Chapter 17; The Masterpiece of the Vanity Director

Location; Shibuya Teikyu Building Accessway

The following day, they all met at the Hideout and once everyone was there, Yusuke said to them. "We can now take Madarame down, yes?"

"Almost, but we are close." Aqua said to Yusuke and then Morgana said to Yusuke. "However, Madarame's going to be a changed man. There won't be any way to revert it though. Are you sure you're okay with that?"

"I have thought it over carefully, and I cannot think of a future in which he does not pay his dues. He has preyed not only on the art world, but on countless talents… so I humbly request your help."

"Of course we help." Ren said to Yusuke and Yusuke said to them. "I apologize for making you do this…"

"Not at all. We just didn't want to impose if you weren't feeling up to it, Yusuke. But if you're already determined to do it, then there's nothing more for us to say." Ann said to Yusuke and then Yusuke said to everyone. "If I recall, our next step is sending a "calling card," correct? What a suave maneuver."

"It's not about acting cool. The calling card is a way to trigger a change in his cognition." Morgana said and Yusuke said. "A change in cognition… That reminds me, you went through some trouble regarding that before…"

"Ah, you must be talking about when we forced open that security gate in the courtyard." Morgana said and then Ann said. "The Palace is a cognitive world, so changing its ruler's cognition changes the topography! …I think!"

"Very nicely put, Lady Ann! You're absolutely correct. This will be a vital tactic from here forward." Morgana said and then Yusuke said. "Actually, may I ask a truly basic question? You continue to mention cognition quite readily… But why does this world formed from materialized cognitions even exist to begin with? Don't tell me… Has it always existed, while we go about our daily lives completely oblivious?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. At the very least, I know it existed before the Kamoshida incident… but that's all." Morgana said and then Yusuke said. "I see…"

"Crap, he totally caught me off guard with that… It's kind of weird thinking there might be a whole world we just don't know a damn thing about… Did the thought ever cross your mind, Ren? Aqua?" Ryuji said to Ren and Aqua. "Of course it did." Ren said and then Aqua said. "Same, but I have a feeling that Person in Red might know more about that world."

"True, but all that's important is that we know how to make use of that world and how to traverse it." Morgana said and then Aqua said. "And now that we are done with that topic, we should focus on the calling card."

"A calling card, hm? Will he take it seriously? He is famous, after all… He has often received slanderous letters till now, as well." Yusuke said before Aqua said to him. "If we mention the crimes Madarame hid in his Palace and that we are going to steal his treasure. Even if he doesn't take it seriously, we'll still get a reaction. And that reaction will cause the treasure to take shape, but we only have one day to steal the treasure."

"Why for one day?"

"Like the letters, the more he gets the less he will take it seriously and we won't be able to steal the treasure before the end of the exhibit. Oh, and Yusuke. I would like your help with the calling card."

"With what?"

"I want to make the card sound better than last time and some help redesign the logo."

"Since I am helping you with that, I don't think Madarame will notice my drawing or writing styles." Yusuke said before Ryuji said to him. "Why does that matter?"

"He knows both styles all too well."

"Well he won't notice if you're just helping me." Aqua said and then Yusuke said. "Designing a calling card, hm… Interesting. It shall become proof that the Phantom Thieves do exist."

"It's decided then!" Ryuji said before Morgana said. "Great! All that's left is to make the Treasure ours! You guys better come fully prepared!" They all nodded yes and went home to prepare.

Location; Madarame Exhibit

The following day, as Madarame was talking with people, a male staff member of the exhibit said to Madarame. "Pardon me, sir. There's a matter we need to notify you about…"

"Please excuse me for a moment." Madarame said to the people before he and the staff member walked away from them. Once they were away from the people, Madarame said to the staff member. "What is it?"

"We found this outside…" The staff member said pulling out a calling card. Madarame took the card and read it outloud. "Sir Ichiryusai Madarame, a great sinner of vanity whose talent has been exhausted. You are an artist who uses his authority to shamelessly steal the ideas of his pupils. We have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail. From, The Phantom Thieves of Heart." Madarame crushed the calling card and said to the staff member. "Whose doing is this!?"

