Chapter 10: Execution and Rebirth

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Akira•

4/16, Saturday

Adjusting his glasses, he walked down the street towards Shujin as the students around him tried to stay as far from him as they could. "Did you hear?"

"Yeah, he's getting expelled, right?"

"Yeah! Even for a guy with a criminal record, that must be the quickest that anyone's been expelled from a school!"

"Tch…"

Do not let them get to thou. They know not of our struggles.

"Hey, Akira, don't worry about it!" Morgana shuffled around inside his bag, poking the tip of his pink nose out. "Once we take down Kamoshida, everyone'll know just what he did!"

"Just because we'll be sending him to prison doesn't mean my criminal record will disappear, and that's what everyone is focused on," he sighed, "still, thank you."

Passing by a small area by the front of the school which held several vending machines, he overheard two girls discussing something. He heard something about being sick and worrying that it was a psychotic breakdown before her friend reassured her that they would go to a doctor.

He couldn't hear the rest of their conversation, but Morgana hummed as he entered the school and removed his shoes and put on the uwabaki they were supposed to wear. He still didn't get having to put on different footwear to enter the school, but whatever, who was he to question it? He was the foreigner here. "Hey, I thought I heard something yesterday about a customer being a doctor, right?"

"I believe so. Though, she was wearing some odd clothing for a doctor… Then again, she could wear whatever she likes when she's not working, I suppose. Why?"

"Well, I was just thinking that it would be nice to have some strong medicine while we're in the Palace."

"True… we shouldn't rely solely on Zorro and Pixie's Dia spells. Maybe…"

Mister Joker, my Dia is totally enough to keep us going!

Me do not think so.

Ω • Ω • Ω

Listening as Ushimaru-sensei droned on, Akira tapped his pencil against his notebook quickly. He could tell that Ann was just as distracted by the way she was staring out the window and fiddling with one of her twintails. He felt a vibration in his pocket and grabbed his phone to find a new notification in the group chat from Ryuji.

Chat Room: Akira, Ryuji, Ann

Ryuji— Yo we're meeting at the hideout after school right?

You— Correct.

Ann— Don't text now, we're in class!

Upon seeing Ann's name on his screen, Morgana's tail flicked excitedly. He stared at the cat hiding in his desk deadpan, before looking back at his phone as it vibrated again.

Ryuji—Ur listening 2 all this crap?

You—Well, I'm certainly attempting to.

Ann—Yeah, none of its sticking today.

Ryuji—U too?

Ryuji— Anyway c u on the roof

Ann—Wait, is the rooftop unlocked?

You—Even if it wasn't, I did learn how to create lockpicks last night thanks to Morgana. I can either attempt to lockpick it open or simply destroy the lock with my PSI.

Ryuji—Yea there aint a need 4 that. I'll just let u in.

Ryuji—Welp i'll be waiting. Just head up when school's over.

You—I'll see you all there.

Ann—Got it!

Ryuji—I'll fine u both if ur late!

"Hey, Starr-san! Is that how you pay attention to someone who's speaking with you?!"

Trickster, watch out!

He blinked at Arsène's words and looked up, suddenly feeling a murderous intent. The first thing he saw was Ushimaru-sensei winding up, before a piece of chalk slammed into his forehead at incredible speeds, making his head snap back as he almost fell out of his seat.

He rubbed his forehead in pain and grumbled as whispers broke out around the room, one girl wincing at the mark on his face, right above the bridge of his glasses. "Ooh… that looked like it hurt."

Another boy snickered at his dilemma. "Damn, right in the forehead!"

Ann giggled from her seat in front of him, and he blushed in embarrassment at how dumb he'd looked in front of the beautiful girl as he rubbed the back of his neck. "That's what you get for daydreaming! Kids these days have no respect for their elders…" At that, Ushimaru-sensei returned to his lecture.

"It looks like you might need to be more proficient to dodge that chalk," Morgana whispered to him.

"Oh shut up," he mumbled back.

I did try and warn thou.

C'mon, no one could have reacted that fast, Mister Arsène!

Hee, you might need a Dia for that one, ho!

Ω • Ω • Ω

After the school day was done, Ann and he walked up to the roof, seating themselves on some desks and chairs that were close to several air conditioners. Morgana jumped out of his bag and onto one of the desks fixing his messed up fur as Ryuji pounded a fist into his hand. "Alright, we're all here! Let's get going!"

"Hold on, it's still too early for us to enter the Palace," Morgana interrupted.

"But why? Don't we just gotta steal that Treasure whatever?"

"Don't underestimate the dangers of a Palace. We should prepare."

"But ain't our Personas enough?"

"Not quite," he cut in. "Ann doesn't have a gun, like my handgun, your shotgun, or Morgana's slingshot. If we can get better equipment for all of us we will have an easier infiltration."

