It had been a few days since Yu stiffed Akechi with the bill. Now, less than a week remained for the deadline before Kobayakawa revealed the pictures to Sae. Because of this, Yu, Akechi, Shiho, and Morgana decided to resume infiltration and had successfully returned to Kobayakawa's Palace.
(Palace music- Kobayakawa's Palace theme)
As their metaverse outfits replaced their school uniforms, Shiho examined her outfit, she let out a small giggle.
"You know, this outfit is pretty badass. How come you guys aren't dressed in armor?"
"That's a good question. I thought, based on Akechi's and my outfits, we'd all get dressed in fancy clothes." Yu asked, looking to Morgana.
"Because Metaverse outfits take shape based on how you see yourselves. For example, in my case, I see myself as a cat burglar, and my outfit takes shape accordingly."
"Oh that reminds me, here." Yu said, reaching inside his backpack and pulling out a model MP5. Shiho's face beamed at the sight.
"Oh, we need to decide a codename for the rookie." Morgana pointed out.
"A codename?"
"Yea. Since yelling our real names might cause further problems, we go by codenames." Yu explained.
"Oh yea, I remember now. Didn't you guys go by Seeker, Ace, and Carmen?"
"Yup. Now, what should we call you?" Morgana asked.
"Gladiator. It's obvious from her attire and weapon." Akechi answered.
"No, sounds too barbaric." Shiho countered.
"What about Inferno, since you're Persona's a fire type?" Yu asked
"It's a Persona, not a Pokemon. Besides, it's supposed to be for me, not my inner self."
"Alright, what do you want to be called?" Morgana demanded.
"Hmmmm. I think… I'll be called what I am: a Pariah."
"Pariah? Very well. In that case, let's get to… it…" Yu trailed off as he saw something strange.
"What's wrong Seeker?" Akechi asked, only to be ignored as Yu walked right past him.
Yu approached what got his attention: a blue cell door with Justine standing beside it, flipping a book between her fingers in boredom. As he approached, she tilted her head to regard him.
"Ah, there you are, inmate. Please step in, the Master, my sister and I have something to show you."
Justine opened the door, gesturing for Yu to enter, which he did, the cell door closing right behind him. Looking around, he found that not only was he in prisoner clothes, but in cuffs and had a metal ball weighing him down. He was in the Velvet Room, and the only difference was that this time, he had a way out; the cell door that he entered from hung open by just a crack. Standing in front of him were Igor and the Twin Wardens.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Igor greeted.
"Why did you ask me here?"
"As you know, your contract dictates that we offer you our assistance with your rehabilitation. And from this moment forth, we offer that assistance. The Velvet Room offers a variety of services. The most common one is fusion, a magic ritual that my assistants and I perform to merge two or more Personas. The result is a singular strong Persona that contains the previous Personas' abilities."
"Really? That's amazing!"
"Indeed. And should you need a Persona you have already fused, simply ask access the Persona Compendium, select the Persona you wish to call from the sea of your soul, and you will have it, for a price."
"That's good to-wait, WHAT?! Even entities that live on another plane of existence are charging me?!" Yu yelled.
"There are other services that we can give you, but they will be made available to you over time." Igor replied, ignoring the outburst.
"But the fusing itself is free?"
"Of course. But, there is also a catch with it."
"Of course there is."
"At your current state, you can barely wield two percent of all known Personas."
"Are you calling me weak?"
"Yes. But there is some good news, however. As you continue with your rehabilitation, you will be able to wield more and more Personas. With each Shadow you defeat, a fraction of its power becomes yours. As you accumulate more and more power, you will be able to wield stronger Personas. That power is shared with whatever Persona you are currently using. If enough power is acquired, that Persona will use it to learn a new move." Igor explained.
"The same goes for the other Tricksters, even if they aren't fighting by your side at that moment. So long as they're in the Metaverse when you defeat a Shadow, they'll get a fraction of its power too." Caroline added.
"That'll come in handy if one of us is too injured to go on."
"There is one final thing you must know before we get to fusing. You recall the bonds you've begun to forge with Confidants?" Igor asked.
"You mean every time a voice goes off in my head? Yea."
"Each Persona can be classified in one of 22 Arcana, and you have a confidant for each. Whenever you fuse a Persona, the Confidant of the matching Arcana will lend its strength to the new Persona. The stronger your bonds with that Confidant, the more power it will give. And once you've established an unbreakable bond with a certain Confidant, you will be able to fuse the highest Persona of the matching Arcana."
"I think I understand. This is kind of like a video game."
