Act 9

Remember, We've Got Your Back

They rushed down to the fourth area. Damn, the carnivore was faster than Ren had expected.

Ryuji pumped his fist. "Let's go find that carnivore!"

"Hmm… wait a sec, guys," Rise-san suddenly spoke up.

"What's the matter, Rise-san?" Naoto-san inquired.

"I'm getting multiple readings," she reported.

Multiple readings… That could mean the herbivore who was taken or maybe…

It was Yosuke.

Ren couldn't help but shake his head. Finding Yosuke had taken way longer than Ren would've liked.

Kanji-san then brought up the idea that it was the carnivore.

Futaba let out a little hum. "I can't really pinpoint what it is exactly but there's definitely others here. It's a pain, with our powers being more limited than what we're used to."

"At least we have each other though, Futaba-chan!" Rise-san cheered. "I've never had a friend who has similar powers to me!"

Futaba giggled. "Hehe, that's true."

Yu tapped his chin. "Well… there are certainly a lot of lifeforms here, so I can understand why your senses have become muddled."

Morgana nodded. "Let's be careful as we move forward!"

Ren then took the lead, exploring the area.

"Ah, the reading is getting stronger!" Futaba suddenly piped up.

Anne frowned, her grip on her whip's handle tightening. "We have to be careful, then!"

Yukiko-san bit her lip before looking down the path.

"We have to hurry. Or else the herbivore might get eaten!" she urged.

There was a sudden crashing sound and then a very human sounding yelp. The Investigation Team's heads snapped up at that and they looked towards down the path.

"That sound!" Teddie gasped. "That's gotta be Yosuke!"

Ren tilted his head.

"Are you sure that wasn't a squished frog?" he asked teasingly.

Anne smacked Ren's shoulder in response, but Ren just snickered.

"Nono that's gotta be Yosuke, right?!" Chie-san demanded.

"That voice was unmistakeable," Yu said with a grave nod.

"LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY!" screeched Yosuke.

"Damn. He's got a set of lungs," Ren noted with a sardonic smile.

"That voice! All of its kindness, tenderness, and pathetic-ness…" Teddie said with a smile. "It's definitely Yosuke!"

"Kindness?" Ryuji muttered to Ren.

Ren snorted. Teddie must be pretty fond of Yosuke if he was calling Yosuke's voice tender right now.

Kaito huffed. "Teddie-san, that's mean! You called Yosuke-san's voice pathetic!"

Teddie tilted his head. "But I said it was kind and tender!"

"You're still being mean!"

"Rise, do you know what's got Yosuke panicked so much?" Yu suddenly asked, interrupting their bickering.

Rise nodded. "Mm-hm, there's the carnivore we've been searching for! Be careful, Senpai—they're not that far off!"

Yu nodded before pumping his fist. "Let's go, everyone!"

"Don't worry, Yosuke! Teddie will save you!" Teddie-san proclaimed before speeding down the path.

"Dammit, Ted!" Kanji-san snapped out, rushing after Teddie-san.

"Kanji-kun, Teddie, don't rush off like that!" Naoto-san protested.

"Be careful, everyone!" Futaba cautioned. "This carnivore is no slouch!"

"We must hurry if we want to save Yosuke!" Makoto said.

They rushed forward. The carnivore had Yosuke and the herbivore backed into a corner. He clutched one of his arms with his other hand, pants and huffs falling from his lips.

"Damn… what am I gonna do? I jumped the gun again…" he mumbled out.

"Oh no, you're hurt…" the herbivore fretted.

Yosuke shook his head. "This is nothing! I've dealt with way worse! But stay behind me, okay?"

His voice turned warm as he looked to the herbivore. The herbivore was confused by this, though, questioning why he was so eager to help.

"Well—"

"Yosuke!" Yu suddenly shouted. "Sorry we took so long!"

His head shot up at that and his mouth dropped.

"Y-You guys found me?!" he sputtered out.

"What luck—we found him with the herbivore we were searching for!" Morgana exclaimed.

"We have to get the FOE's attention, though," Ken said. "Yosuke-san's hurt."

"Yeah, I don't want Yosuke to get gobbled up!" Teddie-san whimpered out.

Miyuki and Kaito bent down, picking up a rock. Makoto quickly wrapped their wrists.

"We need to handle this with a plan," she emphasized. "Throwing rocks at it will just infuriate it."

The twins' faces fell at that.

"Hell yeah, let's rescue Yosuke-senpai!" Kanji-san said.

Then he ran forward, waving his arms.

"Oi! Meat eating chicken! Come and get us, dammit!"

"Ah, Kanji-kun, don't!" Naoto-san's expression turned panicked. "You could get hurt!"

"What part of 'we need a plan' don't you understand?" Makoto sighed.

"We can't let Senpai get eaten!" Kanji-san retorted.

Even though Ren preferred to do things on the fly, he could see Makoto's point. But Ren was pulling a blank…

"We need to lure it away somehow…" Yu said.

Minako suddenly gasped before she snapped her fingers.

"Oh, I know! We can lure the carnivore through the gates and trap him! The one by the forked path!" she said excitedly

Ryuji nodded. "We just gotta trap it now!"

Ren turned to his best friend, smothering a grin. "You got this, Skull."

"Yeah, I'll just—" Ryuji then sputtered. "H-Hey, isn't this a little out of my league?!"

"You were just about to agree, though," Yusuke pointed out.

"Aw shuddup Fox!"

"Joker, really?" Ken groused.

"But no worries!" Teddie-san said with a bright smile. "I'll just take this rock and… HA!"

He spun before chucking the rock right at the carnivore's head.

Chie-san yelped. "Uh guys… maybe we should—"

The carnivore roared loudly, making them all wince.

"RUN!" Ren finished her suggestion.

They scrambled away, Ken and Ryuji scooping one of the twins each as they made a break for the electric gates. Ren's heart felt like it was gonna burst right out of his chest especially with the dinosaur's heavy footsteps hammering in that they could easily get eaten.

"The activation switch should be nearby! Let there be electricity!" Futaba exclaimed.

Kanji grabbed onto the switch, repeatedly pulling it back and forth.

"What the?! Why isn't it working?!" he sputtered out, still pulling at the switch.

Ken grabbed onto his wrist with his free hand. "Kanji-san, it's not working."

Despite the situation, Ren couldn't help but think of the situation at Futaba's Palace.

The dinosaur gave a roar, making Miyuki bury her face into Ken's shoulder.

"Make it go away!" she whimpered out.

"Miyuki-chan, it's okay!" Minako tried to comfort her, stroking at her back.

"Why is it broken?" Naoto questioned with a frown.

Akechi pointed to behind the switch. "There's no power. That must be why the gate was left open to begin with."

"What do we do now then?!" Anne asked, her voice growing a little shrill as she panicked. "How are we gonna fix this?!"

"Let's quickly search for a backup power source. There must be one somewhere," Naoto suggested.

"Good thinking, Naoto," Yu said with a nod.

Kaito suddenly let out a terrified scream, latching around Ryuji's neck. Ryuji let out a choked sound, even turning a little blue.

Aw, crap. The dinosaur was practically at the gate.

"Someone, do something! Please!" Miyuki begged, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. "This is scary!"

"Ace, Skull—get back!" Morgana said. "You have to protect the twins!"

Ken and Ryuji looked like they were ready to protest but then Ken looked down at the now weeping Miyuki. Ren looked to Ryuji. Kaito wasn't crying but he was shaking like a leaf. Ken then turned, hurrying away from the gate.

