"Are you sure it was a good idea to let Sho go off on his own like that?" Ken asked.

"Well, he's managed to keep his head down this long considerin' we haven't seen or heard hide nor hair of him since the P1 Grand Prix, so I think we can expect him to at least try to not start anythin'," Labrys reasoned.

"Besides, Morgana's keeping an eye on him," Ren assured the older Persona-user.

The three of them and Koromaru were venturing around downtown Osaka, close to the Naniwa-ku ward the Thieves had visited on their previous trip. Naoto and Aigis were currently at the central police station in Osaka, explaining the situation to the higher-ups there and arranging for a raid on Sandā Arsenal's headquarters the next day. The four Persona-users downtown were headed to the building itself to scout out the perimeter while Sophia stayed behind to guard the hotel. As for Sho, he'd wanted to go down to a restaurant in Osaka that apparently served really good food that he'd found during his years incognito, so Morgana had been assigned to keep an eye on him in cat form without him noticing.

"There it is," Labrys pointed. Ren's gaze followed her finger. The building was a four-story concrete office building, a rather sharp contrast to the sleeker and more modern steel and glass office buildings in the skyline and the brightly colored shops, looking almost fortress-like where it stood alone.

"Already looks fishy," Ken commented. "Shall Koromaru and I take the rear?"

"Go ahead," Ren waved him on. Ken and Koromaru trotted off down the street before turning down an alleyway between a pair of neighboring buildings, evidently to disguise their approach and sweep for any additional suspicious elements. Ren and Labrys continued in an arc around the front-facing sides of the building, noting from a distance the hedges blocking access to the windows, the doors set deep into the outer walls, and the way the rear fire escapes poked out from the side alleys.

"It really does look like it's meant to be a fortress," Ren commented.

"The CEO of Sandā Arsenal, Yasuo Isobe, bought the last building that was here and he demolished and rebuilt it about three years ago," Labrys recited, "about the same time as he started pullin' in the big bucks from his business."

"Literally then," Ren asserted.

"Yeah, it's not lookin' great. Could get pretty hairy in there if they decide to resist."

"Depends on if their Metaverse activities have borne any fruit. At any rate, I'm glad we asked Futaba for those floor plans of the building. Otherwise, we'd have no idea what's ahead once we're inside."

Labrys nodded along, and there was a short pause before Ren spoke again.

"So, you and Sho have a history I assume, based on the way you act around him?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Labrys admitted. "He was the one who turned me back on and threw me in the TV world. He was bein' used by this evil god, Hi-No-Kagutsuchi, to start the P1 Grand Prix because he was so tired of bein' treated like a tool and a lab rat that he started to wish everyone would just disappear. At first, I mostly just felt sorry for him because he was so scared and confused and alone, and he was tryin' to cover up how he really felt by jokin' around and fightin'. And by now, he's had six years to get all that stuff sorted out in his head, and he thinks it's funny to make a crack about how that escape room he went through was similar to the labyrinth my Shadow put Yu-kun and the others through." Labrys scoffed. "D**k."

Ren remembered that moment. Sho had barely gotten out of the TV, and thought it was a good idea to make a joke to Labrys' face about the trauma he'd put her through, and it had taken serious effort on Aigis' part to keep her sister from hitting the redhead.

"Perhaps once Sho gains some proper allies he'll mellow out a bit," Ren suggested.

"Maybe," Labrys replied. "I do want him to not be lonely anymore. I just wish that he'd-hm?"

Labrys stopped and listened. A second later, Ren heard it too. Sounds of combat.

"Ken-kun!" Labrys blurted out, running for the building. Ren took off after her, but as they ran in, he started to pick up sounds of… arguing?

"I don't need your help, Bubblehead!"

"I don't care. You led those Shadows into my area. So I will get rid of them."

"Go away!"

"No. They are resistant to your magic."

"Uh, hello? They're resistant to yours too, mercenary!"

Ken and Koromaru felt rather awkward standing by next to the ongoing fight. Well, fights, plural. The three wispy, doglike Shadows were engaged in combat by a pair of Persona-users, the first one being a punk girl in a very short pink skirt, denim shorts, and black crop top, performing some mind-boggling feats with her skateboard and intermittently lashing out with a long weighted chain. The second figure, whom the punk girl had called "Bubblehead", was a broad young man in a steel-armored black wetsuit and circular diving helmet, wielding a trident for good measure.

The two of them were not working well together. While the diver stood his ground and jabbed his trident at the three Shadows, the girl was all over the place, zooming back and forth with her skateboard, jumping off the walls of the alley, dodging lunges and nuclear attacks, and occasionally getting in the diver's way when he tried to launch an attack.

