Tons of things to be celebrated. UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of Senran Persona. And uh…time to officially shill myself. I am now a games journalist! Just look up GameGrin and my name: UknownHero and you'll see a couple of articles I've written. It's actually something I have fun with so…yeah. I have something in life I want to do for a job!

And here am I writing fan fiction. Hey, hobbies aren't easily dropped.

To the reviews! To alaude hibari: No. I don't think we can insert the Thieved Den anywhere. To WX-Lazer: 1) Well, most of the story's focus is on Persona 5 but we'll try to throw in more Senran Kagura moments if we can. 2) See next chapter when that's out. 3) You know, we haven't had a reason to check Hanzo in a while, huh? Guess we'll have to fix that!

Anyways, that's it! Time to prove our justice.

Updated! On 24/02/2021!

Load Game…Start!


Chapter 63: The Treasure of Bael


(6/25, Early Morning)

(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)

Morning had come early as the scent of eggs cooking entered the Vice Leader's nose. "U-Urgh..." Asuka groaned out as she opened her eyes.

"Are you awake Sis?" Homura called out. "I'm making eggs for protein. How do you want yours?" She then informed and asked.

"Not fertilised." Asuka tiredly answered before shaking her head. "I-I mean sunnyside up with a side of toast." She then corrected to see her roommate wearing only an apron.

"Oooh~ you naughty girl~" Homura teasingly remarked with a giggle and a smirk on her face.

"Hehehe...I heard that joke while we were out last night." Asuka chuckled out before yawning. "But seriously, we came home at 4AM. I'm still pretty sleepy..." She soon added.

"It's understandable. This was your first time sending the calling card the vandalism way." Homura replied and reminded.

"Hai. How did Ryuji-kun keep enough energy to fight Kamoshida?" Asuka then asked in amazement and curiosity.

"Anger, adrenaline, some other a-word." Homura answered. "Same with Yusuke against Madarame." She then added as she placed the food on the table before sitting down.

CRUNCH!

"Mm, that's the stuff..." Asuka out as the two ate. "You would be a great help to Mama around the house Homu-nee." She then praised.

"Yeah..." Homura muttered out as she buttered her toast. She was really putting off her decision about that for quite a while.

"...If you say no, I won't stop calling you Homu-nee." Asuka suddenly informed.

Homura's eyes widened in shock in response. "W-Where did that come from!?" She stammered out.

"Well...you really haven't talked a lot about it lately with everything going on and..." Asuka explained before wincing. "And I think it's a really easy decision, okay? I just want you to be happy. All you have to do is say yes, but again, it's your choice." She then reassured.

Homura in response nodded to that as she took in the information. "Sis..." She thought to herself as she looked at her roommate, though now it was if she was an angel with a ray of light shining down on her. "You're too good for this world..." She then added to her thoughts.

"Homu-nee, your spacing out." Asuka pointed out in concern.

That got the tan skinned girl's attention as she shook her head in response. "Sorry Sis, was just thinking." She replied as she continued eating. "...What do I want though?" She meanwhile thought.

Asuka meanwhile looked on to see the tan skinned girl deep in thought. "Homu-nee..." She thought. "...You think Kaneshiro knows about the new art installation by now?" She suddenly asked, trying to change the subject.

"If he doesn't know already, his people are terrible at their jobs." Homura replied before pushing herself away from the table. "Now come on; bath, school and the heist." She soon instructed.

"Hai." Asuka replied with a nod of agreement as they finished their breakfast.

Hopefully, everyone in Shibuya was talking about Kaneshiro and the Phantom Thieves by now.


(6/25, After School)

(Shibuya, Club)

Kaneshiro was pissed to say the least.

His name was out there. The only ones who needed to know who he was were his men and the boss.

But somehow, a bunch of punks managed to find his damn name and plaster it all over Shibuya overnight without anyone noticing.

The only solace he had was that no one would be able to touch him still. The police didn't even have his face, let alone any evidence, so how the hell were they going to arrest him when there was nothing they could do legally?

And the Phantom Thieves? They could go suck his dick. There's no way they found him.

Simply put, this is a speedbump. A mere hindrance compared to his vast wealth and power.

However, maybe his day was going to turn around once he saw one of his men come in with a familiar silver suitcase in hand.

"Boss! This...This was left outside." The goon informed as he placed the case on the table.

There was no damage or signs on modification, it only had a heart-shaped sticky note stuck onto it. On the note on the suitcase, in oddly cute handwriting, only had two words.

To Kaneshiro

The mafia boss soon smirked in satisfaction. "Heh...so they finally caved." Kaneshiro got out as he unlocked his suitcase. "No matter, with this money I'll hunt down those thieves like the-" He began, however...

FLASH! Click!

He was blinded almost as soon as he opened the case. When he regained his vision the first thing he saw was a red disposable camera...that was currently printing out a picture of his scared face.

All the money in the suitcase...ruined. Each bill was covered with blood red paint and had such kind words as PIG and THIEF. And not only that, a creepy laughter also began emitting from the case in a taunting manner due to the cassette player.

And simply sitting on top of all the cash...was a red and black card.

"What the actual fuck!?" Kaneshiro shouted out before turning to the henchman who had to gall to bring this into the club. "You idiots didn't check the case!?" He then questioned in a furious tone.

"We don't know the code to open it, boss!" The goon replied in a fearful tone as he bowed.

"Grr...! Idiots!" Kaneshiro growled before picking up the calling card.

"Sir Junya Kaneshiro, the money-devouring sinner of gluttony. You indulge in scamming others with horrendous methods that target minors exclusively. You saw yourself as invincible, when the reality is that you are nothing but a man consumed by his need for fortune. We have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail. From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts."

"Sir, isn't this bad!?" The goon soon pointed out.

"What of it?" Kaneshiro spat out.

"I-If something happened to you...! I mean, if the higher-ups find out about this..." The man began to explain.

"Don't waste your time worrying about this useless shit. Just keep quiet for now." Kaneshiro soon ordered.

"B-But it's...posted all around the city...People're talking about it online too...And then there's the thing on the-" The goon began to list off, however...

"Grr..." Kaneshiro growled before glaring at his henchmen, scaring him to silence. "All of you! Bring me your earnings! If you don't surpass your quota...I'll make you wish you could die." He soon demanded and threatened.

"Y-Yes, sir!" The man squeaked out before rushing out of the club.

Meanwhile, Kaneshiro stewed in his anger, while his girlfriend decided to get her pretty plastic ass out of there. Suddenly the world faded around him as his Shadow replaced him.

"Damn them! Those Phantom Thieves are as good as dead!" Shadow Kaneshiro declared.

However, he was unaware of the light grey haired girl hiding in the shadows watching his every movement.

The music and people were too loud, but she could tell by his expression that it worked.

One text later, and she was gone.


(Shibuya, Station Square)

Everyone else was in the Metaverse right now. It was only Akira, Morgana, Asuka, Homura and Makoto at Station Square, all of them staring up at the building.

"Text from Widow. Calling card, sent." Asuka informed as she put away her phone.

"Nice art installation, by the way." Akira complimented.

"Thank you." Homura replied with a bow.

"When did you manage to do that, anyways?" Makoto had to ask.

"Last night." Asuka answered before letting out a groan. "It still feels crazy that we finished the Palace and now we're taking on Kaneshiro with barely a day to relax."

"We have to." Morgana reminded.

"We could have just spread the calling card online." Makoto pointed out.

"Yeah, but there's something more personal with physical." Akira stated with a devious smile.

"And now everyone knows about Kaneshiro." Homura declared as she bumped fists with the Shujin Student Council President.

"Hehe, true." Makoto replied in satisfied agreement.

"Ah, Yumi-chan sent another thing." Asuka informed before playing the video. "Oh, hah! Look at his face! He thinks all his money is ruined!" She then laughed out.

"While it really is being returned to his victims." Morgana added with a smile.

"Homura-san, was it really necessary to add in the evil laugh voice clip with the case?" Makoto had to ask.

"Oh, that was me." Asuka however revealed, getting the others to look at her. "I found that creepy laugh online and thought it would work." She then explained with an innocent smile.

"We spent so much money on that calling card..." Homura groaned out. "But so worth it in the end!" She then added as she pumped her fist.

"Our resident ice queen should be with the others by now." Morgana then assumed.

"Ready, Akira-kun?" Makoto asked as she cracked her knuckles.

"Always have been." Akira replied with a smirk before activating the MetaNav, the group vanishing into thin air amongst the crowd.


Elsewhere...


"What's with all this commotion?" Yozakura wondered before spotting something on a nearby wall. A card. "No...it couldn't be..." She thought as she pulled it down and read it before looking up. "Oh my..." She whispered out before heading towards the building, only to see that a large crowd had gathered, with the police keeping them from getting any closer.

Akechi had arrived on the scene and had interviewed several people, but all he could find out was that it had been there since three in the morning and that no one had noticed anyone suspicious at the time. They were probably long gone by now.

"Damn..." Akechi cursed under his breath before pulling his phone out and walked away from the crime scene.

BUMP!

"Hey watch it jerk!" Mirai got out in annoyance, but was ignored as he disappeared into the crowd, causing her to glare at him. "What's his problem?" She got out in annoyance as she and the third year walked the streets before seeing the crowd. "What!? Is that...!?" She soon exclaimed.

"The Phantom Thieves..." Haruka whispered out with widened eyes. On the building in red, black and white paint, it read...

JUNYA KANESHIRO, THE MONEY STEALING LEECH OF SHIBUYA

YOUR HEART IS ALREADY OURS

FROM
THE PHANTOM THIEVES OF HEARTS

And it was complete with a stencil art version of the Phantom Thieves logo.

"My my, this is a surprise..." Haruka breathed out. "Junya Kaneshiro...money stealing leech..." She then repeated to herself before taking out her phone.

"How the hell did that get up there!?"

"Why does no one look up until it's too late!?"

"Whoever did that must have magic..."

"Take a picture before they wash it off!"

"The hell with a pic! I'm recording this!"

"Everyone, please stand back and let the police do their job!" a police officer ordered as he and the other officers pushed the crowd back.

Yozakura meanwhile looked on with stars in her eyes to the sight. "I knew it! They're bringing another criminal to justice!" She thought in excitement as she took out her phone and checked the Phan-Site.

"Holy shit! They tagged an entire building!"

"Wft!? How the hell did they manage to do that?!"

"Who's Kanshito? He related to that Kamoshita guy?"

"It's just like that school and that old artist dude's gallery!"

"GO PHANTOM THIEVES GO!"

"These guys are serious..."

"Why haven't they been caught!?"

"The police are useless to let that happen..."

"Hey, I'm the one who did that for the PTs! Commissions open!"

"I don't know who you are, Junya Kaneshiro...but you messed with the wrong heroes of justice!" Yozakura declared with a bright smile before taking her phone out. "I gotta let the others back home know about this!" She then decided as she began typing at a rapid pace.


(Kaneshiro's Bank of Gluttony)

"Hey." Joker greeted as they arrived on the Morganamobile, spotting the rest of the team hanging around Big Bang Burger.

"Security is at an all time high. The Treasure has surely materialised!" Fox announced as Yin and Yang opened the doors for them.

"No more waiting. Let's take his heart." Widow stated in a serious tone.

"This is gonna be effin' awesome!" Skull cheered out as they all climbed into the Morganamobile.

However, the others began to notice something was going on with the bank. "The bank is lifting off! We need to move!" Fox realised.

"He's not getting away that easily! Hit it, Joker!" Yin called out.

The Leader nodded before hitting the gas, managing to get on the bridge before it got off the ground.

"Oh shit, the bridge is retracting behind us!" Panther called out as she looked out the rear window.

"At least he's putting in the effort to stop us from entering his Palace..." Joker couldn't help but think.

"This is going to be close..." Widow got out as she narrowed her eyes.

"HURRY UP!" Yang called out as she saw the drop-off point was getting uncomfortably close to the Morganamobile's back tires.

"Dammit! I can't go any faster!" Mona however got out in a panicked tone. Even if they survived the fall somehow, they would never be able to get back up to the Palace ever again.

"...I have an idea!" Queen suddenly spoke up before climbing out of the car and onto the roof.

"QUEEN!?" Joker exclaimed in disbelief to the sudden action.

"Trust me!" Queen reassured before climbing down to the hood of the car and attaching her grappling hook to the bumper.

"You've got a nice ass, senpai!" Yang couldn't help but think with a smirk underneath her mask.

And, as she quickly noticed, the others agreed. By staring.

Once she made sure the hook was secure, the Advisor took in a deep breath before leaping as far forward as the Metaverse would allow her to, summoning her Persona just as she hit the ground on Johanna's back tire just as she hit the gas.

"RRRRAAAAAAHHHHHH! FULL THROTTLE!" Queen roared as Johanna pulled the Morganamobile up the ramp even faster, hoping to every God she knew that her grappling hook didn't snap from this.

"Nuclear powered tow bike!" Yin cheered while pumping a fist into the air.

"Well that's certainly creative." Fox remarked.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Joker muttered to himself as they got closer to the bank.

Queen closed her eyes, mentally counted down, before she leapt off her Persona as she hit the end of the bridge, making her mask reappear as the Morganamobile went over her head before landing right in front of her.

Exactly in front of the bank's entrance.

"Nailed it." Queen simply stated with confidence and a small fist pump as the Thieves got out of the car before the not cat transformed back into his normal form.

Behind the Thieves, the bridge fully retracted as the bank flew high into the air, causing a few ATM people to fall off the Palace.

"Holy shit, that's far..." Skull breathed as he looked down. They were getting really high up in the sky now, barely able to see the people on the ground, while money swirled around the Palace.

