Persona Trinity

by IIIIIIIIII

Six months have passed since the defeat of Yaldabaoth and the disbandment of the Phantom Thieves. Ren Amamiya now enjoys a normal high-school life, hard-won though it may be. For once, normalcy started to feel normal. However, the whims of fate would set the Wild Card User on another path. And he would be far from the only one fate would call on. Pairing: Pseudo RenxHarem YuxHarem

23. Gender Bender

A/N Hopefully the week-long wait wasn't too bad. This is a bit of a longer chapter, so enjoy! Also, next one will be posted two Friday's from now.

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or any of its characters, and I make no money off of this

Chapter 23

Indeed, the two Wild Cards appeared not as men, but as women.

"What?" Joker and Yu asked in unison.

Their voices were as smooth and honey and strangely alluring in a feminine way. The mere sound of them only sent jaws further towards the floor.

To say they were all shocked was an understatement.

"…oh my god," Panther uttered, unable to find any other words that truly captured what she felt.

Oracle, as if a part of her had returned to its senses, took out her phone and began taking pictures. It was also possible that her body was just moving on its own as her expression remained in a state of unparalleled shock just like the others.

"Uh, is something wrong?" Joker asked. He, or perhaps she, then noticed the sound of their own voice. "Wait, is that me?"

"Why does your voice sound so…?" Yu trialed off, only to have much the same reaction. "Wait, why does my voice sound so…"

In that moment, the two wielders of the Fool Arcana glanced at one another, finally realizing what everyone else already had.

The duo uttered in unison, "Are we…?"

Ever on the same page, they turned towards a nearby ceremonial gong that happened to be made of pure gold. With its, they were able to get a good look at their appearances, taking in what the others were already able to.

Though her height remained much the same as her previously male self, Joker's hair was now far longer, extending down towards her lower back. It retained its curly texture, but now was almost shimmering and silky smooth to the touch. Her lips were naturally luscious, her legs seemed to go on for days, her figure was slim, and yet her chest was noticeably large to the point she could feel an awkward tightness in her costume.

Speaking of her costume, even Joker's Phantom Thief attire had been altered. The coat remained largely the same, though his vest was gone and in its place was a pitch-black leotard that left the entirety of her upper chest exposed. In the place of pants were a pair of black leggings that left her thighs almost entirely exposed, which sunk into a pair of heeled boots of the same color.

Yu's appearance was just as drastic a change, through much like Joker, she retained more-or-less the same height. The young formerly-man now sported shoulder-length, impossibly graceful silver hair with left-parted bangs that grazed over her eye ever-so slightly. Her body, much like her younger counterpart, was athletically built and slim, though her chest was a bit larger by comparison.

Her attire had also been altered significantly as well. The white dress shirt Yu had previously been wearing was now much more revealing than prior, showing off both her upper chest in addition to a slight opening of skin on her midriff. She still wore the same suit pants, though they felt far more tight-fitted than prior. Naturally, she too was now in a pair of high-heels.

To most people, the drastic change would perhaps have been too much to take in. The Wild Cards, however, were not most people.

"Oh wow, I'm hot," said Yu, admiring her new appearance in the golden reflection.

"Same here," Joker said, appearing to do much the same.

Their reaction should have been predictable, and yet no one could quite believe it.

"W-Wha…" uttered Queen, still in total shock.

"How can you two not be more bothered by this?!" Chie exclaimed.

"I mean… should we be?" Yu asked.

"Given the fact that you're both girls now, yeah, kinda!" Rise shouted.

As if to totally ignore their friends as reality settled in, they went back to checking out their own reflections, even turning their bodies around to ensure they were able to get the full picture.

"I'm afraid to ask, but what exactly are you two doing?" Naoto inquired, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Hmm," Yu murmured in contemplation. Abruptly, he twisted his backside and cocked her head over her shoulder in an attempt to get a better view. "Is it me, or do I look weirdly sexualized now compared to when I was a man? I feel like my butt is about to bust out of my pants…"

"Same here," Joker stated in agreement, gesturing to her chest. "Though in my case, I think it's more these that are about to pop out."

'I mean, I'm not complaining…' Ryuji thought.

'It is a pretty nice ass…' Yosuke thought.

Just as the two realized both what they were thinking and where they were staring, they slammed their eyes shut as hard as they could and fought against the urge to claw them out.

"Oh god no! Someone, soap! Soap for my brain!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"Same! Now! Like right now!" Skull shouted, clenching his head as if he were trying to crush a pumpkin with his bare hands. "Bleach. Brain bleach! It's my only hope!"

"What's wrong with you two?" Morgana asked.

"I think the more pressing matter is what's wrong with them," stated Sae, having barely managed to regain her composure.

"What do you mean?" Yu asked, tilting her head. "Isn't that obvious? Joker and I are both hot girls now."

"…I can't help but wonder why you felt the need to emphasize the 'hot' part," Queen sighed.

"I actually think it's extremely important," Joker remarked.

"Right?" said Yu.

"I agree! Lookin' good, Sensei-chan!" Teddie cheered. "You too, Joker!"

"I agree as well. Emphatically so," Fox commented, his voice filled with strange excitement. "In fact, I must fetch canvas and brushes at once! Such unrivaled beauty simply must be captured in the form of painted art!"

"Don't encourage them!" Rise chastised, soon shifting her glare towards the Wild Cards. "And will you two stop joking around?! This is a serious issue!"

Yukiko hummed in thought. "Well, it's probably a result from that Shadow's attack earlier, right?"

"Well, yes, but—" Naoto began.

"Then theoretically I should be able to cure them with Amrita Drop."

Skull almost immediately chimed in. "Do it. Do it now."

"…there is the matter of my painting them to discuss," Fox calmly uttered.

"No," several quickly replied.

With a sigh, the young artist slumped his shoulders in defeat. His dejected mood would not last long on account of Futaba nudging him on his side, effectively gaining his attention.

"Don't worry, I took pictures," Oracle stated, giving him a thumbs up all the while her eyes sparkled.

"Well, it's not quite the same, but I suppose reference material is better than nothing," he replied with a nod. "You have my thanks."

At the forefront, Yukiko called forth Konohana Sakuya and set about casting the spell that would hopefully change the pair back to normal. True to form, the glowing green lights descended from the skies, bathing the bodies of the newly-minted female Wild Cards in the process.

Sadly, it seemed to have no effect whatsoever as in the aftermath the two still stood as women, breasts and all.

"Doesn't look like it worked. We're still hot," Joker thought aloud.

"Okay, wouldja stop sayin' that?" Kanji uttered.

"The only way to put a stop to it is to actually turn them back to normal, but if Amrita Shower didn't work…" Rise began. She clasped her hands together and exclaimed, "Persona!"

Kanzeon appeared as the navigator set to work mulling over the vitals of both Yu and Joker. The scowl she sported as a result served as proof enough there wasn't likely anything they could do for the moment.

"It's like this isn't a status effect at all," Rise uttered in annoyance. "My best guess is that it's either only going to stay active for a limited time, or it's something that only the Shadow that cast the spell in the first place can reverse."

"In either case, tracking down the King remains our priority," stated Naoto.

"The sooner we do, the better," Yosuke remarked. "C'mon, he went through this doorway up ahead."

It took them very little time to make their way up to the mentioned exit, which conveniently parted in half and allowed them to leave once they'd gotten close enough. They proceeded to enter the long hallway that they were greeted with as a result.

The Wild Cards leading the group walked quietly and confidently within their high-heeled boots, not even so much as thinking much as they strode forward. Everyone else, however, was the exact opposite.

"Hey, uh, Kanji," whispered Yosuke.

"Hm? What's up?" the bespectacled man asked in response.

"Serious guy question," Yosuke prefaced, "Are you finding it hard not to stare at Yu's ass right now?"

Kanji initially believed that question to perhaps be the stupidest thing he'd ever heard. However, its asking naturally prompted him to steal a glance for himself, and in doing so he found his eyes lingering.

"Oh god dammit…" Kanji muttered, his cheeks flushed.

"Right?!" Yosuke uttered. "I don't know if I can take much more of this man! It's freakin' me out!"

"What are you two on about?" Chie cut in, giving the pair a suspicious.

"Nothin'! A-Ahaha…" Yosuke replied with an awkward chuckle.

"They were talking about Sensei's—"

"Shut it, Ted!" Kanji grunted.

Elsewhere in the line, it seemed thar Ryuji was fairing little better. If anything, his conscious effort to not stare at his best friend amidst his gender swap was forcing him to do the exact opposite.

"Hey, Yusuke, do you, uh…" Skull began, clear hesitation in his voice. "I mean, you clearly think Ren's pretty attractive as a girl so… T-There's nothin' wrong with thinking that, right? Like, for real?"

"I should most certainly think not," Fox proclaimed emphatically. "Ren's artistic beauty is to be expected in any form he takes, don't you agree?"

"…you know, I don't know why I ask you stuff sometimes," Skull sighed.

"What are you guys talking about?" Panther inquired, eying the two curiously.

"Uh… nothing really," Skull answered, a bit of nervousness to his tone. "Just how it's hard to get used to seeing Joker like that is all."

"Oh, you mean with how pretty she is?" Noir guessed.

"Wow, you straight up said it…" Oracle uttered, sounding almost impressed.

"I feel as if it's hard not to notice," admitted the heiress, cupping her chin in thought as she stole a glance at the forefront of the line. "Such a naturally slim figure, and yet…"

"Huge boobs and a nice ass," Oracle bluntly stated. "That's what you were talking about, right?"

Noir nodded. "I'm rather jealous."

"I'm sure it's 'all natural' too, so I'm honestly trying not to think about it," replied Oracle, sporting a carefree smile. "If I did, I'd probably lose my mind screaming about how unfair the world is that someone can be tall, thin, and still have a set of bazookas bigger than Panther's."

For a moment, the red-clad Phantom Thief glanced down at her own chest as if clearly wondering whether or not that was true.

"…I don't think Joker's are bigger. Maybe the same size though," Panther muttered as if to herself.

"Can we please talk about literally anything else?" Skull practically begged.

