Oh yeah, things are really getting intense, no? Well, hope ya guys enjoy the second part. ^^
A few warnings: (Yes, I put those before every chapter to avoid issues)
-There will be spoilers for all games! You've been warned.
-The Main characters from each game in this fanfic are called Minato Arisato (P3:FES), Minako Arisato (P3P) and Souji Seta (P4)
-There'll be some cursing. (Anyone that played any persona games knows that some characters on it curse quite a bit.) as well as some heavy subjects.
-Main Pairings in this fanfic: MinatoxYukari, ShinjiroxMinako, SoujixYukiko, KanjixNaoto, AkihikoxMitsuru, YosukexChie.
-Hinted Pairings(in later chapters): JunpeixChidori. (Hinted because Chidori doesn't appear much on this story) KenxNanako (Ya know those little girl's crushes on older boys? It'll be along those lines) FuukaxKeisuke (Other than Minato and Junpei, Fuuka only displayed some sort of close relationship with Keisuke the club president. I found it kinda cute.) TeddiexRise (Just for giggles. They are after all the two hyperactive cuties of the team X3)
Have fun ya guys. On with the show!
Chapter 8: Return of the Fool – Part Two.
Souji felt refreshed after taking a late nap. Minato was kind enough to let him sleep on his futon. The sky was already dark when he glanced out the window. According to the clock on the wall, he missed dinner by an hour. "And I'm so hungry too," he sighed, his stomach growling. Unfortunately this place wasn't his home, so he couldn't just waltz into the kitchen and make himself a snack.
Before he could get up, Shinjiro entered the room carrying a tray. The smell of food overpowered Souji's nostrils, making his stomach groan even louder. The older teen couldn't help but chuckle. "You gonna eat or what?"
The silverette made his way to the table where the tray was placed and grinned. "One question though, did Yukiko make this?" he asked in a voice that was a mix between amused and pained.
"No, I did. Minako insisted that I cook for you. Why?"
"No reason." Souji sat himself on one of the cushions, breathing a sigh of relief. There was rice, vegetable stir-fry, tofu and a small pot of herbal chicken soup. He polished off the entire tray in a matter of minutes, and burped rather loudly at the end.
"You really are their little brother, aren't you?" Shinjiro commented, a bit surprised at how much Souji could actually eat. It made him happy that the younger teen wasn't a picky eater. "I swear you guys have black holes for stomachs."
"I'd like to see you work up an appetite after getting chased by a maniac who tried to kill you," Souji remarked sarcastically. "Thanks for the food though, it was delicious."
"Don't mention it," Shinjiro said. He got up, picked up the empty tray along with the utensils and headed for the door. "Go and freshen yourself up. Mitsuru already booked a conference room and called everyone in for a late meeting. You better head there soon." With that, he left the room.
Not wanting to waste anymore time, Souji went to the bathroom and washed his face. He changed his bandages, rather pleased the cut was healing nicely despite the stress his body had gone through. After putting on his disguise, he left for the conference room. As he was walking, he replayed the dialogue he had with the twins after the incident that evening.
Flashback…
Shinjiro, Minato and Minako managed to sneak Souji into the room where the male SEES members were staying without being seen. Fortunately, nobody recognized Souji in his disguise and they hadn't run into Yukiko.
Minato turned his attention to his upperclassman after helping Souji sit down. "Senpai, can you go find the others and tell them what happened?"
Shinjiro nodded. "Feel free to borrow some of my clothes for the time being," he told Souji.
When Shinjiro left, Minako knelt beside him with a serious expression on her face and placed a hand on his forehead to check his temperature.
"Aneki, I'm not sick," Souji protested. His pseudo sister ignored him as she cupped his face with both hands to look for other indications of injuries or sickness. Minato smirked playfully beside her.
After a few minutes of checking, Minako gave a satisfied nod. All of a sudden, she pointed an index finger to Souji's face. "As punishment for making us worry, you're buying me some Aiya ramen after we catch this Adachi guy," she decreed. "And some steak skewers too."
Sweatdrops formed above the two boys' heads. 'Is that what she was after this entire time?' they thought simultaneously.
"Speaking of what happened…" Souji started, "you two seem to know the guy who saved me. Who is he exactly?"
The twins looked at each other, unsure of how to start. Minako nudged her brother, asking him to speak first.
"Remember what I told you about the Death Shadow that Aigis sealed inside us?" Minato said, earning a nod from Souji. "Well, after being trapped for ten years inside of us, he gained a human form and developed emotions. We became good friends, although Aigis tried her hardest to keep him away from us. After finding out his role in the bringing of The Fall, he was unwilling to go through with it."
"He didn't have a choice though, because he himself was unable to stop it," Minako continued. "But after developing emotions, he gave us two choices; kill him, lose our memories of the Dark Hour and postpone The Fall, or face Nyx head on."
Souji nodded his head in understanding. "But I don't understand. From what you guys told me, you already defeated her."
"That's what I thought. When you think about it logically, the guy that saved you shouldn't even exist anymore after Nyx's defeat since they already became one with each other." Minato sighed in frustration, pinching the skin between his eyebrows. "Unfortunately, things are never logical when Shadows are involved."
"Igor did say that the obstacles we faced in our past are still effecting what we're facing today," Minako added. "If that's the case, then this new threat is causing a bigger rift in the balance of worlds than we thought. His return is proof of that."
The trio became silent, thinking about what they just discussed. Souji decided not to press the issue any further. His eyelids were becoming heavy; the fatigue from the chase finally started kicking in.
"Go change into something more comfortable Souji-kun," Minako ordered when she saw him yawn widely. "Then you can take a nap."
"Sleep on my futon," Minato offered. "We'll ask Yukiko-san for extra one tonight. You won't be going anywhere soon."
End Flashback…
Souji was greeted by his team when he arrived at the conference room. Yukiko engulfed him in a bone-crushing hug, her tears spilling onto his shirt. Teddie came next, and by now a big wet stain was visible. Yosuke, Chie, Kanji and Naoto breathed a sigh of relief, seeing him safe and sound. All of them were worried after Shinjiro told everyone what happened earlier, when Souji was still napping in their room.
"Here ya go, Senpai." Kanji handed him a small duffel bag. "Yosuke-senpai and I brought some of your clothes from your house before we came here. We also got your toiletries in there since you're staying here for a few days."
"Thanks guys," Souji said, taking the bag. "So, did I miss anything while I was sleeping?"
"Please take your seats, everyone," Mitsuru ordered in a brisk tone. "I called for this meeting tonight because we need to discuss how we are going to apprehend Adachi. Since he is still on the loose, we can't afford to wait any longer."
"And he made his point clear today that he wanted Souji-senpai out of the picture," Naoto added. "We now have a motive. But the reason behind it is still unknown."
Akihiko snorted beside Mitsuru. "He must have figured Souji would try to come back even if he is put under protection. I must admit this guy is quite bold, attacking one of our own to try and lure him out. Pretty damn risky if you ask me."
"Which is why we must not let that happen again," Mitsuru concluded. Everyone in the room silently agreed.
"Wait a minute," Yosuke piped up suddenly. "The cops are already aware that he's in Inaba."
Chie's eyes widened in realization. "Then shouldn't they have caught him by now? I mean, they are on high alert after news of him escaping came out."
Naoto whipped out a folder from her bag. "I took the liberty of procuring the police report after I heard about what happened," she stated and passed it to Akihiko. "We watched the prime time news while you were asleep, Senpai," she told Souji. "After the car chase, Adachi mysteriously disappeared when the vehicle he was driving crashed on the side of the road."
A short pause ensued as the Investigation Team looked at their leader. Souji's face remained expressionless as he tried to process the information. Minako comforted him by rubbing gentle circles on his back.
"Hmm…it says here that the only thing they found in the truck was a flat screen television," Akihiko read out the report. He flipped through a few of the crime scene photos and his eyes went wide. "It looks like this screen is big enough to fit him through, don't you think?" He passed the photo to Naoto.
"Yes, I agree," Naoto said after studying the picture. Her expression turned dark as her eyes narrowed. "There are two possibilities for the use of this television. The obvious one is that he used this to escape the police out of desperation when he was cornered. And the other one…"
"Is to throw Souji-san or any of us into the other side," Ken finished for her. The silence was almost deafening.
Kanji grimaced. "Shit, it's like with Namatame all over again."
Souji calmly stood up. "If he did jump in, then there is only one place he could be."
"That accursed dungeon of his…" Yosuke hissed, looking at the floor now.
"We have no choice but to go in," Yukiko said. "Who knows what will happen if we leave him there to do God-knows-what."
"This may be pointless…" Souji said a bit hesistantly. "But I need you all to look out for the Midnight Channel tonight." He held up a hand when his team started to protest. "I know that was all Izanami's doing, but we have to make sure."
