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!

7. Interlude 1: Surprises in Yongen-Jaya

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Phantom Files Book 2: Rise of the Monarchs! However, this chapter (and maybe the next? We'll see) are going to be something a bit different, in that they'll be 'interlude' type chapters which will focus away from Ren and friends for a bit in order to focus on other characters. In this case, this chapter will be one that any fans of Akechi and/or Kusa reading this story should be quite excited for, as it'll largely focus on those two for the most part, but will have other characters sprinkled in for good measure.

So we'll see how this plays out and then based on the resulting feedback, I can go from there on if I do further interlude chapters like these, but for now, I'll at least do this one and see how well it's received by the readers before deciding on any others. That being said, let's get on with the disclamer!

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

Now, before anything else, since they're both going to be featured in this chapter rather prominently, let's go ahead and list a detailed learnset list for both Crow and Draconis' Personas for the story, along with doing the same for Violet, since I haven't done her learnset list for this story yet either. So let's do that first, starting with Violet, because ladies first.

PERSONA LEARNSETS FOR VIOLET/CROW/DRACONIS (Credit to jdimock for the revisions and changes to make the movesets more 'on par with the other Thieves', to use his words for the changes he made to the movesets shown below)

LEARNSET FOR ELLA (VIOLET)

• Cleave (Innate)
• Kouha (Innate)
• Dia (Lv. 2)
• Rebellion (Lv. 7)
• Makouha (Lv. 11)
• Dream Needle (Lv. 16)
• Kouga (Lv. 22)
• Recarm (Lv. 26)
• Bless Boost (Lv. 28)
• Diarama (Lv. 33)
• Heat Wave (Lv. 35)
• Makouga (Lv. 37)
• Dodge Curse (Lv. 40)
• Tempest Slash (Lv. 44)
• Samarecarm (Lv. 48)
• Kougaon (Lv. 54)
• Vorpal Blade (Lv. 58)
• Diarahan (Lv. 60)
• Bless Amp (Lv. 65)
• Makougaon (Lv. 69)
• Sword Dance (Lv. 74)
• Brave Step (Lv. 80)

LEARNSET FOR MALEFOR (DRACONIS)

• Double Fangs (Innate)

• Agi (Innate)
• Garu (Innate)
• Media (Innate)
• Rising Slash (Lv. 16)
• Megido (Lv. 20)
• Vicious Strike (Lv. 23)
• Almighty Boost (Lv. 25)
• Sukunda (Lv. 28)
• Agilao (Lv. 30)
• Mediarama (Lv. 35)
• Garula (Lv. 40)
• Masukunda (Lv. 45)
• Megidola (Lv. 50)
• Assault Dive (Lv. 55)
• Debilitate (Lv. 58)
• Mediarahan (Lv. 60)
• Almighty Amp (Lv. 65)
• Gigantomachia (Lv. 69)
• Null Bless (Lv. 70)
• Draconic Aura (Lv. 72)
• Megi-Flare (Lv. 75)

LEARNSET FOR HEREWARD (CROW)

• Eiha (Innate)
• Triple Down (Innate)
• Maeiha (Innate)
• Giant Slice (Innate)
• Rakunda (Lv. 16)
• Mudo (Lv. 19)
• Megido (Lv. 22)
• Eiga (Lv. 26)
• Curse Boost (Lv. 30)
• Maeiga (Lv. 32)
• Deathbound (Lv. 36)
• One-Shot Kill (Lv. 39)
• Megidola (Lv. 43)
• Debilitate (Lv. 46)
• Samarecarm (Lv. 50)
• Mudoon (Lv. 54)
• Eigaon (Lv. 59)
• Laevateinn (Lv. 62)
• Curse Amp (Lv. 66)
• Maeigaon (Lv. 69)
• Riot Gun (Lv. 72)
• Rebellion Blade (Lv. 76)

And there we go, a full list of Crow, Draconis, and Violet's learnsets. Before I start the chapter, I have two things that need to be addressed. Firstly, I have a poll currently up on my profile that you can vote on that will allow you to have a say in which other characters could become Phantom Thieves in addition to the one that is set to awaken in this chapter.

This poll has been up on my profile since November 28th, yet I have yet to see any votes come in on it. You can vote for up to two of the options listed on the poll. And sometime around January 5th, I will close the poll and total up the votes, and most likely the two options with the most votes will be added into Rise of the Monarchs as new Phantom Thieves, so you have a lot of time still. So feel free to vote on it.

That being said, the second thing I needed to address pertains to Hereward, Ella, and Malefor. I realized I've listed their learnsets above, but I haven't yet listed their affinities. Let me do that now.

LIST OF AFFINITIES FOR MALEFOR, ELLA, AND HEREWARD

Malefor's Affinity List

Physical-Neutral Gun-Neutral Fire-Drain Ice-Strong Elec-Neutral Wind-Neutral Nuclear-Neutral Psy-Weak Bless-Weak Curse-Null

Ella's Affinity List

Physical-Neutral Gun-Neutral Fire-Neutral Ice-Neutral Elec-Neutral Wind-Neutral Nuclear-Strong Psy-Neutral Bless-Null Curse-Weak

Hereward's Affinity List

Physical-Neutral Gun-Neutral Fire-Neutral Ice-Neutral Elec-Neutral Wind-Neutral Nuclear-Neutral Psy-Strong Bless-Weak Curse-Null

And there we are, the affinities list for Malefor, Ella, and Hereward revealed! Note that I used the Megami Tensei Wiki as a source for Ella and Hereward's affinities, so credit to them for being a source for that info. And now, with that out of the way, let's get on with the chapter, yeah?

Chapter 7: The Dark Side of Pancakes! The Blackest Jail? Arc 1 Interlude

(In the attic of Leblanc, about a week before the start of Rise of the Monarchs, with Kusa)

As he sat on his bed to look at the private chat he'd just finished, a young man who was about 5'4'' with short brown hair, piercing hazel eyes, and a lean yet distinctly athletic build sighed as he ran a hand through his short yet messy brown hair, which he'd had trimmed back a couple years previous as a show of solidarity to help out a friend, and then sighed while glancing at a picture that was sat on the shelf next to him.

The picture that the young man was looking at had the young man in question, albeit at a slightly younger age as it'd been taken about three years prior, when he still had longer hair that he'd pulled into a ponytail, smiling as he wrapped his arm around a blushing red-headed woman with large round glasses, a very lean and petite figure, and very expressive but beautiful brown eyes that were easy to get lost in, along with another dark-haired young man, this one with short black hair and smaller glasses, and a wiry but athletic build.

Next to this young man was a smiling woman with dark red hair, who was seen leaning contentedly into the black-haired young man. The main things that allowed one to tell the red-headed women in the photo apart was that where one had glasses and wore mainly yellow, green, and hints of grey and white, the other wore largely baby blue and white, aside from the pink ribbon they wore to keep their bright red hair in a ponytail. Additionally, the red-head with glasses had orange hair despite being a redhead, plus the orange-haired redhead had a considerably smaller bustline than the red-haired redhead.

Similarly, the two young men in the photo had distinct styles of clothing they wore. Where the brown-haired young man wore a dark green leather aviator jacket, worn open to reveal a grey sweater with a graphic on the front of a black and purple dragon standing on four legs and breathing a torrent of golden fire, paired with a dark grey scarf, black fingerless gloves, black leather jeans, and dark grey steel-toed boots, the black-haired young man wore a grey button up trench coat, which he wore open to reveal the plain black T-shirt underneath, as well as the dark blue jeans he wore along with grey dress shoes, meant to show off his black hair and black framed glasses. Also, if you looked closely, you could just spot what appeared to be a black furry head peeking out of the black-haired young man's bag.

As for the women in the picture, the orange-haired woman leaning on the brown-haired young man had on a bright green jacket with a grey graphic T-shirt, the graphic being of a smiling female who was wearing a flowing white dress, with a red headpiece that had a matching chest and back cover she had on to mostly keep her long bubblegum pink hair out of her striking dark brown eyes, and a pair of pink boots. The female also had a staff in one hand that she had planted into the ground, with the caption 'KA-BOOM!' above her head in neon-green lettering, similar blue jeans to the black-haired young man but a shade lighter, black boots, and a black leather belt.

As for the red-haired woman leaning on the black-haired young man, she was wearing a baby blue long-sleeve sweater, with a white zip-up jacket with pink sleeves worn open over the sweater, a flowing white skirt, black leggings, and white knee-length boots. The brown haired young man smiled as he looked at the picture and spoke up.

"Heh. Hard to believe it's already been about three years since that was taken. Hopefully you've been taking decent care of yourself since you left, Ren. And hopefully you've been taking care of Morgana-sensei, too." The young man said as he nodded to himself before stretching and looking himself over in the wall mirror he'd bought about two years prior, admiring his more powerfully built frame that he had now, compared to the more athletic, if slightly wiry, build he'd had when his brother still lived with him in the attic of the Leblanc Coffee and Curry cafe, which was run by one Sojiro Sakura, who had spent most of a year acting as an adoptive guardian for both the young man looking at himself and his older brother Ren. The young man smiled at himself as he spoke up.

"Yep, definitely still in shape. Ah, progress. Thy name is Kusa." The young man, now identified as one Kusa Amamiya, said to himself as he let himself look over the outfit he'd picked out for himself, which currently comprised a sleeveless black leather vest which he wore open over a short-sleeve dark green T-shirt with the words 'Kung-Fu Dragon' on the front in flowing black letters, and a graphic of a black and purple dragon curling around a yin-yang on the back, though the vest blocked the graphic from view, grey cargo shorts, short black and green boots, a black leather belt, and black fingerless gloves.