"Alright. No turning back." Joker got out as the Thieves looked up at the bank.

"We're going up against a truly horrible criminal this time..." Fox stated with a frown.

"No kidding. Blackmail...drug trafficking...prostitution...murder..." Panther listed off in a small voice.

"That dick ain't gonna stop us now that we got our awesome new member!" Skull declared. "Queen! You remember how all this works?" He then asked.

"Once we steal the Treasure, the Palace will crumble and the Palace ruler's heart will change." Queen automatically answered.

"Wow, you got that quick! I think Skull's still struggling to comprehend it all..." Mona complimented.

"Oh screw you." Skull got out as he rolled his eyes.

"The old me is dead." Queen got out as she glared at the bank. "Makoto the sycophant is gone...and the corrupt adults who used her are next!" She soon declared as stomped her foot, leaving a crack in the ground.

"Truer words have never been spoken before, Queen." Yang praised with a smile. "And save beating up the principal for later." She then added while patting her shoulder.

"H-How did you know what I was thinking!?" Queen exclaimed in shock. Did the Metaverse give them mind reading powers!?

"We're all thinking that." Yin pointed out while handing out the equipment as everyone nodded.

"...Oh right..." Queen awkwardly responded in realization, causing the others to laugh at her expense.

"Sounds like you're all fired up! All right, Joker! On your call!" Mona spoke up as he cracked his tiny knuckles.

"Alright. Let's do this, everyone!" Joker encouraged before pulling on his glove. "Kaneshiro, don't even bother trying." He then added.

"Because your heart is already ours." Queen concluded as they stepped towards the bank, ready for anything in their way.


(Lower Laundering Office)

The Thieves had moved their way through the Palace without alerting a single guard before they made it to the elevator to the Underground Vault. However, they ran into a rather troubling problem.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Yang growled as she hit the button a couple more times. "Why isn't it responding!?" She then asked in annoyance.

"What the-!? The elevator ain't workin'!" Skull exclaimed in shock.

"Of course he would shut down the elevator." Widow remarked in annoyance.

"He's only stalling at this point." Queen meanwhile declared in frustration.

"But we have no way down to the vault." Fox pointed out with a frown. "If it truly was the only way down, we're in serious trouble right now." He then added.

"Hold on." Joker started, getting the other's attention. "If they have an elevator, then shouldn't there be a set of stairs as safety standards? Like stairs?" He then pointed out.

"Joker, this is a mental world. It's not like Kaneshiro will follow safety standards subconsciously or-" Yang sighed out, however...

"Hey, I think I found something!" Mona informed as he hit a wall, causing a secret door to reveal itself.

"...Was that door always there?" Yang had to ask as they went through the door.


(Absurdly Long Stairwell)

"A hidden passage...we should have expected this." Widow admitted in shock before noticing a number by the door. "Hm? Floor 60?" SHe read out before the Thieves all looked over the railing.

It was so deep that they couldn't see the bottom. Like it was an abyss of darkness itself.

Joker grabbed a nearby piggybank and dropped it off the edge. After several seconds, they heard it smash into the ground. "...That is a big drop." He bluntly stated.

"Holy..." Skull got out. "We have to climb down all those effin' stairs!?" He then exclaimed.

"It looks like we'll need to go down 59 flights." Queen soon noted. "It won't be as difficult as climbing up. We can do this." She then added.

"Couldn't we just grapple down by latching it to the ceiling?" Yin soon suggested as she pointed up to the ceiling above them.

"Our grappling hooks don't go down that far Sis." Yang pointed out before letting out a sigh. "Come on, it's just 60 flights. Unless you guys want to jump off and hope Metaverse physics saves you, I'm taking the stairs." She then suggested.

"Come on, we can't let Kaneshiro beat us like this!" Joker encouraged as he faced the stairs. "Let's do this!" He then declared as he punched his palm.

How hard can stairs be?


At Floor 55...


"Wow, this isn't so bad actually." Panther admitted, although she was already huffing and puffing.

"Again, it's fine. Climbing down stairs is easier than going up. We use muscles that we don't normally use when climbing up." Queen informed. "That's why it's an exercise." She then pointed out.

"This is nothing!" Skull bragged. He felt pretty good right now, barely breaking a sweat.

That would not be the case six floors down.


At Floor 49...


"I...This is...Woo!" Skull panted out, although he kept a smile on his face, seeing this as more of a workout than anything else.

"There's no Shadows or security of any type." Yin noticed as she looked around. "It's just stairs." She then added.

"Kaneshiro really dropped the ball here." Yang added with a nod. "But uh...I still don't see the bottom..." She then pointed out.

"It's fine." Joker replied. "We can keep going." He then stated with confidence.


At Floor 38...


"Why is this...suddenly...so hard...?" Skull panted out in annoyance.

"We're climbing down stairs! We shouldn't be getting this tired!" Panther declared in frustration.

"I can definitely tell now that...this isn't how tall a flight of stairs should be..." Queen stated. "Oh God..." She groaned out.

"This is only the beginning." Widow stated as they continued climbing down.


At Floor 29...


"WAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Panther cried. She wanted to stop and rest but she knew she couldn't stop but her feet felt like they were bleeding...

"A-Are you...crying?" Skull wheezed out as he leaned against the railing. "Why do you have the energy to cry?" He then asked.

"Is this Kaneshiro's cognition of stairs!?" Yin exclaimed, feeling her legs begin to burn.

"He is pretty fat, so..." Joker got out with a shrug.

"I...really...should've eaten before this..." Fox thought, nearly stumbling down a step but managing to recover.

GRUMBLE!

"..." Widow stopped her descent as she slowly turned her head towards the artist.

"...Senpai, can I-" Fox began.

"Not the time." Widow interrupted as shook her head and continued on.


At Floor 21...


"I am...going...to...punch...Kaneshiro...so hard...he turns into a fuckin' fly..." Queen panted out.

"They need more training." Yin, Yang and Widow all thought. They were getting tired as well but their friend looked like they were about to lay down and die.

"Please...someone carry meeeee...!" Mona begged.

"Go...carry yourself!" Skull mumbled in response. It was clear that it was now starting to take a toll on the Thieves' sanity as well as their physicality.


At Floor 13...


"Oh my god. So many stairs! I wanna find whoever invented the stairs and push him down these stairs! Just to show him how stupid stairs are! Then his legs will be broken, and he will no longer be able to climb the stairs anymore! It'll be ironic, and then his wife will leave him and go be with the man who invented the elevator, because everyone knows that elevators are much sexier than stairs, and oh my God, we're not even close to being at the bottom yet, why are there so many stairs?!" Panther declared in delirious anger and frustration before settling in sobbing in despair, even as she forced her body to move.

"And Panther's snapped..." Yang sighed out. "You gotta lay off the sweets." She then advised.

"You...I...can't...retaliate..." Panther tried to counter but she was becoming too tired and sad to say anything.

"I can't...go on...AVENGE ME!" Mona suddenly declared before...

THUD!

"Mona-chan!" Yin yelped out.


At Floor 9...


"What floor are we on!?" Joker cried out in desperation. They had to be near the bottom, right? Right!?

"Fifty...Fif...Fifty-one! No, wait, nine! It's nine!" Panther informed in a delirious manner. She had so many stitches that she could be considered a dress.

"This has to be...the worst Palace...we've ever gone through..." Fox wheezed out.

"This is only our third Palace. And technically our second, Fox." Widow pointed out.

"Are...you...guys...tired...yet...?" Skull mumbled out, barely able to keep pace with the group.

"Oh we are..." Yin admitted as the other shinobi girls nodded in agreement. "Urgh...I feel so sweaty..." She then added as she shook out her kimono. Her clothes and underwear felt so...damp.

"Would you like me to cool us off?" Widow offered.

"It won't help. We need to save our energy...for Kaneshiro...and we don't have the time to rest." Joker responded and explained. "Ugh, my lungs are burning..." He soon groaned out.

"At least...quick stop...safe...room...die there..." Queen babbled out.

"That...That sounds...Oh God..." Panther wheezed out before going back to crying.


At the bottom...


"OH THANK GOD! THERE'S AN END TO THIS HELL!" Yang panted out as her roommate used her as physical and emotional support.

"I wanna die...I wanna die..." Panther sobbed out.

"This...This is torture...No normal shinobi can last so long with sanity!" Yin groaned out.

"Mona, you can't...make me carry you...all the way..." Skull got out as he carried the exhausted/dead cat on the last few steps before promptly collapsing at the last step.

"Cardio...training...failing...heart..." Queen babbled out, her legs just about ready to give out underneath her. "I need...shinobi training...so badly..." She then thought.

"This...This is a new type of pain...and the worst I've ever experienced." Fox confessed as he used his katana to stay upright.

"No amount of ice will sooth my pain!" Widow declared as Joker stumbled over to the door...only to discover something.

"Guys." Joker got out.

"What?" Skull had to ask.

"...Door's locked." Joker simply informed.

"..." Skull wanted to scream.

"..." Panther wanted to cry again.

"..." Mona was dead.

"..." Fox simply collapsed.

"..." Yin was blue with shock and horror.

"..." Yang was shivering in rage.

"..." Widow was completely silent.

And Queen...

"Breakin' it." The Advisor bluntly declared in anger while cracking her knuckles...and then summoned her Persona.


(Underground Vault)

BAM! BAM! BAM! CRASH!

And with that, Kaneshiro's Palace had a hole that needed to be repaired.

"I still...had...the paper fingerprint." Joker pointed out breathlessly...before collapsing onto the ground, along with the rest of the Thieves.

"Out of all the security measures we've dealt with...this one was the most vile." Fox stated as he wiped the sweat off from underneath his mask.

"The next Palace...better have an effin' escalator." Skull wheezed out.

"Yin..." Joker groaned as he sat up. "Soma. Now." He soon ordered.

"Hai!" Yin replied as she took the requested item out before crushing it in her hands, healing everyone.

"Well...that sucked." Skull sighed out as he sat up.

"Urgh...We spent a very valuable item after nearly being killed by stairs." Yang groaned out to the turn of events.

"Well, we have to be in perfect condition to fight. There was no helping it, and items are meant to be used so we had to use it some day." Mona pointed out.

"It would've been more useful if our opponent wasn't the massive amount of stairs..." Panther mumbled out.

"Get to the Safe Room to rest for a bit, gotta go to the Velvet Room." Joker ordered.

"Hai...Leader..." Widow responded before her face hit the floor. "Zzzzzz..." She snored out.


(Vault of Kaneshiro)

After taking a few minutes to rest, the Leader returned and they all headed into the innermost area of the Palace, where the Treasure was held.

However there had been a change to the area since the last time they were there...

The Thieves gaped in horror as they were faced with a gigantic tumbler lock that was constantly turning.

"What the hell!? Was that always there!?" Skull exclaimed.

"A safe...!? This wasn't here the last time we came...!" Mona exclaimed before narrowing his eyes. "He changed the entire room so quickly...Tch, I guess this Palace isn't a bank for nothing." He then got out in annoyance.

"...No...he needed time." Widow realised. "Now we know why the elevator was off, to give him time to do this." She then deducted while narrowing her eyes as she watched Shadow Kaneshiro and the two goons that kidnapped Makoto walk out of the shadows.

"Greetings. Welcome to my private city bank." Shadow Kaneshiro greeted with an evil smile. "I'm surprised you made it here alive. It seems you were quite lucky." He then remarked.

"Kaneshiro?" Fox got out.

"Of course he was waiting for us..." Panther growled as she glared at the man.

"Lucky? Don't be ridiculous." Queen however responded as she shook her head.

"Your last security measures were stairs!" Yang called out.

"We're gonna change your heart and make you confess everything you've done. That'll save all those people who're suffering 'cause of your shitty actions." Skull stated. "Even the police're strugglin' to deal with you, so this'll make the public believe in us too!" He then added with a smirk.

"It's a win for everyone except you." Yin got out.

"Don't make me laugh..." Shadow Kaneshiro growled as he glared at the Thieves. "Those in power work the ones below them to the bone for money. Such is the hierarchy of the world. Just accept your fate as a source of my wealth!" He then declared and demanded.

"We'll never agree to that!" Fox declared.

"And hierarchy? You have to be out of your mind." Panther added.

"All of that was forced on me too, you know!? I went through shit until I crawled out of the dregs! Now it's my turn to profit on everyone else!" The Palace ruler countered.

"I would respect your rise from rock bottom...but somehow you ended up back there." Joker remarked.

"You're nothing but a parasite." Yin spat out. "You just take and take and take and never give anything but pain in return!" She then added in rising anger.

"And don't you think you're getting back at the wrong people?" Panther pointed out. "All those teenagers have nothing to do with you!" She then declared in disgust.

"Just admit it. No amount of Freudian excuses will free you from your guilt." Widow declared.

"It doesn't matter whether you're clean or dirty! Only the clever come out on top!" Shadow Kaneshiro however argued, "The strong and the smart devour the weak. That is the natural order of things. You damn brats who think you know the world through the shit you read online will make perfect prey." He then added.

"Hmph. He is utterly hopeless." Queen stated with a shake of her head. The more she listened, the more...disappointed she felt more than anything else.

"It's always the fools who get tricked! Fools who have to pay for their foolishness. And if those fools don't learn, well they have to suck it up and stay as plain, stupid fools!" Shadow Kaneshiro continued to rant, annoying the Thieves more and more until...

"Will you just shut it already!?" Skull demanded, getting annoyed now.

"Dear lord, use synonyms!" Yang called out.

"Even a fool can outwit a genius." Joker declared. "But we don't need brain cells to outwit you." He then quipped out.

