Hey all, sorry this took so long to get out! Chapter four of this story is finally going up. Why did it take this long? Well...I have no excuse. Some things have been going on in my personal life, and despite my best attempts, I let them get to me. I actually was going through an episode of depression, and lost almost all of my will to write. But I pulled myself out of it thanks to help from some others, most notably UnknownHero who's been kicking my ass into gear by checking in on me to see how this was going. That's when I remembered that this isn't being written for my sake. It's for you all, and mostly UnkownHero and JGResidentEvil. I owe it to those two especially to finish this story, and not give up. So I'm going to be doing my damndest to try and get these chapters out every 2 weeks, 3 tops. I can't let you all down.
Dethroned King Umbros: Don't worry. I've got plans for that little reveal.
Samuraidragonfrog: That is literally the part I'm most eager to write.
As for the guest who brought a story suggestion to me...I'm sorry, I know nothing about Shield Hero. I've never seen it, and don't have any plans to watch it at all any time soon.
But that's enough out of me, please let me know if there are any spelling mistakes. I literally have been up for 24 hours straight, so it's possible I missed some stuff. I could have waited until I woke up to check, but you all have been waiting far too long.
(Edit 2/12/2021: Let this serve as an example as to why you shouldn't post a new chapter when you're tired. Turns out that I accidentally posted chapter 3 again. Entirely my fault, it should be fixed now, and I'm off to go hit my head on a wall.)
The silence that followed Yumi's question lasted longer than Barkeep expected. He considered himself impressed. Five whole seconds before pandemonium exploded, he was almost proud of the group keeping themselves quiet for that long.
"Oh my goodness!" Yomi squealed. "Homura-chan, you look amazing!"
"So cool~!" Mirai whispered, her eyes shimmering in awe at her leader's new look.
"I must agree, it's very stylish." Haruka concurred, inspecting the outfit with an approving look, ignoring how Homura shifted uncomfortably. "Minimalist but functional, with no excessive gaudiness or unnecessary attachments. You look very much like a professional."
"Your boobs look like they're going to fall out at any second." Hikage deadpanned.
"I feel like my boobs are gonna fall out at any moment, Hikage!" Homura growled. "Seriously, where the hell did this thing come from and why are my tits one slight breeze from flying out?!"
"Probably the same place that Asuka got hers." Miyabi chuckled, gesturing towards said girl. Asuka was doing her best to close her top while simultaneously trying to keep Katsuragi (who was all but drooling) from groping her underclassman. Hibari was gushing over the outfit with stars in her eyes while Yagyū went over it with an approving nod. Ikaruga, meanwhile, was caught between complimenting the leader's clothes and trying to pull her fellow third-year off the younger.
"Heh, back in your old fancy duds, huh?" Morgana's chuckle brought the shinobi's gazes over to the dark-haired boy, lounging in his own changed outfit. His glasses had vanished to make way for the mask that now rested on his face, but the biggest change was the...air around him now. Before he was friendly and easily approachable. Someone you wouldn't look at twice if you passed them on the street, but could become an extremely loyal friend if you stopped and talked to him.
Now however, there was a sense of assured confidence. There wasn't a lick of arrogance about how he held himself, but more that he knew what he was capable of and was of the mind he could react to whatever came his way. "Ahead of the game" Suzune-sensei would probably describe his expression as, Miyabi mused.
Akira chuckled, his smirk growing a bit as he leaned back and adjusted his gloves, a feeling of nostalgia coming over him with the simple action. "Feels good to be back." He confessed before turning his eyes to Asuka and Homura. "And you two look like you'd have fit right in had you been there. Those outfits suit you really well." He complimented.
"But where did they come from?!" Asuka wailed, still failing at her goals of shaking Katsuragi off and closing her top. "And why won't can't I close mine up?!"
"Sorry, I can't do anything about that." Barkeep confessed, drawing everyone's gaze. "Those are, for lack of a better term, your own personalized uniforms of the Phantom Thieves. A show of a part of yourself that you hide away from society, from those you call friends or family. Not all of who you are, though. More like...a shard of the whole picture. They came from you. Nobody else."
"So, what, deep down Homura and Asuka like skimpy clothing?" Mirai asked with a tilted head, ignoring a sound that sounded like breaking glass from Asuka's direction. Probably just her imagination.
"Not...quite so much." Barkeep corrected. "More like following their own personal idea of what a 'rebellion' would look like."
"I must confess, I'm not entirely sure I understand how these….garments are indicative of such a thing." Ikaruga managed to get out, finally getting Katsuragi to relent, for now at least. "She looks more…"
"Shameful?" Yumi supplied, her own blushing face turned away from seeing her friend dressed as she was.
"That, yes. Thank you, Yumi-san."
Futaba, who had been staring at the outfits the two girls wore, finally blinked as something snapped into place in her mind before putting her face in her hands. "Ohhhh… crap-baskets."
"Oh, you say that too?" Akira, Ryuji, Katsuragi, Mirai and Barkeep all asked at the same time before looking at each other in surprise.
"What's wrong, Futaba? You feeling sick?" Sojiro asked, putting a hand on his daughter's shoulder. After a moment, Futaba looked up her gaze solemn but steady.
"Miyabi, Homura…you're both Evil Shinobi, yeah?" She asked, getting two confused nods in return. "Does that mean that if you fail a mission, you 'end it'?"
The wince she got from the two girls, along with Homura's squad and Yumi more than answered her question. Sojiro looked massively uncomfortable with that response, and Sae looked sickened. Futaba paled as the light clicked on in Akira and Makoto's minds, the latter scowling while the former sighed in disbelief and disgust. Ryuji uncharacteristically understood what they were talking about not much longer after that, and followed up by saying what they were all thinking. "Dude….that's effed up…" he got out. "What kind of rule is that, where ya gotta off yourself for one failure?"
"Wait, what?!" Hibari cried out, shocked at that logic. In a panic she turned to look at Haruka, hoping for a denial. Instead she was met with a calm face, Haruka's eyes firm as they looked her straight-on. "But...but why would you do that?! Why would you kill yourselves?!"
"Because that's how we were taught." Miyabi answered instead. "From day one, once you're fully committed to being a student of Hebijo you're told to do such a thing in the result of total failure. If you weren't able to accomplish anything, even gather the slightest bit of helpful information, or you know for a fact that there's no escape for you and you can't fight anymore….you take your own life. 'Better to die on your terms, by your own choice, than live an uncertain life at your enemy's whim.'"
"But that's just wrong!" Ikaruga shouted, her eyes full of tears as she stared at Yumi, her eyes starting to mist as her friend's face was a mixture of guilt and acceptance. "Choosing to die instead of trying to live-!"
"It's…" Miyabi started to speak before halting, drawing the room's attention to herself. Heaving a sigh, she tried again. "It's not an easy choice to make. To take your own life, even with the fear of what might await you if you lived. Trust me, there's a reason why Hebijo greatly respects and mourns in equal parts anybody who can make that choice. It's also the reason why the members of each Elite Squad are so tightly knit. Not a one wants one of their comrades to die, which is why we push each other to the limits and then further. Hell, even those who never make it to Elite status do their damnedest to make sure that they get strong enough to fight alongside any of their comrades."
"But still…" Katsuragi argued weakly.
"Besides, it's not like all of us chose suicide." Homura shrugged. "At the very least, I went down swinging and trying to win. It was close, but Asuka managed to pull that win out of her ass. Not like it'll go the same way next time."
"Oh yeah!" Mirai perked up, lightly pounding her fist into her palm. "And I got shot in the chest and had most of it blown away!"
Shocked silence was all the Thieves' side of the room was able to bring out. Yagyū looked away from the group, scratching a cheek and looking guilty. "Not my proudest moment…" she confessed softly.
"W-well….at least it was quick…?" Ryuji got out, his face green.
"Oh no, not at all!" Mirai waved off. "I mean, okay, I felt pain for like, five seconds, but after that everything just kinda went numb. Lasted for about a minute after that, give or take. Still managed to talk with her for a bit, and I got what I wanted out of it. Somebody actually paid attention to me for something, and I blocked a sniper shot aimed at Homura-san. Win-win, honestly!"
"And we got better later, after a giant demon snake ate our bodies before Homura's soul started fighting it from inside while Asuka attacked it from the outside." Hikage finished with a shrug.
Akira blinked, his expression carefully neutral, before turning to face their host. "Sake, please. Just the bottle is fine."
"Aren't you under-aged, Kurusu-san?" Yumi scolded with a frown.
"Aren't you guys traumatizing us with stories of suicide and child murder and fights to the literal death, Yumi-san?" Akira fired back with a frown of his own.
