Disclaimer: I own neither Persona 5 or My Hero Academia
Chapter 6
Morgana scouted out the previous room that Izuku and Ryuji had used for their escape, the cat humming as he waved back. "Come on, the coast is clear!" He called out before skipping through the large vent to the inside room. "It seems like this room is seldom patrolled by the Shadows. I've used it several times for in and out reconnaissance." the cat explained, turning back and watching as Izuku and Ryuji dropped to the ground on their feet. "I figured you guys would come back, but I didn't think so soon. You did narrowly escape death the last time you were here."
"Call us curious, I guess. There's still more I wanna know about this place." Ryuji shrugged, dusting off his blazer as he stepped up to the cat.
"I've got questions of my own I want to answer, too. There's so much I'm curious about when it comes to this place as well as what we can learn about Kamoshida-sensei from it." Izuku hummed in thought, crossing his arms as he walked up to the cat. "But before that, have you been able to obtain your original objective? You never told us what it was."
"Well, that's actually… pretty complicated." Morgana admitted, looking to the side to hide his embarrassment. "So far, my infiltration of the palace hasn't been going well…"
"What exactly are you lookin' for anyway? I mean, aside from gettin' locked up by Kamoshida, you really don't have much of a reason to be pickin' a fight with him, right?" Ryuji asked curiously, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"While I might be pissed off at that pervert for imprisoning me, I had my own reasons for coming to this place." Morgana explained, placing his small paws on his hips. "There's something within this palace that may hold the key to my memories."
"Memories?" Izuku repeated in surprise. "D-do you have amnesia, Morgana-san?"
"S-something like that…" Morgana grumbled, one eye squinting as he struggled to find the right way to explain. "You could say I remember certain… details from my past such as what the palaces are and the details regarding the palace rulers, but… nothing about my past as a human."
"Still not sure whether this is your Quirk either, huh?" Ryuji hummed, the cat hissing in annoyance.
"I told you, this isn't related to a Quirk! It's…." Morgana bit his bottom lip, looking away for a moment. "I-I don't know… but I know for sure that it's not my real form! I'm a human, through and through! I'm sure…"
"You don't sound very sure, saying it like that." Ryuji scoffed, his indifference causing Morgana to groan in irritation.
"J-just shut up! An idiot wouldn't know about any of this!" Morgana snapped, turning his back to the faux blond and crossing his paws.
"What did you say?!" Ryuji huffed in irritation, apparently willing to start a fight with the small cat. Seeing enough, Izuku sheepishly waved his arms as he got in between the two.
"C-come on, R-Ryuji-sempai! W-we came here to get answers, not to fight. Didn't we?" Izuku reasoned, hoping to play peacemaker well enough between the two to calm them down.
"AAAAARGH!"
A piercing scream echoed through the air, immediately drawing Izuku and Ryuji's attention to the door leading further inside the castle. "H-holy shit, that was real…"
"It's just some of the cognitive slaves. Just ignore it." Morgana sighed, turning back to the two again. "It's like this all day. Though Kamoshida seemed especially ticked off after you two escaped. He's probably taking out a lot of frustration on the slaves."
"M-man… knowing that they're not real helps make things easier, but it's still creepy as hell to just hear screaming like that…" Ryuji muttered, scratching his head awkwardly before turning to Izuku. "I-imagine if those were actual people. Kamoshida wouldn't be able to get away with that kinda shit, right?"
Izuku didn't answer immediately, the scream still echoing in his ears. But a thought occurred to him. One that made him pale just at the prospect of the idea. His eyes slowly widened as he trembled slightly, but didn't completely break yet. "M-Morgana-san…"
"Yeah?" The cat spoke up, noticing his discomfort.
"This entire place… it's a creation of Kamoshida's cognition, r-right? I-it's basically displacing his thoughts and feelings on the school… which also includes the students… right?" Izuku further implored, Morgana nodding in confirmation as the small mouth of the cat seemed to frown further.
"Wh-what's that mean, though? Why are you all shaky, dude?" Ryuji asked, still unable to fully process exactly what Izuku was getting at.
"Thi-this is just a theory, Ryuji-sempai, but…" Izuku began to mutter, sweat trailing down his brow. He was hesitant to even say, not only because of how Ryuji might react, but also because of how uncomfortable the thought was making him. "... Th-then… whatever the Kamoshida of this world is doing to them… it may not be as far off from what the real world version does to students as you think…"
Ryuji blinked, needing a moment to process what he meant. "W-wait… s-so the slaves and the people we saw, they all represent exactly how he sees students? J-just as effin' slaves that he likes to pound on for amusement?!" Ryuji gripped his hands as he shook with frustration before finally letting out a cry of anger. "Rargh! That friggin' asshole!"
"Hey, keep quiet!" Morgana snapped, hopping up and down. "Just because they don't come in here often doesn't mean they won't if you make a ruckus!"
"S-sorry, I just-argh!" Ryuji grunted, making Izuku flinch with the volume of his voice. He took a moment to calm down, breathing deeply as he tried to calm at least somewhat after seeing how Izuku reacted. "Sorry… I knew that he was a complete asshole, but… having it confirmed to me just makes me want to kick his ass even more."
"I have to say, curly hair. I'm almost blown away by how sharp you are…" Morgana said with a bit of awe in his voice. "It's obvious that this Kamoshida guy is a total piece of garbage. But I'm surprised that you're accepting of what he might be capable of considering he probably hides it well. Of course, seeing all this, perhaps it's a lot easier than I think."
"W-well… normally, I'd like to believe someone who's a teacher might not be capable of all of this, but…" Izuku hesitated for a moment, biting his bottom lip before sighing, turning to look at Ryuji. "Kamoshida-sensei… he's the one who leaked my criminal record to the rest of the school…"
"W-wait, what?!" Ryuji blinked in shock, his previous rage having simmered over. "I-I mean, I definitely wouldn't put it past the bastard to do something so slimy, but why?! You literally just got to this damn school! He shouldn't have a reason for singling you out like that."
