Next chapter and the group begin there investigation to see if the rumors about Lysandre are true.
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this
Persona 5 Royal Fanmake Lysandre Arc Chapter 8
Museum of Vanity Part 1
The next day Monday Aqua and Alexis were in class and surprisingly the teacher for this one was Starlight Glimmer, seems she will be teaching some classes on top of her counsellor duties.
"Hello there. I'm Dr. Glimmer, your school counsellor." Starlight said smiling "Thanks to the school, I can even talk to you outside of counselling now. I want to talk a little about how mental health and perception can affect you."
"Don't worry I don't want to stress you out or anything, just relax and listen." Starlight said with a nod. "How much do you guys know about the emotional mind? See, what's going on in your mind can affect your body pretty significantly. There's proof if can even heal you, depending on your outlook."
"So Aqua!" Starlight said looking at her and Aqua sits up straight. "What do we call the phenomenon where believing in a treatment's power is enough to improve your condition?"
Aqua thinks and said "I believe it is called the placebo effect."
"Yup! That's correct." Starlight said happily and claps "Some people specify that placebos don't actually have any curative properties. But even if the medicine does nothing chemically, it can affect your perception and help you feel better."
"On the other hand, if you don't trust the medicine to begin with, it might make you feel even worse…We call that nocebo." Starlight explained.
The class were all amazed that Aqua got it right and were impressed as was Gatomon and Aqua felt she got a little smarter.
"That's just one example, but my point is that our minds and bodies are more connected then we think." Starlight explained. "So, it's important not to push yourself too hard. Remember, your mind needs time to rest too. And it's my job to help with that, so…Come by the nurse's office whenever you're feeling down."
"The mind affects the body, huh…?" Gatomon said thinking "You think I'll change back into a human if I just believe it hard enough?"
"I doubt that" Aqua said.
As the day went on Aqua heard other students talking about the Lysandre exhibit and also about the counselling sessions and soon it was the end of school and time to head to Lysandre's house.
We come to the Dragon Gems all on the train as they were heading to their destination. It wasn't crowded but weren't a lot of seats but Aqua and Alexis were able to sit down, Gatomon in his bag was on Aqua's lap while Uzi remained standing
"Phantom thieves going by train…This isn't any different from how I get home from school you know." Uzi complained.
"The train is the fastest way to go plus, we can bring pets on here." Alexis explained.
"Hey, who're you calling a pet?!" Gatomon said annoyed sticking his head out of the bag.
"Hey, be quiet!" Uzi said in a loud whisper "We didn't pay the pet fare."
"I'm the one guiding you to your destination!" Gatomon said still angry at being called a pet "You should be calling me 'Master'!"
"Ooh, kitty!" An innocent girl said walking up to them.
"Oh shoot…!" Alexis said concerned how this will go.
"Is that your pet, Miss! I heard it meowing!" The girl asked Aqua excited
"Oh, um actually it's just a stuffed animal." Aqua said thinking quickly.
"Yeah, it's just a toy." Alexis said smiling and playing along "It meows when you press on its head."
"You heard her, Aqua. Press on its head." Uzi said with a grin
"This is ridic…." Gatomon began to complain but then Aqua presses on his head "M-Mewwww…"
"Wowweeeee! Again! Again!" The girl said happily.
'I should press on Gatomon's head gently.' Aqua thinks on it and does so.
"Purr…" Gatomon purrs enjoying it "Mew, meow…."
"Ahahah, it's so cute! I wanna here it again!" The girl said happily and laughing.
"Wow…. The cat's drooling…." Uzi said surprised at that.
"The next stop is Remnant, Remnant. Doors will open on the left side" The train announcement said.
"Oh, this our stop!" Alexis said to the girl. "Well, see you later! Bye bye!"
"Mm-hm! Bye bye!" The little girl said nodding and heads back to her mother and the three sigh in relief.
We come to a bit later as the three got off the train and were in the Beacon line station.
"So, which line do we got to transfer to?" Uzi asked smiling.
"Doesn't look like there are any stations close by to that address..." Alexis said thinking "If anything, this is the closest station."
What?! Then we got to walk the rest of the way?!" Uzi said in shock. "What kind of phantom thief takes the train, and then walks to their destination?!"
"Stop your complaining." Gatomon told her.
"It's supposedly a shack, but this is the neighbourhood he lives in... As expected of a famous artist." Alexis said thinking "Looks like the fastest route is to get to the station square and then go to Central Street. Let's move!"
"Right" Aqua said nodding
Soon the group head to Central Street and before they cross Uzi asked Alexis "You sure it's this way? I don't remember seeing a house."
"It's supposed to be in a residential area past Central Street." Alexis explained. "We'll have to walk a bit though. Okay, let's get going!"
The group nods and keep moving.
We come to Tarkin in his office with his two personal Law Troopers as he was pondering.
