Persona 5P: The Phantom Paradox (Persona 5 Royal & Strikers / Young Justice: Outsiders)
Chapter 8: Dethroning the King Cobra
"Go! Arsène!"
At Jokers command, his Persona let out a blast of curse energy. It split into separate tendrils and streaked towards the snake-like Baron. While the Baron was successful in evading some of them, the rest struck his body like needles. Running up, Skull joined in on the assault, his mask turning into blue flames.
"Whip 'em, Captain Kidd!"
The pirate Persona fired a bolt of electricity from his cannon arm. The bolt struck the Baron dead in the head. Skull took that moment to pump a fist.
"Oh yeah! We got him now!"
But that celebration was short lived as the Baron came at them, faster than they could blink. Both of them leaped to the side to avoid it, but Skull wasn't lucky. The villain sunk his fangs into his shoulder, making him cry out in pain.
"He bit me!" Skull yells out as the snake head retreated so fast it could get whiplash. "That bastard actually bit me! That's disgussstiiinggg…"
"Skull!" Joker managed to catch him as he fell. His fellow thief's eyes looked dazed.
"Zorro!" Mona called out. With a wave of his tiny rapier, Mona's persona healed Skull. Despite his wounds, he still looks dazed and confused.
"Oww…." Skull drawled. He squinted at Mona. "Heyyy Mooonaaa… did your head get… bigger…?"
"That attack must've hit him harder than I thought," Mona muttered.
"Who ya callin dumb!" Skull shouted in drunken anger.
"More like the snake bite with alcohol instead of venom," Oracle shouts from Necronomicon. "That last attack made Skull intoxicated! He's got no control over himself! Be careful, he could harm himself as much as he can harm us!"
So far, the fight between the Phantom Thieves and Baron Bedlam isn't going well. Despite his stone body, his mobility is nothing to laugh at. He can strike fast before they can react, and his blows are painful when he uses his fists. But even if they could hit him, their attacks made no noticeable damage. This was punctuated by the fact that any lucky shots fired from their guns would bounce off him, doing feeble damage as much as their melee weapons can do. Why they did that was anyone guess, as the baron didn't feel a thing from their attacks.
"Can we snap him out of it?" Joker asked.
"Not unless you have some water on you. But the effects should wear off…eventually."
"So, we have to deal with a drunken Skull?" Mona asked with a shake of his head. "Just when he couldn't be dumber. Everyone! Make sure that he doesn't bite you. Especially you Panther!"
"Believe me, I have no intention of getting bit," Panther yelled in disgust as she summons her Persona. "Carmen!"
The rose dressed Persona dug her heel into and sent out twin gouts of flame. Fortunately, they managed to hit Baron Bedlam. Unfortunately for her, it was ineffective.
"Useless!" Baron Bedlam hissed the last part of the word. His stone brown body streaked towards Panther with a fist reared back. Panther's eyes shrunk in fright at the incoming attack. Quickly, she pulled out her whip. Rather than attack the baron with it, she cast the length of the whip so that it wrapped around the neck of a wine bottle. With a flick of her wrist, she threw the bottle at the baron's face. The bottle shattered upon contact, splattering his face and eyes.
Bedlam howled in pain as he as he halted his attack in midair. His eyes felt like burning embers. The baron grasped his face, his snake body twisting upright. Panther, who had taken a leap back as a precaution, watched the spectacle.
"What just happened?"
"It would appear that even the Baron knows that wine is bad for the eyes," Joker said as he lands next to her, Skull slung over one shoulder. The punk thief was still in a drunk stupor, but he was getting better.
"I don't know whether to call that pure luck, but that's good enough for me. That wine bottle you smashed in his face blinded him!"
"Then let us seize this opportunity," Fox declared with his mask dissolving into blue fire. "Goemon!"
Upon being summoned, Goemon took a long smoke from his pipe. He blew out a cloud of smoke that drifted towards the baron. As it traveled, ice formed as it froze the water in the air. When the cloud enveloped the baron, frost covered him. It didn't last long as the ice cracked and the baron bursts free.
"Hmm…I'd thought that work. Snakes and the cold don't get along well."
"You think? Don't assume that the Metaverse follows the laws of physics Fox!" Oracle cried out in their comms. "His defense levels are too high for your attacks to even make a dent!"
"He's got to have a weakness somewhere. We just need to keep Looking! Johanna!" Queen yelled out as she spun Johanna in a doughnut. A blast of nuclear energy explodes in Bedlams face. To her frustration, that didn't work at all. The only thing it did was give him the next target of his ire.
Turning his head to the direction he heard the engine of Johanna and threw a fist at her, using his long body to his advantage. Gritting her teeth, she throttled the accelerator
"Queen, hold on! Milady!" Noir called out as she summoned her persona. With a wave of her fan, Milady sent out a psionic attack on the baron's. To their surprise, Bedlam recoiled as if he was struck by a freight train. He stopped pursuing Queen and gripped his head as if suffering from a splitting headache. Queen dismounted Johanna to see what happened. Noir held a hand over her mouth.
"Did that hurt him?" Noir asked.
"It sure did!" Joker grinned. "Way to go Noir!"
"I guess that comes from having a brain that's two thirds sedimentary!" Oracle announced.