Shadow Kaneshiro only scoffed at that. "I guess there's not much point saying anything to you fools! This is where my gracious lecture ends. Now then, I hope you're ready to work as slaves here for the rest of your lives." He then declared.

"That's outrageous!" Fox responded in disgust.

"About time we stopped this worthless talk. Nothin say will convince us your way is right. For all those lives you've ruined for the sake of your gluttony...the Phantom Thieves will take your heart without fail!" Joker soon declared while pointing at the enemy.

"I couldn't agree any more!" Shadow Kaneshiro laughed out. "I'm gonna swarm all over you, and squeeze every last yen you have!" He soon declared in a more deranged manner.

"Huh?" Queen gasped out as she felt something begin to leak out of the ruler.

"Oh no..." Joker cursed. "Everyone stand back! He's about to go big!" He soon ordered before shooting his cognitive goons. No point in giving them the chance to help their boss.

"I CAN TAKE CARE OF THIS BY MYSELF!" Kaneshiro soon declared.

"Huh?" Queen once more got out in confusion.

"Just get the hell away from him!" Yang exclaimed while pulling her friend back as they saw Kaneshiro's form begin to twist and writhe while vomiting black blood.

Suddenly, wings of a fly burst out of Kaneshiro's back. He then looked up and revealed to the Thieves that his eyes had also turned into that of a fly as he made an irritating buzzing noise.

"...Well that's disappointing." Skull got out.

"Lame." Panther bluntly remarked.

"Wassup yo!? Now come get some!" Shadow Kaneshiro soon taunted, throwing up gang signs and such.

"He's a fly man now?" Yang muttered in disgust. "And why in the world is he talking like that?" She then asked.

"...He's acting fly." Skull groaned out as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

The Advisor soon summoned her Persona and revved her engines. "You filthy fly on dirty money...Get the hell out of my face!" Queen soon demanded in anger.

"Gyahahahahaha!" Shadow Kaneshiro laughed out as he pointed at the group. "Aight, here we go, yeh pieces of shit!" He then declared as he prepared himself.

And with that, the Phantom Thieves and Shadow Kaneshiro charged at each other, ready to give this fight everything they've got.


(Cue Debt Free by Tomohiro Shirai and NEUTRINO)

"Cry all yeh want, but I ain't gonna forgive yeh!" Shadow Kaneshiro declared, flying and buzzing around.

"That's our line, Kaneshiro!" Yin growled.

"Hehehehehe! Bein' young is such a crime!" Shadow Kaneshiro stated. "They're naive, they're reckless, and on top of that, they don't even realize how stupid they are. Now I couldn't just sit back and not cash in on those idiots, right?" He then explained, as if he was teaching elementary students.

"Adults are supposed to help them not be that!" Widow declared in disgust. "And avoid falling in with people like you. If this is really your final form, you better pray all we do to you is change your heart." She soon declared while she prepared her fans.

"We'll see about that! Eiha, baby!" Shadow Kaneshiro called out as he casted the Curse spell on the Leader.

"Wrong target Kaneshiro!" Joker laughed out, taking the attack like it was nothing.

"Kaeru! Swat him down!" Yin soon commanded as she ripped off her mask. "Lucky Punch!" She then called out as her Persona pulled out her boxing glove.

However, Kaneshiro flew out of the way, barely grazing him. "You gotta float like a butterfly and sting like a bee to catch me, yo!" He soon taunted.

"Oh great, he's rhyming now..." Joker deadpanned.

"Then let's shut him the hell up!" Queen declared as she charged straight at the man. "Johanna! Freila!" She commanded.

KABOOM!

"GAH!" The Palace ruler cried out as he was blasted with nuclear energy, forcing him to land.

"There you go!" Skull cheered out.

"At least he's not a cockroach..." Yang mumbled under her breath.

"Looks like he's not really strong or weak to anything, so just go for your best attacks!" Mona advised. The Thieves nodded to that as the artist stepped forward.

"We shall not allow you to leave unchanged! Goemon, STRIKE!" Fox declared as his Persona attacked with a Rising Slash.

SLASH!

The Palace Ruler let out a grunt before glaring at his attacker. "Bastards!" Shadow Kaneshiro growled before hitting the artist with something.

"G-Guh...!" Fox grunted out. "W-What...what is this!?" He then asked as a fearful look appeared on his face.

"Fox!" Mona called out. "No, he got hit with Evil Touch! He's afraid!" He then informed in a panic.

"I got it!" Yang responded as she pulled out her paper fan and whacked the boy over the head with it. "Now Wolverine! Triple Down!" She commanded.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"AUGH!" Shadow Kaneshiro screamed in pain while falling to the ground.

"Yosh! All three attacks struck!" Yang got out as she pumped a fist.

"Nice one!" Queen praised with a smirk.

"Yes, that was an excellent series of attacks." Widow meanwhile praised in agreement.

"Thanks Senpai!" Yang replied as she readied herself once more.

"Hey ya damn bitches! Stop it with the yuri three way prasin' bullshit ya bastards!" Shadow Kaneshiro however remarked in annoyance as he glared at the group.

This in turn caused the three girls' mentioned eyes to widen, only to gain offended expressions as they glared at the Palace Ruler in disgust.

"Get him?" Yang soon asked.

"Agreed." Queen and Widow responded at the same time before the girls simultaneously summoned their Personas.

"KICK HIS ASS!" Yin called out as their Personas casted their best spells on him.

RUMBLE! FWOOSH! SLASH! CRACKLE! KABOOM!

"Wow. he's almost dead already! Nice goin', ladies!" Joker praised as he clapped his hands.

"Oh please, you're far too kind Joker." Yin replied as she and her Persona bowed in a well mannered way.

"I'm not out yet!" Shadow Kaneshiro growled. "Maeiga!" He soon declared, aiming towards the light grey haired girl.

"No!" Widow exclaimed as she managed to guard against the spell in time, but it didn't mean that it didn't hurt her. "Guh..." She then panted out. Everyone else wasn't doing much better.

"He's got some decent spells..." Yang groaned out.

"Yeah, Curse only..." Joker muttered out. "Well, good thing I brought someone useful..." He then informed as he switched to that Persona. "Pisaca! Dream Needle!" He then declared as he summoned the Persona, attacking with needles.

"Nggghhh...! Aaaahhhh!" The ruler cried in pain as he went down on his knees.

"Critical hit!" Joker declared with a smirk.

"He's down!" Mona announced. "Surround him! Don't let him move!" He then ordered as the Thieves pulled out their guns.

"Dude, put up more of a fight at least!" Skull got out.

"Is this really all you can muster to defend your Treasure?" Widow questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"How pathetic." Fox spat out.

"D-Dammit...! Yeh goddamn punks...!" Shadow Kaneshiro grunted out as he tried to get up.

"Show no mercy! Let's finish him!" Yin called out as they jumped back.

"ALL-OUT ATTACK!" Joker declared as they rushed the Palace ruler down.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SLAP! WHAM!

"Is that all you got!?" Yang taunted as they landed back onto the ground, seeing the Shadow look so pathetic and defeated. And they weren't even tired yet! Going down the stairs was more of a challenge then this!

"You're all buzz and no bite!" Mona then stated with a smirk.

"Tch...The hell? Yeh punks're stronger than you look." The Palace ruler panted out, clutching onto his wounds.

"Both in mind and body!" Yin responded as she twirled her guns around.

"Now unlock that damn safe!" Yang demanded as she aimed her katanas at the bank president. "Stop being so difficult and let us give you a semblance of redemption for you." He then added.

"Hehehe...We'll see about that..." Shadow Kaneshiro cackled out. "Alright, you want me to open this thing? You got it!" He then declared.

"Uh...I've got a bad feeling about this!" Yin admitted with slight nervousness in her voice.

"Time to roll out...! Here he is...My guardian robot!" The Palace Ruler suddenly revealed.

"Wait, what?" Yin got out before seeing Kaneshiro unlock his vault.

And simultaneously, the Thieves' jaws dropped.


(Cue Dead or alive by Shinichi Ishihara)

The vault opened to reveal a giant metal pig, which Shadow Kaneshiro flew into. Soon, they heard the robot turn on and arm its systems.

"Gyahahahahahaha! Yeh ready to die!?" Shadow Kaneshiro cackled evilly, an evil grin on his face.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Yang exclaimed at the sight of the giant metal pig.

"A pig!?" Yin and Mona exclaimed in unison.

"A piggy bank." Joker corrected. "I was expecting a Gundam but this is thematically appropriate." He then muttered out.

"It ain't a piggy bank, yo! This is my Palace's swine-model defensive mechanoid, Piggytron!" The Palace Ruler correctes and informed. "Goin' against me's a real bad crime, yeh know? It's time for yeh all to go to hell!" Shadow Kaneshiro then added.

"Dammit...! I didn't expect he'd have something like this up his sleeve!" Mona got out in a worried tone.

"Sleeve!? IT WAS IN HIS EFFIN' VAULT!" Skull screamed out as he stumbled back. Giant naked demons and ugly paintings were on thing, but he drew the line at giant robots.

"Joker! Make sure you have us regroup if you think we're at a disadvantage! That thing's a giant...If it attacks us while we're at low stamina, we won't survive!" Queen warned, trying to keep calm.

"Then our healers have to work their asses off." Joker countered as all the members with healing spells nodded in agreement.

"Wait, if that was behind the vault, where's the Treasure then!?" Widow gasped out in realisation.

"It doesn't matter! This is our top priority. We will have plenty of time to find the Treasure afterwards!" Fox stated, wondering how his katana could slice through what was surely several inches of steel or titanium.

"Activate: Ocular Vulcan!" The Palace ruler declared.

The Thieves soon saw the piggy's eyes turn into miniguns aimed straight at them. "Okay, that's pulling out the big guns." Joker quipped before dodging the hail of bullets aimed at his direction.

RATATATATATATATATA!

"Dammit! Six million targeting system, my ass!" Shadow Kaneshiro complained before the Thieves heard him calling someone on his phone. "Hello? Tech guy? Yeah, go jump off the bank! You're fucking fired!" He then ordered.

"Grr..." Panther growled as she clenched her fists.

"No time for puns, Joker!" Mona called out. "Zorro! Garula!" He soon commanded as his heroic Persona appeared.

WOOSH!

While the robot took the attack, it barely moved from its spot.

"You think some weak-ass wind can take down that thing?" Skull pointed out. "Come on, I know enough about machines and shit to know that you fry 'em!" He then called out as he summoned Captain Kidd to shock the robot.

ZAP!

"Hah hah! Little sparks like that can't stand the thunder of my machine!" Shadow Kaneshiro laughed out. "Activate: Metabolic Wave!" He soon ordered.

"...What the hell is a metabolic wave- oh crap." Skull began, only to swear when the Thieves were taken off their feet by the wave, apart from Yang.

"What the hell!?" Yang exclaimed.

"Activate: Missile Party!" Shadow Kaneshiro soon declared.

"MISSILES!?" Queen exclaimed before seeing many, many missiles fire out the robot...and seemingly had heat-seeking as it all rocketed towards them. "You've got to be kidding me." She then grumbled to herself before managing to roll out of the way of several while the rest of the team scattered.

"Hey! Ow! Why are most of them going for me!?" Pather got out in annoyance as several missiles kept exploding on her, despite leaving her relatively fine.

"I feel you!" Yang replied as she used Wolverine to guard against the missiles.

Joker however narrowed his eyes to this. "No way...heat seekers!?" He soon got out.

"Yeah, seem that way." Mona replied as they jumped away from an explosion.

Meanwhile, the light grey haired girl was formulating a plan. They weren't getting anywhere just pummeling the robot with their spells and attacks so this might be an opportunity. "If I time this right I can grapple a missile and send it back to Kaneshiro!" Widow thought as she stopped running and turned...only to pale as one started to draw closer to her face.

"SENPAI!" Fox called out before rushing in front of her and sliced the missile in half...only for the two halves to explode.

BOOM! BOOM!

"AAAHHH!" Fox and Widow cried out in pain, leaving them covered in soot and wrecking their clothes.

"SEWING KITS!" Yang called out in a panic as the Vice Leader rummaged through the duffle bag, but just couldn't find them as they were still dodging missiles.

"Got 'em!" Yin eventually declared as she tossed two of them to her roommate and barely dodged a missile by parkouring on it as it then exploded behind her.

"Come on, work!" Yang got out as she used the sewing kits on the fallen members, hearing by the sounds of a sewing machine fill the air. In a flash, the clothes of the two were repaired, but they still weren't looking good. "They need healing here!" She then informed.

"On it! Mediarama!" Yin declared while removing her mask.

"Thank you..." Widow breathed out as she and Fox were healed, allowing them to get up under their own power.

"I think that's the last of the missiles." Queen sighed in relief. That had surely taken years off her life.

"Why is this so overkill..." Panther groaned in pain.

"Well, it is...I dunno." Joker muttered out as he caught his breath. "Come on! We can do this!" He then encouraged.

"That's...becoming a little harder...to feel like we can..." Fox admitted in a tired manner.

"Come and die already!" Queen and Yang however demanded in frustration.

"That ain't happenin'! Activate: Fear Gas!" Shadow Kaneshiro announced as his Piggytron turned around and revealed the...thing on its backside.

"Oh come on, really!? Out of the effin' butthole!?" Skull complained before everyone tried to cover their mouths to avoid inhaling the gas.

Yin managed to cover her mouth as well, but quickly heard her roommate begin to cough. "Yang-nee!" She thought.

"Zorro! Blow this gas away!" Mona mentally commanded as his Persona blew away the gas.

"G-Guh..." Yang grunted out. "No...No...Don't give in..." She whispered to herself as she tried to fight off the effects of the gas.

