Part 13: Entry Ten: June 6th, 2009

Entry Ten: June 6th, 2009

Mood: Exhausted
Music: The Voice Someone Calls

First thing I've gotta say: if I never go back in Tartarus again, it'll be way too soon. I'm not sure how we're supposed to save the world when we're getting violated on a regular basis by Shadows. Maybe we just need more practice...oh well.



As far as non-Tartarus stuff goes, it's been a little of the old and a lot of the new. For instance, last Sunday I hung out with Bebe.



Bebe: Speaking of Japanese music...I love ze sound of zee crickets. It eez very soothing...'ow about you, Minato-sama? Do you like ze sound of ze crickets?

Yeah sure why not.



Bebe: I would like for my aunt to hear them chirp...



...Yeah, it was Bebe at his best.



I got that weird tingly Social Link feeling, but nothing really came of it, so I guess I'll have to wait.



That night, we headed off to Tartarus. We've been doing a whole lot of that lately, since the next full moon's coming up.



We're in a new Block now, Aqha, so of course there's new Shadows. I don't even know how this Bestial Wheel is alive, or even if it is, but there were no shortage of them when we went exploring. They're a pain in the ass - they're weak to wind and lightning attacks, but they have a ton of HP so it takes forever to kill them regardless.



These Wild Beasts, on the other hand, were a lot easier to deal with. Mitsuru's Analyze didn't say so, but they're very weak to Charm attacks, which were easy enough to pull off using Lilim.



We also ran into these floating cloaked Shadows who used a spell called Mudo. It didn't work too often, but when it did, whoever they cast it on was done for right then and there.

(That includes Minato. This game's about to get a lot less friendly.)



Ugh, these Soul Dancers really freaked me out. That heart-shaped thing floating above its body is its head, for instance, and they seem to actually be fused together at the hand.



We got into some pretty tough situations as we ascended - sometimes the others would ask to be let out of battle if things were going poorly. I tried to avoid that kind of thing as much as I could; makes for bad morale.

Wow, I guess I'm starting to sound like a leader, huh?



On the bright side, all the practice helped us learn some new tricks - Junpei can cast Rakukaja to increase our defenses now, for instance.



Another good thing - we found a Rare Chest while we were searching around. All it had was a Warrior's Seal, which allows counterattacking, but still.



The practice as we climbed paid off in more ways than one...




...as my Persona capacity went up when I hit level ten. I feel kinda bad for the others, since they can't change Personas or anything like that.



It wasn't all easy, though. One time we entered a new floor and found we were all seperated for some reason. Fortunately nothing bad happened, but it was a pretty scary moment.



When we were done training, we called it a night and headed back to the dorm.



The next day at school, I ran into Mitsuru.

Mitsuru: There seems to be a sense of restlessness in the air. I just hope it doesn't have anything to do with Shadows. Akihiko said we may be recieving a new member, but we don't know when we'll be attacked...

Actually, I have a pretty good idea it'll be fairly soon, but I didn't mention anything just yet.



After school that day I went to the mall to talk to that guy Kenji called the Gourmet King again.



I was indeed there to do that, and I answered his last question right this time around.



Gourmet King?: I'm impressed. You seem to have some knowledge about food. But it pales in comparison to mine! Let's see...can you bring me something I've never eaten before? I doubt such a thing exists, though.

It turns out I had an odd morsel of some sort from a suitcase in Tartarus, so I went ahead and gave him that.



Gourmet King?: G-give that to me! Ugh...this is...awful! But I'm impressed. I haven't tasted something like that in all my life.



Well, that was easy...



Gourmet King?: Um, I'm kind of embarassed to say this to you first thing, but..



...I don't know if that's a compliment or not.

Gourmet King?: If pople start thinking we're best friends or something, I'm going to end up as "the uncool one."



All of a sudden, some guy in a suit showed up and started talking to the chubby guy.

Suit: You know what I'm here for. Hand it over.
Gourmet King?: Wh-whoa...it-it's you...h-h-h-help! Uh, emergency! Call the fire truck, I mean the...

I asked if he meant the police...



...and I guess I was right.

Suit: Pipe down. I don't want anyone getting suspicious. Look, I have to go take care of some business, but you're...Nozomi Suemitsu, aren't you? Yeah, thought so...you're going to have to reconsider. I really can't let this one slide.

The suit took off after that.



Gourmet King?: My name is Nozomi Suemitsu! By the way, about what I said before...maybe it's not so bad having you stand in front of me.



And the majority of you people wanted me to befriend this guy. My life is a goddamn mess.




Oh well, I guess we all have to make sacrifices.




Especially if it means becoming more supernaturally powerful just for hanging out with a fat kid.



