Begin!
~Normal POV
11/22 - Tuesday
For Akira, it felt weird to not have to go to school the next day. Instead of wearing his uniform, he wore a grey hoodie under his personal blazer; with jeans. When he was to go out, he would wear the hood up to hide his face. Sure, there were no pictures released of his appearance in the news report but cops would definitely know if he wasn't careful. They had taken mugshots of him when he was arrested, after all.
But with him being "dead" there were things he could do now in relative privacy. Christmas was coming up, so he made plans with Morgana to take a trip to Mementos soon. He texted Ryuji and Yusuke individually to tell them about this; the four of them together would rack up cash easily from the Shadows. He needed to buy gifts for everyone, after all. Plus, he had a feeling Ryuji would appreciate the extra help. Whatever he'd like to give Haru for Christmas was likely something out of his current budget. Akira was more than happy to help his friend out. Yusuke would appreciate the help too; money was just not his area of expertise. Akira silently reminded himself to enlist Sojiro's help with hiding Morgana's gift. (Since the cat went everywhere with him, it'd be difficult to hide the purchase. Thankfully, it would come in the mail instead.)
But those plans would have to wait for another day, perhaps after they destroyed Shido's Palace. He had other things to take care of before that time, but if they were quick they could at least secure the infiltration route in no time at all. This calling card would have to be special, they couldn't just send it immediately the next day. No, Akira would make sure everything was taken care of first before that happened. It'd make Shido all the more shocked by it the later it happened after all…
At the moment, all Akira could think about was what the last keyword for the Palace was.
The team met up outside the Diet Building in the business district immediately after school. There were guards standing outside vigilantly, and the whole place looked bleak and drab like the courthouse.
"Ah, the most revolting building in the country…" Akira muttered, staring at it in disgust.
"You can practically feel the distortion out here already," Ryuji said, crossing his arms in a huff.
"Any ideas what the distortion is," Ann asked.
Akira pulled out his phone and opened the Nav. "Let's find out; it says this is our entry point… Suggestions?"
"Uh, what about Mount Fuji? Since it's the tallest place in the country," Ryuji said.
"No candidate found."
"Hm… A mansion?" Ann suggested.
"No candidate found."
"This might be a bit cynical but if he's going to subjugate everyone as prime minister, then perhaps a school?" Haru said.
"No candidate found."
"What about an arena? Like the Colosseum?" Yusuke added.
"No candidate found."
"Imperial palace?" Futaba said, "You know, cause, he's an evil overlord?"
"No candidate found."
Everyone groaned in unison. This was getting nowhere at all.
"He stole the cognitive research, right?" Ryuji said, thoughtfully. "So, you think he knows how to put up a barrier or something?"
"Who knows…" Morgana said, his ears drooping.
Akira sighed. "We should get out of here. Standing around too long is just making the guards suspicious. Tomorrow is a day off, we'll try to figure out the last word at LeBlanc."
~...
11/23 - Wednesday
They spent nearly an hour in the shop trying to guess the keyword. Sae even showed up to offer assistance but it was no good. Absolutely nothing they tried worked and their resolve was waning fast. Even Sojiro didn't know what the keyword might be, and he knew Shido the best out of any of them.
"Last one… diamond mine…" Haru said, tiredly.
"No candidate found." Collective groans sounded throughout the room.
"Fuck, I hate this bastard…" Akira muttered, rubbing his temples in frustration.
"How many did we miss so far…?" Ann grumbled.
"I stopped counting after 20…" Futaba said, resting her cheek in her palm.
"So you enter keywords into this app and that's how it works?" Sae asked. "How strange…"
"Yeah, but we stopped trying to figure it out…" Akira replied.
"Boss, can you turn on the tv, Shido might be on." Ryuji asked. Sojiro complied.
Instead of seeing Shido, Akechi was on the news doing another interview. He looked incredibly pleased with himself. Made sense. Most of the country was worshiping him as a hero at this point.
"The bastard detective…" Akira growled.
"I'll make him regret the day he met me…" Futaba said, glaring at the tv.
Nothing that Akechi was saying was anything they didn't know already. Sojiro was quick to turn off the tv; it didn't look like Shido had an interview planned for today. And just when they thought all hope was lost… They heard the sound of a campaign car outside.
Shido had come to speak at Yongen station.
Akira, Ryuji, and Haru had run out to the station immediately upon hearing his voice. If they got close enough to Shido they might get some more info on what he was like as a person. (Aside from what Akira already knew about him.)
This proved ineffective. Ryuji tried to get close under the guise of being a "citizen with comments," but the guards wouldn't let him. They were the same men who were with Shido when they met at the Wilton Hotel too. Shido himself looked the same as ever, and completely disinterested in what they had to say. Akira kept his fists clenched in disgust at the mere sight of him.
