'On to the next boss fight. Chie's rushed into the castle, and they'll soon pay the price'
"It's not all her fault. She's just worried about her friend. If you or milady were in danger, I'd do the same"
Still, that was a dangerous thing to do. The Reversed Chariot...
"?"
'You know what'd be good right now? Popcorn. Next time, I'm getting popcorn.
The author doesn't own Persona 4, which belongs to it's creators. He only owns the original ideas and characters
Chapter 9: Shadow Chie
Souji
As soon as they entered the castle, Teddie gave a small 'urk'.
"What's wrong?", he asked.
"This place is swarming with Shadows", Teddie said nervously.
Yosuke paled.
"We've gotta find Chie, fast!".
They quickly made their way through the corridors of the castle, footsteps echoing. They turned the corner, only to see an unformed Shadow skulking about.
"Sensei, try to sneak up on it", Teddie whispered.
He made his way quietly towards the Shadow, unsheathing the Imitation Katana. Right as he was about to bring the katana on the Shadow, it turned a hundred-and-eighty degrees, looking at him straight in the eyes. He jumped back as the Shadow convulsed, before turning into three of the things he had fought before. A Lying Hablerie Teddie called them.
"I've got this! Persona!", Yosuke yelled, Jiraiya appearing behind him.
Jiraiya sent a gust of wind, blowing the Shadows back.
He quickly summoned Izanagi, and zapped one of them into goo.
Crystal quickly dashed forward, breaking a couple of the Shadows teeth, before being knocked by its tongue.
"You okay?", he asked.
"Perfectly fine", she said, wiping of saliva with a disgusted face.
She dashed forward again, punching the Shadow with her gauntlets. Right into Izanagi.
The Shadow never knew what happened.
"Time to finish this!", Yosuke said with a grin, as Jiraiya rushed towards the last Shadow. The Lying Hablerie licked it's lips and hissed, before all the sudden dissolving into goo.
"We better hurry", Florence said, twirling the scythe he held in his hands. A scythe that had bisected the Shadow as easily as butter. The scythe's blade was angled forty-five degrees, and easily taller than the boy.
Yosuke blinked in shock.
"Where did you get that!?", Yosuke asked, pointing at the scythe. Florence blinked.
"...metalworks?"
"No way. You get a scythe, and I get these?", Yosuke asked, brandishing his wrenches. Florence just looked at him, before twirling the scythe and imbedding it into the ground. Yosuke narrowed his eyes, before twirling a wrench and throwing it into the air. Said wrench hit him on the top of his head. He fumbled with the wrenches before catching them, giving them a sheepish look.
"...That is why you didn't get a weapon", he said simply.
"Hey, don't worry. If you get good enough, maybe you can get something else. Like, stone knives or something".
Yosuke just grumbled, and walked away, Jiraiya patting his back.
Crystal blinked.
"Did I say something wrong?, she asked.
He shook his head, before continuing on.
They managed to get to make it further for a while without running into a Shadow. That peace didn't last for long. Yosuke and Crystal finished off a Shadow as he and Florence took care of the other.
"This is starting to get annoying", Yosuke growled, "We have to get to Chie...quick?".
He turned around to see what Yosuke was starring at, only to see four cards floating in the air. He recalled Igor's words, and stepped forward. The cards circled around him, before flipping around, revealing a Sword, a Cup, a Wand, and...the Magician Arcana?
The cards flipped again, before shuffling rapidly and presenting themselves. He thought for a moment, before choosing one of the cards. The card dissolved into blue flames while the others disappeared. He felt Izanagi's presence move to the back of his mind as another presence entered. Izanagi disappeared, and in it's place...Hello!
He stared at the small red-haired fairy garbed in a blue dress floating in front of him.
Pixie! I'm a Pixie!, Pixie said with a frown, before smiling.
"You're another Persona?
" Yep. And I'm here to help. Pleased to meet you!
"What can you do?".
Yosuke interrupted before Pixie could answer.
"Dude? What is that?", Yosuke asked, pointing at Pixie.
"She's a Persona".
Yosuke was silent for a moment, while Crystal stared at Pixie with curiosity. Pixie waved.
