5/9 Sa - Monorail - Dark Hour
It hadn't been long since we arrived at the monorail. We second-years were sent up to the monorail of the Port Island station. The shadow might be on a train, and since it's the Dark Hour, the train is inoperable. We reach the tail-end of the train. There's a latter that leads into the car, and it just so happens that the door is open.
"Let's head inside," Mako-kun instructs.
"Alright, I'll go up first." Yuka-chan begins to climb the ladder but stops midway and glares at us with a vicious gaze. "...Don't look up."
I flip my hood over my head to avoid doing so.
11th/10th Carriage - Dark Hour
The inside of the train is empty, save for the coffins in front of the seats.
"The coffins are creepy, no matter how many times I see them," I mutter.
"Yeah, You can say that again," Yuka-chan agrees.
I draw my blade while we proceed down the cart. A sudden stinging sensation goes off in my head. It's as if a needle is being pushed into my brain. The pain grows wider and wider until it feels as if the needle turns into a bullet shooting through my head.
"Kazuki-kun, are you okay," Yuka-chan asks as she puts a hand on my shoulder.
Static is all I can hear going off in my brain. It blocks out the others' voices. Funny, since it feels like the static is blocking out something else. Despite the loud, ear-grating sound, I could still kind of hear it through the static. What is it...!?
"Kazuki!"
I finally snap out of it. Clarity washes over me from senpai calling my name.
"Wha... What happened," I mumble to myself.
"You weren't moving, what happened?"
"Um, nothing, just a sudden headache. We can keep goi-"
As sudden as a heart attack, the doors to the train closed, locking us in.
"The hell!?" I try to pry the door open with my sword, but it isn't budging even a bit. "Damn, no use!"
"It's okay Kazu-chan, just let the great Junpei handle this."
He cracked his knuckles and stretched his arms.
"Jun, you might not want to do that!"
"Relax, I got this..."
…
"Ow, ow, ow!"
"That's why I told you not to do that."
"This is nothing."
"If you say so?"
At least he didn't crush his fingers, but that's going to hurt for a good while. We enter the next car to find a Shadow standing - floating - around, looking right at us.
"We encountered an enemy!" Makoto reports to senpai.
The shadow leaves the car without even trying to attack us.
"Hey, it's getting away, we need to go after it," Jun urges.
"No, we need to be careful on this one," Makoto suggests.
"I agree, we shouldn't rush this."
"Forget that, we don't need your advice!" He's about to run ahead of us but I grab his arm. "Wha...?"
"Calm down. If you go by yourself you might get attacked by more than just that one of them," I warn him.
"Then what, you want it to get away!?"
"No, that's why we should do this differently," I suggest.
"How so," Kirijo-senpai chimes in, failing to hide her curiosity.
"Makoto, you're right - we need to be careful, but I also agree with Jun."
"So what you're suggesting,"
"Maybe two of us should go ahead and the rest stay one car behind us. That way, even if we get ambushed, we can get them from behind."
"It's sound, and I agree, pacing ourselves is important, but letting it get away isn't an option... You have my permission," Makoto says.
"I approve as well, but exercise caution."
"Nice, as for who's going with me..." I look over to Jun. "Can I count on you?"
"I'm your man!"
"Cool, everyone else, cover our backs.."
4th/5th Carriage
Jun and I are about to reach the 4th car. We haven't seen any shadows pop up yet, so they must be further down.
"Behind you!"
Kirijo-senpai's warning has me jerk my head to look behind. Multiple shadows show up behind us and in front as they come from the next car. The shadows cast fire and ice spells at us. In a cramped space like this, we'll be in trouble if we don't get rid of them quickly!
"Junpei!" I bellow his name.
"I already know what you're gonna say. Let's go!" Junpei and I cut down the shadows behind and in front of us.
As I'm about to attack another shadow, the train rocks forward, making me trip.
"What was that!?"
The train, why is it moving!? And not just that, it's continuously picking up in speed. Makoto and Yukari arrive in the car we're in.
"Kirijo-senpai, why is the train moving?" I ask, trying my level best not to sound freaked out.
"It must be because of the shadow in the first car!" What, now these things can drive trains now? "...Oh, no! Everyone listen: you need to stop the train immediately!"
"What's the emergency," Makoto presses for details.
"You have to make haste on stopping the train, or it will crash into the other train that's 6-7 minutes ahead!"
"What, you serious senpai!"
"This can't be happening!"
Junpei and Yukari were panicking, hell, so am I. However, Makoto is as calm as ever.
Damnit, wasting time here fighting Shadows isn't an option, but I'm the only one close to the door, everyone else is surrounded by Shadows… Screw it, we need to stop this thing, now!