Nozomi: You want to tag along? Do you know who I am?




Nozomi: I know all the best places for...uh, what? That...sounds like a tummy emergency. This is gonna be tooe xpensive. I'll have to treat you another time. Don't worry, I'll remember!



I promptly blamed this on all of you and headed back to the dorm.



That night, we all met up in the lounge.



Junpei: Well, there's this rumor it was an angry spirit from this one ghost story.
Yukari: H-hey! C'mon...nobody believes that stuff..right?!
Mitsuru: So, what is this ghost story about?
Yukari: Wha?! It's probably made up...so why bother?!
Akihiko: I'm interested. Go ahead and tell us.
Yukari: Uh...



Oh for the love of...





Where did he get that flashlight from, anyway?



Junpei: ...There are many strange things in this world...according to one story...if you get caught at school late at night, you'll be devoured by a maniacal ghost that roams the halls! The other day, this friend of mine -- let's call him Shu...he said to me "Junpei, I saw something strange." He sounded serious, so I asked him what he'd seen. He said it was about the girl in 2-E...he claims he saw her go into the school on the night of the incident. I couldn't believe it. She's not the kind of girl to be out at night...but She was white as a sheet. He insisted it was true...then it hit me...



Junpei: And that's why they found her lying on the ground by the gate! I felt a chill run down my spine, and I broke into a cold sweat...




That was...something.



Akihiko: I think it's worth investigating.
Junpei: Wow, I didn't know you were afraid of ghosts, Yuka-tan. That's kinda funny.
Yukari: Hey, watch it! F-fine, then let's investigate. We'll each ask around for the rest of the week. I'll prove to you that this ghost story is just an urban legend!
Mitsuru: I appreciate that. The story is a bit unnerving.
Akihiko: Then I'll let you guys handle it. Just make sure you sleep with one eye open...



Yukari, as you can imagine, immediately leapt into action digging up stuff on the ghost story.



I was kinda thankful that it meant she couldn't go to Tartarus, as I might finally get a full night's sleep that way.



... Or not.




Boy: I'm glad you remembered me.




Lovely. Why can't I spend my time worrying about normal kid things like finals instead of, y'know, being attacked by giant extradimensional demon monsters every full moon? My life is a goddamn mess.



I wish you wouldn't.



Anyway, the next day Yukari was still pumped about the ghost story thing.

Yukari: Ya know what? From this day forward, I'm gonna do my best!

I had no idea what she was talking about, and said so.

Yukari: Duh! The ghost story! Did you already forget what we talked about last night? ...You're hopeless. You better find out as much as you can, too. Remember, you only have until Friday! I'm counting on you, Minato-kun.

Yeah yeah.



I chatted with Kenji for a bit after school that day.

Kenji: Never leave 'em hanging, that really makes 'em mad. Oh, and NEVER break a promise. That's, like, the worst thing you could ever do. And remember, chicks get jealous easily. If your chick sees you walking home with another chick, you're dead, dude.



"Emiri"...? ...Oh.



Kenji was kinda freaking me out, so I went to track team practice instead.



I raced Kazushi and pretty much kicked his ass. Shows what running around in Tartarus does for you.

Kaz: ...How 'bout you? You okay? You've been pushing the pace...you don't even look tired. What kind of training have you been doing?

Well, it's...uh, "special training".



Kaz: Minato...you're crazy. This sucks...you destroyed me...I knew the Bay Area competition would be tough, but I never expected to be going up against someone like you. ...I've made up my mind!



The burning passion of Kazushi's blood filled him with righteous fury, and he swore a gentleman's oath!




This reminds me of that one television show, where the kid gets a track rival and advances a Social Link.





Yeah, that show was awesome. Kaz was complaining about his knee on the way back to the locker room, but I figured it wasn't anything to worry about.



On the way back to the dorm, I ran into Yuko.



I tried to get her to walk home with me, and failed miserably. Guess I'm stuck with Chihiro and/or Bebe forever.



The next day, I ran into Junpei on the way into school.

Junpei: Hey, are you looking into that ghost story?

No, not really, I said.



Junpei: I've got better things to do...besides, I have plenty of scary stories up my sleeve. I bet you pissed your pants when you heard that story the other night. They say it's true, though.



After school that day, popular opinion dictated that I head to the mall to hang with Nozomi again. Did I mention I hate you guys?



I accepted. Reluctantly.

Nozomi: Then let's go to the Beef Bowl Shop. That's the place for you.



Beef bowls are actually pretty good. If you've ever been to Panda Express or such in America, you pretty much have the idea.



No, I just spent two nights a week demonslaying. It's good exercise.



Why, how dare they!



