P5: Phantom Drive

by Jacob Pendra-Huth

A re-adaptation of the Persona 5 game/anime, featuring three new OCs to the series: The trouble-prone Guren Sakura, the self-proclaimed otaku Haneru Kurosawa, and the veteran Persona-user Mia Kurosawa. The story revolves around the viewpoint of these three heroes, and how they impact the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, and those associated with them. Co-writing with Coral the Leviathan.

10. Unite the Phantom Thieves!

April 13

"My God..." Mia was looking at Haneru's phone, which he held up, presenting to her what he discovered after school on the Metaverse app.

It was evening, and once mother and son settled down to have dinner, Haneru explained to mom about what happened at school, from what Makoto Niijima decided for him and Guren Sakura in order to be good friends, to what he overheard from Kamoshida, to what he learned about all the IRL attempts to stopping him. However, he saved the best for last by showing her that Kamoshida had a Palace, according to the app.

"So Kamoshida owns a Palace, and has been causing physical abuse to his students." Mia summed up, "And many people know about this, and won't stop him?!"

"That's the long and short of it." Haneru answered, looking at his smartphone, "I got the person's name and the location of the Palace. Now, I need to know the cognition... Maybe a palace like Oda's?" He typed it in, but he got 'CANDIDATE NOT FOUND'.

"Remember, every person's mind thinks a different way." Mia explained, "This means Kamoshida thinks of the school differently like Oda's. You might need to think about what he is like and how he acts at school. It might give you some clues."

"How he acts..." Haneru pondered on what he knew about Kamoshida. He was praised for being an Olympic medalist, to the point that parents and even the principal let him get away with things. He executed punishment onto the students without retaliation. He made sure those who weren't worthy to be in the school were exiled by other students. His whole demeanor made him act like a royal snob. A person who rules the school like a king.

"A king..." Haneru vocalized his thoughts, "If he thinks he's a king, then maybe he thinks of the school as..."

"A castle." Both he and his mom answered simultaneously. The air distorted around them as the word 'castle' was placed into the phone, along with the voice saying, "CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN FOUND."

"We got it!" Haneru gasped, and his mouth formed a grin, "Now we can access his Palace!"

"Hold on a moment." Mia stopped him, "We may have access to his Palace, but that doesn't mean we should just jump in just yet. We have to be prepared for what's in there, not to mention that I will be busy for the next few days, so I won't be able to join with you into the Palace."

Haneru sighed, acknowledging this. Still, an idea occurred to him as he asked, "Maybe...I can scout the place beforehand? You know, just to see what we're dealing with?"

Mia looked to her son, knowing full well he wanted to go into the Metaverse really badly. She knew that even if she said no, he would do it anyway. "If it's just to scout the place out, I am fine with it." She answered, "But don't do anything reckless, alright? Remember the couple of times you went and almost got killed in Oda's Palace."

"Right..." Haneru acknowledged, recalling those painful memories, "Best keep it safe and be on stealth tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!" Mia echoed, surprised, "You're planning to go there that soon?"

"Yeah. After school." Haneru answered, "Gotta strike while the kettle is hot. Though I fail to wonder why that became a saying... Oh, well. I'll look that up on the internet." With that, he brought his plate over to the sink, washed it, and placed it on the towel to dry. "I'd better get an early shuteye tonight if I'm to get back into the swing of things." He decided, and he went into his room.

"He's really serious about going back to the Metaverse..." Mia noticed, a bit surprised at first. However, she smiled as she pointed out, "Then again, it's not like his father was any different." She looked at the wall calendar on the kitchen wall. "Tomorrow's the fourteenth, and a Thursday. I'm pretty sure I can get some time off on Sunday and Monday next week, if I ask. That could be the moment we strike at Kamoshida's Palace." Let's just hope I can do that, or at least get off early so I can help my son."

Inside Haneru's room, he decided to pull out any necessities he needed for the scouting mission tomorrow. That included his Polaroid camera and some medicine. He had his crossbow ready for him in the Metaverse, so there was no need for him to be worried about carrying that around in school.

His mom told him that due to their new powers, they are able to summon their firearms and weapons in the Metaverse without dragging them about IRL, but they could bring the weapons with them IRL to exchange at certain weapon shops. Why and how? Not even she knew.

With his backpack ready, he went back to bed, but realized that he would probably not sleep due to the level of excitement he had. However, he had a remedy that he would use now and again; a sleeping pill. He took it and almost immediately went to sleep afterwards.

---

April 14

The next morning, many of the students on the way to school were talking about how awesome Kamoshida was at the volleyball rally. Those who didn't give a crap, mainly Ren, Ryuji, Guren and Haneru, were listening to this praise with disgust in their hearts. They were gonna show them the true scumbag he really was.

School went by like normal, apart from Ryuji trying and failing to get people to help against Kamoshida. He did text Ren in class, asking if maybe he should look into talking with Ann, or at least follow her to see if she knew anything about Kamoshida's actions.

After school, in the courtyard, Ann was sitting down with a good friend of her's, Shiho Suzui. She was a brown-haired girl, styled in a ponytail, and she was covered in bruises. After all, she was part of the volleyball team, as well.

"Shouldn't you be heading to volleyball?" Ann asked her. Shiho made a noise of acknowledgment, though her face was that of depression. Ann saw her face, which looked sad, but she also noticed a new injury. "That bruise above your eye... Is that from practice, too?" She asked hesitantly.

"Y-Yeah..." Shiho lied. It was actually from something else Kamoshida did to her.

Ann could feel something was off, but she asked, "Are you sure you're not pushing yourself too hard?"

"I'm okay..." Shiho assured her, "Volleyball's the only thing I can do right." She heard Ann's phone ring, and asked, "Shouldn't you take that?"

"It's probably just my part-time job... I think." Ann answered.

"I... should get going." Shiho told her, about to stand up.

Ann placed a hand on her shoulder, giving off a worried expression as she asked, "Shiho, are you sure you're okay?" Her friend gave another sound of acknowledgement, though it felt forced. Still, she stood up and walked away.

Ann stood up and watched her leave for a second, then dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone. "Yes?" She asked. She listened to who it was, and responded, "Today won't work... I'm... I'm not feeling so good... Sorry. Bye."

She walked away from the courtyard, hearing two boys pass by her, noticing her and pointing out how she was Kamoshida's girlfriend. Every time she heard that, or something worse that she was called, she couldn't help but feel sick to her stomach. This was not a label she wanted at all. She hated the man who was 'dating' her.

---

While this scenario happened, Haneru had left class immediately it was done, and searched for a place to go into the Metaverse discreetly. He decided the alleyway where he saw Guren disappear to before would be the best option. "Let's see here..." he muttered, looking at his Metaverse app, and pulling out the set of words he discovered last night. "I really hope this works." He told himself, and he activated the app.

"BEGINNING NAVIGATION." The area around him started to become distorted as he looked about. Suddenly, he found himself, like the trio before him, at the castle which replaced Shujin Academy.

"I made it back..." he muttered, looking up at the castle, "Mom was right. This place really is different from Oda's Palace..."

He looked down himself, and saw he was in his Phantom thief attire. "Looks like I still got the look here, too." Haneru, now Kong, noticed, "Just to make sure I have everything. Quarter staff with hidden blades...?" He produced the said weapon, twisting the two ends to reveal the twin blades within.

"Check." He confirmed, "Crossbow...?" He placed one weapon away for the other, aiming it forward, resting the shaft of the crossbow on his arm, making sure he had ammo.

"Check." He confirmed again, "Medicine and Polaroid camera?" He produced the said equipment he had in his backpack before, looking through the lens of the camera, and taking a quick snap of the castle. He shook the picture that came out so it became visible, seeing that it worked.

"Check." He confirmed, "And finally, my Persona..." He whipped off his mask, producing Sasuke in front of him. "Looks like I'm ready to go." He declared, "You ready, buddy?" Sasuke nodded in confirmation. Kong smirked at him as he vanished and became his mask again.

"Right, now first things first..." he looked about, and saw the hole where all the other thieves of Kamoshida's Palace have entered and exited. "Perfect. Just what I was looking for." He told himself, "Time to infiltrate the Palace!"

He entered into the hole, finding himself in the dark room it led to. He then exited it and went down the hallway, hiding himself as knights passed by him. 'Seems like the Shadows here are medieval knights instead of Warring State era soldiers.' Kong told himself, 'Well, then again, I am in a castle, so what should I expect?' He crept past the knights, darting along the path.

Kong investigated all around the area, from what looked like a storage facility, to a mess hall. He ended up discovering a place where the cognition was weak, so he decided to make sure to memorize where this place was. "Right then, let's see where I should go next..." he started.

Suddenly, he heard clanking footsteps as he heard one of the knights outside call out, "We must go to King Kamoshida! We must gather to him so we'd be led to the church!"

"Church?" Kong echoed, "Wonder what that's all about? Is Kamoshida a Christian?" He peeked outside the safe room, and saw no one there. He decided to take a chance and follow the knights, wanting to see both Kamoshida and this 'church' in his Palace.

He found himself standing in the shadows at a doorway, looking into the Central Hall of the castle, where Kamoshida's Shadow stood on the balcony above, with a dozen soldiers down below. 'So that's Kamoshida's Shadow...' Kong noticed, 'Gods, I really thought Oda's Shadow was flamboyant. This guy's look is just disturbing.'

"How is the security within my castle?!" He demanded a lead knight.

"Security is tight! We will make sure no more of those intruders will enter into your castle, m'lord!"

This bit of news surprised Kong. Intruders? What were they talking about?

"Good. I despise those thieves who come and go in my castle as they please." Kamoshida's Shadow growled, "Now, let us make our way to the church."

"Praise Kamoshida's name!" The knights declared, thrusting their swords to him in salute.

'Oh... It's to praise his own name.' Kong understood with a sweat-dropped expression, 'Why am I not surprised a narcissist like him wasn't a Christian?'

"Once I am done there, I'll be sure to torture some of my prisoners down in the cells." Kamoshida added, "Course, that has become quite boring recently. Maybe I'll just play with Ann for a while, instead..."

Kong wondered who these prisoners were, and swore he heard the name 'Ann' somewhere. Then it occurred to him; He had heard rumors that a girl named Ann Takamaki, a second-year student, was Kamoshida's girlfriend. The thought of a student and teacher being a couple in that sense was a bit queasy. Sure, he watched relationships like that in anime, but real life versions were just a bit too weird for his taste.

'Best get a photo of that guy before I leave.' Kong stated, pulling out his Polaroid camera, 'Wanna show mom what we're dealing with...' He readied the camera as he aimed the lens at Kamoshida. He made sure to get a good focus on him, and took a snap. Unfortunately for him, he had forgotten to turn off the flash, and that blew his cover.

Kamoshida's Shadow, along with all the knights, turned at the sight of the flash. "Who's there?!" Kamoshida demanded.

"Darn it! The flash!" Kong grunted, looking at the camera as the photo came out. He shook the picture to make it appear, but he was already seen.

