Persona 5: The Phantom Files

by sithlorde1988

Will cover the events of Persona 5 Royal, with the sequel set to cover Strikers. What happens when in addition to Ren being sentenced to go live in the care of Sojiro Sakura for a year after being sued for assault, his younger brother is also ordered to go and oversee him? How will this extra character change things? Read to find out! More info in chapter 1! Read and review! Enjoy!

32. It's Showtime! Rebellious Queen part 9

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Amamiya Files! First of all, apologies for last chapter not being the continuation of Kaneshiro's Palace, but I didn't anticipate that there'd be so much content to cram into this particular prep week but with some luck, this chapter will actually end said prep week and get to tackling the Palace, but we'll see what happens. That said, let's hit up the disclaimer since I'm thinking of it!

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does NOT own the Persona series in any way shape or form (aside from the OC Kusa/Draconis who he made and thus does own, and any other OCs that might be mentioned throughout the story who unless otherwise noted were also made by sithlorde1988 and thus belong to him) and the actual credit for owning the Persona series belongs to Sega, Atlus and Koei Tecmo so all credit to them!

That said, on with chapter 32!

Chapter 32! End of the Prep Week! Enter the Bank of Gluttony! The Rebellious Queen part 9

(At Leblanc, with Kusa, Ren and Morgana)

Kusa and Ren looked at one another as the former spoke up.

"Well, since we're stuck at Leblanc for tonight, what now?" Kusa asked Ren who shrugged.

"I dunno. I guess I could brew some coffee, while you private chat on your phone? We do need to build up our supply of SP recovery items a bit after all." Ren said as Kusa nodded, the duo splitting off to do their respective activities while Morgana followed the former of the two, commenting on Ren's ever-improving brewing ability while Ren's Charm increased as he enjoyed his finished product, also gaining 2 'Leblanc Coffee' items as well for his efforts. The duo then headed up to bed for the night...

(The next day, with Ren and Morgana)

Morgana looked over at Ren and spoke up as Ren got up, Kusa having already left to do stuff.

"There's 13 days left before Kaneshiro delivers on his threat. What's the plan for today?" Morgana asked Ren before he kept speaking.

"Well then...That reminds me, the home shopping program is airing today...Wanna check it out?" Morgana asked as Ren shrugged and spoke up.

"I guess we can check it out at least. As for plans, I'll see what's going on." Ren decided as Morgana nodded approvingly to Ren's decision before the duo headed downstairs to check out the home shopping program. Ren decided not to buy anything, however, since nothing on offer interested him. Afterwards, the duo went to hit up the aojiru stand, which had a 'Nasty Aojiru' on offer that boosted Guts, which Ren immediately paid 5,000 yen for without hesitating. Morgana winced at the smell and the color of the aojiru as it was handed up to Ren, before he spoke up.

"Th-That's quite a color...I would NOT want to drink that." Morgana said as Ren shrugged and spoke up.

"Eh, you only live once, right? Bottoms up!" Ren said as he proceeded to swiftly yet cleanly chug the entire aojiru in one go, getting an approving look from Morgana as the not-cat did a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Nice chugging! That's how you do it!" Morgana said as Ren nearly choked on the aojiru as he went to nod approvingly to Morgana's remark making the not-cat smile as he spoke up once more.

"NICE! Good job! I was watching you try so hard." Morgana said as Ren nodded, his Guts increasing as a result of the drink. Morgana spoke up once more at that point.

"Okay, now that you're healthy, let's go somewhere else!" Morgana said as Ren nodded. Ren then headed to Kichijoji to sell some sooty gear, netting a bit over 10,000 yen for the 5 pieces of gear he bought, earning him 50 points on top of the yen, which he then swapped out for a 'Clothing Grab Bag' which was said to contain 4 pieces of used clothing, but what you get is a surprise. After leaving, Morgana smirked and spoke up, grinning impishly as he spoke.

"Hey, hey! I always wanna know what's inside this stuff! Let's take a look!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, looking inside the grab bag, which had an 'Old Haori', 2 'Old Coat' armors, and an 'Old Fiery Apron' in it. Morgana smiled approvingly as he spoke up.

"Not too bad. Let's get this again some time." Morgana said as Ren nodded agreeably. The employee then spoke up to catch Ren's attention as he left, smiling as she spoke.

"I hope you liked the stuff we had in the store. If you want more points, just sell the clothes you got." The employee said as Ren nodded and kept moving. Ren then went to Shinjuku, where he used most of his newly gained yen to buy the books on offer at the bookstore, then he headed to Central Street after remembering he'd finished 'Guy McVer' to return it, only to be surprised when the employee mentioned that there were new DVDs in stock to rent.

Ren then looked at the selection and saw that four new DVDs were added: 'Not-so-hot Betsy', which boosts Charm, 'ICU', which boosts Kindness, 'Jail Break', which boosts Proficiency, and 'The Running Dead', which boosts Guts. After considering it carefully, Ren opted to rent 'ICU', figuring he probably needed the Kindness boost the worst at the moment. The employee nodded as they spoke up after handing the copy of 'ICU' to Ren as they spoke.

"Thank you very much! Please come again soon!" The employee said as Ren nodded and left. Ren then decided to do a shift at the 'Triple Seven' since he recalled his Charm was his closest stat to ranking up so he wanted to get it ranked up so he could focus on the other 3 equally and get them all to rank 4. He then headed into the store where Nanami was working alone and spoke up.

"Hey Nanami, sorry it's been awhile. You look like you could use some help. Would you like me to put in a shift and help you out?" Ren asked as Nanami nodded happily and spoke up, smiling at Ren as she spoke.

"Hey, Ren! Oh, thank God! You're coming in today? That'd be so helpful!" Nanami said as Ren nodded and got to work, and a ways into his shift after Nanami had left, he heard the door open and looked up to see Yusuke walking in, blinking at Ren as he walked up to the counter and spoke up.

"What a coincidence! Ren? I had no idea you work here..." Yusuke said as Ren rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he spoke up, looking at Yusuke as he spoke.

"I do, but it's more of a part-time thing that I do as needed. And it just so happened that this was the first time since before we recruited you that I came in to do a shift here." Ren said to Yusuke who nodded understandingly as he spoke up, smiling at Ren as he spoke.

"I see. It's quite refreshing to see a familiar face in a different outfit...I've learned something new about you. Well then, I'll see you at the cashier later." Yusuke said as he walked off to do his shopping, both he and Ren ignoring the curious not-cat watching the goings-on through the window. A short time later, Yusuke returned to the counter, purchases in hand, speaking up as Ren started ringing him up, chuckling as he spoke.

"For some reason, I can never resist buying 'Jagariko'...!" Yusuke said as Ren chuckled before speaking up, smiling at Yusuke as he spoke.

"You know, I almost wonder if you might have an addiction to it. Which if so, there are definitely far worse things to be hooked on, to be sure." Ren said as he gave Yusuke his total and Yusuke paid the bill while speaking up, smiling at Ren as he spoke.

"That's true. I'll make sure to savor it. All right, don't push yourself." Yusuke said as he left after paying for his stuff. Shortly after that, Ren's shift ended, and Morgana spoke up through the window.

"HEY! Good work out there. You got to learn how to be considerate of others through dealing with customers." Morgana said as Ren nodded while his Charm went up. Afterwards, Morgana spoke up with a smirk.

"Wanna head back? You're almost done, right? Let's get your pay and go home." Morgana said as Ren nodded, got his 3,500 yen pay and headed back to Leblanc after changing out of his uniform...

(That evening at Leblanc, with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

As soon as Ren and Morgana got back to Leblanc, his phone went off after he gave Sojiro a curt nod of greeting which was returned to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Kusa, Yusuke, and Makoto, with Ann sending the first response.

"Did he leak the photo?" Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response at that point.

"I've been doing searches for it, but I ain't found anything yet." Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response that had Kusa trying not to facefault as he read it.

"Hm? It's possible to search for photos on the Internet?" Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Yeah, you just gotta put in a few keywords. For example...Shujin, Student Council President, Club, Drinking..." Ryuji sent as both Makoto and Kusa blinked at Ryuji's response while Yusuke sent a response.

"It's truly that simple to find images online?" Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"Yup, but a lot of pictures still won't show up that way." Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"This is the only way I got though." Ryuji sent as Makoto and Kusa sent responses close together, Makoto's coming through first.

"I think we're safe for the time being. If that photo had been put online, it would be big news by now." Makoto sent as Kusa's response came through.

"I agree, Makoto. That said, of course that's the only way you have, Ryuji. However, some of us know people who know their way around tech. However, I'd rather not make use of Taba's tech skills unless it's absolutely necessary, since I don't know that I want Kaneshiro knowing of her, much less wanting to risk Sakura-kun having an excuse to kick my ass if he so desired. Not that I'd try to stop him if he did since if he was doing it, I'd likely have done something to deserve it." Kusa sent as Ren chuckled and sent a response.

"Exactly, Kusa. That's the same reason I refrained from making use of Yoshizawa's connections for this, since I didn't want to risk Kaneshiro knowing of her. Plus, she's been rather radio silent of late anyways, so I doubt she'd be responsive right away anyways if I had reached out to her for help. That said, even though we're probably in the clear, I find myself slightly worried." Ren sent as Ann sent a response at that point.

"Yeah, it's hard to believe he'd really keep his promise." Ann sent as Makoto sent a response at that point.

"What did Kusa mean by 'Taba'? Either way, we'll be finished if that photo ever gets out." Makoto sent as Kusa and Ryuji sent responses close together, Kusa's coming through first.

"Basically, Taba is a nickname of sorts I gave one of my friends, who's a low-key tech goddess. But at this time, that's all I can comfortably divulge about her. Maybe in time, if circumstances make it necessary for more to be revealed, then I'll explain further. For now, just know she's a friend of mine." Kusa sent as Ryuji's response came through.

"Welp, guess we just gotta make sure that never happens. And Kusa, don't lie like that, man! We all know you hardly like her as just a friend, except for maybe Yusuke and Makoto! Otherwise, it's obvious you're hot for her, almost as obvious as Ren's attraction to Yoshizawa! Both of you Amamiya bros are so in denial with your feelings, it's not funny." Ryuji sent as Kusa and Ren both sputtered, the latter putting his phone away so as not to have to see the likely ugly text war that was apt to ensue between Ryuji and Kusa.

Ren then checked his new chats, ignoring the unread messages in the group chat he'd closed, wisely surmising that it was probably some back-and-forth banter between Ryuji and Kusa, the former of which Ren was annoyed with for dragging Yoshizawa into his roast of Kusa like he had. He then saw that his other new chats were from Ann, Mishima and Yoshida. Ren then opened his chat with Yoshida which had the following response from Yoshida in it.

"I'd like to request your help with another speech. I've been feeling more courageous with you around. How's your schedule looking today?" Yoshida sent as Morgana spoke up.

"So, what's the plan? Are you going to hang out with Yoshida tonight?" Morgana asked Ren who nodded as he sent a response to Yoshida.

"As it happens, my calendar tonight is quite empty so your request for help was well-timed. I'd be delighted to help you out. I'll be right there." Ren sent as Yoshida sent a reply nearly instantaneously.

"Thank you. Please come to the front of Shibuya Station. I'll be waiting." Yoshida sent as Ren nodded, closed his chats, and headed to Station Square to help Yoshida...

