[Mitsuru: An All-Out Attack will allow your entire team to attack simultaneously. Your enemies will be unable to defend against it; it's a very reliable method of attack. Whether or not you want to perform an All-Out Attack is up to you. But remember, you cannot perform it when you're alone. So if you want to have it in your arsenal, make sure your team comprises at least two members.]
And Mitsuru continued on and on with how Shadows would become stronger the further they'd advance into Tartarus, how it was okay to retreat in the face of extremely powerful enemies, and how the current battle they had to face at the moment (four Cowardly Mayas, all weak to Agi) was one of those times they could not escape, the game went on.
The team followed the game's instructions and Aigis did as she was told to do. Using Agi upon the ensuing troupe of Cowardly Mayas, she would down each one and then take them out with one big grand attack that pretty much ended them all.
"Perhaps I should have them take longer breaks between play sessions," the caller said to the sky, eating from a bag of popcorn.
If they were gonna be sticks in the mud the whole way through, the caller didn't know how they were going to properly progress through the game. Persona 3 FES required patience, required discipline, required skill. If they were to allow themselves to be maddened the whole way through, they'd die a thousand times before reaching Nyx.
Chapter Twelve - No Messiah
Then Minato and his sorry chums found themselves at an intersection and could not progress any further. It was at this point that Mitsuru spoke voicelessly, [Mitsuru: ...That's odd. Usually, there are more Shadows on the prowl. ...Well, at least you gained some experience in battle. Let's go back to the dorm for today. There should be an Access Point somewhere on that floor. You can use it to return to the entrance. Since there aren't any enemies to worry about, why don't you split up and search individually? Just tell the other party members what you'd like them to do.]
Everybody recalled how little Minato would tell them to spread out over floors. He'd always made clear to have everyone stay together unless it was absolutely necessary of them to break away. Shadows were always so aggravatingly tough, so the others had often relied on his leadership and his extraordinary skill at battle to pull them through.
Junpei recalled how Minato had not spoken to him for a while after the monorail; Yukari recalled how Minato had demanded everyone stay together whenever Fuuka would take notice of The Reaper trawling through the current floor; Mitsuru recalled how Minato's first instinct whenever being tossed into a floor shrouded in darkness was to make sure nobody strayed away, even making them hold hands the whole way through till they'd find an exit.
These memories were kind of sort of fond-ish, but before they could dwell upon them any further, Junpei's in-game character remarked that he-
[Junpei: -found an Access Point! You wanna head back?]
So of course Aigis chose Yes because she, like everyone else, wanted to get today's session over with. I'd told them they'd be done soon with it, after all. So when Minato, Junpei, and Yukari returned to the lobby, Mitsuru's youthful self got to asking questions.
[Mitsuru: Welcome back. So, how was it?]
Junpei felt the game itself wasn't too bad, all things considered. In fact, he thought the combat was a little mundane, in a way; just exploit the enemy's weakness and let the game win itself. After all, he recalled how Minato would often use Thanatos and Messiah and how they would clear the battlefield in less than an instant. So the moment they'd get those Personas, the game would pretty much be over.
That being said, the others weren't particularly enthused. Akihiko looked curious, even; Tartarus battles were commonly both exhausting and brutal. To have such chaotic scenarios played out in such a distilled form as what he'd just witnessed was...odd, to say the least. Though he had to admit, the game basically got it right. Their strategies in both Tartarus and the Full Moon Shadows largely consisted of them scanning for the enemies' weaknesses before capitalizing upon them before the going got too tough.
It was just that, in real life, there was a lot more dodging and running and on-the-fly planning that more often than not resulted in grievous injuries that nobody would be able to recover from without the use of dia.
Fuuka herself remembered using Lucia and Juno way back when. She'd bore witness to all the times Minato and the squad had gotten wounded in the heat of battle. Sometimes she would still dream of one particular instance where Shinjiro-senpai had been hit with a fireball to his spine and everyone had to focus on healing him while Minato made short work of the Shadow that'd gotten that lucky blast in. She wasn't much of a gamer, but she too believed such a gameplay style was kind of...simplistic in comparison to how battles had usually gone.
{No problem.}
{I don't know about this...}
{I'm exhausted.}
Everybody knew exactly what Minato was going to answer.
2.
Until they didn't.
"Are. You. Kidding me."
Nahhh
"You have to be lying."
Really I'm not
"He had no problem fighting Shadows at all! That's like, one of the things he made clear the most above all!"
Seriously I'm not lying brah
"GRRRRRAH!" Junpei exclaimed, lowering his head. "Hit the second one..."
