"I am the legendary pirate... CAPTAIN KIDD!" The massive pirate-like figure revealed its name in a powerful tone.
"W-What the...?" The battered transfered student whispered from his spot on the floor in a mixture of awe and confusion.
In the midst of the spectacle, the blonde teenager in the center of it all, Ryuji Sakamoto, widened his eyes as he began to inspect his new attire, seemingly snapping out of his previous euphoria.
His school uniform had been replaced by an outfit that consisted of a black jacket with elbow pads, a metal vertebral column attached to his back, pants with knee pads and a double-sided holster belt with ammo on each side. On his neck was a red ascot, along with combat boots for his feet, and a pair of yellow gloves with metal knuckle protectors on his hands.
"What the... The hell happened to my clothes...?" Ryuji asked in surprise.
"Do not fret, Buccaneer."
Ryuji sharply turned at the sound of the familiar voice and almost jumped once he was face to face with the skeletal pirate on the boat, giving him the chance to properly gaze upon the entity.
"This is simply the attire that reflects your rebellion against those who dare to chain you down." The pirate explained.
Despite never seeing or hearing of this figure before, the blonde couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity between him and the larger figure, almost as if he had known this figure his entire life.
Suddenly, his eyes widened as he a certain name popped up in his mind, as if he had come to a realization rather than a revelation.
"... Captain... Kidd..." He slowly uttered the name of the pirate in front of them.
If it wasn't for the fact that his face was skeletal-like, the pirate would have for sure given off a smirk of satisfaction.
"That is right, Buccaneer." Captain Kidd confirmed, "I am the living manifestation of the rebellious spirit deep within your heart." He revealed.
"Should you accept my offer, I shall gladly grant you the power to overcome this wretched plight." Kidd made his proposition to the one who summoned him, "What is your response?"
Whether it was stupidity or a lack of thought, something inside Ryuji was telling him to trust the figure in front of him, almost as if there was a force that was drawing him toward the pirate, telling him that accepting their help was without a doubt the right choice to make in his predicament.
Suddenly, a toothy grin found its way on his face, and he confidently gave his answer right then and there.
"Lend me a hand, Captain!"
This prompted a positive reaction from Captain Kidd, who let out a satisfied chuckle in response.
"Just the answer I was expecting."
"W-What the hell did you just do...?!" The deep and shaky voice of Kamoshida brought both Ryuji and Captain Kidd's attention back toward the scared king.
Instead of being in a state of fear and anger like he had been in earlier, the blonde threateningly smirked and raised his finger toward the so-called king, mimicking a gun.
"Better get ready, Kamoshida, cuz it's your turn now." He threatened his former tormentor.
The threat caused the muscular king to back up in fear, sweat now starting to run down his face.
"G-Guards!" He called two unharmed knights lying near him to attention in a desperate attempt to save himself, causing them to stand up, "Kill that sneaky peasant right now!"
At his command, the two knights suddenly began to convulse before morphing into two entities that resembled floating jack-o'-lantern's in a robe and a hat holding a lantern, surprising Ryuji.
"What the?!" He exclaimed.
"A-Are those floating pumpkins?!" The transfer student asked in confusion.
"You'll learn the true strength of my men!" Kamoshida boasted with a bloodthirsty grin as he backed up for his henchmen to do their jobs, "Now burn that peasant to ashes!"
Suddenly, both of the floating jack-o'-lanterns hurled a ball of fire toward the teen with their lanterns. Startled but having little time to react, the blonde quickly formed an 'x' with his arms to guard himself as a reflex.
Surprisingly, the attacks didn't end up burning him or causing him to catch on fire, though they still hurt, but not to the extent he was expecting.
"What...?" He whispered, lowering his arms, "I'm still alive...?"
"Do not cower in the sight of these enemies, Buccaneer." Captain Kidd cut in, "They are beneath you in terms of strength."
"Seriously?!" The blonde questioned in disbelief.
"Indeed."
Before Ryuji could ask questions any further, he stopped and let out a tiny gasp. It was hard to explain, but it felt he had just learned something, more specifically, a skill, multiple new skills actually.
Sensing his idleness, one of the pumpkin-like enemies fired another ball of fire toward the teenager, who swiftly dodged it this time by leaning to the left.
"Okay... Let's give this one a shot." The blonde spoke before pointing at the same jack-o'-lantern that tried to attack him, "ZIO!"
Suddenly, Captain Kidd aimed his arm cannon toward the jack-o'-lantern, although instead of a cannonball, a bolt of electricity shot out from his hand and hit the floating pumpkin, causing it to cry out in pain and droop.
"Woah!" Ryuji uttered in shock, "It actually worked...!"
The blonde didn't have too much to gush over the move however, as the other unharmed jack-o'-lantern suddenly charged right at him, angered by the damage done to its brethren.
The teen instinctively rolled to the right to dodge the creature's charge. However, when he got back up, he noticed that there was a certain long metallic object in his right hand.
"Wha- A pipe?? Where did this come fro-?!"
"Strike them down!"
The instruction from his new pirate ally replaced his confusion with realization, as he easily figured out what the object in his hand was for.
Noticing the same floating jack-o-lantern charging toward him again, the blonde held the pipe with both of his hands before using it to smack the creature with all of his might, sending it crashing into the wall.
"This is the power I have bestowed upon you!" Captain Kidd exclaimed, "Go wild, and unleash it on your enemies however you see fit!"
The blonde's eyes widened at the exclamation made by the captain. However, his flabbergasted expression slowly shifted into that of confidence.
"Yeah... You're right..." He whispered as he set his gaze on the jack-o'-lantern that he had shocked earlier, "I've got this!" He exclaimed with a smirk before rushing at said jack-o-lantern.
The electrocuted jack-o'lantern had no time to react before Ryuji swiftly struck it in the head, causing its head to burst like a pumpkin before it dissolved into nothingness.
The sight of one of his men dying caused Kamoshida's jaw to drop.
"Hahaha!" The blonde laughed delightfully, "That was effin' awesome!"
"Behind you!"
The warning from his companion caused the teen to turn around before swiftly dodging a fireball. He noticed that it had come from the other aggravated jack-o'lantern that he striked earlier, which he scoffed at.
"Still got some fight in ya, huh?" He mockingly questioned, his fear and uncertainty from earlier having completely vanished.
