Catch-22: The Master of None And The Master of Everything

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Futaba gets a reality check. Yu causes *chaos*. It is all in a day's work.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.- Abraham Lincoln

"Lady Lavenza," Yu said with a bow. He took her hand and gently kissed the back of it.

"Master Gambler, how long do you plan to keep this up?" Lavenza said with a giggle and a flush of her face.

He smiled at her then winked.

"Until it is time to show my hand."

She shook her head and sighed.

"No wonder my sister likes you so much. You're enjoying yourself."

He chuckled.

"There he is!" Futaba shouted.

He turned his attention away from Lavenza to the approaching group.

"Hello, everyone. It is good to see you. I hope that everyone is well," He said with a grin.

"We're fine. Do you…know each other?" Makoto asked while looking at them.

"Not really. I know her siblings. It would be rude if I didn't introduce myself," He said mildly.

There was a moment of silence.

"WHAT?! She has siblings!" Ryuji shouted in surprise.

"Yes, two sisters and a brother," Lavenza said with a nod.

"I never knew that…" Morgana mumbled.

"How did you meet?" Akechi asked mockingly.

"Hmm…the first time? A world in between time and space. I could also count a life-or-death tournament as a first time too. It is very complicated," He said thoughtfully.

He should count the time with Zen first but he forgot about it until later. So, technically speaking, it was the tournament unless he counted Margaret.

Then the Velvet Room.

Akechi's face morphed from mocking to confusion to flicker of understanding.

Hmm…interesting.

Then there was another moment of silence and staring, then Futaba let out a sigh.

"We aren't going to get anywhere if you keep traumatizing them," She mumbled.

His face broke into a smile.

"Like how I did yesterday?"

"Wait…that is why you weren't with us?" Makoto asked Futaba.

"Yup! Me and Gambler guy over went diggin' around."

"….After she chased me down," He said as he examined his cane for a moment.

Futaba stuck out of her tongue.

"WAIT!" Futaba shouted as he stepped into the alleyway.

"You lied!" She shouted.

He stopped for a moment and glanced over his shoulder. She stomped out of the café without a coat and looked very annoyed. She is going to catch a cold.

Heh….

Be nice, Veles.

"About?"

"Being a navigator?!"

He hummed softly.

"Oh?"

"Yes, you were doing that stuff and you said that stuff…and…and," She rushed to get her words out.

"Who says a person can't be both?"

She paused for a moment.

"Like a person, personas change to match that growth. You and the others have seen it yourself," He continued.

He watched her annoyance wash off her face.

"Oh. So, that stuff that you said…."

"It was true. Those with combative personas while may have a different skill set, have a connection with each other. Navigators don't have that connection. Together and yet apart."

"You're right about that. I…it is lonely. I must explain how I do stuff…."

"Most of the time, I just tell them that it is my persona's doing," He said amusedly.

He got a lot of questions about the tentacles…even if they aren't tentacles.

Roots! I'm a god of the forest. Tentacles are Immy's thing and Possy the water idiot.

"YES! Save on the questions!" She shouted.

"And time."

"You do understand."

"If you like…I can give you the information of other navigators. I know that they would love to talk to you."

Futaba perked up.

"Really?!"

He nodded.

"Yes…of course, it is best to connect them after this…"

"Of course. So, I'm coming with you."

He tilted his head slightly.

"Oh? I never said that I was going anywhere."

She snorted.

"You're going to destroy a palace."

"Can't really destroy. So, it is more like redecoration."

"I'm in. Besides, I can gather information for everyone and give you some back up."

He hummed.

"And I say no?"

"Then…Then…I take back my vote."

He chuckled. Veles snorted.

Lassie….that isn't going to stop him at all.

She isn't my world's Futaba. She doesn't know me. Futaba in my world would know that I wasn't going to leave her behind. She would bring the popcorn to help with the "redecorating of the palace."

"Very well. What time do the others meet up?"

"Around 5."

"Then at 5, I shall meet you at the entrance of the palace. You might want to go inside before you catch a cold," He said with a grin.

She looked down at herself.

"Oh…"

"Yes, oh."

"So…we went to cause mild destruction of stuff," Futaba added.

