Persona 5: Tainted Soul
Chapter 2: The Beginning of A Thief
As Cody and Alice look over the comatose body of their older sister, the two higher ups of Fenix looked towards each other with pits in their stomach.
"I'm sure Lady Kirijo is not going to be happy about who the current user of the Driver is" George noted, "This is going to scream the old days of the Shadow Operatives…"
"Is there anything we can do?" Cody asked, looking to Fenix for any sign of hope.
The head executive struggled with an answer that wouldn't upset Cody.
"I'd choose your words carefully if I were you, pal…" Vice warned him as even the demon was upset.
"We can only let her heal, and pray she'll come too." Yujiro noted, knowing that its a coin flip once a coma is induced.
Cody soon said nothing as he walked out of the room, soon finding Ren, Ryuji, Makoto, and her sister Sae waiting for him there.
"How is she?" Makoto asked, as she too looked worried.
Yet Cody's silence easily spoke to them as they were sad to hear such a thing.
"I'm… very sorry about your sister." Ren said, knowing he couldn't add much comfort to him.
"Damn it! Those Deadmans are such scumbags!" Ryuji said, angered about this as well, "I just wish that we could have done something, ANYTHING to make sure your sis was okay!.
"We can at least be glad that there wasn't much more damage to her." Sae informed them, while as cold as that was, she was trying to help.
"Sis…" Makoto said to her, knowing she was trying to help but those words could've been told better.
"Even still, the only thing we can do is prepare for the next attack. Whenever that could be" George told them.
"So, you're the guy who made Cody and that Vice guy into Riders, right?" the delinquent asked the scientist.
"He was the one to do it himself, we had nothing to do with his choices." George defended, "Sides, even we didn't expect it to work out like that. Even with a demon inside him, there was the chance it would rebel and attack him instead."
"Hey, I may be a demon, but I'm not an asshole!" Vice growled.
"Regardless, what's done is done, and the only thing you three can do is to support him and his sister in this battle against the Deadmans" Yujiro told them as he went towards the group.
"I know…. Alice has been…. Very quiet and I'm worried how this'll affect her…." Cody stated, worried for both his sisters as he gently held Alice close to him, as she was looking at the floor silently.
Vice sighed as he looked to the sky, "This is gonna be a tough ride, ain't it?"
Opening: Like Flames - Tensura Slime Season 2 - Opening 2
/PRELUDE/
As Revi and Vice flies through the night sky, we see glimpses of Ichigo and Naoya before the title zips past the duo
/Fate repeats all over again, The voices of my heart say
Time is not enough, it's over/
It soon jumps to Cody standing alone in a hall of mirrors, Vice being on the other side of the mirror before he turns around to see Mementos and the various monsters wandering it's corridors.
/Belief that makes me who I am, light doesn't fade away
Made my mind up now, it's better/
Meanwhile, Ren is sitting alone in the jail cell of the Velvet Room, looking towards the camera as a ghostly visage of Arsene appears before him as he smiles wickedly.
/Yeah I know it's not an easy road, lured by your hands/
It then jumps into a montage of Ryuji jumping for a bit before running, Ann with her back towards the camera fixing her hoodie, an artist holding his paintbrush in front of himself with one eye closed, a cat wandering through an alleyway, Makoto practicing judo, a NEET looking over something on her screen, an heiress looking over her garden, a gymnast practicing her routine, and finally a detective looking over some notes
/Even if it rains don't be swayed, being same as always/
It then jumps to Ichigo watching over the streets of New York, Nigo standing in the middle of a ruined battlefield alone, V3 looking towards the Pyramids of Giza, the prone body of Riderman on a beach in Tahiti, X floating down into the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, Amazon roaring into the night sky causing birds to fly up from the trees of the jungle, and a pair of graves in the middle of a beach with the helmet of Stronger resting on the left grave while a bouquet of flowers was near the right grave.
/Want to feel my destiny, Open my eyes to be braver/
As the shadow of the villains of past Rider and Persona titles haunt Cody and Ren, they soon turn to see a light where they notice the chains holding them back. Luckily, they spot Touma turn towards him and reach out for them, allowing them to break out and transform.
/Get up now Get up now stronger I believe in myself
Stand up now Stand up now shouting
I'll never run away/
It then transitions into a battle scene where Revi and Vice team up as they battle alongside the Phantom Thieves, transforming into their different forms to help each team member. Meanwhile, Ren soon awakens Arsene as several silhouettes of other Personas appear behind the original Phantom Thief before he and Ren perform Eigon.
/I might lose control... It's a perfect world/
It then transitions into showing Cody lost in the devil's world before he sees the Deadmans standing in his way, as Aguilera summons the eight Palace holders behind themselves with her Vistamp.
/Destroy all of it, in the end it's for our good/
As he panics, he notices the spirit of Maria embracing him before he sees the past Riders from Ichigo until Saber appears by his side, their lights shining down enough to allow him to obtain the Rex Vistamp, summoning Vice in the process.
/Let me shout like flames/
Afterwards, he and Vice share a high-five before it jumps to an ending shot of the twelve heroes standing behind a spotlight in their Metaverse garbs.
Afterwards the group headed to Cody's place for some support and assistance to the two siblings. Although the moment the three friends saw the place, they thought their family was rich as they saw the mansion they're living in.
"You're living in this place?!" Ryuji gawked out loud.
