"Now that we're getting some pep into our step again, we should begin figuring out how we want to advance going forward." Hifumi told the others. "We have a sizable group, and we cannot afford to launch our full force at every encounter in a world like this. At least, not all at once."
"I think it depends on the situation." Ren said. "We're still not at full power, but if we deploy our numbers carefully, we might be able to control the flow of battle better!"
"Precisely!" Hifumi smiled. "Mmm...It would be nice if Makoto were here. She would help me iron out specifics or even present a different angle. While it's not as if I have no confidence in my plans. I feel much better with her consideration."
"Then we just have to act fast and get her back!" Ann said confidently.
"This does make me wonder how they're doing..." Sumire tapped her chin. "And if I had to guess, I worry that it's not any better than we were..."
"All the more reason to free them as soon as possible." Zenkichi said. "Although, all this sitting around is startin' to make me a bit antsy." Considering he'd been super active as of late, having to wait for the next move was starting to get to him.
"Yeah..." Morgana was in the same boat. But they didn't have other options either. That said, the doors to the hideout opened, and one of the rebels began to speak to Erina.
"So...how many of you are there?" Toshiro asked. "You keep saying your group is large, and with what I see here, the number is already pretty big..."
"There are four more of us!" Sophia answered. "Queen, Fox, Skull, and Noir are the ones we have to rescue from that evil Marie."
"All of them are skilled combatants, too." Akechi remarked. "Well...Skull is more brawn than brain, but since Marie is using him for his muscle instead of his head...it'll be difficult no matter what."
"I see..." Toshiro stroked his chin. "If we can get all your friends back, it would no doubt be a great boost to our forces."
"When, not if." Futaba corrected. They WERE going to save their friends; no ifs, ands, or buts about it!
"Talking about your friends?" Erina was finished speaking to the rebel. "We've got some new intel! We've spotted two people wearing outfits similar to yours in the vicinty of Marie's armory! They were described as a loud, rowdy blonde boy, and a scary woman wielding an axe. Sound familiar?"
"...Too familiar." Ren said with a sweat drop.
"That's an awful combination." Mika shuddered at the thought.
"No kidding...a bruiser and a violent one..." Safe to say, Akechi was not looking forward to this.
"Haru and Ryuji...I hope they're okay." Sophia said.
"If Okumura is being described as scary to both friend and foe, I'm sure she's just fine!" Ichinose smiled. She wasn't wrong.
"We have to come up with a way to rescue them!" Futaba exclaimed. "But, it's too optimistic to think they aren't under Marie's control."
"With the power of Erina's flag, we should be capable of freeing them." Hifumi leaned over the counter. "She may not be able to use a Persona, but that power belongs to her and her alone. So we will need her help if we want to rescue everyone."
"You can rely on me!" Erina said with a wide grin. If anything, she was happy to be of help. They needed this united front if they wanted to dismantle Marie's empire. "But I do have to warn everyone, that the armory will not be as easy a walk as the prison was. It is in fact a very important stronghold for the enemy - and much more heavily guarded."
"That isn't all, either." Toshiro suddenly said, catching everyone's attention. "There's also a rather complex system of security gates throughout the area. It'd be all to easy to wind up lost and captured."
"And how exactly do YOU know that?" Mika lifted a brow, burning a gaze into Toshiro's soul, mostly for the sake of it.
"You do seem like an expert on the place." Ann placed her hands on her hips. This was the first they were hearing of this area, but Toshiro was already familiar with it.
To that, Toshiro shook his head, trying not to let Mika's gaze get to him. "I wouldn't go that far, but I was taken there for a while after I was captured. Maybe they were replenishing their supplies...Whatever it was, I distinctly remember being taken there. I can say, without a doubt, that you'd never make it through there! We should wait for a better opportunity! Those are simply the facts." Toshiro said, smugly.
"Does he have to be so smug about it...?" Futaba grumbled under her breath.
"If we do all this waiting, I fear I'll turn old and gray before we ever get out of here!" Ichinose pouted. That was not something she was looking forward to!
