So around mid-December, my computer decided it didn't want to exist anymore & completely broke. The motherboard, hard drive, CPU, graphics card, everything. Had to spend about $500 on getting a new one just after Christmas before I could even think about contiuning writing this fic, and that just fucking obliterated the already-sad excuse for a schedule I had going on before this. Not helped by getting pulled into other projects like Reds!, the XROSS reboot (which is now up on AO3) and some other stuff I have up the pipeline, as well as more dramas all going off in my life all at once.
So yeah, overall I'd say things have been totally fine. Just peachy.
But yeah, this chapter will be shorter and a bit more filler-y than those before it, though it's still gonna have some importance. We still have some remaining social links to fill out, after all.
Friday, March 8th, 2024
Midday
College
It was unbearable.
Shouma sat in the lecture theatre eyeing the clock, utterly bored out of his mind. There was a guest lecturer in their class, and he was as dull as sin.
The lecturer droned on and on in a monotone and uninterested voice for a few hours about various figures and events from the Three Kingdoms Period Shouma had heard about dozens of times in High School. The worst part? It somehow felt even longer than that. The names of all the figures and factions all blended into each other until he couldn't tell Lu Bu apart from Liu Bei.
He looked over to Piers sitting right next to him. He wasn't doing much better. His head was slumped over and his expression was a contorted and confused mess, as if he were silently begging for it all to end.
Eventually, the lecturer stood directly in front of the projector. "Okay, that'll do for today. Thank you all for coming." He said.
Shouma groaned and faceplanted on the desk. "The torture... Finally, it's over..." He weakly said.
He stood up and grabbed his bag as he headed out of the theatre.
"Hey, wait up!" Piers called from behind as he ran towards Shouma. "Well. That lecture... happened." He chuckled sardonically.
Shouma clutched his head. "Tell me about it. I don't wanna hear anything about China or its history for the next month. At least."
The two of them walked over to a bench where they both took a seat on opposite ends from each other.
"So..." Piers's mind wandered in an attempt to find material to start a conversation. "You planning on joining any clubs?" He asked.
Shouma's eyebrows raised. "Hadn't thought about that yet. I'll make sure to look into it." He replied.
His eyes were drawn to a poster on a nearby pole, and he got up and took a closer look at it. It was a recruitment poster for the college boxing club.
"Huh, that was quick." Shouma mused as he turned back to Piers. "Nevermind, I think I just found an answer."
Afternoon
Shouma entered into a gym and came across a room full of young men in boxing gear practicing and sparring on a sea of blue crashmats. His eyes were drawn to one man in particular.
He was tall and athletic, barely looked any older than Shouma, and was sporting short dark-brown hair behind a red faceguard. He was wearing a red sleeveless shirt with white trim and black shorts. He then noticed Shouma and raised his arm in recognition.
"Ah, some fresh meat!" He cried out. The man took off his gloves and faceguard off and walked over to him. "You showed up to join?"
"Yeah." Shouma replied. "I'm Shouma, by the way."
"Oh yeah, you're Daigo's brother." The man mused as he shook Shouma's hand. "The name's Joseph Vega, but you can call me Joe. I'm the captain of the team." Joe playfully smirked. "You wanna go a couple rounds in the ring to get you up to speed?"
Shouma cracked his shoulders back. "Sure thing, I'm down."
Joe chuckled. "Oh, you're gonna fit right in here." He then pointed towards the far-left of the room. "Changerooms are that way." He said.
Shouma nodded and walked off in the general direction of the changrooms.
A few minutes later, he came out wearing a uniform similar to that of Joe's and grabbed a pair of gloves.
"Alright, so I guess we can start with this." Joe said. He beckoned Shouma over to a mat in the centre of the gym and the two stood on opposite ends.
"Ready when you are." Joe said, giving a friendly, yet cocky smile.
Shouma nodded before throwing an overhead punch at Joe, who deftly blocked and countered with a quick jab to the chest, knocking Shouma back. He then continued with some more light strikes to knock Shouma off his balance, though he managed to catch himself before he could fall.
"No está mal, not bad." Joe congratulated. "That was a good catch right there."
Shouma shook his head to refocus. He looked Joe dead in the eyes to try & get a read on him, but he couldn't see anything useful to work off of. He went in for an uppercut with his right hand, though Joe dodged it. However, Shouma followed up with a left hook that actually connected with Joe's shoulder.
Joe didn't look deterred, though. And he countered with another flurry of lightning-quick jabs, though then followed up with a stronger punch with his left hand to Shouma's face. Shouma reached to block the attack, though Joe twisted his body mid-swing to hit Shouma with a punch to the gut.
