A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5: The Amamiya Files! Per usual, I do not own the Persona series (aside from my OC Kusa who I do own since I created him), and the ones that DO own it (namely Atlus, Sega and Koei Tecmo) get full credit for having said ownership. That being said, on with chapter 4! I'll try to have a longer A/N after the chapter!

Chapter 4: Phantom Thieving 101 and more Awakenings? Phantoms Awaken part 4

(Inside the 'safe room' from the end of chapter 3 with Ren, Kusa, Ryuji and Morgana, neutral POV)

After looking around the safe room briefly, Ren turned to Ryuji and spoke up, seeing the agitated look on Ryuji's face.

"Something bothering you, Ryuji?" Ren asked Ryuji, who eventually nodded before speaking up.

"Dammit...Where'd those guys who were locked up go?" Ryuji asked as Morgana spoke up at that point.

"It's possible they were moved somewhere else?" Morgana said uncertainly as Ryuji frowned at him.

"But where?" Ryuji asked, both curious and worried about the slaves. Morgana shrugged.

"Don't ask me! How should I know!? However, I recall there ARE soldiers outside. Let's try eavesdropping on them. We might be able to learn something useful from them." Morgana said as Kusa nodded, speaking up to remind Ren he was there.

"Makes sense to me, Morgana-sensei. It's worth a try at the very least. Unless one of you two has a better idea?" Kusa said, looking at Ren and Ryuji as he finished speaking, both of whom frowned but shook their heads in the negative, agreeing Morgana's idea was probably their best bet for the time being. Ren then turned to leave the room, figuring he'd take point, but Morgana's voice stopped him as he spoke up once more.

"There should still be soldiers outside. Let's take note of the situation and get out there." Morgana said, getting nods from Ren, Kusa and Ryuji as the quartet made to leave the room. Just outside, a trio of guards were looking around in confusion, not sure why they couldn't find their target. One of the guards spoke up, stroking their head sheepishly.

"Hm, I thought I just heard something move over there... Guess it was my imagination..." The guard said as one of the other two then spoke up.

"And what of the slaves?" The second guard asked as the third guard then spoke up to answer the second guard.

"They're all in the training hall. I'd assume they're screaming in pain by now." The third guard said as the first and second guard nodded, the latter speaking up.

"Very well. By the way, I heard we may have intruders around. Stay on your guard." The second guard said as the trio disperesed, after which Morgana spoke up just inside the safe room, which was where the quartet had been hiding to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Hmm...Did you hear that?" Morgana asked the others who nodded as Ryuji spoke up in intrigue.

"They said trainin' hall, right?" Ryuji asked uncertainly as Morgana nodded.

"Right. I think that's just a little further ahead. Let's go!" Morgana said as Ren, Kusa and Ryuji nodded, all planning to follow Morgana's lead. The group kept moving until Morgana pulled them behind a crate as they were almost spotted by a guard, speaking up in annoyance.

"Ugh... There's a guard on duty here...The way to the training hall should be just beyond those bars." Morgana said as Ryuji spoke up at that point.

"So, what're we gonna do? Do we have to fight it?" Ryuji asked as Kusa rolled his eyes.

"Have to? Probably not. But we might need to if it ends up being unavoidable, or so I would probably guess, even though you and I won't actually be doing any fighting. But Morgana-sensei can correct me if I'm wrong on that guess, since he's the expert here." Kusa said as Morgana chose that point to speak up before Ren or Ryuji could refute Kusa's remark, which Morgana personally agreed with.

"No, you're right Kusa. But yes Ryuji, it seems like it. Just don't let it strike you beforehand... If it does, the Palace's security level will rise. And I don't think I need to explain why that's a bad thing." Morgana said as Kusa shook his head in agreement.

"No, indeed you don't. And frankly, being captured once was quite plenty for me." Kusa said dryly. Ren and Ryuji nodded their agreement as the latter of the two spoke up.

"A-And what do we do if that happens? Run away?" Ryuji asked, as Ren resisted the urge to facefault at how idiotic Ryuji's question was while Kusa spoke up.

"That's definitely an option, but odds are Morgana-sensei and Ren won't let the Shadows anywhere near us if they can help it." Kusa said as Ren and Morgana nodded their agreement with Kusa's words, while the latter spoke up once more.

"Well, the security level will go back down if we can defeat more enemies without being noticed." Morgana said as Ryuji blinked before speaking up.

"Th-That sounds, uh... complicated." Ryuji said in uncertainty as Kusa rolled his eyes before speaking up once more.

"No it doesn't. It's basically an extension of the saying 'leave no witnesses' in that if we eliminate any potential security before we're properly noticed, then there'll be none left to raise the security level, thus we can slowly slide back towards being undetected, assuming I understand that concept correctly anyways." Kusa said. Morgana nodded his approval of Kusa's response before rolling his eyes at Ryuji as he spoke up.

"No, that's pretty much right, if a bit ruthless-sounding. But fine, I'll put together some info about the security level for you to read." Morgana said with a huff. He then kept speaking, fixing Ren, Kusa and Ryuji with pointed stares.

"This is crucial to successful Palace infiltrations, so make sure you actually read it, okay?" Morgana said to Ren, Kusa and Ryuji. Ren and Ryuji nodded while Kusa spoke up.

"Got it. I'll make it a point to study the info in detail so I can hopefully commit it to memory to some extent." Kusa said with a nod, ignoring Ren and Ryuji rolling their eyes behind him. The group then went back to their infiltrating. Kusa then dragged Ryuji to hide behind a barrel with him while Ren and Morgana dispatched the nearby guard, before they turned to the door that the guard was guarding, Ren opening it and the group proceeding to the next area where Ryuji spoke up.

"The trainin' hall's up ahead, right?" Ryuji asked, prompting Morgana to nod before he spoke up.

"Yeah, it's a little further. Make sure you watch out for any guards along the way." Morgana said as he got nods from the others. The group then kept moving until Ren had to stop himself from running into the line of sight of two more guards before he jumped back out of sight as one of the guards spoke up to the other.

"Hey, have you seen anyone who looks like an intruder?" The first guard asked the second who shook their head.

"No, nobody yet..." The second guard said, as Morgana spoke up from nearby, keeping his voice low to avoid being heard by the guards.

"Shoot...I had a feeling ther would be a lot of enemies. it'd be impossible to dodge all of them..." Morgana said as Ryuji spoke up, keeping his voice down as he saw the warning glares from Ren and Kusa while he spoke up.

"Then, what do we do? Should we try and take 'em down like before?" Ryuji asked, ignoring the deadpan glare Kusa was giving him while Ren just rolled his eyes as Morgana spoke up, frowning at Ryuji's over-enthusiasm even as he spoke, hoping to avoid Kusa unintentionally giving the group away with his snark.

"It's not that simple. First of all, neither you OR Kusa have Personas so you're not doing much fighting as opposed to watching from a safe distance. Secondly, we still have a long way to go, so we should be conserving energy." Morgana said as Kusa nodded his agreement before quietly speaking up.

"Exactly. As much as I sympathize with you wanting to help Ryuji, all you and I can do for now is give the other two our moral support while they fend off the guards." Kusa said. Ryuji stroked his cheek uncertainly before speaking up, his voice low and contrite.

"I-I see... Sorry...Dammit, I wish I could fight. I'd at least be able to help out a little bit. But all I got is this toy from earlier...I'm such a loser." Ryuji said as Kusa frowned.

"You're not a loser, Ryuji. You're just not equipped to deal with these guards, much like I myself am. But I'm sure that'll change for us in time. We just have to be patient in the meantime and keep having Ren and Morgana-sensei's backs until then, that's all." Kusa said comfortingly, not liking the self-depreciating tone Ryuji had used before. Morgana nodded his agreement with Kusa's words before blinking at Ryuji's mention of 'toy from earlier', turning to face him as he spoke up.

"Huh? Toy from earlier? Do you mean that gun?" Morgana asked Ryuji who nodded before speaking up, frowning as he spoke.

"Yeah...It looks real n' all, but it doesn't shoot anything." Ryuji said before he and Kusa both blinked at the sight of twinkles in Morgana's eyes at that moment, and the latter spoke up nervously, not expecting this reaction from Morgana.

"M-Morgana-sensei? Do your eyes do that a lot?" Kusa asked Morgana quietly as Morgana laughed before speaking up once more.

"Do this? Not really, but never mind that now. I see... Well, there is a way...Okay, we'll use that to take down the enemies!" Morgana said as Ryuji gaped before speaking up.

"What!? Were you listen' to me? It doesn't even shoot pellets..." Ryuji said as Kusa nodded his agreement before speaking up.

"As much as I don't like agreeing with Ryuji, are you sure you know what you're doing, Morgana-sensei? How would a non-shooting gun be of any use against those guards?" Kusa asked skeptically, Ren nodding his agreement with Kusa's question as Morgana spoke up with a smile.

"I can see how this makes no sense to you Kusa, but just watch and hopefully you'll understand soon enough. That said, I'm sure this'll work." Morgana said to Kusa before turning to Ren as he kept speaking up.

"Attack away, Frizzy Hair!" Morgana said to Ren who huffed at the nickname before speaking up.

