OH MY GOD! You do not want to know the frustrations I had to go to reconnect to the internet to upload this chapter! Hey, UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of Senran Persona! So... I made a new cover for the story a few weeks back and I'm quite proud of the work I put in. Thank God for Photoshop! I have GIMP but I can't stand the interface. It runs like crap! I need to install plugins for it or something...
Anyways, to the reviews! To Dartz: I am acquainted with the New Wave girls. It was part of my research into Senran Kagura and they will be referenced, but won't be involved with the main plot whatsoever. Also, the shinobi's last names were on purpose and better than the ones we made up all those years ago. Oh, and I didn't answer that query for the mysterious shinobi because... future plot. I will not say anything to spoil the story, including the identity of that shinobi. To NonaryNathan999: Yeah, Homura's Squad visiting Tokyo and bringing supplies... that... that could be interesting...
Also, really fun to see how much love Makoto's getting. Because things are gonna get worse before it gets better-anyway, reviews are done, let's wash off some stains.
Load Game... Start!
Chapter 35: Myths in the Museum- Day 2
(5/25, Early Morning)
(Shinjuku, New Moon Apartment Complex)
"Ahhhhh...what a good night's rest..." Yumi breathed out as she rose from her futon and stretched her limbs. "Now, what shall I have for breakfast today...?" She mumbled to herself as she went to the kitchen to check what she had.
Frozen chicken, frozen fish, frozen salad, frozen sushi, frozen rice, frozen natto...
"I really should get this fixed..." Yumi thought as she grabbed the frozen salad and shut the fridge door behind her before sitting down to start eating.
After that, she went to the bathroom to clean up and get ready for school.
"...I really have to visit Gessen some time soon too..." Yumi thought with a sigh. Mornings were a lot more boring without her friends/sisters. "I wonder how much they've grown without me." She soon asked herself as she scrubbed down her body.
After her quick shower, she heard her phone vibrate and went to pick it up.
[TheWildJ0ker: Yumi, Yusuke. Wanna go to the Palace?]
[All4Painting: We'll be there.]
[Negative8Degrees: Yes, it would be best if we go through the Palace as soon as possible.]
[TheWildJ0ker: Alright, meet us at the Shin Megami Apartment Complex in Shibuya after school today.]
Yumi let out a breath before dialing another number. "Hello? Shizue-san? Something just came up, please cover for me after school today." She soon requested. "...Hm, the reason..." She then got out before frowning at the memories. "To pay Madarame a visit." She vaguely replied.
She could hear Fūma laughing within her soul. She was ready to tear down that museum of vanity with her own bare hands.
And Yumi was glad to oblige.
"...Yes, I will also make sure Yusuke-san eats enough like usual. I will see you at school." Yumi then answered with a sigh before hanging up and going to get dressed.
(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
Meanwhile, Asuka and Homura had already woken up and were preparing for the day...
"Ah, it looks like we're almost out of shampoo Homu-nee." Asuka informed as she shook the almost empty bottle. She was in the middle of preparing the bath and was checking their bathroom supplies just in case. "There's enough for the both of us today, but that's it. We also still have our...celebration bath bombs as well." She then revealed.
"NO!" Homura called out automatically from the kitchen.
"I-I know, I-I'm just letting you know!" Asuka stammered out with a scarlet blush on her face. "H-Hey! What about that shampoo you used yesterday? Um...you know, the one you borrowed from Makoto-chan." She then asked.
"Ah, I'll have to ask Makoto-senpai about the store she buys her shampoo at, think you can lend me some money so I can go buy it Sis? It's cheap from what I heard." Homura replied.
"Sure. I did get paid yesterday." Asuka got out as her naked roommate came into the bathroom while holding a towel.
"...How much?" Homura asked in a curious manner.
"Uh...25,000 Yen?" Asuka awkwardly and sheepishly replied.
"That should be enough. Give some of it to me after school." Homura replied.
"Hai." Asuka responded with a nod before giggling. "Maybe I should give you a weekly allowance." She then suggested.
"...A what?" Homura innocently asked with a tilt of her head.
"...An allowance, when a parent-" Asuka started to explain, only to stop herself in realization. "Oh right, I guess you wouldn't know..." She awkwardly got out.
"Eh?" Homura responded in confusion. "What's that about a parent?" She soon asked.
"Well..." Asuka started. "An allowance is when a parent gives their kids a certain amount of money for them to spend to teach them about spending control..." She soon explained.
Homura in response blinked to hearing that. "...Really?" She soon asked. "Ok, my parents sucked..." She bluntly stated in annoyance and a bit of envy.
"I think that's already obvious." Asuka muttered under her breath. "Well then, after school today I'll give you your first ever allowance!" She soon decided.
Homura in response blushed. "S-Sis..." She mumbled out in a flustered manner.
"Ah-bah-bah-bah-bah!, none of that Homu-nee." Asuka interrupted in a more motherly manner. "After school today, I will be giving you your first ever allowance and you will accept it. No ifs, ands or buts about it." She then stated in a lecturing manner.
Blinking to this, the tan skinned girl couldn't help but smile. "...Thanks Sis." Homura mumbled out.
"No problem. Now-" Asuka started, however...
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
"Aw crap baskets!" Homura exclaimed as she rushed back to the kitchen. "Gah! Where's the fire extinguisher!?" She soon asked in a panic.
"...Aw fudge brownies..." Asuka groaned out. "We never bought one..." She then informed.
As thus the morning went on for the two.
...Once they borrowed the fire extinguisher from down the hall.
(5/25, Morning)
(Shujin Academy, Classroom)
Akira let out a sigh as he barely listened to the teacher lecture them on...whatever this class was supposed to be again. He had enough Knowledge and was just ahead of the curriculum to know that he didn't have to pay attention today but...
"Akira, focus!" Homura whispered out. "This is all going to be on the next exam, you know." She then reminded.
"Then what is she teaching us today?" Akira mumbled back.
"She's teaching us about...Ls and Rs...?" Asuka awkwardly answered in an unsure manner.
"Sis..." Homura muttered with a sigh.
"Hm...Shinkukage-chan! You'll do." Chouno called out, causing the girl's eyes to widen. "Today, all information is easy to find, but back in the day you had to think outside the box in order to track down what you need. For example, what is the name of the history book that described Kotaro Fūma as a ninja?" She soon asked.
"Why is she talking about history when she should be teaching English?" Ann whispered out as the tan skinned girl stood up.
"Shoot! I don't know this!" Homura mentally exclaimed in an uneasy manner.
"Damn, looks like Lady Homura is struggling...we should probably help her out." Morgana whispered out.
"Let's work through this together..." Akira whispered out, getting the tan skinned girl's attention. "Are there any history books about ninja you know?" He then asked.
"Clai-Ninja, Hoja-Clai, Hōjō-Godaiki, Fcrie-Chi. Erm...which one was it...?" Homura whispered back the list.
"Hm...Joker, I think some of those books are exclusive to shinobi only." Morgana realised. "Which is the most publicly available book out of all of them?" He then asked.
Akira thought for a moment before sneakily writing down his answer for the tan skinned girl to see before tapping his pen.
"Um...Hōjō-Godaiki, ma'am. It was the Hōjō-Godaiki!" Homura maturely informed.
"Correct! It was the Hōjō-Godaiki, published in 1899. It was about the Hojo clan and their history. The Fūma ninja clan from Odawara was said to have served the Hojo clan who was one of the most powerful clans during the Warring States period. However, it is still a mystery whether Fūma Kotaro or even Fūma ninja actually existed in the first place." Chouno revealed.
"So that's what it was." Homura thought to herself in a fascinated manner as she continued listening to the lecture after sitting back down.
"Whoa, she knew the answer?"
"Not bad."
"Beauty and brains, a rare combo."
"Oh yeah, she's the Disciplinary Committee Head."
"Right, she got the top ten during the last exams."
"Oh shit, the teacher's glaring at us..."
"How does this relate to English in any way though...?" Ann deadpanned as the tan skinned girl smiled while the Leader smirked.
(5/25, After School)
(Shujin Academy, Second Floor Hallway)
"Here you go Homu-nee." Asuka replied as she took out 125,000 Yen and handed it to the tan skinned girl.
"Wha-!? I thought you said you had 25,000!?" Homura choked out in shock.
Asuka in turn giggled to this reaction. "Well that amount was how much I usually get paid, though I did such a good job that I may have gotten a bonus." She teasingly revealed. "So think of this as the beginning of an allowance for you until you can get yourself a job." She replied with a sisterly smile gracing her face.
"I will pay back everything I can once I get one, Sis." Homura stated as she put the money away.
The Vice Leader however shook her head to that statement. "There's no need for that Homu-nee, I want to do this." Asuka replied.
"Thank you, but I can't let this weigh on my conscience. I will pay it back." Homura promised.
"Homu-nee, there's no need to think like that." Asuka pointed out with a sigh and a pout on her face.
"Too late. I'll see you later, okay Sis?" Homura replied.
"Okay...I'll meet you at the hideout." Asuka responded with another sigh.
"Meet up at the what?" Makoto asked as she walked up to the two.
"M-Makoto-chan!" Asuka got out in surprise.
"Good afternoon, Asuka-san. So, what was this about a hideout?" Makoto replied followed by the question in a curious manner.
"Oh, it's...what we like to call our apartment since it's really secluded." Asuka informed in a sheepish manner.
"..." Makoto only stared at the other brunette with a skeptical look on her face.
"It's...uh...we're in the middle of a role-playing game and that's what the others called it." Homura added.
"Hm, I didn't think of you to be into that sort of thing." Makoto replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, we all need some time to escape reality. Oh, and tell um...Joker I'll be late today." Homura replied.
"Of course Homu-nee. See you later." Asuka got out as she left as quickly as possible.
"Yep, see you later." Homura replied as she watched her roommate leave before turning to the Student Council President. "Actually, I'm glad you're here Makoto-senpai. I was going to look for you." She then revealed.
"Oh, is there a problem already?" Makoto asked in a concerned tone.
"No. The committee's doing fine on their first official day." Homura replied as she glanced to see some of her committee members going through the hallways and searching for anything negative. "I was going to look for you to ask about where to buy the shampoo you let me use yesterday after we went to Protein Lovers." She then explained.
"Oh, that? I got it at the Underground Mall in Shibuya." Makoto informed the other girl with a smile. "It's at the Body Chop, if I remember correctly..." She then added.
"Ok, thank you Makoto-senpai." Homura gratefully replied with a polite bow as she made the note on her phone.
"Also, Homu-nee?" Makoto soon questioned in a curious tone.
Homura in response gave a sheepish blush while rubbing the back of her head. "G-G-Guh...It's a...role-playing thing...?" She awkwardly responded.
"Excuse me?" Makoto got out with a raised eyebrow.
"LookgottagobuyshampoobyebyeMakoto-senpai!" Homura quickly got out, rushing out the school leaving a trail of dust behind, causing the Student Council President to cough.
"Ack! Why are the hallways so dusty!?" Makoto choked out as she used her hand to get rid of the dust.
(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
"Hello, Asuka." Akira greeted as he spotted the Vice Leader walk up to him with a somewhat surprised expression.
"You're early, Akira-kun." Asuka replied as she allowed him to enter the apartment.
"Hey, I was the one who called for the meeting. Don't worry, I wasn't here long." Akira replied as he sat himself down on the couch. "By the way, where's Homura?" He then asked.
"Ah, we just ran out of shampoo this morning and she offered to go buy some." Asuka replied as she went to get some snacks.
Akira nodded at that before pulling out his phone to kill time. "Come on, FGO Gods, I need that Paul Bunyan..." He muttered to himself in anticipation.
"Oh yeah, where's Morgana-chan?" Asuka then asked.
"Sleeping." Akira absently replied before groaning. "Goddammit, I already had that Alteria..." He grumbled in frustration.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"I'll get it for you." Akira got out as he got up and opened the door. "Hey Ann. Come on in." He offered as he stood aside.
"Thank you Akira." Ann replied with a smile.
"Hello, Lady Ann. Punctual as usual." Mona greeted as he popped his head out of the Leader's bag.
"Really?" Akira couldn't help but mentally deadpan.
"Yo Asuka-chan," Ann greeted as she got into the apartment. "So, I heard you had a modeling gig yesterday. How'd it go?" She then added followed by the question.
"It went pretty good. Had to deal with some mean girl though..." Asuka replied with a sigh escaping her lips. "The same ones from when you needed my help before." She then added.
"Don't let them get to you, Asuka-chan. I'm sure there's nice people within modelling besides them." Ann reassured. "Just don't let Homura know about them though or she'll rampage." She then added in a joking manner.
"I wonder if they could be Mementos targets?" Asuka soon asked in a curious manner.
"Well, if they're distorted enough, we'll see once we head into Mementos." Morgana replied.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
"It's open!" Akira called out. The others raised their eyebrows once they heard a small argument on the other side of the door before it swung open, revealing the two new Persona-users.
"Pardon us." Yumi politely informed as the two entered the apartment.
"Ah, Yusuke-kun, Yumi-chan! Welcome!" Asuka happily greeted. "Feel free to go take a seat and make yourselves at home. Chips are where Akira-kun and Ann-chan are." She added and offered.
"Oh, thank you." Yusuke replied. "I was feeling rather hungry." He then added as he walked in.
The Kosei Student Council President sighed to that comment as she walked in as well and looked around. "So this is your apartment, how quaint." Yumi admitted.
"Yeah, we don't have the time...or the money...to decorate much." Asuka got out in an apologetic tone.
"I don't mind. My apartment is just as barren." Yumi revealed as she sat herself down. "So, all we're waiting on is Ryuji-san and Homura-san?" She soon deducted.
"Yep. Homu-nee's away doing something real quick. She should be here soon." Asuka replied. "Anyone see Ryuji-kun?" She then asked.
As if he heard his name, the dyed blond burst into the room, panting and sweaty.
"Whew! Made it! Hi everyone. I got kinda lost getting here. Sorry guys." Ryuji apologized as he tried to steady his breathing.
"Come on Ryuji, get your act together. We're relying on you just as much as you're relying on us." Morgana stated.
"So, let's get this meetin' started!" Ryuji replied as he pumped his fist.
"Hold on, Ryuji. We're still missing someone. We can't infiltrate the Palace until everyone is here, so let's relax for a bit until Lady Homura arrives." Morgana pointed out.
"I hope she doesn't take too long..." Yusuke got out as everyone settled in.
(Underground Mall)
"Body Chop, Body Chop, Body Chop, Body Chop..." Homura muttered to herself as she searched around the mall. "I really need to shop around here more...Oh, here it is!" She soon got out as she looked at the store before entering it and taking a shopping basket.
The store itself was rather small, a few shelves and a table was just enough to hold all their products, but it gave off such a simple and calming vibe as other customers browsed and picked up the items they were planning to buy.
Homura then began looking through the shelves. "Ok, shampoo, shampoo..." She mumbled before smiling. "Ah, here we are." She got out.
Though she was interested in the other beauty products available, she instantly went for the variety of bathroom-related items they had and looked over them before spotting a familiar bottle.
"Oh, this is the Cool Mint scented one." Homura realized as she looked at the name. "Hm, Mind Energizer." She read out the name before smirking. "Well it explains why it made me feel as though my Knowledge went up." She jokingly stated in amusement as she placed it in the basket.
She then saw that there were more products like it available.
The tan skinned girl then opened the lid and took a quick sniff. "Mmm~ Lavender." Homura got out as she closed the top and looked at the name. "Violet Leadership." She read out as she felt a good kind of shiver go down her spine. "I feel as though this might help me with my Elegance..." She thought in a calm manner as she placed it into her basket. "...I should also ask Yumi to assist me on that matter as well." She then added in her head as she continued looking through the aisle.
Homura eventually popped open the lid of the red bottle and took a sniff before closing it. "Cinnamon." She simply stated as she looked at the name. "Cinna Diligence." "This one feels as though it will help with my Maturity." She thought as she placed it into the basket.
Homura soon looked at the orange bottle before popping the lid open and took a whiff. "Mm~ Orange." She muttered as she closed the lid. "Courage on Parade." She read out. "Hm, my Understanding might go up as a result of using this one." She thought as she placed the bottle into the basket with the others.
The tan skinned girl then took the pink bottle and opened it before taking a whiff. "Strawberry and Rose buds." She soon stated while closing the lid. "Fruity Proficient." She read. "This would definitely bring up my Femininity if I use it." She muttered while placing the bottle in the basket.
However, she then noticed that the basket was pretty full by now.
"Ok, I think that's enough." Homura decided with a nod as she made it to the counter. "Oh! It's a sale, yes! Thank god!" She got out in excitement and relief as she gave the items to the cashier.
"Did you open these beforehand?" The cashier asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Just to get a quick sniff to make sure what it is." Homura simply explained.
"...Be lucky you're already buying these and I am not paid enough to care." The cashier soon informed before punching in some numbers. "That'll be 5000 Yen." They then stated.
"Thank you." Homura replied as she took out the money while holding back her excitement to how cheap everything was.
"Hey, why don't you use the extra money to buy a gift while you're here?" Wolverine suggested. "I'm sure apology sweets might lower your debt." She then added.
"Maybe, but what would Ann like?" Homura mentally wondered to herself, however...
BZZT! BZZT!
To that, the tan skinned girl's eyes widened as she took her phone out.
[Shut7heFUp: Homura, where the hell are you!? We've been waitin' to start the PT meeting 5 minutes ago!]
[FireGirl20: Shoot, I'll be right there!]
Homura awkwardly giggled as she put her phone away. "I'll buy something for Ann next time...or pay her for femininity lessons." She thought to herself as she made a mad dash home.
(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
"Come on, Homura..." Akira muttered out as he tapped his foot. "Twenty minutes late is pushing it..." He then added.
"Don't be so hard on Homu-nee. She must've been caught up by something." Asuka got out. "Besides, we have plenty of time to go through the Palace." She then added.
"I know, but the less time we have today, the more likely that it will take too long and we either miss our trains or we have to move finding the Treasure to tomorrow." Akira replied.
"I understand Akira-san's worries. Being late on a mission isn't tolerated in Gessen." Yumi stated. "Timing is everything in the shinobi world." She then added.
"We still have plenty of time, senpai. We should remain calm, even with the threat of legal action hanging over our heads." Yusuke replied.
It was at that moment that the apartment door opened as the tan skinned girl entered and closed the door behind her. "I apologize for being late." Homura called back as she placed what she bought in the bathroom.
"It is alright, but you should be punctual next time, Homura-san." Yumi sighed out. "You're letting down the team by being late for...bath products." She then added with a disapproving look.
"Once again Yumi, I apologize. I will be sure not to let it happen again in the future." Homura maturely replied. "I just wanted to make sure we had good hygiene." She then simply explained.
"Why are you carelessly spending money while in debt?" Ann spoke up. "Personal hygiene is good and all, but still." She then added.
Homura immediately dropped her head in depression to that reminder. "I-I was thinking about how me and Sis just ran out..." She mumbled out.
"Well, as you seem to put your own personal interest over others on instinct, I'll let this slide just this once." Ann stated. "Still, five bottles?" She then asked.
"Can we get started?" Homura soon asked to change the subject. Well, more like begged.
"Let's." Akira replied as he nodded at the Vice Leader, who nodded back before putting up a hand sign.
"Shinobi Kekkei!" Asuka declared as the group vanished from the apartment.
(Asuka's Shinobi Kekkei)
Yumi and Yusuke stood up as soon as the area formed around them, looking like they had been teleported to a green tinted version of Asakusa.
"What the-!?" Yusuke gasped while looking around while the light grey haired girl took out her fans.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! This is just an extra level of secrecy! This isn't a trap!" Morgana explained as he looked at the two. "We can't be too careful after all!" He then added.
"Hm?" Yumi got out before seeing the not cat in his Metaverse form. "Aw...he's so cute like this...~" She cooed out. "Why can't you stay like this all the time?" She soon asked.
"Pretty sure he'd die from cuddles." Akira guessed. "Or people would freak out at the sight of him and possibly experiment on him for some super soldier program...or make living toys...or cat girls." He then added.
"Hm?" Yumi got out before seeing that everyone had their masks on. "Oh, our masks appear in a Shinobi Kekkei?" She then asked in a fascinated tone.
"And we can use our Persona as well in here." Asuka revealed.
"Just follow our lead now." Akira instructed as he snapped his fingers. "Kaito Change!" He declared with the rebellious grin on his face.
FWOOSH!
In a burst of blue flames, Akira had transformed into Joker.
"Eh!?" Yumi got out in amazement to the display.
"Don't you do this with your shinobi transformation thing?" Skull asked, the rest of the Thieves having already put on their Metaverse outfits.
"Y-Yes, but this seems completely different since you were literally enveloped in flames." Yum replied.
"Wills of Rebellion." Joker got out with a smirk. "You two should change too. Get used to your new clothes." He then advised.
"So...all I have to say is...Kaito Change was-" Yumi started, however...
FWOOSH!
"-it?" Yusuke finished, now in his Thief Outfit after the icy blue flames died down for the two new Persona users.
"Yep, simple as that." Panther got out. "Oh yeah, we still need to teach those two the basics, right?" She then pointed out.
"Oh, you mean about the Metaverse and the Nav. Yeah, I guess that stuff is pretty important." Skull replied as he got himself comfortable.
"Please elaborate." Yusuke got out as he and Yumi took a seat.
"OK, let's start from the beginning. First, the Metaverse spots where we act as the Phantom Thieves are called Palaces. Palaces are worlds that take form from someone's cognition...A materialization of their reality." Mona explained.
"So do we each hold Palaces within ourselves as well?" Yusuke asked as he narrowed his eyes.
