Dr. Tongue's Castle of Terror
Ann awakens to a rat sniffing her nose and screams. Ryuji grumbles in his sleep, rolling over on the moldy cot. The spacious fanfare they first encountered is gone, the glamour replaced by a dingy cell covered in grime and fungus. A trio of rats welcome their startled sister back from her investigation and retreat into the wall. Clanking steps approach as a lantern's light begins to spill into their chamber. She bolts up, searching the mess around her for any advantage and elects to chuck an empty bucket at her unconscious friend.
"Agh, what's your problem?" Ryuji sits up with a moan, rubbing his ribs. She grabs him by the collar for a vigorous shake as the guard unlocks the door. "I'm already awake, Ann!"
The guard carrying the keys bounces his shoulders as he chuckles. "What a coincidence! You share the Queen's name. That's something His Majesty would be mighty delighted to hear." Dragging its sword along the edge of the cell, another pair of knights splash out of thin air. They enter the cell and restrain each of the students against opposite walls under threat of death. The low light dances off their blades as they all wait patiently, the cavernous ceiling carrying the sound of rushing water behind bare feet on stone.
"You and your big mouth!"
"Let us go, you talking dumpsters!" Ryuji struggles with his arms above his head, craning his neck away from the blade. The other lifts him higher and delivers a punch to his midsection. Ann reacts in fear as the soldiers laugh. It takes a moment to manage another breath. "At least tell us what's going on!"
Finally, the commander finally arrives at the entrance of the cell. A sweaty, disheveled man in a jeweled crown and a red satyr's robe takes in the scene with glowing yellow eyes. Even in such dim light, it is obvious he could only be wearing underwear. The guards stand erect, prisoners secure.
"Who the fuck are you," says the irritated king. His distorted voice glows with authority, a hunter judging his catch. He paces the cell, inspecting them like a butcher until he stops at Ryuji. The vices on his arms tighten and yank him to stand on his toes. He sneers, getting his big nose way too close for comfort. "So, this is what I'm doing today. I recognize you, punk. Back for more, huh? Or are you here for a show?"
Seething, Ryuji spits in his eye. "Touch her and you're dead meat."
To some surprise, Kamoshida's shadow merely wipes his face, chuckling and pointing at the delinquent. Opening his mouth for a pithy retort, he instead lands a sucker punch that leaves Ryuji dazed. The student crumples against a guard who then pushes him back to the wall. That hit knocked out any suspicion this could be a dream.
"Her, huh? Y'know, I think I will," he muses, turning to face Ann. The other guard restrains her for a closer look and she grimaces as his acrid breath draws near. The king gasps and crouches to behold her in the low light, unzipping her jacket and removing her hood. Howling and stomping around like an ogre, Kamoshida celebrates his newest treasure with the uneasy knights in the room, even giving Ryuji a fraternal jab on the shoulder. Stopping in front of the disgusted girl to take in her beauty, everyone wonders how long the Ruler of Lust can restrain himself.
"You're telling me I can have two?!"
Ann throws all of her weight into her knee and scores, driving the pervert up into the air to hang before he collapses. "Next time, you'll have zero," she says through gritted teeth. "Now let us go, you creep!"
The students share an incredulous laugh in the confusion but the guards' metal fists swiftly put an end to it, spraying their blood and spit across the furniture.
"How dare you disrespect our great ruler like that!"
"Next time, it'll be your tongue! Thank Lord Kamoshida for his mercy!"
"Hee-re's your punishment, ho!"
"Enough!" The hairy man stumbles to his feet, clutching his pearls under his robe as his sight returns. He throws a manic glare that sends ice down their spines. "I like a bitch with spirit. Toys don't usually ask to be broken." The paired guards throw the boy to the ground and the other delivers Ann into Kamoshida's grasp. "Just like I took care of your leg, you worthless runt. Say something else and I'll make you beg me to crack the other one. Hell, I'll make the school call it self-defense again!" He nods at the guards to surround the prisoner, sneering as he snakes around his prize. "Or, you could stay here and watch me have some fun before you die alone in this dungeon. It's what trash like you deserves. Witness the consequences for those who defy the king of the court!"
Seething, Ryuji curls up into a ball as metal boots carry out their heartless order. The mad shadow laughs greedily, pulling his flailing conquest by the shoulder towards the cell door. Dirty hands desecrating the idol of his bygone innocence, life before the bottomless anger and loneliness. Everything that was important to him, stolen and ruined, by a dickweasel.
"Ryuji! Stand up for yourself!"
A piercing scream and the sound of iron chains rattling on the wet stones. The young man roars again, punching the wet stone with such force that it craters, staggering the knights. Two torturous years burning holes in his heart, leaving only a charred page and a quiet home. Fake friends from the dead track team staring daggers at his back as the girls gossip, hiding the lower half of their teasing faces behind their notebooks. Sunny seasons wasted hiding from his fractured pride. Fossilized shame in his face and eyes chained to sneakers never worn. Anonymous crowds pushing against him in his dreams and on the subway, an ad for a bleeding scarecrow dressed in all his rumors and deeds. But all the misery of his past is no excuse to let anyone else suffer, most of all himself.
"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" Ryuji's voice shakes as the adrenaline courses through his veins and he stands by his own strength. "You only see others for how you can use them and throw them away when you're done. Not to mention whatever other shit you're doing here. I had enough of you years ago."
Kamoshida and Ann look at each other, then back to Ryuji as foils of outrage and celebration. The angered lord pushes the girl aside to claw his way between the stunned knights. "What are you doing, you chumps? Finish him!" They all assume a ring around the breathless boy so Kamoshida can safely lean in. The Olympian's demented face is drenched in sweat and the self-satisfaction of a predator encircling its catch. "Or do I have to do everything?"
Ryuji reaches for the golden clasp entrusted with keeping Kamoshida's fuzz from unfurling. They share an honest connection before he slams their foreheads together with a resounding conk! Both of their eyes go white as Kamoshida lets out a yelp and the feral student maintains a death grip. The startled knights look around for orders as the young man repeats his long-overdue revenge.
"Stop looking down at me with that stupid smile on your face!"
