Begin
~Normal POV
12/2 - Friday
Storming Shido's Palace was taking multiple visits. (Along with Akira finishing out a few things for his remaining confidants, as well.) The ship was not only massive, but the Treasure room required special permission to access. Not in the way of changing his cognition, thankfully, but rather by obtaining invitations for it from various cognitive copies of Shido's confidants. A noble, a tv station president, another politician, an IT company president, and someone they figured out was a member of the Yakuza. That wasn't a shock; Shido was exactly the kind of scumbag who would have ties to a crime syndicate. The cognitive people in this Palace were very normal looking except for the fact that everyone wore masquerade masks. Shido trusts no one, so he believes nobody ever shows their true face. Quite a simple cognition to figure out, but it was more shocking that people looked so normal here at all; given what the rest of the country looked like in this Palace.
Along the way, they discovered just how much this was all connected. It seemed Madarame and Kaneshiro weren't coincidences after all. The money from Madarame's counterfeits and Kaneshiro's stolen funds all went to Shido after their arrests. Kobayakawa was a political backer for Shido all along, that was how he got involved. And that was why he was so desperate to find the Phantom Thieves at Shujin: Shido had him killed for this failure. (If he had even vague knowledge of the Metaverse that must have also been why he let Kamoshida do whatever he wanted; if he knew it was the result of having a Palace.) The tv station president was the one who was personally responsible for the live broadcast of Okumura's mental shutdown; thus aiding Shido in siding the public against the Phantom Thieves. The IT company president was responsible for the fake Medjed and the site tampering. Ultimately, he wasn't involved in the mental shutdowns, but he was responsible for hiding Dr. Isshiki's research from the public. Everything was connected after all. This conspiracy had been going on for ages and nobody knew. All part of Shido's plan to rig the election in his favor by literally shutting down all who opposed him…
The whole trip was an ordeal. Especially all the running around through such a large area. Stops at safe rooms were frequent just to catch their breath. Akira was especially proud of Futaba, though. She managed to get the necessary letter out of the IT company president all by herself. The Yakuza guy was the last person on their list. They could only find him down in the ship's engine room, but once he was taken care of, they now had everything they needed. Strangely, the whole time they were here, they saw no sign of Shido's Shadow…
"That's all five letters!" Ryuji said, grinning widely. "We just need to send the calling card now!"
"I'll decide when we send it. We're gonna make him sweat it out a bit first." Akira said, smirking. "He's probably expecting the rest of the Phantom Thieves to try getting revenge."
"And once we send it, the world will know you're alive. We'll be putting our backs against the wall for sure…" Makoto added, worriedly.
"Let's focus on getting back to the exit before we worry about the card," Ann said.
The ship's engine room was spacious and open. Lots of pistons and gears were running around them. Akira didn't like this. Everything so far had been a bit tough, but he expected it to be… worse.
"Huh?" Futaba said, suddenly, as they reached the open room. She quickly started looking around, scanning with her mask.
"What's wrong, Oracle," Yusuke asked.
Futaba didn't answer. She kept trying to find something with her scanner…
"...I feel it too…" Akira said, quietly. Something in the air felt… off in this room now.
Futaba ran ahead of them into the open space, looking around frantically. She was muttering to herself. "Where are you… I know you're there… but where…?"
From somewhere in the rafters, a very brief glint of light shone above Futaba. Yusuke saw it first, and was quick to realize what it was.
"GET DOWN!"
Yusuke shoved Futaba out of the way as a bullet fired down at her from above. Futaba clung to his shirt for support. Had he been half a second later, that bullet would have gone through her head…
"Oh, damn it, Kitagawa, why'd you have to do that? That was a perfect shot."
They looked up at the rafters and saw Akechi sitting there, with a pistol in his left hand. Like them, he was dressed in his rebel attire. He must have figured out they tricked him at some point while they were traversing the Palace… Akechi jumped down from the rafters to face them directly.
"And here I was waiting to put a bullet in the brain that saved Joker's life, but you just had to interfere…" The detective said, casually.
Before he could say anything further, Haru took a swing at him with her axe, with nothing but pure hatred for him in her eyes. Unfortunately, he dodged her with ease, and was unfazed by the sudden attack. He then quickly dodged Ryuji's attempt to shoot him with his shotgun; still unperturbed by their rage.
