Author's Note: As promised, I bring you yet another chapter of Persona Gaiden: New Class! Hooray! I know I'm squeezing it in right in the final hour of the day, but hey, I kept my word! xD There's a development I know a lot of you have been waiting for, so please, enjoy. :D
On a sidenote, my debut novel, FIRES OF MAN, is now up on Goodreads! To take a look at the amazing cover art, and to support me by marking it "Want to Read," I've included the link in my profile. Or just head on over to Goodreads and search for "Fires of Man." Scroll down a bit and you'll see it, #1 of the Psionic Earth series by yours truly, Dan Levinson, AKA Narukami Dan. :) Thanks guys!
XVIII
Wednesday
April 17, 2013 — After School
Overcast
Shou, Kouta, and Emi stepped out of the train car.
"What the hell? Is this . . . Morigami?" Kouta asked.
"It's similar," Emi said, "but not the same."
She was right.
They stood in a square like the one in front of Morigami Academy, only instead of a statue of Morigami Yoshinori, there was a golden statue of Sayoko, hands on her hips, looking haughtily off into space. Behind it, a bizarre replica of the Classroom Building loomed large—huge, futuristic steel towers and minarets rose from the structure, speckled with bright, shining lights, and topped by glass domes where otherworldly violet energy flickered like plasma.
"So this is the world Sayo-chan wants to create, huh?" Kouta said.
"It's weird," Emi said, "I never pegged her for an elitist."
Shou said that maybe there was more to her Shadow's motivations than met the eye.
"Yeah," Emi said. "And we're not in any position to judge."
"Let's find Sayoko," Shou said, "and hear the truth from her!"
"Right!" Kouta and Emi said.
They stepped up to the building's entrance, where—just like at the orphanage—a portal of red and black circles swirled. Shou looked at his two friends, and then stepped through . . .
On the other side of the portal, a vast atrium stretched before Shou and his friends; cold blue tiles covered the floor, while a purple runner with silver trim extended down the center of the chamber. Lining the plum-colored walls were an array of portraits in gold frames, depicting some of the great minds of history—Einstein; Da Vinci; Newton; Edison; Franklin; Tesla; Aristotle. There were also portraits of Kirijo Koetsu, Morigami Yoshinori, and . . .
Sayoko herself.
Yet, despite the almost classical trappings, there were also signs of modern tech—digital panels glowed, set alongside each of the portraits; LED tube lights shone overhead.
"Oh, what do we have here?"
Shou's head swiveled toward the end of the antechamber.
Standing there was Sayoko herself, dressed in a prim midnight-colored pantsuit, her hair pinned up, a glowing tablet and stylus held in her small hands. At least, Shou thought it was Sayoko, until . . .
He noticed her glowing golden eyes.
"Tanimoto Shou," Shadow Sayoko said. "Hayabusa Kouta. Tachibana Emi. I don't see your names on the list. You haven't passed our entrance exam."
"E-entrance exam?" Kouta stammered.
"Why, of course," Shadow Sayoko replied. "Everyone who sets foot in the Sato Institute for the Intellectually Gifted and/or Exceptionally Talented must first pass the entrance exam."
"That's a mouthful," Emi remarked. "I think I liked 'Prodigy Palace' better."
"Hmph," replied Shadow Sayoko. "Imbeciles like you could never understand true brilliance."
"I . . . imbeciles?" Now it was Emi's turn to sound incredulous.
"I will give you one opportunity to turn around and leave," Shadow Sayoko said. "If not, you will force me to take more drastic measures."
"Take whatever measures you like!" Kouta shouted. "We ain't leavin'."
Shadow Sayoko winced. "At least learn to speak like a human being," she said.
Kouta's jaw dropped.
Emi stifled a giggle.
"So, is this your consensus?" Shadow Sayoko asked. "Will you not vacate the premises immediately?"
Shou told her they weren't going anywhere.
"Oh? Then so be it." Shadow Sayoko tapped at her tablet with her stylus, and there was a beep—the sound of the voice command function activating. "Ahem. This is Principal Sato speaking. Engage Shadow security countermeasures." She smiled at Shou and the others. "Next time, you should study harder for the entrance exam. If there is a 'next time.' Farewell."
