Not much to say here. The gang dives into the overlay for this arc. Disclaimer: I don't own the Persona series, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, or Juni Taisen.
Heist 21: Digital Shutdown
August 06. Ren got a contact from Mishima early that day. 'Yuuki Mishima: We got a hit with a name on the Phan-Site. A student from our school is working at a part-time job, and his manager is accusing him of stealing fifty-thousand yen from the till. However, when I looked into it, it turns out that the manager is the only one who ever checks the register, and the other staff members have often seen him taking the money out.' 'Ren Amamiya: So the manager may be the real thief.' 'YM: That seems likely. His name is Nozomi Odo. I've already sent the warning. I've also got the word on two more Zodiacs. Sumihiko Tsujiie and Kanae Aira.' 'RA: Sheep and Tiger… Thanks for the info.'
Ren decided to start working at Rafflesia to see if anyone would mention the name of the one assaulting people. As it turned out, he would get his answer from Hanasaki once his shift was over. "Hey, be careful on the way home, alright? There's been a lot of assaults lately. Just two days ago a man was hospitalized after getting attacked by someone." Ren raised an eyebrow. "Any suspects in the case?" "Not yet," Hanasaki said, "But the rumor is that a thug by the name of Taizo Naguri is responsible." Ren nodded and informed Mishima, who sent the warning out.
That evening, Iwai had Ren working at the airsoft shop as a part-timer, to make it less suspicious that he was always hanging. "I thought it might be a good idea to let you know what you're getting into," Iwai said, "You may have already figured this out, but that guy Tsuda is a part of the yakuza, specifically the Hashiba Clan." "I've heard the name," Ren noted, "They're basically the right hand of the Kuzuryu." Iwai nodded. "I also used to be part of the clan, but I got out. Now Tsuda has been putting pressure on me for some reason. You notice how I haven't had many other customers? There's been a rumor online that I've been selling shady knock-offs."
"That explains why you wanted to find him," Ren realized, "But you do realize the risks, right?" Iwai nodded. "Obviously. But I need to put this feud between us to bed. Tsuda's… He's not the man he used to be. Something's been wrong with him for a while now, and I can't shake what that might be." Just then, a young man Ren's age walked into the store. "Um… Hey there…" Iwai sighed. "Kaoru, I already told you. This is a delicate work environment. Just head home and start studying for exams. I'll be home shortly." The boy, Kaoru, nodded and left. "Who was that?," Ren asked. "My son," Iwai replied, "He's a good kid, but maybe a little too eager to help sometimes…"
August 07. After his usual routine on Sunday, Ren called the group in to continue their infiltration of Madara's overlay. The next chamber held some grand statues in a vast room. "Incredible," Fox said, "Whatever else you can say about Madara, you can't fault his sense of authenticity. It's as if we really did step into Ancient Egypt." "Let's not sit around staring," Oracle reminded him, "We still have a few guards roaming around." Moving the corridors, the group found a few buttons hidden in sarcophagi, revealing a gem needed to access a cybernetic walkway and firing off a ballista to open a wall.
One of the hallways also held the Stone of Scone. In long chamber, the group ran into the guard with Coffin-borne God again, this time with Cavern Snakeman and Slithering Snakewoman. The group was was quick to force him to retreat while grabbing the other two shards. Nearby was another gem that allowed the group to activate more light paths. "Are we sure these aren't going to vanish on us?," Panther asked. "It's okay," Oracle assured her, "It's basically hard-light. The only way to shut it off is to remove the gem, since it's wired into the security." The group eventually reached the final puzzle, which allowed them to pass through the final set of doors into the main burial chamber.
After a winding set of crazy pathways, during which they found a humanoid jackal dressed like a priest called Bearer of the Scales, they finally reached the center of the pyramid. The treasure took the image of a burial mask that appeared to be laden with gold. "This must be the physical manifestation of Walk Like an Egyptian," Mona noted. "Now we have all we need," Joker decided, "Queen, can you inform Sae that we're ready to make our move on Madara? I'll let everyone know when it's time to send the calling card. But we'll make sure all of Tokyo knows we're doing this. So in addition to sending the calling card to Madara directly, we'll make a big spectacle on Shibuya's jumbotrons." Oracle grinned. "Leave that part to me. There won't be a single person in Tokyo who won't know we're moving."
