I own nothing. Monika does. (Please read author's note at the bottom.)
Immediately upon receiving Joker's command, the Phantom Thieves dove behind whatever corner or piece of furniture they could find. After waiting for a second to see if they had been caught or not, each one slowly raised their head out of their hiding spot to see what was going on. Were they really going to have to confront Akechi, already?
From where Valiant was looking, straining her neck from around a corner, the mask-wearing distortions were all facing one area, crowding around it and clapping. A full minute seemed to pass before the applauders finally began to dissipate. Though some still stayed around the one that was supposed to be the center of attention, it was now much easier to actually see Goro.
"Is it just me, or does Akechi… seem different to you?" Oracle asked from over their line of communication.
She was right. Instead of wearing his Phantom Thief outfit, or any outfit you might find one wearing in the Metaverse, Goro was instead wearing the detective uniform he always wore for interviews. Though, that could simply mean that in Shido's Palace, he wasn't considered a threat.
But that didn't explain his attitude, or why he would even be here at all. If Goro was here to look for them, why was he participating in this event at all? Did he normally spend time in Shido's Palace?
No...That isn't what's going on at all… Something's wrong with him! Valiant looked over at the rest of the Phantom Thieves. From this distance, it was difficult for any of them to figure out what was wrong, but it was good that all of them knew something was wrong, too.
"Guys… That's a Shadow or something," Valiant spoke quietly, happy that everyone could hear it nevertheless. "Remember, even if he does like attention, Goro wouldn't get it from this Palace. He hates Shido way too much… But look at him…"
Indeed, everyone could clearly see that the Goro Akechi they were seeing now wasn't at all acting like he would. He was acting exactly like how he would for a public interview, yet his mannerisms didn't seem like those of a human. He seemed to glide across the floor, as if being guided along by invisible strings. His expression was unchanging, being nothing more than a pleasant-boy smile, yet even when he was acting in the real world it changed slightly. Now, it was completely static on his face, and…
"It's hard to see from here… but his eyes look… empty, don't they?" Panther asked sadly.
"I think I've figured out what that Akechi is supposed to be," Mona spoke, a grim tone as they all quickly ducked back into their hiding spots. It was hard to look at the scene and talk about it, not able to muster the motivation to do both at once. "It's… Shido's cognitive version of Akechi."
"It's… somehow surprising, and yet not at all, that his cognitive would look like that," Valiant said, shaking her head. "It's weird that in Shido's heart, he throws a party for Akechi."
"It probably has more to do with celebrating the SIU Director's death, than it has to do with celebrating the hitman who carried it out," Queen theorized.
"It did just happen today," Oracle agreed.
"I wonder if they had a similar celebration when my death was faked," Joker pondered. He shook his head though, as he saw Valiant stare at him incredulously. Now obviously wasn't the time.
"Maybe we should take this party as an opportunity for distraction so we can move on?" Noir asked.
"It is more of an obstacle… I expect that the cognitive of someone so deadly that works under Masayoshi Shido would be incredibly dangerous to us. We cannot get caug- Valiant!" Fox's last shout was forced into a whisper, as they all noticed Valiant had started to drift away from the conversation, listening more intently as Cognitive Akechi had gotten closer to their hiding spots, distracted by some idle banter with a gaggle of wealthy looking Shadow business people.
"Oh, Akechi-kun, you really are such a hard worker! It must have been so difficult to get rid of that spying Director!" One of the Shadow ladies said with a giggle.
Valiant would never stoop so low as to be jealous of the horrible version of her boyfriend that Shido saw, and some random Shadow girl hanging off his arm. That wasn't at all what made her grind her teeth and clench her fists, nor was it what made her want to rip off her mask and do something reckless and stupid.
No… What made her simmer in anger from her hiding spot was the cognitive's reply. It ripped out her heart and filled her with equally massive amounts of anger and fear.
"No… Anything done for our captain is no trouble at all. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be able to help him see his vision for this country come to fruition," the cognitive spoke, just as smooth and silver-tongued as the real Goro pretended to be.
However, now there was nothing there. Goro's lies always had an earnestness to them, even as he lied to people, there was always some sort of emotion behind them that made people trust him. The cognitive just sounded… empty. He was loyal, saying what was expected of him in order to serve Shido. Yet, even though his loyalty was obviously genuine, there was no indicator that he agreed or disagreed with what he was saying. He was just…
"A puppet…" Valiant murmured, her words hardly louder than her quietest breath of air. Yet, all of the Phantom Thieves heard her. They all heard the Cognitive's last statement before his form passed by them completely.
"I will do anything for the captain… Even die, when it comes time. If Captain Shido wills it, it will happen no matter what…"
The Phantom Thieves stayed hidden in silence for another few minutes, watching as the Cognitive passed by the room, mingling with everyone as though his sacrificial behavior was normal… as if it was expected and acceptable. They stewed in thought for all this time, trying to process their emotions as they waited for the opportune moment to move away.
Valiant felt like her limbs had frozen when Joker zipped over to her and let her know they were going to start moving towards the exit, which had the misfortune of being at the top of a large center staircase. It was meant to be a grand entrance, so of course it would be the most noticeable area in the room. So they needed to move right now if they wanted no one to notice.
Valiant carefully crept up from her hiding place, not daring to stretch to her full height. Everyone remained silent as Joker directed them to move through concentrated areas of guests, using them as camouflage as they slowly crept their way across the room. Several times they thought the Shadows would get startled by their intrusion and scream, but the thieves somehow managed to avoid provoking them.