However, she couldn't as the gas began to take effect on her mind as her eyes started to become hazy.

Homura soo took a gasp of breath and blinked as she suddenly was back.

Back to the day her life was ruined.

"Time to finish what I started~" Komachi taunted with a distorted voice as he pressed a blade against her neck, his eyes glowing in a menacing manner.

"No...Not back here...No...!" Homura mentally got out as she began to hyperventilate. "GODDAMMIT!" She then screamed as she looked at the man who purposely committed suicide just to ruin her life.

Except this time, he really was going to kill her.

She was just a weak...little...child...

In reality, Yang was on her knees, staring into space and shivering with fear.

"Dammit!" Joker cursed. "Someone snap her out of it! We need everyone fighting at full force!" He soon ordered as he went to the ash blonde's side, as she was hit as well.

"We'll play distraction, Leader!" Widow responded as she, Fox, Skull and Mona went to draw Kaneshiro's attention.

"Yang-nee!" Yin called out as she ran to her side.

"No...Please...I'm sorry...I don't wanna die..." Yang however mumbled out to herself.

"Homu-nee, look at me!" Yin called out as she lifted her mask above her head. "It's all in your head! It's not real! Come back to us!" Asuka continued, doing everything she could.

Yang however kept hyperventilating in response without any sign of stopping and dilated eyes.

"Oh, wait! I have an item..." Yin remembered as she rummaged through the duffle bag. "Um...here it is!" She then got out as she pulled out a six pack of Donut-Worry, lifting up her roommate's mask and shoved one into her mouth. "EAT IT! PLEASE!" She then exclaimed her order.

Unconsciously, Yang began to chew and nibble on the doughnut...until she coughed and spat some out. "Gack! These doughnuts suck!" She declared in disgust. "W-Wait, wasn't I..." She then started in confusion.

"Homu-nee?" Yin got out in a whisper as the tan skinned girl stood up.

In turn, the tan skinned girl realized what happened as her anger grew as a result. "Grr...! I hate status effects!" Yang growled as she glared at the Piggytron.

"N-No kidding..." Panther panted out as Joker helped her to her feet.

"AAAAHHHH!" They suddenly heard Mona scream in pain as he was lit up by an Ocular Vulcan.

"No, MONA-CHAN!" Yin cried out.

"Goddammit!" Skull shouted out before glaring at the machine. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT SHITHEAD!" He then declared as he summoned his Persona to charge at the robot.

"Mona-chan!" Yin got out as she put the not cat's head on her lap. "Come on, I have some medicine right here!"

"It's...too late. Can't...go on...Lady Yin..." Mona weakly stated before coughing. "I'll...see you on the other side...Hurk blarg..." He got out as crosses replaced his pupils.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Yin cried out...before looking down.

"Wait, where's Mona's body!?" Skull called out.

"Don't worry, everyone. I'm just faking my death here. I'm in no condition to fight though." Mona informed from a distance. "But I can still analyse our opponent." He then added.

"Oh thank God!" Yin breathed out in relief.

"And what's your analysis? Any weaknesses in the structure? Any vulnerabilities?" Queen however asked.

"Uh...Nope. I don't detect any weaknesses. It's the same as Shadow Kamoshida." Mona responded while shaking his head. "But at least it's not resistant to anything." He then added.

"...So what you're saying is that we just survive and hit it until it breaks." Fox guessed.

"Yeah basically." Mona replied with a shrug.

"Goddammit..." Skull groaned out.

"Wait, if it's not resistant to anything..." Yin whispered out before her eyes widened. "Got it. Kaeru, Lucky Punch!" She soon commanded as she ripped off her mask. "Please work please work please work!" She then mentally begged as her Persona pulled out her boxing glove.

BONK!

And with that boxing glove, Kaeru knocked the piggybank up and over, rolling it backwards.

"Urgh! I think I just hacked up a bit of my lunch." Shadow Kaneshiro gagged out.

"Okay, we have an opening! Recarm!" Joker called out as he re-energized the not cat.

"Thanks, Joker. It's not easy faking dead while watching everyone get killed." Mona breathed out as he jumped back into the fight. "Besides, my healing abilities are second to none." He then self praised himself.

"Enough so that you can revive yourself?" Joker countered with a joking smile.

"Ah, shut it."Mona grumbled.

"Hah hah! How'd ya like that asshole!" Yang cheered out as she jumped back.

"Yeh punks're really pissin' me off!" Shadow Kaneshiro growled. "Yeh called my Piggytron a pig earlier, right? Were yeh talkin' about me too when you said that? If you were...Imma tear yeh all to shreds! Go, Piggytron! Super VIP Fooorm!" He then proudly called out as the Thieves heard him flipping a switch from within his robot.

"Aw, what now!?" Yang complained.

"I'm guessing gold plating..." Widow got out as she readied herself for the next thing Kaneshiro will try to use to kill them.

However, instead the Piggytron retracted its limbs before Shadow Kaneshiro flew up on top of it and proceeded to make it spin.

"That's what now." Joker stated in awe.

"What!? It transformed!?" Mona exclaimed. "Don't tell me it's going to roll us over!" He then declared in a panic.

"Dammit, there's nowhere else we can go!" Skull called out as he frantically looked around.

"We're going to be flattened!" Fox called out. "How do we stop it!?" He then questioned.

"...Got it! Everyone! Summon your Personas!" Joker soon ordered as he summoned Arsene.

"Oh I see!" Yang realised as everyone summoned their Persona before letting out a groan. "This is gonna hurt isn't it." She then assumed.

"Yep, now everyone...GRIND THAT THING TO A HALT!" Joker admitted and commanded as their Personas grabbed onto the robot, except for Johanna who tried to counter the spin with her back tyre.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!" The Thieves screamed out as they tried to stop the Piggytron with their Personas, but they could all feel their hands begin to burn from the friction.

"It's slowing down but we...we cannot hold it much longer!" Kaeru called out as she tried to stab her wakizashi into the metal, only for it to bounce off. "You must brace yourselves!" She then advised.

"Oh shit!" Skull yelped out as his strength gave out, causing his Persona to reform into his mask...and promptly allowed Piggytron to overpower everyone else's and run them over.

CRUSH!

"Ow..." Joker groaned as everyone climbed out of their own personalised holes in the ground. "Okay, that didn't work. Good try everyone." He then added.

"Ugh...How did we survive that...?" Queen moaned in pain.

"Just...accept it and move on..." Mona replied as he shook his head.

"How's this!? Can't even stand 'cause of how scary my Piggytron is, huh? Gyahahahaha!" Shadow Kaneshiro taunted.

"We...We can't take an attack like that again..." Mona panted out. "We can't let that happen again..." He then stated.

"I'd rather dodge missiles again..." Yang panted out.

"Just damage the thing as much as you can until it can't move!" Panther called out as summoned Carmen.

FWOOSH!

"I don't think that's happening anytime soon..." Joker got out as he narrowed his eyes.

"Well, maybe some adamantium might do some damage!" Yang declared as she summoned Wolverine to slash up the robot.

SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH SLASH!

However, once her Persona returned, it only did minor damage to Piggytron. "Aw, what!?" Yang complained.

"I think that only works in comic book land, not the Metaverse." Skull guessed.

"Hahahaha! You can't do shit, yo. So let the March of the Piggytron roll and go!" The Palace Ruler called out as he prepared his robot to crush the Thieves once and for all.

"Oh no! NOT AGAIN!" Yin called out as she braced herself to be run over again.

"We have to do something!" Panther stated as she tried to think. "Uh...Can we distract him?" She soon suggested.

"That might work..." Joker replied with a nod.

"Yeah..." Mona agreed as well. "As you know, Kaneshiro is a money monger. Tossing a rare item his way might draw his attention and serve as a distraction!" He soon suggested.

"What!? We are not sacrificing our rare items to this fuckwad!" Yang growled out. "Think of something else!" She all but ordered.

"Over there!" Yin called out as she pointed over to near the mech. "Money!" She then informed.

Queen in turn smirked as a plan came to mind. "Yang, Panther, burn it!" She soon ordered.

The two fire users nodded in response, already having the idea in mind. "Carmen/Wolverine!" The two called out, summoning their Personas at the same time. "Light it up!" They then commanded as Carmen shot a fireball while Wolverine sliced it up with her burning claws.

FWOOOOSH!

"Hey, what's that smell...?" Skull asked as he sniffed the air with a smirk on his face.

"AAAAAAAAAH! WHAT THE HELL ARE YEH DOIN'!?" Shadow Kaneshiro screamed in a panic from within Piggytron.

"Watching your world burn!" Yang declared, a wide grin under her mask at the results.

"Dammit! Piggytron! SAVE IT!" Shadow Kaneshiro commanded as he got the giant robot to blow the money in an attempt to extinguish it. However, it made it worse and the fire soon began to go out of control. Soon enough, the money raining down around them was now also on fire. "No no NO!" He soon screamed in a panic as he retreated into his robot to try and save his money.

"He's distracted. Go for it, Joker." Mona whispered to the Leader.

"Alright, HIT IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!" Joker commanded as he summoned a Persona.

"PERSONA!" The Phantom Thieves soon cried out as they all sent their Personas to do as much damage as they could before the Thieves themselves tried to damage the robot with their weapons.

"We're only leaving scratches and small dents!" Fox called out as he sheath his katana, having dulled the blade to the point of near uselessness.

"BREAK ALREADY!" Yang screamed before slamming her forehead against the metal before stumbling back. "Ah...why do I keep making bad decisions...?" She groaned in pain as she held her head.

"This is not a battle of attrition we can win..." Widow panted out before the Thieves retreated to see that they didn't do a whole lot.

"I think we hurt ourselves more than the Piggytron." Mona got out with a wince.

"Come on, is that all the Phantom Thieves have to offer?" Shadow Kaneshiro taunted with a smirk. "You're more useless than the cops!" He then stated.

"!?" Queen's eyes widened immediately as she heard that. "...Useless...?" She soon repeated.

"Oh no." Joker whispered out as everyone stepped back.

"I'LL SHOW YOU USELESS YOU FAT TURD!" Queen roared as she summoned Johanna and rode straight at the robot before leaping off and delivering a straight punch to the piggy bank.

WHAM! CRACK!

And immediately left a crack and a dent in the metal as a result.

"Reminder: Don't piss off Queen..." Joker thought while sweating. "Actually, that should probably go down on the pamphlet." He then muttered to himself.

"There we go!" Panther cheered out before seeing the Advisor clutch her arm as she jumped back. "Is your arm okay?" She then asked.

"My fingers are a little numb but I can still fight!" Queen replied as she waved her hand a little to shake off the pain. "It's not invincible! We can destroy it!" She soon informed with determination.

"I'm just surprised you didn't break your arm from that!" Skull admitted. "But...now we have a weak spot to target." He then added with a smirk.

"Yeah..." Panther got out as they all stared at the crack in the metal.

"What the? Whaddaya all starin' at, yo?" Shadow Kaneshiro soon questioned.

"Alright, everyone, you know what to aim for!" Joker called out as everyone took out their guns. "Aim...FIRE!" He then ordered.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BAN BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BAN BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BAN BANG BANG!

"Hahahah...AHAHAHAHAHAHA! You think bullets will take down my Piggytron!? Money has made my creation unbeatable! Impenetrable! You guys are doing nothing but waste the precious few seconds you have left in my bank!" Shadow Kaneshiro taunted with complete confidence in his voice.

"One More!" Yin called out as twirled her empty guns before putting them away.

"Wait, what?" Shadow Kaneshiro soon got out in a dumb tone.

"RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Queen cried out as she dashed up and punched the crack once more with enough force to create a shockwave.

WHAM!

CRACK! SPARK!

And with that decisive blow, the crack began to spread around the robot. It began to spark and sputter as it began to crumble under its own weight."Holy shit, we actually took it down!" Skull exclaimed.

"It's not over yet! Get ready for more!" Queen however advised as she got back, remaining ready for anything that would come at them.


(Cue The People with no Name by m.c.A-T and RIDER CHIPS)

"Wha- My Piggytron!" Shadow Kaneshiro exclaimed as he flew out to see the state of his robot before glaring at the Thieves. "That's it! I'll just deal with you busters myself...through the power of cash!" He then declared, dramatically pulling out money from his sleeves.

"Oh, what're you gonna do? Throw money at us?" Joker taunted before pausing. "...Actually, using coins might hurt..." He then muttered to himself.

Shadow Kaneshiro smirked as he threw the stacks of cash onto the ground in front of him. Suddenly, two fly-like guards appeared, picking the money off the ground. One small and wielding a baton and the other large and wielding bloody riot shields on each arm.

"He brought out guards now!?" Widow muttered in shock.

"They definitely look different from all the other guards we've encountered before..." Queen stated.

"Ha, wassup! I paid these guys off, and now they're gonna clean you up!" Shadow Kaneshiro informed with a sick grin. "Ya like that? They're super duper powerful! And super duper fly! Heheheh...A totally invincible wall!" He then taunted.

"We'll see about that!" Widow responded as she summoned Fūma. "Persona! Splash them!" She soon commanded.

"Malaqua!" Fūma called out as she sent a wave of water against her enemies.

SPLASH!

The Bodyguard-For-Hire instantly went in front of Kaneshiro and took the attack for him, shaking off the wave of water.

"That...That didn't do anything!" Widow gasped out.

"Just throw every spell you have at them! They're bound to have a weakness!" Joker soon ordered.

The Thieves before throwing out their best skills and abilities at the guards, but to no avail.

"They barely look tired..." Fox grumbled under his breath.

"Holy...His guards really are insanely strong!" Skull called out.

"Yeah..." Queen got out as she narrowed her eyes. "But we've been only hitting them with spells. And if they don't have a weakness..." She then informed.