(At Shibuya Station, with Ren and Yoshida)

"EVERYONE! That you possess free will does not mean that you can always do as you please. To make your decisions based simply on loss and gain is to act like a heartless machine. The reason so few people care about their fellow man is because so few have the energy to do so. We politicians have fallen short of our goal to change soiety. We need your support more than ever!" Yoshida said as a man in a suit spoke up.

"That approach won't work! You have to get the voters more excited! You're going to completely lose the hearts and minds of the people." The man in a suit said as Yoshida cleared throat and kept speaking as if he hadn't been interrupted.

"Again, what I'd like to say is-" Yoshida said as he turned to face the man who'd spoken out, gasping in recognition as he saw who it was.

"WHAT!? Councilman Matsushita!" Yoshida said as the now-named Matsushita walked up to Yoshida as he spoke up once more.

"It's been so long since we last spoke. I wanted to stop by to see how you were doing." Matsushita said as he, Yoshida and Ren walked off to the side so Matsushita could speak to Yoshida in peace, during which time Yoshida filled Matsushita in on everything that had happened recently, making Matsushita chuckle as he spoke up.

"Oh, you have a high schooler volunteering for you, huh? My, times have changed." Matsushita said as he looked at Ren as he kept speaking.

"Do you know about the Kuramoto Children?" Matsushita asked Ren who blinked before he spoke up, thinking about the question before smiling as he spoke.

"Yes, I do. Mister Yoshida mentioned it to me before." Ren said. Matsushita gave Ren an impressed look as he spoke.

"That was nearly twenty years ago. I'm impressed that you're so interested in politics. That said, I was a member of the Kuramoto Children as well. Yoshida and I joined the same year. I made an amazing career change, going from a pro wrestler to a Diet member. I was elected easily, but I had no idea what I was doing. I realized I wasn't elected on my own merit when I failed to be re-elected for a second term." Matsushita said before he turned to look at Yoshida as he kept speaking.

"That was true for the both of us." Matsushita said as Yoshida smiled and spoke up.

"No. However, you've made a great comeback, though. You're truly an inspiration." Yoshida said as Matsushita nodded respectfully, looking at Yoshida as he spoke.

"As are you, old friend. You're working harder than anyone on the campaign trail." Matsushita said as Yoshida chuckled and spoke up.

"Oh, there's no need for false praise to impress the boy here." Yoshida said as Matsushita ignored Yoshida's remark to look at Ren as he spoke up once more.

"Yoshida's well-informed on the inner workings of politics, so I'm sure he'll be a great teacher. However, I suggest you only do as he says and not as he does, if you want to become a Diet member." Matsushita said, making Yoshida blink before he frowned and crossed his arms as he spoke up, looking at Matsushita as he spoke.

"Hm? And what might that mean?" Yoshida asked Matsushita who spoke up bluntly, looking from the confused Ren to the sheepish Yoshida as he spoke.

"I'm guessing he doesn't know...?" Matsushita asked Yoshida who blinked at the question, further confusing Ren as Matsushita kept speaking.

"You really think you can win the election by being completely honest and making good arguments? You've got to secure votes! Or else you'll be forever known as 'No-Good Tora'!" Matsushita said as Yoshida blanched, frowning at Matsushita as he spoke up.

"WHA-!? Without honesty and good arguments, there can be no political justice!" Yoshida said as Matsushita cut him off by speaking up with a chuckle.

"Heh...It's been a while since I heard one of your grandiose speeches." Matsushita said as he and Yoshida chuckled before Matsushita turned to Ren and spoke up once more, looking at Ren as he spoke.

"Amamiya-kun, was it? Tell me, what about Yoshida here drew you in?" Matsushita asked Ren, who stroked his chin in thought as he pondered the question briefly before speaking up, giving Yoshida an encouraging nod as he spoke.

"To be honest? I feel like it was a cross of his message and his speaking skills. But probably moreso his speaking skills. After all, he and I did make a deal that if I help him with his speeches like I've been doing, he would in turn teach me how to give great speeches.

If this ends up giving me the tools to eventually make a run in the political arena, then I see that as just an added bonus. But as you yourself pointed out, I am still a high-schooler, and thus don't fully know yet what I intend to do with my life after graduation." Ren said honestly. Yoshida looked at Ren in surprise as he spoke up, his tone a mix of awed and moved, though there was also the clear signs of being impressed in his eyes as well as he spoke.

"Amamiya-kun..." Yoshida said, both impressed by Ren's answer and moved by his honesty. Matsushita just chuckled as he spoke up, also impressed by Ren's response as he spoke.

"Well...That's quite impressive. You just may have the potential to become a Diet member. You address matters quite directly for a young person. It seems you have been taught well." Matsushita said as Yoshida smiled and nodded, giving Ren a proud look before looking at Matsushita as he spoke up, clearly pleased with Ren as he spoke.

"You're right. I intend to teach him everything I know. That's what we agreed on." Yoshida said as Ren nodded his agreement, smiling as he felt his bond with Yoshida deepen. As a result, the 'Sun' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'II' becoming a 'III' to signify that his Sun Confidant link with Yoshida had reached Rank 3, and as a result, Ren had gained the power of 'Fundraising' from Yoshida, making it so he could ask for large amounts of money during negotiations. Afterwards, Matsushita looked at Yoshida as he spoke up, a question in his eyes as he spoke.

"By the way, how are things between you and old man Kuramoto?" Matsushita asked Yoshida who winced at the name Matsushita had dropped while speaking up, frowning as he spoke.

"Yes, well, we're still not on speaking terms." Yoshida said as Matsushita nodded and spoke up once more.

"There's something I'd like to get your opinion on, so I'll be in touch." Matsushita said as Yoshida nodded and spoke up, smiling as he spoke.

"Very well." Yoshida said as Matsushita turned to leave but spoke up once more as something occurred to him as he spoke.

"Oh, that reminds me. You may still distrust me because of what happened with the missing party funds...But I'm not the one who pointed the finger at you. That's all I'm going to say." Matsushita said before walking off as Yoshida winced before speaking up.

"Ugh! Why did he have to mention that...?" Yoshida asked, then turned to see a confused look on Ren's face as he kept speaking.

"Ah, my apologies. That's all for today." Yoshida said as Ren nodded, turning to leave as Yoshida spoke up once more.

"Well then, Amamiya-kun, I'll see you again. Also, good job..." Yoshida said as Ren nodded, heading back to Leblanc, where his phone rang once he reached the door. Ren answered it, having an idea of who it'd be, and sure enough it was Yoshida.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered his phone. Yoshida chuckled on the other end as he spoke up.

"Hello. Thanks again for your help today. What a mess...Past mistakes can really come back to bite you. It's hard to feel like you've every truly escaped them. Some people can fight their way back up, like Matsushita...but many end up suffering under the weight of labels. Even after twenty years, I'm still nothing more than No-Good Tora...But I will not give up...! It's true that I lost a lot, but...I did learn a great many things along the way. Somewhere in the middle of it all, my old stubbornness was tempered into conviction. My one redeeming quality. That is why...I want you to use your experiences to forge your own conviction." Yoshida said as Ren nodded before speaking up.

"That's a good point, Mister Yoshida. You think I'll ever find it?" Ren asked Yoshida honestly. Yoshida chuckled as he spoke up once more.

"Don't worry. I can see you're already on your way. You just have to refine your experience into knowledge. Ah, I ended up taking longer than I expected. Well, until next time." Yoshida said as Ren nodded, hanging up the phone as he headed into Leblanc to get changed into his pajamas, blinking as he heard Kusa and Morgana's voices upstairs, making him hang back to listen in.

"And what makes you think I feel that way about her, Morgana-sensei? Sure, she's cute, and I've said more than once I want to be there for her in any way I can, but I believe I've also said that I'm in no hurry to make anything happen with her. But I can see why you'd think otherwise. That said, I appreciate you looking out for us the way you do, even if I do get on your case from time to time, which I apologize for doing." Ren heard Kusa saying as he then heard Morgana speak up.

"It's fine, Kusa. I shouldn't be so nosy, if anything. But that aside, how are we supposed to get things set up to surprise him? After all, we only have a few days left until his birthday. And I don't know about you, but I, for one, think birthdays should be celebrated." Morgana said, confusing Ren, but Kusa spoke up before Ren could do more than blink.

"I concur. However, bringing everything together for a surprise party will be difficult, specifically since only one of us knows where he lives, and that person also has a birthday coming up, so we might make this a joint surprise party for both of them." Kusa said ominously. Morgana then spoke up once more.

"That's a good point. Though, can we pull something like that off with just the two of us?" Morgana asked as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"Whoever said it'd just be you and I organizing this, Morgana-sensei? You forget, we have friends we can reach out to for help with this. Of course, first we have to finish off Madarame's Palace before we get too deep into planning. However, I'm sure that between Makoto, Yoshizawa, and Ann, we can get this figured out. If needed, we can also enlist the aid of Yusuke as well for whatever purpose." Kusa said as Morgana nodded and spoke up again.

"Ah, not a bad idea. Once again, you impress me with your tactical mind. I think you and Makoto could quite give each other a run for your money in that department." Morgana said as Kusa nodded, before frowning as he spoke up once more, presumably hearing the quiet gasp of realization that Ren had involuntarily made.

"That's true, however I think we should leave it at that for now since I sense we're not alone anymore." Kusa said before raising his voice slightly so Ren could hear as he kept speaking.

"ARE WE, REN?" Kusa asked, making Morgana's eyes go wide at what Kusa had said, before Ren winced, swore under his breath at Kusa discovering him, and came upstairs.

"You got me. But in my defense, I only just got back from hanging with Yoshida. So i didn't hear very much of your discussion. And I won't ask for details, since I get the sense it pertains to me somehow." Ren said as Kusa nodded.

"As it should be, Ren. But for now, our focus should be on finishing our prep week, and then Kaneshiro's Palace." Kusa said as Ren nodded approvingly as he got into his pajamas before laying down, Kusa laying down on the couch with Morgana getting comfortable on Kusa's lap as the trio dozed off for the night...

(The next morning, between trains to school with Ren, Morgana and Kusa)

As Ren and Kusa got off their first train and made to change lines to catch their second train to school, Kusa winced as he saw a familiar ace detective walking towards them, nudging Ren as he spoke up.

"Hey Ren, I think we've got company." Kusa said as Ren turned to face Akechi, who'd just walked up and spoke up.

"Ah, good morning Akechi-kun." Ren said politely to Akechi, who nodded and spoke up as well, giving Kusa a curt nod of greeting that Kusa returned as he spoke.

"Morning, Amamiya-kun brothers. Looks like I made it on time! I suppose I'm still safe if you're here. I can't be late today, too..." Akechi said as Kusa raised an inquiring eyebrow at this comment, but Ren spoke up before Kusa could say a word.

"Not a morning person then, Akechi-kun?" Ren asked Akechi. Akechi shook his head as he spoke up.

"No. I was up very early, shooting a news show. I have much more work in television because of the Phantom Thieves. I have permission from my school, but it's still tough to do both. Ah, but I can't keep complaining. Amamiya-kun the elder, let's both do our best today." Akechi said as Ren nodded before he and Kusa headed on to school...

