Disclaimer: My Hero Academia and Persona do not belong to me.
Chapter 13
"Alright, we're here. It's time to finally take that bastard down."
Izuku and the others didn't bother to wait any longer after acquiring their supplies for the infiltration. While it was true that they had around two weeks to deal with the problem, each member was far too fired up to put off the infiltration. Not to say that none of them were nervous, but their determination to see the teacher knocked from his high horse was enough to fuel them. Izuku unslung the bag from his shoulder, passing everyone the weapons he purchased specifically for them.
"Remember, stay aware of your health. If you get injured enough, Mona can heal you a bit or I can give you some medicine we picked up." Izuku reminded his friends, earning nods of understanding from Ryuji and Ann before turning back to the palace.
"One second. We still have one thing to address before we head inside." Morgana declared, causing his teammates to pause and look back at him. "We still haven't given our newest member a codename."
"A codename?" Ann repeated, tilting her head in question.
"Oh, right! Yeah, I guess we should do that before we get movin' through the castle, huh?" Ryuji hummed in agreement, turning back to inspect Ann. His eyes trailed from the top of her head to the rest of her body, though as his vision got lower the less focused he became on his original task. "Damn…" He muttered out, quite impressed by Ann's figure and outfit. Even if it made her look like a dominatrix, there was no denying that Ann looked completely stunning in it.
"What?" Ann asked, feeling his gaze and holding a hand over her chest.
"Huh? O-oh, nothing, just tryin' to think of a codename for you…" Ryuji cleared his throat, holding his chin in thought. "With the way your mask looks, it's definitely gotta be some kinda cat, right? What do you think?" he asked, glancing at Izuku.
"Huh?" Izuku blinked before looking at Ann. It only took two seconds before his face turned completely red, quickly trying to cover it with his hands and turn his back to the three. This had been the first time that he had seen Ann's costume while not under duress, now giving him an unhindered view of her outfit. "U-uh-I-I'm not sure! M-maybe something l-like Cheetah or Jaguar?" he suggested, doing his best not to focus on the sexier aspect of Ann's costume.
"Hey, those aren't bad suggestions." Ann smiled, deciding to dismiss his nervousness as she tried to come up with something similar. "I want something that sounds intimidating… I don't think lion or tiger would work, though…"
"What, you don't want somethin' that fits the sexy cat girl look?" Ryuji asked, raising a brow in thought.
"What-no! It's bad enough that I look like this, I want a name that sounds cool at least!" Ann snapped, looking down at her suggestive attire with a grimace. "I didn't get to choose the outfit, so I want some sort of good counter…"
"How about cougar?" Morgana suggested with a sly tone, wiggling his body at the idea.
"Definitely not!" Ann said, groaning in exasperation before holding her chin in thought. After a moment of thinking, a small smile spread across her face, snapping her fingers. "I've got it. From now on, you can call me Panther."
"That's not bad." Izuku smiled in support, though only able to look at Ann from the side as things stood.
"I guess that works. Whatever gets us going." Ryuji shrugged in acceptance, Morgana hopping up in agreement.
"Then it's settled. Welcome to the team officially, Panther. Remember to refer to us by our codenames at all times while in the palace. Blondie is called Skull, Izuku is Hero and I'm Mona. It's a precaution to keep our identities safe from the palace owner." Morgana explained before running a bit ahead and facing the group. "I think we've got a handle on the basics. Just follow my lead through the palace and I'll be sure to teach you guys more as we go!"
"Right, let's do this!" Ryuji huffed, getting pumped up as he could and following after the cat with Ann next to him. Izuku looked back up at the castle and furrowed his brow behind his mask, leveling his nerves out and breathing in.
"We can do this…" Izuku muttered to himself, gripping his hand anxiously before proceeding forward.
*SKREE*
Izuku stopped and quickly whipped his head around, quickly putting his guard up as he suspected an enemy had been waiting for them inside the gate. Much to his surprise though, it was a sight he wasn't expecting in the least. Standing there across from him was Justine, the serious one of the Velvet Room twins if memory served right. She stood next to an iron barred door that swung open with a loud creak.
"My master wishes to speak with you." Justine declared, watching the green haired teen expectantly. Izuku blinked, taking a moment to fully realize that this was no trick of the eyes. He looked back at his friends, wanting to call out. "They cannot see me or this door. You will simply look idle in thought to them after you have entered." Justine explained, stopping the green haired teen in his tracks.
"I… didn't realize you could come to this world, too… then again, I still know so little about you…" Izuku relented, tilting his head down in thought.
"You will learn more as you continue your rehabilitation. Now, come. It would be best not to make my master wait too long." Justine urged, though her voice was the same flat voice as usual. Izuku spared another glance back at his friends, biting his bottom lip at the inconvenient timing of the summon. But then again, he might be able to learn something that might aid them within the palace. With that thought in mind, Izuku stepped forward and walked inside the blue barred door.
Darkness enveloped Izuku, the green haired teen having to blink for a moment before the scenery started to form. The familiar jail cell surrounded him, and his phantom thief attire was now replaced with the black striped fatigues he had come to familiarize himself with every time he came to this world. Despite his previous experiences in this world, it felt rather bizarre to have come here of his own accord, while awake no less.
"The prisoner has returned!" Izuku heard Caroline announce, looking down to see both twins standing in their usual spots in front of his 'cell'. Izuku didn't bother to question how Justine was able to return before he did.
"I must applaud you. You've been able to take what I have told you to heart despite limited understanding…" Igor said, drawing Izuku's attention up to him now. "Your luck and determination in your mission certainly makes rehabilitating you worth while."
"It… just happened to work out like that." Izuku said, frowning slightly at his words. "I'm not making these bonds with people just to use them to get stronger."
"Of course. To form these bonds and progress them in power, they must be more than some artificial reason. Do not worry. Just because you gain strength from your confidants does not make your relationships any less real." Igor reassured, waving his hand in dismissal.
"I see… but still… what is the point of this 'rehabilitation'? What does it mean? And how is it supposed to stop my… certain doom?" Izuku asked, but of course only earned an amused chuckle from the large nosed being.
