Chapter Thirty
The Uncanny Valley
Wednesday May 25th
Chiyo left Leblanc early that morning, eagerly to meet with Ryuji and set their plan into motion. Ryuji should have a stack of freshly printed, new and improved calling cards he and Yusuke composed. Morgana was going to head off to Shibuya while Chiyo, Ryuji, and Ann were in school, and scatter them out around the exhibit. Yusuke confirmed that Madarame was scheduled to have an interview in the exhibit later that afternoon with Yusuke accompanying him. If Morgana could get the calling cards out early enough, there should be talk about the Phantom Thieves before Madarame even arrived and his PR should get one of the calling cards to him after the damage had been done.
But she had to get to school before any of this could take off. On the train, Chiyo read more of her book. The narration went through the main character's average day as a grown man, an office job, a wife and two kids, and years of monotony.
She was waiting for her train, nose buried in her book when she heard someone approach her. "We meet again," Niijima said, somewhat casually. "It appears you're laying low lately. What's with the change?"
'Being scrutinized by the student body,' Chiyo couldn't help but think. 'Being interrogated by the student council president.'
"I've been acting the same as always," she said dully.
"Really… Is it just my imagination then?" Niijima asked with a slight bob of the head. "Anyhow… I wish the culprit would come forward soon… It's absurd to pretend I can do the police's job… I wish he considered my feelings before asking me this."
'He' being Kobayakawa? "Is this supposed to be a manipulation tactic?" asked Chiyo.
"Oh, never mind me," Niijima said sweetly. "I'm just thinking out loud."
'Bullshit.'
It was pure luck that Yusuke was scheduled to attend the exhibit with Madarame after school that day. Things looked normal enough when they arrived, though Yusuke was fairly certain he caught sight of Morgana running out of the shadows between buildings. A stack of calling cards were nestled under his collar.
Madarame was greeted upon entrance as always and as always Madarame was approachable and easy-going. How could he put on a mask and play the part of the kindly old master so effortlessly? The contrast made Yusuke's skin break out into goose flesh.
Thankfully, it did not take long for Ann, Chiyo, and Ryuji to arrive at the exhibit. Nor was it that difficult for Yusuke to recognize them in the crowd. The three of them had such brightly colored hair it wasn't that difficult to make them out amongst a sea of forty-somethings.
A few minutes after the others arrived, a man in a crisp suit power-walked through the exhibit and pushed his way through the crowd. "Pardon me, sir," the man said to Madarame in a hushed tone. "There's a matter we need to notify you about…"
Madarame turned his attention back to the crowd around him. "Please excuse me for a moment," he said politely. He ushered the man in the suit to the side. Yusuke needed to concentrate in order to hear what they were saying. "What is it?"
"We found this outside…" the staff member said, passing something to Madarame.
"A letter?" He took the object between his thumb and forefinger. Yusuke was able to catch a glimpse of a red and black background.
"It's… uh…" the staff worker fumbled. Clearing his throat, he started to read, "'Sir Ichiryusai Madarame, the great sinner of vanity whose talent has been exhausted. You are an artist who uses 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 of Hearts.'"
Yusuke and Ryuji spent a couple of hours at the dinner working on the calling card. Ryuji wrote the rough draft for the message, which Yusuke rewrote, making it come across a bit more eloquently. It was after that, Ryuji showed him the logo he had drawn up for the first calling card. It was simply a top hat with a set of shadowed eyes underneath.
It looked like an elementary student's doodle.
"It's supposed 't be one of those masks," Ryuji explained, trying to trace the outline of the shape he was going for on his face. "Y'know, kinda like the one Chiyo wears in that world. Or like some of those American superheroes?"
Yusuke's brow knitted together briefly. "You mean a domino mask?" he asked.
"Is that what they're called? What'd they hafta do with those tile games?"
The revised logo kept the basic idea of a top hat and domino mask. But the dynamic was a little more nuanced with a burst of flame surviving as the left eye, the eye closest to the viewer. It was unlike Yusuke's typical drawing style, but that was what he was going for.
"Whose doing is this?!" Madarame hissed, crumpling the card in his hands.
"We don't know!" the staff worker insisted. "The same letter has been posted everywhere outside."
"What about the security cameras?!"
"There were no signs of the culprit… All we saw was a cat in the recordings…"
"Remove them at once!"
"O-Of course. Uh…"
"What now?!" Madarame demanded stiltedly.
"It's about this affecting the exhibit," the staff worker said, trying to keep his voice even lower. "We believe it's just a prank, but what of the mass media?"
"Are you insinuating that this slander is true?"
"Of course not!"
It was the brief light-headed sensation Yusuke noticed first. Madarame's person distorted briefly until he could see the gold-robed Shogun. "It's those damn brats' doing, isn't it?" Madarame's Shadow-self said, thinking aloud. "Well, it means nothing… They'll only be able to do as they please until this exhibit is over…"
Chiyo, Ann, and Ryuji kept themselves behind a column off to the side from where Yusuke and Madarame were standing with the crowd. Keeping the target in sight, while remaining hidden from him. Chiyo felt the dizzying sensation before Madarame briefly transformed into his Shadow-self. So far, everything was going according to plan.
Yusuke quietly stepped away from Madarame joining the others in their little alcove. "Will that do?" he asked.
"Yup! It was perfect!" Ann said optimistically. "The composition was way cooler too!"
Taking a risk, Morgana poked his head out of Chiyo's bag. "The Treasure should appear right about now."
