Persona 3 FES:
"Advent of the Fool"
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1. DATE: 4/19 (Sun) Kirijo Dorm
PLV2 - DJKL
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4/19 (Sun) – EVENING
FULL MOON IN: 20
"A~nd finished!" DJ cheered as he organized the papers on his desk. "I'm finally done with that assignment Mr. Ekoda gave us. Honestly, a twenty page assignment in the beginning of the school year is completely ridiculous... At least he let me turn it in late because I was unconscious." He placed the stack of papers to the side and stretched his arms. "And now for the rest of the day..." He smiled as he picked up his 3DS. "Video games!"
"DJ!" A Yukari's voice called out, stopping him before he even touched the game system. "Can you come down here? Akihiko-senpai wants to tell us something!" DJ stared at the door and then back at the console.
"...Aw man." He grumbled, getting up and leaving his room. "Coming!" He yelled as he made his way back to the living room. There he saw Yukari and Akihiko, both waiting near the front door. DJ whistled quickly, getting their attention. "I'm here, so what's up?"
Yukari nodded in agreement. "Yeah, what's this all about Senpai?"
"There's someone I wanna introduce." The senior said, earning confused glances from the second-years. He glanced back at the door. "Hey, hurry up!"
"Hold your horses... This thing is freakin' heavy."
The second-years blinked. That sounded a lot like...
The door opened, and Junpei came in carrying a large suitcase. Both DJ and Yukari's jaw dropped.
"Junpei?!" They both shouted, only earning a pleased smirk from the baseball cap wearing man.
"Hehe! Wazzup?" He greeted, ignoring their flabbergasted expressions. Akihiko gestured to him.
"This is Junpei Iori from Class 2-F. He'll be staying here as of today." The senior said. DJ stared at him in disbelief.
"Here?" He asked, earning a nod in response. "But that means he..."
"That's right. He has the potential." Their jaws dropped again. "But he's only awakened to it recently. I told him about us and he agreed to help." Yukari looked at the newcomer.
"You have the potential?! For real?!" She yelled. DJ pinched his arm to see if he wasn't dreaming. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't.
"Yep!" Junpei said, straightening his cap. He pointed to Akihiko. "He found me crying like a baby in a convenience store surrounded by a bunch of coffins." The two sweatdropped as they imagined the scene. That... did sound like how Junpei would react to the Dark Hour. "I don't remember much... But man, that was embarrassing. He said that it's, you know, completely normal... in the beginning. You know, being confused and not remembering stuff... Did that happen to you too?" DJ scratched his head.
"I think I was a bit shocked the first few times, but then I got used to it..." He muttered. Junpei grinned at his answer and continued.
"But man, I was shocked to find out about you guys." He said, his look becoming a bit serious. It was... strange seeing Junpei like that. "I had no idea. But I'm glad I'm not the only one. It can get pretty lonely, ya know?"
"We can imagine."The two said simultaneously, earning a pout from Junpei.
"Hey, what's with that expression?" He asked, feeling a but miffed. "Aren't you guys glad I joined?"
"I'm not complaining about getting a new member..." DJ said. "But the fact that you're the new member is a bit... unexpected." Junpei pouted as Yukari agreed with him.
"Geez dude, that's harsh..." He muttered, looking downcast. Akihiko noticed a sudden rise in tension and cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention.
"Well, enough with the introductions." He said, looking at the three. "I think we're about ready..." This earned him confused glances from everyone.
"Ready?" DJ asked, tilting his head to the side. "Ready for what?"
"Are we doing something?" Junpei asked excitedly. If DJ could compare him to anything, it would be a little kid in a candy store. "Sweetness!"
Akihiko continued. "With this many people, we can start exploring that place." The three blinked. Only Yukari seemed to understand what he meant by that.
"You mean... Tartarus...?" She asked, earning a nod in response. DJ and Junpei however seemed a bit out of the loop.
"Tartarus...?" Junpei asked. "What's that? Sound like toothpaste." Ignoring the urge to facepalm, DJ decided to add his two cents in.
"Isn't that the name of the deepest part of Hell in Greek mythology?" He asked. The explanation seemed to make Junpei pale as Akihiko nodded.
"We named it after that. For a good reason too." He said. "We think we can the find the reason for the Dark Hour there." DJ raised an eyebrow. That was a pretty interesting theory...
"I sure hope so..." Yukari muttered, looking at the floor.
"The Chairman will give us the details tomorrow night, so be ready." The trio nodded as Akihiko left them, trying to imagine how tomorrow will be like and what this "Tartarus" was like.
4/20 (Mon) – LUNCHTIME
FULL MOON IN: 19
"Wha~t! No way dude!" Junpei whined at DJ. Lunch had just started and most of the students had either left to get lunch or just to goof off. "There's no way a 3DS is better than PSP!"
The device in question was in DJ's hands, who was happily playing The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds until Junpei called him out out of nowhere. What started as a little disagreement turned into a mini console war.
"Are you really gonna argue about something like that?" DJ asked him, not even bothering to look up from his game. "I won't deny that the PSP has some pretty good games, but the 3DS is still superior. It's next gen, has better games and-" He turned the 3D effect on and off. "has 3D without glasses."
"Please!" Junpei waved his hand in front of him. "That 3D is suckish and you know it! The PSP has a better interface and it has a lot cooler titles! Most of the games for that thing are for kids!"
"You do know that there's a Resident Evil game for this thing, a remake of Xenoblade Chronicles and a remake of a Metal Gear Solid game, right?"
"Yeah, there are a few games like that, but most of them are kiddy! Like that Zelda game your playing! Plus, who names their kid Zelda? That a stupid name for a blonde dude."
"...Link is not Zelda. And I take it you've never played Majora's Mask."
"Major what?"
"Exactly."
Yukari facepalmed as the two continued to exchange their witty banter. Boys and their toys. She yawned as she watched Junpei try to pry the device out of DJ's hands, who was struggling to keep his hold on it.
"I thought I was gonna fall asleep in there." She muttered, rubbing her eye to try and stay awake. It was another one of Ekoda's classes, so it was pretty easy to end up falling asleep. The sound of the door opening got her attention.
Much to her and the rest of the class's surprise, Mitsuru walked in. The class immediately began whispering amongst themselves as Mitsuru walked towards Yukari.
"Excuse me Takeba," She started. "but can I have minute..." She trailed off as her gaze fell to the two boys. The 3DS was left abandoned on DJ's desk and the two had started wrestling. DJ held Junpei in a head lock and gave him a rather violent noogie while Junpei cried out in pain. The redhead's eye twitched before she cleared her throat, getting their attention.
The two paled even before they felt the room temperature go down.
"As I was saying." Mitsuru continued once the two let go of each other. "Come to the lounge when you get back to the dorm. I have something to tell everyone."
"Oh, are we having that talk?" Junpei asked. DJ raised an eyebrow. Was there really a need to ask something so obvious?
"I'll save the details later... Now-" She glared at the two boys, who tensed up instantly. "If I find you two acting like that again, you two will be executed." The two shuddered just at the mere thought of what would happen to them. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Senpai!" The two yelled together, saluting. Mitsuru stared for a moment before nodding and walked out of the classroom.
"...Well that was terrifying." DJ muttered, shutting off his 3DS.
"Yeah..." Junpei said. "You know she didn't waste anytime leaving..."
Yukari scoffed and looked away. "She's probably busy with things like Student Council, unlike us." The two males blinked and stared at the girl, who shifted uncomfortably. "What?"
"Woah Yuka-tan! Do I sense some hostility?" Junpei asked, surprised.
"It does look like you two don't always see eye-to-eye." DJ said, agreeing with Junpei. The girl sighed and looked away.
