Hello Once again all! Sorry about the long wait between updates, my appendix decided to get infected and that was a huuuuuuuuuuge ordeal.
This chapter was Beta'd by the Magnificent: Immortal Thunder. And again, here is the Text Key:
"Regular Speaking" Thoughts/Flashback Persona/Deity Spell Velvet Room Attendant/Social Link Voice Dead Hope
Now
ON WITH THE SHOW!
*April 29th, Friday, Evening*
Rain pattered against the window, as the clock in Yu's room ticked slowly towards Midnight. It was a habit that he had yet to grow out of, as his worry consumed him every time the fog was about to let up. The main reason was the nightmares, where somehow, the person who was thrown into the TV ended up back in the TV world after they were saved. He would run as fast as he could and do what he could save them.
It's almost time. Came Izanagi's calming voice.
I know. I hope my worry is for nothing. As he finished his thought, the Static from the TV came to life, and it showed a silhouette of a male. What!?
The silhouette walked closer to the screen, slowly getting more and more clear. Slicked back yellow hair came into view, along with a skull T-shirt, a bullet chain necklace, and a small hole in the center of his head. That wasn't what caught Yu's attention though. Silver eyes…
"K-Kanji?"
"Yo Senpai!" came his loud confident voice, ever embraced in pride and happiness. "How ya hangin'?" Yu slowly got off the bed, and moved in front of the T.V, sitting on the small table in his room.
"I-I'm doing okay Kanji. I… I'm so sor-"
"You don't have to be Senpai," The Dead Emperor interrupted the Fool. "It was my own fault after all. Had to be a show off, ya know?" Yu clenched his fist.
"But I didn't do anything to save you! I hardly acted at all! I'M THE REASON ALL OF YOU ARE DEAD!" In hindsight, Yu would be glad that Ryotaro was out at work and that Nanako was staying at a friend's house. "I DIDN'T DO A DAMN THING AND THAT'S WHY YOU'RE ALL DEAD!" Yu's voice was filled with self-loathing, pure rage at his own failure. He slammed his head into his hand, angry tears falling from his eyes.
"SHUT UP, DAMMIT!" came Kanji's voice. Yu's head shot up, seeing the spirit angrily glare at him. "HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO MOVE ON, ACTING LIKE THIS?"
Kanji-kun! Yu-kun! The two boys turned to see a nearly transparent Sumeo-Okami. It was the voice, however, that attracted the attention of Yu, instead of the new appearance.
"Y-Yukiko-san!?"
"Yukiko! Ya beat me here? Damn it. I wanted to be the first one!"
You know why I was first, Kanji-kun.
"Still doesn't change that I wanted to be the first one."
"But… I thought." Yu spoke up, confusion lacing his voice. He was interrupted again by Kanji.
"It doesn't matter what you thought! The point is, you've been actin' all kinds of wrong. Been trying to hold it all on your shoulders. You need to allow your friends to also shoulder your burden!"
Yu raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Yeah, because that will go so over well! 'Hey Yosuke, sorry that I got you and Chie, and a buncha others you haven't met yet killed.' 'Hey Chie, think you can take the lead? I need to grieve over your death.'"
"That's not what I meant and you know it!"
You've gotten a lot more expressive, Yu-kun, Sumeo-Okami stated, a small lilt in her voice.
"Having your only friends die in front of you does that," came his dry response. Kanji didn't take too kindly to that answer and moved to punch the TV Screen.
Kanji-kun, NO! Sumeo-Okami called, but it came too late, as once Kanji's fist hit the screen, the Midnight Channel Abruptly ended.
In a flash, the translucent Persona disappeared, and Yu was left alone with his self-hatred and confusion.
*April 31st, Sunday, Afternoon*
The Investigation Team was sitting around the Junes Food Court, an awkward silence surrounding the group. Hope, who didn't show up to school yesterday, had called everyone to meet up. Once they had all arrived, the Velvet Fool stood up abruptly and bowed to the assembled four Persona Users.
