"We need to get used to meeting at later times," Ann observed as the Phantom Thieves patiently waited for Marinette and Luka to call in. Fortunately, the two of them shared a lunch time, which was around 12:30 PM. For the Phantom Thieves in Japan, that was about 7:30 PM.
Marinette had texted them that morning, or evening for Paris time, that she was fine if they wanted to do this in the late evenings for Paris, as she sometimes snuck out to patrol as Ladybug anyway, so she was used to pulling all-nighters. However, the Phantom Thieves all still needed to attend school in the mornings, otherwise the authorities would start to get suspicious, even if Kawakami was to cover them for a few days.
At last, Akira's phone started ringing. Upon answering it, they were greeted by the faces of their two newest members.
"Nice of you to finally join us," Makoto greeted.
"Sorry about that," Marinette apologized, "So how do we do this?"
"We have a main entry point into the Palace now, so we should automatically appear there when we activate the Nav," Morgana said.
"All right, we'll see you there then," Luka said before the screen went black.
"Well, let's go," Akira grinned grandiosely. With determined nods done by all in the meeting, Akira clicked the Nav.
Moments later, Joker felt the familiar weight of his mask fall across his face.
"Nice of you to join us!" Mari- no, Chance teasingly greeted them with a grin next to Viper, who was twirling a brand-new scimitar in his hand.
"Nice one," Makoto smiled fondly, "If it wasn't already obvious, you'll fit in just fine."
"I feel like some sort of pirate carrying this around," Viper murmured with a smirk.
"I think it's fitting," Chance chuckled, "Your mom would be proud of you!"
"That explains it even more," Mona spoke, a grin on his feline face, "Our outfits in the Metaverse are based on our perceptions of what a rebel looks like. It's clear your mom had an influence on you here, if what Chance says is true."
"Oh, just wait until you meet her!" Chance laughed, already picturing Anarka's hilarious pirate greeting.
"Uh, what is Joker doing?" Viper piped up, looking at Joker, who had somewhat separated from the rest of the group. He seemed to be staring into space, although his look was deeply focused.
"Joker does that sometimes," Fox answered, "but we don't question it, as when he finishes, he often carries new Personas with him that are often more powerful than their predecessors."
"New Personas?" Chance asked, sounding intrigued, "How does that work?"
"We ain't got a clue. Apparently, it's something only Joker can do, so…" Skull shrugged.
"What exsssactly isss the plan going forward?" Sass asked, appearing behind Viper.
"You brought the Kwamis?" Ann asked, sounding surprised.
"You'd be surprised how useful these guys can be in a tight spot," Chance grinned, glancing at Tikki floating next to her, who winked, "even when we aren't transformed. For example, if a door is locked, they can fly into the lock and undo it. They can even go through walls and other solid objects, so it's impossible for them to be 'caught,' so to speak."
"Wow! I think we can definitely put that to use," Oracle grinned.
"Right, first things first, we need to secure an infiltration route," Mona said.
"So that we know where the Treasure is right?" Viper asked.
"Exactly," Mona nodded, "Plus, the more we look around the Palace, the more we can learn about our target as well. It's best to explore every place we can."
"Sounds good," Chance nodded. She noticed that Joker had raised his head, "All done with… whatever you were doing?"
"Sure am. Let's go!" he grinned.
"You heard the guy!" Panther cheered, "Let's go, Phantom Thieves!"
o~o
True to the veterans' word, Joker astounded Viper & Chance when he whipped out a brand-new Persona during a battle with some guards. With a cry of Orcus, a mighty ogre appeared, blasting two One-Eyed Oafs with Maeiga. Queen needed to do little from there, following up with Mafreila to finish the duo off.
"Well done, team!" Chance grinned.
"Thanks." Queen nodded appreciatively.
"Hmm…?" Fox noted, catching everyone's attention while pointing to a bronze door, "I wonder what might be this way?"
Walking up to the door, Joker jiggled the knob, "Locked. Damn!"
"No problem. Tikki, if you don't mind?" Chance smiled down at her kwami. With a happy giggle, the little goddess vanished into the keyhole and a moment later a loud click was heard. The door opened soon after.
"I don't think we'll be needing lock-picks anymore…" Mona said quietly.
It would have been comical to anyone that heard him mention lock-picks, as there was a treasure chest in the room they just opened, as well as an even more ornate door on the other side. Unfortunately, a strong-looking guard seemed to be guarding it, though it didn't notice them until Joker swooped in and ripped its mask off.
