Okay, so quick thing:
Social Links: yeah… I'm not gonna do that. I'll list off when the links are forged, when they're maxed out and when they're upgraded (more on that later), but that's it, it'll take too long to make the filler plots revolving around them, and some of the characters are… well OOC (lookin at you two Yuuki and Shiho) in this fic.
Other than that, have fun.
The light of red and black died down, revealing Joker in a completely different state entirely. His former black tailcoat was now a deep scarlet with black flames designed on the garb, a pitch black top hat and cane manifested along with him, completing the overall changes with two cuff like bangles with jet black chains linked to his wrists.
"...what the hell!?" Skull yelled, rising up from his spot.
"J-Joker?"
"Yes?" said thief answered back, a chorus of him, Arata and Arsene sounded off instead of the main Phantom thief.
"Hot damn!" Skull shouts, "That looks awesome!"
"It DoEsN't MaTtEr WhAt FoRm YoU TaKe KiD!" the demonic Kamoshida exclaimed. "YoU'rE NeVeR LeAvInG hErE AlIvE!"
"We'll See about that." the upgraded Joker retorted, looking at the cat creature beside him. "Mona, I'll distract him, you steal the crown from his head. Everyone else, cover me!"
"Right!"
The group scattered, dodging the various attacks from the demon monster thing before them.
"hmm... " Joker hummed in thought "How can we get to the crown of… whatever the hell this thing is?"
~Answer: Suguru "Asmodeus" Kamoshida. Weakness N/A, Hp: 2500.~ Arata's voice echoed through Joker's mind, however, his tone seemingly robotic and stiff. ~Recommendation: damage health supply and attack sources.~ the glowing chalice and several chained underlings now glowed a white light, signifying the transformed thief of where to attack.
"Alright, Let's try this…" gripping his chained knife, Joker rushed towards the golden chalice in front of Kamoshida and swung a wide arce towards the Cup, leaving a large gash on the container and directing the demon's attention to him.
"HeY! QuIt ThAt! ThIs ThInG iS wOrTh MoRe MoNeY tHaN tEn Of YoUr LiVeS!"
"Stab the cup!" Joker shouts, Shooting several bullets at the chained underlings beside the Shadow king.
"Oh Shit, Right!" Skull Shouts rising up and casting lightning attacks to the underlings as well.
"I'm on it!" Akuma shouts, running towards the Chalice and strikes it with a powerful kick, leaving a large visible dent.
"I sAiD qUiT iT!"
"AGI!"
"Megido!"
"Magna!"
A triad of elements blasted forth and struck the chalice, blowing it to pieces.
"No!" the Shadow king roared. "ThIs WaS fRoM wHeN i WoN tHe NaTiOnAl!"
"Nobody cares!" Akuma shouts, punching off a separate underling. Soon, all the underlings were freed and killed, leaving Kamoshida to the group's mercy as they flanked him from all sides.
"We got you now Dickbag!" Skull yelled, aiming his shotgun at the tyrant.
"YoU tHiNk YoU cAn GeT aWaY wItH dOiNg ShIt LiKe ThIs!? Do YoU rEaLiZe WhO i Am!? ...I aM KAMOSHIDA! DoN't YoU gEt It!?"
"Yes, we know. We just don't care." Shinobi answered, shooting her crossbow at the glass he was holding, breaking it.
"WhA!? HOW DARE YOU! FuCk It! I'M gOnNa KiLl AlL oF yOu!"
The demonic shadow roared as it stood up on its short legs and flailed around wildly, causing the thieves to retreat slightly to avoid damage.
"Mona." Joker whispered, gaining the cat's attention. "Where are you? We need this done fast…"
"Almost there, just keep at him.." Mona nodded, hiding on the chandelier above the Shadow.
"Okay so what'd be a good distraction for this…" Joker thought.
~recommendation: blind, cripple and or divert the shadow's attention.~
"...ookay, anything else?"
~suggestion addition: Kill the shad-~
"Yeah, not happening. Everyone. Keep his attention scattered!"
Nodding at the new plan, the entire group focused on just that. Akuma and Skull focused on attacks and parrying the demon's flailing swings, Panther and Shinobi rained down ammunition to keep his eyes on them, and K and Noir spammed rapid fire spells from many skill cards.
Running up to the distracted shadow, Joker reared his knife and swung….
…
...right into the tyrant's left eye.
"AaAaAaAaHhHhHhHhHh!"
"Ooh damn!" Skull wheezed, cringing as the blade slid through the demon's retna like butter.
"Shit, is that gonna leave a mark!?" Joker panicked internally.
