Part 8: 4/17/11 Part 1

4/17/11

After what we saw on the Midnight Channel, it seemed our worst fears may have been realized. I was going to meet Yosuke at Junes, but there was another problem I had to deal with.

VIDEO- "Misunderstanding"

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> It seems that only Nanako is here.

I was surprised Nanako was up already, though I should have known why.



He woke up early, so I woke up with him.
He said he's gonna be late.
> If you leave, Nanako will be left all alone to look after the house…
> On the other hand, you have important business with Yosuke today…

I really hated to leave her all alone in the house, but it seemed this was pretty normal.



I'll be fine by myself.
Weather Announcer: --so the weather this weekend will be perfect for going out.
As for next week's forecast…
Oh, the sun's gonna come out. I should do some laundry.
Uh… Weren't you going somewhere?
> ……
> You decided to go out.

Yosuke was waiting for me at the food court.



I found some stuff we can use in the closet at home.
Take a look at these!

In retrospect this was a bad idea.



So, which one strikes your fancy?
The katana.
Ahh, you've got discerning taste. This is a Junes exclusive.
The blade's fake, though…
As for me… Wait, maybe both would be good, too.
K-Kinda like this!?
Or like this!?
What about this!?

Yosuke's, um, kung fu skills attracted some unwanted attention.



Huh…? Ohh crap, I mean…
No… No no no no, this isn't what it looks like. We didn't steal it…
Uh, I guess that's not what matters… A-Anyways, we're not doing anything bad!
We're just two ordinary kids who like weapons and… Ugh, that doesn't sound right either. Ahaha…
Patrolman: Put the weapons down now! We'll listen to your story at the station.
Hands where I can see them, too! I said now!
B-But… This isn't…
Patrolman: Are you resisting an officer of the law!? Y-You're under arrest!
> You were taken to the police station with Yosuke as suspects…

And he got us arrested. Idiot. It's a good thing I'm related to a detective.

VIDEO- "At The PD"

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You know what's been going on around town. We got men stationed everywhere.
For god's sake… You're lucky I was around, or this would have ended up on your permanent record.
We're sorry…
> Your weapons have been confiscated…

That was when two of the other cops walked by. Their casual conversation brought our worst fears to life.



Uniformed Officer: Seems like it… But she's just a high schooler, you know. Could be that she decided to run away from home…
Hey…
Did he say Amagi…? Then… she really is…
Hm? Who's that now?
Oh, uh, nothing…
I'm sure you've seen on the news that there's an investigation in progress… We're sensitive about certain things.
You're free to go. But this better not happen again.

We almost bumped right into that detective who threw up at the first crime scene.



Huh? Aren't you the kid staying at Dojima-san's place?
Oh…! Uh, can we ask you something?
It's about Yukiko-san… I mean, Yukiko Amagi of the Amagi Inn…
Did something happen to her?
Huh? Oh, umm… Am I allowed to say…?
Well, if you're friends with Ms. Amagi… Keep this between us, okay?
We got a call from Ms. Amagi's parents yesterday evening saying they couldn't find her anywhere.
Since it was the weekend, the workers at the inn were extremely busy, and no one saw Ms. Amagi around that time.
Oh, but that doesn't necessarily mean this is a case just yet!
But, people've been turning up dead on foggy days… So we're really sensitive to stuff like this.
By the way, did she say anything to you guys about maybe going through some hard times?



Well, that announcer, Ms. Yamano, was staying at the Amagi Inn before the first murder.
Seems Ms. Yamano had some harsh words for the manager about the staff's attitude towards guests.
The stress of it caused the manager to collapse.
And with Ms. Amagi being the manager's daughter… She must've felt pretty strongly about the incident, y'know.
By the way, did Ms. Amagi ever hint that she might be leaving the house?
'Cause if not, there's been some theories floating around that she's laying low for some reason or another…
…Crap, I think I've gone too far. You didn't hear that, okay?
Adachi, what the hell are you chatting with civvies for!? And where's my coffee!?
S-Sorry! I got it right here!
Psst! Forget I said anything! Please!

We headed out to the lobby to talk. A familiar face was waiting for us out there.



There you are!
Sheesh, what're you guys doing!?
I've been looking everywhere!
Uh, well, there was a slight misunderstanding… We'll tell you about it later.
Anyways, something's up with Yukiko-san!
Huh? You know already!?
I kept calling her cell, but she didn't pick up…
So I went to her house, and it turns out Yukiko really did disappear…!
I guess we've got no choice but to go now…
But that aside, the cops are saying some weird stuff. They think Yukiko-san's hiding to "lay low"…
Apparently, Yukiko-san's mom collapsed because that announcer's lady bitched her out.
They think that gives her a motive, and the fact that the announcer died right after makes her even more suspicious…
What!? They think Yukiko did it!? What the hell is wrong with them!?
Dude, don't snap at me!
Yukiko's the victim here, dammit, not the suspect…
> They both seem agitated…

We needed to focus on what was important.



