@SeekerofDreams: Hmm... I'll admit, I do like the idea of the Nami & Shinri events being written
after Ken started figuring things out. Like, since Shinji doesn't believe Ken's words, he just has to show him instead. Still, now really isn't the time for that, so... I'll go for Yukinari Hinata's Shadow Scene instead.
Omake:
Masked Truth, the Icy Prince's Ascension (1st Draft)
----
With a flick of his rapier, the ice block enveloping the enemy Shadow shatters- and the inky black ooze that
was a Shadow melts away. Looking around, the handsome young man registers all the carnage he wrought.
"Have I... really slain so many Shadows? I... I suppose I should return to the dorm now." Yet, as Yukinari sheathed his rapier and began to walk away, he stops as... unwelcome thoughts intruded his mind.
"You really think slaughtering a bunch of small fries will make you strong? You should go after that monster, that... grim reaper looking freak! Make it pay for what it did..."
Shaking his head, Yukinari took a deep breath and tried to keep leaving.
"Get it together, it wasn't... wasn't my fault, and I know I shouldn't let this drag me down. Getting upset won't solve anything..."
"Yet denying it won't fix anything either! Stop acting so high and mighty! Kill it, break it, execute it! Just do anything other than pretending Akari will be fine!!"
That causes Yukinari to freeze in his tracks, his fists tightening.
"Stop it, stop... I'm not an angry person. I don't... If Akari had just listened, none of this would of happened! It wasn't my fault she went alone! I shouldn't... be angry..."
Taking a deep breath, as Yukinari tried to calm down- his sixth sense activated, and spun to face a new Shadow.
"Just another weak one, this will be simple enough..."
Hand to his chest, as the device activated Ulysses appeared as usual. Pointing plainly with his rapier, Yukinari speaks with a mere bored annoyance. "Ulysses, shatter it, and let it achieve beauty as icy petals..."
Watching as the Shadow is consumed by ice, Yukinari doesn't even bother to watch this one shatter. Yet, as he began walking again... He noticed his device was still activated.
"Did that Shadow really survive? Better see what's going on..." Turning back around, with rapier readied, Yukinari stills at the sight before him- his own Persona, his Ulysses, just... staring at him.
Glancing around and looking past his Persona, Yukinari merely becomes more confused.
"I... I don't understand. Wasn't my equipment properly maintained? This should be impossible, so why?"
Seeing his Persona reaching for its own face, Yukinari takes a step back in caution.
"W... w-why?" Surprised by this, Yukinari unwittingly lowers his rapier at this display.
Then, he sees Ulysses digging its fingers into its own face, scratching at it even. Unnerved by the display, Yukinari switches his attention back to the device.
"There must be some way to forcibly deactivate Ulysses..."
"Why... Why do you... always lie!?" Shocked by the sudden shout, Yukinari turns to Ulysses- and sees that his Persona has been tearing its own
face off.
Yet, as he looked... He didn't see exposed muscle or bone, no... Yukinari saw
real flesh and glimpsed an unnaturally golden eye.
"I don't know why, but... seeing an intact face..."
Then, as Ulysses brought up its other arm, the Persona(?) spoke again.
"You're weak, powerless to do anything! Akari nearly died because of you!"
His Persona or not, that struck a cord with Yukinari as he pointed his rapier at the thing. "I don't know what you are, but I will not tolerate such lies! Akari survived because of me, so how
dare you!"
Ulysses chuckles darkly in response, tearing off more and more of its "face"- before revealing a
truly unsettling sight: Yukinari's own face, with golden eyes, staring back at him.
The young man too shocked to act, the "other him" snarls at him.
"Oh please, I was the one who found her, but you... you claim to be her friend, yet instead she's frightened and you do nothing to correct that!!"
Looking on, Yukinari wasn't quite sure how to feel. Anger, afraid, unnerved? Though that
thing wore his face and assumed Ulysses' form, Yukinari finally concluded it had to be a new breed of Shadow.
Yet, as he tries to summon the real Ulysses- the fake before him clutches its head in pain, before glaring viciously at Yukinari.
"But most of all, I hate that thing!! Lying even to yourself, how disgusting..."
Sparing a quick glance at the device, it was still activated...
"It... it can't really be Ulysses, can it? Why is it acting so deranged then!? No, just need to return to the dorms, and I can have it fixed later."
The moment Yukinari tried to walk away, though, he feels the air suddenly chill around him as even his hair sways briefly.
"You don't get to run away from me anymore! I cast aside this false name, Ulysses..."
Seeing his Persona lift into the air, ice swirls around it as icicle jut out from his "fresh"- and with a burst of power, where once stood Ulysses... now stands a doppelganger of Yukinari, wearing a tattered outfit that
was Ulysses.
"I am Yukinari Hinata, a Shadow... the true self." The Shadow-Yukinari creating an icicle rapier to point at Yukinari, the Shadow snarls again.
"Now embrace oblivion, you hollow vessel!!"
The Shadow thrusting his rapier forwards, a large chunk of ice sails at Yukinari- and the young man quickly realizes he cannot access his magic.
"This, is how it ends?"
Before the attack could land, a powerful blast of wind pushes it away! Both Yukinaris looking around frantically, two familiar figures stand out: the mysterious "cat" Merlin, and young Nami Hikaru.
Looking towards his friends with fear, Yukinari cries out. "Merlin, Nami, get away! This Shadow somehow took over Ulysses, it isn't safe here!" Merlin just scoffs, shooting a glance at Yukinari.
