(... I'm tired of rereading this. xP)
The walls were fully covered in glistening ice. The moment you walked in, every part of your body felt the temperature drop. You clenched your teeth and fists, and you continued on a linear bridge to the center of the tall cylindrical room. There was an endless drop bordering its circular stage-like center.
In the middle, you saw a man in a white and aqua-lined robe with a faded light blue sash. The same blue color was softly splattered on his clothes, making the fabric a blend of two colors instead of pure white. He stood in the middle patiently, staring at the nonexistent ceiling, which was really nothing more than a light from above.
"Congratulations."
Although you were surprised that he noticed you, you continued to get closer.
"With all that you've gone through before encountering me, I was confident that you would make it this far." He turned to your team, causing your group to stop. His face took on features from your teacher -at least his eyes and his jaw- making Emi gasp.
"What did you to do Mr. Reddot?" Emi asked.
"My vessel?" he asked in return. "The man will be no more once I'm finished with all of you."
"You're not gonna take us down!" Yuni shouted. "We've got the power to kick your butt!"
"I'm well aware of that. And you can thank me for it."
What?
"You haven't pieced it together, have you? Allow me to explain from the beginning...
"I was a song: only a sound with no human qualities. As dancers, you all possess the ability to feel the rhythm and tune of music in the same manner as feeling emotions. That bridge between sound and emotion is exactly what I need to translate my power as a song into something physical outside this world. Your alternate selves, created in this world, contain not only your hidden emotions but your hidden talents. My plan was to gather your powers so that I could become not only the ultimate song, but the ultimate being in the real world."
"Then... it was all a trap," Alice muttered.
"It's only a trap if we can't get out of it," Rage shouted. "We came here for one reason and one reason only, and that's to beat this guy!"
"You will die trying."
An invisible force lifted him into the air, and his long garment swayed downward in ruffles. You felt it was time to attack!
Persona!
One by one, your allies' other sides appeared above. Though everyone was ready, you hesitated until Zukin detected the strengths and weaknesses of Pluto.
"He... he isn't Pluto," she started.
"You're correct," the enemy said. "Pluto was destroyed by Hades a year ago. I came back, seeking power."
Destroyed?
"My old self was an erratic, confusing sound; I wasn't challenging enough to be the boss song I wanted to be, and I was too bizarre to be deemed a normal song. I had no place in the DDR world, and I envied the others. I wanted to be more than a pathetic excuse for a boss. But Hades condemned my wish. That devil song had more strength, more power than I, and I couldn't defeat it in the game. But I waited for Hades to let its guard down. When the time was right, I found a boy, one who played the game with his heart as well as his mind. I wanted him, and I took him for myself when he found me."
"How does a song... how did you take him?" Rage interrupted. You were all too interested to destroy Pluto just yet.
"It happens when you make a connection. You must listen to us and play the game with your heart as well as your mind to be united. My old self was able to make it into his soul the day he played my song. But Hades was suspicious of me, so I hid in the boy's father. It was difficult, but once I had a part of the boy's emotions, I was able to cross bodies via his connection to his father, something the mindlessly violent Hades couldn't do without any of its own feelings. Once it got into his body, Hades was chained to one person... that was, until you dancers released it back into this world.
"Meanwhile, I fed on the man's emotions to build my own; his impulses and thoughts gave me power in your world. I found the first victim in this man's mind: a girl he knew too well, and he believed his son was spending too much time with her. Deep down, he wanted her to disappear. With a small spark of his willpower, I was able to grant his wish.
"I heard a lot about you, Souji Seta. You were going to be the second victim, had I not formed my plan. It appeared that when a human was pulled into that world, their song would live in the game. I was told of that man," he pointed to Rage. "I only needed to know that this father didn't want his son associating with someone who didn't finish college and, more importantly, that he had been playing this game for a long time. I decided he would be more fit to fall."
You could swear you heard music playing...
"But he didn't fall. You saved him from becoming a sound, and he and that girl developed a new kind of power. I wanted it even more than his song... and so, I kept going, pulling everyone that the man and I willed to be taken away into a black hole. All these people the boy saw as friends, the man, fueled by my vengeance and hatred, saw as enemies..."
An ominous piano... was this the song of Pluto?
"One by one, their hearts were forming into monsters... monsters that turned into powers that I could obtain. Your powers can give life to music, and if I gather those powers, I can develop a 'life' of my own."
