"First order of business…" Joker said aloud, as the thieves reached the entrance. "Does everyone have their respective equipment?"
All of the thieves, minus Jacob nodded. "What are we going to give Sholmes-Sama though?"
"That is a very good question." Mona realised. "Anyone have any spare weapons?"
As the thieves began to discuss Jacob's weapon situation, Joker noticed a familiar door materialise near the Palace's entrance. The door was already open, so Joker walked through the door.
*Play Song: The Poem of Everyone's Souls*
"Welcome back… to The Velvet Room." A sweet, young voice said.
Joker smiled, recognising the voice. Looking just to the right of Igor's desk, stood the small, yet powerful attendant, Lavenza.
"Good to see you again, Lavenza." Joker smiled.
"It's been many a day, Trickster." Lavenza said, before sighing. "But alas, I am unsure of how to feel about our reunion. Again."
Igor chuckled. "You needn't ponder on this for too long, Lavenza," he said. "Life is full of mysteries like these." Igor turned his attention back to Joker. "Now then…"
Igor addressed the guillotine and gallows around the room. "Your resources have been prepared."
Lavenza nodded. "I've been preparing a special version of your compendium, Trickster."
"A special version?" Joker questioned.
Igor chuckled. "You haven't been summoned for this one task, Akira. It seems that the fate of the universe shall soon fall under great peril, and you and your confidants will be tasked with saving this universe.. "
Lavenza sighed. "I'm sorry, Trickster. This isn't going to be simple. Even my sister has had to bring in her Wild Card." Lavenza perked up a little bit. "Along with my second brother preparing his new Wild Card."
Joker smiled, knowing that Lavenza was talking about Yu and Jacob respectively.
"As such…" Lavenza continued. "I am able to grant you a few full pages of this compendium to aid you in this oncoming quest." she added, walking up to Joker, allowing him to see what Persona were available to summon.
As Joker felt the presence of Jack brothers Frost and O'Lantern, along with Pixie, Angel and Bicorn forming within his heart, blue flames formed in front of Joker.
"A new heist?" A voice said from the flames. "It's been far too long since last time, good sir." The voice added, before taking the form of the gentleman thief, Arsène.
"Good to see you, Arsène." Joker smirked.
"The strength of thy will remains as strong as ever." Arsène said. "Perhaps it's even stronger after the newer battles you partake in."
Joker smirked, as Arsène began to fade away. "I shall once again become your mask. Once more, you shall reveal the strength of thy will to seek the truth on thine own, though thou be chained down by Hell itself!"
As Arsene finished, he burst into a large blue flame, as he fully transformed back into Joker's mask. Much like he would when recruiting a new Persona, Joker accepted the mask, allowing it to fly onto his face.
"It seems you are ready to go on ahead, Trickster." Lavenza smiled. "Go fourth, and show us what you're capable of!"
Igor chuckled. "I do have one favour to ask of you as soon as you leave this room." He began. "I would like for you to hand the new weapon that you receive upon your departure to the other Wild Card with you."
Joker nodded.
"Very well." Igor finished. "Good luck. And remember to utilise our services within the Velvet Room whenever you so desire."
"All the luck in the world for you, Trickster." Lavenza said with a sweet smile. "I look forward to seeing you in action once more."
Lavenza's smile made Joker chuckle a little. He never ceased to be amazed at how much Lavenza seemed to admire him, as if she was a fangirl to a popular superhero. With that last thought in his head, Joker closed his eyes, as he felt the Velvet Room disappear around him.
*Stop Song*
"Hey Joker!" Mona exclaimed. "Are you still with us?"
"I'm still here." Joker replied.
"Trip to the Velvet Room, I'm guessing?" Jacob questioned.
"Right on the money." Joker responded, remembering that Igor asked him to give Jacob something. Looking at his left hand, a large sword was present. The sword was roughly around the same length as Cloud's Buster and Fusion swords.
"Igor wanted me to give this to you." Joker said, turning to Jacob, to hand him the sword.
"Wow!" Jacob exclaimed. "That's one hell of a large sword." Jacob took the sword, and held it in front of him. "I like the feel of this thing!"
"Now that he does have a weapon, are we ready to go?" Mona asked.
All of the thieves nodded.
"It's yours to confirm, Joker." Jacob said. "Are you ready?"
