Author's note:
Another super slow chapter and again somewhat short.
Hopefully it has its enjoyable moments.
-asdf
Chapter 22: Greed Cleansed
Friday June 24th, 20XX Afterschool
The tense atmosphere was felt by every member of the assembled phantom thieves. Ren kept his expression calm, but his insides were twisted.
Each one of them could feel the invisible blade hovering over their heads. Things had moved too fast. They should have had more time. Now, all of a sudden, not only were the pictures sent to the school, but a handwritten note was delivered to Makoto's house blackmailing her sister.
"Well… let's go." Ren said. His voice was quiet but carried with it an authoritative tone. Making eye contact with every member of the circle, Ren measured their resolve. Hardened from going through this three times before already: Morgana, Ryuji, and Ann met Ren's gaze easily.
Sumire as well stared confidently back. Ren was certain that she would come through for them. Her gymnastics abilities gave her skills that were unparalleled by any of them.
Yusuke's face did not waver, but his eyes did. No surprise there. The poor artist was probably second guessing his decision to join the phantom thieves after all. He had gotten little from his association so far – besides the mortal danger that is.
Both Makoto and Haru showed visible discomfort. It was like staring into the past. The first change of heart was an unforgettable experience. A true rite of passage into becoming a full member.
"Hell yeah!" Ryuji roared suddenly, thrusting a fist forward. Ren leaned back as the appendage rushed past the edge of his glasses.
"Yeah!" Ann copied. Instead of punching the air though, she stuck her hand in the circle. "Well, everything is going to shit if we fail today… so, let's cele hard to get this off on a good note!"
"…You could have left out the middle part," Morgana sighed. "Either way, I agree!"
"Agreed." Lifting Morgana into the circle, Ren stuck his hand in as well.
Slowly but surely, every member added a hand. Sharing smiles, the confused crowds passed by unnoticed. "Leeet's… GO!" Ann led them in completing the ritual. Lifting their hands in unison, a confused Morgana was tossed into the air.
"Meow!?" Letting out a strangled cat noise, he arrived safely back into everyone's waiting arms.
With everyone laughing, the disgruntled Morgana tried to shake off the embarrassment of his noise. "Come on!" The cat shouted. Jumping to the ground, Morgana led the way to their entrance point with a sheepish grace.
Letting the others go ahead of him, Ren was surprised to find Ryuji beside him. Through some means or other, Ryuji usually ended up walking beside Ann. The two of them were true friends although neither were likely to admit it.
"Round four, yeah?" Ryuji commented.
"That's right." Ren lifted his hands and ticked them off one at a time. "Kamoshida, Kobayakawa, Madarame, and now Kaneshiro."
"Heh, get's easier every time." Ryuji cracked his hands and let his interlocked fingers settle behind his head.
"You aren't wrong," Ren found himself agreeing. "We have so many more people now that it should be."
"Hell yeah! Let's kick this fat asshole's ass and party!"
Ren winced as the surrounding citizens stopped and stared. The overweight and self-conscious ones trying to figure out if Ryuji was referring to them.
"Come on dude," Ren shoved him. "Use your public voice. Anyway… asshole's ass? Really?"
"H-Hey! It may not be elegant but…" Just as Ryuji's cheeks were tinging with the faintest red, he shook his head quickly then gave Ren a goofy smile. "Ignore that, the party!"
"A little premature…" Ren commented aloofly.
"Nah, like you said, today is easy. In and out, an hour, tops. Going to need to hit the gym after this warm-up."
Chuckling, Ren found himself believing Ryuji's wild tale. After all, they had so many people now that Kaneshiro would be barraged on all sides.
"So, the party. Why not invite Futaba to it?"
"…Huh?" Ren's brain struggled to follow Ryuji's thought process.
"I mean, you said that she doesn't interact with people right? Why not have her hang out with all of us? Ann will have her talking girl stuff in a couple of minutes!"
"That's… surprisingly thoughtful." Ren blinked. "I'm not sure if partying with us is a magic cure-all… but I'm all for it. May as well try at least."
"Hell yeah!" Ryuji fist pumped again. "Now for the warm-up!"
Smirking, Ren rode Ryuji's enthusiasm. He really was exactly the guy you wanted in these types of situations.
Friday June 24th, 20XX Afterschool
"Fascinating…" Kasumi picked at the postcard lying on the table in front of her.
Sitting at the patio at a café in Kichijoji, Kasumi kept her legs folded elegantly. She couldn't deny that the location had its charms. The tables were a quaint white, and like everywhere in Japan, kept squeaky clean.
Currently, her attention was undivided. One hundred percent of her concentration was focused on the now familiar black and red postcard. The words had a certain elegance and righteousness about them. A sense of certainty that the fake ones never managed to replicate.
"This was strewn across Shibuya?" Kasumi asked, finally giving the person across from her some of her attention.
Wearing a sardonic smile, Akechi took a sip of coffee. "The police, of course, are telling everyone it is a prank. Its about the only thing they can do is pretend it is fake."