"That's what I've been trying to figure out…" Izuku muttered before glancing around the room. "But perhaps… with his cognition this distorted, he just doesn't like to have something, or someone, outside of his control… He most likely just wants me to get kicked out or leave the school on my own… I-it probably makes him feel like I would distract people from all of his accomplishments…"
"Th-that's the most retarded thing I've ever heard! Damn it, I'm seriously just getting pssed off the more we talk about this!" Ryuji snapped again, raking through his faux blond hair in frustration. "He just makes it his damn mission to go out of his way to eff up someone's life for his own dumbass reasons!"
"R-Ryuji-sempai…" Izuku swallowed. It was obvious that Ryuji wasn't mad over just what happened to Izuku. He had to hold back his previous question as to what Kamoshida had done to the punk. It was obvious Ryuji had a problem saying it outright, and pressing the subject probably wouldn't do him any good. Instead, Izuku shifted his gaze to Morgana, biting his bottom lip. "M-Morgana-san… this place… because it's based on cognition, will altering it in some way affect Kamoshida-sensei?"
Morgana's ears seemed to perk up at this question, eyes widening slightly. "Okay, you're kind of scaring me with how insightful you are about how this place works, curly hair…" Morgana admitted before coughing into his paw. "B-but yes, it is indeed possible to make a change to someone's cognition by messing with this palace. Although it's nothing as simple as messing with the palace ruler or this castle directly. It takes quite a bit more than that…"
"W-wait, I don't get it. What's going on?" Ryuji asked, seemingly calmed down somewhat after his outburst. "You wanna see if you can change Kamoshida?"
"N-no, not particularly. I-I mean, it would probably be for the best, but I'm more curious as to how and if it's possible." Izuku admitted, holding his chin in thought. "Considering this place is based on Kamoshida-sensei's perception, it makes sense that you can change things in him by making adjustments to this world… though that is a dangerous idea all on it's own, even with the best intentions…"
"What do you mean?" Ryuji asked, hoping Izuku might be able to make it more understandable for him.
The green haired teen took a moment to think of the best way to put it. "S-so, say we wanted to make him change for the good… but we messed something up here, and instead, it makes him… even worse." Izuku explained as easily as possible, causing Ryuji to blink. "I-if we do something wrong, someone could get seriously hurt… though from what it looks like, others already are…"
"Oh… I get what you mean…" Ryuji nodded, able to get a gist of what Izuku was saying at least. "Damn it. I was hoping that we could do something by coming here… something to help us get at that asshole, at least…"
"Like I said, it's possible. But it definitely won't be easy." Morgana declared, turning their attention back to him. "As you guys are now, even with curly hair's power, you guys wouldn't be able to get far with that. So I think you should probably give up on that idea for now."
Izuku and Ryuji glanced at one another with a bit of disappointment before sighing, resigning from the idea of making a change in Kamoshida. Izuku would have felt odd about doing such either way, though. While Kamoshida deserved to be punished, what changes they would make would definitely be considered a crime of sorts. Vigilantism for one, among a slew of other things to consider. Though he doubted that even registered heroes would be able to use such a world.
"Is there really nothin' we can do, then..?" Ryuji muttered, a frown deepening on his features. Izuku bit his bottom lip, trying to find an alternative. This world was obvious proof of Kamoshida's true nature. He was a scumbag who prayed on his students for his own selfish motives. The problem was that they couldn't necessarily prove it to anyone unless they brought them here. The only ones who must have known were the teams he coached, those who were victims of the apparent abuse.
The abuse victims… Izuku suddenly had an idea, a figurative light bulb lighting up above his head before turning to Morgana again. "Morgana-san, if the prisoners here are based on his cognition of students, d-does that mean they might actually be recognizable people from the real world?"
"If Kamoshida knows them personally in some way, then yes. The cognitive creations should be pretty accurate, depending on how he sees those people." Morgana confirmed for them, his words bringing determination back to Izuku.
"Th-then maybe we can stop him, Ryuji-sempai…" Izuku reasoned, turning back to the faux blond. "P-perhaps we can see exactly who he's torturing further in the dungeon. With that, we might be able to get an idea of who knows what's going on. I-if we get enough students to come forward, th-then maybe… maybe we can get him kicked out of the school, or even arrested."
Ryuji's eyes seemed to light up as Izuku spoke, a grin starting to spread across his face. "Oh, dude, you're an effin' genius! That's a great idea! As long as we can get people to admit what that asshole is doin' to 'em, we'll have that bastard by the balls!"
"It's a good thing this guy's around to do the planning for you. I can't imagine how hopeless you'd be without him." Morgana chuckled teasingly, his words almost shattering Ryuji's change in mood. "But if you guys are really set on doing this, I'm guessing you'll need my help."
"Y-yes, Morgana-san. I-if you could help us find our way through the dungeon, that'd be a great help!" Izuku nodded, gripping his hand in determination. "We need to put a stop to what Kamoshida-sensei is doing… I-if he's really hurting people, someone needs to help them."
"Spoken like a true hero, huh?" Ryuji chuckled, nudging Izuku with his elbow. The green haired teen only chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
"Heh, can't say I don't like your spunk. Alright, I'll help you guys out. But if I do, you guys are going to help me with what I'm trying to do here." Morgana declared, crossing his arms as a small grin spread across his face. "I might be quite generous, but even I have to get some compensation for all this work."
Ryuji and Izuku looked at one another, the faux blond shrugging noncommittally. Turning back to Morgana, Izuku nodded. "All right, that's fair. If you help us with this, I promise to help you with your own goal."
Morgana gave a wider cat grin and laughed triumphantly. "All right! Looks like we have a deal! So don't try and back out of it later, got it?" looking up in thought, Morgana hummed. "Oh, but I don't think I ever got your name, curly hair."
"O-oh, I'm sorry. I-it's Izuku Midoriya." the timid teen said, formally introducing himself. With all the excitement that had occurred the day before, Izuku had completely forgotten to give a proper introduction.