The diver ripped off the front face of his helmet. "Blackbeard!"

At the same time, the girl pushed off a wall on her skateboard and sped towards the Shadows herself. "Hippolyta!"

The girl's nuclear magic and the diver's water blast collided against one of the Shadows, dealing little damage and blasting hot steam back at both of them.

The girl slipped on her skateboard and almost fell over onto her butt, saved only by catching herself on one hand. "GAH! You got me all soaked!"

"You fogged up the glass of my visor!" the diver angrily retorted, swiping at the front of his face.

One of the Shadows was preparing to lunge again, and in a split second, Ken decided to intervene. "Vidarr, Mazionga!"

Ken's newly-evolved Persona sprang into existence, the heavy boot of the silent Norse god destined to slay the Fenris wolf slamming against the pavement and discharging three lightning bolts that struck and floored the trio of Shadows. Koromaru howled to call Cerberus, and the sky briefly darkened as the Mamudoon spell settled over two of the fallen Shadows, killing them instantly. The girl was frozen with surprise at the emergence of the new combatants, but the diver kept his head and took advantage by throwing his full weight behind his trident and slamming it through the last Shadow, pinning it against the asphalt and causing it to finally dissolve into ink.

"Your intervention was most timely, friend," the diver greeted the two of them, pushing his helmet back to rest against his back like a hood to reveal a serious expression and shaggy head of brown hair. He leaned a little on his trident. "Name's Trench. I'm paid by the local weapons company to deal with Shadows in this area of the city."

"Oh, ignore mister serious over there," the girl interrupted, skipping to her feet. "I'm Sakiko! Nice to meet a fellow justice fighter!"

"Excuse you, can you not interrupt me when I'm trying to talk to a potential business partner?" Trench asked crossly.

Sakiko rounded on him. "Oh, you've just met and you think you're already entitled to him? I'll have you know-"

"Ken-kun!" Labrys called out, charging in with Amamiya-san hot on her heels. "Y'all right? Who're these two?"

"They seem to be a couple of the local Persona-users," Ken explained. "They don't seem to get along very well though."

"As if I'd get along well with that Mercenary."

"Why would I? She's so annoying!"

They said at the same time.

"Clearly amateurs," Ren commented, pushing up his fake glasses and leaning casually against the alley wall.

Both of them bristled.

"I can run circles around you, glasses!" Sakiko spat.

"I have slain hundreds of Shadows since the Outbreak began, and I make good money off of it!" Trench argued.

"Ken, how was their teamwork and cooperation?" Ren asked.

"Sloppy at best, I'm afraid," Ken answered.

The two of them opened their mouths to argue again, probably something along the lines of Why should I work together with him/her? when Labrys interrupted.

"Dammit, you two are Persona-users! People are dependin' on you to protect them from the Shadows! So stop actin' like babies and learn to compromise!"

The two of them glared at each other. Trench was the one to break the staring contest first and looked back up at the newcomers. "Much as that would be nice, this lawless woman rubs me the wrong way. She has no technique, no discipline, no decency-"

"Oh, lighten up, ya prig," Sakiko interrupted. "I get way too much of that 'sit down, shut up, and be a good girl' spiel at home already. Besides, you're the one who's working for a shady arms company."

"Judge all you want, but at least the money pays my sister's hospital bills," Trench growled. "The Outbreak has taken too much from me already!"

An angry silence fell between them.

After a few seconds, Ren commented, "Are there any Persona-users in the world who don't have some sort of traumatic baggage?"

"Doubtful," Labrys commented.

Ken sighed. "Don't I know what that's like."

Koromaru barked in agreement.

Trench let out a sigh. "I suppose we can at least… try to stay out of each others' way."

Sakiko backed off. "Sounds reasonable." She walked over and picked up her skateboard, slinging it over her shoulder. "Anyway, what're you lot doing here? I thought the two of us were the only Persona-users in this area."

The group exchanged glances. Labrys answered, "We're investigatin' the weapons company based in that building behind us," she gestured to it with one thumb, "'cause they've been sendin' agents to kidnap Persona-users in Tokyo for some reason."

Trench did a double-take and Sakiko rounded on him. "See? I told you they were shady!"

"Alright, point taken," he grumbled at the ground. He looked back up. "If they're going down, I'm gonna need a new source of income, and fast."

"You said your sister was in the hospital, and you're fighting to support her, right?" Ken asked.

"That's right," the diver replied.

