Chapter 33

"Of course not." Yosuke sighed as the group entered the school. "Why would it be?" The Yasogami High School of Labrys' dream was vastly different from the one that existed in the real world. "It doesn't even match the outside." Instead of a small entranceway packed with shoe lockers, it was spacious and at least twice as big as it should have been. The hallways that stretched off to either side looked endless, but judging by the lack of doors did not seem to have any classrooms. The ceiling was far too high and the staircase was stretched until it was dangerously steep.

"Well, Labrys is upstairs somewhere." Rise reported. "And there's a shadow on the way. It's…familiar."

"Well, well, well." A voice said, seemingly from everywhere. "Look who's back."

"Seriously?" Yosuke groaned. "Just when I thought things couldn't get weirder or more annoying. Alright, come on out you stupid bear."

"Stupid bear?!" The voice shouted back indignantly. "I am nothing of the sort! I am General Teddie!" Smoke billowed up from the floor forming a thick cloud. When it cleared General Teddie was there. "You fools thought you were done with me! Guess again! I will have my revenge!"

"It's not the real General Teddie." Rise indicated. "It's just another shadow."

"I think you'll find I'm real enough." General Teddie declared, a threatening tone creeping into his voice. "Now, if you want to move on, one of you will have to face me."

"What do you mean one of us?" Ruby asked.

"I mean this will be a one-on-one match." General Teddie explained. "Do you really think I'd be foolish enough to fight you all at once? Let's see, who will it be?"

"I'll do it." Yu volunteered.

"Nope." General Teddie said. "I'll be choosing my opponent. Oh, I have an idea. How about the kitty cat? Animal versus animal! I can bear-ly contain my excitement!"

"I'm no animal!" Blake declared. "I'll end you for that insult!" She drew Gambol Shroud and stepped forward.

"Blake, hold on." Weiss said, reaching after her. Weiss' hand came up against an impenetrable and invisible barrier. "What is this?"

"I can't risk you interfering now can I?" General Teddie said with a sly smile. "Let's get this fight started." General Teddie snapped his hands out to his sides and long blades slid out from his knuckles. "I might look cute but this bear has claws!"

Blake charged forward, firing Gambol Shroud. The shadow held up a hand and a shield made of ice appeared, blocking the incoming shots. Blake continued to fire, creating cracks in the shield, until her magazine ran dry. The shadow smiled, leaned back and then thrust its arms forward. The ice shield fragmented into about a dozen jagged shards that fired towards Blake. Blake dove aside, her double taking the hit. Her semblance was working normally.

With Blake's attack halted, the shadow went on the offensive. Though the rotund shadow looked slow and clumsy, it moved with stunning alacrity. It lunged at Blake, thrusting its claws forward. Blake ducked back and knocked the shadow's arm away with her blade. Almost falling over backwards, Blake dropped her hand to the ground and pushed off to the side just as the shadow swiped at her with its other claw. The attack just missed. Blake cartwheeled back to her feet and stabbed forward with Gambol Shroud. The shadow dropped to the ground, falling under the attack, then rolled aside. It continued rolling, its vague cone shape forcing it around in a circle. The shadow rolled all the way around and Blake jumped over it. The shadow halted its roll immediately and stabbed upward at the airborne Blake. Blake kicked the claws away and planted both her feet on the shadow's face. She pushed up, vaulting into a backflip that landed her on her feet a few meters away.

The shadow growled and stood up. It ran at Blake and leapt into a spinning dive with its claws held forward. Blake raised Gambol Shroud to block the drill-like attack, but the shadow twisted the weapon away from her. It clattered across the floor and came to rest against the invisible wall. Blake had succeeded in stopping the shadow's momentum. Back on its feet it stabbed at her repeatedly as she side-stepped and leapt back to avoid the strikes. The shadow lashed out for a powerful swipe but missed and it stumbled off balance. Blake grabbed the shadow by the sides of its head and front flipped over it. Once behind it she kicked it in the back and sent it sprawling to the floor. Free for the moment, Blake rushed over and retrieved Gambol Shroud.

