Chapter 47 / Deviate
May 5th, 2012 / Time Unknown
The Tower
KANA'S POINT OF VIEW
"Was your school always this big?" Teddie grumbled as our group were running down the hallway. "I think I'm done for. Look, my legs are turning into twigs."
"We don't have time to rest. The others are likely ahead of us," Naoto said but looked like she was getting fatigued herself.
It didn't help the fact that we also weren't entirely sure how much time we had left to save the other members of the Shadow Operatives This would be better if we had Fuuka to give us an outlook of the area, but if Teddie was having a problem using his own sensing abilities then she would likely have trouble as well. I didn't have a problem keeping up, but having Teddie try to navigate us up this towers labyrinth while also keeping up was a lot for him to do. No wonder he was becoming so exhausted so fast. I wanted to do something to help him but I wasn't sure exactly what I could do.
"If the school was always this big, I'd be late for class every day," Yukiko said as we all turned a corner.
"That's what you're worried about?" Kanji must have thought that she was worried over something else. "Man, how the hell is this place hooked up?"
"Oh, could we try opening up a window and climb up the walls?" Yukiko came to a stop and moved to one of the windows. As soon as she did we all stopped. Then a nearby TV came to life and the image of General Teddie appeared.
"Ack! What're you thinking? Yuki-chan, that's against the rules!" Wait was he actually concerned? Was it an actual method to get to the top faster?
"Hrmm? The imposter's showing its face again. If you don't give up now, you're gonna get more than just a beating," Teddie was glaring at the screen. I think I could understand his frustration at the presence of his fake.
"What're you talking about, you moron! I'm the one who wants to punish you. Shouldn't you all be trying harder than this?" General Teddie replied. "Don't you understand the situation you're in? If you don't hurry, the world really is going to end. Yet you keep dallying around and wandering all over. None of you have any guts, I say."
"Shuddup! Do you wanna end the world or not? Which is it?" Kanji was obviously frustrated. "If you didn't want us to get lost, you shoulda made us a straight path, dammit."
"That would defeat the purpose of the P-1 Climax. It's only natural for the bad guys to be mean. Hmph...fine. Now hear this! I, General Teddie, am gonna give you a warning, because I'm so tear-jerkingly nice. Open up those tiny ears. If you don't hurry up at once, the lives of the captive princesses will be in danger soon!" His warning couldn't be more clear.
"Don't you dare hurt them!" I find myself unable to stop myself from yelling at the screen.
"I won't, but if you keep holding up I can't guarantee their safety," General Teddie image then faded out.
No...no! My mind races and I now I'm running down the hall. I'm halfway down the hall before I feel someone grab my arm and pull me back to stop.
"Get a hold of yourself Kana-san! Blindly charging up isn't going to help them!" Naoto was catching her breath and I notice the others rushing down to catch up. "I know you are worried but you'll only put yourself in danger if you just rush in."
"You don't get it! Mitsuru, Fuuka, Sanada-san and...Kayane. I..." I stopped and took a deep breath. Kayane was their friend too. They had known him longer than I have. "...Sorry."
Naoto shook her head, "We're all under a lot of stress because of the situation. It doesn't help that we don't really know what they want or how they exactly plan to end the world. Still, we can't just keep blindly going up."
"You're right. We should focus on that before we head higher up," Yukiko nodded as it looked like everyone was taking the moment to catch their breath.
"Alright then! Time to open up my bear nose once again. Wait, hrm? A...A...AAAACHOOOOOOO!" Teddie immediately sneezed the moment he tried, right at Kanji.
"GAAAAH! Why do you keep turning our way when you sneeze?" Kanji glared at Teddie but the bear ignored him.
"Uugh, ish no ushe... The red fog's been so thick ever since we got into this building. My nose isn't working at all," Teddie looked like he wasn't happy about it. I think I could understand why. His nose was how he was able to sense others and Shadows...suddenly having that sense blocked would be similar to your vision suddenly going blurry and not recovering.
"Try harder, Teddie," Yukiko was trying to cheer him on I guess. He was really our only hope of finding out anything at all.
"Hrm... Weeeelllllll... If maybe I could get a big fat kiss from one of these lovely ladies, I think I could try harder," Teddie suddenly said.
"Enough of this bullshit. Just hurry up and put that nose of yours to work," Kanji got irritated.
Wait, how could getting a kiss help him try harder? I'm not sure I really understood how the mind of Teddie worked, but it seemed he was also able to ease the mind of his friends because of his behavior. It was strange. Although the fate of the world was supposedly on the line, they were still able to keep their heads on straight and likely in no small part to Teddie. Right, one thing at a time. There was no point in rushing. Being unprepared would be more problematic.
"Don't worry, Teddie. I have lots of tissues," Yukiko pushed to maybe motivate Teddie some.
"Yuki-chan, are you doing that on purpose? I don't need tissues! I need smooches!" Teddie seemed resolute.
Both Naoto and Yukiko suddenly gave Teddie a look that would give anyone the chills. He looked to me but I just looked away. I certainly wasn't going to kiss him. I barely knew him and Hamuko always told me that a kiss was nothing to be flippant about.
"You can do this, right Teddie?" Yukiko's voice hardly made it sound like a question and more of a demand.
"Eeeeep. P-Pay me no mind. Hrrrmmmm... Teddie nose...full-on searching," Teddie is suddenly moving about and I guess was sniffing around the air. I wasn't sure exactly how his power worked though. Then Teddie turned to a different direction and stopped, "Hmm, I do sense something, but... Eh? Oooh, here we go! I smell something like Mitchan and her friends from over there-BLEEAAAAACHOO! Whoops!"
Of course he just had to sneeze onto Kanji once more. Clearly irritated Kanji went to grab Teddie but the bear jumped back, "Bastard! You got your snot all over me! You're doin' this on purpose, huh!?"
"We don't have time. Teddie, lead the way," Naoto urged.
"Righto, Naochan!" Teddie said and kept moving down the hall. And leading to a door to a classroom. "It's coming from this room."
I read the sign above the door. Music Room? Why bother copying locations within Yasogami High? Either way, Kanji opened the door and we all entered. As soon as I saw who it was I called out. "Sanada-san!" I moved forward but Naoto grabbed my arm, stopping me from approaching.
"Stop, there is someone else here," Naoto warned.
I looked to see an individual in a blue baseball outfit and a backwards baseball cap. "Iori-san?" I called out as he stepped forward.
"Oh if it isn't Kana-san. Weird, I thought you'd be hiding behind Hamuko-san somewhere," His comment made it pretty clear. This wasn't the real Junpei.
"You aren't Junpei," I stated simply.
"Oh, what gave me away? Is it the fact that Akihiko is strapped to this cross and I don't seem to care or my comment? Either way, it doesn't matter," the fake Junpei didn't even hide its Shadow eyes from us.
"We've found a crucified Akky. Hang in there," Teddie called out.
"Using Shadows to split us up, divert our attention. Even separating Mitsuru, Aigis, Fuuka and Kayane so that we can't feasibly save them all without splitting up to begin with. All of this was intentional," I stepped forward this time. "Leave this to me. I'm the only one here that is familiar with the way Junpei fights."
"As soon as it starts we'll try to get to Sanada-san and free him. We'll support you the best we can," Naoto reassured me.
The others seemed to agree as I stepped forward and grabbed the weapon at my waist. My chain sword came out as a whip and then slowly came together in its sword from as I stood ready against Junpei. "Regardless of your reasons for using the image of my friend, I won't let you go."
"Fine by me. If you think a mere Shadow like you can accomplish something like that on your own," Shadow Junpei scoffed at me. "Bring on the ring." As he said that just like the fights before, four red pillars appear to trap us inside with him.