Ryuji, leaning against the wall, glanced over at Madarame. He was trying to charm the crowd as though nothing was going on. "You better enjoy the air of freedom while you still can, old man," Ryuji said in Madarame's direction. He got off the wall, suddenly a bit more exuberant. "Anyways, d'you guys check online?"
"How? We barely had the time," Chiyo said plainly. She ended up being the last one in the exhibit trying to find Morgana amongst the crowds forming around the calling cards.
"People are already talkin' about the callin' card. We'll show 'em… We're gonna surprise 'em all!"
They headed to the atelier where Ryuji booted up the app. The change was instantaneous. "The atmosphere here seems slightly different…" Fox mused.
"I mean, we did basically declare war on him by sendin' that card," Skull said with a bold grin.
"But there's nothing to fear," insisted Mona. "We've secured a route, and we're ready to go. We'll take the Treasure in style!"
It was a straight shot to the Main Treasure Hall and the control room. "It's finally time," Skull said, looking at the pulley system.
"There will be no turning back once we begin the operation," Fox said, more to himself than to the others.
"And if worst comes to worst, we might have to fight," added Panther.
"It's likely going to come regardless," Joker pointed out. "Getting back here was way too easy. We might have to deal with an ambush."
"Are you ready, Joker?" Mona asked, looking up at her.
"If everyone else is."
"Okay! Everyone to your positions! No mourners!"
"No funerals," Joker, Skull, and Panther echoed half-heartedly to Fox's confusion.
"What was that?" Fox asked Joker as they headed to the truck by the fence.
"Who knows, it's something Mona likes to do."
Panther and Skull crouched down on either side of the door to the security room. Through the glass, she could make out a Shadow guard pacing the length of the room. "Just as expected," Panther said through a sigh.
"I mean, we've done a tone here. It ain't surprisin','' Skull pointed out. "Anyway, I'm gonna try and draw it out, so I'll leave the switch to you guys."
"Will you be okay?" Panther asked, recalling Skull's trip when they ran out of Kamoshida's Palace. "What if it catches up to you?"
He flashed her a confident grin. "Don't underestimate an ex-runner. I'm definitely gonna shake it off!"
Skull's confidence didn't shake off Panther's concerns. Following his instructions, she hid behind one of the potted plans that decorated the hall by the door. Helping her to keep hidden, Skull took place and started to pound his yellow-gloved fist against the glass. "Hey, dingus! Hellooo! Betcha can't catch me!" He took off running just before the doors slid open and the Shadow guard gave chase. Panther didn't stand up until Skull led the guard around the corner.
"You'd better make it, Skull," she murmured before she turned into the security room.
Now she had to wait for Fox's signal.
It took a few minutes for Mona to stop swinging on the hook. Fox and Mona had taken to the rafters while Skull and Panther infiltrated the security room. Joker was by the pulley's controls, waiting for Fox to give her the okay. Mona was tied securely to the hook in a knot he instructed Fox through. It was the kind of knot that would keep him secure, but could also easily come undone as soon as Mona gave it the right tug. "Is this good?" Fox asked when Mona stopped swinging.
"Yes, it's perfect!" the cat-creature declared, happily flailing his limbs like an overturned turtle.
Fox stretched out his right shoulder and his neck. "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!"
Immediately, Fox began to lift and drop his right arm, once, twice, thrice. If they were right, then Fox should have been in perfect view of the security room's window, allowing Panther and Skull to catch the signal. That was, of course, assuming that the security room was empty and they were able to get the Shadow's out if it wasn't.
By the third time Fox dropped his arm, he headed partway down the rafter, towards the window leading to the control room. The lights went out. "Joker, now!"
In the dark, he could hear the whirs and hums of the mechanisms first. And then, he heard Mona's manic snickering. Fox lowered himself into the control room with Joker. As the pulley system began to reverse, Panther came sprinting in with Skull a few meters behind her. "Sorry for the wait!" called Panther.
"My bad!" said Skull. He leaned over when he came to a stop. "It took me ages to get that guy off my tail…"
"Is Mona back, yet?" asked Panther.
High-pitched, impish snickering caught the group's attention. The cat-creature stood at the path to the rafters with the Treasure strapped around his waist. The treasure was covered in a purple drape, which Mona used to secure it to his persona, and was more than twice Mona's size, creating a comical effect. "How's that for a skilled plan?" he questioned, euphoria lacing his tone.
"Way t' go, Mona!" Skull cheered, both fists raised. "So? What'd the Treasure turn out bein'? I'm guessin' it's a paintin' based on the shape."
"But…" Joker uttered. Her head tilted to the side, her gaze traveled from the Treasure to Mona then she repeated the process twice. Her furrowed brow was barely visible behind her mask. Was she expecting something more?
"We can look into that later," said Fox. "For now, we must make our escape."
"Lord Madarame!" they heard one of the Guard Shadows exclaim. "Th-The piece is gone!"
"Yep! Time to go!" Mona's joy had dialed back only slightly.
There was a sudden bang at the door, causing Skull and Panther to step back, shrieking. One of the Shadow Guards started shouting. "They're in the control room!"
"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Skull repeated under his breath.
"We'll have to find another way through the rafters," Mona shouted. "Let's go!"
One by one, they followed Mona onto the rafters. They were left with little choice, but to escape through one of the windows. They were led to the roof, high off the ground, but still not quite the very top of the museum. Joker led the group down several ledges and past twice as many windows as though she just inherently knew the best escape path.
