Thieves Can Be Heroes!

by Mugiwara N0 Luffy

Izuku Midoriya thought he was down on his luck the day that he was convicted of a crime for trying to save someone. As if being Quirkless wasn't enough, how was he supposed to become a hero with a criminal record? As it turns out, fate had another plan for him.

14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I own neither My Hero Academia or Persona

Chapter 14

The trek through the second half of the castle had increased in difficulty as Morgana had said. Sports drinks and medicine couldn't keep their stamina up through the entire palace, the four having to expend more and more energy with each enemy they encountered. Close to three fourths of the way in, Izuku made the decision to pull the team out for the night. With their timeline already established, Izuku thought that waiting another couple days wouldn't do them any harm. With their mounting exhaustion, none of the others complained when Izuku suggested the next day be spent resting before tackling it one once again the coming day.

With the four fully charged and ready to go back in the day after, Izuku and the gang blazed a path through the castle from the route they had secured. Now that they knew their way around through most of the palace, they had been able to avoid a great deal of shadows, helping to conserve their energy for the much larger threats waiting for them closer to the treasure. Their final path led them to an extremely warped room, the floor collapsed in several areas but stairs constantly forming for them as they moved around. After slaying several golden armored Shadows, the only remaining path was now open to them. But one enemy remained in their way, the last golden knight patrolling the area.

"You four shall not pass through here! This is the king's most sacred place!" The shadow proclaimed, pointing its blade at them in disdain. "This tower was erected to show King Kamoshida's might to the world! To tower over all those beneath him. And you shall all pay for even thinking of setting foot in his most sacred throne!"

"Kamoshida's the one who's going to pay, asshole! So shut up and-" Ann began to snap at the Shadow before it suddenly transformed, the black ooze enveloping the armor before exploding out. Much to her shock and disgust, this Shadow was not like any other they had encountered before. It looked similar to Izuku's Persona Slime when it came to body composition and size, but its head was rather… unique. Unique as in it, putting it bluntly, looked like the head of a penis. The mouth sitting blow the head only served to make it look more disgusting.

"Oh my god, that's gross!" Ann blurted out, taking several steps back in pure fear of just being touched by it.

"Hey, focus Panther! It's not that…" Ryuji tried to remind her before getting a good look for himself. Grimacing, the faux blond suddenly realized just how nasty the Shadow truly was. "O-okay, yeah. You're right. That's pretty gnarly…"

"Be careful! It's different than anything we've fought before, so its likely stronger!" Izuku reminded them, doing his best to keep his head in the game and not let the grotesque Shadow distract him.

"Watch out, it's coming!" Morgana warned as the slimy Shadow began to make its approach.

"Dude, phrasing!"

The Shadow lunged with surprising speed at the four, flinging its whole body forward in hopes of smashing its weight against them. Despite their minor distraction, all four were able to dodge in time, though if Ann could she would just keep running away. But knowing that it was the last obstacle in their path to the treasure, Ann quickly regained her resolve. Taking an offensive stance, Panther quickly pulled her mask away.

"Burn it with fire, Carmen! Make it disappear!" Ann roared, using her disgust as a driving point in hopes of destroying it. Her Persona let flames dance in its hands, Carmen quickly lashing out with Agi and igniting the Shadow in flame. Much to Ann's shock, the Shadow only recoiled a bit from her attack. From the look of it, very little damage was done.

"Its resistant to fire! Panther, back away and provide support for now!" Izuku quickly ordered, pulling his mask off and summoning Carter above him. Ann quickly obeyed, having no problem with putting distance between her and the Shadow. "Shine your light! Kouha!"

"Bust that bastard, Captain Kidd!" Ryuji roared out, joining in on the attack. Aiming its cannon forward, his Persona unleashed a volley of lightning upon the grotesque Shadow. Their attacks both hit at the same time, doing a bit of damage each but neither attacks making any noticable dents against it.

"This Shadow is tough! It's resisting all of the elemental damage so far!" Morgana exclaimed in warning, summoning Zorro to test his theory. Swinging the rapier between its fingers, the Persona lashed out with a gust of wind. Like before, the Shadow seemed to only be mildly inconvenienced by the attack, roaring in irritation as it turned its attention toward Ann.

"I'll swallow you whole!" It said, shaking its slimy body before lurching forward at her.

"Aaaah~!" Ann cried out in fear, terrified by the fact that it was singling her out. Before it could go any further, Captain Kidd came sailing in, smashing the front end of its boat straight into the slime. This seemed to work well, this time knocking the Shadow off balance before it could approach Ann any closer than it had.

"Looks like we'll just have to pound on it with physical attacks! Agh, I can't believe I just said that… not to mention I don't wanna touch it either." Ryuji groaned out, quickly stepping up beside Ann. The twin tailed blonde took a small step back so that she was behind Ryuji, ready to use him as a shield should it make another attempt.

"Your pitiful attacks are useless…" The slime croaked in irritation as it readjusted its malformed body. "Against the greatness that is Kamoshida, you will all fall to your knees!"

"Smash!" Izuku cried out, causing the Shadow to crank its body to the side toward him. Carter held one arm out forward with the other gripping the forearm, its middle finger bent forward and held back by its thumb. In one quick flick, the Persona let out a powerful shockwave that blasted against the Shadow's body, sending it tumbling back again.

"Nice shot! That definitely did some damage!" Morgana praised, jumping up next to him. To his surprise, Izuku was letting out heavy breaths, sweat dripping down his brow. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah… it's nothing. Carter's physical attacks are strong, but they take a lot of energy. It's why I'll usually use Kouha instead of his physical moves." Izuku explained, having examined what his Persona was capable of. Thanks to the aid of the Velvet Room, he was able to examine the capabilities of his Personas with greater detail than before.

"I see. Well, be prepared to use a bit more because it doesn't look like it's over yet." Morgana pointed out, drawing the green haired teen's attention up to their enemy. The slime struggled to form fully for a moment before straightening its body. It let out a loud roar before flinging itself forward. Ryuji and Ann cried out in fear, the two quickly jumping out of the way as it aimed specifically for the twin tailed blonde.

"Why does he keep going after me?!" Ann cried out, crocodile tears streaming down her face as she scurried to her feet.

"I would make a guess, but you'd probably hit me." Ryuji joked with hesitation, keeping his attention on the Shadow despite his words.

"Get ready for another attack, Hero. We'll see how much damage it can take." Morgana suggested, summoning Zorro and casting dia, giving Izuku a fair amount of his spent energy back.

Izuku looked up at their enemy before scanning the room. We could keep hitting it with everything we've got, but its taking a lot of damage without looking ready to fall. Have to find another way around that. Think of something to exploit… Izuku mused in thought, trying to come up with a plan. Finally, his eyes landed on one of the perversely shaped pillars modeled after the girls of their school in their gym uniforms. A light bulb went off in his head, a grin forming on Izuku's face.

"Panther! Keep drawing his attention!" Izuku called out, pointing to his right. "Bring him ten meters to the right!"

"Do I have to?!" Ann asked, grimacing as she looked at the Shadow for a moment with no small amount of disgust. Shaking her head furiously, Ann reminded herself of her mission and that her leader knew what he was doing. "O-okay, I'll do it!" Ann nodded, quickly sprinting forward to run past the gelatinous creature. The Shadow croaked in irritation, making an attempt to lunge for Ann again.

"Skull, Mona! Keep it off of her!" Izuku called out, his two teammates already on the move.

"Don't you dare try to approach Panther with that disturbing body of yours!" Morgana growled out, slicing the Shadow across what one might call the face. Ryuji let out a huff as he brought the metal pipe around, smashing it across the top of its strangely shaped head. It recoiled a bit from their attacks, growling in displeasure as it became weary of the two.

Ann skidded against the ground as she came to a stop, turning her attention back to the Shadow. "Alright, I'm here! Now what?!"

"Skull, Mona! Let it through! I need to get it directly under!" Izuku said, Carter appearing above him once more. "Panther, don't move until the very last second! I need him in the right spot to make this work!"

"I'm putting a lot of trust in you here, Hero! Don't let me down!" Ann exclaimed, biting her bottom lip before pulling her whip out. "Hey, ugly! Come here! I'm waiting for you!" she shouted, whipping the ground in front of her to antagonize it. Morgana and Ryuji quickly moved away, the Shadow looking around in confusion before focusing on Ann again. Whatever semblance of reason it might have had before transforming seemed to be gone by now, the Shadow's body trembling with excitement as it let out a roar. It flung itself forward once again, tempting Ann to make a break for it already. But doing as Izuku instructed, she waited until the monstrosity was much closer, knees bent as she prepared to move.

