[Flashback: Evening of September 20th.]

Ren and Akechi were sitting together in the bathhouse in Yongen. It was strange to see Akechi relax in this way, but he needed it since things were growing stressful as of late. "Ah…it's been quite some time since I relaxed in one of these…" Akechi said, enjoying the temperature of the water.

"A while, huh?" Ren asked.

"Yes. I used to frequent these when I was younger." Akechi said. "Of course, these days I'm the Detective Prince, but my family situation was…well, complicated. By the time I was old enough to realize it, my father was already gone. My mother was all I had. My mother worked at a nightclub. Whenever she had to bring a man home, she'd send me off to the local bathhouse."

"Wow…" Ren mumbled. Coupled with the fact he remembered Akechi saying his father was 'no good', he could only really say one thing to that. "You've been through a lot…"

Akechi, however, merely shook his head. "It's in the past. I have no reason to blame her. The only one who deserves blame is my father. The worthless, degenerate excuse for a man who abandoned my mother." When he talked about his father, his tone lowered in slight anger. "I wanted to force him to finally give her the apology he owes her…but that's no longer possible." Realizing he was getting a little too personal, he shook his head and smiled at Ren. "My apologies, I didn't mean for this conversation to get depressing. Actually, are you alright? I heard hot water can make people dizzy."

Ren scoffed. "It's fine. But are YOU okay? This is nothing for me. I can stay until you're ready."

Akechi lifted a brow. "I take pretty long baths, though. Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Bring it on." Ren said with a slight grin. They really were going to turn sitting in a bath into a competition.

But in the end, they both ended up getting out at the same time. Their faces were beat red from the heat. That's why they returned the changing room, downing some water to help cool down. "Ah, that's refreshing. These really taste the best when you're just out of the bath….but I do feel a little lightheaded…"

As much as Ren wanted to say that he felt fine…he couldn't. "…Same."

"Haha, I thought as much. Your face is bright red, you know." Akechi said with a smile. "I will say, this is the first time I've ever taken a bath like this. I've never told anyone else about my family situation, either…I wonder why I told you? Curious indeed…"

"It's because we're similar, if I had to guess." Ren replied.

"Now that you mention it, maybe we are pretty similar deep down…" Akechi trailed off. "We're both victims of the adults who unfairly impacted our lives."

"Yeah, I think you're right. But also, can I put my clothes back on now?" Ren asked. "Next time we compete, I'll take you down for sure."

"…Oh, yes. This probably isn't a conversation we should be having naked. Let's get dressed, shall we?" Akechi turned around, his pleasant smile fading once his back was returned to Ren. "So we're that similar, are we…? So what makes you so different from me…!?" He already caught Ren and the others slipping into the Metaverse red-handed. So why was he spending time with Ren, despite knowing he was moonlighting as a Phantom Thief? A good question…one he himself couldn't answer. "Take me down!? I'd like to see you try, you piece of criminal trash…you can't hold a candle to me. Our upbringings may be similar, but I'm better than you! And I'll prove it!"

.

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[Present: September 22nd]

The Phantom Thieves' infiltration of Okumura's Palace came to a sudden standstill at the export line in the factory as Black Mask confronted them. They were separated, with Joker being alone to face off against the one who was likely the cause of the Mental Shutdown incidents. It was a dangerous situation, but also one that could pan out well for the Thieves if they managed to play their cards right. But they had to make sure they could get to Joker first.

"Ah shit, what the hell are we supposed to do!?" Skull said, staring across the export line. Their path was blocked, so they needed to find the long path around.

"We have to help Joker! I don't like the idea of him fighting that person alone!" Panther said, panicking.

"How do we do that?" Violet asked.

Queen was quickly looking around, attempting to formulate some sort of idea while they were separated. Her eyes then landed a broken crane that rose pretty high into the air. She gauged the distance then glanced towards Dragon. "Dragon, I need you to climb up there and keep an eye on the battle, Keep your sniper rifle trained on the one in the blast mask."

"Huh?" Dragon blinked once, her head turning to where Queen pointed. "My gun…? But…I only have one bullet. I'm unsure if it will work…"

"Trust me, it will." Queen said with a firm nod. "They don't need to know you only have one bullet. Anyone who knows a sniper is trained on them will hesitate, and that's precisely what we need. If we are able to corner them, your presence will be key in detaining them."