"Alright then, Midoriya. You and blondie follow me. We're going to head back to the dungeon. Give me a sec while I make sure the our path is still open." Morgana nodded before dashing off toward the door and peeking out.
"You really gonna help him do what he's going for?" Ryuji asked curiously, his voice in a whisper. "I mean-I don't mind helpin' out too much, it's just that I don't know how helpful I can be. Or what that crazy cat is trying to get us into."
"I-it's alright, Ryuji-sempai. For now, let's just focus on finding the slaves and see what we can do with that." Izuku reasoned, the faux blond giving a nod in response.
"Okay, we're good. Let's go!" Morgana waved for them to follow at the door, opening it wider for them. Izuku and Ryuji nodded in acceptance before quickly dashing after him. The three started to sprint down the hall, once again going through the grand entrance they had previously been captured in. As they passed through this time though, Ryuji and Izuku skidded to a stop when the scenery shimmered, shifting to the image of the school entrance.
"Wh-whoa?! What the hell just happened?!" Ryuji barked out in shock, looking around to see if his eyes were playing a trick on him.
"Remember, while this is the world of cognition, this is still technically your school. The image will dissipate at times, though most usually places where the distortion is weakest." Morgana explained for them, Izuku furrowing his brow in thought.
"I-I knew that this was technically the school, but it's strange to really think that the world is basically right on top of the other, unnoticed and almost non-existent…" Izuku mumbled to himself, holding his chin as his eyes fell to the ground.
"Hey, enough dawdling, you two. We don't want to get stopped by Shadows before we even get to the dungeon." Morgana snapped at them both, pulling attention back to him.
"A-ah, s-sorry Morgana-san! L-let's go!" Izuku nodded, catching up with Morgana quickly as he could.
"H-hey, don't leave me behind!" Ryuji called out, dashing after them. They quickly found their way back to the dungeon, trekking down the stone steps leading to the lower level.
As they approached the bottom, Morgana suddenly held up his paw, halting the two before they could go any further. "Wait. Shadow ahead…" Morgana whispered back, motioning forward with his paw. Seeing past the steel bar door, Izuku and Ryuji quickly confirmed his words, both hiding against the bars while the guard strode back and forth on the stone path.
"I figured they would have guards down here, too…" Morgana sighed in disappointment before looking at Izuku. "Alright, rookie. It's time I taught you both how to be phantom thieves. We'll start with ambushes…"
"Phantom thieves? What, did you make that up because you thought it sounded cool or something?" Ryuji deadpanned, earning an annoyed glare from Morgana.
"Geez, are you really that ignorant?! A phantom thief is an old term!" Morgana snapped back.
"M-Morgana-san is right, Ryuji-sempai... a phantom thief refers to something like a gentlemen thief who doesn't steal for riches but usually ulterior motives..." Izuku explained further, causing Ryuji to blink.
"I-I knew that, I was just makin' fun of him!" Ryuji defended lamely, his retort obviously a half assed lie.
"Whatever, both of you shut up and listen!" Morgana whisper shouted in frustration.
Morgana sighed, turning his attention back to the enemy ahead of them. "Alright, so to ambush a Shadow, you need to jump on it's back and rip off the mask. Doing so will stun the Shadow and allow us to take the enemies that come out by surprise. It will give us a great advantage when getting into fights. Considering the amount of guards walking around, it's best to strike from behind as much as possible."
"U-understood… though I didn't realize we could rip off the masks like that…" Izuku hummed quietly, trying to find the best way to use this to his advantage in the future.
"O-oh, before you guys fight, I've got somethin' for you to use!" Ryuji whispered, pulling his book back up front and rummaging through it. "Tada~!" He whispered loudly, pulling out what looked like a real gun at first glance and caused his two companions to do a double take. It was a large revolver model, though the gun chamber stuck out largely at the top, most likely a ten round chamber magnum.
"Y-you brought a gun?!" Izuku whispered out in disbelief for a moment before his eyes picked up the details, somewhat calming down. "O-oh, that's a model gun, huh?" He said, breathing out in relief.
"Yeah, there was no way I could get a real one. But I figured that maybe if you have this you can fake out the Shadows with it." Ryuji reasoned with a confident grin. "Pretty good idea, right?"
"That's just a toy!" Morgana retorted, only for Ryuji to shrug.
"It's better than nothin, ain't it?" He held it out to Izuku for him to take, the green haired teen sighing.
"I-it's okay, Ryuji-sempai. I-I don't know if it will work on…" Izuku stopped after a moment as he inspected the gun a bit closer, his eyes shining after a second and taking the revolver in his hand. "W-wai-wait, is this a model gun of Gun Hero Snipe's peacekeeper?!" Izuku blurted out in awe, jaw slack in amazement. While All Might was his all time favorite, he still loved many other heroes.
"I figured you'd like that one. I always thought that guy was pretty cool, too." Ryuji snickered, rubbing his index finger under his nose. "Now you'll look like a total badass when you're holding them up! Even if it doesn't actually hurt them."
"Hey, you two realize we still have an enemy in front of us, right?" Morgana sighed, shaking his head as he brought their attention back forward. "But… hold onto that gun. I have an idea for it you might like."
"An idea?" Izuku blinked in question but did as bid, putting it in the inside jacket pocket.
"Just wait and see. Now, go and rip his mask off! But remember that you have to be quiet about it." Morgana pointed forward at the walking mass of armor. Izuku blinked in disbelief before looking forward and gawking.
"M-me?! Already?! Sh-shouldn't you d-do it first to give me an example?!" Izuku whisper shouted in disbelief, his words causing Morgana to sigh.
"Come on, you're overthinking it. Just jump onto it's shoulders and rip that thing's mask off before it notices. No big deal. It's best to learn through experience, anyways." Morgana waves off nonchalantly, his words providing little in the way of comfort to Izuku. "This is the basic of basics. A rookie should have no problem pulling it off."