"Now, Panther! Move!" Izuku ordered. Ann didn't have to be told twice, quickly launching herself out of the way as the Shadow made an almost desperate pounce at her. It landed with a thud where she once stood, Izuku grinning at the execution. "Perfect! Now, Smash~!" Carter quickly followed his instructions, the Persona unleashing another powerful flick of its hand and releasing a shockwave. It blasted the Shadow right in the center, causing it to cry out in pain as it was sent flying back. The blob impacted against the pillar, immediately causing it to crack at the base. It didn't take long for the pillar to begin to collapse, falling forward and straight on top of the Shadow. It let out a single cry of fear as the marble started to pummel it into the ground, the unmistakable black ooze exploding as the Shadow was destroyed under its weight.

The four waited a moment for any sign of movement or sound of struggle. When it was clear to them that the Shadow had been disposed, they each breathed out in relief, Ann the most thankful of them all to be done with their disgusting opponent. "I am so done with this place…" She grumbled, leaning on her knees as she considered whether or not to barf.

"Good job, everyone. I think that was our last obstacle. The treasure should be just up ahead." Morgana declared, giving his pawed version of a thumbs up.

"Effin' finally. Time to see what this whole fuss has been about." Ryuji sighed in relief, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he and Ann walked over to Izuku and Morgana. The four moved on from there, moving to the spot they had suspected would start to form their path. As Izuku moved forward, steps began to form in front of him. Nodding back to the three, he continued onward and moved up the constantly building stairs until reaching the door that sat atop the room. Izuku pushed them open, now revealing another flight of steps, eliciting a tired groan from Ryuji and Ann.

"I am gettin' real sick of climbin' stairs…" The faux blond complained, scratching his head in frustration.

"I really wish there was a safe room close by right about now…" Ann whined, feeling weariness in her own legs.

"Come on, everyone. Its only one more push and we should have the treasure in our sights!" Izuku encouraged, trying to stay positive for his teammates. Ann and Ryuji grumbled a bit before nodding, knowing that their journey through the palace was almost over. With a small spurt of energy, the four continued on their way up the winding stairs, the twisting ring going much higher than originally anticipated. After several moments, the four reached the top, Ann and Ryuji sighing in relief.

"About damn ti-" Izuku quickly covered his mouth, putting a finger over his lips to tell him to be silent. Looking ahead, the four saw a single patrolling shadow by a large set of doors. It hadn't taken notice of them yet, strolling further down the hallway and away from them. Waiting a moment for the Shadow to walk further, Izuku made another motion for them to move forward, heading toward the double doors.

"This sure is a fancy set of doors. Ready to go in?" Ryuji asked, only for Izuku to shake his head.

"Considering their size, I'm sure there's a lot more to this room than just the treasure. Only one guard seems inefficient to use right next to the treasure." Izuku suggested, holding his chin in thought.

"Well whatever you do, make it quick! That Shadow will be back soon!" Ann warned, keeping a wary eye on the hall should she see the all too familiar gray armor.

"Up here!" Morgana whisper shouted, pointing to the pillars shaped similarly to the ones from before, quickly hopping on top of the back before motioning upward. "There's an open window just above. We can climb through there."

"Nice spot, Mona. Let's go, everyone!" Izuku said before jumping up. Ryuji and Ann were quick to follow after, feeling a bit more hurried as they heard the sound of the guard approaching from the other end of the hall. Once inside, the four looked around to see that they stood on the upper terrace of a large room, the same scarlet carpet and wallpaper surrounding them that they were familiar with after spending so long running in the castle.

"Alright, we're in!" Ryuji laughed a bit too loudly, quickly being shushed by Morgana.

"Quiet, idiot! Look!" Morgana whisper shouted, pointing over the white marble railing. The four quickly peered over, each widening their eyes as they saw Kamoshida standing at the center of the room, a throne chair just behind him on top of a pedestal. Around him were a plethora of guards, the sight causing the four to grimace at the sheer number of them.

"How have you incompetents not found them yet?!" Kamoshida howled in frustration, yellow eyes glaring down at the Shadows.

"W-we're sorry, your highness. We'll find them soon! It's only a matter of time!" A guard said, bowing its head in hope of mercy.

"I want their heads on my chopping block! If you don't find them soon, it will be your heads instead!" Kamoshida declared, quickly causing all of his guards to bow low to the ground in apology.

"He'd never guess that we were so close by…" Morgana hummed, narrowing his eyes down at the perverted Shadow of the teacher.

"Look, up ahead." Izuku whispered back, his three teammates looking up. Ahead at the end of the path was a set of double doors. It led down into the first floor of the room by a set of stairs, showing its importance to them. "I'm sure that the treasure is here. Lets go."

"Yeah." They answered, the four staying crouched as they moved as quietly as possible. They constantly spared a cautious glance toward the center of the room, thankful that the guards were too distracted by an angry Kamoshida scolding them to notice their presence. Pushing the doors open slowly, Izuku led them inside. Staying at the door and making sure each of them made it inside, Izuku spared a single look at Kamoshida to make sure he hadn't noticed. Seeing that he was still distracted, Izuku quickly but quietly closed the doors behind them. Quickly catching up, Izuku stood in front of the large set of brown doors, taking a deep breath as he prepared himself. "This is it…" He mumbled before pushing the doors open. The four walked inside, eyes widening in amazement as they saw piles of gold coins and loot lying throughout the room.

"Man~, this is amazing! I didn't think it was literal treasure!" Ryuji whistled, grinning ear to ear as he looked around.

"Not quite. This is just part of the cognition. What we're really after… is that." Morgana said, a satisfied smile spreading across his feline mouth as he pointed with a paw. The three followed his line of sight to a strange ethereal cloud hovering above the gold, a dim light shining at the center of it.

"That's… the treasure?" Izuku mumbled out, a little more than shocked to see that it was nothing like what any of them expected.

"This cloud thing? But… how are we gonna take that out of here?" Ann wondered, looking down at Morgana for answers.

"First it has to materialize before it can be taken. I just wanted to make sure that we had our escape route secured, so now I'll explain how we're going to be taking it out." Morgana said, jumping on top of a treasure trunk and placing his paws on his hips. "You see, desires have no physical form by nature. Because of that, the Treasure doesn't materialize until the owner of the palace realizes that their desires are in fact a Treasure to them."

"But… how do we make Kamoshida feel like its his desires that are in danger specifically?" Izuku asked, holding his chin in thought as he tried to ascertain the answer for himself.

"Simple. We warn them. Tell him that 'we're going to steal your heart!'" Morgana declared, earning an excited gleam in Ryuji's eyes.

"No way, we're actually gonna send a calling card?! Ever since you told me what they were I've been lookin' a bunch up! That's exactly somethin' they would do!" Ryuji grinned, earning a nod of acceptance from Morgana.

"Precisely. Good catch, Skull. Once the calling card has been seen by the palace ruler, the Treasure is certain to materialize!... I think." Morgana coughed toward the end, earning several disappointed looks from his teammates. "B-but I'm almost completely positive it will!"

"If you say so… but either, it's worth giving it a shot!" Ryuji smiled, giving a thumbs up to the others.

"Once the calling card has been seen, there's no turning back. We'll have to act in that moment within twenty four hours or else the treasure will dematerialize." Morgana further explained, glancing around at the group.

"I see… I'm guessing it's because of someone's instinctual fear that they are so on guard in that first day, but afterwards they'll just think its a prank." Izuku hummed before nodding. "Okay. Lets send out the calling card as soon as possible! Are you guys ready?"

"Hell yeah! I'm ready to make that bastard pay!" Ryuji huffed in excitement.

"You know I'm ready whenever you need me to be." Morgana said, offering a confident smile. The three turned to Ann this time, who had her head tilted down in thought.

"Do you guys… think we can wait one more day before sending it?" This earned several surprised looks, but her teammates waited for her reason before speaking up. "Tomorrow, I… I want to see Shiho. Just before we take him down. I want to let her know that this is going down."

Concern and understanding crossed the faces of her teammates, each one of them nodding in understanding. "Of course, Panther. We have an infiltration route secured, so there's no need to jump in straight away. Right, Hero?"

"Of course. We still have a week and a half before Kamoshida was planning to have us expelled. We can do it whenever within that time." Izuku agreed, offering a sympathetic smile.

"I just need one day, that's all. One day and I'm ready to take this son of a bitch down." Ann declared, conviction coloring itself behind her mask.

"Alright then. With that settled, we can take our leave. It's probably good to have the extra day for a bit of rest, anyways. Before we get out of here, is there anything else you'd like to do? Maybe gather some more loot?" Morgana asked, turning his attention to Izuku. As the four had discovered, going through the palace had yielded many surprising rewards, including items that could be sold or used for healing themselves.

"No, I think we've gathered enough. Once this is all over, we'll figure out what to do with the loot we've already gathered until now." Izuku suggested, earning a nod of understanding from the cat and Ryuji. "Let's get out of here. I'm ready to turn in for the day."

"Sounds perfect to me. We've got a big day ahead of us." Ryuji agreed, he and Morgana turning around and heading for the door. Izuku made to walk out, only for Ann to grab his sleeve and stop him.