Kasumi snorted at that. The un-ladylike gesture drawing the ire of two old women sitting nearby. Ignoring them, Kasumi shook her head. "It is real. I am sure of it. So, the phantom thieves managed to take-down Kaneshiro after all…"
"Not yet," Akechi denied with a shake of his head. "But it is looking exceedingly likely."
Kasumi scoffed again. "Look at us. Since when did we buy-in completely to this fairy-tale story?"
"Hmm…" Grabbing his phone, Akechi waved it between the two of them. "You take this back five hundred… no, even just fifty years, and it would be considered magic. The world's knowledge at your fingertips, powerful computing abilities… Yet we all carry them without a second thought."
Kasumi raised an eyebrow. "You think the phantom thieves are time travellers?"
"Yes, wait, no." Akechi's brow furrowed awkwardly. "T-That wasn't the point…"
Biting her lip, Kasumi's heart thumped excitedly. It was so rare to get these one-ups against the perfect detective. "No? But that is what you said."
Akechi sighed and conceded the point with a wave of his hand. "I know, I know. What I am trying to say is that we were born into a fairy tale world. It is illogical to dismiss a new phenomenon simply because we are as of yet unfamiliar with it."
"As of yet?" Kasumi queried. With Akechi was the one place Kasumi would hear things like this. Calculated and logical insights into their world.
"Of course." Akechi answered. "After all, something can only remain unknown for so long. After its discovery and study… it becomes commonplace."
Kasumi's eyes widened as she tracked down his logic. "You think a day will come when everyone has the power to change hearts? To manipulate people at will? …I pray not."
"I as well." Akechi took another long sip of coffee. "Also, no, not regularly. But the day may come when the phantom thieves' methods are revealed publicly."
"You have cast out the possibility of blackmail then?" Kasumi asked just to confirm. Se knew it was already a shared belief that just threatening someone could not produce such heartfelt confessions. They were coaches and painters, not actors.
"…Yes." Akechi nodded after a delay. "I don't know how yet, but it is not simple extortion."
"Hmm…" That answer was weird… Kasumi narrowed her eyes at Akechi as she took a pensive drink. The coffee was hot and not too bitter – just the way she liked it. It offered only a momentary respite however from her thoughts. She couldn't help but feel like Akechi was withholding information from her.
"There… is something else I should tell you." Akechi admitted.
He's telling me!? Shocked, Kasumi nodded dumbly.
"Here is a copy of the letter that was delivered to Prosecutor Sae's residence yesterday."
"…Huh?" Not at all what Kasumi was expecting, she stared at Akechi blankly. Smirking, the detective tapped a sheet of paper he had slid onto the table.
Eyes tracking down, Kasumi read a scan of a handwritten note. "The spelling is horrible…"
"Kaneshiro's inadequacies aside, he appears to think that he has revealed Sae's younger sister. Makoto, apparently, would not bulge and refused to talk."
"I see… isn't that odd though?" Kasumi pursed her lips. "If she talked, even if she confessed to a wrongdoing, she definitely could have alleviated her punishment by helping arrest Kaneshiro."
"Most certainly." Akechi smirked. "Suspicious, no?"
"I…" Trailing off, Kasumi tried to push aside her recent anger and disappointment. Even if Makoto had dropped Kasumi as a friend, Kasumi wasn't ready to give up on the overworked student council president. "I trust Makoto."
Akechi raised an eyebrow at that. "I must say, while I'm sure she is book smart, the girl has never impressed me. She appears to be lacking the drive that makes Sae so great."
"You… may be correct." Kasumi relented to the harsh sounding criticism. Makoto was a great girl, but when it came to having a forceful presence, her sister was superior in every way.
"So why trust in her?"
"Why…" Tapping a finger against her lips, Kasumi broke into a large smile suddenly as she discovered the simple answer. "I guess its because she genuinely loves the school."
"…What do you mean?"
"I mean that Kaneshiro is hurting the student body that Makoto cares for. Whatever she is doing, she believes that she is helping them."
"…Well, I guess that settles it then." Akechi declared after a tactful pause. Leaning back in his chair a brief period of silence settled in.
Nodding, Kasumi looked over at the street as she sipped the remains of her cup. It was not the best idea to have a cup so late, but she knew that sleep would come quickly either way.
"Do you believe that Makoto is a Phanatic then?" Akechi asked from nowhere.
"What do you mean?" Kasumi quipped back.
"Well, the phantom thieves sent a calling card to Kaneshiro the next day. If she didn't confide in Sae, then…"
"Urgh." Groaning, Kasumi wished she could refute the detective's logic. "She as well is relying on these vigilantes to help her…"
"It would appear that way." Akechi nodded.
"I just don't get the blind dedication!" Kasumi whined, letting her true emotions out. She hated how her face looked when frowning, the way her eyes crinkled and highlighted the beauty spot under her eye. Unable to fix it, she continued talking. "Like, I can understand if you could talk to them. To really get a feel for how genuine they are. But right now, they have zero public interaction! How can you trust someone you can't see?"