"Moving at the pace of a turtle doesn't feel like something we can afford." Zenkichi said calmly. But if the armory was as well guarded as Erina and Toshiro claimed, it was really going to be a challenge for them.
Erina had to take a moment and seriously think about this. "Hmm, this definitely does sound like a real challenge for us. How do you Phantom Thieves feel about it?"
"We've never shied away from a little danger!" Morgana said confidently. "Our friends lives are on the line here, so of course we're going to do it!"
"Mona said it!" Ann placed her hands on her hips. "We're not gonna sit around just because a little danger's involved. If we did that, we wouldn't be Phantom Thieves to begin with!"
"If it's dangerous, that's all the more reason to save Haru-senpai and Ryuji...!" Sumire added. "The danger goes both ways. I would never forgive myself for it!"
"It's way too early to drop this quest! Heh, maybe we'll find a key item along the way!" Futaba said with a smug grin. Mika, however, just groaned. At this point, it was unclear if Futaba was doing this intentionally or not, just to get a rise out of her, because it was funny. "But seriously...we're not gonna back down from this."
Zenkichi glanced at Toshiro, who was clearly mulling something over. "Surprised at how reckless these kids are, huh?"
"That's putting it lightly!" Toshiro exclaimed. He was glad that there was at least another adult in the room who could see the problem here. "I can say, without a doubt, you'd never make it through there. Those are simply the facts. It's too dangerous."
"We heard you the first time." Akechi replied with a roll of his eyes. "Your concerns, however, are of no concern to us."
"If we did everything your way, we would be getting nothing done." Hifumi said bluntly. She didn't mean to be so rude, but Toshiro's tactical prowess of running and hiding was not doing them any favors.
"I'm glad you Phantom Thieves see things my way!" Erina beamed. "I'm right there with you - we can't just give up on things now!"
"Hang on - you agree with them!?" Toshiro gasped, oddly surprised by this. Erina was a leader, yet it felt like she wasn't doing any risk assessment whatsoever! "After what happened in the prison, there's no way that place will be safe! How is it acceptable to bring a group of CHILDREN there!?"
"We have to save our friends." Ren told Toshiro, without budging.
"I-I understand that, but..." Toshiro grunted, feeling conflicted.
"It looks like everyone else is in agreement." Sophia said.
"Feel free to wait here if you don't feel like joining us." Morgana told Toshiro, with a biting tone.
"Even I think I should go along. It all seems so exciting." Ichinose snickered. Although this just made everyone nervous.
Eventually, Toshiro let out a defeated sigh. "As a responsible adult...I could never let minors wander into danger like this. Even if there are other adults present...I would regret if anything happened that I could have prevented. So, fine then! I will accompany you all on this mission!"
"Hold on. Do you have any means of self defense whatsoever? Because I am NOT lugging around your dead weight." Mika pointed at Toshiro, who replied with...
"Of COURSE I can't fight!" Toshiro exclaimed proudly. "However, I CAN guide you all through the base!" And it was this comment that stopped a collective groan to fill the walls of Leblanc.
Erina practically rushed up to Toshiro with this new information. "You can!?"
"As I've said before, 'I've already been inside the armory." Toshiro said calmly. "Not only do I know the general interior layout, but I kept a mental note of the gates with lighter security."
"Way to bury the lead..." Zenkichi couldn't help but roll his eyes. Here they were, trying to figure out their next steps, and Toshiro was sitting on vital information! Then again, Toshiro was a politician...
"Hmph! I even eavesdropped on every guard's conversation. I have a great deal of experience listening to others." Toshiro struck his cool pose once again. He was very, very proud of this.
"Real proud of that one, huh..." Morgana gave Toshiro a stare.
"This man is a politician alright..." Ichinose said. Everyone could agree to that.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?" Toshiro grunted, before shaking that comment off. No, he couldn't let Ichinose get to him...! "Listen to me - nothing we do will make our mission any less dangerous. If you get even the remote sense you're in trouble, retreat to the hideout immediately, got it? Hasegawa-san, you're the only adult that fights on the same level with them. So I'm counting on you to make a correct judgement call."