"Let's not give him a chance to recover! Noir, let's pass the baton and take him down!" Joker said as he held out his hand expectantly.
"Uhh…" Skull shook his head as he recovered from the baron's snake venom. "What just happened?"
"We found a chink in the stone armor! Baron Bedlam is weak to Psy attacks!"
"We did?"
"Yeah! And we need to back them up!" Queen ordered fiercely. "SO, MOVE YOUR ASS!"
"Y-yes ma'am!" Skull squeaked as he stood straight up and salutes. As he rushes over, Noir high-fives Joker.
"Kodama!" Joker yells as he swaps his Persona. This one is a green paper cutout of a figure with swirls. The plant spirit drifted in the air as it unleashed a psionic attack upon the Baron. This caused Bedlam to grip his head so hard that he could crush it.
"ARG! You peasssantsss!" Baron Bedlam screamed and hissed. "My servants! Keep them off me!"
Baron Bedlam retracted his serpentine body until he is hovering over his treasure. The Baron wrapped himself up around the wine bottle and sank his fangs into the neck. The Thieves heard the sound of sucking from him.
"Everyone! Baron Bedlam's health is going back up!"
"I thought he was a snake, not a vampire!" Skull yelled.
"Is there really a difference?" Panther asked. "He's been sucking this kingdom dry."
"Who cares? You got company!" Oracle yelled as hidden doors open along the walls of the wine vault. Rushing out in single file numerous Doctor X clones, each armed with a different weapon. Their golden eyes glared at the Thieves with murderous intent.
"That is a lot of clones…" Panther gulped.
"If they rush us, we'll be worn out by the time Baron Bedlam stops sucking his bottle," Queen said before groaning. "Why did I make a baby joke."
"For they are many, they are all but one," Fox said. "If the original Doctor X falls, so will the other clones?"
"Oracle, see if you can locate Doctor X. I would start with the back," Joker said as he replaced his knife with his handgun. "We'll deal with the clones."
"I'm on it! Just don't get overwhelmed by the number of minions the boss is sending! It's a classic strategy to wear out the players before wiping them out."
"We'll use our powers sparingly then. Anyone who is left over gets a bullet!" Queen ordered as she held out her hand. "Joker!"
"Go get them Queen!" Joker gives her a high-five as she rushes forward.
"Alright Johanna! Full throttle!" Once she summoned her persona, she spun in a doughnut. Within the sea of Doctor X's, several balls of nuclear energy materialized. They exploded, taking out more than a fraction of the X clones. Any who survived were either covered in burns, in shock, or frozen.
Aiming their weapons, they open fired upon the X clones. The bullets cut through the enemy as they dissolved into ashes. One thing about the Metaverse is that as long as the Shadows view it, they will always have ammunition. Noir looked like she was given an early Christmas present as she fired her grenade launcher at groups of clones. While they are somewhat disturbed by it, they kept firing until the last clone is disintegrated.
"That's the last of them," Queen said as she lowered her revolver.
"Don't lower your guard just yet! Here comes a second wave!" Mona cried out. Right as he said this, several more clones came running at them.
"I got it! Light them up Carmen!" Panther cried out. The second horde cried out in agony as they are engulfed with the flames of the gypsy thief. When the flames died out, the Phantom Thieves unleashed another barrage of bullets.
"Well done, Panther!" Mona praised as he fires another pellet from his slingshot at a limping clone. "Oracle, did you find the real Doctor X?"
"This guy's producing clones at a ridiculous rate, but I got a lock on him! He's at the far back as expected. You can't miss him."
"No kidding," Joker drawled as he found the evil doctor. Doctor X is standing next to the Baron with a squad of his clones. The doctor was sweating as he surveys the battle.
"As expected of a man who sacrifices others for his benefit," Fox spoke in disgust as he aimed his assault rifle. "I have a shot at him."
"We'll give you an opening. Once you have a shot take it!"
Fox nodded as the Thieves engaged the second wave of Doctor X clones. They took turns clearing out the wave of clones Doctor X sent after them. Lightning rained down upon them as Captain Kidd fired his cannon. After passing the baton, Mona had Zorro whip up powerful whirlwinds. By then, it became apparent that there really was no strategy other than to overwhelm them with numbers. Eventually, there came a gap between the waves that gave Fox an opportunity. His finger hovered over the trigger as he aims at Doctor X.
Got you…
Right as he was about to pull the trigger, his head erupted with pain. Fox took a knee from the dizziness as he pulled the trigger. The bullet missed the real Doctor X by a margin, but he didn't notice. He felt his stomach tied up in knots, like he ate something so disgusting he could paint it.
He wasn't the only one who felt it. The Phantom Thieves gritted their teeth as they felt wave after wave of nausea. Noir was in the midst of having Milady fire her miniguns when the waves hit. This caused her to miss several of the clones she was about to mow down. This allowed the clones to get close to the thieves, forcing them to engage in melee combat.
"Buzz off!" Skull smacked some away with his club. "What the hell hit us?"
"Vertigo hit you, that's what," Oracle answered. Walking leisurely with a squad of clones is Count Vertigo. The man looked down at them with an air of superiority.