"Well, it's not that I don't like her..." She defended. "She's just..."
"...Secretive?" DJ asked on a whim. Unsurprisingly though, Yukari nodded.
"I just don't like it when people hide things from others..." She muttered. "It's like they don't trust you at all..."
"Yeah.. It does suck when you find out someone you know has been keeping things from you..." Junpei added, unknowingly stabbing the proverbial knife in DJ's chest even further. DJ winced and looked away.
As much as he hated having to lie to them, it was for the best... And unfortunately for him, the day was only bound to get worse.
4/20 (Mon) - EVENING
The trip back to the dorm was rather uneventful. DJ and Junpei would make a small comment about their console war and occasionally crack a joke somewhere in the middle. Needless to say, it felt nice just walking home with a friend. Yukari had already gone ahead of them, but the two really didn't mind.
After everyone had arrived was a different story. After DJ and Junpei took their seats, Ikutsuki adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention.
"Okay, everyone's here." He started. "I'd like your undivided attention." Everyone had their eyes on him as he kept talking. "A while back, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the Persona users we had. But that number has recently jumped up to five. Therefore..." He glanced at everyone. "Starting tonight at 12:00 AM, I would like to commence the exploration of Tartarus."
"Uh~... Mr. Chairman?" Junpei started, getting everyone's attention. "I asked this yesterday, but what is this Tartarus thing again?"
"I second that question." DJ said. "It has to be something really bad if you're naming it after Hell itself." Yukari raised an eyebrow.
"You two haven't seen it?" She asked. She sighed when they shook their heads.
"It's no surprise" Ikutsuki started. "since it only appears in the Dark Hour." The two boys blinked.
"The Dark Hour...?" Junpei trailed off. "How does that work?"
"It's just like the Shadows." Akihiko grinned, his hand tightening into a fist. "Plus it's the perfect place for us to train. You can think of it as a Shadow nest."
"Woah... Their nest, huh?" Junpei grinned, getting excited. DJ scratched the back of his head.
"That... sounds nice." He muttered. In all honesty, he was not looking forward to literally diving into a place filled with Shadows. They named it "Tartarus" for a reason. "But what about your arm Senpai?" Akihiko blinked before grimacing.
"Since Akihiko is still injured" Mitsuru started, glaring at the white haired boxer. "he'll only come as far as the entrance."
"Don't remind me..." The boxer muttered, looking away. Ikutsuki chuckled at the sight.
"Well, I'm sure he won't complain, as long as you don't go too far in." He said. The three second-years nodded. This would be the first time anyone would go there, so it was common sense not to get too over their heads. "Since we're dealing with Shadows, Tartarus isn't something we can avoid."
The sound of Junpei's chair sliding on the ground, got everyone's attention. Junpei stood up with a smirk and pointed at himself. "Relax, I've got your backs!" Everyone sweatdropped at the scene.
"I'm not so sure about this..." Yukari muttered.
"About Tartarus or being protected by Junpei?" DJ asked her.
"Both."
"Hey!"
"Continuing." Mitsuru said flatly, making every shut up immediately. "What about you Mr. Chairman?"
"I'll be staying here." He said. The disk hockey of the group raised an eyebrow. "As you know, I can't summon a Persona..."
"So you being in the field would be useless for us, right?" DJ said, making the Chairman sink in his chair. "Oops... Sorry for putting it bluntly..."
"I-It's fine..." The Chairman muttered before sitting back up. "Well, you should all be on your way." Junpei pumped a fist in the air.
"Awesome!" He cheered. "So where is Tartarus anyway?"
4/20 (Mon) LATE NIGHT
There was something about this walk to Tartarus that felt... strange. Not strange in a "I feel really weird." way more like a "This is way too familiar." kind of way. Even more so when DJ realized what route they were on.
The same one he used to go to school.
They stopped in front of the school gate, now locked for obvious reasons. DJ wasn't the only one looking confused. Junpei stared at the gate strangely before looking at his seniors.
"This is the place?" He asked, raising his eyebrow. "Why here? Are you sure we didn't take a wrong turn or something?"
"Just wait a few minutes." Akihiko muttered, looking at the time on his cell phone. "It's almost midnight."
"What, does the portal show up here?" DJ asked, earning a few stares. "What? It's a portal to some bizarre other world, isn't it?"
Tick...
Tick...
Tick...
CRASH!
4/20 (Mon) - DARK HOUR
And the world turned green again. That was nothing new to DJ...
Now the sound of bending metal and a sickening crunching sound? That was new.
The ground rumbled for a moment as the school in front of the high school students twisted and shifted like some kind of giant puzzle. It grew in size every second as spirals and spikes came out of the ginormous construction. The school became so tall, one could say that it practically touched the moon. And in an instant, where the school once stood, now stood a monstrous tower with the most bizarre and horrifying architecture anyone had ever seen.
DJ and Junpei's jaws dropped as they gapped at the monstrous visage before them. In fact, everyone seemed unnerved by the newly presented tower.
"This is Tartarus." Mitsuru said as the initial shock died down. "The labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour."
"Wow..." Yukari muttered. "It's even scarier up close... What do you guy-" She stopped when she notices their flabbergasted expressions. "Um... Gu-"
"What happened to our school?!" The two yelled together, startling everyone.
"Don't worry." Mitsuru said, hoping to calm the two down. "Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal."
"This is the nest you guys were talking about?!" Junpei yelled, taking a step back.
"Why did our school turn into a freakin' tower?!" DJ yelled. Mitsuru stayed quiet, looking off to the side. The disk jockey blinked. Could she... "You don't know either?"
"...No." She said, confirming DJ's suspicions. Hesitation to answer something so simple could only mean one thing.
"She's lying." His mind told him. As much as he'd like to press on, he really didn't have a very good argument here. "But at least now I know she has a bigger connection to the Dark Hour than she lets on..."
"I'm sure it's complicated." Yukari said, though there was a strange hint of suspicion in her voice. "Who cares anyway? It's not like we'd change our minds about fighting..." Mitsuru winced, though no one present noticed.
"Well, maybe now we'll find out." Akihiko said. He jabbed his thumb in the tower's direction. "Me and Mitsuru have only gone in to take a peek. This'll be our first time exploring it. Pretty exciting, huh?" His grin replaced itself with a more solemn expression. "There has to be some sort of clue in here about the Dark Hour..." DJ blinked.
If there's one thing his little investigation managed to discover is that Mitsuru knew more things about the Dark Hour than Akihiko. The boxer knew his fair share of info, but there was just something that made it seem like Mitsuru knew more. She was keeping even him in the dark. He need to remember to write that down in his dia- Er... Investigation Notebook.
"Akihiko." Mitsuru started. "I respect your enthusiasm, but you won't be accompanying us today." Akihiko said nothing and just looked away, mumbling to himself. Mitsuru sighed and walked towards the gate. With a swift motion, she unlocked it. "Now then, shall we go in?"
The sight inside the main room of Tartarus wasn't as terrifying as the sight outside. In fact, one could even call it artistic. It was the only place during the Dark Hour that wasn't all green, as far as DJ could tell anyway. The room seemed endless with a sea of columns in the background. The marble tiles made the room seem to glow, as multiple colors we seen across the floor. But what got everyone's attention was the large staircase in the center, one that led to a large door connected to an even large clock.
"Whoa..." Junpei muttered, looking around. "It's just as cool on the inside."
"It's even creepier in here too..." Yukari whispered, looking up at the clock ahead of them.
"This is only the entrance." Mitsuru explained. "The labyrinth itself is through the doorway at the top of the stairs."
"We're sending you three up to get a good feel of the place." Akihiko said. The three blinked.
"...By ourselves?" DJ asked incredulously. "I know you can't go, but what about Mitsuru-senpai?"
