I made it! Wrote this chapter in one day before work because I have been so incredibly busy lately :/ I apologize profusely if this chapter is a bit "meh", and I am not entirely satisfied with it either but I didn't want to end up simply summarizing Sae's Palace so I decided to type this instead... :) Also, I didn' have time to check for mistakes, so sowwie in advance x)
Don't worry though, because I've got great plans for this :P
It took a while for the Phantom Thieves to find a way into the casino undiscovered. When Futaba spotted an entrance on top of the rooftop, the nine friends proceeded to climb all the way up and Joker forced the door open. Once inside, no one was particularly surprised to realize their uniforms had been replaced by their thief outfits. However, eight of them were utterly shocked when they turned to look at a figure dressed completely in white and with a red mask.
"Who the hell are you?!" Ryuji shouted, jumping backwards in surprise.
"Calm down, Skull. It's me, Crow" Akechi replied soothingly.
"No, no, no. Wait a minute" the blonde continued with a small smile as if he was trying to explain something complicated to a kid. "You are supposed to be dressed in black."
"What if I told you" Akechi continued calmly, his eyes fixed on Skull from behind his mask "That, just like Joker, I had the power of the Wild Card?"
"Wild what?!"
"The ability to summon different Personas…" Morgana explained in awe as the cat's large eyes fixed upon Akechi. "Incredible…"
"Wait, you mean to say Crow can use various Personas too?!" Ann exclaimed, as shocked as the others. "You never told us that!"
"I wanted it to be a surprise" Akechi shrugged. "Besides, I doubt you'd want to see my other Persona…"
"Speak for yourself!" Skull said, but instantly fell silent when Akechi gave him a stern look.
"Trust me. You don't."
He automatically glanced sideways at Makoto, who was watching him quietly. However, even from behind her mask he could tell she was just as impressed as her teammates.
"Come on, guys. Let's do this" Akira suggested as he swiftly moved across the ceiling, the rest of the party following suit as they admired the people on the first floor chatting and gambling.
When they finally found a way to get downstairs without being spotted, they were met by none other than Shadow Sae herself, who seemed to have predicted their arrival. She acted nonchalantly around them, inviting them to join her to the upper floors for a chat before sending a group of Shadows their way and disappearing.
"The opponents are strong!" Futaba announced worriedly from above them as she scanned their weak points. "They pretty much resist anything but Bless skills…"
"I'm on it!" Akechi exclaimed with a wide smirk as he prepared to call forth his Persona. "Come, Robin Hood!"
The others had to shield their eyes from the bright light surrounding their latest teammate as a majestic creature made its glorious appearance. Akechi nodded and Robin shot forward, raising its bow and pointing it at the group of Shadows, which were instantly wiped out by the Persona's incredible power.
"Holy shiiiiit!" Ryuji was so impressed his jaws were almost touching the floor. "I'm happy you're on our side, dude!"
"True" Akira nodded proudly. "You could wipe us out in a matter of seconds."
"Eh, it's nothing special" Akechi rubbed the back of his neck with a shy smile. He then proceeded to examine the elevator at the center of the room.
"Uhm, it looks like we will be needing a member's card to access the upper floors" he said. "Why don't we retreat for now and gather our thoughts? We can come back tomorrow now that we know what to expect."
"Alright, let's get outta here!"
"Your sister's Shadow seemed awfully confident, Mako-chan…"
"Indeed. There's no knowing what lies ahead. Let's proceed cautiously."
"Very well. You will let me know when you enter the Palace, right Joker?"
"Nah…"
"Come now, no need to be hostile. I will simply have to come to Leblanc every day in that case…"
"THAT would be the end of me!"
":P"
Makoto smiled as she read the messages Akechi and Akira exchanged: they were always like that, mocking and making fun of each other without ever taking it seriously. Even during their short stay in her sister's Palace, she could ascertain with joy Akechi didn't seem to have any troubles cooperating with them all and learning teamwork, despite having operated all by himself for all those years…
And the fact that such a pure side of him could be found gave her even more hope: whatever she was expecting definitely left her baffled when Akechi's uniform had turned into those candid white princely garbs. And Robin Hood, too… That basically proved there was a side of him which was prone to justice and innocence…
But the fact he was a Wild Card with a much darker side remained. He had been right: she did not want to see his other self, as well as the Persona with the power to turn Shadows psychotic. She could only imagine what it looked like…
"How about a little detour, btw?"
Makoto's thoughts about Akechi were interrupted by Akira sending a new message.
"What? You wanna go to the arcade or som'ing? 'Cause I'm tooootally game!"
"No. Mishima sent another message with a target in Mementos. Should be a nice change of pace."
"Ain't nobody got time for that!"
"It looks bad, actually… And we do have lots of time to complete Sae-san's Palace."
"Alright, alright! You're the boss after all."
Akechi had to re-read Akira's message multiple times, for he was pretty sure the boy had misspelled something. However, the others seemed to know exactly what he was talking about. But what were Mementos? And should he ask about it?