"It will become clear in due time. I am not withholding information that would affect you as of now. As you progress with your links to others and continue on your quest to purify the hearts of twisted men such as this king, it will be made palpable." Igor explained, though it did little to reassure Izuku. He didn't bother to ask any further on the subject, knowing that it was just a waste of his breath. The long nosed being was making it clear that he would not say anymore in that regard. "But that is not why I have brought you here, today. I brought you here to introduce the aid that we shall be providing you in your exploits."
"Aid? You can help me in the palace?" Izuku asked in surprise, earning a deep chuckle from Igor.
"Not directly, but in a helpful manner, nonetheless. As you are now aware, you possess the ability to wield several Personas. That is thanks to your potential as the wild card. With such an ability comes infinite possibilities. To do that, we must execute your Personas." Izuku widened his eyes, the tone in which Igor said so as dark as the implication. Seeing his horror, Igor simply laughed. "Do not fret. Personas are simply personalities that exist within your heart. By relinquishing the old ones, you make room for new personalities to manifest. Come, bring forth what Personas you now possess within you."
Izuku wasn't sure what he meant, but suddenly felt his body begin to heat up, grinding his teeth as he gripped the bars. Blue flames surrounded his body, three bursts exploding forth and taking shape. In front of him, Carter, Pixie and Bicorn took shape. Izuku had captured Bicorn some time after Pixie during their initial escape after saving Ann. Now, each Persona stared intently at him from the other side of his cell.
"No way… they came out on their own…" Izuku muttered, looking at the three in amazement.
"This place is different than the cognitive world and your world, remember? Many things are possible that aren't out there, inmate." Caroline reminded him, looking up at him with little patience. "Now hurry up and pick two among them."
"Huh? Pick?" Izuku repeated, raising a brow in question. "What do you mean?"
"As I said before, you must execute some Persona to make room for others. By executing two, you have the potential to make something greater than the two before. Consider it a fusion of sorts." Igor said this time, waving a hand. A card appeared above each of the Personas, a small bit of familiarity filling Izuku. "Take note of each card that belongs to your Personas. I'm sure you have noticed that they are one in the same as the cards that have appeared when forging a bond with those around you."
"Yeah… the tarot cards. Ryuji-sempai was Chariot… Morgana-san was Magician, Koto-san was Priestess and T-Tak-Ann-sempai was Lovers... " Izuku muttered, mulling over his memory to each time that strange voice whispered the oath to him.
"And I am the Fool tarot. Take note of each of these bonds, as they will be important to your progress." Igor declared, Izuku looking back up at him in question. "The deeper your bond is with those of such tarot, the greater the strength of a fusion will be depending on the resulting Persona. Now take your pick. Which Persona will be executed?"
Izuku bit his bottom lip, looking up at those in his possession. None looked disturbed or upset, likely expecting such a result from this place.
"Don't mind us, kid. Do what'cha gotta to attain more power." Carter spoke, slamming his fist against his chest. "You've got a mission to fulfill and lives to save. We'll give ourselves up if it means you fulfill that duty."
"I'm not quite so noble as he is, but I know you will face difficult challenges soon." Pixie spoke up this time, giving a sad smile to Izuku. "If giving our forms up to grant you strength is what you wish, we happily give it. Just be sure to summon me again when you can, okay?"
"If Bicorn can give up self for good cause, Bicorn shall do so." The green horse spoke, kicking the dirt underneath its feet. Izuku gulped, looking across the three in thought. This decision wasn't without difficulty. Each one had a personality of its own, and while Igor made it clear he wasn't technically killing them, it still made him feel uneasy. But from the way Igor and the twins looked at him, there was no refusing their fusion.
Izuku took a moment to look up at all three Personas. His eyes met with Carter, and the decision soon became clear: while the other two were as much his strength as Carter was, Carter was truly his Persona, one born from his soul rather than absorbed from a Shadow. "Pixie… Bicorn… I appreciate your help. Please give me more power by fusing."
"As you wish." They both bowed, their ethereal forms floating further back in the jail.
"I guess we'll be stickin' together then, eh kid?" Carter asked, the fixed smile on his face going up a bit more in understanding.
"You were my first partner. We'll become stronger together." Izuku declared, giving a determined smile to his true Persona. Carter gave a hearty laugh, nodding in acceptance.
"Very well, kid. Let's show this world what we're made of." With that, Carter's body reformed back into a mask, blue flames surrounding it before shooting into Izuku's chest. Izuku took a small breath and smiled before looking up at Igor and the twins.
"Okay, so how will we fuse-eh?" Izuku blinked as his eyes suddenly became wide as plates. Not far behind Igor were two large guillotines that were clearly never there before. Izuku wasn't sure how they could have fit in the small area in the first place, but it seemed like the outside of his cell had become much larger with their sudden placement.
"Don't worry, inmate. We're already on it." Caroline chuckled darkly, standing by a switch on the side of one of the guillotines. Two bodies were wiggling in fear, their heads already placed inside the hole and awaiting execution.
"W-wait! I didn't realize you were being that literal when you said you were executing them!"
"Duh! What did you think execute meant, inmate? Pay attention!" Caroline laughed cruelly as she pulled the switch without warning, the blades descending upon the two prone forms before Izuku could further argue. His jaw dropped in complete shock, but his horror was soon replaced with shock once the blades hit. Instead of a grotesque scene, the bodies were immediately converted into energy, a blue flame shooting from the guillotines and combining into one. Izuku widened his eyes as the flames took shape, a mass of green sludge forming in front of him. Red eyes peered out from the top of it with a gap spreading at the center that Izuku could easily guess was the mouth.
"I am Slime. I shall bathe thy enemies in the poison of my body." The sludge proclaimed, before converting into a mask like Carter had done moments before, following suit and absorbing into Izuku's chest.
"There, inmate. Was that so bad?" Caroline giggled mockingly, crossing her arms as she gave a smug smirk. "Watching you squirm like that was pretty funny, though."
"The power of that Persona is now yours. This is the result of the execution." Justine declared, no hint of amusement in her voice in contrast to her twin.
"Continue to gather more Personas like that. Bring them here and execute them and continue to unlock new powers through their birth. This process will be integral to your fight against ruin. Use it well." Igor suggested, Izuku swallowing a bit as he absorbed this information.
"We have several rituals similar to the fusion that we can perform. As you grow stronger in both spirit and in your bonds, these rituals will become less limited." Justine explained this time.
