Arc 2 - Part 5
"Searching for Answers"
5/21 (Tuesday)
Evening
Kuzuryu City - Downtown
Dungeon Theme: Sleeping Dragons (Original Soundtrack)
The team still have questions that need answering. What happened to Fuyuhiko and Peko? They know that they died here in the Cognitive World, but they don't know how they died. This place is dangerous to to who are unprepared. As far as the team knows, they could've died from the Shadows that roam the area. But who knows? That's why they decided to travel back to the Cognitive World to search for clues. Not just to their deaths, but to the ones who's threatening Hope's Peak Academy itself.
The team searched throughout the city, looking at every alley in the city to search for something.
"So, what exactly are we looking for again?" Kazuichi asked.
"Yeah, I agree with Kazu-chan," Ibuki said. "We can't find something if we don't know what to look for, you know."
Kyoko let out a sigh. "We're looking for a pattern of black and white squares," she explained. "If we find one pattern, we can scan it."
Ibuki seems to be getting it. "Oh! Like a QR code!" she said. "Or a bar code! Or...some other code that uses black and white. I ran out of codes."
"Well, they look like QR codes," Hajime remarked.
In a nearby alley, Makoto and Sayaka are looking for a pattern of black and white squares. Sayaka decided to look at a wall. Unsurprisingly, she didn't find any codes there. Meanwhile, Makoto decided to search behind a garbage bin. He pulled the bin away from the wall and looked at its back. Surprisingly, he found a code there.
"Guys, I found something!" Makoto announced, summoning everyone to his position.
"What? A garbage dump?" Kazuichi asked. "Who would think to look behind there?"
Makoto shrugged. "I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student," he said. "What do you expect? Luck can cause some strange things to happen sometimes."
"That's not what I asked for," Kazuichi complained. "I'm asking what kind of maniac would think to look behind a garbage dump! Or what kind of maniac would think to place a code behind a garbage dump! Are you getting what I'm asking?"
Pretty much everyone gave Kazuichi a disapproving look, except for Kyoko.
Kyoko inspected the code closely. Just like the previous palace, the code is arranged in a pattern of black and white squares. A memory video is highly likely to be found there. She took out her E-Handbook and began scanning the code.
"Hey, Kyoko?" Kazuichi asked. "What are you doing?"
"I'm scanning this code," Kyoko answered. She didn't say anything more than that.
"So they really are QR codes!" Ibuki said in excitement. "So, what do they unlock? Some super secret website with some super secret message?"
Kazuichi pulled out his E-Handbook and attempted to go online. "No reception?" he asked. "So wait, how can we get websites from these codes if we can't connect into the internet?"
"These codes don't unlock websites," Kyoko said as she finished scanning the code. "They unlock something else. Here, take a look. We might get some clues from this."
Everyone surrounded Kyoko and looked at her E-Handbook as the memory video began playing. Well, things are getting a bit crowded with the amount of members on the team. Luckily, once the code has been scanned, the memory video is sent to everyone's E-Handbook so that they can view the memory video on their own. Everyone remained silent over the course of the video.
Kuzuryu City - Memory Video 1
The video opens to a young Fuyuhiko and Peko together on a bed. Next to both of them is an even younger Natsumi, Fuyuhiko's sister. It seemed that this memory video was from a very early time in their lives. All three of them are toddlers. A man and a woman stands above the three of them. They're presumably the parents of the trio. While Fuyuhiko and Natsumi bare some semblance to their parents, Peko looked nothing like the rest of the family.
"Listen, my young heir," Mr. Kuzuryu began. "You're next in line to lead our family clan. You're going to be the leader soon, and that means you're going to be a big target for our enemy clans. Things have gotten much more dangerous since the past several years. You need protection, son. Look at the one next to you. She's going to be your bodyguard."
The young Fuyuhiko and the young Peko turned their heads and stared at each other. Being very young, they were unintelligible. It is unclear what they were trying to say to each other.
Mr. Kuzuryu then set his eyes on Natsumi, who has fallen asleep. "Wake up, Natsumi," he said. Natsumi barely opened up her eyes. "You're going to be our backup heir, just in case something happened to your brother. Peko is going to be your bodyguard as well. Don't forget that."
Natsumi blinked a few times before falling asleep again. It seemed that she ignored her father's words, being too young to understand any of what he said.
The team was expecting the footage to continue, but instead the scene suddenly changed. Everyone was caught off guard when the scene switched.
Now, the scene was a zoo. Fuyuhiko and Peko are at the monkey exhibit. Fuyuhiko pressed his face against the fence, yelling at the monkeys.
"You wanna fight?" Fuyuhiko asked. It seemed like he was very unhappy. Judging from the piece of "dirt" on the ground behind him, it seemed that the monkeys have insulted him. "I'll tell you what! Nobody insults the Kuzuryu clan and gets away with it! Come here! I'll fight you!" Fuyuhiko then climbed the fence and into the monkey's home, fighting the monkeys.
This fight eventually turned into Fuyuhiko challenging the king of the monkeys to fight. They got into a fight instead, with the monkeys standing nearby, rooting for the monkey king. Meanwhile, Peko stood nearby, watching the fight take place. She couldn't stand standing nearby, watching her young master get into a fight on his own. So she climbed the fences and joined in the fight.
Fuyuhiko and Peko continued their fight against the monkeys. They were very close to winning the fight. They almost beat the king of the monkeys up until it could no longer fight. Unfortunately for them, before they could finish the fight, someone intervened.
"Hey! You two!" an employee shouted.