She turned to go.
"Hold on a damn sec," Kouta said. He charged.
"Watch out!" Emi yelled.
Kouta leaped back just in time as a glob of darkness coalesced in front of him, lashing out with tenebrous limbs. It made an awful sort of glurk noise as it whipped around, revealing a small, round blue mask. "The hell?" Kouta said. He raised his shinai.
"Wait," Emi said, "let us handle this."
"But—"
"Rakhel, Bufu!" Emi cried.
Instantly, the white-armored figure of Emi's Persona rose from her like a phantom. It extended its clawed gauntlets and . . .
A spike of ice burst from beneath the Shadow. The thing let out another glurk as the ice struck; it retreated backward a step, seeming to wilt, as if it couldn't quite stand up straight.
"Huh," Emi said. "I was sure that would be enough."
Shou remembered how the transformed version of Emi's Shadow had been weak to fire. He wondered if the blue mask might mean this thing was strong against ice. He told Emi as much.
"Then you try," she said.
Shou took a deep breath, feeling the power of his Persona deep within him—a strength and warmth that could not be denied. Agi, he commanded silently.
He felt a rush as Adam rose up. A burst of fire engulfed the Shadow.
Greeeeeeee! it screeched.
Then it disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Suddenly, Shou felt a swirl of lightheadedness, like vertigo. It was like the room had begun to twirl around him. No, wait . . . It wasn't the room, but . . .
Cards!
Four cards had appeared in the air around him, and they spun about in a circle, like a crazed carousel. Shou could barely make out the images, but two looked like they contained forms of some unknown creatures, while another showed a picture of . . . a blue cup? He wasn't sure about the last one, but it looked sort of like broken glass.
This had to be what Igor had told him about. Perhaps those creatures were new Personas, ones that he could fuse to create stronger and stronger Personas, empowered further by his Social Links. He recalled Igor's words: master your fear, and reach out to them.
Reach out . . .
At the right time, he thrust out his hand to touch one of the cards.
Immediately, the other cards disappeared. The one he'd touched—depicting a small, winged, fairy-like creature—began to glow. A name popped into his mind. Pixie. And along with it, a knowledge of its abilities, including a healing spell—Dia. That would probably prove useful.
But he sensed his job wasn't yet done. Intuitively, he understood that he had to accept this new Persona into his heart. He closed his eyes, opening himself . . .
. . . And felt Pixie settle within the depths of his soul.
As soon as he did this, his surroundings snapped back into focus.
". . . Wasn't too bad," Kouta was saying. "I'm sure I coulda handled that little guy."
"We don't even know if you can hurt them without a Persona," Emi said.
"Then why'd you even bring me along?" Kouta demanded.
"Geez, why are you acting so sensitive?" Emi asked.
"I—"
"Enough, guys," Shou said.
Both Kouta and Emi stared at Shou a second. Then Kouta sighed and looked down at his feet. "Fine," he said. "Forget it. I'll stay back for now. But if things get tough, I won't hesitate to jump in, okay?"
"Just don't be hasty," Emi replied.
Kouta nodded, saying nothing.
Not wanting this little argument to continue, Shou told them they had no time to spare. If they hoped to save Sayoko, they had to plunge deeper into Prodigy Palace.
"Hey, wait a sec," Kouta said. "What's this?" He reached down and picked up . . . "¥120? Why's this here?"
Shou explained what Kaede had told him about how money could be earned in the Shadow world.
Kouta pressed the coins into Shou's hand. "Well, you keep it, then," he said. "You're used to managing finances!"
Shou slipped the money into his pocket.
They pressed forward, into wide, gloomy hallways decorated with replicas of those same portraits, along with those glowing digital panels. On closer inspection, Shou could see the panels contained interactive biographies on each of the people in question.
