Warning: long chapter ahead
Pearl wanted to rip her hair out.
First, Connie went mysteriously unresponsive for most of the day, not answering any of her and the others' calls or messages.
Which reminded Pearl that she needed to slap herself for not questioning Connie about that during their management of the afflicted townspeople and tourists. Or when the three Crystals accompanied the Thieves into this strange realm.
Then Steven showed back up without any of them knowing, only to disappear for reasons that made no logical sense. At this point, Pearl was ready to suggest giving that boy a constant escort.
And then they track down Connie and her new friends to enter this "cognitive world" to find and go back home with their boy, only to get smacked with the surprise that their Gem powers were all gone in this world for some inane reason.
Also, yes, the Gems had tried to come along deeper into the world, only for the Phantom Thieves to make a distressingly sound argument against the idea.
Since then, Pearl had resigned herself to pacing back and forth across the small grassy clearing where they had arrived with the Thieves, the dark forest around them an unimpressed audience.
"Dude, you're wearing a trench into the ground," Amethyst voiced from the tree she was lounging against, hands behind her head. She pointed a finger at Pearl's feet. "Fo' real."
Pearl regarded Amethyst confusedly before looking down and blushing once she realized that her manic pacing had indeed started a long shallow depression in the grass and dirt.
"W-Well, can you blame me?!" she snapped. "Steven is somewhere in this strange world and all we can do is just sit around and wait?"
"Hey, we don't like it either," Amethyst retorted, doing her best not to let her impatience show. "But there ain't much we can do if we can't even defend ourselves."
A resigned sigh drew both Gems' attention to Garnet, who'd been leaning up against the tree next to Amethyst's, arms crossed.
"Unfortunately, Amethyst is right. This is all we can do until the Phantom Thieves return with Steven." She reached up with two fingers to adjust her glasses and grimaced. "I can't even use my Future Vision to predict how their efforts will turn out. We're completely in the dark here."
The fusion shifted her gaze to the theme park in the distance and pursed her lips.
Out the corner of her eye, she noted Pearl wringing her hands and Amethyst alternating her gazes between Pearl and the ground in a failed attempt not to seem worried.
Garnet eyed the park once more.
But maybe, the fusion mused as she stepped away from the tree, we can at least get a scope on some things…
XXX
"Alright, listen up, Knight," Mona announced to their newest team member as the Phantom Thieves gathered for the upcoming battle. "When it comes to fights, we tackle them in teams of four while the others hang back on reserve."
"Easier to manage," Joker explained.
"Not to mention the rest can keep watch over Steven and Oracle," Queen added. "Now then, since Joker always takes point, that leaves three empty slots."
She regarded the rest of the team. "Who else wants in?"
"I do," Knight boldly stated, taking a step forward. This was personal, after all.
Noir put a hand to her own chest. "I'll go in as well. I have a feeling my elemental skills will bode well in this fight."
A weird flash of guilt passed over Noir's face, Knight noticed although she couldn't fathom why.
"In that case, I'd like to go in as well," Queen decided. "I can heal you all, but I also have defense buffs that could help cushion against Shadow Steven's attacks. What do you think, Joker?"
Joker cupped his chin in thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"Then it's decided," Mona declared. "Good luck out there, you guys!"
And with that, the other Phantom Thieves retreated to join Oracle and Steven while Joker and his selected crew took on their battle stances. Oracle already had a few screens hovering around her, ready to provide support.
Shadow Steven, glaring, rose into the air while pink translucent hexagons manifested behind him.
For the first few moments, no one made a move, the air silent yet heavy…
Until Shadow Steven launched himself forward like a rocket, fists bared!
Joker, Queen, Knight, and Noir all dodged moments before he made impact, the pink spikes that erupted around him puncturing the ground.
"Geez, he's fast!" Skull exclaimed from the far sidelines.
"His power level is off the charts, too!" Oracle reported, her voice reaching her teammates on the field despite the distance. "Be sure not to take too many hits from him!"
No kidding, Joker thought as he summoned Satanael to cast Tarunda. Thankfully, buff and debuff spells lock in, so the effects were instantaneous.
Even better, the sudden sensation of the spell's effect took the prince off guard, leaving him open for a critical moment.
"Huh?" he murmured to himself in surprise as he palmed his forehead, feeling weaker for some reason. "What just…"
Then all of a sudden, the same feeling came over him – actually, no, a similar feeling but no less worrisome, like he had become more fragile. His peripherals barely caught Knight dispelling her horse.
He did, however, spot the girl in leather and spikes charging at him, fists ready. Without effort, he purposely summoned a pink bubble at the last second to reflect her barrage of punches, the rebounding damage sending the girl skidding back.
"Queen!" Noir cried out in concern.
"I'll be fine!" Queen managed to grunt.
Similarly, Joker tried to break through with an Agi spell via Jack o' Lantern, only to have that reflected by the bubble too. On the bright side, Jack o' Lantern absorbed the reflected attack, healing Joker of any damage from the earlier fight.
Turns out that move was deliberate for Noir, after receiving a nod from Joker, followed up with a downward slash – only to have the damage sent back at her instead.
"Dude, what the shit!" Skull shouted. "The physical barrier's still there?!"
Steven himself set his jaw, not surprised that his Shadow shared his defensive powers.
Queen shook her head to stave off her daze as the other three Phantom Thieves regrouped to her location, Shadow Steven allowing them while bearing a calm yet incensed frown as he hovered high above them, barrier still shimmering.
Knight couldn't help but feel they were being mocked.
Seriously, how were they supposed to break through that bubble?
"Hold on…Knight!" Oracle's voice suddenly echoed in her ear. "Don't forget those new moves you got on the way here!"
New moves? Ah, that's right! Knight thought before she took a quick peak into her moveset. She'd been so focused on rescuing Steven, Mona, and Joker at the time, she hadn't yet checked what she got levelling up from cutting through the enemies in the team's way.
