November 28 Monday.
The morning had gone fast. After a quick text conversation with Yu's group it had been determined that the normal pre-Palace meeting would be skipped. Oracle wanted to get to the Palace as quickly as possible so she could check out her new Persona. As both groups had gone out the day before there was really no new news to share among them so it wasn't that big of deal to skip the meeting. Once Joker was ready with Oracle and Mona, they were picked up and brought directly here; to Akechi's Palace.
Joker stretched his stiff muscles. Something about that bear suit made him feel cramped and the fact he had to put it on every time they went to Akechi's Palace only made matters worse. Granted they were two acts down and only had two more to go. Hopefully they could give Akechi a change of heart and then take down Shido and he'd be a free man again… Or so that was the hope. There was always some uncertainty that even after this was all over, he could still end up back in jail. It wasn't a future Joker really wanted to think about, but it was something that nagged at the back of his mind.
Oracle looked at Joker before she got a sly smirk. "Well Persona, let's see how you evolved. Prometheus!"
Instead of the typical green UFO that Oracle's Persona was known for a new shape appeared before everyone. At first it looked like an amorphous black ball, but suddenly it lit up. The whole shell seemed to take on a glow of its own as lines of rainbow color traced along the black metal the Persona seemed to be made of. Against the grey scale backdrop of Akechi world, it stood out. Oracle had a proud look on her face as she reached out to her new Persona. Instantly the Persona responded and this time instead of tentacles, mental graspers appeared from the bottom of the ball and pulled Oracle up into it.
"It looks good Oracle!" Rise called up to the other navigator. "Congratulations"
"Alright Prometheus show me what you got! Fragments incoming 2 o' clock." Oracles voice called from her new Persona.
Joker turned and spotted both Fragments making their way towards them. The younger picked up the pace as soon as he saw the whole group, instantly running over to Naoto and attaching himself to her left leg. The other walked at a more haggard pace, making a point to avoid eye contact with any of the members of the group. He stopped only by Naotos side before he reached out and grabbed her sleeve. The older Akechi seemed almost emotionally dependent towards Naoto and given Joker's experience with Oracle it kind of made sense.
"See told ya they weren't gonna leave us!" The kid Akechi glared up at his older counterpart.
"Yeah but they didn't come yesterday…" The depressed Akechi seemed to whine.
"Sorry about that boys, I had other responsibilities. Shall we head in?" Naoto asked the two.
"Sure…" They both said in union, with one sounding more excited while the other just sounding depressed.
This time they didn't need to get any more badges, the ticket keeper only gave them a slight passing glance as they all entered the tent. As it had been the last two times they entered the tent, it was pitch dark. Everyone moved down the illuminated isles to the bleachers. Naotos act was the next act on the billboards as Shido's now sported the classic 'x' that designated the act as being canceled.
The spot lights spun around to shine on the talk show stage, but as it lit up in bright colors Jokers was instantly was on red alert. Both hosts of the stage were no were to be found and the stage that they normally broadcasted from was covered in gore. Blood coated the walls of the stage as if they had both been brutally murdered and the killer didn't care to clean up afterwards. There was a few gasps from the team as Joker rose to his feet.
Akechi, the real one was here… Joker could feel it.
"Horus!" Joker called summoning the light bird.
The Egyptian god of the sun screeched as it cast the darkness of the tent away with its blinding sun light. Joker had added this particular Persona to his list the other night with Ryuji. The darkness of the circus tent hadn't been sitting right with him, so he had picked up this Persona in particular to be a flashlight against the darkness of the tent. He had hoped he wouldn't be needing it but now that something was amiss, Joker was glad he had listened to his gut.
Horus's light showed everyone exactly what was going on. All three rings of the circus were illuminated by the light but it was the center one that held the danger. There he stood. Goro Akechi in the flesh, standing atop the last circus cage. He was in his normal attire, tan pea coat with black pants. It made sense as this was his own world. Why would he be seen as a threat? Around him several lions that wore the Phantom Thieves masks of his friends lurked along with a cognition of both Naoto and Yu. All looked ready to strike
"There are apparently some rats running around my inter world." Akechi called to the group. "Yu Narukami, Rise Kujikawa, Yosuke Hanamura, Teddie Hanamura, Kanji Tatsumi, and lastly Naoto Shirogane. As I suspected all of you are Persona users as well. You gave away too much of your hand the other night, Shirogane-san."
Naoto jumped off the bleachers and took a few steps towards Akechi. "This can end peacefully, Akechi. Please I don't want to fight you."
Akechi sneered. "You come into my world and dare to say that? I know what you are doing here." Akechi reached into his coat and pulled out a silenced pistol. "I cannot prescribe to this 'change of heart' bullshit!"
Joker reached for his own pistol and pointed it at Akechi as he moved to Naotos side. "The plan hasn't changed, Goro Akechi I will change your heart!"