Periodically, they encountered more Shadows. There were Lying Hableries—floating striped orbs with huge, grinning mouths; more of the blue-masked Cowardly Mayas; Magic Hands—white-gloves topped by a masked Shadow head; and many others. As they ascended the floors of Prodigy Palace, Shou's pockets began to swell with loose coins, and his backpack was filled with odd items: Big Incisors; Idea Paper; Black Lamps; Supple Metal; more. He also added Apsaras and Slime to his Persona repertoire.
Scattered throughout the hallways were doors into classrooms. Like the rest of the place, the rooms were decidedly hi-tech, with mesh ergonomic chairs, touch screens set into each of the desks, and a gigantic touch screen display at the front of the class in lieu of a chalkboard.
In some of those rooms, they found steel strongboxes—like treasure chests. They were often guarded by large Shadow masses which, when approached, divided into some of the many creatures they'd encountered so far. After defeating the chests' guardians, Shou and his team obtained a handful of items—more medicine; cloudy white candies that he somehow knew were called soul drops; and a Pow Racket for Emi, with yellow exclamation marks painted along the curved sides.
Through this, Shou and Emi fought the many Shadows on their own, while Kouta hung back. Shou could tell his friend was getting restless, and meanwhile, he and Emi were certainly getting worn down. They had a fair amount of medicines to replenish their health, but with soul drops so rare, they had to conserve their spiritual power. If they didn't find Sayoko soon, Shou decided he'd let Kouta get in on the action.
At last they came to a large staircase, leading up into darkness.
"Please tell me this is the last floor," Emi said with a groan.
"Gettin' tired?" Kouta asked. "You can always let me take over." He hefted his shinai.
"Let's go, guys," Shou said, before any more bickering could begin. This dire situation was wearing on all of them; their nerves were beginning to fray. If this went on much longer, he was afraid they could end up at each other's throats. It was his responsibility, as the leader, to make sure that didn't happen.
Not waiting for them, he began his ascent. It didn't take long for his friends to follow.
Slowly but surely, the next floor landing came into view. It looked to be a wide, cavernous space, though he couldn't quite make anything out until he reached the top, and . . .
"We've been waiting for you," said a voice. "It certainly took you long enough."
Shou found himself in an enormous chamber with high, vaulted ceilings. In the center lay a glass bubble, filled with that crackling purple energy he'd seen atop the towers outside. Was it some sort of power source? He couldn't be sure.
To the left and right lay hallways, but they were blocked off by enormous steel doors. Ahead, on the other side of the bubble, lay yet another path, but as Shou approached, he saw that . . .
Three people stood in the way.
The Morigami twins. And one unfamiliar, slender girl, her hair in a black bob with bangs that cut straight across her forehead. Her eyes were an uncanny green that seemed almost to glow in the gloom.
Shou took a step forward.
"Not so fast," said Morigami Yoshiro. The corners of his mouth quirked upward in a haughty smile. "I won't allow you to interfere." From the way he spoke, he was clearly the leader of this group. The black-haired girl said nothing; she merely regarded Shou impassively. As for Yoshiro's sister, she stuck out her tongue.
Kouta and Emi both surged forward, weapons raised, but Shou put out his arms, stopping them. There was no time for this. Not when Sayoko was still at risk. Calmly, he explained his conversation with Kageshiro—that there was no need for Hope/LESS to stand in their way.
Yoshiro raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm doing this on Ryuu's behalf? How naïve."
"Why, then?" Shou asked.
"A Persona should be earned," Yoshiro replied. "This power doesn't belong in the hands of the undeserving." He pointed directly at Emi. "Like you."
"Wh-what?" Emi bulled forward, and again Shou had to hold her back.
"The three of us obtained our Personas without any help from others," Yoshiro said. "You can't say the same, can you?"
"Why, you—!"
Yoshiro's smile widened. "You're nothing compared to someone like me," he said. "Why, none of you could even pass this school's entrance exam."
"Wait a sec," Kouta said, "there's like . . . a real entrance exam?"
"When we entered this place, I informed 'Principal Sato' that I would happily take her entrance exam on the spot," Yoshiro replied. "I achieved a perfect score. As did Tethys, here." He motioned to the unknown girl beside him.
"Her name's Tess!" Yoshino exclaimed.
