Anton's Palace, Metaverse

Afternoon

As soon as the four of them arrived in the other reality, three of them had their attires immediately transformed into the ones they wore from yesterday including Akira.

"Nice threads." Manic joked, grinning.

"You jelly?" Akira glanced over to him with a teasing smirk.

"Eh. I could put together an equally-cool outfit at a thrift store." Manic said, waving dismissively.

"Let's get going." Johnny led the group on over to Anton's Palace. When they got there, they'd stop near the parking lot for a moment.

"You and Manic should take a gun before we go in." Cortez advises Akira and Manic.

"I couldn't agree more..." Manic replied, sifting around in the bag and then pulled a TEC-9 machine pistol airsoft gun. Looking it over a moment and checking the sights on it before sticking it in a pocket under his vest.

Akira took out a Glock semi-automatic pistol from the bag and looked it over before storing it away on himself. "The security would be heavier now than the other day after our escape."

The group would process on into the building via through the parking lot entrance and beginning their expedition into Anton's Palace. Manic followed, keeping a close eye out for Shadows but also keeping an eye out for loot.

He was lucky that he had brought his thief utility belt that had all his thief tools on it including his multitool-styled lockpick tool which he never left home without anyway but did sure to bring it along, even to here. They'd navigate the corporate hallways adorned with various decorations they'd use to take cover behind, sneaking around the ground level floor of the gold building as they refrained from fighting the Shadows unless absolutely necessary.

They were also careful to avoid setting off the building's security too while they looked around.

"Pssh, I found a Safe Room." Cortez whispered to the group as he came upon a semi-transparent door and beckons the group over.

"Safe Room?" Asked Akira.

"I'll explain when we go in."

The group quickly hurries through the door to find an empty room with a table and a few chairs that would flicker into a room from the real world which only Manic would know about.

"The Safe Rooms are spots in the Palaces that have the least amount of distortions around them." Cortez told Akira. "We're safe in these rooms as the Shadows won't ever bother coming inside them. Handy for taking breaks as well as being a way to save our progress as our phones would have them registered as locations we can teleport to. Saves us from having to do any backtracking and such."

"Handy." Akira commented.

"Dang, that's at least good for fast-travel." Manic remarked, sitting on one of the chairs.

"It is."

"Plus, it's familiar territory to me to some extent."

"Most of the doors we've come across so far on this floor either don't open or there's nothing worthwhile in them." Johnny said, seated at the table.

"Then we'll have to keep searching this floor before we start making our way up the building." Akira held his chin in thought. "The lower floors doesn't look to lead anywhere else other than the containment area."

"Makes sense that the floors above this would have hold more secrets than down here where security wouldn't be as tight as the upper floors."

"Seems about right if this place's real-world equivalent is what I think it is." Manic held his chin.

"Which is?" Akira prompted with a go-on hand gesture.

"Anton's hideout. Where else?"

"You been to it before?"

"Only once. Once was enough. Trust me."

"I see. Where would this be at in his hideout?"

"This would be a storage room."

"Ah."

"Lucky for us, there's chairs in here."

"We'll wait another minute before we continue on." Akira said to Manic.

"Sounds like a plan my dude." Manic replied, giving the thumbs up. The four boys would soon get moving again and traverse the ground level floor once more, keeping their eyes out for anything interesting going on while Manic kept close; even if he himself wanted to break off to look for loot to steal.

He wouldn't have to do that anyhow as Johnny checked through one of the doors in the hall to peer inside it. "Guys, I see a chest in here."

"The lady kind or the treasure kind?" Akira remarked, earning light chuckles from the others. The rabbit shaking his head with a light smile.

"A treasure chest. A locked one to be exact." Johnny clarifies as they went into what resembles a lounge room adorned with rich velvet furnitures and other expensive decorations that screams luxury. At the center of it all, a shiny treasure chest beckons to the four.

"That's my cue~" Manic said, holding up his lockpick handy-tool. "I got this."