"If we need weapons, then I know a kickass place!"

"Of course a thug would know where to get weapons."

"Shut it, cat! It's an airsoft shop!"

"Ryuji, I'll let you handle that. Now, the other thing that we need is something I discussed with Morgana earlier. Medicine is important, even with our Personas' abilities to heal us."

"Correct. Fatigue is inevitable in a Palace. If we need to get out of a Palace but we're out of energy, medicine will come in handy. And on the other hand, we can save energy when going through a Palace by using medicine instead of our abilities."

"Well, where can we get that?"

"No need to worry, Lady Ann! Akira and I have that covered!"

He rolled his eyes at Morgana's words. "Yes, Morgana and I will handle that. There's a small clinic near where I'm staying in Yongen-Jaya, so we'll see what we can do there. The doctor there apparently has some weird, sketchy rumors surrounding her, so perhaps she could help us out."

"So… what should I do?"

Ann looked slightly disappointed that she didn't have any way to help, so he nodded towards Ryuji. "Why don't you go with Ryuji? You can pick out whatever weapon you'd like for yourself. Then, tomorrow, we'll have our first foray into the Palace. Since tomorrow is Sunday and we don't have any school, we can take our time as we go."

"Actually…" Ann winced and began playing with one of her twintails. "I already made plans to go see Shiho at the hospital…"

"That's fine. But from now on, let's all make sure that we know each other's schedules and plan around them. We have about two weeks to make this work, we don't want to fall behind."

"Thanks, Akira," Ann smiled.

"Alright, then let's get you a weapon!" Ryuji grinned and stood up, Ann following him. "See you!"

The two blonds left the roof, and Morgana flicked his tail in annoyance. "Hmph, that Ryuji doesn't know how lucky he is, getting to spend time with Lady Ann!"

He rolled his eyes as he stood up as well, letting Morgana hop back into his bag. He didn't especially care if Morgana kept trying to woo Ann, since she was clearly not interested, but the problem was that any problems within their group, whether from Morgana becoming dejected by continuously being rejected by the girl, or Ann becoming fed up with Morgana's advances, could make it much more difficult to stop Kamoshida. He'd have to put an end to that if anything similar began occurring.

For now, though, there was nothing to be done. He walked down the stairs and towards the station that would lead back to Yongen-Jaya. It was time for a checkup.

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Takemi•

Takemi placed several ingredients into a drawer by her desk, before writing down the results on a pad as she sat down. Another failure.

The door opened, but she ignored whoever it was. They were probably lost, and once they realized that this wasn't wherever they wanted to be, they'd leave. Not many came to her clinic for any other rea-

"Excuse me? Are you the doctor in charge of this clinic?" She glanced up in surprise and looked at the boy who had walked in. Black school uniform, black hair, and silver eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses… was he wearing colored contacts? And on his back was a bag with a black cat poking its head out.

She blinked, before asking "...Is this your first visit?" Wait, he looked familiar. "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

"Yes, at Leblanc. I just moved into the area, so I'm new here."

"Huh. Well, what are you here for today?"

"I've just recently joined a sports team at my new school, do you have any medicine that can energize me? The school is rather prestigious, and I'm already having trouble keeping up with the workloads that my classes have given me alongside the practices I need to go to…"

She stared at him for a few seconds silently. He didn't seem like he was lying… But her paranoia was telling her something was wrong. "Fine. Please head into the exam room, to your right." He smiled and thanked her, before entering the room. She watched him go, before entering the room through the door on her side. She found him sitting patiently on a stool and sat down in her chair, turning on her computer. "Now then, energizing medicine?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Alright, give me a moment here. I have a couple of questions for you first. Are you feeling stressed out due to the workload from school? Any anxiety?"

There was a brief moment where he didn't answer, but she couldn't be sure whether it was him trying to either think up or remember whatever cover story he'd come up with, or was simply taking a moment to think. "A bit, yes. I sometimes can't fall asleep after finishing my work and end up tossing and turning for part of the night, even though I feel tired, and that leads me to be tired the next day."

"Alright. I'm going to prescribe some pain-killers then. They can help with anxiety." She saw him nod, but there was still something nagging at her. "Hm, actually I still need to restock those… Let's go with sleep medication. Sleep is the best medicine, and that's where your problems are coming from, right? Now, would you rather a sweet-tasting pill, or a bitter-tasting one?"

The boy's cat meowed, almost seeming like it was annoyed with the boy, while the boy twitched before smiling. "I'd rather the sweet-tasting one, please." The cat yowled and covered its face with its paws, and she shot it a bewildered look.

After getting over the cat's weird behavior, she shook her head. "Anyway, let's stop beating around the bush. You aren't sick at all, right? You're simply here because of the odd rumors surrounding my clinic."

