Persona 5: Tainted Soul
Chapter 4: Gathering of Trials! The Start of The Phantom Thieves!
As the commander watches over Maria's body, he couldn't help but feel guilty for sending the woman out there when she nearly got herself killed. Had her brother not become Revice, then likely they would have lost both Aldrichs.
"Wakabayashi-taicho, is everything alright?" a new voice called out to him.
He turned his head to see one of the more younger members of Fenix, one who seemed to be already rising in the ranks very quickly.
"Oh, Daiji. Yes, I'm alright…" he said before sighing, "I see that your training with Kamiyama has been coming along smoothly?
"Ah- Hai! I've been doing well enough on the new training I've been receiving. I honestly didn't expect myself to get such a high grade or praise from him." Daiji said, a soft bow to the commander.
The commander soon smiled before Daiji turned towards the comatose Maria, causing his happy expression to turn somber.
"So, Maria-san is…" he asked before the commander finished his question.
"Still in this state? Yes… Sometimes even if the human heart and will is strong, the body may not be able to recover from such an ordeal. Like those who had serious accidents, yet remain in such a state even to this day."
"I see, as for Ikki-nii?" the young Igarashi sighed before asking about his cousin.
The commander slowly lowered his head, "I… was about to inform you that earlier, Daiji-san… Your brother? He… He recently came under fire on his duties in the Southeast… He… He's gone."
This shocked him, "Wait what?! How?!"
"He was in peril when some terrorists attacked his group. He was tempted and used one of the older Vistamps that were being sent here and used it… His demon killed their attackers… but also himself as well. I'm very sorry, Daiji-san." Wakabayashi said, patting his shoulders, "If you want to take time off, I understand."
"Shocker?" he could only guess.
"Sadly, yes. Or whatever else remained after their defeat so many times." He nodded.
Daiji stepped away to grieve, tears falling down his cheeks as he lost one of the closest people to him. He soon checked his Gunderphone and went through his contacts before coming towards a certain number.
"Cody, what would you do in this situation?"
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.
"Dude, are you okay? You look like you just ran a marathon!" Ryuji asked Cody, who was currently licking his wounds from nearly getting lynched.
School had ended and the three plus Morgana had met up at Cody's house to talk about what had just happened, namely Vice saving Shiho.
"I'll be fine… Seems… that Kamoshida truly seeped those thoughts of doubt within everyone…" Cody panted, "They were ready to take me out like I was an animal…"
"Damn, nearly getting lynched because of who you are. That really takes me back…" a certain photographer noted as he reminisced on his earlier escapades across the Rider Worlds.
"GEH! What are you doing here?!" Ryuji gasped, freaking out thinking they were about to get snitched again.
"Oh, Tsukasa-sempai. It's just you…" Ren sighed.
"Don't freak out, I'm not here to snitch or cause trouble. Just my normal routine of taking in everything of the world." Tsukasa reassured, only to soon reach in his pocket before tossing it to Cody, "Here, catch."
As he caught it, the group were surprised at what they saw.
"The Megalodon Vistamp?!" Cody gasped.
"Wait what?! How did you get that?! It took me hours to just find that thing!" the cat thief cried out.
"Eh, I simply came in when he wasn't looking and snatched it." Tsukasa smirked, showing a small part of the World's Viel for a moment before it vanished.
As they looked at the stamp, they noticed that Decade's helmet was now behind the green shark.
"Wait, what happened to the case?" he asked.
"It's a little thing called the R-Factor" George explained as he arrived, "From the looks of it, the Vistamps seem to react positively to past Rider powers depending on what colors they had. So when I saw that Tsukasa-san was here, big fan of your work btw, I thought I'd try out that little theory."
"Talk about timing!" Vice noted.
"Eyup! Also, what's this about a 'Palace?'" he asked with a curious look.
The group flinched for a moment before Tsukasa butted in. "Just something they need to check out on and started giving it code names." He said, covering the group as he could tell them knowing wouldn't be the best option.
"Alright, I'll lay off for now. Just know that Gunderphone is wired so… be careful what you say." he noted.
"That's an invasion of privacy!" Vice pointed out.
"Tell that to the boss when I found out ten of my favorite Vistamps got snatched." he growled before turning to the photographer, "And before you ask, no, I did not find anything about Kaito around here."
"Good, don't want that lousy thief to be here." Tsukasa sighed in relief. "I'll be heading off to cause some distractions, you kids get to your business." He waved off before heading out to help the group.
"I'll be sure to report to the boss that we got one of the Vistamps back!" George added in as he left.
"W-Wait what about helping us with this issue?" Ryuji called out.
"Yeah, Deadmans business only! My teen rebel days are long behind me!" the scientist said before he left.
The delinquent groaned as the quartet looked towards each other.
"So, what exactly do we do with Kamoshida?" Cody asked.
"For now, we wait a bit until we can get out of here. With everyone gunning for you, it'd be risky to just sneak out of here like this." Morgana said, "Let's just stay put and let them think that we're skipping out on class."