"What?" Aigis questioned.
"Guy on the phone said it, just do it."
Aigis sighed, then did as she was told. Down, X. She really was going to have to get used to it, she realized.
[Mitsuru: Don't get discouraged. You completed your task, and that's something to be proud of.]
[Junpei: Wow... I never knew I had that kind of power! We kicked some ass! But damn, I'm beat...]
[Yukari: That's cuz you were bouncin' around like a little kid.]
[Junpei: You look pretty tired yourself, Yuka-tan.]
[Yukari: I'm still trying to catch my breath, actually...]
[Mitsuru: That's the effect of the Dark Hour; you'll become fatigued more easily. Don't worry, though, you'll adapt. But, I'm surprised... You all did much better than I expected. At this rate, they'll catch up to you in no time, Akihiko.]
[Akihiko: Heh, we'll see about that.]
*SMASH!*
...!? A mysterious voice rings in your head...
Time stopped. The world lost color.
"Thou art I... And I am thou...
Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to make a Persona of the Fool Arcana..."
The SEES Social Link has reached level 2! Your power to create Personas of the Fool Arcana has grown!
"This again...?" Mitsuru pondered aloud, leaning forward in her seat.
"So...this was how our...bond progressed?" Fuuka managed out.
"Well. It makes sense, I suppose," said Akihiko. "It'd actually surprise me if our Social Links didn't progress this way. Fighting Shadows and progressing in our goals were pretty much all that kept us company."
He was not necessarily wrong. They all had shared their own unique bonds with Minato, yet they had rarely ever hung out together as a team just for fun's sake. They recalled hanging out at the shrine on New Year's and...at that playground at Naganaki, the night before their final battle against Nyx. It seemed bittersweet, almost; their bond was indeed genuine, but it was largely founded upon the terrors they had trudged through.
4/21/09
Early Morning
At this point, Minato was heading to the school grounds. The sky was bright and the sakura leaves had begun falling all around him. Approaching him was a young man, seemingly his age, with brown hair and beady eyes.
[Friendly Student: Hey, you're Minato, right?]
"Kenji!?" exclaimed Junpei. "You serious...!?"
"Are they gonna have us meet up with all of his friends...?" Yukari wondered.
"Wait, is he going to be a Social Link?" Fuuka asked.
"Prolly, I don't know!" whined Junpei. "They hung out quite a bit...hung out more than he and I ever did..."
Junpei was sad now.
The caller texted them a 1, and let them continue on.
{Yeah, why?}
{Who are you?}
[Friendly Student: Man, I knew it. I heard from Junpei that you're pretty close with Yukari-san. ...What's up with that? Well, I guess it doesn't matter. I'm looking for someone with a little more experience anyway. By the way... I'm Kenji Tomochika. There's a morning assembly, so we better hurry.]
Yukari leaned in her seat, "Was kinda hoping the rumors hadn't reached him..."
"Well. It kinda helped out, in the end. Didn't it?" Junpei asked.
Yukari breathed, "Yeah. I suppose. Though...I don't know."
There was something Minato had told her, that day she confessed to him. Something she wasn't too keen on remembering. So she just kept silent as the caller pursed her lips and began to feel a little bad herself.
They were back in the gymnasium and though they had been here once before in-game, they were still quite amazed by
[Student: ...That concludes the main portion of today's assembly. Next, we'll hear a word from the Student Council. Please welcome the new President, Mitsuru Kirijo, from Class 3-D.]
[Mitsuru: Thank you.]
[The student steps aside and Mitsuru walks to the podium. Focus shifts to Main,
Yukari, and Junpei in the seats.]
[Yukari: So, she did get elected.] Yukari said dismissively, [Well... I guess she IS the most popular girl in school.]
[Junpei: You can say that again! There's like some kinda aura around her... Besides, this school's owned by the Kirijo Group, right?]
[Yukari: Yeah, I try not to think about that.]
Mitsuru was not offended by Yukari's statements because they had already moved past such things.
And as her character made her speech about digging deep inside yourselves to unlock your true potential, everybody just watched it unfold, remembering that day all too well. Partly because the principal eventually made a very similar speech not a few days after she'd made it, for some reason. Still...it was nice to get a glimpse of some peaceful days before the inevitable would occur.
[Junpei: Dang... That was freaking amazing...] then he turned to Minato, [So... Do you have any idea what she just said?]
