Life will Change
Original Concept: Persona 5

Chapter 3

..

Created by: Atlus/Sega

Written by: wrathie

Consultation: DiLost

Cover art by: Aiwa

Author's Notes: It had been a busy month, but I managed to make good time in the end. The next chapter might be delayed, but I'll do my best.

FFnet still has issues with bolding my words at the main story, but I guess that's how it is. Thank you DiLost for checking through this chapter again.

LeBlanc

..

Kurusu Masumi woke up with a headache, but she was sure that was no dream that she had the night before. The Velvet Room and all it's inhabitants were real to her. Since she 'met' them before she had went to the castle, Masumi couldn't help but wonder if they knew this was happening to her.

She mused deeply about the Velvet Room and the long nosed Igor as she changed and washed up.

It was raining again and thus the Shujin Academy rushed out with her umbrella to fight against the rush hour crowd of Tokyo.

..

"What was the conductor thinking, charging into the station at top speed like that?"

The conversations Masumi overheard in the train were all about the accident a few days ago and she couldn't help but wonder what really happened then…

The conversations took a sinister twist when they started discussing the rise of such mental breakdown incidents all over the country. It was getting more frequent too with no real break in the case or anything that would find a reason or solution for such incidents.

Masumi tuned them out when they started discussing the economy and politics, it wasn't really her concern anyway…

Shujin Academy

..

Ushimaru-sensei's lecture in class almost bored Masumi to tears. He didn't pay particularly attention to her, or to anyone else. He was like a drone and a very old and dated one at that who viewed his students as self-entitled brats. Masumi didn't like him very much, and she assumed it was mutual for him for the entire class. Who would use the word: "Decent human being" to describe one's ideal view of a person? That's seriously messed up? Aside from Kawakami-sensei, it seemed like the entire school was filled with incompetent teachers.

At the least Masumi wasn't caught off guard herself when Ushimaru-sensei called out and posed a question for her to answer.

Although he didn't look too impressed nor disappointed, Masumi could hear the mumbles of surprise from her classmates that she had gotten it correct. The question was… unexpected, but with her reading she could answer it. The murmurs that she could hear from her class made her feel a little self-conscious, but as they say, first impressions count.

"Bizarre incidents have been occurring frequently. Those are but the actions of such scum. We have no need of rude people in this school, understand?" Ushimaru-sensei lectured everyone about the proper of morals and conduct and Masumi sighed softly. It was going to be a tough school year….

Shujin Academy

..

Masumi wasn't used to having to buy bread from the school store, but she since she was on a budget and couldn't cook at home, she had no choice in the matter. She would much prefer cooking, in fact she had cooked for herself most of her life. Some of her classmates had invited her to eat with them too, but she had to first have food to even think of eating.

She had even bumped to Ryuji before she joined in the queue and the blonde had waved at her cheerfully before taking what seemed to be a boxed bento towards the stairs, no doubt to the roof to enjoy his lunch. The murmurs that she had overheard as she queued had proved that Kawakami and Ryuji had been onto something regarding the blonde's reputation?

Did he have a girlfriend after all if he had a bento box? It was a conundrum and one that Masumi had some fun to think about. Ryuji hadn't texted her at all even though they had exchanged numbers, something that Masumi wondered how she should feel about.

Masumi wasn't outraged, that much was certain but she wasn't… well, bothered by it either. It was a somewhat complicated feeling. Sure she wanted to be liked by others, but she wasn't exactly desperate for attention at this point.

Such thoughts were what she mused on before it was her turn and she grabbed a couple of the cheapest bread (sweet bean paste) before hurrying back to her class to have them together with her classmates.

..

"Hey, Kurusu, could I have a minute." A voice called out to her as she stepped to the second floor and she froze before turning stiffly to the individual that had called out to her. She would recognize that voice from anywhere, it was Suguru Kamoshida and he was smiling at her from the other end of the corridor.

Yes, Masumi had taken the time to remember his full name and she smiled awkwardly at the PE teacher before bowing to him politely.

"Of course, Kamoshida-sensei. Do you need anything from me? Thank you for looking the other way yesterday, I really appreciate it." Her response seemed to please Kamoshida as he winked at her, as though trying to make it a secret between the two of them as he approached.

Masumi stiffened when he placed a hand on her shoulder before leading her away from her classroom, much to her dismay.

"Don't be so nervous, Kurusu, you've done nothing wrong, right?" His grin and the way his tone changed every so slightly at the end made Masumi even more worried. He was trying something right out in the open, but she was helpless in this situation even with everyone able to look at them as they passed.

It happened again, and it really pissed her that she was in a situation like this barely a full day in school.

"Of course not, Kamoshida sensei, but classes will resume soon and I haven't had my lunch…" She trailed off, looking at him hopefully while feeling disgusted at what she needed to say and to lie to just eat lunch in peace.

For Masumi, there wasn't any guilt or regret in being able to lie with a straight face (a necessity considering her past) as Kamoshida sensei definitely had an ulterior motive in calling her out like this abruptly.

She was just disgusted that she had to resort to this in school.

Masumi also noted with some trepidation that many of the female students were looking at her with envy, and Kamoshida even grinned at a few of them, waving to them as he guided her towards the faculty room.

At least, she hoped it was the faculty room and not somewhere else.

"It'll only take a bit, I just thought you'd want some privacy as we talk." His excuse was weak, but when he opened the door to the faculty office, Masumi felt a little reassured as he shouldn't be able to try something there.

..

"Indulge in my curiosity for a moment, Kurusu. I am just worried about your identification." Kamoshida had her sit on chair near his desk before pulling out a file that had her name printed on top. It was her file and he flipped the file open to the first page where a picture of her had been stuck at the top.

It was probably the one that her mother had submitted as part of the paperwork to get her enrolled.

"Imagine my surprise when I noticed that your photo didn't match your appearance. Though I can understand, with the charges you made and all. It'll be bad if you were to invite… trouble with your appearance, yes?" Kamoshida asked patiently while Masumi felt a mixture of dread and anger at his suggestions.

"I was advised to keep a low profile, Kamoshida-sensei. Do you, disagree?" If he were to to disagree, Masumi swore that she'll report him straight to Kawakami-sensei and to whoever the Principal was. All she wanted to was to keep out of trouble and he wasn't making it easy.

"No, no, in fact I feel it is a good thing… but what I meant was, well… it'll be a shame if your new school life was disrupted if the class found out about the charges you have against you, right?" Kamoshida's eyes was on Masumi and she was certain that he saw how her eyes widened and she paled.

Kamoshida pounced on the weakness as he stood up, a smug grin on his face as he stared down at Masumi.

"Well, as long as you understand, Kurusu. There might be things… that you can help me with in the future. I can be very helpful to you, if you do the same to me, all I ask is to have some time alone with you. Think about it?" He patted Masumi's head a few times before leaving the office, and Masumi to her horrified thoughts as she sat there, staring and then glaring at his direction.

..

"... Dammit." It was only a few minutes after he left did Masumi swear just like Ryuji, the bread in her hands had long been squashed beyond repair, she having crushed it the moment that Kamoshida had threatened her, not that the pervy teacher had realised that.

Masumi wasn't going to let it get to her, she wasn't - but that didn't mean she can't get mad at him. She was absolutely furious that he just tried to blackmail her. Now she understood what Ryuji felt… Kamoshida he is just shameless and a pervert. Taking a deep breath, Masumi glared hatefully at the folder reflecting how she looked like in happier days. Well, perhaps that wasn't true.

Days where she did not need to hide and run away from what ailed her.

Shujin Academy

..

"Hey there, Takamaki. You looking for a ride home? Things have been pretty dangerous lately with all these incidents?"

It was sheer coincidence that allowed Masumi to overhear the conversation as she left the classroom. She had spent some time talking with the other girls in the class, who were eagerly trying to find out more about herself. It was a refreshing thing, and Masumi had conversed with them for some time before excusing herself as she had a busy afternoon ahead of her.

That and she was still furious at Kamoshida for trying to blackmail her, but she wasn't sure what to do next. She had next to no reputation in the school, and Kawakami might not believe her even if she told her about it.

In the end, after simmering in anger for the better half of the afternoon classes, she decided that she would talk to Sojiro for help before planning her next move. Based on Ryuji's experience, it would be difficult for her to oppose Kamoshida directly, but hell was she going to sell her body out to him.

He must have believed those charges for him to be so forward, but his threat was real. If the others knew of the charges levelled against her, her reputation was gone, no one would ever believe her again.

She wasn't soiled goods, dammit!

In addition, Masumi wanted to get to know the area around Le Blanc a little better and perhaps to find a part-time job to cover her expenses

But since her mother hadn't been able to give her any allowance, nor did Sojiro ever mention that to her so she's on her own. Masumi preferred it that way in any case. She wasn't going to be a burden to her mother.

..

The moment she left the classroom however she saw Kamoshida hitting on Takamaki Ann, the name of the girl whom she had met at the first day of school.

Masumi had exchanged a few words with her and she had been receptive, if quiet. The other girls didn't like her that much however and Masumi understood why. She had gotten similar treatment in the past. Ann's flashy look didn't help her much if she was as quiet as she was during class.

"Sorry, I have a photoshoot today. It's for the special summer issue, so I can't afford to miss it." Ann's reply was reasonable but she sounded tired and unenthusiastic.

Come to think of it, Masumi remembered how Kamoshida insinuated that there was something going on between the two of them, even the girls in class believed that too. Masumi herself wasn't convinced, she had seen the sad and unwilling look Ann had while she sat in his car despite her accepting the offer.

