Izzy, Naoto, Labrys, and I cautiously navigated the bizarre tower. Returning to the warped school brought back harsh memories I didn't want to recall. I still get frustrated remembering the culprit possessing Labrys and getting away as we danced on his palm. I wanted to make sure that situation would not happen again.
"I'm getting a sudden strong reading nearby. If we head up those stairs, we should be able to reach it," Izzy explained.
"Do you think it's that Sho guy we met before," Labrys questioned.
"Given Naoto's information, there is a good chance that he is the source of this spike in energy. I also spotted three other energy sources near that zone. One appears fine, but the other two have dim readings," Izzy continued.
"That must be Senpai and the others. They could be in grave danger if they fought that version of Sho Minazuki. We must hurry before things escalate," Naoto replied.
"Hold on, I just spotted two more readings coming towards us," Izzy said.
"Are they friends or foes," I asked.
"If I'm right, I believe I know who they are. We should be able to see them soon," Izzy answered.
As Izzy predicted, while we were heading toward the stairs, we saw two familiar faces heading towards us.
"Look over there," TK said.
"We finally caught up," Kari smiled.
"TK, Kari, I'm so glad you two are safe," Labrys said, relieved.
"Are you two all right," I asked.
"We had a few setbacks along the way, but I think we're okay," TK replied.
"We met up with Rise and Yukari and managed to save Fuuka. Fuuka seemed tired, so we continued to explore first while Rise and Yukari took care of her," Kari added.
"I thought Rise was unavailable. She picked a terrible time to return to Inaba," I sighed.
"You managed to meet Yukari and save Fuuka? That's impressive," Izzy said.
"Do you guys know who Yukari is," Kari asked.
"She was with me when we tried to find Mitsuru and the others. There was also a boy named Ken and a dog named Koromaru with us," Labrys explained.
"They and Labrys saved us as we confronted the culprit who we believe is the cause for these mysterious happenings that occurred these past few days. It was brief, but I can tell they were exceptional fighters," Naoto added.
"You guys met the enemy? What is this person like so I can give them my two cents," TK questioned.
Before we could respond, the floor above us suddenly shook. We felt the shockwave as we desperately stood our ground.
"What was that," Kari asked.
"That must be Yu and the others fighting the culprit. We need to head up there before it's too late," I replied.
We rushed to the top floor, hoping to assist Yu and his team in time.
Episode 14
We arrived at the door where Izzy felt the strongest signal. Peeking through the door, we spotted Yu, Yosuke, and Chie on the ground as Sho stood above them. Sho was about to prepare another devastating blow while Yu attempted to shield Chie and Yosuke with his Persona.
"Yu is in danger. Let's go," I told everyone.
"Persona," everyone shouted.
Izzy, TK, Kari, and I summoned our companions while Naoto and Labrys summoned their Personas. Agumon, Tentomon, and Patamon fired a fireball, an electric ball, and an air ball at Sho, who jumped out of the way to avoid the attack. Gatomon, Sukuna-Hikona, and Ariadne struck Sho with a punch, a spear, and a constructed sword, but Sho blocked all of them mid-flight.
"You managed to dispose of the copies. Like roaches, you swarm in droves for a futile goal. It's annoying," Sho scoffed.
"Yu, Yosuke, Chie, are you all right," I asked.
"We're here to help," Kari replied.
"Tai, Naoto, you arrived just in time," Yu thanked.
"It looks like Yosuke and Chie took quite a beating," Izzy surveyed.
"Now that we're here, there's nothing to worry about," TK replied.
"Don't move," Naoto told Sho, pointing her gun at him.
"I won't forgive you for what you have done to Yu and the others," Labrys shouted, glaring at Sho.
"Unfortunately, the numbers are too much for me to manage. Therefore, I shall take my leave. Before I go, allow me to grant you a parting gift," Sho said, preparing to strike Yu.
"If you want Yu, you're going to have to go through us," Agumon said, standing before Yu.
"We won't let you hurt any more of our friends," Patamon puffed.
As Sho prepared to ignore the Digimon protecting Chie, Yosuke, and Yu and strike everyone down, the ground shook violently.
"Is it me, or does that crumbling noise sound like a bad omen," Tentomon asked.