"Moving on!" Barkeep interjected before the discussion could derail further, snapping his finger and causing a bottle of sake to end up in Akira's hand. "I'll continue on from where Futaba was going with her question. Students of Hebijo are taught, from the start, to commit suicide in the result of total failure or impending capture. Moral standards and beliefs aside, this all just comes down to different schools and thus different methods of teaching. But Homura," he pointed at the girl, causing her head to tilt in acknowledgment. "You don't quite believe in that mindset. You're a fighter. To you, 'suicide' is synonymous with 'cowardice' and/or 'defeat'. You believe that if you're going to step out on the battlefield, you've got to be willing to fight to your last breath. Live or die, at the end, you just want to struggle to the end, no matter how dirty or injured you get. So long as you get to die in a blaze of glory."
Homura looked down at that, rubbing the back of her head. "I mean…" she muttered. "You're not wrong. I ended up dealing with a bunch of shit in my life. Just got to a point where I said 'fuck it' and decided that if I couldn't get a say in how I lived, I was damn sure going to choose how I died."
"It's actually a thought process I subscribe to myself, honestly." Barkeep revealed, getting a surprised look of happiness from the girl and shock from the Thieves. "If you have the energy to speak, you have the energy to stand. If you can move your legs, step forward. If you can think, then you can plan to win. If you can still feel pain, then you're not dead yet, which means the fight isn't over. It's not for everybody," He admitted, looking at the Hanzō girls and causing most of them except Yagyū and Asuka to look away. "But it's how I choose to live my life. And looking at your outfit, you can see that it reflects that. The torn holes, the burns. They all are symbols of your desire to fight and win, until the bitter end."
"Makes sense." Makoto agreed, leaning back into her seat. "Thinking about it, all of our outfits reflect what we think a rebel is deep down."
"Exactly." Barkeep nodded at her, looking pleased. "As for Asuka, well, look at her school."
"What about our school, Barkeep-san?" Ikaruga got out with narrowed eyes.
"Easy now." Their host responded, gesturing for her to calm down. "Your school is more uniform. Only a very few make it into the ranks of 'Elite.' No more than six at a time, yes?" At Ikaruga's nod, he continued. "A strict set of rules to follow. A code of conduct. Beliefs that need to be followed, especially for her as the one who's meant to inherit everything her grandfather has accomplished and stands for. Asuka is held to much higher and even stricter standards that others have set for her." He looked at the brunette in the eye, making her shift in discomfort. "So her rebellion fits more into who she wants to be. Seen for herself, draw the attention to who she is. Not just her grandfather's heir. Not just a shinobi of Hanzō Academy. But Asuka the Shinobi. Am I wrong?"
"….That and a bit more clothed, but you're right…" Asuka muttered, shifting her clothes around a bit more.
"So, the both of them resented the rules that were placed upon them, ignoring their own personal wishes." Sae mused, leaning back and holding her chin. "Of course, they did enter a field where those desires may have actually caused more harm than good, but their opinions should probably have been taken into account at the start."
"Probably wouldn't have lasted long." Barkeep admitted. "That kind of occupation doesn't really allow for people to take only the jobs they're comfortable with."
"Well, at least it makes sense why we've got these things." Homura grumbled, picking at her top.
"So, wait, hold on." Futaba piped up. "They've got the clothes back. Does that mean that they've got their Personas as well?" Akira immediately sat up with an expectant look, but Barkeep shook his head.
"That's a bit beyond me." He told her. "I'm god-like, not a god proper. To bring back the Personas- you know, the parts of yourselves- I'd have to go deep into your soul and pull them out, but because of what your group," he paused to point at each of the Thieves. "Went through, doing so could irreparably harm you. That's not a risk I'm willing to take, especially since there's no real reason to bring them out. Sorry about that."
Akira sighed. "It's fine, I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up." He responded. Rolling his shoulders and giving a grin, he leaned back into the couch and laced his fingers together. "Well, I'm ready. Shall we go on?"
Once the rest of the group agreed and got themselves comfortable again, Barkeep snapped his fingers and the next chapter began to play.
Chapter 4: L'Bateleur
(4/11, Morning)
(Kamoshida's Castle of Lust, Underground Dungeon)
"What...What is this…?" Asuka thought, feeling this strange energy fill her body. "What am I feeling? This...This is amazing!" She then wondered.
"That is your true power. I am the rebellious soul you tried for so long to ignore." A voice that sounded so much like her revealed. "It is about time you travelled along this path, and it is time for you to show what you are capable of doing. It seems this Castle of Lust has shaken your resolve." She then stated as the mysterious being behind her seemed to glare at the foes in front of her true self. "I cannot allow such thoughts to weaken your heart!" She soon declared. "Now, will you allow me to guide you along? Or, will you ignore me and go alone?" The voice soon questioned.
Asuka didn't hesitate to respond to this...being that came from the depths of her heart. "I'm not going to let this place get to me...Let's bury them, Kaeru!" She called out before settling into a battle stance.
"Not sure about you all, but I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't be shaken up by that place." Katsuragi quipped, amused.
As this was occurring, Homura was conversing with the being that came from within herself as well.
"So look who decided to finally get it." A voice similar to her own quipped in an almost mocking tone. "About time you paid attention to me." She then remarked.
The tanned skinned girl looked at the being behind her with widened eyes. "Just...what are you…?" Homura asked in a slow tone. She felt really good, but this was too much to process.
"Like you didn't know already…" The being soon replied. "I am thou, and thou art I. I'm your soul given form, born from the depths of your heart and blah blah blah. Are you going to keep talking or are you gonna go out there and fuck some shit up!?" It then questioned in an antsy tone.
The tan skinned girl in response to that looked back at the enemies. "You don't have to tell me twice." Homura replied, a feral grin on her face as she took out her six katanas and glared at the King. "Burn them. Shred them. Let our instincts run wild, Wolverine!" She roared out her orders, an animalistic grin gracing her face underneath her mask.
"And meanwhile, Wolverine is just as fight-crazy and eager as Homura." Haru giggled happily. "So nice to see somebody I can be good friends with."
Homura might have felt flattered, but frankly, the looks of sheer terror on the faces of the rest of the Phantom Thieves dampened that considerably. Even more so when Sae's eyes slightly widened before turning to Makoto. "Is she the one you were talking about, the girl who scared you?" The long suffering whimper that answered her firmly set the decision in the tanned girl's mind to never be left in the same room as Haru alone.
"Who the hell are you people…!?"The King exclaimed before turning to his knights. "Guards! Start by killing that one!" Kamoshida commanded, pointing at Akira.
"Have at it boys!" Homura called out in a mocking tone. "Bring it on!" She soon declared.
Suddenly, the masks of the knights broke open before bending backwards, exploding into some sort of black blood before being replaced by...pumpkins with lanterns? There were ten in total, all of them ready to kill anything and everything for their ruler.
"What the heck?!" Mirai yelped, flinching backwards at that sudden turn. "Why did they explode like that?! Wait, actually, better question! Why did they explode and turn into those?!"
"Those are Shadows, real ones. The forms you saw before were their sealed states, limiting their powers." Barkeep explained. "The stronger the leader is, the more powerful the Shadows he commands. Kamoshida, however, is only the gym teacher of a high school, so while he wields a fair amount of 'power', the Shadows under his command are not all that much. Dangerous to newbies, yeah, but nothing to write home about."
"Not to mention that, for every single Palace, there's a sort of theme each subscribes to." Morgana followed up. "Like this place. 'Kamoshida's Palace of Lust'. All the Shadows you'll see here having something to do with lust, sex, perversion, all of that."
"So, like me, only with absolutely no filter, respect for boundaries, and just generally taking it way too far?" Katsuragi groaned. "I mean, sure, I'm a perv who likes to grope girls, but even I draw the line at taking it beyond reasonable points."
"You'll learn the true strength of my men!" The King declared.
"...the true strength of a bunch of floating Halloween hanging decorations?" Sojiro asked, confused and bewildered.
"Let's do this." Akira declared with a mad smile still on his face as the three faced their enemies. Akira pulled out the tan girl's old dagger, which said girl remembered was called a Black Kogatana, which suddenly burst into flames in his hands and transmogrified into a brand new combat knife. His smirk never faltered for a second as he shifted into a battle stance. As their surroundings transformed into a more suitable combat space, Akira readied himself for his first fight.
His blood was pumping, his eyes razored focused on the monsters in front of him.
He never felt more alive!
"You're about to eat those words! Arsene! It's showtime!" Akira ordered as his guardian spirit laughed.
