The group had a plan to infiltrate Futaba's Palace. Tomorrow they were going to strike; they needed to get this over with as soon as possible since Futaba's heart was so complicated. The sooner the better. For the time being, they were all going to head back to Leblanc to rest before the last train came in. "Man, I'm beat…" Ryuji yawned, pushing the doors to the café open. When they stepped inside, they were surprised at who they saw there. "Eh?"

Haru was still sitting at the counter, watching the news. It was another empty report of Medjed vs the Phantom Thieves, but she seemed really into it. When the bell on the door chimed, she turned around, greeting everyone with a smile. "Oh, hello!"

"Haru?" Ren wasn't expecting to see her here. How did she even…

"Oh, you came…! How do you like it?" Makoto was the one who spoke up. That alone told the group that she told Haru about the café.

"It's a very nice place. I love the atmosphere." Haru said with a smile. "And Boss is very kind."

Sojiro just rubbed the back of his head. "She's been here all day, not that it's a bad thing. I was wondering if you guys would show up before she wanted to leave."

"We were…uh…busy." Ann defaulted to panic, since she wasn't sure how to explain what they were doing. But Sojiro also didn't care as long as they weren't getting Ren into trouble, which was also something he knew he didn't have to worry about. "But we have a little time before the last train comes through for the day, so we can hang out if you'd like?"

"I am feeling a bit peckish…" Yusuke said while rubbing his stomach. "All of that running around made me hungry."

"It would also be a bit rude to leave when Haru was here waiting for us." Hifumi told Yusuke.

"Alright then. You kids head upstairs. Store's still open, you know." Sojiro said, gesturing for everyone to make themselves at home in Ren's room.

"Right, come on, Haru." Nodding, Ren made his way upstairs and the others followed into his room.

Haru followed behind the others. When she walked up the stairs, she was a little surprised. "Oh wow…it's very nice up here. I'm not sure how to explain it." She tilted her head, taking a look around. Her eyes then landed on the plant in the corner of the room and the first thing she did was walk up to it and examine it. "Is this plant yours, Ren-kun?"

"Huh? Oh yeah." Ren said as the others sat down. "It was here by the time I moved in. It looked pretty rough, so I've been giving it some soil every so often."

"You take very good care of this plant. It looks happy." Haru smiled gently.

"See, I told you someone would notice." Ren told Morgana.

"You just got lucky…" Morgana rolled his eyes.

Did the cat just respond to Ren? Haru was pretty sure he was talking to the cat like it could understand him…and replied in turn. Maybe she was overthinking it. "Oh! And what's this?" Haru's attention then turned to the video game system and old CRT.

"A video game system." Ryuji said. "Ren's only got a few games, but they're totally fun as hell to play!"

"I've never played a video game before…" Haru tilted her head.

"…Me neither, actually." Hifumi mumbled.

Haru was really excited to look around Ren's room. Her attention slowly shifted to his workbench. "Oh, what's tha…?"

"N-NOTHING!" Ren immediately stood up and sat at his bench, giving a nervous smile. This was where he made Thieves Tools and they could not let Haru see any of that. It was pretty risky having Haru here in their Hideout, but they couldn't just leave her be after she spent the day waiting for them.

"By the way, Haru. What brings you here today?" Ann decided to try and shift the topic before Haru got too curious.

"Oh, I had some time." Haru finally decided to sit down and enjoy the snacks on the table. "I didn't want to go home just yet, so…"

"I understand that feeling." Hifumi gave a small laugh.

"I'm glad you decided to take my suggestion. Do you like Leblanc?" Makoto asked.

"I do!" Haru smiled softly. "I think I'll make plans to visit as often as I can. It's a very calming place."

"We pretty much hang out here every day." Yusuke said.

"No, that's just you." Ren corrected. Yusuke was visiting the café practically every day.

They had a jovial conversation with Haru for a while. But eventually her curiosity got the best of her and she gestured to the CRT. "So…what sort of video game is that?"

"Oh, the one I currently have involves shooting down a bunch of space ships." Ren explained. "Want to play? We can all take turns."

"I'd love to!" Haru clasped her hands together. "Take it easy on me, though…this is my first time playing something like this." When everything was set up, the first two to take the game up were Ren and Haru, he had to show her how to play after all. "So the goal is just to shoot down as many ships as possible…"

"Okay. I understand…" Haru nodded slowly. The game began with she and Ren shooting down a few ships. It was easy at first, which helped her learn the ropes. Eventually Haru began to go off on her own, taking out more and more ships than Ren could keep up with.