Nozomi: They think they understand how I got this far, but they're wrong. The sooner they accept that, the better for them. Because of your corageous appetite, I will declare you as a supporter of the Gourmet King.



Wonderful.




Oh, the things I do for Social Links.





I really hope a Link doesn't show up where I have to become a male cheerleader or something, because I know that'd be getting maxed.



Nozomi: It kind of feels like I have a younger brother now. So, how 'bout it? Do you want to have me as a big brother?

If I could shoot myself without obliterating everything in a five-mile radius, I'd do it right now.



Thank God. Nozomi ended up going back for another beef bowl, and I ended up going back to the dorm to vomit.



The next day, I ran into a very tired-looking Yukari.

Yukari: This sucks...I spent so much time thinking about ghost stories that now I'm having nightmares...

She added that she had some information on our case that she thought was useful, and that she was going to look into it more today.



I felt like working off that greasy crap I had with Nozomi the day before, so I went to track practice after school.



Kaz: I'll show you what I'm made of! ...Hm? ...?! Dammit, y-you serious...?!



All of a sudden, Kaz collapsed, clutching his knee.




Since when did asthma involve the knee...



Kaz: The big meet is next year, but don't push yoruself too hard. Minato, can you take him home?

Both senpais left, and I talked to Kaz a bit before heading home.



Kaz: Um...my asthma's just acting up...



Kaz: Minato, I...my knee hasn't felt right since that day you first came to practice...even if I put medicine on it or massage it, the pain won't go away. Of course it'll heal, but I can't afford to stop training, so I'll work through the pain!



Kaz: There will be participants from all over Japan. The regional meet pales in comparison. I have to win at that meet! I can't afford to put my training on hold! There are a lot of nosy guys on the team. If they find out, they'll keep bugging me about it...Minato, please keep it a secret, alright?!

Well, he seems to trust me with that kind of secret...




...so that's good.





Still, I wouldn't feel right lying about that kind of thing. He could be really badly hurt.




I was going to head back to practice, but it was over by the time I got there, so I started heading home instead.



I ran into Yuko again on the way out. I asked if she'd like to walk home again...



...and lo and behold, it actually worked!



Yuko: Why don't we stop somewhere along the way?



I took Yuko to Chagall Cafe, mostly because I figured some Pheromone Coffee would help me get somewhere with her.



Yuko: "Where's my towel?" "Can you wash this for me?" ...I'm not their mother. At least I don't have to worry about gaining weight, since I'm always running around and taking care of them. How about you, Minato-kun? Are you enjoying Track Team?

Well, yeah, it beats hanging out with Nozomi.



Yuko: I thought it might be boring for you, since you're so much better than everyone else...you've got your own style...you don't waste much energy. If you have any questions, just ask Kaz...um, y'know, Kazushi. You guys are in the same class, so I'm sure he'd be willing to help you.



She's expressing concern!




Y'know, if I had this kind of positive reinforcement every time I succeeded socially growing up...





...I'd have maybe two Social Link ranks. And those would be for my cat.



The rest of the day was uneventful, but I was feeling restless that night, so I decided we should go to Tartarus.



I made a new Persona, Yomotsu Shikome, at the Velvet Room first. It was...another woman. Great.



She was filled with the power of the Internet, effectively making me unstoppable.



We continued where we left off, and before long we made it to another powerful set of Shadows.

Tartarus Boss 4 - Crying Table

(Right about here is where the game stops fucking around. These guys hit very hard, and without a definite strategy you'll get your ass handed to you. Fortunately, they're weak to Ice, so focusing on that and ensuring that your party members hold back will let you whittle them down without much resistance.)



I wanted to keep going, but we were all tired after fighting a bunch of tables, plus I didn't feel like I was fully prepared. Instead, I went and created a few more Personas for fusion. Inugami, for instance, is probably a female dog given my luck.



Forneus is probably a female manta ray.



And Legion is probably a...what the fuck is Legion, anyway, and why was it hiding inside my brain?



...Y'know what, I'm just gonna wrap this entry up here. The full moon's coming soon, and the last thing I need is mental trauma.

Oh yeah, here's the updated list:

Magician: Kenji, the classmate
Chariot: Kazushi, the track star
Hierophant: Bunkichi and Mitsuko, the bookstore properietors
Emperor: Hidetoshi, the head of the disciplinary committee
Hermit: Maya, the MMORPG player
Temperance: Bebe, the foreigner
Hanged Man: Miako, the grade schooler
Justice: Chihiro, the treasurer
Moon: Nozomi, the Gourmet King
Strength: Yuko, the Track Team manager
???: The man who talks like a woman at the station? (Needs Charm)

Coming up in the next entry: The last few days before the full moon...