(A little bit of both games. The first part was supposed to be included in the previous chapter, but I threw this all together because it happens all in one day.)
Not having much to do until late, you stopped by the arcade, as you learned that it's not a long walk from your campus. You hoped you would see someone you knew, but if you didn't, it would be a good time to practice a bit. You remembered how you had practiced the week before, but your Friday was ruined with Rage's kidnapping.
You hoped, then, to impress them further this week!
Determined, you marched to the machine in its corner of the arcade.
And there was a guy there. He looked familiar... his noticeably tall hair triggered something in your memory, but you had no idea what his name was. You observed his appearance... a gray, sleeveless shirt, large pants, orange spiked hair, some kind of glasses or goggles. You wondered if he noticed you staring at his face, so you backed away to think. No matter how you thought about it, you were sure you didn't know him...
"Hey, you the new guy?"
But he talked to you anyway. Surprised, you jumped a little and looked at him, unsure of what to say.
"Emi's telling everyone there's a guy named Souji. That you?"
You confirmed it. You were about to request his name when-
"I'm Gus," the man introduced. "It's nice to meet you." He shook your hand casually. His grip was notably strong and he sort of yanked your arm a little. He seemed tired from his round of DDR; perhaps he wasn't focusing on what his handshake was like.
"Did you come to play? I'll join you for a round."
You wanted to tell him he didn't have to, but you thought again... you'd rather he was playing against you than watching you fail. You offered him one side of the DDR machine; he took the right one, so you took the left.
You told Gus he had control over the song choices and you'd play anything. He nodded while he was quickly scrolling through his favorite songs. He landed on Ghetto Blasta Deluxe. You were happy that, unlike Rage's favorite songs, it wasn't written in red letters, so you assumed that meant you might survive.
You learned something new, playing with Gus; he chose "Options" before picking the song. Now that you thought about it, Rage did something like that but he did it rather quickly without explaining anything. Gus changed his speed to x2. You asked why he would want to make his arrows faster.
"This spreads 'em apart," he answered. "It makes some songs easier to read. You probably won't need to do this just yet, so don't worry about it. Just keep hitting enter till you get to the bottom."
You frowned a little inside, after hearing that you weren't at a high enough level to need his options. You did as he advised and hit the square button until the options menu went away. Gus then set his level to Expert, and the song played.
Oddly enough, Rage's "boss songs" made these look rather easy by comparison. You only missed about ten or so steps, and the speed was a good one for you. You assumed, though, that this song was notably easy for everyone, as when it was over, you stared at Gus's AA. He didn't look he did any work, but your struggle to maintain your balance left you a little tired.
"Not to be creepy or anything," he said, "but it'd help if you weren't wearing so much."
You looked at your clothing. You wore a light jacket over a long-sleeved shirt and dark pants. You were definitely getting hot. You took off your jacket, hoping you would cool off a bit. You weren't sure where to put it, but Gus motioned you to hang it over the bar behind you, so you did.
"But I think you're doing all right," he said. "I was listening to your steps; not bad for a beginner." He grinned.
He could tell how skilled you were by your steps? You wondered if it was any different from having him watch you make a fool of yourself. He seemed like he was being nice to you, though, so you finished the other two songs he chose. You kept in mind that as long as Gus's life bar was green, you could fail and still proceed with the song.
You were much cooler without your jacket, even though correcting your steps so often was what drained your stamina. You felt that the trick was to learn where the arrows were. You looked back and forth every few measures between the screen and the pad to make sure your feet were in the right spot.
You ended your last song with a B, but you felt you were learning a lot. You wanted to try again, but you didn't want to be late to Yuni's house. Curious, you asked if Gus usually came to the arcade on Fridays.
"Yeah, I go here," he replied. "It's kinda dead on weekdays, but after Friday it gets packed. These days are good for practice, so I like coming up here by myself. It's cool to have one other guy, so thanks for hanging around." He waved bye and you mirrored him.
-.
You arrived at Yuni's mansion at about 7:30, so you patiently waited in the TV room until 8:00. You walked around the room and then looked under the couch. You remembered the sword Devil Zukin hid under it... and the fact that you forgot the sheath. A tinge of guilt shot through you.
"He hasn't noticed."
You bolted your attention to the doorway, where the bat girl stood. She closed the door gently.
"Akira hasn't looked at his sword collection, and I don't believe he has any reason to. He's often rather busy keeping track of Yuni. Anyway," she distanced herself from the door and lowered her voice, "I invited you and Rage-sama here to talk about his kidnapping. He only closed his takoyaki stand at 7:00, so you may have to wait a while. I apologize for making you feel as if you had to come early."
You told her not to worry. On an unrelated note, you asked why she always used an honorific with his name.
"I look up to him," she said. "Back in Japan, he was... very important to me. He still is." She shook her head. "It should not affect the case at hand. We're allies, and he was saved; that's all that matters now."