"Let's do it!" Joker exclaimed, turning to face the palace once more. His long long coat flowing behind him as he spun.
The thieves clutched their weapons, and under Joker's lead, they charged straight into Waluigi's Palace...
Yet as the thieves entered the Palace, a small TV shaped portal opened unbeknownst to them. And a group of teens (and a bear thing) spilled out onto the floor of where they last stood.
Entering the first area of the palace The thieves were met with a familiar sight.
"Ah yes." Jacob commented. "The ever so familiar neon tunnel."
"So…" Skull began. "Do we just jump through the thing or…?"
"Good question." Oracle replied. "I mean, nothing's stopping us from just jumping straight through it..."
"But at the same time, do we want to just jump straight in?" Queen asked.
Joker walked closer towards the tunnel, before a monitor came crashing down, and blocked the entrance.
"Wah-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaa!" was the only noise that emitted from the monitor, before the screen sprang to life. The bright screen showed Shadow Waluigi, who was decked out in his more recent golfing attire. "Welcome to Waaaaah-luigi Pinball!" the shadow laughed.
*Play Song: Waluigi Pinball (Mario Kart 8 Ver.)*
"In this one of a kind experience, you shall venture through the wild world of four, count 'em four, grand pinball tables, increasing in difficulty for the most fun and exhilarating challenge you'll ever experience!"
The monitor paused for a second, before proceeding to scan the group of teens (and cat). "It seems we have nine willing participants here, but only one of you can play on a table."
Suddenly, two halves of a ball closed in on the Phantom Thieves, with only Jacob remaining outside the ball.
"The problem now has been fixed." Shadow Waluigi said. "May the lone gentleman please proceed to the control room. Your game of Waluigi Pinball is about to begin."
Jacob was teleported into another room, giving him a perfect view of the playing field. A few buttons, and a ball shooter were positioned in a way as to look like a mini version of the cabinet. The ball that trapped the Phantom Thieves suddenly dropped into the shooter lane, bouncing lightly, before a small wall fell behind it, allowing the ball to roll and hit the launcher.
"I'm so, so sorry guys." Jacob said, before pulling on the launcher. The ball launched at a high velocity, before rounding the corner of the shooter lane and entering the playing field. The ball rolled around the playing field, with Jacob whacking the ball with the flippers. Jacob almost forgot he was in a palace, as he found himself surprisingly engrossed within the impromptu game of pinball.
…At least, for roughly 5 minutes, that was.
As the ball rolled down the centre of the playing field, the ball split in half, spilling the Phantom Thieves out onto the playing field. Jacob suddenly found himself teleported to that same playing field, instantly seeing the Thieves dizzy and disorientated.
*Stop Song*
"Oh shit!" Jacob exclaimed. "Are you guys ok?!"
"I must… tell you *urp* something…" Oracle stammered out. "You play… pinball like a monster…"
"Yeah…" Skull said, on the verge of vomiting, "I feel like I'm gonna throw up an entire 'effin buffet."
Suddenly, the same laugh as heard on the monitor rang out across the playing field. Everyone turned their attention to the trough area, and saw Shadow Waluigi walking over, slowly clapping.
*Play Song - Tension (Persona 5)*
"I must thank you, random boy." The shadow said cockily. "Your killer pinball skills are the final nail in the coffin for the Phantom Thieves." A shit eating smile was plastered on his face. "The boy who held the Phantom Thieves in such high regards, just aided the great Waluigi in killing them."
"Fat chance!" Mona exclaimed. He just barely held his sword up, and shouted loudly:
"Come…! Zorro!"
Mona's Persona stood proudly behind the cat, before bringing his sword outward, casting a Me Patra spell upon the team.
The team got back up, their dizziness subsiding. "You were saying, ya purple bastard?!" Skull exclaimed.
Shadow Waluigi rolled his eyes. "You waste my time," he complained. "All this time spent with a bunch of stupid kids, when I could be putting time and resources into taking over the mansion myself."
"So…" Jacob said, gripping his sword. "I finally get to hear you say it with your own mouth."
"Don't you even bother trying to start something with me." Shadow Waluigi suddenly snapped. "Your stupid friend has already interferred with my plan!"
"What?" Jacob questioned.
