Inside the castle dungeons, three knights were in a group near the door to the Safe Room.

"Hm, I thought I just heard something move over there... Guess it was just my imagination..." The first knight said.

"And what of the slaves?" the second knight asked.

"They're all in the training hall. I'd assume that they're all screaming in pain by now." the third knight answered.

"Very well. By the way, I heard we may have intruders around. Stay on your guard." the first knight said before he and the second knight went past the door to the Safe Room while the second knight went further into the dungeons.

"Did you hear that?" Mona asked Joker before the three thieves plus Ryuji came out of the Safe Room door.

"They said training hall, right?" Ryuji asked.

"Yeah. I think that's a little further ahead. Let's get moving!" Cobra stated.

The four of them went to the left of the Safe Room door and were halfway down a flight of stone stairs when they saw the second knight from earlier patrolling. "Ugh... There's a guard on duty here... The way to the training hall is just beyond those bars on the left..." Morgana said as they stopped on the stairs.

"So... what are we gonna do? Are we gonna fight it?" Ryuji asked.

"Seems like it. Just don't let it notice you beforehand... If it does, the Palace's security level will rise..." Morgana answered.

"And what do we do if that happens? Run away?"

"Well, the security level will go back down if we can beat more enemies without getting noticed."

"That doesn't sound too complicated." Joker stated.

"Good, now let's continue this." Cobra remarked before the three thieves proceeded to ambush the knight, who turned into two Gallows Flowers. Joker had Arsène use Eiha on one while Mona had Zorro use Garu on the same one before Cobra had her Persona destroy it with an Atom Slicer that landed a critical hit. She then used the opportunity to attack the other Gallows Flower, knocking it down with a critical hit before Gwendoloena called out, "Back Slash!" and made a vertical cutting motion with her dagger. The Shadow didn't have time to react before a scimitar that appeared from nowhere made a cut into its back that destroyed it.

"What in the world...?" Joker asked.

"The skill that Gwendoloena just used, Back Slash, deals even more damage if the targeted enemy has been knocked down." Cobra answered as she collected the spoils of the battle. The thieves plus Ryuji then went to the bars and pulled down a lever that made some of them rise upward to form a crude doorway. They went through before the bars went back down and found themselves in a new stone hallway.

"The training hall's up ahead, right?" Ryuji asked.

"Yeah, it's a little further. Make sure you watch out for any guards along the way." Morgana warned before they pressed further ahead by going down some stairs, then going right and turning left to go down another set of stairs. Two knights were facing each other and talking, prompting Joker and Cobra to hide while Ryuji and Morgana stopped moving.

"Hey, have you seen anyone that looks like an intruder?" one of the knights asked.

"No, nobody yet..." the second knight answered.

"Shoot... I had a feeling that there would be a lot of enemies. It will be impossible to dodge all of them..." Morgana spoke.

"Then, what do we do? Should we try and take 'em down like before?" Ryuji asked.

"It's not that simple. We still have a long way to go, so we should be conserving energy."

"I-I see... Sorry... Dammit, I wish I could fight... I'd at least be able to help out a little bit... But all I got is this model gun from earlier... I'm such a freakin' loser."

"Huh? You mean that gun?" Morgana asked.

"Yeah... it looks real and all, but it doesn't freakin' shoot anything..." Ryuji answered.

"I see... Well, there is a way... Okay, we'll use that to take down the enemies!"

"Of course... it looks real, so the guards will assume that it's loaded." Cobra stated as one of the knights turned away from the other one and went further into the Castle.

"Only one way to find out." Joker said as he saw the other knight approach and jumped onto its shoulders before reaching down and grabbing its mask. He then ripped it off and jumped off the Shadow before it turned into a Gallows Flower and a Crypt-dwelling Pyromaniac.

"You have the gun with you, right? Point it at an enemy and fire!" Morgana suggested. Joker proceeded to point the model gun at the Crypt-dwelling Pyromaniac and pulled the trigger. To his surprise, a bullet shot out from the barrel and hit the Shadow. Joker then fired four more shots that destroyed it before firing the remaining three bullets into the Gallows Flower.

"How about that!? Surprised? There are plenty of instances where rapid fire's more effective than just swinging your knife. Of course, you can run out of ammo, but using it all up does more good than letting it collect dust! Alright, I'll show you my weapon too!" Morgana exclaimed before bringing out a slingshot and killing the Gallows Flower by launching a rock from it.