"Get real, what kind of lousy friend abandons others in need?" Summoning forth his own Persona, Astraeus, the winds slam into Shadow-Yukinari. Yet even though the Shadow held its ground, it still snarls at Merlin.
"Don't get in my way!! You all of people should understand, why I have to do this! Move aside or die, I refuse to let my hollow vessel live any longer..."
Watching as Merlin just dismisses the Shadow, Yukinari's attention turns to Nami. Seeing the young girl, it is clear she seems unsure what to do. "
Yet... why won't she leave? She'll just get hurt like Akari did!"
"Hey, Hinata-san..." Seeing Nami turn to him, she holds a hand delicately against her chest. "I know how upset you've been..." W-what? S-sure you were upset Akari got hurt, but it wasn't like-
"Hinata-san, me and Merlin came out here
specifically to find you. I... I won't run away, you're my
friend." Friend, why would... why would she want to be your friend?
"Mnemosyne, illuminate its demise!" Watching as powerful light bathes his Shadow doppelganger, Yukinari could see his-
its face twist up in rage. Several chunks of ice forming as the Shadow waves its rapier, it shouts out.
"What's the point in protecting my 'other self', huh!? Call yourself his friends all you want, he doesn't understand the meaning of the word! Let alone know how to keep any..."
Feeling his nails starting to dig into his palms, Yukinari glares at the Shadow... and yet, was it... right?
"I, of course I know what friends are. Akari and Shinri are my oldest friends, I..."
Loosening his grip, Yukinari's eyes widen in realization.
"I refused to tell them about the Metaverse, for 'their own safety'... But, it really wasn't why, was it? I... I was afraid..."
The Shadow's ice blasts struggling against the winds of Astraeus, only for Mnemosyne's light to shatter it into snowy powder... Yukinari looked to Merlin and Nami, his two friends putting their all into saving him.
"I was afraid of people getting close to me, because I didn't want to see them hurt. What's more painful, than knowing a dear friend had gotten hurt or... died while you couldn't do anything? I..."
Hearing the Shadow scream in anger, a mighty blizzard starts up. Seeing Merlin get knocked away by the force, Yukinari reached out to catch his feline friend. Then, turning to Nami, he helps support the girl against the sudden blizzard.
Turning his gaze back to the Shadow... Yukinari hands Merlin off to Nami. His two friends confused by the act, Yukinari started marching towards the-
his Shadow, unlikely as it sounds.
The Shadow in question looks at Yukinari, a mixture between scorn... and confusion. "You said I'm weak, that I lie, that Akari nearly... nearly died because of
me. I... I know you're right..."
Those golden eyes widen in surprise, as if not believing what Yukinari was saying. "Throughout my life, Akari and Shinri have been my only real friends... and I wouldn't even tell them, how I kept risking my life in the Metaverse. I... I thought it would be okay, being so alone, since I was keeping them safe."
Clenching his hands again, Yukinari locked eyes with his doppelganger. "Instead, because I refused to let them know, refused to... connect with them, I wasn't there when Shinri needed me most. Because I refused to be true friends, Akari sought to train alone..."
Finally, as tears started leaking out, Yukinari's voice became full of pain. "She almost died, because I wouldn't train with her, and Shinri's hurt is... I tried being alone, but all it did was hurt the people I love most in this world!"
"Even now, Merlin and Nami were risking their lives to stop you, all because I wouldn't be honest with
anyone! So kill me, fine, just spare them! I don't want anymore friends hurt by my negligence!"
Staring down the Shadow, it chuckles neutrally at first- before laughing happily, as a smile forms on Shadow-Yukinari's face.
"Do you really mean it? You're really admitting it? I... I'm so glad!"
The blizzard dying down to a mere breeze, Shadow-Yukinari's rapier shatters into snowflakes as he holds out a hand.
"You'll be honest from now on, right? Things are a lot less painful when you have friends to help out, you know!"
Looking at his Shadow, despite having wanted to kill him not so long good... Yukinari was sure his Shadow was being completely sincere. Thus, he took his Shadow's hand and shook it.
Watching his other-self smile brightly, his expression levels out into a small smile.
"I am thou, and thou art I... now, our true contract shall be forged. Looking forwards to my new name, Yukinari."
Thus, as his Shadow disappeared, Yukinari could feel something inside him... something
fundamental change, how or in what way he doesn't know... but without a doubt, for the better.
----
So I feel like the in-universe finalized version will probably change things up some, but I do like the idea that (1st Tier) Resolutions are also tied with Shadow Confrontations.
Still think Akari would have a surprisingly easy time with her own Shadow Confrontation, but eh. I mainly went with Yukinari since his counterpart, Mitsuru, is something of a lonely sheltered figure.
Thus, Shadow-Yukinari's whole issue was basically "You keep acting fine about having no friends, stop lying". My plan for Shadow-Nami would of been a
lot more distressing "Stop pretending you aren't angry about having no family, courtesy of your own friend!"
I do think Shadow-Yukinari's murderous rage was partially because of the "Evoker", and I originally planned for him to mention how painful & awful being "chained up" like that is.
Really, I'll admit I think "Forced Summoning -> Shadow Confrontation -> Free Summon Ultimate Persona" is a pretty cool sequence of events. Oh, I did briefly considered having Merlin being the "star" instead, but I figured getting him established as a rogue Shadow ala Teddie would of been a lot harder.
