Howdy folks! I'm terribly sorry for the delay. Work has been insane for both me and Ohta-chan, not to mention dealing with a cast that big can be quite tricky. Sometimes it can be quite hard to give everybody their fair share of spotlight. Hope this chapter meets up everybody's expectations and thank you so much for waiting this long and i hope you continue supporting us.

Many of you asked if the cast from Persona 5 will appear on this story. Well, since it's hinted that it takes place quite a few years after P4 (Rise is mentioned to be in her 20's) they won't be appearing in the literal sense of the word, but we shall see what will happen.

The next chapters will be related to the Ultimax Arena's storyline but with our own take on it. Hope you'll enjoy it ^^

Chapter 26: Ultimate Showdown!

Yosuke & Shinjiro

"Ugh...what the hell was that?" Shinjiro groaned as he rubbed his head. He definitely felt a bump forming under his beanie, not that it bothered him much. His muscles groaned in protest as he straightened out his limbs from an awkward landing position on the ground.

"Oww…" a familiar voice moaned near him. "My butt! Damn wallet…"

"Hanamura…?"

"Shinjiro-san!" The sudden exclamation made the taller young man's head hurt. Like an eager puppy, Yosuke scrambled to his side. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm alright," he grunted, twisting his neck to remove that annoying kink. In his head, Pegasus had been growling non-stop, stomping his hooves. Something was definitely wrong.

Yosuke stretched, muscles feeling less numb as blood began to flow regularly. His joints creaked. "What the hell wasthat?" he asked. "It happened too fast and sudden to be an earthquake."

"Whatever it is, it can't be good. Look," Shinjiro pointed at the sky outside the window. A crimson full moon illuminated the red fog ominously. "Whatever's going on, the Dark Hour has something to do with this. But an earthquake...it's never done that before."

"And what's up with this red fog? It's not poisonous...is it?" The younger brunette covered his nose and mouth. "Damn, I can barely see…"

"Seeing as we're not dead yet, I don't think it is. But this atmosphere is as oppressive like in the TV." Grey-brown eyes shifted right and left, and immediately understood why his Persona was acting the way it did. "Where are we anyway? This doesn't look like any class I've been in."

"Huh?" Yosuke looked around. Despite the red fog, he could still see nearby surroundings. "Hmmm… it looks more like a room in the practice building? But you're right, it seems… different." The normally plain, boring room was decorated strangely. Even the trees outside the windows had a sinister look to them, the branches twisting in odd shapes and directions. "And how the hell did we end up way out here? Where is everyone!?"

Shinjiro began muttering curses under his breath. This wasn't how he expected to spend his day, quite content walking around the festival with his girlfriend while trying to keep her out of trouble and eating too much. During a break from their shift in Velvet Blues, Minako immediately decided to drag him off to play some shooting game located in the Practice Building hallway. Then the Dark Hour hit, and both of them rushed to retrieve their weapons. The last thing he remembered was her small hand slipping out of his when everything started to shake, and something hit his head, hard, causing him to pass out.

"Anyway, since we're here, might as well try and look for someone. It's better to regroup and pool in resources instead of searching blind," Yosuke suggested.

"Yeah, sounds good. Better than wondering around this creepy ass place looking for clues."

"Alright, let's try going this -"

"Hanamura, look out!" Shinjiro quickly pushed Yosuke out of harm's way while dodging it himself.

"Owww…" Yosuke mumbled, sprawled on the floor. "What the hell was that?"

Shinjiro dusted off his clothes as he got up. Yosuke doing the same. "Looks like a TV. Shit, that thing came out of nowhere."

"A TV? That was random."

The young men stood before the black screen, inspecting it. They jumped back in surprise when it suddenly turned on by itself.

Yukiko, Chie & Metis

"Is it really over?" Chie asked meekly, rolled into a ball inside the bathroom stall they were hiding in.

Metis opened the door just a crack, and peeked through. "I think the coast is clear. My sensors detect no human or Shadow presence nearby." She pushed the door open, the hinges creaking omenously.

"That's a relief," Yukiko sighed. Her heartbeat went up a notch when she noticed how much the surrounding changed. "That's strange… I was pretty sure the bathrooms were the only places not decorated for the festival."

A shrill shriek escaped Chie's throat as she pointed at something hanging from the ceiling. "Eeeeeekkk! A ghost!" She ran back into the cubicle.

"Please calm down, Chie-san. That's only a decorative piece. It's not a ghost." Yukiko giggled with delight, which confused Metis. "Are you alright, Yukiko-san? I do not find anything humorous in a piece of hanging cloth."

"It just brings back good memories. Souji-kun would usually take me out to see horror movies whenever they're screening." She clutched her chest dreamily. "I hope we get to do that again soon. He's such a thoughtful boyfriend..."

"Hmph! Only you would see that as something romantic," Chie mumbled, slowly coming out from her hiding place. "Me? I can't stand that kind of stuff."

Metis suddenly became alert, which did not go unnoticed by the childhood friends. "I believe it's wise not to linger in one place for too long. We must find our friends as soon as possible."

The two girls nodded. They bolted out of that bathroom, taking note of the changes to their school. A creepy giggle was heard not long after from the opposite hallway, but they chose to ignore it and focus on ahead. Instinct told them had they stayed any longer, something unpleasant from the dark depths would have found them instead.

"Wow, talk about a total makeover," Chie commented as they ran across the hallways. "This is even creepier than Mayonaka Tartarus."

"They say that distortion becomes even more unsettling to people for places they are more familiar with," Metis added. She had her visor pulled down. "After experiencing a normal Yasogami High, this change is truly unnerving."

Yukiko stopped in her tracks. "Uh, guys? Didn't we just pass through here?" She pointed to a peculiar painting on the wall. "I think this used to be the Art Room in the practice building. I remember hearing a story from former senpais about this room-"

Chie immediately covered Yukiko's mouth. "No! None of that crap here. Do you want me to have a heart attack?!"

Metis noticed something out of place as well. "Do art rooms have television sets?" She pointed at the screen.

It began flickering to life on its own.

Mitsuru

Mitsuru remained on high alert, taking in her surroundings with extreme thoroughness despite her limited vision surrounded by red fog. "I could have sworn I've passed this music room twice," she mused. "But that's impossible. I've walked through these halls before with Akihiko. And a high school hall's architecture don't normally loop around like this."

After five more minutes of meandering around, she finally ceased walking. "Artemesia…" she whispered softly, concentrating on activating her Persona's scanning abilities. The information that the Warrior Empress sent to her was shocking. "This reading...it can't be! No wonder I keep losing my way around this place. I should have known!" The red-head forced herself to remain calm. "Despite the facade of it being Yasogami High, the core of what this school has turned into remains unchanged. Tartarus has returned to this world."

Trying to keep her panic at bay, she focused on an image of Fuuka, hoping that the team scanner would also be trying to look for her signal. Even now, Mitsuru wasn't entirely sure if Fuuka's, or Rise's and Teddie's for that matter, method of scanning was identical to hers, but knew that it shared some fundamental principles.