"Back off, kid." Shido commanded. "You don't want to know what happens when you cross me." He glanced at Akira momentarily. "...What are you looking at?" Akira didn't reply. "Hmph. This country is filled with clueless children… I worry for Japan's future."
Just as Akira expected, the guy didn't even fucking recognize him. That was a good thing really, but it was still awful. He was so evil he forgot the things he'd done to fuck up other people's lives. To him, it was nothing more than a mild inconvenience to get someone out of the way. Shido truly was the scum of the earth. Lower than scum even. This was a man who knew he was a monster and didn't care. Akira racked his brain again for anything that might help them find the last keyword.
What did he know about Shido?
"Incompetent fools like you just need to follow where I steer this country!"
Akira smirked to himself as they watched Shido's campaign car drive away.
"Akira-kun, what is it?" Haru asked.
"I got it." Akira answered, in satisfaction. "We go in first thing tomorrow."
Ryuji and Haru stared at him in confusion wondering how he could have possibly gotten a hint out of this encounter…
~...
While the team was set to meet up tomorrow for their true venture into the Palace, there was one other thing on Akira's mind this evening. He texted Ann to come to LeBlanc, without saying why. Ann agreed of course, wondering what he might have in store for them this time. When she arrived at the shop, it was already closed but the door was unlocked as usual. For some reason, the place smelled of fresh curry.
"Akira?"
He came out of the corner that housed the shop's kitchen. "Hey," He greeted, smiling brightly.
"Hey, what's going on?"
Akira pointed to one of the booths. He'd set up a couple candles on the table. "I promised you a candlelit dinner after the plan succeeded, remember?" He said, slyly.
Ann blushed, "I- I thought that was just part of your act!" She was grinning though, not hiding her enthusiasm very well.
Akira shrugged. "I thought it'd be nice to follow up on the offer… Sorry that we can't go somewhere nicer. I'll make it up to you once I don't have to pretend I'm dead anymore."
She giggled. "Well, I guess I don't mind…"
Akira set out coffee for the two of them, and plates of fresh curry. He'd made it himself using Sojiro's recipe. (Actually, it was Wakaba's. As Akira had guessed, she was the "old friend" Sojiro had mentioned helped in making the combination of coffee and curry work.) The two ate together comfortably.
"So we're going into the Palace tomorrow?"
"That's right," Akira answered.
"You really figured out his keyword? Why won't you tell us what it is?"
"I haven't figured it out entirely, but I remembered something Shido said when I was arrested that night. It'll help us get in there much faster."
"I still can't believe he was the one who got you arrested… Why didn't you tell us?"
Akira sighed. "I didn't know his name… I happened to hear the name Shido associated with him right before the festival. He was being interviewed on tv when I got home. And well… I thought he could wait, ya know? I figured if we were ever able to go after him, it'd be on our own terms. Not because he was actually involved in all this shit… I can't help wanting to know why Akechi would work with him so willingly…"
Ann shifted uncomfortably beside him. She hadn't gotten a chance to mention what happened between her and the detective yet. Maybe now was a good time to tell. If she didn't, it'd be terribly dishonest. Keeping it from him would make her feel worse in the end.
"Akira… there's something I have to tell you…"
He frowned. "What's wrong?"
"Um… while you were detained… I ran into Akechi…"
"He dared risk being in your presence knowing what he did?"
"Yeah… I guess he wasn't worried…" Her eyes got misty. "Oh, it was awful! I was doing a photoshoot and I heard the news say you died! And when I excused myself to try to calm down, he showed up saying he happened to be in Shibuya and saw the news too! And you know what he did!? He fucking hit on me! Right after I found out my boyfriend is fucking dead, he hit on me! It was all that fake concern bullshit! The kind that Kamoshida used to pull all the time!"
Akira pulled her into his arms. She snuggled into his warm hug. "I'm sorry that happened, Ann…"
"You couldn't have prevented it… I just got so mad… I almost punched him, but that would have only gotten me in trouble… I cussed him out instead…"
Akira kissed the top of her head. "How did he react?"
"I think I scared him… He never came looking for me again, that's for sure…"
He chuckled. "I bet you did. You can be very… ferocious."
Ann smiled a bit. "Oh, shut up…"
He pulled back from the hug and smirked at her. "Make me."
"Well, if you insist…" She kissed him. They kissed for a few moments before Ann suddenly pulled away. "Oh, right… one sec."
Akira watched as she reached up and pulled out her hair ties, letting her hair fall down her back in gorgeous platinum waves. He felt his breath catch in his throat, and his face got very hot… He always wondered what she looked like with her hair down but he never imagined it'd look this good…
"Ann…"
Ann fiddled with her hair some more; straightening it out and smiling sweetly at him. "What?"