"Filthy peasants," Vertigo said. "If you knew what was good, you should've stayed in your holes."
"Look who's talking," Skull retorts. "Since you're a wanted man, aren't you technically a 'filthy peasant' like the rest of us?"
"Insolent cur!" Vertigo snarls as he pressed a finger to his headgear. The Thieves are met with waves of psychic force. The Thieves briefly gripped their heads again in attempt to stave off the pain. They could barely fend off the clones sent to attack them.
"This is bad. If Count Vertigo keeps ups his Vertigo effect, you'll overwhelmed by Doctor X's clones! You won't be able to land a hit! He needs to be taken down ASAP!"
"Easier said than done, Oracle," Queen said as she temporarily switched from offense to heal Panther and Skull who looked worn out by the clones. "Even if we can heal our nausea, it'll come back as long as Vertigo is around. And if we charge after him, the clones will move to protect him!"
"And we can't even land a hit properly," Panther growled as she flicked her whip at a clone. To her frustration, it missed and allowed the clone to land a hit with his energy whip. The red thief cried out in pain as the clones closed in on her.
"Panther!" Mona cried out in worry. He narrowed his eyes at the clone that harmed her. "Zorro!"
The bulky persona sent the wind against the clones, blowing them off Panther. Quickly, Mona began to apply first aid to her.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine Mona," Panther assured him before gripping her head. "Scratch that. I was fine until Vertigo."
"Then we need to take him down," Mona said in determination. He looked at Joker in silent conversation. After a few moments, Joker nodded and puts away his knife.
"Everyone…I'll deal with Vertigo," Joker said. "Hold your ground until he's down. Anyone who gets a lock on Doctor X, take it!"
"I'm coming with you!" Skull declared but his leader waved him off.
"You all snuck off to do something dangerous in our previous heists," Joker cuts as he shoves his knife into a clone's heart. "It's my turn to do the same. Besides…I got a little surprise for Vertigo."
With that, he pushed off his foot and began running forward. Any clone that got in his way met knife and bullet. He focused on Vertigo, who was getting ready to fire another psychic wave and let his guard deal with him. However, he was in for a shock. He just needs a little help…
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Velvet Room
"Hello and welcome to the Velvet Room," Lavenza greeted with a smile. Behind her, Igor and the desk he sat behind are nowhere to be seen. Instead, there are two iron maidens opened wide to show the spikes. Ren remembered back in the day when they were guillotines.
"I'm pleased that you came to use the power of the Wild Card," Lavenza said. "While you can hold more persona's, you can combine them to create a new power. Now it is time use it… Do your best…my trickster."
With that Joker summoned two Personas. Lavenza quickly covered them with a velvet blue cloth and binding them with black chains. The two bound Personas each floated towards the iron maidens. As soon as they are inside, the eyes of the iron maiden opened and closed shut. There was no cry of pain that can be heard. The eyes of the iron maidens grew in intensity before blinding the room in light.
A new Persona has been created.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Back in Baron Bedlam's palace, Joker is running towards Count Vertigo. The villain had already pressed his finger against his headgear and sent psychic waves to disrupt him. To his utter shock, Joker kept running towards him, unaffected by his power. Taking advantage of the shock, Joker proceeded to dispatch the clones guarding him. Soon, it was just him and the count.
"You should be kneeling, peasant!" Vertigo growled as he increased the intensity, getting the same result. "How?!"
"Here's your answer!" Joker cried out as his mask burst into flames. "Matador!"
Appearing at his side is a skeletal Persona wearing a green and gold accented bullfighter uniform. It brandished a red cape at the count before slashing him four times with a rapier.
"No…I won't be denied my…kingdom…" those were the last words as the cognitive self of Count Vertigo vanished.
"For all your pride, you're like a one trick pony," Joker said. "I don't know if it's the fact that Baron Bedlam views you as his servant."
"He took down Count Vertigo!" One of the Doctor X clones squeaked.
"What do we do?" Another shouted.
"You can get wrecked!" Skull yelled as he summoned Captain Kidd to plow through several clones. As soon as Count Vetrigo was taken down, Queen used Johanna to remove the dizziness inflicted upon them. No longer hindered by the vertigo, they attacked the clones with a vengeance. Feeling that it would be a waste to use their personas on them, the Thieves opted to finish off the clones by shooting them.
On the other side of the battlefield, the real Doctor X was sweating bullets. The rate increased as the Thieves demolished his clones with ease. He joined Bedlam so that he could continue his experiments. This is way above what he signed up for! At once, he considered taking his leave. Before he could, his head snapped backward and disintegrated.
"I believe this makes up for my failure," Fox said as he held his smoking assault rifle. At once, the clones of Doctor X vanished.
"Thank you, Fox," Panther said, bending down to rest. "Fighting those clones wore me out…almost."
"While I'm glad you guys are still alive, you shouldn't celebrate just yet," Oracle said. "Because it looks like the boss has just finished healing up."
True to her word, Baron Bedlam removed his fangs from the wine bottle. The Thieves tensed up as he raised himself high above his bottle. He glared at the empty battlefield as if expecting to find his lackeys.
"Ssso they can't even get rid of a few mesely thievesss," Baron Bedlam hissed. "Very well. I'll deal with you myssself!"
