That was a quick turnaround! UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of Senran Persona! In actuality, we had a majority of this chapter written a good while now. While things had to be changed, this only needed a few things and an updated battle to fit the Royal version.
Also, from this chapter forward, you will now be seeing some of VividMind17's work.
Senran Persona: Ninjas of Heart has a TV Trope page! Awesome and Funny pages would be cool to see.
Onto the reviews! To WX-Lazer: I...don't want Akira to date a shinobi outside of the Phantom Thieves. I have reasons. 1) He'll be leading them on if he chooses one of the shinobi not in the Phantom Thieves because we haven't written a truly platonic option 2) He'll be cheating on shinobi if he decides to date all of them. You can see how well that will turn out on Valentine's Day. 3) At this point in the game, he could be dating Ann, Makoto (if you have the stats) and/or Kawakami and I want to keep it vague who his girlfriend is. 4) Why can't they just be friends? I mean, seriously, can't a guy be with a girl without romantic feelings! I don't want the shinobi to be fucking whores who throw themselves at him after one scene together. "Because they're female," shut the fuck up. I swear...if it's who I think you are, I'm gonna be royally pissed. That, or I'm being paranoid. Okay, rant over. To dynamesou: The Phantom Thief shinobi do have ultimate Personas. You'll just have to wait and see!
Alright, that's it, time to steal the heart of the tortured soul.
Load Game...Start!
Chapter 84: Treasure of L'Hermite
(7/28, Early Morning)
(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment)
Another morning, but a whole new world for a couple of girls who were currently in their underwear, who would've been sleeping the day away if it weren't for the creepy old man leaning over them.
FLASH! Click!
"Another memory in the scrapbook!"
"Huh!? The heck!?" Homura and Asuka scrambled out of their shared futon...only to see that it was only a familiar old man with a polaroid camera.
"Ah, good morning!" Hanzō greeted as the girls took about half a second to figure out what was happening...before reacting accordingly.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Asuka screamed.
"WHY ARE YOU HERE OLD MAN!?" Homura screamed as she started throwing anything she could get her hands on at the legendary shinobi. "STOP BREAKING INTO OUR APARTMENT!" She then got out before pulling out the panty drawer and lifting it over her head before her sister stopped her.
"Jii-chan...why are you here?" Asuka had to ask as the tan skinned girl set the drawer down carefully.
"Ah, I was already here for business, but I decided to stop by to deliver the good news."
"Business?" Asuka repeated.
"Classified information, my granddaughter." The legendary shinobi answered. "Or should I say, granddaughters now." He then corrected himself with a grin.
"Huh?" Homura got out in a dim manner.
"Homu-neechan..." Asuka sighed as she shook her head.
"I-I know, but you just told him last night Sis." Homura muttered as she rubbed the back of her head. "I just find it a little suspicious that he's here." She then added as she narrowed her eyes.
"I'm being very serious here. It is for official shinobi business." Hanzō assured.
"...Alright..." Homura sighed, realising she wasn't going to get more than that. "So, why are you here taking photos of us?"
"Well, my daughter wants to make a scrapbook for her new daughter." Hanzō replied.
"I do not buy that at all, you perverted geezer..." Homura thought with a flat expression on her face. "Wait, you keep calling me your new daughter and all that crap. Did you really...go through with it?" She soon got out.
"Yep. It's all signed off and official." Hanzō declared.
"I-It's already finished!?" Asuka and Homura exclaimed at the same time.
"...I thought it would take months." Homura soon added in a skeptical tone.
"It did." Hanzō answered with a nod. "We started the process the day after I left from my first visit." He then revealed.
Homura's eyes meanwhile widened to that. "R-Really?" She breathed out in disbelief.
"That far back!?" Asuka meanwhile got out in shock, happy stars in her eyes.
"Well, technically, you've been adopted for at least three days now." Hanzō admitted as he stroked his beard. "Usually it would take five months but a little pushing and prodding here and there sped up the process."
"...Wait, does that mean I was gonna get adopted regardless of what I..." Homura began to ask in realization, only to pause and stop herself. "Ah, screw it, I was gonna agree at some point." She then sighed as she palmed her face, though there was a smile underneath it. "Thank you..." She mentally got out in relief.
"...Did Mama know all along when she visited?" Asuka soon asked.
"She had to spend 800,000 yen and deal with a mountain of paperwork, of course she knew." Hanzō simply answered, causing the tan skinned girl to choke. "GAHAHAHA! No need to worry about that, Homura." He laughed out in a reassuring manner. "She was already more than willing to do everything needed for your sake." He then revealed.
"For...my sake?" Homura slowly repeated. "For real?" She soon asked.
"Yes, for real. Homura, welcome to the Shirokage family." Hanzō softly concluded as he went and rubbed his new granddaughter's head in an affectionate manner.
Homura meanwhile blushed scarlet to the action. "...Th-Thanks." She mumbled out. "...Wait, that means I'm the granddaughter of the legendary shinobi too." She soon muttered in realization. "I guess I'll need to train even harder than before to live up to that legacy like Sis then." She soon pointed out with renewed determination.
BZZT! BZZT!
Immediately, the two sisters took out their phones.
[DarkEyeXI: If I wasn't already awake, I would be throttling you two idiots.]
[DarkEyeXI: Meeting in two hours. Get your asses ready.]
"Oh shit! It's today, right?" Homura quietly swore. "Sorry, Han- grandfather...gramps. We need to leave." She soon informed.
"Oh, are you going to go out and celebrate?" Hanzō soon asked. "Why don't I join you two?" He then offered.
The two sisters froze as they realised what the situation they were in now. "O-Oh...right...um...we need to take a shower, so can you please leave while we get ready." Asuka quickly got out as she pushed her grandfather out the door.
"Ok ok, so pushy this year, Asuka..." Hanzō remarked in amusement as his granddaughter slammed the door on him.
After taking a deep breath once the old man was out, they now had the time to freak out. "What do we do now?" Asuka mumbled quietly as she tried to think.
"We can't let him see us with our bag full of guns and shit!" Homura pointed out.
"We could say we have leg day." Asuka suggested.
"...Yeah, that probably would've been a good excuse in hindsight." Homura muttered before shaking her head. "But it's too late now, we need to get to Leblanc without Gramps seeing us." She soon got out.
"But how do we do that? He's right outside." Asuka reminded in a worried tone.
Homura blinked before turning her gaze towards the window. "...No he isn't."
Meanwhile, outside the two sisters' apartment, Miyabi finally let curiosity get to her and headed outside to see why they were screaming this time.
"What are you two doing? We're going to- holy fucking shit!" Miyabi began as she walked out of her apartment, only to scramble back inside at the sight of the legendary shinobi. "OH MY GOD THAT WAS THE Hanzō! THE LEGENDARY SHINOBI HIMSELF!" She mentally exclaimed in a panic. "Oh, am I dead? I am so totally dead. Um...Um..." She then mumbled to herself before looking at her window.
"Hm, I didn't know they had a neighbor." Hanzō mused in a curious manner. "It must have happened recently." He then deducted, unaware of the conversation on the side of the building.
"Why are you climbing out the window?" Asuka had to ask.
"Why are you climbing out the window!?" Miyabi countered.
"We'll tell each other...at ground level!" Homura responded as she quickly dropped down a few floors. "...We did check there's no one down there to see us, right!?" She soon asked.
"We're in the middle of Buttfuck Nowhere, Shibuya! Why do you think we chose this place!?" Miyabi responded as she dropped down as well.
"Oh, right." Asuka muttered in understanding.
"Just climb down!" Homura snapped before simply jumping off and landing on the street. Asuka and Miyabi simply blinked and shrugged before following suit.
"Whew...escaped..." Homura breathed out as she wiped her brow.
"Now that we're safe...Can anyone tell me why the fucking legendary shinobi was right outside our doors!?" Miyabi exploded, wildly flailing her arms around.
"You saw him!?" Asuka and Homura however asked in disbelief.
"Now that I think about it, the fact that I recognised the legendary shinobi doesn't make him all that legendary..." Miyabi soon realised. "IN ANY CASE, WHY IS HE HERE OUT OF ALL PLACES!?" She then questioned in a panic.
"He's...my grandfather?" Asuka slowly reminded.
"Miyabi, we quite literally told you last night." Homura deadpanned as she rubbed her forehead.
"I thought Asuka was kidding when she said she was the legendary shinobi's granddaughter!" Miyabi whispered in a panic.
"Why would she be joking about something like that!?" Homura growled.
"Less talking, more running!" Asuka squeaked as she dashed for the train station.
The two Hebijo shinobi looked at each other before running as well.
Unaware that Hanzō was looking out the window, watching them sprint towards the station at a speed that wouldn't raise eyebrows to a civilian.
"Ah, they must've already made plans for the day and snuck out." Hanzō soon realized. "GAHAHAHA! As expected of my granddaughters! Living their lives filled with gusto!" He laughed out his praise before deciding to leave and explore.
(7/28, Daytime)
(Yongen-Jaya, Leblanc Attic)
Everyone except Akira and Morgana were in Leblanc, killing time until their Leader arrived from wherever he was.
"Everyone hit the can, right?" Ryuji suddenly asked.
"Ryuji!" Makoto gasped at his bluntness.
"Just makin' sure." Ryuji defended him, raising his hands up.
"..." Yumi blinked before getting off her seat and heading downstairs.
"See?" Ryuji countered.
"Where is Joker today?" Miyabi grumbled as she tapped her foot impatiently.
"He says he's coming." Asuka replied as she put her phone away.
Ann frowned a little before taking a whiff of the air. "...Lemons?" She soon noted before seeing that the hair of three shinobi in the attic glistened.
"You guys were the last ones here, right? Did you three just get out of the bath or somethin'?" Ryuji meanwhile asked.
"We...forgot to take one, so we took one at the bath house here." Homura awkwardly answered as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"I wish my apartment was here..." Miyabi lamented.
"Actually, you all look like you ran all the way here..." Yusuke soon noted. "Did...something happen?" He then asked.
"What? Oh, just a little eager to get Futaba the help she needs." Homura answered in a sheepish manner.
Miyabi however blinked as she looked at the two roommates. "...You're not-" She began in a whisper., however...
"It's better if they don't know." Asuka quickly stated in a dark tone, interrupting the white haired woman. "Not yet..." She then whispered.
It was right then the info broker came back from the bathroom. "Aaahhh..." Yumi breathed out as she sat back down. "What did I miss?" She soon asked.
"Nothing much except that Akira-kun isn't here yet." Asuka replied.
RING RING RING!
"Speak of the devil..." Homura muttered as they all looked towards the stairs.
"I'm here!" Akira called out as he climbed up.
"About time you two." Ann grumbled, sounding a hint of impatience with one fist on her hip along with the sound of her foot tapping while standing near the free table the other Thieves used.
"Sorry we're late," Akira apologized as he set down his shopping bags. "Just finishing some final preparations." He then explained.
"We're really doing this, huh?" Morgana got out with a determined look on his face.
"Yep." Akira agreed as he adjusted his glasses. "Once we get her out of her room, we give her the calling card and head in. If you have any business you need to take care of right now, this would be a good time." He then stated.
"Are we all ready?" Makoto got out as she glanced at all of her fellow members of the Phantom Thieves.
"Hai. We need to do this now!" Asuka responded right away with a determined look and a clenched fist in front of her.
"Great." Makoto added with a nod.
"How will we convince Futaba to let us into her room though?" Yusuke questioned the others. "Even Boss is forbidden entry." He then reminded.
"We'll be honest," Akira answered. "No beating around the bush." He then stated.
Makoto placed a finger on her chin in thought. "Yes, that is the best course of action," She stated.
"You know a method?" Miyabi asked with arms crossed under her chest.
"I think it's quite straightforward," Makoto responded as she looked at the white haired woman. "Futaba doesn't know what we're doing inside her Palace, correct? Hence, if we tell her we've come to steal her heart, she'll surely open the door and let us inside." She then questioned and explained.
Miyabi made a slightly confused look. "Wait...That's it?" She awkwardly asked.
"Futaba wants to have a change of heart. After all, she contacted us for that express purpose," Akira explained as he placed his hands inside his pockets. "That desire should lead her to open the door as well." He then concluded.
Asuka in turn gave a thoughtful expression. "...You're right. Our feelings should get through if we just try and talk to her." She then stated, thinking about the orangette's state right now, and probably the other Thieves as well.
"And, if all else fails, we'll break it down." Akira stated as he nudged the middle of his glasses with one finger. "We can pay for the repairs. Or, you know...say that the screws were weak." He then added.
Asuka stood up from her seat in pure determination. "All right, I believe in Futaba-chan! C'mon, let's get this done!" She soon declared.
The Phantom Thieves then concluded the meeting, and set the next goal in their current heist: sending the Calling Card to their target: Futaba Sakura.
(Yongen-Jaya, Sojiro Sakura's House)
After lockpicking the door (once again, and hopefully for the final time), the Phantom Thieves instantly headed to Futaba's room, easily found by the police tape covering it.
"Here we go, guys," Akira got out as he and the other Thieves stood in front of their target's door that leads to said target's room. "The moment of truth."
"We're sorry for sneaking in so many times Boss." Asuka and Makoto apologized at the same time.
"Why are you saying that? He's not here. Come on, let's get this show on the road." Miyabi responded with an impatient expression on her face.
"There's no mistaking that this is the same door as the one in the Palace." Morgana stated. "But now we have to figure out how to get Futaba to open it. Peacefully." He then added as looked toward the white haired girl and tan skinned girl.
"Ugh, alright. But if push comes to shove, I'm breaking it down." Miyabi responded as she ran a hand through her white hair while the Shujin Student Council President knocked on the door.
"Hello, Futaba? You're in there, aren't you? Please answer us." Makoto soon requested.
They didn't get a response.
"I doubt she'd answer so easily..." Morgana sighed out.
"Considering her state and situation right now," Yumi then deduced as she rubbed one of her arms with her free hand, "I think there is clearly no room for an argument on this one." She then stated.
"Futaba-chan! Please open the door, if you don't we can't help you!" Asuka pleaded. "You can message us like last time. Just tell us you're still alive in there." She then got out.
Suddenly, Akira's phone vibrated.
[Alibaba9: You should've told me you were going to come here.]
This in turn caused the Vice Leader to sigh in relief. "Alright. Now, all you need to do is open the door." Asuka instructed.
[Alibaba9: That's pretty demanding!]
[Alibaba9: I'm not mentally prepared!]
"Well, if that's the case, we'll just wait out here until you are..." Homura got out, sounding somewhat reasonable. "ETA?" She then asked.
[Alibaba9: Erm...]
[Alibaba9: Give me five.]
"Minutes?" guessed Homura.
[Alibaba9: Years.]
Homura deadpanned at the message. "Is she serious right now?" She then got out with a slight frown on her face.
"You have to do this now, Futaba." Akira stated. "We'd prefer if we didn't have to kick down your door and drag you out kicking and screaming." He then added.
[Alibaba9: That's easy for you to say...]
"Look, the other you, your Shadow within your heart, told us to have you open it." Makoto explained. "Deep down, you want to open this door, don't you?" She soon asked.
[Alibaba9: The other me?]
"Right." Makoto replied with a nod. "We're trying to uphold our promise, but you're resisting us." She then informed.
"And do you mind telling her to stop trying to kill us?" Ryuji asked, only for the tan skinned girl to cover his mouth.
[Alibaba9: Give me some time.]
Miyabi however scowled at this. "That's it. I'm breaking it down. HYA!" She declared as brought her fist out.
BAM!
The door shook from the impact, although it was obvious to the Thieves that it was more akin to a warning shot than a serious attempt.
Ryuji, however, jumped at the sudden action. "Hey, be careful! We're gonna have to pay for that if Boss finds out!" He called out.
"She's not being cooperative." Miyabi countered before pulling back her arm, intending to knock the door off its hinges this time. "Three...two...o-" She counted out.
BZZT! BZZT!
[Alibaba9: Wait! Stop! I'll do it!]
[Alibaba9: Man, you guys are really violent, you know that?]
"We are, aren't we?" Yusuke admitted with his hand placed behind his head.
"It's for her own good." Miyabi then stated as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"You know, at this rate we'll be more like the Phantom Bandits of Heart than Phantom Thieves..." Yumi deadpanned.
[Alibaba9: Alright, it's open now.]
"Okay." Akira replied with a nod as he put away his phone after doing a spinning trick with it on one finger.
"Dude, how did you do that?" Ryuji got out in an impressed tone as he saw what their Leader did.
"Practice, Ryuji," Akira simply replied as she nudged his glasses up with one finger. "Practice." He soon answered. "Along with a Masterful level of Proficiency, but he doesn't need to know that." He meanwhile thought.
"We better make sure we change her cognition, so we better be safe than sorry." Yumi stated.
"And that means...?" Ryuji started, confused by what that meant.
"Futaba, open the door or I'll break down a wall!" Miyabi once more threatened.
After a second or two, the door drifted open.
"Let's go." Akira soon ordered as they all headed in.
(Futaba's Room)
"Alright Futaba, we're- Where the hell is she?" Miyabi got out, confused to see the room empty.
"What is this...?" Yusuke meanwhile got out as he looked around.
The whole room itself was like a shut-in's usual living space. For Futaba's, it was a definite and accurate description, almost considered as a safe haven or her own personal version of Heaven. There were her personal things like books and such and randomly thrown papers and garbage littered on the floor, her bed being untidy like it hadn't been properly cleaned for who knows how long, and lastly, the only source of light illuminating in the whole room was her PC's several monitors filled with green codings rapidly scrolling up on each of the screens.
"This place is a mess...look at all this garbage..." Homura whispered out as she glanced at the garbage-littered floor and the overfilled garbage bags near their target's computer, unaware of her eye twitching at the sight. "Must...resist...urge...to clean..." She thought in a strained manner.
"Well Futaba-chan is a shut-in..." Asuka then reminded as she examined the room.
"It smells terrible here..." Yumi stated, waving a hand across her face trying to lessen the smell. "This is definitely not healthy..." She then added.
"This reminds me of Murasaki...Although she's a truant now according to Imu..." Miyabi admitted as she then noticed the books. "And it looks like Futaba's a genius." She then pointed out in an impressed tone as she picked up one of the books. "How did she get the money to buy all these books?" She also thought with the same tone inside her head.
"Well, she had to spend time doing something..." Yumi guessed.
