sae Niijima. Lovers - Ren Amamiya. Strength - Lala Escargot. Star - Shiho Suzui. You opened all their hearts and now they're lending you their strength."

"Are you telling me," said Goro through his teeth, "That the only way. To fully exploit my power. Is to make friends."

"You got it!" said Jose, bouncing on his feet.

"What Very Special Episode hell is this?" Goro grumbled.

"It's what your predecessors did," said Jose matter-of-factly. "You don't really have to, I guess, but you'll never be as powerful as them if you don't."

Dammit. That was a direct hit straight to the pride. Goro couldn't be the worst Velvet Room guest. He just couldn't let that happen, no matter what.

"Fine. I'm in. Keep me updated on the status of that book."

"It's a deal," said Jose, holding out his hand.

Goro shook it. He felt something he could only describe as a spiritual tremor, like someone had dropped a rock into the pond of his soul and ripples were spreading out from the impact. He felt somewhat shaken, but not in an entirely bad way.

"Oh!" said Jose suddenly. He snapped his fingers and a door appeared. "You can go home if you want."

Goro did want. He stepped through the door and found himself back in Jazz Jin.

The lights were on and Muhen was tallying receipts with the bartender.

Oh my God. He'd slept through closing time. A furious blush rose on his cheeks as he considered whether he could get to the door without Muhen noticing.

"Akechi-kun," said Muhen, getting up from the bar. Too late.

This situation was so embarrassing Goro had no words. "I...um...guess I fell asleep," he mumbled. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"You looked like you needed the rest," said Muhen, eyeing him. "Listen, you take care of yourself, alright? I've got enough to worry about."

Goro nodded and scurried off into the night, hoping he could still catch a train.