Not five minutes into re-entering the movie, they already had to get rid of some Shadows who might spot them if they try to simply sashay through. Thanks to some creativity – in the form of Minato commanding Orpheus to throw a car at a Hablerie-type Shadow – they wrapped up the fight in what felt like seconds. The pre-emptive strike affected the Shadows' mental state that they became a lot easier to knock down and eventually defeated.
Their destination was a subway station, one that provided access to a ride that would take them to the point where they left off, a step closer to the square where the Phantom Thieves' two missing companions were being held. As they came up to it, they spotted Shadows holding station just around the entrance.
Thanks to that part of the city already mapped out – Minato would lose it if the powers that be had changed the layout when they were away – they got around the station and found a better angle to get a jump on the Shadows, a task Ren had deferred to Minato.
Although this time, Ren had instructed that collateral damage was kept to a minimum. Morgana even took a minute to teach Minato that rather than raw combat power, stealth was the Phantom Thieves' main currency in explorations.
It took Minato back to his early days as SEES' field leader. Mitsuru's limited navigation capabilities and his – as well as Yukari and Junpei's – lack of repetitions in the atmosphere of the Dark Hour meant they had to carefully manage their energy and resources. His unwritten rule was to prioritize finding the stairs leading to the next floor and only engaging in combat when he was sure they could get the jump on the enemy. This ensured the exploration team wouldn't face the Gatekeepers looking worse for wear.
Although, the movie felt nothing quite like the Dark Hour in terms of suffocating atmospheres. Thus, Minato could take off his limiters – as Aigis would say – when it came to exerting his capabilities out in the wild.
In any case, he heeded Morgana's pointers as the next group of Shadows came into view. They quickly hid behind some parked cars to avoid getting spotted while Minato examined the Shadows ahead. Five of them, all of which Minato had faced before.
"Stay behind me."
It was not an instruction to stay hidden, but rather to follow his footsteps. When Minato got a running start, the Phantom Thieves quickly followed behind. When explained about how the following engagement would differ, Ren understandably had reservations in the method in which Minato said would ensure they got the jump over the enemies.
The Persona-Users in costumes struggled to keep up when it looked like Minato turned on his afterburners. Ryuji was the closest, but he didn't dare try pushing his luck so his bum leg would not act up again.
"Whoa, he's gone!"
"Where did he go!?"
They came to a screeching halt – that was somehow not loud enough for the Shadows to notice – when only an afterimage of the SEES field leader remained.
"He couldn't have dipped…right?"
Ann whispered as they looked left, right, and center for his presence. The others were doing the same. Morgana even went as far as looking underneath a parked car next to him.
"Up there!"
Yusuke was the first to spot Minato in the air, his right hand pulled back as he plunged into the group of Shadows ahead.
With a diving punch, Minato pulverized a Heat Balance. Pivoting to his left, he knocked another into a Book-type Shadow, leaving both sprawling on the ground. Using the solid armband attached to his left forearm as a weapon, he tackled another Heat Balance into the path of the last Book-type Shadow in the group, knocking them both down.
"All-Out Attack, now!"
Seeing one person knock down a group of Shadows with his own bare fists was too much of a mesmerising sight. If it wasn't for Ren quickly gaining his composure and diving right in to assist the onslaught, they would have wasted a golden opportunity to quickly end the fight without attracting much attention.
"That certainly qualifies as mad skillz!"
"Great job, Lyrist! That was a lot quieter than the last one."
Minato nodded at Morgana's acknowledgement, straightening his jacket and waited for the Phantom Thieves to dust themselves off before continuing down the station to hitch a ride to the next area.
Two more similar encounters and an unlocked gate later, they finally reached an opening where relative safety could be had. Rest was due, and everyone spread out to do their own things, mostly just standing around or sitting down on the pavement.
"There's something I've been curious about for a while, Arisato-kun!" Seeing they were in relative safety, Ann felt she needed to ask Minato something. "Why, um… Why do you put a gun to your head whenever you summon your Persona?"
He paid it no mind at first, but Minato had come to understand that pointing a gun to one's head would never give any unassuming person a great look upon themselves. One time, he did wonder why it took emulating an act of suicide was the best way to summon Personas. He jokingly tried prying that information out of Mitsuru, but she still wouldn't say a word. Maybe as their relationship grew closer, she would indulge him.
For the moment, he would have to make something up.