"No, not just anyone will have one. It's primarily those with strong distorted desires..." The not cat stated.
"They basically gotta be criminals. Real bastards like Kamoshida or Madarame." Skull added.
"On the other hand, Palaces can't exist within Persona-users." Mona continued. "It's just impossible for them to form. Basically, your Persona is the true feelings of your heart, which arise from conquering your inner Shadow. Then since you have full control of your emotions, there's no way your desires can get distorted." He then explained.
"But they can turn back into Shadows if you do lose control..." Yang added in mutter.
"S-So that's how it works..." Panther muttered out.
"O-Obviously I knew that...!" Skull also stammered out. "Oh, and we use the Metaverse Nav app on our phones to get into that world!" He then added.
"It's actually pretty simple. Just say a person's name, location, and distortion, then you're in." Yin explained as she held up her phone.
"Location...?" Yumi repeated.
"Uhhh, so like Madarame's would be shack then his distortion is that he thinks it's a museum." Skull answered.
"How do you know what their Palace is going to look like if you have never set foot in it before...?" Yusuke asked with a frown.
"We simply have no choice but to guess." Joker replied. "But, if we know our target, we can narrow our answers down." He then added.
"So it seems that you need context for a keyword." Yumi got out. "Interesting..." She then added.
"Hm, I feel as though I have a good grasp on the basic concepts." Yusuke soon responded. "If anything arises which I fail to understand, I'll rely on those more experienced than myself." He then added.
"Yeah! I gotcha covered, newbies!" Skull jokingly replied as he gave them a thumb-sup.
"Uh...You should probably ask Mona if you need anything." Panther however suggested.
"Thinking back to Madarame though...I can't believe he'd consider pressing charges." Skull growled out.
"Yes, I've never seen him show such anger before." Yusuke got out in a serious tone. "He is most likely quite serious about that." He then stated.
"Suing high school students...How low can he be..." Yumi got out in a low tone.
"He likely won't act on that threat until the final day of the exhibit: June 5th." Yusuke soon deducted. "Simply put, I doubt he would be so foolish as to taint his name with a trial during his exhibition." He then explained.
"All right, so we just gotta steal Madarame's heart by then. There's no way we're gonna let him press charges...We'll show people who he really is!" Skull declared.
"Is that everything covered?" Joker spoke up.
"Should be, Joker." Mona answered.
"Alright, let's rob Madarame blind!" Joker declared while taking out his phone.
"Let's show them our justice!" Yumi called out as the Vice Leader dropped the Kekkei.
(Madarame's Museum of Vanity, Front Entrance)
"Oh yeah. We haven't decided on codenames for our new recruits." Mona suddenly remembered as the Leader put away his phone.
"Well, obviously it has to be Kitsune for Yusuke." Panther spoke up. "You know, with that kitsune mask and everything." She then added.
"Hell yeah. That really leaves an impression." Skull got out with a smirk.
"I think it should be something in English like the rest of us." Yang however suggested.
"Your names aren't technically English." Joker pointed out.
"Well ours are based on our masks." Yin reminded. "You know, apart from Mona and Joker..." She then added.
"Well, what do you want your name over here to be?" Panther soon asked.
"I'd say Da Vinci." Yusuke suggested.
"Nope." Skull automatically denied, shocking the young artist.
"Agreed." Yumi replied with a nod.
"S-Senpai...!" Yusuke gasped out.
"Well, you've got that mask like Ann said...and there's that weird tail..." Skull muttered before letting out a smirk. "Alright! You're Abura-age!" He soon declared.
The others meanwhile blinked to the suggestion. "...Kitsune udon...?" Yumi translated in a deadpan tone.
"His head is filled with nothing but food..." Yang groaned out.
"Snrk...!" Mona snorted, trying to resist laughing.
"Very well." Abura-age replied.
"He agreed to it!?" Panther and Yang exclaimed in disbelief as Joker silently face palmed.
"Please think about your codename a little more..." Yumi pleaded.
"It's decided then: Abura-age." Skull however replied.
"Nuh-uh! Not happening! Do you have any ideas, Joker?" Panther got out followed by the question.
"...Fox. Fox sounds good." Joker answered after a little bit of thought.
"Ohhh, just keep it literal, huh? Sounds good to me." Skull got out with a nod.
"Yes, it sounds perfect." Yumi praised in agreement.
"What do you think, Fox?" Mona asked.
"It's acceptable." The now named Fox replied.
"So, what shall I be referred to as here?" Yumi soon asked in a curious manner.
"Well, she has webs and ice so let's start off with that." Joker suggested.
"Hmm, Glacier?" Yang suggested. "I mean it's ice related." She then explained.
"Eh, no. Sounds slow and dumb. We already have someone like that." Skull stated.
"Hmm...how about Spider?" Panther then suggested.
"That's in every name that involves someone with webs on them. Next." Joker replied.
"Moon?" Yin then innocently suggested.
The others turned to the Vice Leader with raised eyebrows. "...Where did you get that?" Yang asked.
"I dunno, it just popped into my head..." Yin mumbled out as she poked her fingers together.
"Eh...Keep it on the table until we get something better." Joker once more replied.
"You would think her Arcana is Moon." Mona pointed out. "But we got another new one...meaning new forms of Shadows appearing now." He then revealed.
"Eh?" Yumi got out in confusion. "Arcana...as in tarot card arcanas?" She then questioned.
"Oh right, since shinobis are outside the collective unconsciousness, the Metaverse compensates for the oddity by creating a new Arcana." Mona informed. "Yin is Happy Squirrel, Yang is Aeon and you are the new one: Adjustment." He then revealed.
"Hm..." Yumi hummed out in a curious manner. "Adjustment." She then repeated.
Mona merely nodded to that "It's number being 8, working alongside Strength Arcana." He then added.
"Eight...so that is why you were talking about my Chat ID." Yumi realized in a fascinated tone.
"Yeah." Yang replied with a nod.
Yumi then suddenly began giggling. "Hehe, Yin's being Happy Squirrel suits her." She got out.
"I-I really don't know why I got the one from a TV show..." Yin admitted.
"The world works in mysterious ways..." Joker got out. "Anyways, back on topic. We need to give Yumi a codename before we head in." He soon reminded.
"Maybe Amazon then," Yin then innocently suggested as the others looked at her again. "You know, since Yumi-chan went to an all girls school before transferring." She then explained.
"It sounds so...brutish, though. And Yumi-chan is anything but that." Panther replied.
"A good suggestion and reasoning though." Yumi meanwhile praised with an amused giggle escaping her lips.
"How about...Widow then?" Panther soon suggested.
"Hmm, Widow." Yumi repeated as she then smiled. "I believe that is a suitable code name for me." She replied in approval.
"Okay, you're Widow from now on." Joker stated in a serious tone. "Get used to those names fast. We're going to be relying on you guys." He then advised.
"Of course Joker." Widow replied with a nod.
"Man...our group's gotten pretty big, huh?" Skull muttered out.
"Yeah. While I would suggest we split up, I think we're good enough at stealth to keep together, especially with the shinobi around. Besides, we need everyone in the frontlines to face whatever the Shadows want to throw at us." Mona stated. "Now let's get back to the Central Garden. Hopefully the security measures stayed down since we changed Madarame's cognition." He then added.
"I really hope it stayed down..." Skull muttered out as he glanced at the ash blonde. "For their sake." He then added.
"Yin, you passed out all the equipment?" Joker asked.
"Hai. I was surprised that Widow got a sniper rifle." Yin admitted in an impressed manner. "I had to disassemble it just to make it fit in the duffel." She then added.
"We definitely need a bigger bag..." Joker muttered out. "Welp, just another future expense in the Phantom Budget." He then added in his head. "Alright, is everyone ready to go?" He soon asked.
"No stop by loli paradise?" Yang asked in a curious manner.
"Went there earlier." Joker simply replied. "Also, it's a prison called the Velvet Room. And I still have Jack Frost." He then added.
"Oh thank God..." Yin breathed out as she glanced over to see the twin wardens.
"What was that about a loli paradise...?" Fox asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, it's where Joker can apparently get new Personas...though he says he has to execute them using guillotines." Panther explained.
"Yeah, he says that when he spaces out, he goes to some place called...the Green Room?" Skull added.
"Velvet Room." Panther corrected.
"E-Executes them!?" Widow however yelped out with a pale face.
"It's just the rebirth of new personalities, discarding the old ones in the process. It's not actually killing them, just fusing them together." Joker explained.
"B-But...Jack Frost..." Widow mumbled out as her body shivered to the thought.
Joker's eye in response twitched to the sight. "Oh no, not you too..." He grumbled out as he then heard the tan skinned girl and the dyed blond snickering. "Great, two of them now..." He then muttered.
"Hurry it up everyone! We're on a time limit, remember!" Mona reminded as he jumped up and down. "Let's move before Madarame notices us standing around and talking!" He then instructed.
"Oh again, I apologize for attacking you all..." Widow suddenly informed with a respectful bow.
"Widow! Enough with the apologies! We forgive you, you dum-" Yang snapped before covering the area where her mouth was before calming down. "I mean, we accept your apology, but please stop beating yourself up over it." She then politely corrected herself.
Widow in response nodded. "Of course Yang." She replied. "Also, thank you for refraining from swearing. You would make an excellent Gessen student and a worthy member of its Elites." She then added with a smile.
"I-I'm not so sure about that, but thank you for the compliment." Yang replied in a flustered manner to the compliment. "Now come on, we have a heart to steal!" She soon declared.
Nodding to this, Joker took out his phone.
(Central Garden)
One use of Fast Travel later, the Thieves made it to the Central Garden and to the large set of doors, which was still wide open.
"Sweet, the security's still down!" Skull declared.
"Thanks to all my hard work." Panther got out with a sigh.
"...What do you mean by that?" Fox asked.
"Don't worry about it. C'mon, let's keep going!" Panther replied with a blush on her face.
"Why is it still down, anyways?" Yin had to ask. "You'd think Madarame would've locked it back up." She then muttered with a frown.
"That door isn't just a physical door in reality, its a gate that was supposed to secure Madarame's secrets." Mona explained. "When Fox found out about his sensei's true nature, he knew that no matter how tight he locks up that room, he will know what's in it. In his mind, that door is now open and will never shut again." He soon revealed.
"..." Fox couldn't help but flinch at that, and it didn't go unnoticed by the Vice Leader.
"Are you okay Fox?" Yin soon asked.
"I'm fine. Let's move and get to this Treasure you mentioned before the sun sets." Fox replied before moving forward past the giant door and into the next area.
(Treasure Hall Lounge)
As soon as they entered the new area, they dived for cover as they saw a guard patrolling the area.
"Guard up ahead. Wanna sneak past or take them out?" Skull soon asked.
"...Let's take it out. We need to know our threats after all." Joker whispered out as he rolled out of cover and fired his grappling hook at the Shadow and zipped onto its back. "Don't even struggle!" He ordered as he ripped off the mask.
"Let's do this Jo-Oh no..." Yin got out, only to freeze at the sight of enemies that spawned.
"Oh crap..." Skull sighed out as he already saw the Vice Leader shivering and could literally see hearts form and rise as if they were bubbles.
"They're...so cute~!" Widow cooed out in delight.
"Three Jack Frosts! They shouldn't be a problem!" Mona informed. "Yin, you and Widow stay back since you can't-" He then started, however...
"The Princess, hee ho!" The trio Jack Frosts however declared all of a sudden in excitement.
"Huh?" Yin got out in confusion.
"Princess?" Yang repeated in confusion,
"Maragi!" Panther quickly commanded while removing her mask.
FWOOSH!
"OW!" The Jack Frosts yelped out in pain as they fell down.
"That was quick! Way to go Panther!" Skull praised as the Thieves aimed their guns at the Shadow, with notable exceptions.
"Hm...What should I do with these guys...?" Joker asked. "'Cause I'm thinking of just wasting them." He then suggested.
"Grrrrr...!" Yin and Widow growled out while glaring at the Leader.
"I don't think that's an option right now..." Mona deadpanned.
"Alright then, show me the money!" Joker demanded.
"B-But we don't have anything!" The lead Jack Frost informed.
"Well, we're not just gonna let them go without getting something out of it." Panther stated as she narrowed her eyes. "Let's just go All-Out, Joker." He soon ordered.
"Nooooo...!" Yin mentally whined out.
One of the Jack Frosts then tilted its head as it focused its attention more towards the Leader, interrupting them. "Oh wait a minute! You have Jack Frost already? You should've just said so! We'll just give it a boost for you hee ho! Take care of the Princess hee ho!" It soon declared as the other two nodded in agreement.
"Huh?" Mona got out in confusion to this sudden declaration as the three Shadows glowed, this time being green as they entered the Leader's mask.
"Is the world encouraging me to keep Jack Frost permanently...?" Joker thought with a sweatdrop before his eyes widened in a surprised manner. "...They just gave the Jack Frost I have already a lot of experience." He revealed.
"For real!?" Skull got out in shock after learning this.
"Has that not happened before?" Widow questioned in a curious manner.
"No. Not at all..." Joker replied before looking at the not cat. "Mona?" He simply asked.
"I don't know. It's your power!" Mona replied while jumping and flailing his arms. "Still, that could be useful if you want to power up Personas you already have." He then admitted in an impressed manner.
"As long as no more Jack Frosts die." Widow got out.
"But you're okay with every other Shadow gettin' killed..." Skull muttered out.
"Jack Frosts are the cute ones that must be protected." Yin and Widow countered in unison.
The others minus the tan skinned girl and not cat sweatdropped in response. "Okay then..." Panther replied.
"I noticed that everyone else doesn't have other Personas..." Fox got out. "How can Joker do that?" He soon asked.
"Well, he's our Wild Card. Someone who can use multiple Personas instead of the one you're given." Mona explained. "I doubt there's anyone in the world like him." He stated with confidence.
"It was a surprise for all of us when we first learned about it." Yin admitted.
"So I assume that ties into this loli paradise you mentioned earlier." Widow guessed.
Joker in response sighed. "It's called the Velvet Room." He corrected. "Yang just gave it that nickname after I explained it to everyone." He then informed. "...You thought she meant lollie as in candy, didn't you...?" He soon guessed.
"Is there any other?" Fox questioned with a tilt of his head.
"...We should move on." Joker got out in a flat tone before he and the other Thieves walked off. "Mental note, get Yin and Widow Jack Frost plushies." He meanwhile thought.
However, he stopped upon seeing a golden statue of Madarame in a rather flamboyant pose.
"Ugh, disgusting..." Widow got out as they looked at the golden statue of the false artist.
"Aw, come on! He's even ripping off a JoJo pose!" Skull complained.
"Jojo?" Yin innocently repeated in confusion.
"Later!" Joker stated.
"Ngh...To think there even exists a thing such as this here...It is nothing short of an abomination..." Fox spat out.
"I guess Palace rulers like making statues of themselves." Yang got out.
"Thank God he didn't go the Ancient Greek style..." Joker idly muttered to himself.
"It was the same with Kamoshida. I guess this one's a little better-made though." Panther muttered.
"I-Is that so...?" Fox responded, sounding interested.
"Oh yeah..." Yin got out as she remembered what they did to said statue. "Hmm..." She hummed out with a rebellious gleam in her eyes.
"Yin, I know what you're thinking, but...not yet." Joker ordered.
"Okay..." Yin sighed out before noticing something to the north of the statue. "Hey, wait a minute...is that a brochure stand...?" She muttered out as she walked up to it and pulled out one of the pamphlets.
"Hey, ain't this pamphlet different from the one we got before?" Skull pointed out as he noticed the Vice Leader take out the one they already had.
"You're right. It says it's the second out of two." Mona replied.
"You mean the second part of the map was here all this time!?" Yang exclaimed. "We could've just grabbed it while we were here before!?" She then added.
"Well, everything happened so fast Yang-nee." Yin reminded.
"It wouldn't have taken more than two seconds..." Yang grumbled to herself.
"Well, we have it now and that's all that matters." Widow replied with a smile on her face as she looked at the map. "Now we have a full layout of the Palace." She then added.
"And now we can use it to figure out where the Treasure is, right?" Panther spoke up as they gathered around Yin.
"I suspect it's in the innermost point of this place. If that's the case..." Mona deducted. "And the most suspicious spot seems to be this main hall here." He then added as he pointed to the room.
Yin nodded as she put down a note saying that it was likely the Treasure's location.
"Hm, we will need to pass through the lounge and the gallery in order to reach it..." Fox muttered out.
"The deeper in we go, the tighter security's going to be. We need to advance carefully, OK?" Joker advised, getting nods in response. "Then let's go." He then ordered as they continued further into the area.
The Thieves arrived at a split in the hallway, with shutters there allowing them to see what was in the next room, and it did not look great.
"Dammit, the inside's totally guarded too..." Skull cursed as the light grey haired girl studied the guards' movements while the tan skinned girl activated Third Eye to see the maze of lasers.
"Ok, we're gonna need to be agile to get through this." Yang soon stated while looking at the Leader. "Joker, you and I should be in front to guide everyone else." She then instructed.
"That's the best move." Widow replied in agreement.
"I'm curious about the paintings further in." Fox got out. "It's as if I'm looking out a window and into another world, even from this distance. I dare say, it feels as though I could walk right into them..." He then added.
"If only these paintings translated to reality..." Yin muttered out as the other Leader led them down the west hallway.
"Locked chest, over here!" Skull called out.
"Thank you, Skull." Joker replied as he pulled out his lockpick and instantly picked it before taking the items inside. "Wind Ring, Pearl and a Snuff Soul." He listed to himself as he grabbed the items.
"Wow, Joker. That had to be a record. You're becoming a great thief already." Mona praised with a grin. "And by the way, that Wind Ring should reduce Wind damage slightly. I recommend giving it to Skull." He then informed.
Joker in response nodded as he did as such.
"You know, I wish accessories could give us more than what they do." Yin admitted.
"Hm? What do you mean Sis?" Yang however asked as the rest of the group looked at her.
"I dunno. Just give us resistances or something?" Yin replied, though unsure of herself.
"Hey, Tokyo's a big place. There might be an accessory out there that grants such abilities." Mona pointed out. "But enough of that, let's keep going." He replied.
"Yeah..." Yin replied as the group went back and headed east.
Though none of them were aware that their current accessories started glowing for a brief moment before dying down.
"Excuse me, is that door open...?" Widow muttered out as she narrowed her eyes at the door at the end of a side hallway.
"Hm..." Joker hummed out as he began going towards the seemingly innocuous door.
Suddenly, the hallway became filled with lasers. However Joker managed to stop himself from tripping them at the last second.
"Welp, we aren't going that way." Yang muttered out as the Thieves backed away from the hallway of lasers. "...But me, Sis and Widow could get over it easily." She then suggested.
"What, you could do wall crawling or somethin'?" Skull then asked.
"I do have climbing claws..." Yang muttered out before remembering something. "That I left at Hebijo-okay nevermind." She then added to herself.
"Anyway, can you really wall-run with such a low ceiling and little run-up space?" Mona pointed out. "It's better if we find another route instead of risking it. Besides, there could be a tough guard behind that door so lets get a little stronger and gather some items just in case." He then suggested.
"Okay then. Let's head north." Joker ordered as they continued on until they got to the laser maze. "Yang, you're up front with me. Everyone else, stay together and follow." He then added.
"God, I'm so nervous. We're so...exposed out here." Panther admitted. "Makes you appreciate all the hiding spots." She then added.
"Yeah but...ain't anyone noticing we haven't been caught yet?" Skull pointed out. "We're out in the open but the Security Level is not rising." He then added.
"How are these guards not noticing us?" Fox asked.
"I guess the lasers are acting as opaque walls. Probably something the ruler is doing to make sure his own guards trip the alarm. They are quite stupid, after all." Mona deducted.
"We shouldn't underestimate our enemies though." Widow advised.
"I wouldn't say anything about that..." Joker muttered out as his Third Eye went over a nearby Shadow. "I mean, we can check how strong the enemy is." He then reminded.
"You can, but remember how this world works. Even lowly enemies have the potential to kill you." Mona however advised.
"True, you should never misjudge an enemy or it will end badly." Yang stated in agreement. "Like for now, for instance." She then got out as she rushed in and tackled the Shadow down. "Don't even bother and die!" She ordered in a dead serious tone.
"Three enemies! I have nothing on them!" Mona informed. "Let's throw out some spells and figure out their weaknesses! Garu!" He soon declared as he summoned forth Zorro.
WOOSH!
"One down! Go again!" Joker ordered.
"Got it Joker!" Mona replied. "Zorro! Magaru!" He once more declared, blasting all foes in front of them with gusts of air.
WOOSH!
"AH!" Another Shadow screamed in pain. However...
"HAHAHAHAHA!" The remaining floating Shadow laughed out.
"Wait, why didn't your wind spell work on the other one?" Fox asked in shock.
"Take a closer look! The Possessing Dog Ghost and the Hunting Wolf Spirit are different Shadows!" Mona informed. "What an ametuer mistake on my part..." He then got out in annoyance.
"Shadows with similar appearances yet different abilities and weaknesses. We best keep that in mind." Widow advised before ripping off her mask. "Fūma! Bufula!" She soon commanded as her Persona came to her side.
CRACK!
"That wasn't it. Joker, go!" Widow called out as she gracefully jumped back to the others.
Joker in response nodded to the request. "Hm...Franken! Mamagna!" He soon commanded as he removed his mask.
RUMBLE!
"WHY!?" The fallen Shadows screamed out. Meanwhile, Dog Ghost was still floating but was starting to look weaker.
