Chapter 4 is here. Hope y'all enjoy. I don't own Persona

Chapter 4: New Awakenings

Beside the rather…interesting encounter with the redhead, Ren was able to make it to class with no issues this time. Currently, he was sitting in social studies class. His teacher turned out to be the salt-and-peppered man from yesterday, who had just settled everyone down.

"I'm the social studies teacher, Ushimaru" The man said introducing himself. "I'll be teaching you the rules of society this year." He scanned the room, his eyes hard. "Hmph…you all look like you've been spoiled growing up. Can't wait to see who disappoints me the most this year." His gaze briefly drifted to Ren, which did not go unnoticed.

'Guess just because he's understanding, doesn't mean he likes me.'

"What were you expecting? You have a criminal record."

The black haired teen sighed. 'I know. Only thing I can do is make him eat his words.'

"That's the spirit."

"To begin: A certain dictionary defines a year as 'a period of 365 disappointments.' The book's title is about as cynically satirical as the rest of it. It's 'The Devil's Dictionary,' by Ambrose Bierce."

'I've read that book before. It was alright.'

"Hey, new kid," Ushimaru said sternly, causing the entire class's attention to move to the transfer. "Tell me what the Devil's Dictionary defined as the chief factor in the progress of the human race."

'Chief factor…wasn't it villains or something?'

"I think you're right. I could search through your memories to make sure…"

'No thank you. I'm pretty sure I'm right.' Ren told his persona. "Villains."

The man's eyes widened minutely in shock, before he cleared his throat. "Correct. 'Malefactors,' to be specific. You actually knew that, huh?"

The black haired young man shrugged. "I've read the book."

The teacher stroked his chin. "Interesting." His attention switched to the rest of the class. "Sure, villains can affect the course of history. But remember that this definition is a sardonic witticism, nothing more. Here in the real world, villains don't push humanity forward. All they do is spread chaos and strife."

While the man continued lecturing, there were whispers from the other classmates.

"Wow! He actually got that right!"

"Is he really a criminal?"

"Maybe he's actually serious about studying?"

"It has to be a coincidence! Remember, he said he read the book."

"But it shows he can learn, right?"

'You know, I'd take the praise if it wasn't so patronizing.'

"They don't know the truth, Ren."

He sighed. 'You're right. To be honest, this isn't that far from how I'd treat someone with a record myself. Nowadays, I've grown to not care.' He noticed Ann staring at him, giving him a nod, before she faced the window.

"You don't have much to worry about. After all, even if everyone doesn't see who you are, there are people who do."

The black haired teen grew a small smile 'Guess that's all one can ask for, huh?'

"I know you've all heard the reports of these agitators stirring up trouble." Ushimaru began, snapping the young man out of his thoughts. "We don't have any room for criminals here. Not in school, and not in society." He took a brief glance at the transfer, before quickly switching back to the class. "Am I clear?"

'An indirect shot at me. Yep. This is gonna be a long year.'

"Did you hear about that incredible first year?"

"I hear she's the one with the red ribbon. She's super thin!"

"And athletic!"

"She's also an honor student!"

'First year honor student with a red ribbon…Wait! Did I meet her this morning?' Ren wondered as he walked through the hallway, looking for a place to eat his lunch. He wasn't eating with Ann and Shiho today, but he had gotten something worthwhile in exchange: their numbers. The young man was surprised, until the platinum blonde said:

"If we're gonna be friends, we should be able to contact each other, right?" She blushed. "Besides, we forgot to give them yesterday."

Getting the numbers of two girls only 2 days into his school life? Definitely not a bad trade at all.

"Come on, what are the odds that you met the honor student this morn-"

"The one with red hair and red eyes?"

"Yeah! That's the one!"

"Well shit."

'Looks like fate made you eat your words.' The black haired young man said with a grin.

"Shut up."

"The delinquent and the honor student arriving at the same time? Uh oh…"

"Assault, blackmail, drugs. He's done it all."

"I hear he carries around a knife."

'I'm still amazed that an assault conviction led people to think I did drugs and blackmail. Rumors really can go out of control when someone can't reign them in.'

"They can. And not many people are able to discern whether or not they are true or not, unless they get evidence to the contrary."

'Still, it's crazy that the so-called delinquent arrives at the same time as the honor student.'

"Sounds like a premise for a romance manga."

'You're not wrong.' The young man chuckled. 'I wouldn't mind reading something like that."

"You are a fan of them."

'Only when done right. Like Horimiya. I don't hate it when stories drag out the confession a bit, but when it gets out of control, well…'

"You want to set the book on fire?"

'Something like that. Like fine, drag it out a bit. I know you want to keep the manga alive for another ten or so chapters. Stop putting in the same frustrating bullshit over and over again.'

"You could drag it out. Or be like Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry."

'Yes! Exactly! Oh man, I need season 2!'

"It's only been a year since the first season. I'm sure it will come out soon."

'It better. I want to see Stella and Ikki again.'

"You could pick up the light novel."

'If I don't hear an anime announcement by the end of this year, absolutely.'

The young man decided to go to pick a different spot he had heard about, on the opposite end of the courtyard. As he got there, he noticed someone was sitting at the table there.

She had short brown hair that had a matching french-braid styled headband, and red eyes. She wore the standard Shujin uniform, but instead of the usual blazer, she wore a black halter vest over the turtleneck. There was this…graceful aura around her, a type of elegance in her that Ren couldn't properly put into words. The girl quickly noticed him. "You wanna sit here?"

The young man rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, if you're alright with it."

"Sure, I don't see a problem with it."

He took the seat opposite her, and began to bring out his bento. As he was about to dig in, he took notice of the brown haired young woman across from him staring at his food.

"Is there something wrong with my food?" The black haired young man asked with a raised eyebrow.

The girl across from him blushed. He had to admit, that was cute. "N-No!" She said as she waved her hands in front of her. "I'm just…impressed. It looks incredibly well made. Did you make this yourself?"

The transfer blinked. "Uh, yeah. I did."

"That's the second day in a row you've been complimented for your culinary skills."

'Yeah. Takamaki-san and Suzui-san seemed to be impressed too. I've always thought that girls like a guy who can cook, and the more I get complimented over it, the more I think I'm right.'

"Of course they do! You've seen Food Wars!"

The young man sighed. 'I wish I didn't know you were gonna say that.' His attention switched back to the red-eyed young woman. "I've always been good at cooking. When my folks at home couldn't make me anything, I liked seeing what I could make myself." The Persona user focused on her bento. "Yours doesn't look too bad either. I like the balance that you've got going."

The girl's blush darkened. "O-Oh, uh. T-Thank you. My sister always used to make me lunch all the time. When she became too busy because of her job, she taught me the basics, and I grew from there."

"What job does your sister have?"

"She's a prosecutor, a really good one." The brown haired young woman answered.

"A prosecutor, huh? You know, when I got into a…situation, a prosecutor was willing to hear me out to help me. I have a lot of respect for her because of that."

"A situation?" The young woman raised an eyebrow. "If you don't mind, could you…"

The black haired young man shook his head. "I can't just tell my entire life's story to someone I don't even know the name of."

The girl blushed. "You have a point." She brought out her hand. "I'm Nijiima Makoto."

The transfer student's eyes widened. "Niijima?"

The young woman tilted her head in confusion. "Um, yeah. Is there something wrong?"

"Is your sister Niijima Sae?"

The red-eyed teen furrowed her brow. "Yes, that's right. How do you know her?"

"She's the prosecutor who helped me. I owe it to her for helping me find a place to stay for the year when I got transferred all the way out here."

"Transferred…" Her eyes widened. "Ah! Are you Amamiya Ren?!"

He nodded. "Small world, huh?"

"I'll say." Makoto laughed lightly. "I didn't even know what you looked like, and yet here we are."

"So…how much do you know about my…situation?"

The young woman frowned. "Only what Onee-san told me. She said you were convicted of assault, but that you didn't do it. She didn't tell me the rest of the details, but I could tell they really bothered her."

"Do you wanna know?" The girl across from him nodded. "Well…" The young man recounted the story once again, for what was the second day in a row. When he had finished, Makoto was clenching her fists over the table, an appalled and sympathetic expression on her face.

"Horrible…That's…" She peered down at the table, hiding her expression. However, the way her fists were trembling showed how appalled she was. "Is there anything you can do?"

The black haired young man shook his head. "No. What's done is done. I'm just glad I can start again fresh at this school at least. It was the only place that would take me in."

"Now I know who the delinquent transfer student everyone is referring to is." The red-eyed teen sighed.

"It's not so bad. I've made a couple friends here. Which may or may not include you."

The young woman blushed. "Well, if you'd like to…"

"Of course. It'd be stupid of me to not make friends with a cute girl like you." He said with a teasing grin.

The red-eyed young woman was now a dark shade of red. "I-I'm not cute." she said as she averted her eyes.

"You are. Especially when you blush."

Somehow, her blush became even darker. "Y-You b-better w-watch it! I-I k-know A-Aikido!" she tried to sound as threatening as possible…while fumbling over her words from the compliments.

