A phone ringing drew the attention of a young man with red hair, looking at it in curioisity as he picks it up.

"Agent Seven reporting." he said, eyes glancing in the direction of his girlfriend as she answered her own phone.

["We have an emergency situation. You and Five are being called in."]

"Standard regs on this?"

["No. Sub-protocal 'Lucky Seven' is in effect."]

The redhead's eyebrow arched. "That's... concerning. Alright, where's the meeting point?"

["Agent Six is enroute to your location with transport. She'll brief you on the details."]

"Copy that. Seven out." he said, setting down his phone with a sigh. "So much for a peaceful Golden Week..."

"The two of us and Metis..." noted the blonde, setting aside her own phone.

"Well if it warrents an emergency call to two members on vacation, it's gotta be a big deal." said the redhead. "C'mon, let's get the ol' uniform on."

The next half hour was tense for the duo, as their associate explained the situation. An airplane hijacking took place, and something related to their operation was in the comandeered aircraft. A Special Assault Team had taken up positions at the airport, but the sensitivity of the situation along with an emergency alert from Agent One necessitated they intervien directly.

Agent Seven felt odd, stepping out of a black car while wearing a black trench coat and sunglasses. He kept a relaxed, almost personable aura about himself despite the more no-nonsense looks of the majority of his coworkers, save Agents Five and Six. He remained silent as the group of roughly twelve Shadow Operative agents entered the airport, making their way to the SAT squad's location.

"Who're you?" asked the SAT Captain, suspicion in his voice.

"For the next half hour, we're in command of this scene." stated one of the other agents.

"You didn't answer the question." noted the captain. "Who's responsible for this?"

Seven rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses, stepping forward.

"We're not trying to step on toes here." he said, his tone calm and cool. "But sadly, we're not at liberty to disclose who we work for."

The captain sized him up. "...You're the one in charge?"

"No, that would be her." he said, indicating Agent five to his left. "I'm her second."

"Are you shitting me?"

"There is no time to waste quarreling." stated Five, removing her sunglasses. "There are lives at stake, so action is best."

The captain chewed his lip for a moment. "So you expect me to hand over control of the scene to you without even telling me who the hell you are?"

Seven let out a sigh, taking off his own sunglasses. "Man, we literally don't have time for this. Just please, for the love of all things good in the world, work WITH us, not get snippy."

"...Alright." sighed the captain, his eyes drifting between the two agents who'd been speaking. "But you get exactly thirty minutes, and not a second more."

Five nodded. "Understood." she turned her head. "First, we need a staircar. Aproximately how close to the plane is it possible to get one while staying in their blindspots?"

One of the other agents seems to do some quiet, mental math. "...Without being noticed, that would be ten meters from it."

"That will be more than enough."

The SAT captain and his men watch in confusion as a roofless staircar is slowly moved into postion, a girl with black hair driving it. Once it reaches its limit, she exits. The captain pulls out a set of binoculars, trying to watch what the girl, the blonde, and the redhead are doing as they gather near the base of the staircar.

"Are we ready to begin?" she asks, removing her own sunglasses.

Five nodded. "Yes. On my mark..."

The dark haired girl crounches, looking ready to sprint at a moment's notice.

"...Mark!"

The girl rushes forward, darting up the staircar and leaping from the top of it. She easily clears the distance, landing atop the plane as if nothing happened. She looks around, as if scanning the exterior of the plane before producing a gray knife from her coat. With a deft motion, she slides off the top of the aircraft and jams the knife into the jamb of the front hatch and dangles from it. Using her free hand, she opens the hatch, then nimbly jumps into the vehicle. Within seconds, both the blonde and the redhead rush up the staircar and leap into the open hatch, leaving the watching SAT captain in awe.

The pilot's body tensed as he saw a warning light come on in the cockpit. It blinked several times, alerting both the pilot and the hijacker pointing a gun at him that the hatch is open. As he feels the gun move away from his head, a soft thud draws his attention; the hijacker is unconscious on the ground, and a woman with dark hair and red eyes is leaning over him. She presses a finger to her lips to silence him, two more people appearing behind her. One, a blonde, produces a set of handcuffs and passes them to the dark haired girl, who quickly restrains the first hijacker. The blonde and redhead then slip further into the plane, making their way to the closed curtain that divides first class and economy class.

The two of them peek through, each spotting another hijacker in each of the aisles. From behind, their companion closes in then peeks through as well. She nods at them both, which in turn causes the redhead to smirk. He stands up, then quickly reaches through the curtain and yanks the nearest hijacker through it, depositing him directly into the hands of his two associates before scurrying to the other side and repeating ths process, though this time he strikes the hijacker across the face to knock them out. He steps through the curtain once both hijackers are handcuffed.

"Okay folks, keep it calm!" he said, a casual tone to his voice as he stepped into economy class. "Came to rescue you, but stay in your seats till we-"

A scream erupts as a man rises from his seat, pressing a gun to Agent Seven's head. He merely lets out a sigh in response.

"Smart move, but don't you know?" he quipped, quickly jabbing his elbow into the man's abdominal region. "Crime's illegal, fucko."

