A/N:
Well, here it is guys, chapter ten. The chapter where Takumi finally gets his own Persona. I've been wanting to post this for awhile, but I wanted to build up to it. It took me awhile to figure out what Persona to give him, something that would benefit him since he is the Tower Arcana. I looked up some fallen heroes, and did make some choices, but ultimately the original persona that I wanted to give him, will be his ultimate persona, so this will be his current one. As I said before, this Persona will use the Almighty Element, which I'm sure only applies to gods, but since Joker can fuse personas with Almighty attacks, I guess it isn't. He will be using various spells from time to time, since the story won't have a leveling mechanism, I have to change up the ability roster every once in awhile. Whenever he infiltrates a new palace, he'll get a new spell or something. I am also working on some extra Thief tools for him to provide for the group. Joker already makes Stealthium or whatever you call it, but I wanted Takumi to provide actual Smoke grenades for them to use, color coded to each member of the Thieves. He will be getting some assistance on this fronts by one of his future confidants.
As for the Personas that Joker will use, I am giving him the ones that I myself am using in my current playthrough. The ones that he will use he actually won't get until much later in the game. But I have given him these because it's much more convenient for me. I will be giving him Arsene as well, since I want him to be kinda like Yu in the anime who kept Inanagi throughout the anime. I just have to figure out what spells and attacks to give him. But for the most part, Joker will use the persona that I am using in the game. I will try to get him new Personas as I am still fusing and experimenting, not Sataniel because that would be too damn powerful.
Also, for all of those who might be interested, Takumi's battle theme will be Light Up the Fire in the Night from Persona Q, I really wish this song was in Persona 5 as a dlc because it would have been freaking awesome. In the future, I might have some Persona 4 characters making a cameo, I already have Kanami as a side character and Rise is going to be in it. But I might add Chie and Naoto or maybe even Yukiko to the story, I haven't decided yet. Maybe Takumi will get a role in a movie that has him going to Inaba to film...I dunno. It all depends on the mood and general feel for the story.
Well...I'll leave you with this chapter, I hope you all like it. Be sure to check out my buddy BloodyDemon666's Persona 5/Suicide Squad crossover story, he just posted it today, show him some love and support. I do hope you have an awesome Sunday, and remember...stay frosty!
Persona 5
Codename: Songbird
Chapter 10
Persona
Date: Monday June 20th 20XX
Time: Morning
Location: Shibuya
Weather: Sunny
Objective: Steal Kaneshiro's Heart
xxx(Take Your Time)xxx
Since Ren had snuck him into his home after his guardian had left, he had to leave rather early. He hadn't gotten the most restful sleep, but he was at least well rested for whatever the day was going to bring him. He had left the boy a note, placing it under Morgana before leaving, making sure the front door was closed as he left. Yongen-Jaya had been rather silent as he walked through the close streets. He made it to the station and took the subway back to Shibuya, taking the back streets to get home. The Police had closed the store off while they were still investigating, but there had been no proof of who had done it. Only he knew it had been Kaneshiro, giving Erica a threat of sorts. He went into the house through the back door, careful not to disturb the police tape that had been closing off the path to the store.
He closed his door, barring it with a chair just to be safe. Heading to his room, he grabbed his school uniform and a change of street clothes, before heading into the bathroom for a shower. Once he was dressed for school, he went back into his room. Laying on top his bed was the prop sword that he had bought from Iwai the night before, in a very stylish scabbard. He had told the teen to be careful with it, but since the sword didn't have an edge to it, it was legal to carry it around as a prop. He also said that with the right tools, that sword could be used as weapon, as it was made from Carbon Fiber. Takumi of course wasn't going to give it an edge, because then he wouldn't be able to legally carry it. Next to it, were the pistols he had bought as well, along with some magazines filled with blanks. He had left them all on his bed, but quickly placed them back into their cases and hide them under a loose floor board under his bed. He couldn't have the police finding them and asking questions. Once he was done, he grabbed his backpack and placed it on around his shoulders.
"I swear to you Kaneshiro...you will pay for this." he muttered under his breath. He turned to leave his room, closing his bedroom door as he did. He paused in the kitchen, making himself a quick breakfast before heading back downstairs and out the back.
As he walked however, he felt like he was being watched by someone. He stopped in the middle of the alley, a firm yet calm look on his face. He had already been expecting something like that, once the mob had their eyes set on you, they would be keeping their eyes on you to make sure you payed up front. He wouldn't doubt that his house was bugged by them, but it would have been a little obvious if it had. He noticed out of the corner of his eye, two people dressed like hip young adults, another ploy that they used to attract the attention of teenagers. He turned around to meet their gazes, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Let me guess...the big man sent you here to stake out my house. Keep an eye on the boy, make sure he's making me money...that about it?" he asked.
"Tch...you know, you are pretty calm about this...didn't you get the note the big man left here? You got three weeks, or else your mom is dead. You know what happens then right? Those cute daughters of hers, become our property...the middle one is a bit young, but I'm sure she'd make the perfect little house maid." one of them said, a grin on his face. Takumi spat on the ground, a glare on his face.
"What the fuck do you want?"
"Oh? Big man is being all macho...you don't scare me kid. We came here to give you a warning, but now you'll have to give us something else. And if you don't have anything to give then we're gonna have to do something about that." the taller of the two said, walking forward. One of them flicked their wrist, extending a baton to it's full length. Takumi smirked, reaching behind his back for one of his pistols, taking aim at the baton toting man.
"Holy shit...he's got a gun."
"See dumb ass, this is why I told you we should have come with our pieces." the second said.
"This is so interesting...I wasn't expecting to face off two of Kaneshiro's shakers this early in the morning. You know what goes well with coffee in the morning? A good helping of bullets, and unless you want to start spitting up lead, you'll tell your boss to back the fuck off. I'll give him his money, in fact." the boy reached into his backpack, reaching for three rolled up bundles of bills, tossing them to the ground.
"There, that's one million yen, the only money I have on me. Take it as a payment of good faith. So unless you want a bullet in your head early in the morning, you'll take that money, and you'll leave my house alone. He'll get his 49 million by July 9th, no later than that and no earlier either." Takumi said firmly. The baton carrying man grabbed the money from the ground, unrolling one of the packets of bills, counting them quickly.
"Alright, we'll take this to him, and we'll keep our word too. No one messes with your house, as long as you bring us that 49 million. The boss will keep in touch. For future reference kid, watch who you point that at next time, not everyone is like us. Got it?"