Knowing how sleazy and how much of a bastard he was, Masumi had no problems believing that it was all Kamoshida's attempt to try and make it look like they had something going on and perhaps lead from that momentum.

"Hey, now… being a model's fine and dandy, but don't work you pretty little self to the bone." That compliment from Kamoshida made Masumi shudder, how could he say that? She's a student and you're the teacher! Even as Masumi fumed on Ann's behalf, Kamoshida continued.

"You mentioned you weren't feeling well, right? Something about appendicitis?"

"Yes, I keep planning to go to the hospital, but I've been too busy…" Ann trailed off before nodding. "Sorry to worry you.

"You must be lonely too, I feel bad for keeping your best friend to practice so often." The words from Kamoshida's mouth was just too much and Masumi had to physically restrain herself in stepping forward to slap her and she did that by gripping her school bag. If Masumi had still any doubt that Kamoshida was a pervert, this would be definite proof that made her certain. Besides, if he was keeping her back in practise, he wouldn't have time to drive her back would he? This was blatant favoritism if he was planning to come back to continue coaching the Volleyball team.

..

"That's why I asked you out in the first place, you might need the company." Masumi had enough and she decided to intervene, calling out to Takamaki while pulling out a notebook as she did so. She'd be damned if she let another individual be a victim if she could help it.

"Takamaki-san, I'm sorry…" The interruption made the two of them turn towards her and Masumi gave her best smile, still simmering with rage though, at the two of them as she nodded to Kamoshida.

"Ah, good afternoon, Kamoshida-sensei. Could I have a word with Takamki-san? She promised she'd help me with some notes before she went off for her shoot…" She trailed off, looking at Takamaki expectantly and to her relief and just as she planned, Takamaki brightened up at her words while nodding, grasping onto the lifeline.

"Yeah, sure… of course, I've almost forgotten about it, Kurusu-san. Please excuse us, sensei." The two girls quickly left for the entrance, chatting quietly about the notes Takamaki hadn't promised anything about.

Well, anyway to get out of Kamoshida's scrutiny, that and she might hurt him if he tried anything else.

..

"Thanks… Kurusu-san." Takamaki sighed in relief as they reached the first floor. The ash blonde girl smiled at her, this time it was genuine and Masumi shrugged in reply.

"I know he's a sleazeball, so I thought you needed the help." Her words made Takamaki's eyes widen and she chuckled softly.

"You could tell? You have good eyes then. No one else would trust or believe me… You know about the rumors, right?" She asked hesitantly and Masumi nodded, causing her to sigh as they walked towards the shoe lockers.

"There's nothing between the two of us, he's trying to pressure one on me though." Takamaki sighed but stared at Masumi when she agreed.

"It might be because I just transferred here, but I can see it. You don't look happy while being with him, and you can't say no as he's a teacher." Masumi's words hit the nail on the head and Takamaki nodded, somewhat reluctantly.

"How did you…"

"We took shelter on my first day in school together, remember? You looked really sad then." Masumi explained even as she pulled out her shoes to change while Takamaki picked hers out from another rack before rejoining her.

"... I guess there's no harm in telling you… but it's the truth. I... don't like him at all but I can't exactly get away from him." Takamaki sighed.

"I can help you out if you want, I have the feeling he'll want to hit on me too." Her natural hair color was a lighter shade than Takamaki's, and she was of mixed blood descent. It was not noticeable due to her dyed hair and thick glasses but from his veiled threat, he'd already gotten his tentacles around her.

Or so he'd believed, she was not going down like that.

At Takamaki's look of confusion, Masumi pulled her phone out before showing her pictures of how she looked like before the whole incident had ruined her life and had forced her to take a lower profile.

"Wow that's just… is that really you?" Takamaki's surprise cry amused Masumi and she pulled off her glasses to let her study her.

"That is you. I would never have guessed… and, Kamoshida knows?" Takamaki's eyes narrowed while Masumi nodded. Her photo in her school ID was that of her old appearance and he got the file on her. Even Takamaki was aware that she was targeted because of her looks. If Kamoshida could abuse his authority by hitting on Takamaki in public, Masumi had no problems believing that Kamoshida would have taken interest on her and take advantage on what he knew. She was not going to be an easy target dammit.

..

"... Sure, let's help each other then. It'll be nice to have someone to speak to in class…" Takamaki trailed off but smiled brightly when Masumi nodded in agreement.

"Kurusu Masumi. You can call me Masumi."

"Takamaki Ann, call me Ann too. I'm not that formal with honorifics." Ann laughed and Masumi laughed with her, the blonde looking much happier than she had been earlier. It was a drastic change, Masumi wondered why no one else had noticed she was so sad.

"But honestly, with that look of yours, you could be a model too…" Ann trailed off when they reached the school gates as they saw Ryuji loitering around the area. He seemed surprised to see Ann with Masumi but he waved to them either way.

"Sakamoto? Wait, you two know each other?" Ann's eyes widened as Ryuji greeted Masumi and Masumi greeted him easily as well.

"Yo, Takamaki. Kind of cold ya? I'm here you know." Ryuji scoffed but didn't sound too mad. Perhaps he was used to her as he didn't take offense to her surprise.

"Yes, we are friends. Ryuji-kun helped me out on my first day of school, didn't he?" Masumi smiled at Ryuji, causing the blonde to look surprised before nodding enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I did… but she helped me too, so we became friends." He paused, raising an eyebrow at Ann. "You got a problem with that, Takamaki?" Ryuji's tone was guarded, he was probably worried about her and Ann shook her head frantically.

"No, no, I'm just surprised that's all. I didn't think that you would ever get to be friends with a girl with that foul mouth of yours, Ryuji. And what's with the Takamaki, we're friends aren't we?"

"Well, then why are you so surprised I know Masumi?" Ryuji's retort made Masumi giggle, Ryuji to grin and Ann to splutter as her cheeks colored.

"Grrr… I'll get you back for that, Ryuji." Ann seems to know Ryuji for she switched back to his name easily enough. She then turned to Masumi. "And thank you again for earlier, Masumi-chan. I'll help you out too if he tries anything. And please keep Ryuji in line if you can. I know how bad he can be." Ann smirked when Ryuji spluttered before spinning around and pointing a finger at him.

"Don't you try anything to Masumi-chan, I got my eyes on you." Jabbing two fingers at Ryuji, Ann smiled again at Masumi before taking off.

Aoyama Itchome

..

"So, you've got to be wondering why I was waiting for you?" Ryuji asked as Ann left, him looking around cautiously before adding on. "I'll have texted you but I kinda forgot I got your mail till it's the end of the day, so I just thought I'll wait for you here instead of going to your class." Ryuji's consideration made Masumi smile and she walked to join him at the side of the school gates, causing Ryuji to smirk back.

"Well, I've been using my head like you said. Kawakami's right, you don't want to be seen with me just yet. People will misunderstood. Anyway, I was thinking… about yesterday you know?" Ryuji crossed his arms and looked down, mood sombre. "I tried telling myself it was all just a dream, but I couldn't do it."

Ryuji frowned as he unconsciously grabbed his bag tightly. "I can't act like nothing happened, it's all connected to that bastard Kamoshida, after all." Masumi agreed, that man in the castle might not be Kamoshida, but she'll still be satisfied if she punched that crown wearing Kamoshida. But it wasn't really a situation or a place that they should take lightly, they had no idea what was that place besides Morgana telling them it was a 'palace'.

"I want to find out what's up with that place, no matter what." Ryuji's eyes were focused and Masumi sighed, his mind was made up and he would try to investigate no matter what. Would the risks be worth it?

"And I can only rely on you for this, it's dangerous there, but you agree with me right? We should find out what's going on there. There must be a reason why the two of us ended up in that place." Ryuji then scratched his head, embarrassed as he admitted. "That and, I'll have to count on you if we get into any trouble. I know it's a big burden, and I know it's dangerous… but, don't you want to get back at Kamoshida too?"

Ryuji's words was tempting to Masumi, after what Kamoshida threatened to do to her, it was extremely appealing to her. But would the risks be worth the rewards?

..

"I can only do this with your help, so will you help me?" He was asking her for help despite having her mind made up and Masumi grimaced, looking to the side.

All she wanted was to have a nice normal school life. Was that too difficult to ask?

"... It's dangerous, Ryuji, they will kill us. Is it really worth it to go back? Those people you saw, they aren't real you know?" Masumi was on the fence now, but that doesn't mean she can't go through all of the facts logically to try and make up her mind or to convince herself. Her desire to have a normal life was stronger than her desire to get back at Kamoshida,

"I know, but it must mean something. And… I've heard rumours that Kamoshida was abusing the volleyball team. Besides… there's this saying: "No smoke without fire" right? Everyone 'loves' Kamoshida," Ryuji snorted as he made that remark and Masumi smiled ever so slightly. He did give this some thought.

"But if he really was Mr. Perfect, why would there be so many rumors about him? I smell a rat… and whatever that castle is, it has to be linked to Kamoshida, it just has to and I promise, I will follow your lead all the time." Ryuji patted his chest as he tried to bargain.

"Scouts honor, Masumi." Ryuji elaborated while pleading and Masumi sighed, this was foolish of him, and foolish of her too. For she wanted this too. If she could get a chance to get bad at Kamoshida for what he has or would have done safely... She'll be lying if she didn't want this chance as well even though it was stupid.

Medea's words echoed in her mind, and Masumi remembered the vow she made to the enigmatic individual/thing/monster as part of the deal that she struck to get out of her jam.