The hijacker wheezes in pain, his gun slipping from his hand. Another man rises on the other side of the plane, only to find himself suddenly beset by a blonde who rushed in from the curtain, wrenching the gun from his hand and throwing him to the ground.

"Nice timing." remarked Seven, turning his attention to the rest of the passengers. "Anyone else want to share with the rest of the class?"

A silence followed.

"Good. Six, mind giving the all clear?"

"Got it!" called out the dark haired girl, hurrying to the front of the plane.

The redhead turned back towards the passengers, slowly making his way towards one in particular. Her hair stood out, after all.

"I leave you alone for what, ten minutes and you get on a plane that gets hijacked?" quipped the agent. "For shame..."

The woman sighs. "I'll be honest, I was expecting Metis alone, not you and Aigis as well..."

"Hey, someone thought it was worth dragging us in." remarked the redheaded man. "And it's not a bad workout to start my day, all things considered."

Another sigh. "Roy, I hardly know what to do with you sometimes..."

He grinned. "And yet you asked me to join this little venture, Mitsuru-san."

The passengers slowly began to make their way out of the plane, retrieving their belongings as the hijackers were taken into police custody. The assembled operatives in black gather off to one side, Mitsuru's carry on luggage beside them.

"So no demands out of these clowns?" asked Roy. "Would've thought they were after Senpai directly with how urgent everything sounded when Metis filled us in..."

"I suspect some of the directors thought the same and panicked, leading to them calling in you and my sister." remarked Metis, eyes on a small list that Mitsuru had given her. "...None of her carry on baggage is missing, either."

Aigis hummed. "...Mitsuru-san, why were you on this flight at all?"

"I..." the redhead's eyes widened. "Oh no... Check the rest of the luggage! They may have been after cargo, not a passenger!"

The blonde nodded, quickly radioing to have the luggage transport routes secured.

"I thought you were on vacation as well, the hell kind of souvenir you bring back?"

Mitusur hesitated for a moment before answering Roy's question. "...My trip to Kagoshima was partly vacation, but also oversee the transport of cargo from Ergo Research to Yakushima."

Metis frowned at the name. "That place, huh..."

"...Hmm. I'm guessing it doesn't have a good rep."

Aigis shook her head. "No. It's..." she paused, putting her hand on her earpiece. "Five speaking... I see. Understood." she sighed. "It would seem that one of the boxes scheduled for transport has gone missing."

"I see... I thought as much." noted Mitsuru with a sigh. "We have to get it back. The rest of the team can finish up here, I'll be needing the three of you to come with me."

Roy grinned. "That mean you're coming off vacation and taking charge, Agent One?"

"Well Roy, if you're here, doesn't that also mean 'Lucky Seven' is in effect?"

His expression flattened. "...And here I'd tried to pass the buck on that. Looks like we both get to cut vacation short then."

"Regardless, I feel like you three will have something of a personal stake in this incident, official Shadow Operatives mission or not."

The trio exchanged a confused look, though Metis was the one who voiced it.

"What do you mean?"

"The cargo I was transporting to Yakushima was at my mother's request." stated the Kirijo heiress. "The Fifth Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon... Unit name 'Labrys'."

Following some few final discussions with the rest of the Shadow Operative agents, and also a short meeting between Mitsuru and one Naoto Shirogane, and the ranked agents headed to get to work on their search. The immediate rest of the day was compiling information and tracking the thief's vehicle, while the next was a meeting about what course of action to take. Both Metis and Aigis were somewhat hesitant, as there was a very real possibility of having to destroy their sister unit. Roy, however, was confident they could handle it... more so once they discovered the abducted unit was heading towards Inaba, even if he'd prefer to not get the Investigation Team wrapped up in what happened.

In regards to said team, their fearless leader was finalizing some plans of his own for Golden Week. It was a great deal easier to coordinate things since his family moved to Inaba, on account of his mother expecting a third child. His only disappointment was that Naoto had been called away for an investigation, though he couldn't hold it against her as it had sounded rather important. Of course Rusei had to remind Teddie to behave himself at one point, but that aside the only holes in the plans were a distinct lack of word back from Rise and Kanji. It wasn't the worst thing, they both could get easily distracted at times. That said, the evening of May Second held a surprise in store for the Persona Users of Inaba...

"...Rain got you jumpy?"

Rusei looked over at his father and sheepishly nodded. "I suspect it will for quite some time..."

"I don't blame you, with everything that happened." remarked Hayate Norimoto, glancing at the clock. "...Think Ryotaro's still awake?"

The Wild Card shrugged. "Probably not. Nanako said she was going to make sure he went to bed."

"Ha!"

"When do you think Yoshiro will have a chance to visit?"

"He was making plans for summer break to swing by. Apparently he's intent on following through with that request you passed along from Nanako about having another 'big bro'." chuckled Hayate.

Rusei laughed, his eyes drawn back to the blank TV in the living room. It was nearly midnight.

"...Well, if you wanna put yourself at ease, go right ahead." hummed the elder Norimoto. "Your old man needs some rest..."

"I won't be up much longer. Goodnight, dad."

Hayate yawned, heading for the stairs.

["Rivals..."]

