Two figures leapt across Shibuya rooftops in the dead of night. Police cars were scattered about in the streets below, and the two of them were clearly trying to avoid direct confrontation just yet. No, they were simply getting into position. Joker and Dragon came to a stop atop one of the tallest buildings, looking over the cityscape. "Are you ready to begin, Joker?" Dragon asked the leader of the Phantom Thieves.
"Of course." Joker said with his usual confidence.
"Careful you two!" Oracle exclaimed though the communication channel. "You've got one coming up!"
One what? A shadow that took the form of a helicopter, two hands holding a mini gun, taking aim at the two Phantom Thieves. The mini gun began to whirr and the Shadow opened fired. "Let us begin!" Dragon said as she and Joker leapt off the building, their feet making contact with and sliding down along the side of it. The Shadow pursued them, still taking aim with continuous fire. Dragon pulled out her staff and began spinning it around to block a few of the bullets. "Go forth!"
"Say less!" Joker used the opening Dragon provided to close the distance between him and the Shadow. Once close, he leapt onto the Helicopter with his grappling hook, flipping around to the top. He then gripped the mask of the Shadow and pried it off as forcefully as it could, causing the Shadow to crash down onto the ground. Joker and Dragon landed shortly after the explosion. "Still got it."
It was then that humanoid Shadows donning police gear slowly sauntered towards the two of them. Dragon and Joker were clearly outnumbered, but the two of them didn't flinch as they were slowly getting surrounded. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to this. Let's begin!"
.
.
Date: ?
Ren's phone buzzed and he decided to check it. What he saw did make him smile. A text message from a chat group that never failed to get lively.
Ryuji: Yo! It's been a while!
Ann: It only feels like that because you always forget to reply to our texts.
Ryuji: Wait, really? I mean, I've just got a lot of stuff to do!
Sumire: You missed the chance for free lunch, Ryuji-senpai. You should check here more often!
Haru: I suppose it has been a little while for me too, hasn't it?
Yusuke: For me as well. I had no money…so I lost service.
Hifumi: I worry about you.
Ren: Hey guys. Long time no see.
Makoto: It's been a while since we last saw each other. It's quite late though. Shouldn't you all be studying for your finals?
Futaba: Nah, I'm fine! Unlike Ryuji.
Ryuji: Stop stop! I'm already dead! Anyway, what I really wanted to say was I think we should get together for the summer!
Hifumi: A wonderful idea.
Ann: Yeah! You guys want to go on a trip?
Haru: That sounds like fun!
Sumire: I should be able to make that work! I've actually just finished camp for the summer, so I have plenty of time to hang out. That said, I can't shirk my training. Coach would kill me…
Yusuke: Perhaps Kyoto? That would be a nice place for vacation.
Futaba: No way! Kyoto trips are for high schoolers.
Hifumi: …But we are high schoolers, with the exception of Makoto and Haru….
Ryuji: Sweet! We should get together somewhere and plan this out!
Ann: Where at?
Futaba: Where else?
Ren: Let's meet at the hideout.
Ryuji: Roger that, Leader!
.
.
At a certain police station, the police were going over strange incidents that had been occurring over the past few months. "Next on the agenda is the series of incidents involving unusual behavior in public. First we have the Vice-Minister of Finance. As you're aware, he had some sort of episode during a Diet session Q and A and abruptly confessed to document tampering. Soon after that, three Sapporo Central councilmen confessed to bribery and public resigned. Next, the well-known author, Mr. S. He held a press conference and announced was retiring from writing, returning his books' awards, and deeming his body a work of garbage. Then a newscaster suddenly got down on one knee, proposed to her, and got shut down. Lastly…" The list was large and this Facilitator could keep going… "The Director General of Criminal Affairs unexpectedly stripped off his clothing and ran around HQ until successfully detained…" This last one was a little embarrassing to say aloud.