Yu stepped forward.

"Senpai?!" Rise cried out. "What are you doing?!"

"I'll stall it. Everyone, get to safety!" Yu ordered.

Without letting anyone get a word in, he drew his sword and rushed forward.

"Sensei, you can't just—!"

Ren gritted his teeth before dashing after Yu. If he was gonna insist on playing hero, Ren would have to lend a hand.

"JOKER!" he heard Anne shriek. "Fox, let me go!"

He turned his head to see that Yusuke had grabbed Anne, preventing her to run after Ren. Ren was a little relieved. She could get to safety…

"Even if it's just me, I should be able to stall it for a little while so everyone can get to safety…" Yu mumbled out.

"And I can double that time," Ren said, turning to him.

"Joker—wait, you…!" Yu gasped out.

"Came?" Ren nodded before spinning his knife in his hand for a moment. "I couldn't let you jump into this. Doing impulsive stuff is my shtick. Just ask anyone on my team."

Well. Maybe not Akechi, but Yu didn't need to know that.

Yu flashed a smile. "Your help is much appreciated."

"You guys are crazy, you know that!?" Futaba demanded.

"Eh," Ren said with a shrug.

He had tumbled headfirst into crazy that fateful day when he was dragged into Kamoshida's castle. He might as well roll with it.

"Let's attack it together, Joker," Yu said. "We have to time it just right."

Yu's sword began to crackle with electricity as they jumped forward. They brandished their weapons—sword and dagger—as one, before slashing in opposite directions.

The attack felled the dino with ease. Ren couldn't help but stare. Holy shit… what was that?

"Yes, we knocked it flat!" Yu said, pumping his fist. "Let's retreat now!"

Ren nodded. "Right!"

He hoped that Yosuke had the time to escape though. They were so intent on having the dinosaur chase after him that all thoughts of Yosuke had flew out of Ren's mind.

Chie rushed forward before demanding, "Are you guys okay?! That was an insane move you pulled back there!"

"It was a total anime move!" Futaba agreed. "All your powers combined!"

"Well, it wasn't all of them…" Ren said.

"Senpai and Joker were so awesome back there!" Kanji pumped his fist, practically stars in his eyes.

"As impressive as that was, we need to get this turned on," Akechi suddenly interjected.

Ren looked towards Akechi. There was a dark look in his eyes, a tenseness in his voice. Ren pressed his lips together.

"I'm onto you, Akechi," he thought grimly to himself.

"He's right—we must make haste before the dinosaur regains strength," Naoto said urgently.

"What does this button do?" Yusuke asked.

"Oooh, it's so red and shiny!"

Teddie suddenly pushed him out of the way—making Yusuke stumble for a moment—before smacking his paw against the button.

"Teddie-san, you can't just push the button like that…" Makoto sighed.

"Well, it was there for a reason…" Naoto murmured.

The lights suddenly flared to life. Ren didn't waste any time, grabbing onto the switch and pulling it down.

They seemed to sigh in unison as the electricity flared to life.

"It worked…" Anne said softly.

Then she whipped around, facing Ren. Ren tried not to gulp as Anne's blue eyes started to blaze with anger.

"Jokerrrr…" she ground out, taking a step forward.

"I uh…" Ren scrambled for an explanation. "Guys? Help?"

"You're on your own for this, Joker," Makoto stated, folding her arms over her chest.

"Mm-hm, I have to agree," Haru said with a nod.

Gah. His friends were all traitors.

Anne stalked forward.

Ren blurted out, "Panther, it was really so Yu would have back-up! I know I can be pretty damn impulsive but…!"

Anne grabbed him by the lapels of his coat and dragged him down for a kiss. It wasn't an innocent peck either. It was an intense kiss; sometimes Anne still took him by surprise with how passionate she could be.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" Anne demanded once they came up for air.

"No, but you're trying to scar me," Ryuji complained. "I mean—you gotta remember that there are kids here!"

"Ooh, Joker scored!" Teddie said in-between giggles.

Anne reddened at that before Kanji smacked Teddie lightly.

"Well… all's well ends well," Yukiko-san said lightly.

She pressed a hand against her chest, letting out a little sigh of relief.

"I was really concerned especially with the gate not working…" she added.

"I'm just glad that the emergency power supply was so close," Naoto-san said with a sigh.

"We should be safe for now," Ken said with a sigh, shifting Miyuki in his arms.

Miyuki had stopped crying now but she was still sniffling. She had her face still hidden, now buried in the crook of Ken's neck.

Ren reached out to Ryuji—as he was closer. His hand settled on Kaito's shoulder.

"Hey buddy, you okay?" he asked softly.

"I-I wasn't scared!" Kaito insisted.

"It's okay to be scared, Kaito-kun," Haru said with a kind smile. "I certainly was."

Minako approached Ken.

"Miyuki-chan, it's okay." Her voice was gentle as she touched Miyuki's shoulder lightly. "We're safe now."

"That was so scary!" Miyuki choked out, finally raising her head.

Ken sighed. "It's okay, Miyuki… I got you."

"Let's head back and find Yosuke!" Teddie suggested.

Yu nodded. "Yeah, I'm worried about him."

"Gah… that was way too close."

Yosuke Hanamura was about Ren and Ryuji's height, but there was a more gangly look to him. Minako was relieved that he was okay… but she was starting to get really antsy. Where were her friends?

"Yosuke!" Teddie let out a wail before barreling into him. "You're human after all!"

"What are you crying about?!" Yosuke cried out. "And… human? Of course I'm human, dammit!"

He then started to ramble about waking up in a group of talking dinosaurs, how strange it was. Minako couldn't help but giggle. Everyone here could probably relate.

"I'm glad you're safe. Your friends have been so worried about you," Ren said.

"Wow, even Chie?" Yosuke blurted out.

Chie sputtered. "W-What's that supposed to mean?! Of course I worried!"

To punctuate her point, she punched Yosuke's shoulder.

"Ow! Jeez, Chie!" Then he paused. "Wait. Who are these people?! I don't know like half of them!"

"Calm down, Yosuke. They're our friends—they're Persona-users, just like us," Yu said.

"And they're from the future!" Yukiko-san spoke up. "Five years from the future!"

Minako let out a soft laugh. "Well, not me. I'm from 2009."

"Waitwaitwait—time travel?" Yosuke asked. "Ugh… this is too much for my brain to handle!"

"That's not a rare occasion, though," Kanji pointed out.

"S-Shut up, Kanji!"

"Anyways, we got sucked into this world through a portal, just like you did," Morgana suddenly spoke up.

"Oh, that's cool. Wait, are you an actual cat or someone stuck in a suit like Teddie?" Yosuke tilted his head.

Morgana let out a growl. "Neither! I am a human, stuck in this fragile cat's body!"

"What's with the kids, though?" Yosuke asked.

"Long story," Yu said before his eyes softened. "I'm glad you're okay though, Yosuke. We've all been worried about you."

Naoto nodded. "Yes, after our separation… everything seemed to go downhill. Until we met the Phantom Thieves, at least."

"Things are finally looking up!" Rise cheered. "Though Senpai—don't EVER do anything like that again! It was so scary to watch you just jump up to fight the carnivore!"

Yu sighed. "I'm sorry, Rise. I just couldn't help myself, especially with everyone in danger."