In a show of confidence, Ryuji smirked and brought his hand in the direction of the creature before beckoning it over with his finger as a taunt. This promoted the floating pumpkin to charge toward the teen with its fist raised, signaling it was about to punch him.
This time, the blonde made no attempt to evade its attack and simply stood in place as he waited for it to reach him. Then, just before the creature could land a blow on him, the teen raised his hand and caught the jack-o'lantern's fist with his palm, causing it to sweat in fear.
"Blast 'em away."
At his command, Captain Kidd aimed his cannon right at the jack-o'lantern from behind his summoner, and the inside of his cannon lightened up, signifying that it was charging.
At that, the captain fired the charged up bolt of electricity from its cannon and hit the jack-o'lantern right in the face, leaving a massive hole in the center of its face before it dissolved entirely, leaving both of the blonde's opposition defeated.
Both the transfer student and the so-called king stared at the blonde and his ally in absolute befuddlement, with the latter repeatedly spluttering.
"Now that was kickass." Ryuji stated with a satisfied grin.
A boisterous laughter from the familiar deep voice of Captain Kidd grabbed the teenager's attention.
"Nicely done, Buccaneer." He pridefully complimented his summoner, "Nicely done, indeed."
Suddenly, the skeletal pirate morphed into blue flames in a similar manner to his summoning from earlier and somehow, the flames traveled straight toward Ryuji's face, but to everyone's and even his surprise, he didn't feel any fear or the need to move.
Once they hit his face, the flames somehow transformed into the same metallic skull mask that the blonde had ripped off his face, although this time, it didn't feel like it was super-glued to his skin, and he allowed to rest upon his face.
'... So this really is my power, huh...?' The blonde mentally questioned before grinning to himself, 'Heh, right on!'
"W-What...?" The voice of the bewildered transfer student brought the blonde out of his thoughts, "What was all of that...?"
"My... M-My men... H-How could...?" Kamoshida, who witnessed the defeat of his henchmen, shakily spluttered in utter disbelief.
His disbelief quickly turned into anger though as he stomped over to his previous object of torment.
"You little... AUGH!"
The king's little show of intimidation was quickly shut down by a swift boot to the gut from Ryuji which left him floored.
"Ha! How do ya like them apples, Kamoshitta?!" The blonde taunted, clearly satisfied by his act of karma for the kick the king gave him earlier.
Before he could gloat any further though, he spotted a familiar pair of glasses that had been knocked aside, which made him remember the other Shujin studen that entered this place with him.
"Oh, hey, dude!" He called out as he walked toward the black-haired student, "You feelin' okay?" He asked as he offered him a hand to stand up.
"Y-Yeah..." The transfer student answered with a grunt as he graciously accepted the offered hand, "My head still kind of hurts, but I think I should be fine... Although I think now would be as good a time as any to leave this place."
"Yeah, you've got a point..." Ryuji agreed with raised eyebrows. He had been so caught up in the thrill of getting back at the bastard who screwed him over that he had almost forgotten that he was in a mysterious "castle". Plus, if Kamoshida really was the so-called "king" of this place, then it'd only be a matter of time before more of those "knights" showed up, so staying here would be too much of a risk.
Suddenly, the transfer student rushed past the costumed blonde, which would've confused him if he didn't quickly notice the key ring in his hand.
"I found the key to the cell!" The dark-haired student showed the item he had gotten off Kamoshida to Sakamoto, "Let's get out of here!"
"Right!" Ryuji agreed. However, before he also dashed out, he quickly remembered the spectacles he found on the floor and picked them up, "Oh, hey wait! You forgot these." He handed the glasses over to his fellow student.
The transfer student realized that they were his glasses and gave them a quick inspection.
"Phew, still intact." He sighed in relief before putting them on, "Thanks." He offered his gratitude.
"No prob." The blonde responded with a smirk, "Now let's hurry up and lock the cell!"
Wordlessly, the two teens quickly exited their former prison before the transfer student closed the gate and miraculously used the right key to lock it, leaving the slumped form of Kamoshida inside as well.
"Okay, it's locked."
"Damn you!" Kamoshida suddenly exclaimed as he slowly stood up, apparently recovering from the heavy kick.
"Tch. Looks like he's back up." Ryuji examined with a scoff, only for him to slowly gain a look of disturbance of disgust.
"Y-Yeah, but..." The transfer student started with an equally disturbed expression, "What the hell's up with that...?"
When Kamoshida had gotten up, he had also brought a hand to his head, which slightly lifted his robe to reveal that underneath it he was wearing pretty much nothing, aside from an unsightly pink speedo which covered an area that both teens were grateful that they couldn't see.
"... I don't think any amount of therapy is ever gonna erase that from my mind..." The blonde stated in a comically dejected tone.
"...I've heard of a king in all of his glory but there's definitely nothing glorious about this." The dark-haired teen commented in a deadpan tone.
"You bastards!" The king lashed out, grabbing at the cell bars.
The blonde quickly shook his head, "Forget it! The longer we stand around, the higher the chance that more of those knights show up. C'mon, let's hurry up and scram!"
"Right." The spectacled student nodded, "Lead the way!"
This surprised the skull-masked blonde, "W-Wait, me? Why?"
"Because I'm not the one with the supernatural powers." He answered as if it were obvious, "So you can save both of our asses if we end up running into more of those knights."
His explanation caused the blonde's confusion to dissipate. It made sense after all. Although...
"Huh. You sure accepted that pretty fast even though you were gapin' like a fish a while ago."
"Oh believe me, I'm still very shocked by what just occurred back there." The spectacled teen quickly made that fact known, "But I'll freak out about that later when our lives aren't on the line."
"Heh, you got me there." The blonde chuckled, "In that case, let's hurry up and get the hell outta here. Follow me!"
The dark-haired student nodded and threw the key to the cell to who knows where before dashing after the costumed blonde.
"Goddamn thieves...!" The king seethed as he watched the teens run away, "After them! Don't let them escape!" He shouted out to any knight who could possibly hear him.
With the two teens, they ran across a path that not only contained more dungeons and was near a stream of water, but also lead to a metal gate that they also assumed they could leave through.
However, when Ryuji reached the gate, he tried to push it only to realize that it wasn't opening.
"Uh oh." He uttered before trying to barge through it with his shoulder, which still didn't make it budge, "Dammit! It ain't openin'!" He cursed.
"Isn't there any other way we can pass through?" The dark-haired teen questioned frantically.
