Covert Operations
By: Ominae
Rating: T
Chapter 5: Another task
September 2010
Somewhere in the Chechen Republic, Northern Caucasian District, Russia
Yu was the first to move into Baisarov's mansion, followed by the TRF team. He was quick to shoulder his Model 1 Sales M16A2 Commando carbine when the Japanese SHADOW agent got inside. He also raised the hoodie of his black windbreaker jacket.
"What happened?" Yu murmured when he saw some of Baisarov's bodyguards on the ground. From first glance, it appeared that they were killed. But they were the only ones who had fired off shots from their Glock 17s.
He looked around for any leads to where the culprit may be.
"It looks like..."
He heard some gunshots from within the fourth floor of the mansion. However, the TRF team gestured to Yu that they were all accounted for and none went upstairs yet.
"Dammit..." Yu ran up the spiral staircase to see who it was. He ran as fast as he could. The new black Guardian GTX boots made from Smith & Wesson were now taking the brunt of the run.
The TRF team stayed behind to investigate the ground floor as they got word that some other armed men may be at the garden or at some other part of the mansion.
As he ran up and up, the agent was wondering who could it be. Was it a rogue agent? A mercenary? A FSB agent with supernatural powers?
After Yu arrived on the fourth floor, which was mostly Baisarov's personal living room, the agent saw that someone was definetely here.
If the indication of a dead man in a suit with a discharged Glock didn't give it away, that is.
"Freeze!" Yu shouted when he aimed his carbine at someone, with his back facing him. He wore a black FSB raid jacket, jeans and black combat boots.
"I was wondering when I was about to receive company." The man spoke to him in a taunting tone, having a bit of a Russian accent when he spoke English.
"What does the FSB want with Baisarov? The man has invested in Chechnya's economy after the war..." Yu wanted to waste the man standing in front of him. But since it was an active incident, he wanted to get as much info as possible.
"It appears that our investigation into Baisarov was right in the end." The man turned around to face Yu.
Yu examined the man. He appeared normal. Just a Caucasian man with a trimmed beard in his mid 30s. But something about him was way off...
So what was it?
Some sort of blade was seen drawn out from the man's right arm, most of it concealed by the sleeve of his jacket.
"Let's see how good of an assassin you are!"
The FSB agent made a short run before he jumped at Yu's direction. Seeing the attack, he was forced to raise his carbine in order to block the incoming blade since it was being directed to his neck.
Yu kicked the hostile on the leg, forcing him to back off. In the process, his carbine was whacked away.
"Dammit..."
Yu drew out a Fabrique Nationale FN-2 tanto knife from the sheath strapped on his belt. He was seen holding the weapon via reverse grip.
The two could hear the sounds of automatic gunfire from downstairs.
"ERRAHHH!"
"AAAAHHHH!"
They clashed blades with each others, with one either doing the slashing and stabbing while the other tried to get out of the way by dodging with their body movements or by using their blade to block the incoming attack and use the momentum to stab or slash at the opponent.
"Hey!"
Yu could hear someone shout from downstairs as gunfire continued to echo inside the mansion while struggling to get the FSB agent off him.
"Hey!"
April 17, 2011
Daidara Metal Works Shop, South Shopping District, Yasoinaba, Nakakoma, Yamanashi, Japan
"Hey Narukami..." Yosuke was calling for Yu's attention when he was staring at a display of replica Ō-yoroi armor. "Come on, Chie wants to introduce you to someone."
"Oh, sorry..." Yu's attention went to Yosuke after his name was called. "I was just checking this out."
Yosuke frowned. "Come on, man. I don't think having that with us is gonna be cool, especially if we infiltrate that place ya know."
"Hey, I was just looking..."
"Hey Narukami." Chie motioned to Yu. "I want to introduce you to the owner of this place."
Yu was now standing in front of a man in his mid 50s with a bald head, but he has a bear and sideburns in orange hair. He has an X-shaped scar on his face and has a towel tied around his forehead. For his attire, he wore a white shirt, brown obi and white pants.
