The road trip was less than ideal. Sitting in a hot, stuffy car for 20 minutes while driving through a literal desert was not fun. But they were standing in front of the Palace now, at least. "It's so hot…" Ann complained. The heat was still a problem.

Ryuji turned to Morgana. "The AC aint' workin' at all! What the hell was that lukewarm air about!?"

Morgana, annoyed, turned to Ryuji with a scowl. "It was the best I could do! So shut up!"

"You are SO half-assed!" Ryuji yelled back. The heat wasn't doing anyone any favors, so any hostility was amplified a little too much.

"You wanna fight, punk!?" Morgana was ready to strike.

"Can you two please be quiet…" Hifumi groaned. She was still mad about what happened in the car.

"Yeah, shut up!" Ann said. "I'm already hot, so don't make me more irritated! I'm still mad about what happened in the car!"

"That was very inexcusable behavior." Makoto cut her eyes at the boys, who all whispered innocently like they weren't caught in the act.

"It was a great view!" Ryuji said shamelessly. There was no point to denying it, he was owning up to it. "You guys were looking too, right!?" He asked the boys.

"Don't worry, Lady Ann. I wouldn't look so indecently like some people!" Morgana said proudly.

"Is it that you wouldn't look, or that you couldn't?" Ann immediately replied. Since Morgana was the car, it meant his field of vision was only on the outside. Because of that, she wasn't going to let him think he was slick with that comment.

"Eh…." Caught red handed, Morgana just looked away.

"I think we're getting off track." Ren said while rubbing his neck. Still sweaty. "This is the place, right? A pyramid…?" Everyone turned to the Palace. It was…definitely unlike anything they'd seen before. A pyramid was a far cry from a castle, a museum, a bank, and a kingdom.

"A pyramid is a tomb, right?" Ryuji asked. "Actually…can we get inside first? This heat is killing me…" Everyone nodded in agreement and started to walk towards the entrance.

Yusuke, however, held his hands up in a portrait pose, looking at the Pyramid. "It perfectly fits the Golden Ratio…"

"Come on…" Hifumi groaned and pushed Yusuke along inside.

.

.

The inside of the pyramid was far nicer than outside. The air was cool and refreshing. Everyone let out a sigh of relief as they were met with cold air. "Ahhh…that's the stuff…" Ann said happily.

"If this is the inside of the house, I wonder if this is due to the AC…?" Makoto asked. It was the best suggestion she could come up with.

"Speaking of, actually…" Hifumi placed her hand on her cheek as they carefully advanced forward. "I was wondering…this is Boss' house, right? So naturally, the surrounding area should be Yongen, yes? I can only surmise that the small surrounding town is the neighborhood…but then…"

"I was wondering that myself." Ren said. "While suffering in the car, I could see some buildings in the distance that looked like Shibuya…I can only surmise she's been there before."

"This is how she sees the world, huh? That's really sad…" Ann frowned. "I really hope we can help her, not just to deal with Medjed either."

"It looks like these stairs will take us somewhere." Yusuke said. They began to climb the stairs, making it about 3/4th of the way there before they stopped. Shadow Futaba was just standing there in front of them, but she didn't say anything.

"Uh…is this…?" Hifumi began to ask.

"Yeah, that's Futaba…her Shadow, anyway." Morgana confirmed.

"Oh right…you've seen her face…" Ryuji nodded. So this was what Futaba looked like. Ryuji took a step forward. "Hey, so, where's the Treasure? You want us to steal it, right?"

"….." Shadow Futaba did not respond.

"Um…" Ren scratched his head.

Annoyed that he didn't get an immediate response, Ryuji tried again. "Say somethin' already…!"

"Hey!" Ann snapped at Ryuji. "Don't be like that!"

"Yes, please be patient with her." Hifumi said. "My situation is not so dissimilar to her own…she's an introvert who doesn't speak with people much unless she has to. As a result, I imagine she's simply trying to figure out what it is she wants to say."

Nodding in agreement, Ann stepped forward. "Hey, Futaba-chan. Would you mind telling us where the Treasure is? We want to help you and this is the fastest way how. Pretty please?"

"…." Still, Shadow Futaba said nothing.

"Ugh! This ain't getting us anywhere! Let's just go." Ryuji was at the limit of his patience and started to walk back down the stairs.

"Hey!" Ann snapped again.

"Thieves who enter my Tomb, why have you come?" Shadow Futaba finally said. Everyone turned to her.

"We're here because you wanted us to be." Ren said. "We came to steal your Treasure, just like you asked."

"…Come steal it, if you think you can." Shadow Futaba's shift in tone put everyone on alert.

"That's pretty defiant sounding…" Morgana mentioned. It was odd considering Futaba herself asked them to do this.

"Perhaps this is that 'tsundere' thing where someone is harsh or sweet depending on the mood." Yusuke suggested.

