"Welcome back," a voice spoke when Kotone, Yukari, and Junpei entered Iwatodai Dorm.
The voice came from Kirijo Mitsuru, a girl with long, red hair that covered her left eye. She wore a white blouse with short, puffy sleeves, a black skirt that reached just above her knees, and knee-high, high-heeled, black boots. Her outfit was completed by a red ribbon, which came from the Gekkoukan high school uniform.
A boy's voice rang out, "Where have you guys been?" Sanada Akihiko asked. He had short, silver hair, gray eyes, and a white band-aid diagonally above his left eye. He wore a red, no-sleeve sweater-vest, black gloves, black dress pants, black dress shoes. "It's rare to see you guys come back home this late together."
"N-nowhere, senpai! Just walking around." Junpei answered, his nervousness easy to see. Fear filled Kotone and Yukari's faces.
Mitsuru caught it and glared at Junpei. "Oh? And where were you walking around?"
"Oh... Um..." Junpei stammered, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
Yukari sighed at Junpei's terrible acting. "We were looking around for more clues on Fuuka."
Akihiko perked his head up at the mention of Fuuka. "Oh? And where did you guys end up?"
"We ended up in the back-alleys of Port Island Station," Kotone answered. At this point, everything was already out of the bag, and she might as well come clean. "We also talked to the Shinjiro-san back from the hospital. Some guys hounded us, but another guy and Shinjiro-san saved us."
Mitsuru's only reaction was raising an eyebrow, but she didn't have any other visible reaction. Akihiko, on the other hand...
"Are you guys out of your mind...? Tsk, going to a place like that," he said as he sighed angrily. "Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of you guys trying to gather information, but be a little more careful next time."
"Yes," Mitsuru said. "Thankfully, Aragaki-san and that other person came to help. The more unscrupulous sections of the city do tend to be rougher. It would be best to watch what you say and look at while in those areas."
Junpei's face lit up. "Hey, that's what Ren said back then too!"
Mitsuru tilted her head in confusion. "Ren? I assume this was the other person that helped?"
"Yep," Junpei answered with a wide smile. Now that the atmosphere was less oppressive, Kotone, Yukari, and Junpei finally took a seat in the Iwatodai Dorm lounge. "He said something like keeping our mouths shut, or we'd get our stuffings beat! He even talked back to Yukari back there."
"He talked back to Yukari?" Akihiko repeated. "What led to that? He didn't fight you guys, right?"
Yukari looked at Akihiko in alarm. "No, he didn't do that. I... I actually talked back to those scummy guys, and he protected us."
"Yukari's right; Amamiya-san protected us," Kotone said. "If it weren't for him, we would have gotten hurt before Shinjiro-san arrived."
Mitsuru glanced at Kotone and Yukari before saying, "Very well. It looks like you've learned your lesson, so I won't say more." Kotone saw Yukari twitch as Mitsuru spoke. "That said, what did you learn about Fuuka?"
"Get this: Fuuka isn't sick at home; she's been missing. No one has seen her go home," Junpei answered.
"What!?" Akihiko shouted in surprise. "How come this is the first we've heard of this?"
"The official records state that Yamagishi is sick at home," Mitsuru said while holding her chin. "The only people who could have a hand at her records are Ikutsuki-san and her homeroom teacher..."
"And that's Ekoda-sensei," Yukari finished Mitsuru's sentence, causing Mitsuru to nod.
"Thank you, everyone," Mitsuru said, "for gaining this information. I will speak with Ekoda-sensei about this on Monday."
With information passed to their upperclassmen, Kotone, Yukari, and Junpei finally relaxed.
Junpei sank into the couch as he sighed. "Seriously, we're definitely not doing that again, and especially without back-up!"
Akihiko glanced at Junpei. "Mind if you guys let me know next time? Don't want you guys getting over your heads," he said, only for Mitsuru to slightly smirk.
"Please, Akihiko," Mitsuru said. "You are the last person qualified to say that among us."
Akihiko coughed at Mitsuru's words. "C'mon, you don't have to say it like that. I can handle those kinds of thugs."
"Even so, we can't have the ace and captain of the boxing club getting in trouble for fights," Mitsuru chided. "Still, it would be a good idea to let us know. Call Mr. Kurosawa to possibly have him around."
"Aww, thanks, senpai! We'll keep those in mind," Kotone said.
"Are we exploring today, Kotone?" Yukari asked.