"Hmm… well, that is a total you move," she admitted. "But that's why I fell in love with you to begin with!"

Yu smiled. "I love you too."

Yosuke awkwardly cleared his throat. "But sorry to worry ya so much. Things probably would've gone more smoothly if I had been just alone, but I couldn't leave that dinosaur alone…"

"That was pretty badass, Yosuke-senpai!" Kanji complimented.

Minako couldn't help but laugh. Akihiko-senpai would probably relish that kind of thing—see it as a challenge.

Her mind couldn't help but drift to her friends… were they even okay? The thought of them being overwhelmed by Shadows was too much to bear…

The dinosaur then thanked Yosuke, snapping Minako back to reality. But Yosuke was quick to dismiss it. But then… the herd came back.

"See, we saved her!" Ryuji said smugly.

They were strangely quiet, though. Minako couldn't help but feel confused. What were they thinking now…? They started to mutter amongst themselves, too.

"It's time to put a vote," the snotty dinosaur suddenly announced.

Minako's heart sank. This couldn't be good…

"What the hell is there to vote over?!" Kanji demanded.

"All those who think we should allow the humans to remain in our herd, raise your hand!"

Nobody raised their hand.

Anne sputtered. "Seriously?!"

The dinosaur then called for voting about kicking everyone out of the herd.

All the dinosaurs raised their hands. Yosukesaurus looked crestfallen before reluctantly raising his hand.

"You guys are buttfaces!"

Kaito wriggled out of Ryuji's arms, marching up to the leader. He jabbed a finger in her face.

"Everyone… they risked everything to save your companion! You're meanies and jerks! You just make everyone vote the way you wanna, and you bully anyone who thinks otherwise!"

"It's what the group wants. It's only fair," the leader said haughtily.

"But… why?" Haru asked.

"Why did you have to go against what we voted on…?" Yosukesaurus asked.

"Wait a damn second… he has my head?!" Yosuke cried out.

"You guys ignored the majority rule! We're now done with you!" Yosukesaurus suddenly snapped out.

"That's right," the leader said haughtily. "Now face the consequences."

She then sputtered as she received a face full of mud. Minako turned to see that Ryuji was kneeling by a puddle of mud.

"How fitting," Yusuke spoke up, a rather fierce glare on his face. "You're lower than dirt, after all."

The dinosaur herd then left. Makoto let out a sigh.

"And there they go…"

"Ugh, seriously—what was that about?" Yosuke grumbled out. "And why does he have my head?! This is seriously freaking me out!"

"Let's head back," Yukiko suggested. "We will be able to explain better in a safe place."

"A safe place?" Yosuke asked, bewildered.

"Just trust in us," Ren said.

Makoto suddenly looked towards Ryuji, her expression unimpressed.

"Skull… did you really have to throw the mud?"

"She deserved it!"

"That's not the point—!" Makoto suddenly stopped herself with a sigh. "What's done is done, I suppose…"

Yu suddenly put a hand on Yosuke's shoulder, flashing him a smile. If Minako remembered right, they were best friends so it must come as a relief to Yu especially to have found Yosuke.

"Welcome back, Yosuke."

Yosuke gave him a tired smile. "It's good to be back, partner."

Just watching the exchange made Minako's heart ache a little. When would it be her turn?

The moment they returned to the main part of the movie theater, Yu immediately braced himself.

"SENPAI!"

He caught Rise in his arms, her sweet perfume wafting to his nose. He then bent down, pressing a light kiss against her forehead.

"Hi, Rise."

Rise curled into his arms. "I missed you."

Then she brightened as she saw Yosuke. She pulled away from Yu, bounding over to Yosuke. She gave his best friend a quick hug.

"Welcome back, Yosuke-senpai!"

"It took us long enough to find you…" Kanji grumbled.

"I couldn't help it, okay?!"

Yu noticed Nagi and Hikari standing in the back, waiting for their chatter to die down. They then stepped forward to properly introduce themselves. But Hikari-san looked at them with frightened eyes.

"Is something the matter, Hikari-san?" Ken asked.

"Hikari-san was rather concerned about Hanamura-san," Nagi-san explained.

"Man… I really got everyone worked up," Yosuke said, cracking a sheepish smile. "Sorry 'bout that."

Naoto shook her head. "There's nothing to forgive. We're just relieved that you are safe and sound, Yosuke-senpai."

Yosuke rubbed the back of his neck before letting out a laugh.

"Well, if you say so, Naoto. And Hikari-chan… I appreciate the concern. I mean—we've never met!"

Hikari-san bit her lip. "Isn't it the same, though? With that dinosaur who got captured… You just jumped in to save her. Even when you could've gotten killed…"

The Phantom Thieves and Minako seemed to wince at that. Yu blinked at that. What happened before?

Yosuke looked taken aback at that, scratching the back of his head. Then he raised his head, giving a small smile.

"My body just reacted before my brain. I know that's usually Chie's shtick—"

"Hey!" Chie protested, making several people laugh.

Hikari frowned at that though. She still looked… baffled.

"You had no reason to do it… Then why…" she trailed off.

"It was definitely scary! I almost got gobbled up, you know?" Yosuke's expression then softened. "But I would've regretted it, if I hadn't stepped in. I told myself a while ago that I need to stop lying to myself."

Heh. Yu couldn't help but smile. He felt proud of his friend, how much Yosuke had matured over the past few months.

"Lying to myself?" Hikari echoed, tilting her head.

She sounded confused by what Yosuke meant.

"If I fooled myself into taking the easy route, just to save my own skin. That kind of behavior… is despicable to me. And if you keep doing it—you'll just end up hating yourself."

Makoto gave a nod. "Your doubts will start to eat at you as well."

Oh… Yu couldn't help but wonder what she had gone through.

"Makoto…" Anne said quietly.

Makoto just shook her head, gesturing to Yosuke. He had started to speak again.

"I don't wanna lie to myself. Ever again," Yosuke declared, putting a hand over his chest.

"Yosuke…" Yu uttered; he was honestly speechless.

Yosuke must've spent a lot of time thinking about this.

Ren laughed. "Sounds like something a leader should be saying, with that kind of dramatic speech."

"You can't talk with dramatics," Ryuji snickered, elbowing his best friend in the ribs.

"Must be pretty cheesy, huh?" Yosuke let out a nervous chuckle.

"You're fine. Ren just picks on everyone," Ken stated, rolling his eyes.

"It makes my heart so fuzzy! Who knew that you put so much thought into this?!" Teddie sobbed out. "You're surprisingly cool, even when you're cheesy, Yosuke!"

"Hell yeah, Yosuke-senpai!" Kanji seconded, pumping his fist. "That was some Grade-A cheese!"

Minako giggled, though at least she had the manners to hold a hand against her mouth.

"I don't think that's what Yosuke-kun was going for," she said.

"Stop making me sound a cheese freak! I don't even like cheese that much, dammit!" Yosuke cried out.

Yosuke's protest made some people laugh. Yu was glad that the twins were among them. They had been quiet—too quiet in Yu's opinion.

Hikari, however, looked conflicted.

"Lying to yourself… makes you hate yourself?"

"You're not being your true self," Yu explained.

Chie nodded. "Uh-huh. You could say that we've all dealt with that in one way or another."

She gestured to everyone in the Investigation Team as she said this. They could only nod, seconding Chie's statement.

Hikari bit her lip. "But the majority decided to abandon her. But you wanted to rescue her because you wanted to be true to your feelings?"