"Dude, you should probably get Izanagi back out. We need a Persona that can actually-
" Actually what? Fight? Well look here headphones, cause I can fight just fine!. For emphasis, Pixie hit Yosuke with a small Zio.
Yosuke yelped.
"Ouch! No need to zap me, I get it...", Yosuke grumbled.
"You can talk". He and Pixie looked at Crystal.
Of course I can. Why wouldn't I?.
Crystal pointed to Jiraiya.
"They don't".
Pixie shrugged.
They're just the strong silent type , Pixie said, shrugging.
Pixie hovered over his shoulder.
As for what I can do..., Pixie cupped her hands, and a small warm light appeared. I can heal people with Dia and Me Patra, plus I'm not weak to Garu
"...She's staying", he said. Pixie cheered and landed on his shoulder, while Yosuke grimaced.
"Come on", he said, before they ran deeper into the castle.
"Sensei, Chie-chan's close by!", Teddie said, sniffing the air. He nodded, and the hurried on. Only for a Shadow to ambush them . He jumped back as Jiraiya stood in front of them protectively, while Pixie left her position from his shoulder, and hovered around. Crystal took on a ready stance while Florence just adjusted his hat and sighed.
The Shadow turned into two more Lying Hableries, but this time a new Shadow joined the fray. This one resembled a dolphin made out of a ribbons. Pixie darted around and zapped one of the Lying Hableries, stunning it before it was finished by a solid uppercut from Crystal. Florence and Yosuke took care of the other Hablerie.
"Look out!". He jumped back as the ribbon dolphin suddenly dashed pat him, narrowly avoiding being hit.
He didn't avoid the tail to the face though.
He recoiled back, clutching his head as the world spun around him. In the corner of his vision, he saw Pixie spiral to the ground.
"Sensei's been dizzied!", Teddie warned, though the voice sounded warped and far away.
He tried to blink away the dizziness, and saw the Shadow charge at him again. Only to be knocked beside by Crystal.
"Jiraiya!".
Jiraiya launched a Garu at the Shadow, and it fell to the ground.
"Calm Pesce's are weak to Garu!", Teddie noted.
Jiraiya launched another Garu, and Crystal slammed the Shadow into the ground, finishing it. He steadied himself as the dizziness wore off.
Pixie landed on his shoulder again, looking slightly green around the gills. He blinked as cards swirled around him again.
"Another Persona? How can you hold multiple anyway?", Yosuke asked.
He watched as the cards shuffled themselves. "Wild Card. I'm apparently what you'd call a Wild Card", he said, choosing a card.
"So that means you can hold multiple Persona?", Crystal asked. He nodded as a presence entered his mind. Pixie flew off his shoulder and waved goodbye, before disappearing.
In her place was a young woman scantily clad with black clothe, large, pure white wings sprouting out of her back. She had long blond hair and pale skin, and was blindfolded. She wore a black choker with a chain attached to it. He followed the chain, only to see it was attached to a similar choker on his own neck. He lifted the chain in surprise. That wasn't there before.
I am Angel. One of the watchers who never sleep. Are you in need of my assistance?, Angel asked kindly.
He shook his head.
"Finally, someone else other than Pixie", Yosuke sighed.
He looked at him for a moment, before changing Persona. Angel and the choker disappeared as Pixie appeared, sticking her tongue out.
"Why'd you bring her out again?", Yosuke grimaced. Crystal looked at him oddly.
"What's wrong with Pixie?".
"We're keeping her out because we need someone to heal", he said.
Yosuke sighed but didn't complain, and took a step forward...only for Pixie to fly right in his face.
"What?"
...You know you can use Dia too, right?, Pixie asked.
Yosuke blinked owlishly, before turning to Jiraiya.
"We can?".
Jiraiya nodded.
"Why didn't you say something!".
Jiraiya shrugged, as if saying 'you never asked'. Crystal watched in amusement, while Florence talked to Teddie.
"Well, I guess we don't need you anymore", Yosuke said to Pixie.
Pixie glared at him, before looking at him worriedly. He simply walked ahead, before motioning to Pixie. Yosuke grumbled while Pixie cheered.
"Sensei! Chie-chan's on the next floor!", Teddie exclaimed.
They all glanced at each other, before hurrying on.
