Catch-22: The Plan to Fight
By: M14Mouse
Summary: The brothers, Ume terrifying people, and Makoto and Yusuke get a turn.
Disclaimer: Don't own them.
"So….My father might be slightly terrified of Ume," Haru said as they entered the palace.
"Oh? What did she do?" Yu asked.
He thought that it would be a good idea to send Ume with Haru. One, she could protect Haru if her father or her fiancé did anything. Two, he was running out of room at his place.
"Well, it started out as Father trying to fire her. Somehow or another, it turned into Ume setting my father on fire and something about kinks," Haru said as her face turned red.
Ryuji started cracking.
"Man, Ume did the same thing with the guy from the arcade. Totally talked him into paying for her game. It was hilarious."
"Well, she made Father flee and then she asked one of the maids for some chocolate covered strawberries. Is that safe for her? I don't want her to get sick."
"Nah, Ume is fine. She will burn off when we go to the gym."
"You guys go to the gym?" Ann said surprisedly.
"Yup. She is my training buddy. Mostly, she mocks me…well…everyone. Then she destroyed one of the machines. Then she goes back to mocking everyone then she says that I have done better every time."
"And become your wingman, even if she mocks you," Ren added.
"I can imagine she would," Makoto said.
"She says I act like a worm that any woman would crash. She says that I can do better," Ryuji said as he scratched the back of his head.
"She is correct," Yusuke said.
"She nailed it," Futaba added.
"HEY! I am not bad!"
"You sound like those idiots from rom-coms with those awful pick up lines," Ann added.
"Man, you guys…"
Morgana sighed.
He should have stopped it then before it evolved into fighting.
"Fox and Queen are with me for now. Then I will switch out with Mona and Noir," He added.
"Yes, I have been looking forward to this!" Yusuke said happily.
"Sense…I mean, Gambler…I mean Sensei…May I ask why?"
"Fairness. I had time to work with Partner, Joker, Mona and Skull. I thought that you two would like the same treatment. If there is any trouble, Oracle will inform me. Unless, of course, you want to stay with the main group. I know Joker puts you in the main line up quite often. I can always take Noir and Mona first," He said with a nod of his head.
"I much rather have Noir work with the main group first but if Queen wants to wait, I understand. Sensei and I were just going to fine tune some things if we needed too," Morgana said.
"I agree with Mona. I like the idea of Noir working with me and the others for a bit. Sensei and I talked it over before we came here. We should be fine without you for a bit," Ren said.
"Ok…Okay," Makoto said nervously.
Why was Makoto nervous? She has trained with him before.
"Wonderful."
"Uhh…Sensei Gambler, why are the brothers here?" Haru said as she pointed to the door.
He turned around to see Takeshi and Takeo by a pair of doors. Takeo was holding what looked like a robot dressed in a suit upside down.
"Put Me Down. Put Me Down. Put Me Down." The robot shadow repeated over and over again.
"Ume and Lila said this palace has a lot of these," Takeshi said as he pointed at the robot with his spear.
"We can't eat them. Not jerky."
"True. Oh, we can make darts!"
"Yes, Sensei was telling us about that game. How do we do it with robots?"
"We could knock off his head."
"Hmm…his legs are sharp enough for the point."
"True. Hmmm…"
"Put Me Down. Put Me Down. Put Me Down."
The brothers looked at each other then nodded their heads.
"The head."
His students turned to him and stared.
"What have you been teaching them?" Makoto asked in awe.
"Darts. Takeshi…Takeo," He said with a shrug as he approached the brothers.
The brothers turned to him and smiled.
"Hello, Sensei. We were about to play darts before you came!" Taskhi said.
"Yes," Takeo said with a nod.
"I see. Why are you two here?" He asked.
"To protect you."
"Yes, we are here to protect Sensei. No one will harm you while we are here."
The brothers nodded their heads in agreement.
He didn't really need protection but they seemed so earnest. He hated to tell them no.
Ume was right.
He was a softie.
"Very well. I will be training Fox and Queen today. It will be good to have another set of eyes to watch our backs," He said.
The brothers beamed happily at him.
"Of course," Takeshi said.
"Fox and Queen will do well. They are strong," Takeo said happily.
Queen's eyes look away slightly from the brothers. He frowned. Did something happen?
He will ask later after they are done with the palace.
"Sorry, no darts today. You can go silly robot," Takeo said as he dropped the robot onto the ground. The robot ran off.
"Darts were a bad idea. We should have played tag." Takeshi said with a nod.