"Ding ding ding!" Ren said cheerfully. "We have a winner!"

"Ren, stop making a joke out of this," Morgana grumbled.

"I gotta lighten things up a bit. Or else it gets too heavy for any of us to handle."

"I have the same philosophy," Minako said, giggling.

Anne gave her boyfriend a fond look before shaking her head.

"You really are two peas in a pod," she remarked.

"Joking aside…" Chie put a hand over her chest. "I don't give a crap about what the majority decides. I decide what's right, nobody else! I'd never abandon my friends if they need me! It's that simple!"

"Chie…" Yukiko said softly.

It took Yu a moment to realize that she was thinking of the time she was trapped in the TV world.

Akechi then spoke up. "We're not saying that a majority's decision is inherently bad. When a group decision is necessary, it's only logical to follow the voice of majority. But just because a larger number of people agree on a certain manner, that doesn't make them necessarily right."

"The only way to introduce change is to give everyone a voice. Women used to be viewed as little more than property to their fathers, husbands, and sons. But they eventually won their rights," Ken said quietly.

Anne nodded. "Mm-hm, plus abolitionists had to fight tooth and nail to get rid of slavery. It took them decades to get it done but they finally pulled it off."

"Going back to what Akechi-kun was saying, a vote is a collection of each participant's honest opinions," Makoto stated. "The alternative—blindly following the majority and dismissing your own feelings… it's abhorrent."

Hikari still looked confused. Futaba stared at her, her eyes filled with sadness. Then Futaba coughed.

"Hikari, is it scary to be honest with yourself?"

Hikari spoke with a slight stutter. "I-If what I believe is different than what other people believe… they'll think I'm weird. They'll want nothing to do with me…"

Her voice hitched at the last part. Yu's heart sank at that. She must've been bullied in the past.

"Then they're not worth having around," Ren said firmly.

Yu's stomach clenched as Ren's voice and expression grew bitter for a moment.

But then he cleared his throat. "If you're really friends, you may disagree with their opinion. Friends disagree. It happens but you still care about them."

"…I get it though," Futaba said quietly, staring at the ground.

"Futaba…" Ken muttered.

Futaba then lifted her head, a small smile curving at her lips.

"But I'm okay now. I met these guys… they saved me. They put up with how weird I can get sometimes. And now I have real friends for the first time in forever."

"We feel all the same way," Yusuke stated. "We were all alone in our own way until our paths crossed."

"You all stick together, even though you're all so different." Hikari's voice was filled with wonder, only to turn wistful. "I'm a little jealous…"

"Hikari-chan, don't be so hard on yourself," Yukiko said. "We're all friends, aren't we?"

"Friends…" Hikari repeated, her voice filled with wonder.

It was honestly sad that it was almost a foreign concept to Hikari. What kind of life had she led before all of this?

Naoto suddenly crossed her arms over her chest before clearing her throat. "Now that we've found Yosuke-senpai, what's our next step?"

"We have to change the endings of the movies in order to leave the movie theater, correct?" Yukiko asked.

"Yep!" Morgana nodded. "We must return to the movie."

"Yosukesaurus needs to get some sense smacked into him too," Miyuki suddenly spoke up.

"We can reach him… He just is scared," Kaito seconded his twin. "Of losing his friends. So he just goes along with whatever they want!"

"Yeah, I gotta agree," Yosuke said. "If I let it be… I felt that it would haunt me."

"Let's head back when we're ready," Haru stated.

The twins suddenly shrunk back at that.

Ken then crouched to their level.

"Miyuki, Kaito—it's okay to be scared. The dinosaurs lurking around are dangerous, after all."

Miyuki bit her lip. "It was just so scary… like the bad guy was gonna win," she said softly.

"You could always stay behind in the theater now," Makoto suggested.

Their expressions turned conflicted.

"But… Yosukesaurus…" Kaito mumbled out.

Ken gave a soft chuckle before rubbing the top of Kaito's head. Yu couldn't help but wonder if his hair was as soft as it looked.

"You have a good heart, Kaito," he said with an affectionate smile.

"May I suggest something?" Naoto spoke up. "Your main concern is with Yosukesaurus, correct? You don't have to accompany us while we make ventures further in. Once we track down Yosukesaurus, you can join us once more."

"Oooh, that's a good idea," Rise commented.

The twins' expressions were still unsure however. Miyuki then spoke up.

"I'm okay with that. I dunno about Kaito though…"

Kaito nodded. "I'm with Miyu."

"So we're all settled," Ren said. "Let's relax for a bit before heading back in."

He suddenly jumped as Elizabeth-san placed a hand on his shoulder.

"One moment. I wish to speak with you all about what happened with my sisters' guests."

Oh… that moment where he and Ren acted in sync? Yu figured it was a fluke but apparently not…

Getting through this was really starting to get exhausting. Between the dinosaurs purposely sabotaging them and this heat… Ken was starting to feel really tired.

They took a couple breaks in-between at least. Though Ken still felt a little sorry for how Yosuke-san's… mishaps kept getting brought up. Ken did not appreciate Ren joking that Ken would do well in a crossdressing contest, though.

"Kanjiiii, why do you always look at Mona like that?!"

Teddie-san's exuberant voice immediately caught Ken's attention. It was really something to see that Teddie-san never really changed in that department.

"S-Say what?!" Kanji-san sputtered out, his cheeks turning pink. "It's just your imagination, Ted."

"No, you're staring pretty hard at him," Yosuke-san said in his usual carefree manner.

As Kanji-san whined at Yosuke-san to shush, Ken had to stifle a smile. Kanji-san still was a little embarrassed by how he loved cute stuff, it seemed.

Ryuji, however, was less subtle about hiding his amusement and he loudly snorted. Kanji-san's head whipped towards Ryuji, a fierce scowl appearing on his face.

"Uh-oh," Ken thought as a wave of anxiety hit him. "This can't be good."

"The hell's wrong with liking cute stuff, Tough Guy?!" Kanji-san demanded.

Ken pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache coming on. He wished he had some Bylonel on hand.

"I didn't say that! Don't put words in my mouth!" Ryuji said heatedly, his usual temper flaring up. "I didn't even say anything!"

"You were thinking it!" Kanji-san accused, pointing at Ryuji.

Yu-san was quick to intervene, somehow managing to tug back the fuming Kanji-san. They didn't have much difference in height but Yu-san had a lanky build not dissimilar to Ren's, while Kanji-san was built similarly to Shinjiro-san.

"Settle down, Ryuji," Makoto chided.

"But did you hear what he was accusing me of!" Ryuji protested. "He's just being a dick!"

"You're the one being a dick dammit!" Kanji-san snarled out, glowering at Ryuji.

Ren quickly stepped in between the two lightning users.

"Okay, okay, pipe down. Both of you! I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding," he reprimanded.

"Like hell it is," Kanji-san said sulkily.

"What just happened?" Yukiko-san whispered.

Naoto-san sighed, shaking her head. "Kanji-kun is usually fairly understanding too…"

"Come on, just simmer down, okay?" Ren refused to back down. "We have plenty ground to cover until we find the herd of herbivores."

Ryuji grumbled to himself before slowly nodding. Ryuji was far from perfect but Ken couldn't help but admire his deep loyalty to Ren.

"Kanji-kun… please, Joker is right," Naoto-san implored.

Kanji-san huffed. "Fine… only 'cause Senpai and Naoto have a good point."

