Labrys, Naoto, Izzy, and I walked up the dimly lit stairs towards an emergency exit double door. Nodding in agreement, we slowly opened the door. We couldn't believe our eyes as we surveyed the scene. Multiple crosses eerily decorated the rooftop. The saturated yellow moon glowed brightly with the blood-red sky.
"Over there," Izzy announced.
Izzy pointed out Mitsuru hanging on one of the crosses with her head hung low.
"Don't worry, Mitsuru. We're here to save you," I said.
Just as we approached Mitsuru, bullets rained on our feet, and we had to step back.
"Neutralizing targets immediately. Commencing barrier deployment," a familiar voice coldly stated.
Four red pillars rained from the sky, crushing the ground and setting up an invisible barrier. A robotic woman flew down and landed in front of us.
"It's good to see you are doing well, sister," Aigis said.
"You're not Aigis. You're a fake like the Mitsuru we fought earlier," Labrys replied.
"Fake is certainly a way to describe us. We are weapons pretending to be human. Isn't our identity to be like everyone else false to begin with? You witnessed it firsthand when you destroyed your kind with your own hands. It is silly pretending to be human. Tell me, sister, don't you hate humans?"
"I indeed dislike them, but not all humans are like that. Mitsuru, Yu, Tai, and everyone else saved me during my darkest moments. It's wrong to destroy the world by believing all humans are evil. There are good people out there. You must understand that."
"It's a pity you don't believe in the solitude Sho Minazuki wanted. You are useless to our plans. Therefore, you must perish."
Episode 15
Shadow Aigis unleashed her arsenal and fired them at Labrys, but Sukuna-Hikona and Tentomon rushed in to stop her, forcing Shadow Aigis to withdraw her weapons and retreat.
"How careless of me to ignore your existence," Shadow Aigis said, glaring at Naoto, Izzy, and me.
"As long as we are here, we won't let you lay a finger on Labrys," I informed her.
"We may be unsure why Sho craves isolation, but that doesn't give you the authority to harm our comrades," Naoto added.
"No, but it doesn't stop us from wiping you off the face of this world," a dark voice echoed.
Another familiar presence walked through the red fog and presented itself to us, much to our shock.
"How are you here? I thought my Shadow didn't exist," I questioned.
"Are you that surprised to me? Everyone has a Shadow, even you, our fearless, foolish leader. You're so weak and pathetic that you need other weak-minded people to surround yourself with to lick each other's wounds. That is the true definition of bonds. It hides our insecurities and tricks us into thinking we can't do anything ourselves without mass appeal. Bonds don't make you stronger. They weigh you down and prevent you from becoming your true self. You've had multiple moments and opportunities to live your life without having your so-called friends shackling you. Didn't you feel relieved not leading that band of misfits? Without you, they expose themselves as weak-minded individuals who can't make their own decisions. Only a fool would continuously guide such pointless creatures," Shadow Tai jeered.
"It's true that there were moments when I was relieved to return to a normal life away from matters in the Digital World. However, my time spent in the Digital World with my friends has shaped me into who I am. To reject that part of me is to ignore all the pain, suffering, and tears all of us went through during our amazing adventure. I will not stand here and let you mock our story as DigiDestined," I retorted.
"Well said, which is why you should leave this matter to Tentomon and me. Tai, you saved me from my Shadow when we were inside the TV World together for the first time. Now, I can finally return that favor and show you how much I've grown since then," Izzy replied.
"Labrys, you may want to take a step back. Aigis may be a Shadow, but I don't want you to experience harming your sisters again," Naoto stated.
"Okay, I trust you, Naoto. I know you and Izzy will defeat those two," Labrys said.
"Are you four done with your disturbing display of friendship? It's taking every fiber of my body not to vomit from your disgusting performance," Shadow Tai laughed.
"The only thing worth chuckling is your denial to see how strong bonds can be," Tentomon replied.
"How ironic that you and Shadow Aigis exist through your connection with Sho. Isn't that considered a bond," Izzy asked.