They went through a portal, not unlike the ones in the Escher room with the flawed Sayuri replicas. The portal lead them to the courtyard where Fox first entered this world. Mona took off ahead of the group, where the inferred barriers had once been. "I knew it!" he declared proudly. "All that security would've been meaningless if it just led back inside!"
"It seems we managed to escape their siege," Fox said, scrutinizing the area. It was empty, but he found he wasn't fond of simply standing around, waiting like this. It could have been a trap.
Ahead of the group, Mona began to tremble, mewls, the kind traditionally found in ordinary housecats, escaped his lips. "Dude…" Skull began leaning his head in Joker's direction. "Why's Mona gettin' excited now of all times…?"
"Something's wrong," muttered Joker.
"I can't wait anymore!" Mona announced, untying the drapery around his waist. "Let's take a quick look at the Treasure!"
He placed the Treasure flat onto the floor and eased the drape away. As Skull guessed, it was a framed painting… but instead of something detailed, or even what one expected from a Japanese artist, what lied beneath the drape was a canvas with a henohenomoheji scrawled on the surface. "I knew it," Joker muttered under her breath. She pinched the bridge of her nose as best she could with her mask on. When she opened her eyes, Skull and Panther eyed her expectantly. "Remember how the cat-"
"Not a cat!" insisted Mona.
"-behaved when we found Kamoshida's Treasure? This was tame in comparison."
"Oh, yeaaah," Skull stressed, crossing his arms over his chest.
Something in the corner of his eye caught Fox's attention. Two rods had risen up from the ground, three red lights started to flicker on and off from the shafts. When the lights turned solid green, the shafts started to spark blue. "Get back!" shouted Fox.
Four heads turned to scrutinize what Fox had seen before they each reacted. Fox, Mona, and Skull leaped back, Panther threw herself to the side. Joker did a series of consecutive back handsprings. They had each gotten out in time before blue-white volts of electricity sprung to life, boxing in the henohenomoheji.
"Meddlesome vermin."
The five of them turned around to find the Shadow Madarame, once again, dressed in his golden robes and donning his exaggerated topknot. He had two of his Shadow Guards at his side, one of them carried something under its arm. "Is this what you were looking for?" Madarame asked, gesturing to the Shadow at his side.
"So you had a fake prepped, huh?!" barked Skull.
"Counterfeits are accepted in the world of Japanese art."
Fox could feel his hands tremble at his sides, a tremor that traveled from his hands, all the way up to his arms. It all came rushing back at once, the questions Fox wanted desperately to ask the real Madarame. But with those questions came the memories, the afternoons Madarame spent with Fox working on his techniques until the sun had long set. "What made you change like this?!" Fox demanded desperately. If nothing else, he could count on this Shadow of his mentor to be honest if pressed. "Is it because you became famous?! Can't you understand how much it pains me to inquire about the crimes of my foster father!"
Madarame exchanged a glance with Fox. But Fox found that he could not read Madarame's expression. Not anymore, not when he was like this. "Now that I think back," the Shadow Madarame said at length, "the only reason why I took you in was due to my ties with your mother. That woman never lost her passion for painting even after her husband died."
Natsuki.
He hadn't known his father's name, though Fox later came to suspect that was partly because Madarame didn't know either. He wasn't even sure if Kitagawa came from Natsuki or his father. The way Madarame made it sound, he didn't meet Natsuki until after she became widowed with a child on the way looking for work.
"Her skills and talents were quite astonishing," Madarame continued as casually as he started. "That's why I decided to look after her. Your mother and the artwork she created – they're all my works after all!"
"How low can you sink?" Panther shot, grinding her heel into the stone floor.
"I suppose I can grant you a gift before you died – a glimpse of the genuine 'Sayuri!'"
"Genuine?" echoed Fox. His brows knitted tight together beneath his mask. There was a piece of lead forming in his stomach again.
Madarame turned his head towards one of his Guard Shadows, with a slight inclination of his head, the Guard took a step forward. He slipped the Treasure out from under its arm and turned it towards the Phantom Thieves. Fox took half a step back, his blood turning cold in an instant. It was the Sayuri, as Madarame said but for one distinct difference from the Sayuri Fox had always known.
There was a baby in the woman's arms.
"That's… the real 'Sayuri?'" Fox asked through a hollow voice. He could feel his pupils contract when the sudden realization hit him. Why Madarame steered the discussion towards Natsuki rather than answering Fox's questions. Madarame's words repeated themselves in his head, Natsuki's work was Madarame's. The piece of lead was completely in his stomach again, and as Fox wrapped an arm around himself, he was half-convinced he would throw it up. "That can't be! Mom…"
"Indeed it is," Madarame confirmed, mirth lacing his vocal inflections. "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!"
"You stole something that personal?!" roared Skull.
"I knew at first glance. 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…" began Fox. His mouth had gone dry, his tongue was as rough as sandpaper. Perhaps that was because he was breathing so heavily through his mouth. "Why did you paint over it?"
"It was all to stage it," Madarame said as though it were the most obvious thing about this conversation. His arms were extended at his sides showman-style. "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," Panther said, glaring at the Shadow from under her mask. "Now I know what it is. 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," began Mona, "your true skills are nothing more than those scribbles on that decoy!"
"It makes me laugh, asshole!" cursed Skull.
"So you'll defy me no matter what," Madarame said, sounding resigned to the turn of events. "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 objects. You're inhuman!"
Fox remained silent for the last several minutes, listening and stewing in his thoughts. Amari, one of Madarame's former pupils, had taken his life sometime after he parted ways from Madarame. At least three others confronted Madarame about this. "You drove him to it!" they accused him. "You did this to him!"