"Another thief has entered into my castle?!" Kamoshida demanded, "I thought my security was tightened!"

"Guess it wasn't good enough..." Kong chuckled, stepping into the room, "And what do you mean by 'another thief'? Am I not the first to enter your Palace?"

Kamoshida ignored this as he ordered, "Guards! Take care of this intruder, now!" Three of the guards approached Kong, transforming into their Shadow forms; an Incubus and two Silky.

Kong grinned as he stated, "Time to get back into the saddle, and slay some Shadows!" He declared, "Sasuke, let's go!" He summoned his Persona to the field, and unleashed lightning bolts at the two Silky, crippling them. The Incubus avoided the attack and flew at the phantom thief, ready to slash him with its' claws. He avoided the attack by stepping back, then summoned his crossbow, saying, "Smile!" And fired a shot at the Shadow's chest, making it fall as well.

"Now, to finish the job!" Kong declared, summoning his quarterstaff, and charging at the Incubus, whacking it at the two Silky who tried to rise back up. They got toppled over again, and Kong pulled out his hidden blades. "Sasuke, with me!" He shouted, and his Persona followed him, readying its' blade. With slashes from each of them, they destroyed the Shadows.

"Man, did I miss this!" Kong cheered, sheathing his blades and saddling his quarterstaff, "God, I am so happy to do some butt-kicking!"

"You look familiar..." Kamoshida muttered, examining Kong's face as his Shadow reverted to a mask, "...Oh, now I remember. You're that idiotic transfer student who disobeyed my orders to be around the Shujin Jailbird. Worthless little lowlifes like her are better off in jail with the key thrown away."

"How could you say that about one of your own students?!" Kong demanded, "You don't even know what she has been through!"

"Oh, I do know." Kamoshida scoffed, "The people who bail her out of jail and keep her at my school are just as foolish as her! If the Student Council President wasn't so well liked by the principal, and if she wasn't excused for her grades, I would've expelled her without hesitation. She is nothing but trash who deserves to be swept under the rug!"

"Guren is not trash! Stop saying crap like that!" Kong retorted angrily, "She's not the one abusing the volleyball team for the sake of lashing out at someone! You are making a bad example by not being a proper teacher to the students!"

"Why should a king stoop down to a level such as yourself?! People love me for my achievements!" Kamoshida stated with a smirk, "I am praised for making a name for the school, and for leading the volleyball team to victory! Anyone who is in the way of my glory is just a nuisance, like all those other brats who were unworthy to step into my castle!"

Again, Kong heard him say something about 'other intruders'. Could this mean that there was another person or a group of people who could enter into his Palace? Who could they be?

"Now, I shall execute you, here and now!" Kamoshida barked, thrusting a finger at Kong, "Guards, kill this piece of trash!"

Two of the knights came at him turning into a Berith and a Succubus as they did so. Kong narrowly got skewered by the Berith as he pulled out his crossbow, and fired at the Succubus, knocking her to the ground.

"Gotta have a distraction..." he muttered as the other knights came at him. He saw the Berith, and came up with a mischievous idea. "Sasuke! Boggle the Berith's brain!" He ordered, and he summoned his Persona, who unleashed an attack that consumed the Berith, causing it to be brainwashed. It turned and charged at the knights, knocking them over, startling Kamoshida and the rest.

"Sorry, but I ain't dying today." Kong told them, "I just came to scout the place. But don't worry, you'll have another fruitless attempt at trying to kill me later. But I will be stealing your Treasure before that happens! Later!"

He turned and ran back the way he came, with some of the knights dealing with their brainwashed comrade, while others chased after Kong. However, he was too fast for them, and manage to scramble back outside through the hole he came in from before, and exited the Metaverse.

---

Back in the courtyard, Ren met up with Ryuji as the latter growled, "Dammit, what the hell..."

"I take it you didn't find anyone?" Ren asked.

"Is that what it looks like?" Ryuji grumbled sarcastically, slamming his fist into the vending machine, "All of 'em kept saying' the same shit Mishima was talkin' about! Kamoshida had to have told 'em something! At this rate, it looks like we'll have to go to him directly."

"You know there's no point..." Ren pointed out.

"I know..." Ryuji sighed, "But seriously, isn't there something we can do? No way I'm gonna give in like this! Can you think of anything?"

Ren thought about it for a moment. If they told the cops about the castle where they saw the abuse in person, they would never believe them. If they tried to perform a sneak attack on the real Kamoshida, it would be no use. There was one idea that could work. "Let's punish the king." He suggested.

"The king? You mean that other world's Kamoshida?" Ryuji asked, kinda surprised at that idea, "I didn't think of that, but... Is there any meaning to-."

"I finally found you!" A familiar voice called out to the two boys, who looked around, wondering where it came from. Suddenly, a black and white cat with a yellow collar and blue eyes hopped on the table between them, saying, "Don't think you can get away with not paying me back for helping you."

"That voice... Is that you, Morgana?!" Ryuji asked, shocked and amazed.

The cat, Morgana, shook his head as he answered, "How dare you, up and leaving me the other day!"

"The cat's talkin'?!" The blonde-haired boy exclaimed.

"I am NOT a cat!" Morgana hissed, "This is just what happened when I came to this world! It was a lot of trouble finding you two."

"Wait... You came to our world?" Ryuji gasped, "Does that mean you've got a phone?!"

"You don't need one when you're at my level." Morgana answered, "I did get pretty lost making my escape though..."

"That asked, why can you talk?!" Ryuji asked, "You're a cat!"

"How should I know?!" Morgana answered, "In any case, you guys are having a rough time of this, hm? I heard you mention something about witnesses. You know, I could tell you a thing or two about what to do about Kamoshida. You were pretty close just a moment ago."

"God, that condescendin' attitude!" Ryuji scoffed, "This thing's gotta be Morgana!"

"You were still doubting me?!" The cat demanded.

At this point, they heard a couple of the teachers a good distance away in the courtyard, who were talking about looking for a cat. They said they heard a meow, but no sign that they heard an actual cat talking.

"Meow? Does that mean only us two can understand what you're sayin'?" Ryuji asked.

"Looks like it." Morgana answered.

...Actually, this was not true, as hiding away from the view of the pair, standing in the grass just outside the area the three were talking, was Guren, who was puzzled and amazed. She was just going to find Ren when she passed by the said cat, who said, "Watch it!" After nearly being stepped on. This was really surprising to Guren, and decided to follow the cat. Turns out, it was that same cat creature she saw with Ryuji and Ren in the Metaverse. She didn't understand anything yet, but guessed that due to going to the Metaverse, they could hear and understand Morgana.

"Anyways, what you were talkin' about earlier. Is it for real?" Ryuji asked.

"You're quite the skeptic for being an idiot." Morgana sighed.

"Hey, tell us more. Then again, this probably ain't the best place." Ryuji pointed out, grabbing the scruff of Morgana's collar and handing him to Ren, "Here, stick it in your bag for now! It should be just small enough to fit!" Despite the cat's complaints, Ren took him and shoved him into his backpack, and the two raced off, mentioning something about heading to the rooftop.

Guren watched them leave, then looked at her smartphone clock. "Best get back. I promised Sojiro I'd bring in customers with my piano." She adjusted her backpack, and made her way towards the entrance of the school.

---

At this point, Haneru reappeared in reality again, looking about. No one noticed him appear, so he seemed to be in the clear. "Still, that was pretty close for comfort." He pointed out, looking at his Metaverse app, "I'd best wait for an opportunity to rise up so I can return and scout deeper into the Palace."

He pulled out the photos he took with his Polaroid. Fortunately, due to it not being a digital camera, the photos were intact, meaning he got a good photo of the castle, and of Shadow Kamoshida. "Won't mom be intrigued by these things." He told himself, smirking, "Best be on my way home."

He turned and left down the alleyway, just as Guren reached the front gate. She noticed Haneru leaving, but decided to avoid him. She still wasn't planning to spend as much time with him as Makoto would want her to, so she chose to avoid him whenever she could. She took a different path to the station, making her way home.

---

Up on the rooftop, Morgana had just been pulled out of Ren's backpack, screaming, "Don't be so rough with me!"

"Enough of that!" Ryuji said exasperatedly, "You said you know how we can do something about Kamoshida, right?"

"It has to do with what this guy was talking about earlier." Morgana looked to Ren, "You'll need to attack his castle. That castle is how Kamoshida views this school. He doesn't realize what happens in there, but it's deeply connected to the depths of his heart. Thus, if the castle disappears, it would naturally impact the real Kamoshida."

"What would happen?" Ren asked.

"A Palace is a manifestation of a person's distorted desires. So, if that castle were no more..."

"His desires would go, too?" Ren finished.

"Precisely!" Morgana answered, "You sure can pick up things fast."

"For real?!" Ryuji questioned, "He's gonna turn good?! But... Is that really gettin' back at him?"

"Erasing a Palace essentially means forcing the owner to have a change of heart. However, even though their warped wants disappear, the crimes they committed remain. Kamoshida will become unable to bear the weight of those crimes, and he'll confess them himself! And since hte Palace will no longer exist, he'll forget what we did there as well."

Ren and Ryuji looked shocked an amazed. The idea that this was a possible way to do things was unheard of to either one of them. Not only could they get an actual confession from the horse's mouth, but the actions they perform that allow this to happen will not be noticed by Kamoshida. They can finally get what they wanted.

"That's amazing! You are one incredible cat!" Ryuji praised.

"True, except for the cat part!" Morgana hissed.

"So? How do we get rid of the Palace?" Ryuji asked.

"By stealing the Treasure held within." The cat answered, and after getting confused looks from the two boys, he added, "I'll tell you more once you agree to go ahead with this. It's my most valuable, secret plan, after all. If you want to help me out, I'll gladly teach you. What's your call?"

Ren and Ryuji looked at one another for a moment, then the latter stated, "Our luck's runnin' dry lookin' for witnesses. Guess we have no choice but to go along.

"You're right. There's no other choice..." Ren agreed.

"Good." Morgana stated with a smirk, then he added, "Oh, right. There's one more thing I should tell you. If we erase a Palace, there is no doubt that the person's distorted desires will be erased as well. But desires are what we all need in order to survive. The will to sleep, eat, fall in love; those sorts of things."

"What're you gettin' at?" Ryuji asked.

"If all of those yearnings were to vanish, they'd be no different than someone who has shut down entirely. They may even die if they're not given proper care. So..."

"They might die?!" Ryuji gasped, both he and Ren shocked to hear this piece of info, "Would their death be our fault?!"

"Aren't you determined enough to face those kinds of risks?" Morgana asked.

"We have to." Ren answered, getting Ryuji attention, "I don't want to kill him, but I don't want to let things go like this. Plus, we have no other option at this point. We have to risk it." Ryuji looked baffled at Ren's response.

"Sheesh. I come all this way, and this is what I get." Morgana sighed, seeing the blonde boy's reaction, "It's not like anyone will ever find out."

