Phantom Files Book 2: Rise Of The Monarchs

by sithlorde1988

The sequel to Persona 5-The Phantom Files. A few years after Ren returns home, the Phantom Thieves find themselves drawn back into the Metaverse once again out of nowhere after a mysterious app surfaces with the powers to access the Metaverse. Can the Phantom Thieves stop a mysterious new group of individuals called Monarchs? Better summary in chapter 1! BOTH STORY AND EDITS DONE!

5. VS Lock Keeper 1! Crew Reunites part 5

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Phantom Files Book 2: Rise Of The Monarchs! Not really got a lot to say this time around, so let's get on with the disclaimer, yeah?

Disclaimer: I, sithlorde1988, do not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (excluding the OC Kusa/Draconis, along with any other OCs that appear in the story, all of which are made by, and therefore belong to, me unless otherwise noted), and the actual ownership credit for the Persona series belongs to Sega, Atlus, and Koei Tecmo (at least insofar as the spinoffs like Strikers, Phantom X, Tactica, the 'Dancing' games, the 'Arena' games, and the 'Q' games are concerned), so all credit to them!

At this point, I think due to a lack of much else to say, let's get on with chapter 5, yeah? I'll try to have a longer A/N after the chapter to make up for this one being a bit shorter, so keep an eye open for that afterwards! Now, on with chapter 5!

Chapter 5- The Distraction Ploy! Overcoming the Roadblock! The Crew Reunites part 5

(In the attic of Leblanc, with Morgana, Ann, Futaba, Haru, Makoto, Yusuke, Ryuji, Sophia, Sumire, and Ren)

"Well, this is it, everyone. Time to make this distraction happen and get that wall down. Is everyone ready for this?" Ren said as everyone else nodded before Morgana spoke up with a smile on his face.

"Ren is right, everyone! All right, it's time. Everyone remember their roles?" Morgana asked as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. Yusuke, myself, and Ryuji are gonna destroy the searchlights." Ann said as Ryuji smirked and spoke up while pumping a fist.

"Heh, no worries there! We'll mess 'em up quick!" Ryuji said as Futaba spoke up.

"Meanwhile, as Inari, Ann, and Ryuji take out the searchlights, I will be hacking into the control panel, with both Haru and Makoto watching my back, along with Inari, Ann, and Ryuji, once the searchlights are out of the picture." Futaba said as Yusuke spoke up.

"And then finally, both Morgana and Sophia will act as a secondary diversion to help draw the enemy's attention from the rest of us, working in tandem with Ren and Sumire to do so, as the latter two are our primary diversion." Yusuke said as Makoto spoke up with a nod.

"Correct. And while Futaba's hacking that panel, those of us in charge of protecting her are not to let a single Shadow get past us." Makoto said as Haru spoke up cheerfully.

"No worries there either!" Haru said cheerfully, causing Sumire to wince at the sadistic smile she saw on Haru's face and speak up.

"Um, should we be a bit worried at how cheerfully you said that while having that sadistic smirk on your face, Haru?" Sumire asked. Futaba spoke up before Haru could answer Sumire's question, however.

"As long as she doesn't turn that on us, it's irrelevant, Sumire. Anyways, back on topic. Okay! Those of you tasked with protecting me are gonna be lifesavers! I swear I'll drop that wall, no matter what!" Futaba said as a 'BIP!' came from Sumire's phone as Sophia spoke up.

"As Yusuke said, my goal is to work with Morgana to draw most of the enemies elsewhere, thus reducing the amount of effort required for Ren and Sumire's distraction to work. Once I've lured a sufficient number of enemies elsewhere, Morgana and I will link back up with Ren and Sumire to finish the distraction ploy." Sophia said as Morgana nodded approvingly to Sophia's words and smiled at her before speaking up.

"Thanks, Sophia. I know I can trust you to have my back, but don't get too reckless out there. We're trying to draw the enemy away from the others, sure. But we're also not trying to put ourselves at risk too much while doing so. So let's not get too reckless, okay?" Morgana said as Sophia nodded and another 'BIP!' was heard as a smiling Sophia spoke up.

"Got it, Morgana. I won't be too reckless. I'll leave that to your discretion, since you've got the most experience out of the two of us. So guide us well, okay?" Sophia asked as Morgana nodded his agreement while Futaba spoke up.

"And finally, the linchpin to this whole operation is Ren and Sumire's distraction ploy." Futaba said as Ryuji grinned at Ren and Sumire and spoke up.

"You two are gonna be the stars of this distraction. So make it as flashy as possible, but don't get too wild with the distraction. Got it, Ren and Sumire?" Ryuji asked as Sumire huffed and spoke up.

"Yes, Ryuji. We get it. But you say that like we'd be doing something naughty in this distraction. But fortunately for all of us, Ren and I agreed that we'd keep the distraction as PG-13 as possible, if only because Sophia will be helping us with part of it and we don't want to scar her for life if we can avoid it." Sumire said as Ren nodded his agreement before Morgana spoke up.

"Good call, Sumire. After all, Sophia's only going to remain innocent for so long as it is. No sense in rushing her to lose that. Anyways, it's time to move out. We're carving a path all the way to Alice's castle!" Morgana said as the group nodded and entered the Metaverse...

(In the Metaverse, with Joker. Mona, Skull, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Violet, and Seeker)

As Joker prepared for his part of the distraction with Violet, Mona spoke to him over a comms chat.

"Seeker and I are in position, Joker. Got the plan down pat?" Mona asked as Joker spoke up with a nod.

"Yep. Violet and I are ready and in position." Joker said as Mona spoke up.

"Right. Then let's go!" Mona said as Joker nodded and spoke up while leaping into action with Violet.

"All right! Let's do this!" Joker said as he leapt down to start his part of the plan with Violet, who nodded and followed Joker silently. As the two leapt from rooftop to rooftop in a stealthy and nimble manner, Queen spoke up over the comms chat.

"Here we go, everyone. It's almost time." Queen said as Skull spoke up next.

"Truth, babe! Yeah. Let's do this!" Skull said as Joker leapt over to look down at the gathered Shadows with a smug smirk, ignoring the fond shake of Violet's head next to him at how predictably cocky and over-confident Joker could be. Joker knew that Violet still loved him despite his flaws, though. At that point, Oracle spoke up.

"Careful, Joker! We got one comin' up!" Oracle said as Joker nodded, right as a masked helicopter flew up and flashed a light in both Joker and Violet's faces, making them have to briefly shield their eyes to avoid having visual damage. Once Joker and Violet were both able to see again, they heard an ominous whirring sound before having to scatter to avoid the barrage of rapid gunfire aimed at the both of them. Fox spoke up as Joker and Violet dodged around the gunfire.

"It's starting!" Fox said as Queen spoke up.

"I see. In that case, we're on! Fox, Panther, Skull! You know what you have to do! Noir, with me! Time for us to go to work!" Queen said, taking point and divvying up the orders for the group as the acting tactician in Draconis' absence. Noir nodded and spoke up.

"Right. Let's go!" Noir said as Joker and Violet exchanged nods before they both slid their heels into the window of a building to start skidding along the front of it as the helicopter from before flew into view once more, requiring Joker and Violet to gracefully and nimbly dodge the bullets flying at them. After exchanging another nod, Violet kept heading towards the ground while Joker leapt forward onto the helicopter, using a conveniently placed bar on the bottom to pull himself up onto the masked helicopter, flipping onto the top of it as he reached for the mask of the helicopter, slowly yanking it free in a splash of pinkish-red blood.

Joker grunted as he triumphantly hoisted the removed mask up above his head like a trophy as the helicopter started to lose altitude, eventually crashing straight to the ground and causing a massive tower of flames to erupt as it exploded on hitting the ground, blocking Joker temporarily from view as he backflipped away from the plane in time to avoid getting caught in the blast radius.

After getting clear of the explosion, Joker eventually ended up doing a superhero landing in a cat-like manner in front of the flaming remains of the helicopter, much to the relief of Violet, who'd thought Joker had gotten killed in the explosion at first before sighing as she saw Joker land in front of the flaming wreckage of the helicopter. At that point a small fleet of police cars seemed to surround Joker, as countless masked Shadows in police uniforms filed out and a stunned Seeker spoke up.

"Whoa, that's crazy. There's a lot of them, isn't there, Mona?" Seeker asked as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed there are, Lady Seeker. But if we can trust anyone to handle that large of an army, it's Violet and Joker! Outside of maybe Crow and Draconis, they're one of our most fearsome tag-team duos. So I have faith, pun not intended, that they can hold their own until we get there to back them up." Mona said as Joker exchanged a nod with Violet, who smiled and brandished her rapier at the same time that Joker smugly brandished his knife, as the two prepared to face the army of Shadows, hoping as they did so that Mona and Seeker were doing their part to try and draw some of the enemies towards them. Oracle then spoke up.

"Good luck! They're all yours, Joker!" Oracle said as a fight started! At the start of the battle, Mona spoke up over comms chat.

"All right, let's begin the operation!" Mona said as Oracle spoke up next.

"Well done, you two! That was one hell of an entrance, Violet and Joker! They're all riled up! Just keep at it, you two! Go ham until you've driven every last bit of attention!" Oracle said as Violet spoke up with a wince.

"You do realize you just gave Joker an open invitation to show off, right? So if he gets extra cocky after this, I get to blame you for it, Oracle." Violet said bluntly as Joker smirked at Violet and spoke up.

"Relax, beautiful. I'll do my best to keep the showing off to a minimum this time. So, ready to help me put on a show?" Joker said as Violet smiled and nodded while she spoke up.

"To help you put on a show, Joker? Always!" Violet said as Oracle spoke up over the comms.

"Everyone else, do your assigned jobs! Leave the diversion to Joker and Violet, along with Mona and Seeker once they finish their part." Oracle said as Skull spoke up.

"Got it! All right, leave the searchlights to Fox, myself, and Panther." Skull said as Panther spoke up next.

"Very well executed, you two! I don't even think Skull could have pulled it off this well!" Panther said as Skull groaned and spoke up.

"Oh, come on! Why am I still gettin' my effin' balls busted here!? At least Draconis doesn't act like a dick to me anymore, so that's good." Skull said as Violet spoke up over the comms.

"Yes, well, Draconis is also not here at the moment. Plus, I feel like you could've been wrecked way worse than you were, so cheer up, yeah?" Violet said before turning to face Joker as she kept speaking, a note of concern in her voice as she spoke.

"Joker, are we sure Seeker can handle drawing that many enemies to her?" Violet asked in concern as Joker smiled and spoke up.

"Violet, relax. I trust her to handle herself. Besides, she's got Mona with her. And if there's anyone I trust to have Seeker's back, it's him. So let's not worry about them and focus on our task, yeah?" Joker said as Violet smiled and spoke up with a nod.

"Right. Let's do it, Joker." Violet said as the two charged into battle. As they fought off the Shadows, they heard the others speak up over comms chat.

"Way to go, Joker! You're big-time drawing all the enemy aggro to you! But be careful, since they're preparing to swarm you and Violet! Try and hang in there, you two. I'm doing my best to hack this thing. Not much longer!" Oracle said as Mona spoke up.

"I trust Violet to have Joker's back. Meanwhile, Seeker and I are making good progress on our end. We've almost got our half of the enemies lured out of the way, at which point we'll dispose of them and catch up to Joker and Violet. For now, just keep it up! I'm proud of you two for handling that many enemies all by yourselves, Joker and Violet!" Mona said as Violet smirked and spoke up into the comms chat while fighting off a bunch of enemies.

"Naturally. Or did you all forget that you called us the power couple of the Phantom Thieves for a reason?" Violet said as she and Joker kept fighting the enemies. At that point, Skull spoke up.

"All right, searchlight destruction team in place. We're just waitin' on the signal!" Skull said as Queen spoke up.

"Copy that. Noir and I don't see many enemies on our end either." Queen said as Noir smiled and spoke up.