"Okay, Earth isn't doing much." Yin got out with a frown. "Skull, shock 'em!" She soon ordered.
"Got it, Yin! Zio!" Skull got out as he ripped his mask off.
ZAP!
"And that's the Wolf Spirit's weakness!" Skull cheered out.
"Alright, Hold Up!" Panther called out as they aimed their guns at the Shadows.
"Hm...What do you want to do with them, Joker?" Yin soon asked.
"...Hey, over there, the one with the Wind Immunity. l want your power." Joker demanded.
"That one seems pretty timid. Make sure you alleviate its worries." Mona advised.
Joker nodded as he focused on the Shadow. "You wanna live? Then join me." He bluntly questioned and stated.
"Then let's talk. Once me understands you, me lend you my power." The Dog Spirit replied. "...Human, you dumb. This territory is ours." It soon stated.
"What a great start to negotiations..." Yang muttered under her breath.
"Why you keep trampling here? What you humans thinking?" The Dog Spirit soon asked.
"Sorry about that. We'll leave as soon as we can." Joker replied.
"You win with brute force, but you not reasonable like beast...yeah, you human." The Dog Spirit responded. "...The more me looks at your mask, the more strange it look. Why you wear mask to fight, anyway?" He then stated followed by the question.
"Erm...That's what I want to know." Joker replied in an unsure tone.
"Sorry, but me not have answer to that question. Me asked it first." The Shadow responded.
"That was kinda vague, Joker..." Yin got out with a wince. "At least you didn't piss it off." She then muttered.
"...Me understand you a bit better. For now, me hope you be satisfied with this." The Dog Spirit got out as it tossed the Leader an item. "Hehe...Me wonder if you be so brave in front of Lord Madarame." It replied before vanishing along with its friends.
"Damn, screwed it up..." Joker swore out. "I thought I was kind enough..." He then muttered.
"Don't worry, we'll get 'em next time." Mona assured. "At least we got an item out of it." He then added.
"It's kinda crappy though..." Skull remarked in a blunt manner as he picked it up.
"An Odd Morsel..." Mona soon got out in an uncomfortable manner. "Well, it's something at least..." He muttered out as the dyed blond tossed it over to the Vice Leader, who placed it in the duffle.
"I'll fuse them later..." Joker sighed out his decision. "Now let's keep moving. We still have a lot of ground to cover before the day's out." He then stated.
"Hai, it would be best if we continue on now." Yang and Widow replied in unison, blinking a couple of times before looking at one another. "That was unusual." They then admitted at the same time.
"What was unusual?" Fox asked. "Speaking in unison is merely an accident. You should think nothing of it." He then stated.
"Geez, and I thought Yin and Yang doing that was crazy." Skull quipped out in amusement.
"That's only because they did it all morning..." Panther reminded.
"No we didn't!" Yin and Yang exclaimed at the same time.
"My, such synchronization between you two." Widow got out in an impressed and intrigued manner.
"Can we please not talk about this here...?" Mona sighed out. "We still have a guard wandering around." He then reminded.
"Of course, we should find a safe room." Joker replied with a nod.
"Then it would be best if we head out then." Yin, Yang and Widow soon suggested in unison, soon blinking again as they looked at one another before gigging in amusement.
"Oh my God, please stop...too cute..." Joker mentally begged in a strained manner as he saw the adorable and innocent expressions on their faces, despite two of them having the full face masks.
"I believe that is an excellent suggestion, Lady Yin, Lady Yang, Lady Widow." Mona replied with hearts in his eyes.
The others minus the artist sweatdropped to that. "Hey, guys..." Skull spoke up. "Guard's here." He then pointed out.
"Huh?" Joker and the shinobi got out before turning around...to see the guard looming over them, its baton raised to beat them to death. "OH SHIT!" He got out as they backflipped away from the guard.
WHOOSH!
Yin however dashed in her hand on the enemy's mask. "Remove that false face!" She demanded as she ripped it off without any trouble before kicking it back.
Regaining focus, Mona looked towards the Shadow as it reformed. "New enemy! Two Mountainous Snake Spirits!" He declared he took his cutlass out. "Hm, that's odd, I can't scan their Arcana..." He then muttered in confusion.
"Doesn't matter! Dance, Carmen!" Panther commanded.
FWOOSH!
"Ugh, come on..." Panther sighed out. "I thought fur was flammable..." She then muttered.
"Use your gun, Widow!" Joker ordered.
The light grey haired girl nodded as she took her rifle out. "Be polite. Be efficient. Have a plan to kill everyone you meet." Widow whispered to herself as she went to one knee and cocked her gun.
BANG!
"Headshot!" Widow cheered out in a satisfied manner while twirling her rifle.
"Nice shot Widow!" Yin praised. "Go again!" She then encouraged.
Widow in response nodded as she brought her hand to her mask. "Hai! Bufula!" She commanded as she removed her mask with grace and elegance.
CRACK!
"All down! Don't you dare try something funny." Widow threatened in an icy tone as she chambered the next round.
"You're really gettin' into bein' a thief, Widow." Skull got out with a smirk.
"Why thank you Skull." Widow replied with a smile.
Joker meanwhile gave off a rebellious grin as he aimed his gun. "Alright you, lend me your power!" Joker ordered.
However, neither of the Shadows responded.
So, Joker narrowed his eyes as he decided to just tighten the rope a little...
BANG!
And...kill one of them.
"Did you hear me before? I said, lend me your power!" Joker growled.
However, it still didn't respond.
"Huh? Why won't it negotiate with us?" Mona got out in confusion before groaning. "Ugh! Whatever. Joker, you know what to do." He soon responded.
"Right, go All-Out! Leave nothing!" Joker ordered as they rushed the Shadow.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! BASH! CRACK! SLASH! SMACK!
"Was that supposed to be a challenge?" Widow got out as the Shadows burst. "Whew! That was...exhilarating...I don't think I'll ever get used to performing such a technique." She soon admitted.
"But it felt good right?" Yin asked while placing a hand on her shoulder. Widow quickly nodded in response.
"Yep, never gets old. Now let's keep moving." Yang replied while patting the light haired girl's back.
"H-Hai." Widow stammered out her response with a nod.
"That was a little strange though..." Mona muttered out in a confused and concerned manner. "Though we'll have to worry about it about another time. We should keep going." He then stated while shaking it off.
With that, the Thieves continued forward...
Until they spotted a Shadow with a red aura and dived for cover, with Skull having to pull Fox with him.
"That Shadows seems different." Fox noted.
"Yeah. Those ones are tougher than the fodder." Mona informed.
"We can take 'em though." Joker added in a confident tone. "Ready?" He soon asked.
"On your call, Leader." Skull replied with a nod.
Joker nodded at that before looking at the others. "So, who wants to ambush it?" He then offered.
"Heh, I think I should do the honors." Mona spoke up with a smirk.
"Alright, get it done Mona." Skull encouraged.
"Thank you, Skull." Mona replied with a smirk. Suddenly, he disappeared before appearing on the Shadow's face!
"WHAT THE HELL!?"
"Sorry, but the Thieves have already won!" Mona declared as he ripped off its mask.
"Hahah! Let's do this, Mona-chan!" Yin cheered out as they leapt out of cover and readied their weapons just as a powerful enemy spawned from the guard.
"Careful, everyone! New enemy! It's a Night Chimera!" Mona warned as he landed next to Joker.
"Well, new to you guys." Joker got out.
"So you encountered this while we were in reality..." Panther muttered out.
"Yeah. It's pretty tough too." Skull replied. "We do know its weakness, though!" he then pointed out with a cocky smirk.
"Yep! Gurentou!" Yang commanded as she ripped off her mask, her Persona slicing and burning the Shadow, taking it down. "Down and out!" She cheered.
"No mercy! All-Out Attack!" Joker ordered, not even bothering to aim his gun at the Shadow.
"Grrrr...RRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Yang roared as they rushed the Shadow.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! BASH! CRACK! SLASH! SMACK!
"Not enough!" Yang called out as the Thieves landed back on the ground.
"Be prepared for the retaliation!" Mona warned.
"Maeiha!" The Guard Shadow declared.
Joker reacted quickly by switching to Arsene as dark energy swirled around them before bursting. "Gotta fuse a Persona with a Null Curse or something..." He muttered as he took the attack.
"Too slow!" Yin taunted as she jumped out of the way at the last second.
"Ha ha!" Skull laughed out as he dodged it as well.
However, Yang just planted her feet to the ground and took it. "Barely felt it!" She called out.
"Guh!" However, Mona. Fox and Panther didn't do so well and took some serious damage, but not as bad as...
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Widow screamed in pain as she collapsed to the ground.
"That's not good, Widow has a Curse weakness!" Mona got out in a panic...before getting hit with a Skull Cracker. "MEOW!" He yelped out before clutching his head. Was he bleeding?
"Senpai!" Fox called out as he ran up to the fallen shinobi and raised his katana. "Yin, give me a healing item!" He soon requested.
"Heads up! Recov-R!" Yin replied and informed him as she threw the item over. Fox swiftly caught it and eyed the bottle before giving it to the fallen shinobi.
"Whew! Thank you, Yu-sorry, Fox." Widow breathed out, quickly correcting herself from making a blunder.
"Let's get our revenge, senpai!" Fox declared as he helped his senior to her feet.
"I agree, kouhai!" Widow replied with a rebellious grin on her face as she ripped off her mask. "Persona! Aqua!" She commanded.
SPLASH!
"It's soaked! Ice 'em!" Mona called out.
"Of course!" Widow responded as she removed her mask. "Bufula!" She soon declared.
FREEZE!
"Frozen! Now hit it with everything you've got." Joker then commanded.
"I'll handle this." Fox declared before sheathing his katana before...
SLICE!
He appeared on behind the Shadow. He then twirled his sword around before slowly putting it back into its sheath before...
Click! SLASH!
...The Shadow fell to pieces.
"That was amazing, Fox!" Mona praised. "Stylish, too." He then added in an impressed tone.
"It barely gave me motivation." Fox got out.
"Huh, he's good with the iai sword style." Yang stated in an impressed manner. "That style's even faster than fencing." She then added.
"Oh, so that's the sword style Ikaruga-chan uses." Yin muttered in amazement before removing her mask. "Media!" She soon called out as Kaeru healed everyone. "Whew! That was intense..." She then muttered.
"Hai." Widow responded with a nod of agreement. "So, I have a weakness to Darkness." She then stated.
"Technically it is described as Curse Lady Widow." Mona corrected. "But yes, you should be very cautious. There are Curse spells that will knock you out instantly." He then advised.
"As you have experienced beforehand." Joker added. "We'll have to find you an accessory that'll reduce Curse damage or instant kills for you." He then suggested.
"Thank you. Despite my weakness, I'll do my best to help." Widow politely responded with a smile.
"Hey, we all have our strengths and weaknesses Widow." Yang soon got out. "Some more than others, but we can deal with it and come out on top." She then stated.
"Yeah. Now, let's continue." Joker stated.
Eventually, they made it through the maze of lasers and got to the back wall, where three large paintings were put on display in a rather disorderly fashion.
"What a giant painting..." Panther got out as they approached the art on the wall.
"Why is it crooked though?" Joker sighed out.
"Indeed. It bears such a bizarre texture as well." Fox noted as he looked closer at the watery image. "It's as though I could simply slip inside..." He then informed.
"Fox, wait!" Widow tried to warn the young artist, however he ignored her and put his hand on it, causing the painting to shimmer and warp as his hand began to sink in before he quickly pulled it out. "What the-!?" She got out in a shocked manner.
"Fox, are you okay!?" Yin got out in a worried tone.
"M-My hand...It actually entered the painting..." Fox whispered out in amazement.
"So weird, it's like it sunk into water." Yang stated while blinking a couple of times.
"So we can go inside of it...?" Mona guessed. "Well, I don't see any other path for us to take. Let's give it a try!" He then decided.
Joker nodded before taking a deep breath and stepping inside the painting. "Okay, that feels weird..." He got out as he stared at his hands. It looked like he matched what the painting was made with.
"Dude, that's kinda effin' cool." Skull admitted before the Thieves began following their Leader inside.
"I feel...ugh, flat." Yin groaned out.
"That's impossible." Joker couldn't help but say.
"Actually, I know the feeling Yin." Panther admitted in an uneasy tone as the other girls nodded in agreement.
"How dare you trample on my tranquil bamboo garden with those grimy feet! You shall not leave here alive!" A familiar yet distorted voice suddenly echoed around the group.
"What the heck was that...!?" Skull exclaimed.
"We're probably just hearing Madarame's thoughts. There's no need to panic." Mona responded.
"Madarame..." Fox whispered out as the Thieves ran to the left.
Suddenly, the Thieves' visions blurred for a second before they realised that the painting had changed.
"D-Did we just jump to another painting?" Yang got out in surprise as she looked around at the scenery.
"Hm...So this space is not merely one, but a multitude of paintings." Mona soon stated.
"...You're tellin' me they're all connected? Which one goes where?" Skull however asked.
"That, we will have to continue walking to find out..." Fox replied.
"Hey Joker, Yang, can't you spot the connections with your skills?" Mona asked.
The two in mention nodded as they turned on their Third Eyes to spot where the paintings connected.
After a bit of running around, the two managed to make their way to the highest painting and jumped out to the upper level of the area.
"So he dare calls us thieves who dirty his heart...The one who has sullied the very nature of art itself has no right to accuse us of such a thing...!" Fox growled out.
"Save your emotions for later. We have to keep moving!" Mona got out as the Leaders signalled everyone to head into a nearby air vent.
After unlocking a shortcut and opening to Treasure Chest for a Zodiac Charm, which he gave to Widow, Joker went from cover to cover, slowly making his way through the hallways until he realised he was in the area they saw behind the shutters earlier.
And up ahead was a red Shadow.
"H-Hey, there's a strong-lookin' Shadow over there! We've seen that kind before..." Skull got out.
"His stance conveys the notion that he is no ordinary foe." Fox noted.
"We should be prepared to engage it in combat then." Widow calmly but seriously stated.
"I think the control room's behind him." Mona guessed. "He's probably guarding it to make sure nobody gets too close. However, we'll need to disarm the security if we want to ensure we have a safe infiltration route. Forcing our way through seems to be our only option..." He then stated as he looked at the Leaders. "Hey, are you ready to do this?" He soon asked.
Yin in response pumped her fists in an energized manner. "I'm ready for anything. Joker?" She replied followed by the question to her fellow Leader.
"Let's do this." Joker answered with a nod before they ran up to the red Shadow.
"Hm? Who are you!? How did you get in here?" The guard demanded.
"Hey, haven't you heard? We're part of the tour group and one of our stops is the security control room behind you. We'll just take a few pictures, take down the laser grid and be on our way." Joker replied with a cocky smirk.
"You expect me to move just because you tell me to!? I'm afraid you're sorely mistaken!" The Security Guard Shadow growled before unleashing its true self...a tall demon made out of paper.
"Bring it on, asshole!" Skull called out as the Thieves readied themselves for battle.
(Cue Misogi by Taku Iwasaki)
"We shall not fall to the likes of you!" Widow declared as the air chilled around her.
"You asked for it! Gurentou!" Yang commanded as she ripped off her mask and Persona delivered the attack...only for nothing to happen. "What the- it did nothing!?" She exclaimed in shock.
"Don't use physical attacks, people! It's completely immune to them! And I doubt bullets will do much either." Mona informed.
"Pure Physical immunity!? Lucky..." Yang grumbled out as she back jumped away from the Shadow.
"But that only makes our magic our greatest asset! Use that and status ailments!" Widow suggested as she ripped off her mask. "Bufula!" She commanded.
CRACKLE!
"This one is quite tough..." Widow got out with a frown. "Mona, your turn!" She then called out.
"Okay, there's nothing much I can think of..." Mona muttered with a frown. "Lady Yin, is there anything in the bag to help us?" He soon asked.
"Um..." Yin responded as she looked through the bag. "Erm...Oh! You think Physical Ointments might be good right now?" She soon asked.
"No, it'll just be a waste. I was hoping for a status inflicting item." Mona sighed out. "Okay, fine! Garu!" He commanded as Zorro appeared behind him.
WOOSH!
"We seriously need technical attacks out there!" Mona called out. "Come on, Panther! You can do this!"
"I got it! Dormina!" Panther commanded as Carmen danced behind, attempting to lull the Shadow to sleep.
"ZZZZ!" The Shadow snored out.
"Way to go! Now here comes trouble!" Skull declared with a devious smirk. "Captain Kidd! Give 'em hell! Headbutt!" He soon ordered.
BAM!
"GAH! You bastards!" The Shadow called out. "Why'd you interrupt my nap!?"
"Ok, so sleep equals instant technical! Sweet!" Yang deducted.
"It's still not down though." Joker got out with a frown. "Let's just lock it down with status changes! Kushi Mitama! Makajama!" He soon ordered as he ripped off his mask, inflicting the Shadow with another ailment.
"Grrr...you'll regret this! Wage...W...Huh? What was that attack called again?" The Shadow got out, though it was confused.
"Heh, forgetting something?" Joker questioned with a smirk on his face. "Don't worry, we'll help you remember. Isn't that right, Yin?" He then asked his fellow Leader.
"Yep! Come on, Kaeru, let's help it remember with a Magna!" Yin called out as she ripped off her mask, her Persona quickly sending a boulder to the enemy's face.
CRASH!
"Ow! Come on!" The Shadow got out in pain.
"One more push! Fox, finish it off!" Yin encouraged while pumping a fist into the air.
Fox nodded as he brought a hand to his mask. "I am thou! Bufu, Goemon!" He commanded.
CRACKLE!
"It is frozen! Use this opportunity!" Fox declared.
"Play the finale!" Joker called out as he ripped off his mask. "Arsene! Ravage them!" He commanded.
His initial Persona laughed as he flew towards the frozen Shadow, raised his leg and...
SLICE!
...Cut it down the middle with his knife heels.
"And that's what you call jazz!" Joker declared as pieces of the Shadow faded away.
"Joker has some weird finisher quotes..." Widow thought.
"Should've stepped aside." Joker got out before putting away his knife to pick up whatever the Shadow left behind...which included a card with some artwork on it. "Hm?" He hummed out in a curious manner.
"Phew, that guy was tough...I guess that's just par for the course in a Palace..." Skull panted out.
"It really was on a totally different level from the other enemies though..." Fox admitted.
"Hm, he dropped some sort of card." Mona informed.
"Media." Joker muttered out.
"Oh, is it like that Recarm card I found in the castle?" Yin guessed.
"Yeah. I can teach it to my Personas if I want to. Better save it for now though." Joker replied as he put the card into a pocket.
"Oh? How curious," Widow got out in a fascinated tone. "Is it possible for us to use them?" She then asked.
"Well, why don't we test it out?" Joker got out as he held up the card in front of Widow before crushing it in his hand.
However, nothing happened and all he ended up doing was crumpling the card.
"Damn." Joker muttered out. "That would be useful if we could..." He then admitted.
"Hm..." Yang hummed out as she gained a thoughtful expression. "Oh yeah, did you fuse away the Izanagi Picaro you gave the Recarm card to?" She suddenly asked.
"...Yeah. He was too powerful for me, so I couldn't use him as effectively as I wanted to." Joker explained with a nod. "Maybe I should resummon him sometime now that I'm stronger..." He meanwhile thought to himself.
"Or get another super powerful Persona, like, I dunno...Jesus?" Yang suggested in a joking manner before blinking a couple of times before looking at the Leader more intensely. "...Hey, is Jesus a Per-" She began to ask.
"Probably not." Joker answered in a flat tone. "And even if He was, it would feel wrong using Him." He then added.
"Huh? Why?" Skull however asked.
"Because I refuse to let a higher power tell me what to do and He is the embodiment of that." Joker stated in a serious tone. "I'd rather live how I want to." He then declared.
"Hey guys, get in here!" Panther called out as she waved over to them.
Joker nodded as everyone entered the security room.
"We finally made it..." Yang breathed out.
"Yeah, now let's shut this shit off." Skull got out as Joker approached the terminal.
[Please input password]
"Ah, crap." Skull groaned out.
"Okay, let's actually find the password before we resort to the percussive password override program." Yang suggested.
"...What?" Fox asked in a confused tone.
"Smash the security system with a baseball bat." Panther explained in a flat tone.
"Ah." Fox got out in understanding
"We'll just have to look for someone else who might know it..." Mona muttered out as they left the room.
"We should have half of us stay here just in case a guard comes by." Widow suggested.
Joker in response nodded to the plan. "Good idea. Yin, Skull, Mona, Panther. You mind staying back?" He soon asked.
"Nope. You go ahead on, Leader." Yin replied with a quick salute, with the other chosen nodding to that.
"Alright. Yang, Fox, Widow are with me. Come on." Joker got out as he led the team out...before spotting a chest. "One second." He got out as he and his group went over to the chest and opened it up with his lockpicks.
"What's in it, Joker?" Yang asked.
"An Amethyst, a Straw Doll and...an eyepatch?" Joker got out, listing off each item before being confused at the last one.
"A Bold Eyepatch!" Mona informed. "It lets you avoid physical attacks if you're lucky." He then explained.
"Not a chunni." Yang pointed out. "Not to mention I have my Yin-Yang Pin, so I'm good." She then reminded.
"Well...I guess either Fox or Widow should use it. Their Silver Key Ring and White Ribbon aren't doing much for them." Joker muttered to himself. "But then again, Skull does have a pirate for a Persona..." He then thought before shaking his head. "Here you go, Fox." He soon offered.
"Thank you." Fox replied with a nod as he took the accessory. "...So, how do I equip it?" He soon asked.
"Just...put it on, Fox." Yang awkwardly answered.
