Ryuji and Ren arrive at the airport with the school. Ryuji looks outside at the planes that would be taking them.
"… Huh. I didn't know they come in black."
Ren reads a book as he leans on his suitcase.
"They come in blue, red, all kinds of colors depending on the companies. Makoto can tell you about it."
"Yeah, when we get back."
"Makoto's not coming with us?"
Ren tilts his head as Ryuji sighs shaking his head.
"Nah man. Didn't you read the group text?"
"I was busy with things. I run multiple businesses, Ryuji. I'm also your teacher, so I have to grade all your shitty assignments."
Ryuji whines as he adjusts his heavy backpack.
"Don't tell me I'm doing worse…"
"You're doing better just not fast enough. You know for damn sure we're going to be studying during this vacation."
Ann arrives with Haru and meets with the boys.
"Hey!~ You all ready for Hawaii?"
"I can't wait to get some peace and quiet after everything."
Ren rolls his shoulders with a low groan.
"Especially with O'Shaughnessy keeping it cool. He's a man of his word that's one thing I still admire about him."
Ann then shoots a glare at Ryuji as he yawns.
"You only brought that backpack with you?"
"We're only going to be there for like what, three days? I got the necessities!"
"Barely!"
Ren speaks up patting Ryuji's head.
"Go easy on our numbskull here. I knew he'd be like this so I planned ahead."
Ryuji grumbles under his breath until Haru takes his hand into her own.
"We shouldn't dawdle around. Let's go!"
At Japan however, Makoto stands in front of Pierce, the large man sitting in a custom chair made for him. She hadn't expected to be taken to an office, and unlike the vacant room from before, this one is full of furniture and trophies. Numerous gold medals and trophy cups, statues all with different names, yet for every celebratory picture he was there. There even is a window for him to look out of.
"I was told you have a Persona. That you want to fight."
"Yes sir."
The truth of the matter is she was told by the SIU Director to come here and register. She had told him just about everything except the identities of her friends. It bothered her that he either didn't know, or was playing coy with her, either way it didn't feel right.
Pierce looks over at her lazily, his eyes moving from head to toe, before he shakes his head.
"You're not fit for the Atlus Games."
"W-What?!"
She's stunned and he continues before she can even respond properly.
"You're fighter. You're a girl in over her head trying to carry a weight too heavy for you to bear. Do yourself a favor and forget about this whole thing."
"What makes you so sure I can't fight!?"
"Because you've never had that desire to kill. It isn't there, a dark fire in the eyes of every prominent fighter of mine, go sign up with someone else. Tohshino Papers Company is thinking of joining in. The paper girl for the paper company, yeah that sounds about right."
Makoto grits her teeth and clenches her fists. The giant foreigner raises a brow at her display.
"You're angry with me? Do you think you deserve to be under my employ? When have you ever put your life on the line for victory?"
"When I got hit by a car to save Ryuji. When I saved him again from being killed in the hospital! I've shown my skill, I've fought assassins, I'm qualified for this!"
"You're an overachiever trying to reach for the stars."
In English he spoke as he turns his back to her.
"Get The Hell Out Of My Office."
Makoto stands there defeated and in disbelief. Months prior, this would've been it, she would've lowered her head and left. What was there left to say, to do? The Makoto here and now has an answer! This young girl has developed a backbone, to stand against what she believes is unjust, and be it against an adult or the law itself! If violence is all these mad men speak, then violence is what she'll have to speak with!
She jumps onto his desk, grabbing a liquor bottle he had sitting there, and throws the liquor bottle for the back of his bald head. The bottle shatters as if it had hit a wall and she shouts.
"You don't get to speak for me as if I'm some little girl! I'm tired of watching other people fight and being able to do nothing but watch! Either you sign me in or I'll sign your death certificate, asshole!"
She drew blood, despite his strong baritone voice and seemingly inhuman physique, he's still just a human being. Her eyes dilate then as they activate on instinct, narrowly leaping back in time to avoid a swing from him, even though it was slow in motion… Something about it made her senses go wild. Her heart began to race and sweat bead down her body. Pierce undoes his tie and wraps his head with it, remaining calm, speaking softly still.
"Those are some strong words for a girl as fragile as origami. Do you really want to do this? You still have a chance to walk out that door."
She looks at him, her desire to flee growing ever more in her heart, but it's this very fear that drives her on. If she can overcome herself, she can overcome anything, she can predict anything. Her only true weakness is the fear others put in her heart, not her own! If she turns this fear, their fear, into a weapon then she can conquer anyone!
She raises her hands and enters a different fighting stance then she's accustomed to. One she developed when training with Ren.
