The team walked into the strip club, seeing long halls not unlike the previous dungeons they had traversed.

"You know, I'm glad that this place is at least relatively clean." Chie said. "Smells pretty fresh."

"...how do you know what a strip joint would smell like?" Yosuke asked.

"I don't. It's just a guess from what I've heard." Chie said.

"So you guys just… walk down these long halls, find the missing person, then get out?" Sayaka asked.

"Not exactly." Yukiko said.

The group walked near a corner, before Kyoko held up a hand. "Wait."

"What is it?" Sayaka asked.

The team hid behind the corner as a Shadow slithered down the hall, not seeing them.

"Eww! What is tha-?!"

Chie quickly put a hand over Sayaka's mouth, but the monster had heard them and started coming back.

"Kanji!" Kyoko called.

"You got it, Senpai!"

Sayaka watched as the tall boy raised a steel chair. The moment the Shadow came around the corner, he got the literal drop on it, slamming it into its back. It exploded into several smaller creatures that all took distinct demon-like shapes.

"Sayaka, get behind Teddie!" Kyoko shouted, as she pulled out her knife and charged forward with the others.

"Wait, what are you going to do-?"

"Persona!"

All of them called it out, while shattering the mystical tarot cards that materialized in front of them. Sayaka's eyes grew as wide as pie plates as she saw the Personas all manifest.

"Jiraiya! Garu!" Yosuke shouted.

His ninja-like Persona unleashed a gust of wind, but the Shadow absorbed it no problem.

"Damn it, wind attacks aren't working!" Yosuke said, as a Shadow flew at him.

"Izanagi!" Kyoko shouted.

Her Persona brought up its blade, blocking the charging Shadow and knocking it back.

"Mabufu!" Chie called.

Tomoe shot several burst of ice, which did manage to deal some damage.

"How about I give it a shot?" Kanji suggested. "Take-Mikazuchi! Mazionga!"

Kanji's massive Persona swung its lightning bolt-like weapon, zapping all the Shadows and knocking them all down.

"Now's our chance!" Yukiko said.

"All-Out Attack!" Kyoko called.

Sayaka watched as all of them ran at the pile of Shadows, creating a huge dust cloud of violence as they mercilessly attacked the Shadows, causing them to disperse into nothing.

"Hell yeah!" Kanji whooped.

"Not bad for your first Shadow battle, Kanji." Chie complimented.

"O-kay." Sayaka said as she walked up with Teddie. "You explained to me the whole thing about the murder case and the TV World. You never told me that you guys are fighting monsters with Stands."

"Stands?" Yukiko asked. "Like, coat stands?"

"Huh, now that you mention it, Personas are a lot like Stands when you think about it." Yosuke realized.

"Heh, then call me Jotaro!" Kanji chuckled.

"Oh yeah, that fits you perfectly." Chie agreed.

"The creatures we summoned were our Personas." Kyoko explained to Sayaka. "Manifestations of our true selves."

"True selves?" Sayaka repeated. "Your true self can do stuff like shoot lightning?"

"It is a bit odd, yes." Kyoko said.

"Aw, when can I get to do that?" Sayaka asked. "How do I get that Persona thing?"

Kyoko's eyes were unreadable behind her glasses. "You'd rather not want one, believe me."

Sayaka was about to complain and press further, but realized Kyoko was being serious. She had a feeling that she'd find out sooner or later.

"Well then, I got pretty much the entire gist now." Sayaka said. "So let's go onward!"

She went on ahead and Kyoko paled. "Wait! Sayaka, slow down! It's dangerous!"

The others just watched the two run ahead.

"That Sayaka girl brings out a different side of Sensei, doesn't she?" Teddie noted.

"Yeah, I've never seen her really act like this." Chie said. "Either Sayaka is a close friend, or is an expert at pushing Kyoko's buttons."

"I think it's both." Yosuke said.

"She's only been with us for like, less than an hour and already it feels like we know her or something." Kanji said.

"Um… shouldn't we go after them?" Yukiko asked.

"Oh yeah, right." Yosuke said, as they all chased the two Ultimates.

Fighting their way through the Shadows, they managed to reach the next few floors. They stopped behind a curtain, which Teddie sniffed.

"I can smell something… from behind here!" He said.

The others shared a glance, nodding at each other. Kyoko reached forward, and pulled back the curtain. Standing in the center of the room was a girl with copper hair in pigtails, dressed in a yellow bikini.

"It's Rise!" Yosuke said.

"But something's not right…" Chie said, noticing the glowing yellow eyes.

"It must be her other self…" Yukiko guessed.

"Her other self?" Sayaka repeated.

"Hello, all you fans out there! Thanks for coming today!" The Shadow said, speaking into a mic. "Today, you're gonna see every last inch of me! What's that? You don't believe me? Ahahah! Okay, okay! Then why don't we– Oh, but you won't be able to see with all this smoke, huh? Okie-dokie! Just follow me a little further in and I'll prove that I'm every bit as good as my word!"

