Chapter 45: The Illusory Popess

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Akira•

The taxi screeched to a halt next to the club, the van that Kaneshiro's goons and Niijima had been in parked off to the side. Everyone quickly piled out, and they rushed toward the entrance.

The sounds coming from Ryuji's phone told them that Niijima was in some serious danger, and they needed to get in there. Ann had clearly thrown away her grudge for the moment with how worried she was, while Yusuke was determined and Ryuji just looked pissed.

"She said something about the top floor, so our first priority is finding a stairwell."

"Right, yeah."

"What if we have to…? You know, fight?"

He frowned at Ann's question. "These are mafia thugs, who have been in more real-world fights than any of us. We can't rely on Personas or the natural instincts that come with them in reality."

Unfortunately…

"You've said that you've trained before, haven't you?" Yusuke asked as they approached the front door. A thug was standing there smoking, and when he noticed the group, narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah. I've trained, and been in some matches, not actually fought a real battle. It comes down to it, leave fighting to me, but I'm going to be relying on PSI here. You don't hold back in a real fight." Already he was feeling his heart start to pump and jitters flow through his limbs. First rule of a fight was not to fight. Don't actively seek them out, and run if you can.

He didn't have that option here.

Try to be careful, my dear, Leanan Sidhe advised.

"Who the hell are you kids?!"

"Shit, sorry dude, I was lookin' for the club?" He asked, waving a hand as he walked closer nonchalantly, trying to look as unthreatening as possible.

"You look way too damn young to come here," the thug sneered. "'Sides, what kinda club just calls itself 'the club'? That's fuckin' idio—!" Kaneshiro's goon didn't get to finish his sentence as he suddenly slugged him across the face, sending him stumbling back into the wall.

"PSI Rebellion α!" His silver eyes flashed brighter and dark colors shot from his hands. 'Don't accidentally kill the guy, hold back, don't accidentally kill the guy, hold back!' The thug had just barely realized that he had been punched and was getting back up before the psionic attack blasted into him and crushed him into the wall.

Ouch.

Everyone winced as the wall visibly cracked, and the thug slumped down unconscious. "You… didn't kill him, right?" Ann asked worried.

"God I hope not." He felt for a pulse and… well, he could feel one. But who knew how many broken bones the guy had? "Let's… let's keep moving. We've got to get Niijima and get the hell out of here. Hopefully, these guys care enough about each other that they'll drag him to the hospital."

"Right." Opening the door caused the blaring music that could be heard inside to become even louder, but they ignored that in favor of peeking through the crack to find the stairs, but not entering just yet. Considering it was the middle of the day there weren't many people there, but Akira could see at least two goons standing off to the right, by a doorway that, per Niijima's ramblings they'd heard over the phone, should lead to a stairwell.

"There," Yusuke spoke as he spotted them as well. "But how are we to get past them?"

"Yeah, you hit them with a Rebellion and this whole place is gonna see that shit," Ryuji scowled, seeing more goons loitering around the place, talking, smoking cigarettes, or doing some other miscellaneous activity. "We—"

Everyone jumped as they heard Niijima crying out for someone to get off of her through Ryuji's phone. Everyone's eyes widened, and the faux-blond in particular practically began sparking with Captain Kidd's electricity. Before he could do anything rash he grabbed his friend by the arm and shook his head.

"We've gotta get up there!" Ann gasped.

"Alright… there." He opened the door just a bit more and pointed to the other side of the room. "See that open door? I can see a bunch of wires in there, and several are going to the DJ stand in the back. Morgana, get in there and start pulling stuff out, breaking things, whatever. Make a commotion and get everyone running over there. As soon as those two by the stairwell are gone, we run for them."

A good enough plan on such short notice.

"You got it!" Morgana sprinted into the building and across the room, his tiny black body unnoticed by everyone inside. He couldn't see Morgana run into the room, but everyone noticed when the music got distorted, then cut out.

"Huh?" Several people inside looked around in confusion as the lights flickered, before sparks and then a small fire started inside the room Morgana had run into. "Oh shit! The hell's goin' on in there?!"

Everyone sprinted for the maintenance room to put out the fire, and the Phantom Thieves took the opportunity to run for the stairs. "The hell did Monamona do in there to start a fire?!" Ryuji asked incredulously, causing him to snort.

"No idea, but don't look a gift horse in the mouth." The four of them began running up the stairs, and after going up a floor Morgana caught up.

"Great job, Morgana!" Ann cheered as the not-cat hopped up onto her shoulder, then jumped into his bag.

"Mwehehe! Thanks, Lady Ann!"

"Shit! Guys, we gotta hurry, the call hung up!" Ryuji sped ahead of them even with his busted leg, and he grimaced as he pumped his legs faster to keep up with the faux-blond. They reached the top floor quickly and looked around in panic. "Where do we go now?!"

"W-what?! Wait! WAIT!" Everyone's heads snapped in the direction of the scream.

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Ryuji•

"That was her!" Ann exclaimed.

"We must hurry!" No shit! Thankfully, they had all started running before Yusuke even finished his sentence, so they reached the room where the scream had come from in barely a few seconds.

He slammed the door open and saw a bunch of people, but what he focused on was Prez, pinned to the floor by one thug, and another about to break her arm. He felt Captain Kidd blazing inside of him and urging him forward, and without realizing it, he rushed into the room and slammed into the thug holding her arm. "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM THE PREZ!"

He grappled the older man, and the surprise attack helped him drag the guy away from Prez and slug him in the face before he could react. The thug stumbled and spun in a circle from the blow, and he took the opportunity to grapple his stomach and drag him to the ground. He heard Akira shout something, but the blood pumping inside his ears drowned it out.

