AN: There's both a Persona 4 and a Deltarune reference in this chapter. See if you can find them!

Chapter 12: Birth of the Phantoms

May 3

Ryuji: Did you see!? It was on the news! No way the school's gonna be able to play dumb after that.

Ann: I saw it too. Shiho's name didn't come up, right?

Collin: Not that I saw.

Loona: Probably too cowardly to admit that one of the students almost killed themselves because of that piece of shit.

Ann: I'm so glad…

Ryuji: It's finally over then… All we gotta do is stuff our faces and put this Kamoshida crap behind us. I'm totally looking forward to this celebration party.

Collin: I won't let any of you down!

[***]

May 4

"All right, today's the day we turn in that medal for cash," Morgana said to Ren, the two managing to sneak out of Leblanc to pawn off the medal. "You know some place that'll buy it off you, right?"

"I think I know where we're going," Loona said, leaning against the side of the building.

Morgana gave a yowl of surprise. "When did you get here!?" the not-cat exclaimed.

"I'm a hellhound, remember? I tracked where you were with my nose," Loona explained. "You know, I was wondering why you always smelled like coffee, Ren. You work here part-time or something?"

"He lives in the attic. Chief is his handler," Morgana replied.

Loona nodded. "Right, you got kicked out here to the city for something dumb, right? Whatever, I'm just here because I want to make sure that medal gets taken care of. If Blitz taught me anything, it's how to get rid of incriminating evidence."

"You'll have to introduce me to Blitz sometime," Ren said.

Loona laughed. "Trust me, Ren, you do not want to meet him. The only time Blitz comes up here to the human world is for his job, and the kind of profession he runs tends to leave more than a few bodies in his wake."

"Huh, so that explains how you're so good with weapons compared to Octavia," Morgana noted. "Your dad's a hired gun and trained you to fight as well."

"Blitz is only my "dad" on paper," Loona scoffed. "Let's just go sell this medal at the Untouchable. That's where we're going, right?"

Ren nodded, and soon the three of them were off to Central Street. As they went into the back alley, Loona's ears picked up on two guys talking just outside the door. "So this is the place…" a tough-looking guy said.

"Looks like it," his shady partner nodded. "Let's just take care of this."

"Wait! We don't have a search warrant yet," his partner chided. "Just be patient. I'm sure we'll get one soon enough. And they'd never think about running off down this narrow alley."

'Wonder what that's about… Eh, don't care,' the hellhound shrugged, heading inside the shop just behind Ren. Inside Untouchable, Loona locked eyes with the manager and leaned on the counter. "Hey."

The manager looked up from his magazine. "You again? What do you want?"

"I want you to by this," Ren said, dropping the medal on the countertop.

"Huh? A gold medal? Why do you have this?" the manager questioned. "We don't buy any fake or stolen goods here, kid."

"Oh, this isn't a fake. It's real," Loona said.

The manager looked at the medal again. "Hold on a sec. Lemme see it." The guy studied the object closer, before pulling out a laptop and searching up something. He sighed. "I'm just… not gonna ask where you got this. How's 30,000 yen sound for it though?"

"Works for me," Ren said.

The manager smirked. "30,000 it is, then." He pulled open his cash drawer and handed over a few stacks to Ren, who pocketed the cash in his bag. "It's almost time…" the manager muttered. He reached underneath the counter and pulled out a brown paper bag, passing it off to Loona. "Here, take this with you. It's a thanks for selling me that medal. But, uh… best not to open it. Just bring it with you net time you come back here."

"What's inside?" Loona asked, weighing the bag in her hands.

"It's all fine, trust me," the manager said. He looked to the door and gave an annoyed grunt. "They're here."

Loona looked to the door to see the two guys from outside entering the shop. "Munehisa Iwai, yes?" one of the guys said. 'There are some matters we'd like to discuss with you today."

"Go, kids," the manager, Iwai, said to the two.

Loona and Ren stepped aside as the two men approached the counter, their ears trained on the conversation. "Do you know why we're here?" one of the men asked Iwai.

"I dunno, looking for evidence? You tell me, Mr. Detective," Iwai said smugly.

"Watch your attitude!" the detective shouted, slamming his hands on the counter.

"Well, you guys gonna search me? Go on, do what you gotta do," Iwai said.

"What was that?" the detective asked.

"An upstanding citizen's supposed to cooperate with the cops, right?" Iwai said.