Let loose your rage

"... Fine, but you will take my lead and you will keep it down. Besides, he wants something from me too" Masumi confessed with a sigh in the end and that made Ryuji growl in anger.

"What? He tried to do something? What the heck?" He swore loudly, causing some students who were still nearby to look at them curiously. Masumi just glared sullenly at Ryuji and he toned down, not that he wasn't still mad though as he scowled at her.

"I got your back, alright? If you need help, don't hesitate, I'll do whatever I can. I can't get into more trouble without them expelling me, and he hates me anyway. I'll just bail you out if he tries anything funny." Ryuji's stern determination took Masumi off guard and she flushed a little before nodding awkwardly at him.

"You can count on me. But… just be careful alright? I've heard that he tries to talk to girls by themselves, so try to avoid that if you can." Ryuji's warning made sense to Masumi, he wanted the chance to talk to her alone and she'll be more careful in the future.

..

"I think we should just try and retrace our steps from yesterday." Ryuji s suggestion made sense as their first step, him swiftly switching topics and Masumi nodded in agreement as he fell to step besides her.

"In the meantime you're walking to the station, right? Let's go together, you don't mind right? I know what Kawakami said… " Ryuji trailed off but grinned when Masumi rolled her eyes and asked if he really cared. This wasn't the first time he had mentioned this, whether he liked it or not he still cared enough to ask.

"Well, no, but I gotta be considerate right? Let me know if you notice any other weird buildings on the way though."

The two of them made small talk during their way to the station, in which Masumi found out that Ryuji expectedly has bad grades in school. Masumi herself wasn't a genius and scored decidedly average, but even her worst scores trump his.

Once they were at the station, Masumi and Ryuji looked around to see if they were being followed before starting the operation.

"if a huge castle like that really exists, I'm sure we'll find it in no time. When would they build something like that though?" Ryuji stopped his musings when Masumi approached one of the students that were still loitering around the area, in this case a third year student that was checking her watch repeatedly, she was probably waiting for someone else.

"Excuse me senpai." Masumi quickly introduced herself before asking her. "I'm new here, may I know whether there are any interesting areas that I can visit near Shujin? Any… historical sites?"

..

Ryuji admitted that Masumi had done a much better job than he would have as she engaged in her upper class man. He had been prepared to look everywhere while retracing their steps to ensure that they would be able to find the castle. However Masumi had just saved them a huge chunk of time. She really was something else as she ended her conversation with the senior and walked back to him.

"There's no castles or anything like that near Shujin, I don't think we will be able to find it like this." Her words made Ryuji frown and she asked what other alternatives was there.

"Remember what my app said, "Welcome to the Real World" right? It shouldn't be somewhere visible, and I'm pretty sure we'll have heard about it at school." Masumi pursed her lips as she elaborated, pushing her glasses up as Ryuji gave her his full attention.

"The castle was huge, wasn't it? We spent at least half an hour running and hiding in the castle's basement. We don't even need to run half an hour to cover the entire school, right?" With Ryuji's agreement, Masumi concluded with a smile.

"I am pretty sure if it exists 'here'." She tapped her feet to elaborate. "We would have been able to see it. So it makes sense for it not to be 'here'."

"That's kind of amazing." Ryuji just stared at her with respect while Masumi shook her head and replied.

"It's just logical. The place is huge, we wouldn't have missed it. The app thing that I might have something to do with us getting to the castle though." Masumi pulled out her phone and pointed the app to Ryuji, who stared at it in fascination. "I tried deleting it a few times but it wouldn't stay that way. It's not a adware, at least it doesn't seem that way. Let's try it out."

Masumi booted the app and just as she suspected, there was search history which wrote: "Kamoshida's Castle".

"Morgana did mention something about a Palace or a Castle right? This has got to be it." Ryuji explained excitedly but then paused before asking Masumi.

"So, should we boot it here or… I mean, we are still at the station." No one had paid them much attention as they were seated in the seats around the area, but if Masumi was right, the two of them would be disappearing into another world.

"Good point, we should move to a more secluded area… maybe in one of the sideroads…"

..

"Kamoshida… Shujin Academy… Pervert… Castle." As Masumi selected the keywords that were listed in the search history, she couldn't help but be disturbed and amused. They seemed really specific.

"Beginning navigation." The voice recorded message replied and they simply waited, wondering what would happen till they realized that things weren't right.

The entire world appeared to be tinted a light purple while Masumi stared at her phone. Any doubts on whether it was an adware was quickly replaced by fear as the eyeball logo took over the entire screen, all the while flickering as it was interrupted by what appeared to be static.

"Woah, what's going on! Can you make it stop?" Ryuji asked in panic while Masumi tapped at it frantically, but it didn't respond at all.

"No, I can't!" Masumi answered, panicked and worried as she looked around them. Black and red circles were forming around them now, changing their surroundings but somehow leaving them intact as they watched uneasily.

At least Ryuji wasn't panicking and was keeping to her like she promised.

"Woah! You changed clothes again!" Ryuji's exclamation startled Masumi but he was right and she pulled the cap she wore tighter down her head before being a little conscious of her hair.

"So you dyed your hair huh… is that your natural hair?" Ryuji asked, staring at her and Masumi nodded, feeling a little self conscious.

"I didn't want to get any attention on me." She explained and Ryuji nodded. He had the opposite problem after all.

"And there we go…" Masumi pointed to something in the distance and Ryuji followed her lead to see what she had saw moments earlier. The Castle where they had been the day before.

"Well we found it, that means what happened yesterday was real too." Ryuji muttered while Masumi raised an eyebrow at him.

"You still bad bruises from where he hit you yesterday, right?" Masumi pointed out and Ryuji grimaced, admitting that he'd rather not think about that.

"But still, those clothes… is that your personal preference?" Ryuji tried to lighten the mood while Masumi's hands clenched. The outfit was similar to that of a pirate rather than a true navy captain though.

But there were similarities between her outfit and to that of a navy one, she supposed it was inevitable from how she grew up.

Regardless, Masumi still liked the outfit, it made her feel strong and confident and she nodded to Ryuji.

..

"I like it, though I prefer it in white. But red and black is fine too." The coat that she draped over her outfit was lined in gold and was red in the inner layer, matching how her cap was.

The gold butterfly logo on the brim of the cap surely meant something, the same goes for the gold and red sash and belt that she wore over her top and pants.

Masumi tugged at her red colored gloves before adjusting the ponytail that her hair had magically gotten tied up to.

"I wish I had a mirror... " She joked but focused immediately when Ryuji started heading towards the castle, asking her to come along.

"We've got to check that place out now that we're here, don't we?"

"No we don't…" Masumi argued but followed anyway, she was a little curious too.

Kamoshida's Castle

..

Now that they were right in front of it, the castle was much more impressive and depressing at the same time. Masumi and Ryuji stared at the massive structure for a while before she spoke.

"Well… now that we're here… what exactly do you plan to do, Ryuji?" She asked him evenly and Ryuji fell silent. It was obvious he didn't have a plan either as he studied the structure.

It was huge, much bigger than even she had imagined. It was intimidating too.

"I don't know… it's just, well… wow? I want to save the guys in the castle, but you said they weren't real right? But I know it's going on in the real world, so… maybe I can learn something here." Ryuji explained while Masumi tried pinching her nose, only for the mask to stop her.

"Uh huh… Alright… I suppose that makes sense, but what exactly do you plan to do? They won't talk to us, and since they aren't real, we can't get them out too." Masumi reasoned and Ryuji nodded in acceptance.

"But I can remember their faces, they'll be the ones that's abused, right? I mean, he hates me but I'm not part of it… I think. I swear, if he has a 'me' there…" Ryuji clenched his fist in anger while Masumi shuddered, not having considered that. If he had a copy of herself here…

"Pst, hey… stop making a commotion." A familiar voice cut into their conversation and despite it being soft, they could still make it out. Masumi looked around before spotting the yellow bandana of Morgana as he walked over to them.

"The Shadows were starting to act up, so I came here wondering what it could be… to think the two of you would return back to the entrance when you barely managed to escape." Morgana shook his head before beaming at Masumi.

"But it s a pleasure to meet you again, Lady Masumi. Ryuji too. I see you two have been well."

"To you as well, Morgana. I'm glad you're safe, aren't we, Ryuji?"

"Yeah, good to see you alright. You didn't get caught again, huh? Good job." Ryuji's praise was a bit awkward but despite Morgana raising an eyebrow at him, he brushed it off.

"Yeah I'm not going to get caught so easily. So, what brings you two back? You could still leave here, it's safer outside of the Palace." Morgana explained and Ryuji cut in to clarify himself.

"What is this place, is it the school after all? I mean we get we are in another world and all that…" Ryuji trailed off as Morgana nodded his head.

"That's smart of you to notice, but I suppose Lady Masumi would have explained it to you before you got here. In the Meta-verse, where we are in, the school is a castle to the castle's ruler, Kamoshida. It's how his distorted heart views the school. To him, the school is HIS castle."

Ryuji looked confused still and Masumi stepped in to explain for Ryuji before he flared up again.

..

"What Morgana means is that wherever we are, Kamoshida somehow managed to make the school a castle exactly how he believes it to be. How he is able to do so is due to what Morgana mentions as a distorted heart."

"Exactly, you nailed it in one, Lady Masumi." Morgana beamed while Ryuji nodded slowly, till the three of them jumped at the sounds of wailing and screams from the castle.

"It must be slaves kept captive there…" Morgana shook his head while Ryuji growled in shock.

"For real? We saw other guys held captive here yesterday, I'm sure they're from our school. The uniforms are a dead giveaway."

