Wings of Rebellion
Written by Aiyumi
Disclaimer: Persona and all related characters are property of Atlus. Any trademarks that may be referenced in this fan fiction are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and do not have any relations to said people/companies.
Chapter 2: New Vow
Thanks to their last interaction, Akechi had gotten face to face with the Phantom Thieves and could take a closer look at them. This confirmed his suspicions. Akira wasn't just one of the Phantom Thieves, but actually their leader. The others were indeed those people in her circle of friends, who had been involved with previous targets. Three other Shujin students, one of them being the Student Council President, Makoto Niijima, or Sae-san's little sister; a Kosei student, Madarame's former pupil Yusuke Kitagawa; The navigator girl that must be Wakaba Isshiki's daughter, Futaba Sakura; Morgana the supernatural cat; and then that new girl that had called herself, "Beauty Thief." She looked familiar, though Akechi couldn't remember where he might have seen her face before.
As soon as Akechi found himself with some free time, he went to Okumura's Palace. However, he found no one except from the usual Shadows. No doors or other paths had been unlocked, either. It meant that the Phantom Thieves hadn't come yet. But his last interaction with them showed that convincing them wouldn't be as easy as he had hoped, and he had the feeling that they would show up at Okumura's Palace again sooner or later. So, he waited.
A few minutes went by, but nothing happened. When Akechi was about to give up for the day, he spotted the Thieves sneaking around out of the corner of his eye. Thus, Akechi, or rather, Crow, went in their general direction and approached them.
"I knew I'd find you here, Phantom Thieves of Hearts," he said once they were in conversational range.
"Same here. You were waiting for us, weren't you? Don't you have anything better to do?" Their leader, Akira, asked.
"I only dropped by this Palace based on the times I've spotted you in the Metaverse on other days."
"Y-you've figured out o-our schedules?" Their navigator stuttered in fear, while a few others shuffled apprehensively.
"Why are you doing this? What do you want?" It was the girl in a biker costume, Niijima-san.
"Our talk from last time isn't over yet." He stated coldly.
"You wanna talk?" Akira nodded in satisfaction. "Good, because we're here to talk, too. We investigated a few of those things you mentioned. We managed to confirm the manipulation of the forum rankings, and that the SIU Director has a Palace. But we'd like to have a few other things clarified."
The new girl raised a hand. "Um, I have a question."
"Hmm." Crow looked at the new girl. "Beauty Thief, was it?"
She shuffled awkwardly. "Uh, y-yes, it was... but not anymore. Now that I'm one of the Phantom Thieves, I have changed my code name. You may just call me Noir."
Did she really have to explain that in detail?
"Noir. It's way easier to say. So, what was it that you wanted to ask?"
"Um, i-is it true that Okumura Foods has been using mental breakdowns and shutdowns to harm its competitors?"
"... Yes."
Noir was horrified. "H-how does that work? Does Fa-" She quickly corrected herself. "I mean, the president of Okumura Foods directly ask you to... uh, you know...?"
Crow had been wondering what that girl had to do with anything. So, that was it. Her slip made him recall having seen a picture of her. It was clear now. She was Okumura's daughter.
"No. He talks to the higher-ups." He answered her question.
"Higher-ups? Hmm. You had mentioned a 'mastermind' last time, too. Does this mean you're just a pawn then?" Akira observed.
"Exactly."
"Um, thank you for answering my question," Noir got back on topic, as polite as always. "But why are you giving us so much information?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm betraying them."
"Betraying...? Why?" Noir asked.
"Because I had enough."
"Ah, I see. You had said that the mastermind uses everyone and then eliminates them," Akira was quick to reason. "This also includes you, doesn't it?"
"Good observation, leader." He nodded. "Of course I'm not an exception. I was an idiot not to have realized this sooner. I know too much, and this bothers him." Crow sighed. "To tell the truth, I don't mind dying. I have nothing to lose. Of the little I had, I lost one half and threw the other half away. After everything I've done, I have no hope of salvation. But..." His voice rose in anger. "Knowing all I know, I can't just stay still waiting for him to kill me! Much of this current chaos is my fault and can't be undone. All I can do now is find a way to expose his organization."