The Shadow resulting from the guard was on its lonesome. It seemed somewhat similar to the One-Eyed Oafs they'd encountered previously, but it had six arms instead of the two a One-Eyed Oaf possessed. Furthermore, their opponent (one Joker dubbed a Six-Armed Simpleton) had two clubs in the top hands of each side - twice the other Shadow's amount of clubs. Plus, the club was spiked with brown points speckled with sanguine reds here and there - the One-Eyed Oafs basically carried heavy sticks.
"Be careful, this one's strong!" Queen warned.
"I don't see a weakness, either," Oracle called, "watch out!"
Viper was the first to attack, swinging his scimitar, leaving quite the nasty gash in the monster's chest.
"Nice hit, Viper!" Skull exclaimed. Joker took the opportunity to summon another new Persona.
"Mohini!" he declared as he ripped off his mask, calling forth a seductive beauty holding an elixir in both hands. He slammed the Six-Armed Simpleton with a Psio, making it fall on its knees in pain.
"Hands in the air!" Chance shouted as the team surrounded the Shadow.
"Geez Louise…" the Shadow muttered in a cranky elder's voice, "show some respect fer yer elders, will yeh?"
"What's behind this door?" Joker inquired, his tone demanding answers but not seeming too brash, "It must be this detailed for a reason."
"Easy, sonny," the Shadow snarked, "show me mercy and I'll let yeh off."
"Very well, so long as you leave peacefully and don't tell anyone about us being here," Joker replied.
"...clever an' honorable, ain't yeh? I can respect that… hold up. I remember it all now! I'm not just some run-of-the-mill Shadow - I'm one of many residing in the sea of humanity's souls. Call me Gegenees from now on, yeah? No need for honorifics, sonny." the Persona said as it formed into a mask, flying to merge with Joker's own.
"The more the merrier," Viper smirked. He then had Sass unlock the treasure chest, which, like the door, opened without a fuss. Inside was a purple engraved gemstone, one Mona recognized as a Sugilite.
"Oh, that's pretty!" Tikki exclaimed.
"What are you going to do with that?" Chance asked as Joker snatched it.
"Either sell it or use it in some equipment," the Phantom Thieves' leader replied, "I know a pawn shop owner that's pretty reasonable with his prices and willingness to take."
With that said and done, the team turned to look towards the bronze door in question.
"So… what do you think is behind this door?" Panther asked, "A pretty strong Shadow was guarding it, after all."
Taking charge, Mona said, "We're about to find out." as he jumped up and latched onto the door handle, opening it.
o~o
"What in the fresh heck is this!" Skull gawked.
Upon entering through the doors, the group found themselves in a courtyard, flowers, and golden walkways crisscrossing everywhere. What really caught their attention, however, was the dull, crumbled statue at one of the crossroads.
Walking over to it, there was a barely noticeable name plate at the statue's feet, and surrounding the pedestal it was on was a patch of assorted, wilted flowers, all plucked from the roots.
"'Naira González'," Panther read aloud.
"...Do you know anyone by this name, Chance?" Fox asked, a sinking feeling forming in his stomach. He was pretty sure it wasn't hunger, too.
Chance shook her head, glancing at Viper, who shook his head in assent.
"Lila must know them from somewhere else, then," Mona concluded.
"Lila?" Chance asked, stepping back a little.
"Remember, this is Lila's Palace. Everything and everyone in here is significant to her in some way," Joker reminded the two of them.
"...Anyone else noticed how unusually quiet it is out here too?" Oracle asked, "it's almost eerily so."
"Should we expect a trap, then?" Fox asked his hand on his katana.
"I don't sense any Shadow activity, so that's a no, thankfully," Oracle responded.
"Let's keep looking around," Mona suggested, "we're bound to find more clues by doing so."
"Good idea," Queen nodded as they all stepped away from the statue.
Cautiously continuing through the Garden, as they decided to call it, more crumbled statues greeted them along the way. Names like Lina Blanco, Ander Holzknecht, Yasmin Ortega, Rybář Beránek & Catalina López shifted to names like Erika Varga, Lorant Szabó, & Zsuska Molnár.
"I don't recognize any of these people…" Chance said uneasily as they turned another corner.
Chance stopped.
