Catch-22: The Calling Card Left Behind

By: M14Mouse

Summary: With every plan, there is always a counter.

Disclaimer: Don't own them. This story is unbetaed.

Knowledge doesn't really form part of human nature. Conflict, combat, the outcome of the combat, and, consequently, risk and chance are what gives rise to knowledge. Knowledge is not instinctive; it is counter instinctive, just as it is not natural but counter natural. Share this Quote -Michel Foucault

Even with the raindrops hitting his umbrella, Yu could still hear the mumbling voices as he walked down the street. Theo and Lita follow close behind.

"Did you hear…."

"That president guy…."

"He just quit like that…"

"Do you think that he had a change of heart?"

"Of course…"

"Not! Look, he would be babbling like those other assholes on tv!"

"I bet that he is hiding from the phantom thieves."

"Yes! Yes!"

"Master, that is all they seem to talk about. It is rather…," Theo said.

"Weird? Very weird. Honestly, I stopped to get some fuzzy pencils and everyone was talking about it. Nothing else. No blah blah…job. No blah blah kids. Nothing. Not even that wild Shido conversation." Lita said beside him.

Someone has been teaching Lita about Pokémon. Probably Teddie or Ryuji.

No…

Makoto.

Definitely, Makoto.

"I notice as well."

It is about control.

I thought that you figured that out earlier, laddie.

I did but I realized that he took Izanami's plan and hurried up the timeline.

Okay, lad. I'm confused. Izanami is a lady of patterns and absolute hatred of you. I told her that she should let that go. She gave me that I-am-going-to-kill-you look. Not very effective. I'm a god of the underworld. Can't kill me if I just come back.

She, like our friend, likes subtle things. Slowly, the fog rolled into the town. One day here and there…two days back-to-back….until we had fog almost every day. In his case, one or two attacks here and then escalate. The method is the same. Instead of a 50-year timeline, we are dealing with someone trying to cram everything into a few years. If I take a guess, it is a part of Igor's contract.

A time limit. Not surprising. Igor likes those.

"Master?" Theo said to break him from his thoughts.

He shook his head for a moment.

"Sorry, I was thinking."

"About?" Lita asked.

"About our next steps."

"Oh, that is easy. You're going to take over the world."

Theo choked and Lita patted his back.

Oh, yes…Futaba.

"I told both of you…too much paperwork."

"But! You will be good at it! I can stab all of the annoying humans with my pencils."

He chuckled.

"That isn't how the human world works?!" Theo said annoyingly.

"It should! Humans make things way too complicated. Honestly, I watched them spend hours deciding on a piece of cake. It is cake! Just pick one and move on."

"My lady, you spend hours on which pencil to buy."

"Oh, no. I buy all of them. I just like to run my hands through their fluffiness."

Theo made a noise like someone dying.

Veles started crackling.

Lad, I'm not going to comment. So, what are your next steps?

Morgana, Ren, Futaba and Makoto are forming a plan. Of course, I don't know if Goro's latest actions have thrown a wrench in those plans.

The meeting….

And yours?

Mine is simple. I plan to tear things up.

?

Figuratively and literally, Shido is a figurehead. He has connections to other politicians, police, media, criminals, and probably more than I don't know about. If I just take out Shido, they could easily put someone else on the throne. No, I'm going to have to take out his network. I already have some associates working on the science end. With Okumura-san's help, I can start working on the business aspects. Criminals might be difficult since I have no connections there. Like Shido, I could be dealing with figureheads. So, it might take me some time to work through that angle. Rise has given me some of her media contacts.

I thought that you were going to wait.

Even without all of the pieces, I can't afford to wait.

And Yabby?

Isis smirked.

Bless him.

Those subways are for something, right?

Veles paused for a moment.

You are one scary lad. This is going to be so much fun.

He shrugged.

Igor is somewhere down there. So, I am multitasking.

"Coffee! Coffee! Coffee!" Lita shouted.

"Ms. Lila! Stop insulting the coffee!" Theo answered back.