Crystal
The first thing they saw on the next floor was a large door. Said large door was opened by her punching it open. They ran inside. It was a large circular room, with a rich red carpet. And Chie stood in the center of it.
"Chie!", Yosuke called out.
Chie just stood there, unmoving.
"Chie?", her brother called out.
Chie remained unmoving.
She narrowed her eyes. Something wasn't right. Yosuke stepped forward, only for voices to fill the room, like the liquor store. Except this time, it was a single voice.
"She said red looks good on me...".
She raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Yukiko-san?", Yosuke asked, looking around. Souji narrowed his eyes.
"Yosuke, it's like the voices from the liquor store".
"Chie said red looks good on me...I hated my name. Yukiko. 'Snow'. Snow is cold and melts quickly. It's transient...worthless".
The amount of bitterness and sadness in Yukiko's tone was palpable, and she saw Florence flinch next to her.
"But it's perfect for me. Apart from inheriting the inn, I'm worthless. But still...Chie told me red looks good on me".
"Are these...Amagi-san's inner thoughts?", Yosuke asked, shocked.
"Yukiko...", Chie said in a small voice.
"Chie was the only one who gave my life meaning. She's bright, and strong, and she can do anything...She has everything I don't. Compared to Chie, I'm...I'm...Chie protects me. She looks after my worthless life".
She nearly growled, while Florence narrowed his eyes. Nobody's life was worthless. Not even the bad guys.
"And, I don't deserve any of it. Chie's so kind...so perfect..."
"Yukiko...", Chie had tears streaming down her face,
"I-I..."
" 'Chie's so kind', huh? What a joke".
They all snapped to attention as Chie wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her jacket. Cruel laughter filled the air, and suddenly another Chie stepped in front of Chie, venomous yellow eyes holding a glint of spitefulness.
"Is that-?", Yosuke asked.
"Her Shadow", Souji said grimly, putting a hand on his sword.
Teddie nodded. "She's lost control of her suppressed self!".
Shadow Chie started to laugh again.
"Are we talking about that Yukiko? She's says I'm protecting her", Shadow Chie threw her head back and gave a bark of laughter, "She says she's worthless!".
All the sudden, Shadow Chie's face was inches from Chie's face.
"That's the way it should be, right?".
Chie stepped back and looked at her double in shock.
"Wh-What're you saying?"
"Yukiko's so good looking, sooo fair-skinned, sooo feminine! She's the one all the guys drool over!".
Shadow Chie sent a sparing glance at Yosuke, before sniffing haughtily.
"When Yukiko looked at me with such jealousy...Man, did I get a charge out of that", Shadow Chie said gleefully. "Yukiko knows the score. She can't do anything without me. I'm better than her. Much, much better!", Shadow Chie said with a sneer.
Chie narrowed her eyes.
"No! I have never thought that!", she all but screamed.
Shadow Chie just chuckled.
"You sure? You look pretty riled".
"Oh man, wh-what do we do?", Yosuke asked, looking at Shadow Chie and Chie.
"We protect Satonaka", Souji said firmly.
"R-Right".
They all walked forward, only for Chie to whirl around and face them.
"No! Don't come near me! Don't look at me!", Chie said, slightly hysterically.
"Chie", her brother said, putting as much calm into his voice as possible.
"No! No! This isn't me!", Chie yelled, shaking her head.
"Wait, stupid! Don't say anything else like that!", Yosuke said.
"This isn't-!", Chie snapped, only for Shadow Chie to step behind her.
"Oh? Come on", Shadow Chie said threateningly, walking around a now paralyzed Chie, and towards them. Yosuke froze when Shadow Chie was only a couple of steps from them, and she glanced warily at her legs. She was wearing the same steel-toe boots Chie was wearing.
"Why so worried? Afraid of people seeing who you really are?", Shadow Chie said, circling them predatorily.
"After all...", Shadow Chie's voice suddenly went into falsetto," 'I'm the one who can't do anything alone. I can't win as girl, let alone as a person".
Shadow Chie finished her circling, and stared at Chie.
" 'I'm pathetic'. But Yukiko depends on me", Shadow Chie said, voice normal "And that's why she's my friend. I'll never loosen my grip on her. She's far too important to me", Shadow Chie said.
