I changed the names of the kids' Personas to better fit with the Japanese Mythology setting.
#7: Somewhere Not Here
Persona series © ATLUS
Digimon Adventure © Toei Animation
4/18 Monday
Morning
Sunny
Tai and Matt in the 5th grade class were anxiously waiting for Sora to turn up. It was a tiring day yesterday, and they were trying to make sure that their new Persona user was feeling alright to come to school today.
"Heard from Sora yet?" Tai said.
"Nope. Not yet."
"Sheesh, wonder if everything's alright."
"Morning guys." They heard Sora walk up to them, as she sets her books down on her desk.
"Sora, glad you're alright."
"Of course."
"Did you sleep well?" Matt said.
"Crashed onto the couch when I got home yesterday…Mom was worried if I had gotten myself into something dangerous. I said no, and that she didn't have to worry about a thing."
"Well, that's good."
"Yep. Oh!" Sora looks around her to make sure no one but them was looking. "Guess who fell out of my TV yesterday?"
"Don't tell me." Tai said.
Sora opened her bag up a little, and peering through the opening was a familiar friend to them all.
"Hi, guys." She said.
"Yokomon." Tai said.
"Yup. Just like you guys she fell out of my TV." Sora said.
"Right after you got your Persona…So I guess our Digimon are tied to our Persona after all…"
"What's that?"
"Don't you think it's weird that we call on our Digimon the same way we call our Persona? In the TV World that is?"
"Actually yeah…I saw that. You summoned Greymon in place of that Momotaro thing."
"How exactly did our Digimon get stuck with our, Persona or something anyway?" Matt said.
"I'm not going to question it right now…" Tai said. "As long as we can master this sort of stuff, going through that castle is going to be a breeze."
"Alright, I guess. If you say so…"
"Hey, guys." Sora spoke up. "You, don't mind all that stuff about my shadow yesterday…right?"
"Of course not." Tai said.
"Yeah, we don't mind." Matt said. "I had to go through something like that."
"Oh right. And…how did it feel?" Sora said.
"What? Oh…well…I'm, not sure how to describe it…" Matt then looked at Tai. "Wait, that reminds me…Something like that didn't happen to you or Kari when you got your Personas."
"…Yeah…Now that I think about it, neither of us faced our shadows." Tai said. "We just got our Personas, and that was it."
"Maybe you got nothing to hide?" Sora said.
"Nah, I know that Taichi's got a few secret truths he's hiding from everyone." Matt said.
"Hey!" Tai exclaimed.
The school bell then rings, as classes are about to start.
"Look, let's focus on school, and then we'll focus on saving Yukiko-san. But let's not push ourselves too far. We can always go in the next day if we have to, as long as it won't fog the next day."
"Yeah yeah, we know." Matt said.
"Oh, and how's Kari doing?" Sora said. "She, took quite a hit yesterday, didn't she?"
"Oh, she's doing fine." Tai said, but he then frowned afterward.
"Tai?"
"…I may need to rethink what Kari's going to do when she's with us in that world. Because of that whole everything-that-happens-to-our-Personas-happen-to-us thing, Kari got pretty hurt from that last battle…"
"Oh, so you say that, but don't say anything about me almost getting choked to death?" Matt said, annoyed.
"O-Oh, right." Tai said, sweatdropping.
"…But I do agree that Kari might be putting herself in more danger with this whole Persona thing. Let's talk about this after school. Maybe get some advice from Yu and the others."
The three nods and they took their seats, right as the teacher came in to start today's lecture.
Afternoon
Kari and T.K. were walking towards the Lunchroom, talking amongst themselves when they heard some kids discussing as they passed by.
"Hey, did you hear? Miss Yukiko-san disappeared from her home yesterday." The boy said.
"Really? Why did that happen?" The other boy said.
"I dunno. They just couldn't find her in the morning."
"Maybe she's hiding. I mean, if I was running an inn, I would want to run away, don't you think?"
"Hey, Kari." T.K. said, looking at Kari. "Did…did this Yukiko person…"
"Yeah. She got thrown into that weird TV World." Kari said.
"Oh no! So…what does that mean?"
"Well, we need to find Yukiko-san before the fog comes into our world. If it does, it's not good…"
"Aw man…I wish Patamon was with me. Then I'd come into that place, and help you guys out. But, every time you guys go into that world, you said that they disappear, right?"
"Actually, we found out that they were in our Personas the whole time."
"Your Persona? You mean those weird monsters that came out of your body the last time?"
"Yeah."
"Really? So, do you think Patamon is my Persona?"
