Hey, UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of Senran Persona. So…I decided to go to a different path in my life. I no longer want to make games, I decided to pursue what I've been doing for the past several years: writing. I've done it daily since high school so…why not?
Anyways, onto the reviews! To Dartz: Well, I'll take those story options into consideration. They seem interesting enough to explore in different stories or maybe a side thing. To WX-Lazer: Well, the Committee Confidants are just things we sort of make up on the fly and affects the whole team. We're also figuring out their requirements too. We did not think this through.
Anyway, that's it! Time to rob some banks.
Load Game… Start!
Chapter 60: Burglars of the Bank 1
(6/23, Early Morning)
(Shinjuku, New Moon Apartment)
Makoto woke up to the sound of her phone's alarm going off and let out a breath. "Every time I look up now, I expect to see the ceiling, not this unfamiliar oneeee...!" She thought only for a shadow to edge into her view and...
SMOOSH!
"Minori-san...stop feeding the wolves...candy..." Yumi murmured in her sleep, unaware of her current murder of her temporary roommate.
"YUMI-SAN!?" Makoto exclaimed in a muffled manner while her head was being smothered by the light grey haired girl's breast as said girl was still sleeping peacefully. "...It feels like my Buchimaru-kun plushie..." She unintentionally admitted in her head.
However, since she was dying, she focused all her strength in trying to get the girl off her, but with no avail, once more reminding the Shujin Student Council President of the strength of a shinobi.
Yumi meanwhile groaned in her sleep as her face scrunched up. "Shiki-san, please cease those actions..." She mumbled out while tightening her hold.
SMUSH!
As Makoto lost hope of ever surviving this morning and was beginning to let herself lose consciousness, she was saved...by a pigeon eating shit on the window.
SMACK!
The light haired girl's eyes shot immediately open as a result as she sat up. "WHO'S THERE!?" Yumi demanded, already aiming her one of fans at her supposed enemy while her other arm was still holding onto the other girl's head.
"Mmmmm..." Makoto groaned out before slipping out of the girl's hold and back onto the futon.
That immediately got Yumi's attention as she looked down to see her roommate with swirls in her eyes. "Ah, Makoto-san. I'm sorry, did I wake you?" She innocently asked with a tilt of her head.
"Was...awake...before...you..." Makoto mumbled out in a dazed manner. "Soft...very soft...Yumi-san..." She then added before shaking her head.
Yumi however blinked to that response in confusion. "Wait a moment...was I smothering you in my breasts while I was sleeping?" She soon guessed in awkward concern.
"...A little." Makoto responded. "Then again, I thought it was the pillow as well before waking up..." She then admitted.
The light grey haired girl soon winced to learning this. "I apologize for this Makoto-san." Yumi respectfully got out in shame while bowing to the other girl.
Makoto however sighed as she struggled to stand before regaining her footing. "Ugh...it's too early to have a near-death experience..." She mumbled out. "You really have a strong hold though Yumi-san." She then revealed in a more impressed tone.
"I don't think I can take that as a compliment right now..." Yumi sighed out. "I will go make breakfast, you go and shower. We have a big day ahead of us." She then offered and instructed.
"Thank you." Makoto responded with a nod as she made her way to the bathroom and began to undress.
The Shujin Student Council President then looked at her naked body as she blinked a couple of times. "...I wonder if I could ever get breasts like Homura-san, Asuka-san and Yumi-san..." Makoto offhandedly thought to herself while unintentionally cupping her breasts before heading into the shower.
(Hebijo Academy)
Mornings were early at the Evil Shinobi academy while the greenette was running her group of the Elites and ignoring the ramblings of her senior.
Mirai meanwhile doing one last check on her fanfiction chapter writing on her computer to make sure everything was good before going to training herself.
BZZT! BZZT!
"Hm?" Mirai hummed out as she looked at her phone and saw the Caller ID. "Haruka-sama?" She muttered in a curious manner as she went and answered the call. "Hello?" She soon asked.
"Ufufu~ Good morning Mirai~" Haruka happily greeted from the other side of the line with a giggle. "Is everything going well~?" She then questioned.
"Yeah, for now at least." Mirai replied as she glanced out the door. "Uh, do you have a cold or something?" She then asked.
"Nope. Actually, I feel worse~" Haruka soon confessed.
Mirai however blinked in confusion upon hearing that. "...You should not say that so happily..." She then pointed out.
"I don't care and you can't stop me~" Haruka sang out.
Though however worried the first year. "H-Haruka-sama, is something wrong?" Mirai soon asked in concern. "You sound...different?" She then added, though confused.
"Hmm~" Hatuka hummed out. "Well, I guess falling for someone changes a person~" She then confessed with a happy and blissful sigh.
"...Eh?" Mirai got out, not sure if she heard that right. "W-What did you just say?" She then asked.
"Hmm~? That I've fallen head over heels for a boy~" Haruka casually replied.
The first year's eye immediately widened to learning that. "You what!?" Mirai exclaimed in disbelief over the phone.
"Hai, I honestly had fallen for Homura-chan's friend...before being rejected by him~" Haruka replied and revealed over the phone in a daze yet happy sounding manner.
"You were WHAT!?" Mirai exclaimed once more over the phone. "He rejected you Haruka-sama!? How dare he!?" She then asked and declared in anger with a growl.
"Now now Mirai-chan, there's no need to be angry at Akira-kun~" Haruka however chided.
"B-But how and why did you fall for him!?" Mirai then questioned in confusion. "Wait a minute, Haruka-sama never calls me Mirai-chan! Something is really wrong here!" She mentally exclaimed in a panic. "I...I have to go now for training with Hikage and the others Haruka-sama." She hesitantly got out.
"Ok Mirai-chan~ Have fun~" Haruka replied. "Make sure to keep training so you can become big and strong~" She then added before hanging up.
Mirai soon looked at her phone as she placed it down...
SLAM!
And shut down the laptop before heading to her closet.
She needed to pack. Now.
Hebijo orders be damned.
(6/23, After School)
(Shibuya, Central Street)
Classes had come and gone quickly as everyone left for the day and began to get themselves ready.
"Vegan Meat Gum?" Asuka muttered to herself as she left the convenience store with the bag of groceries. "Moh, if we didn't like the normal Meat Gum, then why would we eat this version of it!? Why are people so desperate to taste meat!? Even Homu-nee hated it!" She then ranted.
"Asuka-san, are you talking to yourself?" A familiar voice spoke up, causing the Vice Leader to jump.
"A-Ah! Yumi-chan!?" Asuka yelped out.
"Hai, good afternoon Asuka-san." Yumi greeted with a smile and a small giggle.
"H-Hi, Yumi-chan." Asuka replied in a weak tone. "Are you on your way to the apartment?" She then asked.
"Yes." Yumi answered with a nod before looking down to see the plastic bags in her friend's hands. "Ah, doing some shopping before the meeting?" She soon guessed.
"Yup. Just some snacks though. Homu-nee's stuck at school doing some stuff for the staff." Asuka replied and informed.
"Did she get in trouble?" Yumi soon asked.
Asuka however shook her head to that. "No, she's cleaning the cafeteria. She uh...sort of unintentionally insulted them the other day since she's a better cook..." She sheepishly explained.
"...So she got in trouble." Yumi soon guessed.
"Yeah, a little." Asuka replied.
"...Homura-san is a good cook though." Yumi however had to admit.
"I know, right? But maybe she should learn to use a softer voice." Asuka got out.
"Well, that's what the elegance training is for." Yumi stated before smiling. "Thank you for the suggestion Asuka-san. Oh yes, and congratulations again on making it into that runway show you mentioned." She soon thanked and congratulated. "I wish you the best of luck on it." She then added in an encouraging tone.
"Thanks." Asuka replied with a smile and a blush. "Hey, Yumi-chan, have we ever hung out like this?" She then suddenly asked.
"Well there was that sparring match we had." Yumi reminded before thinking about it. "But...Not really having a calm moment like this." She then added.
"Hai, we should do it more often." Asuka suggested. "We could learn from one another." She then added.
"That sounds like a good idea. Plus, it will allow us to work better together in battle." Yumi agreed with a nod.
This instantly caused the Vice Leader to recall what happened during their newest member's first trip to the Metaverse.
"You know, after seeing Homu-nee and Makoto-chan do that awesome fire nuke attack, I sort of wondered how we could mix our elements." Asuka suddenly admitted.
"Really?" Yumi responded with a raised eyebrow with curiosity in her voice.
"Well...You know, fire and nuclear are pretty deadly elements so I was wondering if we could mix our attacks with each other." Asuka explained.
"But would ice and earth work well together?" Yumi however asked.
"I would think so." Asuka replied before shaking her head. "I dunno, but I think we can combine our shinobi techniques to do something great." She then declared.
"Well me and Homura-san came up with a combo, though we aren't sure if it would work." Yumi sheepishly admitted.
"Hey, with what we do, anything's possible." Asuka replied in an encouraging tone. "Like, I can imagine it right now..." She began as she then went on to describe how the two would work together.
"My word Asuka-san, that sounds incredible." Yumi breathed out in amazement. "But...isn't it a little...out there?" She then asked in concern.
"Well, if we train together, we can pull it off!" Asuka declared in a determined manner with stars in her eyes while taking the other girl's hands into her own.
"But how would we channel the spirits of our-" Yumi began.
"It'll be fine." Asuka replied in reassurance while waving it off. "Oh, the time! We're going to be late for the meeting! We need to leave!" She then informed.
"Then let me help you with your groceries." Yumi soon got out as she took some bags out of the Vice Leader's hands.
Seeing that Yumi wasn't going to take no for an answer, Asuka decided to let her take them as they both made their way to the hideout together.
(Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
Akira had stopped by Untouchable to pick up some equipment so he was carrying a few paper bags while he was walking to the apartment, talking with Morgana all the while.
"I'm not telling you what I did with Haruka-san the other day." Akira stated in a deadpan tone.
"Come on...!" Morgana whined out.
"No." Akira insisted. "I'd rather keep it to myself." He then added while blushing.
"You're not hiding anything in case I go and try to scratch her eyes out for something she did to you?" Morgana questioned.
"That isn't necessary." Akira responded while narrowing his eyes in disapproval.
"SHE! KIDNAPPED! YOU!" Morgana reminded.
"Water under the bridge." Akira replied while waving it off. "And she apologized for it." He then added.
"Saying sorry isn't enough for kidnapping!" Morgana called out. "...You're not charmed by her thanks to all those sexy pics she sent are you!?" He then suddenly accused.
"No, it's nothing like that." Akira assured, though blushed a bit. "Just figured there's more to her than I thought." He vaguely added. "And I want to know." He mentally admitted in a more serious tone to remembering the troubled expression on the girl's face.
"Look, just be careful, okay?" Morgana got out. "I can't stand seeing you so...so...so..." He struggled out.
Akira winced as he remembered how worried the not cat must've been when he was knocked out by the tan skinned girl's friend. "I will. Now, Makoto asked for tekko, right?" He replied and asked to change the subject.
"Yeah." Morgana replied with a nod. "You spent quite a chunk of yen on her equipment. Hopefully it should be good for the Palace." He added.
"Yeah." Akira replied with a nod before sighing. "I gotta start sacrificing Personas more." He soon thought before spotting a piece of paper taped to the door of the hideout.
"Dear Akira, because we know you're going to be here first. You can let yourself in but you have to pick the lock as we don't have a spare key. Think of this as a test of your lockpicking skills in the real world. Your reward is whatever is in the fridge. Asuka and Homura. PS, you are responsible in case the apartment burns down." Akira read out loud. "...That's really scary."He thought before swiftly taking out his lockpicks.
About two seconds later, Akira took off his shoes and went inside. "Damn, point two slower than my PB." He muttered to himself as he sat down on the couch. "Getting rusty. Can't let that happen." He then admitted.
"You can't let your skills dull, Akira." Morgana advised in a scolding tone. "A thief is always in practice. For example, I constantly use my skills to sneak into the pachinko parlor and play a few rounds." He then advised and revealed.
"You play pachinko?" Akira however asked as he tried to imagine how that worked.
"Nyahahaha! And quite well too." Morgana stated in a proud tone before his face fell. "Can't earn any money though...but they do give me fish whenever they find me!" He admitted with a grin.
"I thought you said you snuck in." Akira chuckled out before smacking his lips together. "I should've grabbed a drink on the way here. You want something to drink, Morgana?" He then offered.
"Sure." Morgana replied as the Leader got a bowl and a bottle of green tea. Once he filled the bowl with water, he placed it on the table for him and sat back down, the two silently enjoying their drinks. "...Eureka!" He suddenly declared.
"Hm?" Akira hummed out. "What's up?" He then asked.
"Nyahahaha...Curious, eh? Well, I've come up with a super cool idea." Morgana before hearts appeared in his eyes. "Lady Ann will surely swoon for me if I-" He then began, however...
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"It's open!" Akira casually informed.
"Whew! Am I..." Ann breathed out as she entered before looking around to see it was only Akira and Morgana there. "Early...? Wow, I thought I was late but even the ones living here aren't here yet..." She then mumbled to herself.
"Ah, just the person I wanted to see." Morgana sighed out in delight.
"Yeah. Supposedly, his idea will make you swoon." Akira however remarked in amusement.
"Swoon...?" Ann however repeated in confusion.
"I-Ignore him!" Morgana stammered out, surely blushing under his fur. "I-It's just something I've been giving a lot of thought lately." He soon began. "Now that we've all gained some battle experience in the Metaverse, I think it'd be good for us to work on our finishers." He then revealed.
"Our finishers?" Ann repeated in a curious manner before nodding in understanding. "Yeah, I guess if we're going to keep fighting, we ought to do it in style." She then admitted.
"Right? Right!?" Morgana got out in an excited tone. "So, I came up with just the idea. It's maybe my best one yet! And we can definitely pull it off if you play a part in it, Lady Ann!" He soon revealed and declared.
"Me?" Ann responded as she pointed at herself. "Well, okay, what do you need me to do?" She soon asked.
"Now that's our Lady Ann! Quick on the uptake." Morgana soon praised. "What I had in mind was..." He soon began.
And thus, Akira and Ann listened to an increasingly incredulous description of Morgana's finisher as he flailed about trying to convey his idea.
"...And that should do the trick!" Morgana concluded.
"...Really?" Ann got out in a skeptical tone.
"So, is that a no?" Morgana however asked in concern.
"Well, it's not that I don't want to...it's more like, isn't your idea sorta...impossible? Even in the Metaverse?" Ann explained herself.
"Where would you get the flowers in the first place?" Akira had to ask. "Like, are roses even in season right now? Actually, I can probably check that out..." He then muttered to himself.
SHINE!
Suddenly, everyone in the room saw something glow blue inside the Leader's pocket.
"Huh? What was that?" Ann had to ask.
"I don't know..." Akira got out as he pulled out the star Jose gave them. "Did it react to Morgana's attack idea?" He then muttered.
Before he could think about it more, the door opened to reveal the Vice Leader and the light grey haired girl, who proceeded to dump bags full of snacks onto the table.
"Hi guys." Asuka greeted.
"Glad you could make it to the hideout." Akira replied as he leaned back a little in a relaxed manner.
"Don't act like you own the place..." Yumi sighed out as she sat next to the Leader.
"Well, I did when I was the first one here." Akira simply replied as he grabbed a matcha cookie.
"Ah...Japanese convenience store food is much better than the US stuff." Ann breathed out as she grabbed the rich chocolate cake. "You only get snacks and junk food there, but never actual meals." She soon lamented.
"How did you two end up coming here together?" Akira meanwhile asked in a curious manner while he opened up the tuna mayonnaise onigiri for Morgana.
"Ah, we just met up at Central Street." Asuka answered as she sat down to eat some of the onigiri.
"It seemed like you were in the middle of your own conversation." Yumi deducted.
"We were just talking about finishers. Ending our battles in style." Morgana informed.
"Aren't All-Out Attacks enough?" Asuka got out with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, but it all becomes a blur. Let's have a little fun with it, you know?" Morgana replied with a smirk.
Asuka couldn't help but giggle at that. "Actually, me and Yumi-chan were talking about it too on our way here." She then admitted. "It went something like..." She soon started as she began explaining the details of her idea with the light grey haired girl.
The others meanwhile blinked as they listened to everything. "...You came up with something like that before coming here?" Akira asked.
"It's a little silly, I know, but it would-" Asuka replied, however...
SHINE!
"Hm? It glowed again." Morgana got out.
"Hm? Oh, is it that star the little boy gave us?" Yumi assumed in a curious manner.
"Yeah, for some reason it glowed before when Morgana mentioned his own idea." Ann revealed and explained.
"Really? But why is it-" Asuka started.
Suddenly, the apartment door opened as the tan skinned girl entered. "I'm back!" Homura called out before closing the door behind her. "Urgh...those cooking ladies really held a grudge..." She then bemoaned. "Can't believe they wanted me to make tomorrow's meals for everyone..." She soon grumbled out.
"That's cruel and unusual." Akira got out as he blinked. "I mean you are a better cook than the staff..." He then admitted as the other Shujin student there nodded in agreement.
"Well, I totally showed those cooks. I cleaned the kitchen spotless!" Homura bragged before it hit her. "...Wait." She soon got out in realization.