"I was supposed to have those other Persona users taken out!" the shadow moaned. "Robots had been sent to attack them, in a place where they couldn't access any of their powers, and then that purple haired bitch turned out to have a damn keyblade. Not only did she ruin my plan, she bought enough time for the others to get weapons!" Shadow Waluigi finished, anger building.
"Hazel-Chan has a Keyblade?!" Noir questioned
"Hazel is a keyblade wielder?!" Jacob exclaimed.
"Enough of this!" Shadow Waluigi snapped, before snapping his fingers to summon 2 Pazuzus and 2 Liliths.
"Take them out!" The shadow yelled. "I'll savour this moment greatly."
One of the Pazuzu's cast a Maeiga spell. But it didn't target the thieves.
Instead, it hit Jacob. Hard.
Jacob was flung backwards, and landed on his back with a loud slam. Somehow, his sword stayed within his grasp.
"Jacob-San!" Joker cried out.
"Sholmes-Sama!" Noir and Fox cried out in sync.
His ears rang as he landed, barely able to hear the cries of the Phantom Thieves and he could feel himself start to slip into unconsciousness.
"This is bad!" Skull cried. "All he's got is a sword!"
"Don't worry about me…" Jacob stammered out, coughing and wheezing. "Just take the guy out…!"
Shadow Waluigi burst out laughing. "Aww… All tuckered are you?" he mocked, as a golf club formed within his hands. "Here, I'll put you into a deep, deep sleep…"
Breathing heavily, his mind began to move quickly. "Is this it…? Is this where I die? Is this where my… mark on the world fades away?"
Yet as those thoughts raced through his mind, another voice spoke (or more accurately, yelled.) at him.
"You have made a grave mistake, Sholmes."
For a brief moment, all of Jacob's thoughts vanished. A powerful conviction flowed through his mind.
"No!"
Jacob suddenly exclaimed.
"This isn't where it ends!" he added, slowly standing up, yet letting his head hang low.
"Waluigi!" Jacob yelled, before gazing deep into the shadows eyes. Jacobs eyes baring deep golden color. ""
Suddenly, a powerful migraine shot through Jacob's head, sending him writhing around on the floor.
*Play Song - Awakening (Persona 5)*
"Are you going to just lay down, and give in? Whilst all of your friends and allies fight this war?!"
Another migraine shot through Jacobs head. "What…?! What's going on?!"
The voice chuckled.
"So smart, yet so naive."
The voice said.
"All the knowledge of these events and scenarios. Yet you feign ignorance."
"Feign ignorance…?" Jacob questioned, head still in complete pain.
"Must I spell it out for you?
A war rages on, and you're just accepting defeat without even so much as an attempt to fight back?"
Another migraine shot
"As warriors fight on, you just take one hit, and call it quits?!"
The voice roared
"No." Jacob said, suddenly feeling his strength return again. "They've not seen me at my full potential!"
"Perfect."
The voice said.
"You cannot die. Not until you fulfil your contract, and lay waste to those who stand to oppose you."
"The contract has been signed." Jacob said, standing back up. "Hit me with all you've got!" He yelled.
"I am Thou, Thou art I."
"Call upon the name of the god of flame, and we shall bring ragnarok upon all those who stand in OUR way!"
*Stop Song*
With one final migraine, Jacob stood up, feeling stronger than ever, yet somehow still drained and tired. Bringing his hands away from his head, he felt something in the palm of his right hand. Looking in his hand, he saw a card.
A tarot card.
A tarot card, depicting the fool.
Jacob looked at Waluigi, dead in the eyes, and said one single word.
"Persona!"
He exclaimed, before crushing the card in his hand.
*Play Song: Awakening (Persona 4) from 0:49*
The fragments of the card turned into bright blue flames, starting off by burning within Jacob's hand, before increasing in size and surrounding Jacob in a bright blue fire.
A few stray flames landed on the floor in front of him. Before turning a dark orange and spreading into a large circle. Suddenly, two hands burst up from the flames, as a giant fiery demon climbed out of the circle.
The demon stood tall, possibly the tallest starting Persona Joker had ever seen. The body was humanoid, yet the face showed no expression of humanity. Its eyes were deep, fiery yellow, and the mouth was in a permanent hateful scowl. In his right hand, he bore a large sword. The crossguard curved upwards, a smaller curved guard housed the long, blood red blade.