The blonde hurriedly looked for any remedy to their problem, and thankfully, his eyes landed on a broken bridge which led to another path to an open gate.
"Here, the bridge!" Ryuji exclaimed as he easily crossed over the stream of water and landed on the other side.
"Oh, good!" The spectacled teen followed suit, jumping to join his comrade.
"We can head outta here this way." Sakamoto gestured toward the open gate, "Now let's keep goin'!"
With that, the two resumed their journey out of the castle.
...
"C'mon, let's go up the stairs!"
The two teenagers were still trying to make their way out of the mysterious castle.
Honestly, they couldn't say for sure if they were making any progress. They had to cross a few more paths and even had to crawl through a hole in a prison cell, but they hadn't encountered any more knights, aside from a close call that consisted of them hiding from a few of them passing by. Thankfully though, they didn't get spotted, so that was one thing going well for them.
Right now, the two teens were running up a certainly long stairwell that strongly resembled spiral stairs.
"Man, it looks like we really did end up in some sorta castle, 'cuz I know damn well there ain't a medieval staircase like this in Shujin!" The blonde commented, his voice surprisingly steady despite him running up a long set of stairs.
"Y-Yeah... There's nothing... About this place... That screams modern!" The transfer student stated in between pants, showing much clearer signs of exhaustion.
Once they finally reached the top of the stairs, they were met with a large wooden door.
"Alright! Another door!" The blonde stated with relief.
"Y-You think *pant* This might lead... *pant* To the exit...?" The panting spectacled teen asked as he tried to regain his breath with his hands on his knees.
"Well, only one way to find out." Ryuji responded before he opened the door and walked through with hope in his heart. Only for that hope to immediately be shattered when he came across another path near a river.
"Are you effin' kidding me??!" He angrily exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration.
"We're still not at the exit??" The transfer student noticed with dismay while Ryuji let out a groan of annoyance.
"Are you for real right now?! Just how effin' large is this goddamn place?!" He asked nobody in particular.
"Calm down." His fellow student attempted to placate him, "I'm sure if we keep looking around we'll find the exit somewhere. Let's just keep moving."
"*Sigh* You're right. Ain't no use complainin' about it now." The skull-masked blonde conceded, "We'll just have to keep on goin'. Let's go!"
Their resolves unshaken, the teens ran across the path, which was revealed to house even more prison cells.
"So there're cells here too, huh?" Ryuji noticed with a sullen expression as he ran.
"H-Hey! Look at that!" The transfer student pointed toward a certain direction, which Ryuji followed, only for his eyes to widen in shock.
"W-What the hell...?"
Dangling above the stream of water were two rectangular box cages held up by chains, and one of them contained a person who also seemed to be wearing a Shujin Academy uniform.
"Someone... Anyone... Get me outta here..." He begged from his cage bars with a downcast expression.
"It looks like we really did hear people screaming back in our cell." The dark-haired student grimly noted.
"Then that means we really ain't the only ones who got captured..." The blonde clenched his fist in anger, "Dammit! I dunno what the hell that asshole is up to but he ain't gettin' away with this!"
Still though, angrily storming through the palace could possibly lead to him making a mistake that would get both him and his fellow student killed, so he took a deep breath to calm himself down.
"Well, he ain't dead so that's at least reassurin'." The blonde turned to the transfer student, who nodded in return.
"Yeah. Honestly, I want to see if we can help these guys too, but if we try to do that we'll probably get caught in no time." He stated, "It'd probably be best for us to focus on leaving right now."
As much as it pained him to admit it, Ryuji knew he was right. He wanted to help these guys who had clearly been tormented by Kamoshida too, but he was aware that doing that while they were on the run from soldiers all over the castle was pretty much suicide. He had no choice but it didn't mean he had to like it.
"*Sigh* You're right." He reluctantly agreed, "Let's just move on."
At that, the two Shujin students continued to race down the path, coming to a stop when they came across something rather odd.
"Hold on, is that a...?" Sakamoto began.
They stopped in front of the objects they noticed and got a closer look.
"It's a bridge and a statue!" The transfer student exclaimed.
In front of them was both a raised drawbridge leading to another path above the water and an eerie statue of a grinning Kamoshida next to it.
The blonde chose not to comment on the statue that was starting to piss him off, and instead focused his attention on the bridge.
"Damn, ain't there some kinda way to lower this bridge?"
"Not one that I can see."
"*Groan* Not only that but this path pretty much leads to a dead-end, which means this bridge is the only way for us to go forward!" Ryuji stated, "But how in the hell're we supposed to cross this thing if we can't lower it?!"
"... Hey, you there!"
The sound of a rather youngish voice ringing out grabbed both of the teens' attention.
"What was that?" The transfer student asked.
"I dunno. That sounded a lot like someone was calling us."
"Do you think it was really us, though?"
"Blondie! Frizzy Hair! Look over here!"
"... Okay, now that sounded a lot more specific." The skull-masked teen uttered.
"Yeah. I guess there's no doubt that that voice was calling out to us." The transfer student stated, "I think it came from the very last cell over there. Should we check it out?"
"If this is the first person in a cell that's bothered to call out to us, then I don't see why not." The blonde responded, "C'mon, let's get over there."
The teenagers walked over to the cell, only for them to see that there was nobody inside.
"The hell? There's nobody in here?" He raised an eyebrow behind his mask.
"Down here!"
Both Ryuji and the transfer student looked downwards to find the source of the voice, and instantly widened their eyes at what they saw.
Standing at their feet was what looked like an anthropomorphic creature that bared a striking resemblance to a biped tuxedo cat. The creature had a large spheroidal head, short hands and legs, and was wearing a yellow bandana around their neck, along with a utility belt.
"... A-Are you seein' this shit too?"
"... Yes. Yes I am..."
"You're not soldiers of this castle, right?!" The creature questioned in a young-sounding voice, "Get me out of here! Look, the key's right there!"
However, it received no answer as the boys continued to stare at him weirdly.
"Why are you guys just standing there?! Help me out!!"
"Who... Is that...??" The spectacled teen whispered.
"What even is that...?" The blonde asked the more important question.
"I dunno... Do you think he's like those creatures you fought back at the cell?"
There whispering apparently wasn't very subtle, as the cat-like creature had overhead them.
"Hey! I'm locked up here too, so how could I possibly be an enemy?!" They countered.
"Huh, that's actually a pretty good point." The transfer student accepted.