"...You just got played." Akira stated, causing the tan skinned girl to groan. "I'm somewhat impressed enough to give them a begrudging high-five." He then admitted.
"We can never really escape from people abusing their power, huh...?" Ann muttered out.
"Yeah..." Homura admitted with a sigh. "So, what were you guys talking about?" She soon asked.
"Killing Shadows with style." Akira casually revealed.
"Don't we already do that?" Homura however pointed out.
"Even more stylish ways." Morgana corrected with a grin.
Homura narrowed her eyes before gasping. "Oh right, me and Yumi have something like that too!" She soon revealed.
Yumi's eyes meanwhile brightened to that. "Oh yes, Homura-san and I came up with a wondrous idea as well." She then stated with a smile.
"Really? You two as well?" Asuka meanwhile asked with a smile of her own.
"Yeah! It involved..." Homura began as she and the light grey haired girl began explaining their idea with gusto.
After they were done, the others couldn't help but look bewildered.
"...I'm honestly surprised Yumi would go along with that idea." Akira admitted with the not cat nodding in agreement.
"It is pretty exciting, though I still don't know where we'll get the-" Yumi began, however...
SHINE!
Homura soon raised an eyebrow as she noticed the shard flashing. "Ok, since when did that happen?" She soon asked.
"Okay, what is with this thing?" Akira however muttered to himself. "Didn't work when we tried back in Mementos, but now it's flashing like a drunk girl in a concert."
"...How in the world did you make that comparison?" Homura and Yumi however questioned in perfect sync.
One flashback to a traumatic event one weekend during his elementary school days later, Akira decided to not say anything.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Hey! It's us! We got Makoto!" Ryuji's voice called out.
"Keep it down." Makoto's voice however chided.
"But there's no one here..." They heard Yusuke point out.
"Come in, the door's unlocked but lock it on your way in." Homura called out.
Almost instantly, the Shujin Student Council President came through the door with Ryuji and Yusuke following her.
While the two boys were wearing their uniform, Makoto was wearing a black hoodie, a black beanie cap, black sweatpants, gloves, sunglasses and surgery mask.
"Oh thank God." Makoto breathed out as she took off the medical mask before she started taking off all the heavy clothes she wore.
"Sunglasses, senpai?" Homura asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I had to disguise myself somehow." Makoto casually replied as she revealed she was wearing her uniform underneath all the clothes. "...I-It was better than just a magazine to say the least..." She then confessed in embarrassment.
"But terrible for the weather." Akira quipped out.
"You two escorted Makoto here?" Ann guessed as the two boys sat down.
"Yeah. Saw her tripping over herself on the way here." Ryuji informed before taking a bag of chips. "You stand out so much more wearing that shit than if you were in your uniform." He then added.
"But we weren't followed so I consider that a success." Makoto panted out before taking in a deep breath. "Do you have water?" She soon requested.
"...Yes?" Homura answered before getting up. "Let me get you a glass...or four given how sweaty you look." She then offered.
"Maybe Ann-chan can take you shopping to get you some new clothes." Asuka soon suggested.
"She already did." Makoto informed. "The day after I got my Persona." She then added as Homura came back with a few cups of water.
"Oh yeah...the trip you excluded me from." Homura grumbled under her breath as the Shujin Council President drank down the water.
"We'll plan another girls' day out later. You know, to celebrate our recent achievements." Ann assured before getting serious. "But right now, we need to focus on our current situation with Kaneshiro." She then added.
"You know, I never imagined I would be part of the Phantom Thieves," Makoto soon admitted. "And never in such a bad way...Things would get interesting if my sister ever found out..." She then added.
"It would definitely be interesting if your sister saw how you fight." Akira got out, causing the newest member to blush. She did get a little unhinged back there.
"There's no time to be getting sentimental here." Morgana sighed out as he shook his head.
"Yes, I understand. I do have one request about all of this though. Can you teach me how to be a phantom thief? Like...about the Metaverse, for example." Makoto replied and requested.
"Simply put, that world is formed of a person's cognition. There, you can change people's hearts." Yusuke explained.
"Yeah, I've gathered that much just from going there once." Makoto got out before frowning. "But the method of transportation still eludes me...I mean, it's a smartphone navigation app of all things..." She then added, slight disbelief in her tone.
"It's weird, we know, but it's certainly convenient." Asuka got out with a shrug.
"And pretty easy to use. You only need a name, a location, and a distortion. After the first entry, the Palace is bookmarked." Ryuji then informed and listed off what was needed.
"You really just make it sound like an ordinary app...Aren't there any dangers associated with it?" Makoto continued to ask in concern.
"Not really." Yumi answered. "However, it does have a range so if anyone's too close they can be pulled in as well. But other than that, it is perfectly safe." She then added.
"Yeah, you don't gotta worry 'bout it! We've already used it a bunch of times and-" The dyed blond assured, only for their newest to stop him.
"That's not what I mean. It's a navigation app, right? Couldn't someone easily access our history on the server?" Makoto soon pointed.
All the other Thieves' eyes soon widened to that, however Akira just shrugged as he pulled out his phone. "Well, I doubt it." The Leader answered. "I mean...it's basically magic. Science will never explain how...any of this works, or else it can't be supernatural. I don't think there's a server to even discover in the first place. Plus, it doesn't take up any storage on our phones and I can turn off my Wi-Fi and data and it still works fine." He then added as he looked through his phone's files.
"You know, I bet even if we changed phones, the MetaNav will come with it..." Homura then assumed.
"Still...there's a lot of things we don't know about the Nav or the Metaverse..." Ann muttered out. "Maybe our benefactor has the answer. They're the one putting the app on our phones." She soom suggested.
"Benefactor?" Makoto repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"Look, it's...really complicated, but just know we have someone who would love for humanity to not destroy itself." Akira explained as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Just accept it and move on. You'll sleep better at night." He then added.
"Yeah. The MetaNav is completely safe for us to use as long as we don't pull people in by accident." Morgana stated.
"True...An app that allows you to enter another world isn't exactly commonplace..." Makoto muttered. "Well, Sis doesn't know who the Phantom Thieves are, so I suppose our information is safe for now." She then admitted.
"And it will remain safe. We will assure that." Yumi stated in reassurance.
"We're still learning things ourselves. I hope your sharp wit can help us with that." Morgana got out.
"Thank you. I'll do my best." Makoto replied with a bow.
"So, what's our time limit again? I doubt we have much time to spare at this point." Asuka soon asked as she frowned.
"Kaneshiro's henchman gave me a reminder at lunch. July 9th." Makoto informed as she checked her phone just in case.
"There is absolutely no way anyone can pay 100,000,000 yen by then unless they're insanely rich." Ann stated with a frown. "And we do not know anyone with that kind of cash." She then added.
(Asakusa)
"ACHOO!" Ikaruga suddenly sneezed out before taking out a handkerchief to wipe her nose. "Strange, I thought pollen season had already passed." She murmured to herself before picking back up her binoculars.
"Heh, I bet Asuka's talkin' about you." Katsuragi giggled before she narrowed her eyes at the place.
The ravenette meanwhile glanced towards her friend. "You've been on quite good behaviour lately." Ikaruga remarked. "Have you finally found something to satiate your need for breasts?" She soon questioned in slight annoyance.
"Meh." Katsuragi replied in a bored tone.
Ikaruga couldn't help but sigh...only to realize what the busty blonde's response was. "...You're not...groping anyone?" She hesitantly questioned in an uneasy tone and widened eyes.
Katsuragi however shrugged her shoulders at that. "Nah." She answered, confusing the ravenette. "I'm deciding to take a break. Kinda lost its luster after everyone got used to it or tied me up. So I'm going to be a bit more...restrained." She then promised.
"..." Ikaruga tried to say...something, but nothing came out of her mouth.
"...What?" Katsuragi got out in a dim manner.
"..." Ikaruga was still silent as she looked at the blonde with the same uneasy expression.
"Ikaruga, the mission?" The busty blonde then reminded the temporary leader.
"R-Right." Ikaruga got out, shaking her head as the two dashed away.
(Gessen Academy)
"ACHOO!" Murakumo sneezed out, coming out so hard she...
CRASH!
...Smashed her head through a table.
"Ooh...That sounded painful." Shiki winced out. "Looks like you're out of the rotation. Guess Minori-chi will be pulling double duty tonight." She then lamented.
"..." Murakuma, however, remained silent as she just...stood there. Unmoving.
"What's wrong?" Shiki asked in concern.
"...I need to clean my mask." Murakumo calmly informed as the blonde saw a little blood leaking out of it.
(Asakusa)
"Achoo!" Haru suddenly sneezed, a little miffed she couldn't wipe her nose. "Oh my, was someone talking about me? Oh I hope it's Asu-chan." She then hoped with a wide and innocent smile.
"BITCH, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" A very mean man yelled out as he grabbed her by her shirt."You're gonna be-" He then started in a threatening tone, but...
Haru's expression suddenly brightened (even more) with a smile on her face, completely unphased by the angered yet lustful look he was giving her. "Ah! Ika-chan! It's been far too long!"
"Who are-" The very mean man got out in confusion...before a white boot met the back of his head.
SHINK! WHAM!
It knocked the man out instantly and at the same time Haru was freed from her binds.
"Wow, you've really gotten better." Haru casually informed. "Only twelve minutes this time!" She then added in an impressed tone.
"You know the drill, Okumura-san. We'll have you home without anyone knowing you were gone." Ikaruga calmly informed as she tied the man up for the police.
Haru however giggled in response. "I know. We do need to stop meeting like this though, Ika-chan." She replied and added in a joking manner.
The ravenette quickly blushed to that. "J-Just stay here while I take care of the guards. Katsuragi-san should escort you out shortly." Ikaruga stammered out in a flustered manner before leaping away.
"Ok ok." Haru responded with a nod and a giggle as she watched the ravenette get to work.
Just another kidnapping and rescue for the fluffy haired girl.
(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)
"Well...right here, anyways." Asuka and Yumi unintentionally muttered under their breaths to themselves at the same time.
"And it's not like we're gonna pay him in the first place." Homura growled.
"And that's why he's threatening us. If we can't pay he'll do much worse than just blackmail." Makoto stated with an angered look on her face before calming down. "But for now, we need to stop him from releasing those photos." She soon reminded
"Yeah, Makoto-senpai's life will go down the drain if the public were to get a hold of them..." Homura sighed out.
"I can only imagine what could happen if we fail then..." Ann mumbled out.
"Stop that! We aren't failing no matter what!" Asuka soon declared. "We've already won! Kaneshiro's heart is already ours!" She then added with a fierce expression on her face.
"Yeah. C'mon, we just gotta take care of him before the time limit. We'll bounce back from this." Ryuji assured.
"Yeah, this is the perfect opportunity. And hey, we're proving our justice to everyone all the while! It's a win-win-win for everyone!" Morgana cheered out.
"Oh yeah...That detective guy...forgot about him..." Homura muttered out as she checked the Phan-site. "At this rate, the Phan-site will become another Akechi fan page." She then added.
"Remember, we only have until the 7th to infiltrate the Palace. We'll need a day to prepare the calling card and then another to steal the Treasure." Yumi soon reminded everyone as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Yeah yeah yeah, we've already been through it. Come on, Joker, let's go!" Ryuji got out in an excited tone.
"Alright, ready to rob a bank?" Akira questioned as he smirked.
"We'll pick it clean!" Asuka declared as they all got up to head to Central Street.
[Now entering Kaneshiro's Bank of Gluttony...]
(Kaneshiro's Bank of Gluttony, Bank Entrance)
Soon enough, the Phantom Thieves arrived at Kaneshiro's Bank, driving up the ramp rather than walking like last time.
"Alright, we're here." Joker announced as he stepped out of the car...just as the Shujin Student Council President arrived on her Persona. "Are you sure you don't want to ride in the Morganamobile?" He then asked.
"There are only seven seats. No room for me." Makoto pointed out as she returned Johanna and her mask reformed on her face.
"Ah! I'm sorry. Give me one second." Mona got out before he began grunting and...forcing it.
"Mona, are you okay? You sound a little-" Panther asked in concern.
"No! J-Just...Hrrrrrrnnnnnn...!" Mona struggled out.
"Uuuhhh...You're going to break something!" Skull got out in a fearful tone as he stepped back.
"Just! One! More! MMMMEEEEEOOOOWWWWW!"
POOF!
"Ta da~ Extra seats!" Mona got out in a proud manner, his car form now having a larger caboose for four extra people.
"Uh...you okay?" Yang meanwhile asked.
"Perfectly fine." Mona assured before turning back into his Metaverse form. "How's the new equipment?" He soon asked as their newest member adjusted the grappling hook mounted on her forearm.
"Okay, we're just moving on then." Panther mumbled out with a sigh.
"A little tight but it won't distract me." Makoto replied as she stretched her limbs to get a feel for her outfit. "How did you get all this stuff?" She then asked in a curious manner.
"A couple of deals, a little crafting, some yen and a lot of playing therapist." Joker answered as he pulled on his glove.
"You sure do have an interesting life, Aki-MMPH!" Makoto remarked, only for the tan skinned girl to cover her mouth.
"Sorry about that, senpai, but we're very serious about that." Yang whispered, getting a nod in response as she uncovered her friend's mouth.
"Alright everyone, let's get through the Palace in one day!" Joker soon commanded with enthusiasm.
"Oh, this is gonna suck..." Panther groaned at seeing the gleam in the Leader's eyes.
"Yes, but given the situation, speeding up our infiltration is the best course of action right now." Fox stated. "We cannot afford to waste time." He then added.
"Right. So, what am I going to be called?" Makoto eventually asked. "You all were using codenames, weren't you?" She then added.
"You're quite perceptive." Fox soon complimented.
"Yeah. Joker, Yin, Yang, Mona, Skull, Panther, Widow and Fox." Joker listed off as he pointed at the respective person when he said their name. "It helps in hiding our identities and keeping the ruler's aggression off us in reality." He then explained.
"This time's a hard one..." Skull muttered out as he gave the new member an up-down. "Maybe somethin' like uh...Shoulder Pads?" He then suggested.
"Why in the world would you focus on that...?" Mona deadpanned.
"Keep it snappy, Skull. One word. Like Brawler." Yang stated.
"I refuse to be called either of those things!" Makoto bluntly responded.
"What about...Rider?" Fox suggested.
"Like the kids show?" Joker soon asked before thinking about it. "Well she does have a muffler like Ichigo." He then added.
"Huh? Well, I guess so with her Persona bein' a motorcycle..." Skull got out.
"Not the device to reduce the noise emitted by the exhaust of an internal combustion engine, the scarf around her neck." Widow corrected like the disappointed parent she felt like sometimes.
"Sounds too much like a smuggler. Next." Makoto denied as she shook her head. "Plus I don't deserve the same title as Kamen Rider Ichigo..." She meanwhile added in her head.
"Fixer?" Panther then suggested.
"A person who makes arrangements for other people, especially of an illicit or devious kind." Joker muttered out. "I don't know, that sounds more like me..." He added a little awkwardly.
"Hmm...Metal?" Yin soon suggested. "Oh! Iron!" She then added with a snap of her fingers.
"That sounds like I'm part of a biker gang." Makoto sighed out. "Won't you give me something better to work with?" She soon requested.
"Well we know Priestess won't work..." Widow muttered out.
"She actually reminds me more of an empress than anything else." Mona admitted in a dreamy tone.
The Leader then gave the newest member one last up-down, examining her as he did so. "...Queen." Joker soon answered.
"Whoa, I totally see it!" Panther got out.
"Beautiful, yet it sounds brutal and commanding at the same time..." Widow muttered out.
"It fits so well that I'm at a loss for words here." Mona admitted.
"Queen...That has a nice ring to it. I like it." Makoto got out. "That brutal and commanding part is a little uncalled for though." She however added.
"Sorry." Widow quickly apologized. "But after what you did to that Shadow before your awakening, that is true." She then added.
"Okay. You are now officially Queen within the Metaverse." Joker told their newest member. "We're counting on you from now on." He then informed.
"Of course, Aki-I mean, Joker." Queen replied with a nod. "Now then, can you explain the strategy for this mission?" She soon asked.
She only received blank looks in response.
"Uh...strategy?" Skull got out in a dim tone.
"...You don't have one?" Queen muttered out before it hit her. "Wait. The Phantom Thieves were acting without any plans!?" She soon asked in disbelief.
"Well, we can't exactly plan much without maps and such." Widow awkwardly admitted.
"Yeah...we pretty much look around the area, I provide navigation when needed, Widow provides any other useful information, and then I..." Mona explained.
"If we run into Shadows, we beat the shit outta them and steal their shit!" Skull then informed as he cracked his knuckles. However, his happy expression faltered when he saw the unamused look Queen was giving all of them.
"Basically, we play it by ear. It's worked for us so far." Joker stated before looking at the Palace. "But then again, I have the feeling this isn't going to work this time." He then awkwardly admitted.
In turn, Queen couldn't help but internally sigh. She expected a more...professional...approach to their heists. Especially now knowing about the existence of shinobis. "Very well then. I feel like I'll be useful for sure." She soon stated. "It seems my role is to be the brains of the team. I'll analyze Mona's information and give out orders. Any objections?" She then instructed and questioned.