"If that's how you understand it, then please, think of it that way. Now that you know everything, let us begin with the fusing, if you so desire."
Once Yu was done with his first fusion ritual, he exited the Velvet Room. And soon saw a hand waving in his face. He blinked twice and his vision focused to see his team members standing in front of him, their faces a mix between worry and confusion.
"You still with us Seeker?" Akechi asked, snapping his fingers.
"Yea, I'm fine. Didn't you see me go through the door?"
"What door?"
"This door." Yu gestured to the blue cell door behind him.
"Uhh Seeker? There's nothing there." Akechi pointed out.
Yu looked back. The blue door was still there, and Justine was still twirling her book.
Maybe they just can't see it? Wait, Igor said only those with a contract can enter the Velvet Room
"You sure you're alright? You were spacing out just now." Shiho said, crossing her arms.
"Yea, I just entered the Velvet Room."
"Ah, so Master Igor is offering his services! Was wondering when he'd make them available. I take it you have a new Persona now?" Morgana inquired.
"Yea, and I'm eager to try it out. We have both of the codes, so let's get on the jet."
Morgana simply nodded, and blew into her whistle, summoning the Mona-mobile as Akechi filled Shiho in. The four got in, Shiho taking a moment to admire the vehicle, earning some beams of pride from Morgana. The mini-bus speed off in the direction of the airport. Strangely enough, there were no checkpoints or security stations, which only put the group on high alert. By the time they reached the airport, no Shadow had tried to stop or even interact with them. Once they made it to the airstip itself, there was a private jet waiting for them, with a single Shadow in the form of a pilot waiting in the plane at the top of the stairs.
"Guess no one will attack unless provoked." Morgana hypothesised.
"Either that, or all the security is still focused on the hotels." Yu countered.
The four got out and approached the Shadow, which bowed when they started to climb the stairs into the plane.
"Welcome to Shujin Airlines. Before we begin, I ask that you please turn in your codes."
"Right here." Yu replied, handing the codes to the pilot.
"Thank you, please wait here while we verify."
The pilot walked into the jet. The seconds felt like hours, and the four stood awkwardly in place, ready to unleash their Personas should they see any sign of security. The pilot returned a few minutes later.
"The code has been verified. Please come in and get comfortable while we make preparations for take-off."
The Tricksters smiled as they boarded. The jet had everything one expected a private jet to have: leather seats, a bar, and a large plasma screen TV with a couch under it. There was a door that lead into a bedroom, but it was only enough for two. Hopefully, this trip wouldn't take very long. Then there was a whirl in the air as the pilots started the engines. The four took to their seats and watched as the plane accelerated and lifted itself into the air. Yu and the others looked out and admired the sight; the sea bathing in the glow of the setting sun seemed like something straight out of a movie. His team went to various parts of the plane, Morgana went behind the bar, Shiho took a seat on the couch, and Akechi turned on the TV, and immediately turned it off when it was nothing but propaganda. Morgana pulled out a shot glass and a bottle of whiskey.
"I hope you know that you shouldn't drink right before the mission." Yu pointed out before she started to pour.
"Oh come on! I want to try it!" Morgana protested.
"I would like to remind you that we're all minors here." Akechi added.
"Correction; you guys are minors. I'm a timeless entity whose existence is linked to a universe formed by human thought, and the only reason I appear in the shape of a human is to put you guys at ease and blend into the waking world." Morgana argued.
"Carmen, please. If you're drunk, you won't be very good at fighting." Shiho replied with a gentle tone.
"Well… yea, but-"
"If you die, who will help us with problems involving the Metaverse? Do you know how sad we would be if you left us?" Shiho interrupted, her voice still soft.
"Awwww… fine." Morgana whined.
"How about this? You can bring the whiskey with you out of the Metaverse, and once you're with Akechi, you can drink it. That sound ok?" Shiho offered.
"Yea. Yea! That sounds like a good idea!" Morgana agreed, stuffing the whole bottle into one of her belt pockets.
Akechi smiled and went back to his seat and looked out to the ocean.
"Damn shame this isn't real." He thought aloud.
"The view, or the fact that we're traveling first class?" Yu asked.
"Both. Though, I do feel a certain thrill as we get closer and closer to Kobayakawa's fortress. Like the calm before the storm. Just thinking about what we're here to do makes me feel like some sort of superhero." Akechi answered thoughtfully.
"I'd compare it to more of an anti-hero. Though you're right, I kind of feel like Batman right now. Going outside the law to deliver justice to criminals." Yu added.
"I'd rather be Superman than Batman, and inspire people to be better. Using violence to remove violence will never work."