"We'll just give them some!" Panther finished before summoning Carmen. "Let's go! Dormina!" She then commanded as her Persona tried to send the bodyguard to sleep. "Damn, no effect!" she soon cursed.

"I can fix that! Pisaca! Stagnant Air!" Joker commanded as his Persona sprayed some sort of miasma around the area.

"Gah! That smells like...farts and pickle juice..." Skull coughed out.

"We're all more vulnerable to status ailments, so be careful!" Queen advised before coughing. "Ugh, it smells like Skull's room..." She couldn't help but think.

"I'm assuming Brainwash, Fear and Despair will be ineffective against them." Queen assumed as she narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah, they're all too stupid to feel those things." Skull replied.

"Hey! That hurts, ya know!" The Bodyguard-for-Hire called out before being hit in the gut by the Hitman-For-Hire.

"Don't show weakness. Power Slash!" The Hitman ordered before unleashing its attack.

SLASH!

"GAH!" Queen screamed in pain as she went to her knees.

"No! Queen's down!" Mona exclaimed.

"Ha ha! Lullaby!" Shadow Kaneshiro suddenly declared.

"Wait what!? He didn't have that before!" Yin exclaimed in a panic.

"No no no!" Queen soon yelped out as she tried to resist the effects. "No...no...no...Zzzzz..." She struggled out, though drifted off as her eyes felt heavy before fully falling asleep.

"BASTARD!" Yang shouted out as she charged straight at the man, only for one of his bodyguards to stand in her way and use his riot shield to smack in the face. "AH!" She then got out in pain.

"Stay down!" The bodyguard ordered before the hitman came up and...

"Headbutt!" The Bodyguard soon declared.

WHAM!

"Guh!" Yang grunted out as she stumbled back and shook her head. "H-Huh? Where am I? Why am I...WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE!?" She then screamed at the Thieves.

"Yang-nee!" Yin exclaimed in a panic to that occurring.

"And she's hit with Forget. Great." Widow sighed out as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I thought she would've learned by now to not rush in like that." She then muttered. She knew she was going to have to give the tan skinned girl even more training now.

"Harisen Recovery! Someone!" Joker ordered.

"Gotcha!" Skull replied, his paper fan already out before dashing up to the tan skinned girl and smacking her in the face.

WHACK!

"Ow! Skull, godammit!" Yang got out as she shook her head before realising what happened. "OH COME ON! AGAIN!?" She then growled out.

"Struck with Forget this time." Skull informed as he put away the fan.

"...He made me forget my precious Sis..." Yang lowly growled with a fiery aura surround. "YOU'RE DEAD!" She soon roared as she charged at the man...only to find her feet frozen to the floor. "Eh?" She got out in confusion, her fiery fury fading as she looked at the disapproving expression on the light grey haired girl's face.

"Not. Again. Yang." Widow growled in a chiding manner before putting focus back on the guards. "Dazzler!" She soon commanded her Persona to dazzle the enemies with her dance.

FLASH!

"Dazed and confused!" Yin got out with a fist pump as she saw the bodyguard stumble around.

"Uh...Queen's still asleep." Skull reminded.

"Well do something about it!" Panther replied before barely dodging a Snap to the face.

"Oh, shit! Right!" Skull got out as he pulled out his paper fan. "Sorry Prez!" He preemptively apologized.

SMACK!

"Huh? What? Am I late!?" Queen gasped out before remembering where she was. "Urgh...forced to fall asleep?" She soon guessed.

"Yep. Now go kick his 'nads." Skull responded with a smile.

Queen nodded to that before they both focused back onto the Palace Ruler.

"Follow up, Fox!" Widow soon ordered once she saw that the guard was dizzy.

"Dormin Rush!" The artist soon called out as Goemon attacked the guard.

WHAM!

"AH SHIT!" The Bodyguard-For-Hire swore out as it collapsed to the ground.

"It's down! Passing the baton!" Fox called out as he high-fived the Advisor.

CLAP!

"Thank you, Fox! Makajama!" the Advisor called out as she casted her spell onto the smaller guard.

"W-Whoa...Where am I? Why is there all this burning shit?" The Hitman-for-Hire wondered as he looked around in confusion.

"HOW'S IT FEEL, JACKASS!?" Yang screamed out before coughing. "Ack! Lost it a little there." She then mentally winced before she worked on heating her feet up.

"Huh? Um...Quite pleasant actually-" The Hitman-For-Hire replied in a kind, friendly tone before...

"Psio." Joker casually interrupted with a snap as he summoned Neko Shogun.

WEEEEP!

"WWWWAAAARRRGGGGGGHHHHH! IT'S EATING MY BRAIN!" The Hitman wailed in torturous pain and suffering as it fell to the ground.

"And you call yourselves the best here!? Get the hell up!" Shadow Kaneshiro demanded in frustration.

"Nope." Joker and Yin responded in unison.

"Grrrr...SNAP!" Shadow Kaneshiro soon responded.

"Whoa!" Mona exclaimed as he barely managed to to dodge the Gun attack. "Kaneshiro definitely changed up his skills. He's way more dangerous now!" He soon informed and warned.

"He held back." Fox stated with a frown.

"What's the point? Give us your all from the start, you bastard!" Yang called out, getting annoyed once more.

"Stay calm. He was trying to make us underestimate him." Widow however instructed. "Cooler heads will prevail here so don't let your emotions control your actions. Now, if you'll excuse me, SOAK HIS PANTS LIKE HE WETS THE BED!" She soon explained followed by the demand to the enemy.

SPLASH!

"Ah, dammit!" Shadow Kaneshiro complained while trying to dry himself off.

"Now for a little zap." Skull declared as he ripped off his mask. "Captain Kidd! ZIO!" He soom ordered.

ZAP!

"G-Gah...!" The ruler struggled out.

"A little physical brutality..." Yang added as she rushed up to the Ruler and slashed him up with her katanas.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

"And now go All-Out!" Joker concluded as they rushed the enemies.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SLAP! WHAM!

The ruler was beginning to reach his limit as he saw his men recover from their attacks. "What the hell are you guys doing!?" Shadow Kaneshiro growled out. "Dammit! I'll pay you triple for each head you bring to me!" He then declared, causing the guards to gain a red aura.

"They just got stronger!" Yin exclaimed.

"I guess greed is quite the incentive." Queen remarked. "Keep inflicting status ailments on them. We can't let up now." She soon ordered.

"I'll keep the Stagnant Air up for as long as I can then." Joker replied. "Just watch out for Tiny's Headbutt and Kaneshiro's skills and we should come out fine." He then instructed.

"As long as our health and SP keep up. Media!" Mona declared as he healed everyone before another round of status effects and attacks hit the guards.

"Keep it up!" Yin cheered out while pumping a fist in the air.

"Do your damn jobs! You want more!? Well, protect me and for each hit you take you get a 10% bonus!" Shadow Kaneshiro soon offered, causing an orange aura to flare around his guards.

"He's just throwing money at these guys!" Yang exclaimed in annoyance.

"But they're getting stronger with each raise Kaneshiro gives them!" Mona stated. "I don't know how deep Kaneshiro's pockets are, but this can get out of hand really quickly." He then warned.

"I got just the thing!" Yin called out as she pulled something out of the duffle bag. "Purify these Shadows and bring them to light! Baptismal Water!" She then declared as she threw the item into the air.

Suddenly, clouds started to form above them before raining holy water upon them, washing away their buffs.

"That was perfect, Yin!" Mona praised. "We have more, right?" He then asked.

"..." Yin merely blinked as some sweat ran down the side of her head.

"...Okay, put holy water on the shopping list." Joker muttered to himself before summoning Neko Shogun. "Go for it! Masukukaja!" He soon ordered as all the Thieves were enveloped in a green glow.

"Ha ha! Thanks for the speed boost!" Yang replied, grinning underneath her mask before frowning. "But there isn't much I can do for the guards..." She then reluctantly confessed with frustration in her voice.

"Here's something that might help though." Yin got out as she pulled something out of the duffle bag. "Maybe a little confusion should help!" She then suggested as she threw out a Confuse Vial L, splashing its contents onto the Palace Ruler and his lackeys.

"What the...? The hell is this shit?" The Hitman-For-Hire got out as he tried to wipe the substance off his suit. And he just got...it...what?

"Duh...what were we doin' again?" The Bodyguard-For-Hire asked in a confused manner.

"What? Oh right it was...what was it again?" The Hitman asked.

"Huh? What was what again?" The Bodyguard responded with a tilt of his head.

"What was what?" The Hitman then asked.

"Huh?" The Bodyguard replied in confusion.

"...My brain feels like toasted bacon." The Hitman soon confessed.

"What are you two idiots doing!? Focus on the thieves!" Shadow Kaneshiro shouted out in frustration, however the Thieves did notice that he was stepping back.

"Got the guards, but not Kaneshiro!" Fox informed.

"Thank you, Jose." Joker thought with a smirk.

"Take 'em both out now!" Queen called out.

"Time for your finale!" Joker declared with a smirk as he ripped off his mask. "Jack Frost! Mabufula!" He soon commanded.

CRACKLE! SHATTER!

And with that, the hitman and bodyguard died, vanishing back into the darkness from whence they came.

"Hah! Taken down the guards!" Fox called out.

"Bah! Worthless!" Shadow Kaneshiro spat out. "No matter! There's backup already on the way!" He then declared with confidence.

"Cool, because they're not gonna make it in time." Joker replied with a smirk.

The Palace Ruler didn't take that lying down. "Zionga!" Kaneshiro called out as he casted lightning upon the Thieves.

"Whoa! What the-!?" Yin exclaimed.

ZZZZAP!

The dyed blond let out a grunt as took the attack head on. "GAH! D-Dammit, why does this asshole have a better Zio than mine!?" Skull soon complained.

"A sign you need more training!" Yang quipped out.

The dyed blond in turn paled slightly to hearing that. "Oh, eff that! ZIO!" Skull responded in a panic as he unleashed his lightning spell.

ZAP!

"G-G-Guh...!" Shadow Kaneshiro struggled out, feeling the electricity paralyse his body.

"Shocked 'em!" Skull cheered out as pumped his fist. "Bring that bastard down!" He then requested.

"This should hurt a bit! Gokuentou!" Yang declared as her Persona slashed at the man with her superheated claws.

FWOOOOSH! SLASH!

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Shadow Kaneshiro screamed in pain as Wolverine practically sliced him in half.

"Down and out!" Yang called out as she put her katanas over her shoulder.

"Don't ever give him a chance! All-Out Attack!" Joker ordered as they rushed the Shadow.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SLAP! WHAM!

"AAAAAHHHH!" The Palace Ruler cried in pain as the Phantom Thieves left him bloody and bruised. However, he still wasn't down yet.

"We can do this all day, you know!" Skull soon declared. "But not all day. I have homework, dammit!" He then added.

"...He still has homework to finish?" The other Thieves thought in unison as they glanced at the dyed blond.

"Fuckin'...WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY GUARDS!" Shadow Kaneshiro shouted in rage. As if on cue, two more guards appeared who looked exactly like the ones the Thieves killed. "You're getting a pay cut if every drop of blood I spill! Now do your damn fucking jobs and kill these shits!" He then threatened and ordered.

"Dammit, they respawned..." Skull grumbled out.

"No matter how many men you throw at us, you aren't walking away without a changed heart." Yin however started. "As soon as your Treasure materialised...we've already won!" She then declared as green flames flared around her.

"God, you're annoying! Why won't you just go down, yo?" Shadow Kaneshiro got out in frustration.

"Sorry, too young and stupid to give up just yet!" Joker replied with a devious smirk.

"F-Fine! It's time for my last trump card! I'm gonna make it rain and party down! Ya dig?" Shadow Kaneshiro countered in anger.

"Hey, the only thing we're gonna dig is a hole to...put you in...for jail..." Yang weakly taunted. "Ugh...too many status effects are messing with me..." She then confessed in frustration as she rubbed her forehead.

"This is gonna be big. Brace yourselves!" Queen warned as everyone raised their guard.

"Take this! Make It Rain, baby!" Shadow Kaneshiro declared as he threw millions of yen into the air.

CHA-CHING! CHA-CHING! CHA-CHING! CHA-CHING! CHA-CHING! CHA-CHING! CHA-CHING! CHA-CHING! CHA-CHING!

"AAAAAHHHHH!" The Thieves screamed in pain as money rained upon them, tearing through their clothes and leaving them cut up and bleeding.

"I knew coins hurt!" Joker groaned out as he put his sleeve up and pulled out a coin embedded into his shoulder.

"That felt like a hail of bullets..." Fox shakily got out, clutching onto his bleeding side.

"Hurry up and run out of money already!" Skull snapped.

"Like it will ever! There are millions of dumb kids in Tokyo, yo, and more will come to fold and do what they're told. Money makes the world go round and Junya Kaneshiro is gonna grind those kids to the ground~!" Shadow Kaneshiro proceeded to taunt...by rapping...terribly.

"SHUT UP!" Queen shouted out before...

WHAM!

...Shooting past his guards and socking Kaneshiro hard in the face, knocking out a gold tooth as it fell into the Advisor's hands.

"What the!?" The Hitman-for-Hire exclaimed before the Bodyguard-for-Hire hit her away.

"Here Joker, some gold to sell." Queen remarked as she tossed the gold tooth to the Leader before wiping blood off her chin.

"Ew, but appreciated." Joker replied as he caught and pocketed it. "Iwai-san better take this." He meanwhile thought to himself before shaking it off. Of course he would.

"AH! MY FUCKIN' TOOTH!" Shadow Kaneshiro growled as he held his cheek. "YOU'LL PAY...FOR MY DENTIST BILLS!" He then declared as he prepared himself once more.