"Nice try, Sakamoto." Akechi said, nonchalantly. "Trying to show off for Okumura?"
"Hold still so we can wring your fucking neck!" Ryuji shouted.
Akechi ignored this order. He turned his attention to Akira at last. "Given our current location, I see you've found my boss." He sighed. "I tried to tell Shido that the rest of you were merely worthless sheep, but apparently I underestimated the little bitch with her hacking prowess. Well, no matter. Hello, Joker… I must confess, I'm impressed you managed to deceive me. It seems I underestimated you as well."
Akira glared at him. "You're the one who gave yourself away so damn easily."
"And boy do I regret it!" Akechi replied. "I swear if anyone says pancakes to me ever again…" He dismissed that train of thought. "Well… in any case, I wasn't lying when I said you truly are interesting… Under different circumstances we could have been great rivals… or perhaps even friends."
"We're already rivals; I told you so." Akira replied, bluntly.
Akechi laughed evilly. "How wonderful! You don't allow yourself to be enslaved by such things as human relations or past selves… And so your heart is always free. The exact opposite of mine. To be honest, I'm envious… Perhaps that's why I hate you so much… I wonder why we couldn't have met a few years earlier, Akira…"
Akira kept glaring at the boy in disgust. "You murdered my friend's mother, you murdered my other friend's father, you're working with the piece of shit politician who got me arrested, you tried to kill me, and you just tried to shoot my friend in the head. Frankly, detective, I don't give a fucking shit how regretful you say you are, you murdering bastard…"
Akechi took this response lightly with a shrug. "Well, I suppose you're right for once. No use talking in hypotheticals."
"Akechi, why are you cooperating with Shido?!" Makoto asked, desperately. "Don't you see what this Palace looks like?! His true nature is-!"
"Cooperating?" Akechi interrupted, crossing his arms. "What are you talking about? I don't care for Shido, or this damn country. All this was to make Masayoshi Shido… my father… acknowledge me! So I can exact my revenge upon him!"
"Shido is your father!?" Yusuke said, flabbergasted.
Akira wasn't entirely surprised by this information. Given what he knew about Shido's "behavior" towards women… It wasn't hard to believe that he'd have a few illegitimate children out there…
"I was quite fortunate not to have gotten any physical resemblance," Akechi said, smirking. "Remember what I said before; how my mother was in a relationship with some good-for-nothing man? I'm his bastard child." His smirk faded into a deep scowl. "My very existence is nothing but a scandal… My mother's life turned for the worse after she had me… and died. I was a cursed child for her, too. I resented him, but he was already a high-ranking official by then. A kid like me could do nothing. But… That's when it happened!" He chuckled evilly. "That's when I learned about the cognitive world! Someone, be it god or demon, gave me a chance! I couldn't contain my laughter!"
Now that Akira thought about it, Akechi being Shido's son was quite logical based on their similarities as people. Both were very arrogant, and egotistical, and both were clearly crazy. But the most glaring similarity was that their plans both involved putting on an honest public image to gain fame and adoration from the public. Because their true natures would only be feared and they knew it… Akechi probably didn't even notice how similar he truly was to his father…
"You son of a bitch…! Do you have any idea what you did to Noir?!" Ryuji shouted in disgust.
"My life was nearly destroyed because of you and your damn selfish revenge!" Futaba screamed, angrily. "If you had never listened to Shido-!"
"WHO CARES!?" Akechi interrupted, grinning wickedly. "My targets were all doing the same damn thing in this eat or be eaten world! All I did was remove their evil from society! How is that different from the Phantom Thieves?"
"Because we aren't murderers!" Ann screamed.
"SO WHAT!?" Akechi replied, "I don't give a fuck! Masayoshi Shido is finally in my grasp! Once he reaches the apex of his power and acknowledges me, I'm going to whisper in his ear… I will tell him the truth of who I really am! And that's when I- an utter disgrace to the world- will rule over him! I will prevail! ...And I can't do that if you crush this Palace first!" He finished, glaring at Akira.
"What a warped thought…" Yusuke said, frowning. "It's almost pitiable…"
"In just a few weeks, my plan would have come to fruition…" Akechi continued, ignoring the comment. "But no, you just had to interfere! I can still take it back though… I just need to kill you all!"
"Hmph. We won't get killed for something like that," Morgana said, crossing his paws. "You talk big, but you're nothing but a little kid throwing a temper tantrum!"
