Chapter 9: Mementos of a Museum's Vanity
May 7th, 2016.
To the everyday person walking through the streets of Tokyo, seeing a group of students hanging around didn't grab their interest. Even if some of them were wearing the outfits of the recently infamous Shujin Academy. To them, going around minding their own business, worrying about getting to work, and other problems were more concerning than wondering why a group of teens hung around the entrance to the subway.
Least of all, what they were whispering to each other.
"Okay, is everyone ready?" Ren asks the team. Personally, he wasn't worried about them. This wasn't their first time going to Mementos, after all. But for Shiho and Mishima, it was.
"I admit, I am nervous about this 'Mementos'. Especially if it's the same place where this 'Yaldabaoth' is hiding." Shiho whispers. They had all agreed not to say his name out loud in case he could hear it through people walking nearby. He WAS the Treasure of everyone in Tokyo, after all.
"Don't worry, we'll explain more about it when we get in." Morgana reassures from Ren's shoulder. "Ryuji, do you remember the guy we used to first enter Mementos?" The blond scratches his head before reaching for his phone.
"I think so." He replies, holding his phone out. "Natsuhiko Nakanohara."
Candidate found.
"Nakanohara-senpai…" Yusuke whispers, his hands clutching his arms. The team frown sympathetically at him while Haru places a hand over his, silently sending her support. They didn't doubt his will, but they knew that it still hurt for him to see a fellow artist like this.
"Now for the last part. Mementos."
Conditions met. Beginning Navigation.
Just like always, the world around them twists and turns, lines of red and black filling their vision as they cross over to the Metaverse. But by the time they crossed over, Shiho and Mishima looked around in confusion.
The only thing that had changed was every person in Shibuya, minus them, had vanished. And the rest of the team, themselves included, still stood in their normal clothes.
To be honest, if it wasn't for everyone vanishing, it would have been pretty uneventful and boring. Other than the fact it felt like they were walking on air.
"This is Mementos?" Mishima asks, let down by how similar it looked.
"Not quite. It's actually below us. The Subway system is actually Mementos. We only entered up here since the Shadows don't come up here." Morgana replies before giving a serious look. "But before we go in, there is one thing we have to tell you."
The two newest members look at Morgana as the cat gives them the best serious look in his current form. Which admittedly looked very cute if it wasn't for the tone of his voice.
"In Mementos, over than Yaldabaoth, there is one other being who we absolutely must avoid combat at all costs." Ren tells them, his voice dripping with seriousness. "We've only encountered it a few times, but each time we did, we had to run for our lives. And almost lost them once as well." The team's eyes bulge as they realise what Ren and Morgana are talking about, and they all shiver at once.
"Oh yeah…that…"
"I completely forgot that it stays here…"
"Urgh…I'm getting shivers just thinking about it…"
Shiho and Mishima look at the others, concern written on their faces as they see the veteran's all collectively shiver in fear.
"What are you talking about?" Shiho asks, mentally regretting asking the question.
"We are talking about the strongest Shadow that prowls the corridors of Mementos. The Reaper." Ren tells her, his face showing no emotion. "A pure monster that not only uses the highest level of magic around but instant kill spells as well. That's not even considering the twin revolvers it carries as well."
"I won't forget when we first encountered it. We were heading back after dealing with a request when, all of a sudden, we heard chains rattling against the floor. We didn't know what was causing it before it suddenly appeared around the corner directly in front of us. A hovering beast, wearing cloth as dark as night stained in blood." Makoto shudders as she recalls the memory. "We were lucky to make it out with our lives."
The colour drains from both of their faces, fear seeping into them at the description of the Reaper.
"Thankfully, the Reaper only appears on the lower floors of Mementos. It won't appear up here." Morgana reassures the two. "Anyway, let's head down there. The area below us is also a safe zone." He leaps down the stairs, followed closely by the others. Shiho and Mishima take a moment to calm themselves before following after them.
It wasn't long before they noticed the changes. The lighting around them turns blood red, while veins stretch all over the floors, walls and ceiling. That and the burst of fire filling their vision as their Thief attire appears on them.
"Welcome to Mementos proper!" Mona tells the two with extended paws.
"So this is what it looks like. It's even creepier than how you described it." Spring comments as she and Outlaw look around. Before they both notice Joker standing still again. "There's a door to the Velvet Room here as well?"
"According to Joker, there are several spots in Tokyo where he can access the Velvet Room. And there's always one at the start of every Palace. Mementos is no different." Queen tells them as the team sits around.
"Wonder what he's doin' now? Making a new one or strengthening one up?" Skull asks.
"I dunno. Joker could also turn some into items as well. It's how we got our strongest weapons, after all." Panther replies before a loud smash echoes behind them. Turning around, they once again see Joker had punched the wall in frustration.
"Joker?! What's wrong?" Oracle asks as Joker re-joins them. He casts a glance behind them before shaking his head. The team understood what he meant as they proceeded down the escalator to the first floor.
"Joker, what did Yaldabaoth try to do?" Queen gently asks. Joker breaths through his nose before turning to face her, anger still raging in his eyes.
"Well…"
Earlier
"You've arrived, Inmate."
"Master Igor would like a word with you."
Ren nods quietly as he moves to the bars. He only came in here to see if there was anything worthwhile to fuse, but since he was missing the ones from Madarame and Kaneshiro's Palaces, his options were limited. Ren could try and make a Jack Frost for the Twin's first request though. Although, the glint he saw in 'Igor's' eyes did not sit well with him.
"I am impressed with the power of your Persona, along with the ones you have gathered along the way. But I wonder why you have not fused them. Especially Arsène." 'Igor' folds his hands, his grin seemingly to enlarge as he does.
He better not be suggesting what I think he is! "I understand that. However, I have yet to find anything that is of equal power with Arsène. And I would rather not lose my other self."
"Be that as it may, I believe Arsène is holding you back. And so…" With a snap of his fingers, he pulls Arsène out of Ren towards the guillotine. "I believe it is in your best interest that we use him." He readies himself to pull another Persona out of Ren, one of the weaker ones, only to stop as a cold feeling runs down his spine.
Caroline and Justine seemingly felt it as they slowly backed away from Ren's cell. The entirety of the Velvet Room seemed to shudder as a cold anger filled the room. It took a moment for Yaldabaoth to find where this anger was coming from, but when he did, he felt his metallic heart stop.
The source was coming from Ren. Glaring at him with his very own Nijima-Death Stare. Amamiya version.
