Zenkichi's resolve burned strongly. He would make sure that evil never had its way with him or his family ever again. With this resolve came his awakening and his Persona, Valjean. But of course, this also came with an outfit change. One that he was now acutely aware of as he was staring down a horde of Shadows. "W-What the?! What happened to my clothes?!"
"HOLY SHIT!" Mika's eyes were wide at Valjean's appearance. "That's a Persona!? I want one!"
"Who would've thought..." Crow was just as surprised as everyone else. He never would've expected Zenkichi of all people to have a PErsona!
"Oh my god, that's such a hideous outfit though. I'm gonna throw up..." Mika looked like she was about to dry heave. Whether she was being serious or extremely dramatic as a model was hard to say. Either way, she did not like Zenkichi's new look.
"No time to worry about that, Zenkichi!" Dragon exclaimed. "The enemy is approaching! Get ready!"
"Get ready!?" Zenkichi's eyes were wide under his mask. "Get ready HOW!?" He was supposed to fight!?
"Don't worry! Just follow our lead!" Violet said with a giggle.
"Ah hell...guess I'll figure it out as I go!" Zenkichi reached back, feeling the hilt of a greatsword. Oh, he liked how that felt. He didn't know what he was about to do, but he was gonna do it!
"What do you think you're doing!?" Shadow Akane exclaimed to her followers. There were three Phantom Thieves in front of her and none of them were fighting! "GET THEM!" On her command, the Shadows that obeyed her started to charge forward.
"Here we go!" Dragon said while twirling her staff around, her mask burning off as Bella was properly summoned behind her. "Bella, strike them down!" Bella flew forward and spun around, cleaving through a large group of Shadows with her sword. As for Dragon, she followed suit, launching herself into the air by using her staff as a vault. Once airborne, she spun around, extending the length of her staff before slamming it down on the ground, a shockwave emitting from the impact. "HAH!"
Violet elegantly weaved through a number of Shadows attempting to attack her. She jumped on their heads, using her gymnastics skills to continuously leap from one to the other, delivering a slash with her rapier as she did so. She then spun around, mask burning away with Ella appearing right in front of her. "Ella!" Ella twirled in a clockwise rotation, unleashing numerous beams of light down on the enemy Shadows, striking down a number of them in the process. Both she and Dragon landed next to each other, and a few more Shadows proceeded to appear.
"Ah shit..." Zenkichi had no idea what he was about to do. Dragon and Violet were moving so easily! Of course they were, this was second nature to them. Follow their lead? Easier said than done...! "Here goes nothing!" Gripping the sword at his back. Zenkichi ran forward and proceeded to swing. His swings were wide, literally. His sword was massive and a single slash cut through a few Shadows. His eyes widened behind his mask at the power he had. He then sharply turned to his left, slashing through a larger Shadow that attempted to blindside him. "Whoa! I'm doing it!"
"He's like an excited kid..." Oracle watched.
"More like a confused one." Mika remarked, like this whole this fight wasn't the most intense thing she's ever witnessed.
"But uh, there are a lot of them! Are we gonna be okay?!" Zenkichi asked worriedly. He slammed his sword down on the ground, the impact creating a small shockwave that knocked back a few lesser Shadows.
"Quality over quantity!" Dragon responded. "There may be a lot, but we can handle this so long as we stay coordinated and alert! Our formation is airtight, remain steadfast and victory will be ours."
"Uh...!" This was the first time Zenkichi heard Dragon in Shogi/combat mode. She was normally so soft spoken, so this threw him for a loop.
"Yeah. She's like this." Violet said with a sheepish grin.
"Yo, Gramps! Check out your firepower!" Skull shouted from behind bars.
"Firepower?" Zenkichi had no idea what Skull meant, until he realized he had dual pistols attached to his hip. "These?" He pulled them both out and took aim, firing at multiple Shadows from a distance. He was no stranger to firing a gun, but something like this was still different. Near or fire, Zenkichi's marksmanship was impressive as he was shooting down Shadow after Shadow. "Ah, I think I got the hang of this!"