You kept me waiting quite a while, lad.
Ann scrambles against the corner of the cell as Ryuji bursts into a pillar of blue flame, knocking his enemies to the ground. Solar wind lashes the room as he scratches his face, staggering in agony. Something appears over his eyes and a musclebound shape cruises through the blaze like an orca waiting inside a wave to strike. His ecstatic yell builds to a peak and Ryuji's voice cracks as he tears a mask from his eyes. The metal flashes at an angle to produce a rainbow and an arc of blood splatters over the group, dried with a splash of cold flame.
There he stands, exhilarated, in a flared leather jacket with armored joints and a navy scarf. He wields an iron bat with studded gloves, turning it so the 'Rule Breaker!' sticker faces his cowering enemies. Grinning beneath a burnished skull without a trace of burns, bruises, or blood, he seems totally healed by the transformation. Ryuji turns a thumbs-up to his friend, eyes sparkling with childish pride.
A pirate in barnacled black garb and knee-length spiked boots sails through the air on a battle-hardened galleon. A dozen bandoliers and their flintlock pistols shake under his bright silk coat, the cleanest contrast to his unkempt hair and tattered hat lined with lit fuses. His bare bones are covered in tattoos and blue fire crackles in place of bloodshot eyes. Blackbeard hovers in the fog behind his summoner, a proud homage to the imposing and maligned figure of yore, cackling to greet his audience.
"Hey, Kamo-shit-a!" Ryuji spins his weapon like it's the bottom of the ninth before pointing it at the sniveling shadow. "What'd I tell ya."
Ann seizes the opportunity to somersault through the dying flames to safety, taking a second to savor the rage boiling over the abuser's face. "You got this, Ryuji!"
Three guards dive into the ground, melting into a single inky shadow as they leap faithfully for their master. The bubbling piles gather and burst, solidifying as a trio of floating Jacks. Combat is sudden and fierce. Three giggling pyros try to blast Ryuji and his friendly ghost with fire – actual fire – by recklessly swinging their lanterns. Ann cries out as each blaze glances around the blonde bastion in front of her, singing her fashion. Pressed to act, Ryuji quickly beats the three pumpkin mages into submission without injury. Grimacing as the last one disintegrates, Kamoshida's eyes dart between his foe, his prize, and the dropped treasure between them.
"Whatcha think, Coach? Am I ready for the big leagues?"
"The key!" Ann leaps through the open door, ready to slam it in the king's face if it comes down to it, as the two left standing in the cell stand off.
Both of them seize the opportunity, but only the villain makes the jump. The battered Ryuji digs his heels into the ground, throws his mask above him with a splash of blue flame, and invokes the pirate's name as if it were his own. Blackbeard levels the starboard guns at the target's face and raises a bony arm to gather the fog. A ball of ice as large as the athlete's chest appears and the cannons pop it like buckshot, bowling his body into the cobblestone wall. The naked king collapses, twitching as mist and rocks settle around him. Satisfied with his debut, the undead mariner springs back into Ryuji's mask and knocks him off balance.
Ann rushes in to drag him to safety and retrieve the key as the king stumbles to his knees. Swearing through the adrenaline, she forces the gate shut for good and throws the key behind her. Ryuji staggers against the wall, cheering weakly as he watches it clatter to the edge of the canal. Sliding to the ground as the toll of the battle sinks into his bones, his outfit flashes back to his pedestrian clothes.
"Hey Ann," he wheezes with all the confidence of the underdog. "Didja see that?"
She takes a step back, incredulity building as her mind replays the furious scene. Overhead a chittering bat crawls to a nook above the runoff stream while the exertion catches up to the spent track star. The retired runner's body knows no strain like the Jovian gravity now crushing his muscles. Vision blackening at the edges, every gasp aids his way up the cliff of exhaustion. A soft hand on his shoulder, then another on his head, and he surrenders into the warm, fragrant embrace.
"Yeah, I did," she replies, pushing him over to lean against the wall. Ann pulls her knees to her chest to rest her chin as she marvels at the cavern floor. "You're full of surprises, you know that?" Ann waves her hand, trying to explain the unimaginable. "I can't; and that, or how we're not; him, but…" She sighs. "Thanks."
Ryuji's pride shows in between measured breaths. "Me, too. Looked pretty, cool though."
She scoffs and tussles his hair, reclining next to him. Even dust dares not disturb the moment, the two of them far more intimidated by the space between their fingers than they were with steel at their throats. Gathering her composure, the athletic beauty resolves to return the favor and rescue them both. Ann jumps up with a brave face and yanks her tired friend to his feet by the forearm. Once he seems stable, she poses with her fist on her hip to rally a bit of his energetic optimism. She brings her fist around like a windmill into a thumbs up, adding a nod and wink just like the masked antiheroine from her favorite childhood show.
"Gimme a smile and we can do anything. For justice!"
"Hey." The burnt man groans, numbly reaching at them. Repeating the word, Kamoshida drags himself to grip the locked iron bars, fighting every overloaded muscle in his body. Spittle sprays from his slurred speech as he pulls himself up to his knees. "Hey, I said. You'll pay for this. I mean it. You," pointing a shaking finger at the runaway, "and you," stabbing through the bars at her bodyguard.
Ryuji laughs hoarsely, kicking the iron gate and making the king flinch. "Anywhere, anytime." The two yelp and check that the door really is locked as the king slams his fist against the gate, the hollow crack of his wrist echoing down the hall. He starts to laugh through inky tears and stops as he strangles the iron bars again.
"Even if you find your way out," he growls, eyes darting to the corridor behind them. "I'll make your lives hell. There's nothing that school won't let me get away with and in here, I'm the fucking king! So run – run while you still can!" He raises his voice, calling for the guards even after Ann stomps his hand away from the door. The darkest part of Kamoshida rolls onto his back, coughing and cackling as his crooked crown clatters onto the dirty floor.
Ann stands judging the figure writhing on the floor, reconciling what she knows of the man. The thing in this room must be a perversion of the bastard himself, a parody wearing his voice and not much else. That guess does little to soften the heinous threats he spat. He meant what he said, snarling like a cornered hound and hell-bent on revenge, even at the cost of his reputation. It is nothing short of a miracle that she is out here instead of in there. For now.