"Did…? Did his Persona just… climb up through hell or somethin'?!" Skull stammered out.
"What an artistic display!" Fox exclaimed.
Oracle went wide eyed, suddenly recognising the fiery demon that Jacob had awakened to. "No way! That's… the MCU version of him!"
"Of who?" Noir asked.
"Surtur. The god of fire." Oracle replied.
The blue flames beneath Surtur subsided. And Jacob was visible once again. This time, his casual clothing from the past few days, was replaced by his attorney attire. The sword that Igor had given him was transformed into a replica of Surtur's crimson blade. The size of the sword being roughly the same as Cloud's Buster and Fusion swords.
Jacob held the sword with both hands, pointing it at the five shadows in front of him. "Come on then, I dare you to hit me with all that again!" Jacob shouted proudly.
Shadow Waluigi's once confident face now had concern written all over, before becoming extremely mad. Both of these teens had awakened to something and that had gotten in the way of his plans.
He looked at the four shadows that he had summoned. "Take the boy, and whatever that thing is, out."
Overhearing Waluigi, Jacob spoke up. "Oh, it's on, asshole!"
*Stop Song*
Begin Battle:
Jacob and The Phantom Thieves Vs Pazuzu x2 & Harlot of Desire (Lillth) x2
*Play Song - Will Power*
"I am Surtur, the God of flame!" Surtur yelled from behind Jacob. "I am the rebel that resides within your soul!" His burning stare locked onto the shadows in front of him. "Raise your sword up high, and together, we shall bring down Twilight upon all who stand in our way!"
Jacob raised his sword high, just as a Pazuzu shot towards him. Jacob brought down the sword just as it approached, damaging it severely. It lurched back from the pain.
Seeing this, one of the Lillths charged towards Jacob. But both he and his Persona expected this. As Jacob began pointing his sword at the approaching harlot, Surtur spoke up yet again, addressing the approaching shadow.
"You cannot stop Ragnorok. Why fight it?" Surtur said, before shooting a fireball from Twilight, and striking the Lilith square in the chest, weakening the shadow.
All of a sudden however, Surtur vanished, and Jacob slumped onto the ground. Just barely being able to keep himself up by balancing on his sword, Jacob could feel his vision and hearing become unstable. The last thing Jacob could fully make out was the sound of someone running in heeled boots behind him, before seeing that Panther had jumped over him and towards the other Lilith.
"Carmen!"
Panther shot a fireball at Lilith, knocking it down just like the first one. From behind her, Joker ran in, targeting the two Pazuzus.
"Angel!"
Taking advantage of the weakness, Joker fired a Kouha attack at one of the Pazuzu's, before taking advantage of the knockdown in order to do the same to the second shadow.
With all 4 shadows on the ground, Skull and Queen joined Joker and Panther. The 4 instantly charged at the downed shadows, commencing an All-Out Attack.
*Stop Song*
End Battle:
Victors: Jacob and The Phantom Thieves
Sliding his knife back into his coat pocket, Joker turned back to Waluigi. The Shadow now furious.
"You stupid teens!" He snapped. "You and that purple haired bitch!"
"You want… to shut the fuck up about… my best friend yet?" Jacob stammered out, exhausted.
"She gives purple a bad name!" Shadow Waluigi roared. "And what is your near death looking ass saying?!"
"Give me time… you petty twat." Jacob said, visibly becoming more frail.
"Bold of you to assume you'll survive that long." Shadow Waluigi said with a smirk, before vanishing.
"Shit." Panther exclaimed. "He's gone."
"We have a bigger problem, it seems!" Skull exclaimed in response, addressing Jacob.
…Who at this moment in time, had fully slumped onto the floor, his consciousness finally slipping away.
"Shoot!" Joker muttered, running towards Jacob. Queen following not too far behind.
"Go grab him from the left side, I'll grab him from the right side." Joker said to Queen.
Queen nodded, slinging Jacob's left arm around her shoulder, Joker doing the same with his right arm.
Noir ran over too, picking up Jacob's sword. "Mona? Can you get us, more importantly Jacob-Sama, out of here?"
Mona quickly transformed into his van form. "Already on it. Get Jacob inside, and we'll get him out of here."
