A/N As promised, here's the chapter for this week. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or any of its characters, and I make no money off of this
Chapter 6
Metaverse: Location Unknown…
"Everyone okay?" Joker called out.
He turned to face the other members of the Phantom Thieves who, as one would expect, were sporting their respective iconic attire. Most nodded in response, each feeling essentially the same as they had in any other venture into the Metaverse.
"I think so," Skull spoke up. He scratched his head. "I don't really feel any different than usual."
"Same here," Panther chimed in.
"Good, then at least that's as expected."
The esteemed leader of the group then gave his full attention to the surrounding environment. It was just as dark, eerie, and depressing as he recalled it being. Still, it wasn't quite what he was expecting. His narrowed eyes glossed over everything with such a hunger for detail to the point of grabbing Makoto's attention.
"Something wrong?"
"Sort of," he answered blankly.
"A brief reminder that none of us have ESP…" quipped Morgana.
"It's just that this is… Hm, how to put it? This looks more finished than the last time I was here."
"Finished?" Noir asked curiously.
"Yeah, finished," repeated Joker. He pointed over to a set of nearby buildings. "Those are the stores that we just saw in the real world, right?"
"Creepier versions, but yeah," Oracle answered.
True to her words, they were in fact a shade of red and the insides were completely dark, but they at least resembled the buildings they'd just seen in the real world. The same could be said for all of the surrounding area for that matter. Red, dark, and depressing, but still resembling what was in reality.
"Sooo, what? Is this supposed to be a crappier version of the real world then?" Skull wondered aloud, his tone betraying the fact that it was more of a guess than anything else.
"It would certainly seem so," remarked Noir. She turned to their black-clad leader, asking, "Why did you find that strange, Joker? Based on what you told us about Leblanc, I would assume this new Metaverse is based on our own more so than Mementos was."
"It was definitely something that resembled Leblanc, but when I looked out the window, it was the exact opposite—practically unrecognizable."
"Maybe they hired a guy to come finish it?" Skull mused with a shoulder shrug.
"Who are 'they' and who the heck would they hire in the first place?!" Morgana exclaimed.
Panther was quick to get the two back on track. "Guys, focus!"
Joker walked up a few paces and had his eyes in the skies. He pointed at a nearby cluster of buildings that stood a fair bit off the ground.
"Skull, do you think you could toss me up there?" Joker asked.
"Uhh, yeah, sure thing."
It took next to no time at all for the blond to call out Captain Kidd. With a but of posturing, Ren positioned himself on the opened palm of the pirate-esque persona before he was shot up into the air towards a cluster of buildings like a shotput ball. He landed with outstanding grace, earning a chuckle from Futaba.
"The throw wasn't great, but points for the stylish landing. I rate that a seven outta ten."
"What?! At least gimme an eight!"
"Nope."
"Do you see anything, Joker?!" Makoto shouted.
"That's a way of putting it," he answered. They were understandably confused and thus waited him to clarify. "It looks like there's a vantage point for all of us just up ahead where we can all get a good look. I'll meet you guys at the cross walk and we'll move on from there."
"Very well," replied Fox.
The group carefully made its way forward, walking down the eerie streetway. Their leader was just behind them, although his arrival was far more stylish. With agility befitting his status as the Phantom Thieves' leader, Joker made his way down the side of a nearby series of structures, finishing atop a street-lamp before sliding down to the ground with an evident smirk spread across his features.
"You are such a showoff," Oracle said, although she too sported a smirk nearly identical to Ren's.
"Sorry, it just comes naturally to me," Joker replied, his apology laced with faux-sincerity as he shrugged his shoulders. "The vantage point I saw is just up ahead on the left past that bank."
Having received their instructions, the group yet again ventured forwards. They reached the area just past the mentioned bank, and although they did so dispassionately, their expressions quickly shifted.
Before their very eyes was a practical sea of an unknown black and red substance that coated the streets. It coated even what appeared to be the fronts and sides of buildings down the block for as far as the eye could see.
Such an unnerving sight sent chills down the spines of many present. It also didn't help that it was so close in front of them, which had quite a bit to do with most everyone maintaining a healthy distance from the base of the distortion.
"Damn that shit is creepy…!" Skull uttered. He walked forwards and squatted down apprehensively, staring directly at the river-like streetway. "Is it… is it safe to touch?"
"W-Why would you even want to?" Panther retorted.
"I'm with her on this one," Joker said. An idea forming in his head, he placed a hand on his blond friend's shoulder. "Get back a bit, okay? I've got an idea."
Skull did as he was requested, shortly after which Joker took out his pistol and fired a shot into the nearby substance coating the sides of the streetway. The ringing sound that resulted made it seem as if it hit a solid object, something that everyone picked up on rather quickly.
"It looks fluid, but it's actually solid?" Queen thought aloud, cupping her chin as she glanced analytically at the substance. "And I take it you're familiar with it, Joker?"
"In the sense that I've seen it before, yeah. Do you remember when I said this world seemed unfinished?" He gestured to the ooze. "Well, this is what I was talking about. When I looked out the window to my room at Leblanc after I wound up in this world, I saw the streets and nearby buildings coated in stuff that looked exactly like this."
"I feel like I've seen this in a video game before…" Futaba offhandedly remarked.
"I feel as if I've seen this in an art piece before," Yusuke added.
"I think it looks like slime," Haru mused. "Slime mixed with blood, maybe?"
"Ugh, did you have to point that out, Noir?" Ann cringed, her body involuntarily shivering.
"I-I agree, this stuff looks creepy enough as it is," Makoto replied.
A sudden squelching sound almost immediately sent everyone flying back a step. It had all the grace of a nail grinding on a chalk board and the spine-chilling undertone of boiling blood.
"O-Okay, that was creepy!" remarked Oracle.
"Are you okay, Queen?" Noir asked in a concerned tone.
Haru knew better than most just how weak Makoto was to just about anything horror-inducing. Judging by her pale skin, the heiress's concern was well-founded even in spite of the response she would receive to the contrary.
"I-I'm fine, r-really. I am totally—"
Another grotesque reverberation cut her response short, this one far louder than the last. It was an eerie cracking and squelching sound that tore at the eardrums, like ichor solidifying before being scraped away.
Within seconds, Futaba screamed in terror and had grabbed onto Ann, who had been nearest to her. Ann, though not to the same degree, held her tightly right back. Yusuke quite literally froze in place and Ryuji and Morgana shot backwards. Lastly, Makoto, as one would expect, fell to her knees and grabbed ahold of Joker's leg and began reciting what had basically become her own personal sutra.
"Imsosorrysis, Imsosorrysis, Imsosorry…!" recited Queen, her eyes clenched as tightly as her grip on Joker's leg.
The sound stopped shortly thereafter, allowing everyone to regain a semblance of their composure. Everyone but Makoto, at least. The others started staring at her expectantly as she continued to hold onto Joker's leg.
