A/N As promised, here's the next chapter and as per usual the next one will be posted next week.
Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or any of its characters, and I make no money off of this.
Chapter 8
July 18th: Central Tokyo, Upscale Apartment Building
Makoto walked into the kitchen to see her sister enjoying a cup of tea, still sporting her nightwear from the previous evening. She couldn't help but smile at the sight for the sole reason that the white t-shirt with the imprint of a panda that she sported had been a gift that she'd given her some time ago.
"Good morning, sis," greeted Makoto with a cheerful tone of voice.
"Good morning," she replied, giving her younger sister a smile in turn. "I trust you slept well?"
"Very, thanks for asking."
The former student council president took a seat at the table after fixing her breakfast, continuing the conversation with her sister as she ate.
"That looks good on you, by the way," Makoto stated.
It seemed as if Sae was about to respond directly but stopped herself as if realizing something.
"You know, although I wear this all the time, I suppose this is the first time you've actually seen me wear it," Sae mused.
"The first time I've seen you wear any nightwear on a Sunday morning," Makoto pointed out.
"Well, this is the first time you've seen me not work on a Sunday in years, so that would be why."
The silver-haired beauty allowed herself an amused chuckle at that fact. This was also the first time that she could remember actually sitting down and enjoying breakfast with her younger sister in just as long a period of time.
"I'm glad to see you're taking it a bit easier," said Makoto cheerfully. "Do you have any plans for the day?"
"I'll be doing some work on a case that was thrown to me earlier last week, and I intend to do some errands. But outside of that…"
"Not quite sure what to do with yourself, huh?" Makoto remarked in jest.
"…actually, that might not be far off from the truth," Sae admitted. With a dry laugh, she added, "Looks like I'll be re-learning how to relax."
Her joke earned a hearty bout of laughter from her sister, though it was clear she was trying to keep it contained so as not to offend.
"In any case," began Sae, intent on changing the subject. "Have you any plans for the day?"
Just as she was about to answer, Makoto's eyes went wide at the recollection of her pending task from the previous night. She took out her phone, her mind zoning in on the task at hand.
"Potentially, yes, but first I need to set up a group chat," she replied.
"With those other 'Persona users', correct?" Sae wondered aloud. She received a nod in response. "I know you mentioned so last night, but are you absolutely positive you can trust them?"
It was natural for her to be worried since, of course, the only other Persona user that Sae was aware of was a vicious, murdering psychopath that nearly killed every member of the Phantom Thieves. If she were not apprehensive, she'd not have been a sane person.
Nevertheless, her sister gave her the same response she had the previous night.
"Yes, completely," replied Makoto with a smile. "They actually seem quite a bit like us. In some cases, it's quite uncanny."
"As long as you can trust them, their similarities or dissimilarities are irrelevant," Sae stated pointedly.
"And like I said, that isn't a concern." The younger of the two sisters then chuckled offhandedly. "Actually, their leader kind of reminds me of you. You'd like him—he's appears very mature for his age, and he also seems incredibly capable."
"Two qualities that are in short supply as of late," Sae remarked. "I'll leave you to it though. I'll be going through some paperwork if you need me for anything."
"Thanks, and good luck, sis."
With that, the young lawyer departed, leaving Makoto to finish establishing the group chat. It took very little time to get everyone's information from Yu, after which all that was left was to send the message that would start off her plans for the day.
Central Tokyo, Sansou Hotel: Naoto's Room
"—and so, if we put that together with…"
Naoto trailed off and stopped her speech upon turning to see her partner for the investigation had his eyes glued to his phone. Her expression fell and her brows furrowed.
"Sorry," Yu replied, knowing why the detective had stopped even if he still didn't take his eyes off of his phone's screen. "Makoto Nijima messaged me asking for our numbers so she can set up a message group."
"I'd have waited for you to finish giving her our contact information if you'd mentioned it," she said with her arms now crossed.
"What? I was listening," Yu stated defensively. "You mentioned that there were traces of drugs found in Hayato Tsubasa's system that matched those from Akane Kirio's toxicology report."
It was then that he looked over to the blue-haired young woman, sporting what could only be described as a teasing smirk.
"You alsomentioned the finer details of your theory that the men in white mask are forcibly creating Persona users, though for what purpose you're still not sure. And—"
"You've made your point," Naoto replied, looking away somewhat bashfully. "S-Still, multitasking has been repeatedly proven to be inefficient. Be aware of that in the future."
Seconds later, the first message from the chat came through, naturally being sent over by Makoto. It simply explained the reason for the message and requested everyone to add the respective contact information of anyone that was present.
Almost immediately thereafter, Naoto started typing on her phone screen with intensity that suggested it was more than a simple 'hello'. Her partner knew all too well that she was getting straight down to business.
"Already getting to it, huh?" Yu asked with a chuckle.
"Yes, I was hoping to gather everyone that's available and investigate that other world," Naoto replied, her fingers still moving all the while across her phone screen. "There's just far too much that we don't know. Even the Phantom Thieves believe it to be unfamiliar territory."
The message was sent out and she awaited everyone's respective responses. Abruptly, there was a knock on the door, breaking them away from their prior conversation.
"I'll get it," volunteered Yu.
Moments later he opened the door, finding none other than the famous idol Rise Kujikawa on the other side of it.
"Hey, Yu! Good morning!" Rise chirped energetically, flashing off her trademark smile.
"Hey, Rise," Yu greeted, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but… how did you get here so fast?"
"Oooh, that's right. We never told you, did we?" Rise asked rhetorically. Gesturing down the hall, she explained, "Since all of you guys are staying here, I had my manager switch hotels for the rest of us three. My room is 716, so I'm on this floor. Kanji and Teddie are on the same floor as the others."
The young man nodded in understanding since, after all, that made logical sense. It made things easier for the duration of their investigation. Of course it was also true that a part of him selfishly preferred them to be close by after all this time.
