the way I see this end is either pushing Minako so far that she has to use so much power the throne-sitter's control begins to slip.
OR outlast her, rotate the frontliners, keep the healers in the backrow and the Tanks toped up. Even a wildcard has no unlimited stamina, use the number advantage.
How about we take a Third Option?
xxxx
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RqBbrlziOo&t=64s
The speed with which the two A.T. Agents attacked was a sight to behold.
Despite the metal bat being the stereotypical weapon of choice for punks and high school tough guys, Junpei used his with a strange sort of eloquence, using its hardy surface to parry incoming strikes before transitioning to devastatingly hard swings. Ken, by comparison, was far more graceful, spinning and twirling his spear before lashing out with fast slashes and piercing stabs. All the while, Trismegistus launched bolts of fire, and Kala-Nemi fired lances of lightning. With such an overwhelming assault, the mysterious girl should have been overwhelmed.
However...Minako was
still faster. Only the fact it was four-on-one kept her from landing any damaging blows; for every
Agidyne dispersed, her slashes were blocked by Junpei's bat; for every
Ziodyne that was split in twain, she was forced to dodge Ken's spear.
"...how is she
doing that?" wondered Kensuke, hesitantly aiming his Pearl Phoenix crossbow.
"They seem like they're handling themselves pretty well," murmured Toji, glancing towards the other battles. "...maybe we should help Sakamoto-sensei out...?"
"We're not exactly equipped for aerial combat," groused Mana, glaring at Mother Harlot. "Let's help Katsuragi."
"...then I'll stay here," said Shinji, summoning Neko Shogun. "I can empower Iori-san and Amada-san." (It was better than trying to interfere in a battle beyond his skill level.)
"All right then Ikari," remarked Mana with a nod, holding LABRYS and AIGIS in her hands. "Try not to get in over your head."
"We've done nothing
but that," griped Toji, summoning Gilgamesh once again as he followed Mana.
Kensuke gave Shinji a brief node. "Keep us apprised of any changes. You got that, Yamagishi-san?"
'
Oh! Um, right!' answered Mayumi in their heads.
Grinning, Kensuke summoned Ozymandias and took off towards the battle between Misato and Mother Harlot.
Nodding, Shinji turned his gaze back towards the frenzied melee that was Iori and Amada versus Minako.
Um, Yamagishi-san, he audibly 'thought' towards Mayumi.
'
Yes?'
Can you let Iori-san and Amada-san know that I'm about to increase their speed?
'
...ah, can do!'
Moments later, Neko Shogun waved his fan, mewling, "
nyah: Masukukaja!" A green aura overshadowed both Junpei and Ken...who were ready for it.
Minako, whose speed had (little did Shinji know) already been debuffed by Sukunda, was now just barely keeping up with the speed of Junpei and Ken.
"Not so tough by your lonesome, are ya?!" roared Junpei, smashing his bat down at an angle; Minako blocked it with her staff, retaliating with a front kick that Junpei guarded with his knee.
"Submit!" warned Ken, aiming for where her standing leg connected at the hip.
Minako actually jumped off of that solo leg, spinning and kicking Ken away before blocking another downward smash from Junpei.
Just a little closer...! thought Shinji.
xxxx
The One Who Sat Upon the Throne was intrigued.
"A rather interesting display of teamwork on their part...but you've elicited enough data."
It was clear that whatever this 'Velvet Room' had done to Ikari's companions...it had not imparted any unusual powers to them.
"I've seen enough to be satisfied on that front...but now it is time for another important test."
Peering through Minako Arisato's memories as though it were an old book, the Usurper manifested two cards.
"Let us see what can be done with these old 'bonds' of yours."
The cards bore the image of the Magician Arcana and the Justice Arcana.
xxxx
Minako's eyes suddenly flared with intensity; her free hand suddenly flared with orange light.
Junpei boggled. "An...
A.T. Field?!"
SMASH!
The man yelped out of surprise as the spiritual shield launched Iori into Trismegistus.
How is she using the power of her soul in the Metaverse?! wondered Shinji with alarm.
The Beast laughed.
"She is no different from you: those with Power can bend the 'rules' as they will!"
Things had taken a sudden turn.
xx
Trumpeter's eyes suddenly gleamed. "
Behold, the song of thy salvation! Evil Melody."
Ryuji balked at the unfamiliar choice of words. "Wait, what kind of technique is that-?!"
'
...oh no, Sakamoto-san, it's an insta-kill attack! GET AWAY-!'
Mayumi's warning was too late, as the tainted sounds reached his and Seiten Taisei's ears; there was a distinct impression of glowing yellow light, and sharp static
SCREAMING-
...for some reason, he simply couldn't find the energy to think anymore...why was he falling?
xx
'
Iori-san! Look up!'