"My name's Ren, NOT Frizzy Hair. That said, if you're sure this'll work, I'll trust you on this. So leave it to me." Ren said as he took out the gun from before as Ryuji spoke up.

"Dude! I-I keep sayin', it's not gonna fire anything!" Ryuji said as Kusa frowned, stroking his chin in thought before blinking.

"Unless they're trying to trick the enemy into believing it does, which would make sense if so." Kusa said after a moment's contemplation while Ren and Morgana rushed the guards. Morgana then looked to Ren and spoke up while Ryuji and Kusa retreated to a safe distance to watch.

"You have the gun with you, right? Point it at a Shadow and fire!" Morgana said to Ren who nodded. Surprisingly, when Ren squeezed the trigger on his gun, actual bullets shot out and pelted the Shadows with gunfire, leaving Ren, Kusa AND Ryuji all wide-eyed in surprise as Morgana smiled and spoke up to Ren.

"How about that? Surprised? There are plenty of instances where rapid fire's going to be more useful than swinging your knife. Of course you CAN run of ammo, but using it all up does more good than letting it collect dust!" Morgana pointed out as Ren nodded his agreement. Morgana then smirked as he pulled out a slingshot that he hadn't had before as he spoke up once more, taking in the stunned looks on Ren, Kusa and Ryuji's faces.

"All right, I'll show you MY weapon too!" Morgana said as he used his weapon to finish off the Shadows, leaving Ren stunned while Ryuji and Kusa just blinked as they caught up to Ren and Morgana, Ryuji speaking up once he and Kusa had caught up to Ren and Morgana.

"For real!? Did that toy gun just shoot real freakin' BULLETS!?" Ryuji asked, making Ren and Morgana turn to face him, the latter nodding. Kusa then spoke up, intrigued.

"Hmm...seems like my guess from before was accurate. Morgana-sensei WANTED those guards to think the gun was real, which in turn let it work like a real gun. Impressive." Kusa said as Ren and Ryuji blinked at Kusa before Morgana smiled while speaking up.

"Precisely, Kusa. This is a cognitive world. As long as our opponent sees it as real, it becomes such. It's a good thing it's realistic-looking." Morgana said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up, not seeing Ren and Kusa facefault at what he said next.

"I don't get it." Ryuji said as Ren and Kusa facefaulted at his denseness before the latter spoke up.

"Basically, Morgana-sensei and Ren made the enemy believe that gun was real, and as such, it worked like a real one, hence why it was able to shoot bullets. It's basically just mental misdirection, or more simply put, mind over matter. I'm surprised that works, but I guess we ARE in a 'cognitive world' as Morgana-sensei put it, so anything's possible, within reason." Kusa said to Ryuji who shrugged at the explanation as Morgana then spoke up.

"Pretty much right, Kusa. To expand on what you were saying, because they recognize it as a gun, your ammo capacity is limited during battle. But your enemies are expecting you to come at them with guns loaded, so your ammo's replenished in every new fight." Morgana explained to understanding nods from Ryuji and Kusa as they heard a voice nearby speak up, making them blanch.

"What's this commotion over here...?" The group heard, spinning around as one to see a guard looking right at them, glaring as they spoke up.

"Wha-!? Why, you bastards!" The guard said, charging towards the group, as Morgana spoke up.

"Get ready, here comes another one! Let's get them! Take 'em down!" Morgana said as Ren, Kusa and Ryuji nodded, the latter two darting off to hide behind cover while the former nodded to Morgana as he attacked the guard, Morgana speaking up as the battle started.

"Our ammo's replenished! Go on, dump it into the enemy!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, emptying his ammo clip into the Shadow which was quickly defeated by the barrage. After the battle, Morgana turned to Ren while Ryuji and Kusa ran back up.

"Just as I thought, all our ammo had returned for that fight." Morgana said, as Ryuji and Kusa caught up to them, the former speaking up.

"I wasn't sure whether or not to bring it at first, but I'm sure glad I did." Ryuji said as Kusa frowned at him before speaking up in irritation.

"Dude, you DO realize how lucky you are that no one else saw that on you, right!? Or were you considering the fact that you technically brought a gun to a school when you brought that?" Kusa asked Ryuji who blinked before speaking up in surprise.

"Honestly? I hadn't thought about that. Oops." Ryuji said sheepishly as both Ren and Kusa resisted the urge to facefault at Ryuji's admission, prompting Morgana to speak up.

"Be that as it may, we're definitely lucky to have the additional firearm in our arsenal. I must say, well done-even if it WAS just dumb luck that it worked here." Morgana said, making both Kusa and Ryuji frown as the latter spoke up, glaring at Morgana slightly.

"Did you really have to put it like that?" Ryuji asked Morgana. Morgana frowned as he glared at Ryuji.

"Quit griping, Blondie. You're still getting praised." Morgana snapped at Ryuji, before turning his attention to Ren.

"Oh by the way, we should decide how we divvy up our roles in battle from here on out. As you can see, there are quite a lot of enemies. It'll be important to coordinate our moves well. I can keep providing intel for us, but you should decide how we fight, Frizzy Hair." Morgana said as Ryuji spoke up before Ren could do more than huff at Morgana's name for him as Morgana turned his attention to Ryuji when he spoke up.

"Whaddaya mean by 'how we fight'?" Ryuji asked Morgana. Morgana looked at Ryuji before speaking up.

"Basically, what we do in battle. he can order us directly, or let us decide what we do. ...Though I guess I'm the only other one fighting right now since you and Kusa don't have Personas to help fight. Maybe in time, that will change and you'll both be able to also fight, but until then it's just me and Frizzy Hair doing the fighting." Morgana said as Ren glared at the cat-like being before speaking up in an annoyed tone.

"If you're calling me Frizzy-Hair, does that mean I can call you Cat?" Ren asked, eliciting a chuckle from Ryuji and a glare from Kusa as the latter spoke up.

"No, you can NOT call Morgana-sensei, 'Cat'! That'd be like if he called one of us 'Human'! Not only is it unprofessional as hell, it's also rude to boot! Besides, he already said he's not a cat!" Kusa said huffily. Morgana smiled at Kusa before speaking up.

"Thanks Kusa, but I can handle myself. And NO, you can not call me 'Cat'! I already said, I'm NOT a cat! But anyways, onto more important matters, what's the plan? Want me following orders, or acting on my own?" Morgana asked Ren who stroked his chin in thought before speaking up.

"Given how unpredictable these enemies can be, I think it might be best if I can give you direct commands to make us able to more fluidly respond to sudden turns of events rather than rolling the dice that your auto-actions manage to acclimate to sudden twists in combat." Ren said after thinking it over, getting an understanding nod from Morgana.

"Understood! Ler's see what you've got." Morgana said as the group kept moving. As the group kept going, taking out the odd guard or two they ran across along the way, Morgana stopped the group as they saw another door being guarded by a guard and spoke up.

"A guard...I'm pretty sure that's where we need to be going, too..." Morgana said as Ryuji spoke up.

"You guys gonna take it down again?" Ryuji asked. Morgana nodded as he spoke up once more.

"I guess that's our only choice... But wait, this might be a good time..." Morgana said trailing off as Kusa shot him an inquiring look.

"This might be a good time for what, Morgana-sensei? Did you have an idea?" Kusa asked. Morgana nodded before speaking up.

"As a matter of fact Kusa, I did have an idea. All right, I've decided! I'm gonna teach you three a special way to fight enemies!" Morgana said as Ren spoke up, curious.

"Oh? Is it a new technique? I'd say I'll pass, but I think Kusa might slug me if I do, so do enlighten us Morgana." Ren said. Both Kusa and Morgana nodded to Ren's words, the former glaring at Ren for even suggesting he'd pass while the latter smiled and spoke up.

"Something like that! Let's go!" Morgana said as Ren attacked the guard. Morgana then spoke up.

"Listen, there's a distinct flow to battles. Let me show you. After all, seeing is... something?" Morgana said, as both Ryuji and Kusa resisted the urge to facefault at Morgana getting that saying in particular wrong. Ren frowned as he spoke up.

"I think the expression you were looking for there was 'seeing is believing', but I might be mistaken?" Ren said. Morgana nodded.

"Right, that. Anyways, first you knock down all the enemies! Everything starts at that crucial step!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, knocking down the Pixie with a well-placed Eiha from Arsene. Morgana looked at Ren and spoke up excitedly.

"All right! Now rush on in for an All-Out Attack!" Morgana said to Ren who nodded, before turning to the Shadow, gun drawn as he spoke.

"Hold it!" Ren said as he and Morgana proceeded to beat on the Shadow for a bit before the screen flashed to a shot of Joker pulling his gloves tighter on him as the shadow started gushing from an open wound as Joker smirked.

"The show's over!" Joker said as the battle ended. Afterwards, Morgana smiled as he looked at Ren and spoke up while Ryuji and Kusa caught up to them.

"That went really well! You're definitely fit for this." Morgana said to Ren as Ryuji spoke up once he and Kusa caught up to Morgana and Ren.

"WHAT was that SUPER MOVE thing you just did!?" Ryuji asked Ren who shrugged. Kusa frowned as he spoke up.