"Chie has just told me about you, Narukami-kun." The man said before he shook hands. "I'm Daidara, the owner and sole blacksmith in the shopping district."
"Hello, sir." Yu returned the gesture. "How long has the business been running?"
"I'm the 40th owner of this place since the place was established years before the Meiji era. Been a family business for a long time." Daidara sighed. "But with Junes and its aggressive marketing, I fear that the local businesses may be forced to eventually just shutter itself into the face of Yasoinaba's history."
Yousuke was really quiet when the conversation was taking place.
"Well... since I heard from the young lady that you may be interested in looking at weapons, do drop by when you can and let me know if you got questions or any purchases you want to make."
"I will, sir."
"Please excuse me. I need to take care of something from the back."
Daidara excused himself, leaving the three students.
"Man, Chie..." Yosuke approached Chie from the side. "I'm wondering if you've reached the point where you've been able to binge all the martial art movies and..."
Chie glared at him. "That's not it. I just heard some stuff from the guys in the class about the shop."
"But the weapons and armor they got may be too heavy." Yu told the other two.
"I dunno..." Yosuke shrugged his shoulders. "I still think it's too dangerous. I know how you feel, but..."
"You don't know jack." Chie glared at her classmate, while she pointed a finger at him. "You don't know how I'm feeling right now. Yukiko's still there and she may die..."
She stomped her left foot. "I'm going and that's that!"
Yu sighed while his right hand was on his face before he told her. "Fine. But you need to stay behind us. Or else."
"I'll be fine." Chie grinned. "I got good reflexes and all."
"Narukami's right." Yosuke told her. "Seriously, we don't even know if you survive a few hours in that realm without some kind of power aside from your martial arts skills."
"If you insist on coming, make sure you got something to defend yourself in case the worst thing comes, you got it?" Yu spoke up as well.
"Alright, I just got my stuff taken care of." Chie replied.
Uh... that was fast. I think.
"I guess the only thing to figure out is how do we bring any weapons we can get to Junes without incurring the wrath of the police again?" Yosuke groaned, remembering the time that he was in the squad car's backseat.
"Can we sneak them into the store by putting them under our clothes? Maybe that can work until we can figure something out."
Yosuke nodded. "That may be the best option we have. For now, we'll split up. Just leave a message in case you're going to be late or something. We can meet by the food court later on. I'll go and get the weapons from here."
"Sounds like a plan."
Outside Daidara Metal Works Shop, South Shopping District, Yasoinaba, Nakakoma, Yamanashi, Japan
When the trio went their separate ways (for now), Yu was about to walk when he caught sight of a decorative blue door that appeared out of nowhere.
"What the?" Yu was looking at it, but he noted that the others seemed to be walking by, as if they can't see it.
Yu looked down at the right pants pocket when he saw that something was shining. He took the item out and saw that the key given to him by Igor was shining.
Guess it's time.
The teenager made the decision to enter the door to the Velvet Room.
Velvet Room, the place that exists between dream and reality; mind and matter
Upon entering the Velvet Room, his vision was changed to bright white. This hindered his vision that he needed to cover his eyes.
After the bright light faded, he found himself seated in the limo interior. There, he found a couple of familiar faces. Although the other girl nearby was familiar, due to her blue cap, stockings and shoulder bag.
Where'd I see her before? It's like I remember that I met her somewhere in town.
"Ah... we've been expecting you." Igor greeted Yu once more.
"You have?"
Igor nodded.
"The catastrophe that is headed your way...It has already taken human lives in its approach towards you. But you have nothing to fear. You already have the power to fight against it. It seems that the time for you to use your Persona has come."
Margaret chimed in. "Your Persona ability is that of the wild card. If you strengthen your bonds properly, their power will help you overcome any ordeal. Our role is to facilitate that."
"Wild card huh?" Yu said the words with great curiosity and interest.