(That morning, in class with Ann, Ren and Morgana)

"I'm sorry. It's so gross and humid, even though it's the end of June...Oh yeah. In Japan, when the rainy season ends, we say that it 'opens'. But in English, it's more common to hear people say the rainy season 'comes to a close'. Be careful! Expressions for the weather are totally different depending on what country you're in. Now then...Mister Amamiya!" Chouno said as Ren looked up and gave Miss Chouno his full attention as she spoke.

"How about you? Which of these animals is involved in an English idiom about the weather?" Miss Chouno asked Ren, who smirked as he easily knew the answer given how often Kusa tended to use that particular remark when it would heavily rain, much like their mother would often do, so he spoke up very confidently as he gave the answer.

"This is it! The answer is dogs." Ren said confidently. Miss Chouno nodded and clapped her hands approvingly as she spoke up.

"Good! That's right! Raining cats and dogs. 'Raining cats and dogs' means it's pouring rain. The strongest theory for its origin is that the sound of rain resembles that of dogs and cats fighting. Some other European languages describe bad weather as 'dog's weather,' too." Miss Chouno said, as the usual murmurs about Ren's intelligence ensued while people started admitting that Ren might actually be kind of smart, to Ren's surprise. Morgana then spoke up to praise Ren as well, making Ren smirk as his Knowledge went up. Afterwards, Miss Chouno kept speaking, looking at the class as she spoke.

"Additionally, in Norwegian they say it's raining witches, and in Polish they say it's raining frogs. Each country has its own way of descibing heavy rain-and its own metaphorical substitute falling from the sky." Miss Chouno said as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"Oh yeah, over here they say that when a cat washes its face, it rains. I wash my face every day because I like being clean, and that's not true at all! Oh, uh, but I'm not a cat, of course." Morgana said as Ren nodded agreeably, the rest of the class passing uneventfully...

(After school with Ren and Morgana)

"So, what's our plans for today, since it's the last day of the prep week and all?" Morgana asked Ren, who stroked his chin contemplatively as he spoke up, looking at the not-cat as he spoke.

"Good question. Looking at my options, I could rank up either Maruki or Yusuke, but I'm in no rush to rank up Maruki since he's already rank 4, so I guess I'll rank up Yusuke. Though I think first I should do a bit more shopping, just to be on the safe side." Ren said as Morgana nodded approvingly. After a bit of looking around, Ren bought some SP recovery items and a couple extra Tin Clasps for crafting purposes, then he headed off to the underground walkway. After he got there, Ren walked up to Yusuke, who looked up and smiled as he saw Ren, speaking up as he looked at Ren while he spoke.

"Ah, it's you, Ren. What do you plan on doing today?" Yusuke asked Ren who smiled as he spoke up.

"Since it's the last day of our prep week, and there's not a lot else to do, I figured you and I could hang out today, Yusuke." Ren said. Yusuke blinked at this.

"WHY!? Are you sure we have time for that...!? What is your goal here?" Yusuke asked Ren who smirked as he spoke up.

"Yusuke, relax! Slow down and breathe! I have every intention of hitting up the Palace, but not until tomorrow, since this is the last day of our prep week. So we got time to hang today. Now chill." Ren said reassuringly to Yusuke who blinked but then nodded as he realized Ren was right as he spoke up.

"Hm...You are correct. A nice break is necessary at times. I have some news for you. My piece 'Desire' has been accepted into the public exhibition. It is on display as we speak. Would you like to come see it with me?" Yusuke asked Ren as Morgana spoke up, smiling at Ren as he spoke.

"It's good to take a break every so often. Do you want to hang out with Yusuke?" Morgana said as Ren nodded his agreement, speaking up so Yusuke could hear.

"Of course I'm gonna hang out with Yusuke, Morgana. If you don't want to come with, I can try and drop you off with Kusa if I can find him." Ren said as Yusuke smiled and spoke up.

"Good. Then let us head to the museum. To be honest, I have yet to actually go there myself. This should be quite lovely. As for Kusa, I do believe he is probably hanging with one of his friends. So I'm sure Morgana could probably find him if he wanted to." Yusuke said as Morgana nodded, looking at Ren as he spoke up.

"Fair enough. Well, I'm gonna go take a walk and see if I can find Kusa while you're busy with him. Let me know when you come back." Morgana said, padding off to go find Kusa as Ren and Yusuke headed for the museum, which then caused the location of 'Ueno' to be marked on Ren's map for fast travelling as the two went...

(At the Ueno museum with Ren and Yusuke)

Yusuke and Ren looked at Yusuke's painting that was on display on the wall as Yusuke spoke up, smirking as he spoke.

"Indeed. In addition to the exhibition aspect of this show, there is also an evaluation portion. Hm, I believe my piece truly stands out among the sea of art here. And yet, nobody has come to see it...Perhaps they are so afraid of the truth held within that they dare not take a closer look." Yusuke said as a middle-aged couple walked over, the lady speaking up, not seeing Yusuke standing by the painting as she spoke.

"What is this supposed to be...? There's a dark, almost sinister aura emanating from it." The lady said as the middle-aged man with her spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"Hm, the title is...'Desire'? I see no desire here. Ah, I understand now, This area is for students. The artist likely decided to paint this on a whim." The middle-aged man said as the lady spoke up once more.

"Indeed. There neither elegance nor emotion in this piece. Come, dear. There are much more detailed paintings over there." The lady said as the couple walked away, unaware of the gaping Yusuke, who looked shocked as he stared at the spot the couple had previously been standing in. Ren gave Yusuke a concerned look, but Yusuke gave Ren a reassuring look as he spoke up, trying to calm Ren as he spoke.

"There is no need to worry. I am not bothered in the slightest. That was nothing more than the drivel of unrefined commoners. I needn't pay attention to them. As long as those who are in the know understand my work, I am happy." Yusuke said as another elderly man walked over and looked at the painting, speaking to himself as he did so.

"This is...Hm..." The gentleman said to himself as Yusuke looked on in awe as he spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"Look! A knowledgeable patron has arrived!" Yusuke said, though he must have spoken louder than he thought for as soon as he finished speaking, the gentleman blinked and turned to face Yusuke as he spoke up.

"Hm?" The gentleman said as Yusuke looked at the gentleman and spoke up, giving the gentleman a hopeful look as he spoke.

"I would like your opinion, sir...What are your thoughts on this piece?" Yusuke asked the gentleman who smiled as he spoke up, Yusuke looking on hopefully as he spoke.

"I can see quite clearly why it was accepted into the exhibition. The technique is excellent. However, the composition as a whole is mediocre at best." The gentleman said as Yusuke winced, walking over to frown at the gentleman as he spoke up, an upset look on his face as he spoke.

"What did you say!? How dare you!" Yusuke said as the gentleman blinked at Yusuke's reaction before he winced as he spoke up.

"Ah, are you the artist? The title is listed as 'Desire', but that idea is quite overused. Some may even call it stale. If you want to paint an abstract work with such an old theme, you must inject some individuality into it." The gentleman said as Yusuke blinked as he spoke up in surprise.

"What...?" Yusuke said as the gentleman gave Yusuke a kindly smile as he spoke up once more.

"Take another look. Try to remove yourself from the artist's bias. These brush strokes are splendid, given your age. But does this painting really tell you anything? It is empty, devoid of meaning. I suggest you take a more critical eye to your work in the future, if you truly want to progress as an artist." The gentleman said to Yusuke before he walked off, leaving Yusuke to gape at where he'd been standing as he spoke up, stunned as he spoke.

"My work is...empty?" Yusuke said in horrified shock and disbelief. Ren gently patted Yusuke on the shoulder as he spoke up.

"It's okay, Yusuke. Don't let that guy bother you. I think your work is quite amazing. That guy was probably just trying to give you constructive criticism, as I believe Kusa once called it, to help you better yourself as an artist." Ren said encouragingly as Yusuke turned to face Ren, an appreciative look on his face as he spoke up, smiling as he spoke.

"Indeed. But...why? I put my heart and soul into this piece, captured the very essence of desire...It was supposed to lay bare the reality of the world!" Yusuke said before he walked over and looked his painting over once more before sighing as he spoke up, his tone turning vaguely sad and dejected as he spoke.

"Perhaps...Perhaps he was right. It may be empty after all...These colors, these brush strokes...They do not convey the true meaning of desire, only my conception of it! I haven't captured desire...Desire has captured me!" Yusuke said, falling to his knees, to Ren's mixed horror, shock and surprise, as he kept speaking.

"How could this be!? How could I have fooled myself into believing otherwise!? It is as though I have been forsaken by the gods of art! This grave mistake shall be the end for me!" Yusuke said as Ren winced, trying not to think of the System of a Down song 'Chop Suey' when Yusuke mentioned being forsaken by the gods of art, as it was similarly worded to one of that song's lyrics, which he knows because of how often Kusa tends to listen to it at times back at home, before they moved here. Ren then gave Yusuke a concerned look as he spoke up.

"Come on, Yusuke! This isn't the end, other than maybe the end of of the you that was living in Madarame's Shadow, figuratively speaking. This is just the beginning of the new and improved Yusuke who can only get better as an artist!" Ren said encouragingly to Yusuke who frowned at Ren as he spoke up.

"Do not patronize me! I have no future in this field! What is going to happen to me now? Without art, what will remain of my being!?" Yusuke said as Ren winced, trying not to look at the likely crowd of onlookers that Yusuke's outburst had likely drawn as he spoke up, hoping to comfort and/or reassure Yusuke as he spoke.

"I don't know, but I do know this for sure: This is NOT like you, Yusuke!' Ren said in a firm but worried tone. Ren's words seemed to work as Yusuke looked up in shock at Ren's harsh rebuke making him blink as he spoke up in surprise.

"Ren...Agreed. You are correct. Surrendering myself to fate after only one failure would be very much unlike me." Yusuke said as he got to his feet as he kept speaking.

"Still, being criticized by someone with such a keen eye is truly painful...But this is all the more reason I must break out of my slump, I must prove my ability to him...!" Yusuke said as Ren blinked before speaking up, confused by Yusuke's decision as he spoke.

"That's the spirit! That said, how exactly are you going to prove your ability to that guy if we have no idea who he is?" Ren asked. Yusuke walked over to Ren and smiled as he spoke, amused by Ren's question as he spoke.

"I will start by painting. After that, I will paint, beyond which I shall paint even more. That is the only way I will learn to capture the essence of emotion. After all, you can only accomplish so much in using logic to analyze the contents of the heart. I hope you allow me to continue my skill card services as well, Ren. I shall conquer this!" Yusuke said as Ren nodded agreeably, noticing as he did so that Yusuke seemed especially motivated.

As a result, the 'Emperor' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'II' becoming a 'III' to signify that his Emperor Confidant link with Yusuke had reached Rank 3, and as a result, Yusuke gained the ability to use Follow Up much like Kusa, Ann, Morgana and Ryuji all had done previously. Afterwards, Yusuke spoke up once more.

"Now then, let us return home! I wish to start anew." Yusuke said as Ren nodded, the two leaving the museum, unaware that the gentleman from before had heard their entire exchange and walked back over to appraise the painting speaking to himself in a mix of curiosity and intrigue, frowning as he spoke.

"A slump, hm?" The gentleman said to himself...

(Back at Leblanc with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

As Ren got the door of Leblanc, his phone rang, and he answered it, looking surprised as he did so.