Reeling, Shouma tried to hit him one more time with a straight punch to the face, but Joe responded by throwing another punch along Shouma's, with them both hitting each other in the head and knocking Shouma on his back, though Joe still stood.
"A cross-counter!" One of the team yelled in shock.
Shouma just laid there in shock, everything that just happened was a total blur.
Joe reached out his hand to help him up. "You okay?" He asked.
"Yeah." Shouma reached out and grabbed his hand. "I'm still just processing what happened."
"I get that a lot." Joe said sheepishly. "That said, I noticed something about the way you fought." He added.
Shouma took off his faceguard. "What's that?" He asked.
Joe's brow furrowed. "I dunno, it just seemed... I guess angry is the right word? Like you've got a lot of baggage to work through or something."
Shouma stopped in place. "...I-...I mean."
"Hey, don't worry about it." Joe reassured. "I'm not gonna ask you to tell me anything you don't wanna talk about. Although I do have pointer for the next time you get into the ring."
Shouma looked at Joe intently. "I'm listening."
"You can't just keep throwing out attack after attack all the time, that's predictable." Joe responded. "You've gotta try and get in your opponent's head and counter accordingly, that's half of what boxing is. Read, then react. Got it?"
Shouma remembered what the others had told him before.
"This time instead of just attacking with no plan at all, try and aim for openings when it attack!"
"You were being reckless back there. You need to start thinking before you act."
Well, if everyone was telling him this, then there must be some truth to it.
"I guess you're right." Shouma admitted. "You okay with getting that drilled into my head?" He asked.
Joe smirked again. "I'd be more than happy to." He took off the glove on his right hand. "Welcome to the team, Shouma Tashiro."
And just like that, Shouma heard the words ring out in his head.
"Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond..."
"Thou shalt be blessed when fusing Personas of the Strength Arcana."
Shouma walked off the the changerooms to get changed back into his normal clothes, though was stopped by Joe.
"Oh, just letting you know we meet up here every Friday." He cried out. "You don't have to tell us if you can't make it, we'll understand."
Shouma turned around and have him a thumbs-up. as he entered the room.
Evening
Tashiro Residence
Shouma was browsing the internet in order to look up things related to Personas and Cognitive Psience in general. Nothing much useful was coming up. He saw a repeat of a few names here and there, including his own father were mentioned a lot, but he'd learned more from the man when he and Piers were inducted into POSC than research had shown him.
That was still a stupid acronym.
Then a realisation hit him: He could learn more from the source. All he had to do was ask.
He walked out into the living room, where his father was overseeing a paper. "Hey dad, you wanna talk for a sec?" He asked.
Wataru looked up at his son from the couch. "Oh uh, sure. Just hang on a minute, I'm almost finished marking this paper." He answered.
Shouma sat down opposite his father as Wataru tapped away at the keyboard before putting the laptop off to the side.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" He asked.
"I was just trying to look more into how Personas work and all that, and I thought I might as well ask you on the subject." Shouma responded.
Wataru looked around disorganised. "Right, I can do that." He said. "Okay, I know you're generally aware that Personas are human will made manifest. But more specifically, they're a kind of tamed shadow." He explained.
Shouma nodded. "That explains why beating them sometimes turns them into Personas. But what is a shadow exactly?"
"In a way, they're the antithesis of a Persona." Wataru answered. "While a Persona is the cognitive embodiment of a person who's managed to self-actualise, a shadow is what a person doesn't want to acknowledge about themselves."
"I see." Shouma started playing with his watch again.
Wataru continued. "Sometimes, the feelings one supresses are so great, they can manifest as a stronger type of shadow. One that is self-aware of its actions and relies on more than just instinct."
"A High shadow." Shouma realised.
"Exactly." Wataru said. "And because they're more developed than a regular shadow, when a Wild Card slays them, they're more likely to become a Persona due to how cognitively formed they are."
Shouma thought deeply for a moment. "So, how did everyone actually learn about Personas?" He asked.
"Funny story." Wataru sat up on the couch. "The American government was actually the first to learn about it after Japan, following an incident that occured near a High School called St. Hermelin. However, they confused it with an American school of the same name when in fact it happened at a Japanese school."
Shouma snorted. "Of course they did."
Wataru chuckled for a moment before clearing his throat. "Turns out, the SEBEC corporation had been conducting experiments of some kind. Though the documents on what exactly have been classified by both the Japanese government and the Nanjo Group."
"Wow." Shouma looked down. "You're having to walk a lot of fine lines if you're coming up with this many government-classified secrets."
"Yeah..." Wataru grimaced. "It's not easy, but I'll still use all the knowledge I have at my disposal to help you and the others as much as I can." He reassured.