"Don't lecture me, you piece of shit cat-"
"HIS NAME IS MONA, AND HE'S MORE HUMAN THAN YOU'LL EVER FUCKING BE!" Ryuji shouted.
Morgana's ears perked up at that nice remark. Meanwhile, Akechi rolled his eyes at the sentiment.
"I am going to thrust Masayoshi Shido into a living Hell." The detective continued. "So Joker…" He pulled out his laser sword. "Rest easy and die."
Akira drew his dagger from his belt. "I don't plan on dying yet, asshole."
"Sorry, I didn't ask for your opinion."
"You sure sound confident, but don't go pressing your luck." Ryuji said, "We already know all your tricks from when you worked with us."
Akechi sighed in apparent disappointment. "Joker, how could you be so successful while having such an idiot as your right-hand man?"
"Huh?! Quit bluffing!" Ryuji shouted, indignantly.
"It's no bluff!" Makoto said, worriedly. "If he truly is behind the mental shutdowns, he's likely only shown us a fraction of his strength…"
Akechi only laughed at the concern. "I'll tell you all about my true power… while you die. You can take that knowledge to the grave." He summoned a couple of Shadows to his side. Evidently, he could command them as well… "You recall, the mental shutdowns aren't the only incidents people are talking about? There are also the breakdowns which cause people to turn psychotic, creating accidents and scandals… Those cannot be explained unless the true culprit has the power to make people's hearts psychotic…" He snickered again. "That's right! It's my power- one that you don't have!"
Akechi ripped off his mask and summoned his Persona… Akira's heart nearly stopped at the sight: That Persona was not Robin Hood.
"What was that?!" Futaba screamed, summoning her evolved Persona, Prometheus, from her. "That wasn't Robin Hood!"
Akira stared in shock at this revelation. The puzzle pieces fit together in his head as he realized what this meant…
"No… He can… He can use more than one Persona… like me…"
~...
Akechi dropped to his knees before them in defeat. He wasn't going to admit it but he underestimated them again; the Phantom Thieves were too strong. "Damn it…!" He cursed.
"So he's able to turn people psychotic…" Morgana said, "I thought it was some special thing like the Nav but it seems to be his own Persona's power."
"I can't believe that the ability to control and drive others mad was born from within his heart…" Makoto said, softly.
Akechi ignored these comments. He was still seething with rage as he struggled to get back up. "I'll kill you… you're all gonna die!"
"Will you stop for god's sake!?" Ann shouted. "You're fighting the wrong people! We both hate the same guy! Why do we have to go against each other!?"
"Killing us won't make you happy!" Makoto added, firmly.
"This ain't about what Shido says!" Ryuji said, "You're your own person! You gotta know that!"
"You should follow your true feelings!" Morgana said, "Even if you think people hate you or don't want you around that's-"
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Akechi screamed, standing back up at last. "Teammates?! Friends?! To Hell with that!" He turned his gaze to Akira. "Why am I inferior to you?! I was extremely particular about my life, my grades, my public image, so someone would want me around! I am an ace detective! A celebrity! But you… You're just some criminal trash living in an attic! So how?! How does someone like you have things I don't?! How can such a worthless piece of trash be more special than me!?"
"You think I know that answer to that question anymore than you do?" Akira answered, bluntly. "Here's an idea: try looking at yourself for once. You're just like the bastard running this ship. Right down to the fucking 'fake public image' bullshit. You knew that people wouldn't like you for who you were, so you fabricated a version of yourself that you knew people would be more open to. All while hiding your true face from the world. You're the worst kind of asshole: one who knows he's an asshole and tries to hide it."
Akechi was quiet for a moment before shouting, "Ugh! Don't give me that cliché bullshit!"
It happened for only a second. Familiar magic flames engulfed Akechi; momentarily changing his Metaverse appearance. It wasn't long enough to take in any full details but one thing was immediately noticed by everyone… A black mask.
"What was that?!" Makoto asked, fearfully.
"It looked like…" Akira's eyes widened. "Holy shit… the black mask was real!"
Akechi started laughing again, in an unhinged and maniacal way that was incredibly unnerving. "Oh, this is great… I'm surprised… This is actually a first for me! I might even have to try my hardest against you! I wonder how far I can go with this… You and I are going to strike again and again until one of us is dead! TO HELL WITH HOLDING BACK! Ah, just picturing it sends chills down my spine… What Shido thinks of me?" He laughed again. "I don't give a shit! All I care about now is killing you… to prove I'm better than you!"