"Hey… are you busy tomorrow?" Ann asked, causing the green haired teen to blink in surprise. "I wanted to see if you would go with me to see Shiho."

Izuku felt his heart sink, eyes drifting to the ground in guilt as he put two and two together. "Did… Skull tell you?" He asked quietly, Ann giving him a hesitant nod.

"I think that… maybe before we go, it might be good for her to see you too. And good for you. It's just what I thought, but… I figured that you might want to see Shiho after everything. You were the only one to see what was wrong, after all." Ann explained, looking down at the ground and rubbing her arm nervously. Izuku opened his mouth before closing it, hands trembling at his side. Part of him didn't want to see her until after this was all done. Izuku hardly felt capable of seeing the person he failed so tragically. But another part of Izuku did want to see Shiho. To give himself one last reminder of who he was doing this for. It was all or nothing, after all. And even if they won but they messed up, Izuku might not have been able to see her before being sent to jail.

"Okay… I'll go with you."

---

Izuku and Ann waited in silence, both seated in the hall of the hospital. Seeing how sensitive and personal the subject was, Morgana decided to go off and leave the two to it. A doctor was currently examining Shiho's condition, telling the two to wait outside before being able to see her. With that in mind, it was hard for the two to say much of anything. A somber atmosphere surrounded the two, neither particularly excited to see Shiho in her current condition. Even though this was something they wanted, it didn't make them feel any more at ease about it. Izuku wasn't sure what he was going to do once he got inside and saw Shiho. Part of him wanted to turn back and leave out of fear. But Izuku knew he couldn't do that. This was as much for Ann as it was for himself.

"Midoriya-san and Takamaki-kun?" A voice called out, the two raising their heads to see an elderly doctor in a white coat calling out to them. "I'm done with my examination. You both may go in and see her."

"How is she?" Ann asked, no small amount of anxiety hidden in her voice.

"Stable. She's been having some troubles with internal damage, but we've been able to treat most of it. Right now, it all depends on her and how her body receives more medicine and heals. But for right now, she's making it through." The doctor explained, eliciting a sigh of relief from Ann. Izuku gave a thankful smile, just as pleased to hear that Shiho's condition wasn't deteriorating.

"Thank you. We'll go see her now." Ann said in appreciation, the doctor giving a small nod before walking off. Ann shot Izuku a small nod to follow before walking inside the room. Izuku hesitated at the door, hands gripping at his school pants before finally breathing out. Izuku slowly walked inside, glancing toward the bed that Shiho was resting on. His heart twisted in agony, seeing that Shiho was connected to a mess of tubes that wrapped around her arms and face. This was likely a familiar view for Ann by now, but he couldn't imagine how painful it was for her to see this close to every day.

"Hey, Shiho. It's me again. Sorry I haven't visited in a couple days." Ann said, her voice faint and sincere as she gave a small smile. "I've been pretty busy with the whole Kamoshida thing. This time I brought a friend, though. Knowing you, you'll probably remember Izuku." Ann motioned to Izuku who remained silent, allowing Ann to have her peace.

"I heard you tried to make him feel better even after all the rumors about him. That sounds just like you." Ann giggled, giving a sad smile as her eyes began to mist up. "I… I'm really glad to see you haven't given up yet. Neither have I. I just want you to know that… it's almost over. By the end of the day tomorrow, we'll have made Kamoshida pay for everything he's done. So please… keep on fighting. I won't forgive you if you don't." several tears began to trail down Ann's cheeks, the twin tailed blonde taking a shaky breath before wiping her face. She took a step back and made way for Izuku, offering him a smile. "Would you like to say something to her?"

Izuku widened his eyes slightly before swallowing his spit. This had been the bane of his day. He took several slow steps forward, still struggling in his mind to figure out what the best thing to say would be. He had so much to say yet nothing at all. Nothing that was forming into coherent words. Feeling the churned emotions welling up, Izuku forced out the first thing that came to mind:

"I'm so sorry…" Izuku's minid suddenly became clear as he spoke those three words. His eyes began to cloud with water and he could already feel tears starting to flow down his cheeks like a waterfall. He bit his bottom lip as he let out several choked cries, bowing his head as he let his emotions spill forth. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you! I-I-I should have done more! Should have acted faster! I-I keep thinking about what I could have done differently a-and what I said up there! I messed up so badly, I-" Izuku inhaled a trembling breath as he sniffled. Ann hadn't realized how much this had truly weighed on his mind, now feeling almost guilty for asking him to come. She knew it wasn't his fault that Shiho jumped. From the look of it, Izuku didn't realize that.

Taking several bated breaths, Izuku sniffed up any dripping snot and huffed out. Wiping his cheeks of water though still crying, Izuku's expression morphed into one of conviction, his brow hardening this time. "B-but I won't let that be the end of it… we're going to make Kamoshida pay for what he's done. To you, to the track team, to Ann-sempai, to Ryuji-sempai… we're not going to let him get away with it! I promise you…" Izuku reached forward and grabbed her hand, folding it between his own. "So please… please wake up soon… and smile once this is all over. Okay?" Izuku gave the largest teary eyed grin he was capable of, relying on the All-Might grin to give him strength.

After some moments weeping, Izuku released her hand, setting it back against her side before turning to Ann. "I-I'm sorry you had to see that…" He mumbled out, rubbing the back of his head.

"No. I'm glad I did. I'm glad I got to see for myself how much you care." Ann shook her head, offering Izuku a reassuring smile. "So tomorrow, with all that in mind, let's finish this. We'll make him confess his sins, right?" Ann said, her voice filled with determination as she held a hand up for him to shake.

Izuku widened his eyes, the tears finally coming to a stop as he gave a grin of appreciation. "Yeah. Let's do it." He nodded, clasping her hand in his for a firm shake. "Thank you for bringing me here, Ann-sempai. I think I needed this… more than I realized." He said, earning an energetic nod from her in response.

"Of course. Its what friends are for. I think we all needed that. Including her." Ann said, her voice becoming soft as she turned her gaze back to Shiho. "It was nice to have someone to come here with… Shiho needs to know that there are people trying to do good by her."

Izuku only smiled at the twin tailed blonde, her words bringing some peace of mind to him.

*SMASH*

Much to his surprise though, the world around him began to darken and the sound of chains breaking cracked in his ear, the tarot card of the lovers arcana appearing before him.

Lover's Confidant: RANK TWO

It wasn't long before the world returned to normal and the card dissipated before his eyes. Still standing there, Ann gave him a kind smile before balling her fist in front of her. "Now let's go. We've got a long day ahead of us and I'm going to make sure I'm ready."

Izuku blinked as he regained his composure, smiling as he decided to brush off the progression of his supposed Confidant link. He was just happy that he and Ann could come to understand one another a bit more. "Okay. I'll be counting on you, Ann-sempai!" The two of them departed from Shiho's room, going into discussion over their plans for the coming day against Kamoshida. In their deep conversation, they had both failed to notice an old woman that used a strangely large syringe as a walking stick approaching Shiho's room.

"Hm... I wonder if one of them sent me that petition? Oh, well. Better start getting to work."

---

Kamoshida wasn't sure what it was, but he felt a small amount of anxiety as of late. Most specifically in the past few day. He felt like a hunter setting traps for animals. But not only did the animals start to spring the trap, they'd go to his camp and wreck everything in sight. The volleyball coach couldn't pinpoint the reason he felt this way, only that someone was messing around in his own personal privacy. The problem was, he had been having no such trouble. One might assume that he was anxious about what Suzui might have to say should she wake up, but that wasn't the case. Kamoshida was ready for any accusation she might throw his way and would spread even worse rumors about the girl to undermine anything she would have to say about him.

What the hell is going on? Why do I feel so damn anxious? He mused to himself, gritting his teeth in irritation as he stomped down the hallways of Shujin. Looking up and focusing on his route to work, he raised a brow when he suddenly saw a gathering of students by the school announcement board. They were all whispering to themselves, no coherent words loud enough for him to hear.

"What's going on here?" Kamoshida asked, raising his voice volume to put some command in his tone. Immediately the surrounding students became silent, all taking a step back from the board. No one immediately answered, all eyes watching him expectantly. Looking around, Kamoshida's eyes landed on a red card with a strange logo at the top, a great number of copies of the same paper taped to the board. Pulling it down, Kamoshida began to read its contents:

To Sir Kamoshida Suguru,

You have committed the grave sin of Lust,

Harming those beneath you,

and destroying those who would stand up to you.

You have thought yourself untouchable,

Protected from the eyes of the law

And the heroes who uphold them.

But we, the last bastions against your reign,

Shall prove to you and the school that you are wrong.

We shall rob you of the distorted desires in your heart,

And make you confess to your profound sins.

Be ready for us, as we will come for your desires tomorrow.

But you'll never see it coming.