"This is an Evoker. It's what we members of SEES use to summon Personas." He took out the gun from the holster and showed it to the Phantom Thieves. He pointed it at his own head but didn't put his finger on the trigger. "For us, being a Persona-user requires accepting our mortality, and this helps in that regard."
"So just by accepting the fact that you're gonna die, you can summon a Persona?" Goro found the statement interesting.
"That's not a simple thing to do at all, Crow!" Ann interjected strongly, holding a hand to her chest. "I remember seeing Shiho in the hospital after she jumped from the school roof, and how relieved I was – it got me wondering what would've happened if she didn't survive…"
"It's true that when life has lost all meaning, one finds death to be a comforting prospect…" Yusuke pondered deeply.
"It's a scary thing to think about." Ren muttered, a long pause between his sentences. "But then, it also sounds quite humbling. Cool, even."
"Whaddya mean?" Ryuji hunched over to Ren.
"The fact that you awaken to your Persona when you admit you're gonna die…" Ren corrected the position of his mask like they were a pair of glasses he wore as a regular student. "It's like you have your own guardian angel telling you to keep going."
Minato could remember Fuuka's rescue operation vividly – Mitsuru made writing the report a punishment to him for letting Natsuki Moriyama slip out of the dorm under his watch – the subsequent awakening of Lucia and its ability was like a surge of momentum that helped SEES turn the tide against two massive Shadows that had gotten the jump on them.
The corner of his lips curled up slightly as he performed the act of summoning while the Phantom Thieves were all looking at him. Orpheus emerged and kneeled on the ground beside its master.
"For us, the Evoker is a symbol of our fight." He lightly caressed the master of strings' arm.
"How do you even find teammates!? Just go up to a random person and say 'hey, you look tough…wanna try shootin' yourself in the head'?" Ryuji drawled.
"Well, we need all the help we can get." Minato shrugged. It's essentially what happened as soon as one was discovered to have the potential.
"Anyway, when this is over, how about we sit down to think about our precious lives for a second? Doesn't sound like a bad idea, no?" Goro proposed.
"I'm sure we'll get to do that, but first we gotta find Queen and Noir." Morgana put his hands on his hips, eyes narrowed at the group.
A minute later, Ren gathered everyone to resume exploration of the movie, with Ryuji swearing he would get to the bottom of the mystery of the Evoker at some point.
A few blocks later, they came across a huge figure in the distance. It didn't seem to move, but rather was just guarding the well-lit area ahead. An FOE, as the Phantom Thieves explained along the way. According to Futaba, they were to be avoided at all times, not something one could choose to take on like the powerful Shadows that could be found in different shapes and sizes all over Tartarus.
They were forced to take a different path, one that would eventually lead to a light switch at a dead end. Instead of walking up to press it, they quickly turned back and pressed themselves against the walls.
"It appears we've been expected." Goro pointed out the large group of Shadows guarding a mere light switch just behind them.
"Oracle, is there any other way around?" Ren reached out to Futaba through the communication line.
"Not that I know of. The only way to the light switch is through them!" Futaba instructed. "There's also a rare Shadow at the back!"
The one Futaba referred to was a giant gold-plated royal thing laying on its back side, with an assortment of Shadows acting as its guards of some sort.
"Alright." Ren turned to Minato. "Can you try getting a jump on them?"
"Not like this. We'll have to take them head-on." Minato walked through the group after hanging out in the back to check around the corner. "The FOE can't hear us, so it should be fine if we go in guns-blazing."
Ren watched as Minato unholstered his Evoker and held it up, index finger resting on the trigger.
"Ready when you are."
Minato was quick in preparing himself mentally for this upcoming fight. Ren looked over his shoulder to seek others' confirmation.
"We're ready, Joker."
Then on Ren's signal, he spearheaded the attack with the others forming a three-by-three formation.
"The rare Shadow's weak to fire."
Right on cue, Ann went ahead of Ren, joining Minato's side, her hand ready to take her panther mask off.
"Orpheus."
"Carmen!"
Their combined fire attacks hit the huge Shadow, leaving it sprawling on the floor.
"The Heat Balances are weak to electricity." Minato quickly pointed at the crosses with a scale attached on either side as he dodged the aforementioned Shadow's lunge at him.
"Hey, I got this!"
Ann already retreated to the back to make way for Yusuke, while Minato was still there, looking wide-eyed at Ryuji's outstretched hand.