He brought his fist down and slammed it into the thug's face. Then he wound up and punched again. Then again. His knuckles were throbbing in pain and… and he was pretty sure blood was beginning to spurt from them, but he kept punching.

The man scrambled to fight back, his hand moving to grab at his face, and a couple of fingers got dangerously close to his eyes, so he tried to use his weight to press down and shove the guy's arms down too. He got a good hold of the goon's hair and began bashing him into the ground, then—!

"Ryu! Ryuji! Back up, get back!" Akira suddenly grabbed him and began dragging him off of the guy.

"What?! This bastard—!"

"Is not important right now… just calmly raise your hands." Akira's voice was disturbingly calm, and he could see his friend looking at him with his own hands raised, really nervous. When he turned around, he could see why. Some fat guy was pointing a gun straight at them.

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Ann•

When they burst into the room she gasped at the sight of Niijima-senpai pinned on the ground with her arm about to snap. Before she could even think of doing anything, Ryuji and Akira had burst into action.

Ryuji was practically roaring in rage as he grabbed the man who was about to snap Niijima-senpai's arm and began beating the crap out of him. Akira managed to grab the one who was pinning down the student council president while shouting at Ryuji, and she was using the opportunity to roll away from them.

She could see the thug that Akira was fighting, and a third that was approaching, reaching toward Niijima-senpai, so she ran forward to pull her to safety first. "Get away from her!" She and Yusuke each grabbed one of her arms and pulled her away from the beginning brawl.

Yusuke gasped as he saw her injuries and his eyes looked like they were burning with an icy rage. "How dare you lay a hand on our acquaintance!"

"T-Takamaki-Chan, Kitagawa-kun?"

She smiled down at Niijima-senpai reassuringly, even if she couldn't see it. Even if Niijima-senpai knew about what that bastard had been doing, a fact that she wasn't so sure about now, she didn't deserve any of this. She turned to Yusuke and nodded at him. "Let's get her out of here. Let Akira and Ryuji focus—"

A distinctive click reached her ears over the sounds of the fight, one very familiar after so many battles fighting at Joker's side and hearing him use his gun so many times. It was that click that his gun would make before he fired it… sometimes. She wasn't an expert on guns, but she was sure that's what it was.

She looked across the room and saw that the man who was calmly sitting down was pointing a gun straight at Akira. Her heart clenched and she almost dropped Niijima-senpai to run forward, but the gun just swiveled to point at her. "This was unexpected. Let go of my boys, and let's have a little chat, yeah?"

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Akira•

Ryuji rushing into the room and tackling a man wasn't exactly ideal, he'd have rathered a calmer resolution where they didn't have to risk any of them getting hurt, but he didn't blame Ryuji. Seeing Niijima about to have her arm snapped like that filled him with his own rage.

"Be careful, Ryu!" After giving Ryuji a warning he grabbed the man that had pinned Niijima down and threw him back against the table. "Let's see you fight someone who wasn't sucker-punched, asshole!" The thug grunted in pain and tried to throw a punch back, so he ducked around it and slugged him in the face.

The third thug that had been in the room was running towards him, and he couldn't handle two fights at once. He felt his stomach churn at the thought, but he needed to take the first man down so he could focus on the second. So, as the man that he had punched was still reeling from the blow, he grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed him against the sharp edge of the table as hard as he could.

Blood began spurting from the wound before the thug that had been running up punched him in the side of the head. He winced and let go of the first, stumbling back, before ducking another blow and wrapping his arms around his attacker's midsection to throw him to the ground. They struggled, and he shoved one hand in the man's face while using the other to try and grab his arm.

"Well now." Someone was speaking up, but he ignored it. The thug that he had bashed against the table was slowly getting up, even with his head wound gushing blood, while the one he was wrestling on the ground was still fighting back. Maybe with them so low to the floor like this, he could use a low-charge PSI Rebellion to knock him out? But in such a stressful situation, he could accidentally blast through both the goon and the floor below them! His mind whirled a mile a minute, but then a click brought him out of it, his eyes widening at the sound.

A gun hammer cocking back.

Trickster, be very cautious now.

Oh dear…

It was deafening, even with the sound of Ryuji bashing someone's head into the floor a couple of feet away. "This was unexpected. Let go of my boys, and let's have a little chat, yeah?" He looked up and saw a fat man, Kaneshiro, he presumed, sitting back calmly with a smug smirk on his face as he pointed a Makaronov double-action pistol right between his eyes.

He slowly put his hands up and got off the man he had been fighting, before his eyes drifted to Ryuji, who was still beating up his attacker. Kaneshiro began swiveling the gun towards Ryuji, and his eyes widened. "Wait!" He moved over to Ryuji, hands up, before grabbing his friend. "Ryu! Ryuji! Back up, get back!" He grabbed Ryuji to pull him off the thug, still watching Kaneshiro and the gun in his hand.

"What?! This bastard—!"

Calm him down before you all get sssome new holesss in your headsss!

"Is not important right now… just calmly raise your hands." He was panicking internally, eyes locked on the barrel of the Makaronov. There were plenty of times in the Metaverse where he could have or almost died, but this was reality, and that was a gun. A single twitch of Kaneshiro's finger and he could be dead before he even knew it. But he needed to stay calm and keep his voice level, hoping it would reach Ryuji, and keep him and the others just as calm.

Ryuji turned and he could feel the moment that he realized what was happening because Ryuji was no longer struggling in his arms to continue beating the thug. "Oh s-shit."