He stopped in his tracks, his head whirling around towards the TV. It had been turned off not five minutes ago.

["They are..."] Large, red words appeared on the television set. ["Friends, yet powerful foes!"]

Rusei and Hayate stared at the screen, as if in a trance as it suddenly transitioned to a close up shot of six people, a bright yellow line cutting diagonally across the center of the screen. Hayate only recognized one immediately, but Rusei knew them all.

Himself, and the Investigation Team sans Teddie and Rise.

["The desperate fighting program amonst high school students!"] Lightning arced across the image on screen, the word 'Battle' sliding into frame for a moment before it suddenly transitioned to a dimly lit stadium. ["A new legend is about to start!"]

Music began to play, curtains on the screen falling away to reveal a crowded arena around a boxing ring connected to a stage. A lone figure stood in the center of the ring... and it was one Rusei also recognized. It was Teddie, carrying a gold topped cane and wearing a hat and cape with a cigar in his mouth.

["May the manliest of all men!"] The bear made a flourish to act as another scene transition. ["Come on DOWN!"]

A man who clearly was the proper 'announcer' for this event stood with a microphone in hand, sunglasses hiding his eyes.

["Nobody touches his precious Nanako!"] The man gestured to a spotlight, a profile appearing on screen as a familiar face was illuminated on the screen. ["The Sister-Complex Iron Ronin; Rusei Norimoto!"]

["I'll cut you down if you get in my way."]

Rusei's face contorted in confusion. That was his voice, but... he'd never said that phrase before.

["Wage slave in the boonies by day, hero by night!"] The announcer turned, another spotlight taking the camera's focus. ["Captain Ressentiment; Yosuke Hanamura!"]

["Everything that bores me has gotta go!"] exclaimed Yosuke, his own 'profile' appearing on the screen around him.

"What in the hell...?"

["A spunky dragon with deadly legs!"] Another shift of focus. ["The Carnivore Who's Discarded Womanhood; Chie Satonaka!"]

["You need to eat more meat!"]

The announcer held one hand close to his chest for a moment as the camera panned to another spotlight behind him. ["Please escort me to the ring, my prince!"] He dramatically posed as the girl stepped into the light. ["The Unconquerable Snow Black; Yukiko Amagi!"]

["I'll finish you in one strike!"]

["Blooming roses and bulging muscles!"] The announcer over animatedly 'flexed' with one arm as he held his microphone, turning towards yet another spotlight. ["The Bloodcurdling Beefcake Emperor; Kanji Tatsumi!"]

The Kanji on the screen flicked a hand through his hair. ["Deep in the realms of romance!"]

-That's not how Kanji talks!- Rusei thought. -That's... more like his Shadow...!-

["The body of a child – the brain of a genius!"] Another pan of the camera, one last spotlight appearing behind the announcer who pantomimed holding a gun to his head. ["The Two-Thousand IQ Killjoy Detective; Naoto Shirogane!"]

["Is this an army of idiots...?"]

"Naoto is many things, but she is NOT a killjoy!" Rusei near-shouted, heedless of the fact there was no way the Midnight Channel would respond to him.

["FIGHT – and survive, towards the one throne waiting at the end!"] Images of the 'contestants' against a backdrop of flames crossed the camera, till at last settling upon Teddie atop a podium. ["The P-1 Grand Prix where fierce fights will be fought!"] A banner for the 'Grand Prix' covered the screen. ["THE BATTLE BEGINS TONIGHT!"]

The screen quickly went blank, the only sound now the rainfall outside. Rusei and his father stared at the TV in silence before the latter found his voice.

"...Was that... the Midnight Channel...?" asked Hayate, looking at his son. "But... I thought you said it stopped coming on..."

"It did..." replied the Wild Card, the demeaning epitaphs given to him and his friends ringing in his mind in a sour tone. "...Something exceptionally wrong is going on here..." He quickly pulled out his phone, dialing one of the most recent numbers in his call history.

["D-Dude, please tell me I'm just imagining what I just saw...!"] Yosuke exclaimed the moment he answered his phone. ["I really wanna know I'm just having a bad dream...!"]

"Unfortunately, Yosuke... No. I saw that as well..." he glanced over at his father. "...And so did my dad."

["...Damn it. We solved the case! There shouldn't be anything left! We had a death match with a GOD for crying out loud!"] griped the brunet. ["And it's Golden Week! This is so dumb!"]

Hayate, for his part, just shook his head. "Rusei, you... just do your thing, it is too late at night for crazy for me... G'night..."

"Goodnight..." the Wild Card returned his attention to his phone as his father headed upstairs. "Seems our plans will be slightly delayed."

["...Man, now I'm really worried. I figured he'd turn up by now, but... I haven't seen Teddie since around lunchtime today."]

Rusei bit his lip. "...And we haven't heard from Rise or Kanji for a whole day at this point, Naoto's on a case, and Roy and Aigis are, well..."

["Yeah, they've got their own stuff to deal with... Damn it."]

"We'll meet up at the food court and check things out on the other side from there. Get some rest, I have a feeling this is going to be a long day..."

["You and me both, man..."]

Rusei sighed to himself as he hung up the phone, rising from his seat and heading up to his bedroom.