That evening Kawakami helped the group with her special massage, after which they went to check on Chihaya. She was arguing with a man her own age. "I'm telling you Fukurai, I don't need to keep selling those stones. If I really have to make it up with fines, then keep in mind my business is actually better than ever without them." The man, Fukurai apparently, seemed perturbed. "Do you really want to go back to being labelled as a monster? Or have you forgotten who helped you when you were working in a club?" "Quit exaggerating!," Chihaya shouted, "I only walked into one and you happened to show up! You're the one who jumped to the conclusion that I was working there!"
Ren noticed Fukurai's eye twitch. He and the group walked over. "Something the matter?," Ren asked. Fukurai clamed down immediately. "Apologies. My name is Fukurai, chairman of the ADP, Assembly of the Divine Power. I was just trying to speak with our Maiden of Relief." "Again with the Maiden shit," Ryuji muttered, "What's wrong with just calling her Chihaya? We do it all the time." Fukurai narrowed his eyes. "We'll speak of this at a later time…" He walked off. Chihaya sighed in relief. "This is as good as entrapment… Seriously, what happened to him? He was so sweet when we first met… Anyway, sorry you guys had to see that." She continued to tell them about how her business was booming.
August 08. Over the last few days there had been buzz about one company or another getting information leaked. It was clear Madara was prepping for his big action. However, as he continued typing on his keycard, he heard something get slipped under the door of his apartment. "What the…?" As he picked up the envelope on the floor, he heard the news come on. 'A mysterious video of Joker, leader of the Phantom Thieves, has appeared on jumbotrons across Shibuya. We now give you live coverage of the video recording.'
Madara looked shocked as the video played. 'People of Tokyo, listen well. I'm sure you've been curious as to the silence and mysterious leaks occurring over the last few days. But it will all end today! Already we have made our move to deal with the false Medjed! And to that pretender, and I'm sure you know who you are, go ahead and open the letter we gave you.' Now curious, Madara opened the envelope, only to get enraged when he saw the calling card. Nearby at Leblanc, Futaba grinned as she held up a copy, with more of them scattered across Yongen. "Madara Rengakakusui, we are the Phantom Thieves, Joker, Violet, Skull, Mona, Panther, Fox, Queen, and Oracle. Today we plunder the burial mask within your tomb." She chuckled. "Don't mess with the original Medjed…"
The group quickly made their up to the burial chamber, where Madara was waiting. "You just had to interrupt me… It was gonna be the storm of the century! Bringing down both Medjed and the Phantom Thieves, two of the biggest thorns in our sides!" "I gotta admit you stumped us for a bit there," Joker quipped, "But in the end you really should have considered that we'd already be looking for a skilled hacker." Madara growled. "Looks like I'll have to deal with this personally. Walk Like an Egyptian!" Suddenly the roof of the pyramid was knocked off brick by brick by a giant flying version of the Sphinx.
The stone being flew back and launched windstorms with its wings. "It's flying out of the range of our Stands!," Fox realized. "I got this," Oracle assured him. Her Stand flew over the back of the pyramid and digitally created a ballista. "What!?," Madara said in shock, "How did you do that!? This is MY overlay!" "Never underestimate Warera Omou," Oracle quipped, "Reality hacking in this virtual realm is easy as pie." She paused. "The baked good, not the math concept… Though I do know pi to five hundred places." "Point is we can nail that thing!," Violet pointed out, "Fox, you're our best shot!"
Fox nodded and manned the ballista. Skull and Queen attacked Madara to keep him at bay while Joker, Mona, and Violet fired their powers at the Stand to keep it busy. Soon enough, Fox had a clear sight and fired a shot loaded with ice, impacting the Stand causing it to land on the side of the pyramid, breaking part of it off to reveal a sarcophagus. "That must hold the burial mask!," Mona realized, "Now's the time to pour it on and steal the treasure!" The thieves leapt into the air, each charged with their own element. "Surprise Drive!" "Just Live More!" "Life is Showtime!" "Switch On!" "Anything Goes!" "Be The One!" "W Boiled Xtreme!"