"N-No...That's not how I think of her!", Chie yelled, only to flinch back as Shadow Chie glared at her, only centimeters from Chie's face.
"So you're just going to turn your back on me again? Go ahead, deny me. But things are different now. When the time comes, I'll be the one left standing".
Shadow Chie gave a chilling smile.
"You don't mind, do you? After all, I'm you".
Chie glared at her doppelganger, "Shut up! You're..."
"Chie, wait!"
"You're not me!", Chie screamed.
It was silent for a moment. Then Shadow Chie started to chuckle. And then laugh. Before guffawing, clutching her stomach. The room shook as the blue aura around Shadow Chie flashed red, before erupting. Chie fell back with a scream.
In the Shadow's place was now a grey figure scantily clad in a yellow two piece. She wore a mask strangely resembling a banana, and wore yellow boots and gloves. The figure was held up by a tower of three struggling grey Chies, and long black hair writhed around her, reaching all the way down to the floor. The Shadow glared at them, before snapping it's whip, causing the tower of grey Chies to flinch before stepping forward.
"I am a Shadow, the True Self! What do you think you're doing. Protecting the 'real me'? Then you're going to pay the price!".
Shadow Chie snapped her whip at Chie, only to meet stone. Florence appeared next to them, holding Chie piggy-back style.
"Teddie, protect Chie", Florence said, putting Chie on the ground.
Chie groaned.
"Stop interfering!", Shadow Chie yelled.
"Stop being such a pain! Jiraiya!", Yosuke snapped, Jiraiya appearing behind him.
"Chie, just hang in there a little longer"
"Hah! You think you can stop me that easy?".
Souji summoned Izanagi, who slashed at Shadow Chie.
It didn't work as planned, as Izanagi's weapon bounced of off the hair, and Shadow Chie quickly hit Izanagi with her whip, making Souji flinch in pain.
" Ahahahaha! How lame! You're all so deadly serious and we've only gotten started. Maybe you need a bit of pain first?", Shadow Chie said sweetly, only to cry out in pain as Jiraiya's Garu hit her.
"I think we found her weakness", Yosuke said with a grin. Souji nodded, And Izanagi disappeared, Angel taking his place, wings covering Souji protectively. Angel sent another Garu, and she rushed in as Shadow Chie stumbled, only to skid back as the sharp hair tried to entangle her.
She growled. This would be so much easier if she could use her powers, but...She glanced at Souji and Yosuke.
They still didn't know.
Shadow Chie let out a growl.
"You'll pay for that!".
Shadow Chie's hair whipped around, before unwinding as a green wall appeared.
"Hah, like that's gong to stop us!", Yosuke said, Jiraiya spinning and launching a flurry of Garu.
Each one passing through the wall and hitting Shadow Chie with the force of a kitten.
Shadow Chie grinned, before kicking Jiraiya. In the most sensitive place imaginable. She winced as Yosuke and Jiraiya fell to their knees with a groan. Apparently, Shadow Chie also applied 'critical hit to the nads'. Shadow Chie's hair lunged towards Jiraiya, only to be blocked by Angel. She ran up to Yosuke as Souji helped him up.
"You okay?", she asked.
"I've been worse...", Yosuke squeaked.
All the sudden, Shadow Chie laughed evilly, and they looked up to see her whip descending towards them. Souji unsheathed his sword as Angel covered them with her for Florence to appear in front of them, blocking the whip with his scythe. And almost getting it wrenched out of his hands.
Florence slashed at the hair, snipping a few locks as the hair shrinked back, Shadow Chie flinching.
Florence jumped back and landed next to her.
"We're going to have to use them soon", he whispered.
She nodded.
The green wall suddenly faded, and Angel and Jiraiya wasted no time hitting Shadow Chie with a barrage of Garu's.
"Gah! What are you doing this for! Why are you protecting that grubby bit-!", Shadow Chie was interrupted by a blast of air.
Florence rushed in, and she quickly followed. Not that she could get anywhere close, with the hair whipping around violently. She flew back as the whip suddenly hit her, and she blinked away tears, only for the pain to fade. She saw Jiraiya hovering over her, Yosuke helping her stand up.
"You okay?"
"Yeah".