"Goro is the only one without a mask on," Valiant said quietly, more to herself than to any of the others.
"Let's discuss this further when we are no longer in danger," Fox advised. They had finally reached the start of the staircase. Now was when they had to be especially attentive. It would be important to get up there quickly so less people would notice them, while also being careful enough to avoid being loud.
"Stay on the edges," Skull suggested. "The floor makes less sound that way." He didn't quite understand how it worked, but he had tried the trick a few times at home just for fun, after reading about it online, and sure enough, the stairs hadn't made any sound at all.
Checking one last time that none of the Shadow guests, or the Cognitive of Akechi, were watching, Joker gestured for them to go, and all of the Phantom Thieves dashed up the stairs, moving so quickly that Valiant was sure her feet only actually touched every three stairs or so.
A guard was waiting for them at the top. The Phantom Thieves couldn't afford to make a scene fighting him, so Joker quickly forced him to fall asleep. It was a very weak spell that would only last a few seconds, given that it already had a low chance of actually working, so the thieves ran away from the fight, rather than fight the Shadow and get caught.
Queen opened the massive doors only slightly, allowing each Phantom Thief to quickly slip through, before carefully closing it behind her. Everyone was on guard in the new hallway they found themselves in, but were much less on edge now that they weren't worrying about Cognitives.
"Dammit… that pissed me off," Skull grumbled. "Shido is so up on his effin' high horse that he even thinks the guy that hates his guts is like so… incredibly…loyal to him…" the blond said, his voice taking on a high, mocking tone near the end.
"And did you hear him talk so nonchalantly about Shido killing him…?" Panther asked, looking down. "Even if we can't get Akechi to join our side, we should force him to come with us when we see him. Shido is obviously planning something for him, too…"
"Yes… We aren't going to let Shido kill anyone else," Noir said decidedly. "Right, Valiant? We're going to save Akechi-kun!" The girl was only met with silence, as the one in question just leaned against the wall with a lost look on her face.
"Valiant?" Queen asked, a look of concern on her face.
"Goro was the only one without a mask on. Shido's distortion is that he thinks everyone hides their true selves behind a mask, right? Yet, for some reason, Goro was completely unmasked, even though he always hides his real self from others… So then, does that mean…?" Valiant could barely finish her question, yet everyone else quickly caught on to what she was suggesting.
"Shido sees right through Akechi's act," Mona stated, frowning as he put his tiny hands on his hips. "I would bet he even knows Akechi is going to betray him later."
"Then, if he knows exactly how Goro feels… Then that Cognitive's loyalty from before didn't have anything to do with how Goro acts or thinks. Shido has him dancing in the palm of his hand… Even now!" Valiant cried out, putting her palm on her forehead as a headache started to bloom.
Joker looked down the end of the hallway, frowning as he considered the girl's words. "Let's go, then…"
"Yeah… I guess that's the only thing we can do right now…" Valiant agreed, feeling numb. As everyone began to dash forward, she felt the pit in her stomach grow. She hadn't been in here for very long, but just seeing that awful puppet version of Goro made her desire for change grow. Simply following Joker's orders didn't feel right. She knew that conceptually, following where the story leads by simply following the leader's orders wasn't going to do a thing. Unintentionally, it made distrust blossom once again in the back of her mind. Who was to say they weren't lying about wanting to help her?
Valiant knew that was simply ignoring what she really wanted, though. She didn't want to be here right now, after having seen all of that. More than anything, she didn't want to wait. She wanted to talk to Goro, right now! Telling him what was going on… Valiant doubted he didn't already pretty much know what was going on here, but that didn't stop her from aching on the inside and out.
Waiting has never gotten me anywhere…
Still, she couldn't control how long she waited. It was up to Goro to come to them. She had already tried texting and calling, and if everyone was to be believed, she couldn't expect Goro to be at the apartment anytime soon.
It was even more frustrating for Valiant, knowing it wasn't up to her when they met, and instead having that cognitive mock her with its mere presence. It was a reminder that she had lost her chance to help Goro. He was stuck, with only his plans for revenge, and Shido had Goro right where he wanted him.
No matter how far Valiant got into this Palace, she knew she would feel like she was stuck, too. No matter how far she got, she would make no progress. No matter how far she got, it wouldn't matter in the end if she didn't get the opportunity to do something useful to help.
That made Valiant wonder, had she made the right choice to team up with the thieves again? It had truly seemed like the best option, and maybe the only option, if she wanted to speak to Goro, and have a hand in things, but she couldn't control what would happen and when.
Fox noticed her first, staring ahead grimly, and appearing to be completely focused on the matter at hand, but he knew her thoughts were somewhere else. After what everyone had just seen, how could they not be? Fox had worried about her spacing out before, but now he knew the situation was too important to keep those worries to himself.
"Valiant…?" He asked, slowing down to run alongside her. "Do you need a few moments to process things? Perhaps we could encourage Joker to find a safe ro-"
"I'm fine," the girl said, her voice much more dismissive than it had been in the past. "Don't worry about me. Even if I start to underperform, I can just sit out in fights, but I'm not going to allow myself to do that. We have to keep going… We have to get as far as we can."
"If you are sure… However, if you want to talk-"
"I don't."
