"HAAAAAH!" Dragon leapt high into the air, spinning around to gain momentum, so she could slam her staff down on Shadow Kaneshiro's insect face. Unfortunately for her, Shadow Kaneshiro was an agile fly, easily leaping out of the way before her staff could strike. Instead, Dragon's staff just broke the floor in a small radius upon impact. "Tch! Hold still so I can crush you!"
"Geez!" Skull knew Dragon was mad, but not that mad.
Once landing in front of his gigantic safe, Shadow Kaneshiro just laughed. "Bein' young is such a crime. But y'all ain't ready to do the time! Now check this out! My super powerful security system! It's go time!" Shadow Kaneshiro waved his hand, causing a portion of the safe wall to open up. Before anyone could even take a shot him, he flew inside and the opening closed.
"Hey, come back here!" Panther shouted.
"What's he doing…?" Fox asked.
"If he's trying to run away, I won't have it." Queen said darkly.
"Stay on guard." Joker warned everyone.
The wall then collapsed, vanishing as it revealed Shadow Kaneshiro's secret weapon…a gigantic piggybank. "Aw yeah! Check out my top level security robot! This is my ultra Piggytron!"
"An effin' piggbank? Are you shittin' me!?" Skull couldn't believe what he was looking at.
"Damn it! I didn't think he'd have something like this up his sleeve!" Mona cursed.
"If I had to make a wager, I'd bet the Treasure is in there." Dragon spun her staff around before charging at the large machine recklessly. Her anger at Kaneshiro turned her into a raging bull, focused only on destroying the target that was in front of her. "So we break it, then drag him and the Treasure out of!"
"Dragon, wait!" Panther had to chase after Dragon, her mask burning away as she called for Carmen for the inevitable she would have to provide.
"A piggybank is fitting for a disgusting, greedy glutton like yourself!" Dragon let out a rage filled battle cry, swinging her staff at Piggytron's nose. While she did manage to somewhat damage the machine, the impact reverberated through Dragon's staff, causing her to tremble as she landed, staggering a bit. "Owowowow….!"
"Gyahahah! That the best you got!? When you start workin' for me, I'll work you till you rot!" Shadow Kaneshiro's voice echoed within Piggytron, the two eyes turning into mini guns, which proceeded to open fire on Dragon.
"What!?" Dragon's eyes widened as she was fired upon. "Belle Star!" Her Persona appeared in front of her, using her shield to protect Dragron from the onslaught of…not bullets, but coins, but she was pinned down. Luckily she had the rest of the Team to help her. "Is he firing at me with money!?"
"He's throwing away all that money…!?" Fox gasped.
"Carmen, go!" Panther exclaimed, sliding next to Dragon while Carmen went to work. The fem fatale swung her arms forward, throwing a few fireballs at Piggytron. They did strike, causing the mechanical pig to shake a bit, but it was hard to tell if they were actually doing damage. "Are you okay!?"
"Shaken, but alright…" Dragon admitted.
"Gyahaha! Is that the best you little shits got!? You're about to ROCKED!" Shadow Kaneshiro turned Piggytron's attention from Dragon to the others, continuing to open fire upon them all. This forced them to scatter in different directions.
"Holy shit! What is this thing made out of!?" Skull shouted. "Are we even doin' damage to it!?"
"Only one way to find out!" Mona hopped forward after sliding to a halt. The disadvantage of fighting in this wide open space is that there was no cover. So they were going to have to make every action count. "Zorro, let's go!"
"Let's rock, Captain!" Skull called forth his Persona as Mona did. Captain Kidd pointed his arm cannon forward as Zorro slashed his sword. The result was a lightning/wind combo between the two of them, capturing Piggytron in the eye of the storm. The gigantic iron pig didn't budge despite the combination.
"Nothing?!" Mona questioned. It was really hard to tell if they were doing any damage.
"This is the best security money can buy! You kids ain't stand a chance! Now dance!" Shadow Kaneshiro pressed a button from inside the machine, causing Piggytron's choice of projectiles to switch from bullets to missiles. "FIRE!"
