Hello there, P-1 crazies! It is me, the General Teddie, has spoken! Yes... P-1 Special is going well! But... oh no... Pechy and friends spotted Nyx...! That thanatological bitch needs to be put down back to her place, suffering for her own consequences! Hahahaha! Also, the founders of the Phantom Thieves actually managed to survive and defeat my fake Elizabeth! Oh goodness, for Zabby's so powerful! Yeah, can't forget that Megidolaon! Meanwhile, it seems Mit-chan was able to get her future self out of my fake, and so Mit-chan and Mit-chan executed the fake Mit-chan I made! Well, no complaint about that and those two rebels. And finally, just after defeating a fake Chie-chan of mine, Naoto got help from her friends and more guests of honor! At least that made a good super-brawl to settle it at once and my beloved Hortus got away! Ok, ok, ok, let's continue this...
Location: Tartarus
BGM: The Pale Heart (Destiny 2)
In a pastiche of the Yasogami High hallway with the outdoor being the Pale Heart of the Traveler, Mitsuru's gang rushed on.
"This is far worse than the last time..." 2012!Mitsuru commented.
"I'm... tired..." 2009! Mitsuru gradually slowed down for a bit.
"Well, there's so long way to go." Erina is still running. "Keep moving."
"I know, but..." 2009!Mitsuru sighed.
"Well, me too. I'm just a human." Toshiro is kinda falling behind even 2009!Mitsuru. "This place seems too big."
"Everyone'd be way late for class every day with this size..." 2012!Mitsuru commented. "Not even the best and fastest of sprinters can get into the class in time, not even close unless they wake up very early."
"I hope you're exaggerating, for we don't have much time left." Toshiro responded. "This place is not only big, but repeating in and of itself."
"Yeah, me too." 2009!Mitsuru agreed. "Wait... the window! Maybe we could try-"
"ACK! What're you thinking!?" General Teddie suddenly appeared, again as a projection. "Mit-chan, that's against the rules!"
"You again!" 2009!Mitsuru noticed.
"Shouldn't you all be trying harder than this!?" General Teddie complained. "Don't you understand the situation you're in!? If you don't hurry, all existence really is going to end!"
"We're trying to!" Erina complained.
"Yet you keep dallying around and wandering all over..." General Teddie continued. "None of you have any guts, I say!"
"Get your act up, fake mascot and Teddie-face!" 2012!Mitsuru rebutted. "If you didn't want us to get lost in the Dark Hour, you should've made a straight and short path for us all!"
"That would defeat the purpose of P-1 Special! It's only natural for the bad guys to be mean!" General Teddie refuted. "Oh, and I'm with Darkbolts, by the way. But fine!"
General Teddie then declared: "Now hear this! I, General Teddie, am gonna give you a warning, because I'm so bear-jerkingly (*1) nice! Open those tiny ears! If you don't hurry up at once, the lives and existence of the captive people will be in danger soon!"
"What!?" Both Mitsurus are shocked.
"Tyrannical mascot!" Erina mocked General Teddie in response.
"Full-circle revolution!" General Teddie indirectly mentioned Shadow Erina.
"Damnit!" Erina is baffled.
"Damnit! Hahahahaha!" General Teddie laughed off.
General Teddie disappeared.
"Looks like we better hurry up and find everyone, and rescue them too." 2012!Mitsuru responded.
"Alright then. We have to search for others first." 2009!Mitsuru agreed.
"Then follow me, my friends!" Erina rushed.
"Miss Kirijo, go!" Toshiro followed.
"Wait for me, Miss Natsuhara!" 2009!Mitsuru followed.
The four rushed against the red fog. Erina was able to sense something, since she's basically a human coated in Shadows at this point.
BGM stops.
Location: Reality Falls, "Artemis" Island
Stepping away through a copy of the gate to the Vault of Glass, the for arrived at Reality Falls in an old Island. The Reality Tree is now converted in Shadows and radiolaria, while the red fog is full. However, there's three crucifixes nearby...
A Tormentor, a Subjugator hybrid of Harbinger (Strand shoulders glowing) and Omen (collar of Stasis coat) with sleek face (*2), and 2025!Ron Davis. All limp and up on respective cross.
"That's... one of the innocent people!" 2009!Mitsuru noticed. "And those other two!"
"What a horrible thing to do!" Erina gasped.
"It seems... those proving that the ones behind General Teddie are really... powerful." Toshiro noticed. "If we are to let our guard down, we won't survive any longer."
"Huh? Who is that?" Erina noticed.
Two figures is standing behind the four. One of them is goatee in cyan and with a red baseball bat, and one in a poncho but with teal-grey of her hair, braided in front.
"Iori! Yamagishi!"/"伊織！山岸!" 2012!Mitsuru noticed.
It was 2012!Junpei Iori (伊織順平) and 2012!Fuuka Yamagishi (山岸風花).
"Redhead! It's us!" 2012!Junpei called.
"I feel like..." Erina got suspicious.
"No, don't worry. We're also stuck here!" 2012!Fuuka replied. "And so are you..."
"Huh?" 2012!Mitsuru is confused.
"I'm already alone. It's impossible to fit in." 2012!Fuuka grinned, speaking with the same kind of distorted voice as the Shadow selves in general. "So I resorted to being-"
Erina interrupted 2012!Fuuka(?) with gunshot, staggering her with a bullet in her stomach.
"What did you just do to our Fuuka!?" 2012!Junpei(?) is shocked.
2012!Junpei with the distorted echo creeped 2012!Mitsuru out.
"These are fakes!" Erina warned both Mitsurus.
"Oh shoot!" 2009!Mitsuru realized.
"Fine... we're super-soldiers and lethal weapons of the Shadow Operatives..." 2012!Fuuka(?) got up like nothing, clearly resisting the gunshot.
"Junpei Iori...'s fake!" 2012!Junpei(?)
"Fuuka Yamagishi...'s fake!" 2012!Fuuka(?)
Both is engulfed with Shadow matter, revealing themselves to be engineered Shadows themselves.
"Pathetic and accusatory as always." Shadow Fuuka dismissed. "You're still torturing me with your own thoughts!"
"Iori! Yamagishi! No!" 2012!Mitsuru is horrified.
"Erina's right. These are fakes!" Toshiro warned.
"Shuddup! Anyway..." Shadow Junpei refuted. "Your game ends here! Here goes... Play ball!"
"Or rather... bring on the ring!" Shadow Fuuka snapped.
Resonance created invisible walls this time, forcing the four against the two fakes.
"Oh no! There's more of us!"
"Hold it right there! The real Junpei Iori, at your service!"
The real 2012!Junpei and 2012!Fuuka has arrived. However, 2012!Junpei dropped into the ceiling of the ring, hilariously enough.
"Oh, geez..." 2012!Fuuka cringed.
"Aw man... So lame..." Shadow Junpei is secretly disgusted. "That's the original me!?"
"Oh no... not you again, you freak!" Shadow Fuuka noticed her counterpart. "Oh, you're here for your timid past self, as well as that guy's past?"
"Wait... more time paradox!" 2009!Mitsuru noticed.
Behind Shadow Fuuka is 2009!Junpei and 2009!Fuuka, both bounded and gagged.
"No..." 2012!Fuuka is horrified.
"If they die, their future disappears automatically. No more Persona. Hello paradox." Shadow Fuuka threatened everyone except Shadow Junpei. "Oh, and that's what that girl gets for-"
"Shut up! You are not allowed to bad-mouth Yamagishi!" 2012!Mitsuru is pissed.
"You're both going to get executed, just like a fake me!" 2009!Mitsuru declared. "Come on!"
"Exactly. These tyrants should all pay for doing such horrible things to those poor captives!" Toshiro declared. "We won't tolerate hostile Shadows like these! Even though we could... huh..."
"You must know Personas and Shadows are two sides of the same coin." Erina shrugged.
"Well, let's just destroy the fake." Toshiro replied. "But who of us will be going to?"
"Whoa, they're totally pissed..." Shadow Junpei is surprised.
"It's a good thing the rules say all fight must be about as even as one-on-one." Shadow Fuuka commented.
"Alright, shameful queens!" Shadow Junpei goaded. "Feel free to come at us!"
"Execution commence!" Both Mitsurus rushed.
The Imperious Queen of Executions
MITSURU KIRIJO (Persona: Artemisia)
The Imperious Queen of Executions
MITSURU KIRIJO (Persona: Artemisia)
vs.
The Mighty Strike-Out Slugger
JUNPEI IORI (Persona: Trismegistus)
The Hacker Who Just Can't Speak Up
FUUKA YAMAGISHI (Persona: Juno)
"How did a non-combatant get in the direct fight though?" 2012! Mitsuru is confused.
2009!Mitsuru clashed against Shadow Junpei, but pokes to prick him off. He retaliated with a hard strike, briefly beating down the high-schooler and bloodlusted. Of course, 2009! Artemisia had to get involved.
And so, 2009! Artemisia and Trismegistus clashed, as the two actually traded blows and went spelling on each other as combat. But since 2009!Artemisia is Penthesilea evolved, it still has the support stuffs, which was weaponized by 2009!Mitsuru to charm off. It only worked for a brief time, because Shadow Junpei brutalized the younger with his bat and then Trismegistus, threatening to Persona-Break her and draw her blood.
"Help!" 2009!Mitsuru called.
2012!Mitsuru and 2012!Artemisia targeted Shadow Fuuka, who can't be combating, just like Fuuka herself. However, this doesn't mean she would ignore her past: Shadow Junpei is briefly frozen and then got whacked by her Artemisia.
"Hey, crude queen!" Shadow Junpei complained.
"Shut up, you're the crude one!" 2012!Mitsuru kicked the fake on his stomach.