Hifumi could only shake her head to that. "I don't think that's the case here…"

"Considering the state my Palace is in…there's no way you can steal it." Shadow Futaba said that with confidence. As soon as she did, multiple voices started to echo in the Palace.

"It's your fault!"

"You killed her!"

"Explain!"

"Say something!"

"Devil child!"

"W-What are these voices…?" Makoto asked while looking around.

"W-What the hell is this…?" Ryuji was unnerved. Were these the voices Futaba heard on a daily basis?

Shadow Futaba collapsed to the ground, holding her head in her hands as the voices played out. Hifumi went to check on her. "That's right…I did it…I am the one who killed my mother…"

There was a loud shriek outside, causing the Palace to rumble. "What was that!?" Ann asked.

"My mother exists here." Shadow Futaba said. "I will remain here…I will do so until I die…" With that, she vanished, and the moment she did, everyone was forced into their Phantom Thief attire.

"She sees us as a threat now? What's going on!?" Fox demanded to know as the Palace continued to rumble.

"I'm having a difficult time getting a grasp of our situation." Queen said. "We should regroup and…" A loud crashing noise interrupted her. A gigantic boulder with growing green lines started to roll towards them.

"OH CRAP! BAD! BAD! BAD! RUN!" Morgana screamed as everyone turned around, fleeing for their lives down the stairs as the boulder rolled closer. They were able to make it to the bottom of the stairs and hid on the sides while the boulder collapsed a few pillars in rolling past them.

"THAT…was too close…" Dragon shuddered. "I think…we should retreat for now…"

"Good idea. Let's head ba…" Before Joker could finish his sentence, a trap door opened up under everyone's feet. They didn't even have a chance to react as they were all thrown into the lowest area of the Pyramid, screaming as they fell.

.

.

Futaba was on her computer, typing away on her keyboard. That's when she felt it. A familiar sensation that plagued her for the longest time. "N-No…not again…?!" The voices of the people who blamed her for her mother's death. She could even feel the presence of Wakaba behind her, yelling and screaming and at her. She tried to cover her ears, but it didn't block out the sound only she could hear. "No…please…stop…."

.

.

"Ugh…is everyone okay?" Mona asked as everyone landed. It felt like he was moving but….not on his own. "What's going on?"

"QUICKSAND!" Dragon panicked. With their luck, the group managed to fall right into the middle of a quicksand pit, which was rapidly pulling them towards the bottom.

"OH COME ON!" Skull groaned, struggling as frantically as he could along with the others to be free from the quicksand. It wasn't the most effective way to escape, but they somehow managed to escape onto solid ground.

"T-That…sucked…" Panther panted heavily.

"Is everyone alright?" Fox asked?

"I wish I wasn't wearing a kimono like this…" Dragon was patting herself down. "I have sand…in places…"

"I am so sorry…" Panther patted Dragon on the back.

"We've fallen quite far." Queen said, staring up at where they fell from.

"What the hell is her problem!?" Skull sucked his teeth. "She asks us to steal her heart, now she's challengin' us to take it…and she sent us into quick sand!?"

"I don't think she's entirely at fault." Joker said, walking off and motioning for the others to follow. They did as he led the way, quietly making their way through the depths of the pyramid. "She wants us to help her…but it's probably not easy for her. Pushing people away is probably her first instinct."

"That would make sense." Queen agreed to that sentiment. "I think our best option is finding a way out of here first so we can regroup and discuss the situation properly."

"Be careful." Mona warned. "Who knows what kind of enemies we'll encounter in here…" Speaking of that, as they were about to round a corner, Joker stopped them. A few mummies walked past the group, but weren't aware of their presence.

"Mummies…?" Fox said quietly. "I suppose we truly are in a pharaoh's tomb."

"This feels like something from a movie." Dragon admitted. "Er…also…does anyone else see those flashing numbers in the air?"

"Yeah, what is that?" Panther thought she was just seeing things, but far from it. "1…0…? The numbers are repeating?"

"I believe this is binary code." Queen said. "That would make sense considering Futaba is hacker."

"Wait. Stop." Joker held his hand out. "Look up there…" Pointing his gloved finger forward, he gestured to a nearby opening that clearly led to the outside. The only problem is that there was a living sarcophagus standing in front of the only way out.

"…I don't want to deal with that, but it looks like our only way out." Panther sighed. "It looks…"

"Does this count as beatin' up the dead?" Skull asked the genuine question, but it didn't seem like anyone had an answer. Shrugging, he just decided to take the charge against the Entombed God. "Watch this!"

"Skull, don't just rush ahead!" Dragon shouted, but it was too late, he was already rounding the corner.