They nodded before Cody remembered something, "Oh right! Shiho! We could check on her and see if she's okay!"
"No need, she's alright now." Ann's voice said as she walked out from her hiding place.
Almost immediately they feared that the blonde was going to snitch on them. Unlike Tsukasa, they didn't exactly give her any proof to prove their innocence.
"W-Wow! What a beautiful lady!" Morgana said in awe, amazed by the girl spite her not hearing him.
"Hey, lay off her!" the delinquent snapped at him.
"Jealous much?" Ren whispered to Cody and Vice, who snickered.
"And what do you want? Here to help Kamoshida? You two are 'buddy-buddy' after all." Ryuji frowned.
"I want in on this." Ann demanded, as this caught the group off guard.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, I want in." Ann demanded.
Ryuji frowned softly, shaking his head, "Sorry, but can't do that. It's dangerous." He said to her with worry.
"Says the guy who just talked with a man who has a demon and a guy whose apparently from another world." she pointed out.
"Crap, she heard everything!" Morgana realized.
"Look, I get it. You don't want me to get hurt, but I can't stay still after what Shiho told me about what happened…" she said as she gnashed her teeth at the memory. "She told me everything that Kamoshida did…. He assaulted her because I turned him down the day before… So she tried to kill herself so not only to be free from him, but so I didn't have to be this plaything of his! I can't forgive such a monster for such a thing!"
As Ann finally calmed down from that rant, Vice began clapping for her.
"That took way more courage than she thought she had, admitting all of that stuff to us" he pointed out to the boys.
The trio looked at one another, as while they wanted to deny her, she'd most likely either snitch them out or follow them either way. They were backed up and had no way out for this.
"So, what do you say Boss?" Ryuji asked Ren.
"Either way we look at it, we'd be in some trouble… Might as well do our best to make sure she doesn't set things off on accident." Ren sighed, knowing that either way they go at this, she has them around her finger.
They sighed as the delinquent decided to give the news, "Alright, you're in. But please just follow what we say. You truly have no idea what we're up against."
"Please, if its anything like that jock strap incident back in middle school, Ryuji. I'll be fine." Ann smirked, making the blonde delinquent flinch.
"Y-You promised not to bring that up!"
The group laughed at that, knowing that their was new info on the teen.
"Jock strap?! What did you do with that?" Vice asked him while snickering.
"NOTHING! Let's just get on with this!" Ryuji growled in annoyance.
However everyone soon smiled as that little bit of info was enough to show that they were all still friends in the end.
"You know, this kind of reminds me of the days I spent hanging out with Ikki and Daiji" Cody reminisced.
"Hm? Who's that?" Ren asked the foreigner.
"Oh, they're my cousins. They live around these parts at the Igarashi bathouse, Happy Spa." he explained.
"Igarashi? Oh, I remember that place! I went there as a kid many times." Ann smiled, "Sad it had to be closed down."
"Yeah, Ikki was really down about it, but they soon joined Fenix and they've been helping my sister out with their training. I heard they even got to train with real Kamen Riders too!"
"No way! That's awesome!" Ryuji said in awe, "Please tell me they got to fight alongside Kaixa? That dude was so badass!"
"From what I heard, that guy's a complete jerk." Vice snarled.
"Sadly, no. From what sis told me, Faiz's is only from the show, never been a real rider in person." Cody shrugged, making the delinquent gasp.
"What?! Then who is real then?" he questioned him, "Is it Ichigo or Kuuga or something?"
"Both of them, but we can save that another time. We should focus on the mission." Cody noted, as he gave them info so easily like it was nothing.
Words could not describe how shocked they were before they quickly got their act together and began planning their next move.
"Well, lucky for you guys, I can help get you all out of here and to whatever you want." Ann winked.
"Before that, we should get some supplies. Can't go on a mission like last time, can we?" Morgana informed.
"Oh! I know a few places that can help that! Heh, did my own research last night." Ryuji smirked.
"Gotta admit, that's smart…. Even from someone like you, Ryuji." Morgana snickered.
"Think a Shadow sneaked out of the palace and body-snatched Ryuji?" the demon added in.
"There's probably some vacancy in him." Morgana laughed alongside Vice.
"Hey, I can be smart too!" the delinquent snarled, "Anyways, here's a list of places we can go for supplies."
He then shared a small slip of paper with the newly expanded group, showing a list of locations across town.
"'Sides the casual, usual shops… Airsoft Store and one referred to as, 'The Death's Gate'?" Cody questioned.
"Huh, airsoft guns could work. As long as the Shadows don't know we're holding a real gun, then it should work." Morgana noted. "Then maybe you three can go there, while this guy and I head to the doctor's place. With him as part of Fenix, they may give you something more?" The cat suggested to them.
"Yeah, and once we do hit the Palace, maybe we could get Tsukasa-sempai's help?" Cody added in, "He did say he was going to pull a distraction."