"Watch out!" Violet exclaimed.
"Huh?" Zenkichi could then see a number of shadows attempting to jump him from multiple angles! Zenkichi slid one foot back, held his arms out, and then spun around, letting bullets fly in a circle as he did. The bullet struck down the Shadows and he let out a sight. "Whew! I have no idea how I'm doing all of this, but it's working out!" Thankfully. He was a fast learner and he was beginning to understand how to fight in the Metaverse.
"Excellent work!" Dragon said while holding her hand out, mask burning off once more. "Megidoloan!" Dragon let the powerful attack fly. A dome of almighty magic crashed down on the field, destroying a group of enemies in a heartbeat. There was always a part of her that enjoyed dropping such a powerful attack in an instant.
"Geez..." Zenkichi was sweating. Swinging a sword and using some guns? Sure, he could get used to that. The whole Persona thing? Well... "Valjean!" Once again, Valjean appeared behind hi,. He wasn't sure how he was doing it, but it did feel like second nature in some strange way. Valjean's chains shot forward, slamming and crushing a few Shadows in his wake. To think, this was his power.
"I think the horde is thinning out!" Violet said while tossing her rapier into the chest of a Shadow, flipping forward to then pull it out and strike another one. "She twisted once more, commanding Ella to fly forward, her elegant strikes cleaving through the enemy numbers via the Vorpal Blade attack. We just need a little bit more!"
"No...how could this be happening!?" Shadow Akane grit her teeth. This wasn't how things were supposed to go! "Get them!" She pointed once again, causnig a gigantic humanoid Shadow to appear in front of the trio that fought so hard.
"That's a big one..." Violet said with a gulp.
"Ngh!" Zenkichi let out a deep breath as a strange aura appeared around him. It was exhausting him by the second, but he felt a surge of power from within. He pulled his greatsword back, dragging across the ground before swinging it forward. This action prompted a large orange pillar of a shockwave to rip through the ground, tearing through the large Shadow with ease. In the process. Zenkichi also felt whatever lost stamina he had return to him.
"Impressive!" Fox exclaimed.
"He's so strong!" Noir beamed.
"I got this..." Zenkichi said as Valjean slowly rose up behind him. The chained persona slammed his arms into the ground, forcing the remaining Shadows to rise up into the air. "I never miss my mark!" Zenkichi then pointed his pistols forward, unleashing a bullet hail upon the unfortunate targets that all ended with an explosion. He twirled one pistol back into its holster while blowing on the barrel of the other. With that, Zenkichi, Dragon, and Violet defeated Shadow Akane's horde of enemies.
"Grr...!" Shadow Akane snarled at this turn of events. It was not how things were supposed to go at all.
"Listen to me, Akane." Zenkichi said, stepping forward. "Those scumbags are feeding off your pain, ad that of other decent human beings. They drain the lives of everyone around them like parasites, all for their own petty convenience. So don't let them take advantage of you! You need to come home with me!"
"After all this, you still won't see things my way!" Shadow Akane grunted. "I won't believe you. I can't! With the power I have, I can finally change people's hearts!" She then turned around. "If that bothers you, then come and get me! But fair warning, I'll change your heart before you even know it!" With that declaration of war, Shadow Akane vanished.
"Don't go!" Zenkichi reached out to her, but she was already gone. "Dammit!"
"She vanished..." Violet said.
"Was she some sort of hologram?" Oracle questioned.
"We can worry about that later." Dragon said while whipping around, approaching the others who were trapped in the cell.
"You guys alright?" Zenkichi asked.
'We are, but what about you? That outfit of yours..." Queen trailed off, unsure of how exactly to phrase this.
"It belongs in a museum, I know." Zenkichi groaned.
"It belongs in the incinerator." Mika said while rolling her eyes. It was the most offensive thing she had to look at.
