NOTICE: I did a few changes on chapter 18 and 21. All the changes about Junpei. After a while of playing Persona 4 Arena: Ultimax (is the title correct) I fund out that he is a coach of the little league or something (I don't know much about baseball or any other sports).
Anyways, thank you to all of you readers. And to seekerskull8692 for favoriting . Also to Paloma Junco and Rosalinda Lancaster Leonhart for the review
Paloma Junco: I think have so many mistakes on my writing style like grammar and junk. Thank though. I really appreciate it.
"I'm tired," Junpei complained.
Yukari kicked his shin and scowled at him. "Shut up, Junpei!" The brunette was already too irritated to keep her voice down. "You're the one who volunteered us. Shouldn't we be the once complaining and not you?"
They've climbed ten floors after using the teleporter, but so far they've only found two out of the ten that were stuck in the tower. All of them (except for Ryoji, Teddie and Aigis who had to stay at the first floor in case something occurs) have been running for almost an hour. From time to time, they encounter a herd of shadows; this only made things more difficult for them. They wished that they'd wish they could just fight a single shadow every now and then rather than two fight so many at once. They wanted to give up and to just try again tomorrow. But one person kept encouraging them.
"Don't worry, Junpei," Minako said with a smile that concealed her exhaustion. The female wild card decided to join them because she suddenly was having a hard time scanning the upper floors. From time to time she would use her persona to know where the civilians were. Sometimes, she would call the three on the first floor when she senses something "strange." "There's two on the next floor and three on the next. There aren't much shadows on those floors so we can split up to make things faster." Junpei let out a weary sigh causing Minako to look away dejectedly. Labrys saw this and glared at the Junpei.
"Huh...? What did I do?" Junpei asked defensively.
"Learn to shut your mouth," Labrys said curtly before running closer to Minako.
"We're near the stairs," Minako said in mock delight to hide her fatigue.
They turned left and entered a long and narrow path. At the end of the long hall, they found the stairs. Minako pursed her lips when she noticed that there were too many steps. She pushed her legs to move forward and climb. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go back, she thought. Still... I wish everyone was here to help us out.
"What's taking them so long?" Ryoji paced around impatiently. "They've been there for more than an hour now."
"Calm down Ryoji," Teddie said. "Why don't you call them?" He sat on the foot of the stairs and watched Ryoji. He gave up on talking to Aigis because the girl kept ignoring him. She said that she found the conversation "irrelevant".
"I can't do that. Minako might turn into a grumpy Shinji. Besides, she called six minutes ago."
"Okay?" Teddie turned to Aigis and noticed that she was staring up the stairs. "Is there something wrong Ai-chan?"
"That clock," she pointed at the clock on top of the stairs. Ryoji and Teddie turned their head. They stared at it hard to see what's wrong with it. "It is supposed to show twelve o'clock if I remember correctly."
"You're right!" Teddie said in amazement. For the first time they noticed that they that it was showing a different time - 2:00. "I wonder why we didn't notice it."
"Well it's not like we've been here often to notice," Ryoji said. He gave Teddie a look of suspicion "Or were you going here everyday behind our backs?"
"Why would I go here alone?" Teddie asked. "Only someone beary stupid would go here alone." Teddie gave him a sly smile.
"Are you trying to say something?" Ryoji glared at him.
"Ryoji-san," Aigs intervened. "Remember that you came to the TV world all alone. You even denied your shadow when you seem to know the effects of doing the act. That almost cost us our lives."
Ryoji sighed in defeat. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry." He turned to the teleporter. "I just hope they come back soon."
Junpei's mouth gaped widely in shock. The floor was huge. "How are we going to find them here?" he asked Minako. She ignored him and continued her conversation with Labrys.
"Do you remember what I said?" Minako asked Labrys. She gave her directions on how to find one of the missing people on the floor.
"Yeah, I remember," she said. She gave Minako a smile and a thumbs-up. Minako smiled at her in return.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Since the only way back down is on the next floor we have to carry them up. You can carry someone over a hundred kilograms, right?"
"Yeah." Minako sighed in relief after hearing that. They turned to the rest of the group. "We're splitting up now. Ken, Shinjiro," Labrys called, "you guys are coming with me."