"I don't care what you call me," said the other girl—Tethys—in a monotone.
"Enough, Shino." Yoshiro waved his hand dismissively. "I haven't yet made my point."
"And what is your point?" Emi asked.
"That you had to battle your way in here," Yoshiro said. "You're tired, worn down. We, conversely, are fully rested. So think carefully before you make any hasty decisions."
"Wait, wait," Kouta said. "But what about her?" He pointed at Yoshino. "How she'd get in?"
"Guest pass!" Yoshino yelled. She thrust out a small laminated card, then pulled down one of her eyelids and blew a raspberry at Kouta.
"Shino, you're getting too old for these outbursts," Yoshiro said.
His sister huffed and folded her arms. "Bro's a meanie," she grumbled.
"But yes," Yoshiro went on, "as a formally enrolled student of this Institute, I was able to gain my sister admittance. No doubt even if you, Tanimoto, and you, Tachibana, were able to pass, you'd have to do the same for this oaf." He gestured at Kouta.
"C'mon, Shou-bro, lemme punch his face in," Kouta growled. He smacked his shinai into his palm.
"You're welcome to try it," said Yoshiro. Slowly, he unbuttoned his school uniform, and let it fall aside. He wore a gray tanktop underneath, and to Shou's surprise, he saw that the other boy was in surprisingly good shape. Though still very slim, his small frame was packed with toned muscle. He raised his arms in a boxing stance.
It was only then Shou noticed that Yoshiro was wearing kickboxing shoes.
In response to Yoshiro's sudden combat readiness, the girl named Tethys removed her backpack from her shoulders . . .
Vmmmm. Snick. Click.
Shou's jaw dropped.
"What the hell?" Kouta shouted.
"Are you serious?" Emi asked, eyes wide.
Like something from anime, or a video game, Tethys's backpack had transformed into a compact bazooka.
Yoshiro chuckled. "Meet Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon Tethys," he said. "I was able to use my family's connections with the Kirijo Group to obtain one of their late-stage models—7th Generation. Under the table, of course. She looks surprisingly lifelike, don't you think?"
"You're shittin' me," Kouta said.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Yoshiro asked. "But I'm not. Simply put, you don't stand a chance. So go. Scurry off with your tails between your legs, before we decide to . . . school you for real."
"Dammit, I've had enough of this guy!" Kouta roared. "Outta the way!" He shoved his way past Shou.
"Adonaios," Yoshiro said. "Sonic Punch."
Suddenly, a wiry figure in a midnight blue jumpsuit with gold buckles emerged from Morigami Yoshiro, a cloak swirling around it. Its gloves and shoes had rows of gold buckles as well, and a great golden crown was fused over most of its head, it's shining eyes peering through holes in the metal.
Warning bells went off in Shou's mind; without a Persona, he didn't know if his friend could take such an attack! As Yoshiro's Persona—Adonaios—swept toward Kouta, Shou shoved the kendo captain out of the way.
The next second, Shou felt a hit connect, jolting his ribcage and stomach. He loosed a cry of pain, and fell to his knees, gasping.
Damn, he thought. He wasn't done yet, but that had seriously hurt!
Yoshiro laughed. "What do you think can do without a Persona?" he asked Kouta, gloating. "You should've stayed home. Your big muscles won't help you, here. In this world . . . you're weak."
Suddenly, a raucous laugh echoed through the chamber. "Ain't that the truth?" asked a familiar, yet oddly distorted voice.
Yoshiro's eyes widened, and he whirled.
Standing directly behind him was Kouta.
No, Shou thought. Not Kouta.
Shadow Kouta!
All the breath left Kouta as his Shadow's comment hit home. "What're you talkin' about?" he asked.
"You know exactly what I'm talkin' about," said Shadow Kouta. "Look at you. You're helpless. Pathetic. Worthless." It advanced toward Kouta, and the Hope/LESS members stepped aside for it.
"You're wrong!" Kouta yelled. "I'm here, ain't I? I'm ready to fight!"