The results were disappointing. "Tch...this fog must be dampening my abilities. I can't reach out as far as I'm used to. Even inside the television, I could accomplish much more than this." She focused on Rise this time, only to yield similar results. "Hmm...maybe I should start scanning in a smaller radius first before I proceed further." The heiress then shifted her concentration to locating any sort of life form nearest to her that wasn't a Shadow. "I sense..that must be Amagi nearby. Hmmm...Satonaka's with her, and I think that's Metis too. Ah, no good. They're too far for me to get a hold of...Wait!" She zoomed in on a very familiar reading. "Akihiko is not too far away. If I concentrate hard enough, I should be able to communicate with him."

Mitsuru entered an almost meditative state, trying to create a link between Artemesia and Caesar. "Akihiko...Akihi- Argh!" The link immediately snapped apart, the sudden shock causing her to fall backwards. "What in the world…?"

Getting back on her feet, she was about to try again when a television dropped from the ceiling and crashed into the floor. It wasn't even damaged at the impact, because it immediately turned on.

Mitsuru focused her icy glare at the person appearing on screen.

Akihiko

After wandering around for quite some time, the former boxing champ couldn't help but feel like he was going around in circles. "Where the hell is the exit?!" he screamed at no one in particular.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was stuck in the school gym. Chairs were stacked messily, reaching high up to the ceiling at the edges of the main stage and the court. Piles of sports equipment littered the corners. If this were the real world, he'd kick the asses of the people responsible for this mess.

"Every door I go through always ends back to the gym. Hmmm…" Akihiko's silver eyes surveyed the ceiling. "The windows...is that even possible? The chairs aren't even high enough." He could feel Caesar thrumming with excitement in his psyche. His hand reached for his Evoker in his pocket, but only grabbed at nothing. "Shit, I must've dropped it somewhere..."

"Tsk tsk...that's quite careless of you. Were you looking for this?"

The former boxing champ swiveled to the voice's direction. "You? Why are you here?!"

"You'll know soon enough."

The wooden scoreboard was replaced by a wide screen television suspended from the ceiling.

Akihiko was losing his patience. "What's going on here?!" he demanded.

"I'm glad you asked!" the figure on the screen cheered.

Ken, Junpei & Koromaru

Ken felt disoriented as he regained consciousness. Fumbling the ground before pushing himself up to stand, he picked up his spear and began the search for his friends.

The warped environment really had his nerves on edge. The red mist was uninviting and gave him chills. With what little he could make of his surroundings, the pre-teen recognized the main entrance of Yasogami High, and what had become of the school wasn't lost on him either. "The school changed… just like Tartarus…"

Luckily he didn't have to wander far before finding Junpei, face down in the dirt in the middle of the entrance. Koromaru was there with him, sniffing his unconscious body. It was so typically Junpei that a chuckle escaped the young teen's mouth before he could stop it. Hearing the sound, Koromaru abandoned his fellow fire-user and pranced towards Ken, tail wagging eagerly. "I've never been so glad to you, boy!" The brunette knelt on one knee to stroke the Shiba Inu's head.

A pathetic moan was muffled by the ground as Junpei rolled himself over. "Chidori…." he mumbled, with a perverted grin on his face, and still unconscious.

Ken sweatdropped. Leave it to Junpei to fall asleep in the middle of an emergency. "Junpei-san, wake up." He poked the baseball coach's leg with the butt of his spear. "Please wake up."

Junpei didn't even stir. Koromaru began licking his face, causing the older teen to giggle. "Chidorita~ Stop it, that tickles~"

That pretty much gave Ken an idea on what his fellow dorm mate was dreaming about. It didn't surprise him when the capped young man let out a scream after opening his eyes, assuming that Koromaru's furry face replaced Chidori's in his dream.

"GAAAAAAAHHHH!"

A disappointed sigh escaped Ken's lips. "Really, Junpei-san?"

Any retort on Junpei's tongue died at Koromaru's sudden, deep growl. He became alert and grabbed his baseball bat. "What is it, Koro?"

The school entrance gate started to rumble as a TV set appeared out of nowhere. Eery static buzzed before the speakers started to blare.

Yukari, Fuuka

"Sense anything, Fuuka?" Yukari asked.

The petite scanner remained silent as she focused on her task, breaths steady and lips unmoving. A few minutes later, she opened her eyes. "I can only get very faint signals, and even then there are very few."

Yukari's eyes widened, brows furrowed in worry. "Few?" She looked around frantically. "Where's everyone else?"

"That's the thing…" Fuuka began to fidget with her shirt sleeves. "I can't sense anyone else! I can only detect Persona-users. Something about this red fog is messing with my communication lines."

"That's not good." Biting her lip, Yukari took out her phone. "Figures, no signal either. Can you at least try to get a hold of Rise-chan?"

"I was just about to. Maybe if I only focus on one person, I might be able to get through to them. Give me a moment."

As Fuuka began to scan, Yukari had no choice but to remain idle, something she hated doing when in an emergency. Since it was useless to whine about it, she stood guard with an arrow notched just in case. The quiet surroundings enabled Yukari to listen closely to her friend, and it didn't take long before Fuuka began breathing heavily inside Juno's womb. "Fuuka, what's wrong?"

"I didn't think it was possible. It was only confined to Port Island, but what is it doing here?!" Fuuka dismissed her Persona and slumped to the ground.

Yukari grabbed her small shoulders and shook her gently. "What happened? What did you find?"

"T-Tartarus. Yasogami High transformed into Tartarus."

The brunette's heart dropped. "What?"

"There's no mistaking the readings. Now that I think about it, the halls and classrooms are eerily similar to what Gekkoukan High went through."

"But we still need to find out the cause. We need to get the team together to do that." Yukari paced around for a few seconds."Have you found Rise-chan yet?"

Fuuka's eyes widened. "Oh that's right. She might have found something that could help us." Feeling hopeful once more, she summoned Juno. After a few tries, she managed to establish a telepathic line. "I found her. Rise-chan? Rise-chan, can you hear me?" It took another 15 seconds to stabilize the connection. "Oh, thank goodness you're safe. Are you with anybody? That's good. I'm with Yukari-chan right now, and I think we're in some kind of chemistry lab. You? I'm having trouble locating the rest of our friends. Yes, I agree. Mitsuru-senpai has a special device that could amplify search signals, but I never had the need to use it. Even without it, if we work together, we should be able to cover more ground. Seeing as we can barely locate anyone like this, it's safe to say being far apart won't do us any good. Yeah, that's the only solution I can think of. We're going to need all the help we can get to get through this Tartarus-like tower. You haven't noticed? I'm not sure why your school turned into Tartarus, but we need to gather the team before we can investigate. In order to do that though, we need to find each other first. Take care, Rise-chan. Hopefully we'll bump into someone along the way. See you soon."

With determination, the two young women went on ahead.

Rise, Kanji, Naoto

Yamato Takeru sliced the last Shadow standing and returned to his owner. "And that's the last of them," Naoto sighed.

