One piece of the statement was down, leaving only two left. So far so good, but they weren't going to let their first success get to their heads. They still had plenty of work to do. "Say, there was something I was thinking about..." Sumire spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "How do you figure that Guernica knew what Ren-senpai's Persona looked like?"
"Yeah, that was...bothering me too." Ren rubbed the back of his neck. It was extremely unnerving to see his Persona being swallowed by a mouse. "I wonder if she knows my identity..."
"The depiction of it is so accurate, I can't say it isn't within the realm of possibility" And that bothered Akechi.
"Do you think she knows who we may be?" Yusuke stroked his chin, mildly concerned. "If that is the case, we may be in trouble in reality..."
"Luca-san, do you know?" Sumire asked.
"I think it's because Guernica has the ability to peek into others' hearts." Luca responded.
"Do you want to explain that one some more?" Mika asked from the couch. She didn't really want to, but she had no intention of standing the whole time either.
"Do you remember the mural I showed you before? The one that stirred up those nasty feelings?" Luca began. "It's not like she inherently senses what the masses feel, or anything. She just senses those feelings and sends them into overdrive. Still, her work makes it feel like she knows everything about humanity, down to the deepest feelings in our souls."
"I see..." Hifumi nodded. "If I may ask, when did Guernica gain such a power in the first place?"
"When Jerri first showed up." Luca answered, looking off to the side. "Before that, she didn't have those kinds of powers at all."
"So it's easy to surmise that Jerri is the one behind all of this." Yusuke said.
"Another reason not to trust that bird." Mika commented. "She's just a bitch. Luca said it perfectly earlier." She then gave Luca a wink - the Mika sign of approval.
"I've been meaning to ask...what exactly are those Personas of yours anyway?" Luca looked to the others. Their powers, while strange and curious, did give them exactly what they needed to fight back against Jerri and Guernica.
"It's a long story. But you can call it our Will of Rebellion." Ren said with a firm nod. "Another part of ourselves."
To that, Luca's head tilted in confusion. "Another part of yourselves? Like, you can split yourselves apart or something?"
"N-No, not exactly..." Sumire shook her head with a small smile.
"Oh, but that reminds me! You guys are even better than I thought!" Luca clasped her hands together. Now that she had seen the Phantom Thieves actually do some work, she was extremely impressed with their agility. "Especially you!" She pointed at Sumire. "It's like you were flying!"
"Me?" Sumire pointed at herself, then smiled a bit. "I train pretty hard every day."
"I respect you a little more now." Mika commented, legitimately impressed with Sumire's work ethic. "You're my second favorite Phantom Thief now."
"You're pretty good too, despite being so scrawny!" She pointed at Akechi.
"...Scrawny?" Akechi let out a mildly irritated noise.
Hifumi and Yusuke looked at each other. "...I think we may be the only ones who do not do physical exercise regularly. I only do it to join and motivate Ann."
"I am often too engrossed within my art to partake." Yusuke admitted. He didn't have time for it.
"How about this, Luca-san? When we're done here, you can come train with me!" Sumire offered with a smile.
"W-Well, I don't know if I can handle all that...but I'll give it a try!" Luca grinned. "But we have to finish here first. Is everyone ready to get started?" The group nodded. They had a nice break, but now it was time to get back to work. It was time to get the second piece of Guernica's statement!
.
.
Guernica stood with her arms crossed, watching as Jerri returned 'home'. She raised her brow at the pink parrot's return. "Where'd you flap off to, Jerri?"
"Just a small errand.' Jerri chuckled into her wing. "So? Come any further in staging your next masterpiece?"
Guernica couldn't fight the grin that formed on her lips at that question. "Yeah, I've been real busy out there. Crushing them to bits, flaying them to ribbons, tearing them to shreds! With every person I kill, I can feel the void in my mind grow that much bigger! Then I fill the void with more of my rage, and it burns in the most incredible way!" She was oozing excitement from every pore of her body. "Is this what it feels like to birth a masterpiece, Jerri?"
"Yes, dearie." Jerri responded calmly to Guernica's excitement. "You just keep honing that rage of yours. "It's the only way you'll be able to recapture your first statement. A Guernica who fails to channel her fury with society into her art is no true Guernica at all."
"I'll be the true Guernica soon enough - and it's all thanks to you, Jerri." Guernica said with an appreciative nod. "I'm thankful you showed up when you did."
"Why thank you, dearie!" Jerri smiled. "Oh, yes - I saw those outsiders again while I was away. ]"
"Those brats who ran off earlier? They're still around?" Guernica thought they fled The Streets by now.
Jerri then let out a gasp, as if she were struck by a sudden bolt of inspiration. "I imagine they could be a great source of inspiration! Perhaps you should track them down?"
Guernica felt the inspiration hit. She grinned. "Ooooh, now that's a great idea. Maybe I shouldn't have let them get away before." With a small sigh, she began to feel her blood pumping. "Here we go...now I'm all worked up! I'm gonna find them right now!" She had unfinished business, and she began to sprint off.