After collecting the spoils of the battle, Ryuji ran up to them and said, "Whoa! Did that toy gun just shoot real freakin' BULLETS!?"

"This is a cognitive world. As long as our opponent thinks it's real, it becomes such. It's a good thing it's realistic-looking." Morgana answered.

"I don't get it."

"Because they recognize it as a gun, your ammo capacity is limited in battle. But your enemies are expecting you to come at them with guns loaded, so your ammo is replenished in every new fight."

"What's this commotion over here?" a knight asked as it turned around the corner and saw the three thieves.

"Wha- you bastards!" the knight shouted as it ran closer.

"Get ready, here comes another one." Morgana said as Cobra brought her sword out and then swung it, knocking the knight down and making it transform into a single Gallows Flower.

"Our ammo's replenished! Go on, dump it into the enemy!" Morgana stated. Joker then fired off seven shots that killed the Shadow.

After gathering the 92 yen that was dropped, Morgana said, "Just as I thought, all our ammo had returned for that fight."

"I wasn't sure whether to bring it or not at first, but I'm sure glad I did." Ryuji replied.

"We're definitely lucky to have the additional firearm in our arsenal. I must say, well done- even if it was just dumb luck that it worked here."

"Did you really have to put it like that?"

"Quit griping, Blondie. You're getting praised. Oh by the way, we should decide how we divvy up our roles in battle from here on out. As you can see, there are quite a lot of enemies. It'll be important to coordinate our moves well. I can keep providing intel for us, but you should decide how we fight, Joker."

"What do you mean by how we fight, Mona?" Cobra asked.

"Basically, what we do in battle. He can order us directly, or let us decide what we do." Morgana answered.

"Both of you should be under direct command right now." Joker ordered.

"This should be interesting." Cobra stated.

"I understand, Joker." Morgana replied. The three thieves plus Ryuji went forward and to the left before going right and ambushing a knight that turned into a Crypt-dwelling Pyromaniac, a Red Armless Beast, and a Beguiling Girl. Joker had Arsène use Eiha on the Beguiling Girl, which knocked it down before he pulled out his gun and fired all eight shots into the Red Armless Beast, bringing it to the brink of death. Morgana then used Garu to kill the Crypt-dwelling Pyromaniac before finishing off the Red Armless Beast. After collecting the spoils of the battle, they continued going forward and went left over a small wooden bridge before coming to a T intersection.

Joker hid himself and cautiously looked around the corner to see a knight standing guard in front of a door. "A guard... I'm pretty sure that's where we need to be going, too..." Morgana observed.

"You guys gonna take it down like the others?" Ryuji asked.

"I guess that's our only choice... But wait, this might be a good time... Okay, I've decided! I'm gonna show you guys a special way to fight enemies!"

"Is it a new technique?" Joker then questioned.

"Something like that. Let's go!" Morgana answered. Cobra then rushed ahead and swung her sword, which knocked down the knight and made it transform into a Crypt-dwelling Pyromaniac, two Beguiling Girls, and a Red Armless Beast.

"Listen, there's a distinct flow to battles. Let me show you. After all, seeing is... something? First, knock down all the enemies! Everything starts at that crucial step!"

Joker pulled out his gun and fired a single bullet at each of the Beguiling Girls, knocking them down before unloading two bullets into the Crypt-dwelling Pyromaniac, the second of which hit a critical area and knocked it down. Joker then slashed his knife into one of the Beguiling Girls, wounding the victim significantly but not killing it. Morgana then had Zorro use Garu to knock down the Red Armless Beast.

"All right! Now rush on in for an All-Out attack, everyone!" Morgana demanded.

The three thieves then approached the Shadows while holding their guns. While Joker had his pistol and Mona his slingshot, Cobra was holding what appeared to be a Browning Automatic Rifle. The three then backflipped and jumped into the air until the shadows of three silhouettes could be seen charging back and forth as they unleashed attack after attack on the Shadows. Then, as quick as it occured, it ended with the three thieves got into specific poses with their masks on.

Joker was smirking while adjusting one of his red gloves. "The Show's Over!" he remarked.

Morgana somehow had made a mafia like chair appear as he sat in it while smoking a cigarette. "Mission accomplished!" He stated.