Minato decided to add his own input. "It's just merely to get rid of any doubts. As long as Adachi is still on the loose, we can't focus on solving this mystery regarding the new threat if there are other distractions."
"And don't worry. He won't be able to get out unless I make an exit," Teddie reminded them.
"Then it's decided. We leave for Junes early tomorrow, so make sure to get enough rest. Who knows how long we'll be in there, so be sure to bring extra supplies," Minako told them. After a few more discussions on what to bring the next day, the Inaba Persona users said goodbye to Souji before heading out for their own homes.
Just like Souji ordered, they stayed up to watch the Midnight Channel. Of course the SEES members were confused, even after Souji's explanation, when they were staring at a blank television screen while waiting for the clock to strike twelve. When it finally did, the screen remained black. It didn't glow nor did any images appear, and Souji or anyone on his team has yet to tell SEES what actually appeared on the show back in 2011.
"Huh, that was a letdown," Junpei snorted. "And I was super excited to see what this Midnight Channel fuss was all about."
"Shut up, Iori," Shinjiro grunted. He lied down on his futon and buried himself under the covers. "Go to sleep already. We got a busy day tomorrow."
Akihiko yawned loudly and stretched. "Can't argue with that. Gotta get in gear to kick some Shadow butt!" Even without looking, he could tell his best friend was rolling his eyes at him.
Ken snuggled with Koromaru in his own futon. Junpei shrugged and got into his.
Souji could breathe easy that night, knowing that there is no more Midnight Channel. He followed Shinjiro's example and tried to go to sleep.
"We'll pull through this, Banchou-kun." Minato whispered. "Together."
Souji nodded. With the combination of SEES and the Investigation Team, they're going to take down Adachi once and for all. Piece of cake, right?
Piano melody and singing… It somehow felt nostalgic to them.
"Welcome back, my children." Igor's voice called out to them. "Once again, I have summoned you in your dreams, so do not be alarmed."
Slowly, the three Wild Cards opened their eyes. They were back in the Velvet Room, but something was different; besides Igor and the Velvet siblings, there were an addition of three people.
At the far left corner, a man with slick black hair and a blue blindfold covering his eyes, wearing a midnight blue suit, was playing a grand piano. Next to him, a soprano singer with black hair in a strange up do, dark blue eye shadow wearing a sleek blue dress with a butterfly pin on its front was singing, oddly covering her ears while doing so. In the far right corner, a lone artist worked on an easel. He had long black hair covered by a beanie, similar to Shinjiro's. He wore black casual clothes under a long coat, and black sunglasses on his face.
"Wow… this room is getting more crowded each time we visit…" Minako said in awe. "Who are they?"
"These, Master Minako, are some friends my sisters and I encountered while we were out searching for clues," Theodore explained.
"Friends?" Minato questioned. "So they are also residents of the Velvet Room?"
"As you know by now, the Velvet Room is inseparable from the heart of its invited guests," Margaret said. "The shape of the room and its residents are selected by our master, based on the number of guests and their destiny."
"Therefore, the three new residents also have their role to play in your Journey," Elizabeth added.
"Yes, my children." Igor motioned to the other three. "Go ahead and talk to them. Their knowledge shall prove valuable to your quest."
The trio exchanged glances. They walked towards the piano player and the soprano singer.
"Greetings, I am Nameless...The piano player who opens the closed doors of the heart..." he said, still playing. He looked at the trio, who squirmed under his intense gaze despite his eyes being covered. "The you I know and the you that you know… Are these two the same?"
They blinked in confusion when the soprano drew their attention. "I am Belladonna," she sang. "I sing for those who challenge the monster known as oneself."
The artist then spoke up. "I am the Demon Artist. I am the artist who draws the gods and demons that dwell within people's hearts." He showed them what he was painting; a set of blank tarot cards. "Tarot cards are models of the heart. And the heart…controls a person's fate."
The cards materialized before them, landing perfectly in each Wild Card's palm, but now they had symbols on it: cups, pentacles, wands and swords. "Are these cards from the Minor Arcana?" Souji asked.
"Correct, young one," Nameless said. "While a Persona is aligned under a certain major arcana, the Minor Arcana cards the Demon Artist paints can be used to improve a particular skill of one Persona."
"On your journey, blank cards you will find," Belladonna sang. "Bring these to us and by combining my song, Nameless' melody and the Demon Artist's painting we'll create the Minor Arcana cards."
"However, you must choose wisely on which persona you'll use a card," the Demon Artist warned. "Once you've used a card, it'll vanish."
The three teens smiled, looking at each other. This was probably part of the power unleashed by the World Arcana. "Alright, those will sure come in handy. Thanks!" Minato turned to Igor. "Before we go back, can we study these?"
"Of course, young man. Go ahead," Igor grinned.
The trio studied the cards. "Let's see… In tarot, The Suit of Cups is related to the Element of Water as well as situations and events mostly related to emotions. It's also related to spirituous and religious matters," Minako started. "So, these cards must boost healing spells."
"Yes…The Suit of Wands is related to the Element of Fire and related to emotions like passion, ambition and desire as well as anger and violence," Minato continued. "Therefore, these cards must boost elemental spells."
"The Suit of Pentacles relate to the Element of Earth, the accumulation of wealth, health, luck, and physical prosperity, but also misfortune, ill health, or poverty," Souji said. "So these cards boost the accuracy of status altering spells."
"And the last set… The Suit of Swords relates to the Element of Air, to the nobility and military matters. Therefore, these concepts are linked to power, authority, and strength, but also responsibility, suffering and violence," Minato concluded. "That means these cards boost physical spells."
"This is so cool!" Minako tried to stifle a squeal but then turned serious. "But we can't get cocky."
"You're right, Aneki. Adachi is a formidable enemy, and treacherous as well as dangerous," Souji warned.
"True, but we have a few tricks upon our sleeves ourselves," Minato said. "Let's set our game plan."
Minako and Souji nodded. After some talking and debating, the three split the cards evenly among themselves and used some of the cards on their closest Personas: Orpheus, Eurydice, Izanagi, and few others.
"Are you set now?" Igor asked. The trio nodded. "Now, allow me to let you get the rest you need. Pleasant dreams"
As the Velvet Room grew fainter, the three Wild Cards nodded off to a deep slumber.
Rise and Fuuka immediately summoned Kanzeon and Juno when they entered the TV World. Teddie sniffed the air around them. "He's definitely here. His stench is stronger than last time."
"I can sense a huge buildup of power, but somehow the fog is messing with my readings," Fuuka said disappointedly.
Teddie tried to cheer her up. "Don't worry about it Fuuka-chan. Rise-chan's Persona is much more suited for locating people in this world while yours is better at thorough analysis of the Shadows, that's all."
Fuuka blushed a light shade of pink. "Thank you, Teddie-kun."
"Do you detect anything in his dungeon, Rise?" Souji asked. He adjusted the katana on his waist and put on his fingerless gloves. The others did the same, checking on their weapons and putting on armor. Mitsuru divided the supplies and healing items and passed them around.
"Yeah, but you're not going to like this," Rise said as she dismissed Kanzeon. "The amount of power I sensed coming from his dungeon is insane! It's on a very different level from the last time we encountered him, and it seems to have expanded. Because of that, large amounts of Shadows are flocking there as well."
The Investigation Team was shocked to hear this. How was it possible for Adachi to get so strong in a matter of months, especially when he was locked up in jail? That was the question which lingered in their minds.
"We don't have time for this crap!" Kanji growled, punching his palm with a fist. "We kicked his ass last time, and we'll do it again. Like hell I'm going to forgive him for trying to kill Senpai!"
His statement snapped his friends out of their stupor. "Y-yeah, he's right," Yosuke mumbled, regaining his composure. "So what's the plan? Are we going to split up like last time during training?"
The three Wild Cards paused. They thought for a moment before giving each other knowing looks.
"I don't think that's wise," Minato said. "For all we know, Adachi is expecting us and has set up an ambush somewhere. It's best to stick in one group."
"But there is a problem with that strategy," Minako cut in. "Rise-chan said that there are a greater number of Shadows. Shouldn't we assign certain groups to fight and certain groups for protection and back-up? I mean, it's not that we'll be splitting up or anything…"
Minato was deep in thought, tapping his chin for a moment. "You're right, Minako. Let's discuss this for a while before we proceed."
"And we still don't know if the layout of his dungeon has changed. We haven't set foot in that place since the last time we beat him," Souji informed. "One thing we do know, he is much stronger this time so we need to be extra careful."
Nobody could argue with that.
About half an hour of discussing and debating, they were divided into two sub-groups; each sub-group will have their own scanner, front line and backup. The backup team's main duty is to protect the scanners and assist the front line with any items that they need.