"Well, you don't really have one yet…"
"Hey, T.K., Kari, come on." They heard the older Ishida calling on them from the other end of the hall, as they were going to lunch together. Kari and T.K. then took off, following them to the lunchroom.
After School
After school, the four Persona users all met up outside of school. The other four Digidestined were also there as well, and they informed everyone of what had happened yesterday.
"So, when you guys went into that TV World, you saw a big castle, and then you were attacked by more of those monsters, like what happened to Yosuke?" Joe said.
"Yep." Tai said.
"Yeah. My Shadow." Sora said.
"What did your shadow say?" T.K. said.
"Uh…"
"Let's not talk about it." Matt said. "It's kind of embarrassing to share hidden feelings. Let's just say whatever hidden feelings Sora had to face, made her open her eyes more."
"Anyway, we're headed on over to Junes right now." Tai said. "We need to get Yukiko out of there before the fog kicks in. And as for everyone else, let me be clear here. Do. Not. Go. In the TV when it's Foggy, alright? As far as we can tell, it's pretty much death insurance for anyone else who wanders on in there. I don't want anybody in our team dying, alright?"
"Well Tai, from the looks of things, only you and Kari can seem to open the portal into the TV World." Izzy said.
"Narukami too." Joe said.
"Really? Only us?" Tai said.
"I tried sticking my head into the TV yesterday." T.K. said. "It didn't work. All it did was make mom freak out."
"Actually, I tried that last night." Sora said. "It actually worked for me."
"Really?"
"Yeah, me too." Matt said.
"Huh. So it seems that after you all got your Personas, you also got the ability to open up the TV World." Izzy said. "I guess once we eventually get our Personas, we could probably do the same."
"That's good to hear. I wouldn't want to rely on Tai being there at Junes to open up the portal all the time."
"Wh!? What's that supposed to mean!?" Tai exclaimed.
"I'm just saying, you sometimes come fashionably late."
"H-Hey, there's other things that can pop up, you know!?"
"Say, there's one more thing I want to ask…" Izzy said.
"What's up?"
"Can you summon your Personas in the real world?"
"Huh?"
"Uh, we never really tried it." Kari said. "I mean, people would freak out if they see giant monsters going through the town, wouldn't they?"
"Well…actually, I tried to do something like that last night."
"Huh, you did?"
"Yeah. I even did the shout and everything, but nothing was coming out of me."
"Wait, is that why I heard shouting coming from the bathroom last night?"
"So, we can only summon our Personas in the TV World?" Sora said.
"It seems like it." Tai said.
"Perhaps these Personas are native to the TV World, as much as the Digimon are native to the Digital World." Izzy said.
"But we're able to appear here fine." Koromon said.
"Maybe we should stop trying to compare the TV World to the Digital World. Obviously, this new world has different laws than the Digital World. I don't think our knowledge of the Digital World is going to help much in the TV World. Especially regarding the Persona creatures that we'll all eventually summon."
"Yeah. Summoning my Persona seems a bit different than fighting with a Digimon." Kari said.
"And even then, it felt different when I came out to fight yesterday." Salamon said.
"Perhaps we should all discuss this later." Izzy said. "You guys don't really have the time, right?"
"Yeah." Kari nods. "I'm getting worried about Yukiko."
"I know. Let's get going." Tai said.
At Junes
The four Digidestined Persona users met up with the teenagers in the food court. As everyone was talking amongst each other, Tai leaned towards Yu.
"Hey, Yu, can I ask you something?" Tai said.
"What's up?" Yu said.
"Well, what do you think about Kari coming with us all the time to fight in the TV World?"
"Well, she does provide a lot of help to us, but…" Yu could tell from Tai's face that he was concerned about something. "…You're worried about her getting hurt in there, huh?"
"Yeah."
"I know. She got pretty hurt in that last fight."
"She is a lot of help to us, but, she needs to watch it…I don't want her to end up like Yamano and Saki."
"Yeah. But, we'll all keep a close eye on her. I mean, we pretty much do with you guys. If above all else, I'll protect her for you."
"Yeah, got it. Thanks."
"Alright, I think we're all set." Yosuke said, getting up from his seat. "Let's get going."
Everyone nods, and they got up and were going towards the electronics department.
Inside the TV
After entering the world again, they see the same bear waiting for them.
"Ah, you're here." Teddie said. "So, we ready to go?"
"Um…but what about the fog?" Chie said.
"Oh right. I forgot you two don't have these glasses." Yosuke said.
"Those things?" Sora said.
"Yeah. Remember? They help us see through the fog."
"Oh right."
