Chapter 16: Museum of Vanity (Part 2)
May 20
At lunchtime, the students were abuzz about the grades being posted for exams. Octavia found it absurd that they would post something as personal as grades on a test for all to see out in the hall, but thinking on it again, wouldn't be surprised if this was a common practice in Hell as well. 'Thank Satan that Dad decided to homeschool me instead of shipping me off to private school like Mom wanted,' Octavia thought.
"I wonder what score we got…" Ren mused peering over the crowd. "Huh, I finished higher than the average score. You did even better than me, Octavia."
"You two should set a good example for your friends," Morgana piped up.
"Come on, you two, let's get to class," Octavia said. "We have Phantom Thieves stuff to discuss after school."
"Oh, and we should invite Yusuke to our hideout meetings as well," Morgana added. "Our fight's not over until the exhibit ends. Let's keep our heads in the game!"
[***]
After school, the gang all met up at the hideout, with Ann bringing Yusuke to show him the way there. "Do we still need to explain the basics to this guy?" Loona asked.
"Oh, you mean about the Metaverse and the Nav. I guess that stuff is pretty important," Ann said.
Yusuke nodded. "Please elaborate."
"Okay, let's start from the beginning," Morgana nodded. "First, the Metaverse spots where we act as the Phantom Thieves are called Palaces. Palaces are worlds that take forms from someone's cognition… A materialization of their reality."
"So do we hold Palaces within ourselves as well," Yusuke asked.
Octavia shook her head. "No. Everyone has the potential to birth a Palace, but it takes strong distorted desires to do so… or other circumstances." She gave a quick glance to Ren. "Most of the time, though, they manifest in criminals like Kamoshida or Madarame."
"On the other hand, Palaces can't exist within Persona-users. It's just impossible for them to form," Morgana added. "Basically, your Persona is the true feelings of your heart, which arise from accepting your inner Shadow. Then since you have full control over your emotions, there's no way your desires can get distorted.
'And now I have to wonder if the Thieves Den is really a Palace, or something else entirely… Perhaps a domain like the Metaverse?' Octavia shook her head. 'Or maybe as demons, or half-demon in Ren's case, our desires let us bypass the "Persona means no Palace" rule? After all, Loona didn't fully accept her Shadow before getting her Persona… Ugh, I think I'll just get a headache if I delve deeper into that topic. Let's just drop it for now…'
"S-So that's how it works…" Ann mused.
"Obviously I knew that…!" Collin said, scratching his head. "Oh, and we use the Metaverse Nav app on our phones to get into that world!"
"All you have to do is day a person's name, location, and distortion, and you're in. Pretty simple," Loona explained.
"Location…?" Yusuke questioned.
"Uh, so like Madarame's would be "shack," then his distortion is that he thinks it's a "museum"," Ann explained.
"How do you know what their Palace is going to look like if you have never set foot in it before…?" Yusuke asked.
"You really just have to guess the distortion based on the person in question. It'll most likely get trickier the more hearts we try to change, especially if said person hides their true self from the public as well as Madarame has of not better," Octavia said.
Yusuke nodded. "I feel as though I have a good grasp on the basic concepts. If anything arises which I fail to understand, I'll rely on those more experienced than myself."
"Yeah! I got you covered, newbie!" Ryuji said.
"You should probably ask Morgana if you need anything," Ann chuckled.
"Thinking back to Madarame, though… I can't believe he'd consider pressing charges," Morgana said.
"Yes, I've never seen him show such anger before. He is most likely quite serious about that," Yusuke sighed.
"What should we do…? There's no way we'll be able to win of that happens," Ann said.
"I mean, Octavia and I could just jump back to Hell and ditch you guys, but then that would defeat the purpose of us being in the human realm to begin with," Loona said.
"He likely won't act on that threat until the final day of the exhibit: June 5th," Yusuke guessed. "Simply put, I doubt he would be so foolish as to taint his name with a trial during his exhibition."
"All right, so we just gotta steal Madarame's heart by then," Ryuji nodded. "There's no way we're gonna let him press charges… We'll show people who he really is!"
"Do you all want to try and get the infiltration done now?" Ren asked. "I'd rather not wait around while there are legal charges on the line… I don't want to get arrested again."
"I'd like to get this done as well. Make Madarame pay for his crimes," Octavia nodded. The others voiced their agreement, and soon it was time to go back into the Museum of Vanity.
[***]
Location: Outside the Museum of Vanity
"Oh yeah. We haven't decided on the new recruit's code name yet," Mona pointed out.
"It has to be "Kitsune." You know, with that kitsune mask and everything," Panther stated.
"Hell yeah. That really leaves an impression," Skull agreed.