Zenkichi let out a quiet sigh. "Alright." He did knew how the Phantom Thieves were. He wasn't too worried, but if it would secure Toshiro's cooperation and cease his worries, he'd take the deal.
"Then it's settled." Ren said, making way towards the door. "Let's do this."
.
.
The group made their way to the armory. As expected, the path to it was blocked off by a group of Legionnaires. They held a defensive formation and it was clear they had no intention of letting anyone through. "This is the path to the armory." Toshiro said, gulping.
"Through there, huh?" Wolf looked ahead.
"Yeah, but they're not going to make it easy for us. We're not having a leisurely walk inside." Toshiro gestured to the elevated platforms. "Look at those. There aren't a lot of places for cover."
"That's fine, we can easily climb on and jump across!" Panther said with a jovial smile. "You'll be able to keep up too, right?"
"Oh, hey! That's a great idea!" Erina was agreeing with this. It wasn't something she considered before!
"Does it LOOK like I can handle a circus like that!?" Toshiro shouted. With the exception of Ichinose, who was simply bringing up the rear, he was the only one with no athletic ability whatsoever! In fact, at the thought of marching through an active battlefield had his knees shaking.
"No, not at all." Oracle shook her head. Nobody was counting on Toshiro for anything physically right now. "Alright, guys. Let's do what we can to clear a path for Toshiro!"
"Leave it to us!" Sophie and Violet said in unison.
"R-Right! I'm sure you'll do your very best to protect me!" Toshiro quickly nodded. "...You'll do your very best to protect me, right?"
"Just stay out of our way." Crow spat before rushing off ahead with Joker. The others went off ahead as well, with the exception of Dragon and Ichinose.
"Aren't you going ahead?" Toshiro asked.
To that, Dragon shook her head, motioning for Toshiro to follow her. Ichinose was keeping a healthy distance to not get in the way, but also remain hidden. "I am the Shield of the Phantom Thieves. As such, it is my duty to ensure no harm comes to you, Ichinose, or anyone."
"The shield? I didn't think that kind of position existed within the Phantom Thieves." Toshiro furrowed his brow. If this girl was shield, that meant she had to have taken a lot of hits...
"Oh, yes. Dragon is pretty good at taking hits." Ichinose said, confirming Toshiro's suspicions.
"What!? You are not making me feel any better about this!" Toshiro looked to Dragon with a look of shock. Dragon was still a teenager at the end of the day; she had no business fighting like this, let alone taking hits for everyone else. "Are you sure you're okay with this? If you feel like you're taking too much damage, it's important to re-"
"I will never yield!" Dragon shook her head. "I know my limits, but if they are not enough. I will surpass them. I've experienced many hardships in this role I've chosen for myself. So worry not, Toshiro-san. As long as my shield remains, you will not be harmed." Of course, she would omit the times she almost died because of it.
"..." Toshiro remained silent. He wasn't sure how to feel, with this girl placing so much responsibility upon herself. These battles were life and death, and Dragon was willing to put herself at the center of it all to protect another. Admirable, but...
"Look." Ichinose spoke, actually getting serious for a change. The fact her tone changed caught Toshiro's attention, because it felt like she was only half paying attention to everything going on. "I understand you're still getting used to this, but you're better off accepting how capable they are. Pushing against them at every turn isn't going to do anything. Why do you think they rebel against people like you anyway? Hell, or even me."
"Fighting back is what the Phantom Thieves do best." Dragon said confidently. "We've fought many perilous battles, and we have emerged victorious at every turn. This battle and those ahead will be no different, I assure you." She turned her head back to the battle. Crow just used Hereward to send an explosion of curse magic to a few soldiers. This created an opening for Toshiro and Ichinose, which Dragon was going to lead them through. "This way!"
"R-Right...!" Toshiro gulped. He couldn't move nearly as fast as a Phantom Thief. Ichinose wasn't exactly fast either, so they had to scurry along while remaining in cover.