"Well, I got just the thing you're looking for." Teddie said. "Tum de daaaam!" He pulls out two pairs of glasses from his back, and reveals them to everyone. They were circular in shape. One was colored yellow, and the other was colored red, both with the SMPTE color bars on the side. "I just made glasses for Chie-chan and Sora-chan. Go on, put these on."
The two walked forward, and picked up the glasses, and puts them on their faces. They instantly see the difference.
"Wow, this is so cool!" Chie exclaimed. "It's like the fog doesn't even exist!"
"So this is what it's like to see through these things." Sora said.
"Yeah. Neat, right?" Kari said.
"And it's alright for us to keep these?"
"Fo' sho!" Teddie said.
"Anyway, let's get going, and save Yukiko." Yosuke said. Everyone nods, and they let Teddie lead them to Yukiko's Castle again.
In Yukiko's Castle…
Chie and Sora were summoning their Tarot Cards towards them, as their auras circle them, and as more shadows start attacking them.
"Persona!" Chie and Sora yelled as they smashed their cards. Chie kicks her card in mid-air, while Sora spins around before hitting it.
Chie's Persona looks like her shadow, though the hood was white, and she has a staff with blades on both ends. It also looks like she's wearing tough yellow armor on her body.
"Let's go, Tomoe!" Chie ordered.
"Get them, Tatsuta!" Sora ordered.
The two's Personas flew forward and started destroying the shadows in front of them. Tomoe kicked one of the shadows so hard, they basically popped like a pimple, and Tatsuta was basically annihilating them.
Some of the shadows were going up to Chie, and in response, she basically kicked them straight back to hell.
"How do you like that?" Chie said.
More shadows went to Sora; however, she switched to Birdramon, who fired flames towards the shadows, and destroyed them swiftly.
"Hmm, not so tough now, huh?" Sora smirked.
"Cleared these guys too, huh?" Tai said running up to the two girls, as Momotaro was behind him.
"Yep. This floor's almost cleared." Chie said. "We're doing good. Let's get going!" She and Sora then start running, while the others are trying to catch up.
"Chie and Sora are really on fire, aren't they?" Teddie said.
"Hey guys, don't overdo it!" Yosuke yelled after them, as they ran. "You guys are just starting to get your strength!" The two girls stopped at a crossroad, looking both ways.
"Come on, where are you Yukiko!?" Chie shouted as they ignored him.
"There was nothing down that path." Sora said, looking at the left. "So, down that path, we go!" She and Chie start running down the right path, and leaving them all there.
"…They just blew me off…" Yosuke said, with an awkward face.
"Chie, Sora, he's right!" Yu yelled as he and Tai start running after the two. "Don't overdo it!"
"We're fine! This is nothing!" Chie shouted back, as they ran. Meanwhile, Yosuke was sweatdropping, while Teddie was stifling a laugh, with Matt and Kari looking at them awkwardly.
"Aw man. There's nothing more that I hate than getting blown off by a girl. And one of them is younger than me…" Yosuke groaned. He then snapped at Teddie. "Zip it, bear!"
As they were going for the stairs to the next floor, the lights suddenly turn off in the place.
"Huh? What's this?" Chie said.
"It's inky, midnighty-" Teddie started saying before he was going on to rambling a bunch of nonsense while freaking out.
"Yeah, we get it bear!" Yosuke groaned. Suddenly, they see the lights of spotlights pass them, and they were traveling up the stairs to the top, where it was revealed that Yukiko was there, in the same dress that she wore from the Midnight Channel program. She turns around, and gasps upon seeing them all. Though they see that her eyes were yellow. Just like the shadows.
"Yukiko!" Chie shouted.
"That's not who you think it is." Yu said. They hear the imposter Yukiko laugh upon seeing them all.
"Well, what do we have here? Surprise guests? Now, this is a party!" Yukiko(?) said. "It's time for, our next segment!"
For some reason, the words, "It's Not Scripted! Princess Yukiko's Hunt for her Prince on a White Horse" came up above her, confusing all of them.
"…Uh, where did those words come from?" Kari said.
"It looks like a title screen." Tai said.
"Yeah, it does." Matt said.
"Alright! Who are you!?" Chie shouted. The self-proclaimed princess chuckles at her.
"What are you talking about?" She said. "I'm Yukiko…and Yukiko is me."
"It's obvious." Yu said. "You're her shadow."
"That's right!"
"No!" Chie yelled at the shadow. "I want the real Yukiko right now!"
"Alright! It's time to resume my stud hunt!" The shadow said, absolutely ignoring Chie. "Princey boy, ready or not, here I come!" She then runs off, with Chie and Sora running after her.