She makes it no more than five steps before vengeance arrests her morality. The insurmountable despair her friend must have felt realizing no one would help; learning that nobody did. Armed as only a woman can be, Ann turns on her heel to find a firm, kind grip on her arm. Wordlessly, achingly, Ryuji shakes his head from side to side. The last they hear from King Kamoshida are the same vile refrains as they make their escape into the dungeon.
The two teenagers slide behind a few barrels, one of several islands lining the narrow walkway along the white-water canals too wide to jump. Armed soldiers jog and idle along their narrow, rectangular patrols and Ann suggests they make a break for it behind them. Ryuji stifles his protest as one of them notices the noise, missing the pair due to the design of its helm. She slaps the back of his head as gently as she can right now.
They proceed through the sewers to a dead end past a raised drawbridge and an eyeless bust of the king grinning like a toothy amusement park mascot. Nothing here but a stack of boxes in front of the last unchecked cell, a cage with a hole blasted near the floor. Ann crouches to inspect it as her companion looks back for any sign of the hunt.
"Shit, shit, shit," Ryuji says. "A dead end. Okay, it's okay, I'll just, uh, I'll just do that thing again, with the fire and the lightning and Pirate Dude, right? We're fine, totally fine," he continues as metal footfalls echo around the corner. Captains bark orders and blades unsheathe. Squeezing himself like a juiced lemon, Ryuji strains every cell in his body to call up that ecstasy of freedom and justice.
… Nothing.
Ann drags him towards the cell, gripping an upturned iron bar and swinging inside through the egress. The crater around the damage is perfectly spherical, insofar as it had matter to erase, and just wide enough to crawl through. Ryuji looks past her into the void, finding the darkness a little more appealing than the torturers rushing towards them. Trusting his friend, he dives into the hole as a dozen soldiers round the corner and others begin to lower the drawbridge. A stale breeze gently rewards his exertion and they see nothing but darkness ahead. Shushing Ryuji's groans, Ann takes his hand to lead him on as the clamor fades.
A wet cat soars through the alleys leading to Shujin Academy. There may have been a plan, Morgana thinks, but it definitely wasn't that. R- Akimitsu saved Ryuji a year ago and they said they found the Palace by accident, not unlike how he stumbled in after wandering out of Mementos. Now the guy waits for Lady Ann just to leave the two of them alone and go to school. Perhaps he knows something Lavenza doesn't, or he's trying to see if the Palace will reveal itself anyway. His thoughts continue even as he slides to a stop where Burroughs detected their Metaverse signal. The coordinates and keywords check out; Kamoshida's Palace still exists even after a year without the Phantom Thieves. Morgana shudders at the implications, choosing to remind himself of more important things.
"App activation, 08:39: Sakamoto Ryuji, Takamaki Ann. Coordinates received. Initialize?" The synthetic voice becomes clearer as he retrieves the sleek device. Burroughs is there, almost smirking as she waits for a command.
"Let me ask you something first. What are we really looking for?"
"Information on the Tricksters, facsimiles of previous confidants, and novel data."
"Facs- novel data?"
"Unknown factors that will provide context. I suggest looking for differences between the Faith and the Fool, if Akimitsu is aware of Arsene's absence from the daemonic registry, the grand structure of-" She pauses, reading his disbelief despite her lack of eyes. "Integration of three souls into this universe was slow and imperfect, so there remain many aspects of reality that are illogical and inconsistent with prior records. Currently, I can posit a physical limit to the Demiurge's power and that the Faith Trickster has no Persona. Substantial data is required for further analysis."
"Whoa, hold on! Are you saying Joker can't do or remember anything?"
"Inconclusive. One aspect of our mission is to determine the nature of his actions, which may suggest motivations and goals and therefore the integrity of his memory. He does seem to be one step ahead," Burroughs adds with a very human hint of sarcasm.
Morgana gazes into a nearby puddle as the sky cries. Lavenza did warn that nothing would be the same in this familiar world. "I'm still me, aren't I?"
"Do you believe that you are?"
Their vision adapts under the blood-red ceiling to reveal nothing more than faint outlines. It feels like a subway station for a graveyard and the air is thick with apathy. Some of these corridors have two or four exits and others turn out to be locked doors or dead ends. Iron bars line the walls; a distorted clanging echo dancing through the ceiling suggests an engine despite the lack of announcements and scraping brakes. Punctuating this eerie music are their crunchy steps muffled by the rusted tracks. The atmosphere, unpleasant at best, sometimes catches the stench of old food and dust. Every once in a while, the curving land beneath them ascends.
Ann takes a deep breath and urges Ryuji to keep going as he starts to doze. That transformation drained the last of his strength more than an all-day track meet. Maybe that is the cost of summoning his guardian, or he's just that out of shape. He makes it a mental note to go to the gym if he survives this and another to ask her to join him. Yeah, he drools, gimme the biggest beef bowl you got and throw in a week of sleep with extra sleep.
His friend picks up the slack, still wondering about that ghost-thing. Blackbeard - the Blackbeard? Can you call it a demon if it's helpful?
Their nearly blind wandering turns into minutes and hours and someday, the idea of leaving becomes a fantasy. A feat as unlikely as Ann being the next to spontaneously combust and kick ass. Defeat frosts the edges of her heart and creeps in for the kill, but a spark of defiance survives and she marches on. Fork-tongued thoughts and fatigue become one with the darkness as she focuses entirely on putting one foot in front of the other.
"Lady Night wouldn't put up with this," she sighs, deciding to make a left. She would, actually.
Somewhere next to her, Ryuji perks up at the first human contact in a century. A memory of visiting her after school to watch action movies and hero team shows, only staring wide-eyed at his joyful friend perfectly copying her role model. A raspy voice emerges from his chest, his limited senses enamored like a burrowing toad coming up for the season's first rain.
"You still like that stuff," he asks like an old man reminiscing with an urn. Ann slows as they feel out the edges of a four-way intersection. Ryuji's turn - left - and they continue into the infinite hall.
