Disclaimer: I own neither My Hero Academia or Persona series
Chapter 10
(My Hero Academia OST: Izuku's Crisis)
Morgana and Ryuji stared at Izuku in bewilderment, his declaration of responsibility catching them both off guard. Izuku knew it might be a bit hard for them to accept, but he didn't want to keep his decision a secret. With everything they had been through and were about to take on, Izuku wanted to be honest with Ryuji and Morgana. They didn't deserve to be blindsided should the worst come to pass.
"What?!" Ryuji and Morgana cried out, both taking a step toward Izuku.
"Dude, what the hell?! You can't do that!" Ryuji argued, panic written all over his face.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to say anything about you, Ryuji-sempai. I'm going to take all the blame." Izuku tried to reassure, staying firm in his decision.
"That's not what I mean! I mean that you shouldn't give yourself up like that!" Ryuji retorted, stomping his foot in frustration. "Forget havin' a record, you'll be put in jail! That bastard ain't worth your entire future!"
"It's not about Kamoshida. It's… it's about what I can accept." Izuku admitted, eyes falling to the ground as sweat started to trail down his brow. "I… I decided that I would do this for the students who couldn't do anything about it. For Suzui-sempai. But I'm still afraid of what might result from this." looking up, Izuku turned his attention to Morgana. "You said it, before. Heroes take chances every time that they go out and use their powers. But they would also be held accountable for making a mistake like killing someone. So… I'll hold myself accountable if that's what happens…"
"Izuku…" Ryuji muttered, unsure what else to say. The conviction in Izuku's eyes repelled him from trying to argue. Izuku had decided to shoulder the burden of responsibility. He could see little in the way of convincing him otherwise.
"But… how will you be able to convince the cops you did it?" Morgana asked, his eyes and tone conveying his own concern.
"I'll say that… that I awakened to my Quirk late." Izuku sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I-I'll say that I realized what I was capable of but… went too far and killed him by accident."
Silence soon followed, Izuku's partners in crime soaking in his words. There wasn't much to be said on the matter. Izuku wasn't going to fold under their arguments, that was painfully obvious to them. Knowing that, though, Ryuji and Morgana nodded in acceptance.
"Alright, then. With all that said, let's make sure we don't kill that asshole." Ryuji smirked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"That works for me. I'll make sure we do things right. It would look bad on me if I allowed that kind of result in my first attempt at guiding you two, anyway." Morgana chuckled, looking up at Izuku with a smile.
"You guys…" Izuku muttered, giving them both a thankful smile.
"Yeah, so don't go givin' up your freedom just yet." Ryuji said with a more energetic grin, punching Izuku lightly in the shoulder. "We got this."
Izuku nodded, gripping his hand in front of him. "Right. Let's go!" He told them, his partners in crime nodding in agreement. They didn't take another moment, heading for the side entrance. At this point, it was obvious for Izuku and Ryuji that going through the front was a mistake. Hopping through the front window, the three scanned the room for any guards, thankful that it was empty.
"I guess we're lucky that the guards don't bother to check every room." Izuku hummed in thought, walking forward and opening the door slowly. He peered out, looking left and right quickly to make sure the coast was clear. He stopped though when he could see a gathering of guards in the main hall.
"What's goin-" Ryuji began to ask, only for Izuku to quickly silence him with a motion. He signaled for the two to join him, Morgana and Ryuji slowly peering out beside him to see the guards. "Holy shit, there's so many of 'em…"
"Alright, men. Listen up." Izuku and Ryuji widened their eyes when they heard Kamoshida's voice booming. He wasn't visible in their line of sight, but they guessed he was at the front of the hall as he spoke to them. "It seems that some rats might be running around my precious castle, again. If they think they can just waltz around like they own the place, they can think again. Find the rats and put them out of their misery. Don't bother trying to capture them."
"Yes, King Kamoshida!" His entourage proclaimed, stepping into formation before beginning to disperse.
"That cocky bastard… we'll show him soon enough." Ryuji growled, the three retreating back into the room. "Alright, so how we go about destroyin' this castle, Mona?"
"First we must find the source of Kamoshida's distorted desires, which I have dubbed the Treasure of the palace." Morgana explained, placing his paws on his hips. "Once we find that, all we have to do is steal it. There's going to be a few more steps to it from there, but I'll explain that once we've located our target."
"So… where exactly is the Treasure, then?" Izuku asked thoughtfully, peering slightly out the door to keep an eye out. "Does Kamoshida have it on him?"
"Not likely. While the king might be full of himself, even he will go to great lengths to protect his Treasure." Morgana dismissed, shaking his head. "No, it's going to be more difficult than that, unfortunately. Palace rulers keep their Treasure in the most secured part of the castle. It's unlikely that we're going to find it on this floor, in fact."
"Damn. Guess this ain't gonna be an in and out job, huh?" Ryuji grumbled, kicking the rug in annoyance.
"No. This is going to take us some time, I think. We might not even be able to accomplish everything in one day." Morgana declared honestly, turning his head to the side in thought. "What we need to do right now is establish a path to the Treasure. Now, considering the dungeon is all that is downstairs, we can safely cross it off our list of places to check for the Treasure."
"Kamoshida will likely have it in the highest part of the castle, then. He'd want to keep it as far away from others as possible, right?" Izuku guessed, holding his chin as he tilted his head down. "If the overall size of the castle is the same as the school, it should only be three floors. Four if you count the rooftop."
