Ren briefly found himself in the Velvet Room. He stood before Lavenza, who smiled at him. "It seems that yet another has joined you."
"Yeah. It sure surprised me." Ren replied while scratching the back of his head. It was still surreal for him to see that Zenkichi had a Persona. When they first met, they never would've imagined things turning out like this.
"This man bears the Apostle Arcana." Lavenza explained. "Representing both fairness and compassion, the Apostle walks the road of life upholding his beliefs as well as the precepts of the law. His encounters with you all have released him from the chains that bound him."
"Us, huh..." Ren thought about it. Zenkichi was truly on their side. Perhaps their sense of justice, though naïve as he called it, did rub off on the hardened cop after all.
"And you are worth special mention." Lavenza smiled. "You posses an extraordinary ability to touch people's hearts."
To that, Ren shook his head. "Nah...I didn't do anything. Zenkichi was the one who found that resolve on his own. All I did...all we did, was give him a little push."
And to that respond, Lavenza giggled. "Perhaps that modest is why so many have come to respect you. I can sense another near you with the same potential as that man."
"Another?" Ren blinked.
"Whether she unlocks that power or not will be up to you and your allies." Since Ren always compounded everything as a group effort, Lavenza would respond to that in kind. "But I will not keep you much longer. You still have a mission to complete, and a great evil to fell before it's too late. I wish you the best of luck, Trickster."
.
.
Joker blinked 'awake'. He and the rest of the Phantom Thieves were standing at the entrance of the Kyoto Jail. Now that the group was together, they could fully dive in and rescue Akane from the darkness that entrapped her heart. "Right..."
'Just hang tight, Akane. I'm on my way." Wofl said, not trying to rush ahead, but there was a certain quickness to each and every step of his.
"Stay focused, Wolf." Mona warned. "We don't have a clue what's waiting for us up ahead."
"He's right - letting your emotions get the better of you won't do you any good, Wolf." Noir added.
'Yeeaaaaah..." Wolf acknowledged what they were saying, but the fact he was consistently being referred to by a code name as opposed to his real name was a little... "So, I really have to use a code name, huh?"
"You'll get used to it, Wolf!" Violet giggled. "You know...since I was the last person to fomally join the Phantom Thieves, this kind of makes me your Senpai doesn't it?"
"What?! That's not how this works! ...Is it?" Wolf looked over to Violet in shock. Violet's expression showed that she was absolutely loving this.
"You can call me Violet-senpai! ...If you want." Violet brought a gloved hand to her mouth, trying to withhold and hide her giggling. But it was still obvious.
"She's enjoying this way more than she should." Oracle snickered. But she understood. When Violet called her Senpai for the first time, she could not blame Violet for this.
"...No way I'm doing that." Wolf refused. He was not calling the teenager his senpai!
"Not even once?" Violet asked.
"I'll call you Senpai, Violet!" Sophie said cutely. That made Violet's heart melt. Sophie was so cute...
"Can we focus?" Crow was going to bring their conversation back on track. "Do you have any plan on how to get your daughter back?" He looked to Wolf.
"I just gotta talk to her, right? I need to get her to listen to me somehow." Wolf knew what he wanted to say, but whether Akane was going to hear him out or not was a different story.
"It won't be that simple." Dragon spoke up. "Since Akane is a Monarch now, she is highly agitated. So there is a very high chance we will have to have some sort of confrontation with her before she hears us out."
"Are you telling me I have to fight my own daughter?" Wolf looked at the others.
"Prolly..." Skull sighed. He knew that was hard for Wolf to swallow, but he needed the warning. "Palace Rulers 'n Monarchs never go down without a fight. They lash out cuz of their emotions and all. Fighting 'em is the only way to calm 'em down so they WILL listen to what you have to say."
"But it'll be alright!" Panther quickly said. "We won't hurt Akane-chan. We don't even know if she'll try to fight us herself. Whatever happens, though, we'll be sure to get through to her."
"You have our word." Fox nodded firmly.
"Alright..." Wolf nodded slowly. This whole situation was still bizarre to him, but he was placing his faith in the experts.