"And that's all you're good for, ain't it?" asked the Shadow. "All you can do is fight. Beat people with your shinai. What good is a crappy skill like that?"
"My, this is getting interesting," Yoshiro mused.
"It's . . . it's not crappy!" Kouta shot back. "I got into Morigami Academy because of that!"
"So you admit it, then?" asked Shadow Kouta.
"Admit . . . what?"
"That you never coulda made it into school if not for your talent wavin' around a big stick," said Shadow Kouta. "That you're an idiot. A dumbass. A moron! You'll never amount to anythin' like your brothers. You're just a muscle-bound meathead. And hell, in here, you can't even count on that, anymore! You're just dead weight."
"Th-that's not true!"
"Sure it is," said Shadow Kouta, "and I know it. Because you know it."
"Wh-what does that mean?"
"You really are stupid!" Shadow Kouta cackled. "It means you're me. And I'm you."
Kouta's hand tightened around the end of his shinai. "You're wrong," he murmured.
"Kouta, you have to—" Emi began.
"You're wrong!" Kouta's chest began to heave as he sucked in heavy breaths.
Shou reached out a hand to calm his friend, but . . .
It was too late.
"You're not me!" Kouta screamed.
There was a blinding burst of light, and whorls of smoke filled the chamber. "Gahahaha!" Horrible laughter boomed through the room. "Gyahahahaha!"
Not again, Shou thought.
From the smoke rose an enormous, hulking figure; its skin was sickly green; a wide, slavering mouth with a fat red tongue and rows of spiked teeth split its face; twin horns were set over bulbous, bloodshot eyes and a gigantic nose; a mane of bright red hair spilled down its back, and more red fur covered its arms and chest. It was clothed in only a sumo-style mawashi.
"Is that . . . an oni?" Emi asked, her face pale.
Shou couldn't help but agree. It definitely looked a lot like an ogre of myth.
"Shino, analysis," Yoshiro commanded.
"Astaphaios!" Yoshino yelled. Her Persona appeared—a female figure in a flowing white dress, its hair tied up in a beehive with countless ribbons; it wore sunglasses with each lens frame shaped like the symbol of Venus, the cross section extending over its gray cheeks; its arms were covered in hundreds of glittering armbands made of precious metals, set with countless gemstones. "I . . . I can't get a reading!"
"What?" Yoshiro exclaimed. "Impossible! Try harder!"
"I . . . I'm trying, but . . . I just can't!" Yoshino said in horror. "Nii-sama, I'm sorry, I . . . I don't understand! Why won't it work?"
"Forget it!" Yoshiro snarled. His head snapped toward Kouta. "This is your fault! Denying your Shadow? What kind of fool are you?"
"Don't call me that!" Kouta bellowed. He ran at Yoshiro, and . . .
Out of nowhere, a massive green hand scooped him up.
"Hey, leggo! Let go of me!"
Emi gripped her tennis racket tightly. "You mean to tell me you Hope/LESS guys never fought one of these . . . things?"
Yoshiro shook his head. "The Shadow's challenge was meant to be a test of will, of mental and spiritual fortitude! Not a physical contest!"
It made sense, Shou realized. The members of Hope/LESS had accepted their Shadows' words as truth. Yet, rather than being drained by their inner darkness like Kudo-sensei, they had somehow managed to embrace that darkness, allowed it to empower them. And because they'd never denied their Shadows, they'd never had to face monsters like this!
"No matter," Yoshiro said. "Tethys, Archon Mode! Bring it down!"
"Yes, sir," said Tethys flatly.
There was a tearing sound as mechanical wings burst through Tethys's uniform. She rose into the air, her bazooka in hand. "Iao," she said, "Sukukaja." A feminine figure appeared, with its face covered in bandages, leaving only its eyes visible; its torso, too, was covered, save for an angry red mark on its belly that looked like the eye of Jupiter. As for its limbs, they were clad in segmented steel armor. It reached out an arm, and Tethys was briefly enveloped by a soft glow.
The ogre swatted at Tethys, but she swiftly outmaneuvered it, flying in toward its face for a point-blank shot.
Boom!