"Yeah...I'll make sure to shoot first next time. Go on, I'm not turning my back to you." Takumi said, a smirk on his face as the two quickly ran off. One he was sure the two had left, he turned around, putting his gun in his backpack as he ran to the train station. As soon as he made it to the Shibuya/Aoyama transfer line, he stopped, legs shaking as he slid down the wall to the ground.
"Holy shit, I can't believe I just did that."
"Takumi? Are you alright? You look like you just saw a ghost." the voice of Ann said, snapping him out of his thoughts. The boy shot up to his feet, hugging the girl tightly, much to her surprise.
"I just got held up, two of Kaneshiro's goons tried shaking me as I left my house." he said softly.
"Oh my god, are you serious? Are you okay?" she asked, looking him over for injury. Aside from his healing black eye, he didn't have anything else. Though his bruises were easily hidden with make up.
"I'm fine...I had one of my model guns with me and I held the dudes up. But it just hit me, they could have easily been armed and I could have been shot and killed. It was stupid, but I didn't want to pay them either." he said, leaning back against the wall, shyly looking at the floor.
"Just hearing that pisses me off...that's it. We were waiting to get a bit more information on this guy, but after Ren told me they stole your mom's inventory, and hearing this...I can't wait anymore. We're going to his palace this afternoon."
"We are?" he asked.
"Definitely...we can't have these guys continuously scaring the shit out of people. We have to handle this now."
"We have to handle what now?" Ren asked, as he joined the two teenagers. Ann turned to face him, a firm look on her face.
"Takumi was just held up outside his house. He held them up with his model gun but he's panicking because of what could have happened."
"Seriously? Why didn't you wait for me to wake up?"
"Because, I didn't want you to get in trouble with the owner of Leblanc. You already let me stay there for the night man, besides I didn't know those fuckers were staking out my house. I gave them a million and they backed off, but I'm running out of money to dish out."
"I already told him we're going to his palace this afternoon. I think it would be best to meet up in the Station Square, next to Central Street. It's the biggest part of Shibuya and where most of the crimes have been happening. What do you say?" Ann asked, earning a firm look from Ren.
"She has a point, we have to end this Ren. Especially because our friend and his family are being threatened now. The faster we find Kaneshiro's palace, the better." Morgana said, adding his two cents.
"Okay...I'll send a chain message so that everyone knows. But just because we'll go to the palace today, doesn't mean we'll actually get in. Be ready for a fight, you'll be in charge of looking over him, alright Ann?"
"That's fine by me. If he can act his way out of a hold up, he'll do just fine in the Metaverse." the girl said, a smirk on her face.
"JR, Shibuya to Aoyama has just arrived. The doors will open on the right." the announcer called out. The three students turned to face the train that had just arrived, watching a stream of people pouring out from inside.
"Don't worry Takumi, we're gonna steal his heart, so we can give you and everyone peace of mind." Morgana said, earning a smile from the boy.
"Thanks Morgana, I'll be under your tutelage from here on out. Direct me however you like. Just as long as you let me get one on Kaneshiro."
"That can be arranged." his frizzy haired friend said, earning a smirk.
xxx(Take Your Time)xxx
"Well since you all seem to be very alert in class today, I'm going to test your knowledge of the English language. This question should be rather easy, but let's see if you actually have what it takes to answer it...hmm...how about you Mr. Mashita. You spent two years in America after all." Ms. Chuno said, causing the boy to sit up in his chair.
"What was the question?"
"I haven't asked it yet. In English, what does the term cats and dogs refer too?" she asked, earning a frown from the boy.
"I was expecting a harder question but, alright. It's a phrase normally used to refer to heavy rain. When someone says, "It's raining cat's and dogs outside" it means it's raining heavily. I like to add, "With a swarm of Bees" when it's raining sideways. Cause you know...pinpricks on you face and stuff." he replied.
"Well, I was expecting you to get it wrong, but you have surprised me. Extra points for the swarm of bees thing, often times that's how I feel with sideways rain." Ms. Chuno replied. She turned back to the board, continuing her lesson as she wrote another phrase on the board.
"Dude, how is it that you can always answer this shit with a straight face?" Ryuji asked softly, earning a smirk from the boy.
"The questions are easy, but just because I'm bored doesn't mean I don't pay attention. You can do whatever you want in class, as long as you listen and do the work." he said, giving him a smirk.
"Now then, let's begin our next assignment. I've written a phrase on the board and you have to repeat it, we'll start with Sakamoto, since he enjoys chatting with his friends." the teacher said, earning a groan from the spiky haired boy. Takumi couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's misfortune.
xxx(Take Your Time)xxx
Date: Monday June 20th 20XX
Location: Shujin Academy(Aoyama-Itchome)
Time: Lunch
Weather: Sunny
xxx
"You serious? You got jumped this morning?" Ryuji asked, earning a nod from Takumi. He, Ren, Ann and Ryuji were hanging out in the school walkway, near the vending machines that were beside the Practice Building.
"Yeah, I may be a good actor but I was scared shitless the entire time. They've backed off for now, but this puts us at odds. I was given the date of July 9th to pay them. I dunno what'll happen if I exceed that limit, for now, they've promised not to bother me." Takumi said, showing Ryuji his cellphone, which displayed a text message from a blocked number.
"How the hell did they get your number?"
"School records maybe...this guy probably has intelligence agents all over the place." Ann replied. She was the only one sitting down, mostly because she was busy eating several bags of chips.
"Um...Ann, you're a model right? How is it that you eat junk food knowing that you have to appear in pictures?" the brown haired boy asked curiously.
"I dunno...I eat what I want and stay the same. Guess it's all of that running around in Mementos." she replied with a shrug.
"Wish I had that carefree attitude." Ryuji muttered.
"Anyway, I've spoken with Yusuke, and he's agreed to meet up with us in Shibuya. Thankfully, the weapon we found for Takumi can legally be carried since it's just a prop. I got a good supply of medicine as well in case we need it, but make sure to keep an eye on Takumi during our initial investigation. Afterwards, he'll have to stay out during the Infiltration." Ren said firmly.
"Huh? Wait, didn't we agree that I was gonna fight Kaneshiro's shadow? Why do I have to stay out?"
"Infiltrating a palace is dangerous. In order to reach the treasure, we have to find a secure route to it. Without your own spirit armor, you'll fall to the distortions and desires within that palace. We'll have to fight shadows too, and we wouldn't want you to get hurt. You've already experienced that, and look how beat up you came out. Once we secure a direct route, we'll bring you with us." Morgana said, earning a sigh from the boy.
"I guess when you put it like that, I got no other choice." he muttered.
