Outside the shack…
"Those two… seem like nice guys, don't they?" said Ryuji uncertainly to Akira, Morgana, Ann, Minato and Ken.
"Maybe the Madarame we heard from Nakanohara's Shadow in Mementos is another different person." said Ann as she briefly scratch her head.
"Really? What if there isn't another person with the same name, Takamaki-san?" said Ken.
"Amada-senpai's right because I don't think so, you two. It's impossible that there's another man named Madarame who's also a master of the Japanese fine arts like that Madarame living inside that shack with Kitagawa-kun." said Akira in agreement with Ken and firmly to them both.
"You're both right plus I sense that Madarame gave out a very suspicious feeling under that false nice attitude of his." said Minato.
"The three of you could be wrong about him, Akira, Minato-senpai and Ken-senpai." said Ryuji before he let out a small sigh. "Man, right when we thought we found a new target, too…"
"How's the Meta-Nav?" asked Morgana as he glance at Akira before he pull out his phone to glance at the app, same goes for both Ryuji and Ann and they had surprised looks on their faces while both Minato and Ken had "I knew it" looks on their faces when they saw Madarame's full name was already registered inside the opened app on their phones.
"Hey, the app…" said Ryuji with a surprised look on his face.
"Was it picking up our conversation…?" said Ann hesitantly to them.
"Most probably, Ann, Ryuji. But this clearly means that Madarame does have a Palace!" said Akira as he furrowed his brows.
"Since the Meta-Nav confirm that this Madarame has one means that he's a corrupted one like Kamoshida, the previous one whose heart that you all change and stole." said Pharos.
"Yeah, Pharos." said Minato in agreement with Pharos.
"But why!?" said Ann as she crossed her arms and had a disbelief look on her face.
"I'm sure we'll know why soon enough, Ann." said Akira.
"Madarame", "plagiarism"… and then "shack", huh? These seem to be the keywords." said Morgana.
"For real though, what the hell's goin' on!? Does an old man like him really have a Palace…!?" demanded Ryuji.
"We have the person's name, his wrongdoings and the location. All that's left is the "what" that Madarame mistakes this shack for to enter his Palace." said Morgana calmly to them.
"You mean… like how Kamoshida thought the school was his castle?" said Ann as she glance at Morgana.
"That's right. Let's try saying some things. They can be random guesses." suggested Morgana.
"It's a bit sudden, though…" muttered Ryuji as he briefly scratch his head a little.
"Why don't we start with "castle"?" said Ann.
"No candidate found." said the robotic female voice from the app.
"Then, what about "prison"?" said Ryuji.
"No candidate found."
"Exhibition"?" said Akira.
"No candidate found."
"Mansion?" said Minato.
"No candidate found."
"Hm, how amusing to see them trying to guess the right word for it." thought Ken with an amused look on his face.
"Ugh, what a pain!" groaned Ryuji. "Jail"! "Warehouse"! And "Guidance counselin' office"! Might as well add "Farm"!" Ryuji suggested one place after another but they all got rejected by the voice from the app, which make him slumped in disappointment.
"Can't believe that not one of those words fit the criteria of what Madarame think of the shack as." sighed Pharos.
"There's still a lot of words that we haven't try yet, Pharos." said Minato reassuringly to Pharos.
"Yeah, you're right, Minato." said Pharos in agreement with Minato.
"…Should we come back another time?" asked Morgana hesitantly to Akira.
"No, Morgana. We're not giving up yet." replied Akira firmly to Morgana.
"A building that's related to artists… If we think from there, what would it be…?" said Ann.
"Can you think of buildings that's related to artists, Akira?" said Ryuji as he glance at Akira.
"Hm… How about "Art school"?" suggested Akira.
"No candidate found."
"Art supply store"?"
"No candidate found."
"Art museum"?"
"Candidate found. Beginning navigation." said the voice before Akira and his friends saw and felt the atmosphere around them started to turned purple and warped a little, which surprises them.
"Good job, Akira. You got the right candidate word for it." said Minato as he smiled at Akira for guessing the right word.
"Finally and congratulation, Kurusu-kun." said Ken as he briefly clapped his hands.
"Yeah, he did good." said Pharos, smiling as well.
"Beginning navigation…" Whoa, really!?" exclaimed Ryuji before they got transported from the real world into the Metaverse world, their uniforms immediately change into their thieves outfits (while Ken's uniform stay the same as he look around the place with a disbelief look on his face) and they found themselves standing in the parking lot in front of a large shiny, golden museum building with some skylights shining up into the night sky and with large gold and red words saying "The museum of Madarame's artworks" hanging on the museum wall next to the museum.
"Whoa, what a gaudy-looking museum building." thought Ken as he scowled in disgust at the large shiny, museum building.