"Whoa, she's killin' it." Ryuji said with widened eyes. For someone who never touched a video game before, Haru was a natural.

"Yeah, go Haru!" Ann was cheering for her.

"Whoa…she's going crazy." Ren was struggling to keep up. He didn't expect Haru to be able to play like this! She only had a controller in her hand for a few minutes!

"It's nice seeing the ships blow up…" Haru said so innocently, but her tone was…a bit darker. It didn't seem like she noticed either, but there was still a soft smile on her fact. Everyone else did pick up on it and they weren't sure what to think.

"…You guys heard that too, right?" Ryuji turned to the others, just to make sure that he wasn't going crazy.

"I did." Yusuke replied.

"What a rush! That was so much fun!" Haru jumped for joy. She never knew video games could be so fun.

"Anyone else want to try?"

"Oh yeah! Lemme!" Ryuji practically sprinted up to grab the controller from Ren.

"I would like to." Hifumi said a bit shyly. So Ann pushed her forward into the chair next to Ryuji. "Ack, Ann-!"

"Have fun!" Ann gave Hifumi a thumbs up.

"W-Wait, I wasn't paying attention now to play-!" Too late. The game started and now she and Ryuji were playing. Naturally she was stumbling around at first while Ryuji had to cover for her.

"Come on, you two can do it!" Haru cheered.

Yusuke put his fingers in a frame position, thinking about the composition of the sight in front of him. Everyone enjoying their time together, laughing while playing video games. It was a memorable sight.

Somehow, Ryuji and Hifumi were able to clear the level together. Ryuji popped off while Hifumi just let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure they were going to make it. "We did it…"

"Hell yeah we did! We kicked their asses!" Ryuji held his hand up for a high five.

"Yes! We totally kicked their a—AH!" Hifumi covered her mouth. She almost swore unintentionally. This was Ryuji's fault. It didn't help that Hifumi generally agreed with him on most things. His vulgar language was starting to rub off on her.

"Look at what you did, Ryuji. You almost made the nice girl swear." Morgana said smugly. Though all Haru heard was just a meow from the cat everyone was making comments at.

"Ryuji's a bad influence." Ann shook her head. "Now scoot over, I want a round too." She said scoot over, but she more or less nudged Ryuji out of the seat.

"Gah! Hey, c'mon…" Ryuji grumbled before going to sit elsewhere. From that point on, the group took turns playing video games together. Ann played with Hifumi, Makoto even joined in with Yusuke. But that one was…

"Ah…the pixelated art style…so simplistic, yet it conveys so much design…" Yusuke wasn't even playing. Makoto was left on her own as Yusuke admired the pixels.

"CAN YOU PLEASE HELP?" Makoto pleaded, getting overwhelmed by the amount of ships swarming her.

Haru was just giggling at the scenes before her. It was the first time in a while she had the chance to almost laugh. It was nice. But like all good times, it came to an end when her phone rang. It had been buzzing the whole time, but she was choosing to ignore. When it got to this point, she knew it was best to respond. "Ah…I think it's about time for me to leave…"

"Wait, really? But you just got here?" Ryuji asked.

"She's been here all day, according to Boss." Ren corrected.

"…Oh shit! The trains!" Ryuji then stood up, grabbed his stuff, and began to bolt. "I gotta go!"

Haru blinked as Ryuji darted past her so quickly. But she then turned to the others and presented a slight smile…but there was a twinge of sadness in it too. "Thank you all for today. I had a lot of fun." With that, Haru made her exit.

"We should probably get going as well." Makoto grabbed her bag. "Today was a fun distraction."

"Get your rest in everyone. We're gonna go in tomorrow." Ren told the others. "The sooner we deal with this, the better."

"Right." Ann, Hifumi, Yusuke, Morgana, and Makoto all nodded in unison.

Haru stopped at the bottom of the stairs. She overheard that part of the conversation, but she didn't quite understand it. So she shrugged it off and went home….

.

.

Hifumi and Ann rode the same train together, at least to Shibuya. In the meantime, they could take the chance to talk. Ann did have one question on her mind… "So…hey. How was it working with…Mika?"

"Mika?" Hifumi tilted her head. "Um. Do you want me to be honest, or do you want me to lie about it first?"