"You can't." Akechi replied simply. "All good forms of governance have transparency. If you are arrested in this country it is because you broke rules or laws implanted by a democracy by the will of the people. The phantom thieves don't have that. That is why justice is not on their side."
"Yeah… You're probably right," Kasumi conceded, eyes going to the table. "They may get results but… the phantom thieves cannot justify the means they use."
"Precisely," Akechi crowed, sounding pleased with himself.
So why do Sumire, Makoto, and Ren-Senpai believe in them so much?
Stuck in her thoughts, Kasumi was content to let the evening pass without interaction. Her role in the Kaneshiro case was done having achieved nothing. She'd focus her efforts now where they belonged, gymnastics.
Looking at his phone, Akechi let out a noise. "Ah, my apologies but I need to get moving."
"What do you mean?" Kasumi frowned.
"Work is calling," the dective winked. "There's going to be some big headlines tomorrow one way or another."
"…Good luck," Kasumi sighed, waving a hand of indifference. There was no way to make the detective tell her and, strangely enough, Kasumi did not find any motivation to care.
"That's it?" Akechi sounded surprised. "Not going to ask to tag along?"
"Would you let me if I did?" Kasumi turned the question around.
"Nope!" Akechi smirked. "Glad to see we're beginning to understand one another. Later."
"See ya." Kasumi waved once. Leaning back Kasumi continued her lone vigil. Nowhere to be and nothing to do. For not the first time, Kasumi felt like she was being left out of something that only she didn't understand.
Shaking off the melancholy feeling, Kasumi finished the coffee and waved over the waitress.
"Payment? No, your boyfriend already did that."
"He's not my—" Tsking, Kasumi silently cursed the boy. She could see his maniacal giggling in her mind. "Don't worry about it. Thank you for telling me."
"Please enjoy your evening."
Bowing politely, Kasumi left the café. Taking one last glance in the direction of Shibuya, Kasumi instead kept walking toward her home.
Friday June 24th, 20XX Afterschool
"The treasure is straight down this elevator, correct Mona?" Violet asked. Her eyes descended past the central cylinder to the stainless floor beneath. Somewhere down there the cognitive Kaneshiro was hiding. Waiting in terror for the prophesized revenge that he had incurred.
Oddly, it had been easy for them to progress this far through the bank after sending the calling card. The entirety of the bank had a desolate feel. As if Kaneshiro had been abandoned by a large number of his thugs.
"Yes," Mona answered Violet's question simply.
"I almost want to do two groups in case of an ambush," Joker sighed, "but that imposes just as many risks. Everyone ready?"
"Hell yeah!" Getting one enthusiastic reply from Skull and more muted ones from the other members, Senpai led them all into the final elevator.
Shuffling in along behind him, Violet couldn't help but feel a strange prickling sensation on the nape of her neck.
Rubbing there, Violet took one glance back into the cavernous chamber as the elevator descended to the final vault. Maybe it was her imagination, but Violet thought she saw a flash of black fabric as something moved on top of one of the walls.
"Weird…"
"What happened?" Senpai asked, instantly alarmed. It was a reaction she would have expected from Ren more than Joker. Their carefree metaverse leader who approached every encounter with a swagger was nervous.
That realization impacted Violet more than any foe they were facing could have. "N-Nothing, just seeing things."
Senpai didn't press any further. There was no privacy in the elevator anyway. Everyone had heard the short exchange. Catching Panther's eye, Violet had to duck her head at the suggestive wink.
Ding!
With a sound far too cheerful for the deadly circumstances, the elevator door slid open with a gaseous hiss. Instantly, the tension rose ten notches.
Senpai led them out of the elevator with a roll to the right side, allowing Queen and Skull to rush out and claim the center. The tactic decided on during the trip to the elevator.
Giving Senpai one last sidelong glance, Violet did her job and rushed out to the opposite side from him. That left Noir and Mona to sit in the pocket they had created and Panther bringing up the rear. Finally, Fox had the ability to wander around and aid any area that might be flagging.
Contrary to their expectations however, they weren't met by Kaneshiro's last-ditch army. Instead, there was a suspicious steel wall and only three people. Shadow Kaneshiro was flanked by the two thugs that they had seen at the club.
"Bold choice," Queen started the dialogue. Her voice was cold enough to freeze a polar bear. "Should I take your posturing as surrender?"
"Ha! I'm not intimidated by you thieves! You've walked into the base of my power!"
Kaneshiro's bold reply was in line with their expectations. He had been bold about attempting to reveal them with little thought to any blowback.
"Oh, you might not be scared, but you should be!" Skull yelled back, cracking his knuckles. The two thugs starting to move forward to answer Skull and Makoto's advance.
With a hand, Kaneshiro stopped them in their path. "Girls," Kaneshiro spread his hands in a merciful gesture. "Your families have abandoned you. Through no choice of your own, you have been forced on this path. Give yourselves to me and I will spare you from the worst."