"C'mon, tag me in! I can take 'em down with my Persona!"
Oh, right. Somehow Minato forgot about that. As he extended his own hand, Ryuji slapped it rather excitedly and sprung forward in his place.
"Captain Kidd!"
"Pixie!"
Lightning – although not as powerful as Minato had hoped – struck the two targets and knocked them down.
"The Creation Relics are weak to wind!"
The team cycled again, this time with Morgana and Goro tagging into the front row to target the remaining two Shadows still standing.
"Zorro!"
"Halphas."
Their wind attacks struck true, toppling the relics to pieces like they weighed next to nothing.
Ren stopped before he could command an All-Out Attack as the rare Shadow suddenly got up, showing its true colors, literally. Its regality wore off, instead turning into a jester.
Minato tapped Goro's shoulder as he quietly walked back to the front row.
"Any other changes, Oracle?"
"It's still weak to fire!"
Minato nodded to Futaba's instruction. Right on cue, Orpheus picked strings of its lyre, producing a fireball that hit square at the rare Shadow's face and set it on fire.
As he watched it roll around in an attempt to put the fire out, Minato holstered his Evoker. He assumed what was essentially Akihiko's boxing stance but modified for righties, lowering his lead hand as he planted his feet on the ground.
"You're all dead!"
Minato pummeled Creation Relic closest to him while the Phantom Thieves lunged themselves onto the rest of the Shadows, reducing them into nothingness.
"That was indeed an immaculate display of teamwork."
"Woohoo! That was awesome!"
Beyond the celebrations, Minato saw Ren open his hand to retrieve a clear film that floated at the spot where the rare Shadow had stood. Naturally, Minato felt he needed to go and have a look.
"Is that a new Persona?"
"Yeah. Heqet. Looks like it'll be useful for Oracle."
Ren nodded, letting Minato stand alongside him to have a look through the clear film. True to Ren's word, it had two supplementary skills; one that allowed the team to locate and harvest rare items from defeated Shadows much easier and one that can give a surge of energy to the entire team during combat. Minato allowed Ren to pocket the clear film as the management of the Compendium was the prima donna Phantom Thief's responsibility.
The FOE was visible again as they approached the light switch. They could bait it to try and come to them in the hopes that the crater separating them would be deep enough to trap it. But, Ren chose to flip the switch. Nobody had any qualms about it whatsoever. The area became significantly darker, and with that the FOE started moving at a circular pattern to search the area, its footsteps loud enough to be heard all over the entire block.
The group of Persona-users slowly made it back to the clearing, keeping themselves pressed against the walls to avoid being seen. After getting the hang of the FOE's movement pattern, Ren signaled everyone to follow him and stay close as they walked up right behind it.
"There's the way through!"
With Futaba's assistance, they found the exit and quickly scampered towards it. Ryuji quickly checked back to see if the FOE followed them along and gave a thumbs up before rejoining the others.
The exploration – or infiltration in the Phantom Thieves' dictionary – became substantially easier. Shadows that got in their way quickly met their ends the same way the previous ones did. They eventually reached another opening with a fork in the road and a teleporter, which Ren thought was appropriate for another break.
"If you need to shift, just call it out." Minato recalled the fight for the light switch and decided to address an aspect of the Phantom Thieves' fighting style that felt similar to SEES'.
"What's 'shift'?" Ryuji put down his lead pipe and squatted on the sidewalks.
"Follow-up attacks after a knockdown." Minato translated, forgetting "shift" was a SEES terminology for that specific maneuver. "For example, you don't need to actually tag me in if you need help with a different Shadow."
"Oh, you mean the baton pass…" It clicked in Ren's head. "We've kinda gotten used to literally tagging in and out."
"There's no reason we can't try using callouts. Physically tagging in and out might become impossible in tight situations." Goro debated. "After all, Oracle has provided a secure communication line, so if we're a bit scattered it shouldn't disrupt our advantage."
"I gotta say, Lyrist, you weren't lying about your fighting skills!" Morgana sang his praises.
"Due to Arisato-san's proficiency in ambushing the enemy, we've been able to finish them off with little resistance as soon as contact was made." Goro elaborated further, recalling one major aspect of Minato's fighting style.
"Yes – so far we haven't been relying on our Personas as much, thus conserving our stamina." Yusuke noted one important thing from his observation.
