CHAPTER 5:

HARD-WON VICTORY

"…Now do you see the truth?" her Shadow asked.

Futaba was struggling to admit it, but eventually, she nodded. Her Shadow had shown her a series of murals from her memories…and corrected her, having her remember what she had forgotten. That Wakaba, while engrossed in her work, had tolerated Futaba's tantrums, and had tried to help her. "Now I know how it feels for the Hunter to gain Insight in Bloodborne. I have an eidetic memory, but…how did those memories become so warped?"

"Emotions. Your grief and guilt, combined with the calculated cruelty of those monstrous adults did this to you," her Shadow said. "I would not be surprised if they also used some crude derivation of Mother's research to enhance the effects as well." She went over to Futaba, her golden eyes peering deep into her own. "Futaba…what happened to Wakaba was never your fault in the first place. Sojiro never believed so, but you never gave him enough of a chance to let him persuade you. And Harry doesn't believe so. Still, if what we just heard and felt is correct, he needs OUR help to stop that Cognition. You're strong. WE'RE strong. You are the feared Medjed, the feared Alibaba. You're stronger than you think you are. Are you going to stand by and let him die?"

"No…" Futaba said quietly, before she repeated, with more conviction, more than she had ever felt in her life, "No, I won't. I'll never forgive those bastards who did this to me. But what can I do to help Harry?"

Her Shadow smiled. "It's a surprise. You have already accepted me. Soon, the time will come…for an Awakening. Let's hurry…"

"GRY(1)!" Harry yelled, and the purple sphere smashed into the monstrous parody of Wakaba again, causing her to dip in her flight. Thankfully, the spells his Persona had given him were able to appear right on top of the flying monster, meaning accuracy wasn't a problem with those spells. That, and they seemed to affect gravity.

But he was beginning to tire, especially while dodging the attacks of the sphinx. And the sphinx was no closer to defeat. "Dammit, what does it take to put her down?"

"You're whittling away at her health, Harry," the Doctor said reassuringly. Harry wasn't sure why he had a Persona named for a science fiction character, but he'd leave the questions until later. "But you're using those spells too often. They're taxing."

"Well, what the hell can I hit her with?"

"…I can help."

Harry whirled to find Futaba and her Shadow Self emerging from behind a pillar. Wakaba seemed to notice, for she howled, "FUTABA! I SHOULD HAVE ABORTED YOU! THIS IS YOUR FAUUULLLT!"

Meanwhile, Shadow Futaba looked to Harry. "You've Awakened your Persona. That is good. We now have a chance to stop this monster that we have created within our warped heart."

Harry turned to watch Wakaba, who was still circling the pyramid, though at this point, she seemed more into intimidating Futaba by howling obscenities at her. "Yeah, but unless you've got another Persona up your sleeve, I think it's going to be a mite tricky," he said with considerable understatement.

"We DO have another Persona," Shadow Futaba said. "A Persona often manifests when one accepts what they hide within their heart. Futaba has seen the truth, and has accepted me. Futaba…ready?"

Futaba nodded as Harry turned to face them, only to see the Shadow Futaba levitate behind her original self, before vanishing in a blast of azure flames. To Harry's astonishment, what came back into existence was what looked like a UFO, covered in glowing green sigils, and topped, bizarrely, by a gargoyle.

Of course, what was even more bizarre were the mechanical-looking tentacles that descended from the UFO and grabbed onto Futaba, pulling her into the flying saucer with a startled squeal…

As the tentacles wrapped around Futaba's limbs and waist, surprisingly gently, Futaba was trying not to panic. After all, she had seen enough hentai to know where this could be going(2). The fact that this UFO was born from her own repressed inner self didn't reassure her.

She seemed to black out when she was pulled into the UFO's interior, but then, she realised she was still conscious. It was just dark. And she felt the tentacles no longer. She hoped this was a good thing.

Then, a child-like voice, like and yet unalike her own, spoke in a robotic tone. "CONTRACT: I AM THOU, AND THOU ART I. The forbidden wisdom has been revealed. No illusions or enigmas shall deceive you any longer."

Futaba blinked, and suddenly, she saw EVERYTHING. Well, nowhere near everything, but if she was joking about how she felt like Neo having taken the red pill, now she felt like Neo having become the One, when he could see the source code of the Matrix at the end of the first film. Lines of green code orbited her, and though they would have been incomprehensible blurs to anyone else, she saw them, and, more to the point, understood. No wonder her Persona's name, the one that had slid into her mind, or rather, had been revealed, was Necronomicon, the infamous tome of forbidden knowledge from HP Lovecraft's works.