"You mean to say this is an act of desperation?" The fox-masked Kitagawa said.
"Pretty much."
"How did you get involved with those wicked people, anyway?"
Of course it had to be Akira asking the most difficult question. And it had to be about the topic he least wanted to discuss with her, too. The one that could shatter their friendship for good if she were to find out his real identity. He had never told anyone about it, and if he revealed it now, he would be telling it to eight people at once. But he was trying to help the Phantom Thieves, and felt he should be honest with them.
"It all started with a stupid grudge." He began resignedly. "My life turned into hell thanks to a certain man. He probably doesn't even know what happened, and doesn't even care. But I wanted to make him pay for it by having him feel all the suffering himself. Once I finally found out where he was and what he was trying to achieve, I thought about approaching him. Somehow ally with him and help him reach the top, only to shove him off the peak and make him lose everything he had achieved."
"Sounds pretty twisted already." The boy with a skull mask commented with displeasure.
"Yes." Crow had to admit. "The more I think about it now, the lamer it sounds. But at that time, in my head, it was the perfect and flawless plan. Though I was a nobody and had no means to do anything. And that was when it happened. I heard a voice. I don't know if it was a god or a demon, but it gave me this power. The power of Persona."
Akira interjected. "Wait, you didn't awaken to this power on your own? Someone gave it to you? How can that be? And who was it?"
"I don't know. I only heard a voice. He said that I was chosen, that I was special. It was exactly what I wanted to hear, and I bought into it. Easy, right? Just tell this to someone who's totally lost, and you'll have them on the palm of your hand. This was what happened to me. This mysterious entity told me about the Metaverse, gave me access to it and the power of Persona. When I entered the Metaverse and felt this power for the first time, I laughed hard. I was so exhilarated, and felt I could do anything! The mysterious entity told me that the subject of my grudge was interested in the Metaverse thanks to a peculiar research, and that I could carry out my revenge plan if I were to approach him and say that I had a way to access the Metaverse. This is what I did. I approached the man, and you can imagine the rest."
"Is this man the 'mastermind' you spoke of?" Akira deduced.
"Yes. He somehow bought into my Metaverse talk, we struck a deal, and that was that. I began doing everything he ordered me to, as a way to help him reach the top so that I could shove him off later. Eventually he learned from the research that killing the Shadow in the Metaverse would also kill the person in the real world, and since I was the one who could enter the Metaverse, he ordered me to kill the Shadow of someone that was 'bothering' him. At first, I didn't want to, but my plans of revenge spoke louder, and when I realized it, I was already doing it. More of those orders came, and I continued following them. I kept trying to justify my actions by thinking I had power and no one could catch me, or even if they could, I had no hope for a good future anyway and had nothing to lose. Deep down I knew it was wrong, but it got to the point that I was too blinded by that revenge crap to care."
"This is... pitiful," Sae-san's sister spoke for everyone. "You said you want to expose this huge organization. How do you intend to do that?"
"There's only one thing to do. Make him spill everything himself."
"You mean...!" The girl in a panther suit gasped.
"Yes. To change his heart, of course." He chuckled bitterly. "This is what I should've done from the start."
"Yeah, just give us the asshole's name and keywords, and we'll do it! It'll be our biggest target ever!" The skull-masked boy was eager.
"No."
"Why not?!" The boy protested.
"There's one thing you are right about. He'd be the biggest target so far. And that's the problem. He's too strong for your group to handle at your current skill level. You've just started at this Metaverse thing. I've been at this for more than two years now, and I'm sure this will be difficult even for me. He's the one who stole the research, after all. He knows one extra thing or two about controlling his own cognition, and his Palace has some countermeasures not even I am sure how to deal with."
The navigator girl gritted her teeth, as though she couldn't decide to be angrier at him for having caused a mental shutdown on her mother, or at the "mastermind" for having stolen the research and used it for evil. "H-hey," she said hesitantly. "Why d-did he steal the research?"
Crow answered with some hesitation. "Other people would learn about the Metaverse's existence if the research were to go public. He was planning on using the Metaverse for his gain, and didn't want anyone figuring out the methods." An awkward pause. "... Speaking of methods... what am I supposed to do to change his heart, anyway?"
"You... don't know?" Mona was incredulous.
