Chapter Text
Box 15 Will Change - Everything Fantasy
"Hey! I didn't realize that you guys were already here! I wasn't quite sure where I should meet you!"
These were the excited words of Shadow Hajime Hinata as he hurried towards the rest of the group, who had already made it into the Palace fully prepped and waiting outside of Jabberwock Rock.
"Hey..." Leprechaun greeted him haphazardly, "We're all ready to go. How have things been here."
"Not much difference since you left. But for some reason, Shadow activity has been on the rise," Hinata explained, "the guards are acting more aggressive than usual and I'm not so sure why..."
"I think that might be our fault actually," Highwayman admitted, "this is pretty standard when we send the calling card."
"Yeah...Hopefully, that's a sign that the threat worked..." Sleuth added.
"It better have! We've spent like...WEEKS on this mission!" Razor spat, "After everything we need a break..."
Shadow Hinata frowned.
"Are you guys...alright?" he asked, "you seem...apprehensive..."
"We are a little bit nervous..." Mozart admitted, "But this is our job, and we need to get you off this island. For the sake of many, not just you..."
Shadow Hinata seemed uncertain, but he walked over to Mozart and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Well, I appreciate everything you've done for me..." he sighed, "no matter what happens from this point on, know that I respect you guys, and nothing will ever change how I feel, alright?"
Mozart smiled and reached up to hold his hand back.
"Thank you," she said quietly, "and I'm sorry..."
"For what?" he asked.
"Nothing," she shook her head, "come on guys. Let's go get that treasure!"
"You remember what we discussed?" Leprechaun asked the rest of his group, "Sleuth, you stick to the rear, and Hinata and I will take point."
"Oh, is that how it's gonna be?" Hinata smiled, "Alright then!"
"Ok, but here's the real question," Razor gestured to the rock face, "how are we gonna get inside? Do we just wait for Shadow Kamukura to show up and let us in?"
"Didn't we need all the scrolls in order to open this, as well as defeating all the Mechabeasts?" Kyoko asked, "The Mechabeasts have all been defeated but..."
"Oh, I have the last scroll we need," Shadow Hinata suddenly pulled the item of question out of his bottomless bag, "Kamukura provided it to me after you guys left. Told me to keep it safe." Leprechaun frowned.
"Then how do we go in the-?"
To answer his question before he could entirely finish it, there was a rumbling sound as, to everyone's surprise, a mechanical door camouflaged in the side of the rock face suddenly slid slowly open, revealing a dark tunnel behind it. This was then followed by, even more surprising, an escalator slowly sliding out of said tunnel, until the bottom made contact with the sand, and with that, started running.
"Well...that's...unexpected..." Highwayman remarked.
"I...must agree. I had figured there would be a secret door, but not an escalator..." Usami agreed.
"Look, it doesn't matter, the door's open and we have a way inside," Mozart affirmed, "the Treasure is up ahead. Let's finish this!"
The Days When My Mother Was There ~Another Ver~ - Persona 5
Though Kamukura had called it a labyrinth, and though it was INDEED akin to a labyrinth, it wasn't that hard to figure out. There didn't seem to be any traps through the maze, and the worst opposition they got was a wide variety of smaller enemies who by this point in time were child's play to the Phantom Thieves.
The air grew colder and the faint sounds of their footsteps echoed through the cramped passageways as the group sank deeper into the darkness. Strange markings and symbols covered the walls, many of which depicted events and significant people from Hajime Hinata's life that the Phantom Thieves had discovered through the scrolls.
In particular, Sleuth was very interested in these, but he didn't say anything noteworthy about them.
The distortion caused the labyrinth to appear to shift and change around them, making it more difficult to navigate as they continued down its halls. Sometimes enemies waited to greet them around corners, and they constantly found themselves at dead ends, which led nowhere. Nevertheless, the team persisted, committed to discovering the mysteries concealed in the old tunnels.
"Something about this place seems familiar," Sleuth remarked, "I can't quite put my finger on it, but there are pieces of this place that...remind me of something."
"I know what you mean..." Leprechaun nodded, "but what could it be...?"
"I know," Kyoko chimed in suddenly, "this place represents the laboratory where we first met Izuru Kamukura and learned his story. It's the place that he was born."
"Ah, you're probably right..." Usami nodded, "This definitely looks like the heart of the problem..."
"How far are we from the Treasure?" Mozart asked.
"Not too far now. I'm getting a strong signal north of where we are," Usami scratched her nose, "the Treasure has definitely manifested. But there's no knowing what may lie ahead. Stay vigilant."
Delving further into the labyrinth, they found themselves in enormous chambers brimming with artifacts from a bygone era, including golden statues, elaborate jewelry, and old scrolls bearing mysterious runes that appeared to be symbolic of the Steering Committee's manipulation of Hinata's heart. Their anticipation was heightened by each finding, which helped them get deeper into the maze.
And of course, Leprechaun and Highwayman stole whatever wasn't nailed down to trade in for cold hard cash later.
Until at long last, the team found their way to the center.
A feeling of something foreboding descended upon them as they neared the end. The air grew thick with ancient magic, and a powerful aura surrounded a sealed chamber that seemed to pulse with unseen energy, taking the form of a pair of double doors.
"Alright, on three," Leprechaun told Hinata as they both placed their hands on the doors, "one...two..."
On Leprechaun's count, they pushed open the doors with trembling hands and were astounded by what they saw.
"What the...!?" was the only thing that escaped Highwayman's mouth, while the rest of the team was stunned silent.
Stepping through the door felt like stepping into an entirely new reality. All around the Phantom Thieves was what could only be described as a skybox, shining brightly, but with lines of code like the matrix popping up at random intervals; illuminating a a temple-like structure, with a long stone path leading up to it.
The ancient temple with a tower occupied the center of the space, its weathered stone walls reaching skyward like the gnarled fingers of an ancient giant, and its large stone cuboids revolving around it like a cylindrical lock.
Despite being so deep underground and away from the sunlight, the air in this chamber was clean, though not in the same way that the rest of the island was. Almost like it was so artificially. Considering this place was supposed to represent a lab, it kind of made sense.
"Oh yeah..." Mozart nodded, "This is DEFINITELY where the Treasure is..."
The Phantom Thieves and their adventurer friend walked along the path towards a bridge, walking over it towards the tower and watching their step, as they looked down to see a glitchy void far below them. None of them knew what would happen if they fell into it, and none of them were particularly keen to find out.
Once crossing the bridge, the Phantom Thieves entered the central tower, and walked into a chamber with a high ceiling, with the light spewing in through cracks in the walls. It was very spacious and drafty, and Highwayman rubbed her arms as she felt a chill run up them.
"This feels like the final boss room alright," she remarked, "still, not what I was expecting at all..."
"What, were you thinking there was going to be a cave full of gold and riches aplenty?" Kyoko queried.
"Well, it's not like this place is empty," Mozart chimed in, "look over there."
Mozart pointed to the center of the empty chamber. Placed carefully and symmetrically in the middle was a medium-sized black coffin, perched up on a stand, filling the room with an unsettling glow as the light shining from the wall was reflected off of its polished steel surface.
"Well, THAT'S not creepy at all!" Highwayman threw up her arms in disbelief.
"Hey, Razor..." Leprechaun whispered to her, "We saw something similar in the bunker, remember?"
"Yeah, pretty sure that's supposed to be Kamukura's bed," she replied.
"I don't see anything else here, so I'm willing to bet that the Treasure we're looking for is inside," Shadow Hinata suggested.
"Oh, cool! Let's grab it!" Mozart strode towards the coffin, but Highwayman grabbed her shoulder and stopped her.
"Woah, woah, WOAH!" she exclaimed, "girl, that is a COFFIN! Aren't you even the least bit freaked out about going over and touching it!?"