In Fuuka's sub-group, the front line consists of Minato, Yukari, Junpei, Metis, Kanji and Chie as the front line. Aigis, Teddie and Naoto are their backup. Rise's sub-group had Minako, Souji, Yosuke, Mitsuru, Shinjiro and Ken in the front line with Yukiko, Akihiko and Koromaru as backup.
"Is everyone ready?" Teddie asked, earning grins and nods. As usual, he will be leading the way. "Let's go."
No matter how many times they had come here, the Investigation Team still shivered at the sight of the place created by the late Mayumi Yamano. A small room with a single bed and working desk surrounded by blood-splattered walls sent chills up their spines. If that wasn't enough, the posters of Misuzu Hiiragi with her head ripped out and the noose in the middle of the room could turn any cheerful person into a depressed wreck.
"What kind of screwed-up setting is this?" Junpei asked, his voice shaken with nervousness. As he looked around the small room, his face turned green.
Mitsuru was shivering, but it wasn't from the cold. "I agree Iori. This is very disturbing."
Fuuka felt faint. She had never seen anything like this before. Yes, the Dark Hour was and still is disturbing. However, being in a room that was created by a deranged mindset and deep, twisted emotions was an entirely different experience altogether. She could only hope that someone as young as Ken, as well as Aigis and Metis, would not be affected by all this.
They had gathered in front of the entrance that led to Magatsu Inaba. Even without Rise and Fuuka to tell them, everyone could feel the pressure of spiritual energy that emitted from the vortex. It made them a little sick to the stomach as they entered one by one.
Inside was a whole lot creepier than Yamano's room. The sky was a moonless, bloody red. Dark clouds hung above them, occasionally spitting out lightning even though it wasn't raining. It was still a twisted version of Inaba, only the roads were wider and the buildings were taller. Strange shapes and silhouettes appeared whenever the lightning illuminated the tall buildings, as if they were solid and slithering around, waiting to pounce on them should the Persona users become careless.
The usually bubbly Minako clutched Shinjiro's arm even tighter, drawing herself closer to him. His blush increased as the space between them decreased. "Th-this place gives me the creeps!" She nearly screamed when she felt something brush against her leg, only to find Koromaru attempting to comfort her.
"Y-y-you said it Minako-chan," Yukari shivered, clutching to her best friend's brother in the same manner.
Even the usually stoic Naoto gravitated slowly towards Kanji, despite trying to put up an exterior of indifference. Mitsuru was also the same, except that she grabbed a fistful of Akihiko's red sweater vest.
"It can't get any more disturbing than this," Yosuke muttered sourly. "I swear if we survive this, I am never going to complain about another dungeon again. Ever!"
Chie smacked his arm. "Don't say it like it's cursed, you idiot!"
"Knock it off, guys!" Souji commanded. When both of them shut up, he turned to their scanners. "Can you tell us anything about how big this place is, and how many floors?"
Fuuka and Rise wasted no time in summoning their Personas. A few minutes later, they dismissed Juno and Kanzeon. "Well?"
Rise was first to report. "Like I said before, the whole place has expanded. Which also means that there are more floors to get to the top, where Adachi is waiting for us."
"I also sense strong Shadows here," Fuuka added. "According to the data I shared with Rise-chan, the Shadows here are different compared to the ones you have fought before. We're going to have to redouble our efforts in order to scan their properties."
Souji nodded and thanked them both. "Alright, that's all we need to know. Remember, stick close to the group," he reminded everyone. "And if you guys notice anything odd, anything at all, don't hesitate to tell us."
They made twists and turns and met with dead ends. The temperature around them seemed to drop the deeper they went. When the stairs were spotted up ahead, the teenagers cheered for joy but were short lived when they were ambushed by Shadows. It seems that the amount of them in a group has also increased. Instead of the usual five, they doubled in number. There were three species of Shadows in this particular cluster, all of which the Investigation Team were familiar with; four Eagle-types wearing pearl-colored masks, five Magus-types with red and pink stripes, and a blue and yellow Rexy.
"Be careful, everyone. Those are Magus-type Shadows of the Magician arcana. Don't attack them with spells until I can find a weakness!" Fuuka ordered.
"The Eagle-types are of the Empress arcana," Rise informed. "They'll most likely use ice attacks, so brace yourselves. And be extra careful with the Rexy, I sense it can use Megidola!"
Minako and Souji didn't want to take any chances. They had to get rid of the Rexy before it decides to cast any form of Almighty spell. "Aneki and I will get rid of the Rexy. You guys handle the rest," Souji told his team.
"Don't cast too many spells unless you're absolutely sure it can cause enough damage," Minako said. "We need to save our strength to take down Adachi."
Mitsuru summoned Artemesia to counter a Mabufula spell from an Eagle that was headed for Akihiko and Yukiko. When the rest of the Eagles were distracted, Shinjiro attacked them with his axe and Yosuke managed to slash a few. Ken had the advantage of long reach because of his weapon, plus he had grown a few inches taller over the past years. Akihiko helped them by casting Marakunda to lower their defenses.
"Banchou-kun, I've never seen these types in Tartarus before. What affinity does it have?" Minako asked her little brother, already in her battle stance.
"I would say from experience that they like to use Darkness and Almighty spells, plus some of them can reflect physical attacks," he answered. "They are a bit unpredictable, but we won't know until we try." A blue card materialized in his right hand. "Pyro Jack, Agilao!"
A floating ghost with a pumpkin head holding a lantern appeared after Souji crushed his card. "Hee-ho!" It blasted the Rexy with a medium fire spell and cackled afterwards. However, the Rexy did not waver from the attack.
Minako understood what he was trying to do; hit the Shadow with weaker elemental attacks as to not drain their energy and hope one of them hit the bull's-eye. She grinned. "Two can play at that game!" She placed her Evoker to her temple and pulled the trigger. "Oberon, Zionga!"
The King of Fairies fluttered his butterfly wings, brandished his rapier at the Shadow and casted the thunder spell. The Rexy shrieked and fell to the ground twitching. "Bingo!"
Souji grinned. "All-out attack?"
"We'll wipe the floor with it!" The two Wild Cards slashed the defenseless Rexy until there was nothing recognizable of its corpse.
"Nice guess, Minako-senpai!" Rise said. "And I have the results! The Eagles are weak to fire, so burn them to a crisp!"
Yukiko stepped up. "Yosuke-kun, cover my post," she told him. "Stand back, Koromaru and I will take them down all at once!"
Yosuke obliged and took his place as Rise's guard.
Both Koromaru and Yukiko casted Maragidyne on the Shadows at the same time. Just like the Rexy, they let out an unearthly shriek as they landed on the ground in a messy heap, trying to put out their scorching feathers.
Shinjiro cracked his knuckles, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "I've been waiting for this…"
"Indeed," Mitsuru grinned, readying her rapier.
"You don't plan on having all the fun now, do you?" Akihiko questioned playfully, his eyes containing the same wicked gleam. The former Gekkoukan seniors rushed for the downed Shadows, punching, hacking and slashing like there was no tomorrow.
Meanwhile in Minato's team, everyone was focused on physical attacks for the time being. Aigis casted Masukukaja on her team mates for extra speed to dodge the Magus' spells.
It didn't take long for Fuuka to complete her analysis. "Please be careful, these Shadows nullify ice, wind, thunder, darkness and reflect fire. Other than that they don't have any weaknesses."
Minato furrowed his eyebrows, trying to think of a plan. 'If casting spells is useless, then we're going to have to use physical force,' he thought. His eyes fell on Chie, Kanji and Metis. 'Although I don't think that would be a problem.'
"Alright guys, you heard her," Minato said out loud. "The front line will focus on multiple-hit physical attacks. We can't waste anymore time!"
Chie summoned Suzuka Gongen and casted Power Charge on herself, grinning like a maniac. "I have just the thing…and they're starting to piss me off too."
"Uh-oh…" Kanji gulped and started to sweat.
Junpei noticed the bleach blonde's discomfort and quirked an eyebrow. "What's wrong, dude?"
"We have to get as far away from her as possible, if we want to live…" Kanji ended his sentence ominously. He backed away and hid behind Juno.
Before Junpei could open his mouth to ask what he meant, Naoto had pulled him, Minato and Metis behind Juno too. Yukari and Aigis were already there "Don't question it too much. Just watch."
Aigis was intrigued by Kanji and Naoto's behavior. 'What are they scared of?' She looked at Minato questioningly, but he only shrugged and continued to watch Chie.
The swirl of blue smoke at Chie's feet appeared as she summoned her Persona once more. "Suzuka Gongen…Agneyastra!"
Meteors appeared out of nowhere, and bombarded on the Shadows below. The impact crushed them instantly, not giving them a chance to attack or defend themselves.