2009!Mitsuru recovered, and tackled Shadow Junpei. At the same time, 2012!Mitsuru approached Shadow Fuuka, wondering how could she even fight herself - yes, Fuuka can fend off herself and survive, but how could Fuuka even be combat-ready outside of her support role?
But by this point, Shadow Fuuka is in Juno and is holding 2012!Mitsuru at gunpoint. She has her Evoker aimed beyond the glass sphere of Juno, which seemed to glow onto targeting the mistress. This is pretty much ridiculous in the eyes of that Empress.
"If Fuuka can survive Tartarus for the longest, Fuuka can still fight." Shadow Fuuka revealed. "An Evoker is enough. Persona can boost Fuuka up just as it can boost her friends up when in need. That allows aim assist-"
"What the-!?" 2012!Mitsuru is baffled.
"You've underestimated Fuuka. You've underestimated me!"
Shadow Fuuka pulled the trigger, and from the glass comes a burning cyan projectile with serious damage and explodes on impact, causing havoc on very small scale per shot, capable of knocking away nearby victims.
2012!Mitsuru narrowly avoided the shot, but the expression freaked the two rebels out.
"No!" Erina is shocked.
"This can be... me? No...!" 2012!Fuuka is shocked.
"Hackers know what they're searching along. For instance, how to use a gun." Shadow Fuuka smirked. "It helps that I have the Evoker. Just like you!"
"Fuuka can fight!?" 2009!Mitsuru noticed.
"Thank you for your support!" Shadow Junpei rushed.
2009!Mitsuru found herself slowed down and slightly drowsy, despite her having not drinking any alcohol lately. Noticing her past self in danger, 2012!Mitsuru immediately tackled the fake combatant, leading to a cross-country knocking both away with damage from their own shit.
"Aaagh!" 2012!Mitsuru rolled to near an invisible wall.
"Shit!" Shadow Junpei is knocked down. "It's a goddamned foul! Fix this, Fuuka!"
"Junpei-san!" Shadow Fuuka stepped, so Juno marched. "I'm coming!"
"Not you again!" 2012!Mitsuru recovered. "Artemisia, go bust her!"
2012!Artemisia struck Juno with the frozen whip, forcing Shadow Fuuka to turn around. She shot the Artemisia, and it depleted one Persona card of 2012!Mitsuru.
"Shoot! Can't believe she can shoot us!" 2012!Mitsuru realized.
2009!Mitsuru immediately loaded her Theurgy, and shot herself with the Evoker. Cue the glowing red eyes.
"Kneel before me, you fake people!" 2009!Mitsuru had 2009! Artemisia readied.
"Great! But have one at you! Hahaha!" Shadow Junpei has Theurgy as well. "Theurgia!"
The fake combatant crushed his Theurgy cartridge, causing his right eye to glow red. "Trismegistus, brutalize them both!"
Shadow Junpei went for the run, intercepting 2012!Mitsuru and hitting her with one critical, nearly knocking her down and forcing her to counter with her Evoker, at which point her Artemisia returns to blasts ice on the fake. But with 2009!Mitsuru left alone for now, Shadow Fuuka targeted her.
"Yikes!" 2009! Mitsuru barely dodged the shots.
"Home run is your death!" Shadow Junpei hit a few times, also casting fire once to melt the ice and try knocking 2012!Mitsuru down.
"Hmmmhmmmhrgh!" 2009!Junpei rejected the fakes while he's bound.
"It is time- WOAHHHRGH!" Shadow Junpei tripped.
Trismegistus went for a massive slash combo, but Artemisia was able to parry it. This leaves the fake combatant to swing down his bat - which is now burning into a massive sword - and down to the woman.
"Freeze!" 2009!Mitsuru froze the surroundings.
This stalled the bat, causing Shadow Junpei to fall down in the face. 2009!Mitsuru skates on the ground, hacking down the fake combatant while simultaneously dodging the shot from the fake support. Her Artemisia managed to freeze the two fakes down, and created a throne for her. Sitting down like ice queen, and also saving her future self as well.
2009!Mitsuru snaps, exploding the glaciers. The exploded Shadow Junpei and Persona-broke Shadow Fuuka.
"NOOOOO!" Shadow Fuuka.
"Theurgia!" 2012!Mitsuru went for an Theurgy-enhanced Instant Kill, loading the Theurgy and shooting herself. "Artemisia!"
Cue Artemisia freezes the fake support and then whip off repeatedly with the chained whip. Cue an iridescent yet cold sphere made from slashes from 2012!Mitsuru, which then explodes, cracking the ice spike.
"This is the end." 2012!Mitsuru destroyed the ice spike with her own rapier, exploding Shadow Fuuka.
Both Shadow-types melted down into Vex-infused Shadows, which then all evaporated into Persona fragments.
"Alright! In your tyrannic face!" Toshiro exclaimed.
The resonance ends, and the fighters here are free. 2009!Junpei and 2009!Fuuka are also saved. 2012!Junpei fell down.
"Junpei Iori at your service! A-Ahhhhh..." On top of the black puddle.
"Iori! Yamagishi!" Both Mitsurus noticed.
2012!Mitsuru approached her Junpei and care and worry, while 2009!Mitsuru freed her Junpei and her Fuuka.
"So you're Junpei Iori and Fuuka Yamagishi?" Erina noticed.
"Uh... why?" 2012!Fuuka approached.
"Oh thanks- WOAHHH!" 2009!Fuuka noticed her future self.
"Oh, what the!?" 2009!Junpei is baffled.
"We came from different times. You're welcome." Erina approached.
"Now, shall we recap all that happened to us..." Toshiro walks in.
"Different... time?" 2009!Fuuka couldn't believe it. "I-I-wait... I remember now." (*3)
"So... you're me roughly three years ago..." 2012!Fuuka recognized her past self.
"Ok, let us explain." 2009!Mitsuru came by.
The party recapped everything that has happened up since the P-1 Special started, and up until this point. And then, the expanded party then tried to free the crucifixes. 2025!Ron and especially the Tormentor and the Subjugator could not come off straight away - all three of them are drained. But they did it, the captives were freed.
"That damn... alien." 2012!Mitsuru noticed the two aliens. "Why are they there though?"
"Hey you! Are you okay!?" 2012!Junpei tried to wake 2025!Ron up. "Dammit, who did this to you...?"
"So apparently, you are of the Shadow Operatives." Toshiro recalled. "Well..."
"Yes, we are." 2012!Fuuka confirmed. "But we were of S.E.E.S. Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad."
"We are all Persona users, you know." Erina added. "I'm the partial exception, because the original Erina has become Ernesto. But I shared his will and so coated myself in Shadows to become Erina, so I can fight alongside Toshiro."
The P-1 veterans (the 2012 selves) explained their involvements in the initial two editions of P-1 Grand Prix which happened in a span of mere couple of days.
"...So now we're on the same page." Toshiro replied. "I'm still not sure of the existence of the TV world exactly, but I think we now know the basics."
"Oh right, I haven't introduced myself properly." 2012!Junpei responded. "I'm Junpei Iori! People call me the Shadow Operatives' lethal weapon! And this is Fuuka Yamagishi, the support-"
"Yeah yeah yeah, got it." Erina blah blah blah.
"Thanks for sticking up for those three strangers earlier, uhh..." 2012!Junpei continued.
"Toshiro Kasukabe."/"春日部統志郎" Toshiro bowed.
"Eri Natsuhara."/"夏原恵利" Erina bowed. "But you can call me Erina."/"でも、私をエルと呼んでください"
"What's with all the ruckus?" 2025!Ron woke up. "I'm trying to sleep here..."
The party noticed. "You're awake!"
"Thanks goodness, he's alive!" Erina is relieved.
"I was getting worried, an innocent..." 2009!Mitsuru sighed.
"Relax. I was just taking a nap to recover myself after they captured me." 2025!Ron said so to keep everyone calm down.
He thanked the Persona users and...
"Oh. Who are you, by the way?"
Erina gave 2025!Ron a note with the faces and corresponding names, drawn by 2012!Mitsuru because Erina's art is poor.
"Oh, I see. You're all Japanese?" 2025!Ron knows Japanese. "I learned Japanese while my Pechy Comet was away in the city. My name is Ron Davis."
Once again, more recap.
"In the meantime, I'm sure Takeba, Amada, his dog, Aigis, Labrys and that Investigation Team friends are on their way as well." 2012!Mitsuru noted.
"Now... this Tartarus bull is rising as we speak..." 2012!Junpei groaned.
"How did you get there?" Toshiro asked.
"Well, we were stuck in the so-called Corridors of Time, also with those so-called Shadow presence." 2025!Ron recalled. "So we tried to seek help. Only for us to be kidnapped by a robot in robe and with forbidden magic from another world. Well... you know the rest."
"Dammit... The culprits are sick bastards from nowhere." 2012! Junpei is pissed. "How dare they torture you!"
"Huh? Not exactly." 2025!Ron shook his head.
"They didn't?" 2012!Junpei is confused. "B-b-but-"
Awkward silence.
"Oh, that reminds me, though." 2012!Junpei recalled. "This feels like something we ourselves know all too well... Is it just us?"
"Huh?" 2025!Ron have no idea.
"This is the Dark Hour, right?" 2012!Junpei revealed.
"Basically, the Dark Hour is a hidden time that ordinary people in our world don't know about." 2012!Mitsuru explained. "We once fought to get rid of it. But that used to last about an hour every night. What's happening outside this tower doesn't seem so simple."
2009!Mitsuru recalled what General Teddie said to her. "Basically, General Teddie said that if we don't win the tournament within the hour... all of existence will end."
"That's not good..." 2025!Ron realized. "We have to meet up with Pechy, Miranda, Penny, Diana, Jack, Gary and the others, as soon as possible!"
While the aliens recovered, the humans rushed all over the Island, only to find no escape route at all. Not even the spare Rift-to-Go on the floor fully helped.
