Yu awoke the next morning to the sound of his phone going off.
"Who's calling me this early?" he thought aloud. "Hello? Who's this?"
"It's Margaret." the woman on the other end said.
"Mar- Who?" Yu was still groggy.
"Margaret from the Velvet Room?"
Yu's head finally seemed to remember. "Oh yeah, the really bored sounding girl that hangs out with Igor. What's up?"
"I realize this is sudden, but don't be too hasty with your rescue attempts. Going to save your friends is a noble deed, but it will not quench your heart's yearnings. It is important to go at a sustainable pace and develop your Social Links along the way. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Build relationships and don't press myself?"
"Precisely, it will help strengthen the power of your personas which, in turn, will help you on your quest."
"Anything else?"
"Your alarm will be going off in a few seconds so I suggest you get ready." Margaret hung up.
As if on cue, the alarm clock began to beep.
"Geez." Yu slammed the button to turn off the alarm and grabbed his uniform.
"Hey, did you hear? The sports clubs are excepting new members!" Yu overheard a student talking to his friend after class.
"Oh, yeah! You get your choice between basketball and soccer, right? I wonder if I should join?"
As much as Yu had still been waking up when Margaret called that morning, he had taken her advice to heart.
"Develop your Social Links." she had said. Could this be what she was talking about? He decided to head to the gym and check it out.
"Alright, guys!" the coach said to the basketball team. "We've got a new member to the team. His name's Yu Narukami. He's the transfer student from the big city! With him I think we've got this season in the bag."
"It's nice to meet you all." Yu said.
"Good, now why don't you just sit back and observe for today, Yu. I've gotta go check on the soccer team." And with that he left.
As Yu watched the team make halfhearted shots during practice he noticed that there was really only one guy putting any effort in. When practice was over and all the rest had left, Yu went to go talk to him.
"Hey," Yu said, walking up to him. "That was some nice footwork."
"Huh? Oh, uh, thanks. You play at all?"
"A little. I've never actually been on a team though."
The boy chuckled. "Kou Ichijo. I'm a second year. It's nice to see somebody else taking interest in the team."
"Those guys don't seem too into it."
Kou sighed. "Yeah, they're not very motivated. I've been trying to change that."
"Hey, Kou!" a voice came from the doorway to the gym. "You done yet?"
There was a young man in a sweatsuit hanging in the doorway. He came towards them.
"Hey, you the new guy?" he asked.
"Yeah, who're you?" said Yu.
"This is Daisuke Nagase. He's on the soccer team." Kou said.
Daisuke laughed. "Everyone leave early again?"
"Yeah…" Kou sighed. He turned to Yu.
"A lot of people don't show up to practice but I think you'll have fun anyway."
Yu smiled. "I hope so."
Thou art I… And I am thou… Thou shalt be blessed when creating personas of the Strength Arcana…
The next couple of days went by like a blur with school and hanging out with friends. King Moron continued to be hated by everyone, Yu and Yosuke ate croquettes and listened to the gossiping housewives (though all they did was badmouth Yosuke and his family which made Yu's blood boil), and Yu went to basketball practice and got sweets from one of Kou's admirers.
Finally, they gathered at the food court on Friday to go save Yukiko.
After heading back to the castle, Teddie stopped them.
"Hey, I think I should follow you guys into there. I can help you with navigation easier."
"Will you actually fight now?" Yosuke said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"What? No! I was just thinking of helping you with learning the various skills. You know, Zio, Garu, Bufu, that sort of thing."
"I have no idea what any of those words mean."
"I'll explain on the way. Come on!"
They ascended a few floors, knocking out shadows along the way as Teddie kept a safe distance behind and provided navigation.
"Hey," Yosuke said as they neared the top. "Do you guys hear that?"
They stopped. They could hear agitated, babbling whispers coming from everywhere at once. It was almost like the walls were speaking.