The SEES members' knees were shaking at this point. Never in their lives have they encountered such a destructive attack. Even Shinjiro's physical attacks with Castor had more restraint than this!
When all the debris had settled down, Chie emerged from the dust cloud unscathed with a triumphant smirk on her face. "Beat that!"
"Was that necessary, Chie?" Souji's voice emerged from behind them. Minako and the rest of SEES were shaken, obviously stunned by the impact. "That was overkill. Don't waste your energy on such attacks next time," he chided.
A big, red tick mark could be seen throbbing above Chie's head. She was about to retort that her fighting style was perfectly fine when a maniacal laughter echoed throughout the skies. "Hahaha…so you guys really did follow me here."
"Adachi…" Minato growled. He was still angry about the incident yesterday.
"Talk about déjà vu," Yosuke mumbled.
"So you passed the first trap that I set up for you," Adachi's voice rang out. "But I guess that was still pretty easy, huh? Would have made my job easier if one of you died though…"
Kanji was ticked. "What the hell do you want this time, bastard?" he shouted to the sky.
"Geez, you gotta learn when to stop yelling…friggin' punk," Adachi mocked, pertaining Kanji. "Oh well, if you want answers, you're just going to have to catch me. Later losers."
"Ignore him guys," Souji interrupted before anybody else loses their cool. "Let's just focus on getting to the top."
Fighting Shadows got a lot easier after they perfected their coordination and teamwork. The Shadows on every floor were getting stronger too.
It was on the third floor that Adachi's voice popped out once more. "Oh man, this is much more fun than I thought it would be. If I'd known there were other Persona users out there I would've thrown you guys in too."
'Ignore him, ignore him, ignore him…' they chanted in their heads over and over as they tried to find the next set of stairs.
"I'm not surprised you have dog on your team though, if those from this godforsaken town have a bear. Some Junes mascot you are. Oh well, more animals for everybody right?" Adachi continued to mock them.
An unmistakable growl escaped Teddie's throat. Souji had to grab the collar of his bear suit and hold him back to prevent him from going ballistic. Koromaru wasn't fazed since he was…well…a dog.
"So you guys play babysitter too. That kid must have been some piece of work to end up with you guys if you ask me. A weakling like him can't possibly wield a Persona or protect anyone. Tch, loser..."
Ken was normally good at ignoring what other people thought of him. To be honest he couldn't care less. But something about this Adachi person pushed all the right buttons, and Ken could feel his anger rising. He was about to retaliate when Shinjiro squeezed his shoulder.
"Don't let him get to you kid," he said. "You're better than that." Ken finally calmed down.
They fought their way to the fifth floor when Adachi decided to bother them again. "I'm so jealous of you guys. So many pretty girls on your team, especially the ones from Port Island…you gotta have nice things to look at when you're stuck in this hellhole, am I right?"
The men of SEES tensed a bit at his insinuation.
"Especially the one in the pink sweater…you got some super nice legs," Adachi commented. "It's a waste for a pretty face like yours to be going to college. Quit studying your ass off and become a model or something. You have no idea how much guys are willing to pay for a picture of you in a bathing suit."
A vein in Yukari's forehead threatened to burst. "Why that little…" she seethed. She was used to Junpei's teasing, as perverted as he was he never made fun of her this way. Her anger was about to explode before Yukiko gently squeezed her hand.
"Don't take anything he says seriously," the raven-haired healer said. "Adachi is too shallow to see anything beyond that. I'm sure Minato-san agrees with me."
"Yeah, you're right Yukiko-chan." Yukari finally calmed down and returned her gesture. "Thanks."
On the other hand, Minato was fuming on the inside. He knew what guys said about his girlfriend behind her back, especially when they were in high school together. He didn't take their comments to heart because they were just being boys. Hearing a criminal implying sexual innuendos right to his face however was a different story. 'I can't wait to make him suffer for saying that!' he thought, adding that to his motivation.
It didn't look like Adachi was about to stop. "And that elegant little redhead…acting so high and mighty like she owns everything. I hate bitches like you…always stomping around and looking down on people. You're lucky you were born pretty, otherwise no guy would want to tap ya."
Mitsuru blushed, not out of embarrassment but of rage. Never in her life had she been insulted like this before. 'I'll execute him!' she screamed in her mind.
Akihiko was thinking in the same lines. 'Wait till I get my hands on him…' His grey eyes hardened. 'How dare he say things like that about her? I never saw Mitsuru in that way, ever!'
"And the girl with the ponytail, another Wild Card I presume? If you are anything like Souji then you must have a ton of guys drooling all over you. I know this quaint little maid café in Okina City where they hire little girls like you. With your nice figure, you'll have no problem fitting into those skimpy maid outfits and earn a lot of tips."
Minako was feeling very uncomfortable. She knew Adachi was watching, but she can't help but feel like he was staring at her alone and undressing her with his eyes. A shiver ran up her spine and she began to rub her arms to get rid of that weird feeling.
This didn't go unnoticed by Shinjiro, who pulled her close and attempted to shield her with his body. "Don't listen to that asshole," he told her. "He's just running his mouth because he's got nothing else to do." He got a weak nod in return.
In his mind Shinjiro was already imagining how he would break every bone in the bastard's body and punching his face in for making such salacious comments about his girl, and probably putting weird thoughts into that idiot Junpei's head.
Said idiot had a mixed expression of disgust and anger on his face. Sure, he often made rather perverted comments regarding the girls, but even he had higher standards than that.
"Of course, I couldn't forget the little one with blue hair… Quiet and petite, so fragile and pretty... A docile, weak minded little girl she must be, no?"
Fuuka barely held back an angry gasp. Sure, she was small and not physically strong, but she was far from being weak minded. 'I know I shouldn't think this way, but I can't forgive him!'she mentally yelled.
"Oh, and there are two dolls here too? Now I've seen everything… Why do you try so hard to be like humans? Even if you look and act like one, you'll never truly be one. And being human sucks anyway… I can think of a million better uses for two good looking dummies like you."
"Sister… Can I crush his skull?" Metis whispered. The venom on her voice indicated she was truly offended.
"He's not worth the trouble," Aigis replied coldly. "He'll be getting what's coming at him soon enough."
Adachi laughed. He seemed to be having a blast. "And last, but not least, the four hotties from Nowheresville: the kung fu maniac that's more of a boy than a girl, the inn princess that can't do a thing on her own, the artificial and superficial pop star and the self-conscious and arrogant detective princess. You know, your pretty faces and nice figures could get you all really far if you kept you damn mouths shut!"
Something snapped inside the four girls from the Investigation Team. 'He's so dead!'
If the girls thought they were mad, the guys were almost losing it. Each one of them held the girls dear and none of them could stand such crap from a deranged, depraved sicko! 'I'm beating the shit out of this asshole!'
"We're close to the stairs," Rise quickly informed, cutting off any murderous intentions. "They're around here somewhere…Ah, there it is!"
They climbed the stairs, trying not to push or shove each other before they reached the sixth floor. The sound of clapping could be heard in the distance.
"Oh my, what a persistent bunch. I must congratulate you for making it this far though, it's been a while since I had this much fun," Adachi's voice echoed. "Prison was so~ boring~."
"Does that guy ever shut up?" Junpei said exasperatedly, throwing his arms in the air.
Adachi snickered. "But you know what would be more fun?"
Minato and the others groaned, despite trying their hardest to ignore him. They didn't want to know.
"Why don't Souji come after me alone? After all, I did try to kill him…"
"Don't listen to that prick, partner," Yosuke said through gritted teeth. "Like we're gonna fall for his stupid tricks."
"There are a few more reasons why he should come after me alone," Adachi gloated. "Have you guys forgotten what I did last year? Because Namatame listened to me, it resulted to your precious Nanako-chan falling sick. She almost died, remember?"
The tension in the air got thicker as the expression on the faces of the Investigation Team tightened. How could they forget? If it wasn't for Souji and his cool head, they would have committed murder by throwing Namatame into the TV.
"Now I wonder who could have sent those Shadows after my former boss and his little brat a few days ago," Adachi hummed, as if pondering over a problem. "I mean, it's not like I hate them or anything…much." He giggled maliciously.
Souji almost snapped before Minato and Minako acted quickly by grabbing his arms. "Calm down!" Minato demanded. "He's trying to rile you up to go after him alone. Don't fall for it!"
"Aniki is right, Souji-kun. Don't let it get to your head," Minako said soothingly.
"Aw man, you're not gonna come after me? That's too bad." Adachi sounded disappointed. "Oh well, watching you guys fight is a lot more entertaining anyways. Who knows, some of you might die and you'll just make my day," he mocked before remaining quiet.
Chie's cheeks flushed as she stomped the ground angrily. "Ooh…he just makes me so mad!"