2025!Pechy and friends was going to a dark hall towards another checkpoint:
Location: Rival Arena (Playstation All-Stars)
Not good. The way is too long and too complicated of a road. There's a full labyrinth right under their nose, already shifting.
"Ugh... No. When will this shit end?" System is on verge of overheating, having used navigation in full for extended period.
"Can't give up." 2025!Pechy, still holding on her Dreamcatcher. "Wait... someone's there."
Echoes of somebody and somebody is all over from an entrance. Entering, the gang found...
"Ughhh... I am getting sooo bored. I should just go take out whoever I meet..."
"Why do you insist on torturing me? You should know that I have done nothing wrong. People would die because of my nature."
"Shut up. Wanna shove you in a Shadow of yours?"
"No. Because I am not evil. I cared. I also wanted slumber. But you all-"
"Huh...!?" Ivy Comet noticed. "Wh-where is this? Was there someplace like this-"
Location: Vault of Shattered Glass
BGM: Tartarus Block 6 (Persona 3 Reload)
It's the Vault of Glass, now overgrown and littered with coffins, clocks, supercomputers, weapon mods, crystals and red fog. There's a stair in place of the throne of Atheon, and on top of that is... a Master Engine (*4) and a massive cock fixed at perfect 12 (it's from midnight to the Dark Hour, after all). Lit by an eerie light, and distributed in disturbing proportions on top of the layout of the massive vault, invoking fear itself onto those who enters this room.
"What're you talking for?" Hortus threatened Nyx. "Want me to calcify your body and send you to Erebus?"
"I'm sorry, but you're too aggressive for my liking." Nyx refuted, but with gentle talk and expression. "And you came to get me because you needed me, no? Why are you sure I deserve all this, when I was resting behind the door?"
"Cripes, what a doormat you are." Hortus smirked. "Did you just come straight from your Shadow room or something? Hahaha! Don't worry, great parents. These days have nothing to do with this. I can put anyone down whenever-"
"Absolutely not. The Second Knife is not worth-" Nyx refuted.
Hortus quickly holds Strand on the entity's throat. "Then go on ahead. Have you actually did the Fall yet?"
That creepy scene... And Nyx glared at Hortus with a full yet furious gaze on that paracausal bitch, brushing aside even her threats...
"Rgh... This bitch's really pissing me off..." Hortus then removed the Strand from the throat, freeing Nyx.
"Is that Hortus girl insane!?" Ivy Comet noticed. "She's being a creep calling the Second Knife as her parents, and then one second later, she-"
"Why are they even bickering about?" Jumpson asked.
"Look, there's no need to fight." Nyx suggested. "Once the whole effect descends, I will be finally defeated and all of existence will die. Why are you torturing me and spend your free time dealing with them?"
"Uhhh... no, that's not the problem." Hortus refused. "I look at those guys and can't stop cringing and gagging. They just herd together, like best buds, in hopes of ending us alone. I dunno why they're so full of themselves."
Hortus grinned the teeth made of... Pyramid matter? It make us wanna beat the shit out of them, get 'em to beg for mercy... You get me? Do you!?"
Cue a bunch of literal flying bricks with wings and spliced skins attacking the gang.
"Everyone, get back!" System noticed. "These are the Grims!"
"Hahahahaha! You're so lame!" Hortus ambushed the System. "Such a frickin' irritating bunch, I hate to even look at you! I just wanna see you completely destroyed!"
The gang stopped hiding, and fully entered the scene.
"Hortus Zankyo..."/"残響ホルタス..." 2025!Pechy approached. "What are you planning?"
"Huh?" Weren't you listening?" Hortus noticed. "We're gonna reshape all of existence into whatever we can stand to live in!"
"Wh-what!?" Ivy Jolicoeur is shocked.
"Don't be ridiculous!" System refuted. "That won't help anything but you Darkbolts!"
"Yeah? So what? Of course it only help us!" Hortus admitted. "I'm saying you're all disgusting and misshapen, so you all should either let your being turned perfect or just die as disgraced losers!"
"This is ridiculous! You're absolutely psychotic!" Jumpson objected. "Are you saying that nothing else matters as long as the Darkbolts win!?"
"Aha! Well, duuuuh!" Hortus dismissed. "Shitty imperfects in this shitty existence of yours have no goddamn place in the Final Shape! I'm telling you we Darkbolts are gonna get rid of every shred of oppositions from all meta-history, and reshape everything whatever we want!"
"You little... You really are a piece of shit that's not even worth mercy." Ivy Comet refuted. "You've got no right to do that! Perhaps you've got no right to even exist!"
"All of reality will be much safer... no resistance, only obey." Hortus dropped a small bombshell. "So anyone can be truly free to make their own fate. Any wish, moderated. Rules on."
"What!? A glorified Final Shape!?" System is baffled.
"Ugh, shut up shut up shut up shut up! Just hurry up and get smashed to pieces, you shitty pests!" Hortus pulled out her Golden Gun... an Evoker.
"What are you doing, miss!?" Nyx objected.
"And you shut up too, you bitch queen (*5)!" Hortus is pissed. "Come get me, I'll splice you to death! You'll be begging for mercy!"
"Oh for stars' sake!" 2025!Pechy is baffled.
"Ignore the rules! We'll show this bitch our truth!" System pulled out an pseudo-cartoon IWI Galil ACE called the Combat Assault Rifle. (*6) "Show you how strong we can be when you have something to protect!"
"Nobody let our guard down!" Nyx warned the party, having recognized them from earlier.
Witchcraft of the Wishing Star
Dreamcatcher Crystal Reincarnate
Cross-Dimensional Guardian Angel
The Invader of Next Possibilities
Legendary Hero behind the Jump Force
vs. [REDACTED]
Instead of following the rules of only fair fighting equivalent of one-on-one, the five went for an all-out assault, disregarding the rules of P-1 altogether because it's craving away all powers on.
The tight spread of the Combat Assault Rifle is used on the head of the weird girl, and a nice fire rate so she struggles to parry down the bullets, resulting in headshot; the vertical crap of the gun is perfectly mitigated by the machine's efficient movement, much to the annoyance of the girl.
Hortus went radiant, her slices in her body burning with Solar Light, and casted Lucent Threadling containing Solar wisps wrapped in Strand, siccing onto the five. 2025!Pechy forgoes her wand and instead requested a high-frequency blade. System summoned one and so the princess struck down one Threadling and...
"Fuck no!" Jumpson went for a tackle.
Hortus blocks with Strand claws, akin to that of a Berserker Titan.
"No more!" Ivy Comet stabbed the girl.
Hortus disappeared like a flash.
"The rope!" Nyx noticed.
2025!Pechy grabbed the Strand, catching the rope dart. Hortus is knocked down, and System immediately tagged.
Lasers from the ground struck down, imbued with chaining lightning of Arc Light. This was only a temporary hold though.
"Beat her down with all your-"
Hortus rises and grabbed the System on the throat. Bleak Watchers suddenly spawned and then fires Hellions to the rest. 2025!Pechy and Ivy Comet reacted, so managed to split off one Hellion each with a slash from their vibrating edges. Allowing Jumpson to shadow-clone to take down the turrets, but these turrets spawned a Nova Bomb and each exploded, suppressing the Hero. Hortus immediately slammed System down and kick her with Stasis, only to find out that she's resistant to paracausality because for her, Light and Darkness are only possibilities she is capable to get.
"Hell no!"
"Oh yeah!"
Freezing Singularity on point blank to forcibly suppress and slow into freezing with the mix of Void and Stasis. But System is barely affected, and three headshot from Golden Gun followed by a quick precision Shadow Shot only dealt moderate damage, not the fatal load that any regular Guardian (Prismatic or not) can die from.
System brawled down the weird girl and quickly lasered her again imbued with Stormatrance. And then again, but to keep her down and allow the Dreamcatcher to finish the girl off. The Comet familia girls and Ivy Jolicoeur all trusted the machine, so nodded and assumed their strongest state. (Jolicoeur just awakened herself and glowed her eyes; it's the Goddess of the Wishing Star and the Unity angel)
"Impressive trash!" Hortus finally knocked System to the side.
No monologue - the three instead went: "Smashing LIGHT!"
An explosion of dream crated down the ground and shockwaved the entire room.
Seconds later...
"Gaah...! You... little..." Hortus rolled out, defeated.
The weird paracausal girl collapsed there, and the battlefield is free. The red pillars of P-1 were destroyed, deleting the invisible walls with it.
Nyx sighed. "What did I tell you? This is because you kept using your powers to fight. You all were indirectly siphoned because of the Darkbolts' machinations..."
"Are you fighting us next, Miss Death?" System called.
"Huh? Why do you seek violence on me?" Nyx waved.
"Then why aren't you more resistant to Hortus?" System questioned.
"Oh? Heheh..." Nyx is surprised. "Isn't there someone else besides us you should be worrying about?"
"Oh! The Darkbolts' accomplices or members or something!" Ivy Comet noticed.
"Persona." Someone with a distorted voice.
"Huh?" System noticed.
Orpheus is here. And in front is a boy, masculine equivalent of what is Nyx's body, complete with headphones and male's Gekkoukan High uniform. Was it... Makoto Yuuki (結城理)?
No no no, golden eyes!
"Miss, please!" 2025!Pechy called.
"Watch out!" Jumpson noticed.
A gust blowed from the Makoto to the gang, wisp-ing the scene with wind.
"Makoto!?"/"理!?" System is shocked.
Location: Reality Falls, "Artemis" Island
"We're stuck!" Toshiro is frustrated. "What's going on here!?"
Only 2025!Ron, the Mitsurus and technically both the Tormentor and the Subjugator are calm now.
"Maybe we should check for something to... no-clip out of this." 2025!Ron suggested.
The Reality Tree seems to be the right choice.
"Huh? Actually, uh, is this it?" 2012!Junpei spotted the Reality Tree.