"Wait a minute… I recognize this one!" she exclaimed. This girl wasn't in Miss Bustier's class, but she did recognize her from Miss Mendeleiev's class. The nameplate read: 'Fleur Moreau'. Unlike the other statues, this one looked a little more taken care of. It seemed to be plated in some kind of metal, and there were fresh, blossoming flowers blooming around the pedestal.
"Does she go to your school or something?" Panther asked.
"Yeah, but she's not in my class. I don't really know her that well, either…" Chance admitted.
"...I got a bad feeling about this," Skull murmured as they kept walking. They passed by a couple other statues, some more familiar to Chance such as Wayhem and Marc, then others like Arturo Benavides before they reached the end of the halls.
Unlike the other statues, the first of the last set of statues they came across looked almost brand-new. It was shiny, plated with gold, and fresh flowers lay at its feet, both plucked and still planted.
Sass looked rather unnerved. Viper nearly dropped his scimitar.
"Juleka…?" Viper gasped.
"Wait, ain't that your sister?" Skull asked incredulously, looking at the nameplate. Sure enough, it read 'Juleka Couffaine.'
Kneeling to get a better look at the flowers, Queen noticed something about them. In gaudy golden writing, the words "Music & Cosmetics" were etched upon the stems.
"Why is there a statue of Juleka here?!" Chance exclaimed.
"Chance, isn't that one also in your class?" Fox asked, pointing down the path a little. Looking where he was pointing, she gasped when she recognized a statue of Nathaniel, also shiny and plated in gold, but he didn't seem to shimmer as brightly as Juleka's did. His flowers' stems read "Art & Comics."
Walking towards it, more and more familiar visages appeared, each varying in their luminosity. Kim, Ivan, Rose, Max, Mylene, Sabrina, Nino, Alix…
"...Why are there statues of my class here?" Chance asked, her voice trembling a bit.
"Not all of you, it seems," Panther piped up, "You're not here, nor are Adrien or… Alya, was it?"
True to the pyrokinetic Persona wielder's word, there were no statues of Adrien, Marinette, or Alya to be seen.
"Oh, I get what this is!" Skull spoke up, pounding his fist in his hand, "These are the victims of that brat's manipulation! She's got 'em propped up as the sources of her popularity like they're 'effin trophies or something!"
"Of course!" Queen agreed, "My guess is that the ones that were old-looking and crumbling were from her old schools. Once she either got bored of them or moved away, she tossed them out like trash!"
"Some of them also seem more well taken care of than others," Fox continued, "that must represent how useful they are to her in her manipulations."
"Wait… hold on. That still doesn't make sense," Chance argued, "if we're going by how well she's won people over, then Alya should be her brightest and shiniest trophy. She's always defending Lila!"
"Perhaps she's the priest that Lila's Shadow was talking about…" Viper piped up.
"Wouldn't she have called her a priestess, then?" Chance wondered.
"Argh, that just raises more questions, then! Who in the hell is this priest, then?" Skull groaned frustratedly.
"I wish I knew… you don't think it's Principal Damocles, do you?" Chance asked, looking at Viper.
Viper's eyes widened, "That's a possibility… but then again, threaten him with the right… well, threat, and that lagachadh will cave into anyone's request."
Chance snorted humorlessly, "Yeah. Two words. Chloe. Bourgeois. Hey, come to think of it, Chloe isn't here either."
"Didn't you say that Chloe was pulled out of your class and sent to a boarding school?" Joker asked.
"Yeah… oh! She's not in our class anymore, so Chloe's useless… but shouldn't a statue of her still be here?"
"Haughty as she may be," Viper realized, "Chloe's crafty and intelligent. What do you think the odds are she knew Lila was lying?"
"Whether she knew Lila was lying or not, Chloe never liked her. I think it was mostly because she took all of the attention when she came back to school," Chance said.
"...Maybe she just doesn't see Chloe as worth it, then?" Panther threw out, "Like, everyone at school already didn't like Chloe, right? So there was no point trying to get the 'Queen Bee' - pun not intended - on her side!"
"Ugh, don't remind me," Chance grumbled.
"Perhaps Alya has a different role," Joker said quietly, catching everyone's attention, "it may be one we don't know of yet, but she may have a special role nevertheless."
"What, like an assistant or… what are they called? Lady-in-waiting? Did the Roman Empire have those?" Skull asked.