"Calm down, Satonaka. Remember the first rule of combat: 'Always keep a level head'," Akihiko reminded her.
"That's strange," Fuuka said. "I don't detect other Shadows on this floor."
"Something isn't right," Rise agreed. "There were so many Shadows in this place, but not a single one on this floor. I wonder why?"
"Who the hell cares? It'll worth it if I can imprint my fist in that ugly face of his!" Kanji scoffed. Shinjiro growled in agreement.
Souji finally cooled down and regained his composure. "Let's go guys. Make sure to keep your guard up. We're dealing with Adachi here…it's all part of his game."
After taking a few more turns, they arrived at a huge opening that was completely covered with yellow police tape. Junpei and Souji took out their swords and slashed them away. A stairway was revealed.
Before they could set foot on it, a black gust of wind blew them over. It was so strong it knocked everyone off their feet. They shielded their eyes from the dust and remained low until it died down.
Curses and groans were heard as everyone tried to stand.
"What in the world was that?" Mitsuru asked as she was helped to her feet by Akihiko.
"That certainly took us by surprise," Naoto said, dusting off her uniform.
When everyone had regained their bearings, Yukiko noticed that they were missing somebody. "Wait a minute…where's Souji-kun?"
Gasps and murmurs soon followed. "Hey, where the heck is Minako?" Shinjiro hollered, already starting to panic.
Minato was about to tell everyone to calm down before gunshots were heard, and he was certain it wasn't from an Evoker. He paled two shades as memories started to flood in his mind; the first one was Junpei getting shot by Takaya in front of Tartarus, and the second one being Shinjiro in the alleyway behind Port Island Station. Because his memories were fused with Minako's, he could feel twice the devastating emotions that came with it, and he never wanted to go through that again. Anger and panic pierced his gut as he rushed up the stairs, followed by his friends.
They could only hope they weren't too late.
Souji could only groan as he opened his eyes just a crack. The immense headache was killing him as he tried to shift his body to a more comfortable position. "Where am I?" He tried to move, but then discovered that his body was aching as well, which wasn't a surprise since he was lying on the ground. Gathering all his strength, Souji opened his eyes fully, blinking a few times to adjust to the light.
"So, you're finally awake," a voice sneered. "It wouldn't be fun if I continued while you were still unconscious."
The silverette tensed. He recognized that voice. "Adachi…" he snarled, trying to push himself up but grunted in dismay to find that his hands were handcuffed. As he became more aware of his surroundings, Souji felt something wet seeping through his bandages; his wounds had just reopened. He could feel his head bleeding as well.
Adachi was twirling a gun in his hand. "Don't give me such a face, Souji-kun," he said in a sweet tone. "Malice doesn't quite suit your handsome features."
Souji was furiously brainstorming on how to escape. He looked around, trying to spot anything familiar. All he saw were the tall buildings and red sky. Even his sword was out of his reach.
"Don't waste your time trying to figure out how to escape," Adachi added. "I made sure your friends are busy fighting Shadows while I keep you here. No use resisting." He cocked the gun in Souji's face as he grinned evilly. "I'm going to have so much fun torturing you before I finish you off."
"Go to hell!" Souji spat, rage shooting from his eyes.
Furious, Adachi kicked Souji in the stomach. The silverette doubled over from the pain, his breaths becoming short wheezes. Adachi grabbed a fist-full of his hair and pointed the gun under his chin. "Of course, we can make this quick if you want…but I'm not gonna do that." He let go, leaving Souji to fall in a messy heap. "One thing I had in prison was all the time in the world. All that time to think about how to make you suffer. You know, I wasn't the only one in there to think in the same lines…" He ranted on and on.
The pain was subsiding slowly as Souji tried to filter out Adachi's ramblings. Before he could pull himself together, Adachi grabbed his neck and lifted him up. 'When the hell did he get this strong?' Souji thought, trying to fight the pain of his nemesis crushing his windpipe and fingernails digging through his skin.
"You of all people know how much I hate to get my hands dirty," Adachi said, grinning evilly. He gripped Souji's injured arm and squeezed it hard, earning him a scream from the teen. "There's a first time for everything though. After I'm done with you, the twins come next." He threw him on the ground, pulled out his gun and aimed it at Souji's leg.
The sound of shattering glass was heard. "Yatagarasu, Garula!"
Before Adachi could comprehend what was going on, he was violently blown away.
Souji saw Yatagarasu hovering above him and casted Diarama. He could feel his pain receding even if his wounds weren't fully healed, and smiled at his savior. "Aneki, what are you doing here?" he asked weakly.
"What else, Banchou-kun? Saving your sorry behind," Minako giggled. She helped him to his knees and patted his back softly to comfort him.
"How did you get here?"
"Well, after that black gust thingy came, I noticed that it was aiming for you specifically. I acted on instinct and grabbed on to you, so it must have pulled me in," she explained. "Now first things first, we have to get you out of those cuffs." Minako stood up and grabbed her naginata.
Souji lowered his handcuffed hands on the ground. Minako swung the blade of her naginata down and tried to slice the chains with no luck and tried again. She let out a victorious cry when it snapped in two.
Minako wasn't aware of Adachi trying to sneak up behind her. Souji did.
"Aneki, look out!"
On reflex, Minako swung her naginata around. A scream of pain indicated that she had cut something, most likely drawing blood. She narrowed her eyes dangerously at Adachi as her personality did a one-eighty. "Hurt my little brother again and I swear I will murder you ruthlessly!" she screeched.
"Damn you!" Adachi cursed, clutching his bleeding hand. He backed away out of Minako's range for fear of getting slashed again.
It was Souji's turn to sneer. "Serves you right for looking down on Aneki. You always did like to underestimate women. Whatever you tried with Miss Yamano and Saki-senpai isn't going to work on her," he said, clutching his sore stomach.
A lopsided smirk appeared on Adachi's face. He picked up his gun that was lying near his feet and aimed it at the two Wild Cards. "Is that so? How much do you want to wager on that?"
Acting on instinct, Souji shot up and shoved Minako aside with his entire body. He heard the bullet whiz past his left ear after Adachi pulled the trigger. Both of them landed on the ground, a few of their limbs tangled but otherwise they were fine.
Voices could be heard in the distance, shouting "Minako! Souji-kun!"
The former cop cursed again as the rest of the Persona-users, led by Minato, got closer and closer. He readied his gun and pointed it towards Minako who was helping Souji get up. "Come any closer and I'll shoot both of them!" he threatened.
The team stopped in their tracks, worry evident on their faces. Minato's grip on his sword tightened until his knuckles were almost white.
"Adachi, you don't have to do this!" Yosuke said, attempting to negotiate with the madman. "I mean, there must be a better way to settle this."
"Y-yeah! Let's talk about this!" Chie added nervously.
"You seriously think that's gonna work, kid?" Adachi laughed, never taking his eyes off his targets. "How can I miss a great opportunity to get rid of two Wild Cards with one bullet? I originally wanted to exterminate Dojima's brat first, but why waste this chance?" He cocked his gun at them, the index finger of his uninjured hand twitching on the trigger.
Shinjiro and Yukiko could only stand frozen in their places, the latter close to tears.
Minato looked at the ground, his eyes covered by his blue bangs. "Let. Them. Go!" he quivered, his voice barely audible.
"And what can you do, brat?" Adachi snickered, his finger slowly squeezing the trigger. Minako closed her eyes in fear as she tried to support an injured Souji.
The emotional turmoil was too much for Minato when he finally snapped. Everyone gasped when blue smoke began to emerge from Minato's feet, and he wasn't even using his Evoker! They unconsciously backed away from him.
A Persona clad in black and wearing a white helmet, holding a chain of silver coffins with butterfly carvings in one hand and a sword in the other, appeared above Minato. The blue-haired teen lifted his head and narrowed his eyes at Adachi, gaze full of intense anger. He lifted his right hand and gestured to the Persona before pointing at the enemy. "Go…THANATOS!"
Thanatos roared to the sky and lunged at Adachi. He wasn't able to even blink when the Persona sent him flying, followed by a sickening crunch.
Everyone was shaken at this point. "Holy crap, what was that?" Yosuke exclaimed, covered in cold sweat.
Yukari's knees were trembling, and so were the others. "That was Thanatos, one of Minato and Minako's dominant Personas. I've never seen him this mad before."
The Investigation Team was reminded of the incident when they were about to throw Namatame into the TV. Sure, they had seen their leader get ticked off or annoyed, but never explosive anger. It was something they never wanted to see again if they could help it. If Minato's anger could rival Souji's, they didn't want to know how Minako would fare as they had gotten a small sample from the previous battle.
"But…how did he summon without his Evoker?" Akihiko asked.