Teddie shivered. "The shadows are becoming restless. I think we better hurry."
They came to a set of grand doors.
"She's on the other side!" Teddie said.
Chie readied herself in a battle stance. "Okay guys, be ready for whatever comes through that door!"
Inside was a long hall leading to a throne room. Yukiko was kneeling on the ground in front of the throne in her kimono. She seemed to be trembling. Where the throne would be stood…
"I knew it," Yosuke said. "There's two of her."
Yukiko's shadow looked down at them with a sinister smile on her face.
"Oh? Could you be surprise guests that came in late? I'm honored."
"Yukiko!" Chie cried. "Hang on!"
"My, it's getting crowded in here." the shadow cooed. "Why don't you and I go somewhere else? Somewhere far, far away where no one knows me. You'll do that for me won't you Chie, my prince?"
Chie stopped. "Wait, I'm your prince?"
"Yes, you're a strong prince… or at least you were."
"Huh?"
"You can't take me away from here! You can't save me! Historic inn? Manager training? Please! I'm sick of all these things chaining me down!"
"S-stop…" Yukiko said as she stood.
"I never asked to be born here! Everything's decided for me from how I live to where I die!"
"That's not true!"
"I want to run away and leave this all behind, but I don't have the guts to do anything about it. So I just sit on my ass and wait for my prince to come and take me away. Woe is me! Aren't I pathetic?"
"How dare you!" Yukiko shouted. "Who do you think you are!"
The shadow giggled. "I thought that was obvious. I'm you and you're me."
"No! You're-"
"Don't say it!" Chie yelled.
"You're not me!"
The shadow began to laugh a crazed, mad laugh. "Ooh, this feels amazing. I can finally BREAK FREE!"
In a explosion of haze, the shadow was gone, replaced with what looked like a chandelier.
Suddenly, a massive bird wearing Yukiko's face burst from inside.
"Get ready!" Yosuke yelled as the shadow came at them. They readied their stance.
The shadow spread its massive wingspan as it bellowed, "I am a shadow! The true self! Come my prince, let us dance and make merry together!"
"Hang on, Yukiko! I'm here for you." Chie called back.
Yu turned to Teddie. "Weakness?"
"The nose says it's weak to ice attacks. Try using Bufu skills." Teddie said.
"Do we know any?" Yu said back, dodging the Yukiko bird swooping down at him.
"Chie-chan should." Teddie yelped as he backed up into a corner. "I'm just gonna stay back here if that's okay with you guys."
"You! Are! Pathetic!" Yosuke yelled in between the bird's talons slashing at him.
Yu began to swing his golf club at the bird, but it didn't seem to be doing much damage.
"Chie, we could really use your help!" he called.
"Hang on! I'm coming!" Chie yelled, summoning her persona.
Tomoe sent in its ice attack, stopping the bird in its tracks. As it crash landed to the ground Chie yelled out, "Is this our chance?"
"Do it!" Yu yelled and they rushed the bird with everything they had.
Suddenly the bird sprang up and knocked them back. "Humph, you're not princes at all! You're just worthless commoners. My prince, come deal with these foolish children!"
Yu felt a pain in his upper arm and looked over to see that he was bleeding. Who…?
He got his answer a moment later when what looked like a small metal man tried slashing him with its sword again.
Yu tried to call for the others but they were too busy dealing with the bird.
"Crap, what do I do now?" He said to himself.
"Use me." a small voice rang in his head. That was the voice of…!
"Pixie!" Yu yelled.
The small fairy appeared and sent a weak electric attack towards the prince. It may not have done much but it was enough to knock it back long enough for Pixie to heal Yu's wound.
"Call me again anytime, Master!" Pixie called as it disappeared.
Yu summoned Izanagi and sent another electric attack towards the prince. Seeing it was overpowered, it ran off somewhere.
"Good riddance." Yu mumbled as he rejoined the others in fighting the Yukiko bird.