"And if you continue to develop well in your rehabilitation, we might even offer new rituals for you to use. Feel free to grovel in thanks, inmate." Caroline declared, the end of her statement causing Izuku blanch in disbelief.
"Your rehabilitation is going well, so far. Your heart is now gaining the strength of rebellion, something many would not expect in you. A rather joyous development, indeed… In celebration of your progress, I shall provide you with a gift. Something I believe will be of great use to you on your journey." Igor declared, holding up his hand as it began to glow. Izuku didn't feel anything change at first, but suddenly felt his eyes begin to ache. It felt like he had stared at the sun longer than he should have, snapping his lids shut as he groaned in irritation. But after a moment of irritation, the pain suddenly disappeared, Izuku opening his eyes and blinked away any remaining stress. He looked up at his three jailers, surprised when he saw that they were more illuminated in his site. Igor specifically was peculiar, as now a card representing the Fool arcana hovered above him. Blinking once, Izuku's vision returned to normal. "Wh-what was…"
"That is what you might call your Third Eye." Igor explained for him, smirking in amusement at his confusion. "That is a thief's skill used to see things that are hidden from normal site. A sixth sense to help you see what darkness might hide from you and what cannot normally be seen. It should be of good help to you as you progress through the palace."
Izuku widened his eyes, unsure just how to activate this sixth sense at first. But after a moment of thinking of it, his eyesight shifted back to what he saw once before. Using that same feeling, Izuku returned his view back to normal. "A-amazing… it's almost like you gave me a Quirk that taps into my sense of sight and enhances it…" looking up at Igor, Izuku couldn't help but feel appreciation, smiling at Igor despite his previous caution toward the individual. "Thank you…"
*SMASH*
Izuku blinked in surprise when he heard chains shatter, the Fool tarot card appearing before him with the words RANK TWO materialized under it. Before Izuku could question it, the card soon disappeared, his vision no longer pertrubed by the sight. "So… that's how I can tell when I develop a relationship further..?" Izuku muttered, not realizing that these confidant links would make themselves so prominent as they progressed. It definitely left it to his imagination how they trigger like this, exactly.
"Now go forth. Destroy this manifestation of a twisted heart, and show me that you have what it takes to challenge the ever approaching ruin."
Before Izuku realized it, he was back in the cognitive world. Looking down at himself, he saw that he was back in his black and red thief attire, mask firmly in place on his face. I didn't think they'd come out to me like this. It's disorienting… but if what he said is true, I really do have something incredible to help me now…
"Hey dude, you okay?" Izuku pulled himself from his musings, looking up at Ryuji after hearing him call out. His companions approached him, all with concern lacing their expressions. "You were just standin' there all dazed. Everything cool?"
"I was..?" Izuku muttered, blinking as he looked around at the three. I guess what Justine-san said before is true. They didn't see me go into that place. "Um… there's something I need to tell you guys about."
"What exactly? Is it something to be worried about?" Morgana asked curiously, tilting his head in question.
"N-no, not particularly, but..." Izuku muttered, releasing a sigh as he tried to figure out the best way to explain it. "Actually… maybe it would be better to save it for later. We have to focus on our objective and it will only sidetrack us."
"If it's important, be sure to inform us later. But if you're positive that it won't have any bearing on our current situation, then I don't mind waiting." Morgana suggested, looking at Ann and Ryuji. "Is that okay with you two?"
"If you think it can wait, I'm okay with it." Ann agreed, nodding in acceptance. "I want to take Kamoshida down as fast as possible."
"You're pretty smart, so I trust you wouldn't hold somethin' back that would affect the infiltration. Just don't leave us in the dark when this is all over, mkay?" Ryuji grinned, giving Izuku a thumbs up in approval.
Izuku smiled, nodding in appreciation. "Thank you. When this is all over, I'll be sure to tell you guys." looking back at the palace, Izuku's brow hardened with determination. "Now let's go."
"S-so please… become one of my masks!"
"... Get real, chump."
Izuku's shoulders slumped in defeat, face frowning behind his thief mask. As they had done before, the group had moved through the palace with great haste, their original infiltration route still open to them. They encountered several Shadows on their way through but nothing that the four couldn't handle. With Ann's help, they truly were able to blaze through without much difficulty compared to when they had decided to attack with only a three man team. Seeing that their chances of success were much higher now, Izuku decided to take this opportunity to gain more Personas. They had encountered over five different Shadows since their arrival, but Izuku had only been able to successfully negotiate with two of them: Silky and Jack-o-Lantern. Currently, Izuku was making an attempt to capture one of the imps that they had encountered on their first day inside the castle, but it was going with little success.
"Hey, you wanna make it outta here alive, asshole?! Just do what he says!" Ryuji snapped, cocking his shotgun and keeping it aimed at the imp.
"L-look, pal. Me and bunny ears over there just aren't compatible. It's not my fault!" The shadow argued, immediately causing Izuku to blink owlishly.
"B-bunny ears?" He muttered distraughtly.
"Bu-but here! Take my money and we'll call it even, kay?" The imp offered, placing two thousand yen on the ground for them to take. With that, the imp quickly floated away, the four watching with hesitation.
"H-hey! Damn it…" Ryuji muttered, scratching the top of his head. "Well, at least we didn't get left empty handed. Nice try though, Hero."
"Y-yeah… it looks like my negotiation skills will need a lot more work." Izuku admitted with a sigh, putting his revolver away before walking up and taking the money.
"I have to say, you're certainly being more proactive in gaining Personas. Glad to see you taking initiative." Morgana praised with a small smirk.
"Hm… what he said, though…" Ann muttered, examining Izuku with mild intrigue. Her lips twitched upward at the corner and she let out a small giggle. "I hadn't thought about it, but your mask does look like it has bunny ears, huh?"
"I-it really does?!" Izuku balked in embarrassment, cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he started to feel the top outlining of the mask.
"Now that you mention it, it kinda does." Ryuji chuckled, deciding to join in on the teasing. "I wonder what that's about."
"No, no, guys. It's not a bunny at all. I can tell because I've been to Hero's room." Morgana chuckled knowingly, looking up at Izuku with a small amount of smugness. "It's shaped like that big hero All-Might's hair."