The third of May would prove to be exceptionally busy for both the Investigation Team and the Shadow Operatives. While the former gathered to look into the strange return of the Midnight Channel, the latter set about making their way to Inaba in search of Labrys, though... not in a way a few of them would define as 'undercover'.

"I have to ask, senpai." began Roy, leaning back in his seat in the limo. "What DID you tell the guys when you asked them to get us a car for this?"

The redhead rubbed her temple. "To give us a car 'with enough space'..."

"...Okay. I can forgive them for going the limo route, then." he remarked, peering out a window. "...Man, did not think I'd be back here on the clock."

"Right... you and Aigis were investigating that serial murder."

He nodded at Metis' remark. "Yeah... Good thing too, means we don't have to dig quite as deep to know what happened out here... but also poses another problem." Roy turned his head back to his companions. "Labrys could've been dumped into the other side, meaning we might actually need to call in Norimoto's crew to help us find her. Teddie and Kujikawa are pros at tracking people on that side."

"I would prefer to avoid involving them if at all possible..." noted Mitsuru, crossing her arms. "Though I certainly hope Detective Kurosawa has some additional information for us..."

"We did leave fairly soon after Adachi-san was apprehended..." Aigis admitted.

"Hey, Roy needed a vacation after all..." remarked another person in the car, running his hand through his black hair. "I'm honestly still amazed you actually agreed to come along."

Roy looked Ryoji Mochizuki dead in the eye. "Listen. I'm not about to let some assholes use my girlfriend's sister as a rock 'em, sock 'em robot or whatever the hell they plan on doing with her. And are you sure you should even BE here? I don't wanna know what Minoru will do to your ass if he finds you in his turf..."

"Don't worry, I'm not here to pick a fight. I'll back down from that scuffle, no question..." remarked the demigod. "Looks like a nice place, though."

"It certainly has its charms..." noted Aigis, her attention shifting to Mitsuru. "Akihiko-san got the message, yes?"

"Correct. It was a bit short notice for him, so he apologized for his attire in advance..." replied the heiress. "I'm not certain why, though..."

Ryoji shrugged. "Probably means he's gonna show up in his gym clothes or something, don't stress it."

"The transmitter on the target vehicle isn't far from our meeting point with Detective Kurosawa." noted the last passenger, her eyes focused on the screen in front of her. "We should be able to park nearby and investigate while we wait for him."

"Good to know, Fuuka."

"My only question is how we're all gonna fit on the ride home..." Roy commented dryly. "If we're picking up Akihiko and, presumably, bringing Labrys with us on the way out, it's gonna be crowded even in this..." he produced a card from his vest pocket. "And I don't think these can hold an inactive Anti-Shadow Unit, nor do I wanna find out what'd happen if we tried..."

Mitsuru sighed. "It shouldn't have to come to that, Roy."

"Here's hoping, senpai..."

"So Naoto's safe, and our favorite Dynamic Duo is doing some stuff with their friends..." remarked Yosuke, appraising the situation as he, Rusei, Yukiko, and Chie sat at a table in the Junes Food Court. "That's a relief..."

Rusei nodded in agreement. "Yes, but this is quite an abnormal situation... this was the first time I can think of that a large number of people were on the Midnight Channel, much less people who weren't abducted..."

"And why us!? And what was up with those..." Chie scowled. "...Insulting descriptions!?"

"Rather ill fitting at that, though I find it interesting neither Teddie nor Rise received one, and yet Naoto did." noted Rusei. "The fact Teddie was on at all, even in a ridiculous outfit I'm certain he doesn't actually have, was something of a surprise... it seemed like he was running the show, so to speak."

Yukiko hummed crossing her arms. "...It's really suspicious he disappeared before that happened, but..." she shook her head. "There's no way he'd pull a prank like this. He'd never give us titles like those... especially not Rusei-kun."

"Yeah, this seems super fishy." Chie stated. "But how are we gonna get back out once we go in?"

"Got that covered!" said Yosuke, a grin on his face. "I made sure Teddie kept the exit open on that side for us, so as long as we can retrace our steps, we can get back out. Should be a lot easier without the fog, too. Besides... TV sets are all just giant pitfalls for us. We take a wrong step while half asleep, and we could fall right in..."

The brunette martial artist scoffed. "Who'd be that clumsy?"

"Best to be prepared just in case. Regardless, we have another case on our hands." said Rusei, drawing everyone's attention. "So let's investigate."

Roy rolled down the window, a half-hearted smirk on his face. "This thing stands out way too much, don't it?"

Kurosawa nodded quietly. "It really does."

"Don't worry, I'm gonna have a long talk with the guy running our transportation once this is over." remarked the redhead, opening the door. "Hop in, may as well have a seat while we chat."

Roy scooted over, letting the detective slip into the limo and close the door. His gaze lingered on Metis for a moment, then he focused on Mitsuru.

"Long time no see." he remarked. "Look like you've been doing well... present circumstance aside, at least."

"Quite. Were you able to find out anything?"

Kurosawa shook his head. "Not anything you likely don't already know, given how your friend there-" he gestured to Roy. "-Is mentioned in some of the reports. Only things you might not have details on mostly pertains to the suspect and his confession, and that doesn't seem like it'd be a big help for you guys."