Fuyuhiko, Peko, and the rest of the monkeys stopped their fight.
"What are you two kids doing in the monkey exhibit?" the employee questioned. "Do you realize that you two are hurting the animals? This is a zoo! We have rules to keep everyone safe! Now get outta here! You're not allowed ti visit if you continue to cause trouble!"
And just like that, Fuyuhiko and Peko are forcefully pushed out of the zoo, ending their visit early.
The memory video stopped at this moment. The footage faded away to static.
Makoto cringed when he saw Fuyuhiko and Peko attack the monkeys. It's understandable why he would react that way. He used to be the head of the Animal Care club back in Black Root Middle School. The only member, in fact. As someone who cares a lot about animals, he found it difficult to watch them get hurt by humans. It's not like he's a vegetarian or a herbivore. In general, he can't stand those who harm animals.
It's not just Makoto who was shocked at the footage. Sayaka couldn't being herself to continue watching the memory video as soon as she saw Fuyuhiko and Peko getting into a fight with the monkeys. Kyoko was disgusted by their actions as well. So was Kazuichi, who was shocked to see that his friend did something so horrible. The rest of the team was pretty shocked to see the memory video go like this, but they couldn't help but watch.
As for Usami...she fainted. She was horrified at the sight of others harming animals. Since she's a rabbit in the real world...yeah.
"I can't believe that this memory video shows us that," Hajime said. "It looked...it looked so sweet at first."
"Aw, did your hearts drop when you saw them as babies?" Ibuki asked. "Who's a cutey gangster?"
"Now that I think about it, Fuyuhiko looks pretty much the same now as he was when he was a baby," Leon remarked. This got him a slap from Kazuichi. "Ow! Hey, what the hell? What was that for?"
"Don't you ever call Fuyuhiko a baby!" Kazuichi insisted. "I mean, he looks like a baby, but he doesn't like it if you call him a baby!"
"I wasn't saying that!" Leon responded.
"Quit arguing," Kyoko said. "We need to be focused for this investigation."
The temperature of the entire group cooled down a little as everyone calmed down.
Makoto walked up to Kyoko, making sure that the memory video is not playing right now. "So...what was the point of this memory video?" he asked
"You did get important information of us from our memory videos," Sayaka said, referring to herself and Makoto. "Are you sure the same thing is happening with this one?"
Kyoko put away her E-Handbook. She reached a conclusion. "It seemed that this memory video is showing us moments from their lives," she said, referring to Fuyuhiko and Peko. "It looks like these two know each other from birth. Or at least, ever since they were young. Considering how different Peko looks from the rest of her family, she's definitely adopted."
Sayaka gasped upon hearing how long Fuyuhiko and Peko knew each other. "I thought I knew Makoto for a long time," she said. "This is...they knew each other for their entire lives."
"Uh, hello?" Ibuki asked. "Kazu-chan and Ibuki have known that for a long time. One day, we learned that these two are in a relationship and that they've known each other for years, long before they came to Hope's Peak. It took them long enough."
Kyoko glared at the two upperclassmen. "...You could've told us earlier," she said.
"Sorry!" Ibuki apologized. "Ibuki doesn't know when to say that."
Kyoko sighed. "Well, we'd better continue our search for the memory videos," she said. "It's no use standing around all the time. Let's get going."
Everyone continued their search for the codes that unlock the memory videos. They got a few steps in when they realize that someone's missing.
"Wait, where's Usami?" Hajime asked.
Everyone looked around looking for their rabbit companion.
"I don't know," Kazuichi said. "She was right there a moment ago."
Suddenly, Usami appeared and flew up to the group.
"Oh, there you are, Usami!" Kazuichi said.
"That was terrifying..." Usami said. "I hope that I'll never see that again! Uh, where were we? Sorry, I passed out."
"We're looking for more memory videos," Kyoko said.
"Oh, so we're still searching?" Usami asked. "Got it! Let's go!"
Kuzuryu City - Industrial District
"I can see my house from here!" Kazuichi shouted as he looked out from a crane.
The rest of the team watched from below. They were nervous about Kazuichi, wondering if he's going to fall.
"Hey!" Leon shouted. "Can you find the code from there?"
Kazuichi looked down at his friends. "Oh, right," he said. He then paused for a moment as he continued to admire the view. "Wow, you all look tiny from here. It's funny!"
The others stared at Kazuichi with disapproving looks. It doesn't help, as Kazuichi is too high up to be able to read their faces.
"Focus, Kazu-chan!" Ibuki shouted. "We're looking for a QR code or something like that. Can you see it from there?"
Kazuichi gazed out at the roofs of the warehouses that seemed to surround him. The night sky is making it hard for him to see things. However, even when it's dark, Kazuichi spotted a pattern of light and dark squares. It looked like all the codes the team has scanned so far. That must be it.
"There!" Kazuichi shouted. He pointed towards where he found the code. "Over there! That building behind you! On the roof, there's a code there!"
The team looked at the warehouse behind them. It looks like this is the place that they need to go. Everyone approached the entrance and opened the door.
The entire warehouse is dark inside. They could only make out what seems to be crates in front of them. The air felt cold.
"So, how are we supposed to find a way to the roof?" Hajime asked.
Kyoko looked around to find a light switch. She found one right next to the entrance. It's a button. Kyoko pounded the button with a swing of her fist, and the entire warehouse gets filled in a blinding light.
"Ah!" Sayaka shrieked.
"That's bright!" Makoto exclaimed.
"Cover your eyes!" Ibuki screamed. "Cover your eyes!"