For a moment, the beast's visage was shrouded with smoke, and it teetered on its feet. Then . . .
"Grrraaaaaaah!" the ogre cried.
Out of nowhere, its head burst through the smoke, headbutting Tethys.
The Anti-Shadow Weapon crashed to the ground.
"That . . . can't be!" Yoshiro said.
Shou knew what had to be done. He turned to the silver-haired boy. "Let's join forces," he said, "and put a stop to this."
To his credit, Morigami Yoshiro hesitated only a split-second. "Fine," he said. "Just this once. And our alliance ends as soon as this battle is concluded."
With no time to argue terms, Shou nodded his acceptance.
"It's coming!" Emi yelled.
The ogre stomped toward them. It made to crush Tethys underfoot, but at the last second she recovered; her wings took her back into the air, out of harm's way. A compartment in her leg opened up; she retrieved another bazooka shell and began to reload.
"Bufu!" said Emi. A burst of ice struck the ogre, but the enemy didn't falter.
"Agi," said Shou. Fire scorched the ogre's shoulder, yet again there was little effect.
"Garu!" Yoshiro shouted.
A rush of wind swept across the titanic Shadow, and . . .
Crash! With its top-heavy center of gravity, the ogre was unable to maintain its footing. It toppled to the ground.
Shou heard Kouta groan from within the thing's fist. "All-Out Attack!" he said.
"That's my line," Yoshiro said.
Nonetheless, he and Tethys rushed in alongside Shou and Emi, slamming, bashing, kicking, giving it their all. For the coup-de-grace, Shou, Emi, and Yoshiro fell back, while Tethys flew in and fired her bazooka point blank again.
"Did . . . did that do it?" Emi asked.
"Grrrrr . . ." said the ogre, as if in response.
Then it sprang back to its feet!
"I suppose not," Yoshiro said, somehow managing to make even such a short statement sound condescending.
At this, Emi spared a moment for a sigh of disgust.
Yoshiro ignored this. "Any thoughts?" he asked.
Shou had more than that. He had a plan. "We need more power," he said. He laid out his tactics as quickly as he could, while the ogre brushed itself off.
"Hmph," said Yoshiro, "I'll do as you say. But only because it's a good idea."
Shou didn't care enough to argue with him, so he just inclined his head, despite the fact that Yoshiro was his kohai.
Tethys and Yoshiro broke off to the side, distracting the ogre.
"Kill Rush," said Tethys. Her bandaged Persona, Iao, struck the beast three times.
"Sonic Punch!" said Yoshiro. His crowned Persona, Adonaios, slammed one hit into the ogre's jaw.
Shou and Emi were already moving. "Tarukaja!" yelled Emi. A red light enveloped her, bolstering her attack power.
Apsaras, come forth, Shou willed silently. He felt Adam sink back into the sea of soul, and Apsaras rose to take its place. Rakunda! A glow flickered over the ogre, reducing its defenses.
The two Hope/LESS members continued to pepper the ogre with attacks. Emi boosted their attack power as well, while Shou swapped back to Adam and cast Tarukaja on himself. "Do it now!" he yelled.
"Garu!" cried Yoshiro.
As before, the ogre couldn't keep its footing. It flailed its massive arms and tumbled to the ground, nearly breaking the glass dome in the middle of the room. Shou wasn't sure what would've happened if it had, and he didn't want to find out.
Once more, the group launched into an All-Out Attack!
Blow after blow rained down upon the ogre. Shou struck with every ounce of strength he had, slamming the Shadow Slugger into the beast's monstrous form. Emi smacked with her racket; Tethys bashed with her bazooka, using it like a club; Yoshiro launched a dizzying array of powerful kicks. Finally, Tethys finished it off with one last bazooka blast.
"Graah . . ." the ogre groaned.
And then it began to dissolve. Its form dissipated into the air as if made of no more than mist, or . . . shadow.
"Geez," said Kouta. He lay on the floor, in the place where the ogre's hand had been. He sat up, then pushed himself to his. "That hand smelled really bad."
Emi burst into laughter.
Shou began to laugh as well.