"Yo Rise. You done scanning yet?" Kanji asked impatiently. "Man, it's taking forever. You didn't use to be this slow."

Rise huffed angrily. "If you must know, Moronji- " she stressed on the degrading nickname she came up for him. "-just because I don't have fighting abilities like you doesn't make scanning a walk in the park. This is no ordinary fog, plus the Dark Hour has something to do with it so I have to tweak how I normally scan in order to get results, but all I'm getting is a hazy signals."

Naoto held her chin, eyes closed as she got lost in her thoughts. "This red fog appeared right in the middle of the culture fest, where there was sure to be a lot of people. On top of that, anyone who isn't a Persona-user started fainting prior to that, and white mist could be seen dissipating from their bodies. My hunch tells me that something was 'extracted' from those people and will be the strongest lead to pursue."

"Unfortunately, I can't trace something like that without an idea of what it is," Rise answered. Kanzeon slowly rotated her satellite-shaped face back and forth, humming slowly, processing information for her owner. "No good, I can't sense any life force let alone pick up anyone's signal."

Kanji crossed his arms, disgruntled. "What about Fuuka-senpai? Ain't she a scanner too? Can't y'like, communicate with each other or somethin'?"

The pop idol remained quiet for a moment, which actually caused her yankee friend to take a defensive posture. "That's actually not a bad idea, Moronji. You can come up with good ideas once in awhile," she stated nonchalantly.

"Hey! Don't treat me like I'm stupid!"

"Kanji-kun, please!" Naoto tried to calm him down. "Let Rise-san work in peace. It's really dangerous to wander around blind in a situation like this."

"Pfft, as if some pansy-ass Shadow is gonna scare me."

"Watch what you say, Kanji-kun. People have gotten into a lot of trouble because of loose tongues."

A gasp from Rise startled the two. "Fuuka-senpai, is that you?! I've been looking all over for you!"

"Thank goodness, she got through," Naoto sighed in relief. "Hopefully we can find something to grab onto in this mess."

"Where are you? Me, Kanji and Naoto-kun are in a hallway, though we can't be sure where. Huh? You're in the chem lab with Yukari-senpai, and can't find anyone else, huh? We're in the same boat, then. Yeah, I've tried that, but all I'm getting is static. You too, huh? Really? We could try, but this stupid fog is messing with my readings. I think we could boost our search abilities if we combine our powers. No, I don't think we can do it this far apart. Yeah, that's the only choice, I'm afraid. What? You're kidding! I was too distracted searching for our friends that I didn't notice. Alright, we'll try to look for you first. Take care."

"Judging from that conversation, there's more bad news," Naoto summarized.

"Yeah, and it's really bad. Once Fuuka-senpai mentioned it, I did a quick check to be sure. Our school has been transformed in Tartarus!"

"The hell?!" Kanji swore. "No wonder this place looks weird and we keep getting lost."

Naoto stroked her chin again. "Indeed. I'm willing to bet there's something more once we get to the top."

"I'm worried about Senpai and the twins," Rise said. "If only I can get a hold of one of them and see how they're doing."

"We'll have to be on the move while you're at it," Naoto added. "We might bump into someone or come across clues that will help us solve this mystery."

"Don't sweat it, Rise. We'll protect you." Kanji raised a fist and punched the air. "Come on, let's get going. We can't afford to waste time sittin' on our asses."

Teddie

Teddie huffed and puffed as he tried to pull himself through the tight space of the air vent. He couldn't move an inch as he got to a narrower part. "Noooo! I'm stuck! I knew I shouldn't have eaten all that mochi ice cream and potato chips…"

He tried to remember what happened that got him stuck in here, of all places. All he could recall was getting back into his bear suit for his shift to promote Fashion Express. Midway through his duties, he decided to take a rest by binging on snacks. He managed to chug down half a bottle of water, before spitting it out when the Dark Hour hit. Scrambling to find Yosuke or any of his friends, he slipped on a Topsical wrapper (that he was totally going to throw away later...) hit his head against an open shoe locker and fell unconscious.

And now he was stuck in an air vent, separated from his friends. "Hrrmmm… I remember Mina-chan mention the Dark Hour sometimes separates team members. Where is everybody…?" Teddie trailed off miserably. He managed to get half of his body through the small opening with a lot of wiggling, but it didn't occur to him to slip out of his bear suit.

As soon as he inhaled the air - "AAAAAAHHHHCCCCHHHHHOOOOOOOOO!" The powerful sneeze pushed him back inside the vent, his head still remain outside the opening. A long string of snot dangled from his nose. "Ughh...whad iz dis red fog? Id sbells funny….ACHHOO!"

When the sneezing calmed down a little, Teddie suddenly felt scared at what he saw. Not only did the school change in appearance and looked totally unnatural, he was all alone and stuck, his awesome sense of smell diminished. "Senzei…" he whimpered. The thought of Souji gave him some courage to push those negative feelings aside. "No, Senzei would be disappointed if he sees me like dis. I can still protectd mbyself! I'b a bear with claws. Rawr!"

Wiggling again in reckless abandon, Teddie began shouting for his friends. "Yuki-chan~ Chie-chan~ Mitsu-chan~!" It wasn't surprising that the names he called were all that of his female teammates. "Somebody, please helpb mbe!"

"Teddie? Is that you?"

To Teddie, the familiar voice and Kansai accent sounded so sweet to his ears. "Labby-chan?!" He wriggled again, but in vain. "Labby-chan, ober here. Pleeez helpb mbe!"

Light footsteps approached him closer and closer until he could recognize Labrys beyond the red mist. "How the heck did'ja get stuck in there? And what exactly are ya wearing?"

Teddie sneezed again, even more snot hanging from his nostrils since he couldn't wipe it away. "I don' dnow. I woke ub inside a bent. Whed I fbinally found a way oud, I can'd get oud!"

"Y'know, it would have been easier if ya took off that suit. Ain't it hot in there?"

Teddie stopped struggling, his eyes wide open with a flabbergasted expression. Labrys sweatdropped. "N-not that it would have made a difference…" she hastily added. "Come on, I'll help ya out or you'll never get outta there." Grabbing the bear's head, she pulled it hard. Not knowing her own strength, the android managed to get him out with one huff, causing Teddie to fly into the opposite wall. "Oops...sorry about that, Ted."

Having almost lost consciousness, Teddie saw stars in his vision. It took a few minutes before he snapped out of it. And the sneezing started again. "Whad amb I doing?! Sensei needs mby helpb!" He straightened up his bear suit. "Come on, Labby-chan. I think the weird smbell is coming from dat way!"

Labrys honed her senses to the direction Teddie pointed at. "You're right. I sense something too. But I also sense Shadows, and there's a lot of 'em!"

The urgent situation didn't stop Teddie from attempting one of his heroic theatrics. "Rawr! I'll protect you, Labby-chan!"

But Labrys already went on ahead.

Teddie fell on his knees. "Totally ignored…"

"Ted! You comin' or what?!" Labrys yelled, almost angrily.

"Y-y-yes Ma'am!"