"Yeah…" Cody nodded, "I'm still aware at how big this place is…"
"Huh, bringing your girlfriend home already. Smooth moves, Romeo!" Vice chuckled.
"Don't make me get holy water for you, Vice…" Cody glared.
Vice gasped in faux horror, "You wouldn't dare!"
"I would, now behave. I'm not in the mood for your jokes today…" He said, showing a serious look at the demon.
Vice nodded as he looked away in shame.
"I just wanted to lighten up the mood is all..." he grumbled.
As the group headed inside, Sae was already starting to work on some food for everyone as Cody sat alongside Alice for comfort, while the trio of friends were there as well.
"So, how did you meet these guys?" she asked her brother.
"Well, I bumped into Sakamoto and Amamiya when I was heading to school, and Nijima is my tutor for my Japanese lessons." Cody said to her.
"Even though we just met, I hope we can get along, Alice-chan?" Makoto smiled softly, wanting to help her relax as well.
She nodded before whispering, "What did she say again?"
"She was just saying that, she hopes to get along with you." Cody translated to her before he turned to Makoto, "Alice has yet to learn any Japanese at this point."
"I mean she is a kid so-" Ryuji's words were cut off by the girl throwing a pillow at him.
"Nice shot!" Vice chuckled.
"I don't know what he said either, but I could tell he was being dumb…" Alice said with a pouty look.
Makoto giggled at that, "Then I don't mind coming over to teach her as well." She offered.
"Least I won't have to feel like a third wheel next time" the demon commented with a shrug, leading Cody to groan loudly.
"Food is ready everyone." Sae said to the group, as what was there, was simply to make a meal for it, as Sae wasn't the best at cooking but wanted to do something for the siblings.
"Sweet!" the blonde cheered as the group went towards the table.
They soon clapped their hands.
"Itadakimasu-"
Not even a few seconds later, Cody and Ryuji began stuffing their faces with the food, much to everyone else's confusion.
"You know, I feel like we just met Another Cody" Alice noted.
"Hm? I don't know what you're talking about." Cody and Ryuji responded with a huff in unison.
"Maybe they were separated at birth?" Ren guessed with a shrug.
"I didn't know the Igarashis and Sakamotos were related" Vice chimed in.
"As funny as that would be, Ryuji isn't a natural blonde, he dyed his hair in rebellion." Makoto waved off.
This surprised the group as they turned to Ryuji, who has just finished his food.
"What? I'm a growing boy!" he grumbled thinking that they were judging him for his eating habits.
"Let's… just enjoy the meal, okay?" Sae sighed out, as the group continued onward and ate their fill.
Soon, night came as the group decided to stay just for the night to make sure the siblings were okay. Sae took Maria's room, while Makoto and Alice shared the same. Ren and Ryuji did bunk alongside Cody as they had some spare futons for them to use.
"I…. really do own you guys for this…. I didn't expect you two to jump in to help us." Cody said softly, as this was refreshing for him as well.
"No worries man, it's all good" Ren reassured him.
"Yeah, honestly this is going to be a wild year, I can tell" Ryuji noted.
"He just jinxed it didn't he?" Vice asked.
"Easy Vice. Let's just sleep for now and worry about tomorrow morning." Cody said to the demon as he laid down and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.
XXX
As the boys began to dream, Ren found himself within a jail cell, with the appropriate uniform. He noticed that the room had a slight deep blue coloring to it as he got up. Only to soon find himself shackled to an iron ball and chain.
"Get up, inmate!" a voice called out.
From outside of his cell stood…. Two girls? Both of them looked like twins with platinum blonde hair and yellow eyes while they wore police gear and matching eyepatches, each covering either the left or right eye.
"So, this is the one who met the boy with the stray Shadow?" one of the twins, who sported a a braided hairstyle and a clipboard asked her sister.
"Yes, Justine, I believe it is. Hmph, how rude to make us wait so long, inmate." The one with twin hair buns noted.
"Inmate, what is going on?" he asked the twins.
"Silence, Inmate!" The twin buns warden said, striking the bars as her baton electrocuted it.
"I believe that is enough for now." A deep, chilling voice rang out as from afar stood a small desk with papers and more, as a man with a very long nose sat there, "Welcome… to the Velvet Room." He greeted Ren.
"What in the world is going on?" he asked, confused about the situation he was in.
"This… is a place, where only a select few who formed a contract may enter. And you so happen to be one of them." The man said to Ren.
"Okay then, but what about them going on about a boy with a stray Shadow?" he asked, "Did you guys mean Cody and Vice?"
"That is correct." The man nodded. "Oh, how rude of me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Igor, master of the Velvet Room. And these are your wardens, Caroline and Justine."
"Uhh, nice to meet you all" he greeted them.
"Hmph, at least you have manners!" Caroline huffed.
"Now then, while we have a short amount of time, I will try to answer your questions, Trickster." Igor said.
"So, how exactly did I get noticed enough to get here?" Ren asked.
"The Velvet Room exists beyond your comprehension. But to put it simply, your soul is here, tethered. The Velvet Room takes the shape of what lies in your heart, and it seems…" Igor looked around, "You're a prisoner. One whose fate is tied to that boy and his stray Shadow."
This confused him, "So Vice isn't a demon but this… Shadow thing?"
"Shadows and Demons, are one in the same. They are born from…. The other side of one's inner heart." Igor said.
