Leblanc. The Rebel Corps hideout was a place the Phantom Thieves were closely affiliated with. Erina noticed their confused expressions and tilted her head curiously. "What's up? You've been staring at the building for quite a while."
"It, uh...looks extremely familiar to a building we already know." Joker replied, trying to be cool.
"Say, Erina...how long has that building been there?" Mona asked.
Erina found the question strange. "How long it's been? As far as I know...it's always been here. We've always used it as our hideout..."
"And how long have you been rebelling against Marie?" Crow asked, hoping for a more specific answer.
"As long as I can remember..." Erina replied seriously. Not helpful at all for what Crow wanted. He exhaled through his nose as a show of irritation, but he was just going to have to accept this.
"When we entered the Metaverse, we were in Leblanc. So why is it here now?" Dragon was trying to figure this out.
Viper, on the other hand, wasn't going to try and make sense of this right now. "I don't get it."
"And I don't have any idea what you're talking about." Erina admitted "But we can discuss it inside! C'mon, all of you stick out like sore thumbs around here."
"In these outfits, anyone who took a single look at us would shoot us on sight..." Wolf said with a sigh, sounding like he was speaking from experience.
"Agreed." Sophie nodded.
"Alright, let's go..." Mona nodded.
.
.
The group stepped inside of the building known as Leblanc. And it was exactly what they expected! It was like they never even left the cafe to begin with! However, with the exception of Morgana and Sophia, the others reverted back to their normal clothes the second they stepped inside. Morgana was simply in awe at fact they were just...in Leblanc! "Whoa, look at this...!"
"What the..." Ren was completely surprised at this. "The inside...it's just Leblanc...!"
"This place is cursed." Mika groaned after looking around. She'd only been in this building twice before now, and it only brought bad things.
Sitting at one of the tables was Kuon Ichinose, looking as chill as ever as everyone stepped inside the building. "Oh, you're all here after all! Hi!"
"What a party this is..." Hifumi said while rubbing the back of her neck. Sophia was still in a physical form, and Zenkichi was back in his usual work clothes. They really were in the Metaverse. "I have many questions."
"We can answer those in a moment! But isn't this place kinda funky? But that's what I like about it!" Erina said, her back turned. She didn't notice the change in everyone's attire at first. "Let me go get you some drinks - HUH?" And then she turned, surprised at how...normal everyone looked. "When did you all get changed?! And your masks are gone too!"
"But I didn't change back...and Sophia is still present as well..." Morgana looked at himself, and then Sophie, who was bouncing happily to see everyone once again.
"At the very least, we can infer that this location truly is safe." Akechi took a seat on one of the stools, arms crossed. He was not a fan of the situation they found themselves in, but at least they could finally take a breather for a second.
"...Yeah, so I can definitely say all of you talk strangely. I've lived here as long as I can remember, and I've never met people like you." Her gaze then went to Morgana and Sophia. "Well...'people'."
"You're still hung up on that?!" Morgana growled.
"I am still humanity's companion." Sophia said while lifting her hand into the air. "Zenkichi, Ichinose, and I, all arrived here at roughly the same time...but a little before the rest of you, it seems."
"Before we get into that, though." Zenkichi began. "Erina, right? Can you give us a rundown on what's going on exactly?"
"Before I do that, can you properly explain where you guys came from?" Erina asked. They had to swap stories before they could figure out their next steps. Ren explained their situation, but this only confused the leader of the Rebel Corp even more. "So, to get this straight...all of you are from another world? I have to admit, that's rather hard to grasp. This world's the only one I've ever known."
"Believe me. I've been there..." Zenkichi rubbed the back of his head. The way he reacted to the Metaverse stuck with him to this day. So he didn't blame Erina for being so skeptical about this story. "But we all come from the same place."
"And, on top of that, you're telling me you're thieves who steal hearts, and you just...happened to come here?" Erina's line of questioning provided any logical thinking person a sense of skepticism. "I have no idea what's going on...!" And she ended that with a slightly exasperated laugh. This was going over her head.
"We're in the same boat." Hifumi sighed. "We arrived in this strange world, and suddenly we were attacked by Marie's forces. I wish I knew what was going on."