"That's not the point!" Ryuji retorted, "If we just go around secretly doin' whatever we want, we'd be no better than that effin' Kamoshida!"

"But it is as frizzy-hair says; Isn't this your only option?" Morgana asked, "I'll come back later. Make sure you've made your decision by then." With that, he walked away from the pair, going down a series of platforms outside the school.

For a while, Ren and Ryuji didn't say anything. Finally, Ren stomped his foot, growling, "Man, we're gettin' all worked up for nothing... Dammit! I'll try to see if there is another way. C'mon, let's get outta here." Ryuji left Ren behind, leaving the door open for him. Ren took his time, thinking about what Morgana told them, then left the place.

---

Things were fine for Ren, right until he made it to Shibuya to transfer subway lines. He was just leaving as he recognized the platinum-blonde twintails of Ann Takamaki, hiding herself close to the wall, talking on the phone. The emotion she was displaying on her face was distraught.

"Will you please give it a rest?!" She barked, "I told you, I'm not feeling up to it..." She listened to the person on the phone, who was obviously Kamoshida, and her eyes went into shock. "Wait, what?! You'll cut Shiho as a starter?! That's not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher?!" The phone on the other side hung up on her, causing her to look at it exasperatedly.

She then went from shock to mournful as she crouched down, curling herself into a ball. "Shiho..." she muttered, looking at her phone. She wanted to call her best friend, but was afraid to tell her what had happened. What she tried to prevent from doing.

Ann then noticed she was being watched, and looked up. Ren was standing there, having heard everything. "Wait... Were you listening?!" She demanded.

"N-Not on purpose." Ren defended.

"Haven't you heard of privacy? Eavesdropping is creepy!" Ann glared at him for a moment, then sighed, "No, I was out of line. Sorry..." She took another pause, then asked, "You heard everything, didn't you?" Ren looked down, feeling guilty. That was all she needed to see to know she was right. Tears formed in her eyes, showing her worry for her dearest friend.

"You...want to talk about it?" Ren asked, "We can go somewhere safe." Ann looked surprised at this request, then wiped the tears off of her face as she stated, "What the heck? I really don't get you..." However, she complied, and they walked off together.

After a few minutes, the two found themselves at the burger chain, Big Bang Burger, in Central Street. Ann was playing with the straw of her drink, wondering what to say to this boy with a criminal record. She didn't want to say anything to him at first, so Ren decided to start things off, knowing what she was arguing to.

"So...was that Kamoshida you were arguing with?" he asked.

Ann paused, then she answered, "Pretty straight to the point, aren't you...?" She sighed, then continued, "You heard about the rumors, right? About Kamoshida? People say we're getting it on, and...I can't blame them. It looks that way. But...it's so not true." She crushed the straw with a single finger, her inner anger coming forth a bit.

"It started a while back. He knew Shiho and I were friends. He saw me and made a proposal. He told me 'Shiho's too kind and emotional. So she couldn't possibly handle the pressure of being on the team.' He said he would have to cut her off as a regular on the team, but he would consider against it if I would help him learn more about Shiho. He told me it was for 'Shiho's sake', so I couldn't refuse. As time went on, however, he became bolder. When you were hearing me, he wanted me to come to his place after my last shoot... Well, you know what he meant."

There was a pause, as tears fell from her face. "I can't take this anymore. I hate him!" She sobbed, "But still, Shiho's my best friend. She's all I have left at that sorry excuse for a school!" She covered her face with her hands, sobbing, "What should I do? What should I do? Someone, please give me an answer..."

Ren could only stay silent and hear her sob. He gripped his pants tightly, and his fingertips could've broken through the stitches. But still, he could tell her what he could do. What he was told by Morgana.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Ann finally said, wiping away her tears, "It's not your problem." She paused as she calmed herself down, then she asked, "What...am I saying? I've barely even talked to you before."

"It's fine." he assured her.

Ann looked up at him for a second, then stated, "You're so weird. Usually everyone just ignores me. Are you really a bad person as the rumor says? You just don't seem like it..."

"Rumors?" Ren asked, recalling the many times people knew him as the boy with a criminal record, "Well, I can't say anything about the rumors, but I do have a criminal record."

"Well, they did say you assaulted someone. Nearly killed them, too..." Ann recalled, "I kinda had a feeling they were all just exaggerations. You seemed lonely, almost like you didn't belong anywhere. We're the same in that regard. Maybe that's why it was so easy for me to talk to you." She looked down at her hands, wondering, "Is there really no way for me to save Shiho? I'd wish he'd just change his mind. Like, forget about me, and everything... As if something like that would ever happen..."

"I could happen." Ren spoke this without missing a beat.

Ann looked surprised at first, then chuckled a bit. "I wasn't asking for a serious response. But I do feel a bit better now. I'm gonna head home." She stood up and took her backpack, adding, "Don't tell anyone what I told you, OK? I'll try to think of a way to persuade Kamoshida."

She walked away from Ren, who's eyes were hidden by the reflection in his glasses. However, when he looked up, he had an expression that he had displayed to Kamoshida, both the one in the Metaverse, and the one here, in reality. 'I HAVE to change his heart now.' He told himself, 'I'll convince Ryuji tomorrow. We're gonna take up Morgana's offer, for Takamaki, and everyone else's sake.'

---

April 15

The morning afterwards, everyone made their way to school like usual. Ren and Guren were walking behind a couple of high-schoolers, both of which were talking about Suzui, or Shiho, and her tardiness from the last meeting. Guren didn't seem interested, but the news caught Ren's attention, and his gut suddenly felt uneasy.

That same morning, during second period, Mr. Ushimaru was teaching the students in Ren and Ann's class, while Guren, Haneru and Makoto were listening to Ms. Kawakami. As she was talking about 'premeditated crimes', two out of three of them were still thinking about other things while writing down what their teacher was saying. Both of them dealt with individual things the other night.

Guren decided to take action involving tracking down Ren, and asked Futaba to find a way for her to keep track of him by using his GPS on his phone at all times. While she said it was for the sake of Sojiro not being worried about him, she was really doing it so she knew if he wasn't anywhere, he would be in the Metaverse. She wasn't sure how to stop him without exposing her ability to be there, too, so tracking him was the next best thing. Fortunately, for Futaba Sakura, she had no trouble getting a link between Guren and Ren's phone.

For Haneru, he procured the photos he took of Kamoshida and his Palace to his mom. It was startling for Mia to see that he could do something like this, since it never came across the Shadow Break's minds to do something like bring a Polaroid camera into the Metaverse. However, she was impressed, yet irritated at her son for forgetting to turn the flash off on his camera, saying, "That's not how a proper thief does things." Still, she knew the face of her opponent, and told Haneru to be on standby until she was ready to help him out. He forgot to mention that there were other thieves that came before him in Kamoshida's Palace, but he would try to remember next time.

"What the...what's that?!" One of the students spoke up, looking outside the window, towards the rooftop over the courtyard.

"What are you doing?! Get back into your seat!" Kawakami ordered.

"No way! That's dangerous!" A girl gasped, "That's Suzui of the volleyball team!"

"What's she planning, standing on the rooftop?!" This call-out drew the attention of Guren, Haneru and Makoto, startling them.

In Class 2-D, someone else got the attention of what was going on. "Wait... She's going to jump!" A girl gasped.

Mishima stood up, gasping, "Suzui!" Ren looked startled, but no where near as much as Ann, who stood up, racing towards the window. In fact, everyone was making their way there, in both classrooms, despite their teacher's orders.

They all watched in horror as the girl that the five main characters on the scene have seen at least once or twice in the school, was now standing on the edge of the rooftop that Ryuji and Ren met with Morgana just yesterday. She looked down at the ground below for a moment, thinking about her friend, Ann. Then she thought about what Kamoshida did to her yesterday. The pain was too much. There was no where left for her to go for her. Nothing to live for.

She fell, right before everyone's eyes.

Everyone screamed and exclaimed in shock of what they had seen, but no one was horrified by what had happened than Ann, who covered her mouth in horror as she raced down to the courtyard, trying to reach her friend. Ren saw her leave, and Ryuji joined up with him, saying, "What's goin' on?!"

"We need to head to the courtyard, now!" Ren told him, and the two chased off after Ann.

Haneru, after witnessing the suicide, was horrified at first, like everyone. However, he knew what to do, and called his mom's smartphone. After a few rings, she picked up, saying, "Haneru, why are you calling me at work while-."

"Mom, get someone down here to school!" Haneru interrupted, "Someone just tried to commit suicide by jumping off the roof! We need an ambulance here, ASAP!"

Mia, who was standing in the hospital hallway, gasped in horror, then her face became serious as she answered, "Okay. I'll get someone over there!" She hung up the phone as she told some doctors nearby, "We have an emergency! A student attempted suicide at Shujin Academy! Someone get there, immediately!"

Back at school, Guren demanded, "What good is it telling your mom before they call 119?!"

"My mom is a nurse at the Shibuya General Hospital. She's just as good as calling 119."

"I have to take care of the students and teachers on the scene!" Makoto told them, racing off.

"We'll come as well!" Haneru answered, passing Guren, who was too much worried about what was happening to be irritated by Haneru's adding her to the mix.

In the courtyard, Ren and Ryuji were amongst the crowd as the ambulance arrived on the scene, placing Shiho on a stretcher. The teachers were trying to usher the kids away, but the scene was too big for them to even care. They all had the cameras on their smartphones on as they recorded the scene.

Ann was in the front of the crowd, and caught the eye of the barely conscious Shiho. "Shiho... Why?" She asked, horrified at her friend's condition.

"Ann..." Shiho weakly cried out, and Ann hastily approached her, "I'm sorry. I...I can't take this...anymore..."

Haneru squeezed himself into the front of the crowd as Shiho got Ann close to her, whispering something in her ear. Ann backed off, horrified, as one name came from her mouth. "Kamoshida?!" The name got his, Ren's, and Ryuji's attention. However, before she could say anything more, Shiho went unconscious, causing Ann to cry out to her.

"Someone needs to go with her!" One of the doctors on duty called out, "Are there any teachers here?!"

No one really stepped forward to volunteer, so Ann declared, "I'll go!"

Haneru stepped forward as he added to Ann, "My mother is Mia Kurosawa. She's one of the nurses at Shibuya General Hospital. She knows what happened, so she'll help you and Suzui out!"

"Thank you..." she thanked him as they carried Shiho into the ambulance, and she climbed in as well. They closed the doors, and drove off with the siren on.

The three main boys who heard everything knew what had happened. Kamoshida drove Shiho Suzui to suicide. However, they were the only ones who heard or even cared. Well, all except for one. Mishima was in a panic as he knew, being the one who called Shiho to Kamoshida's office yesterday, what happened. He took off, getting the attention of Ren and Ryuji.

"Wasn't Mishima acting weird?" Ryuji asked Ren, who nodded in response, "We're gonna make him talk this time!" The two boys took off, with Haneru watching them leave. He looked at the scene, seeing the teachers, along with people like Makoto and Guren trying to calm people down, then chose to race after the two boys. This did catch the attention of Guren, who was going nowhere with ushering students. She wondered what he was doing.