"I understand!" Dragon nodded, quickly hopping up along the crane to get into position.

"As for the rest of us, we have to hurry and support Joker!" Mona exclaimed. "Oracle, is there any way for us to get there quickly?!"

"Not too fast, but there is a bit of a longer path we can take if we keep going down that way." Oracle pointed north. "It loops around, it's our best bet. We can make it if we run!"

"Hang on, Joker! We're coming!" Noir exclaimed.

"Come, we have not even a second to waste!" Fox declared.

.

While the others were trying to get to Joker, he still had to fight against Black Mask himself. He acknowledged he was in a sticky situation, but he didn't let that deter him. He charged at Black Mask with his knife, aiming a few quick slashes. Joker's knife was parried by Black Mask's jagged sword, and the reach difference became apparent when the masked man thrust his sword at Joker. Joker was narrowly able to evade this, closing the distance to slash at Black Mask's chest. It was a direct hit, but the man clad in obsidian hardly flinched from the impact. "What?"

Joker was stunned that his hit hardly did any damage. This allowed Black Mask to kick Joker in the chest, his pure power causing Joker to stagger a few steps before regaining his footing. Black Mask pursued with a heinous chuckle, wildly swinging his sword to strike Joker. "Come on! Show me what you can do!"

Joker was on the defensive, twisting his body back and forth to avoid getting slashed by that sword. He saw an opening, twirling his knife around his hand before attempting a downward, diagonal slash with his weapon. Steel met steel, sparks flying as their weapons clashed. "Gh…" Joker grit his teeth, attempting to hold this stalemate for as long as he could, but he was ultimately pushed back by Black Mask's strength. This was the second time it happened and he was quickly realizing his disadvantage here. "In terms of pure power, they've got me beat. I hope I'm faster…" If he wasn't, this was going to be an even steeper climb than he thought.

Black Mask didn't waste any time. He pulled his pistol out and fired it right at Joker! Joker retaliated by firing his own pistol, the bullets flying towards one another. The two bullets scraped against each other, altering their tracjectory just slightly enough so they only grazed their targets; Joker's left arm was grazed, while Black Mask's lower left side was grazed. "Ahaha..!"

Joker attempted to test his theory sooner rather than later. He sprinted at Black Mask once again, but he didn't throw attacks immediately. He used his speed to his advantage, springing from a nearby box into the air, twirling around to let momentum and gravity do the work. He swung his leg downward for a fierce axe kick at Black Mask's head, but the strike was blocked in the nick of time. Just as the sword came his way, Joker back flipped out of harm's way, landing on his feet. He then moved about acrobatically, which he could do so thanks to being in the Metaverse and Violet's training. This movement annoyed Black Mask, who took shots at him with his gun since he wasn't in arm's reach. "I thought so. I can at least outspeed him…!" Joker landed on the ground, only to find Black Mask predicted where he'd land. "…!"

"TAKE THIS!" Black Mask swung a heavy punch at Joker's chest, the momentum of his swing sending him crashing through a few crates. This prompted nearby robot workers to flee, much to their dismay. They were fine with the commotion so long as it didn't disrupt their work, but now they were too close to getting involved and had no choice but to flee.

"Ugh…that hurt…" Joker coughed while standing up. His hand instinctively went to his mask, preparing to call out a Persona. But he stopped, realizing that he couldn't do that. The situation wasn't looking that great for him.

"What's wrong!?" Black Mask yelled while performing a leaping slash. His sword was covered in a curse-like aura, which he brought down on Joker to attack. Joker was able avoid this by quickly rolling to the side, not liking the fact there was a powerful shockwave that followed Black Mask's impact with the ground.

Once on his feet, Joker's grappling hook extended to a crate up above, tugging it down with all his might. The crate fell and Black Mask was able to avoid it, but Joker didn't mind as he followed up with his pistol. Whatever was in the crate exploded violently, blowing Black Mask off to the side. "Gotcha."

"GRR! You bastard!" Black Mask growled, picking himself up due to the sheer anger he felt from Joker's attack. His gun was drawn once and he started shooting at Joker, while Joker ended up doing the same. This ended up with the two of them dashing deeper down the export line while firing bullets at one another.

.

.

The others were watching the fight from afar, slowly closing the gap on the other side of the factory. They didn't like how things were panning out and had to pick up the pace. "Why isn't Joker using his Persona!? He'd easily whoop that guy's ass!"