No choice of our own? Violet wondered.
"You think… that because of my sister's refusal to answer your letter is why I'm here?" Queen's voice was incredulous.
"Or that I care what my father and fiancé said to you?" Noir added on.
"I do!" Kaneshiro continued, seemingly nonplussed about the indirect rejection. "They have cast you to the side as garbage. Do you not understand that your futures are doomed without me!? The pictures have been made public already! By tomorrow your school will disclose them to the police. You will all be arrested and interrogated."
He doesn't know! Violet's eyes widened. Thank you, Ms. Kawakami!
The unexpected friend at the school came in clutch to save them. Releasing her pent-up breath, Violet shared a small giggle with many of the others.
"W-Why are you laughing!? I hate that stupid laugh! When the people around think they are so clever because I don't notice one small thing…"
"Hey asshole!" Skull broke through the monologue. "I'll let you in on a secret. The school never got those photos."
"…WHAT!?" Kaneshiro exploded stumbling back a step. "Impossible! I got confirmation that they were delivered!"
"You really are stupid," Fox sighed, shaking his head as if scolding an irresponsible child. "My comrade never said they weren't delivered. He said the school did not get them."
"I… I…"
"What's the difference?" One of the thugs whispered, saving his boss the embarrassment.
"Took it from right under the schools nose!" Mona cheered, pretending they actually played a role in the decisive deed.
"Grr… Whatever!" Kaneshiro raged, stamping his foot. "You are all still going to die!"
Violet thought she was seeing things as his body began twitching. Strange motions rippling through the expensive white suit. Without prompting, the lord of the bank began rubbing his hands together.
Bzzt, Bzzt!
"W-What is happening?" Noir cried.
"Bastard is transforming!" Skull spat back. "Watch out, he could get large!"
Violet hadn't been there, but she heard stories about Kamoshida and the massive demon that he had turned into. Madarame as well had turned into that painting monster.
Before Violet's disbelieving eyes, Kaneshiro's flesh began to heave and bulge. The disgusting process was capped by a disgusting squelching noise accompanied by Kaneshiro's eyes bulging and splitting. Fragmented, they resolved into the compound eyes of a fly.
His suit split with a rip, revealing a pair of translucent wings coming out of his back. Bzzt, bzzt!
Flapping with the distinctive fly noise, Kaneshiro's feet became lighter on the floor. He wasn't flying fully, but the man had clearly reduced his weight upon the ground.
"W-What the hell is that!?" One of the thugs screamed.
Violet's hope that they would flee were dashed when the other one smacked the first guy. "The hell you saying!? Our bonus is going to be huge!"
"O-Oh right!" The first one remembered. The two thugs began to transform as well, in formation around Kaneshiro.
The larger thug turned into a massive fly with two large riot shields: one wielded in either hand. The second turned into a much smaller fly. Floating in the high barely a meter high. This one was wielding a police baton.
"Ha! A few reinforcements won't make a difference!" Skull laughed boldly.
"True!" Shadow Kaneshiro buzzed back; his voice distorted. "It is a good thing I have more money than you have people!"
"Huh?" Violet's utterance was overridden by the sound of grinding metal. The metal wall behind Kaneshiro began to retract revealing the whole of the final vault.
"Hehe, you've stepped into a fly trap!" Kaneshiro yelled dramatically.
"Umm, but aren't flytraps designed to kill flies?" Panther asked. The exchange helping to kill the building tension.
"Uhh, yeah, he's an idiot," Skull agreed. "Let's squash him!"
"He really is a fly on dirty money…" Queen blinked, sounding oddly confused.
"You been thinking about that one for awhile, haven't you?" Mona asked.
"S-Shut up! Let's just do this."
"Hahaha!" Kaneshiro continued to laugh.
From within the emerging space emerged a swarm of shadows. Each one was only half a meter long but flew through the air with a buzzing sound. Horrified by the influx of disgusting giant flies, Violet completely missed the giant steel ball that was left behind, dominating the center of the room.
"Behold my minions!" Kaneshiro boomed. "They are my loyal followers, doing whatever I ask in exchange for money!"
"Gah! Filthy mercenaries!" Fox lamented. "Have they no morals? Selling their soul for money!?"
Violet had no time to point of Fox's hypocrisy when it came to money. The poor student was willing to do a great number of things for a meal.
"W-What's the plan now!?" Panther cried from the back. In that position she would have the best view of exactly how screwed they were.
"Same as before!" Senpai replied without missing a beat. "Panther, Mona focus on the air support and blow them up. Fox, Noir, be versatile. Everyone else, take this fucker down!"
"Hell yeah!" Skull roared, rushing forward without missing a beat. Violet had a sneaking suspicion that swears made him more excited.
Skull unleashed a massive swing with his terrifying club. In terms of raw strength, he had all of them beat by a mile. However, the strike was also predictable.