"He must have done it subconsciously," Fuuka answered. "Threatening his family must have caused him to snap and lose his emotional control."
Minato almost fell to his knees after Thanatos disappeared, but he didn't succumb to it and stumbled to where his siblings were, ignoring the shock of his teammates. He engulfed both of them in a tight embrace and didn't let go.
Both Souji and Minako melted into the hug. "Aniki…we're glad that you're alright," Souji whispered.
"I'll be damned if I lose you guys again," Minato said, choking back a sob.
"Onii-chan…" Minako whispered, comfortable in her brother's embrace.
The shuffling of feet could be heard in the distance, followed by cackling. Adachi fumbled towards them, clutching his ribs, the evil grin on his face once again. His eyes fell on the Wild Card trio. "It looks like Lady Luck is on my side today," he said, pointing his gun at them. "Instead of two Wild Cards, another one falls on my lap, making it three." He chuckled at Minato's attempt to shield his family. "Since you're volunteering, I'm happy to oblige."
Halfway of squeezing the trigger, the sound of shattering glass filled the air once more.
"Isis, Garudyne!"
"Pegasus, Garudyne!"
"Amaterasu, Agidyne!"
The combination of wind and fire created a tornado of flames, fueled by the rage of Shinjiro, Yukari and Yukiko. The moving inferno swallowed Adachi and carried him far away from the team. The three of them proceeded to help their respective lover.
"Oh man, Adachi would have gotten lighter punishment if he didn't manage to piss those three off," Junpei commented to Kanji and Naoto, his voice dropping down to a whisper.
Teddie was glad that his Sensei was fine. "Yup, love makes you do crazy things!" he chirped.
"Souji-kun, I'm so glad you're alright!" Yukiko wailed as she pulled her boyfriend in a tight hug, only letting him go when he winced in pain. "O-oh my goodness, sorry! You're injured again. Here, let me heal that for you!"
Yukari was in the right mind to slap Minato, but instead she buried her face in his chest and cried softly. Minato wrapped his arms around her and whispered words of comfort.
Shinjiro scanned Minako for any injuries and gave a satisfied grunt when he found none. He wasn't about to get sappy like the other two girls, especially in front of this many people. Minako only giggled at his actions.
Rise was about to tease Shinjiro when her senses tingled; Kanzeon was trying to tell her something. Rise quickly summoned her and gasped loudly. The others were startled at her sudden behavior. Ken was the first to ask. "What's wrong, Rise-san?"
The teen idol's knees began to shake. "Guys, prepare for battle now. I sense a huge group of Shadows, bigger than the one we faced at Samegawa. And Adachi…I think we really, really pissed him off this time."
No sooner did she say that, the wind speed started to pick up. They had to shield their eyes from the dust and sand, wondering what in the world was going on. When the wind died down, they were shocked to find Adachi floating before them, Magatsu Izanagi by his side.
"What the hell!" Shinjiro said, clutching his weapon tighter. "He survived our combined attack?" Everyone's eyes were wide as plates, just as shocked as he was.
Despite his clothes being worse for wear, Adachi didn't look like he was injured at all. He laughed hysterically at the Persona users' reaction. "Your pathetic attacks didn't do shit to me. I'm not the same as before!" As if to demonstrate, a burst of black gust erupted from the ground, pushing the group of teenagers backwards.
"This power, it's insanely different from what he was before!" Rise said, clutching to Akihiko for support.
"Is that his Persona?" Mitsuru inquired, curious about the floating figure beside Adachi. "It looks suspiciously like the one Seta has."
"I wouldn't say it's a Persona. Adachi never really did face his other self so technically that's his Shadow, given to him by Izanami," Rise said. "But how is he able to control it, or control its power?"
"Does it really matter?" Akihiko grimaced, trying to stabilize himself. "We're going to beat him regardless."
Rise turned to her leader. "Senpai, what about those group of Shadows? They're starting to gather here because of Adachi."
"Yosuke and Yukiko, you two are with me. The rest of you will hold off the hoard of Shadows," Souji ordered his team. "Rise, you'll be our analyzer."
"If you're going in that direction, I'm going to need Mitsuru-senpai on this one," Minato stated, and gave his sister a look which said "Anything else?"
Minako shook her head. "I agree, Aniki." She looked at the rest of the team. "The seven of us will handle Adachi. Fuuka, you'll be helping the others."
"Roger!" Fuuka replied enthusiastically.
As they separated, the small team which consisted of the three Wild Cards, Yosuke, Yukiko and Mitsuru closed in on Adachi. Rise stayed close to Fuuka and summoned Kanzeon.
The bigger group braced themselves as huge horde of shadows emerged, all of different types and sizes. Fuuka was frantically scanning. "Bambino, Okina, Twins, Phantom…" she whispered. "All I can tell for now is that they're not resistant against physical attacks."
"Heh, that'll do for now," Akihiko said. "We strike them hard until we find a more effective way to deal with them. Yukari, Ken, you two act as healers and long range support. I'll hit them with debuff spells so they can't do much harm."
"Got it, Akihiko-san!" Ken said while Yukari nodded.
Akihiko quickly summoned Caesar and casted Matarunda, Marakunda and Masukunda to weaken the Shadows.
Instead of being the reckless one this time, Junpei surprised his team by casting Marakukaja first before attacking. "An extra boost of armor!" he said with a grin.
"An intelligent idea, Junpei-san." Aigis said. "Athena, Matarukaja!"
A warm, orange glow enveloped everyone on the offense team. As soon as Aigis casted her spell, they instantly felt stronger. Kanji and Chie were the first ones to land an attack.
"Rokuten Maoh, Vile Assault!"
"Suzuka Gongen, Heatwave!"
Some of the Shadows screamed as Kanji and Chie's combined attack hit a group of Okina Shadows. Kanji cursed when the damage done wasn't enough to take them out.
"Caesar, Maziodyne!"
"Psyche, Bufudyne!"
"Trismegistus, Torrent Shot!"
"Pegasus, God's Hand!"
"Kamui, Mabufudyne!"
The combination of magic and physical attacks worked better than the previous attack, but it still wasn't enough to finish them all off.
One of the Phantoms casted Mabufudyne. Luckily, Aigis thought fast. "Athena, Masukukaja!"
With the casting of Masukukaja, everyone managed to evade the ice with twice the speed and got out of harm's way. However, some of them did get hit and cut by the ice shards, but was instantly healed by Ken and Yukari.
"Tough bastards…gonna need something bigger to take them out," Shinjiro grunted when he had an idea. "Okay, Pegasus, show me what you're made of! Evil Smile!"
The giant horse emitted an eerie blue aura that covered several Shadows. They all became panicked. "Bull's eye…" Shinjiro smirked. "Now! Ghastly Wail!"
A terrifying shriek echoed across the field, reducing the panicked Shadows into puddles of black ooze.
Metis and Aigis exchanged glances and nodded. "Activating Orgia Mode!"
Both sisters unlocked their limiters and proceeded to land multiple hits on several Shadows with Athena's physical attacks and Psyche's ice and wind magic. They soon overheated and rendered immobile in order to cool down.
The Bambino Shadows that survived the onslaught tried to attack the two androids, only to be burnt to a crisp by a Maragidyne courtesy of Koromaru.
"Time to stop fooling around." Naoto drew her revolver. "Yamato-Takeru, Megidolaon!"
As the huge Almighty attack hit, several Shadows were blown to dust. But more emerged out of nowhere. Naoto was in disbelief, but she persisted with Megidolaon. However, she soon became tired and nearly collapsed on the ground if Kanji hadn't caught her.
"They just keep coming!" Teddie said almost panicking as more and more Shadows keep popping up.
"I just hope Minato-kun and the others are doing better than us…" Yukari murmured as she went heal Naoto.
Meanwhile…
"Alright guys, here's the plan. Minako, Souji-kun and myself will handle the offense. Mitsuru-senpai, I need you to act as our distant attacker and hit Adachi with charged-up ice spells whenever you get the chance," Minato said as they were running towards their main enemy.
"Understood," Mitsuru replied, gripping her rapier.
Souji gestured to Yosuke and Yukiko. "Yosuke, you're to act as support and distant attacker because of your speed. Yukiko, you will focus on healing us unless you think it's necessary to attack."
"Got it!" they replied at the same time.
Adachi's grin grew wider when the Wild Cards were facing him. He clapped his hands. "I'll congratulate you for making it this far. As your reward, I'm going to fight you at full strength." Magatsu Izanagi began to glow as he gathered energy for an attack.
The three Wild Cards readied their stance, and prepared to summon their Personas. Mitsuru and Yosuke did the same, the latter acting first. "Go Susano-O, Masukukaja!"