"Hey cheer up, we'll at least be able to get back at him. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on you and whip everyone who dares attack you. You got my word." Ann said, giving him a wink.
"Whip?"
"Oh yeah, wait until you see her in action. She may seem like an airhead in reality, but piss her off in that world, and your in for nothing but pain." Ryuji replied.
"I'll take your word for it." he said.
"I wasn't expecting to find you gathered up here. It's quite interesting to see you all together like this in school." the voice of Makoto Nijima said. Instantly, Ren, Ryuji and Ann were put on edge, glaring right at the brown haired young woman. Takumi could sense the tension in the air, knowing that they didn't get along at all.
"Hey guys...stay calm alright?" he said softly.
"Takumi Mashita...you're here with them as well? Did they drag you into their little game?"
"No...I've got my own reasons. Don't know if you've heard from my sister, but my mom's got a hit, and I asked them for help. I also found out that you were the one who blackmailed them with video and photos of them hanging out. I don't really like that." Takumi said, earning a confused look from the girl.
"How did you find that out?" she asked. He placed her phone on the table, and slid it to her, making her gasp in surprise.
"I got my ways. You see, there's this little talent that I have with acting, often times you have to play different roles. If I play thief, and believe that I'm a thief with all of my being...then I become a thief. Picking your pocket while my sister spoke with you was easy. It also helped that you left a perfectly good finger print on your screen." he said, a smirk on his face.
"Finger print? What do you mean by that?" Ann asked.
"If you take some baby powder and a make up duster, you can use it to dust things for prints. She left one on the back, and I was able to lift that with some tape and use it to unlock her phone. Found some pretty interesting things on it, but I only stuck to incriminating chats and videos, nothing personal. So, is blackmail really how you get things done?" he asked curiously.
"How dare you do something so callous? I thought you were a nice person!"
"So did I, but when you use dirty methods to get shit done, then my opinion changes. I know Kobayakawa is blackmailing you into finding who the Thieves are. But going about it this way, it's not the right way to do it. We've both got our reasons for what we're doing alright? Just...don't do anything so rash." Takumi said firmly.
"I'm afraid it's too late. If they don't find and stop this man by the time limit I gave them, then I'm turning this information to the police. And I'll have them get you for being an accomplice. I would recommend you distance yourself from them Takumi. I would hate for Ayumi's older brother to be caught up in this." Makoto said, taking her leave right after.
"God, she pisses me off."
"It's alright Ryuji...she's just being pressured into doing this. That gremlin we have as our principle is blackmailing her with a letter of rec for collage. She's got her reasons, same as me. But she'll at least rest easy when we tell her we found that bastard." Takumi said, a smirk on his face.
"Still...you might be a little more intelligent than I gave you credit for. Lifting finger prints to get access to something like that? Where did you learn that?" Morgana asked.
"My little sister Mitsuhide. I was totally lying to her about the acting thing...no matter how much you act like a thief, you aren't gonna be one without experience. Like I said, she wants to major in Philosophy and Psychology. But there are sprinkles of practical things in her brain from time to time." he replied.
"Still, the fact that you pulled it off his amazing. What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?" Ren asked.
"Who knows? I'm just a riddle, wrapped in an enigma and surrounded by mystery." the boy replied. The bell rung a second later, causing them all to grab their bags, and in Ann's case, all of her empty chip bags.
"Well...our plan is set. We'll all go home and change before meeting up in Shibuya Square. I've brought a change of clothes with me, so I'll be heading home with you Takumi, just to be safe." Ren said.
"Fair enough, let's nab this guy...I'm counting on you...it's the only thing I can provide for now." the brown haired actor said, a thankful smile on his face.
"Before we go, I found a picture of this guy on the Police's most wanted list...this is what he looks like. We need to keep an eye out for him." Ryuji said, holding his phone out to the others.
On screen was the picture of a man with light hazel colored hair, brushed back. He had a smug look on his face, and looked like a heavy set man, with fair colored skin and small eyes. He was wearing a white suit, which he left open to reveal a navy blue shirt and tie. Around his neck was a gold chain, which looked rather expensive. The smug look on his face just made Takumi's hatred for him grow even more intense.
"Thanks Ryuji...now I have a face to go with the name. I'm gonna tear this gnat a fuckin new one."
xxx(Take Your Time)xxx
Date: Monday June 20th 20XX
Time: After School
Location: Shibuya Station(Central Street)
Weather: Sunny
xxx
It didn't take long for Takumi to get ready. After changing out of his school uniform, he placed his handguns inside his backpack, along with their cases and holsters. The sword he had gotten was shorter than most regular swords, and had a felt scabbard, almost like a hunting knife. Since it was a proper, he was able to strap it to his leg and carry it around with no issue. He of course wanted something longer and more intimidating, but Ren had told him that any sword would do. As long as the person who ruled the palace thought of it as real, it would become real. It also explained why his gun, which normally shot blanks, shot real bullets. The whole talk about cognition really gave him a new perspective on how this Metaverse worked. At first, he thought it was all mambo jumbo, stuff that only a crazy person would say. But when he actually started thinking about it, it all made sense. Morgana told him that there wasn't a real reason for the Metaverse to exist, that it didn't until only a few short years ago. All he did know was that it was a dangerous place, especially with people's distorted desires.
After making some final preparations, and grabbing some medicine from the stuff that Takumi himself had bought. He and Ren started walking back toward Shibuya Square. They remained mostly silent, both thinking about everything up until that point. Takumi was trying not to psyche himself out. After all, his life wasn't in danger in the real world, it was in danger in the Metaverse as well. So he couldn't afford to make a mistake. He didn't have any power there, at least not the type of power that Ren had told him about. Persona...fighting with one's other self. It was odd for him to even think about, but he would know what they meant when he saw it.
It didn't take them long to make it back to the Square. Ann and Yusuke were already waiting, close by the Buchiko statue. Each of them had a bag with them, most likely holding their model guns, since those couldn't be carried around like he could carry around his sword. He had to admit, Ann looked rather cute in her outfit. He could see other people looking at her as well, though she didn't seem to mind the odd and sometimes pervy looks she was getting. Her focus was mostly on her cellphone. She had told him via text that she often times talked to her friend Shiho, the girl who had jumped from Shujin's roof after she had been sexually abused by Kamoshida. Yusuke was also looking around, holding a sketch pad in his hands, along with a black pencil. He knew that he was once a pupil to Madarame, so he must have been distracting himself by drawing people, a good distraction, if he cared to admit.