Kaneshiro didn't even bother moving, he just smirked and continued rubbing his hands together.
Boom!
"W-What!?"
With a resounding crash, Ryuji's attack was firmly stopped by the shield-bearing fly shadow. The club was cleanly repelled, dealing minimal damage. It would take hundreds of those attacks to break through its defense.
"Looks like I'm up!" Queen called undisturbed.
Boom!
In a repetition of Skull's attempt, Queen's fist was ineffective at breaking through the absolute defense the shadow provided. It appeared that they wouldn't be getting to Kaneshiro this way.
Violet's time to concentrate on Kaneshiro drew to an end as an explosion of fire and wind appeared in the air above her. A divebombing shadow had to veer off to avoid the magic. "Thanks!" She cried back at Mona and Panther.
"Don't expect it next time!" Panther shot back, "there are too many of them!"
"You bet!" Violet answered, forced into yelling. The sound in the room was reaching a deafening cacophony. It was filled with the amplified sound of flies buzzing. The horrible racket usually reserved for dung heaps made Violet's arms crawl.
"This… This is truly the opposite of beauty…" Violet heard Fox say to himself. Violet fervently agreed. To a relatively clean person, this was unbearable.
"Disgusting!" Panther cried as a pair swopped low and forced her to the ground.
"Focus!" Senpai screamed over the drone. "Don't get distracted!"
He's right! I can't let this get to me!
Taking a deep breath, Violet tried to ignore the input through her ears. Block out the nightmarish sound and focus entirely upon that which was important, defeating Kaneshiro and taking his treasure.
"Alright, let's do this, Jeanne!" Crying out the name of her persona, Violet focused the energy into a general area before her. She couldn't include the entire swarm, but anything was better than nothing at this rate.
In the targeted area appeared a soft circle of white light. Flying about were seals of exorcism. Landing on the flies with an inevitable certainty, the flies all died in a flash of light.
With a single spell, Violet had thinned out over a third of the flies. "I-I did it!?" More surprised than excited, Violet blinked at how easy it had been.
"Ha! I told you before, didn't I?" Kaneshiro roared. "I have more minions than you can deal with!"
From a vent in the ceiling another batch emerged. They were numerous enough to replace every shadow they had destroyed and then some.
"There are always saps willing to do anything for a job!" Kaneshiro laughed again.
"C-Can we win?" Violet muttered. This fight was so different, so alien. Their attacks against Kaneshiro himself were useless. From the sky would come endless swarms of flies and bury them in filth.
Hazarding a glance across the room at Senpai, Violet looked for direction. Her last thread of confidence was in his abilities. Surely, if anyone could, he would save them.
In his expression though, Violet saw a mirror of hers. Confusion, horror, and worst of all fear.
Friday June 24th, 20XX Afterschool
"What… the hell is this?" Joker whispered to himself. He couldn't believe how quickly things had gone downhill. The trio of Kaneshiro and his bodyguards weren't pushovers on their own. What made the fight untenable though was the unlimited swarm.
The troops were a direct result of Kaneshiro's ill-gotten funds. A belief embedded deep in his heart that his forces were vast and capable of completely protecting him.
Joker had no time to think on a solution. Every moment was spent broiled in combat. Dodging, slashing, summoning personas. Panther and Mona kept up a barrage on the air, while everyone else was mired in swarming shadows.
The proboscis on the fly-shaped shadows was contently probing. Unlike the one on normal houseflies, Joker assumed this one would be far more harmful. So far, everyone was doing an admirable job on holding them off.
After another round of ineffectual attacks from Skull and Queen, Kaneshiro and the baton wielding thug replied.
"Watch out!" Screaming over the continuous noise, Joker rolled out of the way of Kaneshiro's attack. The pool of magic sang a lullaby to him, trying to lure Joker to sleep. Shaking off the effect, he scanned the room and tsked. Both Queen and Skull had failed to dodge.
Their time spent sleeping was short lived as Shadow Kaneshiro smirked, and without missing a beat, snapped his fingers. The force, or perhaps imagination of Kaneshiro's will carried the force to hit Queen. The baton wielding fly meanwhile struck Skull over the head.
The force of each was amplified by the two's defensive state. Tsking, Joker yelled out a snap decision. "Violet, help me heal them, Mona, kept on distracting the swarm!"
"This isn't working!" Queen yelled to Joker, ducking to avoid a swooping shadow.
"I know!" Joker snapped back irate. When a shadow came at him, he cut it in half mercilessly with one blow. "Do you have a better idea?"
"NO!" Queen grabbed a fly shadow and physically ripped it in half. The violent gesture demonstrating how weak these forces were on their own.
"We have to get past that shield!" Fox added on. While accurate, it was easier said than done.
"How dude!?" Came Skull's predictable follow-up. "Its shield is rock solid, and that bastard can put us to sleep!"
"Sleep…?" Joker blinked, growing distracted. Getting hit by a swooping shadow, Joker rolled through the impact reducing the damage. Coming to his feet, a plan had formed.