"Hold it!"
Though before they were able to get anywhere, more shadows phased through the floors, and the walls, and started surrounding them all.
"Dammit! Outta my way!"
Previous Day
"Come on. Why not?" At Yasogami High, two teenagers were pestering Yukiko, while she was looking down. "All that we wanna do is have some good clean fun. Some shopping, some karaoke, that type of stuff."
"I can't, I'm too busy." Yukiko said.
"Well, when aren't you busy?" The other one said.
"Hey!" Chie then rushes up to them and shoves one of them aside. "Quit pestering her!" She snaps at the teenagers.
"Hey, whoa! Relax, we're trying to get her to hang out with us." Though Chie shot a death glare at them.
"…Whatever…" They said. "Come on, let's go."
"Man, I was wondering if she was going to come along."
"Chie's extra cranky today."
"Thank you, Chie." Yukiko said.
"Huh? That was nothing." Chie said, cheerfully. "I just stormed your castle, milady."
"*Laughs* What?" Yukiko said while laughing. "I don't think that's the expression you were looking for, Chie."
"Huh? What?" Chie said, dumbfounded.
"That's so you…"
"What's that supposed to mean? Ah, whatevs…"
"Thank you for everything, Chie."
"Huh? Whoa, a little random, don't you think?"
"No. It's for all that you've done. Whenever I needed you, you always come to rescue me, without fail. Thank you."
4/18 Monday
In the present day, Yukiko was unconscious on the floor in the TV World. She was still wearing the Yukata from her family Inn.
"Chie is nice." A distorted voice said. "Chie can do anything. Chie is always by my side. Chie is always there to protect me. Chie is always there to save me." That woke Yukiko up, and she gets up to look around, being in unfamiliar territory.
"W-Who's there? Where am I?" She said. Suddenly, an empty birdcage rolls up to her. "Hey, that's my…"
Previous Day
A while ago after walking back from school.
"Seriously?" Two girls were talking to each other as Yukiko passes by. "You're getting a job?"
"I have to. Do you know how much money I burn through? Hey, let's get a job together."
"Yeah, and if we get sick of it, we'll just ditch it!" The two girls laugh as Yukiko walks away.
Yukiko walks along a bridge, also passing by a couple conversing with each other. She then stops when she hears the sounds of a bird chirping. It sounded like it was in distress, and Yukiko goes into the bushes to see what it was. She sees a baby bird alone in a nest. It looked like it was abandoned by its mother.
"Poor little thing…" Yukiko said, picking up the nest. She would later take it home to her family's inn, and nurse it back to health, and kept it as a pet. After a long and hard day of work, she would go back to her room and take care of the growing bird. She grew very fond of the bird while it stayed in the cage.
She always had it rough. Her life was always busy from working at the inn. There just wasn't time for her to live a normal teenager's life. She also always rejects Chie's requests to hang out after school because she doesn't have the time. The only free time that she does have, she's taking care of the same bird she took in.
"You're just like I am. We can't live anywhere but here." Yukiko said, one day while feeding her bird.
At least, that's what I thought…
Yukiko one day came back to her room to find that her bird was gone. She was just too busy with her work that she didn't realize the lock to the cage was open, and the bird flew away to parts unknown. Maybe it was in Inaba still, or it flew away to some faraway land where it was free, living by itself while Yukiko was still living here, in her family inn.
"You forgot to lock the cage when you put him back?" One of the workers said to Yukiko. "I know how much you cared for that little bird, Yuki. You must be heartbroken…"
Later at school.
"So that means, you can't go?" Chie said. "Oh well. I was just hoping that we could get something to eat after school today."
"Look, I'm really sorry. I know I keep turning you down…" Yukiko said.
"Hey, It's no biggie. It's the busy season at the inn right now. It's not your fault at all."
"I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing. You make it seem like I'm nagging you. Hey, by the way, is everything like okay with you? You seem kinda down lately." Yukiko remembers the empty birdcage.
"…No, it's nothing."
"Y'know Yukiko, it's okay."
"Huh? What is?"
"Look, you'll own and run that inn one day. That's just the way it is, and that's cool, but you don't need to overwork yourself. If you ever need anyone to help you out at times, just call me. I'd be happy to help you. Is that bad?"
"Huh? O-Oh no. Thank you, Chie."
4/18 Monday
"That's just the way it is…" Yukiko said, repeating Chie's words.
"That's when you realized, no, Chie won't ever free me from this miserable place." The distorted voice came back into the room. "That's when you gave up all hope."
"What the…How did you…Who is this? Come out and show yourself!"