Ren then wondered if there was a demon living within himself as well. Why hasn't it shown up for him when the Deadmans attacked Shujin, and what exactly would it look like?
"Any other questions?" Igor asked the boy with glasses.
"What am I a prisoner for?" Ren asked.
Igor simply grinned as what sounded like a phone alarm going off.
"Fate itself, my boy. A prisoner of Fate itself"
Igor continued to smile as everything began to go black.
"Hey! Cody! Ren! Wake up already!" Ren could hear Vice call out.
Wait a minute, why could he hear the demon?
XXX
Dawn broke through the curtains as Ren and even Cody was slowly waking up as the two boys still looked drained from yesterday.
"Ugh… Vice… shut it…" Cody groaned out. As Cody turned towards Ren, he saw that his face was a ghostly white.
"Hm? Ren? What's wrong?" Cody asked the friend.
He soon pointed to where Vice was, which confused Cody until he realized at where, or rather who he was pointed at..
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Vice asked as he thought that Ren didn't see him.
Oh how wrong you are Vice…
"What does that mean?"
He can see you, that's what.
Vice soon did a double take, looking at the boy in glasses before as closed in, only to speak to him with a growl. Ren gave a short whimper from that as this soon surprised both Cody and Vice.
"Wait, you CAN see him/me?!" Cody and Vice said in unison.
Ren nodded before gulping hard while the delinquent woke up.
"What's up dudes?" Ryuji asked before he looked towards where Vice was… and screamed.
"Wait, him too?!" Vice gasped.
"WE'RE GONNA BE LATE! I AM NOT LETTING ANN OR NIJIMA LECTURE ME ABOUT BEING LATE AGAIN!" he cried out as he quickly got up as Makoto knocked on their door, unaware of what was going on with the boys.
"Are you guys up yet?" she asked them, turning their attention towards the door.
"We'll be out in a sec!" Cody said, as he turned to the panicking Ryuji, "Calm down, it seems we're not late. If we were, Makoto wouldn't be here."
"Are we not going to talk about the floating demon in the room?" Ren addressed the boys.
"What demon?" Ryuji questioned, looking around in confusion.
"Whew, at least he can't see me too…" Vice sighed in relief.
"We can talk about how you can see Vice too, later on Ren." Cody said, knowing it wasn't that important at this moment as Vice nodded in agreement.
"Can we transition to the next scene please?"
XXX
"Thank you!"
"Why are we taking another backroad for the backroad?" Cody questioned Ryuji's lead.
"Trust me, this is a shortcut!" the delinquent reassured him as the boys.
"That's what you said yesterday and we were almost late that time too!" Cody reminded him.
"Trust me man, I've got this!" Ryuji reassured, despite neither of the other two boys believing in him. "Sides, I would rather avoid seeing that Pervy teacher again…"
"Kamoshida, right?" Ren asked as Ryuji nodded.
"That jerk thinks he owns the whole school as his castle, it makes me sick…" Ryuji frowned.
KEYWORD FOUND: BEGINNING NAVIGATION
"Hm? What was that?" Vice got out.
"What was what, Vice?" Cody asked with confusion.
"I heard something say Begin Navigation. I think it came from RenRen's phone" the demon pointed out.
"Please don't call me that…" Ren grimaced at the nickname.
"Well it's gonna stick, so why not?" Vice said before he noticed something, "Wait, why am I solid? We didn't even transform yet!"
"Wait, who said that?" Ryuji asked as he looked around, "Did you guys hear something?"
Yet the moment Ryuji turned around, he saw Cody in a new outfit that was a black biker vest with a dark green undershirt and pants, as he had biker gloves and goggles on his person and a red scarf around his neck. Even more so, Vice was there, still attached to Cody yet he was more visible than before.
"Huh, you changed that fast?" the boy in glasses asked the blonde foreigner.
"Huh?" Cody got out, confused.
"What the eff?! WHAT IS THAT THING FLYING AROUND YOU?!" Ryuji cried out, instantly getting into a defensive position in case the demon tried anything.
The young rider looked to see Vice as more visible than he was before as the demon turned to see his hosts' new attire as this was very surprising to see.
"Woah, this is new" Cody commented as he looked at his new attire.
"Eh~! Looking good champ! Although you do look like Ichigou a bit." Vice commented.
"We… can figure this out later, if I get scolded for this, so be it." Cody sighed, waving off the confusion as they had to get to school.
As they talked, they soon reached what they thought was Shujin Academy. However, the building before them was anything but Shujin. As standing there was a tall castle that overlooked the entire area.
"Did… you get us lost again, Ryuji?!" Cody scolded the delinquent.
"Dude, I swear! This is supposed to lead to the school! I mean look, the gate says Shujin!" he said in his defense.
"Might as well check inside. If we're already late, then no reason to deny where we went?" Ren suggested with a shrug.
As they look towards the large castle in front of them, Vice couldn't help but feel a dark force coming from it.
"I got a bad feeling about this…" he commented.
"Halt!" Shouted out…. A knight?! A large standing knight with an odd opera mask on its face approached the group.
"Huh? What is this? Halloween?" Ryuji questioned.
"What purpose do you three have in King Kamoshida's domain?" the knight demanded from them.
"Pardon? 'King Kamoshida'? As if that idiot can ever be one." Ryuji frowned in disgust.