"True, and the knights I beat up in that cell turned into some weird kinda jack-o'lanterns, not a cat."
At the mention of the last word, something snapped in the creature, causing it to angrily retort.
"I am NOT a cat! Say that again and I'll make you regret it!"
The unexpected hostility caused both boys to slightly reel back in surprise.
"Woah. The hell did that come from?" The blonde questioned.
Suddenly, the familiar sound of metal footsteps caught the attention of the three of them.
"Uh oh... That sounds like more knights!" The dark-haired teen exclaimed.
"Dammit! They must've somehow figured out we were standin' here!"
In a desperate move, the transfer student checked his phone once again, which unfortunately still displayed the no-signal sign.
"And there's still no service over here either." He revealed.
"For real??" The blonde asked incredulously before smacking his head in irritation, "*Groan* At this rate, we're never gonna get outta this hellhole!"
That last sentence caused the ca- sorry, not-cat's ears to perk up in interest.
"Hey, you two!" It called out to the two teens, grabbing their attention once again, "You want to know where the exit is? Let me out and I'll take you there." It offered, surprising the two teens.
"Huh? For real?!"
"You know the exit?!"
"That's right! I know exactly where you have to pass through to leave this place." The creature pridefully stated, "You don't want to get caught and executed, right? So let me show you where to go!"
"Woah woah woah, hold up!" Ryuji quickly interjected, "You expect us to just immediately trust what you just told us? I don't even know who or what you are, man. How do I even know if I can trust you?!"
"Hey, I never go back on my word!" The cat retorted.
"... I dunno man. What do you think?" The blonde asked his comrade.
"In my opinion? It sounds like Felix The Cat over here is talking out of his litter box." The spectacled teen responded honestly.
"I'm NOT a damn CAT!" The not-cat spat in annoyance once again, "If you think you can get out of here on your own, then be my guest, Four Eyes!"
"... Four eyes...?" The spectacled teen repeated, a dangerous glint appearing in one of his lenses.
The sound of footsteps rang out once again, causing the two teens to be on alert.
At this rate, they wouldn't get anywhere if they went around in circles like this.
"Look, we don't got a lot of time!" Ryuji stated, looking directly at the creature, "Can you seriously you can help us find a way outta here?"
The creature simply gave a confident nod in response.
"Well, guess we've got no better options anyway." The blonde decided to concede, "Alright, step aside." He instructed, closing his eyes.
"Huh? Why?" The not-cat questioned but followed the instruction nonetheless.
As if to answer his question, the skull mask on Ryuji's face burst into flames before transforming into the familiar figure of Captain Kidd, stunning the creature.
"... Still not used to that..." The transfer student commented.
As if reading the mind of his summoner, the skeletal pirate readied himself before ramming his boat right into the gate to the cell, causing it to fly right in and leave a newly formed entrance.
"Thanks, Captain." The blonde thanked his spiritual ally as he sealed himself into a skull-mask and flew right back on the teen's face.
"No way..." The cat-like creature whispered in awe, "No wonder your attire is so unusual... You're a Persona user too!"
"A perwhatnow?" Ryuji repeated in confusion.
"That large pirate you just summoned right now? That's a Persona."
"A Persona...?" He uttered quietly, "What the hell is that?"
"I'll explain it to you later. Right now you guys need to leave this place, right?" The creature reminded him.
"O-Oh, yeah! Right!" Ryuji agreed. He was still confused by whatever that persona thing was all about, but he could always ask later when they weren't running for their lives.
"Alright then, lead the way Mr. Cat!" The transfer student exclaimed, irritating the creature once again.
"How many times do I have to tell you?? I am NOT a cat!" It scolded, "My name is Morgana!" It revealed its name.
"Jeez, enough with the cat jokes, dude." Ryuji facepalmed as he chided the spectacled teen who smirked to show he had no regrets, "We'll be followin' you from here on out, so lead the way, Morgana."
"You're showin' some promise my blonde-haired friend!" The creature now known as Morgana nodded with a grin, "I'll get you out of here in a jiffy, so stay quiet and let's move!"
At that, the two teens followed the cat-like creature, who ran over to the drawbridge and statue they cane across.
For some unknown reason, it tried to reach for the mouth of the Kamoshida statue, which proved to be a difficult task due to its height.
"What are you doing?" The dark-haired teen questioned.
"Uh, I'm lowering the bridge. What does it look like I'm doing?" Morgana responded as if it were obvious, "You, blondie. Try checking around the mouth of this statue, okay?"
"... Do I have to...?" He questioned with an uneasy expression.
"Not it."
"Dude, for real?!"
"Come on, quit stalling! We need to lower the bridge!" The cat rushed him.
"*Groan* Fine..." The costumed blonde whined as he placed his hand on the mouth of the statue of that bastard, which was grinning, and began to search for any abnormality, 'Why do I gotta be the one to touch this asshole's slimy face...?'
His search eventually came to an end when he placed his hand on the lower lip of the mouth and noticed it felt off.
"Ooh, I think I found somethin'!" He stated before pulling down on the lower mouth, which not only caused the jaw to drop, but also finally lowered the bridge, "Hell yeah! We finally got it to come down!"
"... How were we possibly supposed to know it could do that...?" The transfer student asked with a blank expression.
"Never mind all that, let's just keep movin'!"
With a passageway finally being made for them, the trio consisting of two high-school students and an anthropomorphic cat quickly crossed the bridge.
Unfortunately, it was at that very moment that one of the knights stepped out of a nearby door, essentially blocking them.
"Dammit!" Skull cursed at the pitiful timing.
"Crap! One of them found us!" The spectacled student slightly backed up in apprehension.
"Tch. Just stay back, amateur!" Morgana instructed as they moved to the front next to Ryuji, "Hey, blondie! You can fight, right?"
"Y-Yeah!"
"Alright, then I'll back you up! Now let's go!"
The cat performed a flip before raising its head to the ceiling with a determined expression.
"Come! ZORRO!"
Suddenly, a burst of blue energy erupted from where the creature stood, and once it dissipated, Ryuji and the transfer student unshielded their eyes just to witness something that made their jaws drop.
Now, behind the feline was a large cartoonishly buff masked swordsman in a dark suit holding a rapier and sporting a large belt in the shape of a 'Z'.
"S-Seriously...? The cat has one too?!" The transfer student exclaimed in pure disbelief.
"Woah... That looks like some shit from an old 40s cartoon! Like some looney tunes shit!" Ryuji exclaimed in a mixture of awe and shock.