"Not really, no..." agreed Ryoji with a sigh, glancing out the window. "...Roy. You know any conditions about hopping through a TV?"

"They're point to point connections." replied the redhead. "The one we got shown by the civilian contact out here was in the electronics department of the local Junes, and it's still the only one I know where it leads to. Hopping through any other could land us who knows where, meaning we'd need a rescue."

The detective hummed. "At least that's a limitation that makes sense... otherwise just moving a TV up a set of stairs could throw you off course."

"Indeed. And thank you for taking the time to look into things, Kurosawa-san."

"No problem. You guys have done right by me, no harm in lending a hand." he said, opening the door. "I should get back to my own business, anyways. Good luck."

As the door closed, Mitsuru turned her attention to Ryoji.

"What brought up the subject about TV conditions?" she asked.

The dark haired man gestured towards the window next to him – Not far away was a large amount of discarded electronics, most notable being a stack of television sets.

"A limo would stand out pulling up at a store like Junes, as would people like us just wandering into electronics and just disappearing." noted the demigod. "As long as we have a chance to get out fine, we could just jump in from here."

"...On one hand Ryoji, that's a terrible idea." said Roy. "On the other... it's also the one that involves a significantly smaller amount of gawkers." He turned towards Fuuka. "You'll be staying on this side, right?"

She nodded. "Yes. I'll be honest, I've been sensing something from those TVs for a while now..."

"Juno's only gotten better at keeping an eye on things over the past few years..." commented Ryoji, opening the door next to him. "But no time like the present. I'll hang back in case you guys need the cavalry. Sound fair, Mitsuru?"

"Quite." said the redhead, exiting the vehicle with Metis, Aigis, and Roy soon to follow. "Yamagishi, keep your presence as concealed as possible while monitoring us as best you can."

"You all have transceivers, right?"

Roy nodded. "Yeah. Ear pieces as well, in case we need 'em."

"Good luck in there!" said Ryoji as his friend shut the door.

The four Persona Users strode over to the stack of television sets, Metis stepping closer to the largest one and running her fingers along the screen. To her surprise, the glass held no more surface tension than water, ripples of light crossing its surface as her hand slipped in up to the wrist.

"That's..."

"Trippy, right?" asked Roy, stepping up beside Metis. "Trust me, going through feels even weirder."

She shook her head. "No... I sense something..." she looked over her shoulder. "I'm not positive because it's my first encounter with this, but I'm getting a reading of another personality module...!"

"So then... Labrys is actually on the other side...?"

"Sounds like fun."

Roy turned his head, giving the approaching boxer an odd look. "...The hell kind of gym workout has you wandering around in a tattered red cape?"

"I lost a bet with Hamuko, okay?" griped Akihiko. "And who are you to talk about dressing weird, you still look like you walked out of Las Vegas!"

"...I thought I had a good gauge of some of Arisato's quirks, but even when she's not here, she manages to surprise me..." Mitsuru sighed, shaking her head.

Aigis laughed. "It's part of her charm."

"...Just wait here a moment. I'm going to have them bring the car closer."

Metis watched her walk away, then turned towards her sister and Roy.

"So what was the situation on the other side last time you two were there?"

"Improved, but not great." replied Roy. "Still pretty foggy. Last I heard from Norimoto when I helped his folks move into town, it's clear as day over there since they had their showdown with Izanami."

Akihiko whistled. "They took on a god?"

"By Rusei-san's testimony, they fought two divine aspects while we were directly assisting them – Kunino-saigiri, which had been hidden within Taro Namatame, and Ameno-saigiri, the 'ruler of fog' that had attached itself to Toru Adachi." Aigis answered. "They fought another, Kusumi-no-Okami, sometime in February, and their battle with the creator of the Midnight Channel, Izanami, took place on the eve of the final day of Rusei-san's originally intended stay in Inaba."

"After they slapped the stupid out of her, apparently the fog lifted on that side." added Roy, looking at the TV. "We still gotta be careful, since there's no telling where we're gonna end up. I know of a vaguely safe place for us to wait out a rescue by Norimoto's team, but well..." he turned towards Akihiko. "...Hope you like blackjack."

Akihiko let out a sigh. "And to think, you're our expert on that other world..."

"The collective unconscious really, but that's splitting hairs." said the redhead, watching as the Limo pulled around near where they were standing and Mitsuru stepped out. "All set?"

She nodded as she approached. "Yes. Do you have any advice for handling the other side?"

"Treat it like Tartarus, but less enclosed." stated Roy, the usual mirth in his tone absent. "Unless we come across a 'dungeon' as the Investigation Team coined them, there's not really any place to hide from Shadows over there. Supposedly they're less pervasive after everything the Team got up to after Aigis and I left town, but don't let your guard down."

Akihiko nodded. "One wrong move, and we could be devastated."

"Pretty much." said Roy, pulling out a pair of glasses and slipping them on. "It's also apparently not foggy on that side anymore, but just in case it is, you three should stick close to me and Aigis. These specs Teddie made for us negates a lot of the obstruction the fog causes, but we didn't really have the time to get spares out of the fuzzball."