I could feel Eurydice at my side. That was right. I was not a Shadow. I might have started that way but even then I had came from humans to begin with. But I grew and with influence from Hamuko I had developed an ego. What I am now was no different than being human, regardless of what my origins had been. Years I had spent alone deep in that facility, using my powers as a Shadow to sustain myself but now...now that I was here, living in the world I didn't. Ever since I had awakened to my Persona I had to live as a human. Because I was one. Although maybe a bit differently. Either way, I was no longer a Shadow. The words of a fake, that had no idea what it was like to go through what I had to become what I was now...it could never affect me.
The Shadow Junpei held a baseball bat as he looked like he was going to charge forward. That was to say that he would fight exactly like Junpei did. At first glance it may seem that Junpei was reckless but that was actually pretty deceptive as Junpei was actually pretty strong. His seemingly wild strikes could put you in a dangerous position. After all his Persona had fire attacks coupled with strong physical attacks that could cover a wide area. Meaning his seemingly reckless abandon could put you in a position to his advantage. And the whole time you never realized he was guiding you a long the whole way. Then again, what do you expect from a Shadow Operative who had so much fighting experience, the same as Yukari, or really any of the former members of SEES.
I wasn't about to let myself be outdone. Shadow Junpei jumped forward and I instead jumped straight up into the air and twisted my body as I let my sword turn back to a chain and swung it down towards the Shadow. The Shadow managed to deflect it without my chain being able to wrap around it. As I came back towards the ground the Shadow meant to meet me with a blow from his bat. That was what I thought at any rate. Instead the Shadows fake Persona, Trismegistus appeared from above me and came down towards me. I couldn't avoid it. The Persona hit me hard and slammed me back to the ground but as it occurred I used my chain sword to slice through the Persona causing it to shatter and disappear. I could feel the impact but I quickly flipped backwards and onto my feet. My chain sword remained as a chain as I began swinging it in a large circle above my head.
Being able to shatter his Persona had lessened the overall impact of his attack but likely this was how the fight would go if I didn't think more clearly. Shadow Junpei would use misdirection with a combination of his Persona and his own attacks. All to create openings to land a powerful strike against me. Which mean jumping into the air was the wrong move. On the air I had no means of changing direction other than through using my Persona. That meant to fully use Eurydice's enhanced agility, I should stay on the ground and instead use my chain as my anti-air defense. Then look for a decisive blow against him. In that case first, limit his movement.
With a mere thought Eurydice was by my side. She unleashed a series of Ziodyne spells towards the Shadow and caused him to quickly move around the battle area while I remained still. He came from my right side and found his chance to attack me. He rushed forward past another Ziodyne spell and narrowed the distance. At the last possible moment I dived forward into a roll on the ground and as I came back to my feet I let my chain sword swing wide and where I had just been. The chain wrapped around his foot and I yanked on it hard pulling him off of his feet and to the ground. I was already moving and had my foot on his chest. The Shadow swung up with his bat but I instead had reconnected the chain to its sword form and stabbed it into his arm.
The Shadow just glowered up at me, "Well ain't you just a bitch. Too bad, already got what I wanted."
"And what exactly is that?" I asked but he just laughed.
"You'll find out soon enough," he let out a low growl but then he dissolved into a black ooze and then was gone...the same golden type material then flew up into the ceiling. I gripped my sword tightly for a moment. He already got what he wanted? What was it? What was it about us fighting that gave them what they wanted? It had to do with what flew up right? Was it heading to the top of this tower? But why there? None of this made any sense.
I looked over and they had gotten Akihiko down from where they had tied him and he was sitting up, "God, my head. What is going on around here?"
"Thank goodness, you're alright," Yukiko sighed in relief.
"For a second I thought you weren't going to come around," Kanji said.
"Sorry about that. I was actually trying to rest and save my energy. They had somehow been stealing some of my power somehow," Akihiko shook his head. He looked at me, "Kana-san, you okay?"
I blinked, "Me? You were the one that was kidnapped!" I moved over to him feeling myself be a bit frustrated. "And where is Mitsuru? Shouldn't they have kept you with her? She's going to be incredibly worried about you."
Akihiko smiled softly, "You're probably right. Though she probably thinks I'll do something stupid. Either way it all happened pretty quickly. All of us were caught off guard."
"What happened?" I asked.
"Well, we suddenly picked up a increase in Shadow presence in Inaba. Mitsuru was concerned so we left as soon as we could. However, while we were on our way we realized too late that it was all a trap. The driver was under mind control, just like the ones used in the airplane jacking," Akihiko was likely just summing up the events in a quick fashion. "Before Aigis could get to the driver he drove us off the road. Then we were ambushed while we were still recovering from the impact. Then...well I think you all know the rest."
"So then all of this is done by the same culprit that initially stole Labrys," Naoto began to piece things together. "So maybe this was their objective all along? Stealing Labrys must have been more of a test run for whatever the purpose is here."
"Even so, that doesn't explain why this place looks like Tartarus," I turn my attention back to Akihiko. "Do you think its related?"
"I don't know, but this feels like the Dark Hour," Akihiko answered.
"Oh right, you guys mentioned it at Kayane-senpai's place the other night. That hidden time that ordinary people didn't know about," Yukiko surmised.
Akihiko nodded, "Yeah but that used to only last about an hour every night. What's happening to this town doesn't seem so simple as that." Akihiko shook his head.
"Oh yeah...that fake Teddie said somethin' about the world ending," Kanji added. "He said that shit on the Midnight Channel before all this happened."
"If that's true then we don't have time to waste. We have to meet up with Mitsuru and the others as soon as possible," Akihiko got to his feet and seemed to be good enough to go.
"So you think its possible to do?" Naoto asked him.
"This place is similar to Tartarus, a place that was meant to bring about an even called 'The Fall' and even if it is a slim chance of it being possible, I don't doubt that the person responsible wouldn't do all this if they didn't believe it wasn't possible. Either way, we're going to stop this," Akihiko made his way to the door but when he tried to open it...it didn't. He stopped for a moment then turned around. "How many doors are there in the music room at Yasogami?"
"There's the door we came through and...ah, there should be a door that leads to the prep room in the back," Yukiko answered.
"All right, lets search for that door. Likely that is the only way out of here," Akihiko was quick to take charge. I guess it shouldn't be surprising because of his experience. He had also been a leader in SEES, although he often let others do so, but when needed he always stepped in to give orders that needed to be given. Whenever Mitsuru needed that support he was there. Which is also why Mitsuru had been a bit lost when she didn't have Akihiko there as his support. But it wasn't for me to get into that or to tell Akihiko about that. I think Hamuko had already said something about it in one form or another.
"Actually I think its here," Naoto said as she was pushing a bunch of chairs away from the back wall of the music room. And sure enough the door was there. Naoto opened it and we saw a familiar room. "Hold on, this is the announcement room from the P-1 Grand Prix."
We all quickly entered the new room and sure enough it was. The room was bathed in a red light...with a mass amount of broken Mechanical Maidens could be seen in the window. This was all a reminder of Labrys' time she had to destroy her own sister units. I felt my chest tighten up seeing it all.
"Labby-chan... Are you doing okay right now? I'm really worried about you..." Teddie said softly.
"All of them were made with the designs of Kayane's Father right? Even Aigis is based off of his theory and developments of the Plume of Dusk," I said as we all stepped further into the room.
"I'm sure she is fine, Teddie. If anything I'm sure Labrys-chan is looking for Kayane-senpai," Yukiko words comforting Teddie.
Kanji then moved over to Teddie and smacked him on the back.