He had a crazed look in his eyes now, even more so than before. "Here… I'll show you who I really am! COME, LOKI!"
As if he were awakening to a Persona for the first time, magic flames engulfed him; only this time they were red. And they saw his other Persona hovering behind him for real this time. Loki was human in shape, floating lazily in the air with his legs crossed. He had a demonic look about him, though, with glowing red eyes and a horned helmet. His skin was pale white, and his clothes were all black and white striped; and he had gold boots. He had a red sword on his back, and long braided black hair under his helmet. So this was Akechi's true Persona all along…
"Again- it's that Persona!"
The magic fire hadn't gone away yet either, it was still running over Akechi, altering his appearance to the outfit they'd glimpsed moments ago. "Don't make me laugh! Justice?! Righteous!? Keep that shit to yourselves! You and your damn teammates piss me off!"
"What the fuck…" Akira muttered, finally seeing what Akechi's true nature looked like.
The princely white garb had changed into a full body black and dark blue striped outfit. He had several black studded belts strapped around his arms and legs, and one around his waist. He still had a short cape, but it was now pitch black and hazy as if it was made of fire. Instead of gloves, he wore clawed black gauntlets. He hadn't been lying when he said the mask was more like a helmet. It was similar to a knight and covered his head and most of his face, and had an opening around his jaw that resembled a sharp beak for a bird. The mask over his eyes was black after all, and his helmet had a tinted red visor over it. And the image wasn't any less disturbing coupled with the wide and wild look in his eyes. In his belt, instead of his usual laser sword, Loki's true weapon gift to him was a blood red, serrated sword.
"He can use two separate powers!?" Morgana shouted. "Then everything… even his appearance was fake!"
"You're going down… I'LL DESTROY YOU!" Akechi screamed.
"That bastard… he made himself go psychotic!" Ryuji shouted, angrily.
Akechi laughed sadistically again. "Now, let's see you drop dead one at a time, in front of your precious friends!"
~...
Akechi's true powers were stronger, but that didn't make him any more successful against their teamwork. He had lost to Akira again… Arsène was more than a match against Loki, despite their similar magic styles. Akechi's helmet was broken open on one side now, he had a cut on his cheek, and he was sitting up on the ground, panting, with his right hand on his stomach, nursing a particularly nasty bruise from Ryuji's club. He still looked extremely angry, but he seemed to have given up on attacking further; assuming he even had the strength.
"Stand down, guys…" Akira commanded, putting his dagger away. "He ain't getting back up this time."
Futaba glared down at the detective through her mask. She took a couple careful steps towards him and spoke. "You know… sometimes I think about that fake Medjed you guys made up… That was the worst trap… But if not for that, I don't think I'd be here right now… Doesn't matter where you start over-"
Akechi didn't want to hear the sentiment. "Oh, shut up, you little bitch! You sound just like Wakaba-!"
He didn't get to finish whatever he was about to say when a sharp ice shard flew at him, cutting through his right arm and drawing blood down his suit. Everyone stared in shock at Yusuke, who had his mask ripped off and his evolved Persona, Kamu Susano-o, was hovering behind him menacingly. Yusuke's face was contorted with pure, seething, rage.
"Fox?!" Akira shouted, trying to reign in the situation before Yusuke did something crazy.
Yusuke wasn't listening. He was solely focused on his rage at the boy in front of them. "HOW DARE YOU! You vile, foul, loathsome excuse for a human being!" He shouted.
For the first time, Akechi almost looked fearful as Yusuke approached him; his katana drawn and pointed down at him once more.
"How dare you!" Yusuke repeated. "You have no fucking right to speak of Dr. Isshiki! You think that because it was for your own selfish fucking goals, it was justified?! You walked into LeBlanc, and had the audacity, the sheer fucking nerve, to look Futaba in the face and speak of her mother! As if you didn't know what really happened! The mother that you ripped away from her! Murder; in cold blood! And all you regret is your own damn birth circumstances?! You knew how it felt to lose a loving mother and yet you feel nothing from taking a loving mother away from her child?! You have no god damn right to speak to Futaba Sakura! You never did! You have no right to stand in her very presence! To even hear Wakaba Isshiki's name uttered from your vile tongue is an insult to her memory! If you had seen what Futaba's Palace looked like inside, you would know the pain you caused her! All because you couldn't walk away from your fucking revenge scheme! You had your chance to walk away the whole fucking time! Why didn't you take it?!"