"Nope," Kotone denied as she shook her head. "We hit a wall last time, so unless we need to train, we don't need to go."
Yukari sighed as she stood up. "Alright. Tonight drained me, so I'm heading to my room. Good night."
"Good night!" Kotone said before turning to those remaining. "I'll be going out tonight. See you guys!"
She stood up from the couch and left the dorm, closing the door behind her. Once outside, the girl dropped her smile. She was alone in the night again, with no one to please.
Kotone sighed as she took in her surroundings again. She saw a Lost nearby, groaning like a zombie. It was a new face, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Inhale, exhale. She repeated the exercise a couple more times. Finally, she felt herself slow down. Now, she felt like she could take her own time without anyone depending on her. With that, she began her way to Paulownia Mall.
As Kotone traveled through Tatsumi Port Island, she kept thinking about the strange boy she met tonight.
'Amamiya Ren, huh... Orphan, abandoned since he was a child. Lived in Tokyo until recently. Bought his freedom and came here. A drop-out. Alone.
'He's sharp though, he saw through me, or a part of me. I know he did. Ever since I started doing this, no one has seen through it. So how come he did?
'Is it because we're the same? Orphans? But then he said that he had a friend. What kind of person would be friends with both a Shinjuku bar owner and a high school student? Probably some sort of drunk.
'Hell, what kind of high schooler worked at night throughout the week, especially in a red-light district? Amamiya-san was probably a workaholic, someone that didn't care about his grades, or someone that didn't need to study.
'Gekkoukan High is a good school. People like me here. I have friends too; Yukari has been one of my closest friends recently.'
While making her way towards the arcade, Kotone noticed some of her classmates about to walk past her, she gave them a wave and a cheery smile while passing by.
'Amamiya-san's lucky. He can do whatever he wants. He's by himself, so he doesn't need to fit in with anyone, for anyone.'
Kotone's smile drops once more.
'How does someone like that see through me?'
Her chest tightened as she kept thinking about him.
-Take Your Time-
Ren stared and leaned out the window of his hotel room. He sighed as he looked at the empty street in front of the hotel he was staying at.
Two days have passed since he got any sort of new information about Apathy Syndrome. Ren took another tour of the city yesterday, but this time, with Third Eye active. While he found nothing wrong with the city itself, those with Apathy Syndrome did glow, signifying some sort of importance. It only solidified his thoughts that they were connected to the Metaverse or whatever Persona-related problem that was occurring. That only meant that the trio he met in the back alley was influential, the three that know something about the Apathy Syndrome.
It also meant that it has been two days since he arrived in Tatsumi Port Island and nothing even moderately exciting happened since. He did try to ask Lavenza and Igor for some sort of guidance, but they stayed quiet. Still, Ren trusted them not to put him too far from the action. He tried to look for the trio today but couldn't find them. He could have infiltrated Gekkou High, but without the uniform, he couldn't stay there for too long. He could ask Lavenza to get him clothes, but a teacher could just pick him out as someone trespassing without proper contact inside.
And so, the only thing left to do was wait and see.
But it's all still so boring, just to wait for something to happen!
Knowing that nothing would change just watching the outside, he sighed again as he stood straight. Looking up, he saw the moon was full. Compared to Tokyo's light pollution in 2016, Tatsumi Port Island noticeably had less due to having most of the city turned off for the night. It allowed the night sky to show off a star or two.
Suddenly, he felt the world twist, and the world was colored in a green hue. The moon shone brightly, and it seemed to be much larger than Ren had ever seen before, as if it was closer than ever.
However, this green reality felt wrong. It wasn't like the Metaverse at all. This felt more real, more solid. While it was possible to mistake the Metaverse with the real world if there was no distortion, someone looking for a difference would be able to tell they were in Metaverse. That was how he escaped his own 'death' after all.
No matter what Ren was looking for or trying to feel, this still felt like the real world.
With nothing to see from his window, there was only one thing to do: explore the new reality he was in.
-Take Your Time-
"I..." Moriyama Natsuki murmured to herself. She was a tanned girl with long, dark-orange hair tied in a ponytail. She wore the Gekkoukan High summer uniform: a gray vest on top of a white button-down, a black skirt, and knee-high black socks.
She was staying in Iwatodai Dorm, as instructed by the student council president, Kirijo Mitsuru.
"...I'm all alone, after all..." Natsuki murmured to herself again. "Fuuka..."
'...'