~Answer: negative, this form will dissipate, leaving the shadow relatively unharmed when subdued. Warning: 30 seconds until separation.~
"WHAT!?"
"YoU DaMn No GoOd, ShItTy- HeY wAiT a MiNuTe…" the shadow king hissed, looking around the room. "Is ThErE oNe LeSs Of YoU?"
"Uuuuh…"
"I kNeW iT! ThE dAmN cAt'S MiSsInG! WhErE'd It Go!?"
"Right Here!" Mona Shouts, diving from his perch and rams into the crown on its head, knocking said headpiece off and rolling to the other side of the room.
"NOOOOO! MY... MY PRECIOUS...!" The king bellows.
"This ends here Kamo-" was all Joker said before spazzing out in front of everyone in a black and red light. Everyone looked onward as the Phantom Thief split into three, revealing Arsene, a winded Reaper and a slightly dazed normal Joker.
"W-what happened!?" Joker spoke up, shaking off his initial daze.
"That would be the cost of the inhibitor ring, Trickster." Philemon's voice echoed through his mind. "It shall grant you new strength, but only for a total of five minutes, when the time is up, then the transformation ends."
"... crap."
~Whine about it later, man, finish the speedodemon!~ Reaper shouts out as he launched towards the downed shadow. Everyone soon followed suit, clashing every which way in a tidal wave of magic, weapons and gunshots.
"D-DAMN IIIIT!" The shadow cried out as it bows down defeated, exploding in a big black explosion, revealing the humanoid shadow variant within.
"Perfect! Now to claim our prize!" Mona cheered, the group nearing the crown… before the shadow suddenly grabbed the crown and ran off to a nearby balcony.
"Crap!" the shadow whimpered, looking back at the group.
"You're at the end of your rope kamoshida." K announced, walking forward. "Hand over the crown."
"No way, I've earned this crown!" the shadow desperately screams at them. "Those damn hyenas wanted EVERYTHING from me. I'm a victim too! What's wrong with wanting a little compensation for that!?"
~Compensation? COMPENSATION!? Motherfucker, you almost raped a girl for no reason, and you call that COMPENSATION!?~ Reaper yelled.
"If you're that desperate for that stupid crown, then why don't you jump?" Shinobi said, "right now you're seeing the same view I did, but this time, there won't be anyone who'll save you."
"What will you do?" Panther continued. "Will you jump, or would you rather die here? The choice is yours." Carmen and Joan nodded to each other, with the fire persona charging fireballs and the light persona rearing her spear-bow at the scared king.
~remember girls. No killing. Otherwise he's fair game.~ Reaper shouts, grinning ferally.
"Wait, wait, wait! I beg of you! Please Forgive m-" Kamoshida was promptly silenced when an arrow whizzed passed his face, barely missing by a margin.
"Silence!" Shinobi hissed. "This little game of yours has been going on long enough!"
"I bet everyone told you the same thing." Panther added. "But you took EVERYTHING FROM THEM!" Carmen threw her fireballs near the horrified shadow, making it flinch in fear.
"I-I a-accept defeat… here, Take it…" the king kneeled down and tossed the crown to Joker, who caught it and passed it to Reaper. "Go ahead and finish me off… my real self will go down too…"
~now where's the fun in t- huh?~ Reaper stopped mid sentence when Shinobi and panther walked forward, a thin but noticeable trail of Malice steamed off of them. ~hey girls… remember… don't kill him.~
"..."
~girls?~
"..."
~girls!? Don't do it.~
Steeling themselves, Panther and Shinobi snapped their fingers, causing Carmen and Joan to fire their attacks at the downed king.
"ANN!" Skull shouts out, forgetting the codenames entirely at the shocking turn of events.
The king closed his eyes and awaited for his death… that never came. Looking back up, he found a giant scorch mark and an arrow of light pierces inches away from him, with both girls looking down on him.
"If his mind shuts down.. Then he can't admit his crimes." Panther said, her eyes laced with fury.
"We're not going to be like this scumbag." Shinobi added, looking away from him.
~oh thank god.~
"That almost scared me a little…" Skull sighed.
"You're kind, Lady Ann, Lady Shiho…" Mona nodded.
"Go back to your real self… and repent." Joker said, getting a slow nod from the dethroned demon as it slowly faded away.
All of a sudden, the palace started shaking violently as the group looked on in panic.
"Hey guys. The palace won't hold up much longer." Mona said, causing everyone to look at him.
~we should probably RUN!~ Reaper screamed, making everyone beeline for the exit as the world crumbled apart.
~You almost Died Monkey boy!~
"Stop it with the damn Monkey!" Ryuji yelled.