Madara cried out as his Stand got struck over and over, the attacks cracking open the sarcophagus and revealing the burial mask. Joker took out one of his cards and struck the mask with it. Instantly the overlay began to crumble until Madara was left in his apartment. Just as he was coming out of his stupor, he heard a sudden cry of, "Search warrant!" That's when his door was smashed open and several SWAT officers barged into his house. "Madara Rengakakusui! We have a warrant for your arrest under suspicion of connections to the Medjed threat!" Outside, the people of Yongen were looking in amazement at the sight of the Phantoms on top of the apartment, vanishing before the police could notice them.
Futaba flopped down on her bed back home. "That was the craziest thing I ever did. Anyway, I'm gonna spend some time fixing all the damage Madara did. Under the Phantoms' name, of course. That way everyone Akira's little scheme will completely backfire on him. It'll probably take a few days, though. Madara was really busy." "Don't forget to take a few breaks if you need to," Makoto said, "We still have other allies to check in on every once in a while. And stop by the hideout if you find yourself feeling sluggish. I'm sure Kawakami can help fix that." Futaba nodded. "Definitely." She got started on her computer.
After getting recharged, Ren decided to head for the Velvet Room. "Your timing is impeccable," Lavenza said, "I believe I can attain further mastery by having you steal the shard known as Spinster of Life. This one might be a little complicated." Once this was accomplished, Lavenza nodded in satisfaction. "As you continue to bond with your confidants, the power of the Arcana grows." "Arcana?," Ren asked in confusion. "Much like the journey to Egypt," Lavenza explained, "You and the others represent the Major Arcana. The difference is instead of the Star, Hermit, Magician, Hierophant, Chariot, Emperor, and Fool fighting against the others, all are working as one."
She indicated herself. "For example, I represent the Strength, Master Igor represents the Fool, and you represent the World. Your friends represent the Magician, Chariot, Lovers, Emperor, Priestess, and Hermit. Sumire is an outlier, but there are other, lesser known Arcana from different decks. The closest I would place her is the Faith Arcana from the Visconti-Sforza deck. With the various confidants you have made, you also have access to the Hierophant, Justice, Fortune, Hanged, Death, Temperance, Devil, Star, Moon, Sun, and Judgement. Only the Empress and Tower remain to be discovered. But they may not be so far away."
Later Ren and the group was meeting with Mishima at the diner. "Gotta say, with the recent arrest of Madara, the Phan-Site been practically exploding," Mishima said with pride, "I've been looking into a possible target. Sounds a little too flashy, even for the Phantom Thieves. But if the info is legit, it could be a gold mine." "Hey Mishima!," called out a young man's voice. Mishima looked surprised at the trip of boys approaching. "Akiyama?" "I almost didn't notice you," Akiyama said with a smug grin, "Can't believe you're hanging out with such cool kids. Guess you gotta add one to zero eventually. You're also looking a little different these days. Something good happen? Maybe finally get a girlfriend?"
"No girlfriend," Mishima said, "But I did get a starting position on my school's volleyball team. Maybe you've heard of it. I'm going to Shujin academy right now." Akiyama looked impressed. "Oh yeah… That's the school with all those expert students that could rival Hope's Peak, isn't it? I heard a real life Olympic medalist is one of the PE teachers. Well, see ya around." He and his buddies walked off. "Nice cover," Ann admitted, "But why didn't you tell him about the Phan-Site?" "You guys are trying to stay on the down-low," Mishima pointed out, "I think it best if the same hold true for anyone working with you. So I told him something that actually happened but wasn't really why I was feeling more confidant lately." Ren grinned. "Very sneaky…"
August 09. The group headed for Seaside Park to spend the day, only to find something interesting. Mika was speaking with staff members from the modeling agency. "What's this about?," Ann asked. Mika saw Ann. "You remember those models that were going missing from their shoots. Well, that was all me. I needed a way into this business, but what you said the other day was an eye-opener. I've always thought that using shortcuts in this business was lame, but your words reminded me that I was being a big hypocrite. Besides, they would have found out sooner or later just from my emails."
Ann smiled. "You know, you remind me a lot of those female villains I used to look up to. So, we ready to compete fairly?" Mika shook Ann's hand. "Definitely. That will prove once and for all who's the better model." They spent the rest of the day completing the shoot, after which Ann felt satisfied. "Well, it'll be a long time before I can really claim the top spot, but I'll get there a little at a time. In the meantime, I can properly focus on other things." That evening, the group invited Chihaya to Jinbocho so she find more books to help out her customers.
