First Mate Violet: Hello students, I have returned with a quick chapter. Sorry about the snafu in the previous chapter. The Captain has a lot of files on his FF documents and the Power Rangers File is similar in name to the Persona 5 file. It all got mixed up. Now, the bell has rung and class is in session!
Persona V: Reversing the Wheel of Fate
Chapter Fifty-Two
[Opening Scene: Brothel of Fraud (Outside)
Theme of Brothel of Fraud: Club Zodiac from Persona 2: Eternal Punishment]
"I can't believe your Shadow kidnapped Makoto," Panther said as she looked at Champ in disbelief. "I didn't even think that was possible."
Mage's electronic eyes frowned as he said, "It is. Before she became my persona, my shadow was able to defeat Mona before she knocked me out. A Shadow kidnapping someone who they aren't attached to should seem out of the ordinary."
"Does it matter? She's been kidnapped, and we need to save her!" Lioness announced.
"But do you think we can do this?" Fox asked. "We're all spent after our excursion in Madarame's."
"Fox has a point," Panther admitted. "We're running on fumes right now. Can we even handle this?"
"It doesn't matter if we can handle it or not," Skull said as he rolled his shoulder. "I ain't letting any Shadow get the best of us. Prez was just taken and I'll be damned if we let that Shadow keep her. Besides, we got Mage, who is hella fresh. We may not be able to handle it, but we can do it."
Mage's eyes widened in surprise only to eye smile moments later. "Right. I-I'm here too. I won't let anyone fall," Mage promised.
Joker placed a hand on Mage's head and said, "Then it's settled. Hifumi's shadow has kidnapped President. Saving her is our prime concern right now. Nothing else. Once we save her, we get the hell out of here."
The group nodded and they immediately passed the gate into Hifumi street, their faces set with determination.
As the group walked down the street, Champ looked at the various stores they passed. Some of them were admittedly tame, and some of them were horrifically wild. There was one store she passed that sold her underwear.
Her used underwear.
How could her mother think of her like this? Like she was just some object and not a real person?!
No, she could think that. This had to be some sort of trick! Her mother couldn't truly think of her this way? Her Shadow couldn't be right!
Her mother had to think of her as something more than just her looks and body….
Right?
[Scene Change: Brothel of Fraud - Shōgi no Kinboshi Club
[Theme of Thy True Self: Bomb Shelter from Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PSP Ver)]
President struggled in her bindings as she sat in the VIP booth on the second floor of the club.
The club was huge, with multiple cages hanging from the ceiling. Within the cages were girls in leather bikinis pole dancing, all of them wearing a face mask that had the image of Hifumi's face printed on it.
On the ground floor, there were circular tables where well-dressed men sat being served by girls, also wearing the Hifumi-masks, dressed in Bunny costume, reminiscent of Bulma Brief's bunny costume in Dragon Ball.
"Man, this is fantastic," a familiar voice said from beside her. President turned her head to see Shadow Makoto beside her. And to President's annoyance, she saw one of the masked bunny girls on her lap.
She hated how relaxed her Shadow looked.
But it also confused her as well.
"You know, after a long day of watching you stew over our darling sister's secret love life, this is the perfect way to unwind," Shadow Makoto said as the girl fed the Shadow a grape."Sitting in a club, having a cute girl feed me grapes. This is the life."
"Glad to see that you're enjoying yourself," President growled.
"Why not?" Shadow Makoto asked. "You are still so blind. At the rate you're going, I may have to kill you for you don't open your eyes, Useless."
"I'm not useless!" President snapped.
"Right, and I'm not enjoying this," Shadow Makoto dryly replied as she let out a pleasurable sigh as the girl, with her mask up enough to reveal her mouth, kissed Shadow Makoto's neck. "That hits the spot…."
"I'm glad to be of service," the girl whispered as her tongue slid against the Shadow's neck.
"Why are you even here?" President murmured.