"Medical science, information technology, biology, psychology...these are university level books..." Makoto noted as she listed off all the books that the girl had while their Leader picked up a random book and flipped on the pages.
"She keeps herself cooped up in a room like this all the time...?" Ann soon asked in a concerned manner.
"Yeah, we'll clean it later but where the hell is Futaba herself?" Miyabi demanded as she looked around.
"Where could she be hiding?" Ryuji wondered out loud.
Suddenly, there was a noise coming from the closet.
"She's in her closet!?" Makoto exclaimed.
"She'll shut herself in until the bitter end, hm?" Yusuke sighed out.
"Even if that door's opened up, we'll get stopped again inside." Morgana stated. "I bet a fence or something formed right in front of the Treasure now." He then guessed.
"Th-This makes no sense! Explain yourselves!" A muffled, but audible voice demanded from inside the closet.
"Whoa, she talked...!" Ryuji got out in surprise.
"Of course she can talk, Ryuji." Homura muttered out as she rolled her eyes.
"She did have good lungs." Akira quickly noted.
"She's only been communicating through texts with us, of course he's surprised." Makoto pointed out. "Futaba, we needed to change your cognition. Unless we do so, we can't steal your heart." She then explained.
"I highly doubt she would understand it even if we explained it to her..." Yusuke guessed.
"So basically, my cognition is being a hindrance, keeping you away from the core of my cognitive world?" Futaba suddenly deducted.
FFRIP!
This deduction in turn surprised everyone as they looked at the closet.
"Wait, what?" Miyabi got out, eyes widening to hear that. She was still new to this whole Metaverse shit but it still threw her off.
"She understood it?" Ann questioned in surprise.
"W-Why do you know about that?" Makoto asked.
"Who...who are you?" Asuka got out. "Alibaba...no Futaba-chan, please. We need answers and you know them all." She soon asked.
"Yeah, like, why did you make this thing way more complicated than it needed to be?" Ryuji asked. "If you wanted help, you could've just asked for it outright." He then pointed out.
Futaba replied by mumbling something that wasn't quite clear.
"I think I caught that you're embarrassed..." Yumi muttered out. "Is that it? Were you embarrassed, Futaba-san?" She soon asked.
"...Yes..." Futaba sighed out.
"...I think I get it. Asking someone for help isn't that easy..." Ann soon stated in a sympathetic tone.
"Can you tell us more? How do you know about the cognitive world?" Makoto then asked.
"...'Cause I knew about it." Futaba vaguely replied.
"...The Boss had said something on cognitive science." Akira pointed out. "Wait, was that what your mother was working on? She was a researcher in cognitive science?" He then deducted.
"Oh yeah. That prosecutor chick that was grillin' Boss about it." Ryuji added, causing the Advisor to wince.
"Cognitive psience with a P-S-I in the front! Less science, more supernatural. That's important." Futaba corrected. "And...I peeked a little..." She then admitted.
"Well, we got her attention. Now to reel her out." Homura muttered out.
"Cognitive...psience? How do you even know the difference, they sound the- nevermind..." Miyabi meanwhile sighed.
"What was your mother working on?" Akira soon asked.
However, Futaba remained silent.
"Futaba?" Akira asked again. "What happened?" He pressed.
Again, they were met with silence.
"She's not answering." Yusuke stated.
"That's understandable. Her mother is most likely a touchy subject to her." Yumi muttered out in a sympathetic tone.
"Yeah, we should do this later. She's been through serious shit." Ryuji suggested with a nod.
"True...she did say things like die in her Palace..." Makoto then reminded.
"...Hold on." Ann suddenly spoke up with a determined look on her face. "Futaba-chan, did you really kill your mother?" She soon asked.
"What!?" Asuka exclaimed. "Ann-chan! Don't say that!" She whispered.
"Wasn't her death an accident? What actually happened?" Ann however continued. "Maternity neurosis? Is that an actual thing? Is any of that really true?" She soon asked.
Miyabi meanwhile narrowed her eyes to that. "It looks as though she has the right idea..." She thought to herself as she looked at the ash blonde.
"Ann." Yusuke got out in a slightly warning tone.
"We saw what your heart is like, but we can't figure anything out. The mother that Boss told us about is completely different from your cognition. She was caring and happy she had you, not dismissive and wishing you never existed!" Ann argued.
Asuka then stepped forward, knowing that this was the right thing to do, despite the pain it might cause the girl. "Futaba-chan, we want the truth. Straight from you. What happened?" She then asked in concern.
"...M-My mom...was...the...one who killed her...was...Nngh...!" Futaba struggled out in a strained manner.
The tan skinned girl narrowed her eyes to this. "She can't remember, can she?" Homura muttered out her deduction.
"Her cognition must be so distorted that she can't remember who really did it." Makoto stated. "She's blamed herself for so long, she actually believes it." She then added.
"...Just like me..." Homura muttered out as she thought back to what happened in middle school for her.
"I'm so sorry, Futaba-chan." Ann apologized. "I, um...A lot happened, so...I'm sorry." She soon got out.
There was a small silence in the room as everyone looked down sadly...only for it to break when Futaba suddenly burst out of the closet, her arms outstretched and on one foot.
"SWEET FUCK!" The two sisters shouted out in unison as they jumped back, only to fall over some garbage.
"Language you two!" Yumi chided, though was also surprised.
"...You two disappoint me." Miyabi deadpanned to the sudden action from the sisters.
"S-Shut up!" The two remarked in annoyed unison.
"Th-There! Now steal it!" Futaba meanwhile called out, her entire body shaking either from the effort of balancing on one leg, nervousness or both.
This in turn confused everyone at the sudden action.
"...What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Ryuji asked.
"C-C'mon, hurry it up!" Futaba nervously got out in anticipation.
"We did come to steal your heart, but i-it's not really done right here at the moment." Makoto awkwardly revealed. "...All you really had to do was open the closet door...I'm sorry we made you jump to conclusions. You don't have to be like that..." She then apologized.
"I-I see..." Futaba got out as her head and arms hung down. Then she took a few steps back into the closet and closed the door without another word.
SLAM!
"She went back in!" Asuka exclaimed in disbelief.
"Well that was awkward." Homura remarked as she sweatdropped.
"...Wh-What's the meaning of this!? Did you guys trick me?" Futaba asked from the closet.
"You blackmailed us!" Ryuji was about to say, only for the tan skinned girl to cover his mouth again.
"N-No, Futaba-chan! We aren't tricking you! We wanna help!" Asuka quickly got out.
"Yeah, we have a reason for doing all this!" Makoto reassured the shut-in.
"Outside of blackmail." Akira awkwardly added.
The not cat meanwhile narrowed his eyes to this. "She's aware of the cognitive world, but it seems she doesn't understand how a change of heart occurs." Morgana stated.
"...How does she know about the Metaverse?" Homura soon asked in a serious tone. "How much do you know about it, Futaba?" She then added.
"I know that there's another world based on cognition. But I don't know how to get there." Futaba answered. "Can you guys go there? You said you saw my heart earlier." She then stated.
"...Should we tell her about the MetaNav?" Akira whispered to the others.
"No, we aren't risking her being in danger." Miyabi immediately stated in a serious manner as she narrowed her eyes.
"Yeah, but she probably won't believe us." Ryuji pointed out. "Like, who the hell would believe that by just sayin' a name, a place and a distortion, like Futaba Sakura, Sojiro Sakura's house and shit into a magical app on your phone that you'll be whisked off to the collective unconsciousness of mankind where gods and demons run around and all that fun jizz!" He then added before blinking a couple of times. "...I just said that out loud, didn't I?" He soon got out.
Homura's left eye immediately twitched after hearing that. "Goddammit, Ryuji!" She muttered out in annoyance.
"...You use an app on your phone?" Futaba hesitantly asked.
"Yes. We do." Makoto sighed out.
"Makoto, Ryuji will definitely need some reeducation after this..." Homura muttered as she glared at the dyed blond.
"And he will get it, Homura-san." Makoto replied in agreement while the dyed blond paled slightly to the threatening tone.
The Kosei Student Council President meanwhile narrowed her eyes to a different matter. "Wait...You wouldn't happen to have a red and black app with an eye on it on your phone, would you?" Yumi soon asked.
"...I don't." Futaba replied, nervously looking at the mysterious red and black app with an eye on it on her phone.
"Oh thank God. You won't be involved in our bullshit." Miyabi breathed out in relief.
Yumi however narrowed her eyes to this. "..." She said nothing more as she calmed herself down.
"B-But can you take me with you?" Futaba soon asked.
"NO!" Everyone immediately answered.
"Ah! Why did you all scream!?" Futaba exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, but unless you have the power to defend yourself, you're not going anywhere young lady!" Miyabi told the girl in an authoritative and protective manner.
"Well, she isn't going anywhere anyways because, you know...shut-in." Akira pointed out.
"Besides, we have no idea what would happen if one were to enter their own cognitive world." Morgana stated.
"J-Just leave it to us. We're professional thieves after all." Asuka assured. "Though, in this context, I guess we could be called tomb raiders slash super therapists but that's besides the point!" She then corrected.
"...I'll leave it to you then..." Futaba groaned. "Also...can I also get your autograph later?" She soon requested.
This in turn confused the group to the sudden request.
"Wait, an autograph? From who?" Ann asked with a raised eyebrow.
"...Yin..." Futaba replied.
To that, the Thieves turned their heads towards Futaba's desk and spotted a familiar magazine with a familiar ash blonde and brunette on the front cover. They couldn't help but sweatdrop at the sight.
"She doesn't seem like someone interested in fashion..." Asuka awkwardly admitted.
"I'm interested in you!" Futaba called out before quickly shutting herself up.
Ann couldn't help but feel a little offended by that last thing. "What do you mean by that...?" She thought with her eye twitching.
Miyabi meanwhile went over and picked up the magazine before glaring at the brunette. "Really? A model?" She questioned in a disapproving tone.
"I-It's fun...and a good cover..." Asuka stuttered out.
Miyabi immediately rolled her eyes at that. "Ugh...this is why I hate Good Shinobi, thinking they can do what they want..." She got out.
"Hey hold on, I gave Asuka-chan the idea." Ann however countered.
"Still dumb! Goddammit..." Miyabi groaned. "We're gonna talk about this later." She then stated as she placed the magazine back on the desk.
"Welp, if that's everything, here ya go." Ryuji soon got out as he slid the calling card through the gap in the closet. "Read it, and let us do our thing."
"...I can't read it. It's too dark." Futaba got out.
"You could just come out..." Ryuji soon suggested.
"...It's embarrassing." Futaba simply explained.
"What?" Ryuji responded in disbelief.
"Do we need to tear your closet door off...?" Miyabi soon stated in an almost threatening manner.
"I'll make sure she reads it, so you guys go on ahead." Morgana responded before going into hiding.
"Futaba, make sure you read it, OK?" Ryuji then reminded.
" ...OK." Said girl responded.
The Thieves soon began to leave the shut-in's room. However, Miyabi stayed behind, her gaze lingering on the closet.
"Futaba, I lost my mother too." Miyabi revealed while placing a hand on the closet door. "Killed right in front of my eyes. I can still remember every detail. Every sound, every sight is just ingrained in my brain. I know what it feels like to lose all meaning in life. To be so alone that it crushes you. To have an unending emptiness that you can't escape from. But if we help each other, maybe that abyss in our hearts will finally fade away. We can be alone together." She then stated in a calm tone.
"..." Futaba meanwhile said nothing to that as she listened to the speech.
"We will change your heart. I promise...you'll never be hurt ever again..." Miyabi soon whispered out in a reassuring tone before leaving the room.
But not before leaving something on the wall.
Because that was apparently a Phantom Thieves signature.
After a while, Futaba peeked outside from the closet, making sure there were no other people in the room before coming out. "Well...that was something." She then got out before looking at the Calling Card they gave to her for a proper read.
"Futaba Sakura has committed a great sin of drowning in sloth. You do nothing but shut yourself away rather than confront the harsh truth, letting yourself rot within a false grave. Thus we will rob every last bit of those distorted desires. From the Phantom Thieves of Hearts." Futaba read out.
"That's all that was written!?" She heard Homura yell out from behind the door.
"There wasn't a lot of space on the card." She then heard Ryuji reply.
"But you- This is- ARGH! Goddammit Ryuji!" She then heard Homura scream out in frustration before they went silent, probably having gone to the Metaverse now.
Futaba couldn't help but sweatdrop.
"No...I'm going to die..."
"You'd think you guys would write something more elaborate..." Futaba sighed out before glancing at her phone. "...Name, location, distortion." She thought.
"Good!" Morgana got out in a satisfied tone as he jumped out from his hiding spot.
"Eek!" Futaba exclaimed as she fell backwards onto the ground. "Kitty! You again!?" She soon questioned in annoyance before letting out a huff.
However, it was then she noticed something different about her room.
On Futaba's wall, written in red marker, was a simple phrase.
YOU ARE NEVER ALONE
(Futaba's Pyramid of Wrath, Pyramid Entrance)
The Phantom Thieves soon stared at the pyramid with utmost caution as they began to prepare themselves for another day's job inside the Metaverse.
Well, save for their newest member.
"Is everyone ready?" Joker asked everyone as he adjusted his gloves in anticipation. "Calling Card sent, and there's no turning back now." He then concluded.
"Hai, Leader!" Yin replied with a nod of anticipation.
Mona began doing some warm-up stretches. "Man, I could really go for some sushi right now, just to keep myself energized." He admitted with a pumped-up expression. "Probably some salmon or tuna would be good." He then dreamed out aloud.
"We'll eat something after our job is done." Skull added as he adjusted his gloves and ascot. "Some ramen would be nice." He then thought out aloud as well.
"Another heist for the Phantom Thieves." Fox stated as he gazed at the Pyramid of Wrath, probably for the last time before putting up a finger on his chin. "I should probably get some inspiration in my mind before the Palace falls apart." He then whispered, barely audible for the others to hear.
"There's always the Internet, Fox," Yang suggested with a slightly deadpanned look towards her fellow Phantom Thief member before gazing at the Pyramid as well. "But then again, nothing beats the real thing from pictures."
"So this is what happens after sending the Calling Card." Serpent muttered while looking around. "I can literally feel the pressure in the air."
"Yeah, the Palace's security level is so high I can feel it from here..." Panther stated as she observed and got an odd feeling from her body.
"Futaba seemed totally up for gettin' her heart stolen...What's up with this?" Skull questioned as he gazed at his surroundings and then the pyramid itself.
"Hm...Something about this place really is unusual. Either way, there's only one thing for us to do now that we've sent the calling card!" Mona stated and concluded.
"Hell yeah!" Skull shouted with a pumped-up fist. No matter what we gotta face, we're gonna take that Treasure for sure!" He then declared.
"Time to make a mad dash." Joker declared. "This is no longer for the Phantom Thieves! This is no longer about beating Medjed! They're just bonuses! It's about saving Futaba's life! Come on, everyone! IT'S SHOWTIME!"
"HAI!" The rest of the Phantom Thieves roared as they charged into the pyramid, aiming to steal the heart of their target, Futuba Sakura.
(Great Corridor)
The Thieves kicked the door down when they entered the pyramid, where inside the lights from the natural sun to an angry red.
"Uh Joker, why aren't we fast traveling to the top?" Serpent asked as they seriously looked up the stairs and the door at the top.
"Fast Travel doesn't work on higher Security Levels and we're at 99%. We're going on foot. Besides, it's just a bunch of stairs." Joker explained. "Now come on, this is the end of Futaba's pain." He then declared as he began climbing.
And with that, the Thieves dramatically walked up the stairs, fire in their hearts and determination on their faces.
And continued to walk up those stairs.
For a rather long time.
"...For fuck's sake, JUST RUN!" Serpent suddenly shouted out, irritated with how long getting to the Treasure was.
"Should've thought of that in the first place." Queen agreed before everyone started running up the stairs with the best that they could.
After a while, they finally reached the top and the elevator was waiting to be used in front of them. Some of the civilian Thieves took gasps of air out of exhaustion after a race-like sprint.
"Stairs...it always has...to be stairs." Mona complained in all fours between breaths of air in tiredness before going back up on his feet. "Alright. Elevator's in front of us. Let's do this!" He then declared.
The Phantom Thieves nodded in agreement as they proceeded towards the elevator before stopping in front of it and waited.
"I hope she reads the calling card." Panther got out with hands on her elbows and a worried look.
"I mean, after all the trouble we went through, she damn well better've read it!" Skull got out loudly and arms crossed.
"Hey! Watch what you say about her!" Serpent called out to Skull in an angry tone.
Skull jumped at the sudden action. "S-sorry! Sorry." He then apologized as he shook his head.
They all waited for quite a while now. Joker was casually spinning his knife while waiting, and Queen meanwhile was clenching her fists a couple of times as an act of exercise for her hands in preparation for the big battle ahead.
"Come on...open up...!" Serpent muttered in anticipation with arms crossed. "Don't tell me we have to go back!" She then declared in a panic.
DING!
"Elevator's here." Fox informed everyone as he gripped his sheath in determination for the battle up ahead.
"All right! It's open!" Skull exclaimed in excitement as the elevator's doors opened in a futuristic fashion.
"Well, Futaba-chan opened the door herself." Panther agreed with a smile on her face.
"Thank you, Futaba-chan," Yin whispered with a smile as well and a fist on her chest.
"Anyway, the Treasure is up ahead!" Mona then declared. "Let's finish this!"
"Why doesn't she have an escalator but has an elevator...?" Skull couldn't help but wonder as the Thieves stepped in and Joker pressed the shining pedestal.
After a few seconds, the elevator floor rumbled for a second before ascending up.
(Chamber of Emptiness)
The elevator reached the top floor and revealed a unique-looking place inside the Pyramid. The chamber walls within are colored blue with moving codes and words going upwards like a computer with some digital rectangular screens displaying around in the background. Giant platforms of Egyptian stone stood out around the place like they were floating with sets of stairs connecting each other, with giant, thick columns floating, leaning and standing in the background.
"Whoa..." Yin trailed off as she scanned her surroundings. "This is...wild." She could only say.
"Look at those moving words. They're like codes from a computer." Yang described the chamber's walls.
"Well, Futuba's a hacker, which explains it." Fox pointed out.
"So this is the place that represents Futaba's room..." Queen observed as she scanned as well.