"Right. So just put your hands up, like me, so we can keep this civil, right?"

"Civil, huh?!" One of the men that he had been fighting, the second one that didn't get his head bashed open on the table, walked up and wound his fist back. He winced but didn't bother defending himself with Kaneshiro's gun still trained on him, and when the punch connected with the side of his face he felt himself black out for a moment. "How's that for civil, you little shit?!"

"AKIRA!" He felt someone catch him— scratch that, multiple someone's…? It was hard to tell, that guy had one hell of a hook. Suddenly he was being grabbed by the collar and dragged forward. "GET OFF OF—!"

"A-Ann, it's oka—!" He was cut off when he was punched again. "J-Just stay back, it's fair that he gets some hits in after I knocked their shit in, r-right?"

Don't make this worse for thyself, Trickster!

He just smiled, and the thug that had been punching him snarled before slugging him in the face again, shattering his glasses and sending them flying off his face, while some of the glass cut into his nose and temple. "You think this is funny you punk?!"

"Akira, can't we—?!"

"No, Ryuji! We are…" Yusuke grimaced. "We are at a disadvantage here."

Over the sound of a fist tenderizing his face like a slab of meat, he could hear Kaneshiro chuckling. Art thou sure you do not wish to destroy them all now? Thy power could obliterate them before the fat man's finger even touched the trigger, Arsène snarled with a voice filled with hatred.

For a moment, he could feel energy pooling in his hands. If he so wished he could destroy all of them, all of these criminal scum, wipe them off the face of the planet like the disease they were and he was the cure. Black, red, and silver energy formed orbs in his palms, and he could hear Niijima's breath hitch.

You bargained for sssuch power, why not ussse it? Tangoo whispered in his head. What wasss it you sssaid to your other ssself? 'Give me your power'?

My dear, you can't take much more of this, Leanan Sidhe murmured.

His head rocked to the side as another punch landed, and he almost unleashed a Rebellion… before clenching his fists closed. No, no he wouldn't kill them, as scummy as they are. As the thug rolled his shoulders to prepare another punch, and blood began running down from a cut in his forehead, he raised his head and glared at the man.

The goon froze before throwing the punch, his silver eyes glaring holes into them and forcing them to take a step back, nearly tripping over himself. After realizing that he'd been frightened by just a glare, the thug swallowed and fixed his coat, trying to regain any respect he might have lost. "Y-You just ain't worth it, you little punk."

He fixed the man with a grin that seemed more snarl than anything else, the blood dripping down his face mixed into his mouth and he tasted iron. Then he glared at Kaneshiro, spitting some of the blood onto the purple carpet. "S-So… You wanted t-to talk?" He asked, his voice shaking from the beating. He could feel Ann grab him and keep him steady, as Kaneshiro gestured with his gun, and the thug that had been beating him grabbed his friends to haul them back onto the couch.

"I don't care much for that glare you've got on," Kaneshiro chuckled, eyeing them.

"Sorry, b-but I was a bit angry that my senpai was about t-to get her arm broken, and your little lackey there seems to have b-beaten my face so badly that I c-can't change my expression."

Stop be-hee-ing so sarcastic with the man with the gun, ho!

"Get smarmy with me again, and I won't hesitate to pull this trigger." He shut up but kept glaring. Kaneshiro looked at the phone in his spare hand, before realization spread across his face. "So, you wanted to find me so badly that you risked your student council president's life? How brave of you. As for you three…" Kaneshiro glared at his goons. "You got followed, you dumbshits!"

"S-Sorry, boss…"

"Now then… This whole mess has gotten me really stressed out." Kaneshiro placed Niijima's phone down, then grabbed a suitcase that was sitting in front of him. He opened it up and everyone's breath caught at the sight of all the money inside.

"Holy moly!"

Of course, no one understood the cat that had spoken, and Kaneshiro turned to a vapid-looking girl that sat next to him, who hadn't been phased at all by the fight that had broken out, or Kaneshiro pointing a gun at teenagers. "That bag you saw the other day— the crocodile one, how much was it?"

"Aboooout… three million?" Kaneshiro silently picked up a stack of bills and handed it to the gaudy woman. She gasped and practically squealed as she took it. "For reals?!"

"Better thank those guys."

"What?" Ryuji asked both in anger and confusion.

"He means he wants us to pay up," he spat, more blood leaking down his face.

"Heh. Can you tell I'm royally pissed right now? Thankfully, spending money is a stress reliever. You goddamn brats sniffing around like dogs and barging in here like you own the joint really ruined today for me! And now there's a big, empty space right here… a three-million yen gap. It's too bad that I'm a perfectionist because now I'm getting even more pissed off just looking at it! So, good luck."

"He wants us to pay him three million yen?!" Yusuke asked, appalled.

"Let me guess, you kill us if we don't pay up?" He asked. His head was throbbing, and he really needed medical attention from how many blows he had taken, but they couldn't leave until Kaneshiro quit running his mouth. They needed the threat of what he'd do to them, and their time limit, then they could get him to a doctor. Or duck into the Metaverse and cast a hell of a lot of Dias.

Kaneshiro just chuckled, then took a picture using Niijima's phone. "Come on, you all look so tense. So much blood in this photo… I think I'll call it… 'Debauchery of Minors at a Club.' So, can I send this to your school?"

Niijima gasped. "That's—!"