"Hrngh!? Stupid Kanji! Wh-What was that for!?" Teddie quickly called him out on his actions.
"Toughen up, Ted. What good is it gonna do you to mope like that? You're Labrys' buddy, right? You were one of the first to befriend her in that incident right? She's going to do her best to find Kayane-senpai. If you don't believe in her, who will?" Kanji must have been worried for Teddie to say something like that. I hadn't known that Teddie had been one of the first to befriend Labrys in that time. But I had seen her with him. So maybe he had been with her for most of that time? Then maybe he was already pretty close to her? Still, Labrys had been more focused on Kayane when she met up with him.
"Kanji...! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!" Teddie suddenly jumps at Kanji.
"Goddammit! Don't get your runny nose on me! Gah, you're so gross!" Kanji was not trying to pry the bear off of him.
Akihiko laughs, "You guys get along really well, huh? But we're running out of time. Let's get moving."
I never really thought of it that way. They bickered in ways but they did so because of how close they were as friends. Well Hamuko and Yukari would actually tease each other on occasion and often times it did seem to ease the tension. Considering that the fate of the world could be at state, we needed to have clear heads.
"Still if they are able to replicate parts of the school building in the incident from yesterday, then its obvious that its the same culprit as before. But Sanada-san, you say this place mimics Tartarus? The incident that was the origin of the Apathy Syndrome and a potential world ending event?" Naoto must have been considering the situation a bit more.
"Yes. The one responsible must be familiar not only with what happened then but also your groups own struggles here in Inaba. Although I'm not entirely sure who would fit that criteria. We're still uncovering a lot of secrets of the Kirijo Groups past. How it all connects together is something we can only find out by moving forward," Akihiko moved to the other door of the announcement and opened it. The moment the door opened, the air seemingly felt different. Akihiko took a step back. "No, it isn't possible."
We all gathered behind him and looked out. I couldn't believe what I saw. "The moonlight bridge? But how?"
"So, they really are connected," Akihiko tensed and made a fist. The door went out onto the bridge and we all cautiously stepped out behind Akihiko. "Come on out! I know you are here somewhere!" He called out.
"Hold it, look at the center of the bridge," Naoto pointed out.
Strapped to a makeshift cross was Aigis as if she was being crucified. Was this too intentional? "Sanada-san," I say softly as I stand next to him. "Is this all supposed to be a reminder?"
"Maybe," Akihiko said but didn't say anything more. "Aigis!" he called out.
"No wait, the enemy is likely hiding in wait," Naoto warned
"Doesn't matter. If they think they can defeat me with something like this then they have another thing coming," Akihiko took a few steps forward.
"You're going nowhere. If you think that things will be that easy, you're greatly mistaken," a voice, one unmistakably belonged to a Shadow. That echo when a Shadow talked was too obvious in ways. I knew it was a Shadow of Ken before he stepped out. But I was surprised to see the Shadow standing with a Shadow of Koromaru as wall. "Bring on the ring." Before the rest of us could do anything, the four red pillars dropped down imprisoning Akihiko in alone with Shadow Ken and Koromaru.
"Shadow of Ken and Koromaru?" Akihiko put up a fighting stance. He would have to fight, we were separated from him now.
"Long time no see, Sanada-san. You should say hello too, Koromaru," Shadow Ken had a sadistic grin.
"Grrr..." The Shadow Koromaru had an aggressive stance and was letting out a rather menacing growl.
While Ken was the youngest, and still in high school it would be a mistake to discount him. Kala-Nemi was a powerful Persona that also was representative of his drive to move forward. He didn't look back but always looked to the future. This was what he gained after Aragaki Shinjiro had sacrificed himself to save him and also Ken's resolve to face Nyx and the event of The Fall head on. Ken was only 13 years old, but he had over three yeas of experience fighting. Experience that rivaled that of Kayane and his friends. And if he was fighting with Koromaru at his side that made them that much deadlier.
The Shadow looked past Akihiko and towards the rest of us, likely looking at the others among Kayane's friends. "You think I'm just a child from the way I look, don't you? But let me make one thing clear: don't underestimate me. Besides you can't even get involved in this fight now."
"Don't worry," Akihiko made an assuring statement for everyone.
"Do you think you could possibly when with as you are now?" Shadow Ken laughed.
"I spent the last year training around the world. If you think that hasn't prepared me for a moment like this, then you are about to be very disappointed," Akihiko made the opening move with a charge forward. Shadow Koromaru launched himself towards Akihiko but he merely side stepped the dog with expert footwork and then twisted around Shadow Ken's spear attack by pivoting on his lead foot and landing a devastating backhand to Shadow Ken. The Shadow slid to a stop by one of the barriers and steadied itself with his spear for a moment before resetting his footing.
"Heh, we're only getting started Sanada-san!" The Shadow jumped forward.
All we could do now was watch, but to see Akihiko fight was something else. It was almost as if he was able to see the whole battlefield without even looking. The combined Shadows tried flanking him but he managed to block or dodge the strikes with relative ease. Combined with the power of his Persona Caesar the Shadows didn't look like they had any chance.
"How? Why can't I land a hit on you!" The Shadow frustrated was now trying to use both his fake Persona and his spear as well as Koromaru and his fake Person Cerberus to try and get four attacks at him at once.
Akihiko was being worn down, slowly but surely. He wasn't in top form, but he was able to continue moving when he needed to. Shadow Koromaru came from behind with a knife and a fire attack. The Shadow dog had left him only one way to escape and so he jumped into the air. Shadow Ken was there to attack. Shadow Ken was in the air and thrust down at him. Akihiko quickly used his Persona Caesar to hit the spear and re-direct it just enough for the tip of the spear to go past him. As it did Akihiko grabbed the spear and pulled it hard as he simultaneously brought his fist around to directly connect with Shadow Ken's head. Akihiko then jumped off of Shadow Ken and with the help of Caesar he jumped even higher into the air. Then he summoned Caesar once more. "Let me show you the results of my training!"
Both Shadows looked up but were suddenly assaulted by a barrage of lighting. Neither of them realizing that Akihiko was now coming fist first towards the ground. The two Shadows collapsed to the ground under the Maziodyne attack.
"No! No!" the Shadow Ken yelled out.
"Take this!" Akihiko hit Shadow Ken with an immense amount of force. The attack caused a massive light to flash around the area and forced me to look away. A moment later the red pillars shattered and Akihiko was standing still waiting to see if the Shadows would get up. They hadn't disappeared yet.
"No..I won't just disappear! Not yet!" The Shadow Ken and Shadow Koromaru leaped towards Akihiko who was clearly still recovering from his own powerful attack he had just done. But then from nowhere a spear came down and stabbed the Shadow into the ground causing Shadow Ken to immediately disappear. Shadow Koromaru was also suddenly dispatched when another attacker appeared. Both of them standing in front of Akihiko. Each of them having used a Persona against the Shadows. The defeated Shadows released the golden sparkly substance into the air just as the ones before had.
"Ken-san, Koromaru!" I rushed over and then was somewhat stopped when Koromaru turned and jumped towards. He knocked me over with a bark before starting to lick my face. "Hold, hold on! Koromaru!"
"Looks like we finally caught up," Ken seemed relieved. "Come on, Koromaru, let Takahashi-san breathe will ya? I'm sure she knows just how much you've missed her." Koromaru then moved from me and over to Akihiko who was taking some deep breaths and still recovering from his fight. He turned to the others. "Oh I'm sorry, I don't think I've met most of you before. I'm the real Amada Ken, and the one over there is Koromaru."
"Oh, you're the real Amada-san? It's nice to meet you," Yukiko gave a quick bow. "And you as well, Koromaru-san."