"Hey, when did you activate the Nav!? You surprised me!" yell Mona in surprise to them.
"Didn't have much of a choice. I think we just happened to get it right." said Skull as he glance at Mona and shrugged his shoulders.
"What if I haven't noticed, and then wandered off and got caught by an enemy!?" argued Mona as he bristled in anger at Skull.
"You prolly woulda figured it out once you started walkin' on two legs." said Skull, rolling his eyes.
"Grrr…" growled Mona as he crossed his arms and look away from Skull.
"So even you can slip into the Metaverse without realizing it, Mona?" asked Panther.
"Yup, in a place with minimal cognitive distortion, the differences can be subtle." Mona answer and explain to Panther.
"Forget that… Look, everyone!" said Skull as he raised his hand and pointed a finger at the large museum building in front of them. "That shack is seriously some kinda museum!?"
"Looks like it to Madarame, Skull." said Seraph as he scowled in disgust at the large, shining museum building before he noticed that Ken is also staring at the building as well before he walked toward and snap Ken out of it. "Ken, get ahold of yourself." added Seraph a bit sternly to Ken (who glance and nodded to Minato).
"Oh god, this building is so gaudy and shiny that it burns my eyes." thought Joker sarcastically in his mind at the museum.
"Let's go check it out!" suggested Panther to Joker, Skull, Mona, Seraph and Ken and they all nodded to her before they make their way toward the museum only to stopped in their tracks when they saw a large and long line of "people" standing and waiting outside the entrance of the museum in anticipation to went in.
"It's so extravagant… to the point that it's gaudy." said Panther as she crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "It's a museum… right?"
"Obviously, Panther." said Joker in an "isn't it obvious" tone of voice to Panther.
"Humph, what a good liar and actor that Madarame is, telling the reporters and cameramen of him distancing himself from worldly desires like money and fame back in the exhibition. All lies." thought Seraph in annoyance in his mind.
"This is Madarame's?" asked Skull in confusion to Mona.
"Obviously, Sakamoto-kun." said Ken as he scowled at Ryuji (who also scowled back at him).
"A Palace is a scenery driven by desires, just like how Kamoshida's Palace is a castle." Mona answer and explain to Skull.
"Madarame's artwork is on display at museums in reality too, though." Panther pointed out to them. "His exhibit was popular, and people already respect him. Why would he fantasize about a museum?"
"You got a point… It ain't related to plagiarism and abuse too." said Skull as he nodded in agreement to Panther.
"Let's try looking around. Racking our brains here won't do us any good." suggested Mona.
"Right. That aside… Ain't a museum a must for phantom thieves!?" said Ryuji enthusiastically to them.
"Most definitely. But we must also look out for traps too." said Joker excitedly then cautiously to his teammates and with a smirk on his face.
"Now that's our Joker, being daring yet careful at the same time. I feel the same too." said Mona.
"Yeah, he sure is. So different from Minato-san when he used to be our leader…" thought Ken nostalgically in his mind about their past.
"But man, just look at that insane crowd…Are we going to have to wait in that gigantic line with those people?" said Skull as he glance at the large crowd of "people".
"Don't be stupid. We're not going in the front entrance." retorted Mona as he scowled at Skull.
"But there's a high wall around the building…" said Panther with a frown look on her face.
"That could be a problem. How are we going to get in the museum?" said Seraph.
"How indeed. Any ideas from you all?" said Ken.
"We'll just have to find our way up and over it then. In any case, let's get going!" replied Mona.
Joker and his teammates then run through the parking lot, climbed and jumped up onto a truck that's conveniently parked next to the wall before they jumped over the wall and landed inside a side garden that had a fountain in the middle of it (and Joker uses his "Third Eye" skill to find and break hidden treasures and obtained "Sooty Kettles", "Crappy Portrait" and "Plastic Frame" standing in different corners of the garden), run across the garden, climbed onto and jumped over one short pillar after another until they jumped onto a tall narrow path, run down the path toward the walls and they climbed and jumped their way up the walls (while the shadows dressed as security guards patrolling around outside the museum didn't noticed them) and they reached onto the roof of a small side room, which had some AC units on it and a long triangular-shaped skylight in the middle of it with one of it's windows open.
"Ooh! The skylight's open! I think we can get in here." said Skull enthusiastically to them as he approach and open the window wider and glance down at the room below.
"But it's a pretty far drop… Will we be able to get back out this way?" said Panther worriedly to them.
"Hehe, don't worry… I've a rope! I'm our tool specialist, after all!" said Mona confidently to Panther as he pull out a bundle of rope from somewhere inside his outfit behind him.
"Not bad for the essense of humanity's hope to come prepare with something that can help us." thought Seraph approvingly in his mind at Mona.
"So, what's your call, Joker? Want to head inside?" asked Mona as he glance at Joker.