"You might be right, but trust me when I say that it's likely that all four floors will be quite different as we go up. Things are only going to get tougher as we get closer to the Treasure, after all." Morgana warned, eliciting a grunt from Ryuji.
"Well, I guess we knew things weren't gonna be that easy. Let's get goin' then." Ryuji sighed, rolling his arm and getting ready to move. Izuku and Morgana took another peek outside the room, seeing that the knights had dispersed to different parts of the castle. Motioning back to him, Ryuji quickly followed after Izuku and Morgana into the next room across the hall. Pushing the doors open, Izuku widened his eyes when he came face to face with a guard, balancing lamely on one foot as he tried to regain his composure.
"Huh?! The intruders!" The knight exclaimed, stomping toward the three.
"Let's take it out!" Ryuji snarled, rushing past Izuku this time. He swung a pipe forward in hand, the weapon having materialized alongside his Persona like Izuku's staff. He smashed the hunk of metal into the knight, knocking it off balance and causing it to stumble back. Ooze spilled from behind its mask, covering its body before materializing into the blue clad pixie they had seen the last time.
"Nice hit, Skull! Now bring out your guns!" Morgana ordered, looking at Izuku.
"Our guns?" Izuku muttered in question before it suddenly occurred to him. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he was surprised when he produced the model gun of Snipe's revolver. Looking over at Ryuji, his eyes widened to find him with a model shotgun in hand, the delinquent beaming in amazement.
"Aw, hell yeah! Let's do some damage!" Ryuji laughed, pointing his gun forward. Izuku followed suit, the two preparing to open fire upon the pixie.
"W-w-wait, don't shoot! I-I won't tell lord Kamoshida!" The pixie begged, holding its hands together in fear. Ryuji and Izuku widened their eyes in shock, having not realized before that the Shadows could actually feel fear, much less beg for mercy.
"Yeah, right! Like we're gonna fall for that!" Ryuji grunted, snapping back into reality. "Don't listen to it, Izu-Hero! It's just tryin' to get the jump on us!"
"Don't be too sure, Skull. Even though Shadows are beings formed by negative emotion, they still have the fear of death in them." Morgana pointed out, smirking in thought. "This is actually a good chance to show you guys another tactic. Something I like to call a hold up."
"A hold up?" Izuku repeated, eyes snapping between Morgana and the Shadow, making sure not to drop his guard.
"That's right. I'll start this off." Morgana skipped forward, clearing his throat. "Alright, Shadow. If you wanna make it out of here alive, you better have something good for us."
"I-I have money! Pl-please, here, take it!" The pixie pleaded, reaching into its nonexistent pockets before producing a thousand yen bill.
"Wait, what the hell?! Is that real money?!" Ryuji gasped, stepping forward and snatching the money from the pixie's hand.
"That's right. Shadows are aware of what humans collectively desire. For the most part, its money. In some cases, though, you can get an item from a Shadow instead. Something that could help us out while we're in a palace." Morgana explained before looking back at the Shadow, leering. "Alright, you can go."
"Th-thank you! But you'll never be able to beat King Kamoshida! That money won't mean much!" It laughed, getting in the last word before spreading its wings and floating away from them.
"Is it really okay to be lettin' that thing fly off like that?" Ryuji asked, walking over to join Morgana with Izuku. "Won't it go tell other guards where we're at?"
"Not likely. When a Shadow has been released like that one was, it usually returns to a distorted formless state. We don't have to worry about enemies getting away or helping out another enemy in the long run after defeating them." Morgana explained, crossing his paws over his chest.
"I see… that solves one problem, but…" Izuku muttered, a small bead of sweat on his cheek as he scratched his head. "I'm not sure how I feel about the whole 'Hold Up' thing, though…" It wasn't much of a surprise to Ryuji or Morgana that the green haired teen felt conflicted over the tactic. They were basically robbing the Shadows at gunpoint.
"Don't worry so much about it, Hero. It's not like they're actual people. Just some distorted emotions or whatever Mona said." Ryuji tried to reassure, patting him on the back.
"Skull is right, as hard as that is to believe." Mona chuckled, earning a glare from the faux blond. "Don't think of our enemies as innocent bystanders or even as people. They're nothing more than dark emotions taking physical form."
Izuku rubbed his arm hesitantly, but nodded in acceptance. "I suppose… it will be beneficial to be able to get something out of our encounters with Shadows. Even if it seems like a dirty tactic…"
"Ever the straight arrow, Hero. Your codename is becoming more and more fitting." Morgana chuckled, turning and skipping forward. "Come on. Let's find some more enemies. We're going to have to put in a bit of practice for you."
"Y-you want to keep trying it?!"
"I… guess I'm back in…"
To say that Ann was confused by everything she saw would be an understatement. When Midoriya and Ryuji had forced her into the alley, she quickly tried to chase after them, but found she was back on the school grounds, students carelessly passing by without giving her any notice. Ann had so many questions running through her head. She wanted to know what those two were up to. She wanted to know what that place was. How it would do anything to put an end to Kamoshida. But as she scoured the school gate for answers, Ann was about ready to give up hope of knowing anything until she saw the two again.
That was until a strange app appeared on her phone.