"What's most important is getting to her first." Queen added. "We all share the same wish in making her see clearly. I'd prefer it not come to blows, but we saw how she was. We have to be ready for anything."
"Got it..." Wolf replied.
Before long, they finally got passed the area where they were captured. So everything from this point onward was new territory. They were passing under a number of gates, and this was something Fox was taking note of. "So, when passing under the gates, you should pick a side. Walking in the middle is poor manners." He stated.
"Oh, I remember hearing that before!" Noir said. "Are there any other rules?"
"Well, I suppose if we're to follow proper courtesy, we should bow before passing under each one..." Fox trailed off.
"Come on, you see how many there are!? It'd take us all day just to get passed here!" Skull groaned. They would never make it out of this place if they had to stop at every single one. But they continued onward until coming across a large fox statue.
"What is this?" Joker said while approaching the statue. He was trying to get it to move. Skull and Fox joined him, but it wasn't budging.
"The path continues past this statue, but if it's not budging we can't get through." Oracle said.
"There's another path over there." Noir pointed to the right. It was the only available path to them.
"Time to do some legwork then." Wolf said. "Let's see where it leads us." So they had no choice but to follow the path up ahead. It looked like a straightaway, but the exit of the path had a swirling rift on it. And the moment they stepped through, they could all feel like they warped in the blink of an eye, because that's exactly what happened!
"Whoa!? What the hell!?" Skull blinked. They were clearly still in Kyoto Jail, but in a completely different location. It threw everyone off for a second. "This ain't where we just came from, right...?"
"Not at all." Dragon shook her head. "I think we were transported somewhere else within the Jail via that swirly rift."
"So we can't even walk where we want to anymore?" Wolf groaned. Did this all have to do with Akane's state of mind?
"We have no choice but to see where our feet take us." Fox said calmly.
"Wait, there are Shadows up ahead..." Joker said, quietly using a cover point to sneak closer and listen in on them.
"Sounds like we still got intruders." One of the Shadows said. There were two of them, completely unaware that they were being spied on. "What's the status of that fox statue?"
"Don't worry, they won't be getting anywhere. Not unless they reach the Father Fox Statue." The other Shadow was far more confident than its companion.
"Ah, right. The Father Fox Statue. It's deep within the complex. They'll never find it."
"Right. Now let's get back to patrol."
With that, the Shadows dispersed. The others came out of hiding. "It sounds like there's something we need to do at Father Fox Shrine." Mona said.
"The Shadows here are very talkative. So we may benefit from their idle ramblings." Crow crossed his arms. Even if Kyoto Jail had an initially confusing premise, all they needed to do was gather information and do a bit of legwork. Even the most confusing maze had a correct path, and Crow was certain they could find it in due time.
.
.
Back in reality, there was one task that Mika could do. She was asked to actually check in on Akane while the group was in the Jail. She got Zenkichi's address and it wasn't a long trip from the temporary hideout to there. "Right. This looks like it's the place." It wasn't like she could use EMMA to check, but she just used a usual GPS like a normal person. So she knocked on the door a few times. It took a few moments before it slowly opened.
Akane opened it. Considering everything that happened, she did not look happy. "...Who are you?"
"A friend of your friends." Mika replied. She didn't...really care for dealing with kids much. But considering the situation, she was the only one who could who could do this. "The ones who visted you recently? The brunette with the red ribbon in her hair, the annoying blonde with pig tails..."
"Oh...you're their friend?" Akane blinked slowly.
"For the most part..." Mika replied with a sigh. She even showed a picture of her and Hifumi to prove her point. She was only friends with Hifumi, but she wasn't going to bother explaining the complicated nature of it all. This was a middle schooler after all. "Anyway. I was in the area and they asked me to check up on you."
"Oh..." Akane frowned.
Mika winced. She was very aware of the emotional baggage Akane was carrying, but she didn't really want to touch that either. She knew she was far from qualified to do that. "They're worried about you being alone, and I just happened to be nearby. So...if it isn't too much trouble, may I sit with you for a little bit?"