"You wanna see me? See who I am. What I look like?" Yukiko then looks up the stairs to see a giant throne with someone sitting up on there. She sees who she looks like, and what her face was. "Who I am…is you…"
Meanwhile, the group of Persona users were rushing up the last flight of stairs all the way up to the 8th floor.
"So, that was Yukiko-san's other self?" Kari said as they climbed up the stairs. All the while, shadows kept attacking them, but their Personas fought them off.
"Yeah!" Teddie said. "It must have been."
"I knew it!" Yosuke said, as Jiraiya used Garu, and blasted some shadows out of Chie's way, and she continued on. "I thought something was off about her when we saw her on the Midnight Channel. Yukiko would never say something like stud hunting."
"Stud hunting?" Teddie said, dumbfounded. "What would she want to hunt horses for?"
"Oh, I'll explain later!"
"Yeah, you better." Tai said.
"Hey! I can see a door up ahead!" Kari exclaimed.
They all picked up the pace, and they reached the big doors. They pushed against the doors and opened up to the castle's throne room. In there they see two Yukikos, but it was obvious which one wasn't the real Yukiko.
"We found her!" Tai exclaimed.
"Yukiko!" Chie exclaimed.
"Chie!" Yukiko exclaimed, getting up.
"Oh, my my, not just 3, but 5 princes have shown up." Shadow Yukiko said. "Whatever shall I do?"
"I'm feeling some serious tension in the air." Yosuke said.
"I want to go somewhere." Shadow Yukiko said. "Far away where nobody knows me. Please prince charming, take me away. What are you waiting for?"
"Ohh, so this is what scoring a hot stud means!" Teddie said.
"5 princes?" Chie said.
"Is she talking about us?" Tai said.
"Uh, but who's the fifth one?" Matt said.
"It's beary obvious that she's including me!" Teddie shouted.
"Keep dreaming, bear." Matt jeered at Teddie.
"Chie, come on, it's obvious that you're my prince." Shadow Yukiko said. "You've always led the way. You make a brave and magnificent prince. At least…You did."
"Huh? I did?" Chie said.
"Hmm…I'm through with you now."
As Chie was walking towards the shadow, they heard something. They looked towards the ceiling, and they saw that a chandelier was falling towards Chie, and fast.
"Chie! Look out!" Sora shouted as Yu reaches out towards her. Suddenly, he had gotten a brief vision of the Velvet Room.
"My dear guest, thanks to this new bond, you have awakened to the Chariot Arcana." Margret said. "Its Persona is noted by its strength."
"Ara Mitama!" Yu shouted, and he changed his Persona to this one. It had the appearance of a giant red Magatama bead with a scowling face on it. It may have been small, but it was enough to shield Chie from the impact of the chandelier and threw it off to the side. After that, Yu felt tired, and knelt down, at the same time as the Persona floated down to the ground.
"Hey, you okay?" Tai said.
"Chie let me down." Shadow Yukiko said as the Chandelier was beginning to swing at them again. "She won't take me away. She won't save me."
"Stop it already! That's enough!" Yukiko exclaimed. The chandelier swings past her, to the group, and the others start getting out of the way. Jiraya and Shippeitaro tried to slow it down to allow the others to escape, though they got slammed against the wall. Yosuke and Matt felt the impact in their chests and they knelt down in pain.
"Call them back!" Tai exclaimed.
"I can't! He's too far away!" Matt exclaimed.
Yu reached forward towards the fallen Ara Mitama and changed it. "Izanagi!" After Izanagi materializes in place of Ara Mitama, the Persona flew towards Jiraya and Shippeitaro to help them along with Momotaro and Tennyo.
"Historical Inn? Innkeeper training? I am absolutely sick of being stuck there!" Shadow Yukiko exclaimed.
"Damn it all!" Chie yelled while summoning Tomoe.
"Get her!" Sora shouted while getting Tatsuta out. Tomoe and Tatsuta tried to fly forward towards Shadow Yukiko, however, the two got stuck in the red carpet that started grabbing them all, including Teddie, who was screaming 'Grizzly' as he was being grabbed.
"Chie!" Yukiko shouted.
"I never asked to be born here, where everything has been decided for me until I die." Shadow Yukiko said. "I don't want it! I don't want any of it!"
"We gotta help her!" Tai exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Kari exclaimed as the rest of the Persona users who are able to stand were going to run towards Yukiko and help. However, before they were able to do anything, the candles on the chandelier roared in flames, and the melted wax flew towards the other Persona users and covered their feet. It quickly hardened, sticking them in place. "Ack! M-My feet! They're stuck!"