"My contribution... is to give birth to new Personas. By mixing together multiple Persona cards, I can transmute them into a new form... This, in other words, is the fusion of Personas. You have the power to hold multiple Personas and to use them accordingly. When you defeat an enemy, the seeds of possibility you attain will appear before you as cards. At times, they may be hard to grasp...but you must master your fear and reach out to them."
Igor showed you a couple of tarot cards and placed them on the small round table in front of him. "When you obtain new cards, please do not hesitate to bring them here. If you have been developing your Social Links, then your Persona will gain even more power."
The man with the long nose moved the two cards together. A shimmer of light appeared briefly before they changed into one card. "They will be one of your chief sources of strength...You would do well to take this to heart."
"Okay. I'll do what I can."
Margaret brought out a huge book from nowhere and placed it on her lap. "The tome you see here is the Persona Compendium."
"What do you need it for?"
"A good question. Registering the Personas you hold will allow you to recall them at any time. Please see me when you wish to use it."
Margaret motioned Yu to look at the other girl inside the room. "Oh, and one more thing...I would like to introduce a new resident of the Velvet Room, who will be helping you on your journey."
For some reason, the other girl refused to say anything. Not even a hello.
"Marie?" Margaret called for her attention. "Are you well?"
Marie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I can hear you just fine." She sighed and introduced herself without trying to do anything stupid. "Nice to meet you."
"So why are you here?" Yu asked Marie the reason why she was hanging out with Igor and Marie.
Marie shrugged. "I dunno. Does it matter?"
Margaret sighed and intervened before Marie could say something that she can't take back. "Please excuse her. Her soul is still very young and..."
"Shut it!" Marie yelled at the woman. "Don't tell him any more about me than you need to."
Yu stared at Igor for a few seconds, who didn't seem to be fazed by the shouting and snarking between Marie and Margaret. If anything, the SHADOW agent wanted his skills for being cool headed.
"As you can see. She may be brusque at times, but please understand that she is only an apprentice and forgive her for her impoliteness."
Yu nodded after he heard Margaret explain the situation.
"Marie will be dealing with Skill Cards. Using these cards will allow you to provide your Personas with new powers. Also, I am sure she will help you form a bond between yourself and the outside world. Marie will contact you at a later date. Please feel free to speak with her here when you wish to use her services."
"Understood."
Igor chuckled after Margaret explained what Marie's role is in the Velvet Room. "Do you recall my words to you before? The coming year is a turning point in your destiny...If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost."
Yu blinked his eyes when he heard Igor's advice. He doesn't seem to remember when was the last time he heard that.
"I meant precisely what I said. Defeat in battle is not the only way your journey may come to an end...Please do not forget this. When next we meet, you will come here of your own will."
"Thanks, Igor."
Igor nodded. "I look forward to it. Until then...farewell."
Yu stood up from his seat. At that moment, his vision changed to bright white light...
Outside Daidara Metal Works Shop, South Shopping District, Yasoinaba, Nakakoma, Yamanashi, Japan
"W-what the?"
Yu saw that he was once again in the streets of the South Shopping District. The Velvet Room door was nowhere to be seen.
It's gone for now. Looks like I'll visit them again soon.
While Yu was walking down the streets, he unexpectedly received an incoming SMS message.
"I got a message." When Yu was checking the Iphone 4 screen to see what the message was, the smartphone vibrated again to indicate that there was another SMS message. "Or two."
One of them was from Yosuke. The other was from an unregistered number.
He went to read Yosuke's message first.
Just letting you know. I gotta take care of something and Chie's doing her own thing. We'll still meet at least after 3 PM.
One down. Need to read the other message.
Yu opened the message to see who sent him something from an unknown man.
Hey. I know you're suppose to concentrate on your investigation solo on MOM's orders, but can I get a few minutes of your time. I need something done in the armory.
"The armory...?"
Yu wondered what was happening in the Center that needed his attention, even though his current task was to focus on the Mayonaka TV case. In the meantime, he got the PORTAL app working to see if it can track down a Center portal.
