(The P4 anime is a-ma-zing~ and makes me want to rewrite a bunch of this but NO not until after we get to the end. I thhhhink I proofread this a while back... blasted distractions. P4A, DDR II, DDR X3... give me inspiration. xP)
Saturday was a good say to train. More specifically, it was a good day for you to help Emi catch up to your team. Yuni was at her party, and while Akira didn't attend, he remained outside the television in case she needed him. Rage needed the money from a busy Saturday and stayed at his takoyaki stand. You were left with Devil Zukin, Zero, Alice, and Emi in the television. The last girl received a pair of thin-framed pink glasses from Zukin, and she wielded two knives that were from Akira's previously little-known weapon collection.
You weren't very energetic that day, but you knew there were little dangers remaining in the dungeons, and you had faith in your teammates. You had access to three dungeons created by the people that you brought with you. Of them, Zero's instant-death Shadows and Emi's giant robots made you a bit nervous, but you believed Alice's singing monsters would spawn plenty of Shadows to easily defeat.
-.
"Look out!"
As Zukin shouted a warning, you could feel a burst of chilly air about to hit you and Zero. You two dove out of the way in opposite directions, dodging a freezing cloud of ice crystals..
"Sorry!" Emi said... for perhaps the tenth time that day. Zero groaned; as much as you wanted to open your mouth, but neither of you men had the heart to berate her, nor did Alice. Emi hadn't grasped or noticed the fact that the magic hats could lower everyone's accuracy. You looked at Zukin for a little leader support.
"Emi, if you cannot tell where your attack will land, you must wait," she scolded. "There are Shadows who intentionally play with your ability to aim."
"I thought I was close, though," she argued, rubbing her head.
Zero commanded Maion to rid you of your ailments. After a flash of light magic, you told Emi that it was time to attack. Her job in this dungeon was to eliminate the magic hats causing these problems; it seemed Nixie was of the ice element, and the hats were weak to it.
"Bufu! Bufu!" she continuously shouted. She hadn't used any other spells, but at least she was comfortable with one.
You had destroyed the microphone Shadow earlier and were left with three Ardent Dancers. You led Alice to combat one of them; the two of you used your weapons and defeated it with slashes from your sword and swipes from her fan. You couldn't help but watch every second or so, as Alice got her biggest strikes when she twirled her body in a full rotation, letting her hair circle around her, yet it still managed to rest nicely on her back when she stopped.
Something exploded in the near distance.
"Yay!" Emi shouted after the sound. The magic hat was finally gone.
You and Alice destroyed your dancer. You commanded Zero to assist Emi in taking down another while you led your partner to the last one. You didn't hear any protest and assumed that the two were going to team up. In that period, you and Alice used the same mindlessly violent method to fight your opponent. The dancers would try to swat you two away with their sword, but you easily countered them with your own, keeping you and Alice from any harm.
The fight ended in a matter of seconds; you knew that Alice as well as everyone else had grown stronger over the span of these battles. She delivered the finishing blow before the Shadow turned into dust. You congratulated her, and she humbly looked to the ground, muttering "thanks for your help."
As you sort of expected, Zero and Emi's fight wasn't over. Zero, though able to defend Emi, was not good at countering and was slowed down by his heavy shoes. He gave up on physical combat and unleashed Maion to serve as a swordsman. The angel's sword was sharp but thin; it was meant more for show rather than for a long battle. Emi timidly punched the monster, refusing to dig her knives into it.
You told her not to hold back. She would need to learn to be merciless if they wanted to defeat Pluto.
"But," she stuttered. She jabbed one of the knives into the male dancer's waist before quickly pulling it back out. It grew angry and tried to slash her, but Maion defended her with his delicate sword. He took the hit, but disappeared afterward. Zero found an opening from the other side and kicked the female half of the Shadow in her leg. He dived onto the floor and swung a large spin kick at their ankles, trying to trip them.
They stumbled, but the Ardent Dancers supported each other and refused to fall. Instead of swiping at your teammates, the dancers raised their sword in the air and cast what looked like Garula on Zero. The spiral of wind shot from above him and into his head, knocking him down.
Emi's small fists curled around her knives. She channeled her fury into her arms and began to slash at her foe, yelling a feminine battle cry. It appeared to be taking damage from her stabs; it turned to her and was about to strike her with the same wind move before Zero recovered and kicked it over by aiming above the dancers' waists.
