Day 83, July 2nd, 2011. I finally catch up to the sticker kid. Nanako?s sticker came through, and, apparently, the kid has plenty of friends now. Was I really like that when I was little?
His mission complete, Souji calls up the investigation team and heads to Junes. It?s the proverbial go-time.
The information that the group had assembled about Rise is sufficient for Teddie to pinpoint her location. The deep purple d?cor, the soft lighting, the suggestive imagery. This is definitely what we saw on the Midnight Channel. Yosuke and Yukiko know a surprising amount of detail on where such establishments can be found in the real world.
Teddie tries to take the opportunity to make a joke, but it goes over poorly. Man, Teddie, even your jokes have become lackluster lately.
With the investigation team becoming larger and larger, the group decides to only go into dungeons in teams of no larger than four to avoid attracting too much of the Shadows? attention. I leave Yukiko on the sidelines for the moment. We need more stamina than firepower.
Inside the club, the atmosphere is even more oppressive. The team pushes their way in, Teddie encouraging them with every floor ascended. We find the Shadow soon enough. And boy do we find her.
The Shadow welcomes the investigation team along with an unseen audience, reminding everyone that it plans on revealing every last inch of herself. The Shadow then runs deeper inside. Apparently it?s going to be too hard to see with all the smoke. Say what you will, it knows how to play its audience.
The group resolves to stop the Shadow before it does anything irreversible. As we go up, we start to hear the Shadow. So far it?s spouting the advertisements that Rise?s been on. Perhaps it?s confronting the entirely false and shallow persona that we?ve seen there?
Eventually, the investigation team catches up to the Shadow again. With a crazed shout, imploring everyone to look at her, Rise?s Shadow sends a foe at the investigation team. That thing managed to lay everyone out in just a few turns without Yukiko, but I held the line by myself and eventually took it down.
Further up, the Shadow?s voice is heard again. It claims that it does not care about appearances when looking for a relationship, believing that what is on the inside matters more. Teddie wonders what he could possibly have on the inside, him being hollow as he is. And, sooner than we thought, we reach the top floor. The butterfly takes us back down ? we have some prep to do. First off, Teddie had been clamoring about a shadow showing up where Yukiko was, so I head back to the castle and beat it up, getting a weapon for Yukiko in reward. I then upgrade my Persona selection across the board to an Ose and a Ganga, making sure the Physical Resist continues being inherited.
His preparations done, Souji returns to the top floor of Rise?s dungeon to confront Rise?s Shadow. As predicted, Rise was fine. Mostly.
The Shadow exulted in glee from being watched by everyone. Despite Rise asking the Shadow to stop in a pained voice, the Shadow becomes more and more exuberant. The Shadow denounces Risette as a fake celebrity, and declares itself sick of being an airheaded clich?, forced to choke down everything it is fed and take it with a smile. That?s where all the
look at me must be coming from. Rise wants people to see her
true self, and the Shadow is just taking that and twisting it out of control.
Confused and embarrassed, Rise rejects the Shadow and, with a laugh filled with madness, the Shadow goes berserk. Wouldya look at that thing?
The fight goes easier than normal. My suspicions prove fruitful. After a while of me and the Shadow exchanging blows, the Shadow uses something Supreme Insight. From that moment, none of my attacks can connect.
The Shadow taunts the investigation team?s inability to attack it. Teddie, standing in the back, is beside himself with worry at being unable to contribute to the fight. We try to think of something, but before we can even do anything, the Shadow scans us and lays us all out with an absurd attack that we can?t even see coming.
The investigation team looks to be in dire straits. Teddie refuses to listen to Souji and run away. Instead, he resolves to make a stand ? as far as he cares, his last. Teddie roars, engulfed in a blazing aura! I?d blame him watching too much TV, but I know for a fact that he doesn?t. Still, can?t argue with results ? he nukes the Shadow to smithereens.
Teddie is literally flattened by his own attack. He asks if he was able to help, and Yosuke reassures him that he, in fact, saved their lives. With a great exertion, Teddie pulls himself up, bemoaning the fate of his fine, silky fur. Teddie will be fine, so we run over check on Rise.
The girl is tired and confused, and apologises for the harm she did. She stands up and, kindly, asks her Shadow to do the same. Rise accepts the Shadow?s words and actions as part of her, and explains that she had been trying to understand who the real her was, but had been on the wrong track. Instead of rejecting false images of herself, she says, she should have been accepting them all as a true part of her. I hear Teddie muttering behind us about there being no real self, but I pay it no mind. Rise manifests the Persona Himiko.
Rise finally fully comes to her senses, recognizing the investigation team and thanking them all for their timely rescue. We turn around to head home, but we?re stopped by an odd sight.
Teddie stands in their way, muttering about there being no real him. Rise quickly warns them to stand back, and a deep, cold voice rings out across the room. It proclaims the foolishness of trying to find one?s real self. A Shadow steps out of Teddie. A Shadow?Teddie.
Rise explains that she felt a powerful presence intervene when Teddie?s Shadow stepped out. Teddie, who had not noticed his Shadow step out, only notices it now. The Shadow states that the truth cannot be attained, no matter what the investigation team might try ? they have no means of knowing that what they learn is the truth. It bids the group close their eyes and lie to themselves, forever remaining in ignorance. Teddie, bless his heart, stands up to his Shadow, even if he doesn?t understand half of what the Shadow?s saying.
The Shadow reminds Teddie that he is empty inside, and his search for his nature is a futile attempt to deny his true self. Turning to the group, the Shadow asks how they could possibly find something that they do not even know the nature of. The truth
has to exist, fundamentally speaking, but I already know that this argument is not going to be won with words.
The Shadow confirms Souji?s dread and attacks. Rise reassures the group that she will help them in Teddie?s place. That thing?s weakness is that all it has are Ice and physicals. It has something called a Nihil Hand that looks nasty, but it?s telegraphed from so far away that it?d set a record in intercontinental communications.
Souji is able to weather the Shadow?s attacks through careful Persona selection and eventually comes out victorious. We gather around Teddie after the fight. The guy must?ve had a lot more on his mind than we all gave him credit for.
Teddie admits that he does not even know what he is looking for. Reassured by the investigation group, he resolves that, at least, he has something to look for in the first place. With the strength of heart made manifest, Teddie earns the Persona Kintouki-Douji! We all head back out. It?s been a hell of a day.
Teddie asks for some time alone, explaining that he must work hard at training himself for the hardships ahead. Chie and Yukiko bid Teddie good-bye and take Rise home. I stay behind to talk a bit with Teddie. He thinks that there must be something that only he can do. To be frank, he?s already done more than enough, but if the guy wants to go above and beyond, then let him.
That evening, Nanako finds a drunken Dojima being dragged home by Adachi. Not the best way to meet one?s daughter after nights of not being at home.
Adachi explains that the prefectural police sent in special support for the case due to the lack of progress in the serial murders. The special support was an expert private detective, but, as it turns out, who is also a young man not older than Souji. Basically, politics here and there mean that the local police may not refuse help and that?s gotten Dojima frustrated to no end.
Soon, however, Dojima falls asleep, and is dragged to bed. Souji and Nanako retire as well.