"But sometimes violence is the only thing that works. I mean, if what you guys said is true, and there is a Shadow version of Kobayakawa in here, and if he has even a fraction of the real thing's personality, then there's no way he'll let us give him a change of heart easily." Shiho countered, her voice much heavier than how she dealt with Morgana.
"Yea, and we'll have to be careful when we do encounter it." Their guide told them.
"I take it that, as Palace ruler, he will be significantly more powerful than the other Shadows here?"
"Not only that, but if we destroy a person's Shadow, it will kill them in the real world."
This caused everyone's face to go white.
"Are… are you sure?" Yu stammered out.
"Completely."
"Then we'll have to keep that in mind when we confront him." Akechi said, more composed than his leader.
"Let's change the subject. What's our plan when we arrive at the island?" Shiho asked.
"Well, our top priority will be finding a Safe Room. That way we have an escape route in case the infiltration goes south. After that, according to Cognitive Akechi, we need to track down a General Morooka who holds the only key that lets us enter Kobayakawa's home." Yu answered.
"Do we know what to expect?"
"More of the same. Judging by how the phone is going blank, I'd say we will have to find another map if we want to navigate the base."
"Don't worry, we'll be sure to look out for you Pariah, as this will be your first time helping us with infiltration." Morgana reminded.
"Didn't I help you guys already when we took down the second marshal?"
"Oh, right. Forgot about that."
"It's ok, I appreciate the sentiment. But don't worry about me, I'll make those Shadows bleed." Shiho stated, cracking her knuckles.
"Well someone's excited."
The conversation was cut short with a beep from the PA system.
"Attention all passengers, we are transmitting the landing code to Central Control now. Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for descent."
"Alright, once we land, we're going to get out and try to make a break for the flight tower. Hopefully we'll find some information there." Yu ordered.
"And if we don't?" Akechi asked.
"Then we go in blind."
"Look! I can see it!" Morgana exclaimed.
The other three joined her, and sure enough, they saw it as well: It was a single island, one with a volcano on it. Carved out on the mountainside, the group could see what was unmistakably Kobayakawa's house. It looked like an old school Spanish mansion, complete with a courtyard, pool, everything. But what was strange was that the house seemed to be spread out diagonally across the volcano. In one area was the main entrance, at another, higher area, the pool, and even higher was the courtyard. And at the peak was a small domed building, big enough to be a single room, and that building was emitting a small light.
"I'm guessing that that's where we'll find the Treasure." Akechi stated, looking at the domed building.
"Most likely. But remember, we need Morooka's key first."
"All passengers, we are beginning our descent."
The jet came in low, and the four held on tight to whatever they could to brace for the impact. The plane came to a screeching halt as soon as it hit the pavement. Once it came to a complete stop, the PA system chimed again.
"We would like to thank you for traveling with Shujin Airlines. Please be patient while our most gracious president Kobayakawa makes his way to give you a personal tour."
Yea, not going to happen
Yu pulled his pistol and fired at a window, shattering the glass. With the new opening, he leaped through it, landing on the wing of the plane, and the rest of his teammates followed shortly after. Once they were free, the group made a break for the nearby control building, hoping to get to the Shadows before they knew what was up. After their mad dash was complete, Yu decided to creep into the door and saw a Shadow making the rounds. Hiding behind a corner, he waited until the Shadow got close enough to ambush. When it finally did, Yu leapt onto the top of its shoulders.
"Reveal the truth unto me!" He demanded as he ripped the mask right off, forcing the Shadow to transform. Two knights on top of horses. Thanks to the confined area, they had little to no maneuvering room.
"This will be a slaughter. Pariah! Time for some practice!" Yu ordered.
"On it! Melt that armor to slag Boudica!" Shiho ordered, removing her mask.
The scarred and burned woman materialized from the mask and hurled fireballs at the monsters, earning groans of pain from both of them. Shiho readied for another blast, but they forgot one thing: Shadows can cast magic too. Yu saw one raise its spear up and call down a bolt of lightning on their attackers. Thankfully Shiho was able to get out of the way, but Morgana wasn't so lucky. Yu knew these guys resisted electricity, so he decided to switch to a new Persona, the one he made in the Velvet Room.
"Come, Jack Frost!" He ordered, taking off a mask.
Materializing behind him was a figure that looked so soft, cuddly, and adorable that if it was any smaller, it would be a doll.
"Hee-ho-hee!" It cheered.
"Bufula!" Yu ordered.