"Fox?" he heard Joker ask.
"I've heard that you destroy your 'art' once they outlive their usefulness," Fox began slowly. "Did that include my mother as well?"
The change in the atmosphere was instantaneous. Cold, fridged. The others locked eyes on Madarame. Maybe hoping he would deny Fox's accusations as much as Fox was. Instead, Madarame crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged lazily. "She just so happened to have a seizure in front of me," he began casually. "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."
"Oh god…" uttered Joker.
"So you let her die?!" Panther half-cried.
"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.'"
"You killed her!" Fox shouted, his hand trembling up his arms.
"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 future of brats who won't talk back than adults. It's thanks to you that I came up with the idea." The Shadow Madarame dipped himself into a mock bow with his arms outstretched slightly at his side. "You have my gratitude, Yusuke."
A low grow escaped Joker's lips. "Goddamn sonuva…"
The familiar sensation of ice freezing his veins returned to Fox. But then something unexpected happened, the ice became fire. Despite logic dictating an entirely different reaction, he started to chuckle. It was a mirthless sound, one he could feel from the inner depths of his chest. He did not need to look up to know his teammates were staring at him. "I thank you, Madarame!" Fox declaimed at length. "Every reason for me to forgive you has disappeared without a trace at this very moment! You aren't some rotten artist… You're some despicable fiend who wears the skin of an artist!"
Madarame's thick brow furrowed, his face turning red beneath the white powder on his face. "All you good-for-nothings!" he cursed. "Barging into my museum and doing whatever the hell you want-"
"You're not really in a position to talk," Joker quipped bitterly. "Lest you forget the others you've trampled upon. Others who are dead because of you."
"You overlook one detail," Madarame said, black miasma surrounding him. His eyes now carried a particular glow to them. "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!"
"Everybody get ready!" Mona instructed, whipping out his cutlass and slinging it over his shoulder.
The miasma at Madarame's feet steadily enveloped the Shadow's person. His cackling face began to morph and elongate as the Shadow took on a new shape. When the miasma finally died down, four framed portraits floated in mid-air. Each painting carried the portions of a face, the eyes, nose, and mouth. When its transformation had completed, the Shadow roared, "I'll paint all over you!"
Joker idly wondered if this was what they meant by 'uncanny valley.' The components that made up Azazel simultaneously had a human quality, while also looking like a black and white ink picture. Not helped by the fact that his eyes looked like they were protruding out of the surface of the portrait, while the eyeballs freely moved about. Or maybe they really were protruding out and only looked otherwise from where she stood. "Now," Azazel said, the frame carrying his mouth moving as he spoke. "Let's begin, you vermin!"
Preparing for battle, Joker readied her ribbon, the stick in her right hand, her pointer finger allied with the stick, while the other hand had most of the ribbon gathered in her hand in a neat stack.
"You used others for your own despicable desires, Madarame," Fox began, more to himself than to Azazel. His katana waited in his hand at the ready. "You aren't even worth the art you 'create!'"
"Mine is a world of the mediocre you cannot understand!" shouted Azazel. Without warning the Painter's Mouth flew forward, straight for Fox, the painting's teeth digging into Fox's shoulder.
The sound Fox released was through gritted teeth, his opposite hand flew up to his shoulder. A soft green glow surrounded Fox, his head turned just in to see Zorro disappear. "Our guns and physical attacks won't do anything on this painting," Mona said, his curved sword still slung over his shoulder. He bounced up and down briefly, as though to prepare himself. "Use your Persona's elemental attacks."
"How fortunate we have a nice spectrum of elements, then," Joker said, her lips pulling back into a grin. "Orobas! Maragi!"
Her mask disintegrated off the bridge of her nose in a flurry of blue-white flames. At her side was the red horse. Four flames burst from beneath each piece of Azazel. The Painter's Mouth and Nose stilted slightly, as though they were sliding off the wall before the two pieces dropped to the floor. "Impertinent brats!" shouted the Painter's Mouth. "It seems you need a good whipping to make you understand!"
The Painter's Eyes looked around in two different directions. An inky black puddle suddenly appeared beneath the Painter's Nose. The Painter's Nose slowly pulled itself up and hung between the Painter's Eyes. "They regenerated?!" shouted Mona. "Damnit! Those things can come back if we don't take them down at once?!"
"Take this!" shouted Madarame.
Five blobs of black sludge briefly circled around Azazel in a semicircle, then shot out at the Phantom Thieves. The five dodge as best they could, with only Mona and Joker successfully dodging the Artist's Grace. The black sludge hit Skull, Panther, and Fox.
From the floor, the Painter's Mouth started to cackle wildly as the Painter's Nose began to twitch. Volts of lightning suddenly started to strike around the battlefield. Joker's instincts took over in her efforts to dodge. Ducking out of the way, an aerial cartwheel here, a grapevine there. Skull cried out when lightning struck him. He bent over double briefly, breathing heavily, hands grasping at the stained fabric of his clothes. "Skull should have been able to withstand that," Mona said. "Captain Kidd uses Electric attacks. Skull should have absorbed it!"
"It must have been Madarame's attack," Joker muttered under her breath.
"Let's dance, Carmen!" Panther called, her red and pink-clad flamingo dancer appeared behind her as her mask was removed. Carmen tossed her skirt, and an Agi attack hit the Painter's nose, dropping it to the floor with its fellow.