"Like...over my mask or-" Fox began to ask once more.
"The Metaverse doesn't care Fox. Just place it on your body." Joker sighed out while tapping his foot in anticipation.
To that, Fox shrugged before putting the eyepatch over his left eye. "Hm...I want to try painting with this eyepatch on, just to see how it will affect my perspective." He then stated in a curious manner.
"Please don't..." Widow muttered with a sigh to imagining that. The next level would obviously be painting blind, and she did not want to repeat last year's culture festival...
FWOOSH!
However at that moment, the eye patch lit up in icy blue flames and vanished from sight. "Oh!" Fox got out in a surprised manner as he then felt something in his hands, causing him to open his clenched hand to reveal his key ring.
"...That's...convenient?" Widow muttered out.
"Well, it would be pretty bad for one of us to fight half blind." Yang admitted as the light grey haired girl nodded in agreement. "Metaverse logic is awesome sometimes." She then added.
"Alright, let's go get that password." Joker got out as he cracked his knuckles and headed to the south door and down the hallway.
However, they quickly stopped as soon as they spotted two Shadow conversing.
"Hey, stack up on me." Joker whispered out as the others remained close by while they listened into the Shadows' conversation.
"I hear the intruders already got past the central garden security..." The first Security Guard Shadow informed.
"Yeah. I just got a call earlier to change the password here too..." The other Guard Shadow replied and informed.
"To what? It better not be simple like the idiots at the exhibition hall. Hello, my ass..." The first Guard grumbled out in annoyance. "...Wait, that came out wrong..."
"Well, I was having some trouble coming up with a good one...For now, I set it to the numbers for Lord Madarame's feet." The second Guard responded.
"Lord Madarame's feet? What are you talking about?" The first Guard then asked in confusion.
"Let's get back on duty, dumbass. There's a chance the intruders are nearby." The second Guard then decided as they both went back to their patrol.
"Madarame's feet? Really?" Yang muttered out as she frowned. "What does that mean? Like, his shoe size? Erm...wait, does Madarame not have ten toes?" She soon asked.
"I doubt that." Fox answered with a shake of his head. "Besides, the password is four digits." He then added.
"Madarame's feet...What do you think that could mean...?" Widow wondered in a curious manner.
"...Wait a minute..." Joker muttered to himself before snapping his fingers. "Follow me. I know where to find Madarame's feet." He then declared.
"Huh?" Yang got out in confusion.
"Well...it's best we follow our Leader." Fox stated while the Leader dashed out of cover and into the next room.
Deciding not to mess around, Joker got his squad to avoid the Shadows and slowly make their way back to the entrance of the lounge, where the statue of Madarame was.
The Leader couldn't help but smirk as he walked up to the sign at the foot of the statue. "Here we praise our most holy lord Ichiryusai Madarame, the one ray of hope in this depraved world. He stands alone as his two adept hands paint into the future. None shall ever match his excellence." Joker read out.
"Ugh. He's stroking his ego like Kamoshida and his holy right hand." Yang got out as she rolled her eyes.
"Hold on a moment...Could this be the spot of Madarame's feet that the security guard mentioned?" Widow realised.
"This sign is at his feet..." Yang muttered out. "But isn't the password supposed to be four numbers?" She then asked.
"Hm, I do believe there are numbers here though..." Fox pointed out. "One ray of hope stands alone with two adept hands. None shall match him...That means..."
"The password's 1120." Joker concluded with a smirk. "They're getting smarter. Not too much though." He then stated.
"Alright, let's meet back up with the others at the security room." Yang instructed, the others nodding in agreement as she rushed back.
Soon enough, they made it back to the security room with no trouble.
"Any trouble while we were away?" Joker asked.
The Vice Leader in response shook her head. "Nope. You guys find the password?" She replied as Joker walked up to the terminal.
"One ray of hope stands alone with two adept hands. None shall match him." Joker recited as he typed the password. "And...boop." He concluded in amusement as he pressed the enter key.
[Password accepted...Disengaging security protocols...]
"Nice Joker!" Mona praised. "We'll definitely be able to go to more places now! Come on, let's get moving!" He then declared.
Nodding to that, both leaders dashed off as the others followed, beginning to head to the east side of the area.
"Hmm...We made this place a little more dangerous. Without the lasers, the Shadows have a wider line of sight..." Joker muttered out.
"Well, we've taken care of the Shadows here already so we don't have to worry about it much." Yin got out. "We'll just keep that in mind for the actual heist." She then reminded.
"Hey, I think there's a safe room nearby. Wanna take a break?" Mona suggested.
"We should make a Fast Travel point on the Nav." Yin suggested.
"Fast Travel?" Widow repeated in confusion before her eyes widened. "Oh, so that's how we made it back to the last Safe Room we were at so quickly." She realized.
"You just realized it now?" Skull asked in a joking manner and a grin on her face.
"W-Well you never explained how you did it before." Widow stammered out in a flustered manner.
"We'll tell you in the safe room." Yang replied as the ash blonde opened the door for everyone to enter.
(Treasure Hall Lounge Safe Room)
"We've made some good progress. We've earned this..." Panther breathed out as she took a seat.
Joker let out a breath and sat down, already pulling out a soda and drinking it.
"I've been wondering Yang, how is it that you are able to wield six swords the way you do?" Widow questioned in a curious manner. "I mean it must be difficult." She then added.
"Well Widow, that's an interesting story itself." Yang replied as she lifted her mask up to reveal the smile on her face.
"I better leave her be." Joker muttered as he allowed the tan skinned girl to tell her story, the light grey haired girl gaining an expression of fascination as she listened.
The Leader then heard purring as he turned to see the Vice Leader petting the not cat. "And Mona says he's not a cat." Joker thought to himself in amusement with a smirk on his face before going to rest.
"You know, it just hit me that we could've used our Personas to lift the crown back at the castle." Yin suddenly realised.
"Huh? Oh...that probably would be a lot smarter..." Skull admitted.
"No!" Mona called out. "That's actually a really, really bad idea!" He then declared.
"Hm? Explain?" Widow got out in an interested tone.
"Remember, Treasures are the source of the ruler's distorted desires. All that distortion concentrated into one object. Exposing your heart to such heavy distortion is...I cannot imagine the consequences of such a thing." Mona explained while shuttering at the thought.
"So we can't rely on our Personas to steal the Treasure..." Panther muttered out. "You know, I'm actually kinda glad it didn't occur to us until just now." She then admitted.
"For real..." Yang breathed out. "Well, hindsight is 20/20. Isn't that right, Joker?"
"Zzzzzz...I'll reveal your true form...Zzzzzz..." Joker mumbled out, showing that he was asleep.
"Our great and fearless leader." The Thieves couldn't help but think with a sweatdrop.
(Treasure Hall Gallery)
Ten minutes later, the Thieves had left the lounge and made it to the gallery.
"Well, shit." Skull got out as they stared at the number of paintings covering the wall. "More big paintings, like the ones in the last room..." he then muttered out as the Thieves studied the art.
"Looks like we'll have to go painting hopping again..." Yin muttered out.
"We better get a closer look just to be sure." Fox suggested.
"At the very least I'm not detecting any enemies." Mona got out as they went over to a nearby walkway and to the nearest painting. It depicted a desert with several camels.
The Leader quickly stuck out his hand and, as expected, it went into the painting. "Yep, just like the ones in the lounge." Joker got out as he pulled his hand out.
"Hm...It looks like these ones are all completely different." Fox soon stated.
"Yes. The ones before were all depicting a bamboo garden." Widow stated. "However, all of these ones are depicting various other landscapes."
"And look. There are even two frames with no paintings at all." Panther pointed out.
"That is strange...but we don't have a choice. Let's go, Joker." Mona got out as the Thieves jumped in.
"Alas, the world is a desert filled with laymen who cannot understand true beauty...! The slow drain of my skill is inevitable when I am surrounded by such mediocrity..." Shadow Madarame's voice declared.
"More of Madarame's thoughts and feelings..." Joker muttered out with a frown.
"...So he's gonna blame the world for his declinin' skill? Heh, that bastard never had any real talent to begin with!" Skull called out.
"At least this place doesn't have the desert heat..." Yang muttered out as they continued to the next painting, finding themselves at a red gate with Mt. Fuji out in the distance.
"The gods, even in their dormancy, are worshipped constantly. People gather under shrine gates, offer their money, and return home fully satisfied. Art is practically the same. In the end, it is all just a matter of imagination...!" Shadow Madarame's voice echoed.
"Huh!? Even if that's true, that doesn't give you the right to be deceiving people!" Panther called out.
"How dare you disgrace Fuji-san with such words!" Widow got out in a low, angered tone.
"Calm down, Widow. Okay...where do we go from here...?" Yang muttered to herself while activating her Third Eye and saw two paths. "Through the gate or to the right...?" She then asked.
"Uh...right?" Joker guessed as they then followed him.
Suddenly, they ended up in a familiar place.
"Wait, this camel...dude, we're back at the first painting!" Skull exclaimed.
"So they're not connected exactly as they seem..." Mona muttered out. "We'll have to keep trying until we find the right way." He then advised.
"Great, so it's like a maze in a sense..." Yang got out in annoyance.
"I...I wish we could take photos here..." Yin suddenly admitted. "It would be a nice surprise for Katsu-nee and the others." She then added.
"Huh? What do you mean Yin?" Fox questioned in a curious manner.
"You know, I just wanna surprise them with it. It would look like I travelled to Egypt." Yin explained.
"As like a prank on them or somethin'?" Skull asked. "I mean you're supposed to be in Tokyo right?" He then added.
"I'd just tell them I was at the zoo." Yin soon replied. "...There is a zoo in Tokyo, right?" She then asked.
"There's one in Ueno." Widow informed.
"Oh, what's it called?" Yin had to ask, already planning a trip there.
"...The Ueno Zoo?" Widow replied in an awkward and flat tone. "We shouldn't be talking about this right now. Which way, Joker?" She soon stated followed by the question.
Joker simply nodded in response. "This way." He replied as he started heading back to Mt. Fuji.
"Alright, let's take the gate this time." Yang got out as they headed into the gate.
Suddenly, they ended up in another painting. It was lush forest with a rock formation in the middle.
"Alright, at a new one." Yang breathed out in relief.
"Hard work is not what makes a sapling grow thick with green leaves. Too many young people do not see the true value in youth these days. What fools...Is it truly wrong for an expert such as myself to capitalize on that youth before it wastes away?" Shadow Madarame's voice explained.
"What the heck? He's basically saying he's jealous of young talent...Look at me! I was turned into a cat, but I'm still fighting. Age isn't a valid excuse." Mona declared.
"Yeah. We've gone through our own hardships too! Don't think the world revolves around you." Yang growled.
"Hey, there's some scaffolding out there." Widow spoke up. "Should we jump out?" She soon suggested.
Joker nodded and did as so, landing on some scaffolding with the others following soon after.
"M-Man...we're effin' high up." Skull got out, feeling a little dizzy.
"Keep it together Skull. Hug the wall if you need to." Mona advised. "Come on, I thought you'd be over this after the chandlers from the castles."
"Sorry, just...gotta keep my eyes forward." Skull muttered to himself as one of their newest members noticed something connected to the platform.
"Why is there a button here...?" Fox asked in a curious tone.
"Well, let's see." Joker replied as he hit the button.
They heard something and looked up to see that one of the empty frames was no longer empty.
"Hey, one of the blank paintings got filled in." Yin announced.
"So passing through one hidden route leads to the formation of another...What an elaborate ruse." Fox muttered out. "It's highly likely there is a new path through the paintings. We should investigate, Joker." He then advised.
"Okay everyone, jump back into the forest painting." Joker ordered as they went back in with the others following suit.
They went left, ending up back at the desert, then they went to the Mt. Fuji painting, and then went right again.
They then found themselves on a wooden boat in the middle of a storm, with a giant octopus tilting the boat downward to the sea.
"This is the new painting..." Widow muttered out as she shielded herself from the rain.
"Could a ship skirt across the ocean if its crew had to constantly worry about what sea life may lie below? Art, life, water...They are all identical. The one who ascends to the summit is the victor!" Shadow Madarame's voice revealed.
"So he's usin' all those pretty effin' words, but he's basically sayin' people are like steppin' stones. That's just like what he did to all those kids—crushed 'em for his art! What a piece of shit!" Skull growled out in anger.
"God, I want to slug him in the face soon..." Yin muttered under her breath.
"Not if I get to him first." Widow mentally added with a growl.
"Okay, where do we go from here?" Panther asked.
"Hm...I bet the octopus leads somewhere." Joker guessed as he stepped forward, only for Mona to tug on his pant leg.
"Joker, that octopus looks kinda dangerous. Are you sure you want to get close to it?" Mona asked in concern.
"...Maybe I should have some back up..." Joker muttered out. "Yin, Yang? You mind?" He soon requested.
"Nope! Don't worry, Joker, we got th- huh!?" Yin got out as the tentacles wrapped around her body. "W-Wait-AAAAAHHHHH!" She stammered out as she was dragged.
"SIS!" Yang exclaimed.
"MOH! WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO MEEEEEEEE!?" Yin cried out as the tentacles wrapped around her breasts while another tried to get into her mouth, however her mask was thankfully preventing it from shoving itself down her throat. "HELP ME!" She soon called out.
"...This has happened to her before?" Was the general thoughts of the group.
Despite the inappropriate boner Joker was quickly developing, he charged in with the tan skinned girl helping the poor girl before she was embarrassed even more, especially when the tentacles started going for her panties.
"WE'RE COMING FOR Y-AH!" Yang started to declare, only to be blindsided by another tentacle and thrown out of the painting.
"What the hell..." Joker whispered out before seeing several tentacles shoot towards them. "Oh, this is gonna hurt..." He muttered.
WHAM!
"AAAAAHHHHH!" The Thieves screamed out as they were thrown out of the painting and fell to the ground. Everyone landed on their feet...except for-
CRASH!
"Ow..." Skull moaned in pain, having fallen onto his face.
"Are you alright Skull?" Widow soon asked in concern.
"Don't worry. The ground is a lot softer than you think..." Skull got out. "Wait, where's Yin? Is she alright too." He then asked.
"I-I think I'm fine..." Yin groaned out as she got to her feet. "Hey, did it get a lot colder in here...?" She then asked in confusion.
"Uh...Yin...I think you left something behind..." Joker pointed out as he looked away.
This in turn caused the Vice Leader to pale. "...Eh?" Yin got out as she slowly looked down and...her kimono was gone, leaving her only in her forest green bra and panties before she then looked up and saw the tentacles waving her kimono like a flag within the boat painting. "EEEEEEEEH!?" She cried out as she attempted to cover herself up.
"Um...dude, I think your sensei's a perv..." Skull bluntly told the artist.
"O-Oh my..." Widow got out with her hands over her mouth with a blush on her face.
"At least it can't get any worse." Joker stated.
"Oh shit, enemies!" Skull got out in a panic.
"Yep, walked right into that one." Joker sighed out as he fired his grappling hook at one of the Shadows. "Show me your true form!" He soon ordered.
A few quick fights and a few level ups later...
"We better not mess with those tentacles again..." Mona groaned out.
"It was a valiant effort though..." Fox admitted.
Suddenly, everyone's hearts dropped as they realised that they were missing a few heads.
"Wait, where are Yin, Yang and Widow!?" Panther exclaimed in confusion and worry.
"GGGGGGRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Suddenly, the Thieves heard an animalistic roar echo around the room, causing them to look up...
"Oh." Joker got out as they watched the shinobi wage war on the perverted painting of an octopus.
"HENTAI OCTO!" Yin yelled as she fired with both of her pistols.
"GIVE IT BACK, YOU BIG PIECE OF CALAMARI!" Yang shouted out as she charged at the tentacles.
"UNHAND THAT PIECE OF CLOTHING THIS INSTANT!" Widow demanded as she readied her rifle.
"ALL OUT ATTACK!" Yin soon ordered.
"GO TO HELL!" Yang roared.
"THIS IS FOR JUSTICE!" Widow declared.
SLASH! SLASH! SMACK!
"We got it! Woo-" Yin began cheering however...
SMACK!
Suddenly, all three shinobi were forced out of the painting!
"Get out of the way!" Joker ordered as the Thieves made a clearing for the shinobi to land safely at.
Widow fired her rifle two more times at the painting before she rolled on the ground. "Shoot, couldn't kill it..." She lamented.
"WAAAHHH!" Yin screamed before landing on her butt, thankfully on a seat.
"Oof!" Yang grunted out as she landed on her back. However, she victoriously rose her arm with the Vice Leader's kimono in her grasp. "Hah! I got it, you piece of garbage!" She declared with a smirk underneath her mask.
"Thank goodness." Widow breathed out in relief before looking around. "Oh, it looks like everyone else has finished up here." She then informed.
"You went off to retrieve her clothes instead of helping us." Panther deadpanned.
"You guys could handle it without us." Yang pointed before seeing all the Thieves glare at them. "...What?" She soon asked.
"You should've least told us." Joker sighed out. "It just looked like you abandoned the team or went missing or...something." He then added in a worried tone.
"That...was more a shinobi task." Yang countered as the other girls nodded in agreement.
"No. No excuses. Just because you're shinobi it doesn't mean you can do what you want, at least without explicitly telling us what you're doing. We have to stick together here. Worst case scenario, you overestimate your abilities and get yourself killed and we have no idea where you went or we encounter an enemy and we just don't have enough power to take it down. Yin's decency is important, but don't you dare pull a stunt like that again." Joker stated in a lecuring manner. "I thought you would be smarter than that. I'm not mad, just disappointed." He then added.
"...I'm sorry, Leader. We won't do that again." Yin apologized with a bow.
"Hai, it was indeed an on the spot decision and I wished to help Yin reclaim her decency." Widow stated in an ashamed manner.
"So you were just gonna make Yin fight half-" Yang tried to argue, only for the Leader to stop her with a glare. "...I'm sorry, Leader..." She soon got out.
"Good. Because you're not getting a cut in the next battle as punishment." Joker stated. "Do you feel that is appropriate?" He then questioned.
"Yes, Leader." The trio responded in unison and nodded.
"Thank you. Now, let's avoid going near that thing and figure out how to get the last painting to appear." Joker ordered as they began to walk back to the desert painting. However, Yang couldn't help but notice a slight draft on her back.
"Hm...hey, did that octopus get me?" Yang asked as she turned around to show her back to the Thieves. "How bad is it?" She then questioned in a serious tone.
Suddenly, the Thieves choked upon seeing the back of the tan skinned girl's outfit...or rather, the lack thereof, revealing her scars and her really...toned butt. "...Of course." Yang bluntly got out in annoyance, already knowing what happened.
"Um...i-it'll repair itself soon." Mona assured. "Oh meow...~" He soon got out with hearts forming.
"Mona!" Panther called out. "Stop staring at Yang's sexy butt!" She then ordered before looking and wincing. "That's...a lot of scars Yang." She soon admitted out in an uncomfortable tone.
"For real." Skull admitted in agreement.
"Well, what did you expect? I'm a shinobi after all. No one comes out of that type of life clean..." Yang pointed out, sighing at the expected reactions as her clothes repaired itself in a flash of crimson flames. "Now come on, I wanna hear what the great artist says about art. Er, no offense, Fox." She then added while apologizing.
"None taken." Fox simply replied as they prepared themselves before jumping back into the desert painting. Soon, they ended up back where they were on the boat.
"Yin, stay behind us." Yang got out as she raised her katanas against the monster.
"Where do we go from here?" Panther meanwhile asked.
"...Abandon ship." Joker answered before jumping out of the boat and out the painting, landing on some scaffolding.
"Aw, there was a button right here all this time!?" Skull groaned as the rest of the Thieves followed the Leader.
"Hey, it's my fault. Should've figured it out sooner." Joker apologized as he hit the button.
And with that, another frame was filled in.
"Another painting..." Panther breathed out.
"Ah, there are no longer any empty frames at this point." Fox noticed.
"I bet there's a new path again too. Let's get in there and check it out." Skull got out as he went to reenter the ocean painting...only for nothing to happen. "Wait, what? Aw come on...!" He then complained.
"Looks like we can't reenter that painting. Back to the start with the desert." Widow stated as the Thieves jumped down from the scaffolding.
From the desert, through the red gate, up the rock formation in the forest and finally, they ended up somewhere new. It was a rather beautiful scene of an open building with a forest of orange leaf trees in the background.
"Finally..." Widow breathed out.
"Beauty is merely a mirage...Transforming that into money is what brings out true happiness. My fine mansion, my lifestyle among the chosen few...Those things are the true art!" Shadow Madarame's voice declared.
"So running your atelier out of a shabby, run-down shack was simply an act after all...How foolish I was to have been deceived for so long..." Fox muttered to himself.
"Fox..." Panther muttered in concern.
"..." Widow meanwhile remained silent as a look of guilt grew on her face.
"You can't blame yourself over that Fox. You didn't have much of a choice." Yin comforted the young artist.
"Once we change his heart, things will get better." Yang then reassured.
Soon enough, they jumped out of the painting and to the upper floor.
"I guess we're finished with that." Yang got out before groaning. "Ugh...that sucked..." She then admitted.
"How despicable...We have encountered so many of his paintings, yet not once did he mention a love for art." Fox growled out. "These are no paintings...They are just meaningless self-assertions placed into picture frames...!" He then spat out.
"I'm excited to see how the change of heart alters him." Mona got out in an excited tone. "Now, let's hurry! The sun should be setting soon." He then stated.
"Agreed." Widow responded with a nod as they headed further in.
However, they took a quick detour to grab an item from a chest. "Snuff Soul! Nice!" Joker cheered out.