So the entire gang dragged the two aliens to the Reality Tree. And suddenly, everyone's rifted out.
"Whoa!? Wh-What is this?" 2012!Junpei noticed. "It's kinda creepy..."
Location: Announcement Room
The same one as P-1 Grand Prix Cross Edition (*7) albeit beyond the window is those broken robots.
"Labrys' past... and this?" 2012!Mitsuru noticed.
A graffiti said "Shadow Angela: So last season" (*7), seemingly by Darkbolts themselves, gets noticed.
"What did the CXA say?" 2012!Fuuka couldn't remember CXA existed.
"Huh!?" The Tormentor woke up with a reverbing echo. "How did you..."
"So you have..." The Subjugator woke up with similarly reverbing ech, too. "Huh? My body..."
The aliens got up, and 2025!Ron wants to keep them both in check.
"Oh my..." The Subjugator seems displeased at the feminine body. "Why am I... a mother?"
"You... Thank you for-" The Tormentor couldn't think of anything, so he just bowed.
2025!Ron smiled. "You guys seem to get along really well, huh? But we're running out of time, so let's get moving."
The Pyramid-tech weapons - Tormentor's scythe and Subjugator's glaive - are on their hands, feeling familiar yet strange. But they didn't get the time to ask in detail, they had to follow the gang.
"Roger that!" 2009!Mitsuru decided to appeal the age difference, not the time difference here. For now.
"Ok, let's go!" 2009!Junpei rushed.
"Oh hey, there's a door over here too." 2012!Junpei noticed.
Only for the door opening to blows wind onto the room, sweeping 2012!Junpei first.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Mr. Iori!" 2025!Ron noticed.
"Oh no!" 2009!Junpei panicked.
Suddenly, everyone, including the Tormentor and the Subjugator all ended up swept out of the room and into another place...
Location: Corridors of Time
Even the corridors are absorbed, assimilated into realms, and all out of whack. This place the gang in particular have a massive bridge on. 2012!Junpei grabbing on the handrail...
"This place... It's the Moonlight Bridge!" The Mitsurus noticed.
Under is the pure radiolarian fluid repainted into blood through the Dark Hour, glistering in moonlight.
"Why..." The Tormentor noticed.
"Wait...! Penny!" 2025!Ron noticed.
"Help! I avoided fighting but I don't know where to go!" 2025!Penny called. "Firstly, I was Taken (*8) and had to be freed by Pechy, and now... this!"
A crucifix of 2025!Miranda Miller is right on top of the pillar, along with a crucifix of a chitinous alien queen strapped with a bony eye entity.
"Savathun..." The Tormentor recognized the alien queen.
Savathun, the Witch Queen. Accompanied by her Ghost, Immaru, First Ghost. Now both crucified alongside 2025!Miranda. It was thanks to the fine eyesight of half of the current gang that they were able to spot them.
"Fine. How about I leap and knock that crucifix off, humans?" The Subjugator relented.
Suddenly, the entire gang except 2012!Junpei got rifted back into...
Location: Announcement Room
"Huh?" 2025!Penny is rifted and grouped into the gang.
Cue invisible walls to calcify some of the surroundings and block the gang.
"You're going nowhere. If you think that things will be that easy, you're gravely mistaken."
A Shadow appeared, taking the appearance of an unspecified and generic androgynous Guardian with not discernible class at all, instead appearing as a composite for Hunters, Titans and Warlocks as a whole. Cue the gang on guard.
"You... Dare you..." The Subjugator noticed.
"You have got to be kidding me, Guardian!" The Tormentor noticed.
"I'm a Shadow... The true self..." The Shadow declared. "Long time no see, Rhulk and Nezarec. You should say hello too, Ghost."
"Welcome to the Dark Metaverse..." The Shadow's Ghost, appearing as the Young Wolf's generic Ghost, differentiated by a glowing golden eye (instead of blue) and distorted version of the familiar towards Dread/Lubrae/Ultra voice.
"Dark Metaverse!?"/"イセカイの影!?" The humans and 2025!Penny are shocked.
"You think we only relied on others and deliberately forgotten the fear of death (*9), don't you?" The Shadow smirked. "But let us make one thing clear: don't underestimate us."
"Okay... So that's what's going on." The Subjugator stepped in. "Very well... Let's me-hrm!?"
A Shadowshot strapped with a Hailfire Spikes, into tether charged with Stasis matter and Solar energy that attached through Void, right into her head, then erupts into a slowing storm. Few seconds later, the device ignites, creating a deadly scorching cyclone, engulfing the Subjugator and threatening to burn nearby.
"You again..." The Tormentor barely avoided.
"You must know the rules by now. Decide who'll be representing you." The Shadow threatened. "If possible, we'd prefer not to fight someone who's injured, like Rhulk."
Genderbent Rhulk!? Ok...
"It's no fun at all for us to beat up on someone who isn't in perfect condition, you know." The Shadow continued.
"Who are you, by the way?" 2012!Mitsuru questioned.
"I'm the Guardian. They called me the Young Wolf." The Shadow "revealed". "This is Nezarec, 'Final' God of Pain, reincarnated as Tormentor. And Rhulk, goddamned Disciple of the Witness... reincarnated as Subjugator."
"Hey, Guardian!" Nezarec, Final God of Pain, called the Shadow out. "What gives, bringing yourself to challenge us!?"
"Huh? Oh, and my Ghost?" The Shadow noticed. "Don't worry about it. I should get a handicap, right? I mean, since he's violent."
"Tch... How can you..." Toshiro is pissed.
"My Yamagishi, let's get going." 2012!Mitsuru stepped in. "If your fake knows how to fight, then you can. I saw the fake aiming the Evoker on the glass sphere of the Persona."
"Huh?" 2012!Fuuka is confused. "And also... why send me? This is one-on-one."
"Technically against one and a half, for there's that entity floating alongside the Shadow." 2012!Mitsuru spotted the Shadow's Ghost.
"Oh shit!" The Shadow's Ghost hid inside them himself. "Guardian, kill whoever challenge us! The rules will take care of the rest!"
"I remember about paracausality! About Light and Dark!" 2025!Penny recalled. "So miss, you can use... er, bring miss..."
"Yamagishi, let's fight this Shadow." 2012!Mitsuru brandished her rapier. "Persona!"
Artemisia rises. Fuuka went "Persona" as well, closing herself into Juno.
"Aim... and shoot..." 2012!Fuuka holds her Evoker.
"Hmph. You're up against a Guardian. And fine, let's be two-on-one. Because of my Ghost." The Shadow pulls out a Khvostov 7G-0X, an automatic rifle. "But still... Bring it on!"
The Imperious Queen of Executions
MITSURU KIRIJO (Persona: Artemisia)
The Hacker Who Just Can't Speak Up
FUUKA YAMAGISHI (Persona: Juno)
vs.
Dangerous Light of the Last City
[Young Wolf] (Persona: - )
The Khvostov fired on Juno, specifically the glass sphere covering 2012!Fuuka, who fired back with her Evoker, leading to an explosion knocking the Shadow away, leading to them casting a Stasis barrier and then Void blink. 2012!Mitsuru immediately intercepted, but is met by the the Silence and Squall which overpowered the cold of Bufu, forcing the queen to charm down and go for the poke. The Shadow immediately swung a whole Twilight Arsenal - Void axes one after another - followed by a Hammer of Sol, and then a Strand slash - the impromptu Bladefury - to hack her down.
"Argh!" 2012!Mitsuru got hit and knocked down.
Two shot from the Golden Gun onto her, but she rolled out and recovered, while 2012!Fuuka shot the Shadow, which is responded by the last golden shot right on the glass sphere.
"He prefers target being that!" 2012!Mitsuru pointed out. "Yamagishi, dodge!"
2012!Fuuka jumped out of the way, causing Juno to bounce all over. The Shadow threw an Arc Staff on the glass, but she dodged. Then they threw the Storm's Edge - an Arc dagger - onto her. The dagger gets knocked out because it only edged the impact, not struck the glass. But from there the Shadow blinked on and went for...
"Glacial... Thunder!" Thundercrash plus Glacial Quake, the Shadow hurls and tried to punch the glass.
Artemisia pushed 2012!Fuuka and Juno aside, getting hot and depleted a Persona card.
"Persona!" 2012!Mitsuru bounced and shot herself with her Evoker.
Artemisia rises again, tried to sweep the Shadow down. They grappled it and knocked it away with the rope dart of Strand, before swinging into 2012!Mitsuru.
"You can do this, future!" 2009!Mitsuru cheered her future self.
2012!Mitsuru found herself clashing against the Shadow. 2012!Fuuka took a fire, hitting the Shadow Guardian in the stomach.
"Argh! Fuck!" The Shadow crouched.
A Solar shockwave knocked the two off, the Song of Flame radiates, engulfing the Nova Bombs in flame - speaking of which, the Shadow kicks a couple of burning Nova Bombs onto Juno. 2012!Fuuka managed to jump, this evading the bombs, and she advances, shooting the Shadow.
A Sentinel Shield, blocking the powerful blast from the Evoker to the glass, the Shadow got up and threw the shield on Juno, cracking the glass and thus threatening to Persona-Break 2012!Fuuka.
"Yamagishi!" 2012!Mitsuru in the way to 2012!Fuuka, and kicked the Shadow.
The Shadow fired the Khvostov all onto the queen, who which dodges and sicc Artemisia to freeze them, followed by her sweeping. The Shadow bounced back and blinked out, nearly stabbing back with the Arc Staff, then tried the Hammer of Sol. 2012!Mitsuru froze the hammer and poked the right eye of the Shadow, spurting the ego-fluid from that socket right to her face.
"Ugh! Disgusting!" 2012!Mitsuru loaded Theurgy.
"I can't stand this anymore!" 2012!Fuuka had enough.