Izuku puckered his lips, glancing back at Ryuji for some sort of support. The faux blond could only shrug, unsure what to say or do. Considering that he was honestly able to supply the least to the fight, he wasn't sure there was much he could say to argue against Morgana on the subject.
Looking back at the knight that seemed entirely oblivious of their presence, Izuku gulped and stood to a low crouch, slowly stepping forward. I-I can't believe I'm doing this! Wh-why couldn't Morgana-san at least do it first?! The timid teen took shaky steps slowly after the knight. O-okay, just latch onto the shoulder armor and launch myself up. I'll have to be careful about balancing once I get on it's shoulders, but as long as I grab it's mask, it shouldn't be too hard to rip it off, I hope…
The knight suddenly stopped walking, immediately causing Izuku to freeze. It didn't seem to be aware of his presence, but it was nonetheless intimidating. Izuku knew that when the knight paused like this, it was getting ready to turn around. O-okay, now or never! I-I'll do it! Izuku reached up and tightly grabbed the Shadow's shoulder guards. The Shadow's reaction was almost delayed, only starting to look around in confusion after Izuku launched himself up. Izuku then realized though that he felt lighter than normal, having almost no problem when jumping up like he didn't even need to get a hold of the monster's body for momentum. He suddenly found himself clumsily balancing on it's shoulders, arms swinging in the air as he tried to straighten out.
"Wha-who are you?!" The Shadow cried out in shock. Gripping his teeth, Izuku mustered up his courage and reached below, quickly grabbing the blue mask. He felt about the same amount of resistance it took to rip off his mask the first time, minus the pain that accompanied it. With a swift tug, Izuku ripped it off in one motion, sending himself flying backward and falling flat on his back. The black sludge had done as it had before, pouring out from the gap in armor and taking shape as two creatures. This time, they were something different than both things before, small child-like creatures with large flower in place of hair and a ring of leaves around it's neck.
"Talk about amateur and sloppy, but at least you got the job done." Morgana chuckled, jumping to his side with his scimitar at the ready. Reaching back, Izuku found his staff, quickly pushing off the ground and preparing to fight. "Wait a sec, don't fight just yet. Pull the gun out."
Izuku blinked in surprise at his request, quickly shuffling through his jacket pocket and pulling out the model of Snipe's revolver. "O-okay, but I still d-don't know what to do with it…"
"Point it forward at one of the two and pull the trigger! Quick, before they're ready to recover!" Morgana ordered again. Izuku bit his lip and pointed with the toy gun. He wasn't sure what Morgana was pulling with this stunt, but he guessed that he was trying to make them surrender or some-
*BANG*
"AGH~!" One of the creatures cried out, Izuku's face going pale as he watched it knock off balance and fall to the ground with a thud. He looked down at the gun before looking back at Ryuji with the same amount of shock, only to find the blond was similarly in a state of awe, both their jaws completely dropped.
"What?!" They cried out in unison, sweat starting to bead down their faces, Izuku spastically looking around as if there would be an answer for this somewhere in sight. "I-it shot like a real gun! Wha-how-I-I don't understand!" Izuku cried out in complete confusion.
"Hey, don't drop your guard!" Morgana advised, swiftly pulling out a small slingshot and taking aim at the other Shadow and blasting it with the weapon. The effectiveness seemed to be the same as Izuku's gun, knocking the shadow off it's feet. "Now come on, let's finish them!"
Izuku could only blink in response before gulping and pulling his staff up to his chest. Launching himself in the air, much higher than normal he noted, Izuku brought the staff above his head before slamming it down on the shadow he had knocked down, dispersing it back into the black sludge again. Morgana had done the same, slashing through the Shadow with his scimitar. With that, the fight was over. Izuku took a moment to catch his breath, standing up straight and leaning on his staff.
"You've gotta pay more attention while you're in a fight, even if something surprises you." Morgana advised, placing his paws on his hips but offering an approving look. "But you didn't do too bad, at least."
"B-but what the hell was that?!" Ryuji blurted out, running up to the two now that the enemies were disposed of. "That toy gun shot off like the real deal!"
"Ah, that. You see, because this world is based off cognition, certain elements are affected. Such as with the gun. Even though it's a model gun, it still looks completely real to the Shadows. Because of this, it's perceived as a real weapon which in turn makes it act as a real weapon."
"Th-that's confusin' as shit! I mean-maybe the gun I get, but why does your slingshot work the same, then?! It was just as strong when you hit that Shadow!" Ryuji complained, actually asking a very reasonable question that Izuku had to admit he shared.
Morgana, despite himself, actually looked rather thrown off by the question, swaying a bit uncomfortably. "W-well, I mean… i-it just works that way, okay? It's perceived as a projectile gun a-and has that same effect!" Shaking his head, he turned back to Izuku and placed his paws on his hips. "Something for you to remember is to always be mindful of your ammo. You might be able to shoot it off like a real gun because of the cognition, but that doesn't mean it's got infinite bullets."
"You… totally avoided the question." Ryuji grimaced, narrowing his eyes at the cat, who simply ignored him.
"G-got it… I-I've never held a gun before, but… I-I guess it'll be interesting to see how it works…" Izuku gulped, obviously terrified of the prospect of using a gun that was actually lethal.
"Hey, I think I heard some commotion down there!" The three heard a distorted voice, alert soon filling them again.
"Crap, let's get going! We don't want to fight more than we have to!" Morgana urged them, hopping down the closest hallway and waving a paw. "This way!" Izuku and Ryuji didn't wait, quickly following after the feline. They ran a few meters down before skidding to a stop, hearing the sound of quick footfall further down the hall as well.
"D-damn it, what now?!" Ryuji groaned, looking around for another route. Morgana did the same, his eyes landing on a single wooden door.
"This feeling… come on, into the room!" Morgana ordered, quickly moving to the door and pulling it open. Not seeing any other option, Izuku and Ryuji obeyed, rushing into the room and quickly closing the door behind them. "Okay, we should be safe here. The guards won't come in."