This seemed to tick off Ryuji even further, his jaw tightening and his expression darkening. But he took a deep breath.

"Let's get going, Joker."

At Ren's nod, they started to move on again.

"Skull got along with Kanji-san when we visited Inaba," Makoto said to him, bewildered.

"Kanji-san is also five years older in our time," Ken reminded his girlfriend, taking care to keep his voice low. "Even six months have the biggest difference."

He couldn't help but think of how nice Kanji had been to him back then, encouraging him to fight what Ken had thought was his Shadow self.

"You met him and the Investigation Team in May 2012, right?" Makkoto asked.

"Mm-hm. During Golden Week."

They continued to talk quietly as they traveled through the forest. Ken wasn't sure how to fix the whole Kanji-san and Ryuji deal. Maybe Ren would cook up some kind of plan. It sounded like something he'd do.

Ken absently wiped at his brow. It was so warm. He tolerated the heat better but even he had his limits.

"Hey, is it me or is Teddie missing?"

Yu-san's abrupt question made Ken stop in his tracks.

"Crap, you're right!" Chie-san gasped. "Where did he go?!"

Haru remarked, "I did notice that it was getting quiet. Teddie going missing would explain that."

That was putting it lightly. The Shadow was a chatterbox, even putting Junpei-san to shame.

"Gah! That idiot…" Yosuke-san's expression suddenly turned worried. "Why did he run o—"

"Hiiii Yosuke!"

Teddie-san was rubbing himself against some… container.

Yosuke-san sputtered. "What are you doing there, Ted?! You had us all worried, dammit!"

This made the Investigation Team start to laugh to themselves. Yosuke-san flushed.

"What's so funny?" he demanded.

"It's like you're his big brother, Yosuke-senpai," Rise-san teased.

"Ugh, more like his babysitter…" he griped. "Why are you even rubbing up against the container like that? It's… weird."

"Like marking his territory," Yu-san said idly.

"Nothing like that, Sensei!" Teddie-san said before rubbing his face against the container. "This world is just so hot, almost as hot as Teddie! I felt that I was gonna melt away… Then I found this chilly and refreshing box!"

He then sighed, rubbing against it.

"Teddie looks like he's in heaven," Yukiko-san remarked.

"Chilly…" Akechi repeated. "It appears that Teddie-san has found a freezer unit."

"A freezer unit… here?" Anne asked.

She then stepped forward, touching the freezer unit. She then shuddered.

"It's hot but that's too cold for me," she declared.

"You always were sensitive to the cold," Ren said teasingly. "Good thing I'm here to warm you up back at home."

Anne rolled her eyes before smacking Ren's shoulder.

"Haha, very funny, Wise Guy," she said dryly.

"The cold air must feel nice for Teddie-san, though," Akechi said. "I imagine it's not the easiest being out here in the heat while wearing a costume…"

"Can't imagine how that feels," Ren said dryly.

Ken grimaced before waving at his face.

"Oooh, but that long nose of yours looks pretty heated to me, Crow. Wanna hop here next to me?" Teddie-san asked.

Akechi recoiled before lightly touching his mask.

"I-Is it truly that long?" he asked.

This earned some snickers from his friends.

"What's the matter, Crow? Have you been bugged by what Miyuki and Kaito said this whole time?" Futaba asked teasingly.

"Do I want to know?" Ken asked.

"They were fighting over it looked like a woodpecker or a tengu," Makoto stated.

"A-Anyways, we're getting off topic. It's not that warm for me personally," Akechi said quickly.

"I could always set you on fire, Teddie," Yukiko-san said idly.

"Annnd we really have to get going," Ken quickly interjected.

He sensed it was one of Yukiko-san's… moments.

Ren nodded. "Ace is right. Let's get going."

They didn't make it too far in their trek when the carnivore suddenly popped up.

"Gah! Not again!" Chie-san yelped, latching onto the nearest person—Kanji-san.

Ken was grateful that the twins were safely back in the movie theater. A part of him hoped that they would choose to stay in the theater after all of this. He was starting to get gray hairs due to stressing over their safety.

"What do we do?!" Ryuji asked in panic.

Ren backed away. "Running sounds like a good idea."

They rushed through the door.

"Ugh… why can we do now? We can't get further without running into him…" Anne lamented, biting her lip.

"We'll figure out a way, Panther! Don't lose heart!" Minako-san said with a cheerful smile. Then her expression grew serious as she rubbed her chin. "Though… we do need to think of a strategy."

"There were no gates nearby so we can't utilize our past strategy," Yusuke said thoughtfully.

"Oooh, I know! Why don't we use somebody as bait and sneak past it as it's distracted?"

"Oh, that's a good idea, Chie-san!" Haru said.

Chie-san let out a nervous chuckle. "Aw, it was nothing…"

"I nominate Ace then. He used to play soccer after all so he's a fast runner," Ren announced.

Ken glared at his friend. "Haha, very funny, Joker."

Yukiko-san tilted her head. "Shouldn't it be someone more delicious looking than Ace though?"

"I dunno, Queen seems to think he's a treat," Futaba snickered.

Ken felt his face grow red. "Oracle!"

"Be careful, she might give you a bite sometime," Minako-san said with a wink.

"M-Minako-san! Not you too!" Makoto cried out.

Ren cracked a smirk. Ken couldn't help but groan. He could feel another joke coming.

"But we're losing track of what's important," Naoto-san said after letting out a delicate cough.

Her cheeks were a faint shade of pink, belying her embarrassment. At least she wasn't the one being talked about…

"Isn't there anything we can feed the dinosaur?" Yu-san suddenly asked.

Naoto-san nodded. "A plan to bait it with a meal… that's a good idea, Senpai."

"They should eat meat… where could we get some?" Minako-san wondered aloud.

Ren suddenly snapped his fingers. His eyes were alight with excitement.

"What about the freezer unit Teddie found earlier?"

Haru clapped her hands in excitement. "That's right! I can't believe that we forgot about that…"

"But do you really think the food wouldn't be spoiled?" Ryuji asked.

"You saw how it was working earlier, though," Makoto pointed out.

"Mm, not to mention the electric gates we have run into previously," Akechi remarked.

Ken couldn't help but think that it was a bizarre set-up, with the devices that use electricity… But if it was to their advantage, why should he complain?

"We won't know until we try." Minako-san pumped her fist. "The freezer unit isn't that far off! Let's go!"

They hurried to the freezer unit and unearthed a rather… big cut of meat. Of course, Chie-san started to drool over it.

Ken let out a delicate cough. "Ah, Chie-san, please remember that it's for the dinosaur…"

Chie-san drooped at it. "Dang it… that's right."

"Well, if Chie-senpai's a fan, this will attract the carnivore real easy," Kanji-san remarked.

"Let's take it and set it at a safe distance," Makoto said. "Hopefully it'll notice and start to eat."

Anne tapped her chin. "Wait, but it's still frozen. Will that be okay?"

"Carnivores also have a higher sense of smell so to locate their prey," Naoto-san said. "It would probably not be the best idea to use the meat frozen."

"Let's light it up, Panther!" Yukiko-san suggested.

Ken couldn't help but cringe. That was just a disaster in the making.

"Why not just cook it?" Akechi asked.

"Oooh, yeah! The dinosaur will come skipping towards the delicious meaty scent!" Minako-san said.

"That's an image I really didn't need," Ken said dryly.