The music sounded so much like Pluto, but it wasn't...
"I am Pluto Relinquish: the boss of the universe!"
His voice rose, and you prepared to fight once more. He was no longer holding back. You could hear his song more clearly now; the room pulsed from what sounded like an irregular heartbeat, granting you a slight feeling of heat with each vibration. The song's loud percussion crashed as an icicle fell from above and hit the ground in sync.
"He is made of ice," Zukin shouted. "The low temperature of room amplifies his power. Try to heat the area as best as you can."
You and Rage only took one glance to know what you each needed to do. Alice skipped to the front and scooted close to your side.
Mada!
Mada and Hidesato levitated, side by side. Amitiel rose even higher, ready with a swirling ball of air to aid them.
"Burn everything!" Rage shouted.
Two rapid bursts of flames from your Personas grew into a raging fire that raced across Amitiel's winds; it looked like an explosion went off above your head and traveled in a circular plane. The brief heat was just that, however, and in the time it took the three of you to recharge, Pluto blew the troublesome embers from his robe with a sheet of ice.
You needed something different. Had he any resistances?
"Only avoid using ice," you heard from Zukin. "Used offensively, it will only increase his power."
"But I can still protect everyone, right?" Emi asked.
She should protect herself as much as the others. You feared the consequences if any one of you were to fall into Pluto's hands.
In these precious seconds, the other Personas had already begun to fight. Yuni's Persona ran circles around Pluto, and Akir ahad Goujiu briefly charge an electrical sphere. A decoy from the ninja, it seemed, but a bit too obvious for Pluto. The song ignored Kishijoten and waved his hand between the dragon and himself, creating a thin shield of ice that blocked the electricity and shattered upon contact.
In the background, Amitiel also snuck up behind Pluto, and she created a wind so strong that Kishijoten rode it. With her claws bared, she was launched at full speed into Pluto's back and began violently tearing him apart. She dug into his robe and skin before he cloaked himself in ice. His protective ice body expanded and broke, sending the ninja onto the floor, but not without blood dripping from Pluto's right shoulder.
He was weakened; was it already time to launch your final attack?
He stopped the blood by coating his shoulder in an ice rock. His limb seemed immobile, but you knew he had more powers at his arsenal. Hidesato guided an Agidyne spell that exploded beneath Pluto's feet. You saw steam rise from the quickly extinguished flames.
The only way you could damage body was to work together. Still, as long as you kept launching attacks in his direction, he had no time to act offensively.
You instructed Zero to use a bright almighty spell and aim for Pluto's head. You shouted Akira's name, hoping he needed no other words to know to strike. Then you shouted to Alice and waved your arm downward.
Their attacks happened at nearly the same time: the light from Megidola blinded Pluto, who protected himself with another shield of ice; from above came both Akira's Zionga and Alice's Garudyne; the force of the wind blew downward and smashed through the weak ice and sent Pluto into the ground, where he was hit by the lighting in under a second.
You couldn't stop there. Your planned team attack hadn't thought this far ahead, so you took matters in your own hands and burned Pluto with Mada's Agidyne attack.
"Rage, look out!"
SMASH!
An icicle fell; had Emi not shouted, you would've assumed it was part of Pluto's song. Yet you looked at her, then at Rage, who had been caught by an icicle and frozen in place. You'd forgotten that the icicles were falling on their own! Was it safe to burn him out of that? You ran backwards, distancing yourself from your enemy before running in Rage's direction.
A low siren began to sound in the song...
From the corner of your eye, you could see a fiery glow. From... what? You were the only remaining fire user left... weren't you?
"AA-!"
Your head bolted to Emi. Embers scattered from her body just before another icicle trapped her in place. What was...?
You heard Devil Zukin shout in a panicked voice. "Pluto has Hidesato's power!"
Another glance at Rage's body showed that the color from his skin was gone. There was no use breaking him free now.
Yuni screamed and furiously tried to take on Pluto with Kishijoten running at her side. Your mind scrambled for a plan around the two of them, but Yuni was a bit unpredictable. You glanced at Akira, assuring yourself that he was going to back her up from a distance. You saw Pluto create a ring of fire, so you kept from switching Personas until he finished casting Maragion.