Soon, more knights began to arrive, scaring the quartet.
"I… don't think this is fake, Ryuji…" Ren stated.
"Cody, I think this is our cue" Vice nudged to the blonde.
"If these are just brainwashed people, I don't want to hurt them!" Cody grimaced.
"I don't think so man. I got bad vibes coming from them, and I do NOT want to find out what they have in store for us!" the demon stated, "So hurry up and transform already before it's the gallows for us all!"
"Fine, fine!" Cody groaned, soon placing on the driver while he took out the Rex Vistamp before pressing it.
REX!
He then breathed on it as the phone screen appeared again, only this time it displayed a mental back and forth conversation between Cody and Vice.
Cody: Dude, what's wrong with you? You never act this scared, not even near my sister!
Vice: Come on, something HAS to be wrong with this place! I'm somehow visible despite Ryuji being the only guy who can't see us, you got transformed into some Ichigo cosplayer, and now these knights are coming for us! This is really not good!
Cody: Ugh, well I hope you're right...
"What is that boy doing?" the knight asked as the boy quickly stamped on the place and summoned Vice.
C'MON! R-R-R-REX!
C'MON! R-R-R-REX!
"Henshin!"
BU~DDY U~P!
SEALING! DEALING! ROLLING! GO~ING~!
KAMEN R~I~DE~R! RE~VI! VICE! REVI~CE!
As the ethereal stamp consumed Cody and broke apart, the two in one Rider duo stood tall, with vice leading the charge and punching one of the knights away as he turned to Ryuji and Ren
"You two get going! This is bad news and you need to leave!" Vice shouted to two.
They nodded and quickly ran off, leaving Cody and Vice to fight off the knights as they used their shields to block any of the duo's punches and kicks.
"How are they tougher than the Deadmans?" he questioned as it barely made a dent in their armor.
"Does it look like I know?! How about you use that thing Georgy boy gave you!" Vice suggested as he pointed towards a stamp attached to the side of his belt.
"Might as well…" Cody said, gripping the stamp as he pressed it against his hand. At first it did nothing only for wires and such to quickly form out from it, turning the stamp into an axe!
OHIN-BUSTER 50!
"Time to axe you guys a question!" the boy chuckled.
"Aruto Hiden you are not!" Vice grumbled as he held back several knights.
Cody grumbled in annoyance as he rushed ahead, blocking his axe with the sword before he disarmed it before slashing at the knight. Oddly enough, black sparks spewed from the hit as the knight began to shiver. Soon the mask fell off as the knight imploded before it soon was covered in black and red goo only to change shape into what looked to be a Bicorn?
"Huh?! A Bicorn!?" Cody gawked with shock.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Vice gasped.
Soon, the Bicorn charged at them as the duo jumped out of the way, Cody returning the favor with an axe swing to the side. However, they soon began to get overwhelmed as more and more knights arrived, leaving the two back-to-back as they tried to remain standing.
XXX
Meanwhile, as the sounds of the fight echoed through the halls, Ren and Ryuji were running for their lives.
"Damn it…. I wish we didn't have to run!" Ryuji grimaced, not liking leaving their friend behind.
"I know, but without our own weapons or even powers like he has, we'd just be dead weight." Ren stated, agreeing with Ryuji but also understanding the situation. "We just have to trust him that they'll make it through this. They are Kamen Riders after all."
He nodded as they ran through a few jail cells as they ventured deeper into the castle, soon finding rows of cells and areas showing many of the male students being either tortured or having exhausting training. It truly was horrific to see as they continued onward.
"Dude, what the hell is going on? Is there another Deadman attack?" the delinquent asked as he recalled a similar incident happening the other day.
"I don't think so. They look like they're letting this happen willingly. I don't even think this is part of a Dead Zone." Ren noted.
"Hey! Hey you two! Over here!" someone called out to the teens.
This caught their attention as they headed over to another cell, soon finding what looked to be…. A monster cat?!
"Ahhh! First demons now a monster cat?!" Ryuji cried out in fear.
"What the?! I'm not a cat! Say that again and I'll make you regret it!" the monster cat yelled.
"Then what do you want?" Ren asked it, wanting to know why it called them over.
"Duh, I want out!" he shouted. "And you two look like you're in need of an escape. So you help me out and I'll get you two out of here."
"Wait, we also have a friend! He might be in danger too!" Ryuji said.
"Then we'll try to get to him. But if it gets too dangerous we will have to leave without him." The cat stated.
"What?! I am not leaving Cody and that demon guy!" Ryuji growled.
"Look, the key's right there!" the cat shouted as he pointed towards a nearby key. "If you want to do anything, you need to help me out of here first!"
Ren pondered but knew getting a way out of here first was needed as he walked over and took the key, picking it up as he unlocked the cell.
"Ah, glad to have someone as reasonable as you." the cat smiled, "My name is Morgana by the way, and NOT a cat."
"Whatever! Look, we need to find Cody and get the hell out of dodge!" Ryuji shouted.
"Ugh fine, we'll get your friend. Just don't expect a miracle." Morgana groaned out from Ryuji's annoyance.
They nodded before they rushed off to where Cody and Vice were, only to notice several knights hauling the defeated individual away, one of them holding the Revice Driver with the Rex Vistamp still attached to it.
"What?! They beat him already?" Ryuji gasped.
"Shush before they hear you!" Morgana snapped quietly at him.