From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts

By the time that Kamoshida was finished reading the calling card, his hands were shaking with fury, his face contorted into an outraged mess. He span on the students surrounding him, all of which quickly recoiled the moment his gaze scanned over them. "Who did this?! Huh?!" Kamoshida spat, causing many of the teenagers to step back in fear. Kamoshida didn't care who would become his next victim, his anger boiling over as he pointed at a random student. "Was it you?! Huh?! Tell me who did this!" He roared furiously, his uncontained fury enough to make the students begin to disperse in fear. No one answered his questions and no one stuck around long enough to become the target of his true wrath. His eyes darted around, looking for someone, anyone to blame for this sudden attack on his name.

Finally, as the hallway emptied, his eyes landed on three familiar faces that stood at the other end of the hall. Narrowing his eyes and baring his teeth, Kamoshida stomped his feet forward as he approached Izuku, Ryuji and Ann, though his glare was focused on the two boys rather than the twin tailed blonde. "It was you two, wasn't it?!"

"What was?" Izuku asked, his voice low as he narrowed his eyes up defiantly at Kamoshida.

"Yeah, Kamoshida. Whatcha talkin' about?" Ryuji huffed in response, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Kamoshida contemplated lashing out, getting in an uproar at the two for this slight on his name. But, thinking of his own reputation and what others might witness from observing this scene, he stopped. Reigning in his anger, Kamoshida merely sneered at the two. "Whatever. This doesn't change anything. You two will be expelled soon enough. Enjoy the little prank while it lasts."

Before the Persona users eyes, darkness surrounded them and Kamoshida's appearance suddenly shifted, resembling that of the Shadow that ruled over his castle of cognition. "Come try and take it if you can, fools!" It cackled spitefully before the image of the real Kamoshida shifted back. With that, the coach stomped off, thinking himself victorious in the end.

"Well, I would say that worked." Morgana suddenly spoke from Izuku's bag, popping his head out and perching on his shoulder. "We've got confirmation from that reaction. The treasure should have materialized. Good work on the calling card, guys."

"I told you to leave it to me. It went smooth as hell!" Ryuji laughed proudly, rolling his shoulder in his excitement.

"I will admit, the message on it was pretty good. I was actually convinced that someone else wrote it. Not bad, Ryuji." Ann hummed, crossing her arms as she gave him a small thumbs up.

"Don't give him too much credit. He had Izuku proofread it last night and I'm sure that he made a lot of adjustments to make it better." Morgana huffed, earning a small flinch from the faux blond.

"I-I only made some small alterations, just something to make it sound more… mature, is all!" Izuku laughed sheepishly, trying to give Ryuji more credit for the calling card considering his hard work on it. In truth, he actually had made quite a few adjustments on the message. But he didn't mind giving the credit to Ryuji. After all, what was most important to him was the result. His brow furrowed seriously, looking at each of them. "But we've got to focus, now. If we only have the day to take the treasure, we can't waste anymore time. Let's get going."

Ann and Ryuji narrowed their eyes and nodded in agreement, both ready for the task ahead. "All we need is today. It's time to put the last nail in this bastard's coffin."

"Lead the way, Hero." Morgana chuckled confidently before stuffing himself back into the bag. Izuku took a deep breath before stepping forward, ready to end this once and for all.

"Midori." Izuku suddenly hesitated, quickly turning his head to see Makoto standing by the bulletin board, holding one of the calling cards in her hand. Izuku gulped hard at seeing this, sparing a glance back at Ann and Ryuji who gave him a concerned look. Izuku silently motioned for them to go on without him before turning back and walking over to Makoto. Ryuji and Ann hesitated for a second before moving forward, deciding to wait for him to finish with the third year.

"H-hey, Koto-san…" Izuku greeted shakily scratching the back of his head as he waited for her to turn around. Makoto's eyes were still on the calling card, concern still written across her face.

"Is… this part of your plan to stop him? How?" Makoto asked quietly, looking up from the calling card and fixing Izuku with a confused gaze. "You're basically declaring war on him."

"It… it's necessary, Koto-san." Izuku explained, looking up to meet her eyes. "It's going to be over soon, don't worry. One way or another."

Makoto looked down at the calling card again before sighing, tucking it away into her purse and nodding. "Okay. Try to… come out of this without getting expelled, okay?"

"I'll do everything I can. We're going to win." Izuku nodded, giving her a more confident smile in an attempt to sway her worries. "Thank you for all your help up to now, Koto-san. I truly appreciate it." He said, offering a deep bow to her.

Makoto sighed, doubting the help that he spoke of before giving a simple nod. "Be careful out there… whatever it is you have to do. And try not to get into a fight you can't win. Okay?" Izuku gave a hard nod, smiling to reassure her before rushing out the exit of the school. "Not that I could ever stop you from doing that…" she muttered dejectedly, turning around and heading back to the library and resume her studying.

---

(Persona 5 OST: Life Will Change Instrumental)

"On your right, Hero!"

"Got it! Carter!"

Lashing out with a ray of light, the Persona blasted an opposing Shadow to pieces in front of Izuku. With their infiltration route mapped out, moving through the castle to the throne room was going by like a breeze. They knew the ins and outs of the castle now, able to avoid the majority of conflicts with Shadows on their way to the Treasure. Only now and again did they have a Shadow erupt from the ground to block their way, but it did little to slow their momentum. With the use of stealth and subtlety now gone, the four moved like a freight train from Hell, blasting through their enemies without missing a beat.

"We're approaching the throne room! Be prepared for a lot of opposition!" Morgana announced to the others. Currently, they were in the distorted room that was the precursor to the Treasure. Moving with purpose, they avoided the holes and distortions professionally, Izuku keeping to memory the paths that held the previous days before.

"So long as we get the Treasure, none of that will matter, right?" Ryuji guessed with an excited grin, just as ready as any of them to complete their mission.

"Shadow, twelve o'clock!" Izuku called out to the others, drawing their attention forward. Izuku took the lead, dashing with greater speed and hopping onto the Shadow's shoulders. The practice he put in ambushing Shadows in their first push through the castle had served him well, immediately going for its mask and prying it from the armored guard's helmet in one swift motion. Black ooze spewed from the armor, forming into a familiar enemy in Archangel, if Izuku recalled the name correctly.

"Skull, Panther!" Izuku called out, his aforementioned comrades knowing exactly what to do at his beckon.

"Captain Kidd!"

"Carmen!"

Ryuji and Ann cast aside their masks, their Personas forming above them as the two pointed forward. "Let him have it!" They cried out, a volley of lightning and fire coloring the air as their Personas unleashed their power. The Shadow had little time to react, crying out in pain as the lightning stunned it and the fire stacked on the damage, charing its body. The four had become aware of the fact that, with every strong foe they defeated, the stronger their Personas became. Days prior, Ryuji's lightning attack alone was not enough to stop the same Shadow dead in its tracks. Now, with its combined power with Carmen,

"You're up, Hero!"

"Carter!" Izuku said as he stripped his mask from his face, the porcelain white being forming above him with its arm raised at the ready: "Quantico Smash~!" Izuku exclaimed, and with a flick, the Persona unleashed a powerful shockwave that shot into the Shadow's chest. The force proved too much for the Shadow, causing it to explode into a mess of black ooze that drained into the ground. Izuku took a small breath, not feeling quite as strained in his arm as before but still feeling a bit stiff.

"I've got you covered, Hero." Morgana said, summoning Zorro and quickly casting its healing spell. Izuku felt the stiffness in his arm fade, looking up and giving Morgana a thankful smile.

"Thanks Mona. Alright, let's keep going! Almost there!" Izuku ordered the group, earning nods of acceptance from the rest of the group. Without another word, the four ascended the stairs that formed for them with each step they took. No one made any mention of tiring out or the amount they had to climb. With their objective just ahead of them, the adrenaline they felt was enough to block out any amount of typical physical weariness.

They soon reached the top of the stairs, Izuku motioning for them to stop behind him. Something that immediately stuck out to them was the fact that the throne room doors were wide open, and no Shadow patrolling the hall. Izuku took a cautious step forward, peering inside the throne room with caution. Much to his shock, it was completely empty of any enemies. "Where… are they?"

"Normally I would say hiding, but its also likely that they were assigned to different parts of the castle if they're not here." Morgana suggested, rubbing his chin with his paw. "That makes things easier for us. We'll have a straight shot to the treasure."

"Aw hell yeah! I'm totally down for that! We'll just walk in and take it!" Ryuji grinned dumbly, pumping his fist in the air.

"That seems way too easy, though…" Izuku mumbled before scanning the room cautiously with his eyes. "Either way, we still have to get the treasure… keep your guards up, everyone. We still don't know if we're home free just yet."