"Incoming!" Joker warned. Numerous missiles shot around wildly. They were heat seeking too, so their accuracy was frighteningly high. Joker ran to gain some distance, pulling out his pistol to shoot down missiles coming his way. He managed to so easily, but the smoke from the explosions did prevent him seeing anything around him. "Gh…!" And a spare missile flew through the smoke, exploding against Joker. "Gah!" He cried out as he was thrown backwards.
"Shit shit shit!" Skull was running around like a headless chicken. A missile exploded behind him, the impact of the blast throwing him off his feet and sent hum tumbling along the ground. "Owww…" Skull wasn't alone in being thrown around. Fox and Mona were also caught in fiery explosions, though Fox ended up more damaged than anyone else, landing with a harsh thud on the ground.
"Oof…! Be wary, everyone!" Fox warned while attempting to push himself up.
A missile exploded against Belle Star's shield. Due to Dragon's weakness to fire, she was easily thrown back. "Kyaaaah!"
"Dragon!" Panther went to reach out to Dragon, but was fired upon herself. Luckily for her, Queen drove by, grabbing Panther and pulling her along.
"Careful!" Queen warned. The barrage of missiles weren't going to stop anytime soon either. For now, Queen took the heat, using Johanna's speed to outrun them. "We have to find some way to drag him out of that machine!"
"He's nice 'n cozy, so that's unlikely…" Skull groaned while standing up.
"We have to stop his method of firing first." Dragon said while grimacing from the damage she took. "Is everyone alright?"
"I'm alive." Mona shook it off.
Joker caught Dragon before she hit the ground and set her down. "Take it easy." He told her. That had a lot of meanings. It was clear her rage was currently getting the best of her, which wasn't doing her, or anyone any favors.
"…Sorry…you're right." Dragon nodded in agreement. They had to approach a foe like this tactically, not just go in guns blazing.
"What's the matter kids!? Took off more than you could chew!?" Shadow Kaneshiro gloated.
Fox sprinted forward, as Queen drove by, taking on the missiles himself. He unsheathed his katana, slashing through the missiles in a single motion, causing them to explode behind him. The explosions were immediately frozen over as soon as they occurred. "Goemon, strike!" Goemon came forth, slashing at Piggytron's left eye. While this did an unknown amount of damage, it was important since that eye was frozen over, unable to fire any more missiles.
"Great idea, Fox!" Mona grinned.
"Hey hey! Watch the merchandise! You ain't prepared to pay the price!" Shadow Kaneshiro growled. Based on his reactions, the Thieves could assume they were making some leeway on this machine.
"Belle Star!" Dragon called forth her Persona once more, exerting more effort than the others as usual. She used the gigantic sword the knight wielded to stab into Piggytron's eye, making sure it was wedged nice and tight. "Joker!"
Joker was already on it, leaping up while his mask burned off. "Arsene!" Joker's Persona appeared. Just as Dragon withdrew Belle Star's sword, Joker commanded Arsene to release an Egia. The Curse based attack flew forward, striking and exploding against Piggytron's eye, causing sparks to fly from the machine being damaged.
"I think we stopped it!" Panther said with a grin. "What's your next move, huh, Kaneshiro!?"
The nose of Piggytron opened up, Shadow Kaneshiro finally revealing himself. "Alright, you little shits. I think it's time to bust out the VIP mode!" The nose of the piggy then closed and Shadow Kaneshiro stood on top of it, the limbs of the machine tucking in so it turned into a gigantic iron ball. He then began to run along in place, building up speed. "I'm gonna crush ya!"
"W-What the…!?" Panther's eyes went wide. "Is he going to roll into us!?"
"If that thing hits us at full power, we're not surviving!" Queen warned everyone. Just as she did, Shadow Kaneshiro rolled forward. "Look out!"
"WHAT THE HELL!?" Skull was mad because he was the first target, running as fast as he could to desperately avoid being flattened.
"It shouldn't be able to corner well!" Dragon shouted. Skull had no choice but to take her advice, making a sharp turn as Shadow Kaneshiro rolled by, just narrowly missing. "I knew it!"