"Are you talking about me?" Yusuke asked.
"What do you want your name over here to be?" Templar asked.
Yusuke thought about it, before responding, "I'd say "Da Vinci."
"Nope," Skull immediately responded. "Well, you got that mask like Ann said… and there's that weird tail… All right! You're Abura-age!"
Mona snorted. "Very well," Yusuke sighed.
"He's agreed to it!?" Mona gasped.
"It's decided then! Abura-age!" Skull grinned.
"Nuh-uh! Not happening!" Panther shook her head. "Do you have any ideas, Joker?"
Joker thought about it for a moment. "The name that sticks out to me is the one that Lycan used when he first got his mask."
"Fox Boy?" Lycan questioned.
Joker nodded. "But how about we simplify it to just "Fox"?"
"Just keep it literal, huh? Sounds good to me," Skull nodded.
"What do you think, Fox?" Omen asked.
"It's acceptable," Yusuke, now Fox, replied.
"It's set then. Let's go," Lycan said. "Time for the canines to tear this museum apart!" With that, the Phantom Thieves returned to the Central Garden, where they could continue past the now-disabled security measures. "And it's all thanks to my hard work," Lycan boasted.
"…What do you mean by that?" Fox raised an eyebrow.
"Don't worry about it," Skull said. "Come on, let's keep going!" Heading into the Treasure Hall Lounge, the gang snuck past a nasty-looking Shadow and found another brochure stand, which happened to have the other half of the Palace map! To get to where the Treasure was, the Phantom Thieves would have to pass through both the lounge and the gallery, so that was what they resolved to do. The lounge area has a mase of infrared lasers to navigate through, but Joker's Third Eye made it no challenge for the gang.
"H-Hey, there's a strong-looking Shadow over there!" Skull pointed out as they looted a chest. "We've seen that kind before…"
"His stance conveys the notion that he is no ordinary foe," Fox added.
"I think the control room's behind him. He's probably guarding it to make sore nobody gets too close," Mona speculated. "However, we'll need to disarm the security if we want to ensure we have a safe infiltration route. Forcing our way through seems to be our only option."
"Then let's fight," Joker said, approaching the Shadow.
"Who are you!? How did you get in here!?" the Shadow demanded.
"It was simple," Lycan taunted.
"Well, that won't be the case here!" the Shadow shot back. The Security Shadow transformed into its true from, calling on two Koppa Tengu to join him as well.
"That guy in the middle looks like a different kind of Tengu from the one Joker uses," Omen pointed out. "We should be careful using magic against it."
"Let's take out it's minions first then," Joker said. "Jack Frost!" The jolly snowman Persona came out and cast Bufu on one of the Koppa Tengu, before Joker used Baton Pass to let Fox take out the other Koppa Tengu with Goemon.
"Let me try this!" Lycan shouted, using a Snap on the Security Shadow for some damage.
"We need a critical strike to knock it down without magic. Let me try!" Mona said. Zorro used Lucky Punch on the Shadow, which managed to knock it down with a critical hit! The Phantom Thieves then went for an All-Out Attack, but it wasn't enough to take out the lead Shadow.
"It's weak, so just shoot it!" Omen shouted.
Skull nodded and pulled out his shotgun, a full clip being enough to take the Shadow out. "Phew, that guy was tough… I guess that's just par for the course in a Palace…" he mused.
"It really was on a totally different level from the other enemies though…" Panther sighed.
"He dropped some sort of card," Fox noted.
Omen looked at it. "Hey, this is a Skill Card, like the ones I've been picking up. I bet I could make it into an accessory for the team, Joker."
"We should focus on exploring the Palace for now," Joker said. The gang entered the security room, only to find that they needed another password to get into the system. "Let's find some guards to eavesdrop on," the leader suggested.
"Fox, Templar, you're with me on this one," Lycan said, pulling the artist and cherub out of the room. The hellhound moved down the hallway until she found two guards having a conversation, finding a place to hide so she could listen in.
"I heard that intruders already got past the central garden security…" a Shadow said.
"Yeah. I just got a call earlier to change the password here too…" the lead guard explained.
"What to? It better not be simple," the Shadow said.
"Well, I was having some trouble coming up with a good one… For now, I set it to the numbers for Lord Madarame's feet," the lead guard replied.
"Lord Madarame's feet? What are you talking about?" the Shadow asked.
"let's go back on duty. There's a chance the intruders are nearby," the lead guard said.
"Madarame's feet? The Hell is that supposed to mean!?" Lycan asked herself.
"Maybe… his shoe size?" Templar guessed. "Fox, do you know Madarame's shoe size?"
Fox shook his head. "Unfortunately, I have never heard him mention it. Are we sure that is the proper password…?"