"Yup, this is the heart of a hacker all right. Anyways, where's the Treasure?" Skull agreed and asked.
"I'm getting a strong signal from above us. The Treasure has definitely manifested." Mona announced as he pointed up above.
"There's no knowing what may lie ahead, so let's be vigilant as we push toward the Treasure." Queen advised to her fellow Thieves.
"Alright. Now, if everyone is ready, then let's go!" Joker called out as he began leading the run ahead, with everyone else following behind him.
"I'll save you, Futaba. No matter what!" Serpent exclaimed in her thoughts while running.
The Thieves began running up the sets of stairs, crossing onto each giant stone platform as they proceeded further to the top. They then reached another platform...before noticing Shadows patrolling around the other platforms in the form of Guards and stopped themselves for a moment.
"What!? Guards!?" Yin exclaimed as she and her fellow Thieves crouched right away to avoid potential detection from the Palace's Shadows.
"It doesn't matter. They are mere nuisances. We should not get ourselves distracted by such enemies." Widow got out.
"Widow's right. We should proceed to the Treasure immediately." Mona agreed and advised with a serious tone. "No need to waste our time and energy." He then added.
The Thieves all nodded as they continued traversing around the platforms, swiftly avoiding detection from the Shadows in the nearby platforms.
They then reached an end of a platform acting as a cliff and a dead end. Across ahead of them was a platform along with a set of doors, and in between were giant Egyptian-styled slabs sticking out and some large sarcophagus floating in the air.
"Alright, it's grappling time." Joker got out as he adjusted his gloves before pinching his grappling hook underneath his left sleeve and launching a line towards the floating sarcophagus, its hook latching it firmly. The line pulled him up, swinging across the chasm as well as the sarcophagus to the side with style and flare along with a backflip until he reached and stepped on a slanted surface of a giant slab just as he detached the hook from the sarcophagus.
At that moment, he then launched a line again to avoid slipping down to his possible death and latched the hook onto another floating sarcophagus and swung onto the chasm again, as well as swinging over the said sarcophagus to the side before detaching himself again and making double backflips while in mid-air. He then eventually landed safely on the other platform where the set of doors were located. "Whew, that was quite a rush." Joker then muttered as breathed out from his stunt just now.
The Thieves however just simply stared at what their Leader did.
"Show-off." Yang muttered as she rolled her eyes.
"Damn, Joker's not messing around." Skull muttered as he witnessed what their Leader did just now.
"Always going the extra mile." Queen sighed before the rest swung almost as stylishly as their Leader across, right in front of a door that seemingly led to nowhere.
The not cat closed his eyes and touched the door with both paws. "There's no doubt. The Treasure is right through here." Mona informed as he took his paws away.
"What may await us within...?" Fox wondered as he narrowed his eyes.
"Hopefully not a fight with a berserk Shadow Futaba..." Yang all but pleaded.
"No matter what it is, we need to be ready for it!" Mona soon declared as the other Thieves nodded.
"We are." Joker stated before pulling on his glove. "Let's go." He then declared as he pushed the doors open.
"We're coming to save you, Futaba-chan!" Yin soon declared.
"Just a bit further..." Serpent thought as they went through into the Pharaoh's Chamber.
(Yongen-Jaya, Sojiro Sakura's House)
Meanwhile, in Futaba Sakura's room, the orangette was currently sitting on the chair in front of her computer, tinkering with her phone. Particularly, the app that appeared on it when she woke up this...whatever time she woke up.
"If I use this, I can change my heart...?" Futaba muttered. "Vocal input...? What did that numbskull say my keywords were? Fu- Fu- Futaba Sakura...Sojiro Sakura's house?"
[Candidate found.]
"And then...Something about distortion...Distortion...Distortion..." The hacker mumbled to herself before closing her eyes.
Y̸͎̳͔̰̓́̄̕ȏ̵̧͚̣͎͈̺̫̻̜̭͎̖͈̱͖͌̕̚u̸͎͔͕̒̆́̽͛̑̾̿̀͂̂̕ ̷̧͍͕̹͎̬̳̳̱̘̹̔̄̃̆̽́̿̅͛̌̚͠ͅk̷̢̜̯̮̠̻̘̠̟̩̰̟̅͗̋͋͘͜i̴̧̧̯̫͈̞͒͌l̴̥̓̈́̊͂̉͝l̴̨̥̼͚̙̱̝̩͛ë̷͔̣̠̫̘́͋͆̆͊̏͠ͅd̴̡̢͙̼̞̘̖̐͆̂̒̏̍́̄̔͒ ̸̺̗͌͋͌̈̈́͘h̵̜͔̼͓̯̥̾̉̈͆̂͠͠͝ḛ̸̜̠̱́͐̆̍̓ŕ̷͎͇̻͇͍̣͓͔̩̟̪̫̇̿́!̶̥͖̖͔̰̼̳̥̥͍͗́͛̈́̊̈́̚
̶̮̳̹͚̗͕̯̰͓̫̫̉̏̂͋̑̃͠͠͠ ̷̨͚̳̭̈́̚͘Y̶̹̦̮̋͑̄̈́͌̊̏͛͗́̅̎̌̅͠ǫ̸̯̜̱̭͎͚̰̪͓͙̌͊̔̓͜ù̷͕̤̐̽̊͘'̸̜͇̼̻̻͈̱̬̬͈͙̪͕̲͌͜ŗ̴̡͕̺̬̠̀̈́̿̌͠͝é̴̪̤͖̜̀͛̈̏̈́̾̇ ̷̢̡̡̯̯̪̦̞͉͇̣͊ͅă̸̡͚̖͍͓̰̘̱̩̤̫̦͇͖͒̅̌̌͝ ̸̢̛̟͈̠̻̖͙͙̹͌̀̊̑̾̀̊́̓̈͐͌͘̚p̴̡̢͈̠͇͎̮͓̪͈̲̼̊̋̈́͛͊̓͋̆̈́̑̕͘͝l̸͔̖̫̈͂̏̉̽͂à̶̧̙͖̮͈̺͙͚̕̕͠g̴͙̼͓̗̣͎͚̬͓̘͊̑́͊̀̓ǘ̶̼̬̰͍è̴̙̱̯̻ͅ!̷̳͂̈̌̌̿̋̐̍̆͗͛̏̀͝͝
̷̲̝̟͓́̇̇ ̸̨̼̻̻̝̬͚͉̬͇̬̙̜̹̌͒̃̓̿͌̕̚̚͝͝M̷̺̄́̍̾̃̅̒̌͊̚͠ṵ̷̧͚̠̈̈̃̎̉̿̈́́́̈́́̈̕̕̚r̵̡̥̳̻̗͔̜̦͍̀̅̐͌̊̒̌̎̿͝d̴̫̼̮͉͎͕̬̐̾̈́́ë̷͓̤̭̦̣͕̱̘̯͕̥̯̠̼̪̓̕r̴̘͖͉̪̹̭̻̗̯̤̖̣͇̻͕̋̏̆̊̅͂͘̕͠͝ȩ̵̢̧͈̞͍̩̋ȑ̶̨̛̭̞̝̘̟̙̞̠̜̺̞̣͙̇̆͑̄̓͂̑̇̃͌!̶̨̨̗͙̯͍͇̤͉͍̞̹̝͕̒̈́͋̅̔̾̍͒̓̉̊̉͜
̵̥͓̜̣͚̞̞̋͊̔͋͆̉̍̄͒͘͝͝ ̶̦͍̀̀̈̿͐̃͆̃̕Ḭ̴̭̻̗̤̱̓̓̈́ͅt̶͉̟̦̪͆͐̌̐̈͆̈́̇́̀͜'̴͕͑͂̊͗͋͂̐̌̾ṡ̷̨͙͂̂̉̓͋̾͂͠͝ ̷̨͇̮̦̦̦̭͉͔̭̲̭̣͖͆̀̍́̍͋̚a̴͙̪͚̹͚̬̔́̎̌̄͊̀̑̐̒̑̽̒͋̚l̶̦̃̈̓͑̋̓͘͘ḻ̵̡̝͉̮͚̱̠̦͔̘͔̐͌̀̃͋͆̓̍̍̚͝͠ ̸̧̡̡̯̩̪̞̊̑ȳ̵̢͚̜̭̇̈́͝o̵͍͓̩̲̬͛͐̽͌́̉͒̃̾ͅü̴̢͍̯͉̙̗̱͍̣̟͘͜r̵̨̹̲͈̤̘̿̾̋̈́̆̑̎̈͜͝͠ ̷̦̺̣͔̼̺̞̩͇̖͇͓̝̊̽̽͜͝f̵̭͕̊ͅą̵̧̗̘̦̘͇̫͍̣̾͗̍͂̓̓͜ụ̵̲̪̺͒́͊̀̂͗͑̒̐̋̏ͅl̶͉̜͙̮̗͍̜̒̑̃̓ṫ̷̨̹̳̗̖͇̘̱̱͂͂̽̕̚!̵̰̀̓̽́̅̌̓͆̽̋͘̕̚͘
̴̨͙̇̽̀͑̚͠ ̷̧̞̥̞͑̇̃̋͑̽̇̍̏͆͌́͝Y̸̠̺͕̼̺͔̺̬͕̩͙͓̪͎͑̈́͂o̵̡̟̼̙̣̯͉̬͔̓́͑̀̿ͅu̷̖͐̾͑͂̅͑̾͂̀'̶̢̨̦̮̝̥͕̰̝͓͉̮̹̯͍̈́̕r̵̯̱̬̦̬̩͑ȩ̶̡͕̪̰̱̥̝̝̗̞̳̲͖̽̈̆̈́̾̔̀̀̃̉̀̑̈́̈́͜ ̵̡̫͕̖̫̜̥̼̙̮͓̼͆̾͋͜ț̸͖͚̣̜̯̫̝̲̭̜̰̱̑̑͊̆̀̆̈́͆͆̏͝h̴̬̺͗̑̕ę̴̙͓̯̋̈́̾̏̍̐̂́͝ ̸̛̱͎̜͇̟̺̦̰̫̺̹̟̒̀͛̐͛̔̑͝ͅǫ̶̢̘͖̜̭̱̮͈̭̳̗̱͈̤͐̑̒̂̍̏̐̈̈́̚͝͠ň̷̨̙̖̮̯̳͈̝̬̼̅͂̈́͒͒̓ę̷̙͙̩͔̹̺̝͉̩́͂͋͌̀͊̏ͅ ̷̼̩̭̲̗̗̂̎̐̈̈́̄̑̏͋̆͊͘͠ẉ̵̳̰͚̝̫̖̞̲̙͆̋͑̑ḫ̶̠̗̗̻̰̟̗̟̞̦̒̅̈́͗̇̐̏͝ͅơ̷͕̜̪̔̐͆̎͐̀̌̽͘͝͠ͅ ̵̢̖̘̻̲̪̘̤̞̺̹͕͔̿͛͐͐̕k̵̜̻̝̱͚͈̟͔͑̇̓̈̑̀̏̔̈́̍ͅi̸̲͇̟̝̐͂̊̑̌͐͐̋͝l̵̢̻̫͖͎̤̿́̍̎͂̉̄͆l̶̢̟͈͖̪͛͗̏̊̈́̏̀̇̒̑̇͑͐̈́̕é̶̡̢̩̗̹̩͖̺̯̀̅̉̄́̿̑̂̐̑̿̓͠͠d̷̡̓̉̍̂̿̓̿͘̕͘͘͠ ̸̛̥͆̒̌̋̇̾͂́̔̔̓̔h̴̗͉̞̘͔̝̦̥͇̜̭̻̝̍͐̓̃͒̅̄̌́̽̚͜͝ě̷̢̛͙̤̝̗͓̤̤̳̞̀̔̋̑̉̎̚͝ͅr̵̬̭͓̻̯̅͗͘ͅ!̴̡͈͉̤̖̹̼̥̻͍̮̰̮́
̶̢̳͍̭̩̪̥̻͆͐̀̂͒̚͜͝ ̶̡̛͉͚̹̻͖̜̠̹̏͊̒̓͌̅̀̿͂̽̄͗̚͠ͅM̴̧̲̩͚̜̮̹͚̮͓̙͓̺̮̻̎́͊͘ų̵͎̥͓̻̼͝ͅr̴̮̜͙̩̜͌̈́͜͠d̷̨͍̟͓͈̙̻̙̾̌̿̈́͑͒̀͘͠é̷̱̹̻̤̣͚̹͙̍̓͘͜ͅr̴̛̿̇͂̉̌̑͂̎́͛̃͛̆͘͜ȩ̸̢̠͍̫̥̩͎͕̣̞̫͚͈̖̔͌r̶̛̖̹͉͍̰̲̥̝͖̉̒ͅ!̵̧̛̤̪̟̳̬̓̽̈́
̵̧̮̱̼͚̠̭͎̟̖͔͕̺͎̃͋͆̄͊͗̇̀̓̀̓̚"No! Stop! STOP!" Futaba screamed as she clutched her head. She could feel them...clutching onto her brain with their bare hands. "AAAAAAHHHHHH!"