"Weren't you listening, Ryuji? Morgana-sensei called it an All-Out Attack or something like that?" Kusa said, not sure if he had the name right. Morgana nodded.

"Correct! As I told you previously, it's called an All-Out Attack. IF you manage to knock ALL the enemies down, you might be able to use it to beat them all at once." Morgana said as Ryuji nodded, chuckling as he spoke up.

"Heh, yeah that was over quick!" Ryuji said as Kusa nodded before speaking up in intrigue.

"So it sounds like All-Out Attacks are a sort of finisher that if successful can more or less instantly end a battle in a very decisive manner?" Kusa said, sounding uncertain but feeling like his guess was close enough to correct. Morgana nodded as he explained it to Kusa and Ryuji.

"Yeah, pretty much you're right, Kusa. And of course it was over quick, Ryuji! It's a concentrated attack on defenseless enemies, after all." Morgana said as he turned to Ren.

"Now, as I mentioned before, I want you to be the head of our command. You can decide when we use this." Morgana said to Ren who looked at him in surprise before he stroked his chin contemplatively before speaking up after a moment.

"Wow, that's quite surprising...But, if you really want me to have that much power, then all right I guess." Ren said after a moment. Morgana nodded as he spoke up.

"Good. Glad you understand. Remember though, the All-Out Attack only works if more than one of us can act, and ONLY if Ren's able to act to initiate it. Otherwise, it's a no-go. That said, strike the enemy's weakness, knock them all down, then do an All-Out Attack! That's the ideal pattern!" Morgana explained as Kusa and Ren nodded with Ryuji.

"Makes sense." Ren said as Kusa and Ryuji nodded their agreement before the group kept moving. Once they went through the door the guard had been guarding, Morgana spoke up once more happily.

"YES! All right, this is it!" Morgana said as the group read the sign on the wall in front of them, Ryuji frowning before he spoke up in an annoyed tone.

"Kamoshida's... Training Hall... OF LOVE? What kinda bullshit is this!?" Ryuji asked angrily as Kusa and Morgana both shrugged, not sure of the answer to that as the group kept moving. In the next room, they could hear whips flying followed by painful yells, making Ryuji speak up again.

"This voice... Where's it comin' from...?" Ryuji asked uncertainly as the group kept moving. As they kept moving, it got louder as Ryuji spoke up once more.

"Whoa! Oh, is it comin' from over there!?" Ryuji asked as the camera panned over to a shot of many guards whipping a trio of slaves who were screaming in pain causing Ryuji to get angry at what he was seeing.

"Dammit! This is bullshit!" Ryuji snapped, Kusa also grumbling about the whipping but not raising his voice as Morgana glared at Ryuji before speaking up.

"HOW many times do I have to tell you to keep your voice down!?" Morgana chastised Ryuji as Ryuji just shook his head and sighed before speaking up once more.

"But this is beyond messed up!" Ryuji said as Kusa and Ren frowned, the former speaking up.

"I agree with you, Ryuji. But we can't lose our heads over this. We need to try to stay calm and gather whatever intel we can." Kusa said as Ryuji nodded before turning to the nearby door and frowning as he spoke up.

"How do I open this!?" Ryuji asked as the group heard a faint voice from one of the slaves.

"Stop it...!" The group heard from nearby as they turned to see a slave walk up to them, holding one arm with the other as they spoke to them through the bars.

"Leave us alone...it's useless..." The slave said as Ryuji blanched at what the slave said before speaking up.

"Huh!?" Ryuji said as another slave walked up and spoke up.

"If we stay obedient, we won't be executed like you guys!" The second slave said as Ryuji frowned before speaking up.

"You're tellin' me you WANNA stay in a place like this!?" Ryuji said angrily as Morgana frowned, suddenly realizing what Ryuji was planning and groaning quietly as he spoke up.

"Wait a minute... Were you planning on taking these guys out of here?" Morgana asked Ryuji who frowned and glared at Morgana as he spoke up.

"We can't just leave 'em here!" Ryuji protested huffily as Kusa and Morgana looked at each other and shook their heads as the latter spoke up to voice their thoughts.

"How stupid can you be?" Morgana asked as Ryuji frowned and stomped his foot as he spoke up.

"What!?" Ryuji asked angrily as he and Ren turned to look at Morgana while Kusa stood by Morgana's side.

"These are only humans in Kamoshida's cognition. They aren't humans that have entered from reality. They're different from you two." Morgana said as Ryuji frowned while speaking up and rubbing his head in confusion.

"Cognition...?" Ryuji asked in confusion as Morgana gave him a glare before speaking up.

"It means there's no point in saving them! They're different from the real ones in the real world." Morgana said as Kusa gave an 'oh' of realization as he spoke up.

"So it's basically similar to how some can view people in a certain way in their dreams but that way is different to what they are in reality?" Kusa asked, venturing a guess.

"Yes, and no. The idea makes sense, but this is vastly different from dreams. For one, the cognitions here can't just wake up to escape this suffering. That said, you could say that these are extremely similar-looking dolls." Morgana explained as Kusa nodded and spoke up once more.

"I see...that makes sense." Kusa said with a nod. Ryuji frowned as he kept speaking up.

"The hell!? Why's it gotta be so complicated!?" Ryuji asked, and he kept speaking before Kusa could remark how much Ryuji's last remark resembled song lyrics.

"So the school's a castle, and the students are slaves... It's so on point that it makes me laugh...This really IS the inside of that asshole's head!" Ryuji snapped as Morgana nodded, before walking up and getting a closer look at the scene before speaking up once more.

"Still, this is horrible. It must mean he treats them as slaves in the real world too." Morgana remarked making Ryuji blink as he looked at the cognitions before speaking up.

"In the real world too? Wait...I know these guys...They're members of the volleyball team-the one Kamoshida coaches for!" Ryuji said in realization, making Ren and Kusa gasp while Morgana spoke up to cover the sound of the gasps, though they likely wouldn't have been heard over the whips regardless.

"They must be physically abused everyday...There's no way they'd be so beat up normally." Morgana said as Ryuji frowned before speaking up again.

"Don't tell me...they're going through similar shit in reality!?" Ryuji asked angrily. Morgana nodded sadly as he spoke up once more.

"Most likely. I mean, this proves that Kamoshida thinks of them as slaves." Morgana said as Ryuji sighed before speaking up, his tone much less angry and more sad.

"So it might be for real...I heard Kamoshida's usin' physical punishment. They're just rumors, but...IF they're true, wouldn't this be something to report to the police? I'll use these guys as evidence. If it all goes well, we can take down that asshole Kamoshida!" Ryuji said as he pulled out his phone to try and take pictures of the scene for evidence but frowned when it didn't work, making him speak up once more angrily.

"Huh? It's not workin'!? We can use the navigation app, but the camera's a no-go!?" Ryuji asked angrily as Morgana looked at him in confusion and spoke up.

"A navigation app?" Morgana asked as Ryuji nodded while trying to make his phone work.

"That's what we used to come here." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up at that point to explain.

"Basically, it's a weird app that installed itself onto Ren's phone that led us here. Not sure why it happened, but it did." Kusa explained and before Morgana could do more than nod, Ryuji had spoken up once again.

"What about yours?" Ryuji asked Kusa and Ren who pulled out their phones, but got no result, much like Ryuji did.

"Neither of our phones' camera apps will open...that's odd." Kusa said in confusion as he tried to get his phone to open the camera app. Morgana jumped, speaking up warily.

"Whatever you're gonna do is fine, but we're gonna get caught if we stand around like this. We need to head back!" Morgana said as Kusa and Ren nodded before Ryuji frowned.

"Hang on a sec! There's no other way... I'll just memorize their faces before goin' home!" Ryuji said as Kusa and Ren reluctantly nodded agreement as they kept moving.

"Mkay, let's check the cells 'round there." Ryuji said as the others nodded while they kept moving. The first cell had some slaves running on a treadmill and panting.

"W-Water..." One of the slaves said as they kept running.

"Urgh...Please, no more..." Another slave said while running, making Ryuji frown as he spoke up.

"Not givin' athletes water even for tough trainin' is a common thing in the real world too...That sack of shit! I'm gonna try and memorize all these guys' faces before we go back...Mkay, I'm done. Let's check and see if there's any more!" Ryuji said as the group nodded and kept moving. The next cell over had a single slave in it who looked at the group in a deadpan way before speaking up.

"I don't know what you're here for, but leave us alone..." The slave said as Ryuji frowned.

"What're you talkin' about!? You're seriously okay with this!? Tch...I guess there's no point tryin' to talk to 'em..." Ryuji said as the group kept moving. The next, and as it turns out, last cell had a slave wincing as he had volleyballs literally fired at his body.

"Agh! Gah! It hurts... It hurts!" The slave said in clear agony. Ryuji frowned as he spoke up once more.

"The hell..? This ain't trainin' at all...It's just violence!" Ryuji said as Kusa nodded his agreement before speaking up.

"It's freaking inhumane is what it is. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy!" Kusa said huffily as Ryuji nodded agreement and spoke up.

"Exactly. This means he's been doin' something similar in reality too, right...? Damn that bastard...!" Ryuji said as Ren and Morgana exchanged annoyed glares before the former spoke up in an annoyed tone.