"You know, if you're gonna threaten someone…maybe don't do it while you're as red as a tomato." The Persona user's grin widened. The girl across from him gave him a glare. "Fine, I'll stop."

The brown haired young woman hummed in victory. "Good. Still, it's not every day I get compliments like that from the guys in this school."

"What are they, blind?"

The red-eyed teen blushed. "N-No. Frankly, no one in this school really approaches me because of my position here as president of the student council."

"You're the student council president?" Ren asked with wide eyes.

"Mmm." Makoto nodded. "Then again, it's partially my fault that I don't really approach anyone myself. I'm busy trying to study so I can get into a good college."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to be a prosecutor like my sister…I think." The student council president answered him, albeit somewhat hesitantly.

The black haired teen raised an eyebrow. "I think?"

The young woman blushed. "W-Well, I've always been told to study and get into a good college. I've always wanted to be like sis, so it's perfectly logical that I should follow in her footsteps."

"But do you have to be a prosecutor to do it?"

The red-eyed teen paused, appearing to be contemplating the Persona user's words. "Umm…probably no, but…what else is there?"

"A lot actually. I mean, you're the student council president, and I'm sure you study hard too…"

The red-eyed young woman blushed and averted her eyes. "W-Well, I've been ranked at the top of my class since my first year..."

"Well there you go! You have a lot of options ahead of you! You don't have to focus so much on one path. That doesn't tend to work sometimes."

"But…" The student council president looked to the side. "Wouldn't I be veering too far off course? Sis has worked very hard to provide for me…if I didn't follow in her footsteps, wouldn't I be throwing those efforts in her face?"

'Ohhhh, I see the problem now.' The young man took a deep breath, trying to choose his next words carefully. "I don't know. I don't know Nijima-san that well. I've only talked to her a couple times. But…don't you think she would want you to do what you want."

Makoto's eyes widened, before frowning. "I…never thought of that before. I was always concerned with doing as I was told and taking the path laid out in front of me. I never thought about what I really want." She gave Ren a sheepish look. "I admit, it's not the…smartest idea…"

"Probably not." The transfer chuckled. "I'm not saying you shouldn't become a prosecutor, but only do it if you want to."

"I'll keep that in mind." The student council president smiled. Suddenly, she blushed and began to rub her hair in embarrassment. "Sorry, I didn't expect this conversation to shift about my future. I hope I-"

The black haired young man put up his hand. "It's no trouble at all. I'm just glad I could help you in some way."

"Because my sister helped you?"

"Partially, but I just can't ignore people in trouble. I guess it's a problem of mine: I can't keep my nose out of people's business."

The girl giggled. "I'm not gonna complain. That part of you certainly helped me."

The black haired teen smiled. "Glad to be of service."

"What are you, a butler?"

"Nope, but if it meant helping a girl like you all the time, I'd love to become one." The young man teased.

The young woman's face now matched her eye color. "W-What's that supposed to mean?"

The black haired teen gasped in mock surprise. "Is the top ranked student of her year struggling to understand simple teasing?! The horror! Think of the rumors that will spawn because of this! Your reputation is at stake!"

The red-eyed teen rolled her eyes. "Very funny."

"Thank you, I'll be here all week."

She giggled before her expression changed to one of uncertainty. "Wait, does that mean you were just teasing me before?"

"I was teasing you by being honest. You are cute after all."

The red-eyed young woman's blush returned. "O-Oh. W-Well, I-I think y-you're very…e-easy to talk to!"

The young man gave her a flat look. "You'll need several years of training before you can catch up to me, young apprentice."

"Apprentice? In what?"

"Teasing. Your technique is off and so is your execution."

She pouted. "It's not easy when you're so embarrassed!"

"You'll get there one day. I know you will." The master of teasing said with a smile. They stayed like that until the lunch period was over. As the next period arrived for them, Ren couldn't help but smile at his continued luck in finding new friends despite his situation.

The school day ended, and that meant it was time for Ren to meet with Ryuji to go back to the Metaverse. As he exited the classroom, he noticed Ann trying to leave as inconspicuous as possible. However, it seemed that was not enough, as Kamoshida emerged from the nearby stairwell and approached her.

"Hey there, Takamaki," he greeted cheerfully, causing the blonde to flinch. "Things have been pretty dangerous lately with all those accidents."

"Sorry, I have a photoshoot today," the model said, adopting an expression of faux apology, "It's for the special summer issue, so I can't afford to miss it…"

"Hey now…being a model is all fine and dandy, but don't work your pretty little self to the bone," the volleyball coach told her, sounding concerned, "You mentioned you weren't feeling well, right? Something about appendicitis?"

"Y-Yes." The platinum blonde sounded nervous. "I keep planning on getting it checked out, but I've been busy…Sorry to worry you…"

'That's a lie.'

"You must be lonely too. I feel bad for keeping you best friend at practice so often," he continued, sounding guilty, but Ren could tell it was fake. Of course, he had the benefit of having seen what the man was really like on the inside; he really was good at acting sympathetic. "Oh, and…be careful around that transfer student. He's got a criminal record, after all. If something were to happen to you…"

The platinum blonde young woman's fist clenched for a moment, before she let out a sigh. "Thank you for your concern. Excuse me." She walked away and headed towards the opposite stairwell.

"Tch…" The man grunted, before he went up the stairs and left.

'I didn't like how uncomfortable she looked at all. I thought I might have been seeing something the first time, but she clearly does not want to be around him at all. Not that I blame her.'

"All of his concern for her is fake, and the lies she is coming up with are a way for her to just get him out of her hair."

'We know there's something up based on the rumors and stuff, but we don't have details. And the only place we can get them is probably his palace.'

"That's our best bet. We should count ourselves lucky no one has been able to pick up on our eavesdropping."

The young man sighed. 'Can't disagree with that. I can only guess it's because in both instances, everyone's been more focused on other things.' Suddenly, he got a notification from his phone. He checked it, and found out he had gotten a text.

It was from Ann.

"Yo, Ren!" The blond called over with a wave. "You made it- Takamaki?!"

The platinum blonde waved shyly. "Hey."

It was now after school. The time for Ren and Ryuji to return back to the palace had arrived. But, at the request of Ann, she was now tagging along. While black haired young man had anticipated she'd want to see the Metaverse at some point, he did not expect her to want to see it so soon. Although, he didn't want to deny her request, especially after she had decided to trust him. But that meant he now had a bit of an awkward situation on his hands, occurring just outside the school building.

"Can I talk with you for a second?" the blond young man asked, before grabbing Ren and dragging him away before he could respond.

"Dude! What is this?! Why didn't you tell me she was joining us?!" Ryuji exclaimed, clearly ticked off.

"Look, she just asked me to show her the Metaverse just right after school ended! And I didn't want to say no after she believed in me so much, so I said yes!"

"You could have messaged me!"

"I don't have your number!"

"Oh." The blond teen rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "My bad." His expression became serious. "Are you sure it's a good idea to show her that place?"

"Yeah." The Persona user nodded. "I'm sure I can cover for both of you if things get bad, and Morgana should still be roaming that palace. It's not like she has to come with us."

The blond troublemaker sighed. "Alright, fine. I'll trust you on this one. It's not like I'm the one who's gonna be fightin' after all. I can't even enter that palace without you."

The transfer student held out his fist. "Thanks man." The gesture was returned, and the boys returned to the platinum blonde.

"Sorry, did I get in the way of…" The young woman was about to ask.

"Naw, it's nothin'. Just a simple communication issue. We'll show you the meta…whatever." The blond assured. He turned to the black haired young man. "You got this?"

The Persona user nodded. "Yep." He pulled out his phone, and opened the Navigation app. He pressed it, and as he thought, there was a saved location. "Are you ready?" They both nodded. He pressed the location, and the world around them distorted again. The purple tint returned, and the school in front of them began to shift and change. Slowly, the building began to change. The glass doors became wooden, the brick became stone, and the building grew taller. The changes continued, until finally, the school now was the castle Ryuji and Ren had entered yesterday.

"Huh?!" The blonde bombshell exclaimed, her eyes wide. "What is that?!"

"A castle." The transfer answered dryly.

"Gee, no kidding," she deadpanned back, "Wait, why are you in that outfit?"

"You like?" The black haired teen grinned slyly.

"I mean…it suits you, but how did you change so quickly without me noticing?" She pointed to the castle. "And why is there a castle in the place of our school?!"

"It's how Kamoshida sees the school. His very own castle." The black haired young man explained.

"K-Kamoshida? What's he got to do with this? What is this world?" demanded Ann rapid-fire.

"It's a long story. You see…" The so-called delinquent gave her a quick rundown of the Metaverse, Palaces, and of course, Personas.

By the end of it, she began to rub her temple from the probable headache she now had. "So, let me make sure I'm not missing anything. In this world, Kamoshida has a 'Palace', right?" Ren nodded. "And because you two somehow got into this Palace because of a creepy app on your phone, you ended up getting captured by him." He nodded again. "To escape, you had to awaken a Persona, which caused you to get those clothes."

