"Are you ready for this, Yusuke? Once we change his heart, there's no going back." Morgana had to ask this now after school and meeting up at the hideout to discuss where the young artist's decision stands.
Before the decision of sending the calling card comes, the group wanted Yusuke to be involved because Madarame was his teacher and guardian. It wasn't their place to decide something like this without his consent. This problem is bigger than just the three of them, or rather four when counting Morgana.
Yusuke has given it some thought, leaning against the railing and staring aimlessly out onto the street beyond the enormous glass window. True, there's no going back on their plan. He can't stand the thought of his mentor taking advantage of more innocent, gifted people who have so much potential and to have their futures callously stolen from them.
Kiku... Natsuhiko... and so many others whom Madarame has destroyed, exchanging their dreams for fame and fortune. Along with the threat of legal action fast approaching... Yusuke can't allow this to happen.
"I have thought it over... and I cannot think of a future in which he does not pay his dues." Yusuke made his decision firmly clear. Determination flashed in his eyes like a storm. "He has preyed not only on the art world, but on countless talents... so I humbly request your help."
"All right. Don't get too worked up about this." Akiko tenderly gives him a pat on the arm, smiling. The physical contact makes butterflies explode in his stomach. Her skin is so soft.
Yusuke returns the gesture by placing his hand over hers. "I apologize for making you do this."
"Not at all," Ann chimed in, her smile shining brightly as the sun. "We just didn't want to impose if you weren't feeling up to it, Yusuke. But if you're already determined to do it, then there's nothing more for us to say."
"If I recall, our next step is sending a calling card, correct? What a suave maneuver."
"It's not about acting cool," Morgana explained. "The calling card is a way to trigger a change in his cognition."
Yusuke ponders over this for a moment, crossing his arms. "A change in cognition... That reminds me, you went through some trouble regarding that before."
The cat's dark blue eyes lit up. "Ah, you must be talking about when we forced open that security gate in the courtyard."
"The Palace is a cognitive world," Ann reminded everyone of what this mysterious alternate world's true nature stands, "so changing its ruler's cognition changes the topography... I think."
"Very nicely put, Lady Ann! You're absolutely correct. This will be a vital tactic from here forward." Morgana didn't bother to correct her on that word, but it was basically true. Yusuke silently took one look at the adoration in the cat's eyes, then back at Ann, and was quick to put two and two together: Morgana seems to have a romantic attachment to Ann.
"In other words, when we send a calling card to our target, it forces the Treasure to reveal itself into a solid object," Akiko decided to be the one to correct the true meaning in Ann's words. "It will also have a dramatic impact on the Palace owner's cognition. Security is bound to be tight, and we'll have to be careful."
Something else lingers on Yusuke's mind as he quietly considers what he's been informed. He hesitates for a second before he speaks, "Actually, may I ask a truly basic question? You continue to mention cognition quite readily. But why does this world formed from materialized cognitions even exist to begin with? Don't tell me..." a trembling fear displays in his voice, "Has it always existed, while we go about our daily lives completely oblivious?"
Everyone was taken back by these words.
Morgana's response doesn't happen right away, and Yusuke assumes the cat doesn't have a concrete answer for him until now. "Honestly, I'm not sure. At the very least, I know it existed before the Kamoshida incident... but that's all."
"I see..." Yusuke calmly accepts the cat's answer. Even if he doesn't know everything, he shouldn't pester him with more difficult questions.
Ryuji's brown eyes grow wider than ramen bowls. "Crap, he totally caught me off guard with that. It's kind of weird thinking there might be whole worlds we just don't know a damn thing about. Did the thought ever cross your mind, Aki?"
"I don't know..." Akiko mused aloud, which seems somewhat confused and nervous. "I never thought of it that way..." She wasn't looking at her team or anyone in particular while responding. Her attention staring directly at her own reflection in the glass. It's hard to tell what she's thinking, but Yusuke can understand her concerns about the idea of another world intersecting with their own does sound terrifying.
"Don't be so anxious. You don't even know everything about the city you moved to a month ago, after all." Morgana swiftly reassures her by placing a small white paw on her arm for comfort. "All that's important is that we know how to make use of that world and how to traverse it."
"Oh? You're new here to Tokyo, Akiko?" Yusuke's eyebrows were raised, intrigued. She never told him about that, not even during their time together at the exhibition a couple days ago.