But since he had many targets, Shadow Kaneshiro just rolled towards Dragon next. "Your turn!"
"Gh…" Dragon knew she shouldn't even try to stop this. But she also wasn't going to be able to build enough momentum in time. Luckily for her Panther pulled her off to the side with her whip. "Panther…!"
"I got you!" Panther nodded. But at that unfortunate moment, the eye that was frozen over started working again, firing on Panther and Dragon. They were bombarded by missiles, blowing them all over the place. "Aaaaaah!"
"Zorro!" Mona took the heat off Panther and Dragon, using Zorro to create a fierce wind current to attack Shadow Kaneshiro. He was exposed and this was their chance; it was hard to find an opening when they were stuck running from the massive ball of death.
"Was that a breeze!?" Shadow Kaneshiro mocked.
"Ngh…" Dragon tried to shake off the impact, but all this fire was not making it easy. "We must find some way to pull him off that machine…"
"But how?" Panther helped Dragon up.
Dragon surveyed the area, then got an idea. "I have something! Queen, can you draw him in? Joker, Fox, we need ice! Panther, Mona, Skull, and I will handle the rest!"
"Ice?" Skull didn't get it.
"I understand." Queen knew what Dragon was going for. It was a pretty good plan. Without asking for more details, Queen sped forward, stopping in place as Shadow Kaneshiro was on the opposite side of the room. She let loose a Frei, the small nuclear blast striking Piggytron to get Shadow Kaneshiro's attention. "Come on!" She exclaimed, driving forward.
"In a rush to die? I'll be happy to oblige!" Shadow Kaneshiro grinned malicious and rolled Piggytron forward. It was getting very close for comfort, but at the last second, she made a sharp turn. "Huh!?"
This was Joker and Fox's time to strike. "Jack Frost!"
"Goemon!"
The two ice Personas put their efforts together, creating a ramp of ice for Shadow Kaneshiro and Piggytron to roll up on. As soon as they flew into the air, they lost all momentum. "Huh!?"
"Zorro!" Mona called forth his Persona yet again. Zorro created a fierce tornado under Piggytron, keeping it suspended in the air despite what Shadow Kaneshiro may have wanted. "Now!"
"Strike!"
Carmen, Belle Star, and Captain Kidd let loose various attacks. Carmen mixed her flames with Zorro's wind, turning the tornado into blazing hurricane. Captain Kidd fired a strong bolt of lightning down to shock Shadow Kaneshiro, while Belle Star finished it off with a Sword of Judgement. The initial slash followed up by a burst of light from the injury. This joint assault, caused a damaged Piggytron to crash into the ground nearby, while Shadow Kaneshiro himself hit the ground in front of them.
.
.
Though the monitoring room was partially busted from what they could assume was a struggle, a few cameras still worked. They didn't provide the best view, but it was enough so they could watch the struggle occurring in the lowest part of the bank. A Persona User with a black masked crossed their arms, leaning against the wall as they watched the Phantom Thieves battle Shadow Kaneshiro. "…"
.
.
Shadow Kaneshiro turned around, gasping in horror as his Piggytron. "M-My Piggytron!? That's it! I'll have to deal with you busters myself! Through the power of cash!"
"I won't let you have the chance!" Now that Shadow Kaneshiro was exposed Dragon and Queen could finally take their frustrations out on him. Dragon swung her staff, while Queen threw her fist forward, but before they could even get close, a gigantic, shielded Shadow appeared in front of them, blocking their attacks easily. "Huh-!?" Not only did it block their attacks, but the shield rebounded that force and sent them flying.
"What the?!" Skull watched as Queen and Dragon were knocked back. "Who the hell are those guys!?" And before Skull knew it, a smaller, more aggressive Shadow swung a baton at his face. He was narrowly able to block it with his club, but the force still sent him staggering.
"Look out!" Fox drew his katana, dueling with the Attacker Shadow in question. It was surprisingly adept at combating him like this.
"Wassup? I paid these guy's off, and now they're gonna finish you!" Shadow Kaneshiro gloated. "Their super duper strong and super fly! This is the best security money can buy!"