Makara Break and Tetra Break?
Only when she read the descriptions did it dawn on her what Oracle meant.
A wicked smile took over her face, an expression that unnerved both Steven and his Shadow.
Especially when Joker noticed and copied it in turn as he asked, "You got a plan?"
"Oh yeah. Mind if I take the lead for a bit?"
Joker made a light bow and gestured a hand forward in a gentlemanly manner.
Knight stepped forward and called forth Nachiyar. "Hey, Stevens! Check this out!"
At her rider's commander, Nachiyar let off a mighty neigh as it reared on its hind legs.
Right away, Shadow Steven felt another strange sensation, although this one felt more exposing, like he was being stripped naked.
Knight and her allies gave him no more time to ponder as they charged again.
He met them in equal measure, swinging and dodging with skill.
That was until he received a vicious slash in the back by Noir, more the surprise than the pain shocking him into dropping his guard long enough for Queen to get in several punches and kicks.
All of which actually hurt.
Shadow Steven could hardly fathom that as he leapt up to dodge a horizontal axe swing.
Seriously, did humans actually manage to hurt him? Why hadn't his bubble blocked those hits? It was still up, wasn't it?
Any further thought got cut off when something hard and flat suddenly walloped him clean upside the noggin!
"GAH!" he cried out before plummeting to the ground with a hearty crash, cracks forming from the impact, metaphorical stars in his eyes now.
"Whoa, nice hit there, Knight!" Oracle congratulated.
Despite the whopping headache from Memory Blow, Shadow Steven managed to get up, albeit with a slight (read: significant) wobble, the world seeming to spin as he held his head in one hand.
That's when he noticed Joker summoning one of those red-dressed ladies with green skin on one side, and Knight coming in from the other, sword poised for a strike.
A pincer maneuver, Shadow Steven noted, already lifting up a hand. No problem. I'll just…just…
Wait, something was wrong…
He held his head in confusion. Wasn't he about to do something? Why does it feel like he couldn't—
SLASH!
Shadow Steven cried out in pain again as the sword struck him across the chest, sending him reeling from the momentum of the swing.
In that moment while he skidded, his memory came back…except now that same feeling of newfound exposure came over him as well, albeit somewhat differently this time.
He barely came to a stop before everything suddenly became cold. Like freezing cold. And…
Wait…why can't I move?!
Because someone had frozen him solid, he realized!
Now immobile in his icy prison, the prince could only see Queen charging from the front to deliver a swift blow, intent on capitalizing on her opponent's current condition.
Shadow Steven would not have it.
The prince flexed out of the ice with an angry shout, shards flying everywhere.
The burst of power that radiated from his voice emanated a gust of wind that sent all the Thieves fighting him skidding back, arms held up to shield their faces from the resultant dust.
All save for Queen, who managed to dig the spikes of her knuckle dusters into the ground to anchor herself.
Shadow Steven, wits back, charged forward to engage Queen fists-to-fists, a challenge the leather-clad girl met in equal measure.
In no time at all, the two converged in the middle with a series of blows, punches meeting in quick succession, the resultant collisions enough to make the ground shake!
"Hell yeah!" Skull shouted, pumping a fist into the air.
"Go Queen!" Panther cheered, hands around her mouth.
Steven – the actual Steven – could only gape, heavily reminded of when Garnet went up against her water clone during the ocean debacle with Lapis.
Especially when Queen, like Garnet back then, ducked an incoming blow and delivered a swift uppercut clean into his Shadow's jaw.
An uppercut that sent the prince, eyes wide, stumbling back in surprise — surprise that left him, once again, open to the other Phantom Thieves.
Earthen spikes speared him from below, surprisingly not leaving holes in him but damaging him all the same.
More so than expected because that was enough to leave him in a daze, driving him to his knees!
"ARRGGH!" he screamed, falling to his knees, hands on the ground. Did they seriously just knock him down with some rocks?
"That's his weakness!" Oracle cried out. "Now, All-Out Attack!"
"H-How—" Shadow Steven managed to utter before all his opponents suddenly jumped out of his sight.
The prince only had one moment to brace himself before blindingly fast strikes pelted him from all around, so fast that the pain did not register until after the barrage ended and the four Thieves leapt away from him.
Meaning he now had his face on the floor.
Seeing their opponent down, the four Thieves slowly closed in around him, still baring their weapons but wisely keeping their distance just in case.
Well, this fight went by fast, Knight mentally remarked, both relieved but also a little disappointed. That Forget ailment from Memory Blow sure proved handy.
"Done already?" Joker quipped, tone of voice matching Knight's thoughts exactly, as he expertly twirled his dagger between his fingers.
"Just as well," Queen decided. "If you call off this fight as well as your pursuit of us, we're willing to keep your defeat a secret from your subjects."
"So long as you agree to let us investigate your castle," Noir added.
"It's only fair," Knight commented with a nod and empathetic frown.
By this point, Shadow Steven had lifted his torso off the ground by his hands, head hanging and face in turn hidden.
Though he stayed quiet externally, inside he was short-circuiting. He was short-circuiting and panicking and grasping and scrambling.
Because this…this isn't how things should turn out.
This wasn't how this fight should turn out.
Except it did. These guys managed – no, succeeded in overpowering him. Maybe…
Don't allow this.
What? Shadow Steven, head still hanging, narrowed his eyes at the sudden thought. Had that been him?
What will the Gems think?
What would they think? Well, they'd be surprised for sure. Confused…disappointed…maybe curious, affronted. Worried. Panicking.
Panicking?
Well, maybe Pearl might panic. She always panics when things go awry. And she'd no doubt barge in, trying to make everything neat and tidy, treating you like you're helpless.
But no, he is not helpless. Not anymore.
Amethyst can't see you like this either.