ŏ̷̳̳̗̹̩̔̾̀͊̊̑̒̾̐͆̔͑͝͝ų̵̧̡̛͖̳͉͔͖͈̻̤̝̙̹̔̒̄́̀̈́́̽̚ ̴̨̣̲̻̬̹̟͓̞̏͑̂̓́͑̏̀͛̆͜͝͠k̷̮̹̀̓̽͘͘͘͝i̵̢̺̟͙͇̘̺͊͒͊̄l̷̟͇̟̩͑͐̓̉͋̔̋͘͘͜͝ḻ̷͔̝̻͚̯̄̇̀̀͒̆̀ë̸̱̘̞̥̪̟̭͈͖̮́́̈́̋́̉̀̔͝d̶̢͙̘̟̱͉̤̋̈́̍͂͒̈́͌̈́̾̚͠ ̸̢̨͖̜̲̲͉̣̹͓͚̫̥̹͆́̅͛͒͜h̸̡̢̨͖͍̣̭̪̰͎̦̰̏̍͋̿̚ë̸̡̞̯̙͔̟̩̜͈͌̐̊͐̔̍̾̑̃̈́́͝͠ŗ̷͔͙͉͉̮̮͉̾̑́̔!̵̬̮͙͚̤̜̫͚͎̠͔̥̝̓͌̈́͒̌̓̌͗̀̆̾͗̽͜͝
̴̡̥̯̺͇̩̩̟̩̣͓̺̦̫̀̈͗͛̀̏̊̓̽͐̃̏ͅ ̴͙̟̻̾͒̊̾̍́̋̓̈̈́͘ͅỲ̸̧̧̤̘̞̩̩̯̖̠̩͐̽͛̄̓̂o̶̡̡̹̰̬̭͎̣͇̫͔̯̦͉̓̑̄͒̾͜ų̵̝͍̦̳̤̳̹͓̘̪͇̩͋̄̚͝͝'̶̡̰̳̻̪̖̖̳͖̯̪̯̼̆̽r̸̢̛̛͉̳̻̬̟̟͍͕͛̌̽̾̋̓̓̅͂̂̐̍͝é̸̛̜͕̽͗́̈́̒̎̕̚ͅ ̷̨͓̒̉ȃ̸͙̦͓͓̹̭̺͕̜͉̘͍̲̥̉̌̅̀̐͆̀͒͜ ̸̨̨̳͍̻̮͓̤̊͋̓͂̽̑̕̚͘͘͝ͅp̴̛̥̜̹̦̮̜͚̞͂͐̋̇̽̈́̓̆́̀̚̕͝l̸̲̱͙͓̇̍̈́̂a̵̢̛̤̤̾̋̍̊͌̈́̉͛g̷̡͚͙̝̙̣̭̫͚̤̼̲̦̰̋̈́͘ͅṷ̵̗̲̫͕̱̼̟̽͌ͅe̸͚̔̃̑!̴̛̳̞̬̈́̈̐̓̓̾͋͐̃̕͘
̵͖̪͇̮̗̖͖͎̯͙̖̚ ̴͉̱̪͓͚́͋͂̇̆̕͝͝I̶͔̼̬͍̟͚̘̝̦͍͎̪͆̽̐̈̍̂̾̍́̿̀̚ͅt̶̨̨̛̯͍͙̳͉̯̤̬̄́͗̆̐̂̐̈́̕͝'̴̧̧̨̱̩͙̞͚̤̠̠͓͎̯̙̑̌s̵̨̩̻͉͎̣̙̙͓̘͓̺͖̰̽̂̆̈́͠ ̶̡̪͖̹̫̝͎͇̖̭͉͖̾̔ͅả̵̡͎͇̥͎̙̬̻̲͍͓̤̎͛̏́͝ľ̶̨̞̳̫͖͌̓̿̈́̓̿̓͝ḽ̵́̈́̑͑̌͋̀͗̓͊̎́͜͠͝ ̸̨̡̩͎̟̩̗̟̥̟̖̱͓̠̄̄̈̀͛̔̏͋̚͜y̷̧̺̹̹͎̺̘͔̑̈́̈͐͑̓̏͂̕͜͠ơ̷̛̙̩͎͖̦̘̰̱͈̣̎̾̓̄͂̉̆̐̔̎̏͂͘ǘ̷̜̣̦͖̠̯̱̬̠̳̮̦̞̗̥͋̀́͛̋̂͂̔͋̋͘͠͝r̷̛͉̘͙̬̦̈͆͊̂̒ ̵̢̮͇͓̠͈̳̤̠͇̜̈̿̒̑͆͆̀̀͊̾̅f̶̧̢̩̹̝͔͕̎̀̔̊a̴̡̨͎͍̗̦͇̜̙̳̮͙̫̹̔͂̄̋̈́͛͂͗͒̽̈́͒̚͝ư̸̧̡̗̯̭̺͕͎̺̙̞̤̹̝̼̿̾͐̃̄͆̌̓̀͂̊͝͝l̸̨̹͎̮͇͛͆̽̔ͅt̴̢̨͕͚̘̗̰̮͊̑͑͂͒͆̑̀̿̕͘͘͘!̷̳̠̟̰̬̭̥̍͗̑̂͝
̶̨̬͇͎̲̜̺̈́͛͛̓̑̓̈̇̀͆̒̕͠ ̴̘̦̱͍̞̬̿̆̉́̉̾̍̉̾̕͠Y̶̳̟̝̱̲͈͚̤̥̞̲̖̯͊̿̉́̌̽̈́̉͘͝ͅơ̷͖̊͊̋́͑̇̽͒̆̾̾͛͠u̵̧̫͙̮̹̪̓̽̔̀̀͜'̵̨͕͎͖̹̦̗̖͉͈̪̬̞̈́͆̐̑̄̈́͋ͅṙ̷̮̗͖͎̜͍̂͊̑̓ę̴̟̥̩͔̃̒͌̓͌͌͘ ̷̧̛̩̹̼̮̖͍̦͜ṭ̵̛̻̌̉̍̐̅̒͒̿̀͐̚͠͝ḩ̸̥̹̟̭̝̩̳̮̳͍̜̮̋ẻ̵̟̙̘̞͇ ̸̛͓͉͉̦̻̽͌̀̀̑͆̅͑̌̈̿̄̿̚ȯ̷̭͓̝̐͌̚ņ̶͉͚̩͈̥̯͈̪̠̐̎̈́̈́̂͂͒̔͒͐͑̕͝e̸̢̲͕̭̖̱͚͓̙͈̓͊͐̋̂̅̐͊͋ͅ ̵̧͉̦͙̌͆̎̌͊͒̿̓̐̈͝͝w̷̢̢̭̝͍̝͔͕̲̭̦͂͝ḥ̷̨̧̪̫͕̙̯̮̻̻̥̀͋̄̇̽̍̏̆̒̈̒ơ̶̡̡̯̹̝̟̜͕̲̺͙͑͌̂͗̚͝ ̴̨̙̮̲̟̫̺̈k̶̡̫̗̱̖̊̽̑̐͂̈̃̆̐́̚̕͜͝͠͝i̸̧̢̙̻͕̎̃̋̾̅͑l̶͉̃̆̀̃̎̓̽̎̄̓̊̒͘l̴̨̒̒̀̾̔̈́̔̈̓̒́̿̓͑̕ę̷̢̲̱̗̮̦̰̗̤̟̞͚̥̽̅̚ḏ̵̢̤̼̜͎̯̣͇͍͕͇̃͋̓̓̾̐̏̽͝ͅ ̸̲͖͖̹̯̮̆̇͋́̋̚̚͜͜͠͝ḩ̸̺̯̭͖̜͕͉͚̄́̃͛̌̓̌́e̶̙͖̺̎̒̈́͗͐̈́̔̇́̔͌͝͠ṙ̶̢̿̃́̈̅!̴͕̬̪͎̖͖͔̰̳̬̬͒̆̋͜͝
̵̝̼̝̹̱̅̉̉͌ ̶̻͉̜͈̯̤͍̿͐̈̄̑̇̿͘͘Ḑ̶̪͙̱͉̮͇̦̬͔̱͔̭͎̐̒̾͋̒͆̏͊͝ͅơ̸̢̛̫̺͇̖̯͚͈̱̱̹̽̈͜͝ͅn̸̠̭̟̦̦̪̄͗̿́̾͛́͜͠'̵̨̳͈̙̣̘͋͆̒̾̀̋͗̉̒͆̿̃͛̌͜͝ţ̷̤̳͔̠̰͉̠̥̙͎̭͓̹͉͂͋̿͛̿̍͐͒̋͋͘̚ ̸̨̥̬̩̭̩̞̝͒̓̓̄̄̓̋͐̀͜͠c̸̡̬̬̭͂̓̇͐̂̀͛̏͛̇̔̃̕͠o̴̢̡͉̣͓̦̲̺̠̓̍͐̾̈́̏́̾͘m̶̹̦̤̲̬̜̳͇͎̌͊̿̌̍ȩ̴̤̖̣͕̟͇̗̻͔̲̟̼̳̎̂̂͊͐̐̂̐̿͘͜ ̶͚͚̦̭̲͔̠͖̘̬͉͈̟͈͗̂̌͑͠ͅń̶̜̫̮̝̺̗̹͎͓͉͙̫̅̎̓̃̋͒̇̈́̀̔̊̚̕͜ȇ̵̢͈͎̲͕̰̳͖͕͈̤̰a̵͖͍͔̾̽̃͊͆̅͋͆́͌̚ŗ̴̘͚̉́̎́̑͐͌̎̕ ̸̦͐̏͒̀̏͗́̿͛̽̉̏̕ṁ̶̡̹̤͖̝̣̞͖̦̲͗͜͝ͅę̶̩̠͚̼͆͒̓̂̏͆͛̚͝!̵̧̧̡̖̖̭̘͈̞̻̹̠͍̥̯̏̈́͊̎̓
̶̡̛̛̠̻̼̥̪̦̣̥̘̠̟̽̆̇̂̀̓̀̊̀́͆̒͘ ̵̛̰͓͕̑͆̎̓̇̋I̵͉̗̼̮̓̄̍̋̾̆̂͗͜͝t̵̨̡͈̗̱̳̜͍̰͉̱͎͕̺̲͛̄̈̎̈́̈́́̓̔'̶̥̩͍̎̍́̔̓̈́̇́̈̔͐̑̕ṡ̶̛̳̞̟͕͕̗̥̗͓͉̩͙̹̖͑̏̋́̌̀͑ ̶̢̦͎̜̀͛̿̂̊̇͂̆͑̿̚y̴̧̛͚͈̯͇̠̦̘̩̠͎̙̏́́́͆̊̊͠ǫ̶̢̨̞̫̣͇̹̺́͐̐̈́̃̏̉̐̃͜ų̴̦͙͉̩͎̪̟̩̥̬̜̌̿͆̔̅̍̓͛̔̿̆͜r̷̳͖͓͎̼̺̈́̎̄̐̀̄͜ ̴̡̢̳̗͎̟̜̗̰͕̜̯͖͆͐͋̀̌̆͛͝͝f̴̣͎̺̣̾͑̃̓̊̾͗́̏͌͑̀̌͠͝a̵̢̧̡̧̖͉̙̹͉͉̹͕̜͑͌u̷̺͗̒̅̅̂̂͒̄͛͊̀̄͘͠͝l̶̨̧̨̢̤͉̺͉̹̤̯̲̋̈́̔̔̚̚͠t̸̲̣́̅͂̒̂͗̾̀̑!̷̪̈́̄̇͂̊
̷̡̛̬̠̖̳̫̣̭̹́́͗̒̅̐̓͐̍̒͜ ̴̨̛̿̀́̅̏͂̉̽̀͝͝M̷̡̢͙͉̩̩͔̭̹͎̝̭̳̔̽̆̃̉̑̿́͌̈́͘͜͠u̷̢̧̟̗̲̩̗̦̬̤̞̜̭͊͊̇̒̓̃͆̑̀͊͌͝͝ͅr̶̙͙̭̘̥̙̜̘͔̦̒̒͐͆͠d̶͙̟͙̐̋͑̈́͆̽͋͆̀̔͛̕͜ȩ̵̮͈̟̥̘̰͇̺̂̿̄̑̅̈́͗͆̀́̆̇̅̚r̵̮̍͠e̸̡̨͔̰͕̟̣͖̭͕͔̯͖͉̣̓̂̓͋̈́́͠r̶̡̠̦̮̲̪͓̈́͂̌̋̍̚͠!̷̗̙̹̮̇͑̆
̶͍̓̎̊̂̍͑̅̋̓́͛̎̾͘͠"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Futaba begged as she stumbled out of her room.
She needed air, she was drowning and sinking deeper and deeper...pulled down by her own bloody hands...
"T-Tomb...I messaged them that..." Futaba panted out. "...This place is my tomb!" She then declared.
[Input accepted. Searching for route to destination...]
"I...I got it?" Futaba gasped, seeing the confirm button appear on her phone's screen. "I can go in now?" She soon got out as her eyes widened.
Yŏ̷̳̳̗̹̩̔̾̀͊̊̑̒̾̐͆̔͑͝͝ų̵̧̡̛͖̳͉͔͖͈̻̤̝̙̹̔̒̄́̀̈́́̽̚ ̴̨̣̲̻̬̹̟͓̞̏͑̂̓́͑̏̀͛̆͜͝͠k̷̮̹̀̓̽͘͘͘͝i̵̢̺̟͙͇̘̺͊͒͊̄l̷̟͇̟̩͑͐̓̉͋̔̋͘͘͜͝ḻ̷͔̝̻͚̯̄̇̀̀͒̆̀ë̸̱̘̞̥̪̟̭͈͖̮́́̈́̋́̉̀̔͝d̶̢͙̘̟̱͉̤̋̈́̍͂͒̈́͌̈́̾̚͠ ̸̢̨͖̜̲̲͉̣̹͓͚̫̥̹͆́̅͛͒͜h̸̡̢̨͖͍̣̭̪̰͎̦̰̏̍͋̿̚ë̸̡̞̯̙͔̟̩̜͈͌̐̊͐̔̍̾̑̃̈́́͝͠ŗ̷͔͙͉͉̮̮͉̾̑́̔!̵̬̮͙͚̤̜̫͚͎̠͔̥̝̓͌̈́͒̌̓̌͗̀̆̾͗̽͜͝
̴̡̥̯̺͇̩̩̟̩̣͓̺̦̫̀̈͗͛̀̏̊̓̽͐̃̏ͅ ̴͙̟̻̾͒̊̾̍́̋̓̈̈́͘ͅỲ̸̧̧̤̘̞̩̩̯̖̠̩͐̽͛̄̓̂o̶̡̡̹̰̬̭͎̣͇̫͔̯̦͉̓̑̄͒̾͜ų̵̝͍̦̳̤̳̹͓̘̪͇̩͋̄̚͝͝'̶̡̰̳̻̪̖̖̳͖̯̪̯̼̆̽r̸̢̛̛͉̳̻̬̟̟͍͕͛̌̽̾̋̓̓̅͂̂̐̍͝é̸̛̜͕̽͗́̈́̒̎̕̚ͅ ̷̨͓̒̉ȃ̸͙̦͓͓̹̭̺͕̜͉̘͍̲̥̉̌̅̀̐͆̀͒͜ ̸̨̨̳͍̻̮͓̤̊͋̓͂̽̑̕̚͘͘͝ͅp̴̛̥̜̹̦̮̜͚̞͂͐̋̇̽̈́̓̆́̀̚̕͝l̸̲̱͙͓̇̍̈́̂a̵̢̛̤̤̾̋̍̊͌̈́̉͛g̷̡͚͙̝̙̣̭̫͚̤̼̲̦̰̋̈́͘ͅṷ̵̗̲̫͕̱̼̟̽͌ͅe̸͚̔̃̑!̴̛̳̞̬̈́̈̐̓̓̾͋͐̃̕͘
̵͖̪͇̮̗̖͖͎̯͙̖̚ ̴͉̱̪͓͚́͋͂̇̆̕͝͝I̶͔̼̬͍̟͚̘̝̦͍͎̪͆̽̐̈̍̂̾̍́̿̀̚ͅt̶̨̨̛̯͍͙̳͉̯̤̬̄́͗̆̐̂̐̈́̕͝'̴̧̧̨̱̩͙̞͚̤̠̠͓͎̯̙̑̌s̵̨̩̻͉͎̣̙̙͓̘͓̺͖̰̽̂̆̈́͠ ̶̡̪͖̹̫̝͎͇̖̭͉͖̾̔ͅả̵̡͎͇̥͎̙̬̻̲͍͓̤̎͛̏́͝ľ̶̨̞̳̫͖͌̓̿̈́̓̿̓͝ḽ̵́̈́̑͑̌͋̀͗̓͊̎́͜͠͝ ̸̨̡̩͎̟̩̗̟̥̟̖̱͓̠̄̄̈̀͛̔̏͋̚͜y̷̧̺̹̹͎̺̘͔̑̈́̈͐͑̓̏͂̕͜͠ơ̷̛̙̩͎͖̦̘̰̱͈̣̎̾̓̄͂̉̆̐̔̎̏͂͘ǘ̷̜̣̦͖̠̯̱̬̠̳̮̦̞̗̥͋̀́͛̋̂͂̔͋̋͘͠͝r̷̛͉̘͙̬̦̈͆͊̂̒ ̵̢̮͇͓̠͈̳̤̠͇̜̈̿̒̑͆͆̀̀͊̾̅f̶̧̢̩̹̝͔͕̎̀̔̊a̴̡̨͎͍̗̦͇̜̙̳̮͙̫̹̔͂̄̋̈́͛͂͗͒̽̈́͒̚͝ư̸̧̡̗̯̭̺͕͎̺̙̞̤̹̝̼̿̾͐̃̄͆̌̓̀͂̊͝͝l̸̨̹͎̮͇͛͆̽̔ͅt̴̢̨͕͚̘̗̰̮͊̑͑͂͒͆̑̀̿̕͘͘͘!̷̳̠̟̰̬̭̥̍͗̑̂͝
̶̨̬͇͎̲̜̺̈́͛͛̓̑̓̈̇̀͆̒̕͠ ̴̘̦̱͍̞̬̿̆̉́̉̾̍̉̾̕͠Y̶̳̟̝̱̲͈͚̤̥̞̲̖̯͊̿̉́̌̽̈́̉͘͝ͅơ̷͖̊͊̋́͑̇̽͒̆̾̾͛͠u̵̧̫͙̮̹̪̓̽̔̀̀͜'̵̨͕͎͖̹̦̗̖͉͈̪̬̞̈́͆̐̑̄̈́͋ͅṙ̷̮̗͖͎̜͍̂͊̑̓ę̴̟̥̩͔̃̒͌̓͌͌͘ ̷̧̛̩̹̼̮̖͍̦͜ṭ̵̛̻̌̉̍̐̅̒͒̿̀͐̚͠͝ḩ̸̥̹̟̭̝̩̳̮̳͍̜̮̋ẻ̵̟̙̘̞͇ ̸̛͓͉͉̦̻̽͌̀̀̑͆̅͑̌̈̿̄̿̚ȯ̷̭͓̝̐͌̚ņ̶͉͚̩͈̥̯͈̪̠̐̎̈́̈́̂͂͒̔͒͐͑̕͝e̸̢̲͕̭̖̱͚͓̙͈̓͊͐̋̂̅̐͊͋ͅ ̵̧͉̦͙̌͆̎̌͊͒̿̓̐̈͝͝w̷̢̢̭̝͍̝͔͕̲̭̦͂͝ḥ̷̨̧̪̫͕̙̯̮̻̻̥̀͋̄̇̽̍̏̆̒̈̒ơ̶̡̡̯̹̝̟̜͕̲̺͙͑͌̂͗̚͝ ̴̨̙̮̲̟̫̺̈k̶̡̫̗̱̖̊̽̑̐͂̈̃̆̐́̚̕͜͝͠͝i̸̧̢̙̻͕̎̃̋̾̅͑l̶͉̃̆̀̃̎̓̽̎̄̓̊̒͘l̴̨̒̒̀̾̔̈́̔̈̓̒́̿̓͑̕ę̷̢̲̱̗̮̦̰̗̤̟̞͚̥̽̅̚ḏ̵̢̤̼̜͎̯̣͇͍͕͇̃͋̓̓̾̐̏̽͝ͅ ̸̲͖͖̹̯̮̆̇͋́̋̚̚͜͜͠͝ḩ̸̺̯̭͖̜͕͉͚̄́̃͛̌̓̌́e̶̙͖̺̎̒̈́͗͐̈́̔̇́̔͌͝͠ṙ̶̢̿̃́̈̅!̴͕̬̪͎̖͖͔̰̳̬̬͒̆̋͜͝
̵̝̼̝̹̱̅̉̉͌ ̶̻͉̜͈̯̤͍̿͐̈̄̑̇̿͘͘Ḑ̶̪͙̱͉̮͇̦̬͔̱͔̭͎̐̒̾͋̒͆̏͊͝ͅơ̸̢̛̫̺͇̖̯͚͈̱̱̹̽̈͜͝ͅn̸̠̭̟̦̦̪̄͗̿́̾͛́͜͠'̵̨̳͈̙̣̘͋͆̒̾̀̋͗̉̒͆̿̃͛̌͜͝ţ̷̤̳͔̠̰͉̠̥̙͎̭͓̹͉͂͋̿͛̿̍͐͒̋͋͘̚ ̸̨̥̬̩̭̩̞̝͒̓̓̄̄̓̋͐̀͜͠c̸̡̬̬̭͂̓̇͐̂̀͛̏͛̇̔̃̕͠o̴̢̡͉̣͓̦̲̺̠̓̍͐̾̈́̏́̾͘m̶̹̦̤̲̬̜̳͇͎̌͊̿̌̍ȩ̴̤̖̣͕̟͇̗̻͔̲̟̼̳̎̂̂͊͐̐̂̐̿͘͜ ̶͚͚̦̭̲͔̠͖̘̬͉͈̟͈͗̂̌͑͠ͅń̶̜̫̮̝̺̗̹͎͓͉͙̫̅̎̓̃̋͒̇̈́̀̔̊̚̕͜ȇ̵̢͈͎̲͕̰̳͖͕͈̤̰a̵͖͍͔̾̽̃͊͆̅͋͆́͌̚ŗ̴̘͚̉́̎́̑͐͌̎̕ ̸̦͐̏͒̀̏͗́̿͛̽̉̏̕ṁ̶̡̹̤͖̝̣̞͖̦̲͗͜͝ͅę̶̩̠͚̼͆͒̓̂̏͆͛̚͝!̵̧̧̡̖̖̭̘͈̞̻̹̠͍̥̯̏̈́͊̎̓
̶̡̛̛̠̻̼̥̪̦̣̥̘̠̟̽̆̇̂̀̓̀̊̀́͆̒͘ ̵̛̰͓͕̑͆̎̓̇̋I̵͉̗̼̮̓̄̍̋̾̆̂͗͜͝t̵̨̡͈̗̱̳̜͍̰͉̱͎͕̺̲͛̄̈̎̈́̈́́̓̔'̶̥̩͍̎̍́̔̓̈́̇́̈̔͐̑̕ṡ̶̛̳̞̟͕͕̗̥̗͓͉̩͙̹̖͑̏̋́̌̀͑ ̶̢̦͎̜̀͛̿̂̊̇͂̆͑̿̚y̴̧̛͚͈̯͇̠̦̘̩̠͎̙̏́́́͆̊̊͠ǫ̶̢̨̞̫̣͇̹̺́͐̐̈́̃̏̉̐̃͜ų̴̦͙͉̩͎̪̟̩̥̬̜̌̿͆̔̅̍̓͛̔̿̆͜r̷̳͖͓͎̼̺̈́̎̄̐̀̄͜ ̴̡̢̳̗͎̟̜̗̰͕̜̯͖͆͐͋̀̌̆͛͝͝f̴̣͎̺̣̾͑̃̓̊̾͗́̏͌͑̀̌͠͝a̵̢̧̡̧̖͉̙̹͉͉̹͕̜͑͌u̷̺͗̒̅̅̂̂͒̄͛͊̀̄͘͠͝l̶̨̧̨̢̤͉̺͉̹̤̯̲̋̈́̔̔̚̚͠t̸̲̣́̅͂̒̂͗̾̀̑!̷̪̈́̄̇͂̊
̷̡̛̬̠̖̳̫̣̭̹́́͗̒̅̐̓͐̍̒͜ ̴̨̛̿̀́̅̏͂̉̽̀͝͝M̷̡̢͙͉̩̩͔̭̹͎̝̭̳̔̽̆̃̉̑̿́͌̈́͘͜͠u̷̢̧̟̗̲̩̗̦̬̤̞̜̭͊͊̇̒̓̃͆̑̀͊͌͝͝ͅr̶̙͙̭̘̥̙̜̘͔̦̒̒͐͆͠d̶͙̟͙̐̋͑̈́͆̽͋͆̀̔͛̕͜ȩ̵̮͈̟̥̘̰͇̺̂̿̄̑̅̈́͗͆̀́̆̇̅̚r̵̮̍͠e̸̡̨͔̰͕̟̣͖̭͕͔̯͖͉̣̓̂̓͋̈́́͠r̶̡̠̦̮̲̪͓̈́͂̌̋̍̚͠!̷̗̙̹̮̇͑̆
"I...I can't TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Futaba cried as she unintentionally pressed the input button.