Minato

Walking around aimlessly was wracking his nerves. Minato was used to dealing with stressful situations, but having all communication options cut off, and no weapon in hand, tended to make a person feel vulnerable and frustrated, as he was unable to obtain his sword from its hiding place in time. Frustrated, he combed his fingers through his bangs and let them drop, once again covering his right eye.

"What the hell is up with this red fog? It feels just like in the TV..."

Despite living in Inaba for only a few months, Minato already knew most of the paths and shortcuts, but not a single familiar landmark could be spotted. It was uncertain how he got to this place instead of the soccer pitch, but the Dark Hour was sneaky like that sometimes.

After what felt like ages of aimless walking, he had enough. "Since the Dark Hour defies normal logic anyway, might as well take the path not taken!" He veered off the paved walkway, jumped over a row of hedges and ran in random directions among misshapen trees before he finally - FINALLY - saw a familiar sight. Well… familiar enough with the creepy red fog.

"Shit..."

It wasn't what Minato expected, and it sent chills through his very being; the accursed tower that took everything from him. Tartarus manifesting once more in the real world brought forth a stronger reaction compared to when he was in the TV. Something or someone wants to change the real world for the worse.

Instinctively, Minato's eyes focused to the top of the tower. 'Tartarus functions as a beacon. The culprit must be trying to summon something, and judging from the size of it, it's gonna be huge!'

Wasting no time, he sprinted to the direction of the tower. As the blunette reached the school compund, a huge TV screen dropped in out of nowhere.

"What the - "

Minako

Red eyes slowly opened. Her head still hurt like hell, and her vision remained blurry. But this didn't last long as Minako slowly got up in a sitting position and assessed her situation: no Evoker, no weapon, and no boyfriend by her side. "Where… am I?"

She slowly took in her surroundings, noting a single wide-screen TV, microphones and a control panel on one side of the room. Looking closely, Minako realized that it's typical equipment commonly found in announcement rooms. The main monitor wasn't on, so she stared at her own reflection. "If I were a manga, then this must be the main computer in the evil guy's lair," she mused, studying the controls. "Well, whatever this is, I need to find my friends first."

Before Minako could grab the door handle, she was pushed back by an unseen force and landed on her rear. "Owie…" She got up and rubbed her sore bottom. "Hey, what gives?!"

The giant screen hummed static before flickering to life. "I'm glad that you asked!"

Minako's eyes widened. "You?!"

Souji

Running through empty, twisted hallways being surrounded by beings that could potentially kill him wasn't the silverette's idea of fun. As soon as he came to, he knew something was wrong just by sensing the sinister atmosphere that this place had. He came across a classroom with no number, but the interior decoration reminded him of Yamano's room. The red fog only served to increase the creepy factor.

Souji looked out of the classroom's window. "Something's wrong...the school has changed," he mumbled to no one in particular. Instead of the scenery that he would usually see of the surrounding countryside, it surprised him that the floor he was on was higher than the maximum three floors, not including the rooftop.

He was lucky to have grabbed his backup katana in time and held onto it before that freak earthquake earlier, and it didn't take long to figure out that whatever's behind that was also behind Yasogami High's transformation.

The first thing to do was get a hold of either of the scanners. 'Rise? Rise, can you hear me? Fuuka-san? What's going on here?' He concentrated hard, trying to connect with them telepathically, but received no reply. "I'm on my own then, huh? I guess gut instinct will have to do." He headed to exit the classroom, but was pushed back by an invisible barrier. "What the…?" Undeterred, he unsheathed his katana and began striking at the barrier. It didn't leave a dent.

The chalkboard flickered to life, turning into a television screen.

"Ah, ah, ah. I wouldn't do that if I were you ~ "

Souji's eyes widened in surprise.

Aigis

After the shaking had stopped, Aigis gathered her bearings and was surprised to see the school had changed. And the readings she could gather caused her to panic just for a moment.

"No, this can't be…" Looking outside the corridor windows, her fears had come true. "This sensation...feels just like when we were in Tartarus. And it's not just the school. Inaba's landscape changed as well." She wasn't sure what to make of the red fog, but it was messing with her sensors.

Before she could continue to think, Shadows came out of nowhere and attacked her. Although she defeated them easily, it was easier to avoid them as best as she could, trying to conserve her supply of ammo.

After five flights of stairs, there seem to be no end to how many floors the supernatural building had, which confirmed Aigis' suspicions of Yasogami High's transformation. "There has to be a better way of getting to the top," she mused. "But all of that is useless if I cannot contact the others. There has to be something I can use to communicate with them." Now what would a school have that can spread information to the entire premises all at once? "Of course! The announcement room. That is where I must head to first."

Aigis did not anticipate a giant TV blocking her path. She was about to punch her way through before the electrical device came to life, revealing a face she was all too familiar with. Her arms raised and fingers poised to shoot didn't threaten the figure in the screen one bit. They snickered instead.

"It is my pleasure to welcome everyone to the P1 Grand Prix Arena!"

The figure appearing on screen grinned malevolently, enjoying the attention it had garnered. It was none other than Teddie.

However, it wasn't the usual goofy Teddie that everyone knew. This one wore a dark blue cape and a military captain's cap with a golden 'P' emblem on it. He waved a walking stick ornamented with a golden skull, a cigar smoking between his grinning lips.

"My my, what a lovely list of contestants to go through. This will be the most exciting part! Hmmmm?" Loud roars of applause could be heard in the background. It sounded inhuman. "Dear me, I see that the audience is getting impatient. I'll still do the introduction to get formalities out of the way. And then the real show can begin! Take it away!"

"Rivals…" A deep, male announcer voice that came out of nowhere, started narrating. The crowd noises became frenzied than ever. "Are friends...yet powerful foes!" A montage of flashing letters zoomed on the screen, and a collage of every Persona-user's face appeared dramatically. The explosive sounds and cheering were akin to the beginning of a flashy wrestling match. "A desperate fighting program of high school and college students! A new legend...is about to start!"

"May the manliest of all men," the Teddie on TV stood up, cape swishing dramatically behind him, "COME ON DOWN!"

One by one, the invisible narrator announced the 'participants' of the battle.

"Gekkoukan's anti-social Messiah. The Poker Face Prodigy of Death….Minato Arisato!"

An image of Minato wielding a one-handed sword with Orpheus by his side displayed on screen, together with other information like his name, height, weight and moniker. "Whatever…" his voice followed in a bored tone.

The same format of each participant's image with their Persona and personal information on display, was followed throughout the announcement.

"Sweet on the outside, emotional wreck on the inside. The Crimson-Eyed Paradox of Destruction….Minako Arisato!"

"You better treat me to sweets when this is over!"

"He's the classic poster child for mediocrity. The Mighty Strike-Out Slugger….Junpei Iori!

"Strrrrrike! You're out!"

"Her temper is more deadly than her aim. The Unsightly Pink Sniper….Yukari Takeba!"

"I hope you like pain!"

"She'll freeze you solid with a single glare. The Imperious Queen of Executions….Mitsuru Kirijo!"

"It's time for your punishment!"