Ann had recalled what the phone had repeated before to Izuku and Ryuji, thankfully, and repeated the words to her own phone. Before she even realized it, Ann was faced once again with the same layout that she saw when she followed the two. They were both gone, but the castle was still largely present.
"I can't believe it… so that was real…" Ann muttered, eyes trailing up the as she examined the castle, subconsciously gulping. The red stone walls were intimidating, looming over her like a great shadow blotting out the sun. "What exactly did that phone app do..?"
Ann gripped her fist, shaking her head and strengthening her resolve. Whatever this castle was, whatever Ryuji and Izuku were planning, it was definitely meant to take down Kamoshida. And Ann refused not to be apart of that. "I'll find out what those two are up to…"
"Princess?" Ann blinked when she heard speak up. The voice was neither Ryuji or Izuku. When she looked ahead, she saw several men in towering armor approaching her, the sight causing her to recoil.
"Wh-what?! Who are you guys?!" Ann asked in fear, her words doing little to stop them from approaching.
"Princess!" they called out with more urgency, the guards rushing faster and surrounding Ann.
"H-hey! Get away from me!" Ann cried out, powerless to stop the guards from taking her in hand and carrying her inside the castle.
"A-alright! G-give me whatever you have! Money or items… please..?"
The trio of phantom thieves had encountered several shadows at this point, though they hadn't been able to get the drop on them like they had with their first enemy. The first few encounters, while going well enough that they defeated them with little trouble, they had not been able to do another hold up until this point. Unfortunately for Izuku, Morgana urged him to take the lead in the interrogation.
"... Was that really the best you could do?" Pixie asked in disappointment, her fear of death almost gone thanks to Izuku's meek proclamation.
Sweat dripped down Izuku's face as he gulped in embarrassment. He knew this would likely be a challenge for him to do. For one, Izuku was still a bit reluctant to do the hold up's in the first place because of the ethical questionability of them. Second, Izuku was still not the most confident when addressing others. While he was starting to become more comfortable around certain people, this was a completely different situation. As things were, he was failing miserably at looking or sounding intimidating.
"We really need to work on your execution, Hero…" Morgana muttered to the green haired teen with a sigh, Izuku rubbing his head
"Hey! Don't get all smart with us if you know what's good for you!" Ryuji snapped, pumping his shotgun as he decided to take over for his friend. "Give us what you got if you wanna make it outta here alive!"
The pixie become alert again, holding its hands up in surrender. "P-please don't hurt me! B-but this happened so suddenly and I… I don't have anything to give you!"
The three stiffened at her answer, Izuku and Ryuji looking at one another before both glanced at Morgana for answers. The cat merely scratched behind his ear sheepishly before coughing out. "Um… I wasn't prepared for what should happen if they didn't have anything. I suppose we'll just have to send her to hell, instead."
"W-what?! No way!" the pixie cried out in fear, eyes darting from each person, her eyes pleading for an escape. "Pl-please! There has to be a way that you'll let me go, instead!"
"Sorry, but we're kind of in a hurry. It's faster to just eliminate you." Morgana shrugged, holding his sling shot higher and aiming for her head.
"Geez, it sounds pretty damn cruel when he says it out loud…" Ryuji muttered, though preparing to blast the Shadow to pieces regardless.
"W-wait! We can just let her go!" Izuku suggested this time, looking between his two friends. "I understand eliminating Shadows when we don't have a choice, but…" looking down at the pixie, Izuku's expression softened. Even if it wasn't human and killing it wasn't the same as any other sentient being, he couldn't just watch as they shot the Shadow in cold blood. "L-like you said, there's no real problem if we let it go since it can't warn other Shadows, right?"
"Well… that is true…" Morgana relented, slightly lowering his sling shot. "I guess if it's that big of a deal for you, then we can let it go…"
"Really?! You will?!" The pixie smiled hopefully, gaze turning to Izuku. "I guess you're the type who tries to be nice to everyone, huh?" Izuku felt embarrassed being told that, especially since he was supposed to be the aggressor in this situation. Despite this, the Shadow gave a small giggle and a gentle smile. "It's okay, though. I don't mind that in a guy. In fact, I… I…" the pixie suddenly froze, eyes literally shining as realization crossed her expression. "I… I am thou…"
"H-huh?" Izuku blinked in confusion, glancing at Morgana. The cat seemed just as confused, Mona's eyes wide in shock.
"Wh-what's going on? This is…" Morgana muttered, raising his slingshot again due to his confusion, but not shooting.
"Uh, Mona? She's doin' somethin' weird!" Ryuji exclaimed, unsure if he should open fire.
"I don't belong to King Kamoshida… I never did…" the Shadow declared slowly, raising its body from the ground as a blue aura started to surround its body, eyes peering directly into Izuku's. "I'm an existence that drifts about in the sea of humanity's souls… My real name… is Pixie! And from now on… I shall live in thy heart!" The blue energy enveloped Pixie's being, flashing brightly before taking a smaller shape, the shape of Izuku's mask. Without warning, the mask flew at Izuku, absorbing into the mask on his face. The green haired teen felt energy spread through his body for a brief moment before disappearing just as fast. What… what was that?
"Hero! Are you alright?!" Morgana exclaimed, he and Ryuji quickly rushing over to Izuku's side to examine him.
"What the heck was that, Mona?! You didn't say anything about that happenin'!" Ryuji complained, looking at the cat in accusation.