"We should probably start using a few. I'm starting to run out of steam..." Yang suggested.
"Okay." Joker casually replied.
And promptly gave the tan skinned girl a ten pack of Water of Rebirth.
"...Where do you keep these!?" Yang asked in an incredulous tone.
"Hey, a man needs secrets too." Joker replied with a smirk.
"Ah, that happens to be my favorite drink while studying. If I recall correctly, placenta is good for your health." Fox spoke up, causing the tan skinned girl to spit out her drink. "Hm, is something wrong?" He soon asked.
"Why would you say that!?" Yang coughed out.
"Didn't you know? Water of Rebirth is blended with placenta." Fox causally informed.
Yang in turn blinked as she looked at her drink before looking at the Leader. "Joker...why?" She slowly questioned in a blunt manner.
"Okay, gotta be honest, did not know that." Joker admitted before pulling out another can. "I really gotta look at the ingredients." He muttered to himself...before shrugging, opening it and chugged it down.
"...What's a placenta?" Mona asked in a curious tone while the Vice Leader shrugged her shoulders.
"You'll...You'll learn when you're human." Panther awkwardly reassured before coughing into her fist. "Um...I'll take a Snuff Soul, thanks." She soon requested.
"Go nuts." Yin muttered out as she tossed it over to the ash blonde.
"Okay, let's take a quick break and recover our energy before we move on." Widow got out as the Vice Leader also tossed her a Snuff Soul. "Thank you." She added with a nod.
"You're welcome." Yin replied.
"Be on your guard though. We are still in a Shadow patrolled area." Mona advised before sitting to clean his fur. "Gah...do Shadows have to bleed so much when we do an All-Out Attack...?" He then questioned in a frustrated manner.
"Yeah, it soaks the shit they drop too..." Skull sighed out.
"At least it doesn't matter. People can't see Shadow blood and our clothes are fine once we leave." Joker pointed out.
"Yeah, I can't imagine the laundry..." Yang groaned out before doing a few stretches. "Alright, I wanna get going already. It isn't safe here anyways."
"Alright, we'll have a longer break at the next safe room." Joker got out before the Thieves moved on into the next area, where Joker couldn't help but notice the bathrooms nearby.
"There are a lot of bathrooms in this Palace. At least, compared to the castle from what we've seen." Joker noted. "Kinda wished these were around back at the castle, huh Skull?" He then quipped out.
"I'm... not going to ask..." Widow deadpanned as she noticed the Leader walking towards the bathroom. "W-Wait, where are you going!?" She soon asked in shock and confusion.
"Into the bathroom." Joker simply replied.
"B-But that's the women's bathroom!" Widow then pointed out as a blush graced her face.
"In Madarame's head." Joker however reminded. "It's not real." He then added.
"You're still not going in there! I won't let you!" Panther called out while bringing out her whip. "Once was enough dammit!" She then declared.
"Don't worry, it'll be fi-Shit." Joker started in a reassuring manner, only to see someone inside.
"P-PERVERT!" The female Shadow shouted at him as a spotlight came over them.
"And... the Security Level has been raised. Nice one, you butt." Yang growled as she dashed up to the Shadow and attacked her, unleashing its true self.
"Two Waterside Nymphs and two Captivating Dancers!" Mona informed as the Thieves jumped back and brought out their weapons.
"And...they're female too. Of course." Joker sighed out. "Franken! Zionga on the Nymph!" He soon commanded.
"Ok." Franken responded as it unleashed the lightning spell.
ZAP!
"GAH!" One of nymphs yelped out in pain.
"Way to go, Joker! Go again!" Mona declared.
"Nope! Passing the Baton!" Joker called out as he high-fived the dyed blond.
CLAP!
"Oh yeah! Let's do this!" Skull cheered as he readied himself. "You know what to do, Captain Kidd! Go for the other one!" He then ordered.
ZAP!
"Keep the combo going!" Yin encouraged.
"Come on, Panther! Finish 'em off!" Skull called out while bringing a hand out.
CLAP!
"Ok!" Panther replied after delivering the high five. "Carmen! Agi!" She got out while removing her mask.
FWOOSH!
"What!? Why does it drain fire!?" Panther complained.
"That's unfortunate..." Fox whispered out. "What is the nature of this Shadow..." He then wondered.
"Well...let's just beat her down until she gets knocked over! Zorro, Lucky Punch!" Mona commanded as he summoned his Persona.
BONK!
"Nyahaha!" Mona laughed out. "Come on, Yin, I know you can do this!" He soon cheered.
CLAP!
"On it!" Yin replied in excitement. "Kaeru! Lucky Punch!" She commanded as she ripped off her mask.
BONK!
"That's how we do it! Way to go!" Yin cheered as she pumped a fist into the air.
"Don't move or death will be the least of your worries." Widow threatened as she cocked her sniper rifle. "What's the call, Leader?" She then asked.
Joker meanwhile was scanning the four Shadows they had just downed. "...Hey! One of you! The Dancers! One of you start talking!" He soon ordered.
"A-Alright!" One of the said Dancers responded.
"You're pretty upbeat, huh." Joker noted. "Alright, let's talk. I want you to lend me your power." He soon requested.
"Ah, it's a shame. If I'd taken this seriously from the start, I wouldn't be in this sorry state." The female Shadow responded.
"Then get serious now." Joker replied as his finger moved to the trigger.
"Wah! I-I am! I am now!" The Dancer exclaimed as she shielded her face with her fans. "Ah, so I suppose you commit such extreme acts because you know you won't be punished harshly..." The Shadow replied.
"This isn't extreme." Joker countered as he shook his head. "It's life. Don't think that you will get out of this alive without compromise."
"I guess you're right...You know, I think I'm starting to like you-Oh! I just remembered!" The Shadow declared a soft light surrounded it.
"Yes!" Joker quietly cheered.
"I am Ame-no-Uzume. I shall be your new face. Now come, let us rejoice in the melody that draws forth true might." The newly awakened Personadeclared. "Even if you are a pervert." She then added.
"Ame-no-Uzume..." Joker whispered out. "Ignoring that last part (even if it hasn't been more true since meeting the shinobi) I'm honoured that you shall lend me your power." He then stated with a bow.
"I know you are...Trickster." The female Persona responded as then went into the Leader's mask.
"The other Shadows have escaped. We should do so as well." Fox advised as he put away his rifle.
"Your power's amazing, Joker!" Mona got out.
"So that's how he obtains more Personas..." Widow whispered out.
"Our Leader is quite unique." Fox stated.
"I should really start negotiating more." Joker muttered to himself. He then noticed the glares the girls were giving him. "I thought there'd be a chest." He simply replied.
"...Why in the world would you think there would be a chest in the women's restroom?" Widow then questioned.
"Actually he isn't wrong Widow, a chest can appear anywhere in a Palace." Mona however pointed out. "Sometimes you gotta search everywhere just in case." He then explained.
"Ugh... that means we're gonna have to look in the men's restrooms...again." Yang groaned. "Maybe you could just use your Third Eye to detect the chest if there is one?" She then suggested.
"I can, but it can't see through walls." Joker pointed out.
"Damn." Yin swore out.
The light gray haired girl then looked towards the Vice Leader. "Language." Widow responded in a chiding tone.
"It's not that bad of a word, Widow." Skull stated.
"At Gessen Academy, all curse words are bad." Widow however explained in a well mature manner.
"Your school sounds boring then." Joker bluntly remarked. "The freedom of language is always a gift. Besides, you aren't exactly making much of an effort to stop us." He then added.
Widow however sighed to this. "You sound a lot like my friend Shiki-san, she is really laid back when it comes to those kinds of things." She soon admitted as she then looked at the ash blonde. "You would get along well with her Panther, she has a love for fashion and trendy things too." She then added.
"I'll...keep that in mind." Panther awkwardly replied with a nod as the Thieves left the bathroom...and almost instantly bumped into a Shadow.
SMACK!
"I hate this Palace." Yang sighed out as she dragged her hand down her masked face...just as the Shadow beat Joker down with a baton before unleashing its true self and surrounded the Thieves.
"Six enemies!" Widow informed.
"Dammit, they got the jump on us! Everyone, be careful!" Mona called out as the Shadows attacked, beating the Thieves up rather badly.
"Ah!" Yin grunted in pain as Panther caught her after she was blasted away by a spell. "Ugh..."
"This is bad..." Panther muttered out.
"Luckily, it's just three onion chickens and Snake Spirits each. We've encountered them before, we can turn the tables!" Mona encouraged. "Media!" He then commanded as the group as a whole was healed.
"Thanks Mona! Make your move, Widow!" Joker ordered.
"Come on!" Widow called out as she ripped off her mask. "Aqua! Wash them away!" She then ordered
SPLASH!
"Not enough..." Widow muttered with a frown. "What is their weakness, Mona?" She soon asked.
"Uh...Dammit, I can't remember right now. Just try everything!" Mona replied in a panic as Yin summoned her Persona.
"We don't want to get hit again like that. Sukukaja!" Yin commanded as she cast the buff on her fellow Leader.
"Thank you, Yin! But we still have everyone else to worry about..." Joker got out as he frowned.
"We'll be fine! Goemon, strike!" Fox however responded as he elegantly removed his mask.
SLICE!
One of the Snake Spirits didn't even get a chance to scream as it was destroyed instantly.
"That was effin' amazing man! Let's see I can do the same." Skull got out with a smirk. "Eff 'em up, Captain Kidd!" He then called out as his Persona readied his cannon.
BASH!
"Another one down, but there's still a ton left!" Mona informed.
"They're retaliating!" Panther warned as she put her guard up.
"Magnara." One of the Snake Spirits called out.
"What the-" Mona gasped out before realising it was staring directly at Yang. "YANG!"
"Huh?" Yang got out in confusion, only to feel the ground shake underneath her. "Oh shi-"
RUMBBBBBBLE! CRASH!
Yang couldn't even scream as she was knocked off her feet by a rock pillar burst out of the ground and hit her in the stomach and face. "A-Ah..." She groaned in pain as she held her face.
She also didn't notice the Shadows surrounding her.
"Dammit! Yang's been taken hostage!" Mona swore out.
"Yang-nee!" Yin cried out in a panic.
"Yang!" Widow also called out in concern.
"Dammit! We don't have the time for this shit! And like hell we're gonna give up our shit." Skull growled.
"But we can't risk Yang getting killed." Fox pointed out. "Should we negotiate for her release?"
"Nope, I have a better idea. Calling the Thieves Guild!" Joker announced as he pulled out his phone. "Come on...pick up. Pick up, pick up, pick up dammit...!" He muttered in a panic.
Eventually...
[The Thieves Guild [Ryuji Lovers] have responded to your call. Please hold.]
"What." Joker whispered in a deadpan tone.
Suddenly, it started raining lead upon the Shadows as Skull used the distraction to get their teammate out of there. "Holy effin' shit!" The dyed blond got out in shock.
"Heh, I guess my debt is repaid." A voice got out.
The Thieves looked up and saw someone hidden amongst the shadows in the rafters, their gun smoking from the barrels...
"Is...Is that a minigun...?" Yang whispered out.
"...So, Ryuji Lo-" Joker started to ask, however...
"Don't ask about the name. Focus on your present battles." The mysterious savior deadpanned. "See ya around, Joker! And tell her I'm coming to save her soon!" They then added before disappearing.
"...Well, that was weird." Joker remarked.
"Guys. Shadows." Mona however reminded.
RATATATATATATA!
Immediately, the remaining Shadows were gunned down without delay.
"Thank you, Yang." Mona breathed out as the Shadows faded away while the tan skinned girl put away her machine guns.
"Not a problem, getting better at using these." Yang replied, smiling underneath her mask, only t/o lose all air in her lungs as her roommate hugged her.
"WWWAAAAAAHHHH! I ALMOST LOST YOOOOOOU!" Yin cried out.
"S-Sis...lungs...air...spine...ribs...!" Yang struggled out to speak while flailing her arms.
"You should be thanking the Ryuji Lovers." Joker muttered while sweatdropping at the sight.
"The what!?" Skull exclaimed.
"Hm? Did I say something?" Joker however got out.
"D-Did you say...uh...ah, it's probably better for my sanity if I don't ask and forget it..." Skull groaned out.
"Pardon me, but should someone save Yang?" Widow meanwhile asked as said girl's mask started to turn blue...somehow.
"Get a room, you two..." Panther however groaned while rubbing the bridge of her mask where her nose was.
"Ah! Something came out!" Widow then got out in a panic to see a ghost come out of the tan skinned girl's mouth...somehow.
"Uh...Jack Frost!" Joker called out as he summoned the cute Persona. "Smutter Yin!" He soon ordered.
"It's smother." Fox corrected. "Smutter is one that smuts specifically: an operator of machinery for cleaning smut and other impurities from grain." He then explained.
"...There's another meaning of smut?" Skull got out with wide eyes of disbelief.
"Help...me...!" Yang meanwhile struggled out. "...I think...I see...a light...so...pretty..." She soon revealed.
"G-Guh..." Joker got out before picking up his Persona over his head. "Cuteness attack!" He declared as he threw Jack Frost in the Vice Leader's direction.
"AAHH!" Yin yelped out as she was knocked down as Jack Frost hugged her face, allowing Yang to escape. "Huh? Oh, I know this feeling! Aw~ you're so cute~!" She began cooing out while she started hugging the Persona.
"Joker hit Yin's weakness!" Mona declared.
"...Soft..." Joker couldn't help but think to himself.
"Why did I see a door?" Yang thought as her body swayed back and forth.
The light grey haired girl then went to the tan skinned girl's side. "Breathe Yang, deep breaths." Widow calmly instructed.
"Let it go, let it out, let it go, let it out. Take a deep breath, deep breath." Joker sang out before blushing as he realised what he was doing.
SMACK!
"None of that Joker." Panther however remarked after smacking the Leader over the head.
"Sorry. Couldn't help it." Joker admitted in a witty tone before his expression became one of concern. "Yang, you okay?" He soon asked.
"Really Joker? That movie?" Widow however got out in slight annoyance.
"What?" Joker got out in confusion. "I was singing Lotus Juice." He then informed.
"You're getting your songs confused here!" Skull called out.
"I apologize, after me and friends watched that movie once back at Gessen, Shiki-san couldn't help but always compare me to her due to our ice affinity..." Widow explained with a sigh escaping her lips.
"That movie was three years ago. Let it go." Joker sighed before slapping his forehead.
"And she still does it to this day...even requesting me to go as her for Halloween every year since, and with Minori-san agreeing with her." Widow then revealed in embarrassment while rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"Well, it is one of the highest grossing animated films in Japan..." Joker muttered under his breath. "Come on, let's keep going before we're ambushed." He then ordered as he looked at his fellow Leader. "Yin!" He soon called out.
"Coochie coochie coo~ Coochie coochie coo~!" Yin meanwhile cooed out as she walked over to the others with the Persona in her arms, poking her finger into his belly.
"Hahahaha! Hahaha!" Jack Frost happily laughed out.
"Alright, enough of fun. Jack Frost needs to go. He did his job in helping Yang." Joker replied before shifting his eyes over to the dazed girl in mention.
"Ok..." Yin mumbled as she offered the Persona back.
"Thank you Princess hee hoo!" Jack Frost chirped out.
"Okay, why does he keep calling you princess? It's kinda freakin' me out." Skull admitted in an awkward manner.
"Not just Joker's, but the other three did as well." Fox reminded. "How curious." He then admitted with a hand on his chin in a intrigued manner.
"Ugh, I can't help but be reminded of Princess Ann..." Panther however groaned out.
"It would seem Yin has gained the like of the Jack Frosts somehow." Widow meanwhile deducted. "...Lucky..." She unintentionally thought.
"Well, it's probably nothing." Joker guessed with a shrug. "Let's go." He then ordered.
"Right." The others responded with nods.
"R-Right..." The still dizzy Yang got out.
"Jeez, Lady Yang's been inflicted with Dizzy." Mona informed with a sweatdrop. "Erm...Me Patra." He then ordered as Zorro appeared.
"Dizzy's an ailment?" A majority of the group thought.
"Yeah. It causes you to miss most of your attacks. It's annoying." Mona answered the unspoken question.
"Noted." Joker replied as he looked at the tan skinned girl. "Feeling better?" He then asked.
"God's an emo." Yang grumbled out as she shook her head. "But...I'm alright." She then informed.
"She's fine." Joker sighed out. "Come on, I think there's a chest nearby." He then revealed as the group dashed off. "Yin, you really gotta control your love for Jack Frost, you too Widow." He then advised.
"I...I will." Yin replied with a nod.
"O-Of course, Joker." Widow also replied with a bow as they went off to find the chest, which they quickly did find and unlock.
"Straw Doll." Joker got out as he tossed it over to the Vice Leader.
"We're getting a lot of odd items." Widow noted. "I wonder why they spawn." She then asked in a curious manner.
"There are some things that don't need questioning, Widow." Mona stated. "Just take what you can get." He then advised as the Thieves continued on to the next area.
(?)
As soon as the Thieves arrived in the area, they kinda knew they were getting close to the Treasure just from the looks of the place.
"Shit...What the hell is up with this place!?" Skull exclaimed. "This looks like somethin' from MC Hammer!" He then declared.
"Escher." Fox corrected.
"Gehsutiet." Skull replied.
"There's so much gold...! It's hurting my eyes..." Panther got out as she rubbed her eyes through her mask's eye holes.
"And I thought the outside was bad..." Yin muttered out as she rubbed her eyes too.
"...Think I could chip some of it off and sell it?" Yang suddenly asked with a twitching hand. "So...much..." She then muttered with a gleam in her eyes.
"I think it's just painted gold, Yang." Joker replied as he narrowed his eyes.
"The distortion is especially bad here...It's barely holding up." Mona stated.
"It's not even on our map..." Yin got out as she pulled it out, mostly to shield her poor eyes. "Even Kamoshida's castle wasn't this crazy..." She then stated.
"So we must ascertain the truth through our eyes alone..." Fox deducted.
"It appears so." Widow responded with a nod. "It would be best if we keep going." She then suggested before they continued onto...a dead end.
"I thought I'd seen everything there was to see of this distorted world. But to think it would conjure up a bizarre place..."
"So, like, which way are we supposed to go?"
"I don't really see anywhere else we go..." Yang muttered out.
"Hrm...maybe we should try and change Madarame's cognition again?" Yin suggested.
"That's not the solution here. Most areas of the Palace are based off of real world locations, like how all the safe rooms are the empty rooms of his students. This place isn't based on anything other than Madarame's mind." Mona explained. "There has to be another way..." He then stated as everyone looked around.
"Hm? What's this?" Skull got out as he turned around to see a slight...tear in the wall. Narrowing his eyes, he walked up to it and grabbed it before...
RRRIIIIIPPPP!
"What the-was that just cloth!?" Yang exclaimed as the dyed blond revealed a blue opening in the wall.
"I-I just saw that this part of the wall was peeling off so I just ripped it off..." Skull got out in disbelief.
"Hidden doorways. Of course..." Widow muttered out. "We may have been stuck here if you haven't noticed that, Skull. Thank you."
"I-It was nothin'..." Skull muttered out as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Just got lucky, is all." He then added.
"There may be more walls like this up ahead. Keep your eyes peeled people." Mona advised.
"Ugh...it's too bright to see what's on the other side..." Panther got out with a wince, turning away from the light.
"Still, there's nowhere to go but through this..." Joker replied before closing his eyes and running through the blue opening.
He felt he ran only a few feet straight, however the change in location said otherwise.
"Wh-Whoa..." Yang got out as she stumbled a bit, though her roommate quickly caught her. "Thanks." She added in relief.
"Whoa! Did we just warp!?" Skull meanwhile shouted in surprise.
"It seems even the paths beyond these apertures are distorted in the same way as this room..." Fox stated.
"That has to mean we're extremely close to the Treasure. I bet once we find the exit, it'll be there." Yin guessed.
"Jeez, this place is like some sort of...Twisted Labyrinth." Yang muttered out.
"I agree with Yang..." Widow muttered with a nod. "We best not get lost, or else we may be stuck here with no exit." She soon advised.
"Well, if the worst comes to pass, we can always use the MetaNav for an emergency exit." Joker suggested as he pulled out his phone.
"That'll be risky, Joker. We don't know where we'll end up." Panther pointed out.
"Or we could use some Goho-Ms." Mona then suggested. "...Is what I would suggest if Joker would sit down and not make lockpicks." He then added.
"We have Fast Travel." Joker sheepishly reminded. "I didn't think we'd need them."
"Yeah, but only when we're in safe rooms! And I seriously doubt there are any here!" Yang called out. "L-Look, let's just get the helvetica out of here already." She then suggested.
"...Helvetica?" Skull repeated in confusion.
"It's a font." Yang replied.
"...You're really tryin' effin' hard not to swear." Skull deadpanned.
"I still have a long way to go though." Yang admitted.
"I think Yang is doing a wonderful job though." Widow however praised with a smile of approval.
"Can we please move on!?" Panther snapped. "I'm slowly going blind from all this gold!" She then added.
"Okay, let's go." Yin got out as she-
WHAM!
"Wall." Joker warned.
"Thank you. Stupid...blinding gold..." Yin grumbed out while wincing in pain.
"Wait...is this place causing us to actually go blind?" Skull realised.
"Then we best hurry." Fox stated as they ran down the steps, only to stop as soon as they saw two paintings on aisles.
"Hm? Are these...the Sayuri...?" Widow slowly questioned in shock and surprise.
"It's probably some kind of illusion. We're in a Palace, after all. Well, I guess the painting itself might be correct though." Mona however reminded.