"If you want." Akane sighed and stepped aside. She'd trust Mika if she was friends with those nice people from the other day. And it wasn't like she had anything else to lose. So Mika stepped inside and took her heels off.
"Whoa...what happened here?" The entire place was wiped clean. Mika didn't expect to walk into a damn near empty house.
"The police came and took everything." Akane huffed while sitting on the couch, staring at her phone. "All because my father got arrested trying to help the Phantom Thieves. The Phantom Thieves who killed someone...I thought they were better than that."
The attitude was consistent with her Shadow, at least. Mika furrowed her brows. "I thought you were a huge Phantom Thief fan? At least that's what Hifumi-chan told me."
"I was." Akane continued to stare at her phone. "But they killed someone! The real Phantom Thieves would never do that. So I can't believe in them anymore..."
"The Phantom Thieves are criminals." EMMA stated, without being prompted either.
"...That's freaky..." Mika thought to herself. "Wait...EMMA's supposed to be offline, isn't it? How is it..."
"I dunno." Akane shrugged her shoulders. "But maybe I got lucky. I asked for help and EMMA was here."
"Right. That's not strange at all..." Mika was holding back most of her comments. She was aware how fishy the situation was, and she wasn't going to overstep her bounds. She was just here to check up on the kid. God, this was so awkward, what was she supposed to say or do? "You guys better hurry up. This is the most awkward thing I've ever had to do..."
"Ahem..." Mika cleared her throat. "So...are you...hungry?"
"A little. But they took everything..." Akane frowned. "All because of my dad and the Ph-"
"Yeah, okay." Mika stood up, dug into her purse, and handed Akane some money. "Here's 5,000 yen. Let's go get you a banana or something."
"Wh-!?" Akane's eyes were wide.
"Come on. Chop chop. Let's get you out of this house. It's depressing in here." Mika stated while leading Akane outside. This was just to buy some time, and make the situation less awkward. For now, she could at least try and update the group by texting Hifumi, even if their phones didn't work.
Mika's text read: Hurry up! The kid is fine but there is no way I'm initiating small talk with an edgy teenager!
.
.
Meanwhile, within the Kyoto Jail, the Phantom Thieves were making their way through the maze. Slowly but surely, they were growing accustomed to the false ins and outs of the Jail, which allowed them to navigate the area without much trouble. After defeating a large Cat-like Shadow in front of the Father Fox Shrine statue, the eyes of the statue itself began to glow. "Whew. That was kind of a hassle!" Skull said with an exhale.
"The eyes of the statue are shining now." Violet pointed out. "This was half of the other statue, wasn't it?"
"Indeed." Fox nodded.
"In that case, we should double back and see if something has changed." Wolf said. "I think the chances are high we're on the right track."
"Wow, Gramps. It's like you're one of those cops right off a TV show!" Skull said.
"I AM a cop!" Wolf groaned.
"You'll get used to it." Crow said while shrugging. But they went back to the twin statues that stood before them, only to see that the eyes of one of them were glowing.
"Oh, hey! One of the eyes are glowing." Violet pointed out.
"But only one the one." Sophie tilted her head. "That doesn't seem like enough to move on."
"That means we're only halfway there." Joker said. "So I assume there's another path that leads us to the next statue."
"This place is such a pain." Skull groaned.
"It could be worse..." Queen admitted. "This Jail isn't like the previous ones, with the exception of Okinawa. For that, I'm thankful."
"Yes, it appears our friend Konoe has turned Akane's Jail into a rush job. Most likely to capture us." Crow surmised. "I wonder what his plans were after that, considering he bastardized us."
"It's clear he wants us out of the picture as quickly as possible." Dragon said.
"The higher ups want this case closed as soon as possible. That's why all this is happening." Wolf stated.
"They're gonna regret messing with us like that." Panther said firmly.
"...We should probably hurry, however." Dragon crossed her arms. "We did leave Mika in charge of looking after Akane. I can only wonder how well she's doing."