"Well, since Shadow Hifumi is currently waiting for her idiot, I decided to come in and have some fun," Shadow Makoto answered with a shiver. "Mostly at your expense."
President struggled against the bindings around her arms and legs and then sighed. "I'm surprised you aren't physically torturing me…." President whispered.
"Nah, this place isn't my idea of torture," Shadow Makoto said. "Nah, when I decide to end this little game, I will do it on my terms." The Shadow then smiled, a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "And that time is coming soon, Mako-chan. So why not enjoy the little bit of time you have left?"
Dread filled President's being at how sinister her Shadow sounded. She had to find a way to get rid of it and fast.
"Oh! Look, the show is starting!" Shadow Makoto said as a spotlight hit the stage that was in the middle of the club.
"This is completely fucked," Skull whispered as the group walked into the club.
"I agree," Joker whispered as Lioness, Panther, and Mage looked at a despondent Champ.
"And I thought what Madarame was doing was terrible," Fox whispered as the group walked deeper into the club, observing the bunny girls, the well-dressed men, and the pole dancers in the hanging cages.
It didn't escape everyone's knowledge that the female cognitions all wore Hifumi face masks.
"I-I can't believe this…." Champ whispered in agony. "This is horrible. This is all so horrible…."
"Welcome to the Shōgi no Kinboshi," The bunny girl greeted as she held a platter filled with drinks out to the Phantom Thieves. "Would you like a drink?"
"Um, no thank you," Lioness declined.
The woman tilted her head in understanding and left. "We need to find President and get the fuck out of here," Panther announced.
"Yeah, this is not a good place at all," Mage murmured.
"Wait, something is happening," Joker announced.
The group watched as a woman confidently strolled down the long stage to the podium where a microphone stand sat. The woman had long brown hair and a pink eyepatch over her right eye, leaving her left glowing yellow eye visible.
The woman wore a pink long-sleeve button-down shirt that was tucked in her white slacks, pink high-heels, a long white suit jacket that sat upon her shoulders in the classic "Bold Shoulder" style, a gold necklace and several rings on her left index, middle and pinky fingers.
"Mom…." Champ whispered.
The woman raised stopped in front of the stand and said, "Gentlemen, welcome to the Shōgi no Kinboshi. I am Madam Mitsuyo, and tonight, I bring all of you, a treat. Please enjoy."
The men began to cheer as gentle music blared from the speakers. President watched as the Shadow Mitsuyo turned around and stared at the stage.
Sakura blossoms fell from the ceiling as President watched as the violet curtains at the end of the stage pulled apart to reveal a familiar sight.
On the stage with her back turned was Hifumi. Her hair was done in the Nihongami with eight large kanzashi in her hair.
She wore a crimson silk uchikake that was decorated with gilded edges, golden dragons, and pearls, which to President was very gaudy to look at.
Beneath the uchikake was the underkimono, which was black and had gold and crimson flowers imprinted from the bottom of the underkimono to the knee area of it.
The underkimono was tied by the crimson and gold manaita obi, which was tied at the front instead of the back.
Both the uchikake and the underkimono hung lower, leaving Hifumi's shoulders as bare as her feet.
"Wow, ain't she a sexy sight," Shadow Makoto said with a smirk as President looked stunned.
President knew that this wasn't the real Hifumi. None of the people were real. Thanks to Joker's notebook, she knew that these were cognitions for Shadow Mitsuyo, but that it made so much worse.
Did this woman truly think of her daughter as an Oiran? A high-paid prostitute?!
"Oh my god," Lioness whispered in horror as Panther covered her mouth in disbelief.
Skull, Joker, and Fox's mouths were agape and Mage's eyes were frowning.
But Champ….Champ looked devastated at the sight before her.
The other Hifumi turned around, her expressionless face staring at the crowd of men. Slowly, the girl strolled down the stage until she stood behind Shadow Mitsuyo.