"Noted." said Mitsuru, turning her attention towards the rest of the group. "Ready?"

They all nodded, Metis stepping forward first to enter the TV, the rest of the Shadow Operatives right behind her.

Despite his experience with the sensation of entering the TV World, there was still something... off about this particular time to Roy. He couldn't quite pick up on what it was, at least not until he suddenly found himself falling about ten feet straight down into a large room. He coughed, pushing himself to his feet.

"Ow... You guys okay?"

No one replied.

"Guys?" Roy asked, looking around the room. It was a gymnasium... a good portion of it blocked off by an absurd number of folding chairs haphazardly stacked and tied together with what, at first glance, seemed like Police tape. In reality, the yellow streamers all read 'P-1 Grand Prix'.

"What in the..." his eyes eventually settled on a banner on the gymnasium's stage, the Yasogami High emblem emblazoned upon it. "...Hell? We came in through that TV..." he paused, noting he could still feel the faint 'pull' that he knew would lead him to the confines of his own mind. "...Yeah. This is the other side, alright..."

Before the redhead can attempt to contact his companions via their transceivers, a TV monitor hanging from the ceiling slowly descends and switches on.

["Hmm? Who's this scary guy?"]

"...Teddie, how hard did you hit your head?" Roy asked, wary of the image of the bear on the screen. He didn't quite think the M. Bison wanna be look suited the fuzzball.

["H-How unexpected! I'll have to-"] The image flickered with static. ["Have to- H-have have have have-"]

The screen went blank. After a few moments, the monitor turned back on, but Teddie's expression was... vastly different. The burning golden eyes in particular immediately put Roy on guard.

["Case zero-six: Unintended intruder."] stated 'Teddie', glaring at the redhead in annoyance. ["Entering elimination process."]

The screen went blank again, then rose back towards the ceiling.

"Oh, this should be fun..." sighed Roy, shaking his head. A heavy thud drew his attention, someone groaning in annoyance as they pushed themselves to their feet. Once they stood, the redhead recognized them.

"...Tatsumi?"

Kanji rubbed his head. "Eh? Big Red, when the hell'd you get here?"

"I... could ask you the same question!" Roy replied, taking a few steps towards him. "You wouldn't happen to know why there's a copy of your high school's gym here, would you?"

The bleach blond froze, his eyes narrowing. "...What'd you just say?"

"...I asked if you knew why your gym is in the Collective Unconscious?"

"That's a load of bullshit!" Kanji bellowed angrily.

"What? How is it bullshit!?"

Kanji growled in anger, balling his hands into fists. "Shut your damn mouth, asshole! What the hell is wrong with you!?"

Roy narrowed his eyes. "...Cheese weasels have stolen my bacon grease"

"Rusei ain't like that, and you know it!"

"Hmm. I'm saying things, and you're hearing something else." remarked the Wild Card. "My bullshit senses are tingling."

"WHAT'D YOU JUST SAY ABOUT MY MOM, YOU BASTARD!?" Kanji roared, pure rage in his eyes.

Roy's expression fell. "Uh oh..."

"OH YEAH!?" asked the bleach blond, marching over to the stack of chairs nearby and yanking out out. "See who's laughing when I get done with you!"

"Kanji... Kanji, calm down." said the redhead, taking a few steps back. "Something is messing with you. Please don't pick this fight, I don't wanna do this..."

The younger persona user didn't seem to hear him, a ring of blue fire erupting around him.

"Go, Takejizaiten!"

Roy yelped in surprise, diving out of the way of the titanic persona's fist. This was his first time seeing this new form of Kanji's Persona, and he certainly wasn't liking the prospect of it aiming at him at all. Nor was he particularly happy to find out the massive entity was a distraction, as Kanji himself quickly grabbed Roy and proceeded to first fling the Wild Card over his shoulder, then throw the chair he was wielding right at the redhead. It smashed into Roy's back just before he hit the ground, almost knocking the wind out of him.

-Right, Kanji manhandled a fuckton of biker gang guys.- thought Roy as he scrambled to his feet. -Brawling him's a bad idea... He's probably scarier in a straight punch out than Aki or Shinji.-

He ducked under Kanji's furious haymaker, elbowing him in the ribs before shoving the younger persona user past him as he tried to get himself a bit of breathing room.

-Upside for me is I'm a hell of a lot faster than he is- Roy snapped his fingers, Kwaku Anansi erupting into existence to catch Takejizaiten's fist. -Especially on the draw with a Persona.-

Kanji rushed back into the fray, forcing Roy to block or dodge his punches and the chair while attempting to counter attack.

-Downside is I'm not about to Oni Smash someone getting bamboozled into fighting me, since that could probably mangle him!-

As their battle continued, Roy began to notice something else. While still powerful, Kanji's attacks were easier to predict than he felt they should be based on what he'd seen of the teen before. When he ended up in a raw contest of strength against Kanji, he realized why; The poor guy's eyes were half glazed over, like he hadn't slept in almost a day.

