"I'll give you guys a moment," Yu called to the two teenagers before proceeding down the hall.
Joker glanced at him before he disappeared down the hall. Queen sat in his arms seemingly content to just be there. Joker had been worried about her. Stupidly worried when he couldn't seem to persuade her to leave the cell-like he had his other friends. He tightened his grip ever so slightly as he rested his cheek on the top of her head. He had promised her that he would win, but did she realize that she was part of his strength? He could fight better when she was at his side.
"So are you really going to leave?" Joker asked quietly.
"No." Queen pulled away from Joker and looked up at him. "I just thought I lost my spirit of rebellion and couldn't fight anymore, but like some cheesy movie line… I guess it was inside me all along."
Joker couldn't help the slight chuckle that escaped his chest. "Good." He reached forward and put his hand on Queen's cheek so he could continue to capture her gaze. "Because you do realize you're someone I deeply depend on, right?"
Queen smiled back at him. "You think I didn't know that?"
"Of course not, just reminding you how important you are to me," Joker replied as the thief stole a quick kiss from his Queen before he put his mask back on his face.
The sound of footsteps down the hall pulled Joker's attention away from his Queen. Crow was heading down the hall no doubt having finished what he wanted to discuss with Igor. Queen also cast a look in Crow's direction, before looking back up at Joker.
"So do you have a plan to win yet?" Queen asked, a brow barely arched above her mask.
"I'm working on it." Joker smoothly responded. "Hey, Crow."
Queen shook her head. "So I take that as a 'No' then."
"You wound me. I have the start of a plan! Get everyone together and figure things out from there. Speaking of which everyone is meeting down the hall in the big room at the end." Joker explained.
Joker could feel Queen roll her eyes at that. Crow shot the two a hesitating look as he stepped up to them. Joker ignored his Queen's displeasure at his remark and looked towards Crow. He had asked for him to come to find him after his talk with Igor was done. Futaba had still yet to be located and Joker wanted to see if Crow could help him with her. Not that Joker wasn't confident that he couldn't talk Futaba out of one of these cages, but in a way, it was a test to see exactly how deep the two friends were.
"I'll go ahead to the big room and talk with everyone there. See if we can come up with a better plan than you working on it. Crow keep an eye on this one for me." Queen nodded to Crow before heading off down the hall.
"Sure…" Crow's eyes followed Queen before looking back on Joker. "You needed me for something?"
"Yeah, come on let's go find Futaba together. Yu-senpai went ahead, but he may need help with Naoto too. You got bonds with both of them and maybe you can help us free them." Joker explained.
"Okay, I'll do what I can to help." Crow nodded.
Joker turned and motioned Crow to follow him however they didn't make it very far before Naoto came into view. Joker had to admit he was impressed, only a couple of minutes had passed since Yu had left. He had already managed freed Naoto in that short time. The guy worked fast, or maybe Naoto was just that easy to get out of her cell. Naoto noticed both of them and stepped up.
"Yu is up ahead," Naoto explained before she looked in Crow's direction. "Crow, it's good to see you safe."
"Good to see you are safe as well Nee-san. Kanji is waiting for you in the main room." Crow informed his sister figure.
"Alright, see you boys, later." Naoto nodded to both of them before taking off in the direction they had come from.
Joker started back down the path before he paused to look back at his companion. Crow watched Naoto go for a second before he turned and caught up to Joker. Joker continued his normal pace before they finally caught up to Yu. He was already standing in front of a cage, a worried look appearing on his features. Joker distinctly heard him shout for Futaba before Yu noticed both of them on their approach to him.
Joker picked up the pace to get to the cage faster only to find his sister curled up in the corner of the cell. She was in a tight ball, holding her knees against her chest and looked a bit washed out in color. It took only a casual glance to know something wasn't right. Joker felt terror well up again in his gut. Crow quickly join him next to the cell.
"Futaba, look at me," Joker called out to his sister.
No answer came from Futaba.
"You guys got this? I want to go find Rise." Yu asked looking at the pair.