Junpei grimaced, raising his eyes toward the sky; he saw Seiten Taisei suddenly dissipate in a burst of flames, and then Ryuji Sakamoto was falling in a boneless heap.
"CAPTAIN!" yelled Junpei, as Trismegistus impulsively took off to catch him. So worried was he, that he spared no thoughts for Mother Harlot, who was surrounded by Misato, Kensuke, Toji, and Mana...nor did he think of Minako, who now faced Ken Amada alone.
xx
Ken split his eyes from Minako towards Ryuji Sakamoto...but only for a moment.
xxxx
The One Who Sat Upon the Throne took hold of the Justice card...and crushed it within their hand.
xxxx
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AicPHOPFZlE
Ken suddenly went still, as if something had reached inside and grabbed hold of his heart.
What?
It was a feeling unlike any he had ever felt before.
As one moving through molasses in a frigid tundra, he turned back towards Minako...
Arisato...? (How did he know her name?)
(Another place. Another time. Countless memories of a child, with a stern expression on his face, and righteous hatred within his heart.)
(Another place. Another time. He looked at the auburn-haired girl they all called Leader, and appreciated that she didn't talk down at him.)
(Another place. Another time. A time where feelings of appreciation bloomed into his first crush; though Leader reciprocated — "You've always seemed like someone with an old soul," she would often say — she always impressed upon him the importance of waiting. "You only have your youth once, you know? If you still feel the same when you're older...then I'll be waiting." She had always seemed so sad, when saying that. Every single time, she died within a year.)
(Another place. Another time. Every time he told Leader about the hatred he had once felt for Shinjiro...and the guilt he carried from his death...she had understood. Somehow, she understood. And he believed her, even if she couldn't explain why. "I don't know how...I just do," she would say with confused earnestness.)
(Another place. Another time. Another place. Another time. Another place. Another time...)
Ken's spear lowered, as if weighed down by chains.
xx
Shinji Ikari paled as Minako approached a seemingly unresponsive Ken Amada.
What's going on?! "Amada-san? AMADA-SAN!" Before he and Neko Shogun could even advance...
"
Megidolaon!"
The eruption of power from Trumpeter sent him flying with spasms of unexpected agony, dispelling Neko Shogun in the process.
The Beast snorted with derision.
"You have power...but are unwilling to use it. You might as well not even have it."
The Beast sneered in his face.
"You're WEAK...and now you'll learn the price of WEAKNESS."
His Other was silent.
Shinji could only whimper as he crashed into the ground.
xx
Staring at the girl as she approached him, Ken couldn't find it in himself to raise his spear. "Do...I...know you...?" he asked in a whisper. (He managed to have one last thought for his family.
Yukari...I...)
Minako answered by stabbing him in the heart.
xx
Minako felt nothing as the light left Ken Amada's eyes. Kala-Nemi faded without a word.
(In her heart of hearts, deep within the impenetrable darkness...hands beat ferociously at the bars imprisoning her entire being. Each blow was accompanied by a piercing wail of agony.)
(Little did she know: far away, in Tokyo-3, a boy sharing her surname looked up with alarm.)
xx
Junpei Iori was the first to see it...and he couldn't believe it.
It wasn't until Trismegistus had brought Ryuji to the ground that Junpei realized that he had taken off running in a fit of blind rage. "YOU
BASTAAARRRDDD!!!"
His bat was raised high, ready to bash Minako's skull in.
xxxx
The One Who Sat Upon the Throne took hold of the Magician card...and crushed it just as easily as Justice.
xxxx
Junpei's every move suddenly felt impossible; the air itself seemed to take on the thickness of tar, weighing him down with all the pitilessness of gravity.
As Minako pulled the naginata out of Kenny — letting him fall with an almost perverse lack of grandeur — Junpei couldn't help but feel nostalgic.
(Another place. Another time. Countless memories from when he had been a teenager in an unknown city, fighting Shadows alongside others in a hidden hour at midnight.)
(Another place. Another time. At times, the girl they called Leader was a source of annoyance, given how much power and authority she was entrusted with by the others. Yet in equal measure, he found her too easy to get along with. It was...nice, to have a girl he could pour his heart out to in a way he couldn't with another guy, and not have to worry about romance getting in the way. It was paradoxical, to be sure.)
(Another place. Another time. Whenever he lost Chidori — why did it seem like such a commonality? — she would look at him with an expression that seemed out of place on a teenage girl. How could she understand his pain?)
(Another place. Another time. Another place. Another time. Another place. Another time...)