"I don't want to talk about it." The dismissal in Akiko's body posture and voice is enough to slightly upset her. Whatever it is, Yusuke decides not to pry further until she's ready to confine in him. It must be something devastating in her past which lead to her living in Tokyo now. "Let's discuss sending the calling card to Madarame."
"A calling card, hm? Will he take it seriously?" Yusuke worries for a good reason. Blasphemous letters written in vicious accusations against Madarame have occurred in the past, to which the young painter regrets not connecting the dots to realize some of those letters were probably from his former victims. "He is famous, after all. And he has often received slanderous letters till now, as well."
"He'll know best whether the crime written on it is for real or not," Ryuji mentioned, a knowing smirk plastered on his face.
"Wait... Are you going to write it again, Ryuji? That last one was questionable at best." Morgana doesn't sound too pleased at this. The blonde male glares in offense at the cat for his comments. Yusuke hasn't seen their previous card, but he correctly deduces the last time Ryuji had designed a calling card didn't work out in their favor.
"You should do it then, Yusuke! Make it really artistic and stuff!" Ann suggested with great enthusiasm. She looked excited to see how his designing of the calling card will turn out.
Flattered, Yusuke considers accepting this task. Except the obvious flaw of his foster father recognizing his art style will certainly blow their cover and he shakes his head sadly. "No. It'll end with him figuring it out. He knows my drawing and writing styles all too well."
"Oh, then I'll think it up, and you make it cooler!" Ryuji practically volunteers to help, standing up with renewed vigor.
It's been years since Yusuke has collaborated with a partner on an art project, not since those years in elementary school or back when there were more students in the atelier, but the idea of working with a friend again makes him smile. "Designing a calling card, hm... Interesting. It shall become proof that the Phantom Thieves do exist."
Ryuji smirked. "It's decided then!"
"Great! All that's left is to make the Treasure ours! You guys better come fully prepared!" Morgana declares their battle with Madarame has just begun, standing firm and determined.
Thankful his mentor had bought the excuse of working on a late-night project at the dorms, Yusuke is able to create a perfect Phantom Thieves calling card with Ryuji's assistance, without disturbance. Of course, there had to be other multiple cards to spread the word of the Phantom Thieves' existence if they're going to stick them on the walls at the exhibition.
Ryuji explained the logo that he came up was to represent a sinister-looking face with a top hat, hence gentlemen thieves like Arsene Lupin in those old movies he used to watch on TV often wore a distinguished tuxedo with a top hat and either a monocle or a mask. Studying a picture of the group's previous calling card on Ryuji's phone, Yusuke now understood why Morgana wasn't intent on allowing Ryuji to make the second one. Now that he thought about it, it was the Phantom Thieves' first time writing a calling card so he couldn't blame Ryuji for trying.
Yusuke perfected the logo to make it even better, wearing gloves to hide his fingerprints just in case Madarame gives one for the police to analyze for evidence. He cut and pasted the letters on the card from a newspaper, vaguely reminding him of the usual ransom letters he used to watch on a crime documentary. The young painter had chosen black and red for the card's theme, having been inspired by Akiko's color palette in her thief attire.
Creating and writing a calling card is far beyond his taste in traditional art, but Yusuke had to admit, he was very proud of the results when he had finished. Even Ryuji was deeply impressed. The calling card looked so much better than the original. It was practically professional.
The next part of the plan involves sticking the cards onto the walls. At a fancy art exhibition, an event like this one is bound to have security cameras everywhere. Morgana volunteered to perform this next task; sabotaging the camera system. Yusuke doesn't know how he did it, but the cameras turn off for a moment and it gives him plenty of time to slink inside and complete their mission.
Double-sided tape had been placed on the back of the cards, making it easier to stick them on the walls. As swiftly as they had come, the four teenagers left the exhibit, smirking proudly. Morgana was the last to leave, just as the system was back on. Aware of the risk being caught, he made it out safely because the staff would never take a cat seriously.
Next morning on a Saturday will be the day when they shall officially carry out their heist. Yusuke had secretly placed the true calling card on a podium last night, knowing full well that one of the staff members will find it and report to Madarame immediately.
