Chapter 29

"The people in these paintings remind me of Pyrrha." Yang said as the group walked through the gallery of ancient Greek and Roman art. "The armor is very similar, but I don't see too many women depicted."

"The only females from ancient Greece that would be portrayed as warriors would be goddesses." Naoto explained. "Even then, there would only be a few. Throughout its history Earth has had very few female warriors."

"That's weird." Ruby said. "On Remnant, women have always fought alongside men."

"Well, it's a little different here." Rise said. "For one thing, women tend to be less physically strong, and without semblances to compensate, that can make it more difficult for them. Sexism plays a roll too."

"Yeah, in ancient Greece women were only just above slaves on the social ladder." Yosuke said.

"How long ago was that?" Blake asked.

"Over 2000 years for ancient Greece." Yu replied.

"It's better now, right?" Weiss asked. "Right?"

"Well, that depends on a few factors." Naoto said. "In some parts of the world, women are treated equally, or at least nearly so. In others, well, some animals get more respect."

"That's horrible." Yang said.

"It sure is." Yu said.

"Alright, let's move on." Rise said. "I think medieval art is in the next gallery."

"Were things better for women then?" Blake asked.

"Maybe we should skip that one." Yosuke suggested.

"Where is everyone?" Weiss asked as the group returned to the warehouse the next day. Many of the doctors were gone, as were the Shadow Operatives they had already rescued.

"I sent them back to Japan for further treatment." Kikuno said. "The Kirijo Group has better facilities and they were well enough to travel. I'm sorry you didn't have the opportunity to see them first. The arrangements required immediate action."

"It's alright." Yosuke said. "I'm sure they're happy to be back home."

Naoto's phone rang. "Shirogane." She answered it. "Hello again detective." There was a short pause. "Yes, thank you. One of my friends quite enjoyed the game and we all had a good time."

Yang grabbed the phone. "Hockey is awesome!" She shouted.

Naoto snatched it back. "Sorry." She said. "No we met her here." Another pause. "Really, football?" She looked a bit confused. "Oh, that makes sense." She looked at the others. "Our schedule is still a bit unpredictable, but I guess we could if time permits." She nodded a few times as Waters spoke. "Okay, we'll meet you there if we can."

"Waters again?" Yosuke asked. "What's up this time?"

"He has some extra tickets to an American football game." Naoto replied. "It's tomorrow night in New Jersey."

"Aw, I was hoping for more hockey tickets." Yang sighed.

"I don't know much about it, but American football is a very high-contact sport." Naoto said. "I think it's something you'll enjoy. I'm not sure about the rest of us."

"We should give it a shot." Rise said. "We may never get another chance to see a game in person. Is it hard to get there?"

"No, Waters said we only need to take two trains." Naoto replied. "That'll get us right to the stadium. He'll meet us there."

"Okay then, we'll go if there's time." Ruby agreed. "Right now we should focus on saving the rest of the Shadow Operatives."

"Of course." Naoto said. "Let's get to work."

"Well, we're halfway there." Weiss said as the group passed the four boarded up doors and approached the entrance to the next dream world. The next one had the word 'Weakness' inscribed on it.

"That's very strange." Yu said. "I can't see any of the Shadow Operatives as weak."

"Yeah, especially the four left." Rise agreed. "They might be the strongest of all."

"Unfortunately I don't have any insight." Naoto sighed. "We'll just have to find out who it is by going in."

The latest dream world looked like a gym. Racks of weights lined the walls, and the floors were covered with pads. "Well, this has to be Akihiko." Yosuke said. "He's a workout freak."

"Yes, but how could weakness fit in?" Naoto asked. "His entire existence is based on gaining strength."

"Maybe some weakness is the underlying reason for that." Blake suggested. "He could be running from something or trying to compensate."

"His life story is a series of tragedies." Naoto said. "He was orphaned. His sister died when they were young. His friend Shinjiro was killed when they were in high school, and another of his friends died as a result of their battle against Nyx. Still, in the time we spent with him he didn't seem to be particularly hung up on any of that. He was always just focused on getting stronger."

"Maybe it's how he copes." Yang said. "He's been through so much. Maybe going from fight to fight is the only way he can deal with it all."

"Heads up guys!" Rise yelled. "Shadow incoming!"

A pair of metal double-doors at the far end of the room burst open. In walked what looked like a caricature of a bodybuilder. It had unnaturally matte black skin, wore a tiny red speedo, and had long blond hair and a mask for a face. It towered over them, easily ten feet tall. At first, the shadow seemed uninterested in the group. It walked across the room to where a large barbell sat on the floor. Both ends of the bar featured cartoonishly large weights, each labeled '1 Ton.' The shadow picked up the bar with one arm and did a bicep curl with ease. It laughed and turned toward the group. The shadow reached back and hurled the barbell at the group, just missing and leaving the mass of metal embedded in the wall behind them. It might have looked like a joke, but this shadow was definitely strong.

