Persona 4: The Golden Apostle

by sithlorde1988

Adaptation of Persona 4 Golden. Everyone knows the plot of Persona 4/Persona 4 Golden well, or at least the plot of CANON Persona 4/Persona 4 Golden. But what if there was an extra character added into the mix? How will the addition of an extra character to the mix change the plot of Persona 4 Golden? Better summary and more info in the first chapter! Read and enjoy!

6. First Awakenings! Mystery Begins part 3

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 4- The Golden Apostle! This chapter should be when we get to some of the good stuff, with any luck. But before that, we have a disclaimer to deal with! So let's get that done and dusted, shall we?

Disclaimer: I, sithlorde1988, do not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (excluding the OCs Ryuroni, Hikari Kusanagi II, Hikari Kusanagi III, Koushiro, Yamato, Takeru, Rosie, Gaignun, Slim, Sage, Lily, Kusano, Ace, Marisa, and any other OCs/OC Personas that appear in the story, all of which were created by, and thus belong to, me), and the actual ownership credit for the Persona series belongs to Atlus and Sega, as well as the various other companies that were involved with the spinoffs (whether those spinoffs be Persona 5 Strikers, Persona 5 Tactica, Persona 4 Arena, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, the 'Dancing' games, or the 'Q' games, or even Persona 5: The Phantom X), all of whom know who they are and receive the appropriate creative/ownership credit that is due to them. I just am using these characters to write this story, and do not intend to make any profit off of it whatsoever.

And there we go, one disclaimer properly dealt with and sorted. I could talk more about other stuff, but I feel like such things are best saved for the end-of-chapter A/N, so I think we've stalled long enough. Let's get back to the story, yeah? Keep reading after the chapter for the end-of-chapter A/N, where I might talk about more stuff. But for now, without further delay, here's chapter 3!

Chapter 3- The Mystery Thickens! Tragedies, Plans, and Alliances! The Mystery Begins part 3

(In the evening, in the lower level of the Dojima household with Yu, Ryotaro, and Nanako. Current in-game date: April 14th, 2011)

After taking his cold medicine as he was asked, Yu tried to socialize with Ryotaro and Nanako, only for both of them to firmly insist that he get to bed. Shrugging, Yu decided to heed their advice and went to bed early, unaware of the grisly discovery the police would make the next morning...

(The next morning, in the lower level of the Dojima household, with Yu, Ryotaro, and Nanako)

As Yu came downstairs, apparently well enough to go to school, Ryotaro looked at him and spoke up.

"Ah, you're up. Well, I'm off to work." Ryotaro said, leaving before Yu could do more than nod in response, leaving Yu alone with Nanako. Nanako turned to look at Yu and saw the confused look on his face, which prompted her to speak up.

"I can see your confusion. Let me clear it up if I can. You see, Dad has to go do something. He got a call, so he left." Nanako said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Ah, I got it. Say no more, Nanako. He had to go to work early. I get it." Yu said, seeing a look of worry cross Nanako's face, smiling at her as he kept speaking while smiling at Nanako reassuringly.

"I know you're worried, but it'll be fine. Your dad can handle himself. Worst case, I'll keep you company while he's at work if he's not back when I get home from school." Yu said as Nanako merely nodded in response, though Yu could tell by her expression that Nanako wasn't really paying attention, and so left it at that as the two headed off to school...

(A short time later, in the 'School Zone' of the Samegawa Flood Plain, with Yu)

On his way to school, Yu frowned as he heard a couple of girls gossiping on his way to school, one holding a red umbrella while the other held a white umbrella. Yu's curiosity was piqued, so he hesitated momentarily before ultimately stopping to listen in.

"When I looked, I saw three police cars zooming by." The girl standing under the red umbrella said as the girl standing under the white umbrella spoke up.

"You live by the police station, don't you? Did you hear anything?" The girl standing under the white umbrella said as the girl standing under the red umbrella spoke up.

"I heard some yelling, but nothing more. Total disappointment." The girl standing under the red umbrella said as the girl standing under the white umbrella tutted and spoke up.

"Geez, you need to pay more attention to stuff like that. How else are we supposed to get the juicy stories?" The girl standing under the white umbrella rebuked the girl standing under the red umbrella, before sirens were heard nearby, making Yu put two and two together and realize there might have been another incident. Deciding he'd had enough listening to gossip, Yu headed to school at that point...

(That afternoon, in the gymnasium of Yasogami High, with Yu, Chie, and Yosuke)

As Yu stood around with Chie and Yosuke after the entire student body (or at least the amount of it that had been at school that day, notably excluding Yukiko) inside the gymnasium, Yu heard a rumor-loving girl speak up nearby.

"Hey, have you heard about that Midnight Channel? Did you see it yesterday?" The rumor-loving girl asked a long-haired girl next to her, who scoffed and spoke up.

"Of course not! Do I look like I have time for stuff like that? What, is that rumor for real?" The long-haired girl rebuked the rumor-loving girl, who shrugged and spoke up.

"I dunno, but it seems like a lot of people have seen it." The rumor-loving girl said as Chie spoke up after putting her phone away.

"Hmm. Yukiko said she'd be here after lunch. Hopefully she's just running late." Chie said before turning to look at Yu and Yosuke while she kept speaking.

"Still, I wonder why they're holding a school assembly all of a sudden." Chie said before blinking at the pensive look on Yosuke's face as she kept speaking.

"Hm? You look down. Hey, what's wrong, Yosuke?" Chie asked Yosuke, who looked up in shock as he spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing, really." Yosuke said as Sofue spoke up through a microphone to get the attention of the students.

"Everyone, please settle down. The school assembly is about to begin. First, the Principal has something to say." Sofue said before an old man that was bald except for a patch of silver hair along the sides of his head, and wore glasses while having a very long white beard and wearing a black robe walked onto the stage and spoke up.

"I'm glad to see all of you dutifully gathered here this afternoon for this assembly, and I thank you all for your attendance. However, I regret to say that I have a terrible announcement for all of you. One of our third-year students, Miss Saki Konishi of Class 3, has passed away." The old man, who Sofue had called the 'Principal', said as the students gasped and murmured amongst themselves while Chie and Yu exchanged horrified looks, both giving worried glances towards Yosuke as the former spoke up in shock.

"Passed away? Konishi-senpai passed away!?" Chie said in shock as Yu turned to Yosuke and gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder before speaking up.

"I am so sorry for your loss, Hamamura-san." Yu said to Yosuke, who could only weakly smile as he gave an agonized grunt, clearly devastated at the news that his crush had passed away, and understandably so in Yu's opinion. No one likes to find out that someone close to them has passed away, and Yu doubted that it's any easier to hear that someone you have a crush on has died, so he felt a lot of sympathy for Yosuke in that moment. Before Yosuke could verbally thank Yu for his condolences, the principal spoke up again.

"Miss Konishi was found deceased early this morning by the police. That said, the reasons behind her passing are currently under investigation by the police. If they ask you for your cooperation, I urge you, as students of this school, to provide only the facts." The principal said as most of the students started murmuring, causing him to clear his throat as he kept speaking.

"All right, please quiet down, everyone. I have been assured by the faculty that there's been no evidence that bullying was involved in this incident. So mind what you say, not only to the police, but to anyone who asks you about the incident." The principal said as Chie spoe up in disbelief.

"Found dead? Is this for real? How could this happen so suddenly, and so soon after the previous incident?" Chie asked as Yosuke winced and only gave off another pained grunt in response, prompting Yu to speak up.

"I dunno, Satonaka-san. But I'm sure it happened for a reason." Yu said bluntly as the address/assembly continued for a while longer...

(After the assembly, in the hallways of the first floor of Yasogami High, with Chie and Yu)

As Yu and Chie walked away from the assembly together, both agreeing to let Yosuke have some space to process the death of his crush, they heard some girls gossiping near the bulletin board and stopped to listen in as a rumor-loving girl spoke up.

"She died the same way as that announcer, right? That's so creepy when you think about it." The rumor-loving girl said as her friend nodded and spoke up.

"True. Well, last time, it was from an antenna, but this time she was hanging from a telephone pole. It's gotta be a serial murder case or something." The rumor-loving girl's friend said as the rumor-loving girl spoke up.

"Someone said the cause of death was some unknown poison." The rumor-loving girl said as her friend frowned and spoke up.

"Unknown poison, you say? C'mon, this isn't some sci-fi drama. Oh, by the way, did you hear? Someone saw a girl that looked like Saki on that Midnight Channel thingie. They said she totally looked like she was in pain. Isn't that scary?" The rumor-loving girl's friend said as Yu's eyes widened at this, not having considered that it'd been raining the night before, and thus would've met the conditions for a Midnight Channel broadcast. Cursing himself for not staying up to check it, Yu idly wondered if Chie or Yosuke had thought to check it. Before Yu could ask Chie about it, the rumor-loving girl spoke up again.

"Haha, sounds like someone had a nightmare. The media's been broadcasting their interviews with her nonstop, so maybe they just had Saki's face on the brain. " The rumor-loving girl said as the girls walked off, after which Chie looked at Yu ad spoke up with a frown.

"Sheesh, it's easy to toss around theories if you're not personally involved in something." Chie said as Yosuke walked up to Chie and Yu at that point and spoke up.

"Hey, sorry about that back there. I was just shocked to hear Saki-senpai passed away, that's all. But on that note, did you guys check out the TV last night?" Yosuke asked as Yu winced and spoke up.

"I didn't even think there could be anything on the Midnight Channel last night, so I took some cold medicine that my cousin gave me after I started sneezing at dinner and went to bed early and slept through it as a result. Sorry." Yu said apologetically as Chie spoke up angrily before Yosuke could reply to Yu.

"Yosuke! Not you too!" Chie said as Yosuke turned to Yu and spoke up.

"It's fine, Narukami-san. Your health comes first, after all." Yosuke said understandingly to Yu before turning to frown at Chie as he kept speaking in a much angrier tone.

"Just listen for a sec, Chie! Something kept bothering me, so I saw it was raining last night and remembered the Midnight Channel, after which I watched it again, and then I saw a girl on the screen. And I think the girl on the screen last night was Saki-senpai." Yosuke said as Yu and Chie gave Yosuke shocked looks as Yosuke spoke up.

"I see those shocked looks. But there's no mistaking it was her. Senpai looked like she was really suffering. Like she was writhing in pain or something. And then out of nowhere, she disappeared from the scene, which was probably when she died." Yosuke said as Chie gasped at that and spoke up.

"What did you say?" Chie said as Yosuke spoke up, clearly trying not to lose it at the thought of his crush being gone as he spoke.

"You heard Senpai's body was found in a similar situation as that announcer's, right you guys? Well, remember that guy you told us about? How he was all excited that his soulmate was the announcer?" Yosuke said as Yu laughed and spoke up.

"Yeah, she was totally that guy's soulmate. I'm fairly sure that the announcer who died had at least 10 years on him, if not more. I don't think she was that guy's soulmate. And I think we're finding proof that the 'soulmate' part of the Midnight Channel myth might be wrong." Yu said quietly but firmly as Yosuke spoke up.

"Good point, Narukami. Maybe you're right. Just maybe, but at the same time, can we afford to say it's wrong just yet? Also, given what happened to Saki-senpai, I can't help but think that maybe Miss Yamano might've been on that Midnight Channel before she died, too." Yosuke said as a shocked Chie spoke up.

"And what's that supposed to mean, Yosuke? Hold on a second. Are you saying what I think you're saying? People who appear on that TV program eventually die afterwards?" Chie said as Yosuke spoke up with an unreadable look.

"Maybe. I can't say for sure one way or the other right now. But something tells me that whatever the case might be, I can't just dismiss it as coincidence." Yosuke said as Chie gasped at this in horror, wondering if Yosuke could be onto something with his theory. Yu, for his part, just mulled this over carefully, figuring that Yosuke's theory made sense, but also resolving to not miss anymore broadcasts of the Midnight Channel if he could help it, just to be on the safe side. Before Yu or Chie could reply to Yosuke's musings, Yosuke kept speaking.

"Plus, remember what that bear thing said? How that place we were in was dangerous, and we should leave before the fog clears for our own safety? It also said that someone's been throwing people in there. And that room with the posters on the wall that we went into before? It has to have something to do with the announcer's death. I mean, I might be grasping at straws a bit, but don't you think there's some kind of connection there? Couldn't that world inside the TV have something to do with Senpai and the announcer's death!?" Yosuke asked as Chie remained silent and didn't reply, at which point Yosuke turned to Yu and spoke up.