"Hm...?"
'Ask for... Fuuka...'
Natsuki held her head in her hands in pain. "No... No! I don't wanna hear this!"
'Come...'
"Stop calling me!" she screamed. "Stop... calling me..."
'Come and beg for forgiveness.'
Suddenly, Natsuki stood up.
"I... I have to go..."
Natsuki began to make her way out of the dorm.
-Take Your Time-
Ren ran through the desolate streets, filled with coffins and blood. While he tried to run around the pools of blood, he would sometimes have to step on the edges of it, splattering blood on his red shoes and black Shujin pants. His top consisted of a black shirt and the Shujin uniform jacket with rolled-up sleeves, only modified to be thin enough for the spring and early summer season. The Shujin emblem was also missing from his jacket.
It has been some time since Ren found himself in this situation, though it was hard to gauge, seeing as all electronics and clocks had stopped working. Still, he shouldn't trust that sense of time; it wasn't helpful back in the Metaverse, and he should apply that same idea now.
However, Ren wasn't running blindly. He knew that the trio came from Gekkoukan High School, which the Kirijo Group for sure owned. Thus, the high school became his destination.
Ren reached the Moonlight Bridge. When he looked in the school's direction, he saw an impossible sight: a malformed tower that seemed to go for the heavens. If there was one thing it reminded him of, it was the Shrine of the Holy Grail, where the Treasure of the Masses lived. In Futaba's words, was the Guest's Journey nearing its end? But that didn't make sense; Igor said that he would be placed early in the Journey. All the more reason to see that tower.
As Ren made his decision, he heard a noise behind him. He hid behind a coffin while keeping an eye on the noise's general direction. After a couple of seconds, a tanned girl came out running from the same street he came from. The girl had long, dark orange hair styled with a short ponytail. She wore what seemed to be a school uniform, though there was no school emblem from what he could see.
Ren kept himself hidden, keeping track of the girl. For all he knew, this girl could be an enemy. For now, he would and observe.
As she got closer, Ren could hear her muttering something as she passed his hiding spot.
"Gotta apologize... Fuuka, I'm sorry..."
'Fuuka? As in Yamagishi Fuuka? What does she know about Fuuka?'
Keeping track of her, Ren snuck from one shadow to another to keep himself hidden. From what he saw, the girl hadn't realized she was being watched; she kept running through the bridge at a steady pace, ignorant of the world around her. She didn't even look at the blood and coffins around her. Still, she seemed aware enough of the area around her, just enough to go around anything that was in her way.
'If I can guess where she's going, it's most likely that tower where the school should be. There's no other out-of-place building like a casino or a castle.'
Soon enough, they reached the tower, and it was exactly where the school was. Now that Ren was close enough, he realized the tower was massive, possibly even taller than where he fought Yaldabaoth. He saw gears, balconies, light sources, buildings, windows, hallways, and all other kinds of shapes to create the misshapen tower. While the Shrine of the Holy Grail was neat and orderly, this could only be called chaotic. There was no rhyme nor order in how it was built; it was as if a child smooshed and piled anything to reach the skies. On top of all that, now that Ren was here, the moon was noticeably more prominent than before, even back when he was in the hotel.
Ren was taken out of his thoughts as he heard the school gates ring. Natsuki pushed the gates to the side, which was somehow unlocked.
'What kind of school staff leaves the school gates unlocked?'
Still, this wasn't the time for such thoughts. With the tower looming over, he couldn't let someone without a Persona in. He left his hiding spot and called out to her.
"Hey, don't go in!"
The girl ignored him and ran further into the school grounds. Ren frowned. The girl should have at least reacted to him but was outright ignored. Ren ran to catch up to her and as he finally reached her right at the school door, which presumably led to the tower.
"Don't go inside. It's too dangerous in there," Ren said, but the girl only fought him, eventually trying to bite him. Ren let her go before she could, and she ran inside.
Ren clicked his tongue. Something was seriously wrong with her. On top of ignoring her, she outright tried to bite him. It was like back in Okinawa. Was her Desire stolen?
He ran inside, intent on protecting the girl. He could hear an ongoing battle further in. As the hallway opened up to a room, Natsuki collapsed to the floor, crying as she repeatedly asked forgiveness from Fuuka. At the very least, it seemed like the girl no longer wanted to move.
Ren looked over the room in front of him.
On one side were two gigantic, black, human-like monsters with masks, one was round and short while the other was blocky and tall.