As everyone's eyes adjusted to the bright lights, they were met with a nasty surprise. It turns out that the warehouse is infested with Shadows. The Shadows turned their heads and stared at the team.
"Hwah?!" Usami gasped. "Shadows?"
The Shadows were agitated by the team's sudden appearance. They began to move up to them and attack.
"They're approaching us,' Kyoko warned. "Everyone, get ready to fight."
An all out brawl erupted in the warehouse, with the entire team engaging in fights against the Shadows. Well, almost everyone. Kazuichi isn't here to join the fight, while Makoto and Sayaka just stood by the entrance watching their friends fight without them. Oh, and Usami is also accompanying them, watching the fights as they go on.
"Phew, that took a while," Kazuichi said as he entered the warehouse. "I can't believe I forgot how far I c-." He stopped himself as soon as he saw the fights that are going on. "GAHHHH!"
Makoto, Sayaka, and Usami turned around and looked at the entrance.
Kazuichi was so confused about what's going on. "What happened here?" he asked, demanding answers. "Why is there a fight going on here?"
"Oh, about that," Makoto replied. "You see, there was a few Shadows that are in this warehouse, waiting for our arrival."
"I should've warned all of you about this..." Usami lamented.
"What? You guys found Shadows?" Kazuichi asked. "Ooh boy, I'm really itching for a fight. These Shadows are going to pay for what they've done to Fuyuhiko and Peko!"
"Well..." Sayaka said. "It's a little too late for that."
Makoto, Sayaka, and Usami turned right back around to where they were facing. They saw that all the Shadows have been dealt with.
Leon noticed that Kazuichi has just arrived. "Oh, you're here already?" he asked. "I thought that you were going to take a lot longer to get here."
"Aw man!" Ibuki groaned. "You totally missed our fight! You should've been here with us. It's fun, actually."
Kazuichi was disappointed that he didn't fight the Shadows alongside his friends. He facepalmed himself, only instead of using his hand he used his wrench. He must've used the wrong hand for the action. Predictably, he knocked himself out. It didn't take long before he was healed back up.
Once everything is done, the team investigated the warehouse, searching for a way up to the roof.
After finding their way to the roof of the warehouse, it's time to scan the code and get another memory video. However, the team encountered a slight issue. It turns out that the code is much bigger than they thought. It's impossible to fit the entire code into the E-Handbook's camera from where they're standing.
Kyoko pondered about the problem presented to her. "How are we going to fit this code into the camera?" she asked. She looked around the roof, looking for some high ground. "There's no way I can get far enough to make this code look small. Is there anything else we can do?"
The rest of the team continued to look around the area, trying to find a way to get far enough to make the code fit within a camera. The roofs of the nearby warehouses seem to be a good option at first, but the angle required to capture the code on a camera is too shallow. They couldn't see the roofs of the warehouses from where they're standing because of the small walls that surround every roof. There must be a better way to scan this code.
Kazuichi took a look at the crane that he used to spot the code. He looked up and saw that the crane continues on for quite a bit. The place where one controls the crane...that looked high enough.
"Hey, why don't we use that crane again?" Kazuichi suggested, catching the attention of everyone. "That crane goes up pretty high. I'm sure if we get to the top of that crane, we can fit the code in our cameras."
The rest of the team looked above them. They could see how high the crane goes. It looks like they could get high enough to make the code look small.
"Hmm..." Kyoko pondered. "Looks like we can use that crane to get far from this code. Clever, I see. I'll be back. Just stay where you are." She then ran forward and jump off the roof, much to the surprise of everyone.
Hajime ran after Kyoko and looked over where she jumped. He saw her running on the ground towards the crane.
The others turn towards Kazuichi. "Why didn't you think of that earlier?" Usami asked. "We could've saved some time."
Kazuichi then realized that he should've continued to climb that crane and used his E-Handbook to scan the code. "Oh..." he said. He then scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed that he missed an opportunity. "I...didn't realize that I could do that."
The others gave Kazuichi a disapproving look.
Meanwhile, Kyoko had just finished climbing the crane. She looked down and saw the code below her. From this distance, it looked small. She pulled out her E-Handbook, careful not to accidentally drop it, and scanned the code. Even if she's far away, the scan was successful.
Hajime felt a rumble in his pocket. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his E-Handbook. He sees that he has access to a new memory video. Everyone ran up to him.
"Did you get the video?" Makoto asked.
Hajime nodded. "Yeah," he said.
The memory video began playing before everyone's eyes.
Kuzuryu City - Memory Video 2
The memory video takes place recently. A few days have passed since the events of the memory video.
Fuyuhiko and Peko are minding their own business in Hope's Peak Academy. They're walking outside in the dark, trying to find a safe space where they can talk privately. They remembered their usual place, so they're going there. Upon arriving at their usual private space, however, they find that someone is there.
"What the-?" Fuyuhiko gasped. "How did you get here? How did you find this place? Who are you?!"
Peko grabbed her sword, preparing for a fight.
It took a moment before the person talked. "Do you remember your father?" they asked.
Fuyuhiko glared at the person with a menacing look on his face. "Are you spying on my family?" he asked, moving his face closer to the person. "Nobody spies on the Kuzuryu Clan and gets away with it."
The person said nothing as they reached into their coat and pulled out a letter. They handed the letter to Fuyuhiko. "I am an agent sent by your father," they explained. "Your father got this earlier. He was worried. He wanted you to read this."
Fuyuhiko stared at the letter he was given. Behind him, Peko let go of her sword, having not drawn it out. "Wait...what is this letter?" he asked. He was confused over why this letter exists. "Why did my father wanted me to read it?"