"You say correct, but aren't they all counterfeit?" Panther pointed out. "Although maybe the real one's here too..." She then suggested.
"I wonder...Either way, the fact that this is here might mean it's connected to this space in some way."
"Fox, you know the painting the most out of all of us. Think you can tell us the difference between all these?" Yin asked.
"Of course. I will be at your assistance should you need to discern the fake from the real." Fox replied with a bow.
"This is fairly obvious though..." Joker got out as he leaned in closer to one of the paintings. "Sayuri wears red, right?" He then questioned.
"Of course it does." Widow replied with a nod.
"That is indeed correct. It seems you have quite the eye for detail, Joker." Fox complimented.
"For real... It looks amazin' up close..." Skull admitted.
"Starting to appreciate the arts?" Widow asked in a teasing tone.
"How can you not? The vibrant crimson clothes, her beautiful hair, the sublime balance between subject and background..." Fox began to gush as he then nodded. "This may only be an illusion, but it is without a doubt a spitting image of the true Sayuri." He soon declared.
Suddenly, the painting turned into a ball of light and shot away into a blue portal, turning it gold.
"What the...why did it do that?" Yang slowly asked in confusion.
"Well, there's no point in just standing around and talking about it. Let's see where it leads us." Yin replied as she led the group to the gold portal and jumped through, quickly finding themselves somewhere else.
"Oh, isn't this somewhere new?" Skull soon asked.
"Seeing past the false image has opened a path to the truth..." Fox got out. "Hm, this golden place filled with counterfeit work is a prime example of the alchemy of Madarame's brain. And here, just as in reality, he entraps those who cannot see through his lying facade..." He then stated.
"You might be right...No wonder the distortion is so strong here." Panther got out with a frown.
"Hey, so...what does that mean?" Skull then asked.
"I think it means finding the real Sayuri should break through the distortion and open a path." Mona assumed.
"And lead us directly to the Treasure." Yin added.
"So do we just gotta check all of 'em?" Skull got out with a wince. Just hearing himself say that sounded like a pain in the ass.
"Why would we do that...? Let's just look for the real one...assuming we can differentiate it." Widow soon suggested as they continued on.
As such, the group continued on into the distorted, gold coated area before eventually spotting more copies of the Sayuri.
"Alright, which one is it..." Panther whispered to herself as they began studying the paintings, until Joker approached one and narrowed his eyes.
"Uh...I think this is it...?" Joker got out in an unsure tone.
"No, it isn't." Fox sighed in disappointment. "The hair is wrong. It's beautiful braid is shown over her shoulder, not hidden from view." He then informed.
SPLORCH!
"Aw, what the hell!?" Skull exclaimed. "Wrong one's turn into Shadows!?" He then got out in annoyance and frustration.
"Hah!" Fox grunted out as he slid under the Shadow and leapt onto its back. "Allow me to see your sin!" He declared as he ripped off the mask.
"Nice ambush, Fox!" Mona praised. "Now let's take 'em down!" He then declared while preparing his cutlass.
It was quite an easy battle, barely needing full attention from Joker to wipe out. In a snap, the Shadows were destroyed.
"Ugh...we don't want to deal with even more Shadows every time we get it wrong. You study the painting more before you declare anything." Widow advised.
"I'll make sure. At least we'll eventually get through with the process of elimination." Joker assured with a nod.
"We do not have the energy to use the process of elimination." Fox pointed out. "If you need my help, I'll be here."
"Don't you have the picture of the Sayuri on your phone?" Panther remembered.
"I do, but I can't access the photo right now." Fox responded.
"Right, phones don't work unless it's the Meta Nav..." Yang muttered. "Ugh...why does the Metaverse work this way...!?" She then groaned out in a frustrated manner.
"No idea, but we can work with it." Mona replied while shrugging his shoulders before following the Leader to check all the paintings.
"The branch behind her is missing. This one is a fake." Joker stated as he glanced at one of the copies.
"You're making up for your mistake from earlier." Fox soon stated. "That is not the Sayuri. Let us look elsewhere." He then declared.
"Hey, wait a minute..." Yin spoke up. "All of the paintings here don't have branches...except..." She then got out as she walked up to the only Sayuri with a branch behind her head. "This one is the true Sayuri out of all of these fakes, isn't it Fox?" She soon asked.
"You are correct Yin. That is the true Sayuri." Fox declared. Yin couldn't help but smile as the painting turned into an orb of light and shot towards a blue portal, turning it into gold. "Let us continue forward!"
Joker nodded as all the fakes disappeared while they went through the golden portal.
"Hhhh...I hate this warping stuff." Yang groaned out as she held her stomach.
"I...do not blame you Yang..." Widow also groaned out in an uncomfortable manner and held her head.
"Come on, the faster we find the real among the fakes, the faster we leave." Skull stated as they continued on, passing by worryingly similar-looking Sayuri paintings. "Uhh..."
"What the- they all look the same!" Panther exclaimed.
"No...not if you look closer..." Fox pointed out as he narrowed his eyes.
"Hm? Wait...hold on..." Joker got out as he leaned in closer to one of the paintings. "...The clouds." He suddenly stated.
"Hm?" Fox hummed out.
"It's the clouds! Look closely." Joker explained. "The Sayuri's fog is a different color. This one is a fake!" He then declared.
"You gotta be kidding me! Oh, that's super dumb!" Yang complained as she stomped her foot in annoyance. "There's barely a difference between the cloud colors!" She then added.
"Even I have to agree with that..." Widow sighed out. "Still, you have a nice eye Joker." She then praised.
"Alright Widow, no more flirting with Joker." Yang however quipped out as she patted the light grey haired girl's back in amusement.
"F-Flirt!?" Widow yelped out in an embarrassed manner with a red blush coming across her face. "Y-Yang! T-That was not flirting!" She then declared.
"Oh I know, I am just teasing." Yang giggled out in even more amusement.
To that, Widow blinked a couple of times before she let out a snort and began giggling herself.
"Good to see you two are getting along." Joker meanwhile quipped out in a joking manner. "I see that almost killing each other hasn't done much."
"We had a proper discussion the night I awakened to my Persona." Widow however informed, though some uncontrollable giggles still escaping her lips.
"Alright, alright. Enough messing around. Let's find the right cloud color." Mona stated as he looked around.
"Found it!" Yang called out as she ran up to it and picked it up before pausing. "I hope." She then got out in a hesitant tone.
"No, that is the true Sayuri. Excellent work Yang" Fox however informed and praised with a smile on his face.
"Oh thank god." Yang breathed out as the painting led them to another portal, which they went through as soon as it turned gold.
"We have to be nearing the end of these fakes, right?" Panther asked.
"We'll know when we're out of here." Joker assured. "For now, keep an eye out. We should know the Sayuri pretty well by this point." He then advised.
"Why didn't we just have Fox do this for us?" Skull idly wondered. "He did say he knew the painting best out of all of us..."
"..." The Thieves stopped in their tracks as soon as they heard this little realisation.
"...That...That would've been smarter, huh." Widow and Joker got out at the same time.
"W-Well, we don't want Fox to do all the work for us..." Yin muttered out before turning to the young artist. "Do you want to, Fox?" She soon offered.
"If you wish." Fox replied.
"Then why didn't you say anything about it?" Panther however asked.
"..." Fox in response was silent for a moment before stepping forwards. "...I'll go ahead." He soon decided.
"Thank you Fox." Yang deadpanned as they watched the newer member go ahead. "...We're idiots, aren't we." She soon stated.
"No, you're just still green around the ears." Mona spoke up. "We should really get to know each other more to know our strengths and weaknesses." He then stated.
"Hanging out more does sound good." Yin replied in agreement as Fox returned with a worried look.
"Everyone, I'm sorry but there seems to be a problem." Fox informed.
"What is it, Fox?" Widow questioned in concern.
"See for yourself." Fox replied as he led the group.
"Are...Are there copies of copies!?" Yang realised. They just kept going by fakes they've already identified.
"Indeed, they are." Fox responded as he narrowed his eyes.
"These are all fakes..." Widow stated as she looked around. "Where is the real one...?" She soon questioned.
"Let's stop and think." Joker soon ordered, the others nodding in agreement.
Meanwhile, the dyed blond walked over to one of the nearby walls and examined it. "Hey, does this wall look weird to you?" Skull asked.
"Yeah. It does." Joker got out before walking up to it and...
RRRRRIIIIIPPPP!
The Leader soon smirked at what he saw. "Hello, beautiful." He got out.
The Thieves' eyes widened as they saw behind the false wall was a chest...and another Sayuri.
"This one's real." Joker declared with conviction.
"You are right Joker." Fox agreed, although he seemed a little less proud of that statement.
"So the real Sayuri was hidden from view while all the fakes were in view this entire time..." Panther got out in a sad tone. "Just like in reality." She then added.
"..." Fox said nothing, only turning away from the painting as it turned into an orb of light and flew off to...somewhere.
"Don't worry, Fox." Widow got out as she held his shoulder. "His heart is already ours." She then reassured.
Fox looked at his senpai before nodding. "Right. Now, where did that light fly off to?" He soon questioned as he looked around.
"Maybe we should go back to the start..." Yang suggested.
Joker nodded at this before opening the chest that was next to the painting and opened it. "Crimson Ring." He soon informed.
"Ooh! What does it do, Mona?" Yang asked in an excited tone.
"Hold on, Yang. It just reduces Fire damage." Mona informed.
"Oh." Yang got out in a somewhat disappointed tone. "I would then suggest that either Fox or Widow equip to reduce their possible weakness to Fire." She then suggested.
"They do have a weakness to Fire..." Mona pointed out.
"Hm...actually, it's not that useful of an accessory. I'm sure there's something better out there." Joker decided before throwing it over to the Vice Leader.
"Are you sure, Joker?" Yin asked in concern.
"I'm sure. Besides, they'll still go down regardless and the Shadows will follow it up with something else that will take them out." Joker explained.
"Okay. I get the logic but..." Yin then got out before trailing off.
"It'll be fine." Joker reassured. "Now let's go and find where that light went." He then ordered.
The others nodded and followed the Leader. They eventually found their way back to where they started spotting fakes and noticed that a portal at a lower level was now gold.
"Hey, was that always there?" Skull asked.
"Huh, guess we never noticed before..." Panther guessed.
"In any case, I think we found the exit." Yin deducted.
"Well, what are we standing around for? Let's get out of here." Yang got out as she ran down the stairs, with the other soon following her through the golden portal.
As soon as they exited the portal, they knew they were making serious progress. "Yes! This is somewhere new, isn't it?" Panther cheered out.
"Just be careful, okay? The distortion is growing much stronger the deeper we go..." Mona warned.
"But that means we're getting close to the Treasure and I'm fine with that." Yin replied with a determined look in her eyes.
"Oh thank God, this place was driving me insane..." Yang breathed out as they headed into the next area.
(Lower Main Hall)
"This place definitely looks important..." Joker muttered to himself as he looked around.
"I think this is...yeah, this is the Main Hall!" Yin announced.
"Quiet! Look." Mona whispered out as he pointed forward.
The Thieves followed where he was looking...and saw the rule of the Palace standing in front of a laser grid guarding...something.
"A-Ah, that is...!" Fox gasped out. "Just as expected...Madarame!" He then declared.
"What is he doing here?" Yang questioned with a frown.
"Is that the Treasure behind him?" Panther guessed.
"It's kinda hard to tell from here. Let's get a closer look!" Skull suggested as they moved behind some cover.
"There it is..." Mona got out. "Treasure located." He then declared.
"Doesn't it look a bit...ghostly?" Widow questioned as she narrowed her eyes to get a better look.
"For the time being. Once we send the card and make Madarame aware it'll be stolen, it'll materialise into something more tangible, allowing us to take it and change his heart." Mona explained.
"I wonder what form it will take..." Fox muttered to himself.
"Who knows? Bet it's something like a self-portrait." Skull assumed.
"I don't think so. Kamoshida's was a medal because his past as an Olympian made the school rely on him to improve its reputation." Yang reminded. "It's definitely a painting though..." She then stated.
"The source of what distorted Madarame's reality this much..." Fox soon muttered.
"So, is our infiltration route secured, Mona-chan?" Yin asked.
"Hmm..." Mona hummed out as he thought about it. "We know where the Treasure is, but I wouldn't say we're ready to send the calling card just yet..." He then stated.
"Huh? Why's that?" Skull questioned.
"You must be talking about the infrared lasers surrounding it." Widow assumed.
"That, and the outer perimeter is swarming with guards. Forcing our way through will be difficult." Fox added.
"We'd die before we even get near it." Joker whispered out. "Looks like we have to do a little bit of recon before we leave for today." He then stated.
"So we'll need to find a way to steal it too...This is tougher than it was with Kamoshida..." Panther stated. "We just have to make one final push. Let's check this floor...!" She then added.
"Let's find a safe room first though. I need a break after that twisted labyrinth." Yin suggested.
(Lower Main Hall Safe Room)
"Sit down, relax, eat snacks if you want." Joker got out as he took a seat. "We've done well so far." He then encouraged.
"Well, it's all thanks to you and Yin, Leader." Mona got out.
"Let's talk about our progress so far." Yin suggested as she pulled out the maps.
"Well then, let's begin this meeting." Widow declared as the Thieves leaned in.
"Ugh, it's so frustrating! The Treasure is practically right in front of us, yet we can't even get close to it!" Skull complained as he scratched his head. "...Wait, can't the shinobi just bypass all that shit?" He then asked.
"Skull, not every problem can be solved by throwing shinobi at it." Mona deadpanned.
"Mona's right. Just because we're shinobi doesn't mean we can pull it off just like that." Yang stated.
"Indeed," Widow replied in agreement. "Not to mention at the moment, we are all thieves. So we must act as such to get the Treasure." She then reminded.
"Still not hearing a real reason..." Joker admitted.
"It means you can't just rely on us all the time." Yang answered as the other shinobis nodded in agreement.
"And we can't just charge in and take the Treasure! We'd die!" Yin added. "Let's just figure out a plan once we fully explore this area and see where we're needed." She then suggested.
"Okay, that's fine." The Leader got out with a nod.
"God, the castle has nothing on this place..." Panther sighed out.
"Well, Madarame has been doing this for years. He's wiser than Kamoshida, and probably a little smarter." Joker admitted. "I mean, he did set up such a terrible scam." He then added.
"So, I had been doing some research since I had this feeling that I've heard Madarame's scheme and I found something really interesting..." Widow informed as she pulled out some notes. "In 1911, an Argentine Con Man named Eduardo de Valfierno allegedly masterminded the theft of the Mona Lisa by former Louvre worker Vincenzo Peruggia. He didn't want the painting itself, but rather he planned on stealing it to sell six forgeries of it that he shipped around the world and close to their eventual millionaire buyers before the heist even took place, because he knew that it would be harder to pass the copies through customs after word of the robbery would hit the newspapers." She soon revealed in a formal tone.
"Wait a minute, are you fuuuuuuudge latte and cookies kidding me?" Yang got out in disbelief after stopping herself from attempting to swear. "Madarame plagiarized his stupid scam!? And it's still better than his version!?" She then yelled out as her left eye twitched.
"That's actually pretty funny." Joker admitted. "And ironic. And a little sad." He then added.
"That actually pisses me off more!" Skull shouted out. "Some scam artist he is! He can't even be called that, he just sucks!" He then declared.
"..." Fox remained silent, only looking down at his hands.
"Fox?" Widow called out in concern.
"It's fine." Fox mumbled out. "That only means he cannot be called an artist in any sense, and I am fine with that." He then stated.
"I wonder if I can track down the buyers..." Widow whispered to herself. "I'll have to look into it later after we succeed and he confesses." She then added in her head.
"So, is there anything else you wish to discuss, Joker?" Mona asked.
"Nope, I'm good, let's just continue resting up for now and then head back out." Joker replied.
Mona in response nodded to that as he sat himself down to rest.
(Lower Main Hall)
After exiting the safe room a few minutes later, they went back to business, taking out a Shadow or two before finding themselves within an important looking room.
"This looks promising..." Yang got out as they entered the security room.
"Hey, think we can turn the lasers off from here?" Skull guessed.
"Hold on. Madarame and his guards are still wandering around. They'll definitely notice that we're messing with their security if we do that." Yin meanwhile pointed out.
"But we can't just wait around until Madarame leaves. We can take care of anything Madarame wants to throw at us." Joker stated as he went up to the terminal. "And at the pinnacle of security, this one doesn't need a password." He then added.
"Looks like Madarame didn't expect us to get this far." Mona assumed.
"Let's turn off the lasers first..." Joker got out as he hit the command. The Thieves looked out the window and...nothing happened.
[Error! Only Lord Madarame can access this terminal due to maximum security protocol!]
"Of course it wouldn't be that easy..." Widow sighed out.
"Dammit. This was all for nothing." Skull cursed in frustration.
"Not necessarily. We still have other options, like shutting off power." Joker muttered out as he hit enter.
Suddenly, the lights went off, engulfing the area in darkness. The only things the Thieves could see were Madarame's eyes...and the laser grid that protected the Treasure.
"Wh-What's the meaning of this!?" Shadow Madarame demanded in an angered tone.
"I-I am not sure! It seems we have lost power...The backup generators should bring it up again in no time!" The Guard Shadow got out in a panic.
In five seconds, the power came back on.
"What a nasty surprise...Hm...Could this also be...? Hey, someone!" The ruler of the Palace began barking orders.
"Tch, it came back on pretty damn fast..." Skull muttered out.
"Yes, and the infrared lasers remained active even during the power outage." Fox lamented.
"So they're smart enough to put the lasers on a seperate power grid..." Yang muttered out. "I think we need a few more pieces to this puzzle..." She thought as a plan began to form in her head. "So we'll only be able to turn the power off there for a few seconds..." She then stated in a serious tone.
"Wait a second...Aren't those guards that just ran out heading this way!?" Panther got out in concern. "What else should we try? We might be in trouble if we don't hurry..." She then asked and stated.
"Well, at the very least, we gotta open the shutters so we can explore the upper level." Joker stated as he did as so. "At least that works..." He then added.
Suddenly, the door opened before a Shadow charged in. "HEY!" The Shadow called out. "So you're the ones who tampered with the electricity!" It soon declared.
"Oh boy, here we go..." Yang muttered out as she took out her weapons.
"Three Hunting Wolf Spirits and two Mountainous Snake Spirits!" Mona informed. "We can take 'em no problem, just be careful of their attacks." He then advised.
"Take them down fast!" Yin ordered.
"Thou art I...Fūma! Bufula!" Widow called out as she ripped off her mask, summoning her Persona to her side as the air froze around her.
CRACKLE!
"One down!" Widow declared as a Shadow fell.
"Don't waste your energy! Have Fox act!" Joker ordered.
Widow nodded before raising her guard, letting the artist have his turn.
"Thank you, senpai! Goemon, Mabufu!" Fox thanked before commanding his Persona while ripping off his mask.
CRACKLE! CRACKLE! CRACKLE! CRACKLE! CRACKLE!
"All down! That was beautiful, Fox." Mona praised as all the Shadows went down.
"Don't bother with a Hold Up. RAVAGE THEM!" Joker commanded as they rushed the Shadows.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! BASH! CRACK! SLASH! SMACK!
"And the curtain falls!" Fox called out as the Shadows burst.
"Not even worth our time." Mona got out as everyone put away their weapons.
"That was a surprise though..." Panther admitted as she wiped the sweat off her brow.
"All we really managed to do was open the shutters..." Yang however pointed out.
"On top of that, we can only turn the lights off for a few seconds, while the lasers were kept on." Yin soon added in a sad tone.
"It's not hopeless yet though." Widow assured. "We just need something to pull this all together." She then stated.
"Oh well...Guess we just gotta go see what's past those shutters." Skull soon decided.
"Hey, wait. Um...I wanna make up for abandoning the team earlier. You've done a lot today." Yin spoke up with a shameful look on her face. "How about we split up? I'll lead a team to see what's around, you can do whatever you want and we'll meet up in the safe room here in about, say, an hour." She then suggested. "Who wants to go with me?" She soon asked as she looked at the others
"I'll go Lady Yin!" Mona immediately offered with a smile while raising his paw.
"I will go as well, I wish to explore the Palace some more." Widow replied in a calm manner.
"I'll go with you too Sis." Yang responded. "But what will the others do?" She then asked.
"Loot, kill Shadows, keep the security level low...oh, I really need to grab some new Personas too for fusion..." Joker answered. "Especially that Null Physical Shadow..." He then added under his breath.
"Good luck then, Joker." Yin replied and encouraged as her squad headed out.
The group of shinobi girls and not cat soon stealthily began going through the area like shadows in the night, assassinating Shadows without even having to actually battling them, gaining experience all the while. They even came across a chest, which they quickly opened with a lockpick.
"Oh! A Pearl and some armor!" Yin cheered out.
"Not just any old armor. It's a Saint's Tunic." Mona informed. "It let's you resist overwhelming anger. Erm, if you're a human male that is by the looks of it." He then explained.
"I'll give it to Joker later then." Yin got out as she put the armor away. "Fox doesn't have the best armor right?" She then asked.
"Joker did buy him something from Untouchable." Mona informed. "But this is way better." He then admitted with a grin.
"Really?" Widow questioned in a curious manner.
"Well, stuff you can find in the Metaverse is generally better than what you can get in reality." Mona explained.
"I see," Widow replied in a fascinated tone. "We will have to look out for more just in case." She then suggested.
"That's the plan Widow." Yin replied with a nod before continuing through the hall.
"In any case, we're doing a really good job so far in gaining experience." Mona soon praised the girls with a grin on his face.