"I think it's time for a test of strength!" Yang declared. She rushed toward the shadow and punched it in the gut with all her might. The shadow did not budge. It let out a deep laugh, then with a casual swat sent Yang hurtling across the room. She landed on her side and tumbled across the floor before coming to a rest on her back. "That was dumb." She groaned. The shadow laughed at her pain and stood so that it was blocking the exit.

"Any idea what it's weak to Rise?" Yosuke asked.

"I can't get a clean scan." Rise complained. "There's too much interference."

After the shadow's tremendous display of strength against Yang, the group was hesitant to attack it. Growing impatient, the shadow picked up a rack of weights and tossed it at the group. They dove aside as the rack disintegrated and sent weights flying with a loud metallic crash. Yu sent his Persona in to challenge the towering shadow. Izanagi-no-Okami thrust its blade at the shadow, but the shadow punched the weapon aside and the force caused the Persona to spin around, leaving its back facing the shadow. Without hesitation, the shadow grabbed the Persona's head and slammed it down into the ground. Yu wobbled in a daze as his Persona began to fade. With a stomp, the shadow finished off his Persona and knocked Yu out cold.

Naoto's Persona assaulted the shadow with a series of fireballs. The shadow tried to come to grips with its attacker but the Persona was too quick. As Naoto's Persona darted back and forth, Weiss summoned her Persona to join the fray. Ananke charged at the shadow, but was not fast enough. She shadow turned and punched at Ananke, striking the Persona's shield. Ananke slid back across the floor as a result of the force from the hit, but was able to recover in time to dodge as the shadow lunged forward to strike. Ananke struck the shadow in the mask with its shield, and it fell backward. This had unintended consequences. Naoto's Persona got caught between the shadow and the wall as the shadow slammed backward. Naoto was forced to withdraw her Persona while Weiss continued to fight with her own.

Now able to focus solely on Weiss' Persona, the shadow regained the advantage. Ananke thrust its sword at the shadow, but it dodged the strike. It pinned Ananke's head under its arm and, falling backward, slammed the Persona to the ground. The shadow then stood, lifted Ananke over its head, and threw the Persona across the room. The shadow stomped forward with confidence, approaching the downed Persona. Blake quickly summoned Diana and the Persona unleashed an electrified arrow at the shadow. The arrow found the eye hole in the shadow's mask. The shadow roared in pain and grabbed its face as it stumbled away. Now was the prime opportunity to attack. Yosuke and Ruby used blasts of wind from their Personas to knock the wounded shadow off its feet. Diana flew above the shadow and fired an arrow down into its torso, pinning it to the floor. As the shadow struggled, Ananke got back to its feet and approached. The Persona hefted its sword, the brought it crashing down on the shadow's neck, decapitating it. The shadow melted and evaporated away.

"That was really good teamwork." Rise praised the others. "And now my scans are clearer. I can at least figure out the layout of the area. Including this one, there are three rooms. I think Akihiko is in the last one, but it's still a bit fuzzy."

"Can you sense any shadows?" Ruby asked.

"Sort of." Rise replied. "It's hard to tell. There must be more here but I can't tell exactly where."

The group proceeded into the next room. In the center was a wrestling or boxing ring lit by several spotlights. As soon as they had all entered, the doors locked. "Two will enter, one will leave!" A voice from an unknown source boomed through the room. "Who will represent you in this fight? Enter the ring, champion!"

"To hell with this one-on-one crap." Yosuke said. "Let's all get in the ring." He and Yang climbed into the ring, sliding under the bottom rope.

"The match won't start until you select a combatant!" The announcer voice bellowed. "This isn't a tag-team match!"

"I guess we really don't have a choice." Yang said. "I guess I'll fight."

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, I've got this." Yang said as she slammed her fists together. Yosuke climbed out of the ring, leaving Yang alone.

"Our fight is finally set!" The announcer thundered. "Our first fighter comes all the way from Vale on Remnant, by way of Patch! It's Yang Xiao-Long!" Yang could not help but be hyped up by the introduction. She cracked her knuckles and waited for her opponent to appear. "Next up, our defending champion, from parts unknown, the mysterious masked man, El Diablo!" A glob of black sludge dropped down from the ceiling and into the ring. It formed into a man with burning skin who wore a luchador mask. "Now fighters, let's have a good clean match, to the death!" A bell rang and the fight was on.

Yang and the shadow face each other in the center of the ring, circling around and looking for an opening. The shadow stepped back and shouted a battle cry as flames erupted all around it. Yang crouched into her stance and slammed her fists together. To her surprise, her hair erupted in flames the way it did when her semblance was activated. She was excited to be fighting in her accustomed style again. The shadow ran at Yang as she lined up to punch it. Her strike went high as the shadow ducked under her fist. It stopped behind her and elbowed Yang in the back of the head. Yang turned and swung her fist around, but the shadow once again evaded the strike, dropping down to its knee. It grabbed both of Yang's legs and with a pull sent her slamming down onto her back.