Akechi set his gaze upon Joker, a small grin playing at the corners of his lips. "Hmph… I'm impressed that you managed to deceive me. It seems I underestimated your abilities… I'll give you that. You truly are interesting… Quiet, yet possessing the courage and determination to take action. Under different circumstances, we could have been great rivals… Or perhaps even friends."
"We are already rivals." Joker called out to Akechi.
A deep chuckle echoed from their foe. "Perhaps you are right. My My… How Wonderful. You don't allow yourself to be enslaved by such things as human relation or past selves… And so, your heart is always free. The exact opposite of mine. To be honest, I'm quite envious… I wonder why we couldn't have met a few years earlier, Ren…" Akechi lamented.
Ren felt as if understood Akechi a little better at that moment. Akechi didn't ever want events to unfold like this, but it would seem it was destiny that this is how it would happen. He had his own mission to do and while it left his hands stained; it was one he'd carry out until the end. While changing Akechis heart did seem like a daunting task, Joker knew now it was truly possible and not some dream.
"But… It's no use talking in hypotheticals. I won't let any of you stop me now. Kill them!" Akechi threw out his hand pointing at the group. "Joker! Shall we end this ourselves?"
Instantly the small army cognitions lurched forward at the group. Joker knew this would only end if he managed to beat Akechi, so that was the plan. Beat Akechi as fast as possible and force a change of heart. Joker darted forward ignoring the cognitions as he made a b-line for Akechi. As he figured; the cognitions ignored him in favor of the others he was with. Akechi from his place atop the circus cage kept his eyes on Joker, before he turned to Horus.
Bang!
Joker instantly reeled as Horus was shot. Horus was a great light but by far not the strongest Persona Joker had in his arsenal. If he was going to beat Akechi, he was going to need to use his big guns so to speak. Problem was Horus was illuminating the battlefield and without his light, everyone would be cast into darkness.
Bang!
Another shot rang out as Akechi shot Horus once again. Horus screeched as it took another blow, the attack causing Joker fall to a knee. Akechi had a sadistic grin on his face as he watched Joker struggle. Joker slowly got to his feet only for another shot to bring him back to his knees. He couldn't withstand this abuse but he couldn't call Horus back. Akechi seemed to know this fact and took aim at the bird again.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Came the rallying cry from Oracle as Prometheus appeared in front of Horus and a green shield blocked the next bullet. "Recall your Persona Joker, I can handle the light! Come on Prometheus lets show 'em!"
Joker called Horus back as Prometheus started to glow. While the glow wasn't as strong as Horus's shining light, it was more than enough for everyone to see. Joker struggled to his feet, as Akechi disappeared from his spot on top of the cage. Joker looked around as he collected himself before he suddenly felt a wave of relief hit his body. All the damage he had taken from Akechi's first assault disappeared, causing Joker the glance back at his friends. He caught the look in Yu's eye as Ishtar winked at him. Joker nodded to Yu before he turned his attention back towards Akechi.
"I can see it!" Joker muttered to himself as he activated his third eye.
The world darkened ever so slightly as everything seemed to take on faint outline around him. Akechi was instantly spotted behind the cage as he crouched waiting for Joker to come to him. However another Akechi could be spotted within the cage as well. This one's outline looked indistinguishable from the one that was crouched and as Joker stalked closer to the cage the caged Akechi shifted and stepped up to the side of the cage closer to him. Deactivating third eye, Joker came face to face with the caged Akechi.
"He is going to try to ambush you around the left side of my prison." The caged one explained in a gentle voice.
"I take it you are the last fragment?" Joker quietly asked as he pulled out his dagger ready to spring Akechi's trap.
"Fragment? I suppose that's what you could call me." The fragment shrugged. "I prefer to call myself the part of Goro that he discard."
"Shut up!" The real Akechi snapped as he suddenly darted forward and attacked Joker.
Joker was expecting the assault and raised his dagger just in time to parry the strike from Akechi's saber. There was an aggression in Akechi's attack Joker had not been expecting and he was quickly forced back by a series of fast brutal sword attacks. Joker had figured Akechi had been hiding some of his power when he masqueraded as a Phantom thieve but he had been expecting this level of power. Joker back flipped putting some distance between him and Akechi. This was a battle Joker couldn't afford to lose.
"Cerberus!" Joker called his hands finding their way to his mask. "Megaton Raid!"
A very canine like howl echoed from white lion like persona as it appeared in a flash of blue fire next to Joker. At Joker's command the persona charge forward hitting Akechi with its full force, almost akin to a car hitting an object. Instantly, Akechi was thrown backward beyond the ring they had been fighting in and back into the dark corner of the circus tent. A spot Oracle's light just wasn't powerful enough to reach. Joker unsummoned the persona, fixing his eyes on the spot Akechi had flown. In all honesty, Joker hadn't expected the attack to have that big of an effect, but Joker's gut also told him that this wasn't the end of it. A fact that was confirmed half a second later.