"Got it. Let's get our hands on that treasure!" Ann said, the four immediately proceeding forward. Izuku kept his head on a swivel, eyes darting back and forth from each corner of the room surrounding them. No Shadows and no Kamoshida. Izuku would like to believe that things were going to be so easy. But he wasn't stupid. He fully expected a trap lying in wait for them. After climbing the stairs to the second level, Izuku made the others halt behind him, slowly pushing the door open after drawing his pistol. No Shadows still. Still suspicious but not willing to stop, Izuku motioned for them to keep going, leading them inside to the treasure trove inside. Pushing the second set of doors open, Izuku unveiled the true Treasure of the castle, the four widening their eyes in disbelief. At the center of the room, an english styled gold crusted crown hovered above the piles of gold on the ground. While the crown was indeed beautiful, what caused the four to gawk was its enormity: in height, it was taller than any of the four, and its width was at least over a meter in radius.

"Whoa~, that's the Treasure?! It's friggin' huge!" Ryuji gawked in disbelief, the four slowly approaching the crown.

"Beautiful, isn't it? Oh how I've waited for this day to come!" Morgana sighed in contentment.

"Yeah it… really is. That kinda pisses me off." Ann huffed, her lips twitching into a frown. "If it's supposed to represent that bastards desires, it should be something gross or perverted."

"Well, it does more represent how he views the treasure rather than how others might." Izuku suggested, earning a small grumble from the twin tailed blonde. "Alright, everyone. Let's not waste any time. Let's figure out a way to-"

"So shiny… its dazzling so bright that I think I might even cry…" Morgana suddenly purred out, causing the four to blink and look down at him in question.

"M-Mona? Don't you think we-" Izuku tried to remind him, only to be cut off by a sudden fit of meows.

"Mrreow~!" Morgana suddenly jump forward, clamping onto the front of the crown and rubbing his face against the gold, strangely enough still releasing purrs of pleasure. "Meow~!"

"Um… okay, that's a new one…" Ryuji said in disbelief, scratching the top of his head. "He can be a stupid cat, but this is… a whole new level."

"M-Mona… what are you doing?" Izuku asked, eyes wide as plates as he struggled to determine the proper course of action for… this. Despite his worries, Morgana's eyes suddenly went wide in alert, slowly realizing just what he was doing before hopping off. If he didn't have a mask or fur, it would be reasonable to say that he was likely blushing with embarrassment.

"I-I am so sorry! T-that behavior was… very unbecoming of me. Especially in front of a lady…" Morgana coughed out, scratching the back of his head with a paw.

"That was the first time you've ever actually acted like a real cat. What was that about?" Ann asked, hiding none of her curiosity over Morgana's strange behavior.

"It was… just something instinctual, I guess. I just couldn't help myself. After seeing the Treasure after all our hard work, I was so entranced… It must have something to do with human desires..." Morgana sighed, looking down at the ground as he tried to make excuses for his strange actions. His face suddenly lit up with excitement. "Oh, but isn't that proof that I'm a human?!"

"How should we know?!" Ryuji snapped back, the assumption a little too broad for his taste.

"W-well, anyway, it's time to get this out of here! We'll just have to carry it from the look of things." Morgana cleared his throat, trying to regain his previous appearance of professionalism.

"You sure recover fast." Ryuji drawled with an eye roll, but stepped up to the treasure regardless. "So how's this gonna work? Is it gonna keep floating like this or..?" he hummed, placing his hands under the rim of the crown. The moment he tugged on it, gravity seemed to finally kick in for the crown, the opposite end falling to the ground with a thud while Ryuji strained to hold up his end. "Holy-this thing is heavy!"

"Um, guys, we-"

"Looks like you'll all have to carry it out. I'll act as the guide out since I'm not tall enough to stay level with the rest of you." Morgana suggested, Ann approaching the crown and tilting her head.

"Guys..."

"This will be a lot more difficult than I expected…" Ann grumbled, leaning down and picking up one end of the crown. "Okay-wow. You weren't kidding about how heavy it is…" She peeked an eye out at Izuku, who seemed to be watching them with a sheepish expression as he scratched the back of his head. "Come on, Hero! We need your help!"

"W-well, um..." Izuku said, slowly reaching up and pulling off his mask. Carter materialized above him, causing his teammates to look up in question. "Why don't we just carry it with our Personas?"

…

…

…

"... huh. Guess that was kinda obvious in hindsight." Ryuji mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. Feeling a bit too stupid about the idea, he turned his embarrassment to Morgana. "Hey, why didn't you suggest that?!"

"Don't look at me! I just…" Morgana suddenly began to struggle to find an answer that sounded convincing. "... I-I was just still excited over earlier!"

"Oh, whatever-"

"Alright, no more fighting." Ann sighed in irritation, dropping her end of the crown and taking a step back. "Let's just go with Hero's idea and tow this thing out of here with our Personas."

"Y-yes, ma'am." Ryuji and Morgana said in agreement, deciding to end it there to spare their remaining dignity after the oversight. Izuku just let out a sheepish chuckle, willing Carter forth and having it pick the crown up in one hand, holding it by the rim. Strangely enough, while bigger than the crown, it still looked too large even for his Persona. Though Izuku didn't dwell on the thought any more than the brief muse.

"I have to admit though, the results that sprouted from our deal far exceeded any of my expectations." Morgana suddenly said, drawing Izuku's attention down to the cat who looked up at him with a proud smile. "Not only did I find three Persona users, but you turned out to be a fairly competent leader, as well. We even now have the treasure within our grasp. I would say that my judgement of you was correct. Making a deal with you was certainly the right choice." he laughed, giving an almost childishly proud grin.

Despite Morgana's slight smugness, Izuku couldn't stop a smile from spreading across his face. "Yeah… I'm glad that we met that day too, Mona." He said, giving a small chuckle.

*SMASH*

Izuku widened his eyes again as the familiar tarot card appeared before his eyes, the world around him briefly darkening.

Magician Confidant: RANK TWO

"Alright, everyone. Let's try our best to keep Hero and his Persona covered since he's the one carrying it." Morgana suggested, his words bringing Izuku back to reality. The green haired teen watched as the three moved ahead of him, shaking his head as he made to catch up. Carter floated behind him, phasing through the wall while making sure the crown hung low enough in its hand to go through without trouble.

"Any enemies in sight?" Morgana asked, eyes searching the throne room for opposing Shadows.

"Nothin' over here." Ryuji announced.

"Same. Let's go." Ann called out, Izuku nodding as he made his way down the stairs with Carter close behind him.

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go~ Kam-o-shida!" the very familiar voice of Ann echoed through the hall. The group turned their attention to Ann in question, only for the twin tailed blonde to blink.

"But that wasn't-"

"Hah~!" From behind one of the pillars, a volleyball shot out with terrible strength. Izuku hadn't seen it coming and without preparing for it, the force from the ball was enough to knock it out of Carter's grip, the crown falling to the ground with a thud. Jumping through the air, the four thieves watched as Kamoshida's Shadow landed on his throne, a sadistic shit eating grin across his face. He held up a hand toward his crown, the Treasure illuminating for a moment before shrinking before their eyes. It hovered in the air again before flying into Kamoshida's open hand, now holding a normal sized crown. "You fools thought I'd really let you walk out with my crown?! This is proof of my divine right as king of this castle! It is the core that keeps this world alive!"

"All the more reason for us to take it from you, asshole! We're gonna make this place fall to the ground!" Ryuji exclaimed, the four quickly gathering together to fight Kamoshida as one. The doll of Ann appeared once again, the true Ann gritting her teeth in disgust and frustration as she saw it.

"So that really is how you see me, huh? You perverted prick…" Ann growled, her pink gloved hand gripping at her whip.

"Give us the crown, Kamoshida. Or we'll take it from you." Izuku said, his voice low as his eyes hardened into a glare behind his mask. "You can't take on all of us!"

"Is that what you believe? Please. Just because a piece of trash piles together, that doesn't make it anything more than trash." Kamoshida taunted, spinning the crown in his index finger. "No. I'm going to dispose of you lot all on my own. Right here, right now."

"Bring it on, you sexually harrassin' D-bag! We'll make you eat shit!" Ryuji retorted in anger, pulling the pipe from his back and spinning it around.

"Sexual harassment? What makes you think that?" Kamoshida asked, feigning innocence as he leaned forward toward them and took one step down from his throne. "I'm not the one who wanted to get into college with high merits. The students, their parents and the principal all turned blind eyes on their own. They give me what I want so that they can benefit from my achievements. Something brats like you could never understand. Same with that idiot girl who tried to kill herself."

Izuku felt his anger flare up inside, pupils dilating as he pulled the staff from his back. "You… Don't you dare-"

"You're right. She is an idiot." Izuku blinked when he heard this, eyes shifting to Ann in shock. The red suited thief was looking down in shame, her eyes hidden by her mask. "Letting you manipulate her, trying to commit suicide… and I'm an even bigger moron for not seeing how much she was suffering." Despite her words, Ann shifted her gaze back up to Kamoshida, a fire lit in her eyes as she pulled the whip from her hip. "But no matter how much of an idiot someone is, you don't have the right to decide whether they can live their lives or not!"

"Panther…" Izuku muttered, impressed and touched by her resolve. Turning back to Kamoshida, his anger had been washed away, now a flame of determination filling his heart.