"Mild…You called this…mild," Yusuke said as he looked up.

"It does look a little run down, doesn't it?" He said as he followed Yusuke's stare. Before the palace was pristine and white, now it was almost gray and he could see elements of the building breaking down. A few windows cracked from the outside. Cracks on the staircases. Not so many people.

His shadows were pissed and angry.

"How did you do it?" Akechi asked.

"He has minions," Futaba said with a grin and a laugh.

"They are not minions. We are allies," he snorted.

"Uh huh…"

Lassie is kind of right. They do follow your orders.

We are allies. You know some of them wouldn't bow to a human. Several tried to eat me.

I did warn you that Nihhy is an eater.

He stood at the edge of the tunnel and stared into the endless darkness.

"Is he here?" He asked out loud.

I can sense him. He is kind of pissed off.

"Why?"

Abaddon growled.

NoThIng To EAAAATTTT!

"Lucky for us…we brought something," He said as he glanced over at the shadow he brought with him.

It was a twisted thing that had no form. His other personas confirmed what he felt. It made his skin crawl.

It was so twisted that it couldn't take a form. It wouldn't take a form. It wasn't like the horde grew with each soul and body. It was too dark and the rage of different emotions and thoughts. Too dark to form a body. It was literally the definition of a shadow.

It was a good thing that he was able to capture it.

He was nice enough to bring a gift.

The tunnel started to shake.

HE IS COMING!

A defeating roar echoed through the tunnel. He could feel it rushing toward him. In a moment of reaction, he jumped out of the way. He could only make out the blurry shape as it rushed past him.

He was pretty sure the crunching noise was the shadow.

He stumbled to his feet and stood in the middle of the tunnel.

You might want to move, laddie.

"Níðhöggr…I seek counsel with thee," He shouted.

The roar answered his call.

Well…bye, laddie. Nice knowing you.

In a blink of an eye, Níðhöggr stood in front of him. His eyes glowed an unearthly red. While he couldn't make out the entire body, he could make out the brown color of its skin and a million teeth.

It looked like a giant earthworm with teeth once he got a better look at it.

"Níðhöggr."

"What brings thee into these tunnels, Drengr?"

Well, that wasn't very nice.

Well…it could mean something nice depending on him.

"I seek counsel with thee."

"Hmm…give thou a reason that thou would allow for thee to seek counsel?" Níðhöggr groaned.

"Because I'm not a murderer…almost other things. I seek to restore the balance that has been lost."

Níðhöggr was silent for a moment.

"How does thee propose to do such a thing, Drengr?"

"His roots run deep but not deep enough to control all cognitive thought. I'm merely tearing at the roots and making his control a lot less. I'm weakening him where it hurts."

Níðhöggr groaned.

"And you can help me with that plan. Veles told me that you have been chewing on the roots of Yggdrasill for hundreds of years. I can imagine that you would be most happy if you actually ate a tree," He said.

"THOU WILL DESTORY YGGDRASILL!"

He shrugged.

"Maybe, thou will…maybe, thou won't. Thou can do something now," He said.

Níðhöggr's eyes glow brightly.

"Very well, Drengr…Thou hast thou aid. Tell thou…does thee have a plan?"

He lowered his glasses and grinned.

"You made an alliance with a giant worm?" Ryuji said in awe.

"Sometimes, a worm…sometimes, a wingless dragon. It depends on his mood," He said with a shrug.

"I haven't met him but I met the faeries. They kept inviting me to a party," Futaba said with a snort.

He chuckled.

"Good thing that you express that you hate parties. Orgies are much more straightforward, faerie kin like sex. It is a release of energy for them. Like any relationship with the faerie, it can be complicated. Parties, on the other hand, are the one that you must worry about. A lot of double meanings. The food is tricky as well since faerie's food can influence humans. So, you can easily swear an oath that would get you into a lot of trouble. Oaths with fairies are binding and often very dangerous."

Laddie, I think that you broke the kids.

High Pixie snickered.

He turned his attention to the group who were staring at him. He noticed their flush faces and downward glances. Even Akechi's face seemed to be in shock with his dropped jaw expression.