"Stop giving us headaches and heart attacks!" Ann yelled back.
"Well stop wit- huh? Hey! Look at the nav!" Ryuji pulled out his phone, the others followed suit.
"When did this get on my phone?" Kawakami asked.
*the destination has been deleted.*
"So… we can't go there anymore?" Mishima asked, causing the other's to shrug.
"Forget that! What about the treasure!?" Morgana shouted, causing a whole new wave of panic… right before Akira silently pulling out a medal from his pocket.
~there it is.~
"What the…" Ryuji deadpanned.
"We almost died for an Olympic medal? Where's the crown!?" Ann shouts again.
"That medal IS the crown." Morgana clarified. "To Kamoshida, that medal is worth the same as that crown we saw in the palace."
"Well, it's nice to know that I've almost died for a block of metal." Mishima sighed.
"I bet that perv kept clingin' to his past glory and couldn't let it go…" Ryuji said.
"Then… this means that his heart has changed, right?"
"...probably." Morgana shrugged nervously.
"Our expulsion is on the line here!" Shiho shouts out.
"WHAT!?" Kawakami shouts. "What the hell happened before I came to you guys!?"
"Hey, this is the first successful example for me too! I only have the knowledge, not the experience!" Morgana rebutted.
~how does that work?~
"No idea…" akira shrugged.
"However, there's no doubt that this affected Kamoshida's personality quite a bit."
"Ugh… let's just turn in for tonight." Shiho said, getting affirmative replies to her suggestion.
"I feel antsy though… aint there a way to check now?"
"I'll ask Igor and philemon later, but for now, let's rest on it." Akira said, getting nods from everyone as they all headed home.
Monday, 25th
Partially cloudy
Shibuya district
Mid-day
~kira.~
"Yes?"
~what the hell am I seeing here?~
"...I don't know myself."
Five days after the palace disappeared, the group awaited for any update on their expulsion. Kawakami decided to look more into that, so he's waiting for that message, which didn't arrive yet. Then there's mishima, who kind of adopted his timid form once more, but with a slightly more calm demeanor, and his idea for a little "project" as he puts it. This leaves the rest of the group with practically nothing to do, and with seven days left before the day of the expulsion, the group were in a state of disarray. So, as a way to cope with the suspense, Akira and Arata went out shopping, and they made it to a mall before they stopped in their tracks at the sight they're seeing.
There, right in front of them were a set of massage chairs, sofas and other furniture next to a sign saying "try before you buy." but that was not what they were shocked about.
Not about the somewhat cheap pricings either…
"Uuuhh…"
The two little girls practically vibrating on their own activated massage chairs on the other hand…..
~Carol… Justy… what uh..… whatcha doing here?~
"Living Inmate. Living." the bun haired tiny warden said, sinking into the cushion of the vibrating chair.
"No… like what are you two doing HERE?" Akira clarified. "In the real world?"
"We're on our break." the second braided warden answered.
~How did you… nevermind, WHY are you here?~
"Like we said, inmates! It's our day off!" Caroline shouts back.
"You two are the only ones we know of in this place." Justine added.
"Kira?" a familiar set of voices shouts out.
~oh dear lord no.~
Walking up to the group of four were Ryuji, Mishima and Haru, each one having done their own shopping by the looks of their occupied hands.
"What's going on here?" Mishima asked, looking at the two wardens. "And who are these two?"
"Oh, looks like the inmate's friends have arrived."
"Inmates?"
"Don't worry about it. Guys these two are Caroline and Justine."
~Carol, Justy, these are-~
"We know who they are, inmates." Caroline yelled back.
"Okay, seriously dude, what's with the inmate nickname."
~we'll tell you later. The big question is WHY they're here!~
"And we'll repeat: we're on break. And we want you to be our guides here." Justine said. Both wardens leaving the chairs and stood next to Akira.
"... I don't have a choice in the matter, do I?"
"Aw, see, you're learning." Caroline snarked.
~and that's it.~
"Damn… so these two were a girl that this Demiurge split apart?" Ryuji whispered, looking on as Akira was practically their shopping mule… at his expense.
~yep, though I'm more confused on how they're here… their powers are halved. And I doubt they can leave on their own for too long.~
"Well, what's with this "inmates" thing they keep calling you two?"
~...well, you know kira's false criminal record?~
"Yeah?"
~that. That's all you need to know.~
"But that leaves another question." Haru stated. "Just what is the velvet room? Aside from the one Philemon and Igor are, you said that the Demiurge kicked them out. What does that room look like?"
Three gazes fell upon the godling as they awaited an answer.