There was an urgency to Yu's voice, like a kid waiting to be excused from a situation he wasn't fond of. Joker knew it was because he was worried about Rise. Remembering how he felt moments ago with the unknown that came with Queen, he could understand why Yu was so worried. He wanted to know his fiancé was okay.
"Go, we got this." Joker nodded to his mentor before turning back to look at Futaba.
"Thanks," Yu called as he left.
"Futaba… Why aren't you responding?" Crow asked softly as he slowly got down to the floor and crossed his legs.
Again no response came from the catatonic girl curled up in the corner of the cell. Joker tried to calm himself, to put his mind in a more peaceful state. Hopefully, one that could figure out the current problem facing him. Futaba wasn't responding at all to them and was curled up in the far corner way out of reach of both of them. She wore her typical earphones and while Joker couldn't be for sure, there was a strong possibility that they were part of the problem.
Joker glanced at Crow as he stared into the cage. His eyes seemed to ponder as if he was trying to solve the puzzle of how to get Futaba to talk to them. Joker was glad to have someone else with him. At the very least he didn't have to figure this all out alone. Getting down on the floor, Joker sat down next to Crow and once again looked at the girl trapped in the cell. No real good idea how to get her to snap out of it came to mind so Joker decided to try Crow.
"Do you have an idea?" Joker asked.
Crow glanced at Joker. "Maybe… I'm going to try and get on her level…"
Crow took a deep breath, his hand going to his chest. After several calming breaths Joker watching in a bit of amazement as white flames flickered up around Crow; the personification that was Crow melted and left Goro Akechi in its wake. How much control did Goro have over his transformation? Joker had to believe that kind of control came with experience, but he had never seen anyone force themselves out of a transformation before.
"How did you do that?" Joker wanted to know.
Goro didn't look at him instead his focus seemed to be on his phone. "I crushed my spirit of rebellion and found peace. Remember what I said to help you transform, the same is true if you go the opposite way. Make your soul too peaceful and you lose the ability to summon a Persona. After a while of doing it, I guess you kind of get a feel for where your heart needs to be."
"How did you find this all out?" Joker tilted his head.
"Honestly it was for my infiltration of your group. I needed to repress my black attire and don only my white attire. The process took more willpower than you'd probably believe. Are we done with 20 questions? Or can I get this over with?" Goro's eyes lifted to the young girl in the cage before he pressed something on his phone.
Instantly from inside the cell, a familiar ding echoed. Joker glanced into the cell. Futaba twitched at the sound, but other than that seemed to ignore it. Goro glanced back at his phone before he started to send a string of messages all repeating the same phrase. 'Futaba look at us.' The inside of the cell began to ding wildly before Futaba shifted and reached for her phone and drug it in front of her face. Bringing her hands up she typed something out, causing Goro's phone to ding in response. Goro showed the response to Joker.
Oracle: Leave me alone.
"Futaba, we can't do that." Joker sighed as he looked at the girl still curled up.
A sharp ring from down the hall drew Joker's attention. It didn't sound like a battle, it sounded more like someone hitting one of the cells. Joker could only believe it was Yu. Rise hadn't been doing so well mentally since Yu had disappeared so did that mean she was in a similar state as Futaba? Joker wanted to go help, but his priorities had to be on Futaba first. Futaba needed him now and as far as Joker was concerned the best one to reach Rise's heart was Yu.
Joker looked back at his sister. She still hadn't responded and seemed incapable of responding to words. Goro seemed to realize this too and was already working on another message to send to her. It simply read 'We can't do that… Can you talk to us?' Once Joker read it, the messaged was sent to Futaba as that ding once again echoed in her cell. Futaba shifted once again clearly typing out another text before Goro's phone dinged.
Oracle: Why do you care?
"How are you doing that? We don't have any signal here!" Joker blurted out.
"Futaba set up a private network and made an app so we can use our phones. Essentially like walkie-talkies. It only works in short-range however with no internet or phone signals, but she was going to be working on boosting the range using her Persona. Your sister is a genius when it comes to this stuff Joker." Goro explained as he started to type another text. Goro quickly showed it to Joker before it was sent off.
Crow: Because you're important to us.
Oracle: I not important to anyone.
Crow: That's a lie, what's going on Futaba?