"Hey, you sure that lead was legitimate?" the detective's partner questioned.

"I could've sworn it was…" the detective said, uncertainty in his voice.

"Can you two hurry it up? I got a business to run here," Iwai said.

"You bastard," the detective cursed. He turned and looked at Ren and Loona. "Hey, girl! What's in the bag, huh? Show me!"

"That kid's just a regular ol' customer," Iwai stated. "You can check the tapes if that'll convince you. They'll show everything that's gone down here today."

Ren subtly grabbed Loona's arm. "We don't want to be here when they see the footage of us selling that gold medal…" Ren whispered. "We should leave…"

"Hey, quit whispering over there!" the detective shouted. "I won't let you get away that easy! Show us what's in the bag!"

"I don't feel like it," Loona said, smugness dripping from her voice. That got Iwai to chuckle.

"You piece of shit…!" the detective cursed.

"Hy, you're talking to a kid, remember?" his partner pointed out. "Besides, she's not the one we're here to see."

The detective growled in anger. "That's right, Mr. Detective. Maybe next time try not harassing my customers, see how that goes," Iwai taunted, which made the detective even more pissed. "Safe trip home, kids."

Once Ren and Loona left the shop, Morgana popped back out onto Ren's shoulder. "What were those detectives doing there?" the not-cat questioned. "More importantly… aren't you two curious about what's in the bag?"

"Maybe a little…" Ren said.

"Well then, let's see what we got," Loona said.

"Yeah, let's open it up!" Morgana grinned. The hellhound opened the bag and held it out for all three of them to see. "A real gun!? What… I think it's just a model."

"Yeah, but this one looks like the real deal," Loona said. "Better than whatever Blondie bought off this guy."

"There's something weird about that place…" Morgana noted. "Hey Ren, I just had a great idea… We should totally buy this gun from his later! I mean, it's perfect. Something this real-looking would work wonders in the Metaverse…" Morgana looked to Loona. "Anyway, he told you to bring it back the next time you came, right? You should try striking a deal with him when we go to return it!"

"Eh, with a guy as no-nonsense and shady as him, I think you'll need a lot of guts to ask him about it," Loona said. "And I'm not about to let our "fearless leader" get himself involved in shady stuff without a spotter. Sorry Morgana, but you need an expert on weapon deals, and a cat isn't going to be the backup Ren needs."

"I am not a cat!" Morgana shouted.

Loona shook her head. "Whatever. When you feel ready to make this deal, Ren, just call me up, okay? I'll make sure you don't get dragged out to a back alley and shot."

"Will do," Ren nodded.

[***]

May 5

After meeting up in Shibuya Station, Ann took the gang to the place where they would be eating, which turned out to be a fancy buffet at a hotel. Everyone gathered up food on their plates and sat around a table, enjoying the good life for once (or in Octavia's case, the human version of "the good life").

"So good…" Ryuji said, almost moaning at the flavor.

"No wonder Lady Ann chose this place!" Morgana said happily.

"Of course it's good. This is a famous hotel, after all," Ann said. "Oh yeah, I heard that the police are coming to interview some people at school."

"That's troublesome," Octavia said.

"Our names are going to come up for sure," Loona frowned. "People are spreading all sorts of rumors about us and Kamoshida…"

"But we got 'em pumped up!" Ryuji grinned. "I keep hearing stuff like, "The Phantom Thieves really stole his heart!" I think most people don't believe it, but some of 'em actually seem grateful." He pulled out his phone and showed it to the group. "Look at this."

"The Phantom Aficionado Website?" Collin read in confusion. "Well done, Phantom Thieves"… "Now I can keep going too"… "Thank you for giving us hope"…"

"Pretty coo, huh?" Ryuji said.

"I was just desperate to deal with my own problems, but seeing people saying all this feels… strange," Ann admitted.

"Yeah…" Collin agreed. He looked at the website again before turning to the team. "So, what do we do now?"

"You planning on eating?" Ren asked him.

Collin tilted his head. "Well, yes, I will, but…"

"You guys know this place has a time limit, right?" Octavia said.

That made Loona, Ann, and Ryuji all jump up from their chairs. "Shit, we only have an hour here, don't we!?" Loona exclaimed.

"Just fifty minutes left!" Ann said.

"I'm not gonna finish all the beef dishes at this pace!" Ryuji cursed.

"I need to eat my way through the entire dessert menu!" Ann added.

"And I want to try all the drinks!" Loona finished.