"I-I don't know! This is the first time I've seen something like that occurr!" Morgana snapped at the faux blond before looking back at Izuku in concern. "Are you… alright? Did it do something to you?"
"I… I don't know." Izuku admitted, looking down at himself for answers. He didn't feel much different as things were. In fact, he felt completely fine. He couldn't pinpoint any sort of indication that whatever Pixie did had hurt him in any way. In fact, it seemed like she had fused with him in some way. She said she would live in my heart… but that means…
"Crap! Enemies incoming!" Ryuji suddenly exclaimed, pulling Izuku's attention back to reality. Looking up, a knight had already melted away into a Shadow, the double horned horse that the three were used to encountering at this point.
"Death to the enemies of King Kamoshida!" It roared out in anger, quickly swinging its horns down and knocking Ryuji into the back wall.
"Skull!" Izuku cried out in fear, watching as the faux blond grunted in pain. Quickly stepping forward, Izuku took a protective position in front of Mona and Skull, hand reaching up to his mask to summon Carter.
Oh, oh, pick me, master~! I want to help!
Izuku widened his eyes as he heard a voice in his head. It wasn't Carter this time, though. It was undoubtedly Pixie, the Shadow that he had absorbed. S-so wait, she-I mean-you really are-
"Hero, watch out!" Morgana warned, the green haired teen snapping his eyes forward to see the Shadow charging him. Izuku grimaced, quickly diving out of its path for fear of being gored through by the beast. "Don't lose focus in battle!"
"Y-yeah, sorry! I just…" Izuku muttered, gulping as he tried to figure out how to explain what was going on in his mind right now. Or heart, he supposed.
Summon her forth, kid. Realize the power that you possess. This time it was Carter who spoke, Izuku's eyes widening as he heard his Persona. Gulping, Izuku reached toward his mask and obeyed. Focus on her name and image, bring her forward to do battle!
"Pixie!" Izuku cried out, pulling the mask from his face. It then erupted in blue flame, Morgana and Ryuji widening their eyes in shock as the Shadow they had previously defeated sprang from the flames.
"Hi~!" Pixie greeted, blowing a kiss to no one in general as she faced off against the Shadow ahead of them.
"W-wait, what?! Ain't that the Shadow from before?!" Ryuji blanched in utter shock, pushing off the wall as he looked to Morgana for answers.
"I-it is! Were you… able to absorb the Shadow's powers and image and make a Persona from it?!" Morgana asked, no less confused than Ryuji at the moment.
"Pixie, strike!" Izuku cried out, ignoring his friends for a moment as he focused on the Shadow. Like with Carter, he immediately knew what powers Pixie possessed, and was able to lash out on instinct. As the horse charged at him again, Pixie raised its arms and unleashed a bolt of electricity from its palms. The Bicorn cried out in pain, the attack enough to stop its charge. "Skull, now!"
"Huh? Oh-right!" Ryuji quickly readied himself, pulling his mask off and summoning Captain Kidd forward. "Tear 'em to pieces!" He cried out, the Persona rearing its boat at the bottom and smashing the mast into the Shadow's back and crushing it. The beast let out a bloodcurdling scream before exploding into a mess of black ooze, melting away before the three.
Izuku took a deep breath before placing his mask back on his face, Pixie fading from existence and giving him a wink. Looking back at his friends, Ryuji and Morgana quickly rushed back up to Izuku, both with looks of awe across their face.
"Dude, that was insane! I didn't know you could have more than one!" Ryuji said, turning to Morgana in question. "Why didn't you say anything about it?"
"This is news to me, too!" Morgana retorted, glancing up at Izuku in wonder. "As it normally goes, people with the potential for Personas should only have one as each person only has one heart. But it looks like Hero is capable of having multiple…"
"So… I can have a Persona outside of Carter?" Izuku muttered in thought, pulling off his mask without summoning a Persona. Memories started to flood back, realization crossing his features as his mind drifted back to his previous talk with the occupants of the Velvet Room.
"Personas are the strength of heart. With the formation of bonds, your Personas will also grow with them."
Justine's words echoed in his ears. So that's what she meant. I really can have more than just Carter as my Persona. "This… this could really help us out. Pixie isn't that strong compared to Carter, but she still possesses powers that he doesn't have…"
"And the more Personas you are able to gather from Shadows, the more weaknesses you can exploit!" Morgana concluded, a large grin spreading across his lips. "This is incredible! This will give us an the edge we need when coming against so many different enemies!"
"Oh man, seriously?! Hell yeah!" Ryuji laughed, slapping Izuku's shoulder. "We're gonna have to keep doin' this, then! We'll hold up everyone we can!"
"Right! I'll do my best to take advantage, too!" Izuku nodded in agreement, giving them both a smile before it slightly faltered. "W-wait… does this mean I have to negotiate with all of them?"
Morgana tilted his head in thought before humming out an answer. "Probably. That Shadow didn't absorb into your mask until after you were able to find some sort of common ground. It's probably going to be up to you when it comes to gaining new Personas that way. So whenever we get the chance, we're definitely going to have to work on your negotiation skills."
"Y-yeah…" Izuku muttered dejectedly, scratching his hair in defeat.
"Still, I can't believe you have such an amazing ability. I got pretty lucky when I met you two, it seems!" Morgana laughed, eyes sparkling in amazement. "I'll make sure your power doesn't get wasted. We'll get you the best Personas possible! Now, with that said, let's get moving!"