No, Amethyst would get it. She'd tell him it's cool, like the liar she is. She'd tell him that everybody's got their bad days, only to laugh behind your back.
Shadow Steven's fists balled against the ground.
Then again, Amethyst has hidden her true feelings before. What if she's still been doing that?
But not Garnet. Garnet's always been upfront even when she hid the truth. She's always said what's on her mind, even when she didn't have all the facts. You know what happens whenever she doesn't have an answer.
That's…that's true. Garnet had fallen apart before. What if seeing Steven like this makes that happen again?
How can Steven let that happen to her? To them?
He can't.
He will not.
All the while, the Thieves held their tongues as they awaited his answer, concern only growing the longer his silence lasted.
Nobody noticed Steven – the actual Steven – suddenly gripping the side of his head with one hand, though not in pain, eyes darting as if trying to recognize something.
"Uh, Steven?" Knight asked the prince in a cautious tone. Had he blacked out sitting up somehow?
Then he spoke. "I just wanted…for things to stay peaceful…everlasting…"
On that last word, his whole body flickered white, much to everyone else's shock.
"What the—?" Mona barely managed to utter.
At that same moment, Steven himself felt a sudden pain in his head, making him grip it with both hands now, grunting.
Panther shot her eyes to him, concerned. "Steven? What's wrong?"
The boy's eyes flew open, wide and scared. His voice came out low, loaded with dread. "That was the voice…"
"Voice?" Violet asked in concern.
Fox regarded the shorter boy in alarm. "Wait, could you be referring to-?"
A sharp gasp drew the gang's attention to Oracle, who was staring at her holo-screen in full-speed panic!
"Guys, his power's skyrocketing! RUN!"
Indeed, Shadow Steven's entire body suddenly took on a deep pink aura, its glow intensifying, his whole frame trembling as if set to blow.
And was he getting bigger, too?
Joker, Queen, Noir, and Knight heeded Oracle's warning and got to running immediately.
They barely got a few feet away before Shadow Steven, body practically blinding now, threw his head back and let loose a primal roar as he unleashed every bit of built-up energy in a maelstrom that sent all four Thieves flying! Even the reserve team and Steven, despite their distance, had to cling to either each other or the nearest fixed object!
Only once the windstorm finally ceased could Joker and his companions properly stand again, the battlefield silent save for the faint sound of wind.
As the dust started to settle, a hulking silhouette became visible, its broad shoulders heaving from deep heavy breathing.
Everyone else braced themselves, not sure what to expect now – until Shadow Steven parted the dust with a skyward roar, the resultant rush of wind scattering the dust cloud and revealing him.
Everyone stared in shock and horror.
In the prince's place stood a thickset towering, muscled beast covered in pink fur, his face leonine with a thick flowing lighter pink mane that retained his curls; darker pink nose flaring; a maw full of sharp teeth, two bull-like horns sprouting from his head; pupils black with a glowing-white irises; and huge catlike paw-hands and feet with razor-sharp claws.
His jacket was now ripped at the front, exposing his shaggy torso, and impaled at his forearms and back due to the sharp pale pink spikes adorning them. The pants, though still intact, strained from the increased muscle mass. A tail topped with a light pink tuft of fur laid low to the ground, a sign of his heightened aggression. His gloves and boots were nowhere to be seen.
"Whoa," Oracle squeaked in fear, huddling behind an equally frightened Violet.
"Holy shit," Skull uttered, seconding that emotion.
Knight put a hand to her mouth in complete dread.
And Steven…Steven could only gaze at his own warped reflection, catatonic.
It was as though he himself had fused with Lion only for said fusion to become partially corrupted. Throw in a mix of Disney's Beast and a dash of Fallout's Deathclaws and you had a perfect nightmare come to life.
Except this nightmare was real and about to rip through the others – rip through Connie – like tissue paper.
Before he could open his mouth to scream at them all to run, his Shadow rocketed towards Joker at breakneck speed!
The thief leader barely managed to dodge in time, clipped in the arm by one of Shadow Steven's forearm spikes as he rushed past him.
"Joker!" Noir cried out upon seeing their leader grip his arm with a grimace. Joker gave her a calm nod, his way of assuring he will be alright.
The prince suddenly changed direction and came Knight's way next, several pink hexagons manifesting by his side.
Instinct took over as Knight charged ahead, deflecting all the shapes launched her way with her sword.
Once they reached one another, Shadow Steven tried a sweeping kick.
Knight, anticipating this move, leapt high up and raised her sword for an overhead slice that the prince prepared to block with another bubble.
Only for Queen to cast Makajama from behind, making him forget all his moves again, leaving the prince not only open to Knight bearing her blade down on his head but Noir getting him in the back with a well-placed strike from her axe.
From there, the Thieves did not let up.
"PINOCCHIO!" Joker yelled out, summoning the wooden puppet to cast Tera, the Earth move staggering the prince instantly.
Queen and Noir tag-teamed by pumping the prince full of lead and bombs from their respective guns.
When the prince tried to retaliate, Knight simply knocked him back down with her own Tera move.
Another All-Out Attack later, he was prone on the ground, groaning while all the four Thieves held him at gunpoint.
Well three at first. Only Knight had hesitated for a moment, sighing before pulling out her own firearm, a crossbow much to the real Steven's intrigue. He made a mental note to ask her about that later.
"Think the big guy's gonna stay down this time?" Skull asked the others in a wary tone.
Fox put a hand to his chin, thoughtful. "So soon after that transformation? I would hardly believe so."
Mona shook his head, scowling.
"No. This is definitely not over." He turned to Steven with a gentler, more worried gaze. "Especially if what you said about that voice coming back indicates anything."
Steven held back a gulp as he regarded the cat. "A-And what would it indicate?"
Before Mona could answer, weak chuckling emanated from Shadow Steven, who started to sit up.