"Still, fighting that Shadow in your condition Sanada-san is even more reckless than usual. And what would you have done if that final attack of yours hadn't worked? Do you even consider future battles that we have to deal with to finish this incident?" Ken walked over to Akihiko and while he was admonishing him he was obviously worried for him.
"Yeah, well to be honest with all the energy they've taken from me one fight was all I had in me to begin with. Besides it just makes the rest of this more interesting with a handicap," Akihiko grinned at the younger kid.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you are the same as always," Ken sighed.
Koromaru barked and Akihiko bent down and patted the dog on the head, "Thanks for the concern Koromaru. Looks like you've stepped up your game, Ken. That was an impressive strike."
"It's good to see you again, Sanada-san. As you can see, Koromaru's been well too. Wish you would have at least sent us something while on your trip. Kirijo-san has been worried about you," Ken added.
"Yeah, I know. I got enough of an earful from Hamuko-san already," Akihiko said as he was now scratching Koromaru behind the ear.
Ken turned to the others, "I've heard about all of you briefly from Labrys-san and the reports from the last incident. You're a real talking costume, huh? And a Shadow like Takahashi-san," Ken was looking to Teddie.
"I'm not a costume! I'm an all-natural, totally adorable, raw-bear!" Teddie said proudly.
"What the hell's a raw-bear..." Kanji questioned. It seemed Teddie often phrased things in ways that were probably questionable. Yet that seemed to be one of the charms that made him who he was.
"Look, look, I'll let you touch it a little bit. Wanna feel my fur?" Teddie offered Ken and moved towards him.
"Er...! Th-That's all right, I-I'm not interested..." Ken waved it off.
"Still, it's amazing to see a dog use a Persona! C'mere, Chosokabe!" Yukiko eagerly moved towards Koromaru but the dog gave her a questioning whine and moved by Ken.
"Please don't call Koromaru by that weird name. He's not sure how to react," Ken didn't seem to know what to think of Yukiko giving Koromaru that name either.
"Sorry to cut this short, but we have to move, Ken. How's the situation?" Akihiko asked.
"I can't say for sure but whenever we defeat the Shadows that golden substance appears to be heading to the top of this tower. That is just an observation. But us fighting is apparently something that has to happen in order for them to gather it," Ken was speculating but it made sense. "I split up with Hamuko-san, Labrys-san and Yukari-san when we arrived and was chasing someone that looked like Ikutsuki."
"Ikutsuki! That can't be, we all saw him..." Akihiko quickly spoke and the name even caused me to be alarmed.
"Yeah, we were there when Arisato-san had shot him and Ikutsuki fell to his death from the Observatory of Tartarus," Ken nodded and somewhat eased it. "It could be a fake like all the fakes we've seen. It might be part of the reason this tower exists too. Whoever it is...they are provoking us."
"I see...by having the tower and all the fakes running around, as well as the location of Inaba, they are provoking all of us to act," Naoto shook her head. "Someone is deliberately guiding our actions. Including the fights."
"More than likely," Ken said as he looked around. "The Moonlight Bridge. Wait, is that Aigis?" He took off down the bridge, along with everyone else. Using his spear, Ken quickly cut through the ropes that held Aigis to the would be cross. She fell the the ground and I quickly moved up and sat next to Aigis.
"Aigis? Are you alright?" Akihiko looked over her. "Someone must have messed with her settings. Hold on, she's coming around."
"Huh?" Aigis seemed confused for a moment. "Oh, everyone. Ken-san, Koromaru-san even Kana-san is here."
"Aigis-san. I'm so glad that you're safe," Ken smiled.
Koromaru let out a series of barks at Aigis. She nodded, "I'm glad to see you as well, Koromaru-san. Worry not, I'm sure Mitsuru-san and Fuuka-san are okay."
"Yeah, either way we should keep moving. Aigis are you able to fight?" Akihiko asked as he helped her to her feet.
"Affirmative. They separated me from some of my equipment but it won't pose a problem," Aigis was likely doing a quick diagnostic on herself as she said this.
"Wait! Ken, you said Oneesama is here?" My mind only just now connecting what Ken had said before.
"Yes, she and Labrys headed straight here for the tower, so I imagine they are higher up than us. Though without Fuuka it's hard for us to know exactly," Ken said.
Without that information we were moving forward blindly. But now our group was big enough that it shouldn't be that big of a problem. We were more than capable of handling what we might face. I was worried about Hamuko. If we had faced fakes then it was possible there was one of Hamuko and myself running around. If that's true, then we needed to hurry. Maybe we could meet up before something bad could happen.
I start rushing for the far side of the bridge. It had to be where the exit was to keep going. And I wasn't about to let anything to happen to Hamuko, and I still needed to find Kayane. No, there was still too much I didn't know. I had to make sure they were okay. I needed to keep moving. This fight wasn't over...and there was no telling what we would have to deal with next.
May 5th, 2012 / Time Unknown
The Tower
YU'S POINT OF VIEW
"It's the same here as it is in town. The layout of the building and classrooms are all out of whack," Yosuke comments as we turn a corner and start heading down another hall. Just how many floors up have we gone up at this point?
"I wonder how long this hallway even goes. I swear we keep passing by the same rooms," Chie adds but we don't slowdown.
"That reminds me, I remember a story like that. Something about the seven mysteries of the school and a hallway that loops endlessly," Yosuke seems to be adding more fuel to the fire. I know its to keep us focused though. As long as we keep our minds engaged we can be prepared for anything that might happen to us. Well, at least I hoped that was why he was bringing it up.
"Hey, cut it out," Chie no doubt glared at him. "I'm already freaked out enough as it is."
"Yeah, sorry Chie. Just trying not to get too worried you know. Kayane-senpai is waiting for us after all," Yosuke admitted as we kept moving. "So, do you think that Sho guy really is the culprit?"
"Who knows? It's pretty suspicious that he's taking credit for all this, if you ask me. But then again, he didn't seem like an ordinary guy. When his eyes gleamed red, I lost control over my muscles, like he commanded them not to move," Chie brought up a good point.
"If that was a type of hypnosis, it's pretty powerful. If Sho is the culprit, he could have controlled those hijackers the same way. Plus we shouldn't discount the fact he could be responsible for all the fake Shadows of ours running around too," I am trying to think of what he could gain from all of this though. Would someone like that actually aim to destroy the world like General Teddie said before this all started? There was still so much that we didn't know about the situation.
"You know...wasn't he wearing Yasogami's uniform?" Chie asked.
"Huh? Oh...Now that you mention it, it did kind of look like it," Yosuke confirmed.
"I'm sure of it. I've never seen a school uniform like that besides ours," Chie was definitely confident. But what did that mean? Did Sho go to Yasogami?
"So you think he goes to Yasogami? But how is it possible for us to not know about a guy who sticks out that much? His hair and that scar on his face would definitely stand out," Yosuke shook his head, and it was definitely a good reason to doubt the possibility.
"Yeah, and I'm sure considering what we learned from the Shadow Operatives that they have some sort of tie to them and their past," I shook my head. It was hard when we only had a few visual clues and nothing concrete about Sho. To destroy the world...what kind of power would you have to have to achieve something like that? In terms of Persona and Shadows, that power was born through desire and wishes from multiple people. Just like the being Izanami-no-Okami had tried to turn the world to Shadows. A means in which everyone would be accepted and peaceful. It was a lie, a twisted view of the truth. All because of an inherent contradiction that just came from being human. We're afraid of our own thoughts, what people would think if they truly knew us, and yet we want people to know because we want to have the chance for someone to accept us fully for who we are. That was what my journey had been about, it was the one truth that I had learned. I could hardly blame people for that. That collective wish though was enough to give power to that desire...it gave birth to the Midnight Channel. A method in which people could see what they desire...and then the TV World itself was a place where an individual could show people the thoughts they kept to themselves. We all faced that and we all accepted each other. Not many people can say they know everything about an individual, but I think all the members of the Investigation Team could probably make that claim of anyone else on the team.