"I'll open it," Leprechaun shared a knowing glance with the rest of his team, "Hinata? You want to help?"
"Sure!" Hinata beamed.
"Be careful Leprechaun," Kyoko whispered, taking a few steps back, anticipating something.
Leprechaun shot one last glance back towards his teammates, and the group all proceeded to gather around the coffin, with Sleuth remaining in the rear as he had done from the start.
Leprechaun and Hinata approached the coffin, with Hinata a little behind Leprechaun. And after sharing a knowing nod, they reached out their hands towards it...
...Or so they should have...
X
In truth, Hinata's outstretched hand was not aiming to pry open the coffin...With a cold expression in his golden eyes, he advanced slowly, the beats of his heart echoing within his chest like a sinister drumbeat...as he reached out towards Leprechaun...
However, just as he was about to pull the Phantom Thieves leader in his grasp, Hinata instead felt a completely different feeling entirely...Cold.
At first, he panicked!Shadow Hinata's eyes snapped open and he saw his arm was frozen solid in a thick block of ice! Panic quickly swept through him! As he battled to break free, he discovered that the region surrounding his legs was remarkably similar, and quickly, the rest of the ice started to travel up his body until all but his head was caked in a tough layer of frost!
But then, the panic subsided slightly, giving way to confusion more than anything, as Leprechaun lowered his hand away from the coffin, and he turned around slowly, glaring at Hinata with a mix of disappointment and malice in his eyes.
He wasn't the only one. The rest of the Phantom Thieves all turned to him with equally stern expressions, and he looked right back at them individually, scared and confused, until at last his eyes settled on Sleuth behind him, who with his Persona by his side, had clearly been the one responsible for the trap he found himself in.
A Dead End to the Ocean's Aroma - Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair
"...Nice try..." the detective boy uttered with a growl.
"Hey!" Hinata snapped, "what gives!? The hell are you thinking!? Let me go!"
None of the Phantom Thieves made any attempt to rescue him or question Shuichi on his actions. After all, they had all been planning this in advance and were ready for a situation like this.
"This is insane!" Hinata struggled to free himself as he came to this same conclusion, "What's the matter with you all!? I thought we were on the same side here!? Why are you doing this!?"
While Hinata persisted in his struggle, the Phantom Thieves kept their gaze fixed on him. But soon Hinata no longer struggled, and his expression changed from one of panic and exasperation to one of understanding and scorn, along with a deep sigh.
"Oh...What's the use...?" he asked himself in dismay, "No doubt you've already figured me out, haven't you?"
"And we have Sleuth to thank for that," Leprechaun glared, backing away from Hinata just in case he was to break out and try to grab him again, "still...I'm pretty disappointed. For once, I thought we'd found a friendly Shadow..."
"I AM friendly. We just...well...we weren't exactly after the same thing in the end after all..." Hinata seemed to shrug, though, with his limbs frozen in place, this was very difficult, "feel free to be disappointed. It's a feeling that I'm used to by this point."
"You were planning to betray and kill us..." Highwayman hissed, "what part about that is "friendly"?"
Hinata turned as far as he could to look towards Sleuth behind him.
"Tell me," he asked, "what gave me away?"
"To your credit, not much," Sleuth admitted, walking towards Hinata, though still staying out of arms reach, "and there's still so much I still need to figure out. But if you're so curious, I can tell you what made me suspect your intentions might be more ill than we thought."
He paced back and forth as he started to explain.
"Right from the very beginning, there were so many questions I was asking myself. Why of all the Reserve Course students did the Steering Committee pick Hinata? Why does the Palace take this sort of form? Why did the Mechabeast attack Kamukura despite him being the ruler of this place...And why did Hinata's over-enthusiasm seem disingenuous? After all, you're nothing like the boy people described you to be...All of that can be answered through one simple line of reasoning..."
"Go on..." Hinata seemed genuinely curious to hear what he had to say.
"We all know that the Steering Committee tampered with the Metaverse to turn your real-world self into Izuru Kamukura. We believed that in order to turn you into an unbeatable genius who existed as nothing but the physical embodiment of Hope and Talent, they created this Palace so they could manipulate your mind and give you abilities that you never had before," Sleuth explained, "To be perfectly frank, the biggest question that was on my mind was this...If the Steering Committee really created this place, why did they stylize it to look so much like an island?Surely it would be a lot easier to create something simple instead of building a place like this from the ground up."
He turned his body towards Shadow Hinata firmly.
"And that's when so many things started to line up, and I realized some things. Exhibit A: We know that you used to be friends with Chiaki Nanami, and were an avid fan of video games, including Ultimate Summer Camp, the game that this Palace is based on. That's where the island motif comes from," he continued.
Hinata seemed to grunt when Chiaki's name was brought up, but Sleuth kept going.
"Izuru Kamukura has no attachment to anything. Even though he's capable of so much, he puts no heart into what he does, because he's little more than a blank slate. It doesn't make sense for his Palace to take a beautiful form like this, when no sense of beauty lives within his heart," the detective asserted, "and then I remembered...What happened when we first discovered that this Palace even existed."
He pointed a finger at the frozen Hinata.
"Izuru Kamukura's name did not work when we entered it into the nav," he stated, "it was YOUR name, Hajime Hinata, that got us in."
"And your point at the end of it all is...what exactly?" he rolled his eyes.
"You know what it is he's trying to say," Razor growled.
"Realizing one key fact about this place explains absolutely everything weird that's been going on since we arrived here," Highwayman nodded.
"When we spoke to Chiaki-chan, she told us some things about you," Usami explained, "she said that you were a kind person, but you were also cynical, obsessed with Hope's Peak and ideas like talent, and we know that you've made decisions in the past from your clouded judgment...In other words, your heart is indeed VERY distorted, Hinata-kun."
"And then it all made sense to me at long last when you accidentally, finally, slipped up," Shuichi told him, "not only were you acting suspiciously upset when the Mechabeasts were defeated, despite us all working to take them down, but once they were, you said something you really shouldn't have..."
"I...I did...?" Hajime asked. Shuichi nodded, then repeated his words...
"I mean, that makes sense," Shadow Hinata scratched his head, "but that still doesn't explain why they attacked you after they burst out of the statue.Or why it attacked HIM!"
"It was funny you mentioned that to me at the time. At least what you specifically claimed," Sleuth explained, "but despite all of our stories you made us tell, none of us told you how the Mechabeasts attacked us on the first day we came to the island before we met you. Nothing about a statue at least."
"So either you somehow found out some other way," Leprechaun elaborated, "or you knew about it from the beginning because you're the one who woke them up...!"
"That's right. The truth is..." Shuichi retained his assertive pointing,"This Palace existed a LONG TIME before the Steering Committee tampered with it. And you, Hajime Hinata, are the REAL Palace Ruler."
Hinata's expression was halfway between a smirk and a scowl.
"Come on Hinata-kun..." Mozart clenched her teeth, "tell us we're barking up the wrong tree! I don't want you to turn out to be our enemy!"
"I'm sorry, Kaede..." he shook his head, ashamed, "though I would clap for you if I could move my hands. Yes, it's all quite true. I'm the Palace Ruler, or at least I'm SUPPOSED to be."
"Izuru's Shadow was artificially created by the Steering Committee and used to take control of this island. You aren't a byproduct of his creation after all..." Leprechaun summarized.
"Yes...I was here first...I was the one in control of the island monsters...the Mechabeasts as you now know them," Hinata confirmed, "then he came and took all of it from me. So I resolved, no matter how long it took, that I would take my power back!"
"And you used us to achieve that," Kyoko glowered.