You felt as if you almost created a distance in your relationship with her... you weren't close enough to learn something that was apparently personal yet. You decided not to prod further, though you were short of conversation topics to kill time. You tried awkwardly asking how her day was.
She pondered the question. "It was about average. I usually spend my days on rooftops watching the lives of people. I'm often fascinated by the behavior of humans. I hope that I can learn how to be human. Or perhaps, I may even discover that I am human. Nevertheless... I want to understand people more."
You focused on her story as she laid part of her thoughts in front of you. As she rambled about people she's seen, she began to talk about the other dancers. You told her you were uncomfortable gossiping about people you knew, so she said she wouldn't reveal any deep secrets.
"I have noticed that Akira has taken more than a protective liking to Yuni..."
But you thought that was kind of a secret...
"I suppose," she said, "but there is nothing in his way. I want to help him find his love."
But... weren't they years apart? You didn't think they looked like they were in the same grade... or school... heck, Akira didn't even go to school, did he?
"Well, Ze-" she paused, "I mean... no, that was definitely supposed to be a secret. I apologize." Her tone was oddly nervous. "There are people that are important to you, over everyone else. I don't think age matters when you find that person... is that not love?"
This was a really awkward conversation. You couldn't really muster up feelings of love to describe to Zukin, nor did you want to give her any wrong information. But... love was subjective. You described love as having many forms... you couldn't give one definition, but it had many.
She smiled. "I see. I've only just met you, and you're teaching me."
Another pulse went through your body; the link between the two of you grew stronger. What was it... perhaps the third time this has happened between you and Zukin? You still didn't know what these new social links meant, but you welcomed them in your heart.
You two passed time with small talk and stories until Rage showed up.
"Oh, good evening, Rage-sama," she said.
"Yo, Zukin. Hey, Souji." Rage's voice was a bit tired. He collapsed on the couch next to you. Zukin was kneeling on the floor, in a position you assumed was comfortable because she hadn't moved much during your conversation with her, despite the room on the couch.
"Do you know why you're here?" she asked.
"Yeah," he replied, "'cause you wanted to talk about the kidnapping. I can't think of who it could be... nobody had any animosity toward me. I mean, after opening my stand, I try not to get mad as easily... I've got a reputation now."
You asked if he remembered anything the day he was kidnapped.
"Ugh..." He seemed like he was thinking hard. "That day... all I remember was I collapsed in my living room and tried going to sleep. Then... it was like everything got dark and something pulled me. Something knocked me out. Then I woke up, and then I was on the other side. I can't remember anything more than that..."
You wondered if you could connect anything to your previous case. You asked him if he remembered anything else, like people or sounds.
He shook his head. "No, my door was locked, and my roommate's gone for a week. I guess... my ears were ringing a lot before I lost track of what was going on."
You didn't think it was enough of a lead, but that was all you were going to get out of him for the time being.
"Sorry," he said, "I guess I kinda went in for nothing."
You told him not to worry. But, you thought, he did obtain a Persona. What kind was it? It would probably be beneficial for him to try using it. Plus, you wanted to find the sheath... so you asked if he wanted to go in the TV.
"Wha? Use my Persona?" he asked, confused. "I don't even know how to use it... I guess that's why I should go in, huh? All right," he said, determined, "let's go in!"
"Wait," Zukin said, "you don't have a weapon, Rage-sama."
You remembered how she didn't say anything when you walked in without a weapon...
"I don't need a weapon," Rage protested. "At least not a fancy one. I mean... hmm," he looked around the room. He examined a few objects on a small table – a book, a pencil, a moderately expensive lamp – before tossing them onto the ground. The table itself had a square surface and was probably not much wider than Rage himself. Rage pulled out its single drawer and chucked it in the pile of things that were previously on the table's surface. He lifted the furniture and tested its weight.
"This'll do," he said.
"That will probably break, Rage-sama," she said.
"I doubt it," he said, "besides, I'm not going in there to hit people with this. I'm going in there to use my Persona. This is sort of a last-ditch effort if we're in trouble."
She shook her head. "I will find you something later on. Well then, please lead us into the TV, Souji."
You found your borrowed sword stashed underneath the couch. After pulling it out, you walked to the TV screen and poked your arm through it, creating a warped hole. You glanced in your allies' direction and they followed you. The three of you dove into the screen, and then tumbled out the other side.
-.
You pulled the glasses you kept in your pocket.
"What's with those glasses?" Rage asked.
"Ah, of course," Zukin said, "I forgot to give you yours." She apparently kept a pair in one of her sleeves (she lacked pockets, from what you could see) and handed it to Rage. His glasses were almost frameless except for the red sides.
"I gotta wear these glasses? Fine," he whined. He looked smarter with them on.