To the boy's credit, he didn't start stammering excuses or try to double down. He smiled slightly, leaning forward and interlocking his fingers. "So, are those rumors true?"

"Who's to say? But as a result, all I get are patients with ulterior motives now… if I get them at all. I suppose high school students have it tough nowadays, too, huh?" The boy chuckled at her words. "Well, fine, I'll prescribe you some medicine. But only stuff that'll help you recover your health." The boy raised an eyebrow, and she explained. "I guess it's fine. You seem earnest enough, and you don't look like you'll get into any trouble. If you are telling the truth about feeling anxiety from your schoolwork, it's not like I could ignore that."

"Hm. So, what about the rumors about you making your own medicine? I would assume that that isn't allowed since that could be rather dangerous."

"Yes, all the medicine I dispense is original. You need a license to do so, and you've probably seen them being sold at various hospitals. Anyway, it's your responsibility to take care of yourself. If that's okay with you, feel free to stop by anytime."

"That'll be very helpful, thank you, doctor…?"

"Takemi. And it's good that you're quick on the uptake. Saves me the hassle. What about you?"

"Thank you, Takemi-sensei. Do you prefer hakase or sensei? I'm Starr Akira."

"Either. You're a pretty weird kid, Starr-san. I wonder… are you telling the truth and will simply use the medicine for your work? Or are you using it for something else?" He grinned and shrugged, causing a smile to break out on her face as she chuckled. "Well, as long as you don't cause me any trouble, it's not my problem." She grabbed a clipboard and handed it over, letting him look it over. "This is what I've got right now. Descriptions of what they do are beneath the medicine names. Feel free to take your time."

Starr-san took it and began reading, before taking the pen from the top and checking off which medicine he wanted and writing down the quantity. She let him continue as she worked on her computer for a short bit before he handed it back. She began gathering the medicine he'd asked for, three pill bottles worth of fifty milligram Recov-R, a tube of Relax Gel, and a tube of Nohar-M.

When she got back he had taken out the money he needed to pay her, and after making sure it was the right amount, she handed over the medicine. He smiled as he put it in his bag, while his cat moved over to make some room. "Thank you very much, Takemi-sensei."

"...Take care." The boy exited the room and she watched him go. An interesting kid to be sure… She went back to working on her computer, only for the door to open again. She looked towards it, expecting to see Starr-san, only for it to be a familiar annoying man in a suit with a briefcase. She sighed, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs. "What's the reason for your visit? Do you have a cold? Stomachache? Perhaps athlete's foot? Whatever it is, I believe you have to take a number."

"Enough of this, you know why I'm here!" He slammed his hands down on her desk, and she glanced at him in annoyance. "You're the only one who could have developed that kind of medicine!"

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about. Would you like a lollipop?" Of course, she didn't have any, but anything to piss the man off sounded nice to her.

"Oh don't play dumb with me. I've heard the rumors! A drug so potent that it could give a person unlimited power."

"Really? Sounds useful."

The man scoffed at her deadpan tone as she turned back to her work. "Developing experimental drugs, medicine, and herbal remedies violates all health regulations. Are you attempting to create a super-stimulant? A drug like that will only cause a social issue."

She turned back to him, furrowing her brow. "You're really persistent, you know that? I'm just a quack, right?"

"The police may not be taking action, but I imagine the media will soon pick up on it. If you're intending to ruin my reputation again, then you won't get away with it. You're a disgrace to the medical community." She felt the pen in her hand bend as she clenched it in frustration. This asshole… She turned to glare at him, and he scoffed. "What's with that look? That was your mistake, was it not?"

"You listen here-!"

"I won't be responsible for your criminal actions. Dispose of that 'medicine' immediately and resign. The name 'Tae Takemi' will never-" As the asshole grabbed his suitcase and turned towards the door, they both saw a shadow through the dark window on it. "Hey, is somebody there?!" The shadow vanished, and she rolled her eyes. That was probably just Starr-san, curious about what the yelling had been about. Whatever, it was good he got out of there.

"Now, are we done here? Are you leaving?"

"Hmph. Just keep what I said in mind. Get rid of that medicine, and shut down this clinic." At that, the man exited the room and clinic, while she leaned back in her chair and groaned.

Well wasn't this just perfect.

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Akira•

"So we'll be asking that doctor about that special medicine next time?"

"Correct. Though keep in mind it could just be yet another rumor. But if it was real, that experimental medicine could be an incredible boon to us in Kamoshida's Palace."

"Yeah! Okay, let's make sure to come back another day when that other guy isn't there. We've got to keep our operations secret, after all! By the way, great work in there!"

"I told you to trust me, didn't I?" He chuckled. "You should know by now that I'm quite good at lying."

Morgana shuffled around in his bag and nodded. "Yeah, I was starting to doubt you when you didn't try and keep up the act, but I guess it all worked out!"