"Be nice." Dragon said with a soft grunt.
Oracle took a look at the keypad on the door. "Looks like it's electronically locked. Hold on, I'll get it open in a jiffy!" It took no time for Oracle to unlock the door, finally letting everyone free.
"Whew! Thanks Oracle!" Skull grinned.
"I knew you'd come to our rescue!" Panther threw her arms around Dragon for a hug, which was returned.
"...Uh, hello." Mika couldn't help the annoyed scowl on her lips, but she quckly turned that into a smug grin. "Don't you have someone else you should be thanking, too?"
...Ugh. Panther really didn't want to do that, but unfortunately, she could not deny that Mika risked the danger to come help her, even if her intentions were not pure. Ann did regret that she wanted to be the bigger person between the two, even if that meant inflating her ego. "Thanks...for the help."
"Ah, that felt so good to hear." Mika flipped her hair.
"You guys did great." Joker said with a smile.
"Of course, Senpai!" Violet was beaming. She was glad she was able to help save everyone.
"We narrowly escaped a dark fate." Fox was rotating his shoulder. Not moving for that long made him stiff.
"Yeah, I thought I'd be stuck in a Jail all over again." Sophie said with a sigh of...relief. Yeah, she felt relieved that everything turned out well.
"We heard you were arrested. You had us all worried." Queen turned to Zenkichi.
"It's thanks to you I got out. Gotta give a hand to your older sister, too" Zenkichi replied. The Niijima sisters were a force to be reckoned with.
"But damn, Gramps! I nearly dropped a brick when you showed up with the others." SKull said.
"Gross." Panther and Mika said at the same time.
"Hey, I'm just as flabbergasted as you." Zenkichi said. "And what's with the chained up knight thing?"
"That's the rebel in your heart awakened: the power of your Persona." Morgana explained.
"A rebel, huh?" Zenkichi needed a second to understand what that word meant in his situation. "Hey, fine by me. I don't understand a damn thing, but if it can help me fight, I'll take it."
"If this guy can get something like that, I know I can too." Mika said, determined.
"I...do not want to imagine you with a Persona." Panther felt like Mika was getting dangerously close to that. Just seeing Mika in the Metaverse with purpose was enough to make her uneasy.
"Oh! But you guys know what this means." Skull said with an excited grin.
"He needs an official code name!" Noir was on the same page.
"I do?" Zenkichi cocked his head to the side, but it made sense right after. "Oh, right - whenever you're in uniform, you always call each other something different." Zenkichi pondered his code name for only a moment, but he had something that came to mind. "Go ahead and call me...Wolf. Those endless days of barking on command are done. From now on, lone wolf or not, my fangs will shred all evil."
"Heh, I like the sound of that!" Skull nodded.
"It totally makes sense when you put it into perspective!" Panther approved of the name.
"You do look cool, Wolf!" Sophie bounced in place.
"That is not how I would describe that outfit." Mika shook her head.
"All right, then. Welcome to the Phantom Thieves." Queen said with a slight smile.
"Good to have you on the team." Joker nodded.
"Uh...it's that simple, huh?" Wolf was now a little surprised at how easy it was.
"Yup. You're one of us now." Joker said with a smirk.
"Well, I'm glad to be here." Wolf nodded. "Now, not to change the subject. But I wanna get Akane back. And to do that, I'm going to need everyone's...help..." As he spoke, he trailed off as all the strength suddenly left his body. He couldn't help but fall to a knee.
"Whoa, Gramps! You good?!" Skull asked.
"Why the...hell am I...so exhausted?" Zenkichi said with heavy breaths.
"This is what happens when you awaken to your power." Dragon stated. "Now that the rush of battle is over, the exhaustion was sure to set in."
"We should get back to the real world and rest." Morgana said.
"No!" Wolf shook his head. "I'll be fine. Akane comes first."
"Okay. Do what you will." Crow shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure you'll be able to fight the very first shadow that comes across you. And when you struggle to defend yourself, it'll be a great message. I certainly won't stop you."