Yusuke was normally emotionally composed. The last time any of them had seen him this angry was when he found out Madarame was responsible for his mother's death. But the most startling thing about this outburst was the fact that Yusuke ignored Akira's direct order to stand down… He'd never disobeyed his leader before. Akechi's treachery must have truly gotten under his skin… Akechi, himself, finally seemed to be silenced by his words; his anger leaving at last. He barely had the will to look up at them any longer, but they couldn't tell what he was feeling now.
Futaba stared at her friend in stunned silence. She lifted her mask slightly to look at him properly as he finished his rant. "Yusuke…" She muttered, quietly. Her eyes shimmered behind her glasses; evidently she was deeply touched by his words.
"Fox, I said stand down…" Akira commanded again, in a softer tone, now that Yusuke was finished yelling.
Yusuke sheathed his katana and stepped away from Akechi; his face looked abnormally calm again but he still had anger in his eyes. "Let us deal with this scum, Joker…" He said, quietly.
Akira stared at Yusuke's face and figured he could let this offense slide, just this once. It was unlikely to ever need to happen again. For now, they had this hitman to deal with…
The thief leader took a few steps towards Akechi and gestured to him. "Oracle, Noir, your murderer… What would you like us to do with him?"
Akechi remained silent, not even bothering to look at them still.
Haru stared down at the detective with anger in her eyes. She stiffly answered. "...Joker, may I?" Akira nodded in understanding and stepped back; figuring he had a good idea of what she was about to do.
"Skull, help me out, if you please," Haru asked.
"With pleasure." Ryuji replied.
He walked up to the detective and removed his helmet. Akechi didn't struggle or resist at all, merely accepting the inevitable. Ryuji then yanked Akechi to his feet, holding his arms behind his back firmly.
Haru threw a very hard, very intended, punch to the boy's cheek.
Akechi groaned in pain, and muttered a few choice swears, but didn't say anything further. Haru then stepped aside for Futaba to do the same thing; only her punch was directed at the bridge of Akechi's nose; causing it to start bleeding. Seeing that the two had gotten their wishes, Ryuji let go of Akechi, letting the boy fall to his knees, clutching his nose; his helmet was lying on the ground at his side.
"Fuck…" Akechi muttered, "I think you broke my nose…"
"You should be more thankful that it wasn't your neck." Yusuke said, bluntly, as the three rejoined the group.
Akira went back to standing in front of Akechi. The two girls seemed to have calmed down after doing that to him. Akechi was clearly in no condition to keep fighting. And if that reaction was any indication, he had no intention of doing so. Still, Akira couldn't help feeling that maybe they could reason with him now… It was worth a try at least. Plus, there was something he needed to ask while he could…
"Are you willing to listen?" Akira asked, softly.
Akechi glanced up at him tiredly, his nose bleeding. "Ugh… I- yes… I've had enough… You're so lucky… lucky to be surrounded by teammates who acknowledge you… And once Shido confesses, you'll all be heroes…"
"...I want to ask you something," Akira said, firmly. "Where did you get the power of the Wildcard?"
Everyone else stared at Akira with confusion. They all knew about Akira's special powers but they'd never heard him attribute a name to it before. He always gave off the impression that he wasn't aware of the specifics of his powers. Perhaps he simply named it himself without telling them.
Akechi didn't look like he'd ever heard the name before either. "I- I don't know… Honest…" He shifted to sit in a more comfortable position. "I got Loki first… when I came to the Metaverse for the first time… Then when I started to put my plan into action, I got Robin Hood… to cover my true intentions…"
"So, you only got two Personas," Futaba said conclusively. "One for the real you and one for your lies…"
Akechi coughed. "Y-Yes… But I swear, Akira… I don't know how I have it, or why… Do you know why you have yours then…?"
"I'm afraid not… I was just curious if you knew something I didn't." Akira answered. It wasn't entirely dishonest. Akira didn't know why he was deserving of the power of the Wildcard; all he knew was that that was its name.
"I see…" Akechi said, quietly.
Akira knelt down in front of him. "You know, detective… we can make a deal."
"At a time like this? You've already won, damn it…" Akechi groaned, coughing again.