"Indeed. Now, Ryu texted that it was down an alley on Central Street past the sweets shop…" Currently they were heading towards the model gun store that Ryuji had told them about since the blond had texted them that they had trouble getting the owner of the shop to sell them guns. He turned down the alley he thought was correct, and after turning around a second corner he found Ryuji and Ann waiting for him outside a small shop called 'Untouchable.'

"Yo, Akira!" Ryuji waved them over, with Ann looking over at his call. "What're we supposed to do now?"

"First, would you mind explaining exactly what it is that occurred? Why isn't the owner selling you any guns?"

"Ryuji had to run his mouth, and the guy behind the counter got suspicious of us," Ann sighed.

"Really? Nice work, numbskull."

"Watch it, cat, it ain't my fault I don't know shit about guns!"

"Morgana, Ryuji, enough!" Morgana huffed and Ryuji muttered a 'sorry' as he crossed his arms. "We won't get anywhere by arguing. Going by what you just said, the man wouldn't sell you any guns because you didn't know anything about them?"

"Yeah…" Ryuji rubbed the back of his head. "I tried to get the guy to sell us guns by saying I liked collecting models, but he called my bluff and said the place was for enthusiasts. I even bought crap from there last week!"

"He thought that Ryuji was going to use the model guns to try holding people up," Ann cut in with a roll of her eyes.

"I can work with that. Ann, what kind of gun were you thinking of getting?"

"Uh, I don't know. I guess a submachine gun?"

"Alright, both of you come with me." he pushed open the door of the shop and looked around. The place was filled with military gear, though it was all obviously models, and there was even a vending machine filled with military-themed snacks… though he wasn't quite sure what counted as military snacks.

The man behind the counter was reading a book and didn't glance up as they walked up. He waited for a minute, before clearing his throat. "Sir?"

The man looked back up, raising an eyebrow. "I thought I told you I won't be selling anything to you."

He interrupted before Ryuji could start shouting. "Excuse me, but I think there's been a misunderstanding here. I'm the reason that my friend was attempting to buy several model weapons."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes, you might remember that he bought a Tkachev handgun and a Levinson M31 the last time he had come. I'm an enthusiast for weapons, and I had wanted to get my friends into my hobby as well. I apologize if my friend might have said anything rude. I had planned on buying my other friend here a Sterlidge submachine gun, the one used by the British army back in the forties? That is if you carried a model of it."

The man raised an eyebrow at him, before placing his newspaper aside. "Huh, guess you're the real deal, then. But before anything, some precautions for your friends." The man glared at Ann and Ryuji. "Don't go 'round pointing 'em at other people. Keep 'em in a bag or somethin' when you're outside. Oh, and don't let the fuzz catch wind of you havin' 'em. I don't need them comin' round here."

"Don't worry, sir, I'll make sure my friends are careful."

Ann nodded, "Yeah, totally!"

"Yeah, alright…"

Seeing their agreements, the shopkeeper nodded. "Good. Now, if you look close, you'll be able to tell these're models. Real guns feel… different." He wasn't sure how the surly man knew what a real gun felt like, but he ignored that and made sure that Ryuji and Ann were paying attention. "Maybe I'll show you all the real good stuff someday if you got the guts for it."

"As interested as I am, I'm simply trying to get my friends into my hobby for now. Perhaps the beginner's catalog would be best."

The man nodded, wandering off to grab a Sterlidge and a catalog for them to look through. Ryuji nudged him as soon as the man left, "dude, you did it! Holy shit!"

"How do you know so much about guns?" Ann questioned.

"I'm from Eagleland," he spoke. "Guns are in my blood. In all seriousness, I simply enjoy studying anything and everything, so I had some basic knowledge and made sure to name one that not many would know about. I'll need to study them more if I want to keep up the image of an enthusiast."

"Well, for now, it worked in our favor!" Morgana purred.

After getting Ann her gun, they walked out of the store. "Alright, starting Monday, our mission begins. Remember to keep everyone's schedules in mind. We only have a couple of weeks to take down Kamoshida."

"Yeah! Whenever you're ready just gimmie a call and we'll meet up on the roof!"

"Me too. He's going to pay for what he's done…"

"Hear that, Akira? Looks like our team is ready to go!"

And a good team it is. We Personas are ready as well… whenever thou wishes to begin.

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I hope Kamoshida's ready for what's coming… because the dethronement of a King is soon at hand."

Ω • Ω • Ω

4/18, Monday

DEADLINE: MAY 2ND

DAYS UNTIL EXPULSION: 14

Steal Kamoshida's heart

"Good morning. Hurry up and get to class!" He scowled as Kamoshida smiled at a student walking past, standing by the school gates, and greeting people as they entered the school. Kamoshida turned and spotted him, his smile immediately dropping into a more neutral expression while he schooled his face to look blank. "Good morning."