"Everyone, hold your ground," Gatomon replied.
"It has begun. I have collected all the Persona fragments I needed. I must go. I have no time to deal with trivial matters. Your role in this game is over," Sho coldly stated.
Sho's eyes glowed red, and a heavy gravitational pull forced us to the ground.
"My body can't move," TK said, struggling to stand.
"This is the same power he used the last time we saw him," I replied.
"I am overtaxed. I didn't expect to use so much of this power so quickly. However, desperate times call for desperate measures. Enjoy your fleeting moments while you still have time," Sho eerily spoke.
As Sho disappeared into the fog and through a massive door, we attempted to break free from the psychic hold to stop him but couldn't. When Sho was out of sight, the immense pressure stopped, and we could control our movements. Fearing the worst, we ran towards the gigantic door when four red pillars emerged from the ceiling. The pillars crashed into the ground, creating an invisible barrier that trapped everyone inside.
"Did they have to show up at a time like this? Who is it this time," TK questioned.
High heels clicked and echoed throughout the room as we braced ourselves for the person who summoned these pillars.
"I will be your opponent. None of you shall escape this room while I'm on guard," a stoic woman replied.
"Mitsuru? But why," Labrys asked, confused.
"Don't be deceived. That's a Shadow. The real one must be trapped somewhere higher in this tower," Izzy explained.
"We will need to end this contest as soon as possible. The longer we stay here, the less time we will have to stop whatever scheme Sho had in mind," Naoto replied.
"Indeed, but don't you think all of you against our queen is remotely fair? Know your place, you ungrateful leeches," a voice echoed.
Suddenly, an unseen force pushed us out of the invisible walls. When I recovered, I noticed that Yu, Kari, and Gatomon were the only ones within the four pillars.
"Kari, Gatomon, Yu, are you okay," Agumon asked.
"We're fine," Yu said, struggling to get up.
"What was that just now? How did we get pushed out," I questioned.
Another figure wearing a surgeon uniform and a flashy cape walked beside Shadow Mitsuru. He purposefully tapped his cane on the group with each step he took.
"Look, it's Joe," Patamon said.
"But why is he wearing such gaudy attire," Tentomon asked.
"That must be his Shadow. Be careful, Kari," I said.
"Don't worry; I won't fall from something like this," Kari reassured.
"Yu has already used his energy to protect Yosuke and Chie from Sho. I don't know if he could manage another battle with two powerful Shadows," Labrys said, concerned.
"Let's put our faith in Kari and Yu. I'm sure they will be able to pull through," Naoto replied.
"Yu, can you stand," Kari asked, offering her hand.
"Yes, I should be able to manage," Yu answered.
Gatomon and Kari helped Yu up as Shadow Mitsuru and Shadow Joe looked down on them.
"As two beings of royal descent, there's no way we can lose," Shadow Joe smirked.
"Now is the time for your execution. I will send all of you to the afterlife. Artemisia," Shadow Mitsuru shouted.
Shadow Mitsuru summoned a proud Persona with a gold and velvet dress, a red mask, and a whip sword.
"DarkJijimon, destroy them," Shadow Joe laughed.
Shadow Joe summoned his familiar, a shaggy elder carrying a cat paw staff.
"Don't be fooled, Kari. They look difficult," Gatomon replied.
"That means we will have to answer them with equal power. Let's show them what we are capable of," Kari informed.
"Gatomon, Six Card Arcana Digivolve to... Ophanimon," Gatomon shouted.
"I won't let you stop us from saving our town. Izanagi," Yu shouted.
Yu shattered the card before him, summoning a warrior with a black trench coat and a large sword.
"There's only enough room for one king in this ring, Kingpin," Shadow Joe said.
"Hung On Death," DarkJijimon shouted.
DarkJijimon jumped to strike Yu with its staff, but Izanagi blocked it with its sword.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't use that nickname," Yu said, running towards Shadow Joe.
"Stop him, Artemisia," Shadow Mitsuru implored.
Artemisia used her whip sword to crush Yu, but Yu jumped just in time before the blade stuck him. Just as Yu regained his footing, Artemisia attempted to strike him again, but Ophanimon used her spear to block the attack.