"Oh, damn, I got booze and cigs in the shot! Maybe some drugs too? Ahh, this is so hilarious. I feed on dumbshits like you… understand, pretty little student council president?" He wagged the phone. "Now listen up. Run your mouth to the police, and I'll break all of you, starting with your families. I want to give you the usual month, but well, you have such a large group here…"

Give them a long time limit, give them a long time limit…

"Three weeks. Bring three million yen by then. No less. Summer bonuses are around the corner, you know? I'm sure it'll be easy if you get your mommies and daddies." Okay. Alright, that was the longest time limit they've had so far. "Now get out of my sight. It's time I clean up a mess."

"What?! To hell with that!" Ryuji growled.

"Don't bother with him," Morgana spoke up. "Makoto's safety is more important right now, and Akira's seriously hurt!"

"You." Kaneshiro threw Niijima's phone over to them after fiddling with it, then gestured to his one remaining goon that was still conscious, the one that had been beating the shit out of him, while the other two continued to groan in a daze. "Get them the hell out of here. Honey, you'll want to leave now, too." He nodded and walked up to them, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him from Ann's grasp, leading their group out of the building.

"Let's move it, punk!"

"No need to be so gentle," he spat some more blood in defiance.

As they exited the room, the gaudy woman left to go somewhere else as well, and they could hear Kaneshiro's voice fading behind them. "As for you two, I'm real disappointed, you dumbshits. You lead a couple of kids right to me, get your asses handed to you by them, then bleed all over my rug."

"K-Kaneshiro-s—"

"I don't wanna hear it. Kotaro, this is the first time you've fucked up like this, bad as it was. I'll give you a chance to make it up to me… As for you, Masato, that was your last chance. Thanks for your service, as shit as it was. Consider this your severance pay"

"W-Wait, no, please don't—!"

A gunshot rang out, and everyone stiffened. Even the thug leading them out seemed unsettled, but as he was apparently much more used to it, he recovered quick and got them down the stairwell and to the entrance, throwing them out in a huff. "Better not see you punks back here without that money."

With that, the door to the club slammed closed, leaving them out on the streets bruised, bloodied, and blackmailed, all as the moon bathed them in its light.

"Well," he spoke, finally, "…Fuck."

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Yusuke•

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to drag you in like this…" He huffed at Niijima's apology, their group continuing their walk down the street. Ann continued to help Akira limp along the street, more focused on him than their conversation. The only injuries he had were on his head, but he still hadn't recovered. In fact, it almost felt like he was getting worse. He seemed to be stumbling more and more.

Just the sight of his friend and leader in such a state was tinting the world around him an icy blue to match the cold rage that gripped his heart. He wished he could have helped within Kaneshiro's hideout, but he knew he was of no use in a fight within the real world.

"I was so stupid," Niijima-san sighed.

He shook his head. "I must agree. You should've easily imagined something such as this happening."

"Hey, Yusuke…" Ann looked over and shook her head.

"Hey, much as I wanna defend her, even I could tell this was gonna be bad news," Ryuji groaned.

"I was so caught up in trying to be useful…"

"All right, enough! No more of the blame game! What's done is done. Stop beating yourself up about it, Prez."

"I'm going to cause trouble for Sis too…"

"You got a sis, huh?"

"Yes. My older sister had a commendable job, and she's a much more remarkable person than me… a lot happened after we lost our father three years ago, so it's not just us living together. But I'm still a child, so all I am is a burden to her…"

His face softened at the words, and he turned to face her fully as the world lost the hue of its cold rage. Everyone else stopped walking as well, and he folded his arms. So she felt she didn't belong either…? "And that's why you were so reckless?"

She looked away from them. He wasn't sure if he was getting better at the 'social' part of interacting with others, but she seemed ashamed. "I just wanted to be useful in some way to someone…"

"Y'know, I might not get your whole situation, but ain't it a bit off saying that you're useless to her?"

"It's the truth though…"

"Bullshit it is…" Ryuji grumbled.

"In particular, I have to apologize for what happened to you. Now that I think on it, the truth about Kamoshida must've been covered up by the whole school. I had my suspicions, but… I couldn't do anything about it. …No, I didn't do anything. Had I cared enough, I could've done something…"

"Niijima-senpai…" Ann looked over, a look on her face he couldn't quite describe.

The brown-haired girl continued, her voice breaking. "People like me… must really be scum of the earth."

"Real scum wouldn't call themselves that," Ann cut her off.

"Huh?"

"I'm the same," Ann continued, even as she pulled Akira against her body to keep him steady. "It's just like you said before: I was closest to Shiho, but I didn't do anything… Besides, that bastard is the one to blame. Shiho understands that, and I do too."

"Takamaki-chan…"

"C'mon, Prez. Real scum wouldn't have even done half of what ya did so far. You really care for the other students, it's the whole reason why you wanted to go after the mafia and shit, yeah?"

"But… only because Principal Kobayakawa told me to…"

"Oh please. He may have told you to go after 'em, but ain't no way you don't care. You asked us for help, even when you didn't really believe, yeah?"

"Sakamoto-kun…"

He stepped forward. "You didn't have a place to belong either… is that right?"

"Me either?"

"We won't let anyone fall victim again," Ann spoke. "Now, what should we do from here? Akira is still… well, he's not good…"

"I'll do something about the money," Niijima-San spoke. "So… you can just drop the Kaneshiro case. I don't want you—"

"Nope! No can do, Prez. We're all caught up in this." Ryuji grinned and stepped up to her side, elbowing her lightly.

"We can't have you rushing things on your own anymore and making the situation worse," he joked.

"Now if only we could do somethin' about that bank…"

"Ryuji!"

