Catch-22: The Next Contestant

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Ren hated this plan. HATED IT! He watched Sensei in the middle of that arena. He wanted to throw up.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.-Margaret Thatcher.

They discover Ivy hovering with a vase over a knocked-out shadow outside of the maze. Ren was kind of impressed. He didn't know Ivy had that many vases. Maybe, he took a page out of Lila's book.

"DIE!" Ivy said as he hit the shadow again with the vase before the shadow disappeared into smoke.

"Wonderful," Mint said as she clapped.

Ivy beamed as he saw everyone. He waved happily to the group.

"HEY! The stupid shadow said that I shouldn't get the money. Cheaters that he called us! We didn't cheat. We are just awesome, and we can see in the dark!" Ivy said angrily.

"We didn't cheat, did we?" Mint said sweetly. He glanced away from the pair to see the shadow attendant that they saw before they entered.

"No…no….Well done, ma'ams and sirs. The funds have been added to your cards," The shadow attendant said with a bow before he ran from the hallway.

"Do you know about the next area?" He asked.

"Fighting to the death! How boring," Ivy said.

"Fighting…to the death?" Ann said slowly.

"YUP! We can't enter because Mint scared the announcer."

Mint pouted.

"Yes, I want to be the announcer and he didn't let me," Mint said with a nod.

"She might have stabbed him," Ivy said as he scratched his head.

There was a long silence.

"Welll…good job?" Haru said as Mint beamed.

"Hmm….I think that we have a bigger problem," Makoto noted.

"What's it?" Yusuke said.

"We probably won't end up with enough funds to get us across the bridge," Akechi noted.

"What?!" Ryuji shouted angrily.

Sensei nodded.

"If we are going to get the same amount…we will end up short."

"Making it impossible for us to cross the bridge," Makoto added.

"Bitch. Uhh…sorry?" Ryuji mumbled before staring at Makoto.

"No…I feel the same way. She is set up to fail," Makoto said.

"Luckily, I might have a solution. It is a bit of a gambit on our parts," Sensei said.

"Oh?" Akechi asked.

Sensei nodded.

"Her rules never suggest that we take bets from the audience…which I'm guessing that there is one."

"Yup! Always cheering for blood," Ivy added.

"No fun. They always win. Boring," Mint said.

"Interesting. You plan to work the system…sort of speak," Akechi said.

"Anything else that we know?" He asked Ivy and Mint.

"Only one person was in the fight. So, I guess you guys can't go together. Oh, they cheat…they have big elephant men, the guys with the bad hair…and the guy with a hammer," Ivy said.

"One on one fights. Do you know how many?" Akechi asked.

"The announcer said three rounds. They don't last more than two from what we saw," Ivy answered.

"Hmm…Perhaps, Joker will be the best of us to do this task…" Akechi started to say.

"No, it will be me. Queen, may I borrow your gloves? Not the ones that you are currently wearing but the old pair with spikes" Sensei cut off.

"Of course, Sensei. I…I didn't know that you could fight with them," Makoto said with a wide-eyed expression on her face.

There was a moment of silence.

"Sensei, I don't think that it is a good idea," Haru said with a pause.

"Those cameras aren't for show. She has been analyzing our moves since we arrived," Sensei said.

"Support Buddy is right. We have thoughts about disabling them but it might be more problematic than what it is worth," Futaba said with a nod.

"It would signal that Oracle and I are in the area and notifying her and her guards. All of us are capable fighters. Fighting every step of the way would defeat the purpose of our mission."

"Truly. Although, I don't see why Joker won't be fighting," Akechi asked.

He knew why. Everyone knew why. Although Sensei's friends said some things to him that worried him slightly.

"You're the leader of your group. I'm not sure how well this will work…" Chie-san said.

"Yu listens…" Yukiko-san said.

"Oh, I know but…"

"And it won't stop him especially if he sets his mind to it."

"I know but…"

"I'm confused," He said to the pair.