Before the Painter's Eyes could regenerate its Nose or Mouth again, Fox already had his katana at the ready. As soon as Carmen returned to Panther's side, disappearing when the red cat mask returned over her eyes, Fox made his attack. A painful cry escaped from the Painter's Mouth on the floor when Fox's blade hit the left eye. With a running start and a battle cry, Skull followed suit, bashing the right Eye with his rod.
"Zorro!" Mona called, summoning his top-heavy Persona.
Zorro maze a 'Z' shape with his rapier and a boxing glove at the end of an accordion arm appeared, punching both eyes at once.
"Sudama!" Joker called, summoning one of her other Persona.
Ripples of pink, yellow and blue, hit both Painter's Eyes. The eyeball bulging out of the paintings in conjunction with the strike. As Sudama dissipated, the Painter's Eyes fell to the floor with its fellows in a collective heap.
An inky black pool appeared underneath the paintings they sung in, and slowly, a black blob rose up from the center of the pool. The inky substance dripped off the blob, revealing a man in golden robes, wearing his hair in an exaggerated topknot. "Madarame's out!" shouted Mona.
"Dammit!" the Painter's Mouth shouted from the floor. "I'm the great Madarame! The Madarame who gathers a full crowd every time he opens an exhibit! I'm not someone that worthless brats like you are allowed to defy!"
"Why not?" Skull asked dully. His rod draped over his shoulder as he spoke. "Don't the American's do it all the time?"
"Yuuup," Panther said in English, popping the 'p' sound at the end.
"That's enough of your egotistic ranting!" shot Fox. "Taste the wrath of all those you've preyed upon!"
"I'm the great artist, Madarame! If you brats can't fathom that… Then you'll witness it for yourselves! Behold my master craft!"
Four more inky pools appeared, two on either side of Madarame. From those pools rose four duplicates of the Shadow Madarame. One dressed in a duller yellow, one in red, one in blue, and another in green. Each of his duplicates had an element swirling around, Electricity, Fire, Ice, and Wind. "A little too on brand, there," Joker said, her ribbon circling around her forearm in tight coils. "Nekomata!"
A woman appeared at Joker's side. She had black cat ears where humans generally had theirs, a gray-white coat, long ash-brown hair, clawed hands, and a gray-white tail. Nekomata's hands pawed, a strong gust of wind blew over Madarame and his duplicates. The copy dressed in yellow dropped to one knee and vanished into one of the inky pools.
Captain Kidd appeared soon after, the pirate maneuvered his small ship as though he were a skateboarder. Hitting the Shadow Madarame, the red and blue ones in one attack. The blue vanished into the inky pool after its fellow, Madarame's shoulder drooped, his hand gripping the fabric over his solar plexus. "Stop this!" he demanded. His glowing eyes glanced up, looking straight at Fox. "Is this how you show your gratitude to the man who raised you?!"
"Don't waste your breath!" Fox snapped back. Goemon appeared at his side immediately after. With one strike from his pipe, the red Madarame followed after its fellows.
Madarame's teeth were bared in his anger. He lifted his right hand, another blue and two red duplicates stood at his side.
"Carmen!" Panther called. With a flip of her skirt, Carmen effortlessly took out the blue Madarame.
Captain Kidd followed suit, hitting the green Madarame's with a Zio. Goemon and Jack Frost quickly took care of the red Madarame's. With the duplicates gone, Mona used Joker to get a little height and shot three pellets at the Shadow. "Doesn't that count at shootin' a Shadow?" asked Skull.
"They're pellets, though," Fox pointed out.
"Don't think this is over!" Madarame shouted, calling forward two yellow and two green duplicates.
"Well we are younger than you," Joker pointed, "we could do this all day if we had to. Let's go, Orobas!"
They went on for another three rounds of Madarame duplicates. The color appearing seemed to be random. It helped that for each element Azazel conjured, the Phantom Thieves had roughly two of each element.
After the third round of duplicates left the sole Azazel, Joker summoned Arsène's curse. It wasn't until Azazel jerked back that Joker started to see two golden Azazel's. And when he summoned another round of his element duplicates, one of each element, he started to see sextuple.
Bringing a hand to her temple, Joker suddenly noticed how warm it had gotten, even though they were theoretically outside. This was different from those moments she felt like she might die. Her heart wasn't racing just yet, but her head was swimming. Every grunt released from the elemental duplicates and Azazel was suddenly orchestral loud. She suddenly became aware of her own weight, how heavy she felt on her legs.
She dropped to her knees, her hand still grasping her temple. "Joker!" Mona called, his voice was too loud for her ears.
"Dizzy…" she uttered, squeezing her eyes shut. Her eyes snapped open when an abrupt shock struck her in the back. The resulting thunderclap could have burst her eardrums, it was too loud. Crumpled on the floor her hands plastered themselves on her temples, opening her eyes hurt now. She felt something overhead, Zorro's Media, perhaps, but it did nothing for her headache or the dizzying sensation.
Something was wrong with Joker, and Zorro's healing skill did not seem to ease her pain, but Madarame had proven that he wasn't going to give them the chance to check on her. He already used his electric duplicate to attack her. Mona destroyed that one easily enough using Zorro.
Panther's instructions of Carmen were so rushed, it was a wonder the Romani even heard her. As Carmen's fire attack hit her target, Panther sprinted to Joker's side. "Gotta finish this up!" Skull said, summoning Captain Kidd to take out the green Madarame.
"Leave it to me," Fox said, readying his katana. If he was precise about this, he may be able to finish off the Shadow before he could conjure up any more duplicates. "Goemon!"