They soon hid as the group began to tail the knights. Soon seeing them toss the duo into the cell as they headed off while the one with the driver remained nearby.
"Your friend tried to take on these Shadows by himself? That's really dumb, especially when he doesn't seem to know how to work his Persona." Morgana noted.
"I'm sure that Vice is a demon and not a Persona, whatever that is" Ren noted.
"I can explain that later, for now, we should at least get him out of here." Morgana said, leading the way to try and sneak into Cody's cell.
"There, now neither of you can be an obstruction towards the king" the knight holding the Revice Driver laughed as they left, allowing the trio to reach the cell undetected.
"Guys!" Vice called out, but kept quiet, as to avoid alerting the guards, especially since he was now back in his spirit form since they took the driver.
"Cody, are you okay?" Ren asked Cody.
"Ugh… hurting, but alive… Didn't know they could change forms…" He grunted out.
"Don't worry, we'll get you out of here" Ryuji assured him as he slinged the blonde's arm over his shoulder and back to his feet.
"Careful though…. They somehow have magic.." Cody gritted in pain.
"Yeah, the Shadows can be a real pain to handle" the cat commented.
"A… talking cat…? Huh… not the weirdest thing I've seen today…." Cody noted.
"Hello? I'm right here, ya know!" Vice grumbled, much to Morgana's complete surprise.
"What Shadow is this?!" Morgana got out.
"Hey! I'm not a Shadow, plushie! The name's Vice, remember that!" the demon growled.
"Plushie! I'm Morgana, you jerk!" Morgana hissed in annoyance.
Ren then hushed the two, "Be quiet, I think I hear something!" he told them.
"Maybe you guys should hide for a second… Just in case…" Cody suggested.
They soon found a good place to hide as the perverted coach from yesterday, Kamoshida, arrived in nothing but a cape, crown, and heart-shaped boxers as the knight holding the Revice Driver bowed before him.
"So, this is the intruder who used such odd items…?" Kamoshida questioned with interest.
"Yes, my lord. Apparently, this boy was able to transform into what the belt called a Kamen Rider" the knight reported.
The coach clicked his tongue as he took the device from the knight.
"So such a lousy legacy actually exists? Bah, this is disgusting. Maybe destroying it would be better, just to see him fall."
He then proceeded to throw the device to the ground, dislodging the Vistamp as he tried to stomp on it but missed each time. This angered Cody as Ryuji tried to hold him back and blow their cover.
"Damn, I thought that guy was bad before, but talk about being a grade-A asshole…" Vice commented.
"He… can't do that…. It's my only hope right now to defeat the Deadmans…." Cody said, wanting to break free to stop him.
After kicking the Driver away unintentionally towards their location, Kamoshida laughed.
"Tsk, might as well go see this Aldrich kid and see what his deal is. Likely he's just as delusional of a fanboy as that Mishima kid was with his uncle Shi-what's his name" Kamoshida laughed as they left with the Vistamp in hand, allowing Ren to pick up the slightly damaged Revice Driver and return it to Cody.
"I just hope it's enough to let me fight…" Cody sighed out.
"Wait, what is this?" Morgana asked as he grabbed the Driver and began examining it.
"Think of it as my weapon, giving me more power to fight." Cody explained.
"And it gives me an actual body to fight with" the demon added in.
"This is… interesting to say the least…" the cat said as he held the device up to the light for examination, only for a guard who was hiding behind them to appear and raise his sword.
"What the?! How did you two escape your cells!?" the guard demanded from them.
"Crap! We got caught!" Morgana gasped, only for a few more guards to appear to pin them down.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Kamoshida growled as he arrived, "Oh, it's you three…" he snarled.
"What's the matter, Kamoshida? Surprised it'd be us?" Ryuji scoffed.
"Hm, the troublemaker, the convict, and a gaijin. What a pitiful sight…" Kamoshida sighed.
"What was that you asshole?" Vice growled as he got in the man's face.
"I was going to see if making you into some servants would help, but seems to me that an execution is needed instead." Kamoshida said coldly.
The demon tried to strangle him, but his spirit form lacked any means to touch him. In fact, Kamoshida seemed to be more annoyed by Vice's appearance than anything else.
"Guh! Get this disgusting thing away from me! Do something about it!"
"We tried, but we could not remove him from the boy." The knights informed.
"Then kill his host! Execute them one by one!" He ordered as the knights bowed.
They soon held Cody down as two knights sharpened their swords, ready to plunge them into the foreigner.
"Leave him out of this, Kamoshida!" Ryuji said, as they struggled to break free from the knights' hold.
However he was smacked across the face by the irate man.
"Silence! Consider this a lesson for you two. Don't fuck with the king, or else heads will roll!" the coach declared, "Especially those who believe in such a childish fantasy as a Kamen Rider!"
Ren struggled as well, wanting to stop this and save his friend. But both of the other two boys were powerless. What could they even do?! Yet… as everything seemed to slow down, he noticed a small ethereal butterfly glide past him.
This is a series of unfortunate events for you…. The cruel hand of fate toys and plays with you, yet you can't do nothing…. But there is a way to save them all… Listen… to the voice in your heart...
As Vice tried to help, he quickly spotted a translucent figure begin to loom over Ren.
"Wait, is that a Deadman?" he asked.