"Don't worry! We'll figure this all out, one step at a time." Erina was going to try and help the Phantom Thieves as much as she could. "Morgana and...all of you." Wow, she just realized she had a lot of names to memorize so suddenly. This was going to be a task. "I suppose it's my turn to answer questions? Ask away!"
"We'll answer once she's done." Zenkichi reassured. He knew the big question of how he, Ichinose, and Sophia got here.
"Okay. Let's start from the beginning." Akechi began. "What reason did you have to risk your own safety for our own? You had no reason to help us."
"I had to." Erina replied. "I couldn't just sit back and watch when someone's in trouble." A response that like that easily resonated with Ren, who let out a soft chuckle in agreement. Already sensing that they were cut from the same cloth, Akechi rolled his eyes. A simple reason, but it was as good as any. "It was a pretty big gamble, but I'm glad it paid off."
"Thank you again for your assistance." Hifumi smiled.
"Whatever." Mika rolled her eyes. Erina wasn't going win her over so easily. "Next question. Who the heck was that egotistical freak?"
"That's Marie." Erina said with a heavy sigh. "She's a ruthless tyrant, who fancies herself the ruler of these parts. This used to be a peaceful place, free of any sort of conflict. Then, Marie appeared...and everything changed. She declared that the entire city and all its citizens were now her property. With her invincible soldiers leading the way, she quickly seized control of the city..."
"Invincible...?" Sophia tilted her head.
"I'm sure you saw for yourselves - not only are they incredibly strong, but all we can do is knock them out. They're always back on their feet." Erina reported. "We call them the Legionnaires."
"Now that you mention it..." Ren thought back to when they fought the the Legionnaires. They knocked them down, but when Marie arrived, they sprang back up like nothing.
"No matter the tactics we try, they're seemingly invincible." Erina mumbled.
"They could be some kind of Shadow?" Morgana suggested. "Only our Personas can put down Shadows. No wonder you guys didn't stand a chance."
More terms Erina didn't understand. She really felt like she was out of the loop here. "Persona? Shadows...? Anyway, I knew you guys had solid intel on the enemy. After Marie showed up and declared this was her Kingdom, now she brainwashes anyone she can find and uses them up until they're nothing."
"Final question." Ren said. "What are you doing here?" He looked towards Erina. They were getting a slow grasp on the situation, but Erina was the biggest mystery so far. "Something about the Rebel Corp?"
"Marie is so strong that it's going to take everyone in the city to stop her." Erina explained. "That's why I founded the Rebel Corps. I've severed as leader ever since. As the one who inspired the citizens here to fight, it's my job to see that Marie no longer enslaves them."
"Wellllll, you certainly have a good reason to be painted a criminal, huh? Pretty impressive, Erina!" Morgana said with a grin.
That's when Erina's expression fell a bit. "Wellll...our current win record is anything but impressive. We've lost so many, that we're basically an army only in name now."
"Lovely..." Mika rolled her eyes.
"When your enemies get right back, there's only so much you can do." Morgana sighed.
"The odds are stacked against them, that is for certain." Hifumi noted.
"The best we can do is lay low, and wait for a gap in their defenses." Erina explained.
"Marie..." Zenkichi crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Marie..."
"Is something bothering you, Zenkichi?" Sophia tilted her head.
"I've heard that name recently." Zenkichi replied. "I'm trying to remember where." It was on the tip of his tongue...
"What is Marie trying to accomplish?" Akechi asked Erina. "She's going through great lengths to enslave people, including our allies. As such, I can only surmise this effort has to have some sort of end goal."
Erina let out the heaviest sigh imaginable. Erina and the Rebel Corps were at war with Marie because... "A perfect wedding." Everyone's expressions could not be anymore shocked.
"She wants to get married?" Ichinose tilted her head.
"HAH! No wonder she has to enslave people, I can't imagine a soul alive that would willingly marry someone like her." Mika laughed after the initial shock faded.
"Marie is in a perpetual state of preparing her wedding." Erina continued on. "It's become her single obsession by this point. It always needs to be more - no matter the pain it may cause. Her own Legionnaires, the citizens she's captured, even your own friends are all forced to prepare her wedding. She was even able to command them to build her that tank with the premature message on the grill."