Cobra sheathed her sword and put it to her side before looking at her right hand as it made a fist. She then opened it and raised it to the sky and shouted, "Darkness shall overtake you!" as she closed her hand into a fist again.

As this was happening, the Shadows behind them were beginning to spray black goo that most people would mistake for blood as the battle ended.

After collecting the money as all three of them felt stronger, Mona then said, "Mm, that definitely went well! You two are definitely fit for this!"

"What was that SUPER MOVE thing you two just did!?" Ryuji exclaimed.

"He just explained that it was an All-Out Attack. Basically, if we can knock down all the enemies in a fight, we can use it to take them out in one fell swoop." Cobra replied.

"I hear you. Damn, that was over really fast."

"It's a concentrated attack on defenseless enemies, after all. Now as I mentioned before, I want you to be the head of our command, Joker. You can decide when we use this." Morgana stated.

"All right." Joker replied.

"Strike the enemy's weakness, knock them all down, then do an All-Out Attack! That's the ideal pattern! Of course, the Shadows can't make use of them, even if their attacks manage to knock us all down."

After opening the door that the knight was guarding, Morgana said, "All right, this is it!"

Ryuji's eyes however were on the sign held up above the door. "Kamoshida's... Training Hall... of Love? What kinda bullshit is this!?" he muttered under his breath as the four intruders approached the door and went through it.

On the other side was a flight of stairs and a wooden bridge. A scream was heard, which prompted Ryuji to ask, "That voice... where's it coming from...?"

The thieves plus Ryuji went down the stairs and over the bridge before hearing another scream, making him ask, "Oh, is it coming from over there!?" as he pointed to a set of iron bars. The four approached and looked through to see a volleyball net and what appeared to be four male students clinging onto it while being struck in the back with sticks by four knights. Ryuji had a look of disgust on his face as he shouted, "Dammit, this is freakin' bullshit!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to keep your voice down!?" Morgana scolded.

Ryuji looked around and then shouted back, "But this is beyond messed up!"

Cobra noticed the bars had a doorway built into them and said, "Even if we could open that, there's no stairs going down into that pit. Those things are not actually human beings anyway despite looking like humans, so it would be pointless to save them."

"Not human? Then that means..." Ryuji asked, clearly surprised.

"You seem to catch onto things fast, Cobra. The slaves down there are Cognitions- embodiments of what a Palace ruler perceives someone or something in reality to be. As Cobra just said, it would be pointless to get them out of here, Ryuji." Morgana explained.

"This treatment... Kamoshitda must be abusing the male volleyball team members in the real world if this inhumane treatment of the Cognitions of them indicates anything." Joker stated.

"There's a volleyball rally tomorrow. I know that nobody will speak up about the abuse, so we should instead start making further preparations for taking on the rest of this godforsaken castle." Ryuji replied.

"How do you know that!?" Morgana asked.

"I've seen it firsthand in the real world. People will just cover it up or justify it. In any case, we should get the hell out of here. I don't doubt the possibility of Kamoshitda sending some guards this way."

"Right, now's let's book it!" Cobra ordered before the four of them left the training hall.

A few minutes later, they were back in the entrance hall. As the four reached the center, 'Kamoshida' approached them along with two regular knights and one that wore gold armor. He then said, "...You knaves again? To think that you'd make the same mistake again. You're all hopeless!"

"The school ain't your castle!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Don't waste your breath, Ryuji. This isn't the real Kamoshida anyway, just his Shadow Self." Cobra chided.

"It seems that the saying 'barking dogs seldom bite' is true, after all. How far the star runner of the track team has fallen." The Shadow Self of Kamoshida remarked.

"What the hell are you getting at!?" Ryuji shouted.

"I speak of someone who was a witness to the 'Track Traitor' Nakaoka, whose act of violence ended his teammates' dreams. Oh, I can only imagine not just your pain, but also the pain of the others who were dragged under with his... selfish act."

"Track Traitor?" Joker asked in a confused tone.

"What a surprise. So you're accompanying him without knowing anything at all? Sakamoto stood by and did nothing when Nakaoka betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes, yet he still carries on as carefree as ever." Shadow Kamoshida answered.

"Ugh... you tried to provoke me into committing violence! But I was numb to your tactics, so you switched your target to Nakaoka instead!" Ryuji stated defiantly.