"Then that means that Seeker and Mona's plan to split the distraction work with Joker and Violet is working well. That's our Joker, Mona, Seeker, and Violet!" Noir said as Joker and Violet kept fighting off the enemies. At that point, Oracle spoke up.

"I'm just about to the terminal. Time to do my stuff. Mona, take over navigation, will you?" Oracle said as Mona spoke up.

"Got it. Lady Seeker and I are just about done eliminating our part of the enemies, too. Joker, be careful! The enemies are starting to ramp up their game! Good luck with your hacking!" Mona said as Oracle spoke up.

"Careful, Joker! More enemies are incoming!" Oracle said as Joker nodded and kept holding off the enemies. As he and Violet kept fighting off the enemies, he heard more chatter over the comms chat.

"Keep going, Joker! You're doing great! You and Violet both! Their numbers are increasing, but you're keeping a good pace." Mona said as Oracle spoke up.

"Hang in there a bit longer! I'm still working on it!" Oracle said as Skull spoke up.

"You are!? I thought you'd be done a bit sooner than that, being a super-hacker an' all, Oracle." Skull said as Queen spoke up.

"Be that as it may Skull, even Oracle has limits. But I will say that Noir and I have had a pretty easy time of it keeping Oracle safe." Queen said as Mona spoke up.

:And you're both doing well. We're getting there." Mona said as Fox spoke up.

"Could you imagine if we had to do this all the time?" Fox said as Violet spoke up.

"I'd rather not, Fox. It's bad enough that Joker and I currently have our hands full here." Violet said as Noir spoke up.

"Sounds scary, Violet. Now you've got me thinking about if it'd happen in the real world." Noir said as she kept driving back Shadows with Joker while Seeker spoke up.

"Mona and I are just about finished here. How's it going on your end, Oracle?" Seeker asked as Oracle spoke up.

"Getting close to finished here. Aaand, as the cherry on top? Mwehehe, enjoy your Oracle Virus Parfait, chumps!" Oracle said as Mona suddenly spoke up.

"OK? If you say so? Hm? Look out! We've got incoming! Joker, hang tight! Seeker and I are headed your way now!" Mona said as Joker and Violet frowned as they heard the motors of approaching enemy reinforcements as at least a dozen police vehicles arrived on the scene, forcing both Joker and Violet to nimbly dodge out of the way of incoming attacks.

And while Joker and Violet were busy dodging, the rest of the group wound up finding themselves boxed in by enemy reinforcements as another small army of police Shadows poured from the vehicles, all shifting into Shadows, such as Bicorn, Pixie, and Jack-O-Lanterns, to name a few of the different Shadows staring down Joker and Violet. Right as Joker and Violet exchanged a resolute nod, Oracle spoke up over comms chat.

"We made it! Let's rock, Joker and Violet!" Oracle said as right at that same time an explosion echoed nearby, making Joker and Violet turn their heads in time to see a nearby searchlight explode and drop down on the fleet of vehicles in front of the wall, causing a wall of flames as several of the cars exploded on contact with the searchlight, leaving Joker and Violet to exchange confused looks. However, their confusion wouldn't last long as three figures leapt out of the flames, revealing themselves as being a grinning Panther, Skull, and Fox, the latter of which smirked rather than grinned as the trio landed next to Joker and Violet while Skull spoke up.

"Yo, we late to the party, Joker?" Skull asked as Violet spoke up with a smirk.

"Nah, you're right on time, Skull. And besides, being fashionably late is totally Panther's job." Violet said teasingly as Panther giggled and spoke up.

"Heh, well, you know how it is, Violet. I do my best." Panther said coyly. At that point, Skull, Fox, and Panther lined up back to back with Joker and Violet as the now quintet stared down the Shadows and leapt into battle. As they did so, they wasted little time in whittling down the enemy's numbers considerably. As this happened, a smirking Oracle spoke up from inside of Al Azif.

"Heh, nice moves, you guys. But, how d'you like this? Mwehehe! Aaaand, a-boop." Oracle said as she typed on her virtual keypad and hit a button, causing the wall to start sparking violently as it crackled with electricity, lowering just in time to show a resolute Queen staring down the Shadows before gunning Anat's motor as she charged full-speed into the Shadows, scattering the ones that remained into smaller groups for the Thieves to have easier access to eliminating.

As she did that, a duo of figures leapt out of the shadows behind Makoto, as a yo-yo could be seen flying forwards into the closest Shadows, tying them up as a smirking Mona leapt forward, scimitar flying furiously ahead of him to cut the tied-up Shadows down into black mist as he and Seeker leapt into the battle, while behind them, Noir charged into the fray, her trusty axe in hand as she swung furiously at the nearest Shadows to her.

As she hit the nearest Shadows, Noir wasted no time in cutting them down before slamming her axe into the ground and creating a shockwave that lifted all the nearby Shadows off their feet and scattered them. As this happened, Joker smirked and leapt up, pulling his mask off and speaking up.

"It's time, everyone! Let's finish this! PERSONA! COME, RAOUL!" Joker said as he ripped his mask off and summoned Raoul as the others nodded and spoke up, following Joker's lead, starting with Violet, who smiled and spoke up.

"I see. Don't think you're leaving me out of this, Joker! DANCE, ELLA!" Violet said as she summoned Ella. Skull smirked and spoke up.

"Nice! Let me get in on this! LET'S GO, SEITEN TAISEI!" Skull said as Panther spoke up.

"LET'S DANCE, HECATE!" Panther said as she summoned forth Hecate. Fox smirked at this and spoke up.

"I see. Now it's my turn. COME, KAMU SUSANO-O!" Fox said as he summoned forth Kamu Susano-o. Queen smirked and spoke up.

"LET'S CHARGE, ANAT!" Queen said as she revved Anat's motor while Oracle spoke up.

"ORACLE HERE! I'M GOOD TO GO INSIDE OF AL AZIF!" Oracle said from inside of Al Azif as Noir spoke up.

"LET'S WALTZ INTO BATTLE, ASTARTE!" Noir said as she summoned Astarte while Mona spoke up.

"Don't forget me! SHOW YOUR MIGHT, DIEGO!" Mona said as he summoned Diego into the fight. Seeker smiled and spoke up.

"Ooh, that looks fun! Let me try! PITHOS, ACTIVATE!" Seeker said as she called on Pithos. At that point, the summoned Personas, or weapon in the case of Pithos, exchanged a nod and flew forward, launching their best moves at the horde of Shadows, creating a crater in the ground where the moves hit, doing massive damage to the Shadows. As Raoul did a superhero landing, Joker's mask reappeared on his face and he gave a smug smirk as he fixed his gloves.

As the group gathered together, Panther spoke up with a closed-eye smile from in the second wave of battlers, where she was placed with Fox, Seeker, and Mona, while Joker had himself, Violet, Skull, Queen, and Noir on the front lines in the first wave.

"Thank goodness we made it in time!" Panther said as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Truth, Panther! And good job, you two! That couldn'ta gone better, Violet and Joker!" Skull said as Seeker spoke up.

"Agreed. Mona and I have returned from our diversion. The plan appears to have been a success." Seeker said as Mona smiled and spoke up.

"Well, to be fair, our part of the plan was your idea, Lady Seeker. So of course it was a success." Mona said as Violet smiled and spoke up.

"Let's just say we all did well and move on, yeah? We don't really have the time to pat each other on the backs, so to speak, just now. We are still fighting off Shadows, are we not?" Violet asked as Oracle spoke up.

"Good point, Violet. Also, hey! Great hustle, Mona and Seeker! Now all we hafta do is storm the castle!" Oracle said as Joker spoke up.

"That, and deal with this small army of pests blocking our path forward." Joker said with a wry smirk as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Well said, Joker! Now the real fight begins! Let's mop up the rest of these Shadows so we can get to 705!" Mona said as the group nodded and charged into battle. As the group split off to take on the clusters of Shadows, they exchanged a resolute nod. After a short-lived struggle, the Shadows were defeated and Oracle spoke up.

"Well done! The path's clear! And the barrier's down! Let's get going while we still can!" Oracle said as the group charged forward into 705, only to stop short as they saw that not all of the searchlights were off. Panther frowned as she spoke up with a look of confusion on her face.

"Huh? They're still powered, despite our taking all the cores?" Panther said as Oracle spoke up.

"These aren't the ones we turned off. Those're the ones up where we climbed, over there." Oracle said as Fox spoke up in recognition.

"Ah yes, that's right. The elevated area with the turret, was it not? Let us depart then. Well, let's be on our way." Fox said as the group kept moving. After getting back up towards the turret that Fox had mentioned, Noir spoke up.

"Oh! The searchlights are down! We can keep going now!" Noir said as Oracle spoke up.

"Perfect! Time to breach the enemy stronghold!" Oracle said as the group kept moving. After moving past the first searchlight area, Seeker spoke up as the group proceeded forward.

"Hm? The searchlights in the area ahead are still active." Seeker said as Mona smirked and spoke up.

"Yeah, but those ones are automated, and don't have a power source we can take. Even so, this should be a breeze for Joker. He can slip right past 'em! He's rather slick like that. Though, to be honest? You were pretty slick yourself out there, Lady Seeker. You kept dodging the enemies like a pro, and you actually looked like a ninja out there fighting them." Mona said to Seeker, who shyly smiled and spoke up.

"R-Really? Thank you, Mona. Praise received." Seeker said happily as the group kept moving. After navigating a few more sections, the group found their path forward blocked by another masked helicopter, which spoke up in a feminine-sounding voice.

"So you're the ones defiling this kingdom and going against Her Majesty's wishes. It matters not. You will go no further. Once you are dead, Her Majesty can be at ease!" The masked helicopter said before shifting forms into a female being that Joker only recognized thanks to previously fusing it as a Succubus. Violet winced and spoke up.

"Ugh. Of course Alice has skanky-looking women in her security detail. Can't we just end that thing already?" Violet said as Oracle spoke up.

"Careful, Violet! I respect the sentiment, but this one's really tough! So proceed with caution, everyone!" Oracle said as the battle began! As the battle started, the horde of Shadows that the now-identified 'Twilight Prostitute' summoned managed to separate Joker, Skull, and Mona from Violet and Seeker, who Joker had swapped to the front lines alongside Mona while sending Noir and Queen to the second wave and keeping Skull up front.

As the guys fought off the smaller Shadows, Violet and Seeker looked at each other and nodded as they used their respective Persona/weapon in Ella and Pithos to pelt the 'Twilight Prostitute' with a torrent of Bless damage, after Oracle confirmed that the 'Twilight Prostitute' had weaknesses to Gun, Wind, and Bless skills. While doing damage to the enemy, Seeker looked at Violet and spoke up.

"Shall we finish this, Violet?" Seeker asked as Violet nodded and gave Seeker a proud smile as she spoke up.

"Indeed we shall!" Violet said as she and Seeker had Ella and Pithos combine their strongest Bless skills into one massive lance of Bless energy and spoke up together to initiate the combo strike.

"GO, TWIN BLESSED LANCE!" Seeker and Violet said as the lance flew into the chest of a horrified Twilight Prostitute, who could only groan as she dissolved into black mist to end the fight. After the fight, both Mona and Seeker hit level 11. The group then kept moving. After following the path a while longer, the group came to a large and imposing set of double doors. Oracle then spoke up wisely after analyzing the doors.

"This is it, guys. We can get inside from here." Oracle said as Mona spoke up.

"Got it. And once we get in the castle, we're headed straight for the roof. Are you ready, Joker?" Mona asked as Joker spoke up.

"Let's go." Joker said decisively. Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Oh? Well, all right! Let's go!" Mona said as the group kept moving. After getting inside, Oracle spoke up.

"All right, we're in!" Oracle said as Mona spoke up.

"Right! And I'm picking up that Treasure-like smell right above us, in the throne room. Let's go!" Mona said as the group went to head for the elevator in the middle of the room, only to be blocked by a large set of bars over the entryway to the elevator. Oracle winced at this and spoke up.