Pluto's newly acquired fire burned across the room, though it wasn't nearly enough to melt the ice, or even raise the temperature for long. Still, Mada absorbed his power. Filled with vitality, you began to summon your secret weapon...
You closed your eyes and focused, putting your trust in Izanagi and granting him part of your mind. You were oblivious to the scene around you, and you could only hope you had enough time to summon him. You could feel pressure around your waist...
Long seconds later, Izanagi no Okami burst into the air above you. Just as you opened your eyes, you felt yourself being released, or rather thrown out of someone's arms. You went into shock as you witnessed an icicle fall right in front of you and onto Akira, who had saved you..
You knew he would face the same fate as Rage. Already having ice spells, he likely didn't need Emi when he caught her, but you feared for Alice, who was weak to electricity.
No matter, you had the power of the World arcana with you. You took a second to Mind Charge...
"Listen!" Zukin shouted to the remaining teammates. "His power is sound; his weakness is in his silence. Wait for-!"
She, too, was captured by an icicle shortly after. It was then when you realized that just after that smashing sound, there were no noises for nearly one second. Could that be the opening you were supposed to listen for?
The pulses began to quicken. Your heartbeat raced, but you could barely feel it over the vibrations across the room. Perhaps it was the excited beat of Pluto's heart, believing he was closer to victory.
By then, you felt the speed of the music. You could imagine an eight-count in your head, and moved your fingers to the pulses. On the seventh was when an icicle was most likely to fall, but it wasn't every seventh. The song, composed of your fallen friends' powers, became embedded in your memory, and when it began to repeat, you could predict the crashes. The only problem was the small timing window wasn't long enough to use an attack, and you knew Pluto would be after you if you stood still.
The two remaining girls ran in front of you. Were they seeking protection?
"Hurry up and call that big guy again, Souji!" Yuni commanded. "You can take him!"
"W-we're here for you," Alice said.
"Get back," Zero ordered. "Pluto has Hecate; he can exploit your weakness."
Alice frowned. Amitiel rose from behind her, and invisible energy played with the two girls' hair. You heard sparks flying in the distance and looked at Pluto, without even a second to spare before he launched a ball of electricity in your direction. You braced yourself, but felt no impact. A loud crash sounded in front of you, and you caught a glimpse of a shattered Blue Wall that protected you. Of course, you remembered: Amitiel had defensive skills.
One...
Still, no amount of defense could protect you from the godly icicle that fell. Yuni ran to your opponent. You saw a White Wall above your head. The bump-like sounds you previously followed were irregular, but there were smaller crash-like beats that followed the speed of the song exactly...
Two...
They were less than a second apart. You closed your eyes. You had to trust your team...
Three...
You knew it was coming, and you prepared your power...
Four...
These slower sounds followed a different count; the icicle would be on the eighth, not the seventh...
Five...
Shields were breaking above your head; you were lifted to safety yet again, but in the air, perhaps by Raziel. The sixth beat was coming...
Six...
Your massive almighty attack manifested above Pluto. He guarded himself, but you knew his weakness. His heartbeat pulsed at about four times its speed as he panicked.
You heard his shield smash; it was one of your teammates' work.
Seven...
Megidola!
Bump.
Bump.
Bump.
CRASH!
The majestic light exploded on top of him; the icicle's crash and your spell merged into one large explosive noise. The floor rumbled as the ice formerly imprisoning your friends crackled into shards. You stared into the destruction from your aerial view as Izanagi's power softly carried you back to the floor, yet this was no time to celebrate a victory.
Once you landed, you ran to the fallen man in the center. The room was collapsing, and you had to get him out of there quick!
Pluto had fallen face down on the floor, arms and legs limply spread out. You asked him if he was all right, not so much to hear his answer, but to hear if he was Pluto or the man who owned the body. You knelt closely to get a close look.
His eyes were still Pluto's. What could you do...?
"I won't die here," he muttered weakly.
He had been defeated, hadn't he...?
"I can't... be in your world.I have to stay on this side of reality..."
He tilted his head to you. "But remember me... when we meet again."
His head fell to the ground, and small wave of white energy transformed him into Robert's father. Without hesitation, you got lower on the floor and tried to pull him over your shoulders. Zero came to help you, and as you ran to Zukin and Hecate, you saw that the other men and Emi were barely able to make it out themselves, still weak from the ice. Hecate created a void that you and the others were able to walk into, rescuing you from the world that was about to collapse...