"Yeah, and his persona is pretty wicked. It's like a stand, and he can use it to fight other Shadows!" The blond young man commented with a grin.

The platinum blonde gave the Persona user a look. "Seriously?" The black haired young man nodded once more. "Can I see it?" she asked hopefully.

"Sure." He took off his mask, and in a burst of flames, Arsene appeared above him, giving her a flourishing bow.

"Huh. So everything really is a Jojo reference." The blonde young woman concluded.

The domino masked thief smirked. "Always has been."

The bombshell chuckled. "So, why did you two come back here?"

"We wanted to look for evidence." The troublemaker answered.

"Evidence? Against Kamoshida?"

"Correct." Ren nodded. "While we were trying to escape, we noticed there were students trapped in cages in his prison." The model's expression became one of horror. "But actually, they're not real, just creations of the Palace. But…the fact they were locked up is concerning."

"Why is that?"

"Because it's how he sees them. As prisoners of his castle." Ren answered grimly.

"That's not surprising." The platinum blonde muttered loudly.

"What we're trying to do is figure out the extent of his abuse. Since Palaces can show how he sees other people in this school…"

Ann's eyes lit up. "You can figure out how he treats people in the real world!"

Ren grinned. "That's right. Symbolically, at least. The best course of action we can take right now is to find the abuse, and confront those people in the real world."

"Huh? Why not just take a picture?" Ryuji asked, confused.

"Ryuji. Can you take a picture of the castle for me?" he asked.

The blond shrugged, bemused. "Uhh…sure?" He pulled out his phone, and tapped away. "That's weird. Why can't I use it?"

"You can't access other apps while in the Metaverse. Only the navigation app," Ren revealed.

"Well that stinks," groaned Ryuji, "When'd you figure that out?"

"Just now." The transfer sighed. "I thought of that idea too, but when I checked my phone, I couldn't open the camera."

"So you guys can only memorize faces and hope someone spills the beans?" Ann asked with a raised eyebrow. "You know that's gonna be difficult, right?"

"Probably, but it's our best shot right now. Although, there is another option…"

"Huh? What is it?" Ryuji asked.

"It's to steal the 'treasure' of the palace?" The so-called delinquent answered.

"The treasure?" Ann repeated.

The domino masked young man nodded. "See, there's a kinda core in Palaces that keep it all together, formed from the desires of the ruler, like a cornerstone. According to Arsene, if we steal that Treasure, this palace will cease to exist, and there'll be some type of change that happens with the ruler because of it."

"What type of change?" The blonde bombshell inquired.

"Well, it's a place made up of the owner's worldview, right? If the whole thing literally collapses, who knows what might happen to him? Although, Arsene isn't too familiar with all the details. He only knows it's a possibility."

"Geez, just when I was gettin' my hopes up." Ryuji grumbled.

"For now, let's just stick with plan A before moving to plan B." Ren suggested. "Takamaki-san, you already know this world exists. You can come with us if you want, but it's not like we're expecting you to contribute anything in particular. There might be some dangerous shadows who could attack us. The choice is yours."

The blonde girl began to stroke her chin, appearing deep in thought. A few moments later, her eyes showed she had reached a decision. "I'll come with you guys."

Ryuji's eyes widened. "Wait, what? Are you sure?"

Ann nodded. "Yeah. You're not the only one who has a grudge against Kamoshida."

Ren smiled. "Welcome aboard." He turned towards the castle. "Alright, let's go to the entrance." He began walking, his friends following behind him. As they neared the castle doors, he tapped on them. "Locked. We'll have to go through the vent."

"The vent?" The girl repeated.

"It's how we got out last time." The transfer shrugged.

"Oi!" A new, but familiar voice called their attention. The trio turned their attention towards the direction of the newcomer. Sure enough, it was the cat that had helped Ren and Ryuji escape yesterday, Morgana. "I came out here because the shadows were acting up. Lo' and behold, it's you guys. I had a feeling you were gonna come back here, but I'm surprised to see you two here so soon."

"Well, we wanted to investigate this place." The blond said with a shrug. "No way we wouldn't come back here after what we learned."

The cat sighed. "I guess I can't blame you fo-" He stopped, and began to stare at something. The boys followed his gaze, and realized he was staring at Ann.

The platinum blonde bombshell didn't seem to be paying much attention to this, as she seemed to be more focused on something else. "I-Is that a monster cat?"

"Monster cat!?" The monster cat in question exclaimed in slight disappointment. "Please don't be afraid. I am Morgana, just a humble man who is honored to be graced by your presence!"

'Oh no.' Ren felt his skin crawl from Morgana's words and began to rub his temples. He turned to Ryuji, and found he had an expression of horror. It seemed even he could tell this could only end in disaster.

Ann tilted her head in confusion. "Umm, what are you saying?"

"I am saying you are the most meow-licious, beautiful girl I have ever seen!" The feline declared with no shame whatsoever. "What is your name?"

The girl blinked. "Um, I'm Ann…"

"Lady Ann it is! Being the gentleman I am, I shall guarantee your safety!" The feline persona user exclaimed. He turned to the embarrassed young men. "Thank you for bringing such a wonderful girl here! I can never repay you two enough!"

"I don't think this cat has what you would call…ahem…game."

'That's one way of putting it.'

"Where did you meet this guy?" Ann asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ren said as he averted his eyes.

"We don't know him." Ryuji added.

"Yeah you do! It was because of my help that you two were able to escape!" The Morgana reminded the teens. He turned back to his new crush. "Do you see that Lady Ann? I am incredibly reliable, and great in a pinch!"

"We found him locked in a cage like we were, and helped him escape," Ren saw fit to explain idly, "After that, we worked together to escape."

"Why'd you have to mention that?!" The feline cried in outrage.

"He's just being honest." Ryuji said with a grin.

"Well, if we're being honest, then you wouldn't mind me pointing out how scared you were everytime we had to fight a shadow!" The monster cat pointed out, wearing his own grin.

"Eff you! Of course I was scared!"

"Enough!" Ren interjected, stopping a potential squabble. He sighed. "Do you think you can help us?"

"Of course!" The cat declared. "It should be easy enough…" He pointed at Ren. "As long as you're willing to help me in return, of course."

The domino masked teen grinned. "And let you have all the fun? No thanks."

"Excellent!" The cat jumped in excitement. He gestured to the platinum blonde bombshell. "Follow us, Lady Ann! I swear on my honor that we will make sure no harm befalls you!"

"Ummm…okay." The model said awkwardly, seemingly put off by the cat's behavior.

'No game whatsoever.'

"It's no surprise he's maidenless."

Ren snorted from this comment, before walking with Morgana to the vent. The cat jumped in, while the transfer gestured to the blonde young woman. "After you."

"What a gentleman." Ann teased with a smirk, before crawling into the vent.

"Not bad. It's at least better than Morgana." Ryuji commented.

"Anything is better than whatever that cat is trying," Ren deadpanned, before entering the vent himself. After some crawling, he was out on the other side, inside the room where they had escaped. Morgana and Ann were waiting for him. Ryuji popped out not long after.

"Okay," The feline began. "We need to be very careful. Unless the coast is clear, do not run. Got it?" He gave the blond young man in particular a look.

"I got it, I got it!" the blond complained exasperatedly, "Jeez."

"Alright. I'm gonna check for enemies." The monster cat walked out of the room. After a few seconds, his head peeked into the library room. "Coast is clear, come on!"

The trio of teens nodded, before walking out of the room. The cat was inside the main lobby of the castle, before gesturing to them to keep going.

"This is…insane!" Ann commented with wide eyes. She turned green when her eyes drifted towards the front of the room. "You weren't kidding when you said this was Kamoshida's Palace." The group turned to where she was looking, and saw that in the front of the room was a large portrait of Kamoshida.

"Huh. I noticed that portrait when we entered the Palace, but I never put two and two together." The domino masked teen commented as he stroked his chin.

"You only saw him once. Can't believe I didn't notice that shit," the blond snorted, "Makes sense that that bastard would have portraits of himself in his own Palace."

"You can talk trash later. Let's keep going," the not-cat ordered, running down the hall where they had come from to escape. The teens followed him, and found no obstacles as they made their way down the stairs to the dungeon.

The domino masked young man noticed Ann's shocked expression as they entered the prison area. "This is…an actual dungeon." She muttered to herself.

"You can find them in standard castles, so it's not a surprise there's one here." The gray-eyed young man shrugged. "There's probably more to this Palace than what we've found so far, but I don't want to investigate that unless we have to."

The group continued to walk until they reached an open barred gate. "Stop." Ren commanded as he put his body away from the bar and peered over to the end of the walkway. There was a single guard patrolling the area. "Looks like we'll have to fight."

"There wasn't a guard here last time," Ryuji commented.

"That's because of you guys. Security has increased from last time." Morgana explained. The bipedal cat turned to the black haired young man and grinned. "Would you like to learn a new trick?"

"Lay it on me." The bird masked young man said with his own grin.