Souji and Florence skidded in front of them, looking worse for the wear. Not that Shadow Chie looked better.
"Gah...Die! Just Die!", Shadow Chie screamed.
The hair on the back of her neck stood up. "Watch out!", her brother yelled, tackling her out of the way, just as they got hit with something.
She flew across the room before hitting the wall. Hard. She winced, falling to the ground as she felt something wet trickle down the back of her head. She ground her teeth, fingers digging into the stone floor, before opening her eyes. Her brother laid unconscious next to her.
"Florence...", she whispered.
He didn't stir. She got up and glared at Shadow Chie, who was currently strangling the life out of Souji and Yosuke, and advancing towards Chie as Teddie stood in front of her, shaking in fear.
"That's it", she growled, the stone shifting around her, "You're dead".
Chie
She blinked blearily. She felt like she had just forced herself to run a marathon in the middle of the summer. She struggled to get up from the floor. Where was she? Her eye's snapped open as she saw Yosuke and Souji being strangled by a monster.
"Chie-chan! Run!", Teddie said, standing in front of her.
"Wha-?"
"Chie!".
She whirled around to see Yosuke struggling against the monster's hair.
"Now then, time for you!".
She flinched on hearing the monster's voice. Her voice.
"Y-You're not me...", she whimpered.
The monster just cackled and advanced towards her.
"Chie...run...!", Yosuke gasped as some sort of disco frog spasmed behind him.
"Y-Yosuke!", she called out.
The monster raised her whip, and brought it down.
Only for a pillar of earth to block it. Crystal appeared in front of her, and in one fluid motion, punched the ground, sharp pillars of stone erupting from the ground, freeing Yosuke and Souji. Yosuke fell to the ground, clutching his throat, while Souji looked at her with concern.
"Satonaka-san, are you okay?", he asked, a woman with wings hovering behind him, connected to him by a chain.
"Y-Yes...", she said softly, closing her eyes. She didn't feel to good...Since when did Souji wear a choker...?
"Crystal?", Souji asked.
"Yeah?", Crystal said, voice guarded.
"...Can you distract the Shadow?".
"I can do ten times better", Crystal said, voice relieved.
"Yosuke?"
"Yeah partner?"
"Pepper her with Garu. We need to finish this before she launches another Mazio"
"Got it"
"Ready? Go!"
Souji
He ran towards Shadow Chie, Angel launching a Garu. At the same time, Jiraiya also used Garu.
"Why! Why all this for her!?", Shadow Chie screamed.
"Die! Die already!", she yelled, only to scream in pain as Crystal sent a boulder crashing into her.
He watched as the short girl commanded the stone around her as easily as one would breath. And considering the castle was made of stone...
"Ngh...Don't make fun of me...You're...You're nothing against me!", Shadow Chie suddenly formed a small blue ball, before breaking it with her whip. Large spikes of ice exploded outwards. Ice met shards of stone, and Angel protected him with a blast of Garu. We need to finish this quickly He couldn't agree more. Jiraiya launched another Garu at Shadow Chie, only for her to form another Green Wall. Quickly followed by Mazio.
He winced and stumbled as the lightning hit Angel. Yosuke fared far worse, falling to the ground with a scream.
"That's it, kneel before me!", Shadow Chie said, bringing her whip up.
"Now scream for me!".
He brought out Izanagi and rushed forward. Turns out he didn't need to. Florence, out of nowhere, appeared behind Shadow Chie and slashed a large chunk of her hair. The hair fell to the ground, lifeless, and Shadow Chie looked at it in shock.
"No...Stop!".
Florence ignored her and slashed at another lock of hair. Shadow Chie immediately turned on Florence, lashing out at him violently and hastily. Izanagi rushed in and cleaved a large amount of the hair, while he helped Yosuke up. "Stop it! Stop it!", Shadow Chie screamed, and the hair lashed around erratically. Jiraiya quickly joined the impromptu haircut, and soon Shadow Chie's once floor length hair was now shoulder length.
"Stop it! Die! Just die!", Shadow Chie shrieked, charging up a Mazio. Something rushed past him, and Crystal threw a large boulder right at Shadow Chie's face, stunning her long enough for Florence to cut the last of the hair. With one lethal arc of his scythe, the last of the black locks fall to the floor.