Futaba snickered.
"Alright. Let's get going," Ren said as he waved to the others ahead. Once the others left, he turned his attention to Fox and Queen.
"Is something the matter, Queen?" Fox asked.
"Why do you think something is the matter?" Queen said with a jolt.
"I may have trouble with social cues but you seem troubled."
"It is nothing. I promise."
The brothers looked at each other then at Makoto.
"Queen is a terrible liar," Takeshi said.
"Bad liar," Takeo said.
"Yes, she is," Yusuke said.
She looked down and mumbled something.
"We really shouldn't be talking about this here but it is…my sister. She is getting worse."
He nodded his head. He had a feeling that was the problem.
"I'm sorry. Truly, I am. Do we need to bring up the others?" Yusuke said.
"Yes, I think after this palace. I will," She said with a sigh.
Nervously, the brothers looked at each other then at Queen.
"Takeshi…Takeo? What is wrong?" He asked. The brothers like to point out that Makoto is a terrible liar. So, are the brothers. He remembered the cookie incident quite well.
"Uhh…we promise not to tell." Takeshi said.
"Yup. We promise." Takeo said.
Makoto's eyes narrowed under the mask.
"Boys?" Makoto said in that tone to make Ryuji and Morgana jump.
"You better tell or you're never going to leave in one piece," Yusuke said.
"Uhh…Daito visited your sister," Takeshi said.
"He followed you one day. He said that you were upset. Don't worry. Black Frost and Mint were with him!" Takeo nodded his head.
"Sensei says we must use the buddy system. He was safe."
"WHAT?! He could have been killed. What was he thinking?!" Makoto shouted in a panic.
"We don't know but he came back safe. He had this look on his face," Takeo said.
"What sort of look?" Yusuke asked.
The brothers adjusted their body and had a look on their face similar to Makoto when she was mad.
"That is a really good impression of Queen."
"Thank you!" The brothers said together.
"When he came back, he said that he is going to be a kitten, puppy, and bunny," Takeshi said.
"He wanted to add a penguin too but he said that he doesn't like being cold," Takeo said.
"Huh?" Makoto said in confusion.
"I'm not sure how that works but it is impressive," Yusuke added.
"We know. Daito is smart. He will figure it out. Queen taught him lots," Takeo said.
"I didn't teach him that!" Makoto shouted.
He hummed softly under his breath. He wondered what happened between Sae-san and Daito. The conversation must not have been pleasant if it made him so upset. He will go down and talk to him later.
But it was nice for Makoto to get over her fear.
"I'm sorry. I just didn't want Daito to get hurt."
"We understand. Daito is small. Palace is a big and scary place. Queen has other thieves. Daito has us. Together, we are family," Takeshi beamed.
"Family…hmmm…," Yusuke mumbled.
He smiled softly. He closed his eyes to find a suitable place for them to train. He could sense Futaba and the others dealing with some robots.
Told you, lad. We can't do space.
I know but there are still places. Hmmm…this could work.
"I believe this conversation can continue later. Right now, time to train. Shall we go?"
"OOooo…the fun part," Takeshi said excitedly.
"Fun part?" Yusuke asked.
"Don't scream too loudly." He said as he tapped his cane on the ground.
"Wha…?" Makoto said before the shadows wrapped around them.
It only took a moment to get them where they needed to be. The shadows pulled them up to the surface. They seem to have landed in the middle of a loading bay. He tapped his cane again and the shadows disappeared back into the floor. He turned around to see Makoto on the floor and Yusuke clutching his stomach.
Your students are weak. I thought that you trained them better than that.
This is their first time.
…And Makoto didn't get over her fear after all.
"OhmygodOhmygod…" Makoto rambled to herself.
"I can see why Mona didn't like it. Does upset one stomach," Yusuke mumbled.
"FUN!"
"Again!"
The brothers shouted happily.
"Are you okay?" He said as he kneeled down to the floor next to Makoto.
"I'm…I'm fine. It is nothing. Just so sudden." Makoto mumbled as she got to her feet.
"Sorry. Moving tends to shift the shadows. I didn't want to drop you like I did the first time."
"Drop me?"
He could hear the panic slowly starting to creep up Makoto's voice.
You had to tell the lass that, huh?
Had to warn her. You didn't.
Keep you on your toes, laddie.
"The first time, I felt like I was falling forever. I had to learn just like the rest of you. I have been practicing. I know that I can go quite far if I want too. Although, I haven't found the limit on how many people that I can carry yet."