The murmurs quieted down as the Persona users exited the hallway and entered another rather large room. Though it was just as extravagant as all the prior areas, it was far different in that it held a very large door with a noticeable locked seal on it.

"Puzzle door?" Rise mused.

"Yep, puzzle door," answered Yu.

"And it looks like there are hidden panels up there," Joker stated.

The black-haired young woman gestured towards the ascending line of columns that formed a pseudo-staircase alongside the doorway. Though no one doubted that she was telling the truth, it was difficult to believe that she'd actually realized that with just a glance.

"Do you have like a sixth sense or something?" Chie uttered.

"Third eye, actually," Joker stated matter-of-factly. "So yeah, pretty much."

"Really? Hm, wish I had that," Yu thought aloud.

"That was rhetorical, and yet you're clearly not kidding," Chie uttered. Having the immediate desire to move on, she asked the obvious. "So, who wants to head on up?"

"I'm on it," volunteered Skull, being oddly quick to do so. "Honestly, anything to keep my mind busy at this point…"

"Same here," Yosuke agreed.

"Be careful when you remove the panels," Naoto cautioned.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" uttered Yosuke uncaringly. "Don't worry, we got this. Right, Skull?"

"Hell yeah we do!" the blond replied excitedly.

The two soon gave each other a high-five before setting off to climb up each respective line of columns. Their performances weren't exactly stylish or appealing to the eye, but they were effective enough in their ascent and managed to make their way to the upmost columns lining the sides of the doorway without issue.

"Yo, Joker, is this the panel?" Ryuji shouted down.

"Yeah, that's the one," she replied. Eying the other side, she added, "And you've got the right one too, Yosuke-san. There should be creases in the edge you can use to pull it out."

True to the Wild Card's words, they were able to do exactly that. Hiding behind the panels were two buttons, the sight of which gave a certain blond-haired Persona user immediate PTSD.

"Aw, not this again," sighed Skull.

"What do you see?" Yukiko called out.

"Each of the fake wall sections have a button beneath them," Skull replied.

"And from the looks of it, they're totally identical," Yosuke added.

"Try pressing them both at the same time then," Yu advised.

"Well… if you say so," replied the brunette.

The two Persona users looked to one another, Yosuke being the one to hold up three of his fingers. Skull nodded in understanding, and thus began the countdown to their pressing the buttons in tandem. At least, that's what they were attempting to do. A sudden mechanical beep was evidence enough that they'd messed up the timing.

"…aw crap," Skull muttered, bracing himself for impact.

"Why 'aw cra—"

A concussive blast sent both Yosuke and Ryuji flying backwards, the former of whom screamed all the while. Thankfully, they were spared a nasty fall on account of their respective best friends, who had hastily moved in to catch them before they slammed into the ground.

"Phew…" sighed Skull in relief. Sporting an appreciative grin, he looked to his rescuer. "Thanks for the save, Jo… ker…"

It was then that he realized he was currently in a princess carry with his formerly male friends newly-minted breasts a little too close for comfort. Nearly stammering like a broken audio clip, he looked up to his friend in what would prove to be a costly mistake on his part.

The sight of the now female Joker gazing down on him caused him to freeze up. The charming nature of her smile, as well as the reassuring, almost alluring look in her eyes was truly a sight to behold.

Elsewhere, Yosuke appeared to have made the exact same 'mistake' and gotten the same result. Each of the Wild Cards would utter the same line in a unison as they carried their respective best friends in their arms.

"Don't worry, I've got you."

Predictably, both Ryuji and Yosuke had crimson faces as a result.

"Y-Yeah, all good!" Skull uttered, his voice practically squeaking out. "C-Could ya put me down now? Like right now?"

"M-Me too! Down would be preferable anytime soon, partner!" Yosuke exclaimed.

The cross-generation Fools did as they were asked, almost immediately after which a still-blushing Yosuke and Ryuji walked back to rejoin the crowd without saying so much as a word.

Needless to say, most everyone stared at them in total disbelief, unsure of whether or not they should address what just happened.

"Yes, well…" Naoto began, attempting to move past the awkwardness that everyone was attempting to ignore. "The matter of the door—"

"Joker and I can handle it," Yu stated.

Without missing a beat, the two moved up the columns in a stunning display of agility and acrobatics. Even in their gender-bent forms, they clearly hadn't lost a step. Not even needing to communicate with one another aloud, they pressed the button in perfect unison and thereby triggered the unlocking of the seal on the door in front of them.

The Wild Cards flipped off the columns and landed expertly as the seal fully vanished, looking at one another with clear smiles gracing their features.

"Nice work, you two," Queen complimented.

"Agreed, that was quite the display of skill," Avenger remarked.

"Yeah, you go girls!" Chie cheered.

"Yeah, but they're not tho," Yosuke whispered, almost as if trying his best to remind himself of that fact.

"Thanks guys, but truthfully, that was harder than it looked. At least for it was for me," Yu admitted, adjusting her clothing as she spoke.

"Oh, it was the same for you too, then…?" mused Joker.

"Yeah, my center of gravity was a bit off. I almost tripped up a few times if I'm honest," Yu said. She looked down at her breasts and placed her hands on her midsection. "My chest is so heavy, but my waist is so slim that it's really difficult to compensate."

"I know what you mean," Joker said, nodding along in understanding as she took glanced down at her own figure. "It's almost a bit of a pain that it's distributed this way. It'd be a lot easier if my waist was bigger and my chest was smaller, but…"

A wave of hate like no other soon poured forth from each and every one of their female teammates. Some tried to hide their annoyance under a forced but twisted smile while others were perfectly candid with how they felt and were glaring daggers at the pair as if they simply wanted them to burst into flames then and there.

"What?" they asked in unison.

"If you two are messing with us on purpose, I swear to god…!" Chie growled.

"You know, if they're complaining about their breasts so much, an emergency reduction can be arranged," Yukiko began, a hollow darkness showing in her eyes. "We'll need a knife and something for them to bite on."

"Would an axe work?" asked Noir.

"Keep in mind, we didn't ask to look like this," Yu stated pointedly.

"And we've more important things to do as well," Fox thought aloud.

As if to further drive that point home, the doorway finally opened in full, revealing a hallway that was ominously different from any of the prior one's they'd seen. At its end was also clearly another door, though this one was unsealed and unguarded.

"Kujikawa-san, Oracle, are you seeing anything noteworthy?" Sae inquired.

"Not in this hallway, no," answered Rise. "In the room at the end, though… yes, I'm sure of it! I can sense the Shadow we found earlier!"

"That's not all, either," Oracle stated, appearing concerned as she spoke. "I'm pretty sure there's also Shadows of actual people up ahead too."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Kanji exclaimed.

"Hang on, let's not be hasty," Yu said, eying the barren hallway in front of them with marked skepticism. "If the King is just up ahead, I find it hard to believe that he'd be staying in place if he thought we'd have an easy time getting to him. That last puzzle was more or less a joke, and since we don't see any guards in here, my money's on there being traps being in place here."

"Good point," Sae remarked.

"Joker, do you see anything?" Queen asked.

The room started to shake without warning. Be it the floor, the walls, the decor—everything started to fan out. As the shift reached its end, a giant wall erupted from the ground and split the Persona users off into two separate groups.

The end result was for the floor to be split down the middle into two separate paths. On the right side, the Phantom Thieves found themselves with all members present and accounted for as they stood before a needlessly-decorative doorway.

"…still want me to answer, Queen?" Joker asked.

"I see a gender-swap made you no less of a smartass."

"Maybe more so. I mean, Joker's just as smart, and now she's got an even better ass," Oracle joked. "Though now that I get a better look… it might be even bigger than yours, Queen."

Queen blushed with embarrassment and self-consciously peered over her shoulder as if to check her own backside. Out of simple curiosity she looked back over at Joker, only for her embarrassment to subside as she genuinely began to think on whether Futaba's comment had any truth to it.

"…is it?" Queen wondered aloud.

"Okay, can we please stop talking about Joker's ass," Skull cut in.

"But she's thicc tho."

"Dial it back, Futaba…" sighed Mona. "And Skull's right. We've gotta figure out how to move forward from here."

Though that had nothing to do with why Ryuji had said what he had, he nodded along as if it did. Silently he was appreciative for his friend's timely assist.

"Hey, I just realized," Noir uttered surprisedly. "Our side is just the Phantom Thieves, isn't it? How strange for the split to turn out so perfectly across our age groups…"

"Huh, do you think maybe both our groups just subconsciously moved around the people we were most used to walking with in the Metaverse?" Oracle wondered aloud.

"…wow, mind-freak," said Skull, sounding genuinely astonished.

"But I guess it works out pretty conveniently, right?" Panther mused. "It means both our sides are even in terms of fighting strength. Hmm, but it does look like Avenger wound up with them."

"Sis and them will be fine," Queen replied. Her eyes turned to the door in front of them. "And if I had to take a guess, I'd say they're probably looking at a similar path forward as we are. If we follow this through to the end, we'll probably meet up with the others at the end."

Joker nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. And since my Third Eye isn't seeing anything weird…"

The black-haired beauty sauntered forward and confidently opened the door that faced them. As soon as it shot open, the wall itself vanished altogether. What revealed itself in the wake was little more than a long but plain-looking hallway, though almost no one believed that.

"Probably a trap?" asked Panther.

"Most likely."

"Your Third Eye picking anything up now?"

"No, but somehow I doubt that means we're in the clear," she replied, her chin cupped in consideration. "It's probably some kind of pressure-plate trap considering we've really only got one place to go."

All eyes expectantly moved towards Ren, who took more time than she'd like to admit to realize what was happening. It was clear that he'd effectively been volunteered to be the first one to take the plunge.

"Guess I'm going first," Joker thought aloud, her voice quiet as she stepped forward.

Everyone had expected the Wild Card to make it only a few steps before a trap of some kind was set off, at which point she'd likely manage to dodge in an overly showoff-ish manner. To their surprise, she made it a fair distance down the hallway and still nothing happened.

"It looks like it might be safe to walk through after all," Noir thought aloud.

"Seems so," said Queen. "Let's start moving up as well. Be sure to follow in his footsteps though."