The person turned their back on Fuyuhiko and Peko. "You read it yourself," they said. "I'll be going for now. My life is in danger. I'll likely be dead by tomorrow for giving you this information." They then left without saying another word.
Fuyuhiko was unsure of who that person really was, but that doesn't matter now. His attention was on the letter he was given. He gripped it tightly. He had a bad feeling about the contents of the letter. He opened the letter up and read the contents.
The video doesn't show the contents of the letter. But from what Fuyuhiko is expressing, it wasn't pretty. He was furious at the sight of the letter. He gripped the letter tightly, so tightly that the letter was crumpled up. Behind Fuyuhiko, Peko also saw the letter. She too was furious.
"Those bastards..." Fuyuhiko muttered. "Do they really think they can win a fight against the Kuzuryu Clan? I...I won't let them win! I won't let my family fall! Looks like whoever wrote this didn't bother to sigh their name. Clever. Well, I don't know who wrote this, but if I find them...they will not survive."
Fuyuhiko teared the letter apart and tossed them aside. He then turned towards Peko.
"Prepare yourself, Peko," Fuyuhiko ordered. "Tomorrow, we will go and defend my clan. I will not allow whoever is threatening us to live."
Peko nodded at her master's orders. "Yes, Young Master," she said. "I will."
The team gathered outside the warehouse to discuss what they saw in the memory video.
"So...what's the point of this memory video?" Kazuichi asked. "We've already learned that Fuyuhiko and Peko left Hope's Peak to help defend their family, and we all know how that turned out."
"Indeed," Kyoko said. "We already knew this."
"So...we spend all this time to learn information that we already have?" Ibuki asked. "Aw man! What a waste!"
Hajime let out a sigh. "Well, even if it's useless to us, there might be some use in this memory video, right?" He then let out a nervous chuckle.
Everyone stared at Hajime wondering what he meant by that. Meanwhile, Makoto and Sayaka are staring at their bird rings, wondering where they came from.
"...Never mind," Hajime said.
"Oh, sorry," Kazuichi apologized. "I thought that you were saying Princess Sonia's name for a second. My bad!"
"There should be more memory videos in this city," Usami said. "How about we continue exploring?"
The team agreed to continue exploring, and so got up and walked around the city.
Kuzuryu City - Kuzuryu Headquarters
The team entered a large building bearing a dragon insignia. Everything around them had the signature Kuzuryu look to them.
"Wow..." Kazuichi said. "So do the Kuzuryu Clan run a building like this?"
Kyoko shook her head. "Not likely," she said. "I have never heard of a building like this. My best guess is that this building, like everything else in this city, is a representation of how Fuyuhiko sees the world. It doesn't exist in the real world. Only in the Cognitive World does this building exist."
"Oh," Kazuichi replied. "Well that's disappointing."
At the back of the lobby is an elevator. On the elevator is another code. It looks like this could lead to another memory video.
"Yeah! Another memory video!" Ibuki cheered. "And we didn't have to do anything to get it!"
"Well, we did have to to all the way here," Leon corrected. "It took us a long time to find this place."
"Yeah? So what?" Ibuki asked.
While Leon and Ibuki are bantering with the rest of the team watching them, Kyoko walked up to the code and scanned it. Once the code has been scanned, everyone pulled out their E-Handbook to watch the memory video. Well, everyone except for Leon and Ibuki. It took them a while to begin watching.
"Hey, you two," Hajime said. "Be quiet! We're watching a memory video now!"
Leon and Ibuki stopped their bantering.
Kuzuryu City - Memory Video 3
This memory video is very different than all the other memory videos that have been watched so far. Instead of taking place in the real world, this memory video takes place here in the Cognitive World. Based on the surroundings, the setting is right outside the Kuzuryu Headquarters.
Fuyuhiko and Peko have a lot of questions. They found themselves in a strange place devoid of normal people. The only things they saw are Shadows, who are out to get them.
"Who are you?!" Fuyuhiko shouted as he shoot his gun at the Shadows. His weapons are useless against the Shadows, as he does not have a Persona. "Why are you attacking me? I'm warning you! Nobody who dares to fight the Kuzuryu Clan gets away with it!"
Peko is doing much better using her sword to fight the Shadows, though it wasn't enough to hold them back completely. All she did was delaying the inevitable.
The fight was starting to look hopeless. There's no saw Fuyuhiko and Peko are going to win this.
Peko grew concerned over Fuyuhiko. She knows that his life is more valuable than hers. Knowing this, Peko issued an order.
"Young master, you must run," Peko ordered.
"What?" Fuyuhiko asked.
"I'm telling you now," Peko said. "You need to run."
"But...Peko-" Fuyuhiko tried to say.
"Don't worry about me, young master," Peko assured. "I can hold these off my myself. The life of an heir is more valuable than his servants. You need to go. Now."
Fuyuhiko began to tear up. He can't believe that Peko is telling him this. He wanted to run. He should've run. But he can't allow the thought of losing Peko to enter his mind. He refused to run away.
"No, I won't run away!" Fuyuhiko declared. "Peko, you're more than just my servant! You're more than just a tool!"
Peko raised an eyebrow. "What?" she said. "You're not running?"
Tears began to pour out of Fuyuhiko's eyes. "Please! Just stay with me for a little longer!" he begged. "I need you, Peko! You're not just a tool. I never wanted you to become my tool. I...I wanted you...to be yourself."
Peko was shocked by what Fuyuhiko is saying to her. She stood there, frozen, unsure of what to do next.