"Well, Narukami? What do you think about all this?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"You have a lot of good points, Hanamura. And to be honest? You might be right. If nothing else, I agree with you." Yu said honestly. Yosuke blinked at this and spoke up.

"Yeah? So it's not just me, huh? If I'm right, and if there is a connection, it's a good bet that the two of them went inside that world. And if so, that would explain the posters in that room. Which means, at least in theory, if we go back in and look around? We might find a place that has something to do with Senpai, too." Yosuke said as Yu thought about it and nodded in agreement, having decided that Yosuke's suggestion wasn't the worst idea. And if Yu was being honest with himself, he was starting to be curious about the place he'd stumbled into the day before with Chie and Yu. Chie, for her part, frowned at Yosuke and spoke up.

"Yosuke, don't tell me this means what I think it does." Chie said as Yosuke spoke up.

"Yeah, it does mean exactly what you think it does. I'm thinking about going in again. I want to find out for myself." Yosuke said as Chie blanched at this and spoke up.

"WHAT!? D-Don't do this, Yosuke. You should just let the police handle this and-" Chie said before Yosuke frowned at this and spoke up.

"And what? Do nothing!? Do you honestly think we can rely on the police!? They haven't made any progress on the announcer's case. Besides, even if we told them about the world inside the TV, there's no way they're gonna believe us! If I'm completely off-base with this, that's fine with me. It's just that this is gonna bother me until I do this. I need to know why Senpai had to die like this." Yosuke said, looking positively anguished as Chie spoke up with a look of sympathy on his face.

"Yosuke, you poor thing." Chie said as Yu frowned and spoke up.

"Do you really think that Hanamura-san is looking for your sympathy or pity right now, Satonaka? And to be honest, I think he has a point. And to quote something my father once told me when I was younger, 'you'll never know the truth about something until you try and reach out to said truth.' What that means is that Hanamura here might have to see the truth for himself to get some closure on his loss." Yu said firmly but kindly as Yosuke nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Narukami's right. After what I've seen and what I've put together, there's no way I can ignore it now, especially after Senpai died over it. Sorry to drag you into this, Narukami, but you're the only person who can help me. I'm gonna go get ready. I'll be waiting for you at Junes." Yosuke said before taking off at a run. Yu, for his part, blinked and mulled over what had just happened.

Apparently Yosuke wants him to take him back into the TV world again to try and see if there was a link between it and the death of his crush. Yu agreed that it was too coincidental that this happened the day after their run-in with the bear-like figure in the TV world. Plus, Yu had his own curiosities about the situation. That, and he's not the type of guy to leave someone hanging if they need him. Chie saw the look on Yu's face and spoke up.

"I can kinda understand how he feels, to be honest. But if we do what he wants, we can't be sure we'll be able to get out safely again. What should we do, Narukami-san?" Chie asked as Yu frowned at this and spoke up.

"You can stay back if you want, but I'm going with Yosuke. Not only am I the only one who can get either of you into that TV world, I don't think that Hanamura should be going around in there on his own, especially after his crush just died. I feel like that would be a terrible idea to let him go in there on his own. I won't force you to go along if you're that worried about it though, Satonaka. After all, you are a lady, and I was raised to respect ladies. But regardless, I'm going with Hanamura." Yu said firmly but fairly. Chie looked at Yu with an aghast look and spoke up.

"Y-You serious, Narukami? Thank you for your consideration. Anyways, let's go to Junes. We can't leave Yosuke alone in his current mind state, as you yourself pointed out." Chie said as Yu nodded his agreement and the two chased after Yosuke...

(After school, in the electronics section of Junes, with Yu, Yosuke and Chie)

As Yu and Chie ran up to Yosuke, he gave them a wink and spoke up in a mixed grateful/relieved tone.

"You guys came after all!" Yosuke said as Chie stamped her foot in annoyance and spoke up.

"Yeah, but we came to stop you, idiot!" Chie said as Yu spoke up while blinking as he noticed that Yosuke had a rope in one hand, of which he had one end tied to his waist, and a golf club in his other hand.

"Speak for yourself, Satonaka. I came to help Hanamura out." Yu said, but Chie spoke up before Yosuke could answer Yu.

"C'mon, Yosuke! You really shouldn't do this. It's too dangerous." Chie said as Yosuke spoke up.

"I know that! But we were able to come back once, right? If we go in from the same location, maybe we'll meet that bear again." Yosuke said as Chie frowned and spoke up with an annoyed look on her face.

"Perhaps, but 'maybe' isn't good enough!" Chie said as Yosuke frowned at Chie and spoke up.

"Look, I can't just act like everyone else and pretend this has nothing to do with me." Yosuke said as Chie spoke up with a frown.

"That's true, but what if something happens to you while you're in there, Yosuke?" Chie asked as Yosuke ignored her to turn to Yu and speak up.

"What about you, Narukami? Could you just walk away?" Yosuke asked Yu, who shook his head as he spoke up.

"Hell no. I'm as curious about this as you are, Hanamura. But at the same time, I can't help but be worried about Satonaka. She seems awfully reluctant to go along with this. That being said, I've got your back in this." Yu pointed out as Yosuke smiled at Yu's concern for Chie, making Yu feel as if he'd bettered himself, netting him an unseen boost to his Understanding. Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Thanks, Narukami. And yeah, you've got a point. Therefore, it'll be just you and me." Yosuke said to Yu as he turned to Chie and kept speaking.

"Don't worry, I'm not going in without a plan. Chie, I'm leaving you in charge of this." Yosuke said as he held out the rope to Chie, who blinked in shock and spoke up.

"Huh? What's that? A rope or a leash?" Chie said as Yu laughed and spoke up.

"Funny, but I think it's supposed to be a lifeline." Yu said as Yosuke nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Yeah, Narukami's got it right. We'll go in with this tied to me, so I want you to hold on to this and wait here." Yosuke said as Chie spoke up.

"Wh-What? Then, it's like Narukami said, and this is a lifeline? C'mon, wait a sec and think this through more!" Chie said as Yosuke ignored her and turned to Yu while holding out the golf club as he spoke up.

"Here, Narukami. We have no idea what we'll face in the TV world, so this is for you. That way, you can defend yourself to some extent if necessary." Yosuke said, handing Yu a 'Golf Club' weapon, which he accepted, noting how perfectly it seemed to fit in his hands. Yosuke also handed Yu three doses of 'Medicine', which Yu pocketed. Yu then spoke up with an impressed look on his face.

"Not bad, Hanamura-san. You seem like you really came prepared." Yu said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Of course I did. And to be honest with you, Narukami? I also thought it might be better than wandering in there empty-handed." Yosuke said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. And I'm impressed at your foresightedness, Hanamura." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up with a resolved smile on his face.

"Alright then, Narukami, if you're ready? Let's go. There's no use wasting any more time." Yosuke said as Yu nodded before Yosuke turned to Chie and kept speaking.

"Chie, whatever you do, don't let go of the rope!" Yosuke told Chie before exchanging a nod with her as he and Yu went into the TV, ignoring Chie's parting yell of 'HEY! WAIT!'. After Yosuke and Yu both disappeared into the TV, Chie gave the rope a gentle tug to test its sturdiness, but to her surprise, the end she was holding fell out of the TV with a distinct sort of 'POP!' sound, leaving Chie to fall to her knees in a mix of despair and disbelief as she spoke to herself.

"See what I mean? I knew this wasn't gonna work how Yosuke thought it would! Now what do I do?" Chie said as she sat alone in the electronics section...

(A short time later, in the TV with Yu and Yosuke)

After Yu and Yosuke tumbled back into the TV, Yosuke spoke up in pain as he rubbed his ass.

"Oww, that still hurts." Yosuke said as he sat up, Yu standing up from where he'd landed in a kneel to check on Yosuke, who then kept speaking.

"Is this the same place as before?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up.

"Seems like it to me." Yu said agreeably as Yosuke nodded and spoke up while giving Yu a sly wink after realizing it was the same place.

"Look, this is the same place as last time! So they are connected from place to place!" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up with a nod.

"Seems that way to me. But if that's true, then does that mean-?" Yu said, but before he could finish his thought, a familiar voice spoke up to interrupt him.

"Y-You guys are back!? Why'd you come back here?" Yosuke and Yu heard as they heard footsteps before the bear-like figure they'd seen yesterday walked into view and spoke up with a frown on his face, though to Yu's relief, the bear-like figure seemed to have dried off and washed away the scent of Yosuke's piss from his head since yesterday.

"I get it! You're the ones behind this!" The bear-like figure said as both Yu and Yosuke yelled out 'WHAT!?' in unison before Yosuke spoke up in surprise, his eyes narrowing mid-sentence as Teddie's accusation seemed to fully sink in for him at that point.

"Never mind that for now! You're that thing from last time, aren't you! Wait, what the hell did you just say!?" Yosuke said as Yu frowned and spoke up.

"I could be wrong, but it sounds like this thing believes we're the ones throwing people in here." Yu said bluntly as the bear-like figure spoke up with a nod.

"You're not wrong. Lately, I can tell someone's been throwing people in here. It's making this world more and more messed up as people keep ending up thrown in here. Not only that, but this is the second time you guys came here. And I don't think anyone forced you in. That means you're the most suspicious!" The bear-like figure said as Yu frowned at this and spoke up.

"Are you serious!? Why would we do that?" Yu asked in disbelief as the bear-like figure spoke up, ignoring Yu's question.

"All I know is you guys were able to get in here on your own, and as you're the only ones I've seen that got in here on their own? You guys must be the ones throwing the people in here, raaaawr!" The bear-like figure said as Yu frowned and spoke up.

"First of all, that's bullshit! You can't make assumptions like that! Also, you don't get to label us like that." Yu said bluntly. Yosuke nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"What he said! Also, what the hell are you talking about, 'throwing people in'!? We wouldn't do something like that! If someone was thrown in here and they couldn't get out, they might die! Who would do such a-?" Yosuke said, cutting himself off mid-sentence as he had a thought occur to him that he kept speaking to voice.

"Wait a sec, now. All this talk about someone throwing people in here makes me wonder about something. By 'people', does this bear-like figure mean Senpai and the announcer?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up.

"It's possible, Hanamura. But only the bear-like figure could answer that for sure." Yu pointed out as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Fair. Still, did 'someone' throw those two people in here? H-Hey, Narukami, what do you think?" Yosuke asked as Yu nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"That must be it, Hanamura. It makes too much sense for it to be anything else." Yu said agreeably. Yosuke nodded in agreement as he spoke up.

"Yeah, you're right, Narukami. I agree. That being said, let's assume that this bear-like figure here is telling the truth about someone throwing people in here. Could it be that someone's throwing people in here, intending to kill them using the TV world?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up.

"I'd buy that theory. After all, why do yourself what you can have someone, or possibly even something, else do?" Yu pointed out as Yosuke nodded agreeably and spoke up.

"Good point, Narukami. If that's the case, then this is more serious than we thought." Yosuke said as the bear-like figure stamped his foot on the ground angrily and spoke up to interrupt the hushed conversation between Yu and Yosuke.

"What're you guys mumbling about? Why'd you come here, anyways!? It's a one-way door! You can't get out once you're in! Remember yesterday? Remember how I had to let you guys out?" The bear-like figure said as Yosuke frowned at him and spoke up.

"Yeah, whatever. We don't need your help this time!" Yosuke said, holding up the rope he tied to his waist while he kept speaking, trailing off midsentence as he realized something had happened to the rope, which had been cleanly sliced off of the end Chie was holding.

"We don't need your help this time! See, this time we have a lifeli-WHAAAAAT!?" Yosuke said as Yu blinked and spoke up in a deadpan tone.

"Well, fuck me running. That's very less than ideal then, isn't it?" Yu said dryly as Yosuke nodded his agreement before looking at Teddie as he spoke up.

"H-Hey! You better let us out once we're done investigating here!" Yosuke said as the bear-like figure growled in annoyance at Yosuke before speaking up.

"Grrrrr! I'm the one who wants to investigate! I've lived here for a long time. But it's never been noisy like this till now. Do you have proof!? Prove to me you're not throwing people in here!" The bear-like figure said as Yu spoke up while glaring at the bear-like figure, clearly unamused by the accusations that the bear-like figure was levelling at him and Yosuke.