"That won't be enough to stop him." The caged Akechi informed Joker. "Please free me before.."
Several gun shots rang out from where Akechi had landed, forcing Joker to swiftly retreat back behind the cage. Another mad chuckle rang out seeming to engulf the whole tent in its vexing call. Joker peeked around the cage as Akechi walked forward. He had changed from his normal attire and now wore the mask he hid behind as the Phantom thief 'Crow'. This might not have been so disturbing but there was a dark shadow that seemed to loom over him for half a second before it disappeared, this wasn't the power of Robin Hood. It was something seemingly far more sinister.
"The mental shutdowns aren't the only incidents people are talking about. There are also the breakdowns which cause people to turn psychotic, creating accidents and scandals. Those cannot be explained unless the true culprit has the power to make people's hearts turn psychotic" Again Akechi's vile laughter echoed as he raised his laser saber. "That's right! It's my power. ONE THAT YOU DON'T HAVE!"
"What the?!" Oracles voice called from Prometheus. "He's gunna try something…" Oracles words were ominous.
"Allow me to show you!" A crazed smirk spread across Akechi's face as his mask disappeared and the dark shadow appeared over him again. "Call of Chaos!"
It was hard to make out exactly what happened as the unidentified Persona Akechi had summoned seemed to spin a staff and thrust it into the ground. What happened afterwards was far clearer to see, as a wave of dark red energy blasted from Akechi in all directions. Joker threw up his hands as the energy passed over him expecting it to be some kind of attack, however it just flowed over him heading towards their real targets.
The cognitions everyone else had been fighting suddenly froze as the wave hit them. Like a scene out of a horror movie, they started to twitch as they went from their normal colors to pitch black. Only the golden glow of their eyes seemed to highlight their position in the dark backdrop of the tent. Joker felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he gazed at these new shadows and he didn't need either navigator to tell him that these new shadows were far more dangerous than before.
"That wasn't Robin Hood! Could that have been a different Persona? Joker watch out!" Oracle called.
Joker caught the sound of Akechi's footsteps just in time to bring up his dagger. The block didn't happen fast enough as the very tip of Akechi's blade cut across Joker face. The laser sword nicked his mask and cut into his cheek just below it. The attack might have taken an eye if it hadn't been for Joker's mask. Pushing the laser sword back, Joker moved to get a little distance between himself and Akechi. Akechi flicked his sword, clearly pleased by the little damage he had done to his foe, as blood dripped down Joker's face.
"Even the feeblest of existences can gain tremendous power once the chains of its heart are broken. Hopefully your friends don't underestimate my shadows." Akechi taunted as he brought his sword back up signaling he was going to attack again.
Joker reached up trying to rub the blood from his cheek but only ended up smearing it across it. The cut was fairly deep but was nowhere near life threatening. It was just something he was going to have to live with until the fight was over. Raising his dagger up, Joker crouched down getting ready to engage Akechi once again. A bright light off to side where the others were fighting illuminated the tent for a second but Joker was too focused on Akechi to do much more then acknowledge it.
"So why are you Shido's dog?" Joker question hoping to keep Akechi talking.
"Huh, Shido's dog? Is that what you think I am?" Akechi made the first move again aggressively bring his sword skills against Joker's dagger. "What are you talking about? I don't care for Shido, or this country." Another parry and the continued clashing of both blades. "I've done all of this to make Masayoshi Shido… My father… acknowledge me. Then exact revenge on him."
This time Joker pressed the blades and caused Akechi to back up giving distance to him. "Shido is your father?!" Suddenly it made sense why Shido was such an idiot in this Palace.
Akechi pointed upwards towards something that could only be seen now that the area was illuminated. There hanging among the various acrobat swings and ropes was a corpse hung by a noose. The light didn't give the corpse much detail other than the fact it appeared to be a woman maybe in her late 20's, early 30's. The corpse was dressed nice and honestly didn't look like it had been hanging there long.
"Ren I'd like you to meet my mother. Remember what I said before to you. How my mother had been in a relationship with some good-for-nothing man? So I'm his bastard child. My very existence is nothing but a scandal. My mother's life had turned for the worst after she had me… That's why she is up there now. I was a cursed child for her too. I resented him! But, he was already a high-ranking official by then. A kid like me could do nothing…"
Akechi switched from his saber to his pistol causing Joker to take cover once again behind the cage. The shots rang out as Joker took out his own pistol. Creeping around the cage, Joker hoped he could get behind Akechi as they played their deadly game of ring around the rosy. However as Joker came across the other side, Akechi was nowhere to be found. A quick activation of third eye revealed were Akechi had gone and caused Joker to take cover under the cage.
Bang! The bullet ricocheted off the spot Joker once stood.