"As thieves, it benefits us to do things as discreetly as possible. For example, getting the drop on our opponent." The cat's grin widened. "If you can rip off that shadow's mask before it knows what hit him, you can stun it for a bit!"

"Which would give me the opportunity to lay some attacks on it while it's dazed." Ren concluded.

"Exactly." The feline nodded.

"How does that work?" asked Ryuji.

"Simple. Shadows normally keep their true selves hidden until they have to. That's why you see them wearing masks or disguised as Knights before revealing their true forms." The cat explained with a finger raised. "However, if the shadow is forced to reveal its true self against its will, that's gonna leave it unable to act for a moment."

"Uhhhh…I think I get it…"

"It's not easy to get, I'll admit that," the feline sighed, "Just remember that yanking off masks will stun shadows, and you'll be fine."

The troublemaker nodded. "Got it."

"Do you know what to do, Ren?" asked the cat.

"Yeah." The knight that had been patrolling the area now had its back turned to the group. "Stay here," he told Ann and Ryuji, before dashing towards the knight. He closed the distance quickly, and just as the knight stopped to wonder if something was wrong, Ren jumped on top of the knight's back.

"Reveal thyself!" he commanded, before grasping the mask of the knight. He began to pull it off, feeling as if he was pulling on actual skin as he did so. However, he knew this thing wasn't human, so he did not waver. The knight writhed in distress and tried to reach up to grab the intruder on his back, but the creature's arms were too small. Finally, he ripped it off like he would a band-aid, whereupon he leaped back and landed lightly on the ground, mask in hand.

The monster spun around, revealing a shadowy face with glowing red eyes and mouth, before dissolving into a pile of dark sludge, before erupting into a different form. The shadowy color became blue and orange, the head forming into a pumpkin. Immediately, Ren knew he was fighting another pyromaniac.

"Nice job." The feline commented as he came up alongside him. "How about a little wager?"

The young man raised an eyebrow. "What kind?"

"Let's see who can kill this Shadow first." The cat grinned.

The black haired young man mirrored the not-cat's grin. "You're on. Arsene!" He took off his mask, summoning his persona.

"Zorro!" Morgana shouted as he tapped his mask, summoning his own.

"Eiha!"

"Garu!"

Both users shouted their attacks at the same time. Red energy and wind gathered together. The energies began to mix and combine: the wind swirling and spinning faster and faster, while the red energy pulsed and glowed fiercely, making a pulse sound that was heard by all the fighters. The Shadow's face turned to one of terror, as it now processed what was about to happen. It tried to move away, but then, without warning, the energy burst forth underneath, surrounding the shadow in dark red energy that disintegrated it bit by bit. The wind wrapped around the red energy, joining in on the Shadow's torment, thrashing it about in the combined attack. The Shadow cried out one final time, before finally vanishing entirely, the technique with it.

"W-Woah." Ren's eyes were wide as he tried to take in what just happened. "...Who wins?"

"I…think we can call that a draw." The feline answered, sharing in Ren's shock. "That combination attack…I didn't think it was possible."

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU GUYS DO?!" Ryuji shouted as he ran up to the duo, with Ann in tow.

"Is that really how you guys fight these shadows?" The platinum blonde asked the transfer curiously.

"Well…not exactly like that, but close enough," he answered, scratching the back of his head in befuddlement.

"Answer the question!" The blond young man exclaimed.

"Shh! Do you want Shadows after us?!" Morgana hissed back angrily.

"We were trying to kill it at the same time. I guess our techniques combined or something." the young man tried to answer. Ryuji gave him a look. "Yeah, that's all I got."

"No…that does make sense." The not-cat said as he stroked his chin. "If the skills are compatible, it would make sense for them to be able to mix."

"Compatible?" The blonde bombshell repeated.

"Yeah, like combining wind and fire for example. If the flame is strong enough, the fire would get stronger."

"Oh! Like Naruto right?" The blond exclaimed.

"Sure." The cat nodded. "Whatever that is."

"Huh?" Both boys said at the same time. "But you knew what nindo meant." Ren pointed out.

"Not really. I just knew you were making fun of me."

"Why would a cat know what Naruto is?" Ann questioned.

"Because I'm not a cat! I'm actually a human! I'm just stuck as a cat." The feline answered.

"Really?" The platinum blonde blinked. "Do you know what turned you into a cat?"

The feline shook his head. "No. I have no memories of my time as a human, but I just know I am."

"How do you know you're a human?" The blond teen asked.

"Ryuji. I can talk like a human, think like a human, and even act like one. A normal cat can't do that." The not-cat pointed out.

"I've watched a lot of anime. Trust me, it's not that far-fetched." The domino masked young man said.

"I have to be human. I know I am." Morgana insisted resolutely, before hanging his head. "I just need to regain my memories…"

"Is that why you're here?" Ren asked.

"Mmm." The monster cat nodded. "If I can get the Palace's treasure, I can regain my memories."

"Treasure?" Ann repeated.

"Yes, Lady Ann. Treasure. I'll tell you later. We need to move." Morgana urged. The rest of the group nodded and followed the cat as they traversed through the prison.

The group ended up reaching a section of the prison with barrels littering the area. They stopped as a group of knights seemed to be coming up the stairs at the end of the corridor. As the stomping of armored greaves neared, however, Morgana had pointed to a distorted door right where they were standing, demanding to hide there immediately. After entering the room, Morgana told them they had entered a safe room.

"A Safe Room is a place where the Palace's influence is weaker." The cat had explained. "You can hide in these areas without any Shadows coming in here."

"Why's that?" Ren asked.

"Shadows are attracted to Palaces because of the warped desires of the ruler. They're not going to enter an area where the ruler's influence is much weaker."

"Why's his influence or whatever weaker in this random room?" Ryuji asked reasonably. As he did so, as if to answer his question, the room shifted and shimmered for a moment, revealing a standard classroom, before reverting back.

"Was that…our homeroom?" Ann asked with wide eyes.

"Huh. How convenient." The black haired teen grinned. "Now it makes sense. Gym teachers don't have authority over specific classrooms. He might act like he's the King of the Castle, but in the real world, he can't just lord over the other teachers."

"Exactly." The feline grinned.

"Is this the only Safe Room in the entire castle?" Ann asked.

Morgana shook his head. "No, there's always more than that. Sometimes there are less, but there're always multiple in every palace."

"Good to know there are places that bastard can't control." The troublemaker remarked.

"You guys must really hate this Kamoshida guy, right?" Morgana asked casually.

"Well, yeah." The blond young man rubbed the back of his head. "...Somethin' happened. I was an idiot, and he used that against me. That's all yer gettin' outta me."

"I see." The feline turned to Ann, who had a conflicted look on her face. "What about you, Lady Ann?"

"...I don't feel comfortable around him," she answered hesitantly.

"Does this have something to do with those rumors?" Ren asked her.

"Mmm." Ann nodded.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm sorry."

"That's okay. Just take your time." Ren smiled, causing the platinum blonde to match it with one of her own.

"What about you, Ren?" The cat asked.

"I'm not the type to ignore something that's happening in front of me, whether it lands me in trouble or not. That's all." He answered.

"So you're the righteous hero type?" Morgana grinned.

"I'd just feel guilty if I didn't do something. Not when something like that is happening right in front of me."

"That's admirable. Only flaw I can find is what if you mess with a guy with too much power or something."

"Trust me. I know that already," Ren grunted darkly, indicating that the matter was now closed.

"I see no signs of any intruders." A shadow from the other side of the door said, causing the team to cease their conversation. "You stay here while we search the rest of the area."

"Will do." Another shadow said, and the sound of stomping metal boots could be heard from the other side.

"Let's move," Ren ordered, and the rest of the group nodded as they followed behind him

The group left the safe room, killing the lone Shadow that had stayed behind. After that, they traversed through more of the palace, encountering another one. It was at this moment that Morgana wanted to try something else out, related to something Ryuji had brought for this trip.

"You know the gun ain't real, right?" The blond reminded the not-cat. "It doesn't even have any fake ammo. What're gonna do with it?"

"Just watch." Morgana said, before handing the pistol to Ren. "Shoot it like you would a regular gun when you get the chance."

"Got it." The domino masked persona user nodded.

"I'm telling you. It ain't gonna fire anythin'," Ryuji insisted, appearing annoyed that both Ren and Morgana weren't listening to him.

The black haired young man dashed towards the shadow. The shadow, now alert, turned into black goo, dark energy pulsing and forming not one, but two Shadows. The first was another jack-o-lantern, but the second monster was one they had not seen before.

It was somewhat humanoid, standing on two legs and having a human-like-face, but there was a red flower on top of its head with three buds on top of it. Its full body was white, similar to that of a radish. Its hands and feet, however, were red. Finally, its stature was small, only slightly bigger than the pyromaniac beside it.

"Two Shadows? From one knight?" Ren commented with wide eyes.

"Weaker shadows can sometimes cluster themselves together. It's to help ensure their survival." The cat explained.

"Why can't stronger shadows do that?"