"Oh…" Fox couldn't help but feel guilty, yet not understanding why. Sometimes, someone on the team would be irritated at his naivete, but Valiant had always been patient. However, maybe it had just been her tone back then, because now she sounded a lot different, and for a reason.
"Um… that was a little… rude, Valiant," Noir mumbled, not wanting to sound too accusatory. This was no time to start an argument, but the girl couldn't help commenting on it.
"Am I not allowed to be rude?" Valiant asked, before a thoughtful look passed over her features. "Actually, why even ask permission? This is the last time I'll have to work with the team…"
"Don't get any ideas," Queen said sternly, giving Valiant a frustrated glare. "You're the one who asked us to let you come along. Besides, just because you can be rude doesn't mean you should."
"My ideas couldn't be any worse than any of yours…" Valiant grumbled, more to herself than anything. She tried to keep running forward, seeing the next turn of the hallway that may lead them to something important, but was forced to come to a halt when everyone stopped and stared at her.
"That was so uncalled for!" Panther shouted. "Listen, I get that you're upset and stressed, but you can't just take it out on whoever you feel like!"
Valiant felt her cheeks go bright red, whether it was from anger or embarrassment, she couldn't tell, but either way it made her feel indignant. "First of all, how was letting Fox know that I didn't want to talk to him rude?! Second, why does it matter if I have an attitude with any of you? Third, how is it uncalled for if I'm right? The last bright idea you all came up with ruined everything!"
Valiant took a deep, shaking breath. For a few seconds, she let any thoughts of puppet cognitives with blank stares, and the nightmarish thought that no matter how far she ran she would always be stuck in the same place, stay hidden from her memory. She knew she couldn't handle drama. Watching other people fight already made her feel sick and guilty, so she knew she couldn't handle starting it herself.
"Okay… listen, you guys… I'm sorry, but you're going to have to deal with the fact that I am still incredibly frustrated with all of you, and I am so very angry, and upset, and hurt, to be in this Palace right now. I'm sorry for my behavior just now, but don't expect an apology everytime… I just want to get through this place…" Valiant bowed respectfully, before looking forward.
Everyone felt rather foolish after that moment, including Valiant as well. How could they get into fights so easily all of a sudden? How had they become so sensitive?
It all felt so ridiculous, and so stupid, and it took up so much of their attention that they didn't take notice of the Shadow coming to patrol the hallway they were in.
As if by some form of cruel karma, the Phantom Thieves were rewarded for their petty squabbles with the sound of an alarm, and a spotlight being flashed onto all of them as a Shadow Guard ran up to engage them all.
Everyone immediately straightened up and put themselves back into order. As they drew their weapons and got ready to fight, they could practically feel the high levels of power radiating off of the guard, and knew it was going to be a tough battle. Their stomachs also dropped, as they could feel the security level beginning to rise.
Back at the party in the front entrance of the Palace, there was a sudden pause in activity. The star of the party, Goro Akechi, froze momentarily, cocking his head as if sensing the air. His unnatural, unblinking eyes, seemed to stare through everyone to weed out what had caused this disturbance.
With less than a second of delay, the cognition unhooked his elbow from the Shadow he had been walking around with, flashing his same-faced, charming smile at her, and excused himself. "I am sorry to leave, but I must go take care of this breach in security. Please, continue to enjoy the party, if you want."
With that obligation out of the way, the cognitive walked up the stairs and to the door he had gone through before, his smiling mask fading into one of emotionless cold. His empty eyes flashed briefly in the light of the bright party room, before he opened the door and went through it.
It was just when they had finally managed to defeat the surrounding Shadows that Oracle saw that the Cognitive of Goro Akechi was heading their way. The girl felt the beginnings of panic as she tapped a few buttons on her monitor, and raised her teammates' agility as high as she could get it. In the end, it would barely make just enough of a difference to get them out of that hallway in time. With Oracle's warning, everyone was quick to hide themselves.
They saved themselves just in time, as the Cognitive passed right by them barely a few seconds later. They felt a flash of fear at the close call, brought on by the dangerous look in the cognitive's eyes. It was moving with a purpose, and they all knew that this purpose was to find them. Oracle got a very good reading on just how powerful he was as he went to the other end of the hallway and turned, clearly on the hunt. They could only hope he wouldn't double back to check if he missed anything while they were here.
"Avoid getting into a fight with him no matter what. Shido's Palace is no joke… but this guy, especially," Oracle advised, reading from the information she had gathered. "It's like the normal Akechi by a hundred, almost…"
"He should have still been at the party. It hasn't been that long," Queen said worriedly, closing her eyes to try and get her thoughts in order. "The security level rising must have alerted him that we're here."
"He's probably going to be looking for us whenever we come here, now," Fox concluded with concern. He checked the ends of the hallways a few times, nervous that the Cognitive would be returning soon.
"Do you think Shido knows we're here, too?" Skull asked, clenching his teeth and trying to keep himself from getting noticeably shaky.
"Not yet, but we'll have to proceed cautiously from now on," Mona stated, standing up from his hiding spot.
Everyone finally decided it was safe to come out of hiding after that, rising up from their respective hiding all looked pale, realizing how truly over their depth they may be in this place.
"I'm sure we'll be fine… Just as always, we need to be fast, and sneaky… We can do it," Panther said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "If we can do that, we can establish our route and avoid that creepy version of Akechi at the same time."
"Should we keep going?" Joker asked, to himself as well as everyone else. If that Cognitive was going to be looking for them for the remainder of their stay, it might be better to wait a day.