"Woah, déjà vu," Skull remarked.
"…is it over?" Queen asked, her eyes still closed tight.
"Pretty sure, yeah," Joker answered.
"Oh thank goodness…" she sighed. Her eyes finally opened. "That was really something, huh?"
"Uh, Makoto? Any day now…" Panther trailed off.
"Hm? O-Oh! Right! S-Sorry, Joker."
A blushing Makoto released her grip on Joker's leg before standing up once more. She cleared her throat, intent on moving past her 'episode' so as to retain some air of dignity.
"You know we don't care that you're weak to scary shit, right?" Skull said unceremoniously.
"I-I'm not that weak to it!" protested Queen. She crossed her arms, appearing prideful as she added, "I even watched a few scary movies with Haru in our apartment! I-It's not as if I'm a scaredy-cat or anything like that!"
"That so?" asked Joker.
"What? Don't believe me? Try me, then!"
"Sure thing, but maybe after you take a step back? Some of that black and red stuff is creeping up to your feet," Joker dispassionately pointed out.
"Eeeeeeep!" Queen squealed, all but jumping backwards as her fear-stricken face titled towards the ground.
It didn't take long for her to realize that she'd been tricked. Even if the lack of the blood-red substance at her feet wasn't enough of a clue, the slight laughter of some of her teammates certainly was. Her cheeks went crimson as she glared back at Ren, her expression akin to a pout.
"What?" Joker asked innocently, albeit with a cheeky smirk. As the red on her cheeks deepened, he chuckled, unable to quite contain himself. "In all fairness, you did ask for that."
"T-That doesn't count!" Queen huffed. "And I did not ask to be teased like that!"
"It was just too tempting," Joker answered, his smirk deepening. "But ya know, your face is so red it's starting to blend in with the environment. Maybe this could be a useful strategy in the future. What do you think?"
"W-What did I just say about teasing me?!"
Knowing a literal beating was in his future if he pressed further, Ren eased up and and shifted topics.
"By the way, I was telling a half-truth," said Joker, turning again to face down the street. "That stuff is moving, but not towards us. Take a look."
True to the raven-haired teen's word, the ichor was creeping down the alley—or perhaps it was more correct to say it was receding. In its wake, the streetway became normal, at least by the Metaverse's dark and dreary standards. The pace was so noticeable that at that point anyone with working eyes could tell what was happening.
"Trippy," said Skull.
"Quite. Broadly speaking, this appears to be the Metaverse equivalent of real-time construction," Fox chimed in.
"That's exactly what I was thinking," stated Morgana. Shifting through his memory, he couldn't recall seeing such a thing even after his creation that came within the depths of the metaverse itself. "I don't really have any basis for this, but my guess is that the new Metaverse isn't totally stable. Since we erased the cognitive world, it could be that it's only just reforming and so some areas are less refined than others."
As if on cue, a series of growls and snarls echoed off from the opposite direction of the street. Seasoned Metaverse-travelers as they were, the Phantom Thieves recognized the approaching cries of Shadows like the backs of their hands.
"Looks like it's stable enough to hold Shadows," Joker reasoned.
Futaba quickly called upon her persona and started scanning the immediate area. The annoyed grunt on her part that followed more or less confirmed their premonitions.
"I'm detecting a pretty large number of enemies headed our way. Get ready," warned Oracle. With an annoyed click of her tongue, she continued, "They're all around us—my guess is they'll be coming through the walls of these buildings!"
True to the navigators' warning, a dark and eerie giggling echoed from each side of the now-completed streetway. Black ooze started to seep from nearby windows and out from the grounds of the sidewalk. The gelatinous squelching sound found the Phantom Thieves taken aback by the horror-inducing way the Shadows were materializing.
The white masks characteristic of a Shadow started to form in the air above each pile of black ichor. Around each started to form a sphere which quickly gave birth to a hovering grotesque red and black-striped creature that held a bone-chillingly evil smile. All the more sickening was the elongated tongue that extended out of its twisted visage. Each also seemed to grin in a creepily-identical fashion, flashing a set of human-like teethe.
"W-What the hell are these creepy ass things?!" Skull exclaimed, his words matching the thoughts of his teammates.
"They're definitely Shadows, but I've never seen anything like these before. They don't seem strong, but I've got no data on their weaknesses or affinities whatsoever," Oracle said in a tone of mild irritation.
"Trial and error it is," said Joker with confidence echoing from his voice. He took a few steps forward towards the nearest cluster of the spherical Shadows, twirling his knife with effortless style as he made to face them. "Let's take care of business, team. Oracle, you head into the sky and let us know if you make any discoveries."
Their leader's orders given, they exclaimed in unison, "Right!"
As the tentacles of Nekronomicon wrapped around Futaba's limbs and whisked her into the safety of its sturdy frame, the Phantom Thieves leapt into action in all directions to face the hordes of incoming foes.
Ren was the first to test the waters, speedily made his way up to an unsuspecting shadow and simply sliced it in two. A pitiful murmur could be heard before its form turned into ichor before fading away fully.
"Physical attacks are a go!" Joker called out.
Over a short distance on his right, Skull called out, "Way ahead of ya!"
With his mace in hand, Ryuji was off to his friend's side smashing the spherical abominations like watermelons on a hot summer's day. Those Shadows that were around him were quick to retreat and form up a safe distance away at the act of brutality. He couldn't help but smirk cockily as he stared them down.
"C'mon, who's next?"
Down the street, Queen went at each and every Shadow that had the audacity to come within ten feet of her with the fury only a Niijima could muster. Her fists crushed their bodies into dust one by one, never missing a beat.
"Nice job, Mako-chan! I'm glad to see you aren't rusty," Noir cheered.
Though her tone was pleasant, the fluffy-haired heiress was setting about dispatching the shadows even more brutally than her comrade. Her axe slammed down on foe after foe, slicing through them them as if they were firewood, all the while as she sported a remarkably sadistic smirk.
"You say that, but you're not doing bad yourself, Noir," Queen remarked. With a smirk of her own, she added, "Although I'm still two ahead of you!"
"I wasn't aware this was a compe-tition!" Haru said, her voice strained as she slammed her axe square into the face of a nearby Shadow. Her own smirk deepened. "That being said, I don't intend to lose!"
With all enemies nearby having been taken down, they turned their attention to those that were forming nearby. Calling forth their respective persona's, a wave of force and a hailstorm of bullets rained down on their newly formed enemies before they even fully came into being.
"Nice!" Oracle cheered. Preparing to lend her support, she exclaimed. "And here come the bu—Waaah!"
A number of the levitating spheres charged at her persona, forcing her to take evasive action. The clustered Shadows charged at her without relent, with another nearby set closer to the ground turning their attention to her and effectively putting her between a rock and a hard place.
"Goemon!"
"Zoro!"