"Hey guys, did everything go well?" Ann asked, earning nods from Ren and Takumi.
"It was pretty quiet, there were some investigators at his house. They did ask questions about his sword, but they said that as long as it wasn't concealed, he wouldn't get in trouble. Takumi did some weird larping thing to convince them."
"You are just lucky I play MMO's on my off time. I was also lucky that one guy caught my World of Warcraft reference and pretty much smoothed things out with the entire department. That dude is cool...so are we waiting for Ryuji?"
"Yeah, he said he was doing some quick chores for his mom. He's actually on the train here." Ann replied, her attention back on her phone.
"Oh yeah...Ryuji lives with his mom...you know, he reminds me a lot of myself."
"How so? You don't have many similarities with him." Yusuke said, closing his sketch pad.
"I think he's talking about his father. Ryuji's father left when he was young, and was a pretty bad alcoholic. Takumi's dad pretty much ignored him and basically doesn't care about him, unless he decides to inherit his company. So both of them live with their moms." Morgana said.
"Oh...I see what you mean." Ann said.
"Yeah, honestly...my father was more bearable when my mother was still around. But in more recent years it's been a bit rough...my acting was what got me through, but he got rid of that too. I love Erica with all my heart, she's been trying so hard to give me a normal life, which is why I want to fight for her so hard. But I do miss my mom too."
"Wait...I thought Erica was your mother? Is she not?" Yusuke asked.
"No...my birth mother was Naotaro Nishida, or well Naotaro Mashita. She was the best mom I could ever ask for, she didn't treat me like a tool for personal gain. When the police came to my house that day, and told my father that she had been in a fatal car crash...I just shut down. I mean, hearing from a cop that your mommy isn't coming back...fuck, I think that's the day I died."
"You aren't dead...you're right here. I think it's fucked up that your father did this to you...condition you to be something you don't want. That's why you wanted to become an actor right? Because you wanted to be someone else, instead of your father's son. He saw rebellion and did his best to stomp it out. You were basically forced to conform, just like the rest of us." Ren said.
"Wow...that's pretty on point."
"I agree with you Ann...and I also agree with my own personal observation. Takumi isn't the only one who lost his mother young, I lost my mother as well. The only difference is that you remember her clearly, when I cannot. Cherish those moments Takumi, they are the most important ones in your life." Yusuke said.
"I...will...I'm sorry, about your mom."
"Thank you, I'm sorry that you lost yours. You needn't worry, I will fight in your stead, and ensure that Erica's life isn't in danger any longer." the blue haired artist said, earning a grateful smile from the young actor.
"Sup guys, sorry for the wait. Mom had me fetch some stuff for dinner, we all set?"
"About time you got here, we're all set to go." Ann said, standing up from the bench she had been sharing with Ren. The five teenagers stood in a circle, mostly to avoid the surrounding people. Shibuya Square was filled with lots of people, and since it was nice and sunny, a lot more people were outdoors, preparing for the summer.
"Well, I took it upon myself to start the search. I entered Kaneshiro's name into the nav and just as I expected, I got a hit. But all we need now, is what he thinks his palace is, and a location."
"Hmm...that's gonna be a bit of a challenge. There are hundreds of places in Shibuya." Ryuji said.
"Well...it could be a place that he controls. What about a garden?" Takumi said.
"No candidate found."
"Guess it isn't a garden...what else would work?"
"Oh...rich people like money baths right? Maybe it's one of those." Ann said.
"Okay...money bath." Yusuke said, into his phone speaker.
"No candidate found."
"Ugh...this is pointless. We can't just keep saying random stuff...we'll never get far this way." Ryuji said, stomping his foot on the ground.
"We can't give up this easily, we didn't the last two times. I'm starting to remember something Mitsuhide said when we first met her. She said, Kaneshiro thinks of Erica as his personal bank. So try that." Ren said.
"Alright, bank."
"Candidate found."
"It's a hit...so where ever Kaneshiro is, he thinks of that place as his personal bank. It makes sense considering what has happened." Yusuke said.
"Yeah, but that also makes it harder to find. There are a million places where that bank could be." Morgana added, a disappointed tone in his voice.
"Let me try, Erica's Music Emporium." Takumi said, watching the loading icon on Yusuke's phone, only for it to turn red a second later.
"No candidate found."
"Why did you try your mom's store?" Ann asked curiously.
"He thinks of my mom, the store owner as his bank. Figured I would try that as a location, since she's one of his victims." he replied, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I wouldn't have thought of that, quite ingenious, wouldn't you say?" Ren added, earning nods from the others.
"That's one store though...do you know how many stores are in Shibuya? We'd be here all day, let alone all week. We won't be able to do anything at this rate...the circle is too wide, we gotta narrow it somehow." Ryuji said. Takumi hummed, placing a finger under his chin.
"We're thinking too in the box. A single store isn't his bank, think about it. He has more victims he's getting money out of...the students in our school, my mom, me. Who knows how many...we can't possibly try all of his victims because they're too spread out. He see's the city as an ATM, so let's try this. All of Shibuya." the brunette said. The area around them distorted for a few seconds.
"Candidate Found."
"Whoa...did you seriously just guess that?"
"I did...just a little process of elimination. We can't name the places of victims, because he victimizes the city. We've met the requirements right? Does that mean we can go now?"
"Yeah, but is it safe to jump in from a crowded area?" Ann asked, earning a shrug from Ryuji, who scratched his nose.
"No one notices a piece of trash go missing from a trashcan. This is pretty much the same."
"I suppose that's true, alright then...go for it Yusuke." Ren said.
"Alright then, Junya Kaneshiro, Bank, All of Shibuya."
"Beginning Navigation."
Takumi watched curiously as the world around him started to fade, his vision going entirely black for a few seconds. When he was finally able to see, he was brought back to Shibuya. But unlike the Mementos version of Shibuya, this one was entirely distorted to match Kaneshiro's desires. All around him, he could see bills flying, straight up to the sky. All of them were different connotation and value, and were seemingly coming from thin air. He felt a little odd, that same pressure in his chest had returned, but was a bit stronger than in Mementos. His heart skipped a beat when someone poked his shoulder and his turned around. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the people in front of them.
"What the hell? What are you all wearing?"
"This is what we meant by spirit armor, Takumi. These outfits represents what our rebel hearts see us as. As a direct result from getting our persona, we get outfits to match the will of our rebellion." Morgana said, causing the boy to look down.
"Wow...you look like one of those plushies you get a street fair. Though I gotta admit, if the others have spirit armor, then you running around with a Zorro mask and a scarf if quite daring."