"I had no choice!" Hinata spat, "I couldn't have defeated the Mechabeasts on my own without my powers! Look, maybe I did plan on betraying you in the end, but my efforts as a teammate were genuine!"
"But I don't get it," Highwayman scratched her head, "so you were the one in control of the Mechabeasts this whole time? How come you never sent them after us, or Izuru earlier?"
"Actually, I think that was our fault..." Sleuth sighed.
"Our fault?" Usami parroted, "What do you mean?"
"I'll spare him the trouble," Hinata snarled, "What Kamukura said about not having control over the Mechabeasts is true, and they were running on autopilot until I regained the power to give them commands. Yes, I DID wake them up, but that's basically all I'm capable of doing! I can't control them; at least...I COULDN'T. For you see, the scrolls that contain my memories do more than give the players the power to combat them..."
"Are you saying that every time we defeated a Mechabeast and gained their scrolls from the minibosses," Razor's fingers started twitching with rage, "you slowly but surely got more of your original power back as Palace Ruler!?"
"Then this whole time, we've just been doing your dirty work for you...!" Mozart pouted.
"I have to say Hinata..." Leprechaun deadpanned, "You've excelled yourself, putting up with us for so long, and acting like a true companion. Had Shuichi not spotted the discerning factors, you might have won."
Hinata's glare turned dark.
"I...will not...be pitied...by an Ultimate...!" he snarled, whipping his head around angrily at the team, "You think I WANTED this!? I didn't ask for ANY of this bullsh*t! I didn't ask to be this way! I know you won't listen, nor will you care, but I'm NOT the bad guy here!"
"No, I believe that," Mozart stepped forward, holding a fist to her chest, "but I just don't understand! You're intelligent and good-natured! Why would you ally yourselves with us just to try and stop us from getting to the Treasure in the end!?"
Hinata went quiet like he was struggling with what to say. Mozart continued.
"Don't you understand that if we steal the Treasure and change your heart, it'll get rid of this place forever! You'll be free of Izuru; free of the Steering Committee! You'll be able to go back!"
"BACK TO WHAT!?"
Shadow Hinata scared Kaede back with a sudden outburst. Leprechaun noticed that not only did veins bulge out of his forehead, but his golden eyes suddenly transformed into being less human, and more hawk-like...!
"You're right! You DON'T understand! You claim you want to help me, but what if I don't WANT help!? Especially not from people like you who look down on people like me all the time!?" he shrieked, "I have NO FRIENDS! NO FAMILY! NO ONE THAT CARES ABOUT ME, because I DON'T have what it takes! I DON'T HAVE TALENT!"
He turned his attention slowly towards Sleuth behind him. And the detective suddenly noticed, to his horror, that the ice around Hinata was very quickly starting to melt...!
"At least...Not for long I won't..." he growled, "so if this is how it's going to be, and you guys are really dead set on stopping me...Then I need to say one last time...Thank you..."
"EVERYBODY BACK AWAY!" Sleuth shouted, but unfortunately, not in time!
The ice around Hinata's body weakened and shattered, and the Phantom Thieves watched in dread as he spun around, and thrust his arm out towards Sleuth! The Shadow let out a loud cry of fury, pulled its hand back, and used all of its might to send the detective boy flying into a raging conflagration! The temple's stone shook, the earth shook, and flames swirled in the sky!
Only once the light died down did they see Sleuth's charred body lying against the wall!
Rebuttal -CROSS SWORD- Remix Cover - Vetrom
"SHUICHIIII!" Kaede screamed in desperation. She tried to run towards him, but upon Hinata sliding in her way, she stopped and stared aghast.
Something about Shadow Hinata's form had changed...! His right arm now looked drastically different from the rest of his body, as if it belonged to a completely different person. It was feminine, delicate, and graceful, with deep pink skin. But the dead giveaway was that wrapped around the arm were what looked like a music sheet, and in the palm of his hand, he held sparks of crackling fire.
"That arm!" Mozart exclaimed, recognizing its sleek pink and feminine skin, "it looks just like-!"
"Irene's!" Leprechaun finished her sentence.
"Hey, what gives!?" Highwayman snapped, "You said you didn't have any powers of your own besides your barrier!"
"And I didn't lie to you! This isn't MY power," Hinata's mouth curled into an expression that was half a smirk, and half a sneer, "it's YOURS...!"
Before anyone could figure out what had just happened, or how Hinata's arm had shaped into that of Mozart's Persona, Sleuth let out a loud grunt as he heaved himself to his feet.
"Oh...still kicking are we...?"
"From a little blast like that?" Sleuth spluttered, "It's gonna take more than that to keep me down! Try it again and you won't like what happens!"
"Don't get co*cky, Shuichi," Hinata raised his head menacingly, "this time, you Ultimates are gonna learn what it's REALLY like to be looked down upon by someone BETTER than you...!"
"You son of a bitch!" Razor spat, suddenly dashing towards him. Before Hinata could stop her, she rushed at him and grappled him around the chest, holding him still.
Unfortunately, she didn't hold him for long, and he broke out in a worse way than she had expected. Hinata grabbed hold of her arms, and all of a sudden, she backed away as something extremely sharp sliced her torso, causing some blood to trickle out.
"Razor!" Highwayman grabbed her to support her, and the two of them felt the color fade from their face as they looked back toward the Shadow.
On top of Irene's arm, no sooner had Razor pulled away that two insectoid-like appendages were now protruding from Shadow Hinata's lower back, both of them with sharp, blade-like objects protruding from the ends, and he turned back to them.
"That's totally Barrow's arms!" Highwayman spluttered.
"The hell!?" Razor exclaimed, "You damn copycat!"
Shadow Hinata suddenly stood at full height, and sighed, looking around at the Phantom Thieves, who had now all dropped into fighting positions, until his gaze settled on Leprechaun, the leader. He cracked his pink knuckle, and the blades started to spin in anticipation of a brawl.
"Before we do this, I want you to know one thing," Hinata leered, cracking his knuckles, "You are good people, I know that. And I don't want to be the villain in this...This isn't gonna be easy for me."
"No..." Makoto tightened his white glove, "it WON'T!"
Shadow Hinata scowled as he turned around and knelt down, sending lightning bolts towards Leprechaun from the two Barrow tendrils on his lower back!
"KOUGA!"
After drawing Principality to his side, the leader of the Phantom Thieves sidestepped the attack and used a spell of his own to retaliate against it with his former companion.
"Pfft! MAKARAKARN!"
To Leprechaun's dismay, though, Hinata's barrier prevented the attack from succeeding, and he was forced to take the brunt of his own blow!
"Oh no..." Highwayman sweated, "THAT'S not good...!"
Kyoko swiftly hurried towards Leprechaun and grabbed his shoulder, moving him to cover while Sleuth shot at Shadow Hinata, drawing his attention away.
"BAD BEAT!"
"TETRAKARN!"
When Mozart unleashed her Persona on Shadow Hinata, he once more used his barrier spell to protect himself from its attack, signaling the start of the real battle. Rather than hitting Hinata directly, the physical blow bounced back, causing Mozart to crash into the wall and dent it.
Sleuth attempted to approach her, but she climbed up anyway, her annoyance overriding her pain. Sleuth used his Persona's icy abilities to fire at the Shadow once more, but the Shadow dodged it easily and sideswiped him twice as quickly as a sound.
"Dammit, he's too fast!" Sleuth snarled, "And even if we do hit him, he can just send our attacks right back at us!"
"Then hit him hard and fast to the point where he doesn't have time or space!" Razor snarled, plucking out a pair of her Genoscissors and rushing towards him.
She lunged her arms forward, attempting to cut him with the scissors, but he retaliated by slashing back with one of Barrow's blade arms. After the blades came into contact and sparks started flying, the two started their duel.