As his mask was removed, Goemon took his place at Fox's side. With a strong stance, Goemon brought his pipe upon the red Madarame. The Shadow cringed on himself slightly. Before his mask had the chance to return, Fox sprinted up to Shadow. He saw the brief flash of fear in his golden yellow eyes before Fox struck him fluidly with his blade.
The Shadow took two steps back, his hands trembling from under his sleeves. "It's not too late, Yusuke!" the Shadow began, his voice was unusually pitchy and meek. "Let's forget all this. Forget those thieves! We can go back to the way things were, just you and me."
He flinched slightly. Go back to the way things were… There was an appeal to that idea, a comfort. But some things couldn't be forgotten. Some things were forever etched into a person's mind as soon as they found it out. Natsuki's murder was one of them. "It's laughable that you consider that a possibility," Fox said coldly. "After everything you just revealed, you think things could go back to the way they were?"
The Shadow likely went pale beneath his makeup as he began sweltering. With two steps forward, Fox struck the Shadow again. He caught a glance of Madarame falling to his knees, then he calmly took two steps back. He glanced over his shoulder, Panther had helped Joker to her feet, a hand was still holding her head and her eyes were squeezed shut.
He turned his attention back to Madarame, his arm wrapped protectively over the true 'Sayuri.' He tried to inch himself back, something that was proving to be difficult with one arm. The sight was revolting.
Fox's strides were slow, but with purpose, they may have beat the Shadow, they still needed the Treasure. This may have been Fox's first go as a Phantom Thief, but when all was said and done, the group he just met had far more honor and integrity than the man who raised him. "No one cares for true art!" Madarame blathered desperately. "All they want are easily recognizable brands! I'm a victim in this too! Wouldn't you agree?"
He heard Skull mutter, "Excuses now?"
"The art world revolves around money after all," continued the Shadow. Fox was standing over him now, and Madarame was pleading with his eyes. "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!"
His hand reached forward, grabbing Madarame by the collar with such a force 'Sayuri' toppled to the floor. "A fiend like you has no right to speak about the world of art!" he snapped. "You're done for – along with this whole wretched world!"
"No, please! Just… don't kill me!"
Fox half-shoved Madarame to the floor. The Shadow braced himself on both hands, breathing as though he had just run a marathon. Equal parts pitiful and sickening. "Return to yourself in reality and confess your crimes," Fox instructed firmly, "all of them!"
Madarame's gaze looked up at Fox. "Y-You're not going to kill me?"
"Swear it!"
"All right! I swear it!" The Shadow's voice came out pitchy again. His body trembled all over. "Wh-What about the other one thought? The one with the black mask?"
Other one?
Fox glanced over his shoulder at the others. Skull and Panther were exchanging looks amongst themselves, then to Mona. Joker was still in pain, half draped over Panther; Fox wasn't sure if she even registered what Madarame said. "Black mask?" questioned Mona. He crossed his stubby arms in thought. His large eyes contracted in realization. "It can't be… There was another intruder besides us within this Palace?!"
A rumble had taken everyone by surprise, even Joker managed to open her eyes ever so slightly. "No time to talk about that now!" Skull shouted. "We gotta get outta here! You gonna make us run all the way out again, Mona?"
"Like you said, no time!"
Mona ran towards the hallway out of the garden, stopping a few meters away from the rest of the group. The cat-creature leaped into the air, coming back down as a black and yellow van with a cattail trailing behind it. "Everybody get in!"
"Skull, you drive," Panther instructed. "I don't think Joker's up for it."
"No complainin' if we end up dead."
As the three spoke, Fox brushed over Madarame and gathered 'Sayuri' into his arms. "Hey, Yusuke..." Madarame said as he headed for the van… Mona… the van. "What should I do?"
He looked down at Madarame from over his shoulder. A pitiful old man in the middle of a paradigm shift. "Put an end to all this and use your own artwork for once."
"Hey, c'mon, we gotta get outta here!" Skull shouted. He was seated behind the driver's seat, pounding his fist against the outer door as he spoke. Mona must have felt it judging from the quick 'ow's' he uttered.
The van door was open, revealing Panther urgently gesturing for him to hurry, and Joker leaning her head on the opposite window. "No, wait!" Madarame shouted as Fox climbed in. "Please! Wait! Yusuke! Yusuke!"
Chiyo opened her eyes to find herself on the floor. Metallica clanking echoed around her, blue lights glowed in the distance. She could see two figures in front of her with their backs to her. One had their hands firmly planted on their hips. The others had their arms crossed over their chest.
"Is that thing trying to get her killed?!" one of the figures demanded. "The others would have been warned about this by now!"
"I don't believe so," said the second figure. "It's too early for it to make its decision. Hopefully, her aid will be able to figure out what went wrong."
"I don't like this."
"And I do? I'd like nothing more than to storm in right now and help them both. But right now we need to bide our time and keep him safe."
The first figure crossed their arms over their chest. "That Trickster better be taking care of him if she knows what's good for her!"
Something suddenly walked into Chiyo's vision and into the palm of her hand.
A blue moth.
"The destination has been deleted."
They returned to the real world outside the atelier, the untouched 'Sayuri' was lacking the glamorous frame the Shadow Madarame had shown it off in. And Chiyo was able to stand on her own now, though she looked like she hadn't seen a bed in days.
"It would be bad if people started getting suspicious of us," Morgana said, standing in the center of the little semicircle they had created. "We should leave at once."