"Sounds good," Skull replied.

The blond did what he did best and began marching forward without a care in the world. That was until his eyes happened to land on Joker as she continued to inch her way forward. He froze in place.

"Something wrong?" Queen asked.

"I, uh… I was just thinkin' maybe we should go with ladies first."

"…wait a minute," Panther said, her eyes narrowing skeptically. "Is it because of Joker? Ya know, cuz' he's now a she?"

"Look, I…! You know what, yes, that has something to do with it."

"Why?" Oracle uttered confusedly. Realization donned on her a moment later. "Ooh, wait, is it cuz' you can't stop staring at her butt? Yeah, I get that."

"It is nice," admitted Haru.

"Okay, first off," Skull began pointedly, "Joker is not a she, he's a he."

"So you can't stop staring at his ass?" asked Oracle with a sly grin.

"No, that's—I—you're not," he stammered haphazardly. "Can someone please just walk in front of me?! Is that too much to ask?!"

Panther rolled her eyes. "Ugh, fine. Just quit being—"

---

"—such a baby," Chie uttered in exasperation. "Let's go, girls."

The young brunette police officer led the charge in following Yu's footsteps, followed closely by Sae, Yukiko, Naoto, and Rise. A deflated Yosuke was left groaning towards the back of the line.

"Cheer up man, you took one for the team," Kanji uttered.

"Had to be done," he sighed. "Yu's backside is too destructive for the human eye. I've got no chance if I have to follow in her—er, his footsteps."

Teddie blinked, his expression absent-minded and cheerful as ever. "What're we talking about?"

Towards the front of the group, the ladies looked around the room in search of any signs of activity. Still, they were met with nothing.

"Could this really just be an ordinary hallway?" Yukiko wondered aloud.

"I almost hope it isn't," Rise muttered, her eyes half-lidded. "Otherwise, we'd look like total idiots moving through it as carefully as we are."

"Better safe than sorry," Sae remarked.

"Fair enough."

Just then, Chie felt one of her feet sink into the floor. The accompanying sound of chafing solid surfaces brought to mind scenes from many movies she'd seen over the years when the hero had triggered a pressure-plate trap while raiding an ancient temple. She didn't even need to look down to confirm that was exactly what had happened, but she did so anyway and cursed under her breath.

A gigantic golden hand then descended from the ceiling, having a mask dead at the center of its palm to signify its role as a Shadow. Worse was that it's incredibly speed took both the brunette and the others entirely by surprise. Luckily, one among them was quick enough to react.

Yu had felt the Shadow's presence the very second that it had spawned into existence. He had his katana drawn and poised the strike the creature before it managed to touch so much as a hair on any of his teammates' heads. And so, it was only natural for him to slice it to pieces as it was still in mid-descent.

Each of the female Persona users looked on at Yu, who stood steadfast as the black ashes of the demon's corpse rained down around him for a time. She sheathed her sword with authority, after which she turned her sights towards those that she had just saved. Her gaze held such supreme confidence, and yet there was an odd, almost remarkable warmth to it that mad her feel every bit like the Yu Narukami they'd always known.

The display was enough to quicken their heartbeats and quite literally take their breath away. Some blushed openly, others did their absolute best to repress it for the sake of their own sanity.

"Everyone okay?" Yu asked.

Rise shook her head to clear her thoughts, snapping back to reality in the process. "Yep, w-we're good."

"Um, y-yeah, hundred percent good over here," Chie replied.

"Glad to hear it. Anyway, let's keep going."

The Wild Card continued to move forward, though each and every one of the women, without fail, stood perfectly still.

"Um, Y-Yukiko, I think you should, uh…" Chie trailed off.

"Oh? I was going to suggest that you walk in front of me, Chie," replied the Amagi heiress. "Actually, Rise, why don't you…?"

"Why me?! N-Naoto, I think you should…"

"Hm? I, well, I would prefer not. Sae-san, perhaps you?"

"Well, I could, but you see…"

A knowing Yosuke walked straight up to the group, a taunting grin etched from ear to ear as he approached.

"What's the matter, Chie? Havin' trouble moving forward now? Huh, wonder why that might be…"

"S-Shut up! I am not!" she exclaimed.

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"This could take a while," Yukiko thought aloud. She turned to the others. "Rock paper scissors to decide who goes first?"

---

Joker had made her way through towards the entirety of the hallway, reaching the final door that barred their way from what was presumably the true end of the path they needed to follow to find the King they were after. The others had made their way about half-way through, and yet still nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

"Is it bad to feel weirded out that we haven't triggered a trap yet?" Panther asked.

"I know what you mean," Noir replied.

"Well, I can't disagree. I'm—"

Makoto promptly stepped on a pressure plate before even finishing her sentence. She knew full well what that had happened and made to warn the others, but before she could utter so much as a word, a large volley of darts shot out from each side of the walls in droves. Several made ready to summon a Persona while others reached for their weapons, but it was clear on account of the speed with which the darts' metal tips rushed towards them that either action would be too little too late.

Ever the hero, Joker was more than ready to leap into action. She leapt towards them, knife drawn and her hand ready to rip off her mask.

"Yoshitsune!"

Though some of the darts had nearly hit their mark, the Trickster had been just in the nick of time. His Persona sliced each and every one of the projectiles to pieces, effectively saving his friends from getting a few unwanted holes opened up in their bodies.

The one downside was that the speed and ferocity of her attack caused a powerful gust of wind that nearly knocked some of them over. Panther and Queen in particular received the worst of it, though she reached out in advance to grab their wrists and prevent their outright falls.

Joker stabilized them and brought them back up to their feet. The sight of her trademark cocky yet charming smile filled them with an familiar, yet somehow odd and uncomfortable embarrassment.

"Saw that coming," Joker remarked with a giggle. "You two okay?"

"Yeah, w-we're good," Panther answered, clearing her throat. "Right, Queen?"

"Oh, um… y-yep!"

With a nod, the Wild Card was off, sauntering away with effortless allure. Both Queen and Panther found themselves staring only to rip their eyes away with reddened cheeks upon realizing what they were doing.

"W-Well, Joker's charm clearly hasn't gone anywhere," Noir muttered. She adjusted her hat to hide more of her face. "So, um… about who takes point."

"Panther, why don't you take up the front? Noir and I—" Queen spoke nervously.

"H-Huh? Why me?!" Panther exclaimed.

Ryuji was quick to pick up on the conversation and grinned triumphantly.

"Hah! See?!" Skull passionately exclaimed. "It's weird for you guys too! So naaah~!"

"It is not!" Panther stated defiantly, though she was thankful her mask likely covered her embarrassed blush. "And you know what, as proof…!"

Whether out of the desire to prove Ryuji wrong or out of bravery, the blonde started to walk forwards. Everyone else seemed to follow closely behind, allowing them to come up to the door thankfully without further incident.

"…wait, was that it?" Morgana wondered aloud. "Just a few random darts? Did we… did we just get lucky and dodge a few traps or something?"

Skull gave a dismissive shrug. "Don't know, don't care. All I want right now is for us to find that damn King so we can get Joker back to normal."

"You know, now that I consider it, it wouldn't be altogether terrible for Joker to say as she is," Fox remarked. "Do you think if we were to return to reality, she might truly stay as a 'she'?"

"…I refuse to have this conversation."

---

Each team had reached the end of their hallways and exited without issue, though almost everyone looked drained in one way or another. They now stood in front of the same massive doorway they'd been able to see the moment they'd entered the room.

Many of the girls made awkward eye-contact from those that emerged from the side opposite of them, and there was a silent understanding to not speak on whatever had happened prior to arriving where they now stood.

Most everyone just wanted to focus on the door itself if only as a distraction.

"So, what's the deal with this door? I don't see any obvious way to open it, so maybe it's another puzzle?" asked Chie.

"Can't we just blow it up?" Yukiko wondered aloud.

"I somehow doubt that's a good idea," Rise commented.

Noir hummed in thought as something caught her eye. "Hmm, what about that statue over there?"

The heiress walked up to a statue of guardian fox that was situated in the room a short distance in front of the door, thinking to herself that it seemed rather out of place.

"Its head looks slightly askew," she noted. "Let me just… there we go."

Haru twisted the head back into its proper place, and what followed was the booming sound of rumbling metal gears. The doorway started to open, its circular panel sliding into the ground and revealing the path forward.

Noir turned to address her teammates, blissfully unaware that sharp, bladed metal was slamming down directly over her head with the intent of slicing her in half.

"Watch out, Haru!" Queen screamed.

The massive guillotine slammed into the ground, missing the heiress by mere inches only on account of Yu tackling her out of the way. A shell-shocked and visibly surprised Haru laid on the ground in the arms of the Wild Card, glancing forward as the ceiling guillotine continued to repeat the same motion again and again at high speeds.

Once the shock wore off, she realized the position she was in. Haru could feel herself under Yu's grip, her body a bit too close for comfort to the gender-bent formerly-man. The fact that she could feel Yu's rather large 'assets' press up against her was a strange feeling to be sure.

"Phew, that was closer than it should've been…" Yu muttered, releasing the Phantom Thief from her arms and picking herself up somewhat. She looked down with concern at the pink-haired teen, asking merely, "You're not hurt, are you?"

"O-Oh, um…!" stammered Haru, feeling her cheeks heat up under the weight of his gaze. "Yes, I-I'm fine."

"That's a relief," sighed Yu. She picked herself up and then offered a hand to his teammate. "I was worried I tackled you too hard, but I'm glad you're alright."

The warm and comforting smile Yu gave her as she helped her to her feet did little to abate Noir's embarrassed blush. As soon as she was standing upright, Makoto was quick to come to her side. Though she was primarily checking for injuries on Haru's person, she also wanted to convey her sincere gratitude to her friend's rescuer.

"Thank you, Yu-san," Queen stated, clear emotion in her tone.

Noir, not being one to withhold thanks, was quick to add, "Yes, thank you for the save!"

"Don't mention it," she replied, comforting smile shining brightly on her face.