---

Inside the school, Haneru hid himself on one end of the hallway leading into the gym locker room, while Ren and Ryuji cornered Mishima. Morgana was on the scene as well, laying on top of the lockers, out of view.

"Why'd you run like that, huh?!" Ryuji demanded.

"I didn't run..." Mishima whimpered.

Ryuji hammered a fist on the locker as he roared at him, "She jumped and tried to kill herself!"

"Calm down, Ryuji." Ren stopped him, then he turned to Mishima and followed, "You know something about all this. Tell us."

"He's right!" Ryuji agreed, "We ain't tryin' to get you busted. We won't say you talked either!"

Haneru thought he would step out and add in his insistence on hearing the story, but before he could, Mishima confessed, "Suzui... She was called out by Mr. Kamoshida!" This bit of news startled the trio of boys as he continued, "I was called by him a number of times too... to the teacher's room. It wasn't just me or Suzui either. He'd nominate someone when he was in a foul mood... and hit them."

"So the physical punishment thing was for real..." Ryuji understood.

"But yesterday, he called Suzui out of the blue." Mishima continued, "She didn't make any mistakes or anything. Mr. Kamoshida seemed really irritated that day, so it must've been...worse than usual."

The dreaded thought of what Kamoshida must've done came across the minds of the boys. Ren was the only one who understood what might've gotten him riled up yesterday; Ann's rejection to come to his place. It not only meant that Shiho lost her place as a starter in the volleyball team, but she was abused worse than before, all because Kamoshida didn't get what sick thing he wanted from Ann.

"THAT SON OF A BITCH!" Ryuji roared, and he raced out of the locker room, with Ren and Mishima chasing after him. They knew where he was going to. Haneru watched them leave, thinking about what he had heard, and sneaked after them, wanting to see what might transpire.

Inside Kamoshida's PE faculty office, Ryuji slid the door open in a fury, glaring daggers at the man sitting casually at his desk. "What the hell? Ever heard of knocking?" Kamoshida asked.

"You bastard! The hell did you do to that girl?!" Ryuji demanded fiercely, as Ren and Mishima followed in behind him.

"What are you talking about?" Kamoshida asked, acting confused.

Ryuji kicked a folding metal chair as he spat, "Don't play dumb with me!"

"That is enough!" Kamoshida barked.

"What you did...wasn't coaching!" Mishima stated, "You... You ordered me to call Suzui here. I can only imagine what you did to her!"

"You're going on and on about things you have no proof of..." Kamoshida told them, standing up and taking a couple steps towards them, "Basically, you're simply making these claims because you can't be a regular on the team, right?"

"That's not what this is about!" Mishima snapped.

"Even if it is exactly as you imagine it to be, hypothetically speaking, what can you do?" The PE teacher taunted, "We just received a call from the hospital. Suzui's in a coma, and her chances of recovery are slim. How would someone like that make a statement? There's no chance of her getting better, I hear... The poor girl."

Even though he tried to sound empathetic towards Suzui, it was easy to tell he was acting, especially since, for a moment, he couldn't hide a sinister smirk on his face. "You goddamn...!" He raised a fist to punch the teacher, but Ren restrained him, preventing him from following through. "Why're you stoppin' me?!"

"Don't give him an excuse!" Ren warned him.

"But still...!"

Kamoshida smirked as he bent towards Ryuji, asking, "Oh? You're stopping him? What a surprise. There's no need to hold back. Why not attack me?" He then went into a laugh as he finished, "Ohh, you can't. But of course can't!"

He turned away as he sat back at his desk, saying, "Everyone present right now will be expelled. I'm reporting all of you at the next board meeting." This news stunned the trio. "And let's see here... Ah, I know! As for Suzui, I'll pin the blame of her suicide on Guren Sakura. I'll say she was bullying Suzui and delivering physical abuse to the volleyball team. That'll finally get that trash kicked out this school." This added punishment further stunned the team, especially Ren. Outside the room, Haneru was eavesdropping in secret, his eyes shadowed from view.

"You can't make a decision like that!" Mishima exclaimed.

"Who would seriously consider what scum like you say?" Kamoshida hissed, "Sakura had it coming, anyway. She's been bailed out of jail way too many times to stay here in this school. It's about time she was delivered the final blow back into jail." He turned to Mishima as he followed up, "You threatened me too, Mishima, so you're just as responsible. To think you didn't know why I kept someone as talentless as you on the team. You act like you're a victim, but you leaked his criminal records, didn't you? It's all over the internet, correct? How terrible."

The boys looked to Mishima, who crippled to the floor, shuddering. He was the one who leaked Ren's records?! "He told me to do it. I had no choice..."

As Kamoshida chortled in maniacal laughter, Haneru looked up from where he stood, his eyes livid with anger. He hated the man who was gonna expel the three boys inside, and pin the blame of the physical abuse on Guren. There was absolutely no effin' way he was gonna let a horrendous heart like that go unchanged. He took a few sneaking steps away from the PE faculty office, then made a mad dash to find Guren or Makoto.

"Now, are we finished here?" Kamoshida asked, turning away and waving them off, "You're all expelled. As for you, Amamiya, you'll be sent to juvie after this. You're done for; your futures are mine to take. Now get out of my sight." The three boys could not stop the guy without making it worse, so they had no choice but to leave the scene.

"I can't believe that asshole's gonna get away with this!" Ryuji snarled.

"We'll make him eat his words." Ren retorted, his eyes hidden by the glare on his glasses, "After all, we have 'that'."

It took him a while before Ryuji realized what he meant. They had the Metaverse app, and they had Morgana's suggestion. With their backs against the wall like this, they knew they had no choice. Risks or not, they were gonna take up the cat's suggestion, and steal Kamoshida's Treasure.

---

Down in the hallway, Haneru finally found Guren as everyone was returning to their classrooms. "Where the hell were you?!" she demanded, "Didn't you say you would help Makoto and I get everyone back in their classes?!"

"I was eavesdropping on something, and you are not gonna like it." Haneru started, then in a whisper, "Turns out, Kamoshida was responsible for driving Suzui to commit suicide. Sakamoto, Amamiya, and that Mishima guy all confronted him, but he's gonna expel them, and pin the blame of the physical abuse and Suzui's suicide on you!"

The new stunned Guren. It made her sick to think that the poor girl's suicide was due to that horrible PE teacher and his physical abuse, but that he would turn it on her was just going too far.

"He can't get away with this, can he?!" Haneru demanded.

"...Actually, he can." Guren retorted, stunning the otaku, "After all, who would people believe; the Shujin Jailbird, or the gold medalist PE teacher? It's obvious who people will side with, even if Makoto and her sis tried to make an argument."

"But it can't end this way!" Haneru barked, "I don't care what it takes. I'm gonna figure out a way to stop him and-!"

"And how the hell are you gonna do that, hm?!" Guren demanded, "This isn't an anime. This isn't a video game. There is no miracle that'll help you stop a man of authority like that. There's no sort of rising comeback for a hero to turn around and save the day. This is reality, and you are a stupid otaku that has no power!"

Haneru was scared at Guren's glare for a moment, then he curled his hands into fists as he retorted, "Well, you don't know me well enough. I know not to give up, like you seem to be doing. You want a miracle? You want a comeback? Just wait and see!"

He turned and raced away towards his classroom, leaving Guren standing there, watching him. 'What can he do? He doesn't have a snowball's chance at stopping Kamoshida.' She told herself, 'And who says I'm giving up? I know what that bastard needs. After school, I'm gonna go into his Palace and, so help me, figure out a way to break through that door so I can steal Kamoshida's Treasure, and change his heart!'

---

After school, Ryuji and Ren met up with Morgana again in the courtyard. Ryuji hammered the soda dispenser as he growled, "We can't waste any time! We gotta hurry up and go to that world and beat the shit outta that asshole!"

"We're not beating him up." Morgana retorted, "We're simply stealing his distorted desires. Can I assume that you've made up your minds about this? About how me might suffer a mental shutdown?"

"We can't make more people like Suzui suffer like this." Ren stated, "Let's take the gamble."

"I don't give a rat's ass anymore what happens to him." Ryuji agreed.

"Then it's settled." Morgana understood.

"By the way, is gettin' rid of a Palace hard?" Ryuji asked, "I mean, you have done it before, right?"

"When did I ever say that?" The question stunned the two boys. Did he just pretend to know how to change Kamoshida's heart?!

"Is it true that you're getting expelled? Everyone's talking about it, including how Sakura is responsible for the physical abuse on the volleyball team, and what happened to Shiho..." A girl's voice spoke up from behind, and they turned to see Ann come up to them.

"That asshole's at it again..." Ryuji snarled, knowing Kamoshida was responsible for this, "So you came all this way to tell us that?"

Ann paused, looking down for a second, then became serious as she answered, "If you're going to deal with Kamoshida, let me in on it, too. I can't just sit back and do nothing after what happened to Shiho!"

The fact that she wanted to get involved startled the two boys and the cat. However, they knew the risks of where they were going, and Ryuji retorted, "This has nothing to do with you. Don't butt your head into this."

"But it does! Shiho's my-!"

"I said don't get in our way!" Ryuji's snap at her shut her up. However, she had a defiant look in her teary eyes, and she raced away from the scene.

"That was harsh." Morgana told Ryuji.

"It was for the best..." Ren stated, "We can't let her go somewhere like that..."

"I hope that she doesn't torment herself over this." Morgana prayed, "When it comes down to it, women don't hesitate..."

---

At this very point, Lioness had just entered the Metaverse, glaring harshly at the castle in Kamoshida's heart. "Time to get into action!" She declared, taking the alternate shortcut up the platforms to the right of the front door, and entered into the upper floor she exited from before.

"I did look around the area where the locked door was at before. Maybe I should double back and see if I missed anything..." She took off across the chandeliers, searching for any clues.

At the same time as she left, there was a ripple as Kong entered onto the scene, entering the Metaverse, as well. He put his smartphone away, and glared at the castle. "Sorry, mom, but I'm gonna go deep into this guy's Palace." He told himself, "You just make sure that girl doesn't die. I'll find a path to that Treasure!" He crawled into the hole on the left side of the front gate, going back to the Safe Room he was at before.

---

In reality, Ren, Ryuji and Morgana hid themselves in the alleyway as the latter started, "The moment we cross over, we'll treat each other like phantom thieves, so I hope you're ready."

"Phantom thieves?" Ryuji echoed in confusion.

"Those who covertly sneak in and stylishly steal Treasure; that is what we become!"

"Not bad." "That sounds kinda cool!" Ren and Ryuji understood, with the latter continuing, "So we just gotta say the school, Kamoshida's name, and castle? Then we end up in bizarro world. How the hell's all this work? Someone made it?"

Ren thought back to his dreams, recalling that Igor did say he made the Metaverse app for him to use. However, despite all that has happened, he wasn't sure if now was the time to tell this, so he just answered, "Doesn't really matter right now, does it?"