Hmmm….Did no one do the sex talk with these thieves?

He sighed to himself. It looked like he and Souji were going to need to do the talk. Perhaps, he asked Ren's doctor friend for her assistance in talking with the girls.

"Orgies...I mean…uhh…" Ryuji said with a bright red face.

Oh, yes. He is going to have to do the talk.

"Protection matters," He said with a nod.

"Oh my…" Haru mumbled.

Morgana started trying to split out words.

"Back on the topic at hand, the faerie kin was a very tricky alliance to gain."

Futaba sighed.

"You flirted with them," She mumbled.

"Faeries like word play. It is a dance to them. They love a good conversation. They also like to flirt back."

He thought Futaba mumbled "I know."

"So, Níðhöggr destroyed the roots of the castle. What are the faeries doing?" Makoto asked.

"Redirection. How else do you think that this palace is so huge in comparison?" He said as he waved his hand toward the palace.

"Cognitive thought and energy," Akechi answered.

"Correct. If I draw the energy and cognitive thought away from the palace, it would make it easier to transverse."

"But…wouldn't the energy and stuff go back into the palace?" Ann asked.

"Normally, I would say yes but…You did something, did you?" Makoto said.

He beamed.

"That is why Futaba and I talked to Khepri," He said.

"WHY?! WHY ARE SO MANY BUGS!?" Futaba shouted as she dodged another beetle under her feet.

"Because Khepri is the god of bugs. So, his followers and minions are bugs. He does take on human assistants from time to time," He said as casually stepped over another beetle.

"TO EAT THEM?!"

"No…not really. He is a researcher at heart. He told me a few times that his children have changed over the years. He loved to research those changes in appearance and adaptation to the environment. He likes to surround himself with humans with the same passion. Besides, if he decided to take over the world, he would win. He has been known to eat his enemies," He said then stopped when he saw a beetle sitting on a piece of broken off railing from the ceiling.

"Hello, I know that your Master knows that I'm coming. It is only polite to tell him that we will be arriving soon and hope he isn't in the middle of his research."

The beetle made a noise before running off.

It didn't take long to reach their destination.

He has been to pet friendly homes. Khepri's home was bug friendly with various pathways and tunnels between different tanks. Not that Khepri imprisoned the bugs. Most likely, the bugs aren't suitable for the climate. He wanted his children to be as comfortable as possible. As they approach closer to the main room, the scent of wet wood and leaves fill the air. The ceilings were covered in branches with light peaking through. Once they entered the main room, he spotted Khepri and his current assistant in a conversation. The room reminded him of a lab with tables, machinery, tanks, and bookshelves lining the wall.

"It is crazy, sir. People are acting strange. My neighbor said that he was talking to his mother last night. Sir, his mother died three years ago. Another was talking about getting back with her husband. Their divorce was a disaster," The female assistant said in confusion.

Khepri nodded his head.

"Someone decided to play god again," Khepri said.

"Again?" The assistant said in confusion.

"There have been others who tamper with the timeline. Many humans don't remember those changes. You would have gone mad if you did. Of course, you are about to meet one of those exceptions to the rule. Truth Seeker, it has been some time. Welcome," Khepri said as he turned away from his assistant.

"His head is a giant scarab," Futaba mumbled in awe.

"He does," He said amusedly.

Khepri had a human body with a scarab head. He was tall, slim, and wore a lab coat. He often said that humans treat people in lab coats with great importance. It reminded him of a time where he was worshiped.

He wasn't wrong.

"Ah…a young seer. It is a pleasure," Khepri said with a bow.

"Seer?" Futaba said confusedly.

Khepri turned back to his assistant.

"Why don't you bring us some coffee and buy some of those lovely baked goods that you love so much?" Khepri said.

"I knew that you did that. Do you want those chocolate covered almonds, sir?" The assistant said with a grin.

Khepri nodded his head eagerly.

She laughed then bowed before she exited the room.

"Now, we can speak freely. I heard that you have gathered allies, Truth Seeker," Khepri said as he turned back to them.

"Yes, the faeries and Níðhöggr have offer the aid," He said

"Wonderful. This is bad for everyone. It will only lead to stillness."