"It… is?" Izuku muttered, blinking in surprise before going to a nearby mirror in the room they occupied. Looking at his reflection, it immediately clicked with Izuku. The way that the stuck out at the top and the curve in the eye sockets. It really did look like an outline of All-Might's top head. Sadly with little details in the mask aside from the black and white color, it did make it look similar to bunny ears.
"I think I can see that, actually…" Ann mused, taking another solid look at it now. "But how'd you guess just from what was in his room?"
"Oh, man. You guys would not believe all the stuff he-" Morgana began to say, only for Izuku to quickly run over and cover his mouth.
"W-w-we should be getting back to the task at hand, shouldn't we? We don't want to waste any time and have an enemy come in!" Izuku swiftly suggested, attempting to save himself from any further mortification from Morgana's teasing.
"Well, you're not wrong there. We should probably get goin'." Ryuji shrugged, deciding to spare Izuku some torment. "We can save it for when we get to a safe room, right?"
"Sounds good to me. The faster we get this done, the better." Ann agreed, Izuku breathing out in relief as he released Morgana. The cat shook his head vigorously in annoyance, sending a cute glare up at Izuku but saying nothing. The four moved through the door at the far end of the room they stood in. To their surprise, it didn't lead to a hallway, but another much larger room. As they entered, their gazes fell on the center of the room. It was blocked off by black bars, white pillars at several places with black goat head busts hanging from them with a large ring in their maws.
"This is pretty weird. We haven't been in a room like this before." Ryuji mumbled aloud, looking around for any guards. "Think there's somethin' important in there?"
"It wouldn't be gated off if there wasn't." Morgana drawled with a sigh, eyes narrowing as he looked around. "We should try to find a way to open it. I'm guessing it will have to do with the goat heads if there are no other options."
"So should we just go up and pull on each one, maybe?" Ann suggested, earning a hum of thought from Morgana.
"Perhaps. But maybe we should leave it up to our leader. What do you think, Hero?" Morgana declared, looking up at Izuku expectantly.
"Well, it would probably be-eh?" Izuku blinked before looking down at Morgana in question. "Leader?"
"That's right. You are our trump card, after all. Not to mention you've been the battle tactician since we started this assault. I think you should be leader." Morgana declared, a feline grin spreading across his mouth.
"B-but what about you?! You know the most about palaces." Izuku pointed out, only for Morgana to shake his head.
"I'd consider myself more of an advisor or a specialist in the field of phantom thievery. Leading seems to be your strong suit." Morgana disregarded, placing his paws on his hips.
"That works for me. You've been doin' pretty well leadin' us in so far. We'll be countin' on ya, leader!" Ryuji chuckled, giving a thumbs up of approval.
"You did set up that trap pretty well a couple of days ago. Not to mention we've been able to go through this palace pretty smoothly against enemies so far with you directing us." Ann smiled in acceptance. "I think that following you would probably be the best option for us, too."
"Y-you guys…" Izuku muttered, looking around at the three in stunned silence. He hadn't realized how much he was actually leading them so far but, thinking back on it, Morgana had taken a back seat when it came to giving orders during battle. At most he might advise on how to proceed against an enemy, but it was Izuku who was giving the orders to the others. Feeling touched by their trust, Izuku gave a nod and grinned. "I'll do my best!" He declared before looking forward. Examining each of the busts hanging from the pillars, an idea came to Izuku. Igor's gift. I wonder if it'll work in this situation… Izuku closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on the Third Eye that Igor had granted him not long ago. Opening his eyes, the room seemed darker, but on the ground footprints were highlighted around the cage. Walking forward slowly, Izuku saw where the footsteps ended before going inside, leading him to one specific goat bust. Izuku reached up and pulled the ring, a chain drawing out and its eyes lighting up momentarily. A second later, the bars around the center of the room lifted up, his three companions jumping in surprise.
"Whoa, good guess! On your first try, too." Ryuji grinned, slapping Izuku on the back.
"There was no way that was a lucky guess! That looked more like skill and concentration from Hero to me." Morgana disregarded, looking up at the green haired teen in pride. "You've learned well, my apprentice. Now if only Skull were able to catch up to your progress."
"Hey!" Ryuji indignantly grunted, sticking his bottom lip out in annoyance.
"Hey, come look at this." Ann called out, having ignored the two as she approached the table previously locked away by the bars. "Looks like a map of the palace."
"That's it? I was expecting somethin' worthwhile for it to be locked up like that…" Ryuji complained, stomping up to the table alongside Izuku and Morgana.
"You're hopeless. Don't you realize how vital a map is to our mission?" Morgana said, shaking his head in disappointment. "Now that we have this, we don't have to wander around so aimlessly hoping to come across the palace Treasure. Not to mention we have a better look at the layout."
"Actually, we might need another piece." Izuku declared, having taken a look at the map for himself. "The treasure isn't labeled on here. Plus, it looks like we're missing some of the pages for the rest of the palace. This only covers up to the first couple floors. Judging from the size of the palace, we should still have two more floors to climb…"
"Oh, I see. That's a shame, but at least we've got ourselves covered for a good portion of the castle." Morgana hummed, hopping up to the table and rubbing his chin as he examined the map pieces in their possession.
"Considering this half was locked off, we can at least count on the next half being secured somewhere too." Ann suggested, earning a nod of agreement from Ryuji.
"All we gotta do is keep an eye out for some shady room or sealed off place. Shouldn't be too hard to come across the second half." Ryuji added, trying to be as positive as he could about their missing map pieces.
"Even though it's not complete, we can navigate pretty far with what we have." Izuku declared, examining the maps closely as he tried to determine their next route. "... Okay, from what I can see, we're in this room here, so…" Izuku muttered, pointing to a small spot lining their location. "We want to get higher, so we'll take the door on the right end." Izuku pointed out, looking up from the map and nodding to the others. "Let's go."
"Yeah." The others said in acceptance, following after their newly dubbed leader. The door they walked through led to another long hallway, Izuku quickly hopping behind a chair for cover as he scanned the red velvet hall for any Shadows nearby. It was a bit of a surprise to find it empty of enemies, though Izuku knew better than to relax. Shadows have popped out of nowhere before. We can't let our guard down no matter what. But getting too paranoid to move quickly won't help either. Waiting a moment longer, Izuku motioned back to the others, getting up and leading them forward again. Reaching the end of the hall, Izuku pushed open another door that lead them to scaffolding overlooking the main hall.