Noir adjusted her hat and began to walk off to rejoin the group. As others turned their attention to the deathtrap in front of them, she took the opportunity to start fanning

"Is everything okay, Noir?" Queen whispered.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just… rather hot in here all of a sudden," Noir replied.

"Are you sure?" Queen skeptically asked. "Your face is a bit flushed. If you need to sit down…"

"No, I'm fine! Really!" Noir insisted.

"Huh," muttered Oracle, donning a mischievous grin. "I guess Haru's crush on Yu-san transcends gender. Go figure."

The look of demonic bloodthirst that took its place on Haru's face almost immediately had the orange-haired teen hiding behind Ann for her own personal safety. On some level though, Haru was grateful. With the murderous intent she was feeling, her embarrassment was a thing of the past.

"So…" spoke Naoto, gazing at the dilemma before them. "What to do about this?"

The guillotine that nearly sliced Noir in two was quite literally only the first layer of their problems. Behind it was two sequential sets of pendulous axes that swung back and forth across the room, and behind that was a final guillotine collapsing from the ceiling right in front of their path forward.

"Overcoming this will undoubtedly require incredible concentration, precision, and all the willpower we can muster," Yu stated evenly.

Though no one quite disagreed with his words, it was also true that none of them knew what he meant. Well, that was except for Ren.

"…so we're gonna blow 'em up then?"

"Exactly."

Avenger sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "There is something genuinely wrong with you two."

"Agreed," several stated in unison.

"That fact notwithstanding," began Naoto, "I trust that you two are serious about blowing through this obstacle, correct?"

"Perfectly so," Yu answered with a confident smile. "I assume these traps aren't exactly pushovers though, so we'll need to take this seriously. Rise and Oracle can form a barrier strong enough around us to guard against any debris while Joker and I launch an almighty attack to—"

"Actually, I would prefer that you two save your energy," Sae interjected. "Rise-san, Oracle, would you mind?"

Knowing they had but one role, the two navigators shared a look before complying and bringing up a barrier around their rather large group. Before anyone could even address Sae to clarify what it was that she intended to do, she reached for her mask and called forth her other half.

"Astrea!" she exclaimed.

The purple-skinned Persona began charging a large bright white orb in front of its torso before allowing it to erupt in a brilliant display of force that eclipsed everything from sight for a short time.

When the white light vanished, the guillotine's, the axe-pendulums, and a good portion of the floor were shown to have been completely erased. Only a small crater remained.

Avenger smirked, clearly satisfied with the end result, though many present were left entirely taken by surprise at the display of raw power.

"And since when have you been able to use Megidolan?" Queen asked.

"I've never not been able to, though I've only ever used it once before," Sae replied. "Truthfully, I've wanted to give it a second attempt to see if my stamina had improved at all. I'm glad to say that it has."

"Either way, good work," said Yu.

"Don't celebrate just yet," said Oracle, her vizor shielding her eyes as she scanned the area ahead. "Up ahead is the antechamber, but past that the King is waiting for us surrounded by Shadows. There are shockingly very few of them, but he has human Shadows around him, and I'd bet money he plans on using em' as hostages. Rise-san, can you take a look and confirm?"

"I'm seeing the same."

"Hmm, then we'll need to plan our approach quite carefully," Naoto mused.

"Should we maybe split up and search for other ways into the chamber so we can get the drop on them?" Panther suggested.

"Actually, I think I have just the trick," said Oracle with a cocky grin. "Listen up, here's how it'll go down…"

Metaverse: Shangri La Spa, Main Chamber

The Shadows of dozens of women stood at the center of the room in a practical trance, their golden eyes blank and their eyes half-lidded. Surrounding them was a circle of demonic creatures consisting mostly of Eagles and a total of two Minotaur, though the overall number of the beasts was fairly underwhelming overall.

At the far-end of the room, the King continuously paced back and forth, appearing concerned as his mind lay deep in thought.

"The traps aren't likely to hold them off for very long. With our forces as thinned as they are, we—"

The chamber door quite literally blew open a split-second later which subsequently gave way to the arrival of the small army of Persona users the King had been so fearful of. They arrived in style, posing with weapons in hand and Oracle hanging overhead within the safe walls of Necronomicon.

"Knock-knock," Skull stated with a toothy grin, brandishing his weapon.

Though startled by their arrival, the eminent leader of the Shadows present soon regained his composure.

"Halt! Stay right where you are!" bellowed the King. "If you move any closer, then these humans will pay the price!"

"All according to script," Oracle stated, chuckling devilishly. "Aaaand… boop!"

With the final click of a button, an aura of black and white coated each and every one of the Shadows in the room. The King, believing it to be an act of aggression, readied to order them to slaughter a few of their hostages simply to state that he meant business. He willed his body to move and his mouth to speak, and yet he was wholly unable to do so.

The scepter-wielding Shadow's vision blurred and his mind was in such foggy disarray that he could hardly form so much as a thought. All around him, his servitors were in even worse shape, being so disoriented that all they could do was stand in place like statue's with only a few quiet groans being signs that they were actually still living.

"W-What trickery is this…?!" exclaimed the King.

"Alright everyone, now's our chance! Let's finish this with style!" Oracle cheered.

A triad of red, blue, and green coated each of the Persona users as they charged forwards, weapons at the ready as they zoomed across the battlefield. Their coordination was such that even were the Shadows still capable of fighting back, it was clear they would still have been cut down in seconds all the same.

"N-Not yet!" the King groaned, his eyes slammed shut as he continued to fight for control of his body. "I can still…!"

The Shadow managed to regain some semblance of control, finally managing to open his eyes in a moment it clearly considered to be triumphant.

"Aha! I've won!" the King proclaimed haughtily.

That statement was proven false in a heartbeat as the Shadow found himself surrounded by each and every one of the Persona users that had blasted their way into the chamber. Joker and Ren were naturally at the forefront, their pistols aimed directly at the King's head.

Joker smirked cheekily. "You were saying?"

"Nice work by the way, Oracle," Yu said, earning a bashful laugh from the mentioned teen.

"What exactly did you do, anyway?" Yosuke inquired.

"A little trick I call Cognitive Override," Oracle replied. With clear confidence in her eyes, she explained, "Basically, I can 'hack' into a Shadow's mind and overload it so that it becomes almost impossible for them to think clearly. It's tougher to do on the stronger one's, but it's effective in most cases."

"Well, it's a hell of a move," Rise stated in awe, her infectious positivity shining through all the while. "In fact, I'm a bit jealous! I wish I could do something like that."

"U-Um, well… I can teach you, i-if you want," offered the orange-haired teen. She nervously averted her gaze. "Only if you want though! I don't wanna make it seem like I'm saying—"

"Relax, Oracle," Rise said with a giggle. "I'll take you up on that when we have the time. But for now…"

All eyes were once again on their prisoner, who still appeared so shell-shocked by recent events that he had yet to say so much as a word.

"In case it wasn't obvious, this is your loss. Surrender now, and things will go much smoother for you," Yukiko said.

"B-But…! No, I can't lose! I still have one card to play!" the King stated defiantly.

It raised its scepter towards both of the Wild Cards, a cocky look on his face as its jeweled tip began to radiate a strange blue glow.

"Behold, my trump card!"

No one said a single word in response, and the air grew quiet for a time. The scepter continued to glow, and yet nothing whatsoever seemed to happen. Even the King started to appear somewhat confused as he looked back and forth between the two wielders of the Fool.

"Um, there isn't a chance that you feel the compulsion to obey me now, is there?" the King asked.

"Not really, no," Yu answered.

"Nope," Joker stated.

"Well… Ehem, then this is quite awkward. Switching your genders with my spell seems entirely pointless now."

Many of the women in the group took the opportunity to jostle their guns at the Shadow, clearly startling him in the process.

"Speaking of which, would you mind changing them back?" asked Panther, sporting a predatory smile that did her codename justice. "Pretty please?"

"A-Ah, yes, right away!" the King replied.

With a mere flick of his wrist, a bright light emanated from his scepter and in a literal flash, the two Wild Cards were swapped back to their original genders. Sounds of relief could be heard from quite literally everyone present, each for varying reasons but the underlying feeling was still the same.

"Finally," Skull sighed.

"You can say that again," stated Panther.

"I don't know, I thought Sensei really pulled off being a girl," Teddie commented cheerfully.

"No one asked you," Yosuke replied, giving the bear a sideways glare. "A-Anyway, good to have you back to normal, partner. Same to you, Joker."

"Still," spoke Chie, a curious note to her voice as she eyed the crowned Shadow. "You undid that spell on them pretty willingly. What gives?"

"Because I'm no match for you, of course," answered the King as if it were obvious. "If my power isn't forcing you to obey, then at least the women among you are near the power of the Mistress. Killing me would likely be a simple task for you, and I have no desire to die."

"Then if that's the case, you wouldn't mind answering a few questions we have, would you?" Naoto inquired.

"No, absolutely not. My priority is to live, so all else doesn't quite matter," he answered.

Though the Shadow's cowardice was good news in its own way, the memory of the Succubus that erased its own existence just days prior was still fresh in the minds of the Wild Cards and the Nijima sisters.

"It may be unwise to question him so readily," Sae stated pointedly.

"I agree. After all, we know he knows something, so why risk having him disintegrate like last time?" Joker mused.

"Hm? Ah, you mean like the Succubae?" the King said in realization. He chuckled as if amused by the notion. "Worry not, for I am not bound to their creator in the same way. You may ask me anything and I'll not disintegrate like them."

Again, there was a unanimous appreciation for his honesty, but at the same time it greatly confused nearly everyone present. Clearly, this Shadow was either an idiot, a coward, or a mix of both.

"Well, let's start by asking what this place is," Yu stated.

"Mainly a staging ground for our forces as the city moves further under our influence," he answered without hesitation. "It also doubles as a holding area for human Shadows that are less cooperative than others. The Mistress has the Succubae bring them here, I put them under my influence, and then make their jobs easier."

"And this Mistress you keep talking about, who is she? Why is she making you do these things?" Naoto pressed.

"The Mistress is—"

A throwing knife drove directly into the Shadow's forehead before it could speak another word. It couldn't even so much as gasp before it started to fade away, though naturally none of the Persona users watched.