"Panther! Put the shield-bearing guard to sleep!"
"H-Huh!?" Shadow Kaneshiro said. "T-That won't work!"
"I Can't!" Panther cried, unleashing another ball of fire. Glancing up, Joker realized he had underestimated how much her magic was doing. Not only were the blasts of fire destroying multiple of the shadows, but the superheated air was also rising, weakening the new ones that were trying to enter.
"Do it anyway!" Joker decided, making the decision that would determine the outcome of the day. The consequences hung over his head. "Violet, use every last bit of mental strength you have if necessary to keep them back!"
Abandoning her post on the backlines, Panther darted forward, breaking the front lines between Queen and Skull. "Dance, Carmen!"
"Hey! I said that wouldn't—" Kaneshiro reminded them.
Holding his breath, Joker watched nervously. This moment would determine everything.
"…Zzz…"
A quiet snore came from the guard's mouth. Shields resting against the ground, its head had folded against its chest. It wouldn't be moving until disturbed.
"N-No sleeping on the job!" Kaneshiro wailed.
"Oh, yeah, its showtime!" Skull hooted, darting forward. Even as he took off running, he was quickly outstripped by the only thief faster: Queen riding upon Johanna.
"Yaaa!" Leaping off Johanna, Queen threw the persona itself at the pair of enemies.
"You go girl!" Panther cheered.
"W-What the hell!?" Kaneshiro was as caught off guard as Joker was. A little rude to the persona he thought, but the effect was massive.
Stunned, Kaneshiro took the blow head-on while the baton-wielding thug flew to the side to safety. Landing with a resounding crash, Kaneshiro's overweight torso bounced off the hard marble floor. "Oof!"
"Finish him!" Joker yelled.
Skull met the flying thug, club on baton, sealing its fighting potential. "Go get him!" He cheered, creating an open path.
Slotting in next, Joker unleashed a devastating slash through Kaneshiro's body as he continued past with a smirk and flourish.
After him came Fox. The artist's majestic slash from his katana a sliver of light as his sword left behind what should have been a fatal attack.
"Grr… So… Persistent." Repeated attacks against the downed enemy Kaneshiro made his voice weak. Compound eyes drifting in different directions, Joker was privy to the moment his face contorted with real fear.
"Hehehe…" Giggling with a terrifying menace, Noir kicked hard off the ground and seemed to float through the air. No minion swooped in front of her to block the attack.
Massive axe primed above her head, she descended with speed. Large overhead swing descending, Kaneshiro screamed pitifully in the moments before the axe head was buried in his chest.
"Guh! I… I have infinite money… Get… them…"
Through some last urge to protect their falling boss, the swarm combined into a massive knot and charged. "Dodge it!"
While hating to give the order, Joker's instincts told him that trying to stop it was futile. Coming up from his roll to safety, Joker glanced back at where the shield guard should be sleeping. Instead, the baton guard was there and smacking it awake. The two gestured at Kaneshiro once before taking off for the elevator.
"He's losing faith…" Joker breathed. Elation finally removing the knot of worry that had settled into his gut. Kaneshiro had lost hold of his minions. He didn't truly belief that his subordinates cared about him enough to put their lives on the line.
Twisting around, Joker looked around for the ball of small flies but didn't see it right away. Trusting his ears, Joker looked up. The flies that had been filling the room were fleeing with far more vigor.
"You've… inconvenienced me… for the last time!" Yelling at them between pants, Kaneshiro heaved his bruised body into the giant metal ball that dominated the room. Having ignored it until now, Joker blinked at the massive thing.
"You telling me we have to beat that up!?" Skull whined.
"Just do it!" Queen screamed irate.
"The swarm left…" Violet contemplated, in a normal voice. The sudden lack of noise was almost as deafening as being surrounded in it for the past dozen minutes.
"Whoa…" Noir stared wide-eyed at the almost empty room. "I wonder why…" The girl's aura had done a one-eighty from her terrifying strike against shadow Kanehsiro.
"He has finally realized that his sidekicks don't care about him!" Mona asserted, joining the frontline and completing the group again.
"Stop whispering to yourselves!" Kaneshiro broke in, his voice labored and distorted by a speaker. "I'm going to blow you all up with my piggytron! My ultimate weapon! My final reserve against invaders!"
"Amazing…" Fox declared, thrusting out a dramatic hand to the massive steel ball on legs. "The proportions are both beautiful and hideous at the same time. Could anything better capture the naivety and self-indulgence of the ruling elite!? Marvelous!"
"Uhh, tone it down dude!" Skull reproached the artist. "I don't like the look of those tubes…"
Joker had to agree with Skull. The small ones appeared to be gun barrels that were rotating their way. Even more unfortunate were the larger ones that Joker decided must shoot rockets. While unlikely to be as deadly in the metaverse, it was still a bleak situation.
"So… Any ideas?" Panther asked, scratching her head.
"Hit it until it breaks?" Noir suggested.