"Oof, it's locked up tight. But I think we can undo the lock. Joker, try finding a mechanism somewhere around here." Oracle said. As the group looked around for the mechanism that Oracle mentioned, both Panther and Violet winced as they saw that the switches appeared to be behind busts of female mannequins wearing black leather dresses with frilly black skirts. Violet frowned and spoke up.

"Do we really have to let the guys hit these switches? I'm not sure how I feel about watching Joker grope other girls, even if these are mannequins." Violet asked with a pout as Panther giggled and spoke up.

"Would you rather be the one to have to grope around on these mannequins to find the switches? I'd think that'd be more awkward for you, having to grope around on another female, even if it's just a mannequin." Panther said as Violet blushed in embarrassment and spoke up.

"It wouldn't be the first time I've done it, but you have a point, Panther." Violet said as Queen and Oracle exchanged shocked looks at this while Seeker tilted her head in confusion and spoke up.

"Violet's touched other girls before?" Seeker asked as Joker groaned and spoke up.

"Don't read too much into it, Seeker. Let's just say that our group has some rather wild sides to us. Sides that you're probably too young to understand. So just don't worry about it, okay?" Joker said as Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"Okay, got it. I will ignore anything I hear about Violet liking girls for now." Seeker said as the group kept moving. Joker then found a set of footprints that he followed to get the right order of switches to hit. Luckily for Joker, the switches were right on the backs of the mannequins, so he didn't have to touch anywhere too inappropriate to activate them. Once he'd hit the last one, a jingle played as the bars lowered and Oracle spoke up.

"Hey, that did it! Good sleuthing, Joker." Oracle said as Violet spoke up.

"Yes, well, Alice left a lot of clues for Joker to follow, so she made it super-easy for him." Violet said proudly. Oracle spoke up.

"Fair. Well, let's get on up." Oracle said as the group kept moving. After reaching the next level, the group found an elevator leading up, but before they could use it, they found themselves swarmed by Shadows as one of the sentries spoke up.

"Intruders! Get them!" The Shadow said as it shifted forms into an Andras as a second group spawned in and another Sentry spoke up.

"How dare you filth defy Her Majesty!?" The second Sentry said as it also shifted into an Andras while Oracle spoke up.

"Incoming! We're surrounded!" Oracle said as a battle started! After fighting off the waves of Shadows, the battle ended and Queen hit level 11 and gained the Nuke skill 'Mafrei'. Queen smirked as she spoke up.

"I've awakened to a new power!" Queen said as Anat acquired 'Mafrei'. In addition, Noir hit level 11 and gained the passive skill 'Technical Adept', which increased the damage dealt by Astarte's Technical hits. Noir smiled and spoke up.

"Oh, look! A new move!" Noir said happily as Astarte acquired 'Technical Adept'. After entering the elevator, and surviving a three minute long onslaught of enemies, the ensuing EXP put Mona and Seeker to level 12, the levels giving Seeker the light-tier Bless skill 'Makouha?', prompting Seeker to speak up.

"Oh! I've learned a new skill!" Seeker said in surprise as Mona spoke up.

"Well done, Lady Seeker! That means you're getting stronger!" Mona said proudly as Seeker smiled shyly and nodded as Pithos acquired 'Makouha?' and the group kept moving. Once they were off the elevator, Oracle spoke up.

"That was a pretty rough ride! Everyone holding up?" Oracle asked. Mona spoke up.

"We're fine as far as I can tell. However, I would guess from the increased attempts to end us that they really aren't messing around with us anymore." Mona said as Quene spoke up.

"Good point. In any case, we've gone quite a ways up already. So how much further to the top?" Queen asked as Oracle spoke up.

"There should be a stairwell on the other side of that door, Queen. SHOULD being the operative word there. As the group made for the door, a tough-looking Shadow spawned in and got the group's attention by speaking.

"Invasive filth! You'll never reach the royal hall! The cost of defying Her Majesty is your heads!" The 'Bodyguard Captain', as Oracle identified the tough Shadow, said before shifting forms into what Joker vaguely recognized as an Archangel. Oracle winced and spoke up.

"Hold on! Incoming! The exploring can wait until we know it's safe!" Oracle said as a fight started! As the group formed up, Joker smirked on hearing that the Archangel was weak to Curse moves, speaking up as he grabbed his mask.

"Weak to Curse, you say? Leave it to me! COME, RAOUL! SHOW THE ENEMY YOUR ACCURSED POWER!" Joker said as Raoul conjured a massive orb of Curse energy and hurled it at the Archangel, slamming it into the wall and dealing massive damage as the others combined their skills to turn it, along with the Shadows following it, into black mist. After the fight, Skull spoke up with wide eyes as the group reached the door.

"Aw, what the hell!? Now THIS door won't open!" Skull said as Oracle spoke up.

"That can't be right, can it? But this door leads to the stairwell as far as I know. Hmm? Maybe we should check outside? Could be worthwhile?" Oracle said as Violet spoke up.

"Ah, you mean the old 'take the outer path' approach? Seems viable to me." Violet said agreeably as the group kept moving. After Joker found a ledge and leapt up to an open window which the group exited through, Oracle spoke up.

"Oh, How about THIS way?" Oracle said as the group looked down to see they were standing on a heart-shaped platform. They then saw a bunch more as Oracle spoke up.

"Let's follow them, yeah? Let's see where they take us." Oracle said as Mona spoke up.

"I agree. That Treasure-like smell isn't far now. Let's get to the roof." Mona said as Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"Good plan, Mona. You're not only really strong, you're really smart too. I'm impressed." Seeker said eagerly as Violet groaned and spoke up.

"Ugh, PLEASE tell me that Seeker's not falling for Mona?" Violet said as Joker shrugged and spoke up.

"No clue, Violet. But if she is, she could do a lot worse. We both know Mona's nothing less than a gentleman, so she'd be in good hands with him." Joker said reassuringly as Violet reluctantly nodded and the group kept moving. After leaping from platform to platform, the group eventually reached the roof, where Mona spoke up.

"This is where the smell's coming from. Be ready for anything, guys." Mona said as a wide-eyed Fox spoke up.

"Okay, but is this some kind of giant birdcage?" Fox asked as Queen spoke up

"I dunno, but what is this doing here?" Queen asked as Skull spoke up with a frown.

"Truth, babe! And more to the point, where's Alice!?" Skull said as Noir frowned and spoke up.

"Hm. She doesn't seem to be here that I can see." Noir said as the others looked around before Panther spoke up in surprise.

"Hey, hey! Look!" Panther said, pointing upwards, as the others followed her finger up to an indescribable sort of white floating mist-like object above the group, causing a wide-eyed Mona to speak up.

"HUH!? Is that a Treasure!? Actually, no, ignore that. I can tell now, this is something completely different from a Treasure, though I'm not sure exactly what it is." Mona said as Seeker gasped and spoke up.

"Hm!? I hear something! Also, everyone? Hide! Shadows ahead!" Seeker said as the group hid in time to see a pair of Shadows ahead of them while Mona spoke up.

"What're they doing here?" Mona asked, as the group heard one of the sentries speak up.

"Have you brought all the Desires?" The first sentry said as the second sentry nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, sir. This is all of them so far." The second sentry said as a confused Mona spoke up.

"Desires, eh?" Mona said as the first sentry spoke up.

"Good. More are coming soon. Capture every last one of them, seize their Desires, and bring them here." The first sentry said as the second sentry nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, sir. Understood, sir." The second sentry said as Skull spoke up.

"Hey, those are Desires, aren't they?" Skull said as a wide-eyed Mona spoke up in shock.

"Those are Desires!?" Mona said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"No mistake there. Those are the same desires we saw the Shadows take out of those other people who were with us the day we got tossed into that garbage dump and met Seeker." Joker said as Violet nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. And Seeker was probably the best thing to come out of that whole ordeal." Violet said as Seeker beamed happily at Violet's praise while Skull spoke up.

"Yes, well, let's stay on topic, yeah? And yeah, they're the same as what we saw the other day." Skull said as the pile of Desires turned into the same mist as the big mist, floating up towards it as Panther gasped spoke up in confusion.

"Oh! Where'd they go!?" Panther asked as the group came back out of hiding after the Shadows left the area. Panther frowned and spoke up.

"What WAS all that, anyways?" Panther asked as Noir spoke up.

"If I heard what those Shadows said correctly, they said they were bringing Desires here, right?" Noir said as Panther nodded and spoke up.

"That's right. So those jewels are the Desires, then? They looked like they got sucked up into that light once they vanished." Panther said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, there's no question about it. That Treasure-like shimmering up there? That's the Desire." Mona said as a wide-eyed Fox spoke up.

"That is?" Fox said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"Well, we did hear that Alice was collecting them for some reason, didn't we?" Queen said as Skull nodded and spoke up.

"That's right, babe. But that was a pile of gems, wasn't it? So how come they turned into that shimmery thing?" Skull asked as Mona spoke up.

"Good question, Skull. Mind you, this is only speculation, but maybe that up there's the original form of a Desire? After all, people's Desires don't naturally have a single, concrete form. Because we all find our own desires precious, that could be why they look like gems here, if I had to guess. When the people had their Desires seized by the Shadows, they consciously felt them being taken, so the Desires took form then." Mona said as Oracle frowned and spoke up.

"But what turned them back into light? Their Desires are still stolen." Oracle asked as Mona spoke up.

"Maybe Alice is considered their owner no that they're in her birdcage here. Alice doesn't seem to believe they can be stolen back, so if I had to guess? I'd say that's why they turned back into their base form." Mona said as Queen spoke up.

"That does seem to follow logically, Mona." Queen said as Violet spoke up.

"Unfortunately. Somehow I'm not surprised that someone like Alice would want to hoard the Desires of others. As if she wasn't already cringy enough before." Violet said dryly as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Well said, Violet. But at any rate, if we reclaim the Desires and release them from this cage, the people may well return to normal." Fox said as Oracle nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, that's definitely worth a try." Oracle said as Seeker cutely tilted her head to the side in confusion and spoke up.

"One moment. I have a question. How does one steal light?" Seeker asked as Joker smiled and spoke up.

"Sorry, almost forgot that this is your first heist, Seeker. This is the part where we use what we call a 'calling card'." Joker said. Seeker blinked and spoke up.

"A calling card, you say? What is that?" Seeker asked. Mona winced, recalling that Seeker was still a newbie, and gave her a kind smile as he spoke up to clear up her confusion as best he could.

"That would take a bit to explain, Lady Seeker. Suffice it to say that it's how we make that shimmery light take material form. If we make the owner aware that someone is after their Treasure, it takes form in a solid steal-able form. In theory, Desires should work the same way. To do it, we send a calling card to our target that says we're going to steal whatever is most precious to them." Mona said as Seeker spoke up uncertainly.

"Okay. I've got it. I think?" Seeker said uneasily as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"Are we sure it'll work, though? This isn't a Palace with a Treasure, after all." Panther said as Fox spoke up.

"That's true, but let us consider a proverb that a wise person once said. 'Nothing is obtained without action.' We must at least try first before we give up." Fox said as Queen nodded and spoke up.

"Well said, Fox. For now, however, let's focus on securing our infiltration route." Queen said as Skull grinned and spoke up.

"Hell yeah! I'm gettin' there first!" Skull said, sprinting forward towards the cage, only to be stopped short as he ran into an invisible wall in the likeness of a prison cell's bars that glowed red and shocked him, making him groan in pain as he cried out.

"OWWWWWWWWW!" Skull said as both Violet and Queen spoke up in shock.

"SKULL!" Violet and Queen said as Noir spoke up while the rest of the group darted to his side.

"Are you okay!?" Noir asked as Queen spoke up in confusion and shock.

"What WAS that?" Queen asked as Oracle spoke up.

"Good question. I swear Skull ran into some kinda jail cell door. Is there another barrier?" Oracle said as Seeker frowned in confusion and spoke up.

"Hm? Am I going nuts, or am I hearing something?" Seeker asked before she walked forward as Oracle spoke up in shock.