"I'm surprised someone other than Queen can touch those Shadows with their bare hands – even Skull would never!" Ann complimented while also taking a dig at Ryuji. From what they told Minato about one Makoto Niijima, was that she also preferred hand-to-hand combat against the Shadows.
About their current whereabouts, Yusuke had done such a great job mapping out the movie's layout that there was no doubt they had reached a completely new section.
"Hmm, looks like the square you're searching for is down the left path." Ren had asked Futaba for advice, which she hinted through the communication line.
"Okay, so, what about the right one?" Ryuji turned in the general direction of the navigator's hint.
"That one's too dangerous – it's infested with FOEs. Definitely don't go that way." Futaba warned.
"Seriously? Well, we better not go near it." Ann huffed, leaning herself to go left.
Meanwhile, Yusuke thought hard about what Futaba just said. Eyes closed, arms crossed and all. This ticked off Ryuji because Yusuke kept mumbling about how the path to their right was "infested" in Shadows. Somewhere at the back, Minato looked towards the direction Futaba advised against taking.
Before they could weigh on both options, Goro spotted two policemen on patrol turning the corner. The group of Persona-users instinctively went into hiding but not too far away in hopes they might overhear something.
The two policemen were talking about the upcoming exhibition at the square – one that would showcase the demise of Makoto and Haru – and how the lighting must be set up for an even flashier presentation in part to consolidate Kamoshidaman's power over the city. Ren had to gag Ryuji – while Ann restrained him – before he could jump out and attack the policemen otherwise they would have been discovered. They eventually came out of hiding when the sound of boots could not be heard anymore.
Minato pondered about the conversation, away from the Phantom Thieves' debate over the rights and wrongs in establishing justice. Eventually, the conversation died down when Morgana told Ryuji, Ann, and Yusuke to put a stop to it.
"I think it's worth it to investigate both ways." Before Ren made his decision, Minato stated what was in his mind to everyone. "We only have one shot. Let's cover all the bases to make sure it counts."
"You think so too, Arisato-san?" Goro found himself relieved to have someone on the same page.
"If we go left now and screw up, we might have to start over from here." Minato pointed at the ground beneath him, looking to the left and then to the right.
"We don't know how long before the exhibition begins, so we'll have to hurry!" Morgana reminded everyone of the sense of urgency. After all, it was the SEES field leader who agreed with him on the idea of rescuing the prisoners on their own terms.
"The call is yours, Joker." Goro deferred the decision to Joker, who had been watching over the conversation.
Ren looked both ways one last time, and then towards the group of Persona-users under his helm.
"Let's split up."
Immediately after, Ryuji got on Ren's face, like something had gotten stuck onto it. Ren elaborated the reason for his decision.
"For real!?"
"I like the idea of scouting ahead. There could be something we can use over there."
"So how do you want to split the team, Joker?"
As Goro – and everyone – came to accept Ren's decision, he looked at everyone in the group and a little note in his pocket which contained the list of Sub-Personas currently equipped. Back in the Velvet Room, Ren let Minato pick whichever Sub-Persona he wanted and then took the time to assign ones that would make sure they had all the elements covered, as well as a few other options in hand including extra healing, support, and enemy disorientation.
After mumbling to himself, Ren named the members of two teams. One with three members, the other with four.
"Team A is me, Panther, and Crow. Team B is Arisato, Skull, Mona, and Fox."
Minato also noted everyone's main Personas and Sub-Personas' specializations in his head and nodded in approval of Ren's selection. He likely would've swapped out one of Ryuji or Morgana with Goro but he had no qualms with teaming up with Yusuke.
"Then, which way do we go?" Yusuke asked Ren.
"You're going right, down the FOE-infested path. We'll go left to check out the square." Ren pointed towards the paths, and then addressed Minato as team B's de-facto leader. "Like you said, we need to cover all the bases. Can you do it?"
"Alright." Minato nodded in affirmation.
"Why do you get to do the easy bit, Joker!?" Meanwhile, Ryuji still hadn't gotten off Ren's face.
"It's not easy at all. We still need to not get fished out by Kamoshidaman and his guards." Ren calmed Ryuji down as they broke off to two smaller groups Ren had designated. "Let's stay in touch."
"Don't do anything reckless. There's only three of you." Minato reminded the group of three. Sure, they were well-equipped to defend themselves, but he would rather that nobody took any chances.
"You got it. Thanks." Ren gave Minato a thumb up before they disappeared into the distance.