"But… That's when it happened! I was gifted an opportunity!" Akechi called from the top of the cage with a devious cackle, as he threw his arm up "That's when I learned about the cognitive world! Someone, be it god or demon gave me a chance! I couldn't contain my laughter…!"
"Move now that he's distracted Joker." Oracle called from her place above them all.
Joker took his opportunity to crawl out from under the cage. As he rose to his feet he pointed his pistol upwards at Akechi and trained it directly on his forehead. Akechi just chuckled arms opened yet not caring that he was currently being held at gun point. Joker shifting to get the most advantageous shooting position.
"Who showed you this other world?!" Joker demanded feeling he had some ground to stand on now that he held Akechi at gun point.
"Who cares? My targets were all doing the same damn thing in this eat or be eaten world. All I did was remove their evil from society! After all, they all had palaces. How is that any different from your beloved Phantom Thieves?" Akechi taunted with a grin.
"For one thing we aren't murderers!" Joker swiftly retorted, his finger tightening ever so slightly on the trigger.
"SO WHAT!? A Palace is a Palace" Akechi growled. "You clearly haven't seen the full depravity of man!"
Akechi moved to level his gun to shoot Joker. If there was one thing Shinya Oda had taught him, it was to be faster on the draw.
Bang!
The bullet caught Akechi's right shoulder causing Joker's foe to stagger back and fall off the top of the cage. There was a loud thud on the other side of the cage, clearly Akechi hadn't landed right. Joker let out a sigh of relief as he felt he had earn himself a brief respite. A shot like that wasn't something someone could just shrug off. Joker readied his gun and moved back around cage to the side Akechi had fallen to. There knelt down holding his shoulder was Joker's enemy, Akechis armor had no doubt taken the brunt of the blow but the power behind it had been more than enough to knock him back and the loud thud was probably him falling on said shoulder.
"Damn it! I can't lose now… Now that Masayoshi Shido is finally within my grasp!" Akechi snarled, eyes filled with hatred. "I'll kill you…"
"Why are you fighting so hard? You and he are the same, you could be fighting together!" The caged Akechi started. "Killing him won't make you happy, in fact it'll do the opposite. He is the only true friend you've had!"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Akechi forced himself to his feet. "Teammates?! Friends!? To hell with all that!" Akechi pointed his hand at Joker. "Why am I inferior to you..?! I was extremely particular about my life, my grades, my public image, so someone would want me around! I am an ace detective… A celebrity!" Akechi clenched his head as he staggered backwards. "But you… You're just some criminal trash living in an attic! So how…?! How does someone like you have things I don't?! How can such a worthless piece of trash be more special than me!?"
"Maybe if you didn't cut pieces out of yourself you'd know." Joker responded knowing it would rile the madness already stirring in Akechi.
"Don't give me that bullshit!" Suddenly as if Akechi had reached some sort of tipping point a great power seemed to start to leak from him.
"Run." The caged Akechi's voice was laced with fear.
Joker glanced at the caged Akechi before looking back at the real one. For a second his form seemed to flicker as power swirled around him. Joker was able to see it in that brief second, the black masked figure. An explosion of red power echoed from Akechi as he started to chuckle, this power was so great Joker had to struggle to maintain his footing. This was Akechi's ace in the hole and now the real fight was about to begin.
"Here.. I'll show you who I really am! Come, Loki!"
A black ooze started to consume Akechi starting at his feet and working its way up. As it climbed his body it solidified into what looked to be another outfit. It was a mostly black in color outfit with dark navy accents, buckles, and belts randomly covering the outfit. Even Akechi's blade changed into wicked looking serrated red blade. However it was the black mask that caused Joker's blood to run cold. That black mask that the Phantom Thieves had been chasing had been Akechi all along. Above him the dark black and white Persona known as Loki loomed. The real fight had now begun.
"Joker!" A voice called out among the chaos as a light pressure touched his back.
In an instant the battle field faded away, all washed in a blinding white light.
-?!
He found himself in a place of nothingness, long walls of white stretched for as far as the eye could see. Disoriented Joker looked around until he caught sight of Rise to his left. She looked at him with a wary smile.
"Sorry, we've been busy with those cognitions." Rise's voice didn't come from her lips, it echoed all around him.
As if he was drawn back in time there was a sudden flash before his eyes.
"Cover Joker!" Yu ordered as he stepped in front of him.
From his spot Joker watched himself dart towards Akechi as the shadows bore down upon him. It took a second before Joker realized what was going on, these weren't his memories. These were Rises mixing with his own. The way Yu stepped in front of him, Joker could feel Rises appreciation towards her boyfriend. There was love there, a deep unending love with such a scope as to catch Joker off guard. This is what true love felt like. He thought he cared for Makoto, but this was on another level entirely.
"You got it, these lions have nothing against a bear!" Teddie growled.
Teddie, a solid friend no matter if he was a shadow or not. Still there were certain things about him that made him endearing, almost to a fault.