Ken pulled a card out of his pocket and held it out. "We're with an organization called the Shadow Operatives, working with the government and the Kirijo Group. If you need any help once your employers are cooked, call this number, tell them Ken Amada gave it to you, and tell them your story. I guarantee they'll try to help."

Trench reluctantly accepted the card. "Alright. Shadow Operatives, eh? You sure you don't want to just hire me now?"

Labrys laughed a little. "Ask that to the boss." She motioned back towards the street. "Come on Ken-kun. You and Koromaru find out anythin'?"

Sho let out a sigh of relief as he sat down. The atmosphere of the little restaurant he'd chosen was a little dark, but hey, he liked it that way. Besides, the multitude of delicious smells wafting in from the kitchen reflecting the varied choices on the menu, coupled with the lack of other loud, stupid humans around were the main selling points.

Sho had picked up a menu and was starting to browse through it when the bell above the door tinkled, signaling the entrance of a college-age girl some years younger than Sho, with red-streaked black hair and a red blouse and jeans that struggled to contain her very full figure. Her eyes immediately settled on Sho, and she waltzed over with a beaming smile and took a seat across from him.

Sho eyed her suspiciously. "Whaddayou want?"

The girl giggled. "Oh I'm sorry, was this seat taken?"

Sho blinked. "No. Why would it be?"

"Oh, just in case you're already meeting someone here."

Sho scoffed. "I came here because it's quiet and there ain't a lot of people to bother me. Plus, the food's good."

As he spoke, a waitress came over. "Are you ready to order?"

Sho picked up his menu again and rattled off a list of things he wanted to get with the allowance he'd been given by Minako before he'd left. The waitress' surprise mounted throughout, but she was wise enough to keep her comments to herself in the face of the scarred Persona-user. When Sho finally finished, she turned to the girl who'd so brazenly joined him at the table, who only said, "All I need is a coffee. Please and thank you?"

The waitress nodded along and walked back to the counter.

The girl turned back to Sho. "That was a lot of food you just ordered. You really planning on eating it all?"

"You think I can't do it?" he challenged. "Ha! I never know when my next meal's coming, so if I get the chance to gorge, there's no way I'm missing it!"

"Oooh," the girl giggled, "you're more interesting than I thought. Well, nice to meet you, good sir. I'm Ayaka Tani."

"Sho Minazuki," Sho answered with a sly grin. "You got spunk, girl. You'd make a good Persona-user."

Ayaka beamed at him. "Oh, I so wish I was! It must be so thrilling, being able to summon a spirit from your soul and use magic to fight the Shadows born from people's hearts. I would love the opportunity to burn those monsters for hurting two of my friends-!" Ayaka's gaze turned savage as she raised a white-knuckled fist at the memory.

Sho laughed. "Even better! I like that rage of yours. Hold onto it, girl. That rage is a spark of power. Learn to channel it and it will become your Persona!"

Ayaka's expression switched to surprise and awe. "That's really all there is to it?"

"If you're strong enough," Sho said casually. "And if you're not strong enough, you have to seize the power with your own two hands. Grab it and never let it go!"

Something clicked in Ayaka's mind at this speech. "You're one of them, aren't you? A Persona-user?"

Sho laughed again and spread his arms. "You got me. Yeah, I got a Persona."

Ayaka squealed in delight. "I knew you were interesting! There are a few Persona-users around the city, but I've only met one of them before, and he was boring." She made a face. "Going on about duty and needing money to pay his sister's hospital bills. I mean, yeah, that's important, but it's also nice to take a break and live for yourself, you know? You don't have to let work and past tragedies rule your life."

"Sage advice," Sho chuckled.

The bell above the door rang again, this time to signal the admittance of three men in suits and sunglasses. They quickly zeroed in on Sho and Ayaka's table and moved in to surround Sho.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to come with us," one of them told Sho gruffly.

"Why, you the cops?" Sho snarked back.

The man glowered. "Please, come with us."

"If you're not the cops, you can go cop a feel and skedaddle. I'm here to eat."

"You know these guys?" Ayaka eyed them suspiciously.

"Bah, they're probably some goons from this one weapons company that's gotten pretty obsessed with capturing me lately," Sho replied dismissively. "No clue why, but they're being pretty annoying about it."

"Excuse me, I have to bring the young man his order," came the voice of the waitress from behind the suits. Sho sat up eagerly, but the suits ignored her.

"Come quietly, and you and your girlfriend will not be harmed."

Sho glared at him. "Are you serious? Go away and let me eat."

Ayaka giggled, "Wow, we must really be hitting it off to have progressed that far already." Her expression then quickly snapped back to a cold disdain as she addressed the suits again, "But seriously, go f*** yourselves. I have a new boyfriend to get to know."