"Well, we already know what that Adrien kid's role is," Oracle pointed out, "he's not a trophy. He's a full-blown slave to her."
"This reminds me somewhat of Sens- Madarame's Palace…" Fox uneasily spoke, "Plus, both were extremely horrendous fashion-wise."
This elicited a collection of chuckles or snorts from the group that helped to dispel the feeling of foreboding they were all feeling.
"Everyone! Hide, quick!" Tikki suddenly shouted, zipping over with Sass. They both looked frightened. Without question, each Phantom Thief jumped behind one of the statues as the sound of footsteps approached.
"Who left the doors open…?" one distorted voice spoke; another replied, "Perhaps the Serpent and his Princess are invading us again?"
A mighty-looking Shadow, flanked by two more normal-looking ones, entered the Phantom Thieves' fields of vision.
"Impossible, meus dux, no rebels have been seen approaching the inner grounds."
"Either way, it would be disgraceful for an intruder to defile our Imperatrix's prized garden," the mighty Shadow snapped. He looked towards Juleka's flower bed, "It would seem it's nearly time to harvest again."
"Harvest?" Chance asked, barely a whisper.
"We will inform the Imperatrix immediately," the second flanking guard bowed.
"Very well," the large guard grunted as the smaller two then walked away.
"We're jumping him, right?" Viper whispered to Joker.
"With pleasure," Joker grinned. The guard barely noticed the shadow of him before he'd plunged onto its back, ripping its mask off in one languid motion.
As usual, the Shadow guard dissolved, reforming into a humongous, puissant-looking group of serpents looking like they belonged on Medusa's head; instead, there was a pair of legs they all were connected to.
"Okay, I like snakes as much as the next Snake Miraculous wielder, but that's just gross," Viper commented. Sass hissed distastefully at the monster as if he were highly offended by its mere existence.
"Prepare for a world of pain, thievesssss…" the Multi-Headed Lernean bellowed.
"Keep dreaming, hissyfit!" Skull shot back. He nearly ate a Swift Strike for his insult, but the skeleton-masked battle blond dodged the attack.
"Heads up!" Oracle shouted just in time for Chance to dodge another Swift Strike. In retaliation, Panther ripped off her mask and commanded Hecate to fire - pun not intended - an Agidyne at the Multi-Headed Lernean. The Shadow in question loudly hissed in pain, staggering several steps back.
The team tore into the Multi-Headed Lernean with an All-Out Attack, forcing it to dissolve into the usual dark matter.
"Let's get out of this place before more guards show up," Mona said, "I sense a Safe Room not too far from here, we'll rest there."
"Roger," Joker nodded before leading the group out of another set of double doors - which were fortunately unlocked - and down a hallway. True to Mona's word, a Safe Room was right around the corner.
"Okay, Shadows likely won't bother us in here," Joker informed the new recruits.
Suddenly, reality around them shifted slightly, and Chance jumped.
"Wait… is this the Chemistry Lab?" she exclaimed.
"Some parts of the Palace are less distorted than others," Oracle explained, "Lila likely doesn't have as firm of a grip on this area of the school than others. Places like these we call Safe Rooms."
"...That, oddly enough, makes sense. Ms. Mendeleiev has never taken anyone's crap unless they have a really good, and provable excuse." Chance thought out loud.
"Which - let me guess - Lila never does?" Queen asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Yeah… she tried to talk her way out of taking the chemistry final last year and Ms. Mendeleiev threatened to hold her back a year for her science classes if she didn't stop with the excuses and turn in all of the homework that was missing from her 'travels'," Chance recalled, a slightly amused smile on her face.
"For real?" Skull exclaimed, "What the hell kinda excuses did she give?"
"First she claimed that her wrist was sprained, so she couldn't write it. So, Ms. Mendeleiev said that Lila needed to make arrangements with the principal beforehand to take the exam digitally. Then, Lila tried to say that her arm was cramped so bad that she couldn't type anything, when literally seconds ago she was typing just fine on her tablet, which Ms. Mendeleiev pointed out right there and then. Then she tried to say that she had an important charity event the same day as the test, but Ms. Mendeleiev didn't even let her finish that one. That was when she made the threat of holding her back a year. When Lila said that she never received the homework assignments though, Ms. Mendeleiev called her out again saying that she remembers emailing them to her. Twice. And she knows she got them because she sent them to Lila's school email, which all the teachers have access to as well. So she knows that Lila never even opened the emails."