"Do you have to hiss everytime you speak?" Skull yelled. "That's way to cliché!"
"Sssilence!"
"Forget I asked," Skull muttered. "What are we waiting for? Let's take him down?"
"As long as he has the treasure, he can heal himself up again," Panther said. "He'll wear longer than Doctor X could. We need to get the treasure away from him!"
Beneath their masks they frowned. With his rock body, it was impossible to make even a dent. So far, Joker and Noir are the only Persona users who can harm him, but it also made them prime targets for the Baron. If they are taken down, their chances of taking him down will become slim. Even if they could damage him, he will heal himself back up with his treasure. Taking it away will be difficult as he constricted his body around it, and he has demonstrated that he's super strong.
Joker looked back at the vault's door, which was still open even when the battle began. He noted how farther away it is than before. He looked back at the Baron who is leering at them. Suddenly, an idea sparked in his head.
"Queen…how long do you think the Baron Bedlam's Body is?" Joker asked their strategist. Queen looked at him, at the Baron and then at the vault door. Her mind is slowly taking measurements of the Baron's body and how far he is from the door. Catching on, she quickly made a plan.
"Panther, remember when you smashed a wine bottle in his face?" Queen asked.
"Yeah?"
"I'm going to need you to do that again…when the time is right. Joker and Noir, stay here and keep him distracted. The rest of us will help you. Except for Skull."
"What? Why?"
"Skull…you're going to help them be the bait," Queen said to his shock.
"What?! Why?"
"Because you have the loudest mouth out of all of us and have a knack for pissing people off," Queen answered. Then she added fiercely, "But if you die on us, then I will make sure you stay dead! Got it!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Skull yelped as Queen took off with Mona, Panther, and Fox. Skull turned to his fellow thieves. "So…what do we do?"
"If he's dumb enough to choose an anagram for his name, he's got to be prone to classic supervillain mistakes," Futaba said.
"Meaning?"
"Do something like piss him off to get him to chase you! Is it not obvious? I mean, he's got to be dumb enough to not attack while we are talking!"
The three thieves turned to look at Baron Bedlam, whose face looks red with rage with being blatantly ignored.
"Okay, someone tell me what to do here," Skull said with a sweat drop.
"I may have something for you to work with. Oracle will relay it to you," Joker said, looking up at Necronomicon. "Right?"
"I'll try my best with him."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm sure that you'll get it Skull," Noir said cheerfully before her eyes widened. "Look out!"
The Thieves leaped away from the ground not a second too late. Baron Bedlam, fed up with their ignorance, smashed the ground. The impact of the blow created a crack into the ground. He glared at the Skull, who is the only one standing before him now. He looked both ways for his friends before gulpinh.
"Ssso you finally ssstopped talking," Baron Bedlam sneered. "I sssee that a great number of your friendsss have abandoned you!"
"They didn't abandon us smart ass," Skull retorted, repeating what Oracle is relaying from Joker. "Unlike me and the rest of Markovia, they can't stand to look at your ugly mug."
That comment brought a scowl back on his face, "What are you talking about?"
"Dude, you have got to be the dumbest supervillain that we've ever met," Skull continued his tirade. "I mean, what kind of guy pick a name like Bedlam? It's like you're screaming that you're a megalomaniac. Ever heard of the secret identity rule? Or did that fly over your head in supervillain bootcamp?!"
"It'sss meant to inssspire fear!" Baron Bedlam protested. "A warning of extreme confusion and disssorder to anyone who daresss to oppose me!"
"It's okay man, I understand…" Skull in a mock placement as he snickered. In their hiding places, Noir and Joker had smug grins. They could tell that the rest of their friends are grinning as well, possibly struggling to contain their laughter.
"What wasss that…" Baron Bedlam growled.
"Oh, I have nothing against you man. I can imagine yourself looking into a mirror saying, 'you know what would be a real kick ass supervillain name? Baron Bedlam!" Skull roared out in forced laughter. "I mean what was your second choice…Baron Beldam?"
They couldn't resist. From where they are hiding, the Phantom Thieves burst out in laughter. Oracle and Mona are hugging their bellies from the pain. From the Baron's point of view, it seemed to be coming everywhere at once. While it was inappropriate for a Phantom Thief to lose their composure, it had the necessary effect. The laughter helped increase the rage that was building up to the breaking point.
"You insssolent little bassstard!" Baron Bedlam snarled. He coiled his body like and aimed himself at Skull. The punk thief's smirk was replaced by pale horror.
"Oh shit!" Skull turned on his heel and began running. It wasn't a moment too soon as the Baron launched himself at him from the bottle, fangs bared. He smashed into the ground headfirst, leaving an indention of his face as he whipped back to the bottle. Skull didn't have time to catch his breath as the Baron launched himself again.
"What the hell is a Beldam anyway?" Skull yelled as he ran away and comically dodged strikes from the furious Baron.
"It's an ugly evil-looking old woman," Oracle answered with a chuckle. "It is appropriate if you called him Baroness. But hey, it's his fault he chose his supervillain name from an anagram. Nice job Skull!"
"Most of the credit goes to Joker and tell him he can thank me by getting Baron Bloodlust off me!" Skull yelled. Behind him, the Baron struck again. The shockwave of the blow caused Skull to trip and land flat on his face.
