Hekkasi: Yep, there's gonna be at least two instances of a Shadow that comes from a Foundation member's Shadow going beserk and being VERY difficult to kill. But I would remember this, the foundation offers ample mental health services (in most cannons, at least) so for the most part, it's highly likely that a foundation member's shadow won't be too bad to deal with. D bois, however...
Firem78910: They will at some point. I'm planning on Yu developing an SL with Twenty Five and maybe O5-2, I'm not sure about the latter yet, but they will speak of them eventually.
Matt: Hmmm maybe. I thought about a bonus of a proposal for locking SCP-096 in the TV World, since he can't escape unless the IT take him out of the TV World, and a 682 termination attempt involving either megidolan or The Reaper, so something like that may happen. If there are any specific SCPs you would want to see, let me know and I'll read up on them and see if I can do them.
CHAPTER TWO
Yu was surprised to see Twenty Five standing at the head of the classroom that morning. Just a few days before, Twenty Five contacted Yu to explain that he was going to be arriving at Inaba within a few days, having not been there so he could manage some bureaucratic issues for his operation, and advised Yu to make preparations. Thus, exploration of the castle was put on hold so Teddie could make glasses for Twenty Five. What Twenty Five neglected to include was that he would be teaching French at Yasogami High to keep a cover. It seemed that The Foundation wanted to keep tabs on the Investigation Team, opting to have Twenty Five be at their school as much as possible. That really didn't matter, school was school. What Yu was worried about was Twenty Five in the TV World. From what he could tell, Twenty Five was experienced in fighting people and monsters, but certainly not Shadows. He could tell The Foundation didn't know about Shadows, meaning it was highly unlikely that Twenty Five had a Persona. Yu wondered if he would even stand a chance against a Shadow, or if he would be knocked down in one hit. He would soon see, as Yu had decided they had wasted enough time waiting for Twenty Five, today was the day they would rescue Yukiko. Right after School let out, Yu sent Twenty Five a text with instructions to meet him at Junes. Twenty Five obliged, requesting information before they entered the TV.
"Let's start with the basics, what's inside the TV?" Twenty Five asked. Yu thought for a moment and explained.
"It's another world, to put it in simple terms." Yu began. "We really don't know much about it, all we know is what lives there, Shadows."
"Please explain what Shadows are to me." Twenty Five ordered. Yu obliged.
"They're monsters created by people's unconscious thoughts." Yu explained. "They can be small and not really reflect anything, or they can be much worse. The worst are Shadows reflecting a specific person. They represent repressed thoughts and memories, and can go berzerk if the person they represent rejects them."
"What happens if they accept it?" Twenty Five asked. "Do they disappear?"
"No, they become a Persona." Yosuke responded. "They're like a mask people use to protect themselves from the world."
"I understand Jungian Psychology, no need to explain it to me." Twenty Five stated. "But I would appreciate an explanation of how they work."
"These cards materialize when we focus on their presence. When we break the card, the Persona materializes and will attack Shadows." Chie explained. "It's really cool, you have to see it to believe it!"
"I believe you, I've seen stranger entities." Twenty Five stated. "Now then, take me to this world inside the TV." Everyone obliged, taking Twenty Five to the electronics section and helping him into the TV, explaining that a Persona User had to help him in. It was there that he met Teddie, completely unfeeling as the bear greeted him.
"You must be that mean soldier guy." Teddie stated. "I heard you hurt Sensei, and that makes me beary-angry. But, you do want to help Sensei now, so I made you these." Teddie handed a pair of glasses to Twenty Five, who immediately put them on. They were a pair of black frame, polarized aviators with the foundation logo on the sides of the wires. How Teddie knew of that logo, Yu would never know.
"Now I see why you wear the glasses." Twenty Five stated. "They filter the fog from your vision. I may ask you to make some more, Teddie."
"Not even a thank you? How rude!" Teddie exclaimed.
"By the way, Twenty Five, I must say this now, it's risky for you to be here." Yu addressed, walking close to the Mercenary. "You don't have a Persona, and we're gonna be in for a big fight today, most likely. Are you sure you can do this?"
"I came prepared." Twenty Five stated, setting a bag on the ground. Opening it, a small plethora of weapons were revealed. They included large rifles, small futuristic looking smgs, and even a rocket launcher was stashed in there. Interestingly, a French flag was stamped onto the weapons.
"That's probably a bit overkill, you'd probably be okay with just a pistol." Yu winced.