"S-safe?! All they have to do is open the door and we're toast!" Ryuji blanched, seeing that there was no way for them to escape should the guards decide to check out the room.
"It's not a problem. We're definitely safe here. Take a look." Morgana chuckled smugly, the two blinking before looking around the room. In a wave, they suddenly saw a classroom replace the shabby break room. "This room is the least distorted among the castle, which means the Shadows won't come here looking."
"Was that… a classroom?" Ryuji muttered in disbelief, glancing around in disbelief.
"I see…" Izuku mumbled, holding his chin and looking down in thought. "... because he's only a coach and gym teacher, Kamoshida-sensei has the least control in other classrooms, so his cognition isn't strong enough in those spaces in spite of the overall distortion over the school…"
"Wha-how are you picking up on all this so quickly?! I'm still confused as shit!" Ryuji blurted out, scratching his head in frustration.
"Not everyone moves at a snail's pace when it comes to thinking like you, Ryuji." Morgana taunted with a chuckle.
Before Ryuji could retort, Izuku held up a hand, silently pointing to the door. "Did you see where they went?" A muffled voice shouted on the other side of the door, the three remaining silent as they listened in. "I don't think they came this way. Return to your posts, but remain vigilant! If those thieves are really here, we must dispose of them for lord Kamoshida!" with that, the shadows seemed to disperse, footsteps getting further away after several seconds of waiting. Once they seemed to be in the clear, the three collectively took a breath in relief, relaxing somewhat now that they could.
"Man… It's a damn good thing that asshole doesn't teach a class, too…" Ryuji muttered, taking a seat in one of the wooden chairs nearby. "But hey, I noticed that all the cells were empty on our way here. Even the one I remembered from before was empty. Where the hell are the slaves?"
"Like I said before, they're all most likely in the torture chamber. We've got to go deeper before we'll find them. Now let's rest up for a few before we continue. It might be safe here, but we shouldn't stay longer in this palace than we need to." Morgana advised, hopping up on the table in front of Ryuji.
"At least we have somewhere to go in case things get heated." Izuku mumbled, standing by the table now. "But since we have the time, I did have something else I wanted to ask about, Morgana-san."
"Fire away." Morgana agreed, seeing no reason to rush.
"I've been wondering about my clothes… they changed the same time that my Persona appeared, so it's obvious they're related. How is that exactly?" Izuku questioned, looking at the cat intently. "Is it related to the mask?"
"In some way, it is." Morgana nodded in confirmation. "The clothes represent your will of rebellion. Your Persona is it manifested into power, while the clothes protect you in what you picture a rebel to be within your heart. It also helps to protect you from distortions."
"I… don't get it…" Ryuji admitted with a sigh, leaning forward on his knees.
"So… I guess because I want to be a hero, my inner rebel was to be one…" Izuku muttered, looking down at his attire.
"W-wait, but heroes aren't really rebels in our world. I mean, practically everyone wants to be one." Ryuji pointed out, seemingly able to understand that much at least. "So how does that make you a rebel?"
"... Probably because despite not having a Quirk and having a criminal record, I still want to be a hero." Izuku admitted, gripping at his chest. "Even though society has told me over and over again that I can't be one… I guess my rebellion is to keep trying at it…"
"Sounds like things have been pretty hard for you." Morgana mused, a small sympathetic frown on his face. Izuku looked back up at Morgana, a look of determination coming over his features that couldn't be hidden by his mask.
"It's the other reason I decided to come back. I want to know more about my powers. I want to know if I can use them to help people if at all possible. Considering that this power is similarly based on cognition, it's doubtful I can use them outside of this world, but… I feel like there's a reason I can use them here. Maybe I can help people with them here, starting with Kamoshida-sensei." Izuku explained, brow furrowed seriously. "If I can do that, then I'll put all my effort into working hard in this world."
Morgana widened his eyes after hearing Izuku's speech, taken back by the timid teen's sudden conviction. "You know, Izuku, you never cease to surprise me. You've got a lotta guts for a guy who is constantly jumpy." He chuckled, but a small smile of admiration accompanying his expression.
"Y-yeah dude, you're effin' amazing…" Ryuji muttered in awe, eyes wide as he stared at the timid teen. "I knew you were pretty kind and brave, but you've got a lot more in you than I thought…"
"I'll tell you what. Once we're done gathering the intel here and you've helped me with my objective, I think I can help you make that happen." Morgana declared with a small… paw pump. "Just be prepared. You've got a lot to learn. Though I think you'll be able to catch up pretty quickly at the pace you've been going at so far."
"S-so there is a way to use my powers to help others?!" Izuku grinned, excited to hear that coming from the feline. "A-alright, once we're done here, I'll do my best to help you out!"
"Now that's what I like to hear! I'd say our deal has taken a pretty big step up from what we originally had planned." Morgana snickered triumphantly. "You'll be pretty useful for what I need. So try to keep up, rookie."
Izuku smiled, satisfied with the deal that he had formed with the cat. Opening his eyes to speak, he realized that the two seemed to be frozen in place, blinking in question for a moment.
I am thou, thou art I
Izuku felt his eyes widen when he heard that voice echo in his head, the one he heard when he first awakened his Persona.
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
That breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Magician Persona,
I have obtained the winds of Blessing
that shall lead to freedom and new power…
The sound of chains breaking filled his ears, and a strangely designed card appeared before his eyes. Magician it read in strange text at the bottom. Then suddenly his friends started to move once again. "Alright, I think we've rested long enough. We should get going while the guards are off in another part of the castle." Morgana pointed out, hopping down from the table and heading for the door.
"Sounds good to me. Hopefully we don't run into any more than we already have." Ryuji sighed, slapping his hands against his cheeks as if trying to wake up. "Alright, I'm ready! Gotta get hyped." He said, walking past Izuku. When they both noticed that he was lingering, staring for a long moment, the two blinked and looked back at him in question. "You okay, dude?"