Everything had gone according to plan. Yusuke feigns confusion as he watches his guardian read the calling card's contents out loud:
Sir Madarame Ichiryusai, a great sinner of vanity, whose talent has been exhausted.
You are an artist who used his authority to shamelessly steal the ideas of his pupils. We have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail.
From, the Phantom Thieves.
Infuriated, Madarame crumples up the card and demands an explanation. The staff member timidly reveals how so many cards had been found in the corridor walls just beyond the exhibition where the public can see them, and the security cameras found nobody suspicious other than a stray cat.
Madarame angrily orders the cards to be destroyed, and all of a sudden, the world around Yusuke mysteriously faded to darkness. Standing in Madarame's place was his Shadow. He sneered at nobody in particular, "It's those damn brats' doing, isn't it? Well, it means nothing. They'll only be able to do as they please until the exhibit is over."
Though half-frightened, Yusuke quickly regained his composure and remembered what Akiko had informed him about Madarame's cognition reacting to the card's contents. That means something must've happened. Then, the entire world around him changed back to normal and the real Madarame is still there, completely ignoring his blue-haired apprentice leaving the scene discreetly.
Yusuke had caught Ann waving at him to meet the others in a quiet, darkened corner by the staircase where no one else saw them. Once far away enough from Madarame's eyes, he was greeted by a group of pleased grins. "Will that do?" he asked.
"Yup! It was perfect!" Ann complimented on his style. "The composition was way cooler too."
"The Treasure should appear right about now," Morgana added.
At the corner of his eye, Ryuji aimed a sly smirk at Madarame's forum. "You better enjoy the air of freedom while you still can, old man." His enthusiasm was growing as he switched on his phone. "Anyways, did you guys check online? People are already talking about the calling card. We'll show 'em! We're gonna surprise them all!"
"I'm sure you know, but we only get one shot to pull this off." Morgana is quick to remind them. Not just today is when they have to steal the Treasure, but only today. He then fixates a concerned frown at the young painter. "You have no reservations about this either, right Yusuke?"
"Of course not." Yusuke is firmly resolved to put an end to Madarame's crimes for good. It's for the sake of those who suffered because of that monster. And not just his former brothers and sisters, but his own as well. "We'll do this."
"Let's go!" Akiko announces, her gaze hardened firmly.
Sneaking back inside the museum wasn't easy because security was on high alert. Corridors and hallways are nearly crawling with guards, but the Phantom Thieves carefully snuck past them without causing a disturbance. As soon as they reached their destination, they split up to carry out their parts in the plan.
There's no turning back once the thieves begin the operation. Yusuke was finally ready, but in the back of his mind he could only pray this heist will work out beautifully. If worse comes to worse, they will have to fight. But if this is what must be done to bring that monster to justice, he will do what he must.
Back to the plan, Yusuke secures a very excitable Mona to the hook with some rope they had found, doubly checking to make sure it's tight enough to keep the feline in hold. "Is this good?" he asked.
"Yeah, it's perfect!" Mona could barely keep himself still, his body twitching and his enthusiasm reminded the kitsune-masked thief of a common housecat hyped up on catnip.
"You seem to be enjoying this."
"Only the best can appreciate these critical moments. Plus, this feels like we're really phantom thieves!"
"We'll be counting on you, Mona. And Panther as well." No sooner did those words leave his mouth, Yusuke looks down at the window of the guard's room where he smiled upon seeing the female cat-suited thief has already gotten inside. He stretched his fist outward, indicating the signal is on cue.
The lights are turned off, and Yusuke races back down the catwalk as carefully and quietly as he could. He stuck his head through a small window and shouted, "Joker, now!"
"Okay!" Swiftly, Akiko pulled the lever down.
After that, the crane starts lowering Mona downward. He grabs the Treasure, just as Ryuji and Ann safely returned. They reconvene with Mona, who grins in satisfaction as the automatic hook raises back up. It was truly a wonderful sight to behold. Mona had successfully stolen the Treasure, a purple sheet covering a canvas-shaped object, without a hitch.
As much as Yusuke yearned to see what it is, he knew there wasn't the time to examine. Madarame's shadow hastily ordered all doors to be sealed after discovering his precious Treasure is gone. Using the catwalks, the Phantom Thieves made their way toward one of the windows. It led everyone outside on the rooftop, where they hurriedly descended down one massively oversized golden block staircase after the next.