"Still a little worried about Joker..." Yin muttered out.
"He's fine Sis. The Security Level hasn't increased yet. We would know if he's in trouble." Yang assured the Vice Leader. "Now keep going, we still have a ways to go." She then advised.
However, as they continued upward, they discovered another chest.
"Magic Ointment." Mona informed the Vice Leader as she pulled the item out. "Using it will place a barrier that reflects a magic attack once." He then explained.
"That could help a lot in the long run." Yin got out as she put the item into the duffel bag. "Better save it for a tough enemy then."
"Or the Palace ruler." Yang muttered under her breath as they continued on.
(Upper Main Hall)
The shinobis and not cat soon arrived at a balcony overlooking the gallery, seeing no other way forward.
"Okay, where do we go from here?" Yang whispered to the Vice Leader.
"Hmm...Yang-nee, use Third Eye and find us some sellable items while me, Mona-chan and Widow continue upwards before we regroup." Yin instructed while handing her the duffle.
"Got it, see you later." Yang replied with a nod as she took the duffle and dashed off in another direction.
"Do you think that's a good idea for her to run around by herself?" Widow asked in concern. "She can't deal with every threat." She then reminded.
"Yang-nee will be fine. Now let's go explore a little more." Yin replied in a confident tone before heading off.
There wasn't much to the area however, only a Shadow or two patrolling the area and without their items and with three team members, they generally avoided them. They did notice smashed vases and statues around the area, probably the tan skinned girl's doing. They eventually decided to return to the balcony to wait for her to return.
"Hey, look." Yin got out as she pointed at the other balcony across from them. "Think that will lead somewhere?" She soon asked.
"Maybe. But there's no way we're getting there without having to go through the main area." Mona replied. "Let's regroup with Yang before we do anything drastic."
"You called?" Yang got out as she jogged up to the others.
"Ah, back already Yang?" Widow questioned in a curious manner.
"Well, I'm here so..." Yang muttered out as she gave the duffel bag back to Yin.
"So, what did you find Lady Yang!?" Mona soon asked as his tail was wagging in anticipation.
"A lot of glowing pieces that had items." Yang replied in excitement. "Strangely enough, there were even doubles of the same items in the same breakables." She then revealed.
"More money for the Phantom Budget. I'm sure Joker will appreciate it." Yin got out as she checked the contents of the bag. "You didn't run into any trouble?" She then asked.
"Nope. I'm not gonna risk fighting Shadows by myself." Yang replied in a reassuring manner while handing back the duffle. "So, what were you guys talking about?" She soon asked.
"Well, there's another area across from us but we don't have a way of getting there unless we go through the main room." Widow informed before her eyes widened. "You don't happen to have a grappling hook of some sort, do you?" She soon asked.
"We do but only Joker has one..." Yin informed her.
"Oh! Totally forgot!" Mona suddenly got out before rummaging through his fanny pack. "Come on, come on...Here!" He then called out before pulling several grappling hooks. "I forgot I made all of these." He sheepishly admitted.
"Hm?" Widow got out in a curious manner.
"Nice! Our wrist-mounted grappling hooks!" Yin declared in excitement.
"...You actually have such a thing?" Widow questioned, blinking a couple of times as she examined the items.
"Yup, a necessary tool for all Phantom Thieves." Mona declared as he handed them out. "Observe!" He then got out as he shot the hook at the beams above them before leaping off the balcony, swinging across the huge gap.
"Oh! How impressive!" Widow praised as she clapped her hands at the display.
"Yeah." Yin added with a nod before looking at the tool. "Okay, now how do I shoot it...?" She then asked.
"I can feel a small button on my wrist..." Yang muttered out before aiming her hook. "So...maybe it's just a flick..." She then deducted before doing so.
Suddenly, the grappling hook fired, wrapping itself around an anchor point.
"Hah! There we go!" Yang got out with a smirk. "Alright, see you on the other side." She then said before swinging across, with the light grey haired girl doing the same with the elegance of a dancer.
"Okay, you can do this Asuka..." Yin whispered to herself as she fired her grappling hook as it latched itself onto a steel beam above before leaping off the balcony. "Come on, come one, come on!" She mentally encouraged herself as she neared the other side, already retracting her hook.
And...that was a big mistake.
Yin had to stop herself from screaming as she realised she let go a little too early and was about to fall to the ground floor.
The Vice Leader could feel her heart skip a beat as the effects of gravity returned.
"Oh flipping piece of garbage!" Yang was going to exclaim, only for the not cat to jump on her face to muffle her voice while the light grey haired girl caught the falling girl.
"Ah!" Widow yelped as she was almost pulled over the edge, however the tan skinned girl threw the not cat off her face and caught her, keeping her grounded.
"Help me...!" Yin whispered out as her group members tried to get their Vice Leader over the railing.
"Calm down, Yin, you'll get us busted by the guards if you keep flailing around like that!" Widow warned.
"H-Hai! Sorry!' Yin whispered out her apology as she took a deep breath to calm herself down as she was finally pulled to safety.
"Are you ok?" Yang and Widow asked in concerned unison.
"I...I'm fine." Yin breathed out before sighing. "Moh...I should be better than this..." She mumbled out in embarrassment.
"Practice makes perfect Yin." Widow reassured with a gentle smile on her face.
"...Where's Mona?" Yin suddenly asked as she looked around.
Suddenly, they saw Mona climbing over the railing, panting as he flopped to the ground while retracting his hook.
"Whoops." The three girls got out in unison
"Uh...sorry, Mona..." Yang apologized in a shameful tone.
"Media!" Yin commanded her Persona as she appeared by her side.
"Why did you heal us?" Widow asked.
"...I don't have a single target heal spell..." Yin mumbled out.
"No, I mean why heal us now?" Widow clarified.
"I thought it would help Mona-chan..." Yin explained while poking her fingers together in a meek manner.
"I'm tired, not hurt." Mona sighed out. "It doesn't matter right now. So, how are the hooks?" He soon asked.
"You're seriously not gonna say anything about me throwing you over the balcony?" Yang deadpanned before shaking her head.
"It was an on the spot action and I do not blame you Lady Yang." Mona replied while dusting himself off.
"Well, this equipment is surprisingly high quality." Widow noted as she turned her wrist to see all sides of the grappling hook. "Where did you get these?" She soon asked.
"Crafted them." Mona simply answered.
"...Oh, so Joker did it." Widow deducted.
"Nope, all me Lady Widow." Mona reassured.
"...Without opposable thumbs?" Yang soon asked.
"I have my secrets." Mona replied with a confident grin. "From now on, our hooks will be necessary for future Palaces so you better get some practice in now." He then informed them. "Please remind me to give Panther, Skull and Fox their ones, okay?" He soon requested.
"Will do." Yin replied with a nod.
"It would best if we continue going now." Yang and Widow suggested at the same time, once more looking at one another as a result of their synchronization.
"You know, this is happening to the point of being just weird instead of quirky." Yang admitted.
"I must agree...even if it is humorous." Widow replied with a small giggle escaping her lips.
"And you two have been agreeing with each other a lot today." Mona stated. "...Lady Yin, I think you should keep an eye on both Lady Yang and Lady Widow." He then advised
"Hm?" Yin got out in confusion.
"Well, you may never know." Mona replied with a playful smirk before continuing on.
"...What is that supposed to mean?" The three girls meanwhile thought in confused unison.
Soon enough, they found a room that they knew was rather important.
"Another security room?" Yin guessed as they walked in.
"No, it is most likely where all the mechanisms in the exhibition hall are controlled from. Given the number of hanging works, it would make sense to have a room dedicated to controlling them." Widow deducted.
"Your observation skills are on point, Lady Widow." Mona praised.
"I'm sure Fox would make the same observation." Yin however pointed out as she went up to a lever to study it. There was some cable spooled next to it which led out of the room. "Hm...I guess maybe this lever lowers and raises the paintings...?" She guessed.
"We shouldn't mess with anything just yet." Widow warned. "Let's explore around a little more before we do."
"Agreed." Yang responded with a nod before looking around to see an opening nearby. "Hey, look up there." She soon informed.
"I see it, Lady Yang. Could be some sort of way for maintenance to fix lights and stuff." Mona assumed. "Let's see if thieves can use it too." He then suggested with a grin.
The girls nodded and jumped into the opening.
"Careful, don't make a noise." Widow warned as they carefully walked over the suspended lights.
Yin soon raised her hand to stop everyone, seeing that they were at the end of the path. "Hello..." She whispered out as she leaned over the edge. "This is right above the Treasure..." She soon informed.
"And there's no lasers above it." Yang noticed.
"Heh, that's quite the flaw in their security. No one expects coming from above." Mona stated.
"Yes, but I doubt we'd survive very long if we simply jump down from here." Widow pointed out. "We'd be trapped with no way out." She then added
"Of course." Yang replied as she then looked forward to see a winch that would descend right above where the Treasure would be. "Hey, what about that?" She soon suggested.
"Hm? That hook Yang-nee?" Yin got out as she looked up. "The cable looks pretty weak though...if it tried to lift anything that weighed more than Mona-chan, it would definitely snap." She then pointed out.
"...Weighed more than Mona..." Widow repeated to herself.
"...I think we got a plan." Yin soon declared. "Come on, let's see if there are controls to that nearby." She then ordered as they headed back to the control room.
"It looks like this is it, Yin. This should be the thing that controls that winch." Mona stated as they walked up the lever.
"Someone stay up there and watch the hook." Widow suggested.
"I'll do it." Yang quickly got out before jumping back to the opening.
"Okay, tell me to stop when it moves." Yin informed before pulling down the lever.
Yang narrowed her eyes before they widened upon seeing the hook begin to descend.
"Stop stop stop!" Yang whispered as she brought up a hand to signal the others.
"That's definitely the controls to the winch." Mona got out with a smirk.
"Yeah, and it's pretty quiet too. I could barely hear it." Yang added as she jumped down to rejoin the others.
"Hm, this could be useful..." Widow hummed out. "If we use the hook to send Mona down there, we can steal the painting without much trouble. However, we still need to deal with the guards." She muttered out.
"They'll definitely be keeping the Treasure in their sight at all times when we send the calling card. Mona won't make it out in one piece if we used the winch." Yang pointed out.
"Not necessarily. There's something you can do to make sure that doesn't happen." Mona replied.
"...We use the darkness." Yin remembered.
"Yep! That's our Vice Leader!" Mona soon praised with a grin.
"Yeah...We were able to turn the lights off over in that other control room!" Yang got out as it finally dawned on her.
"Only for a few seconds though. There would not be enough time to make it all the way here." Widow reminded.
"That's why we're going to split up the tasks and work together to pull off this heist! One person will shut the power off here, one person will lower the crane, and I'll grab the Treasure!" Mona quickly figured out.
"That sounds perfect, Mona-chan!" Yin declared.
"They're definitely going to be aware of our presence as soon as we execute such a plan." Widow pointed out. "We'll need perfect timing, teamwork and communication between all of us to pull it off. We'll also need backup plans in case someone fails to perform their duty." She then instructed.
"Good idea, but sometimes fortune favours the bold and the brash. Unless someone else has a better idea?" Mona asked.
"Sounds like the perfect heist." Yang replied with a devious smile under her mask.
"Well said Lady Yang! You understand what being a phantom thief really means!" Mona praised.
"Alright, enough scheming. We have a plan now, let's go meet up with Joker and relay everything we've done." Yin got out, excitement in her tone.
"I'd like to refer to that as plotting, not scheming. There's a difference." Widow corrected.
"...Is there?" Yin had to ask.
"Let's meet up with the others." Yang sighed out as she began heading out of the control room.
(Lower Main Hall Safe Room)
A few minutes later, the Leader and his group had just reentered the safe room to see the other members sitting at the table, playing cards of all things.
"Welcome back, Joker!" Yin greeted the Leader as she threw her cards down.
"Aw, what!? Why do you have so many jokers!?" Yang complained.
"I'm sorry, but a rich person like yourself should not complain." Widow bitterly got out with a sigh before glancing at Yin's cards. "At least we managed to avoid a revolution." She then added.
"Mmm...I would've liked that, actually..." Mona sighed out. "We'll pick it up later. So, how did things go, Leader?" He soon asked.
"Pretty well, Mona. Went back and grabbed a few chests we missed as well as a few new Personas." Joker replied.
"That's great!" Mona got out in excitement to the thought.
"Uh, Mona-chan. The hooks?" Yin reminded.
"Hm? Oh, right! Here!" Mona got out in realization as he pulled out the grappling hooks.
"They're finally done!? Sweet!" Skull said with a grin as he quickly equipped one of them. "Dude, they feel pretty nice."
"Grappling hooks..." Fox muttered out as he put his on. "Rather dull in the aesthetics department, but it will do."
"This is great. We'll definitely feel like shinobi now." Panther cheered out.
"Phantom Thieves." Mona corrected. "Anyways, sit down everyone. This is the last meeting before we leave the Palace." He then informed.
"What is it, Mona?" Joker asked as he and the others took a seat.
"Well, we figured out how to steal the Treasure from right under Madarame's nose." Yang informed with a smirk.
"Okay, so the basis of our plan is this..." Widow started as the Vice Leader brought out the map of the Main Hall.
"We'll need to split up in order to pull this off. We'll need someone in the security room and another in the control room. What we're planning to do is have Mona here be lowered down by a hook above the Treasure under the cover of darkness." Yang informed as the Vice Leader drew on the map to indicate where everything was.
"Yeah. We'll need the person in the security room to turn off the lights. The one in the control room is controlling the hook that will lower Mona down to the Treasure. Since conventional technology doesn't work in the Metaverse, we'll need to synchronize a timer or something to execute our plan. We'll only have five seconds to steal the Treasure and any second off could spell disaster." Mona added.
"And meanwhile, we shinobi will be there to provide backup to ensure the plan goes smoothly even if one were to fail their objective." Yin concluded. "We'll decide on who will do what on the day the calling card is delivered, based on the situation with the Shadows and such. We may need to take care of a few guards after all. So, that's clear?"
"Sounds like a heist Yin. Good work." Joker praised with a nod of approval.
"Thank you Joker, it was a joint effort though." Yin reminded. "So, are we ready for the calling card?" She soon asked.
"Yep. Our infiltration route is secure and our plan of action is set. Let's get out of here and prepare for the heist." Mona replied in a proud tone.
"Alright." Joker replied as he took out his phone.
(Museum Entrance)
"I'm betting Metaverse fatigue is gonna hit us like a truck as soon as we step out of here..." Yang groaned out.
"It'll make going home and sleeping a whole lot-ACK!" Joker replied.
"You will be going to sleep when you get home." Mona started. "Right Joker?" He then asked in a more menacing tone with a gleam in his eyes.
The Leader in turn groaned to the obvious threat before turning to the light grey haired girl. "Hey Widow, does your apartment complex allow pets?" Joker soon asked in a curious if not almost begging manner.
"Hey!" Mona got out in an offended manner, already realizing why the Leader was asking that specific question.
"No. Not after what Kyu-san did to her dogs..." Widow muttered out with a shiver.
"...Should I-" Joker started asking.
"No." Widow interrupted.
"Hey, does anyone feel...kinda different?" Yin suddenly asked, feeling a shiver down her spine.
"Hm? What do you mean?" Widow responded in a curious manner.
"I dunno, just...kinda weird." Yin replied with a shrug.
Joker raised an eyebrow to that. What was...
"Hey Inmate! Get over here!" Caroline suddenly demanded, getting the Leaders attention.
"Uh...Hey, I'm gonna go do something real quick. Let's not leave just yet." Joker told the Thieves as he walked towards the Velvet Room.
"Velvet Loli Paradise?" Yang guessed.
"Caroline-chan called for him." Yin informed. "We should just wait for now." She then advised.
"Aw man, come on..." Skull groaned out. "I wanna go home already."
"It'll be a few minutes, Skull. Just stay put." Mona got out. "In the meanwhile, wanna pick back up our game Lady Yin?" He then suggested
"Let's." Yin replied with a determined look in her eyes.
"Hey, I wanna join too." Skull got out.
"Rotate us in after." Panther suggested.
"We will." Yang replied.
"But we must warn you that Yin has extremely good luck." Widow meanwhile advised. "Her Persona is based on frogs after all." She then added.
"Huh?" Skull got out in confusion and a tilt of his head.
"...Frogs are good luck, how do you not know that!?" Yang called out.
"I really don't give a shit about superstitions." Skull casually answered with a shrug.
"Maybe my luck will now make it so Katsu-nee doesn't grope me as much..." Yin quietly mumbled out to herself.
"Luck doesn't determine everything, Sis. You need skill, courage, kindness, understanding to achieve such lofty goals." Yang stated. "A good shinobi does not rely on luck to see missions through after all. We make our own." She then informed.
"I must agree with Yang on that." Widow replied with a nod of approval. "You Yin are basically a diamond with rough edges, but you will shine greatly once you refine yourself." She then informed and encouraged.
"Thank you. I'll get Katsu-nee to stop...eventually." Yin responded, though a bit unsure about the last part.
(Asakusa, Hanzō Shinobi Girls' Dorm)
"NEVER! Boobies are life!" Katsuragi suddenly screamed.
"...I asked you what you want for dinner tonight." Ikaruga sighed out.
"Ramen. And come here!" Katsuragi replied before jumping at the ravenette.
"NO...!" Ikaruga cried out in a panic as she started running.
(Madarame's Museum of Vanity, Entrance)
"Why didn't you give me this stuff before we infiltrated the Palace..." Joker grumbled to himself as he walked out of the Velvet Room.
"Hey, Joker's back!" Mona informed.
"Why do you have all the eights Yin...!?" Skull cried out before dropping his head in depression.
"Oh, she could finish her hand with a revolution!" Panther groaned out. "Damn, my cards suck!" She soon complained.
"Hear, hear..." Widow sighed out. "Also, language Panther." She then chided.
"Oh come on!" Panther whined.
"So, what did the Loli Paradise ask of you?" Yang asked.
Meanwhile, Yin could see Justine writing on her clipboard with murderous intent, despite her face not showing it before waving pleasantly to the Vice Leader with an innocent smile.
"Our Mysterious Benefactor decided to give us a gift for going through the Madarame's Palace." Joker replied. "He decided to grant our Personas a slight power boost." He then revealed.
"They can do that?" Panther asked in an incredulous tone.
"Mysterious...Benefactor...?" Fox repeated as he frowned.
"They were the one who developed the MetaNav for us." Skull explained.
"Hmm...Why would they help us...?" Mona asked.
"To avoid ruin...whatever that means." Joker vaguely answered with a shrug.
"So...what did they do...?" Panther asked in a curious tone.
"...Have any of you heard of Pokèmon?" Joker questioned first of all.
"Duh." Skull flatly replied.
"It's one of the biggest franchises in the world." Panther added.
"The monster designs are rather unique, though the quality of the designs have degraded as of recently..." Fox spoke up.
The three shinobi girls however innocently tilted their heads.
"Of course shinobis wouldn't know, being excluded from society and all..." Joker muttered with a sweatdrop before coughing into his fist. "Well, in Pokèmon, every single creature has something called an Ability. They have a passive effect on a Pokèmon, for better or for worse. We basically now have that with our Personas." He then explained.
"..." The others meanwhile looked on in confusion towards their Leader.
"It means our Personas have passive abilities that do not activate consciously that gives us an advantage." Joker soon simplified. "It's not a skill, it's just a thing now." He then informed.
"Okay..." Widow muttered out. "This Benefactor must be quite powerful to change our Personas in such a way." She then stated.
"In any case, we've located the Treasure and established our plan of action. What do you want to do now, Joker?" Mona asked.
"Hmm..." The Leader hummed out as he thought about it before an idea came to mind. "...You said Treasure Demons spawn more often at higher Security Levels, right...?" Joker suddenly got out as a devious smirk grew on his face.
"...Yeah?" Mona responded in an uneasy manner, not liking the look in the Leader's eyes.
Joker's smirk soon widened. "Time to get some extra funds..." He soon declared.
"Eh?" The three shinobi girls got out in confused unison after hearing that declaration. "What...does that mean?" They soon asked in confusion and concern.
"Don't worry about it. Just future-proofing our activities by increasing the Phantom Budget." Joker answered.
Yang then turned to the ash blonde. "Please say this counts if Joker splits the money and we give you our cuts Panther..." She all but begged.
"Don't you remember how many zeroes were on that dress?" Panther asked. "Even if you shared your split, it will do nothing but shorten your debt by a week." She then added.
"B-But Joker has a gleam in his eyes..." Yin informed in an uneasy manner. "...I think we're gonna be here for a while." She then added as she noticed the rebellious grin on his face.
"...Oh god, Joker's plannin' to grind for money." Skull realized.
"Joker pays for practically everything for the Phantom Thieves, despite his situation. I think we owe it to him that we earn him some income." Panther pointed out.
"I guess that's true." Yang replied. "Wait, grinding?" She then repeated in confusion as the other shinobi girls tilted their heads in confusion again.
"It means let's go kill shit for money." Skull deadpanned.
"Oh..." The shinobi got out in understanding.
"So, how are we gonna raise the Security Le-" Yin began to ask before paling. "Joker, where did you get an airhorn?" She soon asked, however...
HuuUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRnnnnnnnnnnnn!
"GATHER AROUND YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!" Joker suddenly called out while charging through the line of cognitions. "COME GET A PIECE OF THE JOKER BABY! MWAHAHAHA!" He all but demanded and laughed in a manical manner as he then used his grappling hook to fly through the air.
"Oh...that's why." Yin got out, blinking a couple of times to the sight.