With a delighted giggle, she tapped at a holographic interface. "Harry?" she called out, knowing he could hear her over a PA system. "I'm okay."

"Well, thank Merlin for that," Harry responded. She could see him on the screen now, with that mask. He wore a long duster, or was that a trenchcoat? Was he Constantine or Harry Dresden? "What's the plan for dealing with that monster?"

"Mweheheheh…I'm so glad you asked," she chuckled, giddy with excitement. She sobered up a little as a plan came together in her head, and she began tapping at the controls. "Harry, how good are you at flying on a broomstick? You told my Shadow you were good, but are you good enough to outrun her?"

"Futaba, I'd be great if I had my Firebolt here, but I don't."

Futaba nodded. "Leave that to me. But are you okay with this?"

"…Give me a good broomstick, and I'll give you your distraction. I managed to do it for a dragon, I can do it for a sphinx."

"Got it!" Futaba said, before activating the interface.

To Harry's astonishment, a beam of green light came from the UFO, and a broomstick appeared. It was more of a classical broomstick than anything he knew back home, but when he picked it up, he felt a not-dissimilar thrum of magic. "What's the plan?"

"You distract her. I've only just awakened my Persona, so I can only do so much. Hacking the local Cognition to give you that broomstick is about all I can do in terms of giving you items, at least those that aren't related to this Cognition. However, I can bring in this little number." Another beam of green light appeared, and a massive crossbow-like weapon appeared. "This is a ballista. While it's somewhat anachronistic to Ancient Egypt, it still existed elsewhere in this Palace. I'll have my Persona fire it when that monster is distracted enough."

"Got it. In fact, I've got an idea on how to get her to stop moving," Harry said. "Can you fire that thing at the ground if I can get her on the ground?"

"Does mouse shit roll(3)?" Futaba asked. "Just don't take too many risks."

"Too late for that," Harry murmured, mounting the broomstick, and taking off. As he passed Wakaba, he was close enough to fire off a Bombarda at her. The spell shattered a lens in her glasses, causing her to screech in pain as glass penetrated her eye.

That may have seemed to be an extremely stupid thing to do, but he was about to do something even more stupid, or at least risky. He was having flashbacks to the First Task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. At least the Hungarian Horntail was chained down.

Of course, he was about to try something he hadn't done at the First Task, something he had only really seen. True, he had done something not dissimilar during a Quidditch match back in his third year, but even that was dangerous enough. Now, he was going to do it with a homicidal imaginary monster that was nonetheless real enough to kill him.

The Doctor chimed in, speaking to his mind. Risky, I reckon. But it could work. I'll fire off a Gry spell after you do it, and hopefully, it'll give our winged friend a little extra momentum when she hits the sand.

As he sped off, he heard Wakaba scream, "YOU LITTLE BASTAAAAARD! WATCH, FUTABA, AS I TEAR THIS BASTARD APART AND FEAST ON HIS ENTRAILS!"

"YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO CATCH ME FIRST!" Harry yelled back. "BESIDES, WHY DON'T YOU PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE?"

He risked a glance over his shoulder. Wakaba's Cognition was definitely faster than him, but not by much. He just needed to choose the right moment. But his taunts had worked. She seemed all but frothing rabidly at the mouth.

With an instinct born of many games of Quidditch, when the Bludger was about to strike, he flung himself downwards, into a steep dive. And judging by the scream of fury, Cognitive Wakaba was following him down. The sand rushed up at him, and he knew this was the most dangerous part.

Firstly, because it was hard to tell how far he was from the ground when this part of the sands around the pyramid were relatively featureless, and the sun was high in the sky, so he wasn't sure how close he was getting to the ground. Even his shadow wasn't a good guide from this angle.

Secondly, there was the fact that it wasn't the fall that killed you, or in this case, the steep dive from at least a hundred feet in the air. No, it was the sudden stop at the bottom. And he had fallen from great heights before. Even with spells cushioning the fall, it was a highly-overrated experience.

Thirdly, Cognitive Wakaba could potentially catch up to him and snatch him out of the air. She was a faster flier than him on this broomstick, after all. In fact, he hoped sincerely that that wasn't her hot breath he could feel on his neck.

He knew he cut it very fine when he pulled out of the dive, feeling his Persona fire off another gravity spell. In fact, his feet brushed over one of the dunes, sending grains of sand scattering everywhere. He felt rather than heard the sphinx crash into the sands.

Wronski Feint, bitch, he thought to himself. Unfortunately, that was all he could think, for the broomstick suddenly vanished from underneath him, sending him rolling to a halt on a dune.

He struggled to his feet, wondering where the hell the broomstick went. "Harry!" called out Futaba from the pyramid. "Are you all right?"