"Seeker! Wait!" Oracle said, but her words fell on deaf ears as Seeker put her hand to the barrier as a flash of white light blinded the group as they heard a voice speak up.

"Ugh, would you just go away?" A prideful woman's voice said as a sarcastic woman's voice spoke up moments later.

"And what do you think you're doing, looking at the guys like that?" The sarcastic woman's voice said as a mocking woman's voice spoke up afterwards.

"She is like, suuuuch a waste of space, ya know?" The mocking woman's voice said as a spiteful woman's voice spoke up.

"Totally! She's such a loser, it hurts to look at her! Ahahaha!" The spiteful woman's voice said as a much more familiar voice spoke up, a slightly whimpering edge in their tone as they spoke up.

"No! Don't make fun of me! I just wanted to admire how hard the guys are working, that's all." Alice's voice could be heard saying as the white light receded and the group could see again. At that point, Skull frowned and spoke up.

"What the hell was that?" Skull asked as Noir spoke up with a frown.

"Ah, so you heard it too?" Noir said as Seeker spoke up with a frown.

"I think it was a memory hidden by the Monarch of this Jail." Seeker said with an almost sad look on her face, making Mona and Violet wince as they saw the expression on Seeker's face. Before either could speak up, Oracle beat them to it.

"Seeker, are you all right?" Oracle said as Seeker shook herself to focus, and then nodded while speaking up.

"I am fine. No problem here. However, I did figure something out. That memory we heard is the key to the barrier." Seeker said as Panther blinked and spoke up.

"It is? How's that?" Panther asked as Seeker spoke up.

"This cage is currently locked." Seeker said as the group looked up and noticed the giant lock on the cage they'd missed previously, making Noir blink as she spoke up.

"You're right, Seeker. It is locked! What's that doing there?" Noir asked as Seeker spoke up.

"If I'm right, it will require a key, which we will find in the room those voices came from. It will be some sort of secret room. But we can't find this room here. We need to return to reality for that." Seeker said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"Reality, you say? Why's that?" Skull asked as Seeker spoke up.

"Keep in mind this is all speculation and guesswork on my part, Skull. That said, if I'm correct, the room has been completely isolated. As such, its entrance exists only in the real world." Seeker said as a wide-eyed Skull spoke up.

"For real!? How'd you know all that? One of your programs or somethin'?" Skull asked as Seeker tilted her head to the side again and spoke up.

"I do not know. I merely sense it." Seeker said as Mona spoke up.

"Hmm. Maybe the lock on this cage is somehow linked to a lock in Alice's heart." Mona mused as Noir spoke up in surprise.

"Mona-chan?" Noir said questioningly as Mona spoke up.

"Never mind that for now. If Lady Seeker's right, what we heard just now is a memory of the Monarch that she's been repressing from others. That means it's extremely important to her. I have a feeling that memory's acting as the lock on her heart, keeping us from getting past that door." Mona said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"So the lock's an important memory, then?" Panther said as Mona spoke up.

"Correct. It's only natural that the key to this place would be hidden somewhere that no one would find." Mona said as Fox spoke up with a frown.

"I admit, that logic is indeed sound, Mona. But if you're right, how is it possible?" Fox asked as Mona spoke up with a shake of his head.

"Keep in mind this has all just been speculation so far, Fox. And I've never seen anything like this, either, to be honest." Mona said as Queen spoke up.

"Good point. And this could be another difference between the Palaces and this Jail." Queen said as Oracle turned to Seeker and spoke up.

"We can't reach the secret room in this world, you said, Seeker?" Oracle asked as Seeker nodded and spoke up with a smile.

"Correct. We must find the location in reality instead." Seeker said as Skull spoke up with a frown.

"And that would be where, exactly?" Skull asked as Seeker frowned and spoke up.

"My apologies, but I was unable to detect it." Seeker said sadly. As Mona frowned at the sad look on Seeker's face, Noir spoke up.

"That's okay, Seeker-chan. But it should be related to those voices somehow, right?" Noir asked as Oracle frowned and spoke up.

"Hmm, good point, Noir. I could be wrong in saying this, but was it just me, or didn't it sound like someone was getting bullied?" Oracle said as Violet spoke up.

"It sounded that way to me. And if the voice we heard at the end was any indication, I think the victim was Alice. But even if she did get bullied, that doesn't excuse what she did to us before." Violet said with a sad frown. Panther nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Violet. What was it the one girl accused Alice of? 'Looking at guys like that', wasn't it? So, maybe the victim was school age?" Panther suggested as a wide-eyed Noir spoke up.

"That could be!" Noir said as Oracle smiled at Panther while she pumped a fist and spoke up.

"Brilliant deduction, Panther!" Oracle said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"Aww, it wasn't anything that impressive. I'm just no stranger to hearing that kinda stuff, is all. Especially once Shiho and I made our relationship public knowledge." Panther said as Mona gave Panther a sympathetic look and spoke up.

"Panther, you poor thing. You've had it rough, haven't you?" Mona said understandingly as Seeker gave Mona a confused look at his comforting of Panther, but Queen spoke up before she could even begin to find the words to voice her confusion.

"If she's right, does that mean the key we need is somewhere in Alice's old school?" Queen asked as Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"That would be a logical assumption, Queen." Seeker said as Mona jumped up and down excitedly while he spoke up.

"All right, let's go do some investigating back in the real world next. We're gonna need a calling card, too. It looks like we've got our work cut out for us this time." Mona said as the group nodded and exited the Metaverse...

(Back in the real world, at the Accessway hideout with Ryuji, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Ann, Haru, Ren, Morgana, Sumire, and Sophia)

"What the what? How are there no results?" Futaba asked in confusion as she peered at the readout on her phone. Ann's eyes widened as she spoke up.

"Really? But isn't stuff like 'where celebs went to high school' easy to find online?" Ann asked as Futaba shook her head and spoke up.

"Usually? Yes, you'd be right. But this time? No hits, even on the underground sites. All I'm seeing is fake info from deluded fans. Even if she changed her name, there'd still be traces of that somewhere, usually." Futaba said as Ryuji spoke up in shock.

"For real? There's shit even YOU can't find, Futaba?" Ryuji asked as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Afraid so, Ryuji. Even so, this reeks of a serious scrub job. Someone, most probably her, intentionally hid her past." Futaba said as Yusuke winced and spoke up.

"Well, crap. This is quite the setback we've hit, isn't it? If we don't discover Alice's alma mater, we'll never find a way into that secret room." Yusuke said as Ann winced and spoke up with a frown.

"But, isn't it, like, impossible to just erase stuff from the internet on your own?" Ann asked as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Too bad Kusa isn't here, since I'm sure he'd at least have an idea of how to handle this. But he's not, so we'll have to make do. So, how else could we approach this?" Morgana asked as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Ooh, what if Mako-chan's sister looks into it for us? She's a prosecutor-turned-lawyer, right? So maybe she'll have access to useful intel we couldn't gather ourselves." Haru said as Morgana smlled and spoke up.

"Oh, that could work! Think it's doable, Makoto?" Morgana asked as Makoto winced and spoke up.

"I don't have a problem doing it, but how exactly would I go about asking? Personal information and histories are legally protected, so I doubt she'd readily agree to hand that over to us." Makoto said as Ryuji nodded and spoke up.

"Truth, babe. Yeah, just askin' her to tell us where Alice went to school's not gonna fly, even with a good reason." Ryuji said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"I hear ya there, Ryuji. I really don't wanna wind up on the other side of a table with her getting all, 'Answer me!', if you know what I mean." Futaba said as Ren involuntarily shuddered, warily recalling the long several anxiety-filled hours that he'd spent being interrogated by Sae about two and a half years ago, when he had gotten himself captured in a plan to play decoy so the others could escape Sae's Palace with the briefcase containing her Treasure, or so it seemed.

In truth, it was a ploy set up to trick Goro Akechi, who had betrayed and set a trap for the Phantom Thieves, into tipping his hand for Ren and the others. Unbeknownst to Akechi, he fell into a trap of his own doing so, as Ren's younger brother Kusa had anticipated he'd do so and set his own trap of sorts with the help of Futaba, wherein he managed to trap Akechi into facing the enormity of his crimes head-on, thereby encouraging him to realize the error of his ways. Seeing Ren's reaction, Sumire took his hand into her own and gave it a gentle squeeze to reassure him as she spoke up.

"Shh, it's okay, Ren. You're safe. No one's going to send you back to that interrogation room. That was just Futaba being a dork." Sumire said as Ren nodded, but before he could verbally respond to his girlfriend's encouraging words, a familiar voice cut in to their conversation, reminding the group that this hideout was technically considered a public place.

"Ah, okay. I see what's going on here. You need the name of Alice Hiiragi's school, eh?" The group heard as they turned around to see a smirking Hasegawa walking over as Futaba shook nervously and spoke up.

"I-I-It's the guy from before." Futaba said uneasily as Yusuke spoke up.

"The shady detective." Yusuke said as Sumire smirked and spoke up.

"I think you mean, the shady Inspector, Yusuke. And why am I not surprised he'd pick right when I'm trying to calm my boyfriend down from an anxiety attack to show up? Also, isn't this going to look incredibly suspect if you're seen interacting with an apparent target of the police, Inspector Hasegawa?" Sumire asked slyly as an offended Hasegawa huffed at the question and crossed his petulantly and spoke up.

"Dammit, why are you so distrustful of me? That hurts. We're after the same thing here, after all. Also, hey! I'm PubSec, not some shady cop detect-wait! I'm not shady! Am I?" Hasegawa asked as a smiling Haru spoke up to answer his question.

"Yes, quite." Haru said as Haseagawa sighed and spoke up with a frown.

"These kids are something else, aren't they? Would you quit sayin' that kinda stuff with that smile on your face?" Hasegawa said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Our bad. So, whaddya want?" Ryuji asked as Hasegawa smiled and spoke up.

"C'mon, enough with the cold shoulder. You know I'm trying to help you out." Hasegawa said as Ann frowned at this and spoke up.

"You? Help us?" Ann asked skeptically as Hasegawa nodded and spoke up.

"Yep, exactly. You wanna know where Alice Hiiragi went to school, right?" Hasegawa asked as Ren blinked at the question before exchanging a look with Sumire, who shrugged as if saying she didn't care what Ren did here. Ren then spoke up.

"Yes, that's right. But how exactly did you figure that out?" Ren asked warily, wondering if the group needed to tighten up their security. Hasegawa smirked at Ren's question and spoke up.

"Seriously? Do you know how easy it was to eavesdrop on you here? For some reason, there's almost no personal info available on Alice Hiiragi. Especially prior to her debut. That time of her life is just a big ol' blank. So, since this is giving you all a hard time, I've swooped in to lend you a hand. Intel on Alice would be no sweat for me over in PubSec HQ, so how about it? Want some help?" Hasegawa asked as Ryuji quickly responded.

"Nah, we're good. We'll handle it on our own." Ryuji said as Futaba nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"Yup, Ryuji's right. Just a little more time, and I'll get it myself." Futaba said as a wide-eyed Hasegawa spoke up.

"Great, happy to help-? W-Wait, come on now! This is a real-deal connection, here! Just be grateful and take the intel!" Hasegawa said as Sumire frowned at this and spoke up.

"A real-deal connection, you say? How do we know this isn't a trap? After all, it's not exactly a secret that the cops and potentially PubSec both have it out for the Phantom Thieves at this point. So what's to say that you aren't just gonna turn around and haul us all in to your boss on a silver freaking platter if we accept your intel, Hasegawa-san?" Sumire asked as Hasegawa frowned at Sumire's words and spoke up.

"Hm, that's a fair point, Yoshizawa-san. But at the same time, if I wanted to arrest you all, I'd have already done so. I know it's hard to believe, but I do have a need for your services here, but I also need you to trust me as well. And I accept that it's going to take me time to do so." Hasegawa said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"We're sorry, we just have zero trust in the police." Haru said as Hasegawa sweatdropped nervously and spoke up.