[Beginning navigation.]
(Futaba's Pyramid of Wraith, Pharaoh's Tomb)
The Thieves had finally arrived at the location of the Treasure, walking into a dark room with only a sarcophagus in the center.
"The hell? This ain't what I was imaginin'!" Skull complained.
"Were you expecting a mountain of gold or something of the sort?" Fox guessed.
"Well, pharaohs are often buried with various treasures but we really haven't seen that much in a Palace, or anything really valuable." Joker noted.
"There is that over there." Panther pointed out to the stone chest in the middle of the room.
"That's it?" Skull got out.
"Panther, that's not a chest. That's a coffin." Widow informed the Thieves.
"A sarcophagus." Joker added.
"But there's nowhere else it can be. The Treasure has to be inside." Queen stated.
"Oh God, is Futaba's Treasure her own corpse or something?" Yang assumed in disgust.
"...Ack!" Serpent choked out. "No...It can't be...Futaba..." She thought in a panic.
"...Damn, that's effed up..." Skull got out. "But we have to take it either way. I just hope it ain't somethin' equally as screwed up in the real world." He added as he walked up to the coffin.
"Be careful." Fox warned.
"T-Treasure...!" Mona started to drool.
"Mona, it could be Futaba's dead body in there! What the hell is wrong with you!?" Yang called out in disapproval.
RUUUUUMMMMBBBBBLLLLLLE!
Suddenly, the ground shook underneath them, causing them to lose their footing for a second.
"There's something here." Fox got out.
"Of course it wouldn't be this easy." Joker muttered to himself as he took out his weapons.
"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Skull mumbled out as part of the ceiling was destroyed, letting in sunlight.
The Thieves stared through the hole silently...before a large eye appeared through it.
"FUUUUUUUTTTAAAAAAABBBAAAAAAA!"
"OH SHIT!" Yin and Yang screamed in unison fear as more of the ceiling came down around them.
"Is it a Shadow...?" Queen asked.
"No...this is different!" Widow exclaimed as shielded her eyes from the dust.
"It's not Futaba's Shadow!" Fox realised.
"Don't tell me..." Mona got out as the monster clawed her way through, basically destroying the room. The Thieves were nearly blown off by the creature's wing flaps, sand and debris flying everywhere, blinding the group.
Serpent was the first to lay her eyes on who was attacking them. "Mother of God..." She whispered. It was a giant Sphinx, just like the one they had to fight when she first awakened.
Except this one had glasses.
"Wouldn't be a Phantom Thieves heist without something big trying to kill us at the end!" Joker called out in a sarcastic tone.
"This is insane!" Panther exclaimed just as another powerful gust of wind nearly blew them clean off the pyramid.
"If it's not a Shadow, then what is it!?" Skull yelled out over the wind.
"It's a...cognition!" Mona replied as the Vice Leader held him as tightly as she could. "A monster that Futaba's cognition created!" He then revealed.
"How can that be!?" Queen shouted out.
"Hey! Look out!" Skull called out.
Joker was already on it, tackling the Advisor down just as a piece of debris almost crushed her. "Queen, you okay?" He soon asked in concern.
Though slightly dazed, Queen nodded as the Leader helped her up, just as the tip of the pyramid was completely wiped away.
"Everyone, get ready! It's about to attack!" Widow warned as everyone scrambled to their feet, getting their weapons ready.
(Cue Last Judgement by Shusaku Uchiyama)
"DO NOT APPROACH THE PHARAOH'S TOMB! MISFORTUNE WILL FALL UPON YOU!" The cognition screeched as it flew through the air.
"Ugh, look at it fly about! We can't reach it like this!" Mona complained. "We've got no other option. Let's take it down with our guns and skills!" He then suggested.
"You heard him! Spells and ranged only!" Joker ordered. "I'll be casting as many buffs as I can! Mona and Yin, keep us alive! Everyone else is on damage duty! Lachesis! I need a Marakukaja!" He called out as he removed his mask.
"Of course, Trickster!" The female Persona responded from the Leader.
"Dammit, what the hell is this thing!?" Serpent grumbled out as she fired at the cognition. "Why did Futaba create this monster!?" She soon asked.
"Maybe it's her last line of defense." Yang guessed. "Dammit, why is she still resisting..." She soon asked.
"It doesn't matter right now! Just kill it before it kills us!" Skull interrupted before firing his shotgun, barely hitting the monster with buckshot. "Dammit! My range sucks!"
"I got this!" Widow declared as she kneeled down and took out her sniper rifle, taking a deep breath before...
CRACK!
"Hit!" Yin called out as the monster staggered in her flight.
"I still have three more bullets, each of them for you!" Widow called out as she chambered the next bullet.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Three bullets, three more confirmed hits - and yet the cognition didn't seem fazed at all. "Out!" The grey haired girl then informed as she took out the empty magazine.
"WATCH IT!" Panther warned upon seeing the Sphinx charge straight at them, slamming her paw on Widow.
SLAM!
However, Widow's body acted before she even realised, jumping away from the attack. Unfortunately since she was in the middle of reloading she was forced to drop her only spare ammo, and when the cognition lifted her paw up, it was distinctly flat. "No!" The sniper cursed.
"There goes our sniper..." Joker grumbled.
"It's coming for more!" Queen interrupted as the cognition flapped her wings, creating a whirlwind!
FLAP! WOOOOOOOSH!
"GUH!" Yin managed to guard against it, along with Skull, however everyone else wasn't so lucky, as most of them ended up stumbling around dazed.
"U-Urgh...feeling...dizzy..." Fox moaned in pain.
"W-Why are there five of these things!?" Yang exclaimed, also dazed as she pulled out her SMGs and fired at essentially nothing.
"E-Everyone's dizzy..." Mona panted out before summoning his Persona. "Z-Zorro! Me Patra!" He then commanded.
Instantly, everyone that was inflicted with dizziness instantly felt the world stop spinning. "Wh-Whoa! Oh thank god! Thanks, Mona!" Panther called out as she shook her head.
"Dammit, we're barely doing anything..." Joker thought with a frown. "We need to ground this thing!" He then declared.
"How do we do that!?" Yin exclaimed before turning to the not cat. "Mona, weaknesses!?"
The not cat nodded as he closed his eyes, but gained a more strained expression before giving up. "I...It's out of my range! I can't properly analyze it!" Mona responded as he began to panic himself.
"Uh...Just hit it with everything! We're bound to find its weakness eventually!" Joker ordered as everyone summoned their Personas. "And...FIRE!" He commanded.
DOOM! FWOOSH! CRASH! WOOSH! ZAP! FWOOSH! CRACKLE! SPLASH! BOOM! SHINE!
The Thieves had hit the cognition with everything they had, but apparently it wasn't enough as it simply shrugged off the damage.
"Almost did Gokuentou by habit..." Yang silently groaned to herself.
"Well, that didn't do shit!" Skull growled, seeing how ineffective their attacks were.
Suddenly, the cognition made a rapid ascent into the sky, barely becoming a speck in their vision.
"What the!? Where is it!?" Yin exclaimed.
"Shit, the sun's too bright. I can't see her!" Yang called out as she shielded her eyes.
"Don't tell me it's going to dive bomb us!?" Mona realised in horror.
"Everyone, guard!" Joker ordered, everyone quickly bracing themselves. However, nothing came. "What the..." He got out in confusion.
"Damn that thing...When's it gonna strike...!?" Mona growled.
"Everyone, keep bracing yourselves. This is going to hurt." Joker commanded as they waited for the attack.
However, it felt like ages as they waited for something to happen.
"...Did it just leave?" Skull eventually asked as the Thieves let their guard relax a little.
"DO NOT DEFY ME!" They then suddenly heard as a massive shadow began to engulf them.
"OH SHIT!" Skull yelled out just before...
CCCRRRRRAAAAAAASSSSSHHHHHHHH!
None of the Thieves had time to scream as they were crushed under the Sphinx's weight, instantly taking out a majority of the team and leaving only Joker and Serpent able to climb out of their holes, and even then only barely.
"O-Oh God..." Joker groaned in pain as he held his side.
"J-Joker...Yang...neechan..." Yin moaned before falling unconscious.
"...We...We were the only ones that survived?" Serpent got out in disbelief.
"Looks like- SHIT!" Joker began to respond, only to suddenly push the white haired woman out of the way, right before he was slammed back into the ground by the Sphinx, the last blow needed to take him out.
Serpent's eyes widened, freezing where she laid on the ground. "A-AKIRA!" She called out in a panic.
(End Music)
The Leader groaned, the only way he could indicate that he was alive before he gathered enough strength to move. "I-I'm alri-Nope! No I'm not!" Joker tried to assure, only to feel the pain of breaking everything. Meanwhile, all the other Thieves began to wake from their bout of pain-induced unconsciousness.
"RRRRRAAAAAAHHHHHH!" The cognition roared, almost as if she was declaring her dominance over them.
"That...We...We can't take another one of those..." Yang heaved, barely able to stand up.
"Ngh...this isn't good...I can't tell when she's going to attack at all..." Mona regretfully informed.
"Th-This thing is way too powerful. We need to retreat!" Serpent got out as she scrambled to her feet.
"We can't! If we leave now, we can't steal the Treasure ever again! Everything we've done would be for nothing!" Widow called out, wiping the blood from her chin.
"But we can't die here..." Yin panted while clutching onto her chest, possibly from a broken rib.
"Dammit...!" Serpent swore out before facing the flying cognition. "I'm sorry...Futaba...I guess you'll be alone after all..." She soon thought with a humorless laugh, accepting her fate and ready to see her mother again, however...
"A-Ahhh...!" They suddenly heard a very familiar voice scream. "Ack! So much sand...!" She then coughed out.
Instantly, everyone turned around to see their target right there, attempting to shield herself from the heat and sand. "Hm? Futaba-chan!?" Yin exclaimed in disbelief and horror.
"YOU CAME IN!?" Serpent exclaimed in a panic. "What the hell were you thinking!?" She then questioned.
Futaba blinked as she stared at the weirdly dressed people. "...You're..." She began to realise who they were, only for Joker to limp his way over to her.
"We need to take her out of here! We don't know what-" Joker began to order, however...
"You killed her!" A voice suddenly echoed throughout the Palace.
"Oh, what now!?" Yang complained before everyone noticed how Futaba froze at the voice.
"Why don't you say something!?"
"Murderer!"
"It's all your fault!"
Suddenly, the Thieves saw several men and women surround the shut-in, sending her to her knees with every word they screamed at her. "It's my fault...It's my fault that Mom..." She mumbled, feeling tendrils of cold, unfeeling darkness tighten around her neck.
"Futaba!" Serpent called out as she ran up to the girl.
"THAT'S RIGHT!" The cognition suddenly screeched, getting the Thieves' attention. "YOU KILLED ME!" She then roared.
"What the shit!?" Serpent exclaimed.
"Oh my God..." Widow whispered in disbelief. How did it not hit them sooner!? Although, they were trying not to die..."That's...That's Futaba mother!" She then called out.
The Thieves gasped at that reveal. "That's messed up!" Skull exclaimed.
"Futaba's desires and guilt must've distorted her cognition of her." Mona realised. "The wish that her mother was alive again is mixed in as well, along with those eerie jeers..." He then added.
"That means..." Fox began as he began to clench his fists.
"Those voices...they were all real..." Yang gasped in horror.
"All these people yelling at her..." Yin breathed out.
"They were the real monsters here." Joker concluded with a frown.
"YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A DEMON WHO STOOD IN MY WAY! I WISH YOU HAD NEVER BEEN BORN! THAT WAY I COULD'VE ANNOUNCED MY RESULTS WITHOUT HAVING TO WASTE MY TIME ON YOU! I POURED MY HEART AND SOUL INTO THAT RESEARCH! IT WOULD'VE BEEN THE DISCOVERY OF THE CENTURY!" Cognitive Wakaba continued to scream and shout, sending her daughter further into despair.
"What does she mean by that?" Queen wondered out loud.
"It must be about her cognitive psience research..." Mona assumed.
"YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!" The cognition then declared. "THERE'S NO MEANING TO YOUR LIFE! NO ONE NEEDS YOU!" She then added.
"Nobody cares about me..." Futaba mumbled out.
"Stop listening to that thing!" Serpent pleaded as kneeled down to her level. "It's...It's..."
"Why is she getting bigger!? WHY IS IT GROWING STRONGER!?" Panther shrieked as power flared from the cognition.
"No...it can't be...Futaba's feelings are making the cognition more powerful!" Queen realised as she stumbled back.
"Hey, we're gonna be in deep shit if this keeps up!" Skull exclaimed.
"So because she thinks she killed her mother...and because she thinks she deserves to die...Futaba gave birth to a Palace where her mother wants her dead...?" Queen summarised.
"Yep, kinda put that together, Queen!" Yang responded as she raised her katanas at the monster.
"Futaba-chan, look! There's no way that monster is your mother! It's just an illusion you created!" Panther pleaded as darkness started to cover the skies.
"B-But..." Futaba tried to respond, only to be beaten down by more voices screaming into her ear how she killed her, murderer, she should die, the world would be better without her...
"She never abused you, did she!? Boss told us! He said she did her best to raise you alone!" Queen however revealed and stated.
"Isn't this a false memory that's been imprinted upon you?"
"A false memory...? Aagh..." Futaba panted only for the adults around to begin...pummeling her. Hitting with more than words and accusations.
More voices. Too many voices. All yelling. All calling for her execution.
They wouldn't stop. They would never stop until-
"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU BASTARDS SHUT UP!" Futaba's eyes snapped as something slashed through the voices, dispelling them from her mind for at least a moment.
The hacker raised her head to see the only adult of the group in front of her, already picking her up to her feet before lifting up her mask. "Futaba, look at me! That thing over there is not real! No, that thing was never your mother to begin with!" Miyabi stated, looking at the girl directly in her eyes. "This pyramid...this entire goddamn world wasn't created by you, it was created by the fucking jackasses who forged that note!" She then asserted.
"Forged...?" Futaba repeated.
The white haired woman let out a breath, finally able to break through to her, before facing the cognition of her mother. "It's obvious, Futaba..." Miyabi stated as she stared at the cognition with a calm expression, even as it charged straight at the Thieves. "You didn't need a change of heart to know that." She then added before throwing off her mask.
"DDDDDDDDDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Cognitive Wakaba screeched before charging straight at the Thieves, who all braced themselves for the pain.
"She loved you. No way she would leave you alone like this." Serpent concluded as she and Nobunaga charged at the cognition and...
CCCCCCRRRRRRAAAAAASSSSSSHHHHHHH!
Futaba flinched and closed her eyes, hoping that being eaten would be painless...however, when she heard the cracking of bones, she realised it wasn't her own. "You...?" She whispered.
The woman couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Get it...through...your thick skull! SHE CARED YOU DAMMIT! EVERYONE HERE CARES ABOUT YOU! PLEASE DON'T KILL YOURSELF!" Miyabi cried out in pain, even as she and her Persona held the cognition back. "AAAAHHHH! I KNOW YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM, BUT IF I HAVE TO DIE HERE TO PROVE IT TO YOU SO BE IT! SHE LOVED YOU!" She then declared, tears running down her cheeks.
"Miyabi-san..." Widow whispered in awe with widened eyes.
"You made her destroy all her research, Futaba-chan..."
Huh?
"She had worked so hard on it as well..."
Destroyed...her research...?
"She lost her mind...all because of you..."
Why did they mention her research...?
SHATTER!
"Her research..." Futaba realised as she raised her head.
"EVERYONE GET BACK!" She suddenly heard the Leader scream as someone dragged her away, the soft pillows on her back indicating that it was one of the shinobi. Widow, to be specific.
"It's Futaba's Shadow!" Mona exclaimed in shock.
"You're the reason she committed suicide. You were just getting in the way of her research." Shadow Futaba accused in a mocking tone, sounding like the adults who had screamed at her two years ago.
"Get...the fuck...away from her...!" Miyabi growled, even though her body was starting to crack under the power of the cognition.
"Miyabi, please." Shadow Futaba however insisted, raising her hand. As much as the woman wanted to tackle the Shadow down, her hands were a little full. "Why did you think it was a suicide?"
Futaba blinked before breaking out of Widow's grip, facing her Shadow alone. "...Because of the note." Shr answered.
"Exactly. The men in black suits read her suicide note to you, and what was written on it?"
"All of her complaints...about me." Futaba answered once more. However, her voice shook. Not in sadness but...in anger.
Rage.
Wrath.