Snapping above her was a logo, materializing out of the air.

"Maru-Q Midsummer Night's Dream Special. Risette Exposed?" Chie read.

"Mm… the splash card is way too flashy." Sayaka said.

"There are far too many details, making it difficult to actually understand what's going on." Kyoko agreed.

"Are you two seriously discussing graphic design at a time like this?" Yosuke asked.

"Sorry." The two Ultimates replied sheepishly.

"Were we like that?" Kanji asked, seeing the behavior of Rise's Shadow. "That's… going kinda far…"

"Sheesh, the roar of the crowd is insane this time…" Chie said, hearing the cheers resonate off the walls. "It's making me feel sick."

"If people really are watching this, we gotta do something, and fast." Yosuke said.

"All right, Risetteers! Don't touch that clicker! When we come back, you'll get a good, long look at the real me! Maru-Q!"

And with that, the Shadow ran off, away from them.

"W-We'd better move it!" Yosuke said. "This is a thousand times worse than hearing a few nasty secrets!"

"The Shadows are really getting aggravated!" Teddie said. "What we just saw is what that Rise girl is suppressing! She'll be in trouble at this rate!"

"So, guess I'm on the rescue team now." Kanji held up a fist. "Alright, let's hurry up and go!"

Sayaka frowned as the others went on ahead. "Rise… you don't need to do something like this… you shouldn't…"

"Sayaka! We've found the stairs!" Kyoko called.

"Y-Yeah! I'm coming!"

Sayaka caught up, getting on the top step as Rise's Shadow spoke through what she guessed as an intercom system.

"Goooood evening, everyone! I'm Risette! Thanks for being such faithful viewers! I'm tired of diets! Enough with going to the gym! Good thing there's something even I can handle!"

"I've had enough of this place too! Urgh, I'm getting all dizzy…" Teddie grumbled.

"Something's been bothering me about what the Shadow was saying…" Yukiko said. "Her "true self," huh...?"

It became a blur at this rate, as the team made their way through the club. The hordes of Shadows weren't making things easy, but they were pushing their way through.

Do they do this every time someone falls in? Sayaka thought to herself, staying at the back of the group.

"Sensei, are you alright?" Teddie asked.

Sayaka noticed that Kyoko was sweating a bit. "I'm fine, Teddie."

"Why don't we call it a day today?" He suggested. "I'm getting really dizzy…?"

"Oh!? You've come so far...Does that mean you're a fan of mine? Seriously!? That makes Risette sooo happy! Since you tried so hard, I wonder if I should do something special for you...But not here! First, you gotta prove your love just a liiiittle bit more! I'll be waiting!"

"...! S-Sensei! I'm gonna try even harder!"

"Seriously?" Sayaka said to the bear.

"What?"

"Nevermind." Sayaka sighed. "But he does have a point. You don't wanna push yourselves too hard."

"Alright, we'll just make our way to the next floor and call it a day then." Yosuke said.

"Oh wow that was quick." Sayaka said in surprise. "I thought you would've done the whole thing like "I can do this all day" or something like that."

"Well, we probably could." Chie said. "But if we screw up once, that's it."

"If we're out, no one else can save Rise." Yosuke said. "So we should take a few breaks every now and then. It's how we've been able to keep going these past few months."

"You guys really thought of everything, huh?" Sayaka said, as they found the next set of stairs.

"With Kyoko leading us, thinking of everything kinda comes naturally at this point." Yosuke chuckled as they walked up to the next floor.

"C'mon, hang in there! Just a little more to go! I'm rooting for you!"

"Whaa...? We're desperately trying to save her, but she's cheering us on instead...?" Teddie said, confused. "I don't know how to feel about this…"

"I was like that too, huh?" Kanji guessed. "Well, I ain't gonna let it happen again! I got a debt to settle with you guys!"

"You can settle the debt later, Kanji." Kyoko said. "We're pulling out for now."

"Is that really a good idea?" Sayaka asked.

"We've already done it before." Chie said. "They're only in danger when the fog comes in, so we have time."

"Let's leave already." Yukiko said with a shiver. "I don't want to stay here any longer than we have to."

Sakaya followed them out of the dungeon, keeping to the back.

She had a lot to think about now.

Kyoko had walked into the Junes, having received a text to meet up a little early from Sayaka. She made her way to the food court, seeing her former classmate already sitting at the table that the team normally met up at.

"Sayaka." Kyoko said, sitting down. "Why did you ask me to arrive early?"

Sayaka tapped her fingers on the table, before looking at Kyoko. "I wanted to ask you; how did you get your Personas?"

Kyoko was briefly silent, before speaking. "I'm going to guess you'll figure out if I'm hiding information from you."

"I don't need to be psychic whenever you're lying, Kyoko." Sayaka said. "It's a gut feeling I get."

Kyoko sighed, before putting her hands on the table, laying one over the other. "Very well. The way a Persona is obtained is by facing your Shadow."

