Ann: It's so cool that you are a persona user now. You also look very handsome in your suit.

Ryuji: *blushes* wha?

Ann: *giggles* It's Showtime!

Ryuji: No, wait, what did you say? Don't start the sh-

Persona V: Reversing the Wheel of Fate
Chapter Seven

[Opening Scene – Palace of Lust (?)
Theme of Battle: Last Surprise from Persona 5]

"Arsène: Ravage them!" Ren shouted as Arsène appeared behind him and cleaved the War-hungry Horsemen in the back before he leaped up and slashed his dagger down the front of the knight's chest.

"Captain Kidd: Shock the World!" Ryuji shouted as Captain Kidd appeared behind him with its arm cannon raised in front of him before firing a bolt of lightning into one of the Dirty Two-Horned Beast, sending it falling to the ground, streaks of lightning crossing its body.

"Again! Shock his ass!" Ryuji shouted, making Captain Kidd shoot another bolt of lightning down on the second horned beast, sending it on its side beside its brethren.

"Ready, Morgana?!" Ryuji shouted towards the cat-like being, who smirked in reply before the two dashed towards the felled beasts, and with a swing of Morgana's cuirass and Ryuji's steel pipe, the two shadows exploded into nothingness.

Ryuji twirled his pipe and raised his hand towards the knight Ren was currently in a battle with and shouted, "Captain Kidd!"

Captain Kidd appeared and launched a bolt of lightning at the knight's chest, sending it toppling off its horse and onto its knees, steaks of lightning streaking up its body.

"It's down! Let's finish it!" Morgana shouted.

With a smirk on their faces, the three immediately dashed towards the fallen knight. With a flurry of strikes from Ryuji's pipe, Morgana cuirass, and Ren's knife, the creature let out a death scream before its body exploded into nothingness.

[Theme of Victory:
Victory from Persona 5]

"Heh, how easy was that?! Freaking boring!" Ryuji exclaimed as he high-fived Ren.

"We were out of control!" Morgana exclaimed as he hopped around before he shared a high-five with Ryuji.

"Done and done," Ren calmly said as he adjusted his right glove.

(Theme of Palace: Awakening from Persona 5)

Ryuji turned around to Kamoshida and said, "Oh look, that goofy little grin is off your face."

Kamoshida sneered in response to the taunt. "Heh, you think that's all I've got?" Kamoshida said as several dozen knights began to trudge beside him.

Ann and Shiho then stood on each side of Kamoshida, both of them rubbing their bodies against his rob as he said, "As long as I rule this castle, I cannot be defeated."

"Alright then, we'll just have to defeat you then!" Ryuji said cockily, but Morgana shook his head.

"There's too many of them, Ryuji. We need to make a run for it," Morgana said.

Ren nodded in agreement and added, "As much as I want to take this guy down, we'll be killed if we fight this many all at once."

Ryuji frowned and said, "I don't think they'll let us escape so easily, though."

Morgana smirked and reached into his right belt pocket and pulled out a small orb, and said to Kamoshida, "We'll be back for you," before he tossed down a smoke bomb, causing a large plume of smoke to appear around them all.

"After them!" Kamoshida coughed out as the three thieves dashed out of the front door and shut it behind them.

Once the smoke cleared, only Kamoshida and the knights remained. "Heh, those cowardly thieves managed to escape my grasp again…No matter. They will be back, and I will take them out then."

"You can do it, Kamoshida-sama," Ann cooed.

"We will be here to help you do so as well," Shiho moaned out.

Kamoshida smirked and said, "Now come, let's go have some fun."

(Theme of After the Battle: The Power of the Heart from Persona 3)

"Man, it sucks that we couldn't battle that dick," Ryuji said as he placed his hands on his knees, panting heavily. "Boy, am I out of shape," Ryuji joked as he leaned up and said, "But holy shit. I can't believe I have a persona like you two! It's totally awesome!"

"Congrats," Ren said with a grin. "Glad to have you on our team."

"We're a team?" Morgana asked, surprised.

"Of course. All of us have personas, and we worked well back in the palace. Why wouldn't we be a team?" Ren questioned.