Pulling out the map again, Izuku looked at their current path. "If we want to follow the beaten path to the opposite end of the hall, we'll have to take the path on our left…" Izuku declared before looking around the room. "But that would be a long ring just to get to that side of the room… is that really the only way over?" He mumbled, looking back at the others.
"Well unless you wanna hop around on the chandelier or somethin', probably." Ryuji joked a bit, looking up at the incredibly large light fixtures. Everyone followed his line of sight, their faces lighting up in realization.
"Well… they are actually large enough for us to walk on…" Izuku reasoned, holding his chin in thought.
"W-wait, seriously?! Dude, I've always wanted to do somethin' like that…" Ryuji muttered, shocked that his previous joke had been taken more serious.
"Not a bad idea, Skull. And here I thought you wouldn't be able to think something like this through." Ann complimented while also teasing the faux blond.
"I guess even guys like Skull can have some decent insight now and again." Morgana chuckled, Ryuji glaring at the two indignantly.
"Come on, we can get up to the chandelier from here!" Izuku called out, moving toward the end of the hallway closest to them. Against the wall was a heavy bookshelf, which Izuku quickly tested the stability of. He was barely able to budge it from its position, smiling as he realized it was strong enough to hold them. With a quick hop, Izuku jumped on the shelf first. It didn't even move, giving him confidence it could hold the rest of them. He quickly moved out of the way for the others, wasting no time before moving to the edge closest to the grand fixtures hanging from the ceiling. "This could be dangerous despite how big they are, so I'll go first…" Izuku told the others, swallowing a bit before making a quick leap forward. The chandelier shook far less than Izuku was expecting, though that was a good thing. It was going to hold their weight. "It's safe. Come on."
"Gotcha." Ryuji called out, quickly hopping up after him. Ann quickly followed and Morgana straight behind her.
"This is both amazing and terrifying at the same time…" Ann said with a nervous chuckle, looking over the edge of the chandelier to see the distance between them and the floor. It would likely be more than painful if they were to fall from this height.
"Don't worry, Panther. I'll be sure to catch you if you fall." Morgana said puffing up his chest, trying to seem more manly in doing so.
"Yeah, right. You'd probably fall off with her." Ryuji snickered, rolling his eyes at the cat's attempt at bravado.
"Come on guys, stay focused. We don't want to make a mistake while we're moving from each fixture." Izuku reminded them, causing the three to go silent in embarrassment. Izuku was right, of course. One small slip up on the fixture, and they could end up falling straight into the hall. Izuku made another jump to the next fixture, grabbing the chain and standing near the center. "Come on, almost there!"
Ryuji quickly followed suit, taking a small breath of relief after landing safely. "Alright, next up!" He called out. Izuku took a step back to give them room but suddenly froze as he felt a shiver go up his spine. He cranked his head to the side, watching as the familiar black ooze spouted from the fixture only steps away, a golden armored knight taking shape.
"Sh-shit, don't jump yet!" Izuku ordered, quickly reaching the back of his coat and pulling out his staff.
"We knew you rats would come crawling up here! It's time for you to be exterminated!" The guard roared in anger, quickly swinging its blade down at Izuku. The green haired teen ground his teeth as he blocked the blade with his staff, the impact shaking his whole body as well as the chandelier he stood on. Ann had jumped during the quick exchange without realizing what had happened, the sudden trembling of the fixture causing her to lose her footing on the edge of the chandelier.
"WAH~!"
"Panther!" Ryuji cried out, acting on instinct and reaching forward, quickly grasping her arm and pulling her back toward him and catching her in his arms.
"Get… back…!" Izuku growled out, sweat pouring down his face as he summoned every ounce of his strength and pushed against the golden guard, quickly following up with a straight strike to its midsection in hope of knocking it off the chandelier. Unfortunately, while pushed back, it was able to stabilize its position before it could fall off the edge.
"A shadow came out even up here?!" Morgana snarled, quickly hopping after Ann and jumping to her side. "Are you alright, Panther?!"
"Yeah, though that was pretty close…" Ann admitted, taking a breath to calm her nerves, eyes now focusing on the Shadow. "Thanks for the save Skull. Now let's pay this guy back."
"Sounds good to me. I was just havin' fun jumping around on these things, too." Ryuji chuckled, getting up with a mischievous grin as he pulled out his pipe and got ready.
"Damn it, I won't let Skull of all people outdo me!" Morgana hissed out, quickly drawing his scimitar.
"I'll blast you all of so that you can paint the floors in your blood for King Kamoshida!" The guard growled before its body swallowed into the black ooze, a much larger figure taking shape. It hovered in the air, now in the form of an unfamiliar shadow to the group. It wore chainmail and old armor, though its body was proportioned in the correct way. Crimson wings stuck out of its back, and its face was dark with faintly glowing blue eyes.
"Careful, guys. This Shadow isn't like any we've faced so far!" Morgana warned, the four quickly taking defensive stances and raising their weapons.
Izuku immediately went for his mask, pulling it from his face and summoning his main Persona. "Carter! Kouha!" Izuku commanded, motioning his hand forward. A ball of light formed in his porcelain white hands, Carter quickly lashing out with a mighty toss. Much to his shock though, the blast did nothing, fading off the armor of the knight without budging an inch. "Sh-shit, it's immune to bless attacks!" Izuku proclaimed.
"Pathetic whelp!" The Shadow roared, quickly swinging its sword around at Izuku. The green haired teen barely raised his staff in time to block, sparing himself from being cleaved in half but being launched from the fixture. Izuku let out a cry, quickly reaching out and grabbing the edge of the next light fixture over before he could fall to his death.
"Hero!" Ryuji cried out in fear, Izuku's quick save only giving him a small amount of relief before it quickly shifted to anger. "You bastard. I'll make you pay for that! Captain Kidd!" The pirate Persona bursted from blue flames, pointing its cannon forward and launching a volley of lightning. Unlike the bless attack, the electricity was most effective, causing the Shadow to groan in pain as it was temporarily caught in a state of static shock. "Go help Hero up! I got this!"