~um… it's blue, first off.. Um… it's circular… cobbled floor, blue furniture…~
"We're back." Akira's voice mumbled, his entire face muffled by boxed of pastries and goods.
~oh thank god.~
"What the hell's all that!?" Ryuji yelped at the sheer amount of boxed the male carried.
"Cookies, cakes, brownies… they really like sweets for some reason." Akira answered.
"No, the sweets are for me, inmate!" Caroline shouts, taking out a cookie from one of the boxes. "The spicy stuff's for Justine."
~wait… justy's into spicy food?~ Arata asked, looking at the braided girl finishing a box of hot wings, somehow without causing a mess on her face and hands.
~HOW!?~
"Anyways, have you guys heard back from Kawakami yet?"
"Nah man, I've been focusing on some extra credit."
"I'm afraid I haven't either, sorry."
~what about you Mishima?~
"Actually, I think she wanted you to message her. We met together while I finished my special project and told me."
~really!? Cool, maybe there's good news after all.~
"What's this project anyway?" Akira asked, his answer being the blunette showing him his phone, with an intricate website flashing on it.
"I call it the Phansite. It's still a work in progress though."
"What's it for?" Haru asked.
"It's fo-"
*bzzzzzt!*
"Huh?" taking out his phone, Akira looked down to see that it was Kawakami on the other end.
"Huh, guess she didn't like waiting." Mishima shrugged.
"Hey guys, give me a bit, I have to take this."
~go on, I gotta talk to these three anyway~ Arata said, gesturing to Ryuji, Morgana and Haru.
"Alright… wait, what about these two?"
"I'll take care of them for the time being." Mishima answered, getting looks from everyone. "What? I know how to take care of children, and they look the part, so no one will notice who or what they truly are."
"Hmm… true, we do look rather too youthful." Caroline sighed.
"Alright, fine. We'll go with the blue one, but only until the inmate is done with his call."
~cool.~ Arata nodded. Nodding to him, Akira, Mishima and the twins all left off to another area of the shopping district.
~so, have you three been practicing like I asked on saturday?~ Arata asked out of the blue, the two humans and cat creature nodded, thinking back to the event several days prior.
Flashback time
Saturday, 23rd
Sunny
Shujin Rooftops
Mid-day
~thanks for coming up here you three.~ Arata said, looking out over the rooftop. Behind him were Haru and Ryuji, Morgana hanging beside them in Ryuji's bag. Floating towards them, Arata chuckled and pulled out some books from his jacket.
"So… what's this all about?" Ryuji said out of the blue, confused at why he had to be there.
~Remember when I awakened your potenti- wait.~ Arata stopped, looking at Ryuji. ~what the hell happened to you?~
True to his claim, Ryuji had a major change as opposed to his normal appearance, the most prominent one being his hair, which were now sporting pitch black streaks instead of the pale blonde they were accustomed to.
"Eh… you guys wouldn't believe me…"Ryuji chuckled nervously, looking off to the side.
~try me.~
"... I sneezed. Like, really hard and… long story short, there was a reason why there was a power outage near my neighborhood."
~you… sneezed a blackout?~
"...yes?" Ryuji asked.
~huh, to think you'd make one that strong…~
"HUH!? You believe me?" Ryuji shouts out, startled.
~yeah, it's kind of the reason why I called you here.~
"That didn't answer his question either." Morgana added.
"Well, apparently the sneeze fried off most of the hair dye I used… and I was out of stock at home."
~well I like it. It gives off a nice danger vibe.~
"You said, this is the reason why you called us here, correct?" Haru intervened, getting the group back on track.
~yep, you three are going to train yourselves how to utilize your new powers.~ Arata exclaimed. ~Ryuji with his lightning power, you with your psychokinesis, and Morgana with his wind magic. Thankfully these books gave me some good starting ideas for training you. Now, each of you separate.~ doing what the godling instructed, the three went off to a different area of the roof. Arata chose to go you ryuji first due to him being the closest.
~okay, Ryuji, I want you to do some simple motions. Once you're comfortable with doing them, then close your eyes.~ Arata began to swing his arms fluidly and slowly in long swoops, Ryuji following close behind. After a few minutes, the back and blonde male closed his eyes, not stopping his repetitions.
~good. Now electricity flows, just like water, it's a lot easier to flow with it and guide it than against it. Don't force the electricity, let it carry you. Just focus on guiding it, like a chariot.~ Arata said, floating beside the boy. ~now, take a deep breath and tell me what you see.~
Breathing in, then out, Ryuji relaxed slightly, tiny sparks danced across his body as he did so.
"I-I see… a yellow ball."