"N-None, ma'am! I mean, Queen!" Skull immediately got out with a salute.
"I bet Skull's definitely the type that'll be under a girl's thumb." Panther remarked.
"The word you're looking for is whipped." Joker informed. "Like cream." He then added.
"Like Yang with Yin?" Widow teased, only to get lightly slapped to the arm by the two in mention as a response.
"Mona, will you begin navigating us?" Queen asked.
"Y-Yes, Queen!" Mona automatically replied with a salute.
"Him too, it seems..." Fox sighed out before they all turned towards the bank. "Hm, it seems we were able to use the same method as last time to get here." He then remarked.
"What? The long-ass ramp?" Skull guessed.
"Yes. Apparently we are acknowledged as customers who can be extorted." Fox said. "It seems he's put a bounty on our heads as well."
"Yeah. Good luck with that." Yang scoffed out.
Queen frowned as she clenched her hands into fists. "...That's fine. We can take advantage of his negligence." She then got out.
"Though I will say, it's a little scary every time." Panther admitted.
"His Palace...this bank...it's nothing more than an intimidation tactic." Widow stated. "Looming over the district, sucking up all the money from the people...that's what he sees himself and Shibuya as." She then added in disgust.
"But we're finally up here. Now we can take it down." Yin got out. "You made a mistake trying to hurt one of my friends. Your heart is already ours." She got out in determination as they made their way to the front entrance.
Only to immediately stop when they spotted the shuttered and taped out entrance. "What the..." Skull got out in disbelief.
"Looks like the front entrance isn't a choice right now." Joker noted.
"No kidding..." Yang giggled out as the newest member blushed.
"It seems as though they didn't want to leave that gaping hole..." Fox assumed.
"But...we can't get in now..." Panther pointed out in a sad tone.
"Sorry...I...think I might have taken it a little too far..." Queen apologized.
"No, you saved us." Widow comforted the girl.
"That's right. We would have been in serious danger had it not been for Queen's actions." Mona stated.
"Th-Thanks..." Queen got out as she tried to hide the blush on her face.
"And hey, just because the bank's closed doesn't mean we're done here." Joker stated. "There has to be another entrance somewhere..." He then muttered to himself as he looked around only to spot a golden piggy bank statue surrounded by three money trees. It seemed a little out of place.
"So tacky...So tasteless..." Panther muttered. "What is with Palace rulers and solid gold statues?" She then asked in annoyance.
"At least it's not a statue of Kaneshiro." Yin muttered out before frowning. "Hey...wait a minute...Do you guys feel that?" She suddenly asked.
To that, the other Leader walked over and placed a hand by the statue. "I do, Yin." Joker replied with a nod. "There seems to be a draft coming from underneath that statue." He then deducted.
"Yeah...and that placard looks off..." Yang muttered out as she pushed on the placard, causing it to sink into the statue like a button. "There we go." She then declared while the Thieves stepped back as the statue moved, revealing a hidden passageway.
"Sweet!" Skull cheered out with a fist pump.
"You know, for a hidden passage, it's not exactly hidden very well." Widow remarked. "The hidden rooms we have at Gessen are much better concealed." She then added.
"Alright, when you're ready Joker." Mona soon advised.
The Leader in response just nodded. "Let's do this." Joker declared, pulling on his gloves as he climbed down the passageway first.
(Front Hall)
"Up you go." Skull got out as he helped the Vice Leader climb up into the room.
"Thanks, Skull." Yin replied as she dusted herself off and adjusted her clothes while her fellow Leader moved the manhole cover back onto the hole. Didn't want the guards to know they were in after all.
"I would say, given this interior design...we are inside the bank." Fox deducted. "It seems our plan went well." He soon informed the group.
"It really wasn't much of a plan though..." Yang muttered out. "It was more like hoping it wouldn't lead us to the underside of the Palace..." She then added.
"I don't remember seeing this place last time...Just where exactly are we...?" Queen wondered as she looked around.
"There has to be a map somewhere. For now, let's try to explore and search for the Treasure." Mona suggested.
"Alright. Yin, take point." Joker ordered as his eyes glowed gold. "I'll be looking out for loot." He then added.
"And I'll look for enemies Sis." Yang added, her eyes glowing crimson. God she loved having the Third Eye ability.
Queen meanwhile looked at the two with glowing different color eyes. "...Is the whole eye-color changing...?" She began in a curious yet uneasy tone.
"Just...don't ask." Widow sighed out, albeit slightly envious as the Thieves began walking around and looting the place.
"Hey," Fox suddenly spoke up as he looked through a doorway. "There's the entrance hall." He then informed.
"That's completely fine too..." Queen added with a frown. She was a little miffed her rampage didn't leave anything but a broken front door.
"And tons of guards..." Yang informed, seeing a lot of red enemies. They were way stronger than the last guards they dealt with.
"Sort of expected the entrance to be crawling with security after what happened..." Joker muttered to himself as he planned out a path to the other side of the room.
"H-Hold on a second!" Panther got out, getting the Thieves to stop in their tracks. "What's that!?" She soon asked.
Everyone's eyes widened as they spotted what looked like a rottweiler sniffing around. "Hide!" Joker ordered as they all dived for cover.
"Do you hide like that, Panther?" Queen asked as she saw the ash blonde's...relaxed posture.
"It's comfortable like this. It hurts my thighs if I crouch too long." Panther explained before they all focused on the new Shadow type.
"What the hell!? Is that...a dog?" Yang meanwhile whispered out.
"Urk!" Mona got out while feeling a shiver down his spine.
"A Shadow in the shape of a dog..." Fox remarked. "It seems like this place has its own watchdogs..." He soon stated.
"I'm not sure I can handle that..." Mona groaned out.
"Y'mean 'cause you're a cat?" Skull assumed.
"Hell no! I mean it might be able to sniff out intruders, or hunt us down super fast!" Mona explained in a panicky manner. "J-Just be careful, Joker!" He soon advised in an uneasy tone.
"Right...Dogs have really good senses of smell..." Widow whispered out as she narrowed her eyes. "If they catch us, it'll make them harder to hide from." She then stated.
"...But, if it does end up making trouble for us, that could actually work out in our favor." Mona got out.
"So we're gonna kill it." Yang muttered out as she and the other shinobi girls cringed. While the death of animals was necessary for some missions, they never took pleasure in ending their lives - even if they were just Shadows.
"We have to. It'll only make our lives harder if that's wandering around." Joker admitted and pointed out.
"Nyahaha...This is a prime opportunity to show off our surprise finisher!" Mona declared in excitement.
"Um, sorry to butt in - but we've been spotted!" Queen informed as the dog charged at them, already in the process of unleashing its true self.
"Shit!" Skull swore out as the Thieves took out their weapons.
"Dammit, it got the jump on us!" Mona cursed before being tackled by a two-headed dog, who proceeded to bite his head. "AAAHHH!" He cried in pain as the two-headed dog chewed on him.
"Mona!" Yin cried out as she rushed up and stabbed the Shadow, making it let go of the poor not cat and allowing him to jump back.
"I-I'm fine..." Mona groaned out, shaking off the saliva before letting out a smirk. "That's smarts, you know. But love burns brightest when facing down an opponent like this!" He soon declared in a determined tone. "Panther, I think the moment's finally arrived! It's showtime!" He then added to the declaration.
"Eh? You wanna do it right now!?" Panther exclaimed before shaking her head. "Geez, fine! Here we go! Showtime!" She soon declared.
SHINE!
"Huh?" Joker got out as he pulled out the star from his pocket, which was glowing brightly. "The star..." He soon muttered.
"Joker, what's happening?" Yin meanwhile asked in concern.
"...I don't know...but I think I get it now..." Joker got out as he felt the power of the star flow around them. "Hope this works...!" He mentally hoped as he raised the star into the air.
"SHOWTIME!"
"For you, Panther!" Mona pulls out a large bouquet of roses for the ash blonde.
"How sweet!" Panther replied as they romantically jumped towards each other...
Before the ash blonde reached into the flowers and pulled out two SMGs. "It's just what I needed!" Panther soon declared as she began firing them in all directions.
"Meow!" Mona meowed out with a smirk.
"How's that!?" Panther taunted. After a brief pose by the duo, they jumped high into the air, where the ash blonde began shooting the guns downward on the enemy like a rainstorm of bullets.
At that moment, Mona pulled out a bomb. "This one's free!" He then shouted out as he threw the bomb at the enemy.
"Now that's style!" Panther and Mona declared as the two pose in front of the explosion.
There were several seconds of silence as the Thieves processed such a...unique attack. "...Oh my God, that actually worked." Panther soon got out in realization.
"What...in the world was that?" Yin meanwhile breathed out.
"...Did anyone see the bishoujo portraits or was that just me?" Joker had to ask.
"Dude, what was that just now!? When'd you guys figure out how to do somethin' like that!?" Skull exclaimed. "And where did the flowers come from!?" He then questioned as he picked up the bouquet of roses that the not cat dropped.
"Hehehehehe! It's simply the fruit of our secret, passionate training-" Mona began to brag, however...
"You told her what the attack was not even an hour ago." Joker bluntly pointed out, causing the not cat to choke.
"...Was that the star's doing!?" Yang soon guessed as she then looked at the light grey haired girl. "Widow!" She then got out in excitement.
"...Well, I don't have to worry about the fireworks anymore..." Widow replied, equally excited with a wide grin on her face. "This will be wondrous!" She then declared with a gleam in her eyes.
"So the star only grants wishes...if it involves violence?" Yin assumed in an awkward manner.
"Or...it only reacts to truly unselfish desires..." Joker guessed. "Think about it. We all want battles to end faster and to get to our goal. That will benefit us, no matter the situation. I think all of our wishes in Mementos had some degree of selfishness in it. I think even Yang's wish to access the Principal's Palace may have had some ulterior motives." He then explained.
"Hey, that's...that's..." Yang sputtered before remembering how much she just really wanted to beat the shit out of the Principal's Shadow. "Ugh...I hate it when you're right..." She soon grumbled.
"Wishing grant stars but the wishes must benefit everyone." Yin muttered out. "Not a bad restriction but..." She then started before trailing off.
"You really wanted smaller boobs, didn't you?" Joker chuckled out.
"Moh! They're really too much trouble..." Yin complained.
"Sis, you are fine the way you are." Yang however reassured while patting the girl's head. "And it isn't all bad. I mean, you could be a loli like Mirai." She then pointed out.
(Hebijo Academy)
Mirai was still packing her bag only to pause as she looked at the cloudy sky above. "...Why do I feel like I should kick Homura in the butt when I get back to Tokyo?" She grumbled out in frustration.
(Kaneshiro's Bank of Gluttony, Front Hall)
"Why do I feel like I should watch my butt in the future?" Yang suddenly thought to herself.
"Just one strange phenomenon after another..." Fox meanwhile got out.
"Hey, Queen! We can do Fist of the Phantom Star now! Ack!" Skull told their newest member, before being chopped in the head.
"Fist of the what?" Joker repeated, barely holding back his laughter.
"Yeah, totally forgot about it 'til now." Skull groaned out.
"Didn't you tell me about it yesterday...?" Queen deadpanned. "I think it went something like..." She then began to explain Ryuji's idea.
"Oh yeah! It looked totally awesome in my head!" The dyed blonde got out with a fist pump.
SHINE!
"And I think the star agrees." Joker got out as he put the star back into his pocket.
"There's still a lot we don't understand...as usual..." Mona sighed out. "But what I do get is that if we use that star right, we'll have an ace up our sleeve with every battle we fight." He then stated.
"So the tried and true method of accepting it and moving on." Joker summarised. "One day we won't have to do that. It won't be soon, but someday. But for now, let's get through this place." He soon ordered.
"Hai." Yin responded with a nod as they quickly behind the chairs to avoid a passing guard.
"Alright, let's just see the type of enemies we're dealing with." Joker whispered out before leaping out onto the Shadow. "Show me your true form!" He soon commanded as he ripped off the mask, spawning two enemies.
"Two Equian Sages! We don't know anything about them so proceed with caution!" Mona informed.
"So, what's your usual battle strategy?" Queen soon asked as both sides sized each other up.
"Well, we go for weaknesses and knock all enemies down. Then we launch an All-Out Attack to finish them off." Mona responded. "If we don't know their weakness, we start throwing spells and attacks until we do." He then added.
"Hm...I'm sure we can improve that strategy." Queen replied with confidence in her voice. "Information on our enemy is important, we have to be one step ahead of them at all times."
"Well...Joker can recognise Shadow weaknesses if he fuses them..." Yin pointed out. "But I sort of wish there was a better way to find them...We're just relying on luck here." She then confessed.
Joker was listening to the conversation and started thinking about it. "...Have I ever Third Eye on Shadows?" He soon thought before shrugging and activating it.
...
Nope. Didn't do anything.
"Ah, screw it. Arsene, Eiga!" Joker soon commanded while ripping off his mask, his initial Persona coming forth to cast darkness upon the enemy.
DOOM!
Joker frowned once he saw that the Equian Sage he aimed at didn't get destroyed. "Damn, didn't kill it. Queen, give them hell!"
"We're just doing it, huh." Queen muttered before revving her Persona's engine. "I guess there's no other way. Johanna! Frei!" She soon ordered.
KABOOM!
The newest member cursed under her breath when she saw the enemy still standing. "Couldn't finish them. Fox, your turn!" Queen called out.
"Hai!" Fox responded. "Goemon, strike! Mabufu!" He then commanded.
CRACKLE! CRACKLE!
"GAH!" The Shadow wailed in pain.
"Ice weakness! Nice!" Mona called out with a smirk. "Now finish them off!" He then ordered.
"I will slice you to pieces!" Fox called out as they rushed the Shadows.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SLAP! WHAM!
"The finale!" Fox concluded before the Shadows burst into nothing.
"See, plenty of style without using reality-bending stars." Joker stated as he put away his weapons.
The not cat meanwhile rolled his eyes as he then noticed something left behind. "Hm? I've never seen that item before." Mona admitted as he saw something unrecognizable.
Joker raised an eyebrow before he looked at the black bottle on the ground. He then noticed a label on it. "Hm, Shadow Blood...?" He read out as he remembered the discussion with the third year blonde from Hebijo and her offer. "I wonder if Haruka-chan has any use for it..." He soon thought before pocketing the stuff.
"I'm sorry if I'm asking too many questions, but all this money and material you're collecting...where does it come from? And is money dropped by Shadows real or counterfeit?" Queen questioned in an uneasy tone.
"The Metaverse is weird." Skull bluntly replied. "The money's definitely counterfeit but it looks legit enough to pass it off as real." He then added. "Oh, by the way, here's your cut." He soon informed.
"I...It feels dirty..." Queen awkwardly informed while holding the money given to her.
"Well, it is a little grimy from all the Shadow blood but normal people don't notice it." Joker casually muttered out. "There's nothing wrong about taking this money. Plus, considering the Palace we're in, we're gonna make quite a lot." He then added.
"...I hate and love that this place is a bank for us to rob." Yang bluntly admitted with no shame and yen symbols in her eyes.
"Yang..." Widow droned out. Looks like she needed to train her more.
"We are really embracing the whole thief thing here..." Panther meanwhile noted.
"We all need money to live in modern society." Fox however reminded. "Having it in excess is what corrupts people." He then added.
"Well, you have some in excess if you would save it for-" Widow began to yell, only to stop herself. "No...Not the time...Focus on our objective." She soon ordered.
"Right. Let's go." Joker replied and ordered in agreement as they snuck around the guards.
Soon, the Thieves made it across the room without getting caught and into, what seemed like, an office space. Probably for all the non-existent bankers or whatever.
The Thieves soon spotted a guard using an elevator to go to a different floor. "It looks like there are lower floors in here too." Panther got out.
"And I'm guessing the lower we go, the closer to the Treasure we get." Joker assumed.
"But look at the elevator," Widow pointed out. "It is lacking a control panel..." She soon informed.
"They probably control it from a security room. It's a simple, but effective method of screening." Mona informed.
"They must really don't want anyone going down there..." Queen muttered out.
"But if they don't want us going there, it's probably the way forward." Joker pointed out.
"There's probably a hidden camera looking at it, though." Fox assumed. "If we use it normally, we'll only meet resistance at the floor we arrive on." He then pointed out.
"Well we can destroy them if you want." Yin offered as the tan skinned girl and the light grey haired girl stepped forward, nodding in agreement.
"No, there's an easier way to take down the cameras and get access to the elevator." Joker however stated. "Take out the one in control of them." He then instructed.
"Kill two birds with one stone. I like it." Skull got out with a smirk.
"The security room has to be nearby..." Yang assumed as she scanned around the office space.
"Let's take out a few guards then. We can't really search for it with all these guys around." Mona suggested.
Yang in turn nodded in response. "I agree." She replied. "So m'lady, wanna give ripping the Shadow guard's masks off a shot?" She soon offered to the newest member in a polite manner.
Queen meanwhile grinned menacingly while cracking her knuckles. "Gladly~" She replied in a sickly sweet tone as she snuck towards the guard.