"...Morning." He walked past, doing his level best not to let any more emotions show on his face. He prided himself on his self-control, after all.

...Besides the incident in the PE Office where he nearly killed Kamoshida… Yes, that was a bit embarrassing.

Kamoshida watched him walk past, crossing his arms with a scoff. "That admirable good behavior won't do you any good once you're expelled." He looked at the man out of the corner of his eyes, reigning himself in.

"We'll see." He looked forward and entered the school. Just keep calm, and let all those festering emotions out onto the Shadows and Shadow Kamoshida himself… It would all be worth it.

It wasn't easy, however, when Kawakami-sensei immediately called out to him once homeroom had finished. Students began whispering to each other as he left the room, following behind the pretty, brown-haired teacher, wondering if he'd done anything else illegal.

He tried his best to ignore them, and they began walking towards the guidance counselor's office, Kawakami turning back towards him as they went. "There's something I'd like to ask you. Don't worry, it won't take long."

Before she could reach forward and open the door, it was opened for her, and out walked- Not the false king again… Kamoshida exited the room, and he made sure to look away and hide the irritation that was likely flashing across his face.

Seeing them, Kamoshida smiled at Kawakami and nodded. "I see you're already getting on top of the problem I'd mentioned this morning! I appreciate the support."

"Thank you again." Blinking, he directed his gaze towards the person who spoke and was surprised to see a familiar red-headed girl standing next to Kamoshida and the guidance counselor. He likely hadn't noticed her due to his focus on the gym coach but nodded at her in recognition. They'd only met briefly, on the train to school a few days prior, and on the platform shortly after.

Seeing that she recognized him, Kamoshida raised an eyebrow. "You know him, Yoshizawa-san?" He mentally noted her name, all while grimacing and waiting for whatever slander Kamoshida would speak next.

"Yes, he lent me a helping hand the other day!"

Sighing with feigned sadness, Kamoshida shook his head. "I recommend you steer clear of the likes of him if you have any consideration for your future. Remember the discussion we just had? There are a number of students in this school you shouldn't get involved with. This one's at the top of the list."

"Oh, the delinquent transfer student?" Immediately after she spoke, Yoshizawa winced, clearly not having meant to say her thoughts out loud.

"Nice to meet you," he mumbled under his breath, trying not to glare at Kamoshida and stir up trouble.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to use the guidance office."

"Oh, pardon me. We should be going too- don't want to get in the way of guiding this delinquent and all."

"Um, please excuse us." Yoshizawa quickly bowed and followed after the coach and counselor, while Kawakami waved her hand towards the office.

"After you."

He couldn't focus on the resulting conversation, too frustrated with Kamoshida. Patience. He will get what he is owed. Yeah, patience… he just needed to keep his cool until school was over…

Of course, that wasn't exactly easy in Shujin Academy. Classes were as boring and annoying as usual, teachers picking on him, trying to get the 'troubled delinquent' to mess up, and every time the students were baffled that he was able to answer their questions flawlessly, causing him even more frustration from the fact that they thought so lowly of him. Honestly, was it really that difficult to see that he wasn't a criminal and that he was a studious boy that followed the rules?

Well, it seemed like that's what a criminal record could do to someone's life. Whatever. It's not like they were entirely wrong, after all. His knife and model gun sat at the bottom of his bag, buried under school supplies, ready to draw the blood of the Shadows…

Ω • Ω • Ω

"Alright! I'm gonna bust loose!"

He smirked at Ryuji's boast, feeling the confidence that his thief attire and mask granted him as he tapped the Metaverse Navigator and dragged them all into the Metaverse. Shujin was once again replaced by the sick bastard's castle, while the sky became overcast with purple and red clouds.

Having hid in the alleyway next to the school so no one would be dragged in, they approached the drawbridge once more. He stared up at the various towers that pierced the sky, thinking. They had barely explored any of Kamoshida's castle so far, just the dungeons and the main floor. Even then, just the main hall and part of a side hall. If he was going to hazard a guess, then the treasure would either be in the center of the castle or atop one of the towers.

"But daaaamn…" he turned around at Skull's mutter and saw the boy staring at Ann's outfit. Mostly her cleavage window.

"Huh? What's up?"

He rolled his eyes as Skull stuttered and rubbed the back of his head at Ann's question. "N-Nothing. I was just thinking that we should come up with a code name for you too."

"Code name?"

"Correct! To make sure we don't accidentally affect Kamoshida's cognition of us while we're here, we need code names to call each other," Mona explained.

"Ryuji is Skull, Morgana is Mona, and I'm Joker."

"Why Joker?"

"Because he can use multiple Personas, of course! Plus, his psychic abilities make him even more versatile! He's like the joker in a deck of cards."

"Plus, his mask kinda looks like a clown mask, right?"

"Skull, it looks nothing like a clown mask."

