Author's Note: Back to back big action scenes? Yessirski. We gotta see what's going on with the Phantom Thieves, the Fodlanders, and Jeanne while the smashers had to deal with Sephiroth.
The Gates of Hell
Things have been quiet in the Gates of Hell bar. The Phantom Thieves, the Ashen Wolves, Claude, Bernadetta, Jeanne, Rodin, and Enzo have been waiting patiently for any updates from Bayonetta or the Eisner Twins about their fight with Palutena's father. A lot of time has passed after they had left, which started to worry the smashers in the bar. The Phantom Thieves were especially worried about Bayonetta.
"Hey Ren. Bayonetta has been away for quite awhile. I would've thought she'd handled whoever Palutena's dad is. With how strong she is and shit." Ryuji says.
"Maybe Palutena's dad is super strong and is giving her some trouble?" Ann suggested.
"Even if she were to have trouble, she has a lot of back up to help her deal with that God. I've seen those little centurions that they have in Skyworld. They're a pathetic army. Cereza and others wouldn't have trouble with them. The majority are capable of taking down Zeus. Something is wrong…" Jeanne stated.
"You're right about that Jeanne," Rodin stated. He takes a puff of his cigar. "Something is up. The balance of the world has fallen apart. I'm not just talking about heaven or hell. I'm talking time and space is all fucked up on the surface."
"I don't like the sound of that…" Ren stated.
"S-S-Should we be worried?!" Bernadetta asked in a frantic state.
"Very worried." Rodin bluntly tells the purple haired girl.
"Okay, I'm going to panic!" Bernadetta takes a deep breath, prepared to let out a scream.
Yuri quickly stops Bernadetta from screaming by putting his hand over her mouth. "Hold off on that. How about we go out there and observe the situation at hand?" He suggested.
"Did you not hear what Rodin said?! He said time and space is all messed up! Look, I may not know a lot about what goes on around in this world yet. But that's pretty bad. What good would it be going out there if the world is all messed up? Why not just stay here?" Claude voiced his concerns.
"I'm with braids on this one. I don't wanna imagine what the fuck is going on out there. I'm staying my ass at this bar. When Rodin says shit is hitting the fan, that means it's not my fucking business to get involved in whatever shit you fuckers got into." Enzo says.
Jeanne rolled her eyes at the fat man. She stands up from her table. "Well I'm not going to wait around and do nothing. I'm going out there to see what's going on," The Umbra Witch turns to Ren. "Are you going to join me?"
Ren nods. "Yeah." He stands up from his seat. "Come on guys." He tells his friends.
The Phantom Thieves nod and follow behind Ren and Jeanne out of the Gates of Hell bar.
"Well, we should follow suit then. Shall we?" Yuri asked his Ashen Wolves.
"Wherever you go, we go boss." Balthus answers.
Bernadetta clings onto Yuri's arm. "J-Just don't leave me alone. Promise me that?"
"Relax dear Bernie. We will all protect you. You are our friend and the fiance of our leader." Constance assured.
"Yeah. Take it easy Bernie Bear. We got you covered." Hapi says.
Yuri looks back over to Claude. "Are you coming or are just going to sit there and do nothing? I'm sure you wanna know if Byleth is okay." He said.
Claude sneers at Yuri. He didn't feel comfortable leaving the bar after what Rodin had said. However, he was worried about what if Byleth and his friends were okay. He definitely wasn't going to find out by just sitting around. He groaned. Claude begrudgingly stands up from his seat and follows behind the Ashen Wolves and Bernadetta out of the Gates of Hell.
It was now only Rodin and Enzo left in the bar. Enzo looks over to Rodin. "You think they're gonna make it out this shit alive?" He asked.
Rodin shrugged. "Hell if I know. They're going to need a lot of luck to survive."
The Smashers teleport out of the Gates of Hell and make it back to the surface. They were instantly met with some troubling surroundings. The Smash Mansion had been completely destroyed and crumbled. The sky is now dark red with black clouds, the grass they stood on was grey and devoid of life. Everyone was now on high alert.
"What… What's happened here?" Makoto wondered.
When Ryuji turned to his friends, he noticed something that made him confused and worried. "Uh, why are you guys in your Phantom Thieves gear?" He asked.
The Phantom Thieves all look at themselves to see that Ryuji was correct. They were all in their Phantom Thieves attire.
"Okay. This just got REALLY weird now!" Oracle says.
"Has the Metaverse somehow fused with this realm?" Loki questioned.
"It's a possibility, but something feels… off. Like maybe it's not entirely the Metaverse that's behind whatever is going on." Mona answered.
"Hey uh, what's with the get up? Are you guys part of a circus act or something?" Balthus asked the Phantom Thieves.
The Phantom Thieves turn to the Fodlaners.
"Oh yeah, guess you guys don't know about our altar egos and stuff." Oracle said.
"We're the Phantom Thieves of Heart! This is the attire that we wear when we're outside of the Metaverse." Noir explains.