"Yeah…So since we're teammates and all…then I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask…Well, long story short, I think there is something in this palace that clue me in on getting my human body back," Morgana explained. "It's why I've been investigating the place, but I'm only one person, and I'm a little nervous in going at this alone, so…"

"So you want our help in getting your human body then? Sure," Ren replied immediately, much to Morgana's surprise. "We are teammates, after all. What about you, Ryuji? You in this as well?"

"I'll swing with this. I mean shit, you talk, you know how to fight, and you're pretty smart as well. I'm curious to see if you are human, a cat, or whatever the fuck. So, I'll help as well," Ryuji said.

"Wow…Thanks, guys…" Morgana said, his voice choked up with emotions. "Ahem, well, what do we do now?"

"We're going to head back to our world now. Are you able to come with us?" Ren asked.

"I think so…" Morgana said with an unsure tone.

"Good, let's go," Ren said before the three began to walk away from the castle and towards the alleyway across the castle where the exit to the real world would be.

[Scene Change – Shibuya (Afternoon)
Theme of Meeting: My Homie from Persona 5]

The minute they appeared in the real world, the two found themselves in their regular clothes, and beside them was a black cat with blue eyes and a white muzzle, paws, and tail tip who wears a yellow collar.

"Wow, I didn't know the sky was so blue," Morgana said, which prompted Ryuji and Ren to look down at the cat between them.

'He is truly adorable,' Ren thought as he knelt to Morgana and said, "Welcome to the real world, Morgana."

"Dude, you have a little yellow scarf around your neck," Ryuji said. He knelt and smiled at Morgana. "That's hella adorable," Ryuji commented.

"It's not adorable!" Morgana exclaimed with a pouty tone, but Ryuji grinned.

"It so is," Ryuji replied before he stood back up and said, "Come on, after all that, I'm starving. You guys want to eat?"

"Yeah. I'm starving as well. What about you, Morgana?" Ren asked.

"I am pretty hungry. I haven't eaten in days," Morgana replied.

"Then it's settled. Let's go eat," Ryuji said with a smile.

Ren held out his book bag and said to Morgana, "Hop in." Morgana nodded and got into the book bag, where Ren then lifted and asked, "So where should we eat out?"

"Someplace with a lot of fish," Morgana said as he poked his head up from Ren's book bag.

"I know a pretty awesome ramen place nearby. Can you handle Ramen, ok, Morgana?" Ryuji asked Morgana.

"I sure can!" Morgana exclaimed.

"Then Ramen it is! Ryuji exclaimed.

'It's weird…They seem to be getting along. For some reason, I thought they would be more antagonistic towards one another,' Ren thought to himself, but then he shut his eyes and smiled. 'But…I think I prefer this instead. It'll make this teamwork thing go smoother…'

But what the group of three didn't know was that a certain blonde-haired girl was watching them from a distance.

[Scene Change – Café LeBlanc (Afternoon)
Theme of Café LeBlanc: Beneath the Mask From Persona 5]

"Wow, you live here?" Morgana asked as Ren walked into LeBlanc's coffee shop. The lunch thing with Ryuji and Morgana went well.

Things had gotten serious when Ren revealed his past.

Ryuji was less than pleased about what Ren had gone through, but it seemed to make their bond more profound than just the two of them being troublemakers, but there was something Ryuji said that made him wonder.

"There's no reason to keep quiet because you have a record. Everyone knows about it. There's been stuff put up about it and everything. I'm pretty damn sure Kamoshida's ass leaked your file. There's no way everyone would find out unless a teacher said it."

It would make sense.

Kamoshida didn't like him from the start and tried to force Ann not to associate with him at all. Not to mention the dangerous air around him when Kamoshida extended the invitation to join the Volleyball team.

'Holy shit! I forgot about that!' Ren exclaimed within his head. 'He did say that there was a meet tomorrow, so it may get me a jump on investigating the faces we saw in his palace today.'

"Hey kid," Sojiro's voice said, snapping Ren from his thoughts. "You going to stand in the doorway all day?"

"Oh, sorry, Sojiro-san," Ren said as he moved out of the doorway and began to walk to the stairs, but just as he made it, the door opened, and a familiar voice called out to him.

