The hallways of the what was once their school were barely recognizable . They were dark and twisted , and there were bloodstains in the corners . Despite their senpai's reassurance , the four SEES members were very nervous walking into those haunting hallways .
" It'll be weird if we were in front of our classroom right now , wouldn't you say ? " Junpei tried to lighten up the mood , but only Minako managed to force a nervous and cracky laughter
" Everyone ! Be careful ! " Mitsuru talked through the connection devices " a shadow is by the corner ! See if you can get the jump on it . Just don't get ambushed "
" Roger "
Minako held her naginata tightly as she signed everyone to stay behind her . She looked in her brother's direction and he understood what she wanted and nodded in agreement . She signed for Yukari and Junpei to stay put then pulled her evoker .
" Persona ! " The twins shot themselves with the evoker and two Orpheus came , casting scorching flames at the shadow .
They were about to celebrate when Mitsuru called again , with a worried voice she said " careful ! There are many shadows around you ! You're surrounded ! "
And so the four SEES we're trapped in the corner , around them were 5 shadows .
" Junpei ! " Minako pulled her evoked again " follow me ! "
" roger ! "
They both called their Personas , with a perfectly coordinated attack they casted a big explosion of flames . Yukari was hesitant about using her Persona , and instead used her bow to dispatch enemies . Minato quickly came to her support and defeat the other shadows . It was a tough fight , but they pulled through .
" that was dangerous ! " Minato said as he was trying to catch his breath " let's stay cautious "
" don't worry ! " Minako said triumphantly " even when we were ambushed , we still managed to defeat those shadows "
" don't let your guard down " Mitsuru said through the communication device " there are more shadows in this floor and many of them are hidden in dark corners "
" no sweat ! " Junpei swung his sword victoriously " me and my Persona are gonna chop those shadows into little bittle pieces ! "
" anyway , let's go ! "
" Yukari ? " Minako asked Yukari " you've been quiet for a while now "
" I ... I'm ... I'm dragging you all down " Yukari sighed " I still can't summon my Persona "
" nonsense ! " Minako walked to Yukari and placed her hands on her shoulders encouragingly " you managed to defeat so many shadows with only your bow ! I didn't know you were so good at archery "
" of course " Junpei nodded " Yukatan is the face of the archery club in our school after all "
" really ?! Why didn't you tell me ? "
" well it's not like I can keep up with everyone with just my bow ! " Yukari sulked " Junpei ... I keep making fun of you , but even you can summon your Persona without hesitation ! How are you so good at this ?! "
" huh ? Uh ... " Junpei readjust his hat as he was not used to hearing praise , especially not from Yukari " I ... I just think of myself as a superhero ... like Almight or captain America or someone like that "
" I envision myself as some kind of RPG protagonist " Minato thought
" don't compare yourself to them , Yukari ... especially not Mr. RPG protagonist ! " Minako shook her head at her brother
" watch it ! "
" you gotta do it at your own pace . I know it's not easy to summon a Persona , but we believe in you . Here , why don't you try using your persona to heal me ? "
" uh ... sister ? What makes you think Yukari's persona can heal wounds ? "
" well , our Personas are representation of our psyche , right ? Yukari is the kind of person who looks after her friends through thick and thin , so I'm sure her Persona can heal "
" okay ... " Yukari took a deep breath " here goes ... "
She pulled her evoker quickly and immediately pointed it at her head , but froze as she tried to shoot . Her hand was shaky and breath was exasperated
" do it , Yukatan ! "
" you can do it , Yukari ! "
Junpei and Minako kept cheering Yukari until she finally did it . She shot herself in the head and her Persona emerged . Instantly Minako felt refreshed .
" you did it ! I knew you could do it ! " Minako said joyfully
" yeah , but I still feel scared ... and I did need a lot of encouragement to do it"
" it's okay . That's what we're here for , to give each other the support we need . Tell you what , just focus on healing us until you feel comfortable enough with using your Persona , how's that ? "
" I ... I guess I can do that "
" and in the meantime we'll cover you so you won't get hurt "
" Yukari , the evoker is all about the sound and vibration " Minato interfered " that's how it creates the illusion of death . It's only in the first second , and after that you don't feel pain "
" you're right "
" and as my sister was saying , we'll look out for you until you can use it "
" thank you "
Their senpais were listening to the conversation , and they really admired how supportive Minako was toward Yukari . Not just that , but her cooperative attack with Junpei more so than her brother made her stand out as a team player . As she utilized the full capabilities of her team to win the fights . In a straightforward fight she would make a great leader and they wondered how her brother's leadership was going to be like
" Senpai " Minako called out to them " we've reached the stairs "
" This is where they split up to determine who the better leader is ? " Akihiko asked
" Yes " Mitsuru nodded " everyone , listen ! You'll be split into two groups , Yukari will go with Minato and follow his lead , while Junpei will follow Minako's lead "
" R-roger "
" Why this formation ? " Akihiko asked " I think Yukari would be more comfortable with Minako since she's looking out for her "
" Exactly , we've seen how Minako handles her teammates when they're unable to fight , now I want to see how Minato handles it . Besides , Minako had been receiving help from her brother and Yukari to keep Junpei in line , this would be a good test for her leadership toward those who charge mindlessly into battle "
She remarked the last statement with a glare at Akihiko , who cleared his throat in response
" S-still ... Is it okay to split inexperienced SEES members in Tartarus on their first day ? "
" Don't worry , I've checked the layout of the floor they're in . There's barely any enemy in there "
Back in Tartarus , the four young SEES members were getting ready to split up . " Man ! " Junpei sighed " I still don't get to be the leader ?! "
" Minako ? " Yukari asked worriedly " will you be okay dragging this guy around ? "
" I was gonna say that to you , Yukatan ! After all , you're still-" Junpei bragged , but was met with Yukari's enraged glare that made him shut up
" Don't worry , Yukari " Minako put on a confident face " Strict is my middle name ! "
" No , it's not ! " Minato shook his head
" We'll see about that " Minako presented her hand to shake Minato's " whoever becomes the leader , no hard feelings . Okay ?"