The knight facing them then somehow transformed into two creatures, one being another one of those jack-o'lantern's he fought earlier, and another that seemed to resembled a pinkish devil which had frail wings and a...
'... Please tell me that ain't what I think it is...' The blonde blanched as he noticed the appendage on the devil that seemed to resemble a certain male organ.
"Hmph. These guys are nothing." Morgana stated confidently as they crossed their arms, "We will promptly shut them up!"
Sensing that it was go time, Ryuji snapped out of his stupor and quickly brought a hand to his mask, summoning his pirate ally.
"CAPTAIN KIDD!"
The pink devil suddenly created a white, black and reddish aura before thrusting to shoot it right out of its appendage at the blonde, who hastily sidestepped to dodge it.
"Wha- Did it just- Did that come fro...?! Oh HELL no!" Ryuji struggled to convey the rush of emotions that he just felt.
"Damn. Looks like it's not just about capturing us anymore... They're out for blood!" Morgana exclaimed.
"Eff that! That devil just shot at me with its demon dick!!" The blonde stated in an mix of anger and disgust, "I'm gonna bash its 'effin face in!"
"Okay then. Show me what you got, blondie!"
Steeling himself a little, although still being very pissed, the teen wasted no time in trying to get back at his intended target.
"Blast em, Captain!"
This prompted the skeletal pirate to shoot a bolt of lightning at the pink devil, which despite clearly dealing some damage to the creature, did not kill it, much to the teen's dismay.
To his surprise, Morgana started to chuckle.
"I knew you were an amateur-"
"What?!" He responded, a bit offended by the remark.
"-This is how you fight!" The cat continued as it suddenly pulled out a curved sword,
"Zorro! Garu!"
The giant swordsman behind the cat suddenly drew the letter 'Z' in the air and somehow gathered a small gust of wind before sending it toward the jack-o'lantern. It apparently did a lot of damage as the floating pumpkin let out a cry and fell to the floor, stars floating above its head.
"For real..?!" Ryuji uttered with wide eyes, "How the hell'd ya do that?!"
"When you're fighting an enemy, always strike at their weakness to knock them down!" The cat explained, "Then use that opening to strike again! That's the most basic of basics!"
It gestured for its masked ally to repeat the attack, which caused the jack-o'lantern to quickly dissolve.
"Huh... So these guys have weaknesses..." The blonde took in the information the cat shared with him.
"Just a heads up though, that demon isn't weak to electric attacks." Morgana added, "But you should be able to take it out now if you hit it pretty hard, so use your weapon!"
Nodding in responded, the blonde took out the same pipe he used as a melee weapon earlier and rushed at the demon before smacking it right in the face, killing it instantly.
"Bam! Suck on that ya weird ass demon!" The blonde gloated as he sealed his ally into his mask once again.
"Huh, not bad." The cat complimented, "Your persona seems pretty powerful."
"... I still don't know what ya mean when you call it that." The teen responded in confusion.
"I can lecture you about that later. Right now, I need to show you two exit." It stated, causing him to sigh.
"You're right..." He agreed as he looked in the direction of the transfer student, "C'mon dude. Let's go!"
"Yeah."
The two Shujin students had diligently followed the cat through the castle, treading through wherever it took them in order to find the exit.
"It's just up ahead that bridge!"
"Thank goodness!"
They were currently running down a passageway containing more cells that led to a bridge, which led to a certain entrance.
However, before they could cross it, something inside the last cell in particular caught Ryuji's eye.
"Wait, hold on a sec!" He got the attention of his companions.
"What's up?" The spectacled teen questioned.
Inside the cell lied what was presumably a student of Shujin Academy. However, what caught the blonde's eye was their attire, which consisted of a red and white shirt along with a similarly-colored pair of shorts rather than the Shujin uniform.
"I've seen what that dude's wearin' before..." The blonde responded with wide eyes as the other teen took a look inside as well, "That's the uniform for the volleyball team that Kamoshida coaches!"
"But wouldn't that mean that this guy's on the volleyball team, then?" The dark-haired teen asked in surprise, "Why would Kamoshida imprison one of his own team members?"
"I-I dunno! That's what I'm tryin' to figure out!" The blonde replied, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Hey, we can't keep standing around here! Let's go!" Morgana's voice cut in.
"Hold on, dammit!" Ryuji urged.
"What is it? We need to go fast!" It responded impatiently.
"But... Who are these guys?"
"Do you really think you have time to worry about other people right now?!" The cat questioned incredulously.
Something about that questioned seemed to irk the blonde as he angrily stomped a foot forward.
"The hell kinda question is that?!"
"*Groan* You really don't get it do you?" Morgana seemed to be annoyed, "Look, there's no time for me to explain! Let's just-!"
"Uhh guys... We've got company!" The transfer student pointed forward.
In the middle of their argument, a random knight had suddenly shown up, ready to stop them from moving forward.
"Dammit!" The cat cursed, "You should've listened to me!"
The blonde groaned in response, "Just shaddup and help me take care of this guy!" He demanded as he summoned Captain Kidd once again.
The knight then transformed into a new green creature which resembled a kelpie horse.
"I've had enough of these weird lookin' freaks..." He snarled, "Smoke 'em Captain!
Captain Kidd did not hesitate to fire a bolt at the strange horse, and Ryuji noticed that the attack caused it become dazzed like the jack-o'lantern Morgana had eliminated earlier.
"Ha, would ya look at that? The horse is weak to my zappy pops!" He stated in satisfaction.
"Hurry! Hit it before it gets up again!" Morgana interjected.
The blonde wasted no time in firing another electric shot, putting the strange horse out of commission for good.
"Heh, talk about weak!" He taunted before he suddenly brought a hand to his head and faltered to his knees.
"H-Hey what's wrong?!" The transfer student hurriedly rushed to his side.
"Are you okay??" The cat asked in concern.
"I-I dunno..." The blonde weakly answered, "I feel like I'm real tired all of a sudde- WHOA!"
A blue flame suddenly washed over the blonde, and he was somehow back in his Shujin Academy uniform rather than the thuggish outfit he was wearing.
"Hey, your clothes turned back to normal!" The spectacled student exclaimed.
"Huh... It looks like you don't have full control over your power yet." Morgana commented thoughtfully.
"Full control...?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow in confusion, which was now visible due to the absence of his skull mask, "The 'eff are ya talkin' about?"