"We got to keep these shadows off Joker!" Mona yowled.
Mona, a cat with a feisty personally. Rise didn't know as much about him as Joker did but he was still seen as an ally worth protecting.
"Dude I gotta fight against a shadow Agent? Naah man fuck that." Kanji called to his left.
Kanji a big muscled brute, not too smart but someone loyal to a fault. He was definitely a trusted friend that would one day marry Rise's best friend.
"Kingpin take your other self, I'll take mine!" Naoto stepped up next to Joker raising her revolver.
Naoto, Yu's partner and Rise's best friend. Their relationship was a bit odd as they had very different viewpoints on things but their friendship persisted through it all.
"This shouldn't be too hard should it?" Yosuke asked as he summoned his Persona.
Yosuke, Yu's best friend. Obnoxious at times and sometimes a pervert but honestly there was no one Yu needed to trust more. Yosuke had Yu's back no matter what happened, and there was something pure about that Joker couldn't deny.
"I got your backs!" The words came out of Joker even if he didn't speak them.
The group rushed forward to collide full force with the shadows that Akechi had sent after them. The battle was fairly even as Joker monitored it from the sidelines. It was weird watching other people fight while he stood back as the navigator. Occasionally shouting out a piece of information that could help someone in the battle. It was at that moment he looked up and saw his true self falter as Akechi continued to rain bullets against Horus. He remembered the pain but instead of pain he was overcome with concern.
"Oracle!" Joker turned his attention to the other navigator.
Oracle a young girl with a troubled past, someone to protect whenever possible. Genius level intellect but lacks most social skills.
"I know Princess!" Oracle grumbled before Prometheus flew over Jokers head and towards Horus.
Around Joker, under the influence of Kouzeon, he got a view of the battlefield he could only dream of having. He could tell everyone's health with a glance as well as weaknesses and the resistances of the shadows around him. So far his group was doing great. The shadows were tough but nothing the group couldn't handle. However as Joker watched himself from Rise's vantage point he watched his health slowly trickle way as he watched himself collapse to one knee.
"Kingpin, Joker isn't doing so well, he needs help!" Joker felt like he informed Yu.
Yu glanced towards the other Joker before he looked toward his left at Yosuke. "Deputy, I need a small opening. The kid is going down if we can't heal him."
"Got it! I'll see what I can do." Yosuke moved to switch places with Yu as he summoned his Persona. "Takehaya Sunano-o! We need to blow these enemies away! Magarudyne!"
In an instant a whirlwind swept up the battlefield as Yosuke's Persona conjured a massive wind. The shadows braced themselves against the wind, halting their attacks as they bulwarked themselves against it. This gave Yu the vital seconds he needed as he darted forwards and crushed an arcana card. Ishtar appeared next to Yu and with a flirtatious giggle blew the injured Joker a kiss. Watching himself regain his stamina, Joker watched as he pressed forward, towards Akechi. A wave of relief was felt as Joker realized exactly how close he was to having everything end right there for him.
As Rise, Joker felt himself return to the battle around her friends. As expected even though the shadows were strong they were slowly be whittled down by everyone. No one was in any real danger and Joker just sat back and watched. At times he wished he could step in, but if that was his own resolve as someone without a navigation Persona or Rises own wish, Joker couldn't say for sure.
'ONE YOU DON'T HAVE!'
Joker's attention snapped to Akechi. Instantly some of the sensors Kouzeon had been monitoring went off in an explosion of different color. Something was happening and as question marks appeared all over Kouzeon visor, it was hard to tell exactly what that was. Frustration built up in Joker's chest that was definitely Rise before the wave of dark red energy burst forth and covered the battlefield. The reading coming from Kouzeon went silent for a split second before more warnings lit up the screen. This time however the message was clear. The shadows had received a power up, a big one. Not only that; but tons of enemy pings appeared on the screens.
"Guys, the shadows just got a major power boost!" There was a bit of fear laced in Joker's words as he shifted ever so slightly. "We also got various other shadows coming in. Guys we might get surrounded."
No one was able to say anything to respond as the shadows renewed their assault on Yu and his group, fueled by the madness Akechi brought forth. That wasn't all as multiple targets started to funnel in from the doors of the tent. These must have been the police shadows that had been roaming outside. Joker looked towards the entrance to find multiple boosted shadows pouring in. This was going to turn ugly fast. Even with powerful Personas on their side, the battle was quickly becoming one-sided. Joker knew he needed to do something, but again being a Navigator he felt like he could only sit back and watch. Luckily he wasn't a navigator and he felt Rise act through him as he darted towards Yu and Naoto.
"I'm going to connect you two!" Joker informed the two.
"Do it!" Yu called.
"Roger!" Naoto took a step back to stand back to back with her partner.