(Cue Will Power)
"Oh hey! Cool music!" Homura complimented, bobbing her head to the music.
"Sounds pretty heavy, gotta say." Miyabi agreed. "I can see myself fighting to this track."
"Indeed." Yusuke chuckled. "Inspiring one's soul to stand strong against adversity, no matter the evils that are thrown at them. Truly a song speaking of strength and passion."
"Alright, we're gonna need you to dial back that passion Shakespeare." Mirai joked.
"What are these things!?" Asuka asked, having never seen anything like these...Crypt-dwelling Pyromaniacs in front of them.
"So how did you know what they were called?" Yomi asked, a finger on her chin. "Did they announce it, could you see it?"
"More like, we just 'knew', ya know?" Ryuji explained, though not looking totally sure of the answer. "When you just, I'unno, look at something and just know 'Oh, that's what that is'? It's kinda hard to explain."
"Helpful indeed." Ikaruga groused, massaging her forehead.
"But true." Makoto defended. "We honestly had no idea what each Shadow was, just a basic description that we just knew. The only real theory we had as to why that was is that our Persona just inherently knew what each Shadow was. And let's be clear, any information was far better than nothing. It at least gave us something to work with."
"Ah, yeah! That makes sense!" Asuka perked up. "If you know even the slightest thing about them, then you can more easily take care of the problem!"
"They are nothing you should worry about." Kaeru informed her user. "Just know they are lesser for crumbling under the power of a corrupt ruler! They are nothing more than obstacles that must be destroyed!" She declared.
"Then how do we destroy them…?" Akira wondered out loud.
"Take their head in-between your hands, and turn in either direction." Hikage supplied. "When it faces in the opposite of the starting direction is usually a good sign you've done it right."
"….well that's certainly violent." Morgana muttered wide-eyed, the rest of the Thieves save Haru nodding in agreement.
"But she's not wrong, is she?" Haru asked.
"No she isn't and that's the problem!" Ann cried.
"What I displayed earlier was merely a glimpse of power." Arsene informed the three. "Detest the enemies before you! Change that animosity into power… and unleash it!" He soon ordered.
"Alright, here we go!" Akira shouted out before focusing on an enemy. "There! Eiha!" Laughing joyously with the amount of hate that Akira had towards the corrupted Jack-O-Lantern, Arsene unleased a tornado of dark energy at it, taking pleasure in the pain it inflicted upon it before it dissipated into nothingness.
"Shadowmancy?" Miyabi asked with an excited gleam in her eyes. "Are you positive that I can't convince you to join Hebijo? I'm almost certain I can get you in. You might get along with Murasaki, though she's a bit of a shut-in."
Akira shrugged, his easy grin never falling. "I've got experience with that thanks to Futaba, but I'm going to have to pass unless you can really sweeten the deal."
"Challenge accepted." Miyabi agreed, her smile growing to match his.
"If that's how it is, I must be bursting with power!" Homura called out. "Show no mercy! Cleave through 'em Wolverine!" She ordered.
"I've been waiting for this!" Wolverine said eagerly as she charged at a Pyromaniac and used her claws, slicing through its stupid, smiling pumpkin head and destroyed it in an instant.
"Let's dance, shall we?" Asuka taunted before placing her hand on her mask. "From the depths of my soul! Magna!" Kaeru nodded before jumping high into the air and throwing a boulder at one of the Jack-O-Lanterns, killing it before it could even beg for mercy.
"It's really strange to see Asuka talking like that." Hibari admitted. "I'm so used to her being polite and nice and stuff."
"Agreed." Yumi nodded at that. "But it is nice to see her standing up against an evil with no hesitation like this."
"Eh, nothin' wrong with a little fire and violence." Homura shot back, leaning back with a smug smirk.
All the other Pyromaniacs however weren't just going to sit there and take it. They swiftly retaliated, charging at the three! Asuka just barely managed to dodge their attacks while Homura was a little too slow and got it, however, she barely felt a thing.
Meanwhile, Akira just flipped over one Jack-O-Lantern, used another as a stepping stone before launching off it and landed on the other side of the cell, right behind them all.
"Swing your blades!" Arsene commanded.
"What else were you going to do? Throw them?" Sojiro asked with an arched eyebrow. At that, Akira blinked before placing his chin in his hands.
"You know, I never even considered that." He admitted. "Sure I had better ways of fighting at a range, but throwing my knife? Didn't cross my mind once."
"Not that you would want to." Hikage interjected, shaking her head. "That knife is meant only for close range. The handle makes it too heavy to throw accurately."
Akira didn't hesitate and stabbed one in the back before slicing in half another.
Asuka proceeded to counter her attackers by kicking one away and stabbing the sentient pumpkin in the eye.
Homura, smirking as the Jack-O-Lantern realized its attack barely fazed her, grabbed it and proceeded to make diced pumpkin out of it.
Haru grinned, chuckling at the luck of the poor pumpkin. "And that is the look of one who regrets all of their life's mistakes."
"Very good." Kaeru praised the three. "Our powers are yours. Use it well." She then informed.
"Show these bubs what your true self is made of!" Wolverine called out.
"Run wild to your heart's content!" Arsene finished off.
"Gladly." The three said in unison as they faced the remaining Jack-O-Lanterns.
"Can we talk about this?" One of the Jack-O-Lanterns begged. "We were only following orders!" It then got out.
"No." Akira answered before they all charged at the last of the King's men. It was a tornado of violence as they inflicted as much damage as they could upon the remnants of the King's guards. Slicing, stabbing, and going as far as using a Jack-O-Lantern to beat up another Jack-O-Lantern. When they ended up with one last Jack-O-Lantern, they all sliced it at the same time.
"Well that wasn't a complete and utter beat-down at all." Sae spoke up sarcastically.
"Yeah, being honest, the way you were talking them all up made me think they were more dangerous. Or hell, even more dangerous looking." Mirai agreed, looking disappointed.
"Oh they are." Ann confirmed, shaking her head in dismay. "This was more of a…ah, crap, what are they called again?"
"Tutorial level?" Futaba, Miraia and surprisingly Hibari supplied in unison.
"Yeah, them." Ryuji confirmed, an irritated look on his face. "And nobody really dies in those."
"Unless it's one of those ones that punish you for not playing perfectly." Mirai added on, looking frustrated. "'Reason to tell you you're never safe', my ass..."
"Of all the King's guards and all the King's men…" Akira started.
"The great and powerful Kamoshida…" Homura continued in a sarcastic tone while having a satisfied smirk on her face.
"Couldn't stand up to a boy and his friends." Asuka finished off as their battlefield melted away.
(Stop Music)
"Well that was satisfying to see!" Asuka chirped happily. "So they get to leave now, right?"
"One would think." Yumi confirmed. "They did just defeat all of his guards, so nothing's really stopping them."
"Unless they waste time standing around bullshitting, but yeah, I think that about wraps that up." Katsuragi said.
"Oh, hey. Money." Akira noted as he put away his knife into his trench coat and picked up the small pile of coins and notes off the ground. "300 yen? What a rip…" He then muttered in slight annoyance.
"Money is money, other me." Akira scolded. "And I like getting paid for a workout."
"I think I just got stronger just from that fight...!" Asuka cheered as she felt the being from within herself had learned something new.
"Me too…" Homura mumbled out before she looked at her gloved hands. "Uh guys...when did we change our clothes?" She soon asked in realization.
"Wait, what does other Asuka-chan mean?" Hibari asked, confused.
"It's not like they shouldn't have." Haruka stated, puzzled as well. "They were fighting in them, afterall."
"Well, it was a pretty hectic time right there." Haru pointed out. "Things can be forgiven for not being noticed right away."
"'Lives in danger' does seem more important than 'Oh hey, I can do anime transformations.'" Mirai agreed.
"Hm? What?" Asuka asked before looking down, only to see her cleavage out in the open. "EEEEEEH!?" Asuka exclaimed as she tried to cover herself, her cheeks a bright red. "Wh-When did this happen!?" She then asked in confusion and embarrassment.
"I don't think these clothes come with underwear…" Akira soon stated as he checked himself out, which meanwhile caused the embarrassed girl to blush even more when she realized she felt a light breeze where there shouldn't be a light breeze. "Feels good though. Freedom in all the right places…" He then got out.
"….Okay, to preface." Akira started, as everybody turned to look at him while Asuka's face was turning a flaming red in embarrassment. "None of us ever noticed such a thing with our outfits when we first awoke, that I know of."
"Oh, don't worry Asuka," Barkeep interjected. "The garments you have do include underwear, so you're not unintentionally flashing everybody 'the goods'."