"She's dangerous." Akechi stated, his tone dark. "Even without everything we've heard, her attempts to control me have already placed her on my kill list."
"I feel the same way." Mika nodded. Whenever these two agreed on something, it really was bad. "I'm not letting her live with the satisfaction of thinking she has me beat! I'll crush her!"
"She's...really fired up about it, isn't she?" Erina did like the energy, though.
"Mika's ego is 75% higher than an average person's. As such, she isn't a fan of those with higher egos." Sophia reported.
Mika smiled in response to this. "And that's why you're one of my favorites here. You get me."
"I haven't seen her yet, but..." Ichinose tapped her chin. "I think that Marie has some serious character flaws. I almost want to see her in action."
"Please have a sense of self preservation. I am begging you." Hifumi said with a sweat drop. Ichinose was still...a lot, even if some time had passed.
"I want to ask you all something." Erina looked to the Phantom Thieves. "We're all on the same page here. We both want to take down Marie for one reason or another. Would you be willing to lend a hand to the Rebel Corp? Will you make this deal with me?"
"Working with you all would be better than working on our own." Ren looked to the others. He wanted their opinion on this, but their expressions all said the same thing; they wanted to fight.
"I don't even want to be here. But I have to make Marie eat dirt before I leave." Mika quickly remarked, making sure people knew her motives were purely selfish. "And I guess we can help Ann and the others while we're at it."
"We have to save our friends." Ren said firmly. "You said it yourself, Erina. Everyone's going to be needed to take her down. I'm sure when we get the others back, they'll agree. Plus, you did stick your neck out to save us."
"Yeah, we can't let a debt like that unpaid!" Morgana added.
Erina let out a sigh of relief. There was a small part of her that worried they would say no, but there was nothing to be concerned about. "You don't know how relieved I am to hear that. From this point on, until Marie's defeat, we have an alliance between the Phantom Thieves and the Rebel Corps!"
"This is cause for a celebration! Although, I left my confetti poppers back home." Ichinose remarked. "What a mess we've found ourselves in this time!"
"Yeah, speaking of that." Mika pointed at Zenkichi, Sophia, and Ichinose. "Time to speak up. How did you guys get here?"
"After hearing your story, I can definitely say...I have no idea how the hell we got here." Zenkichi said flatly. Just when he thought he was done with the Metaverse, he was dragged back in. "But I can tell you what happened before we did...Toshiro Kasukabe. I assume you've heard the name?"
"It's alllllll the news talks about these days." Mika said with an uninterested sigh.
"Missing Prime Minister candidate, obviously, Pub Sec was on the case." Zenkichi explained.
.
.
[Flashback]
With the disappearance of Toshiro Kasukabe, Public Security was naturally drawn to the case. Zenkichi was on the phone with Kaburagi, while approaching the residence of the man in question. "Uh-huh. Got it. I'll make sure to see what he knows. I know he's been missing for a while, but hopefully we can turn up some leads." With that, he approached the residence and knocked on the door.
An older man answered. "Is there something I can do for you, sir...?"
"You're Yoshiki Kasukabe, correct? I'm Zenkichi Hasegawa. I'm with Public Security, and we're here to ask questions about your currently missing son." Zenkichi cut straight to the chase. While Illness was the accepted, public answer for Toshiro's disappearnce, Public Security was aware this was not the case.
"Ah, Public Security. Someone who can help me find my son..." Yoshiki let out a small, relieved sigh. "That boy went off on his own and has yet to return. Come inside." He ushered Zenkichi inside. He led the officer to a large room, where Marie was waiting, sitting on a chair with her legs crossed.
"Oh, someone useful?" Marie glanced towards Zenkichi with a curious brow.
"Not just someone useful. But I've heard that this is the man who managed to bring down that corrupt Owada!" Yoshiki said with a smile full of praise. "You have my sincere thanks for eliminating that threat."
"He had a lot to answer for. I was just doing my job." Zenkichi replied, electing to stand as opposed to sit.
"And it's no surprise you're the most qualified person to finding Toshiro." Yoshiki said with a firm nod. "And this is Toshiro's fiancée, Marie Anto." He introduced the irritated Marie, who couldn't even force a smile.
"That useless man disappeared without a word!" Marie said with an annoyed groan. "Honestly, what in the world is he thinking!?"