"I'll explain later!" Morgana replied before pulling something out of their belt and pouring it on the blonde.
"Woah..." The blonde uttered with wide eyes as he suddenly felt a lot less tired and was able to stand up on his own, "The hell did you just pour on me?"
"A little medicine to fix you up." The cat answered, "Now come on, let's get moving!"
"B-But wait!" The blonde's eyes darted toward the cell from earlier, "What about-?"
"Urgh! There's no time for me to explain!" The cat groaned, "Let's just hurry up before more of them show up!"
Ryuji's expression notably soured, and he was about to protest before the transfer student clamped a hand on his shoulder.
"Calm down. Remember what we agreed on when we saw that student in the hanging cage?"
The blonde took a second to remember what the other teen was talking about before he let out a defeated sigh.
"Yeah, I know..." He begrudgingly relented, "Fine, let's move on, Monamona."
"It's Morgana." It corrected with narrowed eyes.
"Crap! My bad..."
"Alright! We're here!" The cat exclaimed, gesturing toward the hallway they were currently standing, a door on opposite sides.
"About damn time...!" Ryuji commented with a sigh of relief.
The transfer student moved to open the door on the right which they presumed was their exit, only for it to not budge at all.
"It's not opening." He remarked.
"What? Why?!" The blonde frantically asked before sending an accusatory glare toward the cat, "D'you trick us, you jerk?!"
"Don't jump to conclusions. Over here!" The cat then ran into the opposite door.
"H-Hey, wait up!"
The teens followed the cat into the room, which contained a singular bookshelf but no visible escape.
"Huh? How the hell does this room have the exit?!" The blonde questioned in puzzlement.
"As far as I can see, there aren't even any windows to jump out of." The transfer student added.
"Ugh, amateurs..." It sighed in disappointment, "This is the most basic of basics."
"I know you're a cat but acting all smug isn't going to solve anything."
"Are your ears blocked or something, Frizzy Hair?!"
"No, but I think your vision might be a bit impaired." He fired back with a smirk.
"Oh, that's rich coming from a nerd with glasses!"
"They're not even real, and I am not a nerd."
While they were busily bickering, Ryuji looked around to see if he could find whatever it was the cat was claiming to be the exit. When his eyes glanced at the bookshelf again, he then noticed a certain ventilation shaft above it, and it made an idea suddenly pop into his head.
"Hold up!" He interjected, "Are you sayin' that vent is our way outta here?"
"Heheh, that's right!" Morgana confirmed, "Just as I expected, you're a natural at this." He complimented.
"This leads all the way outside."
"I see..." The transfer student commented.
"So we just gotta get that metallic mesh off, yeah?" The blonde questioned, receiving a nod, "Alright then..."
Knowing what needed to be done, the blonde ran toward the bookshelf, ready to hop on it and remove the metal barrier of the vent. He struggled a bit, but he was able to successfully remove it, almost losing his balance in the process.
"Okay! It's open!" He exclaimed, "We can finally get the hell outta here!"
"Right." The transfer student replied as he also climbed the shelf.
They noticed that the cat hadn't moved from where it stood, much to their confusion.
"Uhh, ain't you comin'?" The blonde asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You guys go on ahead. I still have something I need to do here." Morgana revealed.
"For real?"
"Yup. We're going our separate ways."
"Huh... Well alright then. Thanks for helpin' us out, Morgana." The blonde thanked his temporary guide.
"Yeah. Make sure you don't get captured again." The dark-haired teen added.
"Heh, I'll be fine from here on out." The cat assured them, "Just be careful on your way out."
They gave a nod and the cat watched with a thoughtful look as they crawled into the vent, going further in.
Those two seem pretty useful... Especially the blonde one, if my judgements right."
"OOMPH!"
"ARGH!"
A painful groan emitted from the two Shujin students as they got back up after landing roughly on the ground.
"Well that was a rough landing..." The spectacled teen tried to joke despite his pain.
"Urgh... Did we make it back?" Ryuji asked as he stretched his limbs and noticed that they were in a familiar alleyway.
"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back."
The sound of voice coming from the blonde's pocket surprised both of them, and he took his phone out to see a message displaying the same phrase they heard on his screen.
"Huh? Did that come from your phone?"
"Y-Yeah... But I don't remember activatin' any kinda navigation app before we went in..." He responded in confusion.
"H-Hey, look!"
Ryuji looked up at where the transfer student was directing him to and felt his eyes widen at what he witnessed.
In front of them was the ever familiar entrance to Shujin Academy that Ryuji knew well, although this time it didn't resemble a medieval castle, and instead looked like a school again.
"Wha...? I-Is this for real?" He uttered, "Am I hallucinatin'...?"
"Well if you are then that'd mean we're somehow having the same hallucination. So I don't think so."
"B-But it doesn't make sense!" The blonde retorted frantically, "This is the exact same path to the school that ended up gettin' us lost! So what the 'eff happened to the castle?!"
"What's this about a castle?"
The interjection of a deep voice caused the two teens to look back at the entrance to Shujin, and they saw a familiar face that put both of them on edge.
Standing at the top of the stairway to Shujin stood none other than the king of the castle they just escape, Kamoshida. Though, his attire was a lot different than the one he wore in the castle as he now wore a plain white t-shirt and black track pants with double white stripes, along with a red timer and a whistle around his neck.
"K-Kamoshida...?" Ryuji uttered the man's name, "W-What's goin' on here!"
"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you." A middle-aged man in a suit to Kamoshida's right entered the conversation, "You've been absent from classes since first period."
"H-Hey, it's not our fault! We were stuck in some weird ca-!" The blonde was unable to finish due to the transfer student elbowing him, "H-Hey!"
"... So you have no intention of giving an honest answer?" The man in a suit questioned.
This caused Ryuji to wince as he immediately realized why his companion had elbowed him in the first place.
"Hm. Nowadays, you seem so carefree, Sakamoto." Kamoshida remarked, "Quite a difference from when you did morning practice for the track team." He stated with a smirk.
Something about his statement seemed to quickly anger the blonde teenager. "Shuddup! It's your fault that-!"
"How dare you speak that way to Mr. Kamoshida!" The man in a suit chided the teen in an outrage before sighing, "There's not much leeway left for you, you know?"
"He's the one that provoked me!" Ryuji argued.
"Do you really want to be expelled?!" The man shot him down, "In any case, you'll have to explain yourself. Follow me!"