"You pick that chest open while we go grab whatever we can take here." Johnny told him as he, Akira and Cortez go to pick up items small enough for them to carry in their pockets while Manic picks away at the lock on the treasure chest.

"Got it unlocked yet?" Akira would soon call over to the green hedgehog.

"The Manic Magic cannot be rushed, my friend..." Manic said without looking at him, "This is not just a skill I happen to have, it is an art form I am fluent in~"

"Don't be too long." Johnny said to him. "We'd rather avoid spending too long in one area before a Shadow comes our way and we don't want to get boxed in here."

"Patience, my guy~" Manic managed to unlockmtge chest finally. "Annnnd, done. This lock just got it's ass kicked~"

"What's in the chest?" Cortez asked after pocketing a fancy looking ashtray. Manic peered inside the chest to see what was in it and a white capsule is what the chest contained.

"What the fuck is this?" Manic said, picking up the capsule to look it over in confusion.

"Atom Match." Johnny went over and takes the white capsule from him. "Throw it at an enemy and it'll dispel Nuclear at them when it makes contact with them."

"Wait, that thing's an atom bomb?" Manic said, looking really worried upon hearing that. "Shit, man. Why would you throw something like that at close range? You'd kill us all!"

"In the Metaverse, Nuclear works a little differently than in the real world. It's only as harmful to you in the Metaverse if you're getting struck with by it as an attack but it wouldn't leave behind any radiation sickness or permanent burns on you as it would in the real world and it's basically akin to what I had thrown at those guards yesterday." Johnny assures him. "The Atom Match works more like a Molotov Cocktail than an atom bomb and has the explosive radius of one. Nuclear is an element in the Metaverse too and this capsule is safe to throw at a distance."

"Ohhhh..." Manic felt relived at the clarification. "Well, that's... Less worrisome..."

"Should be handy against Shadows that are weak to Nuclear." Johnny stashes the capsule away in one of his pockets.

"All that effort for a throwable weapon..." Manic murmurs, pocketing his lockpick tool. "Would've rathered a dagger or a machine gun or something."

"We'll might find some elsewhere in other locked chests."

"I sure hope so, man. Maybe we could find some extra clips for my own gat because I'm not sure I can do a one-clip run with twenty rounds."

"No need. The guns can replenish themselves after each battle with the Shadow from our observations."

"Oh, so it's like how in shooters where you can just replenish ammo by interacting with the crafting workbench?"

"No, they only replenish after each battle because of the Shadows' cognitions. Each individual or groups of Shadows will think the guns are loaded with full ammunition."

"Ah, okay. So, the guns, thing... It's kinda like a placebo effect for both the user and the one it's pointed at, right? Like, if you have it in your mind that it's real and will shoot, it'll basically work? Just so I got it down fully."

"Pretty much. The Metaverse is our subconsciousness materialised after all according to O.V.I's theory about this reality." Johnny says before adding; "Let's go."

The group quickly left the room and continued searching the ground level while avoiding another patrolling Shadow along the way, eventually finding a staircase leading up to the second floor along with an elevator which predictably didn't open for them. O.V.I concluded that they'll need an access card for it as the side of the elevator door has a card scanner next to it.

"...What's the deal between you and Anton anyways?" Akira spoke up as they proceeded to climb up the stairs, Johnny and Cortez leading on

"If you gotta know..." Manic said, sighing as he averted his gaze slightly. "I... I'm indebted to him."

"Indebted?"

"I owe him a sizable amount of money... And by that, I mean I owe him that exact amount of money every year until the day I die."

"That's straight up extortion." Akira furrowed his brows. "He's trying to bleed you dry til you're flat broke."

"Pretty much and of course, I can't do shit about because I'm a thief who steals for money that half of which goes to another criminal; so who am I gonna tell, the police?"

"You're trapped between a rock and a hard place... All while he holds the advantage. Doctor thinks that's prime reason we should push him off his pedestal." Akira said, sharing what his Persona is saying to him.

"I couldn't agree more. It's just a matter of actually doing so…"

"We'll find a way." Akira assures him. Having more reason to want to help Manic out.