"He's only got one craving on his mind. The Two-Fisted Protein Junkie….Akihiko Sanada!"

"Protein is what I live for!"

"She's the literal definition of an iron maiden. The Heartless Armed Angel….Aigis!"

"I'll hunt down everyone that gets in my way!"

"Tenacious and annoyingly adorable together. The Pretentious Tenderfoot Duo….Ken Amada and Koromaru!"

"Don't underestimate me just because I'm in middle school!"

"Arf!"

"Hailing from the foul depths of the culinary arts. The Tsundere Head Chef of the Back Alleys….Shinjiro Aragaki!"

"You talkin' to me, asshole?"

"She's a contradiction to the theory of existence. The Automated Doll of the Eternal Abyss….Metis!"

"Come on. Let's dance!"

"Nobody touches his precious Nanako. The Sister Complex Kingpin of Steel….Souji Seta!"

"It's only natural!"

"Wage slave in the boonies by day, hero by night. Captain Ressentiment….Yosuke Hanamura!"

"Everything that bores me has gotta go!"

"A spunky dragon with deadly legs. The Carnivore Who's Discarded Womanhood….Chie Satonaka!"

"You need to eat more meat!"

"Please escort me to the ring, my prince! The Unconquerable Snow Black….Yukiko Amagi!"

"I'll finish you in one strike!"

"Blooming roses and bulging muscles. The Bloodcurdling Beefcake Emperor….Kanji Tatsumi!"

"Deep in the realms of romance!"

"The body of a child, the brain of a genius. The 2000 IQ Killjoy Detective….Naoto Shirogane!"

"Is this an army of idiots?"

"A wannabe human with metal for skin, running for school office. Yasogami's Steel Council President….Labrys!"

"Ain't my fault if you end up crying!"

The scene skipped to 'Teddie' sitting on some kind of throne, flanked by Rise and Fuuka. Both girls were wearing swimsuits and fawning over the silly-looking bear.

"And who can forget our two announcers who will be reporting from behind the scenes. The Pushover Damsel Brainiac, Fuuka Yamagishi! And The Scandalous Superstar Idol, Rise Kujikawa!"

"We're always happy to serve!" they giggled, waving at the camera.

The camera removed the focus back to the contenders. "Fight! And survive towards the one throne waiting at the end!" Sure enough, Teddie or whoever he is was shown, stood on top of a high platform where the supposed throne is located, before the words 'Fierce Fights' blocked him from view. "The P1 Grand Prix where fierce fights will be fought!" To emphasize the grandness of the event, burning fire and dramatic battle sound effects continue to emblazon the screen, followed by "THE BATTLE BEGINS TONIGHT!" in both audio and kanji letters.

TV static fizzled before the screen died.

Blank.

Yukiko, Chie & Metis

A desk was snapped in half. "Who the hell does he think he is?!" Chie screamed in rage. Her breathing was heavy, eyes darkening with murderous intent.

Metis flinched. "Umm...I'm sure he has his reasons…" She turned other other friend. "Yukiko-san, please say something…"

The raven-haired beauty remained silent.

"Yukiko-san?"

A dark, foreboding aura emanated from her, eyes hidden beneath her bangs.. "How dare he?!" she hissed. The fire that her Persona was known for slightly changed colour from sparkly red to dark scarlet. "I'll crush him like a cockroach!"

"I haven't discarded my womanhood, dammit!" Chie screeched, kicking a chair. "I'll tear him apart into so many pieces that even Kanji can't put him back together!"

Metis sweatdropped. These two were obviously too engrossed in their anger to see things clearly. "Come to think of it, wasn't that Teddie... strange?"

Chie huffed. "That perverted bear never learns his lesson. What's so strange about that?"

"Well…" Metis began. "Those monikers he called us by was way too clever for him to come up with by himself."

Now it was Chie's turn to sweatdrop.

Yukiko held her chin in thought, anger momentarily forgotten. "You're right. Even if Yosuke-kun were to help him, it still wouldn't be half as clever." Her friends remained silent. preferring not to call out on her oblivious insult. "Only someone of Souji-kun and the twins' intellect and odd sense of humor could come up with degrading nicknames of that calibre."

"So that means...what exactly?" Chie asked.

"That was not Teddie. It must be an imposter!" Metis answered.

A snicker was heard behind them. "You girls are not as dumb as you look."

The girls quickly whirled around. "Sanada-san!"

"Sanada-san, where were you just now? We couldn't find anyone on our way here," Yukiko stated.

"Enough chatter!" Akihiko roared, splitting a desk in half by pounding it with his fist. He readied his stance, arms coiled back to strike. Bluish-black smoke materialized at his feet.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Sanada-san, I thought we agreed to spar tomorrow. Why here of all places?!"

Metis narrowed her eyes. "That's not Akihiko-san. Didn't you notice his eyes?"

Yukiko focused on that. "You're right..." she murmured. "We've seen this many times before. It's a Shadow!"

"Enough chit-chat! Which one of you bimbos is gonna fight me?!"

"Tch, so that bogus Teddie wasn't kidding. If that's the case-" Chie cracked her knuckles. "I can bust loose!" Right after her declaration, the ground began to shake, although not as severe like before. A boxing ring materialized inside the classroom, surrounding her and the Shadow.

"Chie!" Yukiko shouted, pounding the invisible barrier around the raised platform.

"It's no use. They must really not want us to interfere," Metis explained. "Fake Teddie said that only the last one standing will get to proceed."

Chie did some light stretches. "Relax Yukiko. I kicked his ass once, I can do it again! I'll win so we can move forward."

"You're going to regret saying that," Shadow Akihiko smirked, readying his stance.

Yosuke & Shinjiro

The TV screen shattered into a million pieces. Shinjiro pulled out a bloodied hand from where he punched it.

"What the hell is that dumb bear wearing?" Yosuke sighed. Rather than risking Shinjiro's wrath by telling him to calm down, he decided to do something about the deep cuts. "Dude, that looks nasty. Hold on, let me heal that." A gentle glow surrounded the beanie wearer's hand as Susano-O casted Diarahan.

"Tch, ain't your fault. I should've controlled my temper. What's up with those stupid nicknames? Captain Ressentiment?"

Again, Yosuke sighed. "Back when Souji first transferred here, we had this dick of a homeroom teacher named Morooka. Everyone called him King Moron because he liked to accuse students of immoral things regardless of proof, everyone lost count of how many expulsion threats he made. Anyone was a possible target, not just the students. His lectures were unbearable." Susano-O returned to him. "Six months before Souji came, I was the city boy transfer student, and the perfect target for his ridicule. 'Ressentiment' was one of them. That damned title reminds me of those bad memories. Stupid Teddie…"

"I feel ya…" Shinjiro rubbed the healed skin where the glass shards pierced him earlier. "My appearance ain't good student material, so I make an easy target for teachers to blame. Since that's what they wanted, I gave it to 'em and skipped class indefinitely."

"Don't sweat it. You're with us now - a group of oddballs with our own pasts and failures. You fit right in."