"We don't know! The same letter has been posted everywhere…"

"What about the security cameras!?"

"There were no signs of the culprit… All we saw was a cat in the recordings…"

"Remove these at once!"

"Of course! But… Um?"

"What is it!?"

"It's about this affecting the exhibit… We believe it's just a prank, but what of the mass media?"

"Are you insinuating that this slander is true?"

"Of course not!" The staff member said and then everything turned black and Shadow Madarame said. "It's those damn brats' doing, isn't it ? Well, it means nothing… They'll only be able to do as they please until this exhibit is over…" Then everything returned to normal, the Phantom Thieves, who were watching Madarame, saw his reaction. "Will that do?" Yusuke said to the others. Ann then said to Yusuke. "Yup! It was perfect! The composition was way cooler too!"

"The Treasure should appear right about now." Morgana said and then Ryuji said looking at Madarame. "You better enjoy the air of freedom while you still can, old man." Ryuji then said to everyone. "Anyway, d'you guys check online? People are already talking about that calling card. We'll show them… We're gonna surprise them all!"

"I'm counting on you guys." Ren said to everyone, and Ann said to him. "We'll be counting on you too."

"You have no reservation about this either, right, Yusuke?" Morgana said to Yusuke and he said to Morgana. "Of course not. …We'll do this." Then they left for Madarame Palace.

Location; The Museum of Vanity

Once they entered the Palace, Joker called out Rowlet, Keeper called out Fletchinder, Mona called out Nincada, Skull called out Luxio, Panther called out Litleo, and Fox called out Litwick. Skull looked at Litleo and said to Panther. "Why Litleo? Why not Helioptile? I'm sure it would love to get some payback."

"No. Helioptile is still scared, so I left him with Ponyta." Panther said and then Fox said to everyone. "Is it just me, or does the atmosphere here seem significantly different…"

"No, it is different." Keeper said to Fox before Skull said. "No surprise there. We did basically declare war on him by sending that card."

"But there's nothing to fear. We've secured a route, and we're ready to go. We'll take the Treasure in style!" Mona said before Keeper opened the door to the safe room close to the Treasure.

In the Treasure room, everyone saw the Treasure had turned into the shape of a painting, but it was covered by a tarp, so they didn't see what the painting was. Then everyone got into position. Skull, Luxio, Panther, and Litleo handled the control room, and waited for the signal to turn off the lights. Fox and Keeper helped Mona onto the hook with Rowlet and Fletchinder backing him up. As for Joker, he and the rest of the Pokemon were waiting by the controls for the hook. Once Fox gave the signal, the lights went down and so did Mona, Rowlet, and Fletchinder. All of them grabbed the Treasure and were pulled up. As for the others, they quickly returned to the hook's controls just before the lights went on. And then help Mona, who along with the Pokemon had the painting, off the hook. Once Shadow Madarame noticed the painting was gone, he ordered a lockdown of the area. So they had to find another way out.

Luckily for them, there was a window that was left open, so they used that to escape. The window led to the top of a tower and they started to climb down, with the painting on Mona's back, and soon they reached the courtyard. The security was still down, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was that Mona couldn't hold himself back anymore. Mona stopped and placed the painting on the ground. Everyone stopped and Keeper said to Mona. "Mona, why are you stopping?"

"I just can't take in any more! Let's take a look at this Treasure…!" Mona said before removing the tarp, but what was under the tarp surprised them. The painting was just a very simple doodle of a face. "THIS is the Treasure!" Skull said and then Keeper said as she checked it out. "No, it's a fake!"

"Why would there be a fake?" Panther said and then Fox noticed the security had come back online. "Get back!" Fox yelled and everyone quickly jumped away before the security could trap them in an electrical box. "Meddlesome vermin." Shadow Madarame said as he and two guards, and one of them was holding the real Treasure, which was a painting in a gold frame. Shadow Madarame looked at his Treasure and said. "Is this what you're looking for?"

"How dare you try to trap me like some kind of mouse!" Mona said to Shadow Madarame before Skull said to Shadow Madarame. "So you had a fake prepped, huh?"