2012!Fuuka immediately loaded the Theurgy cartilage. The two S.E.E.S. girls shot themselves, bring on their real Shadow into the glowing red of eyes, targeting the Shadow.
"Hell no!" The Shadow whipped the dart out, trying to slice down 2012!Mitsuru.
2012!Mitsuru skated out and struck down the Shadow, then Artemisia massively froze the body, also trapping the Ghost hiding in the Shadow.
"Hear my prayers." 2012!Fuuka rained the power of Persona using her Theurgy.
The resulted ice spikes cracked, 2012!Mitsuru quickly speeded to do the finishing strike, fully focused right on the Shadow and their Ghost.
"Goodbye! Execution time!"
2012!Mitsuru pierced through with the rapier followed by her own hurling body, shattering the ice.
"Ngh...!" The Shadow splattered, causing their armors to fall all over the place.
The invisible walls lost too, and the room is fixed back. The Shadow falls down, limp in its natural form. The Ghost just huddled on the ground along, instead of him and then melting down immediately afterwards.
"Oh man... I didn't think you were this strong." The Shadow, defeated. "We didn't fight because we wanted to, you know... They forced us to do this..."
"I'm sorry, Guardian..." The Shadow's Ghost whimpers.
"Uh... Uh... Are this Guardian and their Ghost... fakes?" Nezarec noticed. "There's no way these are real...?"
"Well... engineered Shadows disappear as soon as they're defeated..." 2012!Mitsuru commented. "After all, they are fake versions of certain combatants like us. I even had to execute my fake after I was found by my own past."
The Shadow then chuckles, so...
"Hey! Don't let your guard down!" Jumpson called.
"Guardian. Maybe we should give you mercy this time." Rhulk just let his/her guard down. "I cannot risk getting slain-"
"Nezarec, Rhulk, and all those more." The Shadow grinned, with Shadow fluids spawning another cosmetic military stuffs of Guardians like those generic armors, right on them. "It's too late now!"
The Shadow fully armored and like the Guardian, complete with a furious Ghost. Cue the gang knocked away with a shock of a Transcendence. Once again, the stuffs are too generic to imply any gendering or classification for the fake Guardian other than being Prismatic.
"Damnit!" Jumpson is pissed.
Letting the guards down, leading to the gang getting back into endangerment. However, suddenly, a bunch of Threadlings immediately bombarded the fake Ghost, destroying it.
"What!? You're-!?"
Suddenly, three fanned yet aimed headshot from another Golden Gun, precisely on the Shadow and only the Shadow.
The Shadow Guardian and their now-destroyed Ghost both immediately melted down into Shadow radiolaria, which then evaporated into light and both Light and Dark. A squad of four Guardians have arrived. The three classic Guardians and a female Awoken Warlock by the name of Shayura, all arrived.
"Honestly... can't believe you let your guard down when it counted." The Warlock sighed.
"Heheheh... Got you!" Shayura grinned.
The real Guardians, who and which took down the fake Guardian, stands before the gang.
"We're the Guardians. One of us, the Young Wolf. And this is our troubled Warlock guest, Shayura... from another timeline." The Hunter stepped in.
"Oh... Hello..." 2012!Mitsuru blushes. "Nice to meet you... Guardians."
"Guardians?" 2009!Mitsuru have no idea who the Guardians really are. "And what about... radiolaria?"
"Watching you was pretty horrific, I must say." The Titan noted. "Do you understand what you were doing? Not paying attention when it most mattered... not good."
The gang bowed down, except for Nezarec in Tormentor body, who shrugged.
"I apologize for my carelessness." Both Mitsurus, in unison.
"We're sorry we dropped our guard." Toshiro apologized.
"Thank goodness... Thank you for saving us." Rhulk expressed her newfound gratitude to the Guardians. "Even though... I have all but become a woman."
"I, Nezarec, and Rhulk, gives you our gratitude." Nezarec expressed his newfound gratitude.
"Great. Not the Disciples again!" The Hunter facepalmed, having recognized the body shapes and the names.
"Ok... so we got Shayura from the timeline that the Second Knife first came from." The Warlock recalled. "Also, we've heard about you from the CXA files. So you are all..."
"Some of us are from Shadow Operatives, formerly Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad." 2012!Mitsuru added. Apparently, we're all in the Dark Metaverse now."
"Shayura in both timelines were excessively troubled ever since the Red War. (*9) The she executed then newly-minted Stasis wielders. Then she met Savathun, and regretted all the executions she had done. Then Reed-7 got slice, apparently, the Witness dismissed us, and they... yeah..."
"And in the Second Knife timeline, Shayura went Prismatic to spite her now-evil versions of us." The Hunter added. "Apparently, her Aisha died in the brawl, the Cult of Osiris were all slain, and the Second Collapse happened at the end of said brawl.
"Yeah, right." The Warlock confirmed.
"Still, thanks goodness you rescued us!" 2009!Junpei cheesed.
"Sorry to cut this sorry, but we have to move, Guardians." 2012!Mitsuru turned to the way. "What happened?"
"We finally contacted the Investigation Team and the auxiliary members of Shadow Operatives, and we defeated a strange monster known as Azazel (*10) before getting here." The Titan reported. "We entered the strange tower we're in now, and split up search for captives... but so far, we can't say that it's going well. Us, only three freed."
"I, Rhulk and Nezarec were among the captives, and we were saved by this team of ours here." 2025!Ron added. "My name is Ron Davis. I'm from year 2025, and nice to meet you."
"Oh, where's my future?" 2009!Junpei asked.
"Oh great...!" 2025!Ron facepalmed.
The gang, now joined by Guardians and 2025!Penny, went back to the Moonlight Bridge, only to find the crosses missing. Then suddenly...
"What!?" The OG are shocked.
Savathun is flying, holding both 2025!Miranda and 2012!Junpei as descending to the ground, all safely.
"Thank you for saving us from the horror." Savathun lands down, accompanied by Immaru. "And oh... little Light, you're back!"
"Savathun!? Immaru!?" The Hunter is baffled.
"So... someone climbed up the bridge and broke the crucifixes." 2025!Miranda commented.
"Miranda!" 2025!Ron and 2025!Penny both hugged their Miranda.
"I am a guy who gets things done when it comes down to it, hahah!" 2012!Junpei exclaimed.
"Who in the... Savathun...?" Nezarec couldn't believe it.
"Sathona." Rhulk recognized the Hive God.
"Is that so...?" Toshiro refuted. "It looks to us like Savathun is the one helping you out, Mr. Iori."
"So... after that batty one broke the cross and freed up, he fell off the bridge, so I had to rescue him." Savathun explained. "I want to fool the Second Knife. They helped doing it!"
"A-Ahaha... It's really been a day for me falling off of things." 2012!Junpei cringed.
"I see..." Toshiro got it.
"Shit... I'm glad we all survived anyways." Shayura scoffed, mistaking Savathun for her own from the alternate universe. "Let's go save whichever those poor innocent people and get this over with, you bitch queen!" (*5)
"Haven't you gone to therapy right before P-1?" The Warlock facepalmed.
"Hey, those impudent humans and co.!" Rhulk called.
"Ack!? Wh-what!?" Erina noticed.
"Hurry up, mortals!" Nezarec shouted.
"Come with us." 2009!Mitsuru offered.
"Roger that, Ms. Kirijo." The Warlock saluted.
"We need some friendly Shadow's help for this. We were lucky on the way to here, but the oncoming roads are going to be horrifically dangerous." The Titan suggested.
"I will!" Erina raised her hand.
"Our Sparrow is like a hovering motorcycle." The Titan themselves got their own Sparrow for Erina to ride. "C'mon, you're in it this deep. You might as well see it through."
"Leave it is me! I can ride a motorcycle!" Erina entered the Sparrow.
The Warlock tethered the Sparrow with Strand for everyone to get pulled to, then bloomed Void to get them floating once they strap in.
"I already know about the giant stairs going up, so..." 2012!Junpei recalled.
Location: Corridors of Time
Mitsuru's whole gang strapped in, with Erina riding the Sparrow carried by Savathun.
Meanwhile...
"What's this place?" Ren stumbles on a seemingly random corridor which was consumed by the tower.
Mutilated corpses of Doom's Henchmen are littered on the ground, partially veiled by the red fog.
"P-1 Special..." Morgana thought about it. "Joker, we gotta move forward."
The thieves' squad steps into the zone filled with the advertisement for P-1 Special.
"Come, Persona!"
The squad, with their respective Personas, steps by. Morgana then put his senses into the atmosphere to see what's the way to go as well as the goddamned stuffs lying around.
Help us... Help us... Help-h-h-h-help! Are you- Ple- Someone...! The Zero-Z-Z-Z- Help us!
A static-laced voice rang onto Morgana.
"Wait... Is that voice...!" Morgana kind of recognized the voice.
It was Miss Continuum's voice, even though none of the Phantom Thieves even knew about her. The squad charged towards where Morgana sensed through.
Location: House of Heroes, Reality-52
"Huh? Where are we now?" Ryuji is confused.
"A woman named Continuum... on top!"
"Huh!?" Ryuji is even more confused.
"What the!?" Ann noticed.
"Watch out!"
Sadie the Pirate and Floyd of the Crystal Land, both crucified and surrounded by Shadow-fake versions of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, with the rest of the real deal downed.
"Fox! Queen! Oracle! Noir! Crow! Violet! Sophie! Wolf! No!" Morgana is shocked.
"They... cheated... to get... us..." Zenkichi Hasegawa (長谷川善吉) noticed. "They... outnumbered... us all..."
"Ahhhk!"
The squad are struck by their respective fakes.
"Huh, looks like you have finally arrived." Shadow Joker noticed.
"No wonder we were able to take all down so easily!" Shadow Skull smirked.
"Ugh... How did you...!" Morgana noticed.
Shadow Mona meows.
"No... That's... Nngh!" Floyd is struggling.