"That's right," a new voice said. "I am not just a tool."
Fuyuhiko and Peko turn towards the new voice. It looked like Peko, but something is off.
"What the...?" Fuyuhiko gasped. "Who the shit are you?"
"I am more than just a tool," the other Peko said. "I am...his friend. His childhood friend. I grew up with him ever since I was young. His parents are the ones who only see me as a tool. Not him. He's the only one who treated me like a real human."
Fuyuhiko was shocked to hear this from the other Peko. He was stunned for a moment. But then he remembered that these are the thoughts that he held about Peko. He knows Peko ever since he was born. He knows Peko better than anyone else. While he has treated her like a tool as his parents told him, he knows that Peko is more than just a tool. She's a human being.
"S-see?" Fuyuhiko said. "What she's saying is exactly what I'm talking about. I see you as more than just a tool, Peko. You need to know that. You just need to be yourself. That's what I want from you, understand?"
Peko was shocked upon hearing the things from her other self. And unlike Fuyuhiko, her reaction was more hostile.
"No...that's not true," Peko said.
"What?" Fuyuhiko reacted. "Peko, you can't-"
Peko pointed her sword at her other self. "This...this is not me," she declared. "This is not who I am. I am only a tool to serve my master. If my master is attacked, I will be his shield. If he intends to kill, I will be his sword. I am a tool before I am a human. I must serve this role until my body could move no more. I will not allow someone to spread lies about me. Because being a human...is not me."
The other Peko reacted negative towards the rejection. It transformed into a monstrous form as Peko began to faint.
"Peko, are you okay?" Fuyuhiko asked as he shook Peko. There was no response. "Peko, can you hear me? Peko-" He then saw the other Peko as it began to attack him. "Oh shit! No! Stop! Get away! AAAHHHHHHHHH!"
The video turns to static as sounds of slaughter fill everyone's ears.
Everyone is horrified at the end of the memory video. The video has faded into static before they could see it happen, but the implications couldn't be any clearer. Fuyuhiko and Peko were killed by Shadows.
Sayaka desperately clung to Makoto as she heard the sounds of slaughter. She was shivering from being terrified. It was starting to become too much for her to handle. Meanwhile, everyone else was in shock over the events they saw in the memory video. Several of them are frozen in shock.
"No..." Kazuichi said as he collapsed to his knees. "Fuyuhiko...no!"
"Did...did we just see their deaths?" Leon asked.
Kyoko let out a sigh as she set aside her E-Handbook. "We never saw the outcome," she said. "But from what we already know, this is how both Fuyuhiko and Peko died."
Kazuichi pounded the floor as he continued to cry. "Nooooo!" he cried.
"And that other Peko..." Ibuki added. "Was that...a Shadow Self?"
Everyone turned their heads to Ibuki, even those who are frozen.
"Is it really...?" Hajime asked.
"I mean, you all said that a Shadow Self is the self that you reject as a part of you," Ibuki said. "Right?"
"Trust me, we all have something we don't want to accept," Leon said.
Usami was frozen after seeing the memory video, but after she sensed something coming she unfroze. Something terrifying is coming, and she's freaking out. "Hwah?!" she gasped.
Everyone turned to Usami. "What's wrong?" Hajime asked.
"I sense a dangerous Shadow coming!" Usami warned everyone. "And...it has the same signature as the one in that memory video!"
"What?!" Hajime, Kyoko, Leon, and Ibuki all said at the same time.
Suddenly, a massive sword sliced through the entrance of the headquarters, causing massive destruction that knocked everyone off their feet.
"Is...everyone alright?" Hajime asked as the dust began to settle.
Everyone struggled to get back on their feet. As they tried to stand up, they looked at the hole in the wall facing the street. There, they found a familiar figure. As the dust continued to settle, everyone freaked out when they saw who the figure really is: Shadow Peko.
Danger Theme: Monokuma's Lesson (Danganronpa series)
"I am more than just a tool," Shadow Peko declared. "I am a human! Anyone dares to treat me as less than a human does not deserve to live!"
Everyone was terrified upon seeing Shadow Peko, especially Sayaka.
"Aaaahhh!" Sayaka screamed as she tighten her grip on Makoto.
Makoto could feel the life being squeezed out of him. He struggled to free himself from Sayaka. "Hey! Sayaka!" he shouted. "Let go of me! You're...squeezing me...too...tightly!"
"That Shadow killed two people before," Sayaka cried. "And now it's going to kill us! I don't want to die! Please! Stay with me!"
Makoto took a look at Shadow Peko. It is clear to him that she is a physical oriented opponent. He and Sayaka have some of the worst physical defense out of the entire team. There's little chance that he and Sayaka will survive should they fight this Shadow. With this in mind, he decided to stay out of the fight.
"Hey! Sayaka!" Leon shouted. "You have your own Persona! You can use it to fight back!"
"It's okay," Makoto said. "Sayaka and I won't last long in that fight. We are terrible at physical defense. The rest of you will fight. Meanwhile, I stay behind with Sayaka and try to calm her down. Got it?"
Kyoko stood up and held her hand out. A card formed in her hand. "Understood," she said as she crushed the card to summon Drew. Afterwards, the remaining team members summoned their Personas and joined the fight.
"Be careful!" Usami warned. "That Shadow is dangerous! I'll stay with Makoto and Sayaka! Good luck, everyone!"
Shadow Self Battle Theme: I Face Myself - Battle (Persona 4/Golden)
"So wait a minute," Kazuichi began. "Is this really Peko? She does look like the real deal."