"Yes. The shock and the pain led you to avert your eyes. But they kept reading it aloud in front of your relatives." Shadow Futaba pointed out. "Think hard. Was that suicide note real? Would the mother you loved so much truly have written that? Did she ever say such horrible things to you?"
"What the...?" Skull got out as the Thieves could only watch on as the orangette and her Shadow conversed.
"Is...her Shadow giving her therapy...?" Joker suddenly realised.
"No..." Futaba got out in a low tone, standing up straight on her own two feet. "No! She scolded me whenever I had tantrums, but she cared for me!" She then stated.
"Then what about the suicide note?"
"A total lie!" The hacker answered.
"You were used! They forged her suicide note and laid the blame of her death upon you! They trampled all over your young heart!" Her Shadow seethed. "Get mad! Don't forgive the people who really took mother away from us!" She soon ordered.
"It's because I couldn't face myself, or Mom's death...Even then, why did they have to yell at me like that!?" Futaba growled, feeling the heat in her heart become a wildfire.
"To erase any chance of comeuppance." Her other self concluded. "They've stolen everything from you..." She then snarled.
"...Including...my mom's research..." Futaba concluded, seeing even clearer than ever. "Now it's my turn...to STEAL IT BACK!" She then declared before a sharp pain went through her head. "N-Ngh...!" She then winced.
"Futaba!?" Serpent exclaimed, only to wince as the cognition was still trying to crush her and get to her real target.
"What denies you is an illusion...A curse put upon you by the heartless...You knew from the very beginning...And yet, you cowered in fear..." The Thieves suddenly heard a robotic voice state.
"No effin' way..." Joker got out in awe.
"...That's right. I knew, but I..." Futaba struggled as she felt her mind begin to split open.
"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT...! THIS TIME, YOU'LL BE THE ONE TO DIE!" Cognitive Wakaba growled.
"Shut...up already..." Serpent groaned as the cognition began to overpower her. Even her Persona was beginning to flicker in and out of existence.
"Will you die as you are told...? Who will you obey...? Cursed words spat out by a seething illusion? Or the truth within your own soul?" A voice echoed within the orangette's mind.
"IT'S YOUR FAULT! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" The cognition continued to accuse, frothing like a wild animal.
"Shut...UP!" Futaba finally screamed, glaring at the cognition. "I won't let these distorted thoughts deceive me anymore! And I won't be led astray by other's voices either...I'm going to trust my own eyes and my own heart to distinguish the truth from the lies. You are not my mother! You're just a fake created by those horrible people! I'll...I'll...!" She then scowled before...
SHINE!
"I'LL NEVER FORGIVE THEM!" Futaba and her Shadow self both declared in unison with determined looks on their faces.
Shadow Futaba then enveloped herself in a bright light, blinding everyone in the vicinity and forcing everyone to cover their eyes.
FWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOSSSSSHHHHHH!
The pillar of bright green flames that enveloped the young girl engulfed the tip of the pyramid, shooting past the sky and into space.
The Thieves could feel themselves sliding across the floor just from the sheer energy. Meanwhile, the cognition of her mother retreated back, allowing Serpent to collapse half-dead on the floor.
When the flames died down, it revealed a large circular object floating in the air above Futaba. Its exterior is decorated with green glyphs that are similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs, and on the top placed a gargoyle statue. It was currently spinning in place at a normal speed, hovering over Futaba with a light green glow underneath it.
"What...is that!?" Panther exclaimed in surprise and awe.
"UFO!?" Yin exclaimed in amazement.
Yang almost shielded her eyes with her arm from a glint of light coming from the glowing object above Futaba. "Huh? Whoa!" She then freaked as something emerged from the bottom of the UFO.
Black tentacles with glowing intricate marks slowly slithered out of the UFO's glowing bottom part, aiming towards Futaba with tech-like sounds.
"T-Tentacles!?" Yin and Widow exclaimed in a panic as blushes graced their faces.
The tentacles then slithered and grabbed Futaba on both her thighs, both her arms and her waist. "Huh?! W-what's going on?!" Futuba exclaimed at her current situation before the tentacles started lifting her off the ground. "Ah!" She then yelped.
"WHAT THE HELL!?" Serpent got out in disbelief. "WHAT IS THAT THING!?" She then exclaimed.
"Now that's something you don't see every day." Fox commented at the scene unfolding in front of them.
"How could you sound so casual about this?!" Yin exclaimed with a deep blush on her face.
The tentacles took Futaba upwards to the UFO-like object. "W-Wa-Waaahhhh...!" The orangette's scream trailed off as the tentacle finally took her inside the floating UFO.
"Futaba!" Serpent called out in worry as she began to try and save the girl before a hand grabbed her arm, stopping her.
"Serpent, wait!" Joker told her before giving out a smirk. "I have a good feeling about this." He then added.
Serpent threw her hand off of the Leader's hand and glared at him. "What the hell do you mean?!" She screamed in a panicked tone. "That thing just abducted Futaba!"
"Calm down, Serpent." Joker assured before shifting his gaze at the UFO-like object. "I think Futaba herself just got an upgrade of her own."
"Huh? Whaddya mean, Joker?" Skull asked as he faced him.
"U-Upgrade?" Serpent repeated in confusion before following the Leader's gaze as well.
Meanwhile, inside the UFO-like object...
"Contract...I am thou, thou art I...The forbidden wisdom has been revealed. No mysteries...no illusions shall deceive you any longer." A mechanical female voice stated in a calm tone.
Futaba slowly opened her eyes and then blinked a couple of times before looking at her surroundings. It was dark. Nothingness. She then noticed that she was actually floating in the middle of the darkness, with nothing to stand on. After that observation, she looked down and saw that she was wearing a brand new and unique outfit. It was a skintight black bodysuit with fluorescent neon green glowing stripes and matching black boots with neon green soles.
"User confirmed...Access granted...Initiating Necronomicon database and control." The same mechanical female voice started again in the same tone.
At that moment, digital holographic screens displaying various things like stats, knowledge, codes, and such appeared around Futaba with green hieroglyphics displaying in rings circling around her.
"Whoa, what is this?" The newly-awakened Persona user got out as she began interacting with the digital screens like a touchpad before looking at her own hands and body. "This feeling...I think I can do anything, and it feels awesome!" She then exclaimed in a confident manner as she clenched her fists in front of her with a grin on her face.
Outside the UFO-like object...
"Futaba!?" Queen shouted in worry as she looked at the floating object that swallowed Futaba inside.
"I'm...okay. I'm okay, guys!" Futaba's voice got out from the UFO-like object in a sound similar to a radio. "Mwehehehe! In fact, I'm better than okay! Isn't that right...Necronomicon!?" She then exclaimed with joy.
"The truth you seek will be revealed with our aid...Deception nevermore within these eyes of jade...We will deliver you the truth, no matter what the price...For the truth shall set you free from simple yet powerful lies..." The floating object now named Necronomicon announced in a female, mechanical voice and a calm tone.
"Huh? Wait...that's her Persona?!" Serpent exclaimed as she finally realized.
"Huh. I guess aliens did build the pyramids!" Joker laughed out.
The newly awakened Persona-user couldn't help but laugh as well before focusing her attention on the twisted image of her mother. "Please, help me. That illusion has to go!" Futaba declared.
Joker nodded as everyone turned towards the cognition. "Alright, Futaba, it's showtime!" He soon declared with a smirk.
(Cue Hanasaku Yūki by Aoi Yūki)
"MEDIARAMA!" Mona and Yin commanded, healing everyone back into fighting shape.
"FUTTTTTAAAAABBBBBBAAAAAAA!" Cognitive Wakaba screeched, piercing the Thieves' ears. "I KNOW I DIDN'T RAISE YOU LIKE THAT! HOW DARE RUN AROUND WITH SUCH AN AWFUL CROWD! THE ONLY THING YOU SHOULD BE DOING IS OBEYING MY ORDERS!" She called out.
"Oh, so now you care about her..." Skull got out without thinking. "Ack! Sorry." He soon apologized.
"No. It's alright. It's not my mother anyways." Futaba scoffed. "That thing is just a monster wearing my mother's face like a mask!"
"TALKING BACK TO YOUR OWN MOTHER!? YOU'VE SPENT TOO MUCH TIME WITH THESE NO-GOOD PUNKS AND HARLOTS, HAVEN'T YOU!?" The cognition spat out. "I'LL CRUSH THEM!" She then declared as she flapped her wings.
"Oh no, not again!" Yin exclaimed as the Sphinx shot into the air.
"It's gonna swoop down on us again! What do we do!?" Mona called out as Joker was already casting buffs on everyone.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it!" Futaba responded.
"We're counting on you!" Joker got out before the Metaverse began to...glitch. "Huh?"
"This is my heart's world, right? Hacking into my distortion should be no problem for me then!" Futaba got out with a smirk before tapping a few buttons. "Necronomicon! Execute Skill: Drop Shield!" She soon ordered.
"Executing." Her Persona responded, creating a honeycomb dome around the Thiebes.
"DDDDDDIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!"
REFLECT!
The cognition recoiled, feeling her own attack be reflected back onto her! "AAAAHHHH!" The monster yelled in pain.
"I won't let you!" Futaba declared.
"WHOA!" Skull exclaimed before seeing the dome go down. "Holy crap, you stopped it!" He called out.
"Reflect..." Joker muttered with a small chuckle.
"Reflega." Futaba corrected with a smile.
The cognition shook off the damage from her own attack, flying away before glaring at the Thieves. "GRRRR...YOU GODDAMN BRATS!" She growled.
"Now it's our turn!" Futaba declared. "Here goes! I'm summoning our ultimate weapon to the battlefield!" And with that, Necronomicon opened up and digistructed something they desperately needed.
"...A-A ballista?" Mona got out in surprise.
"Shoot it down with this, then beat the crap out of it!" Futaba called out.
"Ahhh, I get it now! Let's go!" Mona got out in understanding before nodding.
"You know, you could've spawned an anti-aircraft cannon." Fox pointed out.
"Eh, reusing some assets is easier than creating a new one." Futaba simply responded with a shrug.
"We're gonna fire that giant arrow thing, right?" Skull got out as he cracked his knuckles. "Who's gonna do it, Joker?" He soon asked.
"Anyone have experience using medieval weaponry?" Joker had to ask.
"I'll guide you through it. You just need someone strong enough to aim it manually and shoot it." Futaba informed before analysing her allies' strengths. "I recommend Skull, Fox or Yang. We need spellcasters and rangers in our main party right now, not barbarians and warriors." She then suggested.
"Wait, how did you-!?" Yang began to ask in shock.
"Necronomicon is feeding me a ton of info about guys. Your stats, your moves...everything!" Futaba answered in a giddy tone. "I can even get your three sizes!" She then added.
"WHA!?" Yin exclaimed with a blush on her face as the shinobi futilely covered their chests. "TOO MUCH INFO!" She then declared in a panic while flailing her arms.
"Focus on the monster, Yin!" Serpent ordered, though her eye twitched at what the orangette revealed. "She is getting a lecture after this..." She thought to herself.
"Yang, think you can take care of firing the ballista?" Joker asked.
"Heh, I always wanted to do that." Yang admitted before heading over to the weapon.
"Necronomicon, I need you to figure out the perfect time and angle to fire the ballista." Futaba soon ordered as she typed as fast as she could.
"Calculating. Please proceed with caution." Her Persona responded as it brought up a screen with a progress bar for her. Futaba had to admit, Necronomicon had an amazing UI.
"We need to buy time and keep the cognition from destroying it!" Yin soon got out.
"Don't worry, I can still help with that too! Necronomicon, scan the target!" Futaba declared as she ran a quick analysis of the twisted cognition of her mother. "Hah! She takes five times more the usual damage from guns and melee, but they won't take her down!" She then informed.
"And I'm assuming status ailments won't work." Joker muttered with a frown.
"Yep. Your best strategy right now is an old saying of mine: Percussit illud, donec moriatur." Futaba soon advised.
"What?" Skull got out in confusion.
"HIT IT UNTIL IT DIES!" Futaba roared with a wild smile on her face.
"Bloodthirsty little girl, huh." Serpent muttered before smiling. "Oh, we are getting along so well." She then admitted before spinning the barrels of her minigun.
"She's reminding me of Mirai now." Yang got out with a sweatdrop, already imagining the orangette with a multitude of guns.
"EAT LEAD ASSHOLE!" Serpent soon shouted out as her bullet hose fired, riddling the cognition with lead!
DAKKADAKKADAKKADAKKADAKKADAKKADAKKADAKKA-Click! Click! Click!
"I'm out!" Serpent soon called out. "Ooh, my arms are all tingly!" She then muttered as she shook her arms before reloading her gun.
"Come on! OPEN FIRE!" Joker ordered as everyone pulled out their guns and began firing at Cognitive Wakaba until they were dry!
BANG BANG BANG! BLAM BLAM! RATATATATATATATATA! PLUNK! PLUNK!
"We don't have enough bullets for this!" Panther called out as she reloaded her machine gun.
"Don't worry, we're almost ready!" Futaba assured as the tan skinned girl pushed the ballista. "Adjust the vertical alignment!" She then ordered.
"Why is this thing so heavy!?" Yang complained as she adjusted the ballista.
"Calculating reaction time...16.6666666667 milliseconds." Necronomicon soon informed. "Prepare to fire." She then recommended.
It was right then, as the tan skinned girl was about to fire, that the white haired woman's eyes widened. "Here's a stupid idea!" Serpent called out as she leaped up onto the ballista.
"Are you nuts Serpent!?" Yang exclaimed to the sight of this.
"Kinda." Serpent replied with a smirk.
Necronomicon made a happy beep in response to the crazy idea. "Adjusting for weight...done." The Persona stated before flashing an indicator.
"FIRE! NOW!" Futaba ordered.
Click-WOOOOSH!
"WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!" Serpent whooped, riding on the bolt all the way to the cognition's forehead.
THUCK!
"AAAAGGGHHHHH!" Cognitive Wakaba screamed in pain as it tried to take the arrow out, flailing and flying wildly around.
"Haha! Headshot!" Yang cheered from all the way back at the pyramid.
"GO! BACK! TO! HELL!" Serpent screamed as she repeatedly stabbed Cognitive Wakaba in the face. "ERM, I MEAN...DAMMIT, JUST DIE ALREADY!" She then added the cognition crashed in the pyramid, throwing her off and onto the ground as she landed back towards the rest of the group.
"Why didn't I think of that?" Joker wondered out loud.
"She's down! Give her hell!" Futaba advised.
"Hit her with your best shot!"
"Will do!" Yang got out before noticing that the ballista had fallen apart. "...Crap. Ballista's broken." She soon informed.
"I'll make another one, just use your Persona things!" Futaba responded as Necronomicon cleaned up the mess, allowing the Thieves to focus on the enemy.
"Now for some real damage!" Skull declared with a smirk before tearing off his mask. "Seiten Taisei! Assault Dive!"
WHAM!
"Keep the pain going! Gokuentou!" Yang encouraged as Wolverine slashed the monster's face.
"JOHANNA! FLASH BOMB!" Queen called out as she revved her Persona's engines.
"Albion, Agneyastra!" Joker commanded.
"Rising Slash, Goemon!" Fox declared.
"Megaton Raid!" Serpent finished the barrage of melee attacks.
"Nnnngh! After all I did to raise you...You dare neglect your mother like this!?" Cognitive Wakaba groaned in pain. "I am your MOTHER! The one and only in this whole, awful world!" She then declared.
"N-Ngh..." Futaba couldn't help but flinch. Even knowing that this creature only wore her mother's face...it still hurts to hear those words.
"That's not true!" Yin retorted, glaring at the cognition. "You aren't the only person who can help!"
"I agree that the world is cruel. It took you away from me after all..." Futaba admitted. "But...withering away in my room isn't going to change anything! It won't bring you back! I can survive without you...because I have people who love me just as much!" She soon enough declared.
"What, what, whaaaaat!?" The cognition exclaimed. "For a child to survive in your cruel world, they need a concerned mother figure like me! Understand!?" She then screeched.
"Ugh, you're a fake." Widow scoffed as she rolled her eyes. "Nothing but the creation of those cruel men in suits." She then declared.
"Yeah. There's nothing real about you!" Futaba reminded herself. "I still love my mom, and I'll miss her every day...but you're not her! You'll never be her! MY MOM WOULD NEVER YELL SUCH BULLSHIT TO HER OWN DAUGHTER!" She then roared.
"Grrrrrrr...!" The cognition growled before...
REFLECT!
"HAH! Blocked and redirected!" Futaba laughed as the cognition roared in frustration and pain.
"WAY TO GO, ALIBABA-CHAN!" Yin cheered before tearing off her mask. "Kaeru, Magnara!" She commanded, with her Persona shooting a boulder at the cognition's face while she was stunned.
CCRRAASSHH!
"AGH!" Cognitive Wakaba groaned before glaring straight at the Thieves...particularly the one in the UFO.
"Um, slight problem people! That monster with my mother's face is aiming for me now!" Futaba exclaimed.
Everyone's eyes instantly widened at that. "W-Well, move!" Skull called out.
"My Persona doesn't have the best maneuverability!" Futaba got out in a worried tone. "I'm not fast enough and I don't have the stats to tank it!" She then exclaimed as the monster got ready to bring her down.
"BLAST HER WITH YOU'VE GOT!" Joker ordered as the Thieves brought out their Personas.
DOOM! RUMBLE! FWOOSH! WOOSH! ZAP! FWOOSH! CRACKLE! SPLASH! BOOM! SHINE!
However, despite everything, Cognitive Wakaba tanked through the spells and went straight for Futaba!
"SHIT! NO!" Joker screamed as the cognition shot past them, her claws already out to destroy the UFO and whatever was inside it.
And with that, time slowed down for Serpent.
The sun was replaced by the moon and stars, the pyramid disappeared for a simple wooden home...and the cognition of Wakaba was replaced with the yoma that took her mother away.
Yin, Widow and Yang were too busy panicking to realise there was a way to protect Futaba at this moment.
She could jump up and take the attack herself. Those claws would definitely tear through her body and, if she lived, she would be swatted aside and sent to a certain death off the pyramid.
"This...This is just like that night…" The white haired woman thought, tightening the grip of her blade.
To protect those she cared about...it will require sacrifice.
Fuck.
That.
"I...I want to live...I...I want friends…" Serpent thought as her eyes widened and her pupils shrunk. "I'm done being afraid...I'm done with this suicidal crusade bullshit…" She then added in her mind as a dark gleam formed in her eyes and a black aura started coating her body.