"Oh, maybe he transferred here? Or it could be his older brother's uniform," Chie was obviously wildly speculating but it was about all we could do.
"Don't go drawing up the culprit's whole family tree just on a hunch," Yosuke said as we turned down yet another hallway. "I bet he's just a ghost or something like that. Maybe he has a grudge against our school."
"You are not helping!" Chie quickly retorted.
"What you think your theory was closer to the truth? We don't know anything," Chie called out but just as they did I saw something in the distance and came sliding to a stop.
I put a hand on my sword, "Stop. Stay behind me."
Chie and Yosuke stopped as they realized that something was definitely off.
Someone was walking towards us. A figure we all recognized. He casually lifted a hand, "Hey there. Long time no see, Narukami."
"Adachi-san?" I tightened my grip on my sword, ready to draw it.
"Could he be a fake?" Yosuke asked.
"Huh? Fake? Ohhh, right, I forgot about that whole thing going on," Adachi laughed with a would be friendly smile.
"Why are you here?" I wasn't about to let my guard down around someone like him. Not after everything that he had done.
"Huh? Ohh, hahaha. Well, I had intended on staying well-behaved. But someone begged me to help out, and you know I'm not the kind of guy who can say no to something like that," Adachi answered. So did Sho somehow break him out? It isn't too crazy of an idea with the ability to use Shadows and Fakes or even the hypnosis used in the hijacking. The skills to do something like that were definitely there. But why break out Adachi? What could he do to help that he couldn't do with a Shadow?
"H-Help out? You mean...that Sho guy?" Yosuke immediately asked the most obvious question.
"Hm? Have you guys already met? Oh, man..." Adachi looked a bit amused.
"That doesn't matter. Don't tell me you're working with the culprit this time too," Chie said this but it was pretty obvious.
"Uhh, well, what do you think?" Adachi mocked.
"Don't play dumb! If I don't like your answer, there'll be bootprints all over your face," Chie was looking for answers, as we all were, but finding out Adachi's involvement could just be to stall us from getting to Kayane or the others that were kidnapped.
"Ah, who cares about all that? C'mon, aren't you kids in serious trouble right now? What with all the world ending and all," Adachi waved off Chie's words. He was right though, we did have a bigger problem on our hand. "You guys really like sticking your heads into dangerous situations, don't you. You don't gain anything in life from doing that, you know."
We didn't have time for this. "Adachi-san. You said you would abide by the rules of this world. So why are you here?" I know I was losing my temper a bit but I needed to cut to the chase.
"Rules...Rules, eh?" Adachi said someone flippantly.
"Don't you understand how the real world is in trouble because of Sho? This isn't like the TV world, where only we were involved," I don't know why I thought my words would mean anything to him, that maybe a portion of him would have been redeemed in someway after what had happened.
Adachi gave me a blank look, "I see you never learn. The only reason I took up that brat up on his invitation was because I was bored. All the questions about what he's after, or what's going to happen to this town? I don't give a damn about any of it."
I should have known better. Adachi had even accepted the eventuality of being killed when we had caught him in the TV world. Thinking that we wanted revenge. Why would he change now when he knew that outside of here only prison waited for him. The world ending would not mean much to Adachi...someone who had given up on living in the world to begin with.
"What's he saying?" Chie asked.
"Adachi, you lousy..." Yosuke started but Adachi cut him off.
"Whoa, whoa, give me a break. I don't intend to get involved with kids like you anymore. Like, I bet you're honestly abiding by the rules they set here. After all, that's how you think," Adachi shook his head.
"The rules here?" I wasn't sure what he meant. What did he mean?
"You know, the one-on one stuff? You don't even know what's going to happen because of that. Honestly, brats like you barely even think," Adachi seemed amused by how clueless we were. But us fighting one-on-one was part of the enemy plan? How did that do anything?
"Wh-What's that supposed to mean?" Yosuke was definitely worried by what Adachi said.
"Like I keep saying. If you keep fighting them on their own terms, it could bit you in the ass. I bet he's collected quite a lot of those 'Persona fragments' by now..." Adachi was intentionally letting this information go. Still his message was quite clear.
"So, we've been inadvertently helping him. That's what you're saying," I clarify it so there would be no mistake.
"Oh man, you really hadn't noticed? You need to get your act together," Adachi laughs once more. Then as he did everything around us seems to shake and we can hear something in the depths of the red fog around us. Something echoing, something that sounded like that of an animal. There was no way to know what it was. "Hm? Looks like there's no more time left. Earlier than I expected. Well, that's why I need to get going. Good luck to you, I guess. Oh and I'd hurry if I were you. What was his name...Ikakure Kayane? He might be in a lot more trouble if you don't hurry."
"Wait, what's that supposed to mean? What are they doing to Senpai?" Chie asked.
"It means just what it sounds like. Then again...it might just be impossible for just you three," Adachi turns around and starts walking into the red fog. "I'm not sure why they are so fixated on that kid to begin with. Just chalk it up to another reason I want to be done with this shit."
"Hold on!" Yosuke took a few steps but instead slams right into an invisible wall.
Chie rushes to Yosuke's side, "You alright?" She asks as she is checking over him herself.
I noticed that the hall had red pillars, trapping us inside. "When did those show up? We were talking with Adachi the whole time, we would have noticed if those had dropped down." This wasn't good.
"How much longer are you going to make me wait? You better entertain me at the very least," a voice of a Shadow came from behind us. We turned to see a familiar figure, bare chested and a red cape. It was Sanada Akihiko, or rather his Shadow. "Welcome to the special ring. This place is truly a square jungle. It sure brings back memories. Yeah, it really takes me back." He didn't hide his Shadow eyes and just took a few practice punches in the air. C'mon. Don't you all long for the tensing of muscles and the clenching of fists? It's only seconds away. Step forward if you want to taste the mat!"
"Chie, take care of Yosuke," I say as I pull out my sword. I move into a aggressive stance and stood opposite of Shadow Akihiko. "Sorry, but I don't have time to play." It was one thing during the original incident and I had been tricked to fight my friends. I had to hold back, and stayed with one Persona so that I could limit the damage. But this was not the real Akihiko, and time was already against us. I switched Persona's immediately. "Scathach! Mabufudyne!" I immediately used a widespread ice attack to cover the whole length of the hall we were in. Still the Shadow rushed towards me as I discarded my sheath and switched Persona's once more.
"It won't be that easy," the Shadow jumped over a block of ice and came swinging down at me.
I didn't move, "Asura!" My Persona met the attack for me as it completely stopped Shadow Akihiko's momentum. And brought him crashing back down and into the block of ice the Shadow had originally jumped over. I stepped forward as I swapped Persona's once more. "Easy? This power I have was not easy. I gained it because of my friends and the countless trials we had to go through to get here. My power is the result of blood, sweat and tears. Through happiness and sorrow, every time my friends suffered, I did. Every time my friends celebrated, so did I. And when my friends need my help, absolutely nothing will get in my way!"
"What a cocky brat. Just because you have a few of those Personas you think you can just..." Shadow Akihiko was slammed against the invisible barrier.