"Oh that makes me feel so much better!" Asuka cried.
"Still, thank goodness that you're not mistakenly giving everybody a show." Yomi comforted the girls.
"And hey, at least you didn't flash anybody before then." Katsuragi pointed out.
"What...What was that just now…?" Ryuji spoke up, getting Akira and the girls' attention. They had honestly forgotten about him for a second.
"You little…" The King started before being sucker punched in the face by Homura before Ryuji got up and shoved him to the ground. "AAGH!" He cried out in pain.
"Hah! You like that, you son of a bitch!?" Ryuji taunted, feeling proud of himself for once.
"Lock the cell!" Akira called out as he grabbed everyone's bags and dashed out of the cell.
"Huh?" Ryuji got out in confusion before seeing a ring of keys. "You mean this?"
"No, the one between his legs of course that one you numbskull!" Homura shouted at the on-screen blond, while the one on the couch blinked before turning green and groaning, placing his hand over his mouth.
"And now I just imagined puttin' my hand on his junk, and feel like I should have it cut off." He got out in a sick voice.
"Wait, your hand or his….that?" Asuka asked, looking sick as well.
"Yes."
"Hurry up, dammit! We are leaving!" Homura shouted out as she and her roommate rushed out of the cell as well.
Ryuji didn't wait any longer and swiped the keys before running as fast as he could when he saw Kamoshida starting to get up. He quickly locked the cell just as the King charged at the blond, but ended up grasping the bars.
"Okay, it's locked!" Ryuji announced.
"We're finally out of there…" Asuka breathed out in relief before being startled as the King shook the bars of his new cell.
"Well, out of the cell at least." Haruka chuckled. "You still have to find a way out of the castle."
"And if this castle is anything like in our world, you're more than likely underground." Yumi pointed out.
"So we've gotta fight our way up to get out, eh?" Homura leaned back, smirking. "Good, I'd be down for more fighting!"
"Damn you!" He cursed. They decided to ignore him for now. He wasn't going to threaten them as long as he was locked away.
"Hey…! What was that just now!?" Ryuji exclaimed before looking at their new outfits. "And...your clothes…!" He then got out.
"This is so much different than a Shinobi Tenshin…" Asuka admitted before in a burst of their colored flames, they all reverted back to their Shujin Academy uniforms, though for the girls, their hair wasn't in ponytails like before. "Whoa!" She got out with surprise.
"Different?" Haru inquired, her head cocked to the side. "That's curious. We certainly felt different from our normal selves, but I just realized we never had anything else to compare it to."
Haruka put her head down, thinking over what the on-screen Asuka said. "I believe I might have an idea of what she means." She spoke up after a moment. "Shinobi Tenshin can be considered...I suppose 'limiter' would be an apt description. We can fight without it, but using it increases all of our abilities, letting us fight at our full potential with no drawbacks."
Ryuji's eyes lit up in inspiration. "Oh, like that manga series about the shinigami! They use swords to hunt them down, but can use those things to get stronger to fight tougher guys!"
"I...do not quite know what you're talking about." Haruka admitted. "Could you describe it to me in fifty words or less?"
"Oh yeah, totally!" Ryuji leaned forward, pure excitement in his eyes. "There's this guy-!" He suddenly stopped, a chill running down his back as his face paled. A ways down from him, Makoto stared him down, an almost visible aura of rage coming from her.
"Ryuji….you weren't filling your head with such things when you had needed to be focusing towards passing your exams...were you?" She asked, her voice never raising above a normal volume and yet still sounding like the blond's death knell to him.
"Um, my question…?" Haruka asked again, softly. Barkeep heaved out a sigh before speaking up.
"Not to save Ryuji's bacon here, but I'll explain." He stated. "While it's not exactly the same as he suggested, he drew an apt comparison. Shinobi Tenshin serves as a sort of self-imposed restriction, if only to keep a shinobi from accidentally killing a person. Their strength, speed and such may still remain higher than the average person's, but it's usually enough. With the Thief Garments, however, it's more like 'unlocking your potential', allowing one to fight at full strength against the thoughts and stigmas others inflict upon you without ever losing sight of who you are. The stronger your heart and conviction, the more power and protection you have."
"I see…" Haruka muttered. "Thank you for the answer."
"Our uniforms are back…" Homura stated as she made sure everything was in order before feeling pain flare up throughout her body. "Damn...everything still hurts…" She then groaned, sucking in a breath as she leaned on one leg a little too much.
The boys looked and, sure enough, all the shinobi's sustained injuries from before were gone, but were instead replaced by aches and groans. At the very least, they were no longer bleeding everywhere but just the phantom pain of those injuries were enough to stop the two shinobi from using the full extent of their strength or agility. They were going to have to take it easy for now or else they'd risk injuring themselves further.
"Oh, right. Forgot about that. Activating your Persona isn't a full heal. Wounds, sure. Pain, no." Makoto recalled. "Also exhaustion, can't forget that."
BAM! BAM! BAM!
They all stumbled back as the King banged the bars again.
"You bastards!" The King shouted out.
"God, this is effin' nuts! Ryuji exclaimed.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Mirai snarked as the group let out a chuckle while Ryuji grumbled softly.
"And that's why we should've left yesterday." Homura stated as she held her side. "Now c'mon, before more guards show up!" She soon suggested.
"Akira-kun, think you can take the lead?" Asuka requested as she clutched her arm.
Akira nodded, knowing that the more competent members of the group weren't in the best condition to lead, before they all ran off while Ryuji threw away the keys into the rushing water, hoping it would delay the King's release long enough for them to escape, before following the group.
"That was smart thinking." Yagyū complimented, nodding. "People underestimate just how much of an impact small actions can make."
"Indeed." Haruka smirked. "Even such a mundane action could easily buy them ten minutes."
"Add in if none of the Shadows that come to help him can swim, especially in those rapids, and that time could quite easily triple." Sae smiled in approval at Ryuji. "You should feel proud, that kind of quick thinking can help a lot of people."
"Y-you're makin' me blush, here!" Ryuji mumbled, doing his best to keep from preening under the praise. "I mean, I coulda done something to help, so I did. Just glad it worked, ya know?"
"Goddamn thieves…!" The King grumbled to himself.
Suddenly, Asuka rushed back, grabbed him by the ears before slamming him into the bars of the cell, knocking him out.
DONG!
"Not thieves! Shinobi!" Asuka playfully corrected before running back to the others. She winced in pain, but quickly determined it was worth it.
"I...don't think he heard that, Asuka-chan." Ann remarked. "Was freaking awesome as hell, but yeah."
Akira shrugged at that. "I mean, considering how many times a bad guy has lost by gloating before he landed the killing blow, I'm glad to see she's avoiding the risk of invoking it herself." He then gave a wicked grin towards Asuka. "Also, he totally had it coming anyways." He firmly declared, getting a pleased blush from the girl and nods of agreement from everyone else.
"Was that really necessary?" Akira had to ask. He approved but he just wondered why.
"Felt like it, I guess." Asuka answered with a shrug.
Homura meanwhile smirked in agreement to that. "Gotta give her props for that." She thought in amusement.
"That was kinda awesome." Ryuji meanwhile admitted before shaking his head. "But I ain't down for staying here any longer! C'mon, let's get outta here!" He then reminded.
"Wait, I just thought of something!" Hibari spoke up. "Wouldn't knocking Kamoshida-san out mean that you won't know what type of enemies and traps are placed around his home?"
"Ah, yeah! Mou~, I should have that of that!" Asuka pouted in frustration.
They all nodded before they all ran as fast as they could. Akira went to open a door, only for it to not budge. Homura slammed her shoulder against it, guessing it was rusted, but again it wouldn't open.
"Ugh...bad idea…" Homura got out as she held her aching shoulder.
"Dammit! This one's locked!" Akira cursed.
"Then we find another way." Asuka decided before looking around a bit before seeing several cages sunk into the water, creating a make-shift set of stepping stones.
Asuka thought about crossing the gap in one big leap, but she could already tell it would only hurt her further.
Asuka nodded at that, pleased that her on-screen self was starting to think things through. Homura looked thoughtful at what they were going through. "I'm actually kinda curious, did they just lock all the gates behind them or something?"
Makoto crossed her legs, closing her eyes as she thought that over. "It's quite possible." She confirmed. "I'm honestly more surprised that there weren't guards stationed at the doors to let Kamoshida in and out. And it would have been a wise idea as well if something like this were to happen."
"Well, the 'King' was never the smartest." Akira pointed out. "He could make a general plan, sure, but he tended not to worry about the small things. You know, since he could just handle those in other ways."