A bright orange light engulfed them, making their bodies lighter and faster. Thanks to that they managed to dodge being sliced to shreds by a Vorpal Blade attack. The Wild Cards grinned; now was the perfect time to reciprocate. They weren't going to hold back either.
"Sraosha, Ziodyne!"
"Vishnu, Ziodyne!"
"Loki, Garudyne!"
The combination attack hit their target dead center, thanks to Yosuke's buffer spell. When the debris cleared, they were shocked to see Magatsu Izanagi and Adachi uninjured.
"What the…" the trio gasped.
"This can't be…" Yosuke murmured, his grip on his knives tightening.
Rise's voice echoed in their heads. "This energy reading, it's something that I've never seen. He still has the same set of skills as before, but something's not right," she said. "All I can tell is that his resistance has gotten higher…significantly higher."
Minato gritted his teeth. "Then we're going to have to keep bombarding him until he breaks. Make sure to power up your next attack!"
Souji and Minato casted Power Charge while Mitsuru and Minako did the same with Mind Charge.
"Are you guys finished yet?" Adachi asked in a bored tone. "I hate waiting you know." He waved his hand and Magatsu Izanagi charged towards Souji, ready to slash him with his naginata. The teen managed to block the attack with his katana. The impact sent him flying backwards, but he managed to land on his feet in a crouching position.
'Damnit, even his strength has increased. Thank goodness I powered up my body or else I wouldn't be able to hold it back.' Souji remembered Adachi's vice-grip when he was choking him, and it made perfect sense. The corrupted Persona lunged at him again, but this time Souji came prepared. "Help me, Yoshitsune!"
A samurai in red armor appeared at his master's call, blocking the attack with his double daggers. Magatsu Izanagi strikes again, and Yoshitsune parried it with his own slashes. The others couldn't help but stare in awe; it was like watching a legendary battle of ancient Japan.
Minato gestured for his sister and Mitsuru to attack Magatsu Izanagi while he was still preoccupied.
"Masakado, Tempest Slash!"
"Vishnu, Ziodyne!"
"Artemesia, Bufudyne!"
Mitsuru's giant ice block trapped the Shadow in his place, while Minako's thunder attack struck him and the ice block, cutting him with the ice shards. Minato's power charged Tempest Slash hit him twice. The onslaught of powered-up attacks seemed to have an effect as Magatsu Izanagi let out a high-pitched cry. Not far from him, Adachi was in pain as well; some of Mitsuru's ice shards hit him and now he was bleeding everywhere.
"Now you people are starting to piss me off!" Adachi growled, his voice strained with anger and annoyance. However, he wasn't in pain for very long as his cuts started to heal at an extremely fast rate.
"What the…he didn't even cast a healing spell!" Yukiko said, shocked.
"It's passive high-speed recovery. He didn't have this skill last time," Rise informed. "No wonder he wasn't badly hurt when he was fried earlier."
"Even Shinjiro's regenerative abilities aren't that high," Mitsuru said, slightly shaking. "How is this even possible?"
Adachi laughed again. "I told you I was serious, didn't I? Now the fun really begins!" A strong gale blew a cloud of dust around them, impairing their vision.
Minato cursed. "This isn't good. Even with our Persona's abilities, we can't hit what we can't see!"
Before they can say anything else, something hit them from behind. The six of them fell on the ground, hard. No matter how many times they got up and tried to fight back, they keep getting hit by attacks they couldn't see, leaving them hurt and confused. Adachi's mocking laughter wasn't making it any easier.
Frustrated, Yosuke summoned Susano-O and casted Magarudyne in different directions, being careful not to hit his teammates. Some of the dust cloud dissipated, and the air around them became clearer. Encouraged by this, he repeated his actions until their surroundings were visible. By the time he was done, Yosuke was panting heavily.
Minato, Souji and Minako were too injured to stand up. Yukiko immediately healed them and herself, aided by Mitsuru.
"Thanks Yukiko," Souji panted, standing up. "Good thinking Yosuke. You can take it easy now. We'll handle Adachi."
Minako's red eyes flashed with anger. "Now I'm pissed!" she seethed, gripping her Evoker tightly.
"Calm down Minako. We need to rethink our strategy," Minato said. "His regeneration ability is the real problem here."
"We just have to get rid of his Persona, and then he can't heal himself anymore," she retorted. "But we have to do it fast."
"She's right Aniki," Souji agreed. "Not only that, we're going to have to power up our attacks constantly to counter his high resistance." He gave Yosuke a look, which his best friend understood.
Yosuke nodded. His tarot card appeared and he slashed it. "Susano-O, Masukukaja!"
"Let's do this!"
The trio ran in three different directions, charging their attacks along the way. They took turns slashing Magatsu Izanagi with their weapons, their speed almost doubled thanks to Yosuke. Yukiko and Mitsuru were on stand-by to heal any of their injuries.
Every time Magatsu Izanagi looked like he was about to heal, they hit him relentlessly using their strongest physical attacks.
"Yoshitsune, Hassou Tobi!"
"Helel, Primal Force!"
"Bishamonten, Aeon Rain!"
But no matter how hard they tried, Magatsu Izanagi and Adachi weren't fazed at all. Despite being healed constantly by Yukiko and Mitsuru, their strength and stamina were wearing thin.
Souji was already on his knees, supporting his body upright with his sword. "Damn it, at this rate we're only tiring ourselves out even more!"
"Banchou-kun is right. I don't think we have a choice but to use 'that' again," Minako panted, leaning on her naginata.
Minato cursed under his breath, but he knew both of them were right. "It is pretty risky, but if it means we can get rid of him then I don't care if we pass out after this." He grinned a bit. "Banchou-kun, have you ever heard of 'Fusion Raid'?"
The silverette looked confused. "Huh? What's that? Never heard of it before."
"By summoning two Personas at the same time, we can unleash a special attack. However, only selected pairs can be used to create Fusion Raid. We could do it alone due Death being sealed within us and that giving us a small fragment of our souls to each other." Minako explained. "We're thinking of casting Shadow Hound by combining Scathatch and Cu Chulainn, but if you have a Persona of the same mythology then I think we can amplify its power."
"We're about to test the power of The World social link," Minato said. "Are ya ready, Banchou-kun?"
A blue card floated on Souji's palm. "I think I can handle it," he smirked. "And I have just the Persona. Whenever you guys are ready."
Not far, Adachi cracked his neck and looked at the trio in a bored expression. "Giving up already?" he asked in a mocking tone. The Wild Cards did not respond. "Oh well, I had fun while it lasted. Prepare to die!" Magatsu Izanagi was poised in his stance, ready to release a deadly attack.
The Wild Card trio beat him to it. They merged their energies as they called out to their Personas.
"Scathach…"
"Cu Chulainn…"
"Setanta…"
The three Personas of Irish myth appeared and started to growl…
"SHADOW HOUND!"
Magatsu Izanagi was swallowed up by an explosion before he could even move. It was so powerful the ground shook and became unsteady, even destroying the Shadows that the other Persona users were fighting. When the shaking calmed down, the corrupted Persona was pretty beaten up, but just like before he started to heal himself automatically.
Before he could start however, a few more explosions engulfed him. No matter which direction he went to try and escape, the explosions would always catch up. Unable to withstand the injuries caused, Magatsu Izanagi let out an ear-splitting shriek. His body started to disintegrate slowly, leaving an orb of glowing light which must have been his core. After a few seconds of just floating there, the orb also disintegrated.
The strain of unleashing such a powerful combo finally took a toll on the Wild Cards as they felt lightheaded and their vision blurred. They fell to the ground in an unceremonious fashion and passed out.
Distinct voices of their teammates could be heard approaching them.
"What the hell was that?" Junpei hollered, followed by the rest of the Investigation Team and SEES.
"What happened here?" Akihiko questioned, making a beeline for Mitsuru.
"Sensei!" Teddie cried, running towards his leader's unconscious form. He was followed by Yukiko, Yosuke and the rest of the Investigation Team.
Shinjiro was already kneeling beside Minako. He gently picked her up and cradled her. "You idiot!" he whisper-scolded in her ear. "Don't ever scare me like that again! Did you know how worried I was?"
Yukari felt Minato's pulse and sighed with relief. "Why is this moron so good at scaring me? Twice in one day!" she complained half-heartedly, her eyes glazed with tears. Koromaru approached her and licked her face to comfort her.
"I don't think they had a choice," Rise said, interrupting their conversations. She turned to Fuuka. "You should have seen the amount of power Adachi had. I've never seen Senpai struggle in a fight like that before. It was an entirely new level, even for them."
"Speaking of Adachi…" Akihiko trailed off. His eyes scanned the area before him and found the fugitive curled in a ball not far away.
"Ugh…my head," said fugitive groaned, clutching his head. "What the hell happened?" He looked up and found himself surrounded by angry Persona users. "W-why are you people looking at me like that?" he stuttered, eyes wide.