"Eden's Javelin," Ophanimon shouted.
As Artemisia wrapped her blade around Ophanimon's javelin, Ophanimon fired a beam of light at Artemisia. Artemisia moved out of the way and tried to use its strength to pull Ophanimon towards it, but Ophanimon stood her ground. During the commotion, Shadow Mitsuru dashed towards Yu to pierce him with her fencing sword. Yu tried blocking her attacks but was still tired from his earlier battle with Sho. Some of Mitsuru's attacks were able to pierce his body. Kari prepared her bow and fired her arrows at Mitsuru.
"Force," Shadow Joe shouted.
Shadow Joe used his words to knock the arrows away. Confused, Kari prepared to fire her arrows at Shadow Joe.
"Quake," Shadow Joe shouted.
Shadow Joe tapped his cane on the ground, causing the ground to shake. Everyone but Joe lost their balance and fell. Ophanimon used this opportunity to fly in the air and swing a stunned Artemisia against the invisible wall, causing Shadow Mitsuru to flinch.
"Be careful with your words of power. They are causing collateral damage," Shadow Mitsuru agitatedly spoke.
"Apologies, my queen. It will never happen again," Shadow Joe replied, bowing.
"That power seems a little unfair," Kari said, standing up.
"But all powers have some type of weakness," Ophanimon replied.
Ophanimon dived towards Shadow Joe, but Artemisia created a wall of ice to block her path. Artemisia grabbed her ankle with its whip sword and threw her against the invisible wall as revenge.
"Ophanimon," Kari shouted.
"Izanagi," Yu shouted.
Izanagi fired a bolt of lightning behind Artemisia, causing Shadow Mitsuru pain.
"Hey, DarkJijimon, you are not properly protecting our queen. Do your job," Shadow Joe informed.
"Gentle Punch," DarkJijimon shouted.
DarkJijimon jumped to strike Izanagi with a charged punch. Izanagi blocked it with its sword, but the shockwave from the punch pushed it back.
"Guard Stick," DarkJijimon shouted.
DarkJijimon cast a spell on its wand and fired multiple rocks at Yu and Izanagi. Because the stones showered at Shadow Mitsuru, she had to move in time before it struck her.
"What did I just say about watching your attacks? Can't you follow one simple order," Shadow Mitsuru yelled.
"Look at what you did, DarkJijimon. You should be ashamed of yourself," Shadow Joe told DarkJijimon.
"They're not partners at all. I feel bad for DarkJijimon," Kari said, crestfallen.
"Sefirot Crystal," Ophanimon shouted.
Ophanimon fired ten crystals at DarkJijimon, who fell from the attack.
"Hey, get up. Why did my partner have to be so weak," Shadow Joe scoffed.
"Shadow or not, you need to treat your Digimon respectfully," Kari informed.
"Your attitude magnifies how weak you truly are," Ophanimon added.
"Force," Shadow Joe shouted.
Shadow Joe tried to push Kari away with his voice, but Kari stood her ground. Focused, Kari fired an arrow at Joe, who moved out of the way.
"What's the matter? Can't use your shout to push my arrows away," Kari questioned, smiling.
"You have a set time limit when you can use your shouts, and you fell right into our hands," Yu said, rushing towards Shadow Joe.
"I'm not going to let you take advantage of us that easily," Shadow Mitsuru informed.
Shadow Mitsuru charged toward Yu with her fencing sword, but Kari fired an arrow at her hand, knocking the sword away. With Shadow Mitsuru disarmed, Yu continued to run towards Shadow Joe.
"Artemisia," Shadow Mitsuru shouted.
Artemisia prepared to encase Yu in ice, but Izanagi knocked it toward Shadow Mitsuru with its sword. Artemisia crashed into Shadow Mitsuru, knocking both out. As Yu closed the distance with Shadow Joe, Shadow Joe braced himself with his cane. Yu landed a clean cut at Shadow Joe, slicing the cane in two.
"Eden's Needle," Ophanimon shouted.