Lycan thought about it before remembering something. "Wait, didn't was pass a butt-ugly statue of Madarame on the way here? Do you think that maybe…?"
"It wouldn't hurt to check," Templar said. The trio backtracked to where the statue was, with the cherub getting a close look at it. "There's something written here… "Here we praise our most holy lord Ichiryusai Madarame, the only ray of hope in this depraved world. He stands alone as his two adept hands paint into the future. None shall ever match his excellence."
Lycan scoffed. "He's really puffing his chest out here, ain't he...?"
"Hold on a moment…" Fox said, taking a closer look at the statue. "One" ray of hope stands "alone" with "two adept hands." "None" shall match him… That means…"
"The password is 1120!" Templar gasped. "Yes, this must be it!"
"Let's head back to the others and shut down the security then!" Lycan grinned. The trio returned to the security room and relayed the password to Joker, who put it in the computer and opened up the shutter doors.
"Woah… That opened all sorts of stuff…" Skull said.
"We'll definitely be able to go more places now!" Mona cheered. "Come on, let's get moving!" Going out of the security room, the Phantom Thieves went further into the lounge, passing by some giant paintings on the wall.
"What a giant painting…" Panther breathed.
Fox nodded. "Indeed. It bears such a bizarre texture as well. It's as though I could simply slip inside…" As he reached out a hand, the fabric of the canvas shimmered. "Wh-What the-?"
"You okay?" Omen asked.
"M-My hand… It actually entered the painting…" Fox explained.
"So we can go inside it…?" Joker wondered.
"Well, I don't see any other path for us to take. Let's give it a try!" Mona said. Indeed, the Phantom Thieves could enter into the painting, easily slipping into the illustration of a bamboo forest.
"How dare you trample on my tranquil bamboo garden with those grimy feet!" the voice of Shadow Madarame shouted. "You shall not leave alive!"
"What the fuck was that?" Lycan asked.
"We're probably just hearing Madarame's thoughts. There's no need to panic," Mona explained.
Madarame…" Fox muttered.
Moving through the painting, the Phantom Thieves found that they could move to the edge of the frame and come out into a different painting all together. While it was confusing at first, Joker's Third Eye came in clutch yet again by finding the weak spots in the paintings they could move through. With this in mind, the gang came out on a higher ledge than they were before.
"So he dares calls us thieves who dirty his heart… The one who has sullied the very nature of art itself has no right to accuse us of such a thing!" Fox said.
"Agreed," Omen nodded.
"Save your emotions for later. We have to keep moving!" Mona said. Crawling through a vent to get pass a wall of lasers, the Phantom Thieves soon entered the Treasure Hall Gallery, where even more magic paintings like the one in the previous room covered the walls.
"There's something… off about these paintings," Omen said. "Look, those two up there don't even have paintings in them! We should get a closer look."
"Ain't this like just like last time? You know, with the secret passage inside and everything," Skull asked.
"But all of these paintings aren't of the same thing, unlike what the last room had," Templar pointed out.
"There are even frames with no paintings at all," Fox added.
"That is strange… but we don't have a choice," Mona said. As the gang entered the first painting of a desert, the voice of Shadow Madarame narrated over them as they traveled.
"Alas, this world is a desert filled with laymen who cannot understand true beauty…! The slow drain of my skill is inevitable when I am surrounded by such mediocrity…"
"So he's blaming the world for his declining skill?" Lycan questioned. "Heh, that bastard never had any real talent to begin with!" From the desert painting, the gang moved right to enter one with a shrine gate.
"The gods, even in their dormancy, are worshiped constantly. People gather under shrine gates, offer their money, and return home fully satisfied. Art is practically the same. In the end, it is all just a matter of imagination…!"
Panther was shocked by this. "Even if that's true, that doesn't give you the right to be deceiving people!" Moving through the gate, they were now in a forest painting.
"Hard work is not what makes a sapling grow thick with green leaves. Too many young people do not see the true value in youth these days. What fools. Is it truly wrong for an expert such as myself to capitalize on that youth before it wastes away?"
"So basically, he's jealous of young talent…" Omen frowned.
"Look at me! I was turned into a cat, but I'm still fighting. Age isn't a valid excuse," Mona exclaimed. Hopping out of the painting onto some scaffolding, Joker found a button and pressed it, causing one of the blank canvases to fill in.
"Look! Another painting!" Skull pointed out.
"So passing through one hidden route leads to the formation of another… What an elaborate ruse," Fox mused. "It's highly likely there is a new path through the paintings. We should investigate, Joker." Going back the way they came into the forest painting, moving right brought the Phantom Thieves back to the desert painting.