"Carry?"
"Yup…Sensei can go a lot of places," Takeo said.
"Where are we?" Yusuke said behind them.
He turned around and got to his feet.
"The loading bay," He said as he watched the rows and rows of robots loading crates into the trucks. He could see taller red robots shouting orders to little green robots. Off to the side, he could see a pile of dead robots.
"This is horrible," Yusuke said.
"He works them to death," Makoto said softly.
"Yes, he does," He said.
"STOP! What are you do….Mr. Narumkani?" The tall red robot said.
"Merely showing my students this fine facility."
"Uhh…I don't think that you should be down here. You need to come with me."
"One moment, please. Can you come here for a moment?" He said pleasantly as he waved the robot over.
"Of course, sir," The robot said as he moved closer.
He flipped the tip of his cane into his hand and swung the knob of the cane right into the robot's face.
"SCORE!"
"FORE!"
The brothers shouted happily as the robot fell back.
"Queen and Fox. Show me what you have learned. I will offer my assistance if you need it any point during the battle," He said as he stepped to the side.
"Yes…Ready, Fox?" Makoto said as she slipped into a fighting stance.
"Yes, Queen," Yusuke said as he followed her lead.
He stepped to the side to observe. He watched Makoto give orders and Yusuke follow them. It took a moment for them to get into the flow of battle especially since Ren wasn't here to guide them.
"Fox, now!"
He watched as Fox's persona cut into the robot with his Deadly Fury attack. The robot fell to the floor and crumbled into the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see another group of robots approaching.
"Well done. Now, what are you going to do about them?" He said as he pointed to the group.
"Fox…increase our agility, please," Makoto said calmly.
"Of course," Fox said as he started casting Masukukaja.
"Sensei?" Takeshi said.
He shook his head no as he took out his cards and started shuffling the deck. He was waiting for a particular moment from Makoto. While she had gotten over her fear for the most part, she had developed another problem. He thought that it had to do with her sister. While others were a good support system, they aren't her sister.
The matters of the heart are complicated.
It turned into something new.
Rarely now, she has asked for help or hand off to another unless Ren orders it.
It was something that he should have caught sooner.
He watched as Yusuke and Makoto cast spells in hopes to slow them down. Luckily, Yusuke's buff helped them avoid attacks.
"They are resistant to Nuke and Ice Attacks. Do you have any items, Fox?"
"No, you?"
"No."
"Sensei?" Takeo said as the robots approached the group.
He pulled the first five cards from his deck. He examined the cards closely.
What to choose? What to choose?
Veles mumbled amusedly. He picked one then threw down a psychokinesis card onto the floor. The attack caused the robots to fall.
"Thank you, Sensei," Yusuke said in relief.
"It isn't done. We need to do an all-out attack," Makoto said.
"Lets!"
He watched as his students tore the robots apart.
He put his cards back into his pocket and stared at them.
"That didn't go like I expected." Makoto said softly as she dusted herself off.
"Yes…." Yusuke said.
"So, what went wrong and right with the battle?"
"Queen and I work well together," Yusuke said.
"True."
"I almost panicked when the enemy was resisting our attacks," Makoto added.
"You did well with holding it together. But…." Yusuke said as he started rubbing the back of his neck.
"Fox?"
"But you didn't ask for help. You had the chance to perform a baton pass but continue with your attack."
"I thought that it was a good idea to press forward since his health was low."
"I don't fault you for your decision, Queen. It was wise but…"
He watched as Yusuke struggled with the words. He knew that Yusuke had trouble expressing himself to people. It was good to see that he was becoming more and more vocal.
"I notice that you have been doing that quite frequently. It is worrying. Joker is much better at this…everyone is better than me but I am happy to lend my ear to your worries."
"Ooo…I get it. Family worries, Queen. Thief Family worries. Daito worries," Takeshi said.
"Ooo…so that is the lesson. Yes, good lesson, Sensei," Takeo said with a nod.
Queen's eyes widened slightly then turned to him. He hummed softly.
"Sensei?"
"I can neither confirm nor deny that was the session. I was merely watching."
She took a deep breath.
"I am sorry to worry you and everyone. I needed to work on it on my own."
"Understandable but remember, we are here for you as well," Yusuke said.
"Than…Thank you," Makoto said with a blush.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see another group of robots approaching them.
"I think that it is time to make this session more enjoyable. Fox, tell me what you see when you see those robots. Artistically, of course," He said.