No. Not again. Never...again!
"GRRRAAAAAAAAAAH!" Serpent suddenly roared as she was encased in a black and red energy orb.
"Serpent!" Yin called out at this action.
BOOM!
Immediately the orb exploded, but for Serpent, she had...changed as she hovered in the air...literally. Her white hair was now jet black with a single white streak with a marking on her cheek and the major change...she had a set of six bird-like wings, three of them being black and the other three being white.
Serpent didn't even take a second glance at her changed form and instantly flew in front of Necronomicon, slashing away the attack meant for her and forcing the cognition back with great force. "No one dies! And no one! Is hurting her! EVER AGAIN!" She soon declared.
"...Okay, that's effin' awesome." Skull admitted in awe.
"S-Shouldn't we be asking questions about this!?" Yin however exclaimed.
"Whoa...! Serpent's power is going off the charts!" Futaba informed. "Come on, Necronomicon! Help me figure out what's happening to her!" She soon commanded.
"Serpent is using her Ultimate Form classified as Abyssal. Warning: Serpent's vitals are beginning to drop at a rapid pace. Estimate amount of time: twenty seconds." Necronomicon informed in a mechanical tone.
"Serpent, that form is killing you! Revert now!" Futaba informed in a panicked tone.
"No! I've got this!" Serpent however responded with confidence. "I'm not dying here today, and that is a promise!" She then concluded with determination.
"She's already down to ten seconds already!" Futaba soon exclaimed.
"I only need five to finish this! Paradiso...of the Abyss!"Serpent roared as her white wings instantly changed to black before coating her Cursed Seven-Pronged Sword. She swung her weapon, unleashing waves of darkness at the cognition.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Cognitive Wakaba screamed, each energy wave taking chunks out of her.
"Holy...effin' shit..." Skull breathed out in disbelief at the sight. "...Why can't you girls do that!?" He then asked the other shinobi.
"First time I've seen it." Yang admitted as her sister nodded.
"I...I'm still working on that..." Widow mumbled.
Serpent finally ended it, shooting towards the ground, creating a crater in her wake. She then focused all her energy into her fist and glared at the monster.
"This is the end for you!" Serpent declared as she flared her power, rearing back her fist...before it started to falter, taking away all her power. "H-Huh? AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!" She got out before she soon screamed in pain while clenching her head.
"SERPENT!" Yin shouted out as the white haired girl transformed back, collapsing to the ground unconscious.
"Serpent's gone! We need a revive, Mona!" Futaba called out.
"Shit, she's gettin' up!" Panther warned as she brought out her machine gun.
Meanwhile, the not cat quickly summoned his Persona right as the cognition got up. "Recarm!" He soon commanded, a green light enveloping the woman's unconscious form.
"U-Urgh..." Serpent painfully groaned as she opened her eyes.
"Yeah, you really have some explaining to do." Joker soon stated. "What the hell was that anime bullshit? Could you always do that?" He questioned in disbelief as he supported the white haired girl to her feet.
Serpent meanwhile was breathing heavily as she struggled to stand. "..." She couldn't say anything, simply only able to glare at the cognition.
"Serpent! Careful with Abyssal Mode, it doesn't seem like you can handle it at the moment!" Futaba meanwhile advised in a serious tone. "I...I don't want you to die for me..." She then confessed.
The white haired woman in turn took in a deep breath and calmed down. "...Alright." Serpent responded before seeing the cognition fly about. "This thing needs to die. Now."
"Agreed." Futaba replied with a nod.
"Futabaaa! It's all because I had you...You did this...You screwed up my life! All you did was get in the way of my research! I should've never had you!" Cognitive Wakaba spat out.
"Shut up with your constant screaming! You're wrong!" Yang snapped.
"No! That's exactly what I always thought! If Futaba wasn't around-" The cognition tried to say, however a gunshot stopped her from saying anything else.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Keep talking." Futaba mocked, having had enough of this monster already. "I know the truth now. The only person who thought I was a burden was myself! She worked so hard because of me, because she cared about me! There's nothing you can say that'll convince me otherwise now!" She then declared.
"No matter how much you struggle, you'll never escape me! You'll be tormented by your personal guilt FOREVER!" Cognitive Wakaba declared.
"...Maybe." Serpent admitted softly before glaring at the cognition. "But that doesn't mean she'll be alone any longer. We've got your back Futaba!" She then stated.
"Everyone..." Futaba breathed out.
"Don't let those pieces of shit get to ya!" Skull encouraged.
"Yeah! We'll protect you until you can stand your own." Panther added.
"This will not be the last you see us." Fox promised.
"We'll help you avenge your mother." Queen assured.
"Whatever you need, the Phantom Thieves will always be there to help!" Mona stated.
"You were never alone." Joker finished. They smiled a little when they heard a little sob from the girl.
"No...NO! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Cognitive Wakaba screeched.
"No! With them, even the impossible is made possible!" Futaba retorted. "Because the Phantom Thieves...have already won!" She then declared.
The Thieves could see the blood vessel popping on the cognition's forehead. "N-Naughty children who defy their parents...SHOULD BE PUNISHED!" Cognitive Wakaba cried out before diving straight at them.
"Would you shut up already!? Don't you dare hurt my friends!" Futaba roared as rammed Necronomicon into the cognition of her mother's face.
WHAM!
"AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" Cognitive Wakaba screamed while Necronomicon readjusted after crashing into the enemy.
"Futaba!" Serpent called out in concern.
"I'm...I'm okay..." The hacker assured, though sounded quite dazed. "Should've done the shield again...ow..." She then groaned.
"You are not doing that again, young lady." Serpent bluntly ordered.
"Yeah...kinda agree with you on that..." Futaba had to admit.
"Oi Serpent! Act like a big sister later! We have a fight to win!" Yang called out.
"Says you, of all people." Skull scoffed as he rolled his eyes. As much as the tan skinned girl wanted to choke him, they had bigger Sphinxes to fry right now.
"One more ballista shot should do the trick..." Futaba muttered as Necronomicon spawned another ballista. "Who wants to fire an arrow into someone's face right now~?" She playfully questioned.
"Everyone! LET'S FINISH IT!" Joker ordered as everyone went to the ballista and used their combined strength to quickly aim the weapon.
"A little to the left...no no no, right! Fox, your other right!" Futaba frantically ordered as the monster prepared her next attack.
"YOU! ARE!" The cognition of Wakaba screeched as she charged directly at them...right where they were aiming.
"Go!" Futaba called out.
"Finished!" Joker declared before firing the ballista.
Click- WOOOOSH! THUCK!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Deploying the coup de grâce!" Futaba declared as she hit the button. Suddenly, a bomb appeared in her lap with a fuse that was already lit. "Mwhehehehe!" She then laughed before dropping out of Necronomicon with the bomb in her hands.
"Futaba!?" Panther exclaimed with a horrified look on her face.
"RRRRAAAAAAHHHHHH!" The little girl roared as she fell, throwing the bomb into the cognition's mouth in midair.
"Seriously!? Futaba's got bombs as well!?" Yang exclaimed.
"That's effin' awesome!" Skull got out as he pumped his fist before seeing the white haired woman jump into the sky. "WHOA!"
The white haired woman soon caught the girl, landing back on the ground with the young girl in her arms. "Gotcha!" Serpent breathed out in relief before they both stared at the bomb. "And..." She began.
"Git Gud!" Futaba finished as the fuse burned out.
...And yet nothing happened.
"...It's a dud?" Fox got out in disbelief.
Futaba blinked before jumping out of the white haired woman's arms, walked over to the bomb, studying it a little...before kicking it.
KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The orangette's body soon crashed into the white haired woman's thanks to the force of the resulting explosion. Despite her glasses being cracked and her new outfit burned and torn, she still had a huge smile on her face. "Git Gud!" Futaba shouted out while laughing happily.
"She's still alive!" Fox called out as everyone aimed their guns at the cognition.
"Ngggh...Futaba...Futaba..." Cognitive Wakaba weakly managed to get out. "If only I had never birthed you...!"
The orangette closed her eyes as if she was wincing in pain. "Keep talking all you want." Futaba got out in a sad manner before putting on a brave face. "No matter what you say to me...I will live! FIRE!" She declared.
"Rest in Peace." Joker simply stated.
BANG!
(End Music)
Joker watched as the cognition tumbled down the side of the pyramid, wincing at the sounds of muscles tearing and bones breaking before it finally died at the bottom. "Farewell." He could only say before turning around.
"Futaba!" Queen called out as the Thieves went to check on the girl.
"Damn, you're freakin' incredible!" Skull praised in an excited tone.
"Are you okay?" Widow however asked in concern.
However, the orangette had other things on her mind. "Whoa...! What in the world?" Futaba got out, admiring her outfit no matter how tattered it was. "Oooh! It's totally skintight! It's like I'm wearing nothing at all!" She then remarked.
The Thieves couldn't help but sweatdrop at this. And apparently, Futaba still had control over her Palace since "Nothing at all" echoed around the place for a few seconds.
"...These clothes tear pretty easily, huh." Futaba remarked with an amused smile on her face.
"Huh?" Serpent got out before everyone looked down to see how wrecked their outfits were. It was a miracle none of their genitals were hanging out. "Oh crap!" She then yelped as everyone covered themselves.
"We do not have enough Sewing Kits..." Joker muttered. "Note for the future." He then added.
"Well, that had to be the woooorrrr-AAAAHHHH!" Yang suddenly screamed in terror.
"What!? What's..." Joker began to ask...only to spot Wakaba Isshiki standing there with a peaceful smile on her face. "Oh." He got out.
"Mom!?" Futaba gasped as she ran up to the woman.
"What the..." Serpent whispered in disbelief.
"Futaba. Thank you for choosing to remember the real me." Wakaba got out.
"I'm sorry for being so selfish. Mom..." Futaba apologized.
Wakaba couldn't help but laugh a little. "Futaba. This isn't where you're supposed to be, is it?" She stated.
"But I finally got to see you again..." Futaba sobbed out, taking off her mask to wipe away the tears.
Wakaba couldn't help but laugh. It was just like her. "Are you being selfish again?" She soon chided lightly, causing the girl to look a little guilty.
The hacker closed her eyes and clenched her fists, forcing herself to not go over and beg for her to come back with her to the real world...she knew that she couldn't. "Um, I...I love you, Mom..." She managed to get out.
"I love you too, Futaba." Wakaba simply responded with a loving smile.
Joker, meanwhile, had to resist laughing to see the tan skinned girl hiding and shivering behind her roommate at the sight of the semi-transparent Wakaba.
"Now, you should get going. Your friends are worried about you." Wakaba soon suggested, smiling at her daughter's new friends. Skull simply and awkwardly waved back.
"D-Don't go..." Futaba couldn't help but plead, reaching out to her mother.
"I never left..." Wakaba simply stated before disappearing into motes of light.
"Was that...really her mother? Or a cognition?" Widow questioned in a whisper.
Mona opened his mouth to say something...before shutting it and shaking his head. "I don't know."
Futaba soon wiped away her tears, put on her mask and turned to the group. "...Oh. Right. Medjed." She then remembered, sounding a little raspy before clearing her throat.
"Medjed?" Yin got out in confusion before the Leader nudged her shoulder. "Oh. Them. Right." She then realised.
"Medjed isn't important right now. Futaba, are you okay?" Serpent got out in concern.
"...Yeah. I am." Futaba replied as she summoned Necronomicon.
"Where are you going?" Queen asked as they all lifted up their masks.
"Home. I know how to use the Nav now." Futaba casually answered.
"Huh? Oh...right." Queen muttered to herself as the orangette's Persona lifted her inside itself.
"Wait, when the hell did she get the Nav?" Yang asked as they watched the young girl fly off into the distance.
"Erm...I feel like it's my fault." Skull admitted as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"I think we're just lucky that entering her own Palace didn't cause a brain aneurysm." Widow got out with a sigh.
"That girl marches to the beat of her own drum, doesn't she?" Fox then stated.
"I think you mean the beat of her own heart." Joker corrected, causing everyone to groan.
"Wait, what about her Treasure?" Yin reminded everyone before glancing over to the coffin, which was miraculously sealed shut even after all that.
"Do we need to steal it at this point? I mean, she seems alright now." Panther pointed out. "Wait, does that mean that her distorted desires have disappeared?" She then asked.
"I guess." Mona assumed with a shrug. "Maybe...Futaba herself was her own Treasure." He then deducted as the Thieves stared off into the distance, admiring a view few people would ever see.
Unfortunately, it would soon be ruined.
"Hey, wait a minute...A Palace only collaspes when the Shadow leaves it and we steal the Treasure, right?" Yin suddenly asked.
"Yes?" Mona replied with a nod.
"But Futaba-chan's turned into a Persona. And she's good now." Yin continued.
"Yes." Mona once again replied with another nod.
"Doesn't that mean as soon as Futaba-chan leaves the Metaverse, the Palace is going to collapse?" Yin pointed out.
The not cat's eyes soon widened to that realization. "...Yes!" Mona exclaimed.
The Phantom Thieves remained silent before it dawned on them.
"...Oh shit!" Skull exclaimed as the floor started to shake underneath them.
"Ugh...we probably should've realized that sooner..." Widow groaned.
"At least give us a ride in your UFO, Alibaba!" Yang shouted to the heavens.
"Meh, she doesn't know about it. Let her be." Serpent casually stated without any care.
"You are oddly calm about this." Mona got out with a sweatdrop.
"SHUT UP AND CHEESE IT!" Panther screamed.
Meanwhile Joker pulled the light grey haired girl out of the way of hole that appeared right underneath her. "Good idea." He started as the ground started to collapse right under them. "RUN!" He soon ordered.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" The ever brave and cunning Phantom Thieves of Heart screamed in terror as they ran down the side of the imploding pyramid, outrunning death itself by the seat of their tastefully torn legwear.
"WHY CAN'T WE EVER JUST GET IN AND GET OUT!?" Yang complained. "WE SUCK AT BEING THIEVES!" She then declared.
"BANDITS OF HEART, YANG!" Widow yelled out.
"WWWWWAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Yin cried as comical tears ran down her face.
"MAN RUNNIN' HERE'S A BITCH!" Skull got out, cursing himself for barely doing stair-climbing exercises.
"IT'S CATCHING UP TO US!" Fox warned, feeling the dust on his tail.
"MONA! CAR! NOW!" Yang ordered in a panicked manner.
"I KNOW! STOP YELLING AT ME, I'M TRYING TO CONCENTRATE!" Mona screamed back. Suddenly, the ash blonde picked him up. "Huh!? P-Panther, what are you-" He got out in confusion, however...
"CONCENTRATE NOW!" Panther shouted out as she threw him as hard as she could into the air.
"DON'T THROW A FREAKING ANIMAL LIKE THAT!" Mona screamed before closing his eyes and transforming to his car form, landing right at the bottom of the pyramid while opening the back door. "GET IN GET IN GET IN!" He then called out.
"JUMP!" Queen called out as they leaped off the pyramid just as the destruction caught up to them, landing in the Morganamobile.
After a little bit of shuffling, Serpent ended up behind the wheel.
"Floor it!" Joker commanded.
Serpent nodded before slamming her foot on the gas. "Shit, shit, shit, shit!" She thought as she drove the car, dodging left and right from the falling debris, tossing the Thieves around in the back. "Where the hell is the exit!?" She demanded.
"Someone activate the Nav!" Yin soon exclaimed.
"Not here! We'll end up crashing into a wall or something!" Panther called out. "Just a little further then hit it!" She then informed.
"Hey, there's a giant wave of sand right on our ass!" Skull yelled out before falling over as Serpent pulled off some stunt maneuvers to dodge more pieces of the pyramid...including one of the boulders that nearly killed them.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" The Thieves screamed in terror as the white haired woman hit the brakes, but they weren't slowing down fast enough to get out of the way.
"Screw it! Activating the Nav! EVERYONE BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Joker warned as he activated the app.
(7/28, Afternoon)
(Yongen-Jaya, Backstreets)
[The destination (Futaba's Pyramid of Sloth & Wrath) has been deleted. Have a nice day.]
"Thank you." Akira groaned before turning off his phone and laying back on the ground, too exhausted to snark more than that for the moment. Even though everyone was suffering some sort of pain, at least they were back in reality.
"That...sucked...even harder...than last time...Ow...!" Homura moaned in pain, rubbing her face after skidding across the ground on it.
"This...has happened before?" Miyabi soon asked as she winced in pain.
"Every time. It's a wonder we haven't broken anything." Akira answered. He was going to need a long soak in the bathhouse after this. "Ugh...it's still summer, isn't it?" He soon asked.
"Eh?" Yumi got out in confusion before realizing that the pavement was kinda hot. "Ouch!" She yelped out as she quickly got to her feet.
"Urgh...You guys alive?" Ryuji asked as everyone stood up.
"Barely." Akira sighed as he looked around before realizing they had landed in front of Leblanc.
Or at least crashed, tumbled and suffered some roadburn in front of Leblanc.
"I thought I was gonna die in-" Ann started, before realising the dark blue haired boy was holding onto her. "Hey! Will you let go of me already!" She called out as she elbowed the artist away, accidentally hitting him in the face.
"Ann-san! Yusuke-san!" Yumi chided in a disapproving tone.
"S-Sorry!" Ann quickly apologized.
"N-Not again..." Yusuke groaned out while he rubbed the sore spot just as the cafe owner walked out of the store to check on the commotion.
"What was that sound?" Sojiro asked as he looked around, seeing his tenant and his friends looking a little disheveled. "...Hm? What're you guys doing out here?" He soon asked in confusion.
"Oh, ummmm..." Ann got out, trying to think of an excuse.
"That reminds me, where's Futaba?" Ryuji muttered out, only to get kicked in the shin by the tan skinned girl. "Ow! Seriously, come on!" He got out in annoyance.
"Goddammit Ryuji..." Homura sighed out.
"What about Futaba?" Sojiro questioned as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Oh, uhhhh..." Asuka got out as she tried to think of an excuse.
"Ah, yes! We came all this way, so how about we enjoy some coffee?" Makoto suddenly suggested.
"Y-Yeah! I'll make everyone a cup!" Asuka then announced while sweating slightly, and not just because of the heat.
"That's a great idea!" Ann replied in agreement.
"That's fine, but..." Sojiro started, however...