It took a bit of maneuvering on Roy's part, but he managed to turn the tables so to speak. Using Kanji's lethargy to his advantage, he was able to eventually knock him down hard enough without breaking something that the younger persona user didn't immediately rise from. A 'bell' of some sort sounded, the strange monitor lowering from the ceiling again. The gold-eyed bear was on the screen again.

["Intruders are Persona-users... Case 06 identified. Jailer of Erebus. Elimination unlikely.] noted 'Teddie', a look of disdain on his face. ["Due to this, intruders will be registered as valid targets."]

The screen went blank before Roy could say anything. When it came back, 'Teddie' was seemingly back to normal, save for his ridiculous outfit.

["Woo hoo! You sure know how to throw down, pal!"] exclaimed the bear excitedly. ["If you're here to join in, I'm fine with that!"]

"Cut the crap, Teddie knows me and my name." sighed the redhead, even if he doubted this 'Teddie' was capable of answering him.

["C'mon, I can't help it if you're not on the tournament roster! A talented and charming bear General Teddie may be, but even he has his limits!"]

Roy's eyebrow arched curiously at the response. "Tournament?"

The General grinned. ["Caught your interest, did I? You wanna find out more, then come to the next arena! I'll be waiting for you there."]

The screen went blank, retreating to the ceiling. Kanji let out a groan, finally rising to a sitting position.

"God damn..."

"Hey, you okay?" asked Roy, jogging over to the bleach blond and kneeling down. "I didn't leave any marks, did I...?"

Kanji shook his head, still looking angry. "Not... as many as I'm gonna...!"

"Wait, you can actually hear me now!? Dude, I didn't say anything about anyone!" the redhead stated quickly. "In fact, I said actual nonsense at one point and apparently you heard me talking shit somehow."

The fury faded into confusion. "Huh...?"

"I'm serious. I asked you what the hell's going on here, and you just started getting pissed!"

"Wait... but, you... said Rusei was a dumbass for hangin' around someone like me..."

Roy blinked. "...Are you kidding me? It took forever to even get him to ADMIT he wanted to have friends period, why'd I say he SHOULDN'T have any?"

"I dunno. Dreams are weird, man..."

"...This isn't a dream, Kanji. This is the TV World."

"Huh?"

The redhead reached out and roughly pinched Kanji's arm, earning a yelp from the teen.

"OW! Dude, what..." he paused, the realization dawning on him. "...That hurt. Hurt. Dreams don't hurt. I'm... awake..." he shook his head and yawned. "And tired as hell..."

"How'd you end up in here, then?" inquired Roy, helping Kanji stand up. "Sleepwalk into your living room?"

The bleach blond shook his head. "I... I dunno, man. I... was up late as hell workin' on some dolls, and..." another yawn. "...Shit, did I... fall into the new TV Ma got... when I came downstairs...?"

"Well, I'm not about to leave a guy just stuck here. C'mon, try and stick with me as long as you can stay awake." said Roy, starting towards the nearest gym exit. "Some old pals came with, and we have something resembling a plan to get out when we're done here."

"Oh yeah... Big Red, the hell're you doin' here? Though you..." Yet another yawn. "...Were on vacation."

"Emergency at work. Tracked the asshole behind it to Inaba, and it looks like they decided to ditch their victim in the TV World."

Kanji frowned, despite his grogginess. "That's fucked up, man-"

As the two of them started out the door, however, Kanji hit a wall. Not as in an actual gym wall, one that was completely invisible.

"-OW! The hell?" he tried to go through the door, only to find himself stuck like a very talented mime. "Hey, gimme a hand!"

Roy nodded, trying to pull Kanji out of the gym. Even with his prodigious strength, however, it wouldn't budge.

"Shit. Whatever's got you in there has you in good, Tatsumi." remarked the redhead. "Damn it... did that fake Teddie do this, too?"

"Huh? Fake Teddie?"

"Yeah, he's dressed like M. Bison from Street Fighter and apparently running a 'tournament'. It's making this weirder than it already is..." he sighed. "Shit. I really don't want to leave you here, but if you can't get out..." Roy scratched his neck. "...I dunno, grab a few chairs, lean against the invisible wall, and try to get some sleep? About all I can do without tearing up what could be the inside of someone's mind is come back for you when I have the chance..."

Kanji yawned again, grabbing a nearby folding chair and setting it up next to the door. "I appreciated it..." he sat down, leaning against the 'wall'. "I... ain't gonna be able to do a lot like this, anyway... 'm fightin' to keep my eyes open."

"Right. I'll keep the door propped open, that way if those walls go away the fall should wake you up."

A vague grumbling was Kanji's reply, shortly followed by a loud snore.

-...Damn, he's already out cold.- thought the redhead. -Maybe I should've made Mira actually come with me... I'd feel a hell of a lot better leaving him here if I could just drop her on his lap to keep an eye on him.-

"HEY!"

Roy whirled around, halfway into a combative stance when he saw an unfamiliar girl in a Yasogami High uniform walking towards him. She had long, silver hair in a high ponytail and bright red eyes. It reminded him of Metis immediately, but then Hamuko's eyes were similar as well.

"The heck you think ya doin'!?" she demanded, marching up to him with a glare. "And who the heck are ya? Part of all this racket?"