"Over there!" A Legionnaire noticed Dragon leading the two non combatants. He pointed his gun towards the cover they took, and Dragon was ready to intercept. However, Erina skewered the enemy with her spear before they had a chance to fire. "Gaaaaah!"
"We've got you covered!" Erina said with a grin. Another one tried to shoot at Dragon, but Viper was quick to take it down as well.
"You don't lie a hand on my Dragon-chan!" Viper hissed.
"We've been over this...!" Panther growled. "She's not yours!"
"Nice work!" Joker leapt into the air, right into a crowd of large Slammer enemies. Raoul appeared behind Joker and slammed into the ground, creating a shockwave of curse magic that blew the Slammers back in separate directions. They were all down, and before they even had the chance to recover...
"Come forth, my other half!" Mona exclaimed, spinning around while releasing a large twister thanks to Diego's help. This wind pushed the Slammers back even further and defeated them before they could cause any trouble. This allowed Dragon to lead Toshiro and Ichinose further along the path.
"Not bad so far." Wolf said while slashing a soldier, cutting them down to size in a heartbeat. He looked over to see how the others were doing. He had nothing to worry about, of course. But for Toshiro's sake, he did have to at least look out for them a bit more than usual.
"The path is clear!" Oracle reported.
"Of course!" Dragon was going to beeline towards the point to clear a path. But at that moment, a Slammer appeared directly in front of her. It swung its fist at her, and with wide eyes, she took the full hit. She slid back with a wince, grunting from the impact of the heavy fist. Even though she resisted physical attacks, that one hurt. "Ooof..."
"Oh, I knew it was a bad idea to let her take the charge...!" Toshiro was just about to retreat a bit because things looked back, but Ichinose grabbed him by the back of his collar. "I'm not about to watch as a young girl gets-!" And before Toshiro could finish that though, Dragon did what she liked to do best; drop a Megidoloan on things that inconvenienced her. It was an exceptional bit of magic, but thanks to Sub-Personas, it was less taxing than before. "W-Wh...!?"
"Yeah, she likes to do that." Panther said with a dreamy sigh, before hugging Dragon. This did embarrass Dragon a little since it was in front of everyone, but she hugged back.
"Is everyone alright?" Sophie glanced at everyone, taking note of no noticeable injuries.
"We're fine to keep going." Crow crossed his arms. "Oracle...have you picked up any signs of Noir or Skull?"
To that, Oracle shook her head with a frown. "I was looking for them this whole time, but I haven't picked up their signals yet."
"It's no surprise you haven't detected them yet. I assume Marie has them guarding the deepest part of the armory." Toshiro surmised. "They weren't there when I was taken through here. But since your arrival, and based on what you all can do...that's the only place I can imagine they are."
"Of course they wouldn't make it easy for us." Violet sighed. But she shook it off and balled her hands into fists. "Let's go. They're waiting for us, after all!"
.
.
The Phantom Thieves pushed through the armory. Thanks to Toshiro's guidance, they were able to make it through what was an otherwise difficult building. "That's the last enemy. We're in the clear for now." Oracle reported.
"We're really making good progress, thanks to you, Toshiro! Well done!" Panther beamed. She did have some doubts about this guy, still. But he was coming through for them right now.
"Heh, leave it to me." Toshiro replied coolly. "I'll guide you all to safety. Not only that, I've also devised a surefire escape route - I recommend we test it as a group immediately."
"We just got here!" Viper groaned. How Toshiro managed to fumble any smidge of respect was a mystery and a wonder.
"What she said." Erina gestured to Viper. "Since we don't want to lose our best fighters and compromise our forces, you'll have to go back on your own."
"I certainly don't want to turn back now. This is so exciting!" Ichinose said with her usual lighthearted tone.
Ack-! Completely abandoned. Toshiro gulped and decided to press onward. "Let's press onward! Follow me!" And so, he went off.
"...This guy is such an open book." Oracle groaned.
"I'm really glad he's not the only adult we have with us right now." Joker sighed.