"The brainiac and the bug think they have sharp tongues. Let's see how useful they are with a shattered jaw," Shadow Tai sneered.
Shadow Tai summoned a giant skeletal dinosaur with a missile launcher on its back.
"That's a face I haven't seen in a while," Tentomon remarked.
"I should have known that you would summon DarkSkullGreymon," Izzy said, concerned.
"Activating battle mode! All limits removed! Annihilating targets now," Shadow Aigis announced.
Shadow Aigis summoned a Greek goddess carrying a spear and a shield.
"Athena is plenty powerful, Naoto. Be careful," Labrys warned about Aigis's Persona.
"They may be tough, but we won't falter," Naoto replied.
Sukuna-Hikona zipped through Athena and rushed towards DarkSkullGreymon. Sukuna-Hikona tried cutting through its bony structure, but DarkSkullGreymon was too sturdy to cut. As it roared in anger, DarkSkullGreymon swatted away with its hands, but Sukuna-Hikona zoomed around it, almost toying with DarkSkullGreymon. When Sukuna-Hikona found another opening, it tried to attack DarkSkullGreymon's blind spot, but Athena used its shield to block the attack.
"Horn Blaster," MegaKabuterimon shouted.
Using this opportunity, MegaKabuterimon fired an electric ball at Athena and DarkSkullGreymon, hoping to catch both with one attack.
"Dark Shot," DarkSkullGreymon growled.
In response to MegaKabuterimon's attack, DarkSkullGreymon fired a missile from its back. The explosion from the two colliding attacks pushed everyone back. Through the smoke, Shadow Aigis flew toward Naoto and Izzy and began firing bullets at them. Naoto and Izzy ran in separate directions, hoping that Shadow Aigis would not be as accurate with her shots with her divided focus. Realizing this, Shadow Aigis analyzed that Naoto would be more of a threat to her team and focused on her. Athena rushed towards Naoto with its spear, but Sukuna-Hikona used its blade to counter the attack.
"Horn Blaster," MegaKabuterimon shouted.
MegaKabuterimon fired another electric ball at Athena. This time, Athena used its shield to block the attack but kept its focus on Sukuna-Hikona. MegaKabuterimon flew towards Athena and grabbed onto the shield.
"Death Nail," DarkSkullGreymon shouted.
Just when MegaKabuterimon was about to fire another electric ball at Athena above its shield, DarkSkullGreymon attempted to skewer MegaKabuterimon with its bony hands. MegaKabuterimon had to let go of the shield to block the incoming attack. MegaKabuterimon grabbed DarkSkullGreymon's hand and grappled with it, hoping to find an opening to assist Sukuna-Hikona in its stalemate.
"Hang on a little longer, MegaKabuterimon. You got this," Izzy replied.
Suddenly, a dark soccer ball zoomed past Izzy's face. The ball barely grazed his cheek as Izzy dodged just in time.
"What's the matter, Izzy? Are you scared because you can't fight back," Shadow Tai asked.
Shadow Tai continued to kick multiple dark energy balls at Izzy, who had to run to avoid the impact of the shots. One of the dark energy balls hit him in the face, and Izzy tumbled back.
"Izzy," Naoto shouted.
Naoto tried to rush over to assist Izzy, but Shadow Aigis blocked her path, pointing her machine gun hands at Naoto.
"I believe this is what you call 'checkmate,'" Shadow Aigis declared.
"Give it up, Izzy. Aren't you afraid that your inability to fight back is weighing your team? Do the honorable thing and walk away so that our master can fulfill his wish to make this world his own," Shadow Tai chuckled.
"Those words aren't new to me. You need to do better if you want to talk down to me. My gifts aren't for combat, but that doesn't mean it's a disadvantage. On the contrary, your need to lambast me only exposes that you are not confident that you can take us down," Izzy replied, standing up.
"Maybe this will shut you up for good," Shadow Tai said.