On the other were two girls lying on the ground, one with red hair and another with light-brown hair.
'Wait, that's...'
"Takeba-san?!" Ren shouted, gaining the attention of the two girls. Both looked at him with alarm and frustration; both were tired from the way they were heaving.
As Ren called out to Yukari, the tall monster rushed to the girls and raised his sword. Ren noticed the monster rushing and ran to help the girls. As the sword was brought down, he hugged the two close to protect them from the force of the sword swing.
He rolled out the momentum, gently letting the two go as they stopped.
"Are you two okay?" he asked.
The red-haired girl glared straight at him and asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here!?"
"That voice, is that you, Amamiya-kun?" Yukari asked.
'That's a serious case of deja vu...'
"Yeah, it's me," he answered Yukari before turning to Mitsuru. "I was following that girl over there," he pointed to the tanned girl, "and we ended up here. I tried to stop her, but she fought back and even tried to bite me. What the hell is going on here?"
The red-haired girl looked at where Ren pointed, and her eyebrows rose. "Moriyama-san? Was she brought here by the voice?"
The monster that attacked them began to rise from when he slammed the sword down. It was as if he had no skill in using the blade, only swinging it like a stick. It began to rush them again.
Mitsuru took a moment to glance at the rushing monster before looking back at Ren. "Never mind that! We'll buy you some time and get out of here! You two can't fight these Shadows!"
"These are Shadows?" Ren asked. 'I've never seen Shadows like these. Were these like Kamoshida, who transformed?' "I'm not going to follow that; like I'd leave you two behind!"
The Shadow was now halfway, its sword raised high.
'Shall we make another contract, my other self?' a voice, deeper yet oddly the same as his, asked.
"Now is not the time for misplaced heroism!" the red-haired girl yelled out.
'You know my answer. It is the same as it was back then!'
A sinister laugh rang out. 'Very well! Just as you threw away the chains of Control, now rebel against the chains of Death!'
He turned around to face the incoming Shadow. His hands reached for the domino mask that he knew was always there. His fingers clamped around the mask, trying to separate it from his face. Blue flames began to light around him.
The Shadow was now right in front of him, and it swung down.
"No!" Takeba cried out in horror as the other girl scrambled for something on her hip.
He violently tore his mask away, blood dripping down his face, and the blue flames swallowed him.
-Take Your Time-
Kotone, Junpei, Akihiko, and Fuuka passed through the gate from the unknown Tartarus floor and landed themselves in the first floor's main entrance. They were slightly out of breath due to rushing through Shadow fights to rescue Fuuka. Then, they lost contact with Mitsuru. Finally, Fuuka 'saw'' a fight occurring on the first floor, where Mitsuru and Yukari were. After seeing the distorted green moon, Akihiko concluded that the strongest Shadows appeared during the Full Moon, making the fight on the first floor very worrisome.
Kotone was expecting to see Mitsuru and Yukari fighting against the two Shadows. What she did not expect was to see Mitsuru and Yukari lying on the ground behind someone who was engulfed in blue flames with sinister yellow eyes, along with Moriyama crying by the entrance. A masculine Shadow was threatening to attack the pillar of fire while a feminine Shadow hung back on the other side of the floor.
"What the hell?!" Junpei yelled out in surprise.
Fuuka, heaving from the dash across the Tartarus floors, was bent over with her hands on her knees. "W-why is that person on fire? Is that normal?"
'It's only her first day with us, and everything is already piling up on her.'
Akihiko shook his head. "It's not. We've never seen anything like that before!" Kotone could only silently nod.
The fire started to form into a towering humanoid, solidifying into a human with wings, taking Kotone's attention. It had: a very long top hat; a mask with two long horns; an open, red suit; red, pants-like coverings; and boots with blades as heels.
At this point, the flames were gone, and Kotone could see the person clearer. The figure wore black shoes, black pants, a black tailcoat and waistcoat, and bright red gloves that contrasted the black, serving to complete the outfit. Kotone could see the person was male. His defiant yellow eyes returned to a gray color that was almost black, he had black hair, a youthful face, and a self-confident smirk with a hint of mischief and menace.
'Why is it so familiar? I feel that I saw that face recently. When was it?'
Kotone inhaled sharply.
"Amamiya-san?!" Kotone cried out. It was him. She couldn't forget him, not when he was so unsettling. "Him? He's a Persona user?!" Junpei yelled in surprise.