"What a tragedy... You blindly trusted this fool, and he's led you right to your death." Shadow Kamoshida said before backing up and ordering his knights, "Hurry up and dispose of them. I can't stand their stench."

The gold-armored knight raised its sword and then the two regular knights turned into a pair of Dirty Two-horned Beasts.

"God damn it..." Ryuji muttered.

"Ryuji, move!" Morgana scolded as the three thieves assumed battle positions.

"Ugh, we're surrounded!" Morgana groaned out.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you 'cause King Kamoshida told us! I'll kill you 'cause that's what he wants!" one of the Dirty Two-horned Beasts shouted before all three of them lunged and attacked Joker.

Joker pulled his pistol out and fired all eight shots into one of them, wounding it severely but not killing it. Morgana pulled out his slingshot and then launched five rocks at another one, also wounding it heavily but not killing it. Cobra brought out her Browning and unleashed a hail of fifty bullets that killed the two weakened Dirty Two-horned Beasts along with the third one. Three fresh ones then appeared to replace their fallen comrades.

"There's more of them? This is bad..." Morgana stated before one of the new Shadows struck him and knocked him down. Another one then knocked Joker down when it struck him, but as the third one approached Cobra, her hands moved quickly and made a sign.

"Kawarimi no jutsu!" Cobra called out and just before she was hit, she was engulfed in smoke.

"GAH!" Shadow Kamoshida cried out in pain as he was launched out of the smoke by the Shadow's attack.

"King Kamoshida...! That bitch switched herself with him!" the shadow swore before it was then killed by the gold-armored knight's sword decapitating it.

"That's for striking the King, even if that bitch was the one who made you hit him by switching places with his Majesty." the gold-armored knight stated.

A fourth Dirty Two-Horned Beast charged out at Cobra, and then she said, "This is gonna be troublesome... Smoke Bomb!" before she threw a small white ball at her own feet which then exploded into a large cloud of smoke that filled the entrance hall floor. When it dissipated about ten seconds later, Cobra was nowhere to be seen.

Shadow Kamoshida stepped onto Morgana's back, making him groan out, "Rgh... You piece of-"

Joker tried getting up, but was pushed back down by the gold-armored knight stepping onto his back.

The regular Shadows had returned to their knight appearances, and four of them were present. Shadow Kamoshida then looked around and asked, "Damn it, where the hell did the last one go!?"

"My lord, should some of us search for her?" one of the knights asked.

Shadow Kamoshida pointed to the knight that asked him and then another one before ordering, "You two, find the female intruder! The rest of you, stay here and eradicate these knaves!"

"Yes, my lord!" the two knights that were ordered stated before leaving the entrance hall.

Shadow Kamoshida then turned to Ryuji and asked, "So you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this, right?"

"No..." Ryuji muttered.

"What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly... How dare you raise your hand at me. Though it was only temporary, have you forgotten my kindness in supervising track practice?"

"That wasn't practice- that was physical abuse! You just didn't like our team!"

"It was nothing but an eyesore! The only one who needs to achieve results is me! That coach who got fired was hopeless too... Had he not opposed me with a sound argument, I would've settled with just breaking Nakaoka's leg. I would have broken your leg as well, but you ran off and got away before I could get the chance to do it."

"...what?"

"Do I finally get the chance to break those fucking legs of yours, you damn faggot!? The school will call it self-defense, anyway!"

"Heh, that's rich if you thought that calling me such a hateful term would piss me off... As you already know, my dad used to call me a fag almost every single day whenever he was home!"

"Ryuji..." Morgana said sadly while still being pressed down by Shadow Kamoshida's foot.

"And yet... am I gonna lose again? The track team's gone because of this asshole..." Ryuji groaned out.

"So that's why..." Morgana said before Shadow Kamoshida increased the pressure on the cat's back.

"Once these two are dealt with, you're next. Of course, I also can't forget about that female intruder... she's way too crafty and troublesome for my liking to become a plaything. I'll just have her killed outright. Hahahaha...!" Shadow Kamoshida remarked.

"Ryuji!"

"Don't let him win!" Joker called out defiantly.

"...You're right. Almost everything that was important to me was taken by Kamoshida... If I don't stand up for myself, I'll never get them back!" Ryuji said.

"Stay there and watch. Look on as these hopeless scum die for nothing because they sided with trash like you." Shadow Kamoshida taunted.