WHAT'S THE MATTER? ARE YOU SIMPLY GOING TO WATCH? ARE YOU FORSAKING THEM TO SAVE YOURSELF?
"Wait, who are you?" Ren asked.
I AM THE ONE WHO RESIDES WITHIN YOU. YOUR OTHER SELF, YOUR OTHER HEART. ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE A PLUNGE INTO THIS WORLD, JUST LIKE YOUR FRIEND? OR WAS YOUR PREVIOUS DECISION A MISTAKE?
Suddenly, flashes of a past memory began to fly through Ren's mind, one of saving a woman from someone, and the scorn that came from the public because of that act. Then another set of flashes showed him receiving a letter from the girl, thanking him for his help.
"No, no it wasn't!" he declared.
"Tsk, shut that boy up! He's starting to annoy me…" he said as he went towards Ren, only for the boy in glasses to kick the Vistamp away from him and into one of the knights, stamping it and allowing Vice to fly into it.
"YAHOO! New Body? Now this is fun!" Vice cheered in delight, cutting one of the knights down to stop this assault.
"Stop that infernal demon!" Kamoshida ordered.
I SEE, I HAVE HEEDED YOUR RESOLVE.
Soon, something in Ren resonated with that. His eyes turning yellow much as he felt pain but also the need of release. He grunted and cried out, as the voice inside him continued.
VOW TO ME!
I AM THOU, THOU ART I… THOU WHO ART WILLING TO PERFORM ALL SACRILEGIOUS ACTS FOR THINE OWN JUSTICE! CALL UPON MY NAME, AND RELEASE THY RAGE! SHOW THE STRENGTH OF THY WILL TO ASCERTAIN ALL OF THINE OWN, THOUGH THOU BE CHAINED TO HELL ITSELF!
He soon looked up as a fashionable mask appeared on Ren's face. He looked confused for a bit, but knew it needed to be taken off, as he gripped it. Yet, it seemed to stick to his face literally, as he continued to pull and tug on it, until it started to give away, even peeling part of his face off as blood oozed from it.
Ren stood there for a moment before he grinned as the blood began to evaporate and disappear as blue and black flames poured out of his body, as chains and the looming figure transformed behind Ren. It looked like a blood red demon, with black wings, a long top hat, and piercing evil eyes as it was now standing next to Ren.
"Woo hoo! IWAE! The original phantom thief of justice has arrived" the demon cheered as he helped Cody back to his feet.
"Vice, will you shut it and help?!" Cody growled in annoyance from this odd declaration.
"So what, you don't want this back?" the demon asked as he gave him back the Vistamp
"I didn't say that." He grumbled, taking the stamp away.
"No way… He has a Persona?" Morgana got out, shocked.
The figure soon declared, "I am the pillager of twilight, Arsene! I am the rebel's soul that resides within you. If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis."
Ren thought about it for a moment before smiling, recognizing that name anywhere, "I don't want us to die here. So please, help us like you had centuries ago… Arsene Lupin!"
"Wait, Arsene Lupin?!" Cody gasped, "You had Arsene Lupin as your inner demon?!"
"Persona! He's a Persona, not a demon!" Morgana corrected him.
"Meh, tomato, potato." Vice shrugged.
"That's not the same thing!" The cat said in anger.
"I don't care what those things are called, just kill them!" Kamoshida ordered.
"Uhh, buddy? I think it's time for us to transform too!" the demon reminded him.
"Right, let's hope its not busted enough for that." Cody nodded, strapping the driver on, as he pressed the stamp and breathed on it before planting it on the scanner, creating a new message conversation between the demon and the blonde Rider.
C'MON! R-R-R-REX!
C'MON! R-R-R-REX!
"Wait what?!" Morgana gasped as he watched Vice fly around with the ethereal stamp in hand.
Vice: Wahoo! Nice to finally not be the only inner demon 'round here!
Cody: Vice, enough with this and let's get to work! I need to pay this jerk back for everything!
Vice: Yes sir, Revi sir!
Cody: Wait, Revi?
Vice: Yeah, that's what your form is called.
Cody: And you don't have a codename because?
Vice: My name is already cool enough, that's what.
"Yeah, you'll get used to it." Ryuji said with a smirk as the cat was shocked at the sight.
"Henshin!"
A quick slot in, and soon Vice threw the stamp down on Cody, sending a second shockwave that blew the cell doors away along with the knights and Kamoshida himself, all the while Cody and Vice transform into Revice.
BU~DDY U~P!
SEALING! DEALING! ROLLING! GO~ING~!
KAMEN R~I~DE~R! RE~VI! VICE! REVI~CE!
"Now for my payback!" Cody, or now Revi, growled, punching Kamoshida and sending him flying.
"GAHH!" The 'proclaimed' king wailed out, holding his cheek, "D-Do something, you idiots!" he ordered as he scurried away in fear.
The guards soon transformed into their Shadow forms, a pair of floating jack-o' lantern with witches' hats and lanterns as Morgana quickly joined up with Revice and Ren as the trio were ready to fight.
"You guys ready to give a beatdown?" the cat asked the four.
"Yeah, I'm feeling up to it now." Revi nodded.
"You sure you can keep up, cat?" Vice asked, "You look ready to pop."
"Trust me, I got plenty of tricks up my sleeve!" the cat chuckled before he looked to the sky, "Come… Zorro!"