They were far more interested on where the knife had come from.

"It's rude to talk about someone behind they're back, even more so if they're a lady."

The voice that spoke out was clearly feminine and held an oddly seductive charm to it. However, it echoed throughout the room, making it difficult to pin down where exactly it had come from.

"Oracle, Rise-san, do you see anything?" asked Queen as she continued to scan the area.

As if not even bothering to wait for them to find her, the woman in question descended from the rafters above. She took her place just in front of the destroyed chamber door, landing with both confidence and elegance.

Her appearance quickly captured the eyes of everyone present, and for more reasons than one. Outside from clearly being an enemy, the woman was criminally beautiful by standards that surpassed gender itself.

She wore a single-sleeve red kimono that stopped just around mid-way down her thighs. It held a pink floral pattern that was scattered sparingly throughout the garment which left her right arm entirely exposed alongside the sarashi that covered her breast on the same side.

Her hair was as black as the darkest of nights and parted to the right side of her face, barely grazing her eye of the same side as it tucked behind her ears. An intricate silver hairpin tied her hair together behind her head, though its length was such that it was only just barely contained.

The woman seemed fairly young, though in contrast to what was typical of her sex, she stood very tall, by the looks of things being only slightly shorter than Yu. As a result, her legs seemed to go on forever. Additionally, she had flawless peach-colored skin and held a pair of haunting green eyes.

The last eye-catching aspect of her appearance was the tattoo of what appeared to be a snake that took its place on her naked right shoulder, which started from her back and wrapped itself onto her upper chest.

"I never did like him," she began, speaking in an even tone. Her green eyes scanned the group with ominous intensity that was a stark contrast to her relaxed demeanor. "So, my daring intruders, shall I assume the Black Biker sent you here while he was distracting us?"

"The hell is she talkin' about…?" Skull whispered to the others.

"No idea," said Chie. "But maybe she's as talkative as the King?"

"I can hear you quite well, you know. Though even if I didn't, your body language more than makes it obvious that you haven't the slightest idea of what I was referring to," the woman said with a giggle. "So, that begs the question… if you're not with him, then just who are you?"

"Ladies first," Yu shot back.

The red-clad woman smiled pleasantly, eying him with purpose. She began to saunter forward, a sensual intensity shining through her hypnotic eyes as she stared the Wild Card down.

"Fancy yourself clever now, do we?" she asked teasingly.

She swung her left hand forward without warning, launching a flurry of throwing knives forward at a high speed directly at Yu. They hit a barrier, however, and bounced off the invisible surface and onto the ground, not even coming within a foot of anyone in the group.

A surprised raven-haired woman eyed the only Persona that was still on the field, that being Rise's, and correctly assumed that the songstress was the one to thwart her attack. That soon became the least of her worries, as within seconds the large group of Persona users had fanned out and were seconds away from lunging at her with a clear intent to bring her down.

"Was it something I said?" she offered jokingly.

"It's more your personality in general," Joker replied.

"Ah, another clever one," replied the young woman, a smile tugging at her lips as her eyes shifted to the trickster. "A bit on the short side, but not too bad. I'll deal with you after the silver fox."

"Can we please shut her up?" Rise practically begged.

Kanzeon proceeded to grant as much power as it could to everyone within its range, managing to capture the totality of the join-team of Persona users in the process. Oracle took to the skies within Necronomicon, placing up her own amplifications in tandem.

The first to make a move were Yusuke, Chie, Kanji, and Morgana who charged forward as a single unit with the clear intent of at least forcing the woman to summon the Persona they were all but certain she had.

"Take-Mikazuchi!"

"Tomoe!"

Without so much as breaking a sweat, the woman gracefully flipped into the air, dodging the polearm and the fist of the respective Personas and even landing on top of them seconds after they destroyed the ground on which she previously stood. She then sent several throwing knives directly into the torsos of her attackers.

Kanji and Chie winced as the metal shot into their Personas, and in that split-second, the woman in the red kimono made her move. She zoomed past both Take-Mikazuchi and Tomoe, clearly hell-bent on attacking their wielders and taking them down in the brief opening she'd created.

Yusuke and Morgana were fast to react and cut off her line of advance with a union of wind and frost that would have landed a decisive blow were it not for the woman's quick reaction. When she managed to stabilize herself, she threw another slew of knives at her fresh attackers, though this time they were batted away by their Personas and failed to hit their mark.

"The same trick won't keep working, you know," Morgana stated confidently. "Oh, and whenever you're ready, Queen."

The woman first believed that the feline was addressing her with that nickname; after all it wouldn't have been the first time someone called her that. When a ball of nuclear energy started forming directly off to her side, she realized that hadn't been the case.

When the nuclear attack erupted, it was clear that Queen had at the very least hit her intended target. Sadly, the damage was minimal, if any at all, as the woman simply shook it off and leapt away to safety.

The raven-haired woman scowled. "That is going to cost—"

An incoming slash courtesy of Sae's twinblade cut her off, forcing her back yet again. She attempted to launch a small volley of knives to cover her retreat, though much to her surprise, the silver-haired Persona user shielded herself with the flat side of her sword.

In a display of speed that clearly caught her by surprise, Sae then swung her body around, with it spinning her twinblade in one fluid motion. It came within an inch of slicing through the red-clad woman's skin, instead severing a lone strand of hair as she pulled her body back as far as she could so as to avoid taking the hit.

Out of clear respect for Sae's speed and skill, she put as great a distance between them as she was able to, glaring back at her when she finally came to a stop.

"Carmen!"

"Konohana Sakuya!"

The two fire users sent a downpour of flaming spheres roaring towards the green-eyed woman only for them to be intercepted, quite literally, by a swarm of Halberies that swooped in to block the attacks at the expense of their own lives.

"Focus up, everyone! Looks like we've got company!" Oracle announced.

True to the navigator's word, Shadow upon Shadow started to seep out from the walls that lined the room. Succubae took to the skies, leading unending legions of Halberies and Eagles at their side. The demons hovered in place as if awaiting orders from their master, or in this case mistress.

"Well timed, girls," the woman stated, a cocky smirk crossing her lips. "Take care of them, won't you?"

"You're running away?" Queen asked tauntingly.

The woman chuckled amusedly, "Nice try, but I'm not so easily goaded. And though I must take my leave, I do leave you in good company."

She snapped her fingers, thereby giving the signal for a series of doors to open on each side of the chamber. Out of the openings rolled a total of four tank-like Shadows.

They were massive in size and were a dark green in color, save for the barrel which was a dark black. The masks of the Shadows took the form of the turret on the upper half of its body, out of the mouth of which the tank's barrel extended.

The sounds of rigid gears and roaring tire treads dominated the airs of the room as they moved into the fray, quickly becoming the center of attention for many of its opponents.

"Looks like we've got Turrets," Rise stated with a grimace.

"So, you've seen these things before?" asked Queen.

"Plenty of times," Chie replied. "And spoiler alert, you're not gonna like fighting 'em."

"I kinda figured as much," Joker remarked.

Both the Shadows in the air and the Turrets on the ground began to make their advance, quickly causing chaos to erupt throughout the spa's main chamber. Neither the Phantom Thieves nor the members of the Investigation Team were able to avoid being locked into combat, putting them exactly where their enemy wanted them.

"That woman in the red kimono is gettin' away!" Kanji shouted.

He immediately found himself dodging a pillar of ice that shot up from the ground courtesy of a nearby Succubus. Now having his footing, he took out his desert eagle and blasted it full of holes, all the while his Persona dealt with the nearby Eagles and Halberies that were barring down on him like vultures on a dead carcass.

"Skull, Panther, Chie, Yukiko!" Oracle called out. "You guys are the closest to her, so just blow your way through the Shadows and chase after her! Hold her at back for as long as you can!"

"Will do," Yukiko replied. She immediately looked to her blonde teammate. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Panther replied, a note of excitement in her eyes.

In unison, they called forth their respective Personas and began to gather their collective power. The intensity of their auras was such that a searing heat began to exude from around both the two beauties and their other selves.

As their energy peaked, their Personas began to dance with elegance, clearly making the final motions of what would be a Unison Attack.

"Fire Dragon's Dance!" they shouted.

True to the name of the technique, two dragons made entirely of flame moved forward in a blazing circle. They consumed everything in their path, and it seemed that the heat alone breathing from the dragons' bodies was enough to turn nearby Shadows to ash.

With a hole open in the enemy line, they made no time in sprinting for the exit with their other nearby teammates at their side.

"Nice work!" Chie exclaimed cheerfully.

"When did you guys learn how to do that?" asked Skull with a noticeable grin.

"What? Did you think you were the only one that could use a Unison Attack with our senpai?" Panther shot back cockily.

"Glad I'm not, cuz' that right there was a hell of a show," Skull admitted.

"And yet it'll be for nothing if we can't catch up to that woman," Yukiko pointed out.

Skull confidently replied, "Don't worry, we'll catch up to her, and when we do—"

The blond grunted as a foot slammed right into his face, which effectively sent him flying and bouncing backwards like a giant rubber ball.

"Skull!" Panther exclaimed.

Ann soon found herself the target of the woman in red, taking notice an open palm was driving directly towards the center of her chest. She brought up her forearms to guard, though the force of the blow shot her away a fair distance all the same.

"You should've been far more worried about yourself, dear," stated the woman amusedly.

"Haiyaaaa!" Chie shouted.

Her leg swung at the kimono-clad young woman with everything she had. Even so, her target's reaction time seemed to be just enough to dodge. Undeterred, the young officer continued her onslaught, sending kick after kick towards her opponent in the hopes of landing a solid blow.

Eventually getting bored of simply dodging the attacks, the presumed criminal met one of Chie's roundhouse kicks with one of her own. A veritable sonic boom resulted from the clashing of their legs, though the force seemed to only have an effect on one of the parties that created it.

"Ghh…!" Chie winced.

Never one to give up, the brunette willed her characteristic tarot card to appear behind her, at which point she did a reverse kick backwards, placing some distance between both herself and her opponent and simultaneously shattering the tarot card as she spun herself away.