"The structure of Tartarus shifts and changes every day." She explained. "Because of this, outside support is imperative. My Persona's ability can allow me to scan and detect the shadows, although it can't go very far..."
"So you're our support?" He asked, earning a nod. "Great..."
"You guys weren't planning on coming with us the first place, were you?" Junpei asked, scratching the back of his neck. Akihiko shook his head.
"Nope." He stated bluntly. "Anyway, we're gonna need to appoint a field least to make any necessary decisions..." Junpei immediately lit up like a Christmas tree.
"For real?! Me me me! Pick me! Pick me!" He yelled raising his hand in the air. His two teammates sweatdropped at his childish actions.
"..." Akihiko stayed quiet as he scanned the three in front of him. Junpei was... out of the question. Too rash and childish, a very bad combination. Then there was Yukari. She had been with them the longest, but she still wasn't comfortable with summoning her Persona. That only left... "KL, you're in charge."
...
"Za?!" DJ took a step back. Yukari and Junpei looked at him, surprised. "Me?!"
"W-Wait! Why him?!" Junpei protested. "He doesn't even look like a leader!"
"While I do feel insulted by that," DJ glared at Junpei before continuing. "I have to agree. I ain't leader material! Trust me when I say that I am not a good choice for this." There was absolutely no way he was going to be the leader. He hated being in charge of things…
"...Well you have fought them before..." Yukari said shyly, making DJ blink. That... was true. Between the three of them, he was the only one who had ever fought a Shadow. Yukari didn't exactly count seeing as she was nearly useless that night.
"Seriously?!" Junpei asked, looking at DJ in astonishment. The disk jockey winced and he put his sunglasses over his eyes in a vain attempt to hide his embarrassed expression.
"Fighting two mediocre Shadows... and a big one doesn't make me leader material Yukari..." He muttered. "Anyone could do it."
"That's true, but there's another reason why I'm making him the leader." Akihiko said while walking up to the three. "You two..." He muttered, looking at Junpei and Yukari. The boxer took out his Evoker and pointed it at his head "Can you summon your Persona without any difficulties like he can?"
...
Crud... DJ had forgotten about that little detail. It took ages for Yukari to try to summon hers, and even then it didn't work correctly. As for Junpei… Well, this was the first time DJ even saw him with an Evoker. DJ on the other hand managed to summon Orpheus a grand total of three times that night without question. He just… did it.
Junpei visually tensed up, but he tried to put a brave face on. "Y-Yeah, of course I can!" He stuttered. Not convincing anyone in the room. Yukari looked somewhat downcast.
"I… think so…" She squeaked. Their answers only made Akihiko sigh.
"These are Shadows we're talking about." He said, glaring at both of them. "Without your Persona, you're screwed." He glanced back at DJ. "Through elimination, the only one fit to be the leader here is you, DJ." The disk jockey grimaced before sighing.
"Fine... I'll lead tonight, but I'm not making any promises on later nights." He said. Akihiko smirked.
"I'm sure you'll change your mind later." He said. The disk jockey muttered some incomprehensible under his breath.
"So how are we gonna defend ourselves in there?" Junpei asked, looking up the staircase. "We're not going in there empty handed, are we?"
"No Iori, you're not." Mitsuru said. She gestured behind her. To be more precise, she gestured to large crate behind her.
"...How'd we miss that?" Yukari deadpanned. She got no clear response however.
"Each of you will be given a weapon." The redhead explained. "I'd suggest picking something you're comfortable with."
"Sweetness!" Junpei cheered before running towards the crate. DJ and Yukari followed him. Before the disk jockey got close however, Mitsuru stopped him.
"Hm?"
"KL. I've been analyzing your battle with the shadows that night." She started, getting no direct reaction from him. "I couldn't help but notice your handicap due to your... disability." DJ's eye twitched slightly.
"Where are you going with this?" He asked, the conversation already getting on his nerves.
"Simply put, I had the Kirijo Group create a prosthetic leg for you." The boy blinked.
"Za?"
She sighed before walking over to the crate. Junpei had already opened it and went gaga over all the different weapons before finally settling on a long sword. She bent over and took out a prosthetic leg much like his own, with few differences.
For one thing, his normal one was pitch black in color. This one was plated in chrome and a very glossy shine to it. DJ could even see his own reflection in it. In terms if size, it looked about the same, but he'd have to put it on to tell.
Mitsuru handed the fake limb to the boy, who continued staring at it.
"...You had this made for me?" He asked, looking up at her.
"I took the liberty of using your current one as a model while you were unconscious." She explained. "In terms of weight, shape and size, it is completely identical to the one you're wearing now."
The boy peeked inside the leg, trying to find some kind of defect. "Than what makes it any different?"
"The metal is the same one used the create our anti-Shadow weapons." She said, earning a look of surprise for the brunette. "Its material is much stronger than your normal one, so it should be able to better suit your fighting style." He blinked before smirking.
"So you noticed, huh?" He asked, earning a nod. He chuckled before taking off his right boot. "Give me a minute to put this thing on." The redhead nodded and the boy began rolling up is pants.
"Hey, what's taking so- Holy crap dude! What happened to your leg?!" Junpei yelled as soon as hew saw DJ's prosthetic limb. The disk jockey winced. He had forgotten Junpei didn't know about it yet. He sighed before sitting down and taking off the original leg.
"Lost it." He said simply. Junpei started sputtering incomplete words, trying to formulate a sentence as DJ put on the new leg.
"Lay off it Stupei." Yukari said, getting the capped boy's attention. DJ chuckled at her nickname for him. "It's not nice to gawk at something like that."
"B-But I... He..." He couldn't find anything to say. DJ stood back up and tapped his new prosthetic on the floor.
Mitsuru was right. It really didn't feel any different than the one he had early. It was a bit colder, but it had never been used before, so it made sense.
"Not bad..." He muttered before walking towards his team. "Ready?"
"Just about." Yukari said, fixing her quiver. Junpei stilled stared at the DJ's leg strangely, earning himself a light kick in the shin with said leg.
"Don't stare." He said. Junpei nodded in agreement. The disk jockey looked over to his seniors. "Anything else?"
"Just one more thing." Akihiko said before Instantly strapping something to DJ's wrist. He blinked twice before glancing at the device.
It looked like a white wristband with a large rectangular screen on it. It had five buttons. One on the side, two on the top and two on the bottom. The boxer placed similar devices on Yukari and Junpei, who played with the new toy.
"'The hell is this for?" DJ asked, looking at the device. Akihiko walked up and pressed the button on the side. DJ winced when he felt something sharp stab into his wrist. "What was that?!"
"Look at the screen and see." Mitsuru said bluntly. The brunette looked at her in confusion before looking back at the screen. It had turned on and now was showing very... interesting details.
"Stamina? Spiritual Power?" He read out loud. He heard Junpei and Yukari yelp as they turned their devices on too. "What is all this?"
"Those are your Personal Status Regulators, or PSRs for short." Mitsuru explained. "The PSR's main function is to show your current status and fatigue levels. The screen you're on is the home page, which you can get to by pressing button one. It displays your personal data." DJ blinked before looking at the device. The aside from the power button on the side, the other buttons were all numbered.
"That's... pretty cool." DJ admitted. A device like this could really come in handy. "What else can it do?"
"Button two will show you you're current party member's statistics. Button three will allow you to see your Persona's abilities and statistics. Finally, button four will let you see an index of every Shadow you faced, along with their specific weaknesses, after they've been scanned of course." The redhead explained. DJ pressed each button on the device and each one did as she said.
"Not bad... But was stabbing our wrists really necessary?" He asked.
"How else are we supposed to get your vitals?"
"I don't know... Our pulses our something?"