Oracle: I don't want to leave… I want to stay here.
Oracle: I'm safe here.
Goro looked up at Joker as both men read the message. Joker felt his heart sink again. This wasn't his sister Futaba, this sounded more like the shut-in he had rescued from that tomb. Joker looked to the girl in the room, wondering what could have caused her to revert to such a state. Then again, she wasn't too far from removed from the pain and trauma that came with the years she had lived as a shut-in. She had seemed fine on the subway down, but had she been holding in her own anxiety? Joker felt like he had failed at being a leader once again to one of the people he cared most about. Goro shook his head before he typed out another message and sent it, Joker caught it out of the corner of his eye.
Crow: That safety is only an illusion.
Oracle: … Then where is safe?
Crow: Here with us.
Oracle: Out there in the real world? It's so scary…
Crow: That's why we will face it with you.
Oracle slowly shifted and got up. She cast a glance towards both of them, her phone in her lap. The gaze she held seemed depressed and distant. Like the real Futaba, he called his sister was something of an illusion. Slowly she scooted up to the bars before reaching up and pulling off her signature headphones and letting them fall around her neck.
"The real world is a horror show now… How can anyone be safe there?" Futaba's voice was quiet as her eyes focused on the phone in her lap. "I just…" Futaba sighed. "I want to go home and lock myself away in my room and never come out again. But that really won't do anything, would it? I've accomplished my mission as a Phantom Thief only to find out my mom wasn't the hero I thought her to be. Maybe that's why I believed the lies those men told me about her. I knew deep down… I knew Mom would do anything for her research and I was only a secondary quest she managed in her spare time."
"Don't say that Futaba. Do you remember when we went to your mother's research lab and what we found on her desk?" Goro asked.
"….Yeah. It was a picture of my mom and me at the zoo. It was a fun day for just the two of us. Why?" Futaba cautiously answered.
"Your mom was many things, but she loved you. She talked about you in the lab, regaling stories about how you had done this or that in school. Or what the trips she had planned to take you on once her research was finished." Goro tried to ease Futaba.
Suddenly Joker got the feeling he was hearing part of a conversation that added some context to the connection between the two of them. Goro apparently knew Futaba's mom in a way other than just being her killer.
"Don't say that Goro! Stop defending her! She almost killed you several times! Hate her, despise her… Be something besides accepting!" Futaba's gaze was as sharp as her words.
"Killed?" Joker couldn't help interjecting but his words were ignored.
Goro closed his eyes, his shoulder's slumping slightly. "I already told you, I wanted that power. I consented to those experiments. I won't let you paint your dead mother in an ugly light Futaba. She would have never moved on to human experimentation if there wasn't consent!"
"You were a 15-year-old orphan! She manipulated you!" Futaba cried.
"You are confusing your mother with my father, Futaba!" Goro's tone was loud but not threatening.
Silence lapsed between the two of them. Honestly, what was there Joker could say? Clearly, Goro knew Futaba's mom and she had tried to kill him? But he allowed it? Joker didn't know what to make of that. Joker silently mulled over his options as the two refused to even look at each other. A subject change seemed like the best way to go, but what to change it to?
"Futaba, I'm not going to begin to pretend I understand what you two are talking about. I can assume, but we don't have time for that. Is this really your answer? Things get a little tough and you run away? I thought you were better than this. Sure, the world is scary. Even I'm scared about what's about to happen, but I also know we need to move on. Sojiro is still out there and everyone else I care about that isn't a Persona user. I can't turn my back on them and I'm not going to turn my back on you either. Futaba, find your strength again, and come with me. I need you." Joker got to his feet.
Futaba looked up at him before looking away and making a classic frustrated Futaba like noise. Slowly she got to her feet and shook her head. She seemed to be thinking before her eyes returned to Joker and she nodded. There was a sudden blaze of determination reflecting behind her glasses.
"You're right. This isn't nearly as tough as freeing myself from my room. I promised myself I won't shut myself away anymore…" Futaba took a deep breath and was instantly engulfed in bright blue flames, only as they died away did they reveal Oracle. "I'm done runnin'. Let's go!"