Shadow Peko then swung her sword at Kazuichi. The sword has impressive reach. Kazuichi shrieked as he saw the sword coming towards him. He ducked down, narrowly avoiding the hit.
"This isn't the real Peko," Kyoko said. "The real Peko is dead. This is her Shadow."
Shadow Peko then looked around before locking her eyes on Kyoko. With her eyes on her target, Shadow Peko lifted her sword high above her head before bringing it down upon Kyoko. Kyoko jumped to her side, dodging the attack.
Kyoko prepared herself for a follow up attack. She gripped her naginata tightly on both grips as she charged forward towards Shadow Peko. She then jumped up and spun around, extending her blade as far as it can go. The blade cuts straight across Shadow Peko. Kyoko expected her move to deal some damage, but it didn't. Shadow Peko looked like it didn't felt the slice across her chest. Shadow Peko retaliated by hitting Kyoko with her sword, sending the detective flying into the air. Kyoko flipped as she soared before landing on her feet and sliding back a fair distance. She looked up at Shadow Peko, having learned what she resisted.
"So she resist cuts and slashes," Kyoko observed. "I should've expected that."
Meanwhile, Hajime summoned one his Personas to use in the fight. He summoned Jack Frost and ordered an attack.
"Alright, Jack Frost!" Hajime shouted. "Show her what you've got!"
"Okay, ho!" Jack Frost replied. Jack Frost then created a snowball above his head and tossed it to Shadow Peko.
Shadow Peko saw the snowball approaching her. She wasn't scared by it. She swung her sword at the snowball just before it could reach her. Instead of slicing the snowball, however, she sent it right back towards Hajime.
Hajime was shocked upon seeing his attack be reflected. He was so shocked that he didn't even dodge the snowball. The snowball landed right on Hajime's head, encasing it snow. It looked painful, but since Hajime has Jack Frost active he didn't feel any pain.
Jack Frost looked back on his owner. "How did that happen, ho?" he asked.
Hajime shook the snow off his head. "I wasn't expecting that," he said. "Looks like I need to change my tactics."
"Am I going, ho?" Jack Frost asked.
Hajime held up his hand, forming another card. "Persona...change," he said."
"Alright, ho!" Jack Frost said as he disappeared. "I'll see you later, ho!"
Hajime changed his Persona into a different one. "Alright, Eligor!" he said. "Do your thing!"
Eligor was summoned into the battle. He charged towards Shadow Peko on his horse, pointing his lance forward. Shadow Peko saw this coming, and so hit Eligor with her sword. Eligor was knocked back towards Hajime, knocking him out.
Elsewhere, Kazuichi is trying to get used to using his Persona. "Alright, Argus," he said to his Persona. "What do you do?"
Argus does nothing but awaits an order from his owner.
"Don't just stare at me!" Kazuichi shouted. "Do something already! There must be something that you can do!" He then turned to his side and saw Shadow Peko approaching him. "Oh shit! She's coming!" He ran behind Argus, cowering in fear. "Aah! Save me, Argus! Save me!"
Argus saw that his owner was in danger. He can't afford to let this happen. He makes an action and threw electricity at Shadow Peko. The electricity struck Shadow Peko's sword, shocking her and bringing her to her knees. It was at this moment when the team learned her weakness.
"Whoa!" Ibuki gasped in surprise. She then looked over Kazuichi. "Kazu-chan, did your Persona just did that?"
"Huh?" Kazuichi asked. "What did I do?" He then stood up and looked over to where Shadow Peko is. He saw that Shadow Peko is currently paralyzed. He was confused by this. "Wait...who did that?"
"You did it," Kyoko replied. "You discovered her weakness."
"I did?" Kazuichi asked.
"Yes, you did," Kyoko confirmed. "Now that we know her weakness, we should have an easier time fighting-"
"Alright!" Leon shouted with confidence. "It's combo time!" He then ran towards Shadow Peko, jumping up and bringing his bat high above his head.
Shadow Peko was only paralyzed for a short time. Upon regaining movement, Shadow Peko looked up and saw Leon as he fell towards her.
Kyoko had a feeling that this is a bad idea. "Leon!" she said. "Wait!"
Leon realized too late that this was a bad idea. "Oh..." he said. "Shit."
Shadow Peko swung her sword at Leon, sending him flying backwards towards the back wall.
"Leo-chan!" Ibuki cried.
Meanwhile, at the back of the lobby, Makoto was escorting Sayaka behind to debris to use for cover. Sayaka clung to Makoto, shaking nervously as she gripped tightly. Usami is hovering next to them, keeping her eye on them.
"Alright, we should be save here," Makoto said. "I hope our friends can put up a fight against that Shadow. They've got-"
Makoto was interrupted when he and Sayaka saw Leon slam against the back wall before sliding down towards the floor.
"...this," Makoto finished.
"Leon!" Sayaka cried. She rushed over to check on Leon. "Leon, are you alright? That looked painful!"
"I...shouldn't have done that..." Leon said, regretting his actions.
Makoto looked back towards Shadow Peko. "What's going on over there?" he asked. He then saw that things aren't going very well for the rest of his friends. Hajime is knocked out, Kazuichi is panicking, Kyoko is struggling to stand up, and Ibuki is looking back and forth wondering who to help next.
"Oh dear," Usami said. "This can't be good! Your friends, they need help!"
"What should we do?" Makoto asked. "We can't fight that Shadow! We're done for if she lands a hit on us."
"Fighting alongside your friends isn't the only way you can help," Usami said. "If you have support skills, you can help your friends!"