"Please forgive my actions the other day, Yu-sama, Chie-chan. I am terribly sorry for any embarrassment I had caused you!"
Chie was the first to respond to the outburst. "W-whoa! Hey, don't worry about it Hope-kun! I was more worried than anything…"
"I apologize for worrying you then, Chie-chan." He bowed once again, and fell backwards as the Chariot pushed his head, gently enough for it to not hurt, but enough for him to be moved.
"It's just Chie, dummy," she said with a smile, and everyone laughed lightly, relieved that the tension was over. Yu spoke up once the laughter died down.
"That's not the sole reason why you called us here. Let's go on in and get some training done." Hope nodded to the order, and got up.
"Got it!" And with a smile, they followed him into the TV.
Inside the T.V. world, the group met up with Teddie, and began their training plan session. "All right, so if I remember correctly, from the conversation that Hope had with Konohana Sakuya, Yukiko-san can use Agi and Dia. So from my experience, it's best if the Mages are in the center. Yukiko-san, you are the White Mage, Hope, your the Black Mage. Chie, you get behind and the right of Hope. Yosuke, to the back and left of Yukiko-san. I'll take the front. We're going back to the castle, so lead the way Teddie," Yu instructed, and the triangle formation made their way to the castle. Yosuke spoke up as a way to kill the time.
"So, if Hope is the Black Mage, and Yukiko is the White Mage, what are me, you and Chie?" Without even hesitating, Yu gave his answer.
"In that Order, still using RPG classifications, Ninja, Hero, Glass Cannon." The Fool sped up slightly and looked down as he continued to follow Teddie. Yosuke groaned in response.
"Why do you get to be the Hero!?" But Yu didn't respond.
He was too busy reliving the past to hear him.
*December 1st, Thursday, After School*
The Samegawa Riverbed was quiet, only two teens taking up space in the empty area. "Yo Yu, you ever think that sometimes our life is like a video game? I mean, we can summon beings of immense power, fight different kinds of monsters." Yosuke trailed off, waiting for an answer.
Yu was silent, before answering his Partner. "I think so. Like an RPG." Yosuke perked up at that, a small smile on his face.
"Oh really? Like with classes and stuff?" The Fool nodded.
"Yeah. Like… Naoto, she's our black mage. She's got Agidyne, Bufudyne, Garudyne, Ziodyne, Hamaon, Mudoon and even Megidolaon. Her Endurance isn't the best, as like with Mages, but she can handle any weakness that one of the Shadow's might have. With her Mind Charge, she's practically unstoppable! Teddie would be a cleric I think, with his multitude of status affecting abilities. Skill-wise, that's his only definable attribute. And that feels kinda bad to say it out loud.
"Kanji, he's our Wall or Tank. His Endurance is outrageous, I'm sure he could handle getting shot a few times, and still be ready to roll. Sure he isn't the fastest, but he can sure as hell give and take a beating. On the opposite side of Naoto, Yukiko is our White Mage, with her massive healing abilities. With her Maragidyne, she's not completely defenseless either. Glass cannon would definitely be Chie. She's super deadly with her legs, but she's not as strong as either Kanji, you, or myself.
"Yosuke, I think you would most likely be a Ninja class, because of your quick speed, especially under a Sukukaja. That, and your weapons of choice." The Magician laughed loudly at that. Yu joined him, and the two friends enjoyed the atmosphere together. Yosuke spoke after a while.
"What about you, Partner? Main Character status for you?" Yu turned his head to look at Yosuke.
"What makes you say that?"
A pause. "You're kidding me right? You're the only one among us that can use multiple Personas. With that, you can be the White Mage, the Black Mage, the Tank, the Wall, the Cleric, the Ninja, the Glass Cannon, the Mob Sweeper, the Boss killer, all with a single flip of your personality. You could be the Ultimate class, or the most basic class. You could be a Slime, or the Super Secret Final Boss." Yu was embarrassed by the praise, but before he could stop Yosuke, he continued, "But you don't ever want to be. You want everyone to be able to be the best they can be, and they can't do that if you're taking their spot. You don't wanna be the Ultimate Super Secret Boss, you just wanna be a Hero. You want to be what we need you to be. And that makes you a bigger man than I could ever be and that's… really cool."