"They don't need to. They have enough substance to go it alone."

"Of course." The black haired teen sighed. He brought up the pistol and aimed it at the jack-o-lantern, before pulling the trigger. A bullet was fired at the Shadow with a BANG! It cried out in pain from the impact, using its free hand to nurse the spot where it had been shot.

Ren couldn't help but grin. 'It really works.' He began pelting the poor shadow with bullets, the shadow crying out every time as the young man began to fire the entire clip.

"I can't let you have all the fun." The not cat commented, as he pulled something from the large pocket on his utility belt. It was a small yellow slingshot with a small rock in it. The bird masked young man stopped firing, and deadpanned at the choice of weapon from the feline, who noticed the look. "What?"

"A slingshot? Really?"

"Hey!" The cat exclaimed. "It works just the same! And it fits me better. Can you imagine a cat shooting a gun?"

"It's easier to take seriously than using a slingshot."

"Shut up." Morgana grumbled. The creatures roared as they moved to attack the duo. "Focus up!" The cat began to pull back the slingshot, firing the stone at the plant Shadow and striking the monster square on its head. The creature cried out in pain, holding its head in agony. As it tried to nurse its blow, another stone struck the monster on the stomach this time. The creature held its hand to its stomach, before another stone hit it. Then another. Then another. Then another. The cat was relentless, firing stone after stone from its slingshot.

Not to be left out, Ren continued to rain bullets on the creature, the creature unable to dodge the onslaught of rounds. The creature cried out more and more as each bullet struck its head, its chest, and even its hand. The transfer student noticed that there wasn't any actual visual damage on the Shadow, however. He never thought of it, but he wondered if the shadows could never get visual injuries, just feel pain. It wasn't until the gun clicked that the hail of bullets finally stopped. The pumpkin Shadow was left staggering, panting from the damage it had taken.

Ren looked back to where Ann and Ryuji were hiding, and noticed them peering out from their spot, both sporting expressions of shock. Especially the blond boy. 'Don't blame him. He brought the gun. Why would he expect it to fire anything?'

"He'll have to learn soon that this world is anything but normal."

'You said it. Not me.' The black haired teen switched back to the staggering shadow while assessing the damage the feline had done to his target. The creature was also staggering, barely able to take a step. Both creatures were one hit away from being slain.

"Arsene! Cleave!" The young man summoned his persona, sending it to the pumpkin monster. The persona slashed at the pumpkin shadow, causing the creature to cry out in agony once more, before it faded away to black dust.

"Zoro! Garu!" The cat launched a column of wind at the plant shadow, the creature crying out for the last time before it scattered into dust.

"D-Did that toy gun just shoot real freakin' bullets?!" Ryuji exclaimed as he came out from his spot, along with Ann. "How?!"

"This is a cognitive world. As long as our opponents think it's real, it becomes such." The feline explained. "Good thing it's realistic looking."

"...I don't get it." The blond said in confusion.

"I…sort of get it." Ann said while rubbing her chin in contemplation. "I saw something like this in an anime one time. Since they think the gun is real, it becomes real?"

"Correct, Lady Ann!" The cat praised the blonde. "Of course, the amount of ammo is limited. But, the enemies are expecting you to come at them with guns loaded, so your ammo's replenished every new fight."

"Wow. You get to replenish your stones every fight for your slingshot." Ren snarked with a grin.

"Fuck you!"

"Hey, what anime was it?" Ren asked the blonde bombshell.

"I'll tell you later," she answered nonchalantly.

"What's this commotion over here?" The voice of another shadow said as stomps were heard from over the corner of the hallway.

"Round 2." The black haired teen said with a grin.

The knight came out from the corner and peered out at the group. "Wha-!? You bast-" The soldier seemed to freeze up, as its attention seemed to shift towards Ann. "P-Princess?"

"Eh?!" The platinum blonde's expression became one of confusion

'Princess?'

"I don't know what your game is, but you will not take the princess!" The shadow declared, as it transformed into the plant shadow from earlier. "Prepare yourself!"

The shadow began to charge at the duo. They gave each other a look, before they brought out their weapons, and fired at the monster. The shadow cried out in pain, taking hits from all sides as it took each stone and bullet, until it too became nothing but dark particles in mere seconds.

"That was anti-climatic." The transfer sighed.

"It was only one measly shadow, so it was gonna be easy to kill." Morgana pointed out.

"Why did that Shadow call me…princess?" The platinum blonde young woman asked hesitantly.

"It's probably related to this Palace." Ren theorized as he gave her a sympathetic look. "If Kamoshida can create shadows of his volleyball players and other students, then he could create a Shadow of you too."

"Why would he-" Ann suddenly bore a look of realization, before it changed to one of disgust. "You know what, I don't want an answer to that."

"Good choice." Ren said, bearing his own look of disgust.

"Wait, what are y'all talkin' about?"

"Keep your innocence Ryuji. Keep your innocence." The cat said.

"Let's move." The young man urged, as he walked ahead and the rest of the group continued their journey through the palace.

Ren had ended up learning a new technique from Morgana when they had reached a room that was guarding a prison for the volleyball players. It was called an All-Out Attack.

He had knocked down a singular pixie shadow to accomplish this by knocking it down with Eiha. The next thing the Shadow knew, he was getting jumped by the pair of Ren and Morgana, each of them unleashing rapid dashing attacks with their dagger and cutlass respectively, slashing at the poor shadow on the ground as it writhed and groaned on the ground. It would let out a final guttural scream before it finally faded away mercifully.

"When you knock down a shadow, you can trigger a flow state that allows you to attack again. Best part is the Shadows can't respond to it well. When all Shadows are knocked down, you and at least one partner can use an All-Out-Attack to clean up the shadows." Morgana had explained.

"So it's an extension of the flow state." Ren realized, rubbing his chin.

"Yep." The cat nodded. "It's easy to learn, but hard to master. You need to know the weaknesses of every Shadow, or hope you have an attack that's strong enough to knock them down."

"It's still a freakin' cool move!" Ryuji exclaimed.

The group had managed to find a special prison for the volleyball players that did a good job of showing what exactly was happening to them. A bit exaggerated, but still significant.

In one part of the prison, there was a group of volleyball players being whipped by other shadows, like they were slaves. Which meant that the volleyball coach did treat his players like slaves.

"We've got to help them!" Ann exclaimed as she bore witness to the absolute torture the players were going through.

"Don't bother." One of the volleyball players said.

"Huh?"

"It's no use. We're stuck here. Please don't try. I don't want to get punished." Another said.

"Remember Takamaki-san, these people aren't real. They're just reflections of how he treats his players in the real world." Ren said.

The platinum blonde blushed, then rubbed the back of her head. "Well, I might have…kinda…"

"Forgot?"

She sighed. "Yeah."

"Can't blame you. I'd have tried to save them too if I didn't have a Persona."

"That's why we just gotta memorize these guys' faces and confront them in the real world, right?" Ryuji asked.

"That's the plan."

The group moved to another part of the prison, and to their horror, they found 3 volleyball players running on a track themed treadmill. Behind them was a spiked medieval torture wheel, promising the players that if they stopped running, they would die. In front of the players, hanging by a rope was a teapot of water.

"So he's withholding water from them, huh?" The black haired teen said grimly.

"Not givin' athletes water even for tough train' is a common thing in the real world too…" The blond clenched his fist. "That sack of shit!"

The black haired young man turned to Ann, who seemed to be bearing a look of horror on her face, as if realizing something horrible. "Takamaki-san. What's wrong?"

"If this is what he's doing to the boys…what about the girls?" The blonde bombshell asked hesitantly.

"Wait, that's right." Ryuji's eyes widened. "Suzui plays for him too."

"He coaches both teams?" The gray-eyed Persona user said with widening eyes.

"Mmm." The platinum blonde nodded, a visible frown on her face.

"We can speculate on that later." Morgana said with urgency in his tone. "Do what you have to do here and leave. We don't want the shadows or Kamoshida to block our escape route."

"Right." The black haired teen nodded.

The final part they found was a volleyball player hung upside down by a rope. A cannon was aimed directly at him and would fire a volleyball at the player every few seconds. The player would scream in pain each time. It was a non-stop barrage of volleyballs that would not slow down at all.

"The hell…? This ain't trainin' at all…!" The blond teen exclaimed with wide eyes. "It's just violence!"

"What does this mean?" The platinum blonde asked.

"I'm guessing…he sometimes spikes balls at his players." Ren theorized as he looked on at the scene in horror.

"Sounds like him." The blond said.

"That should be enough. We know their faces, so we can confront them about the abuse." The domino masked young man said as began to make a move to leave. "If this plan doesn't work, we'll have to go with Plan B."

"What's Plan B?" Morgana asked.

"To steal the treasure of this Palace."

The cat's eyes widened. "Oh? You know how to steal treasure?"

"Nope. I thought you could help me with that." Ren said with a grin.

"I would, but…" The feline said as he rubbed his chin. "We'd probably need more Persona users to do that."

"How many?"