They all soon heard the fire alarm sound off, making the students and more inside begin to head to safety. This seemed to be the distraction that Tsukasa meant, something to help get them out of the school without any troubles.
"Alright, that's our cue! Let's move!" Ren shouted, "Scatter and meet up at Cody's place after your done with your tasks!"
"Roger!"
XXX
"AHH MOU~! WHY DID THAT PINK DUMBHEAD HAD TO SPOIL THE FUN!" Aguilera whined.
"Aguilera-sama. I remember something once before… 'Smile, smile!'" Julio snickered.
*SMACK!*
"That was on you." Olteca noted. "Still, this does pose a problem with our plans… If the Legendary Riders know about our plan, we'll be stomped out faster than Shocker's past resurgence."
"That's a question on if any of them even know that we're behind this…" Julio agreed, "After all, we still have to deal with the aftermath of the Megiddo attack last year, and to say nothing about Daybreak..."
"Mou… Just when we were about to have some fun…" Aguilera pouted.
"Then for now, we lay low and slowly worm our way into the masses. Then once we gain enough influence and Grief Seeds, we can go on with the next stage of our plans." Olteca informed.
"Even still, once the Riders get involved, who knows what other old threats will make themselves known. I do not want to deal with the past Wildcards or their friends…" Julio snarled.
"We should send word to our other branches should that happen." Olteca stated as the others nodded in agreement.
"Gracias, Deadmans."
XXX
Within one of the back alleyways of Shibuya, Cody, Ryuji and Ann stood at the entrance to the Airsoft Shop, as it seemed very fishy and out of place.
"So, this is the place?" Cody asked.
Vice soon whistled, "Talk about packing heat! Look at the heavy artillery this place has!" he said as he marveled at the guns.
"I don't know, Ryuji… you sure this is right?" Ann questioned as she looked at him.
"Trust me, this should give us the firepower we need!" he reassured her with a small hug as the group headed inside the shop.
"Hey now, don't forget about us lovebirds!" the demon called out.
"Don't make me stick my bat down your throat…" Ryuji growled.
"You got it Jack Sparrow…" Vice chuckled.
"Who are you talking to, Ryuji?" Ann asked.
"My… inner demon…" Cody noted with a sigh.
"Wait, so that gossip about you summoning something was real?" Ann gasped, thinking it was just another Kamoshida lie.
Soon, Cody's phone rang as the demon made himself known, showing that 'lie' was anything but that.
"Yep. Unfortunately my debut didn't come without any consequences…" Vice confirmed before looking away in shame, "Still should have just fought them off before you got killed, Code!"
"Huh… well, with how everything is, I guess I can say this isn't the weirdest thing I've seen yet…" Ann said, showing not really disappointment in the demon, but more of a letdown.
"And I'm not one to hurt others unless they deserve it, Vice." Cody frowned.
They soon heard someone clear their throat as they realized that the shopkeeper was still there.
"And are you kids going to buy something, or is this gonna be one of those hangout sessions?" he asked them.
"Er… sorry sir!" Cody apologized, as he was about to ask the owner for something, but Ryuij's handwriting made it difficult to read.
"Let me handle this one." Ann offered as she turned to the owner, "We were looking to buy some airsoft fire arms."
"So, you're getting into the hobby?" he asked them.
"Somewhat, it looks interesting but we're unsure where to start." Ann nodded.
The owner glanced at the kids, seeing if they were lying, and while the hobby seemed to be, them buying some airsoft guns weren't.
"For now, I can give you kids a few starter choices. But next time, don't lie to me." He waved off.
"How could you tell about that?!" Ryuji gasped, quickly blowing their cover on it.
"Ryuji…" the two snarled at him.
"I've been around the block kids. I've seen too many of you coming in to buy it for fun or for causing trouble." He informed them, "But… judging your looks? You aren't causing trouble. In fact… heh, I see a bit of rebellion in you three."
"Sweet, so we got the guy's approval!" Vice cheered.
"So, what are you buying?" He asked the kids, showing what he could sell them for now.
XXX
"To think, this would be close to your place?" Morgana said, as he and Ren found the medical supplies Ryuji told them about. Shocking at how close it was to Ren's place near the cafe.
"Let's just hope that the rumors about the doctor here being a 'grim reaper' was just a fib." Ren nodded as the two entered, as inside was an empty clinic, yet behind the counter was a young woman, around Maria's age, yet with short dark blue hair in a bobcut and some dark makeup on as it seemed she was a goth type.
'Wow, she's surprisingly so young!' he noted.
"So, what brings you here?" she asked him.
"Oh um… a check-up please?" Ren asked.
The doctor glanced at him before sighing as she stood up, "First room on your left." She said, as it seemed she was getting ready for their chat. Ren nodded as he walked inside and sat down as the doctor followed behind.
"So, what's this check-up for?" she asked him.
"Uhh, I heard that you have an 'enhancement drug' that you needed testing." he recalled as Ryuji had mentioned that to them before they split up.