"This isn't a video game KL."
"...I don't know why, but I feel some strange feeling of irony when you say that." DJ muttered, earning a blank stare from Mitsuru. "Now is that all, or is there anything else you have to give us?" The redhead shook her head, much to the boy's relief.
"No, I believe that's everything." She said, walking back towards Akihiko. "Akihiko and I will both stay here giving support. Good luck in there, and be careful."
"Hell yeah!" Junpei shouted before running up the stairs. Yukari sighed and ran after him, telling to slow down. DJ rolled his eyes and took one step...
KA-SHH!
The boy froze. A light velvet glow to his left caught his attention.
"KL?" Mitsuru started, noticing his sudden stop. "What's wrong?" DJ ignored her and started walking towards the blue door that had magically materialized.
"...So this is what he meant." The disk jockey muttered, fishing for the Velvet Key in his pocket. He smiled when he saw the key glow as it got closer to the door. "Alright Igor..." He unlocked the door. "I'm coming in."
DJ blinked as the world around him suddenly turned blue.
"We've been expecting you." A woman's voice said. The disk jockey blinked when he saw Elizabeth and Theodore standing there. However, what surprised him was the fact that Igor wasn't present.
"Hey, where's Igor?" He asked, looking around. The two attendants chuckled and gestured for him to sit down. He obliged.
"I'm afraid that the Master had other duties to attend too." Theodore said, making the boy blink.
"He can leave here?" He asked, earning a nod from Theo.
"Of course. Although the Master did show some disappointment when he discovered he couldn't greet you here himself." He bowed his head. "But he does send his regards." DJ blinked and nodded.
"That's... nice of him..." He looked back at the two attendants. "So what am I here for?"
"You are about to begin your journey." Elizabeth started, her playful expression not leaving her face. "Which means it is time we explain the true nature of your power."
DJ tilted his head, confused. "What do you mean?" He asked. "I'm a Persona user. Isn't that my power?"
"Not... entirely." Elizabeth said, walking up to him. She opened the large book she held and a mysterious blue light shined out of it. "Our Master explains it like this... Your power is like the number zero. It's empty, but it holds limitless possibilities."
"And that's... good?"
"What my sister means" Theo said, earning a glare from his sister. "is that you have the ability to possess multiple Personas, and summon them when needed."
"Za?" DJ deadpanned. "I can use more than one?" A small surge of pain went through his head as he recalled a large creature in a black cloak. "...Ow..."
"I was getting to that dear brother." Elizabeth said. She was still smiling, but it was quite easy to see she was angry at her brother, who paled at the way she was talking to him. "As I was saying... That ability is known as the Wild Card."
"Wild Card..." DJ muttered. "That sounds so badass..." Elizabeth giggled before snapping her fingers, making the Velvet Door behind DJ glow.
"I'm afraid your time here must be scarce. Time is still going on in your world, and I'm afraid your friends are starting to get worried." The disk jockey blinked before jumping out of his seat.
"You couldn't have told me that sooner?! " He yelled before rushing towards the door. "I should've thought this through. I bet to them I just disappeared out of nowhere! Anyway, thanks for telling me about my power! Bye!" He opened the door and-
And he blinked at the sight of Junpei and Yukari's worried faces in front of him. Mitsuru and Akihiko were a bit farther away from him, also looking at him worriedly.
"DJ? Are you alright?" Yukari asked, walking closer to him.
"Hey dude, you just spaced out and started staring at the wall... You look like a zombie." Junpei asked. DJ blinked before shaking his head.
"I-I just opened this door and..." He said before stopping. The looks on their faces was more than enough to tell him they wouldn't believe him. Apparently, he was the only one who could see that door. "...Forget it. I thought I saw something..." Yukari sighed in relief and Junpei rolled his eyes.
"You can't just dose off like that man." He berated. "You're supposed to be our leader." He turned around and headed towards the stairs. DJ winced. Apparently Junpei was still a bit sour about the whole leader thing... Not that he wanted to be the leader anyway.
"Sorry about that..." He started following him, gesturing for Yukari to come along. "Come on! Let's get this over with." The girl nodded and the two walked after their capped teammate.
TARTARUS
THEBEL 1F
"Man, this is creepy..." DJ said as he and his team took their first steps into the labyrinth. The world was back to the sickly green hue it usually was during the Dark Hour. The walls around them seemed like the schools, but it was stained with red blotches of what looked like blood covering almost everything.
"I know..." Yukari muttered as the grip on her bow tightened. "So this is the Shadow's nest..."
"This is pretty sweet!" Junpei cheered, causing the other two to look at him strangely. Out of the three of them, only Junpei really seemed excited for this whole thing. They had to admire his enthusiasm, that's for sure...
"Can you all hear me?" A familiar voice in their heads said.
"Woah, is that you Senpai?" Junpei asked, looking around trying to find the redhead senior.
"I'll be providing you all audio backup from here on out. My Persona's ability should be of use to you all." She said. The three nodded. "Now based on your current location, you should encounter enemies at any minute. The Shadows here shouldn't be that tough, but I still advise to proceed with caution."
"Alright... Thanks Senpai." DJ said before turning to his team members. "Alright guys, we're literally stepping into a giant maze filled with monsters..." He took a deep breath. "We have to be careful, so it'd be best if we stay together and walk in slow-"
"Yahoo!" DJ's train of thought was broken when a blur wearing a baseball cap darted passed him at high speeds. "Shadows, here I come!"
"What the- Junpei!" The disk jockey shouted as he and Yukari watched him turn down a corridor.
"Ugh! That idiot!" Yukari whined before the two chased after him. "Can't he stay still for two seconds?!"
"Gotta admire his dedication at least!" DJ shouted back as the two took the turn he took. Unfortunately, Junpei was no longer in sight."Damn... Senpai, can you tell us where he went?"
"Down the hall, third turn on the right!" DJ muttered a thanks before running where Mitsuru told him. "KL! Behind you!" The disk jockey blinked before turning around, only to see a Shadow lunge at him. He took a quick step back, narrowly dodging the attacker.
"Yikes!" He whined as the black blob picked itself up. Two more blobs appeared next to it, each focusing on DJ. "Crap... Mitsuru, you mind giving me that analysis?"
"I'm on it!" She said as another Shadow took a lunge at DJ. Before it could get close however, an arrow found its way through its body. DJ gave Yukari a thumbs up and she smiled back. The Shadow stood back up and growled at the girl, before turning around to face her, leaving DJ alone with the other two.
The disk jockey charged towards the first one before delivering a swift kick to its mask, making it fall back slightly. He heard the other one try to jump on him, but he quickly turned around around an hit it with an overhead kick. DJ jumped after it a dropped his leg down on it's mask, cracking it slightly, before kicking it into the wall, leaving a black stain on it.
"Hehe. Not bad..." He muttered, tapping his new metal foot on the floor. "This thing really is stronger than my other one. That one got a bit dented when I did this..." He was broken out of his musings when he felt something graze his back. He let out a small hiss as he landed on the floor, his back stinging in pain.
"KL! Are you alright?" Mitsuru's voice asked as DJ stood back up. The Shadow from earlier managed to land a pretty nasty hit on him.
"Guh... Got careless..." He put his sunglasses over his eyes and glared at the Shadow. "Won't happen again."
"I've finished the analysis. This Shadow is known as a Cowardly Maya, Magician Arcana. It seems like it's weak to fire skills." DJ blinked before smirking, startling the Cowardly Maya.