"Gaston LeGume… Former Olympian…. Teacher at Citadel Academy…" Tarkin said thinking "Reason for turning himself in is… a heavy conscience, huh…"
"That seems not likely." One of the Law Trooper said.
"Indeed, the human mind doesn't change that easily… let alone their natural temperament." Tarkin said with a nod getting up off his chair and goes to look out the window overlooking the city.
"Could the cause be defiantly among the school itself?" The other Law trooper asked.
"Citadel Academy… Seems doubtful…" Tarkin said thinking. "Perhaps I'll have someone look into it, just in case…"
We come back to the Dragon Gems who arrive at Lysandre's address and saw a large house but it looks flimsey.
"Is…. that it?" Uzi asked unsure.
"We're at the right address…" Alexis said checking the address. "Plus the door plate does say 'Lysandre.'"
"Uhhh…You ring the bell." Uzi said to Alexis.
"Me?! The walls won't collapse when I do, will that?" Alexis asked concerned.
"No one sneeze or we'll blow this hose down, okay?" Gatomon joked chuckling.
The group go to the front door and Alexis rings the doorbeel and on the intercom Zane is head asking "Who is it? Sensei is currently…"
"Um, it's Alexis." Alexis said into the intercom.
"I'll be right out!" Zane said quickly.
"People really do live here…" Uzi said sadly
The front door slides open and Zane steps out and said "Alexi…" He stops upon seeing Aqua and Uzi and his face goes a bit annoyed "…You two are here, as well?"
"Nice to see you again Zane" Aqua said nodding.
"Hey." Uzi said smiling "Sorry, but uh… we ain't here to talk about the modelling thing. There's something we got to ask you. Is it true Lysandre's plagiarizing stuff? He's abusing people too, yeah?"
"Are you serious?" Zane asked her.
"We read about it online." Uzi said stepping forward and showing the posting
"This…?" Zane asked walking out and looks at it. He then laughs and said "Preposterous! Not only is the plagiarism impossible, but abuse? He welcomes pupils into his own home! This is no act of violence; it is charity! And I'm the one residing here and studying under him. I'm saying it's not true, so it's beyond doubt."
"You might be lying about it!" Uzi told him looking serious.
"That…" Zane said pausing a bit "…That is utter illogical. I had no family when Sensei took me in and theoretically raised me into what you see now!" He then glares at them "If you continue to ridicule the man I owe my life to, you will rue this day!"
"…You really think that?" Alexis asked him shocked.
"Zane?" Lysandre asked coming out "What's the matter? I heard you yelling."
"These people are slandering you with baseless rumors!" Zane told him.
Lysandre nods thinking and said "…Forgive them, Zane. They must've heard some bad rumors and came in worry for their friend's safety."
"…Understood, Sensei." Zane said sighing.
"Well, even I doubt that a cranky old man like myself could be liked by everyone." Lysandre said chuckling to himself.
"That's not what we meant…" Alexis said sadly.
"I'm sorry to have butt in on your conversation." Lysandre said nodding "However, I do have neighbours around. Won't you please keep it down? Now if you'll excuse me." He heads back inside.
Zane looks solemn and bows to the three and said "That was discourteous of me… I'm sorry." He thinks and smiles getting an idea "…I know! I think you'll be able to believe in Sensei if you saw that painting." He gets his phone out and shows a picture "It's his maiden work as well as his most representative piece it's titled 'Julian'
The picture of the paining showing a white-haired man dressed as a scientist in a wooded area looking down on something smiling and a fog covered what the man was looking down on.
"'Julian'…?" Alexis said looking amazed.
"It looks amazing" Aqua said.
"This was the painting that inspired me to become an artist." Zane explained smiling.
"It's so beautiful…" Alexis said.
"I don't know all this fine-art stuff, but even I can tell that this is impressive…" Uzi said with a nod.
Zane puts his phone away and said to Alexis "When I saw you, I felt the same powerful emotion as when I saw this painting…"
"Me?" Alexis said surprised.
"I wish to pursue beauty like this." Zane said smiling. "And I believe drawing you will be part of that pursuit. I implore you: seriously consider my offer. I'm sorry that you took the time to come all this way, but I must assist Sensei today. I hope that we can discuss this further another time. If you'll excuse me, then." He heads back inside.
The group head to a spot across the street to discuss what happened and decide what to do next.
"Those two… seem like nice guys, don't they?" Uzi said unsure.
"Maybe the Lysandre we heard about in Mementos is a different person." Alexis guessed thinking.
"Bite me, right when we thought we found a new target, too…" Uzi said sighing.
"How's the Meta-Nav?" Gatomon asked Aqua.
Aqua checks and saw three slots filled out, she said "Err…guys look at this."
Alexis and Uzi look and gasp as the drone girl said "Hey, the app…"
"Was it picking up our conversation?" Alexis asked. "This display… it means that Lysandre has a Palace too, rigtht?! But why?!" She looks at the house.
"'Lysandre', 'plagiarism'… and then 'shack', huh? These seem to be the keywords." Gatomon said thinking.