Shadow Tai kicked another dark energy ball at Izzy, who ducked the attack. The ball bounced off the invisible wall and knocked Shadow Aigis in the back of her head, losing her focus. In a split second, Naoto called Sukuna-Hikona to rush to Shadow Aigis and knock her against the invisible wall. Noticing this, Athena charged at Naoto, who responded by firing multiple bullets at it. Athena used its shield to block the bullets, but it allowed Sukuna-Hikona to fly onto its blind spot and cut it into several pieces, shattering it.
"You are the definition of Tai's Shadow, abusing your leadership role and forcing your opinion on others. Tai may struggle to come up with a solution because there are other factors to consider, but at least he acknowledges other viewpoints and wants what is best for everyone. You only think about yourself, which is the true dead weight of anything involving teamwork," Izzy retorted.
Angrily, Shadow Tai kicked more dark energy balls at Izzy, but Naoto shot all of them down.
"I trust my team will take us to victory and understand my role in the team. That is why we will win," Izzy continued.
MegaKabuterimon lifted DarkSkullGreymon and threw him over to Shadow Tai. Shadow Tai braced himself as DarkSkullGreymon slid towards him, knocking him over.
"Overconfidence is the greatest enemy of a true warrior," MegaKabuterimon replied.
"Let's finish this battle for good," Naoto declared.
"Super Electric Strike," MegaKabuterimon shouted.
MegaKabuterimon flew in the air, spun around into a ball, and slammed itself onto the ground, creating a large explosion of electrical energy. At the same time, Sukuna-Hikona generated a ball of heavenly energy from its palm and threw it on the ground. The combined explosions from both attacks captured Shadow Aigis and Shadow Tai, and the two disintegrated into dark blobs, leaving a trail of dust into the sky. The red pillars shattered, and the glass walls disappeared. Labrys and I walked over to Izzy and Naoto.
"Izzy, how is your head? Are you hurt," Labrys asked.
"I'm okay, but that ball got me good," Izzy replied.
"I apologize. If I was stronger, I could have figured out a way to protect you from that blow," Naoto replied.
"What are you talking about? You did great against the fake Aigis. Your quick action ultimately saved Izzy in the end. You should be proud," I told her.
"It's embarrassing when I hear it out loud," Naoto said, hiding her blush with her hat.
"Aw, Naoto, you look cute when you are embarrassed. It's nice to see a new side of you when you always keep a straight face," Labrys smiled.
"Both of you, stop teasing me," Naoto quickly responded.
"With both Shadows gone, let's get Mitsuru down from that cross. Agumon, can you help us on this one," I asked.
"I'll make sure she is set free," Agumon replied.
Agumon's claws and Labrys's axe cut down the chains binding Mitsuru. Labrys caught Mitsuru as she fell into her arms and gently brought her down to the ground.
"Mitsuru, are you okay," Labrys asked.
"Labrys, Tai, you are all here," Mitsuru said, exhausted.
"We're sorry we didn't come sooner had we known you would end up in such a dire state," Naoto added.
"There's no need to apologize. All of you did wonderfully. It is I who should apologize. I promised your safety and security, yet you were the ones who saved me," Mitsuru said.
"There's no need to beat yourself up like that. We're glad you don't look as bad as we feared," I replied.
"May I ask where we are," Mitsuru questioned.
"We're inside of what appears to be a makeshift tower. We believe Sho was the one who ambushed you as you were coming to Inaba," Izzy explained.
"I see. Sho Minazuki. It's a name I hoped not to hear; however, his actions mimic his father. The evidence is too great," Mitsuru sighed.
"I read in some files that Shuji Ikutsuki didn't have children. Does that mean that Sho is...," Naoto began, not wishing to finish her thought.
"Indeed, Ikutsuki was part of a Shadow Research group under the old Kirijo regime. My grandfather poured vast amounts of money onto the group to fund their Shadow research. Labrys and Aigis were born from that research, Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons that carried Personas. However, they also did very inhumane things, such as gathering orphans and forcefully summoning their Personas. Sho was one of the youngest of those orphans," Mitsuru gritted through her teeth.