Oracle suddenly kicked the door that held her in the cell. Unlike the doors before, it seemed to lose its hinges and fall forward. This caused both Joker and Goro to scramble out of the way of the falling door before it landed on the ground with a thud. As soon as it land it shattered into a million brightly colored pieces before it faded away. Oracle stepped across the threshold and instantly pulled Joker into a hug.
"Thanks, bro." Oracle smiled up at Joker.
Joker returned his sister's hug. "I'm just glad to have you back."
Oracle pulled away before grinning at Joker before her attention turned to Goro. Goro offered her a small smile but Oracle didn't seem too impressed by it. Joker silently watched the interaction between the two to see if he could glean any more clues about the nature of their relationship.
"You're worse than Inari." She deadpanned.
Goro looked hurt by her words as if they stung deeper than the words of most people. Joker noted that could have only happened if Goro in some way valued Oracle's opinion. Oracle then threw her arms around Goro and pulled him into a warm hug. Goro froze at the action, as again he didn't seem to be familiar with people being so friendly to him. Confusion flashed in his eyes as he looked down at Oracle in his arms.
"… but that's okay because you're one of my favorite idiots." Oracle cuddled into Goro's chest.
Goro seemed to relax at that statement. "I don't understand why you are so nice to me…"
Oracle gave a small giggle. "You're a detective, figure it out!"
"Because we're friends?" Goro asked tentatively.
"Took ya a while." Oracle stepped back from Goro and tilted her head. "Why aren't you in your Phantom Thief attire?"
"Oh sorry." Goro put a hand to his face and instantly in a flash of blue flame he became Crow. "Is that better?"
"You can just control it like that?" Oracle stepped around Crow examining him.
"Yes. I showed Joker earlier." Crow explained.
"Yeah, he apparently developed it so he could blend into our group during his infiltration so he wouldn't show us his black mask side. Speaking of that… Can you still turn into your black mask attire now?" Joker questioned.
Crow sighed and put a hand to his face again, instantly red flames licked around him and his clothing shifted from white to black. The outfit had a certain feeling about it. While it might have very much reflected who Akechi was at one time, now that didn't seem to be the case. Akechi was both Goro Ace Detective and Crow the Phantom Thief, not a black-masked assassin any longer.
"As you can see, I am capable of doing it," Akechi answered as he looked down at his clawed hand, there was something in his tone that seemed to denote a certain sadness about that fact.
"You do realize you gain a significant boost in power while in this outfit?" Oracle asked. "It's like you are on a different level in this form."
Akechi shrugged. "I don't know what to say, I've fought more often in this form." Akechi put a clawed hand to his mask and in a flash of blue; he once again donned his white thief attire, becoming Crow.
"I don't think that's the reason…" Oracle put her hand up to her googles pulling them off. "Do me a favor Crow and switch back and forth again." Oracle's googles disappeared from her hand as a holographic computer display appeared in front of her spurred by her Persona.
Crow sighed again as if not liking the idea, but because Oracle asked him to he'd do it anyway. "Very well…"
Crow put a hand to his face once again and switched between the two outfits. Icons only Oracle seemed to understand flashed across her holographic screens. Oracle's eyes seemed to light up at the readings as she signaled Akechi to change back to Crow. Akechi seemed very willing to follow that order and quickly reverted to Crow. Oracle seemed to be analyzing two graphs on one screen as various other information flashed across the other.
"So…" Oracle started. "It would appear that Black Mask power reads about double that of normal Crow." She moved a graph around with a touch of her fingers. "The only way I can explain it is that there is something unnatural boosting your power in the form, but whatever is boosting you... It's a fast burn. My guess is the longer you stay in that form the more of that boost is lost. Knowing something malevolent imposed the original Loki onto you in the first place I'm pretty sure whatever it was is supplying that power. Theoretically, you could lose the black mask if you used all of its remaining power, but I dunno maybe you regenerate it back at a slower rate than you lose it."
Crow pondered a second. "Then it'll be perfect for the next battle."
"I'm all for an extra ace in the hole." Joker shrugged.