"Igor. Can you release Arsène? Please." Ren asks calmly and coolly. Stunned, Yaldabaoth did as Ren asked. Letting Arsène return to Ren's heart.
"It would seem I stepped over my bonds. For that, I apologise." Yaldabaoth replies as the room returns to normal. "Regardless, I feel as though you are letting your powers go to waste. For that matter…" He snaps his fingers, conjuring a copy of the book Justine held. "I give you this Compendium. Use it to develop Personae of your choosing. But know this, you cannot summon anything from it. Only those registered by Justine's can be summoned."
While Justine and Caroline stood in shock at what had happened and slightly terrified by Ren's stare, Ren himself happily grabbed the book as he watched the Tarot Card above Yaldabaoth's head gain another star.
The Jester Tarot Card. A fitting one for him. After all, his team as a whole was the Fool Tarot Card.
With no further words, Ren leaves the Velvet Room. Happy at acquiring the book, yet fuming at Yaldabaoth trying to take Arsène. Next thing he knows, he's punching a wall.
"That asshole! Tryin' to rip out someone's Persona like that!" Skull shots, banning his weapon on the wall. "Is he TRYIN' to piss us off even more!"
"I agree. It is really disgusting what he attempted to do." Noir replies, tightly gripping her axe.
"Still, at least something came out of it." Oracle replies, holding onto the book. "This will come in real handy when we need to fill out your roster again, Joker!"
"About that, I have a question on that." Outlaw suddenly says. "What's stopping you from fusing a stupidly strong Persona?" The team pause for a moment before all eyes turn to Joker.
"To be honest, Outlaw, and I know this is going to sound cheesy, but it's all to do with how strong my heart is. And I can't fuse anything more powerful than me. Otherwise, my heart wouldn't be able to handle it."
"Think of it like being in an RPG." Oracle suddenly say, brining up screens around her. "Which is kinda easy to do since there are some things in Mementos that are VERY game-like. Like the bars above our heads." She points above her, showing two bars hovering over her. One blue and another pink.
"How did we not notice those?" Spring asks as she and Outlaw see similar bars over everyone else, including them.
"Eh, they only show up when we need them too. Every other time, they're not there." Oracle explains with a shrug of her shoulders. "Other than that, there's another aspect that Mementos, and the Metaverse as a whole, shares. Levels."
"OH! I think I see where you're going!" Outlaw suddenly says. "Joker can't make anything higher than his current level!"
"Bingo! That's right!" Oracle says with a finger gun. "Just for reference, the two of you are currently at level 16, while the rest of us are at 28." She closes her screens with a proud smirk. "And these guys didn't find out about that until I joined."
"I think I'm still trying to wrap my head around this." Spring replies, a hand over her mask.
"Don't worry about it. It will all be second nature to you before you know it." Noir replies sweetly as the team arrive at a station platform. Before them lay a single track leading through a giant open door.
"And this is where Mementos really starts. And where I shine the most." Mona tells the two before leaping onto the tracks. He stretches his paws for a bit before leaping into the air, spinning as he goes before transforming into his van form and landing on the tracks. "Alright, everyone, climb aboard! Ladies first, of course."
"I know we already saw it happen, but still that's amazing that Mona can turn into a van!" Outlaw says as the ladies climb in first, Queen taking the wheel.
"Indeed. It is an art to what Mona can do." Fox replies, climbing into the van. With the team settling in, Queen begins driving them through the hall of Mementos. The howling wind whipped past them, almost resembling the groans of people.
The Shadows that patrol the corridors, towering husks of black matter, would normally have chased after them. But seeing how strong the were, the Shadows turn and flee at first sight of them.
It wasn't long before they found a portal of swirling black energy beating with a red pulse. The Mona-van dives into the portal before quickly turning back into Mona with the team rolling on the ground to their feet. Finding themselves in a room that reminded Joker of the lowest level in Mementos. It was easy to see with the similar red circle patterns and black stone floors.
At the far back, the train track spiralled into a single point, no doubt begging to form a Palace separate of Mementos while a person stood just before it. Covered in a shadowy aura.
"There's Nakanohara Shadow." Panther points out. "Oracle, can you check what Shadow he takes on again? I've sort of forgotten."
"Can do Panther." Oracle quips, screens surrounding her. "Okay, Obariyon. Part of the Fool Arcana. Level 15, weak to Elec. Small fry."
"You can do that, Oracle? That's amazing." Spring praises, earning a classic chuckle from the hacker.
"In that case, mind if you leave it to me, Joker?" Skull asks while rolling his arm. Joker hums before glancing at Fox, a plan forming in his mind.
"Actually, let's try something else first. Fox…" Hearing his name, Fox turns to Joker. "Do you think you might be able to talk some sense into him?" Fox contemplates, looking at his former senpai.
"I do not know. However…" He turns back to Joker with a resolute stare. "I am willing to try." Walking to the front, with Skull behind, just in case, Fox approaches Nakanohara's Shadow, hearing the grumbling rumble from his mouth. The Shadow eventually notices his approach, turning to face him with anger.
"Who are you?"
"It has been a while, Nakanohara-senpai." Fox begins peacefully. The Shadow is taken aback slightly by the greeting, not recognising Fox due to his mask.
"How do you know me?"
"Your former girlfriend had told you of us. Why are you stalking her, Nakanohara-senpai? Surely you know how disturbed she feels." The Shadow scoffs at Fox.
"Why should I care? She's my property! I can do whatever I want! It's not like she didn't treat me like a plaything! What's wrong with doing the same!?"
"So you are content in becoming another Madarame?" Fox's question stuns the Shadow. "Yes, we know of what happened to you. How Madarame stole your work, pawned it off as his own, and ruined your career as an artist. I know the anger you feel, Nakanohara-senpai. But do you honestly believe you should follow the same path? And become a monster just like him?"
The Shadow stares at him in silence, Fox's words ringing in his ears. "You know of him? What he's doing?" He grits his teeth in anger. "THEN WHY HAVE YOU NOT DONE ANYTHING ABOUT HIM YET!?"
"Because we have only just received the power to do so." Fox calmly replies, shutting the Shadow down. "Had we received this power sooner, we would have brought him down. So please, let go of your hate, Nakanohara-senpai. You are only prolonging the cycle of hate." The Shadow calms down, eyes boring into Fox as the black aura around him begins to dissipate.
"Who are you, really? Why do you care about me so much?" Fox breaths silently before removing his mask, shocking the Shadow. "Y-Yusuke!?"