"Hello?" Ren said as he heard Yusuke's voice on the other end.

"Ren, I apologize for causing a scene earlier. That one gentleman's critique made me fully realize what I'm lacking. Now my path is clear! I will simply have to keep on drawing. I'm going to have ten pieces finished up by end of today!" Yusuke said as Ren's eyes widened as he spoke up.

"Ten pieces by the end of today!? Yusuke, are you sure you're not taking on too much!? That said, that's the spirit." Ren said. Yusuke chuckled as he spoke up.

"Hah! If anything, I should e doing more. I'll do anything to escape this slump! With your support, I was able to pick myself up rather quickly today. I hope this doesn't discourage me from joining you today. I will get past this. Sorry for taking up so much of your time. We'll meet again soon." Yusuke said as Ren nodded and hung up his phone as he went inside, at which point Sojiro sighed and spoke up as he saw Ren walk in.

"Rain, huh? I'm so sick of how few customers I get during the rainy season..." Sojiro said as Ren nodded understandingly. Once he headed upstairs to ponder his options, he stopped short on hearing Kusa speaking, crouching at the foot of the stairs to listen in.

"Are you sure, Taba? I know you're struggling to be able to leave your room, but you're saying you want to help with this? That's a pretty huge step for you. But if you say so, I won't stop you. However, try to be careful not to push yourself too much too soon. Take things at your own pace, and know I'm here for you if you need someone to confide in and/or talk to. But I'm pleased you're taking this step.

It shows that you're coming along nicely in your efforts to slowly ease out of your shut-in tendencies, which is amazing. I've no doubt that Sakura-kun would probably also be proud of you, if a bit concerned at how suddenly you're deciding this. But I trust you to know your own limits." Kusa said as he stopped to listen to the voice on the other end, which Ren surmised from Kusa calling them 'Taba' before that it was most likely Futaba, before he spoke up once more after a short time.

"Yes, I'm aware of your many talents, Taba. But at the same time, I'm not trying to take any unnecessary risks where it comes to you. But I am pleased you're willing to help. This makes things a lot easier, to be sure. I'll leave the securing of the venue to you then, along with convincing your dad to go along with it. Thank you for your assistance, Taba. Glad we could do business, so to speak, like this. But I think he might be home, so I should probably let you go now." Kusa said before listening as Futaba spoke once more.

"Yeah? Yeah, okay. Okay, will do, Taba. I will most definitely talk to you again when I can. Bye." Kusa said as he hung up his phone before looking at Morgana and speaking up.

"Hey, Morgana-sensei? Go check and see if we're being eavesdropped on again, will you?" Kusa asked Morgana, who nodded, and headed to the stairs, smirking as he spotted a confused but wide-eyed Ren crouched on the bottom step listening in. He spoke up so both Kusa and Ren could hear.

"Yep, we're definitely being eavesdropped on, but by the shocked look on Ren's face, it wasn't intentional." Morgana said as Kusa swore under his breath but nodded as he spoke up, somehow not surprised that Ren was once more eavesdropping on him without meaning to.

"Fair enough. You can come on up, Ren!" Kusa called as Ren came upstairs, looking sheepish as he spoke up.

"My bad for listening in, Kusa. But I couldn't help it, since you sounded so at ease, and almost happy, when you were speaking." Ren said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"That's because Taba's making great strides in easing herself out of her shut-in ways. Not to mention, she's helping me with a certain something else that Morgana and I are planning for early next month, assuming we can clear Kaneshiro's Palace before July 3rd. But since it's partly a surprise for you as well, I can't go into more details than that, or it wouldn't be a surprise." Kusa said as Ren nodded understandingly.

"Fair enough. I'll trust you to know what you're doing." Ren said as he walked over to check on the plant, smiling as he spoke up.

"Finally, it looks like it needs some nutrients. Which gives me a good chance to use these." Ren said as he pulled out one of the bags of 'Mega Fertilizer' that he'd purchased in Kichijoji previously and applying the contents of the bag carefully to the plant, making both Kusa and Morgana gape in surprise as the latter spoke up, looking shocked as he spoke.

"Whoa...You're gonna use that one!? You must really care about this plant!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, his Kindness getting a pretty generous boost as a result of the pricey nutrients he used on the plant. Morgana smiled as he spoke up.

"YES! That should do it for a while." Morgana said as Ren nodded. After a bit, Ren decided to brew more coffee, getting extra Charm and more Leblanc Coffees for his efforts before laying down to go to bed for the night...

(The next morning, on the way to school with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

Ren and Kusa frowned as they saw a pair of guys hanging by some vending machines near the gate to Shujin, stopping to listen as one of the two spoke up.

"Hey, there's this article making the rounds online...It's called 'Confessions of Boy M: A Tell-all on the Kamoshida Abuse Scandal.' That's gotta be Mishima, right?" One of the guys said as the other nodded and spoke up, looking excited as he spoke.

"I read it! It all sounds so horrible...It's no wonder they consider the Phantom Thieves heroes. Kinda hard to bag on the Phantom Thieves after reading that..." The second male said as the first spoke up with a nod, looking agreeable as he spoke.

"You're right. In fact, you might call them superheroes." The first male said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Hm...That journalist's articles are making a big splash. It might be the perfect way ot get the Phantom Thieves name out there. We should take advantage of this." Morgana said as Kusa and Ren looked at each other before both spoke up, Ren speaking up first.

"Get our name out there?" Ren asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Why would we do that? I mean, I can see how having positive PR could be a good thing, but I thought the point of what we do was to work from the shadows and not be noticed? Or was I mistaken?" Kusa said. Morgana nodded, frowning at Kusa as he spoke up.

"Man! We can do what we do without being noticed still, Kusa! I want the Phantom Thieves to be famous for more than just my own selfish reasons. The bigger our name is, the more our targets will hear talk of us." Morgana said as Kusa blinked before nodding in understanding, smirking as he spoke up.

"Ah, so sort of a 'our reputation precedes us' type approach then? Very impressive and smart of you, Morgana-sensei." Kusa said to Morgana as the not-cat kept speaking.

"Exactly, Kusa! That said, remember that reporter, Ren? If we give her the right intel, her articles could make a real difference for us in the Metaverse! Let's go back to that bar in Shinjuku and get her to write more stuff about us!" Morgana said as Kusa nodded, but before he could reply, he turned around and smirked widely at who he saw coming, before nudging Ren to get his attention and speaking up with a teasing smirk on his face, grinning as he spoke, subtly jerking his thumb at the redheaded girl walking up to Kusa and Ren as he spoke to Ren.

"Well Ren, don't look now, but I think someone's finally decided to stop being radio silent." Kusa joked, as Kasumi frowned at Kusa's humor while she walked up, lightly swatting Kusa on the arm as she spoke up.

"Not funny, Kusa! Though I do apologize for being so quiet recently. That said, good morning, Ren-senpai! It's nice that the rain's stopped. It would be even nicer if the sky would clear, though..." Kasumi said as Ren nodded agreeably, falling into step with Kasumi as the two walked to school together, Kusa walking a little ways behind the two to give them some semblance of privacy as he carried Morgana in his bag...

(That afternoon in class with Ren, Ann and Morgana)

Ren and Ann blinked as their phones went off during class, opening them to see a group chat with Ren, Kusa, Yusuke and Makoto, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"Only eleven days left..." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response at that point.

"Are the responses still coming in?" Ann asked as Makoto sent a response at that point.

"Yes. Lately I've been getting calls from men I don't even know. It seems they've changed their strategy, surely according to Kaneshiro's orders." Makoto sent as Ann and Kusa sent responses close together, Kusa's coming through first.

"Kaneshiro is one ruthless, crafty son of a bitch, isn't he? To be frank, I'm just as glad that yesterday was the last day of our prep week, so we can go hit his Palace hard and fast today, if we're all able to do so." Kusa sent as Ann's response came through.

"Agreed, Kusa! Also, are you going to be OK, Makoto?" Ann sent. Makoto sent a response at that point.

"Your blunt candor aside Kusa, I quite agree. And I am fine, Ann. I can't say it feels particularly great though. But as long as he considers me a valuable commodity...I believe he won't do anything too rash." Makoto sent as Yusuke and Ryuji sent responses close together, Yusuke's coming through first.

"We cannot be entirely sure of that fact though. Who knows when he may decide to turn to violence?" Yusuke sent as Ryuji's response came through.

"Screw Kaneshiro and his shitty ways! He tries anything on you Makoto, you let me know. And once you do, I'll be there as fast as I can to break whoever's nose I have to if anyone tries anything funny with you." Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response while Makoto blinked in surprise at Ryuji's surprisingly protective response.

"Yusuke's right. And so is Ryuji, honestly. You're one of us now, Makoto, so we won't leave you to face this on your own. Don't be afraid to reach out if you need any of us." Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"I fully expect that will happen once the deadline has passed." Makoto sent, trying not to go red from mixed embarrassment and awe of how quickly Ryuji offered to defend her if needed, as it quite moved and impressed her. As if on cue, Ryuji sent a response at that point.

"Then again, who knows if he's even gonna keep his promise in the first place? C'mon, we gotta take care of him before shit hits the fan!" Ryuji sent as Ren sent a response at that point.

"I quite agree, Ryuji! And Kusa was correct in his previous statement. Our prep week has officially ended. Barring any objections from you guys, today we hit Kaneshiro's Palace and go through it as quickly and swiftly as possible. Apparently, Kusa said he and Morgana have something cooked up that requires we finish the Palace by July 3rd, so I don't think he'll argue with the increased expediency in getting it done." Ren sent as Kusa sputtered on reading Ren's response, as did Morgana who read it from in Ren's bag, as Ren put his phone away and the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school with Ren and Morgana)

"Given what Makoto just sent, I think we can agree that our timetable needs to be moved up accordingly? Just as well then that yesterday was the last day of our prep week." Morgana said as Ren nodded, heading out to the hallway to speak with Ryuji, while shooting Kusa a private chat to start getting the others gathered at the hideout for the Palace raid. Ren then walked over and spoke up to Ryuji.

"Yo, Ryuji, my dude! What's bonkin'?" Ren asked Ryuji who smirked at Ren using the slang he'd come up with and fistbumped him as he spoke up.

"Yo, Ren! What're you doin' today?" Ryuji asked Ren, who looked at Ryuji before grinning widely as he spoke up.

"I came to let you know, we're getting ready to hit the Palace. So I figured the two of us, plus Morgana who's in my bag, could head to the hideout together, while Kusa rounds up the others." Ren said to Ryuji, who looked at Ren and grinned eagerly, nodding while he spoke up, eager to get things moving as he spoke.

"Hell yeah, man! C'mon, let's meet at the hideout." Ryuji said as he, Ren, and Morgana gathered the others at the hideout...

(At the hideout with Ren, Kusa, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke and Makoto)

Once the group had gathered at the hideout, Morgana spoke up.

"All right, everyone's here! All right guys, we need to start trying a little harder." Morgana said as Ren glared at Morgana as he spoke up.

"We've been trying hard, Morgana! Why else would I have called for a prep week for us all to get ready for the Palace, and even commissioned a Mementos run during said prep week? That said, assuming none of you object, it's time to deal with Kaneshiro's Palace." Ren said bluntly. Ann nodded, speaking up for the others as she spoke.