To her credit, Razor was doing a good job at holding him off, despite being down two arms.Leprechaun heard the sound of metal on metal resonating through the temple as he watched their fight from behind cover. As she attempted to take down her adversary, the Phantom Thieves assassin moved at the speed of light, her scissors flashing in complex patterns. As he looked for a gap in her defense, Hinata ducked and weaved, his movements graceful and fluid, clearly something else that he had stolen from her Persona when he'd copied its powers.
"I don't get it!" Leprechaun grunted as Usami arrived and healed him, "If Hinata had this kind of power before, how come he never used it? Was it really that important for him to keep his cards close to his chest?"
"I don't think it's that simple," Kyoko told him, "to be honest, I think the more likely scenario is that Hinata didn't have this power before we defeated all the Mechabeasts! Just like how he couldn't control the Mechabeasts again until we made it to the fourth island."
"But then why is he opposing us?" Leprechaun asked, "Why does he want this Palace to stay? It'll cause him nothing but sorrow, and he'll be stuck inside a prison of his own mind forever!"
"I can't say, but there's one thing I can say," Kyoko grabbed his shoulder to emphasize her point, "No matter what happens, you cannot let him touch you!"
"What? Why not?" Leprechaun asked.
"He's not just copying your power, he's absorbing it directly from you," Kyoko told him, "the reason why he's able to use Mozart's and Razor's powers is because he made physical contact with both of them, remember?"
Makoto's mind quickly flashed back to the instances she was referring to.
"We are a little bit nervous..." Mozart admitted, "But this is our job, and we need to get you off this island. For the sake of many, not just you..."
Shadow Hinata seemed uncertain, buthe walked over to Mozart and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Well, I appreciate everything you've done for me..." he sighed, "no matter what happens from this point on, know that I respect you guys, and nothing will ever change how I feel, alright?"
"You son of a bitch!" Razor spat, suddenly dashing towards him. Before Hinata could stop her, she rushed at him and grappled him around the chest, holding him still.
Unfortunately, she didn't hold him for long, and he broke out in a worse way than she had expected.Hinata grabbed hold of her arms, and all of a sudden, she backed away as something extremely sharp sliced her torso, causing some blood to trickle out.
"And not just that. Before Sleuth froze him, Hinata was reaching out trying to grab you as well," Kyoko told him, "I don't know what'll happen if he touches you, but if he gets your Wild Card powers, then consider us all screwed!"
"R-Right...!" Leprechaun frowned, "you guys all heard that, yeah!?"
Unfortunately, none of the Phantom Thieves had the opportunity to react, especially not Razor, who was engaged in a lethal dance of skill and strategy with Shadow Hinata. Her scissors sliced through the air with lethal precision as she whirled and spun, keeping Hinata on the defensive. However, it was evident that he was not an inexperienced fighter, as he had maintained his level of proficiency throughout.
Eventually, he managed to knock the scissors out of Razor's hands with a quick kick and a strong punch, rendering her temporarily helpless. He then instantly followed this up by grabbing Razor by the shoulder, throwing her behind him, and blasting her in the back with a wave of flame!
As Razor fell onto the ground, reaching out towards her scissors, Hinata advanced towards her, with his own blades spinning around a la General Grievous, ready to slice and dice her like a giant walking sawblade!
"Oh no YOU DON'T!" Sleuth snapped! He hurried in, attracting Hinata's attention with his shout before whacking him around the face with his baton!
"I can work with this...!" Shadow Hinata growled with a smirk, "You've...bothered me...!"
"Trust me, I'm not looking to be your enemy!" Shuichi asserted, "I'm just doing my job!"
"Little late for that!" Hinata snarled! He lunged at Shuichi with a ferocity that surprised him, seemingly unfazed by the blow. However, the detective resisted Hinata's blows with his own strength and fortitude. He spun his baton to counterattack, refusing to back down, sweat glistening on his brow.
However, things quickly went bad. Sleuth appeared to be winning the battle when Hinata suddenly delivered a flaming blast point-blank that took him by surprise, knocking him prone. He disarmed Sleuth with a swift flick of his insectoid arms and sent him sprawling to the dusty floor!
Hinata opened his hand as he lay there and slapped Sleuth across the face! Some kind of energy glowed in his hand, and his body changed again as he grasped Sleuth by the face and pulled him back to his feet. His hair began to sleek backward, one strand sticking up at the front of his head, and the skin surrounding his face and neck took on a faded blue hue!
He let go of Sleuth, puffed out his cheeks, and fiercely blew on him, causing the Ultimate Detective to get covered in ice as a thick layer of frost shot out of his mouth!
"Dammit! Now he's got Casanova's moves too!" Mozart glared, "We've gotta attack him from a distance, otherwise he's gonna absorb all our powers!"
She nodded towards Highwayman, and they both pulled out their guns and opened fire on Shadow Hinata's person, but as it turned out, this proved to be equally as fruitless. Shadow Hinata had subtly erected a barrier, and as soon as the bullets made contact, they bounced right back at the girls again! They only narrowly ducked in time to avoid their own shots.
"Ok, but what do we do about THAT!?" Highwayman yelled in despair.
"We'll figure something out, I'm sure of it!" Leprechaun yelled as he and Usami hopped back into the fray, "Just don't let him absorb any more abilities!"
"He's dangerous enough as is!" she hollered back.
Leprechaun didn't have an opportunity to bite back against it and ducked just in time to avoid being blasted by both fire and ice. He rounded on Shadow Hinata, who had his sights set on him, and called forth a different Persona.
"ANUBIS!"
Leprechaun shot cursed energy at Hinata before he could raise another shield, and though it made contact, it obviously had little effect on him. Then, in response, Hinata pulled Barrow's arms in front of him and unleashed lightning bolts back at Leprechaun, which he narrowly avoided when Highwayman's lasso snared his arm and lifted him clear.
Hinata's face was rabid as he instead rounded on Highwayman herself and started to launch the bolts at her. Highwayman summoned her own Persona to attack and used her lasso to deflect and dodge the bolts.
"ONE-SHOT KILL!"
"Grr...! MIND SLICE!"
Shadow Hinata was hit by her strongest gun skill, but it was simply countered by one of Razor's attacks. Highwayman attempted to retreat by grabbing her gun and firing at the Palace Ruler until she was able to get some distance between them. This ultimately proved ineffective as she was unable to defend herself from her shots when they were rebounded while she was in midair.
Needing to defend his sister while she was prone, Leprechaun intercepted a running strike from Hinata, who jumped in the air after her,and following a brief bout of close-quarters combat in which Leprechaun did his utmost to prevent Shadow Hinata from making any sustained contact with his body, Shadow Hinata leaped back and used his hand to unleash a massive fireball!
The ball missed as Leprechaun dodged and struck the side of the spiraling temple, destroying a large portion of the stone structure and launching dust and debris into the air, severely impairing the Phantom Thieves' vision and forcing them to flee for cover!
Fortunately, this gave time for Sleuth and Razor to get to their feet following their bouts, but after the explosion, they lost sight of Shadow Hinata and, scowling with annoyance, looked for their once-friend turned enemy.
"Where are you!?" the purple-haired writer spat through the clouds.
"Relax, Razor..." Hinata's voice, now distorted with a very cruel and condescending undertone to it, emerged through the dirt from above them, "WE'RE right here..."
The Phantom Thieves spun around in the direction the voice was coming from and looked up to see Shadow Hinata standing on one of the open holes in the tower. But that wasn't the alarming part.
The alarming part was that in the midst of the chaos, he had somehow grabbed Highwayman, and now had a tight grip around her neck! She struggled to break away from him, gasping for breath, fear etched into her eyes!
"KOMARU!" Makoto cried.