I run for the next car, leaving behind the others.
"Kazuki, where are you going!"
"I'm gonna stop this train myself!"
"Kazuki-kun that's insane," Yukari criticized me as she nocked another arrow.
"I know but we don't have time!"
"Hold, this is–"
Against my better judgment, I tune out senpai's voice and go ahead of everyone else. It's a stupid idea, I get that, but if I don't stop this train, then we're all dead anyway.
1st carriage
Barging into the first car, I see a giant shadow in front of me. Cloth coming from it covers the walls and ceiling of the train. Its bare chest is exposed, and it just so happens to have a woman's chest, with the letters "B" and "J"…
"Okay, What the shit are you!?"
It mischievously chuckles as a response.
Two thick sharp icicles are formed and shot at me. Both of them are bigger than both my arms and more than likely have a chance of tearing right through them if they hit me.
"Persona!"
The left arm easily breaks the attack. They broke into tiny, crystal shards of ice. I forgot to say sharp, cause one of those damn things cut my arm. It's nothing serious but it stings like hell.
"Bite down on the pain, bite it down!"
Two shadows appear at the big one's side. Can't shake the feeling that these Shadows are stronger than the other ones in the back of the train. One of the shadows floats its way to me. I put my sword to my side, waiting for the shadow to get closer. It summons a mass of flames, throwing it right at me.
"Crap!"
I hug the wall, avoiding it as it hurdles down the car. That was too close! If it keeps throwing spells like that at me, I'll end up a charred corpse, and I don't know if my Persona can guard me from it.
"Bring it!"
I rush down the car, going for the flame-spewing Shadow. It attempts to conjure flames, but my blade cuts clean through it. Two more to go, I can't relent now!
I keep up my momentum, going for the last little Shadow before dealing with the big fish. The big Shadow creates more of those spikes and launches them at me. I roll under the seats. The train car walls are torn apart by the spikes. I break into a sprint.
At this distance, I can impale it before it has the chance to use those spikes again. I got this! However, there was an oversight in my line of thinking; it still has those cloth threads. A single thread slams me into the wall. A chill crawls down my back when it touches the cold wall. The thread retreats to the larger Shadow's side.
"Damnit… Persona!"
Both arms hover over my shoulders, ready to strike at any moment. The Shadow, for whatever reason it has to be this way, laughs at me, probably mocking me and my efforts.
"We'll see who's laughing when I'm done kicking your ass!"
Another small shadow spawns into existence. It goes for an ice spell. My Persona caves in its face before it can complete its spell.
She summons two more once again. You have to be kidding me! How many can this thing make!? I have to end this now, or I'll be going in circles! Killing that big Shadow is all that matters!
"Move it."
The smaller Shadows block my path. They shoot fire my way, trying to stop my advance. I don't have time for this shit! My Persona tears through them without a problem. Before it can summon more, I have to kill it.
"Wha–"
When I set my sights on the larger Shadow, a tremendous amount of ice blew my way. The car is instantly covered in frost. All my body heat is drastically declining, and this cold is only growing stronger by the second.
This isn't good! I can barely feel my limbs! There's nowhere to take cover and running won't do anything. I want to do something, but what the hell am I supposed to do!?
The frosty gust of wind repels my body back to the car door. I hit my back but it didn't hurt at all. My whole body is probably going numb, and maybe pretty soon, I'll turn into a pathetic ice sculpture…
"...This isn't…good. I need to…keep…awake."
My vision is fading in-and-out, my thoughts are going dark, and any strength I have is slowly leaving me... Maybe this is as far as I go; maybe I wasn't cut out for this. What did I expect, I'm not some superhero… I'm just me.
"Sorry, Fuuka, Naoya. This is as far as I go."
That's all I can say before slipping unconscious… Static buzzes inside my head, annoying me to no end.
"Te-"
This voice…
"Tear… Tear it...apa…"
Little by little, the voice breaks through the static. It's as if the static is doing its best to block out this voice, keeping it away from me. Yet, the voice keeps growing louder, noisier than the static, funny enough.
"Get up and tear it apart."
A jolt jump-starts my brain, thought returns to my head, and my vision returns just as the blizzard is subsiding.
I'm still alive? That's nothing short of a miracle at this point. And the train hasn't crashed yet… What the hell am I doing? I need to get back up... I don't have time to waste here! I need to stop this damn train!
I stumble back onto my feet while picking up my sword. "I can't die here, I don't want to die here!"
Even if my legs aren't in the best condition, I need to go, I need to run. As if to accommodate me, energy surges through my legs, giving me the strength to make one final assault against the Shadows. My battle cry reverberates throughout the train car.