However, one minor detail in what was just said caused him to raise a brow.
"Room 716?" Yu uttered curiously. "Then you're right next to me?"
"Huh, am I?" Rise asked. "I hadn't noticed. Must be a happy coincidence I guess."
Everything from the innocence in her voice to the look in her eyes was absolutely and unequivocally flawless. If it wasn't for the fact that both of them were so sure she picked the room intentionally, they may have actually believed it to be a coincidence.
'Her acting ability is as frightening as ever…' Yu thought, a bead of sweat dripping down his cheek.
"Anyway, I knocked on your door and didn't get an answer, so I assumed you were here."
"And you assumed correctly," Naoto answered. She got up from her seat and walked towards the door. "Although we were just about to leave. Did you see my message?"
Given the look on her face, it became apparent that Rise had not. She took out her phone and seemed to gloss over it briefly.
"It's okay if you can't make it," Yu said reassuringly. "It's short notice, and I know you're really busy. Plus, Naoto—"
"Actually, I have the day off today," Rise stated, cutting him off. "And I had planned spending the day with you anyway, so this works out just as well. But c'mon, we should at least eat something first." She looked over at their mutual friend. "You too, Naoto! Let's go get everyone else."
The prospect of a meal with friends was more than tempting to her, as evident through the smile that pulled at her lips.
"Sure, that sounds wonderful. I'll just get my notebook and finish the last bit of this paperwork beforehand," Naoto answered.
"Great!" Rise beamed. Without missing a beat, she made her way to his side, pressing up against him ever-so-slightly as she guided his arm forwards. "Let's go get everyone else while Naoto finishes up!"
"Y-Yeah, sure thing," Yu replied.
The two were out the door and down the hall in a heartbeat, leaving Naoto alone I the room sighing nostalgically at what had just played out before her eyes.
"Rise's as affectionate as ever…" she chuckled amusedly.
She could tell it had been a while since Yu had experienced it as well if his stammer before their departure was anything to go by. Although, she had a hunch he'd be forced to get used to it soon enough.
Adopting a wry grin Naoto muttered, "I suppose anything is better than the passive aggressiveness from earlier. N-Not that I was interested in the root cause, of course."
The esteemed detective quickly realized she had no reason to say what she just had.
'Who am I trying to convince?' Naoto wondered, her brow furrowed. 'There's no one else here. I'm just talking to myself as if I've lost my mind…'
With a sigh, she just walked off to get her notebook.
Yongen-Jaya: Café Leblanc
The bell at the entrance chimed as Ren entered, a now much more animated Morgana waging his tail back and forth.
"Ah, there you are," Sojiro spoke up. "Where'd you head off to so early in the morning?"
"Just getting Mona some fish," he replied. "He kinda had a rough day yesterday…"
"Do I even wanna know what you mean by that?" asked Sojiro rhetorically.
"He was mad that a bear can turn into a human but he can't," Futaba explained.
"Of course."
"Either way, it looks like he's a lot happier now," Futaba remarked.
"Tuna rolls will do that," Ren added.
The arrival of another member of their team through the doors of the café cut further conversation short. Yusuke, of all people, entered with a small but friendly smile and a satchel of what appeared to be sketchbooks and art supplies hanging from his shoulder.
"Good morning," he said respectfully.
"Yo, Yusuke" greeted Futaba. "Weird to see you here at Leblanc so early. What's the occasion?"
"I just happened to have been people watching and believed it would have been improper to return home without at least saying hello."
"Care for a cup of coffee while you're here? On the house, of course," Sojiro offered.
"That would be spectacular, thank you."
As he took a seat next to Joker, he was served his drink and began to enjoy it thoroughly. The look of satisfaction on his ace at the taste of the coffee prompted Sojiro to smirk amply.
"Thought you'd like it," Sojiro remarked with a chuckle. "It's a new blend I'm trying out."
"It may be your best yet. In fact, I feel inspired by it…!" Yusuke said in awe.
"Speaking of inspiration," began Ren curiously. "Why were you here doing your people watching? Don't you usually prefer Shibuya?"
It had actually been on his mind since the artist had walked through the door. There were usually more people in Shibuya for one. Perhaps more importantly was the fact that it was cheaper, a quality that Yusuke often valued to a hilarious extent.
Still, the mere asking of the question elicited a look of profound annoyance on Fox's part.
"You're very right, however with the new mall progressively gaining popularity, the area is quite crowded at the moment," Yusuke replied with a scowl. "Let's just say there is such a thing as too many people."
"Amen to that," Futaba stated in agreement. "From what I can tell, a big part of it is also that damn Jeanie app. Everyone is out shopping all the time going nuts over it."
"I see…" Yusuke uttered.
The tone of his voice seemed to catch Futaba's interest. She eyed him from across the room.
"You don't know what the Jeanie app even is, do you?" she asked.
"Not as such, no," Yusuke answered solemnly. "Although I do recall a number of girls in my class discussing it towards the end of the last term. It seemed pointless to me, so I opted to ignore it."
"Honestly, same here," Ren stated.
"You two are so hopeless sometimes…"
The orange-haired girl walked up to the bar, placing both herself and her laptop directly between the two Phantom Thieves. Sojiro stealthily walked around to get a better look at whatever she was going to show them, his own curiosity somewhat piqued.
"It's a shopping app that uses next-gen 3D imaging technology," Futaba began. She pulled up a video showing the exact functionality, explaining along as it played out. "How it works is you create a profile, upload a photo of yourself, and then whenever you come across a piece of clothing in a storefront or on a shop or whatever, you just snap a pic, and it can show you exactly what you would look like in it."
Yusuke appeared somewhat surprised, but the grand nature of the accomplishment was still lost to him. Sojiro couldn't believe what he was seeing, and even Ren himself was genuinely impressed.