"Enhancement drug, huh?" She noted before locking the door, which shocked the teen, "Alright kid. Who put this up to you? You bugged by a cop as well?"
"N-No no! Nothing of the sort! I need it for m-my studies!" Ren said, shaking his head as he was trying to get on her good side.
"Really? Look kid, if you're doing this as some prank or whatever, you don't need to waste my time." She sighed out.
"I'm not! I'm doing this because I need it to help my friend!" Ren said, soon dropping any act he was about to think of… alongside Morgana whom he was holding tightly from his response.
"OW! HEY, WATCH IT!"
"A friend? Geez, what are you kids doing these days that make you want to do something like this?" The doctor sighed out, rubbing her temples.
"Well, it's kind of complicated…" he confessed.
The doctor looked at Ren once more, making sure this wasn't another prank or attempt to shut her down like the others before. Yet from how he sounded alongside his eyes? She could tell this seemed to be very important.
The doctor sighed before she unlocked the door, "Alright…. If this is that important, I'll give you what you need. Though, for compensation, I'll have you as my little guinea pig for some tests."
"Thank you for your help, doctor!" he thanked her.
"Tae Takami. And just make sure you don't tell anyone about this." She pleaded before she went on with her tests first. At least it was better than the rumors sounded.
XXX
"So, what's the updates on your findings?" Ren asked as the group were now back at Cody's house.
"We secured some guns!" the demon reported with a cheer.
"Even got a few extra stuff from Iwai. He was nicer than he seemed." Ann smiled.
"Though this guy is being lame and sticking without it." Ryuji pointed to the foreigner.
"I told you, I have a gun." Cody said, holding up the Gundephone to them.
"Hey, we don't mess with what works homie!" the demon added in.
"It just looks lame!"
"Says the guy who's a fan of Faiz and his flip-phone gun." Cody shrugged off.
"What did you say, Mr. I own every DX belt?" the delinquent fired back.
"Enough you two…" Ann sighed, soon pinching their ears tightly to get them to stop.
"I'm sorry!" they pleaded.
"Yikes, remind me not to get her mad…" Vice noted before looking at the lovestruck Morgana.
"So kind and so strong, the pinnacle of beauty!" Morgana sighed out.
"And you two?" Ann looked to the duo.
"We were able to secure the meds we need for the Palace." Ren noted as he brought out some medical supplies, "This should help us in case Morgana is unable to heal us."
"Seems like we have everything we need. We'll have to make a plan alongside a map once we're inside. Don't wanna assume that everything is the same as before." Morgana informed the ones who could hear.
"Alright, now we need a name for this little group of ours" Ryuji noted with a grin, "I'm thinking the Devil Summoners is a good name as any!"
"Eh… sounds lame… What about Vice and His Amazing Friends?" Vice chimed in.
"I am not fueling your ego!" Morgana snarled at the demon.
"Do we have to do this now? Let's just get to this already!" Ann snapped.
"Eh, it builds character. Plus, we're going to need a name once we do find what we need in the Palace." Ren noted as he thought of a name, "How about this? The Phantom Thieves of Heart? Kind of generic, I know. But what else are we but thieves changing the hearts of society?"
"Better than what these two had." Cody pointing to Ryuji and Vice.
"I HEARD THAT!" they snarled, not like your name wasn't that ego filled Vice.
"SCREW YOU TOO, NARRATOR!"
"Well, now that we have that out of the way, let's get going to Kamoshida's Palace." Morgana smirked as Ren got ready for their next exploration of the castle.
XXX
"So, this is the place?" Ann asked as the group were standing in front of the castle.
"Yeah, this is what the shithead sees Shujin as…" Skull snarled.
"This is what you were talking about? Here I thought there was some underground- WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU WEARING?!" Ann yelled out in shock, soon noticing the group now in different attire.
"What? It's our disguises!" Vice told them.
"GAAH! MONSTER!" Ann shouted out with fear.
"W-W-Wait, that's just Vice! Remember? The demon from the phone?" Revi reminded him, only for her to see Morgana's Metaverse form.
"A Monster Cat too?!" She shrieked.
"Why does everyone call me a cat?" He pouted.
"Because you look like one, Salem." the demon pointed out, much to the cat thief's chagrin.
"Long story short, we have these in this place because of some power altering reality. We're here to find whatever is causing that and hope that this can take Kamoshida down." Joker informed her as he was the most calmest one of the bunch.
"Yup, and also while we're here, call us Skull, Joker, Mona, and Revi" the pirate thief stated with pride, "Trust us, we got this covered!"
"Alright, just hold onto these so that we can keep in contact with everyone" Revi noted as he handed out some old phones, "Don't worry, they're pretty lowtech, so that means they can't be tracked."
"Plus I infused some of my power in them, meaning I can help keep in contact with everyone!" Vice said cheerfully.
"Alright then, does everyone know their roles?" Joker asked the group.