Above me was the Persona Odin. "Sorry, but I believe I told you already," I switched my Persona again. "I don't have time to play. Izanagi-no-Okami!" My Persona that embodied all the power I had...it was something that was made only because of all my friends. Every Social Link I had forged, every individual that wished to help me, or whom I loved. Nothing could beat the power of this Persona. The immense light that Izanagi-no-Okami created zoomed towards the Shadow and slammed into it with a intensity that showed how angered I had become. When it cleared, there was absolutely nothing left of the Shadow. The four red post shattered to nothing and was left with the golden sparks that flew away. Likely that was the Persona fragments that Adachi had mentioned.
"Looks like Adachi is long gone," Yosuke said as Chie and him were ready to go. But just as we were about to get our bearings for what we had learned the building began to shake again.
"H-Hey, doesn't this shaking seem bad? It's been getting stronger and stronger?" Chie was steading herself with Yosuke's help.
"Yeah. Whatever it is, looks like we don't have much time," I picked up my sheath from the ground and re-sheathed my katana.
"Hold on a sec. Adachi said something about Persona fragments earlier. Any idea what he meant by that?" Yosuke asked.
Yeah, going to quickly without fully understanding the situation could be bad as well. I needed to catch my breath. I had likely used up too much of my energy in my fight because of me losing my temper for a bit. "So last time, Sho's purpose was to get powerful Shadows by shaking us up so our Personas would turn back to their original form. This time, he's lured us into this red fog and made us fight our fakes, so he can carve off Persona fragments in the process."
"Oh...you mean those balls of light that pop out when we fight against the fakes," Chie must have had it finally click in place for her.
"Most likely. Sho is trying to do something with the Persona fragments he's collecting. Likely the same thing he was trying to do before but had to change his approach when it didn't work," I started moving. We could talk as we moved. The others fell in step behind me. I was still recovering so I couldn't move that quickly just yet.
"For what reason though? You think he is gonna make a new Persona for himself with 'em?" Yosuke asked.
"Who knows. Still all of the Persona fragments were heading upwards, to the top of this tower. I'm not sure if you can create a Persona with fragments but either way we'll find our answers if we keep moving. From now on we don't draw out the fights. We finish them swiftly to limit the amount of Persona fragments they can create. Our priority is to get to Kayane-senpai fast. If he already has the Persona fragments he needs then he won't have any real reason to hold onto Kayane-senpai." Even as I said this and picked up the pace I could feel a question come up in my mind. Why had he taken Kayane? Unlike Rise he didn't have a real strategic reason to hold Kayane. No...something felt odd about that choice. Taking the other Shadow Operatives made sense if...wait hold on. There was a reason. They were all connected. Thinking of it that way, it made sense.
Kayane's Father had built Labrys...a design that carried forward and responsible for Aigis. That was the real reason for all of this...it was all connected. But exactly how it wasn't fully in my grasp. I was still missing information about it.
We kept moving, but regardless of how far we went...there were no stairs.
"Sheesh, these hallways are too long. How far do they go? You'd think we'd have gotten to the stairs by now at least," Yosuke voiced what we were all feeling at this point.
"Maybe just running down the hallways won't work," Chie said as she started slowing down. "Why don't we try going into the first open room we see? I mean, this place was connected in some messed-up ways during the last P-1 Grand Prix."
"You do have a point," I said as we were coming up to a door. I slowed down as we got to it.
"But there's tons of classrooms here... Should we just start with the closest one?" Yosuke came up to the door first and opened it. "Whoa, bingo!"
Really, could we be that lucky? Well considering the ways we've traveled to get here I wasn't going to complain about it.
"Good job, Yosuke," Chie said as we all entered the room. It was a classroom, but on the far side of the room were school stairs.
"I still don't like this plan... We're gonna have to check every door we find from here on out," Yosuke voiced the next thought that we no doubt all had. Still we couldn't waste time complaining about it.
"Don't worry, you can do it, Yosuke," I said feeling somewhat amused.
"Yeah, we'll be okay if we've got Yosuke with us," Chie nodded.
"What's with the blind trust in me? I don't remember you guys being such goody-goodies," Yosuke grumbled while Chie and I were heading to the stairs.
"What're you doing, Yosuke? C'mon, you better hurry up," Chie called back.
"Why isn't anyone listening to me! Don't you think it's weird that you're about to leave me behind after saying all that nice stuff?" Yosuke called up and followed us up.
Still, Yosuke was right. As we started to make progress on the next floor, we checked every door along the way. We thankfully don't run into any fakes but the more doors we try to open the less we feel we are making any progress. We didn't have time for this. We get to the next door and I feel my frustration getting to me and I angrily open the door open as hard as I can.
"Yu-kun!" Chie suddenly cries out. I instinctively dive away from the doorway and I see a sickle blade go by where I had just been.
"Not bad, and here I thought you wouldn't able to dodge that. If it wasn't for that girl you'd have an sickle buried in your chest," a laugh came from inside. We all stepped inside the room and what stood in front of us was a Shadow. This was another fake. A fake Kayane.
"Senpai," Chie said quietly as we all stood there. "Tell us, what're you trying to do with all these Persona fragments?"
"Does it really matter? Win or lose this fight, you will all die here," Shadow Kayane was casually spinning one of his sickles at his side. "Bing on the ring." The red pillars fall from the ceiling and imprison us in with the fake. "I've never cared about my own life. Do you really think I care about what someone would do with the world? You want to move on then kill me and be done with it."
I hated it, this voice that spoke in the same tones as Kayane. What's worse is that we knew, all of us knew, just how close Kayane had come to taking his own life. His life had been filled with only a handful of people that cared about him. But he lost sight of all of it when his childhood friend died in a plan that saved him from his abusive Uncle. He carried it with him, keeping his pain and emotions bubbled inside of him. Eventually he sought ways to ease that pressure. That led to him attempting suicide, and his habit of cutting himself. A habit he was trying to break. Something that I was sure that Rise would be able to help him get past. But every step forward involves steps back for Kayane.
I didn't want to see my friend, my senpai go through all this pain alone. Moving away had made it harder. It's harder to know what he is up to if I can't see him in person. But I know that Rise could help him, could keep an eye on him. "We won't let this last long."
All three of us went into a battle ready stance. I discarded the sheath to my katana as Yosuke pulled out his kunai. Chie was bouncing around, ready to fight.
"Oh? Are you going to break the rules?" the Shadow regarded us but didn't seem overly upset by it. "Then lets do this. The clock is ticking after all." He then starting spinning his second sickle with his other hand. Unlike most of us, Kayane was actually well equipped to handle multiple foes. His weapons gave him both reach and range and a measure of control of opponent moved than even I had. I could adapt to the situation, but fighting Kayane had always been a particular frightening proposition. Even a fake Kayane was intimidating.
Right, just as Adachi had said, fighting it on their terms was not going to help us. We didn't have time to play fair. Time was most definitely running out. The biggest problem in this fight was that up to this point all the fakes also shared the strengths and weaknesses of the person they imitated. The problem was, Kayane's Persona had no strength or weakness. My choice in Persona would only serve to give weaknesses for the fake to exploit. The way to finish this was to make an opportunity for Chie to land a decisive strike.
"Yosuke, you take left, I'll take right. Chie, wait for the right time to jump in, got it?" I quickly told them.
"Got it," Yosuke said moving towards the left.
"I'll be ready," Chie confirmed.
I moved quickly to the right with my katana ready as I settled my Persona on Izanagi. While over my time as leader of the Investigation Team I had used a lot of Personas, my first one always felt right at my side. So even now I had re-fused him to make him as powerful as he could be. Even though I also held Izanagi-no-Okami in me...they were still decidedly different Persona. Although Izanagi-no-Okami was powerful, it wasn't the best for every situation. Like all the Persona I used, each one was meant to handle a role. They were more determined based on the people I was fighting at my side, and the opponent we were facing. In this situation, the only real weakness came when Kayane had both weapons extended out, this left him vulnerable to up close attacks. That was how we were going to create the opening for Chie.