"Facing…?" Sayaka said. "You mean, like beating it?"

"Not exactly." Kyoko said. "A Shadow is the physical manifestation of everything buried away. Only by accepting it, will it become your Persona."

"Buried away…" Sayaka said softly.

"And if you deny it, it'll go berserk and attack." Kyoko said. "That's why I was rather harsh to you earlier. A bit of a foolish decision in hindsight."

"Because you know about…"

Kyoko nodded. "You did tell me that yourself."

"Is there a way to prevent them from appearing?" Sayaka asked.

"As long as your negative feelings don't have a breakthrough of sorts, you should be relatively fine." Kyoko said, with a small frown. "You've done a relatively good job at doing it already, so I don't see any reason that it would happen now. Yet at the same time…"

"No, it makes sense." Sayaka reassured her. "You didn't want to take any risks."

"I apologize if I offended you in any way." Kyoko said. "I-"

"Hey." Sayaka placed one of her hands on Kyoko's. "We're friends, remember? You were just looking out for me. I'd have probably done the same thing."

Kyoko could feel Sayaka's warmth through her gloves.

"And besides, now that I'm officially part of the team, everyone'll be looking out for me, and I'll do the favor right back." Sayaka said. "You can count on me, Kyoko!"

Kyoko smiled softly. "I'll be counting on you. Thank you, Sayaka."

"Oh hey, here come the others." Sayaka said, spotting the rest of the team. "Shall we go?"

"Let's."

"So, is there a reason you're doing this, Sayaka-san?"

Yosuke had stepped back a bit to talk to Sayaka, as the others went on ahead. Teddie stayed behind the two of them to keep an eye on the rear of the team.

"Hm?" Sayaka turned to face him. "What do you mean?"

"Not gonna lie, most people would have probably turned and ran the moment they get the chance." Yosuke admitted. "Everyone here, while it's all voluntary, it was due to being personally involved at one point or another. You… don't really have a reason."

"Is Kyoko being my friend not a good enough reason?" Sayaka asked.

"No, it's not that, but… it's just a feeling I have that there's more to this." Yosuke said.

Sayaka walked alongside him in silence, before answering. "Well… maybe it's some sort of mutual feeling since Rise's a lot like me, being an idol and all. But, there's something else."

"And that is?"

"Rise… I met her a few times. And you know what I can tell? She's a good idol."

"Uh… yeah." Yosuke said, a bit confused. "She is pretty popular."

"No, not that way." Sayaka said. "Idol work is tough business. And sometimes, in order to get there, some idols do some things that… they're not proud of, to say the least. But Rise? I can tell she's done none of them. She's like… a hope to aspiring idols everywhere, if that makes sense. And I can't just stand by and let a light like that be snuffed out."

"Oh yeah, I totally get that." Yosuke said, everything clicking into place for him. "...wait, does that mean you-"

"Oh, Yosuke-can I call you Yosuke?" Sayaka suddenly asked.

"Uh, yeah, of course!" Yosuke said, somewhat honored his name was being said so casually by an idol.

"You… totally got a crush on Kyoko, don't ya?" Sayaka said with a smile.

"Wh-What?!" Yosuke nearly shouted, though the others didn't hear thanks to the loud booming music of the club, as well as the Shadows they were currently fighting. "How did you know?!"

"I don't have to be psychic for that." Sayaka said. "The way you look at Kyoko's the same way several friends of mine do to their boyfriends and girlfriends. So, are you gonna ask her?"

Yosuke crossed his arms. "I don't know. She's a freakin' Ultimate and I'm the son of a mall owner. Would she really be happy with a guy like me?"

"You never know unless you shoot your shot." Sayaka encouraged. "Go for it, I'm rooting for you!"

With that, she skipped on ahead to rejoin Kyoko and the others at the front. Yosuke was left by himself, with only her words echoing through his mind.

"Shoot my shot, huh…" Yosuke said. "Maybe…"

Kyoko's Social Links:

Magician (Yosuke Hanamura): Rank 8

Chariot (Chie Satonaka): Rank 7

Priestess (Yukiko Amagi): Rank 7

Emperor (Kanji Tatsumi): Rank 2

Star (Teddie): Rank 1

Justice (Nanako Dojima): Rank 3

Hierophant (Ryotaro Dojima): Rank 3

Fool (The Investigation Team): Rank 4

Hope (Hope's Peak Academy Students): Rank 3

A/N: Bit of a shorter chapter again, but that's what happens when you base the pacing on your progress in a video game. At the same time though, the shorter chapters do let me more consistently update, which might be the new technique going forward.

Now, I think I've made it pretty obvious at this point, but to clarify, Sayaka is going to be the main POV character for Rise's arc, rather than Kyoko. I wanted to make things more unique, and I like writing for a character that's somewhat more of an observer overall, though rest assured, Sayaka will have some more direct moments during this part. After this arc, I will switch back to Kyoko.

Aside from that, nothing much else to say. Feel free to leave a review. See you all next time.