"Your eyes do not deceive you, friend. It is I." Fox calmly nods. The Shadow's aura vanishes completely, calm setting over it like a mist.
"You…you're really going to stand up against him? To stop him ruining the lives of others?"
"Yes. I am no longer blind to the man who killed my mother." Fox calmly replies, putting his mask back on. "Please, Nakanohara-senpai. Return to your other self, and end this." The Shadow looks Yusuke in the eye before letting out a long sigh.
"Alright…I'll return to my other self and end my love for her. You are right, Yusuke. I was becoming like Madarame. Just promise me that—"
"We will bring him to justice. Do not worry." Fox responds. Shadow Nakanohara smiles at the response before vanishing away into white light, leaving behind a small glowing orb. Fox grabs it, the orb taking the form of a necklace with a pearl.
"So, we can change people's hearts without having to beat them up. We can just talk them down." Outlaw surmises.
"That's right." Joker replies. "It's actually what I did to your Shadow in the original timeline, Outlaw. When you started to become fixated on us." Spring looks at Outlaw, who looks at the ground despondently.
"Yeah, I did do that, huh?"
"Well, now you don't have to worry!" Panther replies joyfully. "You're one of us now! You don't have to worry about your Shadow getting distorted." Outlaw looks up, relieved, as Fox walks back to them, holding the pearl. Something that had caught both of their eyes.
"By the way, what was that necklace that Fox picked up?" Spring voices the question in their heads.
"That was a bud of a Treasure. If we had left it alone, it would have sprouted into a Palace of its own." Noir explains to them while Mona turns back into a van. "When we beat these smaller Shadows, they leave behind buds."
"That makes sense." Spring concedes as the team drives out of the portal. Queen began to drive them back to the station, only for a small sound to echo through the halls. It was feint and to Outlaw and Spring barely audible. But for the rest of the team, it sent a cold sweat down their spines. The Mona-van practically shook in fright as the sounds echoed through the halls again. Still distant but undeniable.
It was the sound of chains being dragged across the floor.
"Erm…what's that sound?" Outlaw hesitantly asks, seeing the frozen expressions on the team. Before, Queen suddenly floors the gas pedal, throwing the team into their seats as she speeds for the exit.
The clanking of chains is still distant but undeniably behind them.
"Guys!? What's wrong!?" Outlaw yells as the team struggles to hold on. The very few times they wished the Mona-van came with seatbelts.
"IT'S THE REAPER!" Oracle screams as Queen makes one last turn. It was then that Outlaw and Spring's blood ran cold. They didn't have time to ask anymore as the Mona-van practically rammed into the station platform, throwing everyone onto it before Mona rushed up the stairs on two little cartoonish clouds. The rest of the team is not far behind just as an ominous shadow enters the room.
And as the last of the team disappears up the escalator, a gunshot rings out as a bullet slams into the escalator. Followed by a low moan.
"Hmmm. This looks tasty." A boy tells himself, looking over a floating orb holding flowers. He was just about to reach out for it before several gasps and pants caught his ears. Looking to the escalator, he is surprised to see a group of people exit, stumbling around for air. "Are you alright?" He asks, walking over to them.
The one in front, wearing a white domino mask, looks at him before nodding his head. "Yeah, we are. Barely…"
"Why the hell is the 'effing REAPER on this floor!?" The one in the skull mask yells aloud. "He shouldn't be up here!"
The Reaper's up here? That's something I'll have to take care of. Again. The boy thinks to himself before casting a small spell on the group, relieving them of their injuries. "Is that better?"
"Much better." A girl with a black mask and hat thanks him. "Err, pardon me for asking, but who are you?"
"OH! I'm sorry. It's customary for a human to introduce itself before asking another human for its name. Thanks for reminding me, Miss err…Beauty Thief?"
"My name is Beauty Thief!" She shouts joyfully, pointing a finger out and holding onto her hat. The team shake their heads in good-natured at her as she catches herself. "My apologies, but that's not my name." The boy tilts his head a bit before nodding in acceptance.
"I see. My name is Jose." He introduces himself. "Who are all of you?"
"My name is Joker. Behind me are Queen, Skull, Panther, Mona, Fox, Noir, Oracle, Outlaw and Spring." The one in the domino mask introduces himself before pointing a hand at each person. Jose nods back before walking back to the flower earlier.
"Wait, hold a moment…" Mona the—tanuki-cat?—suddenly says, attracting the eyes of the team. "Why is there a person in Mementos!?" Taking a moment to actually calm down and think, the team now only realise this fact just as Jose turns the flower into a drink.
He takes a sip, noting the flavour as a delicious lemonade as emotions swell into him.
"So, are you looking for flowers?" Spring asks while the team gather around.
"That's right, for my research into humans. The flowers hold emotions, so I drink as many as I can find to learn more about them." Jose tells them, but all he does is confuse them more. "Do you think you guys could help? If you find any flowers in here, can you bring them to me? I'm not asking you for free, though. I can pay you in whatever I find down here. How about that? In fact…" He digs into his pocket, taking out a blue star. "How about this as a front payment. It's called a Wishing Star."
"A Wishing Star? What does it do?" Queen asks as Joker picks it up.
"Not sure. It has some sort of magic in it, but that's all I can tell. Anyway, I'm going to head on." Jose leaps into a nearby car with balloons. "A new area has opened up, and I'm going to explore it. So, Good job!" He beeps his car before riding down the stairs, leaving behind a very confused group of teens.
"Well, that just happened." Jose could hear one of them say before driving into the dark. He had a Reaper to kick back down.
It was another quiet day for Sojiro, cleaning up a dish from his last customer. Tae had recently been around, along with Iwai and Kawakami. It was reassuring that they also remembered what had happened and still had Ren's back.
Although, he was horrified at learning what happened to Kawakami. Tae and Iwai's expressions mirrored his own when she explained what Kamoshida did to her. Thank the kami that he was in jail now.
"Sojiro! We're back!" Futaba announces as she and Ren enter. But not alone. Looking at the door, Sojiro smiles as he sees Makoto, Ann, Ryuji, Yusuke and Haru enter. Along with Mishima and one new face he hadn't seen before.
"Well, now, aren't these faces I haven't seen in a while." He greets them before coming around the counter to give each of them a hug. Hugs that were eagerly recuperated.
"It has been too long, Boss." Makoto greets him before turning concerned. "My sis hasn't been here, has she?"