"PUT HER DOWN HINATA!" Mozart pointed towards him with her weapon. Hinata shrugged.
"If you insist!"
With that, he merely tossed Highwayman down towards the rest of the group, with Highwayman and Razor catching her in their arms. Highwayman gasped for breath, made increasingly difficult by the lingering dust. However, this was clearly no act of kindness or generosity.
Shadow Hinata had already absorbed Highwayman's power, and very quickly, his body began to mutate again. His other arm, the one that hadn't been replaced by that of Mozart's Persona,shifted and twisted in a grotesque motion until it had become a shining machine gun, just like that of the arm of Parker!
"Oh GRREAAATT!" Razor threw her eyes up to heaven!
"SCATTER!" Usami shouted!
The Phantom Thieves didn't need to be told twice! With lethal accuracy, the weapon in Hinata's arm fired a barrage of bullets at his enemies. The arm-gun roared, nearly tearing through the ranks of the Thieves as its rapid-fire tore them apart, grazing though not killing them!
"Are you alright?" Leprechaun asked Highwayman as they sought refuge behind a pillar, summoning Principality to heal her injuries. She nodded.
"Yeah...But this is looking bleaker by the second..." she grunted.
"Come on...We've come so far, we can't just-"
"I'm not giving up!" she interrupted him, "I know all of this. You're underestimating me...!"
Before Leprechaun could stop her, she quickly regained her vitality and jumped back from behind the pillar. Hinata spotted her and unleashed bullets on her, but Highwayman launched her own bullets from her Persona back at him. The shots collided mid-air, and in the split second where Hinata staggered back as he felt his cannon overheat, there was a break in the fight, enough to push forward a conversation.
"Come on Hinata, we're on the same side here!" Highwayman spat, "Why would you fight us like this!? We're trying to help you! FREE you!"
"I know that..." he seemed to grunt solemnly, "but...what if I don't want to leave yet...!? Why would I when there's nothing left for me in that world!? I have no close family and no friends!"
"Well, you're not exactly finding any close friends here either!" Razor pointed her scissor blade towards him.
"Yeah, and besides, that's not true!" Mozart tightly held her spear as she stepped forward, "WE'LL be your friends! You don't have to be alone anymore!"
"No...No, that's not how it works!" Shadow Hinata spat, "I can't be friends with you! ANY of you! I don't have the right...!"
"What?" Sleuth glowered, "what's THAT supposed to mean?"
"Are you saying that because you're a member of the Reserve Course? Because you don't have an Ultimate Talent?" Leprechaun suggested.
Hinata's following silence still stated a very clear "yes."
"Oh COME ON man!" Highwayman cried, "Not everything in this world is decided by or revolves around something stupid like talent!"
"DOESN'T IT!?" Hinata's head snapped violently towards her, his yellow eyes suddenly becoming weirdly bird-like again for a brief second, "how much more bullsh*t do you have festered up in that mouth of yours!? Of course, the fate of the world is decided by talent! That's how it is! If you're special, you get opportunities, and Hope's Peak thrives on that! If you don't...Ngh...If you don't, then you're stuck like me! Someone who will NEVER make a difference in the world!"
"Hinata-kun...You want to know something?" Usami stepped forward slightly, close enough to show she meant to help, but far enough to avoid being struck if he lashed out, "I have amnesia, just as you do in the real world. I'm sure there's a repressed part of me containing my missing memories, but I know how it feels to be out of place in the world! Trust me!"
"I'm talentless too, you know?" Highwayman tried to reassure him, "I also know how it feels-"
"NO YOUDON'TKNOW HOW THIS FEELS!"Hinata roared, his Shadowy body suddenly spasming weirdly, especially around the back, like something was about to pop out of him, "you have absolutely NO IDEA what it's like to be someone like me!"
Highwayman looked rather hopeless. She was clearly doing everything she could to help, but Hinata just wasn't accepting it. Lowering his guard for a moment, Hinata looked around at the team surrounding him solemnly, and they gazed solemnly back...
"You might be "talentless" Komaru-san, but you have an interesting and fun enough personality to make up for that!" he snarled, "you draw people to you because you're outgoing, friendly, quirky, and it's hard to dislike you, but ME!? I'm just a pessimistic nobody that barely anyone notices is there! It's impossible for me to ever make it in a world like this alone!"
"And Nanami-senpai? What about her!?"
Leprechaun's words made Hinata snap his attention towards him. Despite the intimidating visage he was presented with, he stood his ground and clenched his fists.
"Chiaki Nanami never saw you as anything less than her friend!" he asserted, "she didn't look down on you just because she had a special title and you didn't! She had fun spending time with you, and you think yourself worthless next to her, with the only reason; the ONLY! REASON! Being that she's better at VIDEO GAMES THAN YOU!?"
"KEEP HER NAME OUT OF YOUR f*ckING MOOOUTTH!"
Leprechaun's eyes widened and he narrowly dodged out of the way as Shadow Hinata launched a wave of magma-like fire magic his way. Most of the Phantom Thieves had dropped their guards as the fight had turned into a discussion but raised them again as he launched this attack. Fortunately, Leprechaun was able to avoid the damage.
"The reason I even started this damn crusade was for HER! I can't just go back empty-handed! Not after all this time!" he gnashed his teeth, "I don't have the right to stand next to someone like Chiaki Nanami as an equal! But once I defeat you and absorb every last ounce of yours AND Izuru Kamukura's power...I WILL!"
Leprechaun raised his head.
"THAT'S your game!?" he scoffed in disbelief, "you're trying to take away Kamukura's power as the Ultimate Hope for yourself!?"
"Correction! RECLAIM! I was the one who was supposed to become the Ultimate Hope, but what did I get instead? ERASURE! Banishment to this stupid island and stripped of all my power thanks to the Steering Committee! I'm just righting the wrongs they put upon me!" he insisted, "so the real question is why are YOU GUYS fighting ME!? Isn't this what you wanted!? For me to reclaim my own body!? To have my life back!?"
"Yes...it was..." Mozart scowled, "But that was before we found out just how distorted you were...!"
"That much power is dangerous in the hands of a lunatic like you!" Razor snapped, "you'll go mad with power before long, and then there really will be no stopping you!"
"This isn't going to end how you think!" Sleuth asserted, "We're going to steal that Treasure and put things back the way they should be! You may fear the normalcy, but you shouldn't!"
"Don't make me laugh..." Hinata snarled, "What's REALLY going to happen is you are going to give me your Wild Card power so that I can fight Kamukura on equal footing!"
"Yeah...We'll see about that..." Leprechaun cracked his knuckles, "Razor!"
"MASUKUKAJA!"
Razor responded to the call by striking a quick pose, summoning Barrow, and distilling her team with a speed buff. Something that Leprechaun quickly took advantage of as he bounced straight toward Shadow Hinata's vantage point.
But somehow, despite having a speed increase, Shadow Hinata was still able to react just as fast, and Leprechaun's fist instead collided with a large wall of ice that he erected in front of himself, blocking the incoming attack.
"SWIFT STRIKE!"
With a swift charge, Mozart sliced through the ice wall with her Persona, severing the mass in half. She then kicked the sliced piece at Shadow Hinata from behind the block, who narrowly avoided it with a backward limbo.
"TRIPLE DOWN!
Now that he was visible, Highwayman lunged forward, firing her Persona's weapons at Shadow Hinata several times, but she just jumped back until Usami approached to take a follow-up shot.
Hinata attempted to reach out, seize, and absorb her power, but she used her magic stick to hold him at a distance until she saw an opening. She reeled back for a swing that Hinata deflected with his barrier, and after taking the brunt of her own damage, launched her attack!
"LUCKY PUNCH!"