"Rank Up! Thy bond is strengthened by the hopes you both hold for the future. The Magician will now die for you."
Yu continued to lead the group until they reached the castle, where Teddie spoke up. "There seems to be a beary strong Shadow at the top!" Already suspecting this, Yu turned his attention to the party.
"Okay, now, you should know Yukiko-san and Hope, this will not be good and easy. These things will do everything in their power to kill you. We have to work together if we want to survive. Teddie, can you tell if Hope has an elemental weakness?" The bear in question walked up to the Velvet Fool and began sniffing.
"I can't tell anything. Sorry, Sensei." Teddie pouted, feeling down.
"Don't worry about it Teddie," Yu replied. "So Hope, I'm sorry, but we should test it. It's better for us if we do this in a more controlled environment than against the shadows themselves." Everyone looked shocked at his order.
"I understand. Got anything to heal me from the wounds you're about to inflict on me?" Hope asked, adding to the shock of the Magician, Chariot, and Priestess.
"I have some healing items, and if I remember correctly from the conversation me and the group had, both Yosuke and Yukiko-san have Dia. Yosuke, we will start with you." Yosuke nodded.
"Sorry Hope." The headphone-wearing teen said before flipping and summoning his Persona. "JIRAYA! GARU!" The Ninja Frog Persona appeared in a burst of light, and a small green tornado formed around the Velvet Fool.
Hope braced himself, and while he did flinch, he took little damage: only a cut on his arm from the sharp wind. "Hurts, but it's not too bad. Send a Dia my way, 'kay Yosuke?" The Magician nodded and did so. Yukiko went next and pulled out a bladed fan.
"I'm sorry Hope. I won't hold back though! KONOHANA-SAKUYA! AGI!" Flames enveloped the boy, and Hope let out a sharp cry in pain. Yukiko immediately healed the boy.
"Gah! Fire... Bad," the Amnesiac groaned. Chie stepped up and stretched her legs.
"Ready?" Hope shook his head 'No', but got ready anyway. Chie leaped into the air and smashed her Persona card, summoning Tomoe. "TOMOE! BUFU!" Hope braced himself, and as soon as the ice magic touched him, he collapsed.
"Shit!" Yu sprinted over to the unconscious boy, pulling out a Bead and shoving it in his mouth. Within seconds, Hope sat up, blinking his eyes in confusion.
"Weak to Ice?" he managed to ask.
"Weak to Ice," Yu answered. "One more to go." Hope sighed in defeat, before standing up and spreading his arms out, eyes shut tight.
"Hit me with your best shot!" Yu summoned Izanagi's Persona card and crushed it in his hand. The Father of Japan summoned a bolt of Lightning. Everyone winced when it slammed into Hope but were surprised when nothing happened. Hope continued to stand there, seemingly untouched. "What are you waiting for? Hit me!"
"We did. Direct hit," Yosuke spoke up, awe in his voice. "And you shrugged it off like it was nothing!" Yu nodded his head thoughtfully.
"Teddie, were you keeping track?"
"Yeah! Hope is resistant to Wind/Garu skills, weak to Ice/Bufu skills, and completely immune to Lightning/Zio skills. Fire/Agi skills affect him normally." The Bear responded to Yu's question.
Hope moved closer to the group, now that he was done with the 'Testing' "So now it's Yukiko's turn, right?" the Fool responded as Yukiko looked slightly worried.
"That won't be the case for her. The main reason we did it for you, Hope, is because you can use all kinds of magic. In our magic terms, you can use Agi, Bufu, Garu, and Zio. With Izanagi, I primarily use Zio, and my weakness is Garu while inversely, Yosuke uses Garu, and his weakness is Zio. Chie has Bufu, weak to Agi. Using that logic, Yukiko, who uses Agi, is weak to Bufu. But-again using the same logic-since you use all four of them, you would be resistant to all of them or weak to all of them. Thus, we had to test your strengths and weaknesses." The explanation was sound, and Hope's expression was one of defeat.