Shouma smiled. "Thanks. I'm gonna need it."
He then heard the words ring out once more in his head.
"Thou art I... And I am thou... Thine bond grows ever stronger..."
Shouma then yawned and stood up. "I'm gonna head to bed. Night."
"Good night!" Wataru called out.
Saturday, March 9th, 2024
Morning
Tashiro Residence
Shouma walked out of his room wearing a black t-shirt and jeans into the kitchen where he put two slices of bread into the toaster.
"Hey Shouma." Daigo called out from behind him.
Shouma turned around to meet his brother. "Yeah, what's up?"
"Are you going into the city today?" Daigo asked.
"I can head there today if you need anything. Why?" Shouma answered.
Daigo sighed. "I'm going to need to be at an archaeological site today, but I need someone to pick up a package from Jerome."
"Who's Jerome?" Shouma asked.
"He runs a weapon shop on the other side of town. It's helpful for getting stuff for Agartha." He handed Shouma a business card and about $200. "You'll need this."
Shouma looked at the card, seeing it read "Valhalla Weapons and Firearms" with the address and on the other side the name "Copernicus" written in pen.
"Why is 'Copernicus' written on this side?" He asked.
"It's the password." Daigo answered.
Shouma looked at Daigo slowly. "...Why do I need a password?" He asked, concerned.
Daigo looked like he was trying to find the best way to put it. "You'll see." He then noticed something to his side. "Your toast looks like it's done."
Shouma quickly turned around to notice that smoke was beginning to rise from his toast. "Shit!" He cried as he quickly pulled the slices from the toaster. Oh well, at least they were still edible.
Shouma took the card and money before grabbing his bag and walking off to Valhalla.
Midday
Valhalla Weapons and Firearms
Shouma had made it to Griffith Park near Burbank and walked over to a grey, run-down looking building with the shutters completely down an all windows and a blue sign reading "Valhalla". This was the place.
He cautiously walked over to the door and knocked on it.
"Password." A gruff voice answered from inside. It had to be Jerome.
"Uh, 'Copernicus'." Shouma answered.
"I don't recognise your voice. Who are you?" Jerome asked with hostility.
Shouma swallowed anxiously. "I'm Daigo's brother. I came to pick up a package for him."
Everything went silent for a moment until Shouma heard a sigh. "Hang on." Jerome said. Shouma heard the jingling of keys and the door unlocking itself. "You can enter now." Jerome called out.
Shouma slowly entered the shop to see lines of weapons both old and modern on the tables and walls. Everything from assault rifles, knives, to bows to even scythes. Jerome clearly had quite the collection.
He got a good look at Jerome behind the counter. He was a surprisingly short and overweight old man with scars on his face, ginger hair and a long, unkempt beard. He wore a white cap, black aviator sunglasses and a blue shirt over black finglerless gloves.
"Sorry about that." Jerome said. "Can't be too careful these days with the kinds of people around."
"...Uh-huh." Shouma weakly replied. He didn't feel safe here in the slightest.
Jerome ducked below the counter. "So about that package you were after." He then pulled out a large cardboard box and opened it up. "Odd assortment of weapons you're after, but not bad choices either."
Shouma took a look at the box. It consisted of a swordbreaker, a revolver with the appropriate ammo and a bo staff all sitting in packing foam. The types of weapons used by him, Piers and Juniper respectively.
"Huh, I guess those are gonna be useful." Shouma noted. "What's special about these ones?"
Jerome's face lit up. "Glad you asked." He picked up the revolver first and spun it around. "The Coyote-00 eight-chamber magnum. As the name suggests, it has eight barrels, meaning eight shots before reloading. It has more firepower than your average commercial revolver, too."
Shouma looked closer. The Coyote was a jet-black pistol that indeed had eight shots in the cylinder.
"The staff is a work of art, too." Jerome continued as he picked it up. "Reinforced-fibreglass mould. Light, yet durable. Perfect for martial arts training."
Shouma's eyes started wandering to the remaining weapon. "And what about the swordbreaker?"
"Ah yes, the pièce de résistance." Jerome picked up the weapon and gently moved his finger along the side of the blade. "This sword is made from meteoric iron forged into steel." He stood in awe of the blade before gently placing it back into the box. "They named it the 'Fenrir'." He said quietly.
Shouma looked closely at the Fenrir and noticed a distinct wavy pattern on the blade. "Is that Damascus Steel?" He asked.
Jerome scoffed. "You've got a good eye there, kid. Those madmen somehow managed to remake the lost art of Damascus Steel and put it in this here swordbreaker. I have nothing but the utmost respect for them."
Shouma put the lid back on the box. "Damn."
Jerome put his elbows on the counter. "You know kid, you're not that bad. What's your name?"