"Hmm? What about the two years experience you were talking about, huh?" The boy with a skull mask mocked him.
Crow had to admit his failure and keep himself from lashing out at the provocation. And for someone that tried to be as well-informed as possible, admitting his lack of knowledge of something basic hurt his pride. "No. I don't know... most of what I know about the Metaverse I learned from trial and error."
"Huh? What about the research?" The navigator asked. "You've read it... right?"
"... Not really. Just a few short snippets, but that's about it."
"Not even you had access to it?" Akira voiced her surprise.
"He didn't allow me to see much. Just a few parts that he deemed of note or convenient-" Crow balked at the realization. "Wait. I see. So, that was it... he must've gotten afraid that I might suddenly betray him, and kept away the information that could be used against him." Crow narrowed his eyes. "So, it turns out he actually doesn't trust me completely. Perhaps never did..." Crow even forgot the Phantom Thieves were there, and kept talking to himself. "This is so obvious. How come I didn't realize this before? That revenge plan never had any chance of succeeding. I was only fooling myself the whole time! I'm such an idiot. This is pathetic! Ridiculous! I can do nothing about this other than laugh..." And he... began laughing like crazy.
Joker was rooted to the ground. Crow's story was painful to listen to. He was a terrible person, and had done so many bad things because of a stupid revenge. Despite that, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Her intuition told her he had really regretted what he did. No doubt that his views had been distorted. It was a wonder how he managed to open his eyes and realize his mistakes on his own without them needing to force his heart to change. It should be hard for someone to change their heart on their own, and even harder for someone in the state Crow said he had been in. For that, he had her respect. However...
"He broke..." Oracle's statement couldn't be more correct.
Crow stood there laughing his head off like a maniac. He seemed to break a bit more each second, at each realization of another mistake. It was sad to watch. That strange empathy Akira felt towards him only made it worse.
Queen took a step back. "What if he is mentally unstable? If he loses his grip inside the Metaverse and gets aggressive, who knows what he might do. It may be dangerous!"
Everyone backed away, except Joker who was frozen in place.
"Hey, Joker!" Mona called out, and Skull came and dragged her away.
The Phantom Thieves left Crow behind and went to a nearby room. They traded solemn looks and remained silent for a while.
"Hey." Skull spoke up. "I know I shouldn't be feeling this way, and that he doesn't deserve it. But..." He heaved a sigh. "I can't help but feel bad for the guy, y'know? Hey, Mona. Remember, way back when you told us we could make Kamoshida repent if we changed his heart?"
"Yeah. You and Joker seemed so determined to do it, but then I said Kamoshida might die if it were to go wrong, and you freaked out. Then... I mocked you for chickening out, and... said that even if he were to die, no one'd find out it was your fault." Mona made an ashamed face. "Ugh, I can't believe I had as much as considered something like that!"
"But it was you that kept us in line and insisted time after time that we should be careful not to kill Kamoshida." Joker reminded Mona. "We were so mad because of what Kamoshida was doing to the students, what happened to Suzui-san and all that. If you hadn't been with us, who knows what we might've done with this power. Just a little more, and we might've become like Crow."
"Yeah..." Panther nodded slowly. "Sad, but true."
"Oh, I didn't know that. So, it was Mona that kept everyone from going out of line?" Oracle grinned and pinched Mona's cheek. "See? You're very important to our group, you silly kitty."
"Ah! Stop it!" Mona protested.
"Crow is a horrible person." Panther voiced her opinion. "But that mastermind guy sounds even more horrible. I mean, he didn't want to get his hands dirty and had Crow do all those things, right?"
"Yes." Queen agreed. "Of course, the fact that someone else was behind it doesn't exempt Crow from the responsibility for what he did, but still..."
"He really seemed ashamed." Noir noted. "It seems like Crow has really regretted his past actions."
"I felt that too," Mona said. "And he seems to have overcome his heart's distortion on his own. This is not something that happens every day. I think he deserves some credit."
Joker was glad that the others shared the same thoughts as her.
"It was sad to listen to his story," Fox said. "Even sadder to admit, though, is that I would probably have done the same in a similar situation. If you all had not saved me, if my situation had ultimately worsened and I had gotten this power, I may have followed a similar path."