"Ren!" Ann exclaimed.

Ren turned around to see Ann standing in the doorway. "Ann? What are you doing here?" Ren asked, surprised to see her at LeBlanc's.

"Lady Ann is here?!" Morgana exclaimed, which caused Sojiro's ears to perk up.

"Was that a meow?" Sojiro questioned.

"I didn't hear anything," Ren said to Sojiro before he looked to Ann and asked, "So again, what's going on? Why did you come here?"

"I followed you here because I need to talk to you. It's super important," Ann said.

"Is she a friend of yours, kid?" Sojiro questioned.

"Yeah. One of my first," Ren said. "Do you mind if I take her to my room upstairs?"

Sojiro let a slight grin appear on his face and said, "Sure. But remember, we are in a public setting. I don't want to hear anything inappropriate."

Both Ann and Ren blushed at the words, but Ren waved it off and said, "No worries."

He then turned to Ann and said, "Come on, follow me up."

Ann nodded, and soon, the two were upstairs. Ren sat his bag down, and Morgana popped out of the bag and sighed out, "Man, feels good to be free," before he looked to Ann and said, "It's nice to see you again, Lady Ann."

Ann looked at the cat with alarm before Ren said, "It's Morgana. You know. The super cute cat-like figure we saved from Kamoshida's clutches yesterday."

"I know. I recognized his voice but Morgana, why do you look like a regular cat now? And how did you get here?" Ann asked.

"Well…We found out a few more unsavory things about Kamoshida," Ren said.

"Yeah. How like he intentionally broke Ryuji's leg so he could ruin his career and destroy the track team," Morgana said, which made Ann gasp in horror.

"Oh my god, he intentionally hurt him?" Ann asked, horrified.

"Yeah," Ren said with a sigh. "It's dreadful, but I don't think that's going to be the worst we hear, I'm afraid…"

"Well…You'd be right about that…" Ann softly said before she sat beside him on the bed. She reached into her hoodie pocket and pulled out a note, but before she did anything, she turned to Morgana and asked, "Hey Morgana. I wish to speak to Ren about this alone. Do you mind leaving for a little bit?"

"Sure, Lady Ann. Anything for you," Morgana said before he walked down the stairs, leaving the two alone.

(Theme of Heart-to-Heart: Confession, Secret from Persona 5)

After a few moments of silence, Ann handed Ren the note as she said, "Kamoshida talked to me today. He wanted me to stay away from you and Ryuji. I told him, you guys saved my life. It was then he gave me this note…"

Ren flipped open the note and began to read it.

"Shiho isn't doing so well on the team. I'm thinking of axing her from it. However, we both know how to avoid your friend losing the only hope she's got for getting into a good university. You have until 04/13 to come to me or else. She'll have to pay the price…"

It was then he heard sniffling coming from beside him, and when he turned his head, he saw tears falling from Ann's eyes. "I'm sure you heard the rumors. About me being Kamoshida's woman," Ann said with a scowl.

"I wouldn't do anything like that with him. He's a disgusting, arrogant pig that I wish would just leave me alone! But then Shiho joined the team. He knows Shiho is my best friend and that I would do anything for her. He then called me into his office and threatened her spot and her safety if I didn't become his girlfriend…"

Ren's eyes narrowed in anger. "So that's how he got to you. He found out you two were friends and then began to lord her spot on the team over your head to get you to do what he wanted," Ren summarized.

"Yeah," Ann sighed out. "At first, it began with kisses here and there. But it never went past that until recently."

"How bad has it gotten now?" Ren asked.

"A few days before you showed up, he would start hinting that he wanted me to do some sexual act to him, but I would always find a way to weasel out of it," Ann whispered, her face heating up in shame.

"Lately, I started to notice that each time I refused him, Shiho would wind up getting injured somehow, and I know It's more than a coincidence…Then today, he passed this onto me, and I-I j-just don't know what t-to do," Ann stammered before she began to sob.

Ren felt his heart twist in a knot as he wordlessly pulled her close into his embrace, which she didn't fight. He then felt her arms wrap around his body as her body shook with each sob she gave.

Ren felt strange seeing Ann cry like this.