Even Yoshino—who'd watched everything from the sidelines—giggled, until her brother shot her a dirty look.
Tethys, of course, was expressionless.
"Hey," said a voice, "I ain't done with you yet."
From the center of where the ogre's body had been stood Shadow Kouta, its golden eyes narrowed, its mouth pulled in a wicked grin.
"Well, I'm done with you," said Kouta.
"Oh?" the Shadow asked.
"I had some time to think in that stinky hand o' yours," Kouta said. "And . . . even though I hate to admit it, you're right about some things."
Shadow Kouta said nothing.
"I do wonder what kinda future I'm gonna have, bein' good at only one thing," Kouta said. "I know I'm not too smart. Heck, anybody who meets me can figure that out. And yeah, sometimes I feel like I'm nothin' compared to my brothers. Even my younger bro."
"Kouta . . ." Emi said.
"I mean, sure," Kouta went on, "I'll try to compete on the world stage. But I can only do that for so long. And it ain't like kendo's super popular outside Japan; probably won't support me for the rest of my life. I'm afraid I'll be a forty year old guy workin' construction or somethin' cause I ain't got the brains or talent to do anythin' else.
"But I realized something. I don't gotta have it all figured out just yet. Man, I'm still in high school! And I love kendo! So while I give that my all, I can find something else I'm good at. And even if I don't . . . how many people get to do what they love, even for a little while? I wouldn't trade that for anything."
"So," Shadow Kouta said.
"Yeah," Kouta replied. "I get it. You're my fears. All my doubts about myself, and my life." He took a deep breath. "You're me. And I'm you."
A voice arose in Shou's mind.
The strength of heart required to face oneself has been made manifest . . .
A powerful figure appeared above Kouta, clad in red samurai armor, with green padding beneath. The helm had no face mask; its face was strong and bold, with a large nose and a great red beard. It wielded an enormous nodachi.
"Esau," he whispered. "My Persona."
"Ahem."
As one, all eyes turned on Morigami Yoshiro.
"Sorry to break up this happy moment," Yoshiro said, "but I believe we have unfinished—"
"Sir," Tethys interrupted.
Silently, Yoshiro turned a questioning gaze on the android.
"My systems indicate that in our current state, our chances of victory do not exceed fifty percent," she said. "I believe it is in our best interest . . . to retreat."
"Hmph," said Yoshiro. "I see." Then he smiled. "In that case, we will be taking our leave. But, by all means, press on. Best of luck to you all."
Then, without another word, he headed down the stairs. Tethys followed him silently, while Yoshino stuck out her tongue before scurrying after her brother.
When they were gone, Emi said, "God, I hate that jerk!"
"Me too," Kouta said. "Anyway, time's a wastin', so . . ." He took a step forward, and his knees buckled.
Shou went to his friend's side, supporting his weight; he helped Kouta back to his feet. He said that it was best they retreat for now, too.
"But what about Sayo-chan?" Kouta asked. "We can't just leave her!"
Shou said she still had another day. If they kept going in this state, they would just get themselves killed, and then no one would help her.
"He's right," Emi said. "I don't like it either. But if her Shadow goes crazy, too . . . I don't think we can fight another of those things right now."
"Yeah," Kouta said. "Dammit, I can't stand the thought of leavin' anyone in here another second, but . . . Ah, hell."
One more day, Shou thought, as he and Emi helped Kouta toward the stairs.
Hold on, Sayoko. We're coming.
I promise.
Next time, on Persona Gaiden: New Class . . .
Sayoko's time is running out . . . Can the Exploration Team brave the final floors of Prodigy Palace in time? Find out . . . in the next chapter!
Social Links
Fool — Morigami Exploration Team — Rank 2
Magician — Hayabusa Kouta — Rank 2
Justice — Kazami Kaede — Rank 2
Strength — Shirogane Naoto — Rank 1
Hanged Man — Ariwa Reiko — Rank 2
Death — Kageshiro Ryuu — Rank 1
Sun — Narukami Yu — Rank 1
Attributes
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Knowledge — Rank 2 — Broad
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Charm — Rank 1 — Plain