Once the enemy was down, you declared an all out attack. The pair finished the monster off beneath a cloud of dust and Shadow remains. It disappeared near-instantly, and when everything cleared, you could see a tired Emi and Zero standing. You heard Emi cheer.
You ran to Emi to congratulate her, Alice following close behind you. You told Emi that if her fighting spirit was always like that, she would be ready for bigger fights.
"I dunno," she started. "I still kinda feel bad about fighting. But if it's to help you guys, it's different. I was just mad that he hurt Zero."
Well, she wouldn't want that to happen again, would she?
She shook her head. "Nope! Okay, then. I'll work on being more aggressive. These guys aren't people. I mean... I don't know what they are, but I don't think they're people."
You smiled at her childish comment, and your team continued to train until you grew too tired to continue.
-.
You visited Rage on Sunday afternoon. His stand wasn't open in the early morning, so he had some time to talk to you. You asked him how Saturday had gone.
"Disco knows I'm stuck here every Saturday 'cause I can't afford to miss a weekend out here, so he proposed that everyone stop by the carnival before his party. I didn't make it to his place in return, but I was too tired to want to go, anyway. He's a good guy."
You never met Disco...
"Ah? Oh yeah, you've probably been too busy. But all you gotta know is he does a lot for the dancing community around here. I mean, that's about all he does. Me, being part of this community...He helps out my business. He let me cater the party a few times, too."
He paused. "I know that back in the other world, I was going through a time where I thought I was kind of a failure. We had been getting some rain that was trashing my business and it was kind of a downer. But on Saturday, all those people made me feel like I was on top of the world... like everything I'd worked for had come true. I'm my own boss, and it's a good feeling. I did what I came to America for, and I'm damned good at it, if I say so myself." He grinned.
"But it's not all me. It's thanks to my friends for coming to America to support me. I'm a success because that's how my friends see me. I could be totally bankrupt, a total loser, and my friends would still come through for me. As long as my friends accept my bad temper and attitude, I can accept me for myself. I wouldn't change who I am for anything; I'd be some kinda liar if I did."
His gratitude gave you a new feeling...
No, a vaguley familiar one...
His body jerked a little and his eyes widened. You were concerned at first, but when the world began to change around you, you knew what was going to happen.
The scenery changed from the carnival to an empty space; the two of you were briefly surrounded by a black void. Rage looked above him, unfazed by the blue false flames that circled him, and saw Benkei levitate in the air, shining in a glowing sapphire aura before a blinding light emitted from his core. As the light faded, a new warrior was in his place. His muscles intensified, now having to support larger gloves. His shirt was no more; he wore old looking pants and left his feet bare. He gained a mouth but became bald. His milky white pupils were the same as the previous Persona.
After another bright light, the two of you returned to the carnival.
"That was... cool?" he said. "Benkei just evolved into...Hidesato?"
Precisely. Rage's Persona and power were no longer held back by doubt; Rage knew who he was and he not only accepted it, he took pride in it.
"That's awesome!" he said. "I can be twice as reckless now! All right, you've done a lot here for us and we haven't done a lot for you. After this is all over, maybe we can have a dance party to celebrate, on Disco."
There were a number of flaws in his logic. One, you didn't think it was a good idea to tell a lot of people about Pluto and the Shadow world inside DDR. Two, you couldn't really dance.
"It'd just be us DDR players," he said, "and we can invite Gus and the others in Yuni's mansion; they can keep a secret and we may as well let them in on it. And whaddaya mean you can't dance? You just gotta feel the music and move how you want. Or ask Gus; he's all about teaching people how to move."
A party was a bit much to ask, but if it really was no problem for Disco...
"Nah, he lives for this stuff. You uh... you have no idea." His voice had an odd tone to it, as if he reflected on someone who was probably an odd person...
-.
Yuni showed up at the carnival shortly after Rage opened his stand. She wore the hat you saw on Thursday but replaced Akira's suit with feminine punk clothes. She arrived with her hair untied and flowing down her back. Her shining blonde hair still stood out, but she didn't look much like Yuni, and that was probably her goal.
"'Sup, Yuni?" he asked. "Here for some food?"