Oracle nodded, much to everyone's surprise. "Crow's the one who killed my mom. I know I should hate him. But after he said all those things, and the way he broke down... I don't know what to think."
"The way Crow seemed to go nuts earlier got me worried," Joker said. "A situation like his is too much for a person to deal with on his own. What if he's mentally unstable, like Queen said? He's breaking. And he wants to change the mastermind's heart alone. I feel that if we leave him unattended, he'll break even more..."
"We should keep an eye on him." Fox declared.
Everyone nodded, in an unanimous decision.
"Then, let's go back to where Crow is." Mona suggested, and everyone walked back the way they came.
Crow had finally recovered from his outburst. All those emotions were overwhelming. On one hand, he felt miserable. How could he have been so foolish? How could he have messed up so much? On the other hand, he felt refreshed. Telling others about his predicament seemed to have lifted a weight from his shoulders, even if it meant they would hate him for being such a horrible person. Well, as though they didn't hate him already. Anyway, letting loose and laughing at his own stupidity also helped him feel better. Maybe letting his true feelings out actually wasn't a bad thing.
He hadn't even realized the Phantom Thieves had left. But then, they came walking towards him.
"Crow." It was Akira. "You okay?"
He nodded. "And now you know how the Metaverse can screw a person's life. This is why I'm asking you to disband. You may get in serious danger if you get involved further."
"We've made our decision." She gave him a serious look. "Sorry, but we have no intention of stopping. If the law system's as corrupt as you say, then it's something we can't just ignore!"
"... What?" It was the answer he had been dreading. "Are you out of your mind!? After all I've told you, about the trap and-"
"Oh, we're taking your warning into account. Thanks for that. We'll find a way around that trap somehow," she said nonchalantly.
"How can you say it as though it were that easy!?" When Crow realized it, his emotions had come out again, and his voice had risen. "Seriously, I can't tell whether you have something concrete planned to back that up, or you're just stupid. Don't you realize the danger you are in? If it goes wrong, all of you might lose your futures, your lives, everything!"
Akira seemed taken aback for a moment, but then determination flared in her eyes. "We know! Of course we know, and we're scared too. But we'll be doing it anyway. Why? Because we can. We're sure we can make some things change for better, and that this'll help a lot of people."
Crow gritted his teeth in frustration. He quickly searched his mind for more arguments, but found none. All he could do was sigh resignedly. "Your selflessness is beyond my comprehension."
"That's just how we are." The leader grinned. "All of us were victims of this corrupt society in one way or another. We were helpless, only being beaten up and unable to do anything, until we snapped and awakened to this power. Then we found out we can use this power to make a difference and cause change. And this is what we'll continue doing, to help other people so that they won't have to go through what we did."
Prevent others from going through what they did. Actually, this was what Crow was trying to do, too. Prevent the Phantom Thieves from having their futures destroyed like he had. But it was apparent that nothing he could say would change their minds. There was only one option...
"So, this is how it is..." Crow spoke darkly, with a strengthened resolve. "Then, you leave me no choice."
"Uh... what is he gonna do?!" The skull-masked boy asked apprehensively, as the group members either tensed or took a step back.
"I'll come with you."
Crow's announcement took everyone aback.
"... Huh?" The skull-masked boy deadpanned.
"Let's make a deal." Crow went straight to the point. "I'll help you come up with a plan to avoid the trap, and in return, you'll have to teach me the ins and outs of how to change a heart."
The Phantom Thieves traded looks among themselves, until the leader nodded and turned her focus back to Crow.
"Deal. But don't dare betray us, or we won't forgive you! Got it?" She warned.
This reminded Crow of the original plan. The plan where he should join them temporarily to sell them out later, once they had fallen into the trap. That thought caused him a sickening feeling. But the circumstances were different now. He couldn't save himself. But he could save the Phantom Thieves, and he would do it at all cost.
"Of course." He nodded resolutely at Akira, and their deal was sealed.
Then, everything froze. A strange card appeared in Crow's vision, accompanied by a calm voice.
"I am thou, thou art I... thou hast acquired a new vow, the Phantom Thieves Confidant. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity. With the birth of the Fool Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power..."