"So what? Are you guys like fairy tale heroes or something?" Claude asked.
"We're not fictional heroes. We're real heroes." Violet clarifies.
"In the loosest sense of the word." Loki mumbled, folding his arms.
"That's right. Our means of helping people in the real world are very different." Mona added.
The Fodlanders eyes widened in shock seeing a voice coming out from Mona.
Bernadetta quickly scurried behind Yuri. "I-Is that your cat?! Why did your cat just start talking to us?! Why does it look like that?! Ahhhhhhhh! Monster cat!" She screamed.
Mona growls angrily. "I am NOT a monster cat! I am Morgana!" He yelled as he jumped in place.
Yuri raises an eyebrow. "Seriously? You expect us to look at your little cat ears and your tail and believe you're not a cat?" He questioned.
"But I'm not a cat! Just because I look like a cat here and a cat outside the Metaverse, doesn't mean I AM a cat!" Mona argued.
"You're a walking and talking cat. My eyes do not lie to me." Constance states.
Hapi tilts her head in confusion. "What are you so upset about Whiskers? I think you're a pretty cool monster cat. Maybe some catnip will calm you down?"
"I. AM. NOT. A. CAT!" Mona yelled.
"Please don't argue with Mona about this. You're never gonna win an argument against the guy about this." Skull tells the Fodlanders.
"I wonder if Marianne has talked to him before. I think she'd be surprised to actually have an animal talk back to her." Claude thought to himself.
"Can we get back to the situation at hand here?! We still don't know what the hell is going on here!" Loki yelled in annoyance.
"I think I've found the source of our problem." Jeanne spoke up.
Jeanne points over to the sky in the distance. Everyone looks up to see Dharkon looking back at them with his tentacles moving around his eye.
"WHAT IN THE FUCK IS THAT?!" Skull screamed in horror.
"So that's why the world feels so cold and empty. A being of darkness. No, it's something more. It is darkness itself taken form." Fox comments.
"Oracle, can you detect any of the smashers around here?" Joker asked.
"I can try." Oracle uses her goggles to try and detect any of the smashers.
"Geez, these kids are very different from how we saw them in the bar." Balthus commented.
Constance nods in agreement. "Yeah. They're taking their superhero roles very seriously. I am absolutely digging it. However…" The blonde looks back up at Dharkon and shudders. "I am not digging that freakish monster looking down at us."
"I've seen a number of monsters, but nothing like this. I don't… feel so good about whatever that thing is." Hapi commented.
As much as Yuri wanted to pretend that he wasn't afraid of the current situation, he couldn't help this unnerving feeling about everything. With Byleth and Beth being missing as well, he wasn't sure what to do from here. He looks over to Claude who he could easily detect was afraid, no matter how much he tried to hide it. Then there was the cowering Bernadetta hiding behind him.
"B-B-Bernie is scared…" The purple haired girl whimpered.
"Well I can see that. Just stick close to me, alright? Maybe these Phantom Thieves can tell us what's going on." Yuri tells Bernadetta.
Joker looks over to Oracle. "Anything Oracle? Have you found anybody?" He asked.
Oracle didn't respond to the leader. She slowly lowered her arm down, her face showing an expression of distraught. This began to worry the Phantom Thieves.
"Oracle? What's the matter?" Queen asked.
"I… I tried to scan for the smashers, but their signals didn't come up." Oracle tells her teammates.
Everyone's eyes widened.
"Wait what?! What do you mean by that?!" Skull questioned.
"I didn't detect anyone here. None of the smashers showed up on my radar. Not just the smashers, I mean everyone who was in the Smash Realm. I got no signal of their vitals or anything! I-It's like...they're dead." Oracle explained fearfully.
"Dead?! Everyone is dead?!" Panther exclaimed.
"Yes? No? I-I mean… I don't even know! But I'm not picking up anything here. If everyone was alive, I would've been able to pinpoint their location and check on their vitals. But…" Oracle holds her head in frustration. "Gah! There's no way everyone is dead! It can't be!" She screamed.
Joker quickly walks over to Oracle and puts his arm over his girlfriend's shoulder to try and comfort her. "Oracle…" He simply called.
The Phantom Thieves lowered their heads sadly.
"This can't be happening. Everyone couldn't have just died. No. I don't wanna believe it." Violet says.
"We can't be the only ones alive. Right?" Noir tried to ask with a hint of hope.
"Maybe we actually are. I guess staying in the Gates of Hell protected us from whatever was going on up here on the surface." Loki stated.
"That would make sense," Mona replied. "Rodin's bar is in a completely different realm. So while we were down there safe, we were able to avoid whatever horrors were going on up here on the surface. But everyone else…" The cat frowned.
Skull grits his teeth and clenches his fist in anger. "I think we could make a good deduction that that stupid floating eye ball in the sky is responsible for this. Looking down at us and shit. Probably thinks we're next too. Well that's not gonna happen!" He yelled.
"Don't get so worked up Skull…" Panther tells the hot headed Phantom Thief.