"What?! This is bullshit!" The blonde remarked in defiance.
Before things could get any worse, Kamoshida blocked the other man.
"Come now, counselor. I should have been more considerate, too." He said with a smile that seemed a bit too wide to seem genuine, "Let's just say that we were both to blame."
"... Well, if you say so." The counselor conceded with a sigh, "Still, you're coming with me. It's undeniable that you're extremely late."
The blonde let out a sigh of defeat as he knew he had no choice.
"Fine..." He conceded before looking at the other student, "I'll see ya later."
The transfer student nodded as he watched Ryuji walk off into the school with the counselor, not before giving Kamoshida one last hateful glare.
"By the way, you're that new transfer student, correct?" Kamoshida asked the spectacled teen before raising an eyebrow, "...Have we met somewhere?"
Said student stared blankly at the teacher for about five seconds before giving an answer.
"Nope."
"*Sigh* What a pain in my ass." Ryuji cursed as he walked down a hallway on the second floor of Shujin.
The counselor from earlier had given the teen a pretty thorough scolding and chewing out about his behavior and how it was unacceptable and would get him nowhere if he kept it up blablablablabla all of that other uninteresting shit he was used to. He ended if off with a warning about never skipping school again before finally allowing him to leave and go to class. This was hardly the first time he'd been scolded by a school official about his behavior, so he didn't care that much.
Finally, the blonde teen reached his classroom, Class 2-E, and entered the class in the middle of a lesson, which naturally drew everybody's attention toward him... Including the teacher.
'Dammit!'
"Ahh, morning, Sakamoto." The teacher, a man probably in his late 50s with slightly gray hair and spectacles greeted in an obviously sarcastic tone, "It seems you're running a bit late. Mind telling us why you're just now showing up?"
The question was obviously phrased in a way to interest the other students in the class, and it made the teen internally groan.
'Asshole...' He mentally insulted the teacher before giving an audible response, "I took the wrong train."
"... Are you sure that's all-?"
"Yes, that is all! Now lay off and keep teachin' would ya?!" The blonde snapped as he went to take his seat without even waiting response.
"*Sigh* Kids these days..." The teacher sighed as he went back to teaching.
Almost immediately that he sat down, the rumors among students started to pile up.
"Man, that Sakamoto is a real delinquent, isn't he?"
"Seriously. Skipping class until fourth period? He has no regard for the rules."
"I bet he won't even show up at all tomorrow."
"It's only a matter of time before a troublemaker like him gets expelled, don't ya think?"
"I'd expect no less from someone that assaulted a teacher."
The blonde paid no mind to all the whispering students as he was unfortunately used to people badmouthing and gossiping about him.
'Tch. These assholes don't know a damn thing about me.'
For the rest of the day, classes went on as usual, though the blonde barely paid attention to any of the lessons going on, not just because he didn't give a damn about school, but also because his mind kept going back to a certain castle, and if everything that happened there was actually real...
Classes eventually came to an end, signifying the end of the school day, and everyone wasted no time in eagerly rushing out of their classrooms once the announcement to leave was played.
As for the blonde hero of this story, he hooked his bag over his shoulder and exited his classroom, planning to talk to a certain transfer student he knew.
As soon as he stepped out, down the classroom next to his, he spotted the exact student he was looking for, although he noticed that he seemed to be in a conversation with a certain female teacher that he recognized.
She was a youthful looking woman with dark brown unkempt hair, dark brown eyes, and wore a yellow long-sleeved shirt striped with white and red horizontal lines, a blue denim skirt and white kitten heel pumps.
He wondered what the woman could possibly be discussing with him, although soon enough, he heard the mention of his own name and something about being nothing but trouble, and it caused him to scowl as he instantly guessed what she was trying to do.
"Yo." He greeted the two of them, catching their attention.
"Speak of the devil..." The woman sighed.
"Ya just couldn't wait to share the gossip with the new guy, huh, Kawakami?" He sent an accusatory glare toward the teacher.
"What do you want?" The teacher now known as Kawakami asked, "I heard you were cutting classes earlier today." She stated, causing him to let out a quiet groan.
"It was nothin'..." He replied simply.
"... And you still haven't dyed your hair back to black either. " She noted.
"Sorry 'bout that." The faux-blonde apologized in a way that made it obvious that he wasn't sorry at all.
At that, he walked past the two to leave them be, but not before glancing at the transfer student who had been observing him and Kawakami the whole time.
"... I'll be waitin' for ya on the rooftop." He whispered before making his way to said roof, taking the stairs.
"*Sigh* See? That's why I don't want you getting involved, understood?" Kawakami asked the transfer student.
"... Yeah. I got it." He answered, leaving her satisfied enough to walk off.
His gaze then shifted toward the sight of Kamoshida having a lively conversation with an extremely overweight man in a suit, which caused him to narrow his eyes behind his glasses.
Ryuji was currently sitting at the rooftop of Shujin, a pretty deserted area, save for the ventilators stationed there and a few tables and chairs. The area is known to be prohibited, although students are known for frequently breaking that rule, including the blonde himself.
He was sitting at one of the tables, scrolling through his phone as he waited for the person he invited to show up.
While he sat there, his attention went back to the main app that had been plaguing his phone for the past few days, the app with a red and black eyeball. What caught his attention about it wasn't the app itself, but the fact that it now had a name written under it.
Metaverse Navigator.
"... Just what the hell is this 'Metaverse Navigator'...?" He asked himself pensively, "And why does it keep showing up on my phone...?"
Before he could question it any further, the doors to the rooftop opened, and in came the dark-haired transfer student with glasses.
"Tch. Took ya long enough, dude."
"My bad. I got caught up with something." The spectacled teen apologized as he also took a seat opposite to the other teen.
"Like listenin' to Kawakami talk shit about me." Ryuji said with a scoff, "What stuff did she tell you about me, anyways?"
"Something about you being trouble and that I shouldn't involve myself with you." He answered.
"Heh, we're pretty much in the same boat." The blonde retorted with a chuckle, "Sorry 'bout callin' you up like this. I just wanted to talk to ya about sumthin'."
"It's cool." The dark-haired teen assured, "You can tell me whatever you want.
"Well uh... I'm not mentionin' this to shame you or anythin' but, I've heard you got a criminal record. Everyone's talkin' about it." Sakamoto revealed.
