Yes I recognize that two characters in two interconnected stories have the same title. But also keep in mind that there is a difference between Phantom Thief Joker and Kamen Rider Joker. Also, regarding The Nine Phantom Thieves, I will be explaining what saved Shiho during the first chapter. Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider, Danganronpa, the Persona series, or Super Sentai.
Chapter 26: The Sixth Mirror, Swordsmanship, and the Advancing Plan
Junko had managed to lure in Santa Shikiba, the Ultimate Botanist, into a trap so that she could subject him to the experiment. The first step was creating and then destroying the Despair that could be made from him. Junko smiled when she found him a viable candidate. 'This would have made all of Mukuro's efforts for nothing if he wasn't still capable of falling to despair.' She placed in the Medal, bringing forth the Botanist's Despair. She then called up her sister. "Mukuro, we have it. Return at once so we may proceed. The other Despair is expendable now."
Meanwhile, Mirror had somehow gotten separated from the other Riders while chasing the Despair and Fenrir through Tokyo. Sighing, he said, "Looks like even when I stand out I can blend in." He looked around, realizing he was somewhere in Aoyama-Itchome, right near the local high school. As he was about to contact the other Riders, he heard a commotion, and gasped when he saw a female student had climbed the fence on the roof. From the look of it, she was planning to jump. Mirror quickly got out another of his Card Cases, which were clipped to his belt. "Biogreeza! Verde!"
Without missing a beat, Mirror clipped a card to a wire coming out of the chameleon head Visor attached to his leg, slotting it in. "Clear Vent!" Mirror then leaped down to the courtyard, leaping up when he saw the girl jump off the ledge. He managed to catch her, and carefully rolled so he wouldn't accidentally break her neck or limbs. From the look of it, she would only suffer some minor injuries. Mirror then leapt back up to the roof before other students swarmed the courtyard. It was the reason he had used the Clear Vent card, so that he could escape and try to reconnect with the other Kamen Riders without being swarmed.
He nodded in satisfaction as the girl was taken to the hospital, looking downtrodden but otherwise fine. 'Looks like all she'll really need is some rest and therapy.' He then heard a call from his Batta Candroid. 'Mirror, we've corned the Despair,' came Joker's voice. "I'm on my way," Mirror replied, "Just got held up for a second." The good thing about these Batta Candroids was that they could easily lead a person to whoever was on the other end. Mirror tossed out his Bio-Winder yoyo and zipped through the urban area.
Mirror arrived just in time to see the other Riders fighting against the Swordswoman's Despair. "Skull-Knight!" "Pirate-Joker!" The Despair was doing an impressive job of holding off the two Kamen Riders, but Mirror noticed Fenrir was nowhere nearby. Mirror saw Birth activating his CLAWs, and decided to slot in a new card. "Solent Edges! Vermillion Bucket!" "Copy Vent!" In addition to the shovel on Birth's left arm, a set of yellow-highlighted wings appeared on his back. As Birth removed the wings to use as a boomerang blade, both it and the Vermillion Bucket were copied for Mirror to use.
The Despair managed to break off from Joker and Skull and dodge the twin attacks, only to be struck OOO and his Tora claws. Mirror then slotted another card as Birth threw the Solent Edges. "Hold Vent!" The Despair dodged the first attack from the throw, but Mirror's Bio-Winder wrapped around it, keeping it trapped long enough for the return trip of the boomerang-like wings. Seeing the creature was still trapped, Joker got out another Memory to use. "Violence-Joker!" The Swordswoman's Despair was helpless against the barrage of attacks Joker unleashed, enhanced by the Violence Memory's boosted strength.
Meanwhile, Fenrir had arrived at Junko's location. "Those Riders have already cornered the Despair we made from Peko Pekoyama. It's only a matter of time, I suppose." Junko shrugged. "So long as our own plans progress at an acceptable rate. So, you ready to see how our experiment holds?" Fenrir nodded, and hypercharged her sidearm, using it to destroy the Botanist's Despair. "Even if things don't proceed they way we want them to," Junko said as she scooped up the Cell Medals, "It'll give us more foot soldiers, should we require them." She smiled as she turned on the machine Santa was hooked up to.
The Swordswoman's Despair tried focusing on OOO, who was finding it more difficult to evade the creature's strikes until he got an idea and swapped out his Medals. "Shachi! Unagi! Tako! Sha-Sha-Shauta, Sha-Sha-Shauta!" His new form allowed him to effortlessly tank the Despair's attacks due to his semi-liquid form, which Joker took advantage of. "Weather-Joker!" She waited until the Despair once again swung its blade through OOO, then launched a lightning attack through his liquid form. The electric current was enhanced by the water and traveled through the metal blade, shocking the Despair and tossing it back. OOO rolled his shoulders a bit as he shook off the tingle. "Warn a guy next time...," he muttered.
The Despair also managed to recover somewhat, attempting some sort of special sword move. "Not so fast," Mirror said as he slotted a card. "Advent!" The card summoned humanoid chameleon, which immediately wrapped its tongue around the Despair's sword arm, trapping it. As it tried to free itself, Birth used the distraction to attack it with a quick fly-by via the Solent Edges. Mirror then slotted in his final card. "Final Vent!" Biogreeza leapt to a nearby tree, wrapping its tongue around Mirror's legs. Dangled upside down, Mirror was swung towards Swordswoman's Despair, grabbing it as he came close.
"Death Punish!," Mirror called out as he slammed the Despair head-first into the ground. While the Despair was vulnerable, OOO swiped his O Scanner. "Scanning Charge!" OOO's Unagi whips grabbed the Despair as he shot himself into the air, coming down with his Tako legs turning into a drill. "Octo Banish!" With this attack, the Swordswoman's Despair was finally destroyed, scattering Cell Medals across the area. "Well, at least this means I was able to help Peko, albeit with some help," Skull noted, "But I still can't help but wonder why Fenrir choose to cut and run right when she did?"
Junko shook her head in frustration as Santa walked out of the room in a daze. It wouldn't be long before Yasuke picked up on something wrong with him and undid Junko's damage, and that was the problem. "This experiment is a bust. Without the susceptibility to despair the lobotomy cannot mold a subject to our way of thinking, no matter how much we change their personality." Mukuro sighed. "So in the end this avenue is closed to us. Just great, and after I've already done my research on Chisa Yukizome." Junko nodded. "This was my fault for targeting her first. I thought it could jumpstart my plans."
"And then OOO stepped in," Mukuro said, "And he's been a real thorn ever since. Is there anything else we can use? I know you have other things you wanted to test." "Sure," Junko replied, "First there's the fact that I want to investigate the Ultimate Animator, Ryota Mitarai. He may have grown a spine, but his talent can still be useful to us. We also still have access to Yasuke's memory alteration procedure, which can still work for us. We're down, but not out. However, with a new Kamen Rider in the picture, we may need some backup. Time to talk to that sweet young girl from my babysitting gig." Mukuro raised an eyebrow.
When Peko was trapped in the Island Killing Game during the time of The Tragedy, she remembered the length's Fuyuhiko went to keep her from self-destructing. This prevented her from killing Mahiru in a misguided attempt to free Fuyuhiko, but both of them were shocked when Mahiru, completely broken by the pictures she had been shown, committed suicide. They still had to go through the trial to prove it, but it all worked out when it was revealed that Mahiru wasn't really dead due to the virtual nature of the game. When the Tragedy ended, Peko and Fuyuhiko soon found a new life for themselves, protecting each other.
To be continued...
Yep. Sometimes my story's can overlap. Anyway, I hope this proves I haven't forgotten this story. I'll continue to work on both stories as need be. Read and review.