"Lie." Ann said immediately.

Hifumi took a deep breath. "Well, she was the worst! Totally uncooperative and absolutely tried to boss me around. I don't know how anyone could work with her."

Ann almost felt good about that. But then she remembered that this was Hifumi lying about it. Great. "…So she was nice to you?"

"…Very." Hifumi rubbed the back of her neck. "She was very pleasant…and showed me a few things that helped with the shoot. Even if I cannot agree with her method of doing things, such as lying, I can't say she isn't good at what she does. From a professional standpoint…she did help a lot."

"I see…" Ann glanced elsewhere. It did make the wound sting a bit more. Mika kicking her out from helping Hifumi was probably for the best…but Ann soon shook that thought aside. "I'm not gonna lose to her."

"Huh?" Hifumi blinked.

"I did see the cover." Ann told Hifumi. "You did look really cute. When we got there, you really didn't look like you wanted to do it. But I can see that Mika managed to help you smile a bit more genuinely, which is why it came out so nice. You have a good smile."

"She said the same thing…" Hifumi couldn't help but blush hearing it from Ann. "No doubt Mother will try to arrange another shoot if she can."

That's when Ann stood up from her seat. "Then I will be sure not to lose again!"

"W-Wha…?" The sudden conviction Ann had threw Hifumi off. Green eyes peered curiously to her friend and that declaration.

"Mika and your mom don't think I'm capable to stand by your side like that. But they have another thing coming!" Ann stated, a comical fire burning in her eyes. It was pretty hard to talk her out of…whatever she had in mind now.

Hifumi just stared at Ann. A soft smile spread on her lips and she just let out a soft laugh. "I think you're more than capable of standing next to me…" However, she did not have the confidence to say that too loud.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Ann turned, but that's when the train got a little bumpy. So she ended up falling back into her seat. "Ack-!" She was fine. It was just a sudden fall.

"…You should be more mindful…" Hifumi puffed her cheeks out and sighed.

.

.

August 3rd.

Futaba sat in her room as usual. She was scrolling through her phone when she noticed a strange app that appeared on the home screen. So naturally she went to check it out. "An eyeball…? What's this? When did it get on here?" And right when she pressed it, Shadow Futaba appeared before her. "Whoa…!? Who are you!?"

"I am the other you." Shadow Futaba responded calmly.

"I-Is this some kinda hallucination? It's different from before…" Futaba wasn't really sure who she was talking to with that statement.

"How long will you continue blaming yourself and shutting yourself away from the world?" Shadow Futaba questioned.

"Blaming myself for what…?" Futaba didn't want an answer to that question.

"For your mother's death." Futaba's Shadow self responded. Futaba looked away. "Why did you choose to rely on the Phantom Thieves?"

"The truth…" She mumbled.

"Are you simply going to shut yourself in and do nothing? Are you going to avert your eyes from the true answer?" Shadow Futaba asked. But she got no response. That answer only forced her into one option. "If so…I will kill them in your world." She vanished after that, leaving Futaba alone with her thoughts.

"What should I do…?" Futaba was at a loss…and then there was a knock on her door.

"Hello, Futaba? You're there, aren't you?" Makoto asked. "Please answer us."

"I'm so sorry for breaking into your house a third time…" Hifumi was having a crisis over this. She really hoped they wouldn't have to do this anymore than they already have. "Also…I think she'll only respond to Alibaba…"

"She's right." Morgana said.

"We know you're there. It doesn't matter if it's through chat messages, just answer us." Makoto tried again.

Ren's phone buzzed and he picked it up.

Alibaba: You should've told me you were coming.

"In order to steal your heart, we need you to open this door." Makoto explained.

Alibaba: I'm not mentally prepared!

"…That's the first time she's used an exclamation point with us." Ann pointed out.

"We need you to open this door. We're trying to change your heart but you're the one resisting us. The other you wants this, too." Makoto explained.

Alibaba: The other me? Give me some time.

"You've got 10 seconds." Makoto said.

Alibaba: That's too short! At least a minute, please!"

"You should take this offer. She might cut your time in half." Yusuke said.

"What if Boss comes home…!?" Hifumi panicked.

"We'll kick down the door if we must." Makoto was really calm about this.

"She has to be the one to invite us in, right?" Ryuji asked.

"Nothing would change if we forced our way in, I don't think." Ren said.