"That's terrible. What brings a person to do such heinous acts," I asked.
"I thought the evil Kirijo group disbanded after an explosion in their lab, of which you would ultimately be in charge. Wouldn't that have freed Sho from Itusuki's control," Izzy asked.
"Unfortunately, Ikutsuki recovered some of that information and worked in secret. Sho was one of the projects he continued, raising him in a solitary environment and preventing anyone from interacting with him.
"That reminds me. Earlier, when I met Sho, I felt like we resonated with each other through my Plume of Dusk. Does that mean he has a Plume of Dusk inside him," Labrys questioned.
"Yes, that was the main focus of Ikutsuki's research. It's not hard to imagine the kind of like Sho lived to develop the personality he has now," Mitsuru answered.
"I heard from Yu and the others that Sho had two different personalities: a sarcastic, cynical side and a cold, malicious side that the four of us most often encountered. While the cynical one didn't fight with a Persona, the malicious one did. Is that also related to the Plume of Dusk," Naoto asked.
"That is a distinct possibility, although more information is needed to confirm that is the case," Mitsuru replied.
"Sho stated that he needed us to fight to carve our Personas and gather Persona fragments to summon something. You wouldn't happen to know what he's planning on summoning, would you," I pondered.
"Unfortunately, I don't have that information. However, if it is anything like Tartarus, it cannot be good," Mitsuru said, concerned.
Naoto, Labrys, Izzy, and I were deep in thought, digesting everything Mitsuru told us and pondering the best course of action. As we thought in silence, Izzy's orb began to glow, and we heard voices in our heads.
"Izzy, Labrys, Naoto, Tai, can everyone hear me," Rise asked.
"That's Rise's voice. Yes, we can hear you," Naoto replied.
"Thank goodness I got a hold of you. I'm so glad everyone is safe," Rise sighed in relief.
"Mitsuru, are you there? Are you safe as well," Yukari questioned.
"Yukari, did you also come here? Thank you," Mitsuru replied.
"It's not just Yukari. Everyone is here and in one piece," Fuuka stated.
"I may be a bit tired, but I can still hold my ground," Akihiko replied.
"Everyone is very energetic, as though their earlier fatigue has mysteriously disappeared," Aigis commented.
"Fuuka, Akihiko, Aigis, I'm so sorry to put all of you in danger like that," Mitsuru said.
"There you go, putting all the blame on yourself. We are a group, you know. You can rely on us more," Junpei replied.
"If any of us is in danger, we will do what we must to support them," Ken replied.
Koromaru barked in agreement.
"Junpei, Ken, and Koromaru are also there. Thank you all for coming," Mitsuru replied.
"How's everyone doing so far," Yu asked.
"Has everyone recovered properly," Labrys asked.
"Now that everyone is here, I feel more relieved than anything," Yosuke replied.
"Yeah, I was so surprised when everyone came up here. It's like a heavy weight lifted off my shoulders," Chie added.
"Labrys, Naoto, are you two okay," Yukiko asked.
"Yukiko, I'm relieved to hear you are well," Naoto replied.
"Naoto, Labrys, I missed the two of you so much. I wish to see you so badly," Teddie cried.
"That's my shirt you're rubbing your tears on. But Teddie is right. Hearing that you are okay puts me at ease," Kanji replied.
"Don't forget about us," Mimi chimed in.
"Mimi, is everyone safe," I asked.
"Of course, we're safe. As if we would let something like this shake us," Matt replied.
"I can confirm everyone here is well and accounted for," Sora replied.
"You had no idea how many twists and turns we had to go through to get this far," Joe sighed.
"No matter where we are, as long as we stick to you guys, life will be a grand adventure," TK smiled.
"I'd prefer if our outings did not involve saving the world from devastation every time," Kari sighed.