"How is this dealing with us yourself?!" Mona groaned. Kaneshiro's answer to everything was just money.
"Stay on guard." Joker said. The numbers Kaneshiro had were growing, but they could still win this.
"We have to get past that behemoth, while he just sits back and watches with that stupid smile…" Skull was irritated. So irritated, in fact, he called out Captain Kidd to attack. A bolt of lightning was fired at Shadow Kaneshiro, which, as expected, was blocked by the Defender. Skull grinned and ran forward, using the Defender's shielding stance as a platform, leaping above it to aim at Shadow Kaneshiro with his club. "GotACK!" Before Skull could get close, the Attacker slammed into him, knocking him to the floor.
"Gyaha! Is that really the best you numbskulls could come up with!? These are the best of the best! No way they'd fall for tricks an 8th grader could muster!" Shadow Kaneshiro mocked.
"Then try this!" Panther held her tommy gun forward. With a sly grin, she had Carmen put the Defender to sleep with Dormia, meaning it wasn't moving. Panther then, with one arm, just opened fired. It was no surprise her aim with the thing wasn't…the best, but it was enough to scare pretty much everyone into evading.
"Learn to aim!" Skull shouted while keeping his head down, feeling a few bullets fly over him.
"You're fine!" Panther shouted. But in a surprising move, the Attacker slapped the Defender to wake it up. This allowed it to protect everyone against her bullets…and Panther eventually ran out after a short time. "Oh…"
"You call that a gunshot? This is a gunshot!" Shadow Kaneshiro put his hands into a finger gun and 'shot' forward. Panther felt something strike her stomach and she pretty much flew back.
"That hurt…!" Panther grunted as she hit the ground, a bit more winded from that attack than expected.
"Panther…!" Dragon made sure Panther wasn't too hurt, before her green, venomous gaze directed at Shadow Kaneshiro. Belle Star was summoned once again, only to drop a Megido onto all her targets. It was at this moment she learned that the Defender Shadow wasn't really protecting the Attacker, but solely Kaneshiro. "…!" She wanted to make another attack, but was immediately reminded that her abilities were a bit limited at the moment. "Ngh…"
This left Dragon open for the Attacker to swoop in, but Joker intercepted the incoming Power Slash with his knife, struggling a little bit due to how hasty it was. Luckily he was able to bounce back, now keeping the Attacker busy with this close quarters exchange. This bought time for Panther and Dragon to scurry away… "Now!" Joker ducked an incoming swing and Queen leapt over him, slamming her brass knuckles into the Attacker's face, stunning it from the sudden impact. Joker followed up with a slash from his knife, and together, he and Queen kicked the Attacker away.
"Nice one." Queen gave Joker a slight nod. But they still weren't any closer to dealing with Shadow Kaneshiro than they were before.
"Alright, yeh punks. You wanna see the power of money? Watch this! I'm gonna MAKE IT RAIN!" Shadow Kaneshiro grinned as the ceiling opened up, a torrential downpour of gold coins dropping down.
"LOOK OUT!" Mona called Zorro out to try and create a wind barrier around himself, but it wasn't working. All they could really do was brace for impact. Dragon could only hold herself and Panther under Belle's Star shield, it was barely enough space for two people. Despite their efforts, having money fall on them like that did not feel good.
"The one time I ask for it to rain money, it brings pain…" Fox coughed.
"That sucked…" Skull groaned.
Shadow Kaneshiro was eating this sight up. "That's the power of money, ya damn brats! Money is the lifeblood of the world! The world runs on money and money alone, and I stand at the top! You wanna know why the police have had trouble with me? Simple. There's not a single person in this world that doesn't have a price! Any police officer who got close, I bought their silence…and if they refused, I just had 'em offed and ruined their entire livelihood. Ain't that the justice your father died for?" He spoke directly to Queen too. His intelligence network was not to be underestimated.
"You…are such a piece of shit!" Skull growled.
"Everyone in this world lives or dies because of money." Shadow Kaneshiro continued. "If you don't have money to give me, then you're entire life is worthless! The people of Shibuya exist only to fuel my wealth! From dumb students, to the shogi community, and even those corrupt police who turn a blind eye just to line their own pockets….everything belongs to me!"