To their credit, Joker, Queen, Noir, and Knight did not falter in response, staying calm yet vigilant as they kept their guns trained on the prince, everyone ready to react at a moment's notice.
Then without warning, Shadow Steven started to chuckle, lowly and sadly.
"Steven?" Knight asked, concern in her voice, lowering her crossbow.
"No," the prince responded in a resigned tone. "I'm not. Not according to the real one. Maybe he's right…maybe I am just his worst parts. I'm his Shadow after all. Maybe he's better off without me…"
At this point, nobody could help a look of sympathy, Steven especially, starting to feel guilty for how he'd been treating his other self.
Joker lowered his gun as well, Queen and Noir following his lead. "You're wrong."
"He's right," Noir insisted. "It's true you embody Steven-san's deepest pain…but that pain's why he needs you."
The prince did not respond, head still hanging.
"Though we don't know you as well as Knight does," Queen added in a gentle tone. "We can tell you've suffered greatly…but you came out stronger. Not because of that pain but because you pushed through it, all to help others do the same."
A broken chuckle echoed from the prince. "And now there's no one left to help" – his voice started to warble –"Nobody needs me."
Knight smiled gently as she stepped towards him. "Maybe then it's time you started showing others you need them. You've had to hold in all that fear and frustration for so long, Steven. Isn't it about time you got a chance to be heard?"
Nobody noticed the real Steven, who'd seemed thoughtful throughout the whole talk, suddenly widen his eyes as he put a hand to his ear, looking utterly baffled and even a bit freaked out.
When Shadow Steven finally raised his head, his eyes were wet and wide, fur on his cheeks matted from tears.
"It's gonna shock everyone, what you have to say," Knight continued. "But they won't turn you away for that. You're too loved for that. All any of them – any of us want to do is help you. It's the least you deserve, right?"
For the longest moment, no one moved, awaiting the prince's response.
Until he at last spoke.
"So, that's it, huh? Humiliate myself?"
His response threw Knight for a loop. "Huh?"
Slowly and hauntingly, the beastly prince stood to his full height, his face the definition of hurt. "Shock everyone with my problems so they'll turn me away? Have them reject me the moment they see I'm not the perfect little kid they loved? You really want me to do that to myself?"
Panther shook her head, not believing what she and the others were hearing. "Wait, what?!"
"Hey, she never said any of that!" Oracle protested, stomping a foot in outrage.
Shadow Steven shook his head as an aura even pinker than before enveloped him, causing Knight, Joker, Queen, and Noir to back up, weapons bared once again.
"Garnet was right," the prince growled, his sadness ebbing way into anger. "I should have known something was off about you guys. You're just here to make everyone forget about me…"
Correction: that response threw everyone for a loop.
"WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT CONCLUSION IS THAT?!" Skull shouted.
Fox shook his head. "No. Something is clearly amiss with him…"
Steven furrowed his brow. "Wait, did he mention Garnet?"
"He must be talking about the cognitive version of her that exists in this world," Mona explained. "Come to think of it, she and the other ones always try to control the conversation whenever they're around."
"And they're always trying to demoralize us, too," Violet added with a grimace. "Instigation, insults…"
Then something about the redheaded girl's words hit Steven, making him gasp. He thought back to the confrontation with the false trio after his Shadow had dragged him, Joker, and Mona into this world.
"Lies…"
Panther, overhearing, turned to him in concern again. "Steven?"
The boy suddenly faced her. "Do you remember what I said the other day at the carwash, just before I flew off?"
The girl in red broke eye contact for a moment to recall, only to gasp as well, hand to her mouth. "'Stop lying'… you don't think the voices you heard back then were…"
"Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl's," Steven confirmed. "At least, that's what I thought at the time, but after listening to my Shadow now—"
"It must had been the cognitions of them you were hearing!" Mona concluded with widened eyes.
"Guys, that's it!" Oracle exclaimed before calling out to Joker and the other Thieves on the field. "Joker, listen. Steven's cognitions of his family are behind this somehow! They're doing something to mess with his Shadow's mind, just like they did with him in the real world!"
Noir gasped and regarded Shadow Steven, who now hovered above them all with a scowl, in utter sympathy. "Then, does that mean they're the ones responsible for the epidemic as well?"
Joker bared his dagger before anyone else could answer. "We'll figure it out later."
"Joker's right," Queen agreed, raising her fists. "We need to focus on neutralizing Steven's Shadow first. Everyone, be on guard!"
Noir and Knight complied, and not a moment too soon for Shadow Steven, reinvigorated by his anger, summoned his bubble again – but with a twist.
With a gesture of his arms, the bubble contorted in shape until two more bubbles sprouted from it, connected by thick pink strands serving as arms.
"OK," Knight commented in a slow baffled tone. "That's a bit of a new trick."
Then spikes sprouted from all three bubbles, making the swordfighter blanch.
"Along with that!"
Calling upon his enhanced levitation powers, Shadow Steven, contained in the center, willed the deadly new construct to start spinning in a horizontal blur and fly towards the four Thieves!
"Incoming!" Oracle warned.
Joker, Knight, Queen, and Noir all ducked out of the way, the spiked balls scrapping the ground where they had stood!
The construct quickly ascended back up and switched so now it came in vertically.
Once again, the Thieves dodged, though Knight found herself clipped in the shoulder by one of the spikes at the last moment, causing her to stumble.
"ACK!"
When Shadow Steven took advantage of the Indian girl's stumble by pulling a U-turn to spin towards her next, Noir dove in to flatten her against the ground, causing the attack to whiff them both.
"Ugh, thanks," Knight grunted as she stood up, flower mask lighting up in blue flames. "Now it's my turn. NACHIYAR!"
Seeing the horse reappear, Shadow Steven moved to reverse direction and cancel out the summon, only for something dark to land atop the center bubble where he was.
The prince shot his head up to discover Joker had hitched a ride, somehow managing to land his hands and feet in between the spikes.