"Counterfeits are accepted in the world of Japanese art." Shadow Madarame said and then Fox said to Shadow Madarame. "What made you change like this!? Is it because you became famous!? Can't you understand how much it pains me to inquire about the crimes of my foster father!?"

"...Now that I think back. The only reason why I took you in was due to my ties with your mother. That woman never lost her passion for painting even after her husband died. Her skills and talents were quite astonishing… That's why I decided to look after her. Your mother and the artwork she created… they're all MY work of art!" Shadow Madarame said and Keeper said. "What are you talking about?"

"I suppose I can grant you a gift before you die… a glimpse of the genuine "Sayuri"!" Shadow Madarame said and they wondered what Shadow Madarame meant by genuine. The guard holding the painting showed it to them. The Treasure was the Sayuri, but it was different. This Sayuri didn't have the fog and the sad smile on her face was looking at a new born baby. Fox was shocked and said. "That's… the real "Sayuri"? This can't be! Mom…"

"Huh!?" Skull said and everyone looked at Fox. They then turned to Shadow Madarame, who said to Fox. "Indeed it is. This was a painting by your mother. It's a portrait of herself. A woman who knew her death was coming painted her last wishes, for the son she would leave behind. That is the truth behind the mystery of "Sayuri"'s expression!"

"You stole something THAT personal!?" Skull said and Shadow Madarame said. "I knew at first glance. I knew it'd be a huge success if I added a touch to the painting and announced it under my name!"

"But the baby in the picture… Why did you paint over it?" Fox said to Shadow Madarame and Shadow Madarame said. "...It was all to stage it. If the babe is erased, the reason for the woman's expression will become a mystery! That is what the general public is drawn to! Each of those parasitic critics wrote the same thing!"

"The only parasite is you. You stole that painting, and made copies to make money. You are nothing more than a greedy bug that loves money a thousand times more than art." Keeper said before Mona said to Shadow Madarame as the Pokemon were talking to themselves. "Though you have a real Treasure, your true skills are nothing more than those scribbles on that fake!"

"It makes me laugh, asshole!" Skull said to Shadow Madarame, who then said to them. "So you'll defy me no matter what… Well then, since you're my work of art, Yusuke, I'm going to reap you for the sake of my future. …Along with those insolent friends of yours there." Fox didn't say anything, but Panther did. "I can't believe you're treating both mother and son like they're objects… You're inhuman!" Everyone then looked at Fox, who was silent the whole time. "Fox?" Mona said to Fox. And then Fox said to Shadow Madarame. "I've heard that your "art" once they outlive their usefulness… Did that include my mother as well?" Everyone was shocked and then turned to Shadow Madarame, who said to Fox. "She just so happened to have a seizure in front of me. And when I left the room to call an ambulance, a thought crossed my mind… If I don't call for help and leave her be, I could obtain her painting without any strings attached." Everyone was shocked and as the Pokemon roared at Shadow Madarame in anger, Panther said to Shadow Madarame. "No… You let her die!?"

"She was physically weak. No one would doubt if she just dropped dead because of a seizure. Above all, Yusuke, didn't you think it was odd that I discovered your talent when you were only three? The reason why I kept you around was to keep you from realizing the truth behind "Sayuri." Shadow Madarame said and then Fox said. "You killed her…!"

"The artistic talents you inherited from your mother were a delightful miscalculation, though. And that talent gave me an idea. If I'm to steal ideas, it's much easier robbing the future of brats who won't talk back than adults. So Yusuke, this is all thanks to you. You have my gratitude." Shadow Madarame said and then Fox started to laugh. Everyone looked at Fox and Keeper said. "Fox? Why are you laughing?"

"I thank you, Madarame! Every reason for me to forgive you has disappeared without a trace at this very moment! You aren't some rotten artist… You're a despicable fiend who wears the skin of an artist!" Fox yelled at Shadow Madarame. Shadow Madarame was surprised by Fox's words and then the Pokemon moved. Litwick, Luxio, Nincada and Litleo attacked the guards, and quickly destroyed them. Then before the Treasure fell to the floor, Rowlet and Fletchinder caught it and placed it away from them. After Rowlet and Fletchinder returned, Joker said to them. "Nice work guys."