"If Sho had companions similar to ours, perhaps he wouldn't have gone so far as to wipe everyone out only to live a life of solitude. That reminds me. Mitsuru, I would like to ask you something," I said.
"I will allow you to pursue Sho. Stopping you would not have prevented your resolve. There is much of Sho's past that can be sympathized with, but we must stop him from destroying the world," Mitsuru replied.
"I also want to confront Sho. I believe he's the same as me, isolated for so long and creating realities of our image. If I can talk to him, I might be able to save him just like everyone saved me," Labrys added.
"In that case, Tai and Labrys will continue to prevent Sho from resolving his plans. Izzy, Naoto, and I will go down, regroup, and recharge. I assume you are not too far away from us," Mitsuru said.
"We're in the same location before you guys headed through the ominous door to pursue Sho," Yu answered.
"We were just there not too long ago. Mitsuru, are you able to stand," Naoto asked.
Just when Mitsuru was able to steady herself, the ground shook violently.
"The tremors have started again, and it's a big one," Sora replied.
"Careful, everyone. I sense a wave of Shadows heading near us fast," Teddie announced.
"The numbers are growing at an alarming rate. It looks like they're heading to the top of the tower," Fuuka added.
"That's not all. The Shadows are merging once at the top," Rise said fearfully.
"Sho's plan is about to bear fruit," Akihiko replied hastily.
"Tai, this is bad. I'm looking through my crystal, and the Shadows have flooded the tower. At this rate, it won't be long until they pass through all the bottom floors and reach Yu and the others," Izzy claimed.
"We have to stop them from heading to the top of the tower," I replied.
"No, we stick to the course. Everyone at the gate, stand your ground. Do not let a single Shadow pass through that door. Izzy and Naoto, our rehabilitation plan will need to pause. Can you two still fight," Mitsuru asked.
"Of course, I will not let our goal thus far be lost," Naoto replied.
"You two got pretty banged up during that fight. Are you sure you will be fine," Labrys asked.
"Don't worry about it. Besides, we have so many people here. Those Shadows are going to think twice before getting past all of us," Yosuke replied.
"I need to redeem myself after the Sho switched to Minazuki and defeated us," Chie replied.
"Everyone, form three lines of defense. Close-quarter combatants and tanks form the first line of defense. Magic users and long-distance fighters take the second line to support the first line. Healers and supporters take the third line and grant them as many buffs as necessary to keep them from breaking forward. Tai and Labrys will head to the top and intercept Sho," Mitsuru declared.
"Alright, I'm on fire now. Bring it on," Kanji shouted.
"It's been a while since I had a good fight," Akihiko replied.
"Don't waste all your energy so soon. Conversation is key in any game," Junpei commented.
"Let's just get this over with. Hopefully, it doesn't take too much of our time," Matt replied.
"Tai, Labrys, be careful going up there," Kari said.
"If you two need anything, let us know. We will try and support as much as we can," Rise added.
"When we need assistance, we will let you know firsthand. There's no shame in relying on your friends for help," I responded.
"They're about to come here beary soon," Teddie said.
"On our signal, be ready to attack," Fuuka announced.
"On three. One, two, now!" Rise shouted.
"Persona," everyone screamed.
I heard everyone summon their Personas as they battled through the waves of Shadows.
"There is no end to these waves. It's getting me excited," Ken replied.
"I expected this, but witnessing it live are two different things," Joe sighed.
"I'll make sure no meanies get past these doors," Mimi shouted.
"Let's be on our way to join everyone at the gate. Should we encounter any Shadows during our descent, we strike them as swiftly as possible," Mitsuru told Izzy and Naoto.
"Agreed," Naoto nodded.
"Good luck, Tai and Labrys. We're counting on you," Izzy replied.
"Don't worry. We'll get through this as safely as possible," I answered.
"And we'll do it together," Labrys confirmed
Mitsuru, Izzy, Naoto, Labrys, and I split ways as we set our sights on the final battle.
*To be continued*