Luckily, a critical hit was delivered by the attack, sending Shadow Hinata flying backward and through the temple wall. The Phantom Thieves pursued him out of the building as he skidded to a stop along the bridge.
"Kyoko! See if you can get that coffin open!" Leprechaun barked towards her, "This might come down to grabbing the Treasure and making a mad dash for the exit!"
"You got it!" Kyoko saluted and hurried towards the coffin as the Phantom Thieves continued to clash outside the temple with the Palace Ruler. Leprechaun squared up to him on the bridge while the rest of his teammates perched on the tower behind him.
"Hinata, it doesn't matter if you absorb our powers or use our own abilities against us! You're still not going to beat us! You know how tenacious we can be!"
"I'm tenacious too, Leprechaun!" Hinata asserted, "And I'm sick and tired of being nothing more than dirt underneath an Ultimate's heel! Once I steal your talents, and become the TRUE Izuru Kamukura...everyone...Nanami-san will-!"
"She'll be afraid and disgusted by you! Especially if she finds out what the Steering Committee did to you!" Makoto swiftly cut him off, "You honestly think she'd want to see you like this!? An empty husk who can't even hold a meaningful conversation with her!? Kamukura is NOT the friend that she made all those years ago!"
"But he's BETTER! He's what she DESERVES!" Hinata snarled.
"But it's NOT what she WANTS!" Leprechaun spat back, "We're bringing you back to her, AS YOU ARE! Sleuth!"
"MABUFULA!"
Sleuth unleashed a wave of ice magic on Shadow Hinata, using all of his power to make the air extremely cold. Sadly, Hinata skillfully redirected the attack directly toward the Phantom Thieves, forcing them to retreat from their advantageous positions as a sizable block of ice blew up on the temple's side.
They dove and cast forth their grappling hooks, closing the distance and encircling Shadow Hinata in an attempt to confuse him.
"Nice try! But that's never gonna work!" he snapped, his eyes becoming sparrow-like again.
Unfortunately, it appeared to be an ineffective strategy. Even through the confusion, Shadow Hinata didn't seem to have much of a problem pinpointing the speeding Thieves exact location. He seemed to meditate in place for but a moment, before he rushed forward and kicked Leprechaun in the ribs, sending him rolling across the bridge.
The Phantom Thieves scarpered as soon as their leader took a hit, and as Leprechaun regained his bearings, Hinata moved at the speed of light to extend a hand towards his face.
Leprechaun quickly parried this attack, and he and Shadow Hinata engaged in a fistfight. The Shadow was hit multiple times before Highwayman's lasso suddenly encircled his body and held him down. Leprechaun kicked Shadow Hinata in the face, then Highwayman threw and swung him around, and finally, Sleuth leaped up and gave him a blow so strong that he flew back!
"RRRAAGGH!" Shadow Hinata snarled, sliding back along the bridge before releasing a massive blaze of fire that turned the chasm into a fiery orange and red blaze! As the flames rose in the direction of the Phantom Thieves, they danced and twisted, creating elaborate patterns in the air!
Usami countered this raging flame with a psychic blast right back at him. When the two attacks collided, there was a flash of light that Razor used to her advantage, bringing forth her Persona and charging forward, lightning-fast. Sadly, Hinata managed to evade the strike and unleash a wind spell on Razor, causing the prodigy to be pushed towards the entrance platform and collide with the wall above it.
Then he spun around and jumped forward in time to dodge as Sleuth and Mozart shot a fusion of fire and ice at him.
"Come and get us!" Kaede grunted as she and her partner dashed away.
Sleuth and Mozart retreated up what remained of the spiraling stone monument, and Hinata chased right after them. Brandishing their baton and polearm respectively, the Shadow and the two students from Class 79 engaged in multiple clashes until the former managed to knock away Mozart's weapon.
As he raised his blade arms to bring the pain down on her, he missed his opportunity as Usami suddenly flew upwards, supported by her Persona, and tackled him out of the air, sending them flying toward the other tower!
However, Hinata managed to push her away and knock her to the ground. He then called for a strong windstorm to pull Usami back to him, at which point he extended his hand to seize her.
Before his hand could even come into contact with the bunny, Highwayman shot him a One-Shot Kill from a distance while he was in the air, sending him crashing into the tower. He stumbled and faceplanted along the stone formations several times before landing feet first in front of it, but his troubles were far from over.
Leprechaun dashed across the bridge, hoping to use his opponent's disorientation to his advantage by calling upon Anzu and hurling a fierce windstorm in his direction. However, Hinata managed to swerve just in time to avoid the attack before it completely destroyed the area surrounding him.
"Grr! ISIS!"
As Hinata made his advance, Leprechaun summoned another Persona and used it to try and halt his opponent with a wave of psychokinetic energy, but it failed to get the Palace ruler to relent, and the lightning only grew more intense. Realizing that he couldn't stop the advance, he knew there was only one thing to do.
"Highwayman!" he exclaimed as he also dashed straight forward, "BUFF ME NOW!"
"Huh!? Um...uh...TARUKAJA!"
Leprechaun felt the buff wash over his body, combining with the speed boost Razor had given him earlier, and he put all of his weight into his running attack, knowing that this fight was going to come down to a one-stroke duel between himself and his enemy!
Both Makoto and Hinata screamed at the top of their lungs as they advanced towards each other at sonic speed along the bridge, with everything else around them moving in slow motion!And then they finally clashed in a breathtaking display.
Though initially, everything seemed to be quiet, as if neither side had succeeded in their attack, a full second after the collision, Hinata felt the pressure of a fist bursting into his stomach! He gave voice to a guttural scream, and then he fell off the bridge, plunging into the chasm below!
X
Leprechaun, exhausted as the speed buff wore off, fell to his knees. And shortly after, the rest of the Phantom Thieves, still reeling from the fight.
"Did we get him!?" Highwayman exclaimed.
"I think so...!" Mozart swallowed, her mouth dry, "hoo! What a relief."
"That...That was way too intense for my liking..." Sleuth took off his hat and wiped his forehead.
However, the relief was short-lived, as Usami approached the edge of the bridge and stared down into the abyss. Leprechaun did the same, standing next to her.
"No...Hold on everyone!" she called, "something's not right!"
"What?" Razor frowned, "what do you mean?"
"My Persona's picking something up..." she explained, "something...coming at us...Very fast...!"
"It...can't be...!" Leprechaun uttered, before suddenly shouting, "EVERYBODY GET BACK!"
It was a good thing he shouted that, as had the rest of the team not done so, they would have been swiftly knocked flying off the bridge by the sheer force of the creature that came bursting up from the mist!
Even though he had fallen a great distance, Shadow Hinata was able to rise just as effortlessly, emerging from the abyss's darkness and floating above the Phantom Thieves. But something about his form was different.He had mutated again, and on his back, accompanying Barrow's arms...were Mr. A's wings...!
"That's...How...!?" Sleuth turned pale, paler than he usually was.
"Yeah, how!?" Highwayman spluttered, "he didn't touch you!"
Usami frowned, trying to recall everything that happened during their spat, but then her face looked back at Hinata with recognition and horror.
"No...he didn't..." she stammered, "but he DID touch my Lucky Punch...!"
"You mean..." Mozart trembled, "he absorbed your power through your attack...!?"
"I...f*cking...HATE that move...!" Razor clutched her head.
Shadow Hinata didn't initially say anything, but Leprechaun unfortunately picked up on the subtle queues he was putting down. He felt his heart sink, as his eyes quickly darted towards the temple.
"KYOKO! RUUUUN!" he shrieked at the top of his lungs, praying it would get to her in time!
...It didn't...
Shadow Hinata instantly snapped around and launched a psychokinetic blast straight toward the top of the temple, and the impact forced its top to completely collapse! Having just managed to pry open the door to the coffin, Kyoko looked up to see the stone shower collapsing down on her!