He thought that, for safety reasons, he could leave the matter be for the moment and get ready to head to Yongen-Jaya as established with the rest of his friends. He could always ask once there.
When he arrived almost an hour later, panting as he waved at Sakura-san and climbed the stairs to Akira's attic, the eight teammates were already there munching on snacks and apparently getting bored.
"About time, detective man" Futaba said "You kept us waiting."
"Sorry!" he muttered disconsolately. "I missed the train and it's Sunday today, so they don't go as often…"
"Aaanyway" Futaba decided to ignore Akechi's apology and continued. "Ready to take down the target? Akechi, you missed our briefing, so you will have to get a short summary once we're in."
"Ehm, sure" the boy agreed as Akira fumbled with his phone. Mere seconds after, and he found himself standing in what looked like Tokyo's subway. A very creepy version of it.
"What is this place?!" he exclaimed surprised, his voice much louder than he had anticipated, and everyone glanced at him.
"What?" Yusuke asked. "Never been here before?"
"To be one hundred percent honest with you, no…" Akechi confessed as he looked around.
"Wow" Ann whistled. "And to think you are supposed to be much more experienced than us."
"C'mon, Lady Ann" Morgana defended him. "If it weren't for me, you'd have no idea either."
"That is true…"
"Anyway" Akira intervened. "This place is called Mementos, and as you can see it resembles Tokyo's subway system. This is where the public's distorted desires manifest. Kinda like a collective Palace, and you can find different kinds of Shadows as well as more powerful ones belonging to people whose distortions are starting to prevail and turn into a larger Palace."
"I see…" Akechi whispered impressed. "Clever…"
"Should we get going already?" Morgana pressed them. "If we keep standing here, the Reaper will find us!"
"The Reaper…?" Akechi was getting more and more confused, but Akira simply dragged him along.
"It's a very powerful Shadow. Mona says that even all of us joining forces wouldn't be enough to take the guy down. And I honestly don't wanna stick around to find out."
"But hey!" Akechi called after his friend. "This place is huge! How do we know where to go?"
"No worries, I'm on it!" Futaba winked at him and activated her Persona's power to scan the area and locate their target.
Akechi watched the monitor and just realized how incredibly vast that place was. After all, he did imagine that a special place like that, needing to store the whole public's desires, needed to be immense…
"Found him!" Futaba smirked and tapped on the monitor to drag the location onto the map.
"Come aboard then!" Morgana exclaimed merrily and, to Akechi's utter surprise, the cat turned into a van.
"What the actual f…?"
"Don't drop the eff bomb, Akechi! That's my job" Ryuji mocked him before hopping on board.
"Surprised?" Makoto was apparently having the time of her life watching him learn so many new things as a proper newbie. "We're not that bad after all, huh?"
"No…" he muttered impressed. "You're not…"
The freaking old man had just turned into a powerful Shadow right in front of their eyes after losing it. And it kept throwing deadly attacks their way. He seemed to be particularly angry at Makoto, for some reason…
"Die! Die! Die!" the Shadow was screaming madly as he kept swinging its blade as well as occasionally using its special powers.
Makoto hadn't seen the wave of bright blue light coming her way, and she widened her eyes as it approached her fast, too fast for her to move away now…
When she closed her eyes, ready to feel the burning pain all over her body, she was surprised to find herself standing safely in the same spot as a few minutes before. An invisible shield was dancing around her, and the Shadow seemed to be focusing on Akechi now.
"You owe me one, Queen!" he yelled at her with a large grin as he dodged yet another attack with grace, and then countered with his saber sword.
"I gotta admit" Ryuji came running by her side to check up on her. "The guy is damn strong!"
"What did you expect?" Akira smirked as he watched his friend mock the Shadow.
"Now, enough with the horseplay!" Akechi announced excitedly as he summoned Robin. "Show him a lesson!"
Akechi's hands went to cover his mask as he summoned enough energies to send one last blast of Light against the Shadow.
"Dammit!" the Shadow muttered as it knelt down and turned back into the old man it was before. "I give up, you win…"
"Y'know what, Crow?" Ryuji rested one arm on his shoulder and smirked. "You could basically take care of this crap all by yourself!"
"Nah" the other boy retorted. "I'm done working alone."
"C'mon, let's go!" Ann was already on her way back to the entrance, but Ryuji shouted after her. "Wait! Why don't we show Crow around? He's never been here before, after all!"
"Huh?" Ann turned to glance at him and then at Akira. "What do you say, Joker?"
"Dunno, same by me. Do you feel like it, Crow?" Akira was speaking directly to him now, and the boy with the red mask nodded enthusiastically. "It'd be fun to discover more!"
"Yeah, let's just remember to prioritize Sae-san's Palace. And that we cannot go any deeper than what we've already explored" Morgana warned, but the eight friends were already sprinting around a corner. "Meh…"
Akechi had to admit he was having a blast taking down Shadows together with the Phantom Thieves. It was so much fun to experiment new moves and combine them with those of his teammates, he could barely believe he had been exploring the Metaverse all by himself for three long years. This was totally new to him, and utterly exciting. Furthermore, it made him feel vital whenever one of them praised his natural fighting skills and his agility. They worked so well together and felt so invincible they barely realized they had reached the deepest level available to them so far. The stairs leading further down were currently barred by a solid wall they couldn't cross.