"Proof!? And where do you expect us to get proof of our innocence!? It's not like we have solid evidence of someone throwing people in here. All we have is your words and what we've seen in our world recently. But do Hanamura-san and I look like the sorts to throw people into a goddamn TV!? Also, why would Hanamura throw his own friggin' crush into a place like this!? That seems quite counter-productive to winning her heart, don't you think?" Yu pointed out dryly, giving Yosuke an apologetic look for bringing up Saki like he had. The bear-like figure turned to Yu and spoke up before Yosuke could do more than wave off Yu's apology, showing he wasn't offended by Yu's reference to his dead crush.

"See! So it is you guys!" The bear-like figure insisted as an annoyed Yosuke frowned at him and spoke up.

"For the last time, it's not us, so we've got nothing to prove to you! Hey, you better answer our questions. This isn't like the last time, when we came by accident. We're dead serious! Listen up, 'cause people have died in our world since we were last here, two of them to be exact. And every time the fog appears, a dead body shows up with it. It has to be related to this place somehow! If you know something, tell us!" Yosuke said to the bear-like figure, who blinked in shock and spoke up.

"A dead body? Whenever the fog appears in your world, it brings a dead body with it? Odd. Well, I know that if it's foggy on your side, the fog lifts here. Also, it's really dangerous when the fog lifts. That's when the Shadows get violent." The bear like figure said as Yu and Yosuke exchanged shocked looks, at which point the bear-like figure seemed to smile as kept speaking.

"Aaaah, so that's how it is. I get it now." The bear-like figure said as Yosuke frowned and spoke up.

"Huh? For real? If you get it, then explain it to us, dammit! If it's foggy on our side, it isn't in here as a result? Shadows get violent when the fog lifts?" Yosuke said as the bear-like figure nodded and spoke up.

"That's why I said to hurry back! It's dangerous when that happens! Okay, no more questions. I know you guys did it! You better stop right now!" The bear-like figure said as Yu frowned and spoke up.

"Are you still on about that!?" Yu asked in irritation as Yosuke spoke up.

"I agree with Narukami here! I've told you and told you, we're not the ones doing it! I've about had it with you, you stupid bear! Why the hell won't you listen to what we're saying!?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up with a frown.

"Good question. I'm guessing he has no reason to believe otherwise?" Yu said as the bear-like figure spoke up.

"I-I'm just saying it's possible, that's all. Even if you say you're not, you have to admit the possibility exists that you might be the culprits. I'm just making sure you're not, that's all." The bear-like figure said before wincing at the glares he got from Yu and Yosuke before he kept speaking.

"I'm just making sure that you two are innocent beyond any shadow of a doubt." The bear-like figure said as Yosuke winced and spoke up.

"What the hell?" Yosuke said before turning to Yu as he kept speaking.

"Man, this bear's driving me nuts, Narukami." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"I'm with you, Hanamura. But at the same time, he's lived around here. So whether we like him or not, he might be of use to us, if only because he's our way out since your plan didn't pan out how you thought it would. But there's nothing wrong with that. After all, a wise person I know once told me something. He said that, and I quote, 'No plan ever survives first contact with the enemy.' Or perhaps, it'd be more accurate in this case to change that last part to 'first contact with the unknown.' So we can't just ignore the bear-like figure here." Yu said wisely as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"You have a good point there, Narukami." Yosuke said before he turned to the bear-like figure and kept speaking.

"What is this place, anyways? it looks like a TV studio to me." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"I thought the same thing, Hanamura." Yu said as Yosuke nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Good, it's not just me. Still, is something being filmed here, perhaps? H-Hey, don't tell me this means what I think it means! Is that weird show being filmed here!?" Yosuke said as the bear-like figure blinked and spoke up.

"Eh? 'Weird show'? 'Filmed'? What does that mean?" The bear-like figure asked as Yosuke blinked and spoke up.

"Uh, how do I put this? I'm asking if someone's been filming the people that get thrown in here." Yosuke said as the bear-like figure blinked and spoke up.

"Eh? I don't get it at all. This world has always been like this. No one has ever done that 'filming' thing here." The bear-like figure said as Yu arched an eyebrow at that and spoke up.

"Hm? 'Always been like this', you say? Is that right?" Yu asked as the bear-like figure frowned at the question and spoke up.

"Only me and Shadows are here! I told you before!" The bear-like figure said as Yosuke frowned and spoke up.

"Ugh, for real? We don't know what these Shadow things are! Or what YOU are, for that matter! You keep telling US to prove our innocence, but YOU're the most suspicious thing here! Maybe you're the real culprit! And what's with that stupid costume!? I'd say it's time you showed your face!" Yosuke said as he stormed over to rip the head off of the bear-like figure, revealing a zipper around the neck Yu hadn't seen before. But to make matters worse? Once Yosuke popped the head off, the bear suit was completely empty inside! Yu and Yosuke exchanged horrified looks as the latter spoke up.

"Whoa! Wh-What the hell are you, anyways?" Yosuke said to the bear-like figure as Yu shuddered and spoke up.

"Yeeeeah, forgive me if this ends up being the near-exclusive fuel for my nightmares from now on, Hanamura. That was probably one of the most cursed things I've ever seen in my entire LIFE!" Yu said with a wince. Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"That's more than fair, Narukami. After all, I didn't see this coming! I-it's empty inside of that suit!" Yosuke said as the bear-like figure found the part of itself Yosuke had dropped in his shock, flipping it up into the air where it landed right on top of him and reattached itself, letting the bear-like figure speak up again.

"Me!? Are you serious!? The culprit behind throwing people in here? I wouldn't do such a thing, after all! I just live here in this place by myself. I just want to live here peacefully, and mean no harm." The bear-like figure said as Yosuke seemed to sigh at this before the bear-like figure seemed to back down as it kept speaking.

"Okay. I'll believe that you guys aren't the culprits. But I want you to find the real guy who did all this. You have to stop him. Promise me, or else you know what'll happen." The bear-like figure said as Yu arched an eyebrow and spoke up.

"You're leveraging our escape as a bargaining chip right now, aren't you?" Yu said in a fairly deadpan tone as the bear-like figure nodded and spoke up.

"Correct! If you don't promise me to help find the real guy who did all this, I'm not gonna let you guys outta here." The bear-like figure said as Yosuke frowned and spoke up.

"Wh-What!? Y-You little furry son of a-!" Yosuke said as Yu cut in before Yosuke could swear.

"I think he gets the picture, Hanamura-san." Yu said gently as Yosuke backed off and the bear-like figure spoke up in a mix of fear and desperation.

"This can't keep going on! My home here will be a complete mess! And then if that happens, I would be so lost! And then I would lose everything! I don't know what else to say except 'Waaaah'!" The bear-like figure said, shocking Yu and Yosuke when he broke into tears near the end of his plea. Yosuke frowned at this and spoke up.

"Wh-What're you crying for all of a sudden, anyways? Geez, this thing's really creeping me out, Narukami." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Same here, but at this point? I think the bear-like figure holds all the cards, whether we like it or not." Yu pointed out, realizing that he and Yosuke were being asked by the mysterious bear-like figure to find the culprit behind this series of mysterious deaths. Yu noted that someone on the outside seems to be throwing people into this mysterious TV world. And since the culprit is very obviously not himself and Yosuke, the mysterious bear-like figure seems to want Yu and Yosuke to find the real culprit for him. Yu also noted that the bear-like figure seems really serious about this request. At that point, Yosuke sighed and spoke to Yu.

"Ugh. Hey, Narukami? What should we do?" Yosuke asked as Yu went to answer Yosuke, only to stop short as he recalled the words of the mysterious old man from the dream he'd had the day he moved to Inaba.

'It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you, and perhaps your friends, should you make any friends who are so inclined as to help you solve the aforementioned mystery.' The old man had said. Yu frowned at this.

Could these murders that no one can figure out be the 'mystery' Igor had foretold would be thrust upon him? And could Yosuke be the first of the 'friends who could be so inclined towards helping solve the mystery'? More to the point, what was the 'contract' Igor spoke of before? Could finding the culprit and solving the case be part of this promise that Igor spoke of? Regardless, since Yu and Yosuke cannot leave the TV world on their own at that point, there seems to be no other option than to help the bear-like figure out. At that point, the bear-like figure spoke up once more in a pleading tone.

"You're the only ones I can ask. Will you promise me to solve the mystery of who's throwing people in here?" The bear-like figure said as Yu hesitated for maybe half a second before speaking up with a nod.

"Of course. You're just as invested in this now as we are, since it's your home that people keep showing up in. Besides, you're the only one who can let us back out, so we'd be fools to not promise you." Yu said kindly, surprising Yosuke. Before Yosuke could reply, the bear-like figure turned towards Yu with a smile on his face and spoke up happily.

"Th-Thank you!" The bear-like figure said as Yosuke sighed and spoke up.

"We don't really have a choice here, do we? Ugh, that damn bear knew we couldn't say no to him! Practically holding a gun to our heads while persuading us to help him. But at the same time, it's true that we came here to figure things out. So far, we're completely in the dark. Look for the culprit, huh? Y'know, why the hell not? Bring it on! You got my word, too. Might as well introduce ourselves, since we're apparently going to be working together. I'm Yosuke Hanamura, and this is my buddy Yu Narukami. Do you have a name?" Yosuke said as the mysterious bear-like figure spoke up, not seeing Yosuke and Yu both have to stop themselves from facefaulting at what he said next.

"Of course! I'm Teddie." The now-named Teddie said as Yu groaned and spoke up.

"Wow, your parents must have been super lazy when naming you. Not that I have room to talk, given my name is Yu." Yu said as Yosuke groaned and spoke up.

"Teddie, huh? Ugh, figures you'd have a basic name." Yosuke said with a frown. Eventually, he stopped frowning and kept speaking.

"But in any case, how are we supposed to find the culprit in the first place?" Yosuke asked as Teddie spoke up.

"I dunno. I just live here, so I'm not sure how much help I'll be other than giving you a way out when you're done. Oh, but even if I don't know where this culprit might be, I DO know where the last person came in." Teddie said as Yu blinked at that and spoke up.

"Is that so? That's both surprising, and also quite useful." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up.

"The last person who came in here? You mean Saki-senpai!?" Yosuke asked as Teddie spoke up off-handedly.

"I mean the person who came in and disappeared last time. I dunno the name." Teddie said as Yu spoke up.

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. Still, the fact that you at least know where they came in from is better than nothing." Yu said as Teddie nodded and spoke up.

"Right!? I'll take you there. You might find clues. Oh, but one thing first. You two should put these on." Teddie said as he produced two pairs of glasses, one orange and one black. As Yosuke took the orange pair, he frowned and spoke up.

"Hm? What're these glasses for, Teddie?" Yosuke asked as Teddie smiled and spoke up.

"Put 'em on and you'll find out!" Teddie said as Yu and Yosuke shrugged before complying, being shocked at how much clearer their view was after putting the glasses on. Yu then gasped and spoke up.

"Holy shit! These glasses make it so much easier to see in this place! I mean, that's usually what glasses do, but this is on a whole other level, it seems like!" Yu said, clearly astounded by how much clearer his vision became after he put the glasses on. Yosuke then spoke up.

"Whoa, you're right, Narukami! The difference is like night and day. With these on, it's like the fog doesn't exist." Yosuke said as Teddie nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. They'll help you walk through the fog." Teddie said as Yu spoke up in surprise.

"Huh, imagine that. These are pretty useful. Thanks for trusting us with these, Teddie." Yu said as Teddie smiled and spoke up, pleased by Yu's gratitude.

"You're welcome! Well, I've been here for a long time. So you can rely on me!" Teddie said as Yu spoke up.

"Fair, but you don't seem like you'd be much help in a fight. No offense." Yu said as Teddie shrugged and spoke up.

"None taken. Uh, I should probably clarify something. I might have lived here a long time, but I can only show you where the place is. You guys will have to defend yourselves!" Teddie said as Yosuke frowned and spoke up.

"What happened to relying on you!? Th-There better not be any monsters! You understand!? We brought weapons, but I mean, when you get down to it? They're more for show than for combat!" Yosuke said as Yu smirked and spoke up.

"Perhaps, but as a wise person once told me, 'Anything can be a deadly weapon if wielded in the right hands. It all depends on the skill of the wielder.' What I mean by that is that we can make these work if we believe they can work." Yu said sagely as Yosuke nodded his agreement before turning to Teddie as he spoke up.