To complete the ensemble, around his neck was a pair of chains, one solid gold with a gold and silver yin-yang with peridots for dots that he'd gotten from his and Ren's one-time guardian, Sojiro, as a birthday present for his 17th birthday, and the other a simple black chain with the black 'yin' half of a paired yin-yang necklace set that he'd given the other half of to his girlfriend Futaba as a birthday present for her 17th birthday. Afterwards, the smiling Kusa headed downstairs to get some food, having a seat at the counter as the owner of the cafe, an older man with a mid-length black beard and goatee, balding brown hair, mid-sized glasses, and piercing black eyes looked Kusa over and spoke up.

"Ah, lookin' sharp today, eh Kusa? Now that I think about it, this is the day you're supposed to be going out of town on that mission you mentioned before, isn't it?" The owner of the shop asked Kusa, who nodded and spoke up after looking around to be sure the shop was empty other than him and the owner, which it was.

"Yep, exactly. I'm sorry I can't go into more detail on it, but I was sworn to secrecy, I'm afraid. But I'll try to finish and get back as soon as I can. Hopefully the others won't try to cut loose too much for you while I'm gone, Sojiro. But I think you can handle yourself pretty well if they do. And if the others ask, I went out of town to check on an old friend, or whatever other story you deem suitable to give them. I trust your discretion in these things, after all.

Hopefully, I can convince an old friend to come back to the fold, since if these ominous news reports are any indication, I get the feeling something dangerous is coming, and that it's going to be a threat that will require the power of all eleven of the Phantom Thieves to combat it, and maybe even any other newcomers we can recruit along the way. After all, the more manpower we have at our disposal, the better our chances of defeating this coming threat. But at the same time, I also believe that the others can handle themselves just fine without me for the time being." Kusa said wisely as he looked down at the coffee and curry the owner of the shop, or Sojiro as Kusa had called him, had served him and smiled as he kept speaking.

"Ah, excellent. I was hoping to get some of this in my system for the trip ahead. Thanks, Sojiro." Kusa said before eagerly digging in to his meal as Sojiro spoke up.

"No problem. Just promise me you won't crash that car on this trip. I may have entrusted it to you, but it's still my pride and joy. So take care of it." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded, rather than speak up with his mouth full, as Sojiro kept speaking.

"Also, you don't have to say anything, but if you're doing what I think you are, give Goro my regards when you see him, won't you? Hopefully you can convince him to return with you, since he was always fun to have around, even if he did seem to annoy your friends a good bit, other than maybe Ren and Sumire. But I suppose that's part of what makes Goro who he is." Sojiro said as a wide-eyed Kusa almost choked on his curry in his surprise at what Sojiro had said, but barely avoided doing so. After he swallowed the bite he was on, Kusa spoke up in a very wary tone of voice.

"What makes you think that's the case, Sojiro? Mind you, I can neither confirm nor deny that guess at this time, but I'm curious as to what made you say that." Kusa asked politely as Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"First of all, if you're trying to keep someone's existence a secret, maybe start by not saying their name where others can hear it. Luckily for you, the cafe was empty other than myself when you said it, so you didn't screw up doing that. Also, I may or may not have overheard you and Futaba talking about how he's still alive, but in hiding due to having to keep up the illusion that he's dead, due to having a lot of people out for his head or something? Either way, I could tell that he wasn't a bad kid, just a bit misguided and lost. So if you can help him get a fresh start, I'm all for it." Sojiro said wisely as Kusa spoke up, wincing at how much he'd apparently slipped up as he spoke.

"Ugh, well, since you know that much, I guess I can tell you some things. Yes, I am going to check in on Goro, but I'm not at liberty to say where exactly I'm going past that, nor am I at liberty to say much else past that. But you are correct that Goro had to go into hiding, mostly to fool several of our enemies into thinking their plans had succeeded. I'll have a chat with Goro when I see him, and if he's agreeable to it, he and I can fill you in on the situation in more depth the next time we see you.

For now, just know that Goro has a lot of people who want him dead for various reasons, but he just wants the chance to be able to move on from his past and be able to freely atone for his sins, as severe and plentiful as they are. And after what he's done for us, I think that's not an unreasonable thing to ask for.

Plus, he is basically my other half-brother, so he's more or less family, whether I like it or not. So I kinda owe it to him to help however I can, since I might be the only supportive family he has left, given his mother died when he was young and if rumors are to be believed, our biological father might have been assassinated while in prison. So it might be that I'm the only family Goro has left. And I will not leave him to fend for himself, no matter what he's done.

But for now, that's all I can safely say on that subject. I even had to keep parts of this from Futaba at Goro's request, which is not as easy as it sounds, let me tell you. But I assure you, the second I'm given permission to share the full story, you and Taba are going to be the first ones to know, along with probably Ren and the others, since it affects them somewhat too." Kusa said as Sojiro nodded his understanding and spoke up.

"Fair enough. I know you have your reasons, so I won't pry. And I trust you to fill me and Futaba in when you can. Just be careful, and don't let Goro get the two of you in over your heads with this ruse, yeah? I'd rather have you alive and in one piece so that I can see you tie the knot, so to speak, with Futaba someday." Sojiro said as Kusa blushed profusely in embarrassment at Sojiro's remark about him marrying Futaba and spoke up.

"Wh-What!? I mean, I won't deny that Futaba and I have been together a good little while at this point. But even so, I'm not so sure that either myself or Taba are in the most stable position to be thinking of such things as weddings right now. Maybe one day, a little ways down the line, we'll discuss it. And I'll admit that it would be neat to eventually be able to call her my wife, but I'm not rushing either her or myself into that.

Besides, I may or may not have bet Goro 20,000 yen that Ann and Shiho will be the first of our group to get married. Goro, the fool that he is, matched the bet, but bet that Ren and Sumire would be the first to tie the knot. But Goro, in all of his wisdom, failed to have his bet account in any way, shape, or form for the fact that from what Ren told me, Ann and Shiho got together around a month before any of the rest of us did, so they're likelier to take that step than any of us." Kusa said wisely after he got his blush under control. Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"Heh, fair enough. I suppose I shouldn't be in such a hurry to have you calling me 'Dad' and/or 'Father' anyways. Plus, I recall telling Ren that the day would come eventually when she'd go out to be someone's bride anyways, so I should really learn to be patient." Sojiro said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"You do realize that I don't have to marry Futaba to call you Dad, right Sojiro? Because I think I mentioned before that in the time I've lived here, I've basically already come to see you as a father figure of sorts to me. So if you really want me to be calling you 'Dad' and/or 'Father', I can definitely do that when it's just us." Kusa said kindly as Sojiro sputtered and spoke up.

"W-What? I never said-! Ugh, fine, I did say that. But, y'know, I don't mind it as much as I thought I would. And truth be told? I did end up coming to see you and Ren both as being like sons to me by the time Ren left to go back to his hometown without you." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Fair point, Sojiro. By the way, this curry is as amazing as always. I don't know how you make it so good, but somehow I always find myself enjoying it when you make it. And for all that Ren tries, I don't think he'll ever quite be able to match your flavor." Kusa said wisely as Sojiro nodded before Kusa went back to his meal. After a while, Kusa smiled as he put his spoon down, having finished the entire plate, and drank the cup of coffee. Sojiro then spoke up.

"Enjoy the meal? Y'know, it always makes me happy to see you enjoying my food. I remember when you and Ren first moved in here. Heh, back then you used to be so apprehensive of my food, and almost skeptical of it. But then, you were skeptical of a lot of things. And you were a hell of a lot more quiet and reserved then than you are now. But I think we both know who to thank for that change in you." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"I did. You're an incredible cook, Sojiro. And yeah, I won't deny that Futaba ended up being a rather positive influence on me once I got to know her. But then, what man isn't positively influenced when he meets a beautiful red-head and falls in love with her? I'll admit I dragged my heels a bit when it came to asking her out, but we got there in the end, and I think she was pretty happy with it when I did ask her to be mine. If nothing else, I'd like to think I've done a good job of keeping her happy, content and loved since then." Kusa said wisely as Sojiro spoke up.

"That you have, Kusa. But at the same time, I can tell that Futaba also grew a lot from knowing you. Not only did you manage to coax her out of her shell, so to speak, but you also managed to get her to open up to others and be sociable and leave her room for the first time in ages. As such, I'd say that you've been very good for her.

And to tell you the truth, I don't think that I could've picked a better man for her to fall in love with if I tried than the one Futaba herself chose when she chose you. So make sure you cherish every moment you have with her, Kusa. And know that if the time comes that you do find yourself deciding to consider popping the question, you have my blessings to do so." Sojiro said wisely as Kusa blinked but nodded as he spoke up.

"Understood. Thank you for that, Sojiro. It means a lot. Welp, as much as I enjoyed our talk, I should probably get going." Kusa said as he fished the keys to the car Sojiro had given him as a 17th birthday present out of his pocket before giving Sojiro a nod of respect and walking out of Leblanc, walking over to the lot next to the Sakura house, where a customized yellow Porsche 356 was parked, though it had been modified slightly to be a drop-top convertible as well. Kusa opened the driver's door and got in, putting the keys into the ignition as he put the car into drive and started the drive to Goro's isolated cabin hideaway...

(Time skip- shortly after the end of Chapter 6, in an isolated cabin on the outskirts of Yongen-Jaya)

"Hm, I see. So, he's coming for me, then? I suppose it was inevitable that he'd come. But am I ready to return to action? And can I truly be so readily freed of what I've done? I truly don't know." A young man, around 21 to 22 years in age, said to himself as he sighed and turned to look himself over in the nearby mirror, noticing the considerable difference in his appearance now compared to how he was three years previous.

While it was true that back then he had neck-length dark blonde hair, almost chocolate brown, and a well-kept appearance, the young man now had flowing bleach blonde hair that went past his shoulders, ending just short of his upper back. The young man noticed that you could see the signs of stress in his piercing brown eyes, looking over his cream-colored muscle shirt, black button up short sleeve T-shirt which was worn open to show the front of the muscle shirt, black jean shorts, and brown lace-up sneakers with black laces, sighing at how comparatively unkempt he looked by comparison now.