Jack Frost did a backflip, its gaping smile shooting four icicles at the knight that had yet to attack. The soldier got hit by all four, and soon, was frozen solid. Shiho saw this as an opportunity, and charged at the frozen Shadow, dodging the efforts of the second knight to stop her, smacking the frozen opponent to pieces with her flail. But now, she was exposed. The knight raised his sword to attack.
"Garru!" Morgana yelled, having got back up.
The green blast knocked the knight back and off balance, and Akechi took it as his que to let Robin Hood fire an arrow. The pointed weapon pierced the armor, and he let out a howl of agony. Yu decided to finish it off, pulling out his machine pistol and unleashing a barrage of metal. With the Shadow fading to ash, he could feel power coursing through him.
"Alright, everyone ok?" Yu asked.
"My skill set has expanded." Akechi answered.
"Now I'm even more amazing!" Morgana added.
"I got a new skill!" Shiho finished.
"Good work all. Especially you, Pariah." Yu congratulated.
"Awww, thank you! Though seriously Seeker?"
"What?"
"Reveal the truth unto me? That's the best you had?"
"W-well, it's better than saying nothing at all!"
"It makes you sound like a drama queen." Akechi said.
"You know what? I don't have to explain myself. Let's keep moving." Yu ordered.
"Touchy." Morgana whispered to the others.
The four made their way up the stairs and saw five Shadows in the control tower. By now, they had realized that their 'guests' were in fact the rebels and were now scrambling to find them.
"There's no way that we'll be able to take these guys head on, and you can bet they'll try to call for reinforcements when the fighting starts." Morgana pointed out.
Yu reached inside his pockets and found an item that he picked up all the way back to the first hotel.
"Don't worry, I have a plan." Yu told his team as he confidently walked up the stairs. Once he reached the top, he shot a pistol at one of the guards, forcing it to transform. The sound attracted the other Shadows, which also transformed. Before they new it, the Tricksters were outnumbered five-to-one, facing off against various Shadows. That's when Yu pulled out what he had in his pocket.
"The Megido Bomb?!" Morgana cried as Yu pushed a button and threw it at the enemies. There was a blinding light as a pure white sphere erupted from the impact point, and continued to expand until the swirling destructive white-blue energy engulfed the entire room and consumed everyone in it, including the Tricksters. When it vanished, all the Shadows had turned to dust, and the infiltrators were unharmed.
"See? Told you." Yu remarked smugly.
"Look, that door looks a little… distorted." Shiho pointed out, looking at a door in the control room.
"That's what we're looking for." Yu replied as he entered the Safe Room.
"Alright, now that we have a line to the entrance of the Palace and back." Akechi stated.
"Now that that's out of the way, let's start gathering intel." Morgana said as Yu exited the Safe Room, a new bookmark on the Meta-Nav added. The group split up into the now almost empty room. As Yu looked around, he heard Izanagi in his head.
Remember how I was able to assist you in the real world?
You can do the same here?
Yes, although it will be different. In here, I can augment your sight to highlight items that are relevant to whatever it is you seek. Think of it as a Third Eye of sorts. I cannot enhance your hearing, however.
Alright. I presume I activate it the same way?
Yes. Concentrate.
Yu focused his mind, picturing what he wanted to find; anything that could help them navigate this part of the Palace. He opened his eyes, which were now glowing the same sickly yellow as they were when he summoned Izanagi, and the world seemed… dimmer. The world around him faded to blackness, grey lines the only thing to make out anything in the world. And then he saw it. A bright azure object. A stack of paper. Yu walked over to it and saw that what he was looking for was underneath the stack, so he tipped it over, and saw not one, but two maps: One labeled 'Kobayakawa's Sanctuary' and the other 'Military Base Blueprints'. Yu smiled as he stopped focusing, his eyes, and vision, returning to normal.
"Hey guys, I found it!" Yu called.
As he examined the maps, his phone let out a PING and he knew that they won't be going in blind now. The others gathered around him and had a look as well.
"Look at this. This says 'Command Center'" Akechi pointed.
"Yea, and according to my phone, it's connected to an elevator that shared with Kobayakawa's private residence."
"So if we get to the Command Center, we can get into the house." Shiho finished.
"And then we're one step away from the Treasure!" Morgana yelled excitedly.
"Then all we have to do is defeat General Morooka. He'd have to be in the Command Center." Akechi finalized.
"Yea. How's everyone doing? Think we can make it there?"
"I've barely broken a sweat." Shiho said, flexing.
"I'm ready, willing, and able." Akechi replied.
"That Megido Bomb you used earlier really saved us a lot of work. I'm confident we can make our way through to the Command Center and beat this Morooka character, at the bare minimum." Morgana finished.
"Alright. Then let's get to it."