"I agree that this is messed up, but can we hurry it up?" Ren said. Ryuji nodded as he spoke up.

"I know, I know... Just gimme a sec. I'll memorize 'em quick." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up at that point.

"What're your thoughts?" Morgana asked the group before speaking up once more.

"Hey, are you done yet!? We're cutting it close here!" Morgana rebuked Ryuji who frowned at Morgana and spoke up.

"Don't freak me out like that, you goddamn moron! Anyways, I got all of 'em!" Ryuji said happily making Morgana huff before speaking up.

"Then let's stop wasting time! We need to scram!" Morgan said as Ryuji and Kusa nodded agreement as the group kept moving. The only other cell had a lone slave in it who frowned at the group and spoke up.

"I don't want people to glare at me like they do to you...Don't drag me into your mess..." The slave said as Ryuji frowned.

"You mean you WANT to be treated like this!?" Ryuji said angrily as Kusa gently put a calming hand on Ryuji's shoulder and spoke up.

"These aren't real people, Ryuji. Save your anger for the one who deserves it-Kamoshida." Kusa said firmly making Ryuji nod.

"Right, let's go." Ryuji said as the group kept moving. After a bit of running, Morgana spoke up once more.

"Hurry! We need to get out of here, quick!" Morgana said as the group kept moving. After a bit, Ryuji spoke up.

"All right, we're back. We gotta get outta here, quick!" Ryuji said as the group heard the sounds of a guard's voice speaking.

"The watch post near the training hall has ceased reporting! Chances of intruder activity are extremely high! All personnel, increase security measures!" The group heard as a guard ran past the area near them, making Morgana groan as he spoke up.

"Oh, man...Tch, we've stayed here too long...Come on, let's get out of here!" Morgana said as the group kept running until Morgana spoke up once more.

"The exit's this way! Let's hurry!" Morgana said as the group moved forward, finding themselves back at the entrance hall, only to be greeted by a small detachment of guards, and of course Kamoshida himself who huffed as he recognized the group.

"Ugh! You knaves again? To think you'd make the same mistake again. You're hopeless!" Kamoshida chastised the group as Ryuji frowned and stepped forward.

"The school ain't your castle! I've memorized their faces real good. You're going down!" Ryuji said threateningly to Kamoshida who scoffed and spoke up.

"It seems it's true when they say 'barking dogs seldom bite.' How far the star runner of the track team has fallen." Kamoshida chided Ryuji who huffed and spoke up.

"What the hell are you gettin' at!?" Ryuji asked making Kamoshida smirk as he spoke up.

"I speak of the 'Track Traitor' who acted in violence, ending his teammates' dreams. Oh, I can only imagine the pain of the others who were dragged under with your... selfish act." Kamoshida said mockingly to Ryuji who frowned and huffed at this point.

"Ngh..." Ryuji said as Ren and Kusa exchanged looks with each other before speaking up at the same time.

"Violence?" Ren asked while Kusa frowned at the term Kamoshida had called Ryuji.

"Track traitor?" Kusa asked as Morgana just watched. Kamoshida looked at Ren and Kusa in surprise before speaking up.

"What a surprise...So you're accompanying him without knowing anything at all? He betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes, yet he still carries on as carefree as ever." Kamoshida said making Ryuji wince as he spoke up huffily.

"Ugh...that's not true!" Ryuji said insistently, but Kamoshida spoke up before Ren or Kusa could reply to Ryuji's denial.

"What a tragedy... You've blindly trusted this fool, and he's led you right to your death." Kamoshida said as he turned away, looking at the guards.

"Hurry up and dispose of them... I can't stand their stench." Kamoshida said as the guards shifted forms and turned into black horses making Ryuji wince.

"Goddammit..." Ryuji said in shock as Ren and Morgana rushed forward, Kusa ducking to the side for safety.

"Ryuji, move!" Morgana said to Ryuji as he and Ren charged into battle, only to find they were surrounded.

"Ngh... we're surrounded!" Morgana said as one of the horses spoke up in a deranged-sounding voice.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you 'cause King Kamoshida told us! I'll kill 'cause that's what he wants!" The horse said as the enemies rushed Ren and Morgana. Morgana tried to fight back, but he couldn't cut them down faster than they multiplied.

"There's more of them? This is bad..." Morgana said as the Shadows knocked down both Ren and Morgana. Kamoshida then stepped on Morgana as the battle ended. Morgana grunted in pain before speaking up.

"Rgh... You piece of..." Morgana said as Kamoshida stepped on him while another guard stepped on Ren. Kamoshida then glared at Ryuji.

"I bet you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this, isn't that right?" Kamoshida chastised Ryuji who huffed.

"No..." Ryuji said as Kamoshida laughed, speaking up once more.

"What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly...How dare you raise your hand at me! Though it was only temporary, have you forgotten my kindness in supervising track practice?" Kamoshida said as Kusa glared at the guards stepping on Morgana and Ren while Ryuji huffed as he spoke up to Kamoshida.

"Wasn't no practice- it was physical abuse! You just didn't like our team!" Ryuji said accusingly as Kamoshida scoffed and spoke up more.

"It was nothing but an eyesore! The only one who needs to acieve results is ME! That coach who got fired was hopeless too...Had he not opposed me with a sound argument, I would've settled it with only breaking his star's leg." Kamoshida said as Ryuji gasped in shock at what Kamoshida said, Kusa also gasping from where he was crouched down. Kamoshida scoffed as he spoke up once more, ignoring Ryuji's surprised 'What?' as he spoke up.

"Do you need me to deal with your other leg too? The school will call it self-defense anyway!" Kamoshida said as Ryuji frowned from where he was on his knees.

"Dammit...am I gonna lose again? Not only can I not run anymore...The track team's gone too 'cause of this asshole.." Ryuji said as Morgana looked at Ryuji in understanding, speaking up in a sympathetic tone.

"So that's why..." Morgana said as Kamoshida stepped on Morgana a bit harder, drawing a cry of pain from Morgana as a result. Kamoshida glared at Ryuji.

"Once these two are dealt with, you and that coward hiding behind that shelf're next. Hahahaha...!" Kamoshida said, making Morgana cry out, 'Ryuji!' even as Kusa gave a horrified gasp at his hiding place being discovered. He then ran out and put a shoulder on Ryuji's arm as he spoke up, outraged at being called a coward.

"HOW DARE YOU!? If anyone's a coward here, it's YOU! So what if Ryuji acted in violence and ended the track team's dreams!? If they were that fragile that they'd end over Ryuji standing up for himself, then they weren't that strong of dreams to begin with, were they!? Not to mention, who tries to have abuse justified as self-defense!? Even if that IS the case, you're the adult! You shouldn't have to resort to violence! That's just fucked up!" Kusa snapped, making Ryuji AND Morgana look at him in surprise at his outburst.

"Ryuji! Kusa!" Morgana called out from under Kamoshida's foot, Ren being helpless to do more than glare, though he did muster up the strength to speak up.

"Don't let him win, you two! Stand up for yourselves!" Ren called out making Kusa look at Ren while he helped Ryuji to his feet, after which he nodded to Ren's words.

"You're right. Everything that was important to me was taken by him... I'll never get 'em back!" Ryuji said as he struggled to stay on his feet while Kamoshiida huffed.

"Stay there and watch! Look on as these hopeless scum die for nothing because they sided with trash like you." Kamoshida said as Kusa glared at his calling Ren and Morgana trash as he got Ryuji to his feet, at which point both of them glared at Kamoshida while Ryuji spoke up.

"No..that's what YOU are...All you think about is usin' people...YOU're the real scumbag, Kamoshida!" Ryuji said as Kusa nodded his agreement.

"What Ryuji said...and what's more, how DARE you use our friends as bargaining chips like that, much less threaten them! Time for you to get what you deserve!" Kusa said as he and Ryuji advanced towards Kamoshida, their knuckles cracking in anticipation. Kamoshida frowned as he spoke up.

"What are you two doing!?" Kamoshida called as he looked to his guards.

"Silence them both!" Kamoshida called out. Ryuji then snapped at that point, looking at Kamoshida with a hateful glare as he spoke up.

"Stop lookin' down on me with that stupid smile on your face!" Ryuji said as Kusa nodded before adding in his two cents.

"And don't think we'll go down without a fight either. You see Kamoshida, unlike YOU, we fight for what's right! And when you do that, there's no limit to what you can do!" Kusa said vehemently as both he and Ryuji started grabbing their heads at that moment, the screen cutting to split shots of him and Ryuji...

(Ryuji's Awakening-Ryuji's POV)

"You made me wait quite a while." I heard inside of my head as I grabbed my head in pain.

"A-Aaagh!" I yelled out in pain as I heard the voice speak up once more while I grabbed at my face in pain, screaming in agony.

"You seek power, correct? Then let us form a pact. Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc? The 'other you' who exists within desires it thus...I am thou, thou art I...There is no turning back. The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!" I heard as I saw a flash of blue light around me as I felt my outfit change to a similar one to the one Ren had gotten, but mine was more leathery and biker-like, with a skull mask to complete the ensemble...

(Kusa's Awakening-Kusa's POV)

I felt a painful ache in my head, and grabbed at my face as I heard a voice speaking to me in my mind.