"I see, I'll just use this then." Twenty Five stated, pulling a revolver out of his jacket as he talked. It was not a very large gun, probably meant for defense. Yu recognized some writing on the silver weapon. It read: "MR-73, .357 caliber". Yu nodded.
"Just stay behind us, okay?" Yu stated. "I don't want you getting hurt."
"Don't worry about me, I can handle myself." Twenty Five stated, following the Investigation Team as they followed Teddie to the castle. On the way, Yu explained what was happening, and how the TV World was linked to the deaths of Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi. Twenty Five simply nodded.
"I see, this so-called Midnight Channel is real, and linked to the murders. Thank you." Twenty Five stated. "I'll have to report this." Yu nodded. There was something about Twenty Five, the way he was cold, empty, and distant. Yu could have sworn it was a facade.
The group was now in the castle, moving quickly to avoid the Shadows leading to the top floor. Yu took a deep breath, letting air escape his lungs, before opening the door. Inside was, as Yu suspected, Yukiko and her Shadow. The shadow sat atop a throne, yelling at Yukiko, who was sitting at the foot of stairs leading to the throne.
"Oooh, would you look at this." The Shadow began. "Four princes, one of them someone new. My, my! Are you the surprise guests who came in late? Awwwww… I wish I'd gotten a better look at you! My, it's getting crowded here. Why don't you and I go somewhere else…? A land far, far away, where no one knows me. If you're my Prince, you'd take me there, won't you? C'mon… pretty please?"
"Is this scoring a hot stud?" Teddie asked. Everyone ignored the bear and his comment.
"Four?" Twenty Five stated. "There's only three males here…"
"Wait, does that include me too?" Chie asked.
"It's gotta be me, duh." Teddie stated. Yosuke grimaced.
"I highly doubt that.." Yosuke groaned.
"Chie, yes, she's my prince." Shadow Yukiko addressed with a chuckle. "Chie always leads the way… she's a strong prince, at least she was."
"Was?" Chie asked, her expression growing grim.
"When it comes down to it, Chie's not good enough!" Shadow Yukiko spat. "She can't take me away from here! She can't save me!"
"Yukiko…" Chie muttered in a sympathetic tone.
"Stop it…" Yukiko groaned. The Shadow began to let loose a torrent of emotion, going on a tirade about how Yukiko felt. She spoke of how Yukiko wanted her own life, how everything was decided for her, how she needed someone to help her. Yukiko couldn't handle it.
"DON'T SAY IT!" Yosuke warned.
"NO!" Yukiko spat. "YOU AREN'T ME!" The Shadow began laughing maniacally as it became surrounded in a dark energy, transforming from the princess it was into a caged bird, the door to the cage wide open.
"Mon Dieu…" Twenty Five gasped. "So this is a Shadow!" Twenty Five pulled back the hammer of his revolver, aiming it at the bird.
"We have to save that girl!" Teddie shouted.
"Yeah, we know." Yosuke responded. The shadow attacked first, launching a pillar of fire at Yu. Yu responded by dodging, summoning Izanagi to launch himself at Shadow Yukiko and slashing her with his spear, with an extra attack from Jack Frost just to be safe. Shadow Yukiko responded by letting out a screech and creating a barrier around itself. Chie summoned Tomoe, releasing an ice attack that was ineffective, the barrier revealing itself as the ice coated the bird. In response, Shadow Yukiko began laughing. She summoned a Shadow to help, calling for her prince. Immediately, Twenty Five focused his fire away from Shadow Yukiko, firing a single shot directly in the Shadow's head. Infact, it was almost as if he knew the Shadow would be there. Shadow Yukiko attempted again to summon a prince, but it ran away right after arriving. Shadow Yukiko Kept attempting to summon the prince to no avail, the prince refusing to even show up.
"Why! WHY WON'T HE COME?" the shadow pleaded. Summoning Tomoe, Chie launched an ice attack at the shadow, knocking it down. Yoskue summoned Jiraiya, launching a torrential wind at it. This gave Chie the opportunity to launch at Shadow Yukiko with a kick to the head, dissolving the Shadow back to its original form.
"Yukiko… I'm so sorry!" Chie stated, rushing to her friend and holding her in a hug. It was a heartfelt moment as Chie and Yukiko embraced and cried their feelings away. Twenty Five seemed almost bothered by it. The sight of the two was almost too much for him.
"I'm going to go report this to my superiors…" Twenty Five trailed off before stepping to a corner. Yukiko turned to face her Shadow.