"Yeah…" Manic nods, though even he still seemed unsure. Akira mentally kept note of Manic's uncertainty as they'd eventually reach the top of the stairs.

Bringing them to the second floor level lined with red walls, gold floors, more framed pictures featuring Anton Veuca including a magazine cover that declares him to be bigger than Tikal which spoke to Akira the sheer ego the lizard has going on, a not safe for work magazine cover of him with a naked Princess Venus humping his leg speaking to his crassness, doors with yellow plaques stating what offices they are and blue lighting versus the yellow lighting of the bottom floor.

"There's more red here than what you find with 20 of 99 Crimson Balloons." Cortez commented on the excessiveness of the decorations. "I'd like to know what office building Anton has seen that's this gaudy. Your eyes hurting yet?"

"You kidding? I feel nauseous from seeing this much gold in one place." Johnny tutted. "Manic. Do you have any idea on what this all means to Anton?"

"Well, his gang does sometimes rob banks and they have stolen good amount of mobiums from them. Probably likens that to stealing gold bars."

"He thinks himself a billionaire here... Maybe even a trillionaire if he could afford all of this in real life." Akira looks at the magazine covers. "This building reeks of someone wanting to show their wealth for all to see."

"There could be a psychological behind this Palace's visual appearance." O.V.I chimed in from Johnny's breast pocket. "Palaces like these form after a moment in a Ruler's life that shapes their world into what they are now."

"Question is what the actual meaning of this Palace for Anton and how it reflects the cognition of his world..." Akira pondered, scanning the halls through the eyeholes of his owl mask before landing on a door that reads 'Chief Services Officer' and went over to check it if it was unlocked which it is. "I'm gonna check this office for a moment."

He opens the door to reveal a standard looking office. It seemed standard looking on first glance before he took notice of a shelving unit to his left adorned with what he guessed to be romantic items if the inappropriate sight of a teddy bear dressed in pink lacy ladies' underwear holding a heart is anything to go off and next to the shelf is a wall plaque that simply reads 'Boss' Favourite "Employee" of the Month'. The wolf silently taking note of the odd quotation marks around the word employee.

Glancing over at the desk in the office that has a computer, a few photo frames on it and a golden desk plaque, he walked up to it. He'd reach for one of the frames to turn it around to reveal a photo of a beautiful orange female Mobian tigress dressed in a red mid-riff top, black shorts and wearing a heart necklace standing like she's got an arm around someone's shoulder but no-one's there. If he were French like that famed Knothole Freedom Fighter Antoine is, he would be saying ooh la la out aloud right now.

'I wonder if Manic knows anything who on this girl is?' Akira wondered while looking at the image.

"She is quite stunning." Omega remarks to the red wolf.

"Indeed but who is this one and why does this Palace have a cognition of her for?"

"I think Manic would know. Though, I get the feeling he's not being fully transparent with us."

"That good or bad?"

"He's not telling us the whole truth regarding his own situation with Anton including why he's paying him off the money." The Doctor voices his suspicions. "You've been having your own questions about him after what Anton's Shadow has said about him. Even had a suspicion regarding his willingness to come back here when he nearly came close to facing death in the containment area."

"That I have..." Akira looked down at the gold name plaque and picked it up to examine the object in hand. Seeing the name and job position on it.

"Tatiana Tiger?" The wolf read the name plaque out loud and he thought he just caught Manic who stood at the doorway tense up for a moment before something else had their immediate attention when Johnny in the hallway was suddenly blasted back by a magical attack known aka a Gravity spell, flipping over onto his face on the ground in a daze.

"Give us some help here!" Cortez urgently called to Akira and the wolf dropped what he was doing to rush out of the office to help the blue badger with the latter fending off a few Shadows whose appearances from both sides of the corridor had caught the group off-guard. "Now!"

Akira pulled out his Glock and blasted a Shadow with it, taking one out. Manic didn't seem aware of what was going on for a moment.