"Look after our stuff!" Ryuji said to Ren, Octavia, and Collin. "We'll sang something for you guys too, don't worry!" The three ran off, quickly coming back with plates of food for everyone. "Aw man, it melts in my mouth!" Ryuji moaned as he dug into his food.

"Seriously? Only meat?" Morgana questioned.

"Now where should I start?" Ann asked herself as she looked at her slice of cake.

"And she's all about the cake…" Morgana sighed.

"What, is liking cake a turn-off for you?" Octavia said with a smirk.

"S-shut up…" Morgana muttered, heat coming to his face.

"So happy…" Ann sighed as she dug into her cake.

"Hey. Calories," Loona said, greedily eating her own plate of meat while almost chugging down a shot.

"Shut up!" Ann shouted at her. "How much do you think one of these costs!? I'll never get the chance to do this again! The Wilton Hotel cake buffet… I'd heard rumors, but I never thought it'd be so amazing!"

"You shouldn't be drinking, you're underage!" Collin chided the hellhound.

"Relax, Lambchop, the legal drinking age in this country is 20, and I'm two years over that," Loona said.

"Wait, you're an adult!?" Ann gasped.

"She's basically here as my bodyguard, and her human form is passible enough to be a teenager," Octavia explained. "Plus she never went to school in Hell, so this is a good learning opportunity for her as well."

"Quiet, princess," Loona said, flicking a piece of meat at Octavia. The princess caught it expertly in her mouth, swallowing it whole. "Ugh, you birds and your weird eating habits…"

"I guess I have no room to talk, seeing as I too am technically an adult as well," Collin sighed.

"Hey, where's our share?" Morgana questioned.

Ryuji pushed over a towering plate of beans. "I didn't really know what you'd want… So I just grabbed you some beans."

"B-Beans!?" Morgana exclaimed.

"There were some crazy shit over there too, so we got you some of that as well," Loona added. "Fried bananas, preserved eggs, and… some kind of beans."

"M-More beans!?" Morgana was in disbelief at the situation.

"We put so much on the plate that it got all mixed up, but it should probably still taste good," Ann shrugged.

"This is just… grotesque…" Octavia said in disgust, gagging slightly when she poked the pile with her fork and it made a squelching noise. She picked up Morgana and put him on her shoulder. "Let's go get us some real food, Morgana."

"Indeed. Those three just don't know what fine dining means!" the not-cat nodded. "We'll show them!"

"Fine dining?" Ren questioned.

"Don't worry about the details!" Morgana assured him. "You guys watch our things while we're gone! Wait patiently for our return!"

"Its like a meaty explosion in my mouth…" Ryuji and Loona said at the same time, having apparently entered the Meat Dimension and were now totally spaced out.

"Oh, this part is cream cheese!" Ann and Collin said, both digging into the sweets.

"They're not even listening…" Octavia rolled her eyes. She walked herself and Morgana over to where the buffet was, looking around all the different options. "Yeah, this is what I expected from the buffet at a top-class hotel," the princess said.

"The ingredients and variety of dishes are crazy good. There's a reason it costs 8,000 yen," Morgana nodded. "Oh, and thanks for footing some of that bill, Lady Octavia. Very generous of you."

"I'm no lady, just Octavia, or Via for short," Octavia replied. She gave a hum. "They have a lot here… but I think we should get some fish first."

"I agree!" Morgana cheered. "Let's fill our plate with all sorts of fish. Which table do you think they're at…?" Octavia steered them over to where the fish dishes here held. "Oh, look! There's the fish! I'd prefer it raw, but grilled is great too!"

"If I get the chance, I'll have Dad send us some fish up from Envy," Octavia promised.

"Have you heard, my dear? The news about that Kamoshida fellow was absolutely dreadful," a rich woman at the table said.

"Ah, right. That teacher at Shujin Academy, caught doing such shameful acts," her friend replied. "Shameful, really."

"Hold on a sec…" Morgana said, pausing as they focused on the conversation between the two women.

"And they still haven't managed to solve those horrible psychotic breakdown episodes, have they?" the friend gossiped. "I wish they wouldn't let themselves be distracted by such a tawdry scandal."

"Perhaps it's a sign of how peaceful this country is. I honestly pity those poor Shujin students though," the rich lady said.

"Sounds like the Kamoshida incident is the talk of the town, even in the high part of society," Octavia mused. The women gave a questioning glace at Octavia.