As he pulled his hair up into a ponytail to keep it out of his face, the young man turned to a picture that was on the nearby drawer, showing himself three years prior, smiling as he had his arms around two other young men, one of which had his brown hair pulled up into a similar ponytail to the one that the young man currently inspecting the picture had. As for the other, they had short black hair and black framed glasses. The young man smiled at the picture and spoke up.

"Hard to believe it's already been three years since we took this picture, eh Ren and Kusa? And just think, we've probably all changed so much since then." The young man said, stroking his chin in thought, where you could see the presence of a small but distinct dark brown beard and goatee combo, though not very thick, on his chin.

"And Ren, don't forget. You promised me a duel at some point. And I, Goro Akechi, intend to collect on that promise." The young man, now revealed to be one Goro Akechi, said to the young men in the picture, now confirmed by Goro as being Ren and Kusa Amamiya, the latter of whom had unexpectedly been revealed to be Goro's younger half-brother as a result of Kusa's mother being one of the many female conquests of Kusa and Goro's biological father, or one Masayoshi Shido.

Masayoshi Shido, as it so happens, was a politician that tried to have Kusa's other half-brother Ren eliminated for getting in his way when he was with a woman about three and a half years ago, only to fail when Ren and his friends, who'd come together to form the crime-fighting group known far and wide as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, or as the Phantom Crew, which was a nickname/nom de guerre that Kusa had coined for the group when they had formally been founded about two and a half years ago from what Kusa had told him during one of the previous trips Kusa had made up to this cabin to check in on Goro. Goro then frowned as he spoke up.

"Still, do I really have the right to be seeking happiness like this, after everything I've done? Especially after I took both Sakura-san's mother and Okumura-san's father from them like I did? I've done so many horrible things, yet I'm over here thinking about trying to wipe the slate clean and start over. Does someone as tainted and wicked as myself deserve the chance to start anew? I'd like to think so, but who knows." Goro mused before he pulled out his phone and decided to start up a private chat with Kusa to see what he was up to, only to stop short as he noticed an unfamiliar app on his phone that he had no recollection of installing.

"Huh? What's this!? I don't recall installing any EMMA app on my phone? How peculiar. Is this going to be like the Meta-Nav all over again?" Goro thought out loud before huffing as he spoke up.

"Hmph. I don't know why I keep torturing myself with these philosophical questions. I swear life was almost simpler when I let myself live in the guise of the Black Mask." Goro said to himself, only for his eyes to go wide as an unfamiliar voice spoke up after a 'BIP!' came from his phone.

"Keyword successfully entered. Beginning navigation." Goro heard as he found himself frowning.

"Wait, what? 'Keyword entered'? 'Beginning navigation'? What in the he-?" Goro said before being cut off mid-sentence as a familiar sensation pulled him, along with an unsuspecting Kusa, who'd chosen that exact moment to arrive on Goro's front porch, into the Metaverse...

(In the Metaverse, with Crow and Draconis)

Crow blinked as he looked around, noticing the fact that the cabin he'd been in a moment ago had been replaced by what appeared to be an imposing looking black and blue iron fortress, the walls of which were lined with eerie, almost sinister, looking barbed-wire fences all along the perimeter. Furthermore, he noticed an ominous blue and black flag flying by the front entry of the building that read 'VIVA LA BLACK MASK!' in red lettering.

The sight of this sign had the result of making Crow blink at the reference to his one time alias that he'd had while he was still little more than a hired hitman, before both Ren and Kusa had reached out to him and helped him to realize there was more to life than murder, chaos, and revenge. Frowning at this, Crow went to go inside, only for a familiar voice to speak up and make him turn to face the speaker, his eyes widening behind his mask as he recognized the figure approaching him.

"Crow? You got sucked into this place, too? Where the hell are we?" The figure that approached Crow asked. Crow smirked, taking in the figure's attire, which was a matching dark grey dress shirt and dress pants combo, which were paired with dark green leather boots, a dark-green cape that flowed over his chest and back simultaneously, spiky platinum shoulder pads that held up the cape flowing down his chest and back, as well as dark green gloves.

And finally, completing the figure's look was a dark-green helmet with a black headband melded to the top of the helmet with a silver buckle on it that had a small yin-yang engraved in the belt buckle. Crow smirked as he noticed that the figure's helmet also took the shape of a dragon's head, which brought Crow to mind of his own helmet, which was black and in the shape of a raven, which matched his black-and blue bodysuit, black claw-like gloves, and black combat boots. Crow then spoke up.

"Your guess is as good as mine in this instance, Draconis. Long time no see, though. I'm guessing from our attire that we're back in the Metaverse." Crow said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"That was my guess, too. But why would the Metaverse suddenly make a comeback now, of all times? It's been roughly three years since it last made an appearance, so why come back now?" Draconis asked as Crow spoke up.

"No clue. However, if I had to venture a guess, maybe it has to do with the news reports we've been seeing of random incidents across the country that are eerily similar to the changes of heart that you and the others performed during your stint as the Phantom Thieves. I don't count myself in that, since I was only really directly involved in changing Maruki's heart near the end of our run, even if I was technically also on the team for Sae-san's Palace. But never mind that for now. I can't help but notice that your attire's evolved slightly since the last time that I saw it." Crow said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, I dunno why, but after we fought Maruki, my dragon mask transformed into the helmet you see on me now. Maybe it was a delayed reaction to my attire evolving itself, or it was a response to our victory over Maruki? I'm not sure which. Either way, it's an interesting change to be sure. But for now, that's irrelevant. Should we work together to investigate this new Palace we've found?" Draconis said as Crow spoke up.

"We can, but I'm not so sure this is a Palace, Draconis. I think I remember hearing something on TV recently about new Metaverse locations called Jails showing up. Probably linked to that broadcast that Joker and the others hijacked to send a calling card to Alice Hiiragi, if I had to guess. So maybe we should consider this a Jail and not a Palace? Which, if nothing else? The design of the place definitely brings one to mind of a jail." Crow said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. Let's team up for now and see what we can suss out about this place, yeah?" Draconis said sagely as Crow nodded as the now-formed duo kept advancing, heading into the fortress as the gates opened for them. Once inside, the two looked around as Draconis blinked and spoke up.

"Wow, this place is definitely built for maximum intimidation factor. Also, why are there so many cells in this place? I get that it's called a Jail, but isn't this taking the theme of the place a bit far?" Draconis said uncertainly as Crow spoke up.

"Probably. But maybe whoever the Monarch of this place is, to use the term that Joker and the others used to describe Alice Hiiragi, is the type to take such things literally?" Crow suggested as Draconis nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"That's a good point, Crow. But that also begs the question of WHO the Monarch is here, exactly. And am I the only one who found the 'VIVA LA BLACK MASK!' flag that was flying a bit suspect and foreboding?" Draconis asked as Crow nodded, before his eyes widened in realization slightly and he spoke up.

"Wait, the flag said Black Mask!? I wonder, could it be possible that somehow my former alias of Black Mask is the Monarch of this Jail?" Crow mused as Draconis blinked before eventually nodding as he spoke up.

"That would actually make a lot of sense, truth be told. But how can the Monarch be Black Mask, if that was your alias, Crow?" Draconis asked as Crow shrugged while the two kept walking forward. After a bit, they found their way into the main hall of the area, where they saw a chair facing away from them, but Crow could just see a familiar pair of gold-trimmed white boots on the ground.

The sight of these familiar boots had the result of making Crow wince as the chair slowly turned around and a very familiar figure stood up, giving Crow and Draconis a slow-clap of approval before they spoke up, showing off their red pointed bird mask, golden shoulder pads, and red flowing cape that went over both his chest and back, along with the matching white dress shirt and dress pants. The figure then spoke to Crow and Draconis in a cold, mocking tone.

"Well, well. Not bad. I see that you've finally found my lair. Well done." The figure, who Crow recognized with a start as another version of himself, said as Crow spoke up.

"N-No! How can it be that you're not only alive, but that you also just so happen to possibly be the Monarch of this Jail!? How is that even possible!?" Crow asked as the other Crow laughed and spoke up.

"Oh, Crow. You poor, naive fool. While I am you, I'm also not. I'm basically the more ruthless you that you tried to discard three years ago when Draconis over there and Joker started their inane and frankly pointless campaign to try and redeem you from your crimes and sins. As if a ruthless, cold-hearted, and bitter man like us can actually achieve such grandiose things as absolution, redemption, and even a fresh start to right our wrongs. How foolishly naive we must be if we allowed ourself to think that!

But at least now I can finish what you couldn't, and eliminate the Phantom Thieves, starting with Draconis over there. I'll save you for last so you can watch as your so-called associates die in front of you, one by one. Maybe seeing that will remind you how foolish and pointless your desire for forgiveness and absolution really is?" The other Crow said as Draconis spoke up.

"You think you're anything like Crow? Laughable! If anything, this is the true darkness lurking beneath the Black Mask. But he's wrong if he thinks he can defeat the Phantom Thieves. We beat him once, and we can do it again. Granted, I was foolish enough to try and charge him on my own, but I've learned my lesson since then. No longer am I going to try to face him alone." Draconis said as he looked at Crow while he kept speaking.

"And neither should you, Crow. I know you're not really one to work as a team, but if nothing else, at least let me have your back while we stick it to this bastard. And despite what he says? You do, in fact, deserve a fresh start and all the other stuff he said. Yes, you've done some horrible things, but I can tell you're genuinely remorseful for it. You shouldn't have to keep beating yourself up over it." Draconis said as Crow gave Draconis an impressed look, not expecting Draconis to stand up for him like he had.

However, before Crow could answer Draconis, Black Mask hit a button on his chair, causing a small rumble to happen as the panel Draconis was standing on shot up to reveal it was a spring trap, launching a wide-eyed Draconis up through the open spot in the roof and out of the Jail, making him land in a heap at the entryway. After he was out of sight, Black Mask laughed tauntingly as he spoke up.