The sunny-haired boy looked at him with wide eyes. "W-What?! 'S not like she'd get it just from me—!"

"Oh, right, the bank!" Morgana, who had been at their feet the whole time, perked up. "She isn't useless at all! She may be our key in! Alright, hear me out, you guys…"

"Our key in? What do you mean?"

Niijima-san looked puzzled by Ann's response to the void-colored feline. "A cat? Um… are you all okay?"

"We've become Kaneshiro's targets. That means we've become customers of his bank!"

His eyes widened as he followed the train of logic. "I see. The reason why we couldn't enter before was because we weren't considered his customers…"

"And wouldn't you say she in particular is a very special customer? Let's take her with us. She is responsible for our current situation."

Ryuji looked back and forth. "Whoa, uh, I don't follow…"

He nodded. "She risked her life doing something so reckless… I suppose that, at the very least, she has a right to know. Akira, your thoughts?"

"H-Huh?" Akira blinked and tried to look around before nearly collapsing.

"Shit! I got him!" Ryuji grabbed Akira's other arm as his legs gave way, Ann nearly buckling on his other side.

"S-Sorry, gotta…" Akira breathed out. "Gotta take a sit down…"

"He's really not looking good," Morgana winced. "I guess we didn't notice since he just seemed dizzy before."

Akira mumbled something in response, and Ann grabbed his head, using her fingers to gently open his eyes. "Akira? Can you hear me?"

"'Lo, Ann…"

"C'mon, we can see if it worked and heal Akira at the same time."

"Yes, let's. Niijima-san, won't you come with us?"

"What? …Wait, to where? Shouldn't we be getting him to a doctor?!"

"Yeah, where are we goin'?" Ryuji asked.

"Beats me," Ann muttered. And so they dragged Akira into an alley, and once Niijima-san stepped close enough and they were all ready, the Metaverse Navigator was activated. The world warped, and then they were within the gluttonous, disgustingly designed world of Kaneshiro's Palace.

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Makoto•

"W-Wow…" She watched as Starr-kun rolled his neck, looking as though he hadn't been beaten at all just a little while ago. No injuries at all remained on his face, even the parts not hidden by the odd mask he wore. That was also a surprise, seeing him dressed in that… magician's outfit.

"That's much better… I was getting a bit too loopy," he chuckled. "Those Life Stones sure are miracle workers."

"You sure you're a hundred percent?" Sakamoto-kun, now dressed in a… thuggish looking outfit, asked. "I mean, you still need Panther to help keep steady."

"Who said I needed her to keep steady?" He asked with a grin, leaning further into Takamaki-chan's arm. Makoto cleared her throat and tried to ignore what that, and her outfit, did to the blonde's body. It was… indecent. Takamaki-chan just rolled her eyes and shoved Starr-kun away with a smile, causing him to chuckle.

"S-So, allow me to get this straight… this is a mental world based on Kaneshiro's cognition of Shibuya?"

"Essentially, yes," Kitagawa-kun nodded. He was much less fancily dressed, with a canine mask on his face. Or, a fox, as he'd corrected her.

"So… Is it like the application of optical illusions in social cognitive psychology?"

"More like PSIchology," Starr-kun chuckled, for some reason.

"So, stealing one's heart may be like overwriting one's cognitions. I think I get the logic behind it."

"Man, she caught on quick… She seems more amazin' than you, Mona!"

"We're about the same!"

"Then… does that mean there's an ATM version of myself somewhere in this world too?"

"Perhaps," the odd… cat, monster, creature that was apparently the black cat Morgana, spoke. "Regardless, we can change Kaneshiro's heart and make him confess if we steal his Treasure. …If all goes well, that is."

Sakamoto-kun just grinned and pumped his fist. "We'll make it go well! Everyone'll notice us for sure if we take someone like Kaneshiro down!"

"Our justice will also become resolute," Kitagawa-kun spoke.

"Think we'd be able to give courage to those in need when that happens?!" Takamaki-chan asked in excitement.

"For the sake of those in need, huh…? You sound like my father."

"Your father?"

"No, don't mind me. You want to go to that bank, right? Let's go then." She glared into the sky at the flying bank, which… was still something of a shock to her, all the money floating in the breeze around them being sucked up as though it were a floating vacuum. "If I've become a customer of that bank, then they'll have to let me in."

She stepped into the street and the bank began to float lower to the ground without much fanfare. "For real?!" She could hear Takamaki-chan's question behind her. A road suddenly erupted off the side and melded with the street.

"It came to us!"

"Just as I calculated," Morgana chuckled.

"Then let's move out. I've got a complaint for the president of this bank," Starr-kun smirked as he walked up the ramp and pulled his gloves tight. His team walked by his side, and she quickly followed suit.

When they reached the top, they could properly see what the bank looked like. It was an ostentatious building colored a dull gold, with a multitude of trees surrounding it. "Whoa, this place is huge…"

Sakamoto-kun nodded at Takamaki-chan's words. "I rarely go to the bank, so… this's makin' me kinda nervous."

She giggled and looked down at her outfit. "Being in a bank with costumes like these is so obvious… we're totally robbers."

"You got that right."

"It's all about the presentation," Starr-kun laughed. "Normally it's a bunch of suits and some random assortment of masks, but we're dressed to the nines, as we should be."

There was some change to how Starr-kun spoke when he was in the Metaverse, but it matched with what they said about the revelation of their true selves… or something such as that. "It seems there will be a lot more Shadows from here on compared to the streets below," Morgana spoke up.

"Huh? What's that about?"

"Enemies attack us here," Takamaki-chan explained. "I don't really get it, but we call them Shadows."