"If you want me to get the hell out of your office, then make me!"
She speaks in English herself for this one time.
"I Won't Lose!"
Pierce lets out a sigh. He kicks his entire desk at her, lifting it off the ground, she waits knowing where it will land before dodging out the way with an extended strafe. She gasps as she and raises her arms to block.
Pierce, who has already made it close to her, snatched the desk in the air with one hand before swinging the entire thing at her. She had no time to dodge, only to brace herself for the oncoming blow, and cries out in agony as it connects. She finally understood, with all the cruel training she had done, all her life people expected the best of her yet held back for her as well. From her principal holding back his power as he'd rather use her, to her sister who held back her affection hoping to push Makoto ahead in life, to even Ren holding back during training even when she asked for his full-power.
The pain is unreal, but it's something she needed to understand, what it was like to face someone who had no reason to hold back. She's sent flying through the window and falls out of sight. Pierce stands there shaking his head.
"What a waste of a life. She could have been an amazing scholar or even a proper Olympic athlete. Ah well…"
He sets his desk down as it originally was, cleaned up the glass from the liquor bottle, but something caught his eye. One of his curtains is moving oddly, as it was outside the window. He looks over only for Makoto to fly back in kicking him in the face. She had just barely managed to grab the window curtain, her reaction time now on another level also due to her training, and she still hid the true power of her Persona from Pierce.
"A ring out won't be enough to take me out!"
Using his face as a step, she swings over him, and attempts to use the very curtain that saved her life to strangle Pierce.
"Now! Sign me in, or I'll break you neck, or choke you until you pass out! Whichever comes first!"
"You're pretty good."
"!"
She pulls as tight as she can, but to no effect, Pierce's neck is simply too thick for the cloth. He leans back only to lean forward abruptly, knocking her head against his as he tears the curtain with his hands. As Makoto begins to fall, he catches her by an arm, and swings her into his desk. It breaks in half as she coughs from the impact. Pierce raises her high into the air before throwing her to a wall, which cracks after contact. She coughs again, blood beginning to trickle down her mouth, she pours every ounce of power she can muster from her spirit just stand before he gets to her.
"You're determined."
Her eyes widen after she barely manages to get on her feet before his fist digs into her stomach and ribs. Nearly her whole torso is embedded in the wall. He takes a step back nodding as she pushes herself out to fall on her hands and knees. Even with all of this, every limb aching for her to surrender, she stands up. Pierce folds his arms at her.
"You're tougher than most grown men… I'll ask one last time."
He grabs her by her head and pulls her along before lifting her up, and dangling her injured body out the window. Even half the height of this drop would kill her.
"Do you really want to join the Atlus Games? Think about it, Niijima-san. That feeling of your heart about to leap out your chest, blood pumping through and even out your body, your bones screaming in agony as your flesh tears from the beat down. The adrenaline, the thrill of living or dying, is this what you want to live with?"
"… It was never about what I want… It's a matter of that I need to… I must fight to keep them all safe… To keep him safe…"
Pierce stares at her in slight awe of the answer given. This could, and he had decided earlier to be, her final moments. In such times, humans show their truest selves, cowardly and selfish. Willing to throw away anything and everything for self-preservation. He didn't judge the people who were like this for it is the nature of man… For the few like this girl, the few with such noble foolish hearts of pure gold, there is opportunity to be had. He brings her back in and places her on a couch for guests.
"You'll start tomorrow night. We'll give you medicine to accelerate your healing and numb the pain of your broken ribs. I'll get the papers right away, Ms. Makoto Niijima."
"W-Wait! Why? Why did you change your mind?"
"Because I thought this entire time I was looking at a girl out of her league… A paper thin thing. As it turned out, I nearly threw a diamond right out my window, and I will not make that same mistake twice."
Makoto walks out of the building, blood still in her mouth and her clothes worn from the beating, dusted in debris. A car honks outside as it drives up to her on the sidewalk. The window rolls down revealing Goro Akechi.
"Why, hello there, Niijima-san. You're looking rather ill. Did you get rejected?"
"… R-Rejected?"
"Did you not check your phone?"
"… It's broken…"
"Then check mine."
He holds up her phone to see that he was invited to a group message, an unknown number she assumed to be the SIU Director's, and her own. She was instructed to come outside when done and meet her partner. Akechi sighs rolling the window up as he pulls his phone back.
"What a shame, but I knew you weren't cut out for this kind of thing. I've seen you chase after Sae-san's coattails at the station."
She punches his window cracking it before completely breaking. She holds up a contract with Pierce's name signed on it next to her own.
"I got it."