A minute passed and Makoto knocked on the door. "Time's up, Alibaba. Please open the door." There was a tense silence in the air for a few seconds before the door slowly creaked open. With the silent invitation extended, the group stepped inside and were flabbergasted at how messy her room was.

"She keeps herself cooped up in this all the time…?" Ann couldn't imagine.

"But where is she?" Yusuke glanced around before hearing something shuffle in the closet behind him. "The closet?"

"Great…" Morgana sighed. "Even if we went in now, we still wouldn't be able to get the Treasure. I bet a fence or something formed around it right now…"

"T-This makes no sense! Explain yourselves!" Futaba exclaimed from the closet.

"We needed to change your cognition. We cannot steal your heart without doing that first." Hifumi explained.

"I doubt she would understand even if we explained it." Yusuke sighed. It was a bizarre situation to explain from the beginning.

"So basically my cognition is being a hindrance, keeping you away from the core of my cognitive world?" Futaba summarized the situation.

"…She understood it?" Ann blinked.

"Why do you know about that? Who are you?" Makoto asked. This was the first time someone actually knew about this. Futaba, of course, did not respond to the question.

"Why did you call yourself Alibaba and make things more complicated…?" Ryuji asked.

"Cuz…I was…..barss…" Futaba mumbled.

"…Huh?" Ren asked.

"Cuz I was embarrassed!" Futaba admitted.

"I get it. Asking someone for help isn't easy…" Ann sighed. The conversation continued, though it didn't look like Futaba was any closer to getting out of the closet. Ann eventually had to turn up the heat a little, if only to ask Futaba for the truth nobody could understand. The Wakaba in Futaba's heart was annoyed with Futaba for doing anything, but the way Sojiro described Wakaba was the complete opposite. Ann doubted that Futaba killed her mother…and Hifumi did as well. Eventually Ann backed down since Futaba's distorted heart blocked her memories… "I'm sorry, it's just…I went through a lot myself and…"

Suddenly, Futaba burst through the closet, opening her arms and making herself vulnerable. "There! Now steal it!"

"Uh…" Everyone just stared and blinked.

"Um…I'm sorry to break this to you, but…" Hifumi rubbed her arm. "We don't…steal hearts like that. We just…needed you to open the door and show yourself to us. Sorry if you assumed otherwise."

Ah. Well. This was awkward. Futaba slumped over, head hung over, and walked backwards into the closet, closing it in front of her.

"She went back in…!" Ryuji gasped.

"I know there's another world based on cognition, but I don't know how to get there. Can you guys go there? You said you saw my heart earlier…" Futaba mumbled.

"That's right. We use a smartphone app." Makoto said. "By entering the required information, we can go to the cognitive world." And this was followed up by Ryuji explaining the location of Futaba's Palace specifically. Makoto then had to ask a question, just to cover her bases. "You don't…have this app either, do you?"

"…I don't." Futaba replied.

"…!" Hifumi had a near immediate reaction. She had to bite her tongue to prevent from saying anything. "She has it…!? Ah…but I can't say anything…it's taken so much for her to talk to us. If I expose her lie…what am I supposed to do…?"

Ann glanced at Hifumi. She could see the conflict written all over her face: Futaba just lied. "…."

"Can you take me with you?" Futaba asked.

"No." Ren shook his head. "Too dangerous. Just leave it to us."

Futaba should've known. Oh well. "Okay…"

"Oh, and don't forget to read this. It's the calling card you gave us." Ryuji slid the calling card under the closet doors. "We can't steal your heart without it! And don't forget your part of our deal, okay?" With that, he and the others left.

Futaba waited a few seconds before opening the door. The coast was clear so she read the calling card aloud to herself. "Futaba Sakura has committed a great sin of drowning in sloth. Thus we will rob every last bit of those distorted desires.

"No…I'm going to die…" Shadow Futaba refused….

Morgana suddenly hopped up. He had to confirm that Futaba read the card, and now that she did, the operation could truly start. "Good."

"EEK!" Futaba squealed and fell over. She could do nothing as Morgana scurried out of her room. This was the second time this cat invaded her space! "Kitty! You again!?" How annoying! But…well…she was truly alone this time, so…she went back to her chair and pulled out her phone. Ryuji told her everything she needed to enter her cognitive world, so…

.

.