"Wait, this camel… We're back at the first freaking one!" Skull shouted.
"So they're not connected exactly as they seem… We'll have to keep trying until we find the right way," Mona stated. Moving back to the shine painting, the gang went right this time, finding themselves in the new painting of a sinking boat.
"Could a ship skirt across the ocean if its crew had to constantly worry about what sea life may lie blow? Art, life, water… They are all identical. The one who ascends to the summit is the victor!"
"Despite all his word, he's just saying that people are like stepping stones," Templar explained. "That's just what he did to his pupils- he crushed them under foot, all for his "art"!"
"What a piece of shit!" Skull cursed. Dropping down out of the painting, Joker found another button and pressed it, filling in the other black canvas on the wall.
"I bet we have yet another new path to get through now," Omen said. Once again the gang started back at the desert painting, going to and through the shrine gate, but this time climbing up a rock formation in the forest painting to get to the new one, an evening stroll.
"Beauty is merely a mirage… Transforming that into money is what brings about true happiness. My fine mansion, my lifestyle among the chosen few… Those things are the true "art"!"
"So running your atelier out of a shabby, run-down shack was simply an act after all…" Fox said. "How foolish I was to have been deceived for so long… How despicable. We have encountered so many of his paintings, yet not once did he mention a love for art. These are no "Paintings"… They are just meaningless self-assertions place into picture frames!"
"Fox…" Panther said. Passing through the painting, the gang was now on a higher level they could continue on.
"I wonder what will happen when we cause his change of heart…" Omen said to herself as they moved through the backrooms of the art gallery. Taking out Shadows along the way, the princess stopped as she got a familiar tingle. "Wait… is that…?" She turned around and saw a Will Seed door behind a shutter. "Look, the second Will Seed! But it's locked off from us…"
"I bet there's a switch or something we could use to open this sucker up," Lycan stated. She sniffed the air to find something. "Hey Joker, in the upper room I smelled something hiding behind some boxes. Since we're lower down this area, think you could grapple up and see if there's a switch?"
"Let's find out," their leader said. He grappled up to the higher level, not only finding a treasure chest but also a mysterious button. Pressing it, the gang all cheered as the shutter door opened, meaning the second Will Seed of the Palace was theirs! Fox seemed intrigued by the Will Seed, but the rest of the gang let him ponder that to himself.
[***]
Location: ?
Going through a door to the next area, the Phantom Thieves were now in a strange golden room, filled with portraits and stairs that led to nowhere, M.C. Escher style. "Damn… What the Hell is up with this place!?" Lycan vocalized.
"There's so much gold! It's hurting my eyes…" Panther winced.
"The distortion is especially bad here… It's barely holding up. It's not even on our map…" Mona pointed out.
"So we must ascertain the truth through our eyes alone…" Fox mused. Moving through this strange world, the gang soon reached a dead end on the path. "I thought I'd seen everything there was to see of this distorted world. But to think it would conjure up such a bizarre place…"
"So, like, which way are we supposed to go? I didn't see any other ways forward, did you?" Panther asked.
The gang all looked around, with Skull spotting something weird on the wall. "What's this?" Pulling at it, the blonde revealed that the "wall" was actually a fake! "Whoa, part of the wall was peeling, so I pulled it off! That wasn't an actual wall!"
"I see. So it was camouflaged. We may have been trapped here for eternity had you not noticed that," Fox said.
"Nice work, Skull! You did something useful for once," Lycan grinned.
"Uh sure… You know I just got lucky, right? No need for backhanded complements…" Skull replied.
"There might be more walls like this up ahead. Let's keep an eye out," Mona warned. Moving through the new entryway, the blue gates turned out to be warps to other parts of the area. As they went through the gateways, eventually the Phantom Thieves found two paintings just sitting on the path.
"Why is this painting here…?" Templar wondered.
"It's probably some kind of illusion. We're in a Palace, after all," Mona guessed. "Well, I guess the painting itself might be correct though."
"You say "correct," but aren't they all counterfeit? Although maybe the real one's here too…" Panther said.
"I wonder…" Mona mused. "Either way, the fact is that this is here might mean it's connected to this space in some way."
Looking between the two paintings, Omen pointed to the one on the right. "Wait, this one is clearly the correct painting. I mean, the other one is wearing the wrong dress color!"
"That is correct. You do have an eye for detail, Omen," Fox smiled. "The vibrant crimson robes, her beautiful hair, the sublime balance between subject and background… This may only be an illusion, but it is without a doubt a spitting image of the true "Sayuri."
Touching the painting, the gang watched as it turned into the golden orb and flew off into one of the warp doors, turning it from blue to gold. Going through this new path, the Phantom Thieves were now in a new area from before. "Huh, seeing past the false image has opened a path to the truth…" Templar mused.