{Sort of.}
{Not a clue.}
{I wasn't listening.}
3
Junpei snickered while Mitsuru squinted at the phone, sighing as she leaned back in her seat. Aigis, amused at the thought of Minato just straight-up ignoring his senpai, got to pressing buttons.
"Do you remember him saying that?" Mitsuru asked Junpei.
"He slept, back then, " Junpei chuckled. "From what I remember, at least..."
Mitsuru just shook her head and folded her arms. She didn't understand how Arisato had managed to get such good grades, despite the fact that Takeba and Iori would often catch him sleeping in class.
Later, after a class session where they had Minato sleep as Toriumi gave a lecture (much to pretty much everyone's expectations), this message popped up on-screen.
HELP: AS OF TODAY, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO USE YOUR TIME AFTER SCHOOL AS YOU WISH. IF YOU HAVE ESTABLISHED SOCIAL LINKS, YOU MAY WISH TO SPEND TIME WITH THOSE INDIVIDUALS. ALSO, THERE ARE MANY PLACES YOU CAN GO TO IN THE AREA TO RAISE YOUR CHARM, COURAGE, AND ACADEMICS. BE SURE TO LOOK AROUND TOWN AS WELL AS IN THE SCHOOL.
Rule Number Two:
"Guys, second one of these 'Ground Rules...'"
"What's this one say?" Yukari asked Junpei.
Try and make as many friends as you can. No restrictions whatsoever. Pick as many as you want.
Just befriend who you want to befriend.
Junpei blinked. "S-seriously...?"
There are preset non-player characters in-game whom you can generate Social Links with. There are over twenty.
"No penalties at all?" asked Mitsuru.
None.
"As many as we are able...?" asked Aigis.
You can even break all of them, if you want. If you wish to do a full playthrough, with all Social Links completed, I'll even provide you with a guide.
It was kind of nice that they were being given some leniency over at least some aspect of the game. But at the same time, there was this lingering feeling that there were some ulterior motives at play here. But that mattered little.
Minato. Outside, on the school grounds. He spotted Akihiko, saw the scene unfold between his senpai and quite a number of his fangirls, and he observed.
[Akihiko Fan: Look, it's Akihiko-senpai!]
[Giddy Schoolgirl: Where!? ...Oh, there he is!]
[Akihiko: ...]
Junpei then sauntered into frame, standing next to Minato and joining him in observation.
[Junpei: Have you noticed how popular Akihiko-san is with the ladies? Man, take a look at that...I didn't use to talk to him much, but now I've got a good excuse. I know he's the captain of the boxing team, but...]
"Didn't know I mattered that little to you, Junpei," Akihiko smirked. "I'm hurt."
"Oh, come on," Junpei grunted, "we barely knew each other at that point."
"I know, still. It's kinda funny, really," he admitted, "only reason you wanted to even socialize with me was 'cause of those girls..."
"Were you never interested in getting a girlfriend?" Yukari asked him.
He shrugged, "I can fight bears. That's enough for me."
Junpei's brow twitched, thought that perhaps Akihiko had kind of a point right there. Though, it was funny and terrifying to think of Akihiko training in some snowy landscape, shirtless and armed only with his brass knuckles, punching out bears in a torrential blizzard.
Did you see that, Shinji—!?
Put on some clothes.
[Junpei: Who woulda thought he'd be such a chick magnet!? I mean, come on! You don't even see girls flock like that on TV! I wonder where they're going...]
Akihiko then moved forward, his fangirls following him and cheering his name and calling for him to return to them. Yet all he did was speak to Minato and Junpei. [Akihiko: Hey, are you guys free this afternoon?]
All of a sudden hyped up, Junpei exclaimed, [Junpei: Hell yeah! Whatcha got in mind!?]
[Akihiko: I want the two of you to meet me at Paulownia Mall. You know where it is, right? I'll be at the police station. See ya there.]
[Junpei: Th-The police station? You mean, we're not hangin' out with your friends...?]
[Akihiko: Who, these girls? I don't even know their names. They talk so much they give me a headache. Anyway, I'm gonna head out. ...Don't keep me waiting.]
Junpei admitted to himself it was kind of nice to see that old chauvinist persona (heh) of his back again. It was still a little embarrassing, but it was always nice to catch a glimpse of a bygone age every now and again. That messed-up sense of nostalgia seemed to be partly responsible for keeping them locked on the game.
[Akihiko Fan: Awww... Why can't he be more friendly?] she sighed.
[Admirer: But, that's what makes him so cool!]
And then they both just ran after him without a care in the world.