"Roger." Joker and Queen said, as they lifted Jacob into Mona's van form, before climbing in themselves. As the other thieves climbed in, Joker moved to the driver's seat, and with everyone inside, Joker drove back through the play area of the pinball table, towards the entrance of the palace.
Blinking a few times, Jacob finally woke up again. Pushing himself up to his feet to continue fighting, he stopped in his tracks. He realised that he was no longer in Waluigi's Palace. Instead, he was called back into his Velvet Room.
*Play Song - The Poem Of Everyone's Soul*
Rather than waiting for a voice again, Jacob pushed the courtroom doors open, and entered his velvet blue courtroom.
"It seems you've grasped your situation quickly." Gabriel said, standing in the centre of the room. "Welcome back, Jacob."
"Thank you, Gabriel." Jacob said, before noticing something. "Is Igor not here this time?"
"My master is a very busy individual." Gabriel replied. "Especially with this current situation. I've even been in discussions with two of my sisters because of this.
"I'm assuming that those sisters would be Margret and Lavenza respectively?" Jacob queried.
"Correct." Gabriel replied. "A new danger, one that goes beyond your current predicament, is on the rise, and we're pulling out all of our available tricks to make sure that the future does not end in ruin."
"If you're bringing Kurusu-Kun and Narukami-San into this, I'm assuming that this isn't going to be a cakewalk."
"Exactly." Gabriel responded, a solemn look on his face. "The lives of this mansion are at stake. But soon, the fate of the universe, and eventually the multiverse, is at stake."
"The multiverse is real?!" Jacob exclaimed. "Like, actually real?!"
"Yes." Gabriel replied, matter of factly. "Not only is universe hopping possible now, but now the possibility to jump around the multiverse is too." Gabriel then looked at Jacob, with a serious expression. "The future is in grave danger. With universes and multiverses colliding, who knows what might threaten us, and those around us? That's why people like you, and my sister's wild cards, have been given this task."
Overwhelmed with the information, Jacob only managed to stammer out a simple: "I… I see."
"You'd have normally been called here to explain how our first few services of this room work." Gabriel began. "But seeing as you've seen it play out at least three times in your universe, you seem to know the basics. Well that, and the fact you only have one Persona right now." He continued, before returning to the velvet blue prosecutors bench. "And with all of that said, it is time for us to part yet again. Farewell, for now."
As Gabriel said this, Jacob felt his eyes close, and his body fall backwards.
*Stop Song*
Yet despite his body falling, he suddenly felt it land on something soft and bouncy.
Waking up again, Jacob was instantly met with bodily strains, aching limbs and light headache. Attempting to sit up, he was surprised to feel something lightly push him back down.
"Stay down… It's ok." A soft, calming voice said from Jacob's side. Just barely able to look over to his left, he saw Makoto sitting nearby him. "You were out for quite a while." She giggled. "Are you holding up well?"
"Niijima-Senpai…" Jacob managed to stammer out.
"Glad to see you remember that much." Makoto quipped. "And please, just call me Makoto. We're teammates now, aren't we?"
"You raise a good point, Makoto." Jacob replied. "And to answer your question, aside from my leg and arm muscles screaming like you guys when you had awakened your Persona's, I'm doing pretty well after that nap." Jacob said, a smirk present on his face.
Makoto slightly pouted. "In my defense, I did have to tear a mask off of my face, with said mask basically being fused to my skin." she said, before lightly laughing. "Still, you put on a pretty good display for your awakening. Even when exhausted, you still managed to call out Waluigi."
Jacob chuckled. "If Hazel wasn't living in the dude's head rent free, I probably would've fallen unconscious without anything."
Makoto smiled. "You care about her quite a lot, don't you?"
"She's been my dearest friend for… like ten years at this point. I've known her since I was eight." Jacob began. "She was the person who helped me come out of my shell when I transferred to our elementary school after moving from the UK. She pretty much took me under her wing, and helped me become who I am today."
Makoto's smile got wider. "I take it that's a yes?" She confirmed. "She sounds like the type of person to just… get on well with people, even the people who probably hate her."
"She's very popular for that reason." Jacob replied. "Everyone loves her, because she's super friendly and caring for everyone. That and she's an incredible baker."
"I remember that tidbit." Makoto giggled. "I'm pretty sure Ann still has that menu she gave her."
"I wouldn't be surprised." Jacob said. "Ann's got one hell of a sweet tooth."