"That and this IS our school." Masumi added and Ryuji scowled.

"It's most likely on Kamoshida's orders. It's nothing out of the ordinary here, it's like that every day." Morgana then turned to them. "What's more, the two of you escaped yesterday. He must have lost his temper quite a bit."

"This is bullshit!" Ryuji snapped and he rushed straight at the door, slamming his entire body against the huge wooden doors in an attempt to get in. "You hear me, Kamoshida!?"

Masumi just sighed, she was mad too but she was also aware that it would do nothing, it wasn't going to help in anyway and most importantly, Ryuji himself won't be able to do anything.

"Doing that isn't going to open it, you know?"

"And you'll just get yourself hurt if you go in like that. Remember what Kamoshida did to you?" Masumi added on while Ryuji glared at her.

"It's not like we're being heartless, and even if you have your reasons… it's still not going to help in anyway, unless you don't mind getting caught again, right, Lady Masumi?" Morgana asked and was vindicated when Masumi nodded her head in agreement.

"Dammit… but that doesn't mean we can't follow our original plan right?" Ryuji asked Masumi expectedly and she grimaced before explaining to Morgana what Ryuji's plan was.

..

"You want me to lead you to them? I guess I could guide the two of you there, but only if you keep your promise of letting us take the lead." Morgana offered his terms and when Ryuji nodded in agreement, he stressed.

"I'm being serious here, the moment you run ahead by your own, I'm not going to go on further. I'll just let you be. Lady Masumi shouldn't be going either, but we'll be needing her help."

"So harsh huh… but thanks, I'll be on my best behavior." Ryuji cheered up at that while Morgana nodded in satisfaction before turning to Masumi.

"I apologize for asking a Lady to fight, but I would feel much safer and reassured if I have someone looking over my back. Would that be fine, Lady Masumi?" Morgana beamed when Masumi nodded. "Alright, let's do this then, follow me!"

..

"Not barging in through the entrance is one of the basics of Phantom Thievery." Morgana explained before sneaking into the castle the same way they exited. "Don't worry, I'll teach the two of you along the way. We can't be getting caught because you can't learn the basics. We're sneaking around to not get caught after all."

As Morgana disappeared down the tunnel, Ryuji paused before he crawled into the tunnel himself.

"So… sorry for having you looking after me. I wish I can do more but, I really need your help for this. Masumi. I can't just forgive that Kamoshida doing what the hell he wants. We'll get him for this through this palace thing." Ryuji's sincere plea once again made Masumi sigh, he was really at his wits end here and she'll help him out as a friend, getting back at Kamoshida was just a very useful side effect.

"I owe you big time for this!" He tried to sound optimistic but Masumi just shrugged, being lots more realistic than he was.

"Thank me after we're done…." She urged him to enter the tunnel before they proceeded with their plan to sneak into the castle..

..

"Now be sure to follow my lead, and be quiet. We don't want the entire palace to hear us. Follow me!" Morgana lead the group from the room while Ryuji followed behind Masumi, the latter gripping her dagger tightly.

As the group passed by the front porch, Ryuji stumbled and even Masumi winced when the entire surroundings changed for a brief instant. The castle was replaced by what seemed to be the first floor of Shujin Academy.

"I was seeing double or something just now, was that Shujin?" Ryuji asked and Morgana answered as he checked on them.

"I've told you before, this place is your school. Regardless, you two feeling okay? We don't have the time to stand around. Who knows when a Shadow might show up. This way!" He ensured the two were up before running towards another hallway with the two on his heels.

..

"Back here huh…" Masumi looked apprehensive as they went down the spiral staircase back to the basement and Morgana nodded as he explained while they ran down the steps.

"It's where the cells are, and it'll most likely be guarded. The security has been tightened since we escaped." Morgana warned and it wasn't long before they reached the last of the steps. They carefully entered the basement for real and they followed behind Morgana as he meticulously checked every corner for guards before finally sighing after they progressed further in the basement.

"It looks like we won't be able to avoid conflict from this point onwards." It had been a tedious process, but it seemed like they had no choice but to fight now.

"Lady Masumi knows how to right? Let's try to catch them off guard. As a rule of thumb, ambushing them would give us an advantage as they'll be stunned. It's common sense, right?" Morgana grinned when Masumi nodded in understanding. That was the basics of basics, anyone who played video games or watched manga could tell you that.

'That's great. I'll coach you through later if needed. But let's get that guard first." Morgana faltered when Masumi asked how she was supposed to ambush it, by throwing her dagger at it?

"No no, you're supposed to grab and rip the mask off the guard to momentarily break the control the Palace ruler has over them. You do see the mask, right? If you're successful it'll be momentarily stunned." Morgana pointed at the blue mask that the armoured guard was wearing.

"I can't possibly do that from behind…" Masumi asked nervously while Morgana raised an eyebrow.

"You sure can. Just jump on his shoulders and pull it free…. Ahh - I see, Lady Masumi isn't aware that when you awakened your Persona, you get stronger and faster? Try it out now." Morgana smiled and laughed softly when Masumi did so, doing an experimental jump and looking very shocked at how high she jumped and how light she felt.

"Ahaha, you can do it Lady Masumi. I would try but my hands can't reach over the shadow's shoulders. Once you grabbed it it's mask, tear it off and we'll be able to get rid of the Shadows that it is comprised off." Morgana explained and Masumi nodded, excited and apprehensive at the same time as she dashed forward in a burst of speed the moment that the guard turned it's back.

Her footsteps were silent and after gauging the distance, Masumi leapt to the air, steadied herself with one hand before twisting her body to land on the man's shoulders. Her legs braced against the guard's flailing even as she ripped the mask free and she tossed it to the floor while she landed on the concrete floor easily enough.

That was a rush and Masumi felt her pulse racing even as she got ready for battle, the same Jack'O Lantern appearing from the black ooze even as Morgana rushed to position besides Masumi, drawing his oversized sabre besides her.

'I knew you could do it, later Masumi. Well let's take this one down!"

..

The battle was brief if violent, Masumi tearing into the hapless Jack'O Lantern before it could react with her dagger. It was over before she realized it and she absentmindedly shrugged when Morgana gave her a studying look. Calling upon Medea to fire several shots into it's hapless body was just overkill really.

"Lady Masumi… that was brilliant form, you defeated it before it could recover! That's exactly how a Phantom Thief should be." Morgana seemed impressed although Ryuji looked a little queasy as they headed deeper into the castle.

..

As they returned to where they Morgana was captive before, Masumi shuddered as she imagined what they had done to Morgana and the prisoners. That was unforgivable, but as they approached, she became aware of the silence. There weren't even any guards around as they spread out to look for the prisoners.

"They are all gone?" Masumi asked while Morgana shook his head. His search had turned up empty too and Ryuji was gripping his hair in frustration.

"Where are they? They were here before… where'd they go?" Ryuji's question was immediately shot down by Morgana who looked at Ryuji sternly.
"Kamoshida must have taken them, and if he did, not here obviously. Even you can see that. Quieten down or we'll get the whole castle down on us." Morgana's snark did not go well with Ryuji but he held back visibly when Masumi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Morgana, that was uncalled for… even though Ryuji was wrong, but going after each other's throat would not help." She spoke quietly and both boys lowered their head in shame.

"I hope I wouldn't need to remind you two again how to behave?" Masumi asked quietly and that made Ryuji stiffen while Morgana's eyes widened.

"Of course not!" "Nope, I'll be good!" Both boys uttered in unison while Masumi smiled gently at them.

"That's good. Let's explore a little further then, there might be more cells in front which haven't been transferred."

"They might have been, but there's no harm in trying." Morgana agreed and they moved as one towards the next hallway till he stopped them.

"I hear lots of footsteps… they're coming our way. We got to take cover now, it'll be bad if they find us here." Morgana grimaced while Masumi prepared for combat, twirling the dagger in her hands and looking expectant.

"There's a place for everything, Lady Masumi, we wouldn't want them to pin us down here. I have a place we can hide in. Let's go." Morgana turned tail to one of the rooms before urging the two of them in with him.

..

"The shadows probably won't come in here." Morgana jumped up one of the desks in the room and announced confidently. Masumi wasn't sure, but she then realized that the place felt different. It was calmer, as if there were less pressure on her and Morgana smiled as he saw Masumi's expression.

Ryuji was laying on the floor, all exhausted after that sprint but he paid attention too.

"There's a lack of distortion here, meaning the ruler's control over this real is weak. Well, you'll understand soon enough." As if on cue, the surroundings overlapped with that of a classroom in Shujin.

"Now do you understand? This place is another reality that the rule's heart projects. It overlaps with the image in the meta-verse of your school. One could say it's a world in which one's distorted desires have materialized. I call such a place a 'Palace.'" Morgana's explanation once against went over Ryuji's head from his expression and Masumi elaborated.

"What Morgana means is that Kamoshida was able to make his view of the school, which is a castle to him, real in this other world. And Morgana calls such a place, a 'Palace'." Her explanation was easier on Ryuji and he nodded, sitting up after catching his breath.

"Well said, Lady Masumi. This happened because he thinks the school is his own castle."

Ryuji look furious and he slammed a fist on the wall in frustration, voicing his displeasure on how Kamoshida is a dirtbag.

"You must really hate this Kamoshida guy, Ryuji." Morgana observed while Masumi watched her friend's anger spike again.

"Hate doesn't even cover how I feel. Everything is that asshole's fault." Ryuji swore again but quietened down when Masumi's hand found it's place on his shoulders. Morgana looked sympathetically as he looked away.