"Well, this is as far as we can go…" Morgana announced sadly. "But I guess it's getting late anyway."
"Wow, it is!" Ann exclaimed when she checked her smartphone. "We have school tomorrow morning!"
"Let's head back" Yusuke suggested, the blue-haired boy moving toward the staircase leading up, followed by the others. Just as Makoto, Akechi, Akira and Morgana were moving to keep up with the others, a roaring sound could be heard all around them as a giant ooze literally jumped towards them and landed at the center of the platform they were currently standing on. With one swift move, the ooze-looking Shadow hit the four friends, sending them to fly in different directions.
The only thing Akechi was aware of was the yelling of the others who had safely made it to the other side and were currently screaming their names, as well as an intense pain shooting through his head after hitting it on the hard floor when he landed.
He slowly opened his eyes, trying to have them focus on his surroundings until he finally spotted Morgana hanging motionless from a sign high up on the wall, Joker was trying his best to get back up on his feet as if in slow-motion, and Makoto was lying a few feet away from him.
Akechi was desperately trying to move but his head felt numb, everything around him was spinning. The only thing he could do was watch Akira stare right back at him, the dark-haired boy widening his eyes in horror as he shifted his gaze from Akechi, to Makoto and then to a specific spot somewhere behind him.
"GET OUTTA THERE, YOU TWO!" Akira yelled, just as Akechi –who had finally managed to gain control over his body- turned to see what was freaking Joker out so much. And then he realized it: they were lying flat onto the tracks and, judging by the intense vibrations underneath, a train was approaching.
Akechi hardly got back on his feet, advancing towards Makoto and ignoring the pain, with the girl lying face down in the middle of the tracks. The brown-haired boy bent down and lifted her up with the last energies he had left, grunting loudly in the process. A red light was flashing behind him as the sound of a train whistling as well as his teammates screaming, rang through his ears. He didn't have time or the energies to run back to the platform with Makoto. He didn't have any choice but to jump into the darkness below.
"I'll take her to safety" he managed to whisper loud enough for Akira to hear him, then sighed as he let himself and Makoto fall backwards and into the nothingness.
"Crow…? Crow…! AKECHI-KUN!"
He finally opened his eyes and all he could see was his own reflection mirrored in deep red eyes. He groggily scanned the face of the girl bent over him, worry written all over it.
"Yes, it worked! Oh, thank god!" the girl was whispering gratefully and Akechi realized she was muttering her thanks to Johanna, her Persona. He could only guess the girl had asked the creature to use its healing powers on his wounds.
"What happened?" he blurted out as he sat up. His body still ached, but he could move freely now and his surroundings were no longer spinning.
"No idea. When I came to, we were both lying down here. Last thing I remember is being hit by that monster that came out of nowhere…" the girl explained and bit her lip.
"Right" Akechi stood up with her help and then flattened his white jacket, which had now partly turned a dark shade of grey. "We landed on the train tracks, and the only way to get out alive before being turned into minced meat by a train was jumping down here."
"You… took me and jumped?" the girl asked wide-eyed. "We could've died!"
"What else could I do?" he retorted. "We would've died anyway…"
"You could have… I don't know… summoned Robin or something!" she was raising her voice, but he was sure it had nothing to do with the choice he had taken. If he had to guess, she was worried about her friends, as well as hating the fact to be lost in some creepy alternative world where everything around them was pitch black.
"I don't think that would've helped. My Personas can't fly or possess any abilities which could have taken us out of that unpleasant situation. But I offer you my apologies nonetheless" he resolved to say politely, and she glanced at him. "No… I should be the one apologizing. I am overreacting and you did save me, I guess. Twice today…"
"I suppose we are quite even now" he smiled to her in the dim-light emitted by her Persona. "Johanna did patch me up."
"That was nothing" she shook her head stubbornly. "You weren't badly hurt. We just fixed some scratches and bruises. Had it been worse, I don't think we could've been of much help."
"No matter" he said softly. "Let us find a way out of here."
"I have no idea where we are" Makoto replied, fear evident in her voice. "And even if I did, Mementos change every time you leave an area and then return."
"What?!" Akechi was actually negatively surprised to hear that. "This is a problem…"
"Akechi-kun" Makoto whispered. "I am seriously afraid now… What if he finds us?"
"Who?" he asked with a frown, but then realized she was talking about that Shadow…
"The Reaper" she confirmed his theory and nervously glanced around to make sure no one else was there.
"Let's just go" he suggested. He obviously had no idea how powerful this Reaper was, nor what it looked like. But judging by what he had been told about it, he would very much prefer to avoid conflict. "Robin."
His Persona appeared right in front of their eyes, his holy light much brighter than Makoto's creature. "Can you light us the way?"