"The Venus of Shōgi," Shadow Mitsuyo whispered as she trailed the back of her hand against Hifumi's jawline. "Delicate. Pure, and beautiful…."
The woman smirked and said, "Tonight, is the night. My precious daughter's Mizuage is at hand. Who among you will be the first to have her?"
The crowd of men roared in approval as Champ took a step back in muted horror.
Is this what her mother thought of her?!
Hurt blossomed in her chest as she struggled to keep her tears at bay.
President looked aghast at this. "This is not right…." She whispered.
"Come on now, live a little," Shadow Makoto admonished. "Besides, don't act so self-righteous. When Kobayakawa and the parents of all the Shujin students did the same thing with Kamoshida, remember? And you were blind to it then, so be blind to it now."
"That was different!" President exclaimed. "I had no idea any of that was going on!"
"Tell that to Shiho," Shadow Makoto taunted. "You heard the rumors and saw the damage every time you two crossed paths. You were blind to her pain. You didn't care about her until Ren came along. Hell, even then, you didn't care until her pretty eyes were looking your way…."
President growled, closed her eyes, and shook her head.
"Stop acting like you're above it all, Mako-chan, because I bet that if Ren didn't come along, you'd still be blind to the suffering that Shiho, Takamaki, Mishima, and everyone else Kamoshida got his dirty little fingers on, went through," Shadow Makoto said. "Then again, what could you have done if you had found out?"
"I could have reported it!" President yelled.
"Rhetorical question, sweetheart," Shadow Makoto patronized as she patted President's cheek. "The real answer is nothing. Because you would have been as useless as you were when it was happening. Face facts, you're worthless"
President bowed her head.
"Participants of the Mizuage, the one with the highest bet will be the winner and will have the sweet flower of my darling daughter," Shadow Mitsuyo announced. "May the betting start…. Now!"
Almost immediately, the male cognitions lifted auction signs as the group Shadow Mitsuyo began to take stock.
But all Hifumi could do was stand there, rooted to her spot, as she stared at the stage where her mother and the Oiran Hifumi stood.
"Do you see now how she sees you?" a voice said from behind her.
[Theme of Realization: The Voice of Someone Calls from Persona 3]
The world began to slow to a stop as Hifumi turned around, tear streaks on her face, as she looked at her Shadow.
"Do you understand why I bought you here?" Shadow Hifumi continued.
Hifumi could see tears in her Shadow's eyes as it walked toward her. "For so long, She's controlled our life, controlled what we ate, our beliefs, who we could be seen with, controlled our very image, just for her benefit! And we let her!"
Hifumi bowed her head as her tears continued to fall.
"But that wasn't enough, was it, Hifumi! You showed talent as a Shōgi player, just like Dad. What should have been something of joy, she morphed it into just another thing to bring her fortune and fame! She rigged our games to make us well known, to make us the second coming of our father!"
"And when that proved successful, she made us parade our bodies in front of the cameras to turn us into a Gravure Idol, to sell our image to the highest bidder. And then, she sold us without a second thought to Natsume Ango!"
"Do you finally see why I've been picking and prodding at you since that day in dad's arena? Because she doesn't see us as her daughter anymore. She sees us as a commodity. As a sexual thing!" Shadow Hifumi wailed.
"You're right…." Hifumi brokenly whispered. "All this time, I denied your words and hid from the truth because I thought she needed me…." Hifumi looked away from Shadow Hifumi and looked at the smug expression on her mother's frozen face.
"You even warned me that it would escalate, but I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't believe it. What mother would do that? What mother would whore her daughter's body out at a whim? It turns out, she was. All for what? To maintain our comfortable life? To attain fame riding on my skills and my looks?" Hifumi balled up her hands into fists, rage filling her chest.
"No, the excuses she may have doesn't matter. All that matter is that I've let myself be blinded to her wicked ways for far too long! I've had enough! I will not allow this creature to sully my body any longer!" Hifumi screamed.