A barrage of thick wind sliced through those that charged at Oracle from the air while those closer to the ground found themselves erased by way of sword. Their ashen remains fell to the floors of the streetway, letting the esteemed navigator enjoy a sigh of relief.
"Mona, Inari, you two are the best!" She exclaimed.
"Naturally."
"Please do be more careful, Oracle. These enemies are weak, but large in number," Fox cautioned.
"Yeah, yeah, don't—"
She screamed in shock yet again when one of them abruptly slammed into her Persona's side. Necronomicon began to flip and flail sporadically in an attempt to lose it, but the creatures teethe had a firmer than expected grip on her Persona's side.
"Let go! Ghh, trash mobs don't get to be this annoying!"
A well-shot bullet slammed into the unwanted attacker's side, effectively erasing it from existence and freeing Oracle once again. She looked down to see a smirking Ren brandishing his pistol.
"Nice one, Joker!" Futaba cheered in thanks. "And with that out of the way, here come the buffs!"
A red glow engulfed each of the nearby members of the group, filling them with extra vigor that they were all too ready to put it to use.
"Carmen!" Panther exclaimed.
A series of small hovering clusters of fire formed around her Persona's head before they shot forward at a series of oncoming enemies. The fireballs burst on contact and engulfed nearly all of the surrounding Shadows, leaving not a trace of them behind as they burned to cinders.
"Yes! Fire's good too!" she shouted.
"Then let's see how electricity does," Ryuji wondered aloud, excited anticipation showing in his tone as he placed his left hand on his mask. "Persona!"
Blue fire surrounded his form as the infamous outlaw came into existence yet again. Aiming its canon-like arm at a set of incoming shadows, a large bust of lighting poured forth. Virtually every single one of them that had been in his line of sight buckled under the pressure and dissolved in an instant.
"Wahoo! Totally kickass!" Skull bellowed, clearly elated at the result of his attack. "These things are pushovers to electric. Man, I must've zapped thirty of 'em!"
Sadly for Ryuji, the thuggish Persona user was not the only one to take notice of his attacks incredibly success as all of the demonic spheres in the area turned and re-focused their attention directly onto him. They rushed with the tenacity of a bull charging a red cape.
"A-Aw, crap!" Skull muttered, a bead of nervous sweat dripping from his brow.
He quickly regained his composure and called forth his Persona to deal with the oncoming assault. Reading its cannon once more, Captain Kidd shot a wave of lighting even larger than the previous. He watched with a self-assured grin, expecting each of them to vanish much like they did last time.
"Take that!" he shouted confidently. When the bolts of lighting seemed to miss practically everything, he grimaced. "Aw, come on! You gotta be shittin' me!"
"Oh Skull, you're pathetic!"
"There it is! How do you always know when I miss?!"
"Skull, boost!"
Shaking off his annoyance at Morgana, he turned to see Joker and Panther rushing towards his Persona. Knowing exactly what they were about to attempt, he willed Captain Kidd to lower his arms to his sides. Like clockwork, they positioned their feet on the forearms before the two were launched high into the air.
Not missing a beat, the two Phantom Thieves brought their guns to bare as they started falling towards the ground. A storm of bullets crashed into the still-charging shadows, erasing one after another as they attempted to surround their comrade.
When they finally were about to hit the ground, Arsène and Carmen made an appearance, setting the surrounding area ablaze in a sphere of black energy and fire. When the dust settled, quite literally nothing was left moving outside of the Phantom Thieves themselves.
"Alright! That's what I'm talkin' about! Nice!" Skull shouted, clearly hyped up from the fight's climax.
The trio exchanged high-fives in celebration, all the while the other members of their group made their way back over with nostalgic smiles spread from ear to ear. Even Futaba made her exit from Necronomicon, taking her place next to Haru as she landed.
"I see you really are the same as ever," Queen thought aloud, addressing the blond-haired teen.
"I could say the same to you," countered Skull in a friendly manner. "Saw you workin' some of those aikido moves on those creepy lookin' Shadows. Your punches still look as badass as ever."
"Don't they?" Noir asked warmly.
"For sure," Panther said in agreement.
"I believe the word 'badass' could apply to all of us today," Queen stated, albeit with a chuckle and a smile as a result of the compliments. "None of us appear out of practice, so there's at least that going for us."
"Although Oracle's evasion skills appear to be in need of some work," Fox remarked, his tone slightly harsh but respectful. "That isn't meant to offend. I'm simply saying that you should be more careful."
"Well, that's…" Futaba trailed off.
She started to mumble underneath her breath in an embarrassed manner as if trying to come up with an excuse that simply didn't exist.
"Hey, it's a new enemy, right?" Joker began softly as he addressed the orange-haired Persona user. "Practice makes perfect. You'll get it next time for sure."
His words of encouragement appeared to do the trick.
"Y-Yeah, you bet!" she replied, sporting a slight smile. "I also got some good data on those things, so we should be good to go for the future!"
"Well, they were a lot creepier than they were tough," mentioned Panther offhandedly.
"There were a lot of them too," Noir added.
"Speaking of which…" spoke Queen. She turned to their resident hacker. "Oracle, do you see any more of them incoming?"
"Let me check," replied the mentioned teen. Calling on her Persona, she scanned the immediate area. Her relaxed demeanor practically gave the answer. "Zip, nada, zilch. We're in the clear! Oh, but… Hmm…"
Although they were not expecting to fight off more foes, the fact that their navigator trailed off in thought quickly drew their attention. Her serious ending tone only furthered their curiosity.
"What is it?" Noir questioned.
"I'm… not totally sure. I'm getting a weird signature from an area a decent distance up ahead. It's not a Shadow, but… it doesn't feel human either. Honestly, I've never seen anything like this, so I'm not sure what it is."
"Easy fix. We go find out," Joker stated pointedly. "Besides, that reading is probably our best bet at finding out more about this world or the men in white masks."
"Agreed. We should head there as soon as possible," Queen remarked in a stern tone.
"Sounds good to me!" Panther chirped.
"Cool. I think this is your cue, Mona."
"Oh, right."
Upon being prompted by Skull, Morgana readied for his transformation into the team's characteristic transport. His stance was the same as it had always been, and yet after several seconds, nothing happened.
"H-Huh?!" Morgana exclaimed worriedly. He tried jumping and adjusting his pose ever-so-slightly, and still nothing happened. "What the…? What's going on here?!"
"What's wrong?" Panther asked, her voice holding clear concern.
"Performance issues, perhaps?" Fox mused.
"Well, they say it happens to one in three dudes…" Skull quietly joked.
"This is no time to be joking around!" Morgana shouted. His annoyance with the jibe aside, he clarified, "It doesn't seem like I can transform. I'm not sure why, but…!"