Tomoe was fast to appear, warding off the red-garbed vixen as its wielder took a tactical retreat. Her polearm smashed into the ground, destroying a good chunk thereof and leaving a small crater. Even if she hadn't hit her intended target, it was certainly a show of force to behold.

"Not bad," remarked the woman, smirking slyly. "But sorry to say I'm better."

With a flick of her left hand, a series of throwing knives came out from her kimono and found themselves in-between her fingers. She readied to throw them, only to be forced into dodging a wave of electricity that came roaring towards her. With a flawless flip into the air, she evaded the attack and landed gracefully before shifting her focus towards Skull yet again.

It was clear that the raven-haired girl was about to charge, though Yukiko took the opportunity to get in on the action from a fair distance off to the side.

Yukiko's Persona soon sent a flurry of flaming spheres directly towards her opponent, yet again making the woman dodge lest she be engulfed in a sea of flame, or at least that's what Yukiko wanted her to believe.

The Amagi heiress had placed her barrage of attacks with expert intent, effectively isolating her target's possible movements. With the woman's landing point being all too obvious, she could only smirk in anticipation.

"Now, Konohana Sakuya!" Yukiko exclaimed.

A pillar of fire began to form beneath where the kimono-wearing Persona user had landed. With a panicked look spread across her face, she gazed down at the flames, clearly taking in the searing heat that was about to erupt. She mustered all of the speed and agility that she could, just barely managing to get out of the attack's area of effect before she was engulfed by the flames.

Though she'd managed to dodge, she was decidedly less relaxed this time around. Her expression, previously ever-so-confident and teasing, was now a sinister scowl and glare that she directly wholeheartedly at Yukiko.

"You'll regret that," the woman blankly declared.

She brought up her left hand and prepared to toss her throwing knives at the fire-wielding Persona user, but as she began the forward motion, something wrapped itself around her arm and caused her shot to miss horribly.

"Wha…?!"

A red whip strongly wrapped her forearm, drawing her attention to none other than Panther. She appeared genuinely surprised, if not outright impressed.

"I've got her! Hit her while she's tied up!" Panther shouted to her teammates. "I'll make sure she—w-wooooah?!"

The raven-haired woman gripped the whip and yanked it towards herself with such force that it pulled Ann in towards her like a magnet to a sheet of metal. Unable to keep herself stable given the weight of the sudden force, she spun wildly into the woman's hands, quickly finding herself almost face to face with her enemy's smirking visage.

"You were saying?" she asked.

The whip's hold loosened, and a split-second thereafter Panther was pushed off to the side with incredible force. The villainess believed herself to be in the clear and turned to run away, only for a hand to grab hold of her forearm.

It seemed the red-clad blonde hadn't been sent flying like she had believed her to be. Though Panther was visibly wincing, her grip was nevertheless firm, a clear testament to her sheer willpower and fighting spirit.

Once again, the villainess was surprised, and once again, she was impressed.

'Too bad I'm likely out of time,' thought the woman.

With one swift motion, she managed to free herself from Panther's grasp, allowing her retreat to begin in earnest.

"Dammit…!" Panther hissed, falling to one knee and clenching her stomach.

She picked herself up by her own power, quickly glancing back at her teammates and noticing that the bulk of them were clearly injured. Chie in particular was on the ground, clenching the shin on her leg that had clashed with the kimono-clad woman.

"Hang on, Chie," Yukiko stated in a serious tone of voice.

Konohana Sakuya soon made another appearance and began to shower the area with shimmering green light that descending towards the earth with the splendor of morning dew. Both Panther and Chie quickly felt their wounds heal and their soreness fade.

"Thanks, that's a lot better," a relieved Chie said as she rose from the ground. "That girl was a hell of a lot stronger than she looked."

"You can say that again," uttered Panther disappointedly. "Not only did we let her get away, but we didn't even manage to force out her Persona."

"Hmm…"

"Huh? What's up, Yukiko?" Chie asked curiously. "Wait, did you manage to figure out what her Persona is or something?!"

"No, of course not," replied Yukiko evenly.

"Okay, yeah, that was pretty optimistic of me…" uttered Chie. "So what's with the humming?"

"It's just that I realized something," she replied. "Where did Skull go?"

The three began to look around the immediate area, quickly realizing that the thuggish teen was nowhere to be seen. It didn't take a genius to figure out where he went, though.

"Crap," Panther sighed.

---

"Nearly at the exit," muttered the red-clad woman to herself. "Just one more room, and—"

A series of thunderbolts soon erupted at her front, not damaging her person but certainly putting a stop to her forward march. With a heavy sigh, she turned around to a sight that she could've predicted if only half of her brain were functional.

Skull stood in place, giving a toothy grin her way as if he was as proud as he could be that he managed to stop her in place, if only for a moment.

"Almost had ya," remarked Skull.

"…something tells me you're not very popular with the ladies, are you?"

The way the woman asked the question made it seem as if the answer was both obvious and a simple matter of fact.

"W-Wha?! How the hell would you know that?!" Skull exclaimed. He cleared his throat and attempted to play down his reaction. "I-I mean, that ain't true. I'm plenty popular… and it ain't like you'd really know anyway."

"Oh, I can tell at a glance," answered the raven-haired woman with a chuckle. She walked forward a few paces, her hips swaying hypnotically as she drew several more throwing knives. "You're easily riled up, quick to anger, and judging by the number of times you've stared at my chest and waist, a bit superficial. Hmm, but you're a good boy deep down, I'd wager. Maybe you weren't always, but right now you've at least got something going for you. I'm sure I could teach you a thing or two about how to get to a woman's heart. If you asked nicely, of course."

'Don't listen to her! She's just trying to throw you off by talkin'!' Skull shouted in thought. 'Focus! C'mon, you're fast enough to deal with her! Just focus!'

Keeping his calm to the best of his ability proved to be the correct decision as the woman quickly proved that though her words were playful, the way she intended to fight was not.

A series of knives launched towards Ryuji while following closely behind was the woman herself. Seeing an obvious opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, he reached for his mask.

"Persona!" Skull exclaimed.

The storied outlaw appeared at his front, barreling forward and batting away the throwing knives just by the nature of his sheer size and presence. With that out of the way, a literal gigantic fist manifested from Captain Kidd's torso, launching itself straight towards the raven-haired woman without relent. The woman, however, smirked handily at the sight.

"Too easy," she stated cockily.

With shocking ease, she hopped atop the fist and used it as a springboard to throw herself backwards, effectively managing to both dodge the attack and place a great deal of distance between herself and Ryuji. She glanced back at him to offer one final taunting smirk before she began to run off.

"Shit!" Skull hissed.

"Sorry, but I haven't the time to…"

The woman trailed off upon seeing the blond-haired teen fast on her heels. She realized then and there that she hadn't the luxury of messing around any further and devoted her all into running as fast as she could. Even still, he continued to gain more and more ground with each passing second.

Whether it was a result of the woman in red's momentary shock or Skull's genuine speed and skill, the teenage Persona user had managed to tackle his target to the ground, wrapping her in a tight hold from behind.

"Let's see ya get outta this!" Skull gloated. "Can't even call out your Persona without using your hands, can ya?"

His victory was short-lived as the back of the woman's head crashed into his jaw. With a pained grunt, he reflexively made to grab his face, though in doing so he of course released his grip. He caught himself rather quickly, but it was still far too late.

The woman rid herself of the hold that Skull kept on her, rising to the ground and glaring down heavily at her momentary captor. He in turn, not wanting to give her a free shot on his person, he rolled away brought himself up to at least one knee, all the while pulling out his shotgun in order to have some ability to strike if he found the need to defend himself.

"You've got guts, kid, but a word of advice…" she began, a sinister look donning her haunting green eyes. "It isn't wise to touch a lady without her permission."

"Yeah, well, you—ooof!"

Skull grunted, nearly falling over himself as he tried to fully pick himself up. He looked down at his leg, finding an odd sensation, or more specifically, a lack of sensation creeping ever further up his body.

His feet were quite literally starting to feel like they were solid stone.

'What the hell is this?!' Skull wondered in shock. 'I-I can't even move! When did she even… W-Wait, the knives! It must've been when they hit Captain Kidd! It's gotta be poison or somethin'!'

"Let that be a lesson to you," stated the raven-haired beauty as she turned her back towards her adversary. "Panicking only makes it worse, by the way."

Skull defiantly tried to will himself to move, cursing internally at his own bodies inability to perform when he needed it most. With everything he had, he attempted to reach for his mask, hoping that if he could do so then Capitan Kidd would be able to buy just a few seconds more.

'Dammit!' Skull hissed in thought.

The woman confidently took her leave, though she didn't make it far before yet another obstacle presented itself. A series of explosions erupted across all directions at her front, resulting in a mountain of debris that effectively sealed the only pathway out of the building.

Yet again, she knew the likely cause, her eyes reflexively narrowing as she turned to face the ever-persistent gnats that had continued to hound her relentlessly. Sure enough, Panther, Yukiko, and Chie were at their comrade's side, their Personas summoned and at the ready for another bout.

"Perfect timing," uttered Skull with a grin.

"Looks more like 'better late than never' to me," Panther remarked, her eyes never leaving their enemy's position. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not really able to move much at all, but I'll live," Skull stated. "And a word of warning, steer clear from those knives of hers. I'm pretty sure they're poisoned or somethin', and it looks like they work even if they only hit your Persona."

"Noted," Yukiko replied, her fan held at the ready. "Only one thing to ask: did you manage to draw out her Persona yet?"

"A friendly reminder that my hearing is quite good," stated the woman, stepping up several paces towards the group. "And the answer is no, he hasn't."

"I'm starting to feel like this is a bit unfair," Chie replied. "I mean, we've shown you ours, after all."

"A true lady doesn't reveal her secrets so readily," she shot back, a taunting smirk gracing her features. "Though if you prefer to be so loose with yours, it's no business of mine…"

"Why you…!" Chie grumbled, a slight blush forming on her cheeks.

"Hm? Why are you embarrassed?" Yukiko asked. Realization came to her a moment later. "Oooh, she's making a sex joke."