The Shadows once again attempt to use the same attack on me. The chilling attack will certainly knock me back down if they form it.
"Get out of my way!"
I summoned the hazy blue arms. They shoot off like bullets through the shadows. Distraught by the sight of its allies, it recoils, buying a little bit more time to reach it.
It summons its blizzard again, freezing over the car again. Don't stop, moving, keep moving, keep moving, keep moving, keep moving goddamn it!
I bolt through the torrential first storm, throwing caution to the wind. My legs are freezing over and my hands are growing numb. Moving forward, keeping my eyes set on this monster, and keeping myself conscious, all of it is a battle to keep myself from dying here. Keep pushing, just gotta keep pushing…
Finally, through the numbing cold, I finally made it up close and personal with this monster.
"PERSONA!" Summoning my Persona was the deciding factor in this battle. Its fist flashes by, crushing the enemy's face, causing its head to rock backward and snapping it out of place.
The shadow begins to fall apart. It disperses into the black goo I've come to expect. About time this thing died… The train, I gotta stop it! I barrel into the conductor car, looking for whatever control hits the brakes. Man…why don't they just put a sign saying "brakes"!? All these buttons look the same too. Screw it, this lever, that's it!
I pull down a grey lever on the left-hand side of the control panel. Sparks fly from the rails as the train comes to a screeching halt. The other train is dead ahead, and we're gonna crash right into it. I instinctively close my eyes, waiting for the inevitable to happen…wait…and wait… Nothing, no crash, and my body is still right where it's at. The other train is right in front of us, so close that the tips of the trains are only inches away from each other…
I...actually did it…! Oh yeah! I freaking did it!
Several footsteps come running up to me at the back of the train.
"Yo, you stop the train!?"
Yukari rushes over to me after putting her bow on a seat. "Kazuki-kun, you're hurt!"
"It's all good."
"No, it's not! Hold still, I'll heal you."
Seems like she isn't going to take no for an answer. It's a simple act of kindness, even so, I can't help but smile.
"Fine, guess I'll let the team nurse heal me."
"Team nurse?" Yuka-chan repeats, surprised by the sudden title assignment,
"Team nurse?" Jun creepily repeats.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I just meant it as a joke."
"No, I don't mind, but..."
Yuka-chan points to Jun.
"If she's the team nurse, then she's gonna need a nurse outfit! And it's definitely gotta show off the goods," Jun mumbles to himself, acting like a sleazy old man.
"You see what I mean?"
"Yep, I definitely see it.".
Mako-kun approaches me, looking as neutral as ever. "Kazuki… That was a risky idea you executed!"
"I...I know, but I just thought we didn't have enough time to, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe I should've waited for you guys."
"No, you weren't wrong in your actions. Time was a luxury we lacked. You knew we had limited options, so you chose a risky, yet feasible option."
"Yuki, what are you saying? If Kazuki wasn't lucky, he could've died," Kirijo-senpai interjected.
"You're right but yet, luck is a fundamental aspect of a fight, so I see nothing wrong with it." Makoto shrugged his shoulder, much to senpai's dismay. "...And if Kazuki stayed and helped us fight off the shadows from earlier, we wouldn't have made it in time to stop the train."
"I see…" Senpai trails off, processing what Mako-kun said. "...I suppose he might have been right. Kazuki, I'm sorry, I thought your actions were rash, but it turned out to be the best course of action in that situation."
"It's alright. To be honest, I had some doubts, too."
I look at everyone. Their faces reflect a sense of pride in completing tonight's mission, and on surviving the encounter. I'm glad, no, happy that everyone is all right.
"Okay, everyone, I think it's time to get going. We have 20-19 minutes left in the Dark Hour," I point out.
"Dude, you wanna get something to eat then? Ya know, before the Dark Hour ends," Jun suggests, pumping his fist in the air.
"Hell yeah, I'm down. Fighting in the Dark Hour makes a man hungry."
"Makoto, you up for it," Jun asks him.
"I am a bit famished... Sure, I'll tag along."
Jun pumped his fist even higher into the air. "All right! What about you, Yuka-tan?"
"Normally, girls don't eat in the middle of the night," She replies, trying not to show any temptation.
"Please, Yuka-chan. It'll be twice as fun if all of us eat together." I plead.
She taps her feet while brushing her hair. "...Fine, I guess I can go for something to eat. But I'm only gonna eat a bit and that's it!"
"Then it's settled."
We make our way out of the train, in high spirits, and our stomachs ready for a midnight snack. Is it alright to leave the train like this? I say that, but it's not like any of us know how to reverse a train. Let's just hope things will turn out okay in the end.