"As usual, you choose your own time for and have your own way of doing things, don't you Kusa? But now you've reached your awakening. At this time, you can come into your TRUE power! And the other you who slumbers within you is overjoyed to be awakened at long last! Vow to me! I am thou... Thou art I... Much like thy mythological counterpart, allow thy roar to awaken thee to thy true power and let thy skin be thickened with the scales of your iron will as you fight for justice!" I heard as I got to my feet, my outfit changing in a flash of blue light, my usual clothes replaced by a green overcoat, black muscle undershirt, brown scaly gloves, dark green leather jeans, black boots and a horned green mask to complete the look.

(Both awakenings-neutral POV)

The captain of the guards glared at Ryuji and Kusa as they got to their feet, masks on their faces as they glared at the guard captain who spoke up.

"Hmph. What can you do? Cower in fear and watch!" The guard captain said as he glared at Ryuji who grabbed his face at the same time Kusa did.

"Aah...Nnnngh... Hraaaaaaaaagh!" Ryuji said as Kusa also tugged at the mask on his own face.

"Urgh...nyegh...Rraaagh!" Kusa said as he and Ryuji pulled the masks off their faces, twin bursts of blue light blinding the room temporarily as they awakened to their powers as one, and when the light died down, Ryuji's outfit, which was a black leather coat, black leather jeans, yellow gloves, a red necktie and black boots, was finally visible as he and Kusa glared down Kamoshida, beings behind both of them. Ryuji's was a pirate on a ship, whereas Kusa's was a literal dragon glaring at Kamoshida in barely concealed disgust, agreeing with Kusa's disdain for him. Ryuji and Kusa exchanged nods before Kamoshida blanched as he spoke up.

"Ugh...These two as well!?" Kamoshida asked in disbelief and shock as he saw Kusa and Ryuji give off similar light shows to what Ren had when he transformed before Ryuji spoke up at that point, looking pleased at his new outfit as he spoke, Kusa smirking next to him.

"Right on... Wassup, Persona...This effin' rocks! Now that I've got this power, it's time for payback!" Ryuji said excitedly as Kusa spoke up.

"Couldn't have put it better myself, Ryuji! At last, our turn to step up and demonstrate our skills and prove we can hold our own just as much as Ren and Morgana-sensei can!" Kusa added as he shared a pleased smirk with Ryuji while he helped Ren and Morgana to their feet after the people stepping on them took wary steps backward.

"Now that I've got this power, it's time for payback...Yo, I'm ready. BRING IT!" Ryuji said as he and Kusa exchanged a look before nodding.

"Come forth..." Ryuji said as Kusa also spoke up.

"Show us your might..." Kusa said as the two simultaneously invoked their Personas' names.

"CAPTAIN KIDD!/SMAUG!" Ryuji and Kusa said simultaneously as their Personas fully manifested. The guard captain huffed as he glared at the quartet.

"Ngh...Don't mock me, you brats!" The guard captain yelled out as he turned into a red armored being on a horse. Ryuji pointed at the being

"Blast him away...Captain Kidd!" Ryuji said. Kusa then spoke up, not wanting to be left out.

"Show them your red-hot rage...Smaug!" Kusa said as Ren and Morgana joined them in time for the real battle to begin. The red-armored being huffed as they spoke up.

"What troublemakers that bother King Kamoshida with trifle matters!" The being said as Ryuji spoke up, smirking.

"Kamoshida's cognition ain't changin', right? Then I'll act like the troublemaker I am! Let's do this, Captain Kidd!" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"Don't hog ALL the fun, Ryuji. You're not the only one that awakened here, you know. That said, let's show 'em what we got, Smaug!" Kusa said as Ryuji smirked. After that, the two then made short work of the Shadows with Ren and Morgana's help. After the battle, the red-armored being glared at them from where he was slumped onto his horse.

"I am... a loyal subject... of the glorious King Kamoshida...So why... have I lost!?" The red-armored being asked as Ryuji and Kusa chuckled.

"Because you, pardon the pun, backed the wrong horse. That and as I said previously, when you fight for what's right, there's no limit to what you can accomplish." Kusa said, as Ren and Morgana facefaulted at the pun he cracked while Ryuji chuckled before adding in his two cents.

"It just proves that Kamoshida ain't anything special." Ryuji said smugly as the battle finished. Ryuji and Kusa then hunched over to catch their breaths after the battle. Ryuji then glared at Kamoshida when he was recovered enough to speak and spoke up.

"How 'bout that!?" Ryuji said confidently to Kamoshida, though Morgana spoke up before Kamoshida could answer Ryuji.

"Whoa... So both Ryuji AND Kusa had the potential too..." Morgana said to himself as Ryuji spoke up once more.

"Even if you apologize now... I ain't forgivin' you!" Ryuji said huffily as Kusa spoke up at that point.

"Nor should you forgive him, Ryuji. Even if he apologizes, what he did was scummy, despicable, and most of all, outright dishonorable!" Kusa said sagely. Kamoshida strode forward as he sneered and spoke up, glaring at Kusa and Ryuji as he spoke.

"I told you that this is MY castle. It seems you still don't understand..." Kamoshida said as not even Morgana could expect what happened at that moment. Kamoshida looked to his left and out from the nearby room walked a scantily-glad blonde girl who was wearing a cat tail with matching ears on her head with a very skimpy bikini, though it was the apparent identity of the girl, rather than her wardrobe, that had Ren and Ryuji gasping while Kusa frowned at the questionable attire on the girl. Ryuji spoke up before he could voice any real objections, however, surprising himself and Ren with what he said next.

"Wh-Takamaki!?" Ryuji said, making Ren's eyes go wide at Ryuji suggesting that this was the blonde girl he'd seen get a ride with Kamoshida the day he and Kusa met Ryuji. Morgana, however, was too busy being enamored with the blonde girl's outfit as he spoke up.

"Oh...Wha...What a meow-volous and beautiful girl..." Morgana said, and once Kusa finished facefaulting from the slight pun that Morgana made, he blinked at Morgana.

"Umm, you DO realize she's just a cognition most likely, right Morgana-sensei?" Kusa asked in confusion at Morgana's apparent infatuation with the blonde girl. Ren and Ryuji on the other hand were cringing at the blonde girl wrapping herself around Kamoshida in an almost loving manner, making the former look visibly disgusted while the latter frowned at the display before speaking up.

"What's going on!?" Ryuji asked as Ren frowned before speaking up.

"Something seems off here. And I don't just mean Morgana's odd infatuation with Takamaki either." Ren said. Ryuji looked at Ren, smirking at the subtle burn on the cat-like being currently gaping at Takamaki as he spoke up.

"Yeah, now that you mention it...But WHY is she even here!?" Ryuji asked, frowning even more visibly as he saw Kamoshida cup his finger around Takamaki's chin in a tender, almost affectionate, manner, making both Ren and Ryuji cringe, while Kusa frowned at the unprofessional display by Kamoshida. Ryuji then spoke up, getting angry.

"Hey! Let go of her, you perv!" Ryuji snapped at Kamoshida, who huffed as he spoke up once more.

"How many times must I tell you until you understand? This is MY castle- a place in which I can do whatever I want. Everyone wishes to be beloved by me. That is, everyone besides slow-witted thieves like you." Kamoshida said as Ryuji frowned but Kusa spoke up before Ryuji could say a word in response to the taunt.

"Excuse you!? I don't care if this IS your castle, that's not okay! Slow-witted or not, Ryuji's still a good guy! Sure he's probably made some mistakes, but who hasn't? Besides, I'd rather be a slow-witted, but good-hearted man like Ryuji than a cold-hearted, disgusting excuse for a man like you. So don't EVER try to judge people like you know everything, because you don't know everything." Kusa said angrily. Ryuji nodded appreciatively to Kusa's defense of him as he spoke up.

"Thanks, Kusa. Hey, Takamaki! Say somethin'!" Ryuji said as Morgana shook his head at that moment, speaking up in realization.

"Calm down, Ryuji. It seems that girl isn't the real one. She's the same as those slaves- a being made from Kamoshida's cognition of her!" Morgana said as Kusa nodded while Kamoshida spoke up in an arrogant tone.

"Are you jealous?" Kamoshida asked as Ren frowned before speaking up.

"Of a dirtbag like you? Absolutely not! Besides, I doubt very much the real Takamaki would EVER willingly let you hold her that close, much less be that affectionate to you!" Ren said, recalling his previous encounters with Takamaki and frowning as he remembered her saying 'lies!' the day he'd sat behind her in class, making him sure she hates Kamoshida. Ryuji and Kusa nodded their agreement, though Kamoshida mistook their nods as nods of affirmation and spoke up.

"Well, I'm not surprised. Women aren't drawn to problematic punks like you." Kamoshida said as Kusa frowned at being called 'problematic.'

"Dammit." Ryuji said simply while Kusa sputtered at Kamoshida insulting him and Ryuji. Kamoshida spoke up once more, frowning.

"Clean them up this instant!" Kamoshida called out as tons more guards appeared. Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"We're outnumbered...Let's scram before we get surrounded!" Morgana said as Ryuji sputtered before speaking up.

"We're not gonna do anything and just run!?" Ryuji asked angrily as Kusa huffed.