"O-on it!" Panther agreed, quickly running around the Shadow and jumping to the next chandelier. Izuku was hanging by one hand, struggling to get his opposite arm up to a secure part of the edge. Ann quickly reached down, grabbing the arm gripping the fixture. "I've got you! Bring your other arm up!"
Izuku felt Ann struggling to lift him up from his one arm, but her assistance gave him the leverage he needed to swing his arm around to a more comfortable spot. "Thanks… it looks like the Shadow is weak to electric attacks… we'll need to exploit that as much as possible." Izuku huffed out, trying to strategize even before being fully pulled up.
"You want some more, asshole?! Take this!" Ryuji growled out again, Captain Kidd launching another blast of lightning at the Shadow. The dark angelic feature let out another roar of pain but pushed through the electricity, its shining eyes narrowing at Ryuji in fury.
"Such attacks may hurt… but do not sway my loyalty to King Kamoshida!" It declared, weakly raising its sword and slashing at Ryuji. The Persona user was taken off guard, Captain Kidd barely covering him up with its arms as the attack slammed into its side. Ryuji was safe from any fatal damage, but the faux blond was nonetheless hurt by the slash, knocking back into the rail of the chandelier.
"Skull!" Morgana cried out in shock before glaring, quickly hopping in front of Ryuji defensively. "Don't think you can count me out too, Shadow. Come forth, Zorro!" Morgana ordered, the black masked being forming above him and swinging its undersized rapier between its fingers. A gale of wind blasted the angelic knight, causing it to stumble back a bit but hover back in place, only given some moderate damage. "Damn it, it's not strong enough! This guy is tough!"
"We need to get over there!" Ann cried out in worry, preparing to jump back until Izuku stopped her in her tracks, quickly grabbing her arm.
"No, wait!" Izuku spared an analytical gaze up at the light fixture, grinding his teeth before looking back at Ann. "I-I have an idea! Skull, Mona! Make your way over here!"
"You wanna run?" Ryuji asked with strain, lifting himself up by the rail. "This guy'll just follow after!"
"Trust me, I'll make sure he doesn't! Jump over here before he goes in for another attack! Panther, hit it with some fire!" Izuku ordered, reaching up and pulling off his mask. This time it was Slime that appeared above him, the blob opening its mouth for an attack. "Zio!"
"Dance, Carmen!" Ann lashed out with her own Persona, the two attacks blazing forth and slamming into the Shadow. While the fire alone might not have yielded much in result, combined with the electricity, it was enough to make the angelic knight fall back, hand reaching out and grabbing the chain suspending the fixture.
"Quick, while it's hurt let's go!" Morgana suggested, quickly casting Dia and restoring energy to Ryuji and taking away a majority of pain he felt after the previous attack. Ryuji quickly stumbled up to his feet, not wasting any time as he followed the cat to an opening in the fixture's rails. Both jumped across, Ann standing by and making sure the two landed safely by their side.
"Y-you will not escape King Kamoshida's divine judgement, y-you rats…" The Shadow spat in pain, using the chain to hoist itself up, spreading its wings as it prepared to take flight after them.
"Skull, together! Let's finish him off!" Izuku called out, the punk quickly rushing to his side. Both removed their masks, Slime and Captain Kidd materializing into existence again.
"Get wrecked!" Ryuji growled out, the two Personas unleashing synced blasts of electricity into the Shadow. This time, the blast shocked it to its very core, the chain it held onto causing the metal around it to spark and magnify the strength of the electricity's effect on its body. As smoke started to rise from its body, the Shadow finally let out one last death rattle before dispersing into ooze, the creature disappearing completely as the electricity surging through the fixture died down. The four hesitate for a moment, their bodies tense in paranoia for a moment before finally relaxing. Izuku and Ryuji fell on their butts, the two taking bated breaths.
"Geez… that guy was damn tough. Took a few hits before goin' down." Ryuji said, shooting Izuku an impressed smile. "Nice thinkin' with the chandelier, though. Guy never saw it comin'."
"I'm glad we were able to finish him off when we did. Trying to fight on top of these fixtures while he can fly would make things really difficult." Izuku admitted with relief, sparing a glance of concern Ryuji's way. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, not too bad. Mona patched me up quick so it doesn't hurt too bad." Ryuji explained, earning a nod of acceptance from Izuku.
"That was pretty scary. I wouldn't have thought we'd run into those things up here." Ann sighed, rubbing her arm in concern. "I'm glad you're both okay, though. That thing was strong."
"Shadows are going to get stronger as we keep progressing. In a normal circumstance we probably could have handled it better, but all the more reason to keep our guard up." Morgana pointed out, looking down with a bit of shame. "I'll admit though, I hadn't predicted such a spot for the encounter. The Shadows are a bit smarter than I thought, I suppose."
"Well, no one was seriously hurt, so let's stay positive." Izuku reasoned, pushing off the surface of the fixture to stand up. "So long as we stay aware of our surroundings, I'm sure we won't get caught off guard like that again. We should keep making a push through before any more show up. Hopefully a safe room is close by so we can take a breather."
"Yeah, good point. As far as we know, there's more just waitin' around the corner." Ryuji agreed, standing up and rolling his shoulder. "I'm ready when you are. Let's keep goin'." Morgana and Ann nodded in acceptance, the four hopping to the next platform before continuing through the castle.
"Hey, Hero. Why'd you grab these books again?"
It had been some time since their encounter with the Shadow on the chandeliers. After locating a safe room, the four had taken a small respite, filling up on their snacks and drinks for energy before pushing forward. The Shadows had increased in strength as Morgana had said, but the team was far more prepared this time. Even with the growing difficulty, Izuku had been able to direct them systematically. When it was a Shadow they had previously encountered, he immediately went for their known weaknesses and had the rest of the team follow up. When it was an enemy they were unfamiliar with, he would make them disperse to give it no clear target while they blasted it until they found its weakness. It was simple but effective, and had yielded the best results.
The four were now pushing through a more unique corridor than what they had walked through up to this point. The hall winded with several rooms and was guarded by a few Shadows. At the end of the hall was a door that was blocked off by bars with the same goat figurine head next to it. It was easy to determine that they had another puzzle to solve by looking through the nearby rooms. Before even entering any of the rooms though, Izuku made sure that they had dealt with all of the Shadows in their way beforehand should they encounter one in a room. He'd rather cut them down now rather than be taken from behind during a another battle.