"Take it easy, guys!" Morgana called.
Joker bounced back, and tried to reach Floyd's cross, only for him to be blocked by his fake.
"Move aside, imposter!" Ren refuted.
"Then that makes us enemies." Shadow Joker smirked. "I hope you're prepared."
"Yeah~, Now let get it started!" Shadow Panther sexually giggled, much to Ann's shock.
"Please... run..." Futaba Sakura (佐倉双葉) pleaded. "You have to... get help..."
"Ooh, you're not running away?" Shadow Panther chuckled.
"Then we may as well get started, you fucking punks!" Shadow Skull grinned.
"Bring on the ring!" Shadow Joker snapped.
Cue the invisible walls.
"Damnit!" Ryuji is pissed.
"It's dark... It's showtime...!" Shadow Joker smirked. "Persona!"
The fake Ren summoned Arsene. The other fakes on the battle followed with their own Personas - same as the real deal each.
"Ready... and... action!" Shadow Futaba isn't real here. This is a fake, not the one that became Futaba's Persona.
On cue, the engineered Shadows attacked first. The two deal barely dodged, and then grouped together.
"Persona!" Said the squad. "We won't get down!"
The Phantom Thief of Hearts
REN AMAMIYA (JOKER) (Persona: Arsene)
The Freaky Chivalrous Tactical Burglar
MORGANA (MONA) (Persona: Zorro)
The Shameful Punk-Monkey Pirate
RYUJI SAKAMOTO (SKULL) (Persona: Captain Kidd)
The Horny Dominatrix of Doom
ANN TAKAMAKI (PANTHER) (Persona: Carmen)
vs.
The Phantom Thief of Hearts
REN AMAMIYA (JOKER) (Persona: Arsene)
The Freaky Chivalrous Tactical Burglar
MORGANA (MONA) (Persona: Zorro)
The Shameful Punk-Monkey Pirate
RYUJI SAKAMOTO (SKULL) (Persona: Captain Kidd)
The Horny Dominatrix of Doom
ANN TAKAMAKI (PANTHER) (Persona: Carmen)
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
"Yes, Uxas. You SEE what you are?" Said a Spectre as the Superman. "Darkseid IS!"
"No, Spectre. Darkseid was." Darkseid finally... "Thank you... Darkseid ends."
And the birth to an absolute universe. (*11) One that is driven by turmoil, by challenge. An DC Universe where heroes are the underdogs and hope needs to shine brighter than ever. Made possible by using Spectre and the Miracle Machine dripped in the blood of Darkseid's blood one, Kalibak, to make a world, an universe, a mini-reality where Darkseid could rule-
"This is new!" Michael Carter, a.k.a. Booster Gold, fell down from time travel.
Crash-landing in the Elseworld, Michael then recovered. "We've had worse landings. Okay, Skeets. We only got ten minutes so let's get started on our readings. What do you scanners say?" *beat* "Skeets? Skeets!?" *beat" "Oh no..."
The time-traveling superhero got up, and looked around. "Oh no... no, no, no, no..."
"Okay, hold on. I'm a big boy. I've functioned without Skeets before. I can do my own scan and find him..." Michael then realized something. "Oh crap... I know where I am and... when I am. I gotta send back a warning- YIKES!"
Darkseid's Omega Beam barely missed the time-traveler.
"Okay, if anyone can hear me... Mission accomplished." Michael reported. "I've found Darkseid, but..." Oh no... That ring...
Darkseid now have a ring: a black one with a gold capital Omega symbol (Ω) and a golden 5-pointed star on center.
"Finally... I have my army..." Said Darkseid. "My Legion."
And a possessed Legion of Superheroes, from Elseworld serving Darkseid. But...
Location: Corridors of Time
We are beyond. Dreamers. Destroyers. All of reality our whim. Who dares stand before us?
"I. Doom."
Soon enough, in 2015 (*12), Earth-616 and Earth-1610 collided. The final incursion.
There was nothing. Followed by everything. Swirling, burning specks of creation that circled life-giving suns. God-
"No, God-Teddie created the infinite light! Teeheeheheheh!"
"You're welcome." The Magnificent has spoken.
General Teddie bows down to the Magnificent, the leader of the current Darkbolts. "It is my please to act on our endeavor."
Meanwhile, at the House, the respective fakes tried to kill the real deal with Shadow Frenzy. The other fakes cheered on the Shadows.
"It's shadow FRENZY!" Morgana comically avoided the connected hits.
Thankfully, the frenzy runs out, and the real deal was able to finish them each with last combo. The pillars invisible shattered, and...
"You win... We give up." The fake Yoshizawa (芳澤) had enough.
All the fake Phantom Thieves melted down into Shadow goop which then evaporated into glowing Persona fragments.
"I-It disappeared." The real Futaba commented.
Futaba got the moment, so she disabled the cross with her Persona, Necronomicon, freeing both Sadie and Floyd.
"Everyone! Are you alright?" Morgana came in.
"Thanks goodness, you saved us." Yusuke Kitagawa (喜多川祐介) got up.
"That's so crude." Goro Akechi (明智吾郎) got up. "Oh... you know those two strangers lying on the floor? Go get them recovering."
"Sophie, you gotcha!" Morgana thumbs up.
Sophia, the AI has pulled Sadie and Floyd up, for them to be picked and taken care of by Ann and Futaba.
"Panther! Navi!"/"パンサー! ナビ!" Morgana commanded. "Take care of the two!"
"Mm..." *gasp* "Huh? Where am I?" Floyd woke up. "No... I have to find Pechy! Wait a minute... Hm?"
"Uh, sir, we just saved you and a pirate here." Morgana called. "We're sorry for our interference. We just wanted to change some corrupted's heart."
"Awww... It's okay..." Sadie just woke up, and got the hear. "My goodness... Where are we?"
"Um... this is he Metaverse." Akechi revealed. "Though somehow even the Metaverse is changed. Or more precisely... it's ruined."
"Oh... y-yeah, but..." Floyd got the idea. "...but I still don't really understand what's going on here..."
Then everyone introduced themselves and recapped the goddamned events leading to this. Sadie and Floyd both were requested by Amanda Waller of Earth-0, leading to the power-theft Amazo robots, the Task Force VII, kidnapping them and leading to them eventually be crucified at the now-disabled House of Heros. The Phantom Thieves meanwhile accidentally split up after the commercial, with Ren and Futaba being the only ones able to catch said commercial; while the founders managed to find each other and squad up, the rest were kidnapped by their fakes and got defeated, leading to the capture. The fakes eventually waited for the founder squad to get into the House so they could finish what they started.
Apparently, each of the engineered Shadows are theoretically a Palace owner, with Shadow Skull bsically owning a Roman Colosseum-themed fast food chain realm, while Shadow Sophie are being EMMA (*13) 2.0. Additionally, it is pointed out that Shadows are used to make fake versions of Persona users and the likes. Oh, and because she's a hacker, Futaba was already able to access infos about the Dark Hour and the TV world.
Then, Sadie and Floyd talked about stuffs Pechy Comet did. (*14)
"Ok... Now that they and we all recovered..." Morgana stood up. "Oracle, Sophie, can you help us out?"
"Mmm-hm, of course!" Futaba agreed. "We're alright now!"
Futaba called her Necronomicon and...
"...The red fog is noisy. And i don't know exactly where, but with my own scans and Sophie, I can sense someone nearby." Futaba reported. "It seems we can also get some help from somebody as well."
"If there's even more time shenanigans..." Ryuji recalled. (*3) "After all, it's way past 2011 already."
"Uh, cat, can you tell where Pechy Comet is?" Sadie asked. "We have to get help from her."
Akechi reluctantly held his hands with Morgana and Futaba, the latter who already synced with Sophia. Cue the warmt.
"Persona."
The four Persona energized the scan in sync with the bond of the thieves, and...
"We found Persona user from nowhere, and three dreams from three other people!" Futaba got it. "Yes! That must be it!"
"I also sensed... past Persona users, including Risette and some Victory's Feather Pink!" Morgana added. "Not to mention the Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons from Kirijo Group too!"
"It seems our powers are reverbing throughout the Metaverse!" Futaba commented. "And Toshiro and Erina too!"
Then suddenly, the four got pulsed. "Argh!"
"Akechi! Morgana!" Ren is shocked.
"Uh oh." Sumire Yoshikawa (芳澤すみれ), formerly thought as Kasumi Yoshizawa (芳澤かすみ), is frustrated. "Are you ok?!"
"Ugh... we're fine, but what was that?" Akechi looked around. "Either way, it came from further up."
Morgana immediately became an extended bus, car large enough for the extended Phantom Thieves plus two, and for Makoto Niijima (新島真) to drive.
"Ok, seatbelts on!" Floyd got it.
"Queen, go full THROTTLE!" Morgana screamed
"Got it!" Makoto Niijima floored it.
"Be careful! The red fog is still there!" Haru Okumura (奥村春) called.
"Everyone, on guard!" Morgana exerted.
The car immediately went full boost.
Location: Vault of Shattered Glass
Makoto Yuuki (結城理) with glowing golden eyes managed to knock the five down just by a pulse of power.
"Such trouble you've caused..." Makoto Yuuki spoke in a calm yet rather suspicious manner. "Thanks to you, I'm forced to intervene."
"My beloved... no..." Nyx couldn't believe it. "How could you..."
"I'm Makoto Yuuki... but a fake the General has commissioned."
"I see... So once again, General Teddie sicced yet another engineered Shadow..." 2025!Pechy got it.
"A counterfeit!?" System is baffled. "Counterfeit... Great Seal!?" (*15)
"Yes, but not exactly." The counterfeit responded. "I am a Vex. Those Shadows are Vex now. That's why there's radiolarian fluid inside us. Making Shadows more powerful... and smarter."
"Shadow... Vex?" Jumpson is confused.