Seeing no reason to argue, Izuku and Ryuji went back into action, the trio moving on to the next hallway. Peering down, Izuku saw two doorways ahead of them, eyes dancing between them. A sudden shimmer in the farthest door pulsed, Izuku realizing what that meant.
"Mona, the end hallway door is a safe room, I think." Izuku informed, Morgana raising a brow before nodding.
"Gotcha. If you guys want, we can take a quick rest or keep going." Morgana asked, glancing at Izuku and Ryuji. Before either could answer, though, footsteps and voices echoed from the doorway they just exited through.
"Shit, more are comin'!" Ryuji grunted quietly, glancing at his partners in question. "What are we gonna do, then?"
"Let's head to the safe room. We don't need unnecessary fights!" Izuku suggested, Morgana and Ryuji nodding in agreement. They quickly made their way to the safe room, making sure to lock the door as they entered but staying close to listen in on the soldiers. They wanted to make sure that none were left when they departed the safe room, and the underlying fear that Mona might have been wrong when it comes to whether or not a Shadow would enter this room. Thankfully, it could be heard that the soldiers were going through the next door, Izuku and Ryuji breathing out in relief.
"Damn. I mighta underestimated just how many of those guys are actually runnin' around." Ryuji admitted, scratching his head in annoyance. "We've already fought a few, already. How many more do we gotta get through?"
"I'd prepare myself for a long day of fighting if I were you, Skull." Morgana said, glancing back at the faux blond with a somewhat sympathetic look. "We've barely made it through a few rooms as is. We've still got a lot of ground to cover before we can even establish an infiltration route."
"Yeah. Going through all of this now, I'm kind of surprised you tried doing this alone." Izuku hummed, looking down at Morgana in thought. "We've at least had numbers advantage, but imagining it alone doesn't sound very easy."
"I'll admit, it wasn't the greatest idea." Morgana sighed, looking away from the two in shame. "But I didn't really have a choice. I wanted to regain my memories, and the only clue I have is that it's linked to palaces. I couldn't wait around and expect to find strangers who happened to have the same ability as me, after all. Still, I'm glad things worked out this way rather than having to tackle it on my own over and over again."
"Speakin' of which, I've been meanin' to ask." Ryuji spoke up, turning to the cat in question. "You say you lost your memory and crap, but you know all about these palaces. How does that work?"
"Ah, in some cases, people can lose memory of who they are but still remember basic information like going to the bathroom or how to eat." Izuku spoke up surprisingly, tilting his head down as he held his chin. "The amount of information lost varies from person to person depending on how severe, but it's still possible to retain certain memories even after you lose memory of who you are."
"O-oh, really? Damn…" Ryuji muttered, rubbing his head awkwardly.
"See? So stop being a moron and accept what I've told you so far." Morgana triumphantly grinned, turning to Izuku with appreciation. "Thank you, Hero. You really make Skull look pretty dumb with your insight."
"Oh, put a sock in it, cat." Ryuji snapped in annoyance. "You talk big, but you could still end up just bein' some house cat. You don't even know if you really are human."
"I have to be human! There's no doubt about it!" Morgana retorted, sending a weak glare Ryuji's way. Despite his words, his gaze somewhat faltered as he looked away. "I have to be…"
Izuku opened his mouth to speak again, but hesitated when he heard footsteps outside the door. Holding a finger to his mouth, Izuku motioned to the door to alert the others of the guards.
"What was the princess doing outside the castle?" The three heard, the trio suddenly becoming more interested and standing closer to the door. "She normally never leaves King Kamoshida's chamber unless he calls her out."
"Princess?" Ryuji repeated in question, Izuku peering back at him.
"That imitation of Takamaki-sempai, I think…" Izuku guessed, remembering when the cognitive creation from days before.
"Quiet!" Morgana urged them, leaning his ear against the door.
"It was rather strange. We only found her because we thought we were following the signal of an intruder." They heard again, Morgana furrowing his brow in confusion before looking back at the two.
"I better check this out. You two stay here." Morgana suggested, cracking open the door and slipping out before either could protest.
"What do you think that's about?" Ryuji asked, earning a small shrug from Izuku in response.
"We put Takamaki-sempai back in the real world, so there should be no way they're talking about her, right?" Izuku suggested with a hopeful smile.
"I wouldn't put too much stock in that idea." Morgana quickly spoke as he sped back through the door, a sense of panic in his voice. "It looks like Lady Ann was captured by the Shadows!"
Izuku and Ryuji both stared wide eyed at the cat, looking at one another in alert. "But how?! We made sure to put her back in our world and everything! That doesn't make sense!"
"Sh-she would have to have the app! But Skull and I are the only ones who… have it…" Izuku muttered before realization crossed his expression. "That is, unless… the moment she came to this world, the app appeared on her phone, too…"
Ryuji bit his bottom lip, realizing what that meant. "Shit, so that's how it works?! Damn it! The whole point of kicking her out was to make sure that she'd be safe!"
"W-we don't have much time to think about it! Let's go before something bad happens to her!" Izuku quickly advised, Morgana and Ryuji briefly hesitating before nodding in agreement, quickly following behind as he took the lead.