"Surprise!" Skull dove forward with his club, swinging it at Mot's front. It didn't really have a face, but his surprise attack still did prove somewhat effective. The living sarcophagus never saw it coming and was thrown backwards onto the ground. "Now eat this!" Skull summoned Seiten Taisei, the monkey soaring along its cloud while lightning sparked around its staff. It swung at Mot, the momentum it carried throwing in into a nearby wall, where it remained motionless. "Hah! How was that?"

"Did he do it? That was remarkably quick…" Fox surmised. But to answer the question, no. Mot soon got up, less hurt than when Skull attacked it.

"No surprise Skull couldn't finish it." Mona huffed.

"You tryna start somethin'!?" Skull glared at Mona, but taking his eyes off Mot was a mistake. A black hand emerged from inside of Mot, grabbing Skull's chest and extending all the way to force him into the opposite wall. "GAH!"

"Skull!" The others shouted in worry.

"Guess we're going. Fox, Panther, cover me!" Joker said, rolling around the corner and breaking off into a sprint, pointing his pistol at Mot and began to fire from it.

"On it!" Panther and Fox nodded, following Joker's lead. He drew Mot's attention and that's where they struck. Panther pulled out her machine gun and Fox his assault rifle, the two unloading bullets onto Mot to forcefully pry Skull away from it. Mot didn't really seem to be taking too much damage from the bullets, yet it was growing irritated enough to where it eventually had to retreat back into its coffin.

"Ugh…" Skull was released, groaning as he fell on that ground.

"You okay?" Joker asked, crouching down to check on Skull.

"That sucked." Skull nodded. He was fine.

"Johanna!" Queen drove forward on Johanna, using the motorcycle to drift into Mot, thus causing it to nearly topple over in its side due to her momentum.

Dragon was up next, calling forth Belle Star. "Let us strike!" The knight flew forward, slashing at Mot several times with her sword, the sheer might of Almightly following in every attack. There seemed to be some damage, but at the same time, Dragon still felt a little winded after calling her Persona even now. "How vexing…"

Mot had enough of being on the defensive, so it took the time to attack. A hand crawled out of the coffin and pointed skyward, numerous black and white spheres appearing in the air above it. These orbs then began to drop down near the Phantom Thieves, causing small, but powerful explosions that forced to take evasive maneuvers.

"Watch out!" Mona yelled, before an orb exploded near him, sending him flying. "Gaaaah!"

"Belle Star!" Dragon called her Persona yet again, rushing ahead to stand in front of Mona while Belle Star used her shield to defend against the attack. The Megido was rather strong, but Belle Star managed to hold fast. The others weren't entirely lucky, either being caught by the explosions or thrown around in the aftermath. "That's unpleasant…"

"Take this!" Fox used his speed to appear in front of the living coffin, swinging his katana at the Shadow with all his might. Not just once, but he slashed several times in rapid succession in the blink of an eye. The final slash was a horizontal spin, sending their foe backwards.

That's when Joker followed up, his mask burning away in azure flames. "Naga!" The half snake-half human hybrid appeared with a lance and shield soaring forward to pierce Mot with its spear and inflict more damage upon it.

"Nice follow up, Joker!" Panther said. Mot landed on the ground, but soon rose and turned its attention to the last person who spoke…which happened to be Panther. Holding its hand out, a strange light began to envelope Panther before…she was turned into a mouse (with her mask still on).

"WHAT THE EFF?!" Skull shouted.

"IT TURNED PANTHER INTO A MOUSE?!" Mona screamed.

Before Panther could hit the ground, Dragon caught her, just…staring in wide eyed bewilderment. "S-She turned into a mouse…? What sort of power is this…?"

"Turn me back already!?" Panther squeaked. As a mouse, there was literally nothing she could do about the situation at hand.

"It's mice to meet you." Fox said.

"NOT THE TIME." Panther squeaked again, annoyed.

Mot's hand began to spark with electricity. It then slammed this hand into the ground, sending numerous bolts of lightning crashing down onto the Phantom Thieves with no warning. Maziodyne was a very potent threat and Mot was making sure they knew this.

"Gahhh…!" Dragon called Belle Star once more, using the shield to defend herself and mouse Panther. The attack was so strong; she could feel the shield cracking under the pressure. "So strong…!"

"Aaaaah!" Fox, Queen, and Mona did not take too kindly to the lightning, and Dragon was barely able to fend it off.

"Skull! With me!" Joker said while rushing ahead. Skull nodded, not wasting a second in following after. Joker leapt forward, swinging his knife a few times at Mot despite the lightning striking him. Naga was immune so he was able to rush ahead like this, putting pressure on the Shadow while Skull followed up.

"TAKE THIS!" Skull let out a battle cry, uncrossing his arms as Seiten Taisei appeared from above, slamming its staff into Mot's top with enough force to crush it into the ground, rattling whatever foul creature was hiding inside.