"Bah-! Hm…!" The bearded man in the back couldn't contain his laughter for this one. A noticeable chuckle escaped him before he was able to catch himself and clear his throat. But it was already too late. All eyes were on him the moment he made that noise.
"Something amusing, Inspector Hasegawa?" The astute woman in the front looked directly at the Inspector.
"You really stuck your foot in your mouth there, Zenkichi…" The man thought to himself before shaking his head. "Ah, nope. No problem. Excuse me." The meeting returned as planned, and they were informed that these incidents were only a handful compared to the situations happening across the nation. And that's when Zenkichi spoke up once again. "Hmm…sounds like the work of the Phantom Thieves to me."
After he said this, the room erupted in small murmurs. The woman wasn't having any of it, however. "I want silence. Proceed with the report." Her voice demanded authority and respect. After she spoke, the room quieted down.
"Thank you, Commissioner Kaburagi." The Facilitator said. "As you've realized, or at least one of you realized, these cases are very reminiscent of last year's Change of Heart epidemic. The top brass have concluded that this is indeed the work of the Phantom Thieves." Naturally there were numerous objections to this. The Phantom Thieves had been inactive, as they knew, for a while now. No motive, no explanation…
"You will investigate each incident on your own." Kaburagi said while standing up. "What I expect from each of you are two things: One, to assemble enough evidence for a successful case. Two, to do so as quickly as possible. The higher ups are hell bent on resolving this case. I don't know why, but it doesn't matter. Your suspect is the Leader of the Phantom Thieves."
A picture of Ren Amamiya appeared on the screen, Zenkichi sighed a bit. "So…the Phantom Thieves rise again…"
.
.
July 24th.
Yogen-Jaya. Ren's home away from home. He made a lot of memories in this small town. As planned, he went to Leblanc with Morgana in tow. But when he stepped inside, the store was completely dark and quiet. "Uh…did we get here early…?"
"Two…three…!" The lights suddenly flickered on, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Hifumi, Futaba, Haru, and Sumire emerging from under the seats and behind counters to pop confetti, all of them greeting Ren and Morgana with an enthusiastic: "Welcome Home!"
Ren and Morgana were totally stunned. Ryuji wrapped his arm around Ren's shoulders and grinned. "Surprise! We totally getcha or what!?"
"You look like you've been doing well." Hifumi said with a smile. For this summer, she wore a light vest, a black shirt, a blue skirt, and flat shoes. She even had a black hairband on.
"Senpai! It's great to see you again!" Sumire said with a great big smile. She had her hair tied up with a blue and her glasses on, fully embracing who she was.
"It's been a while." Yusuke said.
"Did you get taller?" Haru asked Ren.
"I'm glad to see you're doing well." Makoto said with a smile.
Ann approached Morgana and gave him a few pets. "You too, Morgana."
"Meow…" Morgana mewled happily.
"Ahaha! Boy, were you surprised!" Ann giggled.
"You guys did all that for us? Talk about a greeting!" Morgana said.
"We haven't seen you in so long, figured we had to do somethin'!" Ryuji explained. "So we had Boss let us in early."
Speaking of Boss, Sojiro was now behind the counter with a smile on his face. "Well, you're lookin' sharp."
"Long time no see." Ren nodded to Sojiro.
"I hear ya. It's only been a couple of months, but it feels like a good long while." Sojiro said. "Now, I'm sure you have some catching up to do, I have to open up. And besides, it's your room." Sojiro did tell Ren that the attic was his whenever he wanted it, and those words were true.
"Hah, thanks." Ren appreciated that.
"Now Thieves! To the Hideout!" Futaba excitedly led the others up the stairs.
Once they were gone, Sojiro let out a sigh. "Great. Just when I was enjoying the peace and quiet." Like he was really complaining too much. There was a small part of him that missed the noise.
.