"There was something about these books that just stood out…" Izuku said, humming as he looked down at the three books in hand. They were respectively labeled the 'King's Book', the 'Queen's Book' and the 'Slave Book'. While nothing outwardly stood out about them that most could see, they had ignited with blue aura when Izuku had spied them out with his Third Eye. He wasn't sure what that meant, but guessed it made them important enough to carry. "Considering that our next route is locked off, it's better to be prepared for possible ways to open it up. I'm guessing its part of some puzzle."
"I agree with Hero on this. You never know what kind of safelocks that the palace ruler will have. Even if they want to keep something safe, they still need to be able to access it for themselves." Morgana suggested in agreement.
"It's so weird to think that this is still the school, though. It just seems so much bigger by comparison." Ann commented offhandedly, eyes scanning her surroundings curiously.
"Stop." Izuku ordered, causing the three to halt behind him as Izuku arrived at another door. He slowly twisted the knob and pushed it open, eyes searching for any enemies within. Seeing nothing in sight, Izuku cautiously walked in, now taking in his surroundings. "Bingo." He muttered with a small smile, realizing that his theory was now much more likely to be correct. While the other rooms in this corridor had bookshelves, this one in particular could be considered a library, the walls completely shrouded by books.
"Damn… you really hit the nail on the head, huh?" Ryuji muttered, scratching his head as he looked around the room.
"Okay, everyone. Look around the shelves and look for gaps between the books and titles related to the books we have." Izuku suggested, earning nods of acceptance from his teammates as they dispersed. Izuku quickly scanned the north wall, immediately spotting a small dent in one of the shelves. Scanning the spines of each book, Izuku began to read the title aloud. "'The Great Kamoshida's Law', 'The Great Kamoshida's Trials', 'The Great Kamoshida's Wisdom'... talk about narcissistic. But judging from all of that, I'm guessing this one fits in…" Izuku guessed, pulling the 'King's Book' out and placing it in the shelf.
"Hey, I got one." Ryuji called out, Izuku quickly making his way over to the faux blond. Ryuji was currently glaring at the books, his own anger boiling over. "Its got the names of all the volleyball players on these ones. Hell, there are a bunch of boys from our school on here outside of them, too. Even puts some messed up titles next to them. 'Mishima: the Useless Punching Bag'. What the eff, man..?"
"'Ryuji: the Vulgar Ape'. Found you, Skull." Morgana pointed out, causing the faux blond to blink owlishly as the cat pointed to a book with his paw.
"Oh, that piece of shit!"
"Well, considering how he was hurting them in the dungeon, it's safe to assume they're the 'Slaves Book'." Izuku easily guessed, sighing as he shelved the book into the right place.
"Found where the Queen Book needs to go." Ann called out, her voice hiding little disdain. The three quickly joined her, the twin tailed blonde glaring up at the shelf from behind her mask. "Shiho's name is on one of these books… 'Suzui: The Meager Replacement'. That son of a bitch…" Ann growled in anger, fist gripping white at her side in disgust.
"'Ann: the Charming Doll'. Holy shit…" Ryuji muttered, holding a hand up to his mouth.
"The more we dive into Kamoshida's mind, the more disgusting he becomes." Izuku said, trying to maintain his own composure as he walked up to the bookshelf and placed the final book in. A lock suddenly ticked, the four looking around to see two of the shelves suddenly part at the center, revealing a hidden room.
"Jackpot. Way to keep an insightful eye, Hero." Morgana smiled, patting his leg in reassurance. The four didn't hesitate, walking into the hidden room and examining it closely. As they quickly noted though, there were photos scattered around on the ground. Candles surrounded a rack at the front of the room almost like a shrine.
"This is…" Izuku mumbled, his face paling as he saw the closest photo nearby.
"These are… pictures of Shiho…" Ann said quietly, kneeling down and picking up a photo with a trembling hand.
"They're all pics of her." Ryuji pointed out, taking a closer look at the wall that was riddled with her photos. Izuku didn't dare look closely at them, biting his bottom lip as he averted his eyes to what lie in front of him. Ann dropped the photo in her hand, rubbing her arm uncomfortably.
"Are you two okay?" Morgana asked in concern, bringing their attention away from the room. "I know this might be difficult to say, but we should look around. Considering the security locking it off, I'm sure there's more to this room than just a disgusting shrine."
Izuku took a deep breath and nodded before looking at Ann with concern. "Are you okay? I… I'm sure this is even more difficult for you than anyone."
"Yeah… yeah, I'm okay." Ann nodded in reassurance, straightening her posture and glaring. "If anything, this just motivates me more. We'll make him pay for this."
"Hey, guys! There's another room over here!" Ryuji called out, pulling their attention away from the disgusting scenery for a moment. Ryuji was just past the shrine on the left, revealing there to be another space within the secret room. The three moved to join him, blinking in surprise as they arrived.
"This is… different." Morgana stated in wonder, the three looking around them in confusion. Unlike most of the castle beforehand, this room was notably very different. Most of Kamoshida's cognition had been heavily focused on either himself or how he views the students of Shujin Academy. But this was related to neither as far as they could tell. Hanging from the ceiling by a noose was a straw made dummy. On its body was a blue and white sports uniform. It had knives sticking out of its body, likely used for personal venting of stress. Behind it, paint had been hastily brushed across the wall, spelling out many curses and profanities. All directed at one source. The most notable took up a good percentage of the wall, the doll hanging between the words.
FUCK UA!
"This is… outta left field." Ryuji muttered, scratching the back of his head. "I mean, up until now, it's been nothin' but shit about himself and the students. But he's also harboring' some hate toward that hero training school? What even for?"
"That does seem strange. Unlike the rest of his cognition, this seems to be one sitting in the back of his mind by comparison to the others." Morgana hummed in thought, putting a paw to his chin. "I don't know much about this UA, so you guys will have to fill me in a bit."
"UA's the biggest hero training school in Japan. It's been home to a good number of the world's top revered heroes. All-Might himself went there." Izuku explained for him, his earlier anger now simmered over and replaced with mild curiosity. "Still… what does that have to do with Kamoshida? And why is it such a small part of his cognition?"
