Chapter 11

*Recommended Music: Princess Amagi (Persona 4 Arena Soundtrack)*

"Burning Petals!" Yukiko shouted. Her Persona swept its arm across its body, unleashing a flurry of flower petals at Tsukuyomi.

"Red Wall." Yukiko's shadow said. A red sphere appeared around Tsukuyomi as the flower petals burst into flames, engulfing the Persona in fire. When the flames died away, Tsukuyomi stood there unhurt. "You're really too predictable." The shadow sneered.

"Fire Break." Yukiko countered. The red sphere around Tsukuyomi shattered. "Agidyne!" Her Persona unleashed a blast of fire at Tsukuyomi. It tumbled backward, tumbling in the air and burning. Yukiko's Persona charged, but Tsukuyomi recovered and swung its sword at Sumeo-Okami. Sumeo-Okami took the hit and spun away. A second sword swipe was dodged as Sumeo-Okami shot skyward, blasting fire down at Tsukuyomi. It dodged to the side, avoiding the flames, and both Personas returned to their wielders.

"Clever." Yukiko's shadow said. "You always were. Unfortunately it's not enough." Tsukuyomi charged at Sumeo-Okami, slashing its sword at the latter's head. Sumeo-Okami blocked the swipe with an arm, but Tsukuyomi followed up the attack with a kick to Sumeo-Okami's midsection. It slammed backward into the cage surrounding the combatants. Yukiko grabbed her stomach, feeling her Persona's pain. Tsukuyomi approached the injured Sumeo-Okami, but Yukiko attacked the Persona with her chakram launcher. The first razor-sharp disc cut through Tsukuyomi, but the Persona blocked the second with its sword. In retaliation, it rushed sword-first at Yukiko.

Yukiko dove away, throwing a chakram at Tsukuyomi as it slammed into the ground where she had stood. A blast of fire sent Tsukuyomi scrambling as Sumeo-Okami returned. Tsukuyomi slashed repeatedly at Sumeo-Okami who darted side to side to avoid the attacks. Another blast of fire forced Tsukuyomi back, and again the combatants faced each other at a distance.

"I'm done playing games." The shadow declared. "Life Drain!" Tsukuyomi reached out a hand toward Sumeo-Okami. Beams of light were sucked from Sumeo-Okami and into Tsukuyomi.

Yukiko could feel herself weaken. She felt light-headed and her eyesight blurred. "Burning Petals." She whispered in desperation. Flower petals surrounded Tsukuyomi and burst into flames, incinerating the Persona. Yukiko's shadow screamed in pain as its Persona faded to static and disappeared, followed shortly thereafter by Yukiko's own Persona. Both combatants dropped to their knees in pain and exhaustion.

"Why won't you be a good girl and die?" Yukiko's shadow said. It stumbled to its feet but fell back down on its face. "I've had quite enough." The shadow tried to lift itself off the ground but immediately collapsed.

"I could say the same about you." Yukiko said from her knees. She bent over and rested on all fours. "Just accept that I've changed and that I'm better than you." She struggled to catch her breath, rolling onto her back.

"I'm going to end you!" The shadow yelled. It began slowly crawling toward Yukiko.

Yukiko sat up and faced the approaching shadow as it struggled along. She was feeling stronger; perhaps her Aura was healing her. She managed to stand, barely able to keep her balance, her legs aching. "It's over." Yukiko declared. She swung her chakram launcher around and pointed it at the shadow.

"I agree." The shadow said with a twisted smile. It suddenly sprung up and rushed at Yukiko. Yukiko tried to shoot, but the shadow pushed the weapon aside, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her off the ground. "I can't believe you fell for that. I thought you were supposed to be the smart one."

Yukiko struggled to breathe, but the shadow's hand was clamped tightly around her neck. She tried to aim her weapon at it but the shadow brushed it away. She flailed and punched at the shadow, but it ignored her strikes. She could feel her consciousness fading. She had to do something now. She felt around her back and found one of the chakrams for her gun. If Yukiko's shadow could reach her neck, she could reach its neck. She swung the chakram around and across the shadow's throat. It released its grip at once and staggered back, clutching at its neck. "You should have listened to me." Yukiko said. "I've changed and I'm a better person now." Black goo oozed out of the shadows neck and through its fingers until the shadow collapsed entirely, dissolving and disappearing.

The cage lifted and the others rushed to Yukiko's side. "Remind me to never piss you off." Yosuke said.

"Are you alright?" Yu asked.

"I'll be fine." Yukiko said as she rubbed her throat. "It doesn't matter what that monster said, I've changed."

"Does that mean I can score with you now?" Teddie asked.

Yukiko shoved the chakram right up to Teddie's face. "I told you to never mention that again." She growled. Teddie fainted.

"Yep, I'm going to make a point of never making you angry." Yosuke said.

"Alright, calm down Yukiko." Chie said with a nervous laugh. "Let's get back and see how the others are doing."

"That sounds good." Yukiko said with a smile, her anger gone. "So do you think Teddie will ever bring that up again?"