"It also gives you the ability to share the pictures online. On top of that, it gives you the cheapest absolute price available it can find and even where to find it, whether that's online or in-store," she explained.
"That's really something," admitted the black-haired shopkeeper. "And this thing is free? Incredible…"
"I'm curious as to how something like this would then be financially feasible," Yusuke thought aloud.
"Well, calling it 'free' isn't exactly accurate."
"How do you mean?"
"Well…" began Futaba. She quickly pulled up the profile creation page before continuing. "This is where they make their money. Doesn't matter what kind of app it is, if you have to create a profile to use it, then the users dada is the main profit. They run it through algorithm after algorithm and eventually know more about you than you. They usually then sell that data off without most anyone knowing."
"You make it sound as if they're practically spying on you," Yusuke remarked.
"They pretty much are," Futaba stated pointedly.
"That seems a bit of a jaded view of the developers, no?"
The collective ringing of their phones effectively put a pin in further discussion, especially given the nature of the message. The four Persona users present shared a look and nodded in unison.
Sojiro, noticing the interaction had only one thing to say.
"Just be careful, alright?"
Shibuya: Southern Park, Some Time Later…
The full cast of the Investigation Team as well as the Phantom Thieves had assembled at the designated place and designated time. This came as a welcome surprise to the get-together's instigator, who had believed a lesser turnout was more likely.
'On second thought, it makes sense that they would go out of their way to be here today given my message…' Naoto mused.
After all, the Phantom Thieves were likely just as curious about changes to the Metaverse as they were. So many unanswered questions remained, and naturally figuring out the mechanics of the world firsthand would make understanding them all the easier.
There was little need for small talk, and thus the detective spoke up.
"Is everyone ready?"
"Actually, before we go…" Futaba began. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, showing its screen to the broader group. It sported the icon for the new-and-hardly-improved Metaverse app. "Does anyone else have this on their phones now?"
"Oh, so then you have it as well," Yusuke muttered.
One by one, everyone that was not a wild card user checked and confirmed the same. Makoto nodded at that given it was nothing new for the app to appear on a user's screen after entry into the Metaverse. It would have been stranger if it hadn't appeared.
"Looks like that works the same as before," Makoto thought aloud.
"Ah, then the app did appear on your phones after initial entry in the 'old' Metaverse that you all are familiar with," Naoto reasoned.
"It's weird seein' it again, but I kinda missed it…" Ryuji uttered offhandedly. Looking down at his phone, he added, "Y'know, in a weird, eff'd up sorta way."
"I get what you mean," remarked Ann.
As silence ensued, it was clear that everyone was prepared to enter the other side. And with that, Naoto was the one to formally do the honors.
Metaverse: Shibuya Southern Park…
The red and black cityscape was as quiet as it could be upon entry.
"I still can't get over how easy that is…" Chie grumbled.
"I beg your pardon?" Yusuke asked with a quirked brow.
"Chie's just salty because you guys got to use an app to get to the other world and we had to crawl through a TV," explained Yosuke. His expression morphed to one of puzzlement as he scratched his cheek. "Although I can't really blame her. This is a lot more inconspicuous. Waaay better than having to wait around at Junes to dive in through a TV that could actually fit a person."
Skull couldn't help but picture the awkward logistics, and he was far from the only one to do so.
"Uh, did you guys have to like… stand guard and look around first?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
"Oof, that sounds rough," Futaba grimaced.
Just the idea of being caught by groups of onlookers while trying to walk into a TV was giving her anxiety.
"It wasn't that bad," Yu stated.
"I agree, it could've been way worse," Rise added. She giggled cutely and looked over towards her silver-haired friend. "I do remember one time though when Yu almost…"
The idol trailed off without warning, and though she had been previously smiling, now she just appeared confused.
"Um, did you bring that here, or…?"
"Huh?"
A now equally confused Yu Narukami looked down at his waist where Rise appeared to be giving her attention. It was then he noticed a gun holster attached to his left hip, which held what appeared to be a firearm.
"No, I didn't."
Carefully, he pulled it out of the holster, constantly directing its barrel into the sky as he examined it. It had the appearance of an M1911 pistol, though the barrel was clearly elongated to some degree and the chamber was slightly thicker.
It was certainly stylish and fit him like a glove, but that didn't change the fact that the young lawyer had absolutely no idea whatsoever how the pistol appeared strapped to his side out of seemingly thin air.
A moment passed and it became evident that he was not the only one.
"Hey, I've got one too!" Chie exclaimed.
The brown-haired girl revealed a revolver on her own left hip. She plucked it from the holster and examined it in much the same way as her friend.
"It looks like my service pistol. Yep, it's definitely a Nambu M60," Chie stated, her lips involuntarily forming a smile. "I was sure I didn't bring it with me, though…"
"Looks like I've got a bow!" Yukiko stated, looking over her shoulder.
"Some kinda big-ass pistol for me," Kanji piped in, referring to what was clearly a desert eagle.
"Looks like I've got more kunai, too…" Yosuke said. "They're a bit smaller so they're probably meant to be thrown."
While the appearance of sidearms was nothing to frown at, it still left everyone wary given the lack of explanation.
"…so, um, why though?" Ann wondered aloud, voicing the question that everyone had on their minds.
"Beats the hell outta me," mumbled Ryuji.
"Perhaps it's best not to look a gift horse in the mouth?" Haru mused.
While most agreed with Noir's sentiment, it seemed that a nearby Halberie had picked the opportune moment to lunge at her from behind, its mouth agape and ready to tear into her.
Without hesitation, Yu, who had his weapon still drawn, primed the barrel of his pistol towards the demonic creature and shot it straight through its spherical torso. The bullet ripped it to shreds, having pierced the mask on its center back. It took no time at all for it to dissipate entirely.
"Agreed," Yu simply stated.
While most were either smirking or simply at a loss for words, it was the redheaded superstar among them that gave a voice to their collective thought.