It was strange that Chie-san called him then insisted on putting Yukiko-san on the other line. She said that she wanted to add the others to the line but she was worried that they might sidetrack the conversation.

"Yu don't just rush into anything unless we are in danger," Yukiko-san noted.

"If his students are in danger, he will go and go AHHHAAAY!" Chie-san said.

And they are ignoring him.

"True but they are different. He might listen to them," Yukiko-san said.

"Don't think so. They are going to need a rope….or a lock," Chie-san said.

"Wait…Does Yu know how to lock pick locks?"

Uhhh….maybe. Not that he was planning to say that out loud.

"Probably. He likes to learn things when he is bored like those model planes."

"Improving his language skills."

"Adding to his paper crane army…"

"Yu is such a geek."

He snorted. Sensei can be kind of geeky. He asked all sorts of questions about him working in the flower shop. Of course, Haru brought it up and Sensei wanted to know.

"Oh…oh…sorry, Ren. We didn't mean to ignore you. It's just that. We're a little worried about you and Yu….and well…everyone," Yukiko-san said.

"Only a few people knew about us. With you guys…everyone seemed to know about you. With the news, we are worried that Yu will do…," Chie-san started to say.

"Something stupid or dangerous or both. Mostly likely both. And…"

"He hasn't told us his plans. Your plans…sure…very vaguely by the way to make sure that we won't get into trouble. Him? No. We know that he has something planned."

"It's just like the arena," Yukiko-san finally finished.

"Sensei never talked about it much. Was it bad?" He asked.

He knew that they fought each other twice…twice! Sensei had some scars. He often waved it off and something like Kanji-san has a nasty one on his leg and Yosuke-san has one on his arm.

There was a moment of silence over the line.

"Some more than others but yes. Yu took most of it because he is our stupid fearless leader."

"Very stupid. In all honesty, we don't know what you want to tell or call you. We're worried because we see it," Yukiko-san said.

"See it?" He asked.

"It's like that myth with a rock. Maybe, it is a wave or whatever. We see it coming and we're afraid."

He felt a wave of coldness that crept through his bones.

"What do you see?" He asked.

"You started hearing in the city. People's voices are off…talking about everything and nothing at the same time," Chie-san said.

"Or they are hyper focused like when they talked endlessly about the Midnight Channel…" Yukiko-san said.

"In your case…it is something different…"

He felt his throat become dry.

Them. The election. Everyone has been talking about it. Like Chie-san said, they talk about everything but nothing at the same time.

Crap.

"We don't know if it will be another tournament or getting dragged into hell or the world coming to end. Oh, the fog too but promise us that you will try to talk Yu out of something stupid." Yukiko-san added.

"Trying is the hard part but we don't hear any of you are dead or something," Chie-san said.

Uhh…he really hoped that Sensei told them about the whole fake his own death thing…because their next conversation will be so awkward.

"Sensei…can we talk for a moment? Alone?" He said to Sensei.

"Of course. Perhaps, in a safe room. We could use a break," Sensei said.

Quickly, the group made it back to the main area into the safe room near the arena. They left the group for the safe room in the main area near the elevator.

Once they were there, Sensei set his cane on the table and took a seat.

"So…uhh…can you let me fight in the arena?" He asked.

"Ah…so that is where Chie and Yukiko went," Sensei said with a chuckle.

He was jolted in surprise.

"I had an interesting conversation with Yosuke, Kanji, and Teddie. Something about not dying and not doing anything stupid. Apparently, they are nervous and they should be," Sensei added.

"They say something is coming. I think that they are right but….I made a promise to try to talk you out of something stupid. I think that you plan to do this anyway. Is it really to keep Akechi off his game or does it have another purpose?"

Sensei didn't say anything for a moment.

"Sensei?"

"I don't want any of my students to fight to the death."

"Sensei…I'm not fighting to the death…"

Sensei gave him a look.

"Okay…a little bit. I'm good enough."

"And cocky enough to do it," Sensei said with a smile.

"I'm not cocky…okay…stop giving me that look, Sensei!" He said with a blush.