"Don't be stupid, he can't do that right now!" Mona said.

"If he were to use his Persona, his mask would vanish. That would let this person know what he looks like!" Violet stated the obvious. The heat of the moment just made Skull forget.

"Ah, shit, that's right!" Skull cursed. No wonder Joker had to do this the old fashioned way. "…Oh, but wait! That means that guy can't use a Persona either, right? He's gotta have one…so he's in the same situation!"

Skull's smart remark surprised everyone, since they didn't realize the opposite held true until just then. "Skull's right…they're in the same situation." Queen surmised. "But we can turn the tide if we can make it in time."

"I hope we can…" Panther mumbled.

"I believe Mona should dart off ahead. It only stands to reason since he has the advantage." Fox said. He would've liked to suggest Queen go as well, but if she rode on Johanna to the battle, there was too high a chance her face would be seen.

"We'll follow behind you, Mona-chan!" Noir added.

"I got it!" Mona sprang into the air, turning into a bus and drove off. There was just enough room in the narrow space for him to pull this off, and he could drive full speed ahead.

.

Joker and Black Mask were shooting frantically at each other, their bullets hitting everywhere but each other. Joker had to flip over several worker robots, or use them as platforms to keep his momentum going. Neither he nor Black Mask landed a clean shot on each other, much to the other's annoyance. Joker then got an idea, flinging his grappling hook just a little ways ahead, using the wire to pull himself forward. This way he cut Black Mask off, using this momentum to land a kick on his face. He did hope his mask would fall off, but unfortunately he learned it was more like a helmet, thus his task wouldn't be so easy. "Of course it wouldn't fall off…" He thought to himself.

Black Mask grabbed a fleeing worker robot and hurled it at Joker with all his might. This move surprised Joker and he had to slide under the robot. He sprang up to strike Black Mask, only for his attack to be blocked. He wanted to push back, but he was instead forced away by the strength of Black Mask, and he crashed into a few more crates that fell on top of him. "Ugh…" That was going to take him a little bit of time to push his way out of…time that Black Mask hardly wanted to give him.

"Is this all you can do? What a JOKE!" Black Mask sprinted forward, but he was stopped when Mona came barreling forward in his bus form. Anyone would leap out of the way from a speeding vehicle and Black Mask was the same.

"Hah!" Mona returned to normal, flipping into the air while spinning around, aiming his blade down on Black Mask, but he was pushed off to the side. Mona was able to land just fine despite this, however he could certainly feel how powerful Black Mask was compared to him. "Are you alright, Joker?"

"Just fine. A little bruised, but nothing I can't handle." Joker said while finally standing up. "Thanks for the save…"

"Hmph…" Black Mask scowled. He was enjoying this little one on one, but this monster cat had to come and ruin it all. He then glanced up, noticing that Skull was above him.

"TAKE THIS!" Skull roared, slamming his electrically charged club down at Black Mask. Black Mask dodged backwards, leaving Skull to strike nothing but the ground, much to his annoyance. The impact caused sparks of lightning to fly in all directions."Damn, he's quick!"

Before Black Mask could land, Fox was behind him. Fox planned to use his speed to overwhelm the mysterious assailant, slashing several times. Black Mask was more adept than he was expecting; before his feet touched the ground, he was able to turn in midair, swinging his sword powerfully to intercept and knock Fox backwards. "Gah!"

Panther's whip wrapped around Black Mask's sword arm, using all of her strength to tug it back and keep him restrained. She may not have been able to use her Persona, but she was good at manipulating flames through her whip, so the weapon was blazing as it tightened around Black Mask's wrist. "Queen, go!"

Queen used this opening to her advantage. She drew her fist back, charging her brass knuckle with nuclear power, aiming it square at Black Mask's chest. "Taste the fists of JUSTICE!" But just as she swung, Black Mask tugged his arm forward forcefully. This surprised Panther, causing her to yelp and fly forward, crashing into Queen before her punch could hit, resulting in the two of them tumbling along the ground. "Wah!"

Violet attacked next. She was swift and quick on her feet, using her gymnastics to her advantage. She flipped over Black Mask, landing behind him to thrust her rapier forward. To her surprise, he evaded it by leaning to the side, turning around to slam his foot into her side. "Eep!" Violet yelped as she staggered to the side.