"You don't have to explain it!" Chie exclaimed. Her ire quickly turned to the woman in red. "And by the way, a 'real lady' wouldn't make a joke like that in the first place!"

"Seeing as how I am and I just did, clearly you're wrong."

"Okay, that's it! You wanna go, Red?!"

"What exactly is it that you think we've been doing?" uttered the woman, a bit of a laughter underlying her voice. "Or are you perhaps a bit on the dull side?"

"Am not!" Chie shouted defiantly.

"Well…" Yukiko trailed off, her chin cupped in thought.

"Whose side are you on?!"

"For your friend to say something like that, you must be even stupider than I believed," the woman mused.

The brunette smirked. "Yeah, well that doesn't really matter now. Especially considering your time just ran out."

Just as the red-clad villainess was about to respond, the characteristic sound of a gun being aimed resounded from her side. Her head spun around, allowing her to finally catch sight of Joker as he stood in place, his pistol just a short distance away and aimed directly at her head.

"I wouldn't move if I were you," Joker stated, a confident smirk spread across his lips.

"Nice work, Joker!" Panther exclaimed cheerfully.

"I had a nice distraction," he replied.

The others began to make their approach and Chie in particular raced towards their hostage as quickly as she could out of the desire to get the laugh metaphorical laugh.

"Now who's dumb?" Chie asked tauntingly.

"I'll admit, I'm impressed you were able to get the drop on me." She gave a sideways glance to the black-clad Wild Card that held her at gunpoint, her expression appearing as if she were eying an appetizing meal. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you? I suppose as a bit of a reward, I'll let you in on a little secret…"

Without warning, the ground itself began to shake, much to the surprise of everyone save for the woman in red, who could be seen smirking cockily even as the quaking became more and more intense.

"You weren't the only one's stalling for time," she stated.

The pile of debris that had blocked off the hallway suddenly blasted wide open, causing piles of rubble to shoot down the hallway towards the Wild Card and his companions. Joker, seeing the writing on the wall, immediately jumped in front of Panther and the others in an effort to protect them from any danger.

"Abaddon!"

An enormous green blob-like Persona with a giant mouth and eerie yellow eyes appeared at the trickster's front, absorbing each and every single piece of rock, stone, and metal that blasted towards it. When the explosion died down, the beast was recalled, having done all that it was meant to do by protecting Joker and his friends.

"Thanks," said Panther.

"Yeah, nice move," Chie added.

"Don't thank me yet," Joker stated, his eyes narrowing as he stared down the dust-littered hallway. "Yep, looks like we've got company."

A gigantic Turret rolled towards them, its main gun primed and ready to barrel down the squad of Persona users at a moment's notice. The red-clad woman stood at the Shadow's side, looking at her opponents with a clear aura of superiority.

"Your play-acting was a bit too obvious, by the way," stated the villainess. She eyed two individuals ahead of her in particular, her lips curled into a telling smirk. "I confess you've captured a bit of my interest, but nonetheless, I really must be going."

"As if we'd let you just walk away!" Chie replied, her eyes shining with determination.

She became a bit deflated a second later when the woman simply ran in the opposite direction in total contrast to her words.

"Okay, I stand corrected."

"Speaking of standing, my advice is to do it somewhere else. Preferably within the next few seconds," Joker stated.

The obvious reason for this was the charging gun battery of the Turret that was still looming large in front of them. Each of the Persona users scattered, evading the blast of bright energy that erased the ground on which they previous stood.

Panther and Yukiko were quick to react during their retreat, deciding to take a few pod-shots and get some damage in while it was reloading.

"Persona!" the two exclaimed.

Fire pelleted the metal Shadow all over its frame, coating it with burning embers for only a short while before they dissipated entirely as if they had no effect whatsoever.

"Fire's a no-go!" Panther announced.

"Then let's try this!" Chie uttered, proceeding to break her tarot card with a spin-kick. "Tomoe!"

A rigid prison of ice encapsulated the tank-like creature's entire body and then some. However, said ice shattered within seconds, not even leaving enough time for Chie to feel triumph and subsequent disappointment in the wake of her attack proving to be ineffective.

It was clear that the Turret was about to set its sights on the ice-user, only for its attention to be torn elsewhere by the meddling Trickster himself.

"Arsène!" Joker shouted.

The black and red gentleman thief extended its clawed hand and sent a massive burst of dark energy raging towards the Shadow. Yet again, the attack just brushed off against it, though Joker was by no means done with testing the waters.

He proceeded towards the Shadow on foot, drawing a bless attack from its canon and dodging it handily. As he made the final stretch, he aimed his pistol at the demon's treads and began to fire several shots. The bullets bounced off, prompting him to draw back his gun and opt for a more hands-on approach.

"Zaou-Gongen!" Joker called out.

The dark blue-skinned warrior appeared even greater in height than the Turret, readying in an instant to mount its assault. Raising its sword high into the air, it called forth the physical manifestation of a giant fisted hand that launched directly onto the top of the Shadow with the full force of a meteorite crashing down onto the earth.

Though the force of the impact was such that it sent a shockwave throughout the hallway, it nevertheless failed to damage the creature in any visible way.

"What hurts this thing?!" Panther shouted annoyedly.

The Turret stood in place, its gun shifting back into a fixed position as a bright light coated its body from head to toe for the briefest of moments. Even if its opponents didn't recognize the characteristic aura, they could certainly tell by its rising energy what was going on.

"I'm not sure, but we better figure it out fast!" Chie stated with urgency.

"I don't think we have the time," uttered Yukiko with a scowl. "Come on, take cover!"

As the barrel began to charge with what was clearly almighty energy, everyone was about to scatter and brace for impact. Joker was the lone member to simply charge directly at the Turret without even a shred of fear or hesitation, catching surprised glances from his teammates as he zoomed past them.

'Joker? What're you…' Panther wondered.

Within seconds, the black-clad Wild Card was right next to the Shadow, readying to slash across its body with his knife. Doing just that alone was a futile effort since, of course, they knew it to be immune to physical attacks.

He, however, had an ace up his sleeve.

Just before he fully launched his assault, Joker brought his hand across his weapon, coating the blade with a pitch-black energy that most recognized to be of the darkness element. He then shot across the Turret's frame, bouncing off the sides of the hallway again and again until he'd practically cut through every square inch of its body. He finished with one final uppercut to the gun placement itself, pacing himself firmly in the air and flipping backwards in style while the creature began to break down piece by metal piece.

Joker landed facing his teammates and with his back towards the exploding Shadow, all the while he adjusted one of his gloves and smirked handily. Normally such a display would have inspired his friends to all him a showoff, which while still true, wasn't quite what was on their minds after seeing what they had.

"What just… how did you…?" Panther stammered. She shook her head, intent on forming a coherent sentence. "What did you just do? Just now, your knife was…"

"I charged my knife with an elemental attack," Joker answered, brandishing the blade stylishly before sheathing it once more. "It's the same trick that Shadow used. I haven't exactly mastered using it, but—"

"W-When were you gonna tell us you could do that?!" Chie exclaimed.

He shrugged. "I never really got a chance to mention it."

"Wait, if Shadow could do it, and Joker can do it…" began Yukiko, deep in consideration. "Does that mean we can do it as well?"

"Probably, yeah," Joker said.

"Wait, so how do you do it?" Panther inquired.

The wielder of the Fool Arcana brought out his knife again and charged it with a dark aura yet again.

"Like that," he replied.

"Pfft—hahahaha!"

While Yukiko had started laughing hysterically, the others found it nowhere near as amusing. Ann in particular gave him a glare that was as thin as the knife in his hand.

"I didn't think I'd meet anyone worse than Yu with stuff like this, and yet here we are…" Chie muttered, shaking her head.

"Meh, I'm used to it by now," said Skull, coming up to the group sporting a good-natured grin. "Besides, I…"

Ryuji paused mid-sentence upon realizing that their surroundings had started to change. In the literal blink of an eye, the opulent hallways of the spa became rather plain and ordinary once more. Each of the Persona users looked around confusedly, and understandably so.

"Uh… what just happened?" Skull wondered aloud.

"Maybe they did something in the main chamber?" Chie reasoned.

"It's possible," Yukiko replied. "Only one way to find out though."

"Yeah, let's head back. We'll need to tell them about what happened out here anyway," Chie thought aloud.

"Though it's not like we've got any good news to report…" Panther muttered disappointedly. "Ugh, if only I'd managed to keep my grip on her!"

A friendly hand placed itself on her shoulder.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it," Joker said, offering a reassuring smile to his close friend. "There's always next time, right? And there will be a next time."

"Well, I guess you're right…" she replied.

"I know."

"Aaaand there you go again."

Though the blonde sighed, there was a clear smile tugging at her lips, which was all Ren had really been after.

"Break it up, you two," said Skull, rolling his eyes. "C'mon, let's get goin' and meet up with the others."

Metaverse: Shinjuku, Perch Overlooking Shangri La Spa

The woman in the red kimono stared down at the now-ordinary building dispassionately, though her mind was captured in deep thought at recent events. Such was understandable given the great deal of considerations that needed to be made going forward.

A lone, muscular, bald-headed man clad in a suit approached from behind, intent on breaking her out of her internal musings.

"I see one of your nests has fallen," the man stated evenly. "Allies of the Black Biker, I take it?"

"Very unlikely," she answered, her eyes narrowing analytically as they stayed ever-fixed on the spa. "I can't say for certain, though regardless, there were quite a number of them, and they appear quite capable as a group. At the very least, they dealt with the base's contingency of Shadows more easily than I had expected."

"Then you should have dealt with them. Harshly."

"If that was your attempt at advice, consider it unwanted," the woman spat back venomously, her green eyes having a visible fire to them as she turned to look the man dead in his eyes. "And if that was an order, then friendly reminder that you are not my superior."

"I apologize," he replied, offering a slight bow of his head. "Either way, the boss will be unhappy to hear—"

"No, he won't. Primarily because he's not an idiot," she interjected. "Both Shadows and these small bases are easily recreated. As long as nothing of true value is lost, he couldn't care less."