Akira continued, ignoring this protest. "We're fighting the same enemy. So, if you're willing… We can put aside all this and take down Shido together…" He nodded behind him in Futaba and Haru's direction. "Look at those two. Look at what you've done to them for your own selfish gains. Have some god damn remorse, Akechi. Try to atone for your sins and stop your father the right way, before he fucks over the entire damn country. We're willing to give you that chance."
Akechi didn't reply. His head fell limp in silence thinking the proposition over. If Shido confessed, he'd be ratted out as the hitman. He'd most likely end up with life in prison or the death penalty. So many people were dead or injured because of him… And yet the public had no knowledge of this. They treated him like a hero, he was given love and admiration from the whole country… It was what he wanted, of course, but if Shido was forced to talk all that success would be taken away from him. Sae, even with a change of heart, wouldn't be willing to let him walk just because of his age. He was her entire case after all.
Akira stood up and looked back at his teammates. "Is everyone ok with that idea?"
"I'm willing…" Ryuji said, "If it means he owns up to what he's done."
"Same goes for me," Ann added.
"Me too." Makoto said. "It was frustrating to see how much my sister trusted you, Akechi. I was envious of you… Your wit and your strength exceeds our own. We only defeated you by teaming up…"
"I am in favor of allowing him to atone." Yusuke said, "It will take a long time but it will be worth the effort if he repents."
"I can accept it too…" Morgana said, softly.
"I have no intention of forgiving you for what you did to my father," Haru started, "But I sympathize with you. I wholeheartedly understand wanting to get back at the adults who took from you… You can still atone; even if it takes the rest of your life."
"I got my shot in; that's good enough for me." Futaba said, "We should be taking Shido down together…"
"Sounds like it's a unanimous vote…" Akira said, "So, what do you say?"
"...Surely, you're not going to let me go free afterwards…"
Akira thought for a moment. That was a good question. What to do with him after Shido's confession… He hadn't gotten this far in his planning. Honestly, he would rather have Akechi turn himself in of his own accord, but he doubted he'd be willing. After thinking for a bit, he made a plan.
"How about this… You help us take down Shido, and we let you walk, but only on the grounds that you never enter the Metaverse again. We have Prosecutor Niijima on our side now; we can put in a good word, make it so that your name is never mentioned… Let people think that you're just a washed-up detective. Sounds a lot better than having everyone know you're a murderer, right?"
Akechi contemplated this again… "You all are truly beyond my comprehension…"
They didn't have time to wonder what he meant when the sound of footsteps echoed from the shadows behind him, and from out of the back corner of the room, came a cognitive clone of Akechi. The clone was surprisingly undistorted from the real boy, aside from wearing his usual tan coat outfit. His face was also expressionless and his eyes lacked any spark of life. The Phantom Thieves stepped back in shock at his appearance. The clone approached Akechi's side and pointed a pistol at him.
"What the hell?!"
"Of course…" Akira muttered. "I was wondering if he'd have a cognitive copy of you in here."
The clone spoke with the same voice as the real Akechi, except it was bored and lacking any enthusiasm. "I'll deal with the rest of you later."
Akechi stared at his clone in shock and fear. It seemed he didn't expect this outcome…
"Captain Shido's orders…" The clone said, simply. "He has no need for losers. Well, this just moves the plan up a little. He was going to get rid of you after the election anyway."
"What?!" Akechi shouted; his eyes wide with genuine shock.
"Did you truly believe you'd be spared after all the murders you undertook?" The clone replied. "Don't tell me… were you actually feeling good about having someone rely on you for once? Hmph. The captain says it's time you receive retribution for causing the mental shutdowns."
"That bastard is the one who put him up to it!" Ryuji shouted.
The real Akechi merely chuckled a bit and stood up, doubled over from his injuries. "I see… I was wondering how he'd protect himself if I used my power to tear through his Palace. Turns out you're how. So, he's making a puppet kill me… sounds like something he'd do…"
"That's right." The clone said, "I'll do anything. But look at yourself… you're the true puppet. You wanted to be acknowledged, didn't you? To be loved? You've been nothing but a puppet from the very beginning."
"So that's how Shido thinks of him…" Makoto said, softly.
"It's not too late!" Haru screamed. "We can change his heart together! Even if he's your father- No, because he's your father!"