They discovered another portal to an unknown destination along the way, a golden archway leading to who knows where. A crimson red light made the doorway glow menacingly. But there's no time to doubt the idea of venturing in. There's no other way to get down, so they took that risk. Akiko stepped forward boldly to check, and the red light changed to a welcoming green shade.
Walking inside, the Phantom Thieves found themselves no longer on the rooftop. Instead, they were in the courtyard. Yusuke sighed with relief that the portal didn't lure them into a trap, and they managed to escape the siege.
"Mrrrr... Meowww..."
Yusuke's thoughts were interrupted by the feline's sudden change in behavior. He did hear of his classmates often gushing how their cats behave strangely whenever excited or crazy. According to Ryuji, this was Mona getting too excited. Yusuke might understand feeling the adrenaline, but this seems too much for a cat creature to react like this.
Mona's white paws frantically untie and toss the purple cloth aside to reveal a... a childish doodle to make a crude depiction of a face.
"THIS is the Treasure!?" Ryuji cried in shocked disbelief.
Yusuke couldn't understand how something so ridiculous can be his mentor's prized possession, until he noticed security poles rising from the ground, crackling volts of electricity. "Get back!" he warned, just in time.
Everyone dodges the trap in time to avoid the wall of crackling light that formed a box around the fake painting they foolishly worked so hard to obtain. It all makes sense now. Madarame had expected this and had a fake prepared for theirs to steal. As expected from the master of falsifying art. Yusuke mentally cursed himself for being so blind.
"Meddlesome vermin." A familiar distorted voice came from behind them, and Yusuke turns around to glare hatred at the triumphant shogun, flanked by two guards. "Is this what you're looking for?" The false Madarame viciously mocked, gesturing toward the guard on his right who's carrying a golden framed canvas under his arm.
"What nonsense that you used a mousetrap on me!" Morgana grumbled.
"So you had a fake prepped, huh!?" Ryuji scowled, and Yusuke is inclined to agree.
Madarame sighed, as if explaining a basic history lesson to clueless children. "Counterfeits are accepted in the world of Japanese art."
A spark of rage ignites inside Yusuke's chest. "What made you change like this!? Is it because you became famous!?" his voice breaks as he pressed for answers, heartbroken that his sensei disregards art for fame and fortune. "Can't you understand how much it pains me to inquire about the crimes of my foster father!?" Madarame had done so much for Yusuke when the old man had seen potential in him and raised him as if he was his own son... And yet, how could he had been so blind to the changes in his father figure over the years?
"Now that I think back, the only reason why I took you in was due to my ties with your mother," Madarame revealed, brushing off the poor boy's distress since he meant nothing to him. "That woman never lost her passion for painting even after her husband died. Her skills and talents were quite astonishing... That's why I decided to look after her. Your mother and the artwork she created - they're all MY works of art!"
Yusuke grimaces, feeling a twinge of pain ache in his heart. He might not know much about his real father, but he can only imagine the pain his mother suffered through after a truly amazing husband and father, one whom he will never know, passed away.
"How low can you sink?" Ann leveled a gaze of pure loathing at this infuriating beast.
"I suppose I can grant you a gift before you die - a glimpse of the genuine Sayuri!"
"Genuine..." Yusuke looked puzzled, but he feels a wave of sickening dread at the callous glance in Madarame's eyes when he spoke.
On his master's orders, the guard lifts the true image of the painting for all to witness. One look at that painting and Yusuke's face drains of color. It's the Sayuri alright, except her mysterious smile was made clearer now. No mist concealed the bottom part of her chest anymore. There in her arms wrapped so delicately in a blanket is a sleeping infant. It was so obvious the woman's expression holds nothing but a mother's eternal love for her child.
"That's... the real Sayuri?" Yusuke stared at the woman's benevolent eyes and the infant when realization struck him like a physical blow. It all made sense now, this painting which inspired him to become an artist... the source of his inspiration... why he's so captivated by that face... the reason why he chose Akiko to be his muse... "This can't be! Mom!" He choked back a sob. Yusuke was just a child when his mother died, but there's no doubt about it. That's his mother in the picture. And the infant in her arms is him.
His teammates looked at him, shocked at the words that just left his mouth.