"Pretty good of you to bring a rope, Mona. Well then, let's do this." replied Joker as he nodded to Mona before he took the rope from him, tie the rope tightly around the leg of an AC unit before he threw the other through the open skylight and onto the top of a balcony wall and Joker and his teammates climbed their way through the open skylight, landed on the balcony wall before they jumped and landed safely on the floor of the room, stood up to look around and saw that the room only had three long, bright green-coloured couches in the middle of the room and several wavering paintings of young guys and girls hanging on the walls with sealed-up doors between them.
"…It's quiet. Almost too quiet." said Mona somberly to them.
"Yeah, you're right, Mona. Also there's no sign of any guards inside the museum too." said Seraph suspiciously to Mona.
"Maybe they went somewhere else in the museum or something, Minato-san?" said Ken.
"Maybe, Ken." said Minato.
"H-Hey… This… It's moving…" said Panther as she glance in surprise at one of the wavering paintings.
"C'mon, we're in a Palace. That ain't anything to be freakin' out over." said Skull as he rolled his eyes at Panther.
"Hmm, the Palace reflects it's ruler's heart… we may want to check these paintings out." said Mona.
"Alright. Everyone, let's spread out and check each of these paintings and then we regroup to discuss what's wrong with these paintings." said Joker to his teammates before they split up to see and check each of the paintings, including himself. After a few seconds, they regroup to discuss the paintings and found out that each of the paintings had the names and ages of people written on it instead of titles. Joker and his teammates then move on to the next larger room, look around and saw that there's more wavering paintings of young guys and girls before they check them out and saw more names and ages written on them too then they move on to another, smaller room and they stopped in their tracks to discuss more about it.
"Hey, this doesn't make any sense… Madarame's famous for having a variety of art styles… But all the portraits on display here all look the same… This is way different from what was at the-" said Panther confusingly to them before she got cut off by Skull.
"Wait a sec!" exclaimed Skull in surprise to them before he suddenly rushed forward, stopped and glance at a distorted painting of a familiar-looking business man. "Ain't this that guy we saw and fought in Mementos…? Y'know, the one who was shit-talkin' Madarame…" said Skull.
"Hey, you're right, Skull. This is a painting of him." said Seraph as he nodded to Skull.
"Natsuhiko Nakanohara. His name's written on it." said Mona as he glance at the name on the painting.
"So this Natsuhiko Nakanohara is in here as a painting, huh? Talk about irony." thought Ken in amusement in his mind.
"Dude, I don't get it! Why's there a paintin' of him in here too!? And more important, why's his name written under it?" said Skull confusingly to them.
"You're right… Doesn't art usually have like, the title of the piece or the artist's name?" added Panther uncomfortably.
"I think I know why, everyone. I think… that each of the portraits of these guys and girls are former pupils of Madarame's." said Joker grimly to them.
"Are you for real!?" said Skull in shock at Joker.
"Oh, be quiet and let him finish, Skull." sighed Seraph as he scowled at Ryuji.
"Think about it, Skull! Nakanohara-san's portrait is here and he told us that he used to be a former pupil of Madarame. Isn't that answer enough that the rest of these paintings of guys and girls here are his pupils too?" explained Joker as he hold out and gestured his arms at the paintings around them.
"He's right, Skull. I agreed with him." said Seraph in agreement with Joker.
"But if what he said is true, then does that mean that Kitagawa-kun's portrait's here with them too?" said Panther. "
"Only one way to find out, Panther. Let's keep looking." said Joker to Panther before they turned around and Joker used and launch the grappling hook device on his wrist past the dozens ofred lasers toward the other end of the room, stopped and glance at the final painting hanging on the wall, which turns out to be a painting of Yusuke.
"On my god, you're right, Joker. It's a painting of Kitagawa-kun." said Panther in a shock tone of voice to Joker.
"It says "Yusuke Kitagawa". There's no mistaking it." said Mona grimly to them.
"But still, when we went over to the shack just before we entered this place, we saw only Yusuke and Madarame there. We didn't see any other pupils of Madarame with them." Skull pointed out.
"They must have left or been thrown out by Madarame himself until Kitagawa-kun is the only pupil left." said Joker, feeling sad for the pupils then angry at Madarame.
"Taking into account what that Nakanohara guy said to us in Mementos earlier, things are getting clearer." said Mona as he frown and crossed his arms. "All right, let's keep investigating. We need something to further confirm our deductions, Joker." added Mona to them and they all nodded to him before they walked out of the small room and into a waiting room (which had a crescent-shaped information table with small computers and telephones on it, two flat-screen TV hanging on the wall behind the desk, a brochure rack with dozens of brochures in it standing in front of the desk (which make Joker approach and take one of the shiny brochure out of the rack that turns out to be half of the map of the museum), several blue, yellow and green-coloured couches, two shiny, sealed up treasure chests on two tables next to two staircases, one which leads to the small room that they just came out from while the other one leads up to another floor).