"Yes… We should spend some time learning more about what we'll need to do before we can go home and make plans, just like always," Queen responded, sighing to herself. "I don't like it either, but we can't run away at the slightest inconvenience."
"...Then, just like what Valiant said. Let's keep moving," Joker said, quoting the girl's argument from earlier. Everyone nodded, and once again began running down the hallway, all while keeping a watchful eye out for enemies.
"Hrmmm… I can sense the Treasure's presence!" Mona shouted eagerly, looking down the hallway they were currently in. "It's that way. Let's go, guys!" The group quickly followed him to the door he was leading them to, looking with disdain at the golden grandeur with large lion-head locks. They all spent some time examining it, noting the five slots to put something in.
"Four hundred seventy-five people in favor, zero against," an announcement said from a loudspeaker outside the door.
"I hear something," Mona muttered seriously.
"We all do…" Valiant trailed off, wondering if it was somehow just her that also heard it.
"Since there is no one against the plan, this bill will be unanimously passed as drafted," the voice continued on, before the sounds of applause were heard.
"Passed? What's goin' on? Was that Shido's voice?" Skull asked, looking on edge as he glanced at the speaker, and then back to the doors.
"If this truly is the Representatives Chamber as written, beyond here must be the main assembly hall," Queen said, observing the large letters written above the grand doorway.
"I wonder why they're broadcasting what they are discussing in there…" Valiant thought out loud. It's weird to think that Shido's Shadow must be just past these doors… She stepped forward and put a hand on the golden surface of the barrier, thoughtful. They seemed so close. They knew where they had to go to get the Treasure, but how would they get there?
"I suppose the purpose in this Palace is because all of Shido's rich friends agree with the decision, and that's what matters," Panther said, answering Valiant's question with a disturbed frown.
"They record the discussions in there to be shown on the news as well," Queen pointed out.
"What are they discussin' anyway?" Skull asked, going over the words he had heard earlier.
"It seems to be just a meaningless vote… one in which whatever Shido proposes will always go unopposed," Queen said, her voice heavy with frustration.
"So he's doing whatever he wants by keeping only his supporters in there," Noir said sadly.
"...And killing everyone else," Valiant finished, sad that they couldn't finish things right now. She turned back to the group and lifted her hand off the door as the conversation shifted to ways of getting in.
"What should we do to get in? Perhaps find the keycards?" Fox asked, putting his hand on his chin and looking at all of the card slots, taking note of how big they would have to be. He determined that they couldn't be over the size of a single envelope.
"Maybe we need some kind of qualification, one that vows to be his follower or swear loyalty," Mona theorized, looking back at the doors.
"So basically, we need to prove that we're on his side," Panther said,a heavy frown on her face. Everyone seemed to have that look, filled with disgust at the thought of that.
"We'll have to pretend," Joker said quickly though that much was obvious.
"If we only need to get keycards, we don't even need to do that," Valiant pointed out, leaning against the walls. They could easily just steal the keycards and then use them. It wasn't like the door would take photos to see if they looked loyal enough.
"You guys sure move on quick…" Queen said in astonishment, putting her hands on her hips.
"But what's this qualification thing about?" Skull asked, looking back at the doors.
"Why don't we ask the guests on this ship?" Noir suggested, gesturing to the hallway filled with them.
Valiant raised a finger in warning. "That other Goro could come back looking for us… Also, those guests back where his party was should be avoided."
"Then, it is fortunate that there seem to be plenty of people in these hallways," Fox mumbled, not looking too concerned.
"Not to mention, all of these guests are cognitive versions of the people Shido knows in real life. They'll know any secrets he shared," Mona said with a tone that was somehow both serious and mischievous.
"True. You have a point," Queen admitted, before nodding her agreement to the plan.
"That said, since Shido is the ruler here, the guests might turn out to be hostile as well," Fox suddenly brought up, looking out at the hallway for any such people.
"Right… They could attack us, too," Panther said with a downtrodden expression.
"We should prepare for the worst, of course, but I think we'll at least be able to talk to them," Mona assured, running a few feet away to observe the Shadows more closely. "This ship is most likely an ark loaded with those that Shido believes are worth keeping alive. It'd explain the luxury cruise ship. I doubt idiots who can't even hold a conversation would be here."
"We can at least gather information," Queen added, before bringing up a hand to her face, tapping the nose of her mask. "It helps that everyone's wearing masks. We'll blend in even with our attire."
"He must believe that no one shows their true face to anyone else… just like him," Mona theorized.
"Well then, let's split up and ask around," Noir said, finally seeming to bring an end to the conversation.
"Remember to watch your backs if we aren't partnering up," Valiant warned, watching as everyone split off from the group. With nothing else to do, she began going towards guests as well. There was one concern she had about the recommendation letters.
As she walked around, Valiant heard all of the conversations the thieves had with the guests, confirming who they would need to go to for these recommendation letters. So far, she had yet to hear his name come up, which was slightly reassuring. She didn't want to have to convince a loyal fake of her boyfriend to give them a letter of recommendation, especially when that fake was trying to hunt them down. That made it even more of a relief that he most likely did not have a recommendation letter.
Still, just to be sure, Valiant spent some time asking the guests about Goro Akechi. She did not like what she heard at all.