The map shown on the app indicated that the nearest portal was located somewhere near the outskirts of the district.
Somewhere near the bus stop.
"Now why the bus stop?" Yu was wondering why the app was detecting the portal's location there.
Bus Stop, South Shopping District, Yasoinaba, Nakakoma, Yamanashi, Japan
Yu was now looking around the bus stop in the shopping district, looking for a lead that can help him narrow down the portal's location.
"Hang on..." The app was now indicating that the portal was located in some bushes near the stop.
"Okay?" Yu ran up the sidewalk until he can find said bushes. "I found them."
Pushing the leaves aside, Yu saw the portal was located on the ground in the bushes.
"Guess I better do something suspicious." He sighed when he stepped into the bushes. He started to fall the moment his foot went through the portal.
One of these days, I'm going to write a complaint letter and ask why can't the portal open up in places that aren't suspicious. I'm getting the urge to smack the guys working in R&D for this.
April 16, 2011
Walkalator Area, The Center, Unknown Location
Following clearance procedures, Yu cleared himself of entry to the Center. As usual, the place was really busy that most of the personnel on early evening duty didn't pay him any attention since they were at work.
"Agent Narukami." A Center agent in white uniform greeted him when he showed up. "The guys at the armory apologize for calling you on such short notice."
"It's fine." Yu raised a hand up. "I have some free time. I'm assuming it's for some firearm to examine?"
"It's more than that actually."
"Okay?"
"Please follow me."
"All right."
The two walked down the walkalator until they were able to get down and walk down another path towards HQ's armory.
Armory, The Center, Unknown Location
When Yu entered the armory via sliding door, he was greeted by some of the agents working while they were conducting preventive maintenance on various small arms ranging from pistols and revolvers to assault rifles and machine guns of various types.
["Hey, Yu."] Yu was greeted by an African Canadian agent.
["Glad to see you, Tommy. I thought you were still in Vancouver?"] Yu smiled and patted the agent's right shoulder to greet him.
["Nah, I was already done a day earlier, so I was able to get back to the Center."] Tommy said while he scratched his black hair, which was in a crew cut hair cut. ["And you're in time too."]
["What's happening now?"]
["Some guys in R&D have been trying to create some firearms based on some of the TV shows they've seen lately through all-night binging marathons. Of course, they also try to create some based on custom air guns."]
["I'm assuming that these guys are awake, at full attention and are sane enough to suggest this?"]
["Well... From what I heard, they wanted to do this as a project with some guys in SHADOW. They got some working firearms now, so they wanted to ask someone from the unit to do a live test."]
["Okay... I'll bite. But only for a while. I'm needed somewhere else after a few minutes, so I can't afford to be late or things will be suspicious. But I'll have to do a field report afterwards."]
["That's great news."] Tommy had a smile on his face. ["No one's booking the shooting range, so we can use it for our shooting tests."]
Shooting Range, The Center, Unknown Location
The shooting range, located next to the armory, has lanes for nine to ten persons with enough space for anyone to handle big weapons like assault rifles, machine guns and sniper rifles.
Since it was empty, the place was booked by Tommy in order to have some small arms tests conducted.
["Here ya go,"] Tommy showed Yu the small arms placed on top of a wheeled cart. The latter recognized some of them due to having their animated appearance from the Ghost in the Shell series. ["the R&D guys want to get your opinion on these. They did some tests, but it's only to see if the construction was done right with no incidents of the pistol either breaking down, encounter a major gun jam or parts of it exploding on someone's face or hands."]
["No friggin way."] Yu reached for an unloaded Seburo M-5 pistol, recreated exactly based on the same iconic pistol used by Public Security Section 9 (and by some prefectural police officers in civilian clothes) in the Stand Alone Complex series. There was a couple of loaded 20-round magazines, which had 5.45x18 Russian ammo as its standard.
["You wanna take it for a test spin?"]