Joker placed his hands on both of their shoulders as the cognitions of themselves started to bear down upon them. Activating a power deep within Kouzeon, it felt as if electricity was running up and down his arms as the connection finished. For a brief moment, Joker felt the connection between the two, it was warm and genuine. Something Joker felt he shared with his own friends. As Joker stepped back from the two he connected, both Naoto and Yu seemed to be in perfect sync as they both crushed arcana cards at the same time.
"Divine justice!" They both called in union.
Izanagi and Yamato Sumeragi appeared above their respective users standing back to back. Thrusting out their non-sword hand both Persona begun to gather intense white energy. Joker didn't need Kouzeon's fancy scanning ability to know an almighty attack when he saw one. The two Persona thrust their arms upwards at the same time causing the two attacks to combine into a far more powerful bomb of almighty energy. There was a blinding flash that Joker had to look away from. As he lowered his arm he caught the tail end of the almighty damage raining over the battlefield, it had struck each of the cognitions for some serious damage.
Even with that powerful of an attack, the cognitions got to their feet to continue. However the police shadows that had been filing in were no more, so that was one victory. These weren't normal cognitions at all, they were monsters. The information from Kouzeon indicated that the battle could be won, but it was going to be a long fight. More of a battle of attrition than anything else. The main problem was they were outnumbered and everyone was trying to keep more than one of these cognitions back.
Things were bound to slip up as a lion suddenly breached the line everyone had made around Joker. The inky black lion wore the mask of Skull as it crouched low. Joker didn't exactly know what to do, if he had been himself then he would have prepared to engage the enraged cognition. Instantly Kouzeon faded from around him as Joker stared at the lion. There was no fear at all, there was only calm acceptance and trust. The lion darted forward, fangs bared.
It happened in a split second. A shield instantly formed around Joker which the lion crashed into before a katana came down over the beasts back, swiftly cleaving it in two. The cognition faded from existence at the blow. At first Joker didn't understand what happened, but Rise knew. The shield had come from Naoto, her special ace-in-the-hole move; shield of justice. The slash had come from Izanagi, a second nature knee jerk reaction on Yu's part to protect both his navigator and the woman he loved. Yu glanced back at Joker, and Joker understood the sense of worry in his eyes. Again, that love and trust bubbled in his chest. These feelings weren't Joker's own but he was beginning to understand the full scope of the powerful bond the investigation team had.
"I'm fine, thanks guys!" Joker announced to his party as Kouzeon was once again summoned.
"Princess, we should try and free the last fragment of Akechi!" A picture of Oracle appeared in the corner of Kouzeon's screen as she spoke.
"You think that will help?" Joker asked.
"I don't think it'll hurt, but we need to get Akechi and Joker away from the cage. I think Mona could free him with his lock picking skills. I've overloaded Prometheus to keep the area lit up, but I can't help Joker as much as I wish I could." Oracle announced.
"I could give him a boost with my power, if he's boosted maybe he could pull Akechi away from the cage so Mona can get to it." Joker figured.
"Sounds like a plan to me. I'll see if I got any power I can divert so I can also boost Joker. Uggh this sucks! Do you know how much power is needed to keep this place lit up!?" Joker could hear the frustration in Oracles voice.
Joker planned the next few seconds out as Kouzeon took in the whole view of the battlefield. Pulling Mona from the battle to go after the cage was a complicated affair, but with proper execution it could be pulled off. Everyone would have to cover them as both he and Mona broke formation to head towards the cage and there was always the possibility that they could end up drawing one or two with them as they left. While Joker didn't exactly know how to pull everything off, Rise knew.
"Okay everyone listen up! Boulder, Kuma I'm going to need both of you to use your special moves here in a second. Mona you're with me! Oracle wants Mona to unlock the last fragment's cage. Those moves should open the way for me and Mona to slip past these cognitions. I'm boosting Joker so he can hopefully draw Akechi way from the cage."
"Heh! We're going all out!?" Kanji chuckled excitedly. "These idiots won't know what hit 'em!"
"I'll bear down on these posers with all I've got!" Teddie's voice was laced with determination and anger.
"I'll get that lock undone in a jiffy." Mona broke formation slightly to step closer to Joker.
"Ready? 3… 2… 1… GO!" Joker commanded.
Kanji activated The Man's Way as Teddie activated Kamui Miracle. At the same moment, Joker deactivate Kouzeon as Mona activated a powerful wind move to cut them a way through the cognitions. Joker darted forward as Mona followed close behind. The ploy had worked as for a moment all cognitions were downed instantly. Mona made a b-line for the cage as Joker moved around to himself.
In an instant the memory faded as Rise stood in front of him and he instantly understood what he had to do. Rise had shared this memory with him so he understood exactly what was happening. He needed to distract Akechi, and keep him away from the cage. A task easier said than done, but he could feel Rise's power mingle with his own in such a way that it gave him confidence that it was something he could pull off.
"I can do it." Joker calmly told Rise.
"I know you can." Rise smiled warmly.