"No, she hasn't. I'm a bit surprised at that, though. She would be coming in to try and get information about Wakaba from me." Sojiro admits. Makoto nods silently before standing to the side, letting Mishima and Shiho approach him. "Well, now, look who it is. The Admin Phanboy himself. Now a proper thief." Sojiro pats him on the shoulder before glancing at Shiho. "This is the first time we've met, I believe."
"Yes, sir. I am Suzui Shiho. You probably remember what was supposed to happen to me." Sojiro raises an eyebrow before his eyes widen in realisation. Without hesitation, he pulls Shiho in for a hug.
"I am so sorry you had to go through that originally. It makes me happy to know you were spared that fate this time." Shiho silently returns the hug before parting. "Anyway, I think I already know why you're here."
"Yeah. Exams are coming up, so we decided to do a study group after exploring Mementos for a bit." Ren explains. "Hope you don't mind, Boss."
"Of course not. Business has been slow today anyway." He replies, taking out several plates. "However, you will be helping me." Ren shakes his head fondly as he grabs and apron and helps Sojiro ready curry and coffee. Getting the plates ready, Ren couldn't help but look around, seeing everyone settling into the couches study books at the ready.
As Shiho sat next to Mishima with Ann and Ryuji on the other side, Ren placed a dish of curry before her. With a nod of thanks, Shiho takes a spoonful of the curry and eats it. Before her eyes almost turn into literal stars.
"It's so good!" She declares, already going for another bite as everyone chuckles at her expression.
"Chalk up another follower of the Sojiro Curry!" Futaba cheekily declares with a fist bump. It was as though they never went back in time.
Late at night, Ren lay on his bed looking at the Star Jose had given them. It still confused him about what it did, but it's not like he could throw it away. He was not that sort of person.
"Hey, Ren? I've been thinking." Morgana suddenly says, grabbing the leader's attention. "I think we should have some more flair in our fights."
"What? Aren't we Extra already?"
"Maybe you are, but what about me?" Morgana cheekily replies. "Anyway, I had watched one of those old cartoons lately, and I wondered if we could use it in battle…" Ren turns to listen as Morgana explains what he has seen, nodding along.
"I see. It's a classic with a modern twist. But how will we even pull it off?" Ren replies before the Star in his hands glows for a few seconds. "What the?"
"What was that?" Morgana asks, confused by the glowing star. Ren shrugs as he pockets it before lying down.
"We can figure it out later. Goodnight, Morgana."
"Yeah, goodnight Ren."
May 15th, 2016
Midterm exams had just finished yesterday, and having done them once, Ren found them a breeze the second time around. It was similar with Haru and Makoto, while Ann, Ryuji and Mishima still struggled a little bit. Despite not having the advantage they did, Shiho still managed to do fine by her account.
But they weren't here to talk about the exam. They were on their way to Madarame's house. They hadn't found out what the Whishing Star Jose gave to them actually does, other than it holding onto magic power, but it was a mystery they could solve later. Right now, they had a different problem to contend with.
"So, just like in my Palace, Madarame has a door that can't be opened?" Futaba asks as the team waits not far from the house. Yusuke was planning on joining them there once he managed to slip away from the Exhibit.
"Yeah. The only way we managed to get past it was by having Morgana pick the lock while Ann distracted Yusuke." Ren replies before folding his arms. "But since you're with us, Futaba, I want to see if you can hack the door open before we try that option."
"Hmm? How so?"
"On the other side of the door is a security station for it. When we managed to get it open, Ryuji and I deactivated the security there. Once we did that, the door remained open despite Madrame locking the door out here again."
"Ohhh, I get what you mean." Futaba replies with a mischievous smile. "Mweheheh. Leave it to me. Hacking into people's cognition is what I do best."
"I hope I am not too late." Yusuke suddenly announces. The team turned to look at him with easy smiles.
"Nope. Just on time, buddy." Ryuji replies. "You ready to head back into Madarame's Palace?" Yusuke nods, resolution behind his eyes.
"Yes. The time of retribution is upon him. If I may, allow me the honour of saying the Keywords."
"Be our guest." Makoto replies. Yusuke smiles as he brings out his phone.
"Ichiryusai Madarame. Shack. Museum."
Candidate found. Beginning Navigation.
For those who had not been here before, when they thought of a museum, a classical structure made of stone several floors high with wide doors and towering stone pillars came to their minds. Along with a famous statue outside with numerous steps leading to the doors.
But Madarame's Palace was anything but that. A tower of golden boxes, built in an abstract manor, towering over a complex made of similar gold. Seeing the building before them, they couldn't help but feel disgusted at the sight.
"So this is his Palace? There's so much gold that it's hurting my eyes." Queen admits, pulling her mask off to rub her eyes.
"If you think this is bad, wait till you see the area just before the Treasure. Shit hurt our eyes." Skull says, pointing a thumb at the tower.
"The extravagance is too much. It is pure tardiness at this point." Noir comments.
"Indeed. This is the darkness of Madarame's heart. A darkness that I knew of, yet failed to accept until I could turn away no more." Fox admits, looking to the ground in shame.
"Things are different this time, Fox. You're not Madarame's puppet anymore." Joker tells him before pointing at the wall. "There's our infiltration point. Oracle will stay in the centre of us while we provide cover. Keep an eye out for any laser trip wires. Madarame loves his laser trip wires."
"Reminds me of the security cameras of Kaneshiro's Palace." Queen replies. Panther glances at Outlaw and Spring, noting how quiet the two had been.
"What's up, you two? Everything alright?" The two look at Panther with almost giddy looks as Spring struggles to stop bouncing on the stop.
"Sorry, it's just we're actually infiltrating a museum! Just like actual Thieves!" Outlaw says with a wide grin. Spring nods her head with an equally large grin that soon sprouts on every face of the team.
"I admit, it certainly is an exciting feeling to be breaking into a museum. Was it like this for you when you first entered Joker?" Queen asks. Joker looks at her before giving his familiar smirk.
"Honestly, more so since we have a larger team." He replies before leaping onto the wall. "Come on, we've got a Palace to infiltrate." Not wasting any time, the team follow Joker over the wall and into a small garden area. They could see the entrance to their left, along with a huge crowd trying desperately to get inside. Ignoring the sight, the team moved through the garden, jumping onto several lighting displays and leaping onto a small wall running up to the museum proper.
Shadow guards patrol along the sides, oblivious to the Thieves as they make their way up the side of the wall before arriving at a classical entry point. An open skylight. With a rope supplied by Mona, the team slip into the museum and are met by a wall of paintings.
Paintings, each depicting a former student of Madarame.