"It seems that all of your teammates have been saved. Please everyone gather in this room at once." A voice announced across the jail. Joker figured it had to be Lavenza's.
"So everyone is freed then?" Crow asked looking at Joker.
"I guess. Rise and Morgana are the only ones I haven't seen free." Joker replied.
"Rise…" There was a sadness to Oracle's voice as the computer faded away and her googles reappeared on her face.
"Let's head to the main room and find out," Crow advised.
"Sounds like a plan." Joker motioned the other two to follow him as he headed back down the hall.
Joker headed back down the hall still checking the cages. While Lavenza had announced all his friends had been set free it didn't hurt to double-check. As they reached the end and no one was found remaining in any of the cages, Joker felt a wave of relief wash over him. Everyone was safe for the moment. Still, he was surprised Yu had managed to get Morgana out too.
Makoto, Naoto, Ken, and Aigis were all talking about the fight from before and analyzing it when Joker, Crow, and Oracle entered the room. They seemed to be bouncing ideas off each other about what could have been done differently. The others were just mostly milling about but as Joker entered, all eyes seemed to turn to him. Joker's eyes swept over his friends and everyone seemed to be good. Yu was now missing a shirt and had a large scratch across his chest. Joker had to wonder where that came from. Joker stepped back up to Igor's desk.
"It would appear you have gathered everyone quite nicely," Igor commented. "Everyone, welcome to the Velvet Room, both old and new guests alike. I am Igor."
"And I am Lavenza, Ren's true attendant and resident of this place as well. We have been waiting for all of you." Lavenza curtsied to the group before she motioned to the other two attendants. "This is my brother Theodore and my sister Margaret. Like me, they are here to assist you all."
"Wait, where is Mona?" Oracle asked looking around.
"Arf!" A new voice announced.
Everyone turned around and there sat Koromaru with Mona. They appeared from the same hallway everyone had come from. Had Joker missed them or was there something else going on? Koromaru nudged Morgana with his muzzle before both of them stepped into the room with everyone else.
"Koromaru!" Ken instantly knelt to meet his best friend.
Koromaru picked up the pace and ran up to Ken snuggling into his arms. Mona trailed a few feet behind him as he stepped up to the group. The cat's ears were slicked back and he wore a look of deep contemplation. Something about his body language seemed to suggest he was struggling with some idea or problem.
"Koromaru was dragged down into this place with the rest of us. Being a dog, he really didn't understand the dynamics involved in having a lingering regret. I kept him company while everyone was being freed. As for me... I was born here so I guess that made me immune to being trapped." Mona took a few more cautious steps into the room. "I was born… to dispel an evil being from man's spiritual world…"
"Mona…" Oracle took a step towards the cat. Noir also mirrored the movement, clearly, they both cared deeply for the feline member of their group.
"My role was to find the Trickster and help him defeat it." Mona looked past them all towards Igor.
Igor nodded. "This is indeed the case."
"So does that make him like you and your siblings Margaret?" Yu asked.
"In a way as we are all created by Igor. However, as we were created to stay in the velvet room; Morgana on the other hand was meant to travel past this area and reside in your world. He is truly a special creation." Margaret explained. "Even as I was unaware of his situation I'd still deem him one of our siblings."
"I really do remember everything. When this place was about to be taken over, my master gathered the last traces of mankind's hope as well as his remaining strength to make me." Mona explained shifting from one paw to the next.
"The entity that calls itself a god is a malevolent will that forces man into everlasting servitude. It hopes to attain eternal peace by filling reality with those who have stopped thinking for themselves. Wildcards you did well to free your allies from its influences. For that is the ruin of man that this evil god envisions." Lavenza interjected as worry encroached across her face.
"This sounds exactly like something we need to defeat." Ken pat Koromaru on the head. "This is the kind of situation the Shadow Operatives were made for!"
"And that's what we are going to do. It's something we have to do." Joker announced to the group.
"So is the Holy Grail a treasure or not?" Queen asked.
"It is both what you would call a treasure and a god." Margaret started to explain.
"As the distorted desires of the masses, it is the very core of Mementos itself. Thus a treasure. However, it has also become fueled by those same distorted desires, giving it power beyond any normal enemy." Lavenza continued before looking towards Margaret.