It was obvious that the feline was downtrodden, and understandably so. The ability to be the Phantom Thieves transport was something that Morgana prided himself in after all since no one else but him could fulfill that role. Noticing this, Panther squatted down at his side, scratching his ears caringly.
"Hey, it's alright. We've got working legs, y'know," she said reassuringly.
"She's right, don't worry about it. The Mona-mobile is nice, but you're our teammate first and foremost. That means we'll really be counting on you when we inevitably run into Shadows," Joker spoke up, giving his friend a comforting smile.
The cat shyly averted his gaze, a red tinge showing even through the fur on his cheeks.
"N-Naturally."
"That goes for all of you. We should expect a good number of fights on our way there."
Joker's words were met with determined looks from his fellow teammates and friends. It was clear that they were more than ready, and with that, he turned to Futaba, who in turn understood what he was wordlessly asking of her.
"Alright, follow me everyone!" Oracle exclaimed.
Tokyo: Shibuya Central District, Southern Park…
"Here we are," announced Naoto.
"Seems like just an ordinary park to me," Yosuke said, thinking aloud.
"Ditto," Chie agreed.
True to their observations, everything about the surrounding area was totally ordinary. One member of the group, however, seemed to disagree. At least if their incessant sniffing was anything to go by.
"Is something wrong, Teddie?" Yukiko inquired.
"This place is…" he trailed off. The blonde's expression, in a rare turn of events, became serious. With another series of brief inhalations, he concluded, "There's no doubt about it. I can smell traces of the other world here. It's faint, but it's definitely there."
"I trust his nose," Yosuke stated. He turned to the blue-haired detective. "So if this is definitely the spot, what now?"
"It seems we've sadly missed the Phantom Thieves, though perhaps that's for the best given we don't currently understand their role in all this. However, it seems that a phone app should grant us access," Naoto answered. She took out the phone she'd lifted off of Ryuji, sliding through it in search of the mentioned app that would transport them to the metaverse. Her expression quickly turned to one of abject annoyance. "Dammit…!"
"What's wrong?" asked Yu.
"The app isn't on the phone," Naoto sighed, shifting through it a second time out of either frustration or just to be thorough. "Granted, it wasn't when we'd left, but I'd held out hope that somehow it would appear if we arrived at the location."
"Hmm…" Teddie hummed in thought.
All eyes were on the bear-like Shadow turned human as he sniffed the air yet again. They assumed he was on to something important, and stayed absolutely silent so as to allow him to keep his mind straight.
He quickly got onto his knees and began tracking the scent once more. His eyes drifted towards Yu, at which point everyone became rather confused. Said confusion turned to absolute shock and worry as the kneeling bear moved up to Yu's waistline. Naoto, Chie, Yukiko, and Rise were stunned and literally incapable of processing what was happening, while the two other males of the group quickly tried to put a stop to it.
"Woah, woah, woah! Red light, Teddie! Red light!" Yosuke exclaimed.
"W-What the hell are you doing, Teddie?!" Kanji shouted, his cheeks red. He grabbed the mentioned Persona user by the collar, preventing him from moving even a centimeter closer. "You can't just go and do something like that, man! Especially not in public! The hell's wrong with you?!"
"Huh?" he uttered confusedly.
"Don't you 'huh' me!"
"I'm just following the scent. It's like a magnet for me, so…"
"Aw, dude!" Yosuke groaned, cringing reflexively.
"O-Oh my," Yukiko quietly muttered, her cheeks a bit red.
"What?" Teddie asked innocently, his bafflement deepening. He gestured towards their leader's pocket. "It's Sensei's pocket. The smell is coming from there!"
The grimaces and the reddened cheeks of the young adults subsided and were replaced with expressions of confusion.
"You mean my phone?" Yu asked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the mentioned device.
"Yes! That's it for sure!" Teddie proclaimed triumphantly. He got up off the ground, turning to the group. "Sensei's phone smells just like the other world all of a sudden."
For her part, Yukiko just started to laugh uncontrollably. The same could not be said for everyone else.
"…o-oh, it was his phone," Chie mused, clearly a bit embarrassed.
"Thank god," Yosuke sighed.
"You can say that again," Rise nodded solemnly in agreement.
"More importantly," Naoto spoke up. "Yu, does your phone—"
"Way ahead of you," he answered. The young lawyer then grinned lightly before flashing his phone screen to the rest of the group. On it, they immediately took note of the twisted black and red app that appeared as the last thing installed. "Looks like I've got the app."
Yosuke quickly pulled out his own phone to check but found nothing. Raising a brow, he remarked, "I don't see it on mine. Anyone else?"
"I don't have it either," said Yukiko.
"Me neither," Chie stated.
"I think it's safe to assume he's the only one, at least for the time being," Naoto reasoned. Wanting to press onto more urgent matters, she added, "While that fact is worth ponderance, now is not the time. Our primary focus should be on entering the other world and getting our bearings."
"Right," Yu said in agreement. "Just a reminder for everyone to be careful. We'll need to rely on our Personas a bit more than usual since we don't have any actual weapons for the most part, so try not to overdo it."
"He brings up a fair point. This is also the first time most of us have been inside the other world in years, so all the more reason to be cautious and not overexert ourselves," Naoto stated.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Chie, almost dismissively. With a wide grin, she continued, "No need to worry about us. Let's get this show on the road!"
Her words seemed to echo the sentiment of the other members of the group. Yu looked around and couldn't help but smile. It had been over a year since the group had been together like this, and although the circumstances of their meeting were about to bring them into a fight in another world, not one of them cared in the least. If anything, that fact made them all the more excited.
"Okay, let's go."
Metaverse: Location Unknown…
No one felt anything whatsoever after the metaverse app was activated. In fact, if the scenery hadn't changed so drastically within the span of seconds, no one would have had the slightest idea that they entered the cognitive realm.
While most would have been in absolute awe at the marvel of being transported to another world. This group, however, being the veterans that they were, found themselves underwhelmed.
"I guess… that's it?" Yosuke wondered aloud.
"Looks like it," mused Yu.
"Wait, wait, wait," Chie said, her voice holding a bit of annoyance in its tone. "You mean to tell me the Phantom Thieves only had to click a button to get to this world?"
"Evidently, yes," Naoto answered. "They call it the Metaverse, by the way."
"Whatever they call it, doesn't anyone else feel ripped off? We had to go through a freakin' TV! This is just… it's just effortless!" Chie complained.
"Actually, you have a point," Rise said in agreement.
"Right?!" exclaimed the brunette officer in a disgruntled manner. "We had to always go to Junes and wait like five minutes to make sure no one was around before hoping in!"
"Well, it certainly seems they have it easier in that regard," Yukiko mused.
"I don't personally think it matters," Yu thought aloud.
"Ugh, never mind. I'm just bitter I guess…" Chie sighed, slumping her shoulders.
With that out of the way, the group set about observing their familiar but admittedly creepy surroundings. Yu was the sole exception, who found himself somewhat surprised that no one had pointed out the obvious yet.