"Ugh...first off, I'm not a plushy, and second I'm covered in fur, don't be weird about it!" the cat exclaimed, sounding rather annoyed.
"What do you think of my outfit? Looks pretty cool right?" Ryuji asked, flexing his muscles a bit.
"You look like a thug, it fits your nature though. Yusuke reminds me of a kitsune, or one of those really cool ninjas from those old anime. Ren...you look totally bad ass in yours, really digging the coat, and the red gloves suit you...and Ann..."
"What...why did you stop?" the blonde asked. Takumi flushed a bit, glancing away from the girl.
"I'm scared you'll hit me if I speak my mind."
"No...go for it, you said your opinions on everyone else's stuff. Just say it, I've heard most of what men think of my outfits. From both shadows and these three idiots, my mistake...four. The cat says some pervy stuff too."
"I'm not a cat Lady Ann, sheesh!" Morgana cried, jumping up in down in anger. Takumi sighed, putting his hands in front of his junk, just to protect it from being kicked.
"Well, in my full honest opinion...you look like a dominatrix. The skin tight suit accents every curve you've got. The keyhole opening doesn't really help your case, and the fact that this suit accents everything is a little too...well...it's hard to explain. The whip just adds to the over all dominator vibe, and the mask just makes me think you are one of those, every cat has it's claws type."
"Hmm...that was mature response. I was half expecting you to say, daaamn, I got a hard on, just like Ryuji did the first time he saw it."
"Hey, what did you want me to say? You can't expect me not to say anything when I see a girl in spandex. Anyway, enough with our outfits, check out this place." Ryuji said. Everyone turned towards Central Street, eyes widening when they saw the people walking around, or rather, the ATM's walking around.
"What the hell...are those ATM's?" Takumi cried.
"Sickening...Kaneshiro really does see all of Shibuya as his personal bank."
"This really pisses me off."
"Trust me, I'm there with you Ryuji." Takumi said, reaching into his backpack for his holsters, strapping his left one to his hip, while his right was on his leg, under his sword scabbard.
"There's a lot more of them over by Central Street, shall we go take a look?" Ren asked curiously.
"Let's go. Remember Takumi, stick close to us, and if there's a fight you can't handle, you back out. Got it?"
"Yes, I'll leave all fights to you, unless we get surrounded, I'll try not to fight." the boy replied. Ren took the lead, heading toward Central Street.
Cutting across the crowd was a bit awkward, especially when you were the only humans around. There were nothing but ATMs all over the place. It really saddened Takumi, knowing that Kaneshiro's twisted desires made innocent people look like ATMs. To him. It just made him want to settle things with him even more. He could feel that power within him wanting to break free...but it was like he was still holding himself back. He was a bit scared of what it was, but he could also feel that it was welcoming. He decided to remain silently, his hand on his gun as he continued walking. Finally arriving in Central Street, they saw that the scene was still the same. The familiar stores were distorted, and there were ATMs everywhere. A few of them were sparking, laying on the ground almost as if someone had broken them. He walked past Ren and Ann, kneeling down next to one, tilting his head a bit.
"It looks broken...like someone took a baseball bat to it...I think this is a victim...an ATM with zero money. In other words, a victim that didn't pay up his dues." he said, glancing at the Phantom Thieves.
"Holy shit...so he really beats up those people that don't pay up?" Ryuji asked, looking a bit frightened.
"It would seem so. Ah yes, before we traverse further, we neglected to tell Takumi our code names. It would be bad if our real names were said outloud."
"Code names? You have those? I guess you truly did dive into the whole thief motif. It's pretty cool." Takumi said, rising to his feet, facing his friends.
"Yes, it was all for our safety after all. You can call me Mona in this world."
"My name is Skull, that's Panther and Fox. Then our leader is Joker." Ryuji said, finishing the names for the others.
"Joker, Skull, Panther, Mona, Fox...alright, I've committed those to memory. I guess since I don't have any power here, and I'm a rookie, you can call me Rook. Just for now, I doubt I'll ever return to this place after beating Kaneshiro." he said.
"Rook it is. Let's search around this area...we need to know where Kaneshiro's palace is." Joker said, earning a nod from the others. They all started walking forward, looking around the nearby shops. The soft whimpers and cries from the broken and damaged ATM's, added to the suction sound that seemed to envelop the city. It was quite startling in Takumi's opinion. He jumped a bit when a hand wrapped around his ankle, making him bump into Panther who almost fell to the ground.
"Help...please."
"Jesus Christ, you wanna not do that buddy?" he cried, brushing his jacket. He let out a sigh as Panther knelt down beside him.
"What can we help you with? Where's Kaneshiro?"
"I need...money...my family...please." the man wheezed, only to fizzle out a second later.
"Guess that's all we're getting from him. Sorry about that Panther, wasn't expecting him to grab me."
"It's alright, just be more careful." she said, leading him onward.
After a few minutes of searching, Joker decided to stop. He turned to face his fellow thieves, a frown on his face. That was enough to tell Takumi that he hadn't found any information, nor the whereabouts of Kaneshiro's palace. He shoved his hands in his pockets, glancing at the sky briefly before speaking.
"It seems the people here are all scared of Kaneshiro. More importantly, his goons, it's obvious their the ones that did this."
"Yeah, I noticed that too...one of them said he was at his bank, but no one told me where it was." Skull said.
"It's quite peculiar, wouldn't you say? These ATMs look heavily damaged, more than any weapon or blunt instrument would do." Fox added, stroking his chin in thought.
"Wait...you mean to tell me they weren't beaten up? Could they have fallen from a high place then?" Panther said.
"Oh, a sky scraper maybe?"
"Rook is onto something, they might have gotten tossed out of the bank itself. Once your out of money, you have no reason to go to a bank right? So they were tossed out." Skull said.
"Yes...but we're is that bank?" Mona added. Takumi looked up at the sky, the suction sound having gotten a lot louder than before. His eyes widened, jaw dropping when he saw the large floating building in the air. He rose his hand, pointing upward at it.
"Look at that...it looks like a fucking UFO." he said.
"Of course! It makes sense for it to be in the sky, Kaneshiro is a mob boss. If the police have trouble finding him, that's because he's never been located. Tch...it had to be an airship." Mona said.
"Well, how do we get up there? Can you turn into a chopper Mona?" Panther asked curiously.
"Sorry, just a car."
"Whoa what? You can turn into a car?"
"Save that for later. We gotta figure out a way to get up there, if not we won't be able to infiltrate his palace." Joker said.