"O.V.I!" Cortez fought off an attacking Shadow with his great sword. "What's our situation?!"

"Not too good. They've got us cornered here from both ends according to my sensors." O.V.I replied.

"We need to get out of here and quickly!" Akira said to Cortez, the wolf's Persona fending against two Shadows that were attacking them aggressively. The Doctor fighting them with his umbrella weapon.

"Then we'll need to clear a path and—AGH!" Suddenly, a Shadow attacked Cortez with a Curse spell and the swordsman ended up on the floor like Johnny was. Leaving only Akira and Manic left standing.

"Manic!" Akira yelled to Manic, fighting a Shadow with a rapier sword. "I need some help here right n—OW!"

A Shadow would land a blindside hit on Akira and got him pinned down to the floor. The other Shadows doing the same for the other Persona users that were already knocked down.

"I expected more from you sorry sacks of shit after yesterday..." In came Shadow Anton moments after the group found themselves completely surrounded by the Shadows, greeting them all with an indifferent sneer. "I guess you lot just got lucky last time."

"Shit..." Manic said, tensing up but then gained a defiant glare and pulled a fold-out pocketknife from his vest pocket to deploy the blade before brandishing it in a defensive stance. He wouldn't hold the stance for long as a Shadow quickly knocked him down on to his knees and the pocket knife scraping across the floor over to Shadow Anton whom picked it up.

"Tsk tsk... It's dangerous to play with knives..." Shadow Anton chuckled at his failed display of heroism. "You could get arrested for the dangerous use of the knife, you know? Just ask yours truly Krouch."

"The only thing dangerous around here is yo—OOF!" Johnny was interrupted with a kick to the stomach by the Shadow standing over him.

"I'm both surprised and not surprised that you'd come crawling back here like a pest. Supposed you're either brave or extremely reckless of you my dear Manic." The velvet-suited lizard stepped over to where Akira was. "You're really eager to get back at me by any means and with little thought spared to the safety of your friends here in your personal pursuits to try to upset the hierarchy that exists in this city of mine. I suppose you're just a real glutton for punishment after all."

"Fucker! Let them go!" Manic shouted, shakily picking himself back up and then making a dash for Shadow Anton. The latter snaps his fingers and an Enforcer of his would quickly knock down Manic to the floor a second time before he could get close.

"Stay down punk!" The Enforcer growled at him.

"It's things like this that has brought you to your current situation." Shadow Anton tutted mockingly. "I'd have thought by now, you'd learn be a wise hedgehog and know your place in the food chain. Your foster father certainly hadn't taught you that well on everything outside of how to be a pickpocketing thief that's at the bottom of the criminal ladder before he died to a random house break-in that you're not convinced about. Does the phrase don't punch above your weight class mean nothing to you?"

"What the hell would you know about that?" Manic replied, wincing from the pain from the blow. "You're the one extorting me and trying to bleed me dry every year!"

"That's the consequence of trying to move up the ladder without the means or connections to get far unlike me and playing hero against people who wouldn't hesitate to crush your pitiful life beneath their heel. There's a reason the heroic thieves like Robin Hood are only fictional characters as thievery is counter intuitive against heroism and only the most desperate of street peasants would ever see you as one." Shadow Anton retorted. "You tried to uproot me from my rightful place in the hierarchy and the apology money you're giving is a compromise between me drowning you in a barrel or have one of your friends pay for your transgressions."

Shadow Anton frowned. "You should be grateful for my generosity in letting you continue your days without us or your remaining homies giving you reprisals. Putting you in your place was the most humane I could do for you."

"Generosity, humane? You wouldn't know what one means if they hit you in the face!" Akira growled. "You're just a dirty crook who'd do just about anything to get his way regardless of who he has to step on to achieve what he wants!"

"At least I'm a successful one unlike Manic here who's only got a dead foster dad, a convict record and a list of failures he brought upon himself. My... My..." Shadow Anton shook his head with a grin. "He hasn't been honest with you, hasn't he? Neglecting to let you know the whole truth about himself, hasn't he? Some friend he is if he's even that with you but that's to be expected from Manic as he's better at stealing than he is keeping. Ohohoho, this is very rich..."

