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"Ooooh damn it, she got the completely wrong idea." Yosuke slapped a palm to his face as Minori tightened her grip on her spear. It was like the world was laughing at his resolve, even though he was working on holding on to it himself. It wasn't easy being a cool hero, damn it all! "Wait, maybe I could lose and let you win. How does that sound?" Yosuke asked, hoping maybe something would allow him to get through, even though he had a feeling things were never that easy. "Oh, lose? Like you've already lost at the battle of life?" The remark was fast enough to cause Yosuke to wince, as he idly wondered if he had any burn ointment on him. "Ouch...this Minori's really bad for my fragile ego." Yosuke sucked in a breath as he reminded himself that she wasn't the real thing, although now he knew for sure that it was definitely too late for them to talk things out. Well, when push came to shove he wasn't going to back down and let the enemy have things the way they wanted them...even if what that really meant was knocking Minori down just like they'd planned. But if he didn't proceed then he'd be allowing this mess to continue, and he wasn't going to sit by and watch the Shadow reek havoc on his friends anymore, no matter what.

"Sorry Minori, but I won't go easy. Everybody's counting on me..." Yosuke's card appeared before him, and a kunai slashed through it quickly as Susano-O flipped behind him, kicking the ring blade that normally circled it towards Minori in a flash. "Throwdown!" He wasn't going to hold back, but at the same time he knew that Minori would be able to withstand anything he threw at her if he had any doubt in his heart. The possibility of losing was pretty real, but he wasn't going to give in to it regardless; and Susano-O mirrored his determination, his Persona's attack being one of the strongest that the original Investigation Team members had. Although, that wasn't the only reason he couldn't go easy; he'd been fighting full power for a while now, and to say he didn't want to spend a lot of magic anymore would have been a pretty accurate assumption. Of course no part of his movements hinted at this fact, and with a powerful attack like his Brave Blade, there was no reason for him to worry if he had to resort to physical attacks...after all, he had one of the best at his Persona's disposal. That jack-of-all-trades attitude was something that he was proud of in his Persona, even if it did come from himself.

"Wuo-wahhh!" Yosuke started to dash forward, but could barely skid to a stop fast enough as Syr came charging at him instead, leaping just in time to avoid a wild tusk that caught his arm and threw his spin off, causing him to crash into a couple of desks. "Ooooww...damn it, it's really not fair for her to be that strong AND that cute! W-wait, she didn't hear that, did she?" Yosuke wouldn't have minded the illusion carrying his voice away that time, but there was no time for him to worry about being embarrassed as he shot to his feet and leaped upwards, not wanting to give her a clear target due to his mistake, the senior's feet touched the ceiling, a feat that must have seemed inhuman, and he shot towards Minori as he pushed off to give himself extra force as he stuck his weapon forward. "I'm pissed now." Just as it seemed Yosuke was going to slam into Minori blindly, regardless of the damage done to the both of them, a faint blue glow surrounded him as a silhouette appeared beside him and his course was suddenly altered, as he went spinning overhead thanks to the small hand he'd received, capturing his balance as he passed over Minori and revealed a sneaky grin. "Countin' on you!" Yosuke shouted, his card appearing before him again as he spun and kicked the powerful Magician, Susano-O appearing a second time just as quickly. The Persona leaped and kicked the ring blade that surrounded it once again, launching another lightening fast attack at Minori in an attempt to get around her guard, all while the Persona User himself finally landed on the other side, crouching and ready to move again. A couple drops of blood fell from his arm, but Yosuke'd had much worse today than this, though he did take a spare second to pull his sleeve down over the skin. Beneath, there was a long gash received from Tyr, but he didn't want to give Minori an opening or hope for her sympathy...and so, he'd just have to deal with one arm, whether he liked it or not. Keeping her from noticing he'd lost one good side to attack from though was important, so he had to keep moving, and shake her gaze so she couldn't focus in for weaknesses...something that wasn't so hard to do, considering his own particular skills. He quickly shifted from foot to foot as he prepared to move again, trying to misdirect her eye and keep his opponent guessing. Even if he didn't want to do all this to Minori...he had to win, no matter what!