"You've got it cornered!" Teddie yelled from the back of the room. "Just a little more!"
"Oh, I'm sorry." The bird cooed. "Did you think you were winning?"
The bird spread its wings and sent out an intense blast of fire. It was all they could do to keep standing.
"No way," Yosuke said. "She's been packing an attack like that the whole time?"
"I-I can barely feel my legs." Chie stammered out.
This wasn't good. Chie's ice skills may cover its weakness, but they just weren't strong enough to take her out on their own.
"Now die, you scum!" the bird screeched as it readied its final attack. Yu braced for the oncoming attack.
"Hey, punk!" a voice sounded in Yu's ear. "You really gonna let this bitch give you what for?"
Yu looked up. In front of him was what looked like a manta ray wearing some sort of crown.
"Let me help, kid. I'm Forneus. Nice to meetcha."
The Foreus card slowly came down. Yu grabbed it and crushed it in his hand, summoning the persona.
"Yosuke," he said. "Heal up Chie as much as you can. Chie, when I give the word do an ice attack at its chest."
"What about you?" Yosuke asked.
"I've got a plan."
Yosuke and Chie both nodded.
"Ready, go!"
Once Chie was healed, she and Yu focused Tomoe and Forneus's ice attacks at the bird's chest, knocking it back into the chandelier. Yu switched to Izanagi and aimed for the chain connecting it to the ceiling.
Once the chandelier had crashed down to the ground, the explosion of smoky blackness told them the shadow was down.
"Yukiko!" Chie cried as she rushed over to help her friend off the ground.
"Yukiko, I'm so sorry. I was so caught up in my own feelings that I hadn't even payed attention to what you were going though."
"No, Chie it's…" Yukiko sighed. "I'm sorry. I was focused on finding an easy way out but in the end I never stopped to consider how you felt."
"Yeah, we kinda gotta look out for each other. Just know that I'm here no matter what happens."
"Yeah… same." Yukiko's shadow came into view.
"I guess you're right about what you said. I really do feel that way but… I can't deny you anymore. You're me and I'm you. And I'm going to focus on getting better."
The shadow gave a nod of its head and in a flash of light transformed into a beautiful woman laden with cherry blossoms.
"Konohana Sakuya… My persona…" Yukiko said before falling to her knees. The others rushed over to her.
"I'm fine," Yukiko reassured them. "Just tired."
"I can understand why." Teddie said, rushing over. "This world can do that to some people."
"Uh, who are you?" Yukiko asked.
"I'm Teddie! So do you know who threw you in here?"
"Why don't we let her rest before we bombard her with questions." Yosuke suggested.
"Good idea." Yu said.
"Oh! He's home!" Nanako cried as the door opened.
Dojima entered the house followed by another man. "I'm giving him a ride home, but I figured we'd come in for dinner."
"Hey, you must be Nanako." the man said. "I'm the guy who's been your dad's slave the past month."
"I can still work you harder, you know." Dojima said, glaring.
"Uh, point taken."
"H-hello." Nanako stammered.
"Aren't you the guy from the police station?" Yu asked, eyeing him. "What was your name?"
"Oh! You're that kid. Yeah, I'm Tohro Adachi."
"Hey Adachi, quit blabbering and wash those hands." Dojima called from the kitchen.
"Uh, right."
Dinner was lively with idle chit-chat about various topics. It was a wonder they even finished all the food.
"Oh, by the way," Adachi said, looking at Yu. "You're friends with that Amagi girl, right?"
"Uh, yeah?" Yu could see where this was going.
"Well, they found her. She's going to need some time to recover, but I'd thought I'd let you know she's safe."
"That's good to hear. I was getting worried."
"Yeah, but nobody can figure out where she's been. It's almost like-"
"Hey dumbass," Dojima interrupted. "Quit running your mouth before you say something you shouldn't."
"Of course, sir." Adachi said dejectedly.