"Ufh, alright, alright..." Wolf groaned. Crow put it harshly, but he got the point. If he tried to fight now, he'd slow the others down and just put himself at risk.
"Let's come back when we're able to fight at our best." Noir said softly.
"Okay..." Wolf didn't like it, but he knew he had no choice.
.
.
The group returned to reality, finally taking the chance to rest in Zenkichi's hideout. As much as Zenkichi didn't want to rest and waste time, he knew he had no choice. "Sorry, I don't mean to slow you guys down..."
"It's better than slowing us down in the Jail itself. I'm fine with the fresh air." Akechi remarked.
"I think this is for the best." Hifumi said with her hands in her lap. "We've all been on edge since yesterday. I think a little rest would do us well."
"Yeah, we were in the cage for a while. I feel stiff..." Ren said while rotating his shoulder.
"I'm also so effin' hungry." Ryuji groaned. He wasn't the only one; everyone else could share that sentiment.
"Me too. I don't remember the last time we got to eat." Sumire rubbed her stomach. Now that they were taking the moment to rest, she could feel the exhaustion beginning to set in. They were all high strung and running on adrenaline for a little bit. But it was gone now.
"I could probably make us something here. Although, all the ingredients are in the RV." Ren said while adjusting his glasses. "If only there was someone here who could easily walk past the police without raising any suspicions whatsoever..." And on that cue, all eyes turned to Mika.
"W-What!?" Mika's eyes widened. "What are you all looking at me for!?"
"You're the only one in this building who can move about freely." Yusuke said. "And we are all quite famished..."
"You'd be a big help." Hifumi smiled.
"We're sooooo hungry..." Futaba was just being dramatic.
"We would really appreciate it!" Haru smiled gently.
"Surely you must be hungry as well?" Makoto asked.
"Gh..." Mika couldn't believe this. She wanted to object, but her stomach did growl lowly. So unfortunately for her, she really had no reason to deny this request. "Fine! But I'm not an errand girl! So you better tell me what to grab because I'm only going there once!"
Ann could grin a little at Mika running this errand for them for food. There was some joy in it for her. "Hah..."
"Keep laughing and I'll make sure there isn't enough for you." Mika glared at Ann. And then Morgana. "...So like. Do you eat cat food or something."
"I eat regular food!" Morgana hissed. Mika was treating him like a cat, and he wouldn't take that from her!
"You're a CAT! That isn't healthy for you-!" Mika then pinched the bridge of her nose. "You know what? I don't care. Give me the RV key." She held her hand out, and Makoto was the one to give it to her, while Ren gave her a quick list of things to grab.
"Thank you." Makoto had a friendly smile.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." With a huff, Mika slowly made her way out of the hideout. Meanwhile, Zenkichi went off to rest for a little bit.
"Well, I guess she's good for something." Akechi said after Mika left. He still wasn't a fan of Mika involving herself, but in this instance, she proved to be...mildly helpful. He couldn't ignore that, at least.
Eventually, Mika did return with some ingredients. "Here's everything. What exactly are you making?" She asked Ren.
"Curry!" Ren smiled and proceeded to get cooking. There was enough for everyone to have a single serving of curry, so he was going to do his best to make sure everyone ate.
"...Ugh." Mika groaned. Her diet was going to kill her for this. But she was hungry and needed to eat. So she just handed over the stuff to Ren and sat down. "What is it with you people and curry?"
"Once you have a taste, you'll understand!" Futaba nodded. "Curry is the best thing to ever exist."
"Well. Futaba-senpai is a little biased there." Sumire scratched her cheek. "She usually only eats curry."
"It's true. She does prefer curry to most things." Sophia remarked.
"I can't help it!" Futaba was not ashamed of this fact.
"Thank you again, Mika." Hifumi said. "But...is your own business trip going well? I know this might interfere with your work."