Besides the Vice Leader, who was giving off eye smiles, the others shivered in a nervous manner to hearing that. "These two would destroy the Palace if they could." Skull muttered in a fear-filled manner.
"I can't wait for our fight with Kaneshiro then." Panther soon admitted.
"We could get in and get out. Third time's the charm after all." Joker pointed out.
"...I would love to laugh, but that would blow our hiding spot." Fox confessed.
"Hm? What are you guys talking about?" Yin meanwhile asked in an innocent tone while tilting her head in an adorable manner.
"Oh, nothing. Just- holy shit." Joker began, only to stop himself as he watched their newest member...brutalise the enemy.
When she was close enough, Queen leapt onto the Shadow's back, twisted its head 180 degrees before tearing its mask off.
"...Damn." Yang got out in an impressed tone while giving a thumbs up of approval.
"Sweet effin' shit, Queen!" Skull exclaimed as they got out their weapons. "Be a little softer next time!" He then got out.
"They're nothing but corruptions of the human psyche. I don't see a need to show mercy." Queen replied as she got into her battle stance as the Shadows spawned.
"You need anger management classes." Joker suggested.
"THIS IS ANGER MANAGEMENT! JOHANNA!" Queen roared as she charged towards the enemy on her Persona.
"You know, I would believe her if she didn't do that to a watchdog." Panther muttered out.
"A lot of pent up aggression..." Yang stated. "If I was still at Hebijo...I might have wanted to recruit her. She would easily have become an Elite." She then confessed with a nod.
"I don't think she would accept though..." Widow pointed out. "Though I think she would make an excellent Gessen student." She then added.
"She would probably fit in..." Joker admitted. "Death Cram School, right?" He then reminded.
"For the prestigious and studious." Widow happily added.
"What about Hanzō?" Yin then asked.
"It's pretty much a normal school outside of the shinobi stuff, right?" Mona muttered out.
"Hiding in plain sight." Yin soon declared.
"ARE YOU ALL GOING STAND AROUND AND TALK OR ARE YOU GOING TO HELP ME!?" Queen shouted out as she tore off the tongue of the poor two-headed dog's head.
"HAVE MERCY!" The other head cried out, only for the new member to shove her fist down its throat.
"Well it looked like you were handling it." Skull muttered with a sweatdrop.
"NO! YOU WERE JUST CAUGHT UP IN A CONVERSATION!" Queen countered as she tried to find the dog's lungs. "NOW STOP SITTING AROUND BEFORE I RUN YOU OVER!" She then ordered.
"D-Don't you mean run over to us?" Fox corrected in a slightly nervous tone.
"DID I STUTTER!?" Queen however questioned.
"Yeah, she's gonna run us over." Joker deadpanned before summoning a Persona. "Jack Frost, put it out of its misery." He soon ordered.
"Mercy kill, ho!" Jack Frost cheered out before blasting the Shadow with ice, freezing it in place.
"And that's that." Yang concluded in satisfaction, bumping fists with the newest member.
"Indeed." Queen replied in agreement.
"Hey, it's still alive!" Mona however informed as he pointed at the Shadow.
"Yeah..." Joker whispered out, seeing an opportunity in front of him. "Hey, I only want to borrow your power." He soon ordered before giving the Shadow a concerned look. "I won't hurt you if you don't hurt me, got it." He then informed.
"Grksnakapk..." The Shadow choked out, its black blood spraying over the Leader.
"Queen, did you really have to tear out their tongues?" Joker soon asked with a sweatdrop as he wiped off the blood on his face.
"I-I was caught up in the moment!" Queen stammered out with a red blush on her face.
"At least tear out one tongue only." Joker sighed out before turning his attention to the two-headed dog. "There there, the mean lady won't hurt you anymore." He soon comforted the Shadow as he brushed its fur.
"J-Joker!" Queen squeaked out in embarrassment.
"Trying to make it feel better right now!" Joker countered with the explanation. "You may want to leave. You're scaring it." He then suggested and informed.
"O-Okay..." Queen awkwardly responded. "I-I will go loot some things..." She then decided.
"There there senpai." Yang got out in reassurance while patting her friend's shoulder while going off with her.
"If you wouldn't mind." Joker responded while still focusing on the Shadow. "Aw, is the big mean bank president making you do this?" He then asked.
"Gkolml." The Shadow gargled out.
"That's a pretty bad situation." Joker responded in a nonchalant manner. "You deserve so much better you know." He then stated.
"Hnjdsknja..." The Shadow responded.
"Yeah, you're a good boy right? Who's a good boy? You are! You are!" Joker then started as he scratched its chin. "You mind becoming my mask?" He soon asked.
"Nfsnjsjif..." The Shadow replied, sounding uneasy to the offer.
"Come on, you'll get your tongues back." Joker then offered.
"Pjnknssfdsd~! Jnjkfesjk nfnekn efjojlfs naijjknakf ajkfn anijdfn." The two-headed dog replied with a happy noise before he started to glow.
"Thank you...Orthrus." Joker replied as he then smirked at his newly acquired Persona. "Good dog." He remarked as the former Shadow glowed and entered his mask.
"So that's how you can acquire new Personas..." Queen got out in a fascinated and intrigued tone. "I wonder why it's exclusive to Joker?" She soon asked in a curious tone.
"Leader just said he's a Wild Card." Yang explained. "We're not really sure how he can do it, but we aren't complaining." She then admitted.
The girl let out a hum before shrugging. "So, what were all of you talking about before?" Queen soon questioned in a tone filled with authority while crossing her arms over her chest.
"Taking about school for you to possibly transfer too if you decide to leave Shujin." Yang replied. "Your strength could easily make you become an Elite Shinobi." She then revealed with a no nonsense tone as the other shinobi girls nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, no." Queen however responded as she shook her head. "I'm still thinking about doing something in law, and if I can, I want to take down vile men like Kaneshiro legally. I'm just not cut out to be a shinobi."
"Oh..." Yang got out, looking a little disappointed along with the other shinobi girls of the group. "Well, I won't push. Just a thought, you know."
"Thank you for considering my feelings, Homura-san." Queen thanked the tan skinned girl before realising what she said. "Ah, I mean Yang." She quickly corrected.
Joker meanwhile let out a chuckle at that. "Come on, let's move." He soon ordered, getting nods from the others in response.
Right before they were blindsided by a guard tackling them all.
"AAAAHHHHH!" The Thieves screamed out as they were knocked over like bowling pins.
"Dammit, they got the jump on us!" Mona cursed in pain as the guard unleashed its true self.
"High Pixies!" Joker called out as everyone picked themselves off the ground. "Fused them before, so I know they have-" He soon informed, but was interrupted by...
"Dormina!" One of the Shadows soon declared.
"...That." Joker finished his sentence as he tried to resist the effects of the spell. He did manage to, however...
"Zzzzz..." Widow snored out, getting the group's attention. "Ojii-sama...Look...I made your dream come true..." She then mumbled with a smile on her face.
"She fell asleep standing up!?" Skull exclaimed.
"That's what caught your attention!?" Panther got out.
"Ah! Widow, wake up!" Yang exclaimed in a panic.
"Wait, may be to our advantage to not wake her up." Queen stated. "We're on the back foot here. Let her rest and recharge some of her energy, but make sure to protect her so the enemy can't take advantage of her." She then advised and instructed.
"Alright..." Skull responded before going over to guard the sleeping girl.
"Okay, now let's start working on these guys!" Joker soon declared as he glared at the enemy. "They're weak to Nuke and bullets!" He then informed.
"Perfect~" Queen declared with a wicked smile and gleam in her eyes before pulling out her revolver. "You shouldn't waste our energy on using our Personas on them. If they're weak to physical or bullets, just attack with your weapons, got it?" She then ordered.
"Yes, Queen!" Panther responded. "Let me do it! I got plenty of bullets!" She then offered.
"Go for it!" Queen replied as the ash blonde readied herself.
RATATATATATATATA!
"Missed. Missed. Missed. Oh, look at that, you hit that one." Joker deadpanned as the ash blonde blushed at her terrible accuracy.
"Yeesh, and I thought I was bad with gunplay." Yang thought to herself with a sweatdrop.
"You really fire your gun like that!?" Queen exclaimed.
"I-It's really powerful, okay!?" Panther quickly defended herself. "And I usually don't miss like that..." She then added in an awkward tone.
"I got it." Fox got out as he pulled out his assault rifle.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"There! All down!" Fox concluded before putting his rifle away.
"How the tables have turned!" Yin got out with a smirk as they surrounded the Shadows.
"Don't give them time to beg! All-Out Attack!" Joker ordered.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! WHAM!
"We've done it!" Fox soon declared as the Shadow fell apart.
"We seriously need a little more practice with our guns..." Joker stated. "Note to self, find a shooting range...or take everyone to play paintball." He then thought.
"Huh!? What!?" Widow suddenly got out as she snapped awake. "Weren't we in battle!?" She then questioned in a panic as she looked around.
"It's okay. We finished it before you even woke up." Yin replied and informed.
"Yeah, we made sure you were safe." Skull assured with a smile. "Although, I thought you'd wake up from all the Nuke spells going off."
"Sleep spells put you into a very deep sleep." Mona explained. "Unless someone hits you." He then added.
"Then...why do I feel stronger...?" Widow wondered out loud as she flexed her hands. "Fūma even learned a new move!" She then revealed in amazement.
"Man, you don't really have a lot of skill, don't ya Widow." Skull noted.
"Yes...I have two boosters that strengthen my Ice and Water attacks as well as a Silence spell." Widow pointed out.
"But that's about it. You lack variety..." Mona muttered out.
"I know..." Widow admitted in shame filled agreement.
"Well, we all have to work on our strengths and weaknesses. Give it some time and training." Mona replied in reassurance.
"I wish I could teach you guys Skill Cards..." Joker however grumbled out.
"They are pretty useful." Yang stated before looking around. "We should probably get going before another guard tries and plays Phantom Thief Bowling." She then suggested.
"Then let's go." Joker got out as they made their way upstairs without being seen.
"There are bars on this door...We won't be able to open it with any force." Queen informed.
"Nor can we melt it with heat..." Yang added before noticing the keycard reader next to the door.
"Looks like we're gonna need a security pass of some sort if we want to open this." Queen stated.
"And let me guess; it's on a high rank security guard." Yang deadpanned.
"Maybe, let's just look around just in case." Mona replied as they moved away from the caged door.
Seeing that there wasn't much up here, they started to head down stairs, only for Joker to look up. "Hello, ventilation shaft..." He soon muttered with a smirk before climbing up into it.
"You know the drill, men first." Yang reminded.
Queen raised an eyebrow as the males of the group went first...only to realise why when she saw the Vice Leader flash her panties when she crawled in. "This is a constant occurrence huh?" She soon guessed as the light grey haired girl also entered
"Oh yeah." Yang got out as the light grey haired girl flashed her panties as well. "It pays to have pants, huh?" She then stated, only for the new member to give her a flat stare as the ash blonde entered.
"You're going in now." Queen ordered.
"Yes ma'am." Yang replied in a casual tone before going in, with the Advisor following after.
Suddenly, the Thieves heard the ash blonde groan as some webbing got caught in her hair. "Oh gross, I hope there aren't any spiders in here..." Panther got out as she wiped off the cobwebs.
"If there were, they'd probably attack us like Shadows..." Joker stated.
"Don't make it any worse!" Panther called out.
"Hey, look down there." Mona whispered out as they looked into the room to see a guard watching the cameras. "We won't be getting any further unless we take it out. What's our plan?"
"Ambush." Joker answered. "Who's willing to do the honors?" He soon asked.
"I got this." Yang replied from the back. "Just let me...get...in front! Skull, move over!" She then struggled out.
"H-Hey! Yang! Your ass is crushing me!" Skull yelped out before being muffled by said butt.
"Oi! Watch it with those hands pervert!" Yang called out.
"You're the one trying to- AH!" Skull started, only to get kicked in the face.
"Don't worry, I'll do it for you Lady Yang." Mona declared before leaping onto the Shadow. "For Lady Yang, show me your true form!" He soon ordered while ripping off the mask.
"Go go go!" Joker ordered as they all rushed out of the vent and into battle.
"Four Equine Sages!" Mona revealed. "This fight should be quick!" He then remarked with confidence.
"Widow! Go!" Joker ordered, the light grey haired girl already throwing away her mask.
"Fūma! Soak them!" Widow commanded. "Malaqua!" She soon called out as a small wave of water washed over the Shadows.
SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!
"There! Go for it, Joker!" Widow called out.
"Thank you! And now Jack Frost! Freeze them with Mabufula!" Joker ordered.
"Hee hoo got it!" Jack Frost cheered as it unleashed the spell.
CRACKLE! CRACKLE! CRACKLE! CRACKLE!
"They're all frozen!" Mona declared with a smirk as the Leader pumped his fist. "Now mow 'em down!" He then instructed.
"Go for a Rampage, Captain Kidd!" Skull commanded as he ripped off his mask.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
"AAAAAHHHHHH!" The Shadows cried in pain as they were all knocked down or even shattered into pieces.
"All down!" Mona exclaimed. "Now go All-Out!" He soon ordered in anticipation.
"Going for the kill!" Queen declared as they rushed the Shadows.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SLAP! WHAM!
"Show's over!" Joker got out as the Shadows burst into nothing, leaving behind items and vials, which were quickly picked up by him. "Heh, didn't even have a chance." He chuckled to himself.
"Phew! We somehow managed..." Queen breathed out. "This appears to be some sort of monitoring room. I hope we can find clues here..." She then informed the Thieves while looking around.
"Hey guys, I think I found something!" Skull called out as he picked up something from the monitoring station. "Ain't this some kind of keycard?" He then asked.
"Looks like it, Skull." Yin replied with a nod.
"And over here's a map." Fox informed. "As expected, there seems to be a large basement floor." He then stated.
"I bet that's where the Treasure is..." Mona muttered out as the Vice Leader ripped the map off the wall.
"This thing only covers the upper floors. There's nothing about the Treasure's location." Widow soon pointed out.
"Which means we need part two." Yang groaned out. "Like the last two Palaces..." She then grumbled under her breath.
"But look here." Widow however started. "This building has one underground level. A pretty large one at that. It would be prudent if we head there first." She soon revealed.
"I guess we're going down then." Yin stated as she folded up the map.
"Hold on, that should be our last resort." Queen suggested. "Just because we took out the one checking the cameras here, doesn't mean there are other security rooms checking and controlling the elevator. Fail Safes and such." She soon explained. "Let's see if that keycard will lead us anywhere first." She then got out.
"Oh right, we did pass by a door that needed one..." Panther remembered.
"Sounds like a plan." Joker got out as he took the keycard. "Let's go." He then ordered as he went over to the caged door and scanned the card. Almost instantly, the cage retracted and unlocked the door.
"Hopefully that keycard works for every door..." Yin muttered as they left the monitoring room.
"Quick detour first." Joker however got out as he led the team over to a button, which he hit. Soon enough, the shutters the button was next to raised.
"Why are we opening the shutters here?" Queen asked.
"Makes our future heist a little easier." Mona replied. "Now we don't have to go through the entrance hall." He soon added.
"Already thinking ahead." Queen replied in approval while looking at the others. "I guess your grades reflect that." She then added.
"Some more than others..." Yang quipped out before they continued on back to the locked door they encountered before.
"Hey!" Skull exclaimed in an offended tone.
"You don't deny it?" Queen and Yang however questioned in disapproval while crossing their arms over their chests.
The dyed blond in turn shrugged his shoulders. "Meh, I've kinda accepted I won't get into university. Just gonna do my best until after I graduate and then make my path, without grades and shit holding me back." Skull replied.
"Don't say that. You can get into uni if you put your mind to it."
"And study what?" Skull then asked.
"Physical education. You seem to know quite a lot about it." Queen answered while the tan skinned girl nodded in agreement.
"Eh..." Skull responded in an unsure tone. "You know what, I'll think 'bout that later." He then decided.
"Hey, we're here." Joker announced as he scanned the keycard and headed through the door as soon as it allowed them to. There was a grate on the floor with a hatch that lead to a dark void...until an elevator rose up.
"Hey, isn't that the elevator?" Skull soon asked.
"Yeah, it has to be the one they're controlling externally." Mona stated.
"So that means we're right above it." Fox stated.
"So what? Is this some type of control room or somethin'? What's the point of coming here?" Skull questioned.
"For staff, to repair the elevator." Joker answered before letting out a smirk. "For thieves, a way to use the elevator without anyone noticing." He then stated.
"Ah, right. We can ride on top of the elevator while it goes down to the basement!" Yin realised. "We'll just have to wait for one of the guards to use it." She soon informed.
"That's some nice thinking, Joker." Mona spoke up. "Come on, let's get on it before it leaves." He then ordered before they did as such.
"And now we wait..." Joker got out before letting out a breath. "...Wanna play Tycoon?" He soon offered as he pulled out a deck of cards.
"Sure, I'm up for a game." Yin replied as the Thieves sat down.
(Banker Passageway)
"Pack it up. We're here." Joker ordered once the elevator stopped moving.
"Aw, and I was winning too..." Panther sighed out as they all returned the cards to the Leader just before he climbed into a vent.
Soon, they found themselves walking on wooden beams, doing their best to make sure the wood didn't creak with every footstep.