"Wait...support skills?" Makoto asked.
Sayaka then realized something. "Hold on," she said. "I can heal everyone. Yes, that's it! Everyone is badly hurt. They need healing!"
"Yeah! That's the way!" Usami said.
"Go ahead, Sayaka," Makoto said. "I know you can do this."
Sayaka held her hand out and formed a card. "Alright, give me a second," she said. "This won't take long." She ran out into the open and crushed her card, summoning her Persona. "Orihime, heal my friends!"
Orihime sends a healing wave across the entire lobby, restoring heal to all her friends. Hajime regained consciousness, Kyoko stood firmly on her feet, Leon got back up, and everyone's wounds are healed partially.
Leon felt a bit dizzy after getting up. He stumbled around for a moment as he tried to regain his footing. "Whoa, that felt weird..." he said. He then snapped himself out of dizziness. "Oh, thanks for the aid, Sayaka. I could really use it."
Sayaka smiled at Leon. "You're welcome," she replied.
Hajime felt dizzy from the impact. He had trouble standing up straight. "Ugh...what happened?" he asked. "What...did I miss?"
"We discovered the Shadow's weakness," Kyoko explained. "She's weak to electricity."
Hajime snapped out of dizziness upon hearing Shadow Peko's weakness. "Wait, electricity?"
"Yes!" Kazuichi replied. "You can thank me for discovering her weakness."
Hajime looked back at Shadow Peko. He watched as she lifted her sword high above her head, targeting him. It looked intimidating, but with his new knowledge it doesn't look as scary as before. "Well, if that's the case," he said as he extended his hand, "I know exactly what to do!" A card then formed in his hand. "Come, Izanagi!"
Hajime crushed the card in his hand just as Shadow Peko brought her sword down upon him. Right before the sword reached him, Izanagi appeared, intercepting the sword with the pole of his weapon. Rather than push back against the sword, Izanagi generated that traveled through the sword and into Shadow Peko, downing her and leaving her vulnerable to attacks.
"Alright! She's open!" Leon shouted. "Now everyone, time for an All-Out Attack!"
Everyone involved in the fight gets ready to attack Shadow Peko from all sides. Everyone, except for Kazuichi.
"No," Kazuichi said.
Everyone came to a screeching halt right before they could attack Shadow Peko. Leon and Ibuki even tripped, not expecting the sudden stop.
Hajime looked over to Kazuichi, wondering what he's planning. "Why not?" he asked.
Kazuichi gripped his wrench tightly. "You see, this is personal," he explained. "That Shadow Self...she took the lives of two of my friends. I won't forgive this action, even if she's born from Peko's thoughts. I must finish this. I must finish her myself."
Everyone stared at Kazuichi. They understood his pain. No one was closer to Fuyuhiko and Peko than Kazuichi. He was hurt the most from their deaths. They understood that if they all attacked Shadow Peko at once, Kazuichi may not land the final blow. That understood that this is something Kazuichi must do himself to find relief from the death of his friends.
"Well, if that's what you want, then go ahead," Kyoko said. "I'm sure you can move past the death of your friends if you avenge them."
Kazuichi smiled. "Thank you," he said. And then he faced Shadow Peko, ready to take her down.
Kazuichi summoned his Persona Argus and charged forward towards Shadow Peko. Together in sync, the two smacked Shadow Peko with their wrench, dealing heavy damage. The two continued with their attacks, swinging their wrenches back and forth at Shadow Peko. For the finishing blows, Kazuichi pulled his wrench as far behind him as he can, charging it with electricity.
"This is for Fuyuhiko," Kazuichi said. He smashed his wrench against Shadow Peko. She wasn't done yet, but Kazuichi readied himself for a return swing. "And this is for the the real Peko!" he then shouted. He hit Shadow Peko has hard as he can, finally finishing her.
Shadow Peko stumbled around for several moments. She stopped her sword and fell to her knees before falling over completely. Her body disappeared into a cloud of smoke, blowing away in the air. In her place, a golden dragon's skull appeared. Hajime walked up to the skull and picked it up. The luster of the skull shined in his eyes.
Hajime let out a sigh as he stared at the skull. "I can't believe Peko actually had those thoughts," he said. "Deep inside, she knew that she was human. But her training...it made her suppress those thoughts. Everyone else around her...they treated her like she's a tool. They made her think that she's a tool. I can't imagine the pain she's feeling when she confronted her inner thoughts. She faced her Shadow, her thoughts about her being human...and rejected them. And she...she paid the ultimate price."
"I feel bad for Fuyuhiko," Makoto said. "He was the only one who saw Peko as more than a tool. He wanted Peko to accept the fact that she's a human being. But Peko rejected her Shadow, and Fuyuhiko died because of it. I know he comes from a yakuza clan, but I don't think he deserves this."
"How many people must die this year?" Sayaka asked as her eyes pointed in a different direction. "Hope's Peak has lost so many students in just the last two months. How many lives have to be cut short?"
"I hope we don't lose too many lives," Ibuki said. "My class is feeling really small right now."
"I sure hope our class isn't next," Leon said. "We only just started the school year."
As the others are talking, Kyoko remained silent as she thought about herself. She looked back at her detective training and wondered if some of the thing she was taught was actually true. She wondered if the advice she was given actually worked. For the first time in years, her expression changed. It's not much, but there is a noticeable difference.
Hajime noticed that Kazuichi is on his knees. He wondered what's wrong. "Hey, Kazuichi?" Hajime said. "Do you have anything to say?"