[It was all Litwick's plan. He deserves the praise.] Rowlet said to Joker and as for Shadow Madarame. He was furious and said as he started to transform. "All you good-for-nothings…! Barging into my museum and doing whatever the hell you want… Those who have the connections make the rules; those who don't follow them. Not to mention, the value of art is all subjective! I make the rules in the art scene! I am the supreme being! I am god of the art world!"

"This isn't good. Get back!" Mona said as they jumped away from Shadow Madarame. Shadow Madarame laughed before he mutated into four paintings. Two were his eyes, one was his nose, and the last one was his mouth. Then Shadow Madarame said with a cocky laugh. "Now… let's begin, you vermin!"

"Watch out!" Joker said as the paintings started to move around and started to attack them. The paints were flying all over, trying to tackle them down. But they were dodging them, and Joker was able to destroy one. The reason being Rowlet. Rowlet used Double Team to surprise them with his copies. Rowlet then used Confuse Ray on them, but it only hit the nose painting. With its confused state, Joker was able to shoot it down. But after it disappeared, Shadow Madarame paints joined back together and he yelled to them. "I'll paint all over you!" Shadow Madarame then started shooting black paint at them from his mouth piece. It missed the thieves, but it did hit the Pokemon. As everyone took cover, Keeper said to Fletchinder. "Fletchinder are you ok?"

[No. I feel wrong.]

"Just return for now." Keeper said, trying to return Fletchinder to his Pokeball, but it didn't work. Skull then said to Luxio. "Luxio, blind him with Flash!"

[Got it!] Luxio said feeling weak. Luxio tried to use Flash, but it didn't work. Mona then said to everyone. "That black paint. It seals your powers away, we have to stop him."

"I'm on it." Keeper said before letting Brionne out. Brionne then said to Keeper. [What's the plan?]

"We are going to take down those paintings with the Water Z-Move."

[Ok, but how are you not going to get hit with that black paint?]

"We'll handle it." Joker said as he and the others opened fire at the eye paints. This stopped Shadow Madarame as he couldn't aim probably anymore. Keeper and Brionne then used this chance to used the Z-Move. As Keeper did the pose, and Brionne followed, Keeper said her chant. "Now watch as we call forth the power of the mighty sea." Keeper said, as a light exited from Keeper and entered Brionne, and Harriet appeared over Keeper. "Go Hydro Vortex!" Keeper said as Brionne and Harriet summoned a giant wave of water that swallowed Shadow Madarame. Brionne then swam at great speed and made a whirlpool that hit all of them. Harriet was above him, shooting the painting that tried to fly out.

After the Z-Move cleared up, Shadow Madarame reappeared in his normal form and said. "Dammit… I'm the great Madrame… The Madarame who gathers a full crowd everytime he opens an exhibit! I'm not someone that worthless brats like you are allowed to defy!"

"Enough of your egotistic ranting! You used others for your own despicable desires, Madarame… You aren't even worth the art you "create"!" Fox said and that made Shadow Madarame even more mad. Shadow Madarame then said to them as more darkness appeared. "I'm the great artist, Madarame! If you brats can't fathom that… Then you'll witness it for yourselves! Behold my master craft!" Shadow Madarame then made counterfeits of himself, but they all had different elements and colors that matched. One was fire, one was ice, another was wind, and the last one was electricity. And as for Shadow Madarame, he stood behind all of them. Mona then said looking at each of the copies. "Wha–!? He made copies of himself!?"

"No surprise, he's only good at making copies." Keeper said as they started to fight. The others did call out their other Pokemon to help them and cover the once in black paint. When Smeargle came out he used his Sketch move on Larvitar's Rock Throw, to help protect Litwick and Fox's.