"Shoot, they noticed you! Just grab some food and act natural!" Morgana whispered in a panic. "On the plus side, we'll get to eat the food later."

As Octavia grabbed some fish for her plate, the women scoffed at her. "How did a child like this end up in here? I certainly hope she didn't bring friends. I prefer my meals to remain hooligan-free, thank you very much." She turned to her friend. "Come, let us go."

Octavia scowled. 'It's just like back home at Mom's parties, but even more patronizing,' she thought.

"What's so bad about kids coming to enjoy a buffet…?" Morgana questioned. "I wonder how the other people here are reacting to the news. Let's get some more food and listen in. Maybe there are more people we can eavesdrop on at other tables…"

"Sure…" Octavia said, taking them over to the rice dishes. "This goes well with fish, right?"

"Rice is incredible!" Morgana nodded. "It's the cornerstone of every great meal! …Sorry. I got a bit carried away there."

Nearby, a fancy girl and man were talking with each other, which the two listened in on. "So the rating for the news were really that good?" the girl asked. "It was because it was about that teacher who sexually harassed his student, huh? Was it Kamoshida?"

"It's all about how you frame it," the man explained. "You've got to cater to the idiotic public. Rating go up when you show then crude, sensational news, and make it easy for them to understand."

"How can he be so insensitive?" Morgana questioned. "A student almost killed herself because of that Kamoshida…"

"By the way, do you think these "sudden changes of heart" might be real?" the fancy girl asked.

"Well, that's-" the man stopped himself as he noticed Octavia listening in.

"Quick, grab some food!" Morgana ordered. "Oh, and don't forget the crispy bits!"

"So, because he had a sudden change of heart, he confessed to all his crimes?" the fancy girl asked.

The man laughed. "Who knows? Sorry, but it's time, I have to go. I'll call you again after the meeting."

'That man… The way he talked about the news made me think of a certain suit-wearing killjoy on the news…' Octavia thought.

"A sudden change of heart, huh? I suppose I can't blame him for seeing it that way," Morgana admitted. The two soon moved over to the nearby meat dish table. "Ah, meat! I'm not Ryuji or Loona, but a meal is just not the same if you don't have any-" The cat looked flustered for a second. "I got distracted."

Nearby, two men were having a conversation worth eavesdropping on. "When you really look at it, he's just an ex-athlete who overestimated himself," a haughty man said. "He should have just accepted his lot in life and quietly dome his job as a teacher."

"It's not even an incident we can take seriously," the other man scoffed. "The whole story is pretty ridiculous. We should probably look into it, but we can also just let the low-ranking scrubs handle it."

"Look into…?" Morgana repeated. "I guess they're investigating Kamoshida? They don't sound very enthusiastic about it though." The men soon got suspicious of Octavia just standing there. "Gah, grab some food! Ah, get the part that's not too fatty!"

"He's gonna be arriving soon. We don't want to keep him waiting, so we better get going too," the man said.

"What is he gonna discuss with the higher-ups? Well, I'm sure it's more important than lunch," his fellow man replied.

'Ugh, it's like all those other Goetia having secret dealings over meals…' Octavia grunted internally.

"They were dressed quite well, but they still looked pretty shady to me," Morgana said. For the final part of their meal, the two went over to where the desserts were, with Octavia having her eyes on the chocolate fountains. "Up close, it looks even bigger and more delicious. This giant, sweet- Ah. I got distracted."

A boss talked with his employee nearby, loud enough to be overheard by the princess. "News travels quick. It's already all over the internet. You know, the story about how Kamoshida got his ass kicked by some world-reforming heroes…"

"It's doesn't sound like a serious story to me," the woman dismissed. "Some of the details are pretty far-fetched."

"Don't worry about it. We just have to do what they tell us to do," the man replied. "It's all rumors made up by school kids anyway/ If it's gripping news, who cares if it's not true?"

"So they don't believe themselves, but they're making up stories to make the Phantom Thieves seem real…" Morgana said.

"And they're doing this in front of the actual Phantom Thieves," Octavia chuckled., Morgana joining in her quiet laughter. That got the attention of the two workers, making the princess turn to the food on the table. "Right, we're here just getting food. Yep, just that."

"Make sure it's got a lot of whipped cream," Morgana said.

"Ew, why would you want more of that stuff?" Octavia said. "But fine, I'll get you some, Morgana…"

"What's wrong?" the woman asked.