"For his sake, I hope not." Kanji said. They were all just a little afraid of Yukiko now.

*Recommended Music: I'll Face Myself -Battle- (Persona 4 Soundtrack)*

The buzzer rang as Jaune and the shadow, having taken on Pyrrha's appearance, faced off in the center of the stadium. "Alright, I can do this." Jaune said to himself.

"I hadn't expected to face such a weak opponent." The shadow taunted. "I thought I would have to face her. Fortunately, her psyche was more fragile than I anticipated." Pyrrha remained on her knees, tears streaming down her face.

"You'll pay for this!" Jaune shouted. He charged at Shadow Pyrrha, attacking with a backhand swing of his blade. The shadow easily blocked the attack with Akouo before sticking out its leg to trip Jaune. He fell flat on his face as the shadow laughed at him. Jaune stood and approached the shadow more carefully. The two circled, each looking for an opening to attack. The shadow seemed to let its guard down and Jaune took the opportunity to push Akouo out of the way with his own shield. He stabbed straight for the shadow's heart but it knocked his sword aside with Milo. Jaune was off balance and the shadow elbowed him in the face before winding up for a mighty swing of Milo. Jaune was just able to raise his shield in time, deflecting the incoming attack. The shadow unleashed a frenzy of slashes at him, but he was able to block them all. Now it was the shadow that had overextended and Jaune punched it in the face with his shield. It backed up, and the two fighters returned to circling each other.

"Not bad." The shadow said. "I guess I'll actually have to try."

Jaune disagreed. He had not done very well. All his skill and concentration had only been enough to stop him from being killed immediately. He was not sure he could keep it up. "Pyrrha, please help me." Jaune pleaded.

"Why?" Pyrrha asked. "How am I supposed to trust you? You've caused me so much pain."

The shadow charged, slamming into Jaune with Akouo. He tumbled backward, rolling across the ground until he finally came to rest on his back. He staggered to his feet, feeling dizzy. The shadow transformed Milo into its javelin form and threw it at Jaune. He saw it at the last moment. "Tetrakarn!" He shouted. His Persona appeared and in a flash of light, the javelin was reflected. It tumbled through the air and smacked side-first into the shadow's face. It seemed surprised for a moment, but quickly composed itself. It picked Milo up and rushed at Jaune again. The shadow prepared to swing Milo, now in sword form, as approached at a full spring. "Tetrakarn!" Jaune yelled again. In a flash of light the sword bounced off his face and smacked into the shadow's chest. Jaune followed up with a series of slashes that the shadow was only just able to block. He swung his sword overhand with all his might, but the shadow blocked it. It then kicked him in the groin. He crumpled to the ground in pain.

Instead of finishing him off, the shadow decided to taunt him. "You've got some interesting tricks, but in the end, you're just not good enough."

"Pyrrha, I'm begging you." Jaune implored. "I may not exactly know what you want from me, but I do know that I'm your friend. I would never use you. You've got to believe me." Pyrrha had stopped crying but remained silent and still. Jaune sat up as the shadow transformed Milo into its rifle variant. It took aim and fired straight at his head. "Tetrakarn." He said. The bullet bounced off and zipped past the shadow. The struggled to his feet and raised his sword and shield again. "Tarukaja." Jaune was bathed in light as he slowly approached the shadow. He stabbed at the shadow. His attack forced Akouo aside and his sword sank into the shadow's side.

The shadow screamed in pain. It spun away and roundhouse kicked Jaune in the side of the head. He tumbled across the floor again. "You're finished!" The shadow screamed.

"Tetrakarn." Jaune said, expecting protection from the oncoming attack. The shadow raised its arm and electricity shot from its fingers. Jaune writhed as the electricity coursed through his body. He crawled slowly toward Pyrrha as the shadow approached him. "Pyrrha, I'll keep attacking this thing until it kills me if that proves I care about you." He pulled out his scroll and slid in front of her. "No more aura to protect me. This is all I've got."

"Less talking, more dying." The shadow said. It raised Milo above its head and thrust it down at Jaune. He rolled out of the way and managed to get to his feet.

"Sukukaja." Jaune said. He was again bathed in light. The shadow attacked, swing Milo wildly, but Jaune dodged with inhuman speed. The shadow attacked over and over but Jaune was too fast and none of the attacks could find their target. He stabbed back at the shadow but the attack was blocked by Akouo. He slashed at it but was blocked again. He dodged a kick from the shadow and hit it in the midsection with his shield. The shadow was pushed back but immediately lunged at him with Milo. Jaune sidestepped it and elbowed the shadow in the jaw. The shadow just turned its head, rage written all over its face. The light surrounding Jaune faded and the shadow slammed its shield into his face. Jaune stumbled back, struggling to maintain his balance as his vision blurred and the world seemed to spin. He pointed his sword at the shadow but it grabbed his wrist and twisted it. He dropped his sword as he groaned in pain. The shadow shoved him to the ground and Jaune fell flat on his back.