Shadow Steven immediately tried to buck him off like the world's oddest bull, but Joker clearly had no intention of letting go.
"GET OFF!" the prince shouted before willing one of the construct's arms to swing its spiked ball at Joker, hoping to smack him away.
But Joker managed to jump off just in time, allowing the ball to strike Shadow Steven instead as though his own bubble wasn't there!
Dazed by the unexpected damage, the prince felt himself spinning wildly before a blow from his right sent him flying the opposite direction, courtesy of Knight's Tetra Break with a follow-up by Queen's Vajra Blast!
The two girls high fived after a quick Diarama for Knight.
Meanwhile, Shadow Steven managed to halt his momentum and clear his ringing head.
Seriously, he was really getting sick of these guys messing with his bubbles like this!
In which case, he mused viciously as he willed away the bubble construct and raised a hand, let's see how they handle this!
With a roar, he brought down his fist to call forth a massive shield-dome around the battlefield, sealing both him and his opponents inside, preventing the latter from switching out party members.
"Now what?" Knight griped, eyeing this prison warily. It's not like the Thieves intended to retreat, so what was the angle with this?
She and her teammates got an answer the moment Shadow Steven backflipped so that he touched his feet to the wall, angling himself so he was parallel to the ground.
Joker tensed immediately, recognizing what the Shadow intended to do. "TAKE COVER!"
Right after the leader shouted this, the beastly Ruler kicked off with all his Diamond strength and rocketed across the field, faster than ever before!
The Thieves barely managed to dodge in time, the rush of wind as he went by nearly knocking them off their feet!
"Holy shit! Skull exclaimed, stunned by the sheer speed.
"What is he—" Oracle started before the prince contacted the opposite wall with his feet and bounced off it next, unharmed and gaining speed even! "INCOMING!"
In seconds, Shadow Steven became a living pinball, rocketing from every possible angle, even the floor, forcing the four Thieves trapped inside to keep their backs to each other just to avoid losing sight of him.
"He's moving too fast for us to land a hit!" Queen shouted right before ducking alongside her teammates to avoid getting clotheslined.
"My eyes can barely keep up with him!" Noir cried out.
Steven would have to agree as he watched the insane maneuver continue. This was definitely not something he ever thought to do with his powers.
Just then, the ricocheting stopped, the prince having somehow vanished into thin air. Everyone desperately looked around, hoping to spot him.
Until Fox's keen sight caught Shadow Steven poised directly above the group near the top of the ceiling, about to launch off again.
"Above you!"
Fox's warning came in the nick of time. The four Thieves managed to dodge the downward stomp, cracks forming into a crater, although the resultant shockwave still sent them all flying from each other.
In seconds, Shadow Steven rose back up, a deep rage in his eyes as he stared down each of the Thieves, daring them to make a move.
That's when the prince spotted the girl in pink, standing off alone to the side, and got an idea. Jasper always told him to go after 'weak links'.
For that reason, he shot off towards the girl.
"Noir!" Mona cried out in alarm.
The cat's response only verified the prince's choice. He increased his speed, ready to incapacitate his target.
Wait, why was she just standing there tipping her hat? The red flags didn't register to the prince until Noir lifted her hat up to reveal a ready smile.
"Mystify him, Lucy!" she called out with a sweep of her hand, a weird spy lady appearing behind her.
Shadow Steven hadn't been prepared.
Strange colorful patterns suddenly flashed before his eyes and out of nowhere a sharp, violent pain overtook his head, like someone jabbed a thousand hot knives into his skull.
The sensation made him stagger in the air mid-charge, causing the pink titan to crash and tumble along the ground until he (barely) managed to stop himself.
For one second,
"Nachiyar!"
A series of erupting stalactites erupted from below and sent Shadow Steven flying the opposite direction. He barely managed to negate his momentum with his floating powers before Joker executed his infamous Down Shot, sending the prince falling for the umpteenth time today.
Except the prince halted himself right before he could touch the ground, righting himself straight away, limbs hanging in limp anger like a furious puppet.
He shot his head up to fix on Joker the most incensed look he'd given anyone before he threw his arms out.
"I! HAVE HAD! ENOUGH!"
Almost immediately, the hexagons that comprised the dome scattered apart and whirled around the battlefield at high speed - and when the prince raised both hands, numerous hexagons surged forward and back at once, swarming the Thieves from every direction!
"Guys, move!" Oracle shouted in alarm.
"WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?!" Knight screamed back as she scrambled and swung her sword like nuts to keep from getting clobbered.
Noir and Queen were similarly fending themselves, swinging or punching at the projectiles as best for as long as they could.
Unfortunately, there were plenty of misses and in turn plenty of hits, mostly because the three girls were preoccupied trying to make their way to Joker, who could only dodge since he had no proper means of deflecting the onslaught.
"Joker, hang on!" Queen called out, only to get pulled back by Knight when a wall of hexagons slammed in front of them.
Meanwhile on the outside, Skull growled in frustration, gripping his fists. "Screw this! I'm heading in ta help!"
Panther stopped her friend with a hand to the chest. "No way!"
"You'll never get to him in time!" Mona agreed in dismay, pointing a paw at both the blurring barrier and the bedlam within it. "Not in all that!"
"We can't just stand here, damn it!" Skull protested with gripped fists.
"But what can we even do from here?" Violet bemoaned, her worry for her senpai mounting.
Oracle merely keep her goggled eyes on the battlefield, silent and focused.
Steven couldn't even begin to guess what the small girl was thinking.
Hell, he wasn't sure what to think himself, his face the very picture of panic as he took in the chaos. Everything, all of this, it was all too much, all too much at once.
There had to be a way to stop this before—
"STEVEN?!"
The familiar voices caught (almost) everyone by surprise and drew their eyes to the front gate.