"Look at you, being a poetic like Fox," Panther chuckled.
"This golden place filled with counterfeit work is a prime example of the alchemy of Madarame's brain," Fox said. "And here, just as in reality, he entraps those who cannot see through his lying façade."
Mona nodded. "You might be right… No wonder the distortion is strong here."
"Hey, so… what does that mean?" Skull asked.
"I think it means finding the real "Sayuri" should break through the distortion and open the path," Joker explained.
"So we just gotta check all of them?" Skull elaborated.
"Why would we do that? Let's just look for the real one… assuming we can differentiate it," Panther said.
"Leave that to me," Omen said. With four options to pick from, the princess chose the third painting on display. "The others lack the tree in the background."
Fox nodded. "Yes, this is the true "Sayuri." It may be an illusion, but there can be no mistaking it's allure. Nicely done, Omen." Following the golden orb, the gang now had eight paintings to choose from in this next room. As Omen looked between them, she kept shaking her head.
"No, none of these are correct," she sighed.
"So what? This is a dead end?" Templar asked.
"Wait, what if the real one is hiding from us?" Lycan suggested. Moving to a back wall, she grinned as he found a seam and pulled, revealing a fake wall with a chest and another painting behind it. "Hah, Madarame thought he was so clever, but We figured him out! Is this the right painting, Fox?"
The artist nodded. "Yes, this is the true "Sayuri." Like before the golden orb flew off, but not to anywhere the gang could see.
"Goddamnit, where'd it go!?" Skull cursed.
"Calm down, Skull," Joker soothed his friend. "Maybe something from before has changed."
"I agree. We found all the real paintings from the fakes, so let's head back and see if something else has opened up," Omen suggested. Going through a blue gate, the Phantom Thieves warped back to the start, but with one change. "See, a new golden gate is open to us. That's where we're going next!" And indeed, stepping through the new warp brought the gang to the end of the distorted stair maze and into the Main Treasure Hall.
As they entered the new area, Fox peered down the hallway before gasping. "A-Ah, that is…? Just as I expected… Madarame!" Indeed, Shadow Madarame was standing guard in front of a laser gate around a formless floating blob.
"Then that floating… thing behind him is the Treasure, right?" Lycan asked.
"It's kinda hard to tell from here. Let's get a closer look!" Skull suggested.
Moving to get close, the gang hid around a corner to stay out of sight. "There it is…" Mona nodded.
"Doesn't it look a bit hazy?" Templar questioned.
"For the time being," Mona replied. "Once we send the card and make Madarame aware it'll be stolen, it'll materialize like "Yoohoo!"
"I wonder what form it will take…" Fox pondered.
"Well, Kamoshida's took the form of a giant crown. I hope it's something more manageable to carry," Omen said.
"I bet it's something like a self-portrait," Skull scowled.
"The source of what distorted Madarame's reality this much…" Fox thought.
"So… what now? This it's safe to say we've got a route set?" Lycan asked.
Mona hummed in thought. "We know for sure where the Treasure is, but I'm not sure that we've necessarily secured the route…"
"Why's that?" Lycan raised an eyebrow.
"Those lasers aren't going to make it easy to get through," Joker pointed out.
Mona nodded. "That, and the outer perimeter is swarming with guards. Forcing our way through will be difficult."
"So we'll need to find a way to steal it too…" Panther sighed. "This is tougher than it was with Kamoshida…"
"We just have to make one final push. Let's check this floor!" Mona cheered. Stopping in a Safe Room before going on, the Phantom Thieves came across a familiar sight in this Palace: a security room.
"This we can turn the lasers of here?" Templar asked.
"One way to find out," Joker said. He went over to the laptop before smiling. "We don't even need a password for this one. It's like taking candy from a baby."
"Hey, hellhound babies are vicious if you try to take their shit!" Lycan said.
"Let's try turning off the lasers," Joker said. He typed in the command, but nothing happened.
"Error! Only lord Madarame can access this terminal due to maximum security protocol!" the computer said.
"The heck? There was no point in even coming her then!" Skull groaned.
"It seems disabling the infrared lasers is not within the realm of possibility for us…" Fox mused.
"Let's try another one then," Joker said. "Shutting down the main power…" Typing in the command, all the lights in the room went out, but the lasers remained turned on.
"Wh-What is the meaning of this!?" Shadow Madarame shouted.
"I-I am not sure! It seems we have lost power…" a guard replied. "The backup generators should bring it up again in no time!" Indeed, the power soon turned back on.
"What a nasty surprise…" the shogun muttered. "Hm… Could this also be…? Hey, someone!"