Oracle looks up at Joker. "Bayonetta… She… Do you believe she's dead?" She asked.
Joker looks away from Oracle. He didn't want to believe Bayonetta was dead. It was very rare for Oracle to be wrong about something like this. He didn't want to believe that his mother had been taken away from him. He couldn't give Oracle an answer.
"Cereza is not dead," Jeanne answers. Joker and Oracle look over at the Umbra Witch. "I don't believe Cereza would die so easily like this. She wouldn't allow it. She's still out there somewhere. Her and everyone else. I'm not losing faith." She said.
The Fodlanders had heard everything that Oracle had said and they weren't handling the news any easier. All of their fellow classmates dead? Even their professors, Byleth and Beth? It was a hard pill to swallow.
Yuri clenches his fist. "Byleth… Beth…" He muttered. Yuri looks over behind him, seeing that Bernadetta has begun to cry. Feeling her body shaking furiously as she clinged on to his arm. The withering expression on her face said it all. Bernadetta felt broken…
"B-Byleth… H-He's… He's… I-I…" Bernadetta sobbed. The young girl let go of Yuri and over to the broken down Smash Mansion. Bernadetta laid down on whatever remaining floor was left of the mansion and continued to sob.
"Bernadetta!" Yuri runs over to Bernadetta and bends down to her. He tries to touch her, but Bernadetta slaps Yuri's hand away and hugs her legs.
"He's gone! Byleth is gone! He's dead! He's dead! He's dead!" Bernadetta cried. "Byleth! Byleth!"
Seeing Bernadetta's meltdown hammered in the situation for Claude. Byleth and Beth were dead. His fiance and sister in law had been killed. It wasn't just them, but all of his friends had been killed by Dharkon. His Golden Deer classmates. Hilda, Lorenz, Lysithea, Marianne, Ignatz, Raphael, Leonie. They were all taken away from him. Taken away from him by this monster. Now he's left alone in this apocalyptic world. He lowers his head and clutches on to his chest. It was hard for him to hold back tears.
"Bernadetta. Please." Yuri tried to calm his childhood friend.
"I knew it! I knew it! What was I thinking?! Thinking that I could finally be happy for once?! Stupid Bernie! You're so stupid! You should've known that you don't deserve any happiness!" Bernadetta screamed.
Yuri grabs Bernadetta and sits her upright, having his hands on her shoulder. "Bernadetta! Stop it! Stop this right now!" He yelled.
"Why did I think my life would finally turn around to something better?! He was my first love, Yuri! He said he was going to marry me! That everything was going to be alright! That he would always be there for me! Now he's dead! Now we'll never see him again!" Bernadetta continued to sob.
The Phantom Thieves and Jeanne watched on, saddened to see Bernadetta in this broken state. Oracle began to shed a tear for her friend.
"Bernadetta… I'm sorry…" Oracle mumbled. Joker pulls Oracle in for an embrace.
"Now I'm alone! All alone and I'm going to die! I'm going to die!" Bernadetta sobbed.
"No! You're not alone Bernadetta! You're not alone because I'm here! We're all here! And you're not going to die! I won't allow it." Yuri tells her sternly.
Bernadetta wipes her eyes with her sleeves and looks back at Yuri. "W-Why wouldn't you leave me alone to die? If you want me to die, then just kill me already! I want to be with Byleth!"
Yuri gritted his teeth. "Don't be so foolish!" It was hopeless. Bernadetta wasn't going to listen to him like this. He needed to say something to reassure her. He sighed to himself. "Bernadetta, I need you to listen to me. This may not be the best time, but I need to tell you this."
Bernadetta was confused. "W-W-What?" She asked in between her sniffles.
"The reason… The reason I worked for House Varley when we were kids was to kill you." He confesses.
Bernadetta's eyes widened in shock. "What…? House Varley? But...why?"
"You are the heir of one the six great noble houses with a Crest. There were tons of people who wanted to wipe you out. People who wanted to eradicate House Varley. Said person hired a kid like me to do their dirty work. Got closer to you by working as an assistant. One night when you were sleeping in your room. I had my blade ready to kill you then and there. But… I couldn't bring myself to do it. The reason? It was because I got to know you and became attached to you. Your father came in and saw me. I'm sure you remember what happened to me after that." Yuri explained.
"Y-Yeah. M-My father beat you half to death, then I never saw you again. But… Why are you telling me all of this now? I don't understand!" Bernadetta questioned.
"I was just a filthy assassin hired to kill you. Seeing that you were in the academy, I was shocked. You were still the same clumsy girl I remembered. Seeing how much you tried to avoid talking to me at all cost back in Garreg Mach, I wasn't surprised that you hated me. Might as well come clean about everything right?" Yuri shrugged.
Bernadetta shakes her head. "B-But I don't hate you Yuri! I mean… I feel weird after hearing all of this…"
Before the conversation could continue between the two, the other Ashen Wolves stepped in.
"Boss! Claude has run off on his own!" Balthus tells Yuri.