"Ah, nothing. I thought some weird kid as looking at us, that's all," the man said. "Why don't we go? It's almost time for the meeting."

"Well, that was rude," Morgana frowned. "Did you hear him? He said you were weird."

"I take that as a compliment. I'd rather be weird and undesirable than to be forced into the spotlight," Octavia admitted.

Morgana just gave a nod. "Well, I don't think there's anyone else we can listen in on. But it's shocking… So many of the adults here don't seem like nice people."

"That's called being in the one percent, Morgana. Trust me, I'm used to it, and it's not just because I'm from Hell," Octavia said.

"Now, according to what we heard… It seems most adults aren't very interesting in the news about Kamoshida," Morgana recapped. "Well, now that we've got a nice variety of food on our plates, let's head back to the others.

The two went back to the table, setting down their plates as Octavia took her seat next to Ren. "Oh, you brought a ton back," Loona noted. "Glad to be eating ritzy food again, princess?"

"Eh, I just want to eat," Octavia shrugged.

"Same," Ren nodded.

"I was thinking that too, but take a bite," Ryuji insisted. "Using better ingredients makes stuff taste way different!"

"Look at you, acting like you have a refined palate all of a sudden," Morgana rolled his eyes.

"Don't you think you're eating too much, Mona?" Ryuji asked.

"There's no… knowing when we'll get to come here again," Morgana said between bites.

"Sure, but you guys brought back loads of food… It'd be a shame to let it all go to waste," Ann pointed out. "Why don't you help them out, Collin?"

"We should all help," the cherub said.

"Oh, me? I'm way to stuffed! I couldn't possibly help!" Ann replied.

"Yeah… stuffing your face with cake…" Loona scoffed. "Whatev's, let's deal with this ourselves!"

Everyone started digging into their meals, but it soon became apparent that no matter how much they at, the amount of food they had stayed the same. "There's still more?" Octavia groaned.

"Don't give up! Let's keep at it!" Ryuji insisted.

After an intense eating session, the gang somehow managed to each all of the food, though none of them looked happy about it. "W-We did it…" Morgana said.

"My belt feels multiple sized too small…" Ren groaned.

"Oh yeah… This is a victory… for all of us…" Ryuji mumbled.

"Is this a game to you?" Loona said, letting out a burp from all the food and drink she'd had.

"Not exactly…" Ryuji replied.

'Good just you guys," Ann complimented. "How about one last dish to cleanse your palates? I recommend the seasonal tart! The grapefruit has both alluring sweetness and tangy sourness!"

"Stop- I don't want to hear about sour stuff…" Collin said, holding a hand to his mouth as he tried to keep his food down.

Loona suddenly gave another burp before standing up on shaky legs. "Fuck, this isn't good. I gotta get to the bathroom…"

"M-Me too…" Morgana said. "Please… carry me gently…"

"My look at that table…" a fancy lady said as she walked by with her husband.

"Come now, pay them no attention. I'm sure they must not normally have the chance to each such exquisite good," the man replied.

"I can only imagine what their parents must be like," the woman scoffed.

"What was that?" Ryuji questioned as the rich folk walked off. He suddenly grabbed his stomach. "We don't have time for that. Come on, let's go…"

[***]

With that, Ryuji, Ren, Morgana, and Loona and ran to the bathroom, with the hellhound holding herself over the toilet as she dry-heaved into it. "Damnit, at least I'm not throwing up…" she groaned to herself. "Drinking all of that fancy beer was a mistake… Maybe I'll call in a sick day tomorrow…" Loona left the restroom and met back up with the boys at the elevator.

"Ugh, I'm stuffed…" Morgana bemoaned.

"I totally panicked when I saw the "Close for Cleaning" sign at the bathrooms…" Ryuji admitted.

"You were talking big about eating until you puked, but you really did puke…" Morgana said.

"He really is a dumbass…" Loona sighed, even if she knew she was barely better that Ryuji in this situation.

"Hey, same goes for you!" Ryuji shot back at the not-cat. He looked at the elevator doors. "What floor was that restaurant on?"

"We came up to get here, so it has to be on a lower floor, right?" Morgana said.

"Screw it, I'll take the stairs," Ryuji said, pushing the button. "You guys can ride down, though. I'll just burn off some of this food on the way down."

As the blonde ran off, Ren and Loona waited for the doors to open, only for a bald man surrounded by bodyguards to cut in front of them. "What the-" Loona said.