"Let me go, you bastards!" Ann complained, struggling in the hands of her captors. The knights simply ignored her, dragging the twin tailed blonde through a long room. On the ground surrounding her, pink silhouettes of girls giggled carelessly. Ann had no idea what they were, but noticed the fact that they wore Shujin's P.E. shirts. Instead of the sweat pants, though, they wore legless spanks. What are these things?! This doesn't make any sense at all!
Glancing forward, Ann realized they were dragging her to some kind of strange restraint, a large brass X at the end of the room right in front of a picture of Kamoshida. Wh-what the hell?!
"Place her arms in the restraints." One of the knights said, paying her little mind as they got closer to the strange object.
"Y-you bastards. I'm not... just going to take this!" Ann cried out as she wiggled more. Bearing her teeth, Ann decided it was time to put her Quirk into action. She quickly lurched forward at the arm of the knight restraining her left side, teeth sinking deep into the armor.
"GAH!" The guard cried out in pain, releasing her arm from its grasp. It had been a while since Ann had bitten into metal so hard, breaking off the chunk that she was able to catch in her mouth and spitting it out.
"I told you to let me go, asshole!" Ann growled in anger, glaring up at the knight before her eyes trailed down to his arm. Her eyes went wide, seeing that a strange black ooze seemed to drip from his arm rather than blood. "Wh-what the hell is-AGH!"
"Enough out of you!" The other guard suddenly hit her in the back with its shield, causing Ann to fall to her knees in pain. "There's no way such a vulgar wench is our princess!" it proclaimed, reaching back down and grabbing her arm again. The other guard seemed to do the same, ignoring the missing piece of its body and continuing forward with Ann in hand. The raised her arms up and pinned her against the cross, binding her hands.
"You bastards! What the hell is going on!" Ann cried out, struggling weakly against her binds. The hit against her back took the air out of her and still throbbed with pain. "You really think the cops or heroes are going to let you get away with this?!"
"No one's coming for you, girl. Not like anyone could stop me, anyways." A familiar voice sneered, Ann's eyes snapping open as she looked to her left. Standing there was Kamoshida, though in very strange apparel compared to what she'd ever seen him in, or anyone for that matter.
"Kamoshida?" Ann blinked in question before grinding her teeth and struggling. "What the hell is going on?! Let me down!"
"I can't believe you confused this wench with my dear princess." Kamoshida scoffed, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "She's far too noisy. Isn't that right, my dear?"
Ann followed his gaze and stiffened, watching as someone with her exact image walked up next to him, only different in clothes as she wore a skin tight purple leopard print bikini and cat ears. "Wh-what the hell?! Who is that, and why does she look like me?!"
"I don't know what you're talking about. A noisy, disobedient brat like you is nothing compared to my sweet Ann-chan." Kamoshida scoffed, raising an arm and wrapping it around the half naked girl.
"I don't care about that! Tell me what's going on! What is this place?!" Ann screamed louder, tears of frustration threatening at the edge of her eyes. "Did you do something to the school?!"
"Quite the chatterbox, aren't you? You should understand better the situation that you're in." Kamoshida chuckled, looking at his guards. One held a sword higher to Ann's body, the twin tailed blond gasping in fear. "There we go. That's a much better look on your face, now."
"Wh-what are you doing? Stop…" Ann muttered, biting her bottom lip in fear. "Wh-why are you doing this? Have you gone insane?"
"This is my world. My castle. I can do as I please here." Kamoshida sneered, grinning darkly up at Ann. "And do whatever I wish to whomever I like."
"Th-this is messed up! Did you bring me to some shady part of town?!" Ann continued to struggle, her confusion only growing by the second. "Hurry up and let me down before I really get pissed off, Kamoshida!"
"You sure do love to mouth off. That's a rather big offense to me in my castle." Kamoshida smirked before turning back to the imagined version of Ann. "What do you think, princess?"
"No one talks like that to the king. That's, like, totally unforgivable." The figment giggled out dumbly, her voice a loose and dumb version of Ann's own speech.
"You're exactly right. Trash that talks like that to me have to be punished." Kamoshida grinned again, turning back to the real Ann and chuckling. "I guess we'll have to execute you, then."
Ann felt her heart sink at that, eyes widening in horror as a golden armored knight approached her. It held the sword up to her neck, Ann reflexively turning her head away from it in fear. "Y-you can't be serious… there's no way… what the hell is wrong with you?!"
"Nothing is wrong with me. You're in my castle, after all!" Kamoshida cackled out, holding his chin in mock thought. "Now, what to do with you? Shall I have them cut you up into little pieces? Or maybe just take off your clothes and enjoy myself, first?"
"Th-this is sick… stop it…" Ann visibly trembled, fear starting to overcome her entire body. She wanted to scream for help, to beg him to let her go. All the questions and confusion had mounted in her mind, but right now that was the least of her concerns. With the way that Kamoshida was staring at her, she didn't doubt that he would act on his threats.
"It must be pretty terrifying to feel so helpless, huh?" Kamoshida sneered, taking a step closer examining Ann closely. "I wonder if that girl felt the same way?... what was her name again? Well, the one who tried to kill herself. The one you so valiantly tried to help by dating me."
Ann felt her body freeze entirely, looking up at Kamoshida in disbelief. "Shiho?"
"Yes, that's it! That stupid girl." Kamoshida nodded, snapping his fingers. "It's your fault she did that, by the way."
Ann's stomach immediately plummeted. "What..?"