"Good, now that he's out of here, time to start working on breaking you, Crow. Soon, you'll rue the day you tried to be free of me. Until then, I'm going to enjoy making you suffer. AHAHAHAHAHA!" Black Mask taunted Crow as a small army of Shadows swarmed in and took a shocked Crow to the ground, tying him up, putting a gag over his mouth to stop him from yelling, and hoisting him up to dangle from a chain on the ceiling, eyes wide in shock and horror as he helplessly hung in the air, struggling to get free. Black Mask then smirked and spoke up.

"Hmm, but just in case he finds his way back in here, I should add in another element to slow down that fool Draconis. I wonder if-? Hmm, yes. This should work rather well as a distraction ploy. And maybe add her back into the mix for good measure? Eh, couldn't hurt. Time to watch some fools suffer." Black Mask said as he hit a button on his chair that caused a portal to appear in the sky over his Jail, from which a figure emerged, blinking before they fell into the Jail, only avoiding a painful landing by managing to land on a conveniently placed bed of pillows, bouncing off and rolling to the ground...

(Meanwhile, at the entryway of Black Mask's Jail, with Draconis and the figure who'd been dragged into the Jail)

After Draconis groaned and rubbed his back, having previously had his fall broken by a pillow bed, he spoke up to himself.

"Ugh, crap. How did I manage to fall for the old 'hidden spring panel' gag? Dammit. Gotta hurry up and-" Draconis said before being cut off as he saw another portal open up in the sky as a familiar, at least to Draconis, figure fell out of the portal and landed on the same pillow bed Draconis had just landed on. As the figure groaned and sat up, rubbing their back, they spoke up.

"Urgh, what the hell? One minute I was at Leblanc, and the next I'm here. Uhh, wherever the hell 'here' even is." The figure said, making Draconis blink as he recognized the bearded man standing in front of him.

"Wait, what in the-!? BOSS!? How the heck did you get into the Metaverse!?" Draconis asked the figure, now revealed by the nickname Draconis used, to be Sojiro. Sojiro blinked as he saw Draconis and spoke up.

"I have no idea, to be honest. But wait, do I know you? You look vaguely familiar." Sojiro said as Draconis spoke up.

"It's a bit of a long story, but yes, you do know me. This is just the first time you've seen me in uniform, so to speak, even after all the times when myself and the others have told you of our exploits in the Metaverse. But maybe this will help you clear up your confusion?" Draconis said as he pulled out his phone and played a recording of a certain talking cat who was also both a Persona-user and a founding member of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts speaking up.

"Wait, what? Why in all of the many hells would I say this, Kusa!? Ugh, fine! 'Ooh! I can has cheeseburgers?' How was that? I hate that you made me recreate such a stupid meme, by the way." Mona, the unofficial founder of the Phantom Thieves, as well as the mentor to the team, snarked as Sojiro blinked and spoke up after hearing the voice in the recording say the name Kusa, turning to face Draconis as he spoke.

"Wait, hold on. If that recording of Morgana used the name Kusa, then does that mean-? Are you Kusa?" Sojiro asked as Draconis sighed, briefly lifting up his mask/helmet so Sojiro could see his face, and spoke up.

"Yeah, Boss. It's me. Also, just so you know? That voice you heard in the recording was Morgana's, or Mona's as we call him while in the Metaverse, which is where you are now for the record. I can show you the video version of that later on if you want proof. But try to keep that in your mind so you can commit Morgana's voice to memory. With any luck, now you'll be able to understand him the next time he speaks up. But if not, we can fix that later. I don't know how you ended up here, but stick close to me for now, Sojiro. And then once I rescue Goro, we'll get you out of here, yeah?" Draconis said as Sojiro blinked and nodded his understanding while he spoke up.

"Got it. So, is this attire you're wearing your Phantom Thief uniform, then?" Sojiro asked as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. Though it used to look quite a bit different, but that's a long story that can be tabled for now, until I can tell you about it in detail later. For now, just call me Draconis while we're in the Metaverse, yeah? After all, me and the others have code names we use here to prevent our enemies from learning our real names. And while we're here? If you have no objections, I think I'll take to referring to you as Coffee Daddy, at least for now, since that was the unofficial code name that Joker and I had come up with for you when we first started out as Phantom Thieves." Draconis said with a fond smile as Sojiro/Coffee Daddy spoke up.

"Eh, you're the one with experience here, so I'll follow your lead for now, Draconis." The now-temporarily code named Coffee Daddy said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Good. Now let's move. I believe Crow was just inside the gates here." Draconis said as Coffee Daddy nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. I'll follow your lead." Coffee Daddy said as the two went into the Jail proper. As they advanced back towards the Monarch's lair, Draconis suddenly stopped short, signalling for Coffee Daddy to do the same, which he did with a frown before speaking up.

"Wait, why'd we stop?" Coffee Daddy asked as Draconis spoke up.

"Because I get the sense we're not alone right now, Coffee Daddy. There's someone else in this room with us." Draconis said warily as a very distorted voice was then heard speaking up, making Coffee Daddy and Draconis both turn around and have their eyes go wide in shock as they saw what appeared to be the cross of a sphinx, and a black-haired woman with glasses, her voice giving Coffee Daddy chills with how familiar it sounded. As the hybrid of sphinx and black-haired woman spoke up, Coffee Daddy's eyes widened as he realized that the woman half of the sphinx looked familiar to him. Coffee Daddy then spoke up warily.

"Wakaba!? Is that you!?" Coffee Daddy asked in shock as the Wakaba-Sphinx glared at Sojiro and spoke up.

"SOJIRO! HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE HERE AFTER TAKING SO LONG TO DO RIGHT BY OUR DAUGHTER!? YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF! BECAUSE OF YOUR LACK OF ACTION, FUTABA GOT PUT THROUGH HELL BY THE REST OF HER SO-CALLED RELATIVES!" Coffee Daddy and Draconis heard, making the latter wince as he spoke up, his eyes widened in shock beneath his helmet while he spoke.

"Crap, is that the Wakaba-Sphinx!? I thought we defeated her when we cleared out Futaba's Palace? How is it here, then?" Draconis asked in confusion as the Wakaba-Sphinx turned to glare at Draconis after hearing his voice before she spoke up.

"YOU! YOU'RE THE MOUTHY BRAT WHO ENCOURAGED FUTABA TO DEFY ME BEFORE! YOU BOTH DESERVE TO DIE!" The Wakaba-Sphinx said as Coffee Daddy winced and spoke up.

"What are you talking about? Draconis never encouraged Futaba to do anything of the sort! He's been nothing but incredible to her! Are you sure you're really Wakaba Isshiki?" Coffee Daddy asked as rather than respond, the Wakaba-Sphinx angrily whipped her wings together to create a gust of wind which was aimed at Coffee Daddy, only for Draconis to leap into the path of the attack at the last second, being blown straight into a wall for his efforts, making him grunt as he slid to the ground and slumped over on his face, making Coffee Daddy wince as he saw the angry Wakaba-Sphinx staring him down as she spoke up.

"HA! ONE DISAPPOINTMENT DOWN, AND ONE TO GO! NOW FOR YOU!" The Wakaba-Sphinx said as Coffee Daddy frowned at this and spoke up.

"Who're you calling a disappointment? If you were truly the real Wakaba Isshiki, you'd know that your own brother was the real disappointment! That scumbag made your daughter sleep on the floor, refused to feed her, and even worse? He refused to let her bathe! He even tried to force me to give him money after I got Futaba away from him just to pay off his gambling debts! So do not try and tell me that I'm a disappointment to Futaba! I would do anything and everything in my power to keep her happy! I love her like she's my daughter, dammit! So don't you dare accuse me of letting Futaba down!" Coffee Daddy said before wincing as he went to one knee as he felt his head ache painfully while a voice echoed in his head.

(Awakening Start-Sojiro/Coffee Daddy)

"Are you really doing everything in your power to help those closest to you, though?" Coffee Daddy heard in his head, making him grunt as he spoke up.

"R-RGH! What are you talking about!? Of course I am! Or, at the very least, I'd like to believe that I am! I offered Draconis and his brother a place to stay when they needed it, and I took in Futaba to get her away from her uncle! Plus, I stood up for both Draconis and Futaba when the latter's uncle tried to cause a scene. I mean, what else can I possibly be doing to help them?" Coffee Daddy asked as the voice in his head spoke up again.

"Perhaps you could be fighting alongside them as a comrade-in-arms? After all, is it not the truth that all you've done up until recently is basically just hiding your head in the sand for the most part!? Or am I wrong to say that you're little more than a coward who takes the easy way out instead of standing up and doing what's right?" Coffee Daddy heard as he spoke up.

"N-No, you're not wrong. I have been taking the coward's way out for most of my life! But no more! I'm done running! I want to be able to stand up and be there for my family when they need me! I want them to be able to lean on me when they're in trouble!" Coffee Daddy said as the voice spoke up once more.

"At last! You admit the truth! Now, keep what you've just said in your heart moving forward, and vow to me! I am thou, thou art I...At one time, you were little more than a coward who buried his head in the sand, trying to take the easiest path out due to your fear of being hurt again. But now, you've come face-to-face with that fear, and have found the resolve to face it head on! Now, embrace my power, and call my name as you cast off your former self like the pitiful mask that it is! Show the world that Sojiro Sakura is not a coward any longer!" Coffee Daddy heard in his head, before blinking as he felt a mask materialize on his face, tugging at it, before eventually yanking it free with a very painful-sounding grunt.