Shinjiro's lips quivered, a smile threatening to break through. His cheeks warmed up. "Yeah, thanks…" he mumbled incoherently, quickly turning around. If Yosuke noticed, he didn't say anything.

"Come on, I think we should go this way. There's -" A loud thud was heard as the latter's nose got smushed. "What the - ?" He groped the air in front of him. "The hell? Who would put up an invisible barrier at a time like this?!"

Beside him, the taller brunette mumbled a string of expletives.

Deep, gravelly laughter echoed behind them. "That would be me. Got a problem with it?"

Both young men whirled around, speechless at what they were witnessing.

"Hanamura, what the hell is this?!"

Yosuke narrowed his eyes, focusing on the yellow irises of the other. "I've seen this many times before. Shinjiro-san, that's your Shadow!"

"What? I thought you said that only happens in the TV!"

Shadow Shinjiro bounced his axe on his right shoulder. "Hmph, you guys still talking? Quit wasting my time." He pointed the tip of his weapon at them and grinned wolfishly. Yosuke could honestly say that it was one of the most terrifying things he ever saw. "After I win, I'm going to find Minako and have my way with her. If you had the guts to do it earlier, I wouldn't be so frustrated...if you get my drift."

At the mention of his girlfriend's name, the real Shinjiro saw red. He didn't appreciate the innuendo either. "Shadow or not, you just crossed the line," he growled. "Ain't nobody hurtin' a hair on her head. Especially if they're wearin' my face."

"Shinjiro-san, wait! You don't even have a weapon!"

"If he's really my Shadow, then he knows I can take him on with or without. Hanamura, make sure nothing interferes. I'm gonna win so we can go find that bear and smack him."

As soon as Shinjiro announced his intent, the boxing ring appeared, leaving Yosuke outside. The younger brunette headed for the stairs. "You better win!" he shouted before disappearing from sight, trying to find an alternate route out of here. The match bell rang.

"Count on it," Shinjiro muttered as an afterthought.

The screen above the ring flashed as an invisible announcer shouted "Fight!"

Kanji, Naoto & Rise

It wasn't surprising that Kanji would burst into a tirade of curses after that jab at his masculinity. Rise was understandably upset.

Naoto took out her revolver and shot the screen.

This left the other two stunned. "Uh...babe? You okay?" Kanji asked.

"I don't think yours was as insulting as mine, though," Rise stated. It surprised her that the calm and level-headed Detective Prince would act so impulsively.

"Kanji-kun, am I a killjoy?"

Said young man had a bewildered look on his face. "H-huh?"

''Am I a killjoy?" she repeated more slowly.

"Of course you aren't, Naoto-kun." Rise answered quickly. "Well, most of the time anyway."

"And why is that?" Naoto asked sharply.

Rise decided to take another approach at that question. "Uhhh, I vaguely recall something like that at the club in Port Island. I think Yosuke-senpai said something about you killing the mood - "

Before she could finish, someone else answered for her, "I guess smart people don't understand why they're such a pain in the ass."

There stood Junpei, in complete baseball uniform and bat. His usual cocky smirk seemed off, akin to a shark on the hunt instead of his goofy silliness.

Kanji immediately got ticked off. "Hey, watch it buddy. At least show some respect to a lady!"

Naoto remained silent, wary of Junpei's sudden appearance right after that strange announcement made by Teddie on TV. She didn't believe in coincidences.

Junpei's wide grin set Rise on edge. Kanzeon demanded to be released, which only happens when Shadows were nearby.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Junpei questioned, bouncing his baseball bat on his shoulders. Each step he took towards them triggered a fight or flight response. Kanji, who finally took a stand, stood defensively in front of the girls. "Ooohh, is that a challenge, big guy?" he taunted, his voice beginning to change. His eyes glittered yellow under the sparse moonlight, no thanks to the thick fog.

"I knew it!" Rise seethed. "That's not the real Junpei-san. It's a Shadow!"

"So that's what that announcement was about." Naoto replaced the bullet she used to shoot the screen. "A death match, where only the victor will get to proceed." She backtracked and hit an invisible wall at the entrance they came in. "And no one leaves until one side is eliminated."

Kanji and Rise shivered a little at her insinuation.

"So, what'll it be?" Shadow Junpei taunted. "Either one of you beat me, or just stand there and let me kill you!"

"Tch, just lookin' at his face pisses me off." The former delinquent cracked his knuckles, grinning. "I guess it's a pretty sweet deal if I get to punch it now!"

"Kanji, wait!" Rise's warning fell on deaf ears as the boxing ring surrounded the contenders.

Mitsuru

"That was suppose to be insulting? I've heard worse," the heiress huffed. She flipped her red hair back. "I have more important things to do than waste my time here." Strengthening the grip on her rapier, Mitsuru marched toward the exit...until the invisible barrier stopped her that is.

"Leaving so soon? What a rude guest."

Mitsuru's eyes widened. She recognised that voice, despite the distortion. "Amagi...?"

The person standing before her didn't look like the Yukiko Amagi that she knew - especially in that pink ball gown. "Guests who can't follow the rules of the inn are a nuisance. And nuisances are like weeds. To get rid of them, one must eliminate it from the root."

"I beg your pardon?"

'Yukiko' snapped her ougi shut. "That's Princess Yukiko to you!"

The spike in her energy caused Artemesia to realize something, alerting her wielder to be cautious. "You're a Shadow!" Mitsuru exclaimed, pointing her rapier towards the other person. "So you're the one sent to battle me? Then I'm going to assume that I can't leave until I defeat you."

Shadow Yukiko grinned evilly. "Cherry blossom petals are more beautiful when stained with the blood of enemies."

Junpei, Ken & Koromaru

"Well this freakin' sucks…" Junpei complained. "I always knew Teddie was off his rocker, but this is too soon, man."

Ken sweatdropped. "Uh, Junpei-san. I don't think that was Teddie on TV just now." Koromaru barked once, conveying his agreement. Since the weather was getting cold, Ken gave the Shiba Inu the old orange hoodie from his elementary school days. "And I doubt that he would come up with something big like this 'Grand Prix' thing."

Koromaru sat on his haunches, scratching his left ear.

"I mean, those insults towards us was rather mean spirited, which isn't like Teddie at all, " Ken continued. "Do you think someone stole his bear suit and pretended to be him just now?"

Junpei took off his cap and scratched his head. "I dunno, man. But you do have a point. Teddie's a bad flirt, but he would never make fun of his friends like that... especially Souji."

Ken began drawing a random pattern in the dirt with the tip of his spear. "Souji-san has a sister complex, huh? I can actually believe that."

Junpei laughed. "Yeah, the same could be said for Minato. Man, the ass-kicking that dude can dish out for messing with Mina-tan is not something you want to receive."

A deep growl from Koromaru alerted the two boys of another presence.

"It ain't nice talking behind your friends' backs like that."

When they saw who it was, Junpei breathed a sigh of relief. "Dude, don't scare us like that." He rubbed his chest and relaxed at the sight of a familiar face. "What are you, a ninja?"