"Fire, eh?" He took out his Evoker. "Well why didn't you say so? Orpheus!" With the pull of a trigger, the Master of Strings appeared over his head. "Agi!" Orpheus played a melody on his harp before the Shadow was engulfed in a bright red flame. Not even wasting a second, DJ ran up as soon as the flames died down and landed three consecutive kicks to the Shadows face, making it disintegrate. "Ha! Eat that you dark gloomy bastard!" He dusted off his new foot and stood up. "Now to help-"
The last Cowardly Maya roared as another arrow pierced through it's body. Yukari stood not too far away, glaring at the Shadow with her bow in position. She looked completely unscathed. The Shadow on the other hand... Yukari shook her head and shot one last arrow, this one going through the Shadow's mask, destroying it instantly.
DJ raised both eyebrows, impressed. Sure, it was only one Shadow, but she beat it without getting hurt and without a Persona.
"Not bad." He complimented. She let out a breath of relief before smiling at him. Unfortunately, they still had to catch up to a certain capped friend of theirs. "Doesn't Junpei realize that he just dived headfirst into a monster infested labyrinth named after Hell itself?!"
"Oh please, I doubt something like that would faze him." Yukari muttered as they kept following Mitsuru's instructions. "Still, even he should've known better than to run off like that."
"I guess he got caught up in the moment." DJ growled. "This is why being the leader sucks..."
"Why?"
"Because there's always gonna be someone who's not gonna listen to you!"
TARTARUS
THEBEL 2F
It took a while and a stair climb later, but the two finally managed to find Junpei. Their teammate was surrounded by five Cowardly Mayas, but Junpei didn't show any signs of bring worried. A sense of relief came over them when they saw that he was unharmed, but that didn't mean they weren't angry at him for running off.
"Junpei-kun!" DJ yelled, getting the capped boy's attention. "What were you thinking?!"
"Hey guys!" He waved at them, oblivious to their anger towards them "Just in time too! Check this out!" The two blinked in confusion when Junpei took out his Evoker. "Hermes!" With a loud bang, a large silhouette appeared above Junpei.
The Shadows stared as Junpei's Persona manifested itself. A mechanical man wearing a large golden helmet stood above him. On it's arms were what appeared to be wings, but a closer look would reveal them both to be deathly blades.
"Cleave!"
Junpei's Persona didn't hesitate to smash through three of the Shadows around him, wiping them out instantly. Junpei turned around and slashed at one of the other ones, which recoiled in pain and back up. The other clawed at him, just barely grazing his arm before it was kicked away by Junpei. He was about to follow up with another slash when DJ showed up and kicked that Shadow in the mask, destroying it.
"Hey!" Junpei whined. "That was my kill!" He stopped when he saw DJ glare at him. "What?"
"You idiot!" He yelled, making Junpei jump. "Why the hell did you run off like that?!"
"Oh, come on dude!" Junpei glared back at him. "I couldn't just stand around and do nothing! We were brought here to explore the place, remember?"
"That doesn't mean you can just run off like that! First of all, we're a team! Second, running into a monster filled Hellhole is suicide!"
"We'll be fine! I managed to summon my Persona now, didn't I?"
"Persona or not, this place is dangerous to go in alone!"
"Stop whining dude! I'm fine!"
"Dammit Junpei, stop being so stubborn!"
"I'm not being stubborn!"
"Yes you are! We can't just charge in here like this!"
"For the last time: I! Got! This!"
Before the DJ could retort, an arrow flew between their heads and impaled the last Cowardly Maya, who was about to pounce on the two bickering teammates while they were distracted. The two turned to Yukari, who was watching them with an unamused expression.
"Are you two done?" She asked, earning sheepish looks from the boys.
"Iori." Mitsuru's voice made them pale. "Do you both have any idea how reckless that was?" She berated, making the boy in question shrink. "Not only did you endanger yourself, but you directly disobeyed your assigned leader. I do not expect this to happen again. Are we clear?"
"Y-Yes Senpai!" Junpei squeaked, earning a light chuckle from DJ.
"And KL." The boy froze. "While what Junpei did was completely idiotic, getting into an argument nearly got you both injured. Your supposed to be the leader. Try acting like one."
"Y-Yes Senpai!" DJ yelled. A moment of silence fell between them. That is until Yukari noticed something coming towards them
"Hey, we got company!" She yelled, pointing at the small group of Shadows coming towards them. DJ and Junpei looked at each other.
"...Truce?" Junpei asked, smirking.
"Truce." DJ tapped his foot on the ground and turned to the Shadows. "I wonder why the only Shadows showing up are these Cowardly Mayas though..."
"Well, this is the beginning dude." Junpei muttered. "We're not supposed to fight the big baddies yet."
"Will you two pay attention?" Yukari berated them, glaring at the Shadows. "Cowardly Maya or not, we need a plan here. There are way to many of them."
"...Good point..." DJ muttered, looking back at the approaching group. "Mitsuru-senpai? How many are there?"
"Seven." She said, making DJ wince. They were pretty easy to kill, but their numbers were growing each time they found a new group.
"They're weak to fire..." The disk jockey muttered before glancing at Junpei. "Hermes wouldn't happen to know Agi, does he?" Junpei blinked before smirking. He raised up his PSR and gave DJ a thumbs up. "Perfect."
The Shadows came closer until the noticed the two boys standing there with their Evokers ready.
"You ready?" DJ asked. Junpei nodded in response. The two grinned as they pressed the triggers.
"Orpheus!"
"Hermes!"
Hermes and Orpheus sprung to life, startling the Shadows. Without a moment of hesitation, the two Personas cast a brilliant flame on the Shadow, engulfing all of them in flames. When the flames finally died down, the Cowardly Mayas barely looked capably of moving... Not they they looked like they could to begin with, really.
"Here's our chance!" Yukari yelled. DJ and Junpei didn't even wait for her to finish before charging towards the dazed Shadows, Junpei cut through as many as he could and DJ kicking them around like soccer balls. Yukari stood a few feet away, firing arrows at the few they'd miss or at the ones that would survive their onslaught. With a final cry, DJ, Junpei and Yukari hit the last remaining Shadow at the same time, dissolving it into nothing.
DJ whistled. "Man, that was tight!" he laughed, tapping his foot on the ground. "We should do that more often!"
"Nice work pulling of that attack everyone." Mitsuru complimented. "You took advantage of their weakness and managed to take them all out in one fell swoop. Trés bien." DJ chuckled. French, huh? Interesting.
"Ce n'était rien." He said back to her. He couldn't see it, but he could tell she was surprised, Junpei and Yukari too.
"See natai rain? What's that?" Junpei asked, scratching his head. Yukari pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation before glaring at the capped boy.
"It's French Stupei..." She muttered before looking at DJ. "I knew Senpai could speak it, but..." DJ chuckled and scratched his cheek.
"Thank Oji-san for that." He explained. "He always said it would be nice to know a different language other than Japanese, so I took a few language courses..."
"A few?"
"English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and German. I was learning Russian but then I had to come here to Iwatodai." He finished. He blinked when he noticed his teammates gaping at him. "What?"
"You speak six languages?!" The two shouted at him, making him wince.
"Seven if you count what I learned in Russian." DJ said. He immediately regretted it when he saw their expressions get even more exaggerated.
"That... is quite impressive KL." Mitsuru said, getting the disk jockey's attention. "I myself only learned three languages... Your grandfather must expect you to have a very bright future." DJ's eye twitched, which didn't go unnoticed by Yukari.
"Y-Yeah..." He muttered, glancing off to the side. "You could say that... Anyway, let's go guys. We still got time until the Dark Hour ends. Let's keep climbing." His teammates nodded and followed him down the hall. Junpei looked pretty ecstatic to keep on going, but Yukari... Well, she was a bit worried about their leader's reaction just now.
TARTARUS
THEBEL 3F
"H-Hey um... DJ?" Yukari asked, getting the boy's attention. The team had ventured a bit deeper into the tower and had already fought off a few more Shadows. Junpei was walking a bit ahead of them, looking from side to side and jumping around like someone in a wannabe spy movie.