"GYAAAH! URGH! YES! I GET IT NOW! LET'S AWAKEN OUR TRUE POWER TOGETHER! GRAAAAH! COME FORTH, KOHRYU!" Coffee Daddy said as he tossed his mask, which was a golden upper-face mask that remind Draconis of something he'd seen in movies like Phantom of the Opera, aside, showing a giant bloodstain on his face in the shape of the mask he'd just removed that obscured most of his upper face from view before the blood was washed away in a blast of blue flame, which caused his attire to transform.

When the light had receded, and Coffee Daddy's new attire was visible, he was shown wearing a set of what vaguely resembled black chainmail, with a golden chestpiece and matching shoulder pads draped over it, paired with golden arm coverings that ended with an impressive looking pair of black leather gloves, along with a golden waist wrap, golden leg armor, and black and gold boots.

Finally, to complete his ensemble, the partial face mask that Coffee Daddy had removed before reappeared on his face, perfectly concealing his face up to his nose, leaving his beard and jawline exposed, showing the smug smirk on his face as he felt the one-handed short sword and golden shield that had materialized in each of his hands, as well as the weight that came from the crossbow currently attached to the black leather belt that appeared around the golden waist wrap that had come with his Phantom Thief attire.

Eventually, his Persona appeared, resembling a giant golden dragon, with a massive headpiece that resembled a downwards arrow in two spots on its head, each arrow having an orb mounted atop it, with it's massively long golden body easily going around Coffee Daddy's head three to four times while curling up over Coffee Daddy's head as he spoke up with a smirk.

(Awakening End-Sojiro/Coffee Daddy)

"What now!? Now I'm ready! READY TO FIGHT FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!" Coffee Daddy said as he spun around to help Draconis to his feet as the two stared down the Wakaba-Sphinx as Draconis spoke up.

"Oh, now you've gone and done it, Sphinx-Lady! You helped to unleash Coffee Daddy's full power! And now, it's time for Coffee Daddy and I to thank you for your assistance! Ready, Coffee Daddy!?" Draconis said as Coffee Daddy nodded and spoke up.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Draconis! I'll follow your lead, so let's beat this thing and then save your friend!" Coffee Daddy said as he and Draconis charged into battle with the Wakaba-Sphinx, Coffee Daddy brandishing his sword as he slashed at the Wakaba-Sphinx, hitting it for modest damage, though he had a hard time connecting due to the Wakaba-Sphinx staying airborne and out of Coffee Daddy's slightly short reach, due to his sword being more of a short one-handed sword, rather than a longer two-handed sword. Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"Really? You're using these cheap friggin' tactics again!? Have you learned nothing!? GET GROUNDED, SPHINX-LADY!" Draconis said as he hefted some throwing knives and calmly let them fly, smirking at the satisfying pair of 'STICK!' sounds he heard as his knives stuck into the Wakaba-Sphinx's wings, bringing it to the ground as Coffee Daddy smirked and spoke up after revealing his ranged weapon, which was a one-handed crossbow that he took aim with and expertly nailed a crossbow bolt through each of the Wakaba-Sphinx's wings, damaging them further as he reached for his mask to remove it.

"Heh, now's my chance! REVEAL YOURSELF, KOHRYU!" Coffee Daddy said as he tossed his mask upwards and summoned Kohryu, who nodded and shot a burst of potent Psy energy at the Wakaba-Sphinx, which recoiled from the powerful attack as Draconis smirked and spoke up while Coffee Daddy's mask reappeared on his face.

"Oh, what's this? Is the Wakaba-Sphinx not very good with magic? Interesting. DESCEND, MALEFOR! SHOW THE ENEMY YOUR ALMIGHTY RAGE!" Draconis called as he summoned forth his own dragon Persona, this one being mostly black and purple where Kohryu was largely gold and black, to exchange a nod of respect with Kohryu as the two dragons breathed out flames of their respective elements, which were Almighty (even though in this case, the flames were of the 'Agi' persuasion due to the lack of a present Almighty move to use as the basis for the flames) for Malefor and Psy for Kohryu, at the Wakaba-Sphinx. As it was hit by the powerful attacks, the Wakaba-Sphinx screeched in agony as it spoke up.

"STOP IT! I MUST LIVE SO I CAN PROTECT MY DAUGHTER!" The Wakaba-Sphinx said in anger as it lashed out with its' claws, only for Coffee Daddy's shield to intercept the attack and harmlessly deflect it as Draconis smirked and spoke up, getting an idea from his previous remark about the Wakaba-Sphinx using aerial maneuvers.

"Hey, Coffee Daddy! Want a lift so you can put this thing out of its' misery!?" Draconis asked as Coffee Daddy smirked and nodded before speaking up.

"Sure, that sounds great, Draconis!" Coffee Daddy said as Draconis nodded, extending his bo staff out for Coffee Daddy to get on top of, speaking up once Coffee Daddy was on top of the bo staff, at which point Draconis lifted both Coffee Daddy and the staff into the air carefully.

"Here goes nothing! Time to fly, Coffee Daddy!" Draconis said as he flicked his staff upwards, launching Coffee Daddy into the air as he brandished his sword and spoke up while glaring at the Wakaba-Sphinx through his mask.

"Thanks for the lift, Draconis! WAKABA-SPHINX! TIME TO END YOU!" Coffee Daddy said as he extended his sword out as he flew towards the Wakaba-sphinx, slashing into its neck as he did so, managing to land on the ground safely in a superhero landing as the Wakaba-Sphinx blinked before dropping to the ground with her head falling off her shoulders as she hit, both her head and body dissolving into black mist and leaving behind a familiar-looking spirit, who smiled at Coffee Daddy and Draconis as she spoke up while the battle ended. After the ensuing EXP gains from the battle brought both Coffee Daddy and Draconis to level 15, the spirit spoke up.

"Sojiro...Kusa...you both saved me again. Thank you. And thank you for being so good to Futaba. I'm sorry for what that other version of me said to you two. None of it was true, as you both know full well. Do me a favor, and take care of Futaba for me, would you?" The Wakaba-Sphinx asked as Coffee Daddy nodded and spoke up.

"Always. You have my word, Wakaba. I won't let anything happen to Futaba. I'm sorry it took so long to get Futaba out of the situation she was in, but I managed to get her to a place where she's safe and loved." Coffee Daddy said as Draconis spoke up once Coffee Daddy stopped speaking.

"We both will, Isshiki-san. Futaba is nothing if not extremely precious to Coffee Daddy and I. Between the two of us, Futaba's in very good hands. So you don't need to worry about a thing. And thank you for bringing her into the world for us to get to know." Draconis said sincerely as the spirit of Wakaba smiled and spoke up.

"You're welcome, young man. If the time comes that you decide on wanting to get serious about my daughter, you'll need the ring that Sojiro is keeping safe at my request, which was intended to be given to Futaba on her 20th birthday, or the day she graduates from her 'teen' years. But it means a lot that you'll both look after her. Thank you both, and farewell." Wakaba's spirit said before fading away peacefully as Coffee Daddy and Draconis blinked at each other and spoke up.

"Well, that was certainly a thing that happened, wasn't it?" Coffee Daddy asked as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed it was. But more importantly, who knew you had the power of a Phantom Thief inside of you, Coffee Daddy? I'm legitimately impressed. Well done." Draconis said as Coffee Daddy smiled and spoke up.

"Thanks. It feels great to have the power to be able to help you guys fight for what's right, instead of hiding my head in the sand. And I'm honored that my first battle as a Persona-user was at your side, Draconis." Coffee Daddy said as Draconis nodded as the two continued moving back into the Monarch's room, at which point they walked in on the sight of Black Mask using a being Draconis recognized as Crow's 'Loki' Persona to spin the bound and gagged Crow around for fun. As Draconis and Coffee Daddy exchanged horrified looks at the spectacle currently unfolding in front of them, the latter glared at Black Mask and spoke up.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO THAT POOR MAN!? LET HIM GO!" Coffee Daddy said as Black Mask laughed and spoke up.

"Oh, what's this? Looks like the Wakaba-Sphinx wasn't enough to stop you two after all. That's good, because I was getting bored of torturing my weaker self anyways." Black Mask said as Coffee Daddy bristled and spoke up.

"Weaker self!? What are you talking about!? And why did you send that bastardization of Wakaba to kill me and Draconis!?" Coffee Daddy demanded irately as Draconis flew up with Malefor to cut Crow free using his trusty knives, catching Crow in his arms and yanking the gag off before landing on the ground and standing Crow up on his own two feet as Black Mask spoke up.

"Oh, no real reason, other than it sounded like fun to make Crow and Draconis watch as an ally of theirs is cut down in front of them while they're powerless to do a damn thing about it. But there's just one minor wrinkle in my plans. I didn't count on you managing to awaken to a Persona while having you destroyed. That was an unexpected, but not unacceptable, turn of events for sure. But that only makes it more satisfying for me when I manage to destroy all three of you at once with my own power. So if you think you can stop me, then BRING IT ON!" Black Mask said tauntingly as Crow spoke up with a glare in his eyes.

"Listen here, you asshole! You made one mistake in all of this." Crow said as Black Mask laughed and spoke up.

"Yeah? And what might that be?" Black Mask asked as Crow glared at Black Mask and spoke up.

"THIS! YOU PISSED ME OFF! COME! HEREWARD! MANIFEST!" Crow said as he summoned out his Hereward persona at the same time that Draconis and Coffee Daddy summoned out Malefor and Kohryu to assist and another fight started! As it started, Black Mask spoke up.

"So, you think you can stop me, Crow? Let's see what you've got! And if I'm lucky, I can end Draconis and the old man while I'm at it." Black Mask said as Draconis' eye twitched at the disrespect that Crow had shown Coffee Daddy before he spoke up.

"EXCUSE YOU!? WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!? Did you just dare to disrespect Coffee Daddy in his presence, not to mention my presence!?" Draconis said as Coffee Daddy spoke up.