Izuku blinked, seemingly having to wake up as well. "A-ah, y-yeah, of course…" Izuku nodded, biting his bottom lip. "But uh… did neither of you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Morgana asked this time, turning back to him curiously. Looking between the two, Izuku released a sigh. It seemed that it was only him who heard such a strange declaration. Considering everything that had been happening lately, he doubted it was just his imagination. I'm sure it has something to do with Igor in the velvet room. I'll be sure to ask about it the next time I'm there… even though he might not answer me straight out…
"N-nevermind, I-I was just hearing things… Let's go."
It didn't take long for the trio to reach the torture room of the dungeon. They had stuck to the shadows, and only encountered two guards that they were forced to fight which, thankfully, weren't enough of a challenge to slow them too much. As they went through the halls, they had confirmed Morgana's previous words, all of the cells empty of their prisoners. It had taken some time, but they had at least reached the chamber without alerting any other guards to their presence other than those they had already disposed of.
"Holy shit…" Ryuji muttered, the three walking up to a bar window and observing the torture below them.
"This is… terrible…" Izuku muttered, his face paling at the sight. "T-this is the kind of thing a teacher would impose on a student..?" the first view of torture they had wasn't pretty. Chained against what looked like a volleyball net, several teenagers in gym suits could be seen being lashed in the back over and over again by the guards.
"That's not the only thing they're doing down here…" Morgana pointed out, at another window further down in the chamber. Izuku and Ryuji hesitated for a moment before pushing forward, both looking through the window of the second large cell. By comparison, this punishment seemed more tame, but was no less cruel. Several students were forced to run on a large conveyor belt, a spiked roller at the end should one fail to keep running.
"Pl-please, no more… I-I can't…" One of them was crying out weakly, breath labored as he struggled to keep from certain doom.
"That piece of shit… not giving people water when they train is common, but still… it's eff'd up." Ryuji cursed, gripping his hand in frustration. "And it looks like I was right. These guys are familiar. They're all members of the volleyball team. No surprise they're the ones on the receivin' end of all his shit."
"Hey, we don't have time to stand around. The guards might come through here to check on the slaves." Morgana pointed out. While he did think it was terrible, they were still only cognitions. There was nothing else to be done here for them.
"Sh-shit, you're right…" Ryuji sighed, pulling out his phone. "I can at least take pictures of all this… though I guess just focusin' on the person will work. No one would get who the guards are." he mumbled, searching through his apps before blinking. "Wh-what the hell?! The camera app won't open up!"
"Wh-what?" Izuku widened his eyes before quickly pulling out his own phone. "I-it's strange… mine won't work either… only the navigation app seems to be working here…"
"Ah-son of a bitch!" Ryuji snapped in anger, stuffing his phone away. "I can't believe this shit!"
"Hey, not so loudly! Those are still guards down there, you know." Morgana warned, earning a sigh in response from Ryuji.
"Damn it, this isn't what I had in mind…" Ryuji muttered before going up to the bars. "I guess all I can do is memorize their faces. I know a few of 'em, so we can at least talk to them later."
"W-will they really admit to it, though?" Izuku muttered, biting his bottom lip. "I-if this has been going on for a while, then… they've likely resigned to what's been happening…" Izuku shook his head, brow furrowing in determination. "Even so, if we can get at least one of them to talk, it would help. Then maybe we'll be able to take Kamoshida-sensei down."
"Exactly. All we gotta do is make 'em talk. I won't let that asshole get away with this…" Ryuji growled before moving away from the bars. "Alright, I've got their faces memorized. Let's see who else is here." The three moved forward, looking into the next cell. Ryuji and Izuku felt their eyes widen again when they saw the next torture. A student was being hung from the ceiling upside down, a ball being spiked into him powerfully enough to explode upon impact.
"I-it only seems to get worse…" Izuku gulped, wondering just how terrible Kamoshida really was. He almost doubted that the teacher could get any more devious short of murder. Something which his Shadow had attempted against them, of course.
"I heard he's spiked a couple students in practice, but… I didn't think he was this severe wtih that shit…" Ryuji muttered before shaking his head. "C-come on, I've got his face memorized, too."
Moving onto the next cell, they saw a teen standing there quietly, apparently spared for the moment from the torture. "What do you guys want? I don't wanna get glared at like people do to you… I'd rather be popular than free…" He said on his own, causing Ryuji and Izuku to blink in shock.
"Are you sayin' you don't give a shit about bein' tortured?! Who gives a shit about how people look at you!" Ryuji snapped back.
"R-Ryuji-sempai…" Izuku muttered, only for the faux blond to shake his head.
"I know, I know. They're just fakes. It just pisses me off to hear that…" He muttered before turning to them. "Alright, that's everyone. Let's get the hell out of here."
"Good, we've been here long enough. Come on, let's get going!" Morgana urged, dashing ahead to lead them back to the closest exit. Ryuji and Izuku were close behind, the three finally departing from the chamber and returning back to the main halls of the dungeon. They stopped at the top of the stairs, the sound of some of the guards talking being heard further down the right path.
"We haven't heard any reports from the west guards. Chances of intruders in the castle have risen. Be on guard!" One ordered, the sound of their armor moving around echoing down the hall. Morgana peeked around the side of the barrel, clicking his tongue.
"Darn it, we've lingered too long… We need to get out of here, and quick." Morgana whispered back before going to the opposite hall of the guards. "Come on, this way! We're heading straight for the exit!"
Izuku and Ryuji nodded, quickly rushing after the feline as he lead the way. Izuku noted that their path had been much clearer this time around as they moved through the dungeon, though he guessed it was because they had already been through here. At least, that's what he wanted to believe. Besides, they didn't have much choice when it came to an alternate route of escape. None of them knew of a better way out.
"We're almost there!" Morgana announced, leading them up a familiar winding staircase. Pushing the doors open he didn't bother stopping, knowing that it was only a matter of time before they were found if they didn't hurry.
"So it was you knaves again, huh?"