"For real through, what the heck's going on?!" Uzi asked confused. "Does an old man like him really have a Palace?!"
"We have the person's name and the location. All that's left is the 'what' that Lysandre mistakes this shack for to enter his Palace." Gatomon explained.
"You mean…. Like how Gaston though the school was his castle?" Alexis asked him.
"That's correct." Gatomon said nodding. "Let's try saying some things. They can be random guesses."
"It's a bit sudden, though…" Uzi said rubbing her head.
"Why don't we start with 'castle'?" Alexis guessed.
"No candidates found" The Meta-Nav said.
"Then, what about 'prison'?" Uzi guessed.
"No candidates found" The Meta-Nav said again.
"Ugh, what a pain!" Uzi groaned. "'Jail'! 'warehouse'! and 'guidance counselling office'! Might as well add 'farm'!"
"No candidates found" The Meta-Nav said to all these guesses.
"Not a single hit?" Uzi asked confused.
"…Should we come back another time?" Gatomon asked.
"A building that's related to artists… if we think from there, what would it be…?" Alexis said thinking
Aqua thinks and said "Hey….what about a museum?"
"Beginning navigation" The Meta-Nav said and begins to work and the world around them briefly warps.
"'Beginning navigation…' Woah, really?!" Uzi said surprised.
The world around them then warps more as the four were pulled into the Metaverse.
The four were down in their Phantom thief attire as the world around them had changed. Behind them the house changed to a large golden spectacular museum
"Hey, when did you activate the Nav?! You surprised me!" Gatomon said in surprise.
"Didn't have much of a choice. I think we just happened to get it right." Uzi said with a shrug.
"What if I hadn't noticed, and then wondered off and get caught by an enemy?!" Gatomon asked annoyed.
"You probably would have figured out once you started to walk on two legs." Uzi points out.
"Grr…" Gatomon grumbles but Uzi had a point.
"So even you can slip into the Metaverse without realizing it, Gatomon?" Alexis asked him.
"Yes. In a place with minimal cognitive distortion, the difference can be subtle." Gatomon said nodding.
"Forget that… Look!" Uzi said as she finally noticed the Museum which was large "That shack is seriously some kind of museum?!"
"Let's go check it out!" Alexis said with a nod.
The group nods and heads over to it arriving in a parking lot and they see outside a large crowd of shadows waiting to get in.
"It's so extravagant… to the point that it's gaudy." Alexis said with a groan. "It's a museum… right?"
"This is Lysandre's?" Uzi asked.
"Well, a Palace is a world formed by a mind twisted by desire remember Gaston's castle?" Gatomon explained.
"Yeah, that place was forged through the desire of lust…this one is different. This is formed from vanity possibly." Aqua said thinking on it.
"But Lysandre's artwork is on display at museums in reality too, though." Alexis points out "His exhibit is popular, and people already respect him. Why would he fantasize about a museum?"
"You do have a point… it ain't related to plagiarism or abuse, either." Uzi said nodding.
"Let's try looking around." Gatomon suggested "Racking out brains here won't do us any good."
Uzi nods "…Right." She then grins "That aside… Ain't a museum a must for phantom thieves?!"
"Oh yeah, definitely." Aqua said with a smile "Might be cliché but I feel like a classic museum heist is a rite of passage for any would-be thief."
"Now that's our Waterwave. I feel the same" Gatomon said smiling.
"But geez, just look at that insane crowd…" Uzi said looking at the crowd.
"Let's begin our infiltration" Gatomon said nodding.
"Ugh…Are we going to have to wait in that gigantic line?" Uzi groaned.
"Don't be stupid. We're not going in the front door." Gatomon told the drone girl
"But there's a hight wall around the building…" Alexis points out.
"But not all of it's too high for us" Aqua said and goes to a nearby truck and jumps on the roof and then onto the wall.
"This is really how he thinks of that run-down shack…?" Gatomon asked. "It's overwhelmingly shiny…"
"It's just not hitting me that this is that old guy's Palace…" Alexis said sadly.
"Well, that's why we're here right? Come on, let's go check it out.
They jump down to the other side and see the guards watching the perimeter blue and grey robot like things armed with pronged swords. Seeing them Aqua got the name Basherbots as what they are. She continues along the way grabbing any treasure she can until the group made it onto the roof and saw one of the roof skylight windows was open.
"Ooh! The skylight's open! I think we can get in here." Uzi said excited
"But it's a pretty far drop… will we be able to get back out this way?" Alexis asked.
"Hehe don't worry… I have a rope!" Gatomon said pulling out some rope from his bag "I'm our tool specialist, after all! So, what's your call Waterwave? Want to head inside?"
"Let's do this." Aqua said nodding.
Gatomon got to work securing the rope, it was time to find out what secrets Lysandre was really hiding as they all ready themselves to enter the Museum of Vanity.
The first infiltration begins what will the group discover, find out soon.
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