Kazuichi looked up as tears flowed out of his eyes. "I'm sorry, Fuyuhiko," he said. "You too, Peko. You two could've been saved if we acted soon enough, but we didn't. And now, you two are gone. I'll miss you."
"Kazuichi..." Hajime said.
Kazuichi then stood up and stared at the night sky. "I promise, you two," he continued. "I won't let your deaths be in vain. Me and my friends are going to hunt down whoever sent you here and have them face justice. We're going to do this. That's my promise."
Hajime walked up to Kazuichi. "So, are you feeling better?" he asked.
Kazuichi looked back at Hajime. "Totally," he said. "I'm super pumped up to face those monsters that sent my friends to their deaths. We're going to hunt them down and make them face justice. You in?"
Hajime was having questions about if they can do that now. He was about to answer, but then Usami interrupted him.
"No way!" Usami said. "Not now, at least. You guys are really tired from that battle. You deserve some rest."
"...I was going to say that," Hajime said.
"We should get going," Makoto said. "We'll come back if we got our answers. For now, how about we take a break?"
The team agreed that they should returned to the real world. They began to leave the damaged building and walked back to the entrance.
Well, everyone except for Kyoko. She remained there for a moment as she spoke her last thoughts. "Who could've done this?" she asked. "Who could've made these threats? I need to know."
Kyoko shook her head away from these thoughts. Now's not time to be making these thoughts. She looked around for a moment before following her team back to the entrance.
Social Link Status
0 Fool (Hope's Peak Investigation Team): Rank 3
I Magician (Ultimate Mechanic): Rank 1
IV Emperor (Ultimate Moral Compass): Rank 1
VI Lovers (Ultimate Idol): Rank 2
VII Chariot (Ultimate Baseball Player): Rank 2
VIII Justice (Ultimate Detective): Rank 1
X Fortune (Ultimate Lucky Student): Rank 2
XII Hanged Man (New Ultimate Yakuza): Rank 1
XVI Tower (Former Ultimate Officer): Rank 1
XVII Star (Ultimate Musician): Rank 1
0 Jester (Ultimate Fashionista): Rank 1
Stats
Argus is a physically oriented Persona, sporting improved physical stats but slightly reduced magical and luck stats. His best stat is Strength. He specializes in Electric skills. He resists Strike and Electric skills, but is weak to Ice and Nuclear skills.
Hajime Hinata
Level: 24
Arcana: 0 The Fool
Persona(s): Izanagi, Eligor, Jack Frost
Resist: Electric
Block: Curse
Weak: Wind
Current Skills: Zio, Mazio, Cleave, Rakukaja, Tarukaja, Giant Slice
Kyoko Kirigiri
Level: 24
Arcana: VIII Justice
Persona: Drew
Resist: Slash, Ice
Weak: Fire, Nuclear
Current Skills: Bufula, Mabufu, Samanda, Rakunda, Ice Break, Dodge Fire (Accessory)
Leon Kuwata
Level: 24
Arcana: VII Chariot
Persona: Jason
Resist: Strike, Fire
Weak: Wind, Psychic
Current Skills: Agi, Maragi, Power Slash, Bash, Lunge, Headbutt, Rampage, Dodge Psychic (Accessory)
Makoto Naegi
Level: 24
Arcana: X Fortune
Persona: Hikoboshi
Resist: Wind, Curse
Weak: Strike, Fire
Current Skills: Garu, Magaru, Dia, Energy Drop, Samakaja, Apt Pupil (Accessory)
Sayaka Maizono
Level: 24
Arcana: VI Lovers
Persona: Orihime
Resist: Psychic, Bliss
Weak: Pierce, Electric
Current Skills: Psi, Mapsi, Media, Marin Karin, Makakaja, Apt Pupil (Accessory)
Ibuki Mioda
Level: 23
Arcana: XVII Star
Persona: Aradia
Resist: Curse, Electric
Weak: Wind, Blast
Current Skills: Eiga, Maeiha, Snap, Dormina, Sukukaja, Dodge Wind (Accessory)
Kazuichi Soda
Level: 23
Arcana: I Magician
Persona: Argus
Resist: Electric, Strike
Weak: Ice, Nuclear
Current Skills: Zionga, Mazio, Tarukaja, Pulinpa
Persona Compendium
Argus
Arcana: I Magician
"One of the many members of the Argonauts, he's the architect who designed and built the Argo, the legendary ship of the Argonauts. He was the namesake of the ship he built, which led to the name of the crew he's a part of."
From the Author
Finally, the next chapter is here! Sorry about the hiatus. I lost my motivation for a few weeks. I guess it's hard to find motivation when your peers aren't motivated to continue their work. Has anyone seen Rookie lately? I haven't heard from him in a while.
Anyways, now that the next part has been finished, it's time for me to actually finish this arc for once. It's taking me way too long to work on this. I only decided to finish this a few days ago. Progress has been slow.
So, a recap on the events of this chapter. The Hope's Peak Investigation Team has gotten the memory videos of the late Fuyuhiko and Peko. There, they discovered that the late classmates died to a Shadow Self who went berserk upon being rejected. As the team tried to get over their strong reactions, they were attacked by the very Shadow Self that took the lives of Fuyuhiko and Peko. They defeated Shadow Peko, but questions still remain. Hope's Peak is still in danger and the group responsible for making these threats has yet to be found. Ruin looms over the horizon, and the team isn't sure if the group behind these threats can be found before something happens.
As the team begins to fear for the safety of Hope's Peak, a certain detective pieces together the clues that point towards the responsible group. No, it's not Kyoko. No, it's not Naoto. It's really another detective...