"I see… I've trained in Aikido. Don't worry, I can defend myself."

"If it were that simple, we'd have a much easier time. Thankfully they aren't like Stands and you don't need a Persona to actually hit them, but you won't even be able to scratch them, literally. As long as they're still in that humanoid guard form though, you might be able to use their weight against them with some throws."

"Joker's right. Self-defense won't do much, but it's better than nothing."

"Ah, we've got your back Prez, don't worry about it!"

She smiled, then turned to the front entrance. "We have to go in from the front, don't we? I'm an honorary customer, so I better act like one and play by the rules, right?"

"Normally we'd sneak in through a side entrance, but you're right, with how they've welcomed us on board we can try the front door."

She nodded and took a deep breath. "I will be useful for you guys…"

"You will be… just follow our lead." Starr-kun walked up to the front doors and calmly opened them. They walked inside, and her breath hitched at the large humanoid creatures, Shadows, apparently, that quickly ran up to them.

They wore the uniforms of bank security guards, with batons and helmets that hid their faces. They looked like they were six or seven feet tall, and while their upper bodies seemed to have normal color schemes of light black and gray, their legs, the closer they got to the floor, became much deeper black with veins of deep red going through them as flakes of darkness drifted off of them.

"What business do you have here?" One asked.

"I had a feeling this would happen," Takamaki-chan sighed.

She narrowed her eyes at the monsters and raised her fists. "Come at us!"

"No, no! Wait a minute!"

"Yes," Kitagawa-kun backed up Sakamoto-kun. "She's one of Kaneshiro's customers."

She cleared her throat and nodded. "Yes, I'd like to speak with the bank president."

The Shadow tapped its baton against its hand. "Excuse me, but do you have an appointment?"

"I need to talk to him, now let me through!"

"Niijima—"

"Let them pass." Kaneshiro's voice was suddenly projected over the bank's loudspeaker, interrupting the music that had been playing. The guards looked at each other before nodding and stepping aside.

"Reception is to the right, towards the back. I strongly advise that you do not attempt to go elsewhere."

"So, uh… Banks have presidents?" Sakamoto-kun asked as they followed the Shadow's instructions.

Kitagawa-kun nodded. "Yes, but not the political sorts— in theory."

"Back this way." They were waved on as they entered the rear of the bank, Shadows showing them where to go.

"This place is gigantic… To think, such a large bank is just floating in the sky…"

"The dimensions don't seem to fit what we saw on the outside, either," Kitagawa-kun noted.

"It being bigger on the inside isn't as much of a surprise as it should be," Starr-kun laughed.

"Well, I guess anything goes in a Palace," Sakamoto-kun shrugged.

"This is the reception office. Please, step inside." They were motioned inside by yet another Shadow, and after Starr-kun glanced at his team, he walked inside.

The first thing that caught everyone's eye was the mountain of money sitting on the table in the center of the room. They silently stood around it for a good few seconds, before Sakamoto-kun began whispering to himself, "How many beef bowls could I eat with this…?"

That brought an air of levity to the room before Kaneshiro's voice darkened it again. "Unauthorized entry, property damage, assault, and other disturbances. That comes to three million yen in total. You're here regarding that, correct, Miss Beautiful President?" A section of the wall slid open, revealing a television screen and an intercom, upon which Kaneshiro, or his Shadow, was shown.

She couldn't be sure if it was the television of Kaneshiro himself, but his screen seemed to have a blueish tint to it, with glowing golden eyes. His hair was much more finely combed, he wore a clean white suit with a blue tie and, for some reason, he had a small mustache. "…That mustache does nothing for him," Starr-kun whispered out of the corner of his mouth to Takamaki-chan.

"It must be quite tough gathering so much money. I'd be willing to give you a loan, you know."

"You gonna call it off then?"

"No— a loan. The interest rate is ten percent a day."

"Ten percent a day… um… uhhh… that means… One day is…"

"What goes into three million ten times, Panther?"

"Oh, quiet! I've got this!"

She sighed at the byplay of the dating couple. "It's three hundred thousand yen."

"There's no need to be alarmed. I have a more manageable option for people like you."

"That was your plan from the beginning, wasn't it?"

Kaneshiro just smirked, a disgusting sight. "Quite the insight…"

"That, and your plans are just really idiotic and see-through," Starr-kun shrugged.

"Hmph. Leave the talking between me and my client, why don't you? After all, my client is Niijima-san… Or should I say, the younger sister of the beautiful prosecutor Sae Niijima?"

"How do you know that?!"

"Please don't underestimate my bank's intelligence network." He chuckled. "My, what wonderful goods have come falling into my lap. Young women are such great assets. They lack strength— be it social, physical, or mental. It's as if they only exist to be devoured by the strong. That might just be the rule since the dawn of history."

Starr-kun chuckled, but his eyes were narrowed. "Wow, really going all out on the misogyny. Well, at least you're upfront about it."

"Asshole…" Takamaki-chan growled.

"You truly are a despicable fiend."

"You better be ready, Kaneshiro! We're gonna snatch your Treasure from you!"

"Don't make me laugh, you petty thieves. My citadel has the highest security installed in it." There was suddenly an explosion of black goo from the floor, and several Shadows appeared in the room with them. "Anyone will do anything for money. I'll rob you of your lives as easily as I breathe air. Get them." He snickered to himself, and the Shadows advanced.

Alright… Alright, she had to prove that she could do something! One of the Shadows approached her and raised its baton, before swinging down at her. She moved into it and grabbed its arm, letting out a yell as she used its momentum against it and threw it over her shoulder, struggling for a moment.