"Okay, let's go!" Ann said as the group headed into the Metaverse to start raiding Kaneshiro's Palace...

(In the Metaverse with Makoto, Joker, Draconis, Mona, Skull, Panther and Fox)

"So, what am I going to be called?" Makoto asked the others, who gave her a blank look, most of them surprised at the question, as Makoto kept speaking.

"You were all using code names, weren't you?" Makoto asked as Fox nodded, smiling as he spoke up.

"You're quite perceptive." Fox said as Skull rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about a code name for Makoto, smiling as he spoke up.

"This time's a hard one...Maybe somethin' like 'Shoulder Pads'?" Skull said as Mona and Draconis both winced, the former glaring at Skull as he spoke up.

"Why in the world did you focus on that?" Mona said as Makoto frowned and shook her head as she spoke up indignantly.

"I refuse to be called that." Makoto said as Fox spoke up next to offer a suggestion.

"What about...'Rider'?" Fox suggested, making Draconis blink at Fox, surprised at Fox making that suggestion but not disagreeing with it. Makoto thought about it, then shook her head as she spoke up, giving Fox a disapproving look as she spoke.

"Sounds too much like a smuggler. Next." Makoto said as Ann thought about it before speaking up.

"Hmm...Fixer?" Ann suggested. Makoto gave Ann a mildly impressed look, though she still shook her head.

"I'm not a mastermind though. Next." Makoto said as she looked at Mona, Draconis and Joker who'd yet to offer suggestions, sighing as she spoke.

"Won't you give me something better to work with?" Makoto said as Mona spoke up in surprise.

"She reminds me of an empress." Mona said before looking at Joker as he spoke up.

"You got anything, Joker?" Mona asked Joker, who looked at Draconis, who spoke up for Joker.

"Your suggestion isn't bad Mona-sensei, but maybe if we simplified it a bit. Given the fact I've had to keep from referring to Makoto as 'Her Majesty' several times since this conversation started, maybe something royal like that?" Draconis said as Joker grinned, getting a perfect idea from Draconis' quip as he spoke up.

"Not a bad idea, Draconis. In that case, what say we call her Queen? She's certainly acting like one right now, plus as someone who has a similar taste in music to Draconis, I think she might appreciate being named for one of the greatest rock and roll bands to ever exist." Joker said, getting approving nods from Draconis and Panther, as the latter spoke up, smiling at Joker as she spoke.

"Whoa, I totally see it!" Panther said as Mona nodded, speaking up in his usual simp-esque manner, gaping as he spoke.

"It fits so well that I'm at a loss for words here." Mona said as Draconis smirked and spoke up, smiling at Joker as he spoke.

"I also agree. Not only is Joker right that Queen is one of the most legendary rock bands ever, but I could see Makoto here having a very 'Freddie Mercury' vibe with her outfit there, which before she objects is a good thing, since he was the legendary frontman/lead singer for Queen, and I'm sure most everyone's heard at least some of their songs before." Draconis said with a smirk as he crossed his arms. Makoto nodded as she smiled at Joker's idea and spoke up, also giving Draconis an approving nod at his assessment as she spoke.

"Queen...It has a nice ring to it. I like it. Let's go with that." Makoto/Queen said as Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"I like that we didn't even have to bring out the whole 'queens are the MVP of most chess games' argument to convince you that this name suits you, Queen." Draconis said with a grin. The now code named Queen spoke up as she looked at the group while she spoke.

"Now then, could you explain to me the strategy for this mission?" Queen asked as the others blinked before Skull spoke up.

"Uhh, strategy?" Skull asked in confusion making Queen blink as she spoke up in stunned disbelief, her eyes going wide as she spoke.

"You don't have one? Wait. The Phantom Thieves were acting without any plans!?" Queen asked as Mona spoke up sheepishly to explain the group's usual MO.

"Uhh...We pretty much look around the area, I provide navigation when needed, and then..." Mona started to explain as Skull cut in and spoke up with a smirk.

"If we run into Shadows, we beat the shit outta 'em!" Skull said eagerly as Queen frowned, crossing her arms as she spoke up in a dry/unimpressed tone that put Draconis' typical dry tone to shame almost.

"Very well then. I feel like I'll be useful for sure. It seems my role is to be the brain of this team. I'll analyze Mona's information and give out orders. Any objections?" Queen said as Draconis spoke up warily.

"Not necessarily an objection, as much as an observation. That said, I'd like to think I was somewhat the brains of the group before you came along, but I have no issues sharing that role with you. And who knows, maybe you'll end up better suited to it than me, though I doubt it. That said, let me be the first to officially say...Welcome to the Phantom Thieves, Queen." Draconis said brusquely as Skull spoke up in a submissive sounding tone.

"N-None, Queen!" Skull said as both Joker and Draconis had to keep their expressions neutral, even though both wanted to burst out laughing at how blatantly whipped Skull already was by Queen. Panther, however, had no such reservations, as she sighed and spoke up.

"I bet Skull's definitely the type that'll be under a girl's thumb." Panther said as Queen nodded before turning to Mona, speaking up as she looked at the not-cat as she spoke.

"Mona, will you begin navigating us?" Queen asked Mona who nodded, almost jumping in place in his hurry to answer Queen.

"Y-Yes, Queen!" Mona said eagerly, making Draconis and Joker both wince at Mona's simping seemingly also extending towards Queen as Fox spoke up.

"Ugh, him too, it seems..." Fox said as Joker and Draconis lost it at that and both started laughing, eventually calming down so Fox could keep speaking.

"Hm, it seems we were able to use the same method as last time to get us here. Apparently we are acknowledged as customers who can be extorted." Fox said as Queen nodded, smirking in amusement as she spoke up.

"That's fine. We can take advantage of his negligence." Queen said bluntly as Panther sighed and spoke up, looking at the group as she spoke.

"Though I will say, it's a little scary every time." Panther said as the group nodded and kept moving as they started their infiltration of Kaneshiro's Palace. The group went to go in the front door of the Palace, only to be stopped by the door being taped off with a sign on the door making Skull sputter as he spoke up.

"The hell is this?" Skull asked as Fox spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"It seems as though they didn't want to leave that gaping hole..." Fox said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"You don't say, Fox? I wonder why they wouldn't want a effing hole the size of the freaking Mona-bus in their front entryway?" Draconis deadpanned, turning to give a reproving look to a now sheepish Queen as Panther frowned and spoke up, unintentionally taking the focus off of Queen as she spoke.

"But...we can't get in now..." Panther said as Draconis nodded sagely, turning to Queen as he spoke up, his tone drier than usual as he spoke up.

"So it seems...and what do you have to say for yourself on that count, Queen?" Draconis asked the sheepish-looking Queen who spoke up.

"Sorry. I think I might have taken it a little too far..." Queen said as Draconis spoke up dryly, giving Queen a deadpan glare as he spoke.

"No, you think!? Now we have to hope we can find another way in. Otherwise, your little show of bravado may well have effed everything up for us, Queen." Draconis deadpanned as Joker frowned at Draconis as he spoke up on Queen's behalf.

"Be that as it may Draconis, the fact still remains that she saved our lives doing what she did when she did it. So if anything, we should be grateful to her." Joker said. Mona nodded approvingly to Joker's remark as he spoke up to add in his own two cents to the discussion.

"Nice, Joker! That's right. We would have been in serious danger had it not been for Queen's actions." Mona pointed out, making Queen smile as she spoke up.

"Th-Thanks..." Queen said as Fox spoke up, looking at Joker as he spoke.

"The details are no longer important. Let us search for a new infiltration point, Joker." Fox said as the others nodded and the group kept looking around. After a bit of looking around, Draconis spoke up as he looked at a statue on the right hand side of the entrance area.

"Joker! Get the others over here! I think I found something!" Draconis called as Joker nodded and the others followed him to where Draconis was inspecting the statue which oddly enough had a drawer opened up on it. Panther frowned as she spoke up, confused at what Draconis was looking for as she spoke.

"What could it be?" Panther asked as Queen blinked, realizing what Draconis had likely picked up on and did her own inspection. Sure enough, she felt a draft under the statue and spoke up.

"Wait. I can feel a draft coming from underneath the statue...Doesn't this seem strange to you, Joker? And Draconis, good spotting of that draft." Queen said as Draconis spoke up, smirking and crossing his arms as he spoke.

"Naturally. I do pride myself on my observational skills." Draconis said bluntly as Joker spoke up.

"That said, is it me or is this placard suspicious?" Joker said as Panther blinked and spoke up.

"Well, why don't we check it out?" Panther asked Joker, who nodded and punched the placard into place, making the pig slide back to reveal a hidden passage, causing Skull to gape in surprise as he spoke up.

"Whoa! Oooh, a hidden passage!" Skull said as Queen spoke up with a smirk.

"Let's head inside...After we're adequately prepared, of course." Makoto said as Joker nodded and the group kept moving. After a bit of item/equipment/Persona management, Joker and the others headed into the opening that was found under the statue. When they emerged, they were in a different area. Fox blinked and then spoke up, frowning in thought as he spoke.

"I would say given this interior design...we are inside the bank. It seems our plan went well." Fox said as Queen frowned before she spoke up, looking confused as she spoke.

"I don't remember seeing this place last time. Just where exactly are we...?" Queen asked as Mona spoke up.

"There has to be a map somewhere. For now, let's try to explore and search for the Treasure." Mona said as Joker then spoke up.

"Actually, before that, I think we need to address our team line-up for this Palace. For right now, I'm going to make an exception to the usual rule about the newcomer being a fixture in the lineup and have Mona, Queen and Draconis be on backups, meaning Fox, Skull and Panther are with me on the front lines." Joker decided as the group nodded, making the needed tag-outs so that Fox, Skull and Panther were on the front lines with Joker as the group kept moving. After a bit of movement, the group stopped at the sight of a dog-shaped Shadow, making Panther blink as she spoke up, a surprised look on her face as she spoke.

"H-Hold on a second! What is that!?" Panther asked as Fox spoke up while the camera panned to show the dog-shaped Shadow as Fox spoke.

"A Shadow in the shape of a dog...It seems this place has its own watchdogs..." Fox said as Mona winced and spoke up, looking fearful as he spoke.

"Hmm...I don't like the looks of this..." Mona said as Skull spoke up, his words making both Mona and Draconis facefault at what he said next as he spoke.

"You mean 'cause you're a cat?" Skull asked as Draconis picked Mona up off the floor, setting him on his shoulder as he turned to glare at Skull as he spoke up, frowning at Skull as he spoke.

"SKULL! How many times do Mona-sensei and I have to remind you!? Mona is NOT a cat! Queen, please learn from this fool's mistake. Mona-sensei might LOOK like a cat, but that's because he had an accident that, according to Mona, robbed him of both his true form AND of his memories. So as a result, he's stuck looking like a feline until he can get his memories back, probably after he finishes exploring the depths of Mementos." Draconis said, Mona nodding approvingly to Draconis' explanation as he glared at Skull and spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"Hell no! I mean it might be able to sniff out intruders, or hunt us down super fast!" Mona said as Draconis spoke up.

"Perhaps, but consider this, Mona-sensei. Can that thing out-run a flying dragon!?" Draconis said with a smirk. Mona smiled at Draconis as he spoke up.