"How long has it been since your hour started I wonder," the fake Kayane mused as he was still spinning both sickles in his hands. "Let's get started. I wouldn't want you to miss your spot on the main stage."
The fake Kayane then threw each sickle in opposite directions, crossing his hands across his body as one sickle went towards Yosuke and another at me. I had hoped he would do this and deflected the sickle with my katana. I stepped in towards the fake but I noticed that the fake had jumped over the chain and pulled it up and continued to spin the chain...I jumped back as I realized that the sickles were now spinning around him protectively. In total the chain length between the sickles had to be around eight to ten feet long, and yet this fake manipulated it as if it was as natural as breathing. We had seen the real Kayane do some incredible things manipulating that chain as well.
Still we needed to do something quickly. The tarot card floated down in front of me as I held my hand out around it. On the other side Yosuke was doing the same. "Persona!" We both yelled. I struck down with a powerful Ziodyne attack but Yosuke attacked with a equally powerful Garudyne, and it acted to almost direct the lighting strike past the fakes defenses and struck him directly. The fake was forced to stop his sickle movement and we quickly dived in towards him. We both dived as the fake Persona of Benzaiten came forward and tried to strike us with Vorpal Blade, one of Kayane's most effective multiple foe attacks. We slid under the attack and then jumped to the attack.
Yosuke moved the left of the fake and spun, hitting the fakes hand directly. I followed suite and brought my sword around to directly hit his right hand. Then came Chie's attack.
"God's Hand!" A giant fist came from above and flattened the fake to the ground, but he got back to his feet. Chie however hadn't relented and was there to meet him. She spun and landed a kick directly into the fake's midsection. The sheer momentum and force behind Chie's roundhouse made the fake recoil before it flew back through the air and slammed with a violent force against the invisible barrier that the red post created.
"Hehehe," the fake muttered and somehow stumbled to his feet. "Not much time now." The fake collapsed and melted to nothing, but those same golden sparks headed up and away. The red posts were gone now.
"Oh no! The Persona fragments..." Chie looks like she wants to try and catch them but they are beyond our reach before we could even really react.
"It's fine. We just need to hurry on ahead. We're out of time," I say pushing us to keep going. My temper was flaring again. I was tired of the fakes, the fakes of my friends. And even though I knew they were fakes, and the distinct golden eyes they had...I still felt off about having to fight them.
"Yeah. Still, it's so frustrating," Chie echoed my thoughts.
"Hey, something just crossed my mind. Personas were originally our Shadows, right?" Yosuke called out stopping me. I turned back.
"Hm? What's this all about?" I asked. We really needed to get going.
"Oh, I was thinking about what the culprit's after. I wondered why he'd be so hell-bent on our Personas to begin with. I mean if you think about it. There's a bunch of Shadows in the TV world, right? So why's he so fixated on our Personas? If he just wanted the power then wouldn't gathering Shadows do him just as well? Maybe better than scraping off fragments off our Personas," Yosuke brought up a good point. There was probably a lot of better options than confronting us directly. Was there a particular reason for that?
"That is a good question," I mutter trying to come up with something to expand on his line of thinking. "Maybe, he doesn't have that luxury anymore. There must be a reason he's targeting our Personas in particular."
"So a reason that it can't just be any old Shadows?" Chie shook her head.
"No, we're still missing too much information. We can't waste time, lets get moving," I push the others as we head up the stairs that are in the room. Another floor...the more we climb, the scenery still remains the same. We feel like so much time is going by, and we continue to push ourselves to keep the pace up. Opening every door, checking for stairs and another path up. The maze continues to make us feel as if we've made no progress at all. But we have to keep going.
The same scenery has kept us focused on our task. We had to find an end to this labyrinth. Our friends needed us.
"All this quiet gets me all anxious. I know, Yosuke tell us something. Anything. Maybe you got some inside info on upcoming discounts at the Junes deli," Chie suddenly called out as we checked another door but end up with no result.
"Chie, are you saying just talking about meat boosts your spirits? Next your gonna want me to sing the Junes tune," Yosuke looked over at his girlfriend for a moment.
"Of course it does! Meat... That tender juiciness makes me so..." Chie started.
"What about me? Are you saying the fact that I'm with you doesn't make you more at ease? I'm your boyfriend dammit," Yosuke groaned as we came to stop at another door and thankfully was another flight of stairs. We all piled in and head straight up the stairs.
"I'm not saying that. I'd be freaking out if I was on my own. But thats why I wanted you to talk, it helps me," Chie and Yosuke shared a look between them. "Sorry Yosuke."
"Nah, its fine. Until we save Kayane-senpai and meet up with everyone, we're all on edge," Yosuke shook his head
As we made our way up to the next hallway I felt somewhat relieved that Chie and Yosuke were at least able to calm each other down. As we made our way down the new hallway I find myself sliding to a stop. Chie and Yosuke stop behind me but I look back for a moment and put a finger to my mouth to indicate for them to be quiet.
"Ughhh, I am getting soo bored. I should just go take out a couple of them..." the voice was coming from an open classroom door, so we quietly approached it. It was hard to tell who the voice belonged to.
"Whoa, hold on there. There's no need to get hasty when the plan's going so well, right? It'd be easier to just sit back and wait," another spoke. It only took a moment to realize that the voices likely belonged to Adachi-san and Sho. We got closer to the door and peered inside. The scene we saw was unlike any other.
"Huh? Wh-Where is this? Was there someplace like this at our school?" Chie asked in a hush voice.
Peeking inside, a short answer would be, no. There was nothing anything close to like this in Yasogami. Which begs the question...where did this scenery come from? The room was large with endlessly tall columns on sides of the room...and a staircase in the middle of the room that led to something that looked like a large golden clock. It was suspended in the air, not supported by anything. And the whole area had a strange pale green light. Something about this felt like it was significant in some fashion. But how?
"What're you talking so big for? Want me to stick my sword through your ears?" Sho was now pointing a sword at Adachi. From this angle I could see them but not much else.
Adachi just sighed, "Ooh, scary... Can't you calm down a bit? You won't beat anyone like that. And you came to get me because you needed me, no? You sure it's a good idea to kill me just because I rub you the wrong way?"
"Cripes, what a wet blanket. Did you just come from a picnic out in the rain or something? Hahaha!" Sho laughed for a moment but then switched gears with a more serious look. "Don't get the wrong idea. That guy has nothing to do with this. I can kill anyone I want if I feel like it." Sho steps forward in a quick motion and has his sword at Adachi's throat.
Adachi didn't even react to the presence of the sword at his throat, "Then go on ahead. It's easy, right? Have you actually killed anyone before?" Adachi wasn't affected in the least by Sho's threat. After all Adachi had done the same to us when we confronted him. Not listening and not even caring regardless of what we said or pleaded.
"Rgh... This guy's really pissing me off..." Sho said befor bring his sword away and sheathing his sword.
"Hey, is that Sho guy insane? He's laughing and joking one second, and then the next he pulls out his swords," Yosuke comments.
"Are they bickering with each other? And what was that about 'that guy' that Sho mentioned?" Chie adds. That was definitely something I picked up as well. Was Sho not really the one behind it? Had we still not met the real one behind it all? At the very least Sho was one of the main individuals behind this whole incident. But still, why would they need Adachi here for their plan?
"Look, there is no need to fight. Once it descends, after all, the world's going to totally disappear. Why spend your time dealing with them, you know? Just ignore those kids," Adachi brought my attention to them inside the room.