"There's still no update on the case?" the bald man asked his subordinate.

"N-Not yet…" the man stuttered. "Excuse me, but why are you so involved? It's not something you should be concerned with…"

"I don't care about your opinion, you incompetent buffoon! When I say pick up the pace, you do it!" the bald man insisted.

"Hey baldy, quit cutting and wait your turn!" Loona shouted.

"Wait do you want?" one of the bodyguards asked, stepping in front of her.

"What I want is for you to move your asses to the back and let us in first since we were here first," Loona said. "Got that into your think skull?" Ren remained silent, just giving a glare.

"We're in a hurry," the bodyguard replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Loona said, sarcasm in her voice. "I didn't know that being bald gave you the privilege of butting in front of other people because "you're in a hurry" or whatever bullshit you use to justify it."

"It seems the customer base has changed since I was here last," the bald man said, not even glancing at Loona. "Have they started a day care?"

"Day care? That's where I'll send you after I beat your-" Loona started to say, only for Ren to hold her back, shaking his head.

"Sir, we don't have time for this," the bodyguard said.

"I know," the bald man said.

Loona wrenched her arm out of Ren's grip, grabbing the bodyguard by his tie and pulling it hard. "Move the fuck out of our way or I'll make you," she growled, the man flinching under her grip.

"Loona, stop," Ren said sternly.

The hellhound looked back at her friend, then roughly pulled the bodyguard's tie, making his gasp as he fell to his knees.

"I'll take legal action against you, bitch!" the man wheezed.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Loona frowned, crossing her arms as she backed up.

"Don't bother with them!" the bald man said.

As the suits all walked into the elevator, Loona shook her head in annoyance. "Who the Hell was that jackass?"

"Shouldn't we head back down?" Morgana asked.

"Yeah…" Loona sighed, pressing the elevator button. "That dick really pissed me off. He was even hiding the fact that he looked down on everyone!"

"You almost got us into hot water just now. Don't do anything else more reckless," Morgana chided.

"Hey, it's not my fault he had a stick up his ass!" Loona shouted. "I can't stand people like that!" She then looked to Ren, who was clutching his head in pain. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Don't worry about it," Ren replied.

"That's just going to make me worry more, dude," Loona shook her head.

"I bet it's because he rarely eats well," Morgana speculated. "I'm always stuck with canned cat food too…"

'Don't I know what that's like,' Loona thought. "Ugh, that "sir' bullshit makes me sick! I can't stand people that kiss up to other like that… Damnit!" Once the elevator arrived, the hellhound pulled Ren inside, giving a glare to the others in hall to stay out and let the two have the box to themselves. Once they were on their way down, Loona leaned up against the wall and sighed. "Look, Ren, I… I'm not good at talking to others, okay? Hell, back where I'm from I have, like, one other friend to my name."

"I thought you were friends with Octavia?" Ren asked.

Loona laughed. "The princess? We barely know each other, besides the fact that our dads are… doing the business, if you catch my drift." She looked into the teen's eyes. "Look, if you got some baggage in your past because of the shit that authority has thrown at you, believe me, I get it. I lived in the most fuck-up orphanage system imaginable, so I know that kind of pain. If you ever just want to vent, l can take it. I've heard it all at this point…"

"Same goes to you," Ren said, much to Loona's surprise. "I've been told I'm a good listener."

"Heh, you're a weird kid, but I guess being half-Goetia does that to you," Loona chuckled. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a wallet, reaching into it and pulling out some cash. "Here, I stole this off that bodyguard Yes Man while I was holding him down. I know my way around pickpocketing suckers while they're under duress."

"You know, stealing is a big part of being a Phantom Thief," Morgana said. "I bet Loona could teach you some more advanced skills, Ren."

"We can even make a deal out of it," Loona suggested. "Octavia's helping you with magic, right? Then allow me to show you what it truly takes to be a master thief."

"It's a deal," Ren said, shaking Loona's hand.

"Oh, and by the way, no more of this formal stuff around me," Loona added. "I'm gonna show you what I taught myself to survive on my own, and that means getting down and dirty on the streets. Better be ready for it…"

[***]

I am thou, thou art I.

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion that breakth thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Twilight Persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…

[***]

"What too you so long!?" Ann chided Ren and Loona as they rejoined the group.

"Why are you all pissy?" Loona questioned.

"Sorry about that… We had a run-in with a woman a second ago," Collin explained.