Robin floated a couple of feet in front of them, illuminating the dark walls of the tunnels. None of them had the slightest idea where they were going, because they couldn't use a map and because the place looked the same over and over again. They also thought it would be best not to scream for help, in case their voices attracted powerful Shadows, and so they kept walking in hope to find the exit.
"…another dead-end" Makoto announced downhearted as she blankly stared at the fenced wall in front of her. "Are we seriously stuck here forever?"
Akechi didn't know how to comfort her: after all, it had been his decision to jump into the depths of the tunnels, and it was therefore his fault they were going to wander around the place until they dropped dead, their skeletons a dark reminder to whomever dared to proceed further.
Makoto fell to her knees, falling victim to fatigue and hunger as she muttered something about "being trapped for the rest of their lives." The sight made him immensely sad, but no matter how hard he thought of a way out, he couldn't find anything intelligent or comforting to say. He then knelt by her side and did the only thing that felt natural to him: he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to his chest. He was only barely aware of the fact he was muttering apologies into her ear as he stroked her hair in a feeble attempt to calm her down. At least she was not pushing him away. On the contrary, it seemed to him the girl was breathing more regularly now…
"Listen to me" he said, cupping her face so she was forced to look at him in the eye. "We are getting out of here. Alive." She pursed her lips and then nodded firmly, her expression much more determined. He gently pulled her wrist and she stood back up on her feet. He made sure to guide her through the tunnels without ever letting go of her hand. It was utterly unnecessary, he knew it, because the girl would never dream of leaving his side as well as the only proper source of light available, but he felt braver by doing so.
"Akechi-kun" she whispered suddenly and stopped walking, forcing him and Robin to do the same.
"What is it, Makoto-chan?"
"Do you hear it, too?"
Akechi strained his ears and concentrated on any uncommon sound until he could definitely tell the sound of something like chains being dragged onto the ground was heading their way.
"What's that?" he asked mostly to himself as he tried to locate the source of it, but Makoto seemed to have frozen entirely.
"My gosh…" her voice sounded broken and desperate. "It's him!"
Akechi looked right ahead and could indeed see a reddish aura turning the corner, until a tall and hooded figure, carrying two long pistols and with chains hanging loosely from its body, was standing in front of them, almost as if judging them.
There was a short pause, which he would have considered comical in other circumstances, as they all studied each other. Then, the Reaper fired its guns in the air as the cracking sound of large bullets piercing the ceiling above echoed throughout the hollow tunnels.
Akechi knew they had nowhere to run, and he could sense the Shadow was extraordinarily powerful unlike any he had ever encountered. Morgana had not been joking: the damn thing was a formidable foe, and he doubted even Loki could take it down by itself…
But he could buy Makoto some time…
"Run, Queen" he ordered her assertively. The girl simply stared at him with her mouth open.
"I'm not leaving you behind!"
"Then we will all die! The others need you!" he told her more firmly.
"They need you too! Let's… let's run together!"
There was no time to discuss: the Reaper was approaching him quickly, its invisible face the only thing in his line of sight. Akechi forcefully grabbed Makoto and pushed her out of their way while Robin instantly teleported in front of him and somehow managed to shield its master from the deadly attack.
"Robin, help her!" he commanded desperately when he noticed the Reaper had now targeted the defenceless girl. Robin Hood nodded and materialized its invisible shield over Makoto, who was screaming madly in fear.
"Dammit!" Akechi cursed through gritted teeth. He needed a plan! He frantically scanned the narrow tunnel they were stuck in until an idea crossed his mind.
"Hey Reaper!" he shouted as the ghostly Shadow turned to him. Akechi took out his gun and fired away, the monster barely flinching at the hits. He was ready to bet he wasn't even scratching it, but at least he would get its attention. And its rage.
When the Shadow began floating towards him preparing to strike, Akechi rolled to the side and called Robin. "Smash that ceiling!"
He pointed at a spot above them which looked particularly fragile and about to collapse and, with one firm nod, Robin sent a wave of Almighty power until all Akechi could see were falling rocks. Hoping with all his heart he hadn't just trapped Makoto in a tunnel with no way to escape, he turned to run the opposite direction to force the Reaper to follow him and leave the girl alone. He could still hear her screams of desperation as well as his name being shouted with such force he was sure her vocal cords would rip. His heart ached terribly whenever she screamed his name as her voice became fainter with every step he took towards the opposite direction, but he didn't stop.
He kept running and turning corners, and down some steps and then up until he could no longer sense the Reaper's presence behind him. He collapsed onto his knees trying to catch his breath as Robin faithfully stood by him, the only light in a sea of darkness.
"We need to get out of here, Robin" he said panting. "We're not going to die here, are we?"
The creature stared down at him and shook its head with a smile.
Akechi got back up and carefully analyzed the surroundings, advancing with Robin who lit the way for him. When they arrived at the end of the long tunnel Akechi felt possibly more desperate and hopeless than ever: wherever he turned, the road was blocked by debris and boulders. There was no way out, and he had just barred the only other exit when he decided to save Makoto from the Reaper. At least that meant that, wherever she was, she was most likely proceeding towards an exit. As for the Reaper, he was sure it could vanish into thin air and reappear somewhere else as it pleased, just like any other Shadow.