The redhead sized up the girl for a moment, then reached into his vest.

"No..." he answered, pulling out his Public Safety badge. "Roy Fortune, Public Safety Bureau. I'm here looking for a kidnapper."

Her eyes went wide at his statement.

"You're a cop!? Hey, you mind givin' me a hand, then?" she asked, a hopeful look in her eye. "If you don't already know, there's this crazy bear in a stupid costume runnin' wild around here!"

"Not at all... but I have good news and bad news for you about this uh... 'Tournament'. Before I tell you though, who are you? You obviously attend this high school..."

She smirked proudly. "Yasogami High's student council president!"

-...Not what I meant, but it'll do for now.- he though before speaking again. "Alright Prez, which news you want first; Good or bad?"

"I mean, this is already kinda bad, so..." she trailed off, looking away from Roy only to notice Kanji sleeping in the doorway. "The heck is he doin'!?"

"Yeah... that's part of the bad news. See... this isn't the actual Yasogami High. It's... well, it's a really detailed fake."

The silver haired girl turned back to him in confusion. "What? You gotta be pullin' my leg, officer..."

"Nah. I can prove it, too. Notice how Tatsumi there is kinda leaning on nothing as he's sleeping? Seems that 'crazy bear' running the show's got some tricks in that dumb hat of his. Tatsumi's stuck in the gym; can't get out through that door, and I'd get in a lot of trouble if I broke down a wall."

"What? There's no way..." said the president, walking over and pulling on one of Kanji's arms. Despite her efforts, he wouldn't come through... though at least he didn't wake up. "...Holy smokes, you ain't kiddin'..."

"Yeah. You want the simple version of where we are?"

She nodded, turning back towards Roy. "Yeah... cuz that kinda stuff ain't normal."

"Well, if I had to guess... this is the inside of your head. You got shoved into a place where people's thoughts and minds can create real, tangible locations in an instant." he snapped his fingers for emphasis. "Meaning one of two things to me. Either you're the kidnapping victim I'm trying to rescue, or you're someone else this psycho may have grabbed and stuffed into Psychic Voodoo Land."

"This... place is my head...?" she muttered, looking around. "But... I don't remember nobody grabbin' me or stuffin' me anywhere..."

"Victims of this kinda thing tend not to, sadly. I've seen it before – Five times, in fact."

The president faced Roy again. "Seriously!? Then how do we get outta here?"

"That's a problem to sort out once I've got cuffs on the criminal responsible, who I'm currently assuming is wearing that bear costume." stated the redhead. "Have you seen anyone in here besides me, Tatsumi, and the 'General' running the tournament?"

"A few, but I didn't get a good look at 'em. They looked like they were in a big hurry, though."

Roy nodded. "Alright, let's walk and talk. I'm not exactly familiar with this high school, so mind guiding me around, Miss President?"

"Nah, it sounds like I'm gonna need ya help if I wanna be able to get outta here when we're done..." she said, starting down the hallway.

"Cool. Four of my fellow Public Safety Officers came here with me, but we got separate when we jumped in after the kidnapper." stated Roy as he followed the president. "I'll have to let 'em know we need to grab Tatsumi on the way out once I find them..."

"You know that guy?"

Roy nodded. "Yeah. He was one of the ones who I'd seen get nabbed like you did. But well, he seems to have fallen back in by accident due to an all nighter..."

"How the heck do you fall back into a place like this!?"

"Easier than you think, but let's keep focused." said the redhead. "...Mind if I ask a question, though?"

"Nah, go ahead officer."

He tucked a hand into his pocket. "Does the name 'Kirijo' mean anything to you?"

The girl's head bobbed side to side as she seemed to ponder the question. "...Can't say it does. Rings a bell, like I heard it before, but nothin' else."

"Hmm. Makes it less likely you're the victim I was original on the trail off. You're walking around a bit too easily to have been someone who was in the hospital in a coma for ten years..."

Her head span around. "That guy kidnapped someone from a hospital!?"

"She finally woke up and was finally being released, and her two younger sisters were excited at the prospect of introducing themselves to her." he stated, his mind working quickly to twist his search for Labrys into something that a normal person would find believable. "Asshole abducted her as she was being escorted home by a friend of her family."

"That's all kinda messed up!" exclaimed the president, a scowl on her face. "I'm gonna give that guy a piece a my mind once you arrest him..."

"Once the cuffs are on, go for it. Asshole's probably got it coming, along with a lot of other things..."

Author Notes - Well, here we are, folks! The start of the last of the 'Stacked Deck' series of Persona Fanfics that began with A Fool Named Fortune: Reshuffled and continued on through Golden Moon. And while yes, you all did get a peak at what Rusei's up to while this chaos train is starting, don't get too used to it. You probably won't be seeing a lot of him till later in the story, especially once it reaches the events of Ultimax. For now, you'll be getting what I'd be willing to call Roy's Story Mode for the first Persona 4 Arena game. Used Aigis' as something of a basis for the start, given Roy's ties to her, but don't expect that to carry on through the whole thing. I have plans, you see! Many plans, but only half of them are evil... At least for the events of Arena. Ultimax, though... HEH. That's gonna be a fun time.