["Sure. Just give me a sec. I'm living with a relative who works with the local police. Don't want to maybe get a whiff of gunpowder residue."]
Yu took off his jacket and placed it away on a nearby chair. He didn't want to get gunpowder residue on it. He partially rolled up his sleeves and flexed his hands.
["Okay..."] Tommy nodded. ["Whatever works for you."]
Yu checked the M-5 by pulling the slide back to ensure it wasn't loaded with the safety lever engaged. He took the magazine and slapped it inside the pistol. Afterwards, the M-5's slide was pulled back again to load a round into the chamber and the safety disengaged.
Almost forgot.
["Are you able to pass a message to SID?"]
["Sure. I was about to take a leak."]
["Let them know that I'll submit my report to MOM ASAP. Thought that I should pass it first to them to see if it's consistent with their intel."]
["No problem."]
Tommy left to got to the toilet
Yu took the earmuffs from the cart and wore it over his ears. He then gripped the pistol via Weaver stance and fired off a few rounds onto a paper target.
This would happen until the magazine's ammo was spent.
"Done."
Yu pulled the slide, engaged the safety and reloaded the pistol again. Before he would shoot the weapon, Tommy made it back.
["You're fast..."]
["I met someone from SID when I was on my way to the toilet..."]
["Cool."]
After the M-5 was reloaded, Yu continued to test the pistol by firing it again.
Security & Intelligence Division HQ, The Center, Unknown Location
["Excuse me, sir."]
A female uniformed Center agent placed a folder on the desk of a man in his late 50s working on the office desktop. While he wore the same white uniform, he also happened to wear a ballcap. From what SID personnel knew, he just came back from a sports event and just forgot to take it off.
["Yes?"]
["Agent Narukami has sent word that he wants to send his initial report to you before it would be sent to MOM."]
The older man raised an eyebrow. ["That's unusual, even for most SHADOW protocol."]
["In this case, he wanted to see if his report would be consistent with the intel SID has on the Mayonaka realm."]
The older man then nodded. ["Understood. I'll contact him myself later on."]
?
The encrypted channel was once again in operation, sending a conversation between the same parties once more.
["Report."]
["We've got an update from Yasoinaba. Looks like the same paranormal measurements are in full force. The local police are trying to investigate another missing person's case."]
["Got a name?"]
["Yukiko Amagi. Only child of the Amagi family and the lone owners of the Amagi Inn. Been in the town for many generations."]
["Alright. Keep me posted if anything changes."]
["I'm also posting an update from the Okina safehouse."]
["..."]
["Sir?"]
["I wasn't expecting them to have an update soon."]
["They were able to debrief the former Kirijo scientist who was able to cooperate. Our moles there should be able to get some word out in a while."]
["Ah, I see. Good work. I look forward to the details."]
["Yes, sir."]
["I'll be planning something in Japan soon. If anything, expect Berg and Cross to show up via Tokyo."]
["Sir... don't you think that's overkill? Plus, I heard stories that Berg doesn't like Cross and vice versa."]
["If anything goes wrong, you have my authority to oversee things there and enact punishment when required."]
["Understood."]
["May the father of understanding guide us."]
["May the father of understanding guide us."]
April 17, 2011
Food Court, Junes Yasoinaba Store, Yasoinaba, Nakakoma, Yamanashi, Japan
The Junes food court was a bit quiet on an early Sunday morning, although there were some people going in and out of the area.
Chie was the first person to arrive, having done with her business of passing by the Amagi Inn, only to see that the reporters were loitering around to see if there's an update on Yukiko being missing.
"I wonder if Yosuke and Yu are here." The tomboy murmured while she took her seat.
She looked around to see if anyone else was around.
Aside from her, there were only some visitors taking advantage of the empty seats so that they can sit down and take a break from walking around the store.
April 16, 2011
Shooting Range, The Center, Unknown Location
["This isn't bad, Tommy."]
Yu had just finished making the M-5 safe. He was now going over the construction of the M-5 with Tommy.