" Yes "
Instead of directly shaking her hand , Minato reached into his backpack and gave her all the medicine that he had " Yukari can heal me with her Persona , but for you ... "
" Thanks , but I have my items "
" And I don't need mine , you can have them . And by that I mean you must have them "
Minako felt the worried look in Minato's face , and she gave an appreciative smile " I'm sorry in advance if that is gonna help be become the leader "
" Good luck "
You could tell from his monotonous response alone , that Minato was very worried about his sister . And even with Yukari trying to comfort him , he was still anxious .
And so they split up , Junpei went with Minako and Yukari with Minato . Mitsuru was observing them cautiously , and even though there were no enemies around them , she preferred not to tell them and keep them cautious to see how the leaders would act .
" Yukari , how comfortable are you with summoning your Persona ? " Minato asked
" I ... I'm not sure I'm ready yet ..."
" That's fine . We'll make this work "
" I'm sorry "
" It's okay , I'll make sure you wouldn't need to summon your Persona "
" Of ... Of course "
" Yukari " Minato turned back and stood in front of her " I won't let anything in this tower hurt you . I'll protect you with my life , so rest assured "
The confident gaze that Minato gave her made her heart skip a beat . She felt herself getting lost in his eyes and felt her cheeks turning red .
" I ... I can ... I can take care of myself ! " She stuttered
" Good " he smiled " here's the plan . I'll take care of fighting by myself , and I want you to hide and cover for me . We'll only attack if we are perfectly aware of our enemies' whereabouts . We can't risk an ambush . Once the fight is done , you may use your Persona to heal me . Since I gave all my items to my sister , I don't have any method of healing besides that . And so we won't fight anything until you heal us up . How's that sound ? "
" I ... I guess it's okay "
" Good " Minato turned and walked " as long as nobody is panicking , we can work our way through anything "
" You're so confident in what you're doing .... It's like you have done this before "
" You'd be surprised what playing video games does to your brain "
" I ... I see "
Walking the corridors of Tartarus , they eventually came upon a couple of shadows . At first , Mitsuru was about to offer to analyze the enemies , but Minato surprised her by calling Orpheus and casting flame onto the shadow , defeating it in one blast . She thought that it was because that was the only thing his Persona was capable of , but he surprised everyone by pointing the evoker to his head
" Apsaras ! "
A new Persona appeared and casted small icepick that pierced the shadow . " Yukari ! Let's do an all out attack ! "
" R-right ! "
Both Minato and Yukari charged at the enemy , attacking them as fast and fierce as they could . The shadows were quickly defeated .
" Minato ?! " Yukari gasped " did you ... Did you just use a new Persona ? "
" Huh ? Oh yeah , I did "
" How did you do that ? "
" Well , after we defeated the shadows back when we were together , I was offered a new tarot card "
" You ... Were offered ... ? "
" It's kinda hard to explain , I'll talk more about it when we get back to the dorm . More importantly , can you heal me up ? "
Yukari pulled her evoker , her hands were still shaky and undetermined . She looked at Minato hesitantly , and he responded with an encouraging smile and a thumbs up . She took a deep breath and pointed the evoker at her head . Minato felt refreshed again .
" You're getting faster , Yukari " Minato said " soon , you'll be able to call it without trouble "
" I ... I think so , too "
" Minato " Mitsuru called him " I noticed that you managed to pinpoint the enemies weaknesses without the need of having me analyze them ? Can your Persona identify theirs like mine ? "
" No . It's just that from the battles we fought so far I began seeing a pattern in the shadows and their weaknesses . There's a relationship between their weaknesses and the color of the masks they have . For example , red is weak to ice and blue is weak to fire . I don't know for how long this will be useful , but I'll use it while I can "
Mitsuru nodded to herself . It seemed that while Minako is more of a team player and uses the strengths and weaknesses of her team to its full extent , Minato is better at observing his surroundings and his enemies and deduce a fitting plan . Both of them seem to have exceptional leading skills . She thought it would be very difficult to choose the better leader among them .