"Indeed it is. This was painted by your mother. It's a portrait of herself. A woman who knew her death was coming painted her last wishes, for the son she would leave behind. That is the truth behind the mystery of Sayuri's expression!"
Akiko's fists clenched, glowering at the false artist for his cruel intentions. "You took in Fox's mother, just for the sake of plagiarizing her artwork? How could you steal something THAT personal!?"
"I knew at first glance." Madarame took great pleasure in smugly boasting his success at stealing his pupil's mother's work. "I knew it'd be a huge success, if I added a touch to the painting and announced it under my name!"
"But the baby in the picture..." Yusuke pleaded to know why his mentor erased the baby, himself, from his mother's portrait. "Why did you paint over it?"
Madarame grinned sadistically, enough to make Yusuke's stomach churn. "It was all to stage it. If the babe is erased, the reason for the woman's expression will become a mystery! That is what the general public is drawn to! Each of those parasitic critics wrote the same thing!"
"I always felt something was off about all this... Now I know what it is." Ann's eyes blazed like her Persona's fire powers behind her mask. "If you really treasured that painting, you wouldn't even think about replicating it for profit! You don't love art at all!"
"Though you have a real Treasure, your true skills are nothing more than those scribbles on that fake!" Mona pointed to the worthless trash his team risked their necks to steal, indicating his words are no doubt correct.
"It makes me laugh, asshole!" Ryuji taunted, sharing his agreement with the cat.
"So you'll defy me no matter what..." Madarame glowered at the thieves' constant rebellion, then he fixated a threatening scowl at his foster son. "Well then, since you're my work of art, Yusuke, I'm going to reap you for the sake of my future. Along with those insolent friends of yours there."
"I can't believe you're treating both mother and son like they're objects..." Ann spat in disgust. "You're inhuman!" But the way she phrased her words made Yusuke remember what Akiko said days ago.
I know I shouldn't say this without evidence, but do you think Madarame might've 'helped' your mother in the same way he 'helped' you?
Yusuke found himself repeating the question in his brain ever since those words and the truth of his mother being under Madarame's tutelage made a terrible suspicion form in his mind. What had become of the woman who birthed him if she didn't die in an accident? And the rumor he had been hearing about what his master does to his 'art' if it's no longer useful? Did Madarame refer to it as regular art pieces or... his previous victims? His mother was a victim in all this, then that would mean...
"Fox?" Akiko's concern for his drastic change in behavior goes ignored.
"I've heard that you destroy your 'art' once they outlive their usefulness..." Yusuke's voice grows dark as these words spew from his lips, "...did that include my mother as well?"
The Phantom Thieves reacted in utter horror.
And his response came when Madarame's red lips curled into a malicious smirk, confirming what the samurai thief feared the worst. "She just so happened to have a seizure in front of me. That's when a thought crossed my mind... If I don't call for help and leave her be, I could obtain her painting without any strings attached." Not a shred of remorse. Only pride was visibly displayed on his cruel expression.
Yusuke's whole world shatters like glass dropped to the floor. His mother abandoned in the midst of a medical emergency, all because Madarame cared about profiting off her art piece. The revelation made his blood boil, a lot worse than first discovering this wretched museum and his master's true colors.
"No... You let her die!?" Ann gasps in horrified disbelief.
"She was physically weak. No one would doubt if she just dropped dead because of a seizure. Above all, Yusuke, didn't you think it was odd - that I discovered your talent when you were only three? The reason why I kept you around was to keep you from realizing the truth behind Sayuri."
Fury rises in Yusuke's chest, teeth clenched like a feral animal. "You killed her!"
Ignoring his apprentice's rage, Madarame gleefully continues to rub salt in the wound. "The artistic talents you inherited from your mother were a delightful miscalculation, though. If I'm to steal ideas, it's much easier robbing the futures of brats who won't back than adults. It's thanks to you that I came up with the idea. You have my gratitude."
"Hehehehe..." Yusuke found himself laughing quietly. His gratitude for giving him the idea to steal the futures of children came from him. It's laughable, really. He'd just gotten answers to what happened to his mother, and the truth is enough to make him snap. The vulpine-masked thief broke down in a mirthless, dark cackle. "Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Yusuke...?" Ann gasped at his reaction, the concern evident in her voice.