"That's kinda creepy, but... eh, it seems useful enough." Ryuji got serious as he finished, "We'll show that effin' Kamoshida! Let's go!"

Hidden from view, Ann watched the two boys as they readied their smartphones. "They really are going to do something." She whispered, "They're doing something on their phone? A name... School?" She suddenly felt the atmosphere change around her, and she became shocked as she felt the very air distort around her.

Moment's later, Morgana, Ren and Ryuji found themselves at the drawbridge once more, all in their Phantom thief attires and forms once more. "All right! Time to bust on through!" Ryuji declared.

"What is this?!" The familiar exclamation got the attention of the boys, and they turned to see, in their complete shock, Ann looking about the place in complete bewilderment.

"T-Takamaki?!" Ryuji gasped.

Ann looked to them, recognizing, "That voice... Sakamoto?! And... Are you Amamiya-kun?!"

"Wh-Wh-Why are you here?!" Ryuji stammered.

"How should I know?!" Ann retorted, "What's going on? Hey, where are we?! Isn't this the school?!"

Morgana seemed enamored by Ann's beauty, especially since the last time they were here, they saw the cognitive Ann in a bikini, showing off her full figure. Ren looked to Morgana, who immediately caught his eye and shook his feelings off as he stated, "I see. Perhaps she was dragged in because of that app thing. If multiple people can enter with the person who uses it, it stand to reason it'll pull anyone nearby."

"For real?!" Ryuji asked, surprised at this fact.

"Wait, so THIS is related to Kamoshida?!" Ann overheard everything.

"Aaanyways, you gotta leave!" Ryuji told her, only for her to deny him.

"The Shadows are going to find us if you make a scene." Morgana warned her.

It was only then that she noticed him and gasped, "No way! It talked?! Oh my god, it's a monster cat!"

Morgana felt a pang of hurt as he fell on all fours, injured by Ann's words. "Aren't you gonna retort 'I'm no cat' like usual?" Ren asked.

"Just leave me alone!" Morgana moaned.

"You better explain what's going on!" Ann demanded, "I won't leave until you do!"

The boys looked to each other as Ryuji sighed, "Looks like we're gonna force her. But how're we supposed to do that?"

"Just take her back to where we came in." Morgana answered, recovering from his emotional scar, "That's how it worked last time, right?"

"Oh, yeah." Ryuji understood, turning to Ren, "Can you lend me a hand?" The boys approached Ann as he finished, "We'll explain after everything's over!"

After a resentful struggle, Ann was sent out of the Metaverse, leaving the three boys alone. "We better be careful from now on when we use that app..." Ryuji sighed.

"You should've checked the tools you used!" Morgana scolded, "Why do I, the one who was watching, know more about it than you two?!"

"Sh-shuddup!" Ryuji regretfully responded, "Geez, Takamaki found out right when we were startin' off... We gotta deal with this fast!"

"That girl's name is Ann Takamaki, right?" Morgana asked, "Lady Ann..."

Suddenly, they heard some sounds coming from inside the castle, mainly of the clanking of the guard's armor, with slight sounds of fighting from two particular Persona-users. "The Shadows have noticed us." The humanoid cat understood, "You better brace yourselves, got it?" He turned to Ren as he finished, "We're counting on you, Joker!"

"Joker?" Ryuji echoed, "Is that a nickname?"

"Don't refer to it in such a lame way. It's a code name." Morgana explained, "What kind of stupid phantom thief would use their real name?! I'm not down for that! And there's no telling what kind of effect yelling our real names will have on the Palace. It's just a precaution."

"So, why is he 'Joker'?" Ryuji asked.

"Because he's our trump card when it comes to fighting strength."

"Trump card?" Ren echoed, thinking for a second, then he answered, "Guess that will work."

"It's settled then." Morgana stated, "Next up is you, Ryuji. You'll be... Let's see... 'Thug'."

Ryuji obviously didn't like that codename, as a blood vessel popped on his head as he growled, "Are you pickin' a fight with me?! I'll choose it myself!" He calmed himself, and continued, "When it comes to me, it's gotta be this mask. Honestly, I actually kinda like it. What if we named me after this?"

"Fine..." Morgana sighed, "Why not 'Skull' then?"

"Ooh! That sounds awesome! I'm Skull!" Ryuji exclaimed, looking down at the cat creature of their team, "what do we do about this one's code name?"

"I don't know. What do you think?" Ren asked.

"How 'bout Mona?" Ryuji requested.

"Well, if Joker thinks it's easier to call me that, then I'll go with it." Morgana answered, "All right. From here on out, we're Joker, Skull, and Mona. We need to be absolutely thorough about using those code names from now on!" With their decision made, they charged into the castle, making their way to the hole on the left side of the door.

They made their way in, where they caught Kamoshida's Shadow speaking to his soldiers about the recent intruders, and that they should strengthen their security and kill them on sight. Knowing there was no way to take Kamoshida and all the soldiers head on, they chose an alternate route; one that had a single soldier to take care of. However, Mona had an idea about how to handle this.

Joker rushed in, slashing at the soldier to make it turn into its' Shadow form; a Pixie. "What the hell was that for?!" The Shadow suddenly spoke up, "You guys are the intruders that King Kamoshida was talking about?!"

"Whoa! It's talking!" Skull exclaimed as he, Joker and Mona all aimed their firearms at her.

"Wh-Wait! Those aren't real, are they?!" The Shadow looked at guns and, in Mona's case, slingshots aimed at her, "What're you going to do with me?!"

"Give us money, or something valuable." Joker requested.

"But, this happened so suddenly... I actually don't have anything on me..." the Shadow admitted, much to the shock of the trio.

"This wasn't what I planned, but oh well." Mona stated, "Time for you to go to hell!"

"Wait! Can't we work something out? Don't kill me, please!" the Shadow begged, "Won't you let me go?"

Joker thought for a second, then answered, "Fine, then. We can let you go."

"Wait, hold on! Are you for real?!" Skull questioned in shock.

"Are you the type who can't say no?" the Shadow asked, "You really are sweet. It's not too bad." Suddenly, she started to glow as she gasped, "Wait, something's coming!"

The three of them watched as the Shadow became encased in a glowing white and blue aura as she said, "That's right. I remember now! I don't belong just to King Kamoshida. I'm an existence that drifts about in the sea of human hearts. My name is Pixie! From now on, I'll live within you!" She shined and turned into a mask like Joker's, and shot towards him, becoming part of the mask he wore.

"What was that just now?!" Mona gasped, "What happened?!" Joker and Skull looked to one another, also startled at what transpired.

Suddenly, another soldier appeared from behind them, taking the form of a Bicorn upon discovering them. "Crap, they noticed us!" Skull exclaimed, seeing the Shadow ready to strike.

Joker felt a sensation in himself. It seemed the Pixie that joined his mask suddenly gave him a new power to use. One that he chose to work with. He got in front of the team as he declared, "Come, Pixie!" His mask came off, taking the form of the Pixie, who unleashed an electric bolt at the Bicorn, shocking it into submission.

"Whoa! That's the Shadow from earlier!" Skull exclaimed.

"Don't tell me... Did you take in the Shadow's appearance and powers as a Persona?!" Mona gasped.

"P-Please! Don't kill me!" the Shadow cried out as the Pixie reverted back to Joker's mask, "I was just working under King Kamoshida's orders! I'm too scared to go against him!"

"I won't kill you, under one condition..." Joker approached him, raising a hand towards it, "Join our fight. Together, we can stop Kamoshida. You have nothing to be afraid of."

"R-Really?" the Shadow asked looking at him, "That look in your eyes... For some reason, I really believe you..." He suddenly glowed as the Shadow stood on all fours as it stated, "I remember now! I am more than a servant of King Kamoshida. I exist within the souls of humanity! I am Bicorn, and I shall be your power!" It glowed and dove into Joker's mask, becoming a part of him. He looked down at his hand, curling it into a fist as he felt the new power flowing into him.

"Holy... Does that mean you can wield multiple Personas?!" Mona gasped, "I've never seen anyone do that before. I didn't even know it was possible!"

"Is that a good thing?" Joker asked him.

"Of course it is! Only one heart exists per person, so normally a person can only have one Persona! But this... this is incredible! That ability will give us a huge advantage in battle!" Mona was pleased at what had just transpired as he finished, "All right, try to do that even more if the opportunity arises! You better help out too, Skull!"

"I don't really get all of it, but it sounds awesome!" Skull declared, "Hell yeah! We'll hold every last one of 'em up!" They turned and went further into the Palace, unaware of the greater things they'll gain on this very day besides Joker's powers.

---

Just outside the castle, where everyone first came in, there was a ripple, and Ann Takamaki came out of it, looking at her smartphone. "This is that place from earlier!" She noticed, looking about, then down at the smartphone, at the new app that suddenly appeared on it; the Metaverse app. "What's up with this app?" She asked, "I just said the words Sakamoto said, and I ended up..."

"Princess?" A voice suddenly caught Ann's attention, and she saw three knights race towards her, calling out, "Princess!" Ann screamed in panic as they came at her, ready to take her.

---

Meanwhile, Kong was tailing a knight, getting through a place that was inaccessible due to iron bars, but after the knight unlocked it, he destroyed him and moved on. He opened the door ahead to find something horrific.

"What is with this room?" Kong asked, looking about, seeing what looked like a restraining device surrounded by wax candles, shaped like an X where the arms and legs should be restrained. However, what made him really sick were the cognitions that represent the girls in the volleyball team. They were pink, humanoid figures, on the floor in several provocative positions, almost like they were willing to throw their bodies to Kamoshida if he were wanting them.

"This is sick!" Kong sneered, seeing the cognitions, "They look like members of the volleyball team. This is how he views the girls at school?! So not only does he physically abuse the team, he feels the girls swoon over him like this? I'll make sure he pays…" He then paused as he gave a fearful expression as he added, "Then again, when mom finds out, she'll flip her lid. Man, she does not like stuff like this."

Behind him, the door cracked open, and Lioness peeked into the room, hearing the voice that was within. She was going nowhere in finding a way to unlock the door before, and had a few close shaves with encountering Shadows up until this point.

It didn't take her a second before noticing Kong standing there, looking about, investigating the room. "Who is that?" she wondered, "A cognition? No…he sticks out with that outfit to be any part of this gym teacher's mind. If it's not Kamoshida, then…who could it be?"

She then noticed him turn, seeing the mask on his face, and came to a realization. "That mask…a Persona user? Like me?! But how is that possible?! Am I not the only one?"

Just then, the two of them heard the sounds of clanking footsteps coming from the far side of the room, along with the sounds of a girl crying out in anger. Based on the voices and sounds, it sounded like she was being dragged by knights. "Crap!" Both Lioness and Kong gasped, and while Lioness narrowed the door a bit, Kong found himself a dark, shadowy area just in the upper corner of the room, and leapt into it, hiding himself from view.