"Oh my god, that was so cool! Glad to see you've still got it, Yu!" Rise girlishly squealed.
She grabbed onto his arm as if it was perfectly natural, drawing a few raised brows from several members of the Phantom Thieves. Their leader, however, was more focused on the action rather than the resulting cheering from Rise.
"It was a nice takedown," admitted Joker. With a wry smirk, he added, "I kinda want to see who's the better shot between the two of us."
"That so? Well, I'm more than happy to help you find out," he replied with a chuckle.
"Still, that thing coulda latched on to Noir if ya hadn't taken in down. Good stuff!" Skull complimented.
"Y-Yes, thank you for that by the way…!" Noir stated politely, if not somewhat stiffly.
"Don't mention it. I'm just glad you're safe," Yu replied.
His characteristic charming smile caused Haru's cheeks to heat up, though she masked it by adjusting her hat and averting her eyes to alleviate some of her sudden shyness.
"Yes, well, perhaps now would be an opportune time to scan the area for Shadows?" Naoto reasoned.
"On it!" Rise chirped.
"M-Me too!"
The two navigators called forth their Personas and began surveying the surrounding area to the best of their abilities. In took almost no time at all for them to actually complete the task.
"There are hardly any Shadows around here. No big clusters like we were seeing yesterday," Oracle stated. She prodded the side of her goggles slightly with the tips of her fingers. "It feels like there might be something off in the distance, but I can't really get a good fix on it. It's too far off."
"North of here, right Futaba-chan?"
"H-Huh? Well, yeah, but…"
"I think I can see it," Rise stated. Her eyes still shielded by Kanzeon's vizor, she smiled confidently. "Yes, I've got it! I'm picking up a dozen pretty strong signatures, and one that feels exactly like the one from yesterday. They're… yeah, they're directly north of our current location."
Many members of the group shared a look. If their mutual hunch was correct, then they had by happenstance come to the Metaverse at the perfect time.
"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Yu asked, his eyes fixed on the detective among them.
"I should hope so," replied Naoto with a chuckle. "It wasn't my intent when coming here today, but we appear to have gotten quite lucky. We should start moving immediately, otherwise they may get out of reach."
"How far was it again, Rise?" Yosuke asked warily.
"I'd say about five miles or so."
The brunette immediately deflated upon hearing that answer. An audible depressed groan could be heard, eliciting a chuckle from several among the group.
"Oh just can it," chided Chie, rolling her eyes even as she herself laughed. Turning to the group, she explained, "He's still sore from yesterday's fight."
"Really?" Kanji asked, his voice laced with clear surprise. "I'm totally fine."
"Yeah, same here," Yu chimed in.
"Me three!"
"I'm still runnin' at full strength."
"Same here."
"I'm also perfectly fine."
"I don't really feel tired either."
"…you guys are doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Yosuke asked with narrowed eyes.
There was silence among the group as he scanned them for their reactions with hawk-like scrutiny. He caught a glance of several smirking visibly for a brief second only as they exchange glances.
"You totally are!"
"I dunno why, but I'm feelin' real sympathetic right about now…" Skull muttered off in the corner.
"Anyway, we should really get moving," Yu stated.
"Hey, wait a second. Isn't there some other way besides walking?" Yosuke muttered, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
His reservations were understandable given the harsh response he got from Chie.
"Just how bad do you not wanna walk, anyway? It's not that far!"
"Yeah, but…"
"Well," Skull chimed in, piercing the boundaries of the conversation. "Mona can turn into a bus. We could maybe—"
"Could turn into a bus," Queen corrected, her eyes somewhat narrowed at her comrade due to what she believed was an insensitive comment. She received a few odd looks from the members of the Investigation Team who were understandably confused. "Morgana was able to turn into a bus when we were in the Metaverse before, but he tried yesterday to no success."
Morgana grumbled to himself disappointedly in the corner, though he was consoled somewhat by Futaba who bent down to scratch his ear. Uncharacteristically, he said nothing and allowed the pet-like treatment to continue.
"Wait, so your cat could turn into a bus?" Yosuke questioned rhetorically. "You mean like in that really popular animated movie from the 90's?"
"Yes, but that's not the point, and I'm also not a cat!" Morgana exclaimed. "Hmm, but even if yesterday it didn't work, maybe…"
Abruptly, the feline ran out to an area of open space. He adopted a pose akin to something from a tacky action movie, but in its wake, he did in fact transform into a bus.
"Yes!" Morgana shouted with joy. "I knew it still worked!"
"Wow, you really can turn into a bus, Mona-chan!" Teddie said in awe. "I wish I could do that!"
"The fact that you can transform into a human is more than enough," grumbled Kanji.
"Aw, thanks!"
"I wasn't trying to… *sigh* never mind."
The theatrics of the moment aside, it appeared that the group now had a set of wheels to speed them away. Sadly, it was obvious to one among them that this would be far from ideal.
"As impressive as Morgana-san's transformation may be, it still wouldn't help us," Naoto stated in a cold, factual tone of voice. "We could get around the capacity issue by sending only a select number of us as an advance party, but the sound he makes will be an issue. If we're facing a new enemy for the first time, it would benefit us to approach with stealth and gain a vantage point and see their position instead of having them hear us coming from a mile away."
"That would be an issue…" Queen thought aloud, cupping her chin in thought.
Morgana sighed before reverting to his cat form in short order. Even in spite of his excitement at regaining his ability, he understood the sound reasoning that the esteemed detective had posited.
"Then on-foot is the only way," Yu reasoned. Despite his close friend's audible groan, he continued, "We should stick together as a group and try to avoid Shadows on the way as much as possible."
"We can rely on our navigators to guide us through," added Joker.
The two alluded-to members nodded in response and went to work, shortly after which they began to head north.