"Other ways?" Yomi asked, confused.
"Spoilers, Yomi-chan." Haru reminded kindly, causing the blonde to give a reluctant nod.
"Hey, think we can all get across that? Ryuji soon asked.
"We've got no choice really…" Homura remarked before they all jumped across one at a time.
They kept running and leaped off a few submerged cells as they continued their escape.
"All that execution shit… Was he serious?" Ryuji thought out loud. "All of this has to be one sick joke…" He then got out.
"…..Okay, Ryuji-san." Yumi spoke up, her face frowning. "I understand that everybody was caught up in adrenaline and such, and you're in the middle of a life-or-death situation. But there is a limit to how much you can try to deny the truth."
"Hey!" Ryuji sputtered affronted. "I ain't got an idea what it's like for shinobi and shit, but most normal guys aren't really happy bein' thrown into some whack shit like this! I was trying to cope, ya know?!"
"He's...guh, can't believe I'm saying this," Futaba started, looking like she ate something particularly foul. "He's actually right. Humans try to do things like that to try and avoid having our own reality broken. Like, if we deny it enough it'll go back to how it was or something."
"Still, that doesn't mean you shouldn't accept what's happening right before your eyes." Yagyū argued.
"Actually, speaking from experience," Yusuke interrupted. "It is when it is in front of one's eyes do they deny it even more. People wish to thrive and survive in comfort, even if that means blinding themselves to the truth, no matter how heavy the shackles around their necks."
"'Speaking from'...Yusuke, are you saying…?" Mirai began, her voice just above a whisper. When the tall boy turned his head down and away, a solemn look on his face, she paled. "Holy crap. You did something like that. That's why-"
"As much as I'm enjoying you realizing just how many troubles non-shinobi can have, we're toeing dangerously close to 'spoilers' territory." Barkeep warned, running a finger alongside the toy gun. With a final concerned look towards Yusuke, Mirai turned her attention back to the screen.
"He nearly killed us so I'm betting he wasn't messing around." Homura replied before frowning as they went into a cell and found a hole in the wall. It looked like someone managed to do it with just their bare hands. The sight of a skeleton at the corner of the cell missing its hand bones just made everyone wince. "Just where the hell did we end up?" She soon asked.
"I have no idea, Homura-chan…" Asuka answered.
"I don't think it matters right now." Akira spoke up. "We can worry about it once we're out of this place. Now hurry up and start crawling. It's gonna be a tight squeeze." They decided to stop talking for now and continued their excape. Akira went first, next was Ryuji then Homura and Asuka.
"Good call." Haruka complimented with a smile. "Escape and then pool your information when you're back at safety. Basic but effective shinobi plan."
"Aw crap, my bag's stuck!" Ryuji whispered out in the middle of the tunnel.
"We are going to die in here if you don't move…" Homura mumbled to herself as she gave the blond-haired boy a shove forward.
"To this day, I'm still not sure what it got stuck on, let alone how." Akira admitted.
After emerging out of the tunnel and crossing a drawbridge, they started to hear metal boots hitting stone. Without any words they dived behind a pile of crates and barrels and poked their heads out to see where the guards were going. It looked like they were all heading towards Kamoshida's cell.
"You think they're looking for us?" Ryuji asked.
"Not likely. I'm betting they're gonna free Kamoshida first and then go after us." Asuka answered. "That's our window to escape. As long as they're distracted, we won't face as much opposition." She then stated.
"Damn, I ain't playin' along with this anymore!" Ryuji got out in annoyance. "We gotta find a way outta this goddamn place!" He then declared.
"...Ryuji…" Makoto groaned out, burying her face in her hands and causing the blond to wince.
"Isn't that what you're already doing?" Hikage pointed out, arching an eyebrow. "Looking for a way out?" Ryuji curled even more into himself, turning red from embarrassment.
"Ryuji-kun's not thinking real good, is he?" Hibari concluded, unknowingly sending the last metaphorical arrow straight into Ryuji's skull.
"Man, when even 'Miss Sugar and Rainbows' Hibari starts pointing out that you're dumb…" Katsuragi cackled.
"I GET IT! I GET IT, STOP POKIN' FUN AT ME!" Ryuji wailed in despair.
"…Doubtful." Morgana muttered, just loud enough for them to hear him and causing the thuggish boy to glare at him.
"Keep following me, then." Akira ordered as he made sure the coast was clear. "We don't know how far away from the exit we are, but complaining about it isn't going to get us anywhere near it. Now let's get going." He then added. They continued running for a short time and ended up going up a spiral staircase before seeing a door.
However, Ryuji was already panting and gasping for breath.
"Dude, we ran like 15 feet and those stairs weren't that long." Homura stated. "How out of shape are you?" She soon asked.
"I'm guessing 'yeah' here." Miyabi said. "I've seen civilian kids run longer with no issue. Seriously, whatever happened to you must have been really bad."
"You've got no idea." Ann informed her, growling. "Bastard..."
"Really...outta shape…" Ryuji panted out, both girls detecting the slight regretful expression on his face before he looked at the door. "I-Is this… the exit!?" He soon asked.
"Hopefully." Akira replied but he had a feeling it wasn't going to be that easy.
"Alright, let's get the hell outta this place!" Ryuji called as the glasses-wearing boy opened the door, only to see they ended up at another floor of the dungeon. "Dude, you gotta be jokin'…" He muttered in annoyance.
"Well, it is a castle…" Sojiro pointed out, chuckling softly.
"Though I will admit, I'd have been hoping to have that be the exit as well." Sae piped in. "That whole place looks unnerving already, and when you add the King into that, any person, no matter who, would want out sooner rather than later."
"Moh...I knew there would be more…" Asuka groaned out before shaking her head. "But we need to keep going. There has to be an exit somewhere." She then declared with a determined expression.
"And if we can't find one?" Akira asked in concern. All the determined girl did was wince in response.
"Go through a window?" Everybody turned to look at Homura, who merely shrugged. "What, it's what I'd do."
"She's got a point." Miyabi admitted. "I forgot that Shizune-sensei calls windows "alternate doors."
"Let's keep going. There has to be an exit somewhere." Homura decided, deciding to take the lead for now. They continued running for a few seconds before hearing someone. "Hm?" She got out.
"H-Hey...Look…" Ryuji called out as he pointed over to a man in a cage hanging over the rushing waters.
The man was actively begging for their help. Whether it was to escape this horrible place or to give him a quick death, they didn't know. He was way too incoherent to really understand other than the word Help.
"What the hell?!" Sojiro cried out, sitting up in a panic.
"Why is he hanging over the water like that?!" Asuka shouted, her eyes wide. "We need to help him, quick!"
"Not happenin'." Ryuji shot her down, shaking his head. The shocked and insulted look the girl shot at him had him hurrying to explain. "Look, you all are still hurtin', yeah? Ain't no way you could reach him safely, at least in there, and get back. I'm not sure just how awesome ya'll are and stuff, but can you seriously tell me that you can get over there, unlock the cage, and get him out and over to the rest of the gang while hurt and without losing your balance and fallin' into the water 'n' shit?"
"W-well…" Asuka meekly tried to argue before a hand was placed on her should by Ikaruga.
"As horrible as it sounds, you and Homura-san would be of no help to that boy." She said, firmly but not unkindly. "At the very least, you know he is there. Once you escape and can recover, you can try to infiltrate and rescue him." She reminded the younger girl.
"We both will." Homura growled, staring at the screen. "Pretty sure whatever he's done, that King's blowing it all out of proportion. Doesn't matter, though, we're coming back for that fucker."
"I'm guessing that's where all the screaming was coming from." Akira muttered in a grim tone.
"A-Are there more people other than us in here?" Asuka gasped. "Oh god…" She soon mumbled out in disbelief.
"More than likely…" Homura replied before shaking her head. "But right now, we should be getting the hell out. We can't do anything for him unless we want the guards to catch up to us." She soon reminded.
"…" Asuka went silent, a guilty look on her face before they all started running again, though Ryuji stopped to take one last look before he kept going.
"So, I know you all aren't rescuing them now," Makoto leaned forward, aiming her question at Akira and Ryuji. "But how many were being held in that castle?"
Akira looked over at Barkeep, gesturing towards him. "You mind taking this question? Not sure I can exactly answer it within reason." He admitted. Barkeep nodded, and turned his attention to Makoto.
"I ask only you remember his position in the school, and just how much influence he wielded." He requested. The younger Nijima took a few minutes to think on his words, and he knew she had her answer when she paled before a look of rage entered her eyes. "Yeah, that many."