The Mazio fizzled out instantly, and Shadow Chie tentatively gripped the remaining locks of hair.
"No...Noooo!", she screamed hysterically, as the tower of Chies collapsed underneath it.
Red aura flashed before turning blue, and the Shadow dissolved, leaving Shadow Chie in her non-monstrous form, sniffling as she clutched her now ragged, even shorter hair despondently.
Florence walked over to them, as he switched Izanagi to Pixie, who started to heal Yosuke without her usual banter.
"Sorry for not joining sooner", Florence apologized.
"You look surprisingly well for someone who was hit with a blast of lightning", he noted.
Florence's eyes seemed to glow.
"Electricity isn't that bad", Florence said with a shrug, before glancing around the room. The now ruined, rubble ridden room.
"Crystal went overboard again", Florence said with a sigh.
He glanced at the girl in question, who was talking to Pixie.
"Don't be so hard on her".
He looked at Florence.
"She had a reason to keep her powers a secret".
"...Okay", he said with a nod.
He could understand. Slightly.
All the sudden, Chie started to stir. They rushed to her side.
"Is she okay?", Yosuke asked Teddie.
Teddie nodded.
"She should be okay".
"Chie?", Yosuke asked.
Chie groaned, before opening her eyes, getting up. She looked at them blearily.
"Guys...What happened...?", she said groggily, only to see her Shadow.
"So? That's all you got?", Chie said, glaring at her Shadow.
"Chie, stop", Yosuke said with a sigh.
Chie looked at him in shock.
"B-But-".
"Satonaka. Everybody has different sides", he said, trying to say something comforting.
"He's right. You're more than her", Florence added.
Chie looked at them, before standing up and walking to her Shadow.
"Hey", Chie said, giving a hand to her Shadow.
Shadow Chie sniffed and wiped her eyes with her jacket sleeve, before taking the hand and getting up.
"I knew you were telling the truth about being me...But I was so ashamed, I didn't want to admit it. But still...", Chie took a deep breath,
"Your me. And I'm you", Chie said firmly.
Shadow Chie looked at her in surprise, before giving a small smile. Shadow Chie stepped back and gave a small bow, before a bright light enveloped her. A tarot card appeared in front of Chie, only to be shattered into pieces by a spear. The light disappeared, and A tall warrior dressed in yellow, with long black hair stood in Shadow Chie's place.
"Tomoe...", Chie whispered.
The persona, Tomoe, nodded, before spinning her double ended spear and disappearing. Chie smiled, before looking down at the floor.
"Hey, you okay?", Crystal asked.
"I know what my Shadow said was true...B-But I wasn't lying about being friends with Yukiko!".
"Heh. Like we didn't know that already", Yosuke said with a smile.
Chie smiled back, before falling to her knees.
"Chie!"
"I don't feel so good...", Chie murmured.
Yosuke looked at him while Florence kneeled next to Chie.
"Oh man, what do we do?".
He thought for a moment. Yukiko was still here...But Chie...
"We go back and try to save Yukiko tomorrow", he decided.
Yosuke nodded while Chie looked at him in shock.
"No! We can't! Yukiko's still in here, all alone! I have to save her! I have to tell her...All that stuff she said about me...? I couldn't do any of it without her at my side!", Chie said, struggling to get up.
"And how far is Yukiko-san?", Yosuke demanded.
That stopped Chie.
"You don't know how far we have to go!"
"About six more floors", Crystal muttered, putting an ear against the floor and tapping.
"Who knows how dangerous it'll be! We're the only ones who can save her, so we can't fail! We have to give it our best!".
Chie looked at Yosuke, before nodding reluctantly.
"Besides, now that you got a Persona, you can fight too".
Teddie 'ahemed'.
"Shadows don't attack normal people. They only attack when the fog lifts in this world. This Yukiko-person should be fine until then".
"The fog?", Chie asked.
"When it becomes foggy in our world, it lifts here. Remember how the announcer and Senpai's deaths happened after the fog?"
"So, they were killed by their Shadows?".
Yosuke nodded. Chie looked vaguely spooked by that.
"But...Yukiko" .