"If we're looking for Akira's sheath," Zukin started, "we should just head back to the room where Rage's Shadow was." Ouze appeared from Zukin and, while you heard Rage stammering half of a question, the Persona sent the three of you to the room.
-.
"What was that?" Rage asked.
"That was my Persona," she said. "It will make more sense when you communicate with yours, I believe."
The door to the last room was left open, so you casually walked in. You glanced around the room, a tad worried that the item was lost. However, in the right corner of the room, you noticed that the sheath had been thrown on the floor. You ran to it and picked it up, relieved to see it was still in good condition. You attached it to a belt buckle on your pants so that you wouldn't lose it again.
You walked back to the entrance, where Rage and Zukin were conversing.
"I don't think your form of battle cry will affect your Persona's power," Zukin said.
"But it's something to work on anyway," Rage said, "Peeeersonaaa!"
He punched the air with his right hand, still holding his table-weapon in his left arm at an angle. You and Zukin smirked.
"Anyway," Zukin said. "It appears there aren't any Shadows on this level... what shall we do?"
You suggested going to lower levels to train, to which your comrades agreed. You led your small team down a set of stairs and began to search for Shadows. Generally, Teddie or Rise could tell if there were any strong Shadows present. Knowing Zukin had a similar Persona, you asked if she could sense anything.
She crossed her arms. "Hmm," she said aloud, "I get an unfamiliar feeling on this floor. Could it be the presence of those Shadows?"
You told her to focus on that feeling. This would be her time to train as well. The three of you paced down the hallways and opened any doors that were previously left shut.
"That one."
You were a few feet from a door when Zukin said that. You assumed she was saying there was a Shadow behind that door. Having faith in her, you opened the door...
There, before you, was a pair of magic tables with the frowning green faces you came across on many monsters in the past. Items circled it in different orbits.
"Cool, let me try this," Rage said. He closed his eyes and placed a hand over his chest. He moved his arm away and seemed to pull a blue card out of his body. Its aura was like that of a new Persona. He opened his eyes to see the glowing object and grinned.
"Persona!" he shouted with excitement. He tossed the card into the air and shattered it with his end table. You felt a pulse of energy radiate from the explosion and Rage's warrior Persona spawned.
"Go, Benkei!" Rage yelled again. The Persona's hands set themselves on fire, and Benkei shot a blast of fire (the spell Agliao, you thought) onto the table.
WHOOSH!
The fire... didn't seem to do anything.
Rage blinked. "Didn't it work...?"
"It has no effect," Zukin said. "The monster blocks fire attacks. From where I stood, your attack appeared successful otherwise, Rage-sama."
Rage frowned. "Now what?"
You tried to remember which table blocked fire. The Angry Table? No, that would've reflected fire. The Laughing Table? Those things you saw in Yukiko's castle... before you even had much of an array of spells. Yes, you remembered... Yosuke's wind spells were used frequently there and his spirit power was drained quickly... that memory in mind, you called the ultimate Fortune Persona to use wind moves.
"Norn!"
The three women that circled a large clock formed all at once. They cast Garudyne on the table (a harsh fate for a weak monster, but you had power to spare), and it was instantly eliminated.
"Uh, good job," Rage said, disappointed. You had to find another monster for him to try his moves on.
"Something's coming," Zukin mumbled. You scanned the room briefly before finding Zukin. The bat girl was staring at the door. You and Rage ran back into the hallway.
"Souji, wai-"
POW!
Something hit you!
You fell down, though you didn't experience a notable injury. You looked to your right to see what it was, and it appeared to be a giant beetle.
Before you could even stand up, you felt heat coming from inside the door. Panicking, you backed away from the empty doorway, and a fire spell shot out of it in the direction of the beetle. The beetle recoiled, but then rushed to its offender in the room.
You got up to help Rage. Before you got in the room you heard a reflective sound, and another yell from Rage. Upon entering the room you saw Rage on the ground, with his table a distance behind him.
"I tried hitting him, but it didn't work!" he shouted. "Agh, help!"
Benkei charred the beetle again with a smaller fire move, finishing it off. And so, Rage had defeated his first Shadow. You congratulated him.
"I guess," he said, "I kinda got kicked back a few times."
"It's a learning experience," Zukin commented. "I, too, am learning as you fight. Ouze's memory is quite great. I believe she'll remember any useful information we gather."
You smiled. Your team was slowly coming together. With two more allies, you felt more confident that your adventure would end the way you wanted it to. The three of you continued training until you were too tired to train any longer.
(I suppose I should've emphasized a chapter or two ago, but as I said in the first chapter, any romantic relationships I imply aren't canon. I've made a handful of Zukin/Rage fics that "happened" before this and that's just kind of the DDR universe I like to write in. Emi/Rage isn't canon, either, it was just really popular for a while and is sort of fan-canon.)