The thieves were catching up upstairs in Ren's room. Ryuji was the topic of discussion. "I flunked three of my finals in one day, I was seriously freakin' around. I had so many makeup lectures I almost wasn't able to make it today…"
"Hah! Then I win!" Ann said while swinging her legs happily. "I only flunked ONE final!"
"That's not something to brag about…" Hifumi let out an exasperated sigh. Ann just laughed and leaned against Hifumi a bit.
"I didn't have any problems with my finals." Sumire was quite happy with herself. "I'm not sure if I should feel good about doing better than my Senpais, though…" They were supposed to set examples! And they were! Just…not good ones.
"You two never change. But shouldn't you be taking your studies seriously? You're third years now, and you have to prepare for graduation and post-graduation…"
"Bluh." Ann made a noise. A noise that couldn't be described, but just a noise.
"Watch out! Miss President is about to unleash her fists of Justice!" Futaba teased.
"Could you please just forget about that…" Makoto was embarrassed to still have that brought up. Some more catching up occurred after the moment; Haru and Makoto were having a good time in college even as it kept them busy; Futaba was making good progress in school, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, and Hifumi were making their way as third years, and Sumire found the perfect balance between school and training, with her results improving slowly but surely.
"If we're thinking about trips, why don't we go camping?" Ann suggested. "We can go hiking and all that! And we can even have a nice barbeque too! Oh, Fumi. Would your mom even allow a camping trip…?"
"Um…" Hifumi had to think for a moment. "She has…gotten a little nicer lately. I think getting her permission wouldn't be too difficult. Even if she dislikes the idea of me going along with you and the others, she'd feel better knowing I'm with people who care about me."
"Sounds like your mom has really mellowed out lately." Haru said.
"Yes. But I still can't recommend trying to be too friendly with her." Hifumi scratched her cheek.
"Kickin' it summer off right with a barbeque buffet! Sounds badass to me – how 'bout you?" Ryuji looked to Ren.
"Let's go all out on it! Don't forget the veggies too." Ren added.
"You said precisely what I was thinking." Makoto smiled.
"Ha, a barbecue is one of the few things in this world that could pull me away from art! Our history's treasures can wait a bit longer." The fact that Yusuke admitted something could pull him away from art was baffling to the others.
"Choosing food over art? Are you okay there, Inari?" Futaba had to ask.
"All right!" Ann stood up. "Our summer reunion has been decided! We're going camping!"
"And with that settled!" Futaba pulled out her phone. "EMMA, list recommended camping gear."
"I have compiled a list of items recommended for camping. There is a sporting and travel goods store near 705 in Shibuya. Customer reviews rate this as the best relevant store in your area." A feminine, robotic voice came from Futaba's phone.
"Uh. What's that?" Ren pointed at Futaba's phone.
"The virtual assistant, Emma. You haven't heard of it?" Futaba said.
"I think I have. It does pretty much everything, right…?" Ann asked.
"Oooh, yeah! I heard about that. It's got that eye thing, right?" Ryuji said.
"It's AI, not eye…" The fact that Haru was the one who had to make this correction said a lot.
"…sounds vaguely familiar all the same…" Hifumi tapped her chin.
"The makers go on about how you can ask it anything and you'll get the best possible answer." Futaba said. "I'm telling you, you should all download it! It accounts for everything, and I mean everything. It's the bees' knees!"
"Who even says that anymore…?" Ryuji shook his head. Regardless, everyone went ahead to download and register themselves on EMMA. Once they were done, they all decided it was probably best to break off for the day, rest, and begin their shopping tomorrow for the camping trip. Things felt lively again after so long…
.
.
A familiar sensation washed over Ren as he woke up. He didn't wake up in the bed he fell asleep on. And he felt chained…oh no. He knew this sensation. His eyes shot awake and he found himself in a familiar jail cell. When he looked around, he saw Lavenza and her alone on the other side of the bars. "Welcome to the Velvet Room."
"…I've gotta stop waking up like this." Ren sighed, but stood up and greeted Lavenza with a smile. But the mood was clearly heavy, he was in his dirty prison attire despite everything that happened in the past.