"That she does." Makoto chuckled. "I'm assuming that's shown in the universe you're from?"
"Yep." Jacob responded. "Through games, anime adaptations, manga, etcetera. Hell Ann's sweet tooth is portrayed in many fanfiction."
"Everything we've done… it's predominantly a game for you and Hazel-Chan…" Makoto pondered. "How do the events play out for you?"
Jacob laughed. "Prepare for a long runthrough, Makoto. And that's without me including Royal and Strikers, or Dancing and Q2 for that matter…"
"Ted… please get off me…" Kanji muttered.
"Whoops!" Teddie exclaimed, rolling off Kanji. "Sorry Kanji-Kun!"
With Kanji finally standing up, the rest of the Investigation Team began to stand too. "That was a rough landing." Chie muttered. "But man, I'm happy we weren't split up this time."
"That was… a quest I would rather not revisit." Rise said.
"Where even are we?" Yosuke asked, seemingly being the only person remembering why they're here.
"I would guess…" Hazel muttered. "A palace."
"What makes you so sure?" Yukiko asked.
"Because only the Metaverse would affect a Persona wielder's clothing." Hazel finished.
"Affect clothing?" Yosuke questioned. Looking down, he realised his casual summer clothing was replaced by his winter Yasogami uniform. "Whoa! What the?!"
"Called it." Hazel smirked.
Everyone began looking at their attire, and realised that they too, were wearing their winter Yasogami uniforms. Everyone still retained their glasses however.
"What the shit?!" Kanji exclaimed. "Why have our clothes changed?!"
"If I was to guess, with the way you guys essentially rebelled against the police when solving that case…" Hazel began. "You're viewing your typical uniform as your own visualisation of said rebellion."
"That… makes sense." Yosuke responded, surprised. "Anyway, the outfits don't mean much. Right now, we should focus on the mission at hand."
"I'm willing to bet that Hazel-Chan's theory of us being in a palace makes the most sense right now." Rise said.
"What makes you so sure?" Teddie enquired.
"The giant Waluigi over there." She replied, pointing to a giant cut out of Waluigi, which had a swaying head.
"Yeah…" Hazel said. "This place has Palace energy for sure."
Pondering for a moment, Yu looked towards the Palace entrance. "Let's move," he said.
"You sure we're ready to go through this place, Yu-kun?" Chie asked.
"I can feel it. I can feel Izanagi's presence here." Yu replied. "So long as I'm able to summon him to fight."
"You can feel him?" Naoto questioned.
Yu took a deep breath, before throwing his right arm upwards. A familiar blue tarot card descended towards Yu's palm.
"Izanagi!"
Yu exclaimed, crushing the card in his hand.
Behind Yu, Izanagi stood tall. His large sword clutched tightly within his right hand. Yu threw his hand outwards. "Zio!" he exclaimed. In response, Izanagi threw his arms to his side and leant back, as a bolt of lightning crashed down in front of Yu.
"Finally!" Teddie exclaimed. "We can actually fight with our Persona again!"
"That feels good to see." Yosuke said with a smirk. "As awesome as it was to watch Jiraya rock out on a guitar, I'd rather use him for fighting."
"You and me both." Kanji replied.
"Personally, I'm excited to put my Keyblade to more use." Hazel chimed in. "I'm ready to personally show him what I'm capable of!"
Izanagi faded away, and Yu faced Hazel. "Glad you're on board and ready." He said with a smirk, before turning his attention to the rest of The Investigation Team.
"Are you guys ready?"
The Investigation Team nodded. "I'm ready to follow your lead, Partner!" Yosuke replied
Behind everyone, Rise summoned Himiko and was seemingly investigating around the area.
"There are other readings in here!" Rise exclaimed.
"What kind of readings?" Yu asked.
"I can't make them out… there's something clouding the reading." Rise replied.
"How convenient…" Yosuke quipped. "I guess we can brute force our way through whatever those readings are if they get in our way."
"I'm up for that!" Kanji proudly exclaimed.
"I'll be happy to do that too." Chie said with a smile, stretching her legs.
"I've found a route that avoids the readings." Rise said. "Just to be on the safe side."
"Lead the way, Rise." Yu said, with a smile on his face. Rise let Himiko fade, before the team charged into the palace.
To Be Continued…