"I got you know you worm!" Baron Bedlam boasted. "I will pound to the ground until there isss nothing but dussst! Then I will keep pounding until not even dussst remainsss! Then I will—"
CRASH!
He was cutoff mid rant as a wine bottle smashed into his face. The Baron howled in pain as the wine seeped onto his eyes again. Skull didn't waste any time getting up and running. Nearby, Panther hid with Mona who held up his slingshot. The latter had opted to use it to launch the wine bottles at him. It was difficult, but they made it work.
"Nice shot, Mona," Panther praised.
"Thanks Panther," Mona blushed at the praise.
"Insssolent wretch!" Baron Bedlam cried out, but he couldn't see. "Do you have any idea on how much that cossst?!"
"Oh, I don't know," Skull nonchalantly muttered a good distance away. In his hand he held another wine bottle casually. "How much does this cost? A million? A thousand? I was never great at math."
"You're doing good Skull! Now smash it!"
With a wicked grin, Skull smashed the bottle against the floor. When the sound reached the thrashing barons ears, he froze. Skull flinched from the angry glare that the blind Baron had gave in his direction.
"YOU WHELP! I WILL SSSMASH YOU! I WILL DESSSTROY YOU!" Baron Bedlam screamed as he compressed himself again. He launched himself at Skull again, intent on destroying him. Skull can only gulp as the Baron streaked towards him.
Then, a red whip wrapped around his waist. Skull was pulled away by Panther just in time as the Baron shot past the spot where he once stood. It was too late to stop as he flew past the open door of the vault. Quickly, the Thieves gathered who are waiting behind the door pushed it to trap the Baron's body between it and the frame.
"Thanks for the save Panther," Skull said, straining to keep the pressure on the door. Outside, the Baron twisted his body in attempt to turn around, but couldn't due to being trapped by the door of his own vault. So, he settled for pounding on the door.
"You're welcome," Panther said, gritting her teeth. "I must say, I'm regaining my skull with the whip. I might be getting better."
"I hope I don't end up on the receiving end."
"His grip on the treasure should be weakened," Queen growls, turning to Joker and Noir. "Time to remove it!"
Both of them nodded and rushed back to where the giant wine bottle stood. Now that the Baron overextended himself, there was less of his body wrapped around it. The only thing that held on was the tip of his tail. Somehow, the bottle was able to support the extended weight of the Baron.
"A pity my axe couldn't pierce his stone body," Noir commented as she sadly looks at her axe. "But oh well. Milady!"
Noir summoned her Persona who unleashed a psionic attack upon the small part of the baron. The tail twitched in pain, the force of the attack causing the bottle to wobble.
"One more push out to do," Joker said as Noir slapped his hand in a high five. "Kodama!"
The tree spirit unleashed its own psionic attack. This gave the bottle the push needed to topple it. As the bottle hit the ground, the tail lets go. Joker pushed the bottle away as the tail lay twitching on the ground.
"The bottle is away, and the Baron cannot use it to recover," Joker reports. "It's a shame that his tail is left wide open to attack."
"Indeed," Noir nodded. They looked at each other and cracked an evil grin.
"Milady!"
"Matador!"
Their Persona's unleashed attack after attack, eager to punish the Baron. As they assaulted the tail, the rest of the Thieves began to lose their hold on the door. The impact outside grew more frequent when the tail detached from the treasure. Finally, one last blow forced the door back, sending the Thieves back as well. Bedlam dragged his body back into the vault in a sluggish manner. His face looked tipsy. Out of force of habit, they aimed their weapons at them.
"Nooo…" Baron Bedlam cried out sluggishly. "Come back…my preciousss…"
"Is he…drunk?" Panther asked.
"Seems like it," Skull grunted. "Trust me, I would know."
"It takes a while for the effects of alcohol to kick in," Oracle said. "It couldn't have picked a better time than when we removed his treasure. That or Joker and Noir's attacks accelerated the effects."
"We couldn't resist," Noir said unrepentantly.
"Drunk with power," Fox said with no shred of sympathy towards the staggering baron. "It's ironic that his thirst for power is his own undoing."
"Then let's finish this," Joker declares. Together, the Phantom Thieves unleashed their all-out attack. They assaulted the Baron at all sides faster than he could react, never stopping or caring if his stone body somehow saved him from their wrath. Every blow they struck was for the kids he sold out. For the late good king and queen of Markovia. And for future generations.
At last, they stopped. The Baron hadn't moved an inch from his spot, not even breathing. Out of nowhere, a chair fell to the ground, standing up, as Mona sat in it. He spun around, revealing that he was holding a Cuban cigar in his right hand, and he smirked.
"Mission Accomplished!"
At that declaration, Baron Bedlam screamed. His snake like form collapsed on the ground. His form sheds away to reveal the real body of Baron Bedlam and he looked worse for wear. His once regal uniform is in tatters, baring his stone chest. His body had spiderweb cracks, making him look like he could fall apart at any moment.
A bright light caught their attention. The Phantom Thieves turned to see the treasure shine before shrinking. It stopped when it was at the appropriate size of a wine bottle. Joker moved to take it when he was shoved to the side. His friends caught him before he hit the ground before glaring at the one who picked up the treasure.