"Hmph. Like a peasant like you can decide anything for yourself. None of you understand my achievements and my greatness." Kamoshida huffed, grinning sadistically again as he propped his chest out. "I'm a cut above all humans. You're just a bunch of ants to me."

Ryuji began to growl, ready to spew a mess of profanities at the gym teacher as usual. But suddenly he stopped, a shit eating grin starting to spread across his masked face as he started to laugh loudly, his teammates turning to him in shock. "Oh yeah? A cut above the rest, huh? What about those kids at UA? You above them, too?"

With that one sentence, Kamoshida's sadistic smile suddenly fell. "What did you just say?"

"Must suck gettin' outshined by a bunch of students, huh? They really made your dumb gold medal look like a paper weight." Ryuji chuckled, standing up straight and resting his pipe on his shoulder. "After we found your little creeper room, I thought I'd look up some of the details of your gold medal win. Get a little more understanding of where all that kinda shit spouted from that made you such a shit head. But then I found a profile that exposed your Quirk. News articles love to mention those, huh?" Ryuji pointed at Kamoshida, sticking his tongue out tauntingly. "I mean, really? All you can do is whip your tongue really far? No wonder you hate those kids so much for takin' your spotlight."

"You don't know anything, you pathetic monkey!" Kamoshida suddenly exclaimed, pushing his fake Ann behind him as he lashed out in fury. "I achieved an award without a Quirk! I claimed a gold medal from my hard work alone! Brats like you who rely on your fancy Quirks for popularity are nothing to me!"

"I would normally admire someone who worked so hard to gain such accomplishments in life without a useful Quirk." Izuku said this time, Kamoshida shifting his gaze to the green haired teen. "But instead of using your achievements to help people, you swing them around like an iron mace! Forcing people under your charge to do what you want no matter how twisted or messed up it is! You're nothing but a villain that's been warped by his desires!"

Kamoshida's eyes shined with rage, his body trembling as he bent forward. Suddenly he began to laugh maniacally, reaching back and grabbing the fake Ann and pulling her close to him. The familiar red and black ooze from the Shadows they fought started to surround Kamoshida, the four blinking in confusion. "A villain? No… no, I'm more like a demon, I'd say. A demon who rules this world!"

(Persona 5 OST: Blooming Villain)

The black ooze suddenly enveloped his body, sprouting forth something much larger than before. The Phantom Thieves widened their eyes as they took several steps back, Kamoshida's Shadow growing bigger by the second as his shadow loomed over them, the room becoming darker because of his presence. "What the hell?!" Ryuji blurted out, taking a step back again as a blot of what looked like saliva dropped near his feet in a large puddle.

"What… is this?" Izuku muttered, sweat trailing down his brow as Kamoshida's Shadow took full shape and materialized. Its was enormous, the top of Kamoshida's head just meters below the roof of the throne room. Its entire body had become inhuman, now a hot pink color with its body completely morpherd. It had four arms, each one holding a different item: a cup of wine, a gold knife and fork, and a whip. His face was now as monstrous as his personality, its lips becoming as pointed as teeth and his tongue flowing out of his mouth, swaying like a tendril in the air above them. Sitting just behind Kamoshida were two large golden balls, chains connected to two bodies on each side of him, all wearing solid masks. In front of him was a large chalice, the lower halves of women kicking about inside of it.

"I've told you all time and time again…" Kamoshida's Shadow bellowed as it swayed its head back and forth, its voice twisted and deeper than it was before. "The school… this castle… this world all belong to me! And I can do whatever the hell I want!"

Izuku felt Kamoshida's intimidating power wash over him, staring up at the monster in complete shock. But after a moment, his senses returned to him. Gritting his teeth, Izuku gripped his staff in hand and pointed it at Kamoshida, summoning his courage and anger. "You're wrong! We're not letting you do whatever you want anymore! We're going to steal your heart and make you pay!"

"Damn straight!" Ryuji said in support, he and the rest of the team taking a step forward in defiance, feeling inspired by Izuku's unshaking courage. Kamoshida's body trembled in rage, rearing his head back and letting out a ferocious roar that shook the throne room.

"Brats like you will always be powerless to stop me!" Raising the golden knife in his hand, the Shadow swung down on the four. They immediately dispersed, Ryuji and Izuku jumping right with Morgana and Ann doing the opposite.

"Panther, hit him with fire! Mona, fan the flames!" Izuku called out, the two skidding against the ground and nodding.

"Go, Carmen! Agi!" Ann ordered, stripping her mask off and summoning the scarlet dressed Persona. Flames bursted from Carmen's palms, blasting them forth against the monstrosity sitting at the top of the throne. Kamoshida only recoiled slightly from the blast, scoffing in displeasure. Before he could make a remark, Morgana was quick to act, Zorro forming above him and swinging its sword.

"Don't let those flames die, Zorro!" Morgana ordered, his Persona creating a small whirlwind that blew right into Kamoshida. The flames intensified across his body, the palace ruler letting out a small grunt of pain as it covered its face with one arm.

"You dumb brats! Little shits shouldn't be playing with fire!" Kamoshida laughed, slapping the whip in his hand against a pillar. Morgana and Ann widened their eyes in confusion. Hearing the bristle of chains, the two looked down to see the slaves running forward, volleyballs in their hands. With a quick serve, Each one blasted a ball at the two far faster than any normal person could.

"Watch out, Panther!" Morgana called out, quickly attempting to jump forward and push her out of the way. It was for naught, though, the balls slamming into the two and causing them to cry out in pain, both of them falling back from the force.

"Mona! Panther!" Ryuji cried out in fear, turning a furious glare Kamoshida's way. "You're gonna pay for that! Let's go, Captain Kidd!" Tossing his mask aside, Ryuji's Persona formed above him, Kidd sailing through the air and slamming its boat directly into Kamoshida's gut. Much to Ryuji's displeasure, the blow didn't seem to do much as the massive Shadow only scoffed.

"As always, you attack first without ever thinking about the consequences! That's what got your leg broken in the first place, remember?!" Kamoshida cackled, rearing his fork back and swinging it forward. Ryuji visibly paled, quickly raising his arms on instinct to protect himself.

"Genbu! Tarunda!" Izuku called out, quickly summoning one of his newer Persona that was created from fusion. It was a turtle that connected to a snake at it tail, the Persona unleashing a wave at the palace ruler. Just as Kamoshida was about to damage Ryuji, the power of his attack fell ever so slightly, lessening the impact as it slammed into the faux blond. Izuku quickly rushed up to catch Ryuji as he flew back, barely having enough strength to stop his momentum and keep them both from flying back.

"Thanks, dude. But damn it, he's friggin' strong!" Ryuji huffed, tensing the muscles in his arms as he tried to shake off the stiffness he felt after blocking the attack. Izuku quickly summoned Pixie, casting a Dia to ease his pain. "Thanks, man."

"He's the strongest enemy we've faced since coming to the castle. We can't hold anything back." Izuku huffed, gritting his teeth as he tried to formulate a plan.

"Hero! The source of his newfound strength is the crown!" Morgana called out, pointing to the top of Kamoshida's head. "If we can get a chance to knock it off, we have to take it!"

Izuku glanced up at the crown, widening his eyes as he began to formulate their next move. "I-I see! Okay, I know what we're going to do!" Looking at Ryuji, he hardened his brow. "You can still buff my damage, right?"

"Huh? Yeah, it's one of the tricks I learned while fightin'." Ryuji nodded in confirmation.

"Good, because I'm going to need it soon. We'll have to-"

"You think I'll let you brats sit there and plot?! Get real! Slaves~!" Kamoshida barked, slamming his whip against the ground. Immediately the chained nuisances from before picked up their weapons, hopping up and serving another blast, this time aimed at Izuku and Ryuji. Izuku acted on instinct, quickly pushing Ryuji behind the pillar for cover and taking the full brunt of the damage alone. It wasn't anything critical or maiming, but it certainly knocked the wind out of Izuku. One of them even smashed into the side of his head, causing him to become dazed for a brief moment.

"Hero!" Ryuji called to him, quickly picking himself up and grabbing their team leader. As the slaves prepared another volley, the faux blond quickly pulled him into cover, the balls bouncing against the pillar and dealing no damage to the duo. "Geez, try not to take make any heroic sacrifices already, would ya?" Ryuji half joked, breathing out in relief as Izuku tried to regain his senses.

"S-sorry to cause you trouble…" Izuku mumbled apologetically. "Still, all we need to do is get the crown. We need an opening for us to steal it off his head or at least knock it off." He said, quickly standing to his feet and looking over at Morgana and Ann. The two had followed their lead, hiding behind the pillar on the opposite side of the room. "We need to regroup and make a plan together."

"So whatcha wanna do? Take a chance and run across to 'em?" Ryuji asked, not entirely against the plan but knowing the dangers. "He's gonna go for us soon as he sees us."