"Shut up!" Manic shouted, a teary glare on his face.

"Shall I regale these three some of your past that you're not willing to tell them or shall I leave it to you to explain it all and hope you don't alienate them with your truth like your so-called homies have when they turned their backs to you after you stood against me in a sense of trying to be the good guy in a bad man's game? Not that it would matter anyways." Shadow Anton grinned wickedly as he looked down to Manic. "I've taken greatly from you before in the past and I can do it again in the now. Your non-present mother would be very disappointed with you right now if she's even still alive that is~"

"Shut up! You leave her out of this!" Manic shouted. "You don't know anything about her!"

"Neither do you."

"That doesn't give you any right to talk about her like that!"

"You don't even know what she's like or why she abandoned you as a child. She was probably some fucktube from the red light district who got knocked up with you." Shadow Anton shot back harshly before looking smug. "Face it, you screwed yourself the moment you tried to go against the natural order of things and paying the price along with your arrest. Only Fatso and a small handful of others are still with you today while everyone else recognises who's Number One in town and left to be with that Number One. Me."

Manic seethed a moment. "...You turned Tatiana against me..."

"I was there for her when you weren't around to support her. She understood you're damaged goods and saved herself from sinking in the ocean with you." Shadow Anton smirked knowingly. "Better to align yourself with a winner that's got influence over a loser who's got nothing and she knew to get on with the program like your so-called homies have yo. Don't worry, a good portion of your money does go towards her as curtsey."

Then Shadow Anton pulls out a handgun. "You know... It's never too late to make a deal with me now and I'll be happy to let bygones be bygones if you make your apology to me here. We can all walk away from this happy as Larry."

"Bastard..." Manic said, shooting Shadow Anton a harsh glare. "You fucking took her, you lied to her, you fucking flashed your blood money in front of her and probably even drugged her up so she'd be more agreeable with you!"

"Ever the biased one... And ever the fool." Anton cocks his pistol. "Looks like I'll have to get you to gravel to me in apology by other effective means..."

He then points the gun at Akira's head on the floor. "Starting with the one you mugged yesterday. Another casualty to add to the list of situations that could have easily been resolved with a little more thought put towards your actions."

"No!" Manic shouted, losing the harsh glare immediately. "No, wait... Wait... Look... It doesn't have to be like that... Come on..."

"I'm listening..."

"..." Manic trembled a bit before getting on his knees. Seeing as the situation is dire for him and the others. "...I-I'm sorry..."

"Crawl on your hands and feet over to me..." Shadow Anton said firmly as he pointed the gun away from Akira to point hard at his expensive shoes. "Kiss my shoes, make my soles shine like fucking mirrors with your tongue and then repeat that along with your acknowledgement of who is the Number One in the whole of Cyber City. Do it and beg for mercy too if you know what's good for you. I'm waiting buddy... Don't make the Don Chairman wait forever, time is money after all and I got far more important things to do than wasting it with bottom-feeder shitstain like you."

Manic discreetly glanced at Akira as if to nonverbally tell him and the others to book it while he was doing this. Though he didn't know none of them are able to get away from the Enforcers standing over them.

He then crawled on his hands and feet to Shadow Anton and began to do as he asked against his own pride. Kissing his shoes is akin to kissing the ass of someone you dislike and just as revolting.

"What are you doing Manic?" Akira called out the hedgehog, disgusted by the sight he sees before him and spoke his mind. "Is this how you try to make things better for people living in Geno City for quality of life? If so, then you're making yourself as much apart of the problem with it as the Mayor's unwillingness to fix it by enabling that lowlife pretending he's royalty and a big fat liar in everything you've ever told me..."

Then he added with a furrowed brow; "That is unless it's your fear talking for you and not your heart!"

"Shut it!" The Enforcer standing over Akira smacked him in the face, making the wolf spit out blood on the floor.