"No, it probably can't, but that's not really what our Personas are meant to be used for, Queen's Persona being a bike notwithstanding. That said...But, if it does end up making trouble for us, that could actually work out in our favor. We'll have a chance to pull off our surprise finisher!" Mona said as Draconis nodded, smirking at Mona as he spoke up.

"Ah yes, the 'finisher' that you needed Panther's help to pull off, despite her protests." Draconis said as Queen's eyes went wide and she spoke up, cutting off whatever retort Mona might have made to Draconis as she spoke.

"Sorry to butt in-we've been spotted!" Queen said as the dog-shaped Shadow howled at the group before charging in and changing forms into that of a two-headed beast. As the battle began, Mona winced as he was bitten twice by the twin-headed beast before he spoke up.

"Heh, not bad... But love always burns the brightest when facing down an opponent like this! Panther, I think the moment's finally arrived-it's Showtime!" Mona said, going glinty eyed as Panther gasped before speaking up in shock, frowning at Mona as she spoke.

"Eh? You wanna do that right now!? Geez...Fine! Here we go!" Panther said as Mona grinned and jumped up and down as he spoke up.

"Here we go!" Mona said as he spoke up again.

"IT'S SHOWTIME! Panther, this is for you!" Mona said as he whipped out a bouquet of roses from nowhere, making Panther gasp as she accepted the bouquet.

"Thank you! It's...JUST WHAT I NEEDED!" Panther said as she reached into the bouquet and whipped out a pair of SMGs, spinning in a full circle as she fired off the guns, after the others dove for cover first as Mona and Panther leapt up into the air as Panther started spinning in place as she pointed her guns downward as she and Mona went for the finishing touch as Mona pulled out a bomb and smirked as he spoke up before tossing it downwards.

"This is for YOU!" Mona said, tossing the bomb down at the two-headed beast, the explosion destroying it and reducing it to a dissolving pile of black mist as the fight ended. After the fight, Fox and Draconis frowned at the finisher, as did Joker, while Skull looked at Mona and Panther in awe, as Queen just took a neutral stance on it, while Skull spoke up, gaping at Mona and Panther in a great fish impression as he spoke.

"That was AMAZING! Dude, what WAS that just now!? When'd you guys figure out how to do something like that!?" Skull asked as Mona spoke up with a meowing laugh.

"Heheheh! It's simply the fruit of our secret, passionate training-" Mona said as Panther spoke up, unintentionally cutting the not-cat off mid-sentence as she spoke.

"Hmm, yeah, I guess we did put some effort into it. Still, I'm surprised it went so well...Oh! You know what it could've been?" Panther asked as Draconis grinned, unable to resist making a joke as he spoke up, ignoring the facefaults his next remark got from Panther and Mona, along with the disapproving glares Queen and Joker gave him as he spoke.

"I dunno, could it have maybe been...the power of simp? Because it's not exactly a secret that Mona is a pretty big simp for you, Panther." Draconis joked as Mona and Joker booed the terrible joke while Skull laughed and fist-bumped Draconis as he spoke up.

"Truth, Draconis!" Skull said with a grin as Panther glared at the two and spoke up.

"Both of you shut it! As I was saying, maybe it was because of the thing Jose gave us? That...star-shaped thing? I think it even gave off some kinda twinkle back then?" Panther said as Mona gaped before blinking at Panther as he spoke up, realization reaching him in that moment as he spoke.

"Back...then? Oh, you mean when I told you about the team-up idea?" Mona asked as Queen blinked and spoke up, confused as she spoke.

"So in other words, the...star, I guess we'll call it...reacted to Mona's wish to fight alongside Panther?" Queen asked as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Wish-granting stars...If that's truly the case, we're just encountering one strange phenomenon after another." Fox said as Skull spoke up, grinning as he spoke.

"I don't really get it...But, what I know is, if Mona and Panther can pull that off, can't we do it too? Wouldn't that be sick!?" Skull said as Draconis nodded as he spoke up, deciding to point out the flaw in Skull's logic as he spoke.

"That's true, Skull, but what if not all of us are compatible for doing Showtimes with each other? Like, for instance, what if Mona and Panther were uniquely compatible to do a Showtime together? In theory, the only other two of us who MIGHT have compatibility for a Showtime would then be you and Queen, and maybe Panther and Fox, if we can get more than one Showtime partner, though I'm going to guess we only have up to like 2, maybe 3, Showtime partners if we do have multiple." Draconis said as Skull nodded and spoke up, seemingly grasping Draconis' explanation as he spoke.

"Ah, aight. I get it...That said, hey Fox, you wanna try comin' up with one o' those badass moves of our own? We could call it, like...'Art Run,' or somethin'!" Skull said as Fox sighed and gave Skull a disapproving look, making Skull huff as he spoke up again.

"C'mon, quit givin' me that look..." Skull said as Mona spoke up, a mischievous grin spreading over his face as he spoke.

"Hmm, this is...There's a lot we don't understand about how this works, as usual. But what I DO get is, if we use these stars right, we'll be more ready than ever for our battles! That said, wouldn't it just be Joker and Draconis' luck that their respective crushes end up not only joining the Phantom Thieves, but also end up having Showtimes with them!?" Mona joked as Draconis and Joker facefaulted, the former glaring at Mona as he spoke up.

"Not only is that totally NOT funny Mona, but it's also incredibly not cool! I don't care if you give me and Joker crap, but DO NOT bring the ladies into this, especially when they aren't even here to be able to defend themselves! I get that I absolutely deserve it for calling you a simp before, but you leave Futaba and Kasumi out of this!" Draconis snapped at Mona as Joker frowned but nodded his agreement with Draconis as the group kept moving. After jumping some more Shadows, the group came to an elevator, which one of the Shadows used to go down. After that, Panther spoke up with a frown, seeming to be confused as she spoke.

"It looks like there are lower floors in here too..." Panther said as Fox nodded as he spoke up, having noticed something about the elevators as he spoke.

"Hm, but that elevator is lacking a control panel." Fox said as Mona nodded, speaking up with a smile.

"True, but they probably control it from a security room. It's a simple, but effective, measure of screening." Mona said as Queen nodded before she spoke up, a thought occurring to her as she spoke.

"That must mean they really don't want anyone going down there..." Queen said as Joker nodded while the group kept moving, After a bit, and jumping some Shadows, Fox and Skull both hit level 23. After a bit of exploring, the group found a vent that they crawled through, Panther speaking up with a wince as the group moved.

"Ew, gross...I hope there's no spiders in here..." Panther said as Queen chuckled and spoke up.

"I think we should try to push past our fears and keep going if we can." Queen said as the group kept moving. Eventually they reached the other end, but Mona stopped the group as he spoke to Joker, pointing to the area outside the vent where a Shadow was standing guard in what was clearly a control room as he spoke.

"That Shadow's in our way...What should we do, Joker?" Mona asked Joker, who smirked as he spoke up.

"What else? We're going for the ambush." Joker said as the group ambushed the unsuspecting Shadow, which wound up being a group of Orobas. After the battle, Queen spoke up as the group looked around the control room.

"Phew...We somehow managed. This appears to be some kind of monitoring room. I hope we can find clues in here..." Queen said as the group looked around before Skull blinked as he spotted something twinkling on the control panel nearby, walking over to it as he spoke up, grinning as he spoke.

"HEY! Hey guys, I think I found something! Ain't this some kinda keycard?" Skull asked as Fox turned and gaped as he saw something on the wall as he spoke up.

"Oh? And over here is a map. As expected, there seems to be quite a large basement floor." Fox said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"I'd bet that's where the Treasure is..." Mona said as Fox laid out the map so the group could see it as he spoke up.

"Hm...However, only a portion of it is depicted here. Unless we can obtain another map, we won't know for certain." Fox said as Mona spoke up.

"A cursory glance shows this building alone has one underground level. It would probably make sense to head there first..." Mona said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Shall we go on that elevator we found earlier then?" Fox asked as Queen shook her head in the negative before she spoke up.

"That should be our last resort. First, let's see if there is anywhere to use this keycard." Queen said as the group got a 'Bank Keycard' and a map as they kept moving. As they went to move, they found a locked door behind them, making Queen smile as she spoke up, looking at Joker as she spoke.

"How about that keycard we found earlier? That may work." Queen said as Joker nodded and tried the keycard in the door, which sure enough, opened up. Skull grinned as he spoke up afterwards, pleased with the group's luck as he spoke.

"All right, it's open!" Skull said as Draconis spoke up, smirking at the easily amused expression on Skull's face as he spoke.

"Of course it's open. Why would this keycard have been in here if NOT to open this door? I'd say we should definitely keep ahold of that since it will be useful elsewhere in the Palace, I'm sure." Draconis said as Fox nodded, speaking up at that point with a smile as he spoke.

"Indeed. Hm, we may be able to use this in other parts of the Palace as well, like the underground section." Fox said as Joker nodded and the group kept moving. As a result of beating a hidden Treasure Demon with Panther and Mona's Showtime, Panther hit level 22 and gained the Fire skill Agilao. After a quick grappling hook by Joker along with Queen, who happened to keep a grappling hook on her, the group eventually found a barred-up door, making Queen speak up.

"This is...There are bars here...We won't be able to open the door like this." Queen said as Skull nodded before speaking up.

"Think it's time to pop out that keycard from earlier?" Skull suggested, as Joker shrugged and did just that, the doors quickly opening up as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"All right!" Skull said as Queen smirked at Skull as she spoke up, smirking at the amused look on Skull's face as she spoke.

"Not a bad guess, Skull...I'm impressed. And that's not easy to do." Queen said sincerely, smiling at Skull as the group kept moving, Draconis smirking at the slightly red-faced Skull as he patted Skull on the shoulder and spoke up encouragingly.

"Not bad, Skull my dude...you got her to notice you. You might have a shot with her yet." Draconis said sagely as Skull nodded, fist-bumping Draconis as the group headed in the now open doorway only to stop short when the only thing in the room was an elevator, making Queen speak up in surprise.

"Is that...an elevator?" Queen asked as Mona nodded before he spoke up agreeably, grinning as he spoke.

"Yeah, it has to be the one they're controlling externally. So this is right above it..." Mona said as Skull frowned as he spoke up, looking at Mona as he spoke.

"So what, this is the control room or something? What's the point of comin' here?" Skull asked as Joker and Draconis exchanged a look before Joker spoke up.

"The point, Skull, is that we can get on the elevator and ride it to the basement." Joker said as Mona and Draconis nodded approvingly, the former smiling at Joker as he spoke up, smirking at the confused look on Skull's face as he spoke.

"Perceptive as usual, Joker. We should be able to ride on top of the elevator." Mona said as Fox nodded in realization as he spoke up, nodding as he spoke.

"I see. We sneak atop it, then wait for it to move on its own." Fox said as Queen smiled while she spoke up.

"It does sound like that plan will take us further down." Queen said as Mona spoke up with a smirk.

"Let's go! All right, let's get on there!" Mona said as the group kept moving, quickly jumping on top of the elevator as Fox smirked and spoke up, smiling as he spoke.

"Yes! Very well. We simply need to wait for it to move now." Fox said as the elevator chose that moment to move downwards, stopping near a vent which the group crawled into. As they crawled, Fox spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"Hm...Now where will this lead?" Fox asked as Mona spoke up, smirking as he spoke.