While Shadow Madarame wasn't stopping making copies, he noticed Panther was fighting the copies alone, so he had an idea. Shadow Madarame started to make ice copies and had them attack her. Shadow Madarame wanted to take down Panther, so the others would be too shocked to move and then he would be able to then take the rest down. It was a strategy that he used a lot in the real world and it worked, so he thought it would work here. The others did see Panther in trouble, but Shadow Madarame kept making copies to keep them away from Panther. Shadow Madarame plan would have worked, but there was something Shadow Madarame forgot, Litleo. Litleo saw Panther in danger and ran out of cover. As she ran to Panther, and tried to fight back. But she still had the black paint on her, so she couldn't really fight back. Then after the ice copies kicked Litleo at Panther's feet, and were going to kill both of them. Litleo used what remained of her strength to get up and roar at them. She wasn't backing down and soon after that, she started to glow and grow. That surprised everyone and her roar pushed away the ice copies close to them. Once it was over, everyone now saw that Litleo was bigger, the black ink was gone, and had a single mane of hair that looked like fire. Fox then said to everyone. "What just happened?"

"Litleo evolved!" Keeper said, pulling out her Rotom Phone as Phanpy and Wooper destroyed some electricity copies that were close to her. "Pyroar, The Royal Pokemon. The females of a pride work together to bring down prey. It's thanks to them that their pride doesn't starve." Rotom said before Pyroar shot a big stream of fire from her mouth at Shadow Madarame ice copies, destroying all of them. "Whoa! What move was that?" Skull said and then Keeper said. "That was Flamethrower, a powerful Fire-Type attack."

"Nice going, Lit– I mean Pyroar." Panther said before Pyroar said to her, stopping her attack. [Thanks Ann.] Then Shadow Madarame started to make more copies out of frustration, but that was a mistake. Not only was each copy taking a little bit of his energy, but now they started to have problems. Everyone noticed the problems with the copies and Joker said. "Now everyone, let's finish this."

"Taste the wrath of all those you've preyed upon!" Fox said as they were all able to defeated the copies without the need of their Z-Moves. Once each copy was gone, they looked for Shadow Madarame and found him running away with the Sayuri. He was very tired from all of the copies he made and now was running away in fear. Litwick and the other Pokemon had recovered, because the black paint disappeared, and Litwick tackled Shadow Madarame to the ground. It didn't damage the painting and Shadow Madarame said in fear as Fox, Litwick, and Smeargle walked up to him. "No one cares for true art… The art world revolves around money after all… You can't rise up without any money… And all they want are easily recognizable brands! I'm a victim in this too! Wouldn't you agree!?"

[You're not a victim, you make victims.] Smeargle said, trying to back the Sayuri. Litwick then made the flame on his head larger and that scared Shadow Madarame into letting go of the Sayuri. Shadow Madarame then said to Fox. "Yusuke, you understand, don't you!? Being a poor artist is truly miserable! I just didn't want to return to that life!"

"A fiend like you has no right to speak about the world of art! You're done for… along with this whole wretched world!" Fox yelled, grabbing Shadow Madarame. Shadow Madarame then said, shrieking in fear. "No, please! Just… don't kill me!" Fox then let go of Shadow Madarame and as Shadow Madarame was catching his breath, Fox said to him. "Return to yourself in reality and confess your crimes… all of them!"

"Y-You're not going to kill me?"

"Swear it!"

"All right… All right!" Shadow Madarame said before looking at all of them. Shadow Madarame then said to them. "Wh-What about the others?"

"What are you talking about?" Keeper said, walking up to Shadow Madarame. Shadow Madarame then said to her. "The one in the red cloak, and the one with the black mask?" They were surprised and Panther said. "So the Person in Red was here, but a black mask? Who's he talking about?"

"It can't be… There was another intruder besides us within this Palace!?" Mona said and then Keeper said, pulling Shadow Madarame up. "I want to know everything you know about the Person in Red and the black mask. NOW!" Before Shadow Madarame could speak, the Palace started to fall apart. Skull then grabbed Keeper and said. "There's no time! Hurry!" Keeper then yelled in frustration, before throwing Shadow Madarame to the ground. Then as everyone returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs, and Mona turned into a car. Fox, who took the painting from Smeargle, was walking away from Shadow Madarame, but stopped when Shadow Madarame said to him. "Hey, Yusuke… What should I do?"

"...Put an end to all this and use your own artwork for once. Goodbye, Sensei." Fox said before entering the car. Then as Shadow Madarame started to disappear, he cried out for Fox as they drove away.