"Oh! I see! The Darkbolts are working with the Second Knife and General Teddie, so they would be able to make those Shadows with Vex radiolaria!" Ivy Comet figured it out. "The amalgamation of hostile Shadows and radiolaria-"
"Now you know. The Darkbolts were right at the end, and I wonder just how long it would take for you all to realize that." The counterfeit continued. "The last dream wish is the answer. And the Darkbolts will give you that."
"What good will it do if literally everything suffer from this terrorism!?" 2025!Pechy objected. "You're just destroying all universes!"
"That's your warped perspective. He's unlike you, though, and deserves way better than you think." The counterfeit mentioned the Magnificent. "Are you that scared of THE last dream wish?"
"No... that's not how it works." 2025!Pechy refuted. "Real people said a dream is a wish your heart makes. Dream is cherished sleep, wish is want. I'm the Dreamcatcher princess, I know how dreams work. I protects good dreams and fend away nightmares. And yet you would propagate nightmares and glorify terrorism to turn all existence into nightmare! Star no, you don't know how dream-wishes work!"
"As I said, that's your twisted perspective." The counterfeit dismissed. "Sadly... you have no dream left. Your last dream wish has already passed." (*16)
Then the counterfeit himself looked back and then around, seeing nobody else helping, and so he mistook that for that every fighters fell to their fates along their way, left to die. "Seeing as none of your allies are rushing in, all your companions must have fallen somewhere along the line."
2025!Pechy felt uneasy, as she has been seeking everyone.
"That's not exactly true!" System called 2025!Pechy. "Pechy, don't listen to that fake!"
"That's right! You still have us!" Ivy Comet called.
"If we have to fight him, then let us fight with you!" Ivy Jolicoeur called.
"He's trying to fool you!" Jumpson warned 2025!Pechy. "Even if you listen to him, don't trust him! He's a fake and a villain!"
"You shouldn't try and act tough. You're just bugs among us giants." The counterfeit dismissed. "What can you do now in front of the hour?"
"Actually... perhaps you are all just useless wild cards at best, and a mortal hindrance at worst." The counterfeit refuted, calmly. "Isn't that right, Ms. Comet, whose greatest achievement was saving two universes after one of which had already been destroyed?" (*16)
The gang is so shocked, they're truly at loss for words. Meanwhile, Nyx is just sitting there, having upon the damned conversation.
"Ms. Comet... Why not ast everything aside?" The counterfeit dared. "After all, you're just witchcraft. Or... are you unable to bring yourself to give in to your powers and be done with it?"
"You...!" 2025!Pechy recalled her experience at being bullied by Renee.
"Your collective weakness isn't only from your dreams, but is propped up by everything you have and you do, as is the rest of your weaknesses." The counterfeit subtly mocked 2025!Pechy. "Holding onto your wishes or protecting your compromised comrades would all result in all your deaths."
That ridiculous attempt at mockery is followed by the roar of Orpheus the Persona, wailing like a wraith infected by Vex, hinting at the Vex nature of the engineered Shadows everyone has been fighting against throughout the tournament.
"Pechy! Watch out!" System shouted.
"Don't be fooled, Mom!" Ivy Comet shouted."
"What should I do!?" 2025!Pechy is confused.
"How does it feel? You are about to be slain and die as losers because of your logics." The counterfeit smirked. "And of course you all have bonds... but only in the sense that they restrain you all. Don't you think it would be better to cast everything away and remain alone?"
Nyx and 2025!Pechy separately concentrated on the golden eyes. The latter sent a dream sphere - same kind as what she typically uses to finish opponents - so hurled it on the counterfeit. The Persona immediately struck down the sphere, causing an explosion that passes through him and winds the gang out.
"Ah!"
"Let's end this!" The counterfeit dashes.
If 2025!Pechy were to dodge, that would leave the rest of the gang (and probably even Nyx) open for a devastating action made to kill... all. But if Pechy tanks this dash, she might die, even as the Goddess of the Wishing Star.
But Pechy Comet has decided - all four versions of her, inside the 2025 body, agreed. Pechy immediately went Goddess, and tank the goddamned oncoming strike, in hope of surviving it all. And even if Pechy were to fall, she still trusted the rest. Ivy and Ivy. System and Jumpson. All, Pechy smiled, as the princess believed they could finish what she and the actual Starstorm team started, and end the Darkbolts' terror once and for all. And so, she blocks. This gave the counterfeit a momentarily brief grin into super-speed and creepy... because he saw Pechy accepting the block meant that he could finally do the strike, thus directly ending the Dreamcatcher princess once and for all, for the Darkbolts.
But then!
"Persona!"
BGM: Mass Destruction (Persona 3)
2012!Akihiko Sanada (真田明彦) punched the counterfeit right in the face, destroying the strike and knocking that fake away.
Followed by 2009!Akihiko, leading some dancers with weapons and stuffs and Personas
"Huh?" 2025!Pechy noticed.
She noticed a bunch of Personas arriving to save the gang, blocking the Orpheus themselves in the process.
"Oh god..." 2012! Akihiko noticed.
"Akihiko!?" System recognized him. "And you too!?"
"Huh?" 2009!Akihiko is confused.
"Oh, are you alright?" Yet another Akihiko noticed.
"Are you alright?" Another Yukari noticed.
"Yeah..." Pechy stepped back.
"So we're still strong after all. Koromaru!" A Ken with his Koromaru patted.
"Yes. Bonds between people make you stronger." System noticed. "Oh great, who do we have?"
"Ok, gotcha!" The Yukari helped 2025!Pechy out.
Yay! The other Pechies squeeed. We're saved!
"I'm Akihiko Sanada of the Shadow Operatives, and this is my future self." 2012!Akihiko patted his past self. "Nice to meet you. For some reasons, I'm forced to meet my past and my... dance moves?"
"More imbeciles and more pariahs..." The counterfeit recovered. "It seems not even us Vex doppelgangers were enough."
"Stop moving!" The other Mitsuru shouted.
"If you hurt our allies, you are going to be beaten up!" 2012!Akihiko called the counterfeit. "Fake friend!"
"Very well... well well played." The counterfeit approaches the gang that rescued 2025!Pechy. "Though... should I at least get rid of this princess first?"
"What?" The dancers are caught off-guard.
"No!" 2012!Akihiko is shocked.
BGM fades.
"I'm sorry. But this plan is disastrous." Nyx shook her head. "Haven't you heard of this culture saying 'The cornered stag is the most dangerous'? If you waste time or energy on this, all will end and not even I will survive this endgame."
"No..." 2009!Akihiko is shocked. "Why!?"
"How did this...?" 2012!Akihiko is caught off-guard.
Suddenly, the vault is quaked, shocking everyone in the scene except the counterfeit. The Fuuka in hoodie is especially frightened - she just suddenly underwent sensory overload from her Persona, causing her to relapse.
"What's this shaking...?" 2009!Akihiko noticed.
"Hahahah... The Second's Daughter is waiting. It has begun." The counterfeit turned back. "I, The Deadbeat Messiah of A Door, will be taking my leave. All that's left is for us... to see this through."
"You can't do this, fake!" Ivy Jolicoeur snapped, and winded Strand on her hands. "Everyone!"
With the exception of the Fuuka, cue everyone surrounding the counterfeit.
"Can't believe I'm going to fight a Shadow of friend again..." 2012!Akihiko, right in front of the counterfeit.
"You truly love to swarm to hold on whatever remains, don't you?" The counterfeit grinned. "You find your strength by herding together, and find your resolve by making excuses on the fly..."
And all of a suddenly, the counterfeit sounded even more distorted, revealing Vex tone there. "But there are enough powers and energies now... All the Persona fragments... All the souls... All the rift energy... All the radiolaria... All the wishes... We have no need to deal with you anymore...!"
Suddenly, everyone except 2025!Pechy (as Goddess), Ivy Comet (as Unity), Nyx and System are frozen physically.
"Wh-what's this!?" The Yukari in mini-drags are shocked.
"We can't move!" 2012!Akihiko noticed.
"Hey, you! Help!" Jumpson shouted.
"We can." 2025!Pechy stupid up.
The four who could move approached the counterfeit, only for them to be pushed away by a strange force field.
"Ungh...!" Ivy Jolicoeur is stuck. "This again...!"
This is just like Hortus before the tower, only this time it's amplified, as if everyone affected loses their control over each their body basically completely.
"We're overtaxed. We've been relying on this combined force too much." The counterfeit finally felt exhausted. "Though now is not the time to hold back..."
And just like that, the counterfeit just disappeared into rift butterflies and up to a crack on the ceiling. Fortunately, this exit cancelled the magic he did, allowing everyone to move freely again. 2025!Pechy and Ivy Comet detransformed, and was about to go pursue any culprits immediately. But amidst the red fog...
Marie?
"I'll take over from here." She walks by. "Let's begin. Bring on the ring!"
"Goddammit!" Jumpson noticed.
Cue red glowing pillars in a square layout, creating invisible walls trading 2012!Akihiko and the preceding five.
"Mariko Kusumi!?"/"久須美鞠子!?" 2012!Akihiko recognized her.
The glowing golden eyes gleamed in front of the six, hinting that she's just another Shadow Vex.
"You're fake!" System refuted. "Also, where's that fake Makoto Yuuki? Or Hortus? Or that General Teddie!?"
"I'm sorry, but he's gone already, and at least one step ahead." Nyx commented. "You should've just broke the rules the moment you learned. I told you. I am sorry this has to go this way."
"You're against the wrath of the Darkbolts!" Shadow Marie gloated.
"There's barely any time left! The culprits have collected enough that they all needed!" Nyx warned everyone. "Now they're going to destroy-"
Cue a Persona card passing through an invisible wall and blowing Nyx away.
"Why did you knock me out?" Nyx rolls down.