"Also, we just got here! If it's so dangerous, why don't you do something instead of relying on us!?" Yosuke asked as Teddie spoke up without changing his expression.

"Uh uh. No way. I've got no muscles." Teddie said as Yu spoke up.

"You never know until you try, Teddie. To use another quote a wise person once told me, 'You've only truly lost when you give up and stop trying.' And what I mean by that is that you never know if you can succeed at something until you attempt it." Yu said wisely as Teddie smiled at that.

"How wise you sound, Narukami. Oh! Oh! I'll give you guys moral support from a safe distance! How's that sound?" Teddie asked as Yu blinked, realizing in that moment that Teddie wasn't lying when he said he couldn't fight, making him question just how much use Teddie could be from a combat perspective. Curious to test a theory, Yu tried lightly pushing Teddie. At that point, Teddie landed on his back, flailing around pitifully, making Yu have to resist the urge to laugh at how pathetic he looked flailing around on the ground. At that point, Yosuke scoffed and spoke up.

"I-Is this thing for real!? Ugh, this is so lame, Narukami. We swore to find the culprit and THIS is all the backup we get to work with!?" Yosuke grumbled as Yu spoke up.

"While it is true that Teddie is probably the best we can do for backup, I'd say that's only true for now. I have a feeling we'll have to find more backup as we keep investigating this mystery. After all, do you REALLY think whoever threw Konishi-senpai and the announcer lady will stop at just those two murders? I would be shocked if we don't keep seeing people get thrown in here to be honest." Yu said bluntly as Yosuke sighed, but conceded the point at that as Teddie stopped flailing around and spoke up.

"That's a good point, Narukami. Oh yeah. Can I ask you something? Who's this Saki-senpai person? Someone you know?" Teddie asked as Yosuke grimaced at the mention of his dead crush. Yu then winced and spoke up.

"Without going into details, she was someone very precious to Hanamura-san. So suffice it to say, Hanamura has his reasons for wanting to find the real culprit beyond our promise to you." Yu said simply. Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah. What Narukami said. But that doesn't matter right now. Anyways, at least now we know Senpai might have been thrown in there. Maybe we can find more information, too. Let's get moving, Narukami." Yosuke said as Yu nodded and made to leave, only for Teddie to speak up in a whiny voice.

"W-Waaaait!" Teddie said as Yu sweatdropped and spoke up.

"Oh, right, I forgot I pushed you to test a theory before. Sorry about that, Teddie. Let me help you up as an apology." Yu said, offering a hand to Teddie, which Teddie took so that Yu could help him to his feet, at which point Yu and Teddie gave chase to Yosuke, who'd already raced off ahead of them...

(A short time later, in another part of the TV world, with Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie)

After the trio got to the location Teddie had led them to, Yosuke winced and spoke up.

"What is this place, anyways? It looks just like the shopping district of Inaba in the real world. What's going on here!?" Yosuke asked as Teddie frowned and spoke up.

"Not sure. All I know for certain is that some weird places have appeared here recently. Things are getting so tangled, I don't know what to do about it." Teddie said as Yu shrugged and spoke up.

"While we are only here to find information about the culprit for now, I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of why these places appear eventually if we work together." Yu said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Yu. Uh, Teddie?" Yosuke said as Teddie looked at him and spoke up.

"Yeah?" Teddie asked from his position a little ways behind Yu and Yosuke. Yosuke spoke up with a perplexed look on his face.

"By the way, why are you standing so far from us?" Yosuke asked as Teddie blinked and spoke up.

"Uh-" Teddie said before Yosuke cut him off by continuing to speak.

"Teddie, you better not be planning to high-tail it if something does come up." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up with a shake of his head.

"I doubt Teddie would ditch us like that, Hanamura. If anything, he's probably showing us what he means by 'giving support from a safe distance'." Yu said as Teddie gave Yosuke a wide eyed look and spoke up, completely missing Yu's words as a result.

"Of course not! I mean. Uh, I can't stand too close, you know. I'd get in your way if I was too close, after all." Teddie said as Yu shrugged and spoke up.

"That does make sense, even if it's a bit of a coward's answer." Yu said as Yosuke frowned and spoke up.

"Hrrrm, it does make sense, even if I don't like it." Yosuke said before looking around at the area he and Yu were in as he kept speaking.

"Many, they really went all out on this, didn't they?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Seems like it to me. But then, I've only been in Inaba for like 3 to 4 days at this point, so I'm not sure I'm the best judge of how 'true-to-reality' this place is, so to speak." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up with a nod.

"That's fair, Narukami. But for real, out of all the places in town, why'd they replicate this one?" Yosuke asked as Teddie winced and spoke up.

"How should I know? This is reality for the one who's here." Teddie said as Yosuke sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh, of course. As usual, nothing you say makes any sense whatsoever, Teddie." Yosuke said before gasping as a realization hit him in that moment and he kept speaking.

"But if this is our shopping district, we're not far from Saki-senpai's family shop!" Yosuke said as he took off at a run, Yu and Teddie following close behind. After a bit, Yosuke stopped in front of a building further ahead and spoke up, both Yu and Yosuke gazing at the red and black swirling portal in the doorway of the building as the latter spoke.

"I knew it, Narukami! This is the liquor store that Senpai's parents run. Does that mean that if this is here, then Senpai disappeared here? What could've happened to make that happen, I wonder?" Yosuke said as he went to look closer at the portal, only to be stopped as a fearful Teddie spoke up.

"W-Wait a second, Hanamura! Th-They're here!" Teddie said as Yosuke blinked at this and spoke up in surprise.

"What?" Yosuke asked as Yu turned to Teddie and spoke up uncertainly.

"Wait, hold on. When you say 'they', do you mean-?" Yu asked as Teddie cut him off by speaking up.

"Exactly, Narukami! I mean the Shadows. I had a feeling they were going to attack at some point!" Teddie said warily, and at that moment, groans could be heard from the nearby portal as both Yu and Teddie turned to look at the portal in time for a pair of what appeared to be blue masks to materialize in the portal before dropping down like globs, hitting the ground and rising up as what appeared to be gelatinous looking creatures, making a shocked Yosuke yelp in surprise as he fell back and landed on his butt while the monsters advanced towards Yu and Yosuke, leaving trails of black tar-like sludge in their wake.

The shock of everything had the result of making Yosuke wince and close his eyes as he braced for the impact of the monsters swarming him and Yu, only for the camera to abruptly pan towards Yu as he gasped in shock when he heard a voice echo inside his head at that moment while the monsters rose up and swirled around and shifted forms into what appeared to be heads, the blue masks remaining on the backs of said heads, as they spun around to reveal their new forms as gaping mouth-like monsters with no eyes or nose to speak of. As the monsters shifted their focus to Yu, the voice in his head spoke up clearly.

"I am thou, and thou art I. It is finally time, Yu Narukami. The time has come. Open thine eyes, and call forth what is within you!" Yu heard in his head as his eyes snapped open with a gasp, looking down in surprise az he saw a tarot card in his hand, not unlike the ones Igor had used to do his fortune reading in the dream Yu had had the night before he went to Inaba. On a whim, Yu flipped the card over, only to gasp when the face of the card was blank, save for a golden frame around the card and a black and grey checkered background.

As he flipped the card in his hand to face the blank side up, a blinding flash of light erupted from the card, shining right into Yu's face, making his look of confusion slowly morph into a slightly twisted-looking expression of mixed glee, euphoria, and just a tiny bit of sadism as he gazed into the light. Near him, Teddie looked in shock and spoke up, voicing what both he and Yosuke were thinking in one sentence.

"Whaaaah!" Teddie said as he and Yosuke looked on in a mix of shock and horror as Yu's grin widened before he eventually spoke up, saying a few words, eventually ending on one word that he slowly said one syllable at a time.

"I get it now. Here goes nothing! Per...so...na..." Yu said before staring at the card in his hand, which had turned into an ominous-looking ball of blue flame, which Yu crushed in his palm with an almost elated-looking smirk. Afterwards, the blue flame caused a massive plume of blue flaming light to erupt around Yu, who threw his head back and let out what was probably the most guttural and also soul-rending yell that either Yosuke or Teddie had ever heard him make. As the intensity of the flames picked up, the lenses of Yu's glasses were obscured by a flash of light as he squeezed the hand that had had the card in it into a fist, his smirk almost turning menacing slightly as a new being materialized behind Yu.

As Teddie and Yosuke both looked over the new being, they both noted the details of this being having a black long-sleeve trenchcoat with a gold patch on one shoulder that had what appeared to be a horned head and two downward arrows emblazoned into the coat, while both shoulders had white strips along the shoulder blades going around the chest and back of the being, gradually revealing a white necktie-like kerchief covering the being's collar and neck, and drawing more attention to the dark grey turtleneck sweater it wore.

However, Yosuke blinked at what appeared to be steel buckles on the collar of the trenchcoat that the being wore, along with a half-black, half-white bladed mask on the being's face, where all you could see were a pair of glowing yellow lights where the eyes would be on the mask which had a metal riveted headband fastened to it and two horn-like protrusions coming off the top of the mask, along with the massive red belt the figure had that came with an even larger white belt buckle with a silver striped line in the middle that held up the being's red and black checkered pants, and even more buckles on the lower section of the trenchcoat that went down to the figure's black boots that the being wore.

As the camera focused on the being's face, his eyes shifted from glowing yellow to glowing a more sedate-looking white-ish yellow. After Teddie and Yosuke got a good few seconds to take in the view of the being next to Yu, who had his eyes closed, the being vanished just as suddenly as it had appeared. At that point, a fight started! At the start, Teddie spoke up to get Yu's attention while Yosuke got to a safe distance to watch.

"Stay calm and listen. Some Shadows have weaknesses. If you can pinpoint that weakness and take advantage of it, the battle will be a lot easier! I can tell this one has a weakness, too! Try stuff out and see what works!" Teddie said as Yu spoke up.

"Ah, so basically it's a matter of 'trial and error', then? Got it." Yu said while looking the enemies over, eventually speaking up.

"Hm, if that's the case, then maybe this? COME, IZANAGI!" Yu said, invoking the name of the being he'd called forth originally, who was now identified as 'Izanagi'. Izanagi came forth with a nod, swinging a double-edged sword around and causing a bolt of lightning to drop on the enemy through his usage of the 'Zio' skill, which was clearly a lightning-based skill given the electricity that struck the enemy and sent it reeling backwards from the effective hit. At that point, Teddie spoke up.

"Looks like that was a hit! Anyways, I'll keep track of what attacks have what effect on enemies!" Teddie said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. That sounds useful to me." Yu said before striking the other enemy with a second round of Zio from Izanagi, knocking both down. After Izanagi destroyed one of the enemies, the other got up and lunged at Yu with its tongue extended, making Yu wince as the attack connected and pushed him back. However, the damage it did was negligible at best, allowing Yu to laugh before waving an arm as Izanagi used his double-edged sword to slice the remaining enemy in half, reducing it to black mist and ending the fight in Yu's victory. Following his win, Yu felt a surge of energy inside as his level increased from level 1 to level 3 and Teddie spoke up.

"You did it, Sensei!" Teddie said in surprise as both Yu and Yosuke turned to each other, mouthing 'Sensei!?' under their breaths. From the level ups, Yu felt his health and stamina increase. Furthermore, Yu felt something change inside of him as Izanagi also hit level 2. After the battle, the card Yu had previously crushed fluttered into his hand, but now it had writing on it where it previously did not. Confused, Yu looked at the writing and read it aloud.

'Congratulations, Yu Narukami. This card is proof that you have faced the doubts and hesitation within and overcome them to awaken to your true self. As a reward, you have now unlocked the facade necessary to overcome the hardships thrown at you by life. Receive the power of the Persona, Izanagi! Accept your new power and fated partner.' The card read, and just as Yu finished reading the writing on the card, it vanished into thin air as Yu felt something settle into place inside of him, realizing it was his Persona taking its rightful place inside of him. After reaching this realization, Yosuke ran over to Yu and spoke up.

"Whoa, holy shit! Wh-What was that!? Did I hear you say 'Persona'!? What was it-I mean, what did you do!?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up with a smirk.

"If I had to guess? I think I just gained the power to fight back against the Shadows in this TV world." Yu said as Yosuke smirked and spoke up.

"Nice. Hey, you think I can do it too, Narukami?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up with a sweatdrop.