With that, Minato turned to his group, pinching the bridge of his nose at the prospect of confrontations ahead of them. He re-adjusted the buckle of his gauntlets to make sure they wouldn't slip out of his arms in the heat of the moment.
"Oracle, can you sense what's ahead?" After Ren finished his conversation with Futaba, it was Minato's turn to ask for pointers. Like how it usually was with Fuuka, checking ahead with the navigator had its benefits.
"There's something at the end beyond the FOEs and tons of searchlights…" Futaba kept it brief.
"So we gotta do a bit of dodgin' and weavin'..." Ryuji crossed his arms. "Well then, we'll be relying on you to get us through this."
"We can't afford to mess this up. Let's proceed even more cautiously through here." Morgana's eyes narrowed at the path ahead of them.
"Give us the signal, Arisato-san." Yusuke gripped the scabbard which housed his katana with one hand and kept the other free but ready to quickly draw steel.
They quickly came towards an opening two blocks ahead, illuminated with a set of searchlights, and an FOE standing in the middle of it. As he had learned about how the FOE operated, Minato quickly swerved to a non-illuminated path to the side that let them go around it.
Soon enough, they found a light switch, which Minato pressed without hesitation much to Ryuji's dismay. The opening became noticeably darker – although still well-lit enough to be a safe passage otherwise – and the FOE began circling around the area.
"It looks like this lets you change the positions of the powered searchlights." Although not mapped yet, Futaba detected the presence of another searchlight connected to the switch. Still, the job fell to the exploration teams – Yusuke in this case – to map it out.
"Got it. Thanks, Oracle." Minato acknowledged Futaba's observation.
"So it's a directional switch." Yusuke comprehended. "We should make use of these when we encounter them."
There was a time when Minato wondered whether or not Tartarus would have puzzles and traps in addition to the Shadows. This became a hotly debated topic between Junpei, Akihiko, Ken, Fuuka, and Yukari. Junpei, Akihiko, and Fuuka would welcome the added challenge – with the former stating it would add to the vibes – while Ken and Yukari would rather do away with it, despite Ken not denying puzzles would be a welcome break from the fighting they usually had to do while scaling the tower.
Mitsuru recalled finding nothing of the sort from her prior experiences, nor were there mentions of it in past research projects. Aigis' priorities remained laser-focused on protecting the field leader, while Shinjiro was indifferent about it – only time he stepped in was to pull Akihiko's leash.
With the SEES field leader exercising intensive care and an emphasis on stealth as well as resource conservation, the entire FOE-infested section was mapped out, and he guided the team towards an opening with a ladder on one side and a lone policeman in the vicinity. Minato stopped the group's advance and told everyone to get behind him as he peeked around the wall they used as cover.
"There's an open manhole over there." Minato noticed something right by the policeman's feet. At first glance, it looked like the policeman was just standing there having a break.
"Whoa, you're right!" Ryuji exclaimed as he scooted alongside Minato. "Why's it open? Are they doin' repairs or somethin'?"
"Sometimes stuff like power lines run underground." Ann chimed in from the communication line. "Maybe the lights' power source is somewhere inside."
"That's a sensible conclusion. Otherwise, there's no need for someone to be guarding it." Yusuke concurred.
"Let's check it out." Minato quickly made the decision, seeing they had to double back several times to get to that point.
"We gotta do somethin' about that cop first. So what's your call, dude?" Ryuji referred to the team leader.
"Get rid of him." Minato stated, as if it wasn't the obvious answer. "Might need to fight him to do it."
Morgana, Ryuji, and Yusuke straightened their posture as Minato ordered everyone to form a straight line while still pressed against the wall. Minato also reiterated the simplicity of shifting – the term he kept using because while baton pass was also quite a fitting name, it felt like a bit of a mouthful – to ensure victory in direct confrontations.
"Wait – I'd like to propose an idea first." Yusuke grabbed Minato's shoulder before he went ahead to spear the attack. "After taking him down, why don't we avail ourselves of his uniform as well?"
"Strip the cop? Why?" Ann chimed in again.
"I assume there would be even more guards beyond this point… So a police uniform may come in handy." Yusuke explained his idea.
The thought of taking someone's clothing never crossed Minato's mind at all in SEES operations. Mainly because no situations really ever called for it. The closest SEES ever got to repurposing something on the fly was Mitsuru using a whip as a lasso to rein in the Lovers Arcana Shadow and Yukari using a sexual aid device – and her shrieking in disgust once she realized what she just threw into the mirror – to break one of the non-reflective mirrors containing the seal that concealed the same target.