"I just hope it's underground!" Mona said as Draconis spoke up at that point.

"Odds are definitely good that it will take us underground, Mona-sensei. I'd say moreso the question is how far underground will it take us?" Draconis asked, getting shrugs from the group as they kept moving. Eventually they emerged onto some beams, which they hopped down from to land in another room, at which point Skull spoke up.

"So, is this the basement?" Skull asked but the intercom came to life before anyone could answer him.

"All security, listen up!" A voice said over the intercom that the group recognized with a gasp, most notably Queen who then spoke up in disbelief, gasping as she spoke.

"Is that Kaneshiro...!?" Queen asked but the intercom blared to life at that point, answering Queen's question for her.

"It looks like some rats have infested this place! Under no circumstances let them further down! Strengthen security as much as you can! Understood?" Kaneshiro's Shadow could be heard saying over the intercom as Fox winced as he spoke up, looking at the group as he spoke.

"It seems quite painfully obvious where the Treasure is now..." Fox said as Panther spoke up, frowning as she spoke.

"But the map from earlier doesn't show that much...I wonder if there's another one somewhere." Panther said as Mona spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"In any case, heading down should be the best move. Let's keep our eyes out for a map while we explore!" Mona said as the group kept moving. As the group kept moving, Mona spoke up to get Joker's attention.

"Joker, there might be a safe room nearby! Let's look for it!" Mona said as Joker nodded, finding a Safe Room not far from him, as the group went inside and Panther smiled as she spoke up.

"This is a nice spot for a safe room!" Panther said as the 'Banker Passageway' was added to the fast-travel list for the Palace. Mona then spoke up.

"This should be a good temp base. We can also return here if we decide to leave mid-infiltration." Mona said as the group nodded. Joker then gathered everyone at the table as he spoke up.

"Haven't gotten to do this in a while, so we should start off simple. How is everyone, first of all?" Joker asked as Panther spoke up.

"I'm okay! I can still keep going! I think everyone else is okay too." Panther said as Mona spoke up.

"Everyone still seems energetic. I think we can keep exploring if you're feeling up to it." Mona said as Joker nodded before he kept speaking.

"In that case, how's our progress so far?" Joker asked. Fox spoke up, looking surprised as he spoke.

"Hm, riding on the top of an elevator...We are truly acting as full-blown thieves now." Fox said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Whoa, hold up. The real thief here's that asshat Kaneshiro." Skull said as Panther smiled and spoke up, doing a closed-eye smile as she spoke that had Mona squirming as he looked at it.

"Then again, you really don't get to experience things like that very often." Panther said as Draconis nodded before he huffed.

"True. That said, I'd be surprised if we've made more than a very minimal amount of progress so far. Plus, we literally just started infiltrating not that long ago." Draconis said as Mona nodded as he spoke up at that point.

"Well said, Draconis! Either way, we're still at the start. You'll wear yourselves out if you let everything surprise you. That said, was there anything else you wanted to discuss, Joker?" Mona asked Joker who shook his head in the negative as he spoke up.

"No, I think that was all. Unless Queen has any questions she'd like to ask? After all, this IS technically her first time infiltrating a Palace, even if it's her second time in one." Joker said as Queen shook her head as she spoke up.

"Nah, I'm okay. You're right, Joker. We should keep going." Queen said as the group nodded. Joker then noticed Draconis leaned up against a wall with a frown and walked over to him, a worried look on his face as he spoke up.

"Hey, you all right Draconis?" Joker asked Draconis who turned to face him as he spoke up.

"Honestly? Yeah, I'm fine. A bit annoyed at Mona for dragging Taba and Kasumi into that conversation like he did, but otherwise okay. Honestly, the sooner we're through this hellhole, the better." Draconis said as Joker nodded, smiling at Draconis as he spoke up.

"I agree, Draconis. Mona was out of line to say that, but I think he realized that as well when you lit into him like you did. Good job, by the way, of sticking up for Kasumi like you did." Joker said as Draconis nodded and spoke up once more.

"But of course. As if I'd do anything less. She is your crush, after all. And if all goes to plan, she'll be part of the family sometime down the line, assuming you two get that far of course. But you should know I say that because I care about you and think you and her go great together." Draconis said as he gave Joker a manly pat on the shoulder before Joker spoke up, smiling appreciatively at Draconis as he spoke.

"Thanks, Draconis. I'm sure the same will be true of you and Taba eventually, assuming you two end up feeling the same way about each other." Joker said as he kept moving. Joker then walked over to Skull, smirking as he spoke up.

"Yo Skull, what's bonking, my dude?" Joker said as Skull smirked and fist-bumped Joker as he spoke up with a chuckle.

"Same to you, Joker. That said, first an old castle, and now a bank? This is some exciting shit, right?" Skull asked Joker who nodded as he kept moving, eventually stopping on Mona who he spoke to.

"Say Mona, why the long face?" Joker asked Mona who looked at him as he spoke up with a sigh.

"Oh, hey Joker. Man, that dog-like Shadow...I bet its nose is gonna be a real pain for us." Mona said as Joker nodded.

"Agreed, but I'm sure between you, Queen, and Draconis, we'll find a way to get past that nose." Joker reassured Mona as he kept moving, eventually making his way to Fox, who he spoke up to.

"Something on your mind, Fox? You seem a bit bothered." Joker said to Fox who smiled as he spoke up.

"Not at all. I was just thinking. In all honesty, I thought 'Rider' would have made for a rather suitable name..." Fox said as Draconis huffed from nearby and spoke up.

"Yeah, if Queen's motif had been inspired by Ghost Rider, perhaps. As is, I agree that Queen was the best name for her, and I'm sure Skull especially agrees if the shit-eating grin on his face every time he looks at Queen is any indication." Draconis said with a grin, careful not to let Skull or Queen hear, though if the slight huff from the latter was any indication, Draconis failed miserably at it. Joker nodded as he spoke up.

"Sorry Fox, but all code name decisions are final once agreed upon." Joker said with a nod as he kept moving. Joker then headed for the door, at which point Skull spoke up.

"Okay, let's go!" Skull said as Draconis smirked at the eagerness in Skull's tone, but kept quiet as the group kept moving. After a bit, Mona's eyes widened and he stopped the group as he spoke up.

"Wait, that's...!" Mona said as the group looked over and saw the cameras on the walls as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"A security camera...They'll probably tighten their guard if we show up on there..." Queen said as Mona spoke up.

"Joker, can't you use your observational skills to see the camera's range?" Mona asked as Draconis spoke up before Joker could answer the not-cat.

"Be that as it may, Mona-sensei, Joker's skills aren't meant to be leaned on like that. But yes, he probably can do that." Draconis said as Joker nodded while Mona spoke up once more, frowning at Draconis as he spoke.

"I realize that, Draconis! But he's still our trump card, and I reserve the right to treat him as such. That said, make sure it doesn't catch sight of us!" Mona said as Joker nodded and the group kept moving. After a bit of sneaking around, they got past the cameras and stopped when Joker's skills prompted him to check out a box on the other end of the hall as he spoke up.

"What is that?" Joker thought out loud making Queen blink as she turned to him and spoke up.

"Hm? What's wrong, Joker?" Queen asked Joker who spoke up.

"I think that box over there might be suspect." Joker said, pointing at the box that was underneath a control panel, which was under a red sign written in kanji. Mona then spoke up, smirking at Joker as he spoke.

"Is that a device of some kind? Let's go check it out." Mona said as Joker nodded and kept moving, walking over to inspect the box, making Mona frown as he spoke up.

"Hm, this is...It seems to be a power supply box for something..." Mona said as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"Unless I'm mistaken, the sign above it has 'Camera' written on it..." Queen said as Mona grinned as realization struck him and he looked at Joker.

"Oh, this must be for the surveillance cameras! Let's destroy it, Joker!" Mona said to Joker, who nodded and proceeded to disable the power supply box with one well-placed kick from his boot, making Mona and Draconis grin as the former spoke up, grinning at Joker as he spoke.

"Nice going, Joker! Nice kick!" Mona said as Draconis nodded and spoke up with a grin, smirking at Joker as he spoke.

"For real, Joker! That was straight-up some commando-level shit right there! Wasn't it badass though, Skull?" Draconis asked Skull who was next to him, getting a fist-bump from Skull as he spoke up with a smirk.

"Hell yeah, it was badass!" Skull said as the camera panned to show the lights from before going off, making Skull gape as he spoke up.

"Ohhh, I get it! We can break this shit to kill the cameras!" Skull said as Joker smirked and spoke up.

"Just call me Joker the Box Slayer." Joker joked as the group kept moving. The group then opened the door, only to have to quickly backpedal to avoid walking into a waiting Shadow. After they were a safe distance away, Skull swore as he spoke up.

"Dammit! Whoa, crap... That was close..." Skull said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"Ngh...But we'll have to get through this area...Let's do this, guys." Mona said as Joker nodded, ambushing the Shadow to start the fight. At that point, Queen spoke up.

"You may already know this, but inflicting status ailments on our enemies is a VERY useful tactic. I especially recommend it when you can't take advantage of an opponent's weakness." Queen said as the fight started. At one point in the fight, Mona looked at Joker and spoke up.

"I'm ready when you are!" Mona said as Joker nodded and Mona rushed forward, turning into his bus form and spinning in a couple circles around the Shadow before crashing into it, getting a Critical that knocked the Shadow down, at which point Mona smirked as he spoke up.

"That was pure skill!" Mona said as a Hold Up was initiated as a result of his Critical knocking the enemy down. Joker nodded and called for an All-Out Attack, which ended with him pulling his gloves up tighter as the enemy constricted while it was destroyed. Joker smirked as he spoke up.

"Heh! And just like that, the show's over!" Joker said with a smirk as the battle ended. After some more battles, Joker's Phoenix Persona hit level 23 and as a result, it gained the healing skill Recarm (which was basically the equivalent of a Revive spell) as Fox spoke up.

"Congrats on the new skill!" Fox said as Draconis spoke up with a grin.

"Sheesh! About damned time one of us got a skill that can revive people!" Draconis said sagely, as the battle ended. After a fight in which Joker recruited 'Queen's Necklace', which was the Treasure Demon of Kaneshiro's Palace, Joker and Draconis both hit level 24 while Joker's Matador Persona hit level 20. Ren smirked as he leveled up.

"With this power...!" Joker said as he felt himself get stronger with the level up. On top of that, Matador gained the Gun skill Double Shot. Queen then spoke up.

"Well done on the new skill! Put it to good use!" Queen said as the battle ended. After that, the group went through a nearby door to find another supply box, which Joker wasted no time in literally putting his boot through, smashing the box and causing the camera to pan and show some security cameras deactivating from Joker's action. Skull smirked and spoke up afterwards.

"Mkay, that shoulda killed some cameras!" Skull said as Draconis spoke up with a smirk.

"One can only hope so..." Draconis said as the group kept moving. After a bit more exploring, the group found another power supply box that Joker smashed. After a bit more navigating, Skull frowned as he spoke up.

"Whoa, what is this?" Skull asked as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"It is an extremely spacious room..." Fox said as Mona spoke up.

"Hmm...According to the map, we should be able to head down from here..." Mona said as Draconis hushed the group, just in time for them to hear two Shadows talking nearby.

"Hey, did you hear? It sounds like those intruders are wreaking havoc in here." One of the Shadows said as Mona spoke up.