There was a flash of blinding light as reality snapped back into existence for Joker. Rise's memories faded to the back of his mind as Akechi stood in front of him. It was as if no time had passed since Rise had touched Joker and he got a crash course in what was happening from Rise's memories. What lingered however, was this feeling; Joker felt lighter than air and stronger than he had ever been. If the plan was to draw Akechi away, then he would definitely do that.
Joker struck first with an unnatural burst of speed, instantly causing this darker Akechi to take a defensive stance. The clash of their blades rang out. This battle seemed to stir up something as Arsene, seemingly to appear on his own, went up against the dark Akechi's Loki. The fact Arsene may not have been Joker's most powerful Persona but out of all Joker's Persona Arsene seemed to almost have a will of his own. A will Joker trusted. If Arsene wanted to join the fight, than Joker wasn't going to stop the Persona.
Joker relented slightly to Akechi's blade and jumped back several feet. Akechi who was beyond infuriated at this point took off after Joker. They clashed blades several more times as Joker repositioned them far away from the cage. It would appear with the transformation that Akechi's wound to his shoulder had healed, either that or his own adrenaline was dulling the pain enough so it didn't bother him. As Joker moved the battle to a point where the cage was at Akechi's back he started to prepare for his own counterattack.
"I'll kill you! I'll crush you!" All pretense of the calm collected Akechi were gone, replaced with nothing but madness. He had fallen, but he wasn't at rock bottom. Joker knew that would only come with defeat. "Loki, show them!"
Only from total rock bottom could anyone hope to build Akechi up again.
"Arsene!" Joker shouted to his Persona.
A deep chuckle seemed to echo from Jokers base Persona as it seemed to be enjoying itself. It didn't need a command, it simply understood what Joker required. The Persona raised his hand as Loki sent a bombardment of dark energy directly at Joker. Without a word all of it was absorbed as Arsene turned Loki's power into his own. Joker smirked at Akechi which only seemed to further his descent into madness.
"DIE!" Akechi screamed as he darted forward, in sync with his Persona.
Both Akechi and Loki moved as one to strike down Joker, but Arsene powered up from Loki's previous attack wasn't having it. He moved to deal with Loki as Joker focused his attention on Akechi. Akechi moved to bring down his blade on Joker, but the attack was so broadcasted that Joker had already figured out how to counter it. Stepping to the side the blade missed him entirely as Joker thrust his blade down across Akechi's shoulder and chest. The blade didn't pierce Akechi's armor but it was definitely felt. Akechi hissed in pain as he took a step back to refocus himself for another attack. This time the blade came hard from Jokers left and he was forced to switch the hand he had his dagger in to parry the blow. Everything was going smoothly until Joker was caught off guard as Akechis hand reached out and grabbed a hold of Joker's waistcoat. Akechi wasn't above playing dirty as he headed butted Joker right in the forehead.
For a second Joker saw nothing but stars as he stumbled backwards from the simple but effective attack. Akechi wasn't going to let his new advantage be wasted as he lunged at Joker with his serrated sword. Pain blossomed across the Joker's upper abdomen and right side as the blade struck him. Joker's armor had taken the lion's share of the blow, but Akechis attacks were deadly and there would definitely be a nasty bruise across his ribs. The pain however refocused the Phantom Thief's attention as he got ready to counterattack once again.
Joker felt a pulse of Arsene's power flow through him along with Rise's power, Joker knew he'd make the next attack count. Taking a page out of Akechi's book, Joker struck back with his fist. The attack connected right across the left side of Akechi's face. Like some sort of manga, Akechi was instantly knocked back and collapsed to the floor in the wake of the attack. Joker shook his hand, it was definitely bruised or worse from that as he had mostly hit Akechi's mask with that blow. A second later Arsene managed to get the upper hand on Loki and blasted him away with a powerful almighty attack.
Loki faded from view as Arsene took his place next to Joker before fading back into his mask. Akechi didn't move for a second or two, clearly the attack had a bigger effect on him than Joker figured it would. Planting his blade into the ground Akechi struggled to get to his knees. It was then Joker saw the damage he had inflicted, Akechi's black mask was shattered on the left side of his face. Joker could see the rage that boiled in the detective's eyes as he struggled to get up, but it was clear he wasn't in a condition to continue fighting.
"Why are you… looking at me like that…?! I've.. I've succeeded until now… all by myself! I don't need… anyone… Not you… Not your friends… Not Naoto…" Akechi growled but it was clear the madness was starting to fade as the emptiness took its place.
"That's a lie…" A new voice called out as suddenly all the house lights came on banishing the darkness around them.
Joker looked up as a new Akechi walked up. This one wore an outfit similar to the one he wore as crow but instead of white as the primary color it was red and the mask was replaced by a top hat. This was ringleader Akechi and if it wasn't for the golden eyes this Akechi had, Joker could have sworn this was the real Akechi. Clearly, this was all the fragments reunited, Akechi's true shadow. The Ring leader stepped up to his other self and knelt down placing a hand on the real Akechi's shoulder.