"Yeah, we're front lines. While you, Revi and Vice are in rear support." Mona nodded.
"Wait, where does that leave me?" Ann asked.
"Navigation, like Vice said, these phones have some of his power so that should help map out the Palance and keep track of any suspicions." the leader noted.
"Alright… I guess?" Ann said, as she felt more like she could be doing more than this. Especially if she wanted to get some revenge on Kamoshida for what he did.
"Let's move out then." Joker said, before the group swiftly entered the castle, shocking Ann at how fast it was. Guess them gaining more abilities in this place wasn't just for show either.
Though, the young blonde wasn't the type to sit back and watch. After a bit longer, she smirked as she began to head the way the group went. She wasn't going to sit back and watch while they do the work, she'll do her own investigation as well and find whatever she can discover to use against him.
XXX
REX! STA~MPI~NG STRI~KE!
Soon, a giant ethereal T-Rex skull flies out of the OhinBuster as it bit down on the stronger Shadows that attacked the group, only for Vice to jump up with one Shadow in hand as he made yet another screwdriver.
"And the crowd goes wild!" he cheered as the Shadows exploded alongside several ethereal Giff Juniors.
"Man, I guess Kamoshida having that stamp really upped the security in this place!" Skull noted as Captain Kidd fired off his cannons to cover his summoner.
"At least we won't have to worry about another Deadman in here like last time." Morgana pointed out, firing several cannonballs at the Shadows.
"Yeah, we got his little wildcard right here!" Revi chuckled as he looked towards the Megalodon stamp in his Stamp Holder.
"Let's just hope that he doesn't have anymore." Joker grimaced as once they cleared the floor, they continued onward.
"The idea of that bastard having another stamp is just something I DO NOT want to even think about!" the pirate thief growled.
"Aye, that man has enough power as is" Captain Kidd spoke in a slight pirate accent, "Though do you think it has more to do with your lady friend's safety or your broken pride?"
"Shut it, Kidd! I still think having her here is a bad idea." Ryuji huffed.
"You know, I'm having reservations too…" Revi agreed, "Maybe we should check on her. You know, test the new Vice-phones we got."
"Not that bad of an idea, at least to calm our nerves." Joker said, taking out the phone as he dialed her up. Yet once he did, there was not even a ring or a voicemail. Just static.
'Come on, Ann! Please pick up!' Skull frantically thought as he kept calling the phone.
"Hm?" Morgana's ears flicked, "Hide! We got company!" The cat sounded off.
The quintet soon zipped to cover as several guards past them by… with Ann in captivity.
"Hard to think the princess was out and about. Maybe Lord Kamoshida will grant us a wish?" One Shadow questioned.
"I'm just hoping he doesn't break her like that other gal. One punch was all it took for her to crumble." Another Shadow chimed in with a chuckle.
"Hey! That was my friend you just insulted!" she snapped at him.
"ANN!" Skull panicked.
He tried to go to save her, but Joker held him back while also fighting the urge to dash out there and save her.
"Let me go, Joker! We have to save her!"
"I know, but if you go out, it may just put her in more danger!" Joker stated, "As much as I want to help her too, we have to stay silent and wait for an opening."
"But-"
"No buts!" he said with a glare.
"Plus, this could give us an advantage too! Who knows how many secret passages and rooms Kamoshida has around here?" Morgana pointed out.
"It's gonna feel like shit for us, but Mona's got a point." Revi sighed.
"Damn it…" Skull growled out as he finally calm down enough for Joker to let him go.
As the group snuck through the area through the shadows of the castle, they soon follow the Shadows that had Ann, yet it seemed this new room was…. Off? As the hallway was colored pink with several outfits of girls lining the walls.
"Does anyone feel like we're in some kind of red light district place?" Revi asked, questioning his sanity.
"I really hope that it's not going where I think it's going…" Skull grimaced as they hurried.
However sure enough, they saw Ann strapped to some kind of device as she struggled to break free. But what shook them to the core, was several Shadow-esc versions of the female students and staff, each one wearing a very perverted outfit on them all.
"That pervert!" Skull hissed as this truly was a disgusting sight to see.
Lining the walls were of course several female students from the school. Some in the same Shadow-esque style as the others or there were actual photos of them in either said outfits or worse. Seemed that he would either force them to this, or blackmailed. Much like how he almost did to Ann earlier on.
"This guy is a real piece of work. No wonder his inner demon was a shark…" Revi snarled.
"Wow, and here I thought I was bad." Vice chimed in, amazed at how bad Kamoshida really was.
"Focus! We got to save Ann!" Skull snapped, as he was trying to hold it together on what he has now seen.
"Right, let's move!" Joker declared as he was set to fire out a rescue plan until...
"I believe that's far enough." A familiar voice called out, as the group turn to see Kamoshida walking in alongside a few guards.
"Is that really Kamoshida?" Ann gawked in disgust.
"There's the bastard king himself…" the pirate thief snarled.