"Look, a bridge!" Asuka called out as they ran up to the drawbridge. It had a statue of Kamoshida's creepy head along with it. "I'm not seeing a lever…" She then revealed.
"We can't lower it, and the gap's too wide. Let's find another way around." Akira decided.
"But there is no other way." Homura pointed out. "We're at a dead end!" She then declared.
"Dammit!" Ryuji swore in frustration. "How the hell're we supposed to get outta here!?" He soon asked.
"Well, there are bars at the end of that room in the water." Sae pointed out. "Just knock that stack of crates down, let them flow to the bars and use that as a bridge to get across. At the least, it'll cover enough distance that you can get to the other side."
Morgana raised a hand as if to object. But after a few moments, he put it down. "Holy crap, that's actually a reall smart idea. And even if only Asuka and Homura could get across, there was probably a far more obvious way to lower the bridge for Akira and Ryuji. Why didn't I think of that?"
"I think the better question is 'why didn't any of us think of that?'" Akira corrected. To that, Sae just smirked.
"You don't think Makoto got her love of mafia and spy thriller movies from nowhere, do you?" She teased lightly.
"...Hey! You there!" An unknown, somewhat feminine(?) voice was heard. They took a quick look around to where it was coming from. "Blondie! Tanny! Frizzy Hair! Buh...Buh...Buh...Just look over here!" the voice got out, though stammered slightly for a moment.
"Feminine?!" Morgana sputtered, completely thrown. "I am a male!"
"Morgana-chan is in the castle too?" Hibari asked, her eyes lighting up. "I wanna see, I wanna see!"
"Some pretty basic nicknames he gave there." Haruka huffed. "Could have used a bit more imagination, but it works for the time being I suppose."
"Wait, was he…?" Katsuragi muttered, leaning forwards. "'Blondie' for Ryuji, 'Tanny' for Homura-chan, 'Frizzy Hair'...I'm guessing that's for Akira. Was Morgana about to refer to Asuka-chan as-?"
"By her breasts, yeah." Hikage finished up. Further down the road, Asuka's face went blank and her eyes dead, even as they welled up with tears.
'Even a kitty's eyes are drawn to my boobs first!' She wailed internally.
"Hmm?" Asuka hummed out in confusion.
"It's coming from a cell…" Homura thought in a serious manner before they all looked at where the source of the voice was coming from, and saw what looked like a living black cat plushy with an oversized head and a yellow bandana around its neck paw at the bars.
"Hmmmm~!" Hibari bounced in place, stars seeping to sparkly around her. "He's so cute~! I want my own!"
"Hehe!" Morgana chuckledlooking smug. "Sorry Lady Hibari, but I'm one of a kind. And someone's gotta keep on eye on Akira here!"
"And yet you can't even get a can open yourself." Akira drawled, a lazy grin on his face as the others laughed at the now blushing cat.
"My point stands!" Morgana fired back fiercely.
Everyone's jaw simultaneously dropped at the sight of the cat.
"W-What the!? What the hell is this thing!?" Ryuji exclaimed.
"This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder…" Homura mumbled to herself. "Mirai would love this thing…" She then added to her thoughts.
"And I do." Mirai confirmed. "I'm not ashamed."
"Well, it's official. I've seen everything." Akira got out, officially done with the day.
"Can't blame ya, kid." Sojiro agreed. "I would be too."
"It's...so...cute~!" Asuka squealed at the sight of the cat as she kneeled down and hugged it through the bars.
"I...I...I'm not...cute! But if… you want me...to be…" The cat gasped for breath before purring at the softness of the girl's chest, which caused the tan skinned girl's eye to twitch for a moment before shaking its head and snapping back into reality. It pushed itself away from the girl and looked at the four outside the cell. "W-Well, it's obvious you guys aren't soldiers of the castle. Get me out of here! Look, the key is right there!" It then revealed.
Ikaruga leaned back, groaning. "Another male who's easily swayed by feminine sexuality. At least he's able to reign it in, I suppose."
"I feel like I should say something against that, but Ryuji and I did stare for a second or two before." Akira said. "But still, I should counter that you have your own pervert who does more than look."
"I'm not ashamed." Katsuragi admitted, smirking.
Homura turned her head to that and saw that there was a key holder on the nearby wall, with a single silver keyring hooked on it.
"We're trying to get the hell out of here…! We don't have the time!" Ryuji called out, remembering seeing those pumpkin guys from earlier. "I mean, you obviously look like an enemy too!" He then stated.
"I'm locked up here, so how can I be your enemy!?" The strange creature retorted. "What else could I be!?" It then questioned.
"He's got a point." Yagyū confirmed.
"Though- and not to say Kamoshida's this smart, but still- he could have been placed there to work his way into the group's trust and then betray them later." Haruka pointed out.
"...Fair." The silverette conceded.
"A cat." Akira deadpanned automatically.
The cat itself in response to that looked offended by the statement. "I am not a cat!" The totally not-cat cat-like creature stated as it glared at the blond. "Say that again and I'll make you regret it!" It soon threatened.
"From inside a cell, and you can't reach them?" Sojiro asked, raising an eyebrow.
Homura shrugged. "Could have started shouting for the guards, pointed us out. Certainly wouldn't have helped us out."
"...er, actually I- know what? Forget it, you're right." Morgana dismissed, shaking his head. How was he supposed to admit that he actually meant he was going to scratch their faces up?
Suddenly, they started hearing more footsteps, causing the group to duck down.
"Th-They're gonna get here soon!" Asuka realised. There were too many footsteps and she knew she couldn't rely on Kaeru right now.
"Damn it, we've been here too long." Homura cursed under her breath as the blond of the group checked his phone.
"Shit, there's still no service." Ryuji informed in slight frustration, resisting the urge to throw his phone on the ground. "Ain't there any way to contact someone outside!? We need help damn it!" He soon asked in a slight panic.
"What are we gonna do…" Akira muttered to himself, trying to think of anything. "Arsene, your help would really be good right now." Akira though, however he was only met with silence.
"Any help would have been good at that point." Akira pointed out. "No idea where we were, what exactly was going on, how to get out. We had no information and it nearly cost us."
"Yeah, and all we got was this dumb cat." Ryuji grumbled, ignoring Morgana's retaliatory "Numbskull!"
"Hey now, he did help us out later on!" Ann defended the 'not-cat', causing him to preen.
"Smug as he was about it, yeah." Futaba retorted, bringing Morgana right back down.
"Hey, you four!" The cat spoke up, getting everyone's attention again. "You want to know where the exit is? Let me out and I'll take you there. You don't want to get caught and executed, right?" It then offered.
"Deal." Asuka automatically replied as she went for the key, only for the blond to grab her wrist.
"Hey! We can't trust this thing just yet!" Ryuji reminded. "For all we know, as soon as our backs are turned, it's gonna alert every single guard in this place to us!" He then declared.
"He'd have done that already if that were true, Ryuji-kun!" Asuka pouted, glowering at the blond.
"Nah, he's got a point." Homura shot down, flinching when Asuka turned to her with a betrayed look. "Just- think about it, a basic shinobi tactic. He gets out, all he has to do is call the guards and bring them to where us four are at. We get caught, he escapes in the mess. Simple but effective."
"Begging your pardon, Homura. But I am a gentleman and a thief! Not a liar or a ninja!" Morgana fired back, looking insulted. "A thief is only as good as his word, and if I betrayed that word it'd go against my very code!"
"Yeah, gotta admit, that's one thing about the little guy." Ryuji spoke up. "He likes to talk down to ya and act like a big shot, but he never lies or breaks a promise."
"I'm not sure if I like how you put that, but I'll just take the compliment." Morgana grumbled, looking off to the side.
"B-But Ryuji-kkkkuuuuunnnnn…" Asuka whined, staring at the delinquent with big, watery eyes.
The tan skinned girl meanwhile crossed her arms over her chest to that. "Ryuji's right. It could be a trap." She admitted, seeing the blonde-haired boy starting to crumble under her roommate's gaze. She couldn't let herself fall for this cat's trickery if it really was working with the King. She couldn't judge a book by it's cute, soft and huggable cover.
"But we don't have a choice." Akira sighed as he looked at the creature. "You better not be lying." He soon stated.
"I never go back on my word." The cat stated.
From what the shinobi could tell, it seemed like it wasn't lying.
"I don't know...This thing sounds like it's all talk…" Ryuji remarked, looking somewhat skeptical.
"It's not as if you have much of a choice, Ryuji-san." Yumi scolded.
"Indeed. Best to just swallow your pride and accept the aid that is being offered to you freely." Yusuke concurred.