The shadow did not afford her much of a respite. With a high-pitched yell the shadow charged, wildly flailing its blade-tipped arms. Blake slid aside, leaving behind a double. The shadow crashed through the double and smashed face-first into the invisible wall. It staggered back dizzily and struggled to stay on its feet. Blake leapt at the chance and stabbed straight through the shadow's chest. There was almost no resistance. For a moment, Blake and the shadow stared at each other in shock. Then an evil smile crept across the shadow's face. Blake tried to withdraw her blade, but something held it in place. It was almost as if someone was holding onto it. The shadow began laughing maniacally but its arms remained limp at its sides. Desperate, Blake planted her foot on the shadow's chest and used it to wrench her blade free, slicing upwards as she tore it away.

The shadow's costume fell in half, revealing a thin blond boy inside. The boy had youthful and delicate features but the madness in its eye belied its true identity as a shadow. Though the suit was gone, the claws remained attached to the boy's hands, seemingly fused to his body. Blake and the shadow lunged forward at the same moment. The shadow contorted its body to avoid Blake's strike while simultaneously tying up her weapon with its claws. Showing remarkable flexibility, the shadow forced Gambol Shroud toward the floor and kicked Blake in the face.

Blake recoiled from the blow and almost fell over backwards. The shadow did not miss the chance to attack and immediately swiped its claws at her. Blake jumped back as best she could, but she was unable to prevent the claws from digging three parallel slices into her stomach. They were not life-threatening but they were incredibly painful. Still backing up, Blake swiped away with Gambol Shroud to keep the shadow back. Now looking very confident, the shadow approached. Blake backed up against the invisible wall. She could go no further. She slammed a fresh magazine into her gun and fired a few shots into the shadow. The shots pierced the shadow but the holes closed up immediately. The shadow reared back and stabbed forward with all its strength. Blake dove aside, leaving an icy double in her place. The shadow's claws stuck in the double. It struggled to free itself but to no avail. Blake thrust forward and stabbed her blade through the shadow's neck from the side, severing its head. As its head rolled about the floor, the shadow melted and evaporated away.

With a bright flash the invisible walls were gone. The hallways and stairs snapped back to their proper proportions, returning the school to its real-world layout. "Blake are you alright?" Weiss asked with alarm.

"I'm fine." Blake said. She ran her fingers across the wounds on her stomach and looked at the blood. "I could use some first aid though."

"I'm on it." Rise said. She and Blake became engulfed in light. When it faded, the bleeding had stopped but Blake's wounds still looked serious.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Weiss asked, examining the wounds carefully. "This is not time to act tough."

"I told you, I'm fine." Blake insisted. "I've had worse."

"So what was the deal with that stupid costume?" Yang asked.

"Well, without the hat and cape, that's our friend Teddie." Yosuke said. "He's a hard one to explain. Maybe one of you guys should handle it."

"I'll give it a try." Naoto said. "Teddie used to be a shadow but developed human emotions. He wanted people to like him, so he took on that cutesy form. He befriended each of us as we ventured into the shadow world. Eventually, he wanted to visit our world, so he grew a body."

"Grew a body?" Ruby asked.

"When we first met him he was just an empty costume." Yu explained. "He grew a human body so he could exist in our world."

"I still don't get it." Ruby sighed.

"Don't worry, we don't either." Rise assured her.

"What was all that general stuff about then?" Yang asked.

"It has to do with Labrys." Naoto said. "To keep a long story short, the entity that orchestrated the events surrounding Labrys and Sho Minazuki took that form. Why? We can't say."

"Hey guys, I found Labrys!" Rise announced. "She's on the roof. There's a shadow with her. We'd better hurry."

"So, what do ya' think we should talk about at the next Student Council meetin'?" Labrys asked. She sat on one of the ventilation ducts and looked up at the clear blue sky.