"I told you to stop smiin' when you say that, dammit. Ugh, fine. I've gotta earn your trust first, right? I get it. Alice Hiiragi is your senpai." Hasegawa said as the group's eyes widened, but Yusuke spoke up before the others had a chance to do so.

"She attended Kosei High!?" Yusuke asked, causing everyone else present aside from Sophia, Futaba, and Hasegawa to facefault at Yusuke's question. Hasegawa blinked at this and spoke up while Ren, Sumire, Morgana, Ann, Ryuji, Haru, and Makoto picked themselves up off the ground.

"Hmm? Wait, what? Uhh, no. Everyone's senpai but yours." Hasegawa said as a wide-eyed Ann spoke up to voice what the others had realized at that point.

"You're saying she went to Shujin!?" Ann said as Hasegawa smirked and spoke up.

"Yep, that's right. And don't forget it, because you owe me one now, got it?" Hasegawa said as Ren spoke up with a frown.

"If you're serious about working with us, Inspector, first thing you need to know. We don't keep track of stuff like that in this group. Also, we appreciate the intel, but that doesn't give you any sort of invitation to then lord it over us. If you need our help at some point, we'll look into returning the favor. But otherwise, just consider yourself as being helpful to us." Ren said bluntly. Hasegawa spoke up once more.

"Fair enough. I'll take that under advisement." Hasegawa said before he turned around and walked off as suddenly as he'd walked up. After he left, Ryuji spoke up.

"Welp, there he goes." Ryuji said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Truth be told? It's hard to gauge whether he's friend or foe." Yusuke said as Ryuji spoke up.

"More importantly, how did he know where Alice went to school?" Ryuji asked as Makoto spoke up.

"Good question, sweetie. Could the police already have their eyes on her as well?" Makoto asked as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"It's possible. And if it's true, it would mean one thing." Morgana said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Right. It means that we CAN trust Inspector Hasegawa, for now at least." Makoto said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Good point, babe. Well, I guess all we can do now is try it out. We can find the secret room if we go to Shujin, right?" Ryuji asked as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up.

"That appears to be correct. Everything should go 'SHOOWOWOWOWOW' and we'll have access." Sophia said as Ryuji chuckled and spoke up.

"Oh? 'WOWOWOW, huh? Heh, sure. Got it." Ryuji said as Makoto spoke up.

"With all that settled, let's head to Shujin now. There's no point in dawdling here." Makoto said as Morgana spoke up.

"Yeah, Makoto's right. Time to check out Shujin Academy." Morgana said as the group left the hideout. Once they dispersed, Morgana spoke up from in Ren's bag.

"Hmm. Shujin Academy, eh? I never would've thought we'd be going back there under these circumstances. If we're entering the Jail through Shujin, we have no idea what we'll find on the other side. Let's make sure we're all good with the supplies and equipment before diving in. Once you're ready, we should join up with everyone at the hideout. That way, we can all go to Shujin together." Morgana said as Ren nodded and kept moving. After doing some prep and gathering the group at the hideout, Ren spoke up.

"Well, we're as prepared as we're gonna be. Who's up for taking care of that secret room while we're thinking of it?" Ren asked as the others all nodded and gathered at Shujin...

(Outside the gates of Shujin Academy, with Makoto, Yusuke, Futaba, Ryuji, Morgana, Ren, Sumire, Sophia, Ann, and Haru)

"Are we sure this is right? I'm not seein' anything weird around here." Ryuji asked as Sophia spoke up with a nod from inside of Sophia's phone.

"Yes, Ryuji. I have no doubt this is the place. This place gives me the same sensation as when I touched the birdcage." Sophia said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"So you say, Sophia. But to think this is what would bring me back here after so long." Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"Understandable, Makoto. It has been about three years since we all were here last, well at least for me it has. Still, the place hasn't changed a bit in that time." Ren said as Ryuji spoke up with a frown.

"Well, yeah dude. It may have been three years since you, Makoto, and Haru last saw the place, but for the rest of us, it's been a fair bit less time than that. For example, it's been less than a year for Futaba, about two years for Sumire and Kusa even though the latter's not here, and about two and a half years for myself and Ann. Yusuke didn't go to Shujin, Morgana wasn't a student here despite hiding in your desk a lot for class, and Sophia's an AI, so she can't have gone to school." Ryuji said sagely as Haru spoke up with an unreadable look on her face.

"Good point, Ryuji. Still, it's surreal. I had no idea Alice Hiiragi graduated from Shujin." Haru said as Makoto spoke up with a frown.

"I didn't either, and I figured a student council president, or former student council president in my case, would know better than anyone about celebrity graduates." Makoto said as Sumire frowned and spoke up.

"No offense Makoto, but I call bullcrap on that! If I recall correctly, Kusa was the one to succeed you as student council president once you graduated, and I guarantee you that even he wouldn't have realized that about Alice. Granted, he might've had his suspicions, but he wouldn't have had enough proof to voice them. Yes, it's true he juggled being student council president with leading the Shujin Academy martial arts team for his second and third years, but he still made it a point to keep up with the day-to-day of the student council.

As someone who was appointed to the council in my third year, I'd know. And so would Futaba, since she got on the student council in her second year, and if rumors are to be believed, she was chosen to succeed Kusa as student council president for her third year, but turned it down due to not feeling confident enough in her ability to carry out the duties of a student council president. So you'll forgive me if I don't agree with you saying a student council president would know better than anyone about celebrity graduates." Sumire said bluntly. Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Good point, Sumire. But in any case, perhaps Alice had a past here that she wished to erase." Yusuke said as Makoto blinked and spoke up in surprise.

"What do you mean, Yusuke?" Makoto asked as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Think about it, Makoto! Those voices we heard in the Jail before, those cutting words and that painful cry we heard at the end of what we were able to hear. True, I don't know whether she was one of the instigators, or the victim of such bullying, but even so it matters little one way or the other. However she experienced it, it left such a gaping wound in her heart that she refuses to even acknowledge the truth of the matter." Yusuke said as Makoto winced and spoke up.

"Good point. And to make matters worse? That truth took place right here." Makoto said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"I see. So that's why Shujin has a secret room, eh?" Morgana said as Ann and Sumire both winced, clearly wondering if maybe they'd been too harsh with Alice previously. After a bit of awkward silence ensued, Ryuji spoke up.

"Welp, we should get movin'. What's next?" Ryuji asked as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up.

"Well, we may not be in Shibuya, but this place is still linked to its Jail. Inputting the proper EMMA keyword should permit access as usual." Sophia said Morgana spoke up with a nod at that point.

"I'm not sure if I agree with that. But if you think it's the case, I'm willing to at least give you the benefit of the doubt here, Sophia. Okay, let's try it. Everybody ready?" Morgana said as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"Yeah, we're ready!" Ann said before she frowned and kept speaking.

"Let's get going! Keyword: Wonderland!" Ann said as a 'BIP!' from Ren's phone preceded EMMA speaking up.

"Keyword successfully entered. Beginning navigation now." EMMA said from Ren's phone as the group was whisked into the Metaverse...

(In the Secret Room of Shujin, with Oracle, Violet, Queen, Mona, Panther, Joker, Fox, Skull, Noir, and Seeker)

"So, it's a classroom?" Mona asked in surprise as Seeker blinked and spoke up while taking in the surprisingly desolate appearance of the room, with a lot of desks stacked on top of one another in the back of the classroom, a projector on one of the desks, a pair of odd console-like devices, one with a blue lid and the other a red, sitting in front of a chalkboard with writing on it, and what appeared to be a pair of clipboards attached to it. To the right of Seeker, a window could be seen emitting an ominous pinkish-red light.

"Oh, is this what a school is like? It's rather different than how the internet makes it appear." Seeker asked as Mona spoke up.

"No, not at all. Usually classrooms are much livelier than this. I'd know, having smuggled myself into Joker's desk many times to listen in on his classes. But I can understand why you'd be confused given the appearance of this classroom, Lady Seeker. That said, the cognitive distortion's really strong here. What's going on?" Mona asked as the others all shrugged, not sure of that either. After a moment, Panther gasped and spoke up.

"Oh! Hey, look!" Panther said, pointing towards the front of the classroom, where what appeared to be the cognitive echo of a female student flickered into view in front of the group, clearly dressed in the uniform of Shujin Academy, though where most girls had ankle-length shoes, she wore knee-length black boots. Queen gasped and spoke up.

"Aaah! A ghost!" Makoto said as the female, an arrogant student by her tone, spoke up, followed by another more familiar voice.

"Ugh! Are you seriously crying? Ew, how pathetic, trying to get us to go easy on you. I bet you tricked HIM the same way too, didn't you?" The arrogant student said as a voice the group recognized as Alice's spoke up.

"No, I wouldn't do such a thing! I'd never do that to you!" The group what they assumed to be the echo of a younger Alice, despite not being able to see her anywhere, say. Panther then frowned as she spoke up.

"What the hell? What is this?" Ann asked as the arrogant student spoke up again.

"God, you're disgusting! Seriously, why are you still alive?" The arrogant student said, looking up from her phone as she kept speaking while she got to her feet.

"Do us a favor, you freak, and die already!" The arrogant student said as she hopped off the desk, glared at where the group assumed a younger Alice was, and in a giant flash of red and black energy, grew a lot taller as she convulsed and shifted forms into a giant four-armed black and red Shadow-like being, holding an axe in each of her four hands. As the newly formed being stared the group down, even Skull winced at how much the being dwarfed them in height before he spoke up.

"What the hell!?" Skull said as Violet frowned and spoke up.

"Well, that's a new one for us, I think." Violet said as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Right you are, Violet. But never mind that for now. Careful! Here it comes!" Mona said as a fight began. As the fight started, the 'Lock Keeper', as Oracle had identified it, spoke up in a mocking tone.

"Can't you get it through your thick skull, you freaky-looking skank!? No one wants you around." The Lock Keeper said as Skull spoke up in shock.

"Oh, shit! What the hell is goin' on!? This thing just flipped out on us outta nowhere!" Skull said as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"Not only that, this room's also changed Are these all supposed to be prison cells?" Fox asked as Queen spoke up.

"Perhaps, but no time for that now! Here it comes!" Queen said as Oracle spoke up.

"Queen's right! That thing's strong, but you're stronger! Just work together, and you should be able to take it! Look sharp, folks!" Oracle said as Joker spoke up.

"Right. Wave 2, focus on buffs, debuffs, and the smaller Shadows! Wave 1, with me! We're taking this thing out!" Joker said as Mona nodded from his spot as the head of Wave 2 and spoke up.

"Right! Seeker, Skull, Fox, with me! We'll keep the stragglers off the others' backs! And Lady Seeker, stick close to me! I'll protect you." Mona said decisively as Seeker smiled gratefully at Mona and spoke up.

"Oh? T-Thank you, Mona. Got it. I'll be sure to 'stick close to you'." Seeker said happily as Joker and Violet just shook their heads at the by-play between Mona and Seeker as they focused on helping Panther, Queen, and Noir, who were up front with them, try and charge the Lock Keeper as the fight began. While the first wave fought off most of the smaller Shadows surrounding the 'Lock Keeper', the 'Lock Keeper huffed and spoke up.

"Ugh, you're pathetic. Why won't you just go off and die already!?" The Lock Keeper scoffed as the group kept fighting through the hordes of oncoming Shadows to try and reach the Lock Keeper. While Joker and Violet were using Raoul and Ella to try and thin the enemy's numbers, the 'Lock Keeper' spoke up.

"Ugh, you're such trash! What are you even doing back here!? I thought you went away already? Don't tell me you're seriously trying to bat your lashes at some guy, in hopes they might show you pity and decide to go out with you?" The 'Lock Keeper' said as Panther scoffed and spoke up.

"Ugh, what is WITH this thing!?" Panther asked as Oracle spoke up.