"Had you just slept with me, none of that would have happened, you know." Kamoshida antagonized further, slowly reaching a hand out and taking her chin in his grasp. "But since you decided to say no, I let her act as your replacement. It was pretty nice, too."
Ann felt her entire being shake, her fear swirling with a mountain of other emotions. Among them, anger surfaced. "You bastard!"
"Ah ah ah~, don't act too cocky, now." Kamoshida warned her with a smirk, the golden knight suddenly reminding Ann of her place as it held the sword closer to her neck. Ann's body froze again, anger soon replaced by fear once again. "Now that's better. Don't forget what situation you're in right now. Now then, how about we start where I left off with the other girl? After all, I just gave her body a… quick feel. It's a shame she jumped. I was just about ready to take the rest of her body."
"No… Shiho…" Ann muttered, tears starting to spill from her eyes. Her best friend, whom she'd been trying to protect, had ended up being hurt by Kamoshida. All because of her weakness. Because she couldn't handle putting up with Kamoshida anymore. "I'm so sorry… I had no idea he would go so far…" she confessed, body starting to slack, now only being held up by her restraints. "I'm so sorry…"
"There we go. That's the look I want to see!" Kamoshida laughed, rubbing his chin in excitement. "Now then, men. Cut off her clothes. It's time that she made it up to her dear friend for her mistake."
"O.M.G! You're such a perv!" The imitation of Ann giggled dumbly, mounting his left shoulder as she watched alongside him.
Ann didn't bother to resist, anymore. In her mind, Ann deserved anything she would get at this point. She had let her friend down. Let Shiho suffer at his hands because of her selfishness. I should have known better… I should have just… slept with him and kept Shiho safe… The tears continued to fall from her eyes, the twin tailed blonde hanging loosely from the restraints in resignation. "Shiho… I'm sorry…"
"Don't listen to him, Ann!"
Hearing her name called out by a familiar voice, Ann snapped her head up, just in time to catch sight of Ryuji now slamming his shoulder into one of the gray armored knights at her left. "S-Sakamoto?" she cried out in shock. The faux blond cringed in pain from the over exertion of his Quirk.
"Dia!" Mona called out, a green aura covering Ryuji to help the stress from his attack.
"You intruder scum!" The other gray knight growled, raising its sword to attack. Much to his and Ann's surprise, Ryuji spun around with a shotgun in hand, blasting a round of cognitive buckshot into its chest to knock it back. The golden knight stepped forward this time, preparing to take a swing at Ryuji as well.
*BANG BANG BANG*
Three successive shots rang through the air, bullets whizzing through the air and into the back of the golden armored guard. Ann watched as it fell forward on its face, eyes wide as she quickly looked up to the source. Izuku and Morgana stood their, pistol and slingshot raised and aimed forward. "M-Midoriya-kun?"
"Don't listen to him, Takamaki-sempai…" Izuku said, repeating the words that Ryuji had spoken first. Looking at him now, gone was the meek and gentle expression that she had associated with Izuku, now replaced by a firm, determined face, Izuku's brow furrowed in anger and his teeth gritted together. He quickly shifted his aim to Kamoshida, the king staring at him in bemusement. "Don't listen to anything he says about you or Suzui-sempai!"
"Tch. You brats again. You just don't know when to quit." Kamoshida scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest while the cognitive version of Ann clinged to him closely. "Is getting expelled not enough for you two?"
"Can it, asshole! Before we fill you full o' lead!" Ryuji snapped, quickly aiming his gun up at the 'king'.
"Skull, quick! Get Takamaki down from there!" Izuku ordered, the faux blond hesitating for a moment before quickly nodding, the green haired teen keeping an eye on Kamoshida's Shadow. "Takamaki-sempai… don't blame yourself for what he did to Suzui-sempai."
Ann heard his words, but looked at him with reluctance. "But… but it's my fault that-"
"Kamoshida's the monster who did that to her!" Izuku cut her off quickly, his voice doing little to hide his own rage. Despite his anger, Izuku kept from taking any shots at Kamoshida. Both because of the effect it would have on the real Kamoshida and his own moral code. Even now, he doubted he'd be willing to shoot him straight out. But that didn't mean he was any less pissed. "Don't think for a second it's in any way your fault! He's the one that hurt Suzui-sempai! So don't put that weight on your shoulders!"
"Hero…" Morgana muttered in awe, taking his eyes off of Kamoshida for a moment to look at him from the side.
Ann was silent, soaking in his words slowly. She had let Kamoshida convince her that it had been her fault. That it was because of her that Shiho was hurt by the perverted teacher. That Shiho jumped because of her resistance. But should she really be focusing on herself? After all, Kamoshida was the scum who put her best friend through that.
Speaking of the coach, Kamoshida suddenly started to cackle tauntingly. "Don't hold that gun up all high and mighty like you have any power. Just like that girl, the rest of you are nothing but stones for me to step all over. To be played with all for my amusement." he sneered, eyes shifting over to his knights.
"You son of a bitch…" Ryuji growled, still struggling to remove the binds on Ann's hands.
"Guards! Get off your asses and kill the intruders! If you let any of them escape, you'll be the next ones to be executed!" Kamoshida ordered loudly, pointing to the golden armored knight specifically. The three phantom thieves widened their eyes as the Shadows suddenly started to move, pushing off the ground and standing at full length.