"I'd say at least one more person. However, two would be ideal." The bipedal cat concluded.

"Where you gonna get more?" Ryuji asked, rather pertinently in Ren's opinion.

"We'll figure that out later. Right now, we gotta move." The cat urged. The group complied and began to run out of the training hall prison area. The group made it to the dungeon area, right near the drawbridge.

"We're in the home stretch now!" Ryuji exclaimed.

Suddenly, a voice boomed throughout the dungeon.

"The watch post near the training hall has ceased reporting! Chances of intruder activity are extremely high! All personnel, increase security measures!"

Just then a soldier appeared on the other side of the bridge, searching for the group of intruders. The group hid behind a stack of boxes to avoid the knight's line of sight.

"You just had to set off that flag." The black haired teen snarked in a low voice.

"Sorry." The blond young man sighed.

"We've stayed here too long…Come on, let's get out of here!" The cat urged. The group dashed through the prison, avoiding any conflicts with warriors along the way. They group made it out of the dungeon, daylight in sight as they made it to the main lobby.

"Nice try."

A familiar voice, dripping with condescension, boomed throughout the room, as a group of knights appeared on the other side of the room, stopping the team cold. Three of them were regular knights, while one was in gold plated armor, with a half red and half white shield. Ren scanned the room, and his eyes widened as he saw Shadow Kamoshida descended down the stairs. The man made it to the bottom of the stairs, revealing a sinister smirk.

"You knaves came back? To think you'd make the same mistake again." The shadow's expression turned to one of anger. "You're hopeless! And you shall pay for it this time with your very lives!"

Ryuji stepped up in front of the group "The school ain't your castle! We've memorized your victims' faces real good. You're goin' down!"

"What's the princess doing with them?!" One of the knights exclaimed.

Ann's eyes narrowed. "Why did that knight call me 'princess'?" She asked in a dangerous tone.

"Just a case of mistaken identity. You're clearly not 'my' Ann."

"That's right, Kamoshida-sama~" A familiar voice purred.

"Eh?" Ann bore a look of confusion, before turning her head towards the origin of the voice. The rest of the group did likewise, and their eyes widened as they discovered the source.

Standing in front of the portrait of Kamoshida was…Ann. However, she wore nothing but a skimpy pink bikini that did not do a great job of containing her prodigious, jiggling bust. On her head, she wore a pair of cat ears, and a sultry smirk. The half naked girl strutted down the stairs while the group looked on in complete and utter shock. When 'Ann' made it to the bottom of the stairs, she tucked herself under the outstretched arm of the ruler of the Palace, nuzzling into his arm as the King gave the group a smirk.

"See. This is my Ann. She loves me. She is subservient to only me. She'll please me anyway she can. Isn't that right?"

"Of course my king~." 'Ann' said as she gazed at her counterpart. Her expression turned into a disdainful sneer. "It's totally lame how this bitch thinks she can say she can be me. Totally lame."

"W-What is this?" The platinum blonde asked herself as she took a step back, her eyes showing complete confusion and horror.

"That's just a shadow." The domino masked young man answered "He created that in this Palace. This is how he sees you, Ann."

"That is F'd up." Ryuji said with a look of disgust.

"You can say that again." The feline said with shock shown in his eyes.

"I don't care for your opinions. I am the King of this castle! All who live in this castle follow my rule! The men are all nothing but slaves to me. If they ever try to get in my way, they will be dealt with accordingly. As for the women, they are meant to service me in any way they can, and for their devotion, they are rewarded well." He grew a wide grin as he grabbed the shadow's face, titling it up to meet his eyes. Then, he planted his lips on Shadow Ann's, making a shiver run up the real deal's spine. The man broke the kiss, before turning to the team and giving them a nasty grin. Meanwhile, Ann's shadow seemed to be in a daze, a drunken smile on her face. "See? Look how happy my Ann is. Only a reward from her king could leave her like that."

"Y-You're awful…!" The platinum blond uttered with wide eyes, filled with disgust and fear as she took a step back, the situation clearly getting to her. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked around to find Ren.

"Stay calm, Takamaki-san." Ren said in a voice that did nothing to hide his disgust. "Let us take care of this." His expression turned into a manic grin, one he directed right at the king standing in front of them. "You talk way too much, figurehead."

The King's grin became an expression of rage. "You have run your mouth off about me for the last time. It's time for you to learn your place! Guards, take care of him!" The guards complied with a nod and began to approach the team.

"Ann, get back!" The domino masked young man ordered. The platinum blonde nodded, and ran away in the direction of the entrance to the dungeon. "You too, Ryu-!" His eyes widened as he witnessed the shadows immediately transformed into black horses with long green horns and red eyes. One of the horses galloped toward Ren, its head tucked in and closing the distance rapidly. Ren couldn't dodge in time, and was bashed violently by the horse's horn, sending him flying a few feet through the air. He let out a pained cough as he flew, before falling back down, somehow managing to land on both feet, albeit heavily. He couldn't help but try to nurse his chest, which felt like he had been hit by a car.

"Ren!" Morgana cried out, before he noticed another horse shadow coming after him as well. "No you don't! Garu!" The cat's persona burst forth, whipping up a column of wind at the charging horse. The attack landed on the monster, stopping it in its tracks. The monster cat couldn't help but sigh in relief for the moment…

"Look out!" Ryuji called out.

The blond's warning came too late, as another of horses bashed into the feline, sending him flying right into the wall underneath the stairwell. Morgana landed with an audible thud, smacking the wall so hard there were visible cracks, before sliding down, dazed, to the ground.

"Neigh!" The horse shadow cried out as it stood up on its hooves. "We will kill you all, for King Kamsohida!" The beast turned around, setting its sights on Ryuji. The blond's eyes were filled with fear, taking a step back as it realized it was now a target for the shadow.

"Leave him be." Shockingly, the order came from the king in question, bearing a nasty grin on his face.

The horse turned to his commander. "Are you sure my King?"

"Are you questioning me…?" The ruler asked in a dangerous tone.

"N-No my lord. As you command." The beast bowed its head in compliance.

"Cleave!" The next thing anyone knew, a red blur dashed towards the monster. When it came close enough, it was revealed to be Arsene, the shadow striking the shadow with a horizontal slash from its claws. The slash struck the horse's face, the impact of the attack sending it soaring through the air as it cried out in agony.

"You're even more foolish than I thought." The figurehead commented idly, as his gaze shifted to the bird masked man that was a few feet away from the king and the blond young man. "To think you'd still try to fight when you know you're outmatched."

"Outnumbered? Sure. But not outmatched." The black haired young man said with a smirk. "What's with you? Are you getting soft, figurehead? I didn't think you were the type to show mercy."

The man matched the teen's smirk with his own. "Don't be ridiculous. I just need to show this Track Traitor how hopeless he really is."

"Track traitor?"

"Hahahahahaha!" The king cackled, his expression taking on a manic twinge. "You didn't know?! And yet you decided to work with him?! You knaves are so naive!"

"I only knew it involved you. And from what I know now, I'm not inclined to believe you're some innocent victim in all this…" The black haired teen said with narrowed eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" The ruler of the palace exclaimed dramatically. "He's the one who betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes, yet still carried on as carefree as ever! All I did was generously volunteer to help manage the track team's practice! And what did he do to repay my kindness? Strike a hand at me!" He turned to the blond on the floor, who was trembling on the ground in rage. "Some friend you decided to associate with! Your blind faith in him will lead to your death!"

"That's not true!" Ryuji cried out, falling to his knees in despair. "That was no practice! That was physical abuse! You just didn't like our team!"

"Believe what you will." The shadow said with a nasty grin. "I did think that the track team was an eyesore. The only one who needs to achieve results is me! That coach who got fired was hopeless too… Had he not opposed me with a sound argument, I would have settled with only breaking his star's leg." He chuckled darkly. "In self defense, of course."

"What?" The blond teen uttered with wide eyes.

"That's right." The man taunted. "And all I had to do was rile up a fool like you. That's what happens when you attempt to strike the king!"

'This guy loves to hear himself talk.' This would be Ren's last thought before he was slammed by another horse shadow. He was knocked down with a hard thud. Then, without warning, he felt a hard weight on his back. He looked up, and to his shock, he was under the hoof of the Shadow.

"Lord Kamoshida! I have taken down one of the thieves!" The shadow roared in victory.

"So have I!" Another horse roared. Ren turned his head to the side, and saw that underneath another hoof was Morgana.

"And that's the end of that little rebellion." The ruler said with a condescending tone.

"You piece of-" The feline's attempt at a curse was met with stomp from the third horse.

"You keep quiet! You shall not disrespect our king!"

"Now, now!" Kamoshida said with a raised hand. "Don't put so much stock into the insults of fools. Especially when their lives are already forfeit."

"Yes your highness!" The horse Shadows bowed.