"Uhh, maybe? I'm honestly not sure. I don't even know how I did it, truth be told. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing for me. For all we know, it could be entirely different for you if you get this power. This is all unfamiliar territory for all of us, after all." Yu said as Teddie walked over and spoke up.

"Calm down, Yosuke. You're troubling Sensei!" Teddie said as Yu spoke up with a frown.

"Maybe it's because I'm from the big city, but is it a common thing in Inaba for people to refer to each other by first name in such a casual way? Where I moved from, people usually had to be on a last-name basis with each other for a while until getting permission to call one another by their first/given name. Hence, why I refer to Hanamura-san and Satonaka-san by their last names so much. I assume they refer to me by my last name because I do the same to them." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up.

"Eh, it's kinda of a 'personal preference' sort of thing, I guess? We're not that fussed about such formalities where I came from, and it seems like Inaba is a fairly small, if very tight-knit, community from what I've seen so far. So I think it's just a 'do what you're comfortable with' sort of thing when it comes to addressing others by last name versus calling them by their first name? But I do agree that there is something to be said for showing courtesy, Narukami." Yosuke said before blinking at what Teddie had called Yu as he turned to Teddie and kept speaking.

"S-Sensei? Why did you call Narukami-san 'Sensei', Teddie?" Yosuke said as Teddie spoke up while approaching Yu and Yosuke.

"It's a gesture of respect, and after what he just did? Narukami-sensei definitely has my respect." Teddie said to Yosuke before turning to Yu as he kept speaking.

"Gosh Almighty! You're amazing, Sensei! I am one impressed bear! I can't believe you were hiding such an amazing power! No wonder the Shadows were scared of you!" Teddie said before gasping as he kept speaking.

"Oh! Are you the one who's able to bring people into this world?" Teddie asked as Yu spoke up.

"Hm, good question. I did help Satonaka and Hanamura get in here yesterday, and helped Hanamura again today. So I guess you could say I'm the one bringing people into this world." Yu said with a shrug as Teddie spoke up with wide eyes.

"Hah! That's what I thought! This is really something. Don't you think so, Yosuke?" Teddie said, turning to aim the last part of his response at Yosuke, who shoved Teddie back as he spoke up with annoyance.

"Dude, you call him 'Sensei', and then don't show me any respect!?" Yosuke said in annoyance as Teddie winced and spoke up.

"Sorry, Yosuke." Teddie said apologetically as Yosuke smiled and spoke up.

"It's fine, Teddie. W-Well, to be honest? Your support wasn't bad, though. I gotta give you some credit for that." Yosuke said as Teddie spoke up with an embarrassed look on his face that made Yu wince as he saw it.

"Huh? R-Really, Yosuke? Heehee." Teddie said as Yosuke spoke up with a smirk.

"All right, you two keep it up, and I think we'll be fine from here on out. Now let's get back to the investigation!" Yosuke said as Yu and Teddie nodded before the trio went to enter the portal, while Yosuke kept speaking as the group briefly stopped.

"Man, this looks rough. I wonder what could have happened to Senpai here." Yosuke said before the group gave a start as voices started echoing from somewhere.

"I wish Junes would go under already." One voice said as another replaced it.

"It's all because of that store that most of our businesses are going under around here." Another voice said as a shocked Yosuke spoke up.

"Wh-What the hell?" Yosuke said in shock as the first echoing voice was heard again.

"Oh, I heard that Konishi-san's daughter is working there." The first echoing voice said as the second spoke up.

"Oh my goodness. How could she, with her family's been business suffering like it is currently suffering?" The second echoing voice said as a third echoing voice spoke up.

"I heard their sales have gone downhill because of Junes." The third echoing voice said as Yosuke winced in disbelief and spoke up.

"S-Stop it, right now! These are all lies, right?" Yosuke asked as Yu could only shrug before the first echoing voice was heard again.

"That poor father must be so distraught, and understandably so. After all, who can blame him? Who could expect him to have his own daughter working for the enemy." The first echoing voice said as the second echoing voice spoke up.

"True. What a troublesome child she turned out to be." The second echoing voice said as Yosuke frowned at this and turned to Teddie in disbelief as he spoke up.

"Hey, that's not fair to blame everything on Junes, dammit! Hey, Ted!" Yosuke said, aiming the last bit of his words at Teddie, who turned to face Yosuke as he kept speaking.

"You said that this place is reality for those that are here, right!? So if that's true, does that mean this was Senpai's reality when she wandered in here prior to her death?" Yosuke asked as Teddie gave Yosuke a sympathetic look and spoke up.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if I have an answer to that question for you. I only know about what's over here." Teddie said as Yu spoke up.

"That's understandable. But I'm sure that if Hanamura and I look together, we can probably find some answers inside that portal." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up.

"Fine, that's fair, Teddie. And you have a good point, Narukami. Whatever's going on here, and what connection it has to Senpai, if any? We'll find out ourselves!" Yosuke said as he and Yu ran into the portal, finding themselves inside of a run-down building with stacks of metal containers reaching all the way up to the ceiling, along with large wooden beams acting as supports to hold the entire building up. Once Yosuke looked around and saw what was inside, he spoke up with a muttered curse.

"Dammit, not again! Is this going to be like that other room we found the last time we came into the TV?" Yosuke wondered, and before Yu could do more than shrug, he and Yosuke began to hear a man yelling loudly.

"Saki, how many times do I have to tell you!?" Yosuke and Yu heard a man who they were almost certain was Saki's father yell, the former blanching in shock as he spoke up.

"Is this man we can hear yelling actually Senpai's dad, and why is he yelling at Saki-senpai, if it is?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up.

"To be honest? I don't think there's any answer we could get that justifies it if Saki was yelled at by her father. A good father should respect and support his children, not belittle them." Yu said bluntly as they heard the man they presumed was Saki's father yelling again.

"You know what the neighbors say about you, right!? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're the eldest daughter of a family who's owned this store for generations! Is it the money? Or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work THERE, of all places!" Yu and Yosuke heard the presumed voice of Saki's father say as Yosuke winced and spoke up.

"I'm speechless right now. I can't believe this was happening to Saki-senpai. She seemed like she had fun at work whenever she came in. She never said anything like to me in any of the times we spoke to each other. And you're telling me that THIS was how Senpai really viewed things?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Unfortunately, I don't think anyone can tell us how Konishi-san really felt about things. The only one who can is dead, as much as I'm sure we both wish it were otherwise. All we can do now is try to solve this mystery and see if we can figure out who killed her, so we can get some closure for her and the other victims by bringing the killer to justice. The fact we'd be keeping our promise to Teddie when we do so is just an added bonus." Yu said as Yosuke nodded and the two saw pictures on a counter nearby, running over to investigate as Yosuke spoke up while scanning the pictures.

"These photos look fairly recent. Hey, wait a minute. Is this photo what I think it is?" Yosuke said as he lifted up the photo and spoke up after looking it over.

"It's the photo we took the other day with the other part-timers at Junes at the shift manager's suggestion. Wh-Why's it cut up like this, though?" Yosuke said as Yu peered over Yosuke shoulder and saw that the scrap of the photo Yosuke held featured a smiling Saki, with Yosuke standing next to her, presumably also trying to be cool to impress her. Before Yu could answer Yosuke's question, he and Yosuke blinked as a familiar voice echoed around the room the two were in.

"I'm not sure how to put this, honestly. After all, I never had the chance to say it to him-" The voice of Saki echoed as Yosuke gasped and spoke up.

"Is that really Senpai's voice!?" Yosuke asked, but Saki's voice was heard again before Yu could answer Yosuke.

"I always wanted to tell Hana-chan something." Saki's voice said as Yosuke blanched in shock and spoke up.

"Huh, are we hearing this right, Narukami? Me? She wanted to say something to me?" Yosuke asked Yu, who shrugged, but for the third time, Saki's voice was heard, preventing him from verbally answering Yosuke, though Yu and Yosuke both winced at what was heard next.

"I always wanted to tell Hana-chan that he was a real pain in the ass. After all, I was nice to him just because he was the store manager's son, that's all. And I needed to make a good impression so I could keep this job. I have to do something to try and promote our family's liquor business so it doesn't go under like every other business, or so I've been constantly reminded by Dad.

As such, I try to put up with Hana-chan for the sake of keeping my job, but of course he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic about it. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought he liked me or something! But why would I fall for the son of the company that is running most of the businesses in Inaba into the ground with its mere presence!? Sure, he's nice, and can be cute at times, but still! What a dip." Saki's voice ranted as Yosuke recoiled as if struck once Saki's voice finished speaking before he spoke up.

"P-Pain in the ass, did she say?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up for the first time in a while.

"That's what it sounded like to me, Hanamura. But I think these are partially the repressed feelings Konishi-san had coming out. And if that bit near the end where she said you're nice and even cute is any indication, maybe you did make an impression on her." Yu said as Saki's voice was heard at that point.

"Who cares about Junes, anyways? Because of that store, our business is ruined, my parents hate me, the neighbors talk behind my back, and I'm starting to feel like I've got nothing left for me. I wish everything would just disappear at this point." Saki's voice said as a devastated Yosuke spoke up in disbelief.

"I-It's a lie, I'm sure. This can't be true. It just can't! Senpai's not like that, Narukami! I know she's not!" Yosuke said as a familiar, if distorted, voice was heard speaking up after seemingly sniffling for effect.

"It's so sad that Saki-senpai died. My crush is dead, and I feel so sorry for myself now. Oh, woe is me! Boo hoo, I'm such a wreck." Yu and Yosuke heard, both turning to face the voice, their eyes widening behind their glasses as they saw what looked like a second Yosuke standing nearby, an ominous blue aura flaring from his body.

As he looked the other Yosuke over, Yu noticed that where the Yosuke standing next to him has brown eyes, the second Yosuke seemed to have ominously piercing yellow glowing eyes, bringing Yu vaguely to mind of the being he'd used to fight the Shadows outside of this building not that long ago. Before he could voice his thoughts about the sudden turn of events, the other Yosuke spoke up.

"Actually, I'm the one who thinks everything's a pain in the ass. Hahaha, But of course I do." The other Yosuke said, just in time for Teddie to catch up to Yu and Yosuke and speak up in shock as he saw the other Yosuke.

"H-Huh? Two Yosukes are in this room?" Teddie asked, but was ignored by Yosuke, who ran up to confront the other Yosuke in an angry voice as Yu quietly told Teddie what he'd missed, getting a grateful nod from Teddie as Yosuke spoke.

"Who are you!? I-I wouldn't think that! I know I wouldn't!" Yosuke said as the other Yosuke laughed mockingly and spoke up.

"Hahaha, suuuuure you wouldn't, Yosuke. Heh, yeah, right. How long are you going to keep deluding yourself? Screw the shopping district, and Junes too! You're sick of everything, especially living out in the sticks!" The other Yosuke said as Yosuke winced and spoke up uncertainly.

"What're you saying, whoever you are? That's not true, I-" Yosuke started to protest, only for the other Yosuke to cut him off by speaking up.

"You put on a good show of being carefree and happy-go-lucky, but it's just because you're so terrified of being alone. The more the merrier, right? You've gotta be surrounded by people to block out the pain of isolation. And what's this about checking out this world for Saki-senpai's sake? Hah! I know the real reason you came snooping in this place." The other Yosuke said tauntingly as Yosuke winced and spoke up.

"S-Stop it!" Yosuke said in a panicked tone, making the other Yosuke laugh mockingly as he spoke up.

"Hahaha! Why so panicked? I thought I was just spouting bullshit! Or maybe, just maybe, I DO know everything you're thinking! Why's that, you might ask! Simple! The answer is because I AM you! You just came because you thought it sounded like a good time? What else is there to do out in this shithole? A world inside the TV? Now THAT's exciting! You didn't have a single other reason for coming out here, did you!?" The other Yosuke mocked Yosuke, who recoiled and spoke up in a horrified voice.

"That's not true, and you know it! Stop trying to act like you know me! Stop it, you son of a bitch!" Yosuke said as the other Yosuke smirked and spoke up.

"You're just trying to act like a big shot, aren't you!? After all, if all went well, hey, maybe you could even be a hero! And that Senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was the perfect excuse!" The other Yosuke taunted Yosuke, who frowned at that and spoke up.

"That's not true! What are you!? WHO are you!?" Yosuke asked the other Yosuke, who laughed mockingly and spoke up.