All in all, the July full moon operation was arguably the weirdest in SEES history, given the Shadows' tricks and the collateral damage – that were covered up expeditiously by he who shall not be named – they caused in defeating the enemies.
"Okay. Then I guess I'll wear it." Realizing the responsibility would fall to him, Minato accepted Yusuke's idea and offered to execute it if needed.
"Wow, spoken without hesitation whatsoever…" Goro scoffed at the other side of the line.
"Alright, welcome to the force, Lyrist." Ren also joined the conversation. "You need help?"
"No, focus on your task." Minato rejected the help. There was a reason Joker split up the team, and he wasn't going to let him abandon that decision halfway.
With no more arguments from the other team, Minato made sure he had his team's thumbs up and steeled himself.
"We're going in." He relayed to Futaba.
"Oracle, back them up." Ren ordered.
"Roger!" Futaba bursted out in excitement.
Right on cue, the policemen noticed them and reached for his intercom, revealing a nasty surprise for the four Persona-users.
"Whoa, there's a ton of them! But we know all of their weaknesses! You got this!"
"We'll follow your lead, Arisato-san!"
Minato already had his Evoker trained on his head and pulled the trigger. Orpheus unleashed a trail of fire that ran along the ground between the two Heat Balances and towards a Bribed Fuzz at the back row. Telepathically, Minato commanded his main Persona to strike the other mall cops with the same trail of fire.
His combat data as of late showed tendencies of becoming a one-man wrecking ball instead of an elevating presence for the rest of the advance team. Mitsuru had grown a bit exasperated towards this revelation and urged him to take it a little easier on himself, or else he would face the consequences of the role of field leader stripped from him regardless of his abilities to become a safety net for everyone else.
As Minato pondered to himself during the downtime, it might be wise to start following SEES' actual leader's advice in this regard, as much as he hated to admit it.
"Fox, your turn!"
"Very well. Goemon!"
Yusuke summoned his main Persona and directed a shard of ice towards a Cultic Tower. WIth Minato's approval, he knocked down the other one.
Minato waved forward with both hands spread open as he gave out a new command.
"Let's surround them! Spread out and keep shifting!"
Minato stood still while Yusuke went to his left. Morgana and Ryuji ran to his right, with Morgana stopping halfway and Ryuji stopping further back, essentially forming a perimeter around the Shadows.
Half the opposing party were still standing. It was time for Yusuke to pass it over in the way Minato advised.
"I'll shift to Skull. Take it from here!"
"Taggin' in! Captain Kidd!"
Ryuji's target were the two red tanks flanking the enemy formation. Both sparks of electricity struck true, disabling the Chariot-type Shadows' movement.
There were only two more, and only one Persona-user hadn't made his move yet.
"Shiftin' to Mona!"
"Good choice! Take this! Zorro!"
With Morgana knocking down the two Heat Balances courtesy of his main Persona, all the Shadows were left sprawling on the ground. The cat mascot-like thing readied his slingshot, picking out which Shadow he should target first.
"Time for some bloodshed, don't you think?"
A smirk crept its way to Minato's face. It would be understandable for the three Phantom Thieves under his command to be reserved towards him, but part of him was glad it didn't turn out that way.
"Let's do it."
And thus, they jumped in. The pummeling became so intense it formed a cloud of smoke that engulfed the entire area. When it cleared, the Persona-users stood tall.
"Nice combos! You made it look so easy!" Futaba squealed in excitement.
"Sounds like you didn't have a hard time at all." Ren followed calmly, while Goro just chuckled.
"That was excellent, they didn't stand a chance!" Morgana celebrated with his fist pumped.
"Thanks to your leadership, we emerged victorious." Yusuke complimented Minato's leadership.
"And we get the cop's uniform!" Ryuji grabbed the garment. Upon closer look, the blue-black color on the button-up shirt and pants looked a bit washed out but nothing was ripped or torn apart.
"I just started the shift chain, the rest of it was all you." Minato deflected the compliment like he'd done many times before. Yukari thought this was borderline unhealthy behavior. Regardless, they were safe, so he decided to check on the other team. "How's it going over there, Joker?"