Exasperatedly, Junpei cried, [Junpei: Man, how can he not know their names!? I mean, seriously! Just look at them! ...Oh well, let's go.]
Yukari and Fuka turned to Junpei, and though he smiled, they wondered how he must taking all of this. Because they knew Chidori was still fresh in his mind. Not a day went by, did they see him without that cross necklace on him. In hindsight, seeing him go after women in-game seemed both funny and sad. Because now, they didn't quite see him going after anyone.
And it was concerning, honestly. It'd been years. But that's what love'll do to you. They knew all about that, as well; they didn't have much right to talk. Navy blue's still a bit of a touchy color for them to even look at.
Akihiko asked you to meet him at the Paulownia Mall police station... You decide to head over there...
Once Minato and Junpei entered Paulownia, the very first thing Aigis noticed was a large blue alleyway that just sung of Velvet. Just seeing it triggered something in her memory banks that sounded like an aria of lost souls. But that wasn't her concern right now. Police station, that was where she was told to bring them to.
When they entered the old station, they saw Akihiko talking to a gruff-looking cop the players were all familiar with, and they got down to business.
[Akihiko: Thank you, Sir. Oh, these are the guys I was talking about earlier.] Kurosawa displayed an ellipses after that, and Akihiko continued, [I was waiting for you guys. This is Officer Kurosawa. He helps keep our squad well-equipped. And, this is from Ikutsuki-san...]
[Junpei: R-Really!? Sweet!]
You and Junpei each received 5,000 yen.
"Psssh, only five thousand...," Junpei muttered.
"What?" Akihiko groaned. "You thought we'd give you, like, ten thousand off the bat?"
"Nah, man, but...," Junpei rubbed the back of his head, "not a good start to any kinda partnership, givin' your teammates such low wads of cash."
"Least you got cash," Akihiko grunted. "I lived on cup noodles and beef bowl soup after the orphanage."
[Akihiko: You can't fight something empty-handed, so find something you like. Officer Kurosawa has connections... But, these things still cost money.]
[Officer Kurosawa: Of course they do. Nothing in life is free.]
[Akihiko: I realize that. Well, I'll see you later. Thanks again.] At this point, Akihiko left the conversation, allowing Kurosawa to continue his spiel.
[Officer Kurosawa: I've been informed about you two. My job is to maintain peace in this city, regardless of the circumstances. I'm just an ordinary police officer, but it doesn't take a genius to know something strange is going on here. I'm only doing what I think is right.]
And so they bought.
Minato and Junpei both ended up getting greatswords, while Yukari got a semi-better bow. And this brought back some memories.
"I remember getting a little mad at Minato," said Junpei. "When I found out he bought greatswords for both of us, I thought he was trying to rip me off. But then he told me he was always a fan of some manga where this guy had a sword that was less a sword and more like a slab o' iron..."
Yukari pfffted, "Didn't know Minato was into that kinda cheesy stuff...though, considering he watched Featherman often, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise."
[Junpei: Pshh, only 5,000 yen...] Junpei said, much like his real-life counterpart did. I'm gonna take off, since I'm in a bad mood now... Later.]
Junpei has left.
Yup. Just like that, Junpei was gone. Leaving Aigis with one other option. Considering I didn't text them back on if they could/couldn't go into the Room at this very moment, Aigis decided to risk things.
And she did, Minato entering that alley and spotting an ominous blue door at the very end of the hall.
Yukari wiped her face, "That's why he went to the mall so often..."
"Well, to be fair, he probably also hung out with some of his other friends as well at the time...," Fuka mused.
Then the aria. The blue. The Hunchback of Notre Velvet and his companion.
[Igor: Ah, there you are. Welcome to the Velvet Room. Well... I suppose it's time for me to explain what I really do here. It is my job to create new Personas. But in order to do so, I must fuse your Persona cards together... In other words, I shall merge them into a single Persona. Furthermore, if you've established a Social Link, you may be able to create an even stronger Persona. So, as you accumulate cards, please bring them to me.]
[Elizabeth: How may I help you?]
So I decided to give them rule number three.
RULE NUMBER THREE:
You can fuse any Persona you want, but Messiah should be put on hold.
You can never fuse him, until the final stretch of the game.
Ironically Persona 5 is largely responsible for keeping me away from this fic
That and other stories :P But I'm kinda back :D
You guys take time out of your days to review this story written by some garbage dude who barely updates his most well-received fics :P No matter what, I really am grateful for all you guys sticking around. I'm happy I've managed to get people as pumped for a story I've written (though to be fair, it's 50 percent the game, so :P)