"Hehehe! I already told ya. I'm you, Yosuke. Your Shadow, to be more accurate. There's nothing I don't know about you!" The other Yosuke, or Yosuke's Shadow as it identified itself, said with a sneer as the real Yosuke spoke up with a frown.

"Screw that! I don't know you!" Yosuke said as Yu's eyes widened in realization as he spoke up, though he was unaware that his attempt to warn the real Yosuke of the potential danger Yu could feel would fall on deaf ears.

"Hanamura! Stop! If I'm right, you do NOT want to finish the words you're about to say!" Yu called out, though he was ignored as the real Yosuke snapped and yelled at his Shadow angrily.

"YOU CAN'T BE ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Yosuke said as Yu and Teddie both groaned as the latter spoke up.

"Oh, boy. That can't mean anything good, can it?" Teddie said as Yu spoke up.

"Probably not. But I can probably protect us if I have to, since I have the power to do so now after all." Yu said as Yosuke's Shadow laughed maniacally and spoke up after hearing Yosuke's heated words of denial.

"Hahahahahaha, hyahahahahaha! That's right! Say it again!" Yosuke's Shadow said in an almost euphoric tone as an enraged (and also traumatized) Yosuke spoke up.

"Y-You're not me, you crazy son of a bitch! Y-You're nothing like me, dammit!" The real Yosuke yelled as Yosuke's Shadow spoke up with a dry scoff.

"HMPH! Yeah, that's right, I am me now. I'm not you anymore, see." Yosuke's Shadow said euphorically as a bright flash of light obscured the vision of the real Yosuke, along with Yu and Teddie, as Yosuke's Shadow began transforming, making Teddie wince at the sight of an ominous red and black smoke-like mist swirling around Yosuke's Shadow as it transformed, all while Yosuke could only look on in horror and scream as he saw the true form of his Shadow, which was revealed as being a clown-like being with a black and yellow face, a red flowing scarf, a black torso with red stripes on one arm, yellow gloves, and a green scaly lower half that looked rather like a reptile, ending with black and yellow webbed feet.

The sight of his transformed Shadow was too much for Yosuke, who passed out in shock as the transformation finished, leaving Teddie and Yu to exchange resolved nods as they prepared to deal with the berserk Shadow as a fight began! As the fight began, Yosuke's Shadow spoke up.

"Hmph! So you intend to oppose me!? So be it! I am a Shadow-the true self! I'll crush everything that bores me, no matter who or what it might be! Starting with you!" Yosuke's Shadow said as the fight began, with Yosuke's Shadow using a move called 'Oblivion Wind' to blast Yu backwards due to Izanagi having a weakness to Wind attacks. Once Yu was on his backside, Yosuke's Shadow laughed tauntingly and spoke up.

"How long can you survive this?" Yosuke's Shadow taunted Yu, who gritted his teeth and spoke up.

"You'll see for yourself how long I can last, dammit. After all, Hanamura-san is a good guy, regardless of his flaws! And he's been through enough already! So if I have to take you out to help him, then that's what I'm going to do!" Yu said defiantly as Teddie nodded and spoke up.

"Be careful, Sensei! This one's much stronger than the last type of Shadow you fought! Be careful!" Teddie warned Yu, who nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. Your message is received loud and clear, Teddie." Yu said as Teddie nodded and spoke up.

"Good. Now, this might be obvious, but if you ever feel threatened, don't hesitate to defend yourself!" Teddie said as Yu had to resist out the urge to yell out something to the tune of 'Thank you, Captain Obvious!' in response, but instead simply nodded his understanding as he got to his feet. Once he was back up, Yu spoke up.

"Hmm. I wonder. Let's test something, shall we? PERSONA! ZAP THEM, IZANAGI!" Yu said as he called out Izanagi, who nodded and swung his double edged sword, hitting Yosuke's Shadow dead-on with 'Zio'. And just as Yu suspected, the hit was super-effective on Yosuke's Shadow, downing it and allowing Yu to double down on the Electric assault. After Yosuke's Shadow got back up, Yu smirked, deciding to press his advantage for the time being. As Yosuke's Shadow got up, it spoke up.

"You pain in the ass! Heh, that's it? That's all you can do to me? Boring! Now it's my turn!" Yosuke's Shadow said as he blasted Yu with another 'Oblivion Wind' to down him, though he wasted the follow-up laughing maniacally at Yu, who got back up and kept pressing the Zio attacks as Yosuke's Shadow gritted while speaking up.

"Dammit! Don't underestimate me!" Yosuke's Shadow said before a red glow went over his body, prompting an uneasy Yu to take a defensive stance for the time being, knowing he'd have to choose his openings carefully. After trading attacks back and forth with Yosuke's Shadow, Yu found himself panting a bit, but he noticed that Yosuke's Shadow was also showing signs of starting to wear down, despite the defiant look he had when he spoke up again.

"What a frickin' pain in the ass you are, Narukami! Get outta my way! GET OUTTA MY SIGHT!" Yosuke's Shadow said as he tried blasting Yu with 'Oblivion Wind' again, but this time Yu was able to block most of the damage thanks to Teddie warning him of the imminent attack. Once he shrugged off the hit, Yu glared at the downed form of Yosuke's Shadow and spoke up.

"You might truly be part of Hanamura, but at the same time? I feel like you're the worst part of him! I can understand you want him to acknowledge you, but this is NOT the way to do it! But maybe if I finish you off, I can help you to reach out to the truth of what you need to do? Either way, time to end this! FINISH IT, IZANAGI!" Yu said as Izanagi nodded, summoning one last bolt of lightning, which crashed down onto an agonized Yosuke's Shadow, who screeched in pain and spoke up.

"DAMN YOU TO HELL, NARUKAMI! HOW COULD I BE DEFEATED BY SOMEONE LIKE YOU!? You, who are similar to me, yet also better than me in so many ways!? DAMMIT!" Yosuke's Shadow said as Yu spoke up with a smirk.

"But that's where you're wrong, Hanamura's Shadow. You say I'm better than you, but the truth is that we're not so different. Sure, you're made of Hanamura's negative feelings and his insecurities, but I can actually relate to at least some of that. After all, I might not know the pains of isolation or having no one, but I at least know the pain and struggles of having a hard time making friends.

But then, it's probably to be expected that I don't make friends easily, given how often my parents go off the grid for their jobs. That kinda makes it difficult to stick around anywhere long enough to make friends, I think. But at the end of the day, you're just as good as me, if not better. After all, that battle could have gone either way. So stop struggling and let the real you accept you already!" Yu said to Yosuke's Shadow, who could only grunt as he spoke up.

"Perhaps. Maybe you're right. Ugh, you beat me fair and square, so I should probably heed your advice, shouldn't I? Very well, I concede defeat. You win." Yosuke's Shadow said reluctantly before he winced in pain and crashed to the ground with a groan to end the battle as he slowly started shifting back to normal. From the influx of power that Yu got for defeating Yosuke's Shadow, he felt a surge of energy inside of himself, signifying that he had jumped from level 3 up to level 5. At that point, Teddie spoke up.

"Unbelievable! You did it, Sensei!" Teddie said as Yu's level increased. At the same time, Yu felt something shift inside of him as Izanagi went from level 2 to level 4, giving Izanagi access to the debuff skill 'Rakunda'. Once the fight ended, Yosuke got to his feet and stared at his downed Shadow before speaking up.

"I'm at a loss as to how I had something like you inside of me. I don't know what to say." Yosuke said as Yu and Teddie ran up to the real Yosuke, who was looking at his downed Shadow, the latter of the two speaking up while looking at Yosuke.

"Yosuke, are you okay!?" Teddie asked as Yosuke looked at Teddie and spoke up.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine, I think. What was all that? What happened to me just now?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up.

"To make a long story short, your darker self, or your Shadow as it called itself, was released because of what we heard in here, and was trying to make you confront your less than ideal aspects. I know that you must be embarrassed by what was said just now, but I assure you that while I can't speak for Teddie, I do not hold ANY of what was revealed here against you, Hanamura.

If anything, I respect you for having the courage to not run away from what we just saw. I feel like most people would've done that by now. But not you. You're still here, staring your Shadow down. And with that sort of backbone and courage, I think you know what to do next." Yu said encouragingly as Yosuke winced but nodded as he turned to face his Shadow, who gave him an appraising glance, as if waiting to see what Yosuke did next. Yosuke, winced and spoke up.

"I know what you just said, Narukami. But still, you're asking a lot of me." Yosuke said to Yu before focusing on his Shadow as he kept speaking.

"And as for you! You say you're me, but I have a hard time accepting that. You're so much darker than I am. I know I said that you're not me before, but I think I was wrong to say that." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Good. I know it's not easy, but you need to make peace with your Shadow, preferably before it goes berserk again. I was able to beat it once, but there's no guarantee that I can beat it a second time right now." Yu said as Teddie nodded and spoke up.

"Sensei's right, Yosuke. And let's be honest. That thing came from you, Yosuke, so only you can do something about it." Teddie said gently but kindly, giving Yosuke a sympathetic look as he kept speaking.

"You have to admit it, Yosuke. I know that's asking a lot, but you're the only one who can pacify your Shadow. Either accept it, or it'll go berserk again, and as Sensei said, I'm not sure we can beat that thing a second time." Teddie said as Yosuke winced, knowing Yu and Teddie were right, but still seeming reluctant to accept his Shadow, which Yu could see, causing him to speak up to encourage Yosuke.

"I know this is rough, but you have to be brave. I can't imagine how much this must be hurting you to have to see this side of yourself, but you can accept it. I might not have any room to say something like this, but I feel like everyone's the same inside. We all have sides of ourselves we'd rather not admit to and would prefer to kept locked away so no one else could witness them.

But I think that it's only by accepting those sides of ourselves that we can potentially find the true strength inside ourselves. In a way, it's not so different from how I was able to use the power you saw me use outside of here against those small Shadows. You asked me before if you could get this power too, didn't you? Maybe this is your chance to do so. But that's up to you to decide the truth of that for yourself, Hanamura. Do you have the courage to face yourself!?" Yu said encouragingly to Yosuke, who frowned at Yu and spoke up.

"Is that sentiment supposed to be comforting? Still, you're not wrong, Narukami. Dammit, I know what I have to do. Still, it hurts to face yourself head-on like this, doesn't it?" Yosuke said as he turned to his Shadow and spoke up, looking suspiciously close to crying as he spoke.

"I knew it wasn't lying, deep down. But I was so ashamed that I didn't want to admit it was telling the truth. You're me, though, and I'm you. When you get down to it in the end, all of this is me, whether I like it or not." Yosuke said honestly as his Shadow nodded, and much like what had happened to Yu before, he felt a card flutter down into his hand, which he read, seeing writing appear on it.

"Well done, Yosuke Hanamura. Like your friend Yu Narukami, you have shown that the strength of heart required to face oneself has been made manifest within you. At this time, accept this newly-awakened power as a reward. Now that you have faced and accepted your other self, we bestow upon you the facade needed to overcome life's obstacles. Accept the power of the Persona 'Jiraiya' as your prize for overcoming your Shadow.' Yosuke said as his Shadow nodded to him again and in a flash of light, his Shadow transformed into a new being, though this being had a lot of differences from the one Yu had.

Unlike Izanagi, this being had a head shaped like a mouse, with round black ears, a round face like the monster form of Yosuke's Shadow, a white matching jacket and pants which had green stripes along the legs of the pants, white boots, a golden chestplate in the shape of a 'V', green wristbands, and on each of its palms were throwing stars, not unlike the two smaller stars it had for eyes. To top it off, the new being had silver handguards over each of his hands. Yosuke smiled as he spoke up.

"So, this is it, huh? I actually have the same power that you do now, Yu?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up.

"You do. But does the fact you're addressing me by my first name mean what I think it does?" Yu asked uneasily as Yosuke spoke up with a nod.

"It does. I know you're used to waiting for permission to be on a first-name basis, but if you don't have that after something like this, when will you ever have it? So as far as I'm concerned, you can call me Yosuke from here on if you like, provided I can call you Yu in turn, or even 'partner' if the mood strikes me." Yosuke said with a smirk as Yu nodded and extended a hand out as he spoke up.

"Sounds good to me, Yosuke. I take it that means we're friends then?" Yu asked as Yosuke laughed and spoke up as he shook Yu's hand.

"Of course we're friends, Yu! Pretty sure it'd be a miracle, or a fluke, for us not to be friends after what we just experienced together." Yosuke said with a nod before he smiled and spoke up.