"Well, I don't know what happened between you two, but don't let your emotions get the better of you and do something stupid. His lackeys are everywhere inside."

Masumi realized that Morgana was caring for Ryuji in his own way and she smiled, finding a seat to sit down herself before adjusting the ropes that held the flak jacket over her outfit. It was cool for sure, but it was a little tight around her neck. Not to mention a little unwieldy if not for how it seemed to have a life of it's own, never tangling around her legs.

"You're curious about your outfit aren't you, Lady Masumi?" Morgana's sudden question made Ryuji perk up too and he added on.

'I'm curious as hell about it too. Not that you don't look good in it!" He raised his hands to reassure her while Morgana laughed.

"That's also because of this world. Anything distorts according to how a ruler pleases within his Palace. A school can turn into a castle like this, after all." He gestured all around him in explanation and Masumi nodded.

..

"In order to prevent such distortion, one must hold a powerful will of rebellion. Your appearance is a manifestation of that, it is the image of rebellion that you hold within." Morgana explained further but he then frowned. "It's odd though, unlike me and Zorro, your outfit isn't in sync with Medea. That is your Persona's name, yes? Medea." When Masumi agreed, Morgana's brow got even more furrowed.

"A Persona is what your mask is, your true self so to speak, and for you two to look dissimilar is odd. Still, maybe that's something I am projecting." Morgana scratched his chin while Ryuji interjected.

"As interesting as that is, I'm more curious as to what are you?" Ryuji's question offended Morgana as he arched his back just like a cat would.

"I'm a human - an honest to god human!" Morgana insisted and that made Masumi, who had been a little troubled over his thoughts about her and Medea, raise an eyebrow again.

"No, you're obviously more like a cat. Your appearance is really like a cat." Ryuji insisted and this time Masumi backed Ryuji up as she nodded.

"You too, Lady Masumi? But, it's because I lost my true form. I think…" He added at the end and Ryuji looked just as perplexed as Morgana himself. "But I do know how to regain my true form. The reason why I snuck in here was for a preliminary investigation of those means." Morgana sounded cheerful again but deflated when he confessed. "Well I ended up getting caught though… Besides, I've been tortured by Kamoshida too! I'm going to make him pay for sure!" Morgana declared fiercely and Masumi nodded in agreement.

"What is this, a manga? This is seriously crazy…" Ryuji looked overwhelmed at the development but Masumi just shrugged.

"Just go along with it, you're part of this too." Masumi's words made Ryuji sigh bitterly before slapping his cheeks to gather his attention.

"I guess you're right. We're all here to make Kamoshida pay after all."

"If we're going to keep going, we should hurry along. The last thing we want is for them to start regrouping again. I'll be depending on you again, Lady Masumi." Morgana nodded to Masumi in acknowledgement while Masumi nodded, adjusting her mask again.

..

Masumi was actually eager, the rush of power that she felt when she invoked Medea was exhilarating and at the same time concerning for she wasn't sure she should feel that way about killing things. Perhaps it's a primal thing…?

"Don't worry, I'm not going to force it all on you. I thought it might help, so…" Ryuji interrupted them before pulling out a pistol and showing it to Masumi. "I brought this just in case! It's a model gun though, so it only makes sounds!"

"That's a toy!"Morgana deadpanned immediately while Masumi just wondered why Ryuji even brought it. Not that she expected him to have a real weapon but still…

"It looks totally real though, so it'll at least fake them out. From a distance you won't be able to tell." Ryuji had given it some thought and he pulled out a few boxes of bandages and painkillers. Funny how she could still recognize them even in a glance, but that was neither here nor there.

"I brought some medicine too in case we got hurt, and some painkillers and muscle relaxants. I got a hella a cramp after running for so long so I'd figured that we might need some." Ryuji's gaze turned serious as he continued.

"It's not fun and games, but every bit helps right? Even if it isn't real, it looks real and the people here could probably stop if they knew we have a gun. It's a long shot, but at least we have that one shot." Ryuji made sense and even Morgana look contemplative before he sighed.

"I guess that's true, as a Phantom Thief it's us against the world. Sometimes you just need things to even the scales." Morgana flashed a grin at Ryuji. "Well, looks like you did give it some thought after all."

"Thanks, but I only got one though, so do you mind holding it, Masumi?" Ryuji handed the revolver to Masumi and she studied it for a moment before tucking it into her pocket.

"Great, let's move out then."

"Well, fine. If you're ready to go… We'll resume our infiltration." Morgana still looks doubtful but he at least seems relieved that Ryuji wasn't just playing around.

Masumi had to admit that after the dressing down that she gave Ryuji, he had behaved quite well. He did follow her lead and had kept his head, not to mention staying as quiet as he could.

She could at least appreciate that he was making an effort. Even if she felt silly even considering using the replica gun!

..

"Hm. I thought I just heard something move over there… guess it was my imagination…"

"And what of the slaves?"

"They're all in the training hall. I'd assume they're screaming in pain by now."

"Very well, by the way, I heard we may have intruders around. Stay on your guard."

"Did you hear that?" Morgana asked quietly as the guards dispersed. The three of them had waited for a while before they heard the sounds of the guards talking and it had paid off handsomely for them.

"They said training hall, right?" Ryuji asked for confirmation and she agreed, they hadn't been speaking softly after all.

"I think that's just a little further ahead. Let's go!" Morgana took off and the two quickly followed, taking care to keep themselves hidden behind walls or pillars as they ran. Masumi couldn't help but notice that Ryuji was having some difficulty running at the pace she was setting.

She had became aware that her physical abilities like stamina, dexterity and strength were much more developed than it should be when she was in this alternate universe.

It honestly reminded her of a video game where she had powered up, and perhaps it wasn't that farfetched considering where she was and what she did.

..

"Shoot, there's a guard in front." Morgana lamented as they took cover.

"Should we defeat him and move on?" Masumi asked, gauging the way the guard moved and Morgana looked at her before shrugging.

"We could. But just don't let it notice you beforehand… it it does, the palace's security level will rise and the guards will get more vigilant. The Shadows belonging to the palace and ruler are connected to some degree, so if they spot you they'll be able to alert the rest. Thankfully it can't pinpoint where the threat is yet, but they would become more watchful." Morgana crossed his arms as he elaborated, they taking cover by squeezing themselves against the wall.

Ryuji was trying to get his hands away from her, which she was both relieved and embarrassed. Not that it didn't make her stop paying attention to Morgana.

"And that'll complicate things. Well, the security level will go back down if we can beat more enemies without getting noticed. As long as no threats are being discovered, they'll calm down and be lazy again. Just like how humans are in real life." Morgana cracked a grin as Masumi nodded, wondering if she needed to explain the terms to Ryuji. Thankfully he just stayed silent and waited for them to continue.

"Alright, leave it to me then." Masumi agreed and took her time, judging when it was ready to jump on the guard.

..

"That's a rush as always." Masumi smiled viciously as the last Shadow disappeared after she and Morgana took them by surprise. It had became a habit of hers to twirl the dagger that she wield in one hand before tucking it into her pockets and subsequently adjusting her captain's cap. The trench coat that she wore was long enough to hide her movements if she wanted to and she it was paradoxically thick and light enough to protect her if she wanted to.

It at least made for quite a cool and intimidating sight, something that she was conflicted about. Was she truly losing herself in this? This was a life and death situation, she shouldn't be getting carried away.

'Splendid skill as always, Lady Masumi. You're a natural at this." Morgana praised while Ryuji sighed in relief, he had watched them with bated breath, feeling helpless and angry that he couldn't help.

"Thank you… but I shouldn't be…" Masumi sighed, Medea had whispered encouragement for her to tear those in front of her apart and she had obliged, but the feel of euphoria after doing so disturbed her greatly.

"A Persona user's potential is awakened along with their Persona, one can say that you always have such potential but hiding your true self has not made you achieve it. No matter who you were before, this state is what you are with all the chains attached to you are broken." Morgana explained in a vague manner, and Masumi simplified it.

"So this is me, when I am able to become what i could be with sufficient training?"

"In a sense, yes, you haven't reached your full potential, but you are at least much better off, yes?" Morgana's explanation made Masumi satisfied and they pressed on, ignoring how Ryuji was wistfully staring at his own legs before following them.

..

"So the training hall is a little further ahead, huh?" Ryuji asked as they navigated past several doors and corridors. This place was huge, and she wondered how long it would take to actually reach the place.

"Yeah it's a little further ahead. Make sure you watch out for any guards along the way, Lady Masumi." Morgana reminded them of the situation before charging in forward to deal with the enemies.

..

The battles were fierce, but short. Morgana had commented on how Masumi's persona had skills that were reminiscent of guns, and it was very effective against the Shadows that they were facing.

Morgana's Persona, who was named Zorro, was a Garu, or a Wind based Persona. Medea was a Eiha, or Darkness based Persona.

Masumi wasn't surprised, she had done some research on Medea and she was a tragic heroine to the core and the extent of vengeance was legendary.

In some way, perhaps Medea was indeed her true self as well.

..

"Shoot, I had a feeling there would be a lot of enemies, it'd be impossible to dodge all of them." Morgana whispered tersely while holding the two of them back.

The trio had managed to defeat or bypass several bands of the Shadows and although mostly unharmed, Masumi was feeling the strain. The place was crawling with them, and according to Morgana, they would respawn after a while.

It was really like a game, and Masumi was slowly coming to grasp with it.

"Could we take them out one by one then?" Ryuji asked but Morgana shook his head.

"It's not that simple. We might have only a short way to go, but we have to get out too. We should be conserving our energy."