"You're better than this!" Akira continued in defiance he didn't think he had before. "You once told me this world can't go on like this... And you're right. It shouldn't have to continue going on like nothing has changed while that piece of shit in a suit stands loud and proud over the fact that you're yielding to him which is what he has always wanted more than anything from you. Take that mental clamp you have on off, toss it to the winds and let your justice be known!"

"Such bullshit for a soon-to-be erased nobody!" Shadow Anton tried to loudly rebuke Akira's statement. "Manic. Do as you're fucking told or you'll be seeing that insect trash again so—AGH!"

Suddenly, Manic bit down hard onto Shadow Anton's ankle where he tried to break the skin a bit with his own teeth and also gesturing for Akira and the others to run. Thinking the other Shadows standing over the Persona users would rush over to their boss' aid.

A Shadow Enforcer next to Shadow Anton harshly kicks Manic onto his back in response for his vain attempt to try to get the other Enforcers to leave the others alone. Another Shadow Enforcer would join him and the two proceed to give the green hedgehog a beating for his troubles before the livid Shadow Anton gestures them to stop.

The Enforcers held up Manic by the arms while Shadow Anton went up to him, gnashing his teeth. "You seriously thought your moronic plan to assault me would have somehow helped them escape?"

He then slips on a gold knuckleduster before punching him a few times with it while the Enforcers firmly held up the already-beaten Manic for some more physical assault. The Persona users unable to do anything as the other Enforcers weren't letting them go anywhere on their watch.

Manic spat out a lot of blood as he was struck, tears stinging his cheeks as he peered over to Akira and co.

'Sorry guys...' He thought, feeling a little downtrodden from his failure to turn the situation around on Shadow Anton. 'I guess I didn't quite cut it... Tatiana, I'm sorry I couldn't help you like I had wanted to... I tried to help people in my father's honour but if I can't even help my own friends, then what good am I to anyone beyond being a thief from the streets?'

When Manic went down to his knees on the floor after Shadow Anton had his go at him, the lizard looked down on him like he's King George Acorn peering over a street beggar. Exactly how Shadow Anton sees himself right now.

"This is how it ends. A child abandoned by their own family and raised by a thieving bug for a foster father who's mistake in trying fight a system greater than he would eventually cost him his life when he'd push it too far..." Shadow Anton laughed in triumph. "A fitting one for a good for nothing trash from the streets and the same will be said of you posthumously. A small time criminal who should have known to stay inside his lane like everyone else in this city and let folks like myself decide what's best for you all for we know better than you..."

He takes out Manic's pocketknife and pulls out the blade, his intent with the weapon obvious. "When I'm finished putting you and your friends down like rats, Little John and every other worthless trash that chooses to side with you will be next on the chopping block. Who's gonna miss them and the people they represent anyways? They'll all just go the way of the Dodo and make room for their betters such as the way of all things."

The lizard gave Manic a malicious smirk. "I'll be remembered as the Number One guy in town or maybe even in history long after I'm gone while you'll be forgotten to time and I will be able to sleep easy knowing that I have one less pain in the ass person to deal with. Don't worry, I'll make sure that your dear girl will be well taken care of... She'll be mine forever to do with as I please and I'll emerge as the rightful victor in the end. Exactly how our story together should end..."

"You're a bully through and through!" Manic yelled at him in tears. "A bully who doesn't deserve the silver spoon that's in his mouth and should be the one spending time behind bars for all his crimes, not me!"

Then Shadow Anton, the Shadow Enforcers and everything else around Manic would freeze to a stop or seem to be in a state of slow motion crawling at a snail's pace. Manic blinked when this happened.

"And people say I'm a right crook. This guy is the kind of person I'd be making life hell for..." A new voice suddenly enters Manic's thoughts, one best described one belonging to a cultured-talking presence with the intelligence and charisma to boot. "Maybe steal a treasure or two from him just for funsies while I'm at it."

"Huh?!" Manic thought in confusion. "Who the hell are you?!"