"Stillness?" Futaba asked.

He could tell that she was nervous but she was eager to say something.

"No change. My creatures have existed for eons. Do you think this stillness would help them?"

"Well…maybe? Wouldn't they leave your bug minions alone if everyone was happy?" She asked.

"What if someone's happiness was to crash bugs under their feet? What if someone's happiness was to hunt and kill animals without pause? Do you think this "god" would stop them? Nah, seer. He cares solely for humans' happiness and not my children. Even then, he could take it a step further, he could decide that only one group of humans gets their happiness and the others can be…erased. Sounds familiar, does it?"

Instantly, Futaba's mouth went shut then she stared at Khepri.

He decided to take mercy on Futaba before Khepri started driving home the point.

While he was patient as gods go, he can be merciless.

He coughed softly.

"How are the tunnels coming?" He asked.

"Very well. I take it that the faeries were able to find a way to store the energy?" Khepri said.

"Yes, even if the doctor gains access to it. He will have to work to get it back."

Futaba's eyes light up. She figured it out.

"Smart. While you are drawing the cognitive energy away from him, it is only temporary."

"I didn't have time to make things more permanent. So, the faeries are making "storage" areas of rebel cognitive thoughts and energy. Multiple tunnels draw it away from Mementos." He added.

"Some tunnels will lead the doctor to dead ends…smaller areas…even empty areas."

"Heh…you are "basically" playing a game of hide and seek. I do have a question. Why did you decide to work with him? You seem like an unlikely pair," She asked.

He glanced over at Khepri, who glanced back.

"You haven't told them?" Khepri asked.

"They haven't figured it out yet," He answered with a shrug.

Laddie, they are dense as a pile of bricks. In fact, I think the bricks would have been figured out by now.

High Pixie laughed.

Khepri sighed.

"He is the Truth Seeker. He is Philemon's kin."

Philemon…I keep hearing his name. Who is he?

Philly? Strange lad. Kind of like Iggy in a lot of ways. He likes humanity and humans. He likes to observe humans and aid them here and there. You see the parallel between him and Iggy. Perhaps, that is why Iggy is his servant. At least, if you let Iggy tell it but some of us believe that they are one and the same.

"Philemon?"

Khepri didn't answer but he did stare at Futaba.

She let out a noise.

"I want answers."

"I didn't know that the doctor made you lazy," He said mildly. In his world, Futaba wants to know everything at this moment and not yesterday. Her persona helped with gathering that information but she had moments where she wanted now and didn't want to work for it. She reacted like he had slapped her.

"Truth never comes easy, Oracle. The time we have journeyed together…you have yet to ask for it. Either you are afraid of that knowledge or you don't want that knowledge terribly. Perhaps, you will think that I will slip."

"Isn't her fault, Truth Seeker. She sees all and she doesn't have to reach for that understanding," Khepri said.

"You're correct. I supposed that I should give her some clues. I hold many cards and have many faces. I bear them with ease and uneasiness. I follow one path but walk many paths. I'm the world and yet, I seek judgment and the truth. More often than not, I'm called a fool for these things. I have played the game many times. I have been flailed and laid bare but I fold my hand and reshuffle my cards. My last hint is my name. For my name is Gambler," He said with a bow.

"You gave me a damn puzzle to solve," Futaba said with a snort.

"Not really. It is your answer," He said.

"It sounded like a riddle to me," Ann answered.

"The same," Akechi said as his eyes narrowed.

He shrugged.

Laddie, you're going to have to spell out for them.

Aye.

BIG NEON SIGN!

He refused to answer his personas because they were right.

"OMG….OMG…Why are their giant bugs coming toward us?!" Ann shouted.

He turned to Futaba and grinned. She smirked back.

"Because that was the second part of our plan," She said.

End

A/N: I don't think that Yu would have enough fire-power to it alone. So, he decided to pull up his list of god/goddess/monsters contracts and caused *chaos* which I love. In a few weeks, I start posting Catch-21, sequel to Catch-22, which will take in account the events from P5 Strikers and according to my notes, Yu trolls Zenkichi for 90% of the fic. It will be glorious. I want to thank you for your continuous support. Read and review if you wish.