Metaverse: Norther Shibuya, Some Time Later…
After a rather fast-paced trek with a few close calls, the group had made their way to a streetway just outside of the town square that appeared to be the source of the readings that Rise and Futaba had pinpointed.
They approached quietly, splitting off into two groups on each of the sides. At the forefront stood both teams' respective Wild Card user and strategist. Naoto, being the most prepared for the situation at hand, took out a pair of binoculars from her position crouched behind one of the cars that lined the street.
It took less than a second for her to smirk, clearly content with what she saw.
"Bingo," Naoto muttered to herself.
She handed off the binoculars to Yu, who was right at her side. A brief look revealed there to be several suited men in white masks. That sight was a welcome surprise, quite the opposite could be said for the prisoners they had.
The men were carting around what appeared to be two restrained and blindfolded women, situating them towards the center of the large intersection.
"What do you see?" Joker asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"The men in white masks—twelve of them at least," replied Yu. "It looks like they've got two women with them."
"I think we can both guess where this is going…" Queen trailed off, grimacing slightly.
"All the more reason to get a move on and put a stop to this nice and early," Joker stated.
"I agree, but we shouldn't be hasty. A full-frontal assault would be risky, and let's remember that these men effectively have two hostages."
Naoto had raised two fair points, the latter of which was perhaps the most worrisome of the two. Even if the Phantom Thieves and the Investigation Teams members would suffer only minor damage if flanked in the attack down the center, the same could not be said for the two women in question.
Thinking along those lines, Yu began to examine the surrounding areas of the large intersection. A solution quickly came to him that would likely relieve both of those concerns.
"I think I've got an idea of how we tackle this," said Yu, his voice holding a hint of cocky assurance. He held down the binoculars and returned them to their actual owner. "The intersection has a number of access points around it, so we can split up and surround the area. Joker and I quickly sneak our way down the center and wait for an opening to save their hostages. Once we do that, their attention will be on us, and everyone else can move in and take them by surprise."
"I like it," Joker immediately stated, his lips curling into a smirk.
"As do I," Queen remarked. "Although I still think we should have Oracle and Kujikawa-san analyze the surrounding roadways to check for Shadows or any of these men in white masks that are out scouting the perimeter."
"Agreed, although outside of that, I have no objections."
Metaverse: Norther Shibuya, Within the Intersection…
Two of the rather large white-masked men took the two women to the center of the intersection. Upon reaching it, they ordered them to get down on their knees, at which point they removed the blindfolds but kept them in their restraints for the time being.
Each was evidently stricken with fear. Their bodies quivered reflexively every-so-often, and it was clear from their reddened, puffy eyes that they were either on the brink of tears or simply couldn't shed any more.
"Stay quiet and don't move," one of them ordered calmly. "This will be over soon, so just try to keep calm and relax. Otherwise, you know what will happen, right?"
When the two nodded stiffly, the men turned around and headed back to a nearby cluster of their presumed comrades. One of the men stepped forwards, clearly intent on giving them with further orders.
"Alright, get the compounds from the transport. You know the drill," he said dispassionately. "And be quick about it. We don't have all day."
"Yes, sir."
It took no time at all for them to do as they were instructed before heading back towards the two test subjects, syringes in hand. The gripped the necks of their would-be victims and brought their hands back in unison to administer the injection.
The sound of shattered glass could be heard, but the pair hadn't registered what had happened until they brought the needles up to the girls' necks only to realize that the syringes tubes had been cut off completely.
"What the hell…?"
Each took their eyes off of their victims in an attempt to understand what had just happened, at which point they were greeted with the sight of a tall silver-haired man and a black-clad trickster. One sported a katana and one sported a knife—from both of which dripped the drug that the syringes previously held.
They didn't even get a chance to reach for their weapons before they were grabbed by their masks and pushed back several feet. Their masks were then firmly ripped off seconds later.
As was typical, a black ichor erupted from their bodies, which gave way to an eerie-looking black and red table-like entity. Kitchenware swirled about its head and a white mask placed itself firmly on the foremost section of its square body.
Its appearance, however, was short-lived, as the two wild card users planted their weapons firmly into the masks of the monstrosities and shattered them to pieces. The bodies themselves caved in like an imploding building before fading away shortly thereafter.
The interaction raised a few questions in the minds of both Joker and Yu, but they actively chose not to dwell on it. They quickly turned to check on the two unconscious women they'd swept in and saved. It was clear that they hadn't the slightest idea of what was going on and that they were confused at the recent turn of events.
"It's okay, we're here to help," Yu said softly but with assurance in his tone.
"Just hang on a sec, okay? We'll get you out of these handcuffs," Joker added.
Both he and Yu aimed their pistols directly at the center of the handcuffs' chain links before pulling the trigger and splitting them in two. For the first time in what appeared to be quite a while, the two were able to move their hands freely.
Now unrestrained, they looked up at their rescuers clearly not knowing what to do in the slightest. They were helped up onto their feet, at which point Yu pointed off to one of the roadways leading into the intersection.
"Over there should be safe. As long as you head down that road and stay put, you should be fine."
"R-Right," one of the two answered.
"But what about you two? Won't you—"
"We'll be fine, trust me," Yu replied. Both he and his high-school counterpart turned their backs and made ready to cover their retreat. "You should hurry."
They shared a look and nodded before rushing off. Neither bothered looking back.
It took very little time at that point for several of the white-masked men to approach from the perimeter. Their weapons were drawn, each sporting either a pistol or an assault weapon of some kind. There was, however, one among them that sported no weapons at all. This individual stood at the direct center of the group, standing tall and carrying an air of authority about him. He was the one to finally address the duo.
"Bold move," he stated in a tone laced with annoyance. "You're either gutsy or stupid, I'll give you that."
Abruptly, the doors to the large truck-like transport off at the northmost streetway shot open. Nearby two dozen additional men poured out of it, gathering around their comrades.