"I'm okay. What happened to the broomstick, though?"

"It wasn't native to this Palace. I'm sorry. It must've only lasted a while, a bit like Shirou Emiya's Projections."

"…What?"

"When we get out of here, we are having a movie and anime marathon. The Matrix, Fate/Stay Night…hell, you haven't seen the new series of Doctor Who. I'm getting the ballista ready. That thing masquerading as my mother is down, but she's not out, she's still moving. Now that she's not moving as such, I can adjust the aim, but you'd better be careful."

Suddenly, Harry heard a scream of "BASTAAAAARD!" Sand erupted behind him, and he turned to find Wakaba's Cognition, rising from the small crater she had dug from her impact with the ground. One wing and at least two of her legs were broken, her nose and mouth were bleeding, but she was clearly still alive, and still a threat. She began scrambling over the dunes towards him. He began retreating, firing off Bombardas at point-blank range, and then more Gry spells from his Persona, only to stumble over a dune. She took that opportunity to grab him with a massive paw.

As he felt himself being squeezed, she screamed, "WATCH, FUTABA! YOU KILLED ME, AND YOU HAVE KILLED THIS VICIOUS LITTLE SHIT! AND THEN, YOU WILL FOLLOW HIM INTO THE GRAVE!"

Futaba gritted her teeth, even as she used Necronomicon's tentacles to adjust the ballista. If she didn't get this right, Harry would die, and it would definitely be her fault. "Shut up, you fake abomination," she snarled. "No matter what you say to me…not only will I live, but Harry will too!"

"REPORT: Ballista ready to fire. Git gud, filthy casul," Necronomicon intoned.

Futaba nodded, slamming a fist into a holographic interface. "Git gud," she echoed.

The massive shaft on the ballista spat towards the horrible parody of her mother with great force. She hoped that the Cognition was too focused on trying to kill Harry to do anything about it. In truth, the Cognitive Wakaba had enough time to turn and glimpse the massive shaft before it pierced her remaining eye. Its final scream devolved swiftly into a gurgle of agony, before it slumped, dissolving into black mist.

Futaba hurriedly flew Necronomicon over to Harry. She activated a healing field, and Harry was soon mostly uninjured, though he looked tired. She soon exited her Persona, and hurried over. "Are you okay?"

"Just about," Harry said, wincing. "Merlin, she was tenacious." He then looked at her. "Okay…so, does everyone who gets a Persona get fancy duds?"

Futaba then looked over herself. She was now clad in a skintight suit in dark green, with glowing lines out of Tron on it. Her glasses had changed into goggles after exiting Necronomicon. And she seemed to be wearing cargo pants and sleeves over the main suit. "Huh, neat."

"ANALYSIS: Metaverse travellers gain a new costume upon Awakening a Persona both to signify their status and to protect themselves from distortion within the Cognitive Worlds. Free DLC, Futaba," Necronomicon intoned.

"Well, free DLC can be pretty neat," she said, only to start as a familiar figure appeared behind Harry. "…Mom?"

The transparent figure of Wakaba Isshiki stood there, no longer the malevolent sphinx Cognition, but normal-sized, smiling sadly. "…It's been a while, hasn't it? Thanks…for finally remembering the real me," she said.

There were so many things Futaba wanted to say, but eventually, what tumbled from her lips was, "…I'm sorry for being so selfish, Mom. I just…I…"

"I know," Wakaba said, coming over and gently hugging her. It felt like a warm cloud embracing her. "I can't stay for long, Futaba. This Palace will soon collapse, now that you have resolved most of what caused it. And you can't come where I'm going. You have somewhere to be, don't you?"

"…I know…but I finally got to see you again," Futaba said, tears welling up. "I…sorry, I'm being selfish again, aren't I?"

"A little," Wakaba said, though her chiding was said with a gentle smile. "And don't forget Sojiro. His Cognition was one of the first victims of that monster you saw me as during that attack, but he still remains amongst the living in physical reality. He's done so much for you. I'm glad he got you away from Youji. If I could, I would give Youji hell for what he did to you. But…I can't. I'm just an awareness of an awareness(4). Even I'm not sure whether I'm another Cognition, or what remains of the real thing. Regardless, tell Sojiro from me…thank you."

As Futaba, albeit reluctantly, broke off the embrace, her mother turned to Harry. "And Harry Potter, was it? You helped save my daughter from herself. Thank you. I cannot repay the debt I owe you. Before I go, before this place fades away…the Mental Shutdowns, Futaba…someone is perverting my research to cause them. Find a way to stop them. I know you need to find your way home, Harry, but please…do what you can to help Futaba."