"So he didn't contact anyone before he disappeared?" Zenkichi asked, looking between the two of them.
"I'm afraid not...what am I going to do with that boy?" Yoshiki shook his head solemnly. "Vanishing right as we need him. I truly thought I raised him better than that."
"You'd think...but look at this." Marie pulled something out of her pocket; it was a phone. "That fool of a man completely forgot his own phone!"
"His phone?" Zenkichi did find this odd. He had no idea where to begin if Toshiro was missing his phone. "Mind if I take a look at it? I normally wouldn't go through someone's phone like this, but he's not here to give permission..."
"Do whatever you want. It's not like he'd grow a spine and tell you no, anyway. I'd do it even if he were here. So, as his wife to be, you have my permission." Marie said with a scoff, handing Zenkichi the phone. The way she spoke about Toshiro was so scathing and this was the woman that was supposed to his bride to be!
"...Right." Zenkichi wasn't going to touch that attitude with a ten foot pole. His job was to find Toshiro and bring him back home. "Thank you. Maybe I can find something with this." But as expected, the phone was locked. "Should've guessed." He had to get into this phone if he wanted to find something, but that wasn't going to be easy without the right people...maybe...
"Do you think you can find Toshiro with his phone?" Yoshiki asked.
"It's a start." Zenkichi replied, placing the phone in his pocket. "I have another question. Do you two happen to know of any places Toshiro may like to visit? I can start searching there ask as people questions accordingly." He looked to Marie and Yoshiki, but the both of them just shook their eyes.
"I'm afraid Toshiro doesn't share those sorts of details with me. I'm also far too preoccupied making sure his campaign goes well." Yoshiki answered. And so far, Toshiro's campaign was nonexistent since he was missing!
"Maybe I should've kept a tighter leash on him." Marie replied. "He tends to get lost when he doesn't know what to do. If I were just a little more watchful, perhaps this wouldn't happen to begin with."
"Please forgive how Marie speaks." Yoshiki said quietly. "We are both just very worried for Toshiro. Despite how he may appear to the public, on the inside he is someone who needs our love and support. He's always been such a good son to me. So it is very upsetting that he's vanished. I only hope that the worst hasn't befallen him."
"Yes...he may be a fool, but he's my fool. And I want him back as soon as possible." Marie crossed her arms.
Zenkichi nodded in response. "Of course. I'll contact you as soon as I find anything." With that he went to take his exit. He left Yoshiki and Marie to their own devices, while looking at the phone that belonged to Toshiro. "Not chance I'm getting into this without help. But who..." He thought for a moment... "Nah, I won't bug Sakura with this. They shouldn't be getting dragged into this. Let's see..." There was one other person...
.
.
"Kuon Ichinose, at your service!" Ichinose responded with a smile. "I didn't think you'd need my help, Hasegawa-san!" The two of them met at a station in Shibuya. "How lucky for you that I just happened to be in town!"
"You're not wrong." Zenkichi crossed his arms. "I didn't want to bother those kids. I had no idea where you were either..."
Ichinose placed her phone on the table. "Sophia wanted to see snow in Shibuya." And there was Sophia peering from the phone screen with a smile.
"Zenkichi, hello! It has been quite a while, hasn't it?" Sophia greeted Zenkichi with a smile.
"Hey, Sophia. Good to see you." Zenkichi said.
"How is Akane?" Sophia asked.
"She's doing great. Things have been...great lately." Zenkichi replied with a faint smile. Things at home improved since the summer. "It's not perfect...but we've come leaps and bounds compared to when you first saw us."
"Ichinose has been making some improvements as well!" Sophia said proudly.
"Yes, well, this isn't about me..." Ichinose quickly waved the subject of her aside. It felt embarrassing. "What did you need our help with? I brought my laptop!"
Zenkichi slid Toshiro's phone across the table. "Have you heard of Toshiro Kasukabe?"
"The missing politician? Who hasn't?" Ichinose replied. "Well...they say he's sick, but if you're asking me for help, I have a feeling that's not the case!" She even managed a slight laugh after saying this. The fact she would laugh in this situation made Zenkichi sigh.