Jerri laughed as Guernica hurried away. "What an eager girl. Once she takes care of those outsiders, there will be nothing to get in the way of the plan!" Siccing Guernica on them was a great idea. Those outsiders they could be tough, but she knew they wouldn't be able to handle Guernica.
.
.
"Ugh..." Viper groaned while rubbing her back. Not only was that previous encounter an annoyingly tough one, but it was hard to breathe in this new area as well. As far as The Streets went,
"These guys are tough..." Joker admitted.
"We have to keep moving." Fox said.
"Yeah. That battle may have attached the wrong kind of attention. We gotta move!" Luca was leading the way through the alley. The group quickly had to shuffle along. Luca rounded a corner and immediately came to a halt. "Ack! Oh no! It's her again!"
Guernica was waiting around the corner, with a malicious grin on her lips. "Ahaha! There you are! I've been looking for you!"
"Great...the one person we were trying to avoid." Crow groaned. Just their luck.
Guernica looked over the group, lifting a brow at the sight. She recognized Luca as someone who kept getting in her way, and now she was with those outsiders? "Well, look at you, all teamed up. Aren't I lucky? I've been getting sick of you getting in my way. Now I can turn you all into paste and paint with what's left! Ahahaha!"
"I do not fancy the idea of being someone's muse in such a violent fashion..." Fox said while reaching for the hilt of his katana.
"What's up with her?" Viper narrowed her eyes.
"Don't do it, Guernica! Please, listen to me!" Luca was pleading, trying to reason with Guernica, but it was clear she wasn't in the mood to listen.
"Don't waste your breath." Crow shook his head. "She's not going to talk."
"We have to stop her ourselves, don't we?" Violet said while clenching a hand into a fist.
"We're in for another bout!" Dragon had her staff at the ready.
"C'mon! Let's do this! I wanna paint this floor red!" Guernica placed her mask back on and pointed her gun forward. She released a volley of high speed paint bullets towards the Phantom Thieves. Violet grabbed Luca and dove out of the way, while Dragon summoned Bella, allowing her shield to take the hits.
"Here we go again..." Joker said while leaping into the air. He tossed his grappling hook out, attaching it to Guernica's gun, and used this to draw himself forward. His knife twirled within his hand and he aimed to slash Guernica across the chest. This was a direct hit, but underneath her mask, she grinned and spun around, launching Joker into a barrel of paint that exploded pink. "Gah!"
"I remember how you guys fight! And I didn't sit around on my hands either!" Guernica laughed, pulling out a small grenade of some kind, and tossed it forward.
"Incoming!" Fox warned while ducking low, avoiding the ensuing explosion of paint that followed. While the explosion itself didn't hurt anyone, it splattered a large amount of paint everywhere. "She appears to have increased her reckless abandon..."
"I don't want to waste much time on this." Crow was lamenting the fact he had to hold back his killing intent. When faced with a great bloodlust his instincts wanted to take over, but he had to push them down. Curse magic swirled around his sword and he lunged at Guernica from above, swinging directly at her. She brought up her paint covered arm to block the hit. An explosion occurred and Crow was suspended in the air, narrowing his eyes at how Guernica used the paint to protect herself.
"I told ya! It won't be like last time!" Guernica pointed her gun at Crow, releasing a large burst of paint that sent him skidding backwards. Crow dug his sword into the ground to prevent his momentum from carrying him too far.
"Fox, freeze the paint!" Dragon exclaimed.
"I'm on it!" Fox slashed the ground, a wave of frost emitting from the swing. The ground froze over, followed by the nearby paint that was around Guernica, gluing her to the ground. Right as this happened, Dragon, Violet, and Viper made their charge forward.
"You ain't gonna stop me like this!" Guernica pointed her gun forward simply spraying and praying while shooting at the three women approaching her. None of her bullets actually hit, but with her wild aim, the threat was high and they had to be careful. Violet leapt onto a large trash can, using this as a footing to push off into an elegant backflip. Guernica took aim at her, thinking she'd be an easy target while airborne, but Violet twirled while in the air, her mask burning as Ella was called by her side.
"Ella, let's dance!" Violet declared while spinning around once more, light brimming around her and Ella. The two weaved through Guernica's bullets to land a blow against her chest. The power of this impact broke Guernica from the ice and she tumbled along the ground. Each time Guernica bounced off the ground, a trail of green paint was left in its wake. "I got her!"
Dragon used this chance to follow up, leaping into the air while spinning her staff around. "Haaaaah!" With her staff's ability to change size, it increased in length, and she aimed to slam it down on Guernica. She, however, jumped to the side to avoid the crushing impact at the last second. Viper ran along the length of the staff, refusing to let Guernica escape.
"Get back here!" Viper pushed forward, slashing at Guernica with her claws, but this was narrowly avoided as well, much to her annoyance. The two slid to a halt and the artist laughed.