After making sure the coast was clear, the Thieves jumped down from the rafters.
"So, is this the basement?" Panther asked as she looked around.
"All security, listen up!" A familiar distorted voice suddenly declared over the intercom.
"Son of a bitch..." Skull swore under his breath.
"Kaneshiro..." Queen and Yang growled out in venomous tones.
"It looks like some rats have infested this place!" Shadow Kaneshiro spat out. "Under no circumstances let them any further down! Strengthen security as much as you can! Understood!?" He then demanded.
"Already pulling out all the stops..." Joker muttered out with a smirk. "I guess that means we're going the right way." He soon assumed. He then deducted.
"Yes, it is painfully obvious where the Treasure is." Fox stated.
"The bottom of the Palace." Yang informed as the Vice Leader put the map away. "We seriously need that other map. If we go in blind with security that tight, we'll be in serious trouble."
"Let's keep our eyes peeled for it then while we keep heading down." Mona suggested.
"So, should we take on all the enemies to clear the room and gain more experience, money and items?" Yang meanwhile suggested.
"Yep." Joker replied before letting out a smirk. "Plus, we won't be noticed if there's no one to notice us." He then pointed out.
"That's a disturbing mindset...but I can't help but agree..." Queen admitted before the Thieves continued on.
"Hey, the cognition here feels weak..." Mona noticed. "Wanna take a break?" He then suggested.
"Yeah. That sounds good." Yin breathed out as she found the nearest room and let everyone in.
(Banker Passageway Safe Room)
"Whew! What a sight for sore eyes..." Panther breathed out as she sat down.
BZZT! BZZT!
"And the location is saved on our fast travel." Yang informed while pocketing her phone.
"I wonder what this place is supposed to be in reality..." Joker soon asked.
"Well, it's not like this bank is based anywhere other than Shibuya generically." Queen replied. "It could be somewhere Kaneshiro hasn't gotten his hands on but wishes to in the near future." She then deducted.
"Well, we gotta make sure that future doesn't come to pass." Skull growled.
"Oh right!" Yin exclaimed as she rummaged through the duffle. "I have my massage oil ready, Joker! So if you're feeling too stressed, I'll take it all away!" She soon informed him while revealing the bottle.
"..." The others meanwhile looked at the Vice Leader, blinking to hear that.
"Dibs." Joker and Yang immediately responded in unison.
Yin raised an eyebrow to that before rubbing the back of her neck. "I only have enough for one person this time..." She pointed out. "Plus, you'll have to pay for it..." She then added.
"...Can I have a roommate discount?" Yang soon asked.
"No. Sorry." Yin apologized.
"Ugh, fine..." Yang groaned. "...Tonight at home Sis?" She soon requested.
"Sure!" Yin happily replied.
"Uh, save it for later, Yin." Joker meanwhile ordered. "I still have plenty of energy." He then added.
"Okay then." Mona replied as he jumped on top of the table. "So, what do you guys want to talk about?" He then asked.
"Um..." Panther started, trying to think of something.
"I would like to discuss everyone's wellbeing." Joker soon requested.
"Me and Panther are doin' fine." Skull replied.
"Yeah, you guys have been doing most of the heavy lifting during fights." Panther answered. "But given how aggressive Queen's fighting style is, and her motivation to take down Kaneshiro, I'm pretty content to let her work it out." She then added.
"Well...I haven't gotten out all my anger..." Queen confessed. "But all this fighting is going to wear me down eventually. We need everyone to pull their weight and I seem to be pulling much more than necessary." She then explained and added.
"You just need to fight in moderation." Yang advised while placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Like me, we gotta control our anger." She then added. "No matter how fun it is, we can't be burning at 100% all the time." She soon stated.
"Yes, save that for Kaneshiro." Widow spoke up and advised with a nod.
"I wonder what other dumb tricks he has up his sleeve." Panther muttered out. "I can only imagine what ramping up security actually means." She then admitted in an uneasy tone.
"Well, we better be prepared for anything." Mona however advised. "Nothing will stop us from stealing Kaneshiro's Treasure." He then stated.
"What is his Treasure going to be anyways?" Skull soon asked.
"In here, my best guess might be..." Joker started before thinking about it. "Hmm...gold?" He then guessed.
"No, I mean in reality." Skull corrected. "We don't really know a lot about Kaneshiro outside of being a mafia boss. Hell, this is the first time we don't have a personal connection to our target."
"Ahem." Queen coughed.
"...Uh, sorry." Skull mumbled out.
"Not sure." Joker bluntly answered. "Maybe his first five hundred yen? He seems like the type of person to overcompensate." He then added and suggested.
"Well, there has to be something that's the source of his distorted desires." Yang muttered out. "But I am going to vomit if it's a picture of a long lost love or something." She then added in disgust.
"Him with a former lover?" Queen however remarked while rolling her eyes. "Not likely since he sees women as nothing more than objects." She then stated.
"...He could be into men." Fox soon suggested.
"Okay, this conversation is about to go into a weird and disturbing direction so let's stop talking about it." Mona soon advised.
"Er, yeah. So Yin, you know how to give massages?" Panther soon asked in a curious manner.
"Learning to." Yin corrected. "I'm still working on it, and I'm thinking of using Leader as my uh..." She then started before trying to think of the right word.
"Guinea pig?" Joker guessed with a smirk.
"N-No, like um...come on, there has to be a better word for it." Yin stammered out.
"Just go with guinea pig." Joker replied in a nonchalant manner before snapping his fingers. "Right, we gotta head to Mementos soon." He then added. "Gotta think of when to go though..." He mentally admitted.
"You seem a little eager to go there." Mona pointed out.
"It's a...personal thing." Joker mumbled out. "I'll bring it up in the next meeting before we go down there." He vaguely informed.
"Plus, we need to see if Queen can drive stick." Mona replied before stretching. "In any case, I think we've rested long enough." He then stated. "Let's not waste anymore time and head out." He soon ordered.
"Hai!" Yin replied in agreement as the group stood up and left the Safe Room.
(Banker Passageway)
After a little bit more stretching, they started making their way down the hallways.
However, they were quickly stopped by Joker before they could set anything off. "Look." He soon ordered as he pointed to corners of the ceiling.
"Wait, that's...!" Skull gasped out.
"Security cameras." Queen stated. "They'll probably raise the security level and send guards to our location if we're seen." She then added.
"Joker, Yang. You can use your observation skills to see the range of the cameras, right?" Mona asked.
"I don't think we even need to." Yin stated as she squinted. "Those cameras have faint lights on them. As long as we avoid the light, we should be good." She then informed.
"Yeah, but Third Eye makes it clearer." Joker got out as his eyes glowed gold. "Just stick close together, okay?" He then asked.
"So just follow us." Yang soon ordered, her eyes glowing crimson as the two took the lead.
"What is with this nonsense set-up of cameras?" Fox remarked as they easily passed by the cameras. "One camera looking down the hall would be enough. This is just inefficient." He then criticised.
"Well, I assume that Kaneshiro is just throwing money at security to set up more cameras rather than use them effectively." Queen deducted before letting herself chuckle a little. "Hm, to think we'd be able to see how Kaneshiro deals with problems just by observing his use of cameras." She soon got out in amusement.
"If this is the increased security that bastard's been talking about, then this Palace will be a breeze." Skull remarked in a confident manner.
"Skull, cockiness leads to downfall." Yang however advised in a serious tone. "Did you forget that Palaces get harder the deeper we get into them?" She then reminded.
"I know, I know. Just been feelin' good right now." Skull admitted with a shrug before mentally pausing. "...Nope. Don't take it that way, Ryuji. Stop thinking like that." He then mumbled to himself.
"What?" Queen got out in confusion.
"Just...Nothin'." Skull mumbled out before spotting something. "Hey, what's that?" He soon asked.
"It's a power supply box." Widow informed before narrowing her eyes at the sign. "Cameras." She read out.
"Looks like it's providing power to the cameras." Mona assumed. "It'll be annoying to deal with them every time we run through here, especially during our actual heist." He then stated.
"Yeah..." Joker replied with a nod before...
SMASH!
Smashing the power box with a well-placed kick. "Nice kick, Joker!" Yin praised as they saw the cameras shut off. "One less security measure to worry about in the future!" She then declared.
"There's going to be more as we go on." Widow however stated. "And I doubt they'll be used as inefficiently as those." She soon added.
"Well, we better keep our eyes peeled then." Mona replied as the group went through the door, only to stumble back and hide when they saw a guard on the other side. "Way too close!" He soon breathed out in relief.
"This guy isn't going to move anytime soon..." Yang grumbled out.
"Alright, time for a takedown!" Joker declared as he dashed up and climbed onto the guard. "Show me your true form!" He soon demanded while ripping off the mask.
"A Chivalrous Fiend!" Mona informed as they all jumped into the battle.
"I'm sure this enemy doesn't have any weaknesses." Queen stated as she summoned her Persona. "Let's use status effects and technical damage!" She then suggested.
"Giving Shadows weaknesses and then abusing them." Yin got out in realisation. "That would've made more than a few battles easier in hindsight." She then admitted before digging into the duffle bag. "One Brainwash Vial S coming right up!" She soon declared.
"Huh, I forgot we got that in the Front Hall." Joker admitted as the Vice Leader threw the vial at the Shadow's face, covering it in pink liquid. Man, all this looting was starting to blur together.
"What the!? What the hell is thhhhhiiiiiisssss..." The Shadow got out before drool started flowing out of its mouth while gaining a far-off look. "What can I do for you today?" It soon asked in an empty tone.
The Vice Leader then tossed a Psycho Bomb over to the Leader. "Die." Joker responded as he ran up and shoved it into the Shadow's mouth.
BOOM!
The Chivalrous Fiend stumbled back from the bomb blowing up from within his mouth, but it wasn't done yet.
"You know, I was expecting that to blow his head off." Joker admitted before turning to the ash blonde. "You mind?"
"Nope!" Panther replied as she removed her mask. "Agilao, Carmen!" She then called out as her Persona casted fire upon the enemy.
FWOOOOSH!
"It's burned!" Panther announced as the Shadow tried to put out the flames. "Your turn, Mona!" She then called out.
"Actually, a funny thing about the Nuclear element..." Mona chuckled out. "It intensifies physical ailments like that." He soon informed with an evil smirk.
Queen nodded to that as she summoned Johanna. "Frei!" She soon ordered.
KABOOM!
When the Thieves stopped covering their eyes, they saw nothing left of the enemy.
"Nothing but ashes! Nice one, Queen!" Yin cheered.
"Quiet. There are more guards up ahead." The Advisor however warned. "We need to play this slow and carefully."
Yin blushed under her mask before nodding. "R-Right." She replied with determination in her eyes before looking at the map. "Hey, there's a small room near us. I think something important might be in there..." She then informed.
"What? Like a chest or more crap we can steal?" Skull asked and guessed.
"We won't know until we find out." Yang responded before narrowing her eyes. "Three guards patrolling the area. Two in the hallway and one around the corner. Too many for my liking..." She then informed.
"Well, there's an obvious way to solve it..." Joker simply pointed out. "Who wants a go?" He soon offered,
"I shall." Fox spoke up, his katana at the ready. "This ambush will make a fine spectacle don't you think?" He then asked.
"Beauty in death." Joker replied with a nod. "Go for it." He then ordered.
Nodding to that, Fox came up from behind and cut the Achilles' heel of the guard, causing it to go to its knees, allowing access to its mask. "Show me true beauty!" He soon declared before tearing the mask off.
"Slimes?" Widow muttered out with a raised eyebrow once the Shadows spawned.
"T-There is no beauty here!" Fox however declared in anger and disapproval.
"Ew...they're all black and gunky..." Panther got out in disgust.
"At least it isn't Slime Mara!" Joker called out before charging in with Orpheus Picaro.
"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT IT NOT EXISTING!?" Yang roared as she charged in as well.
"Slime Mara?" Queen repeated in confusion.
"You do not want to know..." Panther answered with a shiver before jumping in with Carmen.
It was actually a rather quick battle as Skull managed to Mazio all the black slimes and were about to take them all out, however...
"Hey, wait..." Joker got out before turning to the not cat. "Mona, what Arcana are they?" He soon asked.
"Huh? Uh...Moon. Why?" Mona answered and then questioned.
"...I do need a Moon Persona..." Joker muttered. "Hold up, everyone! Hey, the one in front! I want your power!" He soon ordered.
"Then let's talk. I can't lend my power to some Joe Shmoe." The Pulsating Mud responded.
"He looks irritable. Show 'em who's boss, Joker!" Mona soon advised as the Leader nodded.
"...Yo, you can't just waltz in like that. You're violating the weapons code or whatever, man." The Shadow soon declared.
"So professional." Yang sarcastically mumbled as she rolled her eyes.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Joker admitted.
"Don't change the subject!" The Shadow then demanded.
"H-Hey, Joker didn't mean that! He just misheard you!" Yin got out as her eyes sparkled, weakening the Shadow's defenses.
BANG!
"S-Sorry. I guess I was mumbling my words." The Shadow soon got out in a flustered manner. "So instead of killin' me, you chose to start chattin'...You tryin' to get something from me?" It then asked.
"Yup." Joker simply replied.
"Ha ha! Relyin' on other people for your own goals! Bullshittttt!" The Shadow accused.
"Hey, you can't really get anywhere in this world with others helping you." Joker eventually admitted. "Even if they just become glorified stepping stones like you." He then added.
"Man, you remind me of myself-" The Pulsating Mud chuckled out before gasping."Wait, I remember now! I am not a Shadow that lives here. I'm from the sea of souls of you humans!"
"That's right. Now who are you!?" Joker replied with a nod followed by the question.
"I am thou, thou art I! I am Black Ooze. And from now on, I'm you." His newest Persona answered before being absorbed into Joker's mask.
"And the others escape..." Queen pointed out while holstering her gun. "At least you did what you wanted to do. Although, if it wasn't for Yin, it would've gone badly." She then added.
"Don't mention it, Queen. Just wanted to make sure negotiations went smoothly." Yin replied with eye-smiles.
"Hey, this one actually knows a Brainwash skill." Joker noted. "And a fair few status skills. You're gonna be useful, Black Ooze." He then stated with a smirk.
"Well, if that's all you wanted, let's go." Mona got out before the Thieves moved onto the next small room on the map, which (obviously) contained another power box.
"Another power box." Joker got out. "I don't know what it's going to turn off but it's gonna turn off something." He then stated before...
SMASH!
"Another nice kick, Joker." Queen complimented with a satisfied smile. "You could've been on the soccer team." She then joked.
This however caught the attention of the dyed blond and the three transfer students. "...We have a soccer team?" Joker soon got out in slight surprise.
"First I've heard about it!" Skull admitted.
"Not anymore, mind you." Queen pointed out. "It was decommissioned during my first year at Shujin." She revealed with a sigh. "You already took down the reason why it was in the first place." She then added.
"Hey, did you hear? Most of the sports programs are on hold because Kamoshida was in charge of most of them." Panther spoke up. "There are supervisors and stuff, but we haven't competed against another school since May. I think gymnastics is still up, but that's all." She then added.
"...It would explain the basketball hoops in the gym..." Yang admitted.
"We have a basketball team!?" Joker exclaimed in shock.
"Basketball, baseball, soccer, gymnastics, sports rock-climbing, kendo, track, volleyball, American football, judo, karate, boxing." Queen listed off. "Most of them canned as of this year." She then stated.
"Did you really think the only sport Shujin had was volleyball?" Widow questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"..." Joker's and the other second years' silence said everything they needed to know.
"...Okay, I really can't blame you about that..." Queen admitted.
"So...many...clubs..." Skull breathed out. "Effin' Kamoshida..." He then grumbled.
"We gotta stop talking about him..." Panther sighed out. "But who's willing to bet that Principal Megawhale is looking for his next Kamoshida?" She then asked.
"More than likely." Queen sighed out, only imagining what type of person the principal would hire to replace that man. "But enough of that, let's go. We've already wasted enough time here." She then suggested and reminded.
"At least we didn't stand around in the open..." Joker noted as they continued on.
They entered another room, where they found a treasure chest, which they opened.
"Black Rock..." Joker got out as he pocketed the item. "Guess I could transmute a few Personas." He muttered to himself before the Thieves went on, heading into another small room where they found another power box.
"We should really just destroy every power box we come across." Yang suggested as they entered the room. "It'll only benefit us and weaken Kaneshiro's security."
"Ah yes, smash first and ask questions later." Queen replied in agreement.
SMASH!
"I like that." Joker finished as somewhere nearby, another set of cameras shut off.
"Wait a minute, are we going the right way?" Fox suddenly asked.
"Of course we-" Yin started as she checked the map, only to stop when she looked at it. "...There was a stairwell in the room where we ambushed that Shadow and turned it into dust. This is just a dead end with power boxes." She soon informed.
SMACK!
Simultaneously, the Thieves face palmed.
"Okay...we were gonna have to come here eventually given all the boxes we have to smash so let's just go upstairs." Joker grumbled out before heading back. It wasn't a far walk, but it was quite embarrassing. Upon seeing a patrolling guard, he decided to blow off some steam and leapt onto the Shadow's back. "I'll reveal your true form!" He soon declared as he ripped off the mask.