Ignoring his and Skull's byplay, Mona looked up and down Ann's costume. "Let's see… judging by your costume…"

Ryuji hummed as he observed her too. "Well, she's got that tail and stuff, plus her cat mask, so… Whadda you think, Joker?"

"Sexy Cat," he spoke deadpan. Skull began laughing, while Sexy Cat took a step back.

"Wait, is that what you're calling me from now on?! I am so not down for that!"

"Kitty Woman?"

Kitty Woman stomped her foot, accidentally cracking the pavement slightly thanks to her Persona-enhanced strength. "Not that either!"

"Alright, fine." Skull finished laughing and grinned at her. "Whadda ya want to be called then?"

"Hm… well, something better than just a tiny cat… maybe 'Panther?' That sounds pretty cool, doesn't it?"

"Huh? Why?"

"'Cause it sounds more… ferocious?"

Mona smiled dreamily. "She's a cougar…"

"Don't call me that!" He had to turn away to hide the wide grin that grew on his face as he tried not to burst into laughter. Skull didn't even try to hide his snorts. "Whatever. More importantly… Kamoshida."

Skull composed himself, nodding. "Right. Ready, Joker?"

"Yes. Let's go." He led the way across the drawbridge, Skull, Panther, and Mona following behind him. Before they could reach their infiltration point, however, a bright flash of blue light drew his attention, and he turned to see a blue jail door appear out of nowhere. Standing next to it while holding her clipboard was Justine, who stared at him calmly.

"My master would like a word with you." He looked back at his friends, which Justine noticed. "Do not worry. To them, you will simply appear to be standing in a trance."

"Right. Okay then." He walked into the doorway, and even though it was simply a door connected to nothing, when he came out the other side he was somehow in the Velvet Room. He blinked when he saw that Justine had somehow gotten inside and was on the other side of the bars even though she should have entered after he did, before he walked forward to lean against the door of his cell. "Back once more…"

"The prisoner has returned," Caroline reported, turning towards Igor.

"Well done. It seems you have remembered my words… you truly make it worth rehabilitating you." As Igor spoke, he noticed two new cards sitting on Igor's desk. The first had a design with a man holding two women close as they caressed his chest, and an angel holding a bow with a heart-shaped arrow above them. Atop the card was the Roman numeral for six, VI, and below it was the word L'Amoureux, which he was fairly sure meant The Lovers. Below the card was a silver nameplate with Ann's name.

The second card had a man standing behind a table with various tools and what seemed to be a knife and bloodstain on it, while atop the card was the Roman numeral for one, I, while below the card was Le • Bateleur. On another silver nameplate, Morgana's name was displayed. "What does that even mean?" He questioned Igor on his words of 'Rehabilitation.'

"Haha… do not worry, I am not attempting to withhold knowledge from you. The essence of the rehabilitation you must complete will be explained in due time. Once you encounter friends who share your aesthetics and discover your place in reality… only then will I explain it all. But such a day should not be far off."

"As long as it's explained… so, what did you need from me? We were about to start our true foray into Kamoshida's Palace."

"I simply wish to introduce you to the aid we have been promising to provide." Seeing the interest on his face, Igor's grin somehow became wider. "You are a wielder of the Wild Card… it is a representation of the number zero, just as the Tarot Card of the Fool: empty, yet filled with limitless and infinite possibilities. It allows you to hold more than one Persona."

"Right, I figured out I could do that already. Besides Arsène, I have Pixie, Jack-o'-Lantern, Bicorn, and Mandrake. But I guess now I know why I can."

"Indeed. But, we will assist you in nurturing this power, through the process of executing your Persona."

He was immediately a bit concerned at the word 'execute.' "Uh, yeah, what the hell does that even mean? I know whenever my Personas are hurt I feel pain, even if I don't gain any injuries, so how the hell?"

"Hahaha… that is in battle. Our methods will bring no pain to your mind. It will be quite the opposite. Besides this, Personas are personalities that exist within you. Thus, you will only be discarding old personalities to have them be reborn as new ones. By discarding your old identity, you give way to a new one. Hence, we call that process 'execution.' You may think of this process as the fusion of your Personas."

I still do not quite like it…

He mentally agreed with Arsène, before asking, "So, how exactly does this fusion make them stronger?"

Justine explained for Igor. "By fusing weaker Personas, you create a more powerful one, with all-new skills as well as the skills the previous Personas wielded. For example, your Mandrake can use Pulinpa. If you wanted a more powerful Persona but wanted to keep that spell, simply fusing Mandrake with another of your Personas and choosing to keep the Pulinpa spell would create such a Persona."

"Alright… one last question then. Arsène. He's my true other self, right? While my other Personas are personalities in the sea of souls, Arsène was born from mine, right? What will happen to him if I fuse him?"