"I don't know, you're the president." Ohtoofor replied. "We can work on anything you want." Ohtoofor had the same long green hair as Labrys and shared her piercing red eyes.

"Maybe we should do somethin' for the festival." Labrys suggested. "I know each class is doin' somethin' on its own, but the student council could have its own setup."

"That sounds like a good idea, but it would be a lot of work." Ohtoofor said.

"I don't mind workin' hard for the betterment of the school." Labrys said. "I didn't run for president just to have the title."

"I know." Ohtoofor said. "That's what I like about you. You never take the easy way out. I just don't want you to get in over your head."

"You don't have to worry about me." Labrys said. "So, what are ya' doin' after school today?"

"I don't really have plans." Ohtoofor replied.

"Want to go somewhere then?" Labrys asked. "We could go shoppin' or somethin'."

"That sounds like fun." Ohtoofor said.

"Labrys!" Yu called as Teams RWBY and YYRN emerged onto the rooftop.

"What is it?" Labrys asked. "Does somethin' require my attention?"

"Who's that?" Yosuke asked, pointing to Labrys' companion.

"That's my sister Ohtoofor." Labrys replied.

"Ohtoofor?" Rise said.

"You mean Unit 024." Naoto said.

"What're ya' talkin' about?" Labrys asked. "She isn't Unit nothin'."

"I think she thinks she's human again." Yosuke said. "Labrys, don't you remember? You're a robot."

"Don't be silly." Labrys laughed. "Me, a robot. That's a good joke."

"It's the truth Labrys, and the sooner you remember the better." Naoto said. "This world isn't real. It's a dream. You're a robot. Unit 024 is dead. You were forced to kill her. You must remember."

"Robot…dead…forced to…" Labrys stammered. She grabbed the sides of her head and cried in pain. "No! I don't want to remember! No, that can't be real! This is real!"

"Hey, back off!" Unit 024 said, placing itself between Labrys and the group. "Why can't you just leave her along?"

"You know why, shadow." Rise said. "Just give her up."

"Never!" The shadow shouted. "She will remain here where she's happy!" The illusion of humanity that surrounded Unit 024 fell away, revealing a mechanical body. It pointed its oversized sword at the group. "I won't let you take her."

"Well guys, you know what to do." Yang said as she cracked her knuckles. "Let's take it down." Yang charged at the shadow, readying a powerful punch. Yang swung her fist but missed entirely as rocket boosters fired from the shadow's hands, feet and hips, lifting it into the air above Yang. It slammed the pommel of its sword down on the back of Yang's head and she fell flat on her face. The shadow swung its massive blade around at Yang, but Yang's Persona intervened to take the blow. The Persona faded and disappeared as Yang lay motionless on the ground.

Ruby summoned her Persona and used a blast of wind to push the shadow away from Yang. Propelled by backward shots from Crescent Rose, Ruby flew to Yang's rescue, scooping her up and carrying her away as the shadow tried in vain to stop her. The shadow identified the source of the problem and used its rocket boosters to fly at Ruby's Persona. The attack was too quick to dodge and the shadow grabbed Summer and hurled it toward the ground. The Persona slammed into the rooftop and the shadow followed it, pinning it down with its blade. Ruby's Persona faded and disappeared as she fell unconscious.

Yosuke summoned his Persona but as soon as he did the shadow cut it to ribbons, knocking him out as well. The shadow was just too fast. Naoto's Persona, however, was very quick as well. It clashed swords with the shadow briefly before being pushed back. It dodged a vertical slash from the shadow and zipped around to the shadow's flank. The Persona slashed at the shadow's head but its saber bounced off without doing any damage. The shadow whipped around and caught the Persona with its sword's guard. Naoto's Persona sailed into the fence that surrounded the roof as the wielder fell to the ground in pain.