"Hey guys, look." Ann pointed out, the three following her line of sight to a pedestal that sat just below the doll against the wall. The four jogged up, finding another section of their map sitting there with a medallion resting above it.
"Oh, awesome! Now we got the whole thing, right?!" Ryuji asked, looking over Morgana and Izuku's shoulder as they inspected the map pieces.
"It looks like it. Judging from the map, we're about halfway to the treasure. It's even marked right here." Morgana declared, pointing out the marked spot on the last page. "As we figured, it's in the highest tower. We've got a bit of a ways to go, but with the map we can at least know where to go."
"Dope! Then let's get goin' and finish this up! I wanna make him pay as soon as possible!" Ryuji rumbled out with excitement, grinning at his teammates.
"Hold on. We should pace ourselves a bit. Now that we know how much we have left, we have to make sure we have enough energy to cover so much ground. If we get over excited and expend too much stamina, we won't be able to finish this up today." Morgana advised, trying to get Ryuji to calm down.
"What are you looking at, Panther?" Izuku suddenly asked, distracting the two from their conversation to look at the twin tailed blonde. She was currently looking at some newspaper in hand, turning back to the three with a bit of concern.
"This was on the pedestal with the other stuff… it's kind of strange. I think it's an actual newspaper. Look." Ann explained, handing the article over to Izuku to look at, Morgana and Ryuji peeking behind him to get a look for themselves. The main article had a picture of some UA student that none of them recognized titled 'UA Sports Festival Steals Show Yet Again'. Drawn around it was a black marker circle outlining to a furiously written sentence. Complete Bullshit!
"This is so strange… why does he hate UA so much?" Izuku mumbled mostly to himself. He then noticed a page of the the newspaper had been folded back further in, flipping to it to find if it was a mistake or intentional. After turning five pages in, it became obvious that it was on purpose, black marker traced through another article. In big letters above the circled article was written Son of a bitch! "Japanese volleyball team takes home Olympic gold medal… Oh right, you said that Kamoshida won a gold medal before, right?" Izuku asked, looking back at Ryuji.
"Yeah. Lookin' at the picture, that looks like Kamoshida too." Ryuji hummed, the four examining it closer. "But what's he so pissed about if he made it in the papers? Shouldn't he have been happy?"
"No, this… actually makes sense." Izuku declared, holding his chin in thought. "After Quirks became so integrated with society, the UA Sports Festival became extremely popular. From what I've heard, it's become the world's top leading sports event in the past few decades. I'm guessing that the reason Kamoshida hates UA so much is because it completely undermined his achievement. No one cares as much for our olympic sports teams since Quirks are prohibited from use."
"Oh… I think I get it." Ann hummed in understanding. "Kamoshida wanted it to be some major achievement. But because everyone's so focused on the UA thing, it barely looks like a blip on the radar by comparison."
"The UA Sports Festival stole his spotlight. Because of that, he resents it and its students, I guess." Izuku said, turning his attention back to the wall and the profanities scratched into it.
"But if that's the case, why's it so buried in here? He pretty much wears everything on his shoulder in this place." Ryuji mused curiously, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"Probably the same reason the real Kamoshida doesn't talk about it or make a big deal." Izuku spoke again, narrowing his eyes at the doll. "It's because its outside of his control. Since this is based off cognition, it's still limited to what Kamoshida thinks he can do. No matter how much he hates UA, there's nothing he can do to the school itself or its students. So he has to silently seeth with hatred for it in secret. Both in real life and in this castle."
"That… sounds pretty on the mark, if you ask me." Morgana hummed, placing a paw on his chin. "You've come to understand the workings of a palace fairly well. I have no doubt that your theory is correct."
"Heh, this actually makes me pretty happy." Ryuji smirked behind his mask, the other three looking at him in question. "This bastard has somethin' way above his head that he can't do nothin' about. Definitely gives me ideas for taunting the bastard with."
"You should probably hold off on any further attempts to antagonize him considering the position you and Hero are in currently." Morgana suggested, looking back up at Izuku. "Speaking of which, I think we've spent long enough in here. We should get going if you guys plan on completing our infiltration route by the end of the day."
"O-oh, right. Everyone, let's get going. We have a map and an item that's likely for the gated door. We'll wait until the next safe room before we relax." Izuku suggested, earning nods of agreement from the rest of the team, the four departing from the secret room. Izuku spared one last glance at the doll of UA, mixed feelings rising up in him as he gazed back. Oddly enough, none of those emotions were directed at Kamoshida. They were merely regrets over his missed opportunity. Having been unable to pursue his true dream by going to UA Academy. It was strange that such feelings might surface from such a simple and unrelated place. But those regrets ever sat at the back of his mind.
No. It's okay. Izuku shook his head furiously, brow hardening as he focused back forward and on his objective. If I wasn't going to Shujin right now, then who knows how long Kamoshida would still be torturing everyone? How much Suzui-sempai, Ryuji-sempai and Ann-sempai would be suffering? Even if by the end of this I go to jail… at least I can at least be happy knowing that I saved people. Especially my friends. I'm not going to regret where I am anymore. I'm going to make the best of it until the end.
To be continued…
Phew, finally got this finished up! I have to say, these past few weeks have been a bit emotionally stressful. Holidays sort of do that to you, but it was also because of my annoying college schedule I was attempting to work on. In the end, I won't even be taking classes this semester :/ Oh well, it's not all bad. In fact, that means I can focus on my stories a lot more before next semester starts and I begin taking 4 classes instead of 2 like I have been. Regardless, this process has been annoying.
Anyway, about the chapter and the dungeon crawling. I will admit that this was something I was struggling a bit with. I wasn't sure what to focus the most on and what the most appropriate amount of the original dungeon to keep and exclude. There was obviously no way I was going to write out so many random fights and encounters. So I decided to use what I thought was both a mix of action and a bit of exposition. I hope that what I have written of this dungeon crawling was good. And for those worried about how much I'll keep writing about this aspect, do not worry. This is pretty much all of it. Next chapter will likely be the finale of the Kamoshida Castle.
Well, I hope you all enjoyed that chapter, please remember to leave a review, a follow and/or a favorite for me! It's greatly appreciated!