"If you guys think you can get out on your own, then be my guest!" The cat offered. "But you better decide now. If you don't hurry, they'll catch you." It soon reminded.
After being reminded by their impending doom by hearing sounds of an army coming up the stairs, they decided to risk it. With a quick insertion into the keyhole and a turn of the key, the cell door unlocked, allowing the cat to walk out free.
"Ahhhh…" The cat sighed out in relief as it stretched its tiny body. "Freedom tastes so great…" It then added.
"Just tell us where the exit is already, you stupid cat thing!" Homura shouted out, growing frustrated by all this. The cat growled and looked at her.
"Don't call me a cat! I am Morgana!" The now named Morgana said before it looked at a corner and spotted it's cutlass.
"You know, I'm amazed at how, despite how eager you all are to get out, you're still taking time out to argue about pointless and meaningless things." Hikage noted sarcastically.
"Yeah, we...were kinda draggin' ass, huh?" Ryuji admitted, shamefacedly.
"Well, to be fair, that was early on in our adventure." Akira pointed out. "We're somewhat forgiven for not really having it 'together' there, I'd say."
"Shut up. Don't care. Let's just go!" Homura called out, becoming more anxious as the footsteps got louder.
"Seriously, do you wanna be locked up again?" Ryuji threatened, only to be interrupted by the brunette picking the creature up.
"Hey, don't listen to them." Asuka kindly replied as she hugged it close to her chest. "Just help us and we'll help you out with anything you need after." She then requested.
"R-Really…?" Morgana got out in an incredulous tone. The boys and Homura stepped back when they saw the weird expression on the cat's face before it shook its head again. "Al-alright...for you...um…" It started.
Homura groaned in annoyance, covering her face with her hands as she leaned back into her seat. "Did she seriously just volunteer us for some unknown job when we're in the middle of a place we know nothing about, simply because she thinks the cat is 'cute'?"
Katsuragi laughed as Asuka blushed, while Ikaruga and Yumi heaved sighs and pinching the bridge of their noses. Yagyū massaged her forehead and nodded, grumbling unintelligibly under her breath.
"I'm actually more curious on how he can hold that sword in his...hands? Paws? ...Screw it, hold that sword at all." Miyabi said, looking at the Morgana on screen. "I mean, how is he doing that without a good grip or anything?"
"Asuka. And thank you." Asuka introduced herself and thanked as she placed the creature down on the ground. "Now lead the way, Morgana-chan!"
"Alright. Follow me, and stay quiet! We're kind of a big group." Morgana ordered as it ran off towards the bridge. The group quickly followed behind it, hoping it would lead them to their freedom.
(Shujin Academy)
"...It's fourth period already." Kawakami sighed to herself, still waiting at the Faculty Office. "Sakura-san said that Kurusu-kun left the house this morning, and Shirokage-san and Shinkukage-san's guardians haven't been answering my calls. Should I call the police…?" She wondered out loud before shaking her tired head. "No. That'll just be more of a hassle…" She muttered before sighing to herself. "What did I do to deserve this…?" She soon lamented, wondering how messed up her life had become since that day.
"I'm sorry, you wanna deal with what we're dealing with right now?" Homura snarked.
"So, she didn't want to call the police to locate us...because it would be a hassle?" Asuka got out in disbelief. "But, you're a teacher! Shouldn't we be your priority?!"
"Well, like we said earlier, she had her own issues to deal with." Makoto reminded the brunette. "I myself don't fully know the details, but apparently she worked a second job with exceptionally long hours on top of her normal teaching duties. So she was tired and run-down most every day."
"She swore me to secrecy," Akira explained, adjusting his gloves. "I was already pushing it with the bare details I did give you all."
(Kamoshida's Castle of Lust, Underground Dungeon)
"What're you doing?" Ryuji asked.
They were once more at the drawbridge again and Morgana was just standing there looking at Kamoshida's bust.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Morgana got out as it turned to the group. "I'm lowering the bridge."
"But we tried that already." Asuka spoke up. "We couldn't find anything to lower it." She then revealed.
"Oh dammit! Really?!" Mirai cursed in frustration. "How in the hell did we not notice that?"
"Um, notice what, Mirai?" Katsuragi asked.
"That the statue's jaw is the lever to lower the bridge." Yagyū answered, much to the shinobis' shock. She merely shrugged and turned back to the screen. "I play games. It was kind of obvious."
"...Actually, yeah, it is." Haruka admitted after a moment. "Maybe that's why we missed it, then?"
"All I'm hearing from over on your side is that y'all need to play more survival horror games." Ryuji commented, shaking his head. "Like, any of them. Trust me."
"It's okay for not noticing it Lady Asuka. You'd have to have a good eye for this type of stuff." Morgana started.
"...Did that cat just call us 'blind'?" Hikage asked in a slow, quiet voice.
"I didn't say that! I didn't say that!" Morgana cried out in a panic as all the shinobi turned to glare at him.
"...Lady Asuka?" Asuka and Homura thought in confused unison.
Morgana then turned towards the black haired boy. "You, Frizzy Hair. It seems like you pick up on things faster than our Blondie over there. Try checking around the mouth of this statue, okay?" He then advised.
"Alright." Akira replied as he studied the statue a little. Now that he looked at is closely, he could see that the jaw was separated from the rest of the statue.
Without warning, he grabbed the jaw and pulled it down, causing the eyes of the statue to glow and the drawbridge to lower.
"What the-The statue was the thing that lowers the drawbridge!?" Asuka exclaimed. "Why was it designed like that!?" She soon asked.
"Because none of us would have wanted to touch it after what we just went through?" Akira answered.
"I didn't want to touch him before that shit we went through!" Ryuji responded, his face green.
"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say the King really likes his own face." Homura remarked. "I bet his toilet seat is his face in solid gold." She soon guessed with a flat expression on her face.
"Makes sense. He loves eating his own shit." Ryuji chuckled out. "But seriously, how were we supposed to know that?" He soon asked.
"Hmph, amateur." Morgana muttered to himself. "Come on, let's get going." He then ordered once more.
"I'm starting to see what you mean about his attitude, Akira-kun." Sae sighed.
"Hey, it's not easy to deal with rookies!" Morgana snapped. "You're a lawyer, you've had to deal with similar with cops and such, I'm sure!"
"I only questioned their intelligence and/or their memories if they keep asking the same questions week after week after week." Sae retorted, shaking her head. "Before that, I would at least take the time to explain things and try to help lead their thoughts on a path so they could work out the rest themselves."
Ryuji just grumbled to himself before they all ran across the bridge, only to stop in their tracks when a guard blocked their path.
A-Aah! Shit...Shit man, it's them!" Ryuji yelled out as he fell onto his back and tried to crawl away from the knight.
"Argh...really wasn't looking forward to a fight…" Homura growled as her mask appeared on her face while her clothes changed.
"This isn't good…" Akira muttered quietly as blue flames died around him.
"What is with these clothes…? Asuka wondered out loud before pulling out her weapons.
"Tch… You amateur!" Morgana said as it jumped in front of the group, his curved sword in hand. "Stay still!" Morgana then looked at the trio whose clothes had changed and looked ready to fight. "Hey, you three! You can all fight, right?" It then asked.
"Well, they're not dead yet, so…" Katsuragi snarked.
"Well, it's not like he saw them fight before." Haru pointed out. "For all he knows, they just ran away to get to his cell."
"Is that even a question?" Homura replied in a mutter as she placed a hand on her mask.
"Okay then, let's go!" Morgana declared before doing a backflip and shouting into the air. Suddenly, they all felt a familiar energy coming from the cat. "Come…! Zorro!" He soon ordered.
"What!?" Asuka managed to get out before a pillar of blue flames appeared behind the creature.
FWOOSH!
"Huh. Nice." Akira simply remarked as he smiled, seeing the cat's mighty-looking spirit standing heroically behind it. It made Morgana look even tinier in comparison but nonetheless made it seem even more powerful.
"I am thou...thou art I. To defend those against tyranny and strife, I will always be there!" Zorro announced heroically. It was somewhat dampened by the fact his voice sounded like Morgana attempting to sound deeper. "I am Zorro, the Outlaw! My rapier will remain sharp as long as there is injustice in this world!" He declared as he made a Z in the air.
"Zorro? Like, as in the movies?" Haruka perked up.
"Movies, cartoons, live action series, comics." Barkeep rattled off. "Don Diego de la Vega, more commonly known as Zorro, was the hero of the poor in California and was a crafty and wily fighter, hence his handle."
"This thing has the same power!?" Homura exclaimed in disbelief.