"Unfortunately not. As much as I agree Kamoshida needs to pay, now's not the time." Kusa said sagely as Ren nodded.

"Exactly. Not to mention, we can't die here. So just shut up and go." Ren said bluntly, not wanting to stay around the place they were in longer than he had to. Morgana nodded approvingly to Ren and Kusa as he spoke up.

"Thank god the two of you have got level heads." Morgana said approvingly as Ryuji huffed before speaking up.

"Ngh...Fine." Ryuji said before glaring at Kamoshida as he kept speaking.

"We'll expose what you really are, no matter what! You better be ready for us!" Ryuji said threateningly as Kamoshida laughed at him mockingly before speaking up.

"Hahaha! I was beginning to get bored of torturing the ones here! Come at me whenever you want, if you don't care about your life! Haaaahahaha!" Kamoshida taunted Ryuji as Morgana spoke up, sensing Ryuji's anger mounting as he spoke.

"Ignore him. Let's go!" Morgana said as he ran off, Ren, Kusa and Ryuji following suit. Once outside, Kusa and Ryuji had to catch their breath again, worn out a bit from running plus awakening their Personas. Ryuji recovered enough to speak up once more.

"Anyways!" Ryuji said before looking down at his outfit, surprised at the amount of metal on it, between the metallic knuckles, the metal buckle on his belt that had a ring of shotgun shells on it, his iron kneepads and his leather steel-toed boots. Ren smirked as he spoke up to tease Ryuji a bit.

"It looks good on you, though it does make you look like a thug a bit." Ren said as Kusa frowned, looking at his own outfit at that moment and speaking up.

"Oh whoa, I think my outfit changed too, but mine's much more leathery than either of yours." Kusa said in surprise. Morgana nodded approvingly.

"Very nice, Kusa. It looks good on you, even if it does make you look a bit draconic." Morgana remarked. Ryuji then frowned as he spoke up.

"Uhh, should I be happy about that, Ren?" Ryuji said as Kusa huffed.

"I doubt he meant it as an insult, so yeah you should be happy about it I think. Besides, would you rather have a thuggish-looking outfit like you have, or a draconic-looking one like I seem to have?" Kusa pointed out. Ryuji chuckled at that, smirking as he spoke up while looking at Ren.

"That's true, Kusa. And to be fair, it's not nearly as bad as Ren's. Ren's just looks like a glorified butler's outfit." Ryuji joked as Ren rolled his eyes. At that point the group heard voices from inside.

"Did you find them!?" A guard said. Morgana spoke up quietly, drawing Kusa, Ren and Ryuji's attention effortlessly as he spoke.

"Quiet!" Morgana said as another guard spoke up at that point.

"No! Search that way!" The second guard said as Ryuji frowned before speaking up.

"So what's goin' on? I'm completely lost, man!" Ryuji said in confusion making Morgana huff as he spoke up again.

"I told you before. When a Persona-user opposes a Palace's ruler and becomes a threat to them, this happens. It's to prevent you from being affected by distortions." Morgana said as Kusa nodded in understanding as he spoke up.

"Ah, so like a safeguard or safety net of sorts to avoid becoming distorted ourselves while in a Palace. Do I have that about right?" Kusa asked as Morgana nodded while Ryuji spoke up looking at his mask in surprise.

"Is this... a skull?" Ryuji asked, as Morgana nodded and spoke up once more.

"Your appearance reflects your inner self. It's the rebel that slumbers within...Not that you'll get it." Morgana said snarkily making Kusa chuckle at the dry wit. Ryuji hung his head as he spoke up, his answer completely expected for Morgana.

"Mmm, nope." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up at that point.

"For now, just go with the logic that it's a good thing and don't ask questions. That's for another time." Kusa said as Morgana nodded.

"Exactly! Stop asking questions and accept what you see for what it is." Morgana said brusquely as Ryuji huffed and crossed his arms before speaking up.

"Easy for you to say...you three are much quicker on the uptake than me." Ryuji said huffily as Kusa rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry that you have a hard time comprehending things Ryuji, but now isn't the time to address that." Kusa said as Ryuji blanched and gasped as he spoke up again.

"Oh! Wait, we're in deep shit!" Ryuji said as Morgana huffed and spoke up again.

"I said to be quiet!" Morgana said as Ryuji ignored him to speak up again.

"We might've gotten away here, but we're still screwed with Kamoshida at the real school..." Ryuji said as Morgana huffed before speaking up.

"That's quite sharp of you! ...For being an idiot. Relax, the Kamoshida in reality can't possibly know about what happens here. A Shadow is the true self that is suppressed-a side of one's personality they don't want to see." Morgana explained to Ryuji who scratched the back of his head as he spoke up once more.

"So...we're okay?" Ryuji asked as Kusa and Ren rolled their eyes while Morgana spoke up.

"Did the Kamoshida in reality remember about the execution?" Morgana asked as Ryuji's eyes went wide as he realized that Kamoshida in reality didn't say a word about an execution, making Morgana grin smugly at Ryuji as he spoke up once more.

"Well, there you have it." Morgana said as Ryuji spoke up, rotating his arm as he spoke in an excited tone.

"All right! Now that we know that, all we gotta do is-" Ryuji said before Morgana cut him off by speaking up.

"Wait. I guided you as promised. Now it's your turn to cooperate with me." Morgana said as Ren and Ryuji blinked in confusion while Kusa nodded his understanding.

"That's why I was super nice about teaching you idiots everything." Morgana said as Kusa frowned before speaking up at that point.

"Now hold on a moment, Morgana-sensei. While I can't argue with you calling Ryuji an idiot, isn't it a bit harsh to say the same thing about Ren? Ren knows what he's doing for the most part even if he does tend to get me caught up in his shenanigans most of the time, often to my detriment. But he's still my brother so I can't stay objective while you call him an idiot." Kusa said. Morgana frowned at Kusa before speaking up.

"Fair enough, Ren's not an idiot then." Morgana said as he conceded Kusa's point at that. Ryuji then frowned as he spoke up.

"Huh? Cooperate?" Ryuji asked and Morgana nodded as he spoke up once more.

"Don't you remember? I originally came here for an investigation. I need to erase the distortion from my body and regain my true form! That's why we must delve deep into Mementos and-" Morgana said before Skull cut him off by speaking up.

"Whoa, hold up. What're you going on and on about? We never said anything about helping you out." Ryuji said as Ren nodded his agreement while Kusa spoke up.

"Technically, we owe Morgana-sensei for helping us out, so whether we said anything about it or not, we still should help him out. Granted, I don't know that we have time today since who knows how long has passed in the real world while we were in here!? After all, the last time we were in here, we found out we'd missed half a school day in the real world. So for all we know it could be past curfew in the real world." Kusa said calmly. Morgana frowned at Ren and Ryuji as he spoke up, not hearing Kusa's words as a result.

"Huh? Don't tell me... Are you not going to repay the hospitality I showed you?" Morgana said as Kusa spoke up again.

"I can't speak for them, but I don't mind helping you out at some point. Just maybe not today since it could be rather late in the real world for all we know and I don't think you want me, Ryuji and Ren getting in trouble helping you out, do you?" Kusa said as Morgana kept pouting and speaking, ignoring Kusa's attempts at placating him to yell at Ren.

"Especially YOU! You're going to up and leave, even though you're already part of my master plan!?" Morgana asked Ren who frowned at the guilt trip the cat-like being was trying to use on him while Kusa frowned for a different reason as he spoke up.

"Wait, wait plan? I don't recall you mentioning a plan until now, Morgana-sensei?" Kusa asked in curiosity. Morgana ignored Kusa once again to rage at Ren and Ryuji.

"Is it because I'm not human? Because I'm like a cat? Is that why you're making a fool of me!?" Morgana said as Ryuji huffed.

"We're busy." Ryuji said rather rudely to Morgana. He then kneeled down to look Morgana in the eyes.

"Thanks for everything, cat. You've got guts, bein' a cat and all! See you around!' Ryuji said to Morgana as Kusa huffed before walking up and gently petting Morgana on the head.

"Sorry we can't help you right now, Morgana-sensei, but we really need to get home before we get in trouble for being out past curfew if it's past curfew. Maybe next time we see you, we'll help you out with your plan. How's that?" Kusa said to Morgana as he gently gave the cat-like being an affectionate pat on the head before lightly giving him a one-armed hug so as not to squish him. Ren and Ryuji then ran off without another word, Kusa lingering behind enough to give a regretful look to Morgana before reluctantly following his friends, leaving Morgana to huff angrily as he raged at the departing trio.

"Hey! What the hell!? Ugh, seriously!? Why're you wrapping this up like everything's hunky-dory!? Oh hell no! Get back here! Grrr...GRAAAGGGHHH!" Morgana said angrily with a pout, before smiling and subconsciously purring as he recalled the petting Kusa gave him, which calmed him down a bit though he still resolved to track the trio down so he could give them, mostly Ren and Ryuji, but somewhat Kusa too, a piece of his mind...

(Back in the real world)

Ren looked at his phone which was speaking to him, being the only one with enough energy to do so, due to Ryuji and Kusa having to prop themselves up on nearby buildings as they caught their breath to recover from the energy they'd exerted earlier.