Ryuji stood up and defiantly pointed at Shadow Kamoshida as he said, "No... that's what YOU are... all you think about is using people... you're the real scumbag, Kamoshida!"

"What are you doing? Silence him!" Shadow Kamoshida ordered his knights.

Before anyone could do anything, Ryuji pointed again and said, "Stop lookin' down on me with that stupid smile on your face!"

"You made me wait quite a while." a disembodied masculine voice called out as Ryuji's eyes suddenly turned yellow. He then held his hands up to his head as he went onto his knees.

"A-AAAGH" Ryuji screamed out as he felt pain in his head.

"You seek power, right? Then let's form a pact. Since your name has already been disgraced, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc? The 'other you' who exists within desires it thus... I am thou, thou art I... There is no turning back... The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!" the voice called out before a skull mask appeared on Ryuji's face.

"Hmph. What can you do?" The gold-armored knight scoffed. He then raised his sword and shouted, "Cower in fear and watch!"

Ryuji struggled with the mask for a bit before he used both hands to pull it off of him, causing a burst of wind and blue fire to pulse out of him and knock the gold-armored knight off of Joker and Shadow Kamoshida off of Morgana. The blue fire then formed into a being with an eyepatch, prosthetic limb, and captain's hat with a skull and crossbones design wearing a blue shirt, a pair of black pants with gold trim, white boots, and a long flowing red cape. The torso is covered by a grey harness that ends in a pair of cutlasses just below the neck. A pair of anchor ornaments on chains dangle from the harness.

The being's face is nothing but a skull and a red-yellow eye. Its frame is extremely thin, implying that its entire body is nothing but a skeleton beneath the clothes. Its left hand is covered by a yellow glove, but with sharp jagged nails. The cannon that replaced its right hand was golden.

The flying pirate ship it rides is barely large enough to carry it, comparable in size to a surf board. It is seemingly made of black wood and has had both of its masts torn off. The rigging nets have also been torn off and flow in the wind, similar to its cape. The black sails of the ship, which would normally be on the masts, have seemingly been tied and wrapped up on the bow of the ship. The ship's hull has been decorated with a large grinning face with manic red-yellow eyes, sharp white teeth and a toothy grin. Small gold cannons adorn the ship's sides. Lastly, there appears to be figurehead of a golden angelic woman adorning the bow of the ship.

"Ugh, this one as well?!" Shadow Kamoshida remarked.

"Right on... Wassup, Persona... this freakin' rocks! Now that I got this power, it's time for payback... with interest! Yo, I'm ready... Bring it!" Ryuji exclaimed as Joker and Morgana got up and put themselves next to him. Cobra then jumped down from somewhere on the ceiling and got next to Joker.

"Ngh... Don't mock me, you brat!" the gold-armored knight snarled before it transformed into a man in red armor riding a horse. The man had two horns on his head and carried a spear in his left hand.

"Blast him away, Captain Kidd!" Ryuji stated as his clothes changed to a matching black jacket with elbow pads and what appears to be a metal vertebral column attached to its back, pants with knee pads and a double-sided holster belt with ammo on each side, a red ascot, combat boots, a pair of yellow gloves with metal knuckle protectors and a skull mask. He then assumed a battle position alongside Joker, Mona, and Cobra while holding a metal pipe.

"What troublemakers that bother King Kamoshida with trifle matters!" the man on the horse shouted.

"Kamoshitda's cognition of me ain't changing, huh? Then I'll act like the troublemaker I am! Let's freaking do this, Captain Kidd!" Ryuji shot back as the man on the horse summoned two Dirty Two-horned Beasts to his side.

"PERSONA!" Ryuji called out as Captain Kidd appeared and fired his golden cannon before a single bolt of lightning rained from above and struck one of the Dirty Two-horned Beasts, knocking it down. Another usage of Zio knocked the other one down and then Ryuji went in and kicked the man on the horse once before striking him with his pipe. Joker then slashed one of the knocked down enemies and wounded it while Morgana pulled out his slingshot and launched two rocks that killed it while the other three rocks pelted the man on the horse. Cobra used a Back Slash that killed the other Dirty Two-horned Beast and finally the man on the horse proceeded to use a Cleave attack on Morgana. Ryuji then used Zio on the Guard Captain.

Joker slashed it a couple of times with his knife before Morgana did the same with his sword, fatally wounding the Shadow.