Most of the thieves had already found specific groups of people to ask, so she covered her own at the very end of the hallway, asking several couples that were mingling with wine glasses held delicately in their hands. Idly, Valiant wondered if Shadows could actually get drunk, but knew that in Shido's Palace, it was probably just for show.
When she asked the Shadows about Goro Akechi, it was almost ridiculous how insulting some of their comments were. The general consensus was that he was nothing more than a senseless child, ignorant to Shido's schemes and way in over his head. However, it was also said that he was deadly and incredibly loyal, or at least manipulated to be.
At the very least, Shido's disrespect of Goro meant that the man wouldn't trust him with a letter of recommendation. Valiant was grateful for that, as the thieves would never be able to get away with getting the letter from him. The Cognitive was nothing more than a guard, meant to secure Shido's goals without complaint, asking only for praise and popularity. Yet, it was also obvious all of that was fake. There was no one on the ship that was going to give him the real kind of praise Goro needed.
Hearing everything laid bare, Valiant knew she couldn't handle more. While talking to the guests, she had overheard the other guests telling the team about the five people they would actually need to go to to get their letters. That meant her work was done. Aside from confirming they had no need to get near the cognitive of Goro, she had managed to find out exactly how dangerous and revered he was in the Palace.
Valiant went to Joker and told him what she had found out. She managed to keep looking him in the eye when he gave her an odd stare. Very clearly, Joker thought it was weird she had only asked for information specifically about Goro Akechi. Still, it was for the best that they learned what they could about the dangerous entity that was actively looking for them.
With that in mind, once everyone had finished gathering information, they got together in a safe room and made sure it was completely secure, just in case. There was a large table in the center of the room, with cushioned seats surrounding it. Everyone quickly seated themselves and began discussing what they had found. A bit of time passed, with Queen, Oracle, and Joker explaining how the letters they needed to get would work.
"...So, we gotta get a "letter of introduction" from the five VIPs?" Skull asked after a moment of contemplative silence.
"And those letters become the keycards?" Panther added, looking for clarification.
"Exactly. Now, let's go over what all of us learned," Queen said, moving on from the topic of what the keycards would be like. "First, according to my intel… One of the VIPs is an influential politician by the name of Ooe. He's supposedly seen at the restaurant at night and sits at a table near the window."
'"Um, I'll go next. I heard about a prominent VIP who used to be… nobility?" Panther said, trailing off with a troubled look on her face. "It sounds like he's usually by the pool."
"Next is my intelligence. It seems the president of a television station is also a VIP," Fox said. "He always plays slots at night. It would seem he spends his money quite lavishly."
"Crap, I'm startin' to forget people already…" Skull moaned, closing his eyes in embarrassment.
"Next is my turn!" Oracle shouted eagerly.
"For real!? Even you got info?" Skull asked, his eyes popping open in shock.
"Of course. I eavesdropped." Oracle said with a note of pride in her voice. "Supposedly, one of the VIPs is the president of an IT company. He's always in his room and reportedly enters from an exclusive hallway."
"Me next!" Mona yelled without a second to spare.
"How the hell'd you get info with your looks…?" Skull muttered, before noticing a rather dark glare he was getting.
"Skull…" Valiant said lowly, causing Skull to flinch, feeling as though he were taking one step backwards.
"...Sorry."
"It seems like some guy they call the "cleaner" is another VIP," Mona continued on, unperturbed. "I've heard that he's cautious, so it's probably best if we check the other VIPs first."
"Cleaner? I wonder what they mean by that," Noir mumbled with a curious gaze.
"Wait a minute. After all the VIPs we listed, this one's a cleaner?" Panther asked, weirded out that there were four important, highly noted people they needed to deal with, and then someone that sounded so plain.
"How lame… Wouldn't it make sense for Akechi to be a VIP? He was the guest of honor at that party, anyway…" Skull muttered, before he suddenly grew nervous again. He quickly turned to Sayori, only to see now that she only looked downcast with everything.
"Well… I guess speaking of him, I went ahead and asked about him to see if we would need to know anything, and I found out something even more important about the cognitive of Goro," Valiant began, taking a deep breath as she put all of the information in order. "Supposedly, in order to protect all of the passengers on the ship, the Shido that rules over this place put a tracker, and also a security alarm, on Goro. Basically, whenever a guard catches something suspicious, before they engage with it, they send a signal to Goro, who comes over from where he is to deal with it… Also, all of the VIPs apparently have a button or trigger that will alert him, too…" She had heard a lot of guests complaining about that, saying they all wanted an alarm in order to feel safer. However, now it was just the people the thieves needed to see in order to get their letters.
"...For real?" Skull whispered, his voice hoarse with shock. "He's goin' to be houndin' us all the time then!"
"We'll have to find a way to work around it…" Queen said, trying to sound dismissive about the troubling news. "Either we'll need to be extra stealthy when we steal the introduction letters, or we have to overpower every Shadow we come across very quickly"
"That last one is going to be tough. My readings of this place say that everything here is really overpowered," Oracle objected, her eyes frantically rereading the signals she had scanned earlier.
"Wait… something doesn't make sense, yet…" Fox trailed off, before looking at Valiant. "Why does the cognitive have a tracker on it, as well?"
Valiant was silent for a long moment, before shaking her head. "... I... didn't hear the reason for it… Apparently, it's supposed to send a signal to the Ruler of the Palace, telling him wherever Goro is at any moment." She didn't tell them the reason she had overheard. She couldn't handle restating the fact that months ago, a change in Shido's cognition had caused him to put the cognitive on a tighter leash. With the cognitive's perceived loyalty, why would Shido feel the need to do that? What had changed in the real world to influence that? Valiant had an idea, but she didn't want to admit it.