"You're right. But thankfully we can hit back this time." Izuku declared, flashing a small smile as he pulled out the Snipe revolver model. Ryuji grinned ear to ear, pulling out the pump shotgun model out as well.

"I like your style of thinkin'. Let's give him hell." He chuckled, the two getting into a sprinting position.

"Ready… go!" Izuku shouted, the two quickly taking off across the open the room. They paced themselves, not wanting to lose their footing or not be able to maneuver should Kamoshida launch something at them.

"There you are, you little-agh!" Kamoshida was cut off as Izuku and Ryuji quickly shot out with their guns. The damage seemed minimal, but it was enough to sting the Shadow and distract it. "Damn it-slaves!" Kamoshida growled, slapping the whip into the ground. Just as the chained cognitions prepared to open fire upon Ryuji and Izuku, a flurry of gunfire rained down upon them. From the approaching pillar, Izuku gazed sideways to see Ann and Morgana firing upon the enemy with their own ranged weapons.

"Hurry, you two!" Morgana called out, Izuku and Ryuji not having to be told twice. With their cover fire, the two quickly slid on the ground to cover, Ann and Morgana backing up with them so that they were also out of the line of sight of Kamoshida.

"Thanks for the coverfire. That made it a lot easier to make it over here." Izuku breathed out as he leaned on one knee, looking up at Ann and Morgana. "Mona, once the crown is taken off his head, he'll weaken right?"

"That's right. Though I doubt he'll make it so easy for us to simply hit it. We're going to have to make a big move to soften him up, or at least get him distracted enough that he doesn't notice one of us going for it." Morgana suggested, peeking out from their cover to see the Shadow was still having its 'slaves' lash out with volleyballs at their cover.

"You're right. That's why I'm going to hit him with Carter's physical attack. Skull will give me the buff I need for it to make it stronger, so you and Panther have to prepare to go for the crown." Izuku advised, earning a round of nods from his team.

"Sounds like a plan. Just don't try anything too reckless out there. We saw you take some pretty hard hits." Ann said with a bit of worry. Before anything else could be said, saliva splashed around them, the four blinking before looking up. Kamoshida's togue was wrapping around the pillar that provided their cover, its foundation cracking as it tightened.

"Stop hiding from me, you stupid brats! Come out and take your beatings like the rest of my slaves!" Kamoshida cackled, pulling harder and harder on the pillar as it started to give under his strength.

"Sh-shit! Okay, it's now or never! Let's go!" Izuku called out, the four putting up their arms as shields as the pillar was finally broken, flung to the opposite side of the room by Kamoshida's tongue.

"There you are, you no-good little shits!" Kamoshida roared as he began to whip his tongue around. You called this thing worthless, right?! Let's see how worthless it is after I take your lives with it!"

"Go ahead and try, bastard!" Ann growled in defiance, Carmen materializing above her and lashing out with her flames. They surrounded the edge of Kamoshida's tongue, the Shadow widening its erratic moving eyes in pain. "Now, Hero! Do it!"

"Huh?" Kamoshida grunted, its eyes straightening for a moment as it searched the dust filled air left behind by the pillar's destruction. At the center of the room, Izuku was kneeling with his arm raised, Carter appearing in a torrent of light and mirroring his movements. A short ways behind him, Ryuji had Captain Kidd out, the Persona enveloping Izuku in a flash of red light.

"Give it to him good!"

"Take this, Kamoshida! Quantico Smash~!" Izuku said, his voice filled with determination as Carter unleashed its power. Blasting forth with a flick, a powerful shockwave shot toward Kamoshida, hitting the monster square in its center. The Shadow let out a loud groan of pain, choking slightly as the pressure caused him to buckle over slightly, keeping himself from falling on the chalice in front of him, though. Izuku's entire body tensed with muscle stress, the damage he took from earlier stacking on top of it to make things worse. Despite falling to one knee and struggling to balance himself up, Izuku cracked one eye open. "Go, Mona! Now!"

"You've got it!" Morgana answered, now standing on top of the terrace and preparing to attack. "With the way he's angled now, I'll knock it right off his head!" Morgana hummed mostly to himself, narrowing his eyes as he summoned Zorro above him. "Show him your might, Zorro! Take that crown off his head!"

Obeying his wishes, Zorro began to swing its rapier, a whirlwind forming from his blade and flying directly toward the crown. The four looked up with hope, watching as the torrent of wind came only meters away from the crown. But their hopes were immediately crushed, widening their eyes as Kamoshida suddenly raised its two right arms, blocking the brunt of the wind damage from his crown. "Wh-what the-?!"

"You little brats… think that's all it would take to beat me?!" the palace ruler began to cackle, raising from a steadily growing laugh to full out manic. Looking up and straightening out its body, the shadow had a gray body sticking out of the edge of its mouth, the four thieves widening their eyes in disbelief as he swallowed it whole. A green aura surrounded his body, restoring it to its former glory. The burns and bruises it once had from their attacks quickly faded.

"Y-you've gotta be kidding me! Did he recover his health by eating those things?!" Morgana exclaimed in shock, more than disappointed that their plan had fallen apart.

"You dumb rat. You think you can try and touch my precious crown and get away with it?!" Kamoshida growled as he whipped the ground. "Slaves!" With that word, the cognitions scurrying on the ground quickly hopped in the air, serving a wave of volleyballs directly at the cat. Morgana didn't react in time, taking the full force of the wave and crying out in pain as he was sent sailing back into the terrace.

"Mona!" Izuku cried out in fear, teeth grinding in fear as he focused his attention back forward. He tried to stand quickly, but his muscles strained as he had failed to heal himself with Pixie. He reached up for his mask, ready to make the quick change in Persona to fix that mistake.

"Watch out!" Ryuji quickly pushed Izuku on the ground, the green haired teen falling flat on his stomach with a thud. Thanks to the faux blond, he had avoided the large tongue that swung across the room and smacked right into Ryuji and Ann. The two were sent tumbling on their backs, landing several meters behind Izuku.

"Panther! Skull!" Izuku struggled out, his body trembling as he attempted to push off the ground to stand up. The two let out groans of pain, rolling on their sides to show that they were still conscious but obviously hurt.

"D-damn it… he really got us with that last hit…" Ryuji hissed, pounding his fist into the ground as tried to at least get on his knees.

"Look at yourselves now! All that big talk really was nothing but hot air, huh?" Kamoshida mocked them, his twisted voice cackling as he watched the three struggle to get up. He then pointed directly at Izuku, his eyes holding no small amount of amusement. "If I remember correctly, you're the trash that said 'heroes' would come for me, right?! Hah! So much for you 'heroes'. You can't do a damn thing to stop me now! Well, don't worry. How about I end this quick with my killshot? You all should be honored. Its the move I used in the last game to win the gold medal. Let's just take a drink and make sure that it'll be the last time you rats struggle." he chuckled darkly, raising the wine cup in his hand and taking a long swig of it.

Izuku watched in despair, face going pale as he struggled to figure out what he could do to turn the tide. Kamoshida dealt everyone a lot of damage with that last hit… using Quantico Smash really took it out of me, too… He spared a glance back at Ann and Ryuji, fear beginning to well up within his stomach. We… we might not make it out of this… We might not be able to win after all… I… I was too cocky. I lead everyone here thinking that we could make a difference… I got them into this mess. I'll get them out of it.

Izuku bit his bottom lip as he reached up to his mask and pulled it from his face. Pixie appeared above him, its hands shining with a green aura as it cast its healing spell on Ryuji and Ann. The two blinked in surprise, quickly looking up at the green haired teen. "G-go… get out of here before-"

"Not on your life!" Ryuji snapped, quickly scrambling to his feet. He quickly rushed over to Izuku, grabbing his arm and hoisting him up. "We didn't come this far for you to quit on us, leader! Don't you dare count us out!"

"He's right! We're in this together!" Ann reinforced, grabbing his other arm and helping Ryuji pull him along. "Come on, we have to hurry! We're gonna make it to the other pillar and hide from his next attack!"

"G-guys… no…" Izuku muttered, struggling in their grip lamely, his eyes beginning to well up with tears. He didn't want to drag them down and get them caught up in Kamoshida's next attack. He had to struggle, had to make sure that they were safe, even if it cost him everything. Izuku had been willing to give that up from the start.

You're just gonna roll over and quit, kid? Carter's voice echoed in his ears, causing Izuku to hesitate in his resistance. They're just as willin' as you to give up everythin' to succeed. If you give up now, you're takin' that from them as much as that prick.

But… but how can we win? How can we-

Bein' a hero has never been about whether you can do it or not.

Izuku felt his body froze as those words echoed through his mind, a stillness coming over him. It was only a second later that he felt his body begin to restore to its prior strength, a green aura washing over him. Izuku looked down at himself in wonder before quickly whipping his head back. At the top of the terrace, leaning on its railing, was Morgana. He looked hurt, leaning on the rail for support as he held his chest. Despite his obvious pain, the cat gave him a look of conviction. One that told him that this fight wasn't over. In that moment Izuku understood. Understood what he had to do. What they all had to do.