"He's doing it again!" Queen warned.

"Incoming!" Yang declared as they all braced themselves once more.

...Tink...

The Phantom Thieves looked around in confusion, only to spot the single coin on the ground.

"Gah! I ran outta cash!" Shadow Kaneshiro soon complained in despair.

"Ha! Oh the irony!" Yang however laughed out.

"You what?" The Bodyguard-For-Hire got out in shock.

"If you're out of cash...that means we're not getting paid." The Hitman-For-Hire stated. " Fuck this shit I'm out. They aren't worth the trouble." It then declared.

"Right behind you, man." The Bodyguard replied in agreement.

And with that, the two vanished from the battlefield.

"...Did that just happen?" Yin however asked in disbelief.

"Wha- Hey! Where'd everyone go!?" Shadow Kaneshiro exclaimed with a panicking look on his face. "I'm just a little short on funds at the moment! C'mon, come back, yo!" He soon begged.

"Hah! His best friends abandoned him!" Yang laughed out once more.

"Loyalty bought with money can never be trusted." Widow stated with a smirk.

"Well, look at that." Joker got out with a smile before stepping forward. "You have no one left to turn to Kaneshiro! Last chance to surrender, or things might get bloody." He then demanded.

"I-I can't! I-If I don't have money...then I...Oh, I know- there's still money inside Piggytron! Gotta get back in there!" Shadow Kaneshiro exclaimed before climbing back into his robot. "Whew...Cash...Cash really does calm my nerves...Wait- what's wrong, Piggytron!?" He breathed out in relief before he then began to panic as he felt it rattling.

"Idiot..." Yang, Queen and Widow bluntly stated, disappointed at how the Palace Ruler was acting.

"It looks like it's about to fall apart." Mona noted before looking at the Leader, who was already twirling his gun.

"Sorry, Kaneshiro. You're now bankrupt." Joker declared as he pulled the trigger.

BANG!

KABOOM!

(End Music)


The vault was completely ruined. There was fire and shrapnel everywhere, with multiple cracks and craters around the place. All of the remaining money in the place was burning into nothing and whatever valuable items there were here had to be destroyed by this point.

"Ugh...that was something..." Queen admitted as she rubbed her forehead.

"What exploded?" Skull had to ask as he wiped the soot off his face.

"Gack! Must've set off some leftover missiles there..." Mona coughed out.

"Is everyone alright?" Joker called out as checked himself to see if there was any serious damage. Apart from some serious damage to his clothes, he looked and felt fine. And after a quick glance over everyone else, they were in the same state as him. No one has been skewered by shrapnel or revealing anything too sensitive.

"W-Wait..." Panther got out as her eyes widened. "Shit, Kaneshiro was in the stupid robot!" She soon pointed out.

"Oh God, is he-" Yin gasped out before hearing someone groaning amongst the wreckage.

Climbing out the remaining scraps of the Piggytron was the Shadow of Kaneshiro...dragging sparkling gold bars out with him before collapsing onto the ground.

"Found you~" Yang sung out with a wicked grin underneath her mask.

"Kaneshiro...!" Queen meanwhile growled as they all surrounded the defeated ruler with their guns out.

"I'm not gonna let anyone have it...This is my money...!" Shadow Kaneshiro desperately declared as he hugged his bars of gold.

"Oh, shut the fuck up you piece of shit!" Yang snapped. "That isn't yours! None of your money is yours! You stole it all from people weaker than you!" She then growled, nearly deciding to shoot him in the knees but was stopped by her roommate.

"You have ten seconds." Joker soon threatened as he aimed his gun. "Convince your real self to forget about Makoto Niijima's debt! She owes you nothing but pity, and even that's a stretch." He then ordered as everyone did the same.

"..." The Palace said nothing as he glared at the Thieves, a feeble attempt to remain defiantly to the end.

"EFFIN' SAY IT OR WE SHOOT!" Yin demanded as she put her fingers on the triggers of her pistols.

"...Fine. I'll call off the debt." Shadow Kaneshiro finally relented.

"And everyone else's." Queen added.

"And everyone else's." Shadow Kaneshiro then repeated, his tone of voice telling everyone that he was verbally rolling his eyes.

However, this only caused everyone to narrow their eyes. "I don't like that effin' tone of yours." Skull growled as he pumped his shotgun. "You're still soundin' pretty condescendin', even when staring down a couple barrels." He then added.

"You are in no position of power." Widow stated as she chambered a round in her sniper rifle. "You. Are. Nothing." She then declared.

"You're right...I'm a poor, ugly...idiot...how am I supposed to live a normal life like this...?" Shadow Kaneshiro confessed followed by the question.

"Go to school. Get a job. Not be a fuckin' mafia boss." Yang then listed off. "Hey, Kentucky Fried Phoenix is hiring. Try them." She then added.

"It's all because of our society! Weak people can't lead a happy life, no matter what they do! I'm a victim too! Yeah, none of this is my fault!" Shadow Kaneshiro soon declared.

Fox however shook his head in disappointment to this. "The more you talk, the more pathetic you sound." He harshly declared.

"I just wanted a place where I could belong!" Shadow Kaneshiro then suddenly confessed. "You get that, don't you!?" He soon asked.

Panther however stomped her foot, ready to whip him into submission. "Bullshit!" She countered. "All you did was surround yourself with people you could use, solely for some easy money!" She then declared.

"As unfair as society is, you should also blame yourself for never even trying to improve your own life past the situation you are in now!" Widow called out. "You targeted the weak, you consumed and destroyed. Your excuses...mean nothing!" She then declared.

"And that may be true, but that doesn't give you the right to just abuse other people! Don't act like you're the only one!" The charismatic Leader of the infamous Phantom Thieves of Hearts soon started in a dead serious tone.

"We all faced discrimination too." The former track star stated.

"For appearances." The part time model, cute cafe worker and shinobi continued.

"For actions outside of our control." The well-respected head of a disciplinary committee and shinobi added.

"Due to rumors." The insanely-hot model stated.

"And due to the ignorant masses." The talented artist revealed.

"You are not the only one who faced hardships." The beautiful Shujin Student Council President soon stated.

"So don't think it allows you to take your rage out on the world like it owes you something." The equally beautiful Kosei Student Council President and shinobi then demanded.

"Um, I don't think we're the best example..." The literal mascot admitted as he looked at the relatively attractive and dangerous teenagers. "But they are right. It doesn't matter who you are, but what you can do. And what you've done is squander it." He soon declared.

"But don't worry," Queen soon started. "You'll finally have a place you belong. Somewhere you can make amends, for the rest of your damn life." She then declared in a dead serious tone.

"We're gonna do something about that distorted heart of yours..." Skull then stated.

"And as of now, your bank of gluttony is closed for good." Yin soon declared. "So you better return to your real self and confess all of your sins." She then added.

"Consider it free of charge." Joker concluded.

To that, the Shadow of the mafia boss looked around to look at the thieves while nodding.

"I'm glad you understand." Fox got out. "Now hurry up and return to the real Kaneshiro."

"Seriously? You guys don't have any tact. Especially with that incredible power..." Shadow Kaneshiro got out in confusion. "These Palaces could net you loads of cash! You could do whatever you wanted to people's hearts!" He then declared.

"We're not like you!" Panther countered.

"We will never just change hearts for the sake of fame and fortune! We change hearts for the betterment of the world." Widow added as she shook her head.

The Palace Ruler simply shook his head to that. "Where do you find meaning in that naive sense of justice...?" Shadow Kaneshiro had to ask.

"We're helping people who need help instead of letting the hand we're dealt corrupt and consume us. We haven't given up on this world, unlike you." Joker answered as he put his gun away.

The Palace Ruler however then smirked as he looked at the group. "You know, there's already someone out there taking full advantage of what Palaces have to offer..." Shadow Kaneshiro suddenly revealed.

This however got the group's attention.

"What...?" Skull got out in shock. He knew about the other Persona-user?

"I'll let you in on a little something..." Shadow Kaneshiro soon got out. "There's a criminal using other people's Palaces to accomplish whatever they damn well please. They don't care about the consequences. Psychotic breakdowns, mental shutdowns...Anything goes." He then informed.

This in turn caused their eyes to widen.

"Is that...the same person Madarame's Shadow spoke of...?" Fox soon questioned.

"The one in the black mask again..." Yin got out in shock.

"Spill it! Who're you talkin' about!?" Skull demanded.

"And are they a shinobi!?" Widow had to ask, only to get pinched in the arm.

"Widow..." Fox got out as the light grey haired girl realized her mistake.

Shadow Kaneshiro however snickered to that. "Don't even bother. You are nothing compared to them...Better be careful...A chance encounter with them could prove fatal..." He then warned. "And shinobi don't even compare to them...they break all the same..." He soon declared.

This however caused the three shinobi girls' eyes to widen in shock. "This guy is that powerful!?" They all thought in a panic.

"How do you know about shinobi?" Yin whispered out with wide eyes. No good-respecting shinobi would ever work under someone like him.

"Dammit, stop being so vague and tell us you fuckin' asshole!" Queen demanded as she lifted the man up to her face.

"You better get out while you still can or you'll end up in a ditch like your father." Shadow Kaneshiro soon warned with a sick smirk.

Queen snapped and was ready to put a hole through his heart with her fist...

But stopped and threw him to the ground.

"I don't care about those insults. We've already risked our lives for you, what does another murderer do to us?" Queen calmly stated. "Just because they can do anything, doesn't mean they should. We'll stop them, just like we stopped you. No one is invincible." She then added and declared.

"Heh...I look forward to...seeing you eat your words..." Shadow Kaneshiro chuckled out as he began to glow.

"And I look forward to crushing your testicles." Queen bluntly countered.

"Huh?" The Palace Ruler got out in confusion.

STOMP!

"GYYYYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Shadow Kaneshiro wailed in pain.

"Now go. Before I do any worse." Queen soon ordered.

Shadow Kaneshiro frantically nodded with a whimper before vanishing into the light.

"Dammit!" Yang growled as she stomped her foot. "Who the hell is this guy!?" She then asked in frustration and concern.

However, before anyone could respond, the Palace began to rumble.

"We can think about that later! Grab the Treasure! There's no time!" Fox stated in an urgent manner.

"In that case, we should take that large one..." Queen suggested, only to notice something. "...Wait, what!?" She got out in confusion.

"Mrrrrrrroooooowwwww...!" Mona meowed as he rubbed his face against the gold. "T-Treasure!" He then got out as he drooled.

"Oh goddammit, Mona!" Yang growled in frustration. "Stop! Humping! The Treasure!" She soon shouted out.

"What's gotten into him...!?" Queen exclaimed.

"He just gets like that." Joker casually stated.

"This is sooooo coooooool! Wowwweee, being a human is greatttttt!" Mona squealed out. "It's...It's...It's...shiny shiny golddd!" He then declared in excitement.

"Mona-chan...WAH!" Yin called out as she tried to gently pull the not cat off, only for him to leap onto her breasts and squeeze them. "M-M-Mona-channnnn...!" She soon cried out. She wanted him off but she didn't have the heart to use real force, especially when his claws were tearing into the remains of her kimono.

"Get off of her!" Skull however got out as he pulled the cat off before throwing him away.

POOF!

"You shouldn't throw animals, dammit!" Mona called out.

"But you keep saying you're not a cat!" Skull countered.

"I AM NOT!" Mona shouted out.

"EVERYONE SHUT UP AND LOAD THE GOLD INTO THE CAR!" Queen and Yang snapped, scaring the boys into silence.

"Is this really his Treasure?" Panther wondered out loud.

"If Mona reacts, then it's a definite yes!" Yang countered. "Now load it up! These are gonna be a bitch to carry and fit into the Morganamobile!" She soon ordered.

"I hope you have enough horsepower, Mona-chan." Yin got out as she opened the back of the car.

Soon enough, everyone had loaded the gold into the back and got into the Morganamobile.

"All set?" Joker asked as he looked back. The shinobi decided to sit in the back with the gold to make sure it didn't hit anyone in the back of the head during the escape.

"Ready, Joker." Fox responded with a thumbs-up.

"In the back?" The Leader then asked as he looked at the back.

"We're good. Just don't drive too crazy, okay?" Yang responded, making sure the gold stayed put.

"I don't think safe driving is an option right now!" Panther got out as more of the Palace fell around them. "Go, Joker, go!" She then called out.

"Alright, FLOORING IT!" Joker declared as he put the pedal to the metal.


(Security Room)

Watching the battle over a camera, a dark figure looked at the monitor as the Phantom Thieves leader aimed his pistol at the Palace ruler's robot.

"Sorry Kaneshiro. You're now bankrupt."

He watched as another source of income fell under the might of the Phantom Thieves right as the security camera was destroyed in the ensuing explosion. "Che...useless fool..." He cursed under his breath before turning to leave.

In hindsight, it was inevitable Kaneshiro would fail some day. He was only a child trying to act like a man.

But regardless, this was confirmation that the Thieves would become serious threats to the plan soon enough.

"Hey, what are you-" The guard got out in a panic as it went in for an attack, however...

"Loki!" The shadowed figure commanded with a blood red glow surrounding them

BLAST!

And just like that Shadow, they were good as dead.


(Outside)

After, somehow, making it outside it suddenly occurred to the Thieves that there was a problem with their escape route.

"Wait, there's no road!" Mona exclaimed.

"Oh right, and this Palace flies..." Joker muttered out...as they flew off said Palace, which was falling out of the sky anyways.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Phantom Thieves screamed in fear as they plummeted to the ground.