"Form up then?"
"Form up." A soft whine came from the Velvet Fool, and once everyone was back in the Triangle Formation, the five moved into the castle.
This place feels… wrong, was Hope's first thought of the Castle. Every window was cracked, and the walls were coated in ice. He subconsciously flexed his hands, ready to call upon the magic inside him at anytime. The Velvet Fool saw their leader stiffen up slightly, and he ordered them to group together.
"Something's wrong. Yukiko, Hope stay close to together. Chie, Yosuke, on guard." In a flash, Yu unsheathed his Blazefire Sabre in it's gun mode and cautiously moved forward. After a single step, there was shrill laughter-eerily similar to Yukiko's, Hope noted-and a gas-like sphere with a mask shot forward from the fog ahead of them. In a flash, Yu fired off a shot at the Shadow, only for it to absorb the bullet of energy. "What!? It can't be… a Rainy Sister!? They're only supposed to show up on rainy days!" The Rainy Sister charged the group, glowing a faint blue for just a moment before a large chunk of Ice flew towards the group. Hope saw the bullet coming and grabbed Yukiko in a tackle to prevent them both from being hit from the Bufudyne.
"Shit… Yu! It's weak to Agi right? From what you said earlier?" Yu didn't seem to hear him though, as he seemed frozen in fear. Why isn't he moving? Damn it, leader! Yosuke and Chie were trying everything they could to fight back against the Shadow that was doing everything in its power to attack the Priestess and Velvet Fool. Damn it, think think think. What was that spell I just remembered? Haste? Suddenly, time seemed to stop as Hope was drawn into his mind. He saw himself standing in a pose before throwing his hands out in an attempt to stop something from reaching him. Hope quickly got up and mimicked the stance, throwing his arms out and calling out the spell's name. "Haste!" The Synergist was enveloped in an orange light as the spell took effect, and the world around him seemed to slow immensely. He saw Yosuke's head turn to him in super slow motion, as a second Bufudyne seemed to crawl to him and Yukiko. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chie try to move to stand in between the oncoming attack and her two friends. Hope stood up and gently pulled Chie out of the way of the blast.
He pulled his arm back and a light red orb appeared in his hand. "Fire." With the simple command, he launched the fireball into the giant block of magical ice. He continued to launch the magical fire until the ice was completely gone. Hope pulled back his arm again, and as soon as he let the spell go, time resumed to normal from him, and he was barraged by the sounds of his teammates' voices.
"W-what?"
"YUKIKO!"
"YUKIKO!"
"Oh crap!"
It took everyone a second to realize that something had happened, with the Shadow's death cry finalizing the battle's end. The fact that both Hope and Yukiko were fully conscious and Hope was still in a battle stance. Yukiko was the first to speak up. "Hope? Was… was that beam of fire you?"
The Velvet Fool tilted his head slightly in confusion. "What do you mean 'beam of fire'?" Yosuke answered the other teen.
"After you said 'Haste' there was a beam of fire that assaulted the Shadow for maybe five seconds, and then the Shadow died. Whatever you did, that was AWESOME!" Hope's eyes widened in understanding.
"I see. To me, it felt like thirty seconds of chunking Fires at it, but for you guys, the fireballs were going at such as speed that it seemed like a beam." There was a thud and they all turned to see Yu collapse to the ground, seemingly barely able to keep himself from falling all the way. Hope could hear faint heaving, as if Yu was trying to prevent himself from puking. The Amnesiac quickly went to the downed boy, gently rubbing his back, trying to soothe him. Faint sobbing reached his ears, and he could barely make out the words 'failed' and 'again', his body shaking uncontrollably. "Yu? Buddy? Breathe for me okay? Yukiko, do you have anything that can cure status affects?" The Priestess seemed to pause for a minute before summoning her elegant Persona.