"Chie, we'll save her tomorrow. It won't rain tomorrow", Florence said.
He nodded.
"You sure?".
"We will save her tomorrow", he promised.
He and Yosuke helped Chie up to her feet.
"Now then, time to get out of here", Yosuke sighed tiredly. Yosuke was about to summon his Persona, only for Crystal to stomp the floor. The room shook.
"Ah-hem. You two", she said, pointing to them, "Are under no circumstances going to fight. You look like you've been trampled by elephants".
He felt like he'd been trampled by elephants.
"Florence and I will take care of the fighting". Florence nodded and twirled his scythe.
"Are you sure?", he asked.
Crystal glared at them, and a pillar of earth erupted behind her.
"...Point taken". Crystal smiled, before frowning.
"What's wrong?"
"Uh", she said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head before wincing, "I might've...messed up the room. We might want to get out of here".
He looked at the crumbling floor, before nodding.
"Let's go".
He walked forward through the corridors, Izanagi next to him. Behind him, Chie was leaning on Yosuke, both of them walking slowly. Shadow Chie had taken a lot out of them. He shook his head. He should've been more careful.
It's not all your fault. You just need to be a bit more strategic in your next fights, Pixie said.
She is correct. Do not be disheartened, Angel chimed in.
He remained silent, only for Izanagi to put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and stared at intense yellow eyes. Izanagi just looked at him, before nodding. He nodded slowly. He would need to got to the Velvet Room sometime soon.
He looked up as a Hablerie suddenly came into view, and Izanagi lifted his nanigata. Only for the Hablerie to eat boulder and smash into the wall, before dissolving. He glanced at Crystal, who was levitating a few smaller stones. Florence walked forward, looking around warily, as Teddie walked beside him.
He recalled Florence's words. 'Don't be too hard on her'. And he remembered how guarded Crystal had seemed.
Crystal fell into step beside him.
"I don't think the Shadow's are going to bother us for a while", she said with a small grin.
"...Crystal?"
"Yeah?"
"Your powers", he said simply.
Crystal stiffened next to him.
"You don't have to explain if you don't want to", he said, looking forward.
"Huh?"
"You seemed pretty tense. Don't worry, I won't ask"
"You're not curious?". He was, but he wasn't one to pry into other people's business.
Crystal looked at him, before looking forward.
"After we save Yukiko. I'll explain then"
"You don't have to"
"I will. After all", she glanced at him, "We're friends".
You're close to ranking up the Queen of Pentacle's Social Link, Pixie said suddenly.
At that moment, another Hablerie appeared, and Crystal ran to meet it, leaving him to ponder Crystal's words.
Florence
He watched as his sister paced around the house aimlessly. Chie had collapsed as soon as they left the TV. Yosuke offered to let her rest at the Junes employee break room. Souji agreed and left for his own house, muttering worriedly about 'Nanako'. And so here they were now.
"Crystal"
"Huh?"
"Calm down".
Crystal sighed, before sitting down next to him.
"Sorry. Just...thinking"
"Thoughts come easy to those who are calm", he said.
"Yeah, they also come faster to those who are doing something", Crystal said with a huff.
He looked at her for a moment.
"Still worried?".
She just nodded.
"You have no reason to be. Souji seemed calm enough. And Yosuke didn't even say anything"
"I know. Just...Explaining is hard. How is Trace so good at it?"
"They call him Silver Tongue for a reason".
His sister snorted and rubbed the back of her head, only to wince. He immediately grasped her hands.
"Crystal?"
"What?"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just...might have hit my head".
He narrowed his eyes, and looked at the back of her head, brushing away hair gingerly.
There was a small bruise with dry blood. He sighed.
"Crystal"
"It didn't hurt that much"
"Crystal. We don't have Clark here with us. We have to be careful about our wounds"
"I know...I wish he was here. He would just mess around without a care in the world".
He made a sound of agreement, before getting up. He came back shortly with a bucket of warm water and a soft cloth.
"This is going to hurt, so don't punch me"
"No promises".
Author: And so Crystal uses her powers in front of everyone. How will she explain? And how will everyone else react. Considering Souji...probably calmly. Those that can guess what Florence can do are clever. As always, review and give constructive criticism. No flames though. I now have an asbestos shield