"Do not worry. As he is your other self, your true Persona if you will, he will always exist within the depths of your subconscious mind, even after being fused away. Alongside this, if you ever wish to bring back a Persona that you have fused away, you can use the Compendium to bring them back… for a price."

"Compendium?"

Justine slipped her clipboard through his cell's bars, handing it to him. Looking down at it, he blinked when he saw a moving picture of Arsène on the top page, with a description of him, detailed numbers, and even his spells and affinities. "What're the numbers?"

"To make it easier for you to understand, I have simplified a Persona's power into 'stats' if you will. They represent how much stronger, durable, agile, and lucky a Persona will make you when you have them equipped."

Oh, now he got it. Just as Justine said, his power was separated into five different columns, one for his physical strength and magical power, one for his endurance, another his agility, and the last, as she said, luck. He could see that Arsène made him more agile and stronger as he had thought, but it seemed that the thief was more inclined to magic rather than force. While his magic was rated at a 'six,' his strength was only a 'four.'

Interested, he began reading Arsène's description within the Compendium. 'A being based off the main character of Maurice Leblanc's novels, Arsène Lupin. He appears everywhere and is a master of disguise. He is known to help law-abiding citizens.' I'd say that's about correct. Ignoring Arsène, he flipped the page and beheld one that described Bicorn.

'An evil creature with two curving horns. It represents impurity, unlike the Unicorn. Said to be derived from Re'em in the Bible. Another legend says that it feeds off of disloyal husbands.' It seemed like Bicorn was stronger than Arsène as well, though only physically. His strength was a 'five,' but magic was a 'three.' His endurance was higher too, but luck and agility seemed lower.

"Hey, what are these question marks?" Looking at the paper he could see the skills that they knew, such as Arsène's Eiha and Cleave ability, but then there were question marks below them.

"They represent skills that your Personas will eventually learn. I suggest fusing away a Persona once they have learned all they can, otherwise you would be wasting your time with them."

"Hm… Alright, so, fusion?"

Justine took the clipboard and flipped the pages once more, revealing a list of his Personas before handing it back. "To start, select the first Persona you wish to fuse." Looking at the list, he pointed at Bicorn and yelped when a new list appeared next to the first. Atop the second list was the word 'result,' and he guessed that whichever Persona was there was what the fused Personas would become.

"Before you fuse, allow me to explain something vital." Igor folded his hands and grinned. The long-nosed man explained how through something called 'Arcana Burst', any Personas that he created through fusion could grow exponentially stronger, depending on how close he was with a Confidant, and how he could not create a Persona stronger than he was, lest risk his destruction.

Shivering at that thought, he looked down at the second list. Fusing with Arsène would create something called a Silky, but he wasn't sure about getting rid of the thief just yet. Fusing with Pixie created a Slime, though its name was blacked out so he assumed it was too powerful for him to fuse.

With Mandrake he would create a Kelpie, though he wasn't quite sure what that was, and with Jack-o'-Lantern he would create a Saki Mitama. Tapping Kelpie he saw that it could use Garu like Morgana's Zorro, and a Lunge attack, and it looked to be some kind of horse that was missing its back legs, and instead had a longer mane flowing from there. However, it wouldn't gain an Arcana Burst due to being of the Strength Arcana, and he had no bonds with whoever would represent that.

Tapping on Saki Mitama, however, excited him. It knew Bufu, which was described as an ice move, something nobody on their team knew. Plus, it had a spell called Energy Drop that could cure various ailments and Wind Wall which would help with Ryuji's weakness to wind. It looked like a golden teardrop on its side, with a female's smiling face. Another boon was that it was of the Lovers Arcana, and would gain the Arcana Boost thanks to his bond with Ann.

Having decided on Saki Mitama, he looked at its description and affinities. It looked like it was neutral to everything except ice, which it resisted, and electric, which it was weak too. 'One of the four aspects of Shinto thought, it brings great bounty from the hunt. It is said to aid in love, profit, and growth, and can create new paths.' "Alright, I've decided."

"Wonderful. Now, choose the abilities you would like it to keep from its component Personas." Looking over Bicorn and Jack-o'-Lantern's abilities, he knew which he wanted. Between Lunge, Agi, Tarunda, and Rakunda, he wanted to keep Tarunda and Rakunda. Ryuji's Captain Kidd already had Lunge, while Ann's Carmen specialized in the flaming Agi move. Tarunda, which would weaken an opponents attack power, and Rakunda, which would weaken the opponent's defenses, would be much more useful.

Tapping the skills, and absentmindedly likening the paper clipboard to an iPad with how it was reacting to his fingers, he looked at Igor. "What now?"