This caused another burst of light to appear as another figure appeared behind the cat. What emerged from the light was a large, black clothed man that was very buffed, a large 'Z' on its belt as the mask it had showed a large moustache, with a cape behind it and a rapier in hand as it too made the 'Z' slash sign of Zorro.
"Wait, first Arsene Lupin, and now Zorro too? What's next? Blackbeard and Sherlock Holmes will pop in next?" Vice grumbled.
"Y-You got one of those things too!?" Ryuji gasped.
"Of course, I do. Now, less chit-chat, more fighting." Morgana stated.
The jack'o lanterns then began flinging fireballs at the quartet as Morgana and Ren dashed past them while Revi and Vice charged ahead, with Vice using its claws and Revi using his Ohinbuster to slash at them before they jumped back.
"How about this! Garu!" Morgana declared as Zorro unleashed a burst of wind in front of the two jack-o' lanterns, throwing them around for a bit.
"Wait, how can you do that?" Ren asked the cat as he looked to be more experienced with controlling Personas as he and Cody were.
"Of course! Can't you?"
Cody pondered at that for a moment, before he took out the Rex Vistamp before he pressed the button on it again, curious what it could do this time.
This caused Vice to burp out a burst of flames, which did nothing to the jack-o' lanterns, but they were still spooked by the sudden attack.
"Woah!" Ryuji gawked.
"Seems even we can do it. If only we had more Vistamps…" Revi noted, placing the stamp back onto the driver.
"Yeah, but it wasn't wise using that fire attack on those things. They're immune to Agi skills" Morgana informed them.
"Agi? Agito is here?" Vice looked around.
"No, that flame attack you did was called Agi! It's how Persona magic works" the cat explained, "Take the other guy for example, he looks to have an affinity for Eia, or curse magic, while Zorro uses Garu magic, which uses the winds to our advantage."
"Eia? Hmm…" Ren noted before his Persona flew ahead, letting out a ball of curse magic as it struck the two enemies as they wailed in pain, quickly floating to the ground weakened.
"Nice work, rookie!" Morgana praised him, "Now let's go for an All-Out Attack!"
"I've been waiting for this!" Vice declared in an almost nostalgic way as the quartet zipped around the jack-o' lanterns, too fast for Ryuji could see before Morgana, Revi, Vice, and Joker landed.
"The show's over in!" Vice declared before counting down.
3!
2!
1!
As the demon finished counting, Joker adjusted his gloves as he declared…
SHOW'S OVER!
Soon, 'blood' spewed out from the jack-o' lanterns as they screamed before fading away into ash, leaving nothing left but the stains from their battle.
"Grah! You'll pay for this!" Kamoshida roared as he fled for his life.
"Holy crap! That was amazing!" Ryuji cheered for the group.
"We should save it once we're out of here. Any way you can help, Morgana?" Ren asked the cat.
"Trust me, I'm a master thief. I know my way around here" the cat said as he tooted his own horn.
"Says the guy who got jailed like the rest of us" Vice said in a back-handed comment.
"Shut it, you wannabe Barney!" Morgana cried out in annoyance.
"Make me, Sothis voice-alike!" he growled as the two glared at each other.
"Don't make me smack you both." Revi frowned at the two.
They soon reached a safe area as the quartet saw the exit.
"You guys go on ahead, there's still something I need to do here" Morgana told them.
"Huh? Are you sure? That may not be the smartest idea." Revi said, showing some worry.
"Now that I know what I'm dealing with, I'll be fine. Besides, it's important to me to continue searching." the cat reassured them.
"Don't die on us Garfield, okay?" Vice asked him.
"And you get better at not being dead weight, Impy." Morgana smirked softly.
The trio soon left as they found themselves back on the sidewalk a couple of miles away from the school, with not much time passing since.
"Are… we back?" Ryuji asked.
Suddenly, the boy with glasses heard his phone ring.
YOU HAVE RETURNED TO THE REAL WORLD. WELCOME BACK.
"Did that come from your phone?" Cody turned to Ren.
Ren nodded, "For some odd reason, I got this strange app. I tried deleting it but, I guess it somehow found it's way back" he said.
"If it starts asking for requests, I suggest smashing it" Vice pointed out, causing Cody to shiver for some odd reason.
"Weird… we'll figure this out later, cause I think we're gonna be late." Cody noted.
The trio agreed as they reached Shujin with time to spare. Thankfully, unlike the last time, the school was back to normal as Ann spotted the three enter the school.
'Since when did Ryuji get new friends?' Ann pondered in thought.
"Whew! We made it!" Cody cheered as he collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
"Yeah, it's been a while since I ran like that!" he agreed.
"Ryuji…. So once again, you're bringing others around you down?" a familiar voice said, walking up to the trio.
"Kamoshida!?" Ryuji gasped as the trio plus Vice gawked at his arrival.
Yet, the older man wasn't wearing the creepy outfit like before, but his usual school teaching attire. He of course looked annoyed by the trio, as he crossed his arms.
"Bet you tried to get their help in something stupid like before, right?" Kamoshida taunted the delinquent.
"What was that?!" the delinquent growled before Cody stopped him, "Wha?! Come on, Code! What the hell?"
"Don't let his words get to you. Just let it go." Cody said to him, "And besides, I don't think that's the same Kamoshida like before…"
"What are you on about?" Kamoshida questioned, not able to hear what they said.