"Ugh… don't remind me of how delicious meat smells when it's cooked," Chie-san moaned out.

"Oh, that does remind me of the time we were helping the cooks at the inn make wontons and the cook caught Chie trying to eat some of the raw meat," Yukiko-san said idly.

"You ate raw meat?!" Yosuke-san then blinked. "…Why am I surprised at that?"

Yeah that was… honestly not surprising for Chie-san.

"HEY!"

"Wait, hang on," Ryuji suddenly said. "Where are we even gonna cook it?"

"Um… back at the movie theater?" Anne tentatively suggested.

Yeah like that wasn't gonna be a disaster in the making.

"No!" Yosuke-san blurted out. "If we let them cook in an enclosed space, we'll wind up dead!"

It took Ken only a moment to realize what he was alluding to. Well… at least Chie-san improved. Somewhat. She didn't poison people anymore. And Yu-san had convinced Rise-san to amp down on the spice.

Yukiko-san, however… it was a good thing there were chefs working at the Amagi Inn.

This earned irritated glares from both Chie-san and Yukiko-san. Yosuke-san began to flounder.

"Grilling indoors is dangerous," Ren quickly interceded.

Yosuke-san nodded furiously. "Y-Yeah! That's totally it!"

"Riiight…" Chie-san drawled out.

"This meat is a large cut… it'll be difficult to cook it with ordinary-sized flames," Yu-san mentioned.

"Y-Yeah! It's a lot safer to cook outside! And…" Yosuke-san gulped. "A lot more easy to run away too…"

Ken sighed. Yu-san and Ren had interceded with perfect saves and still, somehow—Yosuke-san still had to put his foot in his mouth.

"It's still a bit dangerous to cook outside… what if the fire gets out of control?" Yusuke asked.

Ken couldn't help but sweat a little as Rise-san, Yukiko-san and Chie-san talked about cooking the meat though. Especially while improvising. He had heard horror stories from the Investigation Team males.

"W-Wait, since there's only so much meat… shouldn't we get a more reliable—I-I mean, less experimental cook?"

This was flustering Yu-san… It must be really bad.

"Y-Yeah, we can handle the cooking part and you can uh…" Yosuke-san's eyes lit up. "You can look for other ingredients to use!"

"You're kinda freaking out there, Yosuke-senpai…" Kanji-san said in a low voice. "But I get it."

Chie-san heard it though, despite Kanji-san keeping his voice low.

"H-Hey, what's that supposed to mean?! Does our cooking upset you so much?"

Ren quickly stepped in. "Come on, guys, we're a team. We'll be counting on you, ladies. We need aromatic herbs, maybe some rock salt…"

"Don't forget that we have to start a fire to cook the meat," Yu-san interjected. "That's why we feel that we're better suited for this."

Yukiko let out a hum. "It's true that Yu-kun did start the fire for our camping trip…"

"Looking for ingredients sounds fun," Haru chimed in.

"Count me in too!" Anne said with a bright smile. "We can leave the cooking to the guys and us gals can go on a hunt!"

"You make it sound like an adventure," Naoto-san said with a soft laugh. "Very well. I shall join you as well."

"Leave the guys to toil over the fire," Minako-san said, winking. "Bye-bye!"

"Phew! Good job, Yosuke!" Teddie-san congratulated.

Ryuji scratched the back of his head. "Are they really that b—"

Ken began to frantically wave at Ryuji. Rise-san was still listening after all.

"Uhh… never mind," Ryuji said sheepishly.

"Seriously, if we left the cooking to them, we wouldn't have bait… we'd have a chemical weapon."

"Not a bad idea to use against Shadows," Yu-san said idly. "Maybe it'd knock out the carnivore."

Ken was just grateful that the only 'bad' cook out of his friends was Futaba and that was because she never learned. Shinjiro-san would probably have an aneurysm otherwise.

Ken couldn't help but frown. He hoped Shinjiro-san wasn't too worried about him…

Though what Yu-san said… it nagged at Ken for some reason.

Ken grimaced, gripping his forehead. His head was starting to hurt…

"Ace? What's the matter?" Minako-san asked.

"…It's nothing. Just a headache," Ken quickly said.

"So… who's gonna do the cooking?" Yusuke asked. "You know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen."

"Ace should do it!" Ryuji interjected. "He's great at improvising with cooking too!"

Morgana nodded. "He does know quite a few recipes, thanks to his guardian."

"Senpai, too!" Rise-san chimed in. "He's the best cook! Nothing compares to his food!"

Yu just rubbed the back of his neck, a faint blush rising to his cheeks. "You overexaggerate my ability to cook, Rise."

"I'm expecting top-tier cuisine," Ren teased.

Ken rolled his eyes. "Okay, Mr. Gourmet, why don't you cook then? Sakura-san did teach you well, after all."

"Ooh, yeah, Sojiro's curry is the best!" Futaba said, only to let out a longing sigh. "Dang… now I want curry."

"Sure, sure, throw me under the bus…" Ren pretended to pout. "But fiiine…"

Ken resisted the urge to roll his eyes. And yet, it was perfectly okay to throw Ken under the bus? Okay.

Ren and Yu-san busied themselves with the cooking preparations. It took a long time to clean the meat.

"We're baaaack!" Anne said in a sing-song voice before giving Ren a kiss on the cheek.

Haru giggled. "I think you'll like what we've brought back."

"Oh?" Akechi tilted his head. "I'm curious."

"You'll just have to wait and see, Crow," Makoto interjected.

"What did ya bring back, then?" Ryuji asked.

Ken had to admit that he was curious himself.

Naoto-san had found some herbs. Ken had taken the opportunity to take a sniff. It was a strong scent. It didn't particularly remind Ken of any herb he used in cooking though.

Chie-san's find was a dinosaur egg. Ken felt a little uncomfortable with using a dinosaur egg, especially since it wasn't like with chickens laying unfertilized eggs.

Well they were feeding it to the carnivore… they weren't eating it.

"And here's my find!"

Ken cringed as Yukiko-san proudly held up a pitcher plant.

"Something tells me that thing is dangerous…" Teddie-san said gravely.

"Uh… that's an interesting find, Yukiko-san…" Ken said, unsure what else to say.

Yukiko-san beamed at that. "Thanks, Ace! It'd be so cute as a serving dish!"

Haha… cute…

Right…

"That's um… a word to describe it," Ryuji said.

"Huh?"

"We could cook it," Ren was quick to interject.

Yukiko-san's eyes lit up. Ken let out a sigh of relief; good thing Ren distracted her.

"It's really fleshy and fibrous so I bet it has great texture! It seems like it'd be pretty healthy too!"

"Since when are we nutritionists?" Yosuke-san grumbled.

Ryuji sidled up to Ken to whisper, "Hey, uh, Ken… does Yukiko-san get better at cooking? She's not gonna poison her guests, right?"

Ken just shook his head. Yukiko-san was lucky that there were chefs at the inn.

"...Oh."

Anne was deflated now.

"Aw, man… all we brought back were these…" she said with a sheepish smile.

Morgana's eyes grew wide. "What is this enticing aroma?!"

Ken found it familiar though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"They're wild matsutake mushrooms!" Haru giggled. "They're really rare and highly sought out! Just one can be four thousand yen!"

"Might I have a taste…?" Yusuke asked.

"Fox, we've talked about this," Makoto scolded.

Ken sighed. There was a reason why he started bringing Yusuke lunches…

"Minako-san found them and we picked as much as we could carry!" Haru explained.