"I know where we can talk privately," Ann said. "You okay, Chiyo?"
"So long as we don't run," she said dryly.
"You're comin' with me, cat," Ryuji said, dropping his bag on the floor for Morgana.
"Not a cat!"
He climbed into Ryuji's bag regardless and cried out when Ryuji roughly swung it over his shoulder. The bleach-blond muttered for Morgana to keep quiet as Ann led them back down to Shibuya.
Yusuke lingered behind, 'Sayuri' in her original form staring back up at him. The baby nestled in her arms, asleep without a care in the world. Exhaling through his nose, he looked back at the atelier. "Goodbye, sensei…"
Though Chiyo said she was fine when they took off, after walking a bit she had to stop and catch her breath. She was feeling light-headed and nauseous and her tongue was sticking to the roof of her mouth. Ryuji suggested she was a bit dehydrated and that she should be okay once she got some water in her. So long as it wasn't one of those episodes where she was half-convinced she was dying, Chiyo was happy.
When Chiyo got her bearings together, Ann led them to a karaoke bar. They rented a room for an hour, ordering more water than what was probably necessary. Chiyo guzzled down three glasses, one after the other. After the third glass, Chiyo leaned back and allowed herself to breathe. The nausea was gone and she was feeling cooler.
She heard Ryuji unzip his bag, followed by the pitter-patter of Morgana climbing out. Just regular sounds she heard every day on the street.
"You're sure you're okay?" Ann asked after a few moments.
"I'm feeling better," said Chiyo. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and leaned forward with her elbows on her thighs. "I don't know what happened back there. I just felt dizzy all of the sudden. Everything was too bright, too loud, it wouldn't stop spinning."
"You went through several of your Persona against Madarame's Shadow," Morgana surmised.
"That's a bit of power in such a short amount of time."
"Wait, so you're sayin' there's a limit to Chiyo's Persona?" asked Ryuji.
"Essentially. But I think it'd be more apt to assume we all shouldn't be overly relying on our Persona. Think about it, your body starts to shut down on you when you overexert its physical limitations. The same easily counts for the mind and soul."
"I guess that makes sense," mused Ann.
"Hiccups aside, I guess the mission was a success," said Ryuji. "All that's left is to see if he had a change of heart or not."
"To think that this painting was the source of Madarame's distorted desires," Yusuke said, half thinking aloud. "The only saving grace is that my mother won't know what transpired…"
"The genuine painting at her atelier has been altered, after all…" murmured Morgana. "Ironic as it may be, this one here is her true self-portrait now."
"It's a wonderful painting," Ann added with a bright smile. "And… although it took some time, it's in your hands now."
"I'm thankful for it," murmured Yusuke. "However, it's impossible for this painting to be acknowledged by society anymore…"
"Was her name Sayuri?" Chiyo asked, looking down at the edge of her skirt.
Natsuki. Natsuki. Natsuki.
"No. I doubt it's the name of any woman in particular. I bet it was to make it more mysterious – just a part of Madarame's foolish staging."
"Well, it would've been obvious that he plagiarized it if he had used the real name," pointed out Morgana.
Yusuke brought a hand to the canvas. "So this is my mother," he said more to himself than to those around him. "There's no way that I would remember her face clearly… But I was right about the rush of emotion I felt when I saw this painting."
"So, what're you gonna do now?" Ryuji asked. "We're gonna keep targetin' big shots."
"Why do such things?"
"It's to get back at scumbags and like… society in general? We also wanna give courage to the people that're sufferin' 'cause of selfish adults."
"Courage, hm…" repeated Yusuke. "What good does that do? You mean the courage to stand up for themselves, correct? Will acquiring that make them happy?"
"I don't know," Chiyo said, her hands resting on the edge of her seat. "But I can't be worse than just suffering in silence."
"Yeah…" Ryuji admitted. "There's no knowin' whether it'll turn out good for everyone or not. Still, we won't know unless we give it a try."
"In other words, it all depends on the person, hm?" murmured Yusuke. "Then the same can be said about myself right now. I also suffered because of an adult's selfish act. Moreover, if we investigate these Palaces, it may expand my artistic repertoire."
"You really only think about art, huh? You're impressive."
"Well, I won't take part in any inelegant plans, all right?"
"No worries!" said Ann. "I've got us covered! Plus, we have a rule that says we always have to decide on a target unanimously. And we don't use our airsoft's on a person's Shadow."
"How about it, Chiyo?" Morgana asked, looking up at her. "We can give our calling cards a lot more 'oomph' if we have Yusuke on our team."
Chiyo wanted to point out that Morgana was singing a different tune compared to when they first met Yusuke. But then again, so did Chiyo. "He already makes a great teammate."
"I will try and live up to those expectations," said Yusuke.
"At any rate," Morgana spoke up. "I'm curious… Another intruder besides us, huh?
Ann eased back into her seat, one leg crossed over the other. Her hand gripped her chin in thought. Our only clue's a black mask, so that doesn't necessarily mean it's just one person, right?"
"But there's no way to check anymore," Ryuji pointed out. "The Palace is gone."
"I'll try probing Madarame," Yusuke suggested. "I may be able to learn something from him."
Chiyo bit her bottom lip. That would only work if this black mask had similar methods as the Phantom Thieves. If that was true, wouldn't the Shadow Madarame have a name for the black mask?
"Are you sure?" Ann asked. "I mean-"
"I'll contact you all if anything turns up."
"We should probably exchange our contact info then," Chiyo suggested.