Everyone looked at her troubled, sad expression, and were about to ask, when Panther quickly interrupted. "When you think about how much Shido knows about the Metaverse, does that mean Shido will know we're in his Palace if we're caught?" the blonde asked, redirecting everyone's attention back onto herself.
"We'll just have to not risk it then," Joker stated, before looking at his team sternly. "No matter what, none of us can get caught. Understood?"
"Yeah!" Everyone shouted back in affirmation.
"But… I'm sorry… I couldn't get any information," Noir sadly admitted after a moment.
"Me neither! So don't worry about it, OK? Let's just work harder during the battle," Skull said, a reassuring grin on his face.
"You're right… I'll do my best!" Noir shouted back, a small smile beginning to form on her face.
"But there's a bigger problem, y'know…" Skull said after a moment, blushing in embarrassment. "My memory's, uh… not so great. Anyways, who was who…? Uh…"
Everyone sighed and went over it once more, and then another time, and another time yet again…
"Ugh, it's no use! I can't keep the profiles of five people straight in my head…" Skull shouted in frustration.
"I can remember only about two of them… What about you, Joker?" Panther said, embarrassed herself.
"My memory is pristine,' Joker lied.
"Really? Wow!" Panther was easily impressed by this bold claim.
"Oh, then who are the VIPs?" Valiant asked, raising her eyes in question at Joker.
"Um… Well, uh… There's-"
"We're up against five people, who also have a crazy strong sixth person," Oracle began, before briefly explaining each and every one of the five targets they would need to find.
"Whoa! Now that's impressive! You go, genius!" Panther cheered with a happy smile.
"Good job… But that shouldn't be surprising for Oracle," Valiant congratulated with a bored expression, even as Oracle blushed at the compliment.
"If we can't remember the people we still need to visit, we can always go over it again in a safe room," Queen reassured Skull and Panther. "These meeting desks will serve nicely…"
"Do you only want to discuss it here because of the official-looking tables?" Skull asked with a tired frown.
Queen began to vehemently deny what she had previously said, until Noir helpfully suggested they go back to the real world. After all, they knew their way through this front area. Queen was quick to agree.
Everyone took a few minutes to restore their energy so that they would have an easier time retracing their steps. They threw empty drink cans and snack wrappers into their pockets to be disposed of later, and left the Palace right afterwards.
On her way back to Ann's, Sayori hesitantly held up her phone and pressed the call button. Ann had already told her that Goro had blocked her, but she still wanted to hope she could explain everything to him sooner rather than later.
The phone went straight to voicemail, and Sayori would not let it get to her.
Later that day, Goro Akechi entered his father's Palace with a bored look. Now that the SIU Director was dead, there was nothing for him to do but wait for a new order, and bring up the bill on the hotel room. So it was with that boredom ahead of him that he decided to go into Shido's Palace to see if the Phantom Thieves had actually managed to get into it.
There were no obvious signs when he first entered. All of the guests were milling about and ignoring him. Many talked about the death of the SIU Director, toasting to Shido's dirty victory, as though Akechi had nothing to do with it. He could never be proud of the atrocities he had committed, but it was grating to see Shido didn't even acknowledge it, and seemed more to think it was his own accomplishment. If Akechi ever got any recognition from the man, it was always in an underhanded way that congratulated Shido himself for telling Akechi to do it.
Still, at the very least, the Shadows here didn't try to engage him. Whether it was because they didn't think of him as an enemy or threat, or they were too scared to fight him, Akechi didn't know or care to find out. All he really cared about that concerned these Shadows was the information they shared among each other.
After a few minutes of skulking around, Akechi heard the faint mentions of the information he had been wanting to hear. Earlier, the security level had risen, and the Shadow that had reported the disturbance had never responded to other Shadows calling to check in. Along with that, there were a few guests that mentioned seeing some rather classless teenagers running around. All in all, it seemed to Akechi that things were going as predicted.
After hearing all of these rumors, Akechi found a nearby safe room and sat down, processing everything and thinking of what to do next. Before, he had figured it would be like before, in Futaba and Okumura's Palace. He would just follow them at a safe distance…
But now that idea was so insulting it made Akechi want to vomit. Why should he have to spend so much of his time following the thieves around, and waiting on them? Why should he have to bust his ass, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, or even wait for them at all? In fact, why should he be thinking of confronting them so soon at all?
Despite his best attempts to hold it all in, a smile bloomed on the detective's face as he sat and schemed. He nearly laughed, knowing how horrible and awful and just plain cruel his new plan was shaping up to be.
Let the thieves get through this Palace… If they were killed by a Shadow, then better for Akechi. Yet, he knew the thieves better than that. So, he would give them a few days to themselves to get through the Palace.
Let them see the entire Palace.
Let them get all of their letters of recommendation.
Let them learn every single detail of Shido's cruelty.
Let the Phantom Thieves know just how important it was to stop Shido, and right when they are about to reach victory…
Akechi knew that only a villain could have a laugh like his. Those were his thoughts as he nearly broke down, a near cackle like noise erupting from his throat as he thought of this new plan. It was perfectly cruel, and though it wasn't cruelly perfect, it would be the best way to crush the Phantom Thieves.