"As for the track traitor…" The man turned towards the blond who could only watch on in horror as he was left completely defenseless. "Do I have to deal with your other leg for you to get it through your skull!" He smirked. "The school will just call it self-defense anyways. All you do is drag people to your level, destroying whatever hopes they have for themselves. You are completely useless! Breaking your leg should have been the day you recognized that. If anything, I was doing you a favor! And your inevitable execution shall be my final mercy for you. After these thieves of course." The figurehead turned away from the former trackstar, readying his next orders to execute Ren and Morgana.

The teen's body trembled as he watched on. "Dammit…Am I gonna lose again? Not only can I not run anymore…the track team is gone 'cause of this asshole…" He bowed his head in defeat.

"What a pity. Hahahahahaha!" The ruler laughed jovially. The knight in golden armor, the only shadow that had not transformed yet, walked towards Ren. It seemed he would be the first one to be executed.

"Ryuji!" The cat exclaimed. "You can't-" Morgana cried out in pain as he was stomped again by the Shadow.

"Quiet!"

"Don't let him win! Stand up for yourself!" Ren shouted. His attempt at encouragement was met by a stomp from the horse's other hoof.

Ryuji's eyes widened at the declaration, raising his head as he quickly wiped his eyes. "You're right. Everything that was important to me was taken by him. I'll never get 'em back! But…I can't just let this asshole get the last laugh, right?" He began to get on his feet and stand up.

"What can you do? Stay there and watch?" Shadow Kamsohida asked mockingly, his smirk widening into a nasty grin. "All you can do is look on as these hopeless scum die for nothing because they sided with trash like you."

"No…That's what you are…" The blond said, eyes hard. "All you think about is using people…You're the real scumbag, Kamoshida!" He began to walk over to the man, his limp showing but he didn't care.

"What are you doing? Silence him!" The Shadow Ruler ordered, the grin still visible. Ryuji suddenly stopped and pointed at the man, his eyes filled with rage.

"Stop lookin' down on me with that stupid grin on your face!" He exclaimed.

"You made me wait quite a while."

Ren's eyes widened. 'Is that…?'

"It is, Ren." Arsene said, confirming Ren's suspicion.

In a flash, the blond's eyes turned yellow. "A-Aaargh!" He cried out as he put both hands onto his face. Ryuji fell onto his knees, groaning in pain as he thrashed about. He put his head on the ground, as he began to hack and cough, bile pouring onto the carpet.

"You seek power, correct? Then let us form a pact. Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc?!"

'Can we hear Persona awakenings?' Ren asked as he turned to the feline who was looking on with wide eyes.

"Oui." His Persona answered. "Why wouldn't those who have already formed pacts be able to hear it?"

'Makes sense, I guess.'

"Be prepared Ren. Round two is about to begin."

"The 'other you' who exists within desires it thus…" The voice continued as the blond rolled to his side on the floor. "I am thou, thou art I… There is no turning back." The teen began to scream. Dark particles started to gather around his face as he fell to his knees again. "The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!"

As he raised his head, the particles flashed and vanished. In their place remained a black half-skull mask on Ryuji's face.

"Hmph. What can you do?" The golden knight asked as he raised his sword. "Cower in fear and watch!"

"Aah…" The blond groaned as he stood up. He began to pull and tug at the mask, stumbling to his feet as he did so. Finally, with an audible squelch, the mask ripped free in a spray of blood, just like Ren's own mask had. "Hraaaaaaaaaaaagh!" Ryuji screamed as an explosive and blinding blue light burst forth around him. The energy caused Kamoshida to shield himself, while the rest looked on in curiosity before it finally dissipated.

Ryuji, like Ren when he had awakened his Persona, had a new outfit. A black jacket enclosed his upper body, with matching leather pants, while a red ascot hung from around his neck. He also wore a pair of black boots, and yellow gloves with knuckle protectors. Most importantly, he now bore a cocky smirk.

Above him floated a Persona that resembled a pirate, with an eyepatch, a prosthetic cannon for a hand, and a black captain's hat. Its face was just a skull with red eyes, and it wore a blue shirt, black pants, white boots, and a red cape. Finally, it was standing astride a flying black pirate ship, decorated with a grinning face that matched the Persona's.

"This one as well?!" Shadow Kamoshida bellowed as he tried his best to shield his face from the energy the blond young man's persona was emanating throughout the room.

"Right on…Wassup, Persona…" The blond said as he stared at his gloves. "This effin' rocks!" His smirk became a grin. "Now that I got this power, it's time for some payback!"

Morgana and Ren were on their feet, the blast from Ryuji's awakening having already gotten their captors off of them. "Hah! To think you had potential!" The feline commented with a grin. "Not that I'm complaining…"

The blond teen's grin widened. "You're welcome. Now…" He pointed at the horse shadows and the golden knight. "Bring it asshole!"

"Don't you dare mock me!" The golden Shadow exclaimed. The knight promptly burst into the familiar red and black goo before switching to its true form. The Shadow now in front of them was a red armored knight with two large horns on the top of its helmet. It wielded a large spear in its left hand and rode a black steed. "Men! Charge the troublemakers!" it roared. The green horned horses roared in compliance, and were about to begin charging, when…

"Blow them away, Captain Kidd! Zio!" The blond shouted. His persona roared as he pointed his cannon limb to the sky. The cannon fired a ball of electricity immediately before anyone could humanely react. The ball hovered above the Persona, before a bolt of lightning fired from it, striking one of the horse shadows. The horse roared in pain, shaking from the shock that was inflicted on them. It took one step before falling to the ground.

"You found their weakness!" Ren exclaimed.

"Keep blasting them away Captain Kidd! Zio!" The blond's persona fired two more bolts of lightning at the other two horses. The Shadows were both downed immediately, leaving the general wide open.

"Now for the general! Zio, one more time!" Captain Kidd roared, as he attacked the leader. The knight stood there, seemingly confident it could take that attack. The bolt connected, shocking the horse-riding knight as the electricity surged through the Shadow. He groaned in pain, but unlike his minions, he was not downed.

"Shit!" Ryuji cursed. "They're not all weak to lightnin'?"

"It's not gonna be that easy you idiot! Use your head!" Morgana chastised. "Unfortunately, I don't know if this shadow has a weakness."

"You're correct…I, Eligor, have no weaknesses!" The shadow revealed as his horse neighed.

"Great! How do we take this thing down?" The blond wondered.

"Brute force." Ren said with a sadistic grin on his face.

"He's right." The feline confirmed. "If that thing has no weaknesses, the best we can do is strike him with our strongest attacks until he's down!"

"Now you're speaking my language." The blond teen said giddy.

"But first…Cleave!" The black haired teen summoned his own Persona, whose claws slashed the downed horse. The horse let out a final guttural cry before disappearing in a cloud of black dust. "That's one down!"

"Garu!" The cat followed as he summoned Zorro. The Persona summoned a column of wind at the other downed horse, the wind wrapping itself around the Shadow. The wind sent the horse flying a few feet up into the air, before it sailed back down and splattered into nothing but black dust as well. A cocky smirk formed on the feline's face. "That's two down!"

As the last horse shadow tried to get onto its feet, a bolt of lightning struck the monster. Electricity poured through it for a few moments before it too met its end. Ryuji pointed at Eligor. "That's three! You're the only one left!" The blond exclaimed with his own smirk.

"Good. I don't need any dead weight! Tarukaja!" A red aura began to creep and form around the Shadow General before it encompassed the Shadow's entire body. It flared to life, releasing off its body, before finally disappearing.

"Ren, be careful! That skill boosts attack!" Arsene warned.

'Then let's wrap this up!' The black haired young man thought as he made a move to warn the others. "Guys! Give him your best attacks before he has a chance to counter!"

"You don't have to tell me twice! Garu!" The not-cat roared as a column of wind slammed into the General. The Shadow staggered a few steps, but never wavered. Its steed slammed its foot into the ground, while the monster stared down his opponents.

"Cleave!" The domino-masked boy joined in quickly, sending his Persona after the Shadow. But, like a boxer, the Knight weaved around the Arsene's claws and dodged the attack completely. With a roaring neigh from his horse, it began to charge right at Ryuji.

"I'll finish off the one who has been a bigger pest to me and my men first! Double Fang!" Eligor brought out its lance. The lance was surrounded in light blue energy, ready to be used on the skull-masked young man.

"Not on your life! Bash!" The blond summoned his Persona once more. The Persona began to charge at the Shadow. Flowing light blue energy surrounded the Captain's ship as it flew forward, forming a protective shell around it. The two collided, the force creating a shockwave that caused all witnesses to shield themselves. Lance battled against ship, each attack trying to win over the other.

Soon, Eligor's attack began to get the upper hand. His attack began to overpower Ryuji's, pushing the Persona back inch by inch. However, just as the knight had victory in his grasp, someone else had other plans.

"Cleave!" Ren's Persona came in and struck a direct hit on the back of the hulking shadow's back. Eligor roared in pain, before his attack completely dissipated as the ship won out. The ship slammed into the body of the Shadow, sending it flying a few feet into the air, before falling back down with a clang. The knight was down, but clearly not out just yet

"Garu!" Morgana decided to not even give it the chance to get back up, firing off another column of wind that sent the Shadow flying up a couple feet, before landing on the ground with another clang. Black particles began to pour off Eligor.