It crashed to the floor and she smiled before it just got back up. Suddenly it began vibrating wildly, then exploded into the form of a massive red oni, now eight or nine feet tall, who wielded a massive twin-bladed sword. "O-Oh… guys, a little help?!" She chanced a look behind her to see that the Phantom Thieves were fighting off several other demonic Shadows, but Sakamoto-kun quickly broke off at Starr-kun's command.

"Don't worry, Prez, I've got this guy! Hey ugly, eat THIS!" The boy leaped forward and slammed a massive hammer down. The oni-like Shadow roared and used the hilt of its weapon to block the attack, but actually struggled to hold the shorter boy back. Sakamoto-kun roared back and quickly reached up towards his mask for some reason. "CAPTAIN KIDD!"

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped when a… a skeletal pirate riding on a broken ship like a surfboard appeared in a pillar of blue flame. The skeleton, Captain Kidd, apparently, took aim and launched a lightning bolt from the cannon mounted on his arm.

The Shadow spasmed from the attack, letting Sakamoto-kun drop to the ground and get around its guard, slamming his hammer into its stomach. As the Shadow grunted and doubled over, he turned to her with a grin. "How 'bout that?"

"Behind you!" Before he could turn, the oni had recovered and backhanded Sakamoto-kun with its fist, sending him flying across the room while Captain Kidd dissipated. She watched with wide eyes as he crashed into a wall, but besides noting that he'd gone down, no one else seemed to really care.

"Mona, heals on Skull!" Starr-kun disengaged from the oni he was fighting, doing a backflip over the table, then gently shoving her back as the oni attempted to grab her. "I swear, I love showing off as much as the next guy, but at least do it when you know your opponent isn't able to pimp-slap you into next week!"

He then weaved around the Shadow and placed a hand on its stomach. "PSI Rebellion α." A massive explosion occurred and the Shadow was sent flying back, smashing through the doors of the reception room. She was so stunned by the sight that she almost didn't notice another oni attempting to crush her. She yelped and scrambled to the side, while Starr-kun jumped forward to intercept. "Careful, Niiji!"

"Niiji?!"

He sidestepped the massive sword, bringing his dagger around to slash the Shadow across the arms multiple times. "Faster than saying 'Niijima-senpai' in the middle of battle, right?" He pulled out a gun of all things and blasted the oni in the eyes, causing it to roar in pain and clasp a hand over its face from the pain. "PSI Mimic α." In the brief moment when it was blinded, Starr-kun rolled between its legs, but somehow a copy of him was left standing where he was.

The oni released its face and snarled as it slammed its fists down onto the illusion of Starr-kun, going through it and leaving the mirage undisturbed. The real one used the opportunity to jump up onto its back and poured the rest of his gun's magazine into the back of its head before using his dagger to stab it in the brain. It was still alive though, seemingly resistant to any physical damage. Seeing that Kitagawa-kun wasn't in the midst of a fight and that the being he had summoned was capable of using ice to attack, she waved toward him.

"Kitagawa-kun, can you freeze this thing?!"

"Hm? Very well, Goemon, strike!" After breathing from his axe-pipe, Goemon breathed out arctic winds that swirled around the oni and froze it in place.

"Thanks, you two. Alright, Fox, shatter 'em!" He jumped back as Kitagawa-kun sped past, bringing his sword around and slicing the oni to pieces, each icy shard shattering as it hit the ground. Starr-kun looked around, before nodding. "It's too cramped in here, let's get out of here! It's too dangerous keeping her around in the middle of a battle when she doesn't have a Persona!"

"Right, Joker!" Morgana and Sakamoto-kun sped past, and she followed, as Takamaki-san trailed behind, using her Persona to light the ground on fire in an attempt to keep the Shadows from following.

"S-So those security guards turned into monsters… and you all have supernatural powers…" She shook her head as they ran through the bank back towards the front entrance. "I know you've already explained it to me, but just seeing it in person is…"

"Now really isn't the time to be focusing on that!" Morgana huffed, his legs a literal blur of smoke as they sprinted along. "Makoto, make sure you don't get separated from us!"

"Panther, with me at the front! Fox, Skull, cover the rear! Mona, stay on her shoulder, stay with her at all costs!" Starr-kun barked orders as they entered the front of the bank. She could see Shadows running in from behind and around them, but they had a clear shot to the front doors. But, just as they were only a few feet away, more Shadows exploded into existence from the floor in front of them.

"There's no end to them… and we were so close!" Takamaki-san winced. They were quickly surrounded, and she cracked her whip as Starr-kun pulled out his knife.

"Get ready!"

"Guys!" She watched on, sick to her stomach at how she was unable to help them.

"Well, you seem to be in quite the pickle." Everyone spun around as Kaneshiro's voice came from behind them, instead of over the intercom. There he stood in front of them, blue-skinned and golden-eyed, grinning with that disgusting mouth of his.

"How dare you sneak around, Kaneshiro!"

He just sneered at Morgana. "Those would be my words. However, I do thank you for providing me with such wonderful goods. It's time you disappear." Even more guard Shadows began bursting from the ground, and she gasped. "Managing a bank is tough as it is. So it's my policy to kill clients who are more trouble than they're worth. Having one impertinent brat disappear is enough to set an example in that other world."

She couldn't just let them die for her! She stepped forward, tears prickling in her eyes at the thought of causing their deaths. "Please, stop!"