"What?! To where?!" Yuri questioned.
"We don't know! While you were speaking with Bernadetta, he just ran away in some random direction! We just realized now that he was gone!" Constance explained.
"Damn it! What the hell does he think he's doing?!" Yuri stands up, pulling Bernadetta back up with him. "We have to find him before he gets himself killed!" He says to the Ashen Wolves.
"Right!" The Ashen Wolves nodded.
Yuri looks back at Bernadetta. "We can talk more about this another time, but I need you to trust me. Okay?"
Bernadetta slowly nods. "Okay…"
Yuri holds on to Bernadetta's hand. The two and the other Ashen Wolves run off in search of Claude.
"Hey wait! You guys just can't go off on your own like that!" Queen screamed.
"Yeah! Come back!" Skull screamed.
Before the Phantom Thieves could chase after the Fodlaners, the Infernal Demons Pain and Pride come crashing down from the sky to block their path. The mechanical tanks open up to reveal their battle forms and let out a roar.
"Infernal Demons?! Where did they come from?!" Panther wondered.
"Look out guys! They're going to attack!" Oracle warned.
The Phantom Thieves prepared themselves. The Infernal Demons lift their arms, preparing to attack the Phantom Thieves. But the two demons were both cut in half easily by a powerful Wicked Slash. The Phantom Thieves turn around to see Jeanne with her Angel Slayer in her hand. Jeanne puts her sword back in her scabbard.
"Woah! That was amazing Aunt Jeanne!" Skull complimented.
"I can sense a strong power from within that blade. It's astounding. Even more so that the wielder of such a katana is a powerful woman." Fox complimented.
"It was born in the depths of Inferno. It was once used by a witch who took part in the war against the angels of Paradiso," Jeanne explains. The Umbra Witch looks up at the dark sky. "Infernal Demons have found their way back to the surface again. This God of Darkness is probably responsible for that." She figured.
"You may be right, but I'm also picking up a lot of crazy activity on my radar. Strangely it's coming from Bowser's Castle." Oracle informed.
The Phantom Thieves ears perked up.
"Bowser's Castle? But you said you couldn't pick up anything from any of the smashers." Violet said.
"I did, but this is NOT Bowser I'm reading. This is something else entirely. It's powerful too." Oracles said.
"Where is Bowser's Castle?" Joker asked.
"It's miles away from here. It's a long trip." The navigator informed.
Panther turns to Mona. "Look like you're our ride again Mona."
Mona smiles. "No worries Lady Ann. I'll happily carry you anywhere you need to go."
"We should stay grounded. That helicopter form of yours wouldn't work with that monster up there." Loki stated.
"Can never go wrong with the Mona mobile!" Noir says.
"Then I guess we have a plan. We go to whatever is happening at Bowser's Castle and deal with it. Maybe we'll run into some smashers on the way there." Jeanne hoped.
"Trickster…" A female voice muttered.
Joker ears perked up at the mention of his name. He instantly recognized the voice that called him. He turns around to see the attendant of the Velvet Room, Lavenza.
"Lavenza," Joker called. "I'm sure you're also aware of the situation we're in."
Lavenza nods. "Indeed. This embodiment of darkness, I have no knowledge of a being such as this. What I do know is that the fabric of time and space has been fractured. The past is merging in the present. The present is merging with the future. Alternate realities merging within this realm. The entire universe is falling apart."
"This sounds much worse than what we had to deal with back in Tokyo with Maruki." Mona commented.
"The fates of your friends are unknown. Even the prisoner that was in the jail cell in the Velvet Room had been taken away by this dark entity. The universe will soon be swallowed by this darkness," Lavenza looks up at Joker. "Trickster. You and your friends are this world's hope to see another lifetime. The entire universe rests upon your shoulders. Please, you must save us all." She pleaded.
This certainly put more pressure on the Phantom Thieves. Not like they haven't been in this situation before, but it didn't make things easier. It wasn't just their world that was in danger, it was many worlds that were in trouble. With the smashers gone missing, it was really up to them and Jeanne to try and fight Dharkon. Joker was going to do everything he could to save the multiverse. Even if it may cost him his life. It worried him slightly, but he knew with his friends by his side. He could do it.
Joker gives Lavenza a nod. "We will. I won't let you down Lavenza." He says with determination.
Lavenza smiles at Joker. "I know you won't. You've always fought for what you believed in and what you thought was right. That's what I've always adored about you Trickster. I have full faith in you. I will also provide you with everything you may need to prepare for your journey." The Velvet Room attendant opens up the Persona Compendium. "With how dire the situation is, I won't charge you for what Personas you wish to possess. You will need all the help you can get for your journey."
Joker looks through the Persona Compendium to choose what masks he wished to take with him. The Personas he chooses are Lucifer, Alice, Mara, Black Frost, Thor, Kali, Trumpeter, Metatron, Yoshitune, and Kurama Tengu. Joker got all the Personas he felt would be best. Having a Persona of each element would definitely help in any situation he may find himself.