"GODDAMMIT! WE FORGOT ABOUT THE BRIDGE DIDN'T WE!?" Yang shouted out loud.

"Just one last thing to try and kill us all." Joker calmly assumed.

"WHY ARE YOU SO CALM!?" Skull yelled out.

"SOMEONEACTIVATETHEMETANAV!" Yin however frantically ordered.

"Huh? Oh right." Joker said as he pulled out his phone. "Get us out of here." He soon ordered.


(Shibuya, Station Square)

CRASH!

"Ugh..." The Thieves moaned in pain.

"You guys are so careless..." Morgana sighed out...right before something landed on him.

WHAM!

"Mew! Mmmeeeowwwwgggggghhhh...!" The not cat groaned out in pain.

[The destination (Kaneshiro's Bank of Gluttony) has been deleted. Thank you for your hard work, and have a nice day.]

"Thank you." Akira grumbled as he put his phone back into his pocket. How could a synthesised voice sound so sarcastic?

"Owww..." Ann got out as they started to get up, finding themselves in the middle of the street.

"Oh, I think I cracked my ass..." Ryuji moaned as he rubbed said ass.

"Ann, are you alright? Is yours cracked as well...?" Yusuke asked in concern.

"Of course not!" Ann yelled back.

"Aren't asses supposed to be cracked?" Homura tried to joke only to squeak in pain as she tried to sit up. "Ah! Okay, maybe I cracked mine too." She soon winced out.

"Ah! Homu-nee!" Asuka exclaimed before running up to her roommate and started rubbing the area gently. "There, is that better?" She soon asked.

"Sis..." Homura got out with an awkward blush on her face.

"Eh?" Asuka responded in confusion.

"Asuka-san, we're in public." Yumi calmly informed.

"Wait, what?" Asuka got out before finally noticing the crowd surrounding them, some of them filming or taking a few photos of them. "U-Uh..." She got out as an embarrassed blush came across her face.

"Sis, please stop rubbing my butt." Homura requested.

Realizing that she was still rubbing, she quickly backed off and hid her arms behind her back. "They...Th-They didn't see us coming out of the Metaverse, right?" She nervously thought.

"Uh...Ta-da~?" Homura awkwardly got out with jazz hands, causing the people to look at her weirdly.

"I'm gonna guess that's why shinobi aren't more public..." Akira thought with a sweatdrop.

"Thank goodness nobody was hurt." Makoto breathed out in relief.

The dyed blond then looked towards the crossway and sweatdropped. "Uh...I wouldn't say nobody..." Ryuji got out as he cringed.

To that, everyone turned to see a familiar not cat on the ground with a golden briefcase on top of him. He also didn't seem to be moving...

"That briefcase..." Ryuji muttered out.

"It appears to have been the cause of Morgana's demise..." Yusuke stated in a blunt yet sympathetic manner.

"That's not what I meant." Ryuji sighed out.

"M-Morgana-chan!" Asuka exclaimed as she dashed to where he was, glad that the light was red. "Are you okay!?" She soon asked as she frantically flailed her arms in a panicked manner before picking him up and cradled him in her arms.

"Asuka, th-the Treasure!" Akira called out.

"Hm? Oh!" Asuka got out as she also grabbed the golden briefcase. "Got it!" She soon declared.

"We should probably leave..." Yumi soon suggested as the Vice Leader and the not cat returned with the others.

Soon enough, they managed to get away from the crowd and find a peaceful spot to catch their breath.

"Oh...I really hope that butt-rubbing doesn't get to the agency..." Asuka muttered out.

"I'm sure it'll be fine...I hope." Ann replied as she tried to assure her fellow model though was uneasy about it herself. "I'll let Kokito-san know about this later." She then muttered to herself.

"Anyways, where should we open it?" Makoto asked.

"How about at karaoke?" Ann suggested.

"We'd have security cameras to worry about there." Makoto pointed out.

"Oh, I got the perfect place." Ryuji got out with a smirk.

Ann looked at the dyed blond with a little bit of confusion on her face before realizing what he meant. "That's right!" She got out with a smile.

"I was just in the mood for some coffee too." Yusuke admitted.

"Yep, I could go for some curry right now." Homura then added.

"And I can make us some sushi when we get there as well." Asuka happily offered. "Don't worry, it'll be normal this time." She then added with a giggle.

"Leblanc it is." Akira stated with a smirk before looking at the Vice Leader cradling the not cat in her arms. "Plus uh...I think I have some ointment in my room." He then added.

"So...warm..." Morgana mumbled out in a dazed yet pleased tone before falling unconscious.

Everyone just sweatdropped at that before heading to the nearest train station.


(Yongen-Jaya, Leblanc)

The Shujin Student Council President soon looked around at the room surrounding her. "This place is oddly calming." Makoto admitted as she looked back at the others. "Have you learned anything new?" She soon asked.

"It's still locked. We need the combination to this rotary lock." Yumi answered. "And we can't just break it open unless we risk damaging the contents inside." She then pointed out as she looked at the tan skinned girl, who had just put back the chisel and hammer on their Leader's worktable. "Wait...how did you get the money out of the..." She began to ask, however...

"I cut a hole into it." Asuka replied.

"Ah." Yumi immediately responded in understanding.

"And Morgana is kind of freaking out about it." Homura stated as she jerked her thumb over to the not cat, who was being petted by the Vice Leader to try and calm him down while she applied some ointment. "Or he's still in pain, I can't tell." She then added as the Vice Leader went over a particularly sensitive spot.

"Meoooowgh...!" Morgana cried out in pain.

"A rotary lock, hm...?" Makoto however got out in a curious manner as she went over to the table where the case was and began to fiddle with it. Two seconds later, there was a click, getting everyone's attention. "I knew it." She declared in a confident manner.

This in turn surprised the rest of the group as they looked at the newest member. "How did you get that?" Yusuke soon asked in amazement.

"I simply memorized the combination. I saw him open it and close it many times, after all." Makoto simply explained.

"W-Well, that's...scary, but amazin' too!" Ryuji stated.

"You weren't even there that long..." Asuka muttered out in an impressed tone as she then applied the last of the ointment on the not cat.

"I think that says more about Kaneshiro than Makoto-san." Yumi muttered out.

"Urghhh, that burns...Hey, hurry up and open it!" Morgana groaned and begged.

The Advisor in response nodded as the rest surrounded the case while she opened it, revealing stacks of money perfectly filling the case. The Thieves gasped in awe at the sight.

"There wasn't even that much money in the real case..." Homura managed to get out with widened eyes.

"This is ours. This is all ours to keep." Asuka choked out, blinking a couple times.

"Y-Yes..." Yumi admitted in agreement. "I was half expecting it to be empty but...this is better. Much better." She then added.

"That's what you call making bank." Akira quipped with a fist pump.

"H-How much is this!?" Ryuji soon asked in awe.

"I believe one stack is one million yen..." Yusuke estimated before noticing something. "Hm?" He hummed out.

"O-ONE M-M-MILLION!?" Asuka stammered out, not able to comprehend this as her roommate made some sort of noise that could be interpreted as happy and excited.

"One, two, three...Uhhh, there's thirty of them in here!" Ann pointed out.

"T-Thirty million..." Yumi mumbled out.

"Even after splitting it, we still get 3,750,000 yen each...!" Makoto soon revealed.

"T-That's more than our modeling Ann-chan." Asuka got out as the ash blonde nodded in agreement.

"U-Uh...wait a minute..." Akira tried to speak up as he narrowed his eyes at the case.

"Holy shit...It's gonna be the deluxe pork soup combo for me from here on out!" Ryuji cheered out.

"You have to think bigger than that..." Morgana sighed out.

"Dude, this is for more than just food." Homura however stated, her eyes still on the money stacks. "This is reinvestment money. For Phantom Thieves stuff." She then explained.

"T-True." Asuka got out in agreement.

"Still wouldn't hurt to spend some of it on a nicer bed or something." Homura admitted. "Or even our own house Sis..." She then added.

"W-We don't have that much money, Homu-nee..." Asuka stammered out with a blush on her face.

This in turn got the others' attention as they looked at the two. "Are you sure you're not a couple?" Ryuji chuckled out.

"Shut up, it's sister-like." Asuka and Homura immediately responded in perfect unison.

However, the Leader knew he had to shatter everyone's dreams now rather than later. "Uh...guys...there's something wrong with the money." Akira spoke up.

"Huh?" Everyone, apart from the artist, got out.

"Yes, sorry to bring down the excited mood but...does any of this money look real to you?" Yusuke pointed out.

"What!?" Ann got out in confusion before everyone took a closer look.

SHATTER!

To where at that moment, everyone saw that the stack of money all had Kaneshiro's face on it.

Immediately, everyone's eyes widened in shock to what they saw and realized what it was. "Children's Bank!?" Asuka and Ann exclaimed in unison.

"Nnnnnooooo...!" Ryuji sobbed out.

"Goddammit Kaneshiro...!" Homura grumbled in annoyance to the contents. She couldn't believe she fell for that again. "We should've seen this coming..." She then admitted.

"I think this is revenge for stealing his real cash." Akira spoke up.

"But we're planning to return all of it." Homura then reminded as the light grey haired girl nodded in agreement.

"And that's why he screwed us over." Akira pointed out.

"Eh?" Homura and Yumi got out in confusion.

"It was his cash in his mind, Yumi-senpai." Yusuke explained. "Akira is trying to say that since you stole that money and gave it away, his payback is that we don't get anything from his Treasure, unconsciously at the very least." He soon stated.

"It's really not that complicated." Makoto admitted.

This in turn caused the light grey haired girl to blush as the tan skinned girl rubbed the back of her neck. "I-I see, thank you for explaining the reason behind it." Yumi got out. "I guess it represents everything he did was to make him seem tougher than he really was. He was simply a child in an adult's body." She then deducted.

"However...the suitcase itself must be worth something, right?" Yusuke then pointed out.

That in turn got everyone's attention as they looked at the golden briefcase.

"Sell it?" Asuka soon suggested.

"Sell it." The other replied in immediate agreement.

"Wwwwwhhhhhyyyyy..." Except for Ryuji, who was still crying.

The Vice Leader then sighed as she calmed herself down. "Er, I guess we stopped the mafia anyways." Asuka soon reminded as she shut the case close. "Now there will be less drugs on the streets and those students who got tricked and exploited should be safe." She then pointed out.

"We'll see. We just have to wait for the change to kick in." Akira pointed out. "I guess that's the best reward we could ask for." He soon added.

"Yeah! We totes busted this case." Ann then stated with a smile.

"What do you mean by that?" Makoto asked. "Is that good or bad?" She then added in confusion.

"Both!" Ann replied with a smile, causing the Advisor to just laugh.

"To think the reward for the Phantom Thieves is feeling they totes busted the case..." Makoto managed to get out. "How funny..." She then added.

Yumi meanwhile nodded in agreement to that as a giggle escaped her lips. "Yes, it's more for the satisfaction that we were successful. I felt that same way after we took down Shadow Madarame and tore down his Museum." She explained with a smile.

"Yep. Another corrupted adult down and another step towards changing the world." Akira stated.

"By the way Morgana, have any of your memories returned?" Yusuke soon asked in a curious tone.

"No, not at all..." Morgana sighed out, causing the tan skinned girl to let out a sound of frustration.

"It's been three Palaces now and who knows how many floors in Mementos and we still have no idea what Morgana is." Homura sighed out. "I said it from the start and I'll say it again; this might be a wild goose chase." She soon admitted.

"I refuse to accept that." Morgana however declared. "We just need to go deeper. My memories are there at the bottom. I know it." He then stated in a determined tone.

"Wait, you have amnesia...?" Makoto gasped out.

"Oh, we forgot to tell Makoto-chan about that..." Asuka got out as she face palmed.

Yumi in response nodded in agreement to that. "Yes, Morgana-san seems to have some form of amnesia. He knows a lot about the Metaverse, but not much outside of it." She then explained in a sympathetic tone as she looked towards the not cat.

"Hm. I hope your memories return soon then." Makoto replied. "So...what happens next?" She soon asked.

"We wait for the change of heart." Akira answered in a calm tone. "Should take a few days, or a few hours at best, before Kaneshiro starts feeling the true weight of his crimes." He then explained.

"It's gonna be big this time. People're gonna make a huge deal out of it, for sure." Ryuji got out in excitement.

"And hopefully get those students out from under the Mafia's thumb." Yumi reminded. "Being famous is secondary to helping people, Ryuji-san." She then added in a chiding tone.

"Hey, you know what Kaneshiro said at the end there...? About the criminal using the Metaverse?" Yusuke then started.

"Yeah. Black Mask." Homura replied in a serious tone. "And not Sis Akira." She then added in a dead serious tone.

Asuka in turn nodded in agreement to that. "Yeah, I would never do those things..." She then reminded.

"It was just a dumb guess and you were kind of there! Let that go already..." Akira sighed out. "But yes, this other Persona-user...he's been in Kaneshiro's Palace. Just like Madarame." He then stated.

"This person might be following us..." Yusuke guessed with a frown.

"Goddammit, they have to be shinobi to hide from us so easily..." Homura growled out as the room fell into silence.

"Speaking of which...How did Kaneshiro know about shinobi in the first place?" Yumi however questioned in concern. "We shinobis are supposed to be a secret to the world..." She then reminded as her fellow shinobis nodded in agreement.

"...Could it be that Black Mask was in his pocket?" Ryuji suggested. "Or maybe they're some sort of hitman or somethin'?" He soon added.

"No...From what Kaneshiro said they may be working on their own." Asuka pointed out.

"But now there's a possibility that Black Mask is a hired assassin..." Morgana got out with a frown. "Maybe those random breakdowns aren't so random..."