["With the way the M-5 is made and done by R&D, the gun feels like I'm firing a Beretta 8000. The mechanisms seem to be the same."]
Tommy was seen writing notes down on a notepad.
["Tell R&D I'm impressed with the way they constructed it. But I got a question..."]
["What's that?"]
Yu looked at other small arms on the cart. ["The others haven't been tested yet?"]
Tommy shook his head. ["Well, we could get you or the others in for some small arms testing. But I understand that you're all a bit busy."]
["Yeah."] Yu sighed. ["Plus I gotta submit a report to MOM later on. And I need to make it back to Yasoinaba. By the way, can I borrow your notepad?"]
["Sure."] Tommy handed Yu the notepad and black pen.
["I don't have time to get a formal request in, so here's an impromptu one just in case."] Yu wrote his request down on a piece of paper and folded it before he gave it to Tommy. ["Just hand this to the guys in armory, yeah?"]
["No worries. I got ya. I'll pass your comments along to R&D. They may use it to improve further ideas on manufacturing the M-5 and the other small arms that you see in front of you."]
["Thanks."] Yu took his jacket and exited the shooting range. ["I'll see you again some other time."]
Tommy gave a thumbs up.
On the way, one of the armory guys handed Yu a note, reminding him that the revamped O-Watches are due to be handed out to SHADOW agents like him. He's due to receive it at least by next day morning.
April 17, 2011
Food Court, Junes Yasoinaba Store, Yasoinaba, Nakakoma, Yamanashi, Japan
A few minutes after Chie had arrived at the food court, Yosuke was the next to follow. He was walking towards the table Chie was using while listening to music from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
"Hey, Chie." Yosuke greeted her after he stopped playing his CD player, strapped on his waist via portable CD holster. "You were here first?"
"Pretty much." Yosuke smiled when he sat down on an empty chair.
"So... you think Narukami can make it?"
"I think so. I just got a text from him, says that he needs to go to the toilet first."
"Okay..."
Male Toilet, Food Court, Junes Yasoinaba Store, Yasoinaba, Nakakoma, Yamanashi, Japan
"Well at least, the portal system's working right."
Yu sighed when he looked around and noticed that he was in the male toilet section of the food court. He could tell since guys were only seen taking a leak in and out of the stalls.
He then looked at his digital Casio watch. "Looks l got time."
The meeting time Yosuke told him via SMS was to be ready by 11 AM. The watch indicated that the time was now 10:58 AM.
"Now to go."
Yu took a leak in the stall he was in. When he was done, he flushed the toilet and washed his hands at the nearest sink before he would meet with Yosuke and Chie.
In the meantime, they would now plan out how to tackle the mission to locate and resuce Yukiko before her life would be claimed by the Shadows inside Mayonaka TV.
Food Court, Junes Yasoinaba Store, Yasoinaba, Nakakoma, Yamanashi, Japan
"Hey."
Yu entered the food court and greeted Yosuke and Chie with hellos as they took their seats.
"Good news." Yosuke told the other two. "The sales events are about to end at 12. So the people should mostly leave the store or go to the food court to get a bite to eat."
"That's perfect timing." Chie was relieved to hear the news. "At least we won't appear to be suspicious when we enter Mayonaka TV."
"You got that right." Yu nodded in agreement with her.
"Okay." Yosuke was the first to stand up from his seat. "If we're going to go to the electronics section, then we need to do it now."
"Here we go..."
The trio stood up and made their way towards Junes' electronics section. It was fortunate (or lucky, depending on who you ask) that there wasn't a lot of people window shopping in the area. So that made things easier when they entered the nearest HD TV.
Mayonaka TV entrance
Yu, Yosuke and Chie safely arrived at Mayonaka TV safely this time without any complications.
"Great, Teddie's here." Yosuke chimed in when he spotted the friendly Shadow.
"We can designated this place as our starting point in case we need to rally back or if we're about to enter and leave the realm." Yu gave a suggestion to the others for future navigation.