"What's up Yukari-san?" He asked, earning a confused look from the girl before she pouted.
"Oh, now you call me that..." She muttered, glaring at him. "Should've called me that a few nights ago and not that stupid nickname you made..."
"Is this what you wanted to talk with me about?"
"Wha- No!" She sighed and looked him in the eye. "I'm just... a bit worried about you. When Mitsuru mentioned your grandfather earlier you seemed a bit... tense." DJ blinked before looking away, a ghost of a scowl on his face.
"It's nothing important..." He muttered, hoping to get her off his case.
"It is if you're going to act like that about it." She said, making the DJ wince. "DJ please... You don't have to keep something like that to yourself..." DJ could practically feel a knife being stabbed through his heart.
"..." He stayed silent. Should he tell her anything? The whole point he was here was to keep family matters hidden... But... Yukari did tell him about her dad... That was probably pretty tough for her. She was willing to tell him something that hurt her deeply... And here he was keeping secrets from her... From everyone...
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to..." She muttered, looking downcast. The boy sighed and looked to the side.
"...It's a bit of a burden to me, okay?" He said suddenly, getting her attention. He supposed he could tell her... some of the truth. Like a very tiny fraction of it. "Oji-san runs this... store. And since my dad died, I'm next in line to run it." He sighed. "I really don't like talking about... The gist of the whole thing is that Oji-san wants me to run the business and that I..."
"Don't want to?" Yukari asked, earning a nod from the boy. "Well you can't exactly blame him. He just wants you to have a good future."
"I know! Oji-san is a great man and I love him, but..." DJ sighed. "Being a... store manager isn't what I want in my life..."
"Is that why you didn't want to be the leader? Because being in charge would remind about that?" DJ stayed silent, but Yukari could tell she was right. "I see..." Yukari suddenly smiled and punched him in the arm. "Stop worrying about it." DJ blinked.
"Za?" He asked, looking at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"If your grandpa really loves you, he'll understand. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but he will eventually." She smiled at him. "So stop beating yourself up over something so silly. If your like this I can only imagine how Mitsuru-senpai feels." DJ nodded. Mitsuru was the heiress to the Kirijo Group and that was a pretty big responsibility... Still, Yukari was just barely scratching the surface of what DJ had to go through.
"Oy! What's taking you guys?" Junpei shouted at them. During their conversation, Junpei had already gotten pretty far ahead of them. DJ rolled his eyes and the two walked towards him.
"Okay guys," DJ started when they all got together. "We've explored long enough. We know there are Shadows here and that's what we came to see. Plus the Dark Hour might end at any minute." He paused. "Speaking of which, how much time do we have Mitsuru-senpai?"
"About twenty minutes." She said before pausing. "But KL has a point. You've all done your part. It's time to head back." The team sighed in relief. "There should be an access point around here somewhere."
"Access point?" Junpei asked.
"Think of it as a... transporter, if you must." She explained. "It will take you back to the main lobby."
"You mean that thing?" The capped boy pointed at a strange looking device all the way at the end of the hall. His two teammate blinked.
"Well that was easy." DJ said before smiling. He and Junpei started walking down the hall, but Yukari stayed put.
"A bit too easy..." She muttered as she stared at the access point. A feeling if dread built up in her stomach. "Something doesn't add up..." She kept staring until she saw something in the shadows... move. "Oh God... Guys! Wait!"
The two boys stopped and something immediately tackled Junpei to the ground. DJ jumped in shock as whatever was on top off the capped boy tried to bite and claw his face off. It was still pretty dark, so Junpei had a hard time telling what it was, but he could make out a set of very sharp teeth.
Junpei struggled to keep the monster away from him, using his sword as his only mean of defense. The creature kept biting and slashing it's claws randomly at him, but it barely managed to graze Junpei's skin. After what felt like forever, when it was really only about seven seconds, DJ came up and kicked the beast in the stomach, knocking it away before helping Junpei up.
"You okay?" He asked. Junpei looked a little shaken, but still nodded. "Good! Now we can- Ah!" DJ's speech turned into a cry of pain as a second beast appeared out of nowhere and bit his arm. Hard. DJ tried to kick it away, but it held its grip firmly. Junpei slashed at it with his sword, making it let go of the brunette and jump back to avoid getting hit again.
"DJ! Junpei!" Yukari yelled, running up to the two. As soon as she got there, she gasped. DJ's right arms was dripping a rather large amount of blood. DJ held onto his wound and glared at the two beasts.
The two were finally standing in the light, allowing the group to finally see what they were. They were two dog-like creatures that stood on all fours. Their fur was pitch black, but stained with blood red splotches all over. Their tails were long and had sharp arrow-like points at the end of them. Their teeth and claws were sharp, with one in particular having a noticeable red hue on his teeth. One of them had a scar on it's face, going down the side of his right eye. But what seemed the most terrifying were their eyes.
Completely blood red. No white, no pupils, just red.
"M-Mitsuru-senpai?" Yukari asked. "What are those?"
"I... I don't know." The three stopped, horror freezing on their faces. "I can't analyze them! I can't find weaknesses, a name, nothing!"
"Grr... They're blocking our exit." DJ growled. Surely enough, the beasts stood in front of the access point like a pair of guard dogs, glaring at them. "We have no choice but to fight! Gah!" He clutched his arm a bit tighter, making Yukari frown.
"Junpei, distract those mutts." Yukari ordered, making everyone look at her in confusion.
"What?" The capped boy asked. "What are you talking about Yuka-tan? We all need to fight!"
"...I'm going to help DJ." She said, taking out her Evoker. "I think I have something to help him... Just... see if you can buy me some time, please?" Junpei stared at the Evoker in her hands for a moment before smirking.
"Okay then! I'll handle these guys!" He turned around and took out his Evoker. "Here I go! Hermes!"
DJ barely paid any attention to his battle cries as he clutched his arm. He gave Yukari a small glare, almost saying "What the hell are you doing?!" Yukari sighed and put the Evoker on her head, stopping DJ's glare.
"...Io."
DJ blinked as Yukari pressed the trigger, her Persona rising in the air behind her. A dark skinned girl in a pink dress chained to a massive horned animal's head. Her golden hair flew freely as she floated above the two. Now to any normal person, this would probably be terrifying, horrific even... But to DJ, only one word could describe it.
"Beautiful..." He muttered. He wasn't sure, but he could've sworn he saw the Persona smile at him. Yukari blushed at the praise, but quickly brushed it off.
"Please... Help him..." She whispered, putting a hand on the boy's wound. He winced at the touch, but he let her anyway. In her mind, a single incantation mirrored what she wanted. "Dia." Blue sphere emerged from Io as she closed her eyes. The spheres found their way to the wound on DJ's arm, making him wince until he felt his arms again. The wound was closing.
"Woah..." He muttered, touching the now closed wound. There was still blood on his arm, but other than that, he was good as new. He looked Yukari, who was smiling at him. "You did it..."
"I owed you one." She said simply, earning a smile from the boy.
"I'd hate to ruin the mood, but can I get a little help here!" Junpei's yelling snapped them back into reality. Junpei was fighting one of the the dogs, while the other still stood at its post, watching the battle with its fierce eyes. The capped boy backed up as the dog it was facing lunged at him, nearly missing its target.
"Let's help him!" DJ said running up towards Junpei. The dog noticed him coming and barked, calling the other dog to his side. "So it's three against two... Senpai, you still there?"
...
"Uh~... Senpai?"
"Wha- Oh! Forgive me KL." Mitsuru's voice said, easing his worries. "I was tying to analyze these creatures again."