"What is it, boy?" Ken asked Koromaru, who was still growling and baring canines. "Junpei-san, something's not right, I've never seen Koro behave like this towards our friends before."

Junpei was also perplexed by the dog's behaviour. "Huh? Koro, why would you growl at Yosuke? Didn't he treat you to grilled steak just the other day?"

"Unless…" Ken narrowed his eyes, pointing his spear towards the other person. He noticed that his eyes were glowing yellow. "Who are you?!"

'Yosuke' only chuckled darkly. "You're pretty sharp for a kid. Weren't you paying attention to the TV just now?" He twirled a kunai between his fingers like a magician would do with a coin.

"Then that tournament bullshit is all true then." Junpei's playful demeanor disappeared, turning serious. "So you're the one Fake Teddie sent to stop us?"

"His appearance is very much like what the others describe as a 'Shadow Self'." Ken continued to watch Shadow Yosuke smirk. "It still doesn't make sense, though. Once a Shadow Self is defeated and accepted by its owner, it transforms into a Persona. Yosuke-san can still summon his, so thatshouldn't be able to exist."

The Shadow's eerie smile disappeared. "You ask too many questions for a kid. I've made up my mind...you're gonna fight me whether you like it or not!"

The ground shook and rumbled again as the battle ring appeared, surrounding Ken and Shadow Yosuke. Koromaru jumped in before the barrier solidified, standing by Ken's side.

"Bastard!" Junpei yelled as he pounded the invisible barrier.

Ken silenced him with a hand. "Junpei-san, this is for the best. He would have obliterated you with his wind and speed. Now that I have Koromaru with me-" Ken readied his spear as Koromaru brandished his Athame knife, "that won't be an issue."

Junpei opened his mouth to argue, but closed it right back, gritting his teeth instead. He and Yosuke had a lot in common, which was great...except that the younger Magician shared the same elemental magic as Yukari. His fists tightened. "Fine, you got me there."

"See if you can find a way out and locate our friends. We'll join you once we've taken care of him."

Yukari & Fuuka

Yukari's eyebrow twitched furiously. "Unsightly?!"

Fuuka was no better. "P-pushover…?!"

They encountered a television screen which dropped from the ceiling just moments before that announcement came on. Needless to say, whatever fears of the unknown they had were replaced by blood-boiling fury.

"To think he learned his lesson after Souji-kun punished him." The brunette's fists balled even tighter. "Perhaps I can convince Mitsuru-senpai to give him her worst execution….that might set him straight."

"Don't bother. He never was right in the head to begin with." A feminine voice answered, slowly making her appearance from the thick fog. Her yellow eyes flashed at Yukari, who wasn't sure if it was either recognition or a threat. "Honestly, we only kept him around because Leader found him useful. Oh, and he knows this place better….can't forget that."

Yukari blinked. "Chie-chan, where did you come from?" A feeling of unsettlement twisted her gut at the tomboy's brutish words.

Fuuka quickly realized what was going on, thanks to Juno's frantic yelling inside her psyche, and pulled her friend aside. "Yukari-chan," she whispered sharply. "I don't think that's the real Chie-chan. It feels a bit like her, yes, but all I'm sensing is Shadow!"

The pink-loving girl quickly readied her bow and arrow. "Who are you?!" she demanded, pointing the tip at the intruder.

Shadow Chie played coy. "Hmm….maybe if you beat me, I'll tell you."

"Might as well tell me now. Y'know, to save yourself the embarrassment of defeat," Yukari baited.

"Hah! As if I'm going to make it easy for you!" The Shadow summoned the boxing ring by snapping her fingers, leaving Fuuka outside to watch. She pounded her fist against the barrier, but quickly gave up seeing that she couldn't do anything to it. "Besides…" Shadow Chie licked her lips. "I love a good challenge."

Akihiko

Without much thought, the former boxing champ tried to land a punch on the other person.

"You call that a punch? Whatever happened to the unbeatable champion, huh?"

"If you think I've forgotten what you did to us last time, you're sorely mistaken, Adachi!"

Adachi dodged Akihiko's punches with uncommon grace for a man. "Oh come on, that's all you can do? Pretty pathetic for a former boxing champ. What happened to floating like a butterfly, huh? You sure haven't stung me yet!"

Akihiko bristled at the insult. However, Adachi said something which caught his attention. "You were in prison this whole time. How do you know about that?"

"Hmm...I looked it up." The former cop polished his nails against the lapels of his suit. "The internet is pretty handy, don'tcha think?"

"You're hiding something," Akihiko accused.

Adachi glanced at his wristwatch. "Whoops, I said too much already. Time to make a move." He snapped his fingers and the gym door opened to reveal Kanji. "Take care of him, will ya?"

"Tatsumi?!" Akihiko got distracted for a second, and Adachi took to opportunity to leave. "Where are you going? Get back here!"

'Kanji' blocked his way. ''Mmm...why the rush?" Yellow eyes swept him from top to bottom. "Oohhmm, such a hunk. Not too tall, strong and lean too. You'll be entertaining me for many hours to come," he purred.

Akihiko was confused. The Tatsumi that he knew was manly and rough, despite his hobbies and talents. This effeminate Tatsumi look-alike just creeped him out in so many ways, especially with that unnatural, seductive voice. "I don't have time for this! Get out of my way or I'll be forced to take you down."

"Ohooo...so you're the type who likes rough foreplay, huh? I tingle just thinking about it!" The gentle gestures disappeared as the Shadow went into fight mode. "Then let's determine who will be the dominant one!"

Labrys & Teddie

Labrys stared at the screen with a mix of disgust, anger and confusion.

"L-L-Labby-chan?" Teddie asked shakily.

She turned to the bear, her eyes flashing with with unrestrained anger as she materialized her giant axe. "Eeeep!" Teddie shrieked, covering his face in self defense. "Don't hurt me, please!"

Seeing his reaction, Labrys shook her head, anger forgotten. She also deactivated her weapon. "That wasn't you on the screen, right? I mean, it's impossible for you to be in two places at the same time, correct?"

"Yeah! That wasn't me, I swear! I would never be mean to Sensei and the others. Honest!"

"Yeah, I thought so too." Her axe morphed back into a backpack. 'And those insults were too clever and witty for you to come up with on your own anyway,' she silently added.

"But the real question is, that if I, the real Teddie, wasn't the one that appeared on TV, then that means there's another Teddie somewhere?" The bear stroke his chin. "How is that possible?" He then clutched his head in frustration. "Nghh…! Thinking about it makes my head hurt!"

"Perhaps someone made a replica of your costume?" Labrys wondered. "Still, whoever it is, I cannot tolerate such inappropriate behavior. I have the school's reputation to uphold!"

"You said it! They're making me look bad!" Teddie stomped the ground angrily. "They must be punished!"

Their conversation was cut short by a fit of girlish giggles.

Teddie blinked, confused. "Huh? What's so funny, Labby-chan?"

"I wasn't laughing." Labrys tensed, posture straight and axe at the ready, as footsteps and giggles were heard, and coming closer and closer.