"Hmph, to think you brats got back here after leaving with your tail between your legs." Kamoshida huffed, before looking to Ann, "And guards! You dare think that this girl was my dear Princess Ann?" He questioned as the said Shadow-esque version of her walked in.
"No way~! This girl is like… totes ugly!" Shadow Ann cringed at the sight.
"Oh when I get my hands on him, I'm gonna-" Skull soon began to mimic the motion of him choking King Kamoshida.
"I think you'll stay put!" Kamoshida said, as one of the guards placed their sword against her neck. "Now… for you? While you aren't my Princess, you ain't half bad either. I wonder how I should start?" He said in a perverted manor, looking at Ann like a doll.
"You lay off, Kamoshida! I won't forgive you for what you did to Shiho!" Ann snarled.
He soon clicked his tongue, "Alright then, how am I going to handle this girl?"
"How about you let her go before we do to you what we did to your little pet demon?!" Skull roared at him.
This confused King Kamoshida before he checked his person for the Megalodon stamp, only to find nothing instead. Shocked, the false king turned towards the five and soon spotted the purified stamp on Revi's waist.
"Tsk, so you're not just a Deadman sympathizer, but also a petty thief? Typical of a yank like you…" he snarled at the dino Rider.
"Wow, racist to boot. What's next, a small moustache on your lip?" Revi frowned at the insult he was given.
"Guards, seize them and take back what's mine!" he ordered the guards as they turned their attention towards the five.
"Everyone, ready up!" Joker called out as they quickly got into position for battle as one of the guards transformed into a large horned demon sitting on top of a chalice, whilst the Giff Juniors formed a protective wall in front of their captain.
"Just like everyone else, ganging up on me and taking what's mine. Pissed off at how wonderful I am. Just like that girl who jumped…"
"What?" Ann got out.
"Oh? You didn't know?" Kamoshida turned to her, "You're the reason she jumped."
That was what made Ann snap...
"What did you say?" she growled as a fiery anger burned within her.
"Uhh guys, I think I know what's coming!" Vice yelped as he saw the same fire in her eyes as he did the boys.
"What was that, missy?" King Kamoshida questioned her.
"You're the one who's to blame! You went such lengths with so many people just to show off your status? You're so arrogant! I will never forgive you, and I will make you pay for this!"
My… it's taken far too long.
Suddenly, a vast amount of pain coursed through her.
Tell me… who is going to protect her if you don't? You made the right choice when you joined up with the Joker and the Demi-Field, that's something the other you is actually impressed by...
As Ann screamed in pain, a mask soon began to form on her, one that looked almost cat-like in nature.
I art thou, thou art I…
We can finally forge a contract.
"I hear you… Carmen." the blonde thief spoke, much to the demon's surprise.
"Did, did she just say… Carmen? The original femme fatale?!" Vice recognized, "Oh, oh what they say really is true."
"And that would be?" Revi asked.
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorn…"
"You're right. No more holding back!" Ann said with determination, as a burst of flames broke her cuffs, as she landed on the ground.
There you go… nothing can be solved by restraining yourself. Understand? Then I'll gladly lend you my flames.
Soon, the same fire covered her body as she ripped off the mask, as from it came her Thief Attire, alongside her Persona. Her attire was that of a cat burglar but red and a whip in hand. Even a slight bit of her top was unzipped as well. While behind her was that of a femme fatale, with pink skin, a red dress that felt from a festival of the dead, alongside her face resembling that alongside of a cat as beneath her foot was a man under her heel.
Now in her new transformation, Ann kicked some of the Giff Juniors down, causing a minor domino effect to reach the troops, even causing one of the guards to drop his sword. This allowed her to cut down Shadow Ann, as the sword transformed into a chain whip for her to wield.
"I swear, I'll take everything from you!" Ann declared.
"You go girl~!" Vice cheered, "Now it's our turn. Might as well show Tsukasa what it takes to wield his power and that bastard's inner demon!"
"Damn you all, who do you think you brats are?!" King Kamoshida roared.
Joker smiled, "We're just passing through phantom thieves, remember that!" he then turned to the dino Rider, "Revi, Vice, transform now!"
"Hai!" He nodded, soon turned the stamp press before replacing the Rex Vistamp, as he held up Megalodon as he pressed its button.
MEGALODON!
After blowing on the stamp, he pressed it down as a new conversation hit while Vice returned to his astral state.
COME ON! ME~GA~LO~DON! COME ON! ME~GA~LO~DON!
Vice: WOW~! Ann's debut was so cool!
Revi: Gotta admit, it was very showy. Wonder what else she can do?
Vice: Alright, time to see what Tsukasa gave us, right partner?
Revi: Yeah! Let's give it our all!
After activating the stamp, Vice brought the large stamp down and performed Decade's signature card draw as they transformed.
BUDDY~! U~P!
DIVE DON DON! YOIDON! BOOM! MEGA~LO~DO~N~!
JUST A PASSING THROUGH HU-HU-HU-HU~NTE~R!