"Wh-what the hell?! I thought we finished 'em off!" Ryuji blanched, quickly taking a defensive stance in front of Ann as the guards started to shake in their armor. Without another word, their armor collapsed onto the ground, a black ooze spreading across it and forming. The gray armored Shadows became the familiar Bicorns from before, but the golden armored Shadow became something entirely different. Floating in the middle of a room was a large purple figure, resembling a goblin from fantasy novels and stories. Oddly enough, it was sitting on a toilet without care, apparently something that was part of his being.
"Crap! Skull's surrounded!" Morgana cursed, eyes wide as he looked at Izuku.
"Don't let them attack Skull or Takamaki-sempai!" Izuku cried out, stowing his gun away and rushing forward with the cat, hand raised to his mask as he got ready to call upon his Persona.
"You all will die for Kamoshida!" The largest Shadow boomed, turning its attention to Ryuji and Ann, the faux blond making sure to keep Ann directly behind him.
"Damn it-just give me a sec, Takamaki. I've gotta-"
(Persona 5 OST: Awakening)
"He's right." Ryuji hesitated for a moment, glancing back at Ann in question. The twin tailed blonde weakly laughed, shaking her head in shame. "How could I let that asshole toy with me? I'm such an idiot. This is all his fault. Everything Shiho suffered and has been through… this son of a bitch is all to blame! And I'm not going to take his shit anymore!"
My, my… it has certainly been far too long.
Ann suddenly felt a splitting headache crack at her skull, the blonde gasping in shock. The binds kept her from gripping at her head, only making the pain feel more severe.
Tell me… Who is going to avenge her if you don't?
The more the voice spoke, the more severe the pain became, Ann's entire body writhing to break free from her restraints.
Forgiving him was never an option...
"T-Takamaki! Are you alright?!" Ryuji asked in fear, her sudden convulsions surprising him but seeming very familiar.
Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within…
"Takamaki-sempai, she's… she has one as well…" Izuku muttered in realization, eyes widening as he watched Ann continue to struggle.
I am thou, thou art I…
Ann let out a scream of sheer agony, her entire body tensing up before falling limp against the binds.
We can finally forge a contract…
"I hear you… Carmen." Ann suddenly muttered. Blue flame swirled above her head before gathering around her brow. Ann snapped her head up, a candy red mask now on her face. It was outlined with two sharp cat ears at each edge of the top as well as a small pointed nose at the front. "I am done holding myself back… I'll unleash everything I have!"
There you go. Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself. Understand?
Ann, in a surprising burst of strength, ripped her wrists from the cuffs, pulling them out of the post one by one before reaching up to the mask on her face. She felt the small resistance as it stuck to her skin, but didn't hesitate to rip it off with a quick jerk. Blood seeped down her brow as she let out a cry of pain. Blue flame suddenly erupted around her.
Then I'll gladly lend you my strength.
At the center of the flames, Ann revealed herself with a figure towering over her. Ann's outfit had completely transformed, shifting to a skin tight red leather bodysuit. Her chest was exposed at the top, pink gloves on her hands and high heels on her feet. Zippers ran up and down her outfit, and a long leather cat tail bounced from the top of her butt. Standing tall behind her was Ann's Persona. It was female in figure, wearing a long wavy black and red dress that was revealing at the chest, her breasts large. She had twin drills in her hair and wore a similar cat mask to Ann, though it was black with pink highlights. In her hand was a thin wire, a black suited man with a heart head waving at one end, the other end connected to a similar shaped figure that Carmen stepped on like a dominatrix.
Ann glared up at the Shadows, Ryuji having taken a step back from the twin tailed blonde in awe. Before anyone could make a move, Ann quickly turned a glare toward Kamoshida and the copy of her. Raising a hand, she pointed at the cognitive manifestation. "Burn it to ash, Carmen!"
Raising its free hand, Carmen let a ball of fire form in its palm before lashing it forward. Kamoshida quickly jumped away from the fake Ann, watching as it went up in flames before his eyes. Izuku and Morgana watched in bewilderment, shifting their gaze back to Ann as she strode forward.
"I'm done letting you toy with me." Ann growled, eyes glaring directly at Kamoshida before shifting to the Shadows guarding him. "You've hurt Shiho in ways beyond belief. You've taken everything from her. So now, I'm going to burn down everything that you hold value in, Kamoshida!"
"You… insolent brat…" The largest Shadow growled, baring its teeth in anger. "How dare you threaten his majesty!"
"I'm not making idle threats here. This is a promise I plan to keep!" Ann snapped back, crouching forward as if preparing to lunge at her enemies. "Now let's go, Carmen!"
To be continued…
Let me start this A/N off by saying I'm not exactly that proud of this chapter. Why? Probably because I didn't like how much of it I had to strip from the source material. I tried to make it seem somewhat less like the in-game content with somewhat shifted dialogue and small changes in events, but… eh. I'll let you all be the judge on the quality of the chapter.
Sorry to have to cut off before the fight begins, but I wanted focus to remain on Ann's internal struggle at the end. Going into the fight and the aftermath might steal away from the scene, similar to what I did with Ryuji in a few chapters back. Only this time, next chapter, the battle will play out rather than the quick end that came to their enemies in Ryuji's awakening. It's time for Izuku to show his quick thinking skills.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review, a follow and a favorite to show your support of the story! :)