"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back." Ren's phone said as Ryuji managed to get over his huffing enough to speak up to Ren.

"Oh, thank god... We're back. Ugh, I dragged you two around a lot, huh? Sorry guys." Ryuji said apologetically as Ren waved off the apology with a smirk while Kusa just nodded his acceptance of the apology, not quite able to speak just yet. Ryuji then spoke up once more.

"Ugh, I'm dead tired...How're you two holding up?" Ryuji asked Ren and Kusa. The former of the two shrugged as if to say he was fine. Kusa, on the other hand, sighed as he spoke up.

"I'm fairly beat myself. But that's probably because you and I both spent a lot of energy earlier between the running and other shenanigans." Kusa said as he finally recovered enough to speak up, making Ren chuckle as he spoke to the two of them.

"Sounds like what I went through when I went through my awakening to save you two from doom." Ren said with a smirk, making Ryuji and Kusa nod in understanding. Ryuji nodded to Ren as he spoke up at that point.

"That's impressive. I'm exhausted, even though I used to do track...But damn, if what we saw was for real, ohh, this is gonna get good! I totally remember the faces of the guys Kamoshida was treatin' like slaves. Once we make them fess up to any physical abuse, Kamoshida will be done. So... wanna help me look for those guys or any witnesses?" Ryuji asked as Ren stroked his chin in thought, as did Kusa before they exchanged a look and both nodded.

"Sure, we'll help." Ren said as Kusa spoke up, smirking as he spoke.

"Darn right we'll help. Sure, you're not the brightest there is, but you've got a good heart. And as I said before, I'd rather help you than go anywhere near being like that scumbag Kamoshida." Kusa said, gritting his teeth slightly as he recalled what he and the others had seen earlier. Ryuji smirked as he spoke up, looking at Ren and Kusa happily as he spoke.

"Aw, yeah! Now THAT's what I'm talkin' about!" Ryuji said with a grin before his expression got serious as he looked at Ren as he kept speaking.

"Hey, so...If you're thinkin' of layin' low because you got a record, I don't think that'll help...Everyone already knows. They totally got you pegged as a criminal." Ryuji said. Kusa huffed in annoyance as he spoke up at that point.

"Of freaking course they do. Why wouldn't they know!?" Kusa huffed angrily, outraged on Ren's behalf at what Ryuji had said, making Ren smile as he spoke up.

"Easy, Kusa. I'm not pleased to hear that everyone knows about my record either, but it's not Ryuji's fault, so let's not shoot the messenger here. That said, How'd that happen?" Ren asked, curious to know how it was spread, though he had a good guess. Ryuji's next words confirmed that guess for Ren.

"Kamoshida opened his damn mouth!" Ryuji said as Ren and Kusa blinked.

"Seriously!?" Ren said in disbelief while Kusa huffed and frowned as he spoke up.

"A teacher did that? Granted, we are talking about an absolute freaking scumbag like Kamoshida, so I can believe him doing it, but still a teacher did that? Isn't that not allowed for a teacher?" Kusa asked in surprise. Ryuji nodded to Ren's response, turning to Kusa as he spoke up once more.

"No one else but a teacher could've leaked it that fast! It doesn't matter if it's a student or a club, that asshole just wrecks things he doesn't agree with. Just like he did with me!" Ryuji said angrily before calming down a bit as he kept speaking, seeing the mixed sympathy and anger in Kusa's eyes and the understanding gaze in Ren's eyes.

"No one'll take anything I say seriously. Still, those rumors about him gettin' physical might be real. And after seeing Kamoshida's distorted-heart thing in person, there's no way I can just sit back!" Ryuji said fervently as Kusa and Ren nodded their agreement, the former frowning in worry as the latter spoke up with a soft smile.

"Of course." Ren said as Kusa frowned as he spoke up, his tone mildly uncertain sounding as he spoke.

"I feel you Ryuji, but is it really that easy? After all, you and Ren are both on pretty thin ice right now, and I wouldn't be surprised if people are gunning for you two. However, you should know Ren and I take you seriously, man. We've got your back." Kusa said, smiling as he gave Ryuji a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Ryuji spoke up in surprise.

"You gotta do this! I'll help out, too!" Ryuji said as Ren and Kusa looked at each other before both nodding as the latter spoke up.

"Peace, Ryuji. We plan to help you out. I was just expressing some concerns about possible ramifications of your plan that you should consider." Kusa said. Ryuji nodded as he spoke up.

"I get it. I thought this through before I suggested it, so no worries Kusa! That said, I'm countin' on you guys! Don't worry- I'm hyped about this too!" Ryuji said as Ren smiled, sensing a bond of trust from Ryuji...

(Fast-forward back to the interrogation room with Sae and Joker, neutral POV)

"Acting as a phantom thief would've been more efficient alone. You could've gone about it that way...However, you did not. There are merits to having associates. That's what you decided. Am I wrong?" Sae said as she glared into Joker's eyes confidently...

(Back in the present with Ren, Kusa and Ryuji, neutral POV)

"I am thou...thou art I...Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall be the wings of freedom that breaketh thy chains of captivity. With the birth of the Chariot Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power." Ren heard in his head as he saw an arcana card appear in his mind's eye that read 'Chariot' before it vanished after showing it was at rank 1. At that point, Ren's attention was grabbed by Ryuji's stomach grumbling.

"Oh...Right. I haven't eaten anything since lunch." Ryuji said before looking at Ren and Kusa as he kept speaking.

"It'd be weird splitting off here, so why don't we grab a bite somewhere?" Ryuji suggested. Kusa frowned at this.

"Do any of us have the money to cover food? I'm pretty sure Sakura-san handles Ren and I's finances as far as I know. Maybe you have a job that lets you have spending money though, Ryuji." Kusa said uncertainly as Ren chuckled.

"Peace, Kusa. I have enough pocket money that I can pay for a meal for us three if needed." Ren said to Kusa who nodded and relaxed. He then turned to Ryuji.

"Sure, we're down for some food. We splittin' the bill then?" Ren said. Kusa frowned as a thought occurred to him.

"Wait, what sort of food are we talking about here?" Kusa asked, more curious than anything. Ryuji smirked as he spoke up.

"Don't worry about it. Just follow me. I mean, I totally gotta hear about your past." Ryuji said, not seeing the uneasy glance Ren and Kusa exchanged at his mention of their past. The trio then went to a restaurant that Ryuji picked out, which turned out to be a ramen establishment, and quite good. As they ate, Kusa and Ren filled Ren in on how they came to be where they are now, minus the parts they went through together of course. When Kusa had finished explaining, Ryuji's jaw dropped as he spoke up.

"WHAT!? The hell, man! How much shittier can that asshole get!?" Ryuji asked, angry on Ren's behalf. Ren laughed at Ryuji's outrage as he spoke up.

"Calm down, man. It's in the past. Besides, Kusa already gets plenty pissed off about it considering he was all but ordered to accompany me here as an overseer since the courts deemed me, what was it Kusa, a 'danger to myself and others'?" Ren asked as Kusa huffed and spoke up angrily.

"No, Ren! They said you were, and I quote, 'A dangerous flight risk that can't be trusted not to assault others,' even though I disagree. Even Ryuji can tell that claim is a crock of horse shit! Sure, you're an impetuous, headstrong and impulsive idiot most of the time, but you're a good guy when it counts Ren, even if I do give you crap a lot. Besides, that woman wasn't innocent given she could've spoken up for you but didn't. So she's not entirely a victim if you ask me. Also, can you not use words like 'shitty' when people are eating, Ryuji?" Kusa said huffily, frowning as he recalled the day his life was uprooted to basically move long-distance to help keep Ren on the straight and narrow. Ryuji nodded as he spoke up once more.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that Kusa. But just hearin' your story makes me angry! So, you left your hometown and you're livin' here now, huh? We might be more alike than I originally thought." Ryuji said. Ren chuckled at hearing this while Kusa rolled his eyes.

"How so?" Ren asked in curiosity as Kusa huffed before speaking up.

"I hope I'm not about to regret asking this, but...So, what did you do?" Kusa asked.

"Well, I don't got a record like Rem does. I mean, that's not the point. Ugh...I guess it's how we're treated like a pain in the ass by the people around us, like we don't belong. I did something stupid at school before, too." Ryuji said as he scarfed his food down before speaking more.

"The place you're livin' in now is in... Yongen, right? It's rush hour on the subways. I suggest you kill some time before heading home." Ryuji said before frowning as he saw the largely untouched ramen, moving to scoop it into a to-go container, getting raised eyebrows from Kusa and Ren, as the latter spoke up.

"What are you doing?" Ren asked in confusion as Kusa nodded approval of the question as he also spoke up.

"We could've done that ourselves." Kusa said as Ryuji shrugged before grinning as he spoke up.

"Just let me do it. I gotta thank you for helpin' me." Ryuji said before smiling as he changed the subject again.

"Anyways, I got your backs like you got mine from tomorrow on. As long as we do something about Kamoshida, I'm sure we'll both feel better about bein' at school." Ryuji said as Ren nodded with Kusa before Ryuji's eyes widened and he spoke up.

"Oh, yeah!" Ryuji said as he looked at Ren and Kusa.