"Well Robin" he said with a bitter smile as he sat down. "At least I did something good before dying…"
Robin Hood was watching him almost pitifully as he spoke until its master fell silent. Akechi was forcing himself to forget about his current situation when Robin poked him on the head and then pointed at the wall of debris behind him.
"Uh?" Akechi furrowed his brows as he watched his Persona. "You want to try and break through? Well go ahead, but I am sure it won't work."
Robin stubbornly used all of its melee and special attacks to create a path, but to no avail. However, Akechi could indeed feel a light breeze coming from the other side of the wall…
"Wait a minute…" he said. "Robin, do you mind if I let Loki take over?"
His Persona of Light shook its head and disappeared as Akechi gathered his energies to summon Loki. The dark creature appeared moments later, lazily floating in the air as if bored. "Loki, I need you to try and take down that wall."
Akechi wouldn't simply watch: he would use his sharp, red sword to cut through the rocks as well. He wasn't sure how long they had been standing in that same spot, with the boy at the last of his stamina as he lent part of it to his Persona to keep working.
"Dammit, we are so close…!" he exclaimed frustrated. Loki stopped and turned the opposite direction to look at whatever was behind them. When Akechi did the same, he saw it again: the red aura coming closer and closer, and this time he had nowhere to hide.
"Of course" he muttered angrily. "The icing on the cake… oh!"
He thought of a sudden as well as an incredibly dangerous idea as the Reaper approached him again, its thirst for blood drawing him closer. He may die if this proved to be a failure, but wouldn't he anyway?
"Loki" Akechi smirked malevolently. "Make that bastard do the leg work for us!"
His Persona knew exactly what he meant as its eyes flashed red. The two creatures met halfway, with the Reaper lifting its guns to target Loki, but the latter was faster. The Reaper stopped mid-action, floating motionless until it went totally berserk. With one silent scream as it bucked its hooded head backwards, the creature charged right towards Akechi as the boy rolled to the side just in time until the Reaper clashed against the wall, shooting madly all around it at invisible targets.
"For crying out loud!" Akechi yelled as he tried to find shelter behind the fallen boulders. Everything around him was shaking violently as the Reaper kept shooting and sending shockwaves of energy in all directions, clouds of dust dancing in front of his eyes and obscuring his sight. Akechi was aware of one last blasting sound until his ears started ringing and everything he could see was a bright reddish light. The wind was blowing from the same direction as the source of light, and Akechi knew his plan had worked: the crazed Shadow had dug up a way out and he was making a run for it before the creature could find him and kill him. He was slowly regaining the ability to hear properly after all the deafening noise as he kept running, his vision clearing with every step he took and his heart swelling with hope as he realized he was back on the train tracks. He could only hope Loki had managed to disappear before the Reaper could attack him as he ran up a flight of stairs and onto a platform. He completely ignored the weaker Shadows lurking around, the stupid creatures running away when they sensed his powerful aura approaching, and after what felt like ages he was climbing the last stairs leading to the very first floor of the damn place. The faint chattering coming from upstairs told him he had somehow made it: now all he hoped was that Makoto had been as lucky as him. Before emerging into the light, he made sure his black and purple-striped outfit was changed into his white garbs.
"CROW!"
"For eff's sake dude, you scared the shit outta us!"
"Are you alright?!"
He stopped to scan the faces of the people he cared for the most: his teammates. His friends. He smiled broadly as he nodded reassuringly before his face turned worried again. "W-what about Queen?"
There was a moment of silence in which he was fearing the worst, almost expecting one of them to tell him she never made it out. He was already on his way back to go and look for her when he heard her.
"You're NOT going back there alone, Crow!"
He stopped in his tracks and turned to see her: she had removed her mask and was giving him a hard look. "Unless you have a strong desire to get killed."
He had no idea what to say: the only thing he was aware of was the fact his heart seemed to have doubled in size as hope and relief filled every inch of the tiny organ.
"Y-you… you're alright" he whispered incredulous.
"Thanks to someone who is completely and utterly nuts" she replied sternly. Then she smiled broadly at his concerned face as well as the fact that he seemed to be rooted to the spot. She strode towards him, her eyes softening and then threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him in a tight hug. Akechi was so shocked he could barely move as a chorus of "awww" came from his teammates.
"All's well that ends well!" Haru said, wiping a tear from her eye.
"You two really got us worried there" Ann nodded.
"W-what about me, Lady Ann?" Morgana was looking up at Ann with large, hopeful eyes.
"You and Joker too. But at least you were in the same room as us, and we could help you with our Personas."
Only then did Makoto let go of him and chuckled at his flushed face before turning to her teammates. "Right. What happened to that monster?"
"Oh, it looked big and scary but it was actually a piece of cake to take it down!" Ryuji explained proudly. "Though I have to say, I'm quite grateful Joker was there too…"
"I still don't understand where the heck you two ended up in" Futaba was thinking so hard they could almost see the cogs in her head working. "Not even my Persona's power could locate you."