"I am... a loyal subject... of the glorious King Kamoshida... So why... why have I lost!?" the guard captain asked.

"It just proves that Kamoshitda ain't anything special." Ryuji shot back as the Shadow dissolved into nothing.

After collecting about 2800 Yen in spoils, the guard captain returned to normal as it got knocked onto its back.

"...How about that!?" Ryuji asked Shadow Kamoshida defiantly.

"Now isn't the time... we need to leave now. I only brought three of these, so after this, I'm on my last Smoke Bomb." Cobra stated as she deployed it, filling the entrance hall with smoke once again. When it dissipated ten seconds later, Ryuji, Cobra, Joker, and Morgana were nowhere to be seen.

"GRR...! THOSE BASTARDS! All men, intensify your patrols!" Shadow Kamoshida ordered.

Meanwhile, outside of the castle, the four intruders were looking exhausted. Ryuji and Cobra were the first to recover and then Ryuji said, "Anyways... I don't remember changing into this!"

"It looks good on you." Joker replied after he recovered from his exhaustion.

"Uhh... Should I be happy about that? Then again, it ain't as bad as yours."

A voice coming from inside the castle then asked, "Did you find them!?"

Morgana finally got up and said, "Quiet!"

"No. Search that way!" another voice from the castle answered.

"So, what's going on? I'm completely lost on this, man!" Ryuji whispered.

"I told you before. When a Persona User opposes a Palace's ruler and becomes a threat to them, this happens. It's to prevent you from being affected by distortions." Morgana answered.

"The security level of this Palace has jumped up ever since that confrontation. Like you said back in that training hall, we should leave and make preparations to infiltrate the rest of this castle." Cobra stated.

"Is this... a skull?" Ryuji asked as they approached the outer edges of the castle.

"Your appearance reflects your inner self. It's the rebel that slumbers within... not that you'll get it." Morgana spoke.

"You're trying to explain stuff that is essentially college-level material to a high school student, Mona. It's only natural that Ryuji wouldn't get it right away. Besides, the Kamoshitda in reality doesn't know about what happens here." Cobra scolded.

"You said that before, Cobra. You said it has root in... Yungian Psychology?" Ryuji asked.

"It's spelled Jungian, but you got the pronunciation right. A Shadow according to Jungian Psychology is the true self that is suppressed- a side of one's personality that they don't want to see."

"Right. Now for the preparations... we obviously need to head back to the real world to do that." Joker stated as he, Ryuji, and Cobra left the castle.

"Oh, this is not something that I'm looking forward to..." Morgana complained as he followed them.

-Take Your Heart-

"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back." Miyabi's phone chirped out in the synthetic female voice.

"...Thank the gods. We're back." Ryuji stated.

"I sure am one hell of a weirdness magnet, aren't I? Sorry if you feel inconvenienced by it, boys." Miyabi said sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head.

"Ugh, I'm dead tired... How are you two holding up?" Ryuji complained as his exhaustion returned.

"I could use a nap." Akira replied.

"I'm feeling a little winded." Miyabi answered.

"I guess that you two don't really show it, huh. But damn, if what we saw was for real, then this is gonna get good!" Ryuji said with an excited look on his face.

"That sounds about right for me." Don't know about Miyabi though." Akira spoke.

"If anything, it seems like I'm gonna have to train the two of you up to what I would endure on a regular basis." Miyabi replied.

That made a large sweat drop form on the back of the heads of both Ryuji and Akira. Ryuji then said, "Hey, so... If you're thinking of laying low 'cause you got a record, I don't think that'll help... Everyone already knows. They totally got you pegged as a criminal."

"Kamoshitda must have leaked Akira's record."

"Exactly. He opened his damn mouth!"

"Seriously?" Akira asked skeptically.

"No one else but a teacher could have leaked it that fast! It doesn't matter if it's a student or a club; Kamoshitda just wrecks things he doesn't agree with! Just like he did with Nakaoka and would have done with me if I hadn't gotten away from him!" Ryuji answered, barely holding back his anger.

"And it's not like anyone will take us seriously, either. After classes tomorrow, we should start gathering supplies for our infiltration of that castle." Miyabi spoke.

"Sounds about right. After seeing Kamoshitda's distorted-heart thing in person, there's no way I can just sit back!"

"Of course." Akira said.

"I'm counting on you two! Don't worry- I'm hyped up about this." Ryuji replied.