"It tastes like tar rolled in sugar, chocolate syrup and whipped cream! Of course, I'm going to insult it!" Lila shouted back.

"Theo and Lila, we're here," He said calmly when they reached the door to the music shop.

They paused and then looked at each other.

"Yes, Sensei."

"Yes, Master."

He hummed softly as he entered the music shop. Kenji-san glanced up from his magazine and pointed to the back. He nodded his head in acknowledgement before heading toward the back room. It didn't take long for the trio to walk to the back and up the stairs.

He could feel a dark and gloomy feeling coming from the room before the trio even entered it. Once he entered, he saw his students scattered throughout the room. Ryuji and Ren were playing on their phones on the sofa. Ann was reading a magazine. Futaba was typing on her computer. Makoto was staring at the tv. Morgana watched Haru making tea in their small kitchen. Yusuke was sitting by a window and just staring out of it with a notebook in his lap.

They look like they went to a funeral, laddie.

In a way, it is. They lost their innocence. In the past, there was a division between this world and the other one. Now, they don't have that division anymore. It is a lesson that all persona users have one way or another.

There is no division. Just an illusion.

Correct.

He stood by the doorway and watched them in silence.

Slowly, their heads started to look up at him.

"Sensei…." Haru said.

Then their eyes started to look down.

"What are you planning to do next?" He asked.

"Sensei…" Ann said softly.

"There is nothing that we can do! The police guy is dead and so is our principal!" Ryuji shouted as he scrambled to his feet.

"And?" He asked.

He heard the door close behind him and Lita sighing next to him.

"Akechi won! We are fucked! What can we do?!"

"We have a plan," Makoto said as she turned off the tv.

"We do?" Ann said.

"YUP! We are going to Sai-san's palace!" Futaba said.

"What?" Ryuji said.

"I have been expecting this. Of course, I didn't plan for my sister's boss and our principal's deaths. I had a feeling that Akechi would approach us soon and get close to us. The school festival would be a good opportunity. Of course, we have to make ourselves look just desperate enough for us to accept his help."

"I don't want his help."

"We don't want it either but it will help Sensei and Futaba's plans. We need all the information that we can get at this point."

Ryuji hit the back of the sofa.

"What would be Akechi's goal in approaching us?" Yusuke asked.

There was silence.

"Probably kill us or arrest us," Morgana said softly.

"Fuck," Ryuji said as he sat back down.

"I was afraid that would be your answer," Yusuke said.

"So, what is your plan?" Haru asked.

Makoto took a deep breath.

"In a moment. I have a question for Sensei," She asked.

"Yes?" He said.

"You knew."

"Like you, I expect it. One lesson that I couldn't teach you. Your actions have consequences. Cognitive world. Tv world. Dark hour. They aren't truly divided. What happens in one world affects the other."

"WE KNEW THAT!" Ryuji shouted.

"No, I don't think that we did. Everything was going so well. Too perfect. Too everything," Ren said.

"Do you think that he was planning this from the start?" Haru asked.

"Not from the very start but pretty close to it," Makoto answered back.

"Shit," Ryuji mumbled.

"After we hear Makoto's awesome plan, we are going to tell our plan to take over the world!" Lila said as she bounced from behind him and toward the kitchen.

"Finally!" Futaba shouted from her spot at the counter.

He sighed.

"Master isn't going to take over the world!" Theo shouted back.

"JAPAN COUNTS!" Lita shouted back.

"YES! I have so many plans!" Futaba shouted happily.

"I'm merely working to take down Shido's resources."

The group stared at him.

"So…Do we call you Sensei or Boss after you take over Japan?" Ryuji asked.

He didn't facepalm himself but Theo was nice enough to do it for him.

Theo is a good person like that.

End of The Calling Card Left Behind

Next Chapter: The Dancing Thing

A/N: I did a two for one special with the director and principal. No regrets here. We are also getting a hint of Yu's plans which may or may not involve some type of explosives. Just say Yabby isn't going to be too happy with Yu. No one pays Yu enough for the next chapter. No one. Thanks for the wonderful reviews, kudos, favorites, etc. Anyway, read and review if you wish.