Lavenza approached, but she could not match that smile. "I know not whether to rejoice or bemoan this reunion. Regardless, I must perform my duty. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a contract can enter. The expression you bear now tells me you already know the reason for your summon here."
"Yeah….something bad is happening isn't it?" Ren said. That was the only reason he'd be placed in the Velvet Room like this. "Well, whatever it is, we'll take care of it like we always do." Bold words considering he didn't even know what this threat was, but Lavenza didn't either. Still, his confidence made her smile a bit.
"A most loathsome prison has manifested. Your appearance is ironclad evidence of this. You have become a prisoner of fate yet again." Lavenza explained. "Confronted by this evil will, your own cries out: Rise against it. If the world continues to go in this direction, it will surely meet its end. Have you the resolve to defy such a fate and face the distortion that yet again threatens your world?"
"Of course." Ren replied.
"That is the Trickster I know so well. What awaits you are trials even more of the same, if not greater. But remember, I am always by your side." Lavenza said. The alarm started to blare, which meant Ren didn't have much time left in the Velvet Room.
"…Wait…" Ren just realized something. Only Lavenza was here! He waited to ask about Igor's whereabouts…! Oh. Too late…
.
.
July 25th.
While keeping everything Lavenza told him in mind, Ren decided to wait. There wasn't a lot he could do right now aside from preparing for the camping trip with the others. Bringing Morgana along with him, they met Ryuji and Sumire in Shibuya Square. "Sorry if I kept you waiting."
"Nah, it's all good! You ready to do some shopping?" Ryuji stretched. "Let's hustle to the store and finally chill for a bit. It's already way too hot out."
"I agree…" Sumire was fanning herself.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to be here too, Sumire." Morgana said.
"I wanted to make sure you guys stayed on track." Sumire replied. "Makoto-senpai's orders. It's not that she doesn't trust you! But you two have a tendency to get into trouble on your own, is what she told me."
"Well…" That's not wrong. Ryuji couldn't object to that. "It's not gonna be like that! We can't get in any trouble just shoppin'!"
"We're in charge of picking up the barbeque, right? Lead the way Ryuji!" Morgana said.
"Yeah…I don't know where it is." Ryuji said. Everyone slumped over.
"…This is also why I came here." Sumire had a weary smile. "EMMA, can you give us a hand? That camping store in the 705?"
"I have the destination for you." EMMA replied.
"Great! Let's get this over with so we can plan tomorrow's feast!" Ryuji said. And then someone suddenly shrieked the name 'Alice' excitedly. "Eh?"
"I have a suggested event for you. A promotional store opening is currently going on in the 705 storefront with Alice Hiiragi." EMMA said.
"…That name sounds familiar…" Sumire tilted her head.
"WAIT, FOR REAL!?" Ryuji suddenly exclaimed. "Alice is HERE!?"
"Wait…isn't she that model?" Sumire asked.
"Alice Hiiragi is a Japanese fashion model and a preforming artist. She has gained attention with her adorable look and unique sense of style. She is active in a variety of media and genres. She has become a pop culture tastemaker and continues to amass a devoted young fanbase." EMMA said.
"Wow, is she really that popular…?" Morgana was a bit surprised.
"I dunno, what kinda answer's that crowd givin' ya?" Ryuji was too excited. "Alice really is just over there…I can't believe it! Don't you guys wanna go see her!?"
"…I'm curious." Ren admitted.
"Ren-senpai, Ryuji-senpai, you're getting distracted." Sumire pointed out.
"It's on our way to the store, don't worry! Why not check it out?" Unfortunately for Sumire, Ryuji did raise a good point. They wouldn't really be able to avoid it. "She's totally cute enough for this to be worth it!"
"Can you please not say that in front of another girl?" For some reason, the way Ryuji phrased it made Sumire pout. But she had no choice but to go along with this, so she followed Ren and Ryuji to the crowd that Alice managed to gather in front of the new store opening up.