Weiss engaged the shadow. Their swords met in a shower of sparks. The shadow was strong and fast but Weiss' skill was enough to keep the blade away. Weiss stabbed for the shadow and Myrtenaster found its mark in the center of the shadow's chest. With a sudden jolt the blade stopped, unable to penetrate the shadow. The shadow knocked Myrtenaster away then knocked out Weiss with one punch to the jaw. Blake slid in, using Gambol Shroud to knock the shadow's blade aside just before it could slice into the helpless Weiss. The shadow wasted no time, kicking Blake in the stomach. Her wounds opened up in a fresh spurt of blood as Blake screamed in agony. She fell to the ground beside Weiss.

Yu's Persona shoulder-blocked the shadow, knocking both to the ground. The sudden attack had caught the shadow off guard and Izanagi-no-Okami made the most of the opportunity. It got to its feet first and thrust its blade into the shadow. The blade completely penetrated the shadow and emerged from its back. The shadow ignored the damage, swung its own blade around and smashed it blunt-side first into the Persona's head. Izanagi-no-Okami began to fade as Yu dropped to a knee in pain.

"It's too strong." Yu grunted.

"We need to retreat." Naoto agreed.

"There's no way out." Rise informed them. "We're trapped."

A mad cackle rose from the rooftop. The shadow and the conscious Persona-users turned to identify the source. Labrys stood, her human guise gone, replaced by her normal mechanical appearance. She held her axe at the ready. The madness in her eyes was not a good sign. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Labrys said. Her voice was all wrong.

"You wouldn't kill me." The shadow said. "Not again. You couldn't."

"Part of me wouldn't." Labrys said. "That part of me is not around."

"Oh no, her shadow's in control!" Rise warned.

"What?!" Blake demanded.

"Labrys accepted her shadow and attained a Persona, but her shadow didn't go away like it did with us." Yu explained. "It became part of her programming in order to survive."

"When she's stressed it can take over." Naoto said.

"Bring it on." The shadow said.

Labrys laughed menacingly and charged at the shadow. With a swing of her axe, Labrys knocked the sword out of the shadow's hand as the shadow looked on in horror. In a fluid motion she swung her axe around again, this time slicing the shadow in half vertically. The shadow's halves collapsed. As they melted and evaporated away, Labrys continued hacking at the corpse. "The result will always be the same!" Labrys screamed. "I'll kill you as many times as it takes!"

"It's over." Yu said. He was hurting but tried to sound tough. "Let Labrys take control."

"Or what?" Labrys asked. "You can't hurt me without hurting her."

"Why did you even help us if you want to oppose us?" Naoto asked.

"I wasn't helping you fools." Labrys hissed. "I was helping me. Being trapped in this stupid dream world where everything is perfect is sickening! There's no conflict, no pain! The boredom is unbearable. I'm going insane in here and she's too dumb to realize the truth. Now we can finally go home." With that Labrys dropped to the floor in a heap. Moments later she stirred and sat up looking dazed.

"Which Labrys are we talking to?" Rise asked.

"My shadow's gone." Labrys replied. "I'm…I don't want to go."

"Labrys, you have to." Naoto said. "Staying in this dream won't solve anything. It won't make you happy. Besides, think of how much it would hurt Aigis. She would be all alone again."

"Aigis…" Labrys trailed off. "I can't…I guess you're right. It just hurts so much."

"We know." Yu said. "But your friends are waiting to help you through it."

"Yeah, I bet they are." Labrys said, her mood lightening.

"We're sorry you had to go through all this." Rise said. "I can't imagine all how hard it must be."

"I'm sorry you had to come save me." Labrys said. "It looks like you guys took a beatin'." Ruby, Yang, Weiss and Yosuke were just regaining consciousness with a little help from Rise's healing abilities.

"No need to thank us." Yu said. "We're your friends. You can always count on us."

"I'm so glad I met you guys." Labrys said. "It's time to wake up." The world began to melt as the dream collapsed.