"Right. Since we were on the last possible platform we could access, what can we assume happened when Crow jumped down with Queen?" Yusuke joined the debate, clearly expecting an answer from Morgana, but the cat shook his head sadly.
"I am afraid I have no idea. It should not be possible to access the other floors without the public's cognition changing first. We can almost say Crow cheated by jumping down. However, I highly doubt he and Queen actually got access to the other levels…"
"It's true" Makoto confirmed. "We were in these narrow tunnels with low ceiling, and everything was pitch dark. We had to use our Personas to be able to see where we were going. I can guarantee that, wherever we were, it most definitely was not the typical Mementos we normally explore. To me it looked more like… mines, or something."
"This place sure is mysterious" Morgana continued. "But Crow, how did you manage to escape?"
"I…" Akechi trailed off as he diverted his eyes. Was he supposed to tell the truth and reveal he had driven the Reaper mad? Or should he lie? Either way, he knew that they would eventually discover the truth, and it was getting steadily more difficult to lie to his friends. "I was stuck in a tunnel with nothing but dead-ends. So I used my other Persona to drive the Reaper berserk and use its extraordinary strength to get us out of there."
"My gosh…" Morgana shook his head. "I am not sure what happens to a Shadow when it goes psychotic, but now we really must be careful in case we meet the guy. It can tear us apart in a matter of seconds…"
"I'm sorry…" Akechi whispered, but the others simply patted him on the shoulder and complimented him for his bravery.
"How did you manage to escape?" he asked Queen as the others took a moment to recover from the eventful day.
"When you made the ceiling collapse and ran away with the Reaper, I stayed behind to try and find a way through to you. But even with Johanna, I could barely move a rock so I had no choice but to follow the only available path we were originally supposed to walk on. It turns out it led all the way uphill and to a rusty door. It was obviously locked, but the others were on the opposite side of the door and heard me call for help. The ooze they had defeated apparently dropped the key to that door and they set me free" she explained as a new wave of sadness washed over her. "I was so worried about you…"
"I am sorry" he smiled tenderly. "But remember I will never go down without a fight."
"Right" she mustered a smile and looked at him. "But still, what you did for me back there… I will never forget it…"
Waking up at 6 AM and going to school after the events of the previous day was probably worse than what he had been through. He kept reminding himself he should be grateful he was alive, as well as all the others, but his body still ached everywhere. If that was not enough, his schoolmates kept staring at him and whispering to each other, obviously wondering how he had gotten all the scratches and bruises adorning his body. Of course, Makoto and Johanna had tried their best and fixed the worst, but after the encounter with a berserk Reaper he had earned some more.
"Akechi-kun, were you in a fight?" a girl neighboring his desk asked him worriedly.
"Uhm" he smiled awkwardly. "No, I just fell hehe. I can be so clumsy at times!"
The buzzing from his phone saved him from some more unnecessary questions from his classmates as he unlocked it and read the messages.
"Crow, how're you doing? Are you up to exploring some more of Sae-san's Palace today, or do you need to rest some more?"
Akechi smiled as he read Akira's message, for he could tell his friend was genuinely worried about him.
"I'm a bit beaten, but I can join. By the way, didn't you say you would never let me know when to infiltrate? :O"
"Crap, you're right! D:"
He pocketed his phone as his teacher entered the classroom for the last lesson of the day. He could barely wait until the bell rang: he was starving, and was hoping to drop by Tamiko-chan's place for a free bite and a small chat before meeting up with the others.
One hour later, he was finally packing his things as he quickly ran to the subway and rode a train all the way to Shibuya, where he got changed into his usual hoodie and walked to Tamiko's apartment. The girl opened the door without even bothering to say hello, her hair sticking in every direction as she returned to her seat to finish a complicated-looking article.
"How's school going?" he asked amiably as he dropped his bag onto the floor and sat on the sofa. He turned on the TV but made sure to mute it in order not to disturb the girl's work.
"It's going" she shrugged. "Would be much easier if I didn't have to feed a vegetable as well as work for a criminal."
"True" he said with a smile. "You can always quit."
She didn't answer. Of course she didn't, because he knew she didn't want to quit.
"What're you doing later today?" she asked after a long pause, during which she managed to write some more lines and he constantly changed channels on TV until he resolved to watch cartoons.
"Meeting up with the others" he replied nonchalantly. "Ah c'mon! This is the same episode as last week!" She snorted angrily.
"What's for dinner?" he asked, now fully lying on her sofa.
"Really, Akechi-kun? Really?!" she slammed the pen on the table and gave him an exasperated look. "You show up at my place after a whole year with a man who's supposed to be dead after YOU killed him, give me a life-risking task, chill on my sofa, eat my food and treat me like your slave! And all you can ask me is what's for dinner?! Are you for real?"
Akechi listened in shock as the girl shouted at him, causing Okumura to whine again from the other room. "I tell you what, Goro Akechi. I am done with this life! So you'd better find another place for your friend there. I don't want him around anymore. And I don't want you around anymore!"
And, with that, the girl gathered her school things and locked herself in her bedroom, making sure to slam the door behind.