"Maybe. There's still a lot we don't know about Black Mask to create a full picture. They could be cold and calculating or a complete psychopath. The best we can assume is that they have a Persona." Akira answered with a shake of his head. "I mean, we have a suspect but..." He soon thought with a frown.

"Anyway...we still do what we can to help people either way, we can't stop now." Asuka then reminded in a more mature tone as the others nodded in agreement.

"Besides, no point in mullin' over whoever the bastard is. Let's wait and see how Kaneshiro's change of heart goes first." Ryuji got out. "We should prolly just lay low for a while." He then suggested.

"I never thought I'd hear those words coming from you." Makoto admitted in teasing amusement.

"Oh come on...!" Ryuji groaned out, causing everyone to laugh.

Hours passed as the Phantom Thieves spent more time with each other until, one by one, they all left for home and some much needed sleep.

"Oh yeah senpai, does this mean you'll be leaving Yumi's place and going back home?" Homura asked as she remembered that specific detail.

The Shujin Student Council President however shook her head in response. "No, not yet." Makoto stated. "Kaneshiro may be crushed under his own guilt but his mafia is going to remain. Hopefully, he'll reveal who works for him and get them arrested as well. Once his mafia is done for or gone into hiding, then I can go back home." She soon explained before smiling at the other Student Council President. "I look forward to being in your care Yumi-san." She then added.

"Aren't you already?" Asuka however asked.

"Just a little common courtesy." Makoto replied.

"Hai. But for now I just wish to sleep and relax until Kaneshiro confesses." Yumi responded. "Are we returning the money tomorrow, Homura-san? It is a Sunday." She then asked and reminded.

"Actually, I need you girls to keep your schedules open for tomorrow." Ann suddenly requested.

This in turn got the other girls' attention. "Eh?" They all got out in confusion.

"What's so important that we need to forgo returning all the stolen money that was in the case?" Yumi however asked in concern and confusion.

Ann however giggled and winked in response. "Secret~" She vaguely responded in a playful manner. "And don't worry, it'll just be for the morning and afternoon." She then added.

"Oh, then we can return the money in the evening. Wouldn't want to do it in bright daylight." Homura got out as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Like actual Robin Hoods." Asuka pointed out as she looked at the ash blonde in a curious manner.

"I swear, if we meet a Robin Hood Shadow in the Metaverse..." Homura grumbled to herself. She was not looking forward to some singing asshole wearing green and shooting arrows at them.

"So, see you guys tomorrow?" Ann soon asked.

"Sure." Makoto replied with a nod before looking up at the sky and the setting sun.

It was nice to see a clear sky again...without a giant bank ruining her view.


(6/25, Evening)

(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)

The two roommates soon entered the apartment as the tan skinned girl closed the door behind them as they then took in a deep breath of relief. "So...we've been shot, run over, beaten, had our minds messed with and stabbed with money today...but holy effin' shit that was worth it." Asuka breathed out before promptly flopping over the couch.

"The next Palace we tackle better not have giant robots." Homura grumbled out. "Stupid cheating..." She then began to curse under her breath.

"With summer coming, I hope it's someplace cold." Asuka admitted with a giggle. "Maybe a winter wonderland so we can beat the heat." She then joked out.

"Oh yeah, we have summer break coming up." Homura got out as she thought about it. "You gonna model some swimsuits?" She then asked in concern.

"If I have to. I gotta work as hard as possible if I'm gonna prove to Oren-san that I can live up to his expectations for the runway show." Asuka replied with a fire in her eyes. "Asuka Shirokage isn't gonna give up that easily! I'm heading for the top!" She then declared with determination while pumping a fist.

"...Oh, and a ton of summer jobs are gonna be up soon!" Homura soon realized. "I guess we're all gonna be busy over the summer, huh?" She then stated.

"Except it's a different kind of busy then just training all the time." Asuka pointed out.

"Hey, hopefully our next target will be a breeze." Homura replied before a thought came to mind. "...Do you think we can convince Yumi-senpai to live here over the summer so she can use her ice techniques to keep us cool?" She then suggested.

"Homu-nee, that's selfish and we would be taking advantage of Yumi-chan and let's do it because I don't want to melt overnight." Asuka got out. "...Though we should ask the woman at the front desk why there isn't air conditioning..." She then added.

"I'm guessing this is why the apartment was so cheap to rent..." Homura assumed, making the mental note to go and ask the front desk lady about the air conditioning. "...Now I really want our own apartment Sis..." She soon confessed with a sigh.

"Maybe later in life. When we both have stable civilian jobs." Asuka stated, getting a depressed groan from the tan skinned girl. "S-Sorry!" She meekly apologized.

"If I can't get a part-time job, what kind of hell will it be for a full-time..." Homura soon got out in dawning horror.

BZZT! BZZT!

At that moment, the tan skinned girl's phone vibrated as it showed she got a direct message. "Oh, Yumi-senpai." Homura informed as she looked at the conversation.

[Negative8Degrees: Good evening, Homura-san.]

[FireGirl20: To you as well Yumi-senpai.]

[FireGirl20: How's Makoto-senpai?]

[Negative8Degrees: She fell asleep as soon as she laid down. Didn't even eat dinner...]

[FireGirl20: Me and Sis are pretty wiped too. I guess we're all going to bed early.]

[Negative8Degrees: That fight...had to be the worst fight I've been in. In quite a while.]

[FireGirl20: Hey, you haven't had a real fight until you fought us back in May.]

[I haven been slacking on my training. But I'm just too busy training you, doing my duties at Kosei, dance lessons, keeping up my info network.]

[Negative8Degrees: Akira-kun was right. I do need a break of sorts.]

[FireGirl20: Summer's coming up soon. You'll have plenty of time to train yourself.]

[Negative8Degrees: And each other Homura-san. I do enjoy training you. You are an excellent student and training partner.]

[FireGirl20: I try to be but...I like teaching a little better...]

Suddenly, the civilian Thieves shivered in their sleep.

[Negative8Degrees: Your form of training does have its advantages as well Homura-san.]

[FireGirl20: Really? Because I just did what I did because I thought it was fun...for me.]

[FireGirl20: Are you just flattering me at this point senpai?]

[Negative8Degrees: Maybe.]

[FireGirl20: Well, socking each other's tits won't lead us anywhere if all we're doing is praising each other. We need criticism in order to better ourselves.]

[Negative8Degrees: Socking? "Each other's tits"?]

[FireGirl20: ...Too many status effects.]

[Negative8Degrees: (Glaring emoji)]

[FireGirl20: (Nervous laughing emoji)]

[FireGirl20: By the way, could you please be careful next time you use ice to stop me?]

[FireGirl20: My feet almost felt like they got frostbite when you froze me during that last fight.]

[Negative8Degrees: Oh! I apologize for that Homura-san.]

[Negative8Degrees: If you are still feeling some slight aches, I recommend a hot bath to soak in.]

[FireGirl20: I take a hot bath every day, senpai. That's not a problem. But uh...thank you for stopping me.]

[FireGirl20: It indeed was a reckless move on my end]

[Negative8Degrees: Well, I am glad you are learning Homura-san.]

[FireGirl20: And I only have more to learn from you Yumi-senpai.]

[FireGirl20: You and everyone else.]

[FireGirl: No way I am going back to Hebijo.]

[Negative8Degrees: Oh! You can attend Gessen! (Starry Eye emoji)]

[FireGirl20: Sorry, looking at Hanzo...if they don't find out...and no one can convince me otherwise.]

[Negative8Degrees: Not even cookies?]

[FireGirl20: Not. Even. Meat.]

[Negative8Degrees: Aw...how disappointing...(Sad emoji)]

[Negative8Degrees: But I will accept your decision, although the offer will always be open for you.]

[FireGirl20: Yeah, maybe a backup plan might be good...]

[Negative8Degrees: (Excited emoji)]

[FireGirl20: Your friends won't murder me too, right?]

[Negative8Degrees: I'll make sure they love you just as much as you love Asuka-san.]

[Negative8Degrees: To the point of lovers if I have to.]

[FireGirl20: (Blushing emoji) Moh! Yumi-senpai! Can you please cease with the teasing about me and Sis with how close we are!? It isn't like that between us!]

[FireGirl20: I'm still unsure about the offer to be adopted into Sis's family!]

[Negative8Degrees: You...confuse me, Homura-san.]

[FireGirl20: What? I'm a complicated and fractured person on a mental level with everything I've been through in life.]

[Negative8Degrees: I'm surprised you can admit to that...but not openly say that Asuka is your sister in all but blood.]

[FireGirl20: Which is why I'm still unsure about the offer...]

[Negative8Degrees: Unless...]

[FireGirl20: Goodnight, Yumi. I'll see you again for our next training session.]

"Whew...I could seriously use that bath now." Homura breathed out. "Bath Sis?" She soon suggested as she turned to her roommate.

"Zzzzz..." Asuka however snored in response.

"Sis!" Homura called out.

"Wha? I'm up, Kawakami-sensei!" Asuka yelped out as she shot up and looked around before she wiped the drool off her chin. "Sorry Homu-nee..." She yawned out while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

Homura in turn sighed as she rubbed her roommate's head. "It's ok Sis, Was asking if you want to get into the bath." She then explained.

"I'd like that." Asuka replied as the two headed for the bath.

SPLASH!

"Okay, which shampoo do you want to improve our social human parameters?" Asuka asked as she went through the array of bottles they had.

"What?"

"What shampoo?"

"Cinna Diligence." Homura answered as she sniffed her hair and winced. "I wanna smell like cinnamon and not like money and blood." She added.

"Hai." Asuka replied as she got the red bottle and opened it before squeezing some out.

"So that Fear you were inflicted with Homu-nee..." Asuka suddenly started, getting the tan skinned girl's attention. "How...How bad was it?" She soon asked in concern.

"Ah...just...reliving the crappy chapter in my life." Homura responded with a sighed as she scrubbed her head. "It sucked but...I think it's time to move on from that." She soon decided, feeling her Maturity improving as a result.

"...Was it the guy that got you framed?" Asuka guessed in a mumbled while hugging the tan skinned girl's arm.

"Yeah." Homura sighed out with a nod. "But...it's better if his memory fades into nothing. I bet every time I remember, he's laughing in hell so you know what? Forget him." She soon declared as she used the water to get rid of the soap suds. "He's just a faceless asshole. Nothing more, nothing less." She then decided.

"Yeah. He was scum that ruined your life." Asuka replied in agreement while narrowing her eyes. "The only good thing that came out of it was you getting out of your bad family..." She then pointed out.

"Yeah, that's true..." Homura responded with a nod. "And I got to meet you Sis..." She then added.

"Uh huh." Asuka replied with a nod before leaning her head onto the tan skinned girl's shoulder. "I hope moments like this never stop..." She soon confessed in a gentle tone.

"Yeah..." Homura replied in agreement as she looked at her roommate while holding her close. "Why am I being so...indecisive about this?" She however thought in growing frustration.


(Shinjuku, New Moon Apartment Complex)


"I think I pushed it too far..." Yumi mumbled out her confession as she looked at her sleeping roommate before placing her phone on the charger. "Asuka-san is lucky though..." She soon admitted to herself as she got herself changed for bed. "I want Homura-san to attend Gessen..." She then admitted, unaware that she was pouting out of envy.

"Zzzz...Are you...proud of me...daddy...?" Makoto suddenly mumbled in her sleep, getting the light grey haired girl's attention. "Yeah, I crushed his balls... I hope it rendered him sterile..." She then added as she began to giggle in a disturbing manner.

Yumi meanwhile giggled to that, feeling glad that her fellow Student Council President could get justice against her father's murderer.

Either way, tomorrow was going to be a new day and a new life for many people.


Save Game…Quit!


(Persona Tracking)

Joker

Level: 30

Personas: Arsene (Resist: Curse) (Weak: Ice, Bless), Jack Frost (Null: Ice) (Weak: Fire), Pisaca (Null: Curse) (Resist: Electric) (Weak: Fire, Bless), Neko Shogun (Null: Bless) (Resist: Physical, Electric, Curse) (Weak: Wind), Nue (Block: Curse) (Resist: Ice) (Weak: Fire),

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), Pisaca- Rare Antibody (Reduces susceptibility to ailments), Neko Shogun- Pinch Anchor (Allows use of ambush-only skills after Baton Pass) Nue- Mighty Gaze (All-target magic damage +20%)

Skills: Eiga, Maeiga, Snap, Speed Master, Tarukaja, Bufula, Mabufula, Ice Break, Baisudi, Rakunda, Freeze Boost, Recarm, Dream Needle, Rampage, Stagnant Air, Mamudo (X2), Abysmal Surge, Despair Boost, Psio, Diarama, Masukukaja, Invigorate 1, Cornered Fang, Defense Master, Fortified Moxy, Maeiha, Skull Cracker, Mudo, Pulinpa, Assault Dive, Curse Boost.

Accessory: SP Adhesive 2 (Skill: Invigorate 2)

Yin

Level: 30

Persona: Kaeru (Resist: Earth, Fire) (Weak: Wind, Gun)

Persona Trait: Path of Light (Gain some HP when using support/healing skills)

Skills: Magnara, Mediarama, Sukukaja, Lucky Punch, Mamagna, Masukakaja

Confidant Rank: Rank 5

Accessory: Skanda Belt (Speed Master)

Yang

Level: 30

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: 29

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: 29

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: 29

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: 29

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: 29

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: 29

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)


And that's it! Kaneshiro's heart has changed! Oh boy, the first half of this arc sucked serious nards but hey! We have Futaba after a few break chapters! And all her suicidal thoughts.

I'm gonna make liberal use of that glitch effect soon.

UknownHero signing off, my friends!