"We have a Treasure Demon!" Yang called out, the first thing she focused on before turning her attention to the other Shadows.
No, they didn't right now. Their priority was the Treasure Demon.
"Looks different from a Regent too..." Mona noted. It was coming out of a necklace rather than a ruby. "Throw everything you have at it! We can't let it escape! Lucky Punch, Zorro!" He soon ordered and commanded his Persona.
BONK!
However it appeared as though the Treasure Demon was barely phased by it.
"Dammit, it has a Physical resistance!" Mona cursed.
"Guns probably won't work too..." Yang deducted. "So let's go technical!" She soon declared.
"I got something for it!" Queen called out. She didn't know why the others were so focused on that particular Shadow, but was willing to do everything in her power to take it down. "Makajama, Johanna!" She soon commanded.
"What-" The Treasure Demon began, only for it to suddenly go quiet as if it went on mute.
"You inflicted Forget on it! It can't use any skills!" Mona cheered out.
"That sounds bad if we were hit with it..." Widow noted before turning to Yin, who was already pulling out a Psy Bomb from the duffle bag.
"Take this!" Yin called out as she threw the bomb.
BOOM!
"Treasure Demon, down!" Mona declared
"Okay, now we can focus on the others!" Queen soon ordered. "What are they, Mona?" She then asked.
"Equian Sage and a Black Ooze!" Mona answered. "We don't even have to try with them." He then declared with confidence.
"Very well. Goemon, Bufu!" Fox commanded.
CRACKLE!
"AAAHHH!" The Equian Sage cried out in pain as it went to its knees.
"Another one bites the dust!" Yang cheered out.
"Passing it to you, Skull!" Fox declared while bringing his hand out.
CLAP!
"Alright!" Skull got out with a fist pump before ripping off his mask. "Wassup, Persona! Zio!" He then declared.
ZAP!
"All down! Go for the Hold Up!" Queen called out as they aimed their guns at the fallen Shadow.
"All-Out Attack, All-Out Attack, All-Out Attack, All-Out Attack, All-Out Attack, All-Out Attack, All-Out Attack, All-Out Attack, All-Out Attack..." Yang mentally chanted a little too eagerly.
"Queen's Necklace!" Joker called out.
"PAYDAY!" Yang exclaimed in excitement with yen symbols in her eyes.
"I want you as a Persona!" The Leader declared as he put away his gun.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Yang cried out.
"Simple as that, hm?" The Treasure Demon got out in a somewhat amused tone."Very well. I am thou, thou art I. I am Queen's Necklace. Use my power how you see fit, Trickster." It calmly revealed as it glowed.
"Thank you." Joker responded as his mask absorbed the Shadow while the Vice Leader comforted her roommate in the background.
"So, what does the Queen's Necklace have?" Mona soon asked.
"...Buff jackpot." Joker answered. "It knows every buffing spell. Ooh, and Media and Recarm." He then informed the group.
"A great set of skills that'll help in the long run." Mona stated. "Now let's head upstairs. Yang, I know there's a ton more Treasure Demons we can kill." He then added.
"Need...job...badly..." Yang mumbled out in depression. "Don't...wanna...mooch...off others..." She then stated.
"Aw...you can mooch off me all you want..." Yin cooed out. "I'll let you mooch me all day." She then offered.
Suddenly, Joker started coughing. "Alright, let's go." He quickly got out before stumbling towards the direction of the stairs, confusing the Vice Leader.
The Vice Leader looked at the others, who only avoided her gaze before following the Leader. Shrugging to herself, she just followed as they went upstairs.
"Oh look, cameras and a laser grid we didn't know we shut down..." Joker muttered out as they passed by the offline laser grid before going through a door, arriving at a rather large room.
"Whoa! What is this...?" Skull got out as he looked around.
"It is an exceedingly spacious room..." Fox commented.
"Thank you, Artist Obvious..." Yang deadpanned as she rolled her eyes.
"Well, according to the map..." Yin spoke up as she checked the room. "We should be able to go further down from here...but after that we'll need to find the other map." She then added.
"Hey, did you hear? It sounds like those intruders are wreaking havoc in here." The Thieves suddenly heard a distorted voice say.
"Hello..." Yang whispered out as she narrowed her eyes. "Quiet down, everyone..." She quietly ordered as they moved a little closer.
"So this floor...mumble mumble mumble...and Mr. Kaneshiro ordered us to..."
"Yeah, but still...mumble mumble mumble...I mean, with these two keys...mumble mumble mumble...to happen?"
"Dammit, speak clearer..." Panther grumbled out.
"It's quite rude to mumble your words." Widow stated. "But I think they're talking about keys..." She then got out.
"Yeah, I think I heard that too..." Skull muttered out as he frowned.
"We need to move closer if we have any chance of finding out about what they're talking about." Queen advised, getting nods from the other Thieves.
And just as the newest member said that, not only did the two Shadows move deeper into the room, several security cameras came online, essentially blocking their way.
"...Why do I feel like I just jinxed that...?" Queen soon mumbled out.
The tan skinned girl could only rub her forehead in a futile attempt to ease the future headache this entire thing will be. "Let's go find the stupid power box to shut those down." Yang groaned out as the Thieves moved away from the security room, only to spot a Treasure Chest.
So they went for it first. Luckily, it wasn't locked as the Leader opened it with ease and retrieved its contents.
"Hehehe...Gang Star." Joker chuckled out before turning to the dyed blond. "Looks like this is for you, Skull." He then revealed.
"Sweet! Looks stronger than the one...you...just bought..." Skull got out with a smile, only to realise the waste of money the Leader had to take. "Crap...sorry man." He awkwardly got out and apologized.
"No no, it served you well even for a short time." Joker replied. "Besides, Iwai doesn't mind me selling back his stuff...except guns. I...I suddenly have a model gun collection now." He then stated and awkwardly informed.
"That would be pretty bad if Boss found out about that..." Yin however mumbled out as the dyed blond gave her his old weapon to put in the duffle.
(Fast Forward)
"Did the guys who raided my room actually check the guns were real?" Akira quickly asked. "No, wait, that's a stupid question. So let me continue. So we headed down stairs and saw this huge-ass vault-type door..." He then continued.
(Rewind)
"Whoa! Is this some kinda vault!?" Skull got out as the Vice Leader pulled out the map. This couldn't be this easy. They didn't find the Treasure already, right?
"According to the map, there's still a great deal more beyond here..." Queen soon informed as she looked over the Vice Leader's shoulder.
"I was kinda hoping the Treasure was just past that..." Yang muttered out.
"So this is not a vault, but a partition of some sort." Widow responded. "The terminals here must be how you open it." She then deducted.
"B-But they both have keyholes." Panther pointed out.
"Probably must be used at the same time." Joker assumed.
"So we got to find two keys to open the door and move on." Widow stated in a whisper.
"Looks like it." Mona stated. "Hey, maybe those guards from before might know where those keys are located." He then muttered out.
"Right. Let's go and find the power box then." Yang replied.
"Found it." Skull instantly got out as he pointed across the room at the power box.
"...Well that was easy." Panther muttered out as the Thieves quickly made their way there.
"Hehe, maybe I should get an easy button." Joker thought to himself in amusement.
One swift kick later, they saw two cameras close to the gate power down.
"What!? Why didn't it shut off all of the cameras!?" Skull exclaimed.
"Ugh...looks like the outer cameras are powered by a separate box..." Joker guessed. "Can't make it easy for thieves, huh." He soon remarked.
"It's only a minor inconvenience for us." Widow stated. "I'm sure we haven't seen everything this area has to offer, so let's explore a little." She then added.
"Yeah, there's an area...through this door." Yin informed as she turned to the right. "Shouldn't take more than a few minutes." She then stated.
"Alright, let's do this." Joker replied before tugging on his gloves. "We say that a lot, don't we?" He then admitted.
"There's no helping it. Go." Yang however remarked before heading through the door.
Seeing that the only available door was on the northwest side of the hallway, they snuck past the guards and entered the room, where they saw that there was an air vent above them. After grabbing a treasure chest on the other side (which contained a Black Kogatana), they went through the vent.
Almost automatically, once they found the power box, the Leader reared his leg back and...
SMASH!
"I think that was it." Joker got out as he rubbed his leg. His leg was starting to get sore from all the kicking he had to do today.
"See? No more than a few minutes." Yin stated with a smile under her mask. "Now let's hear what those guards are talking about." She then reminded as the Leader unlocked the door using the keycard.
"Hopefully they haven't left or stopped their conversation." Queen muttered out as they made their way back to the security room.
Soon enough, they were crouched down and carefully listening to the guards.
"About those intruders..." The cautious-looking guard muttered in a concerned manner.
"Oh? Are you really that concerned?" The aggressive-looking guard got out in a somewhat amused tone. "Don't be. We have the keys, so things should be okay as long as we protect them." They then remarked with confidence.
"Cocky bunch aren't they?" Joker remarked.
"Well, they're about to eat their cock." Yang got out before blinking. "...I just said that out loud..." She then muttered.
"One, phrasing. And two, you realise now?" Joker countered. "Whatever. So, they must be talking about the two keys we need to open the partition, right?" He then deducted.
"Most likely." Widow got out with a nod.
"So what? We have to beat 'em up and rob 'em?" Skull soon suggested.
"Are you kidding, Skull? Look at them!" Mona countered. "Those golden uniforms, those weird batons...they're most likely really tough Shadows if they were entrusted with something so important." He then explained.
"Yeah. If we take them on at the same time, we'll surely be in a lot of trouble." Yang muttered out with a frown.
"Yeah, plus one of them could sound the alarm while the other deals with us..." Yin then mumbled out.
"Hm...Looks like our best course of action is to separate them." Joker suggested.
"It doesn't seem like they're going anywhere though." Fox pointed out. "How would we separate them?" He soon questioned with a frown.
"Remember that monitoring room upstairs?" Queen suddenly reminded the Thieves. "There was some communication equipment in there as well. We could use that to lure one of them over there." She then informed and suggested.
"Great idea, Queen." Joker replied with a smirk.
"Yep, that's a lot safer than fighting them both at the same time." Panther said with a nod.
"Let's leave that part to our resident intellectual." Mona got out.
"Alright, I saw a set of stairs leading back up to the first floor, so let's head straight there and start preparing an ambush." Joker ordered as the Thieves ran off to head back upstairs.
(Front Hall, Monitoring Room)
"Hm...This coffee is pretty decent Joker." Yin got out with a frown before putting down her mask. "But I know you can do better." She then stated.
"Yeah, well uh...let's just say I have someone to help me multitask." Joker replied.
Kawakami could do a lot of things, but she could never do it well. He seriously needed to start brewing coffee the night before.
"Alright, is everyone healed up and energized?" Joker soon questioned.
"Yep." Skull responded with a thumbs-up.
"Alright, as soon as we execute this plan, we're in for a tough battle." Queen warned. "Are you ready, Joker?" She soon asked.
After getting nods from the other members, Joker nodded as well. "Go for it." He replied.
"Okay, everyone stay quiet." Queen ordered before clearing her throat. "Come in, security room! This is the monitoring room! We've been ambushed by intruders! Requesting backup, immediately! How many of you are there?" She got out, deepening her voice a little.
"Just the two of us! We're guarding the keys to the partition! We'll both be there right away!" One of the guards responded.
"Don't!" Queen called out in a serious manner. "Do not risk both keys to those thieves, just send in one, okay?" She soon requested.
"Roger that!" The Shadow replied before hanging up.
"And there we go! All we need to do now is wait for the enemy." Queen breathed out. Although she didn't look like it, she was quite nervous throughout the whole conversation.
"Nice, acting there senpai!" Yang praised.
"Give her an Oscar later." Joker chuckled out before getting serious. "Everyone, hide!" He soon ordered they all leapt into their positions.
Soon enough, a guard in a golden uniform entered the room. "Hm!? There's no one here...?" The Cautious Guard got out as it looked around.
"Not exactly." Joker replied from above it, getting the Shadow's attention as the dyed blond jumped onto the Shadow's back.
"You just got punked!" Skull declared as he ripped off the Cautious Shadow's mask.
(Cue Stardust Crusaders by Yugo Kanno)
"Go go go!" Joker called out as the Thieves jumped out of their hiding spots.
"A Villain of Whirlwind, huh?" Mona noted. "We should finish this fast, before his buddy gets suspicious!" He then suggested.
The guard stumbled around a little before gathering its bearings. "This...This was a trap! You BASTARDS!" The Shadow screamed at the Thieves before charging at them.
"Sorry, but we all know you won't relinquish that key peacefully." Queen stated. "Now, would you kindly die in a hole! PERSONA!" She then commanded as she summoned Johanna. "Freila!" She soon called out.
KABOOOM!
The Shadow was blasted away by the Nuke spell, but wasn't all that hurt.
"Hey, you got an upgrade, senpai!" Yang called out in a happy tone.
"Sorry, I didn't notice it until now." Queen admitted. "Now focus on the battle!" She then ordered.
"I am thou! Goemon!" Fox commanded as he summoned his Persona. "Vicious Strike!" He soon declared.
SLASH!
"Not enough..." Fox cursed under his breath when saw that the Shadow was still standing.
The enemy soon growled at the Thieves. "Tarukaja!" It soon called out, a red aura flaring around it.
"Shit, it's setting up somethin' big!" Skull called out.
"Guard!" Queen ordered.
"Magarula!"
WOOOOOSH!
"Ah!" Yin yelped out as she managed to raise her guard in time, barely managing to take the attack. However for Joker, thanks to the Persona he had equipped, he wasn't so fast.
"GARGH!" Joker cried in pain as he was blasted away, hitting his back against the wall before falling to the floor. "Damn...None of my Personas are weak to Wind..." He thought as he tried to pull himself up.
"Joker! No!" Yin called out before turning to the light grey haired girl. "Showtime, Widow!" She suddenly informed.
"Let our dance dazzle our enemies!" Widow declared as they readied themselves.
"Grr...Give it all you got!" Joker commanded as he raised the star into the air.
"SHOWTIME!"
Suddenly, the two were on the beach with the sun setting.
"So pretty..." Yin and Widow sighed out in unison.
"Asuka!" An older voice called out.
"Yumi." Another, yet calmer older voice called out.
The two then turned to see two elderly men approaching them. "Jii-chan!" Yin gasped out.
"Ojii-sama!" Widow called out at the same time as the two ran up to their respective grandfathers...
Only for their enemy to stand between them.
Yin and Widow gasped in shock...only for their grandfathers to smile at them as they threw kunai and shuriken at them, giving them the opening they needed.
"DON'T!" Widow started, gripping her fans.
"INTERRUPT!" Yin continued, tightening her hold on her blades.
"FAMILY TIME!" Yin and Widow demanded as the four proceeded to charge at the Shadows, ending up in a comical cloud of violence with earth and ice spraying everywhere.
Yin then finished it off by slamming a giant frozen futomaki roll on them before landing back with Widow to get head pats from their respective elders. "Ah...~!" The two got out in delighted tones.
The two then blinked as they realised they were back in the bank.
"It worked!" Yin happily exclaimed.
"You definitely flashed your panties with that last thing." Panther however whispered to the Vice Leader, causing her to blush.
"What the hell was that!?" Skull exclaimed. "Were those your grandfathers!? Holy shit, they are effin' beefcakes!" He then declared.
"Yeah, and I met Sis' gramps and he is way more intimidating in real life." Yang admitted.
"And where did the giant sushi roll come from?" Queen also questioned.
"No time! Look!" Panther called out as she pointed towards the enemy. It was knocked down and bleeding, but it was still alive.
"Shoot, it's not dead..." Widow mumbled.
Joker let out a pained groan as he picked himself up. "It is now! All-Out Attack!" He soon commanded.
"FULL THROTTLE!" Queen roared out as they rushed the Shadow.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SLAP! WHAM!
"This! Is! Justice!" Queen shouted out as they landed back on the ground...except for the Leader, who landed on the fallen Shadow's chest and aimed his pistol at their head.
(End Music)
"And you thought you had a chance." Joker stated before finishing the Shadow off.
BANG!
"Right in the face hole." Yang muttered out before she spotted the item they needed. "Here's the key!" She then informed as she picked it up.
"Guess that went pretty well, huh?" Skull got out as Mona healed the Leader.
"That means there should only be one Shadow in the security room! Let's snatch the other key from it while we can!"
"Yeah, we better hurry there before Tweedledee notices Tweedledum is dead." Joker stated as they headed back downstairs.
(Banker Passageway)
"Why isn't he coming back!?" The Aggressive Guard got out in a worried tone as he paced around the security room, it's gate wide open. "Could something have happened!?" He then wondered out loud, unaware that the Cautious Guard's killers were listening in nearby.
"You know, it's a little distressing to see this guard worrying so much..." Yin mumbled out.
"They still work for Kaneshiro and these kinds of Shadows can't be recruited." Joker however reminded.
"I know, I know. Just saying..." Yin mumbled out.
"Let's just get this over with." Queen got out as the Thieves ran into the security room. "Hello there." She soon greeted, causing the Shadow to jump and face them.
"Hm? Who are you!?" The guard demanded.