"You can't have it!" Bedlam cradled his treasure protectively. His arrogance is gone, replaced by fear. "I've waited too long to lose this! I deserved this!"
"Excuses now…?" Skull groaned in irritation. "I'm really getting déjà vu now…"
"You don't know what it's like!" Baron Bedlam protested. "I'm the king this country needs!"
At that moment, a blast of curse energy struck the ground at his feet. Bedlam flinched and dropped the treasure, which rolled on the ground to Joker's feet. Behind him hovered Arsène who stared down at him. The baron gasped when he saw angry glare of Jokers face unmasked.
"You're…"
"No one is born a king," Joker addressed him curtly with his villain's name as he picks up the treasure. "Only one who is willing to sacrifices earthly pleasures for their country and people is deserving of the title. That is something called duty."
"Their majesties care for this country like their family," Noir said. "That kindness extends to even foreigners in need of shelter from tyranny or sold to the Metahuman trafficking. Markovia is truly blessed to have such a loving king and queen."
"You on the other hand sacrificed everyone else for your own gain," Fox said disdainfully. "Experimenting on children and then selling them. Betraying the trust of your family. Under your rule, this country would fall to ruin. A fiend like you has no right to claim the crown. You're finished, along with the filth rotting this country!"
"What will you do with me then?" Bedlam asked, his voice shaking. "Kill me?"
"No," Joker shook his head. "Even if you deserve it, the Phantom Thieves do not kill. Out of respect for your sister and brother, you are going to atone for your betrayal. AM I CLEAR FREDERICK DELAMB?!"
"All right…all right!" Bedlam shrieked. "I promise. I'll confess everything to the world. But I just know that the Light will have my head for doing so…"
"The Light…?" Joker asked, his anger fading if only a bit. "What are you talking about?"
He didn't get a chance to answer his question. Because at that moment, the ground beneath them shook. Everyone paled as they knew what this meant. The palace is collapsing.
"It's time to go!" Mona shouted. He ran a few feet from the group and transformed into his van form. "Everybody hop in!"
The Phantom Thieves ran to Mona. Joker stayed behind to watch Baron Bedlam. He was vanishing in a bright light. Good. That would mean the change of heart is successful. If the Shadow self of a person died here, it would've triggered a mental shutdown.
"Joker, we got to go!" Skull shouted.
Joker snapped out of his daze and rushed to the van. Once he was inside, Queen pressed on the gas. Mona sped out of the vault turned to face a painting of the Baron. It accelerated towards it, bursting through and speeding up the passageway it hid. Yesterday, they planned out an escape route for this exact reason.
The van crashed through a false floor and into the courtyard of the castle. They sped off just as the ground crumbled and exited through the main gate.
"Why the hell did they made the road have so many twists and turns?" Skull shouted as they drove down the road leading away from the palace. Behind them, Castle Markov crumbled along with the filth that occupied it.
"I don't know!" Queen shouted as she turned the wheel. "We're coming up on the main road!"
"Finally," Panther sighed in relief. But to their disappointment, the collapse didn't stop at the castle. Luckily, Queen didn't remove her foot off the gas as the ground collapsed behind. As they approached the town, the collapsed was gaining speed. They closed their eyes to brace for their eventual demise…
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Markovburg, Markovia
July 29th, 2018 9:19 PM EEST
…Only to feel their bodies land hard on the streets of Markovburg. Night had fallen upon the town. Above them dark clouds parted to show the starry sky. It would've been a sight to see if it weren't for the city lights and the fact they were concerned about their landing.
"Arena is no longer available."
"It's gone," Ren said as he removes his Goode Goggles.
"Whew. That isn't going to get old any time soon," Ryuji muttered to the ground as he got up and removed his Goode Goggles.
"Tell me about it," Ann muttered as she removes hers. Sitting in her lap is Morgana in his cat form. Latched onto her from behind is Yusuke, whom she shoved off. "You can let go now!"
"Ugh," Yusuke landed on his behind. "Is it…over?"
"Looks like it," Makoto said, holding her Goode Goggles as she looked around warily. "You think anyone saw us?"
"I don't think so," Morgana said as he scanned for any witnesses. "I think we're clear."
"We're close to our hotel," Futaba said, reading her phone. "Believe it or not, were only a few blocks away."
"Oh, isn't that convenient," Haru said with a yawn. "I feel like I can use a rest after all that fighting and running for our lives."
"Don't say it like it's casual," Makoto sweat-dropped.
"I think you speak for all of us," Ren said, referring to everyone else who tried to stifle a yawn. "Let's head back and call it a night."
Everyone nodded in agreement and began walking. The events of tonight replayed in their minds. They felt at ease that the horrors that the people of Markovia had been through will be finally over. All they have to do is wait until tomorrow. Ren looked behind him to see Castle Markov in the distance.
"Your Majesties… I may not be able to repay the debt, but we ensured your country will get justice…"
"So, what was the treasure?" Morgana asked over his shoulder. Ren looked at the treasure that he held onto ever since they left the metaverse. Now that it was in the real world, it should have taken on a different form. However, it didn't really seem all that different from what it looked like in the metaverse. It was the same bottle of wine, only it wasn't so huge.