"What is this stuff!?"
"Damn it! At this rate…" Yu grumbled.
"N…None of this is true…" Yukiko said, solemnly.
"I want to go far away." Shadow Yukiko said. "I want to go anywhere but here. I want someone to whisk me away. I can't leave on my own."
"Stop it…Please…"
"But I lack hope, and the courage to leave. That's why I have been waiting. Someday, my prince will come and take me away. He'll take me someplace far away from here."
"I'm begging…Stop…"
"An old tradition…The pride of the town? Screw it all!"
"H-How dare you say that…"
"But it's how I feel. Isn't that right, other me?"
"N-No it isn't. You're not…"
"Wait!" Kari exclaimed.
"No! Stop!" Tai yelled.
"Yukiko!" Chie exclaimed.
"You're a liar! You are not me!" Yukiko yelled. The words have been said, and the shadow has started to transmogrify.
"And the power starts to surge. If things continue at this rate then…" Shadow Yukiko said, and then she starts laughing maniacally, as she raises up into the air.
*I'LL FACE MYSELF (BATTLE)*
When she came back down, on a chandelier, she looked like a giant white-breasted bird with red feathers, with the face largely resembling a human. It even has Yukiko's long dark hair.
"I am a shadow of the true inner self!" The Shadow shouts. Yukiko steps back in shock at the sight of the being. However, the empty birdcage next to her grows in size, and captures her.
"Yukiko!" Chie exclaimed.
"Chie!" Yukiko yells as she is taken away.
"Yukiko! Let, me GO!" Tomoe and Tatsuta were able to break free of the red carpet, and Izanagi, Momotaro, and Tennyo just finished getting Shippeitaro and Jiraiya out of the Chandelier. Tomoe was able to slice Chie and Sora free from the carpet as well, and Chie stands up. "I got you, Yukiko. Whatever she throws out, I can take in more."
"Oh really?" Shadow Yukiko said. "Then I'll have to hit you with everything I got!" Shadow Yukiko sent out red feathers that flew everywhere, and simultaneously they all exploded in a fiery explosion.
"YEOW! Oh, that burns!" Yosuke yelled while grabbing his leg, and while Teddie ran past him ablaze as well, screaming 'Hot bear! Hot Bear! Ow, Ow, Ow!'. "Hey! Easy on the fiery burning stuff, Yukiko!"
"Let's go!" Tai exclaimed as he was able to get free from the wax because of the earlier explosions. Tennyo had turned back into Gatomon, and she helped Kari out of the wax as well with a quick slash.
"Jiraiya!" Yosuke shouted as Jiraiya casts Garu. But before the attack hits, a steel cage envelops Shadow Yukiko, blocking the damage. Izanagi, Momotaro, Gatomon, and Shippeitaro try denting the cage, however, those were blocked as well.
"Ngh! My claws aren't even making a dent!" Gatomon exclaimed.
"None of our attacks are working." Tai said.
"What are we going to do?" Sora said.
"We need to figure out a way to get that Shadow out of its cage."
"That probably won't happen, unless we can get Yukiko to break out of her own cage." Gatomon said.
"Yukiko! I'm on my way!" Chie shouted as she runs towards Yukiko's cage. However, the shadow swings down and hits Tomoe, and in turn sending Chie soaring back in pain.
"Chie!" Yukiko exclaimed.
"Too bad. I thought Chie would save me…" Shadow Yukiko said. "But she didn't save me. She wasn't my prince at all! I waited for, So, Very, VERY LONG!"
Flames roared out from the candles on the chandelier Shadow Yukiko was on, threatening to hit Chie.
"Oh crap! Chie!" Yosuke exclaimed.
"Pyro Jack!" Yu exclaimed, switching to Pyro Jack. Because of the elemental affinity the Persona has, it absorbed all of the flames that were sent to Chie.
*ENDS*
"Whoa…" Chie said, seeing how close of a call that was just now.
"You're right. Maybe Chie isn't your prince." Yu said to the shadow. "But is it really all that important?"
"What?" Shadow Yukiko said.
"Open your eyes!" Tai shouted. "Chie came all this way to save Yukiko! Why would she risk her life to go through this castle full of monsters that could kill her?"
"I think that's pretty good enough proof that she truly does care." Yu said. "What more could she have done?"
"Guys…" Chie said.
"I…" Shadow Yukiko started, before getting enraged. "I've had enough!" The fire continues to roar, surrounding Shadow Yukiko. Pyro Jack continues to absorb the flames, but the flames start to overwhelm it. The intense heat was also keeping most of the Persona users away from the shadow.