Lavenza closes the Persona Compendium. "May luck be on your side Phantom Thieves," She says. She looks back at Joker. "Trickster, please come back alive…"
"Of course I will. I haven't let you down yet." Joker said confidently.
"Yes. You haven't. I wish to see you for longer." Lavenza smiled.
With that, Lavenza returns back to the Velvet Room.
"Alright, you ready Joker?" Mona asks.
Joker nods. "Yeah. Let's do this guys!"
"Okay!" The Phantom Thieves nodded.
"I'll protect you children with my life. We're going to see this through to the end." Jeanne tells the Phantom Thieves.
"I'll handle the directions." Oracle informed.
Mona transforms into his bus form. Joker gets into the driver seat, Queen sits shotgun, and the rest of the Phantom Thieves sit in the back passenger seats. Jeanne decided that she would hop on top of the Mona bus and sit there. The Mona bus begins the move and the Phantom Thieves are now making their way to Bowser's Castle.
"Okay, so the way to Bowser's Castle is a bit of a doozy. This place has changed a lot due to whatever this monster has done. Once we reach this altar, we take the middle pathway and cut through to the riverside. We take a tunnel and then we'll reach this rainbow ribbon world. Once we reach this cliffside area, we'll be up to Bowser's Castle in no time." Oracle informed.
"The Smash Realm is usually so beautiful. It's so sad to see in such a state like this." Violet frowned.
"Yeah, especially with that monster constantly watching us from above. It's giving me the creeps." Panther shuddered.
"I hope everyone is okay. I don't want to believe they're all dead. They're still out there. I know they are." Noir stated.
"And what if everyone else is dead?" Loki questioned.
"Don't be such a downer dude. Especially when Mama Bayo was one of those people who disappeared. That's Ren's mother." Skull stated.
"I'm just looking at it from perspective. We could be the only survivors here. Stuck in this apocalyptic realm. The most we could do is save our world and go back to it if the Smash Realm is to stay dead like this. Why stay in a realm with nothing in it?" Loki shrugged.
"I hope the Fodlaners stay safe on their journey…" Fox stated.
Queen looks over at Joker, seeing the determined look in his eyes. Most likely listening in on the conversation the other Phantom Thieves were having. She wondered just how much this was taking a mental toll on him.
"Ren? Are you feeling okay?" Queen asked.
"I'm fine." Joker replied quickly.
"Maybe you should let me drive. If you're not feeling good about everything I can take over."
Joker puts his hand up. "I'm fine Makoto. No need to worry about me. My mom has to be out there. I know it. For now, let's just focus on dealing with whatever is going on in Bowser's Castle." He said.
"Well you're our leader, so I'm always going to worry about your well being. If you're ever feeling stressed, voice it to us. We're all willing to listen." Queen assured with a smile.
Joker smiles back at Queen. "Thanks Makoto."
When the Phantom Thieves arrive at the altar, Dharkon lets out a powerful roar that begins to shake the ground. The Phantom Thieves started to worry.
"What the heck was that?!" Skull yelled.
Jeanne gets up on her feet. "The monster is doing something! Brace yourselves!" She warned.
Dharkon's eye flashes red for a moment and summons a circle in front of the Phantom Thieves. The circle erupts a giant pillar of darkness to block the pathway the Phantom Thieves were planning to take.
"Darn it! Now our shortcut is blocked!" Oracle complained.
"It knows that we're heading for Bowser's Castle. It must not want us to foil whatever is going on there." Fox stated.
"Is there a way we can get around this?" Panther asked.
Oracle nods. "Yeah, we'll have to take the long way. We'll have to cut through the forest and drive through New Smash City. Or...whatever is left of it. Anyways, it'll still take us on route to Bowser's Castle." She informs.
"Alright. We're gonna have to book it Mona. It knows we're here." Joker said.
"Got it Joker! Let's do it!" Mona cheered.
Joker grips on the steering wheel and slams his foot on the gas pedal, making a sharp left turn to enter through the forest. Dharkon lets out another loud roar. Raining down from the dark sky was an army of the Infernal Demon, Fury. The demonic birds came flying down to attack Jeanne and the Phantom Thieves.
"Dharkon has summoned a bunch of Furys at us! They're coming our way!" Oracle warned.
"You kids keep this bus moving! I'll destroy every single one of these pests!" Jeanne declared.
Jeanne takes out her All 4 One guns, twirling them around in her hands and pointing them at the Furys. Jeanne begins to shoot down the demonic birds. The Furys began to group up to try and circle around Jeanne on top of the Mona bus. The Umbra Witch punched and kicked away any demonic bird that tried to claw at her. A Fury shoots a ball of magic at Jeanne to try and slow her down. The Umbra Witch easily slides under the attack roundhouse kicks the Fury away.
More Furys began to approach Jeanne. Jeanne smirks and begins to breakdance on the Mona bus, using the guns on her heel to shoot down any of the demonic birds that came her way. The Umbra Witch ends her break dance with a wink and a sexy pose.