"Arsène, ravage them! Eiha!" Ren commanded his Persona, Arsène, and he shot a ball of black flames at the Shadow in front of him. The ball exploded, flaring up against the enemy. It took a step back, but it wasn't strong enough to stagger it.
"That doesn't matter!" Akihiko said and began to run down the stairs. "He's protecting Mitsuru; That's enough for me! Polydeuces, Zio!" He used his Evoker, summoning his Persona, Polydeuces, and started to focus fire on the masculine Shadow with a bolt of lightning.
The feminine Shadow saw that the other Shadow was beginning to lose ground and moved to support it. However, Junpei noticed it.
"Not on my watch! Hermes, Cleave!" Junpei yelled as he rushed into battle. The sound of glass breaking rang out, and Junpei summoned Hermes. Hermes rushed towards the feminine Shadow with a slashing attack.
Fuuka looked at the chaos in front of her. Monsters that towered over her schoolmates, but those same schoolmates used their own monsters to fight back. It was far too much, and it overwhelmed her. Her heart began to beat loudly and began to hyperventilate.
Luckily, Kotone noticed.
"Fuuka!" Kotone yelled, getting Fuuka's attention. Kotone took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She looked at Fuuka's eyes and said, "Focus and breath with me. Don't look at anyone else but me."
Fuuka nodded and muttered, "Okay, okay. I'm ready."
Kotone took deep breaths, and Fuuka followed her, soon synching with her. After a couple of repetitions, Fuuka had calmed down, her heart no longer pumping as hard as before.
"Good?" Kotone asked, and Fuuka nodded. "Good, good. Listen, can you get Moriyama-san out of here? Everyone will cover you. Just get out of here, and we'll do the rest!" Kotone shot her a cheerful smile.
Fuuka steeled herself and nodded. With Ren, Akihiko, and Junpei pushing back the two Shadows, Kotone and Fuuka ran down the staircase. Fuuka split from Kotone and approached Natsuki. Meanwhile, Kotone went to Mitsuru and Yukari.
"Are you two okay?" Kotone asked them.
"We're fine. It could have been worse if that boy, Amamiya-san, I believe, didn't save us," Mitsuru answered.
"She's right," Yukari said. "Just give us a minute to catch our breath. We'll be fighting in no time!"
"No," Kotone shook her head. "You two are too tired for this right now. First thing, we need to get you further away. Don't want to get you two caught in the fight." She looked back at the three fighting the Shadows.
"Amamiya-kun!" Kotone called out, and Ren spun towards her. "I need your help!"
Ren nodded and turned to Junpei. "Iori-san, cover me!"
Junpei responded with a cocky look. "No problem, man! Watch me in action! Hermes, Agi!" He pointed the Evoker to his head, summoning his Persona, and shot a ball of fire towards the masculine Shadow.
Ren turned around and dashed towards Kotone. He knelt beside her and asked, "What's the plan?"
"I get Yukari, you get Mitsuru-senpai," Kotone commanded. She helped Yukari up with one of her arms over Kotone's shoulder. "Let's get them to the edge of the wall."
Ren nodded. He put his left arm behind Mitsuru, his elbow behind Mitsuru's head and his grip on her shoulder, and then his right arm under her knees. Ren had Mitsuru in a princess-carry.
"W-Wait!" Mitsuru cried out, her face red. "Put me down!"
"Sorry, princess!" Ren told her as he rushed to the side. "It'll be over quick."
Mitsuru held her mouth open. "P-princess?! Just because I'm a girl doesn't give you the right to call me one nor carry-"
"That's not what I meant!" Ren interjected. "It's just the easiest for me right now! Unless you want me to use fireman-carry?"
Mitsuru frowned. "Fine, fine. You're right." Still, her face was slightly flushed.
A few seconds later, Ren and Mitsuru reached the wall, and he let Mitsuru down gently.
"Thank you," Mitsuru said as she was propped down to the wall, and Ren knelt in front of her. "Despite your quick act to help, I showed you an undignified side of myself by yelling at you. For that, I am sorry."
Ren shook his head. "Oh, don't worry about it. I should be saying sorry too, for calling you 'princess.' It was demeaning to call you that."
"Hey!" Kotone called out, taking Ren and Mitsuru's attention. "As much as I'd rather not stop you two from flirting, we have Shadows to kill!" She finally caught up and laid Yukari down next to Mitsuru.