"Let's go." They split up. Junpei, Akihiko, and Yukari followed her quietly. "Prepare yourselves. There're many shadows ahead."
"Yes," the three said in unison. They weren't really sure, but following the girl felt like something they used to do.
"Hey," Yukari called Minako out. The crimson-eyed girl turned to her curiously. "Aren't you mad at us? We did say something really wrong to you..." She looked away guiltily.
Minako chuckled. "I could never be mad at you guys," she said kindly. She continued to walk. Her back was now facing them. "I might have been from a different world and I may be a stranger to you, but I still believe on this one thing. That deep inside my friends are in you. That part of you guys are my friends.
"If that's true or not I don't really care." She stopped and turned to them. "No matter what the truth maybe, in my heart you guys are my friends. No - more like best friends," she corrected himself.
"More like best friends!"
Junpei's eyes widen. What was that? he thought. Before Junpei could do or say anything, the shadow appeared.
"I think it's weak against lightning," Minako said preparing to summon her persona.
"You 'think'?" Yukari repeated with a twitching smile.
"Sorry, I can't scan for weaknesses. I can only based things on my memory."
"Whatever," Akihiko said bouncing in place and shaking his hands before forming them into a fist. He looked at Minako, anticipating her commands with grin of excitement. "Let's get rid of this thing and find that person."
"Alright!" Minako breathed deeply before calling her persona.
Ken, Labrys, and Shinjiro stared at the man they needed to rescue. The man was large and obese. The three wondered if he was just sleeping because he was snoring loudly and drooling all over the floor.
"Well..." Ken turned to his companions. "How are we going to carry him?" he asked, not really intending for it to come out as offensive.
Shinjiro stared at the fat man blankly. "Uh... Come on, let's carry him." Shinjiro kneeled on onw knee and placed the man's right arm on over his shoulders. Ken did the same with the man's left arm. "On three we stand," Shinjiro said. "One, two, three."
They heaved and pushed themselves up from the floor. With difficulty, they tried to stand up straight. They tried to walk with their shaky legs only to end up tripping with the unconscious man above them.
"I... can't... BREATHE," Ken gasped. Shinjiro, on the other side, was turning blue due to the lack of air.
Labrys rolled her eyes and sighed. She walked over to them and effortlessly lifted the man. The two males happily accepted the air. They gave their savior a grateful look. In return she gave them a deadpan glance.
"C'mon and stand up," she ordered. "We have to meet up with them at the stairs."
"We finally found him," Yukari said with relief. Along the way, they encountered fifteen shadows. They already knew there were many shadows but they never expected it to be that many. Why does it look like that most of the shadows are on one area?
"Who's going to carry them?" Junpei asked. Minako and Yukari turned to him. "I'm not carrying him. I'm dead tired."
"Just admit that you're not that strong, Junpei." Yukari smirked at him. "I always knew you were a wimp, so it's okay if you say it now."
"Shut up, Yuka-tan." Junpei handed Minako his bat - that he got inside the dorm's weapon room. He kneeled and placed the man over his shoulder. "See?" He walked around. "I can carry him like a man."
"I can't believe I still need to taunt you," Yukari said exasperatedly. "Let's just go." She turned to Minako, who was watching them happily.
"Akihiko-senpai, Yukari," Minako called out. "We need to form a triangle around Junpei because there are more shadows ahead. It'll be easier to avoid them, unlike the previous ones, but we still have to need to act with caution. Is that clear?" She said every word in a way Mitsuru would, only in a less demanding way.
"Yes, sir." The two got into position.
"Alright, let's go!"
"What took ya guys so long?" Labrys asked with irritation and worry. "Are you guys alright?"
"Yeah we're okay," Minako said. "Once we reach the next floor one of us will have to teleport the civilians back while the rest search for the three people on that floor."
"Who will go back?"
Minako scrutinize everyone quickly. "I think Junpei should go back down. After doing that he could rest He can barely stand."
It was true. Junpei was already leaning on the wall just to support the man, who he gave up on carrying like a sack of potato halfway to the stairs. Junpei kept in mind to thank the girl later.