"That's what it sounds like to me, Draconis. Let's get him!" Coffee Daddy said as Draconis nodded before the two pelted Black Mask with their strongest magic and physical moves. After a bit, Black Mask staggered backwards from a particularly hard hit, making Draconis smirk at Coffee Daddy as he spoke up.

"Looks like a chance for you to show off your All-Out Attack, Coffee Daddy! Up for it?" Draconis asked as Coffee Daddy nodded and spoke up.

"Always, Draconis! ALL-OUT ATTACK!" Coffee Daddy said as Crow, Draconis, and Coffee Daddy lunged at Black Mask at almost-invisible speeds, before Coffee Daddy brandished his sword and slashed at Black Mask after the sword was coated in Psy energy, smirking as he spoke up.

"THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR DISRESPECTING ME!" Coffee Daddy said as he swung the sword at Black Mask, creating a purple arc of Psy energy that slammed head-on into Black Mask, lifting him off his feet and knocking him backwards as Crow fired off his All-Out Attack.

"MY TURN! TO ME, HEREWARD! LET'S BREAK THEM!" Crow said as he and Hereward arced their arms back before lunging them forward at the same time as they stuck their weapons through Black Mask from different sides, making Black Mask grunt in pain as he reeled from the assault, right as Draconis smirked and spoke up.

"And now for me and Malefor to do our part. DESCEND, MALEFOR! LET'S END THIS WORM!" Draconis said as he hopped on Malefor's head as the dragon Persona breathed a torrent of white-hot fire onto a shocked Black Mask as Draconis brandished his bo staff and spoke up.

"TIME TO SEND YOU SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL!" Draconis said as he spun his staff around in rapid circles while Malefor's flame was raging, creating a tempest of flame that engulfed and devastated Black Mask, who barely had time to blink before he was slammed to the ground by the force of the tempest as Crow, Draconis, and Coffee Daddy nodded, combining their strongest attacks together into a giant torrent of powerful energy, slamming into the visibly-singed Black Mask and lifting him high into the air before abruptly dissipating and dropping him painfully to the ground where he struggled to get back up before slumping over with a groan to end the battle.

The ensuing EXP gains lifted Crow, Draconis, and Coffee Daddy all to level 16, giving them all new moves. For Draconis, he acquired the medium-tier Physical skill 'Rising Slash'. For Crow, he acquired the support skill 'Rakunda'. And for Coffee Daddy, he acquired the passive skill 'Spell Master'. The three then nodded as Draconis spoke up.

"Awesome, we all got new skills and powered up! Not bad for one battle's work!" Draconis said as Malefor, Hereward, and Kohryu learned 'Rising Slash', 'Rakunda', and 'Spell Master' respectively. After the fight, Black Mask groaned as he struggled to his feet, his previously white attire slightly singed from the flames that Malefor had hit him with. With a wince, Black Mask eventually spoke up.

"N-Not bad. I underestimated you all, it seems. So we'll call this one your win for now. And Crow? Maybe you can break free of your past after all. We'll have to wait and see. However, don't think for an instant that this is the last you'll see of me. I'm merely taking my leave of you for the time being. Make no mistake, though, we will meet again eventually. However, until that time, consider this to be farewell for now." Black Mask said as he vanished in a flash of light, leaving the three alone to blink at one another before Coffee Daddy spoke up.

"Soo, now what?" Coffee Daddy asked as Crow spoke up.

"I guess we get out of here? I don't see this place making a move to collapse, so we can probably return here later if we want to train up or get used to our powers. Also, was it me, or did it seem like the way our All-Out Attacks lined up back there seemed a bit more uniform than usual?" Crow said as Draconis nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Agreed. Maybe it's a new technique that the Metaverse decided to cook up? After all, it's not exactly a secret that the Metaverse works in mysterious ways at times. Furthermore, I have a feeling that we could cook up a really sweet technique if we focus on bringing our moves together like we just did." Draconis said as Coffee Daddy spoke up.

"Uhh, Metaverse? Technique? You lost me, Draconis." Coffee Daddy said, reminding Crow and Draconis of his presence, making Crow speak up.

"Oh, I see. Looks like someone else awakened to a Persona here, I take it. And judging from the fact you're calling him Coffee Daddy, I'm guessing that's Boss behind that mask?" Crow said as Coffee Daddy spoke up.

"Correct. I wasn't planning to awaken to a Persona, as you put it, but I'm glad I did. Now I can hopefully be of much greater help to you two and the others." Coffee Daddy said as Draconis spoke up with a sage nod.

"You say that like you're not already of massive help to us, Coffee Daddy. But you really are. Also, I'm sure Coffee Daddy has a restaurant to get back to by now, so we shouldn't keep him here for any longer than we have to." Draconis said as Coffee Daddy smirked and spoke up.

"HA! I doubt me being here for a bit is going to be that big of a problem, you two. After all, have you seen how often Leblanc is empty nowadays, Draconis? I have, and based on that info, I'd say that Leblanc can easily afford to be closed for a few days if needed." Coffee Daddy said as Crow spoke up.

"Come to think of it, I wasn't even aware until now that Boss had the potential to be a Persona-user. So, I find the fact that he awoke to a Persona now to be quite interesting." Crow said as Draconis smirked before speaking up.

"I had a feeling that he had the potential, but I couldn't tell for sure until now if I was right or not. I'm kinda excited to see the faces of the others when they find out Coffee Daddy has the same power we do. If nothing else, I'm sure that Mona, Joker, and Oracle's expressions in particular will be absolutely glorious to see. But that's enough of my random tangents and musings for now. Let's get out of here so Coffee Daddy can get his strength back somewhat, yeah? After all, no matter who you are, awakening to a Persona takes a toll on you." Draconis said as Coffee Daddy nodded his agreement before the three exited the Metaverse together...

(Outside of the Metaverse, inside of the isolated cabin that Goro had been staying in, with Goro, Kusa, and Sojiro)

"Sorry if it's not much, but I guess you can go ahead and make yourselves at home for now?" Goro said as Kusa and Sojiro nodded, sitting on the couch as Goro sat in the recliner before Kusa spoke up while looking around the rather modest, if rather homey, one-story cabin that was decorated with dark blue carpets, black furniture, and much to Kusa's amusement, he could see two decorative animal heads mounted on the wall next to Goro, one being a raven, and the other a dragon. Kusa smirked at Goro in amusement while he spoke.

"Well, originally, I was here to check in on Goro and see if I could possibly persuade him to come back to the fold as a Phantom Thief, but I never expected to also have you awaken to a Persona as well, Boss. But I'm sure the others will be thrilled to have you on the team, if you're interested in joining up. I know you have a shop to run, so you might not have the time to spare for it. But it might make Futaba's day if you joined up." Kusa said as Sojiro smirked and spoke up.

"If you think about it Kusa, haven't I basically been one of you since you and Ren both admitted to being Phantom Thieves the night of the dance almost four years ago, or the same night that you, Ren, and Ryuji got together with Futaba, Sumire, and Makoto respectively? So of course I'll join! Or did you not hear what I said during my Awakening about wanting to be able to fight alongside you guys?" Sojiro said as Kusa blinked but nodded as he spoke up.

"Fair enough, Boss. I wonder if the others are still in Yongen-Jaya or not right now, actually?" Kusa asked as Sojiro spoke up with a frown.

"They had actually just left Yongen-Jaya not too long before I got sucked into a portal that opened up under my feet and dragged me down into that Jail that I ran into you two in. But even so, I'm quite certain that you can easily get their location from Futaba if you wanted us to link up with them. Well, I suppose I shouldn't speak for your friend there, since he's able to make his own choices." Sojiro said as Goro spoke up.

"No, that's fine, Boss. I was planning on returning to action anyways. It's probably past time that I made my reappearance anyways. So I'm for joining back up too." Goro said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Excellent, we're in agreement! That said, I must say, you've done a pretty damn bang-up job decorating this place, Goro. Anyways, considering you're going to join up, we should be able to accommodate both of you in the car, though it's gonna be a pretty snug fit fitting all three of us in Boss's old car, especially since he has a rule against letting men sit in the shotgun seat. That seat's strictly for ladies only, per Boss' request." Kusa said as Goro smirked and spoke up.

"No need to worry. I have no qualms about riding in the back with Boss if I have to." Goro said as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"I can handle that. But we might have to speak with the others about having you all call me by my first name if I join up, otherwise people might look at us funny if you keep calling me 'Boss' when we're travelling together." Sojiro said as Kusa blinked but nodded understandingly while he spoke up.

"Ah, good point, Sojiro. That makes perfect sense, after all. Wouldn't want to cause any confusion. Assuming that there weren't any new recruits on the others' side, you should be our 12th member of the Phantom Thieves. Finally, we've got enough for a trio of simultaneous Tycoon games to happen. Also, don't be shy about letting yourself rest a bit in the back on the way to Leblanc, since I'm sure you're at least moderately drained from awakening to Kohryu the way that you did. Usually, all of us, not counting Goro and Morgana, since they came 'pre-awakened', as I call it, have a lot of draining hit us when awakening to our Personas for the first time. Especially in the cases of myself and Sumire, who both had two separate Awakenings during our time as Phantom Thieves." Kusa said as Sojiro spoke up.

"I think I'm actually our 13th member, since I'm pretty sure I heard a voice on Sumire's phone once when they were having a discussion, and I'm nearly positive I heard both Ren and Futaba each say the name 'Sophia' a few times too. So I think I'm our 13th member, not 12th. But that's fine. Also, I am a bit wiped, but I can wait until I get to Leblanc and go rest a bit at home while you mind the shop, if you want me to rest." Sojiro said as Kusa and Goro nodded their understanding before filing into Kusa's car to start the drive back to Yongen-Jaya to make a pit-stop at Leblanc to restock and refuel. Once the trio got to Leblanc and went inside, Sojiro looked at Goro and spoke up while Kusa got comfortable in a counter seat.