The shadow jumped into the air and brought its fist down toward Yang, but she rolled out of the way just in time and sprung to her feet. She punched at the shadow but it ducked again, this time hitting her with a counter uppercut. Yang wobbled and the shadow grabbed her by the arm, slinging her toward the ropes. Yang bounced off the elastic barrier. The shadow jumped up, landed on her shoulder with its knees, then back flipped with her head pinned between its legs. Yang was flipped completely over and slammed down on her back. The shadow climbed atop the ropes in the corner and dove off at Yang. She lifted her knees just as the shadow arrived, digging into its midsection. The shadow bounced off and rolled around on the floor in pain.

Yang was hurting and struggled to her feet as the shadow did the same. Both arrived at the middle of the ring at the same time. Yang reared back and punched the shadow in the face. The shadow stumbled back but lunged forward with a punch of its own. The strike landed, hitting Yang in the cheek and she staggered back before unleashing her own punch. The shadow was hit in the forehead and wobbled, almost falling as it spun around and struggled to stay up. Yang charged at the shadow, but it suddenly recovered and hit her with a dropkick, knocking her to the mat. Both combatants lay there for a moment, exhausted by their battle.

The shadow got to its hands and knees while Yang still lay on her back, seemingly unconscious. The shadow crawled over and straddled Yang. Fire erupted from its fist as it reared up to strike. Yang's eyes snapped open and she caught the shadow's fist. Her hair became engulfed in flames and her eyes turned red. Yang tugged on the shadow's arm and rolled, ending up sitting on its chest. She furiously rained down blows as the shadow desperately tried to defend itself. Yang pounded the shadow in the face again and again and soon it stopped struggling. She continued to punch it until the shadow melted and evaporated away.

Yang stood in the center of the ring breathing heavily. Slowly, the fire in her hair began to fade and her eyes returned to their normal lilac. "Your winner, by fatal knockout, Yang Xiao-Long!" The announcer shouted. Yang raised her fist over her head and did a victorious victory lap around the ring, playing to a non-existent crowd.

"Yang, are you okay?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Yang said. "He wasn't that tough."

"But you're bleeding." Ruby said.

Yang drew her hand across her forehead and wiped away some blood. "No big deal." Yang said. "I've had worse."

"That fight looked pretty rough." Rise said. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Don't worry about it." Yang said. "That felt great."

"Alright then, let's move on." Yosuke said.

"Akihiko's definitely in the next room with a shadow." Rise said. "Let's go."

"I feel pretty good about this fight." Akihiko said. He moved around the MMA cage, throwing punches at an imaginary opponent. "Training's been going really well. That guy doesn't stand a chance. The title will be mine!"

"I'm glad you're confident, but aren't you pushing yourself a bit hard." Miki said. Akihiko's sister was also his manager. "It wouldn't do you any good to wear yourself out before you even have the chance to fight."

"I know my limits." Akihiko said. He stopped his imaginary battle and walked over to his sister who leaned against the cage beside the door. "Besides, it would be even worse if I showed up to fight totally unprepared."

"Well, you know you I guess." Miki shrugged. "So, are you ready to head home? You've been working out for hours."

"I guess I could go for a meal and some rest." Akihiko said. "I've hit all my goals for today."

"Akihiko!" Rise called as the group rushed into the room and approached the cage. For the group entering, the room was all wrong. The ceiling was so high above them as to be invisible, and the area surrounding the cage was empty and as expansive as a sports arena.

"Who's that?" Miki asked.

"Probably just another fan." Akihiko said. "For some reason the ladies just love to follow me around." He turned to the approaching group. "Sorry guys, if you wanted to watch me train you're too late. I'm going home."

"We're here to rescue you." Ruby said.

"Rescue me?" Akihiko said. "What are you talking about?"

"This world is all a…who's she?" Yosuke asked. The woman had a clear resemblance to Akihiko, but they had never seen her before.

"This is my sister and manager Miki." Akihiko said.

"You don't remember do you?" Naoto asked.

"Remember what?" Akihiko asked. He was thoroughly confused by the encounter with the mysterious group, but for some reason could not just leave them.

"Akihiko, this world is just a dream." Naoto said. "Your sister died when you were children."

"That's absurd." Akihiko scoffed. "She's standing right here. What do you guys really want huh? Have you come to throw me off my game? The champ is always playing mind games."

"Don't you remember?" Naoto asked. "Miki died in a fire at the orphanage. You tried to save her but couldn't."

"But that…the orphanage…fire?" Akihiko stammered. With an angry grunt her grabbed both sides of his head as pain shot through his skull. "No, no, no…I don't want to remember. This is…Miki's alive damn it!"

"You know that isn't true." Yang said. "This is just a dream and you need to wake up."

"Leave him alone!" Miki shouted. She stepped between the group and the cage. "I won't let you take him! I won't let him return to his suffering!"