"Just your passing thieves." Widow informed before aiming her fans at the Shadow. "Now if you'll kindly hand over the other key..." She began, despite knowing that it wasn't going to be a peaceful handover of the item they needed.
"Other? What!?" The Aggressive Guard gasped out. "Then that comm earlier...How dare you!" It soon realised before transforming.
"Sorry buddy, but there's a lot of people relying on us so don't stand in our way!" Yang shouted out as the Thieves charged at the Shadow.
(Cue Axe to Grind by Lyn)
"A Mysterious Child..." Mona informed while readying himself.
"That does not look like an effin' kid!" Skull shouted out before his eyes widened. "OH SHIT!" He soon exclaimed as he and his friends began to move.
SMASH!
"HE WAS JUST A ROOKIE!" The Shadow cried out as it tried to crush the thieves with its double-bladed staff.
"Stop guilt tripping us! You're making Yin sad!" Yang however demanded.
"Moh...I'm not falling for it this time..." Yin mumbled out.
"At least he wasn't one day from retirement!" Joker got out as he ripped his mask off. "Ame-no-Uzume! Tentarafoo!" He soon commanded as the Persona tried to inflict Confuse on his target.
However, the enemy simply laughed it off. "Hahahahaha!" The Shadow got out in amusement.
"Didn't work..." Joker grumbled under his breath.
"I've got it, Joker! Dormina!" Panther replied as she unleashed a sleep spell.
"Hahaha...Haha...Ha...Zzzz..." The Shadow continued laughing out, only to doze off and was sent to dreamland.
"Gotcha!" Panther whispered with a smirk to the sight.
"Now let me give it a wake up call." Yang declared. "Wolverine! Gokuentou!" She soon commanded.
FWOOSH! SLASH!
"GAAAAHHHH!"
"Down!" Yang declared with a smirk under her mask.
"Now go All-Out!" Joker ordered before they rushed the Shadow.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SLAP! WHAM!
The tan skinned girl soon sheathed her katanas and dusted off her hand before crossing her arms over her chest. "Hmph! Be bathed in crimson!" Yang cooly declared just as the Shadow burst.
(End Music)
"And that's that!" Yin declared as she picked up the second key.
"Perfect, we've now obtained both keys!" Panther cheered out.
"Oh, just one moment!" Queen spoke up as she approached a nearby map on the wall to study it a little. "Doesn't this map have a little more information than our own?" She soon asked in a curious manner.
"Yeah..." Yin got out as she approached it as well.
"You're right Queen. We almost missed that." Mona as the Vice Leader ripped the map off the wall.
"Hey, maybe it can tell us what the bank is like further down." Panther hoped as they gathered around the Good Shinobi.
"How's it look? Do you see where the Treasure is?" Skull asked.
"Well, the most suspicious area would be the deepest part..." Mona mumbled out as he looked over the map. "Look here, there's an elevator that leads down. The Treasure has to be past that." He soon pointed out.
"But look here..." Fox spoke up as he pointed to another part of the map. "The map indicates that the area beyond the partition is quite large as well."
"I'm sure security will keep getting more intense from here onward too. We need to be careful." Mona warned.
The Phantom Thieves in turn nodded to that, knowing that it was time to get serious once they accessed the next part of the Palace.
"Let's head back to the partition, then." Fox soon suggested before they all headed down to unlock the door.
"Okay...let's try turning it at the same time, Sis." Yang soon suggested as they approached the terminals.
"On three and then go." Yin replied as they put their keys in. "One." She began counting off.
"Two." Yang responded, continuing the countdown.
"Three!" The two roommates got out unison as they turned their keys at the same time.
Click!
Suddenly, the locks on the door began to rescind before opening up to reveal the next area.
"This took some time, but we managed to force it open." Fox stated with a satisfied smile on his face.
"Great teamwork, everyone!" The Leader congratulated the Thieves.
"Yes, I agree. The cooperation of our whole team is what helped us through this particular ordeal." Queen praised with a pleased grin.
"Well, it would be impossible to do it alone." Widow stated. "I mean, you would need at least one other person." She then pointed out.
"Alright, let's...go..." Yang began only to trail off as she saw what was past the partition. "Holy..." She whispered out as the Thieves went into the next part of the Palace.
(Upper Laundering Office)
The Thieves couldn't help but stare in awe at the area. It was literally raining money around them, and the glass floor beneath their feet revealed a sea of paper bills that surely ran miles deep. "At least it's not coins..." Joker whispered to himself.
"Dude...There's money all over the floor..." Skull muttered out.
"So he took all of this from the weak..." Mona growled out.
"...He's going to pay for this." Queen declared as she felt Johanna rev her engines.
"We shouldn't touch any of this." Widow suggested as she glared at it all. "It's all dirty money, either from the money made from all his crimes or stolen from his victims."
"Yes...almost all of it belongs to the people...the rest of it should just burn..." Fox spat out.
"Um, hold on..." Yin spoke up as she took a closer look at the bank notes. "Er, guys? There's something wrong with this money..." She tried to explain, only to trail off once she saw her roommate stuffing her outfit with cash before being noticed, causing her to drop some of it.
"...Please don't judge me, I still don't have a job yet in the real world." Yang admitted in depression with tearing running down her mask. "Plus, the money's all counterfeit anyways. It's not gonna hurt anyone if we take it..." She then added.
"Well, it's the principal of it and-" Mona began to explain as he picked up a bill...and stopped and stared at it. "Uh..."
"What is it?" Yang got out, in the middle of placing money in between her breasts.
"...You know what, you're desperate. I'll allow this." Mona suddenly decided.
"Wait, really? Yes!" Yang cheered out, caught off-guard at first but soon continued to stuff her outfit full of cold hard cash.
"Why are you-" Joker began to ask, only for the not cat to hand him the bill. "...Oh." He then got out.
"Greed will be her downfall. A harsh but necessary lesson." Mona explained. "Maybe you should help try and find a job though when we get back." He then suggested.
"Yeah, I'm planning to." Joker replied. "Yang, we're leaving so either stop stuffing your pockets or we're leaving you here." He then ordered.
"Yeah, coming Joker!" Yang called out as grabbed one last handful before catching up to the others, heading downstairs into the office space.
"Everyone, stop and hide!" Mona suddenly ordered as soon as they went through the door. Almost instantly, the Thieves dived for cover, just barely managing to avoid the gaze of the guard patrolling the area.
"Ooh...I think my heart just stopped for a second..." Panther whispered out.
"Hey, look up there." Joker suddenly got out as he pointed up.
"What!? More cameras!?" Skull exclaimed.
"No...These ones seem different from what we've seen before..." Mona informed as he narrowed his eyes, noticing a small light turn on and off. "They alternate which one's active." He soon revealed.
"It might be a surveillance system that switches between multiple cameras for efficient coverage..." Queen deducted.
"That just means we gotta pass by when it's not recordin', yeah?" Skull assumed.
"I'd say it gives us a five second window to move." Widow stated after watching the camera turn off and on.
"That's plenty of time for us..." Mona stated with a smirk before letting out a frown as they watched the guard walk up and down the hallway. "But there are guards to watch out for too. We should proceed with caution!" He then advised.
"Like always and everywhere here, Mona." Yin stated as she saw the camera turn off. "Go!" She soon ordered.
Instantly, the Thieves moved past the camera and went into the next hiding spot just as the guard passed. "Huh? Wha?" The guard got out, causing the Thieves to hold their breaths. "...Meh, probably my rampant hallucinations acting again..." It then grumbled to itself before continuing its patrol.
"Should we take out the guard?" Fox asked as he narrowed his eyes. "It might become a problem soon."
"No, let it pass." Queen responded. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to get exhausted." She then admitted.
"Yeah, we've been getting into a few too many unnecessary fights." Mona stated. "Let's save our energy for the bigger guys." He then suggested.
"Hai." Widow responded in agreement as they then watched the guard pass them before moving past the next camera and going through the door, where they spotted a vent that led outside.
"Gah...what the hell is that smell...?" Skull gagged out.
"The smell of dirty money, Skull." Yang answered before coughing, nearly messing up her jump across. "Ack!" She yelped out.
"Careful. If we fall from here, we'd probably drown in the sea of money." Queen advised.
"Or go splat." Joker then added as he looked around for an anchor point for their grappling hooks before shooting it out. "Ready?" He soon asked.
"After you, Joker." Widow replied with a nod.
Nodding in response, Joker and the Thieves swung across the gap, going over the sea of money before smoothly landing on the other side.
After crawling through another vent and sneaking past another guard and some cameras, they finally made it to somewhere safe, where there was an elevator practically waiting for them to ride down to the next part of the Palace.
"Didn't even see us comin' and goin'!" Skull got out with a fist pump.
"We're definitely getting better at this." Panther stated with a smile.
"Becoming better and better thieves every single day. I'm proud of you all." Mona complimented.
"Keep that feeling of success, but don't let arrogance taint it. We still have a long way to go from here." Queen advised.
"I agree." Yang replied with a nod.
"Alright, if everyone's feeling good, let's go." Joker got out as he hit the down button, getting the elevator doors to open.
And with that, the Thieves went down further into the bank.
(Lower Laundering Office)
The Phantom Thieves soon arrived at the floor and exited the elevator after making sure there weren't any guards there ready to attack them.
"Is there money leaking from the ceiling!?" Yang exclaimed as she saw yen bills litter the floor.
"Kaneshiro definitely needs janitors..." Joker muttered out before looking forward.
"Chest across from us!" Widow informed.
"A-And a dog." Mona added in a scared tone. "Let's take it out before it raises the Security Level!" He then got out.
"Here we go!" Joker declared and rushed in. "Show me your true form!" He called out as he swiftly ripped off the dog's mask without stopping and the group swiftly readied themselves to take down the Shadows that emerged.
"Two Orthrus!" Mona informed as the Thieves took out their weapons. "They're weak to Ice, so Fox! Widow! Do your thing!" He then called out.
"Mabufu!" Fox commanded.
"Bufula!" Widow then declared.
CRACKLE! CRACKLE!
"All down!" Joker declared. "You know what to do!" He then ordered.
"Didn't effin' try!" Skull remarked as they all rushed in.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SLAP! WHAM!
"What a disappointment." Widow stated just as the Shadows burst. "Quite a quick fight, wasn't it?" She calmly pointed out in satisfaction.
"Yep! We're getting so strong!" Yin cheered out. "Now let's get that treasure chest." She then added as they approached it.
"Relax Gel." Joker informed before turning to the Vice Leader. "Hey, think you could use it as a substitute for that massage oil?" He then asked in a curious tone.
"Sorry, but the technique is very specific." Yin apologized. "Besides, it's best used to cure a bunch of other status effects." She then revealed as she took the item and placed it in the duffle bag.
However, she then blinked and frowned.
"Yin?" Yang got out in concern.
The Vice Leader only narrowed her eyes as she walked through the doorway, into a large room and looked down from the railing. "Hey, I think I can hear someone talking..." She soon informed.
"Yeah...it's coming from below us." Queen muttered out the team looked down to see the ruler of the Palace conversing with a gold-wearing guard.
"Hey, isn't that Kaneshiro?" Skull whispered out with wide eyes. "What's he doin' down here?" He wondered out loud.
"It is difficult to hear what he's saying from here..." Fox stated with a frown.
"Yeah, all the money being processed upstairs is making things too noisy..." Yin muttered out. "Who knows what he's planning for us. Should we scout it out?" She then suggested as the shinobi girls all looked at the Leader.
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to listen in." Joker answered before they began making their way down, still looting and taking out Shadows along the way and soon coming across a treasure chest.
"Knuckle Dusters." Joker muttered before looking towards the new member. "For you, my Queen." He soon offered, going down one knee to offer the new weapon.
"Why, Sir Joker, you are too kind." Queen giggled out, accepting the new tekko, unaware of the blush on her face. "These definitely will help in tearing Shadows apart." She then confessed.
"You say that way too casually..." Skull whispered out.
Queen simply shrugged as she did a little shadow boxing to get a feel for the new weapon before the Thieves made it to the ground floor.
"Hey, I think I'm detecting a safe room." Mona informed. "I don't think we have the time for it. Kaneshiro could be leaving at any moment." He then added.
"We may rest later, but right now we must take advantage of the opportunity in front of us." Fox stated as they began to walk towards the Palace Ruler's location.
"Gah...there aren't any hiding spots..." Yang grumbled out. "If we get any closer, Kaneshiro will notice us." She then stated.
"Guess we have no choice but to confront him outright." Mona stated. "Are we ready for a fight, Joker?" He soon asked.
"Always." Joker replied as the Thieves ran up to the ruler and the golden guard.
"Kaneshiro!" Queen shouted out, glaring at the man as they turned to face them.
"Y-You bastards..." Shadow Kaneshiro growled out. "How did you get this far!? What about my security!?" He soon demanded.
"Your security sucks!" Yang and Queen however declared in furious unison.
"Yeah, it was pretty easy to crack. Guess you wasted your money, asshole." Skull got out in a cocky tone.
"...Well, I wouldn't say it was easy..." Fox muttered inaudibly to himself.
"H-Hey! Finish off these vermin here! Keep them away from that elevator at all costs!" Shadow Kaneshiro ordered as he stumbled back.
"Why? Don't tell me your deepest darkest desires are just an elevator ride away!" Joker taunted as the Shadow transformed. "At least make us work for it!" He then called out while they all pulled out their weapons.
(Cue BAYONET CHARGE by Ayahi Takagaki and Nana Mizuki)
"Three Shadows! Ones we've fought previously." Mona announced as he readied himself. "Kaneshiro isn't playing around anymore. He's truly trying to kill us!" He sonn informed.
"Damn, this is gonna suck..." Skull groaned out.
"Remember the last time we were faced with dealing multiple tough Shadows!" Queen called out as she summoned Johanna.
"Right. Divide and conquer." Joker responded. "Yin and Yang, with me! We're focusing on the Kin-Ki! Skull, Mona, Panther - take care of the one with the face hole! Widow, Fox, Queen! You're taking on the one with the weapon!" He soon ordered.
"Got it, Leader!" The Thieves called in unison.
"NOW SPLIT!" Joker then commanded as the team leapt out of the way of multiple attacks. "Separate them! Push them away from each other!" He soon ordered.
Queen, Skull and Yang nodded before charging forward.
"RRRRAAAAAHHHHH!" The three roared as they tackled/crashed into the Shadows, forcing them away from one another.
"That's it!" Joker encouraged as the Thieves went off to face their respective opponents.
"We're under your Direct Command, Joker!" Yin called out as she aimed her pistols at the Kin-Ki.
"Sis, remember! That thing resists bullets!" Yang informed as she summoned Wolverine. "Use spells and status effects! Terror Claw!" She soon commanded, however the attack missed. "Not good..." She got out.
"Come on, Kaeru! Go! Magnara!" Yin soon commanded as her Persona blasted a boulder at the enemy, but winced when she saw it was still standing. "No..." She got out in frustration.
"Not doing a lot of damage here..." Joker cursed under his breath.
"Oh, I remember! It's weak to Psychokinesis right?" Yin remembered as she dodged a crushing blow.
"Yeah." Joker got out before frowning. "...I have a Psychokinesis spell, right?" He soon muttered to himself.
"Seriously, Joker!?" Yang called out as she countered the Kin-Ki's attack with a Gokuentou.
"I have a lot of Personas! Just need...to find it..." Joker responded as he quickly went through his arsenal. "Ah ha! Shiki-Ouji!" He soon called out, switching to a recently fused Persona.
However, he didn't have time to summon it as the Shadow attacked! "Varja Blast!" It soon roared.
"Guard!" Joker ordered as he took the attack head on while the two girls raised their weapons.
BLAST!
The two girls were immediately blasted back by the attack as a result, but they both managed to stay on their feet. "Rrrgh...Still kinda hurts..." Yang grumbled out.
"He's really powerful, huh Yang-nee." Yin muttered out before gasping. "Huh? Joker looks fine..." She then pointed out.
"What the!?" The Kin-Ki got out in shock.
"Heh. Didn't feel a thing." Joker got out with a smirk as his Physical immune Persona cracked his knuckles. "Psio." He then commanded, snapping his fingers.
WEEEEP!
"AAAHHH!" The enemy Kin-Ki cried in pain as it went to its knees.
"Hah hah! You're finished!" Joker declared as they rushed the Shadow.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
"You didn't even try!" Yang taunted as she drop-kicked the Shadow away, too weakened to get up but remained alive.
Meanwhile, with Mona, Skull and Panther...
"Alright, you're following my orders, got it!?" Mona declared as they faced down their enemy.
"I'm okay with that, Mona." Skull replied as he rolled his shoulders. "Just tell me when and where to hit!" He then added.
"I trust you, Mona! Let's go!" Panther responded with a nod.
"Nyahaha! Time to show everyone that I can lead a team too." Mona stated with confidence while pumping his tiny paw into the air. "Now, Panther, hit it with everything you've got!" He then called out.
"Alright. Dance, Carmen! Agilao!" Panther called out while removing her mask.
FWOOSH!
"Nyahaha! Burned!" Mona laughed out with an evil smile. "Let's intensify it! Zorro, Garula!" He then declared while jumping and spinning in the air.