"Yeah. I think that's a good idea."
When the YH students were approaching Teddy, he was seen doing something with his back facing them.
"So... what's he doing?" Yosuke asked, feeling confused on what the heck it was doing.
"Beats me. I'll try and ask him." Yu said as he approached to greet Teddie. "Teddie. Teddie, it's us."
"C-can't you tell? I'm thinking about stuff." Teddie said with a sad tone.
"Stuff?" Chie didn't understand what kind of stuff he mentioned.
"I've been deli-bear-ating over it for a long time now." Teddie mentioned before he turned around to face the trio. He smiled. "Hey, that wasn't a bad joke. Heehee!"
"So... were you able to figure things out?" Chie asked Teddie.
"By the way," Yu spoke to Teddie. "This is our friend, Chie. She's helping us investigate the realm."
"Okay..." Teddie said before he told them. "But getting back to our topic..."
"Forget it, Chie." Yosuke sighed. "It's probably useless to think about it too much. I've seen the inside of your skull, and it was empty."
Teddie glared at Yosuke. "How rude!"
But it realized that Yosuke may have a point.
What the? Yosuke was taken aback at Teddie shouting at him.
"You're right, though. I try and try but nothing comes out of my head."
Now Chie was getting frustrate with what's happening right now. "Will you guys shut up!? Now's not the time for stupid jokes! Listen-someone came here yesterday, right?"
Teddie's eyes were wide open. "Wow! There's a girl with a better nose than me!?"
"Please answer Chie's answers, Teddie." Yu reminded the bear.
"Oh... right, right, right." Teddie replied when he waved his arms around. "U.. um... That's right! I think it happened a little after I talked with you guys. After that, I felt like someone was here."
"Is it Yukiko-san?" Yosuke asked Teddie, grabbing him and shaking him.
"Yosuke, stop it." Yu moved to get Yosuke's hands off Teddie. It took a few seconds for Teddie to get him composed.
"I don't know. I haven't looked...The presence is over that way. That's probably where they are."
"Okay, we need to go!" Chie said, feeling pumped up.
"Yeah, let's do it!"
The trio followed close behind Teddie as they ran from the entrance.
Outskirts of Yukiko's Castle
The quartet arrived at the outskirts of a seemingly medieval European castle. The entrance to it was wide open. And the path to the entrance was decorated with statues of unicorns.
"What the?" Chie was stunned to see a real castle straight out of Europe. "You think this is the place they showed on TV last time?"
Yosuke turned to face Teddie. "You're positive that no one's behind a camera for that bizarre midnight program?"
If Teddie had any eyebrows, he'd raise them at the strange question. "Program? I don't know. Maybe people on your side can see stuff in this world. It might be that. And I told you before!"
And if Teddie had longer arms, he'd use them to grab Yosuke by the shoulders and shake him up as payback. "There's only me and Shadows here! There's no camera stuff going on. This world has been like this from the beginning."
"From the beginning?" Yosuke was not only confused, but getting a bit paranoid from the bear's explanation. "That's what we don't understand!"
Teddie was confused by Yosuke, who now seems to be ranting. " I dunno... Can you guys explain everything about your world? I've never seen this program thingy before. So I don't know."
"I'm thinking what Teddie's saying is that the castle they showed at 12 midnight was exactly like this. And it's showing things from this realm from its perspective." Yu reasoned with Yosuke and summarized Teddie's explanation.
"I guess you have a point." Chie replied as Yu and Yosuke were donning the glasses given to them by Teddie. "I mean, seeing Yukiko saying stuff like score myself a hot stud? That's not like her at all!"
"A score?" Teddie was confused with the words Chie used. "A stud?"
"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either at first." Yosuke said when he heard Chie mentioning about Yukiko being not herself. "Yukiko-san would never say anything like that."
"There's a lot of stuff I still don't get." Teddie answered Chie and Yosuke's concerns. "But after hearing your story, I think that program happens because of the person who appears on it. Or something like that..."