Kanji lifted Adachi off his feet by his shirt collar and gave him a murderous stare. "Don't pretend to fake innocence, you little weasel. You were about to kill our Senpai and we're gonna make you pay!"
"Please let me go!" Adachi choked, trying to break free of Kanji's iron grip. "I don't know what you're talking about!" Kanji just shook him harder.
"Kanji-kun, stop it!" Naoto demanded. "I don't think he's faking."
Yosuke pulled a face. "And what makes you so sure?"
"I agree with Naoto-san," Aigis said. "His vital signs do not indicate that he is lying." Metis nodded beside her.
"Let's just hear him out," Naoto said calmly. "Something about all this doesn't make sense, and we need more information." She turned to the scared man, whom Kanji released. "Adachi, how did you even manage to break out of prison?"
"I…I don't remember much," he answered weakly, gasping large gulps of air. "All I remember was the sky turning green in the middle of the day and everyone turning into coffins. I remembered being confused about it, but then this dark figure appeared in my cell and told me he would help me escape if I succumb to my deepest, darkest desires and I could finally have my revenge. Everything was a blur after that."
Naoto frowned, deep in thought. "And why did you target Souji-senpai first instead of the twins?"
"I'm not sure myself. Sometimes there would be voices in my head telling me to go after him. They said that he was still recovering from a car accident and that made him the weakest of the three and the easiest to get rid of."
The ace detective just stared at him for some time before taking out a pair of handcuffs and gave them to Akihiko. "Please restrain him. I don't think he has anything to add. We should get out of here and send those three to the hospital."
"And just like Sensei would say: 'Let's just think about this for now'," Teddie quoted, trying to brighten the moody atmosphere.
While Akihiko helped Naoto restrain Adachi, Junpei helped Yukari lift Minato and slung his arms around their shoulders. Yosuke and Yukiko did the same with Souji. Shinjiro just carried Minako bridal-style.
Knowing that the others were safe, the Wild Card trio slipped deeper into unconsciousness.
Inaba Municipal Hospital…
As soon as they got back to the Real World, Naoto called the police to pick Adachi up while Mitsuru called the paramedics to take the three Wild Cards to the hospital.
It was already late evening when the group was gathered at the narrow hallway in front of the trio's room, anxiously waiting for news as their leaders weren't allowed any visitors. Mitsuru, with her family connections, and Naoto, using her ties to the Police department and representing Detective Dojima, managed to go talk with the doctors.
The silence was unbearable, especially for Yukari, Yukiko and Shinjiro.
"Sensei is gonna be okay… right?" Teddie broke the silence.
"The doctors should be able to help them, Teddie-kun," Fuuka said.
"We have to believe in them and wait for them to recover," Rise added. "The rest is up to them."
"I guess… but what about that Adachi guy?" Junpei asked.
"Shirogane said he'll be taken to a prisonal hospital for treatment and then straight back to a solitary cell," Akihiko answered.
"That way he won't get near Senpai again." Kanji slammed a fist against his palm. "If he does, I'm taking him down!"
"I doubt he'd have the nerve to do that after the beating he got…" Ken said. "Something bothers me, though. Adachi mentioned someone breaking him out of prison. That means that whoever is altering the balance between both worlds must have also released him and used him in an attempt to get rid of Souji-san as well as Minato-san and Minako-san."
"Ken-kun is right… But why use Adachi? And why target them?" Chie asked.
"Souji is our leader… The strongest among us… Same applies to Minato-san and Minako-san… Without them… our teams would simply fall apart…" Yosuke said with a grim expression. "And it wouldn't be hard for Adachi to get rid of all of us without our leaders in the way…"
Everybody in the room shuddered. Yosuke had a point; they wouldn't stand a chance against the powered up Adachi without the three Wild Cards.
"Our enemy is striking harder…" Aigis said. "We must remain vigilant."
"Until Souji-san and the twins recover, they'll be vulnerable…" Metis added. "We must protect them."
They all nodded in agreement.
A few minutes later, Mitsuru and Naoto returned. Yukari, Yukiko and Shinjiro stood up at the same time. "Well?" they asked in unison. "Did they find out anything?"
"The doctors believe they're only exhausted, but they can't say anything definite until they run some tests on them," Naoto said. "They decided it would be for the best that they rest here and stay in observation for tonight, especially since Souji-senpai's wound on his arm reopened."
"Tomorrow they'll run a throughout exam on them, to make sure they didn't suffer any internal injuries from the battle," Mitsuru added. "Should everything be okay, they'll be released in the afternoon of the same day before Dojima-san and Nanako-chan comes home."
Everybody sighed in relief. "By the way…" Mitsuru continued. "The doctors allowed three people to see them." She smiled gently at Yukari, Yukiko and Shinjiro. "Go see them."
"Thank you!" Both Yukiko and Yukari said before they dashed into the room.
Shinjiro gave Mitsuru a nod and muttered some thanks before he followed the two girls.
Shinjiro, Yukiko and Yukari walked into the room and were greeted by a warm scene: Minato, Minako and Souji, each one lying on a bed as they slept soundly. Their minor wounds had been patched up and they had peaceful expressions on their faces.
"You really gave me a scare back there… Thank goodness you're safe, Minato-kun…" Yukari whispered before she kissed his cheek. "Sleep well, ok?"
"Souji-kun… You're so reckless at times… But so brave too…" Yukiko whispered, kissing Souji's cheek. "Sweet dreams."
Shinjiro didn't want to get sappy, but since there were only them in the room and the girls were too busy with their own boyfriends, so he made an exception. "You're a real piece of work, worrying me like that… But I guess that's why I fell for you, Minako…" He kissed her forehead. "Rest up, okay? You deserve it."
The three exchanged glances and left. The smiles in their sleeping counterparts' faces broadened a bit.
Souji woke up, startled. He could've sworn someone was watching him and the twins while they were sleeping. He looked around the dark room but found no one, and sighed. He hoped he wasn't getting paranoid with all the things that had happened.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up." A voice suddenly rang out.
Souji nearly fell off his bed. He thought no one was there! He turned to Minato and Minako. Both were fast asleep. "W-Who's there?" he asked quietly.
"Over here. By the window." The voice said again.
Souji looked at the window. It was open and someone was sitting on the ledge. It was a boy, about the same age he was. He had midnight black hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a white shirt with black suspenders, pants and shoes. However, one detail caught Souji's eye: the long yellows scarf around his neck.
"Sorry I scared you," the boy said with a gentle smile. "I just came to check on you guys."
"You… You're the guy that saved me the other day," Souji said.
"Yeah… Glad you remember me." The boy grinned as he walked up to Souji. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Ryoji Mochizuki." He held out his hand to Souji. "Nice to meet you."
"Uh… I'm Souji Seta… Nice to meet you too, Ryoji-san..." Souji awkwardly shook hands with Ryoji. "Um… Thanks for saving me…"
"Don't mention it, Souji-kun. I'm just glad you are okay." Ryoji smiled and turned his gaze to the twins. There was a nostalgic look on his face. "Minato-kun… Minako-chan… I'm so glad they're unharmed as well…"
"So you really do know Aniki and Aneki…" Souji whispered. "But…"
"How did I return? I'm not sure myself…" Ryoji frowned. "There's this voice in my mind that keeps telling me I could have another chance to live as a human if I helped you and the Arisato twins. It's what my heart tells me to do…"
"Ryoji-san…"
Ryoji patted Souji on his head. "Hey, don't worry about me, Souji-kun. I'm gonna be okay!" he assured the silverette. "I have to look into some stuff before I can finally reveal myself to them. In the meantime, can I ask you for a favor?"
Souji cocked his head to the side. "Sure. Go ahead…"
"Please, take care of Minato-kun and Minako-chan," Ryoji requested, his gaze never leaving the twins. "I know you are the sole family they have left, so I'm sure you'll protect them."
"Of course… Aniki and Aneki are really important to you too, huh?" Souji smiled. "You can count on me."
Ryoji smiled back at him. "Thanks, Souji-kun." He walked towards to the window. Two pairs of black, feathery wings appeared on his back. "I'll see you some other time. Take care." He leapt out of the window, his wings spreading out and flew away, vanishing into the moonlit sky.
Souji could only stare in awe. "Aniki and Aneki sure have some interesting friends…" he mumbled to himself, looking at them. A soft smile crossed his face when they began to snore softly. A yawn escaped his mouth. "I should talk with them tomorrow…"
With that in mind, Souji settled himself in his bed and resumed his slumber.
The mystery just keeps growing and growing. Well, at least the gang has a little helper in the background. Things should be getting interesting in the future. :3
If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask.
Don't forget to Read, Review and Enjoy!