Ann finally replies. "I'm not so sure anymore. A lot's changed since I was a kid." Cowardice weighs on her mind like six feet of dirt. Ever since Shiho's choice, she spends her days living like a flower on the side of a cliff, waiting for one big storm to blow her away. Her phantom guilt, rekindled by the King's venom, forbids her from saying this and more. "Things don't turn out how you plan and all of a sudden, you… Wonder."
"Wonder if you still like early Featherman?"
"No– Well, kinda. Like if I can still make time for that kind of stuff. If I still have it in my heart to be a kid. If I can still enjoy things, even after…" She pauses, opening and closing her fist in the dark. There are a thousand tears for every smile that swims in her heart. "If I deserve to be happy anymore."
"..."
Another intersection, simpler this time. Ann elects to go right, leaning against Ryuji to demonstrate. They slowly walk closer together in the utter darkness, at first lilting so only one of them has to feel the wall, then just walking. Who cares about the path anymore.
"I think I know what you mean," he says carefully, cherishing the heightened sensations of the sightless path. The ghosts of his fears begin to trail further behind him, finding a home in the stillness. They wander freely, unchained from the hatred of a helpless child that stood up for himself and the lament of a friend who should have done more. He thinks aloud, putting one of his regrets to rest. "Ann, I think that as long as you're still proud to be yourself, and you do what you feel you have to do," he says with a gulp, "you can watch whatever you want."
Ann, one arm outstretched like a lazy rudder, stops. An aroma of warm food permeates the dismal air. The rumble of the invisible train is gone and the walls are solid brick again. The ingredients are distinct now: a kitchen and its pantry stocked with vegetables and salted meats, assortments of fruit and cheese, fresh and not-so-fresh bread. Even the darkness is a little paler and she can just make out the edges of his eyes locked on hers like their fingers. She takes a little breath and steps closer, the two indistinguishable from the space between them.
A wave of sharp mental pain again, like a belly flop to the brain after a very high dive. This time, a vision too comprehensive and unique to be false. A luxurious vessel sailing through a concrete sea into the setting sun. Ann tastes her own hatred for an evil man and the bittersweet vengeance of his duplicitous son. Ryuji gallops into an inferno; his dear friends express their relief as rage beneath a streetlight. And someone else is there, joking with an amused cat perched on his shoulder.
They break up in a gasp, unsure how to ask each other about the shared dream or where to start.
"–yaa!"
A fierce battle erupts from behind the wall to their left. The clattering of pans and utensils, schoolyard taunts obscuring the guard captain's commands. A gallant soundtrack to a one-sided battle.
"Take this, and that! And another! Now – Zorro!"
Light ruptures the space beside them as a dirty two-horned beast crashes into view on a pile of rubble. Ann and Ryuji trip over each other, yelling in painful surprise as the thing bursts into a puff of inky smoke. The end of the tunnel is barely visible ahead, its walls resembling the entrance more than the sewers. The ground morphs from the burnished wood of the castle into the unmistakable tile of a subway station beneath their knees. Beyond that waits nothing but utter darkness hungry for their return. Sharing a look of concerned determination, the two scramble to the edge of their new path, pupils adjusting to the torchlight.
A search party of walking plants and horny brutes are engaged with a monster cat. Laughing, he easily dodges their clumsy attacks without drag from his unreasonably large head. His black-on-white fur, accentuated like a classic bandit's mask, glitters with restorative green-white energy as he hoists a golden scimitar almost as long as he is tall onto his shoulder. Six enemies charge in two waves and the cat's blue eyes alight as another kind of ghost-demon appears to protect him.
The fencer floats behind him nobly, his mountainous chest and arms stuffed into a flared jacket that tapers down past a brilliant belt to fine cowboy boots. The gentleman spirit is indigo to the bone, preparing himself in an impeccable stance with a click of his heels and an audible swish of his thin blade. His shadowy hat is accented by a long, bouncing feather the color of midnight and the soft golden glow of his dogged eyes. Zorro and his summoner dance, tracing a wide Z & M in the air with their weapons as the lowly palace guards charge, giving it their all.
"Get down!"
Ryuji turns reflexively to clutch Ann as the eastern wind itself lashes the poor assailants into the same hole in the wall. They stand frozen until a platter stops clattering on the ground. Nothing but the soft crackle of a nearby fireplace disturbed only by the sound of a cat stretching.
"I'm okay, I'm okay," she whispers, freeing herself. "Come on, let's go check it out."
"Are you crazy?" he hisses, holding her back by her hood. "Did you see what it just did?"
Ann brushes him aside and adjusts her jacket. "Yeah: it beat the shit out of the same monsters that attacked you. You know what I mean," she adds as he protests. "So this kitty is probably our friend. Maybe it knows how to get out of here, what those things are, or why the hell Kamoshida is running around in his underwear."
He groans and peeks around the corner as she strides away. It's one thing after another in this crazy castle; plus, it's not like he could change her mind. "Fine, just be careful. Black cats are supposed to be bad luck, so don't get us into any trouble. I've got a weird feeling about this."
The platinum blonde shrugs and approaches the creature. He sits upright with his feet spread forward like a kid, grooming itself by the fire with his back to them. The blade kept just within reach allows their eyes to meet in its reflection. His tail rattles to distract Ann, buying a moment to snatch his weapon and jump away. The feline burglar claims the high ground and poses triumphantly before Ryuji can make it halfway through the room. He starts to announce his might and fails, a lengthy gasp shattering the whiskered bravado. The smile of a hopeless romantic falling in love all over again overtakes his face.
"Lady A–"
The cat halts, his sudden joy stabbed in the gut. A moment of conflict - is that heartache? - slips out of view as he shifts gears in a breath. The bold stranger repeats himself, bowing above the fireplace without a hint of malice. He plants his foot on a spice jar and looks proudly at the tired pair.
"Lady and gentleman! I've been looking everywhere for you," he says with palpable relief. They slowly approach each other, each taking in the smallest details of the other. Ann pouts as she identifies a number of small cuts along his black fur and a few bent whiskers. The ex-runner gathers that the little guy must be low on supplies in the velvet pack fastened around his waist to be scouting like this. Morgana discards his existential crisis to share an honest smile with his friends again.