"I agree!" Queen growled, righteous fury tinging her features. "It will be shoddy, just like its owner!"
Before Joker could get in a word edgewise, Queen barrelled towards the behemoth. It looked laughable as her small body jumped in the air, fist brough back to strike full force against the massive steel carapace.
"Fist of JUSTICE!"
Crying out some sort of… Catchphrase? Queen punched hard. A giant booming noise rang out from the collision.
Mouth gaping, Joker stared stunned with the other members of the thieves. It had worked. The punch did noticeable damage to the massive ball of metal.
"Hey!" Kaneshiro's voice yelled out. "Gentle with the goods!"
"Uhh… I guess we just hit it?" Joker asked.
"Yupp!" Haru twirled forward, her black heeled shoes licking against the floor. "Milady, destroy!"
"Come, Goemon!"
"Captain Kidd!"
"Carmen!"
"Jeanne!"
"Zorro!"
Pulling out his gun, Joker added to the barrage of magic abilities that rained down upon the immobile fortress' head.
"N-No! My Piggytron!"
With each successive attack, the damage piled up. Ice, lightning, fire, light, wind, and bullets. The last from two sources.
"Give up now, Kaneshiro!" Queen gave the man their ultimatum. "Your ball of metal is nothing more than a façade of strength, just like you!"
"Façade!? Façade!? I don't know what that means, but I'll show you strength!"
With two soft thumps, a ball of fire emerged from the two larger tubes on the 'nose' of the pig. Two missiles emerged, trailing a line of fire and smoke. Doing one twist in the air, they descended upon Queen.
Crossing her arms, she took the attack head-on.
"Queen!"
"Mako-chan!"
Despite the fear though, once the smoke cleared, Queen was alright. Pushed onto one knee, dusty, panting, but otherwise fine.
"N-No way!? You survived a hit!?"
Just as Joker had hoped, the attacks packed a punch, but were far from their real-world compatriots' might. "Hit it again." Joker ordered without remorse.
"Gahhhh!" Kaneshiro wailed as his precious machine began to fall to pieces around him. The eight of them were too powerful for this to be anywhere near a balanced fight.
"Surrendering?" Joker drawled, flourishing his knife. Flanking to the side, Joker gave the room another appraisal. There was a small pile of treasure , but otherwise it was empty.
From the rattling the piggytron made, Joker had a suspicion that was where the treasure resided. Inside of Kaneshiro's ego-created machine.
"N-No! I can still crush you all!" In the most surprising event of the day, Kanehsiro flew out of the entrance portal. Landing on top of the piggytron, Kaneshiro was clearly in bad shape. "Time for my ultimate move!"
Using rockets from its four legs, piggytron propelled itself upwards slightly before retracting the legs and landing roughly upon its bottom.
"Err…" Confused by the antics, Joker wasn't sure what to do. There was no easy way to bring this fight to an end without killing Kaneshiro. Doing so, however, would kill the actual man. An outcome they needed to avoid.
"Die now!" Kaneshiro started running backwards in place. It took Joker a while to see the Piggytron was spinning forward toward them. Revving up, it was held still somehow. They had mere moments before a giant steel ball would attempt to crush them.
"Oh shit!" Skull cursed.
"Whatever!" Joker roared, "Knock him off!"
"Huh?" Kaneshiro blinked in his last moments. With a crack of lightning, a blast of fire, and gust of damaging wind, the ruler of Shibuya found himself blasted off his creation. "N-No, stop!"
The pathetic cry was too late. Wincing, Joker felt a little bad as Kaneshiro was crushed by his own move. Piggytron kept rolling and crashed into the wall.
Flourishing his knife, Joker approached Kaneshiro's prone form unhurried. The fight was over.
"H-How did this happen…"
"That's what happens when you go up against the thieves!" Skull taunted, leaning over him. "Bet you wish you'd been a little nicer now, don't you?"
"Y-You don't understand!" Kaneshiro whined, his voice losing any sort of sophistication he had previously tried to colour it with. "If you don't bully them first, they'll bully you!"
"This same spiel again?" Fox sighed. "I heard enough from that dreadful principal of yours."
"Look at you all!" Kaneshiro yelled, anger entering it. "Athletic, fit, strong! You don't understand the plight of the weak. What I had to do to survive! How humiliating it is to be called an idiot over and over again. It isn't my fault I was born stupid!"
"Why do I always feel kinda sorry for them at this point?" Panther asked. She looked away from the prone man crawling desperately toward the defeated metal ball. From the open entrance had spilt mounds of gold bars. More importantly though, the treasure was sitting on top. A golden suitcase emitting a powerful aura. The source of Kaneshiro's distorted desires.
"Because you are kind, Lady Ann…" Mona sidled up to Panther. "Should you need a shoulder to cry on…"
"Uh… no thanks," she shot the cat down brutally.
"Urgh!"
Ignoring the downtrodden feline, Joker walked alongside Kaneshiro. He had thought Queen and Noir would have had more to say. So far, they were two of the only people that had yet to say anything.