"You… look amazing…"
"Thank you!" Ann said, giggling. "I thought you might appreciate this given the timing."
"I do appreciate it…" Akira ran his hand through her soft hair. There were no tangles or knots, Ann clearly took great care of her hair. She leaned into his touch happily; she loved it when he did this. They kissed again, deeper this time, pulling each other close.
"I love you, Akira…"
"I love you too, Ann…"
~...
11/24 - Thursday
Everyone met up outside the Diet Building again after school. Upon careful consideration, Akira chose to wear his school uniform for this task today. It made him stand out less overall, though he was careful to avoid any cops on his way, as a precaution.
"Alright, Akira, what do you think it's gonna be?" Ann asked.
Akira opened up the Nav. "I remember when I first met him, he kept going on about how people should just follow where he steers this country. So, let's try things relating to that."
"Steer… well a car would be too small," Makoto said.
"What about a plane?" Yusuke suggested.
"No candidate found."
"A blimp?" Ryuji said, shrugging. "I don't know there's not many options."
"What about a boat?" Futaba asked.
Akira stared down at the app thoughtfully. A boat didn't sound unreasonable but it was too small… Hm… He raised the phone to his lips and said, "Ship."
"Criteria full. Beginning navigation."
The team barely had time to celebrate the successful sound of the Nav activating before the hazy feeling of stepping into the Metaverse engulfed them.
~...
The inside of Masayoshi Shido's Palace was a shock. At first, all they saw was… the Diet Building. Unlike all their previous Palace's this one's building looked exactly identical… At least on the outside, it probably looked different inside, but they had no idea what the real building looked like anyway. The other shock to them was the fact that their clothes didn't change upon entry. Either Shido was so arrogant he didn't see them as a threat at all, or they'd simply get their thief attire upon actually going inside the building. The only other difference was that the gate around it was gone, along with any guards, even the stone steps leading up to it were the same. It was sunset here.
"You gotta be kidding… It's exactly the same…" Ryuji said, staring in shock.
But with Morgana being in bipedal form here, there was no doubt they were in the Metaverse…
"Ok… not what I was picturing in my head but if this is it, then it'll do…" Akira said, with confusion. "Oracle, you know what to do."
Futaba turned away from them and pulled out her laptop to begin hacking into this place but stopped suddenly when she looked up. Her jaw dropped at the sight.
"Uh… guys?"
"What's wrong, Oracle-" Akira turned to see what she was looking at… His jaw dropped too.
Everyone was looking now… And the sight they saw was absolutely horrifying. The Palace wasn't just the Diet Building: it was just sitting atop the deck area of a massive cruise ship. But that wasn't the worst part. It was what they saw around the ship that truly shook them. It was moving steadily through the open water, and all around them were half submerged buildings that resembled the ones they saw everyday in Shibuya. It looked as if he flooded the whole country just to ride his ship over the streets without a care. They'd never seen a Palace this massive… or nightmarish…
"I- I get it…" Haru said, "Even though this country may sink, he alone will survive… That's what his cognition is about…"
They had to agree with her on that. She was completely right…
"This is bullshit!" Ryuji shouted. "A country that children can be proud of, my ass! It's completely sunken in his head! If a guy like this stands above everyone, we are seriously fucked!"
"It's beyond ridiculous!" Ann said, grimacing in disgust at the scenery.
"And here I was thinking he was just the biggest asshole on the planet, but I was wrong… he's also completely fucking crazy…" Akira added. "We can't turn back now… we gotta stop this son of a bitch…"
"The same goes for Akechi. He should have seen this scenery as well… yet he still aided Shido." Yusuke said, frowning.
"What in the world was he thinking…" Makoto asked.
"Whether it be for glory or for simply a reward… My father died because of someone like this!" Haru cried angrily.
"This… is inside the head of the man who killed my mom…?" Futaba said, shuddering. Yusuke put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
Akira looked at the two girls thoughtfully. He came to a decision quickly. "Oracle, Noir, speaking as your friend first, not just your leader: If this place is too much for you, then the rest of us can take care of it. Do either of you want to back out?"
"No." Haru said, firmly. It was nice that he was concerned for their emotional well-being but she made up her mind the second she heard Shido's name. "I want to see this through to the end! For my father and for everyone else who's suffered!"
"… I'm staying too! I've come too far to quit now!" Futaba answered, with fierce determination in her eyes. Akira accepted these answers with a smile. He had a feeling they'd say that, but he wanted to be sure.
"A Palace with not just the center of the distortion, but the entire country sunken… I can't believe there's someone with this tremendous of a desire…" Morgana said, quietly.
Masayoshi Shido was already proving to be a formidable foe. They had to hope getting through his Palace would be easier than it looked.
~End of Chapter