"We just climbed to a rooftop that overlooks the square." Ren informed. Minato could hear a gust of wind from the other side of the line. "Nothing weird so far, but we'll keep looking."
"Alright." Minato sat down on the ground and put his feet into the manhole, finding a set of steps leading to the abyss beneath. "We're getting into the manhole, so you might lose us on the comms."
Minato found a secure footing and grabbed the side of the ladder before glancing at his watch. There was no comment from the other team, so Minato just assumed they were a bit occupied.
"Oracle, if you don't hear from us in fifteen minutes, call the other team over."
"Copy that!"
The ladder ended just over some solid, damp ground. The air was thick with the pungent stench of damp earth and decay, a scent that clung to the back of the throat like a bitter memory of Minato's indecisiveness which cost the death of two – maybe even three – people. Shadows danced along the walls of the narrow passageway, illuminated only by the light of a flashlight that came with the police uniform they acquired. The walls, slick with moisture, glistened like the scales of a serpent, their surface marred by streaks of grime and the occasional patch of mold.
He felt for Morgana who could barely hold himself together due to the smell – it was bad for everyone else but the worst for him, Minato figured Koromaru also wouldn't like it as much – and the pack of rats just streaking past them.
Minato turned off the flashlight as he spotted a policeman in the distance, holding out his arm to stop Ryuji and the others in their tracks.
"Is that a switchboard?" Yusuke whispered, barely making out a set of switches and a lever attached to the wall just past the policeman.
"Ooh! I wonder what that's for!" Morgana's eyes lit up.
"Judging by what Panther said, we might be able to use it to rescue Queen and Noir without confronting Kamoshidaman." The idea was starting to form in Yusuke's head. Just as predicted, they had lost contact with Futaba, so Minato put the information at the back of his mind for the time being.
"Well then, let's take out that cop and gain control of it!" Ryuji balled a fist and punched an open hand with it.
"Wait – considering how dark and narrow this place is, it'd be best to avoid using force." Morgana stood in Ryuji's way. "If we're to cause a ruckus, we'd definitely end up getting cornered down here."
"So we'll simply make him leave." Minato concluded. He turned to Yusuke with both arms extended out. "Give me the uniform."
Minato handed all of his gear – including the utility belt and the gauntlets – to Ryuji. Next, the tactical jacket and dress shirt came off. In its place, the button-up police top, complete with the radio kit. He happened to carry a hair pin in one of the jacket pockets, which he used to hold up the usual eye-covering bangs. The hat ran a size bigger, but with how much hair volume he had, it was still a snug fit.
"All set." With the cuffs buttoned up, Minato was ready to report for guard duty.
"Would he pass as a cop? Sure he's got the looks, but I don't think he's gonna fit-." Ryuji scratched his chin, examining Minato from top to bottom.
"I'll try my best." Minato cut Ryuji off and went ahead. "Stay here. Don't get spotted."
"Give us a signal if anything goes awry. We'll come back you up immediately." Yusuke whispered. Minato turned back and responded with a thumb up before continuing ahead and eventually out of the three's earshot.
Ryuji, Morgana, and Yusuke retreated behind a series of metal pipes big enough to be used as cover. The blondie tried to peek around but Yusuke stopped him before his whole head was into view.
Minato called the unassuming-looking policeman over, already knowing he had to carefully choose his words.
"Hello, sir. I was told to switch over with the officer standing by here." He decided on imitating Officer Kurosawa's mannerisms – not the gruff of his voice, but at least he could pull off the stern face and straight posture.
"Hmm? You a new guy?" The policeman folded his arms, looking straight to his eyes.
"Yes. I just started last week. Name's Rogers." Minato looked the policeman in the eye and offered his right hand forward.
It took the policeman a few seconds to register, but then took his hand and gave it a firm shake.
"Yeah, I'm the officer you're looking for. I'm Baxter." The policeman, Baxter, relaxed his posture slightly. "Can't believe they're actually sending a rookie down here."
"Me neither. This seems like an important post in the city." Minato let out a weak laugh.
"Well, I guess you youngins these days gotta move up the pay grade as fast as possible..." Baxter sighed and stretched his body.
Minato lowered his cap to hide his face, softly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Anyway, give me the password."
Minato's eyebrows perked up slightly. Then he narrowed his eyes at Baxter.
"With all due respect, is that a trick question?"
Minato held his breath as Baxter stared at him, his hands ready to spring into action. But then, the taller man scoffed and let out a hearty laugh, prompting Minato to sigh and chuckle along.