"No idea, but be careful! The little guys might be a pushover, but the Lock Keeper is tough!" Oracle warned as Skull spoke up.

"Truth! And what the hell's up with this room? Isn't it supposed to have the birdcage key in it, not THIS?" Skull asked as Seeker spoke up from next to Skull with a smile.

"Relax, Skull. The key is most assuredly here. It must be hidden somewhere within the cell." Seeker said. As the group kept cutting through the Shadows, the 'Lock Keeper' spoke up in a mocking tone.

"Oh, ahahaha! Are you still here!? You're so pathetic, I didn't notice you at first." The 'Lock Keeper' said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"Is this stuff from Alice's past? Did she really go through all of this!?" Panther asked as Noir winced and spoke up.

"I'd believe it. After all, there were some truly horrible things said in the classroom as well." Noir said as Fox frowned and spoke up.

"Indeed. Now I think we know why Alice strove to hide the record of her time at this school so much." Fox said as the fight continued. As the fight continued, the 'Lock Keeper' started warping around the area, making Skull groan as he spoke up.

"Oh, come on! Now it's warping around all over the place! Quit cheatin', dammit!" Skull said in annoyance. After a bit, the 'Lock Keeper' laughed mockingly and spoke up again.

"Oh, what's this!? Ahahaha, how amusing! To think you'd believe that a guy could be into something like YOU!? How pathetic!" The 'Lock Keeper' said as the fight kept going. After a while, the 'Lock Keeper' huffed and spoke up, and when the group heard what the 'Lock Keeper' said next, Violet was glad Mona and Seeker were on the far side of the area fighting Shadows side by side, so the latter couldn't hear the profanity coming from the 'Lock Keeper'.

"I heard you confessed your feelings to him? Eww! Gross! You're SO FUCKING GROSS!" The 'Lock Keeper' said, making Panther, Queen, and Violet's eyes all widen as the latter glared and spoke up.

"HEY! Language, please! There's impressionable kids in the room!" Violet rebuked the 'Lock Keeper' as the 'Lock Keeper' scoffed and spoke up.

"Oh, shut up! What would you know? As I was saying, what are you, obsessed with guys now or something? There's no way the two of you'd make a good couple! In fact, I think I'll take him off your hands for you! Ahahaha!" The 'Lock Keeper' taunted the invisible younger Alice as Fox spoke up with a frown.

"Did she just say 'take him'!? So, all of this bullying was over some affairs of the heart?" Fox said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"How mean! These guys were just horrible to Alice." Panther said as Oracle spoke up.

"Agreed! Oh, but it's getting weaker! Put that bully in its place!" Oracle said as the fight continued. After a bit, the 'Lock Keeper' wound up for an attack, seemingly aimed at the second wave, only for it to change direction at the last second and aim directly at Joker and Violet. Before the attack could connect with the intended targets, Joker and Violet felt themselves be shoved aside by Panther and Seeker respectively, making Joker and Violet gasp as they saw the two hit the ground hard from the powerful hit, the latter speaking up in horror.

"OH NO! SEEKER! PANTHER! GET UP, YOU TWO! MEDIC!" Violet called out as Mona scrambled over to the downed girls, using his healing skills in tandem with Queen's to patch up Panther and Seeker as Violet glared at the 'Lock Keeper', advancing towards it angrily, rapier in hand, as Joker broke the last of its' down gauge. Joker saw the look in Violet's eyes and spoke up.

"The enemy's down! Time to finish it! Care to do the honors, Violet!?" Joker asked as Violet nodded and spoke up.

"Gladly! Tag me in so I can end this!" Violet said as Joker nodded, wasting little time in tagging Violet in so she could do her All-Out Attack. Violet spoke up angrily.

"YOU! HOW DARE YOU STRIKE MY FRIENDS LIKE THAT!? TIME TO END IT!" Violet said as she ran forward, repeatedly stabbing her rapier into the torso of the 'Lock Keeper', eventually kicking her rapier free with a powerful kick to the stomach of the Lock Keeper as she spoke up. *1*

"Disgusting piece of bullying trash! Outta my way!" Violet said as she flipped away at the same time that Skull spoke up as he saw the Lock Keeper reel backwards.

"Hell yeah! I think that did it, Violet!" Skull said as Mona spoke up while tending to Seeker.

"Hold on, Skull. Not yet! I think something's up." Mona said as he tended to Seeker. At that point, the Lock Keeper reeled back, shrieking in agony before violently dissipating into red and black mist, leaving behind a lock that was similar to the one on the birdcage carrying the Desire of Alice's Jail, albeit a miniature version.

As the lock clattered noisily to the ground, both Panther and Seeker sat up as the group walked over to the downed lock, Oracle and Violet flanking Seeker on either side as Panther stood on Violet's other side, Mona standing in front of Panther as he examined the lock. Next to Panther, going from left to right, was Qyeen, Fox, Skull, Joker, and Noir. Skull knelt down next to Mona to examine the lock and spoke up.

"Hm? What do we got here?" Skull said as he went to inspect the lock closely, only to jump back a bit with Mona as the lock flashed brightly and pulsed with an eerie yellow light. When it sparked like it was going to explode, Skull jumped backwards i shock, landing on his ass. Mona, for his part, just had his eyes widen in shock. At that point, the building they were in started rumbling ominously, making the group gasp as Panther spoke up.

"What!?" Panther said as Seeker got to her feet after having been knocked down by the rumbling. Unbeknownst to the group, at that same time in Alice's Jail, the lock in the Birdcage containing the Desire of the Jail started glowing brightly in several places before exploding powerfully, causing a giant explosion to engulf the birdcage and make the chains over it scatter as the longest one fell to the ground with a loud clatter, landing at ground level.

Once the chain landed, it wound up fully extending out to create a direct path up to the birdcage on top. Back with the group, the ensuing EXP gains from the battle's end brought a lot of the group up in level, including bringing Panther to level 12 and giving her access to the 'Maragi' skill, making her smile as she spoke up.

"I've got a new power!" Panther said happily as Hecate acquired 'Maragi'. At the same time, Mona hit level 13 and Diego learned the passive skill 'Technical Adept', which made it so that the damage done by 'Technical' hits was increased, as well as also having the result of making Mona smile as he spoke up.

"Nice, this new skill fits me like a glove. Mwehehe!" Mona said as Violet and Seeker both sweatdropped, the former speaking up in a deadpan tone.

"Really, Mona? Like a glove? I dunno about that one. Also, that'd have to be one tiny glove to fit your paws enough to suit you." Violet deadpanned as Seeker spoke up.

"Good job, Mona! That's a nice skill!" Seeker said as Mona smiled while Diego acquired 'Technical Adept'. After the battle was over, Queen spoke up.

"What was that rumbling?" Queen asked as Seeker spoke up with a focused look on her face.

"I think it came from Alice's Jail. Moreover, I sense that the birdcage inside her Jail is now unlocked. We will be able to access it." Seeker said as a wide-eyed Skull spoke up.

"For real!?" Skull asked as Seeker nodded and spoke up.

"Yup, for real. It appears our most recent target held the key." Seeker said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"I see. In other words, we defeated the warden guarding the key." Fox said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"A warden in Alice's memories held the key? And a key to the cage in her jail, no less? So a different Shadow held the key, not Alice's?" Mona mused as Skull spoke up in confusion.

"Eh? What're you goin' on about?" Skull asked as Mona winced and spoke up.

"Hm? O-Oh, nothing. I was just thinking how many differences there are from the Palaces." Mona said as Noir spoke up.

"Good point, Mona-chan. The Palaces don't have any rooms like these, or wardens guarding keys in hidden locations that I remember." Noir said as Violet frowned and spoke up.

"I dunno about that one, Noir. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but didn't you guys once mention that each time you went for the final Will Seed of a Palace, aside from the Mementos one, that seed was usually guarded by a powerful enemy, and usually in an out-of-the-way/hidden room? I'd say that's kinda similar to what we just did." Violet said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Violet. But I don't think we can call those Shadows 'Wardens', though." Joker said as Queen frowned and spoke up.

"Well said, Joker. It's as if the more we learn, the messier the situation gets." Queen said as Panther nodded and spoke up.

"Good point. But I think most of the credit here belongs to Seeker. If it weren't for her quick thinking, we wouldn't have even made it here." Panther said as Seeker cutely tilted her head to the side in confusion and spoke up.

"Oh? Have I been helpful to the Phantom Thieves?" Seeker asked as Panther nodded and spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Mmhm, you know it!" Panther said as Mona nodded and spoke up with a winsome smile as he looked over at Seeker.

"She's right, you know. You were downright essential to our success thus far, Lady Seeker. Never sell yourself short. You might think you're just an AI with no memories, but I feel like you have the potential to be so much more than that. So hold your head up high and be happy. You were the reason we got that birdcage open." Mona said honestly to Seeker, who smiled happily and spoke up, and if you looked close enough while Seeker spoke, you could just see the very subtle hints of pink on her face from being praised by Mona.

"Oh? In that case, praise accepted." Seeker said as she hummed the same tune from before as Violet smiled and spoke up.

"Aww, look at you, Seeker. You're humming away like a happy camper. I'm so proud of you." Violet said as Skull spoke up.

"Truth, Violet. But anyways, we'll praise all ya want later, Seeker. For now, we've got a birdcage to bust open." Skull said as Mona spoke up with a nod.

"True. You have a point, Skull. We have one last task in the real world first before we return to Alice's Jail. Let's send Alice the calling card and take back those Desires." Mona said as the group returned to the real world...

(Back in the real world, in the attic of Leblanc, with Ryuji, Futaba, Morgana, Sophia, Makoto, Haru, Ann, Yusuke, Sumire, and Ren)

"Okay, all that's left is sendin' the calling card. What should it say?" Ryuji asked as Futaba spoke up.

"Good question, Ryuji. We're after the Desires that Alice is seizing from the people whose hearts she changed, right? Then don't we have to write something like, 'We shall take back the Desires you've seized!'?" Futaba suggested as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Smart idea, Futaba. Using the same logic that works on Treasures is probably our best shot." Morgana said as Sumire spoke up.

"True, but that's assuming that the Desires work on the same principle as the Treasures did in the Palaces. For all we know, the Desires might not be subsceptible to being manifested into physical form with a calling card." Sumire pointed out as Makoto spoke up.

"Good point, Sumire. But for now, I think it's our best plan. And if it does work, once the Desire takes form, we can steal it. If we reunite the victims with their own desires, then I think we know what the best-case scenario is." Makoto said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"That's right, Mako-chan. Best case, everyone should return to normal." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"Mind you, this is best case. Worst case, the calling card has no effect and we're back at square one when it comes to making the Desires manifest." Ren pointed out as Ann spoke up.

"Good point, but I think it'll work. That said, so, if it does work, and we succeed in beating Alice's Shadow, what'll happen to Alice then?" Ann asked as Ryuji spoke up.

"Well, if it works like it did with the Palace Rulers, she should be havin' a change of heart and confessin' soon after." Ryuji said as Morgana shook his head and spoke up.

"That's true, Ryuji. However, this assumes that the change of heart works the same for Monarchs as it did for Palace Rulers. But in actuality, that's not set in stone. Keep in mind, what we're stealing this time are the Desires that Alice has seized from others. This isn't her own desire or ambition we're dealing with, nor is it like the Treasure we found in Palaces. As such, there's no way of knowing whether or not Alice's heart will be changed." Morgana said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"Good point. Even if we rescue her victims, without a change of heart in Alice, this will just turn into a pointless cycle of us having to save the victims over and over. And I do believe Morgana once said that calling cards have a one-time effect, so we'd have to use a fresh calling card each time we did it, and there's only so many times a calling card can take hold before it starts not having an effect on the target. So we don't have the luxury of infinite time to get it right." Makoto said as Yusuke spoke up.

"That's true. However, let us assume it will work. But if the calling card works as intended, her Desire will manifest inside the birdcage. As such, that creates a high probability that we'll encounter Alice's Shadow there." Yusuke said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up.