"Ngh…" Dragon was absolutely furious. But charging in headfirst was impossible…she needed higher ground…oh! Piggytron! She had an idea. "Queen…can you get them to forget about me for a moment? And Panther…I need your sleep spell at the right time."
"Leave it to me." Panther nodded.
"I understand." Queen said. The girls seemed to be getting along great when it came to understanding each other in battle. Plus, she really wanted to beat up Kaneshiro anyway. With that, Dragon moved to sneak around.
"Money is really all you think about? I'm afraid touching your heart will infect me with your greed." Joker said. His eyes caught Dragon sneaking around so he figured there was a plan in motion.
"I've got nothing left to say to you fools." Shadow Kaneshiro snapped his fingers and the fight continued. The Attacker was buzzing forward, moving from Joker, Mona, and Fox in rapid succession. They were able to deflect the attacks, but it was more annoying than anything; even worse when Shadow Kaneshiro himself took a cheap potshot at them from safely behind his shielded Shadow.
Dragon used this opening to climb on top of Piggytron. It was a little unstable, but she was able to find a proper position, now pulling out her sniper rifle to take aim. Natrually, aiming at a person for the first time made her nervous and her aim was shaky. She had to calm down. "I've dealt with players like him before…they're all the same. They have absolute faith in their defensive formation; they don't believe anything can slip around them. But there's always an opening somewhere…Kaneshiro is riddled with them. Money can't defend you from everything…!" She managed to regulate her breathing, though her aim was still a bit shaky. She had a clear shot…so she pulled the trigger and fired. The bullet burst from the barrel, soaring towards Shadow Kaneshiro.
"Huh?" The sound of a gunshot was not one Shadow Kaneshiro was a stranger too. And there was one soaring right at him. "GAAAAH!" He was expecting the Defender to act on it, but it was asleep! When did that happen!? "AAAAAH!" Fortunately for him, the bullet passed his arm and bounced off the floor.
"I missed…!?" Dragon's eyes went wide as she tried to fire another one out of frustration. But all she got was the empty click of no ammo. "What do you mean I only have one bullet!?"
"GAYAHAHA!" Shadow Kaneshiro laughed at Dragon's failed sniper attempt. "There ain't no pain if you can't aim!"
"Actually, I think that was a pretty good shot." Queen said, standing over Shadow Kaneshiro with her magnum pointed square at his forehead. "It let me get close."
"Huh!? GAAAAAAAH!" Shadow Kaneshiro screamed again. When did she get so close?! His bug eyed gaze went to the Attacker, only to see it being held down by Skull, Fox, Panther, and Mona. "N-No way! WAKE UP!"
"LET'S SMASH IT UP!" Queen drew her fist back and finally got to punch Shadow Kaneshiro in his stupid face! She did not hold back either, throwing that fist forward with every ounce of force she could muster, throwing him backwards towards Joker.
"Heh…" Joker grinned as his mask burned off yet again, calling forth Arsene one more time. "Arsene!" The pillager of twilight appeared in front of Joker, flying towards the airborne Kaneshiro. With his hand, he swiped forward, clawing at the Palace Ruler as he passed by. This prompted an explosion of Curse to occur on the spot, knocking Kaneshiro back into Piggytron, groaning.
"W-What are you useless mercenaries doing!? Go attack them!" Shadow Kaneshiro weakly demanded. But they just stared at him. "You won't!? FINE! I'll do it myself!" The ceiling opened again as he planned to make it rain once more…but only a few coins dropped, and harmlessly at that. He spent all his cash attacking them and buying out mercenaries, he had no idea that he ran dry that fast.
"…." Without a word, the two Shadows he hired just left due to a breach of contract.
"N-No wait…! Come back!" Shadow Kaneshiro pleaded. "I can pay you! Just give me a bit more time…!"
"Well well…" Mona said smugly. "Looks like relationships based upon money are doomed to fall short! They don't mean anything when the wealth dries up."
Shadow Kaneshiro weakly scrambled to his feet, attempting to turn tail and run, but that's when Dragon landed behind him. "G-Gah…!?"