"Alright, you win. Damn, I really need to brush up on that."
The policeman momentarily disappeared and came back with his hat put on.
"The keys are in the office at the back. This switchboard connects to most lights in this district and the city square. If you're confused, there's a board in the office that says which does what. Simple." Minato instinctively looked at where Baxter was pointing.
The good man waved Minato goodbye and then turned away.
"It stinks here and it gets boring, but have fun regardless. See you 'round."
Minato was going to let Baxter go, but then something flashed in his mind.
"Wha-"
Minato revealed a baton hidden up his sleeve and struck the back of the policeman's head with it. He gave him another whack for good measure. And then another. If it wasn't for the policeman's body going stiff, he would still continue on with the onslaught.
Not caring for the hat falling on the floor, Minato went for the pack of zip ties attached to his belt and turned the unconscious officer around to restrain his hands and feet. He even went as far as gagging the poor sap before lifting him on his shoulder and stuffing him into an empty closet.
"Hoooly shit...he went to town on that guy!"
"He's way too good at that..."
Seeing this, Morgana, Ryuji, and Yusuke quickly popped out of hiding and rushed over to the scene.
"Phrasing." Apparently, Minato heard what Ryuji and Morgana said as they went to check on him.
"What was that ass-whoopin' for!? Why did you hide his body!? You an assassin or somethin'!?" Ryuji screamed as he watched Minato come back with the set of keys in hand.
"Sorry, I had a change of mind. Couldn't risk him ratting us out." Minato dusted off his hands and put the hat back on.
"I loathe your method, but you do have a point." Yusuke palmed his face.
"At least we gained access to the switchboard, so let's call it a success." Morgana calmed Ryuji down and started turning back towards the ladder. "Let's return topside. Oracle and the others might get worried."
After making sure the closet was locked and the keys to the office were in his hands, Minato hurriedly led everyone back to the ladder. When he emerged, he saw no signs of more Shadows, nor of Ren and the city square surveillance team. The minute hand of Minato's watch had moved on exactly three hour marks away from its original position.
"Whew, glad we're outta there!" Ryuji took a deep breath and stretched his arms out.
"Oracle, we're back." Minato reached out to Futaba after pulling Yusuke out.
"Perfect timing, just around the fifteen minute mark!" Futaba cheered. "So, what did you find?"
"We found a switchboard in the sewers. Presumably, it can be used to control the lights at the square." Yusuke relayed the information.
"The route has been secured, in case we want to use it to disrupt the exhibition." Morgana continued.
"That's a good idea!" Ren chimed in. "We noticed something off in the square. Let's regroup at the intersection."
"How about Queen and Noir?" Of course, Minato had to ask as they started walking back the way they came.
"We got a visual – they're still in one piece." Goro relayed.
"Kamoshidaman's got them tied up but they're OK otherwise…" And Ann followed.
All Minato and his team had to do was use a pull-down ladder leading to the rendezvous point. Minutes later, they heard a sound of footsteps followed by the sight of Ren, Ann, and Goro rushing over. Although, they seemed to look rather exhausted.
"Glad to see you're OK, Arisato..." Ren clutched his knees, huffing and puffing big breaths.
"What happened?" Minato checked on the fellow Wild Card.
"Something interesting, but first we gotta get outta here!" Ren glanced at the teleporter and turned back to point at the way he just came from.
"Huh, why? What's the hurry – Whoa!"
Right on cue, a group of angry policemen rounded the corner with weapons trained at the Persona-users. Minato reached for his Evoker and summoned Orpheus who dropped fireballs short of the chasers before hurrying everyone over. Ren rushed to activate the teleporter and waited for everyone to get across. He wanted Minato to go first, but instead he got pushed in and Minato got out last, closing the teleporter after utilizing Orpheus' fire abilities to create a ring of fire to entrap the chasers.
Author's Note:
So, after yet another struggle, here's chapter three of Why You Fight. I gave it a slight change from the original PQ2 script, but at the end I think it'll arrive at the same conclusion. This chapter originally had more fights in it but I decided it was getting too long so I cut some of it out. I hope it's not too long of a read.
Depending on where you are with Akihiko's Link Episodes in P3 Reload up until 12/10, this would either be the second or third instance of Minato beating up people.
I hope everyone had a good holiday period and are going through life as best as possible.