"Y'know, I recall that Kusa and the others always used to only ever call you by your last name. Yet, I can't help but notice that just now, you let Kusa call you by your first name. Why is that, if you don't mind my asking?" Sojiro asked Goro, who winced at the question as he spoke up.

"I suppose I can tell you some parts of that. To make a long story short, I've done a lot of terrible things as Goro Akechi, so I feel like the best way he can atone for his crimes is to make the ultimate sacrifice, in a manner of speaking. And then after that, I was thinking that perhaps I could change my last name and start over anew, and have a legitimate chance to ideally wipe the metaphoric slate clean whilst I do what I can to hopefully atone for my sins, since I get the feeling I'd never really get that chance as things are now. Maybe it's a bit of a coward's way out, but even so, it feels like the right thing to me." Goro said as Kusa spoke up.

"You're leaving out the part where our father's remaining former allies likely have at least one hit out on you for what they see as your betrayal of him, Goro. That's kind of an important bit of the story." Kusa pointed out, getting an understanding nod of agreement from Goro as he looked for Futaba's contact ID to start a private chat with her, eventually finding it and sending the private chat while only partly listening as Goro related the story of his circumstances to that point to Sojiro.

"Hey there Taba, I know it's been a while since we chatted, but I'm finally back in Yongen-Jaya after my mission. I can't go into details at this time, but suffice it to say it was a resounding success. But I'm not sending this message just to give you a progress report, but also to see what's up with you guys. So what's up?" Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Jeez, thanks a lot for almost making me jump a foot in the air when you messaged, Kusa! But I'm glad to hear you're done with your mission. To your question? Not much. Me and the others are in a giant camper truck driving on the road to head to someplace called Sapporo Central in Hokkaido. But I think we were talking about stopping off elsewhere first. I'll let you know once we settle on a destination. I'm guessing you're asking so you can meet up with us?" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Precisely. But I likely won't be alone. Suffice it to say, I got some unexpected backup when I was doing my mission, plus I have a feeling that there are still others out there who have the same potential that we do, meaning we could have lots more teammates that awaken to Personas down the line. But I'll wait to share the details when I see you all. By the way, congrats on beating your first Monarch! I can't imagine it was an easy fight for you guys, since it was your first time battling a Monarch or big enemy after literal years of semi-retirement." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Ehh, it wasn't that bad. It was a bit close, but we pulled through in the end." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Good. I assume Ren's also with you guys?" Kusa sent as Futaba nodded and sent a response.

"Correct, though the last anyone saw him, he was cuddling with Sumire in the back of the camper. Let them have their private time, I think. As it is, I kept Sumire's phone with me so Sophia wouldn't be able to spy on them." Futaba sent as Kusa blinked and sent a response.

"Sophia, you say? Hmm, now that I think about it, I recall that Boss mentioned to me how you guys were speaking to someone by that name? Is that a new friend of the group?" Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Kinda? I mean, she is a new recruit to the team, so I guess that makes her a new friend of the group? You see, Sophia is an AI who has no memories of who she is, but who also has taken quite the shine to both Morgana and Sumire, as well as Ren to a lesser extent. Oh, and fun fact? She said Akechi sounds wise, if you can believe that. Who says that about him? He was a reliable ally, but I dunno if he was necessarily a wise one most of the time." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Yes, well, in his defense, he did have to deal with Ryuji's shenanigans most of the time, along with you teasing him and Haru. Plus, he's been through a lot, so his judgement can be somewhat clouded at times. So maybe try to cut him a bit of slack, yeah? Anyways, just checking in. Let me know once you get a destination for the group. Love you." Kusa sent as he put his phone away, missing the response that Futaba sent, which read 'OK. Love you too.' as a result.

After that, Kusa and Goro enjoyed a meal of Sojiro's coffee and curry together while pondering their next move. After a few minutes, Kusa's phone went off with another private chat from Futaba, which he opened to view.

"Hey. Just got the location. Apparently we're stopping off in someplace called Sendai? Apparently, Sophia led us there after sensing a Jail there. So we might have another Monarch on our hands? I dunno for sure. We'll see what happens. But if you can get here in time, maybe you and whatever backup you've got can help us out? The more manpower we have on hand, the better, after all." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Thanks. I'm at Leblanc right now, getting a meal and stuff in my gullet. Once I'm done, I'll head for Sendai. Hopefully I can get there before you guys leave." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"To be honest, I hope so too. I've missed cuddling you the past few weeks, Kusa." Futaba sent as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Of course you did. I just hope there's enough room in your camper for three more people to fit. Otherwise, we might have to have some of us sleep in Sojiro's old car, which can probably fit two in the backseat if they cuddle together to save room." Kusa sent as Futaba blinked and sent a response.

"For real? Three? Who were you able to recruit, if I'm allowed to ask that?" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"I'd tell you, but that'd spoil the surprise. Just be patient. You and the others'll know who I recruited soon enough, Taba." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Ugh, fiiiine, I'll drop it. But you owe me some serious fun time when you catch up to us, Kusa!" Futaba sent as Kusa put his phone away, noticing the inquiring looks from both Goro and Sojiro as he spoke up.

"I got the location of the others from Futaba. Apparently, they've stopped off in some place called Sendai? Something to do with more incidents over there, if I had to guess." Kusa said as Goro blinked and spoke up.

"Sendai, you said? I think I remember seeing something online recently about some up-and-coming writer there whose work shot up a lot in a short time. I think his name was Natsume-san, or something like that? I don't recall for sure, but that sounds accurate. Either way, the rumor is he's made a ton of people his fans and has been selling copies of his book like crazy." Goro said as Sojiro and Kusa exchanged a look as the latter spoke up.

"Hmm. Sounds like a potential Monarch to me. But we'll see what happens when we get there. After we're ready, we need to hurry up and get there, so we can catch them." Kusa said as Goro and Sojiro nodded, right as Kusa's phone rang, and his eyes widened when he saw who it was. He turned to Sojiro and spoke up.

"You and Goro can excuse me if I slip off alone for a few minutes, yeah? I need to take this upstairs. I'll explain once I'm finished." Kusa said as both Goro and Sojiro nodded as Kusa sprinted up the stairs and answered the phone, keeping his voice down so Goro and Sojiro couldn't hear downstairs.

"Hello? Kusa Amamiya's phone, Kusa speaking." Kusa said as he heard a vaguely familiar voice speak up on the other end.

"Hello, Kusa? I know it's been a while since we chatted, but this is Shiho Suzui. I'm in Yongen-Jaya as it turns out for a couple weeks, so I thought that if you were in town, maybe we could have a meal together and catch up for old-time's sake? After all, it's been around two years since you last spoke to me." Shiho said as Kusa spoke up.

"That's fair, Shiho. I've been busy with business and the like, so I haven't had as much time for social calls as I'd like as a result. But I think we can work something out for having a meal together while you're in town. Maybe if nothing else, you can swing over by Leblanc and I can have the owner hook us up with some excellent coffee and curry? Or would that be too bad for your figure?" Kusa said as Shiho giggled and spoke up.

"You mean the Leblanc that Boss runs? That could be fun. I've not been there in around a year or so, so I could do with some curry. Are you in town, though?" Shiho asked as Kusa winced and spoke up.

"Truthfully? Yes, I am. But not for long. I came back to stop off and re-fuel with Boss and get some food in my system. As it turns out, Ren and the others left on a road trip today, and are on their way to Sendai. The plan is to stop off for a bit to get some rest and stock up on supplies, then myself, Boss, and one other are going to start the drive to Sendai to catch up to Ren and the others.

So unless you wanted to do the meal this afternoon, our plans will have to wait until I get back to Yongen-Jaya later this summer. Unless, that is, we happen to encounter you on the trip, in which case maybe we can set up a hangout together to catch up at that point?" Kusa said as Shiho spoke up.

"That actually sounds a lot better. Who knows? Maybe it'll work out where you and I can have Ann and Futaba come with us so that it's a double-date? Just a thought. Also, you are a busy man, aren't you? But I have always admired that about you. Very well. We can put our plans on hold for now, Kusa. But don't think you're getting out of having a catch-up session with me at some point in the future. Well, I guess I should let you go for now, then. Enjoy your rest and drive safe. Bye!" Shiho said as Kusa hung up his phone and headed downstairs to rejoin Goro and Sojiro. However, Kusa was unaware of Goro having eavesdropped on his phone call from the steps as Ren so often used to do, so it came as a shock to Kusa when Goro gaped at him and spoke up.

"Kusa? When were you going to tell us that you and Takamaki-san's girlfriend have each others' phone numbers, much less are in contact?" Goro asked as Kusa winced and spoke up.

"How much of that did you hear, exactly?" Kusa asked as Goro spoke up with a smirk.

"Enough to know you've been out working your ass off to try and help bolster the Phantom Thieves' numbers, which is both good, since that's more manpower for us, but bad, since it also means higher chances of getting caught. You did think of that in your plan, yes?" Goro asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"I did consider that, yes. But at the same time, I deemed it worth the risk to hopefully expand the Phantom Thieves' numbers a bit, since I get the feeling we're gonna need all the manpower we can get to take out these Monarchs. No offense to you, but you've been out of action for the past almost three years, so your form might be a bit rusty, as your near-miss with that other you earlier proved.

And we barely made it past that with the three of us. From what I understand, Ren's group barely got past Alice Hiiragi's Shadow as a group of ten. And I sense she was the weakest of the Monarchs. So that tells me we'll need the extra manpower if the Monarchs are only going to get stronger as we move forward. Does that make sense, Goro?" Kusa said decisively. Goro nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Yes, it makes perfect sense, Kusa. And I agree that we'll probably need the numbers boost eventually. I suppose for now, we should make sure we stock up on any items we might need and then get ready to hit the road again, possibly with Sojiro in tow?" Goro said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Right. I agree. Might have to convince Sojiro to close up Leblanc for the summer so he doesn't have to keep going back and forth between here and helping the group out, but otherwise I think that seems like a reasonable plan to me." Kusa said as Goro nodded his agreement before Sojiro spoke up.