"It came back on pretty damn fast…" Lycan growled.
"Yes, and the infrared lasers remained active even during the power outage," Fox noted.
"So we'll only be able to turn the power off in there for a few seconds…" Omen said.
"Wait a second… Aren't those guards that just ran out headed this way!?" Panther gasped.
"Then we don't have a lot of time to try much else," Joker said. "I'll just open the shutters. That's the last command here…" With a click of some buttons, the shutter doors in the area opened up for them.
"Now there are more places we can explore!" Templar cheered. It was then that a guard finally came into the room, the Phantom Thieves ready for battle.
"So you're the ones who tampered with the electricity!" the Shadow exclaimed. Taking his true from, a paper-thin dog, the Shadow summoned his allies and was ready to attack.
"Let's silence him, fast!" Mona ordered. He pulled out his slingshot, only for the Shadow to block the attack. "Darn it!"
"I don't sense a magic immunity… Hua, cast Gry!" Omen ordered. Her Persona appeared, attacking with gravity magic and knocking and enemy down. "There we go. Skull, it's your turn!"
Taking the baton pass, Captain Kidd used Zio to knock the enemy down, before passing it to Joker, who called on Hamsa to cast his own Zio. All it too from there was an All-Out Attack to finish the fight.
"Phew… that was a surprise…" Panther sighed.
"All we really managed to do was open the shutters…" Skull said.
"On top of that, we can only turn the lights off briefly, while the lasers remain unaffected," Fox added.
"I guess all we can do now is see what was behind the shutters," Templar shrugged. Moving towards the new area, Omen felt a shutter down her spine once more.
"Sense a Will Seed, princess?" Lycan asked.
Omen nodded. "Yeah, I do." She looked around and noticed an open vent. "Through there. That's where I'm sensing the pull." Going through the vent, the Phantom Thieves found a chest a new armor for Fox, as well as a grapple point to get up to the rafters. Climbing along there, the gang found another vent that led to a hole in the ceiling, dropping down from which was a small hallway where the last Will Seed door was.
"Looks like this one is guarded," Lycan noted.
"I hope this doesn't being a thing of the last Will Seed always having a strong Shadow in front of it…" Templar sighed.
"Either way, we have to go through it," Mona said.
"Let's go," Joker nodded, running up to the Shadow.
"How did you all-!" the Shadow gasped as the Phantom Thieves drew their weapons. "Know what? It doesn't even matter- now that you've seen this place, you won't be leaving alive!" The Shadow burst out into a robot-like shape for its true from.
"This room will only be your end. We'll be passing through!" Fox boasted. He slashed at the Shadow with his katana, only for the attack to bounce off. "It's immune to my slices!?"
"Shit, same with my gun!" Lycan cursed.
"Let me slow it down!" Panther called, casting Dormina to put the Shadow to sleep.
"Time for a rude awakening!" Templar shouted, casting Aqua to knock the enemy down.
"Okay, status is the way to go," Omen nodded. "We'll use magic to knock it over, and if a spell type does more damage? We take advantage of that!" The battle went on like that, Joker and Panther using status skills to hold that Shadow at bay while the rest of team cast magic. Eventually they found that wind and nuclear magic did wonders against the Shadow, bringing it down to where an All-Out Attack wound finish it.
"Okay guys, lets… do this!" Mona called, leading the charge. As the attack ended, be landed in a swivel chair and spun around, cigar in hand as he smirked. "Mission complete!"
With the battle over, the final Will Seed was theirs, giving the team access to the Crystal of Lust, which nullified weakness. "You should have this, Joker, since your weaknesses change all the time with different Personas," Templar said, handing the accessory to the team leader.
Getting back on track, the Phantom Thieves returned to the main route, finding a grapple point that took them over where the Treasure was and to a different balcony. On the other side, they found a mysterious room that was almost like the security rooms. "It appears to be where all the mechanisms in the exhibition hall are controlled from," Fox noted. "Give the number of hanging works, it would make sense to have a room dedicated to controlling them."
"The observational skills of an artist are out of this world…" Panther said, impressed by Fox's eye for detail. Looking around the room, the team found some walkways that lead to just above the Treasure. "Oh, look! There aren't any lasers above it!"
"Isn't that a big hole in security," Omen mused. "But I don't think we can simply jump down and steal it. We wouldn't be able to get out if we did that."
"Look up," Mona said, pointing to a crane above them. "The controls for that should probably be around here someone, like in the room from before." Moving back to where they came from, Joker found a red lever attached to winch. Pulling it, the crane outside suddenly lowers.
"Stop, stop! They'll notice if you keep that up, idiot!" Lycan chided. "Pull it back up!" Joker did just that.