Ophanimon dived down and pierced the ground, creating a holy explosion that encapsulated Shadow Joe, Shadow Mitsuru, Artemisia, and DarkJijimon. The power from the blast was too much for the four to handle. Artemisia and DarkJijimon disappeared as Shadow Joe and Shadow Mitsuru dissolved into dark blobs. With their defeat, the invisible walls disappeared, and the four red pillars shattered. With everything calmed down, Kari and Yu took the time to catch their breath as we ran over to them.
"Are you two all right," I asked Yu and Kari.
"I only need a short rest, but I will be fine," Kari replied.
"In that case, might I suggest we gather what we know to plan our next move," Naoto suggested.
"Good idea. We should have time left before the hour is over. It would also give Yosuke and Chie ample time to recover their strength as we piece together all our knowledge," Izzy added.
"I'm sorry we're slowing you down," Yosuke said, dejected.
"You have nothing to worry about. We're in this together, after all," TK replied.
We sat around Kari and Yu to gather our information.
"We know that Sho and Minazuki created the red fog and several fakes for us to fight to gather Persona fragments to summon an unknown being," Naoto started.
"That means he used the P1 Climax as a cover to gather these fragments," Chie replied.
"Yeah, and this tower is the catalyst to summon whatever freaky thing Sho and Minazuki had in mind," Yosuke added.
"Why would they go through such convoluted methods for a summoning ritual," Kari asked.
"I'm not sure, but the fact remains that he plans to use the summoning to wipe out everyone but himself," Yu answered.
"There's something else that's bothering me. When we were interacting with Sho, I couldn't help but feel that he had a Plume of Dusk inside him," Labrys said.
"You mentioned that the Plume of Dusk functions as hearts for you and Aigis. Are you suggesting that Minazuki isn't a split personality of Sho, but an actual personality sharing Sho's body," Izzy questioned.
"Is that even possible," TK asked.
"Mitsuru mentioned that the culprit most likely had relations with the former Kirijo Group, who performed inhumane experiments and created Shadow incidents that Mitsuru and her group currently tackle. There is a good chance Sho was a part of those experiments," Naoto replied.
"That would mean the old Kirijo Group was the one who put the Plume of Dusk inside Sho. No wonder he wants to destroy the world. I wouldn't blame him if I had such a past. I can't fathom his pain during that time," Kari said, concerned.
"That's all the more reason to stop him. We must remind him there's more to this world than the horrors he went through if he would give this world a chance," I replied.
"Tai is right. We need to move fast to protect this town and stop Sho and Minazuki from summoning their plan," Yu added.
"It's still not safe for you to move so soon. You're still recovering from that earlier battle," Labrys replied.
"Not to mention that Yosuke and Chie are still nowhere ready to go," TK added.
"But we've already come so far. We can't stop here," Chie said.
"I don't want to be more of a burden than I already am," Yosuke complained.
"If you want to be helpful, save your energy until the prime moment. Yu, Chie, Yosuke, and Kari will stay here to recover. Naoto, Labrys, Izzy, and I will head to the top floor. Hopefully, we will be able to find Mitsuru and the rest of the missing Shadow Operatives up there. TK, can you watch over them to make sure they don't do anything rash? I'm afraid they will be behind us as we continue onward," I announced.
"Don't worry, Tai. You can leave this to me. I'll have them all sleeping like babies," TK replied.
"It's hard to sleep when you know your town is about to be wiped out with the rest of the world in a few minutes," Yosuke joked.
"If you have the energy to make a terrible joke, you'll be able to recover in no time," Naoto replied.
"Okay, we'll leave this mission in your hands. I feel terrible to rely on you and your team to protect our town," Yu said.
"You're not relying on us. We're a team. More importantly, we're friends. It's what friends do. It's the bonds that we share," I replied.
"I wonder if that's what Sho has been missing this whole time," Labrys thought.
"According to my crystal, Sho headed up those stairs next to the giant heavy doors," Izzy replied.
"You mean he's on the other side of that large clock door," Kari asked.
"We don't know what lies ahead. Precaution is of utmost importance," Naoto stated.
"Be careful, you guys," Yosuke said.
"Don't give up no matter what," Chie cheered.
"We'll see you on the other side once we're ready," Yu replied.
I nodded to Yu. Naoto, Izzy, Labrys, and I headed up the stairs and opened the large clock door, unsure what to expect on the other side.
*To be continued*