"I'm guessing that was an important call you had to take?" Sojiro asked Kusa, who winced but nodded as he spoke up.

"Yes, it was. In a nutshell, it was a friend of mine who I've not spoken to in a couple of years. If I'm right, it'll also be someone who could eventually be a much needed extra Persona-user to join the Phantom Thieves' ranks, since I have a sense that you're not going to be the only person that awakens to a Persona on this coming road trip, Sojiro. I have a feeling that there's at least one other Persona-user out there somewhere.

Granted, we might have to find them and help them awaken to their potential before we can recruit them, but the way I see it? That's par for the course when recruiting new Phantom Thieves. The fact that Goro and Morgana came pre-equipped with their Personas was just a coincidence, and slightly planned in Goro's case. But I figure it'll be worth the effort if we can get the extra manpower for the Phantom Thieves, since I sense that we're gonna need all the help we can get before this is over." Kusa said wisely as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"That's fair. Well, I suppose I can close up for the summer. I'll just have to work extra hard when I get back to make it up to the customers who come here for the curry." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Right. That makes sense to me. Luckily, you flipped the sign to 'Closed' before we came in here, so we shouldn't have to worry about you getting any-" Kusa said, only to be cut off near the end of his sentence by the door to Leblanc opening, and a familiar dark-haired male walking in to get a meal, not noticing the 'Closed' sign on the door as he walked in. Unsurprisingly, Kusa found himself biting back a few swear words at this guy's timing.

Fortunately for both Sojiro and Kusa, Goro had retreated upstairs to the attic in order to take a fairly brief power nap on the sofa after Kusa came down, so only Sojiro and Kusa were in the lower level when the man showed up. Sojiro looked at the man and spoke up.

"Ah, if it isn't Inspector Hasegawa. I'm sorry, but the cafe's not open today. I was getting ready to go out of town on business for the rest of the summer. So if you were here for coffee, I can serve you up a cup since you came, but the curry's still eighty-sixed for you." Sojiro said to the now-named Hasegawa, who spoke up.

"My bad for coming in when the shop's closed. But, um, who's this? I don't remember seeing him around the shop when I was here before." Hasegawa said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"That's because I was out of town for reasons of my own until today, so I wasn't home when you were here last. Oh, but where are my manners? Nice to meet you, sir. I'm Kusa Amamiya." Kusa said as Hasegawa smiled and spoke up, impressed by Kusa's manners.

"Ah, I see. Nice to meet you, Amamiya the younger. I'm Zenkichi Hasegawa, an inspector with Public Security. I have a deal of sorts with your older brother and his friends that if they cooperate with helping me investigate some changes of heart that are occurring across the country, I'll do my part to ensure they don't get arrested by the police. And if I'm right, that same deal extends to you as well. So, you're the 'Kung-Fu Dragon' that Yoshizawa-san and the others mentioned. They claimed that you and someone called 'Crow' have a lot of bloodlust and that I should try to not get on your bad sides?" Hasegawa said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"While that is all true, I feel like my friends were exaggerating as well to some degree, likely as an intimidation tactic. It is true that I had a short temper when I was younger. But I'm usually a lot better about keeping it in check these days. So unless you go out of your way to piss me off, we shouldn't have any issues, Inspector. But in any case, I was just in Yongen-Jaya for a bit to check in with Boss here, recharge and fill my stomach a bit, and then go catch up to Ren and the others if possible.

Oh, and a friendly word of advice? I can understand cutting a deal with my friends, no, with my family. But if I find out you're even thinking of double-crossing us, you won't like what I do about it. But I don't think I have to worry about you doing that, since I get the sense you're a nice guy deep down who just wants to do what's right by those closest to him. So I think we can come to some sort of an understanding eventually. So I look forward to cooperating with you, Hasegawa-san." Kusa said conversationally, as Hasegawa blinked and spoke up.

"Wow. I don't know if I should be impressed you said all that without any sort of facial expression, or worried that you said it so calmly. I almost think it should be both?" Hasegawa said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"To be honest? I'm not bothered one way or the other by how you take what I just said, so feel free to take it how you will, Hasegawa-san. I'm just giving you some friendly advice as a new associate of the group, and as hopefully one friend to another. But in all seriousness, as long as you're honest with us, we should get along fine." Kusa said as Hasegawa slowly nodded and spoke up while Sojiro brought out a cup of coffee, which Hasegawa sipped.

"I see. Your advice is duly noted, Amamiya the younger. Also, wow. That's good coffee as always, Boss." Hasegawa said as Sojiro spoke up.

"Thanks. I give all the people who come here the same cup of coffee, no matter who they are. So your praise is much appreciated." Sojiro said as Hasegawa blinked and spoke up after finishing his coffee.

"I see. That's interesting to know. Well, I guess I should go since I finished my coffee. Sorry for barging in when you were closed, Boss. Also, nice to meet you, Amamiya the younger. Looks to me like you and I might get along just fine. Hopefully I'll see you around with the others." Hasegawa said as he got up, paid for the coffee, and left, closing the door behind him. After he left, Sojiro and Kusa both breathed sighs of relief as the latter spoke up.

"Hm. So that was the Inspector Hasegawa that Ren and the others cut a deal with, eh? Hopefully he doesn't have the same sort of agenda that the last person to cut a deal with them did. Granted, that person wound up being a reliable and trusted ally in the end, but by no means was it a pleasant road getting to that point. So hopefully Ren and the others have their guards up around him. Speaking of people with agendas, did Goro go and get that power nap he mentioned?" Kusa asked as Sojiro nodded before speaking up.

"Yeah, I believe he did. I think that once he gets up, I can lock up here, and we can start the drive to Sendai. Hopefully you're right that they'll be surprised to see me and Goro with you, Kusa." Sojiro said around a yawn as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"I'm sure most of them will be surprised. If nothing else, I doubt any of them would expect you to have awoken to a Persona, Sojiro. As for Goro? Considering that they all believe him to be dead for the most part, his presence should be a pretty good shock for most of them. Let's just hope that Taba and Haru don't swing first and ask questions second, for Goro's sake. Also, I saw that yawn. I know you have a rule against males riding in the front seat, but maybe I can bend it in this one case so you can stretch out in the back and get a nice little nap in on the way to Sendai if you want." Kusa said wisely as Sojiro thought about it, before eventually nodding his agreement and speaking up.

"Fair enough. I suppose I can waive my rule this once and let Goro ride up front with you while I catch a nap in the back. But after that, no more men in the passenger seat, got it?" Sojiro asked as Kusa nodded his understanding before engaging Sojiro in a bit more conversation about various topics.

After the two chatted amicably for a little bit longer, a yawning Goro came back down to join them, after which Sojiro closed up Leblanc, put a sign on the door reading 'CLOSED-Out of town on business for the rest of the summer. Apologies for the inconvenience. Will be back in either late August or early September. -Sojiro Sakura, owner of Leblanc', and the trio got into Kusa's car again to start the drive to catch up to the others.

As the trio rode in silence, Kusa smiled wryly, secretly amused by the thought of the group's imminent reunion, and the likely comical range of reactions that were sure to ensue when they saw just who Kusa had brought with him...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, there we go! One interlude, done and dusted! I thought this might take me two chapters, but I was pleasantly surprised that it only took me one instead. So there we go. Hopefully this interlude is well received by the readers. And YES, I had Sojiro awaken to a Persona in the interlude. I had a couple of reasons for it and they go as follows:

1) I feel like Sojiro is a surprisingly under-used choice as a Phantom Thief in Persona stories, so it makes sense. Plus, if many people who do Persona 4/Persona 4 Golden stories can have that game's Hierophant social link, Ryotaro Dojima, awaken to a Persona and help the Investigation Team, then I can have Sojiro become a Phantom Thief, dammit!

Besides, if nothing else, *REDACTED* getting a Persona around mid-way through Strikers confirms that older characters can get Personas. Not to mention, they looked damn good doing it. Also, it's my story, so if I want to have Sojiro awaken to a Persona and become a Phantom Thief, then dammit, I'm gonna have Sojiro awaken to a Persona and become a frickin' Phantom Thief!

2)I see a lot of YouTubers call Sojiro 'Coffee Daddy' in their Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal playthroughs (namely Chaosinthesky13, who does pretty great playthroughs on both YouTube and Twitch, for the most part), and I've seen a lot of those same YouTubers call Kohryu the 'Coffee Dragon', so I figured why not have Coffee Daddy awaken to Coffee Dragon as his Persona? Seems like a good way to pay homage to that 'meme', if you want to call it that. That, and Coffee Daddy is one of the greatest Confidants in Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal.

3)When you max out the Hierophant Confidant in Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal, you gain the ability to fuse 'Kohryu', who is notably absent from Strikers. I figure, if it's the ultimate Hierophant Persona in vanilla Persona 5 and in Royal, why not have it also be Sojiro's partner Persona?

That being said, I did say earlier in the story that I was going to add some additional Phantom Thieves into the mix in this story. Sojiro, as it turns out? He's just the first of the new Phantom Thieves to come in. I may or may not have left a hint to at least one other potential new Phantom Thief member in this chapter as well, for those eagle-eyed enough to spot them. But there likely as not won't be any more new Phantom Thieves until most likely Arc 4 or Arc 5 (probably the former), so this is the last of that for the time being. Hopefully people aren't offended/bothered by the decision to give Sojiro a Persona. But enough about that topic, back to the A/N in general.

Thanks to all who show support to this story, whether it be through following/favoriting it, through following/favoriting me as an author, or even just leaving a review with your thoughts/feedback/constructive criticism/suggestions for the story so far, as the support is greatly appreciated. Alternatively, you can also PM me with those things if you don't want to leave it in a review. I appreciate hearing from my readers either way! So keep on showing the story support, and until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!