Mitsuru's face brightened up, even more, inhaling as she stammered for something to say. Ren only rolled his eyes.
"If that's what you call flirting," Ren stood up, "then we'll need to work on your knowledge of flirting."
Kotone huffed as an eyebrow rose and a smirk on her face. "That a challenge?"
Ren shot a smirk back. "Only if you want to." Kotone chuckled at his retort.
Suddenly, Akihiko yelled out in pain. Kotone and Ren whipped their heads towards Akihiko and Junpei.
"Let's get going!" Kotone yelled.
Ren nodded, however, before they could join the fight, Mitsuru called out.
"Amamiya-san, please take this," Mitsuru tossed her rapier to Ren, which he grabbed mid-air, "In case you cannot fight with your Persona anymore."
Ren gave her a smile and both ran back to the fight.
For some reason, the two Shadows were now ignoring the Personas' attacks. Because of that, Akihiko and Junpei were being pushed back. They were dodging left and right, taking potshots when they could. However, the flow of the battle was now with the Shadows.
Suddenly, Junpei tripped as he tried to dodge a Magaru from the feminine Shadow. The masculine Shadow took advantage of it and brought its sword down towards Junpei.
Ren ripped his mask off. "Arsène, Sukukaja on Iori-san!"
A green light surrounded Junpei, and he immediately rolled away from the sword. "Thanks!"
"What's going on, Junpei?" Kotone asked as she stopped next to him. "Weren't you guys beating them before?"
"We don't know!" Junpei stood up and fixed his cap. "Hermes' Cleave used to work on the fat one and Akihiko-senpai's Zio on the stocky one. They did something, and they were taking our hits right after. We've tried switching to Agi and Sonic Punch, but it didn't work either!"
"Strike, Slash, Fire, and Elec skills didn't work," Kotone summarized.
"A little help here?!" Akihiko yelled. "Polydeuces, Tarunda!" He summoned his Persona, and a black blob with a red hue appeared in front of the Shadow.
Kotone used her Evoker. "Jack Frost, Bufu!" Jack Frost appeared and an icicle formed, hitting the masculine Shadow.
It staggered.
"Ice was its weakness?!" Akihiko said with a frown. "Polydeuces, Dia!" A sparkling, green light appeared around Akihiko, slightly healing him.
Suddenly, the Shadows waved their wand and sword, and seven lights appeared: three yellow, a green, a red, a blue with a diamond, and a blue with lightning. They spun around the Shadows, congregating into them.
"Jack Frost, again!" Kotone yelled. Jack Frost shot another icicle toward the masculine Shadow. However, it didn't do any visible damage. "What?! Akihiko-senpai, get out of there!"
Akihiko retreated as the stocky Shadow rushed the four Persona users, effectively pushing them towards Mitsuru and Yukari. However, as the hulking Shadow rushed them, the feminine Shadow rushed the only undefended group: Fuuka and Natsuki.
"Fuuka!" Akihiko screamed.
Fuuka's eyes widened as she saw the plump Shadow rush for her.
"Moriyama-san, we have to get out of here!" Fuuka pleaded.
However, it seemed like Natsuki wasn't listening to her. "I'm sorry, Fuuka, I'm so sorry..." Natsuki muttered as her eyes were still unfocused.
It reached her and brought its wand high above its head.
Fuuka grabbed the Evoker that Akihiko gave her earlier.
"Wait!" Akihiko yelled out. "That's not a weapon!"
Ren took off his mask. "Arsène, open a way through! Dream Needle!" Needles formed and hailed down the masculine Shadow. However, that did nothing as the Shadows continued to rush both groups. "Damn it!"
Fuuka nodded at Akihiko's words. "I know." She pointed her Evoker at her head.
The overweight Shadow screeched as it brought down its wand. Fuuka closed her eyes as she pulled the trigger. A loud clang rang out through the room, and the Shadow rebounded, staggering back from Fuuka. It lost its footing and slammed towards the masculine Shadow, landing themselves in a pile.
A tall lady with long, blonde hair in a pink dress surrounded Fuuka and Natsuki. Its red face, eyes and neck were bandaged, and a large sphere replaced the lady's legs, resembling an eyeball.
"I can see... I can see their weaknesses somehow!" Fuuka's voice rang through Kotone's heads again.
"Uh... You guys can hear that, right?" Junpei asked. "I'm not going crazy?!"
"You're not..." Ren slowly answered him.