As the Stamp broke away, it gave forth a new form for Revice. Revi, still sporting his colors from before, had his armor change completely. He now sported a slanted 'X' on his chest and shoulders, while his forearms had two long blades on them, while his helmet was that of the barcode Rider, Decade, yet slightly reshaped to that of a shark head, even with a set of teeth on the mouthplate.
As for Vice, his coloring of his body was the same as well, but now with a few pieces of Magenta on him too. Mostly fin-like additions on his shoulders, forearms, and shin. While he had a Decade shark mask on him while the Megalodon Stamp was on his chest.
After dusting his hands off, Revi and Vice joined Ann as they joined the battle, as the panther thief soon began to work her new whip and used it to keep the Guard Captain at bay, giving both Riders room to slice and dice with their new arm blades.
"Carmen, burn these pigs alive!" she called out as she summoned her Persona.
"As all pigs should be." Carmen smirked, as she set them on fire. "Roasted alive."
"So, Carmen is an expert on Agi magic." Mona observed, "That makes her all the more alluring..." he said whilst fawning over her.
"Enough with being a simp, cat. Focus on the fight!" Vice called out, chomping on the Shadows with his Shark Mask.
Meanwhile, Revi dove into the ground as it began to exhibit the same wavy texture as the infamous dimensional curtains. He soon popped up a few times to attack and drag down any Giff Juniors into the depths.
"Wow, I guess this is what it feels like to be a shark." Revi commented.
"At least after he's burnt, he'll make perfect shark bait!" Ann agreed, cracking her whip on the Guard Captain and distracting it long enough for Joker to attack with Eiha.
"Time to take him out!" Joker called out.
"How about I lead the finale?" Ann offered.
"Be our guest, mi'lady." Vice said, tipping his mask like a fedora.
"And you said I was a simp, fishface!" Mona snapped.
"Enough already!" Revi snarled as he activated his finisher.
Soon, all of the thieves blitzed the Guard Captain before Revi and Vice charged in with a quadruple slash attack, opening them up for Ann to aide in the attack. As Carmen appeared alongside her, the pair unleashed a pillar of fire for the two Riders to swing in and cut the remaining monsters to ribbons.
"The show's over in!" Mona declared as he decided to count down in this case.
3!
2!
1!
Revi and Vice soon landed as they shared a fist bump before the monsters exploded.
DON'T DEAL WITH THE DEVIL!
King Kamoshida was left defenseless as the thieves turned their attention to him.
"Y-You'll pay for this!" He shouted, running away with tears of fear in his eyes.
"Tsk, just like how he is in real life…" the new cat thief scoffed.
"Wow, nice work guys!" Skull praised the three before going to Ann, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah… just… a lot to take in is all…" She said, as she was hugging herself a bit, mostly from embarrassment of the outfit.
"Umm, well at least you look great…" Skull sheepishly said.
"Smooth, monkey brain…" Mona sighed.
"Hey!" he snarled.
"Come on, we can pick on the love birds later. Looks like the king dropped something." Joker told them as he picked up what seemed to be a map of some sorts.
"A map? Now this is lucky for us!" Mona said with a cheerful outlook, "Hmm… Seems like it's only for the first few floors… Which means our main target could be at the top of this place."
"Dang…" Skull groaned, "Well, at least we know what happens when you and Vice use something other than a T-Rex. I mean, you combined Jaws with Decade, that is awesome!"
"Makes me wonder what else we can become?" Revi noted.
"Guess we'll have to wait until the story continues before we can find out." Vice noted.
"For now, we should at least scout out the top floor before we call it a day, just to make up for lost ground."
"Roger." The other nodded in agreement.
"So, I guess since I'm one of you guys now, well fully, looks like I'll be needing a code name." Ann noted.
"How about, 'Angel'?" Mona sighed out cheerfully.
"'Gypsy' sounds good given who her Persona is." Vice added in.
"Just not 'Catwoman' please…" Ann rolled her eyes.
"How about Panther?" Skull suggested, "It's not exactly a cat, but it's close."
"Panther…. I like it." She smiled.
"Wow, already trying to earn love points on this route." Vice chuckled at the pirate thief's expense.
"Don't make me cook you…" Skull glared.
"Enough jokes, let's get going." Joker called out.
"Yes sir!" they cheered as soon they made their way through the Palace, taking advantage of the Megalodon Genome's dimensional water ability to either ambush or sneak past several guards. They even picked up some strange seeds they found in certain rooms alongside more evidence of Kamoshida's wrong doings..
Soon, the group arrived at their destination. It was hard to get it unlocked, but worth it as it seemed they were in the throne room. Yet behind the throne room laid another door, one that felt very secretive.
"Think this is Kamoshida's throne room?" Revi asked.
"Figured it'd be more grand…" Skull said, disappointed.
"Well, we should mark this place down for tomorrow. After all, it's D-Day since it looks like Revi and I might get the boot." Joker noted, much to the shock of his fellow thieves.