"What's all this nagging about?" The clone said, impatiently. "Want me to take care of you first?" He summoned a group of Shadows to his side. "You know what? I'll let someone volunteer to take his place. Who knows, you might delay his death. You guys are all about doing things for others, aren't you? Oh, that's just the same as me! I'm going to take all the blame for our captain. I'll die for him too."
"Even after making him help with the murders… he only sees Akechi as someone to take the blame!" Makoto shouted.
"He was gonna rat you out from the start…" Akira said, angrily, "Can't say I'm shocked; given what I've seen of his true nature…"
"Here, I'll give you one last chance." The clone said, "Shoot them."
The real Akechi thought over the command for a moment… He then pulled out his pistol and pointed it at Akira. Akira was quick to draw his own gun while the rest of the team followed suit. Futaba ducked behind Yusuke for safety.
"Yes…" The clone said, evilly. "That's the 'you' our captain wishes to see."
"Akechi, if you shoot Joker, we will retaliate with everything we have!" Ann warned, angrily.
"Don't do it, man!" Ryuji commanded, "Don't fucking do it!"
"For god's sake, listen to us!" Makoto pleaded, keeping him within her revolver's sights.
Akira stared the detective down. "Akechi, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"...Atoning."
With lightning fast precision and reflexes, Akechi turned his gun toward the cognitive copy and shot him in the gut, momentarily incapacitating him. He then fired a second shot past the Phantom Thieves at a glass case on the back wall, holding a trigger for the emergency bulkhead door. Sirens started sounding the moment the case broke and the bulkhead door sprang up in front of them, separating Akechi from the team.
"What the hell?!" Ryuji shouted. Everyone ran to the door, but there was no way to get it to go back down.
"Akechi! Can you hear us?!" Makoto shouted.
From the other side of the metal, Akechi replied, "I accept your deal, Akira! Now hurry up and go! Change Shido's heart in my stead! End his crimes! Please! Make him pay for everything he did to me! And if I make it out of here alive, I swear I'll turn myself in!"
If Akechi accepted the deal, then Akira had no reason to think too long about his answer. "...You'd better deliver on that promise then, detective!"
"I will…!" Akechi answered. "As long as you hold up your end of the bargain too…"
"You bastard!" They heard the cognitive copy shout.
Akechi stared the copy down. "So my final enemy is a puppet version of myself…"
He thought for a moment. He didn't know if he'd make it out of here alive or not, but on the chance that it was the latter result…
"Futaba! Haru!" They heard the real Akechi shout through the door. "I know you'll never forgive me but… I'm sorry-!" The sound of multiple gunshots could be heard on the other side, and they could hear his voice no more.
"...His signal is gone…" Futaba said, quietly.
Goro Akechi just sacrificed himself to save their lives. In Akira's mind… this was a complicated thing to grasp. He had no intention of forgiving the detective for anything, but Akechi had done as promised: owned up to his mistakes. That was enough for Akira to say they had some kind of closure. Not to mention giving a much needed apology to those he made suffer most… He could find an extremely small modicum of respect for the man. Enough respect to follow through with the deal, even if they were going to change Shido's heart regardless; they could add fulfilling Akechi's promise to the list of reasons. It was the least they could do after he tried to atone.
"He just saved our lives…" Haru said, quietly.
"He owned up to what he did…" Ryuji muttered.
"Maybe he really did think it over…" Ann said, thoughtfully.
"Who knows…" Morgana said, softly. "But we should hold up our promise…"
"...We're done here." Akira said, "Let's go open the Treasure room and get out of here. We've got a calling card to make."
Everyone else started walking away first. Akira lingered behind; staring at the bulkhead door thoughtfully.
"...Don't forget: you owe me a duel." He said, softly, before turning and walking off with everyone else.
~...
Once they'd secured their infiltration route, they went to the hideout to discuss their plans for the calling card. It wouldn't be sent right away, Akira preferred it this way for once. Mainly due to not having a way to send it currently. They chose to figure that out tomorrow so that it would be ready when Akira gave the word.
"We meet up here tomorrow, so be ready." Akira said. "Now you should all go home for the night. I know you're probably exhausted, it was a long day." Ann gave him a good bye hug, and reminded him to get plenty of sleep too. ("Just because you're in charge doesn't mean you get to avoid rest!")
Meanwhile, Yusuke was the first to grab his bag and leave the shop. He didn't make it very far outside though when he heard a voice call out to him.