This wasn't the first time Akechi had been in Masayoshi Shido's Palace. He already had his letters of recommendation ready, and could enter the room where the Treasure was being kept anytime he liked. To meet the thieves, he knew several shortcuts and secret paths that completely skipped over those stupid rooms that turned people into rodents. There was no need to even try and keep up with the Phantom Thieves.
Instead, the Phantom Thieves would learn how desperately they would need to keep up with him.
Rage and excitement burned a fire under Goro Akechi as he got up to leave. Even being in this safe room, he could see signs that they had been here. Only one or two of the chairs had been pushed in at the table. They must have stopped here before leaving. Or maybe they were still in the Palace. Akechi didn't know or care which it was.
I'll give them three days to get as far as they can… Akechi decided on his way out. Of course, if they got farther than he thought in a shorter amount of time, he would know. After all, they would have to send a calling card to be able to do anything.
Surprisingly on his way out, a Shadow tried to give him trouble, raising its weapon and charging towards him.
Akechi sniffed, and smiled. He stood in place until the Shadow was nearly on top of him. When the Shadow's own shadow fell across him, Loki burst out and killed the Shadow, engulfing it in a red and black flame-like-energy, burning it to nothing.
Just try to keep up with me… I'll teach you what it means to cross me… Just as Shido shall soon learn, once you're all gone…
Soon enough, Goro Akechi was back on the streets of Tokyo, blinking in the fading afternoon light and yawning. All the while, he trained his face back into that of a charming smile.
He checked his phone as he walked back to the hotel he was staying at. A blocked number had called him, and Akechi knew exactly who it was. Surprisingly, there was only one person in his life he had felt the need to block. It made him uneasy for a second, thrown off guard that she would still be trying to call him.
Surely, Sayori has figured out that I blocked her, and that we are enemies. Why would she still try to get in contact with me?
It was like drenching him in cold water, remembering that Sayori was a member of the group he wanted to kill. Thinking of the group as a single unit, the Phantom Thieves, had been easier than thinking of every single individual.
Still, whenever he thought of that Metaverse clone of Akira, staring up at him blankly, Akechi could muster up the hatred and anger it would take to kill the real Akira thousand times over. However, there was only one Akira, so Akechi would have to spend that extra energy on something else.
Those were the morbid, disturbing thoughts Akechi thought of to distract and entertain himself. He put his phone back into his pocket, feeling it as it burned his skin with the weight of what just one phone call could do… what one phone call could ruin.
He tried not to let it get to him.
It's dark… I don't know why, but it feels darker than normal…
Sayori sighed, squinting into the darkness of Ann's room and trying to close them, and keep them closed. Yet, everytime she tried, her brain would find some way to keep her awake. After the day she had, seeing a sunken world through the eyes of such a wicked man, it was hard to stop thinking, and hard to calm down. She had always known that an incredible danger would await her while she was here, but it was hard to accept that she couldn't face it how she wanted.
Putting her arm over her eyes, she took another deep breath, and frowned when she felt herself shudder as the breath escaped. Sayori wished she could cry, and wanted to cry, more and more, but she had promised herself she would stop. She was terrified, and sad, but in the end she knew that if she couldn't learn to accept her circumstances, it would destroy her.
I… haven't done everything I wanted to do today, yet. I still want to go after Shido, and stop him, and I still want to go for a walk, and make something yummy to eat, and talk to everyone… talk to him. I still… want to feel happy, and good about myself, and good about the future.
Lines upon lines of sad wants and desires ran through her head, hanging over her like…
Like…
Sayori sat up in her cot and tiptoed out of the room, happy that the heavy blankets were no longer suffocating her on top of everything else that was. She didn't know where to walk, so after a while, she found herself pacing around the apartment's living room. All the while she tried to remain light on her feet, knowing the walls and floors were thin.
Twice, Sayori checked her phone. The first time was looking at the Phantom Thieves group chat, going over that day's pages upon pages of texts. In between talks of strategies and that day's events, there was joking, and teasing, and fun… And Sayori couldn't bring herself to be a part of it.
It was hard to even find it in herself to try to talk to them, and get along with them. Even earlier that day, when Sayori had been so happy that they were going to follow behind her, there was that constant part of her mind that was still angry, and still so hurt. Whenever she tried, all she could think about was…
The second time Sayori checked her phone, it was in the name of fruitless hope that somehow, Goro had actually called her, or at least texted her. However, it was not like how she had hoped.
Whenever Sayori tried to speak to the thieves, or tried to check on Goro, she was reminded how everything had gone wrong. She and Goro had been planning to change things, and work together with the Phantom Thieves to put a stop to all of this madness that Goro had helped Shido cause. They had been on good terms, and were speaking and smiling with each other. They could both finally feel hopeful.
Sayori had even been able to start loving Goro again…
Then, Goro was deceived by her friends, and everything had fallen apart. The worst thing was that no matter how angry Sayori had been at Akira and everyone else, she couldn't stop herself from being angry at her own stupidity. They were all to blame, and Sayori knew that her friends were at fault here, too, but somehow it was easier to recognize that… if she had just told them everything from the beginning...
Sayori sat down on the couch and hugged herself, shaking in even more anger. Once again, she was breaking her promise to herself, and thinking about the what-ifs. She was supposed to be only looking forward, and thinking of what she could do right now. It was useless to dwell on wasted plans. She just had to try salvaging what she could.