"She bumped into me, but then said it was all my fault when she dropped her plate…" Ann frowned.

"Sounds like a real bitch," Loona said.

"Yeah… Thanks though," Ann said. "But… the restaurant workers all looked at me with this disapproving expression… I wonder if we're out of place here…"

"Maybe…" Ren replied.

Everyone just sat in silence for a bit until Octavia spoke up. "Hey, Morgana?"

"What is it?" the not-cat asked.

"Anyone can have a Palace, yes?" Octavia asked.

"Anyone with a strong, distorted desire," Morgana replied.

"And they'll have a change of heart if their Treasure gets stolen, like with Kamoshida?" Loona asked.

"That would be the case," Morgana nodded.

"Why are you brining this up all of a sudden?" Ann questioned.

"We had trouble earlier too. This bald jackass and his cronies that looked down on everyone else…" Loona explained. "I was wondering if we'd be able to change those kinds of people too."

"You mean… You want to keep being Phantom Thieves?" Collin asked in shock.

"I had the same idea," Octavia added. "I don't think this ordeal is over, far from it, and the Phantom Thieves may be needed again."

"Yeah. We put a lot of work into changing Kamoshida's heart, but nobody believes in the Phantom Thieves," Ryuji nodded. "Plus… those guys who had no other choice but to just deal with it are thanking us. Us, of all people."

"There are lots of victims," Ren pointed out.

Ann looked down. "I… I agree. I f we ignore people who are in trouble, I'd go back to being the same as I was before…"

"Well… that's true," Morgana admitted. "You're under my tutelage. There's nothing we can't accomplish as phantom thieves!"

"Shouldn't we use our power to help out people in need?" Collin asked.

"I didn't even think of such a possibility…" Ren admitted. "But it's true that with this power, we may be able to help people…"

"But… That means we'll have to fight Shadows again, doesn't it…?" Ann asked.

"Indeed," Morgana nodded. "That can't be avoided."

"Eh, I'm sure we'll manage," Ryuji shrugged.

"We'll beat down any Shadows that get in our path," Loona smirked, cracking her knuckles. "Right?"

"If you're up for it," Ren replied.

Morgana chuckled. "Even if you guys are still just fledglings, this means we're an actual organization now."

"Fledglings? That better not being a pun about me," Octavia laughed. "It is pretty fitting for us, though."

"All right, it's settled!" Ryuji exclaimed. "We're gonna catch all these shitty adults by surprise, and make ourselves known to the world!"

"You okay being our leader, Ren?" Octavia asked.

"Of course," Ren nodded.

"No objections here! I can't handle all that responsibility stuff," Loona agreed.

"Where's my say in this?" Morgana questioned. "But, Via made the recommendation, so I'll allow it."

"Oh, should we decide on a name for our group?" Collin asked.

"I just went with Phantom Thieves of Hearts last time, but don't you think a real name would be cooler?" Ryuji added.

"Oh, I've got it!" Ann piped up. "I want it to be something both cute and luxurious sounding… Let me see… How about "The Diamonds"?"

"I'm getting a real little league baseball feel from it," Ryuji shook his head.

"Well then, here's my suggestion," Morgana said. "How about "Tilefish Poele"?"

"Tile-what now?" Loona tilted her head in confusion.

"That's what I ate earlier. It's commemorative, no?" the not-cat grinned.

"Hell no, you idiot!" Ryuji scoffed.

"Oh what about "Thieves of Kami"?" Collin suggested.

"Two and a half of us are demons, Lambchop," Loona sighed. "I was thinking… how about "The *& % Squad"?" Everyone just looked at the hellhound funny.

"No… Just, no…" Octavia shook her head. "Ren, why don't you just decide. I'm not good when it comes to names…"

Ren pulled out his journal, wrote something down, then looked at the team. ""The Phantoms." Let's go with this name."

"Huh, that's not bad at all," Ann said.

"A good name, for a rookie," Morgana added.

"Simple, but effective," Collin nodded.

"Eh, sure," Loona shrugged.

"I kinda like it," Octavia smiled.

"The Phantoms. We going with that?" Ryuji asked.

"If that's okay," Ren replied. Everyone gave their agreement to the name.

"Well, now that we have our name, who are we going to target next?" Octavia asked.
"There are tons of rotten adults and all…" Ryuji said. "Why not stick to targeting big names?"

"Like a CEO?" Ren suggested.