The plan worked. The gate inside Futaba's Palace opened and allowed entry, granting the Thieves the chance to steal the Treasure. They had to go through some uncharted territory, but it was worth it to reach the Pharoah's Tomb. It was dark and gloomy… "The hell, this ain't what I was imagin'…" Skull moaned.

"Were you expecting a mountain of treasure or something of that sort?" Fox asked.

"I think that's just you." Dragon remarked.

"There is that over there." Panther pointed at the tomb.

"T-Treasure…" Mona waltzed over to it happily.

"Be careful…!" Queen warned.

"Wait!" Dragon held her hand out. "…I sense something."

"Me too…" Joker glanced around. Something wasn't right. And soon enough…the ceiling was broken apart, a gigantic eye with a lens over it peering into the tomb.

"FUTABAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The shrill voice of this beast echoed out, tearing apart the top of the pyramid with its bare claws. This sphinx was revealed to be…Wakaba Isshiki, Futaba's own mother.

"I-Is that a Shadow?!" Queen asked, but she soon realized that it wasn't. "No…this is…!" Cognitive Wakaba flapped her wings violently, creating a powerful gust of wind that was forcing the Phantom Thieves backwards.

"I-It's a cognition!" Mona exclaimed, holding onto the ground for dear life. As the lightest one present, that wind could easily blow him back. "A monster that Futaba's cognition created!"

"T-This is far worse than how my mother sees me…" Dragon had her arms shielding her face. "This means…this is how Futaba's cognition sees her mother!?"

"This is insane!" Panther gasped.

"But how…!?" Queen hardly had the chance to ask that question.

"HEY LOOK OUT!" Skull screamed.

Queen didn't even have the time to move. Joker leapt forward, grabbing Queen and tackling her to the ground as a piece of debris fell directly onto where she was standing. "Ah…!"

"Here it comes!" Fox warned.

Cognitive Wakaba let out a shrill roar, flying around the top of the pyramid. "Do not approach the Pharaoh's Tomb! Misfortunate awaits you!"

"This positioning is bad for us…" Dragon grunted. "We've barely got any ground to stand on, while that….thing has free reign of the sky. How will we reach it from here?" In short, they could not attack it directly. Even their Personas had limited range.

"Shoot it down!" Mona shouted. He pulled out his slingshot, firing off a few shots at Cognitive Wakaba, but it didn't look like he even did any damage. "Did that not hurt it?" Cognitive Wakaba didn't take too kindly to that, however. So she flew up, then flew down, aiming to slam her paw down on the pyramid to strike.

"WATCH OUT!" Mona yelled and everyone dove to the side. Even if that wasn't a direct hit, the sheer force of the impact knocked everyone off their feet.

"DDIIIIIIE!" Cognitive Wakaba flapped her wings, creating a potent whirlwind that knocked Skull and Joker down. Joker was still using Naga and it was weak to wind, so he also suffered from the same weakness Skull did.

"GAH!" The two cried out as they were thrown back, stunned from the impact. Seeing this opening, Cognitive Wakaba moved to slam her paw down on the both of them.

"Skull, Joker!" Dragon had to work fast and make use of the new move she wanted to try. "Aegis!" She leapt in front of Skull and Joker, half of her mask burning off as she called upon Belle Star. The knight appeared in front of Dragon, using her shield to defend against the attack. She grimaced from the impact, signifying she sustained some damage, but not nearly as much as normal.

"Carmen!" Panther summoned Carmen just before Cognitive Wakaba could pull back from Dragon's shield. Carmen pointed her hands forward, releasing a continuous wave of fire at the Sphinx's side. The burns made Cognitive Wakaba roar and fly backwards. "Are you okay, Dragon!?"

"Fine..!" Dragon gave let out a heavy breath. "I reduced the damage sustained, so I can keep fighting!"

Fox pointed his gun at Cognitive Wakaba, shooting at her alone with Queen. Their bullets were landing, but it was difficult to discern how much damage they were doing. "It's too far away!" Fox said.

"It's hard to get a shot in from this far away." Queen grunted. They weren't making any progress in this fight.

Joker and Skull got back up, looking at each other. They were both pretty annoyed at the dirt they had to eat a few seconds ago. "Let's go, Skull."

"On it!" Skull nodded. "Seitan Taisei!" Skull called forth his Persona and began charging lightning with its staff.