"Now? Now, the fusion begins…" suddenly, he felt an absence in his head. Searching through his mind, he found that Bicorn and Jack-o'-Lantern had vanished. Refocusing on the Velvet Room, his mouth became dry. Igor and his desk had vanished, and in their place were two massive guillotines. As the blades were hoisted up, he could see Bicorn and Jack-o'-Lantern kneeling behind the holes. Justine and Caroline approached them, grabbing blue sheets and throwing them over the Persona's heads.

As they struggled, the Velvet Twins dragged the Personas forward, sticking their heads through the slots and securing them in place. Stepping back, the blades fell, and he winced as his Personas heads were chopped off, exploding into black ooze. However, instead of splattering everywhere, the ooze flowed through the air, followed by glowing white and blue strands, and combined in front of his cell. It created a large orb of light, which exploded out to reveal the form of Saki Mitama.

"I am Saki Mitama. Love and Sympathy are all you need in life. I shall become your mask and guide you to intense passion." The Persona turned into a mask and flew into his face, and with a blink of his eyes the guillotines were gone, and Igor and his desk had returned.

"…What the fuck? Did you just cut off Berith and Jack-o'-Lantern's heads?! The shit was that?!"

Caroline laughed at him. "Scared, inmate? That's just how executions and Fusion work!"

That was… quite interesting. A useful tool, yet one I request you do not use on me for some time.

"Gather Personas, strengthen them, and bring them here to fuse into more powerful Personas. That is our aid," Igor chuckled.

"Alright, that's all we needed you for, inmate! Now get lost!" He waited for the usual blackout that led to him exiting the Velvet Room, but when nothing happened he looked around in confusion. Now, at the back of his cell, a glowing white doorway existed, likely the exit. It seemed that, as long as he entered the Velvet Room through his free will and wasn't pulled in through his dreams, he would be able to use the door at the back of his cell to exit.

He walked through it, blinded for a brief moment, before he found himself back at the courtyard of Kamoshida's Castle, his prison clothing gone and replaced with his Thief Attire. "Hey, Joker, come on! What're you doing just staring into space?"

He looked back to see Justine still standing next to the doorway into the Velvet Room calmly, before turning back to Mona. It seemed like they really couldn't see it. "I was just thinking for a moment. Now, let's go!"

As they dashed towards the vent that they used to enter the castle, Arsène rumbled inside his mind. The Velvet Room… quite the mysterious place.

I certainly don't enjoy how I can't communicate inside there at all!

It's really unsettling, Joker.

He hummed, realizing there was truth to his Personas words. When in the Velvet Room only Arsène had spoken. Of course, his other Personas were silent much of the time, but it was odd that none of them expressed worry about seeing guillotines or the execution of Bicorn and Jack-o'-Lantern.

In any case, they were finally going to make some progress into Kamoshida's Palace. And at the same time, he could see just how useful his newly-fused Persona would be. I promise to be as useful as I can be, Saki Mitama serenely commented within his mind.

"Come on, get your head in the game, Joker!" Skull grinned and punched him on the shoulder, causing him to smirk back at his teammate.

"Yeah, I need to stay focused to keep your asses from getting into trouble."

"Hey!" He dashed forward, leading them into the dark halls of the castle for their first, true, infiltration.

Love how fusion works in P5. Really, I love all the Velvet Room executions, they're all great, especially when they fail and you get a Fusion Accident. Besides getting an Uber-powerful Person from accidents, the animation for them is hilarious.

I was pretty surprised that P3 and 4 had fusion just using the Tarot Cards, but I guess the executions match 5's Velvet Room design and all that. Also, I'm obviously not going to delve into stats and all that whenever Akira creates a new Persona, just wanted to try rationalizing Persona stats for fun. At most, there'll probably just be the lore of the Persona. Going into the whole fusion process every time would be so tedious, for me to write and for readers to slog through lol.

Plus, if I wrote out my usual Velvet Room visits as they occur in the game, it'd probably be an 8,000-word chapter of Akira fusing every one of his on-hand Personas to fill out the compendium before buying the necessary ones back, and then trying to figure out for thirty straight minutes how to make the Perfect Yoshitsune, Max Magic Kaguya Picaro, or abusing Fusion Alarms to make Elizabeth's Pixie. As fun as using the weakest Persona in the game to wreck a Palace Ruler's shit in is, the tedious fusing process would likely be boring to read.

Beyond that, we meet Takemi and the owner of Untouchable, both great characters. Can't wait to learn more about them lol. I also can't wait to write more actual battling! Ah, and Yoshizawa. I can't believe her first introduction was so soon into the beginning of the game. I don't recall the exact date, but it was damn quick. At least she appears on the eighteenth so I could write that interaction. I'll probably give my thoughts on characters when their confidants are finished so I don't have to worry about spoiling them, but she's a pretty good one.

Oh, and sorry about being a few days late with this one. I was a bit busy lol. Anyway, leave a review on everything you liked in the chapter or just a 'nice.' Both are always great to read.