Izuku steadied himself up so that he stood on his own, his two friends pausing to watch him with concern. Looking up at Ryuji and Ann, Izuku gave them both a shaky grin. "Okay… let's beat him." seeing his resolve return, Ann and Ryuji smiled back.

Kamoshida finished his drink, letting out a hot breath and giggling like a drunk. "Heh. watching you rats scurry to your last bit of hope is pretty amusing. But it's not gonna do you a damn thing!" he cackled, reaching back and grabbing one of the golden balls that kept his cognitive slaves in place. Lifting it in front of him, the twisted Shadow of Kamoshida tossed it in the air. "Here comes my killshot!" jumping up from the ground, the palace ruler took aim at the three still struggling to make it behind the pillar. With one swift slam of his fist, the golden ball rocketed toward the ground. He couldn't see their exact position, but knew that the shockwave should be enough. It impacted against the ground like a speeding bullet, the ground giving way and creating a plume of rock and dust. Kamoshida cackled again in triumph, his monstrous lips twitching up into a sadistic grin.

"That should teach stupid brats to sit down and obey their superiors like proper brats. Adults rule this world. I rule this world! That school has its notoriety because of me! No matter how hard you fight it, you'll never win against me!" Kamoshida cackled out, his head leaning back as he reveled in his victory.

"Don't count us brats out just yet, bastard!" Kamoshida's taunting ceased, the mangled Shadow slowly straightening out to look back down at the thieves. Before he could react, a burst of flame erupted against his chalice, Kamoshida inhaling a breath in surprise.

"N-no! Don't touch that! You don't-" Kamoshida demanded, though fear and desperation laced his voice. Taking no heed of his words, a bolt of electricity crackled through the air, making the cup spark with life. Kamoshida reached down to grab it, dropping his wine cup in the process. Much to his displeasure, the electricity lingered across the chalice, causing him to recoil after getting shocked. "N-no! You little brats! You don't know how important this is!"

"Screw how important you think it is, asshole!" Ann exclaimed as she and Ryuji suddenly appeared before the chalice, electricity crackling around Ryuji's legs while he had an arm around her hip. The two quickly drew their weapons, Ryuji ignoring the familiar stinging pain in his knee as he swung forward with his iron pipe. With a heavy thud, their strikes caused a large crack to spread across the cup. "I promised from the beginning to destroy everything you hold dear! We'll start with this!"

"Damn it, don't you-" Kamoshida attempted to protest, only for something solid shoot him square in the eye from the terrace. Kamoshida couldn't stop them in time, Ryuji and Ann letting out wails of fury as they lashed out with all their strength. Striking the cup with great force, it tipped backward, the crack created before now spreading across its entirety. The Shadow opened its one good eye just in time to see it fall to the ground, finally shattering from the impact. As if to rub salt in the wound, the remaining pieces left from its demise degraded into black ooze, sinking into the ground.

"No~! How could you do that?! I won that cup at nationals!" Kamoshida's Shadow cried out pathetically,body completely trembling in uncontained anger. "You… you stupid shits! You think just because you broke that, that you still have a chance?! You're all still going to die! So stop struggling and just die already!" He roared out, raising the golden knife in his hand and bringing it down to cut the two in half.

Ryuji quickly wrapped an arm around Ann's waist, activating his Quirk once more and dashing them out of the way just in time. He was forced to stop just in front of the remaining pillar on the left of the room, the faux blond letting out a grunt of pain as he tripped forward, releasing Ann first to make sure she didn't tumble with him. "Skull!" Ann cried out, quickly scurrying to his side to help him up.

"Once worthless, always worthless, huh?!" Kamoshida mocked again, preparing to slam his whip into the ground to order his slaves to attack.

(My Hero Academia OST: My Hero Academia)

"Being a hero has nothing to do with whether you can do something or not…" Kamoshida hesitated for a moment, turning his attention away from the two to see Izuku at the center of the room, leaning on his staff for support while his free hand clawed at his mask. Drawing it away, Carter materialized above him. The porcelain skinned Persona's feet planted into the ground, gripping its right hand and cocking it slowly at his side. A white light started to radiate from his fist, blinding rays illuminating the room. Conviction and ferocity filled Izuku's gaze, the green haired teen inhaling a breath before continuing on.

"It's a hero's job to put his life on the line," Carter bent his knees forward before springing out, launching itself straight at the monstrous Kamoshida.

"And act up to their words!"

Kamoshida watched the approaching Persona in surprise, but quickly put up his guard. "Hah! You caught me off guard with that last hit, but if you think you can get me again, then you're sadly mis-"

"Now, Mona!" Izuku cried out, causing the Shadow to hesitate. In the next moment, Kamoshida suddenly felt the crown upon his head go flying off.

The Shadow gasped in shock, eyes widening in horror as it immediately dropped its guard and reached out for its falling crown. "No~!" He cried out in desperation, watching as The crown rolled across the ground. Soon after it, Morgana landed gently on his feet, grinning up at the Shadow wickedly.

"Sure you have enough time to worry about your Treasure?" Mona asked, pointing a paw to his left. Kamoshida felt its body stiffen, his erratic eyes aligning to look at the now looming figure of Carter just meters in front of him.

"This is for all the students you've hurt! For everyone that couldn't fight back!" Izuku roared furiously, the intensity of his voice rising with each word. Carter's fist began to brighten tremendously, making it nearly impossible to see past the Persona's great light. Kamoshida was wide open, guard dropped and vulnerable thanks to losing his treasure only moments ago. There was nothing left for Kamoshida to do except wait for the blow:

"Virginia~ SMASH~!"

Carter brought its fist around with great force, his fist driving right into Kamoshida's stomach. The Shadow's entire body felt a wave of pain blow through him, saliva and blood spewing from its mouth as the impact racked his entire light erupted in a wave of brilliance, Ryuji, Ann and Mona forced to shield their eyes from it. After a moment of taking the damage, the shockwave soon followed, the Shadow's entire body being launched back with great force, crashing into the staircase and dismantling it completely, dust and rock exploding around him.

Izuku took several slow breaths as he watched the destruction caused by his last ditch attack. Only a second later did he feel the muscles throughout his body tense in pain, far more severely than when he used his Quantico Smash."Ack!" He fell to one knee, unable to support his weight with his legs due to the pain. In spite of this though, Izuku refused to let his body fall to the ground. Gritting his teeth as he supported his full weight on his staff, he looked back up to the fading dust, wanting to confirm for himself that it was over. Mona rushed to his side, but followed his line of sight, Ann approaching them slowly while supporting Ryuji over her shoulder. None of them said a word, watching the dust clear with great anxiety. But as soon as the veil fell before their eyes, a smile spread across each of the thieve's faces.

Kamoshida's body had returned to his normal stature, bruises and scrapes racking its body all across it as it lay out in the crater created by the impact. He was still alive, the palace ruler letting out several low whines of pain as he rest there, unmoving.

Kamoshida's Shadow had been defeated. And the Phantom Thieves of Hearts had won.

To be continued…

Phew, now was that an epic ride! I have to say, I was definitely struggling with how I wanted that final battle to go. It was a bit of trouble figuring out the smartest way to handle an enemy who was literally sitting at the center of the room the entire fight. I doubt that it would change much from how it was even if game mechanics were ruled out, as his body seemed too big to move freely in the throne room in the first place. Tell me how I did on it and let me know if I could have done something different.

With that, this marks the end of the adventures within Kamoshida's castle! Of course, we still have a bit more to settle before the castle is completely gone, but that will come at the beginning of next chapter. As will the waiting game for the change of heart to take place.

Now to state a bit of confusion as to certain aspects of the story/chapter: I'm still not completely sure how the physical attacks of Personas work to drain HP for their user, so I thought I'd give my take on it in this chapter. Generally the regular attacks like lunge only take a bit of health, they go close to unnoticed by Ryuji and whoever else might be using them. But in Izuku's case, the reason Carter's physical attacks are so severe on his body are 1: I thought it would be cool to emulate the blowback of One For All and 2: it mirrors how in game, if you use a Persona with far greater strength early on regardless of its level, the physical attacks will take a great portion of your health. Using this idea, I decided to make it so that Carter's physical moves are currently too much for Izuku's body to take over and over again, Virginia Smash being a perfect example of only being able to use the move once before it becomes far too critical for his body.

Onto another smaller topic of confusion, I was a bit shaky about how the palace rulers suddenly become so powerful. From what I've guessed, I imagine that after materializing the Treasure serves as the Shadow's source of power. Now I've seen a bit of a different reason for their power up, but that's just what I thought. If I'm wrong, feel free to let me know and I might fix it lol.

With that, I hope you all enjoyed the climax of the Kamoshida arc, and wish you all well! Please leave a review, a follow and possibly a favorite if you'd be so kind~! Thank you and have a good one :)