Shouma blinked for a second. "Uh, Shouma."
Jerome smiled. "Well Shouma, I think I sense a kindred spirit in you. The kind that can truly appreciate the craftsmanship in a weapon. You just get it." He said.
He leaned in closer. "What do you say? Wanna become my protege? You'll get a discount on all future purchases."
Shouma did not want to say yes. But looking around, those weapons were pretty expensive, and he could use the discount.
"Sure, why not?" He answered.
Jerome chuckled. "Well it's settled. You can come back whenever on weekends, I don't run the store on weekdays."
And then Shouma heard the words once again.
"Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond..."
"Thou shalt be blessed when fusing Personas of the Hermit Arcana."
Jerome stood up straight. "Well, next time you need the help of Jerome Allenby, just say the word!" He then held out his hand. "That'll be $180 overall."
Shouma sighed and handed over the money, accepted the change and quickly left with the box in hand.
Afternoon
St. Bradley
Walking up the stairs of the apartment building, Shouma unlocked the door to the apartment and placed the box of weapons just on the other side of the door, when suddenly.
"Oh Shouma! How have you been?" Susie shrilled.
Of course it had to be at the worst possible time. Right when he thought when he was safe, the beast had returned.
"S-Susie! I didn't see you there...!" Shouma blurted out in a panicked state.
"I just got back from Martha's, I only arrived about a minute before you." She chimed.
Just his luck.
She looked over at the box behind him. "What's that for?" She asked.
Shouma started panicking even harder from that. "Uh, well... It's for Daigo. Something for college." He strained out of his throat. He technically wasn't lying by saying that.
"Ah, I see." Susie replied. She then gave a warm smile. "What a nice thing to do for your brother."
"T-Thanks..." Shouma stuttered.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Susie said. "Hold on a second." She quickly scurried back into her apartment on the other side of the hall and came out only a few seconds later. "This is for you!" She said, holding out two brown paper bags. One of them was clearly more butterscotch love cookies. But the other?
"What's in the second bag?" Shouma asked, the anxiety in his voice clear as day.
Susie smiled innocently. "That's a surprise. Go on, open it!" She said.
Shouma eyed the bag suspiciously as he slowly opened it to reveal... brownies. At least, they looked like brownies. Maybe? They were incredibly chunky and were already falling apart in the bag.
Susie looked at Shouma in anticipation. "Well? How is it?" She asked.
"Um... It looks great! Yeah..." Shouma said, his voice still shaking.
"I'm glad to hear it." Susie beamed. She then reached over and grabbed Shouma's hand before he had time to react. "I know you're going to have a whole lot of college work dumped on you later in the year, but I want you to know there are people who are willing to support you. So if you need any of us to help you, don't be afraid." She reassured.
And that's when Shouma heard it once more.
"Thou art I..."
Oh no.
"And I am thou..."
No no no.
"Thou hast established a new bond..."
No god please shit stop fuck why abort crap cease do not want STOP.
"Thou shalt be blessed when fusing Personas of the Sun Arcana."
Shouma was internally screaming, his pupils had contracted to levels he didn't even think were possible and the hairs on his body stood completely upright at a 90 degree angle from his skin. Why did this have to happen to him? Why with her?
"It's been good catching up again, Shouma. But I need to get ready for Martha coming over tomorrow." Susie said disappointed. "Have fun!" She said as she hurried back to her apartment.
Shouma just stood there in utter shock, not moving a muscle. He then whimpered before falling over backwards, still not breaking the pose he was in even slightly.
To be continued...
Party:
Shouma Tashiro - The Fool
Piers Fils-Amie - The Magician
Juniper Black - The Priestess
Social Stats:
Moxie: Bold
Wisdom: Learned
Charisma: Unremarkable
Empathy: Caring
Wits: Innocent
Personae:
Musashi (0 - The Fool)
Orobas (I - The Magician)
Ratatoskr (IX - The Hermit)
Angel (VIII - Justice)
Daemon (XV - The Devil)
Pixie (II - The Priestess)
Yeah, no new Personas this time. Just a quiet filler chapter while I try & get the rest of the story sorted.
Like I said earlier, I rebooted Yu-Gi-Oh! XROSS on AO3, and I'm more proud of it than the original. But who knows? Maybe in another 5 years I'll hate that too. I guess time will tell. I've also been working on some other stuff in my own time, including an original story. Yeah, not a fanfic. Though I'm gonna wait until it's completely finished before I post the entire thing on here. As to what it is? I'm gonna keep that close to my chest for now. Just know that it's kind of my passion project atm.
But yeah, Chapter 8 will hopefull come out sooner rather than later. Hawk out.