"Showtime!" Joker jumped into the air, his mask burning away as a different Persona appeared next to him: Garuda. "Garuda!" Pointing his hand down, Joker harnessed the power of wind, a tornado exploding to throw Mot into the air, stunned. That's when he found out its weakness. "It's wind! Mona, you're up!"

Finally, a chance to shine. Despite being rattled by the lightning, Mona forced himself to call upn Zorro. "Zorro, let's go!" Zorro appeared, flying towards Mot while swinging its saber in a Z formation, adding onto the tornado of wind that Joker created. He was just about to move in for the finish when…

Queen drove forward, Fox standing on the back of the motorcycle with his hand on his mask. Queen closed the distance for him, and Fox jumped into the air. "Let us finish this, Goemon!" Goemon appeared beside Yusuke and the two of them attacked together, slashing at Mot multiple times in the blink of an eye. By the time Fox landed on the ground to sheath his blade, Mot was defeated and the way was clear.

Also, since Dragon was keeping mouse Panther safe…Panther ended up returning to normal on top of her. So that was an awkward fall. "Oof…ouch…am I human again!? That was really weird…!" And potentially a little scarring, but she wasn't going to unpack that.

"Ow." Dragon mumbled, before she and Panther got up.

"Is everyone alright?" Queen asked. "Between the desert heat, the quicksand, and now that fight…I'm beginning to feel a little exhausted myself."

Joker took the chance to look ahead and peer outside. "This is the way out. It leads to where we came from…let's head back, we can use the break."

"I need to mentally recover from being turned into a mouse…" Panther shuddered.

"I wonder if there will be a squeakuel sometime soon…I wonder what it's like being a mouse…" Fox said absentmindedly.

"Fox, please stop talking." Dragon just sighed. "I need to get this sand out of my….everywhere."

"I'm hungry…" Skull said. Everyone just had a bunch of complaints exiting Futaba's Palace.

Mona was lagging behind. He had a chance to show off what he could do for the team, but it was taken from him yet again by Fox and Queen. His master plan involved ramming into Mot as a bus to finish it off, but he couldn't even do that. "…" He couldn't do anything decent on the team now, what was the point of him being around…?

.

.

After exiting Futaba's Palace, the group decided to take a break at the batting cages nearby. Ren was up, taking a few swings as the baseballs came forward. They were all trying to think of a way to navigate Futaba's Palace. "…So, what the hell are we gonna do about that?" Ryuji asked, leaning back in the seat.

"I have no idea…" Makoto admitted. "Futaba's heart is far more complicated than I was expecting. If she continues pushing us away, we won't make much progress."

"On top of that…" Hifumi held her phone out for the others to read. "We've only until the 21st until Medjed acts. It seems like a long time, but if future days go like today…"

"I see your cause for concern." Yusuke nodded in agreement. "We must find some way to make short work of this. On top of that, we have to ensure that we aren't discovered by Boss."

"If we go while he's busy at work…" Ren swung and hit a ball, striking the target area dead on. "We should be okay!"

"Hah! We're dealing with international hackers and goin' inside a pyramid. Summer's gettin' pretty fun." Ryuji grinned.

"How can you be enjoying this? This is a crisis of whether or not our group continues on, you know!?" Ann said.

"I know that!" Ryuji shot back. "But we got this. We haven't failed yet, right? No reason for this to be our first."

"…That was surprisingly insightful from you, Ryuji." Makoto was a bit in awe.

"Even a broken clock is right twice a day." Morgana added. Ryuji just furrowed his brows at that.

"I'm simply glad to be out of that pyramid." Hifumi sighed. "That was…an experience. Are you sure you're alright, Ann? You did get turned into a mouse…"

"I'm fine!" Ann gave a firm nod. "I…do have a craving for something with cheese, though."

"…I see." Hifumi sighed, but she smiled. It seemed like Ann was okay. She then got a message on her phone. "Oh..! Um…apologies, everyone. But we may have to postpone our operation…I have to go."

"Where to?" Ren asked.

"I, er…have my photoshoot to get to. I was just informed they want to take some shots tomorrow as well before posting the magazine…" Hifumi sighed. "Sorry for being an inconvenience once again. My schedule is a bit tight…"

Makoto shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I think we can all use the break as well. Today was very exhausting."

"Going already? Ah, wait…I have to help you look your best! Can I…go with you?" Ann asked.

"I…I don't mind that. My mother is going to be there, though…" Hifumi warned.

"Is she…? Eh, well…" Ann cleared her throat. "Well, I'd rather not leave you alone, so…"

"You guys get going." Ren told the girls. "I think we're just about done for the day as is. We can regroup later. It's important to pace ourselves."

"Thank you, Ren." Hifumi said with a slight smile before turning to Ann. "Um, okay…let's go, Ann. Here's hoping my mother doesn't pop a vein…"