Kotone gasped. "This is that same voice from before!"
"Wait, you know their weaknesses?! For real?!" Junpei asked in amazement.
"Just I thought. She's like Mitsuru, might even be better," Akihiko said with a smirk. However, the Shadows were beginning to stand again. "Kotone, we don't have much time! Let Fuuka take Mitsuru's place!"
Kotone nodded at Akihiko's words. "Fuuka, think you can handle it?"
"Yes," Fuuka answered as she glared at the Shadows. "Please, let me help!"
Kotone smiled as she twirled her naginata. "Alright then!" Everyone responded with a smirk and took a fighting stance while the Shadows finally stood tall again. "Let's go, everyone!"
The two Shadows rushed the group of Persona users. Akihiko and Ren rushed from the sides while Kotone and Junpei rushed forward.
"Their weaknesses are Wind! Use Garu skills!" Fuuka said.
"Heard you loud and clear!" Kotone said as she dodged a Fatal End from the masculine Shadow. She pointed her Evoker towards her head and yelled out, "Nigi Mitama!" Nigi Mitama appeared and shot forward a small gust of wind towards the fat Shadow, causing it to stagger and fall on its back. It flailed as it tried to get back on its feet. "Again!" Another gust shot towards the other Shadow, not noticing as it was distracted by Ren and Akihiko, and it was knocked down to the ground.
"Here's our chance! Let's get 'em!" Junpei yelled out.
Kotone grinned. "Everyone, all-out attack!"
Kotone, Junpei, and Akihiko rushed the Shadows in a cloud of dust while Ren was somehow jumping around the Shadows, pinning them to the ground from his attacks from above. Kotone commanded them to step back from the cloud as it settled down, but the Shadows weren't dead yet as they rose from the ground, slightly staggering.
"Major damage, but not enough to destroy them!" Fuuka told them.
Suddenly, lights surrounded the two Shadows, just like before.
"This attack... Fuuka, what can you tell me about it?" Kotone asked.
"It somehow changes their attributes," Fuuka answered. "Give me a sec. I'll find their weaknesses!"
"Alright!" Kotone said. "Everyone, give them a distraction! Akihiko-senpai, can you use Tarunda on the one with the sword? Inugami, Tarunda on the other one!" Akihiko and Kotone summoned their Personas, and a black blob with a red hue appeared in front of the Shadows, lowering their attacks.
Junpei caught on. "I see what you're doing! Hermes!" Hermes appeared, and a purple pillar of light surrounded Junpei.
The round Shadow waved its wand towards Junpei as a small gust of wind appeared at its tip.
Ren saw it and ripped his mask off. "Arsène!" Arsène rushed towards the Shadow and kicked the wand up, missing Junpei.
"I got it!" Fuuka's voice sounded once more. "The Emperor, the one with the sword, has a Fire weakness while the Empress is currently weak to Electricity. Use Agi and Zio skills!"
"Oh yeah? Time to shake things up, Hermes!"
Akihiko pointed his Evoker to his face. "Let's go!"
A bolt of lightning and a fireball shot through the air, knocking the Shadows to the ground.
"I've been waiting for this!" Akihiko exclaimed.
Kotone nodded. "Same here!"
"Okay, now!"
All four Persona users rushed the Shadows, and another cloud of dust formed as they tried to kill the Shadows. However, the Emperor groaned and tried to hit back, stopping their attack. Kotone prompted them to regroup as they lost their moment. The moment they stood, the Shadows activated their ability again, changing their weaknesses.
"How is it, Fuuka?" Kotone asked as she turned to Fuuka.
"One last push!" Fuuka exclaimed with her eyes closed, focused on her task. "I'm scanning them right now!"
Kotone nodded. "Alright! You guys know the-"
Suddenly, the Emperor unleashed a Swift Strike, attacking all four at once. Akihiko and Junpei took the brunt of the attack as Kotone switched to Ara Mitama and Ren dodged the attacks.
"Damn it! Polydeuces!" Akihiko summoned his Persona, and a sparkling, green light surrounded Junpei.
"Omoikane!" Kotone called for another Persona, and Junpei was surrounded by the same light.
Junpei grunted. "Thanks, Kotone-chan!"
However, as they healed themselves, the Empress saw an opening and summoned another gust of wind at the tips of her wand.