"Hmm...well, that building there looks tall enough. Any of you have a grappling gun?" Rook asked, glancing at the others who just gave him a blank look. He blinked a few times, face dropping.
"Seriously? You guys are Phantom Thieves, yet you don't have a grappling gun? Do you have smoke bombs? Laser spray? Fuck do you have lock picks?" he asked.
"We got you covered on the lock picks." Mona said, holding one up to the boy.
"Well...I had an idea, that maybe if we climb to building that rests below the bank, we could shoot a line to it. But that just got sucked out the window, along with all this money." he said, crossing his arms.
"It isn't our fault, we never planned for this." Panther snapped.
"You have to be prepared for things like this. This is also a part of acting, if you want to be a Phantom Thief, act line one. You can't just walk around with no direction, though the fact that you did this twice is impressive. Well...I guess we'll just have to go to a toy store and buy one of those toy ones. If guns fire real bullets here, then that means toy grapple guns will work here as well."
"I agree with Rook, I believe it's time for us all to think about our tools. We should start coming better prepared for infiltrations. You never know what might happen." Mona said. Just as he finished saying that, the sound of screeching tires filled the area, causing them all to stop in their tracks, just as they reached Central Street. A black car pulled to a stop at the side of the street, and several men jumped out, or rather several shadows dressed in suits jumped out, all of them aiming rifles and shotguns at the Phantom Thieves.
"Holy shit!" Skull cried.
"It's an Ambush, Joker now!" Mona cried. Joker reached into his pocket dropping three gray balls to the ground, which burst a second later, filling the area with smoke. They all broke into a sprint, running back the way they came.
They kept running for a few minutes, ducking into an empty alleyway to catch their breaths. They were all still shaken by the sudden attack, not having expected it. As Joker was about to ask if they were alright, he noticed they were one member short. He looked around frantically, walking back the way they came, seeing Takumi who had been grabbed by some guards, struggling to get free as they tried shoving him inside the car.
"They got Rook, come on!" Joker cried, reaching for his pistol, which was tucked behind his back.
"Let me go you fuckers!" Takumi shouted, only for him to get cracked on the back of the head. His body fell limp as he was tossed inside the car, along with a few shadows, who slammed the door closed. The car peeled off, racing away from the scene.
"Quick Mona after them!" Joker cried. The cat nodded, jumping into the air, morphing into his car form. The Phantom Thieves piled inside, and Joker floored it, shooting up the street after the car that had taken their friend.
"What the hell is going on? Why are they taking him?" Panther cried, worry clear in her voice.
"Perhaps it's because he hasn't payed his dues in the real world. Perhaps Kaneshiro asked for him to show up at the bank, and his goons grabbed the real Rook instead of the ATM version." Yusuke said.
"Makes sense to me...dammit! We should have been paying more attention! Now he's gonna get hurt!" Skull cried, slamming his fist against the seat.
"Ah, don't do that! It tickles!" Mona cried.
"Sorry...I'm just...so goddamn mad!"
"Let's just hope we can stop them before they do anything to him!" Joker said, speeding up when they noticed the car taking a sharp turn.
xxx(Take Your Time)xxx
Waking up by getting splashed with water wasn't the best for Takumi. Noticing that he was in some empty warehouse was alarming, but not the worse thing that he had experienced. As an actor, he had practiced at many sets, and in Fleeting Angel 2, there was a scene where his character had been kidnapped in order to force Rise's character out of an important contest. So he knew how to deal with what he was currently facing. He found himself sitting in a folding chair, his arms tied behind his back to an iron pipe. The warehouse was completely empty, with large cat walks high above him, and some heavy machinery off to the side. He noticed there were guards posted on every single entrance and exit, all of them being armed to the teeth. He glanced down at his waist, seeing his guns and sword had been taken from him, along with his backpack. He spotted it on a table not far from where he was, being guarded by a heavy set man who was puffing on a cigar.
"So good that you are awake." a voice said, bringing his vision forward. He saw a another goon standing before him, with an iron bucket in his hand, still dripping a bit of water. Takumi smirked, licking his lips.
"Just poking my face would have been fine. You just wasted a bucket of perfectly drinkable water...you know, there are a lot of kids who could have drank that water." he said.
"Tch...smug little shit. You won't be acting that way once the big man gets through with you." the goon replied, stepping aside.
A portly violet skinned man in a white suit walked forward, with slicked black hair and a smug look on his face. Takumi couldn't help but grow frightened by his presence. He had been expecting a normal looking person, but the fact that he was seeing a disgusting shadow was even more surprising. The golden irises reminded him of the ones Erica's shadow had when he faced her. He came to a stop a few feet in front of him, giving him a smirk.
"I'd like to welcome you to one of my warehouses. I don't usually invite guests here, but those that fail to pay me need to be taught a lesson. Two of my men returned this morning with a million yen, asking me to tide over with it. Do you think that's gonna hold me back?"
"I was kinda hoping you'd choke on it. But I guess my intentions were misinterpreted." Takumi replied. The man beside him threw a punch at his face, causing him to scream in both shock and pain. He coughed slightly, spitting on the ground, eyes widening when he saw some red mixed with his saliva. He turned to the shadow guard, giving him a smirk.
"You hit like a pussy." he replied, earning himself another punch to the face.
"I would advise you to stop. I don't want my good friend here to break you before you can pay me." Kaneshiro said, earning a growl from the boy.
"Is that all you care about? You fuckin Charlie Chaplin wannabe looking chode? All you care about is money, not about the lives you are ruining?" Takumi spat, earning punch to the gut from the goon. He gasps of air, tears running down his cheeks.
"Hmm...honestly, money isn't all I think about. But it is mostly on my mind...you don't understand the pleasures of money. It makes the world go round, but earning it is a bit of a pain. So what's wrong about helping people out and asking for a bit of profit from them?"
"You don't invade a person's life and force them to give you money asshole! And you definitely don't put a hit on innocent people, you don't steal their shit just to send a message. If you want money than earn it like an honest person you piece of shit!" Takumi shouted angrily. The goon was about to strike him, only for Kaneshiro to hold his hand up.
"It seems you don't understand yet son...that woman was the one that came to me. She asked me for a loan, and when you borrow money from me, I have to collect. Did she fail to mention all of the loans she took from me? That thirty million wasn't her only debt."
"What are you talking about?"
"Ah...so she didn't tell you? She took out three separate loans, all for her children's education. She set that aside in two separate accounts, the third being for her store, which was close to bankruptcy. When she payed off one of those debts, I knew she had more money. So I decided to collect the sixty million that she still owed me." Kaneshiro replied, turning away from him.