The rest of the group looked at him, startled by his uncontrollable laughter. Even Madarame was taken aback by his pupil's sudden mood swing.
"I thank you, Madarame..." Yusuke's voice has grown colder than his powers, leveling a loathsome scowl at his mother's murderer. "Ever reason for me to forgive you has vanished without a trace at this very moment! You aren't some rotten artist... You're a despicable fiend who wears the skin of an artist!"
"All you good-for-nothings! Barging into my museum and doing whatever the hell you want!" A black and red pool surrounds the feet of the enraged Madarame, and a crimson aura darkens the atmosphere all around them as the ground began to shake. "Those who have the connections make the rules; those who don't, follow them. Not to mention the value of art is all subjective! I make the rules in the art scene! I am the supreme being! I am the god of the art world!"
"This isn't good!" Morgana hurriedly warns his teammates the negative energy is swirling out of control. "Get back!"
Yusuke instantly realizes this meant danger as he obeys the command, taking a couple steps back. His comrades did the same, watching in horror as the gruesome face of his former teacher swelled and stretched until he burst. Shielding his eyes for a second, Yusuke saw that Madarame's hideous features had transformed into a small group of five massive floating paintings; creepy eyes sockets looking down on them, a huge nose, and a mouth with a bushy moustache snapping repeatedly.
"I'LL PAINT ALL OVER YOU!" the portrait's mouth bellowed. The nightmarish canvases towered over the Phantom Thieves as the team got into defensive positions. The monster sneered in a loud and distorted voice, "NOW... LET'S BEGIN, YOU VERMIN!"
As much as Yusuke despises looking at it, he's radiating a cold fury while tightening his grip on the katana. "You use others for your own despicable desires, Madarame. You aren't even worth the art you 'create!'"
Ann is the first to call forth the ravishing Carmen, delivering a fiery explosion to all five canvases at once. When the dust cleared, the eye sockets nearly came close to a collapse until they appeared to have absorbed the remains of the flames to heal himself.
Everyone reacted in disbelief. Why this is happening, nobody knows. Even Yusuke is baffled.
Akiko sprints forward, dagger withdrawn. She slashed the mouth with an impressive amount of strength. The impact caused the mouth to release a pained cry and the large tongue struck her back.
Yusuke reacts quickly on instinct to catch Akiko in his arms, hands clutching at her back and carefully helped to steady her footing. "Are you okay?" he questioned, checking her over for any physical injuries.
Did he imagine it or is Akiko's face turning red? "I-I'm fine..." she manages a grateful smile. The moment came to an abrupt end when the disembodied mouth absorbed the physical assault and was miraculously healed, chortling like a mad man.
The eye sockets began to glow bright red and, as quickly as it happened, conjures up a fireball to explode... right where Ann stood. Poor girl got thrown back and Madarame didn't give her the chance to get up, opening his mouth and a barrage of black ink comes shooting out like a fire hose. Ann swiftly uses her whip to strike the ink, creating a huge splash and some of the ink got on her.
Ryuji rushed to her aide, but Ann barely had any strength left in her when she tried to stand. Morgana quickly deduced the ink was the main reason why she can't fight. It's used to sap away an enemy's strength. Yusuke had never seen such a cursed form of sorcery in his life, but he swiftly dodges another typhoon of energy-draining ink which barely touched him.
Taking Akiko by the arm, he takes her someplace to hide so she won't get hit. Ryuji does the same, throwing a weakened Ann's arm over his shoulder and avoids another attack just in time. Morgana joins them not long after, glowering at the floating canvas monster gloating at their retreat. That didn't he wasn't going to stop squirting more ink at them.
"His cognition covers things with paint," Morgana shouted. "That's the reason why Madarame is convinced he can control anyone!"
Ryuji stays on guard so Ann can get some of the remnants of the ink off her suit. "That bastard!" he grumbled.
"There has to be something we can do!" If only Yusuke had the answer to stop this, but he doesn't know how things work in the cognitive world and he's still new to this. They're getting nowhere like this. What can they do?
"Look! Over there!"
Yusuke is unable to comprehend what his leader is trying to tell them, until he spots a few buckets of black ink left in the courtyard. He looks over at Akiko's expression and, despite concealed by the domino mask, he can tell she's come up with a plan.
"That's the same ink Madarame is using! How about we use it to paint over him and see how he likes it?"