"Who else do you think I am Paulie? I'm your other self that exists within you." The voice replied in amusement. "You don't like this twit Anton and neither do I. What do you say to us becoming partners in crime?"

"Partners in crime?"

"Uh-huh. Come on, there's no time to waste when you're a skilled thief..." The voice said to Manic. "I am thou, thou art I... Thyself shall show up the law and bring down injustice the way only a gentleman thief can!"

"Right... Right, I get it..." Manic nodded as a black thief eye mask formed on his eyes, being reminded of his own vow by both the newcomer and Akira. "Yeah, let's do this..."

He grabbed at the mask over his eyes, bracing himself.

'If this is as physically painful as it was for Akira, then this is gonna hurt like a bastard...' He thought, then much like pulling off a band-aid quickly; he tore the mask off his face with blood shooting out from and several of the Enforcers were sent flying back by the blue explosion of power he now wielded with an accompanying pained yell and the trapped Persona users quickly got up to their feet.

The same thing that happened to Akira's face before his awakening happened to him when he did so but then when he did, his outfit transformed through the blue flames washed through him into an emerald green 1970's leisure suit with black dress shoes and a pair of black leather thief gloves on his hands.

"Whoa..." Manic looks at his own change in attire with awe and finding that he's all healed from his beatings, no longer feeling damaged like before. "That ruled... More importantly..."

He looked over at Shadow Anton, a starlike twinkle glinted in his eye that has returned to the hedgehog and with renewed inner-strength. "I'm gonna make you wish you got rid of me sooner because I'll be the bane of your existence from now on!"

All bearing witness to the new sight of a visually cartoonishly looking but snappily dressed dark curly-haired figure with chin length wearing a dark shirt, sleek pants, shoes, the distinctively eye-catching white tie, black jacket and a black top hat that hovered behind Manic. Posed with a gentleman's posture and one leg bend back as if leaning on a wall while having a mischievous smile on him.

"His Persona..." Cortez muttered to himself.

"He's finally awoken to his true self." Johnny finished quietly.

"It's about time." Akira straightens his hat and dusting himself off before joining Manic's side with the other two following suit. "Let's turn the tide on them."

"Another one of you clowns!?" Shadow Anton snarled at Manic before scoffing afterwards. "Hmph, whatever. My Enforcers will have you pests taken care of soon."

He then snaps his fingers, bringing forth one of the Shadows. "Captain, you and your men see to it that these four are dealt with. Do not fail me."

"Yes Boss." The Enforcer Captain replied as he stood between the four Persona users and Shadow Anton with the latter turning around to walk away while a few of the other Enforcers joined his side before declaring to the users; "The penalty for breaking and entering Don Chairman Anton's tower is death!"

"What, no trial?" Manic taunted, giving a sly smirk. "Don't I get a phonecall or get to speak to my attorney? I have rights, you know."

He then shrugged his shoulders in a lackadaisical manner. No longer feeling afraid after his rebirth. "I guess thinking isn't your strong suit pal. You probably should stick to following orders like your boss wants you to."

"I'm gonna enjoy beating your ass!" The Enforcer Captain melts down to become a beastly Shadow in the form of a Hydra while the other Enforcers barring one turned into demonic creatures. One becoming a monstrous distortion of an Indigo Wisp with a buzzsaw Saturn-like ring around it's body.

"Let's do this!" Akira called out. The Persona users springing to action and starting the battle.

Manic grinned as he summoned a side-handled police baton into his hand from his person, holding it by the side handle in the standard Tonfa style. "Never thought I'd be one using one of these for once. Lucky for me, they're pretty close to those Tonfas I learned to use at a very early age."

"Cortez and Manic, you both take care of the Shadows that has access to Curse while me and Johnny will handle the Wispon Shadow!" Akira decided to take charge of the battle tactics. "We'll deal with the Hydra as we go!"

"Got it!" Cortez nodded and goes to deal with the Curse using Shadows while Akira and Johnny engaged in a battle against the Indigo Wisp.

"What's our plan Cortez?" Manic asked as they went over to take on the demonic Shadows. "You want me to go first or you?"