"Fair enough. Still," began the bald-headed man, walking up to observe the former nest of Shadows. "We should beef up security at our major facilities as best as we can. Even if this lot ends up not being a concern, the Black Biker will likely continue to disrupt our activities."

"On that, we agree," she replied. "I'll track this group's movements and deal with them should the need arise, and you can continue to track the Black Biker. Sound good?"

"That works just fine for me. Now let's get going, I'm sure the boss is waiting for our report on the situation."

The woman nodded in agreement. As she began to walk away with her begrudging partner in crime, she took one final look back at the front of the spa. She stared down for a brief time at the exiting group of Persona users, a blank look on her face.

"Be seeing you," she whispered to herself.

---

Outside the spa, the Phantom Thieves and the Investigation Team stood side by side, looking back at the now semi-ordinary spa that had previously been an incredibly distorted space.

"So…" began Yosuke, gazing confusedly at the building all the while. "Anyone got any idea what just happened? We were cleaning up the Shadows, Yu was doing some weird but definitely badass energy thing with his sword, he took out the last tank and then poof."

"Once again, allow me to express my appreciation for your withholding of a valuable technique," Avenger spoke up, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

"I said I was sorry," Yu replied.

"Ah, so they gave you crap about that too," Joker mused.

"That they did," he answered. "Though I admit I didn't do myself any favors by joking around when they asked how I did it."

"You just did it again and said 'like that', didn't you?" Panther asked, almost not wanting to hear the answer.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Wow, you two really are twins…" Chie thought aloud.

"Those two aside," Oracle spoke, her eyes hidden behind her goggles. "I'm not seeing anything crazy going on with the building anymore. It's just like any of the other ones with that weird 'MINE' graffiti all over it…"

"I'm far less concerned about that and far more concerned about that woman we encountered," Naoto chimed in. She looked to Ann and Chie, asking, "I take it she managed to escape?"

"She did, but the sequence of events leading to that were quite strange," Yukiko replied, her voice rather serious in tone. "She dealt with us quite well even without the use of a Persona, which makes me wonder why she chose to reveal herself to us in the first place."

"Is it possible that she in fact lacks a Persona?" Fox posited.

"From what I was feelin', no," Oracle replied. "She's definitely a Persona user, and a strong one at that."

"And as for why she would choose to approach us in the first place, I think I may know the reason," stated Sae. "She mentioned something about us being with a 'Black Biker'. Perhaps her intent was to figure out if we were truly working in tandem with them or not."

"I was thinking the same thing," Naoto said. "Though that of course begs the question: just who is this Black Biker and why are they fighting against this woman and her ilk?"

Roughly half the group was at a loss and were thinking long and hard about the answer to exactly that question. However, the Phantom Thieves each had an eerie feeling in the pit of their stomachs. They looked at one another back and forth with uncertainty written all over their faces.

It was clear to each of them that they were thinking the exact same thing.

"It can't be him, right?" Skull finally said. "Like, for real, it can't. Uh, right…?"

"Stranger things have happened," Queen replied, a stern look to her eyes. "But I do agree, it's unlikely."

"You have some notion as to who this may be?" Naoto inquired.

"Goro Akechi," Queen answered, his gaze steely at the mere mention of the name. "Though it's more complicated than this, he's essentially a Persona user that worked with Shido and took many lives in the process."

"His outfit definitely fits the description we've got to work with so far," Joker added. "Appearance aside, whoever the Black Biker is, they'd need to be incredible strong in theory, and Akechi was certainly strong if nothing else."

"Though his being dead makes it difficult for us to imagine it can truly be him," Noir stated.

"Ah, right, his demise in Shido's Palace. Makoto had mentioned to me before what had happened," Sae uttered.

"It might just be wishful thinking on our part," Joker admitted. "The truth is, it wouldn't make much sense for him to show up only now of all times."

"Irrespective of whothe Black Biker is, one thing remains true," Naoto remarked, her eyes narrowing sternly. "The enemy of our enemy is not to be considered our friend. We should be cautious of this person's motives and not treat them as an ally unless we have good reason to."

"Naoto's right. Even if this is somehow Akechi, it doesn't change what we have to do," Queen said firmly. "Let's go find the nearest exit point and head out for the night. Some rest will do us quite a bit of good."

"Yeah, I'm gettin' pretty worn out right about now," Oracle said as she stretched her limbs. "And since it looks like we're in this for the long haul, I'm definitely gonna need as much sleep as I can get."

"Aw man," groaned Yosuke, drawing several eyes towards him. "I just realized we're not gonna be able to follow through on our dinner plans! And I got a nice suite ready just for the occasion…"

"We can always just do it afterwards," Chie replied, rolling her eyes. "Stop being so dramatic."

"That's just how Yosuke is," Teddie chuckled.

"Hey, we finally agree on somethin'," remarked Kanji.

"And I'm just so happy I could bring you two together."

As the conversation carried on and the group headed off to do the nearest exit point in the Metaverse, Joker uncharacteristically walked slowly and towards the back of the line they formed. Thoughts of the Black Biker plagued his mind—specifically the consideration that he may even possibly have been Akechi.

Truth be told, the brown-haired Detective Prince hadn't been on his mind all that often in recent history. It was impossible for him to truly tell why that had been. Maybe life had just gotten in the way. Or perhaps the reason was simply because it was an unpleasant subject for him on all regards.

Ren still felt a great deal of regret that things had ended the way they had. Even in spite of everything, he could tell that in the depths of Goro Akechi's soul, he started to regret what he'd done the moment he met the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. After all, he'd been beaten down by reality in much the same way they were, if not more so in some cases. There was simply one defining difference between him and them…

Goro Akechi had been completely alone.

'Ann, Ryuji, Morgana, and everyone else… if we didn't have each other to share in our struggles, would we have turned out the same?' Ren wondered, harping back to a thought that had plagued him since that fateful day in Shido's Palace.

Perhaps even more haunting to his mind were a few choice words that Akechi uttered a short time before his presumed death.

I wonder why we couldn't have met a few years earlier…

Ren would likely be able to remember the sorrow in his voice, the emptiness of his eyes, and the tortured nature of his very soul until his dying day.

'Still,' thought Ren, 'Sympathy can only go so far. If he is alive… he'll still need to answer for what he's done. That, and…'

He stole a glance ahead at both Haru and Futaba who walked side by side with the latter teasing the former about something or another. The trickster couldn't help but wonder how they would truly feel about Akechi still being alive.

In spite of what they'd outwardly say, there was probably a piece of them that wanted him to stay dead. Truthfully, even Ren felt a small part of him wish that as well, but such was the complicated relationship that he and Akechi shared.

A hand firmly placed itself on his shoulder without warning, bringing Ren back to reality and alerting him to the fact that both Ann and Ryuji were standing at each of his respective sides as they walked on.

"You good, man?" Skull asked quietly, not wanting to draw attention towards them. "Cuz' if you wanna talk about it… we're here for ya, you know?"

"And if not, we're here for you all the same," Panther stated, offering a warm smile to her close friend.

"I'm fine, really," Joker answered, his lips tugging into a smile of his own. "I was just thinking about Akechi is all."

"Is that why you were looking at Haru and Futaba just now?" Panther inquired.

"…yeah," he answered softly.

"Shit's complicated, right?" Skull uttered with a sigh. "On the one hand, I think we all feel for the guy given how crappy his life went, but on the other, that don't excuse the things he did."

"Worrying about it also might just be a waste of time," Joker remarked somberly. "But either way… thanks, guys. I appreciate the concern."

"Anytime," Panther replied cheerfully.

"What she said," stated Skull with a grin, patting his friend on the back.

The trio continued to walk side by side in comfortable silence with the rest of the group. Ren couldn't help but smile wistfully as they went on, knowing that it was moments like these that made him truly appreciate having been chosen as a Wild Card.

'I don't know what I ever did to deserve having people like you all in my life,' Joker thought.

A/N Okay, that was a bit of a long one, lot to unpack there, but hope you all enjoyed it! Next chapter will be posted two Friday's from now as an FYI.

Explanations:

Fem Yu & Fem Joker/Ren: Hopefully people found it easy to imagine what they looked like. And yes, I mostly did it because it for the memes and comedy of it, but hopefully people found it enjoyable. Will it return one day? Dunno, maybe yes, maybe no.

Lower Defenses in SLS: This is stated pretty directly, but the reason there were hardly any Shadows was because the army was away from base hunting the Black Biker.

Oracle's Cognitive Override: It's a power that is based on one Futaba gets in P5 from her confidant where she can turn cognition in your favor if you get ambushed and give you a free All-Out-Attack! And on that note…

Navigators During Combat: I wanted to use Cognitive Override in the way I did so that Futaba can start having some impact in terms of combat, and I will be expanding her abilities usefulness for that reason as well. Rise will be getting a similar treatment as well because of course it becomes a bit boring when all you do is buff and shield. I think I'll stop short of giving them outright attacks, at least for now.

Elemental Weapon Infusion: This is obviously alluded to, but yes, people outside of Joker/Yu can use it, and that will be gradually brought into the picture. No one will be able to master it without practice though, so I don't intend for it to be an instant 'omg free OP damage whenever I want' sort of thing. Even Joker/Yu aren't perfect at using it, which is why they're not whipping the attack out left and right. Since it ignores absorptions and blocks though, I kind of have to make it less easy to use.

Shangri La Spa: It received palace-like qualities out of nowhere, and there is a reason behind that but it won't be shared now. There is also a reason as to why it went back to normal at the end of the chapter which, again will not be shared now.

The Black Biker: The obvious question: Is it Akechi? Well, I can neither confirm nor deny whether or not the Black Biker is average everyday Akechi or someone else entirely. I can maybe say that it isn't not, not, but might be, but not really, but maybe is or isn't Akechi. So, there ya go. But really, could it be something so painfully obvious as somehow being pancake boy out of the blue? Or is it just a fake-out?

The Woman in Red: I feel like people could guess her Persona based on what I wrote thus far. Interested to see if anyone actually gets it though, or maybe I just think the hints are more obvious than they actually are.

Futaba Making fun of Haru's Crush on Yu: I really can't stop myself. I just don't think it's possible.