Izuku felt himself pale as the familiar voice echoed through the main hall, he and Ryuji halting behind Morgana as the 'king' came into view. Behind him three armored guards followed. One in particular stood out, it's armor golden rather than gray like the others and standing at Kamoshida's side.
"To think you'd be foolish enough to come back here after what you fools pulled before." Kamoshida scoffed, his eyes falling on Ryuji. "Though I shouldn't be surprised that a dumb ape like you would keep trying to oppose me."
"This school ain't your castle, asshole!" Ryuji snapped, taking a step forward and glaring back at the Shadow. "We've seen all their faces! We know what you're doin' to 'em, too! You ain't gettin' away with this shit!"
"It seems you just can't get over what happened, huh?" Kamoshida scoffed, a smirk working its way onto his face. "After all, you wouldn't want to put the blame on yourself. You'd rather put it all on me despite being the 'track traitor' who got his team disbanded and ruined your friends dreams!" Izuku and Morgana blinked in shock, eyes turning slightly to the side at Ryuji.
"Wh-what's he talking about, Ryuji-sempai?" Izuku muttered despite himself. He knew that this was likely what Ryuji had been hiding about his relationship with Kamoshida, but he couldn't help but ask. The moment that Kamoshida had brought it up, the faux blond had winced in regret.
"I-I… I messed up…" Ryuji admitted, one eye squinting as he found trouble in looking the green haired teen in the eye.
"Messed up? Is that all you call it? Betraying your teammates and crushing their hopes of going to the nationals is just you having 'messed up'?" Kamoshida cackled, shaking his head. "You act like nothing even happened, carefree as ever when going through school. You don't look very repentant of what happened."
"Tha-that's not true! I just… I couldn't take it!" Ryuji snapped, grinding his teeth in frustration. "You were pushing us too damn hard, you bastard! And then you talked shit about my dad!"
"Yet I'm not the one who ended up getting the team terminated by throwing a punch. That was all you." Kamoshida taunted further, his words digging into Ryuji like a nail. "It looks like you have followed this fool here only to be killed… how unlucky for you." Kamoshida turned around and waved his hand toward his guards, the knights stepping forward with their swords prepared. "Kill them all. I don't need this garbage lurking around my beautiful castle any longer."
"Yes, lord Kamoshida!" They chanted before dissolving into black ooze like before. Taking shape were three large black horse like creatures, ram horns on top of their heads as they stooped forward.
"Oh no-Ryuji, get back!" Morgana ordered, he and Izuku quickly stepping forward and pulling out their weapons. "Darn it, these ones are strong! We're going to have to try and look for an escape route once it's open."
"W-we also need to watch out for the golden one, he hasn't moved…" Izuku pointed out, the golden guard still in it's knight form. Is there a way we can try and move around them instead?
"Sh-shit, guys! Behind you!" Ryuji called out, Morgana and Izuku quickly turning their heads to the back. Behind them was another Shadow that seemed to escape their sight before, the large horse whinnying before lunging forward with its horns.
"C-crap! Watch out!" Morgana cried out, prepared to try and dodge if he could. Izuku bit his bottom lip as it approached, merely taking a side step with his staff reared back.
M-maybe if I can shift its momentum just enough, I can take it out… Izuku mused as he decided to take a heavy risk. Spinning his staff in hand, he waited until the last second before smacking the shadow directly in the head with it, crying out in strain as he put his full body strength into the hit. As hoped, it had knocked it off course, causing it to ram directly into the ground and flip over. "Y-yes! It work-"
"Forward!" Morgana pointed, Izuku turning and going pale as the Shadows they had faced first came charging in. He didn't have time to dodge or step out of the way, meekly holding his staff up to block the hit. It had failed at truly protecting him, the horse swinging it's head and knocking Izuku on the ground with its horns. The other had done the same with Morgana, the cat landing flat on his stomach next to him.
"G-guys!" Ryuji cried out in fear, unable to help in any way as he fell to his knees.
"W-we have to recover before they-" Izuku huffed out, only for a foot to stomp down on his back and force him to the ground. He looked up to see the golden guard from before, Kamoshida laughing as he moved forward and stepped down on Morgana.
"Agh! You son of a-" the cat cursed until he felt Kamoshida apply more pressure on his back.
"Look at that, Sakamoto. More people you're letting be crushed because of your selfishness." Kamoshida laughed as he leaned his weight on the cat. "I bet you barged in here on a whim, huh?"
"Y-you're wrong, he-" Izuku forced out with a grunt, only for the soldier to stomp on his back again.
"N-no! I didn't…" Ryuji muttered in despair, leaning forward on his hands as he visibly shook.
"I was even kind enough to supervise your practices. You should feel grateful I'd even do that much for your worthless track team." Kamoshida scoffed, crossing his arms.
"Y-you ruined everything! W-we were gonna go to nationals if it wasn't for you, asshole!" Ryuji growled in accusation, hands gripping until the knuckles were white.
"The track team was in the way. I was the only one who needed to be the star of our school." Kamoshida scoffed, taking enjoyment in his torment of Ryuji. "Your couch was an idiot, too. Had he not stood up to me with a sound argument, I might have just settled with breaking his star runner's leg."
Ryuji felt his breath hitch at that, looking back up at Kamoshida in shock. "Wh-what..? S-so you were aiming for that the whole time..?"
"Of course! I had to get rid of your team somehow. Considering how hot headed you always were, I knew it was only a matter of time before you snapped. You made it so easy to get rid of you." Kamoshida laughed as he shook his head.
"Yo-you're a monster…" Izuku growled out from his spot on the ground, teeth gnashing in anger. "Y-you would ruin someone else's future j-just for your reputation..?"
"And why not? My future is what matters. My results are what people are looking to. Whoever else get in my way just gets crushed." Kamoshida spat with a dark grin. "This society spends it's worthless time looking up to so called 'heroes' with admiration and expectations. I wasn't born with a some stupidly strong Quirk like they were, yet I've been able to claim all of that! What does some punk teen's future mean to me?"