~yes, good. Anything else? What is it doing?~
"It's swinging… like my arms are doing…"
~that's perfect, keep it up.~
"Should I go faster?"
~no, not yet, take another deep breath and think about all things lightning and electric.~
Heeding the godling's advice, Ryuji did as instructed, the yellow orb growing bigger and more radiant with each motion.
~yes, YES! Now, on the count of three, you swing to the sky, with all your force if you need to.~
"Okay…" Ryuji nodded.
~one…~ Ryuji swung. ~two…~ another swing… ~THREE!~ with one final swing, Ryuji opened his eyes and swung overhead, a giant arc of electricity surged out his hand and into the air, curving and twirling like a corkscrew before dissipating altogether. Heaving slightly, Ryuji crashed onto the rooftop.
~not bad for your first time, kid. Think you can do that again?~
"... just… give me a minute." Ryuji gasped.
~Alright, you rest up and try again. Morgana you're next!~
Floating on over to the cat, Arata pulled out a book from behind him. ~okay so for you, it's a bit simple; just think of the sky, the breeze you feel when the wind flows around you, as if you were weightless.~
"Um…"
~Hmm… just close your eyes, calm your mind and… well when you and Zorro casts wind magic, try to imitate that feeling.~
"Ah, that i can do." closing his eyes, Morgana focused deep within himself as he stilled his breath. Seconds later, he began to float in place soft winds picking up and swirling around the cat.
~huh, that was faster than Ryuji..~
"Not bad, Cat!" said Ryuji commented from the background.
In a sudden spin, Morgana twisted upwards, a short spiral of wind swirled outwards, rocketing him into the air before he floated down to his original spot. "How's that?"
~not bad, i feel like i won't need to teach you lot much if this keeps up.~ Arata nodded. ~now for Haru.~ floating to his final companion, Arata tossed the earlier book aside and pulled out a different one entirely.
~okay, so for you haru, this might sound a bit confusing…~
"Not to worry." Haru reassured. "I'm sure that we can find a way."
~so… close your eyes, clear your mind, and take a deep breath.~
Following the instructions, Haru closed her eyes and cleared her mind, a thin veil of pink appeared around her.
~okay.. Now-~ before Arata managed to finish, Haru did what not even he managed to prepare for at that moment… and sneezed.
"Aa… ACHOO!"
*BOOOOM!*
...and nearly everything around them either exploded or was flung out of sight.
As the four regained their bearings, Arata looked around at what was now a clean, empty rooftop… and several roofless buildings around the school.
~eeeh, let's call it a break for now, just repeat what we just did. From now on when you have the time… excluding the ..sneezing part.~
Flashback end
"I think the authorities are still trying to figure that out." Haru said.
~of course they are, you sneezed roofs off of buildings.~
"It was one sneeze."
~anyways, we'll work on your powers more next weekend.~
"I'm back." Akira said, walking back to the group. "Good news; Kamoshida called Kawakami and personally apologized to her, and look what she had with her." pulling out his phone, Akira showed the group a picture on it of Kawakami holding a stack of papers.
"Are those-!?" Ryuji yelled, excitement and relief leaking out of his tone.
"Yep. we don't have to worry about expulsion."
"Good." Morgana said. "Now that that's over, we just have to wait until his confession. That way we'll know for sure we had a successful job.
"Are the inmates done yet!?" Caroline shouts, the three remaining people joining in on the group.
"Yeah, I'm done Carol." Akira smirked, causing said warden to blush and stammer.
"Not you too!"
"Well what would you want us to call you?"
~Well, there's Aquamarine, Lapis Lazuli, violet, blue jay…~
"S-stop it!" she stutters, going through various shades.
"What about beautiful carnation?... carnations are blue right?" Ryuji pitched in
"Yes, there are blue carnations." Haru answered, "there are also Irises, periwinkle…"
"Sapphires?" Morgana added.
~yes yes! There we go!~
"STOP IT THIS INSTANT!" Caroline shouts her face going a new shade of red "WE'RE GOING BACK INMATES!"
"Aw come on, Carol, Justy." AKira said.
"NO! We-re leaving Right now!"
"Till we meet again inmates." Justine shouts, her twin practically dragging her away.
"...well that was something." Ryuji deadpanned.
~you do know that I'm gonna start teasing them on this from now on, right?~
"I'd be shocked if you didn't." AKira chuckled.
Sorry about how short this is compared to the others. I figured you lot could get SOMETHING before i brick even more than before. So this is filler arc part one, then the second part will have the confession, then a few events before we start madarame's arc. Also, I deeply apologize for this since i kinda promise that i wouldn't stall on the kamoshida arc. Anyways enjoy
TBC