"That's not the problem," Sho shook his head. "I look at those guys and I can't stop gagging. They just herd together, like best buds. I don't know why they're so full of themselves. It makes me wanna beat the shit out of them, get 'em to cry like babies. You get me? Do you?" Sho yells angrily at Adachi again. Then he suddenly turns and looks straight at me.
"Yosuke, Chie! Get back!" I quickly call out. The intensity and bloodlust made it feel like he had attacked us and for a moment I'm a bit confused. Sho just begins to laugh.
"Hahahahaha! You're so lame! Such a frickin' irritating bunch, I hate to even look at you! I just wanna see you completely destroyed," Sho called out to us. There was no point in hiding so the three of us step inside.
I calmly walk forward, "Minazuki Sho...What are you planning?"
"Huh? Weren't you just listening? I'm gonna get rid of all you disgusting pests and make this a world I can stand to live in," Sho said this as if it is something we should have already picked up on. "All of you are just so disgusting, so you should all just die!"
"This isn't funny anymore... You're totally nuts. Are you saying that nothing else matters as long as you're satisfied?" Yosuke was to my left.
"Well, duuuuh! Friends? Bonds? You worthless pests aren't accomplishing anything but licking each other's wounds. Shitty pests in this shitty world have no goddamn call to give me their shitty lectures! I'm telling you I'm gonna get rid of every shred of everything!" Sho really did seem angry. Was that what this was all about? But what was the truth? What was the real reason behind it?
"You little... You really are a piece of shit that's not worth saving. You've got no right to do that!" Yosuke was letting his own temper flare up in response. This was no good. It was only going to escalate further at this rate.
"The world'll be much quieter soon... Just like here, a wonderful place where there's no one else. It's all for me," Sho was basically rambling.
Chie came up on the other side of Yosuke but she held a more thoughtful look as she was registering Sho's words. "A world with no one else?"
"Ugh, shut up shut up shut up shut up! Just hurry up and get smashed to pieces, you shitty pests!" Sho's anger was only getting worse. I silently gripped my sword a little bit tighter.
"Whoa, whoa, what're you getting all worked up for? You really shouldn't do that..." Adachi gave a warning to Sho.
"And you shut up too, you piece of shit! Come get me, I'll beat the life out of you! You'll be begging for mercy," Sho then pulls out two swords and takes a stance. His stance is unlike anything I had witnessed before. This was not any normal stance, this was a stance focused on offense. His intention was definitely to strike to kill.
"There's no way I'm gonna let him win. I can't believe our town is such a mess because of that guy. There's no way I'm sitting back and letting it happen," Chie takes her stance.
"I'm right behind you Chie. We'll show you with our own fists how strong you can be when you have something to protect," Yosuke brought out his kunai.
"Sho's strong. Don't let your guard down," I call out as I move a bit forward. I couldn't afford to be reckless either. I had to make sure that the other two wouldn't be caught off guard by Sho's sword style. There was no time to think, I needed to act as a vanguard. I rushed forward as Sho did as well. He came swinging hard and I had no choice but to meet his blade head on. Our swords clashed, and I had no way of knowing how strong he would be. He actually pushed me back. As he did he turned and quickly deflected three kunai that Yosuke had thrown at him.
"Persona!" Chie came charging in with a God's Hand but Sho expertly dodged it and dived back towards me.
I swung wide and he easily rolled under my attack. He turned on a dime and I had to do just the same and met his blade again. If my katana had been an inferior blade I doubt it would have stood against the force of that blow. But I had Izanagi-no-Okami by my side to boost my strength and yet Sho easily met it. Yet Sho did not summon a Persona. I had no time to think about that fact as I used Izanagi-no-Okami to attack him from above. Then Yosuke and Chie came to my side to add their own attacks.
Sho deflected the attacks but he had no room or footing to give a proper counter and ended up taking a step back. I didn't hesitate for that opening as I switched Personas. "Asura!" I brought down my on God's Hand attack that forced Sho to stumble back to avoid a direct hit. That misstep was all we needed to take the advantage.
Yosuke was behind Sho before he realized it, having used his persona to boost his speed. He swept out Sho's legs causing him to fall back. Yosuke must have used his Persona to also increase Chie's speed because she was there to land one of her devastating round house kicks onto Sho's back. The force was enough that he flew over me and scrambled in the air but managed to recover his bearing enough to land on his feet and come sliding to a stop.
"You goddamn pieces of shit!" Sho launched himself forward, recklessly this time. His anger was making him lose reason. I met him straight on with Asura once more as Yosuke released a powerful Garudyne at him. It tossed him into the air as Chie brought down another God's Hand to crush him against the ground.
Adachi walked somewhere close to where Sho had landed, "What did I tell you? This is because you kept using those weird powers. You got all puffed up because of someone else's gift." He looked over at me.
"Are we fighting you next, Adachi-san?" I was still ready to fight...and I wasn't sure why he was involved in this to begin with. All this time it seemed like he had been trying to get Sho to calm down, but what for?
"Huh? Oh, man, don't be ridiculous. Why would I do something that hard? Been there, done that you know," Adachi shook his head.
"Hard? Aren't you supposed to be on Sho's side?" Chie wasn't buying it.
"Sho's side? Haha, give me a break. C'mon, isn't there someone else besides me you should be worrying about?" Adachi then takes a few steps away from Sho.
Someone else? What was he talking about?
"You mean 'that guy' Sho mentioned? Damn, so he does have an accomplice," Yosuke shook his head.
No, that didn't sound right. Adachi is still looking at Sho. Then the Sho on the ground moves.
"Persona," Sho mutters as he gets to his feet. A large silhouette hovers from behind him. So he really does have a Persona?
"Yu, move!" Yosuke calls out...so does Chie. The both of them step in front of me. Before I even register what has happened both of my friends are hit hard and collapse down in front of me. The Sho across from me is standing there in a menacing way, but the way his stance is and his aura is completely changed from how he was just a moment ago. No, all of this was wrong. Dammit! I was going to have to pull out all the stops now. Chie and Yosuke aren't able to move but it seems like the hit they took had nearly knocked the wind out of them. Either way, I needed to do something and I needed to do it fast.
A/N:
Things are starting to heat up fast. Not to mention that all the differences of the game are snowballing up for things to change in the next chapter. The groups here are split up in a little bit of a different way than in the game, with the exception of Yu's group. Not to mention we still have a rather big confrontation to get ourselves back to with Rise, Hamuko and her group. It's been more or less close to the game so far but most of it has been building differently in small ways here and there which I hope you guys have noticed.
Ultimax as the games story is somewhat irritating because of how it splits up the Persona 3 and 4 stories to be different. So when I was planning this section of the story I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to pull from both story lines. At the same time having additional characters involved made it a bit more difficult to really determine one way or another what would work best. Plus on top of Labrys being a bit different in terms of her background has an effect as well. Although Kayane had convinced her to go with the Shadow Operatives to get maintenance she is against joining them still. Plus with how crazy everything has been she and Kayane haven't had any time together.
Well the details around how Kayane was taken is also missing as well. Overall there is still a lot of things to go through before we get to the end. And the next chapter is when things start to change. Getting to this point was what I was waiting for. Following the events of the game too closely makes it kind of pointless as a fan fiction to begin with. I mean the game itself is where you see that story, so rehashing it is hardly the point of it. But from here on out things will be different...exactly how...well you'll have to see.
Still we are rapidly approaching the climax for Ultimax. I hope you are enjoying it and look forward to the next part. Thanks for reading and I'll see you at the next chapter. Just let me know what you've thought of the Ultimax storyline so far.