"Good point. And I seem to recall that we did cause quite a scene destroying the lock." Sophia said as Yusuke spoke up with a nod.

"Precisely. That said, we still have a chance. Whether through words or fists, don't we still have the opportunity to change her heart via her Shadow?" Yusuke asked as Ann got to her feet and spoke up with a determined look on her face.

"Then let's do it. Let's take her head-on!" Ann said before wincing at the confused looks the others gave her, prompting her to give the others an apologetic look as she kept speaking.

"Oh, right. That's not really an option right now, is it? Sorry about that outburst." Ann said as Sumire spoke up.

"Don't worry about it, Ann. Your heart's in the right place. So I can understand how you feel." Sumire said kindly as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Thanks, Sumire. Also, I know that's the dangerous approach, but I still think we have to try. If you guys are up for it, shall we try changing her heart? After all, I want to rescue Alice too if possible, not just her victims. As I recall, Alice said she wanted to be a ray of light that could inspire people suffering through life." Ann said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Oh, you mean when she was on TV the day that you, Sumire, RenRen, and Morgana went to that shoot? I dunno if she meant all that, to be honest. But from what you said, at least you got to see your girlfriend there, so it wasn't all bad for you, right?" Ryuji said as Ann spoke up with a frown.

"True. You might not believe it, Ryuji, but I do. And, well, I get why she said it. It was because of all the bullying in her past. I mean, think about it. Doesn't it seem like we saw part of Alice's trauma in the secret room?" Ann asked as Sophia blinked and spoke up.

"Trauma, you say?" Sophia asked as Haru looked at her and spoke up.

"Yes, Sophia-chan. Trauma. It's like an invisible wound in a person's heart. It comes from living through painful experiences." Haru said as Sophia frowned and spoke up.

"A wound in a heart, eh? I wonder if the reason that I don't get that is because I lack a heart?" Sophia said sadly as Morgana turned to look at her and spoke up with a smile.

"Really? You think you lack a heart, Sophia? I heavily disagree. If that were true, would you have been so quick to shove Sumire out of the path of that attack you took for her before? Or take the time to help myself, Ryuji, Ren, and Sumire out of that dump when we first met you? No, I don't think so. I think that you do, in fact, have a heart. After all, you're naturally so bright, pure, cheerful, kind, and lively. AI or not, no one without a heart could live the way you do.

I think you just haven't learned to accept and embrace your heart yet, that's all. Besides, if it's as you say, and you lack a heart, why have I seen you giving Sumire admiring looks a lot, as well as almost calling her and Ren 'Mama' and 'Papa', respectively? No, I know you have a heart. And I'm not giving up on you until you realize that fact for yourself. After all, whether you're an AI or not, even you deserve to find some happiness in your life, no matter who gives it to you." Morgana said kindly to Sophia, who looked at Morgana in surprise and spoke up.

"R-Really? You think so? Thank you so much, Morgana! If we were in the Metaverse, I'd be hugging you right now." Sophia said honestly, her cheeks tinged slightly pink with embarrassment as Sumire giggled and spoke up.

"Aww, look at your face right now, Sophia. You're so adorable like that, sweetie. But don't worry about it." Sumire said as she pulled a shocked Morgana into a gentle one-armed hug as she kept speaking.

"I'm hugging him for you right now. And he's right. I know you have a heart in there, even if you haven't realized it yet." Sumire said kindly as Ann spoke up.

"As sweet as the little bonding moment between Sophia and Morgana is, I think we were talking about the calling card, and Alice's Jail? Back on topic, I suspect that maybe that trauma's the whole reason the Jail formed in the first place." Ann said as Morgana looked at Ann and spoke up after getting out of Sumire's arms.

"Is that so? You think trauma distorted Alice's heart, giving birth to the Jail. Is that right? You know, thinking about it? I agree that it is very similar to Palace generation, in theory. So I've gotta say it's definitely possible you're right." Morgana said as Yusuke spoke up.

"True. But assuming Ann is right, how is that trauma relevant to Alice's current behavior?" Yusuke asked as Ann spoke up.

"Good question. Mind you, this is just a hunch, but I think that Alice sees what she's doing as some kind of revenge, most likely against the kinds of girls who treated her badly." Ann said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Let's assume that you're right, Ann. Even so, stealing someone's dude right in front of her is revenge to Alice? That's pretty sick and twisted." Ryuji said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Ryuji. But her Shadow's operation is way too massive for that to be all. She just has too many victims already." Futaba said as Haru frowned and spoke up.

"This is just a guess, but what if she simply kept escalating because no one was there to stop her?" Haru said as Sumire spoke up.

"Oh, you mean like how Ren and Kusa were there to stop Doctor Maruki and Akechi-kun respectively from escalating? I'd believe that. After all, had those two not done what they did, there's a very good chance that one or even both of the people they stopped could've caused some real damage. As it is, it's because of them we were able to change both of their hearts." Sumire said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Sumire. That said, becoming a Monarch must create an awful amount of distortion in a person." Haru said as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"I realize that, Haru. But even so, hearing all of this only makes me want to help Alice more. If her heart's grown that distorted, then I want her to at least remember how it feels being a ray of light for somebody. That being said, is she beyond helping at this point? I don't know the answer to that, unfortunately. But even so, there has to be someone who at least tries! We can't just abandon Alice!" Ann said as Morgana gave Ann an impressed look.

"Oh, Lady Ann. I had no idea you felt so strongly about this." Morgana said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"She's right, though. No matter what she did, or who she's hurt, Alice is still a victim to some degree. So it's only right we at least make the attempt to change her heart. Besides, if we made no attempt to do so after helping such people as Makoto's sister, Doctor Maruki, Akechi-kun, and even Futaba over there, that would not only make us no worse than scum, but it'd make us hypocrites! Moreover, I know that if he were here, Kusa would be saying that we can't give up on a victim, no matter how distorted they've gotten. That's not the Phantom Thief way. That said, you're absolutely right, Ann." Ren said as Ann gave him a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"Heh, thanks, Ren. You're still as kind and understanding as ever, eh bro?" Ann said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"I'm with you. Let's do it." Makoto said as Yusuke spoke up.

"No objections here, either. Let's do it. However, I feel this needs to be reiterated. Should we engage her in combat, we must avoid taking her life at ALL costs." Yusuke said as Ann nodded her agreement and spoke up.

"Absolutely. That's out of the question." Ann said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Truth! Best case scenario, we just talk her out of it. Worst case, we have to fight her and force a change of heart." Ryuji said as Ann thought about it before speaking up.

"Um, guys? Do you think I could write the calling card this time? There's something I need to tell her personally." Ann said as Sumire spoke up.

"Not alone, you're not. I want to help. After all, I was kind of a bitch to her before, so I feel like I owe it to Alice to help with this calling card too, as I feel there are things I have to say as well." Sumire said as Ren spoke up.

"That's assuming Ann wants you to help, beautiful. That said, if she does, then it's all yours, ladies. Just try to keep it up to the standards of our previous calling cards. After all, with our master ghostwriter not around for now as he's still out of town on whatever mission he's on, it'll fall to you two to keep this calling card, our first in about three years, up to our usual standards." Ren said wisely. Ann smiled and spoke up.

"Of course you can help, Sumire! And thanks, Ren. It'll be great, bro!" Ann said as a 'BIP!' from Sumire's phone preceded Sophia speaking up once more.

"Writing a calling card? Need any help?" Sophia asked as Sumire and Ann smiled at her as Sumire spoke up.

"I didn't think about asking you, Sophia. But I'm sure we can find a way for you to help." Sumire said as Ann nodded and spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Yeah, Sumire's right! Ooh, you can help me with the phrasing, Sophia! After all, without Kusa here to proofread the card, someone has to step up to fill the spot of proof-reader/ghostwriter for the time being." Ann said as Sophia smiled and spoke up.

"I got it. I'll 'help you with the phrasing', Ann and Sumire." Sophia said excitedly as Ryuji spoke up.

"Awesome, now that we've sorted out who's writin' it, all we gotta figure out now is the delivery." Ryuji said as Futaba cackled and spoke up.

"Mweheheh, leave that to me! I may have a plan for that. After all, this is a special reunion of the Phantom Thieves, or at least of most of us, so we gotta do this right!" Futaba said as Sumire nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Futaba. I think we can trust in your plan. Just like I think I can trust Morgana to not hurt Sophia if those two get close to one another." Sumire said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Have you not seen how kind and gallant Morgana is, beautiful? I think if there's anyone we can trust with Sophia's happiness, it's him. But just the same, I don't think there's any rush to worry about such things. After all, our current priority is changing Alice's heart, yeah?" Ren said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Well said, Ren! And if it makes you and Sumire feel better, I would never do anything to hurt Sophia. But at the same time, I dunno if I have it in me necessarily to see her as more than a friend just now. But I won't rule it out for down the line a ways. But for now, I'm more than willing to be her friend at least. Also, is there anything else you forgot to do? Make sure you get everything wrapped up by tonight. After all, I know you remember this. But once we send the calling card, there's no holding back." Morgana said as Ren nodded and leaned back to ponder his options. After a moment, Ren got the others' attention and spoke up.

"Well, there's not much else for it but to do it. So let's send the calling card." Ren said decisively. Futaba looked up and nodded as she spoke up.

"Here! Ooh! You all set? Then I oughta start getting ready too! Our mission begins exactly 24 hours from now, or tomorrow night!" Futaba said as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Right! Let's do this!" Ann said with a frown as the group nodded and prepared for the calling card...

(The following evening, on Central Street in Shibuya)

As the crowds were gathered in Central Street, they listened to a newscaster speaking on TV.

"In other news, Akira Konoe, founder of Madicce, announced a joint project with one-time rival company Pineapple! Tech-heads are fired up with anticipation at the news, awaiting further-" The newscaster said as at that point, her voice gradually started to cut out as the broadcast was slowly hijacked and gradually replaced by a familiar red and black backdrop with a top hat wearing a mask with flames in the right eye socket, with the words 'TAKE YOUR HEART' in big black lettering, though the 'E' in Take, the 'U' in Your, and the 'H' in Heart were all in white lettering. As the logo showed up, a woman in the crowd nudged the person next to her and spoke up in surprise.

"Oh, look!" The woman said, pointing towards the screen as a familiar voice spoke up.

"Okay, folks, listen up!" The voice of Skull rang over the broadcast as the voice of Noir replaced him when she spoke up.

"Good evening, everyone!" Noir said as Panther spoke up next.

"I know what you're thinking. It's been a while, huh?" Panther said as Violet's voice spoke up next.

"It's been almost three years, to be precise. But here we are, as if not a day has passed. Hopefully you remember who we are?" Violet asked as Fox spoke up.

"Surely at least some of you remember us." Fox said as Queen's voice spoke up next.

"For those of you who don't, here's a reminder. We are the Phantom Thieves." Queen said as Panther spoke up again,

"And we're back in action with a new heart in our sights!" Panther said as Oracle spoke up at that point.

"Indeed. And our target this time? A wicked witch who treats people like toys. Alice Hiiragi!" Oracle said as Seeker's voice was heard for the first time since her induction into the Phantom Thieves.

"Greetings. I am Seeker, the newest Phantom Thief. That said, this next part goes directly out to Alice Hiiragi herself! Alice, you pretend you're a ray of light, but all you do is hurt people to indulge your own darkness. And to be blunt? We find such behavior entirely unacceptable! And though it pains us to do so, your actions leave us with no alternative! We're coming for your Desires! You're a bad person, and bad people have to be stopped." Seeker said bluntly as at that same time, Hasegawa smirked as he watched the broadcast in amusement.

Unbeknownst to Hasegawa or the Phantom Thieves, their calling card was also being broadcast over the radio, where it was heard by a smirking man with short brown hair, though it used to be longer before he decided to get it cut back a bit on a whim, who smirked to himself as he spoke up while stroking his chin in thought while he drove down a highway in the car that was given to him as a present for his most recent birthday.