"Excuse me, please let me through!" the waitress insisted.

One of the other suits turned and smacked one of the trays out of the waitress' hand, scattering rice, miso, chicken, and fish across the floor. Sho snapped to his feet, his eyes and the X-shaped scar across his face glowing blue as an oppressive aura filled the restaurant, causing the suits to flinch in terror.

"That's it. You wanna play rough? Fine. I will avenge my lunch!"

Morgana was jolted from his nap by the sound of shattering glass. Startled, the not-cat sprang to his feet in an instant from where he lay on the roof of a nearby shop and shook off the urge to keep sleeping as Sho leapt out of the broken window he'd just tossed a man in a suit through. He was quickly followed by a really pretty girl in a red shirt who was holding a pair of butter knives she'd evidently borrowed from the restaurant.

"How do you like being tossed on the ground, eh!?" Sho shouted at the suited man groaning on the ground.

"Handsome, powerful, and violent?" the girl teased. "I'm going to have to act fast before some other girl snatches you up!"

Sho turned to reply to her comment, not noticing that more suits were coming out of cars parked along the street and drawing out weapons. Morgana yowled, "SHO, LOOK OUT!"

Sho's head snapped to look up at the cat. "You! What the hell are you doing-"

Sho arced his back with a scream of pain as three suited goons fired tasers at him, hitting him in the back and shoulder. Sho staggered as the current arced through him and slowly fell to his knees, clearly still trying to resist the electric shocks. Horrified, the girl cried aloud and quickly moved to rip out the stinging wires, ignoring the suited men pointing guns at her and telling her to freeze.

The men closed in on the shocked and trembling Sho, one of them laying a hand on the girl to pull her away, but she lashed out with a fist and knocked one of the man's teeth loose. Screaming with fury, she nailed him in his manhood and threw one of her borrowed butter knives at another man who was closing in on Sho, who was forced to duck to avoid the projectile. Then two more men coming up from behind grabbed her wrists and yanked her away from the stunned Sho, still fighting and screaming even as three more suits laid hands on the redhead and started to restrain him with ropes and handcuffs.

Morgana let out a yowl and leapt down into the fray himself, striking the first goon holding the girl in the back with a blade of wind magic and landing on the other's shoulder with outstretched claws, slashing into the fabric and latching his fangs onto the goon's ear. The man jumped and screamed in pain, releasing the girl and flailing around trying to dislodge the furious cat before the newly-freed young woman landed a punch to his solar plexus and dropped him.

"Sho!" the girl cried, turning to the redheaded rogue, but the rest of the suits already had him completely gagged, tied, and cuffed and dragged halfway back to a good-sized van down the street. Those who weren't occupied with the now struggling and gagged Sho, about half a dozen men, leveled guns at her and Morgana.

"Look girl, I didn't want to have to do this," one of the suits said flatly, "but when he chose to resist, he left us no choice. This man is a danger to everyone around him, and if he isn't taken into custody, there's no telling what kind of damage he'll cause. Leave, and forget you saw him."

There was silence as the men continued to haul Sho away. Morgana's thoughts raced as he tried to come up with a plan to get him away. Unfortunately, there were just too many goons for him to take alone. He was a healer, not a tank. If only he hadn't been napping, he could've warned him! Still, if Sho was the only one present who could hear him…

"I'll be back for you, Sho! We all will!" he yowled at the redheaded rogue. Sho briefly met his eyes with a gaze that said You'd better be! before the suits managed to drag him into the van and shut the doors.

Morgana let out a growl of frustration before looking up at the girl. "Hey," he told her, and though she could only hear him meow, the sound still got her attention. "Come with me," he told her, before scampering off in the other direction, heading for a narrow alley just down the street. He stopped next to it and turned to look at her again. "You coming?"

"Kitty? What do you want?" she asked curiously, and she began to follow. When she reached the alley, Morgana scampered into the dark space and reverted to his cat boy form in a puff of smoke.

The girl gave a start as she saw Morgana's transformation, but Morgana spoke quickly. "Okay, listen to me. Those guys are from a weapons company that's trying to capture Persona-users for some reason, we don't know why. The rest of the team is preparing a strike on their headquarters here in Osaka tomorrow, and we can keep you safe until then. Understand?"

The girl nodded blankly.

"Good. My name's Morgana."

"Ayaka Tani."

"Nice to meet you, Lady Ayaka," Morgana replied, turning back into a cat. "Now, follow me and I'll lead you back to the others. Just try to keep your head down."