Location; Shibuya Teikyu Building Accessway

After their escape, they found themselves outside Madarame shack. The navigator had told them that Madarame's Palace was gone, and Yusuke was holding the Sayuri, which did lose the gold frame, but wasn't damaged from the battle or escape. They quickly left for the hideout and there, Ryuji said. "I guess the mission was a success. All that's left is to see if he had a change of heart or not." Then Yusuke said, looking at the painting. "The "Sayuri"..."

"You're not gonna get all teary-eyed and say stuff like. "Mom…!" are you?" Ryuji said and then Yusuke said. "To think that this painting was the source of Madarame's distorted desires. The only saving grace is that my mother won't know of what transpired…"

"The genuine painting at his atelier has been altered, after all… Ironic as it may be, this one here is her true self-portrait now." Morgana said to Yusuke and then Ann said to him. "...It's a wonderful painting. And… although it took some time, it's in your hands now, Yusuke."

"...I'm thankful for it. However, it's impossible for this painting to be acknowledged by society anymore…" Yusuke said and then Ren said. "That's a shame. But I don't think your mom made it for society."

"You're probably right. Seeing my mother's expression here, it's doubtful that she would've wished for fame. So this is my mother… There's no way that I would remember her face clearly… But I was right about the rush of emotion I felt when I saw this painting." Yusuke said before Aqua said as Ryuji left for a drink. "I think she would be happy to know that you love art the same way she did." Then Ryuji returned and after taking a drink, burped. Ann then said to Ryuji. "Stop that!"

"You're so vulgar, Ryuji." Morgana said to Ryuji. Ryuji then said. "So, what're you gonna do now? We're gonna keep targeting big shots."

"...Why do you do such a thing?" Yusuke said and then Aqua said. "For people like you Yusuke. People that have chosen to stay in the shadow of twisted people's desires, and need courage to break free."

"Also to get back at scumbags and like… society in general?" Ryuji said before Yusuke said. "You mean the courage to stand up for themselves, correct? Will acquiring that make them happy?"

"Probably… But that won't stop us." Ren said and then Ann said. "Right. There's no knowing that. We just have to give it a try."

"...In other words, it all depends on the person, hm? Then the same can be said about myself right now. I also suffered because of an adult's selfish act. Moreover, if we investigate these Palaces, it may expand my artistic repertoire." Yusuke said and Ryuji said. "You really only think about art, huh? You're impressive."

"Well I won't take part in any inelegant plans, all right?" Yusuke said and then Ann said to him. "No worries! We have a rule that says we always have to decide on a target unanimously."

"How about it, Joker? We can give our calling cards a lot more "oomph" if we have Yusuke on our team." Morgana said and Ren said. "He would make a great member."

"I will try and live up to those expectations." Yusuke said and then Aqua said. "Welcome to the group. Now let's talk about the Phanpy in the room."

"Did your Phanpy escape?" Ryuji said looking around. Aqua then said stopping Ryuji. "No, I mean we need to talk about the black mask."

"Ok, but our only clue's a black mask, so that doesn't necessarily mean it's just one person, right?" Ann said before Ryuji said. "But there's no way to check anymore. The Palace is gone."

"But we have a lead." Aqua said and then Yusuke said. "You mean Madarame? You think I might learn something from him."

"You might be, but that is not the lead I was talking about. And after what we just learned, you don't have to talk to Madarame ever again." Aqua said and then Yusuke said. "I appreciated those words, but we can't pass it up. I'll contact you all if anything turns up."

"We should probably exchange our contact info with you then." Ann and they all exchange our contact info. Once it was over, Yusuke said to them. "An artist and a phantom thief… It seems I'll be engaging in two trades from here on…" Ren then said to Yusuke. "Think you can manage?"

"Yes, after all you only live once, after all."

"Good to hear. Oh, and Aqua? What lead were you talking about?" Ren said to Aqua and Aqua said. "Shadow Madarame said two people raided his Palace. And we know where we might find one of them." Everyone, but Yusuke, then realized that Aqua was saying that they would have to travel deep into Mementos and find the Person in Red if they wanted some answers about this black mask.