"I'll do what I can."

Wakaba smiled. "Good. Futaba, you and Harry had best leave now. And don't forget: I love you."

"L-Love you too, Mom." Futaba swiftly fished out her smartphone, beckoning Harry over. Wakaba faded, and then, tremors began to rock the desert, the pyramid beginning to collapse in on itself. She tapped at the app hurriedly, and then, the world seemed to dissolve in slow crimson ripples…

Harry and Futaba swayed as they, now back in their normal clothes, found themselves outside a house in an alleyway. Japanese signage was everywhere. They were clearly in the middle of a city, in the late afternoon. "Futaba, where are we?"

She was blinking, her eyelids fluttering. "…Yongen-Jaya. It's…whoo, I'm tired. Ugh, focus, sleep later. Harry, you need to help me to Leblanc. That's Sojiro's café, I think the coffee will help me stay awake long enough to explain things before I hand over that letter from my Shadow to him."

Harry nodded, putting Futaba's arm over his shoulder, not wanting to think about how light she felt. "Are you okay?"

"I feel like I've been playing a no-hit run of Dark Souls IRL," she murmured. "Must be because I entered my own Palace. One hell of a recursion effect, it can't be good for the brain-meats. Does anyone else feel like they've become some weird MC Escher artwork?"

Harry and Futaba drew some stares and comments as he helped her through the backstreets, even students in uniform watching them. "Anyway, Yongen-Jaya? Is that a city?" Harry asked.

"It's part of Tokyo, just outside of Shibuya," Futaba said. "I'm glad I'm exhausted. Tiredness seems to blunt my social phobias. Hope Sojiro doesn't have any customers. Between awkward explanations and my issues, I don't think we need anyone else around…"

CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:

So, there you have it. Harry and Futaba have soloed Cognitive Wakaba and gotten some much-needed closure. Most of Futaba's epiphany about her mother with her Shadow took place off-screen, though it was a little easier, due to cognitive bleedover from her Shadow Self's discussions with Harry about Wakaba.

I actually had how this battle would progress more or less in mind from the very beginning, even in my prior attempts at Harry/Futaba fics. I did tweak it somewhat. For example, Harry's broomstick disappearing was something I added to amp up the drama and give Cognitive Wakaba a reason to be able to grab him. Keep in mind, Futaba was able to create a ballista in the game for one of the Phantom Thieves to fire, so why not a broomstick? As her Palace already had an anachronistic ballista, but not magical broomsticks, it meant items like that she could hack out of thin air within Cognitive Worlds only last for short periods.

As for characterising Necronomicon after the Awakening, I decided on a mixture of characters. People will think that she is based on Great Sage from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and they would be correct, but I also thought Necronomicon's tones reminded me of a feminine version of Zen, the computer of the Liberator from the old BBC science fiction show Blake's 7. I also added her ad-libbing pop culture references, a bit like her original self. I also see Futaba as knowing pop-culture references outside of Japan, probably because, being cooped up in her room like she is, she probably branched out out of boredom.

I also decided to make Futaba's reunion with her mother lengthier. It seemed a little too short in the game, so I thought I'd make it a little more satisfying. I hope this hits all the right notes for you guys.

Futaba isn't as badly exhausted probably partly because her Palace isn't as long-established as it was in the game, and there was less of a struggle for Futaba to accept the truth. So while she's tired, she's not practically comatose. That was one of the parts of the game that really beggared belief, being asleep for weeks like that…

Oh, and by the way, for the battle theme…well, I have to admit, I have fallen in love with Blooming Villain as a boss theme, but I actually reckon that the Mona Nightcore version on AnimeBubblingTea's channel is a better version. The guitar part at the end of the song before it loops is far more triumphant at that pitch. Of course, I'm also switching things up for some battle themes later in the fic, as there's plenty that I think would fit in with Persona 5's style.

1. Gry is an actual spell, part of a Gravity spell school from the first two Persona games. In the two Persona 2 games, it does Almighty damage. As the Doctor is associated with time and space, I thought that apt.

2. Futaba's echoing the thoughts of Arturia while being attacked by Caster's monsters in Episode 3 of Fate/Cero, Yaroshien's cracky Abridged Series of Fate/Zero.

3. Futaba is quoting the Cat from the Red Dwarf episode Polymorph II: Emohawk.

4. Wakaba is quoting Aldous Huxley's Time Must Have a Stop, where a dead character describes himself as such. Bob Baker and Dave Martin used this as inspiration for the character of Omega from Doctor Who, whose physical body was, unbeknownst to him, erased from existence, and only his willpower keeps him existing at all.