"This could be useful…" Mona mused.
"Do you plan on descending on that hook?" Fox asked. "Would they not spot you the moment you were lowered down?"
"No… No necessarily. There's something I can do to make sure that doesn't happen," Mona said.
Joker snapped his fingers. "Use the darkness."
Mona smiled. "Exactly! That's our Joker!"
"Right… In the control room from before we were able to turn off the lights!" Templar exclaimed, getting where this plan was going.
"Only for a few seconds," Lycan reminded them. "There won't be enough time for any of us, demon or not, to get from down there back to up here."
"That's why we're going to split up the tasks and work together to pull off this heist!" Mona stated. "One person will shut the power off here, one person will lower the crane, and I'll grab the Treasure! The rest of us will be on lookout and defense from the guards."
"You sure that's gonna work?" Skull questioned. "Seems like they'd realize what's going on at some point."
"Sometimes bold moves have the greatest reward," Mona replied. "Unless someone has has a better idea?"
"That plan sounds good to me," Joker said.
"Same here," Omen nodded.
"Well said, leaders! You understand what being a phantom thief really means!" Mona complimented. "All right, it's settled. Our infiltration route is secured!"
"You gotta be kidding me…" Skull sighed.
Lycan punched him in the shoulder. "Come on, live for the danger of it. This is a museum heist! Now all we have to do is send the calling card!" With that the gang left the Palace, but not before the world froze around Joker and Omen.
"Not again…" Omen muttered, seeing the blue door appear.
"You seem to be doing well, inmate," the warden said to Joker. "We have an important matter to discuss regarding your rehabilitation." Joker just nodded and entered the door, leaving Omen alone until he returned.
'I should really ask him what the deal is with those toddlers sometime…' Omen thought. She was brought out of it when Joker returned. "So, what did you get this time?"
"I learned how to itemize Personas… with an electric chair," Joker explained.
Omen sighed. "I swear that place sounds bizarre… but whatever."
"Is something wrong?" Fox suddenly asked, approaching the two. "You appeared to be lost in thought."
"It's nothing, Fox," Joker lied.
The artist nodded. "Excellent- no problems all around. Shall we get going?" With that all sorted out, the gang left for the day, the route secured for the next time they visited the Museum of Vanity.
Ann: All we have to do now is send the calling card to Madarame.
Ryuji: All right, it's finally time! Now all we gotta do is decide when we're gonna do it.
Collin: Shouldn't we talk to Yusuke about that first?
Ryuji: Uh, why?
Octavia: I mean, Madarame was his teacher. It's not our place to be deciding something like this.
Ryuji: Oh yeah…
Joker: Let's talk to Yusuke.
Ryuji: yeah, this problem's bigger than just the six of us.
Octavia: Seven of us. You forgot Morgana. Anyway, how about we all meet up at the hideout?
Loona: Yup, sounds good.
Ann: OK. Lemme know when you want to meet and I'll get Yusuke.
[***]
May 21
"Did you hear the rumors about the Bully Reaper?" a student whispered.
"Dude, you can't just say that name!" his friend chided. "What if he hears us?"
Loona's ears perked up in class. Yusuke wanted to think over the calling card before they discussed it, so the Phantom Thieves would be waiting until tomorrow to send it out. In the meantime, the hellhound was sitting around at Shujin, listening in on any rumors that could give them targets to track in Mementos.
"Please, it's not like the rumors are true… are they?" the student questioned. "I mean, they couldn't possibly have taken on that many guys at once…"
"What are you talking about?" Loona suddenly said, making the two boys freeze.
"Oh, h-hey, Nyx-san," the first boy said nervously. "We were just talking about the Bully Reaper."
"What kind of lame-ass name is that?" Loona questioned.
The second boy coughed. "There's this Third-Year student in a different class that has a certain reputation about him. I'm not surprised you haven't heard about him, considering you just transferred her not too long ago."
"The guy is crazy in a fight!" the first boy exclaimed. "He's absolutely brutal and shows no mercy. I've even heard he took on an entire gang of delinquents all by himself, and he's always threatening bullies with his stone-cold glare. That's why he's called the Bully Reaper."
"Those are just rumors, though," the second boy added. "But apparently ever since Kamoshida got arrested, the guy's been more active. I wonder if those Phantom Thieves inspired him or something…?"
"Whatever…" Loona rolled her eyes before walking away. 'Huh, so there's a fighter in this school, and apparently a damn good one… for a human. I wonder if he could be useful in the future…' She pulled out her phone and texted Ren and Octavia.
Loona: Either of you heard of the Bully Reaper?
Octavia: That sounds like a lame-ass name.