"We can't get near her!" Yosuke exclaimed.
"Yukiko…" Chie said. She then stands up and looks at the trapped Yukiko.
"Chie…Get out of here…" Yukiko said, somberly.
"Yukiko…There's something that I need to tell you, and it's very important." Chie said as she walks to Yukiko. The fire continues to roar, and it almost hits Chie, but Tatsuta comes in to block the flames.
"Go Chie. I'll cover for you." Sora said, keeping her Persona's guard strong. Chie nods back firmly and faces Yukiko.
"This isn't easy…" Chie said, scrunching her fists. "You see, the truth is, I was jealous of you…You had everything Yukiko, and I had nothing. That's why I loved how you depended on me. You actually needed something that I have. I liked believing that I needed to be there to protect you. It gave me a purpose."
"Exactly! I can't do anything on my own!" Shadow Yukiko screeched. "I'm helpless!"
*ALONE IN THIS WORLD*
"That's not true! Yukiko, you're one of the strongest people that I know. You wanna escape, then do it! You can break free of that cage all on your own! Leave there and do anything that you want! You gotta listen to me! I know you can do this!'
"You're wrong, Chie. I can't…" Yukiko said, solemnly. "I'm far too weak to leave…The same was true then." She remembers the bird that flew away from her room. She had all these thoughts as she took the cage to a corner of Inaba where the garbage were to be picked up. "Truth is, I wasn't heartbroken, I was mortified. The bird that I thought was trapped just like me, got up and flew away all on its own. I admit, I did forget to lock the cage's door, but that bird mustered the courage to open up the cage all on its own. It's a truth I don't want to acknowledge." Yukiko then broke into tears with her voice wavering from her emotions. "I'm not strong enough…I'm weak and pathetic! I'm such a horrible coward, who waited on someone else to come and free me."
"So what!? You were scared!" Chie yelled. She then started coughing and collapsed onto the ground, as the flames and the fumes were starting to become too much for her. Sora went to her side to help her.
"Chie!" Yukiko exclaimed. Feeling that more needed to be said to convince Yukiko, Sora speaks up as she helps Chie steady herself.
"…Yukiko…there are things that I'm not proud of either…" Sora said, looking up at the teen. "We all have things that we're not proud of, and are ashamed of…I'm not proud of myself, and I'm sure Chie isn't with herself as well. But, does it really matter?"
"It doesn't." Chie said, sitting up. "Listen I will always be there for you!" Chie stands up and reaches out to Yukiko with the help of Sora. "That's a promise! Because you're my friend!"
"Chie…" Yukiko then starts to reconsider things. She starts looking at things from another perspective, and the thoughts she had from before started making no sense to her. All the while, her shadow starts glitching out from her real self having an epiphany.
"Stop it!" Shadow Yukiko screeched as the flames roar even more. "I said STOOP!"
"…Why was I so afraid…? There wasn't anything to fear…" Yukiko stands up, and grabs the bars of her cage, as they start glitching out because of Yukiko having a change of heart. "I have everything that I need!" She tries with all her might and pushes against the cage's door. Soon, the hinges and the lock shattered, and Yukiko was free from her imprisonment. As she falls, she lands in the arms of her friend. "Chie!"
"Yukiko…" Chie said.
"…Thank you…"
"Noooooo!" The shadow roared, as it flies up in pain, while also glitching out. The cage surrounding the shadow disappeared as well, leaving her open to an attack.
"The Shadow's getting weak!" Teddie exclaimed.
"Now's our chance!" Yosuke exclaimed.
"Yeah! Let's go!" Yu exclaimed. "Pyro Jack!"
*DETERMINATION*
Pyro Jack was commanded to get up close to the Shadow and kept absorbing the flames that she kept shooting out to her annoyance.
"What!?" Shadow Yukiko exclaimed. "Get, out of here you stupid pest! No! Stop it!"
"Gotcha!" Tai exclaimed as he changed Momotaro to Greymon, and he head bashed the Shadow right on the tip of his horn and sent her soaring.
"Neko Kick!" Gatomon jumped up towards her and kicked the Shadow up even higher, and Birdramon soared up high, and flew right into Shadow Yukiko, making her slam against the wall. Jiraiya then flew forward and slammed the shadow towards the ground.
"Chie! Now's your chance!" Birdramon exclaimed.
"Beat it!" Chie shouted as Tomoe kicked the Shadow with an incredible force, and it was flaming as it shot up into the ceiling of the room, exploding into flaming feathers. Everyone stared at the ceiling, as the feathers floated down towards the ground.
"Chie." Yukiko said, walking up to Chie.