"Yusuke! Wait!"
He turned and looked down at Futaba, who had run out after him. "What is it?"
She hurried over to him. "I-I gotta know… Did you really mean what you said back there? In the Palace?"
Yusuke smiled. "Every word. His callousness just… made me snap, for lack of a better term-" He was interrupted by Futaba hugging him tight.
"Thank you…" She mumbled into his shirt. "Thank you, thank you… But why did you do that?"
He gently hugged her back; while also noticing that she was calling him by name for once instead of saying Inari. He chuckled lightly. "Well, if I were to put it into words. I think you are often irritating and your attitude about certain things annoys me… but then, isn't that what sisters are usually like? And what kind of big brother wouldn't stand up for his little sister?"
Futaba pulled back slightly and stared up at him, with wide eyes behind her glasses. "You think of me as a sister…?"
"I do. That is, unless you are offended by such an idea-"
Futaba hugged him tight again, crushing him slightly with the force of her hug. He smiled again; this must have been her way of saying she was ok with it.
"Are you alright?"
She sniffled. "I'm just… happy." Her eyes were sparkling with happy tears. "...And thank you for saving my life…"
"Of course, and I'd do it again if needed."
Futaba had spent the past few months of her life believing Akira was like a brother to her. But only now did she realize that she had more than one brother watching over her all this time.
~...
That evening, Akira made an intentional visit to the Velvet Room. He had some serious questions for Igor after what happened with Akechi. The second he was back in the dark prison cell, he slammed his fist against the door to get their attention.
"YOU KNEW!"
Igor tapped his fingers impatiently against his desk and stared back at Akira with his usual unnerving grin. "Pardon?"
"You knew that Goro Akechi had the same powers as me!" Akira clarified. "Why didn't you tell me?!"
"Did he now?" Igor replied. "...How unusual. The gift of the Wildcard is not given freely."
Akira couldn't bring himself to believe him. "Don't play dumb with me, fucker-!"
Caroline whacked the metal bars with her shock baton. "Inmate! How dare you speak to our master that way!"
"I'll speak to him however I damn well please!" Akira argued. "He's the one who told me about the power! And he's the one who's been giving out the Metaverse Navigator! You gave it to Akechi! You had to have known that he had the same powers I do! Be fucking honest with me and stop being so damn cryptic! Why did Akechi have the Wildcard?!"
Igor's hand stopped tapping on the desk. For a moment, he had lost his composure. "Hm. Trickster… you try my patience. I have said before and I will say again: I had no knowledge of the other Metaverse user or his abilities. My answer is final. Go back to focusing on your rehabilitation. Now, if you have no further business: leave."
Akira stared at the old man through the bars. Igor… he was always so impossible to read. He was blunt, but never direct. So cryptic and eerie… There was always something about him that just unsettled Akira to no end… Yet he could never figure out what it was. The boy sighed and turned to exit the room.
Once he was back outside the Velvet Room door in Shibuya, he saw Caroline and Justine had joined him out in reality.
"Our master trusts you, inmate." Justine said. "It would be wise to put faith in his words."
The twins however were a different story. As much as they often didn't treat him very nicely, Akira felt he could rely on them. They were far more open with him all the time.
"...Does Igor share everything with you two?" Akira asked.
"What a stupid question!" Caroline replied, crossing her arms. "Our master trusts us implicitly!"
"That's not what I asked. I asked if he shares everything with you. You two know every little thing that goes on in that room? No secrets at all?"
The twins hesitated briefly, concerned by his sudden interest in such knowledge…
"There are… occasions where he forbids us from knowledge…" Justine answered, slowly.
"They're rare though!" Caroline added, quickly. "Extremely rare!"
"But they happen?" Akira pressed.
"...Yes…" Caroline answered.
"They have happened, yes…" Justine said.
Akira sighed. Well, he had a feeling that would be their answer. It didn't really prove much. He said good bye and started to walk away.
As he did, he heard Justine ask. "...Do you think our master was being truthful just now?"
"Of course he was!" Caroline said, bluntly. "Why would he lie?"
For some reason, Akira felt that he would much rather trust Caroline and Justine than Igor.
~End of Chapter
End note: No, I don't forgive Akechi, and no fic has ever made me do so, either. I actually really hate him; every moment Akira spent hating Akechi in this story was completely genuine to how I feel too. I just really wanted him to apologize in the end.