"Yeah, I know." The other teen stated, "As soon as I got to my classroom, there were already people gossiping and talking about me being a criminal, even though nobody should've known about my record."
"For real? Then that means it must've somehow got leaked."
"That's the only definite conclusion." The dark-haired teen agreed with s nod, "I just have no idea how it happened though, or who did it."
"Huh... Well, take it from someone who's been on the receiving' end of gossip themselves, don't let any of the shit they say get to ya. Everybody here is just a massive dick."
"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." He replied with a smile, "So, is that all you wanted to talk about?"
"...No." The blonde answered, rubbing his head, "I-I actually wanted to talk about what happened to us earlier, you get me?"
"You mean when we were at the castle?"
"Exactly." The blonde affirmed, "I wanted to know what you think. Do you think everything that happened there was for real?"
The dark-haired teen raised his eyebrows at question.
"It's been botherin' me ever since fourth period! I couldn't pay attention to a single damn thing that was goin' on in class...!" He revealed in exasperation, "I tried to convince myself that it was all just some sort of weird dream but... I-I dunno how to explain it... I-I just have this weird feeling that the entire thing was totally real...!"
The dark-haired teen brought a hand to his chin as he hummed in thought, "Well, I wasn't sure at first... But then I thought about it myself, and the more I thought it over, the sooner I came to the conclusion that it has to be real. I mean, I remember everything that happened and simultaneous dreaming is just unheard of."
"Yeah true... But still, just because we remember it doesn't really mean much."
"Well whether it was a dream or not, it still doesn't change the fact that you're the only reason I'm alive right now." The transfer student stated, surprising Ryuji a bit, "When we were about to be executed back in our cell, you defeated those knights and saved my life too. So thank you for that." He sincerely thanked the blonde with a smile.
Ryuji was slightly taken aback by the sudden thanks and couldn't help but look away sheepishly, "Uhh... I-It was nothin' much but... You're welcome, dude."
The spectacled teen chuckled at his reaction before gaining a pensive look.
"Although, I've also been thinking about something else..." He informed, "Is the Kamoshida we encountered back at the castle anything like the real Kamoshida?"
"That's exactly what I was about to bring up!" The blonde exclaimed, "You prolly don't know about it, but there are some rumors about him."
"What kind of rumors?" The dark-haired teen asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Tch. Rumors that he abuses the members of the volleyball team, like workin' them to the bone without lettin' 'em take any breaks or talkin' shit to them to mess with their heads..." He revealed with his expression slowly hardening, "And that he apparently pervs on female students here at our school..."
"... That is disgusting." The transfer student stated with clear disgust on his face.
"Tell me about it!" The blonde agreed, "The annoying part is that nobody says anything against him because he's some medalist who took the volleyball team to nationals."
"That honestly fits in line with him being the king of a castle."
"Yeah, that's one of the things that made that whole situation feel real for me."
"... Do you think it'd be possible for us to enter that castle again?"
"Honestly, I dunno..." The blonde seemed to be deep in thought before he let out a frustrated groan, "This is all makin' my head hurt! I'll just think about all this shit later...!"
The blonde stood up from his seat and his companion followed suit.
"Well, that's pretty much everythin' I wanted to talk about. Sorry for draggin' you out just to hear me ramble."
"I already told you, it's fine." The dark-haired student assured with a slight wave, "If you ever want to talk like this again, I wouldn't mind at all."
This caused Ryuji to stare at him a bit before suddenly smirking.
"Y'know, I had a feelin' that everythin' I was hearin' people say about you was just bullshit. You're actually a pretty chill guy."
"Same to you. You're not as bad as Kawakami was describing to me." The spectacled teen complimented.
"Huh, we might actually be pretty similar. I feel like you and I are gonna get along just fine as "troublemakers". The blonde stated before a sudden realization hit him, "Oh right... I haven't even told you my name yet!"
"Huh, neither have I." The other teen realized as well.
"Well, you pretty much already know my last name, so why don't you introduce yourself first?" Ryuji suggested.
"Good point." The transfer student pushed up his glasses before finally introducing himself, "My name's Amamiya. Ren Amamiya. Nice to meet you."
"Huh. That's a pretty badass name." Ryuji complimented, "Tho I'm not gonna lie, you look a lot more like an Akira than a Ren to me for some reason."
The teen now known as Ren let out a sigh at the remark, "The sad part is you're not even the first person who's told me that..."
"Wait, for real??"
"Yeah. I don't know what it is that makes people think that but for some reason most of them just assume my name is probably Akira." He ranted, "Like this one guy even gave me an entirely new name. Akira Kurusu. Like, that just sounds ridiculous."
"You sure? I think it sounds pretty cool too." The blonde commented, "But anyways, now that I finally know your name, it's time for me to introduce myself!" He stated before pointing at himself with his thumb.
"I'm Ryuji Sakamoto, but you can just call me Ryuji. Got it?" He stated with a grin.
"Thanks." Ren smiled, "I think I'll stick with... Sakamoto."
And just like that, any enthusiasm Ryuji had immediately deflated.
"Damn that's cold dude... You're really gonna do me like that...?"
The spectacled teen began to chuckle at his comical sadness.
"I'm just messing with you."
"Tch. Dick."
"Well, I've gotta go. It's getting pretty late."
"Yeah, me too." Ryuji replied, "I'll come to talk to ya if I see ya around tomorrow. Don't ignore me, alright?"
"Hm, wouldn't dream of it." Ren humorously assured before walking toward the entrance to the rooftop, "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, you too!" Ryuji bid farewell as he watched him leave the roof, "Heh. He's pretty weird, but in a good way."
Although Ryuji has been a student at Shujin for about 2 years now, something told him that it felt like he had finally made a true and genuine friend. Probably his only one in this dump they call a school.
With that out of the way, the blonde checked his phone and he still saw the same red and black app on his homescreen. However, he shook his head and placed the device back in his pocket. He could think about all of that other stuff later when he got home.
Wait...
'Is it just me or does it feel like there's sumthin' back at home that I'm forgettin' about...?'
I told my dumbass I'd try to write shorter chapters from now on and now here I am writing a 1K chapter lol. But anyways, that aside, I'm still satisfied with how this one came out! Ryuji's had his first battle with Captain Kidd by his side, and will of course only grow stronger, and met Morgana and befriended Ren. Of course though, this is only the beginning, so stay tuned!
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, feel free to review it or leave any criticisms you have, and always...
RinOta, out!