The door opened heavily, and in came two soldiers, each of them restraining a girl that both of them recognized. It was the girl that was friends with the other girl that attempted suicide, Ann Takamaki. "Let me go!" she barked at the soldiers. She paused as she looked down at the fake girls, gasping in shock at the sight of them. "W-What is all this?!" she demanded.

"Is that Takamaki?" Lioness asked, "The girl that was supposedly dating with Kamoshida?"

"That girl again who was with Suzui... How'd she get into the Metaverse?" Kong whispered.

"I said I was sorry for knocking over the armor!" Ann barked, "Just let me go!" The knights didn't listen to her, as they forced her wrists and legs into the restraints, locking her in. This kind of sight sickened the two eavesdroppers.

"What's this all about?!" Ann demanded, "Seriously, I'm gonna call the cops!"

"She has no idea of where she is at…" Lioness told herself, "Seriously, how did she get in here? Did she come with that guy?"

"So, this is the intruder." said an eerie voice. Everyone looked to see Kamoshida's Shadow enter into the room, followed by a shocking sight; another Ann Takamaki. The cognitive version that Kamoshida envisioned.

"Kamoshida?!" Ann gasped, seeing the man before her, along with the duplicate of herself, "Who's that?!" More importantly, what is this place?! Why's the school turned into something like this?!"

"It's Kamoshida's Shadow again. But that girl..." Kong blushed in embarrassment at the sight of the replica's skimpy attire, "That's just wrong on so many levels!"

"He even views Takamaki as just a sex tool for him!" Lioness sneered quietly, "That just makes me sick! As soon as I find the opportunity, I'll take him out and save that girl!"

"I can't believe you mistook my Ann for someone like her." Shadow Kamoshida told the guards with a chuckle, then to the restrained Ann, "Are you afraid?"

"What is that outfit…?" Ann questioned, disgusted at the king's robe and crown look that he was wearing, "Have you lost your mind?"

"I do as I please here." Kamoshida answered, "After all, this is my castle… The world of my desires."

"What the…?!" Ann was startled at what he was saying, and asked, "Wait… Is this some red-light district?!"

"She really doesn't get it." Lioness and Kong both thought to themselves.

"This isn't funny!" Ann barked angrily, "Enough of the bullshit, Kamoshida!" Ann sneered, struggling against her restraints to no avail.

"Tch!" Kamoshida scoffed and turned to 'his' Ann and asked, "The girl's decided to tell me off. What do you think of that?"

"Talking back is, like, totally unforgivable…" the fake Ann lazily answered.

"In that case, she should be executed." Shadow Kamoshida decided, much to Ann's horror, as she saw a bronze knight approach her with sword at hand, "Now then, how should I play with you? Shall I tear you into little pieces?"

"This is bad! At this rate, she'll be a filet for that asshole!" Kong growled, "I gotta make a move and stop him, now! But with those knights on either side of her… I can't attack without risking her life!"

"I gotta stop him, but what about that other Persona user?" Lioness asked herself, "If he sees me, will he help me, or join in on putting me down? It would be overwhelming if he fought me, along with those knights. Should I risk it?"

Just then, the door to the opposite of them opened up, revealing three new figures on the scene; Joker, Skull and Mona. They had heard that Ann was taken captive by the Shadows, and came this way to save her.

All three of them looked about at the humanoid girls that were in provocative positions, then noticed the situation Ann was in. "Takamaki!" shouted the one in the skull mask, and both Kong and Lioness recognized the voice.

"Those guys again?!" Lioness's told herself in shock, "Just how many times am I gonna find them here?!"

"That's the guy who confronted Kamoshida earlier today, Sakamoto." Kong recalled, "In that case, that guy next to him is that transfer student, Amamiya-san. But who's the chibi cat person?"

"Just when I was about to start enjoying myself…" Shadow Kamoshida growled.

"What's the deal with this guy?!" Ann demanded to the trio.

"You little…" Ryuji growled at Kamoshida, seeing the position Ann was in.

"…How many times are you gonna come back?" Shadow Kamoshida questioned the trio, then to Ann, "I bet you're just like those thieves. You came because you're pissed at me, huh? But, ah… I forget that chick's name, but it's your fault she jumped, you know."

Ann looked horrified at the accusation Kamoshida gave as he continued, "You were so reluctant to throw yourself onto me that I had her take your place. If she croaks, it's on you."

"You bastard!" Ann shouted, which the two spying Persona users also mentally shouted. He was responsible for Shiho Suzui's attempt at committing suicide.

As the bronze knight drew closer to Ann with his sword, Ryuji shouted to stop this, but the knights on either side of Ann crossed their blades at her neck as Kamoshida warned them, "Take one more step and I'll kill her on the spot."

"Grr… Dammit!" Ryuji growled, taking a step back to avoid such an incident. Lioness and Kong both cursed at the useless positions they were in.

"Just sit back and enjoy the dismantlement show." Kamoshida told the trio, looking at the panicking Ann, "Maybe I'll start with her clothes…"

"You're such a perv!" the fake Ann giggled.

"Hey, what are we gonna do?!" Ryuji asked his cohorts as the bronze knight was within range of Ann, "Takamaki!"

Frustrated with herself, Ann muttered, "Is this… my punishment for what happened to Shiho?"

"That's more like it. You should've looked like this from the start." Kamoshida told Ann.

"Shiho… I'm so sorry…" Ann whimpered.

"What are you saying, Takamaki…" Lioness growled under her breath.

"Don't give into despair!" Kong whispered, wanting to step out and shout it.

"You're just going to give in, just like that?!" the black-haired masked boy spoke up, "Don't you want to pay him back for what he did to you or Suzui? She is your friend, right?! Your only friend!"

Ann seemed surprised at what the boy said, then her expression became serious as she muttered, "You're right. She and I were friends since middle school. I would always space out in class, but she was the only one wanting to talk to me. But what he did to her... Letting this piece of shit toy with me… What was I thinking?!"

"It's like I always say. Slave should just behave and-." Kamoshida started. He was interrupted as Ann growled, "Shut up! I've had enough of this… You've pissed me off, you son of a bitch!"

"That's it. Fight back!" Kong smirked.

"Takamaki…!" Lioness was surprised, but impressed at the anger Ann was exerting.

"My… It's take far too long." someone spoke in Ann's mind, and suddenly, her eyes went yellow as she felt a powerful headache coming on, causing her to shout in pain as she struggled in her restraints, "Tell me… Who is going to avenge her if you don't? Forgiving him was never the option. Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within. I am thou. Thou art I. We can finally forge a contract…"

With one final surge, Ann drooped her head from enduring the pain, but she was still conscious as she muttered, "I hear you…Carmen." She raised her head quickly, as a red panther mask appeared on her face, "You're right. No more holding back!"

The five Persona users were startled at the sight of the mask, while Kamoshida looked afraid as flames burned off the restrains on Ann, freeing her. "There you go… Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself." the voice of Carmen spoke, "Understand? Then I'll gladly lend you my strength."

Ann took one hand, and ripped off the mask, taking some of her blood with it, which almost instantly disintegrated in the flames consuming her, causing the Shadow knights to back off from her.

When she next revealed herself, she wore a new attire; A skin tight red latex catsuit with a cleavage cutout, zippers, pink gloves, dark red thigh-high boots and has a clipped on tail in the back.

Behind her was her own new Persona; a humanoid woman with a black and pink-patterned mask and drill-like twin tails, the same length as Ann's. She wore a flowing red and black-trimmed dress with attached gloves, decorated with roses, exposing her pink-skinned chest, and high heels that went up her legs. Two smaller, humanoid-like males in tuxedos and heart-shaped masks and eyes were around her, one underneath one of her heels, and another hanging in midair, both of which had collars connected to a leash-like vine she held.

"Whoa!" Kong gasped, coming out of the shadows at the sight of Ann's transformation.

"She awoke to her Persona, too!" Lioness realized.

Ann glared daggers at one of the silver knights, and in one second, she dashed to him, and kicked the sword out of his hand. She leapt up, caught the sword, and with a diving slash, she sliced the fake Ann in half, making her vanish. Kamoshida panicked in fear as he backed off, while the bronze knight covered his front.

"You know what? I'm not some cheap girl you can toy with, you scumbag." Ann growled at Kamoshida, while the three guys gathered around her, "You stole everything from Shiho, crushing her underfoot… Now it's your turn!" The sword she held became enflamed as it transformed, turning into a whip as she raised a finger, pointing it at the accused, "I will rob you of everything…!"

"How dare you! Enough of your insolence!" the bronze knight barked, as he and two other knights next to him suddenly turned to black and red muck, merging together to form a shadow that looked like a large satyr sitting on a toilet. A Belphegor.

"No, I've had enough of you." Ann retorted, "No one's gonna stop me now!" She cracked the whip on the large Shadow's face, making it falter. "My whip's not enough?" She asked, "In that case... Dance, Carmen!" Her Persona suddenly unleashed flaming balls, blasting in the Persona's face, and making him fall back. "Cry for me!" Ann snapped her whip, acting totally different from before.

"Scary..." Skull muttered as he and Mona looked at her from behind.

"That girl gives angry Guren a run for her money..." Kong muttered.

"Damn, when did she ever showed signs of a dominatrix before?" Lioness asked, a little stunned at this personality. She heard someone shout, "Hey, you! What are you doing here?!" She turned and was startled as two knights appeared behind her, one raising his sword at her.

"Crap, I let my guard down!" she gasped. In order to avoid getting sliced, she dove out the doors, drawing the attention of the four Persona-using boys and Ann in the room.

"What the…?!" Kong gasped, seeing Lioness recover herself as she summoned her rapier to fight the two knights entered into the room, "Now who's this chick?!" he shook his head as he looked to the knights and muttered, "No, now is not the time to think. Time to act!"

He made a mad dash to the wall, using his parkour techniques to leap at the wall, run along it for a second, then jump at the knights, placing a foot on each of their shoulders. Taking the moment they were startled at the sight of him, he grabbed their masks and ripped them off, doing a front flip as he landed next to the surprised Lioness. The knights suddenly transformed before them, turning into a Berith and an Andras.

"Who are you?!" Lioness gasped, wondering about the boy who saved her.

"Name's Kong." he answered, summoning his quarterstaff, "But is this really the time for 'getting to know you'?"

Lioness blinked, then got serious. It was confirmed he was not a threat to her as she took a fighter's stance and answered, "Yeah. Time to annihilate these clowns!"

"Woah! Where did they come from?!" Ryuji demanded.

"More Persona-users?!" the cat monster gasped, "I didn't know about this! In any case, they don't seem to be enemies."

"Guys, let's help Takamaki out with this guy!" the black-haired individual told the two, witnessing Ann backing off from icy attacks delivered by the Shadow. They nodded in response, and went to work helping their newly-awakened ally.

The Berith came at Lioness, ready to skewer her. However, she scoffed as she parried his weapon, then unleashed several thrusts with her rapier, with the final one sending it crashing into the wall behind. "Damn! That's just like Asuna Yuuki!" Kong compared, amazed at her rapier skills.