Ryuji steps in front of Ann aggressively and she rolls her eyes. He isn't about to take a chance on anything in this creepy mansion. "What, so you can turn us in? Or cut us up and eat us? Fat chance! Tell us how to get out of here," he demands with cardboard courage. "Spill it, cat!"
Their ally's friendliness dries up with the last word. The two students tense for fight or flight as the weird monster narrows his big eyes. "Let's get two things straight, bub," he says with restrained irritation. "First: neko janai. And second: you gotta follow me if you wanna get out of here alive."
Ryuji balks, taking a step back as he looks to his unimpressed friend. Fight, or flight?
"Doesn't seem like we have much choice," Ann concludes, eying their savior and his likely inflated confidence. His head reminds her of a bandit's mask, but a balloon, and the rich blue ribbon around his waist might count as pants. Kind of alien as a whole, but only at first; definitely not as off-putting as those pink devils it defeated. Not on their side, at least. "Besides, none of us are in much shape to argue or keep getting lost, especially if there are guards on patrol."
She finds two exits on either side of the castle's kitchen and steps back to inspect the collapse in the wall. Instead of their original ingress, the floorboards lead into a pantry, as dusty as if it were always there. Looking for anything of use, their de facto leader disrupts the staredown.
"Well, if you're not a cat, what should we call you?"
"I am the one and only Morgana!" Tossing the sword up in front of him, the not-cat pirouettes and lands nimbly, catching it by the handle behind his back and turning in a fencer's flourish. His only witness is honestly impressed so Ryuji awards the maneuver a light clap. Morgana continues, visibly disappointed that there was nobody in the audience. "Master thief, at your service. I'm on a secret mission and, uh, my gut told me this was the right place to start. And look at that - I found you guys!"
"Big deal," Ryuji chuckles as he sits on the countertop. "How do we know you're gonna help us and not just lead us back to Kamoshida?"
"I've handled myself so far," he retorts, "and there's no way I'd ever help a monster like that. You can save your trust until after I bust you out of here. And I'll explain what I can, but if we really want to talk, we should leave or find somewhere safe."
Ann returns to the group with a fat bag of apples, taking a big crunch out of one with orange stripes. "Okay, lesh do tha'."
Morgana is absolutely delighted by the sound of her voice but a heavy slam disrupts the peace. The wooden door leading further into the castle splinters from a kick so they make a break for it under the hushed direction of their new friend. The regal corridors are silent save for whispered advice and the rhythmic clank of the armored patrols.
To their credit, the weary pair get the gist of it without any mistakes and soon come across a mirage of a door on a blank wall next to a tall window. Their guide hops up and reaches into the wooden facade to twist a knob and pass through the image. The students share a bemused look as they continue to humor the surreal.
Ann steps into a shady facsimile of their school's music room, all but boarded up for lack of an after-school club. This really is Shujin Academy, she concludes, just magically dressed up. Her mind tumbles between two concerning avenues: the rest of the student body might be trapped here and her lack of an alibi for skipping school. Ryuji notices the walls oscillate between academic posters and the garish castle decorations so Morgana explains that this, like the building around it, is a point of connection between the real world and the Palace Ruler's cognition. A place that reflects their way of seeing others and their own role in life. The monsters aren't actually real - well, they are - they're Shadows, and take many forms based on the personality that draws them in. Oh, and the ruler is actually a Shadow too, usually the biggest one. He is and isn't the same Kamoshida you know.
"... Huh?"
"What she said."
About half an hour passes as they go over the basics. Morgana introduces Ann and Ryuji to the Metaverse and they take turns introducing their side of the story. The talking cat patiently answers their questions, using less detail than he would like to describe the nuances of the fighting spirit and the greater purpose behind thievery. Ryuji studies the mysterious creature for any tells during the wildest parts of their story and sends Ann a signal as if they were in class. The cat looks like he wants to say much more, that he knows many important things they don't, but something is forcing him to focus only on the tip of the iceberg.
Morgana proudly tells them about Personas, manifestations of the rebellious self and masks that protect the willful from cognitive distortion. An indecipherable look appears as Ryuji demonstrates his spirit but the tension leaves as soon as Ann asks another question. The cat explains that the Kamoshida they saw is not really their volleyball coach frothing at the mouth, just his dark side mad with power. They are intruders in his realm, a metaphysical layer beneath reality under his control and warped by unchecked desire. Over his time at the school, more and more petty shadows, wayward souls misguided by their faith in his ideals, flocked to the idea of that man. They hypothesize on the Palace's origin and purpose as the dejected model presents a simple explanation: they exist to guard valuable treasure.
"Precisely, Lady Ann," he replies, giving each word a gold star. Treasures are unique, the congealed essence of their lord's innermost Desire and the source of their mad power. To their dismay, Morgana states it cannot be stolen from a safe or plucked in the dead of night like a crown jewel. It gets a little trickier than that.
A little more comfortable with the talking cat, they press him on a number of specifics and rapidly expand their inquiry. How do you know so much, they ask; why were you so glad to find us and oh, how'd you find the Palace in the first place; wait, are you really a cat? Do you know English? The interrogation quickly deflates their new friend. Morgana visibly panics and stalls for an explanation as a murky tide reaching out to bury his heart. The braver of the two carefully sets her hand on his shoulder for support and they gasp in unison.
Ann is atop a great monument, the desert sun baking her scalp as dust stings her eyes. She sees nothing but vast dunes and a cloudless sky and senses only heavy, air, anaerobic exhaustion, and a steep slope zooming beneath her heels. Skull gains the lead, leaping with practiced finesse and an indulgent smile. The ground breaks behind them and she watches the fracture spread faster than they can gallop to safety. Out of options, she reaches down to pluck a pleasantly surprised Mona, cranks her arm back, and heaves him like a javelin at the apex of her jump. The feline cackles and spins like a world-class high diver, eclipsing the sun in a puff of smoke as the Tomb of the Hermit implodes beneath the sprinting thieves.