"So this is it. This is my Persona. I actually have the same power you do, Yu. Just as you have Izanagi at your command, I now have the power of Jiraiya at mine. And together, we can solve this mystery. I'm sure of it." Yosuke said with a nod as he went to his knees and spoke up with a sigh.

"Still, when we heard Senpai's voice speak up earlier, I can't believe she called me a dip. But more importantly, I can't believe what we found out about her. I wonder if that was something Senpai had been keeping deep down inside of her. Haha, so that's what she really thought of me? 'He was a real pain in the ass,' huh? What a way to find out how she really felt about me. Geez, this is so embarrassing to me." Yosuke said as Yu walked over and gently patted Yosuke on the shoulder comfortingly before speaking up.

"Cheer up, Yosuke. Sure, you had to find out the hard way that Konishi-san didn't like you the way you liked her, but at least she never outright told you so in public. So there's that, right? And as they say, 'what happens in the TV World STAYS in the TV World.' In other words, unless you say otherwise? What we just saw doesn't leave this room. It can remain a secret between us, and I guess also Teddie since he was here too, for all I care. Now pick yourself up off of the floor, man." Yu said as he gave Teddie a pointed look, as if saying 'keep your mouth shut, or else!' before he turned away from Teddie and smiled at Yosuke, who chuckled sheepishly and spoke up.

"Heh, you're right. Thank you. If you weren't here, I don't know what woulda happened after my Shadow went berserk because of me. Thanks for saving me from myself, in more ways than one. I appreciate it, Yu." Yosuke said as he clasped his hand in Yu's so Yu could help him to his feet, at which point he turned to Teddie and spoke up.

"Hey, Teddie, can I ask you something? Could Senpai have been attacked by her other self here? Like how it just happened to me?" Yosuke asked Teddie, who nodded with a smile and spoke up.

"I think so. The Shadows here were originally born from humans. Sometimes the fog clears. Then they all go berserk like your Shadow just did, Yosuke. And you saw what happens next. A strong-willed Shadow draws others to it. And the big mass of Shadows kills the host." Teddie said as a shocked Yu spoke up.

"Kills? You're saying that a person's Shadow can kill them if it's strong-willed enough?" Yu asked as Teddie nodded before Yosuke spoke up.

"Aha. So that's why people die when it gets foggy in our world, then. Huh." Yosuke said, looking down with a pained sigh. Teddie spoke up at that point.

"Yosuke's pretty worn out from that last battle, as are you no doubt, Sensei. And to be honest? This world isn't made for humans. It's not comfortable for you here. Besides, I don't hear any more voices, so I think we're done with this place. Let's go back." Teddie said as Yu and Yosuke nodded their agreement before the trio returned to the studio to regroup. Once back at the studio, Yosuke looked at Teddie and spoke up.

"Hey, Teddie. You said that this place is 'reality' for people who enter, right? So that shopping district, and that weird room we saw before, were those 'reality' for Saki-senpai and that announcer lady? Did they exist because the ones who died entered this world, and it became their reality? I guess what I'm trying to ask is this. Did those places form because of the people who entered this world?" Yosuke asked Teddie, who spoke up uncertainly.

"I don't know. It's never happened before, to be honest. But that's probably where they were when the Shadows attacked them." Teddie said as Yu spoke up.

"So it was the same for them, then? At least in theory?" Yu asked, wanting to confirm that the three of them were on the same page. Teddie spoke up.

"Most likely. Still, the fog does lift here sometimes. The Shadows get really violent then. I always get so scared. I have to hide when that happens since I can't defend myself against them the way you two can. I sensed people here twice before. But both of them disappeared after the fog lifted and before I could find them." Teddie said as Yosuke spoke up.

"So let's get this straight and make sure we're all on the same page here. Senpai and that Yamano lady were thrown in here, and since they couldn't get out, they wandered around in here on their own. And after a while, that 'Shadow' thing came out of them. The fog cleared, it went berserk, and it ended up killing them by what would technically be considered 'their own' hand. Which is kinda creepy to think about, but I digress. Does that sound right?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up.

"That seems accurate to me, Yosuke." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up with a wince.

"I see. So if I'd been here until the fog cleared, I woulda been in much deeper trouble?" Yosuke asked as Teddie spoke up with a nod.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure that's correct. You were lucky, you know. Sensei and I were here with you to save you." Teddie said as Yu spoke up.

"To be fair, I was the one who saved him. You mainly provided support and gave me clues on the enemy's weakness. And if I recall, I was the one who gave Yosuke the push to face his Shadow, even if you encouraged him. So it was mostly me. But you get your due share of the credit as well, Teddie." Yu said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Yu's right. Dammit, I can't believe how close that was! Senpai and that announcer weren't nearly as lucky as I was. They were stuck here all alone with nobody to help. No one could save them because this place was unknown to everyone outside of the TV before now." Yosuke said with a sad look on his face. Teddie saw this and spoke up to try and cheer up Yosuke.

"Yosuke, cheer up. And if it's any consolation, they only ultimately disappear from here when the fog is lifted. They were safe before that. No Shadows attacked them. They attacked us, though, if I recall right. So maybe they're keeping a close eye on us. They might see people who investigate this place as enemies of theirs. It'll be dangerous, but we might be able to fight them! We might save people!" Teddie said as Yu and Yosuke exchanged shocked looks as the former spoke up.

"Are you serious!?" Yu asked as Yosuke spoke up to finish Yu's line of thought.

"Are you saying, if anyone else gets thrown in here, we can save them before they disappear!? Like how you guys just saved me!?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"If we go by what happened today, that seems to be the case. Still, we won't know for sure unless we try." Yu said wisely. Yosuke nodded his agreement.

"Good point, Yu. Anyways, regardless of if we can save people, we made a promise to Teddie here. We need to catch the one who's throwing people in here and make him stop. Yeah, I get it! I'm finally starting to understand what's going on." Yosuke said as Teddie spoke up nervously.

"U-Um, Yu? Yosuke? Can I ask something too, if it's all right with you two?" Teddie asked as Yu and Yosuke slowly nodded, before both had identical looks of horror on their face at what Teddie asked next.

"If Shadows are born from humans, what is Teddie born from?" Teddie asked as Yu winced and spoke up.

"Really!? After everything we've been through, you ask us THAT!? I really doubt NOW is the time to give you the talk about the 'birds and the bees', Teddie! Besides, I'm not even sure if that talk is applicable to you!" Yu said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly, Yu! And Teddie? You don't even know where you came from!? How should we know?" Yosuke asked as Teddie frowned and spoke up.

"Fair. However, I know some things. Mostly about this world we're in now. But I don't know anything about myself. To be honest, I never thought about it that much until now, truth be told." Teddie said as Yosuke blinked in shock as he spoke up.

"Are you serious, Teddie? No wonder we couldn't get a straight answer out of you if that's true." Yosuke said as Teddie spoke up uneasily.

"Will you guys, if I let you out, come back here from time to time?" Teddie asked as Yu spoke up kindly.

"Of course, Teddie. Even with our promise to you put aside, if anyone else shows up on the TV, we'll have to come back to save them. So I feel pretty confident in saying this won't be the last you'll see of us." Yu said kindly to Teddie, who smiled at Yu and spoke up.

"R-Really? Is that true, Yu?" Teddie asked as Yosuke gave Teddie a sly smirk and spoke up.

"Well, you're the one who said you weren't letting us out unless we do." Yosuke pointed out as a sheepish-looking Teddie spoke up.

"Oh! Th-That's right! Okay, I'll let you out! But there's one thing. I'll be waiting for you guys here. You need to come in from the same place every time. So we can meet up." Teddie said as Yu arched an eyebrow and spoke up.

"From the same place, you say?" Yu asked. Teddie nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. Sure, you could come in from someplace else. But then you likely won't end up here if you do. You might show up somewhere I couldn't get to you. Then you'd be doooomed for sure. Got it!?" Teddie asked as Yu and Yosuke nodded, the latter spoke up.

"Well, pretty much. You're making it pretty clear, Teddie. Alright, can you show us the way out?" Yosuke asked Teddie, who smiled and spoke up with one of the few closed-eye smiles Yu could recall seeing on Teddie.

"Roger that! One exit comin' right up!" Teddie said as he tapped his foot on the floor to make the tower of TVs appear, allowing Yu and Yosuke to approach them as the latter spoke up.

"Cool, this is useful. First we need to make sure there aren't any employees milling around out there before we leave." Yosuke said as Yu nodded his agreement. However, before either could try to do any sort of reconnaissance, they felt Teddie shove them from behind as he spoke up.

"Okay! Go go go! Squiiiish!" Teddie said as Yosuke and Yu blinked at Teddie trying to push them into the TV, the latter speaking up first.

"What the hell? We said we were going, didn't we?" Yu snapped at Teddie as Yosuke spoke up.

"Right!? Argh! Hey! Stop squeezing, you little-Whoa!" Yosuke said as he and Yu were shoved into the TV, being unceremoniously sent back to the real world by Teddie...

(Back in the real world, in the electronics section of Junes, with Yu, Yosuke, and Chie)

As Yu and Yosuke landed on their feet back in Junes after Teddie sent them back through the TV, Chie gasped in shock as she saw them return and spoke up.

"Ah, you guys made it back! Y-You guys came baaack like you promised!" Chie said, shocking both Yu and Yosuke with how close she looked to be to tears, causing the latter to speak up in concern.

"Huh? Chie? Whoa, what's with that face?" Yosuke said as an irate Chie got to her feet and threw the severed rope at Yosuke, prompting Yu to wince as he heard the audible 'SMACK!' that ensued as the rope hit Yosuke in the face, knocking him onto his butt with a swift 'Ow!' of pain. Yu arched an eyebrow and spoke up in surprise.

"I realize we probably upset you when the rope snapped, but was literally throwing it back into Yosuke's face like that necessary, Satonaka-san?" Yu asked warily as Chie ignored Yu's question to focus on Yosuke as she spoke up angrily.

"The nerve of you guys! You are such morons! I can't believe this! You guys suck! The rope got cut off all of a sudden, and I had no idea what to do when that happened. I was so worried about both of you! And I mean scared stiff, dammit! I HATE YOU BOTH!" Chie yelled before turning on her heel and running off. Yosuke then turned to Yu and spoke up with a sheepish look on his face after Chie was out of eyesight and earshot.

"I could be wrong, but I think that mighta kinda sorta have been our fault, Yu. Maybe we did go a little too far this time." Yosuke said as Yu frowned and spoke up.

"OUR fault? WE? I helped you into the TV world and with that investigation, but the rope plan and the parts that scared Chie were mainly YOUR idea as I recall. I will own my part of the blame in this, since I know I'm not blameless, but you have to accept that most of the blame here is yours to own, Yosuke." Yu pointed out. Yosuke winced at that, but nodded as he spoke up, reluctantly conceding that Yu was right.

"You have a point, Yu. But I think Chie's not in a mind space for us to go try and reason with her right now. Let's apologize to her tomorrow instead. I'm completely wiped out after what we just went through today. I'm gonna go home, soak in the shower for a while, and get some sleep. I think that if nothing else, I'm gonna sleep well tonight. Hehe, but we do make a good team, don't we Yu?" Yosuke asked as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"That we do, Yosuke. But I think we shouldn't be too surprised if Satonaka-san gives us, but mostly you, the cold shoulder for a while after this." Yu pointed out sagely as Yosuke nodded and spoke up with a sly wink on his face.

"That's true. And it would be entirely fair if she does, since we brought it on ourselves. Well, see you iin the morning!" Yosuke said as Yu nodded and started making his way home. On his way back, as Yu reached the flood plain while walking home from Junes, he heard someone call out to him.

"Hm? Is there someone there?" Yu heard, looking around before his eyes widened slightly in surprise as he saw what he realized was Yukiko sitting on a bench nearby, a red umbrella set down next to her. But Yu's eyes were more drawn to the pink yukata that Yukiko was wearing which had white flowers along the robe, and a mostly green striped obi that was tying it together.

Even if Yu barely considered Yukiko an acquaintance at this point, never mind a friend, he had to admit the yukata that Yukiko was wearing looked incredible on her. Before he could begin to try and voice his thoughts, he found himself walking over to Yukiko who smiled at him and merely nodded once before patting the seat next to her, allowing Yu to sit next to her as she spoke up.