Ryuji nodded. "Yeah, something along those lines. If we go after some bigwig, it's gotta get on the news, right? Don't you think more people would believe in us if we did that?"

"That's not a bad idea… for you, Ryuji," Morgana said.

"True," Collin nodded. "IF we become better known- that is to say, the Phantom Thieves- we might be able to give courage to a lot more people. I don't really like the idea of just picking someone out of the blue though."

"I agree with that," Ann nodded.

"Le'ts narrow it down to someone we can all agree on then," Loona suggested. "Like that jackass baldy earlier…"

"So we need a bigwig we decide on unanimously," Morgana said.

"I like the unanimous decision part," Octavia said. "It's like we're making a pact of sorts."

Morgana jumped up on the table between all of them. "Now then, this is the official formation of the Phantom Thieves organization!"

Ann suddenly gasped. "Oh no! Our time for the buffet ran out…"

"I guess we'll just have to talk more tomorrow," Ryuji shrugged.

It was on that day that the Phantom Thieves officially formed, a partnership between demons, an angel, humans, and a definitely-not-cat. Their next target was soon to come, and with it the next chapter of their adventure to stop Ruin…

Ryuji: The Phantom Thieves huh… I'm liking the sound of that!

Ann: I hope we can really help people. I'm curious about that Phantom Aficionado Website too. I wonder who made it…

Loona: No clue. Too bad I'm not a hacker or something that could figure it out for us.

Ryuji: More importantly, you see the survey on there? I dunno how I feel about it.

Octavia: yeah, there's an approval rating on here, but it's only at six percent at the moment…

Ren: That's better than I expected.

Octavia: Yeah, it's not too bad when you put it that way…

Ryuji: But don't you just wanna get it higher than that? I bet it'll go up tons if we keep taking down big targets. It's pretty damn exciting if you try and think about it like that.

Loona: Hey, Ryuji is right for once.

Collin: Let's keep working hard from this point on!

…

Ryuji: Oh yeah, lemme send the celebratory pic I took for today! Celebrating the founding of the Phantom Thieves! And celebrating us crashing that classy buffet!

[Attached is a picture oof Ryuji, taking a selfie with the other Phantom Thieves eating in the background at the hotel]

Loona: Saving this picture for later. I wonder what Stolas would think of seeing his daughter hogging down all this food…

Octavia: Loona, don't you dare!

Ann: You can cool it with all the "celebrating" any time now… Wait, you took that while I was eating!? Why didn't you tell me!?

Ryuji: Uh, I did. You just never stopped eating.

Collin: Oh boy, please don't fight on here…

Ryuji: Anyways, this our start as Phantom Thieves! We're gonna take the world by storm! All the shitty adults in the world better watch out for us!

New Confidant Forged

Confidant: Loona Nyx

Arcana: Twilight

Profile: A hellhound with a goth style and bad attitude. She came to the human realm alongside Octavia to act as the princess' bodyguard.

Rank 1 Description: You made a deal with Loona to learn more thieving skills. In return, the both of you can freely vent about your hardships in life.

Rank 1 Ability: Arcana Burst- gain additional EXP when fusing Persona of the Twilight arcana.

Author's Note

Loona's Twilight Confidant has been forged! Her arc is going to be focused on opening up to others to both better understand herself and to not push people away as much. I feel like that's the most logical place to take her character, especially after her focus episode "Spring Broken". I am glad that, for the most part, this story is skipping over events from Helluva Boss Season 2 because while I think "Seeing Stars" was better than "The Circus", I do believe that Loona was acting out of character in regards to how she treated Blitzo, especially after establishing that she does care for him and take him seriously back in "Truth Seekers". It kinda takes something away from the moment she has with Octavia at the end of the episode when Loona was being extra mean to Blitzo the entire episode (also wish the entire episode was focused on the two girls instead of having to have two other plots, but that's not here or there).

Anyway, going on a tangent about characterization aside, we have the official start of the Phantom Thieves here! "The Phantoms" is the default name of the group in-game, so I'm running with that for this story. Octavia and Morgana get some bonding time as they eavesdrop on people, with Octavia making mention to a few other characters from the Helluva-Hazbin universe. Loona also replaces Ryuji for the elevator scene, mostly to start her Confidant but also because I really wanted her to clown on the bald guy that totally won't come back up later...

Next Time: Morgana shows the gang a new way to explore the Metaverse, a new teacher joins the school, and a certain artist has eyes on one of the gang...