"And?" Yukari asked her, hoping to get some kind of lead.
"I'm afraid I didn't discover much. All that I learned is the the one with the scar is named Deadeye." The dog in question barked in response. "The other is named Blackout." Blackout howled in approval.
"They have names?!" Junpei asked, looking back at the mutts. "And they heard what you just said?!"
"They have to be able to hear me if they can stop me from analyzing them fully..." Mitsuru grimaced. Theses things were not normal. "What's more is that they aren't even Shadows."
"What?" The three asked simultaneously.
"It's strange... They're not normal dogs, but they aren't Shadows either. Either way, they wont let you leave without fighting them."
"..." DJ put a hand on his chin. This was not good. These things were tougher than they looked, and they didn't even have a good idea what they're weaknesses were. They needed to think fast... Deadeye was starting to look jumpy.
"Okay, so what are we gonna do Leader?" Junpei asked, eyeing the two dogs.
"...Yukari, what spells can you use?"
"Um~..." She turned to her PSR. "Dia and Garu... A wind spell." DJ clicked his tongue. Fire and wind was not a very good combination. "Man, this bites... How are we gonna-"
Unfortunately, Deadeye got tired of waiting and pounced on Junpei. The two rolled around on the floor, the dog trying to land any kind of hit on Junpei. Junpei managed to hold his ground, but you could easily tell he was struggling. Getting fed up with their little game, Junpei kicked Deadeye off of him. The beast rolled over and glared at the boy before pouncing towards him again.
"Yukari! Go help Junpei!" DJ ordered her. Yukari nodded and ran over to the fight, leaving the disk jockey alone with Blackout. "Okay big guy..." He tapped his foot. Blackout stood in position, growling at him. "Let's dance."
Blackout was surprised when DJ ran towards him. Having little time to react, Blackout whined in pain as DJ landed a heavy kick in his gut, sending him back. The boy took out his Evoker and readied himself.
"Agi!" He yelled. Orpheus played a melody on his lyre and a small explosion engulfed the dog. DJ smirked at his handiwork, but the smile faded when he saw Blackout completely unscathed. "A~nd he's immune to fire... Joy." He had to react fast when Blackout ran towards him. He barreled out of the way, but the dog managed to trip him by biting his pants.
DJ fell to the ground and Blackout immediately tried to bite him, but the boy held its front paws as it tried to sink its teeth into his head. The dog tried squirming out of his grip, but no avail. DJ took advantage of his current situation and rammed his knee into the dog's gut. It gasped for air before DJ tossed the mutt away.
"Orpheus! Bash!" With another press of the trigger, Orpheus flew towards the dog before it could find its bearing and brought his lyre down on it. The dog whined in pain as Orpheus disappeared, but it still managed to stand up again. He growled at DJ, who smirked at it's enraged expression. Not so tough, are you ya little vampire!" He spat, referring to the blood on its teeth. "That bite really hurt ya know!"
For a moment Blackout stayed silent, closing its eyes and bowing its head down. Suddenly, its eyes shot open, glowing brighter than ever. It howled in the air as DJ felt the air around him get hotter and-
"Oh crap!" He yelled before jumping away, barely dodging the explosion of flames that engulfed where he was standing. "Senpai! These things can use spells?!"
"Of course they can." Mitsuru said bluntly. "Shadows are fully capable of using spells. The ones you've faced until now simply didn't have any at their disposal. These... Hounds, as I've called them, appear to have very similar abilities to Shadows, including their spells."
"Great..." DJ jumped out of the blast of another Agi before summoning Orpheus again. "Bash!" Orpheus charged at Blackout, but the dog ducked under the lyre and surprised DJ by running into his stomach. DJ gasped for breath before yelling in pain as the Hound clawed at his chest, ripping a hole in his shirt. DJ snapped out of his stupor and kicked the Hound in the jaw before jumping back. He winced as he felt the stinging pain in his chest. The cuts weren't deep or anything, but they were still enough to draw some blood.
"Dammit..." He cursed. This was getting him nowhere. This thing was stronger than it looked. DJ growled until he noticed something. Blackout didn't look very hot either. They were both pretty tired, so DJ just had to finish this off quickly!
But how? His only effective spell was Bash, seeing as Blackout was immune to Agi skills... How was he supposed to-
"You have the ability to possess multiple Personas, and summon them when needed. That ability is known as the Wild Card."
...That's right.
He had the Wild Card. He had started a journey. He wasn't going to let some overgrown mutt get in his way. Blackout growled at him and started circling around him, but DJ wasn't paying attention. He couLd beat him. He could use other Personas... But how?
As he thought, the world around him suddenly became blue, much like the blue from the Velvet Room. This time however, instead of a bald man sitting in a chair, a lone card appeared in front of him.
"Hee Ho! Hi there!" The card said in a rather jolly and childish voice. "I couldn't help but notice you're in a bit of a pickle."
"Who... Who are you?" He asked, staring at the card.
"Oh, you know who I am! I'm you! You know? "Thou art I" and all that junk." The card said again, descending. "I can help you out here, if you'll let me of course. These guys are pretty weak to wind, but they're even weaker to ice."
"Ice... Are you a Persona? You can talk?"
"We can all talk! You just need to listen to our voices!" He said, only confusing DJ even more. "Now do you want my help or not?" DJ thought for a second and nodded. "Okay than! Thanks for accepting me into your heart!"
And with that the card vanished in a bright light and all the blue disappeared.
"KL? KL?! Focus!" Mitsuru's voice was the first that came to mind when DJ nearly found himself trampled by Blackout. He just barely managed to dodge the attack and the Hound was not looking to happy about it. "Stay focused KL! You cant space out like that." DJ blinked, a sudden raise of adrenaline pumped into his body.
"...Hee Ho." He whispered, grabbing his Evoker and pointing it at his head. All while a single name went through his head.
"Jack Frost."
Yukari was not liking their chances right now.
After getting sent by DJ to help junpei, the two pretty much found themselves at a stalemate with the Hound. Deadeye was a relentless attacker. He'd attack wildly and with out pattern, making him pretty much unpredictable.
Unfortunately, so was Junpei.
Both of them attacked with the same ferocity as the other, trading hits and blows from all sides. Yukari could barely do anything but heal or she could end up shooting Junpei instead.
The capped boy, fed up with his current situation, pushed the dog away and summoned Hermes, casting an Agi where the mutt was. To his surprise, Deadeye came running through the fire, completely unscathed and looking angrier. Junpei blocked it's slash with his sword until Yukari managed to shoot it with an arrow, bringing its attention to her.
Yukari squeaked as the dog charged at her, bit Hermes appeared and rammed straight through it, knocking it back into the wall. Yukari mouthed a thank you at Junpei before turning to shoot more arrows at Deadeye, who took each hit while still getting up. The Hound glared at the two, quickly switching between them as it glanced around. Its eyes lit up, signaling that it was about to bring the heat.
Sensing the raise in temperature, the two jumped away, Junpei heading straight for it and Yukari placing her Evoker on her head.
"Please work... Io!" She shouted as her Persona manifested. "Junpei, get out of there!" The capped boy stopped mid-charge before he saw Io summon a torrent of wind around her. Immediately understanding, Junpei backed up as far as he could, confusing his four-legged sparring partner. "Garu!" Deadeye blinked before yelping, no longer feeling the ground under its feet. The wind hitting him was so strong it literally swiped him off his feet. He growled until he felt the wind slice at his skin, making him whimper. With a final gust of wind, the dog was sent back into the wall, hitting it hard. It whined as it tried to stand but Hermes appeared and slashed through it.
It let out a loud howl as it dropped to its knees. It looked at its two offenders one last time before its head dropped, unconscious.
The two panted, staring at the Hound in disbelief before smiling.