"So, this is how Madarame viewed his students?" Spring asks Fox. He nods, eyes not leaving the paintings as his grip on his katana tightens. A glance around showed no signs of any Shadows, with the security tripwires staying off.
"It would seem the security in here is lax." Fox observes, indicating to the deactivated security. Oracle hums suspiciously at that, bringing up her screens to double-check before snapping her fingers.
"Not so fast, Inari! The security IS up. It's inferred lasers." She informs, bringing her screen around to show them.
"So…the lasers are invisible? Damn, wasn't like that the first time." Skull moans.
"Looks like it. I can shut them off, but doing so may raise the alert level."
"No need to, sis. Just follow me." Joker suddenly says, his eyes glowing blue. To him, with his Third Eye, he could easily see the lasers. And this particular one had a gap right at the bottom. Rushing forward, he slides at the last second through the gap before rolling up to a display wall in the next room.
Seeing Joker pull it off, the rest of the team follow suit as Joker guides them through the laser security. Several Shadow guards patrolled the area, unaware of the Thieves stalking them before they were suddenly ambushed. During which, Joker managed to re-obtain Hau Po, Mokoi and Apsaras.
Soon, they rush into another hallway, again lined with portraits filled with former students, along with a very familiar one staring right at them.
"Hey, isn't this the same guy we saw in Mementos?" Outlaw asks, pointing at the picture.
"Indeed. It is a painting of Nakanohara-senpai." Fox confirms, placing a hand on his chin. "And just like all the others, every mote of colour has been drained. Even his expression is that of a lifeless doll. It hurts to see it again."
"Seeing this, it's no different than how my father sees the workers. It's disgustful." Noir comments by his side. She could easily see the similarities between the palaces, even if the cognitions were different. And it still hurts her to think that her father thinks like that.
"By the way, how are we getting past this?" Spring suddenly says, pointing out at a wall of lasers blocking the hall. There was no way of sliding or jumping over them, least they hit one and bring the entire roof on their heads.
"I think I see a way." Queen speaks up, pointing at a steel beam on the other side. The path towards it was laser-free. Holding her left hand up, she shoots her grapple shot at it before zooming over to the other side. Passing by harmlessly. With a successful landing, she motions to the other to join her before spotting a giant painting right next to her.
With a VERY familiar face.
"This is…" she whispers just as Joker lands beside her, followed closely by Noir and Mona. Noir follows her gaze before finding before her, reaching the top of the wall, a giant portrait of Yusuke.
"A painting of Fox?" She asks just as Skull and Outlaw join them, followed by Oracle. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but it hurts to see." She comments as Panther and Spring join them next, with Fox following closely behind. He sees the painting of himself, scowling.
"Doesn't Inari's portrait look different to the others?" Oracle suddenly asks. "I mean, compared to the others, he still smiling and it has way more colour in it."
"Because he has not broken me like the others. Had I continued blindly following him, I would have become like them." Fox replies, anger in his voice. Turning away, the team soon arrived at what would be the entrance area, with soft couches and a desk welcoming people in.
Along with a stand filled with brochures. Curious, Oracle picks one up before realising it is half of a map. "Huh, so Shido and Madarame both had their maps in the form of brochures? Talk about lame. Even if Madarame's is split into two. Seriously, why go to all the bother?" She comments, pocketing it so she can create a digital map. Before catching up to the others as they stare at a golden statue.
The best way to describe it would be a golden spiral made of giant feathers with people either being swept up in it or circling around it, going by how the figures were switching between gold and black depending on where they were.
"'The Infinite Spring'?" Spring reads aloud. "'A conglomerate work of art that the great director Madarame created with his own funds. These individuals must offer their ideas to the director for the rest of their lives. Those who cannot do so have no worth living?'"
"It is a physical embodiment of how he viewed us. Nothing but disposable pawns." Fox clarifies in a neutral tone, but underneath they could tell he was fuming.
"Just seeing this shit again makes me wanna smash it to pieces." Skull comments as the team walks around to the exit. "Seeing other people as nothin' but tools…" Pushing the temptation out of their minds as much as possible, the team entered another small hallway, thankfully without any portraits but with more laser trip-wires.
Eventually, they find a saferoom to duck into, resting up briefly before venturing out again. Were they find themselves in another room filled with paintings.
"Just how many paintings of his students are there?" Outlaw asks as the team ducks behind a partition wall. Joker glances back at him with a blank face.
"367 individual pieces. And that's what you can see." He replies in a matter-of-fact tone. The number alone made Outlaw and Spring stare agape before Joker noticed that the rest of the team was staring at him with wide and impressed eyes. "What? I have a habit of remembering strange stuff."
"No wonder why you're top of the class…" Panther says while shaking her head before noticing a Shadow approaching them from behind. Taking the chance, she leaps onto it before ripping the mask off. Revealing it to be a Koropokguru. The old man with the leaf readily agreed to join them after finding itself surrounded on all sides by weapons.
"Okay, let's keep on heading—ACK!" Outlaw was suddenly slammed into one of the walls around them as a Savage Shadow surprised them from behind. Its form melts away, revealing itself to be a very mad Shiki-Ouji as it fires a double shot on Spring, targeting the weakest members of the team first.
"HEY! That's not fair!" Mona cries as he leaps to the front. "Joker! Let's try that move now!"
"If you think it'll work!" Joker replies, not noticing the Whishing Star in his pocket glowing. The two Thieves stand side-by-side before suddenly, and without warning, shouting in unison as they jump into the air.
"It's Showtime!"
The moment they said those words, red curtains seemed to cover the area before vanishing, leaving the Shiki-Ouji standing alone in a dark alleyway. The colours had also saturated to resemble that of an old-fashioned 60's cartoon, complete with a grain filter.
"Bet you can't get me!" Mona taunts from the Shadows. The Shiki-Ouji looks around, confused, before suddenly being hit by a slingshot ball from behind.
"Too slow!" It turns around, only for another to hit behind it again before suddenly being assaulted from all directions as Mona dances around it in the shadows. While Joker looks down from above.
"Got you where I want you!" Before leaping forward and slicing it at the knee, forcing it down on one leg.
"Show's over!" Joker shouts as he leaps, activating his grapple shot. Joker comes swinging in, firing his gun before kicking it right in the face. Sending it flying back into a wall before vanishing into smoke.
"Don't mess in the shadows…" Joker comments before grappling up to the roof again.
"…it's our playground." Mona finishes, melting back into the shadows before the curtains appear again. Returning the area to normal, along with a very confused team.