R-Right! That's the important thing!
With the police totally on the wrong track, we've gotta handle it ourselves.
I'm going too!
And that's final! I'm going to save Yukiko no matter what!
Are you gonna be all right…?
But man… They just confiscated our weapons. We can't go in empty-handed…
Weapons…? I know just the place!
C'mon, follow me!

Chie's obsession with martial arts movies worked in our favor.

VIDEO- "Getting Ready"

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Wh-What kind of shop is this…?
A metalworks… I guess? They sell all sorts of metal crap… like katanas and stuff.
Doesn't that seem weird to you!? Why would you know about a place like this anyway?
Oh, I get it… You watched one too many kung-fu movies, and…
It's not that at all! I overheard some guys in our class talk about it. They said this place sells weapons and armor.
Here, this one looks good.
Oh, but it might be too heavy…
I dunno, Chie… I still think it's too dangerous. I know how you feel, but-
You don't!
You don't know shit about how I feel… Yukiko might die from this, for crying out loud!
I'm going, and that's that!

There was no point trying to stop her. At the same time, though, she didn't know what kind of horrors were waiting for us in that place.



Psh, I'll be fine! My reflexes are second to none!
Listen… I'm not kidding around.
You don't know what it's like in there! If you're not gonna listen to our warnings, we're leaving you here!
If you insist on coming, just make sure you have something to protect yourself.
Alright…
But man, what should we get…?
Hey, Souji. Mind picking out something for me, too?
You're our main asset in battle right now, so I think you should choose whatever makes it easiest for you.
I got my stuff all picked out! How about you guys?

Yosuke did learn from our earlier mistake.



But it's not like we can waltz into Junes with a sack full of gear and expect no one to notice, either…
Why not conceal them under our uniforms? I don't think people would notice.
Okay… Let's try that.
Alright, let's split up and get ready.
The store'll be crowded until the afternoon sale ends, and if we walk around together the cops might get suspicious.
Then I'll see you guys at the Junes food court!

Gameplay Notes:
At Daidara's Metalworks we can buy weapons, armor, and accessories. Things don't work quite the same way as the police department in Persona 3, though. New inventory isn't unlocked by time, it's unlocked by selling bits of Shadows collected in the TV world. What this means is that we can't really properly upgrade our equipment until after we've stepped foot into a new dungeon. There's a few more little wrinkles we'll see later on.

As we split up to change, I noticed something I'm sure wasn't there before.



> It seems the others can't see the door…
So it finally begins…
Now, if you'll give me a moment of your time…
> The Velvet Key in your pocket is shining…

It seems the door leads to the Velvet Room. And boy did they have a lot to say.



The catastrophe that is headed your way… It has already taken human lives in its approach towards you…
But you have nothing to fear. You already have the power to fight against it.
It seems that the time for you to use your Persona has come… *chuckle *
Your Persona ability is that of the wild card.
If you strengthen your bonds properly, their power will help you overcome any ordeal.
Our role is to facilitate that.
My contribution… is to give birth to new Personas.
By mixing together multiple Persona cards, I can transmute them into a new form…
This, in other words, is the fusion of Persona.
You have the power to hold multiple Personas and to use them accordingly.
When you defeat an enemy, the seeds of possibility you attain will appear before you as cards.
At times, they may be hard to grasp… but you must master your fear and reach out to them.

Yeah I had no idea what the hell he was talking about there.



If you have been developing your Social Links, then your Persona will gain even more power…
They will be one of your chief sources of strength… You would do well to take this to heart.
> You recall that you have the Magician Social Link with Yosuke…
> It seems that when a Persona of the Magician Arcana is fused, that Persona will gain even more power…
The tome you see in my hand is the Persona Compendium.
Registering the Personas you hold will allow you to recall them at any time.
Please see me when you wish to use it.

Then Igor had a warning for me.



"The coming year is a turning point in your destiny… If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost."
I meant precisely what I said. Defeat in battle is not the only way your journey may come to an end…
Please do not forget this.
When next we meet, you will come here for your own will.
*chuckle * I look forward to it.
Until then… farewell.

Gameplay Notes:
So let's hit the high points of Fusion. There are two main types of Fusion, Double and Triple. The resulting Persona is based on two things, the Arcana of the ingredient Personas and their base levels. The result Persona will inherit a number of skills from the ingredients. The more total skills among your ingredients, the more inherited skill slots you'll get. Once you're happy with the skills it's randomly selected you to inherit, you can start the fusion. If you've got a Social Link of the Arcanum in question, your Persona will gain extra experience, gaining at least one full level. That's the basics of fusion.

I left the Velvet Room and headed back to change. We didn't know what might be waiting for us in the TV, but with Yukiko's life on the line we had no choice but to meet the challenge head on.

Next Time On Persona 4: The Chariot In Yellow