"I-I have a question!" Violet broke in, far too polite for the kind of scum she was talking to. "Why did you break the agreement? What purpose was there in sending the pictures to the school?"
"Just… another stupid idea of mine… The fucking Okumura pissed me off so much I snapped and sent em."
"Oh… Okay."
"My father," Noir declared, approaching Kaneshiro.
The shadow's face went pale as he saw her. Noir's axe blade was dragging menacingly across the ground, sending up sparks and emitting an eery hiss.
"Gulp."
Slamming the axe handle beside Kaneshiro's head, Noir leans over the trembling man. "How did you get into contact with him. Why would he meet with you?"
"Ha! I'm done for, so I may as well tell you. Your Papa has gotten himself mixed up with a dangerous crowd. Plus, his recent ambitions have made him less than popular."
"What exactly do you mean," Noir threatened.
Kaneshiro folded before the bloodlust in her eyes. "I-I wasn't told much more, I swear. Only that his goal to go into politics upsets his benefactor."
"Benefactor?"
"The one who commands the man in the black mask…" Kaneshiro smirked, "now there is someone that uses this world to its full possibilities."
"A black mask?" Violet asked sharply. "A black outfit as well?"
Feeling cold, Joker whirled toward the girl. "You saw this person?"
"W-Well, no. I just thought I saw something black before the elevator finished descending."
True terror entered Kaneshiro's features. "P-Please!" Crying ugly tears, he gripped Noir's boots. "Don't let him kill me! He'll be sent in when you leave to finish the job!"
"…Then vanish." Queen spoke remorselessly. "Admit to your sins and clear the distortion projecting this place."
"W-What?" Kaneshiro muttered. "You think I can do that. That I can change?"
"I do." Queen nodded seriously. Squatting down so her eyes were closer to Kaneshiro, she continued speaking. "The thing about idiots like us is that we have nothing else to do except continuing to try."
Joker thought that was a rather unfair perspective of Makoto's own mental abilities.
"Ha…" I guess your right. "Maybe… Maybe I will be finding something better on the other side of this. Catch you kids later."
"He… actually repented?" Violet said with awe. Indeed, Kaneshiro's body slowly disappeared. The shadow going back to rejoin the mind, depriving the palace of its ruler.
"After all that he did to the people of Shibuya… Does it really end like this?" Noir asked. "It seems… like it's not enough."
"He'll go to the police and get arrested," Joker comforted her. "We aren't murderers."
"I-I wasn't suggested…" Trialing off, Noir blushed under her mask. "I'm sorry, I guess I was. I just… I just thought there would be more to it then this."
"More closure," Queen sighed in agreement.
"Hate to interrupt, but you'll need to find your closure later!" Mona yelled. "Grab the treasure and leave, this place is coming down."
"You heard the cat!" Joker ordered, following his instructions and snagging the golden briefcase as he went past. "Now let's blow this joint!"
Friday June 24th, 20XX Evening
"It wasn't my fault…" Akechi growled into his phone. Standing on the edge of Shibuya, Akechi glared at the slowly dispersing group of friends. The ostentatious golden briefcase standing out from a mile away.
They joked and laughed while Akechi stood by himself and got yelled at. Just hearing the voice coming through the speaker set his nerves on edge. Violent urges rose in his body, his blood boiling as Akechi wished for some miserable wretch he could dismantle.
"Not your fault!? Not your fault!? You let Kaneshiro's heart get changed! Who knows what garbage he'll babble to the police!"
Repressing a sigh, Akechi tried to compose himself. "I thought we already discussed this. The police belong to you, no one will believe the mad man's confessions."
"…You better be right. There should be a way to change someone's heart without them having these cognitive distortions. There must be a way to draw them into a world that you control…"
"There is no point reminiscing on it." Akechi shot the idea down. "The only person who could have done something like that was Isshiki Wakaba."
"…You think ordering her murder was a mistake?" The phone voice asked threateningly.
Akechi didn't respond. He didn't have to. He was the one person whom Shido couldn't bully.
"Tactful silence, huh? Either way, boy you don't know everything. My network is immense. I know people who make Isshiki look like an uneducated bum."
"Really?" Akechi blinked, surprised. This man tended not to exaggerate. He was a consistent realist, perhaps pessimist. If he thought he had found someone who could replace the missing cognitive pscientist…
"Indeed. You better re-evaluate your flagging loyalty and get with the program. Without fail, I will soon by sailing into the future."
"…I'll be sure to do just that."
Snapping his phone closed, Akechi's left hand tightened around the device. Taking another deep breath, Akechi repressed his instincts to punch something and began the long trip back to his apartment. Another lonely night for the popular teen detective.
The contrast between him and his rival in the phantom thieves was not lost on him. "What does he have that I don't?" Hating the feelings of inferiority and jealousy, Akechi turned those emotions to the boy himself.
"I swear I'll see you dead one day… Ren."