"What the hell was that!?" Oracle shouts first in complete shock. "You just summoned a giant curtain, then went all Batman on them! How did you do that!?" Joker rubs the back of his head sheepishly before pulling out the Star from his pocket. It was still glowing faintly before turning back to normal.
"I think an idea me and Mona played about with last night was made possible by this." He holds it up to let the team take a better look at it.
"So, that's what this Wishing Star can do? Allow us to use moves that, normally, would be impossible to do?" Queen asks, tapping her chin. "That could come in real handy…"
"Dude, we've GOT to brainstorm some ideas when we get back!" Skull says excitedly to Outlaw.
"Let's focus on securing a route to the treasure first. Then we can talk about special moves." Mona quickly shuts down the conversation, even if he is excited to talk about it. Before moving on, the team ducked into a small warehouse holding boxes, where they ambushed another lone Shadow. Which surprisingly turned into a Shiisaa, something that Joker only managed to get by fusing it in the Velvet Room.
Gleefully absorbing it, the team continued on through the halls, passing by a small security room before finding a large room separated by two glass walls. In the centre was a golden podium holding a large gold vase.
"What's a vase like this doing here? Shouldn't it be behind something protective glass or security?" Outlaw questions as they walk past it. Only to stop as Mona had frozen in place. "What's up, Mona?" Outlaw's question drew the eyes of the other Thieves before Joker, Skull, and Panther leapt back in realisation.
"Get back!"
"It's a trap!"
"Mona, don't!"
"TREASURE!"
The non-cat refused to listen as he once again leaps for the vase. And once again, as he did in the original timeline, he triggered a security fail-safe and activated the lasers. Filling the room with beams and trapping the rest of the team who didn't move away in time.
"Well. This is quite the predicament." Noir calmly observes, a hair breath away from a beam.
"So it would appear." Fox agrees himself stuck leaning against one of the glass walls.
"Mona! Why did you touch it?" Spring asks while she is lying prone on the ground.
"I can't help it! It's how I am!" He replies back, stuck on the vase.
"I'm starting to think we NEED to get you a lead, Mona." Outlaw remarks while he and Oracle are stuck nearby.
"Ditto."
"Joker, please tell me you know how to deactivate this?" Queen asks herself, stuck on the other glass wall.
"Yeah, I do. Sit tight, guys. We'll have it down shortly." Joker replies before he, Panther, and Skull leap onto the rafters above.
It didn't take long for them to deactivate the security, with the passcode in the office being the same. Although they did find the vase was still a Regent in disguise, it wasn't a total waste of time.
Continuing on after finding another safe room and passing through two more hallways lined with portraits further fulling their anger, they eventually arrive in another large room. Only for security pylons to activate behind them. Cutting them off with a gate of lightning. With similar ones activating at the other exits, trapping them inside.
"What now, we're trapped?" Outlaw asks as the team hunkers in the dark, just as several Shadows appear from the floor. Joker casts his eyes to the area above them, remembering how last time they had to travel up there to deactivate security. But this time, they had a shortcut.
"Oracle, you're up." He says with a grin, with the young hacker already flexing her fingers in anticipation.
"I've been waiting for you to say that." She quickly gets to work, summoning screens around her as she starts hacking into the system. The two Shadows in the area spot her, moving in to attack before the Thieves leap from the dark and ambush the Shadows. While the team worked to keep her safe, Oracle noticed a certain blip in a room nearby. With a few swift strokes, she deactivates the security around them while also opening a stained glass partition leading to said room.
It was easier than trying to grapple with it anyway.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, your hack is complete. Been a pleasure!" She announces as the team finishes off the last of the Shadows. "Also, I detected something strange nearby. Think we should check it out."
"Something strange? Could it be a Will Seed?" Queen asks aloud.
"A What Seed?" Oracle's question wanted to make Joker slap himself. How did they forget to tell Futaba about those?
"We'll explain later." Noir deflects as the team heads for the room. Just like before, a forgotten door covered in golden tape stood before them, with Joker easily slicing them apart with his knife. And inside lay the red Will Seed.
"That's a Will Seed? Looks more like a big potato." Oracle says with a deadpan look.
It doesn't matter WHO painted it. All that matters is who unveiled it to the world!
The art world is filled with nothing but absolute fools of society.
Every lie told long enough will eventually become a fact, no matter how long you must wait.
Madarame's voice echoed around them, hiding nothing as Joker pockets the Seed. Other than briefly freaking Oracle out. Doubling back and leaving through the exit, they arrive at a small garden pond with bamboo growing along the sides. With a saferoom nearby.
Along with a very long path leading to the other half of the museum, lined with doors.
"Look's like we're half way." Queen points out before turning to Panther. "You said there would be an obstacle stopping us going forward? Like with the door in Oracle's Palace?"
"Yeah. But it's better if you see it." Panther replies as the line of doors opens like the parting of waves. Revealing a giant door blocking the way in, along with a field full of security lasers blocking the way forward.
"Just like last time." Skull moans, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, Oracle? Think you can deactivate it?" Mona asks. Oracle stretches her arms before activating her screens again, once more hacking into the cognitive world.
"Hmm… This is certainly interesting. All this security is controlled by a single room inside. No wonder you had to go through the hard way…" Oracle comments as she types away. "Give me a few minutes, and I'll have this taken care of."
"What are you doing!?" A very large Shadow suddenly calls out from behind the team. "Those attire…Thieves in Lord Madarame's museum?! Stop right there!" Its form melts away, revealing itself as a Nue before bounding towards the Thieves.
"Hecate! Agliao!" A blast of fire from Panther stops the Nue in its tracks, followed swiftly by an All-out attack by the Thieves. "Next time you try and stop us, don't do so alone." She scolds the fading Nue before the team regroups with Oracle.
"How's it going, Oracle?" Mona asks, leaping onto her shoulders. The hacker doesn't even register him as she hyper-focused on the screens in front of her.
"Almost done…and BOOP!" With a single flick of a finger, the security lasers shut down with the pylons retracing into the ground. Followed closely by the gargantuan doors opening up. "Open sesame!"
"Nice work, Oracle. That saves us a lot of trouble." Joker compliments, giving her a head rub. Earning a small giggle from the hacker as the team moves into the central complex, the interior covered in solid gold and black line decal. Passing through the entrance hall, along with a giant statue of Madarame in shogun clothes, the team find a second broacher holder with the second half of the map alongside it.
Moving on through the next hall, a maze filled with security lasers, they ambush more Shadows patrolling the area. Two of them became Onmoraki and Inugami. However, there was a surprising third Shadow that took them by surprise. A Jack Frost, something that Joker only managed to get via fusing.