Black Mask was about to follow up, but he noticed an axe flying his way. Noir threw her axe from a distance, forcing him to duck since that kind of attack was something he did need to dodge. Once he did dodge, Noir pulled her rocket launcher out, glaring daggers at Black Mask. "I wouldn't move if I were you."

"Yeah." Joker said, following suit. Now that everyone was present, they could all initiate a Hold Up, surrounding Black Mask on all sides with their guns trained on him.

"End of the line for you, asshole." Skull grinned.

"Don't try anything funny. We have a sniper trained on you as well." Queen lifted one hand up, giving Dragon the signal from afar. On that cue, Dragon fired her shot, a bullet striking in front of Black Mask's feet, missing intentionally just to show that he was indeed cornered. That was her only bullet, but Queen was certain this would get the message across well.

"…" Black Mask looked towards the direction the bullet came from and he saw Dragon perched up high.

"Be careful guys…" Oracle was glad they had the man surrounded, but she was uneasy. Her radar was picking up a lot of power… "He's still pretty strong…if something happens."

"We'll be fine. Now take off your mask." Noir demanded. "If you're here to endanger m-, er, Okumura, I will not stand for it."

"Are you the one causing all the mental shutdowns? It would be in your best interests to answer us now." Fox said.

"Heh…" Black Mask just gave a heinous smirk. Even though he was surrounded, it was like the situation didn't matter to him in the slightest. Like this was some sort of game to him. In the next instant, he punched himself in the chest for seemingly no reason. Before anyone could comment on it…a thick cloud of smoke spewed out from Black Mask, blinding the Phantom Thieves. It was the smoke bomb that Joker dropped when the Thieves initially broke into the Palace to find Mona.

"A Smoke Bomb?!" Panther gasped, covering her eyes and coughing a few times.

"W-Where'd they get one of those!?" Mona coughed. Everyone was blindsided by one of their own tools being used against them.

While everyone was recoiling from the smoke, Black Mask pointed his pistol in Dragon's direction and fired. The bullet flew from the smoke, and while it wasn't an entirely accurate shot, he memorized her location. So the bullet hit her arm, causing her to drop her weapon. "Ow…!" Dragon grimaced, practically falling from her perch from the recoil.

Now came the fun part… "PERSONNNNAAA!" Black Mask's voice was raspy, violent, and unhinged. Nobody could see it due to the smoke, but a large silhouette appeared and slammed something down on the ground. Whatever it was, it prompted a gigantic explosion as Megidola was cast, the dome of Almighty magic expanding, catching the Phantom Thieves nearby in its wake. Everyone let out a cry of pain as they were all forced in different directions, crashing into numerous pieces of machinery in the process. By the time the smoke cleared, Black Mask was already gone after doing his damage.

"Oooow…." Skull groaned, slowly picking himself up.

"I-Is everyone alright?" Dragon arrived a bit late, holding onto her arm since it was injured.

"That…sucked…." Panther whined from the floor.

"Is it always this rough…?" Violet needed to lean against a fallen crate to keep balance.

"N-Not usually…this was a first." Fox said.

"He got away…" Noir frowned. "Oracle, is he nearby?"

Oracle shook her head weakly. "No…I'm not picking up his signal anymore. I don't know if he's left or just used us to get ahead."

"We can't stop then…!" Noir insisted, despite their injuries. She didn't like the idea of knowing that Black Mask was roaming freely in her Father's Palace. The risks were too high.

"I know how you feel, but rushing in our state isn't going to do anything." Joker said, helping Queen up. "Is there a safe room nearby, Oracle?"

"Just up ahead…we should be in the clear." Oracle responded.

"That's the one causing Mental Shutdowns…he's very strong…" Queen mumbled. They were attacking him so quickly, yet he was able to adapt and push them all back with such ease.

"We're going to have to get a lot stronger, a lot faster…" Mona said. "There's no way that was the last we saw of him…" It was an eye opening and not very graceful experience for the Phantom Thieves. Black Mask vanished just as quickly as he appeared, leaving them a little demoralized after what could be classified as a fast defeat.

As the Phantom Thieves slowly made their way deeper into the factory, Black Mask was watching from afar, well out of Oracle's range by this point. Still, he couldn't help but stare at Violet. He didn't recognize that one and it left him curious. "…How pathetic. If that's the extent of what you can do, then this is going to be even easier than I thought…"