"...I don't know how I know," he muttered, staring at her with a strangely soft expression. (All of his anger and hatred had evaporated; he couldn't fathom why.) "But...you don't want this...do you...?" He somehow forced a grin onto his face. "Cheer up." (This was not how he had expected today to go down.
Sorry about this, Chi-Chi..)
Minako stabbed him in the heart as well.
xx
Minako felt nothing as Junpei Iori died. Trismegistus disappeared into flickering blue embers.
(In her heart of hearts, there was weeping and the gnashing of teeth.)
(Little did she know: far away, in Tokyo-3, a boy sharing her surname grimaced, feeling the pain of a lost Social Link just as she did, if not as acutely.)
xxxx
The One Who Sat Upon the Throne smiled. "Good...even after this long, the metaphysical bonds remain."
This would prove useful for the future.
xxxx
There was a strange lull in the air, as Ryuji tried to pull himself up with his gun-cane; Misato, Kensuke, Toji, and Mana were caught up in their combined assault on Mother Harlot, slowly but surely whittling her down...so much so, that they hadn't even realized what had happened with Amada and Iori. Shinji was sprawled on the ground, trying in vain to rise.
Mayumi Yamagishi was high enough to see everything, and thus did she cry. "K-Kurosawa-san...!" He'd had a clear shot, so why-?!
"I have to make it
count," he growled, whispering "
Charge." His rifle-arm vibrated with potential energy.
"But-!"
"Someone with that kind of power has to die; I won't get a second chance." With tension building up in his mind, he muttered "
Critical Bullet."
Sometimes, he despised how his own mind thought of things...but there was an order to everything, in life. His Persona reflected that.
Häyhä had Null Dizzy, Null Confuse, and Null Panic. (No matter what the conditions, he would never take his eyes off of the target.)
It had Sukunda and Gun Break, to make his enemies easier to hit, and to render defenses against guns all but worthless.
It had Charge, to increase his power.
Only when he used those other three skills in sequence would Critical Bullet be usable. (A skill unique to his Persona: it would be a guaranteed Critical...
if it hit.)
I can't miss...I WON'T miss.
Amada and Iori's deaths would not be in vain.
xx
Shinji sat up to the sound of a man roaring "
VALJEAN!"
From above, a Persona bounded by tiny cages landed upon Trumpeter from above. Dragging the skeletal angel to the ground, Valjean wasted no time. "
Triple Down!" Gun barrels extended from the Persona's sleeves, blasting away at Trumpeter. Then he cast Triple Down again. And again. And
again.
Right as Trumpeter was destroyed, Mother Harlot — who had been bereft of her skills thanks to a lucky Makajama from Ozymandias — was obliterated by a combined Garudyne and Eiga from Tokoyo and Gilgamesh; the trace remnants of the horrid Persona's power were promptly sucked up by Mana's axe and shield, ending that battle decisively.
It was at that point that Zenkichi Hasegawa stormed onto the scene, running from the direction of the village. "I heard from Sakura-san that you were under attack! What's...?" His eyes turned towards the girl in black, hands clutching a bloody naginata; the sight of Ken and Junpei's bodies said plenty. "Oh
shit! AMADA! IORI!"
The proverbial spell had been broken, and everyone's gaze turned towards Minako; the horror of what had just transpired seemed to dawn upon them all.
Minako's eyes shifted towards the newcomer, evaluating the new threat-
xx
Kurosawa's eyes narrowed.
Her eyes are on Hasegawa. She has no Personas summoned currently. Now's the time. "...
One-Shot Kill."
A massive bullet erupted from Häyhä with such force that it actually propelled Kurosawa backwards, embedding his back into the roof.
xx
An explosion erupted within the blink of an eye, centered where Minako stood.
Everyone had yet to fully grasp the significance of recent events — Amada and Iori were down? Who was fighting
who now? — when the smoke cleared...
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PuD260Zkcs
(Kurosawa's eyes widened out of disbelief. "Impossible!")
...only to reveal a
new Persona standing in front of Minako, arms held wide as though protecting her. Its dark blue coat was stained by blood, and the metallic bear trap that was its skull was dented and marred. It looked on the verge of collapsing...
"...
Enduring Soul."
...until, with a brief flicker of glittery light, all of the damage done to it was negated.
(Misato subconsciously shivered at the sight of the new Persona. "That's the one that defeated me," she whispered to herself. "...
Thanatos...")
Thanatos loomed tall, staring imperiously at all of them; the aura it emanated was downright cancerous to the mind, manifesting a single and undeniable truth:
you have no chance; nothing but despair awaits you.
xxxx
/...probably not a Third Option people would be happy with, though
//F in the chat for Ken and Junpei