"Naga!" Joker called forth Naga once more, allowing his Persona to throw its spear at Cognitive Wakaba. The spear embedded itself within the Sphinx's left leg, causing her to growl in pain. It wasn't over yet, because that's when Skull released his Zionga on the spear, causing it to explode.

"EAT THIS!" Skull yelled as the spear exploded. Now that one seemed to do some damage!

"GRAAAAH!" Cognitive Wakaba did not take very kindly to this. So in response she just…..flew high up into the sky, way out of sight.

"What the…?! Where'd she go!?" Mona's eyes widened.

"When is she coming down!?" Skull asked.

Mona was watching the sky above them, but…he couldn't tell. This was bad. "…I…I don't know…"

"You don't know!? But you gotta tell us, Mona!" Skull exclaimed.

"…" Mona hated feeling this useless. The one time they actually needed him and he couldn't even predict the enemy's timing!? This was bad. "I can't help it! There are some things that even I can't do!"

"INCOMING!" Fox yelled. Cognitive Wakaba was diving down fast, crashing down atop the pyramid. The Thieves could only barely defend against this attack, but it still sent them flying in opposite directions from the sheer momentum the beast had behind her. They all let out cries of pain in the process, barely able to stand after such an impact.

"W-What the hell…we ain't doing shit to it…" Skull panted.

"This is bad…if this continues, I fear we will be put into checkmate soon…" Dragon winced. But she didn't have any ideas. Cognitive Wakaba just had too much freedom in the air and they had no means of combating that. "If we could aim for the wings…or just wind her for even a few seconds…"

That line of questioning had to wait. Little did the Phantom Thieves know that Futaba trailed them into her own Palace, something thought to be impossible. While they were fighting Cognitive Wakaba, Shadow Futaba made Futaba revisit the memories of her mother to seek the truth. "You guys…?" Futaba asked.

"Futaba!?" Queen couldn't believe this. "You came into your own cognitive world…!?"

"I didn't think she could do that…" Dragon's eyes went wide. If something bad happened to Futaba, would that be on her for not saying anything about it earlier…?

"The person themselves coming into their own Palace? If that happens…" Mona started. But he had no chance to finish as Cognitive Wakaba screamed.

This was the first time Futaba saw this beast. "That's…" But she stopped, falling to her knees as numerous voices yelled at her. Just like before, they were yelling at how she was the one who killed Wakaba. "No…I…"

"YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A DEMON WHO STOOD IN MY WAY! I WISH YOU HAD NEVER BEEN BORN!" Cognitive Wakaba screamed at Futaba. "THAT WAY I COULD'VE ANNOUNCED MY RESULTS WITHOUT HAVING TO WASTE TIME ON YOU! I PUT MY HEART AND SOUL INTO THAT RESEARCH! IT WOULD'VE BEEN THE DISCOVERY OF THE CENTURY! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE! THERE IS NO MEANING TO YOUR LIFE! NO ONE NEEDS YOU!"

Futaba believed those words…hearing them from the voice of her own mother… "Nobody cares about me…"

This just infuriated Dragon. She also noticed that Cognitive Wakaba stopped moving. "You shut your mouth!" Belle Star was summoned, swinging her sword at Cognitive Wakaba's chest. "Ultimate Excalibur Attack!" It was a direct hit, but Cognitive Wakaba was also holding fast. So at best, Dragon was just buying time. This cognitive being was not going to sit around all day and do nothing when it could kill Futaba. "Ngh…!"

"Dragon…!" Panther gasped, but the intensity of the stalemate was so fierce she couldn't send out Carmen to aid her friend.

"Hey, we're in deep shit if this keeps up!" Skull pointed out.

"What are we to do?! We cannot get closer!" Fox said.

The vision Futaba had was different from everyone else's. Even though Queen was attempting to comfort her with touch, all she could see were various versions of her mother was clawing towards her violently, screaming at her. It was a lot to bear, on top of the guilt of thinking she killed her mom…the guilt of the adults blaming her for her mother's dead, the suicide note… "Ngh…"

"All of these factors gave birth to Futaba's Palace, a place where her mother wants her dead…?" Queen was trying to understand.

"Look, Futaba-chan! There's no way that monster is your mother! It's just an illusion you created!" Panther exclaimed. Even if she couldn't support Dragon physically, she did have Carmen use Tarunda. Lowering the sphinx's attacking power did give Dragon a bit more room to work with, allowing her to push back a little more and buy some time. But Dragon was clearly struggling to keep this up. It wouldn't be long now…

"B-But…" Futaba objected.