"Me Patra!" With the command said, the entire party was bathed in a silver light. Almost instantaneously, the trembling stopped. The boy slowly staggered to his feet, his hair covering his face.
"T-thanks Yukiko. I must have missed when the Shadow cast it's spell. H-Hope, come over here for a moment, strategy meeting." Yu's voice was cracking and if anyone had any objections, she kept it to herself [or him to himself]. The two Fools huddled together and began to talk.
"Yu, talk to me, what happened? We both know you weren't hit by a spell." Yu looked to the group again, before making eye contact with Hope.
"You… you remember about what happened to me, right?" At Hope's nod, he continued. "W-well, on that… day, the Shadow you just fought was… the kind that killed Yukiko." Hope's eyes widened as Yu continued. "And… and I couldn't do anything! They absorb everything but fire, so I was useless! I couldn't do anything! Again!" The distraught Fool quickly turned and slammed his fist into the wall. "Damn it!" The self-hatred radiated off of the boy.
"Yu…" What can I do for him? At this point only Yukiko and I can attack them, and even then, we are the only ones weak to them! Think Hope, what spells do you have? Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Aero, Protect, En-Frost, En-Spark, En-Aero, En-Fire, and Hast- EN-FIRE! Duh! "I got it! En-Fire!" The Velvet Fool created a light red orb and gripped it tightly in his hand. "Give me your weapon." Yu turned around, slightly confused and curious as he handed the Blazefire Saber to Hope. He brought the orb to touch the blade, and almost instantaneously the blade erupted into a flame. "Now you won't be so 'useless'," Hope joked as he handed the weapon back to the other Fool. He quickly moved over to Yosuke and did the same to his Kunai. The Velvet Fool paused as he approached Chie. "Um… how do you wanna do this Chie?"
The Kung-Fu lover tilted her head slightly in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Um well… your weapons are your grieves right? Well, if I move down there, I'd be… well… near a very 'intimate' place… and as a woman, it'd be pretty inappropriate for me to be near such a place on your body." His face was flushed as his embarrassment got to him. Almost immediately as he made eye contact with her, he saw her own embarrassment, and what he thought was joy. In a flash, time stopped. A loud crash sounded, as light faded all around him.
"Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a genuine bond... The innermost power of the Chariot Arcana has been set free. Remember who you are, and Victory will be at hand. Gather your Will power… And Victory will be yours. Ruin your enemies, young Hope."
Time resumed and Chie spoke up. "T-thanks Hope… Um… Oh! What if I put my legs on the wall? That way you won't have to worry about seeing anything!" Her smiling demeanor was infectious as Hope joined in and enhanced the weapons on her legs.
Alright! Time for us to get going! "I'm not sure how long this will last so let's get moving." With a nod from their leader, they all moved in unison throughout the castle.
The Investigation Team continued to climb up through the tower, the only member truly on edge being Yu, who quickly decimated any Shadows that attacked them from the front. He was ruthless in his assault, cleaving the Rainy Sisters in half whenever they got close, shooting others whenever they came into view. The Fool was seething in rage, and with every shadow that appeared, and anger seemed to intensify.
The Magician stepped closer to the Velvet Fool. "Psst… Hey Hope." The platinum blond looked back to the music loving teen.
"Yeah, Yosuke?"
"What's up with Yu? He seems… more angry than usual." Hope sighed before glancing at Chie and Yukiko who just finished off a shadow coming towards them.
"How much do you know about him?"
"You mean his past?" At Hope's nod, Yosuke continued. "He told me that he worked with a team before… and that they all died from Shadows."
"That's right. Not only that, but those Shadows that have been attacking us? They were responsible for one of their deaths." Yosuke paled at the implications.
"So… the reason he's been like that…"
"Has been because Yukiko, who has extreme similarities with his old teammate, was almost murdered by the exact same thing that killed that teammate. These shadows are only weak to Fire, and they absorb all the other elements, including physical attacks. That's why I buffed all your weapons, so that we all can fight them, and not just me and Yukiko."