"We did it!" Junpei cheered, raising his hand in the air. Yukari nodded and stared at the Hound. They had done it. Just wait until DJ-
!
"Oh no, DJ!" She yelled, spooking Junpei. As soon as her words registered in his brain however, he paled. "We left him alone with one of these!"
"Oh crap... Hang on dude!" Junpei yelled before the two ran back towards where he was. They heard Mitsuru call his attention, which only worried them even more.
Arriving there, they both saw DJ raise his Evoker to his head, not moving. Yukari and Junpei immediately reach for their-
"Wait!" Mitsuru ordered, much to their confusion. "I want to see this..."
"...Hee Ho." DJ whispered, grabbing his Evoker and pointing it at his head. He spoke two little words, just loud enough for them to hear.
"Jack Frost."
Cold.
That's the one thing everyone felt as soon as DJ pulled the trigger. A torrent of blue energy spiraled out of DJ's body as his Persona manifested itself above him. His large round torso, his short limbs, his pointy hat and his great big smile...
Wait, what?
"Hee Ho!" The new Persona greeted as he appeared in front of DJ. "Jack Frost, ready for action sir!" DJ smirked as the snowman gave him a thumbs up. Sensing the change of temperature, Blackout took a step back. It really did not like the cold.
Far away from them, Junpei and Yukari stared at the new Persona, their mouths agape.
"He has two Personas?!" Junpei asked. He could easily feel two emotions build up inside him. Astonishment... and jealousy.
"Wow..." Yukari said as the cold air around Jack hit her. How did he pull off something like this? A second Persona?! A small smile tugged at her lips. "You really are something different, aren't you?"
"That's... That's not possible." Mitsuru muttered as she watched through her Persona's vision. She ignored Akihiko questioning what was wrong as she stared at the new Persona. "Just... what are you KL?"
"Jack!" DJ yelled, getting the snowman's attention. "Bufu!"
"Hee Ho Boss!" Jack said before holding his arms out. Blackout felt the temperature go down. A lot. Its face contorted with fear, looking for some way to escape. Unfortunately, it found none. "It's ice time!" A large flurry of ice flew from Jack's body to the Hound. At first, it seemed as if nothing happened. That is until the Hounds paws suddenly froze themselves into the ground. The Hound howled in pain as the ice climbed up his legs, reaching its torso and still continuing. Blackout glared at DJ one last time until the ice finally reached it's head, turning it into a statue.
DJ sighed in relief before smiling up at his new Persona. "Thanks Jack."
"Anytime Boss!" The Persona said, saluting. "If you ever need me again, just give a call! Hee Ho!" And with that, Jack Frost vanished in a ray of light, back into DJ's sea of souls.
DJ smiled as he felt a new warmth inside of him... Or should he say something cold? Either way, he could feel Jack Frost inside of him. And in a very good way.
"Good. Now to help-" He stopped when he saw Junpei and Yukari staring at him with flabbergasted expressions. "Oh. You're done. How's it going guys?"
Silence.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...KL." Mitsuru's voice said, making everyone in the room freeze. The room temperature dropped, and not in the way it did when Jack was here... and she wasn't even in the room! "We need to talk."
"So what you're saying is that during your fight with that Hound, you heard a voice inside of a card telling you that it would help you and that this voice somehow manifested itself as that new Persona you used today. Is that about right?"
"...Sadly, yes." Everyone looked at the DJ with a blank expression. After tonight's adventure, SEES had made its way back to the dorm for a well deserved rest, but not without questioning their resident disk jockey about his new Persona.
"Dude, that's totally bogus." Junpei said, scratching the back of his neck. "Do you really expect us to believe that?"
"No, but I don't have any other explanation to give you." He responded. "It just... happened, okay. It was pure instinct. I don't know what happened to me, okay..." Mitsuru stared at him and sighed.
"...It wouldn't be the first time it happened..." She muttered. Yukari grabbed the hem of her skirt, remembering the rather... terrifying creature that came out of Orpheus on the night of DJ's awakening. "But possessing multiple Personas is just so... unheard of."
DJ winced. More lies to add up to the guilt trail. He couldn't exactly tell them about the Velvet Room without him looking like a complete looney. Besides, Mitsuru was keeping her secrets about the Dark Hour, so it was okay for him to keep a few too...
"So~... Can I go to bed now?" He asked, a sheepish smile creeping up on his face. Mitsuru looked at him and sighed. She got up and dusted her skirt.
"I suppose some rest will do us good." She said. "I'll have to discuss your ability with the Chairman later though." DJ frowned. Looks like he didn't get out of this yet... Darn.
Junpei and Yukari yawned before getting up. They each said good night and went upstairs. Mitsuru and Akihiko followed soon after, leaving DJ alone. He sighed before getting up and walking towards the stairs.
Today felt like a mixture of a complete victory and a total disaster. They had managed it okay, but things still were a bit rocky. Junpei was obviously jealous of him, so he risked losing his friendship. He told Yukari a bit about his past, something he swore not to do and ended up piling even more lies on top of it. And finally, he couldn't explain how he could use more than one Persona.
This whole things bites!
He sighed as he walked up the stairs, hoping to get some rest. However, a second pair of footsteps ahead of him got his attention. He looked up only to see Yukari walking down the stairs.
"Yukari-san?" He asked. Noticing him, she stopped and immediately looked away.
"O-Oh... Hi DJ..." She whispered. It was a bit hard to tell because of the lighting, but DJ could've sworn he saw her blush. "Um..."
"What's wrong?" He asked, only making her blush harder. Was she sick or something?
"W-Well... I just wanted to thank you... For telling me about your family." Knife. "A-And I just wanted to say that... your ability to use more Personas is incredible... Even if you don't know much about it." Stabbity stab. "S-So..." She walked up to him.
And quickly pecked his cheek.
She turned around, her face even redder than before. DJ just stood there, not really sure how to respond to that.
"I-I'll... see you tomorrow." She said before running up the stairs. DJ just watched her climb up before touching his cheek.
"...What the hell was that about?" He asked, genuinely having no idea why she just did that.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
"Get up Deadeye."
Deadeye whimpered as he felt something lightly poke at his side. The Hound shook its head and opened its eyes. The world around it looked blurry, like someone had just shone light in its eyes. He couldn't make out anything.
Well, other than his Master standing above him.
...
Oh crap.
Deadeye immediately stood up straight to his Master, earning a smile and a pat on the head.
"Hello Deadeye. Forgive my absence today, but I had things to take care of with an old friend."
The dog barked in happiness.
"Yes, yes. I know. Now lets go find your... brother."
...
...
...
"Deadeye."
The dog tilted his head.
"Why is Blackout frozen solid?"
Deadeye's ears raised in realization before it titled its head in sadness. It whimpered.
"We had visitors?"
Deadeye barked.
"And you defended your home against them? Deadeye, I thought I told you, that's not how we treat our guests!"
The dog whimpered again and the Master snapped his fingers, unfreezing Blackout instantly. Deadeye perked up and rushed over to his brother. They both barked in happiness before their Master's cough got their attention.
"So what happened?"
The two barked.
"One at a time."
Deadeye barked and then Blackout did.
"So a scrawny capped boy, a pink girl and an orange cyborg came in fighting the Shadows and you thought they were trying to take over our home, so you fought against them. Am I right?"
The dogs barked.
"...Out of curiosity, did they have Personas?"
The dogs nodded.
"Did one of them use more than one?"
Blackout nodded, earning a smile from the Master.
"I see..." He chuckled. "Well what are the odds..." He motioned his two pups to follow him, who happily obliged. "I look forward to meeting you in person, Wild Card."
SAVE GAME?
YES -
NO
SAVING...
SAVED.