"We probably shouldn't leave her with Akane for long." Panther could only see it going badly after a certain point.
"We don't even know if she let her through the door." Skull pointed out.
"I'm sure she did." Noir said. "But we should hurry for Akane-chan's sake!"
"Then we should get moving." Crow said while walking ahead.
"Crow appears to be in a bit of a rush." Sophie pointed out.
"The sooner we get this done, the better." Mona replied. "So I can agree with his need to get a move on."
"Exactly." Wolf nodded. He was in a rush too, and all of this running around was making him antsy.
.
.
Mika forced Akane out of the house to get some fresh air. The state of her house was extremely depressing, and even though the police were still combing through Kyoto itself, the area nearby was safe. They already took most of everything they needed from Zenkichi's house in the name of evidence, so there was no reason for them to stick around. "You didn't have to give me all that money..." Akane said while staring at her banana.
"I dunno what kids eat these days." Mika shrugged. Tossing a kid 5,000 yen seemed like a simple solution. "And now you have some extra pocket change, You're welcome."
"Erm. Thank you...?" Akane could not get a read on Mika. Then again, she wasn't really in the right mind space either. She was acknowledging the events as they happened, and yet...everything felt like a blur. She was barely able to register everything. "Uh..." And suddenly, her gaze got heavy and she stumbled forward.
"Whoa, hey..." Mika's eyes widened. She wasn't exactly about to let a kid topple over onto the ground, so she grabbed Akane to make sure that didn't happen. "Are you, uh...good?"
"I dunno..." Akane said with dull eyes.
"Oh, geez..." How annoying! Mika really didn't want to deal with this, but she was forced to be the babysitter. Was something going on in the Jail that made Akane feel this way? She sure hoped everything was going okay in there. "Okay, come on. Let's get you back to bed. I'm not carrying you, though."
.
.
Fighting through the Kyoto Jail was no problem for a group as large as theirs. They found the Mother Fox statue and with this, were able to proceed ahead from the twin statue. The only path ahead from that point was one straight to Akane. "Wolf, I have sleuthed Akane's location. She isn't far from here!"
"Kinda weird when an AI puts it like that..." Wolf began. "But I can feel it too. Hang on, Akane. I'm almost there." They all ran ahead to the final shrine gate, and at the edge of the wide open space, Shadow Akane was waiting for them.
"Hmph." Shadow Akane scoffed, placing her hand on her hip.
"Akane-chan!" Queen called out to her.
"I've been waiting for you imposters." Shadow Akane's eyes cut to Wolf. "Yeah, even you. I'm gonna end you all right here. After that, it's payback time for the guy who killed my mom!"
"Akane, please listen!" Wolf exclaimed. "I'm DONE running away! I will catch the villian who killed your mother without fail! I swear it on Aoi's name! So please, give this up ahead!"
"How can I trust a word you say!?" Shadow Akane immediately fired back. "All adults do is lie! Even if there are bad people in the world, they just pretend they don't exist! And then Phantom Thieves, shattering lies and leaving truth in their wake! But now...!"
"Hear me out, Akane-chan!" Queen interjected. "I'm sure you've noticed too, but Zenkichi-san is just as torn up over losing your mother. All he could do was fight the pain the best way he knew how! But because of how painful your experience was, you didn't want to accept his solution."
"No! That's not true!" Shadow Akane shook her head.
"You cannot deny the truth." Dragon spoke up. "I know you're hurting, but think about who's really at fault, please. It wasn't your father. It was that evil man who killed her and never looked back!"
"W-What are you..." Shadow Akane narrowed her eyes.
"We know you're hurting." Queen placed a hand on her chest. "But once you lose someone, you will never have the chance to tell them how you feel."
"It's true." Dragon clenched her hand into a fist. "You are not alone, Akane-chan. A lot of us have lost people important to us. My father recently...he passed away. The pain still lingers in my heart even now. and I do not think it will ever go away. Even though I got to spend those final moments with him, I still wish there was more I said at the time. Holding onto those words...those feelings...it will tear you apart from the inside."