"Some of you I know are familiar with this particular concept of 'God'." Margaret's gaze looked directly at Yu before sweeping over his group and the shadow operatives.
Yu sighed. "Yep, critical ruin. Is it always fated it get this bad or was there something we could have done before now?"
"That's an interesting question, but I'm afraid we don't have time to answer it in detail." Igor set his gaze on Yu before folded his hands under his chin.
"Yes as we have little time, the best I can do to answer that is saying to decide the fate of the world; it chose two people with potential and pitted them against each other." Lavenza started. "The first one I believe you are aware of is Goro Akechi who was implanted with Loki's madness to incite the masses distortion. Had he won, the world would've been destroyed and remade. The other was, as you know, Ren Amamiya a trickster who would stand against this. I don't believe the outcome of you two becoming friends and standing before us now as allies were something that was ever predicted. This is the best outcome possible. I also don't know if the intervention of previous wildcards was something even my master could have predicted. As it stands, we both have strong faith in all of you to overcome this 'god'."
"If Ren had won, the human would be left as is. Those were the rules of the game. At least, that is what should have happened. But the game became complicated so I believe the rules were changed around a month ago due to the Shadow Operatives becoming aware of the situation and sending their two detectives." Mona looked towards the two said detectives.
"After all, it is the masses distorted desires incarnate. The evil entity laughed at the prospect of the Trickster's goal to save mankind from their own distortions. It sought to prove the powerlessness of man with the game and kept changing the rules to further its goal, as you all kept winning against it. It helped train a trickster only to cast him into despair employing the masses who rejected their savior. The game was truly rigged from the start against everyone." Lavenza shifted her over-sized book from one arm to the next. "Even I was a pawn in the game." She shook her head.
"Dammit, that's some bullshit!" Ryuji sneered.
"The world at current has been fused with Mementos. Everyone here doesn't exist because reality is devoid of the cognition of those who would challenge and win against the evil entity's game. It can be said that the world is one step away from the evil god's machinations." Lavenza looked towards her siblings.
"Ren, as you are the Trickster and know his true identity, there is still time to rally your friends and leave this prison. With the help of everyone here, you may still save this distorted world and the people captured within it. But this is only something you can do, as you are the current holder of the Trickster title." Margaret stated.
"You must challenge the 'God' again and reclaim your existence in reality. Is this a task you are still up to Amamiya-san?" Theodore asked.
Joker felt all eyes on him as he nodded. "I made a promise that I wouldn't lose again."
A warm smile appeared on Lavenza's face. "I believe we have told you all you need to know. Morgana, will you continue your duty to guide these souls? I know the duty that has been placed upon you has been both cruel and harsh. I thank you for all you have done to this point."
"I will because I happen to like them… well most of them," Mona replied smoothly.
"One last thing before you depart. Yu... I don't believe you are quite fit for battle, but as this is because of my brother's and my own interference. Please accept this gift from both of us." Margaret flicked her hands as a wave of light blue energy sparkled in the air.
The energy hit Yu in the chest and immediately enveloped him within it. As it faded, a new outfit appeared on Joker's mentor. The outfit was very reminiscent of a school uniform, black slacks with velvet room blue stitching. Black shoes with light blue laces. A light blue button-up shirt was under a deeper blue jacket with the velvet room symbol where the school emblem normally sat along with gold buttons and stitching. The Jacket was a high collar, and the collar seemed to have some strange pattering on it with a metal gold velvet room 'V' flanking each side of the collar. Yu adjusted the jacket and popped the first few buttons on his undershirt.
"Is that acceptable?" Margaret asked.
"Brings back memories," Yu stated with a slight smirk.
"I take it that it's supposed to look like a Yasogami uniform," Yosuke asked.
"This is the outfit similar to the one Yu has donned for the majority of his battles, so I figured it was the most appropriate," Margaret explained.
Naoto smirked. "She is not wrong there."
"You still look good in it." Rise looked at her fiancé approvingly.
"Well if everyone is ready, follow me!" Mona turned and headed back the way they had all come before everyone turned and followed him.