"Follow my lead and we'll get these ones dealt with." Cortez said as he summoned Guardian and attacked three of them with a Bless spell, dealing decent damage to them before following it with a swipe from his great sword and silencer pistol shots to finish them off. "Let's see what you can do."

"Right on Raffles my dude, let's do this!" Manic said who summoned his Persona before sending a Magna attack in the form of a fist-shaped rock formation emerging from the floor to one of the Shadows, then performing a few baton strikes on it and pulling out a PPSH-41 submachine gun to fire a few shots at the Shadow to finish it off. Cortez would take out another of the Curse type Shadows that could have given Johnny trouble earlier on and trying to thin down their numbers.

Similarly, Johnny and Akira would take care of the Shadow Indigo Wisp to eliminate the Gry user for the badger's sake with their effective teamwork. The latter pair would soon take on the big Hydra and fought against it, the Shadow proving to be able to take a lot of their attacks.

Even Johnny's Zan attacks seemed to be only doing small damage to the serpent.

"O.V.I. We need to know what this Shadow's weakness is and fast!" Akira ordered to the electronic helper.

"Give me a few moments to scan for any weak points on it." O.V.I replied while the wolf and the rabbit battles the Hydra together with both avoiding the beast's fiery Agi spells.

Cortez had Guardian take down a Shadow that was trying to go for Manic. The green hedgehog sent another Magna attack to a Shadow nearest to him and they'd soon cut down the Curse type group down to just one Shadow.

"One more! Who's got it!?"

"What else can your Persona do?" Cortez asks him.

"Uhhh..." Manic said, thinking a moment, "Oh! I know!"

He then used a physical attack on the last Shadow, dealing some strike damage to it. Manic's Persona A. J. Raffles doing a finger point and aiming it the Shadow to perform said attack.

"Of course. Your Persona uses a Strike skill." Cortez bowed his head as the Shadow dissipated into black smoke. "But more on that later as we'll need to help those two out."

Johnny and Akira were still fighting the Hydra, said Shadow was able to tank through their damage outputs. Attacking back with fire from some of the heads and poison through the rest of them.

"Figured out what it's weak to yet?" Johnny asked O.V.I. Dodging a poison spit from one of the heads.

"Yes. Hydra should be weak to Earth spells."

"Why Earth?" Johnny questioned.

"Because in the Twelve Labors, Hercules tore off the immortal head of the Lernaean Hydra with his hands and defeated it by burying the creature under a giant rock." Akira informed him, Doctor Omega relaying the information to the wolf and using a Strike skill on the Hydra. "Do we have anything for that?"

"Unfortunately, we don't have any capsules for that on us."

"Manic does." Cortez said to them, assisting the pair. "He's got Earth skills on him."

"You!" Akira pointed to Manic before directing him to the Hydra. "Hit it with Earth, this Shadow's weak to it!"

"Right." Manic grins as he faced the Hydra. "Eat this lizard-breath!"

He then unleashed a Magna attack on the Hydra Shadow with his Persona doing the finger gun gesture at it. Unlike Johnny and Akira's attacks from earlier, Manic's Magna attack proved to very effective on the Hydra when it got struck by the earth bursting from the ground to hit it and the Shadow stumbled back as a result.

The other seizing an opportunity to barrage it with their melee attacks for technicals before backing off to let Manic finish it off. The green thief grinned as he unleashed one more Magna attack to finish the Shadow off.

"Way to go Manic!" Akira cheered on the green hedgehog before quickly catching him in his arms when the latter stumbled a bit once the post-awakening exhaustion started kicking in for him following the battle as it had for the red wolf. "Woah, easy there..."

"Aw jeez, I'm beat..." Manic said, panting from the fatigue. "I could go for a Chili-dog about now..."

"We need to leave quickly before more Shadows shows up." Johnny called to the pair. "Let's go!"

The four proceeds to hurriedly leave the Palace while taking some of the medicine to heal themselves and back to the real world...

To Be Continued...