"By the way… has anyone else noticed yet?" Yu inquired.
"Yeah, this place really does look like the park we were just at in Shibuya," Chie answered, clearly finding that fact somewhat disturbing. "It's definitely creepier, but still…"
"For sure," Yosuke stated in agreement.
"You're not wrong, but that's not what I was talking about."
They looked towards their leader wondering the obvious and expecting some form of elaboration. This came in the form of Yu unsheathing a katana and presenting it to the group.
"…uh, bro?" Yosuke uttered confusedly. He received no response. "Um, yeah, that's your katana. It's cool, I know. I've also got my kunai right… here…"
Realization donned on the brown-haired young man as he gazed down at his weapons of choice when in the shadow world. Everyone else seemed to realize the same—Yukiko with her fan, Kanji with his steel chair, Chie with her armored boots, and Teddie with his steel claws.
"Oh hey, yeah! We've got our gear!" Chie exclaimed in a surprised tone. She gazed down at her feet, twisting and turning the greaves to get a good look at them. "They're just like I remember."
"Yes… I'm surprised I didn't notice," admitted Naoto, sounding somewhat disheartened by that fact.
"Still," Yukiko interjected, "I'm curious as to why these weapons seemed to appear out of nowhere. Isn't that a bit too convenient?"
It was an obvious question to raise: why was it that the weapons they were so familiar with showed up once they'd entered the Shadow world? Any other time they'd entered, had they not brought weapons, they'd have been unarmed. It wasn't something to complain about, true, but it was still at best strange and at worst unnerving.
"…another question we'll have to answer later, I'm afraid," spoke Naoto. She quickly turned to the redheaded idol. "Rise, could you scan the area for the Phantom Thieves? Following them should be our top priority."
Nodding, Rise clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. She felt the need to concentrate a great deal more than she'd expected, but quickly she felt the power she'd used to guide the other members of the investigation team all those years ago.
"Persona!"
With that one, emphatic exclamation, Himiko appeared behind the popstar and placed its visor directly above her eyes. A green pulse of light briefly emanated from the Persona, which was followed by a period of silence as the superstar continued to try and pinpoint their target's location.
"I think I've got them!" Rise chirped. She was unable to stop the prideful smile that crossed her lips. "Yep, definitely! They're not far off, but they're moving away pretty quickly so we'll need to hurry to catch up."
As if on cue, a series of twisted groans echoed from the nearby surrounding areas. Most would have thought it to be an inconvenience, but virtually everyone present couldn't withstand the pull of an eager smile.
"Looks like we've got company," mused Yu, resting his katana across his back as he looked off towards the directions the sounds originated from. "Rise, do you know how many?"
"There's quite a few, but they're small fries. They shouldn't be hard to deal with," she answered.
"Sounds like the perfect warm up to me. What about you guys?"
His question was meant to be rhetorical, but even so he all but knew how they would respond. Each stepped forward, taking their respective places at his sides. Kanji was the one to ultimately speak up.
"Ya even need to ask?"
"Didn't think so," Yu replied.
As the shadows began to notice them and form up, the silver-haired young man placed his sword at his side and started to rush towards them. His comrades did the same, eager to see just how rusty they were, if at all. The Shadows just happened to be the unfortunate practice dummies.
Metaverse: Location Unknown, Some Time Later…
Joker sent a bullet straight into the mask of a nearby spherical Shadow without flinching, causing its existence to fade and ending the most recent battle he and his teammates had gotten into.
"These things really are more of a nuisance than the Shadows we're used to dealing with," Yusuke remarked as he released his Persona.
"They're called Halberies from what I can tell…" Oracle absentmindedly stated.
"The hell kinda name is that?" Skull bluntly questioned. Scratching his head tiredly, he groaned, "They're a lot more like cockroaches with how damn many of them there are."
"I've lost count of how many we've had to deal with so far," Panther said, stifling a yawn.
As Ann stretched her limbs, it brought Ren to the realization that they had been trudging through the cityscape for quite some time.
"Speaking of which, how's everyone feeling?" Joker asked.
"All good here," answered Panther. "Maybe running at seventy five percent?"
"Same here," Skull stated.
"Hmm, I'm feeling a bit tired, but not overly so," Noir answered.
"I would say the same," Fox stated.
"The both of you really shouldn't be exerting yourselves so heavily," Queen chided, crossing her arms. "I've noticed you're diving into fights a bit too intensely, Noir."
The fluffy-haired heiress winced somewhat. She had nothing to say in response to something that was altogether true.
"My apologies…"
"I apologize as well," Fox replied.
While Yusuke spoke in solidarity with his comrade, that was not how Makoto had perceived it. All she could do was shake her head and sigh.
"In your case, it's because you don't eat enough," Queen muttered.
"Ah, perhaps you may be on to something."
"No duh!" Oracle exclaimed. She wagged her finger at the eccentric artist. "Even I understand the importance of eating something when you're hungry!"
"I fail to see how you're any better," Fox stated indignantly, crossing his arms and staring down the bespectacled teen. "All you consume is instant ramen. Hardly nutritious, and certainly not enough to sustain one through extended periods of exercise."
"Don't you dare talk smack about my instant ramen!" Oracle growled.
"Oh brother…" Queen sighed, shaking her head.
With the two now bickering and Makoto trying to de-escalate the situation alongside Haru and Morgana, the remaining three members of the Phantom Thieves sat nearby just watching the amusing argument play out. Well, two of them were.
"Hey, Panther," Joker called out in a voice just above a whisper.
"H-Huh? What is it?" she stammered, clearly caught of guard.
The fact that he was giving her such a stern look only added to her surprise.
"You sure you're okay?" he asked.
"What? Yeah, I'm totally fine. A little tired, but fine…" Panther answered, a bit of hesitance in her voice.
"Sixty."
"Huh?"
"You're running at about sixty percent," Joker clarified. His eyes narrowed somewhat, and the blond took evident notice. "Not seventy-five."
"W-What? I… I, um…" Panther struggled to find the words to respond with, but under the stern look of his eyes, she couldn't manage it. "I-I'm at sixty-five at least! Like I said, I'm still fine!"
"Alright, I believe you. Just don't overdo it, alright?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Panther trailed off, still clearly embarrassed. "I'm honestly surprised you noticed."
Without missing a beat, Ren looked directly into her eyes. It captured both her gaze and attention with the magnetism of a tractor beam, not even allowing her the ability to look away even if she wanted to.
"How could I not?" came Joker's unwavering response.
A reply of four simple words seldom communicated so much, but that was par for the course when it came to Ren. It spoke volumes about just how well he knew her, how easily he noticed even the slightest differences in her demeanor, and how readily he was willing to voice his concerns.