"D-damn it… Y-you didn't just take away the track team… you made my Quirk almost unusable…" Ryuji muttered out, tears of frustration threatening at the edge of his eyes. "I-I can't believe it… th-there really is no way to win against him…"
"I feel like adding a bit more to that despair in you, just to ice the cake." Kamoshida cackled again, eyes glaring down at Morgana and Izuku. "Execute these two first. That dumb ape can watch before he gets it."
"No…" Ryuji bit his bottom lip, hands gripping his head in exasperation. "No, I-"
"Ryuji-sempai!" Izuku exclaimed, his voice almost cracking at the volume he shouted. "Don't give up! R-right now, we're the only ones who can-" the knight put pressure on Izuku's back, pushing him down to the his teeth, Izuku pushed back, struggling to keep from being crushed. "-we're the only ones who can stop him… the only ones who can make sure he doesn't keep… hurting people. Don't accept a single thing that he's done to you or others! Stand up… fight back… fight with everything you have!" Izuku exclaimed before finally buckling under the pressure from the golden armored knight.
Ryuji seemed to hear his words, looking back up at the younger teen in awe and understanding. Gritting his teeth and furrowing his brow, Ryuji nodded. "Yeah… you're right…" He muttered, pushing off the ground to stand on his own two feet. "Everything was taken from me by him… and he'll just keep doing this shit to others if they get in his way…"
"Don't make me laugh. Stand up all you want, you're still just useless. Your Quirk is basically broken and these two did all the fighting. You're still as helpless as ever." Kamoshida further taunted, hoping to break Ryuji back down to where he had been.
"I don't care if I have to break my leg to use 'em again…" Ryuji growled, gripping his fists as he felt energy building up in his knee caps, electricity starting to crackle around them. "I'll do whatever it takes to wipe that damn smile off your face!" He exclaimed, hunching forward and preparing to charge.
You made me wait quite a while.
Ryuji froze, his head suddenly blistering with pain. He let out a choking sound as he reached up and gripped his head.
"R-Ryuji-sempai!" Izuku cried out in concern, but soon widening his eyes in understanding. "No way… is this..?"
You seek power, correct? Then let us form a pact.
Ryuji fell to the ground from the pain, drool dripping from his mouth as he forced out labored breaths.
"N-no way, is he..?" Morgana muttered as he watched Ryuji struggle to move.
Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc?
Ryuji writhed in pain as he gripped his head again, eyes filled with tears of pain as he rolled on his back, screaming for release.
The "other you" within desires it thus…
He rolled back on his stomach and clenched his eyes and teeth, pushing off the ground again and weakly clambering up on all fours.
I am thou… thou art I… Ryuji looked up at Izuku and Morgana again before buckling over. There is no turning back! The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth! In a flash of blue flame, Ryuji's face formed a mask. It was a silver skull with the eye sockets blackened around Ryuji's cheeks.
"Ryuji-sempai…" Izuku muttered in awe, amazed that the faux blond was able to pull forth such power, just like he did.
"Hah! What can he do to change the tide?!" The golden knight above Izuku scoffed before raising it's sword above it. "Watch helplessly as they perish!"
Ryuji didn't waste any time, quickly scrambling to his feet and gripping the mask plastered to his face. In a painful display, he quickly pulled the mask off, his skin violently ripping off with it as he did so. "AAGH!" He cried out in agony, a tower of blue flames bursting up behind him. It created a shockwave that blasted the knights and Kamoshida back several steps, Izuku and Morgana free from their captors. They both scrambled to their feet, wide eyed as they looked upon the figure that now towered over Ryuji.
"Hell yeah… this is amazing…" Ryuji grinned mischievously right at Kamoshida. Like Izuku, his clothes had completely transformed, now consisting of a high collared leather jacket and matching pants. He now wore knuckle spiked yellow gloves and a red scarf around his neck. Above him, the large figure materialized. It hovered above the ground on a black pirate ship replacing its feet, a shark tooth grin and eyes painted on the front. It's legs were thin, leading up to a thicker center body with a blue captain's shirt and a pair of swords embroidering the front. On its shoulders, a tattered red and black cape fluttered behind it. On top of it's head, it wore a classic black captain cap with a the standard skull and crossbones on the front. Replacing its right hand was none other than a smoking cannon.
"I knew you had it in you, Ryuji-sempai…" Izuku grinned in relief before quickly lashing around.
"Probably thanks to you, bro. I definitely owe you one." Ryuji chuckled as he looked at Izuku before focusing his attention forward. "But now, it's payback time. We're gonna take this one right out of your ass, Kamoshida!"
"Looks like we'll have plenty of help taking these guys down now." Morgana smirked as he faced the Shadows with the rest, the three squaring off in preparation to fight.
Kamoshida took several steps back, the golden knight growled in annoyance as it stood in front of it's 'king' before slamming it's sword into the ground. "Don't you dare mock me!" It roared before black ooze consumed it's body, quickly replacing it with a larger more full bodied knight who strode atop a purple horse in pinkish armor, a spear in hand.
Taking the lead now, Ryuji stepped forward and pointed right at the knight with deadly confidence.
"Blast him away… Captain Kidd!"
To be continued…
Hey guys, sorry to end it on such a cliffhanger! I was actually expecting that I would have far more word room for this part of the story to end, but I was already hitting well over 9k words which I don't want since I've been aiming for 7-8k in total. But don't worry, this section of their visit to Kamoshida's dungeon will be swiftly finished next chapter.
In case you were wondering about why I created Morgana's arcana deal first, it felt more likely because of Izuku's personal conviction. Unlike Akira's half assed answer, I believe Izuku would be more genuine in his agreement to help Morgana out in his case. I sort of feel bad that it happened before best bro Ryuji's arcana confirmation, but it's fine. That'll be next chapter lol
Anyways, that's all for this chapter guys. I should be able to dish out another chapter in two weeks, right before my classes at college start up again. Please leave a review, a follow and a favorite for me :)