Loona: That's what I thought. But apparently, he can fight really good. I know that Ren's been making those Confidants or whatever he calls them, so I just thought I'd let you know.
Octavia: …I just asked Ann about it, and the Bully Reaper is one of those loner types. He just disappears after school, so you'd be hard pressed to find where he goes.
Ren: If either of you do find this Bully Reaper, let me know. Learning real fighting techniques could benefit all of us, especially since we don't have a designated fight trainer.
Loona: Yeah, I can use a weapon well, but just scrapping will only get us so far.
Octavia: At least we have our Persona magic to fall back on. On another note, you down to go visit Takemi today, Ren?
Ren: I'll be there.
Loona: Have fun getting our drugs!
Octavia: I hope you realize how bad that sounds.
Loona: That was the point, princess.
[***]
After school, Ren and Octavia went to meet Takemi for another clinical trial. "You here for a trial?" Takemi asked.
"You know it," Ren said with a smile. Octavia rolled her eyes. 'He's trying way too hard to be charming…' she thought.
Takemi shook her head, before noticing something out of place on her desk. "Oh, that old lady from earlier forgot something," she said. "I wonder if she's still outside…" Grabbing the item, Takemi and the duo stepped outside the clinic, where luckily the old lady was still there. "Mam, you forgot this," Takemi said, handing over the item.
"Oh thank you, dear. This is my favorite handkerchief," the old lady smiled.
"It was right in front of me, so…" Takemi said slowly.
"Oh my! You're a shy one, aren't you?" the old lady chuckled.
"I-I'm not shy," Takemi said, flustered by the comment.
The old lady laughed. "My neighbor speaks highly of you. She says your medicines are better than those at the big hospitals. It's very reassuring to have such a distinguished doctor right here in town. I'll see you again soon."
With that the lady walked off. Takemi just sighed and leaned against the wall. "What the heck?"
"Well, someone's popular," Octavia joked.
"Thanks to you two," Takemi glared.
"What do you mean by that?" Ren asked.
Takemi shook her head. "There's a lot of talk going around town about me, started about that girl and her dad. Apparently, they've been telling everyone that I can make all these amazing medicines and remedies. So now the number of patients I'm seeing has increased dramatically." She looked at the two. "I don't know what some of these people are thinking though. I've had a lot of crazy requests. Like, yesterday a patient requested a "sweet-smelling" compress. And the other day, I had a request for a "cold-buster." Hah! A drug like that deserves a Nobel Prize. Other requests included hair and skin tonics… I even had to do a consultation about a cat…" Takemi shook her head. "Sheesh. It's not like I'm some kind of genius doctor."
You are a genius," Ren insisted.
Takemi shook her head. "…No. This is all interfering with my development. I'm only interested in completing my new drug. That's my role as the Plague. I'm not suited for all this other stuff."
"It suits you," Octavia said.
"What? Really?" Takemi was surprised by that, only to return to her usual demeanor. "Well, you're entitled to your opinion. But a "town doctor," huh? That sort of lifestyle profession might've been possible for me at one time, but now…" She got quiet for a bit.
'Her past mistake is something that still haunts her…' Octavia thought.
"Oh yeah, about those clinical trials," Takemi remembered. "With so many new patients, it's taking longer to analyze the data, so I'll need to catch up. This is a bit on the strong side, but I'm sure you'll be okay."
"Oh boy…" Ren sighed.
"By the way, is the girl from before doing okay?" Octavia asked.
Takemi nodded. "It looks like she'll make a full recovery. The treatment seems to be a good match for her. So at least I can breathe a little easier, for now. Hopefully she'll be able to attend school soon." Ren and Octavia both smiled, which made Takemi annoyed. "What are you two smiling about? Are you excited for your next clinical trial? Well then, let's have some fun."
'She acts like she doesn't care, but I think we're starting to see the true face behind the mask Takemi wears,' Octavia thought.
Author's Note
I never intended for Loona to be the one to accidentally come up with Yusuke's code name, but after her remarks last chapter I just had to do it. Fox is fun to write, and I think part of the reason for that is both Octavia and Loona bounce off him really well. I think our demon girls are used to eccentric personalities, so they are a bit more used to some of the more "out there" parts of Yusuke's personality.
With the Museum of Vanity complete, can I just say that this Palace has one of my favorite background tracks in the game? The specific track is "A Woman (Another Version)" which is the song that plays as you go through the M.C. Escher room towards the end of the dungeon. It's a very trippy track and captures the feeling of being inside an absurdist piece of art very well.
Also, sounds like the Helluva Boss characters aren't the only new characters getting added to this telling of Persona 5! We'll find out about the Bully Reaper soon enough, but we have to take down Madarame first. See you all next time for the second boss fight!