Ann, who had spoken her last comment in a voice barely above a whisper, hadn't expected what she'd said to even be heard, let alone addressed with such subtle intensity. She finally broke free from his gaze and averted her eyes, feeling her cheeks heat up.
"Y-Yeah, I guess you're right…" Panther replied breathlessly.
In such moments, the aspiring model was thankful her outfit was bright red in color; it helped mask her reddened face. It was likely that Ren didn't notice, nor would anyone else. That didn't mean it would stay that way if she couldn't regain her composure.
'He's always like this…! Agh, dammit!' Ann thought, unable to stop her lips from curling into a smile.
Her mind continued to drift where she would prefer it not while she was in the Metaverse preparing to do battle with Shadows. Thankfully for her, a certain bone-headed teammate was about to bring her back down to earth.
"Busted," Skull said teasingly. "I get it cuz' you were probably all like 'I don't wanna worry you~' or somethin' like that, but you still got busted. Straight up b-u-s-t-e-d—busted!"
"Oh shut up!" Panther exclaimed, glaring intensely.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, you got busted~ Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha~"
Skull's mocking sing-song earned him an audible growl befitting the model's codename, though naturally that didn't deter him whatsoever. He sported a grin that had all the taunting splendor of a child that had just seen his classmate get berated by a teacher.
However, his grin soon vanished as Ren set his sights towards him.
"Sixty-five," Joker uttered offhandedly.
As if someone had hit the pause button on a movie, Ryuji froze in place for a few seconds as he registered what was just said. His body still as immobile as a statue, his eyes shifted to his black-clad friend.
"You heard me," Joker said with a smug grin. "Sixty-five."
Ryuji's lack of response and lost expression was all the proof that was needed.
"Now who's busted?" Panther said triumphantly, crossing her arms and smiling proudly at the poetic justice of the situation.
Skull was quick to point an accusatory finger at her, shouting, "Y-You ratted me out!"
"That'd be like me saying you ratted me out! We both kept quiet for the same reason!"
The thuggish Persona user opened his mouth to respond but the words were lost to him. He very quickly hung his shoulders in defeat.
"Man, I hate when he does stuff like that," Skull sighed. He quickly recovered, turning to his best friend with a cheerful grin. "But I guess I shouldn't be so surprised you caught us both with us bein' best buds and all."
Joker nodded in response, but it was in that moment that Ann realized something. She eyed their raven-haired leader analytically, something that he very quickly took note of.
"Panther?" Joker uttered confusedly.
"Hey, Joker, I was just wondering…" began the blond, her eyes still glued to their team's resident Wild Card user. Her lips curled into a devilish smile that gave even Ren a foreboding feeling. "How are you feeling right now? Percentage-wise, of course."
It took no time at all for Ryuji to understand where Ann was headed. He soon had a sly grin etched from ear to ear to match his metaphorical partner in crime.
"Yeah, ya know what, I was just thinkin' the same thing, Panther," Skull stated in a mischievous tone of his own. "I mean, I got a pretty good idea of what he's at, but ya know, I'd really like to hear his answer."
They knew all too well that if anyone was going to tell a lie about their current status for the sake of not worrying others, it was going to be Joker. For whatever it may have been worth, they were also right. Things, however, would not go quite as they'd hoped.
"I think it's about time we get moving. We should get everyone else."
With that said, the iconic leader of the Phantom Thieves simply headed off, doing so right past a momentarily stunned pair of blondes.
"H-Hey, don't just walk away!"
Her words of protest were met with only a cheeky response.
"Sorry, can't hear you."
Panther quickly ran after him for what she correctly perceived as him not quite playing fair. The former track star took his time and followed them in tow, unable to help a bit of laughter upon seeing his best friend pull a move that he actually respected.
"Crap, I really thought we had him. I'll have to steal that at some point," Skull said with a chuckle. "Oh well, next time."
"—and so, you have to be sure to keep your sodium intake below five grams a day. Vegetables are important as well," Queen stated firmly.
"Agreed. Especially cruciferous vegetables," Noir added.
Those present turned to see Ren join the huddle, followed by Ann who was clearly trying to get his attention. The fact that she was being intentionally ignored raised a few brows.
"You good, Panther?" Oracle asked.
"I…! Ugh, never mind," she grumbled, crossing her arms disapprovingly.
"Oh don't pout," Skill said good-naturedly as he too made his way up to the group. "So what's up with you guys? These two stop arguing yet?"
"Is that what was happening…?" Oracle wondered aloud.
"Was it?" Fox muttered to himself, cupping his chin in thought. "All I can recall is an onslaught of information regarding nutrition."
The three fresh arrivals, understandably confused, turned to look at Morgana in unison, each having blank expressions as they did so. He quickly caught on after a few seconds.
"Oh, uh, Queen started lecturing them on nutrition instead of stopping them from fighting," explained the black cat. He gestured towards the beauty-thief. "Noir got sucked in because vegetables were a focal point of the discussion."
"Ah, that explains it," Joker thought aloud. "I was wondering how Queen hadn't put a stop to it yet."
"True that. I mean I can't imagine anyone arguing once she goes all Fist of the Phantom Star," remarked Skull, finishing with a chuckle. The recipient of the moniker by no means found it amusing.
"I have asked you not to call me that," Queen stated, giving a glare to the red-scarfed Persona wielder. She sighed and turned her sights back to the eccentric duo. "And for starters, nutrition is important. I hope you two were at least paying attention."
"Yes, of course, Queen," Fox answered politely. With seemingly out of place passion, he continued, "I shall aspire to achieve a perfectly balanced diet so that my work may benefit from it!"
"There he goes again," chuckled Oracle. She gave their spiked teammate a wry grin, "But seriously Queen, it always shocks me when you go full Mom-koto on us."
She blushed in response at a nickname that she had literally never heard before. It didn't help that several of her teammates were getting a kick out of either her nickname, her embarrassment, or possibly both.
"As fun as this is, I think we've rested a bit too long, don't you think?" Morgana stated.
The black-furred cat was clearly looking to Ren to rally them to move out. Nodding his head in agreement, he spoke up.
"Agreed. How far out are we from the signal, Oracle?" Joker asked.
Per their leader's request, Futaba set about reconfirming the location of the odd signal they'd been chasing for the past few hours. It took very little time for her to actually confirm the location.
"Just up ahead. Looks like it's been in the same place for some time."
Everyone simultaneously began to move out with Oracle's guidance soon directing them past a large section of commercial buildings and into what appeared to be a park. Locationally, it would've been on the east side of Shibuya.
"I recognize this place. I believe I've come here to people-watch on occasion," Fox said.
"I think I've walked by it a few times myself," Queen remarked. Her eyes shifted all directions with the precision of a hawk. "There doesn't seem to be anything here though."
"There outta be. The reading is still here," Oracle stated.
"Perhaps—"
"GAAAAH!"