"sh*t...!" she uttered, abandoning her mission and making a mad dash for the exit...but it was in vain...The stone came down, and the last the Phantom Thieves saw of her was her desperate face as she was enveloped in rubble and dust...!
"NOOOO!" Mozart shrieked, and angrily turned her head up towards Hinata, "YOU BASTAARRRD! AGILAAOO!"
"BUFULA!"
"ZIONGA!"
"GARULA!"
"No! WAIT! DON'T!" Leprechaun shouted, but unfortunately, he didn't do so in time! Shadow Hinata turned back swiftly as the spells closed in and calmly smirked.
"Makarakarn...!"
Leprechaun and Usami were the only two who ducked in time as all four spells rebounded and flew twice as fast and twice as powerful back at the rest of their team, knocking all of them prone into the solid entrance wall, and sending them collapsing to the ground.
And then things got even worse...
"Diarhan..."
"NO!" Leprechaun cried hopelessly, as the green healing light cascaded down upon Shadow Hinata's body, relieving it of all damage and making it seem like everything the Phantom Thieves had done up until now... was all for naught...
"It's no use...!" Usami trembled, "if he can absorb our skills through our physical spells, then our only option is to fight him from a distance!"
"But he can just use those barriers to repel our attacks, and even if we do hit him, now he can just heal!" Highwayman grunted, trying to stand up again, "what do we do Usami!?"
"I..." Usami trembled like a leaf, her paws shaking so much she almost dropped her magic stick, "I don't know...!"
"What do you mean you don't know!?" Razor snapped, "Come on! Don't you usually think of a plan for these kinds of things!?"
"I-I'm sorry...! There are things that even I can't figure out!" she started to cry, "I...I didn't think it was possible but...He's...UNBEATABLE! We can't stop something like this!"
"No...No way...!" Mozart shuddered, looking like she was on the verge of tears herself. Shadow Hinata, for his part, slowly descended downwards until his feet touched the stone bridge.
"You guys want me to tell you something? Something funny that happened to me one time...?" he advanced slowly.
Leprechaun did not respond, trying his best to figure out a way through this situation. Hinata took his silence as a sign to continue.
"One of you...an Ultimate alumnus who serves as the head of security at Hope's Peak...He once beat me to a paste for the simple crime of stepping on school grounds where I shouldn't have gone..." he unveiled, "all I was trying to do was deliver my friend her lunch, and when I refused to turn back, he let the fists fly..."
Leprechaun's attention was caught by this story, and he looked up into Shadow Hinata's piercing eyes, who looked like he was also about to cry.
"I couldn't have fought back...It was no different than being the weak nerd bullied by the big jock...And the worst part was that NOBODY came to help me..." he said, "Chiaki found out I'd been hurt, even though I didn't tell her why, and tried to bring it up with her teachers...But apparently, they acted like I was the problem, turning a blind eye because he was an Ultimate...and I was NOTHING..."
"I..." Leprechaun tried to respond to this, but couldn't...as he swiftly found himself being punched lightning fast and rock hard in the jaw, bursting out a shockwave that sent him smashing into the wall!
"MAKOTO!" Komaru shrieked.
After Makoto was knocked to the wall, Hinata struck again with a barrage of punches fast enough to stop him from casting spells on him while he was being pounded. After taking Leprechaun by the arm, he threw him onto the bridge, breaking the stone on impact.
"That exact feeling I went through is what YOU'RE feeling now that you're underneath my heel!" Hinata reached down, grabbed Leprechaun by the scruff of his neck, and lifted his battered body by it, "doesn't feel good, does it!?"
Leprechaun looked down and felt a small sense of relief as the dust settled and he spotted Kyoko through it. Thankfully, she was alive, and apparently not badly hurt, but she was unfortunately stuck under the rubble and unable to move. As Hinata's grip tightened, his gaze was quickly turned back.
"H-Hinata..." Leprechaun grunted, "I'm...I'm really sorry...Sakakura's an asshole, we all know...The Steering Committee and everyone else who runs Hope's Peak too...! But still..."
"WHAT!?" he spat, "what kind of dumbass excuse are you gonna give me now!?"
"Look around you, you moron!" Makoto choked out, "Think about how many innocent people you're going to hurt or kill if you continue this! You can't sacrifice so many people just to make yourself look better!"
Hinata shook his head...
"I'm not trying to LOOK better, Naegi..." he glared, reaching out his free hand, which glowed white with energy, "I...AM...BETTER...!"
Leprechaun winced. Was this really the end? If his hand made contact, that would be his Wild Card power taken, and thus, Hinata would be even more unstoppable than he already was. It was hard to even imagine this as a concept, but it was about to become a tragic reality as Hinata closed the gap.
However, just when all hope seemed lost...something strange happened.
Leprechaun shut his eyes tightly, bracing himself for the contact, but the contact never came. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see Shadow Hinata reaching out towards him, but his fingers seemed pressed up against an invisible wall between them, that he was struggling to get through.
He pulled his hand away and examined it, before trying again, only for the same result to happen, like there were an infinite number of invisible spaces between himself and his target.
"What the hell is going on!?" he snarled, but as he did, Leprechaun suddenly noticed something else. Out of nowhere, his body began to tremble with power; power unlike anything he'd ever felt before.
Deciding it was worth a shot, he reeled back and punched Shadow Hinata in the face!
The meager attack was MONUMENTAL! So much so that Shadow Hinata's face was almost caved in as he shot into one of the temple's revolving spirals and plunged through a gap in the inner structure! Simultaneously, he was forced to release Leprechaun, who fell toward the chasm beneath the bridge!
"LEPRECHAUN!" Usami shrieked, watching the team leader helplessly fall into the chasm.
But luckily, before he could disappear into the abyss forever, somebody reached out and caught his arm.
Still dizzy from the force of having an entire building thrown on top of him, on top of being grabbed like a washed-up doll by his enemy, Leprechaun shook his head and tried to regain his vision to see who his mysterious savior was. When he looked back up again, he saw a figure silhouetted in the light above, wearing a cybernetic-pattered cloak-jacket hybrid, pink gloves, an armored bodysuit in white and red, and a virtual reality visor mask with two glowing pixilated eyes. The stranger quickly removed this mask with her free hand and smiled down at him.
Old World Order - Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy
"Hi Naegi-kun!" she snickered. Leprechaun narrowed his eyes to focus, but once he did, he couldn't believe who he saw.
"NANAMI-SENPAI!?" he choked.
"Wait, WHAT!?"
This exclamation was enough to get the rest of the Phantom Thieves on the other side of the bridge to come to their senses, and they watched as Chiaki, with puffed cheeks, hoisted Makoto back onto safe ground. Once they were safe, they both gasped for breath.
Leprechaun was the one who stood up first, and he reached out a hand towards Chiaki, who graciously took it as he pulled her up to his feet. Chiaki smiled, but her face also looked rather nervous and guilty.
"I'm sorry..." she said, "I know you didn't want me to-"
"Forget that!" Makoto interrupted, "I'm just glad that you're here..."
Chiaki gave a nervous smile in response to this, but the smile quickly faded as there was yet another explosive burst. Both Leprechaun and she turned to see Hinata's Shadow come flying back out of the crater that was made on the side of the temple.
Once Hinata looked down and saw Chiaki's face, his own became horrified.
"No...No, not you!" he stammered, "why are YOU here!?"
"Well, that's a nice thing to say to someone you haven't spoken to in 3 years..." Chiaki pouted, crossing her arms.
"You shouldn't BE here!" Hinata landed again, seeming to plead with her, but she was having none of it.
"Well, I am," she told him, "and what's more, I know the truth. I know what happened to you and...I..."