Yusuke volunteers to take this job. "I'll do it! Just leave it to me."
Akiko casts a brief smirk at him. "He's all yours."
While Ann is given a good recovery thanks to Morgana's healing spells, Akiko joins Ryuji and Morgana to resume the battle. Shooting their guns or trying to slash open the canvases with their swords didn't do much. It wasn't long until Madarame has them beaten, boasting triumphantly.
This distraction gives Yusuke plenty of time to grab a bucket and come rushing to the rescue. "MADARAME!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. There is an old saying 'the pen is mightier than the sword,' but who's to say the brush isn't when slashing that same energy-sucking ink across the segment frames. The kitsune-masked thief smirks in satisfaction at the floating portraits hunching over, losing his strength.
All together now, the Phantom Thieves and their Personas pick the floating picture frames off one by one, until they collapse to the floor and melt in a puddle of dark goo. From the depths of darkness, Madarame's shadow crawls out.
"Dammit... I'm the great Madarame!" The Palace ruler protested, slightly panicked at the verge of losing. "The Madarame who gathers a full house whenever he opens an exhibit!"
"Silence! You will fully taste the wrath of those who were preyed upon by you!" Yusuke has been waiting for this moment ever since he learned the truth. Heart pounding, he commits himself to defeat this monster who has ruled and dictated over his life for years, destroyed the lives of his brothers and sisters, and murdered his mother. "Come, Goemon!"
Goemon comes in and drops an enormous block of ice on the paralyzed shogun. After that, it was finally over.
Once Madarame realized that he has lost this battle, he clutched the Sayuri to his chest and scrambled to escape. Yusuke prevents him from doing this, stomping on the end of his gaudy robes to keep him in place. In Yusuke's mind, he secretly enjoyed watching this pathetic wretch yelping and sniveling like a coward. He had called them vermin, but now this fraud is cornered like the rat he truly is.
"No one cares for true art..." Madarame shivered with terror, trying in vain to defend himself. "All they want are easily recognizable brands! I'm a victim in this too! Wouldn't you agree?"
"Excuses now?" Ryuji scoffed from behind, and Yusuke is more than glad to agree.
"The art world revolves around money after all... You can't rise up without any money... Yusuke, you understand, don't you!? Being a poor artist is truly miserable! I just didn't want to return to that life!"
Blood boiling in his veins, Yusuke moves in to grab his former mentor by the collar and hauls him up to look him directly in the eye. "A fiend like you has no right to speak about the world of art!" he spat, glaring down at his mother's killer. "You're done for, along with this abominous world!"
Madarame shrieks, golden eyes staring back in fear. "No, please! Just... don't kill me!"
To kill him now would mean killing the real Madarame in reality, which could possibly start a mental shutdown. If Yusuke did so, the world will never know the truth about Madarame's heinous crimes and will just mourn for him as the kindhearted, talented artist he pretended to be. The general public deserves to know the truth. Yusuke tossed this sorry excuse of a man aside like the trash he is. "Return to yourself in reality and confess your crimes - all of them!"
"Y-You're not going to kill me?"
"Swear it!"
"All right... all right!" Madarame flinched under his former pupil's ire, before glancing at his face and the others with weak curiosity. "Wh-What about the other one though? The one with the black mask?"
Yusuke's expression of fury melts to confusion. The others just believed this was another excuse to save his skin, but Ann didn't sound convinced. Morgana reacts in surprise at the prospect of another intruder beside them in the Palace. If that's true, then who is it and what does he want?
Suddenly, the building starts shaking violently like an earthquake is going to bring the museum down. Yusuke picked up the golden framed portrait of his mother's legacy and turned to leave.
"Hey, Yusuke... What should I do?" There was such a weak desperation in Madarame's voice, begging him for advice.
Reluctantly, Yusuke paused to reply in the best way he knew how. "Put an end to all this and use your own artwork for once."
"Yusuke!" Ann is calling to him from the open door of a black and yellow striped van, urging him to get moving.
How they got a car, he doesn't know, but hearing it say 'Get in' in Morgana's voice, Yusuke doesn't ask questions. Ignoring the wretched cries of his sensei, the samurai thief rejoins his friends and finds himself seated beside Akiko, who takes control of the wheel and drives them out of this hellish nightmare for good.