"Well, well. Looks like I missed the reunion, eh? No matter. I'll see them all again soon enough. For right now, though, this comes first. After all, we might be a talented group, but we're not taking these Monarchs out without backup. However, that said, I think I can trust these guys to hold down the fort in the interim. So hang in there a little longer, everyone. I'll be back as soon as I can, ideally with our missing comrade in tow. Good luck in the meantime." The smirking man said to himself as he kept his eyes on the road while he drove down the highway towards his destination.

Back with the broadcast, Panther spoke up once more.

"Thank you, Seeker. Let me take it from here. Alice, we're coming for you! And all those Desires you stole?" Panther said as the screen panned to show Joker and Violet standing side by side as Joker smirked and spoke up.

"Tonight, we're taking them all back!" Joker said as Violet spoke up.

"What Joker said! We're taking back every last one of those stolen Desires! And, on top of that? We're going to change that broken heart of yours! Even if you have done a lot of bad deeds, you still deserve a change of heart. So be prepared, Alice Hiiragi! We're coming for you! And we will not fail to take your Desire!" Violet said as Joker smirked and tossed the calling card at the screen to end the broadcast, leaving the citizens of Shibuya to gossip amongst themselves...

(At that same time, at the TV studio, with Alice)

"Okay, next I'm scheduled aaat, um, where was it again?" Alice said as she went to check her schedule, only for her phone to ring, making her blink before seeing it was the manager and shrugging as she spoke to herself.

"Oh, it's the manager. Might as well take it." Alice said to herself as she answered the phone.

"Hello?" Alice said as she answered the phone, frowning as she heard her manager's voice on the other end.

"Ah! This is bad, Miss Alice! Look at the email I forwarded you!" Alice's manager said as she did so, her eyes widening as she saw the calling card sent out to her and she spoke up.

"Ah! What in the hell is this!? Phantom Thieves?" Alice said in confusion as the camera flickered to a view of her Shadow, who gasped as she spoke up.

"Oh! They're taking, of all things, my Desire? As in, all of the Desires I've collected!? No, you can't! I need those! That's what makes me the Monarch! I need those to prove my superiority over those scumbags who looked down their noses at me. I need those to get back at them. And without those, I'll go back to being nothing! Hm, I see. So you say you're coming for them? All right. I'll wait for you. After all, I don't want toys that don't do as they're told, as I believe I said before. I'll smash you for certain this time." Alice said as the camera panned back to a stunned Alice, who could only gape in horror at what she'd seen...

(Back in the attic of Leblanc, with Ryuji, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, Ann, Morgana, Ren, Sumire, and Sophia)

"Mweheheh, it's The Return of the Futaba Cannon! Hope it was a blast! Shibuya's in Phantom Thieves frenzy all over again! I'm sure Alice got her calling card by now, too. C'mon, c'mon! Sooo, all that's left is to wrap this up. Let's head in and finish the job we started!" Futaba said as Ren spoke up.

"You did make sure it only went out over the airwaves, right? Because I heard that the last time we used the Futaba Cannon, some of it went out over the radio waves, too. And while it would be interesting to use that to announce the presence of the Phantom Thieves, I'm not sure if we want it on blast like that. Sure, it might somehow reach our missing comrades, but that's a big reach to be had, honestly. That being said, let's do this." Ren said. Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Right. Let's go! Tonight, we take back the stolen Desires!" Morgana said as the group headed into the Metaverse...

(Meanwhile, at the same time, in an isolated cabin on the outskirts of Yongen-Jaya, with a solitary man)

As the broadcast of the Phantom Thieves' return via a calling card for Alice played out on the television, a smirking man saw the whole thing and shook his head resignedly, the action shaking the small ponytail he'd pulled his light brown hair into back and forth as he stroked his short dark brown facial stubble as he spoke up to himself, amused at what he'd just seen on the news, immediately recognizing it as what it was meant to be: the return of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, or the Phantom Crew as someone he knew dubbed them.

"Ah, what's this? The return of the Phantom Thieves, hm? I see. I didn't think they still were in business after Joker went back home around three years ago? Or at least, that's what I was told? I guess it doesn't really matter much one way or the other. I have the feeling I'll be finding out the truth of that for myself soon enough. Well, it was fun while it lasted, but I get the feeling that my well-earned period of peaceful respite is about to be over. But then again, who really knows? After all, maybe it's for the best that I accept the call back to action if it's given to me.

That being said, I suppose we'll see if he shows up to coax me back into action or not. But I have the feeling he'll be here, sooner than later. He's usually pretty consistent about that, my brother is." The lone occupant of the cabin said, as the camera panned out to show the cream muscle shirt and khaki jeans the man was wearing, along with the fond smile on his face as his brown eyes twinkled in amusement. As the man stood there, he spoke up once more.

"Still, I have to wonder. How will they react when I make my first appearance in about three years, which is probably about how long they've believed me to be dead for? That being said, I do hope that he was able to keep his end of our deal and keep my continued existence a secret. Otherwise, why did we even agree to this ridiculous charade in the first place? Oh well, let's wait and see what happens, I suppose." The man said as he sat down and helped himself to a late dinner, which was ironically a plate of pancakes, despite the fact that pancakes were more commonly considered to be a breakfast item. As the man dug into his meal, he had one last thought.

"Joker, you'd better have kept your end of our promise. After all, one of the things I'm most anticipating on my return is my chance to finally have that duel you promised me. And you'd better not have let your skills rust over these past three years. Otherwise, I will probably be most disappointed. And that's saying nothing of how our mutual half-brother will react when he sees you again." The man thought dryly with a wry smirk as he let himself enjoy his meal, already eagerly anticipating the day he gets to clash skills with Joker once more...

(At the same time, in the Metaverse, with Joker, Skull, Mona, Panther, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Noir, Violet, and Seeker)

"Well, this is it, everyone. Time to go take the Desire! Ready!?" Joker said before turning away from the others and involuntarily sneezing, making Violet look at him in concern as she spoke up.

"Are you okay, Joker?" Violet asked as Joker spoke up with a nod.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Pretty sure that sneeze means someone was talking about me just now, though. But before that, let's discuss the formation for this battle. I want Skull, Violet, Fox, and Panther up front with me, while Queen, Mona, Noir, and Seeker are on the second wave with Oracle alternating back-and-forth between the two as needed. Any objections?" Joker asked as the group shook their heads, signifying there were none. At that point, the group prepared for the coming battle with Alice's Shadow, knowing that a lot was riding on their victory, and that this was one battle they could not afford to lose...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! Before anyone says anything about the two random cutaways near the end of the chapter, let's just say those are setting up for a short-lived side plot that will go on for most of Arc 2 that will come to a head near the end of Arc 2, one that may or may not also lead to the return of a certain pair of long-absent Phantom Thieves. As an aside, kudos to anyone who can guess who the two men were in the cutaways, even if one of the two looks a bit different than they did in Phantom Files (which both of the two characters in the cutaways were in Phantom Files, so there's your hint).

While I'm thinking of it, who else is excited for the release of Persona 5 Tactica next month (being put on the same day as the Super Mario RPG remaster, of all things)? I am, even if I likely won't get to play it right away. It looks good. I also like that the most recent trailer confirms the return (even if it's through DLC) of both Crow and Violet in Tactica.

Big time win right there by Atlus, bringing them back. The only slight quibble I have is that they haven't made it clear yet if Sumire/Violet will have the same voice actor as she did in Royal, but I'm guessing that she will, since Akechi's voice actor returned for Tactica, so it would be odd for Sumire's to not also return.

(EDIT: I have, since typing out this note, found a listing of all the VAs used in Tactica, and it seems as if they did in fact retain Violet's VA for Tactica, which is good. On the other hand, I'm not sure how to feel about the notable absence of Jamieson Price, aka the VA of Coffee Daddy/Sojiro from the VA list in Tactica, since that implies that Sojiro doesn't really appear in Tactica, which sucks if true.)

That said, I'm not sure how I feel about all the different costumes that Morgana's slated to get in Tactica, between the drill sergeant, Raiden-lookalike, and other costumes. I mean, if it confirms alternate costumes for the others, I guess I'm intrigued.

And before I get any questions about it, I'm reserving the right to wait until I play Tactica to decide if I want to do an adaptation of it or not, dependent on how good the plot is and stuff. That said, it looks amazing from what I've seen.

Also, since we're talking about Tactica, was I the only one who almost thought Toushiro (or whatever the suit-wearing guy's name is that apparently knows Erina from the scene shown of the two of them interacting together in the recent trailer, or the most recent trailer as of the time of typing this A/N) was Adachi from Persona 4 Golden when he was first shown? Because I legit did think that. That could've been a very interesting crossover element by the Persona devs had they done that. But that's just my opinion. Also, I feel like they accidentally put a potential spoiler in the most recent trailer regarding Erina. But I won't expound on it here for the sake of those who somehow haven't seen the trailer yet to see what I'm alluding to.

So yeah, now that my mini-tangent about Tactica is done, let's get back to this end-of-chapter A/N, yeah? Sorry it's not longer!

EDIT 2: Just a quick heads-up for anyone who reads these end-of-chapter A/N, I have a new poll up on my profile for people to vote on. Suffice it to say that it's a chance for the readers to slightly influence the story to an extent. Note that you can vote for up to two of the options shown, and the poll will remain up until I finish uploading the last chapter of Arc 2 (or Chapter 12).

And at the pace I'm uploading, I'd estimate it'll be up until probably January 2nd of next year, just because I figure I'll hit the target chapter around December 23rd at the pace I'm moving, but I don't expect people to be focused on the internet during the last couple weeks of the year much, between Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day.

So I figure, if I leave it up until the start of the new year, I should have a lot of time for people to vote on it. And this time I made sure it went up on my profile right away, so that's a thing I did right.

As always, thanks to everyone who supports this story, whether it be in the form of following it, favoriting it, following/favoriting me as an author, or even just leaving a review on it (or PMing if you don't want to leave a review) with your thoughts/feedback/input/constructive criticism/opinions on the story thus far. Thanks to all who support the story, as it's much appreciated!

I always enjoy hearing from my readers, so don't be shy about making your feelings known! And until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - Yes, I made this All-Out Attack a reference to Persona 3/Persona 3 FES/Persona 3 Portable. Specifically, I have Violet relatively heavily pay homage to a certain character's critical attack animations from that game. But given that Persona 3 Reload is confirmed to be coming out in February, I think I'm allowed to pay a bit of homage to it, especially considering that like the character I had Violet channeling, Violet uses the rapier as her melee weapon and has dark red hair. Consider those your hints. Kudos as always to anyone who guesses who the character is.

PHANTOM THIEVES INFO AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 5

JOKER (Ren) - Level: 15 Current Personas: Raoul, Succubus, Pixie, Jack-O-Lantern, Hua Po, Slime, and Berith. Equipped Persona: Raoul

SKULL (Ryuji) - Level: 12 Equipped/Partner Persona: Seiten Taisei

MONA (Morgana) - Level: 13 Equipped/Partner Persona: Diego

PANTHER (Ann) - Level: 12 Equipped/Partner Persona: Hecate

FOX (Yusuke) - Level: 12 Equipped/Partner Persona: Kamu Susano-o

QUEEN (Makoto) - Level: 13 Equipped/Partner Persona: Anat

NOIR (Haru) - Level: 13 Equipped/Partner Persona: Astarte

ORACLE (Futaba) - Level: 15 Current Personas:: Al Azif and *REDACTED*. Equipped Persona: Al Azif

SEEKER (Sophia) - Level: 13 Equipped/Partner 'Persona': Pithos

VIOLET (Sumire) - Level: 15 Equipped/Partner Persona: Ella

KNOWN BUT ABSENT PHANTOM THIEVES

CROW (Goro) - Level: 12 Equipped/Partner Persona: Hereward

DRACONIS (Kusa) - Level: 12 Equipped/Partner Persona: Malefor

ALLIES: Hasegawa, Shiho, Sojiro