"Tell me your numbers. Chat IDs too." Ryuji said as Kusa frowned as he spoke up.

"Chat IDs? Are those for text messaging or something?" Kusa asked. Ryuji shook his head.

"Nah man, Chat IDs are for the messenger/chat app on our phones. No one text messages anymore unless it's on a chat app." Ryuji said with a laugh. Ren nodded his agreement as Kusa blinked before speaking up in understanding.

"Ahh, I see...fair enough." Kusa said as he and Ren gave their numbers and chat IDs to Ryuji who gave them his own in return. After they traded contact info, Ryuji smirked as he spoke up eagerly, an excited grin on his face as he spoke.

"Just you wait, Kamoshida...We're gonna start right away tomorrow. First, let's hit up those guys that were kept as slaves." Ryuji said as he kept speaking, his expression one of disgust at the subject he was about to bring up, and his words made Kusa blink in surprise.

"The volleyball rally's tomorrow, huh? Shit's recommended by Kamoshida. Makes me wanna gag. Buuut, thanks to that, we got no classes in the afternoon and we can walk around unnoticed. Well, I guess we can work out the details tomorrow..." Ryuji said before seeing the still partially uneaten ramen and smirking as he spoke up.

"C'mon, you gotta eat more. There's tons of ginger here." Ryuji said as he spiced the ramen up. After the food was done, the group walked back towards central street where Ryuji spoke up once more.

"So, about this plan to take down Kamoshida..." Ryuji started to say before twin glares from Kusa and Ren cut him off.

"You're being too loud, Ryuji." Ren pointed out calmly as Kusa spoke up.

"Yeah man, I bet the people a couple blocks down the road could hear you. Nah, but for real, lower your voice dude." Kusa said teasingly. Ryujii blinked and nodded.

"Ah- Right." Ryuji said as the group kept walking, unaware of a pair of official looking people walking past them that could've overheard them...

(Back at Shujin with Takamaki, neutral POV)

"...I-I haven't been sleeping well lately...Whenever I close my eyes, I keep thinking about too many things..." A dark-haired girl said to Takamaki who looked at the girl sympathetically, but also in a mix of appreciation and concern since Takamaki considered herself fairly close to the girl, and even secretly thought she was cute. Takamaki then spoke up, her tone one of concern.

"Shiho..." Takamaki said to the now-named Shiho, but trailed off as Shiho spoke up at that point, smiling appreciatively at Takamaki for being there as she spoke up.

"Nationals are coming up soon, so I keep thinking...Should someone like me really be on the starting lineup?" Shiho asked Takamaki who smiled brightly as she spoke up.

"Don't worry. Just be confident in yourself! Your skills have been recognized! It's because you work harder than anyone else!" Takamaki said to Shiho who smiled at her as she looked at Takamaki in mixed appreciation, gratitude and even a bit of respect. Also, she had to keep a hint of pink out of her face as she looked at Takamaki, who she may or may not have found herself being drawn to. She then spoke up after a bit of hesitation, pondering over what to say.

"...Yeah. Volleyball's all I have, after all." Shiho said as Takamaki frowned at that statment before speaking up.

"You have me too, don't you? But more importantly, was that injury really okay? It looked really swollen." Takamaki asked Shiho, who frantically shook her head to affirm that her injury was okay to keep Takamaki from worrying as she spoke up, not wanting Takamaki to worry about her more than she had to, and wanting to seem strong for her.

"No, it's nothing. It's normal... Especially since a meet's coming up..." Shiho said as Takamaki looked at her and spoke up.

"Ugh..." Takamaki said, but before she could say anymore to try and either comfort or reassure Shiho, the blue-haired male who'd been on duty for the second years apprached the two and spoke up, looking at Shiho as he spoke.

"Sorry to interrupt, Suzui. Um... Mister Kamoshida told me to get you." The male said as Shiho looked at him in surprise before speaking up.

"Huh? What does he want?" Shiho asked the male who frowned before speaking up once more.

"He didn't say..." The male replied making Shiho sigh. She then turned to Takamaki.

"Ann, I..." Shiho said, intending to tell Takamaki, or Ann as she'd called her, not to worry about her and that she was grateful to her for being there for her, but for some reason she couldn't get the words out as Takamaki sighed.

"...It'll be fine! I bet it's a meeting about the starting lineup or something." Takamaki said reassuringly to Shiho who looked at her uncertainly, torn between wanting to tell Takamaki how much she appreciated her and cared for her and wanting her to be right.

"...Yeah. You're probably right. Well, I better go..." Shiho said to Takamaki who nodded, giving Shiho a closed-eye smile to encourage her.

"Yup. Good luck!" Takamaki said to Shiho, hoping she'd be okay in the meeting, and finding herself hesitating on admitting her feelings to Shiho. Shiho nodded and left with the dark-haired male, Takamaki smiling as she watched the two go.

"Hang in there, Shiho..." Takamaki said as she walked off, worried for her best friend...

(Meanwhile, back at Leblanc with Ren and Kusa, neutral POV)

Sojiro looked up as he heard the door open, seeing Ren and Kusa walk in, making him set his paper down to look at them.

"You're both home. I take it you actually went to school today?" Sojiro asked as Ren and Kusa nodded.

"Yes, Sakura-san, we went to school." Kusa said respectfully as Ren nodded.

"Of course we did." Ren added, trying to keep his tone respectful. Sojiro nodded approvingly as he spoke up.

"I guess you learned your lesson after what happened yesterday. Eh, as long as you're not getting into trouble, it's fine by me." Sojiro said before focusing on Ren as he spoke.

"I don't know what you've been up to, but trust me, you'll be gone if you start causing problems. In case you forgot, your life is not a free one right now." Sojiro said as Ren's phone chose that moment to go off, making him look at it and see that Ryuji had messaged.

"Hey, I decided to go ahead and message you. Can you see this?" The message read and Ren quickly sent back a 'Yup.' before getting an immediate reply.

"I'm gonna be counting on you tomorrow, OK?" The message read so Ren looked at it and quickly sent off a 'Got it.' before Ryuji sent back 'You're a bro, man...' prompting Kusa to send (since the chat was techincally a group chat given Kusa was also in it) an 'OI! Being a bro is my job! Nah, but for real, Ren's good people when he wants to be.' making Ren roll his eyes and send back 'thanks Kusa, love you too bro.' as Ryuji sent back a 'LOL, I was joking Kusa. Though you and him are kinda actin' like bros to me. Welp, seeya tomorrow! Let's save those guys who've been getting abused. All three of us.' to which both Kusa and Ren sent back 'Yup, seeya tomorrow!', before putting their phones away as Sojiro frowned at Ren as he spoke up.

"Sheesh, are you even listening to me? Just stay away from bad influences, okay? And especially keep them away from your brother. I don't want him going down the same path you did. Unlike YOU, Kusa's a pretty good kid from what I've seen." Sojiro said making Kusa smile gratefully at the compliment while Ren rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Sakura-san, I'll stay away from bad influences and keep Kusa away from them." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"Thank you for the compliment, Sakura-san. I'm glad you have a good impression of me." Kusa said with a smile as Sojiro nodded.

"No problem. Hey, I'm gonna head home for the night. I'll lock the store up. Don't go wandering out." Sojiro said as Ren and Kusa nodded their understanding before going upstairs. Once upstairs, Ren and Kusa nodded to each other before getting ready for bed, both agreeing it'd been a long day and that they needed rest for the day ahead...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And there we go! Chapter 4 is now done and dusted! Let me just say right now that I'm pretty sure this fic will probably be longer than The Amasawa Files, at least in chapter count if not word count, but if this reaches a high enough chapter count it could beat Amasawa Files in both categories. That being said, let me clarify right now that if there's a lot of spelling/grammar errors when I write Ryuji, that's because that's how the game writes him and I try to keep the characters as close to canon as I can for the most part, barring places where I decide to take liberties, like the one I took in this chapter with Shiho and Ann.

That might or might not have been a teaser for a potential pairing in this story as well, but I won't say if it was or not JUST yet. Not fully decided as yet. Though I WILL say right now that I'm more or less decided on Ren/Sumire as a pairing because a)They're super cute together, b)I ship them, c)Sumire is one of my top three girls I ship Ren with, the other two being Futaba and Hifumi because they're both adorable, and d)It's my story so I can ship them if I want to. On top of that, I've also more or less decided on who Kusa will end up with, but won't say that just yet since a)the girl hasn't appeared yet, b)I want it to be a bit of a surprise, c)I'm still open to changing it so I want to be absolutely sure on it before I say for sure, and d)again, my story so I can do what I want with it, within reason.

That little bit of a diatribe aside, the one other pairing I'm pretty heavily considering is RyujixMakoto since I feel like it could be interesting in execution if done right, plus I feel like of the female thieves only her or possibly Ann might be able (MIGHT being the keyword there) to tolerate Ryuji enough to date him. Outside of those, I'm still undecided on pairings for Yusuke, Haru and even Akechi, though I'm iffy on shipping the latter with anyone given that there's some pretty compelling story reasons in-game that would make it uncertain if it'd be a good idea or not. Though I'm open to suggestions for their pairings. Either way, until next update, sithlorde1988 out!