"Shit… That's some heavy stuff. No wonder he's destroying all these Shadows without mercy."
"Well once we beat this big Shadow upstairs that Teddie was talking about, we'll get the hell outta here." Yosuke nodded as they continued walking together.
"Still, I wonder why the Shadows here are different than last time."
"This place is as much a mystery to me as it is to you."
Soon enough they reached the top of the Castle, and the doors that once contained Yukiko and her Shadow were before them. Yu pushed open the doors, and the team readied themselves as they faced… an empty room.
"Teddie, are you sure you smelt a Shadow here?" Yosuke asked. Yu, however, answered instead.
"On your guard. It could be anywhere…" Silently, the group made their way into the center of the room, and once they reached it, the doors slammed shut and a loud roar filled the throne room.
"Protect!" the magic spell took them all by surprise as Hope buffed the party's physical defense. Once everyone was buffed, Hope tensed as a massive shape fell from the ceiling.
"What is THAT?!" Chie called out, stepping back in fear at the gargantuan beast.
"A… A Behemoth… Humbaba class. SHIT!" Everyone turned to look at Hope, surprise and worry on his face. "We have to use fire still. Yosuke, Yukiko on me! Yu, Chie, attack it from the sides!" They hesitated, causing Hope to shout at them. "NOW DAMN IT! Do you WANT to die!?"
The Fool and Chariot moved to their designated locations, as the Magician and Priestess moved closer to the Velvet Fool. "What do we do?" Yosuke asked, kunais at the ready. Yukiko stepped next to Hope.
"Give us your orders, Vice Leader!" The doom and fear that Hope felt while facing the Humbaba was pushed aside.
"We are gonna make a tornado of death."
*Flashback*
An Aero spell blew Hope back from the behemoth as Lightning returned to his side. "Ho… ope! Hope! HOPE!" His vision slowly came back to him, seeing his pink-haired Savior holding him up, her hand glowing a soft green.
"L-Light?" He could have sworn her eyes seemed to be really wet, but he ignored it. His eyes widened. "M-my arm… It took my arm…" Light gently patted his head.
"You're going to be okay Hope. I've stitched it back on and Regen is healing it up. Think you can keep up the fight once you're healed?" He subconsciously rolled his arm, feeling relief at the weight of it being there.
"What abou-"
"She's distracting it. I had to be able to heal you somehow right?" Her dry humor was much needed, as he laughed. He wrapped his good arm around her, ignoring her tensing form.
"Thank you, Light." The Ravager slowly stood up as he started buffing the three of them. "I got an idea. You can use Aeroga right?"
"That and Thundaga," the Soldier replied.
"Good. Use Aeroga first. Then keep switching between that and Thundaga. Don't let up until it's dead." Light gave a salute before calling out to their other ally.
"FANG! MOVE!" The Commando leaped away from the Behemoth and as soon as she was a good distance away from the dreaded beast, a large tornado surrounding the beast. Hope followed up with his own spells.
"Firaga! Fira! Fire!" The flames morphed into the tornado becoming a giant tornado of fire, enveloping the Humbaba in its flames. Fang seemed to pick up on the plan, throwing in her own Fire and Aero spells into the mix. Light threw in her Thundaga, adding lightning to the mix. Loud roars sounded from the giant behemoth as the flames ravaged it's body from every side.
In its last ditch attempt to eat its rebellious prey, the Humbaba soared out of the dying tornado, roaring at the young boy. Hope raised his hand and the aura surrounding him turned red.
"Ruinga!" The gray spell went directly into the behemoth's wide mouth, and almost instantly, the beast exploded with a loud BOOM! Victory was his.
He threw up his fist in a cheer, as exhaustion took over him.