The card disappeared, and everything came back to normal. What was that just now? Crow gaped in surprise for a second, but the Phantom Thieves didn't seem to be paying attention.
"That reminds me. We still haven't introduced ourselves properly, have we? I am Fox." Kitagawa revealed his code name.
The others did the same, and Crow finally learned all the Thieves' code names.
"So, how does one change a heart?" Crow asked.
"We have to take the treasure!" Mona pipped up.
"A treasure?"
"Yes. The target's distorted desires, which are also the Palace's core. It takes shape as a valuable treasure. This is what we have to steal."
"Hmm. Oh, now I remember. I had tried to find out more about the research, to learn things that the mastermind didn't allow me to see. I found an old paper by the Metaverse researcher, but couldn't gleam much from it. However, it mentioned something in the other world that causes the person to misbehave, and once this cause is removed, the misbehavior stops. Now that I think about it, this sounds like the 'core,' or the 'treasure' you speak of."
Oracle nodded shakily. "Y-yeah, I've seen that too. I think that's about right."
"But how do we find the treasure? I came across broken objects and a few weapons, but that's about it. I've been to all the Palaces of the people involved with the organization, and have seen more different manifestations of distorted cognition than I care to count. Yet, I've never found anything likely to be the Palace's core, or extremely valuable and that could be 'removed.'"
"We have to cause it to materialize," Mona said. "For now, let's secure the route to the treasure. We'll explain things as we go."
"Alright! About time we get this Palace exploration going!" Skull was excited.
"You're really intent on targeting Okumura." Crow commented. "Then, make sure to be as inconspicuous as possible. Meaning, no theatrical stunts and flashy calling cards."
"You are telling us to change his heart without sending him a calling card?" Queen asked.
"Exactly."
"But that's not possible." Mona responded. "We need to do that to cause the treasure to materialize!"
Crow hadn't expected that. "What? The calling cards are really needed? You mean they aren't just for show?"
"We have to change the targets' cognition and make them believe their desires are valuable and can be stolen. This is how the treasure takes shape! The cards have to be flashy, or they may not have enough impact on the targets' for their cognition to change."
Crow furrowed his brows. "This is a problem."
"What do you mean?" Panther asked.
"As you already know, the organization is banking on having Okumura targeted. The problem is that they've specifically talked to Okumura about the rankings and convinced him that the Phantom Thieves are a threat, and they have been really adamant about telling him to call the police in case 'something suspicious' happens. There's no doubt that he'll tell the police if he gets a calling card, and this will be the sign to the mastermind to give the... order to... you know what."
A tense silence followed, which Akira, or rather, Joker, broke. "Hey... if you get that order, what do you intend to do?"
Crow tensed. "I... don't want to obey it. If only there were a way for me to trick the mastermind into thinking I did it..." Crow sighed. "Truth is, there's one of those orders that I disobeyed already. There's one other person he wanted to get rid of. That is... Shujin Academy's Principal Kobayakawa."
"Shujin's... Principal!" Panther gasped. "He's involved in this mess too?!"
Crow confirmed. "He has done... dishonest things to get to his current position. Not as bad as some others, but yes. He's one of the 'minor connections,' as the organization puts it, and they decided to get rid of him. All the pressure from those magazine articles is their doing. They planned to have the public's eyes on the issue, then kill him and put the blame on... yes, you guessed it. The Phantom Thieves."
Skull growled. "Ah! Just hearing this pisses me off! How much more twisted can this whole story get?!"
"We've heard that Shujin's Principal is comatose in the hospital," Queen said. "It looks like he suddenly fell ill and collapsed, but no one knows what happened."
Crow sighed in relief. "Good. It seems my plan worked. He should be fine."
All eyes turned to Crow.
"What did you do?" Noir asked.
"It seems he was already aware that the organization had turned against him, and was planning to report them to the police. But it'd be useless, considering the power they have over the police. So, I told his Shadow to lay low for a while, until I manage to change the mastermind's heart. I convinced his Shadow to cause his real self to collapse and stay unresponsive in the hospital, and he was so scared of dying that he accepted. We know that there are people who manage to survive a mental shutdown, although in a vegetative state. So, the mastermind thinks Kobayakawa is as good as dead now... or at least, I hope this is what he's thinking. After the realization that he never trusted me completely, I can't be so sure anymore."