"Hi, folks!" Alice Hiiragi waved to the crowd, giving a pleasant smile to all. "A shop that carries one of my very own brands is opening here today! Have you ever dreamed that you could be somebody else? Even if just for a little while?"
Sumire shifted about uncomfortably. "…Can we go, actually?"
"Well, I know a place where that dreams come to life! A wonderland where you become whatever you wanna be!" Alice beamed. "Now, I just have one question: Does anyone want to visit this Wonderland with me?" The crowd cheered loudly in response. This made Alice's smile widen. "Aw, thanks! Then I have a surprise for you! I'm giving away 100 invitation cards as a special present! They're magical cards that will make you have a better time in Wonderland! Enjooooy!"
"Mm…" Sumire let out a sigh. At least this event would be quick and over with.
Alice went around handing cards to various bystanders within the crowd. "Here you go!"
"Ohmygoshthankyousomuch!" The man Alice gave a card was brimming with happiness.
"Holy crap…Alice just touched my hand…" Another man said in awe.
Alice finally stopped in front of Ren. "Whoa, those are some quality specs!"
"Thanks, they're fake." Ren said. The glasses were just an aesthetic choice.
"Ahah…sorry, that was weird!" Alice brushed past that slight awkwardness like a pro. "Hope you like the store!" And she handed Ren a card before walking off to someone else. "Let the white rabbit guide you to wonderland! Have fun there everyone!"
The trio broke off for now and returned back to the Square. Sumire was a little huffy. How was Alice that cute!? "…I don't like her." She was green with envy for a few reasons.
"What was with that crowd…" Morgana felt like that crowd was…off for some reason. He couldn't put his paw on it, but something about the crowd felt wrong.
"Man, I can't believe I saw Alice. She was just as cute as I thought she'd be….!" Ryuji was gushing. This was totally worth it.
"Her outfit's a bit weird." Ren said. "But…" He took a quick glance at Sumire. He was about to agree with Ryuji but simply decided not to say anything.
"Eh, you just don't get it. Bein' different is what makes her awesome!" Ryuji said confidently.
"Well, you can have her. My heart belongs to Lady Ann alone." Morgana declared.
"Um, Morgana-senpai. Didn't you he…" Sumire began, but Ryuji stopped her with a smile.
"Nah…let him figure it out on his own…" Honestly, it was one of the things Ryuji was waiting for the most.
"In any case, shouldn't we get to shopping? We got sidetracked." As Sumire expected.
"Oh, wait!" Ryuji looked at Ren's hand. "You got one of those cards from Alice too, right?"
"Heh, yeah he did! YOU got blown off!" Morgana said smugly.
"Can it! There were just a lot of people is all!" Ryuji grunted. "What I was sayin' is that can't he add her on EMMA as a friend? That's what Futaba was talkin' about, right?"
"I don't see why not. It's not like it'll take long. Then we can get shopping." Ren said, reading the card while putting in Alice's friend registration. "Alice Hiiragi's Wonderland…" But then, right after he put in the keyword…the world around them began to distort….
.
.
The scenery changed drastically. Skull looked around, only to see that he, Mona, Joker, and Violet were standing in the middle of Shibuya streets in their Phantom Thief attire. "Whoa! What the hell happened to you guys?"
"Guh!?" Violet looked at herself. She wasn't expecting to be wearing this attire anytime soon after the events several months ago.
"What the…?" Joker stared at his coat.
"Not just me." Mona said. "Looks like this place is connected to the Metaverse…"
"Seriously? But I thought…" Violet trailed off. Her attention went to the three men walking around the same area, coming across a large screen. "Eh? Wait, are those not the people we saw earlier? Why are they in the Metaverse…"
Alice appeared on the screen, but her appearance was a far cry different than in reality. She appeared more like some sort of dominatrix. "Hello everyone! Do you love me?" Shadow Alice said with an easy, sultry voice. The men nodded. "Then…" Her expression immediately twisted into a sinister smile. "You can give me all of your Desires!" Before the men had a chance to figure out what was happening, they were surrounded by Shadows that grabbed them and reached into their chests, pulling out a shining pink gem from them.