"No effin' way…" Ryuji got out in awe of the display. "What the hell is that!?" He then exclaimed.
"It's the power of Persona…" Morgana stated as he smirked at the shocked shinobi before looking at the guard, who had already revealed itself as another Jack-O-Lantern and an Incubus. "Hmph! We will promptly shut them up!" He soon declared.
(Cue Last Surprise)
"Well this is a more peppy song, I've got to admit." Yumi spoke up. "Not quite something that I'd go out of my way to listen to, but still nice."
"Ya need some better taste, Yumi! This song's kickin'!" Katsuragi denied, bouncing along to the beat.
"There's a bunch of songs from their side of things that are really good, at least for most people." Barkeep added. "This, 'Wake Up, Get up, Get Out There', 'Rivers in The Desert.' There's usually something for everybody."
"Damn Shadows…" Morgana grumbled as they faced their foes. "They've taken up intercept positions! It means they're holding nothing back and are seriously trying to kill us. I'll back you guys up, so fight like your life depends on it! Let's go!"
"They're holding nothing back to kill you all...so fight as if your life depends on it?" Miyabi repeated, disbelief heavy in her voice.
"Isn't the very idea that something is trying to kill you reason enough to believe that you should be fighting at your strongest?" Sae asked.
"Yeah, but that's only if you believe in silly little things like 'logic'." Futaba sarcastically responded.
"I mean…" Morgana tried to speak up to defend himself. "Considering that I thought you all were rookies, and I didn't know just how strong you were, I thought it might have been a good idea to inform you not to hold back."
Akira leaned back, holding his chin in thought. "Actually, that makes sense when you think about it like that." He said after a few seconds. "Sure, he probably could have said it better, but that way of thinking wasn't exactly wrong."
"Just poorly delivered." Ikaruga finished up, getting a sigh of relief and a look of gratitude from the cat.
"It won't be too hard." Homura remarked with a smirk as she focused on the Jack-O-Lantern and ripped off her mask. "Take this! Agi!" She declared.
"Hmph, nothing personal." Wolverine declared as it prepared to unleash its new skill.
As this was occurring however, Morgana's eyes widened. "Hold on! Wait!" It called out as it tried to stop the attack, but it was already too late as Wolverine fired a fireball at the living pumpkin. Morgana couldn't help but groan as it saw the Pyromaniac laugh at the attack, looking a lot better than it did at the start of the battle.
"Wait, the hell? Why'd my attack do nothing?! And...the fuck is an 'Agi'?!" Homura yelled, looking lost.
"You used an attack of flames….against a Pyromaniac." Makoto explained slowly. "And the you on-screen should have inherently known just what the attack did. So it's nothing against the you here, but the one we're watching? She shouldn't have done that."
"You do know how elements work in games, yeah?" Futaba asked. At Homura's lost look, she merely sighed. "Look, there's no element chain here, not really. But at the very least, certain creatures are resistant to certain spells. You don't want to use ice spells against a Jack Frost, and you don't want to use fire spells against a Jack-O-Lantern. Doesn't work."
"And guessing from how that thing just reacted," Mirai followed up. "If you're not careful, you could end up accidentally healing those creatures and getting rid of all the work you put in towards killing it."
"Well fuck me for trying!" Homura grumbled. "Stupid effing logic blocking 'kill it with fire'..."
"That could be a problem…" Akira muttered to himself as Homura looked shocked.
"My attack didn't do anything? What the hell!?" Homura growled out.
"Go! Magna!" Asuka announced as she proceeded to summon a boulder to attack the Jack-O-Lantern.
This time it did damage but Morgana still wasn't impressed. "Hmph. I knew you people were amateurs. Nothing personal though Lady Asuka." Morgana got out before smiling wickedly at the Shadows. "Now this is how you fight! Garu!" He declared.
"You will all fall under our might!" Zorro declared as he fired a gust of wind at the Pryomaniac. It screamed in pain as it fell to the ground, too weak to float any longer. Before it could even act, Morgana sliced it in half with its cutlass.
"So wait, a gust of wind was enough to really hurt that thing?" Sojiro questioned, looking to Morgana for an explanation.
"Hold on. Wait for it, Sojiro." Akira interrupted. Spoilers and all, and Morgana at least explained a little here."
"Whoa! That seriously hurt that thing Morgana-chan!" Asuka exclaimed. "What did you do?" She soon asked.
"Every enemy has a resistance and a weakness." Morgana explained. "Strike at its weakness to knock 'em down, then use that opening to strike again! Abuse that information with everything you've got!" It then revealed.
"Exactly." Morgana nodded. "That right there is one of the 'basic of the basics'. Try to exploit the weakness and kill it fast to save time and energy, whenever possible."
"It actually made some of our later, er, side jobs really simple." Ann added, casting a furtive glance at Barkeep. "I mean, still tedious as heck because of how predictable it got, but still simple."
"Right…" Homura got out in a skeptical tone.
"Good to know, but let's end this quick." Akira decided before attacking the Incubus before jumping back and letting Arsene use Eiha on it, destroying it and ending the battle.
"Nyahaha! Mission accomplished!" Morgana cheered out.
(Stop Music)
"Power is coursing through me…" Akira muttered his declaration while feeling the being within him had learned something new as he saw something on the ground. "Hmm, more money." He then muttered as he picked up the leftover change.
"Whew..." Asuka meanwhile breathed out with relief.
"I gotta say, you three weren't too bad." Morgana admitted as it looked at the three wearing the masks. "Your Personas are pretty strong too." It then added.
Ryuji then ran up to the group as he looked at the cat creature. "Persona…?" He then asked.
Asuka and Homura meanwhile heard the term as well as they looked at their escape guide in confusion. "Is that what they're called?" They meanwhile thought in unison.
"So now we have a name for that power to bring back to our bosses." Homura thought aloud. "Wonder how long until we get to let them know?"
"Y'mean those things that came out of you guys all dramatic-like?" Ryuji soon guessed.
Morgana in response nodded to that. "Yes. You saw all of them rip their masks off when they summoned them right?" He then started. "Well, everybody wears a mask deep within their heart. By removing that…" He started explaining, however…
FWOOSH!
At that moment, the three that were fighting were enveloped in their respective colored flames before revealing they were once more back in their Shujin Academy uniforms.
"And gone again." Sojiro mumbled, crossing his arms. "Why is that?"
"We still don't know." Morgana answered. "I'm disappointed to say that we don't even have a theory. Maybe it's because his Persona was so strong, and he hadn't quite adjusted to it yet. No clue about Asuka and Homura, though."
"Wah!" Asuka exclaimed at this happening once again.
"Rrgh, whyu does it keep doing that…?" Homura growled as she flexed her hands. That power boost was starting to get addicting.
"Huh, I guess you three don't have control over your powers yet." Morgana deducted as he looked at the three Persona-users. "The transformation shouldn't normally dissolve like that. After all-" He started.
"Rrgh, that's enough! This crap doesn't even make any effin' sense!" Ryuji however declared in annoyance.
"Yeah, I'm with Ryuji here." Katsuragi grunted. "The focus should be on getting out, not trying to examine every little new thing that's popping up."
Morgana in response to that hopped in the air for a moment. "Can't you just sit still and listen for once blondie!?" It then asked with its own annoyance in its voice.
"Don't call me blondie! My name's Ryuji!" The blond teen declared. "And another thing!" He then started, however…
"Oi! I hate to break up the argument, but I really wanna get out of this prison!" Homura interrupted as she leaned down to the creature and glared at it. "And you better get us out of here…" She then warned in a serious tone.
Morgana in response to this nodded as it then looked at the girl glaring. "O-Of course uh…" He started.
"Homura." The girl replied as she stood back up.
The cat creature nodded once more to that. "R-Right, Lady Homura's right. We don't have the time for a lecture or to argue about this." It then admitted. "You wanna escape this place in one piece right? Then let's go!" It declared before dashing off.
"We seriously need therapists after this…" Akira mumbled to himself as they all followed the cat, hopefully making their way to freedom.
Hikage let out a snort. "That seems like a massive understatement." She said, the corners of her lips twitching upwards.
"Thinking about it, we still haven't gone to see a therapist. Like, ever." Ann realized.
Ryuji shrugged. "Not like we could have, even if we wanted to tell them all about the shit we saw. Hell, our dump of a school didn't have anybody we could talk to."
"Not in this particular path, at least." Barkeep mumbled softly. Miyabi heard him say something, and sent him a puzzled look. Shaking his head, he smiled at her. "Nevermind me. So that's the end of that chapter, let me hand out drinks if you want and then we can start the next one."