Okay…he can be a little bit cocky.

"But I can say the same to you," He added.

"Experience does yield some measure of cockiness, I suppose, especially if you survive them," Sensei said with a chuckle before he continued.

"I'm not worried about you winning because you will. There is another reason. One, it is throwing Akechi off his game. Second, Sae-san hasn't seen me fight. She won't know how to plan against me. Third, you can use that charm and cockiness to our advantage. We do need those coins. You can probably charm them out of their pockets. Fourth, I need to talk to an old friend of mine. I'm not sure if he will listen but it is worth a shot. Lastly, this will give you a chance to watch the fighters if I fail."

"Old friend? Like a shadow friend?" He asked.

"Something like that."

He paused for a moment.

"I don't like it…okay…"

-P5P4P5-

….you don't have to do this now, Sensei….

…100,000 coins…we can get it…

…and it is a trap…

….Gambler is correct…

"Now then, our gripping battle is finally here! The…uhh…who is he? Oh…the guy in the suit…" The announcer said over the loudspeaker.

"Sensei was right. His presence is confusing them," Haru mumbled beside him.

The others were spread out in the stands…trying to charm the audience members for more coins. He couldn't….he couldn't keep his eyes off of Sensei, who was adjusting the gloves that Makoto gave him earlier. He was the same but he felt different. Everything about Sensei's body language put him on edge.

"The odds are…uhh…against this guy! Now, let us begin our serious one-on-one battle! Bring out our first contestant!" The announcer mumbled.

When he saw a pair of Ganesha appear, he heard Ryuji shout that it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair and they knew it. He took a deep breath as he turned to the nearest shadow and started talking.

"My bet is on the other guy," He said.

The shadow snorted.

"These guys only lost once," the shadow said.

"You bet against him? He looked like he had a few cards up his sleeve." He noted.

"Nah…he looks weak."

Okay…everyone knew that Sensei was built.

"I bet on him. 100 coins…double or nothing."

"Deal."

That is when Sensei put on a show…with fireworks. He threw a card onto the ground and the arena lit up with an explosion.

Crap…he just casted a psychokinesis spell. He heard the grasps from the audience. He heard the pair of Ganesha scream in pain then Sensei tapped his cane on the ground. A set of black roots rocketed from out of the ground and wrapped around their bodies. They screamed as they dragged into the darkness.

A few seconds later, the ground returned to normal. For the longest, there was nothing but silence.

"Shit," The shadow said.

"Double or nothing on the next match," He said casually.

"Done!" The shadow said.

"Okay…uhh…this phantom dweeb thinks that this will be easy. Don't worry, House. There are two more matches that will decide his fate," The announcer stumbled over the words.

A few moments later, three Rangdas appeared.

He felt the blood drain from his face as the Rangdas attacked.

One of the Rangda attacked with a Hamon spell, causing Sensei to stumble back for a moment.

He almost screamed when he reached Rangda.

He is just going to absorb the physical attack. To his amazing, Sensei was able to land a series of punches. He thought that they were just punching the punching bag around. Apparently, he was wrong.

The Ranga fell to the ground and disappeared. Sensei turned his attention to the second Rangda, who got in a good slash attack but Sensei paid little attention to it. Sensei dropped another card onto the ground. The arena was filled with electricity and the shadows fell to the ground.

"Double Shit," The shadow said next to him.

"Triple or nothing," He said.

The shadow paused.

"You're on," The shadow said.

He turned his attention back to Sensei who looked a little worse around the edges but overall, he was in good shape for his next match.

"This isn't pos….this is bullshit! Why aren't you dying? You…You're…ARGGH!" The announcer shouted.

"Sensei has big balls of brass," Ivy said behind him.

"Where did you learn that?" Mint asked.

"Skull!"

He snorted.

"Now! You will die!" The announcer shouted as the next shadow appeared.

His throat became dry at the sight. He has seen glances of him when he fusion his personas. Shadows…echoes of his appearance. He knew the hammer, the mask, and huge amount of muscle on his frame.