"I'm sorry, Yukiko." Chie said. "I was so wrapped up with my own stuff, that I didn't notice all the things that were bothering you. I really should have."
"I didn't notice all the things that were bothering you either. I just wanted to escape." Yukiko then sees her defeated Shadow Self standing before her. "You see, that's why I created you." She then walks up to her shadow and holds her hands. "I'm sorry I didn't acknowledge your voice before. You're right. I did want to escape. It's true. It's how I felt deep inside." She then wrapped her arms around the shadow. "You are a part of me."
The strength of heart required to face oneself has been made manifest. The shadow then disappears into a light and transmogrifies into a humanoid, that looks like it was wearing a dress, with black leggings, pink boots, a helmet, and has something resembling a pink cape attached to both of her hands, that also resembles feathers.
"So, that's her Persona." Sora said, as everyone regrouped. The Persona then turned into a tarot card and floated down to Yukiko. It had a picture of a woman in robes with the roman numeral 2 (II). It then disappears into Yukiko's body as she starts to collapse from exhaustion. Chie quickly catches her, as everyone runs up to her to make sure she's okay.
*ENDS*
"Yukiko!" Chie exclaimed.
"You okay!?" Tai shouted, as everyone rushed up to the two.
"I-I'm fine." Yukiko said, looking at everyone around her. "Just a little tired. You all came here to save me?"
"Of course." Sora nods.
"Thank you."
"So, who was the grizzly that dumped you here in the first place?" Teddie said, announcing his presence. Of course, Yukiko was dumbfounded at the sight of a giant talking bear. It also doesn't help that the Digimon are standing next to him as well, making her even more confused.
"W-Who are you? What are you?"
"I'm beary much a bear!" Teddie said with confidence.
"I'm sorry, I'm not following."
"And this is why we hide from other humans." Gatomon said.
"See?" Yosuke said. "Everything that you do will cause confusion, so just zip it will ya?"
"Grrr! Your aggression is unbearable!" Teddie exclaimed.
"Hey, maybe we should get out of here first." Kari said.
"Yeah, I really want to know who did this to her, but let's get going." Chie said. "Yukiko's not looking so good."
"Yeah. You're right." Yu said as they all turned to leave.
"WHAAAAT!?" Teddie yelled, freaked out. "You're just going to abandon me!?"
"Abandon you?" Tai said as they turned back to the bear. "Don't you live here?"
"Oookay, you have a point…It's just that…"
"Oh, I'm sorry." Yukiko said, kneeling down to him, and petting him. "I'll come back later to give you a proper thank you. Be a good boy until then, okay?"
"B-B-Beary nice!" Teddie exclaimed, twisting around, lovestruck. "Yuki-chan is beary nice! For that, I'm going to give you a special present!" Teddie reached behind him to some pockets of some kind, and pulled something out.
*LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE*
Teddie's present was another pair of glasses, and Yukiko puts them on. However, they weren't the glasses everyone else was wearing. Instead, they were joke glasses, with a big nose and mustache in tow.
"*Laughing* Oh, Yukiko!" Chie exclaimed while trying to stifle her laughter. Kari was also trying her best to stifle her laugh as well.
"I see. They're like the glasses you all are wearing." Yukiko said, not really getting the point. "They're great! It even has a nose guard!"
"Sheesh, aren't you lucky…"
"Those things aren't going to protect you." Matt said. "The shadows are dangerous."
"How do I look?" Yukiko asked, with Tai and Yu sweatdropping.
"U-Uh, you look fine." Tai said awkwardly.
"Y-Yeah, great." Yu said awkwardly. Yukiko then takes them off and hands them over to Chie.
"Here, why don't you try it, Chie?" Yukiko said, which startled Chie. All the while Teddie was telling Yosuke, Tai, and Matt how he made them. He even shows them how his hands can move unnaturally, which freaked the three out.
"Well, this is a pretty interesting turn of events, huh?" Sora said, teasingly.
"Yeah, a horrible one, if you ask me…" Chie said, taking her glasses off.
Chie then put them on after putting her other ones away. At the sight of this, Yukiko started laughing wildly and the others sweatdropped at her laughter. Her laughter was comparable to that of a hysterical hyena, which was making the atmosphere awkward.
"Well, she's all cheered up now." Sora said.
"She's having one of her laughing fits again…" Chie groaned. "And here I thought she only did it in front of me." Yukiko was laughing so much, tears were starting to form, as Chie groans in annoyance. Yukiko doesn't show signs of stopping anytime soon. "Settle down, Yukiko, geez…"
NEXT SCENE