Blaming myself… When it was my friends that made that deceitful plan… All I'll do is lose my resolve. I… I have to be stubborn now. No more giving in and going along with everything. They'll have to work for me to forgive them, just like how I'll have to work hard to save this situation… Whatever this situation is, anyway…
Once again, Sayori got out her phone, tapping on her messaging icon and clicking on Goro's icon. For a few minutes, she just sat there, scrolling back through over half a year's worth of messages. It was… interesting, to see how far they had come. For the first few weeks, it had mainly just been Goro, texting her to make sure she was safe at school after the Kamoshida incident, and then asking any other questions about Sayori's past that he hadn't been able to think of when they were together in the apartment.
I want to go home, but even more right now, I want to go back to the apartment, and have just one more night of peace there, with you… Sayori thought over these words over and over as she typed them. She could send "I love you," a thousand times, but in the end those words felt too infinite for a message that Goro would probably never see. Even as she hoped he would check his phone, Sayori knew her words were just being sent into the void.
Message sent.
"Sayori… you should be asleep."
Ann came in only seconds after the girl jolted up straight. The blond rubbed sleep from her eyes and yawned, her hair a wild tangled nest around her head. Sayori knew it bothered Ann, but she would only bother to deal with it in the morning.
"I… I'm sorry. I just… couldn't stop thinking about… I just couldn't stop thinking," Sayori said, leaning her head back against the couch cushions.
"Don't apologize to me… At least, not until you've forgiven me. It feels weird when you say sorry, even though you're still upset with us," Ann stated, taking a seat beside Sayori and stretching.
"Okay…" Sayori almost added another apology, but refrained from doing so.
Still, Ann smiled knowingly, and stared up at the ceiling. "It's a lot, isn't it? I helped come up with the plan, in small parts, at least. It really does tear me up, thinking about how much stress it's causing you…"
"There's not much that I can do to fix that…" Sayori replied, leaning forward and staring at the floor.
"Well… I did have a thought, after you left Leblanc ahead of us today," Ann said, smiling mischievously. "Not by myself, though."
"Oh… Did Akira and everyone else help you come up with it?"
"No… Shiho did. It's kind of amazing, in a frustrating sort of way, that you haven't been able to talk to her, even though you literally live with me, now," Ann said, swinging her legs against the couch and smiling, as though she knew something that Sayori didn't.
"Yeah, I've missed her, though I never think of her as much as I want to, whenever you and I talk… Anyway, what did you come up with?" Sayori asked, watching as Ann got out her phone.
"Well, I didn't tell her all of the details, of course. Just that you and Akechi had a misunderstanding, and he ended up blocking you, but you really want to talk to him. He's probably also blocked me, too, since he's not in the group chat anymore… Anyway, then Shiho had a stroke of absolute genius!" Ann paused for dramatic effect, smiling testily as Sayori impatiently waited.
"Shiho offered to let you use her phone!" Ann exclaimed, though she quieted down when they heard complaining from the floor below them. "Akechi keeps his number private from the public, so that fangirls don't constantly stalk and harass him, and stuff… But you still have his number. So… why not just borrow Shiho's phone, and send him a little text?"
"When he realizes it's me, he's just going to block her phone, too," Sayori pointed out.
"That's true… But I think that, maybe, as long as you tell him everything you need to say in that first text, you could get the message across," Ann said. "I think that it's worth a try. Don't you?"
Sayori looked back up at Ann, taking in her kind smile, and felt like crying once again. It was still so difficult to be happy, and be forgiving, in this situation. However, Ann's kindness was reminding her how much Sayori wanted to forgive everyone, when they had earned it.
"I think… that I definitely want to try," Sayori replied, sniffling but keeping her eyes dry. "After all, I made a promise that I was going to do everything possible… to fix all of this."
"Well… then I need to start doing my best, too. I need to help you keep your promises to yourself," Ann said, smiling and giggling. "I'll set it up with Shiho, and we'll meet up tomorrow after school, before we go into the Palace again. Be ready, and make sure you hug Shiho when you see her. It would be embarrassing if I had to remind you."
"You don't need to remind me in the first place, but I'll still do my best," Sayori replied with a smile.
"Well then… Let's go to bed. I want you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for tomorrow. Shiho shouldn't have to worry about you, too, you know?" Ann stood up. Sayori followed suit, smiling as Ann guided her back to the bedroom.
Later, as Sayori easily drifted off to sleep, it was a nice feeling when she recognized how happy and light-hearted she still felt. Though, as her mind drifted off, there was still one goal that stayed in her mind.
That goal was to do her best to find good reasons to forgive all of her friends.
I hope all of you liked the new chapter! Also, as I know at least a few of you noticed, the artwork for the cover changed. That is thanks to my very talented friend, Uoomi, who made the art for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. I loved it so much I ended up asking to use it for the cover(it was my present, but still). Anyway, since she made something so nice for me, I wanted to tell anyone who liked the artwork to go and give her lots of love!
If you're interested in the webcomic series "Noblesse" or the anime of it coming in October, Uoomi is making a fancomic of it with our shared favorite character. If you'd be interested in reading, go to the webtoons app and search for "M-21 Side Story," by uoomiiii. (Seriously guys, she deserves all the love.) She also has a Twitter uoomi_yamashita. She has an instagram too, uoomi22. I'm giving you all the options I can think of to go and show her support and tell her how awesome she is.
Anyway, please leave your reviews, and I'll see you all next time!