"Yeah. This is his phone, I got it from his fiancée. I have full permission to look through it. I thought it might have a clue, but I can't get into it. It's locked." Zenkichi said. Ichinose was the fastest person who could crack the lock on it. They couldn't afford a slow approach.
"And you want me to open it for you? Well, of course!" Ichinose clasped her hands together. "Considering what you did before, I suppose this will be making us even, yes? Then I'm happy to do it. Compared to the Radio Tower, this should only take a minute or two!"
"You can do it, Ichinose!" Sophia cheered.
It didn't take Ichinose very long at all. She cracked the code to the phone and opened it right up. "Annnd, done! I hope you find what you're looking for."
"Thanks." This saved Zenkichi a lot of time. He took the phone and carefully scrolled through it, noticing a few curious things. "Huh...these files and links...about his father?" Zenkichi continued to scroll, but when he attempted to open a file, the phone didn't respond. "Huh?"
"What's the matter? Is it low battery?" Ichinose asked.
"No, it's just stopped working." Zenkichi furrowed his brows, politely tapping the phone screen a few times, as if it would respond to the gentle touch. But to no avail. Nothing was working; the time was frozen. The phone just...froze. "What in the..." In the next instance, the entire room began to shake violently. "Huh!?"
"E-Earthquake? But there shouldn't be...!" Ichinose ended up falling from her chair as a result of all the shaking, and Zenkichi did as well. "Oof...?" She looked up, noticing how a few pens and various objects were simply suspended in the air. "How did this happen?"
The shaking calmed down. Zenkichi rubbed the back of his head. "What in the world..." He stood up, only to gasp. "HOOOOOOLY SH...!?" What startled him so much? The fact that Sophia was sitting on the table, in a physical form.
"Ooooh!" Ichinose's eyes widened at this. "Sophia, you...!"
"I have a body..." Sophia took a moment to process this. "Are we in the Metaverse?"
"That doesn't make any sense!" Zenkichi exclaimed, taken aback by the turn of events. But after calming down, he realized that this was the only option that DID make sense! Sophia wouldn't have a body otherwise!
"Hey, you two." Ichinose was quick to recover from the shock, instead turning her attention to the door nearby. "Was the door like that when we came in?" There was a strange gear on the door...
"...Nope." Zenkichi shook his head. He had no idea what it meant, but he didn't like it either. "Okay, Sophia. If things don't look good, we're gonna need you on point."
"Got it." Sophia nodded. "Oh, but...when I'm in this form, you should call me Sophie."
"...Right. Sophie." Zenkichi corrected himself. Sophie took point, and opened the door. She, Ichinose, and Zenkichi quickly walked out, but kept their guards up. "No enemies in sight..." And then Sophie turned to Zenkichi, smiling as his change in attire. "Wolf!"
"Huh?" Wolf looked down at himself, eyes wide. "What!? I thought I was done wearing this..." And yet, here he was, back in his Phantom Thief attire.
"Well...looks like we are in the Metaverse after all!" Ichinose replied, casually. She seemed so unfazed by this...
"But this can't be a Jail right? We got rid of those!" Wolf looked around, keeping himself on guard.
"I do not detect any presence of EMMA." Sophie reported. "This doesn't appear to be a Jail, but I can't recognize it either..."
Right at that moment, Erina rounded a corner, only to spot these unfamiliar strangers in front of her. Based on the fact that she was in a hurry, she hardly had the time to answer questions. She pointed her spear forward, eying the trio in front of her curiously. "Who are you?"
[End Flashback]
.
.
"And after we met Erina, the rest is history." Zenkichi said, finishing the story.
"So, you do not know how you arrived here either..." Hifumi was hoping they'd have some answers, but everyone was confused here.
"If I had to guess, I'd say we arrived maybe an hour before you guys at most." Ichinose surmised. "We did not have much time to get our bearings before hearing about how the mighty Lady Marie was engaged in combat with some people dressed in odd outfits."
"That's quite a story." Akechi stroked his chin. "Marie, hm...?"
Before the conversation could continue, there was a voice from outside. "Erina! We have a report!" The voices belonged to a member of the Rebel Corps. "It's about our allies who've been captured!"
Erina stood up to attention. "This important, hold on...!" If this was about their allies, then maybe, just maybe...the Rebel Corp had a chance at fighting back against Marie after all...