The Sister Complex Kingpin of Steel, Soji Seta and The Two-Fisted Protein Junkie, Akihiko Sanada
"Show me a hero, and I'll write you a tragedy..."
He didn't like the way he had left the last room, but there was no other way that he could proceed safely given the situation that the officer had put him in. Soji still couldn't say for certain if the guy was just another victim or if he had been in there from the start as part of the problem, but the guy had shown no signs of being anything other than someone caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even the attack that had been launched against him was excused by the illusions that the bear had cast over each of them, so there was really nothing that he could do except knock him out, wake him, warn him to hide, and move on. After all, there were still rounds in this dangerous Grand Prix to go, and if he wasn't the one who finished this thing and saw it through to the end, who would? Well, he knew that most of his teammates certainly would give it everything they had in each round in order to spare the others the rest of the trouble and to rescue any seriously endangered innocents in the process. And who knew for sure what the fake Teddie might do if they weren't willing to play along with his game? If he could go to such lengths to block their paths, direct their motion, and cast an illusion over them which manipulated them into fighting one another, it was almost scary to think what else he might be capable of if he were given reason to divert from his original plan. At least, that's what the Senior thought, and that was another reason why the others who stayed behind were likely safer that way, tucked away in a hiding spot from any potential threats that might happen by. Moving forward was the path into greater danger, but he tread it willingly. Feet moved idly through the school and past the shoe lockers until the invisible barriers walked him straight out into the courtyard of the school where the shadow-things were still watching ominously from the outskirts. Why were they there, he wondered? Why weren't they aggressive? He still hadn't seen the blue-haired girl Teddie mentioned earlier, but he had heard her once on the announcements. She was involved in the Student Council somehow, he had gathered, but no one he knew on the Student Council matched her description. ...No matter how he spun it, it seemed most likely that this was her shadow's world, and that General Teddie and possibly even the fake Rise were both faces that it took on to taunt them. It wouldn't be the first time he had seen a shadow wear someone else's face lately, even, so he couldn't say it was surprising. Memories of Naoki and the abomination crossed his mind; he shook them free as quickly as they came, the sound of approaching footsteps alerting him to his next opponent's arrival. And who he saw was enough to give even the leader of the Investigation Team a little pause.
"I figured as much!" the gregarious voice of Akihiko Sanada smirked from the gate as he moved into the area from the Downtown Path, his neck cracking idly with his cape slung over one shoulder like a 9-to-5'er after a hard day's work, "I saw one of your friends just now, and one of your shadow's goons before that. I figured all of this meant that you were tied up in this somehow. ...Still, some luck I've got catching you or him before even the semifinals, huh?" His smile was honest, but there was something predatory about the way that he looked at the silver-haired young man, as if he were actually anticipating the fight, excited even. For someone who sought out the strongest opponents to test himself against and grow even more capable, standing across the field from someone like Soji was probably the ultimate litmus test to see just how far he had come. Adrenaline was already coursing through the detective's veins at the sight of him, but he knew that before they really mixed it up there were a few things that they needed to get out into the open, in case the loser was too unconscious or the General was too anxious to give them the time to talk after the match. That was why he tossed the cape to the side immediately, an unnecessarily showy gesture that allowed a little extra time for his foe to start the conversation or not. Soji didn't miss the chance. "Detective Sanada, if you're here that means the Kirijo is mixed up in this event somehow, right?" he began, earning a tact 'That's right.' from the white-haired boxer before continuing on, "Why are you guys here? And what do you know about what's going on?" Things were beginning to fall into place before he encountered Akihiko...and while his presence complicated things, if his opponent here had answers to those questions, perhaps he would solve more than he raised. One step forward was all that he was looking for, for now. It was only chronologically and logically natural that he wouldn't have all the answers before the end, right?
"We're here looking for an Anti-Shadow Weapon named Labrys; we don't know exactly what she looks like, but in a way, she's Aigis and Zeo's sister. It's our job to retrieve her by any means necessary. That's all I'm at liberty to say right now," the words he spoke were clear, informative, and ended with a sense of finality. But there was something about what he had said, that last little caveat about their mission that they were to retrieve her by 'any means necessary' which bothered him. If she was like Aigis and Zeo, then she had a heart...and if she had a heart, she was basically just like another person, wasn't she? In fact, if he were to connect the dots and say that somehow she was the blue-haired girl Teddie had mentioned (though he hadn't said anything about her being a robot, Zeo didn't normally look like a robot, either), and that this dungeon was created by her subconscious, then everything really did add up. Still, why a school if she was a machine? Why this fighting Tournament? ...What types of issues had she been carrying with her until now? And if she was like a human, with a heart and consciousness, could they really just destroy her? "You say by any means necessary...does that mean kill?" he asked without hesitation, unable to hide the disdain in his voice at the thought. But rather than the understanding response he had been expecting, a sudden scowl came over the boxing detective that by now was becoming quite familiar. 'Here comes the illusion again...I guess we can't avoid going at it, even if we are like this,' Soji noted, a vague shudder running down his back, '...But did I seriously have to draw Japan's Featherweight Hope? I'm not sure my face is built to take punches on that level.' It was a silly, idle thought, of course...he had taken blows more traumatic than punches in his days. But not by much, not when the punches belonged to Akihiko Sanada. And even if he was perhaps the stronger persona-user, that didn't mean he was looking forward to getting hit in this match. At all.
"What's it to you what we do with her? You should be willing to do anything to save your little sister, shouldn't you? Or is all that 'Big Bro' crap just for show?" his words cut towards the core of the Senior despite the fact that he knew they weren't really what Akihiko was saying, though they had inadvertently reminded him of something he wanted to ask and hadn't, "I'll have to ask him about Nanako after the fight..." Muttering to himself, he could see his foe adjust his gloves and send lightning crackling down his arms, the mental assault already well underway...and the Kingpin had to admit, it was pretty intimidating. Had he not already faced down his own dark side once and seen what it was he truly feared, he might have even been scared of the monstrous ex-SEES standing in front of him. Instead, though he was intimidated, he wasn't afraid. And without hesitation he drew the first of his swords and held it out in front of him, feeling the power of his persona fill him completely, becoming one with him in anticipation of the match.
"Come at me!"
"Persona!"
...
The courtyard swirled with unbridled power and the sweat and blood of two men laying it all on the line for the right to move on to the semifinals...and a lot more.