Each began to degenerate into black ichor, and before long a practical hoard of Shadows had replaced the men in white masks. The sheer numbers that had spawned from what had only been a group of a few dozen was staggering to say the least.
Only one enemy remained in its base form—the unarmed man that had previously addressed them. He appeared confident, likely due to the vast swarm of Halberies and Tables at his side.
"Any last words?" he asked cockily.
"That's our line," Joker replied.
On cue, the other members of the team swooped in on all sides. A number of spells from all directions shot into from behind the legion of Shadows, thinning their numbers somewhat and drawing their attention.
With panicked fury, they scattered and moved to intercept the splintered groups of approaching Persona users, engulfing the whole of the intersection in an all-out brawl.
'Alright, time to get to work!' Yosuke thought excitedly.
His adrenaline pumping, he called out his persona and sent a violent tempest of wind crashing into the still-disoriented enemies left flank. He watched with confidence bleeding from his expression as a number faded away.
"Milady!" Noir exclaimed.
Yosuke's brow furrowed upon hearing a sound he'd only heard from videogames beforehand. It was a mechanical clicking that for some reason was reminiscent of heavy rapid-fire weaponry.
Believing his imagination was getting the better of him, he turned back to see that Haru's Persona was sporting a pair of massive gatling guns protruding from her ballgown. His eyes went wide upon seeing the barrels start to rotate.
'Oh crap!' Yosuke internally exclaimed.
As the bullets started to fly, he hit the deck praying to God or whomever else would hear that the path of the gunfire continued to stay above his body.
To her credit, Noir's attack had further decimated the charging Shadows and taken out swaths of Helberie's. In her mind, it was correct to do so because Yosuke's previous attack had forcibly grouped them up, but clearly, he hadn't anticipated her follow up.
"S-Sorry!" Noir shouted apologetically.
"All good! H-Haha…" Yosuke replied, chuckling nervously as he checked himself for bullet holes. An instant later, he found himself needing to dodge an incoming knife that came courtesy of one of the tables. "Little help, please!"
Both Teddie and Kanji rushed in, providing backup and hitting the table-like Shadow with a barrage of frost and thunder. Though it didn't fall, it was at least beaten back. Yosuke, seeing the opportunity, sprung into action once more.
"Nice! Now for the finishing—"
A large sphere of spinning blue energy crashed into the injured Shadows, bursting on contact and thereby sending the brunette flying backwards. Though he hadn't quite gotten caught up in the blast itself, he did slam into a nearby car door.
A high-pitched groan was all he could muster in the immediate aftermath.
"I'm so sorry!" Queen apologized, wincing at the sight. "I-I thought it would be best to finish it off, and I didn't think you would rush in like that…!"
"A-All good…" Yosuke replied weakly.
The teamwork woes of the first group appeared to be a common theme. Over towards the leftmost portion of the battlefield, Skull, Yukiko, Naoto, and Yusuke were experiencing similar difficulties.
Ryuji found himself clinging to the ground for dear life while the inn-running heiress literally torched anything and everything in sight. Swaths of enemies screamed as they burned to ashes, but that fact was not the immediate concern of the two that were nearly caught up in the attack.
He looked back at her, holding his hands up as if to ask why she'd nearly burned him alive.
"What?" Yukiko asked innocently. "You said they were immune to physical and weak to fire."
"Yeah, but why did you nearly hit me with it?!"
"Because you didn't move," she replied matter-of-factly. Gesturing over to his fellow Phantom Thief, she added, "Fox-san didn't seem to have an issue reacting in time."
"Indeed."
"That's…!"
Naoto could only sigh at the sight before her eyes. She could only hope the others weren't experiencing similar issues. While for the most part her hopes were in vain, the sole exception occurred perhaps where it most mattered.
At the center of the group bringing up the front, the two Wild Cards had started their advance in perfect symphony.
"Yoshitsune!"
The two both called forth the same Persona, slashing their way through enemy after enemy. With the blades of Yoshitsune and their guns taking down enemy after enemy, they quickly drew the attention of most Shadows that had yet to move off to face their other teammates.
As they neared who they assumed was the enemy leader, a number of white and gray Tables moved to bar their way. Joker took the initiative and took a chance at an attack with his knife while his Yoshitsune continued to clear away the incoming Halberie's with brutal efficiency.
He hit the mast dead on, but sparks simply flew and no damage appeared to be done. It made to counter, as did its brothers in arms, evidenced by the large mass of fire that now swirled above its head waiting to pour forth. Moments later, it did just that, heading straight towards the Trickster without relent.
"Surt!"
The wave of fire found itself being absorbed into the sword of Yu's freshly-changed Persona. Seeing the continuous streams being taken in by the large fire-type Persona, Joker quickly brought up his gun and launched a series of bullets at the masks of two of the frontmost Tables. As the white, eerie looking masks shattered to pieces and the frames of the Shadows collapsed, he couldn't' help but smirk.
In perfect harmony, the pair charged forwards to the final two Tables with their pistols primed and ready. A flurry of bullets dispatched each with relative ease, clearing the rest of the way to the center of the enemy line.
They approached the leading white masked man, their Personas no longer at their sides. The White Mask stood alone as all around him the Shadows were being dispatched with relative ease. It was obvious in his body language that his rage was fast-approaching a boiling point.
"So, about those last words…" Yu said with a cocky smirk.
He didn't give a verbal response. The man's body started to contort, each movement echoing the sound of cracking bones. His frame started to expand and ultimately erupt into a massive Shadow which stood at the height of a small house and had a pitch-black furred body complete with a set of horns. A pair of chained steel balls attached themselves to its wrists by way of metal cuffs around its wrists, and a white mask topped off its minotaur-like appearance.
"Die!"