"Arsène, one more time!" Ren called out, and Arsène rushed the Empress like before. However, the Emperor rushed to defend the other Shadow and blocked Arsène. "Damn it! Come back!" Arsène disappeared, and Ren's mask reappeared on his face as the Empress shot a blast of wind on the entire field.
"Arsène, come on!" Ren summoned him again, but instead of going on the offensive, a green light surrounded Ren, and Arsène zoomed right in front of Junpei. The blast of wind hit all of them, but Arsène blocked Junpei from getting hit. Ren grunted in pain but didn't fall to the floor.
"I've got it! Pierce attacks! Both are weak to Pierce attacks!" Fuuka yelled out.
Kotone gasped. "Only Yukari has Pierce attacks!"
"Like you do!" Ren smirked. "Are you forgetting dear old me?"
Kotone, realizing what Ren planned to do, called for another Persona. "Inugami, Tarukaja!" A red light surrounded Ren as he ran towards the Shadows and took their attention.
Ren rushed the Emperor while the Empress raised its wand, and the Emperor held its sword high.
Ren smirked. "Ladies first, Arsène!" Ren called out as he ran. "Dream Needle!" With how the Emperor was ready to attack Ren, it couldn't move to defend the Empress. Arsène rushed the Empress, and needles appeared to topple it.
The Emperor swung its sword down and broke the floor, but Ren deftly dodged to the side and vaulted over to the top of the blade. Ren pushed the sword down to the ground and ran up the Shadow's arm. As the Shadow struggled to get the sword off the ground, Ren jumped over to its head. He reached over its mask, as if trying to remove it. However, Ren instead slashed at the mask with the rapier and quickly jumped over the head with a front-flip. While he was upside-down in the air, he grabbed his mask and swiped it away, summoning Arsène.
"Ravage them, Arsène!" Needles burst forth, knocking the Emperor to the ground.
As he landed, he rolled to the side, dispersing his momentum. He quickly put himself up next to Kotone. "And your call?" he asked, glancing at her with a slight smirk.
Kotone returned his smirk. "All-out attack!" Ren's smirk grew larger.
"It's showtime!"
Another cloud of dust appeared as the four rushed to deal as much damage as they could. Kotone, Junpei, and Akihiko jumped out as the cloud disappeared, preparing to attack again if the Shadows were still alive. However, unlike before, the Shadows didn't stand up as they disappeared into black dust.
"And, the show's over." Ren said as he landed in front of the disappearing Shadows, pulling down on his gloves while smirking at the other three.
"That... was so cool!" Kotone yelled in excitement and wrapped Ren in a hug. "How did you do all that? I don't think any of us can do any of that!"
Ren chuckled. "Well, first, let me go. You're hugging too tightly, Shiomi-san." Kotone flushed and let him go. "I'm an amateur traceur, someone that does-"
"Parkour, right?" Akihiko finished, and Ren nodded. "I recognize those moves you pulled. Interesting stuff. Never seen it pulled so cleanly, though."
"To be honest, same here," Ren said, rubbing the back of his head. "It just felt right to-"
Suddenly, he stumbled into Kotone's arms. His clothes erupted into blue flames and transformed back to what seemed to be his civilian clothes.
"Hey!" Kotone yelled out. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Ren seemed to be trying to open his eyes but was failing. "I-I don't know. I just feel so...tired..." Ren managed to eek out what he could before drifting off to sleep. His breathing stabilized as he slept on Kotone's shoulders.
"Is this normal? Is this what happened to me?" Kotone asked Akihiko.
"Yeah, you fell asleep too," Akihiko answered. "That said, Junpei, can you help her out? I need to get to Fuuka and Natsuki."
Junpei nodded. "You got it, senpai!" He took one of Ren's arms over his shoulder, and Kotone took the other.
"A wonderful battle!" Mitsuru said, congratulating everyone. "Takeba was able to call her Persona after resting and healed us both. We witnessed the battle. Kotone, c'est magnifique!" Kotone beamed at the praise. "Yamagishi, are you alright?"
"Just...very tired..." Fuuka answered before glancing at Natsuki. "She's sleeping." Fuuka tried to stand straight but stumbled.
Luckily, Akihiko caught her. "It's alright, doze off for a bit." Fuuka nodded and slept.
"I'll call for the Chairman," Mitsuru said before turning to Ren. "As for our mystery man," she continued as she glared at him. "He'll go to the hospital. I have several questions for him when he wakes up," she said with a slight bite in her tone.
Kotone, Junpei, Yukari, and Akihiko shivered at her words.