He couldn't help but wonder what other Personae were now free to grab.
After making a mental note to return to the Velvet Room for some fusing later with the newly acquired Personae, Joker leads the team to the next room. Several circular couches lay in the centre, but what had the team's attention was a Shadow guarding the path to another security room.
"Hm!? Who are you!? How did you get in here!?" The Shadow demands, shocked at the intrusion.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Skull smugly replies, resting his weapon on his shoulder. "Now, you gonna step out of the way, or are we gonna fight?"
"Never!" The Shadow melts into a puddle before reforming itself into a Kurama Tengu, with two smaller Koppa Tengu by its side. "You will fall before—"
"Dream Needle!"
"Dormina!"
The three attacks from Joker, Outlaw and Panther sent the three Shadows deep into dreamland. Leaving them open to Queen, Spring and Skull as they unleash their guns and bow on the sleeping foes. Knocking them to the ground and finishing them off in a single All-out Attack.
"You know, I remember us struggling on this one… Coming back in time with a power boost certainly makes things easier, doesn't it?" Mona asks, watching as the Shadow vanishes.
"It does. But it takes some of the joy out of fighting Shadows." Noir comments, almost with a bored tone. Spring and Outlaw look at her with concerned looks while the rest of the team carry on, used to Noir's antics in the Metaverse. Entering into the office, they find it asking for a password, with Joker swiftly typing in 1120.
"How did you know that?" Outlaw asks while the shutters retract.
"Back when we went through here the first time, we overheard Shadows talking about Madarame's Feet and how it was the password."
"Madarame's Feet?" Queen asks, confused at first, before snapping her fingers. "That Statue we passed by. It had a plaque on the bottom by Madarame's Feet. That's where you got it from?"
"Yes. ''One' ray of hope stands 'alone' with 'two adept hands.' 'None' shall match him.' Those are the words written on the plaque." Fox reveals with a frown. "A shrivel quote, deluding himself that he is superior to all."
"It's hard to believe you had to deal with all of this, Fox. Did Madarame ever steal any of your work?" Spring gently asks. Fox looks at her for a second before folding his arms quietly.
"No. Madarame was waiting for me to 'ripen' as it were as an artist. I am forever thankful to Joker and the others for freeing me from that dark fate." A small shudder travels up Fox as Noir places a hand on him. Silence falls on the team as they pass through the closed-off area, finding a giant painting covering a third of the wall next to them. While the exit at the far end was closed off.
"So what now? The way forward is blocked." Outlaw asks the veterans. Only to find, to his surprise, that Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther and Fox had vanished. "Umm, Joker?" His concerned voice drew the attention of the others, surprised at the sudden disappearance of them.
"Over here." His muffled voice echoes from the wall, cutting off any build-up of worry. But when they turned to look, their surprise was doubled when they saw Joker and the others inside the painting. "This is how we go forward."
"AWESOME! It's like Mario 64!" Oracle yells as she leaps into the painting. "Let's-a go!" The team laugh at her as the others join her, moving through the painting as though it were a water surface. Ripples flow across the surface.
How dare you trample on my tranquil bamboo garden with those grimy feet! You shall not leave alive!
"What was that?" Spring asks, hand reaching for her spear.
"It's Madarame's thoughts when he made this painting. Don't worry about it." Mona reassures. Travelling through the grove, they could see the room to their right change before a wooden platform appeared next to them. Leaping out, they find themselves on the overhanging walkway, observing the room with a vent leading deeper inside.
Crawling through and appearing on the other side of the barrier, the team continued on through the halls, once again filled with paintings of Madarame's students, until arriving at another large room with more giant paintings. Two at the top were blank, while the three below depicted a desert, a Tori shrine above the clouds and a rainforest.
"Just by looking at the paintings, I'm guessing that we need to turn the blank ones 'on' to progress?" Queen asks.
"Got it in one." Joker replies, walking up to the desert painting. "Well, let's go."
Beauty is merely a mirage… Transforming that into money is what brings happiness.
"What a bunch of bull…" Skull groans as the team jumps out of the last painting.
"He calls himself an artist yet shows no respect for it at all. All he cares about is money." Noir comments, taking her hat off to remove a few leaves that had gotten stuck.
"He reminds me of Kaneshiro. Money grubbing fly…" Queen seethes, squeezing water out of her scarf alongside Spring.
"Indeed. They are nothing but meaningless self-assertions placed into picture frames." Fox comments, flicking some sand off his jacket.
"And all that money that he doesn't keep goes right into Shido's coffers." Joker adds, shaking water out of his head. "Let's keep moving guys. We're almost near the Treasure." The Thieves, after cleaning themselves from the paintings, continue on entering into a storage area filled with paintings. All of them depict a person.
Ambushing the patrolling Shadows, Joker manages to obtain a Nue and another surprise personae. Ame no Uzume. After obtaining the two, the team pressed on through the storage area and came across the second Will Seed of the Palace. Locked behind a shutter. While the team could spread out and search for the button to retract it, Oracle simply hacked into the system and opened it.
Saving them time and netting them the green Will Seed.
Those who pass with prying eyes are plucked before they become a real problem.
A good pupil devotes their whole being to their master.
I raised each of my disciples on my own. They are merely more examples of my master craft.
If my name didn't grace that painting, it'd be absolutely worthless!
"How could someone do this… Stealing a person's work and labelling it as their own… It's like taking their own life away." Spring mumbles as the team leaves the room. Taking the second exit out of the storage, the team find themselves in a small corridor that opens up into…
"What the…?" Noir eloquently says as the team look at what could be described as an abstract dream. Giant blocks of gold hovering in a space of yellow light, connected by paper gold stairways, while solid gold staircases stretch between several blocks. All the while, more portraits line the sides. All of it shining a brilliant gold.
"We're only here for a few seconds, and my eyes are already crying in protest." Oracle moans, taking her mask off to rub her sore eyes. "Where do we even go? This place isn't on the map, and I can't scan it for some reason."
"Follow me, I believe I remember how this place went." Fox replies, leading the group up a set of stairs to their right. Before their eyes became blinded by the gleam.
Finding their way through the golden maze was as annoying as it was the first time. From picking out the correct painting of the 'Sayuri' to chasing after the orb of light, only broken up by the appearance of a lone Shadow. Which supplied Joker with a Koppa Tengu, although now his roster was currently full.