"Dammit… I wish I could fight, I'd at least be able to help out a little." Ryuji gritted his teeth in anger and Masumi watched him carefully. He was genuinely guilty and embarrassed about having them fight alone. It was a good sentiment, at least Masumi knew that Ryuji wouldn't leave them be if they got in trouble.

"But all I could come up with was the toy gun. It's not going to work, is it?" He asked Morgana, more out of desperation.

"Well, there is a way… Okay, we'll use that to take down the enemies." Morgana beamed, his eyes sparkling while Ryuji looked at him skeptically.

"It doesn't even shoot pellets, you know?" Masumi was just as surprised and nodded numbly at him.

"Don't worry, I am certain this will work. Fire away, Lady Masumi!"

"It doesn't… well, if you are certain." Masumi decided to trust Morgana and she gave Ryuji a shrug. The blonde looked at him incredulously but didn't comment as she tipped her hat in a way of showing confidence to him.

..

In a move straight out of an asian kung fu movie, Masumi threw herself forward in a roll before coming up on one knee in front of the startled shadow. Masumi held her revolver in her hands and she fired several shots at the chest of the Shadow, causing it to lose it's form and split to its separate selves.

"Nice shot, Lady Masumi! And how about that!? Surprised? Be mindful of how much ammo you have left. I'll show you my weapon too!" Morgana grinned as he pulled out a slingshot that was just as big, if not bigger than he was.

Masumi couldn't help but stare as he pulled the elastic back and shot several shots that knocked down the Shadows they are facing. With them down, the two of them made quick work out of the enemies and soon they were left collecting the spoils.

The yen notes were quickly gathered and despite the situation she was both glad and worried about the money she had gathered. It was close to a few thousand yen at this point. She couldn't earn this hourly as a student!

..

"Whoa, did that toy guy just shoot bullets? I thought it was a replica." Ryuji asked, wide eyed and mouthed while Masumi shrugged, turning to Morgana for answers.

"This is a cognitive world, as long as our opponent sees it as real, it becomes such. It's a good thing it's realistic looking enough for them to believe it."

"If it is better having something realistic, why would a slingshot work? It was just as strong as Masumi's revolver, how would that work?"

Ryuji's insightful reply made Morgana come up short and the cat-like person looked panicked while Masumi suggested.

"A slingshot that big would certainly be a threat, especially if Morgana fires heavy projectiles. Well, it's a little odd, let's just leave it at that." Masumi's attempt at defusing the situation worked for both boys seemed satisfied, with Ryuji scratching his chin and Morgana looking pleased.

"Well nothing like the present, let's move on.

..

"A guard… and I'm pretty sure that's where we need to be going too." Morgana moaned in frustration as this particular guard was standing steadfastly in front of a set of doors and not budging from it at all. It seems that it had strict orders to not move and it would mean a straight on frontal assault.

"We don't have a choice do we, unless you can shoot it from this distance?" Ryuji asked and both Morgana and Masumi shook their heads.

"It's too far." "I won't be able to hit it."

After a few seconds more of thinking, Morgana sighed. "I guess that's our only choice. But this might be a good opportunity as well." Morgana's eyes sparkled as he continued. It seemed like the cat has more tricks up his sleeves and Masumi listened attentively.

"I'm going to teach you a much more efficient way to fight enemies." So saying. Morgana charged forward and took the lead to battle, leaving Masumi lagging behind.

"Listen, there's a distinct flow to battles. Follow my lead, Lady Masumi. After all, seeing is believing rght?" Morgana asked as he faced off against the Shadow that had spawned from the guard.

..

"First, knock down all the enemies! Everything starts at that crucial step!" Morgana did just that, pulling out his slingshot and knocking the Shadow down easily with one shot, shocking Masumi.

"Shadows have weaknesses. Like for example this one, a Fairy, is weak to attacks that would mimic a gun, like my slingshot. We spoke about elemental powers before, right? Zorro uses Garu, while your Medea uses Eiha. I can remember the weaknesses and characteristics of Shadows, so we can knock them down at the first opportunity. A downed enemy is a vulnerable one after all." Morgana explained before gesturing for Masumi to follow him as he rushed to the Shadow's side.

The Shadow was still stunned, lying on the ground but it froze as Morgana pulled out his slingshot and aimed it at it's face.

"You two, Lady Masumi. We got your dead in our sights now, Shadow." Morgana grinned as the Shadow looked up at them fearfully. "Andnow let us end this with an All out Attack!"

Masumi didn't know what that was, but when Morgana leaped towards it, blade a flashing, she followed suit, landing a flurry of slashes and even some kicks at the down shadows in a blur of movement that shocked even her.

In a few moments, the battle was over and the Shadow collapsed, into nothing, leaving them victorious.

..

"Mm, that went really well! You truly have a talent for this, Lady Masumi, call me impressed." Morgana had both hands on his waist as he praised, looking very pleased indeed.

"What was that thing you just did?" Ryuji looked just as slack jawed as he was when they used fire arms but even Masumi was feeling a little shellshocked at how she pulled that off. She didn't know she could move that fast.

"I told you, it's called an All-out Attack. It's a concentrate attack on defenseless enemies after all, if they are down they can't defend themselves and we would be able to coordinate our movements to attack them together. Lady Masumi was a bit off tempo, but she caught up in the end, her reflexes are superb. In that case, I want you to be the head of our command, you can decide when we should do this. There are other benefits to holding them up while they are defenseless after all."

"Thank you for trusting me." Masumi's reply made Morgana laugh as he shook his head.

"Nonsense, Lady Masumi is a born leader, or should I say a captain, you certainly fit the look. Anyway, strike the enemy's weaknesses, knock them ALL down so they can't help each other and then do an All-Out Attack! That's the ideal pattern, they won't know what hit them!" Morgana grinned before pushing forward, entering the guarded door to a room that was decorated differently.

Kamoshida's Castle: Training Halls

..

"Kamoshida's… training hall of love? What kind of bullshit is this!?" Ryuji swore almost immediately while Masumi just looked nervous. The blonde was getting agitated and even Morgana was quiet, looking at Ryuji in worry.

He wasn't going to charge forward now right?

This was the training hall after all and they entered the next room, leading to another set of stairs that led below.

The difference was in how there were cries of pain in the distance, a sound that made both Morgana and Masumi look at Ryuji in concern as they navigated downwards.

..

"Look, the sound is coming from over there!" As they crossed the bridge over yet another river, Ryuji spotted something in the distance and they hurried over.

It turned out that they were on the second floor of a dungeon, or a training hall modified to be one and the first floor was filled with Shujin students being whipped by the armoured guards. The cries of pain were heart wrenching to her and Masumi felt a flash of rage as she saw red. How dare Kamoshida treat his students like this!

"Dammit! This is bullshit!' Ryuji's voice was raised but he quieted down when Morgana shushed him, Masumi was lost in her anger too but she came back and nodded sternly to Morgana.

"But this is beyond messed up." Ryuji was still furious and Masumi agreed with him, still the rational part of her was enough to hold back her anger as the students weren't real.

"I agree, but they aren't real. We're here to find evidence aren't we?" Masumi asked before jumping in surprise when another voice called out to them.

"Leave us alone… it's useless." The surprises keep coming as another student appeared.

"If we stay obedient, we won't be executed like you guys!"

The threat was indeed real and Masumi grimaced.

"Like Morgana said, they aren't real so they can't leave.. And if they can't leave, if they tried to escape they'll die. So they have no choice but to stay here." Masumi reasoned while Ryuji looked at her in shock.

"B-But I can't, we can't leave them here.

"You can't take these guys out anyway. It's useless to even try. Lady Masumi is right, they aren't real and are different from you two. Even if they die, they aren't 'dying', but if the two of you die, you die.." Morgana was dead serious about this and that stunned Ryuji out of his rage as well.

"They are different from the real ones in the real world. You are here to gather evidence, am I right? Well gather them and let's go." Morgana rushed them and Masumi nodded, while Ryuji tried his best to recap.

"The schools' a castle, and the students are slaves. It's so on point that it makes me laugh." Ryuji's sardonic laugh was accompanied by Morgana shaking his head.

"I won't deny this is horrible, It means that he treats them as slaves in the real world too."

"We don't have time for this, we're here for evidence, do you recognize them?" Masumi asked and Ryuji tried to do just that before nodding his head.

"They're part of the volleyball team. I should have known! Kamoshida coaches them." The connection was obvious and Masumi grimaced again while Morgana commented sadly.

"They must be physically abused every day. There's no way they'd be so beat up normally."

"They're going through similar shit in reality?" Ryuji's rage was overflowing now and both Morgana and Masumi didn't have the heart to really stop him. It really was infuriating to see this.

..

"This proves that Kamoshida thinks of them as slaves, and he doesn't have any problems punishing them here. As this is going on all the time, it might be normal for him."

"So it might be for real, I know it's real. I heard that Kamoshida's using physical punishments. Those rumors are true after all. We got him now." Ryuji clenched his fist in victory but paused when Masumi coughed.

"Evidence. This isn't something we can prove right now. Our camera app is broken, and this isn't really something anyone will believe." She reminded him while taking care to watch out around them cautiously. Surely they had made enough noise to be spotted already?