"This isn't the time," Makoto said.
"Trust him. Fox?"
Fox's hands framed his hands into a rectangle and stared at the robots.
"They look like a forest…rows and rows of trees. Their eyes remind me of owls in their hollows."
"How would you deal with them?" He asked.
"I would cut them like a saw. No…" Fox said as he turned his frame hands to one of the floating droids.
"What is the sport with balls?"
"Football!"
"Soccer!"
The brothers offered help.
"No…No…The one with those strangely white forms."
"Golf?"
"Tennis?"
"Bowling?" Makoto said.
Fox grinned.
"YES! We should bowl. I must say. I have never tried it before."
He grinned as he tapped his cane onto the ground again. The roots shot out and hit the droid toward them.
"Thank you, Sensei. Let's see….Oh…," Fox said as he examined the floating round droid. He watched as Fox called his persona to freeze the droid.
"Okay…here, I go," Yusuke said as he threw the frozen droid underhand. The droid bounced and slid across the floor before hitting a few robots.
"SCORE!"
"STRIKE!"
The brothers cheered before Takeo brought Yusuke a new droid.
"Again! You get two turns!"
"I thought that it was three?" Takeshi said.
"That is baseball," Takeo said knowingly.
"Ooo…."
Yusuke froze another droid then threw it. It hit a few more robots.
"That was fun. It is your turn, Queen," Yusuke said as Takeo brought him another droid to freeze.
"I have never bowled before," Makoto said.
"That is okay. Neither have I," Yusuke said as he froze another droid then handed it to her.
Makoto took the frozen droid and threw it at the robots like a baseball.
"STRIKE!"
"GOAL!"
"I think that I will try something different this time," She said as Yusuke handed her another one.
She called her persona to the surface and the frozen droid started to glow.
"Here I go," Makoto said as she took a deep breath and threw the ball.
The second that it hit one of the robots, that part of the room lit up like the sun.
"Wow….STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!"
The brothers cheered. Once the smoke cleared, there was a huge black mark and pieces of robot on the ground.
"That was ridiculous but fun," Makoto said with a grin on her face.
"I mean…look at what we do. Besides, if Skull and Panther make use of that clothesline. We can bowl," Yusuke said.
"Yes, we can."
Man, you guys have all the fun.
"Did you enjoy the show, Oracle?" He said with a grin.
Of course. Bowling? Clothesline? We are going to put them all to shame, Support Buddy.
Of course.
Anyway, we need you guys to come back. We have a bit of a problem.
"What is wrong?"
Uhh…there is a cognitive version of Haru here and well…she just stares at us.
"Cognitive version of Haru?" Yusuke said with a frown.
"I wondered why. Has this happened before?" He said to the others.
Yusuke and Makoto shook their heads no.
"We will kill this imposter," Takeo said.
"There is only one Haru," Takeshi added.
"Is there anything else?" He asked.
No…she looks kind of sad….
"Show me where you are and we will be there shortly," He said.
Oh, and Akechi is here.
He beamed.
You are improving. Good job, Oracle.
There was a moment of silence.
Ahh…she is blushing.
Can it, old man.
Blah, lassie needs to work on her insults.
He chuckled.
Be good.
"I will take you back to the others. I will go and watch Akechi for a bit to see what he is doing."
"Are you going to be okay?" Makoto asked.
"Don't worry. We are here to protect Sensei!" Takeo said.
"It will be fine," He said.
"Until something exploded. I always miss that part." Yusuke mumbled.
Makoto sighed.
End of The Plan to Fight
A/N: I wanted to write a training chapter for Makoto and Yusuke. There will be another one for Haru and Morgana in a few chapters. Why? Because after this palace, we hit the ground running. We have PQ2 which will feature Yu surrounded by a lot of teenagers (pray for them) and that dancing thing. Yes, Yu is adopting everyone but I think the funny thing that he doesn't realize it. He thinks that he is just being a good mentor but in reality, he is being a terrifying older brother/father figure. Ah, yes, the twins….another chapter that I planned for awhile now and it felt wonderful. Question is…did the twins learn their lesson? Who knows? :D Someone ask if Iwai and Yu will meet. Yes, but it won't happen until after Sae's palace…for reasons. Anyway, thanks for lovely reviews, kudos, favorites, etc. You guys are awesome.
A/N: I tried to add Chad Energy Yu tag (for your amusement) and Ao3 keeps saying no. I also haven't forgotten Haru's fiancé. I have something special planned for him.