Behind her, Shadow Hifumi's yellow eyes brightened in malice, a flicker of wild golden flames going up her body.
"There it is…." Her doppelgänger hissed as a wild smirk appeared.
[Theme of Dark Awakening: Awakening Legend from Revelations Series: Persona]
A pulse of power thumped within Hifumi's chest, but she did not bow to it, nor register the pain it caused. Wisps of golden energy stretched from her chest and face into the air as her doppelgänger's smirk widened.
"For far too long, you've surrendered the helm of your heart to the forceful current of the eastern winds!" A dark voice yelled within her head.
The golden wisps of energy solidified on her face and created a white Venetian Masquerade Full Face Mask with gold Lace Flowers going down the right side of the mask down to where her mouth would be located.
"You hid this truth within the smooth silk of lies to dull the steel beneath it. But when she decided that your life was better suited on a Flower Boat instead of as her daughter, you knew what had to be done. So says the force that thunders within!" The voice yelled as Hifumi grabbed the edge of the mask and started to pull.
"I am thou, thou art I... It is now time to reveal your steel, raise the red flag and allow the forceful current to carry you to the freedom you long for!" the voice screamed.
Hifumi pulled off the mask as she screamed.
"Hey, I see her!" Mage announced as he pointed to the second floor, where President said beside her shadow, bound to a chair by chains. "She's trapped."
"We need to get to her and get out of here," Joker ordered.
Without warning, an overwhelming amount of pressure-filled the area as the male cognitions slowly stopped yelling.
"Joker, doesn't this feel very familiar?" Skull whispered as the Phantom Thieves slowly turned their heads behind them to Hifumi.
"Yeah, and I don't think we're going to like what happens next…." Joker replied.
As the pale gold flames blew away, it revealed Hifumi, who now stood in a new outfit.
Hifumi wore a lavender and white sleeveless snow-patterned kimono which was fastened at the hip with a white corset and loose at the bottom half to allow for east of movement. Beneath the kimono, she wore navy blue strap undergarments with matching over-knee socks and fingerless gloves, both adorned with gold floral patterns.
She also wore geta shoes, and draped over her shoulders was a red haori with gold trimmings.
Behind her floated a pale golden ethereal humanoid woman that had golden skin and flowing black hair. The figure had a white gilded pirate hat that covered the upper half of her face, leaving only her nose and lips visible.
The female humanoid wore a battle-damaged white long coat with a red floral cheongsam that was created out of a torn red flag, white breeches, and white cavalier boots.
The figure held a flintlock pistol in her left hand and a hudiedao sword in the right.
"Oh boy," Lioness whispered.
"What's going on?" Mage asked.
In Hifumi's right hand was an oil-paper parasol with sharp metal at the ends. Slowly, she grasped the handle of the parasol as she whispered, "Ching Shih…."
The Persona lifted her flintlock pistol at the confused Shadow Mitsuyo. "Zan!" Hifumi exclaimed as she pulled the handle to reveal the Iaito Iai sword that was concealed within the parasol and swung the blade just as Ching Shih fired.
A wave and a bullet of golden energy shot toward Shadow Mitsuyo, whose eyes widened in surprise before the Hifumi cognition jumped in front of the Shadow and took the dual attacks, causing a massive explosion.
First Mate Violet: And with that, the chapter ends. So, Hifumi has awakened her persona in Ching Shih, the Prostitute turned legendary Pirate Queen. Hifumi's Codename from this moment on will no longer be "Champ" which is why I referred to her as Hifumi when she spoke to her Shadow and her official Dark awakening.
The Good Captain wanted Hifumi's awakening to be similar to Ann's Dark awakening earlier in the fic so I hope I did him justice. Hifumi's weapon is also a unique one as she will duel wield the Iaito Iai sword and the oil-paper parasol. This was the Captain's plan from the start to have her fighting style similar to Soul Calibur III – VI's Setsuka. And her elemental skill will be Force.