The beast flung its wrists forwards with furious purpose, sending the ball and chains flying forwards and crashing into the ground in front of him. Though the earth itself shattered under the weight of the blow, both Joker and Yu had dodged with ample time to spare.
"Ya know, I'm getting the feeling that just made him angry," Joker thought aloud, looking over to his companion.
"I wonder why?"
"Graaaa!"
Like a demon possessed by rage, the Minotaur started to flail about in an attempt to simply smash his attackers into pancakes. Debris from the broken earth continued to litter the immediate area, but outside of that, no damage appeared to be done. It eventually stopped, clearly in need of a short rest.
"That all you got?" Joker taunted.
Though its fur was black as night, you could still see a vein pop on the demon's forehead. It pulled its right arm across its body in an attempt to swat Joker out of the way.
Given that Ren didn't so much as move a muscle in response, it was clear that the steel balls the Minotaur used as weapons weren't the only one's present on the battlefield. He stood in place with a knowing look, well aware of the opening he'd just created.
"Futsunishi!"
A floating humanoid with gray skin and purple hair surrounded by an array of swords entered the fray on command. A series of blades crashed into the moving steel chain and severed it in half causing the ball itself to simply roll off into the distance behind its intended target. The Minotaur, now immeasurably enraged, turned to Yu with its eyes all but bleeding.
"Why won't you just stay out of my way, human?!"
Its obsidian fur turned a dark crimson and its muscular frame increased in size. It readied to charge, but it would find itself a step too late. More than prepared for the would-be attack, Yu readied to crush another tarot card in the palm of his hand.
In the wake of the switch appeared a large, fly-like abomination. It extended the skull-staff in its right hand, at which point the very body of the Minotaur began to glow with a twisted purple aura. Tiny specters seemed to surround its head, scrambling its thoughts and whispering as if directly into its very mind.
While it previously had readied itself to charge, it found itself retreating as if against its will. Confused and disoriented, the creature could do nothing but stagger back and forth, unsure of whether to charge or run for its life.
"What kind of…?!"
"Zaou-Gongen!"
The shouting of yet another Persona's name drew his barely-present attention off to his right. He barely managed to turn and see the large steel ball that was headed directly for his head.
It took very little time for him to realize it was the one that was severed from his wrist only a short few moments ago and that his other opponent had used the confusion to call forth a powerful Persona to throw it right back at him. At that point, there was nothing that the Shadow could do about it. It slammed into his head with impunity.
With a groan, the beast hit the floor, shaking the very earth itself as it landed. Its mask cracked and it was clearly stunned, unable to move and on its metaphorical last legs.
As the Minotaur struggled to move, the two Wild Card users stepped directly in front of his face, aiming their pistols at the dead center of his mask. Try as he might, his limbs still would not respond beyond a slight twitch.
If he had more time, perhaps he could have rallied. However, his opponents had no intention of giving it to him. They pulled their respective triggers without delay, ending the demon with a literal bang.
The massive body dissipated shortly thereafter, leaving the battlefield deathly silent.
"We should come up with a name for that," Yu thought aloud, holstering his sidearm.
"Hmm…" Joker hummed in contemplation. "How about Jackpot?"
"That's a good name, but we should probably have one that doesn't get us in copyright trouble."
"Fair enough."
Metaverse: Norther Shibuya, Within the Intersection, Some Time Later…
In the aftermath of the Minotaur's defeat, the group had cleaned up the remaining Shadows and ensured that the coast was clear. After a brief meet-up with the navigators, they set about the task of combing the immediate area for clues.
Naoto had raised, sensibly, that the presence of a transport, and a large one at that, likely meant there was some kind of central facility where the criminal group was holding the individuals that they'd kidnapped. Thus, it was decided that the Investigation Team would monitor the roadways while the Phantom Thieves scanned over the vehicle itself for evidence.
The actual interior was deceptively large. But outside of that, there wasn't anything particularly eyebrow-raising about it. Makoto and Ann were taking a look at the driver's seat while in the back the rest of the Thieves searched around for anything of interest.
There were compartments for what appeared to be medical supplies and storage containers for weapons—each of which were empty.
"Anyone find anything yet?" asked Skull, gruffly.
"Can you please stop asking that every two seconds?" Mona sighed.
"Find somethin' and maybe I'll stop askin' 'bout it."
"I wish I could…"
Off to the center of the back of the truck, a panel on the side of the wall caught Futaba's eyes. It was clear that she couldn't reach it on her own, so as such she turned to Yusuke for help.
"Hey, Fox, can you give me a boost to that panel thingy over there?"
"Hm?" he muttered curiously. The artist walked over to her side and gazed at the aforementioned panel analytically, at which point he turned back to the orange-haired teen. "My apologies, but I don't believe I can support your weight for a prolonged period without risking injury to my shoulders or arms. I require both of those for painting, so I'll ask for your understanding."
Almost everyone looked at the eccentric teen in disbelief. Morgana and Ryuji had slacked jaws and Haru covered her mouth with her hands to stifle a gasp. Amidst the incredibly awkward silence, all eyes darted back and forth between both Yusuke and Futaba.
To their mild surprise, the navigator was all smiles.
"Don't worry, Yusuke, I understand."
"I thank you for that."
"So, you want to avoid any upper-body injuries, yeah?"
"Yes, I—"
Futaba's foot shot firmly into the back of his leg, sending Yusuke straight to his knees grabbing the back thereof in absolute shock. He couldn't muster words in the moment, clearly further evidence of his lack of tact.
Noticing he hadn't understood why he'd been kicked, the bespectacled young woman turned her back on him and huffed disapprovingly.
"But… why?!" Fox exclaimed.
"Dude, ya basically called her fat," Skull pointed out, his tone holding almost no sympathy to it. "Even I ain't dumb enough to ever say that straight up to a girl."
Ren gave his best friend a disbelieving sideways glance.
"You bag on Ann about eating too much food all the time."
"Pfft, she doesn't count as a girl."