He didn't know why but Ren equated Ann crying to seeing one of his siblings cry, and it only made him upset as well.

"I have until tomorrow Ren," Ann cried against his chest. "I don't want Shiho to lose it all, but I don't want to give my body to him for her to keep it...God, I'm so selfish!"

"No, you're not," Ren said as he pushed her away from him so he could look at her in the eyes. "You are far from selfish, you idiot. You dealt with this sick pervert all alone to protect your friend and to keep her happy. If that's selfish, I hate to see what you do when you're selfless."

Ren wiped the tears from her eyes, his own eyes becoming watery as more tears began to fall down Ann's face. "We'll figure out something. I promise we will. Just have faith in us," Ren whispered, his voice hitching slightly.

"Ren…" Ann whispered, her watery eyes gazing up into his eyes before she fell back into his chest and hugged him tightly, which Ren returned.

It was an hour and a half when Ann finally left, and Ren was deep in thought about his current situation.

Kamoshida was pressuring Ann for sex, and when she refused, Shiho would wind up hurt. It was only a matter of time before Kamoshida would force Shiho into having sex with him or even raping her.

Ren hated to think that, but it was the only natural progression he could see.

"What's on your mind?" Morgana asked as he hopped up on the bed and sat beside Ren.

Ren looked to Morgana and asked, "How are you on reconnaissance?"

"I'm pretty good at it. Why?" Morgana asked.

"Tomorrow, I want you to shadow Suzui Shiho. She's Ann's best friend. I want you to watch over here just in case Kamoshida pulls some shit, alright?" Ren asked.

Morgana nodded and said, "So shadow Lady Ann's friend. Gotcha."

"Thanks, Morgana," Ren said with a smile on his face before he let out a yawn.

"Don't yawn," Morgana said before yawning as well.

"Sorry, I'm super beat from today," Ren said. "Let's turn in early."

[Scene Change – Unknown
Theme of Unknown– Reminiscence from Persona 5]

Ren's eyes snapped awake, and he found himself in a steel gray colored room with a single table in the middle and two chairs, he was sitting in one of them, and a figure was sitting in the second one across from him.

He was wearing his school uniform, which was torn in several places. His face felt extraordinarily sore, and his glasses were missing.

Sitting across from him was a clone of him.

This clone wore Ren's attire from the other world, but there was a difference. While the bulk of the clothing was the same, the long tailcoat was a bright red, and his domino mask was black, with red swirling within the mask.

"Where am I?" Ren asked his doppelgänger.

"We are in a cell," his doppelgänger responded. "This was the last place we were in before a bullet pierced our minds."

"A bullet?" Ren asked, a confused tone in his voice.

His doppelgänger's glowing gold eyes closed as he nodded. "Yeah, we die here in this cell by a traitor. But you don't remember any of this, do you?" The doppelgänger asked.

"Not at all…" Ren replied.

"That's what I figured," the doppelgänger sighed out.

"Who are you? Why do you look like me?" Ren asked.

"Who am I? Well I'm your other half of course. Your rebel soul," His doppelgänger replied. "You remember that part, don't you?"

"Arsène…" Ren said with realization.

"Got it in one," His doppelgänger, now known as Arsène, replied with a grin on his face. "I didn't think my true form was needed for this, so I went back to an old friend."

"Why am I here?" Ren asked.

"You're here for one reason…You need to remember what you have forgotten," Arsène said. "And you have to do it soon, for something powerful lurks in this world."

"What do you mean?" Ren asked.

"There is an evil presence that is beneath us. And it is powerful, and with each day that passes, it grows more powerful to the point I don't think you or the other Phantom Thieves will be able to defeat it," Arsène explained.

"This threat is that powerful?" Ren asked.

"Yes," Arsène replied.

"So what should I do then? Get more teammates?" Ren asked.

"Yes…That is exactly what needs to be done. Get stronger Personas. Anything but do it quickly, or else things will turn out poorly once again. Question everything and everyone and listen to your gut. It will never steer you wrong," Arsène finished as he raised his right hand and snapped his fingers before the area flashed away.

Ren: And that is where the chapter will end. What will happen next? Only one way to find out.

Morgana: Time to stop the show!