"You guys aren't bad at all!" Guernica laughed.
"We're not going to make any progress against her at this rate!" Fox summoned Gorokichi. His Persona slashed at the air, sending spears of ice shooting at Guernica, but she shot them down with her aim.
"I have no clue who you are, but you're real fun!" Guernica laughed.
"Guernica! They're the Phantom Thieves! They came here for you!" Luca finally interjected. She couldn't watch this conflict go on for much longer.
Guernica's fit of mad laughter stopped. Now she just looked at the group in front of her with confusion. "Phantom Thieves...?"
"Let's talk this out." Joker said, having recovered from the blow earlier. "We came here to rescue you."
"What's this about?" Guernica gave Joker and Luca a doubtful side eye. "I don't give a shit about any "Phantom Thieves", so I don't know what you're trying to pull!"
"Does she not know who we are...?" Violet looked confused.
"She doesn't recognize us. Which contradicts what we heard..." Crow narrowed his eyes.
"That's not it!" Luca quickly objected. "Guernica's just lost her memories."
"What!?" Fox's eyes were wide.
"Okay, mouse!" Viper exclaimed. "You're adding a lot of layers every time we do something!" She was not pleased by the idea that Luca still had more to tell.
Guernica, however, was not going to give them the chance to discuss. "Alright, that's enough of your babbling! We're not done here! I have to witness each and every single one of your deaths!"
"And she's still on about killing us..." Dragon said with a sweat drop. "It may be wise for us to retreat for the time being!"
"Do you really think I'm gonna let you get away a second time!?" Guernica took a step closer. She could feel the inspiration buzzing in her mind! No way was she going to let her new muse slip away from her.
Luca let out a defeated groan. "Ugh..." Was there really no getting through to Guernica?
"Say no more." Joker pulled a small purple ball out of his pocket, and without wasting any time he tossed it to the ground. This prompted a large smoke cloud to fill the space.
"Agh!? What the hell!?" The smoke caught Guernica off guard, and she started to cough into her arm while shielding her eyes. She just began to shoot wildly in response to this. When the smoke cleared, the only thing she managed to hit were the walls and the ground. There wasn't a single sign of the Phantom Thieves left. "Hey! Get back here! I'm not done with you yet!"
.
.
Thanks to Joker's quick thinking, the group was able to slip away from Guernica, but they knew it wouldn't be for very long. "She's...certainly something, isn't she?" Violet said with a heavy sigh. Trying to pick a fight with Guernica was not a wise idea during their mission.
"We have to be more careful in the future. I didn't think she would come and seek us out herself." Dragon was keeping a high alert.
"I bet that bird put it her up to it." Viper scoffed. "If she can't get rid us of herself, she'll send Guernica to do it. She's annoying to fight, too, so I get it..."
"We have to keep moving." Joker said. "I bet she's already looking for us. We probably bought ourselves a little time, but not much."
"...I have some questions, but we don't have the time to delve into them." Crow's gaze went to Luca, who was attempting to steel herself for their mission once again. "We have a statement piece to find."
"Will we be able to pull it off before she finds us again?" Fox asked.
"...I wanna talk to her. So I'll stick around." Viper said. The fact she volunteered without any incentive did cause everyone to look at her.
"What? Are you sure?!" Dragon asked, concerned. "She's very dangerous..."
"I'm not gonna fight her for real. I'm not putting up with any of that." Viper quickly waved a hand dismissively. "But I'm really good at annoying people and lying to them. So I can probably keep her busy long enough for you guys to grab that second piece."
"You're being quite helpful." Fox commented.
"Nope!" Viper shut that thought down immediately. She was not a team player. "I'm not doing this for the team. I'm doing this because I have something to say to that chick! The moment I feel like things aren't looking good, I'm leading her right back to you guys."
"So...the moment you start getting tired." Dragon guessed.
Viper nodded, and gave Dragon a one armed hug. "You understand me well, Dragon-chan. So, Jester!"
"Joker." He corrected. Not that Viper cared.
"You better be quick about this!" Viper demanded, before shooing everyone off. "I can do this on my own." After all, it wasn't a fight. Just a distraction. Time to bring back her favorite skills from the modeling business: lying.
"Okay. Be careful..." Dragon wasn't so comfortable leaving Viper out on her own, but...
"I'm certain she will be fine. She has that tenacity." Fox reassured Dragon. Viper took the compliment with a flip of her hair, and with that, everyone else went on ahead, while Viper planned to ambush Guernica when she passed by. "I'd like to speak to Guernica as well, but I need to see more of this statement before that..." What was Guernica trying to convey with her first piece of art? Fox needed to see that with his own eyes. Then, he would truly understand...
"Alright...what made someone with such passionate art like you turn this way..." Viper thought to herself. "And why is that stupid bird trying to rob you of what makes your art so wonderful..."