Thor.

Thor didn't attack and neither did Sensei. The shadow just tilted his head slightly then he did something that he never saw a shadow do.

He kneeled.

"My liege. It has been some time," Thor said as he lowered his hammer.

The entire room became silent. This…this was what Sensei was talking about but how did they know each other?

"It has been. What brings thou here?" Sensei asked.

"A good fight."

"Thou always like a good fight."

Thor laughed before he continued.

"This place keeps thou entertained for now. Thou will move on soon."

"Oh?"

"Its master is falling apart and barely holding on. Is thou ye doing?" Thor said.

"Thou students," Sensei said.

"Thou students are impressive."

"Truly."

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Shadow Sae screamed as she appeared in front of the duo.

"Thou having a conversation with my liege," Thor noted.

"That…That is against the rules!" She shouted.

"Thou not," Thor replied.

Quickly, he got up from his seat and rushed toward the arena. This could get bad fast.

"YES, IT IS!"

"Thou not."

"You are my fighter! You are my warrior!" Shadow Sae shouted angrily.

Thor picked up his hammer.

"Thou would think so but nay," Thor said as he threw his hammer onto his shoulder.

Shadow Sae was speechless.

"Thou is the Master of None and of everything. These thieves have proven their merit and will soon overtake you. Thou will fall with it."

"These thieves will never overtake me! I WILL MAKE SURE OF IT!" She shouted.

"Wow…Not surprised. Who knew?" He said without thinking.

The shadow jumped at his voice.

"You have been avoiding us. You throw everything at us and probably the scale is a trap too. You're afraid. You don't want justice. You want to win and you're afraid of losing more than anything. Our record is damn good. Yours…not so much," He said.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sensei's smiling.

"How DARE YOU…"

"You want a hollow victory. That is why you are looking for anyone to blame. It is easy. To blame us for your problem. Pick on someone else? It is simple and you get to say that you won. In reality, you won nothing," He continued.

"You little..?!" Sae shouted.

"Then prove it. Face us if you can. We already won here. No matter what tricks you set up, we will pass them. We are the Phantom Thieves after all. You…are you," He said with a grin.

She looks like she was able to lose it.

"Forgive, my student. He doesn't understand how the game is played between players. Of course, if you would like, you can face me. Winner takes all game of cards," Sensei said with a bow.

Even under her hat, he could see her eyes widen.

For a moment, he thought that she would take it.

"No…No, the scale will be lower. Meet me in my office…if you can, Phantom Thieves," Sae said as she snapped her fingers and disappeared.

There was another moment of silence before the audience erupted in cheers and the announcer declared Sensei the winner.

"Thank you again, my old friend. Be well on your journey," Sensei said as he turned to Thor.

"Same to thee, my leigh. Thou has clever students," Thor said.

"I'm rather proud of them," Sensei said with a slight smile.

Thor laughed before he walked away from the arena. The others rushed to the center of the arena. He could feel their excitement and happiness.

"That was awesome!" Ryuji added.

"We better check the scale to see that she did what she said," Makoto said.

"You two were amazing!" Ann said.

"That was impressive," Haru said.

"Very much so," Akechi said.

Mint stood away from the group but she was giving Sensei a strange look.

"That was amazing! Joker and Sensei have big balls of brass!" Ivy shouted.

Sensei chuckled and gave him a wink.

He felt he understood Sensei a little bit better.

Although, it won't stop from giving him a heart attack.

End of The Next Contestant

Next Chapter: The Hollow

Rank 5: Yu can negotiate with any shadow regardless of their personality. Warning…it might become one of Yu's shadow friends instead. Opps.

A/N: I won't go into the chaos that was December. Just a small sample of the madness…I had to replace a water heater and word decided to eat some of my chapters from different stories including this one. So, I got to spend a great deal of time re-writing chapters in December. Fun. Anyway, I want to thank you guys for your continuous support. Read and Review if you wish.