(Jump forward)

Akira looked blankly at Sae as she said, "Acting as a Phantom Thief would have been more efficient alone. You could have gone about it that way... However, you did not. There are merits to having associates... That's what you decided. Am I wrong?"

(rewind)


I am thou, thou art I...

Thou has acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion

that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Chariot persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that

shall lead to freedom and new power.

RANK 1


The sounds of three stomachs grumbling interrupted everyone.

"Oh... Right. I haven't eaten anything since lunch. It would be weird splitting off now, so why don't we grab a bite somewhere?" Ryuji stated.

"Sure." Akira replied.

"That does sound appealing to me." Miyabi stated.

"Just follow me. I mean, I totally got to hear about your past, Akira. I'm sure that Miyabi-sempai will tell us about her past when she feels comfortable about doing so." Ryuji remarked.

-Take Your Heart-

Akira, Miyabi, and Ryuji were seated at the counter in a beef bowl shop with beef bowls sitting in front of them. Miyabi's bowl was empty while Akira's bowl was almost empty as was Ryuji's bowl.

"What in the living hell, man!? How much shittier can that asshole get!?" Ryuji asked.

"Calm down." Akira replied.

"But just hearing your story makes me angry!" Ryuji said before he finished off his beef bowl and continued, "So, you had to leave your hometown and now you're living here, huh?"

Akira finished off his beef bowl and then Ryuji spoke, "We might be more alike than I originally thought."

"You may be right."

"Another medium beef bowl, please." Miyabi ordered.

"You're the first guy that made me think that. I guess it's because we're treated like a pain in the ass by the people around us, like we don't belong. I did something stupid at school before, too." Ryuji said.

"Medium beef bowl, coming right up." an employee said as he set one down in front of Miyabi, and then she began to eat it while the employee picked up her empty bowl along with Akira's empty bowl.

"So, Akira... The place you're living now is in... Yongen, right?" Ryuji asked Akira.

"Yeah. Miyabi's also staying there." Akira answered.

"Well, it's rush hour on the subways now. I suggest that you two kill some time before heading back."

Miyabi stopped eating her beef bowl and then said, "I see. Come to think of it, we don't have each other's contact information yet. We should fix that little issue right now."

"Agreed." Akira replied before the three exchanged their contact information with each other.

["TheBizarr0Joker" has been added to your contacts list]

["Orkin2Boyz4Ya" has been added to your contacts list]

["Shu7YerCakehole" has been added to your contacts list]

"Wow, that's one creative name for an online personality." Ryuji commented.

"To be fair, Warhammer 40K is pretty damn popular in Japan, and the Orks have fascinated me ever since I was a child. I never actually owned much in the way of models though." Miyabi stated.

"In any case, what do we know about the volleyball rally tomorrow?" Akira asked.

"That crap's recommended by Kamoshitda, and every student has to attend. However, because of it, we don't have classes in the afternoon." Ryuji answered.

"All the more time that can be used to prepare. Ryuji, where did you get that model gun that you gave Akira?" Miyabi said before resuming her consumption of her second beef bowl.

"I bought it from an airsoft shop in Shibuya."

"Excellent. We'll definitely have to visit that place again." Akira replied.

"Alright, sounds like we have tomorrow planned out." Ryuji remarked.

Miyabi finally finished off her second beef bowl and then Ryuji paid for it all before the three of them went out of the store onto the Central Street of Shibuya.

"Ryuji, you might want to head home. I'm gonna drag Akira off somewhere." she then stated.


Persona tracking:

Joker

Level: 5

Persona: Arsène (resist: Curse, Earth) (weak: Bless, Ice)

Skills: Eiha, Cleave, Sukunda, Dream Needle

Cobra

Level: 5

Persona: Gwendoloena (resist: Fire, Nuke) (weak: Earth, Ice)

Skills: Atom Slicer, Micro Nova, Poisma, Back Slash

Skull

Level: 5

Persona: Captain Kidd (resist: Earth, Elec) (weak: Wind)

Skills: Zio, Lunge

Mona

Level: 5

Persona: Zorro (resist: Wind) (weak: Elec)

Skills: Garu, Dia, Patra

Crow

Level: 9

Persona: Robin Hood (resist: Bless, Gun) (weak: Curse)

Skills: Kouha, Dia, Dazzler