There gripping the bars of the entrance were Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, their faces various shades of either shock or confusion, whether at the chaos before them or the floating crazy-eyed lion-esque beast that seemed so vaguely familiar.
"Wait," Mona spoke up, stunned by their appearance. "I thought we told them to—?"
Then everything went to hell.
Shadow Steven, the only one not distracted, willed all the hexagons to rush forward at the same time, leaving the Thieves no time to dodge. Knight and Noir hastily held up their weapons with both hands as makeshift shields while Queen held her arms up in a defensive pose.
Only for all the hexagons to miss the girls and converge towards Joker.
"NO!" Knight cried out but to no avail.
Joker only managed to evade one or two hexagons. The third one caught him in the shoulder, knocking him off balance and allowing the next to ram him in the chest and sandwich the boy in between it and another one from behind.
With a crazed smile, Shadow Steven raised his hand to will all the hexagons to cease – and sharpen into spikes.
"He wouldn't," Fox murmured in horror.
The hexagons formed a wall too tall and long to bypass in time, cutting the others off.
"STOP!" Garnet shouted, not wanting to see any of these kids harmed.
Too late.
Throwing his hand down, the prince commanded all the spikes to converge on Joker, the boy sporting a defiant glare at the incoming onslaught.
Until the projectiles reached their destination, kicking up a cloud of dust upon impact, obscuring the target.
For once, the prince felt pure genuine joy as an ecstatic grin started to bloom.
Maybe Jasper had been onto something after all…
"JOKEEER!"
Hearing the dismay in the cat creature's voice made Shadow Steven pause and take note of the various forms of shock and concern painting all of the Gems' and Thieves' faces; even his other self could be seen fixating on the spot where Joker had been with stricken eyes.
Suddenly the taste of triumph soured as Shadow Steven looked back at the dust cloud with a rising guilt, what he had just done dawning on him.
Had he gone too far?
RUMBLE!
"Huh?" Shadow Steven shot his head back and forth, trying to pinpoint the source of that sound.
I thought so, Oracle mused with a knowing grin.
Without warning, something burst from the ground right below the prince, spinning at a dizzying rate. Only once that thing had stopped – right behind him no less – did it reveal itself: a short and stout, brown-bearded man in armor holding up a stylized pickaxe – a Dwarf Persona.
And clinging to its foot with a smirk was none other than yours truly.
Shadow Steven barely managed to turn his head in alarm before Joker threw out what he'd been holding in his other hand directly at him.
The prince instantly caught the item in his hand and crushed it.
Big mistake, considering the item turned out to be an Earth Magatama, meaning he wound up triggering a Tera spell right in his face.
"AGGGH!"
And with that scream, the glowing Ruler fell to the ground hard enough to leave cracks, dazed by both the attack and the impact, the battle's toll finally getting to him.
No, he thought desperately as he struggled to get back on his feet, the sound of guns being cocked his way barely registering, not yet! I can still—
The voice of that tech girl cut through his thoughts. "Now! Final All-Out Attack!"
Before he could even summon a barrier, Shadow Steven found himself at the receiving end of another whole flurry of strikes, somehow even faster and fiercer than the last. For that agonizing period of time, he could have sworn everything had gone red.
At last, the barrage ceased, and Joker landed with his back to him alongside the other Thieves, striking a cocky pose right before the total damage caught up to Shadow Steven all at once, making the prince gasp as the last of his strength finally left.
"You…you actually…"
And so concluded the battle.
Shadow Steven fell to his hands and knees for good this time, flabbergasted as he reverted to his original form.
By this point, everyone, the reserve team and Steven included, had rejoined Joker's side.
Only the Gems remained behind the gate, amazed at the turnabout way that fight had ended as well as stunned by the prince's true appearance.
Pearl held a hand to her mouth, unsure what shocked her more. "Oh my…"
"Holy smokes, those kids are something else," Amethyst murmured. "Also, dude, he really does look just like Steven!"
Garnet remained silent, taking in the crouched figure. Was this truly the embodiment of everything Steven had been bottling up for so long?
"B-But…how?" the Shadow meanwhile stuttered. "I-I wasn't even holding back."
Mona puffed out his tiny chest as he and the other Thieves stood tall and triumphant before the fallen Ruler. "What was that about humans being helpless?"
"I trust that battle put your doubts to rest?" asked Fox.
"And you'll finally allow us access to your castle?" Queen finished.
At first, Shadow Steven gave no response. Then he shook his head, muttering to himself. "I can't believe it. You…actually beat me."
"You best believe it!" Skull exclaimed with a fist-pump.
Shadow Steven did not respond, still shaking his head.
"That…that was…"
Panther cocked her head at him. "Uh, Steven?"
A worried expression came over Noir, who put a hand to her chest in concern. "Do you think perhaps we were a little too rough on him?"
Skull tossed his teammate an exasperated expression. "A little too – oh c'mon! You saw what he tried to do to Joker there!"
"To be fair, I'm not entirely sure if he meant to go that far," Violet commented.
"Or that he even noticed for that matter," Queen added with crossed arms.
"Even so," Fox resolved, crossing his arms as well. "That does not absolve him. Intentional or not, he clearly went too far regardless."
Ignoring the others' argument, Knight shared a look with the actual Steven before taking a tentative step towards her boyfriend's repressed self and reached a hand out. "Are you OK?"
At this point, Shadow Steven sat up, slouching though his face still faced downward.
"That was" – without warning he grabbed Knight's outstretched hand with both of his and gazed up at her with star-filled eyes – "the coolest way I've ever been beat up! Can all humans do that? Have they always been able to do that? When did you learn to do that?! How come you never told mehehehe?!"
Needless to say, Knight found herself at a loss for words. "Uh…"
When she looked back at Steven for help, her boyfriend returned her gobsmacked expression, just as speechless.
Thankfully, the other Phantom Thieves had no qualms sharing their own opinions.