"An artist and a phantom thief," Yusuke said quietly with a hint of amusement. "It seems I'll be engaging in two trades from here on… Very well. You only live once, after all. Still, the incident about this other intruder does concern me a little..."
On her way back to Leblanc, Chiyo bought a couple of sandwiches for herself and Morgana. She ate half of her before she went through the motions of getting her toiletries for the bathhouse. Chiyo did not particularly feel like going, but all things considered, she knew it was probably better she get cleaned up and soak for a bit. There was no way she could go to school tomorrow caked in dried sweat.
So Chiyo compromised by limiting her stay in the bath. When she finished she headed back without putting her blazer back on, instead she used it to carry her things back home. Morgana had gone through half of his sandwich and appeared to be waiting on Chiyo to finish the other half. When they'd both finished eating Morgana leaned back into a deep stretch. "Not only have we dealt with our second big target, we even have a new addition to the team!" he said happily. "Things are going so well! Could the day our name becomes common knowledge be nigh?"
"Let's not get too overconfident," Chiyo said, gathering her nightclothes into her arms. "We still have that black mask to worry about."
"I know, but unless we can find them in Mementos or another Palace what else can we do?" He paused to scratch at his ear with a back paw. "But I have to say, you sure are something special."
Chiyo's face flushed. He saw her nearly faint in the middle of battle, right? "Huh?"
"This is our fifth Persona-user. It'll help broaden our battle strategies as well. Besides, having an eye for beauty is a must for phantom thieves. We're lucky to have Yusuke. And an artist is a talent you rarely come across. I mean, he is a bit strange, but still…"
"I go around Tokyo with a cat in my bag-"
"Not a cat."
"-I don't think we have a place to criticize."
Humming, Morgana sat back on his haunches. "An artist, huh..." he said to himself. "What kind of person do you think I was? There's no way I'd turn out to be some bad guy, in the end, right?"
"I don't think so," said Chiyo. "I've heard stories about other amnesiacs who still keep their core personality traits."
"Hmm… I get so engrossed with the embodiment of human desires… And that's not all. When it comes to the Metaverse, I'm the only one who can transform into a car. I'm special… but it's still odd. Who could I actually be?"
Sitting down with her clothes in her lap, Chiyo leaned back on the mattress a moment pretending to think. She reached out and booped the cat-creature on the nose. "Morgana."
Morgana looked like he was pouting with his eyes slightly squinted shut and ears plastered against his head. "What a half-assed answer… Well," he puffed out his chest, "there's no way a dashing, honorable rogue like me could be evil. A man who saves those in trouble in the west, while punishing evildoers who may lurk in the east! A man who chastises people that smoke inside the south, while saving bullied cats in the north. A man who has a sturdy body and vows to always do one good deed a day, be it rain or shine. I'm that kind of ideal person… Or so I hope. So if I turn back to being human… surely she'll take notice of me, won't she?"
"You mean Ann?"
The fur along Morgana's back stood up on end. "D-Don't be ridiculous! People chase after me when it comes to love!"
"Of course they do." Chiyo didn't bother telling him that she thought Morgana would have better luck with girls as a cat.
Her phone started to vibrate seconds later.
Ryuji: Yo, good job guy.
Ann: We all did our best.
Yusuke: Allow me to express my thanks once again.
Yusuke: Because of you, I was able to retrieve the painting that had been filled with my mother's love.
Ryuji: Hearing you say that makes the whole thing worth it, Yusuke!
Ann: Seriously.
Chiyo: Yeah.
Ann: I wasn't sure you'd really want to change Madarame's heart.
Yusuke: I'm sorry to have worried you. I have no regrets about it now.
Ann: And the change of heart WILL happen this time, right?
Chiyo: It'll be fine. We've had success with a big target and a smaller one already.
Ryuji: Two for two. Not a bad record.
Ann: I'm still curious about what Madarame said.
Ryuji: You mean about the other intruder besides us?
Ryuji: It was something about a black mask, yeah?
Yusuke: That may have been nothing more than a lie.
Yusuke: Madarame was quite deranged at that point, after all.
Chiyo: You haven't found out anything?
Yusuke: Nothing I've thrown out so far seems to be resonating with him.
Yusuke: For now, we should wait for his change of heart in peace.
Ann: OK
After the exchange, Chiyo went downstairs to change her clothes and did her nightly rituals. She spent a few minutes laying down in the dark, watching multicolored stars and moons circle around the attic before she finally went to bed.
Her dreams were interrupted by the sounds of tinkling metal; she opened her eyes to find herself in a blue jail cell. Slowly, Chiyo swung her legs over the edge of her cot, she stood up and approached the bars. At the side of her door was Henry, and in the center of the room, was Igor at his desk.
Igor's lips pulled back into a grin that could have split his face. "You have expelled one who was stained in vanity. You are now one step closer to your rehabilitation. It's a delightful thing indeed."
"Be sure to show gratitude, Maggot," Henry said, turning his eye on Chiyo. "A compliment like this from the master is a great honor."
"However," Igor spoke up, "that man's remarks are concerning. It seems another has made their way into the Metaverse."
"Do you know who they are?" Chiyo asked. "Should we be worried about them?"
"That is beyond my knowledge… But your rehabilitation is progressing smoothly… That much is certain. May the devotion of your rehabilitation grow even deeper. I have high hopes for you."
The Magician Rank 3
The Fool Rank 4
Author's Note: Easily the hardest part of this was keeping track of the various Madarame's, what element they were and what moves they could use.