"If we can find evidence, wouldn't this be something to report to the police?" Ryuji asked quietly after a minute of him taking several deep breaths. "I'll use these guys as evidence. I mean they would have injuries if they are abused every day right? If it all goes well we can take down that asshole Kamoshida" Ryuji was trying his best to think of a solution and Masumi agreed with his path of action, still…

"The students probably won't admit to them being abused. It's easier to just endure it. Besides, it's not as if we can take proof. Our phones aren't working properly and, do you really think they'll believe this?" Masumi gestured to the sight of the students being whipped patiently. She was speaking from experience. It wasn't to do with personal pride. No one would want to be a tattle tale, for all it might seem to be that way. But it was truly an easier option as compared to be a life that would be forever marked as a whistleblower, a snitch and one that betrayed others, especially when you were one of them in the first place.

No one would ever trust you again - no matter if you were right or wrong.

"Going against figures of authority would never be a winning preposition. You will lose unless it is proven beyond doubt that they were undeniably wrong, and you were strong enough to stand up to that." Masumi elaborated, her tone bitter. Morgana realized that for he gave a worried look to Masumi and then to Ryuuji.

"Well anyway, if you wish to do something about it, go ahead, but you can't take them out… Not that they'll want to go with you so they'll be a burden at most. We need to head back. We will get caught if we just stand around like this." Morgana shook his head before giving an ultimatum.

"5 minutes, that's the most we can wait. We have to go, and if we have to leave you behind, I will." He gave a worried look to Masumi. "Lady Masumi too, you shouldn't risk your life unnecessarily."

"He's my friend." Masumi argued but Morgana wasn't done.

"You wouldn't be able to save him if you ended up dead yourself." That was the decider as Masumi nodded in agreement, looking very solemn and Ryuji gnashed his teeth before conceding that they were right.

"There's no other way… I'll just memorize their faces before going back! I'll look around the cells then." As Ryuji made his way around the place, Masumi spoke to Morgana as she walked towards the opposite way, towards the entrance of the gymnasium.

"One of us should stay with him while the other should keep a watch out at the door, if any of the guards come we could at least try to take them out, or have one of us free." Masumi suggested while Morgana beamed, looking at her with stars in his eyes.

"Great suggestions, Lady Masumi. You are certainly a talent at this, but may I request that you accompany Ryuji instead? He might have relented now, but he would listen to you. As much as it pains me to ask for your aid in such a menial task, I feel it would be better if you accompany Ryuji for now." Morgana made sense, however Masumi disagreed.

"Whatever differences between the two of you, it'll be best if you could sort it out now. There's no better time to set aside whatever differences the two of you might have to work towards the success of the mission. You are a professional Morgana, I would expect you to behave appropriately with Ryuji." Masumi's reply made Morgana's ears droop as he grimaced before nodding, accepting and agreeing with her.

"I see your point. People do bond over danger, was that the saying?" Morgana shook his head once before grinning. "And I am a professional, I won't let this affect me. I scouted the place before and there's no exit, we'll be like trapped rats if they barricade the place, so would you mind standing guard at the other end of the door, Lady Masumi?"

..

Masumi took several deep breaths as she stood guard over the only way in and out of the gymnasium. She briefly considered hiding in the closet to ambush any guards but had decided against it. Instead she leaned against the same wall that the other door was mounted on. It would provide some cover for her while she took the guards by surprise.

In truth, Masumi's reasons were only an excuse on her part. She wanted to be alone as she did not want to let her emotions run out of control when hearing Ryuji's rant. Masumi had been like him before, in circumstances similar to this and she had reacted in the same way only to fail miserably.

Masumi would never forget how society treated her, how quickly she was abandoned and how no one would believe her even though she was telling the truth.

The anguish, despair and utter helplessness was painful to remember and she wouldn't want Ryuji to go through that more than it was necessary by making sure he didn't show his hand until the right time.

This was both a gamble and a battle, she wouldn't want to watch him try and fail just because he wasn't thinking straight.

"..." Masumi blew out a breath as she remembered what Medea had whispered in her ear the entire time Ryuji ranted about the injustice of it all. She wanted her to show her rage too, to agree with Ryuji and to take action.

But only a fool would act blindly without a plan. Masumi wasn't a fool and she wasn't going to get into more trouble than she already was.

..

Ryuji had been walking around the entire gymnasium with Morgana in tow. The cat-like creature had stayed most silent as Ryuji went from cage to cage, trying his best to remember the individuals that were kept in the cells.

Ryuji's expression got darker and darker with each cell, as the cell members either told him to leave them alone or it was an opening letting him see more atrocities being shown. One rather startling example was students being hung upside down while being hit by volleyballs spiked at them.

Ryuji's knuckles had turned white as he glared at the armored knights, but he had remained silent as he strode off towards the next cell.

Morgana was a bystander and didn't know Ryuji, but even he could tell that this was personal for Ryuji. Lady Masumi might be more capable, but she was harder to read than the open and expressive blonde.

He might have taken a page out of Lady Masumi's book, learned his lesson and had stayed quiet throughout besides some quiet mumbles that Morgana could pick up.

"I guess there ain't a point in grumbling at them. They might be pleading for help, but they won't leave. I remembered all the faces now." Ryuji muttered before nodding to Morgana.

"We good? We're making good time, but we should go now. Lady Masumi is standing guard for us, we wouldn't want her to get hurt protecting us." Morgana's words made Ryuji grimace and he nodded, accepting that was the best plan they had.

..

"You really owe Lady Masumi a favor for her loyalty and assistance. She could leave at any moment, but if she stays, I would stay for her as well as I have given her my word." Morgana nodded sagely as he led the way towards the exit.

Ryuji agreed, Masumi really stuck her neck out for him. "I know, I really owe you guys. I'm a direct kind of guy, so I really owe you two. I don't know how I'm going to repay you two, but I'll find a way. That's a promise." Ryuji's words made Morgana cackle as he turned to grin at him.

"Well I am holding you on that promise, Ryuji. A man should always honor his words. To be honest, I don't know what to do with you." Morgana cleared his throat as his ears drooped.

"You're loud, brash and impatient, you are the exact opposite of what a Phantom Thief should be. But your heart is in the right place, it resonates with mine even more than Lady Masumi. You have in you a true Phantom Thief heart, to fight against injustice." It was an awkward way to compliment Ryuji but Morgana managed while being sincere. The Phantom Thief cat grinned when Ryuji's lips curled up into a small smile as well.

"Thanks. I… it's complicated, but even before all that. I would never accept what Kamoshida is doing, and that's why all the shit happened to me. I don't regret it though, even if it might not had solved the problem. But… this time, it would." Ryuji clenched his fist before nodding to Morgana.

"If I get to stop him myself, that'll be great. If I don't, then at least I got these guys free right? That's the right thing to do."

Morgana agreed and nodded, holding out a fist before Ryuji bumped it with his own but almost knocking him down in the process.

What did you know, Lady Masumi was right after all.

Kamoshida's Castle

..

"... That's the third team." Masumi sighed as she crouched on top of a stockpile of barrels that she had used to ambush the last two teams with ease. The guards never looked up till it was too late and she had repeated the same maneuver to take them down before they could react.

"Oh dear…" Masumi muttered as the door to the gym swung open and Morgana came rushing out right in front of the new group of knight shadows.

The cat-like being was caught by surprise, his eyes widening comically only for him to sigh when Masumi landed on them from above, her boots slamming into their shoulders and subsequently pulling their masks off with one clean wrench.

Her athleticism and strength had definitely improved as Masumi leapt from the crumbling body to behind them easily and cleanly.

"Let's go." She nodded to Morgana and rushed the separated shadows, two Fairies that looked panicked that she had gotten the drop on them.

..

"We gotta get outta here, I've memorised the faces Masumi." Ryuji brought good news with him and she agreed, they were here for a long time already.

"The watch post near the training hall has ceased reporting. The others that we have sent there should have responded by now. There's definitely intruders in the castle. All personnel, increase security measures!"

The loud announcement that blared from everywhere startled the three of them and they could hastily ducked for cover.

"Tch, we stayed here too long… Let's get out of here now."

Kamoshida's Castle: Entrance

..

"The exit's just in front, let's get out of here!" Morgana's hurried whisper was not unfounded. The three of them had to duck and weave through several rows of guards and even had to take on a few groups of stronger shadows before reaching where they were.

"C'mon!" She urged Ryuji, whom had one hand around her shoulder as he struggled to keep up. They were doubling it, moving as quick as they can and if not for her consideration of his pride and the practicality of it, would have carried him on her back.

..

"Uh oh…" Morgana screeched to halt when instead of seeing freedom, he spotted a large golden knight flanked by two silver knights stepping up from where they were concealed earlier.

"Intruders found my liege." He boomed in a clear voice and Kamoshida himself walked proudly into view.

In an instant, Masumi had Ryuji stand behind her as she brought her weapon to bear, backing away slowly even as Morgana cursed.

"They were waiting for us here. We got our back against the wall!" Morgana was right for several groups of bronze knights formed behind them.

"You knaves again?" Kamoshida sneered as he approached with several knights flanking him. "To think you'd make the same mistake again. You're hopeless!"

As Ryuji was behind her, Masumi felt the instant that Ryuji tried to say something but held it in. He was doing a good job of holding it in while they were surrounded, she herself was worried but Medea's strength coursing through her was still giving her the belief that this wasn't over. In fact, a part of her was itching to bash Kamoshida's face in. That part of her was quickly squashed down however as Kamoshida continued sneering at them as he mocked Ryuji.

"How far the star runner of the track team has fallen. Asking a pretty girl like her to do all the dirty work for you instead. Aren't you the violent one, ending his team mate's dreams? Or are you going to betray her and run way while they fight for you? "Track Traitor?"" Kamoshida laughed in mockery as his last barb struck home, casing Ryuji to push his way in front of them.

"Shut up! It's your fault!"