"O-OK, big guy!" Panther exclaimed, utterly taken back. "Let's dial the enthusiasm back a little!"
Shadow Steven did not heed her words. In fact, he started bouncing on his knees. With every question he asked, his tone rose in both pitch and eagerness.
"All those people and things you got to help you! Were those like summons in RPGs, they were, weren't they?! How'd you all get such cool costumes? How—MMPH!"
Knight had slapped a hand over his mouth, only temporarily stemming his outburst judging by the lingering sparkles in his eyes.
"I should have known," Pearl sighed with a facepalm, not surprised by the Shadow's reaction at all.
"Oh yeah, that Shadow guy's definitely Steven's," Amethyst joked.
Garnet merely shook her head with a half-smile, relief underlining the expression. The fusion turned her head in interest when she noticed something off to the side…
"OOOK, well this took a turn," Oracle plainly stated, floored.
Mona nodded, crossing his arms in disbelief. "Seems he's none too hung up on the fact he just lost."
"No kidding," Skull murmured, hanging his head in wonder. "We kick the dude's ass, and he fangirls all over us…"
Queen frowned, putting a hand to her chin. "I'm…more concerned he's glossing over other times he's been beat up."
Perhaps it was everyone's comments, perhaps it was the sight of her friend's Shadow looking at her with such a familiar (and quite frankly missed) expression.
Whatever the reason, Knight slowly but surely started to chuckle until she was nearly doubling over in laughter.
How long had it been since she last saw that pure unadulterated gaze of joy in her friend's eyes, even in only a version of him?
"Knight?" Oracle asked. "You alright there?"
Eventually, Knight got a hold of herself and nodded. "I'm fine, Oracle. Just relieved, I guess."
She gently pried her hand free to rub away a tear before addressing Shadow Steven again. "What about you? How do you feel?"
The prince blinked at this question.
"How I feel?" He averted eye contact to mull. His eyes briefly met those of his other self, who shrugged with a weak smile. "I…guess a little lighter. Like I've finally left something heavy behind?"
Silently he allowed Knight to pull him up. Once back on his feet, he dusted off his clothes and gazed at the Phantom Thieves in more subdued wonder.
"Who are you all?"
Joker smiled at the prince, teasing. "You forget already?"
"You guys did rough him up quite a bit, senpai," Violet giggled.
Mona stepped up with his regular bravado. "We are the Phantom Thieves, helping the weak and reforming society one distorted heart at a time!"
"Hearts," Shadow Steven faintly parroted as though testing the word on his tongue. "You said earlier you meant to change my heart."
He put a hand to his chest, wondering. "Does that mean—"
When his Shadow turned to him, Steven found himself mimicking him in equal wonder. Did it?
"Actually," Queen gently corrected, "that would require us to steal your Treasure first, assuming that's alright with you now."
Shadow Steven perked in realization. "Oh! Well, you did just beat me fair and square" – he scratched a finger against his temple – "so I guess there's no more reason for me to stop you."
"Seriously?" Skull balked.
At Shadow Steven's blank yet genuine nod, Noir clapped happily. "Thank you so much!"
"Wow," Oracle murmured, "this guy's probably the most easygoing Ruler we've ever met. Relatively speaking, of course."
Knight had to suppress a chuckle at everyone's reactions. Honestly, she had expected no less from her boyfriend's inner self.
Steven, too, had to smile at his Shadow's grace in losing. Honestly, he would have been the same way.
"Excellent!" Fox exclaimed. "Perhaps now we can move on with our infiltration route."
"Assuming Steven's family's own Shadows don't give us trouble too," Queen added, "although I wouldn't push our luck."
At the mention of his family, something occurred to Shadow Steven and made him gasp in alarm.
"That's right, the others," he spoke up in a worried tone. "I don't think they'll let you through!"
To his surprise, the Thieves did not show even the slightest concern.
"Eh, it's all cool, dude," Skull waved off.
Shadow Steven blinked at the blasé assurance.
Knight gave a confident grin. "If you mean the cognitive versions, don't worry"—she thumbed over to the other Thieves – "these guys were able to hold their own against them."
Oracle resisted the urge to tack on an 'not easily'.
"And if you mean their Shadows," Mona added, "I'm pretty sure it won't take much to handle them."
Especially if some of the suspicions the feline thief had been having about this place were true.
Shadow Steven blinked in wonder, once again taken back by the competence of these people. "So…you don't need to fight anyone else? That's it?"
"Yep, good to go!" Panther cheerily confirmed with a fist-pump.
"Well…"—Shadow Steven looked away for a moment before giving the Thieves a faintly hopeful stare –"can I least guide you all there?"
"Oh, thank you but that won't be necessary," Queen insisted, waving off the offer. "We're pretty used to establishing our own safe routes."
Hearing this caused Shadow Steven to wilt a little, his waning smile no longer reaching his eyes. "O-Oh…"
Steven winced in turn, his Shadow's reaction hitting far too close to home.
"And there's the sad eyes again," Skull sighed, rubbing his nape in awkwardness.
The Thieves all shared a counseling look, unsure how to respond next to Steven's Shadow but also unwilling to leave him like this.
Joker hummed and schooled a calm smile at him. "We'll let you ride Mona."
"Say what?" Knight deadpanned.
"SAY WHAT?!" Mona screeched.
To the not-cat's horror, Panther readily agreed. "Yeah, he's so comfy!"
"Not you too, Panther!"
Shadow Steven glanced at the despondent Mona and then shared a skeptical look with his other self, who merely shrugged in equal loss.
"Uh, how?"
"We'll explain more after we come back from your Treasure," Violet awkwardly assured him. That'd be an interesting conversation for sure.
"Uh, what do you think you're doing?" a familiar raspy voice snarked, the outrage in its tone palpable.
At first, everyone looked to the gate, believing it to be Amethyst – except she and the others weren't there anymore.