"You don't need to be alone anymore… They came to help." The ringleader's voice was gentle as he spoke to himself.
Akechi dropped his sword and threw his hands over his ears. "No! You lie! I don't need anyone! I hate you so much!"
"You can't keep ignoring me, your true self. You've walked the road of vengeance alone for so long that you lost the ability to trust even yourself. You need to let me back in. You need to trust again or you will die." The ringleader softly explained.
"I can't… You know what I did! I've killed people. I'm way beyond salvation, this is the only road left for me… damnation. The death of Shido will be my act of atonement." Akechi's voice was becoming pained as he spoke.
"It was manipulation of those around you that caused you to do all those things. You were just a boy who wanted acceptance, even if it was at the hands of an evil man. There is still a chance at salvation, if only you'll reach out and take it. The road will be hard but it won't be as hard as the road that took you to this point." Ringleader Akechi enlightened his other self.
"Am I worthy of salvation?" Akechi looked up the tears that streaked down his face became visible for all to see.
"I think so." Joker responded.
"What?" Akechi seemed shocked by his words.
"I agree with him." Naoto stepped up to Joker's side.
"You're pretty scummy Akechi, but everyone deserves a second chance if they willing to embrace it." Oracle called as she stepped out from Prometheus.
"Our story doesn't have to end in tragedy." Ringleader Akechi smiled. "Let me return to you, so you can return to your true self. Not the shadow you have become."
"Wh-what do I need to do?!" Akechi asked.
At that moment Akechi's cognition begin to glow and slowly started to fade away back into the real Akechi. Suddenly Robin Hood appeared in front of Akechi before it slowly started to morph into a new Persona. This new Persona looked much more like a knight in shining armor, complete with stylized armor, a large lance, and a shield instead of a Robin Hood's bow. The Persona rode on a beautiful white horse outfitted with tassels and banners. The Persona nodded to all present before it faded away back into Akechi. Instantly the dark clothes Akechi had been wearing faded back to the white Phantom thief attire he had been wearing to fool everyone. This time he wouldn't be fooling anyone.
"What is this? …Lancelot? My new power?" Akechi muttered confused.
"Hey does that mean Joker just got a true bond with Akechi?!" Oracle asked.
"Probably." Yu sounded as if the whole thing was no big deal.
"Welcome back to the Phantom Thieves Crow." Joker stepped up to his former foe and extended a hand to his friend.
Crow looked away for a second before he reached up and took Joker's hand and pulled himself up. "I have made so many mistakes. I don't know how but I'll do my best to make up for them…"
Naoto smiled towards Crow. "Goro Akechi, I can't say I fully understand your situation but from now on, you and I are family. I know your mom left you and your dad is in need of his own salvation. So allow me to step into the role of guardian for you. I can't save you from everything you've done, but I can at least stand by you."
"Family?" Crow sounded as if he didn't believe the words that just came from Naoto.
"Yes family. We may not be related by blood, but we are related by something else. I've been taught that blood isn't always thicker than water." With that Naoto glanced at her friends around her.
"I don't deserve any of this…" Crow turned away for a second. "But I'll take it!"
"So by family…" Kanji started.
Naoto shot her boyfriend a look. "Think of him like a little brother Boulder."
"Oh! I can do that! Alright little bro, we're family too I guess!" Kanji sounded proud about that as he walked up and patted Akechi's back.
Akechi flinched but looked up at Kanji. "I guess?"
It was at that moment that Joker felt his strength start to leave him. Falling to his knees, all the effects from his long fight with Akechi started to affect his body. Joker had fought hard enemies before but he had dueled Akechi one on one and taken the full brunt of all of his attack on himself. Not to mention the psychic strain that came with all of his Persona usage. Joker wasn't the only one to crumble as Crow seemed to mirror his sudden exhaustion as the adrenaline wore off for them both.
"Joker!" Oracle called rushing to her leader's side.
"We should get them out of here. They both fought on another level. They need rest and lots of it." Rise's concern laced every word she spoke.
"Agreed." Came the calm voice of Yu.
The leader of the investigation team leaned down and helped Joker to his feet, shouldering him as he did so. Kanji mirrored the movement but for Crow just a few steps away. Joker was forced to lean on Yu for support as it felt like every ounce of his energy was completely drained. He knew he was messed up, but Joker knew it was times like this you just lean on those around you. That was the power of bonds.
"You did well." The older protagonist whispered to his younger protégé.
I hope someone will leave feed back on this chapter and review. I revamped about 3-4 times, switched things around and I like how it flows right now. Hopefully it's pleasing to you as the reader. This is one the longest chapters in the story. I got a few other long ones but hopefully the action was on point. Next upload is in 2-3 days depending on reviews.