"He's responsible in his own way." Wolf said, fairly. "I can't say I fully agree with everything he says, but I know where it comes from. He's trying to be responsible and keep you kids safe...even if he's going about it all wrong."
"I'm sure he'll learn." Ichinose had her hands in her coat pockets. "I wonder when I get to use the gun I choose..."
"...Gramps. I'm really happy you're the only responsible adult we have right now." Oracle said with a chill going down her spine. Ichinose was scaring them.
"...Yeah. Me too." Wolf said with a sweat drop. The group continued into the depths of the armory...there wasn't an enemy in sight. But in the middle of the deepest room, there was one of Marie's flags...
"Look!" Sophie pointed ahead. "It's one of those flags!"
"This appears to be the deepest room..." Erina took a glance around.
"...I'm picking up two readings nearby!" Oracle reported. "...Are they hiding in here?"
"I swear, if they pop like 'ahahahaha!' I don't know what I'll do..." Panther sighed.
"I'm so tired of that ugly laugh..." Viper shook her head.
"I don't want to hear that laugh again for as long as I live..." Dragon was in agreement with the two of them.
And on that cue...
"AHAHAHAHAHA!" It was Noir, springing up out of nowhere to confront the group.
"NOOOOO!" Panther cried out. The Noir jump scare also startled her greatly. Noir was the one person you didn't want sneaking up on you!
"I can hardly believe you scuttled your way here instead of crawling back into whatever hole you came from!" Noir said haughtily. Whatever bloodlust Noir normally felt, felt amplified with Marie's cruel attiude mixed into it.
Skull slowly sauntered beside Noir, hands on his hips as he looked at the Phantom Thieves. "Mindless vermin like yourselves are easy enough to round up, though. Time for you to welcome your new master!"
"Go to hell." Crow spat.
"Noir! Skull!" Dragon pointed her staff forward. "Vile witch, you would do well to release our friends this very instant! I promise you, it will not end well for you when we finally besiege your castle!"
"What she said!" Violet added.
"This is a problem..." Joker took a defensive stance. This was, quite possibly, the most difficult duo they could ever run into under any circumstance. "Noir is already problematic, but coupled with Skull? I'm not looking forward to this."
"Surely they can't be that bad...!" Toshiro gulped. In his eyes, nothing would be worse than what Panther did to him, with the whip.
"Oh, it is that bad." Ichinose said, quickly dragging Toshiro behind some cover. "You see the girl with the axe? She loves to kill things."
"WHAT!?" Toshiro yelped.
"That's why she's probably our biggest issue..." Crow grit his teeth. "Her bloodlust is on par with my own. But she's better at controlling it..."
Noir was scary on her own, and Skull was a bruiser tank. These two already worked extremely well together under normal circumstances, and now they were going to be a formidable force to deal with. "Yes...this will not be easy."
"Hey, lady!" Panther shouted at Skull and Noir, fully aware Marie was listening to them. "Get your filthy mind powers out of our friends, NOW!"
"Release them!" Sophie said while getting her yo-yos at the ready.
"We'll make you regret it if you don't!" Violet pointed her rapier forward.
"You're being too soft!" Viper stepped forward, pointing aggressively at Skull and Noir. "Hey, BITCH! Let them go!"
In response to this, and Viper's vulgar words, Noir recoiled with an irritated glare. "You idiotic girls! Every single one of my subjects should feel NOTHING but gratitude for this!"
Skull's hand was placed near his mouth, and he laughed a little. "But very, very soon, you won't be worrying about any of that. All you'll do is obey every order from your beautiful, charming master."
"And what more could mindless vermin every hope for in life?" Noir added. Both she and Skull then proceeded to laugh. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"I'm gettin' real tired of that goddamn laugh..." Wolf said while getting his greatsword ready. He had yet to lay eyes on Marie, but she was pissing him off with her callous use of these kids he'd come to care about. Enough was enough. "Hang in there, Sakamoto and Okumura. We're here to help."
"Alright, everyone!" Joker looked back at his team, then to their controlled friends. "We're getting our two powerhouses back! Let's do this!"