Jeanne quickly gets back on her feet when she hears Dharkon let out another roar. This time the God of Darkness summoned an army of Hideous from the sky. Jeanne unsheathes her Angel Slayer sword and prepares herself for the incoming demons.
A Hideous comes flying at Jeanne and swings it's scythe at the Umbra Witch. Jeanne blocks the attack and retaliates with two diagonal sword slashes to cut the demon into pieces. Another Hideous comes and attempts to attack Jeanne. Jeanne backflips away from the attack and uses a Heel Slide to kick the Hideous above and swings her sword upwards to slice the demon in half. Four more Hatred came flying to Jeanne, she was prepared to take them all on as the Thieves kept driving through the forest.
Joker however, felt just a tad bit worried for Jeanne. He knew that his aunt was just as powerful as Bayonetta, but he couldn't help to worry that she might get a little overwhelmed.
"Hey! Can anyone back up Aunt Jeanne?" Joker asked.
Skull stands up from his seat. "Leave it to me Joker! Just make sure to keep this bus moving!" He says.
"Be careful Skull!" Panther warned.
"No worries babe, I got this!" Skull gives Panther a thumbs up with a wide smile.
Skull opens the windows on the side and begins to climb out of the Mona bus. He sees Jeanne trying to fend off the Hideous demons. Skull takes out his Benelli M3 Shotgun and blasts off one of the demon's heads. As the demons turned their attention to Skull, Jeanne used the opportunity to cut off the heads of the Hideous demons with one swift strike.
Jeanne walks over and helps Skull up on top of the Mona bus.
"Come to enjoy the rush of riding on top of a bus at high speeds?" Jeanne jokes.
"Nah! I just wanna smash some demon heads!" Skull snarked. Skull takes out a giant Golden Hammer and holds it over shoulder. "I know I ain't Mama Bayo, but you don't mind if I help out do ya?" He asked.
Jeanne shakes her head. "None. Just make sure you don't die." She tells the Phantom Thief.
Skull rubs under his noses and gives a cheeky grin. "Heh, I'm not planning to."
"We're heading into New Smash City now! Stay on your guard! Things aren't going to get any easier!" Oracle informed.
The Phantom Thieves makes me out of the forest and are now in New Smash City. The city was now a desolate wasteland with no people in sight.
Skull frowned. "Damn, this shit is so messed up man. That hentai monster is gonna get it when we get our hands on em." He said.
"We got some more company! Greed demons coming from the sides!" Oracle warned.
Jeanne and Skull looked to their side to see the two Greeds running beside the Mona bus. The two stand back to back to each other and prepare themselves to defend against the two demon beasts. The Greed demons attempt to pounce at the Jeanne and Skull.
"Bad dog!" Skull yelled as she smacked the Greed back down to the ground with his hammer.
Jeanne uses a Wicked Weave kick to send the Greed flying into a building. More Fury demons came flying down from the sky. Skull takes out his shotgun and shoots at them. Jeanne takes out her guns and shoots at the demons as well.
"These guys just don't let up do they?!" Skull whined.
"They're coming at higher rates because of that God! Just keep it together and you'll be fine!" Jeanne said.
Another Greed demon comes running up beside the left of the Mona bus.
"We've got another demon beside us! It's about to attack Mona!" Oracle warned.
"I've got it!" Panther said.
Panther leans out of the open window with her IMI Uzi. She starts unloading bullets onto the hell beast until it eventually explodes.
Another Greed demon comes up to the Mona bus, this time on the right side. Greed jumps into the air and shoots a fireball at the Mona bus.
"Joker! Move to the left!" Queen commanded.
Joker turns the wheel and drives over to the left side of the road to dodge the fireball. Loki opens the right side of the window and hits the Greed demon with a horizontal slice to knock it away.
"Stupid mutt…" Loki comments.
Panther starts to shoot down the Fury demons that were attacking Jeanne and Skull with her uzi.
Skull turns to Panther. "Light em up Panther!" He cheered.
"Pay attention Skull!" Panther warned.
Skull turns around and knocks away another Fury demon with his shotgun. Jeanne cuts down the rest of the Fury demons using a rapid sword slash attack with her Angel Slayer.
"Woohoo! Way to go Aunt Jeanne!" Panther cheered. She gets back into the bus.
"You are the coolest aunt a kid could ask for! Ren is so lucky!" Skull said excitedly.
"I try," Jeanne smiles. "You've got yourself a tough girlfriend. Hope you're treating her well." She said.
Skull nods. "I'm doing my best. I just sometimes think I don't deserve her." He admitted.
"I think you're fine. A little stupid, but you mean well." Jeanne tells the blond Phantom Thief, patting his head.
Skull scratches his head in confusion. "I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult." He wondered.
"We're making good progress guys! If we keep moving at this pace, we'll make it out of the city in no time!" Oracle informed.