"Hey! Hm? Everyone, quiet down! I hear someone talking!" Mona said as the Shadow then spoke up once more.

"So, this floor's...and Mister Kaneshiro ordered us to..." One of the Shadows said as the other spoke up.

"Yeah, but still...I mean, with these two keys...to happen?" The other Shadow said as Skull spoke up quietly.

"Hmm? Keys? What're those Shadows talkin' about?" Skull asked as Queen spoke up with a frown.

"I wasn't able to pick up everything they said. If only we could get closer..." Queen said as right at that moment, more lights turned on as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"What did you say!? Ngh...More surveillance cameras." Fox said as Panther spoke up with a frown, looking upset as she spoke.

"There are Shadows in there. It's probably too dangerous to get any closer right now..." Panther said as Draconis grinned and spoke up, smirking at Joker as he spoke.

"Not to worry! Joker and his trusty boot of destruction are on the case! Once we find more boxes, these will be down in no time!" Draconis said with a smirk as Queen spoke up.

"Okay! I'm curious about the conversation they were having, but there's nothing we can do about it at the moment. For now, let's just focus on finding a way down." Queen said as the group kept moving. Sure enough, as the group turned around, there was another power supply box on the other side of the room, making Fox speak up.

"We will be counting on you and your trusty boot. Care to do the honors, Joker?" Fox said as Joker nodded, smashing the box in one kick. Two of the cameras turned off as Fox spoke up.

"We shut off some of the cameras in front of the guard room...Not all of them though, it seems." Fox said. Mona nodded as he spoke up.

"Hmm, this is...The rest of them must be connected to a different power source...Looks like we need to check somewhere else." Mona said as the group kept moving. Joker then found a locked chest, which he used one of his 3 Lockpicks to open, revealing a 'Gang Star' weapon inside, and resulting in Joker making a mental note to craft more when he had the chance next. Skull looked at the weapon and smiled as he spoke up.

"Whoa...Ooh, that looks stronger than what I got now! Lemme use it already!" Skull said as Joker looked at Skull and nodded eagerly.

"Go for it man! It's all you." Joker said, handing Skull the 'Gang Star' which he tried on and it fit perfectly, making him grin as he spoke up,

"Alriiiiight! Time to whoop some ass!" Skull said as Draconis nodded and spoke up, grinning as he spoke.

"Truth, Skull! In the words of the great Duke Nukem, 'It's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum...but I'm all outta gum!' So let's go kick some ass!" Draconis said as Skull fist-bumped Draconis as the group kept moving. After a bit more moving, the group found a pathway down leading to a huge safe, making Skull gape as he spoke up.

"Whoa...is this some kinda vault?" Skull said as Queen smiled at him as she nodded in confirmation, speaking up at that point.

"Exactly, Skull. Very good observation. That said, according to the map, there is a great deal more beyond here..." Queen said as Fox frowned as he spoke up in realization.

"Then this is not a vault, but a partition of sorts. The terminals there must be how you open it." Fox said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"B-But both of them have keyholes." Panther said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"True. Meaning we'll need two keys to get beyond this area..." Queen said as Skull huffed as he spoke up.

"For real? Ugh... it's such a pain in the ass how secure this place is." Skull said as Draconis and Joker looked at each other as Joker spoke up.

"Well, it must be important given all the security in place." Joker said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"For real, Joker! But, at least now we know what those Shadows from before meant by 'these two keys', if anyone else remembers hearing that conversation." Draconis said with a grin, having put that part of the puzzle together so to speak. Fox nodded as he spoke up.

"Indeed. It would seem that's correct. This may lead further down, just as Kaneshiro had mentioned." Fox said as Queen frowned in realization as she spoke up.

"That reminds me. Hey, perhaps the key that those Shadows were talking about goes here, like Draconis said." Queen said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Hmm, that seems likely to me! All right! Let's go back to that room!" Mona said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Hold up-don't forget about them security cameras." Skull rebuked Mona, making the not-cat wince in realization as he spoke up.

"Ugh...Good point. They're a pain, but we should deactivate the security cameras first." Mona said as Draconis grinned and spoke up.

"All right, time for more of Joker's Boot of Destruction!" Draconis said with an amused grin as the group kept moving. After fighting a strong Shadow following a grapple to an out of the way path, Queen hit level 24 and learned the skill Freila, making her smirk as she spoke up.

"I've awakened to a new power!" Queen said as Johanna acquired the Freila skill. After the battle, the group noticed a familiar looking door as Panther spoke up.

"Ooh, there's one of Kaneshiro's Will Seeds! Let's grab it!" Panther said as Draconis spoke up with a smirk.

"Finally! About effing time we found one of these things for this Palace!" Draconis said, as Joker slicked through the vines on the door as the group headed inside, where Joker seized the 'Red Gluttony Seed' from its' pedestal, making Draconis smirk as he spoke up.

"And there's the Seven Deadly Sins theme at play again. Granted, I'd have probably more banked on Kaneshiro's being Greed, but I can see him being Gluttony too, I suppose." Draconis said. Panther nodded and spoke up.

"Found a Will Seed! Ugh, they're so creepy!" Panther said as Skull nodded and spoke up.

"Truth, Panther! At least it's in our possession now! Just two more to go!" Skull said as the group kept moving. After knocking out a strong Shadow, Joker smashed another power supply box, disabling the remaining two cameras as Panther smiled and spoke up.

"YES! We've shut off quite a few cameras now. Do you think we can get to that other room now?" Panther asked as Draconis spoke up, stroking his chin in thought as he spoke.

"Perhaps, but we still have to devise a plan,just in case we have to take out those two Shadows we heard talking." Draconis pointed out as the group kept moving. After getting back to the room where the cameras had been, Mona spoke up.

"Oh! All right, we've made it so far. Looks like there are Shadows in there. Let's hide and listen in on them." Mona said as Joker nodded and the group hid as the Shadows spoke up, completely unaware of the Thieves listening in on their conversation from nearby as they spoke.

"About those intruders..." One of the Shadows said as the other huffed and spoke up.

"Oh? Are you really that concerned? Don't be. We have the keys they need, so things should be okay as long as we protect them." The other Shadow said as Skull spoke up.

"What? Wait...You think they're talkin' about those two keys!?" Skull asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Obviously, Skull. I mean, how many other keys could they be referring to?" Draconis deadpanned as Fox chuckled and spoke up.

"Indeed, Draconis. That said...Hm, just as expected...Those are likely to be what opens the partition." Fox said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"What're we gonna do then? Beat 'em up and take the keys?" Skull said as Mona frowned at Skull as he spoke up.

"Now, listen up! Really, Skull? Just look at 'em. They're not your average Shadows. Anyone in charge of such important keys must be extremely strong." Mona said as Panther nodded and spoke up, frowning as she spoke up.

"That's true, and there's two of them. Dealing with both of them would be tough, Plus, they could go and sound the alarm..." Panther said as Joker spoke up, looking at Draconis and Queen as he spoke up, giving the two an inquisitive look as he spoke, clearly hoping to get their opinion on the topic.

"I'd say let's just observe for now, but what do you two think we should do? Hopefully you two can come up with an effective strategy for dealing with the Shadows." Joker said. Mona frowned as he spoke up, agreeing with Joker's question as he spoke.

"Hmm... That's a good question." Mona said as Queen and Draconis exchanged a look, both having an idea as Queen spoke up to voice the thoughts of the two.

"I see...Then why don't we split them up and beat them individually?" Queen said as Fox blinked as he spoke up.

"And how will we do that?" Fox asked as Queen spoke up, having thought of that as she spoke.

"Remember that monitoring room upstairs, or the room we got the map in? There was some communications equipment there as well. We can use that to lure one away." Queen said as Joker and Draconis looked at each other as the former spoke up, nodding as he spoke.

"That's a great idea, Queen." Joker said as Draconis nodded before he spoke up.

"Agreed, provided the remaining Shadow doesn't rush for the alarm while we're beating the one that we lure away." Draconis said dryly. Panther nodded in agreement with Joker as she spoke up, agreeing with Queen's plan as she spoke.

"Yeah! I agree. It sound a lot safer than fighting them both at the same time! But at the same time, I agree with Draconis' point as well." Panther said as Mona smiled and spoke up, looking at Queen as he spoke.

"Okay, let's leave this part to our resident intellectual!" Mona said as Queen nodded with a smile as she spoke up.

"Thank you very much! So, first we need to head to the monitoring room!" Queen said as Skull nodded, looking at Joker as he spoke up.

"Think we should head over there now, Joker?" Skull asked Joker as Joker spoke up.

"Nah, we can take the scenic route there. Plus, I feel like we should hit up that Safe Room we found on the way just to be on the safe side." Joker said. The others nodded as the group kept moving. After defeating a Shadow that was in the group's way, Mona hit level 24 and Zorro gained the healing skill Diarama from the level up, making Mona smirk as he spoke up with a grin.

"Now I'm even more charming!" Mona said as Zorro acquired the 'Diarama' skill. After moving around a bit, the group found the Safe Room once more, where Mona spoke up.

"All right, let's rest for a few." Mona said as the others nodded, stopping to catch their breath a bit after what they'd done thus far...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! And now we're finally back into Kaneshiro's Palace! Even got a good bit of the way into it! Next chapter, with any luck, will be the rest of it, including the third calling card and the fight with Kaneshiro's Shadow! Either way, we're finally getting into the back half of Arc 3! And then once we finish that, Arc 4 is where the story will really start to somewhat deviate noticeably from the game.

This is in part because of some minor changes I made early in Arc 3, specifically during the social studies trip where Kusa and Kasumi tagged along with their class thanks to the connections that the latter's father has. This did not happen at all in Royal, so that's going to cause some elements in Arc 4 to be slightly changed from the game as a result. That said, Arc 4 is also where one of the more unique Palaces of Royal comes into play, along with a certain red-headed hacker who Kusa may or may not be getting closer to as the story goes. But that's enough about arc 4 teasers for now! We're still on arc 3!

That being said, thanks to everyone who's read this far, and also to those who've followed/favorited this story, as that also means a lot to me since it shows you enjoy the story! So if you like the story so far, feel free to give it a follow and/or favorite, and even set an alert for when not only this story, but my other stories as well, get updated! But most importantly, feel free to leave me a review and/or PM me with your thoughts/feedback/constructive criticism of the story so far, I accept either of those and/or both. I enjoy hearing from my readers regardless. And until next update, sithlorde1988 out!

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 32

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) : Rank 5

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) : Rank 4

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) : Rank 3

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro) : Rank 3

LOVERS (Ann/Panther) : Rank 5

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) : Rank 5

JUSTICE (Akechi) : Rank 3

STRENGTH (Caroline and Justine/Twin Wardens) : Rank 3

DEATH (Takemi/Back-Alley Doctor): Rank 5

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami) : Rank 1

MOON (Mishima) : Rank 4

SUN (Yoshida/Man Of The People) : Rank 3

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) : Rank 3

FAITH (Kasumi/Yoshizawa) : Rank 2

COUNCILLOR (Maruki) : Rank 4

Yet to be unlocked: DEVIL, FORTUNE, STAR, HERMIT, PRIESTESS/HIGH PRIESTESS, EMPRESS, TOWER, JUDGMENT, HANGED MAN