"You made your mother destroy all her research, Futaba-chan…"

"She worked so hard as well…she lost her mind, and it's all because of you…"

"It's your fault….!"

"I…It's not your fault…!" Dragon managed to speak. "I think…what those people told you…were all lies…! That's what I felt when I heard them speak…that they were lying to you!"

That's when Shadow Futaba appeared, standing in front of Futaba. "Futaba Sakura! Remember! Why did you think it was suicide?"

"B-Because of the note…" Futaba said.

"Exactly." Shadow Futaba said. "The men in black suits read her suicide note to you. And what was written on it?"

"All of her complaints…about me…" Futaba whimpered.

"That's right. They read that suicide note in front of all your relatives. Think hard. Would the mother you love so much say such horrid things about you?" Shadow Futaba asked.

"I…" Futaba had to pause for a moment. When Dragon said the note was a lie, it got her thinking. She thought back to all the portraits that her Shadow showed her…all those memories. They were painful, but there was one that stuck out to her: the last one. Futaba was complaining to her mother that she wanted to go on a trip. What she remembered was getting scolded and told no, but upon deeper reflection, it was more than that. Wakaba said she'd take her anywhere she wanted when she was done working. Right…her mother cared about her so much. Wakaba cared about her work, but she cared about her daughter just as much if not more. To finish that research as soon as she could so she could spend time with her child…that's what she remembered. Futaba stood up, narrowing her eyes. "No! She scolded me whenever I had tantrums, but she cared for me!"

"Then what about the suicide note?" Shadow Futaba asked.

"All lies!" Futaba shouted.

"You were used." Shadow Futaba said. "They forged her suicide note and laid the blame of her death upon you! They trampled upon your young heart for their own selfish ends! Get mad! Don't forgive those rotten adults!"

"It's because I couldn't face myself, or Mom's death….but why did they have to yell at me like that!?" Futaba yelled. She was only a child who lost her mother. Those men twisted the knife in mental wound so hard, they nearly destroyed her heart. But now? Now she was awake and could stand up.

"Futaba-chan!?" Panther said.

"I…I don't think I can hold out much longer…!" Dragon shouted. She was fighting a losing battle and getting pushed back.

"Hang in there…" Joker grunted. He really wasn't sure what he could do in this situation.

"Ah…!" Futaba felt a strange sensation in her head. She recoiled, gripping her head and started to thrash around.

"What denies you is an illusion. A curse put upon you by the heartless. You knew from the very beginning, and yet…you cowered in fear."

"N-ngh…that's right…I knew, but…" Futaba started.

"IT'S YOUR FAULT! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!" Cognitive Wakaba yelled, all but pushing Dragon back at this point.

"Will you die as you are told? Cursed words from a seething illusion, or the truth within your own soul…?"

"I won't let those distorted lies deceive me anymore! I won't be led astray by other's voices any longer. I'm going to trust my own eyes and my own heart to distinguish the truth from the lies. There's no way you're my mom! Just a fake created by those horrid adults! And I'll never…I'll NEVER FORGIVE THEM!" Futaba yelled.

"GAAH!" Just as Futaba exclaimed her resolve, Dragon was finally pushed back, letting out a cry of pain. But she didn't fly too far, because Panther was ready to catch her.

"Are you okay!?" Panther asked.

"Could be worse…" Dragon let out a small laugh.

Shadow Futaba floated up above Futaba, a bright light appearing around her as she transformed into a UFO. This UFO had tendrils emerge from the bottom, that wrapped around Futaba's limbs, pulling the stunned girl inside. Necronomicon awakened along with Futaba's powers. "Contract. I am thou, thou art I. The forbidden wisdom has been revealed. No mysteries, no illusions will deceive you any longer."

"Futaba!" Queen shouted.

"I'm okay…!" Futaba said. She was stunned; it felt like the power of the world was at her fingertips. Her outfit even changed in response to her awakening. But there was no time to revel in this new power, because there was something more important in front of them? "Can you help me? That's got to go." She said while glaring directly at Cognitive Wakaba.

"Heh…" Joker nodded and glanced around at the others. With Futaba's awakening, it looked like they were still feeling up to the task of taking this false nightmare down. The group took took to their fighting stances, staring down the foe in front of them. With Futaba at their side, the tide of battle was about to turn. "It's time for round 2!"