Hinata's shocked face became even more so when she clenched her fist, held it against her chest, and started to cry.
"Seeing what you are now...I'm...really sorry..." she sobbed, "I never meant to make you feel inadequate...You're my friend, and that's all I ever wanted from you...! You didn't have to make yourself feel special just to hang out with me, I swear!"
Hinata's surprise then shifted into a scowl directed towards Makoto.
"Did you plan this...!?" he growled, "how sad*stic can you be!?"
"I didn't plan this. I had no idea she was going to show up either," Leprechaun stepped forward, "but I'm glad that she did show up. Listen to what she has to say, and maybe you'll change your mind?"
"Change my MIND!?" he spat, suddenly taking to the sky again, "I'm sorry for what I put you both through, but you two don't know ANYTHING about me! I've dreamed of being an Ultimate, and I always strode towards the goal, no matter what sacrifices have to be made! And that hasn't changed even now!"
"Even if you get erased in the process!?" Chiaki exclaimed, "Hinata-kun, please, don't do this to yourself! I can't lose you again!"
"You won't," Hinata assured her, "once I finish what I started, and retake control, there'll be no excuse for the two of us to be apart ever again!"
"But it won't be you that comes out the other side! You won't be the friend that I made all that time ago!" she pleaded, "Hinata-kun, you need to stop this!"
"I can't let you get in my way Nanami-san! Even if it's you, after everything I've done, this means TOO much to me!" he asserted, though had a very clear glimmer of sadness and doubt in his eyes.
"She's right Hinata! You need to-!"
X
However, before Leprechaun could finish his sentence, the tense mood was suddenly cut through as a loud*BOOM*reverberated around the chamber. All the people present looked around, confused, wondering what the source of the noise had been...
And they were quick to find out...
The booming noises continued and the chamber trembled like an earthquake was hitting it, and it became apparent that the noise was coming outside the door. And within but a moment, the entire thing gave way as whatever was on the other side of it burst in, sending debris flying in all directions!
The Phantom Thieves who were still sprawled on the ground right in front of it, turned their gazes upwards and were greeted with an enormous vision of death...!The team was overcome with terror and hysteria as a massive shadow fell over them. An enormous monster clomped closer, its eyes glowing a sinister light that made the ground tremble with every step.
But the creature was very familiar-looking. It was a giant robot comprised of animal parts that had been stuck together uncomfortably, like some kind of makeshift chimera...!
"WHAT THE f*ck IS THAAAAAATT!?" Razor shrieked.
"Is that...the Mechabeasts...!?" Leprechaun felt his stomach churn, "don't tell me...They amalgamated themselves into one creature just to come and get us!?"
Sure enough, the parts of the monster were easily recognizable. The arms were the gorilla's, the feet were the horse's, the head was the snake, and the body and tail were that of the tiger, while planted to its back were the wings of the falcon.
And it looked like it was ready to KILL...!
"Well, well..." Shadow Hinata smirked, rising up into the air again "this is certainly unexpected...But FAR from unwelcome..."
"This is probably my fault...the Mechabeast attacked me when I came in here last time. It's probably got unfinished business with me," Chiaki admitted, "don't worry though. I made this mess, and I'm going to clear it up."
She looked up towards her old friend Shadow.
"You're not about to let me of all people die in here, are you?"
"I-" Shadow Hinata growled, biting his tongue, "what can you even do!? Even if you beat the Mechabeast, you can't beat me!"
"No...I can't..." Chiaki smirked, then gestured behind her shoulder, "HE can though..."
Just when Shadow Hinata thought he had gained a complete and total victory over his enemies, his smile shifted into a look of dismay and despair, as behind Chiaki, a titanic shadowy figure rose up from the ground, bursting with dark energy in contrast to his light one! When the air shifted, he saw the long hair and golden eyes of his antithesis...Shadow Kamukura...!
"Kamukura-kun! Hold Hinata-kun off while Naegi-kun and I take care of the Mechabeasts!" Chiaki cried, "Um...please! And uh...don't hurt him, ok?"
"Hm..." Izuru replied, not changing expression from his outwardly malicious one, but he gave her a slight nod.
"Ok, SERIOUSLY!" Hinata snarled, sweating bullets as Izuru's figure squared up to him, "how many of you people am I gonna have to fight before you just leave me be!?"
"Your attention should be on me," Izuru seemed to glower, even though his expression remained unchanged, "you wanted this to come down to you and I originally, and though I derive no joy in fighting, I believe I will find pleasure in utterly destroying you...!"
"Hrgh...GRAAAAGGH!" With a battle cry, Hinata launched himself at Izuru, sending him flying into the wall, and followed up by showering fireballs in his face nonstop! But Izuru struck back fast, first using a curse spell to stun Hinata. Then, he grabbed his head and flew forward, grinding his face against the bridge, until they unintentionally crashed into the temple, causing more debris to fall.
Still stuck there, Kyoko lifted her arms above her head as a protective shield.
"So...When did you and the ultra-powerful science experiment alter ego of Hinata-kun's become best friends?" Leprechaun scratched his head. Chiaki chuckled, properly donning her mask again.
"That's a long story among many long stories," she gave him a determined frown, "quickly go get Kirigiri-chan before she gets crushed! I'll help your friends!"
He nodded, and the two of them split off, with Monomi sticking with Chiaki, as Izuru and Hinata's fight continued above them. As Makoto ran towards Kyoko, he saw that Kamukura sent Hinata reeling with another vicious blow, and the two of them shot into the sky.
Following him, the Ultimate Hope came to a halt a few feet from his irate opponent, who attempted to charge at him. However, Kamukura quickly ducked and gripped his face, making Hinata struggle to free himself. With a swell of power that made his hair rise around him like a set of Lovecraftian tentacles, Kamukura created a spiral of curse power, determined to use his magic to consume Hinata.
Refusing to take the attack, Hinata managed to break free by firing bullets into Kamukura using his gun arm. He then used lightning to strike him, but Kamukura unflinchingly caught the bolts in the palm of his hand before hitting him again.
Leprechaun turned his attention away, and once he arrived, he handily threw the rubble off of Kyoko and pulled her to her feet.
"Are you alright!?" he asked desperately, very understandably worried about her. Kyoko held his hand tightly.
"Better than I thought I'd be. I've survived worse," she assured him, "but..."
Her attention turned towards the other end of the bridge, as the Mechabeast Mutant pounded its tiger chest, glaring down at the Phantom Thieves. Just when it seemed like they were going to get their asses handed to them, Chiaki caught up and leaped into the air, swiping the mask across her face.
"Don't worry everyone! Support's on the way!" she hollered, "ALEXEY!"
Leprechaun watched with a gaping maw as she summoned her chair-shaped Persona, and swiftly set to work with its controls. Usami, Highwayman, Razor, Sleuth, and Mozart all felt a wave of surprise and relief, as the injuries and fatigue they had suffered during their fight with Shadow Hinata swiftly subsided. With the push of a button, they were back at full power. In fact, they felt stronger than even that!
"Well, I'll be damned...!" Sleuth whistled, examining his own body before looking up at the floating Chiaki.
"You WILL be if you don't get your game face on!" she warned him, "I don't know about you guys, but I think this thing's gotta go!"
"Look at that...!" Mozart shielded her eyes from the light above her, thoroughly relieved AND impressed.
"Alright Phantom Thieves!" Usami took point as she and the rest of the team brandished their weapons, "TIME FOR ROUND 2!"
"RIGHT!" they all cried back, raring to go. From a distance, Leprechaun scoffed as he supported Kyoko.
"This...is crazy..." she stated bluntly.
"Yep..." he sighed, "and at the risk of jinxing it...Can't get much crazier than this..."
Little did he know...It was far from over...