"I'm not thirsty though." Yusuke stated truthfully, only to earn a punch to the side courtesy of the tan skinned girl. "Oof! Ack!" He then grunted in pain, nearly going to his knees.
"Then you're hungry! Hey, let's all go inside before the heat kills us." Homura stated, mentally promising to lecture the artist at a later date, as she and her adopted sister went into the cafe.
"Hm?" Sojiro then noticed the white haired woman among the group, who seemed a little distracted and tired. "Hey, new friend of yours?" He soon asked in a curious manner.
"Huh? Oh, uh...It's Miyabi." Miyabi awkwardly introduced herself. "I was just about to...shit!" She remembered as she dashed off towards the Sakura household.
"About to what?" Sojiro got out in confusion.
"U-Um, looks like Miyabi-san had something to take care of! Which reminds me, I need to be somewhere as well. Isn't that right, Makoto-san?" Yumi got out as she subtly nudged her fellow President.
"Yes. You guys go on ahead." Makoto insisted.
"O-Okay, gotcha!" Ann replied as the rest of the Thieves went into the cafe, except for the Leader.
"Let's go find Futaba-san." Yumi stated as the Leader and Advisor nodded at her before dashing off to the Sakura household as well.
(Sakura Residence)
They didn't have to go far to find the orange haired hacker, spotting her sitting near the gate in front of the household with the white haired girl freaking out while trying to revive her. "Futaba, come on. You'll catch a cold." She muttered in concern, lightly pinching her cheeks and nudging her.
"It's the middle of summer." Akira pointed out.
"Shut up Akira!" Miyabi growled out.
"Futaba, can you hear me? Please say something!" Makoto pleaded as the light gray haired girl checked if the young girl was even breathing.
She could feel it, but it was quite faint.
"Thank God, she's still breathing..." Yumi informed as she held her rapidly beating heart.
"Wake up. Futaba, please wake up." Miyabi begged as she shook the young hacker. "Don't do this...Please...Oh God..." She muttered in panicked concern.
"Could this be our fault? Is it because we destroyed her cognition of her mother...?" Makoto got out, her voice shaking.
"No, destroying a cognition wouldn't affect someone's mind like this." Morgana informed. "Destroying it won't cause memory loss or put a physical burden on her..." He then added.
"Yeah. Like how we kept killing Cognitive Ann, Shiho and Mishima back at Kamoshida's Castle." Akira stated before looking down at the unconscious girl. "We should get her inside her room. I'll go get Takemi. Maybe she can figure out what happened." He then suggested.
"R-Right. Go!" Miyabi called out as she picked up the unconscious orangette in her arms as the glasses-wearing boy ran for the clinic. "Please...don't give up...not after everything..." She soon muttered in concern.
(Futaba's Room)
The last few minutes were very tense as the group waited for the doctor's verdict on Futaba's condition.
"A house call is going to cost you, you know." Takemi informed the four.
"We don't care, we'll pay you extra! Just tell us what happened!" Miyabi demanded while preparing to get her wallet out.
"Calm down. That was a joke." Takemi replied. "Her pulse, breathing, temperature and blood pressure are all normal. No ocular abnormalities either. I'm not sure why, but it seems this girl is in some kind of light stupor. Furthermore, she lacks muscle for her age. I doubt she has much stamina either." She soon informed.
"So...she just exhausted herself?" Yumi summarised with a breath.
"I see. The rebound from her awakening was too strong..." Makoto muttered out.
"Makoto...On'tday alktay aboutway Ersonaspay ilewhay ere'sthay illstay ethay iviliancay inway ethay oomray." Miyabi growled out.
"...What?" Makoto got out in confusion.
"Oh, are you talking about your Phantom Thief business now?" Takemi casually guessed, shocking everyone in the room apart from the Leader and the not cat, who subtly smiled. "Don't worry, your secret's safe. So, was this the result of another of your heists?" She informed followed by the question.
"Y-Yes." Makoto awkwardly replied.
"Well...I won't ask about what you've done to her, but I can safely say you haven't killed her." Tae stated. "I'll be happy to help monitor her condition if you want." She soon offered.
"Thank you." Miyabi breathed out.
"Be sure to visit me for your check-ups. We don't want ghost cancer now, do we?" Takemi reminded, confusing Miyabi and Makoto greatly.
"It's not...ah, whatever." Akira tried to correct, only to give up mid-sentence. "We'll have to ask Boss about that." He then replied before realisation hit him. "...You guys realise we can't just hide this from Sojiro, right?" He soon pointed out.
"Yeah that...that's gonna be trouble." Miyabi mumbled.
"There may have been too many abnormal circumstances..." Morgana meanwhile deducted.
"I accept we cannot keep quiet about Futaba-san to Sojiro-san." Yumi sighed out.
"Yes, we must tell him." Makoto agreed with a nod.
"You know he's gonna scold us for breaking into his house again." Akira pointed out.
"We'll say we found her outside of the house." Miyabi then stated. "...But she's shut-in so she wouldn't have a reason to leave her room, let alone her house..." She then mumbled out before groaning and slapping her forehead.
"He's going to catch onto us." Morgans warned.
"Well, letting him know is the only option we have." Makoto countered.
The not cat shook his head in resignation. "Guess it can't be helped. It's better if he was informed instead of finding out himself." Morgana got out. "Just make sure to keep the circumstances that led up to this a secret and we should be good." He then instructed.
"Right. I'll go get him." Miyabi replied with a nod as she exited the room.
A few moments later...
Eventually, everyone including the cafe owner was in the orangette's room as her guardian looked at the unconscious girl.
"Hey, Futaba? Hey...?" Sojiro tried to get his daughter to wake up.
However, Futaba remained silent, unmoving. The more time passed, the guiltier the Thieves felt.
"Oh dear..." Sojiro sighed out.
"Um...Boss..." Asuka started in concern and guilt.
"About Futaba..." Makoto continued, the guilt starting to become too much for her to bear.
The cafe owner then noticed the various guilty expressions on the Thieves' faces. "Hm? Why do you guys look so down?" Sojiro asked in confusion.
"We...Well...Futaba's like this because..." Miyabi got out, preparing for the worst.
"What, this? It happens every so often." Sojiro casually informed.
This in turn caused the brunette to blink upon hearing that. "...Eh?" Asuka got out in confusion at what the cafe owner revealed.
"She must've used up all her energy. It's like she ran out of batteries." Sojiro explained. "I think it happens because she doesn't get enough exercise." He then deducted.
SHATTER!
And with that shattering revelation...
"What!?" The Phantom Thieves exclaimed in unison.
"Hey, quiet down!" Sojiro scolded.
"So...She's ok?" Miyabi then asked in concern. "She just needs a recharge?" She then added.
"She stays like this for a few days whenever this happens." Sojiro continued. "I'll make sure she gets plenty of sleep. Here, keep an eye on her. I'll go close up the store." He then got out.
After the cafe owner left, the Thieves couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief in unison as they all looked at the bedridden girl.
"It's hard to describe how I feel right now..." Makoto mumbled out.
"Yeah, I'm feelin' pretty frustrated..." Ryuji admitted.
"That is not sleep. That is a coma." Yumi however stated as she shook her head. "Still, at least she's fine...relatively speaking..." She then added.
"We should probably get her a treadmill after she wakes up." Akira suggested. "Or Ryuji could take her to the Protein Lovers Gym." He then added.
"Hey, I have free entry for the year. I'll do it." Homura reminded.
"I'm glad she's okay...but what are we gonna do about Medjed?" Ann asked, reminding them of the upcoming threat of the cleanse.
At that moment, Futaba's eyes drifted open. "Ah...Medjed..." She mumbled out tiredly.
"Futaba-chan!" Asuka called out, happy to see the girl awake.
Futaba narrowed her eyes, vaguely recognising the colorful blobs surrounding her bed as the Phantom Thieves. "Type contact underscore add dot E-X-E and then hit the Enter key on my keyboard." Futaba instructed. "My number...and chat ID...will be added to your phones..." She then mumbled out. "Tired...Gonna go to sleep for a bit..." She soon revealed as she closed her eyes and began snoring.
"And...she's gone again." Homura sighed out. "Something tells me she's not gonna wake up for a while..." She then added.
Meanwhile, the Leader went over to the girl's computer and did as she instructed, and at that moment...
BZZT! BZZT! BZZT!
Immediately, everyone's phones went off, causing them to take them out and look at them.
["Alibaba9" has been added to your contacts.]
"Son of a bitch..." Miyabi got out in surprise. "How the hell did she find my phone? I just got here!" She soon asked.
"She's just that good." Akira replied as they put away their phones.
"Now only if she could help us with Medjed now." Yumi stated in a slightly impressed tone before frowning in concern at the sleeping girl. "She must wake up soon, we're running out of time." She then reminded.
"Well, all we can do is wait until then." Morgana however stated, causing the others nodding in agreement.
Suddenly, they heard someone sobbing.
"Eh?" Asuka got out before they all looked at the white haired, who was openly weeping.
"W-We...saved her..." Miyabi sobbed out as she wiped her face. "We saved her...thank god..." She got out in relief as she kneeled down in front of her bed.
Akira couldn't help but smile. Even a shinobi, no matter how much shit they've been through, can still cry.
Yumi meanwhile looked on in a surprised manner to see the Evil Shinobi's action towards the young girl. "M-Miyabi-san..." She softly called out as she placed a hand on the white haired girl's shoulder.
"Maybe we should leave 'em alone." Ryuji suggested.
"I agree..." Morgana replied with a nod.
Akira and the rest nodded silently before leaving Futaba's room, allowing the two to have a moment together.
Sojiro eventually came back from closing the shop and saw that Miyabi was still inside, sitting on his daughter's bed and watching her sleep. "Hey, why aren't you with your friends?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"O-Oh. I'm sorry. I just...I didn't want to leave her alone." Miyabi answered with a blush.
"I can take care of things from here." Sojiro assured, although was glad to see that there was someone out there who cared about her, even though he only met her today.
"I'm sure you can." Miyabi replied before getting off the bed and bowing. "Sorry for overstaying my welcome. I'll be taking my leave." She then apologized before beginning to head out the door.
Sojiro knew he could've let go...but the expression said everything he needed to know. "Actually…" He began, stopping the woman. "I need to go out and pick up some food. Do...you mind watching over her for a little bit longer?" He soon requested.
Miyabi blinked before turning around. "Yeah, I don't mind." She replied with a nod.
"Thank you. I'll be back in half an hour...Miyabi, right?" Sojio responded before trying remember her name.
"Yes. Erm, Miyabi Kurayami." The white haired woman answered.
"...Hm. Well, if something happens, call me on Futaba's phone. Her password is isshiki001." Sojiro informed as he grabbed her phone and handed it to her.
"I'll keep that in mind. Now go." Miyabi got out as she pushed him out the door.
"Alright, alright." Sojiro chuckled before leaving the house.
Sighing to this, Miyabi somewhat relaxed herself as she looked around. "Jeez, this place is filthy..." She muttered in disapproval. "I should probably clean this up…" She then added. However, she winced when she tried to stretch her limbs. "Okay...not an option." She squeaked before sitting back down on the bed.
She had to admit, although most of them were civilians, the Phantom Thieves were a force to be reckoned with.
She realised now...she didn't really have a chance against them.
"Dammit…" Miyabi sighed as she stared at her hand. "I guess...I'm still weak, even with Nobunaga…" She then muttered before looking at the orangette's sleeping face.
She looked so peaceful, with nothing to show what she had gone through.
"I'm...I'm a little jealous, Futaba. You actually got to say goodbye to your mother, even though it was in a roundabout way." Miyabi admitted. "But...it made me realise a few things about my life. I...I don't think I'm ready to go back home just yet. This whole experience made me realise that...I'm not ready to be a shinobi. I'm definitely not ready to honor my mother's memory. Getting myself killed wasn't going to solve anything." She then muttered.
"Mmm…" Futaba moaned out.
"And you know...Akira, Homura...Asuka and all those guys...They're not so bad. Urgh...I've been such a bitch lately...but I don't know if they'll actually accept an apology…" The white haired woman soon wondered before shaking her head. "Gah...screw it, I'll just try and go for it and see what happens. Maybe I should make some brownies for them." She got out before shaking her head. "Oh, what am I talking about?" She then mumbled in confusion.
"Mmm…"
"...Am I sounding like a mother myself?" Miyabi soon wondered in concern before blushing scarlet. "I-I mean...I don't want to replace your mother. I don't even think I'm remotely ready to be one. Like, your father isn't my type and he's probably as old as my father and…" She then rambled before remembering the tan skinned girl's words. "...A big sister maybe?" She eventually wondered.
"M-Mmm…" Futaba's calm expression soon turned into a cringe as her mind proceeded to attack her with images she'd rather not see.
The white haired woman then sighed as she looked up towards the ceiling. "I wonder if our mothers are getting along." Miyabi giggled before looking back and brushing her fingers through the orangette's dyed hair. "I guess we'll see when our time comes. But until then let's give life a shot, okay?" She then decided.
"Please leave my room." Futaba mumbled in a sleepy manner.
The white haired woman blinked before letting out a small laugh. "Ah, sorry. Don't sleep too long. The Phantom Thieves...We need your help." She soon reminded before gently shutting the door.
"Mmmm..." Futaba moaned out before snuggling into her bed.
And, for the first time in two years, she had a peaceful dream.
Save Game...Quit!
(Persona Tracking)
Joker
Level: 38
Personas: Arsene (Resist: Curse) (Weak: Ice, Bless), Jack Frost (Null: Ice) (Weak: Fire), Lachesis (Resist: Wind) (Null: Ice) (Weak: Electric), Kaiwan (Null: Gun, Psychic) (Weak: Nuclear), Albion (Null: Physical, Gun, Earth), Otohime (Drain: Water) (Weak: Fire, Earth)
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), Lachesis- Internal Hypnosis (Extends buffs received by 1 turn), Kaiwan- Psychic Bloodline (Halves costs of Psy skills), Albion- Undying Fury (Strengthen Physical attacks by 30%. Doesn't apply to Gun skills), Otohime- Skillful Technique (Strengthen Technical damage by 25%)
Skills: Eiga, Maeiga, Snap, Speed Master, Tetrakarn, Tarukaja, Bufudyne, Mabufula (X2), Ice Break, Baisudi, Rakunda, Freeze Boost, Null Fire, Mabaisudi, Growth 2, Marakukaja, Elec Wall, Bufula, Ice Boost, Makajam, Psio, Forget Boost, Speed Master, Makajamaon, Psiodyne, Marakunda, Megido, Makouga, Tempest Slash, Giant Slice, Agneyastra, Mazionga, Ziodyne, Recarm, Water Wall, Brain Jack, Malaques
Accessory: SP Adhesive 3 (Skill: Invigorate 3)
Yin
Level: 38
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, Miracle Punch, Mamagnara, Masukukaja, Earth Boost, Makajamaon,
Confidant Rank: Rank 7
Accessory: Skanda Belt (Speed Master)
Yang
Level: 38
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: Agilao, Cleave, Gokuentou, Regenerate 2, Terror Claw, Triple Down, Swift Strike, Fire Boost, Charge, Riot Gun
Confidant Rank: Rank 6
Accessory: Tough Belt (Defense Master)
Mona
Level: 38
Persona: Zorro (Resist: Wind) (Weak: Elec)
Persona Trait: Proud Presence (Increases effect of allies' healing skills)
Skills: Garula, Diarama, Patra, Mediarama, Lucky Punch, Magarula, Me Patra, Recarm, Wind Break
Confidant Rank: Rank 6
Accessory: Attachment Pearl (Null Forget)
Skull
Level: 38
Persona: Seiten Taisei (Null: Elec) (Resist: Fire) (Weak: Wind)
Persona Trait: Raging Temper (Might increase allies' physical attacks by 40%)
Skills: Lunge, Zionga, Tarukaja, Headbutt, Adverse Resolve, Rampage, Mazio, Bad Beat, Assault Dive, Swift Strike, Shock Boost
Confidant Rank: Rank 10 (Max)
Accessory: Rakshasa Belt (Attack Master)
Panther
Level: 38
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, Maragion, Dekaja, Fire Break, Lullaby, Ambient Aid, Fire Boost
Confidant Rank: Rank 7
Accessory: Crimson Necklace (Fire Amp)
Fox
Level: 38
Persona: Goemon (Resists: Ice) (Weak: Fire)
Persona Trait: Scoundrel Eyes (High chance to evade Phys attacks for all allies.)
Skills: Bufula, Giant Slice, Sukukaja, Vicious Strike, Mabufu, Counterstrike, Rising Slash, Dormin Rush, Speed Master, Tempest Slash
Confidant Rank: Rank 6
Accessory: Queen's Necklace (All stats+1/+30 SP)
Widow
Level: 38
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, Aques, Ice Boost, Water Boost, Dazzler, Makajama, Malaques, Snipe, Dormina
Confidant Rank: Rank 5
Accessory: Clear Crystal Necklace (Water Amp)
Queen
Level: 38
Persona: Johanna (Resist: Nuclear) (Weak: Psychic)
Persona Trait: Gaia Pact (Increase allies' chance of inflicting Burn/Freeze/Shock/Soak by 25%.)
Skills: Freila, Mafreila, Vajra Blast, Diarama, Rakukaja, Makajama, Energy Shower, Flash Bomb, Dekunda, Defense Master
Confidant Rank: Rank 6
Accessory: White Headband R (Life Surge / Endurance +8)
Serpent
Level: 38
Persona: Nobunaga (Resist: Curse) (Weak: Bless)
Persona Trait: Self-Destructive (Increase cost of skills when health is low)
Skills: Eiga, Maeiga, Kouga, Mamudoon, Mahamaon, Megaton Raid, Heat Wave, Foul Breath, Endure, Ominous Words.
Accessory: Shackles (Null Rage)
Futaba
Level: 38
Persona: Necronomicon
Persona Trait:Explosive Scheme (All-Out Attacks may defeat all foes and restore 25% HP to all allies)
Skills: Analysis, Subrecover HP
Accessory: Headphones (High fidelity for real audiophiles.)
Whew! Done! Futaba, Persona Get! Now the next few chapters will be dedicated to finishing Homura and Yumi's confidants. Asuka's will need to be completed in the time between summer ending and the Hawaii event.
We have a ton of surprises in store so stay turned!
UknownHero signing off, my friends!