The ground began to shake again with Dharkon letting out another roar. Seems the God of Darkness has had enough of the Phantom Thieves. A summoning circle appears behind the Phantom Thieves. The fiery spider demon Phantasmaraneae appears from out of the summoning circle. The demonic spider lets out a roar.
Skull eyes widened like they were going to pop out of his socket. "ARE YOU FORREAL WITH THIS SHIT?!" He screamed in horror.
"This will be a little harder to deal with." Jeanne stated.
Phantasmaraneae begins crawling after the Phantom Thieves.
"GIANT FLAMING DEMON SPIDER ON OUR TAIL!" Oracle screamed in horror.
Queen started to freak out as she looked at the demon spider through the rear view mirror. She started hyperventilating. "Oh god! Oh god! Oh god! Ewwww! It's disgusting!" She screamed as she hugged her legs.
"It's gaining on us! We need to slow it down somehow!" Violet said.
"Hey Oracle! We could use your little techy navigation stuff for a weakness on this big guy! LIKE RIGHT NOW!" Skull screamed.
"Don't yell at me while I'm trying to work! You're putting too much pressure on me!" Oracle yelled back. The navigator began typing on her virtual computer to analyse the weakness of the Phantasmaraneae. "Alright! It's weakness is Ice! That'll deal some major damage!" She informed the Phantom Thieves.
Fox gets up from his seat. "Then I will take it upon myself to fight the beast!" He declared.
"I'm backing you up Fox! I need someone to take the wheel!" Joker said.
"I'll take the wheel! You help Skull and Jeanne!" Noir volunteered.
"Are you kidding me?! No way!" Loki argued.
Noir turns to Loki. "What's the problem?" She wondered.
"Hate to break it to you Okumaru. Oh wait, I actually don't. I've seen your attempt to drive before and your driving is absolute shit! You're an embarrassment behind the wheel! Your driving is the equivalent to that yellow sponge in that stupid cartoon!" Loki ranted.
Noir gasps. "How dare you! I am not a bad driver!" She yelled angrily.
"I'd rather have that fire spider eat us whole than to die because of your inadequate driving." Loki insulted.
Noir growled angrily. "Bite me Loki!" She yelled at the Black Mask.
This outburst surprised the Phantom Thieves. It was very rare that Haru would get really mad. Even when she was upset, she responded in her usual calm tone. Which admittedly did make her threats sound scarier. But this time, Haru was actually angry. To the point where she actually cursed at someone. Akechi had pushed her buttons this time.
"Woah…" Violet mumbled in shock.
"So this is what happens when the Beauty Thief gets angry." Oracle mumbled.
The Phantasmaraneae shoots three fireballs at Jeann and Skull. The two were able to narrowly dodge the attacks.
"HEY! A LITTLE HELP HERE! PLEASE!" Skull begged.
"This is no time to argue right now! Skull and Aunt Jeanne need us! Noir, you're taking the wheel! Loki, you sit down and shut up! Fox, you're with me!" Joker commanded.
Noir nods and gets up on the driver seat to take the wheel. Loki growls at Joker. He didn't like the way Joker had talked to him. But it wasn't like he had a choice to argue with him in this situation. He sits back down in the passenger seat, folding his arms angrily.
"Let's hurry Joker!" Fox called.
"Right!" Joker nodded.
The two Phantom Thieves climb up on top of the bus with Jeanne and Skull.
"There you guys are! This is the nastiest bug I've ever had to look at!" Skull stated.
"I have an idea," Jeanne spoke up. She takes out her bow Samsa. "I'll poison the demon with my arrows while you two use your ice magic." She suggested.
"Sounds like a plan! Let's do it!" Fox agreed.
Jeanne charges up her bow and shoots four demonic dragon flies at Phantasmaraneae to poison the demon. The fiery demonic spider started to turn purple, showing that the poison was coming to effect.
"Goemon!" Fox screamed as he pulled off his mask to summon his Persona.
"Black Frost!" Joker screamed as he took off his mask to summon his Persona.
"Mabufudyne!" Fox hits the Phantasmaraneae with an ice spell
"Diamond Dust!" Joker hits the Phantasmaraneae with an ice spell as well, which makes the demon cry out in pain.
"It's working! Keep it up you guys!" Oracle cheered.
The Phantasmaraneae slams his front legs and roars. The fiery summons pillars of magma from the ground in front of the Phantom Thieves.
"The road!" Fox screamed.
"Noir!" Queen screamed to her friend.
"I got it! Hang on everyone!" Noir said, slamming her foot on the gas pedal.
Noir maneuvers the Mona bus left and right to avoid the magma craters on the road. When a magma crater comes up in the middle of the road, Noir slams her foot on the brakes and begins turning the steering wheel to make the Mona bus spin around the magma crater. Joker, Fox, and Skull hung on tightly on the edge of the Mona bus to stay on while Jeanne was able to keep her footing.
Noir gets the Mona bus back straight and continues driving. "Is everyone alright?!" She asked with concern.
The Phantom Thieves inside of the Mona bus all looked dizzy and had their hands over their stomachs.