"Eeek!?" Violet let out a surprised squeal.
"What the hell!?" Skull grunted. But they didn't have time for questions. They were quickly getting surrounded by these humanoid Shadows.
"There's no time! We'll figure it out later!" Mona exclaimed. "Joker, Skull, Violet, let's fight our way out!"
"Looks like we don't have a choice…" Joker said while brandishing his knife.
"Agh, damn it! Fine, we'll take ALL of you on!" Skull exclaimed. Some of these Shadows took the form of familiar enemies such as Pixie and Pyro Jack, while some of them just remained humanoid. "WILLIAM!" Skull was the first one to strike, calling forth his Persona. The captain appeared and let loose a powerful bolt of lightning that ripped through a majority of the crowd of Shadows with ease. "I still got it!" Although he did take out a surprisingly large amount of enemies, more of them soon appeared. "Reinforcements!"
"Be careful!" Mona warned. "We haven't fought in a while, so don't get cocky! It'll come back to us soon enough!" Mona said while hoping from Shadow to Shadow, slashing them with his saber. "Diego!" Mona was up next, spinning around in a circle to create a cyclone around his body, which swept up numerous enemies before violently throwing them aside.
Violet got a little fancy. She noticed a nearby street lamp and leapt towards it, spinning around while slashing anyone that dared to come close with her rapier. After a few rotations, she propelled herself into the air with a flip and her mask burned away as she prepared to attack. "It's time to dance again, Ella!" Ella appeared beside Violet, raining down beams of light on the enemy forces to take them out.
"Raoul!" Joker was up next, cleaning up the scattered forces before they could regroup. He snapped his fingers and this simple action caused Raoul to throw his hand forward, a gigantic blast of curse energy flying forward to explode and destroy the enemy. Just like that, they were able to clean house pretty easily.
"Y'all are way too weak! Don't EVER try steppin' to us again!" Skull gloated. However…more reinforcements arrived. While they COULD hold their own for a while, that wasn't the problem. They were neck deep in enemy territory with no way to escape, no knowledge of where they were, and with endless reinforcements. If things continued, they'd fall for sure. "The hell!? Even more of 'em!?"
"I don't think this is a good situation for us…" Violet said.
"No kidding." Mona quickly looked around for an escape route. He noticed a way out and pointed to it. "That way!"
"Right!" No questions were asked. Joker nodded and they began to make a mad dash for their only route. It was an alleyway, and it looked as though they were able to lose their attackers. Finally, with a moment to breathe…
"What the hell is this place?!" Skull shouted in frustration.
"The Metaverse." Joker said. "But…I thought it was gone…"
"I think…this could be Alice's Palace." Morgana said. It was the only thing that made sense. "You saw Alice on that screen just like I did. No matter how you look at it, that was her Shadow. We just wandered into her Palace with EMMA."
"But the Meta-Nav ain't even on our phones anymore! Agh, dammit! Whatever this is, it doesn't change the fact that we're in deep shit." Skull groaned.
"I think we should find a way out of here first and foremost. Even if this is a Palace, it wouldn't do us well to get stuck in here with no way out." Violet suggested.
"She's right. We need more intel." Mona nodded in agreement. "I'm getting a faint whiff of a Treasure, though. The distortion has to be around here somewhere, and going back the way we came isn't an option right now. We might be able to figure out what's going on, too."
"Looks like we don't have a choice. Let's do this quickly and quietly, like always." Joker said. They nodded together and started to run deeper into this strange Palace. But they didn't get far, as numerous spotlights immediately shone on them, on top of numerous Shadows instantly appearing around them as well. "What the…!?"