At the time , Minako and Junpei had just finished defeating a couple of shadows . They stopped to catch their breath . At that time , Minako decided to give Junpei her bag of medical items . " Junpei , hang on to these for me , will you ? Use them in case I couldn't heal you "
" You can heal me , Minatan ? "
" Yes " Minako nodded before pointing the evoker at her head " watch this ! Pixie ! "
She called forth a new Persona and Junpei felt refreshed .
" Huh ... Neat ... "
" I know right ? I'll try to look out for you , but of I found myself unable to keep up , don't hesitate to use one of the items from the bag to heal yourself "
She held her naginata tightly as of she was trying to reassure herself " not that it would get that bad "
Even though Minako was keeping on a smile the whole time , her senpais , who were listening to the conversation , could tell that she was nervous . Even more so after they were separated
" Damn , Minatan ! " Junpei sighed " you can switch between Personas ?! Now I know I'm no match for your leadership ! "
" being a leader isn't just about using a Persona , Junpei "
" You're right . And yet that doesn't change the fact that switching to another Persona is awesome , how do you do it ? "
" Beats me ! "
" What ? "
" Shh ! " Minako stopped " I can hear shadows nearby ! "
She peered over the corner before sighing " false alarm , it's just one shadow "
" Step aside and let me handle it then ! " Junpei jumped " I'll prove that my Persona alone is better than all of yours combined ! "
He called forth his Persona and defeated the shadow before announcing triumphantly " who's da man ! "
" You're da man , Junpei ! " Minako cheered " that was awesome ! "
" Who do you think is best , Minatan ? Me or your brother ? "
" Eh ? I dunno " Minako playfully pretended to be thinking before jokingly saying with a giggle " still , I know that I'm better than my brother , so if you can be better than me then-"
Suddenly , Minako felt the air around here getting extremely tense , it was like something was wrong ... Very very wrong . It immediately put her on edge and she shivered in place .
" Are you okay ? "
" Huh ? Ah ha ha ! Yes ! Of course ! " Minako forced a laugh
" You suddenly went pale there "
" I'm just hungry "
" Really ? " Junpei's stomach began growling as well " but now that you mention it , I feel like having a quick bite , too "
As they walked together , Junpei felt that Minako was much more tense , and so he tried to lighten up the mood by cracking a joke " hey , wouldn't it be nice if there was a vending machine in Tartarus ? I think the Kirijo group should arrange something like that "
" That would be cool " Minako laughed along " except it won't work during the Dark Hour ! "
" Uh ... Yeah , I didn't think that through "
Back in the first floor , Mitsuru was observing the two teams when her devices began to malfunction . As she was trying to identify what the cause was , she felt an extremely dangerous presence . Her body ran cold and went pale . She was so horrified by the sensation that she almost dropped to her feet . Even Akihiko felt that something was wrong with her .
" Mitsuru " he asked " what's wrong ? "
" I'm ... I'm sensing a strong presence ... "
" A strong presence ? You mean like the one we faced that night ?"
" No ... This presence is on a whole other level . I think I read about it in the documents of my family ... It can't be ! "
She began looking through her devices more cautiously before exclaiming " it is what I feared ! Death is drawing near "
" Death ?! What's that ?! A shadow ? "
" Not just any shadow . It's the most powerful shadow ever discovered by the Kirijo group . With their level of power and from what I see from their performance , nothing they could do would defeat it "
Mitsuru tried using the communication devices to call Minato and Minako " Arisato ! Can you hear me ! I feel a strong presence ! It must be Death ! Return to the entrance immediately ! "
She didn't get a response " Minako ! Minato ! Do you read me ! If you can hear me , please respond ! Over ! "
She dropped the communication device in disbelief " it can't be ! I can't contact them ! Is that Death's doing ?! "
" I'll go save them ! "
" Don't ! Even in your best conditions you won't survive a second in front of that shadow ! "
" Then what're we supposed to do ?! "
" I ... I don't know ! I don't think anything can be done right now !"
Yup ... That's how leading is gonna be decided ! At first I was undecided on how to determine the leader personality of the twins , but I found a solution . After playing Persona Q2 New Cinema Labyrinth , I noticed that while Minato and Minako share similar Personas , Minako is more of a team player since she has more union attacks ( three with all SEES members ) , whereas Minato only has unison attacks which is not even with his team ( with Yu Narukami from Persona 4 , Joker from Persona 5 and the one involving all the wild cards ) . To make up for that , Minato has a more powerful Persona which learns Megidolaon in that game .
As for that little tidbit about the shadow weaknesses , that's something I figured out when I played through Persona 3 for the first time . It. Only applies on Thebel , the first block , but it's handy for inexperienced players .
As you read from the cliffhanger , the situation is getting terribly out of hand for our poor inexperienced SEES members .. so will they make it out of Tartarus alive ? And how will that happen ? Stick around for the next part to find out ;)