"I feel like I'm gonna be sick…" Oracle groaned.
"That… was scary." Violet said, trying to catch her breath.
"Nobody ever wants to listen to me." Loki mumbled angrily.
On top of the Mona bus, Jeanne helps the three male Phantom Thieves back on top of the bus.
"Noir is absolutely bonkers behind the wheel! But she really saved us butts!" Skull commented.
"Thanks for the help Aunt Jeanne." Joker said.
"No problem." Jeanne replied.
The Phantasmaraneae jumps on the side of the building and begins crawling at high speeds.
"That spider is moving fast!" Fox exclaimed.
Violet opens up the right side of the window and uses her sniper rifle to shoot at the spider demon. Panther joins Violet and starts shooting at the spider demon with her uzi.
The Phantasmaraneae lands in front of the road to block the Phantom Thieves.
"Ohhhhhhhhh shit!" Skull screamed.
"Fuck!" Jeanne cursed. The Umbra Witch snaps her fingers and summons Madama Styx's hand to carry the Mona bus up off the ground. Madama Styx throws the Mona bus over the Phantasmaraneae, narrowly dodging the spider demon trying to jump up and eat them.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" All the Phantom Thieves screamed in horror as they landed back on the road harshly. Noir kept the Mona bus going.
The Phantasmaraneae turns around and begins chasing after the Phantom Thieves again.
Joker and Fox summon Black Frost and Goemon again and cast their ice magic at the fiery spider demon. Their attacks connect, but this time it actually froze the Phantasmaraneae.
"How lucky! It's frozen! A nuclear attack would destroy that thing!" Oracle informed.
"I'll handle it!" Queen announced, opening the car door.
"Be careful Queen!" Noir warned.
Queen jumps off the Mona bus. "Johanna!" She screams as she takes off her mask and summons her Persona. Queen lands on her bike. "Atomic Flare!" The biker Phantom Thief uses her nuclear magic and does severe damage to the Phantasmaraneae to make it explode.
"YEAH! The Phantom Thieves cheered.
"Way to go Queen!" Panther cheered.
"You rock Queen!" Skull cheered.
"Amazing job Queen!" Violet cheered.
"Fascinating display Queen!" Fox cheered.
"She's called Queen for a reason!" Oracle cheered.
Queen revs up Johanna and drives back over alongside the Mona bus.
"You were really cool Queen!" Noir complimented.
Joker smirks at Queen and gives her a thumbs up. Queen bashfully looks away and blushes. She would always get flustered when the Phantom Thieves overwhelmed her with praise.
The Mona bus drives up a rainbow road and makes it to the rainbow and ribbon land Oracle had described.
"Home stretch guys! We're pretty much there!" Oracle informed.
The Phantom Thieves and Jeanne safely make it over to the mountain where Bowser's Castle resided. Surrounding the mountain below was lava, which was usually where Bowser liked to be around in his badlands.
The Phantom Thieves and Jeanne get out of the Mona bus. Mona reverts back to his normal form, feeling a little dizzy after the crazy ride he had to do.
"Mrrrrrrrow." Mona groaned sickly.
"I'm sorry Mona. I didn't mean to push you so hard like that," Noir frowned. "Can you forgive me?" She asked.
Mona shakes his head to keep his composure. "Of course. Don't sweat it Noir. You were trying to help us all out back there, and you did. You got us all here." He smiled.
"The Beauty Thief did get us all here alive and well. How do you like that Loki?" Oracle teased.
"Tch," Loki grits his teeth. He looks away from the Phantom Thieves. "Alright she got lucky…"
"Always going to be the stubborn one huh?" Panther commented.
"I'm just happy we're all still alive." Violet smiled.
"Well we're here. Bowser's Castle." Joker stated.
The Phantom Thieves all look up at the large castle.
"The radar is going crazy with the intense energy I'm picking up from here. Something crazy is going on in there and I don't like it." Oracle warned.
"Well, let's take care of whatever is inside and dispose of it before it becomes an even bigger threat." Jeanne stated.
"Okay. Let's go." Joker said, pulling down his gloves.
The Phantom Thieves and Jeanne begin making their way inside Bowser's Castle with their weapons in hand.
Author's Note: I had a lot of fun writing. I just finished 100%ing Persona 5 Strikers, so I had a lot of inspiration for this action scene. Speaking of Persona 5 Strikers, the Persona Joker chose to bring with him was my team for my New Game+ Merciless Mode Run. So that's why I gave him those Personas in particular. It is also known that Haru is a pretty bad driver, but I wanted to give her a driving a W here with how crazy the situation is.
So now the Phantom Thieves are off to deal with whatever is happening in Bowser's Castle. Who knows what Futaba had picked up in there? What about the Fodlaners? Why did Claude choose to run away? What is the fate of the other smashers? You will find out next chapter. If you're enjoying what you're reading, leave a fav and a follow like always. Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated. Love hearing what you think. If you have questions about anything, just PM me and I'll clear stuff up if there's something confusing.