"Teddie..." Yu placed a hand on its head. "Are you able to see or know if she's inside the castle."
Teddie stared at the castle entrance before he said. "I'm pretty sure."
Chie saw Teddie turn to the side to look at her. "Y-yes?"
"Do you know what's scoring a stud about?"
"Sweet!" Chie shouted, not bothering to answer Teddie. "I'm heading in!"
"Wait, Chie!" Yosuke shouted when he saw her make a run for the castle entrance. "Don't go charging in...!"
"There's a lot of Shadows inside." Teddie said, feeling embarrassed that he forgot to mention it. "She could get killed."
"Why didn't you say that a while ago?!" Yosuke was now turning his anger and frustration to him again.
"We'll need to get inside." Yu told Yosuke. "She doesn't have the powers to fight the creatures inside like we go."
"Right."
Before the two can get inside, Teddie told them to wait and handed them a few things.
"Here. I've been collecting these while I was looking around. You may need them."
Yu examined the prayer beads given to him.
"Those are Revival Beads. In case you or anyone else are seriously wounded or are about to die from wounds sustained, use them to fully heal your body."
"Understood." Yu took the beads.
"And I found these too. These are Peach Seeds and Soul Drops. They're meant to restore your health and mana in case you're in a tight spot while you're fighting."
Yu and Yosuke got around five Peach Seeds, which actually looks like real Peach Seeds except that you can't eat them. As for the five Soul Drops... Well, they're in the shape of a can of soda that says SOUL DROPS in English and Japanese, the latter being written in katakana.
"Thanks Teddie." Yosuke thanked Teddie. "These can be useful right about now."
"Let's hang onto these." Yu said when he told Teddie. "Hang onto the Peace Seeds and Soul Drops. I'll hang onto the beads."
"Understood, Sensei. I'll lead the way."
Sensei?
Yu and Yosuke were confused when Teddie was leading them towards the castle.
1st Floor, Yukiko's Castle
Yu and Yosuke were the first ones to enter the castle dungeon. Teddie was close behind to analyze the field and see if the coast is clear and if there's anything of importance that the duo needs to take care of or examine right away.
"Clear?" Yu drew out a fake generic combat knife with the sheath strapped on his leg.
"All clear so far." Yosuke got a couple of fake tantos out.
Teddie looked around from top to bottom to observe the area. He then reported his findings. "Chie's here, but she's not that far. If we hurry, we can still make it to her."
"Dammit..." Yosuke gritted his teeth. "I already warned her of charging in without thinking of the consequences."
"Wait first." Teddie stopped Yosuke from running. "Ever since Chie barged in, the Shadows are getting a bit more aggressive. Once they get a good look at it, they'll rush in and fight without a second thought. We'll need to either take them by surprise or sneak around if they're not looking for us."
"We better move. I can take point." Yu spoke to Yosuke and Teddie. He was leaning on the corner, trying to peak out to see if any Shadows were present.
Yosuke moved up behind Yu at arm's length so that he can reach for his left shoulder with his right hand. His right hand held the tantos since they're just light.
"Sensei, I can't detect any Shadows." Teddie informed the teen. "But be on guard. They can be roaming around the next corner at any minute."
"Got it, Teddie."
Once Yosuke heard Teddie's confirmation, he patted Yu's shoulder twice. "Okay. Lead the way."
Yu nodded. He then turned the corner and ran down the hallway. Yosuke soon followed with Teddie going last.
Chapter 5 END
PS - From this chapter on, this is where Yu's double life (maybe triple?) is going to start making heads. Not to mention that it'll start having Yu to balance his work and school life while at Yasoinaba.
And finally, I'm able to make it clear that the Templars are now getting involved. So now it's going to be a doozy with Yu (secretly) and friends taking on the Shadows and the human factor going after the secrets of the Mayonaka realm.
Also, I'm not making the team wear their YH uniforms when they got to Mayonaka. At least not on a Sunday. That's doesn't make sense to me.