"It's nothing" Ren reassured them, "They're just tired from the running."
This made the coach scoff, "Trying to relive your glory days on the track team, eh Sakamoto?"
"Track?" Ren looked to the coach.
"Oh? I'm surprised he didn't tell you two. He used to be part of the track team. But of course, he messed things up and ruined their chances at returning back to how they were in school." Kamoshida sighed.
"SHUT UP! IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT-" Ryuji was stopped by Cody once again.
"Dude, calm it!" he told him sternly.
"At least this gaijin has some sense to him." Kamoshida shrugged as he walked off, "Just don't be late to class…. Even if none of them care about you three attending or not."
He soon walked away as Ann looked towards the steaming Ryuji, the delinquent still glaring at the coach before they walked off to class.
"Grah, I hate that guy! I wish I could grab him and then just grrrr!" Vice growled as he made a motion of ringing the coach's neck.
"Easy Vice. As much as I understand, it would only bring problems." Cody noted.
"Wait, where did that guy go?" the delinquent asked as he tried to look for Vice.
"Relax, he's still there. Guess you can't see him still." Ren stated.
"But you can?" he asked.
"Trust me, I'm still confused as to why I can either." Ren added.
"Maybe it has to do with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Gruesome over here" Vice said as he pointed out… that Arsene was floating by Ren's side in a similar manner to Vice.
"Oh, right. Maybe having unlocked Arsene, lets you see and hear Vice?" Cody nodded in agreement.
"Guess demons and Personas have something in common" Ren said.
"Outside of sharing the same home series and physiology" Vice said.
"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" a rather confused Ann asked the boys.
Ryuji turned to see her, a frown on his face, "What do you want, Ann?" He asked her.
"So you're into the occult now with all this demon talk?" she asked, "Please don't tell me you're planning on attending those secret Deadmans raves are you?"
"As if I'd join those creeps!" Ryuji scoffed. "Sides, they hurt my friend's sister." He said, pointing to Cody.
"Oh, I'm sorry about what happened" she told him, feeling a bit of remorse for what happened.
"It's okay… thank you for your kind words." He smiled gently, knowing she wasn't trying to be aggressive or insulting as they headed off to class, not knowing a certain teacher heard everything.
They soon reached class as Cody felt a bit bored in his class. While Ren however has a ton of questions rushing through his mind on his own.
"Is there something troubling you, child?" Arsene asked the boy.
"Just… a lot of things rushing in my mind at this moment."
"Is it because of our meeting?" the legendary phantom thief asked him.
"That… but also everything that's happening now… I feel like there's more to this…"
"Just remember, if you are confused about these events, maybe it's time to visit what's known as the Velvet Room…" Arsene said as a reminder of Ren's 'contract'.
"Right…. I guess I will…" Ren nodded, only to soon feel the strike of a chalk bulb hit him.
"Mr. Amamiya, pay attention!" The teacher said, scolding him as the class chuckled from that.
The class soon laughed at the boy in glasses as he massaged where the chalk hit him.
XXX
Later on, Cody went towards the student council room for his next lesson with Makoto as he knocked on the door to let her know he was here for their lesson.
The door opened as the student council president greeted him and let him into the room.
"Sorry I'm late" he apologized.
"It's alright. I hope your day today has been well?" The young president smiled at him.
"Rough, but nothing I can't manage." Cody reassured her.
"What happened?" she asked him.
"Just.. a run-in with the Kamoshida teacher is all. He gives me bad vibes…" Cody shrugged.
"Oh, so you met him?" she asked him as he nodded.
"Guess he's a character, huh?" The young foreigner noted.
She nodded, "I recall that he used to be in the Olympics, having won a golden medal for the country"
"So he's a big deal then?" He pointed out as Makoto nodded.
"Yeah, but even so… I can't deny much about his changes ever since then. Let alone all of the allegations and such about him from students…." Makoto frowned.
"Allegations?" the boy asked, surprised to hear it.
"Yeah… though… let's forget about it for now and focus on your studies." Makoto said, as it seemed this was a heavy subject even for her to talk about.
Cody nodded as he sat down and began to work. Though, as he does, a faint shadow of a figure was seen nearby before it backed away. The figure walked towards one of the computer labs nearby and began to type away at some things… some 'personal' things for the school to see and be leaked out.
As that happened, Kamoshida found something on his desk. It was a strange magenta Vistamp with a green shark on the front, and a tag at the bottom.
"What's this?" he asked as he read the tag.
To handle the gaijin and convict, along with their inner demons should they appear.
A friend from the other side
"So… what Mishima said is true… Heh, then this can be a good thing to ruin that punk's chances at staying here. Lousy gaijins should remain in their country." Kamoshida spat out as he placed the stamp next to an object he confiscated from one of the students.
A pink Blackbird camera….
A/N: Heya minna! Striberx with another chap done. And as you all see, this is of course changed a bit from both sides of the series. Along with the next powerup.
Yes, Megalodon Genome is the next form. We're going with certain concepts and references for each Palace and their ruler. Kamoshida will have Megalodon and Decade and the others will have different changes too. So far, we at least have up to Kaneshiro thought of.
Of course, we'll add in some bits of Revice in between each chapter/arc so we can have a lot of this thought through. Even maybe add in all of the confidant quests too? But for now, we have what we need planned out for now until more eps of Revice pop out.
Until then, later minna!