"Finally." The shadow hissed. "I can end this." It put the tip of Milo to Jaune's neck. "Some hero you turned out to be." The shadow put its weight behind Milo as it thrust the blade at Jaune, but the blade did not budge. "What is this crap?!" The shadow struggled to force the blade into his neck but to no avail. Suddenly, the blade was ripped out of its hand by an unseen force. Milo floated through the air and turned around.

Pyrrha stood in intense concentration, her arm outstretched. "I will not be alone!" She screamed. She swung her outstretched arm toward the shadow and Milo shot through the air, sinking into the shadow's chest. The shadow stumbled and fell before dissolving and disappearing. Pyrrha rushed to Jaune, kneeling beside him. "I'm so sorry I doubted you. You came here to save me and I almost let you die."

"It was nothing." Jaune said with a pained smile. "I'm sorry for not trying to understand how you feel. Maybe we don't feel the same way about each other, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends, and it doesn't mean we can't change."

"I can't believe he survived." Weiss said as the rest of the group, now free of the invisible barrier, approached. They ignored her.

Pyrrha was engulfed in a purple flame. A tarot card descended from above and shattered before her. The figure of a beautiful woman wearing a blue gown and wielding a sword and spear much like Pyrrha's. "Thetis." Pyrrha whispered the name of her Persona. She immediately fell unconscious.

"It she alright?" Jaune asked.

"She's unconscious, but she just needs to rest." Ruby said. "The same thing happened to you when you awakened your Persona."

"So she's unconscious?" Jaune asked. Ruby nodded. "I am in so much pain right now. I didn't want Pyrrha to see me cry." Tears began streaming down his face as Aigis helped him to his feet.

"Will you be able to walk out of here without assistance?" Aigis asked.

"I don't think so." Jaune replied. Aigis helpfully picked him up. "Please never speak of this." He said to everyone.

"I'll carry her." Labrys volunteered, picking Pyrrha up. The group headed out.

The Investigation Team was waiting as Team RWBY, Aigis, Labrys, Jaune and Pyrrha emerged from Pyrrha's shadow world. "Only one more person left to rescue." Yosuke said. He turned to Jaune, still being carried by Aigis. "What's wrong with you?"

"He is in too much pain to walk." Aigis explained.

"My Persona says his injuries aren't that bad." Rise countered.

"Okay, I'm a big wuss." Jaune admitted. "There's no need to rub it in."

*Recommended Music: Troubled (Persona 3 Soundtrack)*

The group returned to the dorms to find Penny alone with Nora who was still sleeping soundly. Labrys gently laid Pyrrha down in her bed while Aigis did the same for Jaune. "Where's Helia?" Yang asked.

"She got a message on her scroll and left saying she had to take care of something." Penny explained. "She instructed me to remain here with Nora."

"When was this?" Blake asked with alarm.

"She departed several hours ago." Penny replied. "She did not say where she was going or what she was doing, but she did look very worried."

"She could be in trouble." Blake said. "We need to find her."

"My scroll can track hers." Ruby said. She tapped a few buttons on her scroll and a map of the area appeared. A small red dot blinked in the center. "She's outside near the Tower. Penny, wait here with these three while we see what's going on."

"I will friend." Penny said with a salute. Team RWBY, the Investigation Team, Aigis and Labrys rushed out to find Helia.

*Recommended Music: Troubled continues*

The group followed Ruby's scroll to where it said Helia was, but there was no one around. "Where could she be?" Weiss asked.

"This isn't good." Blake said. She held up Helia's scroll which she had found on the ground.

"Is there anything we can use on it to find her?" Naoto asked.

Blake tapped at Helia's scroll. "Oh no." Blake said. "Rosso Victrix escaped from prison."

"When?" Yang asked.

"The day after we got here." Blake replied.

"Why didn't she tell us?" Weiss asked. "We could have helped."

"There's more." Blake said. "She got a message a few hours ago from Rosso."

"How would Rosso be able to contact her?" Ruby asked.

"They were hunters in the same village." Naoto reminded her. "They would likely have been in contact regarding their work. In any case, what does it say?"

"Hello Helia, it's been some time." Blake read aloud. "I thought we could get together to talk about the good old days. I'm here at Beacon. Just meet me by the statue and we'll have a little chat."

"Damn it!" Yang shouted. "She should have waited for us. She walked right into his trap."

"Rise, can you locate Helia?" Yu asked.

Rise concentrated intensely. "She's at the top of the Tower." Rise reported.

"Well let's go get her." Ruby said.

"I mean the twisted version of it." Rise clarified. The Tower had already reverted to its normal appearance. "There are barriers blocking out way too. They only disappear when you save someone."

"We have to save her!" Blake shouted.

"Blake, there's nothing we can do right now." Yang said. "We just have to keep clearing out the shadow worlds to break down the barriers. I'm sure she'll be fine. Rosso probably wants to use her as bait to lure us to him. When the time comes, we'll be ready."