"Excuse me, but are you guys going to get expelled?!" he gasped, knowing what 'the boot' was slang for.
"Yeah. Right after that attack, I confronted Kamoshida about it. Seems he was the one not only leaking info about my crimes and Revi's false crimes. But said that soon will be our expulsion in the next school board meeting…"
"He must have also accounted for Revi using Vice to save Shiho…" Panther realized as her blood began to boil, "He just used my best friend as bait to incriminate him!"
"Damn it! Then we have to do this early before school starts! Otherwise they could be in worse trouble!" Skull stated, slamming his fist into his hand.
"Come on, let's leave him a little gift before we make his life miserable for a change!" Revi snarled.
"Oh, oh! Let me do it! I was thinking this stuff last night!" Skull raised his hand.
"Oh you mean the cards?" Vice recalled.
"H-How did you know?!"
"I snuck into your bag earlier today."
"Oh, right. You can possess stuff… wonder if that includes people too?" the pirate thief pondered out loud.
"Nope, only objects." Vice shrugged, "Tried that earlier with you, Skull. Sadly there was only hot air in that head."
"HEY!"
"Anyways, Skull, you work on the cards while Revi, you rendezvous with Decade about the stamp. I got a bad feeling about tomorrow..." Joker soon tasked the group.
"Wow, you're really getting into the whole leader role. That's great!" Revi complimented the leading thief.
"At this point, I have to, otherwise both of us will be in more trouble than before." Joker nodded.
They nodded as they placed their hands in a circle.
"Promise me this guys, even if one of us falls, we finish the mission we started." Joker asked the group.
"Yeah, but I also believe we should never leave anyone behind too. We all go in as a team." Skull added.
"We'll beat Kamoshida and prove your innocence." Panther nodded.
"There's an old saying I saw back when Code was in American school from an old WWI group. We either win, or we all die. That seems perfect for us." Vice recalled.
"Well said, we will get through this no matter what." Mona smiled.
"Then it's settled! As long as one of us remains, we either win, or we all go. That's the creed of the Phantom Thieves of Heart!" Revi declared as the group affirmed their resolve.
XXX
WELCOME BACK TO THE REAL WORLD...
As the group were now out of the Palace, exhaustion took over them all as it was a very rough fight.
"Yikes, didn't think using a second Vistamp would take that much out of me…" Cody groaned.
"I feel like I ran two marathons…" Ryuji added on with his own groan.
"Anyone else hungry enough to eat a buffet whole?" Ann asked as her stomach grumbled.
"Maybe after Cody and I aren't in danger of getting kicked out of school? Right now, I could use a coffee…" Ren noted.
"Yeah…" Cody agreed. "Plus, I need to check on Alice too…"
"Oh, Cody, I didn't think I'd see you here." an unfamiliar voice called out.
That got the blonde foreigner's blood to freeze ice cold.
'Oh no…' he thought.
"Crap, she knows!" Vice yelped.
"Wait, who's she?" Ren asked.
He soon saw the demon point towards the direction of an older woman, one with medium length hair, and wore a two-piece ensemble consisting of a two-tone brown jacket with distinctive pink hearts on the chest and a matching skirt trimmed in metallic silver paired with knee-high brown boots, finished off with a long navy necktie.
Cody soon felt a lump down his throat.
"Uhh… Hi Ms. Amano, long time to see…"
XXX
HackerEX: Wait, that's it? We're ending it like this? With Maya's introduction?
Striberx: Hey, some people enjoy seeing cliffhangers. This is our adaption of it, so things do change. Plus trying to explain every Palace/Mementos floor level would be too much and at that point just be better to play the game.
HackerEX: Yeah but, I was kind of expecting a bit more. You know, I mean we just introduced Maya Amano, a P2 protagonist. You can't just say "Hey, she's here" like you can with Tsukasa.
Striberx: We did say we had plans to bring in past characters. Who's to say we can't add them here too? Not every Persona character will show, but we did settle on who can and will show? Same with the certain summonable Persona's too.
HackerEX: True, and yeah, surprise surprise, the Igarashis are here too. Though… looks like they aren't getting as happy of a story as they are getting in canon, and that's saying a lot considering last week AND what's coming up next week.
Striberx: Mhm, so yeah, we're going to be giving the main Igarashis a bit more darker change here. At least for what we know of Revice so far, which is at this point, only Ep 9.
HackerEX: Things will change obviously, it's the nature of a fic being written alongside the story itself, but for now we got some plans.
Striberx: Indeed. Its not like how it was with my GoR story where I tried to do that with every new ep that came out, had to be the same chap. I learned that lesson long ago and we are doing our best not to rush things here.
HackerEX: Even still, yeah next time we end the Kamoshida/Decade arc as we learn why Maya's here, maybe see her meet Tsukasa, and finally see Kamoshida get his teeth kicked in. All before we say who the next Legend Rider showing up is.
Striberx: Mhm, until then, later minna!