"It's over. We've won." The black haired teen declared with a smirk.

"I am…a loyal subject…of the glorious King Kamoshida…" The knight uttered as he began to fade away. "Why…have I lost!?"

"Because he ain't anything special." Ryuji replied seriously, "He's not a king, just a shitty teacher."

"Damn…your…insolence…" These were the final words of the general as he finally faded away.

Suddenly, the blond teen doubled over, panting loudly in exhaustion. "Damn…you weren't kiddin', Ren. I feel drained…"

"So the idiot can't fight anymore?" Kamoshida mocked with that same cocky smirk. He was standing in front of the stairs that led to his portrait.

"I'll always have enough to take you down, you pervy teacher!" The blond declared fiercely.

"Allow me to correct you: You're not taking me down, nor are you getting out of here." The man replied as he walked until he stood right on the red carpet the group was now standing on. He maintained a good distance away from them, but he still seemed unusually confident.

'What's with that? We took out his goons. What other card could he play?'

"You were so focused on defeating my guards, and that will cost you dearly." His smirk became sadistic. "Ann! Bring the prisoner!"

'Wait…shit!' The answer came to the young man almost immediately. His worst fears were confirmed as emerging from the direction of the prison was Ann and her shadow. Her counterpart was holding a knife directly at her neck and appeared ready to use it if necessary if the look on her face was anything to go by. Meanwhile, fear and dread filled the face of the platinum blonde.

"Takamaki!" The skull-masked young man seemed to be about to make a move, but Morgana quickly blocked him.

"Don't try anything you idiot! You'll just make the situation worse!" The feline chided.

"Damn it!" The blond cursed as he clenched his fist.

"What do you want, Kamoshida?" the other teen asked with a growl.

"And look at that! All that bravado, gone! That's why every great leader makes sure to always have a trump card." The King said triumphantly. "All I had to do was send MY Ann away to capture that fake. You thought you could best me this time, even with that fool's awakening? Don't make me laugh! Your efforts were fruitless from the very beginning! Your foolishness will cost you your very lives!"

"Just you wait until we-"

"Until you what?!" The monarch mocked, cutting off Ryuji. "What can you do? You're all helpless. All I have to do is give an order, and that fake is dead!" He paused, before sighing. "But…I'm not some heartless monster. I'm a fair ruler, and I'll free your Ann."

"What's the catch?" Ren asked with a feeling of dread.

"Nothing much." The king's expression became downright sinister. "Just be in charge of your own executions!"

"Are you insane?!" Ryuji exclaimed angrily.

"It's either her life, or yours. You have to choose. That's the beauty of being a king. I can decide the lives of many denizens everyday. Their lives are in my hands, and if they cross me, their lives are basically forfeit. I give results to this wretched kingdom, and in return, I control everything!"

"Are you…talking about our school?" Ann asked with wide eyes.

"Of course I am! This school would be nothing without my volleyball team! Everyone knows it!" His smirk became cocky. "Including your precious friend!"

"Y-You mean Shiho?"

"Of course! Haven't you noticed some of the bruises she's had recently? You insisted you were sick all the time, so I had to take it out on your friend." Kamoshida revealed with a shrug. "Such a shame I have to damage such a pretty face, but that's what happens when you cross me. She must have tried very hard to keep quiet so you wouldn't worry."

"Shiho…" The girl uttered, a look of guilt, shock, grief and regret emerging in her welling eyes.

"If I kill you, I can just have her take your place. It wouldn't be too difficult now, would it? She'd have a hard time saying no…"

"You bastard! Don't you dare touch her!" The platinum blonde exclaimed in rage.

"So you'll take her place? Not a bad trade. I'll even let you and these thieves live." He grinned. "I know my other self would greatly appreciate your sacrifice."

"I…"

"Come on, just do it." Ann's Shadow chimed in. "You get to save your friend or whatever, and service the great Kamoshida. It's also, like, the only way to save your friends."

"Don't do it, Lady Ann!" The feline cried out.

"What else can she do?" The man sneered. "She tried to rebel against me, and this happened! She should just accept being under my boot like the rest of this school! All she'll ever be good for is being my girl. That's all!"

The blonde young woman clenched her fists. "Is it really hopeless? I'm either dead or have to offer myself to him?" She asked herself aloud. "Shiho…I'm sorry I never knew what you were going through…because of me…" Tears began to trickle from her eyes.

"Are you gonna let him talk to you like that?" Ren suddenly asked.

The platinum blonde teen's eyes were wide as saucers. "Eh?"

"Are you really gonna let him decide your destiny for you, or make your own choice? You can either let this man take everything from you, or rip everything away from him: what do you want to do?"

The girl blinked before a fierce glare appeared on her face. "I want to rip it away…" She said in a low tone.

"I can't hear you!"

"I want to rip it all away!" she screamed.

"Then don't give in!" The black haired teen ordered.

"You're right! Letting this piece of shit toy with me…" The blonde teen grit her teeth. "I've had enough of this!"

"You are just a slave!" The king yelled. "Slaves should just obey-"

"Shut up!" Ann roared. "I'm tired of being your slave, you son of a bitch!"

"My…it's taken far too long." A new voice said from out of nowhere. A burst of wind appeared around Ann and knocked her shadow to the ground. Meanwhile, the platinum blonde began to writhe in pain, falling down to her knees as she held her face. She screamed as she felt the familiar pain both Ryuji and Ren had experienced before. "Tell me…will you spend another day living under this man's hell?"

"No." she growled.

"Of course not! Letting him control you anymore was never an option, nor forgiving him!" Her soon to be awakened Persona cried.

'That gamble paid off.'

"It was either that, or our lives would have been forfeit." Arsene said. "Besides, you would never let a fair maiden be tortured by that disgusting man."

'I guess it begs the question: can anyone awaken a Persona? That's the second awakening today…'

"Technically yes. But whether one can break their shackles…that separates those who can obtain the masks of rebellion, and those who would remain forever shackled."

'So, just be careful with who I bring into the Metaverse?'

"If you wish to be reductive about it, yes."

"That scream that dwells within you…it's time for it to be brought to the surface!" Her Persona continued. Ann meanwhile just screamed as she continued "I am thou, thou art I… We can finally forge a contract."

The platinum blonde suddenly stopped squirming on the ground. She began to get back onto her feet, her now yellow eyes fixing a hateful glare on the man on the other side of the room. "I hear you…Carmen." A red half-mask with red feline ears and nose appeared on her face. "No more holding back!"

"There you go… Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself. Understand? Then I'll gladly lend you my strength."

Ann said nothing. She just ripped off the mask, yelling out a final cry of cathartic pain, before blue light erupted from her and blinded everyone in the room. When it cleared away, floating above Ann was her new Persona.

The Persona was a tall woman in a scarlet red ball gown, and wore black gloves, a black panther mask, and black-red boots. Her skin was purple, and she had brunette hair with spiraling pigtails. With the Persona were two men in tuxedos and red bow-ties, but both their heads were pink heart boxes with hearts for eyes and speakers for mouths. Both of them were attached to thorny vines that were wrapped around their necks; one man was under her boot while the other was held in the air by the vine with her left hand.

Meanwhile, Ann wore a skintight latex red catsuit with pink gloves and dark red boots. There was a cutout that revealed Ann's ample cleavage, while the rest of the suit did a great job accentuating her other…assets. On the back of her catsuit, above her round, tight butt, was a clip on tail, attached to the suit's back zipper.

'It's like I'm staring at Catwoman but…red.' The black haired teen was clearly not immune to openly staring at the girl across from him.

"If you're done staring at the beautiful fair lady, we have to get out of here."

'Sh-Shut up!'

Ann reached inside her suit, where her cleavage was exposed via the front zipper. From the valley of her breasts, she pulled a long, red whip, her expression unreadable. She swung the whip widely around in a circle, her eyes shadowed. Her Shadow was busy trying to get back onto her feet. Just when the shadow was about to make a break for it, the original cracked her whip right at the shadow, striking it in the side. The Shadow cried out in pain, before fading away into dust in an instant.

The newly awakened Persona user had a smile on her face, before she turned her attention on the King across from her and her friends. The man's mouth was agape, stunned by the turn of events. "You thought you'd won, right? Too bad for you, I grabbed a last second powerup."

"I-I…" The figurehead was speechless, unable to utter a single word.

Ann frowned. "I've been helpless for a long time, and I had just ignored it hoping you would go away. Not anymore…" She pointed a finger at the false king, her eyes filled with the rage that she had held back against the man for a long time. "Mark my words…"

"I will rob everything from you!"

End chapter

Been a while, eh? Well, I'm back again with another update of this fic. To be honest, I wanna try to reach two updates per month. I know I can do it based on how quick I could get Cursed Blessing updates out back in October. Besides that, I'm sure you guys were a bit surprised at some early Makoto interactions and Ann's earlyish awakening. It is all coming together. See you all in the next chapter.