Eventually, they managed to escape the eye-burning maze, finding themselves inside what is presumably the main tower of the museum. With three pathways leading to the left, right and centre of the tower from a small rest area.
And in the centre, protected by towering laser walls, was the Treasure. Shimmering in its hazy state. Protected by several Savage Shadows, along with a familiar face. Dressed in a Golden Shogun robe, hair tied into a topknot, skin painted white with red lipstick, stood none other than Shadow Madarame.
"So that's Madarame's Shadow? And I thought Kaneshiro was greedy for money. Is there nothing here that isn't covered in gold?" Queen asks, unimpressed at the sight.
"I am starting to find myself put off by gold forever…" Noir comments quietly.
"Other than that, how do we tell the Treasure? It's surrounded by guards and lasers. Even Madarame is standing right next to it." Outlaw questions, seeing the defences around it.
"On the ground, yeah. But what about from above?" Skull asks, pointing to the top of the cage. "There's a large gap at the top. Last time, we used a crane on the ceiling to lower Mona when we shut off the lights. The beams themselves could only be turned off by Madarame."
"And even then, he replaced the Treasure with a fake." Panther adds from his side. "We only found that out when Mona pulled back the cover, and Madarame showed us it in his arrogance."
"Since it worked out last time, we'll go with the same plan. Although…" Joker turns to Oracle with a smirk. "If it's possible, do you think you could turn off the lights permanently?"
"Who do you think I am?" Oracle replies. "Just give me a terminal and let me work."
"The last time, we only had ten seconds of darkness to work with. Increasing that time by even a small amount would be generous."
"Who will be on the crane?" Spring asks Fox before all eyes turn to Mona.
"Me again?" He asks grumpily. "Why can't Oracle do it?" The team just stare at him in silence, be Mona lets out a long sigh. "Alright, I'll do it. Again. But first, we should check to make sure that the crane is still there."
"Right, follow me." Joker calls, bringing the team up the right path and venturing higher into the tower. With Oracle hacking the sealed gates open, the team soon found themselves grappling on the rafters above the Treasure, seeing the gaping hole right below them. Just as they were about to continue, Mona alerted them to the final Will Seed nearby.
Moving across the rafter and through a vent, the team find the room guarded by a large Shadow, with Oracle quickly getting to work identifying.
"Okay…wow, this is a tough one. Arahabaki, part of the Hermit Arcana. Damn, this guy nullifies physical and resist gun."
"And like that, I'm rendered useless…" Outlaw moans with Spring patting his back.
"He also resists bless and curse, so Spring and Joker won't have a good time either. But it is weak to wind and nuke."
"Then that makes the line-up easy. Queen, Mona, let's do this." Joker comments while walking forward. Queen and Mona are closely behind, with the rest of the team following suit. The Shadow takes notice of the Thieves' arrival soon after, with shock in its warbly voice.
"How did you all—!" It speaks, ready to go into a rant before it stops itself and shrugs its shoulders at them. "Know what? It doesn't even matter—now that you've seen this place, you won't be leaving alive!" It quickly changes form, ready itself for battle as the team gets ready.
"Sorry, but you won't stop us! Anat! Frelia!" Queen commands, sending a blast of nuke towards the Arahabaki. The blast stuns it, with the team unleashing a quick All-out attack on the stunned Shadow. But surprisingly, it takes the blow before unleashing a Brain Jack on the team. The spell passes them by harmlessly, but Spring is unfortunately hit.
Under the spell, she attacks Outlaw, his weakness to phys sending him to his knees before Mona could cure her of the spell.
"S-Sorry Outlaw!" Spring stammers, helping him to his feet as Mona blasts the Shadow with a Garula.
"It's fine. Not your fault." Outlaw brushes it off before the two join the others in an all-out attack. Finishing off the Arahabaki for good.
"Urgh…Brain Jack….I hate that spell…" Oracle groans. "Reminds me of that time when we went after that sleaze bag in Mementos."
"Don't remind us…" Panther groans as Joker opens the door. "Had we known he could do that, we would have happily stayed far away."
"Erm…What happened?" Spring nervously asks.
"You don't want to know." Mona replies with a full-body shake. Just as Joker grabs the last Will Seed.
Every work I've produced is a genuine masterpiece!
You don't have what it takes to distinguish imagery from the real image!
Who's to say whether or not it's protected?
"Bastard really thinks he's allowed to place his name on anything." Joker comments as the three Seeds combine into one. "He doesn't care about anyone else, only himself."
With the final Seed obtained, the team retrace their steps back to the catwalk, using their grappling hooks to travel over the gap to reach the crane control room. And just like last time, a hook on a rope hung in the same spot.
"Okay, we have our route and method of securing the Treasure. Let's head back to reality and plan the card." Mona informs. With a united nod, the team pulled back to a safe room not far from the hook control, using it to travel back to the entrance. But all the while, Joker felt strange. As though he was anxious about something. He couldn't put a pin on it until he spotted the door to the Velvet Room glowing an angry red with Justine outside.
"You are needed, Inmate." She tells him. Seeing how he and no choice, Joker followed her into the Velvet Room only to be met by the wailing sound of a siren as a red alarm blared in the centre of the room.
"What do you think, Inmate? Surprised?" Caroline asks with a smugness in her voice.
"What's going on?" Joker replies honestly. This has never happened before!
"This is a failsafe to ensure you don't neglect your rehabilitation. It's intended to push you into performing executions."
Failsafe? What are they talking about?
"We call it a 'Fusion Alarm'."
"It's a warning system that tells you when you've been slacking off in your duties!" Caroline bites, placing her Baton on her shoulder. Joker silently nods his head.
'Fusion Alarm'? Does that mean that any fusions I make get stronger? Does this include the Electric Chair and Gallows as well? Think I'll give it a try… Come to think of it, doesn't Ame-no-Uzume become a weapon for Fox? Might as well try…
"In that case, I want to use the Electric Chair on Ame-no-Uzume." The moment those words left his lips, the grins on the twins seemed to deepen as they extracted the Persona from Joker.
Wrapping it up Velvet Cloth and strapping it to the chair, the twins execute the Persona, turning it into a katana.
"Here you are. Senryou Yakusha R." Justine says as Caroline hands the weapons to Joker. He quirks an eyebrow at the name, noting the addition of an R at the end. He would have to ask Fox if he feels anything different about it.
"Thank you." Joker replies before turning to leave. "I'll be back later." He tells them as the 'Fusion Alarm' comes to an end. Something tells me I'm going to get a lot out of these Alarms. Should let everyone else know about it.