Noir's would-be statement was cut off by an intense and seemingly pained shout. It echoed from the far corner of the park. It was far enough away that they couldn't make heads or tails as to who or what was making it.
The Phantom Thieves rushed in the direction of the scream, soon finding its source. It was difficult to get a good look at first, but the being appeared to be human man, and one in immense pain at that. He squatted in place like a statue, his hands gripping onto the sides of his head for dear life.
It was a somewhat thin young man with pink hair styled in a mid-fade. He wore what appeared to be a high-school uniform complete with a dark blue collared short-sleaved shirt and a pair of black dress pants.
"H-Hurts…! Hurts…!" he hissed.
Given the oddity of the situation and the fact that he didn't quite know what would happen, Joker made a point of stepping forward first and waving at his teammates to keep their distance.
"Hey, can you hear us?" Joker asked.
Relief seemed to washed over him in that instant. He quickly looked up from the ground, appearing as if he was a man in the desert that had just found a spring of water.
Sadly, that changed when he got a good look at them.
"W-Wait, what's with those outfits? You're not with them, a-are you?!" He shouted warily, standing up exclusively so he could take a step backwards.
"The men in white masks?" Makoto questioned.
"So y-you know them!"
"Know of them, but we're not with them," Joker replied. "We're the Phantom Thieves, and we're here to help you."
"As long as you're not with them, I don't care. P-Please, help me!"
The elevated stress seemed to exasperate his already pained state. He groaned again, clenching his head even harder, however impossible that seemed to be.
"Easy," said Joker reassuringly as he took a few steps forwards. He held up his hands so as to appear as stereotypically non-threatening as possible. "We want to help, but you need to tell us what's going on. What happened to you? What did they do to you?"
As the wild-card user began to talk down the ailing young man, Makoto looked to the group's navigator out of an abundance of caution.
"Oracle, can you tell what's wrong with him?" Queen whispered.
"Not at all. I mean, he seems kinda normal, but these readings are… weird."
"Meaning we should be ready just in case," Noir said in a hushed tone.
"I-I-I don't know," stammered the young man. "I don't know. I try to think about it, but…!"
Another seizure appeared to strike him. It brought him to his knees, prompting Joker to rush up to keep him stable. That was his intent, at least. He got no further than a few measly steps before stopping dead in his tracks upon seeing a shadowy figure start to form directly behind the high-school student.
'That's…!' Ren thought in disbelief, his eyes wide.
Slowly but surely, the pressure began to build in the air. The shadowy figure began to materialize more and more with each passing second, and the more material it became, the heavier the air became.
"I see. I see…!"
The young man's voice became raspy and twisted. He abruptly got up from the ground, his hands leaving the side of his head. He looked at the Phantom Thieves with a wicked grin, his irises now a sickening glowing gold. Knowing exactly where this was headed, Joker pulled out his knife and readied for some form of an attack.
Soon after, the shadow behind him started to resemble a full-blown Persona, though not one that Ren would have expected. It was clearly male and had pure-white skin and long black hair. The butterfly-like wings, however, were what defined its appearance.
'No mistaking it, that's definitely Oberon,' thought Ren. 'But how? That can't really be his Persona, can it? Does he have a power similar to mine?'
He could still feel the presence of the fabled king of fairies within the depths of his soul. If he wanted to do so at that very moment, he could call Oberon to his side. That would mean this individual was a wild-card user, but that too didn't feel right to the raven-haired teen.
"All this time I was running from this, but really I should have been embracing it. This feels good. This feels right…!" the pink-haired student muttered, looking back to the ever-looming figure directly behind him.
"Are you a Shadow?" Joker asked, his eyes narrowed.
His grin became all the more devilish, and his face warped in a way that didn't appear to be human.
"A very strange choice of last words."
Without warning, the winged-Persona appeared before Joker with its blade drawn. His teammates looked on with momentary worry, but dexterous as he was, Joker dodged the attack before using the enemy Persona itself as a springboard to retreat.
He glared heavily at the king of the fairies once he'd stuck his landing. That last attack was clearly meant to kill if the literal hole in the ground where he'd previously stood was anything to go by.
"Good instincts. Now be a good little insect and piss off, okay? The next time I won't miss."
"Sorry, we'll have to refuse," Joker replied.
"So damn annoying…! Why can't you leave me alone? Why can't everyone just leave me the hell alone?!"
Before anyone could so much as respond to the insane ramblings of the now golden-eyed young man, he appeared to already be firing off another attack. His Oberon raised its sword high into the sky, willing a wave of lighting to shoot forth directly at the opposing group.
The attack was so devastating that it quite literally tore up the ground around the Phantom Thieves and left them in a cloud of dirt and dust. Clearly that had pleased their opponent, who thought very highly of the damage he'd self-assuredly done. He smirked confidently, though said smirk disappeared upon noticing a rather tall looming figure standing at the center of his previous strike.
A large spear cast away the clouds of dust, revealing the Phantom Thieves to be completely unharmed.
"What the hell? How are you even alive?!"
Another wave of electricity shot forth, though this time the entirety of the would-be onslaught fell flat.
"Odin!" Joker exclaimed.
Brandishing his spear, the purple-skinned Persona pulled in each and every last bolt of electricity, willing it to simply vanish upon coming into contact with him. Not even a static shock remained in the aftermath.
"Thanks, Joker," Makoto replied gratefully. Her eyes narrowed on their assumed enemy. "We should take him down quickly. Try not to go all out and risk hurting him. Clearly he's still human, even if it looks like his Shadow has taken over."
"Go for his Persona. If this is anything like last time, if we make it vanish, he should be released from whatever's happening to him," Joker stated.
"Uh, guys," Oracle spoke up urgently. "We've got some problems. Enemies—lots of enemies are inbound."
"How many?" inquired Panther.
An answer wasn't needed as literal hordes of Halberies started to circle the area outside the park with their intent clear as day. Several jaws were dropped at the sheer number of them.
"W-Woah, there's gotta be hundreds of 'em…!" Skull gasped.
"Those electric attacks must've got their attention. My guess is there gonna try to get rid of the source," Oracle mused.
"Meaning our job has gotten quite a bit harder," Yusuke stated, a bit of agitation in his tone.
"Alright, so then we'll need to make sure they don't get to him before…"
Noir stopped in speech upon seeing Oberon extend its wings far and wide before spreading a purple dust into the air. It skipped over the Phantom Thieves entirely and instead polluted the air entirely around the park where the shadows had been amassing.
"All of you assholes are just in my way just like everyone else! Ghh, why can't you just do what I say?! Be useful and get rid of them!"
As if obeying orders that were given to them, the spherical abominations began to float forward towards acclaimed heroes of justice, their intent obvious. Everyone understood the degree to which the situation had just worsened.
"There, that's more like it," he stated with sadistic pleasure.
He adopted a relaxed posture on a nearby bench, smirking smarmily as the shadows closed in on their prey.