"Oh, it's you, Narukami-kun. Are you surprised to see me dressed this way? My parents sent me out on an errand, you see. And as you can probably guess, I have an umbrella because it's raining." Yukiko said as Yu spoke up with a nod.

"That makes sense. That yukata looks good on you, Amagi-san." Yu said kindly as Yukiko shyly smiled and spoke up to change the subject, not really sure how to respond to Yu's compliment.

"Um, thanks, I think? But anyways, are you getting used to your new town and school?" Yukiko asked as Yu spoke up with a nod.

"Honestly? Yes. Granted, I've only been here for a few days at this point, but I've always been more partial to smaller towns to a point, so I like it here." Yu said honestly. Yukiko blinked at this before giving Yu a shy smile while she spoke up.

"Really? Is that true, Narukami-kun?" Yukiko asked as Yu nodded once in the affirmative, making Yukiko smile more before frowning slightly as she kept speaking.

"But even if that is true, it must still be difficult, moving to a place you know nothing about." Yukiko said as Yu surprised her by chuckling hollowly as he spoke up.

"Honestly? You'd be surprised how much experience I have with that by now, Amagi-san. After all, when you're me and your parents have to go off the grid every few years for their jobs, you tend to get moved around a lot. As such, I have more experience than you'd think with moving to places I know nothing about. But that's a long story." Yu said honestly as Yukiko laughed weakly and spoke up.

"Heh, good joke, Narukami-kun. Or was it a joke? Either way, I've never been out of Inaba, so I wouldn't know what it's like to transfer to a new school out of nowhere." Yukiko said as Yu spoke up with a smile.

"Be glad you don't know that struggle, Amagi-san. Usually, it's not too bad, but the feeling of having to constantly get used to new places can be a bit taxing after roughly the seventh or eighth time doing it. Or is this the ninth time I've had to move away because of my parents' jobs? I think I've lost count at this point, to tell you the truth." Yu said as Yukiko spoke up.

"I see, I think? Oh! Are you getting along with Chie? I mean, I always leave early, so I don't get to see most of Chie's interactions with you. Umm, you and Chie are getting along, aren't you?" Yukiko asked as Yu spoke up with an unreadable look on his face.

"To be honest with you? I don't know yet. She seems nice enough, but she also seems to have quite a personality on her as well. I personally have no issues with her, but I feel like she's going to get herself into something she can't easily get out of with her tendency to speak without thinking." Yu said honestly. Yukiko nodded as she spoke up.

"I see what you mean. Still, you've only known her for a couple of days at most, so you won't have had a chance to see the other side of her. When it gets down to it, Chie's very supportive, you know. It's always her who gives me the little extra push I need. We had homeroom together last year too, and I still remember how we'd cut class sometimes." Yukiko said as Yu spoke up with a raised eyebrow.

"You and Satonaka-san cut classes together, Amagi-san? Forgive me if I find that both surprising and a smidge hard to believe." Yu said bluntly. Yukiko nodded and spoke up after giggling slightly at Yu's reaction to her reveal about her and Chie cutting class together.

"That's an understandable reaction for someone who's not been here long, Narukami-kun. But I would think that you'd know not to judge a book by its' cover. Oh, and on that note? I should get going. I need to make tomorrow's arrangements with our head chef." Yukiko said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"I understand. It sounds like you're a pretty vital part of the Amagi Inn's success, Amagi-san." Yu said honestly as Yukiko nodded and spoke up, though Yu could see by the slight hint of uncertainty in her eyes that Yukiko might not be entirely thrilled with being such a vital part of the Amagi Inn's success.

"Mmhm. Like it or not, our inn can't function without me right now." Yukiko said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"I see. Judging from your expression, it seems like you might not be entirely on-board with having to help out at the inn, but you do it anyway since it's your family's business. But that's just a guess on my part. Feel free to ignore my speculations if they make you uncomfortable." Yu said as Yukiko gave Yu a wan smile and spoke up.

"Um, that's fine. I'll see you at school, then." Yukiko said as Yu nodded and finished the walk home on his own from there...

(That evening, in the living room of the Dojima residence, with Nanako and Yu)

As Nanako and Yu sat together in the living room watching TV, Nanako spoke up while looking at the TV, which seemed to have a picture of a woman displayed, seemingly advertising some sort of four-pack pump bottles, possibly soap dispensers.

"Dad's late again." Nanako said as Yu spoke up with a smile, feeling the need to say something.

"True, but at least you're not alone, since you've got me. That's got to count for something, right?" Yu asked as Nanako smiled and nodded before the newscaster spoke up on the TV before Nanako could verbally respond to Yu.

"Our next story is an update in our ongoing report on the bizarre murders occurring in Inaba. At around 7:00 A.M., local high school student Saki Konishi was found dead in Inaba's residential area. Since the body was positioned similarly to the last victim, and since Miss Konishi was the one who discovered that body in the first place, police are proceeding under the assumption that this may be a serial murder case related to the death of Mayumi Yamano. The coroner's report has established Miss Konishi's time of death at around 1:00 A.M. last night. The body went unnoticed until this morning as a result of the thick fog blanketing this area." The newscaster said as Nanako frowned at this while speaking up, not seeing Yu give her a look of concern while she spoke as her gaze was firmly on the TV.

"Another incident, huh? I guess that means that Dad won't be coming home tonight." Nanako said as Yu spoke up kindly.

"Unfortunately, that's just part of his job. But it's not all bad, right? Even if he won't be coming home, at least I'll be here with you, for whatever that's worth." Yu said. Nanako turned to face Yu with a wry smile on her face as she spoke up.

"I appreciate it, but I'll be okay. Can you help me do some stuff around the house?" Nanako said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Sure, that's fair. That's what family is for after all, isn't it? To help one another out when needed?" Yu said sagely, noting as he did so that Nanako seemed to be quite reliable for her age. Before Nanako could answer Yu's question, both Nanako and Yu were distracted by the voice of a narrator who spoke up from the TV at that point from outside of a very white two-story building with a very sturdy-looking exterior design.

"As most of Inaba probably knows, the Amagi Inn, located upstream of Samegawa River, is the town's oldest historical landmark. Vacationers are known to travel surprising distances in order to visit its open-air, radium-rich hot springs. And now, a word from an on-scene reporter." The narrator said as the reporter in question spoke up.

"Thank you. After the incident with Miss Yamano, the manager has stepped aside, leaving her daughter Yukiko to fill her shoes." The reporter said, before Yu's jaw dropped as the TV showed a picture of Yukiko wearing the kimono she'd had on when Yu had seen her that afternoon on the way home from Junes. At that point, the reporter kept speaking, and Yu had to keep from letting the aghast look on his face be visible to Nanako, who had also heard what was said next.

"In other words, she's a manager who's still in high school. Now that has a nice ring to it, if I do say so myself. Let's see if we can interview her. Excuse me!" The manager said as Yu's eyes narrowed slightly and he had to bite back the choice remark he had about skeevy journalists who have no self-respect if they have to take interest in high-school girls to listen as he heard Yukiko's voice on the TV.

"Hm, did someone say something? Um, I'm sorry, but are you speaking to me?" Yukiko asked as the reporter nodded and spoke up.

"That's correct, miss. We've heard that you're the new manager. Is it true you're still in high school?" The reporter asked as Yukiko spoke up with a flustered expression on her face.

"Hm? Oh, well, I'm only filling in temporarily while my mom is unable to do so." Yukiko said as the reporter kept speaking up, though his next words would cause both Yu and Nanako's eyes to widen slightly at what they heard next.

"Someday, though, you'll be the full-on manager in your own right, I'm sure. That aside, wow! You're looking gorgeous in that kimono. You must have a lot of male visitors." The reporter said, making Yu's eyes narrow further as he gave the screen his best glare, not amused by the blatant bit of flirting the reporter had just pulled on Yukiko. Because Yu was so focused on trying to kill the on-screen reporter with his glare, he didn't see Nanako give him a skeptical look while also being disappointed in what the reporter had said. At that point, Yukiko's voice was heard, cutting Nanako off before she could question Yu's behavior too much.

"Huh? No, um, I don't think I've had as many male visitors as you think I have. Also, I don't think I'm that pretty, to be honest." Yukiko said as Yu glared at the screen while the reporter's rambling goes further and further off subject, making Yu briefly have to question if this was appropriate for Nanako to be watching. Fortunately for Yu, Nanako spoke up at that point.

"I know you might be interested in this Yu, possibly because you like the girl on the TV, but this is boring to me." Nanako said as Yu blinked at this and spoke up.

"Wh-Wha? I mean, Amagi-san is cute, yes. But she and I are only acquaintances, if that. I would hardly say that's any basis to be liking her, Nanako." Yu said as Nanako nodded understandingly and spoke up.

"That's fair. Oh, I need to do the dishes tonight. Will you help?" Nanako asked Yu, who nodded and spoke up.

"That's fine. We can do them together, if anything." Yu said, having decided to help out with the housework around the house, since he was living there for a year and he figured that fair was fair. After the dishes were finished and the chores were sorted out, Yu approached Nanako, who smiled up at him and spoke up.

"Oh, hey, Yu. Thank you for your help earlier. It goes a lot faster when there are two people washing the dishes, doesn't it?" Nanako said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed it does. And you're welcome, Nanako. I was glad to help you out, since we're family. That being said, you look like you're enjoying whatever this is, so I should probably leave you to your show." Yu said as he decided to relax for the night up in his bedroom...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And there we go, another chapter done and dusted! Before anyone asks, there's a reason that this chapter had no Gaignun cutaway in it. That's because the plan is to have that probably be in either the next chapter, or at the latest, the chapter after next (depending on when I get around to covering the next Awakening in the game, since I plan for the next cutaway to be inbetween the start of the next part of the game, and the end of this first Arc, since the next cutaway will likely be a significant one to Gaignun's side of the plot in that it may or may not involve something that the last couple of Gaignun cutaways have been building up to. Unfortunately, things have to get worse for Gaignun (possibly even a LOT worse!) before they can start to get better.

But you'll have to wait for the next cutaway to see what I mean by that! Also, the next chapter will likely have the aftermath of Yu and Yosuke's first foray into the TV World, which also subsequently had their acquisitions of Izanagi and Jiraiya in it, respectively. Additionally, it might also have the next trip into the TV World in it, along with some other shenanigans. Also, there might be a few painful scenes around the middle of the next chapter that involve Gaignun's side of the plot. You'll have to wait for the next chapter to see what I mean by all this previewing of next chapter for yourselves.

For now, let me take this chance to thank everyone who's read this far into the story, as the support is well and truly appreciated, both because it helps this story to grow tremendously, but it also allows me to continue to improve as a fanfic writer.

Sure, I've come a LONG way from how my stories were when I first returned to full-time fanfic writing a bit over two years ago (which is shocking, since I thought it was less time than that since I first returned to the fanfic scene full-time, but according to the publish date for Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker's Memory-The Amasawa Files, which was the first story I did after my return to writing fanfiction, my return was on or around April 3rd, 2022, so it's been a bit over two and a half years since my return to full-time fanfic writing as of the point of writing this end-of-chapter A/N, which is wild to think about), but I know I can still improve more. So thanks to everyone who continues to read my story, as it gives me encouragement to continue to put out stories and strive to better myself as a fanfiction writer.

And I enjoy hearing from my readers, whether it be in a review or via a PM. I welcome either one since it allows me to take note of any feedback/advice/suggestions/constructive criticism that I get on my work, plus I enjoy speaking to my readers. As such, don't be shy about leaving a review below (or PMing if you prefer that) with any feedback/suggestions/input/constructive criticism on this story, as I enjoy hearing from my readers. For those interested, I also have a Discord server I use for discussing my fanfic stories with readers, so feel free to let me know in a review or via PM if there's an interest in that, and I can send out invite links to said Discord server as needed. So until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

CHARACTER/PERSONA LEVEL LISTING AND ALLIES LIST FOR PERSONA 4: THE GOLDEN APOSTLE AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 3

YU - Level: 5 Current Persona: Izanagi (Level 4) Persona Moveset: Zio (Elec), Cleave (Physical), Rakukaja (Support/Buff), Rakunda (Support/Debuff)

YOSUKE - Level: 3 Current/Partner Persona: Jiraiya Persona Moveset: Garu (Wind), Bash (Physical), Dia (Healing)

ALLIES LIST: Igor, Margaret, Ryotaro, Nanako, Chie, Yukiko, Teddie