"Wh-who's t-t-there?!" Teddie gained enough courage to ask.

A distorted voice, eerily similar to Labrys', echoed back. "Heheh…what a bunch of numbskulls. Don't they get the point at all?"

"H-huh...You're…!"

A slim, obviously female figure stepped out of the shadows. Little by little the flickering ceiling light revealed golden yellow eyes gleaming with malice, the razor-sharp edge of her giant axe shining dangerously. "Recognize me now?"

Labrys held her axe in one hand, and the other readied for a rocket punch. "It would be better if you tell me who you are first!"

The other Labrys grinned widely, amused. "I'm the voice that keeps tellin' ya to destroy anything threatenin' yer freedom! To show everybody how it feels to be forced to do things you didn't wanna." Her tone grew heavier, filled with anger and resentment. "The one who tells ya to never accept going back to those Kirijo dogs!"

Teddie's eyes widened. "Telling her? But how could you…?" The answer had him sweating with anxiety. "I get it now. You're….you're her Shadow!"

"Whad'ya know? You're not as dumb as you ." Shadow Labrys clapped mockingly.

"Why are you here?!" Labrys shouted. "You aren't supposed to exist!"

"After darling mommy released you from that old fart's control, she tried to remove me along with it, to prevent another 'malicious response towards others.' But what she didn't realize was that by doing so, only rerouted my memories and personality to a separate sub-network within your brain, thus I was able to retain myself." Shadow Labrys explained. "I've always been with you since you were born! And thanks to this weird red fog and its strange properties, I was able to overwrite all security protocols and gain a physical form. So here I am, in the flesh. To set things straight!"

Labrys gnashed her teeth, eyes narrowed. "Set things straight, you say?" Her red eyes blazed. "By making me hurt people who're not to be blamed for what happened to me in the past?!" She armed her axe. "To harm my sisters and friends?! I don't think so!"

"Oh please, I'm not that predictable," Shadow Labrys scoffed. "Right now, the only one standing in my way is you. I'm taking back my control!"

Teddie blinked. "Control?" He looked at Labrys. "What is she talking about?"

"You want to get to the bottom of this, don't you?" Shadow Labrys chuckled evilly. "THEN LET'S PROVE WHO IS THE STRONGEST!" She slammed her axe into the ground. An inhuman screech was heard as a black blob oozed out of the cracks. Slowly the blob took form of a large humanoid figure with a bull's skull for a head, materializing up to its shoulders. It's horns were only half formed. Several chains restrained it to the ground. What made it frightening was the red flames it emitted from the tip of its horns like an exhaust pipe. Blackish-red hellfire licked it's entire body, more fire emitting from within the jaws like a kiln. A clawed hand slowly made it's way out of the black portal.

"Oh my..." Labrys whispered, eyes widening with a mix of awe and fright.

"Whah! What is that?" Teddie cried. "I've never seen anything like it before!"

"Let's see if you can beat me and Asterius. Winner gets to move forward. Simple enough for even that bear to understand," Shadow Labrys taunted, grinning sadistically as Asterius loomed behind her. The disproportion of their sizes made it even more terrifying. "Only the strongest is worthy of control," she repeated. A force field surrounded them, blocking any possible chances of escape. "Oh, and I forgot to mention...running away is not an option."

"Never even crossed my mind," Labrys replied, summoning Ariadne.

"Labby-chan..." Teddie focused on her, as he prepared to summon Kamui. "I'm with you all the way." Both nodded in agreement.

"Hehehehe….HAHAHAHA! HERE I COME!"

Aigis

The mechanical maiden was feeling confused.

The first reason was the ludicrous advertisement that she just saw featuring her friends, herself included. Since she had been roommates with Yukari for some time, she had never been exposed to these kinds of shows (Yukari always insisted she read books and magazines to enhance knowledge about culture and art, not like Junpei who rots his brain watching TV and scrawling the internet for who knows what) so Aigis really had no reference points to pull from.

Second reason being her conflicting emotions. She wanted to laugh at how ridiculous Teddie looked being all serious in a general outfit. But she also wanted to verbally deny at the accusation of being 'heartless'. Despite having ample time getting used to human emotions after gaining a heart, multiple and juxtaposed feelings still felt strange and difficult to process.

So to vent out her frustrations, Aigis karate-chopped the television in half. "I feel a little better," she admitted to herself out loud. "Akihiko-san may have a point about punching the source of one's frustrations away."

"As expected of a brainless tool. Honestly, the quality of machinery these days…"

Aigis turned towards the voice. "Naoto-san…? Is that you?"

"Hmm? Intriguing...a mere machine talking to me?"

Taken aback, Aigis tried to regain her composure. Naoto had never talked to her like that. Sure, the Detective Prince was curious and bombarded her with a barrage of questions for a while after they first met, but a short time later, treated her as a equal.

This version of Naoto just pissed her off somewhat. Something deep inside Aigis also sensed that something wasn't quite right with this person. "I may be a mere machine, but at least I have manners," she retorted. It wasn't in her best interest to act like she was in a rush. "I would like to pass, if you please. I don't want any trouble."

"Oh?" 'Naoto' stood in front of the only exit through the hallway. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that was a threat." She took out her pistol and aimed it at Aigis. "This place is off limits, so I suggest you turn back."

Undeterred, Aigis pointed her loaded fingers towards the young detective. "I have yet to see any notice or memo saying so. So I am asking you again to please step aside."

"And if I won't?"

"Then I will be forced to do so."

The ground elevated as the two of them were surrounded by a boxing ring. Aigis remained undeterred.

"Well then…" 'Naoto' adjusted her cap, grinning wide. Her eyes took on a golden hue. This time, Aigis' sensors went off full blast. "It's time to test my circuitry skills."

The wind picked up speed on the high tower, whipping the red hair of a scar-faced boy in multiple directions.

"Tch, this is boring. Do we really have to just kick back and relax?" he complained. "I'm itching to slice and dice here!" Sho lazily swished his blades back and forth, cutting empty air. As his restlessness grew, so did the veracity of his slashed. "C'mon, pal. A little fun wouldn't kill ya, would it? I mean, it's not like I'll really kill any of them….Well, not yet anyways."

Minazuki sighed, using every ounce of patience he had in dealing with Sho. "How many times do I have to tell you...there's a time and place for everything." After a few minutes of silence, he gave a different response. "However….I do feel that we're not being as productive as we should be."

Sho couldn't contain the malicious grin forming on his face. "You're a freakin' hypocrite, y'know that? A little stimulus might actually work out in our favour! Who shall we go for first?"

Minazuki didn't answer.

"You already know, anyway. Of course it's that silver-haired brat!" Sho said. He swung his twin blades like pistols before holstering them to his belt. His very being boiled with bloodlust. "It's Sho-time!"

"Let's do this!" Minazuki commanded, fueling his power to Sho. The boy's eyes and scar lit up faintly for a split second.

With a savage yell, Sho leaped from the top of Tartarus, landed on a pole for leverage before vanishing into the red fog.

Phew... What a wild ride... Hope you guys enjoy it ;3