Akechi frowned. "But why are they growing here?"

Naoto-san tapped her chin. "It's most likely that they were part of some genetic engineering program."

Ren grinned before spinning the kitchen knife in his hand.

"Let's get cooking."

They started off with roasting mushrooms. Then they began to simmer the meat slowly over low heat. But then a sudden movement caught Ken's eye. He felt a pit form in his stomach as he saw Chie-san and Yukiko-san bent over a pot of their own.

"What are you two cooking up?" Ken marched over to them.

"Oh, Ace, look! We combined the egg whites, the sap from the pitcher plant, and the herb from before!" Yukiko-san said enthusiastically.

"I, uh… that's great…" Ken said, fighting to keep his face neutral.

He hoped his face didn't look green…

"I'm sorry," Naoto-san said quietly. "I tried to stop them."

The meat was just about done, and Yu-san and Ren were sprinkling the roasted mushrooms on top.

"Yukiko-san, don't…!" Ken tried to intervene.

But alas, it was too late. She dumped the sauce onto top of the slab of meat.

"Good god, this dish has been slimed!" Yusuke lamented, pressing a hand to his forehead.

Ken joined his friend, letting out an aggravated sigh.

"It's um…" Chie-san's eyes suddenly lit up. "Organic! Yeah, it's organic! It's nice and green… doesn't it smell like something a dino would eat?"

"Sure if it was a herbivore," Ken mumbled.

Yosuke-san held his nose. "Not likely! It smells like grassy eggs!"

"What are we gonna do? It's turned into some mystery object," Kanji-san said.

"More like Mystery Food X returns…" Yu-san sighed, hanging his head.

"Ahh… it can't be that bad!" Minako-san attempted to comfort him.

She even stood on her tiptoes to pat Yu-san on the shoulder.

"We should do a taste test."

"Huh?! Who's gonna—" Yosuke-san sputtered out, oblivious to how Teddie-san had broken off a piece of the meat.

"Alley-op! Down the hatch, Yosuke~!" Teddie-san said in a sing-song voice.

Teddie-san then tackled Yosuke-san to the ground, stuffing the piece of meat into his mouth.

"Ahhh, Ted, dammit—get off! I'm too young to die!"

Yu-san could only stare at the tussling duo before mumbling out, "Yosuke… please make through this alive…"

Yosuke-san managed to push Teddie-san off, rolling over so that he was on his knees. He was shaking all over.

"Noir… prepare an Amrita Drop," Ren said grimly.

He then staggered to his feet.

"It's… It's—"

"Yosuke-san, hang on!" Anne said desperately.

"It's delicious!" he proclaimed.

"Um… are you feeling sick, Yosuke-san?" Ken asked.

He couldn't help but feel worried…

"No, seriously! It's so, so good, guys! See for yourself!" he insisted.

"HUUUH?!" Morgana sputtered out. "You can't be serious!"

Minako-san tilted her head, staring at the meat. Then she broke off a piece. She suddenly gasped in delight, pressing a hand against her cheek.

"Yosuke-kun's right! This is good—it's so creamy and just bursting with flavor! I bet even Shinjiro-senpai would be impressed!"

Haru was next to try. She chewed slowly, only for her eyes to light up.

"Mm… this can be addicting. The sauce adds a richness to the meat that really complements the flavor."

"Ace, it really is good, I promise," Makoto whispered to him.

Ken gave her an uncertain look before breaking off his own piece. He couldn't help but think of the days where he was one of Fuuka-san's guinea pigs as she slowly improved.

He took a small bite, only for his eyes to widen as fresh flavor burst into his mouth. He took a moment to swallow.

"I'm impressed, Yukiko-san, Chie-san."

"Hear that, Yosuke? Our cooking skills can't be beat!" Chie-san said, looking pretty smug.

Yosuke-san shook his head. "Nope this was a miracle. One in a million chance. If not for the meat, this would be just grassy eggy slime."

"That's not very nice, Yosuke-san!" Haru scolded. "How will they improve if you don't give them constructive criticism."

"I'm with Yosuke on this one, sorry," Yu-san said.

"Aww, man, are you holding the camping trip over us even now?!" Chie-san exclaimed.

Akechi cleared his throat. "Shall we get moving then?"

Ren just nodded in agreement. Kanji-san agreed to carry the meat for them as they headed back where the carnivore lurked. They were careful to place the bait upwind so the carnivore could smell it.

"I hope that the dinosaur will take the bait…" Makoto said, biting her lower lip.

Teddie-san let out a growl, clenching his paws into fists. "Let the scent of meat reach your nostrils, mighty beast!"

He then began to blow at the meat.

"Uh, just blowing on the meat from this far isn't gonna work—" Yosuke-san began to say.

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions!" Morgana said with a gasp. "Look at how it's sniffing the air!"

Ren gestured towards the bushes for them to hide. With there being nearly twenty of them, they had to… spread out.

"Look! He's going for it!" Rise-san said in excitement.

The dinosaur bent its head, eagerly gobbling it up. Anne let out an excited squeal, only to be shushed by Naoto-san.

"Let's take the chance to slip away—" Yusuke began to say.

Futaba squeaked. "Oh no! It's almost finished with the bait!"

"Already?!" Yosuke-san groaned.

Ugh… all that effort for nothing.

But then the dinosaur did something that surprised them. It wandered away.

Naoto-san let out a hum. "It must be returning to its nest now that its belly is full."

They all let out a collective sigh of relief.

"That was way too close," Ryuji grumbled out.

"All's well ends well, right?" Yu-san said with a smile.

"You know it! Now we don't have to worry about that particular carnivore!" Minako-san said cheerfully.

"Jeez, now it feels like a waste for that dinosaur to get that slab of meat…" Ryuji grumbled.

"Craving meat, are we, Skull?" Futaba asked.

"I mean, popcorn's all good but it's starting to get stale!" Ryuji said.

Okay, Ken could relate to that. He liked popcorn but not that much…

"Maybe Theo will come up with a new flavor," Minako-san said.

"Skull's right though… we could've had that beautiful piece of meat…" Chie-san lamented.

"I agree as well!" Yusuke seconded. "The opportunity to feast upon a cut of meat that size comes only once a lifetime!"

Haru nodded. "It was really fun to gather up the ingredients and cook with everyone! I haven't cooked much so I think adds to the learning experience!"

"Oh, that reminds me a little of Mitsuru-senpai," Minako-san commented.

Ken couldn't help but shudder of what happened the last time Mitsuru-san tried to cook. (Unsurprisingly, it had come from Shinjiro-san egging her on.)

"Cooking should come from the heart," Haru declared.

"While that's true, I don't think gathering up the ingredients would be very safe…" Makoto commented.

"Aww…" Haru hung her head in response.

Ren nodded. "Don't worry, Haru. Stop by Leblanc anytime and I'd be happy to cook with you."

"We also have plenty of the sauce left… should we bring it back?" Chie-san piped up.

"I wonder if we'd able to recreate the recipe with more conventional ingredients," Yukiko-san mused.

The Investigation Team males went pale at this. Ken couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for them.

"Would you forget the sauce? What are you trying to do anyways, create a jungle version of Mystery Food X?"

"Yu-kun mentioned that earlier…" Minako-san asked, either obvious or ignoring Ken shaking his head at her.

Ken suspected it was the latter.

Yu-san grimaced. "Trust me—you don't wanna know."