*End Flashback*
"Yosuke! Garu like your life depends on it, cause it does! Yukiko! The same with Agi! Aim for it's face!" The two nodded and went to work, with the sounds of Persona Summoning going off all around him. Hope brought his arms in gathering energy around him, before forcing it outside of him. "HASTE!" An orange glow appeared around him, and everything around him slowed down. Hope ran towards the behemoth, flinging Fire spells as he ran. Upon reaching the behemoth, he climbed on to the beast's rising arm that was most likely intended to hit him, and maneuvered his way to the head of the beast. He kept launching spell after spell into the Humbaba's mouth before jumping off as he spotted Yosuke's and Yukiko's spells head over to the beast in slow motion. As soon as he hit the ground, the spell faded and time resumed to its regular speed. He heard the roaring behind him as the beast was enveloped in a small flaming tornado. Chie backed away from the spell fire as Yu switched to Sumeo-Okami and continued to attack the beast. The Velvet Fool dodged away from the behemoth's angry claws. Thinking quickly, he cast En-Frost on one of his shoes, and started skating around the burning beast. Hope continued to throw Fire spells at the beast until he saw the beast charge towards Yukiko and Yosuke. However, in a flash, a cyclone of fire surrounded the Humbaba.
As the beast charged forward towards his friends, time seemed to almost slow around Yu. He could see the aftermath already if he didn't do anything.
"NO!" Chie would cry as she fell to her knees, defeat and tears looming in her eyes. "Y-YUKIKO!" Half of the mangled corpse of the Priestess would fall out of the beast's mouth as it turned its sights on Yosuke, who would be pinned underneath its massive claw. Hope would still be vainly be trying to assault the beast as he stood there, utterly defeated and useless once again.
Do you truly wish for your friends to die again?
Izanagi's calm voice brought Yu out of his depressing and morbid thoughts. No… I must do something! I REFUSE TO BE USELESS AGAIN!
The Fool's despair was quickly replaced with rage as he saw red.
"MARAGIDYNE!"
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Yu stagger over and brace himself with Blazefire Sabre. "Nice one, Yu-sama!" Hope skated over to Chie who was the closest to him. "You all right? Didn't get hurt?" The Chariot nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Can't believe we took that down!" She laughed and Hope joined with a small chuckle. However, it vanished when a loud roar was heard from the flames.
"Oh no… I forgot again! Shit! Chie quick, get Tomoe to throw me above the flames!" With a look of confusion and panic, she hesitantly summoned her Persona.
"You heard him Tomoe! Toss him above the flames!" With a nod, the Persona grabbed the Velvet Fool in her hands and picked him up.
I'm sorry about this, lord Estheim.
"It's fine Tomoe-san. Quickly!" And with the command, Tomoe reeled back and chunked the Amnesiac towards the flames. Halfway to his destination, the flames died out, and the Humbaba stood up on its back legs. It gave a mighty roar as it reached behind it to pull out its giant sword. Hope slammed into the back of the beast's head, making it fall forward from the sudden force applied on its upper body. While it was dazed, Hope climbed to its snout, and forced the Humbaba's mouth open. "RUIN!" With the cry, a small grey orb shot out of the Ravager's palm. A second passed before a soft boom sounded in the behemoth's stomach. "RUIN! RUIN! RUIN!" With each cry, the destruction orbs shot straight into the beast. The beast fell backwards, and gave a pitiful whine as it's life force faded away.
Its body slowly turned black, and then banished in a cloud of black and red as he had seen many Shadow's do on his way up here. "Did… Did we do it?" came Yukiko's voice from behind him. Hope nodded, breathing heavily.
"I can't believe we took that down!" Yosuke spoke up, jumping for joy.
"It wasn't a question of can or can't, Yosuke…" Hope called back to him. "Some things in life you just… do." With his piece said, Hope fell backwards on his butt and promptly blacked out.
AN:/ For those of you who are curious, here is the list of social links for Hope Esthiem, The Velvet Fool.
Fool: Rank 3 (Yu)
Magician: Rank MAX (Yosuke)
Priestess: Rank MAX (Yukiko)
Chariot: Rank MAX (Chie)
Strength: Rank MAX (Kou and Daisuke)
Please, leave a review if you have any opinion on the story. Anything helps!
Now I'm off to go recover more before I have to go back to work.
TheFallenAlphaAngel