"What the-?" Ryuji asked. "It's still a bottle of wine?"
Ren holds it up more to look at the label. "DeLamb Winery 1981." He read.
"Wait, DeLamb Winery?" Haru asked. "That's his, as well as the late Queen's, family's classic wine company. And it says that this was made in 1981..." She trails off.
Yusuke then spoke up. "If I were to guess, I would say that the wine in this bottle was made back when he was born, and was saved for such occasions in his life, such as this."
Ryuji sighs. "Well, it's clearly nothing made of gold, that's for sure. So, it doesn't really look like it will fetch that big of a price as gold does."
"Oh, come on, Ryuji." Ann exclaims as she takes it from Ren's hands to have a look at it herself. "If it's been saved for about 37 years now, then it's bound to taste great. Right, Haru?" She asks said person.
Haru nods. "You're right, Ann-chan. I learned at University that as wine ages, a complex chemical reaction slowly occurs, thus causing the wine to change in color and aroma, as well as taste much better than how it originally would when it was freshly made."
"Although, if we were to take it back with us to Japan, security at the airport may get suspicious." Makoto says while looking at the wine bottle herself. "From what I've heard, DeLamb Winery shut down back when the King and Queen got married, so they may wonder how we got our hands on this."
"We'll just have to worry about that in the morning," Futaba said with tired eyes. "We're coming up on our hotel."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Hotel Markov, Markovburg, Markovia
July 29th, 2018 9:30 PM EEST
They arrived back at Hotel Markov. The receptionist seemed confused upon seeing them as she could've sworn that the group hadn't left the building. But Ren thought up a quick excuse and she bought it. Concealing the wine bottle, they took the elevator up to their floor.
But when they arrived at their rooms…
"What the hell?!"
Ryuji exclaimed at the sight of the boy's room. It looked like a monsoon had struck and the hotel didn't realize. Pillows have been cut open and spilled feathers, the sheets had been torn off the bed, drawers opened or left hanging, and their luggage had been tossed all over the room.
"My sketchbook!" Yusuke despaired out and ran to where his sketchbook is haphazardly laying on top of the sink. "The creases have ruined my sketches…"
"My stuff!" Ryuji cried out as he gathered his scattered things. He grits his teeth in anger. "Who could've the hell have done this?"
"I don't know. But whoever they were, they were looking for something," Ren said as he walked over to where his bag is strewn on the floor. He heard footsteps from the hall. The girls stood at their doorway.
"You guys too?" Makoto asked.
"Wait, it happened to you too? For real?" Ryuji asked.
"If you mean our room was trashed, then yes," Ann said with a scowl. "What is going on?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Ren said, keeping his composure. "Does everyone have their wallets?"
"I have mine," Haru said, placing a protective hand over her pocket.
"Same here," Ryuji waved his. "Never leave home without it."
Everyone else showed theirs. Good. The thieves haven't taken any of their valuables. One thing off the list.
"Makoto, do you still have our passports?" Ren asked calmly. Makoto nodded stiffly and opened her fanny pack. After Ryuji misplaced his several times at the airport, they decided that for the duration of the trip, she would hang on to their passports to avoid the risk of losing them. It became more mandatory when they got involved with Naomi.
Wait…Naomi…
"Girls, where's Naomi?" Ren asked, mentally slapping himself in the face and fear gripping him. The girls face drained of color.
"I forgot! We haven't seen her inside the room!" Haru gasped. "You don't think she—"
"Those bastards at Big Bang Burger," Ryuji cursed. "Dammit! They must've tracked us down here!"
"Then they've taken here," Ann panicked. "Dammit! They could be experimenting on her at this moment!"
"Then we got to find her!" Ryuji said. "They couldn't have gotten far! Maybe we could find them and—"
"And do what?" Yusuke asked. "Those people are hardened criminals. All we would be doing is signing our death warrants."
"But we can't just—"
"Ryuji, believe me, we're all worried about her," Makoto said. "Even if we can go to the police, they might be on Baron Bedlams payroll still."
"Damn it!"
"Umm…what's going on?"
"Oh, nothing Naomi, we're just freaking out over your kidnapping," Ryuji told Naomi who was standing at the door. It took him several more seconds to register what he just said. "Whoa…Naomi?"
"Hey guys," Naomi waved. "I finished the final boss of Phoenix Ranger Featherman R. When I when to your room to tell you, you didn't answer. I had to get one of the cleaning ladies to open the door, but you weren't inside. Where did you guys go?"
"We could ask you the same!" Ann cried out. "Where have you been?"
"I was looking for you guys," Naomi answered with a frown. "After searching the hotel, I figured that you guys left. I wasn't going to stay cooped up in the room more than I have to, so I left the hotel to go look for you guys."
"You left the—" Ryuji started but Ren placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
"Ryuji let's be glad that she wasn't kidnapped," Ren said. This seemed to placate the blonde boy.
"Whoa, who TP'd the place?" Naomi asked when she saw the state of the room.
"It was like this when we came back," Ren said. "We think your kidnappers tracked you down here and searched our rooms."
That took Naomi back. "You mean the guys from Big Bang Burger?" She asked, fear in her voice.