Joker and his teammates then make their way toward the 2 treasure chests, opened them and obtained "Protect Mask", "Training Whip", "Pearl" and "Snuff Soul" items before they turned and went through the door into a circular-shaped room behind the waiting room, saw and approach a giant, golden swirling sculpture of several young guys and girls raising and holding their arms up at Madarame standing above and on their hands (while dozens of banners with Madarame's name written on them hanging on the ceiling and swaying back and forth around the sculpture).
"Hm… Look at this, guys." said Mona as he glance and gestured at the sculpture to them.
"The Infinite Spring"?" said Panther as she read out the title words on the plague below the sculpture to them before she decided to read out the summary words below the title. "A conglomerate work of art that the great director Madarame created with his own funds. These individuals must offer their ideas to the director for the rest of their lives. Those who cannot do so have no worth living!" finished Panther with an angry look on her face before she glance at the others. "Hey… This is most likely about the plagiarism, right…?" said Panther.
"Definitely. This sculpture proves it." said Seraph as he glared at the sculpture. "That goddamn geezer! How dare he think and do something like this to his poor pupils and also to mine and Minako's brother and Naoto's cousin too!" thought Seraph angrily in his mind at what Madarame did to Yusuke.
"Dammit, what a phony geezer!" snapped Skull as he stomped his foot.
"In other words, his pupils are his property. He doesn't even quality as an artist if this is true. He's stealing the ideas from talented students in exchange for securing their livelihood." said Mona.
"How terrible of him." said Ken with a dark and s
"How unforgivable! Another corrupted adult like that Kamoshida!" thought Joker angrily in his mind about Madarame as well.
"About those portraits of people that you assumed correctly are pupils of Madarame, Joker… They must be his cognition of them." said Mona as he turned around and glance at Joker. "Plus, the words on this plague even says that they have no worth. Couldn't this be about the abuse? Madarame will keep them around as long as they're useful to him, but the moment they're not…" added Mona before he trailed off into silence.
"He's treating them like slaves or tools!" said Panther as she shook her head.
"Why's Yusuke keepin' quiet about this! He's got no reason to cover this up!" snapped Skull quite loudly and angrily about Yusuke.
"Maybe he can't. He did say that he owes Madarame his life for being taken in and he also said that he's far from his only family…" said Panther sullenly to Skull before she glance sadly at Seraph.
"But still…!" protested Skull.
"Calm down, Skull." said Seraph calmly to Skull.
"Don't you tell me to calm down like you, Seraph! Aren't you mad at the old geezer for using Yusuke like this?" snapped Skull as he scowled at Seraph.
"Of course I'm angry at him, Skull. But now's not the time for it." said Seraph coldly at Skull (which make him fell silent).
"When Seraph and I were at the exhibit with him, I praised one of the pieces on display. But… Kitagawa-kun acted strange. Maybe that piece was plagiarized too…" said Panther before she trailed off into silence.
"What's the call, leader!? Ain't this enough for us to target Madarame!?" demanded Skull as he glance at Joker.
"Yeah, let's do this, Skull." said Joker as he nodded resolutely to Skull, who grinned widely at what he said.
"Hold on, you two. We should confirm these facts with Yusuke first." interjected Mona.
"Yeah, I agreed with Mona." said Panther.
"Confirm what though!?" snapped Skull in annoyance at both Mona and Panther.
"It means we should get solid evidence that such crimes actually took place." explained Mona as he glared at Skull.
"What a pain in the ass…" said Skull as he slumped his shoulders.
"Besides, there's too much we don't know about Madarame yet." added Mona sympathetically to Skull.
"…Mm, you're right. I'll try contacting Kitagawa-kun and if he doesn't answer then I don't see why the girls shouldn't either. Seraph and I might be able to get the truth out of him if I accept his modelling offer or Seraph can talk to him since they're brothers. Right, Seraph?" asked Panther before she glance at Seraph.
"Yeah, Panther." replied Seraph as he nodded to Panther.
"Wait, you are gonna do that!?" sputtered Mona as he glance in shock at Panther.
"You two are not going alone, of course. We'll be coming with you, Seraph and pu." said Joker.
"Sure, Joker." said Seraph as he glance and nodded to Joker.
"A famous, renowned artist, huh? This might be tougher than Kamoshida." said Skull as he briefly scratch the left side of his head. "Well, we'll just prep ourselves until we get confirmation from Yusuke. This is our first mission as real Phantom Thieves! We're gonna succeed no matter what!" added Skull excitedly to them.
Joker, Mona, Panther and Seraph nodded in unison to Skull (while Ken watched them in silence) before all of them turned around and leave the Palace.