WOOSH!
"GAAAHHH!" The Shadow wailed in pain.
"There we go! Skull, follow it up!" Mona declared and ordered.
"Got it!" Skull responded with a nod while ripping off his mask. "Here I come! ZIO!" He then called out.
ZAP!
"We have an Electric weakness!" Panther informed as the Shadow fell.
"Are we going for an All-Out Attack?" Skull asked as he readied his weapon.
"Nope! We're going for style here!" Mona responded. "It won't be a showtime, but it'll definitely be amazing!" He then vaguely informed.
"Well, whatcha got?" Skull soon asked.
"Just follow my lead." Mona simply ordered. "Use your Personas creatively. They can do more than hit stuff and sling spells." He soon instructed.
"Huh?" The two blonds got out in confused unison.
The not cat simply smirked in a confident manner."Just watch. Zorro, SEND THEM TO THE SKY!" Mona ordered as his Persona blew the Shadow into the air. "Panther, wrap 'em up!" He soon ordered.
"Okay! I get it now!" Panther responded before ripping off her mask. "Carmen!" She soon called out as her Persona used her leashed servants as makeshift bolas, the rose stems' thorns digging into the Shadow's skin as her servants held it down.
"Now Skull! Break its knees!" Mona then ordered.
"Oh it!" Skull replied. "Captain Kidd! Ramming speed' He then declared as the ash blonde made her Persona pull the Shadow back to the ground.
WHAM! CRACK!
And with that, Captain Kidd destroyed the kneecaps of the Shadow...and left Carmen's slaves in bloody messes.
Carmen just silently shrugged as she spawned two new ones while Captain Kidd held up the Shadow like a punching bag for Zorro.
"Now let's put a few more holes in you!" Mona declared as his Persona repeatedly stabbed the Shadow at blind speeds, keeping it in the air once Skull's Persona let go.
Zorro then thrust his rapier through the enemy's head hole one last time and tossed it next to the weakened Kin-Ki.
"Effin' lame." Skull got out with a smirk as the ash blonde and the not cat gave each other high fives.
Meanwhile with Widow, Fox and Queen...
"Alright, I'll assume direct command." Queen got out as she revved Johanna.
"Hai." Fox replied with a nod as he went into a battle stance with his katana.
"We will act exactly as you wish, Queen." Widow responded while readying herself. "So, what is your command?" She soon asked.
"You are really milking my codename, aren't you Widow…" Queen couldn't help but think. "Hm...Hop on." She hummed out before suddenly giving the order.
"Hm?" Window hummed out in confusion.
"Get on Johanna." Queen responded. "We're gonna make ourselves harder to hit." She then explained.
Widow and Fox looked at each other before shrugging and climbing onto the bike...where the light grey haired girl's boobs proceeded to squish against Queen's back.
"Your Persona doesn't seem to be made to hold three people." Fox noted as he shifted forward a little.
"C-Careful!" Widow meanwhile yelped out, feeling her top starting to slip down a little.
"Focus...Focus…!" Queen on the other hand thought as a hot red blush appeared on her face and steaming head before flooring it just in time to dodge an attack from the Mysterious Child. "Give it all you've got!"
"Well…" Widow began before pulling out her sniper rifle.
Queen nodded to that before she started doing doughnuts around the enemy while the light grey haired girl steadied herself.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Didn't miss a shot." Fox noted as Widow tried to reload, but found her position too difficult to allow her to do so. "Goemon! Strike it down!" He soon called out as he tossed away his mask.
SLASH!
"GAH! Grrr…" The Mysterious Child growled out. "Sledgehammer!" The Shadow soon declared.
"Shit!" Queen mentally exclaimed as she tried to hit the brakes on Johanna, but was going too fast to stop.
Suddenly, Goemon appeared in front of the three and took the attack. His eyes then flashed red before countering the attack with his large smoking pipe.
SLASH!
"What the-!?" Widow got out in shock.
"Nngh...Counter skill." Fox groaned out, feeling the pain of his Persona. "But it's vulnerable right now! We should finish it off now!" He then advised.
"I agree. Freila!" Queen replied and commanded.
KABOOM!
And with that, Queen, Widow and Fox jumped off Johanna and performed their coup-de-grace.
Fox sliced off the Mysterious Child's hand off, along with its weapon, before high-fiving his senpai.
CLAP!
Widow then froze the Shadow's feet to the ground and its remaining arm behind its back before passing the baton to their Advisor.
And Queen then took the weapon off the ground and then proceeded to thrust it through the Shadow's chest. "GARAGH!" It roared in pain.
"No mercy for the fallen." Queen soon stated before pushing it to join the pile of broken Shadows as everyone then regrouped.
"They're all weakened! One more push!" Joker informed.
"In that case, it's time to dance Widow! Showtime!" Yang called out in excitement.
"Hai! Yang!" Widow responded with a nod and a smile on her face.
Joker meanwhile smirked as the star glowed, taking it out at holding it out. "Get them ladies!" He soon ordered.
"SHOWTIME!"
Suddenly, the area changed into that of a Noh Stage with both Yang and Widow on it with their backs turned from the Shadows as the spotlights shined on them.
FWOOSH!
The duo's clothes suddenly shifted into their kimonos as they held their weapons in an elegant like manner as they then turned to the audience. "Shall we dance?" The two questioned in calm unison before noh play music started and they began dancing while red lily petals and snowflakes began to fall.
Meanwhile the audience, the Shadow watched on as they were charmed by the two dancers.
"May we heat things up~?" Yang questioned in an alluring tone, continuing her dance in a graceful manner with her katanas.
As the tan skinned girl danced however, a small snake of flames slithered around the area, lighting something all the while.
"Or maybe we shall cool you down~" Yumi suggested in an equally alluring tone, dancing in an elegant manner all the while.
Meanwhile as the light grey haired girl danced, the Shadows didn't notice that they were being frozen in place by spiders made of ice, but they didn't care as they were entranced by the show.
"And with this~" Yang began.
"This is our~" Widow continued.
"Dance of Fire and Ice~!" Yang and Widow soon declared in unison as they danced in unison before giving the crowd a final pose.
The Shadows clapped after the final pose as fireworks exploded behind them...Not noticing the ones heading straight at them until it was too late.
KABOOM!
"A wonderful performance~" Yang and Widow praised themselves as they gave one last pose and winked just as the fireworks spelled out PHANTOM THIEVES FOREVER in the sky with a familiar not cat's head underneath.
(End Music)
Once Yang and Widow blinked, they remembered where they were and what situation they were in...except there was a distinct lack of Shadows around them.
"Okay...He's definitely starting to make us work for it..." Joker panted out as he put the star back in his pocket. "Still a nice show." He then admitted.
"Ooooh! How graceful and elegant!" Mona excitedly declared with stars in his eyes as the two returned to their thief outfits.
"That was amazing Yang-nee! Widow!" Yin meanwhile exclaimed.
"A picture perfect display." Fox soon admitted with a nod. "A clashing display of opposing elements that mend together perfectly!" He then passionately declared.
"...Who's actually firing those fireworks?" Skull wondered out loud.
"Wait, where's Kaneshiro!?" Queen however called out as she looked around.
"Gone. Must've left while we were fighting off his guards..." Yang soon realised "And I guess the fireworks show made for a great distraction too..." She then added.
"Even so Yang, it was as wondrous as I imagined." Widow replied with a reassuring smile.
"Thanks, but we still didn't get anything from Kaneshiro or the Shadows." Yang sighed out.
"Don't worry, he probably would have run away anyway." Joker pointed out.
"Dammit...what the hell was he talkin' about with the guard...?" Skull grumbled out.
"We may never know until it's too late..." Yin lamented.
"He may have escaped, but he was sloppy." Fox informed as he held up a small, red leather book. "Here, it seems like he dropped something in his haste." He then informed.
"A journal?" Yin got out as the artist flipped through the pages. "Wait, could it be for Kaneshiro's crimes or something?" She soon guessed.
"No...I doubt he would chronicle such endeavors." Fox replied as he read the contents of the journal out loud. "R = C = 0, I = 1, H = 2. What could this mean...?" He then wondered.
"Look at the seams here." Widow pointed out as her finger went down along the seam. "Looks like Kaneshiro tore a few pages out." She soon deducted.
"It must be some form of code." Yang meanwhile assumed as the artist handed the book over to the Leader.
"That is what I was thinking." Queen replied in agreement. "He must've torn those pages out to prevent us from knowing all his codes in case we stole it from him." She then explained.
"Which we are now doing." Joker added as he pocketed the journal.
"Well, whatever. It's no use to us now, so let's keep goin'." Skull suggested before they all turned to the elevator. "This elevator better take us to the Treasure." He then grumbled out.
"It's most likely it will, given Kaneshiro's reaction." Mona stated. "This will definitely lead us down to the innermost part of the bank." He soon deducted.
"Yeah, and I just know the security down there will be at its best." Queen stated. "We better be ready for it, Leaders." She then advised.
Joker and Yin nodded before the Vice Leader hit the down button.
(Underground Vault Entrance)
"You know, say what you will about Kaneshiro, but he has a damn fine taste in music." Joker complimented as the elevator descended.
"Hey, look!" Mona suddenly called out while pointing to the glass window.
Outside the elevator, they could see...what could be millions of lock boxes arranged in a circular pattern. It seemed vaguely familiar to Joker but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Wh-What the hell!? Are these all vaults...!? How messed up is this guy!?" Skull exclaimed as the Thieves stared out at the massive room.
"This is terrible...Do they all represent a victim...?" Yin whispered out in horror.
"And we're supposed to check all of these for the Treasure!?" Panther got out in disbelief. "We'll be here for the next twelve years!" She then complained.
"...I mean if they all have money in them..." Yang awkwardly got out.
"Yang..." Joker sighed out.
"The Palace is getting to me, okay!?" Yang confessed with a groan before looking out the window. "But jeez, how much is his net worth?" She then asked.
"Zero." Widow replied. "All of his money doesn't belong to him." She then reminded.
However the Advisor then began examining the room. "Hold on...this distinct shape...could it be...?" Queen mumbled to herself with a hand on her chin.
"Oh, so you noticed it too senpai." Yang got out, getting a nod in response from the Advisor.
"What's the matter?" Fox asked with a raised eyebrow.
"If my prediction is correct, we won't need to check every single one of these smaller vaults." Queen answered, causing everyone to look at her in shock.
"For real!?" Panther exclaimed.
"...That is, I hope. I'll explain why once I've confirmed my theory." Queen responded.
"I seriously hope so too..." Mona muttered out in a worried tone.
"Oh, something tells me we might need another day for this." Yang meanwhile admitted in an uncomfortable manner.
"I agree, Yang. Maybe it would be best if we go home right now." Fox stated. "Unless our supplies allow us to continue on." He then added.
"I think we can keep going," Joker however replied. "But let's take a break at the next safe room." He then suggested.
"Hai, that sounds good." Yin agreed with a nod as they looked out at the underground vault.
The Treasure was close. They knew it.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...How slow is this elevator going!?" Skull suddenly ranted before he began hitting the down button rapidly. "Hurry up, dammit!" He then demanded.
"Way to kill the mood numbskull..." Yang sighed out.
"You two be quiet." Joker ordered. "I actually like the elevator music here. People should really appreciate the Bossa Nova genre more..." He then muttered to himself.
(Underground Vault Safe Room)
Luckily the Safe Room was right near the elevator so the entire group entered it and got themselves settled in.
"I think I'm gonna take a nap." Yang yawned out. "Wake me when we're ready to go." She then requested.
"Yeah..." Queen got out in agreement as she stretched her limbs. "I'm going to rest for a bit too..." She then informed as she went and did the same.
"What? Tired from the slaughter?" Skull jokingly asked.
"Mmhm..." Queen hummed out as she sat next to the tan skinned girl. "Using Johanna a lot is tiring..." She then admitted.
"Yeah, that comes with having a Persona." Panther groaned out as she rubbed her eyes.
"Noted..." Queen sleepily got out, her head tilting slightly towards the already napping tan skinned girl...
SQUISH!
And her head landing on her breasts. "Zzzz..." She soon began snoring out.
"She fell asleep way too fast." Mona noted.
"They must have been more exhausted then they realized." Widow deducted.
"...Should we-" Panther began as she stepped toward the sleeping girls, only for the Leader to stop her.
"Let her dream, Panther." Joker interrupted with a calm smile. "Let her dream. It's kinda cute in a way." He then requested and admitted.
"Right?" Yin happily replied. "I wish I could take a picture of them..." She then muttered out as she pulled out her phone.
"I'm more surprised you aren't joining in Yin." Joker admitted.
"Well, you look like you need a massage, so I need to get a place ready for that." Yin explained as she went to set up a makeshift massage table.
"...When the hell did this deal occur!?" Mona suddenly exclaimed in an envious manner while flailing his arms.
"That's on a need to know basis, Mona." Joker chuckled out before pulling out his probation journal.
Well, it wouldn't hurt to take the time to write down what he's been doing.
Plus, some Foxy Healing would be heavenly right now.
...
...
...
Ok yeah, that did sound kinky...
Save Game… Quit!
(Persona Tracking)
Joker
Level: 28
Personas: Arsene (Resist: Curse) (Weak: Ice, Bless), Jack Frost (Null: Ice) (Weak: Fire), Orpheus Picaro (Resists: Bless) (Weak: Electric, Curse), Ame-no-Uzume (Absorb: Fire) (Weak: Psy), Shiki-Ouji (Null: Physical, Gun, Bless, Curse) (Weak: Nuclear), Orthrus (Absorb: Fire) (Resist: Nuclear) (Weak: Ice), Black Ooze (Resist: Physical, Gun, Ice) (Null: Ice) (Weak: Elec, Psy, Bless)
Treasure Demon: Queen's Necklace - Tarukaja, Rakukaja, Sukukaja, Recarm, Media, Tarunda, Rakunda, Sukunda
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), Kin-Ki- Avenger (Doubles damage from Counter Skills), Orpheus Picaro - Circle of Sorrow (Activates Endure up to 4 times), Ame-no-Uzume- Elec Bloodline (Decreases SP cost of Elec skills by half), Shiki-Ouji- Psy Lineage (Chance to halve the cost of Psy skills.), Orthrus- Burning Touch (Increases chance of inflicting Burn after Baton Pass.) Black Ooze- Odd Immunity (Reduces susceptibility to ailments.)
Skills: Eiga, Maeiga, Snap, Speed Master, Tarukaja (X2), Bufula (X2), Mabufula, Ice Break, Baisudi, Rakunda, Freeze Boost, Recarm, Freila, Diorama, Mazio, Tentarafoo, Divine Grace, Shock Boost, Cadenza, Maragion, Matarunda (X2), Endure, Agidyne, Matarukaja (X2), Fire Boost, Taunt, Double Shot, Mapsi, Dekaja, Psio, Oni Kagura, Agilao, Double Fangs, Dodge Ice, Burn Boost, Cornered Fang, Evil Touch, Stagnant Air, Ambient Aid, Headbutt, Brainjack, Flash Bomb
Accessory: SP Adhesive 2 (Skill: Invigorate 2)
Yin
Level: 28
Persona: Kaeru (Resist: Earth, Fire) (Weak: Wind, Gun)
Persona Trait: Path of Light (Gain some HP when using support/healing skills)
Skills: Magnara, Media, Sukukaja, Lucky Punch, Mamagna, Masukakaja
Confidant Rank: Rank 5
Accessory: Skanda Belt (Speed Master)
Yang
Level: 28
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, Gokuentou, Regenerate 1, Terror Claw, Triple Down, Swift Strike
Confidant Rank: Rank 5
Accessory: Tough Belt (Defense Master)
Mona
Level: 27
Persona: Zorro (Resist: Wind) (Weak: Elec)
Persona Trait: Proud Presence (Increases effect of allies' healing skills)
Skills: Garula, Diarama, Patra, Media, Lucky Punch, Magaru, Me Patra
Confidant Rank: Rank 4
Accessory: Attachment Pearl (Null Forget)
Skull
Level: 27
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, Bad Beat, Assault Dive
Confidant Rank: Rank 6
Accessory: Rakshasa Belt (Attack Master)
Panther
Level: 27
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, Fire Break
Confidant Rank: Rank 4
Accessory: Crimson Necklace (Fire Amp)
Fox
Level: 27
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, Rising Slash, Dormin Rush
Confidant Rank: Rank 2
Accessory: Bold Eyepatch (Effect: +Evade Physical (Low))
Widow
Level: 27
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, Makajama, Malaqua
Confidant Rank: Rank 3
Accessory: Engraved Dog Tag (Gun Boost)
Queen
Level: 27
Persona: Johanna
Persona Trait: Gaia Pact (Increase allies' chance of inflicting Burn/Freeze/Shock/Soak by 25%.)
Skills: Freila, Mafrei, Vajra Blast, Diarama, Rakukaja, Makajama, Energy Shower
Accessory: White Headband R (Life Surge / Endurance +8)
Whew! Done! Thank you for reading all 1,000,000 plus words so far and given how this fic is going, it's not gonna stop until we're out of pre-written stuff. Which includes the ending, by the way.
…I want another TV Tropes page.
UknownHero signing off, my friends!