"…I'll be sure to let her know you said that."
"Wait—"
"Skull's ignorance aside, I thought her kick was going a bit further north than the back of his leg…" Noir thought aloud.
"Me too," Mona chimed in.
"But I…!"
As Yusuke continued to try to justify himself to the rest of the group, Joker walked up to Futaba and offered to lend a hand. Though that was clearly his intent, she looked at him with a pout and childlike eyes.
"I-I'm not heavy, right?!" She asked, almost pleadingly.
"About as far from it as you can get," Joker replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Honestly, you should probably be eating more."
"Ugh, now you sound just like Sojiro…"
"Anyway, you wanted a boost, right?" offered the raven-haired teen.
A nod of response was given, after which he hoisted Oracle up on his shoulders and guided her towards the panel per her request. On the ground, the rest of the group were still arguing with Yusuke, leaving her to do her work mostly undisturbed.
'There we go,' Futaba thought confidently upon removing the casing.
The metal sheet fell to the floor of the truck's storage area, revealing something that the tech-savvy young woman wasn't quite able to make out. It was essentially an array of connective wires beneath the surface of the panel that led into a cubic device at its center. Her eyes narrowed and her brows furrowed.
She removed the device from its center, making hardly a sound as she did so. The panel seemed to deactivate upon its removal, though that was hardly surprising. What was surprising is just how small it was.
'What the heck is this supposed to be? I mean, it's probably some kind of connective device, but what is it connecting to?' wondered Futaba curiously.
"Anything interesting in there?" Joker inquired.
"Hm? O-Oh, nah, it's nothing… You can bring me down now."
As Ren did just that, she stealthily slipped the cube into her belt, making sure to do so discretely. Within seconds, she was grounded once again, at which point she looked to their leader with a beaming smile.
"Thanks, Ren. At least I know I can depend on you not to call me fat."
"At a bare minimum," he joked.
Having found essentially nothing, the group exited the storage area of the truck and met up with the rest of the group who were beginning to gather outside. Judging by the expressions everyone sported, no one had any good news to speak of.
Seeing the obvious, Queen spoke up.
"I take it you were about as successful as we were…"
"If by that you mean we found nothing, then yes," Chie replied, disappointment in her tone.
"Sadly, it seems they were as thorough about covering their tracks here as they are in the real world," Naoto stated. "Their use of Shadows to do their dirty work in the Metaverse also complicates things in more ways than one. If only we had just one human we could question…!"
"We still might be able to get something from those two girls we rescued though," pointed out Yu.
That was the silver lining of the situation to be sure. They remained safe and under the watchful eyes of Kanji and Teddie. Albeit a distant possibility, they may have some answers that would aid in their search. Sadly, that would have to wait.
"Meh, I ain't too worried," Skull said nonchalantly. "If they show up again, we just bust in here and kick their asses."
"Assuming we don't blow each other up first," Naoto replied with a sigh. She turned to the two navigators. "I trust our combat data reflects our poor coordination?"
"Well…" Rise trailed off nervously.
"Joker and Yu-san definitely had it goin' on," Oracle replied, chuckling awkwardly.
It was obvious to everyone that those two were the exception to any coordination issues that maligned the group for the moment. However, the lack of response from Futaba and Rise was just as bad as an outright affirmation that Naoto was right.
Noir decided to offer something on a somewhat positive note.
"This was realistically the first time we've fought alongside one another, so perhaps things will only get better from here."
"Just letting it happen naturally in fights over a period of time may take far too long…" Queen thought aloud.
"Agreed," stated Naoto. "In a matter of life or death, we need to be able to understand our fellow teammates' combat strategies."
"I see what you're saying, but I'm not so sure we can do all that much about it right?" Yukiko questioned rhetorically.
"Hmm, I'm not so sure about that…" Panther spoke up.
Everyone turned to the blonde almost immediately, expecting an explanation. It took her by surprise somewhat, though she quickly recovered.
"W-Well, you know, at first we weren't all that good at fighting with each other, but as we got to know one another better, we started to fight a lot better as a team. It wasn't really through 'fighting' that we learned how to fight alongside each other."
A moment of reflection made it obvious that Ann was right. Although they had seen countless battles over the years, they had survived those battles mostly because they had first come to understand the personalities and preference of those around them. The live combat experience helped to cement it, but it didn't act as the base.
"Good point, Ann-chan," Rise remarked, eliciting a shy laugh from the blonde. "So, with that in mind… what're everyone's plans for the rest of the day?"
A/N With that we're another chapter in, and the next one will focus a bit more on the two groups in an actual SOL setting. What that'll be? You'll just have to wait until next Friday to see.
Explanations:
The IT's Gun's: Again, reason for it, can't tell won't tell sorta thing. Their guns were just stuff I thought aesthetically fit their personalities.
Chie's Gun: That is actually the standard service pistol used in Japan. Just a bit of trivia for anyone curious who didn't quite get that.
Morgana being able to transform into a bus again: Same as the above.
IT and PT's Teamwork: Outside of the two Mr. Perfect's Ren and Yu, there was absolutely no way I was going to have them be 100% used to fighting alongside one another right off the bat. They just don't fully know each other yet, but that will change in time.
Rise's Hotel Room: Honestly, this was just so her I couldn't not include it. This is also the first chapter where I would say she's really back to herself fully when it comes to Yu, which was nice to be able to write in.
Rise vs. Futaba's Navigation Powers: Similarly, to Ren and Yu, Futaba is more mobile in that she can literally fly around the battlefield, but Rise has greater range.
Jackpot: Yes, this is a DMC (Devil May Cry) reference for anyone that's curious. The brother's Virgil and Dante have a joint gun attack with this name.
The Device Futaba Found: Relevant for the next chapter sorta, but quite relevant in the next few. Won't say what it is, but if you guess it, I will let you know if you're right.