"I can imagine the pain of the others who were dragged under with your… selfish act." He drawled slowly and brightened when Masumi seemed confused.

"What a surprise, so you're helping him without knowing anything at all? He betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes, yet he still carries on as carefree as ever." His words were chosen to be as cruel as ever and Ryuji grimaced as he swung a hand in front of him to cut Kamoshida off.

"That's not true."

"You've come along with this fool and are now going to end up dead…. How… unlucky of you." Kamoshida trailed off before shaking his head and chuckling.

"Well, there's something else you could do. Just like what you already did." He clapped his hands together and the Knights spread apart, letting something, or someone to walk towards Kamoshida.

..

That someone made Ryuji's jaw drop, Morgana to cast worried glances at Masumi and the mentioned girl to see red as it was her, only her dressed in a tiny bikini and exaggerated chest size as 'she' wrapped her hands around Kamoshida's arms.

"Yes, yes, that's a good girl aren't you?" Kamoshida raised 'her' chin up easily with one finger before it ran ll the way down her neck and towards her chest area. "Yes you are, you were hiding this body behind that backet of yours. What a shame, it really is a shame. You could be a favored girl of mine like Takamaki." He leered this time, cheeks red as he did a circular motion around 'her' chest area.

'She' giggled shyly and girly, but didn't seem too mad and Masumi had enough, looking away while feeling furious and disgusted at the same time.

Kamoshida lusted after her? Masumi knew that was true but to see it in person, to see what Kamoshida wanted and expected her to behave disgusted her.

Her rage was overflowing, but a big part of her was disgusted due to what had happened before, preventing her from acting.

"YOU PERVERTED PIG!" It was Ryuji who snapped and in a blur of movement that Masumi could barely catch, Ryuji launched himself straight towards Kamoshida.

It did not matter that a few knight stood in the way, Ryuji's momentum knocked down like bowling pins and he lashed out straight at Kamoshida with a killer right hook.

..

Only that wasn't true as he struck 'her' instead, causing her to cry in pain before disappearing into the same black substance that the Shadows were formed from.

"Kamoshida's image of you must still be too weak to properly form! But that was a great move, Ryuji! You defended Lady Masumi's honor!" Morgana cheered even as he covered Ryuji by firing his slingshot to allow Ryuji to get free.

The shock of Ryuji getting so close had made Kamoshida crawl backwards desperately but the knights had regrouped around the large Golden one.

"Ryuji!" Masumi cried out in warning as her hand pulled the trigger, firing a round straight into the face of the nearest knight while Ryuji yelped while ducking into a roll towards his friends.

"GET THEM! KILL THE CAT BUT CAPTURE THE BOY AND THE GIRL!" Kamoshida's indignant and furious scream echoed throughout the entire castle as the two sides engaged each other.

Kamoshida's Castle: Entrance

..

"Rgh… you piece of shit." Morgana swore as Kamoshida stepped on his back, him applying more pressure on Morgana for good measure. Kamoshida gloated in victory before smirking at the sight of Masumi being dragged off in the other way towards the stairs.

The platinum blond girl was still clothed, that was one thing she was thankful about. She and Morgana had dealt with the Shadows easily enough but they had ran out of steam when more and more of them appeared, eventually pinning them down through sheer numbers alone after encircling them.

Ryuji had been dragged away relatively early and dumped to the side where they could see his friends struggling and failing. Kamoshida's man had purposely left him alone, knowing that Ryuji can't afford to leave at all. If he did, he would truly live up to the title of 'track traitor'.

"Well well… all that talk…" Kamoshida's words fell flat when Masumi suddenly lashed out with her legs, tripping one of the guards and kicking the other in an attempt to get free.

Of course it was futile as five armored knights lunged on her, burying her under them and pinning her down.

"She's a fierce one alright, I wonder how she'll behave later. Heh heh…" Kamoshida snickered before turning to Ryuji. "I bet you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this, isn't that right?"

"That's not true. Let them go." Ryuji glared at Kamoshida in defiance while Morgana grimaced under Kamoshida's feet.

"What a worthless piece of trash, you're useless. At least the girl put up a fight, and this cat could do even more than you ever could. How dare you raise your hand at me. She's mine, all the girls and the rest are my slaves. They live to worship me, they do what I tell them to do, and they'll love me no matter what I do."

Kamoshida then rubbed his chin in remembrance. "Though it was only temporary, have you forgotten my kindness in supervising track practice?" His words struck Ryuji like a blow while the same smug smile remained.

..

"That wasn't practice, it was physical abuse! You just didn't like our team!" Ryuji snarled back, his anger rising while Masumi was raised up high, one arm wrapped around her throat while she kicked the air futilely despite the manhandling.

"Masumi!" Ryuji looked at his friend in horror as Kamoshida declared pompously to him.

"It was nothing but an eyesore! The only one who needs to achieve results is me! The coach who got fired was hopeless too! Had he not opposed me with a sound argument, I would've settled it with only breaking his star's leg." Kamoshida's confession made Ryuji's anger dissipate as he placed the pieces together. He was the one that had started and ended everything. His manipulations went that far back?

"Do you need me to deal with your other leg too? The school will accept it if I said it was self-defense anyway, you worthless punk! They won't trust you a bit." Kamoshida cackled in victory while Ryuji closed his eyes in regret. He knew Masumi would continue fighting till the end, and even Morgana was still struggling to get Kamoshida's fat body off him, glaring defiantly at Kamoshida from below his foot.

"Dammit… am I gonna lose again…? Not only can I not run anymore… the track team is gone too cause of this asshole!"

..

"Ryuji!" "Don't let him win!" The cries from both Morgana and Masumi despite their predicament helped Ryuji made up his mind and resolve. The blonde got to his feet despite previously dropping to his knees earlier in despair. His eyes were fierce and his posture was unyielding despite the knights converging around him.

"Everything that was important to me was taken by him. I'll never be able to get them back."

Kamoshida didn't seem to care, or he was confident in his victory as he raised his foot and swung his other feet at Morgana, sending him flying off into a heap at the other direction.

"Look on as I make the girl scream, and then beg and I'll make her mine because she was stupid enough to side with trash like you."

The knights advance stopped, surrounding Ryuji still but not allowing him getting closer to where Kamoshida was heading to Masumi. Ryuji could see his friend cry out in defiance while gnashing her teeth in frustration, but there was nothing she could do. She was truly incredible, much better than he was but he was going to try now, damn the consequences!

"All you think about is using people… you don't treat them AS people! You're the real scumbag, Kamoshida! Stop looking down on me and my friends with that stupid smile on your face!" Ryuji declared as he pointed an accusatory and defiant finger at Kamoshida.

..

"A-Aaaggh!"

Masumi was in dire straits, she knew what Kamoshida wanted from her and she was not going to let it happen. Her cap had been knocked off earlier and her hair had came undone in the skirmish earlier. The golden knight had not held back and she had been sent flying despite Medea's best efforts, hence her situation.

The knights had decided to hold her in this sleeper hold after she had managed to escape and break free a couple of times.

She wouldn't let this happen. He was not going to get his hands on her. Especially so after knowing what Kamoshida did to Ryuji and his lecherous thoughts about her. But this development was not what she had expected.

To the side, Morgana had recovered but was still surrounded and outgunned. But Ryuji's scream had caught everyone's attention, especially when a surge of power that even she could feel kicked up dust around Ryuji.

Ryuji was clutching his head in pain before blue streaks of energy started flowing from him, threatening everything that was trying to approach him.

..

"You want power, correct? Then let us form a pact."

Ryuji didn't know who it was that spoke with him, but it was louder than anything he had ever heard before. Even as he endured the head splitting agony, Ryuji couldn't ignore the deep toned voice that demanded his attention.

"Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc…?"

The pain was enough to make him break out in cold sweat and despite his act of defiance earlier he rolled around the floor to try and stem it. Ryuji couldn't feel or see anything around him but it was the tugging in his heart and face that had his full focus.

"The other you who exists within you desire it thus. I am thou, thou art I."

Ryuji screamed as the pain spiked, as if something had struck his skull with a hammer as the voice declared, fading away briefly.

"There is no turning back...The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!"

..

He could feel something appear on his face and without seeing or feeling it, he knew a mask had formed just like Masumi had before. Ryuji touched it gingerly even as he noticed the Golden Knight dropped Masumi and headed towards him.

"What can you do?" The other knights were already blown back long ago, and Morgana was rushing towards Masumi to aid her. Kamoshida the bastard had ran, he was half-way up the stairs now and gaping at him in shock.

"Another one?!" He cried before mustering his troops to get him. "KILL HIM!"

Ryuji felt like he couldn't breath, the weight of the world on his face, crushing him and he wrestled with the mask while the Golden Knight approached.

"No, can't… fuck this thing!" Ryuji screamed louder than he thought he could before pulling the mask free, ignoring how it felt like he was tearing his face off.

But it was a liberating feeling, like he was set free and literally so as a geyser of power burst from him. He felt stronger with every second and his cry of pain became one that was for victory as he felt the power settle in him and above him.

The voice who had spoken to Ryuji whispered his name to him and he grinned, wondering if the feeling he felt now was the same as the one Masumi had experienced when she had awakened her Persona.

For he had one now, there was no mistaking it and it was a rush!

"Right on… What's up, Persona!" He could feel it, the strength that this granted him and Ryuji stared at his hands in disbelief before glaring at Kamoshida. "Now that I got this, it's time to kick your ass and save my friends. Yo, I'm ready… BRING IT!" Ryuji declared even as the Golden Knight charged at them.

"Blast him away… Captain Kidd!"