"Never mind, I suppose," sighed Noir as she readied her axe.
"We'll need to split up to divide their attention. If they manage to circle us all at once, we won't even be able to use our stronger attacks without risking friendly fire," Makoto stated. "Thankfully it doesn't look like he intends to intervene, but stay sharp just in case."
"Right!" was the unanimous reply before each leapt into battle.
All across the clearing, the Phantom Thieves went to work. They very quickly started to push the long-tongued shadows back to the edge of the park and beyond.
Skull and Joker used their electric-based attacks to draw most of the attention at the west end of the park, meanwhile Ann and Morgana backed them up by keeping enemies off their flanks so they could focus their efforts on making larger dents in the enemy numbers.
To the south, Yusuke acted solely and with diligence, slicing up enemy after enemy with both his katana and Goemon. Futaba supported where she could, though she took extra precautions in evading the areas where enemies were swarming in from the air in massive numbers.
The aptly-named Queen to the southeast appeared to be a one-woman army. With great speed and precision, she smashed and blasted her way through any Shadow that came within thirty feet.
Haru held up the eastern front to an astounding degree, sending storm after storm of bullets ripping through wave upon wave of the spherical creatures. She ripped her axe from an enemy that managed to survive the meat-grinder, her sadistic grin returning in full force as she watched it fade to nothingness.
Even brain-washed and with one defining purpose set to them, the Shadows around her began to hesitate.
"What? Are you afraid of little ol' me?" cooed Noir, brandishing her axe and she stared down the floating masses of Halberies. They appeared to retreat slightly. "Was it something I said?"
Off in his corner, the pink-haired young man stewed in his own rage and impatience. It was meant to be entertainment. It was meant to be fun. This was the opposite of that.
"I can see this isn't going as I'd hoped. In that case…!"
A powerful surge from Oberon resounded throughout the area. The Shadows ceased their assault in fear, and every member of the Phantom Thieves turned to see a massive build-up of energy emitting from the enemy Persona.
A twisted dark cloud started to form from above the park, crackling with electricity and swirling about menacingly. It was anyone's guess where the strike would come.
'Dammit, where's it going to hit?' Joker wondered in frustration.
The infamous thief of hearts realized it within a split second of the energy reaching its peak, but it was far too late to stop. When the electricity that had been building up finally released towards the ground, it found itself slamming directly at Noir.
There was nowhere for the heiress to run and thereby no chance of evading. Making the correct decision, she braced herself, though she winced at the thought of what was to come. A large sphere of bright yellow electrical energy engulfed both her and a massive portion of the area surrounding her.
Bolts of lighting from the clouds continued to pile on, leaving the attack a seemingly never-ending barrage. It was like she was being consumed by it. By the time it was over and the clouds had dispersed, literal smoke and ash from the burnt ground obstructed view of the illustrious Phantom Thief.
"Haru!" Queen shouted.
Wide-eyed, she made her way over to her friend's presumably injured body, she being the closest member of the team nearby. However, she quickly found that to be unneeded. When the dust finally settled, she saw a large dragon-like Persona coiling itself like a snake around where Haru had previously stood.
"Oh thank god…!" Queen sighed in relief, biting back her tears.
"Yes!" Skull shouted excitedly. He turned to their gray-eyed leader, grinning madly from ear to ear. "Cuttin' it close there, bro! But damn, you got some range on these things, huh? I didn't know you could summon your Personas that far away!"
"I can't…" Joker answered in a serious tone, seemingly dumfounded by the current turn of events.
"Huh?"
"But isn't that one of your Personas?" Panther spoke up.
"Yeah, that's Kohryu, and that is one of my Personas… but that one isn't mine."
The large golden dragon dissipated seconds later, at the epicenter of which Haru found herself on the still squatting on the ground and coughing courtesy of the residual smoke that resulted from the previous lighting strike. Still, she was otherwise perfectly fine.
Haru noticed a hand being offered to her. Presuming it to be Ren, she took it with a smile. While that was a fair assumption, it was incorrect.
"Thank you, Jok…"
The heiress stopped mid-sentence, realizing that the person in front of her was very much so not Ren Amamiya. She'd recognized him briefly from Leblanc the previous day, but in that moment she could only see a tall, handsome, silver-haired man looking down on her with impossibly comforting eyes.
"You okay?" Yu asked.
A/N Yeah, for those of you that haven't read my other stuff, I do this kind of stuff a lot. But since I update every week, you have no choice but to accept it :P
In any case, hopefully you all enjoyed the first real excursion into the new Metaverse. More to come next Friday when the next chapter will be posted.
Explanations:
The New Metaverse: In terms of appearance, it looks exactly like the real world but a more twisted version thereof. That's a pretty big contrast to the world the Phantom Thieves are used to, and it shows. Why is that the case? Can't say.
The App on Yu's Phone: Yes, there is obviously a reason for it. Feel free to guess, but lips are sealed on this one.
The Investigation Team Getting Their Weapons: Same as the above.
Joker Calling out Ann and Ryuji: Outside of showing Joker is just that intuitive, it's meant to more emphasize just how close the three are. Just something fun I wanted to make a point of adding in because this their dynamic is probably my favorite multi-person dynamic in the entire game because it's where I feel they nailed the friendship dynamic the best. Maaaaybe Futaba-Ren-Sojiro beats it out. Maybe.
The Shadows: For those of you that are P5 only, these are Shadows from P3/P4. In P5 they're actual Personas that you can recruit but in the other two games they were actual demonic looking things you had to fight. Obviously, the Personas still exist that they need to fight, but will they be out there in the wild? Not usually. The bulk of the Shadows they fight will be more from P3/P4 and/or Shadows of my own making.
Shadow Variety: Yes, it will increase as time goes on. They are basically in the equivalent of the first level of a game, and I wanted to focus less on the variety of Shadows and more on the actual combat elements themselves.
Combat: Honestly, fight scenes are my bread and butter since the other two stories I've written heavily featured fight scenes. As far as this story goes, expect the actual Persona users to be fairly active and capable of doing damage. I honestly don't like the idea of the Personas themselves doing all the work because then this is just Pokémon and I find that terrible boring.
Joker's Power Level: Max level, full compendium—and no not P5/P5R DLC Personas. To anyone expecting him to use Izanagi no Okami or something like that, just no. Stop it. Although he is incredibly OP, that isn't meant to say there won't be challenges, but in terms of his ability to call on any Persona he wants, he can. That doesn't mean he can go all-out whenever he wants, however, so on that note…
Combat Mechanics – Friendly Fire: In the game, yes, you can basically use a nuclear attack and your allies will be fine. Not so in this story. Friendly fire will be a thing, which adds another important layer to the combat that I think is necessary. It brings more strategy, and to me that makes it a lot more fun to write and also far more realistic. You know, as realistic as teenagers going to another dimensions to battles demons can get.