"RAAAH!" With all the might she could muster, Dragon smacked her staff into Shadow Kaneshiro's face. Oh, that felt far better than she could have ever imagined! She knocked him to the ground with that single strike, relishing in the feeling of actually hitting him. "Let us finish this!" Everyone jumped in on that mark, assaulting Shadow Kaneshiro from all angles with their All Out Attack! He never stood a chance against this. Dragon landed, spinning around once before pointing in his direction. "Concede defeat."
.
.
"So that's it?" The masked stranger shook their head and simply walked off. While the cameras couldn't provide a good enough view of the Phantom Thieves identities, they did at least get to see them in action. "So those are the Phantom Thieves…"
.
.
"I…I can't…." Shadow Kaneshiro said weakly. "If I don't have any money, then I…wait! There's some money inside Piggytron…maybe…" Before he could even get to Piggytron, the machine exploded once more, spitting up a few gold bars. Desperate and defeated, he clung to a gold bar. "This is my money…I'm not going to let anyone take it…"
"Kaneshiro…" Queen snarled. "Your money!? You stole that from innocent people!"
"Fine…I'll call off the debt…" Shadow Kaneshiro sighed.
"Fine!? You're still soundin' pretty condescendin'!" Skull grunted.
"You're right…I'm a poor, ugly…idiot. How am I supposed to life a normal life like this?" Shadow Kaneshiro asked. "What was I supposed to do? Weak people can't live a normal life no matter what they do! I just wanted a place where I could belong! You understand that, don't you!?"
"Bullshit! All you did was surround yourself with people for some easy cash!" Panther exclaimed.
"The more you talk, the more pathetic you sound." Fox sighed.
"And you think you're the only one who's gotta deal with bein' labeled? Me and these guys…we're all fightin' against that!" Skull said.
"And that's why we're taking your heart. Free of charge." Joker added.
"Even after I cleared your debt…seriously?" Shadow Kaneshiro whined. He was a victim too!
Even when he was defeated, Dragon didn't think this was good enough. No. It wasn't enough to just beat some sense into him. She walked forward, one leg stomping on a gold bar, while she stood over him. "This isn't about the debt!" Dragon exclaimed, glaring at Shadow Kaneshiro. "This is about the people you've used so carelessly until this very moment. You don't have the right to play the victim just because you know how it feels! If you know how it feels, then why would you push that pain onto other people!?"
"Because I wanted what they had…!" Shadow Kaneshiro continued to defend himself. "I was weak! I couldn't stand up for myself! But when I had money, I felt stronger than anyone else. I could finally have the power to change my own life! It was my turn to profit! It was my turn to become a big shot! You'll never understand what it's like to be viewed as something for someone else's benefit! That's what I was for so long…"
"I understand that more than anyone." Dragon's grip tightened on her staff. "You lost the right to play the victim when you continued the cycle. You lie, cheat, steal, and threaten good people…you destroy the lives of others simply to fill your own pockets! No one deserves what you've done to them." Dragon held her violent gaze, while the others were tense. Panther was ready to act if need be, since no one was sure how far Dragon might take this.
"…." Panther didn't say anything at first.
"Then what am I supposed to do!? How is someone like me supposed to live a normal life!?" Shadow Kaneshiro was genuinely asking. If what he was doing was wrong, was a life he'd get punished for, then what could he do?!
"I'll let you off easy if you can do one of two things. The first one? Give me a name." Dragon demanded. "Tell me the name of at least ONE person who's life you destroyed. If you're as much as a victim as you claim, then you should be able to remember the victims you've created! Or are you just trying to garner sympathy for your heinous crimes!? Go on, tell me a name."
"….." Shadow Kaneshiro couldn't say anything.
"Oh? You don't remember? I expected as much." Dragon scoffed. "Then your other option is to hand over some cash, as you'd put it. You're in charge of this bank, which has so much money in it…so I'm expecting 3 million yen by tomorrow." She flipped the situation on him. Kaneshiro made it very clear that he was penniless, minus the gold bars he clung to. His last source of wealth…but at this point, were they even worth anything.