'It's fine." Mika waved a hand. "When the police started pouring into Kyoto, the agency decided that this place was a bust. So I told them to go ahead to Osaka and wait for me there. If anything, this just put me ahead of schedule."
"I'd feel bad if this did cause you some problems. But if you're sure..." Hifumi just nodded in response.
As they were taking the chance to rest, Ann felt her phone buzz. She looked at it and noticed a few messages from Shiho. "Oh...!"
Shiho: Ann, is everything alright? I saw the news. Please text me as soon as you can.
"Right, I forgot the news went viral." Ann said while replying to Shiho. Considering she was radio silent for hours due to being trapped in the Kyoto Jail, it was no surprise that Shiho was probably worried sick.
As Ren was cooking, he could see his phone buzzing as well with similar messages from old friends. "Uh oh...I guess they were aware..."
Takemi: You just can't seem to stay out of trouble, can you? I can't give you a proper health examination right now...
Shinya: Are you alright? I know the Phantom Thieves would never do what that guy said!
Chihiya: I know the times must be tough, but I've read your fortune. I'm certain you will be able to make it through this.
Iwai: Still alive? I can't do much...but I know you're made of tougher stuff than that.
Yoshida: I know it has been quite some time since we last spoke. But I know that you are once again facing a cruel injustice. I will do whatever I can to support you.
Ohya: There's been a big story going on. Tell me the truth as soon as you can, I'll make sure to get to the bottom of it so everyone knows what's really going on!
Sojiro: I don't know what trouble you've gotten into this time...but be careful.
Maruki: It looks like things got a little out of hand, didn't they? I know you and your friends have the strength to overcome the harshness of the current reality.
Mishima: Can you believe Akira Konoe! How dare he try and pin everything on the Phantom Thieves!? Well, I won't stand for it! The real believers of the Phantom Thieves know you guys are innocent! Don't worry, I'm mobilizing the Phan Site as we speak!
"...What does he mean when he says that..." Ren shook his head. It was at least nice to know what everyone was worried. He'd respond to them later and let them know everything was fine. For now, he had to finish cooking so everyone could eat and rest for a time.
.
After everyone ate and got some adequate rest, Zenkichi looked more than refreshed despite it not being a terribly long break. "Okay, I think I'm ready to get back at it."
"Whoa, Zenkichi. Are you sure you're alright?" Morgana asked.
"Yup. Nobody in Public Security stays down for long." Zenkichi said with a nod. "I may be an old geezer to you, but a little rest goes a long way for me."
"Well, glad to see that you're up on your feet again." Ren smiled.
"I'm gonna need everyone's help to get Akane back." Zenkichi really did not want to waste anymore time.
"Of course." Makoto said with determination. "We want nothing more than to save Akane-chan!"
"...The word justice probably means very little from my mouth, but there is hardly any in leaving things as they are." Akechi said. Although it wasn't really about justice or anything of the sort. He just...couldn't stand to see another person fall along the same path he once did. That wasn't something anyone deserved to go through. He saw his horrid upbringing in Akane, but it could be changed.
"Mika, do you mind waiting for us?" Hifumi asked. She knew it was a hard thing to ask, but...
"I don't really have a choice do I? It's too dangerous otherwise." Mika was just repeating what she had been told over and over.
"I'm sorry. You were a great help though...!" Hifumi quickly said. She didn't want Mika to think her efforts weren't appreciated.
"I know I was." Mika flipped her hair. Being told no by the one person whose opinion actually mattered to her did sting. In a way, she understood, but at the same time, oh, how she hated it. But she was burying it down for the time being; she didn't want to get in Hifumi's way.
"We'll be back really quickly!" Ann said while pumping her fist. "We can't keep Akane-chan waiting!"
"This time we'll rescue her." Sumire said firmly.
"We will not fail a second time." Yusuke said.
"That's right." Ren looked at the others. "Get ready, everyone! We're heading back in and we're not coming out until we talk sense into Akane!" It was time for the Phantom Thieves to strike back!