"Mother fucker." he muttered. He sighed, bowing his head sadly, he wasn't aware of just how far his mother had fallen to ensure his sisters futures.
"I see you've realized...it isn't my fault that she owes me money. If anything, she should blame those little girls. The smaller one in particular, she's the one who wants to major in philosophy and in psychology. She's a genius for her age, but geniuses are expensive, a luxury that can't be afforded. She has garnered my interest, I suppose I can take her with me as well. Someone that smart could teach me about the stock market, I could make millions by abusing her brain."
"Fuck you! If you dare touch a hair on her head, I will fucking kill you!" Takumi shouted. The goon slammed his fist into his stomach again, causing him to scream in pain. As soon as he took a breath of air, the man punched him across the face, blood and spit erupting from his mouth.
"You are in no position to be making threats. So here's my proposition, if you don't give my other self all of the money you own, we will destroy your life. I know who you are, Takumi Mashita...and I know you are the heir of Mashita Industries. You can easily get money from daddy dearest. July 9th is your deadline. If not, then I will kill your mother. For every day you are late, I will add ten percent interest. Your little sister Ayumi will take twice as many customers, and little Mitsuhide will help me break into ATMs for money."
"If you think I'd give you my money, you got another thing coming."
"You don't have a choice...unless you want the alternate option. Which is me killing everyone you have ever known and loved. Maybe I can start with your older sister Kanami. She's quite the sexy thing, after she's served her purpose as my personal play thing, I'll sell her off to the highest bidder." he said, a smirk on his face.
"Goddamn dickhead...you think your so smart. You do know my friends are out there right, and they'll find me."
"I doubt it, they aren't smart enough to follow me, nor fast enough. No one can catch up to a car on foot." Kaneshiro said with a smirk.
"Who said they were on foot?" Takumi asked, giving the man a grin. As if on cue, the sound of screeching tires echoed through the warehouse. A large bus slammed through one of the garage doors, drifting to a stop, as the side door opened. Panther held her SMG up, unloading an entire magazine into the guards, her bullets whizzing all over the place.
Skull jumped out a second later, slamming a large bat into the nearest shadow's face. Joker and Fox followed suit, slashing at the nearest ones with a dagger and katana respectively. Kaneshiro backed away in shock, tugging on his suit after a second.
"You thought you were so smart eh, you piece of shit? You didn't even notice us following you!" Skull cried, aiming his shotgun at the man. Mona morphed back into his cat form, holding a scimitar in his paw, ready to spring forward if needed.
"We're gonna say this once...let go of our friend...or else we won't hold back." Joker said, in this most intimidating tone he could muster.
"I must apologize...but I'm not done with him yet. He has yet to understand our deal. You see, unless he pays me the money he owes, all of his friends and family will die. I suppose you all count as friends...you'll be the first to go. Unless that sexy dame in red wants to pay his debt for him."
"God you make me sick. You disgusting bastard, it's one thing to want money, but threatening people's families. So I'm giving you an option, let my friend go and I don't fucking shoot you, deal?" Panther snapped, her aim trained on Kaneshiro's forehead.
"Careful Panther, you know what happens if you kill a persons shadow." Mona said.
"At this point, I don't care...he's a mob boss, good riddance." Skull said.
"No! You can't kill him, I want this fucker to admit his crimes himself. To face the people he's hurt and own up to the lives he's taken. I'm so sick, of people doing this shit to the innocent. To ruin the lives of people who have nothing, who want to make a future for themselves. That fight tooth and nail to secure a future in this twisted world!" Takumi shouted angrily. He growled, pulling on his bindings so hard that they ended up snapping. He stood up from his chair, tossing the zip ties they had used to the ground, clenching his fists angrily.
"What the hell? I thought I told you to tie him up good." Kaneshiro cried.
"We did, he just snapped through the bindings. We shouldn't have used zip ties!" one of the goons cried. Kaneshiro regained his composure, turning to face Takumi, who was glaring at the man, the anger clear in his face.
"It doesn't matter if you are free. You can run, and you can hide...but you will not be able to escape your debt. You will pay me every Yen I am asking for, or else you know what will happen." Kaneshiro said smugly. Takumi started laughing, feeling genuine mirth at the man's threat. Kaneshiro took a step back, not having expected that reaction from the teenager.
"You think your threats scare me? That isn't the case here you fucker. Let me say this in a language you can understand. Fuck you! I will never pay you back, because I don't owe you shit! You think, you can do whatever you want, ruin the lives of whoever you want! The world isn't your fucking bank, and the people in it aren't your ATMs. You can't do as you please without consequence!" he shouted, his voice echoing throughout the entire warehouse.
"You've kept me waiting. It was about time you remembered how messed up this world can truly be. You had an idea, but now you truly know what it's like. It is standing before you as we speak. You wish to rid the world of people like this gnat before you, if that is what you wish...I shall give you that power."
"Yes...that is exactly what I want." Takumi muttered angrily.
"I don't believe you, there is still a bit of hesitation in your voice. You held me back for so long, are you truly ready for this? Do you desire to wipe this man's desires from this world? Are you ready to break the chains that hold you back?"
"I understand that you don't believe me. But trust me, I am ready...I have been used my entire life. My father ruined my career and sees me as only his heir, and this guy views me as an ATM. I am sick of the world seeing me as a tool. I'm not an ATM, I'm not a drug addict, I'm not a crackhead drug dealer, and I'm not a fucking tool! I am me, nobody else!" Takumi shouted. He let out a scream, clutching his head in pain, feeling as if someone had driven a spike through his frontal lobe. It was the most excruciating pain he had ever felt, it was like his mind was about to explode.
"I believe you, the first step to acceptance is to believe in yourself. It is time for you to remove the blemish that has been holding you back. Your grand rebirth has finally come, so let's teach the world that we are not it's tool. We are done hiding behind a mask, so let us break thy chains of captivity and extend our wings of rebellion. Society sees you as a blemish, so it's time for us to remove the blemishes that society hides."
"I accept it, please lend me your power!" Takumi cried, his screams intensifying as the pain in his head increased. He heard a firm voice chuckle in his mind.
"Very well, I shall lend you my assistance. I am thou, thou art I, ye who has been blemished by society, shall prove thy worth. Go forth and remove thy mask that ye has developed. Show the world thy strength and power!"