"B-By tomorrow?! That's absurd…!" Shadow Kaneshiro shook his head. "I don't have that kind of cash on me…y-yet! Please, just give me a little more time and I…"
Dragon stomped her foot next to his head, causing him to yelp and go quiet. The animosity radiating off of her was stronger than before. Even though her face was covered by her mask, there was a dark shadow over her eyes. "Oh? Now that's interesting. How many times have you heard those very same words? How many times have people begged and pleaded for you for more time…?" She then lifted her staff up, both hands coiled tightly around one end. "It looks like you have no value to me then…and I think now it's time I follow your policy? If you can't fork over any money…then you have no value. And people with no value get disposed of." And so…her staff came down, for the top of his skull, with all the violent force she could muster.
"Dragon, don't!" Skull and Fox exclaimed.
"Hey…!" Joker, Mona, and Queen shouted.
Dragon stopped, just before impact. She got carried away in the moment, but Panther's hand on her own stopped her at the last second. "Hey…I think you scared him enough." Panther said in a low tone. She did promise to stop Dragon if she felt like she went too far.
"…I was going to stop, but I got carried away…" Dragon admitted. With a nod, she stepped back with Panther.
With that little scare over, Queen placed her hands on her hips. "You have place you belong, Kaneshiro. Where you can make amends for the rest of your life."
Shadow Kaneshiro conceded, turning around and sitting on the gold bars. "I'm glad you understand. Now hurry up and return to the real Kaneshiro." Fox demanded.
"Seriously? You guys have no tact. Especially with that incredible power. These Palaces could net you load of cash! You could do whatever you wanted to people's hearts!" Shadow Kanesiro said.
"We're not like you!" Skull shouted.
"Where do you find meaning in that naïve sense of justice…?" Shadow Kaneshiro sighed. "You know, there's already someone out there taking full advantage of everything Palaces have to offer."
"What do you mean…?" Queen asked.
"I'll let you in on a little something. There's a criminal using other people's Palaces to accomplish whatever they damn well please." Shadow Kaneshiro grinned. "They don't care about the consequences. Mental Shutdowns…Psychotic Breakdowns…anything goes…"
"Is that the same person Madarame's Shadow spoke of…?" Fox asked.
"Spill it! Who are you talking about!?" Skull demanded to know.
Shadow Kaneshiro just held a knowing smile. "Don't bother. You're nothing compared to them…a chance encounter with them will prove fatal."
"Wait…!" Dragon said. "You said you had a deal with someone about my Shogi activities! Who is it!? Tell me before…!" And Shadow Kaneshiro's last act of spite was leaving, not giving the Phantom Thieves any of the answers they sought out of him. "Grr…"
The Palace then began to rumble. It was about to fall apart. "We can think about that later!" Fox said. "For now, let's just grab the Treasure and…"
"Uh…" Joker pointed forward.
Mona was rubbing his face all over the gold. "Meow….Treasure…" Sparkles were in his eyes as it was like catnip to him. "Whoooooa…Treasure…!"
"What…what's happening?" Dragon asked.
"What's gotten into him?!" Queen was dumbstruck.
"This is soooooo cool! Being a human is great!" Mona meowed happily.
"I'm sorry you have to see this." Joker sighed.
Mona then jumped forward, latching onto Panther's face. Panther, of course, was not very appreciative of that. "Leh…go of me…!" Panther groaned and threw Mona forward, causing him to transform.
"WHAT." Dragon just went wide eyed. "He turns into a bus!?" She didn't know, nor did Queen.
"You shouldn't throw animals, dammit!" Mona groaned.
"Stop complaining, we have to move!" Panther said.
Everyone loaded up a few gold bars in the back before climbing inside. Dragon found a place in the front between Panther and Queen. "This is…not how I expected us to get out of here…"
"It's time to move!" Skull said.
"Grr…fine…!" Mona was complaining for whatever reason. But he drove off…only to realize that as soon as they were outside, they were on air. "W-Wait…there's no road…!" So…this was most likely going to be a very hectic exit outside of the Metaverse and into the real world…