"What?" Lioness asked, looking to him, 'This attitude... It couldn't be...'

The Andras came at her from behind, but Kong easily saw it coming. He did a fist pump as he shouted, "Sasuke, I choose you!" His mask came off, and his Persona slashed the owl man Shadow, making him fall back in pain.

Lioness looked in disbelief as she recognized the face of the boy working with her. 'Haneru Kurosawa?!' She exclaimed in her mind, 'No way! The annoying otaku ended up being a Persona-user, too?!'

Hey, let's go All-Out on these monsters!" Kong stated as Sasuke came back to him in mask form, "You know how to do that, right?"

Lioness was too stunned at discovery to answer at first, but she shook herself free of this as she answered, "O-Of course I can! I haven't done it in a long while, but-."

"Then by all means. Ladies first." Kong gestured to her.

Lioness was baffled at the person she thought she knew before, but decided to save her shock for later as she nodded in approval. She led the attack as they peppered away at the two Shadows, ending it by landing on her feet, sheathing her rapier and glaring ahead as she shouted, "Writhe in agony!", while the Shadows died behind her.

Behind them, the Belphegor was send back by a slingshot ball from Mona, followed by a twin electric attack from Skull's Captain Kid and Joker's Pixie. Ann finished the job with having Carmen unleash another blast of flames that made it crash to the ground again.

"Let's go, you guys!" Joker ordered.

"Let's whip it out in style!" Ann followed, and the four went into their own All-Out attack, damaging it heavily. They came out of the attack, with Ann doing a twirl and striking a pose with a peace sign as she stated, "A beautiful rose has its' thorns!" The monster vanished from existence, leaving the six Persona users in the room alone with Kamoshida, who looked terrified.

"S-Seriously?!" The 'king' stammered, "Oh, shit..." He ran away out the double wooden doors.

"Wait!" Ann shouted, trying to pursue him, but her legs gave way, and she fell from exhaustion.

"Why'd you come here, man?!" Skull questioned her, "And more importantly, how?!"

"Hey! Is that how you speak to a woman?!" Mona snapped, "Are you all right, Lady Ann?"

"L-Lady Ann...?" She echoed, confused by the title.

"Unlocking your Persona taxes your body after the adrenaline rush." Kong stated as he and Lioness joined the four, "Best not to push yourself at the moment."

"That aside, who are you guys?!" Skull asked, finally speaking to the two, "I've never seen you two before. Have you, Mona?"

"Sorry, I haven't met them either." The cat answered.

"Wait, what is this thing?" Ann asked, looking at Mona, "Is it alive? How can it talk? And where in the world are we?!"

"Stop with the billions of questions, newbie!" Lioness scoffed, "Seriously, I end up trying to secure a route to the Treasure, and you guys mess it up again!"

"Geez, there's no need to be rude about it!" Kong stated, finding her anger unjustified.

Just then, Ann noticed the attire she now wore, and blushed in embarrassment as she covered her cleavage and asked, "Why am I dressed like this?! When did I-?" She saw Ryuji leering at her look, and exclaimed, "Don't look at me!"

"If you guys wanna stop fooling around, more reinforcements are coming their way here." Lioness told the five. She was right. The door opened, and five more soldiers entered the room, coming at them. "I'll break open a path for you. Get out while you can." She told them.

"W-Wait!" Kong stopped her, "I don't even know who you are! What's your name?"

Lioness looked at Kong. She knew who he was, but he didn't recognize her yet. She decided not to tell this person, especially since that might make him spend more time around her, and the last thing she wanted was to spend time with an otaku like him, along with all these other guys. Besides... There was a good reason for her to not gain a close connection to them, as well.

"Call me Lioness." She told them, "That's my codename."

"Lioness..." Kong echoed, wondering who she really was.

"Now stand back!" she ordered them, and she took a leaping step back herself, then made a mad dash at the soldiers with her rapier on hand. "Leo, come!" She shouted, and the mane of her mask disappeared to form her violent Persona, who roared as it bashed through the knights, knocking them out as Lioness stabbed any that came close to her, ending their lives. With that, she exited the room, leaving the five alone.

"Holy shit..." Skull muttered, amazed at the damage she did.

"She looks like she has experience." Mona noticed, "It might be nice for her to join us the next time we're here."

"Yeah, she didn't look like the socializing girl." Kong finished, "You guys help Takamaki. I'll guide you out!"

Ann looked at him, surprised as she asked, "Wait, how do you know my name?"

"I'll tell you when we leave the Palace. C'mon!" With that, he led the team out, with Joker and Skull holding Ann up as they raced out of the castle. Kong used his Metaverse app, and together, they escaped the world, returning to the alleyway they came from before.

Ann looked about, freeing herself from the boys that carried her back, asking, "W-We're back here, again?"

"Yep. We're back in the real world again." Haneru stated, turning to the group.

They looked at him for a moment before Ryuji remembered, "Hey, I know you! You're that third-year transfer student we met a couple times!"

"Haneru Kurosawa." he introduced himself, "In one world, I'm a third-year, total otaku. In the Metaverse, I'm the Phantom Thief known as Kong. Pleased to meet other Persona-users besides me."

"Likewise..." Ren answered casually.

"Hey, where's that Lioness girl?" Ryuji asked, looking about. They all looked about as well. No sign of the person underneath the lion's mask.

"Must've ran away before we came here." Morgana assumed, "I wonder why she doesn't want us to know here identity?"

"That aside..." Ann stated, "Why is the cat talking?!"

"This is a first for me, too." Haneru agreed.

"We still don't understand it ourselves." Ryuji answered, "We should probably get outta here. I could use something to drink."

"Yeah, I'm dehydrated as well." Haneru agreed, "C'mon. I know there are soda dispensers in the station down below."

They wandered their way to the train station, unaware that they have been watched since they came back. Guren was hiding in the corner, peering around the corner to see them leave. She was befuddled beyond belief. Not only was Ann born as a Persona-user, but she discovered that Haneru was also one, and someone who had experience, based on what she deciphered. 'Just what the hell is going on?' She asked herself, 'Why are there so many Persona-users appearing in my life in the past few days?!'

---

Down in the station, Ryuji and Haneru got drinks for everyone, while Ren and Morgana explained a bit of the world they had just gone through, and about Morgana.

"Which one do you want?" Ryuji asked Ann as they rejoined them.

"Whichever one's not carbonated." She answered.

"Well, there's this cold tea drink." Haneru stated, giving her the drink. She took it with a thanks, while he had a lemon-lime soda, Ryuji had a coke, and Ren had a lime soda.

"What about me?" Morgana asked, coming out of Ren's backpack.

"But you're a cat." Ryuji answered. This made Ann chuckle.

"So, you recovering, Takamaki-san?" Haneru asked, "I know your body must be worn from unlocking your Persona. It was the same for me."

"Yeah, I'm doing better." Ann answered, "I'm just surprised that we're talking to a cat."

"We seem to be the only ones who understand him." Ryuji pointed out.

"Must be because we all went to the Metaverse." Haneru assumed, "Who knows?"

"I understand if you're still confused." Morgana assured her, "Demanding that you understand all of this right after what you went through is asking too much."

"Honestly, I still can't believe that all happened..." Ann muttered, "That power... my Persona..."

"It's the will of your rebellion, Lady Ann." Morgana explained, "With it, you'll be able to fight in that other world."

She looked up at the pair who were explaining things to her before, and summed up, "So if what you told me is true, we can make Kamoshida have a change of heart, right? Is it really possible? Can we actually force him to confess his crimes?"

"It is." Haneru answered, "After all, I managed to change someone's heart before moving here. He almost ruined my mom and I's life had we not unlocked our Personas and stole his Treasure."

"Wait, you said 'we'." Ryuji pointed out, "Does that mean..."

"Yeah. My mom's a Persona-user, like the rest of us." Haneru answered, getting shocked looks from everyone.

"An adult who is also a Persona-user?! No frickin' way!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"She was part of an older generation of Persona-users when she was around our age." Haneru explained, "She and my dad were both Persona-users, along with a group of friends."

"That's incredible..." Morgana stated, shocked at this news, "I never even knew there was an older generation."

"Bet she knows more about that place than any of us do." Ryuji assumed, "Could be useful if we met her."

"If you want, you can come to my place tomorrow after school, and meet her." Haneru suggested, "She told me she was gonna help out with taking care of Suzui tonight, so she'll be home late."

"Suzui..." Ann muttered, worried for her friend, "It's a really lucky thing your mom's a hospital nurse." Haneru smiled at her courtesy towards him and his mom.

"That aside, we still have to try again on Morgana's plan to change Kamoshida's heart." Ren told the team.

"Right. The volleyball team's keepin' quietly about this, while teachers and parents turn a blind eye." Ryuji pointed out, "If guys like us try and complain, they're just gonna shoot us down. Goin' all in on this plan is the only choice we got."

"Not to mention that we are running out of time." Haneru added, turning to Ren and Ryuji, "I actually was eavesdropping on you guys when you confronted Kamoshida this morning. If we don't change his heart soon, you'll both be expelled, and Guren Sakura will take the fall that should belong to that bastard. I can't let such injustice go unpunished."

"Then let me help too." Ann told the team, "I want to make him pay for what happened to Shiho. He just keeps going like nothing happened, even after what he did to her... I'll never forgive him."

"Well, I'd say the more, the merrier." Haneru stated, "I mean, she's a Persona-user, like the rest of us."

"She'll be great." Ren added.

"I agree as well." Morgana added, "We are lacking in manpower, after all. Don't worry. I'll protect her."

"Even if you said no, I'd just go in alone." Ann pointed out.

"You mean like Lioness, right?" Haneru asked.

"I really don't get her, either." Ryuji muttered, "I mean, she acted so high and mighty, like she was better than us!"

"From what I can guess, she might've been a Persona-user longer than the rest of us." Morgana assumed, "She knew about forming an infiltration route to the Treasure. However, she doesn't seem to have reached it, yet."

"Well, we can be sure to reach it before she does!" Ryuji declared, turning to Haneru, "I just can't stand someone as stuck up as her changing Kamoshida's heart before we do! Besides..." He grinned at Haneru as he pointed out, "...you said you took down a Palace before, and your mom was an experienced Persona-user, too? I bet with you two on our side, we'll definitely reach the Treasure!"

"Then it's decided." Haneru decided, "Tomorrow after school, we'll head to my place to form a meeting to infiltrate Kamoshida's Palace. I live in Saitama, so I'll give you my address."

"Oh, wait! We don't have each other's info." Ann realized, "Let me have your numbers and chat ID." Ryuji and Ren gave Ann and Haneru their numbers and chat ID, with Haneru adding in his address and his mom's number to each of them, as well.

"Just make sure you guys don't go heading back without me." Ann warned them, "I'll be counting on you guys. Same goes for you, Morgana."