"We think so, but when they saw that we weren't here they left," Makoto said. "Luckily, we had all forms of identification on us at all times. But just to be safe, I'll probably tell the receptionist about this."
"You think they will be back?"
"I don't know," Ren said. "But something tells me that's not going to be the case."
"What do you mean?" Naomi tilted her head in confusion.
"Just a feeling. For now, I think the room needs to be tidy unless we wish to increase the bill."
"What about dinner?" Naomi asked. At the mention of that word, everyone froze. They had completely forgotten about the lie they made to cover their heist. None of them had a scrap of food on them. The silence was broken by the stomach growls.
"Crap…" Ryuji whispered as he rubbed his head. "We totally forgot about that."
"You guys forgot about dinner?" Naomi asked with a raised eyebrow.
"We stopped to get souvenirs when I picked up an alert on my laptop," Futaba quickly explained. "I have an app on my phone that lets me know when somebody was messing with my laptop without my permission. I thought something might've happened to it, so I insisted we hurry back. When we came back, we saw the room trashed and my laptop…my poor baby is banged up!"
Futaba's face scrunched up in despair over the state of her laptop. Naomi's face softened and rushed to her side.
"Dang, her acting is better than yours Ann," Ryuji whispered.
"Shut up you," Ann swatted his arm to prevent him from blowing the lie. Mostly that.
"So, hey. How about I get dinner," Naomi volunteered suddenly. "You guys have a lot of on your mind already. Think of it as a way to repay you guys for putting up with me for all this time."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Yusuke asked in concern. "The kidnappers could be out there still."
"We could keep in contact," Naomi offered, pulling out her phone. "I saw this in a movie once. I'll keep you on the line just in case. If I see anyone that looks like a kidnapper, I'll let you guys know."
"And we'll send Makoto after you," Ann patted Makoto's back with a grin. "She's an expert in aikido and you can always count on her to deliver the iron fist of justice upon them."
"Oh, stop it," Makoto said bashfully. "It's been a while since I practiced it."
"We'll that can be handy, I'll be on call…" Naomi turned to leave before stopping when she realized something. "Oh wait…I don't have any money…"
"You can use my debit card," Haru handed her the card. "The PIN is 5111."
"Are you sure it's a good idea to give me your PIN number?" Naomi asked.
"I trust you," Haru said with a smile. "Besides, it's going to expire next week. I need to order a new one soon."
Naomi nodded. After she took a quick survey of everyone's preferences on food, she turned to leave. On her way out, she noticed the bottle of wine that Ren was holding.
"Sooo... What's with the wine by the way?" She asked.
"Oh uh, this?" Ren stuttered slightly, while referring to the bottle of wine he was holding. "A friend of ours back home really has a thing for wine, so we figured that we would also get some Markovia exclusive wine for him as a souvenir."
"Oh, well that's cool. Just hope that you know how to keep it preserved long enough for your trip home. In order for it to stay good, you have to keep it at a certain cold temperature." Naomi says
Makoto held her hand up a bit. "Don't worry, we'll figure something out for it. In the meantime, we'll just put it in the room fridge for now. It should be cold enough in there for it."
"Well, alright. I'm gonna go grab dinner now. BRB." She says as she exits the room to grab some dinner for herself.
Once she was gone, the others got to work at getting at least a few things cleaned up in their rooms. As they were doing that, Ryuji noticed that Ren had a serious expression on his face. "Something on your mind, Renren?" He asked, getting Ren's attention.
"Mmm, afraid so, Ryuji. The return of the metaverse like this could mean that someone is attempting to abuse the power of cognitive psience again." He said, really grabbing the attention of all the others. "And not only that, it's possible that we may eventually have to face another artificial god born from the cognitive will of the masses, like Yaldabaoth and Demiurge, again." He finishes as everyone had gotten grim expressions. "But don't get me wrong. I know we've gone through plenty of tough challenges before, and there's no doubt in my mind that we will continue to do so." He then says, as he holds up his fist, asking for a fist-bump from everybody.
Everybody else looks at each other, before smiling. They all raise their own fists, and paw, as they do a group fist-bump.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Royal Palace, Markovburg, Markovia
July 29th, 2018 9:50 PM EEST
DeLamb is seen writing on some paper, before clenching his heart and breathing heavily. He stops, before suddenly clutching his head, tears running down his eyes.
"Dear god... What have I done?" He says to himself.
And with that, the chapter involving defeating Baron Bedlam, as well as stealing his treasure, has come to a close. Once again, Nwarren2022 has helped me out with some stuff. Thank you again, Nwarren2022! Anyways, I've finally gotten I Am The Prophet's permission to tell you all what he/she originally had planned for the Phantom Thieves' method of transportation. He/She originally came up with the idea for Futaba to come up with a device to allow them to travel via the internet, with a virtual and spacious base, and be able to materialize again in the real world. I mean, yeah that sounds pretty interesting and fast for them, but I kind of want them to also find the time to also do some sightseeing along the way to their next targets. For example, regarding what I said in the previous chapter, if they were to go to their next target in Chicago from Port Oswego, they could stop by and see Yellowstone National Park, as well as Mount Rushmore. Let me know what you all think, and keep those transportation ideas coming.