"You bet," she answered. "I'm ready to get off my diet!"
"The diet you've been on for a whole two days? That's a record."
"Be quiet and cook for your paying customer!"
"Ha, I'm just kidding. I'd start to worry if you got any thinner, anyway."
You felt the same way. Why was she on a diet?
"I gotta make sure I don't gain any weight. You know all those bloggers and reporters... one extra pound, the photographers catch it, and then everyone's talking about it. I mean, I know none of you guys care, but the directors and stuff get kinda mad at me."
"Hey, speaking of the high life," Rage said sarcastically, "how was that party?"
"Oh, that," she muttered bitterly. "It wasn't all it was cracked up to be."
"Don't worry. A little fried food will fix the whole weekend up."
"That's what I like to hear," she said, smiling. She crossed her arms impatiently and waited for a few seconds, staring him down.
"I gotta make a big batch at a time," Rage told you two. "Give me a few minutes to myself, will ya?"
"Oh fine. Let's go check out the carnival, Souji." You became alert at your name and noticed that Yuni was walking away. You caught up to her and walked by her side.
-.
It took maybe a minute or so of conversing about rides you were hesitant to try before you arrived to the kiddie rides. Parents chased and watched over their overexcited children. A couple families were on benches eating ice cream and drinking soda. There was one bench in the shade of a tree, and you and Yuni rested on it.
"You know that party?" she began out of the blue.
The one she attended on Saturday? You remembered it as the one Akira nearly didn't let her attend, but you left that part out.
"It... wasn't a party at all. It was a hoax."
Concerned, you waited for her to continue.
"It seemed legit; there was a carpet to his door and a fence to hold off the paparazzi... who weren't there, but we did get there early. But after I got in the big house, I noticed that nobody was inside." She hesitated. "I knew something wasn't right, but I kept going anyway. Long story short... it was all a trap to kidnap me for my money.
"They tied some rope around me and kept asking me how to contact my parents. I had them call Akira, and they told him to meet them at some warehouse or something; there, some other guys would've got the money and then let me go so the real criminal could get away. But my cell phone in my purse had a GPS on it that only Akira and my parents know about -and you, now- so Akira went straight to me.
"He took out the guys' weapons with his guns out and carried me out of the house where the cops were waiting. I guess he was the one who called the police, because if they just showed up without knowing who Akira was, it probably would've looked pretty bad for him. Akira untied me outside and asked if I was okay. And, well, everything was kind of tense after that...
"But what's weird is he didn't scold me at all. He used to get mad whenever something happened to me and take his anger out by telling me I was being careless. But on Saturday night, it was like he was just relieved I was okay. I'm sure that inside, we were both freaking out. But we got through it... together.
"I guess what I really learned was that even though there are a bunch of jerks out there who are out to get me, I still have other people I can count on. I think that's something my Shadow missed. I want everything to go my way, I wish I could make those bad guys would get what they deserve, but I gotta sit back and let things happen the way they do. And with the good people in this world to help me out, things usually work out for the better."
She was relaxed now, compared to a few minutes beforehand. She seemed happy to tell this to you.
"If it hadn't been for you and Akira and the others saving me, I wouldn't have lived to see that I don't have to command people to get my way; sometimes I just have to trust them. I'm still a kid, and I don't need to dominate the world... yet." She grinned. "Yeah, I'm a bit bossy and act like I own the world sometimes, but oh well; I have you guys to keep me in line."
The laughter of the distant children subsided. The world became quiet and transformed into darkness, but neither you nor Yuni was scared.
You could see Tsutomu's slim figure looming high over Yuni before the Persona became a bigger, stronger, and darker ninja with shorter hair and longer claws. Her blank eyes were formed in a more sinister expression than Tsutomu, locked in a deadly glare as she disappeared. When back into reality, Yuni faced you with excited yet confused eyes.
"What just happened there?" she asked loudly. "Did Tsutomu get bigger? Is she stronger now?"
She had been reborn into a new Persona after Yuni learned from her troubles.
"Oh, okay. Then 'Kishijoten' must be her name... I can totally take on Pluto now!" She punched her hand in a fighting pose. "But first... we should go eat something. Rage probably thinks we abandoned him." She grinned, and the two of you ran back to the takoyaki stand in a playful race.