"Chie, I never saw the real you." She began. "But what she is saying is true… I was too busy trying to find an easy way out. 'I want to run away'... 'I want someone to save me'... Those feelings are true, and they're part of me, I understand now… You're me." the Shadow nodded, suddenly transforming from a Shadow to a Persona. Yukiko collapsed from exhaustion.
"She looks beat, let's get her out of here." Twenty Five stated.
"Sorry, but, who are you?" Yukiko asked.
"Callsign Kommando Twenty Five, call me Twenty Five." Twenty Five stated.
"What's your real name though?" Yukiko asked.
"Classified."
"How old are you?"
"Classified." This went on until Yukiko finally said something that wasn't classified.
"Where are you from?"
"France, actually, that's somehow not classified." Twenty Five chuckled. "Anything else, well, my boss says you don't have clearance yet. But, we got some good information, so that may change soon."
"Well, this is some good information." O5-2 stated, swirling the brandy in her glass as Twenty Five gave his report.
"Yes ma'am." Twenty Five stated. "The majority of it comes from the Person Of Interest Narukami and his friends, but the information about what Shadows really are and how they behave comes from that Teddie fellow."
"I already can't even begin to describe the risk Teddie could pose if he found his way out of SCP-7870, but we need him for now, so keep an eye out for him." O5-2 stated.
"Copy that ma'am." Twenty Five responded. "Oh, and with all due respect, The Veil's been broken for years. Remember Iwatodai?"
"Odd, I don't remember anything happening in Iwatodai, when did this happen?" O5-2 asked.
"Don't you remember? There was that thing with the moon, the near XK-Class End of the World scenario? I was just a kid then but I remember it clearly, well, somehow, still would have been in-" the location filter went off, censoring Twenty Five's hometown. "But come on! The sky turned green, how could you not remember!"
"Get screened for a memetic effect, SCP-7870 could be interfering with your memory." O5-2 stated.
"Copy that." Twenty Five sighed. "I'd best be leaving, ma'am. Apparently, Saturdays are school days here, and SCP-7870 causes exhaustion."
"Understood, sleep well, Twenty Five." O5-2 stated before taking a sip of her brandy. This was going to be one hell of a file to write.
A/N: I swear we'll get into good stuff soon, don't worry! But there we go, another chapter out. if it wasn't obvious, Twenty Five Was referring to The Fall. I have a headcannon that the fall was a global event, and those who have the potential to use a persona remember it if they awaken to one, which is why Twenty Five remembers. That aside, I understand, this came a bit fast, this fic is not gonna be long, so some story events will happen pretty quickly. Don't worry, we get into big bad shadow confrontation for Twenty Five soon, expect it after Kanji. Until then, hope you enjoyed and have a great day!
BONUS: SCP-7870 File
Item #: SCP-7870
Object Class: Euclid (Pending Keter due to unknown individual with access to this item)
Special Containment Procedures: All individuals capable of accessing SCP-7870 are to be monitored until further notice. Kommando Insurgency is currently assigned to investigating SCP-7870 and all individuals related, with MTF Epsilon-9 as a backup. The Electronics section of Junes Inaba Branch is to be cleared of civilians upon order of Kommando-25.
Description: SCP-7870-1 is a pocket dimension filled with a thick fog accessible by select individuals in Inaba Japan. SCP-7870-1 is accessible through any television large enough to fit a human being in, though smaller televisions are theoretically useable. SCP-7870-2 are anomalous entities residing with SCP-7870-1. Instances of SCP-7870 reportedly represent humanities cognitions, though this is currently under review. SCP-7870-2 instances are capable of generating heat, reducing heat, producing wind, or physically damaging people with SCP-7870-1. If a person dies in SCP-7870-1, their body materialized the following day hanging upside down (verification needed). SCP-7870-3 is a phenomenon known as "Persona". SCP-7870-3 can be obtained by any person within SCP-7870 by engaging SCP-7870-1 instances by stating that they accept them. SCP-7870-3 instances are identical to SCP-7870-2 instances in their ability to inflict damage upon humans. SCP-7870-4 are glasses produced by an SCP-7870-2 instance that filter the fog within SCP-7970-1 from view. If a person is within SCP-7870-1, they can be found by viewing SCP-7870-5, an anomalous television program viewable at midnight if it is raining.
Addendum: 7870-A
The following individuals are currently able to access SCP-7870-1:
Narukami, Yu
Hanamura, Yoskue
Satonaka, Chie
Amagi, Yukiko
Unknown 3rd Party
Kommando-25 (requires assistance)