It was with heavy heart he met up with the Phantom Thieves later that day. He had made sure to order some food delivery for Tamiko, and then he had left her apartment to grab a sandwich somewhere as he thought of a place where he could safely keep Okumura-san. So far, he hadn't made any progress.
"You OK, Crow?" Akira asked him when the brown-haired boy failed to answer his questions for the umpteenth time. "Are you not feeling well?"
"Dude, if you're still shaken after yesterday, we totally get it. Go home" Ryuji intervened, but Akechi shook his head and smiled. "I am a bit tired, but I will manage. Please, don't worry about me."
"Good, 'cause we would totally proceed even without you, Crow" Futaba butted in merrily before encouraging Akira to activate the app. The dark-haired boy sighed and tapped on the screen as everyone patiently waited until they were sure to be in the Metaverse.
As soon as their clothes had shifted, they all quickly returned to the elevator in the middle of the hall, circumnavigated it and proceeded further after finding a backdoor.
It took them at least one hour to reach a control room protected by a large Shadow which looked different from all the others. However, their powers combined were too much for it and the creature quickly succumbed as it dropped some cards onto the floor and disappeared.
"Ain't those member cards?" Ryuji was eying them curiously as Futaba picked them up and examined them. The hacker hummed dreamily, completely ignoring her friends' questions until she handed a card to Joker, explaining she had used a fake name to register it in order for them to gain coins throughout the Palace.
"Taro Tanaka? Really, Oracle?" Ryuji palmed his face. "That's like… the most common name in Japan!"
"Umph!" the red-haired girl pouted and returned to the computers to register a new card, giving the old one to Akechi. "Get rid of it, newbie."
Akechi sighed sadly as he nodded. However, when the others turned to leave, he pocketed the card and hurried up to catch up with the rest.
With Futaba's card, they could finally reach the floor above them but they apparently needed to play by Shadow Sae's rules and gamble their way through her Palace by winning coins in order to proceed.
When a Shadow dealer informed them with a sly smirk they were required to collect fifty thousand coins to obtain a new card, everyone but Akechi gasped in shock.
"Fifty thousand coins?!" Yusuke exclaimed. "Can you believe how much food I could buy with that money?"
"We also allow players to borrow coins" the dealer chuckled "Up to the current total on their card."
"Ain't gonna do that!" Ryuji retorted angrily, as the Shadow snickered at him.
"Guys" Akechi gestured for them to follow him somewhere quieter. "Our options are slots and dice. It would not surprise me in the least if they were rigged somehow. After all, we know Sae-san is quite particular about winning here. To compound that, defendants in Japan are prosecuted at a rate of 99,9%. Victory is nigh unattainable."
"What?! How's that possible? Are all those verdicts the correct ones?" Ann asked the brown-haired boy, who smiled bitterly in return.
"Not exactly. The investigators are human too, after all. Besides, you are not the first to point out the rigged nature of this system. The prosecution is near unbeatable."
"That's so not fair!" Ryuji was fuming with anger, but Akechi shook his head. "That's how it is. For the moment."
When they decided to give the dice game a try, they got their confirmation: winning was impossible no matter how many times they tried and, soon enough, they lost all the bonus coins the Shadow dealer had given them.
"Told you" Akechi shrugged as he took a look around. "They must be using a terminal of some sorts to cheat. If we find it, we may be able to win this."
"You find the terminal, I crack it up!" Futaba announced jovially and everyone nodded.
Moving around the casino, even if they were using alternative routes, proved to be quite complicated as security level was high, but they eventually found a room with the terminal they were looking for.
"Wait a minute, Oracle" Akechi stopped the hacker before she could travel to her own world of coding and numbers. "You can use the equipment here to our advantage to rig the game in our favor."
"Leave it to me!"
It took a few minutes for Futaba to reprogram the machine and, when the party returned to the dice game room to try again, they finally won tons of coins. They left the room before raising suspicions, but the others were eying the sachet of coins discouraged. "We still need a lot before we can gain access to the next floor."
"Don't you worry, I've thought of that too" Akechi smiled reassuringly. "Skull, come with me."
Everyone watched as Skull followed a very satisfied-looking Akechi disappear, returning shortly after with a cart full of coins.
"We've still got a long way to go, though. Let's try the slot machines, though I am quite confident they are rigged too…"
"Seems like you are enjoying this" Makoto told him with a smirk as the others walked in front of them.
"Well, you know…" he chuckled softly. "This is not the typical Palace in which you are only required to use brute force. There is a lot of thinking to do, and I quite enjoy it."
"I have to say" she continued. "I am very impressed. I thought you were a fake detective and were only exploiting your powers to gain popularity in the real world. However, after seeing you in action I must take it all back. You are exceptionally clever and talented. I am almost envious…"
"You think so?" he asked, and she nodded brightly. "Hehe, and to think I haven't even started yet."
He had been right: he hadn't even started yet, nor had she been lying to him when she confessed being envious of his intelligence. Thanks to his elaborate plan, they had collected fifty thousand coins and exchanged them for the new member card before returning to the real world for a break.