"Whoa. That was hell of a plan, huh?" Skull said. "How did you know that it'd work?"
"I didn't. This was my most rushed plan ever. In other words, it was a gamble."
Everyone stared incredulously at Crow.
Crow continued. "It's a relief to know that it seems to have worked. I wish I could do the same to Okumura, but I'm sure the same plan won't work twice. If two people consecutively fall into a coma instead of having a mental shutdown, it'll be clear that it isn't a coincidence, and the mastermind will suspect that something's up."
"This is more complicated than we had imagined," Fox said.
"That was an interesting plan nonetheless." Joker praised him. "Let's secure the route to the treasure first, then we shall think about how to deal with Okumura's case. I'm sure we'll come up with a good solution. Nine heads think better than one, after all."
"Eight, because Skull's empty head doesn't count." Mona mocked.
"Shut up!" Skull shouted. "... Uh, but Crow seems to be quite smart. Maybe his head counts as two? I think he'd give our strategist a run for her money."
Queen, apparently the said strategist, didn't seem pleased to hear that.
"Um, but Oracle is our true genius here," Panther said. "Isn't she like a living supercomputer or something?"
"Okay, okay." Joker waved it off before that talk could break into a fight. "The fact is that we have many skilled brains in our group. No way that we can't devise a good plan! That being said, let's begin our heist!"
They began exploring the Palace, and arrived at a door that required a biometric scan. Noir had her hand scanned, and granted the group entry.
Joker grinned at Crow. "I doubt you'd have gotten past this door without Noir's help."
"Easy. There were some conditions that Okumura had to accept when he made a deal with the organization. As a result, I'm also authorized to open these doors."
"Wow, some networking you've got. Alright, I take that back."
Some Shadows appeared, which Crow defeated with ease. Loki's Maragion took all the enemies out, even though they didn't have a weakness to fire.
"Wow... he's t-too strong!" Oracle sounded scared. "His power... i-it... it's over 9000!"
More battles happened, and the Shadows didn't see what had hit them.
"Hey, leave a bit for us!" Skull complained. "How are we gonna get stronger if we don't battle?"
"Ah, yes, my bad. You're right..." Crow stepped back and let the Phantom Thieves have their fights.
Crow observed the Thieves battle. Even though they weren't as experienced, he couldn't deny that they were skilled. The most interesting of them all, though, was Joker. When Crow saw the leader of the Phantom Thieves switch Personas for the first time a few months back, he had gotten envious. Crow had thought his ability to use two Personas was special. But Joker was more, as she could switch between multiple Personas, with a constantly changing selection. And unlike him who could only use Justice Personas, she had Personas of all Arcana. Crow hadn't wanted to accept that. The entity that gave him his power had said he was special, hadn't it? Why couldn't he use lots of Personas like the leader of the Phantom Thieves, then?
But now he knew how bright, strong-willed, kind, considerate, and special Akira was. Unlike him, she deserved that privilege, and much more. And unlike him, she could get everything she deserved.
The Phantom Thieves were fighting a Shadow, and it got scared and begged for its life.
"Please, don't kill me! A-alright, I h-have an idea. Let me join you. Yes, I'm sure you can use my strength-" The Shadow was saying, but deflated. "Oh... I see. You already have the Mothman aspect within you..." It probably meant that Joker already had that Persona. "Hmm, wait. But you don't." The Shadow suddenly turned to Crow.
"... Huh?"
"That's it then. I'll lend you my strength. I am thou, and thou art I." The Shadow dissolved into light, then became a mask and got absorbed into Crow's mask. He felt something new inside him. A new kind of power he had never felt before.
"He has the same ability as Joker!?" Mona exclaimed in awe.
"S-same? I..." Crow himself was stunned. "Well, I had two Personas... but that was it. Nothing like this had happened before. This is a first even for me!"
They entered another battle, and Crow used his new Persona to defeat a Shadow. Yes, he really had that power. How ironic. Now that he had accepted that he didn't deserve that power, he was getting it.
"Amazing! Too bad that you chose the wrong side..." Joker lamented.