"... What'd I miss?" Ryuji sits there blinking at his astonished companions, munching on their last apple. He gulps and his heart sinks with the morsel as he digests their shock. Ann opens her mouth but cannot articulate the flashback like she described Akimitsu's first impression. She knew she recognized Ryuji in his outfit somewhere outside this hellish castle, but it was like a detail from a dream she had last year. She'd never seen him run that fast; along a giant, sinking... In an instant, she understands the desperate trust in Morgana's eyes. An impossible reel clearer than any nightmare.
Morgana opens his mouth, looking more confused than when he first saw them. Ryuji tries to shake him, too; he is about to speak but the words catch in his throat as a hundred hours flash through his mind's eye in a second. They are watching paint dry one day and fighting over snow cones another; countless battles come down to one saving the other by sheer luck or force of will. Morgana stands before a force field and shoots the control panel from thirty yards with a slingshot. Ryuji apologizes for downplaying their most courageous ally's contributions to the team; well, mostly apologizes. They share a changed look, reminded of their mutual, hard-earned respect. And only the puzzled cat senses the fundamental, arcane difference behind both of their tired faces.
"Now, Arsene!"
A shrill cry pierces the thin school door; so clear, it should be coming from the foyer. The trio nod as they break out. Morgana leads them through empty rooms to the edge of the entrance hall. Ryuji halts, straining to keep Ann from collapsing onto the readied blade.
"This is your stop," Morgana mutters, scanning the place for something advantageous. "Take Lady Ann through the window in that room and it'll get you both out safely. I'll buy you some time."
Ann grabs them both by the collar and drags them back a step. "No chance, Morgana. We're not just going to abandon you, especially not after all of that."
"Yeah, dude, just let us return the favor. This guy ain't so bad."
Their guide begins to protest but he freezes as he spots the prisoner. There, past the dozen soldiers and their king taunting a fallen invader, is the mystery student. Kamoshida strikes again and the same shrill cry fills the room as a pair of fake glasses clatter on the ground, echoed by soft sobs. She concedes after a tense moment, and the king barks a satisfied command. Thanks again, he snickers over his shoulder to the despondent fighter. The armored group splits to drag the redhead away by the arms as the rest make a circle in the center of the room for their king's entertainment. They all get a good look at Akimitsu as the embellished Olympian wipes his rings dry on a black school jacket.
"No way," Morgana says with a shaking voice.
Ryuji's legs move faster than any strategy. "Damn it," he hears behind him. "Go!"
He introduces the new Thieves with a dropkick as they move in for the brawl. Zorro and his summoner set each other up for a flurry of attacks, creating space for the boys to gather as Ann rushes to the rescue of their nameless ally. Most of the guards survive this ambush and quickly surround the intruders without so much as a grunt from their bemused commander. They lay their swords on their shields and take rhythmic, shrinking steps to press the punks into a group, halting only as Kamoshida raises his hand. It eclipses the proud face on the portrait looking down on them, a vain gesture implying they could leave as the King looks away.
A long, dented trophy rests just out of the Trickster's reach, no doubt used on plate mail. He drags his hand over a bloody nose with a chuckle at Ann's grief and his red smile widens seeing Morgana and Ryuji band together again. Sitting up with some help, he glances past the stairs towards the other squad and across the field of battle. Ann watches the black-haired teenager grapple with risk and probability like a sergeant under fire. He attempts a confident command but collapses into her arms, clutching his chest in pain.
"Help," he manages between thin breaths. "Y-Yoshizawa..."
"Hey, don't worry. We'll wreck this chump." Ryuji grabs the heavy golden trophy in his off hand as his skull mask and thuggish attire appear. He plants his feet alongside Morgana as Zorro and Blackbeard encircle the crew. They take a step forward, forcing the soldiers to retreat and guard their irritated king. "Ready, cat?"
"Shut up, ape!" Morgana slaps Ryuji's leg with the broad side of his blade and a smirk.
Zorro clears a path with a gust of wind with a flick of his wrist, scattering a panoply of medals at the lesser enemies. Blackbeard's cannons build enough space for the two summoners to charge. The four attack in tandem as the bigger shadows transform into the King's personal cavalry. Purple horned beasts and plated horsemen maneuver between ally and foe alike, wreaking havoc for the king gleefully rooted to the center of the tall room. Visible gusts and frozen cannonballs slice through the air as Ann drags Akimitsu to safety, clearing shattered glass away with her boot. His eyes flutter at the edge of consciousness as she shakes his limp form, careful not to break him further.
There is a voice there, in the space between dream and reality, mind and matter. And it is not familiar. Come on, Arsene. I need your help.
Ryuji gets the spit knocked out of him, struck from behind as he celebrates a double takedown, and Morgana curses, dodging a third swipe. He bounds through no-man's-land to reach his downed companion to use the last of his healing magic to energize the blonde biker. For this kindness, a soldier pins the feline by his tail and strikes him with a wooden polearm. Struggling like a wild dog, Ryuji can only stomp at the ground as a pair of spears settle around his sweaty neck.
"Tch," Kamoshida says, scraping his nails with his teeth. "And here I thought you might put up a fight again."
"You and me, l-" His snark is met with a kick to the face to shut him up and with a nod, the king has the groaning cat thrown to the unarmed pair.
"Ahh, I can't believe this is gonna work twice. And some say karma isn't real." Kamoshida brushes his cape aside to put his hands on his hips and sneers at the scowling blonde in a crude display of authority. "Let me fill you in on how things work around here: I'm the king. That means I do what I want, when I want because I have power. I'm rich, as you can tell by my castle, and I already have my queen, until I get bored of her. Which just happened. That sweet girl was kind enough to offer herself to join the rest of her princesses in exchange for letting her brave knight live. So I, a kind and humble ruler, granted that mercy. In fact, I'm on my way to give her a reward right now."
The Trickster ignores the shadows' taunts, totally fixated on the panting cat beside him. Immeasurable sadness rages in his heart and he wants to curl up and cry, an unstoppable urge to escape this rushing terror. Reaching out feebly, he collapses from Ann's stunned grasp onto the cold marble floor as the voice in his head continues to nauseate him. His bag of tricks is far out of reach behind the encroaching armor and his new teammates are all but defeated.