"Yeesh, talk about persistent." Yosuke's eyes went wide as talisman appeared around him, and he glanced back and forth at the light attack, recognizing it in an instant. "Oh shi-" Suddenly buzzers went off all over his body like lightening was coursing through his veins, and after a couple seconds the talismans let up and faded, leaving a fried Yosuke with steam pretty much rolling off his body. As if to accentuate the comedy, he opened his mouth and a little puff of smoke came out, causing Yosuke to groan. "A-atta'girl...but damn, that hurt." Yosuke shook his head, and before Minori could capitalize he'd struck through his card again, as a fresh wind suddenly blew through the battlefield. He'd wanted to keep any trump cards for later, but it looked like Minori was really going to push him to his limits; that was why he had to break out the big guns, because if not, there was no way this would ever end. "Go! Susano-O!" The wind wrapped around Yosuke and suddenly his wounds began to mend, but more than that he seemed reinvigorated. He wasn't moving from his spot, not quite yet, so it might not have been that obvious to Minori, but to Yosuke, things were already becoming clear...he'd definitely win this battle. If Minori didn't have any tricks up her sleeve, then this next attack might be her last.

"Wu-aggh!" Yosuke was just feeling fresh when Minori decided to let him know that she'd been holding back, though it went without saying that he'd of been pretty satisfied if she left things as is. Instead he felt a crack in his defenses forming as Minori unleashed a torrent of light blasts that, to Yosuke-kun's own very real surprise, smashed right through his defense as if it had never been there. The older Persona User crossed the room and smacked head-first into the wall at the far end, bouncing and crashing down amongst the desks again. For all intents and purposes, it must have looked like the battle was already over. "Ha, great. I think I broke something. I guess this isn't such a bad way to let it end, to trust my friends to push a little harder..." The swimming sensation in Yosuke's head was counterbalanced by the pain in his stomach as a feeling like broken shards jabbing into his skin caused him to wince and regain his senses, a likely cause being some cracked ribs. "Hah, I'm real pathetic, huh? What am I saying...am I really gonna let it all end like this? I was the one who wanted to be a star again, and that's probably what caused this whole tournament." Yosuke's grip tightened around his weapons, and he punched the dirt beneath him, feeling a sinking sensation rising in his body. It was like a whole lot of foul feelings were coming back to greet him, and he knew at the top of them all was the thought that he just wanted to let Minori go on, to let his friends take care of the mess while he was out of harm's way, even though it was his fault. But he was the one who wanted to be a hero, and that's where the problems had all started from. Could he ever really look himself in the mirror again, if he walked away now? Was he someone who would refuse to face his true self? "Have a little confidence, Yosuke. When the chips are down, I know I can count on you..." A rush of words came back to him suddenly, and Yosuke felt a bitter pang well up in himself, this time not at his weakness...but at the fact he'd almost ignored his greatest strength.

"Whenever I'm down, I guess I just have to look to others to pick me up again, huh? Man, I really am pathetic. But you know..." Yosuke's eyes began to glow as his resolve returned, and he began to stand up. All around the room desks suddenly began to clatter and toss about, and underneath the pile of rock and school supplies a figure began to rise again, tossing away all of the garbage covering him as the desks flew about and smashed into the walls, moved by the winds of Susano-O Reborn. "...I started this mess, so I guess there's no helping it. Minori, I know you won't forgive me, but I hope you'll at least support my decision. I can't let you all down...I've got a mess of my own to clean up, once and for all." The power coursing through Yosuke's body shot upwards even more with the appearance of the all-powerful toad sage, and in an instant Yosuke flicked his wrist blades forward, sending them slashing towards the chest of the young girl who'd fused with her Persona at break neck speeds, while he himself prepared to dash ahead again, his vigor renewed, even if his body was already battered from a number of previous assaults.