"A trap!?" Violet gasped. They were surrounded on all sides. They could probably fight their way out of this, but then what!? No time for that, because a net dropped down on all four of them. It was heavy and they were too distracted to notice it in time. Joker, Violet, Mona, and Skull were all pinned down.
Joker wearily looked up at the policeman Shadow, but he didn't keep that contact for long. He was immediately whacked in the head by their nightstick, which knocked him out instantly…
.
.
Joker wasn't out for long. He and the others were officially caught and tied up, being forced along by the Shadows that caught them. "Keep moving!" The Shadow forcefully shoved Joker forward. Fighting as ill advised, and they soon reached the 'throne' room where Shadow Alice was waiting.
"Who're these lil' guys?" Shadow Alice asked with a mocking tone. "Are they the ones who were scampering around earlier?"
"Your Majesty, we captured these Thieves, but we couldn't seize their Desires. So we brought them to you." The shadow explained. "Unfortunately, we did lose sight of the other one from before."
Shadow Alice's expression shifted to a grimace. None of that was news she wanted to hear. "Couldn't steal their Desires? Explain yourselves." She stood up from her chair and sauntered towards Joker, who was forced to kneel in front of her. "Hm…you look pretty cool. What's your name?"
"Let us go and I'll tell you." Joker said. His defiance only earned him a harsh smack to the face with Shadow Alice's cane, knocking him onto his side with a grunt of pain. "Guh!"
"Joker!" Morgana cried out!
"Joker-senpai!" Violet's eyes widened and she was about to leap and headbutt Shadow Alice, but she was restrained by the Shadows. "Ngh…!"
"So you're Joker. That was easy." Shadow Alice then pressed her heel against Joker's cheek. "Come now, you need to properly answer a question when your Queen asks one of you."
"Ow…" Joker groaned. He'd been hit pretty hard during his time in the Metaverse, but nothing was as disrespectful as this.
"Quit it, asshole!" Skull exclaimed.
"Ugh, shut your mouth! Or are you looking for punishment too?" Shadow Alice asked with a disgusted look.
"Just try it!" Skull shouted.
"You won't be happy with the results if you do." Violet glared at Shadow Alice.
"Ugh. What a bore. I just stopped caring." Shadow Alice removed her heel from Joker. "Get rid of 'em. I don't want toys that don't do as their told. Bye-bye." The floor opened, and the Phantom Thieves were quickly dropped into the depths.
.
.
Dropped off in the depths of the sewers. Luckily for everyone, Skull broke their fall. "Ow ow ow…hey…you guys okay…?"
"Yeah, luckily…" Morgana said.
"Physically." Violet replied.
"Maybe." Joker said. They all stood up.
"Man, what the shit was that…" Skull crossed his arms. Even worse was that effin'…so that's what she's really like, huh?"
"I know it's rude, but I was right to dislike her." Violet said. "Joker-senpai, are you okay…? She really hit you hard."
"I'll be fine. I'll get her back." Joker said while rubbing his cheek. "We should focus on getting out of…wherever this is."
"I think she's calling us trash." Violet said. They were in some sort of garbage dump.
"Who just dumps people into garbage like that!? I'm gonna be so pissed off until we get back at her!" Skull scowled. But for now, they simply had to look around for a little bit. Everyone split up and wandered this junkyard for a little while, until Joker and Violet came across a large black box.
"Eh…? What is this…?" Joker was curious so he reached out to touch the black box, but Violet's curiosity beat him to it. "Huh?"
Before Violet could make a remark, the black box was enveloped in a bright white light. "Ah! Maybe that wasn't such a good idea…!"
Rebooting.
Sophia Ver1.37.
Starting Neural Network.
Language…OK.
Motor…OK.
Sensory…OK.
Visual…OK.
Memory…NONE.
Memory system initializing.
All Systems….OK.
What would you like me to become…?