"You know, he would be fine if you punks hadn't come bucking around like wild animals. Now look at you. Stupid and weak," he says in a low voice, gripping her by the cheeks. His bulbous nose is bruised where Ryuji's forehead gave him a couple kisses. Ann can't look away as her new friends agonize under the king's thumb, awaiting their execution. "Come on, my new queen, don't let your friends get hurt. After all," grinning at her fury, "none of this would've happened if you'd just given me what I deserve when I asked for it."
Ann shuts her eyes and a hot tear falls away. She hadn't noticed, stuck instead on these lascivious advances. If the guard in the cell already recognized her by name and this is the real Kamoshida's secret paradise, then she already knows the sick truth. Fuck this. Fuck that pervert and every last one of his unforgivable abuses with a rusty volleyball pump. This moment is her hardest punishment yet for not saving her best friend and her final opportunity at an apology. A chance to unveil the truth and tear herself free from the jaws of guilt by her own hands. This monster took advantage of everyone and nobody did a goddamn thing about the evidence, not even her. Especially not her. And now he brags about karma.
Lady Night would stomp his dick off.
Their injured ally tries to compel her spirit but stops, incredulous as the valkyrie stands alone. He laughs as the pressure in his head begins to leak and rolls onto his back to welcome hot satisfaction like a weighted blanket. The platinum blonde girl stands with her eyes closed, toned arms limp by her side. She shakes her head, whispering to her friend.
"Letting this piece of shit toy with us… What were we thinking, Shiho?"
Kamoshida struts around and the guards relax, certain of their victory. "It's like I always say, slaves sh-"
"Shut the fuck up," Ann spits with rancor that makes even Morgana flinch. "Now you've really pissed me off, you son of a bitch!"
Mon... tu as mis beaucoup trop de temps.
The king recoils as Ann shrieks, clutching her head in pain. His concern melts into sick pleasure as he watches her writhe and the guards look at each other, uncertain how to react. Morgana holds up a paw to shield his big eyes from the staticky wind whipping around the room, a familiar hope rallying in his bruised chest. A metal mask manifests on Ann's face and the boys look up at the panther in adoration. She rips it off with one last cry, detonating a pillar of crackling blue flame that knocks the remaining horses back and burns the stains from Kamoshida's valentine robe.
A spotlight reveals a handsome contralto's expert flourish of her voltaic rapier. Smug golden irises burn beneath a feline mask that matches Ann's scarlet veil. Her wavy dark hair is parted down the middle and overshadowed by a feathered hat. Pink skin glows in the presence of her dazzling smile, a bright complement to her lace stockings and winged boots. She wears gentleman's fit under a layered French dress, tucked into elbow-length dueling gloves and a cummerbund of roses and knives. A little ruby heart sewn over her own with golden arrows is one of a few accessories: a libretto, diamond earrings, the thin sheath bouncing on her hip. La Maupin's red lips shine as she smirks, flattered by her captive audience.
Ann cracks her neck to get a feel for her new outfit. Red as her bleeding heart and accented with a curly tail that dangles from one of many enticing zippers. The catsuit matches the pair of pink gloves and maroon thigh-high boots vying for attention against her bouncing pigtails. She pivots on her heel to throw herself into a cartwheeling kick that knocks a cobalt soldier off its horse. Keeping eye contact with the astonished king, she catches its spear to trace a wide arc along the fallen shadow. It yelps and her friends cheer as it bursts into an evaporating puddle of ink. The new Persona sings a triumphant chord to bring the Thieves to their feet, rejuvenated and ready to help. She snaps the polearm in two as repressed emotions rattle like a volcano on the cusp of eruption.
"Girls aren't cheap toys for you to use," Ann intones, levelling the tip at his nose. "Not my best friend! And especially not me!" Panting, she throws the dull shard at another foe, killing it instantly. "You stole everything from Shiho. You destroyed her. I won't let you do that to anyone ever again." The Chariot charges and King Kamoshida gladly scrambles in fear. "I will rob you of everything!"
The spearhead catches his robe as the rest of the guards finally jump into battle. La Maupin dances in pace with her furious summoner, calling bolts of lightning down on fairies and zealous messengers like mosquitos. The last beguiling girl flees, leaving only the golden knight before Ann. He steals his frightened lord with an armored hand and gallops through the boys and up the stairs. Shiho's avenger harries him with more desperate cries until the ignoble Kamoshida leaps through his own big, gloating face. The portrait burns.
Her Persona fades into perfume, exacting a physical price for the catharsis as she falls from ethereal arms into Ryuji's. She leans against her friend in the skull mask as shares a look of sympathy as their strange allies scrutinize each other. She takes a very deep breath and persists through blurry vision as they gingerly move to the wall. Morgana tugs on her arm, eager to not engage with Akimitsu.
"That was amazing! I've never seen anything like that, Lady Ann!"
Ryuji's face is still recovering from a shade that matched her suit. "A-are you okay?"
She watches the black-haired stranger rummage through his bag and rise with palpable relief. One by one, they notice her staring daggers at him as he calmly folds his ruined jacket away for later. The mystery student sighs before he approaches, rebuffing their accusatory stares without hesitation. He collapses into a meditative seat between them with the bag on his lap and stares each of them down like a prosecutor. Procuring a set of huge jewels*, he lets them hang from his both hands as eyes gleam and jaws go slack.
"Now that's real treasure! Where- no, how did you get these?" Morgana the master thief swipes at starry-eyed genies dangling from mithril chains. He laughs triumphantly as he finally latches onto Orlov, shaking it like a magic 8-ball. "There's no way we can lose now!"
Ann reaches for the Hope Diamond and, sticking her tongue out, snags Regent before Ryuji. He groans but quickly gets over it. Sitting up to inspect it, her normal attire returns with her wits. The impressed cat notices her distrust towards the newcomer and his own tense silence. Their ally's face is composed but restive like a firefighter trying to convince a child to jump into their arms or a counselor at an impasse. She spares a glance at the diamond and its flickering innards remind her of the burning potential that produced their Personas. Ryuji bounces his knee impatiently, not understanding why everyone suddenly shut up. Even their chatty cat is at a loss for words and the wondrous walls themselves bend to hear.