"That's weird," Oracle commented. "Where'd they go off to?"
"Hello? Eyes over here?"
This time everyone turned to witness the Cognitive Crystals land in front of them from out of nowhere, all three sporting disgruntled expressions.
Cognitive Amethyst, the one who'd spoken up twice, set her hands akimbo in clear expectation of an answer.
"Uh, about to wrap business up," Oracle deadpanned. "Mind movin' over?"
A twitch of a sneer flashed on Cognitive Garnet's face before she regarded the prince. "Steven, this is unacceptable."
"Yes!" Cognitive Pearl piped up, her disapproval the most flagrant. "Humans have no business near the castle!"
She even went so far as to wave off a dismissive hand at the Thieves, much to both Steven and his Shadow's embarrassment. "All of you, shoo, SHOO!"
The Phantom Thieves were thoroughly unimpressed.
"Um…," Noir murmured at a total loss.
Skull hung his head in disbelief. "Really, lady?"
Mona seconded that sentiment with a shake of his head. "Well, this just got sad."
Fox stepped forward, face no-nonsense. "We have no qualms with you three. Stand aside."
"We've bested your leader and been granted his permission," Queen added in a stern tone. "We've earned the right to passage."
"Course if you three want your butts kicked next," Skull offered with a smug grin, "I'm sure we can pencil ya in."
To the Thieves' collective annoyance, C. Amethyst threw her head back in mocking laughter. "Ha! Nice joke there, meatbags."
"You wouldn't last," C. Garnet droned in lazy arrogance.
"Guys, guys!" Steven, the actual Steven, cried out as he stepped forward, hands stretched outward. He really would rather avoid another fight, let alone so soon. "Just let them through! Please!"
"After all," C. Pearl added in a far too chipper tone, utterly disregarding the boy's pleas, "humans are such flimsy and helpless little things! How your kind ever got so far is beyond me!"
"Excuse us?" Violet growled, her posture tense and ready for combat. The other Thieves followed suit in similar sentiment, a sight that got both Steven and his Shadow flinching.
"Wait, wait!" The latter whirled around to try defusing the situation, though his calming smile came off more desperate. "T-They didn't mean it like that!"
"No," Panther responded in a cold tone. "They meant exactly what they said."
Skull stomped his foot in agreement. "You know, I'm starting to get really sick of your guys' alien superiority shit!"
"You are only cognitions after all," Fox coolly countered. "Steven and his Shadow would lose nothing from your defeat."
"Bring it," Joker stated with a smirk.
However, before anyone could make a move, Knight raised a hand to stop the gang. She stepped forward, past Steven, past Shadow Steven, and towards the Cognitive Crystals. She took a good long moment to look each one in the eyes.
She shook her head.
"You three aren't really them," she stated at last, tone of voice full of quiet disgust. "No matter how you spin it, you're just extensions of Steven's thoughts, his viewpoints of the real ones twisted by his messed-up emotions. You have as little idea what's good for him as he does. You're useless to him."
Varying degrees of shock and outrage painted the CC's faces, all of them too stunned to quip back this time.
The Thieves, by contrast, were in nothing short of awe and pride at their newest recruit's boldness.
"Well damn," Skull murmured in awe.
"You tell 'em, Knight!" Oracle cheered.
Steven and his Shadow meanwhile flinched at the harsh (and admittedly true) words.
His Shadow opened his mouth to protest, only for C. Pearl to interrupt him once again, beyond fury.
"We know better than ANY OF YOU!" she screeched at full volume, her entire frame trembling in rage. "WE ARE THE ONES PINK DUMPED HIM ON! WE'RE THE ONES WHO HAD TO PUT UP WITH HIS USELESS HUMANITY ALL THESE YEARS ALL OUT OF SOME…IDIOTIC RESPECT FOR HER! WE DESERVE BETTER THAN ANY OF YOU!"
Utter silence reigned in the wake of these venomous words as every youth's face reared back in shock.
Most of all, both Steven and his Shadow stared back at C. Pearl with wide eyes, struck blind and numb by her words.
Useless…humanity?
Skull gritted his teeth. "You piece of—"
Noir shook her head in horror, hand to her chest. "How can you be so cruel...?"
Knight, too, could hardly believe the callousness being spoken by these doppelgangers though she kept calm beyond tightened fists. She would not let their words get the best of her again.
"Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl have done and said pretty messed up things to Steven in the past, but at least they came to realize their mistakes. You three really are just cognitions. Nothing but cheap, pale imitations."
Her eyes narrowed. "You. Are. Not. Them."
Then came silence again.
"…You're right."
Knight blinked and gasped in surprise, taken back by C. Garnet's words, never mind her nonchalant tone. "Huh?"
"We're not them," C. Garnet continued. "We are Steven as they made him, as they meant to make him. And since he clearly needs help against the likes of you…"
With a snap of the false fusion's fingers, an army of Shadows materialized around the group.
Leaping back immediately, Knight drew out her buster sword while the other Phantom Thieves produced their melee weapons as well. Even Steven barred his makeshift shield, though still shaken.
Only Shadow Steven remained where he stood, shellshocked by C. Pearl's words.
Was that the answer then, the culprit behind all his troubles: simply being human?
Shadow Steven fell to his knees, dead to the world. He barely heard voices calling his name, let alone the concern in their tones, or even his other-self hurrying to his side.
Useless humanity.
Useless human.
Useless Steven.
Useless, hopeless, helpless.
Without warning, an aura of bright pink light consumed his form.
Before everyone's eyes, Shadow Steven's curly hair lengthened and stretched all over his face and greyed until it became a long mane of white, a flowing matching beard reaching down to his navel. His body structure, though it remained thickset, became hunched over with liver-spots forming all over his now wrinkled skin.
In seconds, the transformation completed and the pink dissipated, leaving behind a despondent, broken old man.