He wanted to say that this wasn't right, that he didn't deserve this power, that Akira deserved it and much much more. "I'm on your side now," was what left his mouth instead.
"I really hope so." The leader responded. A sign that the Phantom Thieves didn't trust him completely, either. He knew they didn't. It was understandable. Still, the confirmation hurt a little.
They defeated robot guards and Shadows alike.
"All enemies are down!" Oracle announced as Fox knocked the last standing enemy to the ground.
"Now!" Joker shouted. It was so sudden that Crow had no idea what they were supposed to do "now," and only stood there as all the Phantom Thieves advanced and set upon the enemies at once.
"H-hey, what are you standing there for?" Oracle called out to him. "You should've joined in!"
"Huh? ... How was I supposed to know what to do?"
"When all enemies are downed, all of us attack them to finish them easier!" Skull said as though it were obvious. "Man, if you weren't this strong, it'd be hard to believe you have two years experience or whatever."
Crow was getting irritated. Why did Skull have to keep throwing that two years experience comment back in his face? He did his best to keep his cool. "That is... a group technique. I've been on my own this whole time."
"Oh, yeah." Skull didn't give up, though. "But... uh, haven't you been spying on us or something, too?"
"Uh, ah, sometimes..." Crow admitted. "But this was so sudden and caught me unprepared."
Panther sighed in exasperation. "Why does Skull only make good points when it's about picking on someone? Ah, whatever..."
"Skull, cut him some slack." Joker chided her teammate. "Crow, just try to join in next time."
The "next time" came, and Crow joined the Thieves in their All-Out Attack. It was indeed an effective way to finish fights quicker. Then, on the next battle, he was caught by surprise again when Joker unexpectedly "Baton-Passed" - as the Thieves put it - to him. He felt empowered, despite his new Persona being much weaker than either Robin Hood or Loki. A few fights later, he experimented Baton-Passing to the others, and the Phantom Thieves were very pleased.
It was strange. Despite making it clear that they didn't quite trust him, the Phantom Thieves still insisted on having him join them in their All-Out Attacks and Baton Passes as though he were one of them. Crow couldn't understand. All he knew was that these were ways of battling he had never experienced because he had always acted solo. Before, he had been proud of being able to defeat hordes of Shadows on his own, and thought that it proved how powerful and self-sufficient he was. He had thought that relying on others and splitting the work was a sign of weakness. But now he realized how wrong he had been. It was so satisfying to Baton-Pass to someone knowing he could trust them to get the job done. Sometimes accidents happened and the group members didn't always respond the way he wanted, but he wasn't always able to correspond to their expectations, either. Despite that, their team had a good synergy, and that teamwork thing felt great. Addicting, even. It got to the point that Crow found himself Baton-Passing to someone else instead of finishing the fight himself, just because he thought it was more satisfying this way.
Crow helped the Thieves to hide and attack enemies by surprise, and to figure out the Palace's traps. He also ended up getting a few more new Personas in the process. Before they knew it, time had flown by, and they had reached the end of the Palace.
"We did it! That's the treasure!" Mona pointed at a cloudy... something in the distance.
"... That?" Crow gaped. "Ah. I... see. I had found similar things in the other Palaces as well. So, that's the core?"
"Now we need to devise a way to materialize that without a calling card," Queen said. "There are a few things I would like to look into, but it will take some time, probably a few days."
Joker thought for a bit. "Hmm. How about we think this over and meet up here again next Monday to discuss the issue?"
"Meet up... here? In the Palace?" Panther sounded confused.
"Yeah." Joker didn't elaborate, though the reason was obvious. She didn't want to meet up outside the Metaverse and reveal their identities to Crow, unaware that he had figured them out already.
But Crow still didn't want to reveal his identity to them, either, and agreed with Joker's plan. "Sounds good. I'll see all of you here next Monday, then." And he parted ways with the Phantom Thieves.
A/n: I made the Phantom Thieves be Akechi's Fool Arcana Confidant here, like in Personas 3 and 4, where the party's Social Link was of the Fool Arcana.
And until their next trip to the Metaverse comes, there'll be a few chapters with fluff (finally)...
PS: it's December 19th, 2017 at the moment of this writing. Happy holidays, and see you next chapter!