Despite feeling tired after a long day at school and in her sister's Palace, Makoto had decided to accept Ann's invitation to drink a cup of coffee together that evening and the two girls were now sitting inside a cozy café, enjoying the warmth provided by the liquid in stark contrast with the cold rain tapping on the windows outside.
"Crow is quite promising, isn't he?" Ann was saying merrily. "Thanks to him, we are halfway through!"
Makoto nodded in agreement and took another sip of her coffee.
"And he is an exceptionally good fighter too, I mean... wait, what's that?"
Ann's tone suddenly changed from very excited to curious as she eyed Makoto's right wrist.
"Uh?" the dark-haired girl's eyes fell on the bracelet she wore at all times and blushed. "Ehm..."
"It's sooooo beautiful! Where did you buy it?" the blonde asked as she grabbed her wrist to better examine the bracelet.
"Actually, I didn't buy it..."
"What? You stole it?!"
Makoto blushed even more furiously as she shushed her friend and looked around to make sure no one was looking at them suspiciously. "Are you trying to get me in trouble? Of course I didn't steal it!"
"Sorry! But then...?"
Makoto sighed before replying resigned. "Akechi-kun bought it for me back in Hawaii..."
"WHAT?!"
The few customers in the locale finally tore their gaze from their coffees to send an annoyed look in their general direction, however Ann didn't seem to care. "Akechi bought you a bracelet? What's going on between you two?"
"Nothing!" Makoto said hurriedly. "We are... friends!"
"Yeah, that's why he bought bracelets to everyone!" Ann mocked her with a snort. "Wait a second... that dream!"
Makoto froze in her seat as Ann eyed her suspiciously. "Makoto..."
"Don't you dare say it!" Makoto warned her friend. "I do not fancy Akechi-kun..."
"That's why you're as red as it can get" Ann replied amused. "And it would explain why you two are always walking side by side and whispering in each other's ears all the time. Is he sweet?"
"Stop it!" Makoto was so embarrassed all she wanted was disappear. Why hadn't she simply lied about the bracelet? "We... it's not what it looks like!"
"Alright then" Ann continued calmly. "Then say it. Seriously. Say you only consider him a friend and nothing more."
Makoto swallowed hard as she eyed her friend, her heart beating out of control. "I..."
"Mako-chan" Ann smiled tenderly at her. "You don't need to lie to yourself. There is nothing wrong with fancying someone! And I swear I will keep my mouth shut, nor will I judge you."
Makoto diverted her eyes and looked the other way. The fact she wasn't able to tell Ann she considered Akechi a friend only was enough of a confirmation for her.
"Ann..." the dark-haired girl shook her head sadly. "Remember what he has done... How can I feel something for a person like him?"
"Mako-chan, you don't get to choose who you will fall in love with. It is beyond your control. It just happens..." Ann said sweetly. "Besides, he has been through hell for us. And for you."
"What do you mean?" Makoto returned to look at her friend curiously.
"He is risking his life to save us all. He almost died in Mementos to save your life. How many people in the entire world would do that for their friends?"
"You guys would..." Makoto said with a sigh, but Ann shook her head.
"A person like Akechi, who would do anything to reach his goal -even sacrifice others- who suddenly put your life before his in order to save you. That means something, you know..."
Makoto lifted her gaze with hopeful eyes. "Do you mean to say he... he may feel the same for me?"
"I believe so" the blonde nodded enthusiastically. "We know what he is capable of. If he didn't care for you, he would most certainly not risk his precious life for yours."
Makoto fell silent as she processed her friend's words: could she be right about him? And yet, she had her doubts: he was extremely handsome, intelligent and popular. He could have any girl he wanted...
"Now" Ann continued with a beaming smile and clapped her hands. "Did you guys kiss?"
"ANN!" Makoto was so shocked she was raising her voice out of control, causing people around them to mutter angrily. Her chest, however, seemed to be on the verge of exploding, so potent were her feelings whenever she thought of how close he had been to her at times, like that night after Okumura collapsed on TV or in Mementos, when he had hugged her tightly on his own accord...
"Eh, just kidding!" Ann then glanced at her for a moment before continuing. "Not even on the cheek?"
Makoto rolled her eyes exasperated: she was going to regret confessing her feelings for Akechi to Ann.
LOL, Ann can be a bit annoying :P And Goro seems to have successfully stolen Makoto's heart 3
BTW, about the Reaper going berserk in this chapter: I thought that, since this Shadow can get affected by the flu in the game, why not having it go mad when Loki uses its powers on it? : Oh, and I like to think Shadows don't have a specific gender -despite being clearly male or female in the game, but without you knowing who they actually belong to- which is why I use the pronoun "it".
I hope I will be able to write a particular scene I've had on my mind for a long while in next chapter, so I will get to work straight away!
Hope you enjoyed this anyway, and see you all amazing people next week! ^O^
P.S. Am I the only one to think that Goro's red mask is a warning about his true self? Its long nose reminds me of Pinocchio, which could imply he is lying. Just a theory, but I thought it was funny :D