Joker whistled, sounding impressed.
"Not bad. I'd ask you to give her my kudos, but you know…"
"Right." Chance nodded with a giggle, "I'm pretty sure the only reason Ms. Mendeleiev hasn't reported Lila about her behavior is because she's not her homeroom teacher. School procedures and all that…"
"Yeah, that makes sense, I guess," Panther said with a frown, "at least she's done that much from her position though."
"True," Chance said with a shrug.
"So… what do you all think?" Mona asked, "You want to keep going, or do you want to stop for the day?"
"We've made excellent progress, so far, and security hasn't risen too highly," Fox stated.
"...I want to know what that guard meant by 'harvesting' earlier," Viper then said with a frown.
"Hmm, yeah, I'm curious about that too," Queen said, "whatever it is, it likely has to do with the flowers that are already plucked."
"Okay, we'll head back to the Garden then, and see if this 'harvesting' thing is happening. But, let's try to avoid fighting as much as possible," Joker decided.
"Sounds like a plan," Chance agreed as she got up from her chair.
After taking a couple more minutes to recharge, the Phantom Thieves cautiously exited the Safe Room and made their way back to the Garden, using the same door they used to exit it.
Tikki and Sass scouted ahead to ensure that they wouldn't run into any Shadows, and gave the all clear until they made it back to the inner circle of the Garden.
Hiding behind some shrubbery this time, the group peaked through the leaves and watched as Shadow Lila gracefully stepped down the path.
"Well, well, what have you to offer today?" she giggled sickeningly, making Chance gag.
Shadow Lila stopped in front of the first statue, Kim's, and like a kid trying to pick a candy from the sugar bowl, hovered a finger around the bed before, like a python, her hand lunged at a flower, grasped it by the root, and wrenched it free.
"I just won first place in my latest swimming meet. I almost beat the record for the fastest lap this time!" Kim's voice suddenly rang out. Jumping slightly, the Phantom Thieves searched with their eyes where the voice was coming from. It was only then they realized that the voice was coming from the flower.
"Oh, how cute of you Kim, I could totally get you in contact with Mark Spitz. I bet he could get you to swim twice as fast if I can convince him to train you," the Shadow snickered mockingly, a cruel sneer spreading over her face, "...Nah… as if he'd ever consider training a stupid, brainless oaf like you ." Then with a poisonous giggle, she carelessly flicked the blossom away from her where it descended to the floor, next to the other wilting, plucked flowers.
"...It's literally a harvest," Joker breathed, "A harvest of these kids' goals and dreams. Lila's using them as fuel for her lies."
They watched as Lila made her way down the line, plucking a flower from each statue, listening to the achievement or dream before countering it with a two-faced lie and flicking the flower away as if it were an annoying bug.
Chance had to force herself to stay quiet as she listened to every insult Lila threw back at the flower. The fact that Lila was playing with the futures of her class so aloofly made her want to vomit.
Viper wasn't faring much better either, shaking in rage when he heard the comments she threw at Juleka's flower. Especially when he even heard a very rude and homophobic remark about Jules' sexuality, how lesbian models would never make it in the traditional fashion world.
Once Lila and the other Shadows finally left, everyone practically collapsed. That had been painful to quietly watch, and each Thief was currently thinking of an excruciating way to tear Lila apart right there.
"...I think we've seen enough for today. Viper and Chance look a bit spent," Mona observed.
"Yeah, let's get out of here," Joker said, rising up from the shrubs.
"...Go on ahead," Chance said after a moment, making the other Thieves pause, "Viper and I still need a few minutes…"
"Why do you-oh! Oh, yeah, of course!" Queen exclaimed in sudden understanding. It was more than clear that the two Parisians were furious. If they returned to the real world now in their current state, what was to stop Hawkmoth from sending an akuma their way?
"We'll...we'll hide in the Safe Room," Viper continued, "we'll be fine."
"...Okay, but if you need to talk to us, please do it, all right?" Joker told them.
"We will," Chance nodded with a small smile, "Thanks."
With quick nods, the two groups parted ways, minds reeling from the revelations they just encountered.
o~o
AN: Hey, sorry that this is a day late, but got called into my job last minute this morning. But here it is now! So... we got a glimpse of what Lila really thinks of her classmates, and it doesn't look too good. But if you think this is bad, just wait, it will get worse before it gets better.
So R&R and buckle up!