Kaneshiro just chuckled. "Oh, I wouldn't damage an asset like you. They're dead men walking, but you'll be just fine." He cupped his chin and tilted his head. "Your sister is quite a beauty though. I'll make sure to make her my personal slave. Once I get bored, I'll just sell her off. Oh, poor Sis…" The thought of that began to make her blood boil, both at herself and Kaneshiro, but he didn't seem to notice. "She could've been successful if only her younger sister wasn't so dumb."

"My sister has nothing to do with this! Leave her out of it!"

"Then you better start taking customers tomorrow. All you gotta do is endure it, and do as you're told."

Again. Once again, an adult was telling her exactly what needed to be done, and all she needed to do was hang her head and listen. "Endure it… Do as I'm told…"

"You'll earn three million yen in no time. Although your life and everything along with it will be a complete wreck by then!" He burst into laughter, and the sound of it was really starting to grate on goddamned ears.

She could feel… something. It was twisting inside of her, yearning to break free.

Her fists clenched, her nails digging into her palms. Again and again and again, The adults looked down on her, ordering her around, demanding she do what they said. Kaneshiro, Kobayakawa… Even Sis, as much as she loved her, told her what her life plan should be, the exact path she needed to take… All those adults… No. They weren't right. She couldn't ignore that voice in the depths of her mind wondering if she should truly follow the path those shitty adults had laid out!

"I've been listening to you go on and on… Shut your damn mouth, you MONEY-GRUBBING ASSHOLE!"

And that feeling within her finally snapped.

Have you decided to tread the path of strife?

"Yes… Come to me!"

Very well. Let us proceed with our contract at once.

Pain slammed into her, all while her red eyes flashed golden. The voice within continued speaking calmly, even as she felt more agony than she'd ever experienced in her life.

I am Thou, Thou art I… You have finally found your own justice. Please… Never lose sight of it again.

She clutched her head and screamed her throat raw, before finally slamming her foot down, shattering the tiles beneath her. She huffed for breath, sweat dripping down her body before her glowing golden eyes focused on Kaneshiro's terrified face.

This memorable day marks your graduation from your false self…

She was going to run this BASTARD DOWN!

Reaching up, she grasped the metal faceplate that had formed with flares of cerulean flame, before tearing it off her face with a shower of blood, the steel snapping in two as her scream of pain transitioned into a roar of rage.

Kaneshiro was nearly blasted off his feet from the blue pillar of fire that erupted out of her, the guards around him not being as lucky. "What the hell?!" Over his question, everyone could hear the clinking of chains, as well as the revving of an engine.

As the flames slowly died down, the Phantom Thieves gasped at the sight of her, a genuine biker chick coming to the minds of Joker and Skull. She was wearing a black and deep-blue skintight suit like Panther, however, Makoto's was less provocative. Instead, she had a deep black scarf on, a leather breastplate, and metal knee and elbow pads with large spikes on them. Her metallic boots seemingly melded with the suit, with rivets along them as well as the corset. She wore white gloves, and those gloves were wrapped around her Persona's handles…

The Persona most certainly reinforced the biker chick aesthetic. It was a large silver motorcycle with massive black tires, with the face of a woman on the front of the vehicle. While it could be argued to be the most simple-looking of everyone's Personas, no one could stop themselves from gaping at the sight of it, awestruck. "I am the Illusory Popess… Johanna. Let us ride the road to victory."

"My, what a Persona," Fox murmured.

"Nah dude…" Skull responded, "That's a bike."

"Why does she get the awesome motorcycle and I only get a shitty fallen angel French thief?! …Oh shut up, Arsène, you're probably drooling at the sight of that thing too."

"I can feel it… My 'self'... Me!" She turned her head to glare at Kaneshiro. "GUN IT!" She revved the engine one last time then snapped the kickstand closed with her foot, and twisted the throttle. Johanna blasted forward and before the enemy had a chance to react she spun, drifting into two Shadows and sending them flying back.

"Whoa… Nice!" Panther cheered.

Mona just shook his head, eyes comically wide. "Wh-what is that?! I've never seen anything like it!"

"That's our badass Prez!"

She used her foot to balance Johanna as she glared at Kaneshiro, who finally regained his composure. Or tried to, at least. He began backing away, pointing at the Shadows around him. "You'd better earn your keep, or else I'll kill you!"

Seeing the Shadows running towards her, and hearing the Phantom Thieves running up behind her to help, she closed her eyes and felt the thrum of Johanna's engine beneath her. "I will not lose heart again, ever." Her eyes opened once more, blazing red, and she prepared to battle, ready to forge her own path. "I'll go full speed, non-stop! Right, Johanna?!"

Makoto's joined the fray. Yeah, her Persona is the simplest to describe, but definitely one of the most badass ones. I enjoyed writing the three-way description of bursting into Kaneshiro's room and having everyone's narration focus on slightly different things, like Ryuji not even being able to hear Akira yelling to be careful or the click of a gun because of the rage and the blood pumping inside his head.

Similar to the start of the story where I wrote about Akira and Ann meeting each other from each perspective, from Akira's he's panicking since he was caught off guard by her looks and is trying not to show it, and is relieved when she doesn't recognize the Starr name, while from her perspective she notices he gets guarded about it and doesn't push.

I had wanted to end this chapter at Makoto's Awakening, but had already reached 5000 words by Yusuke's section, so it just got longer and longer, and I had to cut off the fight lol. Anyway, not much else to say here. Kaneshiro's Shadow has a stupid mustache. Hope everyone is looking forward to the battle next chapter! So, let me know what you think of the chapter, or just leave a 'nice,' both are always great to read. See y'all next time!