"Oh my..." Widow muttered in disbelief. "Is...Is Joker always like this?" She soon asked in concern.
"He seems to be one for the theretics." Fox noted.
"I...I would've just waved my hand in a laser, but I guess this works too..." Mona muttered out. "We just can't raise it high enough that we're forced out of the Palace as a result." He then reminded.
"In any case, we should just wait now." Fox soon suggested.
SECURITY LEVEL AT 95%! KILL THEM ALL!
"Okay, that was fast!" Panther exclaimed.
"That should be good enough. Now let's go hunting!" Mona informed.
"Hey, shouldn't we wait for Joker?" Fox asked.
"He'll be fine, now go!" Yin ordered. "...Where do we go from here?" She soon asked in a curious manner.
"Let's just head back inside and start killin'." Skull replied while shrugging his shoulders. "BANZAI!" He soon cheered.
"BANZAI!" The Thieves cried out in unison as they all charged into the Palace.
Immediately when the group returned to the painting room, they noticed five floating rubys.
"Sweet! Multiple Treasure Demons!" Mona cheered out at the sight of the five Shadows.
"PAYDAY!" Yang exclaimed in excitement.
"Wait, do we have a way to down them all without Joker?" Panther asked.
"Well I am the Vice Leader, I think I can handle the hold ups." Yin replied in a confident manner.
"I think she meant do we have anything that can knock 'em all down." Skull pointed out."You got somethin' in the duffel?" He then asked.
"No, but we have Lucky Punches of course, right Mona-chan?" Yin happily replied.
"Yep! Here we go! Take them down Zorro!" Mona commanded as he Persona appeared.
BONK!
Only for the attack to miss. "Ah crap..." Mona got out.
"Ok, my turn! Lucky Punch Kaeru!" Yin commanded as her Persona came to her side.
BONK! SQUEAK!
Immediate, one of the Treasure Demons was knocked out.
"Yes!" Yin cheered in satisfaction at the result.
"Yeah, just four more to go!"
"Let's hope my luck helps me here...Kaeru! GO!" Yin ordered.
BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK! BONK!
As such, the Vice Leader's Lucky Punches all struck at the Treasure Demons, knocking them all down.
"That was spectacular, Yin!" Fox praised.
"Thank you, thank you. Now, let's get them! GO ALL OUT!" Yin ordered.
"You should've given up." Widow got out as they rushed the Shadows.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! BASH! CRACK! SLASH! SMACK!
"Hehehehe..." Yin giggled out as the Shadows burst, raining money over them. "Ow." She then yelped out as a coin hit her head.
"So, how much was from that?" Yang then asked.
"Uh..." Mona got out as he counted all the money they collected. "25,000 yen." He soon informed.
"Not. Enough." Yang growled as her eye twitched. "I need more. MORE! I NEED TO PAY BACK PANTHER!" She declared in desperation.
"Oh no, she's becoming unhinged again..." Skull groaned out. "...This is on Panther this time." He then added.
"Yeah..." Panther got out with a grimace as the tan skinned girl tackled down a Shadow and began stabbing it up by herself...without letting it transform.
"Panther, don't you think you are being a bit harsh now?" Widow however questioned in concern as she looked at what the tan skinned girl was doing.
"I thought they'd be calmer going about it." Panther admitted. "You know, getting a job-" She then began.
"You know Yang is physically incapable of getting one by herself at the moment." Yin reminded in a mumble.
"NOT! I'M NOT!" They heard Yang yell out as she ripped off a poor Shadow's arm and beat it to death with it, causing the others to wince at the sight. "I CAN GET A JOB! I'M PERFECTLY CAPABLE! IT'S EVERYONE ELSE AND THE ASSHOLE EMPLOYERS!" She then declared.
Foz meanwhile made a square with his hands. "A tornado of death, beauty in motion...Hm, Yang! Do you mind performing that last action again? I wish to do a quick sketch." He soon requested.
"Oh, so now you're askin' Yang to model for ya?" Skull got out in a flat tone.
"Please don't waste your cut on more art supplies, Fox. There are other needs you need to attend to after all." Widow advised.
"...That reminds me, I think I'm out of black paint..." Fox muttered to himself, causing his senpai to let out a long-suffering sigh.
"Your priorities continue to baffle me, Fox." Widow groaned out in resignation.
"EVERYONE, GET OVER HERE NOW!" Yang ordered as she aimed at several downed Shadows.
"Hm? Oh!" Yin got out before they ran up to the Shadows and aimed their guns. "Okay, this is a Hold-" She began, however
"GIMME ALL YOUR FUCKING MONEY OR I'LL RIP YOUR LEGS OFF!" Yang soon shouted out, interrupting the Vice Leader while spit was flying at the Shadows...if she wasn't wearing her mask.
"Language." Widow chided with a frown.
"Widow, I am in desperate need of money to repay Panther, please do not judge me for being a little more...convincing." Yang sweetly requested.
"Even so, you should not give into your desires so easily." Widow advised.
"I know, but desperate times calls for desperate- DON'T YOU FUCKING MOVE YOU PIECES OF SHIT! FOX, KNEECAP ONE OF THEM!" Yang responded, though then demanded as she noticed the Shadows moving. "THAT'S IT! ALL OUT ATTACK!" She then ordered.
"W-Wait, I have money!" The Shadow got out in a panic.
"DON'T CARE! KILL KILL KILL!" Yang however demanded.
"Yang, you're scarin' me, man..." Skull got out in an uncomfortable tone before rushing the Shadows.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! BASH! CRACK! SLASH! SMACK!
"That's the last of them..." Yin panted out. "Ugh...I'm so out of energy..." She groaned out.
"How many have we killed now?" Panther asked.
"By my count...24." Widow answered. "Well, if we're merely counting guards. For Shadows...I guess a couple dozen. Yang killed most of them before I could count." She then informed.
"That's...quite a lot of Shadows..." Fox got out as he blinked.
"Wait, why hasn't the Security Level lowered?" Mona got out in confusion.
"INCOMING!" Joker suddenly called out as the group turned to see their Leader running towards them...with a horde of guards chasing him.
This immediately caused the rest of the group's eyes to widen.
"Holy effin' shit..." Skull whispered out.
"Payday again!?" Yang asked, grinning underneath her mask as she took out her swords.
"Oh yeah!" Yin replied as she took out her pistols.
"Let's do this, people!" Joker called out as he jumped into the air and ripped off his mask. "Archangel! Mapsi!" Joker commanded as a very familiar Shadow appeared behind him.
"Oh, you got a Psychokinesis spell! Nice!" Mona cheered out.
"Hey, I had to use that Regent eventually!" Joker laughed out as his Persona rained Psychokinetic death upon his enemies.
"Help him out, Kaeru! Bury them with Mamagna!" Yin commanded as she removed her mask as her Persona rained boulders upon the enemy as her allies ripped off their masks.
"Mabufu!"
"Maragi!"
"Mazio!"
"Magaru!"
"Aqua!"
"It's an Elemental Barrage!" Joker shouted out as all the Shadows were either knocked down or destroyed. "Here we go! ALL-OUT ATTACK!" He then ordered.
"No prayers! Only justice!" Widow declared as they rushed the Shadows.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! BASH! CRACK! SLASH! SMACK!
"And...finish." Joker declared as the Shadows burst, raining even more money upon them.
"Hahaha! HAHAHAHA!" Yang laughed out before coughing. "Ack! Okay, I should stop..."
"Whew! Okay, that should be good enough. Let's end it here for today." Joker breathed out.
"So, what's our haul!?" Yang asked in anticipation.
"Um...245,678 yen." Joker informed.
"That's it!?" Yang exclaimed in disbelief. "Ugh, that sucks for our cut, it's only 35,096 yen for each of us." She then muttered in annoyance and depression.
"H-How much is the dress again?" Yin meekly asked.
"I dunno." Panther answered with a shrug. "I don't remember." She then added.
"WHAT!?" Yin and Yang exclaimed.
"Erm...I think it had seven zeroes...or somethin'..." Skull muttered out.
"A-Around one hundred million..." Yin muttered in disbelief.
"We can't make that in a year!" Yang exclaimed as she looked at the ash blonde.
"It's not that much. Skull just can't count." Mona stated. "It's more like...5,000,000? 7,000,000?" He then revealed, albeit unsure.
"W-Well it's less..." Yin got out.
"I...I...I..." Yang tried to say...anything, but it sounded like she was shorting out while her head was quite literally smoking.
SHHHHHHH!
"Y-Yang?" Widow called out in concern while placing a hand on her shoulder, only to quickly take it off and winced in pain. "Eep! S-She's burning up!?" She exclaimed in confusion.
"Uh Panther, I think ya broke Yang." Skull got out.
"Um, I guess we should head back to reality and head home." Joker got out.
"We should." Mona replied in agreement before looking at the still dazed and steaming tan skinned girl. "Um...Can someone fix Yang first?" He then asked.
"I got it." Skull spoke up...before aiming his gun at the Vice Leader.
WHAM!
And thus, the dyed blond sacrificed part of his life span to snap the tan skinned girl out of it as she tackled him onto the ground.
"Yin!" Widow exclaimed. "D-Did Skull just aim his gun at our Vice Leader!?" She then questioned in disbelief.
"DUDE! I'M EMPTY! YOU DON'T REMEMBER!?" Skull exclaimed as Panther and Fox did their best to prevent Yang from smashing his skull mask into his skull.
"Even so Skull, that was completely unnecessary!" Widow however chided in disapproval.
"Widow, there's a few things you should know. We will never hurt each other physically and Yang's clinginess is more powerful than any mental ailment." Joker advised in a dead serious tone. "Besides, his finger was off the trigger. Nice use of gun safety Skull." He then praised.
"THANK YOU! NOW ARE YOU JUST GONNA LET HER KILL ME!?" Skull screamed out as Yang broke out of the other Thieves' grasp. "Oh shit, I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry-AH!" He got out in a panic.
"Yang-nee! I'm ok!" Yin called out. "There's no need to throttle Skull...even if he did bring it on himself." She then mumbled out.
"You people...are an odd bunch." Fox simply stated.
"Tell us something we don't know..." Panther deadpanned.
"Um, well then, we finally secured our route to the Treasure! All we need to do now is send the calling card." Mona stated.
"You're right...And once we send it, the heist is the only thing left..." Panther got out as the dyed blond was fending off his potential murderer. "We have to succeed...I'll let you decide when we do it, Joker. Let's make sure we're ready before then!"
"I will Panther. Now let's go home." Joker replied as he took out his phone.
[Now exiting Madarame's Museum of Vanity...Have a nice day.]
(5/25, Evening)
(Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
"I wanna die." Homura groaned out as soon as they entered the apartment.
"That's okay Homu-nee. I do too." Asuka mumbled out before flopping over the couch.
BZZT! BZZT! BZZT!
"Why do they always call during inconvenient times..." Homura whined as they pulled out their phones.
[Sweetkat06: All we have to do is send the calling card to Madarame.]
[Shut7heFUp: All right, it's finally time! Now all we gotta do is decide when we're gonna do it.]
[FireGirl20: Hm...I think we have spare cans from before...]
[Shut7heFUp: Oooo, I get what you're planning...]
[Sweetkat06: Shouldn't we talk to Yusuke about that first?]
[Shut7heFUp: Uhhh, why?]
[Sweetkat06: I mean, Madarame was his teacher.]
[SushiRoll23: Yeah, it's not our place to be deciding something like this.]
[Shut7heFUp: Oh yeah...]
[TheWildJ0ker: Let's talk to Yusuke first and foremost. He's going to be most affected by the change of heart after all.]
[Shut7heFUp: Yeah, this problem's bigger than just the five of us.]
[SushiRoll23: Six! Don't exclude Mona-chan!]
[TheWildJ0ker: He would probably end up getting kicked out to the street.]
[Sweetkat06: Anyway, how about we all meet up at the hideout?]
[Shut7heFUp: Yup, sounds good.]
[FireGirl20: We gotta buy more food...meaning we need more money...]
[FireGirl20: Kiiiiiiill meeeeeeee!]
[TheWildJ0ker: ...]
[TheWildJ0ker: Ok, I think you've been bullying Homura a lot now with this grudge Ann.]
[Shut7heFUp: Yeah...]
[Sweetkat06: ...Fine. One million.]
[FireGirl20: OH THANK GOD THAT'S ACTUALLY ACHIEVABLE! THANK YOU!]
[FireGirl20: Now I just gotta get a job like Sis and her cafe work and modeling!]
[FireGirl20: ...]
[SushiRoll23: And...Homu-nee's depressed...again.]
[Sweetkat06: OK. Lemme know when you want to meet and I'll tell Yusuke.]
[TheWildJ0ker: Why aren't they joining our chats, anyways?]
[Shut7heFUp: ...Shit, I knew I forgot something!]
[All4Painting has been added to the Phantom Thieves Group Chat]
[Negative8Degrees has been added to the Phantom Thieves Group Chat]
"Goddammit, Ryuji..." Homura sighed out.
"There there Homu-nee..." Asuka got out as she patted her roommate's head.
Homura however just let out a dog-like whine in response. "Woof..." She got out in a depressed manner.
"Eh?" Asuka got out in concern as she watched her roommate lay her head down on her lap.
"Sis...can you keep petting my head..." Homura soon requested in a soft tone.
Asuka smiled back to that request. "Sure~" She replied as she kept doing as requested.
"Why do we keep doing several days of exploration in one day...?" Asuka mumbled out.
"Hey, I'd rather not worry about a major deadline hanging over our heads. We just gotta get stronger in order to keep doing this consistently." Homura replied. "And keep chugging Arginade and other SP restoring sodas that Akira keeps pulling out of his pockets." She then added with a sweatdrop.
"Yeah...we have to get stronger every day." Asuka muttered out before yawning. "And I feel plenty strong already..." She then added as she felt herself drifting off to sleep.
"That's good, but there will always be something stronger. Don't overestimate or underestimate." Homura warned.
"Zzzzz..." Asuka soon snored out, her hand still on her roommate's head as her own head was leaning forward.
"Oh come on, I was giving you some good advice..." Homura sighed out as she started to drift off as well.
"Under...stood...Homu...nee..." Asuka mumbled out in her sleep.
(Yongen-Jaya, Leblanc Attic)
Same speech from Sojiro. Same silent acknowledgement. Same damn reminder of the unjust world he lived in. Akira simply brushed it all off as soon as he got up the stairs and changed for bed.
However...
"Akira! Why didn't you mention you had a charm that increases the amount of money we get in battle!?" Morgana exclaimed.
"You mean the glasses?" Akira got out as he studied the object. "Hm, TEDBEAR brand...Heard that's been blowing up recently..." He then muttered.
"...Lady Homura's gonna kill you for this..." Morgana muttered in disbelief.
"Well...what she doesn't know won't kill me just yet." Akira replied with a shrug. "I'll just say I bought them recently." He then added.
"You better. Now go to sleep. You've got school and like hell you're showing up late again." Morgana advised.
Akira sighed before laying down on his makeshift bed, pulled the blanket over his body before drifting off to sleep while Morgana slept on his chest.
(?)
However...as soon as he closed his eyes, he found himself at an odd place. A complete white void.
"She's still trying, I see..." A voice suddenly stated.
Akira's eyes widened. He wasn't alone here.
"Okay, fine. Whatever." A boy with a stoic face sighed out as he walked out of the void. Was he...wearing a school uniform? "You need help, right?" He soon guessed.
"...Yes." Akira replied with a nod.
"Well...I guess you can borrow him for a while then." The boy got out as revealed a holster under his jacket, pulling out an odd-looking gun. "Just don't kill yourself, okay?" The boy finished with a small smirk before handing the Phantom Thieves Leader the gun.
Before he could even ask for his name, Akira woke up in a cold sweat...with the same gun in his hand.
Save Game... Quit!
(Persona Tracking)
Joker
Level: 23
Personas: Arsene (Resist: Curse) (Weak: Ice, Bless), Jack Frost (Null: Ice) (Weak: Fire), Kushi Mitama (Resist: Wind) (Weak: Fire), Shiisaa (Resist: Physical, Gun) (Null: Bless) (Weak: Curse), Saki Mitama (Resist: Ice) (Weak: Electric), Franken (Resists: Bless, Earth) (Drain: Electric) (Weak: Curse, Psycho), Mermaid (Resists: Water, Fire) (Weak: Electric, Earth), Archangel (Null: Bless) (Weak: Curse, Electric), Ame-no-Uzume (Drain: Fire) (Weak: Psychic)
Persona Trait: Arsene- Last Stand (Allows use of ambush-only skills after Baton Pass.), Jack Frost- Ice Lineage (Chance to halve costs of Ice skills), Kushi Mitama- Life Focus (Increase self's HP regen skills by 50%), Shiisa- Nuke Lineage (Chance to halve the cost of Nuke skills.), Saki Mitama- Self Hypnosis (Prolongs buffs cast on self by 1 turn), Franken- Elec Bloodline (Chance to halve costs of Electric Skills), Mermaid- Wet Bloodline (Chance to decrease cost of Water skills), Archangel- Chained Technique (Raises damage after Baton Pass), Ame-no-Uzume- Elec Bloodline (Decreases SP cost of Elec skills by half)
Skills: Eiha, Cleave, Sukunda, Dream Needle, Adverse Resolve, Mudo, Baisudi, Bufu (X3) Mabufu, Ice Break, Rakunda, Ice Boost, Garu, Makajama, Media, Regenerate 1, Wind Wall (X2), Growth 1, Forget Boost, Double Fang, Skull Cracker, Zio, Rampage, Dodge Curse, Dodge Elec, Energy Drop, Resist Dizzy, Bufula, Aqua, Media, Rakukaja (X3), Lunge, Zionga, Mamagna, Dazzler, Hama, Psi, Rebellion, Makouha, Varja Blast. Mazio, Mapsi, Bufula, Diarama, Tentarafoo, Divine Grace, Shock Boost
Accessory: SP Adhesive 1 (Skill: Invigorate 1)
Yin
Level: 23
Persona: Kaeru (Resist: Earth, Fire) (Weak: Wind, Gun)
Persona Trait: Path of Light- Gain some HP when using support/healing skills
Skills: Magna, Media, Sukukaja, Lucky Punch, Mamagna
Confidant Rank: Rank 3
Accessory: Chakra Choker (Effect: +SP 10)
Yang
Level: 23
Persona: Wolverine (Resist: Physical, Gun, Fire, Wind) (Weak: Water, Earth, Bless, Psychokinesis)
Persona Trait: Path of Crimson- Gain some HP when using Physical/Magic skills
Skills: Agi, Cleave, Gurentou, Regenerate 1, Terror Claw
Confidant Rank: Rank 3
Accessory: Yin Yang Pin (Effect: +Reduce Curse and Bless damage (Low))
Mona
Level: 22
Persona: Zorro (Resist: Wind) (Weak: Elec)
Persona Trait: Proud Presence (Increases effect of allies' healing skills)
Skills: Garu, Dia, Patra, Media, Lucky Punch, Magaru, Me Patra
Confidant Rank: Rank 2
Accessory: Breath Sash (Effect: +10 HP)
Skull
Level: 22
Persona: Captain Kidd (Resist: Elec) (Weak: Wind, Earth)
Persona Trait: Raging Temper (Might increase allies' physical attacks by 40%)
Skills: Lunge, Zio, Tarukaja, Headbutt, Adverse Resolve, Rampage, Mazio
Confidant Rank: Rank 4
Accessory: Wind Ring (Effect: +Reduce Wind damage (Low))
Panther
Level: 22
Persona: Carmen (Resist: Fire) (Weak: Ice, Water)
Persona Trait: Mastery of Magic (May decrease SP cost of allies' magic skills)
Skills: Agilao, Dia, Dormina, Tarunda, Maragi, Dekaja,
Confidant Rank: Rank 2
Accessory: 2nd Mate Badge (Effect: +10 HP)
Fox
Level: 22
Persona: Goemon (Resists: Ice) (Weak: Fire)
Persona Trait: Scoundrel Eyes (High chance to evade Phys attacks for all allies.)
Skills: Bufu, Giant Slice, Sukukaja, Vicious Strike, Mabufu, Counter
Accessory: Bold Eyepatch (Effect: +Evade Physical (Low))
Widow
Level: 23
Persona: Fūma (Resists: Ice, Water) (Weak: Fire, Curse)
Persona Trait: Dance of Justice- Chance to trigger a Baton Pass for the next ally when hitting a resistance
Skills: Bufula,Aqua, Ice Boost, Water Boost, Dazzler.
Confidant Rank: Rank 1
Accessory: Zodiac Charm (Effect: +2 Magic)
(Persona Analysis)
Nozuchi (Mountainous Snake Spirit)
Arcana: ?
Repels: Electricity
Weak: Ice
Skills: Zionga, Rakukaja, Mabufula, Magnara, Evil Touch
Description: In Japanese mythology, the Nozuchi or Nodzuchi is a spirit of the earth that is found in open plains hiding in the shadows of the plants and trees. While it is not an evil or mischievous spirit, it is wild and uncontrollable, thus it will sometimes bring harm to humans it sees as intruders or threats. Its name means "God of the plains." It is also another name for the serpent monster Tsuchinoko, which is now seen more as a cryptid that takes the form of a fat snake. As Kayanohime or Kaya-no-hime it is a goddess of the fields and grass born from Izanami. Together with Ohoyamatsumi they would bear eight children.
Okay, so this is going to be a mashup of Persona 5 and Royal from now on. I... have to admit, it would be easier to just keep it with base P5, to stick to the fundamentals but there are more fun events in Royal that I want to write too... Ugh... This is too much work for such minor details though...
UknownHero signing off, my friends.