Takumi's eyes snapping open, irises glowing a brilliant gold. He felt something hard on his face, reaching his hands to it. He felt the smooth, almost metallic mask that had appeared on his face. He felt it at the source of his pain, he needed to remove it. He started clawing at it, feeling it start to rip apart the skin around his face, the warm crimson blood flowed from it. He finally heard the name of the one who had called out to him, his other self. And with a violet scream of rage and pain, he ripped the mask on his face. Moth the metaphorical one and the one that had appeared on his face.
"I summon thee, Phantom of the Opera!" he shouted, an explosion of blue flames swirling around the boy, like a plume of smoke erupting from a volcano. Kaneshiro watched in awe, bullets of sweat rolling down the sides of his face. There was genuine fear as he watched the large creature that had appeared behind the teenager.
It was a tall shadowy man, with darkened skin, hidden by a white mask. He wore a long top hat atop his head, holding the neat black hair down. He was wearing a shredded looking suit, making it look disheveled, as if he hadn't seen the light of day in years. He wore tattered slacks and knee high leather boots. The most noticeable feature was the black wings that came from his back, looking almost angelic as the area was swarmed with floating black feathers, all of them slowly falling to the ground. Takumi held his hand out, his weapons coming toward him, almost as if they were attracted by a magnet. He flapped his cape as he held his mask in his right hand, drawing his blade with his left.
"I can finally breathe easy. I felt that pressure in my chest earlier, and it was something that I wasn't sure was a part of me. But I finally accepted it, just as I accepted this fucked up world. We are done being society's play things. If we don't fit within the norms of society, then we're just gonna have to change it to benefit us. And that starts by getting rid of fuckers like you!"
"Men, cover my escape. Kill them all and let none of them go to the bank!" Kaneshiro shouted, turning tail and running.
"You don't get to run! Not after all of this bullshit! Phantom, let's go!" Takumi shouted, breaking into a sprint racing after the man. His Persona flew behind him, hands glowing a dark violet black as he charged his power into it.
Takumi took a swing at Kaneshiro, only for a large broadsword to block the attack, pushing him back with ease. He landed on his feet, glaring at the shadow that had blocked his path, a tall orc looking creature, with crimson skin and overgrown fangs. He let out a growl, spinning his sword around in his hands.
"I will not let you hurt President Kaneshiro!"
"Fine, if you wanna die then I'll grand you that wish. Phantom of the Opera, Megido!" he chanted. The Phantom let out a ghastly chuckle, throwing the glowing balls of magic at the orc, which exploded on contact. His vicious screams of pain echoed through the warehouse.
"Allow me to get a hit in." Joker said, placing a hand over his mask.
"Go for it Joker. Let's take him down together." Takumi replied, a grin on his face.
"Kikuri-Hime! Mafrei!" Joker chanted, summoning his persona, that of a red skinned female. She held her hand out, sending out several large blue pulses of magic, which exploded on contact, a loud fizzling sound filling the air.
"Captain Kidd! Headbutt!" Skull cried, urging his Persona forward. The large pirate rammed his ship into the orc, sending him flying back. Fox raced forward, slashing at the creature with his katana, chaining each strike to hit all of its weak spots. He jumped back, just as Panther stepped up, placing her hand over her mask.
"Carmen, Maragi!"
The giant twin tailed dancer swung her arm forward, sending a wave of flames at the creature, who let out a shout of pain. He grabbed a hold of its sword and started running forward, aiming a slash at Takumi, who easily dodged the hit. He jumped forward, throwing several speedy slashes of his own, jumping back as he drew his gun, firing it three times in the creatures face.
"Nice job Rook!" Morgana cried, racing forward throwing his own speedy slashes at the creature.
"Thanks, this shit just comes natural to me."
After another round of spells, sword strikes and gunshots, the creature was finally knocked down. Joker gave Takumi a nod, clapping hands with him in a Baton Pass, allowing him to lead the charge. All of them teamed up, taking several slashes at the creature, with Takumi getting the last one. He slammed his knee into the creature's chin, kicking off his chest, rolling on the ground. He let out a scream as he brought his sword down on the creature's skull, cracking it open with ease, blood shooting into the air. He pulled it free and spun his heel, delivering a final slash. He held his hand up, snapping his fingers as a wave of shadowy energy exploded from inside the creature, a smirk on the teenager's face as he finished it off.
"Sing for me, my angel." he said, feeling immense happiness at the death of the shadow. It disappeared into a shadowy wisp of energy. Takumi looked around, trying to find Kaneshiro, seeing the open garage doors. He broke into a run, heading outside of the warehouse, his friends calling his after him. He made it out into the street, watching the black car speed off.
"Come back here, you son of a bitch! We're not through yet...gah!" the boy fell to his knee, his energy being completely spent. He growled with anger, forcing himself to his feet, taking a shaky step forward.
"Hey, what are you doing!? You're completely spent!" Panther cried, grabbing a hold of his arm.
"Let me go Panther...I gotta get him! I gotta fucking destroy him!"
"That's enough Takumi! You wasted all of your energy when you summoned your Persona. You can't keep fighting or you'll get hurt worse than you already are. Calm down, we will get him next time." Joker commanded, causing the boy to stop, falling to his knees right after. He slammed his gloved fist into the pavement, cracking it with ease.
"He said...so many disgusting things...he sees all of society as a fucking bank. There's nothing left to even call human...it's all distorted and sick. It makes me want to puke!"
"That's why we're here dude! We're here to change people like that, so that they learn not to fuck with those who they use. And now, you have the power to help us out." Skull said, giving the boy a grin. Joker stood before the young man, holding his hand out to him. Takumi grabbed a hold of it, and forced himself to stand up, looking at his spirit armor. His eyes widened in shock when he noticed what it was. He saw a store across the street, and started moving toward it, looking at his reflection on the glass.
"No way...this is my spirit armor?" he asked, looking himself over.
"That's right...you look rather dashing in it. If I do say so myself." Fox said, giving the boy a smile.
"This is weird...I saw this outfit in a daydream. Was Phantom of the Opera asking for release this entire time? I feel stupid for forcing the mask back for so long." he said, facing his friends.
"Hey, we all had a hard time ripping our masks off. The important thing is that we did it, and now you have as well...we should get out of here. You're too tired to do anything else...and we still haven't found a way to get into that floating bank." Panther said, earning a nod from the boy.
Just like that, the Metaverse disappeared from around him, a huge relief was finally lifted from his shoulders. He never once thought that he would release something that powerful from within himself. But now that he had, he was going to use it to remove blemishes from society. He would use that power in order to save people from sick bastards like Kaneshiro. And he wouldn't stop until every villain in the world was taken care of, even if he had to act like a thief from now on.