"So, uh, what was th-"
"Who are you," Ann asks with thinly veiled annoyance.
"Yeah…" Morgana stands beside her with a conflicted expression, his heart pumping enough to move a train. The person he once knew as Amamiya Ren is right here, exactly as he remembers. Or he may be totally different. If the Trickster is, as Lavenza put it, 'fallible', and the Demiurge remains at large, then so does the foul possibility of betrayal. That might lead to having to steal his heart, or worse.
Ryuji sets his eyebrows to 'aggressive' and stands between his friends and the new guy. "Hey," he says. "She asked you a question. And don't try any funny stuff, asshole. I think you saw what just happened."
The new student spares no time to craft his response as he dons his piece. "It's a long story and I'm not sure where it starts. I guess you can call me Akimitsu. I knew you'd be here. But," holding the incredulous three back with a weak smile, "it's not going at all like I planned. N-not that I planned," gesturing, "all of this. Did Mona explain how things work here?"
The original Phantom Thief perks up from a spiral of worry at the mention of his name.
"Mona?"
"Sort of," the cat replies, slowly coming to his senses as his companions' apprehension falls on him. "Enough to cover the basics. Now I'll ask again: where'd you get this? Do you even know what these are or what they can do?" The Velvet Room's field agent barely keeps a straight face as the device in his pocket pouch rumbles.
Akimitsu slings his bag around to tuck something behind his shirt. His calm demeanor returns but they all see him sour like a chef being told how to make their own recipe. His hands return with two professional-grade weapons: a carbon fiber slingshot and a classy silver dagger nearly the size of his forearm.
"I need your help," he declares as he twirls it like a jester. "I'll make it up to you but we are in a hurry. So: I found you before you got into Kamoshida's car, but I didn't think you'd believe me once I remembered Ryuji and I hadn't met yet. At that point, I wasn't even sure if there was a Ryuji here, or an Ann. Anyway, you found this place before I did and it looks like he saved you before Morgana found you. Then you, you saved me," he says with an unreadable expression, much less animated than when he dove into the story. "Because... Well, let's go save the twins. Yes, Ryuji, twins. Twins mixed up in a really dangerous situation, because I might've brought one of them in here." Nobody moves. "Kind of an acc- look, I promise I'll explain the rest later. Now, I know where she'll be, but we're low on time. Please," settling his gaze on Mona, "I think one of them has the Nav."
The cat gasps for what he already deduced and the veteran Shujin students chew on the offer. Their school is pretty big but meeting two - no, three - transfer students back-to-back-to-back might be today's weirdest surprise. Oh yeah, the talking cat. Still, a likelier and more profitable scenario would be winning the lottery. Ryuji watches Morgana fail to keep his composure as the student examines his cracked glasses. Sensing a win on the horizon, he bridges his fellow Persona users with a good ol' team huddle.
"Let's help him out," he whispers. "Best case scenario: we kick ass, save her, and Akimitsu is so grateful, he takes us to some fancy restaurant and tells us everything. Worst case scenario, we save her and beat the answers and all-you-can-eat dinner money outta him."
Morgana hears his words but his mind is elsewhen. He is in the Velvet Room, feeling small on a cosmic scale as he is struck by the gravity of his mission. The Magician's journey never ended, it simply took on another name at rest. He must earn the Thieves' trust all over again, even if they're different Thieves. He must guide the two Tricksters safely to their destinies while spying on them with Burroughs. Love, that courageous and immortal flower of the soul, urges him to trust the boy that looks like his best friend. Lavenza and Igor decreed the opposite. Play it safe for now, he concludes. A cat among humans.
"Nice plan, Ryuji," he murmurs, not staring at anyone in particular.
Ann agrees, but only for Yoshizawa-san, whoever that is. The only clear choice in today's gross mess: do the right thing. Not just for Shiho's sake or the safety of others, but her own pride. Keep it up, she reminds herself aloud as she leaves the boys to prepare. Morgana scoffs and Ryuji laughs, asking his disoriented guide to explain that Persona thing again.
The fitness model raises her defenses as she observes the newcomer. Nobody has anything to say about these visions, she wonders. But we do, and nobody wants to talk about it. The certainty that those headaches are not hallucinations but a rush of memories - a short year as these fantastic Thieves - is not reassuring. Offbeat places that none of them have visited but did, the familiar faces of nameless comrades and the thrill of espionage. They must also be Persona users, now adrift in their own vivid dreams awaiting a weird day like this. Perhaps Akimitsu, with his bold voice and messy hair, is the most forgotten of these friends. Ann puts the idea to rest as she turns away from the graceful stranger reenacting a duel from the silver screen.
"Come on," Ryuji calls with his trademark excitement. "Let's go save 'em and finally get the hell outta here!"
"Yeah, Lady Ann. It'll all work out. But first, we gotta take care of business." Morgana scampers up the stairs to lead the way but stops as Ryuji clears his throat to remind him of their new companion. The ambassador of Temperance gathers his friends into a united front and tugs on his open school jacket to buff his posture.
"Hang on, man. Uhh," Ann whispers the answer and Morgana lets out a parental sigh. "Akimitsu. You said you know where they took her. Listen, I'm not sure how long you've been here, or what your Persona does - did I say that right? - but this place is pretty dangerous. You sure you wanna tag along?"
He passes them, making little effort to mask his exasperation as a thirsty blade bounces on his leg. The coarse grip of a handgun juts out from the nape of his plaid trousers near the Tiki keychain* dangling from his pocket. Nobody says a word as the Faith Trickster rolls up his bloodied sleeves, turning to look down at the strangers from the top of the stairs.
"Oh, I know."
Footnotes:
* a set of huge jewels: Orlov (Ma+3, high Repel Phys), Hope Diamond (All+3, Regen 3), Regent (St+3, medium Critical up), and Emperor's Amulet (En+5, Auto-Tarukaja). Establishing that pre-timeskip items aren't Royal itemizations.
* Tiki keychain: In P5, it is Ma+5/En+5 instead of Royal's Divine Grace. Still [REDACTED]'s gift. I always wondered why not have two accessories in a game with so many accessories.