"Youspeaktoomuch, bitch!" Shadow Marie is pissed. "Should I deal with you instead?"
"Oh no... At least I did try to warn everyone. Now please excuse me..." Nyx stepped back.
"Now... it's time for you to disappear!" Shadow Marie laughed.
"Oh hell no! Not this shit again!" Jumpson backed away in disgust.
"She's a Vex mind." 2025!Pechy stepped in. "And we only have three goddesses of sorts. Let's bring on the big gun, because we don't have time to HOLD BACK!"
Witchcraft of the Wishing Star
PECHY COMET (Persona: - )
Dreamcatcher Crystal Reincarnate
IVY COMET (Persona: - )
The Invader of Next Possibilities
SYSTEM NO. XX (Persona: ?)
vs.
The Antisocial Poet of the Hollow Forest
MARIE (Persona: Kaguya)
Free us too! We can't ignore! 2027!Pechy called, which is picked up by Strand.
"Well, our adventure escalated quickly." Ivy Comet noticed.
Note: Time is running out for the scattered Starstorm, because by that point, the Darkbolts have collected enough. Now they're going for doomsday, though you can only get more details about it by reading the next chapters. Which is pretty much how you advance this storyline. More fights!
In this case, Fuuka Yamagishi from Persona 3 (2006, 2024) finally gets a combat moveset somehow, as she haven't really previously have since she's a support. But remember Rise Kujikawa in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax (2013)? And also, you know Arche-Lucia from Persona 3 Em (2007), a forgotten mobile phone game based on P3? Shadow Fuuka is reincarnated from that, complete with Fuuka's insecurities and lack of combat. Speaking of Arena, in combat, when Fuuka has to go to the frontlines, she always use her Persona, Juno (already evolved from Lucia, because canon stuffs), and armed with her Evoker. She basically uses aim assist, on top of all the existing support she already have - the Evoker is literally her only direct mean of attack. The Evoker passes through the glass and its bullets turn into a meteoric projectiles, each dealing high damage and explodes on impact, and the Evoker can be rapid-fired (the Evoker's design prevents it from running out of ammo, unlike normal guns). When Fuuka moves, Juno marches and bounces (Note: Fuuka dashing would knock the glass from inside as she's in that), which would be the source of her mobility. Her reliance means she would have 10 Persona units/cards (significantly more than any other Persona users except for the likes of Fuuka), and Persona-Break would leaves Fuuka completely vulnerable and weaker shots, with even the least damaging of attack easily K.O. her (most of the attack in fighting games would be an OHKO for Fuuka once Persona Break happens to her, even if she blocks correctly), and those 10 units would recover very slowly, forcing her to evade everything.
After defeating Shadow Fuuka and Shadow Junpei, here goes more time shenanigans first used in Persona (1996-) since Persona 2 duology (1999-2000) with Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (2014), so now we are staring to have 2009 and 2012 (previously 2011, but Arena games took place in 2012) interact with each other, after all the Mitsurus. Specifically, the fakes had to capture 2009!Junpei and 2009!Fuuka, and Mitsurus' gang had to defeat them all and free the 2009. And finally, two Disciples of the Witness, Rhulk and Nezarec (both from Destiny 2 (2017)) have returned, this time in the form of their imagined soldiers of the Dread faction: the Tormentor and the hybrid Subjugator (Harbinger and Omen). Much of the 2025 friends are rescued, alongside Savathun and her Ghost, Immaru, no thanks to the Guardians passing around to warn people. And speaking of which, the Shadow Guardian represents the Shadows of Guardians in particular and Destiny 'verse in general, complete with their own Ghost, a fake of our very Ghost in-game! They tried to be like Shadow Ken and fake Koromaru in P4AU, and guess what happened? (Yeah, the first two guesses probably doesn't count)
Meanwhile, at the DC Universe renewed after Absolute Power (2024), is the DC All In crossing over Secret Wars (2015 version), for reasons that cannot be revealed until the next chapter (or two). But on the other hand, the Phantom Thieves are back to whole, freeing themselves from their fakes (these fakes are Shadow-types this time around) by having them finally defeated. Sadie the Pirate and Floyd of the Crystal Land are rescued. Now the gang are heading- Wait... you wanted more fights, or just wanna the names? Well, here's the P-1 names for the non-honorary members: The Phantom Thief of Hearts (Ren's criminal actions under the Phantom Thieves), The Freaky Chivalrous Tactical Burglar (Morgana's nature and jobs under the Phantom Thieves), The Shameful Punk-Monkey Pirate (Ryuji is a former track star who's been branded as a punk by society, and he's like a pirate and a Sun Wukong), The Horny Dominatrix of Doom (Ann's physical appearance, and... slut shaming at its finest?), The Starving Artist of Perfection (Yusuke's an artist saddled with poverty), Shujin's Wasteland Council President (A biker chick is a student council president? Also, based on Labrys because of a certain similarity), The Prodigious NEET Alibaba (Futaba was a NEET, and "Alibaba" is one of her alias; like Fuuka, Futaba would fight basically with her Persona all the time, so 10 Persona units!), Milady the Fourth Musketeer (the name mocks Haru's status and her rebellion, and based on her Persona), The Two-Faced Bastard Detective (Akechi's a Wild Card, Shido's illegitimate son and write literally two-faced - just look at his (Metaverse) costumes and his pre-existing Personas!), Ballerina of Assisted Self-Deception (Yoshizawas are both ballerinas, and Sumire in Kasumi's death led to Sumire selling Maruki which ended up leading to Sumire assuming Kasumi's identity), Scrapped Heart of Artificial Intelligence (the name mocks Sophia's role and purpose), and... Shady Inspector Risen from Abyss (based on his now-resolved self-worth and what Yusuke nick(nam)ed him). Yeah, a lot of nicknames made to annoy.
Finally, once Pechy's gang got to the Vault of Shattered Glass - the ruined version of the main Vault of Glass, Atheon's home turf - Hortus is seen arguing with Nyx. The gang very much disregarded the P-1 rules (mainly because it's pretty much rigged for the purposes of the Dark Metaverse), so Hortus could be taken down - and then the fake version of Makoto Yuuki arrives. Turns out, the Shadow-types in Dreamcatcher: Warzone are actually Shadow Vex, made of the fully hostile Shadows (which in turn, just like in P4AU, are the darkness in all human(ly) hearts) and radiolaria that is the Vex. The simulation prowess the Vex provides with computing helps the Shadow-types perform Instant Kills, something they couldn't previously do. The resistance to the paracausal elements also implies that some Echoes are used to make the new Shadow-types, further explaining their shits and the Instant Kills. (All Shadow-types could still go Shadow Frenzy, just like said doppelgangers in P4AU)
The fake Makoto Yuuki - The Deadbeat Messiah of A Door (the name mocks Makoto Yuuki's nonchalance and his eventual fate) - out, and sending Shadow Marie (previously scrapped; Marie herself retains the damned name) to keep everyone at bay. That's how the next chapter starts. Oh, and those dancers are actually the S.E.E.S. members from Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight (ペルソナ３ ダンシング・ムーンナイト, 2018), hailing from Club Velvet - they're confused when their real selves and that future selves are involved in the tournament in particular and the Darkbolts' terrorism in general. The Vex infection of both the infinite existence of the entire greater omniverse being weaponized to forcibly host the P-1 and drag all of existence into the tournament for a shady plan is something I just hinted here and very much are planning as of the original writing of this.
Be sure to promote the entire crossover project as well! Confused? Here's how you can do it: share the project and the fanfiction to social media, TV Tropes pages, appropriate forums and conversations, and get everyone to know and help! (No drama please!)
Until next time...
Cross-trivia:
(*1) - Teddie's pun applied to "tear-jerkingly", something of "bear jerk" of sorts, indicating General Teddie. The General using that indicates his villainy.
(*2) - Tormentors and Subjugators of the Dread from Destiny 2 (2017), based on Nezarec (the Final God of Pain) and Rhulk, respectively, two Disciples of the Witness.
(*3) - The cross-time interactions in Persona Q games are Canon, because for this fic, those games are completely canon.
(*4) - The Master Engine is an object that first appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog Archie comic series (1993-2017) and its spin-offs, and the Mega Man Archie comic series (2011-2015), published by Archie Comics. It is a device that draws the power of merged worlds from the Unity Engines, and in turn feeds it into the user.
(*5) - A pun on the Witch Queen (2022). May have been used by players' Guardians to describe Savathun, the Hive God of Cunning and Lies, the Witch Queen herself.
(*6) - Combat Assault Rifle from Fortnite Battle Royale, first added in Chapter 2 Season 8: Cubed (2021) and later reworked for Chapter 5 Season 3: Wrecked (2024), is a fast firing rifle with a tight weapon spread but significant vertical recoil and kick when firing. It is based on IWI Galil ACE, a series of assault rifles and battle rifles originally developed and manufactured by Israel Weapon Industries (IWI).
(*7) - See Beyond the Edge.
(*8) - See chapter #6.
(*9) - References to the Red War, the vanilla campaign for Destiny 2 (2017).
(*10) - Azazel from Tekken (1994-), the true progenitor of the Devil Gene.
(*11) - Dreamcatcher: Warzone takes place after the events of DC All In special (2024), which took 52 days after Amanda Waller's defeat and imprisonment at the end of Absolute Power (2024). That explains the involvement of Darkseid in this fic, D:W.
(*12) - With the events of Dreamcatcher: Warzone, all timestreams started out of whack. See (*11) and the modern version of Secret Wars (2015).
(*13) - References to Persona 5 Strikers (ペルソナ５スクランブル・ザ・ファントムストライカーズ, 2020).
(*14) - See Dreamcatcher: The Winter of the Dragon (2022).
(*15) - The fate of the main character, at the end of "The Journey". See Persona 3 releases.
(*16) - References to Dreamcatcher: The Last Dream Wish (2023).