"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Ann." Morgana answered sweetly. Ann walked away, with Morgana mumbling, "What a kind girl. Such admirable consideration for others. And the innocence to cast herself into the jaws of death to achieve her goal. She cares about her friends, and she's beautiful to boot... What a girl! She's captured my heart."

"You loooove her~!" Haneru sassed, mimicking a cat from an anime he loved. Morgana looked a bit irritable as the otaku snickered, "Man, just once I wanted to say that line!"

"So will it be alright for us to come tomorrow?" Ryuji asked, "Your mom won't mind, right?"

"She'll be fine. She did say there was a new generation of Phantom thieves forming since I awoke to my powers. Guess she was right, since I met you guys."

"Still, we will need to make a secret hideout where we could discuss things besides your home." Morgana stated.

"A hideout, huh? I like the sound of that." Ryuji smirked.

"My place is a bit far off to be a proper hideout." Haneru admitted, "Maybe somewhere in the school?"

"The school rooftop will work." Morgana suggested, "It seems like nobody goes up there. For the time being, that will make the perfect hideout."

"Well, that settles that." Haneru understood.

"I can't contact you from inside a Palace, so I'll stay in this world." The cat continued, "That being said, I'll need someone to take care of me. I'm personally nominating you, Joker. You should feel honored."

"What?!" Ren questioned in shock.

"There's no way I can at my place." Ryuji pointed out.

"Not sure if animals are allowed to live at my place, either." Haneru added, "Then again, I don't fully know the rules, yet."

Just then, the voice over the intercom called out, "THE TRAIN WILL BE ARRIVING SOON."

"Gotta go. I have to get things prepped for my mom coming home and for you guys tomorrow." Haneru stated, shouldering his backpack.

"Can't wait to get together tomorrow!" Ryuji added, "Welp, see ya guys!" Haneru and Ryuji left Ren and Morgana, heading to their separate routes back home.

"OK! Let's go look at my residence for this world." Morgana told Ren, who sighed at how so much was decided for him before he could get a say in the matter. Nevertheless, he walked with Morgana as they made their way to the train back home.

---

Ren and Morgana were the first to reach home. They entered Café Leblanc to find the place still open, with only one customer there; a woman with short blue-dyed hair, wearing a punk-rock style attire.

"Place is still open. Go upstairs, would ya?" Sojiro asked Ren. He walked past the booth that the woman sat at. They had a short moment of eye-contact before Ren walked onward.

She had just finished her coffee, and stood up. "I'll leave my payment on the table." she told Sojiro, "Thanks. I'll see you later."

"Come back again." Sojiro responded, and she left through the door, making the bell tingle as it closed.

"Who was that?" Ren asked, curious about her.

"That customer just now?" Sojiro asked, "She's the head doctor over at that clinic down the street. Rumor has it she gives pretty crappy examinations, and sells some weird homemade medicines on top of that. At least, that's what I've heard. I haven't been there myself." He sighed and shook his head, adding, "They should really just leave her alone. It's not like she's getting in the way of their lives..."

"Hey, are we there yet?" Morgana's muffled voice came from inside Ren's backpack, making him panic and hold the bag close to shut him up. Sojiro looked at Ren, who tried to feign ignorance as he turned and walked up the stairs into his room.

As soon as he was in the clear upstairs, he got Morgana on his bed. He took one look around and stated, "What the...?! What is this place?! Is this some kind of abandoned house?!"

"It's my room. Keep it down." Ren hushed him. Too late, though.

He heard footsteps coming up and saw Sojiro approach him, seeing the cat on his bed, "I was wondering why I heard meowing. What did you bring it here for?!"

"It didn't have a home, so I figured I bring it with me." Ren answered, trying to give a good argument.

"Is that so, huh?" Sojiro answered, his body expression saying he wasn't totally approving the cat being here, "Look, this place is a restaurant. Animals are a no go..." He looked at the cat, then back at Ren as he sighed, "Though, I guess you might stay on good behavior if you've got a pet to take care of... Just keep it quiet when we're open for business. And don't let it roam downstairs, or I'll toss it out. Oh, and I'm not gonna take care of it. That's all on you."

"Understood." Ren nodded, and Sojiro walked back down the stairs again, leaving the two of them alone.

"Was that the ruler of this place?" Morgana asked.

"That's Sojiro. He's the guy who's watching over me while I'm here."

"He seemed pretty understanding for someone who keeps you cramped up in this dump." Morgana stated, "Then again, I suppose to normal people, I just sound like a meowing cat."

Suddenly, Sojiro reappeared coming up the steps again, with a plate of food in one hand. "Seriously... It had to keep calling out in that cute little voice..." he stated, "Make sure you wash that dish. So, does it have a name?"

"It's Morgana." Ren answered.

"Morgana?" The man echoed, "I was hoping I'd get to name it..." He walked away, scratching the back of his head at how everything happened with the cat.

"Looks like the chief like me better than you." Morgana chuckled, getting a bit of an irritated look from his 'owner', "And to be honest, this place is heaven compared to Kamoshida's cells."

He paused as he looked at his food, then turned to Ren and continued, "Remember how you guys asked me before about what I am? To be honest... I don't remember anything about my birth."

"Is it amnesia?" He asked.

"I don't know. Maybe the Metaverse's distortions made me lose both my memories and my true form."

"So... You aren't positive if your form is human." Ren summed up.

"It has to be!" Morgana sternly answered, "I mean, why else would a cat be able to talk like this? There's no other possible explanation. There's no doubt that the distortions were what caused me to lose my real self. I'm sure that once they're purged, I'll finally be able to get that self back. And I have a pretty good idea on how to do it, too. That's why I was in the castle in the first place."

He looked at his dish, then added, "Come to think of it, I didn't get hungry over in that world. But man, I'm starving, now..." He started munching, with Ren watching, wondering about Morgana, and his true nature.

---

Sojiro was walking back home when he got a call. He looked at the number. It was Guren. He answered it, starting, "Hey, what's up? Go home after dropping Ren off?"

"No. I got home later." Guren answered, "I got caught up with something at school. No big deal, or anything."

"By the way..." Sojiro started, "Did you know anything about a cat that he had found?"

"A cat?" Guren asked, thinking of the only cat she had seen in contact with Ren, "I guess there was one. A tuxedo cat with blue eyes, I think..."

"Yep, that's the one." Sojiro sighed, "Well, he decided to bring it to my place, since it had no home. Quite the talker."

"You let it stay?"

"It will help him become responsible by taking care of a pet." her uncle pointed out, "I made sure he learned the ground rules of taking care of it at my restaurant. He even had a name for the cat; Morgana."

"I see..." Guren understood, "Well, let's hope that cat doesn't get in the way of any other things. You know how they can sometimes be an interference."

"I was just gonna start supper. Wanna come over to eat with Futaba and me?"

Guren paused for a second, then answered, "No, I think I'm good. Got some ingredients here that I need to make something out of before they spoil."

"Gotcha. Well, goodnight then." He hung up his phone, and Guren hung up her's.

She looked at the blank screen, seeing her reflection as she sat down in her bed. She looked out the window, wondering. The same black cat that took on that odd form in the Metaverse now resides in the café of her uncle's. Things were setting up too smoothly here. No way could this be coincidence. It was like fate was bringing Ren, the cat Morgana, and all these other Persona-users together, and close to her, as well. What could this mean? Was she suppose to be a part of them?

"No way..." she told herself, standing up, "I can't allow myself to get attached to any of them, even if they're Phantom thieves like me. Besides, they're too new to all of this. They don't have the experience like I do. They'll slow me down, get in the way, or worse..."

She looked at her desk. The year-old letter of her Sensei, slash-father figure was still in there. There was no way she could part with such an important final message. She had read it so many times, she knew it by heart. Even though he did say that there might be others with this power, she chose not to give anyone any chance to get close enough to know or even work with her in the Metaverse. Not her family, nor her only friend. It's the only way to keep everyone around her safe from that world. That's why she has to find the Treasure before Ren and the others get too far in there. She had to do it, alone.

---

Haneru had just finished his dinner when the door opened to his apartment, and Mia came into the room, looking exhausted. "Welcome home, mom!" he greeted.

"Hi..." she greeted, "You seem pretty upbeat considering what happened at your school."

"I know." He answered, "By the way, how is Suzui?"

His mom placed her bag on the kitchen table as she answered, "In a coma. We were doing everything we can to help her, but it is difficult. The physical and psychological damage was pretty grave. She's lucky to be alive at all."

Haneru looked down, worried. Ann would not like this news. She had to be pretty sick with worry over her best friend by now. Well, at least they knew who was responsible for driving Suzui to attempt suicide.

"Still, that poor girl..." Mia stated, taking some juice out of the fridge and pouring herself a glass, "She looked already beaten up before the suicide attempt. My guess is that someone must've beaten her."

"Yeah, and I know who." Haneru growled, "It's that damn Kamoshida. I actually heard some students confront him. He had been physically abusing the volleyball team, including Suzui. However, he wasn't even phased by this. He's going to expel three students just because they confronted him with the truth, and pin the blame of the physical abuse on Sakura-san!"

This news woke Mia up abruptly. "Sojiro's niece?!" She realized, "That's horrible! How could a teacher be so cruel like that!"

"But don't worry. That guy is not gonna get away with this." Haneru declared, raising his phone, "He has a Palace and everything. Not to mention I found a few new allies..."

"Wait... What?!" Mia spilt her drink on the floor, but she was too stunned for words, "You mean you found more Persona-users?!"

"Five of them, actually." Haneru answered, "One of them didn't tell me who they really were, and left before I could know her better. But I know the identities of the other four. Ren Amamiya, Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, and, you won't believe this, a cat named Morgana."

This news really shocked the living day life out of Mia as she grabbed a towel and mopped up her drink. "Those names... I think I met Takamaki-san when she arrived with Suzui at the hospital." she recalled, "Kamoshida said something about a Sakamoto you should avoid, too. And Amamiya as well... My goodness... And you said there was a cat?"

"Yeah. I told them to come over to meet you tomorrow." Haneru explained, "Think you can get off around the time I get home?"

"That could be possible." Mia answered, washing the juice-covered towel, "I do have Sunday and Monday off. I was thinking we could enter the Metaverse on those days, but with this new development..."

"I know, right? Getting to the Treasure will be more exciting with more allies on our side!" Haneru cheered, "Man, I can't wait to introduce you to them!"

Mia finished cleaning up the mess as she looked down for a moment, then smiled as she stated, "Looks like the next generation of Phantom thieves is starting to form, isn't it?"

"It sure is." Haneru answered, taking his dish to the kitchen, "Still, that one girl. She called herself Lioness. Why didn't she stay to show us who she really was?"

"Who knows? Maybe we'll bump into her, and then we can figure out her identity." Mia told him.

"Yeah... Well, we'll just have to focus on that later." Haneru stated, getting a determined look in his eyes, "Tomorrow, we'll set up a plan to infiltrate Kamoshida's Palace, and steal that Treasure!"

---

Next Time:

To the Throne Room!