"I lost my sister." Violet spoke up. "It happened so quickly. I never had the time to properly grieve for a long time. There's still a lot I wish I could say, but she's with me in my heart too. But I was only able to realize that because of the people around me!"
"It's the same for me." Fox said. "I know how painful it is to lose one's mother...hanging onto that pain will leave a grievous wound on your heart. But if you push everyone away, that wound will never close. Mine still feels fresh, yet with the people around me, I can face the days ahead with no concern."
"When you lose something, you realize how important everything around you really is." Noir said. "You can't face that pain all by yourself."
"We're here for you. Because that's what the Phantom Thieves really do." Joker said.
"So please, hear us out! We don't want to fight you, Akane-chan!" Panther exclaimed.
"What do you know...!?" Shadow Akane lashed out. The last thing she needed were these imposters trying to relate with her! They couldn't understand her! They were just liars, fakers, and manipulators!
"You really don't get it, do you?" Crow spat at this childish tantrum. "I know exactly how you feel. Nobody will come closer to you than me. And this path your on will only lead to your self-destruction."
"Crow..." Joker looked over as Crow spoke.
Crow knew Akane's Shadow would never remember any of this, but that was fine. He could still get it off your chest. "Our circumstances are similar, but there is a stark difference between us. You have people who care about you. A home, someone who loves you. Throwing all of those things away for power that's not even yours...how ridiculous. Wanting revenge is fine, but living for it? Don't be absurd. You're a child. Your life is ahead of you. You'll have nothing left if you allow this hate to consume you. But you know that, don't you? Is that the kind of life you want to live?"
"..." Wolf glanced over at Crow, pretty surprised by this very adult piece of advice he was giving. To think he could say something to his daughter that he couldn't. Everyone was surprised, but since it was Crow, those words did carry a heavy weight.
"S-Shut up! You don't know anything!" Shadow Akane barked at Crow's words. Of course she hated those words. She wasn't thinking about what came after, she just wanted to solve the hurt in her heart the only way she knew how. Crow's words pierced directly into her and she hated it. She couldn't admit that he was right. If she did that, then all of this was for nothing. He couldn't be right. She wouldn't let him be right. "I can change all the bad guy's hearts! I'll do what the Phantom Thieves couldn't! T-The real Phantom Thieves would never hurt me. The real Phantom Thieves...are my FRIENDS!" And with that call, multiple pillars appeared all around her. Everyone could tell that Shadows were being summoned to the fray.
"Everyone, guards up!" Queen commanded.
"Wait, something's wrong here...!" Mona noticed it. These Shadows were taking shape. "That one looks like...!" The first Shadow to take shape, took the form of Joker. "Joker?!"
But it wasn't just Joker. There were Shadow versions of Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Dragon, Oracle, Noir, Violet, and Crow also appeared alongside Akane. They all struck poses, very similar to the way the real Akane had them posed in her room in reality. "W-Whoa, what's going on!?" Panther asked.
"There are copies of almost everyone..." Sophie said with wide eyes.
"What is this?" Crow snarled.
"W-Who are these guys!? Why do they look like us!?" Oracle gasped.
"Are these...the Phantom Thieves in Akane's cognition!?" That was only explaination that made sense.
"Her cognition's...what? What does that even mean!?" Of course, Wolf was still missing a few key aspects of the metaverse.
"Don't worry about it!" Joker said while getting his knife out. "We're getting through them first!"
"They're just some phonies!" Skull spat. "But they sure won't look like us when we're done with them!"
Shadow Akane summoned the Phantom Thieves she believed would help her. In her mind, these were the real Phantom Thieves. "Please!" She pleaded to the Shadow Phantom Thieves. "If you're my Phantom Thieves, THEN CHANGE THEIR HEARTS!" On her command, the Shadow Phantom Thieves lunged at the real ones.
"Hmph! We'd better make this quick then!" Wolf said while drawing his sword. "Hang on, Akane! I'm coming to get you!" Fake Phantom Thieves or not, Wolf's resolve was already set in stone. There was nothing in this world or the next that would stop him from saving his daughter.