August 10. The group was having lunch at Ogikubo. Ryuji was really happy about the track team ditching Yamauchi. "So it turns out we're getting into the meet at the end of the year," he said, "A lot of the guys have been noticing how much faster I've been getting." "I think it's because all the running around we do in our secret lives helps build your leg muscles," Makoto noted. Futaba was busy slurping up the ramen. "Wow, I never thought I'd find a meal I liked as much as curry." Ryuji chuckled. "It seems the other team I'm with is growing as well. Honestly, I'm glad I got started with this. Some things you just can't ignore…"
That evening, Ren went to Crossroads as himself. Ohya wasn't there, but so much the better. Ren spoke to Lala about getting a job. "Oh so you want to work here for a few night?," Lala asked, "I can allow that. Ah, allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Lala Escargot. Now, as for what the work entails. As you're underage, you won't be handling any of the alcohol. I'll take care of serving the customers myself. You just need to do a few chores around the bar. Washing dishes, clearing tables, the usual. Oh, and some customers can get a bit unruly. A mixture of bad work days and alcohol, you understand. But they know better than to start a fight here, so talking to them will get them to calm down if they start to act up."
Ren put on the simple apron and got to work. There was a scary-looking customer who wanted to vent, but Ren patiently listened to him. Once the bar was empty, Lala approached Ren. "I saw you speaking with Yasutora just now. He's one of my regulars, and not many people can talk with him because of how scary he looks. I gotta say, I'm impressed you were able to listen without running off. There's definitely something special about you, kid. Anyway, you should be getting home soon. Shinjuku is a rather dangerous place at night, even for someone like you." Ren nodded, though he was disappointed that he didn't find any information on that manager.
August 11. Mountain Day. Ren got another request from Mishima. 'Yuuki Mishima: We got a tough one here… There's been sighting of dead or injured cats all over Central Street lately.' 'Ren Amamiya: Morgana will definitely find this one personal.' 'YM: No doubt. Only problem is, I can't get a name. Not because anyone's scared of the guy, in fact they're so outraged they're trying to find out. This guy's just that elusive.' 'RA: If they're looking for info… I have a part-time job at the Central Street convenience store. If I work there enough days, I might be able to get a name for you.' 'YM: Sounds good, keep me posted.'
The manager was glad to have Ren start working, explaining how payment worked depending on how Ren acted around the customers. In addition, he was learning from a senior employee named Nanami Shibuya. Ren wondering if that was a joke name since they were in Shibuya. "She seems nice," Morgana noted, "And it looks like you learned a lot. Shame we didn't get any info on that cat abuser. The sooner we can deal with him, the better I'll feel. I will find justice for my fellow felines!" Ren chuckled as they returned home after the shift was done.
That evening, Chihaya decided to mention a few things to the group. "So, the reason I left my village… It involves the reason why I was called a monster. See, when I was younger I was able to predict an earthquake that would have devastated our population had we been there. People hailed me as a messenger of God… Until it kept happening, and they thought I was a monster making these earthquakes happened. My house got stones thrown through the windows regularly, and eventually it was burned down. I knew I had to leave."
"That's horrible," Ann said. Chihaya nodded. "I came to the city and decided to start learning how to tell fortunes, somehow sensing that running away from my gift would change my fate. As I learned more and more, Fortune Teller awoke within me. It wasn't long after that Fukurai met me in that club. He claimed to be a psychic, and at first I believed him since he knew I was from out of town. But when he said he could take me away from my club job, I got suspicious. Then there's his little ADP. See, it's more than just the Holy Stones. He may not be psychic, but he has a gift for brainwashing people."
"That must be why he has so many followers," Ren noted, "I had Mishima look up the ADP online. It's a massive network." Chihaya nodded. "Right now, the fates of all those people is falling to ruin. Thanks to my Stand I know how it can be changed, but first I need to learn more about Fukurai. This will likely take some time. I'll let you know when I find something. Stopping him actions will likely take the same action you took with Uchimura." "Just let us know when you're for us to make a move," Sumire assured her, "But be careful. His brainwashing sounds dangerous to get near."
Things are building up little by little. And before long we'll be getting more interesting twists to the story. Read and review.