The Midnight Channel
04/18 Mon
After School
The trip from Shiroku Store to the Midnight Channel was an uneventful one, save the constant whining coming from Yosuke and Chie when they landed in the TV world.
"Ugh… I wonder if Teddie can make some pillows appear here as well…" said Chie while rubbing her behind.
"You can say that again…" said Yosuke while doing the exact same thing she did.
"Nope, Teddie can only make TV and glasses."
The sound came from a figure walking toward them in a red and white jumpsuit. It was Teddie.
"Teddie, is Yukiko still in the same place?"
"Yup! I keep watching Yuki-chan castle just like you told me, Sensei!"
"Alright. We'll try to ascend the castle floor as much as we can, but if any of us is severely injured or fatigued, we're retreating immediately. Is that alright with you guys?" Yu asked his companions.
"Why? We don't even know for sure how much time we have until Yukiko—"
"I understand your feeling, but if we're being careless and get ourselves killed, there will be no one left to save her." He assured her.
"I agree with him." Yosuke supported Yu's reasoning. "Yu put his life on the line to save me, so I'll believe in whatever his decision is to save Yukiko."
Realizing the truth within their words, Chie sighed in defeat.
"Fine… I'll be counting on you guys."
Yu smiled at her answer.
"Good, let's go then."
Yu, Yosuke and Chie along with Teddie were running throughout the castle corridor, looking for the stairs leading to the next floor. There are only a handful of Shadows attacking them on the 1st floor, and all of them are relatively easier to handle compared to yesterday. This is mainly thanks to Teddie who has recorded their weakness and the addition of Chie to their team.
When they reach the 3rd floor, however, newer and more powerful Shadows begin to attack them.
"Watch out, Chie!" Yu shouted, pushing her out of the way as a pair of crows carrying lanterns pecked at an empty spot where Chie was standing before.
"Come, Jiraiya!"
Yosuke summoned his Persona to send a blast of sharp wind at the ravens, with no visible effect.
"What the hell?!"
"Careful, Yosuke! Wind attacks are useless against them!" Teddie warned him from behind the group.
One of the crows smash its lantern against Yosuke, making him fall to the floor.
"Ugh!" Yosuke grunted at having his arm bruised by the attack.
"Then, how about lightning? Izanagi!"
Bolts of electricity strike the pair, downing the Shadows.
"Now!"
"Here I go! Tomoe!"
The female samurai skewers the Shadows with her naginata, making them evaporate in reddish black substance.
"Man, I'm so embarrassing…" Yosuke sighed while resting on the floor.
"Don't say that, we were able to defeat Chie's Shadow thanks to your Persona." Yu smiled, offering his hand to Yosuke.
"Heh, you always know how to raise my spirit!" said Yosuke while grabbing Yu's hand.
"Hey… Speaking of my Shadow, what would happen if you guys weren't there to stop it?" Chie asked.
Yu and Yosuke, however, does not answer her question. They know Chie was actually asking what would happen if Yukiko had experienced the same thing and they weren't there to help her.
"I… Guess I shouldn't have asked, huh…"
The heavy mood continued to last for a few moments until Teddie started to speak.
"Sensei, we should move again before the Shadows reappear"
"Yeah, Teddie's right. We better keep moving"
The group continued to plow through the Shadows on the 3rd and 4th floors, mowing the weaker Shadows while attempting to evade the stronger Shadows. Chie is more determined than ever to save Yukiko as she fight with the ferocity that matches her more experienced friends.
When they arrived at the 5th floor, Teddie stopped them from opening one of the doors.
"Be careful, I sense her Shadow in here!"
"Are you guys ready?" Yu asked his friend, receiving their nod in return.
He opened the door where they arrived in a slightly larger room. Shadow Yukiko was standing in the middle with what appears to be a majestic knight riding an equally large steed floating above the ground.
"Yukiko!"
"My, aren't you persistent one?" Shadow Yukiko taunts them with a seductive tone in her voice "If you truly are my knights, you should be able to defeat this guard, no? *chuckles*."
After saying that, the princess turned before running away from the group.
"Wait!" Chie yelled while running after the Shadow, but the Knight immediately charged in her direction.
Loud sounds of metals clashing against each other filled the room as the attack was blocked by Jiraiya.
"Get a hold of yourself, Chie! We need to defeat this guy first!"
The Knight took advantage of Yosuke's distraction and raised his lance to prepare for another attack. Yu immediately rushes to aid Yosuke, deflecting the lance aimed at him with the sword on his hand. The force of the attack, however, is strong enough to send the two of them flying.
"Get out of my way!" Chie shouted at the Shadow, smashing a card that appeared in front of her.
The summoned Persona slashed at the Knight twice, causing little to no damage as the Knight countered by stabbing Tomoe, making it disappear.
"Ngh… He's tough!" Chie grunted at having received some of the damage dealt to her Persona.
"The Shadow is strong against physical attack, use fire!" said Teddie.
"Damn, none of our persona has fire ability!" Yosuke curses while rubbing his back.
This isn't good. Yu thought to himself. He sees the large Shadow readying itself for a powerful strike. If he doesn't come up with something soon, the Knight will wipe them out.
A voice suddenly rings in his mind. It was faint, almost like a whisper, yet Yu can definitely hear it.
Use the power bestowed upon you, call out my name…
The Avenger Knight charges at his direction, intending to finish him off first. With no other choice, Yu summons another Persona card before crushing it with his hand.
"Eligor!"
The appearance of another Persona surprised not only Yosuke and Chie, but also the Shadow as its charge attack was stopped by the bulky knight. Eligor then ignited his own spear with fire before thrusting it to his target.
The Shadow roared in pain from being stabbed by the flaming spear. Not wasting the chance, Yu ordered his Persona to keep blasting the Shadow with fire.
"Yosuke! Chie!"
His two friends who were still in shock while spectating the sight before them immediately understood his intention, as they responded by summoning their own Persona.
"Jiraiya!"
"Tomoe!"
Both Personas assisted Eligor with their own elemental attack, sending violent gusts of wind and hail at their target. Unable to resist the onslaught, the Shadow let out one last roar before succumbing to its wound and disappearing.
Yu, who just exhausted most of his energy, slumped into the floor.
"S-Sensei! Hang in there!"
Teddie immediately rushed to their side.
"I'm fine… Just need to catch my breath…"
"But what did you do?" Yosuke, who recovered first, asked Yu "How can you change your Persona like that?"
Yu hesitated whether he should tell them about the Velvet Room or not, but eventually decided to keep it for now.
"I'm not so sure myself…" Yu lied. "I'm just glad we managed to survive…"
"No kidding, we almost died there…" Yosuke sighed.
"Sensei, that girl is not far from here, but I think you should go home for now"
"Teddie is right… We don't know when another strong enemy will appear, we should be prepared if it happens again" Yosuke turned to Chie. "Is that okay with you?"
Chie, who was silent all this time, finally spoke.
"… I understand… Sorry for rushing like that again…"
It would be suicidal to push themselves too hard and this is the second times her reckless act almost killed them all. She couldn't possibly continue being inconsiderate like this.
Yu, who finally recovered himself, patted her on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, we'll get ourselves a reinforcement soon."