Akechi coughed. "This conversation has been… interesting, but we really should get moving."

Ryuji crowed, "Aha! We finally caught up to you!"

Yosuke was still a little freaked out by his dinosaur… clone? Either way it was freaky that it had a head exactly like his own.

The dinosaurs started to complain that they had blocked the way.

"As if we'd give up over such a small obstacle!" Morgana chuckled.

It was a regular pain in the ass though, maneuvering their way around this maze.

"Why are you following us, then?" the timid one asked.

"Yeah, we want nothing to do with you," sniffed the leader.

The third dinosaur huffed. "Let's just ignore the humans and keep moving. Who cares about them? The only thing that matters is our paradise."

Ken gave a low scoff. "You're really self-serving, aren't you?"

"You broke our rules—"

"Nobody told us about your stupid rule," Ryuji snarled out.

"And you just steamroll everyone. It's what you want! You don't give anyone a real chance to say how they really feel!" Minako exclaimed, clenching her hands.

"I—" The leader huffed. "Let's get out of here."

"Oi, get back here, you bastards!" Kanji barked out.

He moved to run after them but Naoto grabbed onto his sleeve.

"Kanji-kun, don't rush into this!" Naoto said.

Then Yosuke realized that the 'Yosukesaurus' had lingered.

"Minako-san is right, you know," Yosuke said. "Are you really okay with suppressing how you feel?"

As weirded he was by Yosukesaurus, Yosuke didn't want him to make the same mistake Yosuke once did.

Yosuke's hand clenched into a fist.

"Are you really the type of guy to abandon his friends?!" Yosuke demanded.

"I-I can't help it! This is what everyone voted for…!" he protested. "It's the rule of the herd… I don't listen—I'll get kicked out!"

Yosuke couldn't help but feel sorry for the dude. But that was no way to live, being a people pleaser.

"J-Just leave me alone!" Yosukesaurus shouted before whirling around and running after the herd.

"Yosuke, what has you all fired up?" Teddie asked curiously.

"Huh?!" Yosuke sputtered out.

Makoto just nodded, her sharp red eyes suddenly studying Yosuke.

"It's true that you seem rather invested in Yosukesaurus…"

"I mean, he kinda has his head…" Futaba remarked.

"Sorry. I kinda lost my head back there, huh?" Yosuke flashed a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

He felt awkward about it, trying to explain that he understood how Yosukesaurus felt.

"Is it because you look him?" Ren asked.

Ken rolled his eyes at Ren before elbowing in the side. Yosuke just let out an awkward laugh.

"I mean, it's kinda… like seeing a past reflection of me. He reminds me of how I used to act. I was such a dumbass…"

"'Was'?" Yukiko tilted her head.

Yosuke winced. "You didn't have to go for the throat, you know… B-But anyways…"

He explained to the Phantom Thieves that he had to transfer a lot with his dad's job and how transfer students tend to be isolated.

Though Yu really seemed to be an exception.

Anne nodded. "Mm-hm, I know what you mean. I used to travel with my parents all over the world so I would start at a new school a lot. There were always established friend groups and cliques, so you're stuck with no place. It's…"

She pressed her lips together.

"It's… lonely," she finished sadly.

Ren suddenly let out a bitter laugh before a sad smile tugged at his lips.

"I can understand the feeling. My time at Shujin would've sucked if I hadn't found you guys so soon."

Yosuke couldn't help but wonder what that was about…

Then he cleared his throat. "But I get it. I would laugh along at people's jokes—even though I found them dumb and corny. I'd go along with whatever they wanted so I wouldn't feel alone."

"Yosuke-senpai…" Naoto uttered quietly.

"I'd always just hide how I felt. Even when I didn't agree with what they were saying, I figured that would be better than to be alone."

Futaba sighed. "I get it… it sucks so much to be alone. There could be so many people around you, but you still feel like you stick out like a sore thumb. It can be so scary…"

Minako bit her lip. "It really is awful to be alone… I bounced from relative to relative for ten years until I finally moved back to Port Island. I… didn't have anyone."

Yosuke nodded. "But yeah… no matter where I went, it felt like the same. I would constantly worry about what people thought of me. I'd constantly gauge their reactions, hoping that they'd like me. Until I met these guys."

He gestured to his friends.

"When I started to hang out with them, hiding my personality around them made me feel like an idiot, hehe…"

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?!" Chie huffed. "Yosuke, you don't have to hide anything from us… ever. You can drive me nuts sometimes but I don't want you to ever doubt that we won't accept you—got it?!"

Yosuke cracked a smile before saluting her. "Yes, ma'am. I'm grateful that you guys didn't judge me."

"Kinda be a hypocrite given how you got to see all of our darkest secrets," Kanji grumbled.

"Yeah… we can talk about how we really feel. And you stop me when I'm gonna do something wrong. Knowing that I have people like that… is life changing."

"I understand how you feel…" Ken said quietly. "Before I met Minako-san and the others, I felt that I was truly alone. It was simply unbearable. I think people underestimate true kindness so much."

Yosuke nodded. "I never really thought it was possible. I think you guys saved me. You showed me that it's okay to be just… me."

Yu suddenly chuckled. "That's the highest compliment you could pay us, Yosuke."

"Yosuke-senpai is being real with us!" Rise gasped.

Yosuke felt his cheeks flush. "Come on! What's so bad about spilling my guts for once?!"

They weren't quite laughing but Yosuke couldn't help but feel embarrassed… Of course Teddie started to tear up.

"You've moved me so greatly that I can hardly bear it, Yosuke!" he got out between his sobs.

Yosuke waved his hands at Teddie. He knew Teddie could get pretty emotional, but this was just embarrassing!

"Okay, okay, I get it! No more of that, Ted! Now I'm really getting embarrassed!"

Yukiko smiled softly at Yosuke. "Still, thank you for sharing all of that with us, Yosuke-kun. I feel a little closer to you now."

Gah… he really needed to steer the conversation in another direction.

"But uhh… anyways! I really wanna give Yosukesaurus and the other dinos a piece of my mind! If they're really companions, they need to stop worrying about each other's reactions and be honest with each other."

"Yeah, we'll find them and tell them exactly that," Yu said with a nod.

"I'm beat, though…" Kanji suddenly groaned out, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I think we're all a little tired," Naoto remarked. "But don't push yourself, Kanji-kun."

Ren cocked his head at that before letting out a thoughtful hum.

"Let's head back for now. We can recharge a little so we can tackle the rest of this place fully charged," he announced.

Yu turned at that. "That sounds good, Joker."

"We'll see you guys soon then!" Rise chirped out.

A break sounded good but… Yosuke's mind couldn't help but drift towards Yosukesaurus as he followed everyone back to the movie theater. He really hoped that he could reach out to Yosukesaurus… before it was too late.

…

…Okay, I lied. But next chapter will be the last Junessic Park chapter I promise. I will be covering some changes with Ryuji and Kanji's screening, as well as Naoto and Akechi's. You'll also get to see a little peek into Akechi's head.

Plus I thought it'd be better to stretch out this last part into 2 chapters, especially with the twins being a little freaked out about the Junessic Park FOE. When I was rewatching the Yosuke rescue scene, I realized that the carnivore almost getting the team would've terrified them. So I needed to adjust that.

So next chapter I anticipate to be a little shorter. Then we will have the second intermission and then we can jump into the AIGIS movie!

Barely made it but happy birthday Ken!